cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mechatronic long cane as a travel aid for the blind

Applying the principle of mechatronics, this paper presents design considerations for a new type of sensor-embedded 'smart' long cane which can serve as an orientation and travel aid for the blind. The smart long cane uses a set of miniaturized ultrasonic sensors to detect obstacles along the travel path, and provide human voice feedback on the obstacle's height and distance to guide the cane user away for head collisions and subsequent injuries. Topics discussed include sensor array design, placement, and integration, structure of the embedded software, and ergonomic issues for the new cane design.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Trace minerals in cottage cheese.

Abstract AbstarctThe trace minerals, iron, zinc, copper, and manganese were determined in cottage cheese curd by flameless atomic absorption. Larger curd size, added calcium chloride, and fewer washes increased the iron and zinc content in the curd.
Exchange potential between "nearly" identical nuclei

In the framework of the microscopic theory of complex collisions the interaction between "nearly" identical nuclei, two nuclei which have nearly the same mass and whose common states of the core are to be considered identical, has been studied. The couplings between the elastic and other channels are neglected except those between different polarizations. The existence of the space-exchange potential is shown as the results of the core-exchange process as well as the exchange of valence particle(s). A simple model calculation has been done for the $^{16}\mathrm{O}$+$^{17}\mathrm{O}$ system. The nature of the long-range part of the potential, especially the polarization dependence of the coupling potential, and the physical consequence of the space-exchange potential in the elastic scattering differential cross section are discussed.
Discontents of Being and Becoming Fabulous on RuPaul's Drag U: Queer Criticism in Neoliberal Times

In this essay, I argue that RuPaul's Drag U reinforces an apparent postfeminist/neoliberal worldview through a rhetoric of “narcissism as liberation,” which inevitably rearticulates classic tropes of patriarchal domination. In particular, I find that Drag U relies on (and promotes) individualization and competition as primary logics that purport to signal liberation in a neoliberal economy. By the end of each episode, contestants are presumed to embody a corrected gender expression (read: feminine female). Rather than embrace gender-anormative expressions, they seek assimilation into a mythical normative center. Considering its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) audience, Drag U works to integrate drag/trans/queer bodies into an unchanged homonormative and gender-normative mainstream that fails to address the various needs of those queer bodies that do not so easily yield to its demands. In the end, I advocate for a queer coalitional potentiality that resists individualization and competition.
Recent progress in oligonucleotide therapeutics: antisense to aptamers.

Background: Antisense and other RNA-targeting strategies have the potential to impact a broad array of human diseases. Although the methodological approaches for achieving targeted RNA degradation have changed over the past 5 – 10 years, the technological hurdles facing these and other nucleic acid-based drugs have remained fairly constant. Objective: To provide an update on the clinical status of several antisense compounds and discuss methodological strategies for improving efficacy of antisense compounds and other nucleic acid therapeutics. Method: Some of the clinical advances in antisense therapeutics, including a description of sugar or backbone modifications and delivery approaches for improving antisense efficacy are highlighted; a few alternative nucleic acid strategies are discussed. Conclusion: Although a variety of technological issues continue to hamper antisense progress towards the clinic, advances in stabilization and delivery have provided new hope for using nucleic acids as drugs.
Anterior cruciate ligament injury in female and male athletes: the relationship between foot structure and injury.

Background: It has been shown that anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are more prevalent in female athletes than in male athletes. Soccer and basketball are considered high-risk sports for ACL injury in female athletes. Several studies have reported a relationship between ACL injury and measures of foot structure. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between foot structure and ACL injury rates in female and male soccer and basketball players. Methods: One hundred five soccer and basketball players (53 women and 52 men) were recruited and divided into an ACL-normal group (n = 89) and an ACL-injured group (n = 16). Two measures of foot structure (subtalar joint neutral position and navicular drop test values) were recorded for each subject. An independent t test and a paired t test were used to analyze differences in ACL status, foot structure, and sex. A χ2 analysis determined whether the prevalence of ACL injury was independent of sport. Results: No statistically significant dif...
Structure-Based Thermodynamic Analysis of a Coupled Metal Binding−Protein Folding Reaction Involving a Zinc Finger Peptide†

The thermodynamics of metal binding by the prototypical Cys2His2 zinc finger peptide CP-1 has been examined through the use of isothermal titration calorimetry. In cholamine buffer at pH 7.0, the binding of zinc(II) to CP-1 shows an enthalpy change of ΔH°obs = −33.7 ± 0.8 kcal/mol. Between one and two protons appear to be released accompanying the metal binding process. The heat of protonation of the cholamine buffer used is quite large (−11.5 kcal/mol), indicating that a portion of the observed metal binding enthalpy is due to buffer protonation. Structure-based thermodynamic analysis including the effect of water release from zinc(II) appears to account for the entropy associated with the coupled metal binding−protein folding process semiquantitatively. The strongest driving force for the reaction is the enthalpy associated with the four bonds from zinc(II) to cysteinate and histidine residues, compared with the bonds from zinc(II) to water. The binding of cobalt(II) to CP-1 is less enthalpically driven...
Evolutionary conservation of splice sites in sterile Cμ transcripts and of immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) enhancer region sequences

Abstract The immunoglobulin J H Cμ intron was cloned from genomic DNA of a V H a3 rabbit and a 1257 bp sequence which contains conserved enhancer and splice sites was determined. From positions 315 to 1257, there is ~72 and 67% similarity to available sequences of man and mouse, respectively (counting gaps as single changes at single positions). In earlier studies of rabbit cDNAs encoding immunoglobulin heavy chains, we found a Cμ-encoding cDNA clone (pB3) derived from splenic mRNA of a Trypanosome-hyperimmunized rabbit (V H a1) which lacked V H , D H or J H sequences and had an unknown sequence 5' of that encoding Cμ. Comparison of this cDNA sequence with the present cloned genomic DNA sequence has now revealed that the start of cDNA pB3 corresponds to a position 80 base pairs 3' of the conserved octamer motif of the rabbit heavy chain enhancer. This mRNA was spliced to the acceptor site of Cμ using a donor site which was 635 bp 3' of the enhancer octanucleotide. Our sequence of pB3 indicates that in rabbit as in mouse, a “nontron” (33 stop codons in three reading frames) can be formed utilizing a conserved splice site to produce a spliced transcript. The presence of evolutionarily conserved splice donor sites in the intron sequences of rabbit, mouse and man suggests a functional role during B cell ontogeny.
The association between impulsivity and sensory processing patterns in healthy adults

IntroductionGrowing evidence suggests that an individual's style of processing sensory information plays a role in affective disorders. However, most of this work focuses on the relationship betwee...
Boundary Conditions in Particle Swarm Optimization Revisited

In order to enforce particles to search inside the solution space of interest during the optimization procedure, various boundary conditions are currently used in particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithms. The performances, however, vary considerably with the dimensionality of the problem and the location of the global optimum in the solution space. In this paper, different boundary conditions are categorized into two groups, namely, restricted and unrestricted, according to whether the errant particles are relocated inside the allowable solution space or not. Moreover, efforts are made to explore different hybrid unrestricted boundary conditions by introducing the favorable characteristics of the reflecting and damping boundary conditions into the existing invisible boundary condition. The performances of the boundary conditions are tested based on both mathematical benchmark functions and a real-world electromagnetic problem: the optimization of a 2-D 16-element array antenna. Simulation results are examined from both the effectiveness and efficiency of the algorithm. Comparisons show that the unrestricted boundary conditions are more efficient when the global optimum is inside the boundary of the solution space, and the damping boundary condition is more robust and consistent when the global optimum is close to the boundary
Pigment cell differentiation in embryonic mouse skin and isolated epidermis. An in vitro study.

Pigment cell differentiation was studied in cell cultures derived from 14-day embryonic mouse skin, and in cultures of dermal or epidermal skin cells. Cell cultures from dissociated whole skin produced melanocytes in very small numbers, and they were always present in association with groups of epithelial-like cells. Cell cultures from dissociated dermis produced no melanocytes during the three week culture period. Epidermal cultures established from mechanically produced small aggregates of cells first formed melanocytes after 30 hours in culture, and large numbers of melanocytes were present after two days. Epidermal cells, in contrast to other cells, did not survive in culture beyond 11 days, and consequently surviving populations of pure melanocytes were left remaining on the plate surface. Epidermal cultures prepared from albino embryos resulted in amelanotic melanocyte populations remaining following the epidermal cell death. Epidermal cell cultures from white-spotting mutant embryos (W/W and S1/S1) left no cells on the plate recognizable as being of the pigment cell lineage. The enhancement of melanoblast differentiation by epidermal cells, and the relationship between melanocytes and epidermal cells revealed in cell culture may be useful in the analysis of early stages of melanoblast differentiation, and in the study of mechanisms of gene action involved in this process.
The induction of amyloid precursor protein and α-synuclein in rat hippocampal astrocytes by diethyldithiocarbamate and copper with or without glutathione

Abstract α-Synuclein is the major component of Lewy bodies. Its aggregation can be accelerated by copper, iron, or β-amyloid (Aβ) and has been thought to provide a nucleation center during the formation of amyloid plaques. The main structural component of amyloid plaque is Aβ, which is derived from a larger protein, amyloid precursor protein (APP). Xenobiotics have been implicated in the etiology of the neurodegenerative disease. Mechanisms of diethyldithiocarbamate (DDC) neurotoxicity involve copper chelation and interactions with SH groups resulting in oxidative stress. In this study, rat hippocampal astrocytes were treated with DDC (75 μM), CuCl2 (0.2 μM), or DDC (75 μM) plus CuCl2 (0.2 μM) for 1 h. Cells were allowed to recover with or without 10 mM GSH. Results showed an increase of APP and α-synuclein production occurring in a time-dependent manner. At 4 h post-treatment, cells contained small positively stained material deposited throughout the cytosol for APP and by 8 h post-treatment increases were seen in both APP and α-synuclein. Immunoblots supported immunocytochemical results. Glutathione (GSH) decreased the accumulation of these proteins at 8 h post-treatment.
Biologically realizable reward-modulated hebbian training for spiking neural networks

Spiking neural networks have been shown capable of simulating sigmoidal artificial neural networks providing promising evidence that they too are universal function approximators. Spiking neural networks offer several advantages over sigmoidal networks, because they can approximate the dynamics of biological neuronal networks, and can potentially reproduce the computational speed observed in biological brains by enabling temporal coding. On the other hand, the effectiveness of spiking neural network training algorithms is still far removed from that exhibited by backpropagating sigmoidal neural networks. This paper presents a novel algorithm based on reward-modulated spike-timing-dependent plasticity that is biologically plausible and capable of training a spiking neural network to learn the exclusive-or (XOR) computation, through rate-based coding. The results show that a spiking neural network model with twenty-three nodes is able to learn the XOR gate accurately, and performs the computation on time scales of milliseconds. Moreover, the algorithm can potentially be verified in light-sensitive neuronal networks grown in vitro by determining the spikes patterns that lead to the desired synaptic weights computed in silico when induced by blue light in vitro.
Ponatinib: Accelerated Disapproval

“Accelerated Approval” (AA) has addressed important unmet needs in oncology. However, it is only justified if the drug fills a serious gap because such approval entails risk and leads to marketing based on incomplete information about toxicity, dose, and therapeutic potential. Furthermore, the policy of requiring companion diagnostics for AA of drugs that target specific mutations needs further discussion.
Some Trim Drag Considerations for Maneuvering Aircraft

The results of a preliminary analytical and experimental study of trim drag characteristics at maneuvering lift coefficients have been summarized. The study included aft-tail configurations at subsonic and supersonic speeds and canard configurations at subsonic speeds. It is shown that the tail load required to minimize trim drag is highly dependent on the wingbody drag-due-to-lift characteristics with examples presented for both the full and zero leading-edge suction cases. For the high drag case (corresponding to zero leading-edge suction), which tends to be typical at high maneuvering lift coefficients and high speeds, rather large uploads on the tail are required to reduce the trim drag problem. The analytical predictions of trim drag characteristics compare well with the experiment for the aft-tail configuration. At supersonic speeds, reductions in down tail load required to trim, obtained by increasing tail volume and thereby allowing a favorable rebalancing of the aircraft, result in relatively large reductions in trim drag for aft-tail configurations. At subsonic speeds, the experimental studies for the canard configuration exhibit considerably higher trim drag than the analytical prediction as a result of canard stall.
Palaeobotanical studies from tropical Africa: relevance to the evolution of forest, woodland and savannah biomes.

Fossil plants provide data on climate, community composition and structure, all of which are relevant to the definition and recognition of biomes. Macrofossils reflect local vegetation, whereas pollen assemblages sample a larger area. The earliest solid evidence for angiosperm tropical rainforest in Africa is based primarily on Late Eocene to Late Oligocene ( ca . 39–26 Myr ago) pollen assemblages from Cameroon, which are rich in forest families. Plant macrofossil assemblages from elsewhere in interior Africa for this time interval are rare, but new work at Chilga in the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands documents forest communities at 28 Myr ago. Initial results indicate botanical affinities with lowland West African forest. The earliest known woodland community in tropical Africa is dated at 46 Myr ago in northern Tanzania, as documented by leaves and fruits from lake deposits. The community around the lake was dominated by caesalpinioid legumes, but included Acacia , for which this, to my knowledge, is the earliest record. This community is structurally similar to modern miombo, although it is different at the generic level. The grass–dominated savannah biome began to expand in the Middle Miocene (16 Myr ago), and became widespread in the Late Miocene ( ca . 8 Myr ago), as documented by pollen and carbon isotopes from both West and East Africa.
Policy Strategies to Reduce Youth Recreational Marijuana Use

Legalization of marijuana for recreational use among adults could significantly increase access to the drug among youth and is a growing concern for pediatric health in the United States. In a January 2015 policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) reaffirmed its opposition to legalization of recreational marijuana because of potential harms to youth. Alongside efforts to promote prevention and treatment, it advocated for decriminalization (reducing criminal penalties for marijuana possession) to reduce adverse effects of felony convictions on youth, especially minorities.1 Adolescents who regularly use marijuana are at elevated risk for cognitive decline, poor educational achievement, mental illness in adulthood, and injury and death caused by marijuana-impaired driving. Marijuana potency has more than doubled since the 1990s, amplifying concerns about children accidentally consuming dangerous levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) when marijuana is added to candies and baked goods, as such products are easily mistaken for marijuana-free goods.2 Despite these risks, the movement to legalize marijuana is gaining momentum. Voters in 4 states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska) and the District of Columbia have passed laws legalizing recreational marijuana, and additional states may follow in 2016. When marijuana is legalized for recreational use by adults, it is essential that states develop stringent regulations to protect children and adolescents. Legalization normalizes marijuana and reduces perceived risks, a concern raised by the AAP.1 However, legalization with strong regulation potentially provides greater scope for protecting children than decriminalization policies, which on their own reduce criminal penalties without controlling marijuana supply and price. On its current trajectory, marijuana legalization will … Address correspondence to Brendan Saloner, PhD, Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N Broadway, Room 344, Baltimore, MD 21205. E-mail: bsaloner{at}jhu.edu
Pathways for emotions and memory: II. Afferent input to the anterior thalamic nuclei from prefrontal, temporal, hypothalamic areas and the basal ganglia in the rhesus monkey

Abstract The anterior thalamic nuclei are a key link in pathways associated with emotions and memory. In the preceding study we found that one of the anterior nuclei, the anterior medial (AM), had particularly robust connections with specific medial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices and moderate connections with frontal polar cortices. The goal of this study was to use a direct approach to determine the sources of projections to the AM nucleus from all prefrontal cortices, as well as from temporal structures and the hypothalamic mammillary body, known for their role in distinct aspects of memory and emotion. We addressed this issue with targeted injections of retrograde fluorescent tracers in the AM nucleus to determine its sources of input. Projection neurons directed to the AM nucleus were found in the deep layers of most prefrontal cortices (layers V and VI), and were most densely distributed in medial areas 24, 32 and 25, orbitofrontal areas 13 and 25, and lateral areas 10 and 46. Most projection neurons were found in layer VI, though in medial prefrontal cortices and dorsal area 9 about a third were found in layer V, a significantly higher proportion than in lateral and orbitofrontal cortices. In the temporal lobe, projection neurons originated mostly from the hippocampal formation (ammonic field CA3 and subicular complex), and the amygdala (basolateral, lateral, and basomedial nuclei). In the hypothalamus, a significant number of neurons in the ipsilateral medial mammillary body projected to the AM nucleus, some of which were positive for calbindin (CB) or parvalbumin (PV), markers expressed, respectively, in “diffuse” and “specific” pathways in the thalamus [Adv. Neurol. 77 (1998a) 49]. As recipient of diverse signals, the AM nucleus is in a key position to link pathways associated with emotions, and may be an important interface for systems associated with retrieval of information from long-term memory in the process of solving problems within working memory. Finally, the internal segment of the globus pallidus (GPi) issued projections to AM, suggesting direct linkage with executive systems through the basal ganglia. The diverse connections of the AM nucleus may help explain the varied deficits in memory and emotions seen in neurodegenerative and psychiatric diseases affecting the anterior thalamic nuclei.
Work in progress - Enhancing new IT STEM literacies for 7 th and 8 th grade learning

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) is developing collaboration between RHIT, four Indiana school districts, and several businesses and industries requiring high technological skills from their employees. We are building upon PRISM, our highly successful digital portal (http://www.rose-prism.org), which currently provides standards-indexed, online resources for Indiana teachers of STEM courses. We describe a program combining a three-week, teacher summer institute combined with continuing academic-year support to accomplish three inter-related objectives. First, the program will provide 60 seventh and eighth grade STEM teachers an opportunity to custom- build web-delivered learning units featuring the new IT literacies necessary for STEM careers in the 21st Century. Second, each of the 60 teachers will work with a mentor, skilled in the latest educational practice for nurturing under-represented learners in STEM courses. Third, during the third week of the summer institute, each teacher will collaborate with a cadre of seventh and eighth grade under-represented students, who will field-test the learning units under development. These students will also spend a significant portion of their time touring local high-tech industries, attending hands-on introductions to science and engineering careers, and participating in a consolidating virtual scavenger hunt using their newly- honed IT skills.
Seismicity of the central Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is nearly aseismic; no earthquake of Richter magnitude larger than 5.0 has been reported there in historic time. An unusual earthquake with a magnitude of about 5.0 did occur on July 24, 1978, and for this event it has been possible to obtain a focal mechanism and a reliable location, including an accurate depth of focus. The event occurred near the edge of the Mississippi Fan at a depth of 15 km, which is about the depth of the Moho. Its location and reverse-faulting focal mechanism suggest that it may be related to stresses associated with the downwarping of the lithosphere caused by the accumulation of sediments from the Mississippi River. A crude calculation confirms that the rate of accumulation of stress caused by downwarping is large enough to cause the observed seismicity. Other earthquakes that have occurred in the Gulf of Mexico are situated near the boundaries of distinct geologic regions, suggesting that these may represent areas of weakness in the crust.
13C labeled benzo[a]pyrenes and derivatives. 2. The synthesis of benzo[a]pyrene‐6‐13C

The synthesis of benzo[a]pyrene-6-13C is described. Perinaphthane was converted to 6-benzoyl-carbonyl-13C-perinaphthane which was cyclized to 2,3-dihydrobenzo[a]pyren-6(1H)-one-6-13C. Subsequent reduction of the ketone followed by dehydration and dehydrogenation gave benzo[a]pyrene-6-13C in 29% overall yield.
Consumptive Labor: The Increasing Importance of Consumers in the Labor Process:

In this article I demonstrate that consumers not only consume, but the work-like tasks they perform while consuming constitute an increasingly important part of production. To theoretically explore...
Alternative splicing of the mouse embryonic poly(A) binding protein (Epab) mRNA is regulated by an exonic splicing enhancer: A model for post-transcriptional control of gene expression in the oocyte

Embryonic poly(A) binding protein (EPAB), expressed in oocytes and early embryos, binds and stabilizes maternal mRNAs, and mediates initiation of their translation. We identified an alternatively spliced form of Epab lacking exon 10 (c.Ex10del) and investigated the regulation of Epab mRNA alternative splicing as a model for alternative splicing in oocytes and early preimplantation embryos. Specifically, we evaluated the following mechanisms: imprinting; RNA editing and exonic splicing enhancers (ESEs). Sequence analysis led to the identification of two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): one was detected in exon 9 (rs55858A/G), and served as a marker for the parental origin of the alternatively spliced form, and the other was found in exon 10 (rs56574G/C), and co-segregated with the exon 9 SNP. We found that the presence of rs56574G in exon 10 led to the formation of an ESE, leading to efficient exclusion of exon 10. Real-time RT-PCR results revealed a 5-fold increase in the expression of the c.Ex10del alternative splicing variant in animals carrying rs56574G/G in exon 10 compared with rs56574C/C at the same locus. Our findings suggest that SNPs may alter the ratio between alternative splicing variants of oocyte-specific proteins. The role that these subtle differences play in determining individual reproductive outcome remains to be determined.
Open Grid Services Architecture

A decade after taking its first steps as a research project, grid computing is on the road to “pervasive adoption” across all types of organization, from the campus to the enterprise data center. While many forms of grid infrastructure exist today, some proprietary and some based on open protocols and software components, the key to continued progress in the evolution of grid computing is standardization. By building grids and applications on standards-based components, architects can meet their organizations’ needs with confidence that they are interoperable with other standards-based grids, and that they can grow and adapt as those needs change. The Global Grid Forum’s (GGF) Open Grid Services Architecture (OGSA(tm)) describes a service-oriented grid architecture that addresses standardization by defining a set of foundational capabilities for interoperable grids. The OGSA working group publishes the architecture framework and related documents. In this session the speaker will: * Discuss the evolution of grid computing; * Explain how a service-oriented grid fits with other leading-edge enterprise technologies; * Provide details of OGSA and its core capabilities, including progress and plans.
A Compton-thin solution for the Suzaku X-ray spectrum of the Seyfert 2 galaxy Mkn 3

Mkn 3 is a Seyfert 2 galaxy that is widely regarded as an exemplary Compton-thick AGN. We study the Suzaku X-ray spectrum using models of the X-ray reprocessor that self-consistently account for the Fe K$\alpha$ fluorescent emission line and the associated Compton-scattered, or reflection, continuum. We find a solution in which the average global column density, $0.234^{+0.012}_{-0.010} \times 10^{24} \ \rm cm^{-2}$, is very different to the line-of-sight column density, $0.902^{+0.012}_{-0.013} \times 10^{24} \ \rm cm^{-2}$. The global column density is $\sim 5$ times smaller than that required for the matter distribution to be Compton-thick. Our model accounts for the profiles of the Fe K$\alpha$ and Fe K$\beta$ lines, and the Fe K edge remarkably well, with a solar abundance of Fe. The matter distribution could consist of a clumpy medium with a line-of-sight column density higher than the global average. A uniform, spherically-symmetric distribution alone cannot simultaneously produce the correct fluorescent line spectrum and reflection continuum. Previous works on Mkn 3, and other AGN, that assumed a reflection continuum from matter with an infinite column density could therefore lead to erroneous or "puzzling" conclusions if the matter out of the line-of-sight is really Compton-thin. Whereas studies of samples of AGN have generally only probed the line-of-sight column density, with simplistic, one-dimensional models, it is important now to establish the global column densities in AGN. It is the global properties that affect the energy budget in terms of reprocessing of X-rays into infrared emission, and that constrain population synthesis models of the cosmic X-ray background.
Boumediene v. Bush and the Role of the Courts in the War on Terror: The Intersection of Hyperbole, Military Necessity, and Judicial Review

In its recent decision of Boumediene v. Bush, the Supreme Court invalidated the collective effort of the President and Congress to limit the ability of "enemy combatants" held by the United States to challenge the legality of their detention in Article III courts. While the majority opinion focused primarily on the scope of the constitutional habeas guarantee, it is impossible to ignore the reality that the issue that lay just below the surface was the legitimacy of subjecting individuals to "generational" detention based on an expansively applied definition of the term "enemy combatant." Although the Court had four years earlier held that preventive detention based on such a designation was conceptually justified as a "fundamental and accepted incident of war", it had also suggested that should the scope of that definition become disconnected from the customary concept of an enemy battlefield belligerent, this justification might erode. By providing Guantanamo detainees with the long demanded opportunity to obtain judicial review of the legality of their detention, the Court has set in motion a process that will almost inevitably force the government to defend the scope of the enemy combatant definition it has relied on to justify the preventive detention of individuals who do not fall into the traditional realm of a battlefield belligerent. In so doing, the Court has set in motion a process that will finally bring to a head the legitimacy of applying detention authority derived from the long established customary law of armed conflict in a context context characterized by the hyperbolic designation of a "Global War." Because the government will almost certainly now be forced to demonstrate how the scope of the enemy combatant definition relied on by the Combatant Status Review Tribunal's in Guantanamo remains consistent with the law of armed conflict itself, the Boumediene opinion is not a catastrophic blow to the government's authority to detain terrorists who participate in hostilities against the United States. Instead, it has provided the opportunity and impetus for the government to finally reconcile it's assertion of detention authority with the law upon which it purports to apply - the law of armed conflict.
Short-term Gains with Long-term Consequences: The Evolving Story of Sepsis Survivorship

Sepsis is an acute, life-threatening condition that afflicts millions of patients annually. Advances in care and heightened awareness have led to substantial declines in short-term mortality. An expanding body of literature describes the long-term impact of sepsis, revealing long-term cognitive and functional impairments, sustained inflammation and immune dysfunction, increased healthcare resource use, reduced health-related quality of life, and increased mortality. The evidence challenges the notion that sepsis is an acute, transient illness, revealing rather that sepsis is an acute illness with lingering consequences. This article provides a state-of-the-art review of the emerging literature of the long-term consequences of sepsis.
Uncertainties in Atmospheric Mercury Modeling for Policy Evaluation

Mercury (Hg) contamination is an issue of a growing environmental and public health concern. Atmospheric chemistry transport models for Hg are a critical tool for understanding the sources, processes, and fate of Hg. Uncertainties in multiple aspects of atmospheric Hg models, however, limit their application for policy evaluation and for monitoring global trends in atmospheric Hg concentrations. This review aims to identify uncertainties in atmospheric Hg modeling that are relevant in the context of policy and for informing decision-making. We focus on specific requirements of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty signed in 2013 to protect human health and the environment from Hg, to demonstrate how existing uncertainties in atmospheric Hg modeling can influence our ability to evaluate source-receptor relationships. Modeling studies of source attribution suggest that major uncertainties in atmospheric Hg modeling arise from anthropogenic emissions, biogeochemical cycling, and atmospheric chemistry. Uncertainties in these aspects of modeling are expected to increase under the Convention, with regulation of anthropogenic emissions, changes in atmospheric conditions, and legacy and natural Hg source contribution to the global biogeochemical cycle. These uncertainties can interact with one another and with the current Hg species measurement capability and pose challenges to effectively monitoring trends in atmospheric Hg. Developing additional means to attribute simulated atmospheric Hg trends and improve source-receptor relationships in atmospheric Hg models would improve our ability to evaluate the Convention’s effectiveness.
Solving Time Dependent Diffusion Equations on Arbitrary Grids Using a High-Order Space-Time discontinuous Galerkin Cell Vertex Scheme

In this paper, the high-order space-time discontinuous Galerkin cell vertex scheme (DGCVS) developed by the authors for hyperbolic conservation laws is extended for time dependent diffusion equations. The treatment of the diffusive flux is exactly the same as that for the advective flux. Thanks to the Riemann-solver-free and reconstructionfree features of DG-CVS, both the advective flux and the diffusive flux are continuous across the cell interface in DG-CVS. As a result, the resulting formulation with diffusive fluxes present is still consistent and does not need any extra ad hoc techniques to cure the common “variational crime” problem when traditional spatial DG methods are applied to diffusion problems. For this reason, DG-CVS is conceptually simpler than other existing DG-typed methods. Some numerical results are presented to demonstrate the accuracy of the method.
Effect of Deamination on Antigenic Properties of Casein

Chemical alteration of the protein molecule may lead to profound changes in its antigenic properties, a fact which has been taken advantage of in the study of fundamental laws of immunology and as a method of investigation into the chemistry of proteins. The highly significant work of Landsteiner, particularly, has made use of artificial alterations of proteins to show the relation of chemical constitution to antigenic specificity. Nonantigenic substances of known composition are combined with proteins through reactive groups to form new antigenic compounds whose specificity is determined by the added radicals. Some of the synthesized protein compounds have been made by combining substances with the free amino groups of the proteins. While the change that occurs in the antigencity of the proteins is undoubtedly due to the activity of the newly added substances, it is not known how much if any of the change is the result of the loss of the activity of the free amino groups. Since this can be easily determined by the study of the effect of deamination alone, experiments were made, using casein, to compare the antigenic properties of a protein before and after the loss of free amino groups. Dunn and Lewis 1 determined the optimum conditions under which complete deamination will occur, and the procedure used in preparing deaminized casein was taken from their article.
CONTROLLING EFFECTIVENESS OF MEGA-STRUCTURE MASS ON THE MEGA-SUB-CONTROLLED STRUCTURE

Dynamic equation and method to assemble parameter matrixes for the meg-sub-controlled structure(MSCS) under random wind loads are presented.The coherence function,vibration displacement and acceleration response spectrum,as well as the mean square response expressions are derived on the basis of complex model analysis theory.A parametric study of mega-structure mass that influences the response controlling effectiveness of the MSCS is discussed.
Synchronous Management of Anastomotic Contracture and Stress Urinary Incontinence Following Radical Prostatectomy

AbstractOf 77 patients presenting for artificial urinary sphincter implantation due to incontinence following radical prostatectomy 26 had a significant associated urethrovesical anastomotic contracture. Synchronous endoscopic contracture isncision with electrocautery and implantation of an artificial urinary sphincter (AMS800) ††American Medical Systems, Minnetonka, Minneosta. were performed in all cases. A total of 25 patients void with a good subjective flow, with an average followup of 32 months. In 1 patient symptomatic stenosis recurred 6 months after incision and reincision was successful at the time of sphincter revision. No infection or erosion developed and 24 patients are socially continent (0 to 1 thin pad per day). During this time 5 patients underwent 8 revisions of the artificial sphincter. Synchronous contracture incision with electrocautery and artificial urinary sphincter implantation are safe and provide satisfying results in patients with complex post-prostatectomy incontinence.
Combined Effects of Acamprosate and Escitalopram on Ethanol Consumption in Mice

Background Major depression is one of the most prevalent psychiatry comorbidities of alcohol use disorders (AUD). As negative emotions can trigger craving and increase the risk of relapse, treatments that target both conditions simultaneously may augment treatment success. Previous studies showed a potential synergistic effect of Food and Drug Administration approved medication for AUD acamprosate and the antidepressant escitalopram. In this study, we investigated the effects of combining acamprosate and escitalopram on ethanol (EtOH) consumption in stress-induced depressed mice. Methods Forty singly housed C57BL/6J male mice were subjected to chronic unpredictable stress. In parallel, 40 group-housed male mice were subjected to normal husbandry. After 3 weeks, depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors and EtOH consumption were assessed. For the next 7 days, mice were injected with saline, acamprosate (200 mg/kg; twice/d), escitalopram (5 mg/kg; twice/d), or their combination (n = 9 to 11/drug group/stress group). Two-bottle choice limited-access drinking of 15% EtOH and tap water was performed 3 hours into dark phase immediately after the daily dark phase injection. EtOH drinking was monitored for another 7 days without drug administration. Results Mice subjected to the chronic unpredictable stress paradigm for 3 weeks showed apparent depression- and anxiety-like behaviors compared to their nonstressed counterparts including longer immobility time in the forced swim test and lower sucrose preference. Stressed mice also displayed higher EtOH consumption and preference in a 2-bottle choice drinking test. During the drug administration period, the escitalopram-only and combined drug groups showed significant reduction in EtOH consumption in nonstressed mice, while only the combined drug group showed significantly reduced consumption in stressed mice. However, such reduction did not persist into the postdrug administration period. Conclusions The combination of acamprosate and escitalopram suppressed EtOH intake in both nonstressed and stressed mice; hence, this combination is potentially helpful for AUD individuals with or without comorbid depression to reduce alcohol use.
The termination of pregnancy in adolescent women.

Techniques, complications, abortion counselling, and contraception. A review of some of the unique problems presented in the termination of unwanted pregnancies in adolescents.
Transformation of tomato with Agrobacterium tumefaciens

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation and regeneration of a variety of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) cultivars was first reported by McCormick et al. [12]; other procedures for L. esculentum transformation include those of Fillatti et al. [5] and Bird et al. [2]. Chyi et al. [4] published a protocol for transformation of L. esculentum cv. VF36 × L. pennellii (LA716) interspecific hybrids, and procedures for transformation of a derivative of an interspecific hybrid between L. esculentum and L. peruvianum [9, 11] are available. Since 1986, numerous groups have used these procedures or modifications thereof to obtain transgenic tomatoes [e.g., 3, 7, 14, 15] for analysis of gene expression. However, tomato is still considered more difficult to transform than species such as Petunia hybrida and Nicotiana tabacum, and can show widely different success rates, possibly depending on cultivar, Agrobacterium strain, antibiotic selection, and/or the personnel performing experiments. This paper describes a detailed protocol with trouble-shooting comments that should serve as a basis for initiating a tomato transformation program, or for improving an existing program.
Epidemiologic Studies of Multiple Myeloma: Occupation and Radiation Effects

The focus of this summary is a review of the more recent multiple myeloma epidemiologic studies that address occupation and radiation exposures. Most of the investigations have been conducted in white populations, with few focusing on blacks alone, or factors that might explain the black/white differences in risk of this cancer.
Automated Segmentation of CBCT Image with Prior-Guided Sequential Random Forest

A major limitation of CBCT scans is the widespread image artifacts such as noise, beam hardening and inhomogeneity, causing great difficulty for accurate segmentation of bony structures from soft tissues, as well as separation of mandible from maxilla. In this paper, we present a novel fully automated method for CBCT image segmentation. Specifically, we first employ majority voting to estimate the initial probability maps of mandible and maxilla. We then extract both the appearance features from CBCTs and the context features from the initial probability maps to train the first-layer of classifier. Based on the first-layer of trained classifier, the probability maps are updated, which will be employed to further train the next layer of classifier. By iteratively training the subsequent classifier and the updated segmentation probability maps, we can derive a sequence of classifiers. Experimental results on 30 CBCTs show that the proposed method achieves the state-of-the-art performance.
The Greening of Religion Hypothesis (Part Two): Assessing the Data from Lynn White, Jr, to Pope Francis

Herein we provide a comprehensive review of research pertinent to Lynn White, Jr's contentions in 'The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis'(1967) about the negative environmental impacts of 'Judeo-Christian' ideas as well as subsequent claims that the world's predominant religions are becoming more environmentally friendly. Definitive conclusions are difficult given the complexity of biocultural systems; nevertheless, extant research has identified many themes and dynamics that hinder environmental understanding and mobilization by religious individuals, whether Abrahamic or involved in religions that originated in Asia. Some indigenous traditions, however, appear to foster pro-environmental perceptions and behaviors as do some nature-based cosmologies and value systems, which are often deeply informed by the sciences and direct experience within environmental systems. Our review overturns common misperceptions regarding the role of religion in environmental behaviors andconcludes that additional research is warranted to better understand under what circumstances, and with which communicative strategies, religious or other individuals and groups might be more effectively mobilized in response to contemporary environmental challenges.
Convergent evolution in social swallows (Aves: Hirundinidae)

Behavioral shifts can initiate morphological evolution by pushing lineages into new adaptive zones. This has primarily been examined in ecological behaviors, such as foraging, but social behaviors may also alter morphology. Swallows and martins (Hirundinidae) are aerial insectivores that exhibit a range of social behaviors, from solitary to colonial breeding and foraging. Using a well-resolved phylogenetic tree, a database of social behaviors, and morphological measurements, we ask how shifts from solitary to social breeding and foraging have affected morphological evolution in the Hirundinidae. Using a threshold model of discrete state evolution, we find that shifts in both breeding and foraging social behavior are common across the phylogeny of swallows. Solitary swallows have highly variable morphology, while social swallows show much less absolute variance in all morphological traits. Metrics of convergence based on both the trajectory of social lineages through morphospace and the overall morphological distance between social species scaled by their phylogenetic distance indicate strong convergence in social swallows, especially socially foraging swallows. Smaller physical traits generally observed in social species suggest that social species benefit from a distinctive flight style, likely increasing maneuverability and foraging success and reducing in-flight collisions within large flocks. These results highlight the importance of sociality in species evolution, a link that had previously been examined only in eusocial insects and primates.
A robust adaptive controller for Hammerstein nonlinear systems

Hammerstein nonlinear systems have appeared useful in modeling nonlinear processes encountered in engineering practice. Control algorithms may lead to unsatisfactory performance if the parametric model does not agree with the plant. To this end, this paper proposes a new robust adaptive control approach for discrete-time Hammerstein nonlinear systems which are more close to some industrial plants. The adaptive control law and recursive parameter estimation are updated by introducing the estimate of the model error as a feedback. Theoretical results show that parameter estimation convergence and closed-loop system stability can be guaranteed under mild conditions. Simulation examples including a continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) system are given to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Association Between Maternal Use of SSRI Medications and Autism in Their Children

In the February 2016 issue of JAMA Pediatrics, Boukhris and colleagues1 reported that in utero exposure to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) was associated with a significantly increased risk for autism. The authors examined all pregnancies from 1998 to 2009 in the Quebec Pregnancy/Children Cohort database that resulted in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as the primary outcome. Among 145 456 full-term infants included in the analysis, 1054 children were diagnosed with ASD by the mean age of 6.2 years (SD, 3.2 years) at follow-up, including 1008 cases of ASD among 140 732 children (0.72%) who were not exposed to antidepressants, and 31 cases of ASD among the 2532 (1.2%) children who were exposed to SSRIs during the second or third trimester. Based on these results, the authors concluded that second- or third-trimester exposure to SSRIs was associated with increased risk for ASD (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.15-3.04).