cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Birth Order and Risk Taking in Athletics: A Meta-Analysis and Study of Major League Baseball:

According to expectations derived from evolutionary theory, younger siblings are more likely than older siblings to participate in high-risk activities. The authors test this hypothesis by conducting a meta-analysis of 24 previous studies involving birth order and participation in dangerous sports. The odds of laterborns engaging in such activities were 1.48 times greater than for firstborns (N = 8,340). The authors also analyze performance data on 700 brothers who played major league baseball. Consistent with their greater expected propensity for risk taking, younger brothers were 10.6 times more likely to attempt the high-risk activity of base stealing and 3.2 times more likely to steal bases successfully (odds ratios). In addition, younger brothers were significantly superior to older brothers in overall batting success, including two measures associated with risk taking. As expected, significant heterogeneity among various performance measures for major league baseball players indicated that older and younger brothers excelled in different aspects of the game.
China's Environmental Tipping Point?

China’s remarkable economic rise over the last three decades has placed tremendous pressure on the environment, damaged natural resources, and increased risks to human health. To be sure, human activity has had significant impact on China’s environment for thousands of years. Nonetheless, the pace of China’s economic growth since 'reform and opening' in the late 1970s – averaging 9 percent annually – and the role China has taken on in recent decades as the 'factory to the world' has exacerbated the country’s environmental challenges and created a host of new environmental problems, both domestically and internationally. On the domestic front, China’s environmental problems include pollution of air, water, and soil, water shortages, desertification and soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and habitat, and a range of other issues. At the international level, China is a major contributor to global environmental issues, such as climate change, ozone depletion, and trade in endangered species, as well as regional issues, such as trans-boundary air and water pollution. This article evaluates competing trends affecting the state of China’s environment.
Stray signal requirements for compact range reflectors based on RCS measurement errors

The authors present a performance criterion for compact range reflectors such that their edge diffracted stray signal levels meet a reasonable radar cross section (RCS) measurement error requirement. It is shown by example that one of the significant error sources is the diffracted fields emanating from the edges or junctions of the reflector. This measurement error is demonstrated by placing a diagonal square flat plate in the target zone and rotating it to appropriate angles. These angles are determined by bisecting the plane wave and stray signal directions. This results in a peak bistatic measurement of the edge diffracted stray signal. It is proposed that the diagonal flat plate be used to evaluate new reflector designs as well as existing systems. A reasonable stray signal performance level has been developed so that new reflector systems can be characterized in terms of an RCS measurement error requirement. >
User-centered modeling and evaluation of multimodal interfaces

Historically, the development of computer interfaces has been a technology-driven phenomenon. However, new multimodal interfaces are composed of recognition-based technologies that must interpret human speech, gesture, gaze, movement patterns, and other complex natural behaviors, which involve highly automatized skills that are not under full conscious control. As a result, it now is widely acknowledged that multimodal interface design requires modeling of the modality-centered behavior and integration patterns upon which multimodal systems aim to build. This paper summarizes research on the cognitive science foundations of multimodal interaction, and on the essential role that user-centered modeling has played in prototyping, guiding, and evaluating the design of next-generation multimodal interfaces. In particular, it discusses the properties of different modalities and the information content they carry, the unique features of multimodal language and its processability, as well as when users are likely to interact multimodally and how their multimodal input is integrated and synchronized. It also reviews research on typical performance and linguistic efficiencies associated with multimodal interaction, and on the user-centered reasons why multimodal interaction minimizes errors and expedites error handling. In addition, this paper describes the important role that selective methodologies and evaluation metrics have played in shaping next-generation multimodal systems, and it concludes by highlighting future directions for designing a new class of adaptive multimodal-multisensor interfaces.
Polarization in impression formation as a function of affect and range dispersion

The averaging model of impression formation was used in tests of the polarization effects produced by affect and range dispersion. A discrepancy score (departure from averaging) and an evaluative score were used in an impression formation task with trait adjectives. Support was found for two hypotheses which predicated that each factor would produce polarization in impression judgments. The results indicated that increases in range dispersion and negative affect produced polarization from the averaging model’s predictions. The results also suggested that minor polarization may occur with positive affect traits that are homogeneous.
Design Considerations for a Personalized Wheelchair Navigation System

Individuals with mobility impairments such as wheelchair users are often at a disadvantage when traveling to a new place, as their mobility can be easily affected by environmental barriers, and as such, even short trips can be difficult and perhaps impossible. We envision a personalized wheelchair navigation system based on a PDA equipped with wireless Internet access and GPS that can provide adaptive navigation support to wheelchair users in any geographic environment. Requirements, architectures and components of such a system are described in this paper.
E unibus pluram: massive-scale software diversity as a defense mechanism

We contend that the time has come to revisit the idea of software diversity for defense purposes. Four fundamental paradigm shifts that have occurred in the past decade now make it viable to distribute a unique version of every program to every user. We outline a practical approach for providing compiler-generated software diversity on a massive scale. It is based on an "App Store" containing a diversification engine (a "multicompiler") that automatically generates a unique, but functionally identical version of every program each time that a downloader requests it. All the different versions of the same program behave in exactly the same way from the perspective of the end-user, but they implement their functionality in subtly different ways. As a result, any specific attack will succeed only on a small fraction of targets. An attacker would require a large number of different attacks and would have no way of knowing a priori which specific attack will succeed on which specific target. Hence, the cost to the attacker is raised dramatically.Equally importantly, our approach makes it much more difficult for an attacker to generate attack vectors by way of reverse engineering of security patches. An attacker requires two pieces of information to extract a vulnerability from a bug fix: the version of the program that is vulnerable and the specific patch that fixes the vulnerability. In an environment in which software is diversified and every instance of every program is unique, we can set things up so that the attacker never obtains a matching pair of vulnerable program and its corresponding bug fix that could be used to identify the vulnerability. We propose a mechanism for incremental updating of diversified software that has this property.
Dosimetry study of Nd: YAG laser damage to canine renal cortex

A dosimetry study of factors affecting the extent of tissue damage inflicted upon the canine renal cortex by the Neodymium:Yttrium Aluminum Garnet (Nd:YAG) laser was undertaken. Laser parameters and renal tissue conditions were varied independently in duplicate in the following manner: (1) power - 5, 10, 20, 50, 75, 100 watts with a spot size of 1.2 mm; (2) exposure duration - 1, 2, and 4 seconds; (3) kidney perfusion and temperature--renal artery unclamped (perfused) without cooling; renal artery clamped (non-perfused) without cooling; and renal artery clamped with cooling. Five days following application of the laser, the animals were sacrificed and serial sections of the renal cortex were examined for maximum depth and width of tissue damage and ablation. Multiple linear regression analysis of the data indicated a direct linear relationship between the joules (watts X seconds) of energy delivered to the renal cortex and the depth and width of tissue damage and ablation (p less than 0.001 for joule regression coefficient for each variable). Seconds and/or watts alone were not major predictors of the outcome after accounting for joules. Clamping the main renal artery significantly reduced the depth and width of laser damage when compared to the perfused kidney (p less than 0.001 for each variable). The depth of damage was similar in the cooled and the non-cooled non-perfused kidney. These data suggest that increased laser energy and kidney perfusion significantly increase renal cortical laser induced damage. Adjustment of these parameters may permit controlled tumor ablation or tissue incision with minimal damage to adjacent normal tissue.
Model Insect Cuticle Sclerotization: Reactions of Catecholamine Quinones with the Nitrogen-Centered Nucleophiles Imidazole and N-Acetylhistidine

The catecholamines N-acetyldopamine (NADA) and N-b-alanyldopamine (NBAD) are two precursors for quinonoios used as sclerotizing agents in insect cuticle. This study focused on the reaction pathways of the quinones of NADA and NBAD by using two nitrogencentered nucleophiles, imidazole and N-acetylhistidine, to model cuticular proteins containing histidyl residues. The quinones were prepared by electrochemical oxidation, using either a coulometric microcell or a flow-through cell. The reactions of the quinones with the nucleophiles were investigated at physiological pH using electrochemical, chromatographic, and spectroscopic methods. The major products were purified by semipreparative liquid chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to be nucleophilic addition products of the quinones with the nucleophiles bonded to two carbons in the aromatic ring. The predominant products for both nucleophiles were C6 adducts of NADA and NBAD. C2 adducts of N-acetylhistidine were minor products. © 1997 Academic Press
EMUNET: a debugging aid for distributed programs in TCP/IP based network

Most programmers depend on reproducible behavior of a program to locate its bugs. In a sequential program, the execution of the program can easily be repeated to find the bugs. When a program is distributed across network, the execution order of the program components varies from one run to another. It is very difficult, often impossible, to repeat the same sequence of execution, which makes debugging a program very difficult. This paper describes EMUNET, a tool that can aid debugging in distributed programming. Using EMUNET, the network functions in a distributed program are replaced with the software modules that communicate through memory. The distributed program then becomes a single process with multiple, user-controlled threads of execution. The programmer can compile and debug the distributed program as a single program. The behavior of the program is repeatable. Most of the bugs can be found in this way. When this initial debugging process is finished, the programmer can then link the distributed program with actual network library for real execution. No internal program changes are required.
COST SHARING IN NETWORKS: SOME OPEN QUESTIONS

The fertile application of cooperative game techniques to cost sharing problems on networks has so far concentrated on the Stand Alone core test of fairness and/or stability, and ignored many combinatorial optimization problems where this core can be empty. I submit there is much room for an axiomatic discussion of fair division in the latter problems, where Stand Alone objections are not implementable. But the computational complexity of optimal solutions is still a very severe obstacle to this approach.
Extraction and quantitation of tocopherol in raw and cooked channel catfish

Using either saponification or sodium dodecylsulfate/ethanol/hexane extraction (SDS) extraction, similar recoveries of alpha-tocopherol added to either raw or cooked tissue were obtained. Significantly lower levels of alpha- and gamma-tocopherol (μg/g tissue) from both raw and cooked tissue were indicated using the SDS extraction method than with saponification. In particular, SDS extraction was ineffective in extracting tocopherols from tissue structurally modified by heat. Based on saponification data, cooking did not result in destruction of either alpha- or gamma-tocopherol in tissue samples.
Use of N-Methyltetrahydrofurfurylamine in the Mannich Reaction

Mannich bases have been prepared using N -methyltetrahydrofurfurylamine as the amine component. The preparation and pharmacodynamic activity of the β -aminoketones are given.
Symbolic dynamics of noisy chaos

Abstract One model of randomness observed in physical systems is that low-dimensional deterministic chaotic attractors underly the observations. A phenomenological theory of chaotic dynamics requires an accounting of the information flow from the observed system to the observer, the amount of information available in observations, and just how this information affects predictions of the system's future behavior. In an effort to develop such a description, we discuss the information theory of highly discretized observations of random behavior. Metric entropy and topological entropy are well-defined invariant measures of such an attractor's “level of chaos”, and are computable using symbolic dynamics. Real physical systems that display low dimensional dynamics are, however, inevitably coupled to high-dimensional randomless, e.g. thermal noise. We investigate the effects of such fluctuations coupled to deterministic chaotic systems, in particular, the metric entropy's response to the fluctuations. We find that the entropy increases with a power law in the noise level, and that the convergence of the entropy and the effect of fluctuations can be cast as a scaling theory. We also argue that in addition to the metric entropy, there is a second scaling invariant quantity that characterizes a deterministic system with added fluctuations: I0, the maximum average information obtainable about the initial condition that produces a particular sequence of measurements (or symbols).
Impact of Diabetic Complications on Balance and Falls: Contribution of the Vestibular System

Diabetes causes many complications, including retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy, which are well understood as contributing to gait instability and falls. A less understood complication of diabetes is the effect on the vestibular system. The vestibular system contributes significantly to balance in static and dynamic conditions by providing spatially orienting information. It is noteworthy that diabetes has been reported to affect vestibular function in both animal and clinical studies. Pathophysiological changes in peripheral and central vestibular structures due to diabetes have been noted. Vestibular dysfunction is associated with impaired balance and a higher risk of falls. As the prevalence of diabetes increases, so does the potential for falls due to diabetic complications. The purpose of this perspective article is to present evidence on the pathophysiology of diabetes-related complications and their influence on balance and falls, with specific attention to emerging evidence of vestibular dysfunction due to diabetes. Understanding this relationship may be useful for screening (by physical therapists) for possible vestibular dysfunction in people with diabetes and for further developing and testing the efficacy of interventions to reduce falls in this population.
Taking Uncertainty Seriously: Revising Injunction Doctrine

Currently, courts are supposed to resolve cases in two separate stages. First, they are to assess the merits. Second, they are to provide a remedy. In the first stage, they may be uncertain about the right result. They may even acknowledge their uncertainty. Indeed, the burden of persuasion is necessary precisely because courts must find facts in the face of persistent doubt. Once a court arrives at its view of the merits, however, current doctrine generally requires that it fashion relief as if it were sure it had decided the merits properly. This article challenges this way of proceeding, at least in the context of injunctive relief. It argues that the values that animate civil adjudication will be served best if courts take into account their uncertainty about the merits in deciding whether to grant an injunction. In particular, by considering their doubts about the merits and the relative stakes to the parties, courts can minimize expected error costs more effectively than current doctrine allows. To do so, they should tend to avoid erring to the detriment of the party that will be most affected by an injunction. The clearest implication of this argument is that courts should use a sliding scale approach to the burden of persuasion, placing a lighter or heavier evidentiary burden on the plaintiff, depending on whether the plaintiff or defendant values more highly a favorable decision on injunctive relief.
American engagement and the pathways to Arab–Israeli peace:

This close empirical study of decades of US efforts to bring peace between Arab states and Israel helps reflect on Arild Underdal and Oran R. Young’s leadership typologies. Distinguishing between c...
Presumed guilt in the anthrax case.

In his review of my book American Anthrax on the 2001 anthrax letter attacks (“Have we ‘met the enemy?,’” 3 February, p. [540][1]), D. A. Relman accuses me of imposing a “presumption of guilt” on the FBI’s prime suspect, U.S. Army microbiologist Bruce Ivins. In fact, I described many
Establishment of Model of Damping Mechanism for the HardCoating Cantilever Beam

Unable to confirm the contribution of hard coating damping on the whole system effectively,it becomes very difficult to establish the analytical model of hard coating composite structure of vibration reduction mechanism. The method of creating the damping mechanism model of beam was studied through separating the damping contribution of hard coating. First of all,the cantilever beams before / after coating were tested and the vibration characteristics parameters,such as natural frequency,damping ratio and vibration response were obtained.Moreover,by analyzing the energy stored and dissipated in the uncoated and coated beam,the damping contribution of hard coating was confirmed. At last,the Oberst beam theory was adopted to create the damping mechanism model of cantilever beam,with both material and viscous damping considered,and the correctness of analytical model was also verified. It shows that by using the hard-coating damping and the equivalent viscous damping of uncoated beam, the reasonable analysis model of coated beam can be created.
A practitioner's guide to cancer-related alopecia

Alopecia due to the side effects of the treatment of cancer is one of the most common and emotionally troublesome effects of cancer therapy. Preventive measures, primarily scalp hypothermia, can be effective in some cases, but the worry of subsequent scalp metastasis remains. Investigative studies in animals are hindered by a poor animal alopecia model. Several promising agents require translation into clinical practice. Until then, disguising the alopecia with wigs, hats, or turbans remains the mainstay of treatment.
Positron emission tomography in pediatric epilepsy.

Surgical treatment of medically-refractory epilepsy in children has gained considerable popularity in recent years. The application of positron emission tomography (PET) is proving to be, in certain instances, an invaluable tool in the preoperative evaluation of these children. Currently, it is one of the few methods available that provides important lateralizing and localizing information noninvasively when the CT scan and MR image are normal. The morbidity associated with chronic intracranial monitoring can be avoided in the majority of children if data from PET are incorporated with clinical, other radiographic, and electrographic data during the preoperative evaluation.
High-Purity Enzymatic Synthesis of Site-Specifically Modified tRNA

Transfer RNA (tRNA) molecules play the key role in adapting the genetic code sequences with amino acids. The execution of this key role is highly dependent on the presence of modified nucleotides in tRNA, each of which performs a distinct function. To better understand how individual modifications modulate tRNA function, a method to isolate and purify a site-specifically modified tRNA is essential. This chapter describes an enzymatic method to synthesize a site-specifically modified tRNA, followed by purification of this tRNA away from unmodified tRNA using a selective oligonucleotide-based hybridization approach. This method is broadly applicable to site-specific tRNA modifications that interfere with nucleic-acid base-pairing principles.
Urban park design + love for nature: Interventions for visitor experiences and social networking

AbstractAffect or emotion for nature can prime environmentally friendly attitudes and behaviors, but for one’s love of nature to grow she must physically experience and communicate about nature with others. This study aimed to identify urban park designs that could increase affect for nature in park visitors by stimulating their desire to communicate about and experience nature. Participants included 33 visitors at four urban parks in a mid-sized US city who were interviewed on location. Social network theory (SNT) served as the methodological framework for interpreting why, how, and with whom visitors’ communicated their nature experiences, as well as the design elements that led to increased love for nature. Analysis of the interviews confirmed findings from similar studies, while contributing new insight to how visitors’ use mobile technology to communicate about nature and build bonds with their social network. The conclusion offers ways for scholars and practitioners to improve urban park design so a...
Procedural Sedation for Atrial Fibrillation Patients

Procedural sedation and analgesia, formerly conscious sedation, is the process of administering sedatives or dissociative agents concurrently with analgesics as indicated, in order to create an altered state of consciousness allowing the patient to undergo unpleasant and/or painful procedures while preserving cardiovascular function. Analgesia is pain relief without the intentional alteration of mental status. In addition to the many procedures that any individual may undergo that may require procedural sedation and analgesia, from fracture reduction to the insertion of tubes to wound care, patients with atrial fibrillation may also need to undergo cardioversion. Patients with atrial fibrillation range from the newborn with congenital heart disease to the essentially healthy individual with a structurally normal heart to the hemodynamically unstable geriatric patient with multiple comorbidities and end-stage heart failure. Providing procedural sedation and analgesia to patients with atrial fibrillation presents additional problems and adds another layer of complexity to the sedation. Patients with atrial fibrillation often have higher American Society of Anesthesia (ASA) physical status classification which puts them at much greater risk for complications during sedation. The cardiovascular effects of the various medications used during procedural sedation and analgesia need to be kept in mind when sedating patients with atrial fibrillation. This may limit the choices of medications used for the procedural sedation and analgesia.
Sites of Power: Images from Southeast Asia for the Dutch East India Company (VOC)

ABSTRACTDuring the Dutch Golden Age of mapmaking, the views of foreign harbours produced for the East India Company (VOC) took on special significance and were even adapted into full- scale paintings in the office of the directors in Amsterdam. Produced by Johannes Vingboons, son of the Flemish emigre painter David Vinckeboons, these atlas views survive in a number of studies and finished folios, including a volume in the National Archives in The Hague. Three of these images, however, attest to the limits of the power and expansion of the VOC in East Asia. One, a view of the capital of Siam, Ayutthaya, shows a city worthy of comparison to Amsterdam in its canals, its scale of expanse, and its faithfully rendered towers of gilded Buddhist temples. This was clearly a kingdom with which the Dutch had to treat as equals, and the VOC established a regional factory' on the outskirts. In similar fashion, the rendering of Osaka Castle shows the formidable military defense apparatus of Momoyama Japan with carefull...
Betaine-Homocysteine S-Methyl-Transferase (BHMT) Transcription is Inhibited by S-Adenosylmethionine (AdoMet)

Betaine-homocysteine S-methyltransferase (BHMT) (EC 2.1.1.5) is a zinc metalloenzyme that is predominantly expressed in liver. This enzyme participates in homocysteine (Hcy) metabolism by catalyzing a methyl transfer from betaine to Hcy to form dimethylglycine and methionine (Met), respectively (1, 2). Understanding the mechanisms underlying the regulation of Hcy metabolism is crucial since hyperhomocysteinemia has been demonstrated to be a risk factor for the development of arteriosclerotic vascular disease (3). Our laboratory has demonstrated that BHMT expression and activity are influenced by dietary Met. We showed that BHMT expression was dramatically elevated in the livers of rats fed diets deficient in Met (4), and a further twofold increase was observed after supplementing the Met deficient diets with BHMT methyl donors (5).
Downregulation of Tissue Factor in Pericytes By a Protein Kinase C-Dependent Mechanism

Abstract Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane protein in the type II cytokine receptor family that serves as a cofactor for factor VIIa activity, and is essential for normal initiation of hemostasis. Its expression is generally upregulated in the settings of inflammation, immune activation, tissue injury and malignancy. TF has biological functions in addition to its role hemostasis. In malignancy, high expression of TF by tumor cells promotes local angiogenesis. By contrast, we have reported that expression of perivascular TF is downregulated within 24 hours after wounding, and remains low around angiogenic vessels during physiologic wound healing. The mechanism(s) of physiologic downregulation of TF, and its role in physiologic angiogenesis have not been previously characterized. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify mechanisms contributing to TF downregulation in primary human pericytes. We determined that loss of TF in human pericytes can be recapitulated in vitro by treating pericyte cultures with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). The time course and degree of TF downregulation over 24 hours, as shown in the figure, is similar to that observed within the first 24 hours in vivo. Since PMA is a potent activator of Protein Kinase C (PKC), we determined the role of PKC in PMA-mediated TF loss by pretreating pericytes with the broad spectrum PKC inhibitor, Go 6983, prior to stimulation with PMA. PKC inhibition eliminated PMA-induced TF loss, supporting the conclusion that the PMA effect occurs through a PKC-dependent mechanism. PKCa has been shown to induce phosphorylation of the TF cytoplasmic tail, which results in budding of TF-rich microvesicles from the plasma membrane. PMA also triggers activation of the cell-surface protease ADAM17. Based on domain homology with other targets, ADAM17 could potentially cleave and release the extracellular domain of TF from the cell surface. To determine if TF loss occurs through its release from the cell by either mechanism we utilized biotin labeling of surface TF, streptavidin pull down, and western blot analysis to assess trafficking of TF into the culture media. Our results show that surface TF significantly decreases within 2 hours of PMA treatment. However, we failed to detect biotinylated TF in the culture media. Isolation of microvesicles from the media followed by western blotting for TF showed that pericytes do release TF-associated microvesicles at a basal rate, but this rate is not affected by PMA. Taken together, these data show that PMA induces downregulation of TF in primary human pericytes through a PKC-dependent mechanism, and that this mechanism does not stimulate release of TF from the cell in either microvesicles or by proteolytic cleavage of the TF extracellular domain. Our working hypothesis is that PMA triggers internalization of surface TF via activation of protein kinase C, leading to its subsequent degradation. Download : Download high-res image (74KB) Download : Download full-size image Figure 1 . Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Normal Variations and Developmental Anatomy of the Calvarial Sutures and Fontanelles Above the Skull Base

This section focuses on the variations in sutural anatomy and development of the calvarium above the skull base that can mimic disease or cause confusion, particularly in the setting of blunt trauma. This includes the major cranial sutures, the anterior and posterior fontanelles in infants and young children, asymmetric or atypical configurations of the skull that may occur with suture closure, and normal foramina (such as emissary foramina) that can occur within the upper calvarium. The persistence of these sutures and fontanelles and their normal variations in adults can potentially cause difficulty in interpretation. Other variations can occasionally be problematic to identify on standard axial NECT images, such as normal intrasutural bones, positional plagiocephaly, and bathrocephaly. In such instances, three-dimensional (3D) volume-rendered (VR) reconstructions from thin axial NECT can readily identify such normal variations. For this reason, many pediatric neuroradiologists have advocated that thin (≤1-mm thickness) axial NECT images with bone windows should be standard for reviewing infants and young children with trauma, and that three-dimensional reconstructions should accompany them. As stated in prior chapters, the persistence of normal sutures can often be distinguished from fractures based on reviewing the 3D reconstructions of the cranium that are usually quite easy to produce on standard CT vendors’ consoles. Also, if there is solely a question of fracture, extremely low-dose protocols can be obtained combined with iterative reconstruction to delineate such fractures, potentially using one third to one tenth of a standard axial NECT radiation dose to the head. Another point regarding NECT 3D reconstructions is that spiral (rather than sequential) acquisitions are optimal as source data, since sequential acquisitions can suffer from “stair-step” artifacts when reconstructed into 3D. Spiral scans also take less time to scan but often have a mildly higher dose for the same slice thickness, thereby decreasing motion effects to some degree.
Acute Changes in Left Atrial Pressure After MitraClip Are Associated With Improvement in 6-Minute Walk Distance

Background—Data on the clinical use of left atrial (LA) hemodynamic monitoring during MitraClip procedure are limited. This study evaluated the association between intraprocedural changes in LA pre...
Charity, Logic, and Para-Clericalism: Rereading Agassi on Koestler on Galileo

This is a critical examination of Agassi’s article “On Explaining the Trial of Galileo,” which was a critical examination of Koestler’s account. I focus partly on several of Agassi’s insightful substantive theses. These involve Galileo’s skill in the art of reasoning and critical thinking; his technique of strengthening opponents’ arguments before criticizing them; and his efforts as a Catholic reformer. I also focus on several of Agassi’s fruitful methodological approaches. These concern the principle of “charity,” when interpreting actions and arguments; an emphasis on argumentation and applied logic; and the “paraclerical” approach of being both secular-minded and appreciative of religion.
Imaging single nanoparticles using laser terahertz emission nanoscopy

By utilizing plasmonic coupling to an AFM probe, we demonstrate Laser Terahertz Emission Nanoscopy (LTEN) with ∼20 nm resolution. We demonstrate the resolution by imaging a single gold nanorod on an InAs substrate.
Getting on the Agenda: Assessing the Political Context and Developing Political Strategy

Political social work is most effective when it has a clear vision, set of goals, and strategy. Strategic planning must be a thoughtful process that takes into account an assessment of the context in which you are working. This chapter introduces and explains five steps of political strategy development, including: 1. Determining the specific purpose of the political change effort; that is, what specifically you are trying to change 2. Assessing the internal (organizational) and external (environmental) context 3. Identifying the change effort’s goals 4. Selecting the specific targets of the political change effort 5. Selection of tactics that are likely to influence the target or targets.
Commercial Orbital Transportation Services: A Case Study for National Industrial Policy

Abstract Debates over U.S. space policies often focus on the potential economic outcomes of funding a civilian space agency. NASA has consequently become an outlier in a political climate that has ...
Concluding Remarks and Emerging Applications in the Biological Sciences

In closing, we discuss emerging applications in bioelectromagnetics to Red Blood Cells (RBCs), which are responsible for the transport of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and are the most prevalent type of cells in human blood. The average cellular volume of each cell (82-96 femtoliters) is occupied by a high concentration of the oxygen carrying protein hemoglobin at a concentration of 30-36 %. The lifespan of the human RBCs is approximately 120 days after they are released from the bone marrow as reticulocytes. Typically 4-6 million RBCs per cubic millimeter occupy 41-52 % of blood volume (hematocrit). The typical biconcave shape of RBCs endows the cell with ideal deformability characteristics. This allows RBCs to efficiently perform their function in small capillaries. Alterations in RBC properties, including shape, volume and membrane characteristics will lead to a decreased lifespan and when not compensated by increased production, a lower volume and anemia. Genetic disorders in cytoskeletal proteins (the cell wall “scaffolding”) results in RBC pathologies, such as hereditary spherocytosis and hereditary elliptocytosis (Eber and Lux [22], and Gallagher, [31] and [32]). Deviations in cytosolic and membrane proteins may affect the state of hydration of the cell and thereby its characteristics. Figure 10.1 illustrates some examples of unhealthy cell morphologies. In normal blood, echinocytes and stomatocytes can be observed, in addition to discocytes. Acanthocytes are observed in acquired hepatic syndromes, codocytes are found in thalassemia. In sickle cell disease, hemoglobin polymers will distort the shape of the cell and drepanocytes are observed. Elliptocytes are the result of membrane disorders where interactions in the horizontal direction (e.g., spectrin-spectin interactions) are disrupted, and spherocytes are observed in membrane disorders where the interaction between the lipid bilayer and the underlying membrane skeleton is dysfunctional. The number of humans that are affected by Sickle cell disease, Thalassemia and other hemoglobinopathies, runs in the millions (Forget and Cohen [29] and Steinberg et al. [97]). Such disorders lead to altered hemoglobin and result in changes in RBC properties, which is related to blood pathology, including anemia.
Invoking the Sacred: Reflections on the Implications of EcoJustice for Science Education

In the following essay, I reflect on the chapter by Rebecca A Martusewicz, John Lupinacci, and Gary Schnakenberg. I do so from many standpoints: that of scientist, mother, person of faith, middle-school science teacher, and science teacher educator. I do not see these roles as distinct; rather they all help to shape my pedagogical project in ways that strive for coherence, despite the many contradictions.
The role of solids in CO2 capture: A mini review

Publisher Summary The problem of global warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions is gaining increasing importance. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions can occur as a result of increased energy efficiency, substitution of low- or non-carbon fuels, or by the capture and storage of CO2. Growth in demand will no doubt erase gains associated with increased efficiency. Non-carbon energy sources are more limited, more expensive, and/or not accepted by the public. Fossil fuels will continue to be the major source of energy for the next few decades and there is increasing agreement that capture and storage will be required if atmospheric concentrations of CO2 are to be stabilized. Solid-based CO2 capture processes, while not having received the level of attention given to gas absorption processes, possess many potential advantages including high operating temperature and avoidance of liquid wastes. This paper discusses recent developments in both the low and high temperature capture of CO2 from flue gases, sorption enhanced H2 production and chemical looping combustion. The latter processes include CO2 capture as an integral step in the overall process.
Heritable disorders of connective tissue. IV. The Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.

Abstract On the basis of eight kinships containing at least one previously unreported case of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, and on the basis of the cases reported in the literature, the cardinal manifestations of the syndrome can be said to be hyperelasticity and abnormal fragility of the skin and hyperextensibility of joints. Other cutaneous and skeletal manifestations which are an integral part of the syndrome are discussed as well as ocular and internal manifestations. It is suggested that dissecting aneurysm of the aorta may be a complication of this connective tissue disorder as well as of the Marfan syndrome. Diaphragmatic and other types of hernia occur fairly often and conventional types of congenital heart disease and congenital anomalies of the kidney have been observed. Rupture of the lung with mediastinal emphysema and/or pneumothorax appears to occur with increased incidence. The best information appears to indicate that the basic defect is one of the organization of collagen bundles into an intermeshing network. The disorder is probably inherited as a Mendelian dominant.
Applications of SQUID Magnetometers to Biomagnetism and Nondestructive Evaluation

Since their introduction to biomagnetism in 1970, SQUID magnetometers have been used worldwide to measure magnetic signals from the heart, brain, lungs, liver, nerves, skeletal muscle, stomach, intestines, eyes, and other organs. The majority of the effort in the field has been by university and national-laboratory researchers and by small, high-technology companies, and has been directed towards the development and promotion of this technology. While a SQUID clearly is an accepted and productive research instrument, the application of this technology in routine clinical diagnosis is only now beginning. The challenge is to identify applications for which SQUIDs are ideally suited and there is minimal competition from other technologies. The introduction of high-temperature superconductor (HTS) SQUIDs has led to a resurgence, for example, in measurements of the magnetocardiogram by physicists and new searches for applications. Similar trends are evident in the use of SQUIDs for the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of aircraft and other structural systems and materials: most of the effort is directed towards instrumentation development and demonstrations in simple systems. Instruments suitable for specific commercial applications are just now being prototyped, and there is a new generation of HTS SQUIDs for NDE. This chapter presents an overview of SQUID magnetometers for biomagnetism and NDE, reviews a number of pertinent applications of SQUIDs, and discusses the criteria for successful application.
Study of Transport Fluctuations and Meandering of The Florida Current using an Isopycnic Coordinate Numerical Model

Abstract An isopycnic coordinate numerical model, using the Flux-Corrected Transport algorithm to control isopycnal outcropping and intersection with the ocean bottom, is configured in a channel with the bottom topography of the Florida Straits at 27 ° N. Bulk parameters determined from analysis of observations in the Subtropical Atlantic Climate Studies (STACS) program are combined with a dynamical initialization procedure, generating a Florida Current-like mass/flow pattern. Ten isopycnal layers and 2 km horizontal grid spacing resolve this cross-sectional flow. The channel is created by duplicating the cross-section in the downstream direction. Investigation focuses on whether the transport fluctuations on time scales of a few days to several weeks and the meandering observed in the Florida Current may be either locally forced by the wind or due to inherent dynamical instabilities. When a single cross-section is forced with spatially constant but temporally fluctuating downstream wind stress, the barotropic transport response exhibits an almost 90 ° phase lag to the wind. The response amplitude is slightly less than directly proportional to the amplitude and period of the forcing. The baroclinic response, defined as the difference between the transport flucutations above and below 200 m depth, exhibits the almost 90 ° phase lag to the wind, but has an order of magnitude less amplitude than the barotropic. In the three-dimensional channel, when the cross-stream density gradient is strong enough, perturbations with wavelengths greater than 60 km exhibit substantial amplification. The current is most unstable to wavelengths of a little more than 200 km when using the dynamically initialized fields and 150 km when using analyzed STACS Pegasus data to initialize. Events of wave amplification are of limited duration, however, and leave the basic structure of the current unchanged. In corresponding flat bottom channel experiments, the perturbation continues to amplify until the baroclinic structure has been substantially modified. From an analysis of energy conversions it is concluded that the primary mechanism of wave amplification in all cases is the release of baroclinic instability.
Global Analysis of Periodic Solutions for Flexible Feedback Systems

A method for calculating all periodic solutions and their domains of attraction for flexible systems under nonlinear feedback control is presented. The systems considered consist of mechanical systems with many flexible modes and a relay type controller coupled with a nonlinear control law operating in a feedback configuration. The proposed approach includes three steps. First, limit cycle frequencies and periodic fixed points are computed exactly, using a block diagonal state–space modal representation of the plant dynamics. Then the relay switching surface is chosen as the Poincare mapping surface and is discretized using the cell mapping method. Finally, the region of attraction for each limit cycle is computed using the cell mapping algorithm and employing an error based convergence criterion. An example consisting of a model of a flexible system, a relay with dead-zone and hysteresis, and a nonlinear control law is used to demonstrate the proposed approach.
Pathogen Detection and Elimination

Detection of a pathogen is an essential step in plant disease diagnosis. Diagnosis of biotic pathogens requires a knowledge of biotic pathogens and factors in the environment that are involved in disease development. Disease diagnosis is often an art based on experience with a particular crop that allows a series of observations of the plant in both a diseased and healthy state and from knowing the often subtle differences in symptoms and their variability over-time (13). It is also essential to observe and interpret the significance and implications of changing patterns of disease distribution that occur over time.
The Utility of Screening for Coccidioidomycosis in Recipients of Inhibitors of Tumor Necrosis Factor α.

Background Tumor necrosis factor α inhibitors (TNFi) are commonly used to treat immune-mediated disorders, but they are associated with an increased risk of mycobacterial and fungal infections. We compared the outcomes of TNFi recipients screened for asymptomatic coccidioidomycosis with those of unscreened patients to compare the development of symptomatic coccidioidomycosis and to describe its outcomes for patients with abnormal coccidioidal screenings. Methods We searched electronic health records from 4 September 2010 through 26 September 2016 for all patients receiving a TNFi for dermatologic, rheumatologic, or gastroenterologic diagnoses, then categorized patients by whether or not they had undergone coccidioidal serologic testing for screening or diagnostic purposes. Results A total of 2793 patients had a TNFi prescribed. Of those, 1951 met the inclusion criteria: 1025/1951 (52.5%) never had coccidioidal screening; 925/1951 (47.4%) had serologic screening either before beginning TNFi therapy or annually, or both after beginning a TNFi. Symptomatic coccidioidomycosis developed in 35/1025 (3.4%) unscreened patients. Of those screened, 861/925 (93.1%) had negative serologic tests, of which 11/861 (1.3%) subsequently developed symptomatic coccidioidomycosis; 36/925 (3.9%) had coccidioidomycosis at screening (7, probable infection; 11, possible infection; 18, asymptomatic seropositive result); and 17 had only positive findings for immunoglobulin M antibodies and did not meet the definition for coccidioidomycosis. The unscreened cohort was more likely to have symptomatic coccidioidomycosis than the screened cohort (35/1025 vs 11/861, P Conclusions Screening for asymptomatic coccidioidomycosis within a Coccidioides-endemic area allowed for identifying and managing asymptomatic coccidioidomycosis before patients began TNFi therapy. Less symptomatic infection developed in the screened than the unscreened cohort.
Heidegger and the Contradiction of Being: An Analytic Interpretation of the Late Heidegger

ABSTRACTIt is well known that, from the beginning to the end of his philosophical trajectory, Martin Heidegger tries to develop a fundamental ontology which aims at answering the so-called question...