cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Does the meaningful use of electronic health records improve patient outcomes

Abstract While Electronic Health Records (EHRs) hold the promise of improving patient outcomes, past research on their efficacy has yielded inconsistent results. In this study, we overcome several drawbacks of past research by examining not just partial versus full adoption, but the impact of meaningful assimilation of EHRs as mandated by the HITECH (Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health) Act. Detailed patient-level data from acute-care hospitals in California, coupled with relevant data from several other sources, is used to conduct our analysis. After controlling for self-selection bias, our results show that overall length of stay (LOS) is reduced by 3%, on average, for all patients who undergo treatment at hospitals that are meaningful-use assimilated, relative to patients at hospitals that have fully adopted EHRs. The magnitude of this reduction is increased for patients with greater comorbidity complexity and greater coordination complexity. In addition, we find an overall decrease in readmission. We do not find such benefits among full adopters of EHRs. Thus, our study provides empirical evidence that instead of merely adoption, assimilation of EHRs at a hospital-wide level can improve the efficiency with which patients are treated, with benefits from such an assimilation being far more pronounced for patients with a greater degree of health complexities. These are important findings, because hospitals are struggling to deliver quality care to their sickest patients without severe cost overruns. Recommendations from our study point to a path forward in meeting this challenge.
Instructing macrophages to fight cancer.

Two drug-loaded nanoparticle formulations that preferentially accumulate within tumour-associated macrophages induce macrophage repolarization to a tumoricidal state that leads to potent antitumour activity in multiple murine models of cancer.
DIII-D Research to Prepare for Steady State Advanced Tokamak Power Plants

We review progress made on the advanced tokamak path to fusion energy by the DIII-D National Fusion Facility (Luxon et al. in Nucl Fusion 42:614, 2002). The advanced tokamak represents a highly attractive approach for a future steady state fusion power plant. In this concept, there is a natural alignment between high pressure operation, favorable stability and transport properties, and a highly self-driven (‘bootstrap’) plasma current to sustain operation efficiently and without disruptions. Research on DIII-D has identified several promising plasma configurations for fully non-inductive operation with potential applications to a range of future devices, from ITER to nuclear science facilities, to compact or large scale fusion power plants. Significant progress has been made toward realizing these scenarios, with the demonstration of high β access, off-axis current drive techniques, model based profile control, and stability and ELM control in reactor relevant physics regimes. Radiative techniques have also been pioneered to develop improved compatibility with divertor requirements, and simultaneous access to high performance pedestals. Research has also developed major advances in physics understanding, validating concepts of kinetic damping of ideal MHD instabilities that enable high β operation, identifying how current profile and β influence plasma turbulence in order to validate and improve turbulent transport models, and understanding the physics of energetic particle redistribution due to Alfvenic and other instabilities. These advances have been partnered with development of a rigorous integrated modeling framework used to interpret and validate individual physics models of the various aspects of plasma behavior, and to guide development of improved regimes and upgrades. These tools are also being used to develop and validate concepts for future reactors directly. Having established these foundations, DIII-D is now undergoing a substantial upgrade to raise power, current drive, electron heating and 3-D field capabilities in order to validate this physics and test conceptual solutions in reactor-relevant physics regimes, with a goal to resolve the key scientific and technology questions to enable a decision on a future steady state fusion power plant.
Federal investigations of police misconduct: a multi-city comparison

Over the past two decades, high-profile federal investigations have examined the policies and practices of several American police departments where civil rights violations and police misconduct were deemed serious by the Department of Justice. This paper focuses on four recent investigations: Baltimore, Chicago, Ferguson, and New Orleans. We examine the specific types of misconduct highlighted by the investigation of each department. Findings reveal both important similarities and differences across the four cases.
Comparison of Phenotypic Activated Protein C Resistance Testing With a Genetic Assay for Factor V Leiden.

Objectives To compare the accuracy and reliability of phenotypic activated protein C resistance (aPC-R) assays with a genotypic assay for the factor V Leiden F5 p.R506Q (FVL) mutation. Methods Data were obtained from an electronic data warehouse for FVL testing performed at an academic institution with a large referral laboratory service. In total, 1,596 patients were identified who had undergone both phenotypic aPC-R and genotypic FVL mutation testing. Results Phenotypic testing showed a high level of sensitivity, specificity, and other biostatistical values compared with genotypic testing. Improvements in technology decreased the amount of equivocal phenotypic results. Conclusions Phenotypic assays had close to total concordance with genotypic assays over 16 years of testing. Changing ordering practices could result in up to an 80% reduction in testing costs.
Penetration and relaxation behavior of dry lunar regolith simulants

Abstract A return to the lunar surface has been identified as an important near-term goal for NASA and other international space agencies. Along with recent and upcoming missions to asteroid bodies and other extraterrestrial surfaces, this demands a comprehensive understanding of the mechanical properties of the regolith we are likely to encounter. Historically, penetrometers have been used to garner information about the near-surface, but in situ measurements give correlational data at best. To extend the usefulness of penetrometer measurements and provide more information about the regolith properties, we conducted laboratory penetration and subsequent relaxation measurements of two regolith simulants, one angular and cohesive and the other rounded and noncohesive, using a mechanical conical probe specially-designed to allow bulk sample relaxation. We measured penetration resistance and load-relaxation behavior for both simulants under constant displacement rate penetration at pressures ranging from 1E−5 Torr to 700 Torr and at relative densities of ~20% and ~80%. Penetration resistance was sensitive to density and insensitive to test pressure and simulant type. Relaxation was sensitive to all three conditions, and certain elastic parameters of a best-fit mechanical relaxation model can be used to differentiate between simulants, sample density, and test pressure. A combination of penetration and relaxation data may therefore be used to explore these properties in a field setting, and the relaxation behavior can also be tentatively correlated to more fundamental soil mechanics properties such as shear moduli. Furthermore, penetration/relaxation tests into sieved samples (coarse- and fine-grained versions of the simulants) show that penetration resistance can be used to determine relative particle size with respect to conical probe diameter and relaxation behavior indicates that a combination of fine- and coarse-grain particles produces a more cohesive behavior (in a mildly cohesive simulant) than either the fine- or coarse-grained counterparts. Additional testing in varying simulants and at more extreme ranges of temperature, pressure, density, and water ice content is suggested to refine these measurements, along with field testing to determine the viability of the use of this technology terrestrially as well as on future planetary missions.
A Practice Based Behavioral Health Management Registry (BHMR): Implementation, Structure and Content.

Previous commentaries in the Formulary Evaluation section of INNOVATIONS in Pharmacy have pointed to the difficulties of establishing the credibility of trial-based and modeled claims for therapy interventions. Claims for interventions in behavioral health are no exception. A recent report by The Kennedy Forum emphasizes the need for a system of measurement-based care using validated scales to assess the need for and response to therapy. To accomplish this, The Kennedy Forum proposed a core set of outcomes measures for behavioral health interventions. This core set provides the context for a proposed Behavioral Health Management Registry (BHMR). The purpose of this commentary is to describe the structure and content of the BHMR. The BHMR provides access to nine symptom rating scales for depression, mania, anxiety, PTSD, panic attacks, alcohol use, drug abuse and somatization, together with supplementary questions to capture socio-demographic characteristics of patients, pain experience and opioid use, medical marijuana, DSM-V criteria for PTSD diagnosis and sleep experience. As such, with patient and physician inputs over the course of treatment, the BHMR provides an evidence base for physician practices and health care decision makers to evaluate behavioral health interventions by tracking the cumulative response to therapy. In addition, the BHMR captures the perception of the patients as to whether or not their therapy has led to any substantive improvement in activity limitations, symptoms and quality of life. A particular focus of the BHMR is on monitoring and evaluating the impact of interventions on the overall experience of pain as well as tracking pain intensity and functional status by body location. This is important given the prevalence of pain and its association with conditions such as depression and anxiety. The BHMR can also support monthly reports to the practice to summarize patient throughput, the response to care by target pain patients and profiles of opioid use and abuse. The BHMR can be customized to meet the needs of individual practices. Article Type: Commentary
Pulse Generation using a Degenerate Band Edge Structure

We propose a pulse generation scheme based on a fourth-order degeneracy in the dispersion relation. We take advantage of the loaded quality factor enhancement and the ultra-sensitivity to external perturbations due to the high order degeneracy in such a structure. The proposed scheme is able to produce a train of nanosecond pulses with several watts of output power. Such a design offers a flexibility that allows to conceive either high output power pulses or high frequency train of pulses.
Benchmarking Robot Manipulation With the Rubik's Cube

Benchmarks for robot manipulation are crucial to measuring progress in the field, yet there are few benchmarks that demonstrate critical manipulation skills, possess standardized metrics, and can be attempted by a wide array of robot platforms. To address a lack of such benchmarks, we propose Rubik's cube manipulation as a benchmark to measure simultaneous performance of precise manipulation and sequential manipulation. The sub-structure of the Rubik‘s cube demands precise positioning of the robot's end effectors, while its highly reconfigurable nature enables tasks that require the robot to manage pose uncertainty throughout long sequences of actions. We present a protocol for quantitatively measuring both the accuracy and speed of Rubik's cube manipulation. This protocol can be attempted by any general-purpose manipulator, and only requires a standard 3 × 3 Rubik‘s cube and a flat surface upon which the Rubik's cube initially rests (e.g. a table). We demonstrate this protocol for two distinct baseline approaches on a PR2 robot. The first baseline provides a fundamental approach for pose-based Rubik's cube manipulation. The second baseline demonstrates the benchmark's ability to quantify improved performance by the system, particularly that resulting from the integration of pre-touch sensing. To demonstrate the benchmark‘s applicability to other robot platforms and algorithmic approaches, we present the functional blocks required to enable the HERB robot to manipulate the Rubik's cube via push-grasping.
Hybrid Iterative System Specification of Cyberphysical Systems: Neurocognitive Behavior Application

This paper extends the theory of iterative systems specification for application to a class of cyber-physical systems. We employ the finite state regular language framework as a basis for models of neuronal structure and behavior aimed at closing the gap between circuits and cognitive behavior. Although the biological brain is rarely considered in the context of cyber-physical systems, we draw insight from parallels between the physical and cognitive faculties of humans with those of such engineered systems. We show how hybrid iterative systems specification offers an abstraction that is more fundamental than DEVS that supports development of simulation models of cyber-physical systems. Computational models of dynamic brain activity are needed to understand the complex patterns of signaling and communication within and between brain networks. This paper sets up a theoretical framework for future research and development of brain and other cyber-physical models.
A Cohort Study Examining the Interaction of Alcohol Consumption and Obesity in Hepatic Steatosis and Mortality

Abstract Objective To study the interaction of alcohol consumption with body mass index (BMI) in the development of hepatic steatosis and mortality. Participants and Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 18,506 participants without fatty liver disease or cirrhosis at enrollment in the Mayo Clinic Biobank from April 9, 2009, through March 31, 2016. Participants were classified by self-reported alcohol consumption status (nondrinkers, moderate drinkers [0 to 2 drinks per day], and heavy drinkers [>2 drinks per day]). The primary outcome of interest was the incidence of hepatic steatosis, identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code and confirmed with imaging. The secondary outcome of interest was all-cause mortality. Multivariate Cox regression analysis determined the impact of alcohol consumption stratified by BMI on outcomes compared with nondrinkers. Results The cohort (mean ± SD age, 55.8±16.9 years; 63.8% female; mean ± SD BMI, 28.8±6.1 kg/m2) of 18,506 participants included 3657 (19.8%) nondrinkers, 14,236 (76.9%) moderate drinkers, and 613 (3.3%) heavy drinkers at enrollment. After a median follow-up of 5.8 years (interquartile range, 3.8 to 7.2 years), 684 participants had development of hepatic steatosis and 968 died. In moderate drinkers, the risk of hepatic steatosis development was high in the obese group (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR], 1.31; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.67), insignificant in the overweight group (AHR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.26), and decreased in the normal-BMI group (AHR, 0.48; 95% CI, 0.26 to 0.90). Heavy drinkers had an increased risk of hepatic steatosis irrespective of BMI. Moderate alcohol use was associated with decreased mortality in the normal-weight (AHR, 0.44; 95% CI, 0.34 to 0.58) and overweight (AHR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.56 to 0.88) groups but not in the obese group (AHR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.00). Conclusion In obese individuals, even moderate alcohol use is associated with the development of hepatic steatosis. Moderate alcohol consumption is associated with lower mortality in normal-BMI and overweight individuals but not in those who are obese.
Suboptimal Weight Loss and Weight Regain: Is it Prime Time for Pharmacotherapy?

While bariatric surgery remains the most effective weight loss intervention in severe obesity and it leads to significant improvement of obesity and obesity associated comorbidities, suboptimal weight loss and weight regain are a new concern among surgeons and the prevalence is variable, depending on the report. This chapter will attempt to summarize the evidence on the prevalence, possible etiology and treatment approach of both conditions, with emphasis to the emergent data and practice of utilizing anti-obesity medication as adjuvant therapy in bariatric surgery. A simple practical guideline will be provided on the use of anti-obesity medications after weight loss surgery. This guideline today is non-evidence based but rather derived from this author’s experience and from recently published uncontrolled data. Surgeons could refer to it to personally initiate anti-obesity medications in their patient or collaborate with an obesity medicine specialist.
An Infection-Tolerant Mammalian Reservoir for Several Zoonotic Agents Broadly Counters the Inflammatory Effects of Endotoxin

Animals that are competent reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens commonly suffer little morbidity from the infections. To investigate mechanisms of this tolerance of infection, we used single-dose lipopolysaccharide (LPS) as an experimental model of inflammation and compared the responses of two rodents: Peromyscus leucopus, the white-footed deermouse and reservoir for the agents of Lyme disease and other zoonoses, and the house mouse Mus musculus Four hours after injection with LPS or saline, blood, spleen, and liver samples were collected and subjected to transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq), metabolomics, and specific reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). Differential expression analysis was at the gene, pathway, and network levels. LPS-treated deermice showed signs of sickness similar to those of exposed mice and had similar increases in corticosterone levels and expression of interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor, IL-1β, and C-reactive protein. By network analysis, the M. musculus response to LPS was characterized as cytokine associated, while the P. leucopus response was dominated by neutrophil activity terms. In addition, dichotomies in the expression levels of arginase 1 and nitric oxide synthase 2 and of IL-10 and IL-12 were consistent with type M1 macrophage responses in mice and type M2 responses in deermice. Analysis of metabolites in plasma and RNA in organs revealed species differences in tryptophan metabolism. Two genes in particular signified the different phenotypes of deermice and mice: the Slpi and Ibsp genes. Key RNA-seq findings for P. leucopus were replicated in older animals, in a systemic bacterial infection, and with cultivated fibroblasts. The findings indicate that P. leucopus possesses several adaptive traits to moderate inflammation in its balancing of infection resistance and tolerance.IMPORTANCE Animals that are natural carriers of pathogens that cause human diseases commonly manifest little or no sickness as a consequence of infection. Examples include the deermouse, Peromyscus leucopus, which is a reservoir for Lyme disease and several other disease agents in North America, and some types of bats, which are carriers of viruses with pathogenicity for humans. Mechanisms of this phenomenon of infection tolerance and entailed trade-off costs are poorly understood. Using a single injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) endotoxin as a proxy for infection, we found that deermice differed from the mouse (Mus musculus) in responses to LPS in several diverse pathways, including innate immunity, oxidative stress, and metabolism. Features distinguishing the deermice cumulatively would moderate downstream ill effects of LPS. Insights gained from the P. leucopus model in the laboratory have implications for studying infection tolerance in other important reservoir species, including bats and other types of wildlife.
Engaging faculty advisors to promote students' personal and professional development.

Abstract Background and purpose With the increasing emphasis on personal and professional development in pharmacy curricula, programs often need to enhance or modify existing resources to meet standards. A major initiative of developing a consistent and standardized student advising process involving both clinical and non-clinical faculty as advisors to promote development of pharmacy students was an avenue taken at our institution. Educational activity and setting Faculty were identified as ideal individuals to assist in mentoring and assessing students' personal and professional development given the long-term relationships they develop with students throughout both the didactic and experiential curriculum. Development and implementation of a longitudinal faculty advising program incorporating elements of student self-assessment, reflection, and faculty-based objective assessment is described. Findings We found both students and faculty benefited from this advising program in different ways, with students feeling more supported and faculty feeling more engaged and informed about the pharmacy curricula and student career-pathways. Summary A faculty advising program, as described in this article, can be utilized for both student success and faculty development in the pharmacy education setting.
MEDICATION RELATED OSTEONECROSIS OF THE JAW—CORRELATING CLINICAL FEATURES WITH RADIOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION (CBCT)

BACKGROUND The assessment of severity of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) lesions is often complicated because the clinical presentation underrepresents the extent of the radiographically evident lesion. Thus, there is a critical need to identify and develop an objective radiographic staging of the MRONJ lesion to complement the clinical assessment. The composite radiographic index (CRI)1 is a meaningful index that attempts to convey the nature and extent of the radiographic changes. However, lesions that receive moderate scores using the CRI have a wide range of radiographic severity, undermining its clinical utility. OBJECTIVE(S) The proposed research aimed to validate a proposed modification of the CRI (mod-CRI) as a means to increase the clinical utility of the CRI by providing a weighted score for diffuse radiographic changes. STUDY DESIGN A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify quantitative indices developed to describe MRONJ lesions. In addition, a retrospective review of institutional electronic health records was conducted to identify patients with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging of their MRONJ lesions. The resulting CBCT imaging was assessed using both the CRI and mod-CRI. The 2 indices were compared for relative clarity and accuracy in reflecting the actual severity of the MRONJ lesions. RESULTS Twenty-two patients (17 female) with MRONJ lesions were identified. The mod-CRI eliminated the intermediate category scores generated using the CRI. It unequivocally categorized all lesions with at least 2 diffuse radiographic changes as severe. There was a statistically significant association between increased clinical stage and higher mod-CRI score (P = .040). DISCUSSION/CONCLUSIONS The mod-CRI, developed by modifying the scoring system originally proposed in the CRI, appeared to provide greater clarity in lesion description and assessment. If validated, the modified CRI could enhance communication between the radiologist and the clinician and guide clinical decision making regarding surgical management.
Racial Disparities Affect Timing of Alveolar Bone Grafting for Patients With Cleft Lip and Palate: An Analysis of the 2012 Kids’ Inpatient Database

Objective: The timing of alveolar bone graft (ABG) for patients with cleft lip and palate is critical to the success of the operation. Sociodemographic factors have been implicated in delaying surg...
A 21 Word Solution

One year after publishing "False-Positive Psychology," we propose a simple implementation of disclosure that requires but 21 words to achieve full transparency. This article is written in a casual tone. It includes phone-taken pictures of milk-jars and references to ice-cream and sardines.
In situ raman microscopy of individual LiNi0.8Co0.15Al0.05O2 particles in a Li-ion battery composite cathode.

Kinetic characteristics of Li{sup +} intercalation/deintercalation into/from individual LiNi{sub 0.8}Co{sub 0.15}Al{sub 0.05}O{sub 2} particles in a composite cathode were studied in-situ using Raman microscopy during electrochemical charge-discharge in 1.2 M LiPF{sub 6}, ethylene carbonate (EC): ethyl-methyl carbonate (EMC), 3:7 by volume. Spectroscopic analysis of a cathode that was removed from a tested high-power Li-ion cell, which suffered substantial power and capacity loss, showed that the state of charge (SOC) of oxide particles on the cathode surface was highly non-uniform despite deep discharge of the Li-ion cell at the end of the test. In-situ monitoring of the SOC of selected oxide particles in the composite cathode in a sealed spectro-electrochemical cell revealed that the rate at which particles charge and discharge varied with time and location. The inconsistent kinetic behavior of individual oxide particles was attributed to degradation of the electronically conducting matrix in the composite cathode upon testing. These local micro-phenomena are responsible for the overall impedance rise of the cathode and contribute to the mechanism of lithium-ion cell failure.
Measuring the Upsilon nuclear modification factor at STAR

Suppression of quarkonia in heavy-ion collisions with respect to proton–proton collisions due to the Debye screening of the potential between the heavy quarks was hypothesized to be a signature of the quark–gluon plasma (QGP) (Matsui and Satz 1986 Phys. Lett. B 178 146). However, other effects besides Debye screening, such as the statistical recombination of heavy-flavor pairs, or co-mover absorption can also affect quarkonia production in heavy-ion collisions. Quantifying the suppression of an entire family of quarkonium mesons can give us a model-dependent constraint on the temperature. The suppression of can be quantified by calculating the nuclear modification factor, RAA, which is the ratio of the production in Au+Au collisions to the production in p+p scaled by the number of binary collisions. We present our results for mid-rapidity (1S+2S+3S) production in p+p and Au+Au collisions at √sNN = 200 GeV. The centrality dependence of RAA will be shown for the combined (1S+2S+3S) yield.
Iterative Learning Control for image based visual servoing applications

Fabrication of nano/micro-scale functional devices, in the context of a continuous or semi-continuous manufacturing process, is often performed via successive processes in multiple localized zones. As the substrate traverses downstream in the process flow, proper registration of the pre-existing features is necessary prior to entering the next fabrication zone in order to accurately complement previous manufacturing steps. In this work, we consider a 2D planar arrangement where the substrate can be panned and oriented and we performed a direct visual servoing technique to correct both the pose and the translational alignment of a pre-existing feature. Based on the recorded image data, Iterative Learning Control (ILC) is implemented on top of the feedback controller to simultaneously improve the position and orientation tracking precision of the feature.
Carbon nanotubes for lithium ion batteries

Lithium ion batteries are receiving considerable attention in applications, ranging from portable electronics to electric vehicles, due to their superior energy density over other rechargeable battery technologies. However, the societal demands for lighter, thinner, and higher capacity lithium ion batteries necessitate ongoing research for novel materials with improved properties over that of state-of-the-art. Such an effort requires a concerted development of both electrodes and electrolyte to improve battery capacity, cycle life, and charge–discharge rates while maintaining the highest degree of safety available. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are a candidate material for use in lithium ion batteries due to their unique set of electrochemical and mechanical properties. The incorporation of CNTs as a conductive additive at a lower weight loading than conventional carbons, like carbon black and graphite, presents a more effective strategy to establish an electrical percolation network. In addition, CNTs have the capability to be assembled into free-standing electrodes (absent of any binder or current collector) as an active lithium ion storage material or as a physical support for ultra high capacity anode materials like silicon or germanium. The measured reversible lithium ion capacities for CNT-based anodes can exceed 1000 mAh g−1 depending on experimental factors, which is a 3× improvement over conventional graphite anodes. The major advantage from utilizing free-standing CNT anodes is the removal of the copper current collectors which can translate into an increase in specific energy density by more than 50% for the overall battery design. However, a developmental effort needs to overcome current research challenges including the first cycle charge loss and paper crystallinity for free-standing CNT electrodes. Efforts to utilize pre-lithiation methods and modification of the single wall carbon nanotube bundling are expected to increase the energy density of future CNT batteries. Other progress may be achieved using open-ended structures and enriched chiral fractions of semiconducting or metallic chiralities that are potentially able to improve capacity and electrical transport in CNT-based lithium ion batteries.
Dangerous Double Dosing: How Naive Beliefs Can Contribute to Unintentional Overdose with Over-the-Counter Drugs

In a series of studies, consumers reviewed over-the-counter (OTC) drug packages and evaluated these drugs for concurrent use. The authors investigate whether the consumers utilized the active ingredients listed on the package and recognized the risks of double dosing when using two drugs with the same active ingredient. Both novice and expert consumers used the active ingredients to assess drug similarity, indicating that the information was accessible. However, only medically trained experts used this information to assess the risks of taking two drugs concurrently, indicating that they understood its diagnosticity or relevancy. Novices' failure to view double dosing as risky suggests that they might hold a naive belief that OTC drugs are relatively risk free; thus, the authors test interventions to increase active ingredient diagnosticity versus accessibility. One intervention considered by OTC drug manufacturers makes active ingredients more accessible on packages using icons. However, the authors foun...
Empirical Free Will and the Ethics of Moral Responsibility

It is not seriously disputable that the kind of freedom in question is the freedom which is commonly recognised to be in some sense a precondition of moral responsibility. Clearly, it is on account of this integral connection with moral responsibility that such exceptional importance has always been felt to attach to the Free Will problem. But in what precise sense is free will a precondition of moral responsibility, and thus a postulate of the moral life in general?
Morphometrics of rapidly frozen goose lungs

To understand the structural basis of avian gas exchange better, we made a morphometric study of domestic and Canada goose lungs. The volume of glutaraldehyde-fixed domestic goose lungs (30 cm3/kg body weight) was similar to that determined from silicone casts of Canada goose lungs by Duncker (33 cm3/kg). To examine finer structures, we rapidly froze goose lungs under physiologic conditions, fixed tissue samples by a freeze substitution procedure and analyzed samples with stereological methods. From light micrographs we determined that about 55% of the lung is parabronchi in both species. Volume densities of air capillaries, blood capillaries and tissue and surface:volume ratios of these same structures were determined from electron micrographs. Our measurements agree with those from glutaraldehyde-fixed Canada goose lungs from other laboratories. Gas exchange surface area was largest in the good flier (Canada goose) but both birds had larger surface areas than comparably sized mammals. The harmonic mean blood-gas barrier thickness is smaller in both species of birds (0.3 microns) than in mammals. Thus, membrane diffusing capacities for gases should be larger in birds than in mammals. Pulmonary blood capillary transit time, as calculated from blood capillary volume and normal levels of cardiac output, are longer in birds than in mammals and should allow more time for blood-gas equilibrium. Pleats and folds were frequently observed in air and blood capillaries, suggesting that the avian lung may not be as rigid as was previously thought and that capillary volumes and surface areas may change under physiologic conditions.
On the Relative Stability of Dimeric Interfaces of the Mu-Opioid Receptor Inferred from Recent Crystallographic Studies

The mu-opioid (MOP) receptor is the predominant target for most clinically used analgesics. In response to demonstrated correlations between opioid dependence and the MOP receptor, researchers have focused on alternative targets. Opioid receptor oligomers are among those that have been suggested to mediate analgesia without the common opioid-related adverse effects. Thus, obtaining a molecular-level understanding of the nature of receptor-receptor interactions in the membrane, either within, or between receptor subtypes, can both create new opportunities for drug discovery, and address the role of oligomerization in receptor function. The recent MOP receptor crystal structure has inspired hypotheses of dimerization contacts, specifically: a closely packed interface involving transmembrane (TM) helices TM5 and TM6, and a less compact one involving TM1, TM2, and helix 8 (H8). These interfaces exhibit similar arrangements to those found in crystals of the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and the kappa-opioid receptor, respectively. While it is tempting to speculate that the tighter TM5/TM6 arrangement has physiological relevance, additional studies are necessary to a) understand the relative dimer stability at TM5/TM6, TM1/TM2/H8, and other interfaces in the membrane, b) evaluate the contribution of the engineered T4 lysozyme (T4L) to the TM5/TM6 association, and c) investigate possible variability across different receptors. To begin to address these questions we have performed umbrella sampling molecular dynamics simulations of coarse-grained representations of the MOP receptor interacting at the TM5/TM6 (with and without T4L) or TM1/TM2/H8 interfaces in an explicit lipid-water environment. We have derived relative estimates of the dimerization free energy at the two specific interfaces and from these we suggest relative dimer lifetimes and dimeric fractions in a lipid mimetic environment. This information can help design future experiments aimed at understanding the role of dimerization in receptor function.
Government Formation and Endogenous Parties.

I provide a formal theory of government for a political system characterized by a proportional representation electoral system, a parliamentary government that exercises collective responsibility, and a government formation process. Political parties are assumed to be policy-oriented and to serve the interests of those who vote for them. Parties choose policy platforms that determine their representation in parliament; and given that representation, the parties bargain over the government to be formed and the policies that government will implement. The model yields equilibria with the property that parties choose dispersed policy positions. Thus, electoral incentives in proportional representation parliamentary systems need not lead to policy convergence. The theory provides predictions of party locations such as those developed in the manifesto project.
Clinical motor outcome of bilateral subthalamic nucleus deep-brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease using image-guided frameless stereotaxy.

BACKGROUND: Image-guided neuronavigation has largely replaced stereotactic frames when precise, real-time anatomic localization is required during neurosurgical procedures. However, some procedures, including placement of deep-brain stimulation (DBS) leads for the treatment of movement disorders, are still performed using frame-based stereotaxy. Despite the demonstration of comparable accuracy between frame-based and "frameless" image-guided approaches, the clinical efficacy of frameless DBS placement has never been reported. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the outcomes of subthalamic nucleus (STN) DBS using the frameless technique for the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS: Of 31 subjects (20 men) with PD for 10 ± 4 years, 28 had bilateral STN DBS and 3 had unilateral STN DBS. The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) motor scale (III) and total medication doses were assessed before surgery on and off medication and off medication/ON DBS (off/ON) after 6 to 12 months of STN DBS. RESULTS: There was a 58% improvement from bilateral STN DBS in the UPDRS III (40 ± 16 preoperatively off, 17 ± 11 off/ON) 9.6 ± 1.9 months after surgery (P < .001). This compared favorably with the published outcomes using the frame-based technique. All motor subscores improved significantly (P < .01). The mean reduction in medication was 50%. No intraoperative complications occurred, but one subject with hypertension died of a delayed hemorrhage postoperatively. Two subjects developed postoperative infections that required lead removal and antibiotics. CONCLUSIONS: Bilateral STN DBS for PD performed by an experienced team using a frameless approach results in outcomes comparable to those reported with the use of the frame-based technique.
Effect of noise distractibility on the spans of apprehension of hyperactive boys.

Denton and McIntyre (1978), using a forced-choice letterrecognition procedure, demonstrated increasing reductions in the spans of apprehension of hyperactive as compared to normal boys when a signal letter was embedded within an increasing number of noise letters. In the present study, the effect of variations in the amount of physical signal-noise similarity and noise redundancy upon the spans of apprehension of hyperactive and normal boys was compared to determine whether noise letters act as more potent distractors for the hyperactive boys. Results indicated the spans of both groups were effected equivalently by variations in signal-noise similarity and noise redundancy. No evidence for a distractibility explanation was obtained.
Spatial orientation perception and reflexive eye movements—A perspective, an overview, and some clinical implications

When head motion includes a linear velocity component, eye velocity required to track an earth-fixed target depends upon: a) angular and linear head velocity, b) target distance, and c) direction of gaze relative to the motion trajectory. Recent research indicates that eye movements (LVOR), presumably otolith-mediated, partially compensate for linear velocity in small head excursions on small devices. Canal-mediated eye velocity (AVOR), otolith-mediated eye velocity (LVOR), and Ocular Torsion (OT) can be measured, one by one, on small devices. However, response dynamics that depend upon the ratio of linear to angular velocity in the motion trajectory and on subject orientation relative to the trajectory are present in a centrifuge paradigm. With this paradigm, two 3-min runs yields measures of: LVOR differentially modulated by different subject orientations in the two runs; OT dynamics in four conditions; two directions of "steady-state" OT, and two directions of AVOR. Efficient assessment of the dynamics (and of the underlying central integrative processes) may require a centrifuge radius of 1.0 meters or more. Clinical assessment of the spatial orientation system should include evaluation of central integrative processes that determine the dynamics of these responses.
Large-sample results for optimization-based clustering methods

Many common (nonhierarchical) clustering and classification methods are optimization-based methods, in the sense described by Windham (1987) in this Journal. This paper gives some large sample properties for estimates derived by such methods. Under appropriate conditions, such estimates converge with probability one to a limit, and are asymptotically normally distributed around that limiting value. The conditions are satisfied by most of the common examples of optimization-based methods.
Evaluation of seismic energy in structures

Research engineers use two types of energy equations to study single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems subject to earthquake induced ground motions. The first method uses an absolute energy formulation; the second method uses a relative energy formulation. While the relative energy formulation has been used in the majority of previous investigations, this study shows that the absolute energy equation is physically more meaningful. For a given ductility ratio, the input energy demands calculated by both methods are significantly different for both the short and long period ranges although the results are similar in the intermediate period range. A comparison between the analytically predicted absolute input energy of a SDOF system with the experimentally measured input energy of a six-storey braced steel frame shows good correlation.
Cholinesterase inhibition in the acute toxicity of alkyl-substituted 2-aminoethanols

Abstract The acute oral and intraperitoneal toxicity of a series of alkyl-substituted 2-aminoethanols was studied in relation to cholinesterase inhibition. All the 2-aminoethanols studied inhibited cholinesterase in vitro . The level of in vitro inhibition was related to the number of carbon atoms attached on the nitrogenous head of the 2-aminoethanol molecule. The median inhibitory concentrations correlate well with the LD 50 data. Intraperitoneal LD 50 doses of four alkyl-substituted 2-aminoethanols produced significant reductions in brain cholinesterase in rats.
Experience with Devine-Horton dermal patch graft for Peyronie's disease.

Abstract Peyronie's disease is a malady frequently seen by the urologist. Many conservative treatment modalities have yielded successful alleviation of symptoms in a significant number of these patients. A number, however, do not respond and are left with penile curvature and pain on erection such that intercourse is severely impaired. Devine and Horton have proposed resection of the plaque with replacement of the defect with a full-thickness dermal graft. They reported excellent results with minimal complications. Five patients were treated by this technique with successful penile straightening and alleviation of pain. To date, follow-up results have been gratifying, and the Devine-Horton dermal graft technique is suggested for use in treatment of patients with disabling Peyronie's disease.
On Families of Admissidle Tests

For each hypothesis H of a certain class of simple hypotheses, a family F of tests is determined such that (a) given any test w of H there exists a test w’ belonging to F which has power uniformly greater than or equal to that of w. (b) no member of F has power uniformly greater than or equal to that of any other member of F. The effect on F of various assumptions about the set of alternatives are considered. As an application an optimum property of the known type A 1 tests is proved, and a result is obtained concerning the most stringent tests of the hypotheses considered.
Public sector unions and government size

Although various studies have concluded that public sector unions raise wages and employment for members, very little research has examined whether public sector unionism influences the overall size of state and local government. The relationship is examined within a pooled data set on all states over selected years during 2003–2010. Wide variation in union membership trends across states provides a rich data set to examine. Empirical results indicate that 10 percentage point increases in public union membership raise several measures of government size within a range of 2.25–4.25%. A similar increase in union membership is estimated to raise annual real wages by $1603 for the average government worker, which amounts to a rise of 3.48%.
Some immunochemical relationships of Aeromonas aminopeptidase.

Evidence for structural relationships between the aminopeptidase of Aeromonas proteolytica and several proteolytic enzymes, including two other aminopeptidases, was investigated by means of immunochemical techniques. The activity of Aeromonas aminopeptidase was strongly inhibited by its homologous antiserum (anti-AAP), which also diminished the activity of the endopeptidase of Aeromonas proteolytica, although substantially higher concentrations were required for the latter. In contrast, the aminopeptidase of Bacillus licheniformis was stimulated by incubation with anti-AAP, as were the activities of two types of Bacillus subtilis alkaline proteases. The activity of swine kidney leucine aminopeptidase and the aminopeptidase activity in pronase were unaffected by anti-AAP. The only evolutionary relationship suggested by the inhibitory and stimulatory reactions was that between the endopeptidase and the aminopeptidase of Aeromonas proteolytica.
Connected Moral Agency in Organizational Ethics

We review both the aspects of values-related research that complicate ideations of what we ought to do, as well as the psychological impediments to forming beliefs about the way things are. We find that more traditional moral theories are without solid empirical footing in the psychology of human values. Consequently, we revise the notion of values to align with their socially symbolic utility in self-affirmation and reformulate our understandings of moral agency to allow for the practicalities of context, circumstance, and connectedness. We close by discussing the research and practical implications for these revisions.
Crafts and Generative Expression: A Qualitative Study of the Meaning of Creativity in Women Who Make Jewelry in Midlife

The purpose of this study was to examine beliefs about creative activity and its psychological and spiritual benefits among middle-aged women who make jewelry, using qualitative measures. Twenty-nine female participants aged 31 to 64 answered questions about the effects of jewelry making on their lives. Qualitative responses provided phenomenological evidence to indicate the role that creative activities play in achieving generativity needs, such as validation from others, and social connection (with God or to others). Creative activities were also said to reduce stress and increase self-esteem. These benefits are discussed from a developmental perspective.
Surficial Geologic Surveys of Gale Crater and Melas Chasma, Mars: Integration of Remote-Sensing Data

Abstract Remote-sensing observations of Gale Crater and Melas Chasma are synthesized to better understand the present surface layer in these two scientifically interesting regions. Data sets analyzed include geologic maps, Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) elevation, Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) albedo, TES thermal inertia, MOLA residual pulse width, TES rock abundance, and Viking and Mars Orbiter Camera images. Using these data sets, we constrain the properties of and processes acting on the present surface and create self-consistent models for the surface layer. Surface properties within Gale Crater are variable and complex, and interpreting the surface layer is not straightforward. Observations indicate that aeolian processes have shaped some of the intracrater surface, but other areas do not comply with this model and have counterintuitive surface characteristics. In contrast, aeolian activity appears to have played a large role in shaping the present-day physical structure of all surfaces in Melas Chasma and is reflected in the remote-sensing data sets. Here we summarize our analysis and discuss the surface attributes as determined from these data sets.