cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Imaging Associated With Improved Survival in Older Patients With Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries.

Abstract Background Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of trauma-related death and disability. Computed tomography (CT) imaging of the head is essential for diagnosis of intracranial hemorrhage. This study aimed to identify optimal time to imaging and its impact on mortality for older patients with mild TBIs. Materials and methods State-wide quality collaborative data were used from level I-II trauma centers. Inclusion criteria were ICD-9/10 codes for head trauma, age ≥50, admission/emergency department Glasgow Coma Scale ≥14, injury severity score ≤20, nonfull trauma activation, and head CT imaging time between 5 and 90 min of arrival. Locally weighted scatterplot smoothing plot data were used to dichotomize patients into early and late head CT imaging cohorts. Multivariable logistic regression and negative binomial models were used to evaluate the effect of early verses late head CT on clinical outcomes. The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality. Results Mortality nadired at 35 min. Each 1-min delay in CT imaging resulted in a 2% increase in mortality (P = 0.002). Early patients had significantly reduced in-hospital mortality (P = 0.03), shorter emergency department length of stay (P Conclusions Delay in head CT imaging in the setting of potential mild TBI was associated with an increase in mortality. A delay in diagnosis cascades into delays in delivery of therapeutic interventions. Head CT within 35 min should be evaluated as a quality metric for older patients with mild TBI.
Kane, Pereboom, and Event-Causal Libertarianism

This paper provides a brief review of some of the central elements of Robert Kane’s event-causal libertarian theory of free will. It then goes on to consider four of the central criticisms Derk Pereboom has made of Kane’s view and it shows how each of these criticisms can be reasonably answered. These criticisms are the no further power/control objection, the disappearing agent/luck objection, the randomizing manipulator objection, and the problem of responsibility for efforts of will.
Improvement in Survival of Multiple Myeloma Patients: A Long-Term Institutional Experience

Introduction-Multiple myeloma (MM) represents 1.8% of all new cancer cases in the U.S., with an estimated 32,110 new cases in 2019. While not curable, advances in treatment, including autologous stem cell transplant (ASCT) and maintenance therapy, have dramatically improved progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The Ohio State University bone marrow transplant program began utilizing ASCT for newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients in 1992. With the introduction of new and more effective drugs used before and after ASCT, we performed survival analysis in NDMM patients from 1992-2016 receiving ASCT to examine our institutional progress. Method-We performed a retrospective analysis of 1002 consecutive transplant eligible NDMM patients. Patients were split into five groups based on historic changes in novel agents for treatment of MM: 1992-1998 (vincristine/doxorubicin/dexamethasone-group 1), 1999-2002 (thalidomide/dexamethasone-group 2), 2003-2008 (bortezomib/lenalidomide/dexamethasone-group 3), 2009-2013 (carfilzomib/pomalidomide/dexamethasone, and maintenance therapy-group 4), and 2014-2016 (agents used for relapsed MM, including daratumumab/elotuzumab/ixazomib/dexamethasone, and maintenance therapy-group 5). Pre-ASCT conditioning regimen was melphalan 140-200 mg/m2 in 94.4% of patients. Data were consistently obtained since 2003 for both standard and high-risk patients at diagnosis. High-risk patients had del17, t(4:14), t(14:16), hypodiploidy and/or 1q abnormality. Primary endpoints were PFS and OS. PFS was defined as time to progressive disease or death from any cause from the date of transplantation. OS was defined as time from transplantation to death from any cause, censoring those who were still alive at the last follow up. Kaplan Meier curves were used to calculate PFS and OS. Results-The median age of all patients at transplant was 58 years (range: 18-81 years) and 58.5% were male. The median patient age increased significantly, from 54 to 60 years, over 1992-2016 (p 65 years old, there was a statistically significant improvement in PFS (p The rate of response both pre- and post-transplant showed statistically significant improvement across the years (p Conclusion-Our data show that NDMM patients' survival and response to standard of care treatment have improved dramatically since 1992, primarily due to inclusion of novel therapies and maintenance. For NDMM patients receiving ASCT, the 3 year overall survival rate has significantly improved from 45% in 1992-1998 to 80% in 2014-2016, which is similar to the post-ASCT OS shown in the 2012 study by McCarthy et al. The significantly increasing age of NDMM patients receiving ASCT over time suggests improving supportive care and expansion of standard of care therapies to more of the population, improving survival and quality of life. Download : Download high-res image (134KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures Rosko: Vyxeos: Other: Travel support. Efebera: Takeda: Honoraria; Akcea: Other: Advisory board, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Speakers Bureau.
Hydration and swelling of dry polymers for wet adhesion

Abstract Whereas two dry surfaces can adhere to each other upon contact, it is challenging to form adhesion between two wet surfaces separated by interfacial water. A commonly used strategy for adhesion of wet surfaces such as wet tissues is to let adhesives such as monomers, macromers, polymers, and particles diffuse across the interfacial water and subsequently form physical and/or chemical crosslinking with the surfaces. In contrast, a recently developed strategy for wet adhesion is to make adhesives such as dry polymer networks quickly absorb the interfacial water and then crosslink with the surfaces. Since the absorption of interfacial water requires hydration and swelling of the dry polymer networks, understanding the physics and mechanics of this concurrent hydration and swelling process will potentially facilitate the design of future adhesives for wet adhesion. In this paper, we present a combined theoretical and experimental study on dry polymer networks that absorb interfacial water for wet adhesion. We observe that the absorption of interfacial water creates a sharp hydration front in the initially dry polymer network, where the hydrated part swells by further absorption of water and the un-hydrated part maintains in the dry state. We develop a quantitative model for the coupled hydration and swelling of polymer networks governed by the Case-I diffusion and validate the model with experimental data. We finally present a guideline for the design of dry polymer networks to achieve fast, stable, and tough adhesion with wet surfaces.
Incorporating Problem-Based Experiential Teaching in the Agriculture Curriculum

There is an urgent need for students in agriculture and natural resource management to develop competencies to solve problems in multiple-goal situations. Useful materials for problem-based experiential teaching are being incorporated into curricula and courses at agricultural universities worldwide. A forestry and an agronomy course at Iowa State University have incorporated problem-based team projects on real-world situations as a means of providing students with integrative and meaningful experiential learning. Teams pick their own problems, identify the subject matter competencies required to confront the problems, decide on team membership based on these competencies, and spend a significant portion of a semester in out-ofclass activities researching their problems and developing recommendations to confront the problems. Teams present their recommendations before an audience composed of class members and/or clients for whom they have developed their analyses and recommendations. Grades are assigned in a way that recognizes both the effectiveness of a team in meeting its assignment and the contribution of each individual to team activities. Student evaluations of these courses indicate that students recognize the integrative nature of the problem-based team activities and appreciate the practical value of this teaching approach.
7 – Preliminary Studies

Publisher Summary Section c of the research plan of an application for an R01 Individual Research Grant is called preliminary studies if the proposal is new and preliminary studies/progress report if the proposal is a competing renewal or an application for supplemental funds. This chapter focuses on preliminary studies and is relevant to new and competing renewal proposals. Main purpose is to persuade the reviewers that the principal investigator (PI) is expert in all of the procedures proposed for which there is direct responsibility. The second purpose is to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the proposed studies are feasible in the hands of the PI. This includes presentation of data in support of any component of a theoretical model for which published data may be lacking, and pilot data that at least suggest that the PI's hypothesis will be supported. A third important purpose is to show that a proposed collaboration actually functions to produce usable data. Preliminary section should be limited to no more than 8 pages. The distribution of pages within the research plan is not fixed, but the total number of pages is limited to 25 pages. This includes all pages of illustrations submitted as part of the preliminary studies. It is not necessary to establish proof of expertise in areas where the credentials of the PI will not be questioned. The preliminary studies section should be written after the methods section is finished. The proposed methods should be carefully scrutinized and every proposed procedure listed.
Terca, pero no pendeja: Terquedad as Theory and Praxis of Transformative Gestures in Higher Education

In this article, the author explores the concept of terquedad or waywardness as a blueprint towards gender/queer justice in education. Using Maria Lugones’s (2003) theorizing resistance against multiple oppressions, the author presents Gloria Anzaldua’s' writings in Borderlands/La Frontera (1987) and This Bridge Called My Back (1981/2015) as a project of storying the plurality of terquedad. In doing so, the author calls for a theory and praxis of terquedad as a framework to understand the embodied resistances queer and trans-Latinx/e students deploy as textual inconveniences to push back and resist the “institutional grammars” of U.S. universities (Crawford & Ostrom, 1995; Bonilla-Silva, 2012). Through a platica methodology (Fierros & Delgado Bernal, 2016), the author introduces Quiahuitl, a doctoral student engaging with a praxis of terquedad when confronted with institutional and sexual violence as she moves within and against the geographies and power structures of the university.
Determining the Underlying Relationship Between Swallowing and Maximum Vocal Pitch Elevation: A Preliminary Study of Their Hyoid Biomechanics in Healthy Adults.

Purpose Deficiencies in swallowing (aspiration) and in maximum vocal pitch elevation have been shown to correlate in dysphagia. However, the underlying mechanisms that may explain this relationship...
ARC: Reconfigurable Cache Security Assurance with Application-Specific Randomized Mapping in FPGA-Based Heterogeneous Computing

Modem general purpose processors suffer from cache side-channel attacks (SCA) such as Prime+Probe [1] where the attacker can infer the victim’s information. Last-Level caches(LLC) are particularly vulnerable as they are shared between different cores of the processor. Encryption-based randomized caches such as CEASER [2] have been successful in mitigating conflict-based SCA by stopping the attackers from creating eviction sets but they have a few drawbacks 1) Encryption and remapping is done at all times, even when not performing security-critical tasks and 2) These mitigation techniques provide no defense against flush- based cache attacks such as Flush+Reload. Moreover, such randomized caches employing least-recently used (LRU) replacement policy incur impractical overheads to provide defense against conflict-based SCA. On the other hand, randomized caches employing random replacement policy can mitigate theses attacks with relatively low overhead but suffer from lower hit rate due to inefficient replacement policy. In this paper we show that moving the shared LLC of the processor to the programmable fabric of heterogeneous devices such as FPGA+CPU system-on-chips provides high degree of flexibility in terms of security and performance. To this end, we propose two randomized cache modes 1) Fast: Generic cache using LRU policy while providing no security against SCA and 2) Secure: Randomized cache using random replacement policy that can mitigate SCA. When the LLC is implemented on the reprogrammable fabric of the FPGA, modern FPGA+CPU SoCs ability to reconfigure the FPGA fabric during run-time allows the cache to switch between these two modes. Additionally, we propose a novel randomized cache mechanism, ARC, that can mitigate not only conflict-based attacks but also flush- based cache attacks.
Human rights to the street: Ethical frameworks to guide planning, design, and engineering decisions toward livability, equity, and justice

Recently, there has been a renewed interest in statements about people’s rights to our streets. Drawing broadly from the literature and from an examination of a comprehensive collection of these rights, this article works toward establishing a comprehensive ethical framework that can be used to guide planning, design and engineering decisions to support pedestrian rights for street and urban livability. To identify and propose these ethical principles and help achieve optimal livability for individuals, groups and society, we: (a) comprehensively examine the literature to clarify the various concepts of street livability and human rights to the street (as related to a collection of various pedestrian rights statements); (b) explore what is being said in these rights to better understand people’s needs and wants; and (c) provide a roadmap for planners, urban designers, and engineers to address these needs in practice. Building on the previous steps and incorporating business practice literature of Functional Area Ethics, relevant functional areas are identified to help professionals act in support of these pedestrian rights.
Successful Family-Driven Intervention in Elder Family Financial Exploitation: A Case Study.

Background and objectives The prevalence and consequences of elder family financial exploitation reinforce the need for a range of effective intervention strategies. This paper describes how and why one family successfully intervened in the family-based financial exploitation, constructing, and achieving meaningful processes and outcomes for the specific family and context. Research design and methods Case data analysis and interpretation was guided by Stake's (2015) systematic phases of case summary (factual information), inductive case themes (issue relevant meanings), and case features (abstractions to the existing knowledge). The case was selected from a larger study examining the meaning and experience of elder family financial exploitation based on the following case boundaries: reliance on family members with minimal private sector support, no report to the authorities, and successful outcomes for the victim, perpetrator, and the family system. Results The case family successfully resolved family-based financial exploitation by (a) honoring the victim's wishes, (b) providing support and accountability for the perpetrator, (c) restoring family relationships and functioning, and (d) family-driven decision making. A family systems approach and the application of restorative justice principles are identified as overarching case features. Discussion and implications As a study of a previously undocumented experience of successful family involvement, the case findings are useful for researchers and practitioners when constructing and examining the effectiveness of future intervention strategies.
Yeast Env9 is a Conserved Oxidoreductase Involved in Lipid Droplet Biogenesis

Interactions between organelles and trafficking of cellular materials are finely regulated to maintain cellular integrity. The complexity of such events is highlighted in the endomembrane system, w...
Elliptic Curves Over Finite Fields

We have verified in the previous chapter that the points on an elliptic curve over an arbitrary field form a group, which can be used to implement the public key cryptosystems presented in the first chapter. Since by the algebraic formulae the group operations eventually amount to computations in the field where the elliptic curve is defined, one has to choose a field with an efficiently implementable arithmetic. Basically, this requirement narrows down to the finite fields. (While the rational numbers and more generally number fields also allow exact computations, they have two drawbacks: First, numbers may become arbitrarily big, which destroys the efficiency of the operations. And more important, the discrete logarithm problem on elliptic curves over these fields is easy to solve.) So during this chapter, we consider the following situation:
Sofosbuvir and simeprevir for treatment of hepatitis C virus infection in liver transplant recipients.

Recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection occurs universally in the allograft in the absence of effective antiviral therapy before liver transplantation (LT). Antiviral therapy with sofosbuvir and simeprevir has proven to be highly effective and well tolerated in the nontransplant setting for treatment of HCV genotype 1 infection; therefore, we sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of this regimen in LT recipients with recurrent HCV infection. This was a retrospective analysis of a single-center treatment protocol of patients with HCV genotype 1 infection who received a 12-week combination regimen of sofosbuvir and simeprevir. Sixty-one patients (35 with genotype 1a and 26 with genotype 1b) completed treatment with simeprevir and sofosbuvir. Three patients received additional ribavirin. Laboratory data and clinical assessments performed at the baseline, on treatment, at the end of treatment, and 12 weeks after the completion of antiviral therapy [sustained virological response at 12 weeks (SVR12)] were analyzed. The median time after LT was 5.4 years [interquartile range (IQR), 1.9-8.4 years], and tacrolimus was the most commonly used immunosuppressive agent (80.3%). Overall, SVR12 was achieved in 93.4% [95% confidence interval (CI), 84%-97%] of LT recipients treated with 12 weeks of sofosbuvir and simeprevir. When they were analyzed according to the HCV subtype, LT recipients with genotype 1b had a 100% SVR12 rate (95% CI, 87%-100%), whereas SVR12 was 89% (95% CI, 74%-95%) for those with genotype 1a. Advanced fibrosis (METAVIR F3-F4) was associated with diminished antiviral efficacy in LT recipients with genotype 1a [SVR12, 67% (95% CI, 39%-86%); P = 0.01]. Overall, the incidence of adverse events (AEs) was low, and no severe AEs occurred during treatment. In conclusion, treatment with a 12-week regimen of sofosbuvir and simeprevir was well tolerated and resulted in a high SVR12 rate for LT recipients with recurrent HCV genotype 1 infection. Genotype 1a patients with advanced fibrosis of the allograft were more likely to relapse. Liver Transpl 21:823-830, 2015. © 2015 AASLD.
Linking the knowledge creation process to organizational theories

Purpose – The author aims to provide a macro (organization‐environment) view for knowledge creation (KC), a study traditionally considered to be a micro (individual‐organization) management issue.Design/methodology/approach – Literature review and literature integration are the main approaches used in this paper. Instead of providing a critique, the author reviews recent KC process studies and integrates them into a “process heuristic,” in which different phases of KC activity are embedded. The author then discusses how each phase of KC interacts with the change of an organization's external environment (the integration of change theories and the KC process heuristic).Findings – The author found that an organization needs the function and balance of three different momenta – imitation, rationality, and inertia – to proceed with KC when confronted with pressure from external environments. Knowledge feedback, prompted by the synergy of these momenta, ensures the fitness of an organization and its environmen...
A Critical Review of Sun-Space Physics

The Sun and the heliosphere form a single dynamical system, driven by the convection in the Sun and the magnetic fields generated by that convection. The magnetic fields are the primary channel for producing the high temperatures and high velocities that extend outward to form the heliosphere. The essential point is that, while the general picture seems to be reasonable, several important steps in the process are not understood, and several concepts commonly employed in explanation are false physics. These scientific gaps should not be forgotten in the rush to pursue new and exotic discoveries.
Small lipopeptides possess anti-biofilm capability comparable to daptomycin and vancomycin

Antibiotic resistance, to a large extent, is related to the formation of bacterial biofilms. Thus, compounds with anti-biofilm capability are of practical importance. Inspired by the recent discovery of two amino acid lipopeptides from marine bacteria, we constructed a family of small lipopeptides with 2–3 amino acids. While no antimicrobial activity was found for anionic lipopeptides, cationic candidates are potent against Staphylococcus strains, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) USA200, USA300, USA400, UAMS-1, Newman, and Mu50. In the simplest design, two lysines (C14-KK) or three arginines (C14-RRR) attached to an acyl chain of 14 carbons were sufficient to make the compounds antimicrobial. These simple lipopeptides are inherently stable towards S. aureus V8 proteinase and fungal proteinase K, more soluble in water, and more selective than other lipopeptides containing a mixture of hydrophobic and cationic amino acids. Furthermore, the activity of C14-RRR was not compromised by salts, serum, or a change in pH. Live cell experiments revealed that these lipopeptides, with a detergent-like structure, killed bacteria rapidly by targeting cell membranes. Importantly, these compounds were also able to inhibit biofilm formation and could even disrupt preformed biofilms of clinically relevant MRSA strains with an in vitro efficacy comparable to daptomycin and vancomycin. These results indicate that small lipopeptides are potentially useful candidates for preventing or eliminating bacterial biofilms alone or in combination with daptomycin or vancomycin.
GaNPAs solar cells lattice-matched to GaP

III-V semiconductors grown on silicon substrates are very attractive for lower-cost, high-efficiency multijunction solar cells, but lattice-mismatched alloys that result in high dislocation densities have been unable to achieve satisfactory performance. GaN/sub x/P/sub 1-x-y/As/sub y/ is a direct-gap III-V alloy that can be grown lattice-matched to Si when y = 4.7x - 0.1. We propose the use of lattice-matched GaNPAs on silicon for high-efficiency multijunction solar cells. We have grown GaN/sub x/P/sub 1-x-y/As/sub y/ on GaP (with a similar lattice constant to silicon) by metalorganic chemical vapor phase epitaxy with direct bandgaps in the range of 1.5 to 2.0 eV. We demonstrate the performance of single-junction GaN/sub x/P/sub 1-x-y/As/sub y/ solar cells grown on GaP substrates and discuss the prospects for the development of monolithic high-efficiency multijunction solar cells based on silicon substrates.
The leukemic stem cell

Malignant stem cells have recently been described as the source of several types of human cancer. These unique cell types are typically rare and possess properties that are distinct from most other tumor cells. The properties of leukemic stem cells indicate that current chemotherapy drugs will not be effective. The use of current cytotoxic agents is not effective in leukemia because the agents target both the leukemic and normal stem cell populations. Consequently, new strategies are required that specifically and preferentially target the malignant stem cell population, while sparing normal stem cells. Several well known agents are lethal for the leukemic stem cell in preclinical testing. They include parthenolide, commonly known as feverfew, and TDZD-8. They have undergone various levels of preclinical development, but have not been used in patients as yet in the cancer setting. These drugs and combinations of existing therapies that target the leukemic stem cell population may provide a cure in this disease. This article summarizes recent findings in the leukemic stem cell field and discusses new directions for therapy.
The diffuse infiltrative lymphocytosis syndrome: Clinical and immunogenetic features in 35 patients

ObjectiveTo study the epidemiological, clinical, serological and immunogenetic features of the diffuse infiltrative lymphocytosis syndrome (DILS).DesignConsecutive series of 35 patients with DILS diagnosed from 1992 to 1995 in a cohort of 4100 outpatients infected with HIV-1.MethodsThirty-five indiv
The “20-minute Hour” revisited: A follow-up

Abstract A questionnaire dealing with the use of psychotherapy by the non-psychiatrist was distributed to 50 internists who, during their residency, took part in a psychotherapy course for medical residents. Some questions addressed themselves at a retrospective evaluation of the course in which they had participated. Forty-one physicians, whose average age was 35 years and who had completed their training between 1960 and 1967, replied. The majority were in private practice. Noteworthy was a very broad spectrum of responses, indicating a considerable spread in the views and therapeutic approaches preferred by these physicians. Anywhere from 3–60 per cent of patients are seen as having a primarily psychiatric disorder, this wide range depending on the type of practice and, presumably, on the awareness and recognition by the physician of emotional factors. The majority of patients with emotional difficulties are treated by the physician himself and only a few are referred to psychiatrists. The consultative advice received from psychiatrists generally is regarded as satisfactory. Most of the emotionally upset patients treated by these internists are psychoneurotic and the most frequently employed treatment methods are psychotropic drugs with simple reassurance, or brief psychotherapy with drugs. Brief psychotherapy alone or long-term, non-intensive psychotherapy are used also, but much less often. The “20-minute Hour” is regarded as a useful approach to brief psychotherapy and approximately two-thirds of suitable patients are reported as showing a satisfactory response. Three-fourths (76%) of the physicians believe that psychotherapy is an effective form of treatment and most (85%) believe it has a useful place in the practice of internal medicine. Preference generally is for brief treatment and for a therapeutic approach emphasizing activity. Most would be interested in further postgraduate training, if readily available.
Synthetic Subsurface Pressure Derived from Bottom Pressure and Tide Gauge Observations

Abstract Synthetic subsurface pressure (SSP) can be formed from tide gauge records and from bottom pressure measurements to provide a consistent and convenient basis for comparison of these two different types of observations. Common methods for this estimation are reviewed, and their accuracy is evaluated. Calculations show that subtidal SSP estimates from sea level (SSPSL) and from bottom pressure observations (SSPBP) at close sites agree only in a finite band of frequencies, corresponding to periods between 3.5 and 30 days. At the lower frequencies (periods longer than 30 days), sea level observations are subject to errors induced by the daily measure of staff height. At higher frequencies (periods between 1.5 and 3.5 days), the amplitude of fluctuations is too small to be resolved by a sea level gauge.
An assessment of demand for rural intercity transportation services in a changing environment

With higher fuel costs and changing economic conditions, travel behavior and the level and allocation of resources in highways, rail, air, and transit service in rural areas may be changing. The objective of this study is to determine the attitude of would-be passengers in their choice of mode and the factors determining their choice in rural and small urban areas. A stated preference survey was developed and administered to residents of North Dakota and northwest and west central Minnesota. The survey asked respondents to identify their mode of choice in different hypothetical situations in which five modes were available—automobile, air, bus, train, and van—under differing mode and trip characteristics. A multinomial logit model was used to estimate the likelihood that an individual would choose a given mode on the basis of the characteristics of the mode, the characteristics of the individual, and the characteristics of the trip. Results show that travelers, especially those of lower income, respond to higher gasoline prices by choosing alternative modes in greater numbers, suggesting rural intercity bus, van, and rail ridership would increase if gasoline prices rose.
Spatial Scatter Effects in the Calibration of IR Pyrometers and Imagers

Differences in the calibration conditions and the real-life applications of infrared pyrometers, radiometers, or imagers can contribute to significant measurement errors due to the presence of scattered light from the areas surrounding the reference source during the calibration process or the measured object in the field measurements. This out-of-field scatter (also known as size-of-source effect, SSE) has to be analyzed separately for each artifact to ensure applicability of the calibration results to the scene of actual measurement. This article discusses SSE characterization methods and specific requirements for calibrating single-element radiometers in the near- and mid-IR parts of the optical radiation spectrum. Two new SSE tools developed at National Institute of Standards and Technology to support routine calibration of IR pyrometers, radiometers, and imagers at the recently developed Advanced Infrared Radiometry and Imaging (AIRI) facility are described. The results of characterization of different commonly used radiometers, including an industrial-grade pyrometer, a high-accuracy pyrometer, two different infrared spectrometers, and an infrared imager, are presented.
Chronicle of a collaborative assessment: A Rorschach letter

Abstract In this article, I present a story that elaborates my experience of a collaborative assessment utilizing Rorschach testing as the point of entry into the client's world. I discuss the collaborative conversation that took place within the shared space of the assessment, while articulating my own theoretical understanding of the process. The final assessment report summarizing our work together is reproduced in its entirety. I first met Kathy in the small, cramped office of her therapist, which was situated precisely in the middle of the social hub of the drug and alcohol rehabilitation center where Kathy had spent the last three months working diligently to rebuild her life. The Center was alive with activity, and as the three of us (Kathy, her therapist, Luke, and I) sat casually talking about the logistics of testing and signing consent forms, we were interrupted by just about everyone who walked past. I caught myself thinking that this was not the most ideal situation for a doctoral student eng...
An Examination of Marketing Ethics: Role of the Decision Maker, Consequences of the Decision, Management Position, and Sex of the Respondent

The magnitude of the consequences of an unethical act as well as the role played by the decision maker (as actor or requestor and in terms of gender) are examined in order to assess their effect upon the likelihood of an ethical decision being made. Managers appear to be practicing situational ethics. Differences were found by magnitude of consequence and role for situations involving bribery. Differences were found by magnitude of consequence, gender, and management level for conflict-of-interest issues. Differences were found by actor-requestor in whistleblowing situations. The policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Comparison of Radiation Induced Noise Levels in Two Ion Detectors for Shielded Space Instruments in High Radiation Fields

Radiation shielding performance and radiation induced noise levels in ion detection instruments were investigated for a high radiation field. The intensity of primary and secondary radiation behind simple shields of aluminum and tantalum were determined by Monte Carlo computer simulations. Two ion detectors were evaluated: a micro-channel plate and a custom discrete dynode electron multiplier. Europa, an icy moon of Jupiter, was selected because it is one of the most intense radiation environments in our solar system. Based on the combination of computer simulation results and experimental measurements of detector responses to electron and photon radiation, the relative radiation induced background noise was assessed to inform further instrument design considerations and performance optimization, such as anticipated signal-to-noise ratio and minimum detectable concentrations for mass spectroscopy during specific missions. Radiation detection efficiencies between the two detectors were comparable for photons and higher energy electrons, but significant differences were found for electrons with energies less than 0.5 MeV. Higher radiation induced count rates are expected for the micro-channel plate detector owing to its larger cross-sectional area. Superior instrument performance is anticipated for the custom discrete dynode electron multiplier detector in high radiation environments with the same or slightly less shielding.
East winds and full moons: Ramal al-Māya and the peregrinations of love-poetry images

The Moroccan poetic-musical genre known as al-Āla, also commonly referred to as ‘Andalusian music’, illustrates the mytho-historical travels of love images from classical and post-classical Arabic poetry, preserving and re-presenting examples of them as part of Moroccan public culture in the twenty-first century. This tradition preserves a substantial number of poems, which clearly echo both the strophic and non-strophic facets of Arabic verse in their forms and contents, and which Moroccans regard, by virtue of their association with al-Āla, as part of an authentic cultural-historical heritage deriving from the Islamic period in Spain and Portugal (al-Andalus). Although the history of interchange between al-Andalus and North Africa would seem to make this attribution plausible, the idea that these songs derive from al-Andalus is problematic; none of the music and very little of the poetry can be traced to that era. Careful study of the love-poetry (ghazal) images in the nūba Ramal al-Māya – a suite of so...
Dynamic Analysis of a Nonlinear Torsional Flexible Coupling With Elastic Links

Power transmissions between driving machines and load members are very common in industry. Driving machines include turbines, engines, electrical motors, etc. Load members include turbo-shafts, automotive drive trains, aircraft propeller systems, etc. Various types of mechanisms, such as gears, Oldham couplings, etc., are often used for transmitting power.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Heating and confinement in H-mode and L-mode plasmas in DIII-D using outside launch electron cyclotron heating

Using the outside launch with vertical polarization, electron cyclotron heating (ECH) experiments in DIII-D were carried out at 60 GHz at fundamental and second harmonic frequencies. The results are consistent with wave absorption theory for accessibility. For fundamental heating with a cut-off layer between the launch location and the resonant surface, good absorption efficiency was obtained. A process for mode conversion at the wall from the extraordinary mode to the ordinary mode is postulated to explain this result. For most efficient heating it was important to avoid the presence of a locked mode. For low density plasmas at the fundamental, the global energy confinement exceeds Kaye-Goldston scaling by about a factor of 1.4. However, heating at the second harmonic agrees numerically with the Kaye-Goldston scaling formula, for ECH alone or for ECH combined with neutral beam injection (NBI), and shows a mass dependence consistent with TE ~ √Ai. The global energy increase was insensitive to the resonance location for qres 1, global energy confinement scales as TE ~ Bt−0.3. Since plasma current and plasma geometry were not varied for these discharges, a scaling with safety factor q is also consistent. Using ECH alone, H-mode confinement was achieved for second harmonic heating in the central core of the plasma at a power threshold of ~0.75 MW for plasma parameters Ip = 0.5 MA, and e = 1.1 × 1019 m−3. The energy confinement times during the H-mode are similar to Ohmic values with a normalized confinement time τE/Ip ~ 200 ms/MA. For ECH and NBI H-mode plasmas, the transition from the L-mode to the H-mode was correlated with reduced magnetic fluctuations in the divertor region. For ECH H-mode plasmas, transport analysis shows that (1) the H-mode obtained with ECH is accompanied by an improvement of the electron thermal diffusivity χe relative to the L-mode over at least part of the plasma, (2) the ion thermal diffusivity χi is larger than predicted by neoclassical theory for the L- and H-modes, and (3) χe is approximately equal to χi for the ohmically heated discharge and for the L-mode and H-mode discharges heated by ECH discussed in the paper.
FACeTOR: cost-driven exploration of faceted query results

Faceted navigation is being increasingly employed as an effective technique for exploring large query results on structured databases. This technique of mitigating information-overload leverages metadata of the query results to provide users with facet conditions that can be used to progressively refine the user's query and filter the query results. However, the number of facet conditions can be quite large, thereby increasing the burden on the user. We present the FACeTOR system that proposes a cost-based approach to faceted navigation. At each step of the navigation, the user is presented with a subset of all possible facet conditions that are selected such that the overall expected navigation cost is minimized and every result is guaranteed to be reachable by a facet condition. We prove that the problem of selecting the optimal facet conditions at each navigation step is NP-Hard, and subsequently present two intuitive heuristics employed by FACeTOR. Our user study at Amazon Mechanical Turk shows that FACeTOR reduces the user navigation time compared to the cutting edge commercial and academic faceted search algorithms. The user study also confirms the validity of our cost model. We also present the results of an extensive experimental evaluation on the performance of the proposed approach using two real datasets. FACeTOR is available at http://db.cse.buffalo.edu/facetor/.
BDNF Instructs the Kinase LKB1 To Grow an Axon

Determining which neurite of a differentiating neuron is to become the axon is a crucial step in neuronal morphogenesis. Two groups (Barnes et al., 2007; Shelly et al., 2007) now report that axon specification in vivo is mediated by extracellular signals acting through the serine/threonine kinase LKB1.
Incidence and risk factors associated with in-hospital venous thromboembolism after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Our purpose was to determine the incidence and risk factors associated with in-hospital venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH). The Nationwide Inpatient Sample database was queried from 2002 to 2010 for hospital admissions for subarachnoid hemorrhage or intracerebral hemorrhage and either aneurysm clipping or coiling. Exclusion criteria were age <18, arteriovenous malformation/fistula diagnosis or repair, or radiosurgery. Primary outcome was VTE (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] or pulmonary embolus [PE]). Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess association between risk factors and VTE. Secondary outcomes were in-hospital mortality, discharge disposition, length of stay and hospital charges. A total of 15,968 hospital admissions were included. Overall rates of VTE (DVT or PE), DVT, and PE were 4.4%, 3.5%, and 1.2%, respectively. On multivariate analysis, the following factors were associated with increased VTE risk: increasing age, black race, male sex, teaching hospital, congestive heart failure, coagulopathy, neurologic disorders, paralysis, fluid and electrolyte disorders, obesity, and weight loss. Patients that underwent clipping versus coiling had similar VTE rates. VTE was associated with pulmonary/cardiac complication (odds ratio [OR] 2.8), infectious complication (OR 2.8), ventriculostomy (OR 1.8), and vasospasm (OR 1.3). Patients with VTE experienced increased non-routine discharge (OR 3.3), and had nearly double the mean length of stay (p < 0.001) and total inflation-adjusted hospital charges (p < 0.001). To our knowledge, this is the largest study evaluating the incidence and risk factors associated with the development of VTE after aSAH. The presence of one or more of these factors may necessitate more aggressive VTE prophylaxis.
Rearrangement Inequalities with Application to Ratios of Heat Kernels

We prove rearrangement inequalities for multiple integrals, using the polarization technique. Polarization refers to rearranging a function with respect to a hyperplane. Then we derive sharp inequalities for ratios of integrals of heat kernels of Schrodinger operators, using our polarization inequalities. These ratio inequalities imply inequalities for the partition functions and extend the results of R. Banuelos, P.J. Mendez-Hernandez and D. You.
Do Disorders of Movement Cause Movement Disorders and Dementia

Neurons require long-distance microtubule-based transport systems to ferry vital cellular cargoes and signals between cell bodies and axonal or dendritic terminals. Considerable progress has been made on developing a molecular understanding of these processes and how they are integrated into normal neuronal functions. Recent work also suggests that these transport systems may fail early in the pathogenesis of a number of neurodegenerative diseases.
Time Resolved Spectroscopy Using Synchrotron Radiation

The time structure of synchrotron radiation from a single bunch of high-energy electrons circulating in a storage ring is readily exploited for studies of fast kinetic and radiative processes involving short-lived electronically-excited species in bulk matter. The sample is excited repetitively by very short bursts of monochromatized synchrotron radiation once each orbital period, as the radiation pattern associated with the radially accelerating electron bunch sweeps past an entrance aperture. Time resolved measurements of the rise and fall of features in the afterglow fluorescence spectrum are analyzed to yield rates for the formation and decay of the radiating species.
Duration, luminance, and the brightness exponent

The relation of brightness to duration and luminance has been studied by matching one brightness to another and also by matching numbers to brightnesses (magnitude estimation). The two methods concur in confirming certain well-known visual functions: Bloch’s law, the Broca-Sulzer effect, and the shift of the Broca-Sulzer enhancement to shorter durations when luminance increases. It is shown that the shift with luminance requires the exponent of the power function for short-flash brightness to be larger than the exponent for stimuli of longer duration. An attempt is made to analyze some of the reasons why the procedure advocated by Graham may not give comparable results.
Effects of Peer Models' Food Choices and Eating Behaviors on Preschoolers' Food Preferences.

Preschooler food preferences can be strongly influenced by outside forces, namely, peer pressure, hero worship, role models, etc., but whether the changed preferences persist or not is slightly harder to assess. Experimental taste tests of 9 vegetables were tried on 39 children; they were asked to taste each one, decide whether it tasted good, bad, or OK, and then were helped to rank them by preference. The next step was to determine the effects of social influence by peers--this was done in a lunch-room situation where one child with a strong preference was placed with 3 peers of opposite tastes for 4 days. Data was obtained on 17 different subjects in 17 situations. The first step was then repeated. The target children showed a distinct increase in preference for previously spurned food, as well as a decrease in desire for the favorite vegetable, though not of an equal amount. The social influence thus demonstrated indicates that children will learn to accept a broader range of foods when exposed to preferences other than their own
Imagery in the associative learning of schizophrenics

The present experiment is similar to Bower's (1970) study on imagery as a relational organizer in paired-associate (PA) learning with normals. Three groups of 20 schizophrenic patients learned three different lists of 30 word-word paired-associates, which used either interactive imagery, separation imagery, or rote repetition encoding. Ss were tested on stimulus recognition and paired-associate recall, given recognition. Differences in stimulus recognition and paired-associate recall were not significant across the three encoding methods. Results suggest that schizophrenics are unable to benefit from imaginal cues to facilitate learning in a manner similar to normals. These results are interpreted as providing additional support for the notion that the schizophrenics' cognitive deficit is associated with the relational organizing process of learning.
Enhanced expression of a bacterial gene for pesticide degradation in a common soil fungus

Abstract The wide dispersion of toxic chemicals throughout the varied soil and water structures of our earth has stimulated the development of bioremediation technologies which may be applied to many different environmental situations. One of the new developing technologies involves the genetic engineering of natural microorganisms with new degradative capabilities for bioaugmentation of select, contaminated environments. In these studies, a hybrid genetic system formed by the combination of a bacterial structural gene in a fungal expression system is developed and productively introduced into the common soil fungus, Gliocladium virens . The hybrid gene was formed by combining the constitutive promoter and translational signals from a fungal gpd gene (encoding glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate-dehydrogenase) with the structural region of the bacterial opd gene (organophosphate degrading gene). The fungal expression region of gpd included 1071 bp of the 5′-flanking region (the promoter) and 735 bp of the 3′-flanking region (the terminator). A set of opd expression vectors was constructed containing different length of promoter and terminator regions and used to transform a native strain of G. virens , a hardy soil-inhabiting fungus. Organophosphate hydrolase (OPH, encoded by the opd gene) activity was detected in several of the genetic transformants, and the levels of expression were greatly enhanced (over twenty-fold) as compared to transformants with nonhomologous fungal genetic sequences. Furthermore, it was possible to increase the enzymatic activity another fifteen to thirty-five fold by adding 0.1 mM concentrations of Co +2 in the growth medium. Thus, these studies have demonstrated the ability to genetically augment the metabolic capabilities of a naturally-occurring fungus, rendering them capable of ex situ environmental remediation of a variety of widely used neurotoxic, OP pesticides.