cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shocked minerals at the K/T boundary: explosive volcanism as a source

Abstract Azimuthal symmetry of P waves, first motion up and diminished S wave amplitude indicates an explosion to be the source of the seismicity of the 18 May 1980 eruption at Mt. St. Helens. Explosion coupling efficiencies and scaling from underground mining, excavation and nuclear explosions imply that peak pressures could have been as high as 1000 kbar, which is more than sufficient for the formation of shocked minerals. In addition, high load rates as well as contamination may lower phase transition pressures. A region of formation of shocked minerals surrounding the magma chamber is indicated to have a thickness on the order of 100 m. The outer portions of this region should be sufficiently cool so that shocked features are not annealed, hence the source of shocked minerals should be the country rock surrounding the magma chamber. It is unlikely any of the magmatic material would be able to retain shocked features due its high temperature. The explosive mechanism may be quench supersaturation which theoretically can yield shock producing pressures but chemical processes should not be dismissed as an explosive source. Tektite distributions show no iridium or mass extinction association. Industrial and present volcanic atmospheric discharge are known to have worldwide distribution. The clays present at the K/T boundary may have had a volcanic origin and it is now known that the Deccan Traps, which have been suggested by others as a source of the iridium, lie athwart the K/T boundary. As there is common intimacy between silicic and mafic volcanism, both should be anticipated at the K/T boundary and their global appearance there may be a manifestation of a surge in whole mantle convection. In short, there is a definite possibility shocked minerals at the K/T boundary have a volcanic source.
Distribution of organic carbon and nitrogen in surface soils in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica

The organic carbon and nitrogen contents of sediments in the upper 2 cm of the soils surrounding several lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys were measured in a relatively high-density sampling grid, in order to better understand the present-day distribution of organic matter in the ecosystem that is most readily transportable via aeolean processes. Carbon and nitrogen contents of the bulk sediments and size-differentiated sediments decreased in a series according to lake basins oriented along the Taylor Valley's main axis (Lake Fryxell > Hoare ≥ west lobe Bonney ≥ east lobe Bonney). Samples were also obtained around Lake Vida and showed this basin to contain less organic matter than those in the Taylor Valley. This regional spatial analysis supports the emerging view that each basin provides distinct environments for in situ microbial activity, lithogenic weathering, aeolian deposition and sorting that can be detected through synoptic sampling.
Hybrid velocity/force control of manipulators using PID controller and feedforward compensation

An effort has been made to use PID control technique and feedforward compensation to control robotic manipulators under a combined task of velocity and force. This approach is based on the assumption that the task configuration is homogeneous. However, the proposed scheme is still applicable for a nonhomogeneous task configuration with frictional forces being the only nonhomogeneous constraints. The controller proposed is applied to a planar 3R manipulator to demonstrate system responses and simulation results. >
L'Hospital Rules for Monotonicity and the Wilker-Anglesio Inequality

(2004). L'Hospital Rules for Monotonicity and the Wilker-Anglesio Inequality. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 111, No. 10, pp. 905-909.
High‐resolution imaging of Ca2+, redox status, ROS and pH using GFP biosensors

Many plant response systems are linked to complex dynamics in signaling molecules such as Ca2+ and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to pH. Regulatory changes in these molecules can occur in the timeframe of seconds and are often limited to specific subcellular locales. Thus, to understand how Ca2+, ROS and pH form part of plants regulatory networks, it is essential to capture their rapid dynamics with resolutions that span the whole plant to subcellular dimensions. Defining the spatio-temporal signaling signatures of these regulators at high resolution has now been greatly facilitated by the generation of plants expressing a range of GFP-based bioprobes. For Ca2+ and pH, probes such as the yellow cameleon Ca2+ sensors (principally YC2.1 and 3.6) or the pHluorin and H148D pH sensors provide a robust suite of tools to image changes in these ions. For ROS, the tools are much more limited, with the GFP-based H2O2 sensor Hyper representing a significant advance for the field. However, with this probe, its marked pH sensitivity provides a key challenge to interpretation without using appropriate controls to test for potentially coupled pH-dependent changes. Most of these Ca2+-, ROS- and pH-imaging biosensors are compatible with the standard configurations of confocal microscopes available to many researchers. These probes therefore represent a readily accessible toolkit to monitor cellular signaling. Their use does require appreciation of a minimal set of controls but these are largely related to ensuring that neither the probe itself nor the imaging conditions used perturb the biology of the plant under study.
Soluble HLA measurement in saliva and cerebrospinal fluid in Caucasian patients with multiple sclerosis: a preliminary study

Measurement of soluble HLA in body fluids has a potential role in assessing disease activity in autoimmune disorders. We applied a solid phase, enzyme-linked immunoassay to measure soluble HLA class I (sHLA-I) and class II (sHLA-II) molecules in the saliva and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in 13 untreated patients with relapsing-remitting form of multiple sclerosis (MS). For comparison purposes, we also studied saliva from 53 healthy subjects. Saliva from normal controls had detectable sHLA-I levels in 41 of 53 individuals studied, with values ranging from 9–100 ng/ml (mean = 41 ± 2.8 ng/ml). sHLA-I was undetectable in the saliva in 11 of 13 MS patients, and in none of the CSF specimens. In contrast, mean sHLA-II concentration in the saliva of MS patients was significantly increased compared to controls (386 ± 52 unit/ml vs. 222 ± 18.4 unit/ml, t = 8.68, P < 0.005). The mean CSF sHLA-II level (369 ± 16 unit/ml) was equivalent to the mean sHLA-II concentration measured in saliva (mean = 386 ± 52 unit/ml) (P = 0.7). In patients with brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) enhancing lesions (n = 5), reflective of more active disease, CSF sHLA-II averaged 356 ± 26 unit/ml compared to 380 ± 51 in saliva. Similarly, in patients with non-enhancing lesions (n = 8), CSF sHLA-II averaged 377 ± 18 unit/ml compared to 390 ± 77 unit/ml in saliva. Thus, the mean sHLA-II concentration in saliva and CSF was essentially equivalent for MS patients with or without enhancing plaques. Our data suggest that the measurement of soluble HLA in saliva, specifically sHLA-II, correlates with the level found in the CSF. Therefore, if sHLA correlates with disease activity in MS, as has been proposed, saliva measurements provide a noninvasive correlate of CSF measurement.
A tiling approach to eight identities of Rogers

Beginning in 1893, L.J. Rogers produced a collection of papers in which he considered series expansions of infinite products. Over the years, his identities have been given a variety of partition-theoretic interpretations and proofs. These existing combinatorial techniques, however, do not highlight the similarities and the subtle differences seen in so many of these remarkable identities. It is the goal of this paper to present a new combinatorial approach that unifies numerous q-series identities. The eight identities of Rogers that appear in G.E. Andrews' 1986 CBMS monograph on q-series will serve as a basis for the collection of identities studied in this paper.
Interpretation of Traumatic Lumbar Puncture: A Prospective Experimental Model

Contamination of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with blood at the time of collection interferes with the interpretation of laboratory studies. Twenty-four children with normal CSF were studied prospectively using an experimental model. Blood was added to clear CSF, producing red cell counts from 1,000 to 600,000 cells per cubic millimeter. The expected values for white blood cell count, protein, percent neutrophils, and glucose were calculated, using the results from uncontaminated CSF, peripheral blood cell counts, blood protein, and the red blood cell count of the contaminated specimen. The ratio of observed values to expected values ranged from 0.13 to 3.00 for CSF white blood cell count (mean 0.96, standard deviation 0.56), from 0.55 to 1.63 for CSF protein (mean 0.97, standard deviation 0.23), and from 0.10 to 2.25 for percent neutrophils in the CSF (mean 1.17, standard deviation 0.41). CSF glucose was unchanged by the addition of blood. Guidelines for interpretation of laboratory studies following traumatic lumbar puncture are suggested.
Americans’ Contributions to Climate Change: Opportunities for Meeting Carbon Targets

Meeting California’s 2020 greenhouse gas emissions target will require an average CO2 emissions reduction of approximately 380 lbs per month per person in the U.S. For the typical two-person household, 760 lbs per month can be saved by employing such near-term measures as reducing monthly miles traveled (by auto and aircraft) and altering behaviors related to appliance energy consumption (e.g., employing a smart thermostat, reducing water heater temperature settings, and eliminating phantom loads). Additional long-term savings can be obtained by purchasing more fuel efficient vehicles, reducing home floor area, moving into multi-family housing units with shared walls, and replacing old appliances with energy efficient products. To get a sense of where these strategies exist for individuals and households, this paper quantifies greenhouse gas reductions from these and other household decisions. Upstream and downstream emissions-reductions policies are discussed, including taxation, cap and trade among energy producers, and household-level carbon budgets. Given the variability in U.S. climate zones, the sizable contributions of both upstream and downstream carbon sources, and the variety of electricity generation processes, a combination of policy measures seems warranted, in order to achieve recommended targets in a rapid, equitable, and relatively pain-free manner.
Job scheduling for prime time vs. non-prime time

Current job scheduling systems for massively parallel machines and Beowulf-class compute clusters support batch scheduling involving two classes of queues: prime time vs. non-prime time. Jobs running in these queue classes must satisfy different criteria with respect to job-size, runtime, or other resource needs. These constraints are designed to delay big jobs to non-prime time in order to provide better quality service during the prime time workday hours. This paper surveys existing prime time/non-prime time scheduling policies and investigates the sensitivity of scheduling performance to changes in the jobsize and runtime limits allowed during prime time vs. non-prime time. Our simulation study, using real workload traces from the NASA NAS IBM SP/2 cluster gives strong evidence for the use of specific prime time limits and sheds light oil the performance trade-offs regarding response times, utilization, short term scheduling algorithm (FCFS vs. EASY backfilling), and success and overflow rates.
Video-Assisted Removal of Left Ventricular Mass

The use of endoscopic technology, widely accepted in general surgery and general thoracic surgery, has recently gained popularity in cardiac surgery, as witnessed by the development of minimally invasive cardiac surgery. Intracardiac employment of this technology, however, has largely been limited to enhanced fiberoptic visualization in anecdotal cases. We present a case employing thoracoscopic instruments in the removal of a benign intracavitary lesion using cardiopulmonary bypass.
Radiolabeled peptides in oncology: role in diagnosis and treatment.

There has been an exponential growth in the development of radiolabeled peptides for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in the last decade. The automated means of synthesizing these compounds in large quantities and the simplified methods of purifying, characterizing, and optimizing them have kindled attention to peptides as carrier molecules. These new techniques have accelerated the commercial development of radiolabelled peptides, which has provided additional radiopharmaceuticals for the nuclear medicine community. Peptides have many key properties including fast clearance, rapid tissue penetration, and low antigenicity, and can be produced easily and inexpensively. However, there may be problems with in vivo catabolism, unwanted physiologic effects, and chelate attachment. Radiolabeled peptides have made their greatest impact in the management of relatively rare neuroendocrine malignancies. Indeed, Indium-111 (111In)-pentetreotide (111In-DTPA-octreotide, Octreoscan®), which binds to somatostatin receptors (SSTRs), has become the diagnostic ‘gold standard’ in these diseases. However, 111In-pentetreotide has been less successful in the diagnosis of other more prevalent diseases in which SSTRs are upregulated. Technetium-99m (99mTc)-depreotide (NeoTect™), a 99mTc-labeled SSTR-analog, could have wider impact since it has high sensitivity and specificity for lung cancer lesion detection. However, this impact may be minimized by the increased availability of positron emission tomography imaging with Fluorine-18 (18F)-flourodeoxyglucose, which has similar sensitivity and specificity for lesion identification in this disease, and is currently more widely used. The receptors for bombesin, α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, neurotensin, and the integrin αvβ3, are under active investigation as targets for radiolabelled peptides, but are still in the pre-clinical stage. Compounds directed at the cholecystokinin-B/gastrin receptor have shown promising results in clinical trials in humans. Radiolabelled peptide therapy is usually indicated for patients with widespread disease that is not amenable to focused radiation therapy or is refractory to chemotherapy. Phase I/II studies using various radiolabelled peptides (including 111In-pentetreotide, Yttrium-90 [90Y]-DOTA-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide, 90Y-DOTA-lanreotide, and Lutetium-177 [177Lu]-DOTA-octreotate) for the treatment of patients with neuroendocrine malignancy are in progress. Over 400 patients have been treated, and the response rate has ranged from 60% to 75%, although few patients have had a complete response. Patients have been given individual doses ranging from 2 to 11 GBq with a slow infusion every 4–8 weeks (up to 12 times). The kidney is the dose-limiting organ and most patients experience a transient decline in blood cell counts. A concomitant infusion of an amino acid mixture can reduce kidney toxicity and increase the effective tumor dose. Other peptides currently under investigation, some of which have shown promising results, include Rhenium-188 (188Re)-P2045 and 90Y-αvβ3 antagonist.
Market performance and collusion in sequential and simultaneous multi-object auctions: Evidence from an ascending auctions experiment

Abstract We compare efficiency and susceptibility to collusion of two alternative ways to sell multiple objects in independent private values environments: simultaneous and sequential ascending auctions. Both auctions are common in the real world. With explicit communication among bidders, collusion was more frequent in sequential than in simultaneous auctions. We further analyze collusive schemes adopted by bidders.
Treatment of hyperlipidemia after heart transplantation and rationale for the heart transplant lipid registry

Hyperlipidemia occurs frequently after heart transplantation, and accelerated coronary artery disease remains the major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients who survive more than 1 year after heart transplantation. However, the risks and benefits of lipid-lowering therapy after heart transplantation remain poorly defined, and national guidelines for lipid-lowering drug therapy do not specifically address treatment of dyslipidemia in transplant recipients. Since the initial reports in the 1980s of rhabdomyolysis in heart transplant patients receiving high-dosage lovastatin, results of 11 post-transplantation series that used lovastatin, simvastatin, or pravastatin at lower dosages as drug monotherapy have been published. These studies have shown an overall 1% incidence of rhabdomyolysis, defined as creatine kinase > 10 times the upper limit of normal plus muscle symptoms. One randomized, controlled prospective trial has investigated the effects of lipid-lowering pharmacotherapy on patient outcome in cardiac transplant recipients. At 1-year follow-up in this nonblinded, single-center trial, patients treated with pravastatin (20 or 40 mg/day) initiated within 2 weeks of transplantation had a significant reduction in mortality rate and a significantly lower incidence of transplant arteriopathy. A number of important issues remain unanswered regarding treatment guidelines in patients with hyperlipidemia after heart transplantation. In January 1995 we began the Heart Transplant Lipid Registry, with 12 participant centers, to gather data prospectively on the efficacy and safety of lipid-lowering drugs in the treatment of dyslipidemia after heart transplantation.
Discrete-time disturbance observer design for systems with time delay

In many engineering systems, time delay is present or can be used to approximate phase loss at high frequencies. In such situations, existing disturbance observer design techniques encounter difficulties due to bandwidth limitations or relative degree restrictions on disturbance observer filtering. These problems can be avoided by a straightforward inclusion of time delay in the nominal plant model. As a result, the disturbance observer sensitivity function is degraded, but this is offset by the fact that higher bandwidth low pass filtering can be used. Importantly, input-output characteristics of the disturbance observer loop better approximate the nominal plant model, thus improving noise rejection and simplifying the subsequent design of outer loop compensation and feedforward filtering. The technique is applied one axis of a high speed X-Y table. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique.
Generalized structural subband implementation of adaptive FIR filters

An adaptive structure based on a generalised structural subband decomposition of finite-impulse-response (FIR) filters is presented. The proposed structure implements an adaptive FIR filter of length N as a parallel connection of L branches, with each branch composed of a cascade of a fixed interpolator and a sparse adaptive subfilter containing at least N/L non-zero coefficients. The proposed structure presents superior convergence performance for colored input signals when compared to the conventional direct-form least-mean-square (LMS) structure, with a very small increase in the number of operations. The advantages of using the subband structure in the acoustic echo canceller and channel equalizer applications are shown through computer simulation results. >
Effect of rpoS mutations on stress-resistance and invasion of brain microvascular endothelial cells in Escherichia coli K1

Escherichia coli K1 strains are predominant in causing neonatal meningitis. We have shown that invasion of brain microvascular endothelial cells (BMEC) is a prerequisite for E. coli K1 crossing of the blood–brain barrier. BMEC invasion by E. coli K1 strain RS218, however, has been shown to be significantly greater with stationary-phase cultures than with exponential-phase cultures. Since RpoS participates in regulating stationary-phase gene expression, the present study examined a possible involvement of RpoS in E. coli K1 invasion of BMEC. We found that the cerebrospinal fluid isolates of E. coli K1 strains RS218 and IHE3034 have a nonsense mutation in their rpoS gene. Complementation with the E. coli K12 rpoS gene significantly increased the BMEC invasion of E. coli K1 strain IHE3034, but failed to significantly increase the invasion of another E. coli K1 strain RS218. Of interest, the recovery of E. coli K1 strains following environmental insults was 10–100-fold greater on Columbia blood agar than on LB agar, indicating that growing medium is important for viability of rpoS mutants after environmental insults. Taken together, our data suggest that the growth-phase-dependent E. coli K1 invasion of BMEC is affected by RpoS and other growth-phase-dependent regulatory mechanisms.
Evening Temperature Rises on Valley Floors and Slopes: Their Causes and Their Relationship to the Thermally Driven Wind System

Abstract At slope and valley floor sites in the Owens Valley of California, the late afternoon near-surface air temperature decline is often followed by a temporary temperature rise before the expected nighttime cooling resumes. The spatial and temporal patterns of this evening warming phenomenon, as seen in the March/April 2006 Terrain-Induced Rotor Experiment, are investigated using a widely distributed network of 51 surface-based temperature dataloggers. Hypotheses on the causes of the temperature rises are tested using heavily instrumented 34-m meteorological towers that were located within the datalogger array. The evening temperature rise follows the development of a shallow temperature deficit layer over the slopes and floor of the valley in which winds blow downslope. Background winds within the valley, freed from frictional deceleration from the earth’s surface by this layer, accelerate. The increased vertical wind shear across the temperature deficit layer eventually creates shear instability an...
Upper Cretaceous diatom biostratigraphy of the Arctic archipelago and northern continental margin, Canada

Strata in the Canadian Arctic contain diverse and moderately well-preserved Late Cretaceous siliceous microfossil as- semblages. One-hundred-twelve samples were analyzed from a composite stratigraphic section (1094m-thick) of the Smoking Hills, Mason River and Kanguk formations. Four sections were examined: (1) Slidre Fjord on Ellesmere Island; (2) Hoodoo Dome on Ellef Ringnes Island; (3) Cape Nares on Eglinton Island; and (4) Horton River on the Anderson Plains, Northwest Territories. Two hun- dred-three diatom taxa were identified in forty-nine productive samples. Four Upper Cretaceous diatom zones are proposed for the Ca- nadian Arctic based on the biostratigraphic distribution of diatoms: (i) the Upper Cenomanian to Upper Santonian(?) Gladius antiquus Concurrent Range Zone, (ii) the Lower Campanian Costopyxis antiqua Partial Range Zone, (iii) the lower Upper Campanian Trinacria indefinita Interval Zone, and (iv) the upper Upper Campanian Stephanopyxis simonseni Partial Range Zone. The diatom assemblages are similar to those of Alpha Ridge (Arctic Ocean), Ural Mountains (Russia), and Campbell Plateau (SW Pacific Ocean), enabling diatom-based biostratigraphical correlations within the northern high-latitudes and to the southern high-latitudes. A fifth biostratigraphic zone, Azpeitiopsis morenoensis Concurrent Range Zone, is also proposed, based on common and widespread distribution of the nominative taxon in lower to upper Maastrichtian sediments. Sufficient data is now available to establish the construction of a diatom-based standard zonal framework for the Upper Cretaceous. Two new combinations, Trochosira denticulatum (Strelnikova) Tapia and Trochosiropsis polychaeta (Strelnikova) Tapia are here proposed.
Tunable GaInP solar cell lattice matched to GaAs

A new strain-balanced multiple quantum well (MQW) approach to tune the Ga0.51In0.49P bandgap is demonstrated. This approach is based on Ga1−xInxP/Ga1−yInyP (x > y) or Ga1−xInxAszP1−z/Ga1−yInyP (x > y) structures, strain balanced and lattice matched to GaAs in a p-i-n solar cell structure. A red shift in the absorption edge and an increase in the short circuit current were observed. Carriers generated in quantum wells due to transitions between the quantum levels are transported across the barriers via thermionic emission. The proposed structure allows more flexibility in the design of current multi-junction solar cells and future cells with more than four junctions.
The application slowdown model: quantifying and controlling the impact of inter-application interference at shared caches and main memory

In a multi-core system, interference at shared resources (such as caches and main memory) slows down applications running on different cores. Accurately estimating the slowdown of each application has several benefits: e.g., it can enable shared resource allocation in a manner that avoids unfair application slowdowns or provides slowdown guarantees. Unfortunately, prior works on estimating slowdowns either lead to inaccurate estimates, do not take into account shared caches, or rely on a priori application knowledge. This severely limits their applicability. In this work, we propose the Application Slowdown Model (ASM), a new technique that accurately estimates application slowdowns due to interference at both the shared cache and main memory, in the absence of a priori application knowledge. ASM is based on the observation that the performance of each application is strongly correlated with the rate at which the application accesses the shared cache. Thus, ASM reduces the problem of estimating slowdown to that of estimating the shared cache access rate of the application had it been run alone on the system. To estimate this for each application, ASM periodically 1) minimizes interference for the application at the main memory, 2) quantifies the interference the application receives at the shared cache, in an aggregate manner for a large set of requests. Our evaluations across 100 workloads show that ASM has an average slowdown estimation error of only 9.9%, a 2.97× improvement over the best previous mechanism. We present several use cases of ASM that leverage its slowdown estimates to improve fairness, performance and provide slowdown guarantees. We provide detailed evaluations of three such use cases: slowdown-aware cache partitioning, slowdown-aware memory bandwidth partitioning and an example scheme to provide soft slowdown guarantees. Our evaluations show that these new schemes perform significantly better than state-of-the-art cache partitioning and memory scheduling schemes.
Early Estimation of TSV Area for Power Delivery in 3-D ICs

To harness the full potential of 3-D integrated circuits, analysis tools for early design space exploration are needed. Such tools, targeting multiple design facets and cost trade-off analysis, would allow designers to arrive at major decisions regarding architecture and implementations fabrics. TSVs occupy valuable silicon real estate and neither devices nor interconnects can be formed in the area occupied by a TSV. An early estimation of total TSV area allows effective budgeting of device and interconnect resources.
Simulation of Laminar-Flow Compatible High-Lift Wing Configuration with Flow Control

Large-eddy simulations were carried out to describe the flow past a high-lift wing section. The configuration consists of a baseline laminar flow geometry, with smoothly deflected leading- and trailing-edge flaps, corresponding to a wind-tunnel model. Both flaps are deployed at a 45 deg angle with respect to the undeflected state, and blowing from internal plenums is employed to mitigate transition, increase attached flow, and enhance lift. Solutions were obtained to the Navier–Stokes equations, at the experimental chord-based Reynolds number of 1×106 and Mach number of 0.14. The numerical method is based upon a high-fidelity scheme and an implicit time-marching approach. Results were generated for two different angles of attack, in freestream conditions and within the confines of wind-tunnel walls. Comparisons are made with available experimental data in terms of surface pressure distributions, and the effect of blowing is quantified by comparison to baseline cases without control. Details of the computa...
Another State of Mind

About liberal democracy, V. 0. Key, Jr. wrote: "Political parties are basic institutions for the translation of mass preferences into public policy" (1967, p. 432). He did not write that they obstruct the translation of mass preferences into public policy. Although his formulation may be the correct one, it is not justified by any evidence and argument. Karl Deutsch wrote that "...politics has the function of coordinating the learning processes of the whole society" (1980, p. 19). He did not say "indoctrinating"-his was the kinder word "learning." Nor did he write "obstruct" or "distort" the learning processes; his word was "coordinate." How does he know his words are more accurate than these alternatives? Again, his statement is introduced as a preface to subsequent analysis, all of which simply assumes it to be true. David Easton and Robert Hess (1962, p. 233) wrote-and Richard E. Dawson and Kenneth Prewitt (1969, p. 45n) wrote that they agree-that a political community is "a group of persons who seek to solve their problems in common through a shared political structure." They did not write that the phenomenon they sought to describe was that of prevailing over adversaries-their phrase was the more benign "solve their problems in common." Again, how do they know that their formulation is more accurate than the alternatives they did not choose? They do not say. Let me interrupt this illustrative procession of witnesses, though I shall resume it shortly with younger authors. My concern is that when we political scientists make gratuitous claims like these, we leave mainstream American political science vulnerable-vulnerable to the charge from radical political science that we have without evidence fallen into a complacent view of the
Reducing Readmissions After Stroke With a Structured Nurse Practitioner/Registered Nurse Transitional Stroke Program

Background and Purpose— Our aim was to determine whether a standardized Transitional Stroke Clinic (TSC) led by nurse practitioners could reduce 30-day and 90-day readmissions for stroke or transient ischemic attack patients discharged home. Methods— Phase I consisted of nurse practitioners calling only high-risk patients discharged home within 7 days and performing an office visit within 2 to 4 weeks of discharge. Phase II consisted of all patients discharged home receiving both a 2-day follow-up phone call by a registered nurse and a follow-up visit with a nurse practitioner within 7 to 14 days. Differences in process metrics and readmissions across the 2 phases and overall were assessed. Increasing complexity with multiple chronic conditions (diabetes mellitus, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure) was represented in a continuous variable from 0 to 3. Multivariable logistic regression models for 30-day and 90-day readmissions were performed with adjustment for National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and previous hospitalizations. Results— From October 2012 through September 2015, 510 patients were enrolled. From phase I to II, a higher proportion of follow-up calls were made and days from discharge to TSC decreased. Patients readmitted within 30 days were less likely to show for TSC visits (60.85% versus 76.3%; P =0.021). Multivariable modeling showed that TSC visit was associated with a 48% reduction in 30-day readmission (odds ratio, 0.518; 95% confidence interval, 0.272–0.986), whereas multiple chronic conditions and previous stroke/transient ischemic attack increased the risk. TSC visit did not impact 90-day readmissions. Conclusions— Evaluation in a nurse practitioner–led structured clinic is a model that may reduce readmissions at 30 days for stroke patients discharged home.
A physical hysteresis boundary water retention model for uniform wet particulate material

Hysteresis mechanism for water retention behavior is increasingly concerned by unsaturated soil mechanics researchers.It is easier to cognize the essence of this mechanism for wet particulate material such as unsaturated soil,from the perspective of"soil-particle-system".A physical water retention model is proposed for uniform wet particulate material,where boundary wetting and drying processes are considered to be the filling and draining processes of assumed symmetrical cone-shaped pores.The model is then verified using the retention data for three sands and two clayed sands in the past literature.In summary,the advantage of this model is that all model parameters,which have definite physical base,behave unique for hysteresis boundary retention curves,and the influence of the closed air bubbles in pore water is also considered.
Scaled Degree of Rate Control: Identifying Elementary Steps That Control Differences in Performance of Transition-Metal Catalysts

Degree of rate control (DoRC) analysis is a valuable method for identifying influential elementary steps in heterogeneous catalytic processes. By extending the concept of DoRC through explicit incorporation of intrinsic parametric correlations relating chemistry on transition-metal surfaces, we introduce the concept of “scaled degree of rate control” (S-DoRC). This approach identifies relevant rate- or selectivity-controlling steps that are tunable within the confines of parametric correlations on transition-metal surfaces, by quantitatively modifying conclusions drawn from typical DoRC analysis through the use of empirically derived scaling factors for each elementary step.
A hierarchical likelihood classifier with applications to remote sensing

In many classification, pattern recognition, segmentation, problems, the subspaces the union of which forms the space of interest, have some unique characteristics, and some common characteristics. The unique characteristics are expressed by one or more features. Notice that the number of features per unique characteristic is not fixed. The unique characteristics are used first to divide the space into subspaces in general larger than the target subspaces. Each subspace could contain one or more of the final or target subspaces. If it is only one the recognition is finished, else we continue with the common. Using the common features we create a maximum likelihood classifier to maximize the probability of correct classification and minimize the probability of misclassification. We apply our theory here in a remote sensing environment. The multichannel camera is mounted on an unmanned aircraft, the signals are digitized using our analog to digital hardware, compressed lossless and transmitted wireless, to a file server on earth, the camera is controled remotely. Key-Words: Statistical Pattern Recognition, Segmentation, Classifiers, Remote Sensing, Deadalus Cameras.
Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism by Geoffrey R. Stone New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004. 730 Pp.

(2005). Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism by Geoffrey R. Stone New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2004. 730 Pp. American Journalism: Vol. 22, No. 2, pp. 149-150.
Local food systems and community economic development through the lens of theory

The premise of this article is that community support for local food systems and agriculture enterprises represents a convergence of both community and economic development approaches. By drawing on theory for understanding how local food systems and agriculture enterprises are pursued, there are lessons offering understanding and guidance for actions to support more holistic community economic development (CED) approaches. Using theory as a foundation, we seek to articulate the relationships between local food systems, agriculture enterprises, and CED, providing Hardwick, Vermont, as our case study. We seek to explore four theories: social capital, conflict theory, symbolic interaction, and rational choice. It is our intent to show that theory can provide insight for action and deepen understanding of local food system changes and CED impacts.
Predators, Ecological Role of

Predators occur in all of the planet's ecosystems. In many ecosystems, top-down forces and trophic cascades that derive from predators can govern the strength of plant–herbivore interactions and thus major features of ecosystem structure and function. Shifts in plant abundance and species composition resulting from the altered effects of predators often occur rapidly, as phase shifts. Indirect effects of trophic cascades are known to influence sundry phenomena, such as the incidence of disease, fire, biodiversity, and even the composition and function of the atmosphere, water, and soil.
Intraocular Pressure after Intravitreal Triesence Injection.

PURPOSE Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a frequent adverse event associated with intravitreal triamcinolone acetate injection. The incidence of elevated IOP with preserved forms of triamcinolone has been studied but the effect of preservative-free formulations has not been clinically evaluated. DESIGN A retrospective, observational clinical study. METHODS For patients undergoing intravitreal injections over the study period, age, sex, history of glaucoma or ocular hypertension were recorded. For each injection, preinjection IOP, maximum IOP (IOPmax), dose, and indication for injection were noted for both eyes. RESULTS Fourteen patients received 72 injections in 18 eyes. The mean baseline IOP was 15.4 mm Hg; the mean IOPmax was 19.8 mm Hg (P<0.001), occurring 63 days after injection. Outcomes were not significantly different between patients receiving 2 or 4 mg doses. History of glaucoma did not significantly affect IOPmax. CONCLUSIONS Eyes should be monitored for IOP rises after preservative-free triamcinolone acetonide injections.
Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Surgery of Traumatic C2 Fractures in Octogenarians.

BACKGROUND Management of axis fractures in the elderly remains controversial. As the US population increasingly lives past 80 years, published C2 fracture morbidity/mortality profiles in younger cohorts (55+) have become less applicable to octogenarians. OBJECTIVE To report associations between surgery and mortality, hospital length of stay and discharge disposition in octogenarians with traumatic C2 fractures. METHODS Retrospective cohort study of 3847 patients age ≥ 80 years representing 17 702 incidents nationwide, divided into surgery/nonsurgery cohorts, using the National Sample Program of the National Trauma Data Bank from 2003 to 2012. Inpatient complications, mortality, length of stay, and discharge disposition are characterized; multivariable regression was utilized to determine associations between surgery and outcomes. Institutional Review Board (IRB) The National Sample Program dataset from the National Trauma Data Bank is fully deidentified and does not contain Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act identifiers; therefore, this study is exempt from IRB review at the University of California, San Francisco. RESULTS Incidence of surgery was 10.3%. Surgery was associated with increased pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and decubitus ulcer risks ( P < .001). Inpatient mortality was 12.8% (nonsurgery-13.0%; surgery-10.3%; P = .120). Length of stay was 8.31 ± 9.32 days (nonsurgery 7.78 ± 9.21; surgery 12.86 ± 9.07; P < .001) and showed an adjusted mean increase of 5.68 days with surgery (95% confidence interval [4.74-6.61]). Of patients surviving to discharge, 26% returned home (nonsurgery-26.8%; surgery-18.8%; P = .001); surgery patients were less likely to return home (odds ratio 0.59 [0.44-0.78]). CONCLUSION The present study confirms that surgery of traumatic C2 fractures in octogenarians does not significantly affect inpatient mortality and increases discharge to institutionalized care. Patients undergoing surgery are more likely to require longer hospitalization and suffer increased medical complications during their stay. Given the retrospective nature of this study, it is unclear whether these conclusions reflect differences in injury severity between surgery cohorts. This question may be considered in a future prospective study.
Disempowering Mindfulness: Reflections on Discovering the Veils of Power in Well-Being and Good Intentions

Despite the widespread popularity of mindfulness as a wellness intervention strategy across educational levels, its proponents are susceptible to countering the intended area of improvement. This article recounts the cumulative reflections of an educator and his attempts to implement mindfulness into high school classes at the Los Angeles County Jail. Beginning with a layout of the physical and social settings, the article examines the ways that unconsciously practicing mindfulness will counter and potentially negate the possible benefits of mindful practice.
Genotyping (Subtyping) Bacteria

Genotyping, or subtyping, bacteria has been practiced for decades using phenotypic variation, but recently has undergone a revolution due to DNA-based methods. Systematic sampling of nucleotide variation across whole genomes has led to the robust identification of bacterial types and subtypes. Whole genome sequencing is replacing other methods and will lead to more rigorous molecular epidemiological and evolutionary analyses.
Road to High Tc and Search for New Superconducting Systems

This symposium is a big event not only for Bill Little, but for all of us. It is truly a big event for me because all of my scientific life has been greatly affected by his creative work. I first met Bill Little at the International Low Temperature Conference in Moscow in 1966. He was a major star at that convention, because everybody knew of the famous paper [1] he published in 1964.
Subgraph Approximations for Directed Graphical Models

Graphical Models provide a powerful tool for the formulation of general statistical models. In a previous paper, (Yiannoutsos and Gelfand, 1991), the authors argued that sampling-based techniques provide a unified approach for the analysis of graphical models under general distributional specifications. These techniques include both noniterative and iterative Monte Carlo.
Studies on a non-pyridine nucleotide dependent, membrane-bound L-(+)-glutamate oxidoreductase in Azotobacter vinelandii

Abstract A new type of membrane-bound oxidoreductase is described that carries out an oxidative deamination reaction that specifically involves L-glutamate. This enzyme is found in a subcellular fraction of Azotobacter vinelandii strain 0. It can oxidize L−(+)-glutamate using molecular oxygen and produces α-ketoglutarate and NH3 as end products. Neither NAD+ nor NADP+ are involved in this oxidation. The reaction is carried out by the membranous “R3” fraction which is obtained from sonically ruptured resting cells by differential centrifugation. In addition to O2, the electron acceptors that allowed for L-glutamate oxidation were phenazine methosulfate (PMS), K3Fe(CN)6, and 2, 6-dichloroindophenol (DCIP). This oxidation appears to be an integral part of the Azotobacter electron transport system as the L-glutamate oxidase rate is also highly sensitive to known electron transport inhibitors, i.e. , 2-n-hydroxy-4-quinoline-N-oxide, cyanide, and thenoyltrifluoroacetone. Spectral absorption studies on the Azotobacter R3 electron transport fraction revealed that the cytochrome and flavoprotein (non-heme iron) components also could be reduced completely upon the addition of L-glutamate. Preliminary results suggest that this is a new type of L-glutamate oxidoreductase that does not as yet have an Enzyme Commission number and appears to be (a) a specific flavoprotein enzyme that is not a type of L-amino acid oxidase, (b) tightly bound (and functionally attached) to the Azotobacter electron transport system, and (c) capable of carrying out specifically the oxidative deamination of L-glutamate in the absence of pyridine nucleotides.
An electromyographic and kinetic comparison of conventional and Romanian deadlifts

Abstract Background/objective Significant biomechanical differences were found among deadlift variations. However, little is known about the differences between the conventional and the Romanian deadlifts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine which deadlift technique is a better training protocol between the conventional and the Romanian deadlifts as indicated by the greater demand in muscle activities and joint kinetics. Methods 21 males performed each deadlift with 70% of the Romanian deadlift one repetition maximum (1RM) determined using a 1RM testing. Myoelectric activities of the rectus femoris, biceps femoris, and gluteus maximus and lower extremity net joint torque (NJT) were compared. The variables were extracted through an electromyography system (EMG) and a three-dimensional motion analysis. The EMG values were normalized to the peak EMG activation from a submaximal non-isometric voluntary contraction. A two-way repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted for statistical analysis. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results Significantly greater normalized EMG values were found from the rectus femoris and gluteus maximus (58.57 ± 13.73 and 51.52 ± 6.08 %peak) of the conventional deadlift than those of the Romanian deadlift (25.26 ± 14.21 and 46.88 ± 7.39 %peak). The conventional deadlift indicated significantly greater knee and ankle NJTs (0.21 ± 0.13 and −0.33 ± 0.08 Nm/kg cm) than those of the Romanian deadlift (−0.28 ± 0.1 and −0.29 ± 0.06 Nm/kg cm). Conclusion The conventional deadlift would be a better technique for training the rectus femoris and gluteus maximus than the Romanian deadlift as indicated by the greater EMG and NJT values.
Foraging ecology and flocking behavior of insectivorous forest birds inform management of Andean silvopastures for conservation.

ABSTRACT Wildlife-friendly agricultural practices, such as agroforestry, can play an important role in conserving biodiversity by providing and connecting habitat across working landscapes. Silvopastures (i.e. pastures with substantial tree cover), in particular, possess considerable potential for conserving biodiversity due to the dominance of pastoral landscapes in many regions. However, to balance tradeoffs between the conservation and agricultural values of these anthropogenic systems, better information on wildlife use and how it relates to habitat quality is needed. To improve our mechanistic understanding of silvopastoral habitat quality, and to develop management recommendations, we evaluated the foraging behavior of insectivorous forest birds in Andean silvopastures compared with forest fragments. Focal species' prey attack rates were >25% lower in silvopastures than in forest fragments, suggesting that arthropod prey were less abundant or accessible in silvopastures than in forest fragments. In ...
A synthetic review of remote sensing applications to detect nearshore bars

Abstract Nearshore bars are important morphologic features associated with intermediate and dissipative natural beaches. Bars impact the direction, magnitude, and patterns of sediment transport in the nearshore. They serve as a buffer against extreme and meso-scale events. In this review article, we investigate remotely-based observations, specifically near-Earth and satellite imagery, which have been used to investigate nearshore bars. Several recent advances in technology and techniques allow the remote measurement of bar width and height, beach slope, shoreline orientation, and bar count. Video monitoring imagery is presently the most popular method to derive these data. However, spatial prediction models using satellite imagery can also provide reliable bar morphodynamic information.