cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Legislative Politics in the European Union

This paper compares legislative dynamics under all procedures in which the Council of Ministers votes by qualified majority (QMV). We make five major points. First, the EU governments have sought to reduce the democratic deficit by increasing the powers of the European Parliament since 1987, whereas they have lessened the legislative influence of the Commission. Under the Amsterdam treaty's version of the codecision procedure, the Parliament is a coequal legislator with the Council, whereas the Commission's influence is likely to be more informal than formal. Second, as long as the Parliament acts as a pro-integration entrepreneur, policy outcomes under consultation, cooperation and the new codecision will be more integrationist than the QMV-pivot in the Council prefers. Third, the pace of European integration may slow down if MEPs become more responsive to the demands of their constituents. Fourth, the EU is evolving into a bicameral legislature with a heavy status quo bias. Not only does the Council use...
The Effectiveness of Expectation Models in Recognizing Error Patterns and Generating and Eliminating Hypotheses While Conducting Analytical Procedures

This study analyzes the hypothesis generation and elimination capability of analytical procedures using Structural, Stepwise, Martingale, and ARIMA (Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average) expectation models. We seed 14 errors into 36 complete sets of actual monthly financial statements from three companies. The bivariate pattern of differences, along with the structure of the accounting, business process, and economic system, are used to analytically determine (hypothesize) the most likely cause of the error. We then test the capability of these expectation models to generate correct hypotheses or to eliminate incorrect hypotheses. Positive and negative testing approaches, founded on multivariate normal theory, are examined. From a hypothesis generation perspective using the positive testing approach, the results indicate that the Structural and Stepwise models, yield lower effectiveness risks (type II error) than the ARIMA and Martingale models, with the edge going to the Structural model. From a hyp...
Was development of brackish oceans a factor in Permian extinctions

Extinction of major components of marine communities during Permian time was the most devastating event in the history of life. The pattern of extinction suggests that, among other possibilities, salinity changes in the oceans could have been a primary contributing factor. New data on Permian halite deposits show that the volume is far greater than previously suspected, amounting to at least 10 percent of the volume of salt presently in solution in the oceans. This amount is well over one-half the volume that, if removed from modern oceans, would produce brackish conditions resulting in mass extinctions in modern marine communities. Inasmuch as there may be considerably more Permian halite than has yet been discovered or dated as Permian, and as vast amounts of halite may have been lost from Permian deposits through solution in the past 225 m.y., it is considered probable that development of brackish oceans was an important factor in Permian extinctions.
The association of at-risk, problem, and pathological gambling with substance use, depression, and arrest history

We examined at-risk, problem, or pathological gambling co-occurrence with frequency of past-year alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use; depressive symptoms; and arrest history. Data included the responses of over 3,000 individuals who participated in a 2006 telephone survey designed to understand the extent of at-risk, problem, and pathological gambling; comorbidity levels with substance use; mental health; and social problems among Southwestern U.S. residents. Data were analyzed with multinomial and bivariate logistic regression. Respondents at risk for problem gambling were more likely to use alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana than those respondents not at risk. Pathological gamblers were no more or less likely to consume alcohol or tobacco than were non-gamblers or those not at risk. A dose-response relationship existed between degree of gambling problems and depressive symptoms and arrest history. Interventions for at-risk or problem gamblers need to include substance use treatment, and the phenomenon of low levels of substance use among pathological gamblers needs further exploration.
Measuring motivation multidimensionally: development of the Assessment of Individual Motives-Questionnaire (AIM-Q).

We report the development of the Assessment of Individual Motives–Questionnaire (AIM-Q), a new instrument based on an evolutionary psychology theory of human motivation. It provides multitrait–multimethod (MTMM) assessment of individual differences on 15 motive scales. A total heterogeneous sample of N = 1,251 participated in eight studies that evaluated the homogeneity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and MTMM convergent and discriminant validities of the AIM-Q’s three methods. These studies generally support the overall strategy of assessing individual differences in multiple evolutionary-based motives with multiple methods. Additional validity studies are underway and, when validated further, the AIM-Q may offer a promising option for evolutionary psychologists and behavioral geneticists wanting to incorporate individual differences into their research but have had to use existing self-report measures of personality, which were not designed for such a purpose. It may also offer clinical and counseling psychologists an additional approach to personality measures for the prediction of behavior.
The diffusion of sustainability activism at an American university

This is a qualitative study of collective action at a large American university. The project explores the motivations for civic engagement of individuals. Eighteen respondents that had been involved with a Sustainability and Greening (SAG) council were interviewed with a biographical in-depth interview approach using an open-ended interview guide. Data was analyzed deductively using Diffusion of Innovations theory as a guide. Categorizing individuals according to Diffusion of Innovation adopter categories proved useful in understanding motivations to engage. Results show that individuals went through an innovation-decision process and were motivated by perceived compatibility of the SAG council collective action with their prior knowledge and current social context, relative advantages of the SAG as an innovation, and most notably by opinion leader endorsements. The study contributes to collective action research by showing how actors can be differentially motivated over time and how engagement can be nurtured to meet our looming social
Linking the microbiota and metabolic disease with lymphotoxin

The field of lymphotoxin biology has seen many advances in the past decade. Notably, a role for lymphotoxin as a key effector cytokine has emerged to add to its foundational contribution to lymphoid organogenesis. It is now clear that lymphotoxin contributes to host defense for a wide variety of pathogens, and the lymphotoxin receptor is a defining feature of and regulatory mechanism in both innate and adaptive immunities. Specifically, lymphotoxin contributes to T h education, licensing of IL-22 production from type 3 innate lymphoid cells, and even maintains innate myeloid populations within the fully developed lymph node. Most recently, lymphotoxin has been implicated in regulation of the microbiota and metabolic disease. Early studies revealed that lymphotoxin might influence composition of the commensal microbiota through its regulation of immunological compartmentalization in the gut. Additionally, several epidemiological studies have linked polymorphisms in lymphotoxin to metabolic disease. Studies exploring the role of lymphotoxin in metabolic disease have demonstrated that lymphotoxin may influence metabolism both directly in the liver and indirectly through regulation of gut immune responses. It now appears that lymphotoxin may bridge the gap between altered composition of the commensal microbiota and metabolism.
Decision-support for real-time multi-agent coordination

Teams of people need to coordinate in real-time in many dynamic and uncertain domains. Examples include disaster rescue, hospital triage, and military operations. It is possible to develop plan a priori, but many parts of these plans must be left unspecified because people won't know exactly what needs to be done until they are executing the plan in the field. Additionally, requirements and tasks can evolve during execution. Our work addresses a fundamental multi-agent systems endeavor of creating decision support systems that help humans perform better in these domains. The technical challenges to compute good solutions for these problems have been well documented [1, 2, 3].
Comparison of methods for estimating the effect of salvage therapy in prostate cancer when treatment is given by indication

For patients who were previously treated for prostate cancer, salvage hormone therapy is frequently given when the longitudinal marker prostate-specific antigen begins to rise during follow-up. Because the treatment is given by indication, estimating the effect of the hormone therapy is challenging. In a previous paper we described two methods for estimating the treatment effect, called two-stage and sequential stratification. The two-stage method involved modeling the longitudinal and survival data. The sequential stratification method involves contrasts within matched sets of people, where each matched set includes people who did and did not receive hormone therapy. In this paper, we evaluate the properties of these two methods and compare and contrast them with the marginal structural model methodology. The marginal structural model methodology involves a weighted survival analysis, where the weights are derived from models for the time of hormone therapy. We highlight the different conditional and marginal interpretations of the quantities being estimated by the three methods. Using simulations that mimic the prostate cancer setting, we evaluate bias, efficiency, and accuracy of estimated standard errors and robustness to modeling assumptions. The results show differences between the methods in terms of the quantities being estimated and in efficiency. We also demonstrate how the results of a randomized trial of salvage hormone therapy are strongly influenced by the design of the study and discuss how the findings from using the three methodologies can be used to infer the results of a trial. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Attitude stabilization using a contactor control system with a linear switching criterion

In this paper it is described how contactor control can be used to stabilize the attitude of a spinning space vehicle and of an orbiting satellite. Relations are first derived for chatter of the contactor (caused by an inherent time delay), and then applied to the analysis of the two plants. All examples are compared with their respective time-optimal solutions.
Epstein–Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis: is there a link?

Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic autoimmune disease characterized by chronic, destructive, debilitating arthritis. Its etiology is unknown; it is presumed that environmental factors trigger development in the genetically predisposed. Epstein–Barr virus, a nearly ubiquitous virus in the human population, has generated great interest as a potential trigger. This virus stimulates polyclonal lymphocyte expansion and persists within B lymphocytes for the host's life, inhibited from reactivating by the immune response. In latent and replicating forms, it has immunomodulating actions that could play a role in the development of this autoimmune disease. The evidence linking Epstein–Barr virus and rheumatoid arthritis is reviewed.
Behavior of HomePlug AV traffic at high sustained bit rates in the home

HomePlug AV is a recent version of the popular HomePlug powerline networking standard. An in-home HomePlug AV network was sampled between 1 and 6 Megabits per second (Mbps) with and without added noise and analyzed with respect to packet losses. Our experimental results indicate that the distribution of the number of consecutive error bursts is a combination of the classic Gilbert-Elliot model and a long-tailed distribution caused by electrical noise.
Country-of-Origin Loyalty: An Exploratory Investigation

The impact of the national association of products on buyer perceptions has been intensively studied over the past 30 years. A comprehensive review by Samiee (1994) and a meta-analysis by Peterson and Jolibert (1995) attest to the continuing interest in this avenue of research. However, as noted by Samiee (1994), most of the research has been conducted using a "made in ---" as the independent variable. This approach assumes consumer knowledge of brand national associations as consumers choose among brands, not among products "made in ---." Secondly, previous research has focused on quality perceptions or buying intentions, not behavior in the marketplace. The current research is distinguished by employing brands (with strong national associations) and including consumption history as a dependent variable.
Ontogeny of Cranial Epi-Ossifications in Triceratops

ABSTRACT Historically, the scarcity of non-adult Triceratops fossils collected from Upper Cretaceous sediments of North America limited our understanding and promoted controversy with regard to the morphology, and presence or absence of cranial epi-ossifications in this widely known horned dinosaur. The recent discovery of several exceptionally well preserved juvenile and subadult Triceratops skulls and numerous juvenile, subadult, and adult cranial elements, from the Hell Creek Formation of eastern Montana, confirms the ontogeny and morphology of epi-ossifications in this study. We propose to standardize the terminology for these four cranial epi-ossifications: epinasal, epijugal, epiparietal, and episquamosal. We describe the ontogeny and timing of the fusion of each of these epi-ossifications and the rostral from a cranial growth series. Although the timing is variable, the epinasal fuses first, followed by the rostal, the epijugals, the episquamosals, and lastly by the epiparietals. Co-ossification of...
EFFECT OF VARIABLE DENSITY IN DENDRITIC SOLIDIFICATION

Dendritic solidification with natural convection caused by solidification contraction and thermal and solutal buoyancy in two-dimensional space is numerically studied using a sharp-interface model. The model is formulated using the finite element method and works directly with primitive variables. Both pure substances and binary alloys are considered. The model solves the coupled energy and solutal concentration equations and the Navier-Stokes equations for incompressible flow while tracking the solid-liquid interface explicitly using marker points. The energy equation is solved on a fixed mesh that covers the whole domain of the solid and liquid phases. The solutal concentration and Navier-Stokes equations are solved on an adaptive mesh of triangular elements that covers only the liquid phase. The adaptive mesh conforms to the interface and the velocity boundary conditions are applied directly at the nodes on the interface. Three examples that consider solidification contraction, thermal buoyancy and all three of contraction and thermal and solutal buoyancy are presented. The simulations show that, for equiaxial dendritic growth into an undercooled pure melt, the contraction-induced convection enhances the solidification rate symmetrically while the thermal convection causes the dendrite to grow faster in the downward direction and slower in the upward direction. For directional solidification with the growth direction perpendicular to the gravity, thermo-solutal buoyancy causes circulatory convection while contraction induces unidirectional flow. The mixed convection alters the concentration distribution in the solutal-boundary layer ahead of the interface and changes the local solidification rate.
The Significance of the “Editorial Notes” in the Reprints of the Earlier Opinions on Zoological Nomenclature

Opinions of the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, beginning with Number 1, are being reprinted with “Editorial Notes” by Secretary Hemming. Certain of these notes are factual and historical in nature; others are interpretations, and as such they may be open to difference of opinion.
Electrical and Structural Properties of MeV Si+ Ion Implantation in Silicon

The electrical properties of residual MeV ion implantation damage in Si after annealing from 600 to 1100°C for 1 hour have been investigated using Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy, Capaciatance-Voltage, and Current-Voltage measurements. These data have been correlated with structural defects imaged by Transmission Electron Microscopy. It is shown that at least 4 deep levels are associated with the buried layer of extended defects after annealing at 800, 900, 1000 and 1100°C. Additionally, for the wafer annealed at 800°C at least 5 more deep level centers are present in the device layer above the buried defects.
Preparation for Optical Character Recognition

This paper discusses the possible advantages of optical character recognition and matrix mark scanning for commercial organizations. Several available machines are mentioned and possible founts are considered in relation to the needs of Eastern Electricity. The problems of form layout, printing and paper quality are given attention, as well as the overall reject rates and the economics of O.C.R. The paper concludes with a review of actual developments and hoped for developments in optical scanning. This paper was first presented to the Glasgow Branch of the British Computer Society on 4th April, 1966.
Complexities of designing terrain maps illustrated with horizontal hachures

ABSTRACTDesigning maps involves numerous decisions on the part of the cartographer, while designing terrain maps adds unique complexities. Terrain is often conceptualized as varying in a smooth and continuous manner, leading to data being stored with field-based models, often using raster datasets. The focus of many map design books and other literature, however, is on symbolizing object-based models. Vector layers such as contours and hachures can be derived from grids, but are conceptually abstract and require special consideration for three-dimensional display. We propose a classification scheme for terrain maps based on four principal elements of design: layer tinting, shading, texturing and form lines. We also propose a new method for automating horizontal hachures that illustrates how the latter three elements meet at a critical design juncture where location, orientation, derived attributes and the use of visual variables to symbolize the terrain intersect. Horizontal hachures combine multiple desi...
Maturation of succinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase in neonatal rat kidney.

SummarySuccinic dehydrogenase and cytochrome oxidase undergo maturation in respect to distribution and staining intensity in the neonatal kidney of the rat. Recognition of this event provides cytochemical evidence of functional immaturity in the neonatal kidney. Proteinuria or altered tubular reabsorption of protein was not observed in newborns of this species.
President’s Remarks

![Figure][1] Good afternoon. Welcome to the 82nd Annual Session of the American Dental Education Association in the wonderful city of Baltimore, Maryland. I said this to you last year in San Antonio, but it bears repeating. Thank you for the honor and privilege of allowing me to serve as
Study on virulence genes distribution and molecular classification of vibrio parahaemolyticus from different sources in Jingzhou

Objective To understand the virulent genotype distribution of the vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from different sources in Jingzhou,and to establish data basis of molecular classification,so as to provide scientific basis for controlling the harm of vibrio parahaemolyticus to human. Methods Eighty- one vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from aquatic products and intermediate links and 3 vibrio parahaemolyticus isolates from food poisoning were collected to analyze the distribution of tlh, trh,tdh,ureC and T3SS2( vsC2,vcrD2),in which 33 strains were selected for molecular classification by PFGE. Results In 81 isolates from aquatic products and intermediate links,the tlh gene was positive in all the isolates,while the other genes were not detected; In 3 isolates from food poisoning,tlh,tdh and T3SS2( vsC2,vcrD2) were positive,while trh and ureC were not detected; 33 strains for molecular classification covered 30 PFGE types,and they were divided into 8 clusters according to the 69. 9% cutoff values,mainly A clustering and C clustering. Conclusion In Jingzhou,the pathogenic Vp contamination was not serious in aquatic products and their surrounding environment; Vp isolates from food poisoning carried a variety of virulence genes; tlh gene can be used for detection and identification of Vp; Vp isolates from the environment showed genetic polymorphism,indicating the distant genetic relationship.
Analyzing Power for 4He(t,t)4He Elastic Scattering

We have obtained analyzing power data for elastic triton-alpha scattering at θcm = 49.6° and θ=123° over the energy range 7–14 MeV (see fig. 1). In addition, we have obtained angular distributions of the analyzing power at 12.25 MeV, 10.82 MeV, and 8.79 MeV (see fig. 2). In both figures, dots represent data obtained by detecting tritons and triangles represent the data obtained by detecting alpha particles.
Participatory Video and Ethics

This chapter focuses on ethics in participatory video. I examine its rationale in the tradition of visual ethics and share my experience handling ethics to shed light on dilemmas and challenges that may emerge in the conduct of participatory video. I then offer a practical insight into an ethical use of participatory video and argue for the need to develop a clear ethics guidance to advance the practice of participatory video in both adult education and research settings.
Culex (Melanoconion) panocossa from peninsular Florida, USA.

Abstract Culex ( Melanoconion ) panocossa is a suspected vector of Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in Central America. Prior to this report, Cx . panocossa was known from Central America (Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, southern Mexico, Panama), northern South America (Colombia, Venezuela) and the Greater Antilles (Cuba and Jamaica). Larvae (n = 5) and adults (n = 4286) of Cx . panocossa were collected at two locations near Homestead, FL, which indicates substantial established populations of this probable vector species in the continental US. Since larvae of Cx. panocossa are associated with Pistia spp. (water lettuce), the distribution of this mosquito is likely to expand in Florida, where water lettuce is a major invasive plant in freshwater ecosystems. The putative establishment of Cx . panocossa in Florida is of significant concern from a public health perspective, as its proliferation in developed areas could link historically sylvatic transmission foci of Everglades virus with populated centers such as the greater Miami Metropolitan area.
Gestational Diabetes Testing, Narrative, and Medical Distrust.

In this article, we investigate the role of scientific and patient narratives on perceptions of the medical debate around gestational diabetes (GDM) testing. Among medical scientists, we show that the narrative surrounding GDM testing affirms that future research and data will lead to medical consensus. We call this narrative trajectory the “deferred quest.” For patients, however, diagnosis and their subsequent discovery that biomedicine does not speak in one voice ruptures their trust in medical authority. This new distrust creates space for patients to develop a Frankian quest narrative where they become the protagonist in their story. Additionally, across these different narratives, we observe how character is constructed and employed to negotiate trust. We conclude that healthcare providers should assess the narrative trajectory adopted by patients after diagnosis. Also, we suggest that providers acknowledge the lack of medical consensus to their patients. This veracity would foster women’s sense of trust in their provider as well as allow women to be active interlocutors in a debate that ultimately plays out in their deliberation about their body, pregnancy, and risk.
The Biochemistry of Bone: Composition and Organization

Publisher Summary Osteoporosis is characterized by increased risk of fracture due to changes in the “quality” of bone. To appreciate why bone becomes weaker or less resilient to fracture with age in both men and women and in individuals of different races, a general knowledge of bone development and age-dependent changes is necessary. It is noted that there are both age- and sex-dependent differences in bone properties and composition, some related to the rate at which bones develop in boys and girls, some related to the impact of genes on the X-chromosome which produce proteins important for bone development and/or metabolism and some due to the direct effect of sex steroids on bone cells. To appreciate the discrete differences between bone structure and composition in men and women this chapter reviews the basics of bone composition and organization and the mineralization process from the point of view of sexual dimorphism, where such differences between men and women are recognized. Emphasis is placed on those factors that contribute to bone strength; geometry, architecture, mineralization, the nature of the organic matrix and tissue heterogeneity.
Abstract IA09: Genome-wide CRISPR screens illuminate lymphoma pathogenesis and therapeutic resistance

While the genetic aberrations in cancer cells have been revealing, many malignant phenotypes are regulated by genes that are not genetically altered. To gain insight into these pathways, we have employed genome-wide genetic screens using CRISPR-Cas9 technology. In one type of screen, lentiviral libraries expressing small guide RNAs (sgRNAs) are used to direct the endonuclease Cas9 to particular genomic locations, leading to the cutting and inactivation of the targeted gene. An alternative approach, called CRISPRi, uses a catalytically-dead Cas9 isoform fused to a KRAB transcriptional repressor domain. sgRNAs are used to guide this fusion protein to gene promoters, leading to their silencing. We are utilizing both screening methodologies in a variety of cell line models of various genetic subtypes of diffuse large B cell lymphoma, T cell lymphomas, and multiple myeloma, looking for essential genes that control proliferation and/or survival in a cancer subtype-specific fashion. We are also using these screens to uncover genes that synergize or antagonize targeted agents that are in clinical development in these lymphoid malignancies. I will present new Insights from these screens into the mechanisms by which lymphomas acquire sensitivity to therapeutic agents targeting B cell receptor signaling, such as ibrutinib, and how they subsequently may develop resistance. Citation Format: Louis M. Staudt. Genome-wide CRISPR screens illuminate lymphoma pathogenesis and therapeutic resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Precision Medicine Series: Opportunities and Challenges of Exploiting Synthetic Lethality in Cancer; Jan 4-7, 2017; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2017;16(10 Suppl):Abstract nr IA09.
A Case Study of Metabolic Syndrome without Hypertension in a Fijian Coastal Fishing Village

AbstractWe describe a case study involving obesity, health, and body image on the small island of Nayau, in the Lau Group, Fiji. Nayau is a remote island of Fiji where traditional subsistence activ...
Concentric layered Hermite scatterers

Abstract The long wavelength limit of scattering from spheres has a rich history in optics, electromagnetics, and acoustics. Recently it was shown that a common integral kernel pertains to formulations of weak spherical scatterers in both acoustics and electromagnetic regimes. Furthermore, the relationship between backscattered amplitude and wavenumber k was shown to follow power laws higher than the Rayleigh scattering k 2 power law, when the inhomogeneity had a material composition that conformed to a Gaussian weighted Hermite polynomial. Although this class of scatterers, called Hermite scatterers, are plausible, it may be simpler to manufacture scatterers with a core surrounded by one or more layers. In this case the inhomogeneous material property conforms to a piecewise continuous constant function. We demonstrate that the necessary and sufficient conditions for supra-Rayleigh scattering power laws in this case can be stated simply by considering moments of the inhomogeneous function and its spatial transform. This development opens an additional path for construction of, and use of scatterers with unique power law behavior.
Reaction of N,N-Dimethyltryptamine with Dichloromethane Under Common Experimental Conditions

A large number of clinically used drugs and experimental pharmaceuticals possess the N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) structural core. Previous reports have described the reaction of this motif with dichloromethane (DCM), a common laboratory solvent used during extraction and purification, leading to the formation of an undesired quaternary ammonium salt byproduct. However, the kinetics of this reaction under various conditions have not been thoroughly described. Here, we report a series of experiments designed to simulate the exposure of DMT to DCM that would take place during extraction from plant material, biphasic aqueous work-up, or column chromatography purification. We find that the quaternary ammonium salt byproduct forms at an exceedingly slow rate, only accumulates to a significant extent upon prolonged exposure of DMT to DCM, and is readily extracted into water. Our results suggest that DMT can be exposed to DCM under conditions where contact times are limited (<30 min) with minimal risk of degradation and that this byproduct is not observed following aqueous extraction. However, alternative solvents should be considered when the experimental conditions require longer contact times. Our work has important implications for preparing a wide-range of pharmaceuticals bearing the DMT structural motif in high yields and purities.
Outcomes of oesophageal self-dilation for patients with refractory benign oesophageal strictures.

BACKGROUND Current management of refractory benign oesophageal strictures with endoscopic dilations and stenting leads to resolution of dysphagia in only 30% of patients. Oesophageal self-dilation may be an alternative. AIM To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oesophageal self-dilation at a tertiary referral centre. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of patients with refractory benign oesophageal strictures who participated in oesophageal self-dilation at Mayo Clinic (Rochester, MN, USA) between 2003 and 2017. Clinical data including stricture characteristics, Dakkak and Bennett Dysphagia Score, number and dates of endoscopies, and complications were collected. A two-tailed paired Student's t test was used to compare the measures of efficacy, with differences considered significant at a 5% probability level. RESULTS We identified 52 patients with refractory strictures treated with self-dilation. The median number of endoscopic interventions was reduced from 9.5 (range 5-30) to 0 (range 0-3) within 12 months before and after self-dilation, respectively (P < 0.0001). A median intervention-free interval of 417 days (IQR 256-756 days) was observed. The mean dysphagia score at baseline was 2.5 (95% CI 2.2-2.8) and 0.33 (95% CI 0.11-0.53) after self-dilation. 23 of 27 (85%) patients who received enteral nutrition prior to self-dilation had their feeding tubes removed. CONCLUSIONS Oesophageal self-dilation is an effective way of maintaining oesophageal patency in refractory benign oesophageal strictures, with safety comparable to current standard of care. Prospective studies are needed to further validate the role of self-dilation in treatment of refractory benign oesophageal strictures.
FFR-Guided CABG: Will Simpler and Better Be Enough to Change Practice?

The remarkable success of coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) in reducing angina, death, and myocardial infarction (MI) is attributed mostly to complete rather than incomplete revascularization. The concept of complete revascularization is at the crux of CABG decision-making, but it is anatomically based, bypassing all angiographic stenoses >50% diameter narrowing with the assumption that such lesions were always indicative of flow limitation (ie, ischemia) to the supplied region. Because visual assessment of a stenosis has a ±20% variance, even milder lesions are sometimes bypassed with the rationale that if coronary disease progressed, the bypass graft would be protective. This concept has been a source of significant controversy1 and refuted in several studies demonstrating that bypassing functionally insignificant lesions results in early graft failure and acceleration of native artery disease, potentially exacerbating the consequences of late graft failure.2,3 It has been reported4 that up to 25% of bypass grafts to vessels that are not physiologically stenosed actually provide no measurable perfusion to the territory. See Article by Fournier et al After 2 decades of studies, most coronary interventionalists have incorporated fractional flow reserve (FFR), an invasively-measured translesional pressure ratio during hyperemia, and an important marker of lesion-specific ischemia, into their practice. FFR has repeatedly demonstrated that angiography is often unreliable, failing to correctly identify ischemic lesions, especially for intermediately severe (40%–70%) stenoses. Even intravascular ultrasound imaging of a stenosis has only a modest correlation to its physiology.5 Myocardial mass and flow, microvascular disease, and lesion morphology are just a few of the factors contributing to the deceptive visual-functional mismatch, obscuring an accurate clinical assessment of a stenosis. Applied to practice, FFR-guided revascularization provides improved outcomes at lower cost to the healthcare system.6 Multiple studies support the applicability …
Pediatric Asthma Study of the State Medical Society of Wisconsin.

Problem: Asthma management should follow evidence-based national guidelines. We compared patient self-reports of usual care to clinical practice guidelines. Methods: Cross-sectional survey of parents of 245 children age 2-14 years with asthma seen by physicians at 13 practices in Wisconsin. Results: Most children with asthma were atopic and a substantial number experienced psychosocial problems. Families infrequently used written care plans. Knowledge about asthma triggers, especially tobacco smoke, was deficient. Increasing asthma severity was associated with poorer health. Although most parents rated their physician’s expertise as excellent or very good, one-third of children with persistent symptoms used no daily control medication. Significant differences were observed between primary care and specialty care with the best asthma self-management done by patients of specialists.
Particle size prediction in reactive precipitation processes

iv CHAPTER 1: GENERAL INTRODUCTION 1 CHAPTER 2: BASIC CONCEPTS 7 CHAPTER 3: SCALE-UP OF AQUEOUS REDUCTIVE 32 PRECIPITATION OF PALLADIUM METAL CHAPTER 4: VALIDATION OF THE QUADRATURE 82 METHOD OF MOMENTS FOR AGGREGATION PROCESSES CHAPTER 5: INVESTIGATION OF THE PRECIPITATION 92 OF ANILINE HYDROCHLORIDE IN CHLOROBENZENE: DETERMINATION OF PRECIPITATION KINETICS AND INVESTIGATION OF THE REACTION IN TAYLOR-COUETTE FLOW CHAPTER 6: GENERAL CONCLUSIONS 132 APPENDIX 135 REFERENCES 144 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 150
Fully Automatic Neuron Tracing

Tamas Freund, a friend from Budapest, wrote me a letter in 1981 in which he said, “Joe, you should build the ultimate neuron-tracing system. In the afternoon, an anatomist will put his microscope slide in it and go to a local pub and drink a beer. The next morning when he returns to the lab, the neuron will be reconstructed, the analysis will be done, and the paper will be written. This would be the perfect neuron-tracing system.” I answered Tamas’ letter with “Thank you for your insight and we’ll get right on it.” Well, we’ve been getting right on it since 1974, and we’re nowhere near it.
Reinstatement of the Genus Piofontia: A Phylogenomic-Based Study Reveals the Biphyletic Nature of Diplostephium (Asteraceae: Astereae)

A recent phylogenomic study has shown that Diplostephium in its broad sense is biphyletic. While one of the clades comprises 60 species distributed mainly in the Northern Andes, the clade that contains the generic type, Diplostephium ericoides, contains 48 species, and primarily inhabits the Central Andes. Here, I propose to reinstate the generic name Piofontia and transfer to it the species of Diplostephium in the Northern Andean clade. Piofontia consists, then, of 60 species of woody subshrubs, shrubs, and small trees inhabiting high Andean forests and paramos of Costa Rica, Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. A morphological description is provided for the genus Piofontia along with a species list with 60 new combinations. Dysaster cajamarcensis is shown to be a synonym of Diplostephium serratifolium. Finally, a brief discussion about themorphological evolution of South American Astereae is provided.
Duality for Locally Compact Abelian Groups

For a locally compact abelian group G, its group Ĝ of characters (i.e., continuous homomorphisms from G to S 1) also acquires the structure of a topological group. In this chapter, we give two distinctive characterizations of what turns out to be the same underlying topology for Ĝ and examine this topology in detail. The main result is the Pontryagin duality theorem, which says in effect that G and Ĝ are mutually dual, both algebraically and topologically. To prove this, we build upon the results of the previous chapter, especially insofar as the introduction of functions of positive type makes a critical correspondence with the theory of unitary representations.
Former Prisoners of War

Former prisoners of war (POWs) endured grave physical and emotional conditions during their internment. Often they experienced a variety of traumatic events, including torture. For these reasons, research on former POWs is directly related to the problems of survivors of torture. The conditions POWs survived—enforced captivity, fear and terror, pain and suffering, and shame and humiliation—all parallel reports from survivors of torture. Clearly, torture survivors share many life experiences with former POWs, and the research conducted on POWs in many different countries may be very relevant to understanding the specific mental health consequences of torture. The research on POWs has previously been comprehensively reviewed (Engdahl & Eberly, 1990). What follows is an update highlighting POW research of particular relevance to the experiences of torture survivors.
Pediatric Urethral Strictures

Pediatric urethral strictures are uncommon and there is a paucity of published series examining their management. Like their adult counterparts, pediatric urethral strictures can be a result of congenital, iatrogenic, inflammatory, traumatic, or idiopathic etiologies. Meatal stenosis should be managed by meatotomy or meatoplasty. Dilation typically fails and is thus discouraged.
Anti-graft-versus-host disease effect of DT390-anti-CD3sFv, a single- chain Fv fusion immunotoxin specifically targeting the CD3 epsilon moiety of the T-cell receptor

In a recent study, we showed that an immunotoxin (IT) made with a conventional monoclonal antibody targeting the CD3 epsilon moiety of the T-cell receptor (TCR) had a potent, but partial, graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) effect (Vallera et al, Blood 86:4367, 1995). Therefore, in this current study, we determined whether a fusion immunotoxin made with anti-CD3 single-chain Fv (sFv), the smallest unit of antibody recognizing antigen, would have anti-GVHD activity. A fusion protein was synthesized from a construct made by splicing sFv cDNA from the hybridoma 145–2C11 to a truncated form of the diphtheria toxin (DT390) gene. DT390 encodes a molecule that retains full enzymatic activity, but excludes the native DT binding domain. The DT390-anti-CD3sFv hybrid gene was cloned into a vector under the control of an inducible promoter. The protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and then purified from inclusion bodies. The DT390 moiety of the protein had full enzymatic activity compared with native DT and DT390-anti-CD3sFv, with an IC50 of 1 to 2 nmol/L against phytohemagglutinin-stimulated and alloantigen-stimulated T cells. Specificity was shown (1) by blocking the IT with parental anti-CD3 antibody, but not with a control antibody; (2) by failure of DT390-anti-CD3sFv to inhibit lipopolysaccharide-stimulated murine B cells; (3) by failure of an Ig control fusion protein, DT390-Fc, to inhibit T-cell responses; and (4) with in vivo immunohistochemisty studies. GVHD was studied in a model in which C57BL/6 (H-2b)-purified lymph node T cells were administered to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) antigen disparate unirradiated C.B.-17 scid (H-2d) mice to assess GVHD effects in the absence of irradiation toxicity. Flow cytometry studies showed that donor T cells were expanded 57-fold and histopathologic analysis showed the hallmarks of a lethal model of GVHD. Control mice receiving phosphate-buffered saline showed 17% survival on day 80 after bone marrow transplantation, and mice receiving 2 micrograms DT390-Fc fusion toxin control administered in 2 daily doses for 6 days (days 0 through 5) had a 43% survival rate. In contrast, 86% of mice receiving the same dose of DT390-anti-CD3sFv were survivors on day 80, a significant improvement, although survivors still showed histopathologic signs of GVHD. These findings suggest that new anti-GVHD agents can be genetically engineered and warrant further investigation of fusion proteins for GVHD treatment.
Brand USA: A natural quasi-experiment evaluating the success of a national marketing campaign

Abstract As national, state, and local governments implement strategic place branding and marketing plans, questions remain about how to best measure the success of such endeavors. Using a natural quasi-experimental design, we evaluate how well marketing efforts from Brand USA achieve intended tourism goals. Brand USA was created in 2009 to market the country abroad. Based on air travel data collected from the National Travel and Tourism Office, Brand USA reports, and economic indicators from the World Bank, we find Brand USA's marketing efforts have little effect on inbound international travel to the US, thus showing a potential weakness in place marketing efforts abroad. Findings suggest the organization may decrease the effectiveness of the complex branding campaign.
The C7-aminomethylpyrrolidine group rescues the activity of a thio-fluoroquinolone.

Abstract A Mg2+-water bridge between the C-3, C-4 diketo moiety of fluoroquinolones and the conserved amino acid residues in the GyrA/ParC subunit is critical for the binding of a fluoroquinolone to a topoisomerase-DNA covalent complex. The fluoroquinolone UING-5-249 (249) can bind to the GyrB subunit through its C7-aminomethylpyrrolidine group. This interaction is responsible for enhanced activities of 249 against the wild type and quinolone-resistant mutant topoisomerases. To further evaluate the effects of the 249-GyrB interaction on fluoroquinolone activity, we examined the activities of decarboxy- and thio-249 against DNA gyrase and conducted docking studies using the structure of a gyrase-ciprofloxacin-DNA ternary complex. We found that the 249-GyrB interaction rescued the activity of thio-249 but not that of decarboxy-249. A C7-group that binds more strongly to the GyrB subunit may allow for modifications at the C-4 position, leading to a novel compound that is active against the wild type and quinolone-resistant pathogens.
Method to Extract System-Independent Material Properties From Dual-Energy X-Ray CT

In 2016, we published a method for processing dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) data called system-independent rho-e/Z-e ( $\rho _{\mathrm {e}}/Z_{\mathrm {e}}$ ) or SIRZ. Using data from multiple DECT systems and spectra, SIRZ estimated the electron density $\rho _{\mathrm {e}}$ and effective atomic number $Z_{\mathrm {e}}$ (based on published X-ray cross sections), for a set of known specimens. However, the decomposition process required complex spectral modeling of the DECT system, which made SIRZ difficult to implement and automate. This paper describes the subsequent work on “SIRZ-2” to simplify the spectral modeling, automate the process, and improve its range and versatility. The SIRZ-2 basis functions are more accurate for the X-ray energy range ( $Z_{\mathrm {e}}$ of 6–20) were scanned with multiple spectral pairs (up to 200 keV) on seven different DECT systems, including a commercial airport luggage scanner. For these varied tests, the average SIRZ-2 relative errors for $\rho _{\mathrm {e}}$ estimates were four times lower (0.7% compared to 3.0% for SIRZ), while average $Z_{\mathrm {e}}$ relative errors were comparably low for both methods ( $\rho _{\mathrm {e}}$ , $Z_{\mathrm {e}}$ ) that can be directly compared across DECT systems and over time.
Design automation for streaming systems

RTL design methodologies are struggling to meet the challenges of modern, large system design. Their reliance on manually timed design with fully exposed device resources is laborious, restricts reuse, and is increasingly ineffective in an era of Moore's Law expansion and growing interconnect delay. We propose a new hardware design methodology rooted in an abstraction of communication timing, which provides flexibly timed module interfaces and automatic generation of pipelined communication. Our core approach is to replace inter-module wiring with streams, which are FIFO buffered channels. We develop a process network model for streaming systems (TDFPN) and a hardware description language with built in streams (TDF). We describe a complete synthesis methodology for mapping streaming applications to a commercial FPGA, with automatic generation of efficient hardware streams and module-side flow control. We use this methodology to compile seven multimedia applications to a Xilinx Virtex-II Pro FPGA, finding that stream support can be relatively inexpensive. We further propose a comprehensive, system-level optimization flow that uses information about streaming behavior to guide automatic communication buffering, pipelining, and placement. We discuss specialized stream support on reconfigurable, programmable platforms, with intent to provide better results and compile tunes than streaming on generic FPGAs. We also show how streaming can support an efficient abstraction of area, allowing an entire system to be reused with automatic performance improvement on larger, next generation devices.
Ice-Templating Synthesis of Hierarchical and Anisotropic Silver-Nanowire-Fabric Aerogel and Its Application for Enhancing Thermal Energy Storage Composites

By bidirectionally freeze-casting silver nanowire (AgNW) suspension, we synthesized hierarchical AgNW aerogel (AgNWA). The AgNWA shows two hierarchical levels: (1) AgNW fabric-like ribbons of inter...
INCIDENCE OF, AND OVERALL CLINICAL BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH, HYPERKALEMIA IN A LARGE INTEGRATED HEALTHCARE SYSTEM

Hyperkalemia (HK) is a serious medical condition that can lead to life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death. HK can result from various acute and chronic conditions that affect potassium (K) homeostasis. However, HK incidence and subsequent clinical and economic outcomes within a