cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The relationship between hospital lung cancer resection volume and patient mortality risk.

Objective To evaluate the volume-outcome relationship after lung cancer resection using 3 alternative measures of the effect of volume. Summary background data Many studies of lung cancer resection indicate that hospital volume predicts mortality. However, controversy exists regarding the strength and validity of this association. Because thresholds of procedure volume are used to recommend the regionalization of care, investigation of the validity of the volume-outcome relationship is necessary. Methods Lung cancer resection patients were identified in the 2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample. Hospital volume was measured using 3 different methods: as a continuous linear function, as a nonlinear function using restricted cubic splines, and as the frequently used method of quintile categories. The statistical significance of the relationship between hospital volume and mortality risk was assessed, adjusted for patient age, comorbid disease, and for correlated events within hospitals. Results Forty thousand four hundred and sixty lung cancer resection patients from 436 hospitals were identified. All 3 models demonstrated excellent performance characteristics (C index = 0.92, Nagelkerke R = 0.37). No significant association was demonstrated between hospital procedure volume and in-hospital mortality when measured as a linear or nonlinear function using splines. However, a statistically significant relationship was found for volume categorized into quintiles, although its relative contribution to the predictive capacity of the model was very small (likelihood ratio = 2.55, P = 0.04). Conclusions The apparent impact of hospital lung cancer resection volume on mortality is dependent on how volume is defined and entered into the regression equation. Hospital lung cancer resection volume is not a predictor of mortality and should not be used as a proxy measure for surgical quality.
Nutritional interventions: increasing oral intake.

Abstract In summary, the available methods for encouraging oral intake are not new and earth shattering. What is new in the care of cancer patients is the multitude of other treatments that may take priority over meeting the patient's basic need for food. Solutions to these persisting problems in maintaining patient's oral intake are not easy, and may involve system changes and attitude changes that are, at best, difficult to achieve. Verification of the nursing interventions recommended in this article were done through informal interviews conducted with nurses involved in the daily care of cancer patients at the City of Hope in California. While problems in oral intake for cancer patients were acknowledged, solutions that were labor intensive for nursing time were discouraged. Enlisting the help of the family was mentioned repeatedly, both to bring in familiar foods and help patients eat. The busier the unit and the more acutely ill the patients, the more difficult it was to help patients increase oral intake. Three pieces of equipment were mentioned as being essential: a microwave to reheat food, a blender to make milkshakes and slushes, and a refrigerator with a large freezer for storing food. Somehow, the priority of nutritional needs has to be re-established and the emphasis of helping patients eat needs to be re-emphasized and rewarded. Additional research in what methods work, what nursing interventions are most effective and labor efficient, and what teaching interventions are most effective may help identify the direction of changes that are needed.
Optimizing the Efficiency of Electro-Hydraulic Powertrains

The evolution of the hydrostatic transmission system from mechanical systems to electronically controlled systems creates opportunity for improvements in efficiency through the use of intelligent control algorithms. In systems for which the prime mover is an internal combustion (IC) engine, overall system efficiency depends greatly on the prime mover's operating conditions. The use of variable displacement pumps can add a degree of freedom and allow engine operation to be optimized. However, this strategy requires a desired engine power value based on operating states and load references. This paper proposes a novel solution to this problem by using a dynamic engine power demand estimate to meet steady-state load demands using minimal engine power.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Tel, a Frequent Target of Leukemic Translocations, Induces Cellular Aggregation and Influences Expression of Extracellular Matrix Components

Tel is an Ets transcription factor that is the target of chromosome translocations in lymphoid and myeloid leukemias and in solid tumors. It contains two functional domains, a pointed oligomerization domain and a DNA-binding domain. Retroviral transduction of a wild-type Tel cDNA into a clonal subline of NIH3T3 fibroblasts resulted in a striking morphologic change: at confluency, the cells reorganized into a specific “bridge-like” pattern over the entire surface of the culture dish, and started migrating, thereby leaving circular holes in the monolayer. Thereafter, formation of cellular cords became apparent. This sequence of events was inhibited by coating the culture dishes with fibronectin and collagen IV. Retroviral transduction of Tel into MS1 endothelial cells reproduced the aggregation phenotype, but not the cellular cord formation. Tel-mutagenesis showed that both the pointed domain and the DNA-binding domain of Tel are required for the morphologic change. Other Ets family genes, Fli-1 and Ets-1 that are both endogenously expressed in endothelial cells, could not induce this morphologic change. Exogenous Tel expression is associated with transcriptional upregulation of entactin/nidogen, Smad5, Col3a1, CD44 and fibronectin, and downregulation of Col1a1 and secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor. Interestingly, Tel, Smad5, fibronectin, Col1a1 and Col3a1 all have essential roles during vascular development.
Effect of membrane potential on the mechanical equilibrium of biological membranes.

Abstract The mechanical equilibrium of a membranous sac, whose wall is sandwiched by two oppositely charged fluid layers, is investigated as a mathematical model of a living cell. In so doing, it is assumed that the space charge density in the inner and the outer charged fluid layer is constant. It is also assumed that the fluid inside and outside of the charged fluid layer is a perfect conductor. By solving Maxwell's equation, the electric field and the thickness of the inner and the outer charged fluid layer is determined as a function of the geometry of the sac. Then, the fluid pressure in the charged fluid layer is derived by considering the body force created by the electrostatic field. The condition of mechanical equilibrium of the sac membrane yields an equation which reveals the inter-relation between the geometry, the sac fluid pressure and the membrane potential. According to this equation, the change of membrane potential causes a deformation of the sac. If the wall of the membranous sac is permeable, increase (decrease) of the absolute value of the membrane potential results in swelling (shrinking) of the sac. On the other hand, the mechanical change of the sac volume results in the change of the membrane potential. This analysis provides also an explanation of how the red blood cell maintains the biconcave shape, when the red blood cell is assumed to be a fluid filled membranous sac with non-zero membrane potential.
Studies of glycine metabolism and transport in fibroblasts from patients with nonketotic hyperglycinemia.

Studies of Glycine Metabolism and Transport in Fibroblasts from Patients with Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia
Adsorption of Macromolecules on Mineral Fibers

Several mineral fibers were shown to adsorb differentially to three classes of biologically significant macromolecules (i.e., DNA, RNA, and protein). The cytotoxicity exerted by the particulates on...
Met-Cars: mass deposition and preliminary structural study via TEM

Abstract Transition metal–carbon clusters, including metallocarbohedrenes (Met-Cars), are of great interest for their potential applications in nanodevices. Herein we provide evidence of cluster-assembled nanoscopic features formed by the mass-gated deposition of large metal–carbon clusters. Gas phase zirconium–carbon species, gated at the mass corresponding to the Met-Car composition (M 8 C 12 ), were deposited onto carbon-covered grids under both hard- and soft-landing conditions. The resulting deposited materials were analyzed via high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). Hard-landing conditions were found to lead to the production of species having a structure corresponding to the well-known bulk metal carbide, while studies of soft-landed deposits of zirconium Met-Cars were found to form a FCC structure with lattice parameter ∼15 A, thus indicating cluster assembly.
Retinoid signaling is attenuated by proteasome-mediated degradation of retinoid receptors in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells

Abstract The biological actions of retinoids are mediated by nuclear retinoid receptors, RAR and RXR, which are ligand-activated transcription factors. We investigated the mechanism of attenuation of retinoid receptor activity in human keratinocyte HaCaT cells. Treatment of HaCaT cells with all- trans -retinoic acid or 9- cis -retinoic acid reduced RARγ and RXRα protein levels by one-half within 24 h. In contrast, retinoid treatment did not alter RARγ or RXRα mRNA levels, suggesting that retinoids stimulate breakdown of their receptors. Pulse-chase studies revealed that retinoid treatment of HaCaT cells reduced RARγ and RXRα half-lives by 50%, indicating that retinoids accelerate breakdown of their receptors. The proteasome inhibitor MG132 prevented retinoid-induced receptor loss. Furthermore, MG132 potentiated retinoid-induced receptor activity, as assessed by expression of the retinoid-regulated CRABP-II gene in HaCaT cells. These data demonstrate that retinoids attenuate retinoid receptor function by enhancing proteasome-mediated retinoid receptor breakdown in HaCaT cells. Proteasome-mediated degradation of RARγ or RXRα in vitro was significantly reduced by the corepressor SMRT, which binds unliganded retinoid receptors. This protection from degradation was markedly diminished by ligand, which causes SMRT to dissociate from receptors. Ligand failed to relieve protection from degradation by SMRT of a mutant form of RXRα that binds SMRT in the presence and absence of ligand. Addition of coactivators TIF1, TIF2, and RIP140 had no effect on degradation of RARγ or RXRα. In summary, ligand binding to retinoid receptors promotes proteasome-mediated receptor degradation via dissociation of SMRT. Ligand-stimulated receptor degradation results in attenuation of retinoid signaling.
Using PVS to analyze hierarchical state-based requirements for completeness and consistency

Previously, we have defined procedures for analyzing hierarchical state based requirements specifications for two properties: (1) completeness with respect to a set of criteria related to robustness (a response is specified for every possible input and input sequence) and (2) consistency (the specification is free from conflicting requirements and undesired nondeterminism) (M.P.E. Heimdahl and N.G. Leveson, 1995; 1996). We implemented the analysis procedures in a prototype tool and evaluated their effectiveness and efficiency on a large real world requirements specification expressed in an hierarchical state based language called RSML (Requirements State Machine Language). Although our approach has been largely successful, there are some drawbacks with the current implementation that must be addressed. Our prototype implementation uses Binary Decision Diagrams (BDDs) to perform the analysis. Unfortunately, since BDDs treat predicates and functions as uninterpreted and thus fail to capture their semantics, the use of BDDs can lead to large numbers of spurious (false) error reports. We are currently investigating how the Prototype Verification System (PVS) and its theorem proving component can help us increase the accuracy of our analysis. PVS is a verification system that provides an interactive environment for writing formal specifications and checking formal proofs. The paper discusses the problems with spurious error reports and describes our experiences using the Prototype Verification System to increase the accuracy of our analysis results.
Attractive emulsion droplets probe the phase diagram of jammed granular matter

It remains an open question whether statistical mechanics approaches apply to random packings of athermal particles. Although a jamming phase diagram has recently been proposed for hard spheres with varying friction, here we use a frictionless emulsion system in the presence of depletion forces to sample the available phase space of packing configurations. Using confocal microscopy, we access their packing microstructure and test the theoretical assumptions. As a function of attraction, our packing protocol under gravity leads to well-defined jammed structures in which global density initially increases above random close packing and subsequently decreases monotonically. Microscopically, the fluctuations in parameters describing each particle, such as the coordination number, number of neighbors, and local packing fraction, are for all attractions in excellent agreement with a local stochastic model, indicating that long-range correlations are not important. Furthermore, the distributions of local cell volumes can be collapsed onto a universal curve using the predicted k-gamma distribution, in which the shape parameter k is fixed by the polydispersity while the effect of attraction is captured by rescaling the average cell volume. Within the Edwards statistical mechanics framework, this result measures the decrease in compactivity with global density, which represents a direct experimental test of a jamming phase diagram in athermal systems. The success of these theoretical tools in describing yet another class of materials gives support to the much-debated statistical physics of jammed granular matter.
Shifting patterns of deadly violence.

To the casual observer, it would seem that the United States' suicide rate has been remarkably steady in recent years. However, this stability may be more apparent than real. While it is true that the total suicide rate has varied little, this composite figure masks a dramatic shift in the risk of suicide by age. In recent years there has been a reduction of suicide at older ages reciprocated by an unprecedented increase of suicide (and homicide) at younger ages. The extent of this change during the ten-year period 1966-75 is explored along with possible explanations for the increase of aggressive violent death among young people.
Encouraging Students to Read Mathematics.

ABSTRACT It is generally agreed that the ability to read mathematics is an important skill—one that few of our students possess. A number of people have published some suggestions for helping students learn to read their mathematics textbooks. What these have in common is suggestions for getting students more active while reading. Using these resources as a basis, I developed structured reading guides and other interventions to help my students learn to read their college algebra and pre-calculus textbooks. I found that when I emphasized reading in this way, students participated more in class, handed in more homework assignments, and kept attending.
Portraiture and Excavations

In a footnote to the review of M. M. Gerasimov's The Face Finder [173, 712 (1971)], the misspelling of Julius Koliman's name is erroneously attributed to a bibliography (1962) by W. M. Krogman. The error occurs in a different authority's work. Kollmann established methods (1898) for building on a skull a face recognizably correct.
Toward a new criminology of genocide: theory, method, and politics

Most books on genocide are descriptive historical essays portraying the history of conflict, the evolving political-economic conditions, and the cultural context within which to understand the dynamics of key events. They provide a crucial foundation for understanding contemporary acts of genocide, but their conclusions, drawn in the absence of scientific rigor, explicit social theory, and systematic analysis of data, leave empirically minded social scientists skeptical. Enter Darfur and the Crime of Genocide, John Hagan and Wenona Rymond-Richmond’s (2009) stunning analysis of genocide in Darfur based on quality survey data and sophisticated methodological tools. These two highly skilled empirical sociological criminologists were given full access to a remarkable survey commissioned by Secretary Colin Powell, for the purposes of estimating the extent of atrocities in Darfur and assessing whether such atrocities rise to the level of genocide. The result is an outstanding analysis that conceptualizes genocide as collective action, uses the survey data in creative ways to show how such collective action is incited by racial intent, and builds a case that the events in Darfur are acts of genocide in need of prosecution by the International Criminal Court. In this review, I will summarize the important arguments and analyses made in the book, identify a few possible shortcomings, and conclude with some recommendations for the criminological study of genocide. Darfur and the Crime of Genocide opens with an introductory chapter that frames the issues about genocide, provides a prelude of the arguments to come, and describes the contours of the Darfur conflict, which, the authors argue, sums to genocide. Chapters 2 and 3 speak to an audience of criminologists and, while interesting, are nevertheless peripheral to the main thesis of the book. Chapter 2 describes the early role that Harvard law professor and criminologist, Sheldon Glueck, played in researching international
Assessment of Pandemic and Seasonal Influenza A (H1N1) Virus Susceptibility to Neuraminidase Inhibitors in Three Enzyme Activity Inhibition Assays

The neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) zanamivir and oseltamivir are currently the only antiviral drugs effective for the treatment and prophylaxis of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infections. The proven potential of these viruses to acquire NAI resistance during treatment emphasizes the need to assess their NAI susceptibility. The 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) are known to vary depending on the neuraminidase inhibition (NI) test used; however, few side-by-side comparisons of different NI assays have been done. In the present study, a panel of 11 isolates representing 2009 seasonal and pandemic influenza H1N1 viruses, including oseltamivir-resistant H275Y variants, were tested in three functional NI assays: chemiluminescent (CL), fluorescent (FL), and colorimetric (CM). The sensitivities of the viruses to zanamivir, oseltamivir, and three investigational NAIs (peramivir, R-125489, and A-315675) were assessed. All isolates with the exception of H275Y variants were sensitive to all five NAIs by all three NI assays. The H275Y variants showed substantially elevated IC50s against oseltamivir and peramivir. The three NI assays generally yielded consistent results; thus, the choice of NI assay does not appear to affect conclusions based on drug susceptibility surveillance. Each assay, however, offers certain advantages compared to the others: the CL assay required less virus volume and the FL assay provided the greatest difference in the IC50s between the wild type and the variants, whereas the IC50s obtained from the CM assay may be the most predictive of the drug concentrations needed to inhibit enzyme activity in humans. It would be desirable to develop an NI assay which combines the advantages of all three currently available assays but which lacks their shortcomings.
Effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on cutaneous vasodilation during body heating in humans

We sought to examine further the potential role of nitric oxide (NO) in the neurally mediated cutaneous vasodilation in nonacral skin during body heating in humans. Six subjects were heated with a ...
Cerebrovascular atherosclerosis correlates with Alzheimer pathology in neurodegenerative dementias

A growing body of evidence demonstrates an association between vascular risk factors and Alzheimer’s disease. This study investigated the frequency and severity of atherosclerotic plaques in the circle of Willis in Alzheimer’s disease and multiple other neurodegenerative diseases. Semi-quantitative data from gross and microscopic neuropathological examinations in 1000 cases were analysed, including 410 with a primary diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease, 230 with synucleinopathies, 157 with TDP-43 proteinopathies, 144 with tauopathies and 59 with normal ageing. More than 77% of subjects with Alzheimer’s disease had grossly apparent circle of Willis atherosclerosis, a percentage that was significantly higher than normal (47%), or other neurodegenerative diseases (43–67%). Age- and sex-adjusted atherosclerosis ratings were highly correlated with neuritic plaque, paired helical filaments tau neurofibrillary tangle and cerebral amyloid angiopathy ratings in the whole sample and within individual groups. We found no associations between atherosclerosis ratings and α-synuclein or TDP-43 lesion ratings. The association between age-adjusted circle of Willis atherosclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease–type pathology was more robust for female subjects than male subjects. These results provide further confirmation and specificity that vascular disease and Alzheimer’s disease are interrelated and suggest that common aetiologic or reciprocally synergistic pathophysiological mechanisms promote both vascular pathology and plaque and tangle pathology.
Thalamocortical response transformations in simulated whisker barrels

Layer IV of rodent somatosensory cortex contains identifiable networks of neurons, called “barrels,” that are related one-to-one to individual whiskers on the face. A previous study (Simons and Carvell, 1989) described differences between the response properties of thalamic and cortical vibrissa neurons and proposed that these transformations can be explained by several features of barrel anatomy and physiology: nonlinear neuronal properties, strongly responsive inhibitory and less responsive excitatory neurons, convergent thalamic inputs to cells of both types, and interconnections among barrel neurons. In the present study these features were incorporated into a computational model in order to test their explanatory power quantitatively. The relative numbers of excitatory and inhibitory cells and the relative numbers of synapses of thalamic and intrabarrel origin were chosen to be consistent with available light and electron microscopic data. Known functional differences between excitatory and inhibitory barrel neurons were simulated through differences in spike activation functions, refractory periods, postsynaptic potential decay rates, and synaptic strengths. The model network was activated by spike trains recorded previously from thalamic neurons in response to three different whisker deflection protocols, and output, which consisted of spikes generated by the simulated neurons, was compared to data from our previous neurophysiological experiments. For each type of whisker stimulus, the same set of parameter values yielded accurate simulations of the cortical response. Realistic output was obtained under conditions where each barrel cell integrated excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs from a number of thalamic and other barrel neurons and where the ratios between network excitation, network inhibition, and thalamic excitation were approximately constant. Several quantities are defined that may be generally useful in characterizing neuronal networks. One important implication of the results is that thalamic relay neurons not only provide essential drive to the cortex but could, by changing their tonic activities, also directly regulate the tonic inhibition present in the cortex and thereby modulate cortical receptive field properties.
Joint Distributed Clustering and Ranging for Wireless Ad-Hoc Sensor Networks

This paper discusses a joint decentralized clustering and ranging algorithm for wireless ad-hoc sensor networks. Each sensor uses a random waiting timer and local criteria to determine whether to form a new cluster or to join a current cluster and utilizes the messages transmitted during hierarchical clustering to establish two-way communications so that clock calibration for distance estimation can be achieved. The algorithm operates without a centralized controller, it operates asynchronously, and does not require that the location of the sensors be known a priori. An analysis of the distance measurement, and the energy requirements of the algorithm are used to study the behaviors of the proposed algorithm. The performance of the algorithm is described analytically and via simulation.
An optofluidic microscope on a chip driven by DC electrokinetics

The use of DC electrokinetics can ensure a uniform and pure translational motion of biological samples in an optofluidic microscope. Its ability to image a single ellipsoidal cell, Chlamydomonas, was demonstrated on-chip.
IgG4-Related Disease Presenting as Recurrent Mastoiditis With Central Nervous System Involvement

We report a case of a 43-year-old female who presented with right ear fullness and otorrhea. She was initially diagnosed with mastoiditis that was not responsive to multiple courses of antibiotics and steroids. She was then diagnosed with refractory inflammatory pseudotumor, and subsequent treatments included several mastoidectomies, further steroids, and radiation therapy. The patient went on to develop mastoiditis on the contralateral side as well as central nervous system involvement with headaches and right-sided facial paresthesias. Reexamination of the mastoid tissue revealed a significantly increased number of IgG4-positive cells, suggesting a diagnosis of IgG4-related disease. The patient improved clinically and radiographically with rituximab and was able to taper off azathioprine and prednisone. IgG4-related disease should be considered in patients with otologic symptoms and be on the differential diagnosis in patients with inflammatory pseudotumor. Staining for IgG and IgG4 is essential to ensure a prompt diagnosis and treatment.
Kharitonov's theorem and its extensions and applications: An introduction

The objective of this short paper is to briefly introduce the topic area for much of the research to be presented in this invited session. The starting point for this presentation is Kharitonov's Theorem [1]. A tutorial exposition of Kharitonov's Theorem will be given and its impact on systems and control will be discussed. This theorem provides neccessary and sufficient conditions for stability of a so-called interval polynomial. More precisely, a family of polynomials of the form p(s)=sn+an-1sn-1+...+a1s+a0 with coefficients ai in prescribed intervals Ai = ?[ai -, ai +] is strictly Hurwitz (all zeros in the strict left half plane) if and only if the 4 polynomials having coefficients an-1 +, an-2 +, an-3 -, an-4 -, an-5 +, an-6 +,... an-1 -, an-2 -, an-3 +, an-4 +, an-5 -, an-6 -,... an-1 +, an-2 -, an-3 -, an-4 +, an-5 +, an-6 -,... an-1 -, an-2 +, an-3 +, an-4 -, an-5 -, an-6 +,... are strictly Hurwitz.
Suppression of atomic friction under cryogenic conditions: The role of athermal instability in AFM measurements

A theoretical investigation of the behavior of atomic friction at low temperatures is performed using a master equation method with a two-mass, two-spring Prandtl-Tomlinson model of an atomic force microscope experiment. A novel approach is taken in which two distinct instability mechanisms are introduced into the model: thermal activation is described by transition state theory with a prefactor associated with the frequency of the tip apex, and athermal instability is introduced by an Arrhenius-like equation with a prefactor associated with the characteristic frequency of the cantilever. Thermal instability causes the often reported decrease of friction with temperature followed by a stable low-friction region at high temperatures. However, the introduction of the athermal term that describes other instability mechanisms extends the predictive capability of the model such that it captures the friction plateau observed at very low temperatures.
Labetalol infusion for refractory hypertension causing severe hypotension and bradycardia: an issue of patient safety.

Incremental doses of intravenous labetalol are safe and effective and, at times, such therapy may need to be augmented by a continuous infusion of labetalol to control severe hypertension. Continuous infusions of labetalol may exceed the recommended maximum daily dose of 300 mg on occasion. We report a case in which hypertension occurring after an abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, initially responsive to intermittent intravenous beta-blockade, became resistant to this therapy leading to the choice of an intravenous labetalol infusion as the therapeutic option. The labetalol infusion resulted in a profound cardiovascular compromise in this postoperative critically ill patient. While infusions of labetalol have successfully been used, prolonged administration in the intensive care unit requires vigilance and the establishment of a therapeutic rationale/policy for interventions, such as the ready availability of glucagon, β-agonists, phosphodiesterase inhibitors, insulin, and vasopressin when severe cardiovascular depression occurs.
Optical ring resonators for biochemical and chemical sensing

In the past few years optical ring resonators have emerged as a new sensing technology for highly sensitive detection of analytes in liquid or gas. This article introduces the ring resonator sensing principle, describes various ring resonator sensor designs, reviews the current state of the field, and presents an outlook of possible applications and related research and development directions.
Bronchiectasis: Mechanisms and Imaging Clues of Associated Common and Uncommon Diseases

Bronchiectasis is a common finding at CT, and understanding of the common and uncommon causes and their typical patterns of distribution and associated clinical findings aids in formation of an accurate differential diagnosis.
Carbonyl sulfide in air extracted from a South Pole ice core: a 2000 year record

In this study, we present carbonyl sulfide (COS) measurements from an ice core drilled near South Pole, East Antarctica (SPRESSO). The samples are from 135–291 m, with estimated mean COS ages ranging from 278 to 2155 years before present (defined as 2000 C.E.). When combined with the previous records of COS from Antarctic ice cores and firn air, the current data provide a continuous record of COS extending beyond the last two millennia. The general agreement between ice cores, firn air, and modern air measurements supports the idea that polar ice is a valid archive for paleoatmospheric COS. The average COS mixing ratio of the SPRESSO data set is (331±18) ppt (parts per trillion in mol/mol, ±1σ, n=100), excluding 6 outliers. These data confirm earlier firn air and ice core measurements indicating that the late 20th century COS levels of 500 ppt are greatly increased over preindustrial levels and represent the highest atmospheric levels over the past 2000 years. The data also provide evidence of climate-related variability on centennial time-scales, with relative maxima at the peaks of Medieval Climate Anomaly and Little Ice Age. There is evidence for a long-term increasing trend in COS of 1.8 ppt per 100 years. Further ice core studies will be needed to determine whether this trend reflects secular variability in atmospheric COS, or a slow post-depositional chemical loss of COS in the ice core.
A policy language for a pervasive computing environment

We describe a policy language designed for pervasive computing applications that is based on deontic concepts and grounded in a semantic language. The pervasive computing environments under consideration are those in which people and devices are mobile and use various wireless networking technologies to discover and access services and devices in their vicinity. Such pervasive environments lend themselves to policy-based security due to their extremely dynamic nature. Using policies allows the security functionality to be modified without changing the implementation of the entities involved. However, along with being extremely dynamic, these environments also tend to span several domains and be made up of entities of varied capabilities. A policy language for environments of this sort needs to be very expressive but lightweight and easily extensible. We demonstrate the feasibility of our policy language in pervasive environments through a prototype used as part of a secure pervasive system.
Whole-body simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET)-MR: optimization and adaptation of MRI sequences.

The purpose of this article is to introduce the underlying challenges associated with the incorporation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) into the new hybrid imaging modality simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET)/MR and their impact on attenuation correction, sequence optimization, and protocol development. Many adjustments to MR sequences are necessary for optimal whole-body and fused image results. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2014;39:259–268. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Regulatory Competition in Securities Law: A Dream (That Should Be) Deferred

Proponents of regulatory competition have presented their most detailed arguments in the field of corporate law, but have made a similar case in other areas, including securities regulation. Proponents of regulatory competition in securities regulation argue that our markets would be best served if (a) states or nations competed to provide legal regimes to govern securities transactions, or (b) domestic or international securities exchanges competed for listings of companies whose transactions would be governed by the rules of the exchange. Theoretically, states and other nations would compete to provide legal regimes governing securities transactions, or perhaps exchanges could compete for listings by offering varieties of legal regimes for securities transactions. Companies could then choose to be governed by the laws and/or listing requirements that best accommodated their needs. This paper is the first to comprehensively discuss all these various manifestations of regulatory competition in securities law. It demonstrates that in all these forms, true competition is likely to be insufficient and to represent a stroll toward the bottom rather than a race to the top. Providers of regulation are insufficiently motivated to provide innovative and efficient regulatory schemes. More significantly, managers functionally choose where to incorporate or where to list, meaning that in a system of regulatory competition the fox determines which rules will govern operation of the chicken house. A significant amount of empirical evidence supports the notion that the best regulatory model is the current strong-SEC regulatory model that other nations have begun to strongly emulate. Capital markets would be better served by efforts to improve the strong-SEC model than by attempting to replace it with regulatory competition.
Ghosts, Devils, and the Undead City: Detroit and the Narrative of Monstrosity

As researchers working in Detroit, we have become sensitized to the rhetoric often deployed to describe the city, especially the vocabulary of monstrosity. While providing powerful images of Detroit’s problems, insidious monster narratives also obscure genuine understanding of the city. In this article, we first discuss the city of Detroit itself, describing its place in the American and global social imaginary as a product of its particular history. Second, we consider the concept of monstrosity, particularly as it applies to urban environments. Following this, we relate several prevalent or popular categories of monster to descriptions of Detroit, considering what each one reveals and implies about the state of the city, its landscape and its people. Finally, we discuss how narratives of monstrosity may be engaged and utilized to serve alternative ends.
State Extension Programs and Their Relation to Agricultural Research

In a group like this conference everyone present, I am sure, has been a party to the making of an agricultural program in some form and will keenly sympathize with the modern agricultural apostle, who, beating his breast in desperation, might say, "Oh, that' mine enemy would make a program." Why this tremendous effort at agricultural program-making? Is the disease or trouble or condition one that chiefly interests the doctor, or does it also afflict the patient? If the former only is concerned, we need not worry. If the latter is the need of all this probing, punching, pulse-taking, and tonguelooking; this charting, intent-to-live survey, and condition forecasting; then the whole public is indeed concerned. The attitude of both the farmer and the public toward agriculture at present may be likened to that of the automobile tourist and the innocent bystander. With good roads, balmy air, beautiful scenery, the car purring softly and a goodly supply of fuel in the tank, the tourist may slump down in the seat, step on the gas, and care little where the day's end may find him. The car, as it spins by, to the bystander is just another one; but let the tourist suddenly discover that his gas is low, or let a loose connection send his car cavorting down the road, and both the driver and the observer are immediately interested. For the occasion, the one has advice and the other adjectives. If we consider the man in the car as the farmer and the bystander as the general public, we have a replica of what has happened. The farmer has bowled along blithely for 100 years on a gas tank full of increasing land values. He was only remotely concerned with income so long as it afforded upkeep for his car. Something apparently has happened to our agri-
A Review of “Medication Errors, 2nd edition”

The second edition of American Pharmacists Association's Medication Errors edited by Michael Cohen is a wonderful resource for the growing demand to implement safer practices in medication manageme...
Reflections on Statistical Methods or Complex Stochastic Systems

Remembering conversations with Sidney Yakowitz on statistical methods for stochastic systems, the author reflects on the difficulties of such methods and describes several specific problems on which he and his students have worked.
Public borders, private crossings: Anthropological approaches to neoliberalism in US educational policy and spaces

Educational policies across the globe reflect the ascendancy of neoliberalism. According to neoliberalism, the market represents a superior mechanism to govern (Peters, 2012), and thus, the role of the state is to enable the agency of the market (Rose, 1999). In the United States, the federal report A Nation at Risk (1983) formalized the direct influence of a neoliberal rationality on the formation of educational policies. No Child Left Behind (NCLB) (2001) and The Race to the Top (2010) represent successive assertions of market values on educational reform. At the same time, there is a fundamental contradiction within neoliberal logic: while the state is to refrain from interfering in the market, it must simultaneously intervene to govern schools (Hursh, 2005). Based on these trends, the articles in this special issue highlight critical tensions between public versus private values, practices, and discourses that emerge from the proliferation of a neoliberal logic into the educational sphere. In differen...
Production of New Zealand spinach (Tetragonia expansa, Murr.) at high plant densities

SummaryIntegration of high plant densities with direct seeding into the cultural practices of New Zealand spinach enhanced its acceptability as a commercial green vegetable crop. Yields of 20 t/ha 30 days from seeding were attained. The closest of three row spacings (20, 40 and 60 cm) yielded the highest average rate of production per unit area (754 kg/ha day). Quality as measured by leaf to stem ratio (g/g) and number of yellow leaves was greatest at the earlier harvests. Seed germination occurred in an approximately normal distribution, requiring an average of 8.4 days and temperature of 26.5°C day and 21°C night.
Examination of Material and Architectural Effects at Various Length Scales on the Structural Deformation Response Determined Via Multiscale Generalized Method of Cells

In this paper, the effects of architectural parameters and material scatter of woven fiber polymeric composites at the macro (woven RUC) and structural scale are studied. The Multiscale Generalized Method of Cells methodology is used to determine the overall inelastic composite response. The tow fiber volume fraction, aspect ratio and fiber packing architectural effects were investigated, with the resulting macroscale and structural scale tensile and in-plane shear modulus and strain energy response being monitored. The macroscale responses investigated the effect of these parameters on a single RUC (be it plain or five harness stain) of the weave fabric; whereas the structural response considered multiple RUCs with a random combination of various macroscale RUCs. Results show that at the macroscale, architectural effects can present a wide variation in responses, but the influence of these same effects at the structural scale are drastically reduced. Material scatter effects implemented at the microscale also show little variation at the macro scale.
Hemodynamic effects of prostaglandins E1, A1 and F2-alpha in dogs.

SummaryThe cardiovascular effects of PGE1, PGA1, and PGFF2α were studied in anesthetized, open chest dogs. It was found that PGE1, PGA1, and PGFF2α decrease left atrial pressures, and increase heart rate, pulmonary arterial pressure, cardiac output, and myocontractile force. However, both PGE1 and PGA1 are vaso-dilators and decrease systemic arterial pressure. The multiple hemodynamic changes induced by the three prostaglandins are caused, not only by their direct effect on the peripheral vasculatures, but also by their effects on the myocardium.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for the treatment of music performance anxiety: A single subject design with a university student:

This study marks the first application of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to the treatment of a university student with music performance anxiety (MPA). ACT is a newer, “third-wave” therapy that differs from previous MPA treatments, because its goal is not to reduce symptoms of MPA. Rather, ACT aims to enhance psychological flexibility in the presence of unwanted symptoms through the promotion of six core processes collectively known as the ACT “hexaflex.” For this study, an undergraduate violinist with debilitating MPA received a 10-session ACT treatment using a single-subject design. Treatment consisted of an orientation to ACT, identification of experientially avoidant behaviors, facilitation of hexaflex processes, in-session performances in which valued behaviors were practiced, meditations, homework, and regular completion of ACT-based and symptom-based measures. Clinically significant improvements were observed in her ability to accept and defuse from her anxious thoughts and feelings at pos...
Back-Projective Priming: Toward Efficient 3d Model-based Object Recognition via Preemptive Top-down Constraints

This thesis introduces back-projective priming, a computer vision technique that synergistically fuses object recognition and pose estimation by augmenting 3D models with geometric constraints. It also enables the use of image features too indistinct for use by other model fitting algorithms such as geometric hashing. To efficiently accommodate features that do not provide a scale attribute, we've developed a "match pair" finding heuristic called second-order similarity that reduces model fitting time complexity from a worst case of O(N^2) to O(N*Log(N)). An object recognition problem that is simple, practical, and well explored by other researchers is the problem of locating electrical outlets from the vantage point of a mobile robot. To demonstrate the relative merits of back-projective priming, we use it to build a system capable of locating generic electrical outlets in unmapped environments. Compared to our baseline algorithm, back-projective priming is shown to provide superior sensitivity when dealing with the challenges of low contrast, perspective distortion, partial occlusion, and decoys.
The neurophysiologic basis of pain.

The multidimensional character of pain and the factors that influence it are not adequately represented in the traditional concept of pain mechanisms. Contemporary observations provide a new basis for identifying the neural systems involved in pain sensation and response.
High Temperature Creep and Creep Fracture of an Aluminum Alloy with Oriented Grain Structure

ABSTRACT In the current research, creep deformation and creep fracture of an aluminum alloy with strongly oriented grain structure, namely, 2219-T3511, is being investigated. Creep deformation was characterized by creep tests under combined tension and torsion loadings. Creep fracture was characterized by creep crack growth tests in which both the crack tip opening displacement and crack length as a function of time were measured. The preliminary results on creep deformation study indicated that an oriented grain structure didn't seem necessarily to generate a strongly anisotropic material. More creep fracture test data are being collected. The effects of oriented grain structure on creep fracture and the correlation between creep deformation arid creep fracture will be presented in the symposium.
Integrated Biorefinery Scheme Design for the Coproduction of Premium Quality Liquid Fuels and Propylene

Abstract Decarbonizing the transportation sector is critical to achieving global climate change mitigation. A multi-product biorefinery process for co-producing premium quality liquid fuels and propylene is investigated. A thermochemical based process structure, which considers various alternatives for gasifier, tar treatment, Fischer-Tropsch (F-T) upgrading, and wax treatment, and the corresponding mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model are introduced. Heat and power integration are simultaneously considered to reduce the overall capital/operating cost. Through solving the MINLP model, the influences of product combinations and plant capacity on process topology, and break even oil price (BEOP) are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the introduction of fluidized catalytic cracking to F-T product upgrading for co-producing liquid fuels and propylene is profitable.