cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Approach to the Patient with Neck Pain

In the United States, neck pain is an extremely common reason for seeking medical attention. While symptoms can occur abruptly, they are often more indolent in their course, usually without any temporal relationship to trauma or other inciting events. For these reasons, physicians need to be well-versed in the initial evaluation and management of these complaints. It is important to have a working knowledge of the cervical anatomy, the differential diagnosis for neck pain, and the potential mimics which may present. It is equally imperative to hone the skills necessary to effectively differentiate localized, mechanical neck pain syndromes from those of a more serious etiology. To that end, identifying “red flags” during the patient’s history and performing a focused musculoskeletal and neurological examination is critical to triaging the patient appropriately. As the U.S. health care system moves away from traditional fee-for-service reimbursement, greater emphasis will be placed on providing high-quality, cost-conscious care. Physicians must be deliberate when evaluating a patient with neck pain, rather than ordering a “one size fits all” battery of tests. Knowing when to order advanced imaging modalities or refer a patient to a specialist will be paramount in providing the best patient care while responsibly utilizing resources.
Radiation-Induced Second Cancer Risk Estimates From Radionuclide Therapy

The use of radionuclide therapy in the clinical setting is expected to increase significantly over the next decade. There is an important need to understand the radiation-induced second cancer risk associated with these procedures. In this study the radiation-induced cancer risk in five radionuclide therapy patients was investigated. These patients underwent serial SPECT imaging scans following injection as part of a clinical trial testing the efficacy of a 131 Iodine-labeled radiopharmaceutical. Using these datasets the committed absorbed doses to multiple sensitive structures were calculated using RAPID, which is a novel Monte Carlo-based 3D dosimetry platform developed for personalized dosimetry. The excess relative risk (ERR) for radiation-induced cancer in these structures was then derived from these dose estimates following the recommendations set forth in the BEIR VII report. The radiation-induced leukemia ERR was highest among all sites considered reaching a maximum value of approximately 4.5. The radiation-induced cancer risk in the kidneys, liver and spleen ranged between 0.3 and 1.3. The lifetime attributable risks (LARs) were also calculated, which ranged from 30 to 1700 cancers per 100,000 persons and were highest for leukemia and the liver for both males and females followed by radiation-induced spleen and kidney cancer. The risks associated with radionuclide therapy are similar to the risk associated with external beam radiation therapy.
Geographic Distribution of Monomorium ebeninum (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

ABSTRACT Monomorium ebeninum is a small black ant with a widespread distribution in the West Indies, Central America, and Mexico, as well as southernmost Texas and Florida. Monomorium ebeninum has been considered native to the Bahamas, yet exotic to Florida. To examine the geographic distribution of M. ebeninum, I compiled and mapped published and unpublished specimen records from >550 sites. I documented the earliest known M. ebeninum records for 34 geographic areas (countries, major West Indian islands and island groups, and US states), including several for which I found no previously published records: Barbuda, the Cayman Islands, St Kitts, St Lucia, St Martin, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. The northernmost records of M. ebeninum in both the Florida Keys and in the Bahamas are at the same latitude (25.1°N), which is at the northern edge of an essentially continuous range through the West Indies. If M. ebeninum is native in the Bahamas, then there is little justification for considering populations...
Synthesis and characterization of phosphorescent isomeric iridium complexes with a rigid cyclometalating ligand

Abstract The synthesis, structures and photophysical properties of three phosphorescent isomeric heteroleptic iridium complexes are reported. The complexes are bis-cyclometalated with a rigid 9-tert-butyl-pyrazolo[1,5-f]phenanthridine (tpzp) ligand. The isomers (I1, I2 and I3) of the heteroleptic complex Ir(tpzp)2pic (pic = picolinate) were isolated from reactions and characterized by 2D NMR experiments and X-ray crystallography. The tpzp ligands in isomer I1 have a trans-N,N configuration, whereas the tpzp ligands in isomers I2 and I3 both have a cis-N,N configuration, with the three coordinated nitrogens being facial in I2 and meridinal in I3. The I1 complex was found to isomerize during the sublimation under high vacuum (0.5 × 10−6 torr) at 300 °C, giving a ratio of I1:I2:I3 = 3:1:6. Reduction potentials and DFT calculations of the Ir(tpzp)2pic isomers indicate that the LUMO for these heteroleptic complexes is localized on the picolinate moiety. The Ir(tpzp)2pic isomers all display broad, featureless emission at room temperature (λem ∼ 530 nm) consistent with emission from a triplet metal–ligand to ligand (Ir-tpzp to picinolate) charge transfer (3MLLCT) state. Broad 3MLLCT emission (λem ∼ 520 nm) is still observed from isomers I2 and I3 in rigid media at 77 K. However, under the same conditions structured blue phosphorescence (λem = 452 nm) is observed from isomer I1, consistent with emission from a metal perturbed 3LC state on the tpzp ligand.
Water deionization with renewable energy production in microalgae - microbial desalination process

Abstract Photosynthetic microbial desalination cells (PMDCs) using microalgae biocathode (Chlorella vulgaris species) were evaluated under three different process configurations. Static (fed-batch, SPMDC), continuous flow (CFPMDC) and a photo-bioreactor MDC (PBMDC), were developed to study the impact of process operation and design on wastewater treatment, water deionization, electricity generation, nutrient removal, and biomass production capacities. The effect of TDS concentration in desalination compartment on the overall performance of SPMDC was also studied. TDS and COD removal rates and power densities have increased with increase in TDS concentrations in the desalination compartment. TDS removal rates were 21.4%, 29%, and 32.2% with corresponding COD removal of 58%, 63%, and 64% at 5 g/L, 20 g/L and 35 g/L respectively. The power densities at these TDS concentrations were 285 mW/m3, 550 mW/m3 and 675 mW/m3 respectively in SPMDCs. Although the electricity production was lower, a higher biomass growth rate of 7 mg L−1 h−1 was recorded for CFPMDC. The COD removal and nutrient removal potentials were similar in all three experimental configurations. Experimental studies show that SPMDCs are more appropriate for bioelectricity production due to biofilm formation while the continuous flow or photobioreactor PMDCs are suitable for microalgae biomass production.
Remarks at the Naming Ceremony, Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse, Buffalo, New York

This text was the basis of remarks at the September 30, 2013, official ceremony naming the new Robert H. Jackson United States Courthouse in Buffalo.The text describes Robert Jackson’s life path, including his two years (1917-1918) living and practicing law in Buffalo near what is today the Jackson Courthouse site in the heart of downtown Niagara Square; his late 1918 confidence that leaving Buffalo, one of the nation’s great cities, to live and practice law in much smaller Jamestown, New York, would work out for the best; his legacy today in special places and buildings, including courthouses throughout the U.S. and internationally, including in Nuremberg, Germany; and his high regard, expressed in 1937 to a friend who was a new Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of New York, for the significant work of U.S. District Judges.This file includes photographs of Jackson’s former office and apartment buildings in Buffalo, him with his son and WDNY Judge Harold P. Burke, and the new Jackson Courthouse.
Architecture and Implementation of an XQuery-based Information Integration Platform.

An increasing number of business users and software applications need to process information that is accessible via multiple diverse information systems, such as database systems, file systems, legacy applications or web services. We describe the Enosys XML Integration Platform (EXIP), a commercial XQuery-based data integration software platform that provides a queryable integrated view of such information. We describe the platform architecture and describe what the main principles and challenges are for the query engine. In particular, we discuss the query engine architecture and the underlying semistructured algebra, which is tuned for enabling query plan optimizations.
Transposition of the Great Arteries: Coronary Artery Anatomy

Eight different coronary arterial patterns were found by Mayer and his colleagues during open-heart surgical repair of 314 patients with D-transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA). The mortality rates following the arterial switch operation (ASO) are given for each coronary arterial pattern; the mean mortality rate was 5.5%, varying from 3% to 33%. Other noncoronary-related causes of death are summarized, and the developmental basis of the variations in the coronary artery anatomy in DTGA is considered briefly.
Economic and Regulatory Factors That Affect the Phytoremediation of Contaminated Groundwater

This passage from the end of the children’s classic The Lorax provides a solution to the overuse of natural resources that was the central theme in the book, in this case, the removal of every last Truffula tree. But it also provides a message that some environmental problems can be solved, or at least left in a better condition, through the careful management of plants. In this case, phytoremediation may bring back cleaner groundwater, rather than the Lorax and all his friends.
Classical Political Philosophy and Modern Democracy

This paper will be looking at the classical political theories of Plato, Aristotle and Thucydides on democracy to prove they are still relevant and applicable, as well as looking into the problem of democratic corruption. This paper will be split into three sections. The first section will explore these philosophers’ theories on different types of constitutions and explore what forms the basis for their theories upon democracy. The second section will develop an applicable “classical political theory on democracy,” distilled from these authors’ arguments. The final section will be applying classical political theory to contemporary American trends to show how significant these theories are even today. This paper will be proving that, through the eyes of classical political theory, the main problem with democracy is that it has no safeguards against the destructive side of human nature. Because democracy’s inherent nature to reflect the will and desires of its citizenry, it ends up being as corruptible as people are. In conclusion, the solutions to problems of democracy have been known all along, but require a level of civic engagement that most citizens are unwilling to give.
Tips from a Mediator: Effective and Ineffective Mediation Tactics

Mediations and pre-trial settlement conferences have become an established way of life in civil litigation in both federal and state courts. As a result, there are tens of thousands of court-ordered and private mediations and settlement conferences each year. The latest statistics show that around 98% of all civil cases settle at some point, most prior to trial either at or after a mediation or settlement conference. Notwithstanding the commonplace nature of these proceedings and the likelihood of dispute resolution as a result, many lawyers employ tactics that are ineffective. This article contains tips based upon real-world observations from an experienced mediator on what to do and what not to do at the mediation table.
Spatial pattern separation differences in older adult carriers and non-carriers for the apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele.

We examined the performance of healthy young (n=57) and older adults (n=43) genotyped as apolipoprotein E-e4 (APOE-e4) carriers or APOE-e4 non-carriers on a delayed match-to-sample task involving varying degrees of spatial interference hypothesized to assess spatial pattern separation. Older adult e4 carriers were further divided into "impaired" and "unimpaired" groups based on their performance on a standardized test of verbal memory. We found that performance on the spatial pattern separation test increased as a function of decreased spatial interference across all groups. The older e4 carriers in the impaired group performed significantly worse (p<.05) than unimpaired e4 carriers, e4 non-carriers, and young adults. The data suggest that spatial pattern separation may be less efficient in a subset of healthy older adults with subtle memory decline who are carriers of the e4 allele. However, pattern separation performance may be comparable to that of young adults in a subset of older adult e4 carriers and more broadly among non-carriers. Our findings offer additional evidence that pattern separation may vary in older adults, and they provide novel insight into pattern separation efficiency in e4-positive older adults.
Design Strategy for High-Performance Thermoelectric Materials: The Prediction of Electron-Doped KZrCuSe3

Thermoelectric materials enable direct conversion of heat into electrical energy, providing a promising route for power generation and waste heat recovery. A very active research effort is ongoing to search for high-performance thermoelectric systems including bulk materials and nanocomposites. In this paper, we propose an efficient strategy for identifying thermoelectric materials with high figures of merit among the tens of thousands of known compounds from the inorganic crystal structure database. The search strategy integrates several steps to find materials with a very low lattice thermal conductivity and a high power factor by the virtue of the coexistence of rattling atomic vibrations with favorable electronic band structures. Using our approach, we predict a very high figure of merit (ZT) in electron-doped KZrCuSe3 crystals along the crystallographic a-axis, with an estimated average over temperature ZTave of about 1.9 from 300 to 1000 K. The overall ZTave performance of electron-doped KZrCuSe3 is...
Incidence and Demographic Burden of HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Head and Neck Cancers in the United States.

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive oropharyngeal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) is increasing in the United States. Current epidemiologic assessments of the national burden of HPV-positive OPSCC are needed. Methods: The Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results HPV Status Database included 12,017 patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma of pharyngeal subsites, including OPSCC and non-OPSCC head and neck cancer subsites (hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and “other pharynx”), diagnosed from 2013 to 2014. Age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 persons by HPV status were calculated. An exploratory Fine-Gray competing-risks regression determined the associations between HPV status and cancer-specific mortality. Results: From 2013 to 2014, the U.S. incidence of HPV-positive OPSCC was 4.62 [95% confidence interval (CI), 4.51–4.73] versus 1.82 (95% CI, 1.75–1.89) per 100,000 persons for HPV-negative OPSCC. The incidence of HPV-positive versus negative non-OPSCC of the head and neck was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.58–0.66) versus 1.38 (95% CI, 1.32–1.44). White race (5.47) and male sex (8.00) had the highest incidences of HPV-positive OPSCC, with a unimodal age incidence distribution peaking at ages 60 to 64 years (27.23). HPV positivity was associated with lower cancer-specific mortality than HPV-negative disease for OPSCC [adjusted HR (aHR), 0.40; P Conclusions: The U.S. incidence of HPV-positive OPSCC was 4.62 per 100,000 persons. Most cases were found in white male patients younger than 65 years, where it represents the sixth most common incident nonskin cancer. The favorable prognosis associated with HPV appears to be limited to the oropharynx. Impact: This large population-based epidemiologic assessment of the U.S. population defines the incidence and demographic burden of HPV-positive OPSCC.
Association of Rotator Cuff Tear Patterns and Intramuscular Fatty Infiltration on Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Objective: The impact of rotator cuff (RC) tear pattern on intramuscular fatty infiltration (FI) is not well understood. The purpose of our study is to determine if differing RC tear patterns are associated with discordant presentations of intramuscular FI. Methods: Fifty-one adults with full-thickness tear of the posterosuperior RC on shoulder magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were identified retrospectively. The study subjects were stratified by RC tear pattern: (1) L-shaped tear cohort, (2) crescent-/U-shaped tear cohort, and (3) complete tear cohort. Clinical information pertaining to age, sex, tear size, trauma history, and length of clinical symptoms was recorded from the institution’s picture archiving and communication system. Goutallier grade was assessed on oblique sagittal T1-weighted MRI by two orthopedic surgeons and one orthopedic resident. A musculoskeletal radiologist recorded the shape and size of full-thickness RC tears. Descriptive, correlation, and reliability analyses were performed. Results: The L-shaped, crescent-/U-shaped, and compete tear cohorts demonstrated significant differences pertaining to tear size (P < 0.001) and infraspinatus Goutallier grade (P = 0.024), but not supraspinatus Goutallier grade (P = 0.370). Age had strong correlation to supraspinatus Goutallier grade (rs = 0.712, P = 0.031) and infraspinatus Goutallier grade (rs = 0.712, P = 0.029) in the crescent-/U-shaped tear cohort. Tear size had strong correlation to supraspinatus Goutallier grade (rs = 0.796, P = 0.001) and infraspinatus Goutallier grade (rs = 0.793, P = 0.001) in the complete tear cohort. Moderate interobserver agreement was present for supraspinatus (kappa, 0.484) and infraspinatus (kappa, 0.427) Goutallier grade. Conclusion: RC tear pattern is associated with different presentations of intramuscular FI at the posterosuperior RC. Full-thickness tears involving the crescent region of the RC cuff are associated with age. Intramuscular FI is associated with RC tear size.
Correction to: Screening for posttraumatic stress disorder in ARDS survivors: validation of the impact of event Scale-6 (IES-6)

In the publication of this article [1], there is an error in the Abstract. This has now been included in this correction article.
Carbon emissions reductions in last mile and grocery deliveries utilizing air and ground autonomous vehicles

The rapid growth of e-commerce and package deliveries across the globe is demanding new solutions to meet customers' desire for more and faster deliveries. New driverless air and ground vehicles are being launched and tested to deliver products or services in the areas of retail, groceries, and healthcare. This research focuses on the efficiency of autonomous (driverless) air and ground delivery vehicles in terms of vehicle-miles, energy consumption, and CO2 emissions. Three types of autonomous vehicle are analyzed: drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), sidewalk autonomous delivery robots (SADRs), and road autonomous delivery robots (RADRs). The CO2 emissions of these autonomous vehicles are compared against emissions from an electric van (e-van), a conventional internal combustion engine van, and driving to a store utilizing electric and conventional vehicles. The impacts of vehicle capacity, range, and time constraints are analyzed as well as the impacts of number of deliveries, service time, area of service, and depot-service area distance. Novel results are found regarding the efficiency of each vehicle type and tradeoffs between driving to a store and store delivery as a function of order size and type of vehicle driven by consumers.
Rapid real-time tracking of non-pharmaceutical interventions and their association with SARS-CoV-2 positivity: The COVID-19 Pandemic Pulse Study.

Background Current mitigation strategies for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) rely on population-wide adoption of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). Monitoring NPI adoption and their association with SARS-CoV-2 infection history can provide key information for public health. Methods We sampled 1,030 individuals in Maryland from June 17 - June 28, 2020 to capture socio-demographically and geographically resolved information about NPI adoption, access to SARS-CoV-2 testing, and examine associations with self-reported SARS-CoV-2 positivity. Results Overall, 92% reported traveling for essential services and 66% visited friends/family. Use of public transport was reported by 18%. In total, 68% reported strict social distancing indoors and 53% strict masking indoors; indoor social distancing was significantly associated with age, and race/ethnicity and income with masking. Overall, 55 participants (5.3%) self-reported ever testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 with strong dose-response relationships between several forms of movement frequency and SARS-CoV-2 positivity. In multivariable analysis, history of SARS-CoV-2 infection was negatively associated with strict social distancing (adjusted Odd Ratio for outdoor social distancing [aOR]: 0.10; 95% Confidence Interval: 0.03 - 0.33); only public transport use (aOR for ≥7 times vs. never: 4.29) and visiting a place of worship (aOR for ≥3 times vs. never: 16.0) remained significantly associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection after adjusting for strict social distancing and demographics. Conclusions These results support public health messaging that strict social distancing during most activities can reduce SARS-CoV-2 transmission. Additional considerations are needed for indoor activities with large numbers of persons (places of worship and public transportation) where even NPIs may not be possible or sufficient.
The influence of male faces on stereotype activation among women in STEM: An ERP investigation.

Abstract Members of stereotyped groups are vigilant to situational cues signaling threats to their social identity. In one psychophysiological experiment, we examined whether mere exposure to a watching male face would increase attentional vigilance among female STEM students due to the activation of math-gender stereotypes. Male and female students performed an alleged math intelligence task while being primed with male faces or control images. Automatic responses to errors were captured with error-related negativity (ERN), a neural index of error vigilance. Women showed larger ERN upon making errors when primed with male faces compared to control images, whereas no such priming effect occurred among men. Moreover, this face priming effect was pronounced only among women highly invested in pursuing STEM careers. These findings suggest that minimalistic social cues may activate negative stereotypes early in informational processing, thereby selectively shunting attention on errors in stereotype-relevant tasks among individuals invested in the performance domain.
When and why did Laurel Furumoto become a historian of psychology

Laurel Furumoto was a pioneer in establishing the history of women in psychology as a research specialty. Knowing Laurel and her work, the author was surprised to read recently in the Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences that for the 1974 EPA meeting, "Laurel Furumoto was recruited [by Tom Cadwallader] to research Mary Whiton Calkins since she taught at Wellesley College where Calkins spent her career." Although it was probably inadvertent, this attribution erased Laurel's interest in Calkins as a graduate student and her 4 years of historical research. Instead, she was portrayed as being given an assignment by a male colleague in 1973 because she taught at Wellesley. Fortunately, the author recently unearthed a letter that Laurel gave him long ago in which John Popplestone acknowledged her plan to work exclusively on Calkins beginning in 1969 and suggested she collaborate with someone scheduled to present a paper on Calkins. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).
Activation of Notch3 in osteoblasts/osteocytes causes compartment-specific changes in bone remodeling

Notch receptors maintain skeletal homeostasis. NOTCH1 and 2 have been studied for their effects on bone remodeling. Although NOTCH3 plays a significant role in vascular physiology, knowledge about its function in other cellular environments, including bone, is limited. The present study was conducted to establish the function of NOTCH3 in skeletal cells using models of Notch3 misexpression. Microcomputed tomography demonstrated that Notch3 null mice did not have appreciable bone phenotypes. To study the effects of the NOTCH3 activation in the osteoblast lineage, BGLAP-Cre or Dmp1-Cre transgenics were crossed with RosaNotch3 mice, where the NOTCH3 intracellular domain is expressed following the removal of a loxP-flanked STOP cassette. Microcomputed tomography demonstrated that BGLAP-Cre;RosaNotch3 and Dmp1-Cre;RosaNotch3 mice of both sexes exhibited an increase in trabecular bone and in connectivity, with a decrease in cortical bone and increased cortical porosity. Histological analysis revealed a decrease in osteoclast number and bone resorption in trabecular bone and an increase in osteoclast number and void or pore area in cortical bone of RosaNotch3 mice. Bone formation was either decreased or could not be determined in Cre;RosaNotch3 mice. NOTCH3 activation in osteoblasts inhibited Alpl (alkaline phosphatase) and Bglap (osteocalcin) and induced Tnfsf11 (RANKL) and Tnfrsf11b (osteoprotegerin) mRNA, possibly explaining the trabecular bone phenotype. However, NOTCH3 induced Tnfsf11 and suppressed Tnfrsf11b in osteocytes, possibly explaining the cortical porosity. In conclusion, basal NOTCH3 is dispensable for skeletal homeostasis, whereas activation of NOTCH3 in osteoblasts/osteocytes inhibits osteoclastogenesis and bone resorption in cancellous bone but increases intracortical remodeling and causes cortical porosity.
4-D Imaging of Beating Tissues Using Optical Coherence Tomography

An imaging technique which reconstructs structure and flow in tissue with repetitive motion was developed using Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT). The demonstrated technique is able to accurately image both host tissue and flow at different time points during a cyclic motion, such as a cardiac cycle. Using tissue-mimicking phantoms, a phase-sensitive spectral-domain OCT system was combined with a cyclic-motion simulator to demonstrate the feasibility of the method. 3-D flow information at different time points in the cyclical motion was reconstructed in the temporal domain thus generating the 4-D imaging of the target tissue. This method could expand OCT-based studies such as those with cyclic motions in tissues, and open the door to 4-D vascular imaging of periodically moving tissues such as beating heart using OCT techniques.
Shape Matching: Evolving Fiber Constraints on a Pneumatic Bilayer

Shape-changing robots that can adapt their physical structure to changing tasks and environments require an ability to locally change their surface curvatures on-demand. Thin shape-shifting sheets represent one approach, and examples using differential growth have shown stimuli-responsive sheets that morph from one shape to another. In this paper, we present pneumatically-actuated bilayer sheets that can morph between shapes using surface fibers that constrain normal expansion while biasing in-plane expansion. The fibers can adhere to the pneumatic sheet to govern its shape trajectory, and can be easily detached and re-attached in various patterns to reconfigure the shape trajectory. We use artificial evolution to solve the geometric inverse problem of determining the fiber placements to attain a target shape upon inflation in simulation. For simple shapes, the evolved solutions converge toward a similar fiber placement strategy. For more complex shapes, evolution finds more diverse fiber patterns, which is desirable since some fiber patterns are more easily fabricated than others. We demonstrate the utility of evolving the fiber patterns in simulation by translating two shapes, a simple saddle and a monkey saddle, from simulation to reality.
Amorphous Rare-Earth Transition-Metal Alloys

Our purpose in this paper is to provide the physical basis for understanding many of the magnetic and optical properties of amorphous TbFe based alloys through a knowledge of the electronic density of states. Our interest in this group of materials originated because of its potential in magneto-optic recording,1 and our studies have therefore focused on those properties that are central to this technology. Nevertheless, it will become clear that these studies, while playing an important role in our development of a viable technology,2 also provide new and valuable insights into the electronic properties of amorphous metals.
Sorting — I. Simple Algorithms

In this chapter we present two simple sorting algorithms, and the closely related subject of merging. Your main goal should be to gain additional problem solving experience by writing and debugging computer programs which carry out these algorithms.
Bureaucracy and Bureaucratization

Bureaucracy is an epithet, but it is also rationalization of administration. In contrast to pre-bureaucratic forms of organization, bureaucracy rationalizes reporting relationships, procedures, careers, and compensation. Even so, bureaucracy is fraught with dysfunctions, among them resistance to change, endemic power struggles, and the tendency to elaborate structure and process. Today, large firms and government agencies retain many of the elements of bureaucracy, anti-bureaucratic rhetoric notwithstanding. Conventional indexes show that the level of bureaucratization in Western societies to have remained essentially flat over the last decade. However, there has been a proliferation of new organizational forms, for example entrepreneurial organizations, network organizations, and virtual organizations, which attempt to achieve the benefits of rationalization without incurring the costs associated with bureaucratic administration.
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac: A Bibliography

This is an unannotated bibliography of writings about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as some material that covers other government sponsored enterprises such as the Federal Home Loan Bank System. While it is comprehensive, it is not exhaustive, with a focus on work published through 2011 by government agencies, economists, legal and policy scholars, private sector analysts and think tanks. It does not include Congressional testimony and shorter works. This bibliography will be posted on Wikipedia so that others can make additions to it. The text of this page and the attached downloadable document are available for modification and reuse under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Unported License and the GNU Free Documentation License (unversioned, with no invariant sections, front-cover texts, or back-cover texts).
On Computing the Equilibrium of the Averaged System for the Self-Tuning Regulator

This paper describes a technique for applying the method of averaging to adaptive control systems which contain both parametric and nonparametric uncertainty. The usual averaging approaches require the explicit computation of an equilibrium point of the averaged system. Here we present a method which uses bounds on the nonparametric uncertainty of the plant to impose robustness constraints on the control design. This analysis motivates an interpretation of the problem as system identification for control design.
Hecke-Clifford superalgebras, crystals of type _{2ℓ}⁽²⁾ and modular branching rules for ̂_{}

This paper is concerned with the modular representation theory of the ane Hecke-Cliord superalgebra, the cyclotomic Hecke-Cliord superalgebras, and projective representations of the symmetric group. Our approach exploits crystal graphs of ane Kac-Moody algebras.
Combat orthopaedics: a view from the trenches.

AbstractApproximately 70% of war wounds involve the musculoskeletal system, and military orthopaedic surgeons have assumed a pivotal role in the frontline treatment of these injuries in Iraq. Providing battlefield orthopaedic care poses special challenges; not only are many wounds unlike those encou
The Organization of Enterprise in Japan

Recent research indicates the joint stock form was not a superior type of business organization in many countries historically. In Japan, however, its role was more pervasive. From 1896 to 1939 joint stock enterprises accounted for 44 percent of registered businesses and 80 percent of total capital. From 1922 to 1939 these enterprises outperformed other forms and generated 94 percent of aggregate profits. External finance factors, Japan's development phase, industrial structure, public policy, and culture led to high joint stock usage. The private limited liability company, introduced in 1938, did not displace the joint stock form.
Rationality and Unbiasedness in Hypothesis Testing

Abstract The notion of a “rationality criterion” is defined. This criterion reflects a desirable property for statistical procedures that deal with censored data. In hypothesis testing situations, we show that when adapting this criterion to a uniformly most powerful unbiased (UMPU) test of comparing the scale parameters of two distributions, sometimes it is possible to determine a test so that it is unbiased and sometimes this is impossible. The question thus remains: What is more “rational”—the “rationality criterion” or unbiasedness?
NAAG and NAALADase influence NMDA receptor activation and axon‐to‐glia signalling in crayfish medial giant nerve fibers

Action potential generation in crayfish giant nerve fibers causes a transient depolarization followed by a prolonged hyperpolarization in their associated glial cells. The glial potential changes, involving a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR)-induced decrease in Cl– permeability, are caused by axonal release of N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG) acting specifically on glial group II metabotropic glutamate (mGLURII). In addition, GLU formed by NAAG hydrolysis by NAALADase acts on NMDARs as well as mGLURs. Application of NMDA or l-aspartate also produces glial cell hyperpolarization that can be inhibited by antagonists of NMDA receptors (MK801) but not by antagonists of AMPA/kainate (AP4) or mGLURs (EGLU). Reducing extracellular Ca2+ depresses the NMDA effect while Na+ depletion, block of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (verapamil) or the nAChR (d-tubocurarin) completely prevent the response to NMDA. The hyperpolarization caused by high frequency stimulation of the nerve fiber is only partially reduced by NMDAR blockade suggesting these receptors are not solely responsible for initiating the glial hyperpolarization under physiological conditions. These results also indicate that the transient depolarization, induced by physiological activation of glial NMDARs, opens voltage-sensitive Ca2+ channels leading to Ca2+ influx. An increase in [Ca2+]i by this mechanism potentiates the ACh release due to mGLURII activation and the subsequent hyperpolarization mediated by the nAChR. Acknowledgements: Supported by NIH grant NS34799 and Guilford Pharmaceuticals, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Role for protein kinase Cθ (PKCθ) in TCR/CD28-mediated signaling through the canonical but not the non-canonical pathway for NF-κB activation

NF-κB is a family of essential transcription factors involved in both embryonic development and inflammatory responses of the immune system. NF-κB can be activated by two pathways, i.e. the canonical (NF-κB1) pathway, which acts through the catalytic components of the IκB kinase complex and leads to IκB phosphorylation, degradation, and subsequent NF-κB nuclear translocation, or the non-canonical (NF-κB2) pathway, which involves NF-κB-induced kinase-dependent proteolytic processing of p100/p52 to yield translocation-competent p52-containing NF-κB complexes. We examined the relative roles of the NF-κB1 and NF-κB2 pathways in TCR/CD28 costimulation. We found that TCR/CD28 costimulation activates the canonical but not the non-canonical NF-κB pathway and that the serine/threonine kinase protein kinase Cθ (PKCθ) is essential for TCR/CD28-mediated canonical NF-κB activation in T cells. Importantly, TCR/CD28 costimulation induces higher p52 protein levels in T cells, but this effect is secondary to enhanced de novo synthesis of p100, not to enhanced processing of extant p100; PKCθ deficiency impairs signal-dependent p52 accumulation because of defects in p100 production. Finally, we found that TCR/CD28 costimulation induces IκBα, IκBβ, and IκBϵ degradation, and PKCθ is required for IκBα and IκBϵ but not IκBβ degradation. PKCθ acts solely within the canonical pathway to activate NF-κB, and PKCθ deficiency impacts upon p100/p52 processing in a manner that is independent of NF-κB-induced kinase.
Interactions between Intracellular Signals Involved in the Regulation of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D3 Metabolism

The tumor-promoting phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate (TPA) increases 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (25OHD3)-24-hydroxylase and decreases 25OHD3-1-hydroxylase activity in cultured kidney cells, effects similar to those exerted by 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] and opposite those of PTH, forskolin, and cAMP. In this paper it is shown that the effects of TPA and 1,25-(OH)2D3 are additive, suggesting that they operate through distinct mechanisms. TPA did not alter cAMP metabolism by cultured chick kidney cells, not did it alter their response, in terms of 25OHD3 metabolism, to cAMP, suggesting that these two regulators of 25OHD3 metabolism also operate through distinct pathways. Another presumed activator of protein kinase-C 1,oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol, was tested and found to have the same effect as TPA in decreasing 1-hydroxylase activity, but it does not increase 24-hydroxylase activity. In addition, 1-oleoyl-2-acetyl-glycerol increases intracellular cAMP levels to approximately 25% of those attained by stimulation with PTH. None of the treatments resulted in altered [3H]PDBu binding by the cells. The results, taken together, suggest that 25OHD3-1-hydroxylase and the 25OHD3-24-hydroxylase are subject to multifactorial regulation and can be regulated independently of one another.
Tensile Characteristics of Palladium Exposed to Hydrogen (Deuterium)

The effects of hydrogen (protium) or deuterium absorption/desorption cycling on the strength and hardness of well-annealed palladium have been evaluated in this study. The results indicate that absorption followed by complete desorption of hydrogen or deuterium increases the strength and hardness characteristics of the palladium matrix while decreasing the metal's ductility. Increasing the amount of hydrogen or deuterium during absorption leads to more pronounced effects on the strength, hardness, and ductility of palladium. The effects of hydrogen absorption/desorption are more pronounced than those of deuterium absorption/desorption. The observed results have been explained in terms of the generation of dislocations during hydrogen or deuterium cycling.
Coercive mechanisms in ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic bilayers

The magnetization reversal of polycrystalline ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic bilayers is investigated by employing the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation. The magnetic interaction at the interface is modeled by a random field. It is found that the random field breaks the ferromagnetic layer into domains during magnetization reversal. The domain size is usually much smaller than that without the underlying antiferromagnetic layers. We quantitatively determine the enhanced coercivity as a function of the thickness of the ferromagnetic layer, the grain size, and the interface random field.
Arsonic Acid Self-Assembled Monolayers Protect Oxide Surfaces from Micronewton Nanomechanical Forces

The development of new surface coatings is critical for combating wear and increasing the device lifetime in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Here, a class of arsonic acid self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) is reported that form readily on oxide substrates including silicon oxide, borosilicate glass, and titanium oxide. Monolayers are easily prepared using a straightforward soaking technique, which is amenable to large-scale commercial applications. Monolayer formation on borosilicate glass and titanium oxide is characterized using infrared spectroscopy. Monolayers on borosilicate glass, native silicon oxide and titanium oxide are evaluated with contact angle measurements, as well as wear measurements using nanoscratching experiments. On titanium oxide and borosilicate glass, monolayers prepared from hexadecylarsonic acid provide significantly greater surface protection than surfaces reacted under similar conditions with hexadecylphosphonic acid, a common modifying agent for oxide substrates.
Robust identification of multi-joint human arm impedance based on dynamics decomposition: A modeling study

Multi-joint/multi-degree of freedom (DOF) human arm impedance estimation is important in many disciplines. However, as the number of joints/DOFs increases, it may become intractable to identify the system reliably. A robust, unbiased and tractable estimation method based on a systematic dynamics decomposition, which decomposes a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) system into multiple single-input multi-output (SIMO) subsystems, is developed. Accuracy and robustness of the new method were validated through a human arm and a 2-DOF exoskeleton robot simulation with various magnitudes of sensor resolution and nonlinear friction. The approach can be similarly applied to identify more sophisticated systems with more joints/DOFs involved.
Effect of recycled asphalt shingles on physical and chemical properties of virgin asphalt binders

Abstract A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate the effect of recycled asphalt shingles (RAS) on the physical and chemical properties of virgin asphalt binders. A virgin asphalt binder meeting the Superpave specifications for PG 58-28 was mixed with varying percentages (0%, 5%, 7%, and 10%) of RAS binder recovered from post-manufactured asphalt shingles. The physical properties of the blended binders were measured using the rotational viscometer (RV), dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR), and bending beam rheometer (BBR) tests. The chemical properties of the binders were determined using the Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR) and gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) tests. The physical test results showed an improved resistance to permanent deformation (or rutting) with the addition of RAS, but higher susceptibility to early low-temperature (thermal) cracking. The results were inconclusive regarding the fatigue resistance of the RAS-containing asphalt binders. The chemical test results showed an increased level of aging due to the addition of RAS. Higher levels of aging were also observed following the use of the rolling thin film oven (RTFO) and the pressure aging vessel (PAV) tests. There was a modest increase in the level of aging in RTFO-aged binders due to the addition of RAS. However, significantly higher levels of aging were obtained for PAV-aged binders containing higher percentages of RAS, indicating that the addition of RAS will primarily impact the long-term performance of the asphalt binders.
Conditional surface structure mutants of Caulobacter crescentus temperature-sensitive flagella formation due to an altered flagellin monomer.

Two classes of temperature-sensitive surface structure mutants of Caulobacter crescentus have been isolated. Mutants in one class were unable to form flagella at the restrictive temperature (37°C) and mutants in the second class were unable to form a stalk structure at 37°C. All of the mutants appeared normal at the permissive temperature (23°C). Analysis of the conditional flagella mutant revealed that the temperature-sensitive lesion resided in the structural flagellin monomer, since (1) extracts of mutant cells grown at the restrictive temperature contained material cross-reacting with anti-flagellin antibody although flagella were not assembled. (2) Mutant flagellin prepared from cells grown at the permissive temperature was heat-denatured to a different conformation than wild-type flagellin, as demonstrated by lateral shifts in microcomplement fixation assays. (3) Amino acid analysis showed the presence of tyrosine in the mutant flagellin, whereas none was detected in the wild-type control. (4) Chymotryptic peptide maps of mutant and wild-type flagellin showed the appearance of two new peptides in the former case. (5) A spontaneous revertant regained both motility and wild-type flagellin amino acid composition and chymotryptic peptide maps. An alteration in the primary structure of the mutant flagellin therefore results in a temperature-dependent alteration in flagellin conformation, perhaps accounting for the inability to assemble a flagellar structure at the cell surface. Comparison of immunoprecipitates of intracellular and extracellular mutant flagellin, as well as flagellin concentrations, further showed that the inability to assemble a flagellar structure interfered with the regulatory processes controlling both the amount and structural integrity of the intracellular flagellin at the restrictive temperature.
Isotope ratio analysis of actinides, fission products, and geolocators by high-efficiency multi-collector thermal ionization mass spectrometry

Abstract A ThermoFisher “Triton” multi-collector thermal ionization mass spectrometer (MC-TIMS) was evaluated for trace and ultra-trace level isotope ratio analysis of actinides (uranium, plutonium, and americium), fission products and geolocators (strontium, cesium, and neodymium). Total efficiencies (atoms loaded to ions detected) of up to 0.5–2% for U, Pu, and Am, and 1–30% for Sr, Cs, and Nd can be reported employing resin bead load techniques onto flat ribbon Re filaments or resin beads loaded into a millimeter-sized cavity drilled into a Re rod. This results in detection limits of
Cloning of the BamHI methyl transferase gene from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

We wish to report the initial characterization of a recombinant clone containing the BamHI methylase gene. Genomic chromosomal DNA purified from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens was partially cleaved with HindIII, fractionated by size, and cloned into pSP64. Plasmid DNA from this library was challenged with BamHI endonuclease and transformed into Escherichia coli HB101. A recombinant plasmid pBamM6.5 and a subclone pBamM2.5 were shown to contain the BamHI methylase gene based on three independent observations. Both plasmids were found to be resistant to BamHI endonuclease cleavage, and chromosomal DNA isolated from E.coli HB101 cells harboring either of the plasmids pBamM6.5 or pBamM2.5 was resistant to cleavage by BamHI endonuclease. In addition, DNA isolated from lambda phage passaged through E.coli HB101 containing either plasmid was also resistant to BamHI cleavage. Expression of the BamHI methylase gene is dependent on orientation in pSP64. In these clones preliminary evidence indicates that methylase gene expression may be under the direction of the plasmid encoded LacZ promoter.