cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“Now my ‘old self’ is thin” Stigma Exits after Weight Loss

In this article, I employ a structural symbolic interaction framework to examine the processes by which persons can exit a stigmatized identity. Using the empirical example of weight loss, I analyze how individuals evolve from an identity as “fat” and stigmatized to one that is “normal” with respect to weight and free from identification with stigmatizing self-labels. The results suggest that stigma exits are possible but not easy and that simply sustaining weight loss over time does not necessarily produce an exit from stigma. Instead, stigma exits require evolutions in the responses of significant others and shifts in the way exiters view themselves. Moreover, individuals vary in the intensity of their identification with stigma and this is associated with the kinds of obstacles they find most troublesome as they attempt to exit stigma. Finally, I discuss the application of these findings to theories of structural symbolic interaction and to other forms of stigma.
17 SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION AND GENE EXPRESSION IN MAGNITUDE-DEPENDENT MECHANOCHEMICAL REGULATION OF LUNG ENDOTHELIAL BARRIER.

Ventilator-induced lung injury is associated with activation of inflammatory cytokines and excessive lung distention, which directly affects blood-gas barrier and lung vascular permeability. Small GTPases Rho and Rac play an essential role in agonist-mediated endothelial cell cytoskeletal remodeling and permeability, but their role in lung endothelial cell barrier regulation under mechanical stress is less understood. We studied magnitude-dependent effects of cyclic stretch on lung endothelial cell barrier restoration after thrombin challenge and linked these effects with differential activation of Rho and Rac. Consistent with differential effects of 5% cyclic stretch and 18% cyclic stretch on thrombin-induced endothelial cell monolayer disruption, a peak of thrombin-induced Rho activation at 5 minutes was enhanced by endothelial cell preconditioning at 18% cyclic stretch and was attenuated by 5% cyclic stretch. Endothelial cell preconditioning at physiological cyclic stretch (5%) induced more pronounced activation of Rac at 30 minutes compared to endothelial cell exposed to 18% cyclic stretch and caused nearly complete endothelial cell monolayer recovery observed after 50 minutes of thrombin stimulation, which was associated with peripheral accumulation of Rac effector cortactin. Promotion of endothelial cell barrier restoration by physiological cyclic stretch as well as cortactin peripheral accumulation was abolished by siRNA-based depletion of Rac expression or by Rac pharmacological inhibitor NSC-23766. Lung endothelial cell subjected to long-term cyclic stretch (18% elongation, 24 hours) increased expression of procontractile cellular proteins Rho, myosin light chain kinase, ZIP-kinase, and released extracellular bioactive molecules with barrier-disruptive properties. These results show involvement of Rac-mediated mechanisms in the barrier-promoting effects of physiologic cyclic stretch preconditioning and suggest direct link between amplitude-dependent activation of Rho- and Rac-mediated pathways and dynamic regulation of lung endothelial barrier by mechanochemical stimuli.
Historical and theoretical introduction to rent, resources and technologies

It is useful to introduce this theoretical study with some propositions from the history of economic thought. The review will focus on some general categories later recalled in the analytical part of the book. In so doing, we avoid a superficial survey of issues that would by themselves require monographic studies. Since a selection has to be made, it will be based upon the analytical and intellectual framework followed over several years by the authors in their research on this topic.
Pediatric thyroid cancer: An update from the SEER database 2007-2012.

Abstract Objective To update the medical literature regarding the incidence, disease specific survival, and treatment modalities utilized in pediatric patients diagnosed with thyroid carcinomas. Study design Cross Sectional Analysis of a National Database. Study setting SEER Database. Methods The National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Database was queried for all cases of pediatric thyroid cancer between the years 2007 and 2012. Patients ages 0–19 were grouped by histological subtypes and demographic data, overall incidence rate, and disease specific survival after surgery and surgery with radiation therapy. Fifteen-Year Disease Specific Survival Curves were generated and treatment modalities were compared to assess for statistical differences at each yearly interval. Results A total of 1723 pediatric patients were identified and the average age-adjusted rate of malignancy was determined to be 0.59 per 100,000 patients. The incidence of pediatric thyroid cancer was approximately 4.4:1 when comparing females to males, respectively. Papillary subtype was the most common (n = 1014, 58.8%), followed by follicular variant subtype (n = 397, 23%), follicular subtype (n = 173, 10.1%) and medullary subtype (n = 139, 8.1%). As pediatric patients reached fifteen to nineteen years of age, the incidence of papillary and follicular variant subtypes increased. Analysis of medullary thyroid cancer data revealed that incidence was highest in the zero to four age group and declined at later years. Pediatric patients presenting with metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma maintained significantly poorer fifteen-year disease specific survival when compared to other histologic subtypes (p Conclusions Pediatric thyroid carcinoma remains an uncommon diagnosis despite an annual increase in incidence of approximately one percent since the development of the SEER database. Overall, pediatric thyroid carcinomas demonstrate an excellent prognosis if identified early and appropriate management is available. Caucasian female patients have higher incidence of carcinoma diagnoses when compared to males. Medullary histologic subtype, especially when metastatic at initial diagnoses, demonstrates statistically poorer outcomes when compared to other subtypes.
Disability in prison activities of daily living and likelihood of depression and suicidal ideation in older prisoners

Objective The study objective was to determine if disability in activities of daily living specific to prison, prison activities of daily living (PADLs), is associated with depression and severity of suicidal ideation (SI) in older prisoners, a rapidly growing population at high risk of suicide. Methods Cross-sectional design using data from a study of prisoners age ≥50 years (N = 167). Depression was operationalized as a score of ≥15 on the 9-item Physician Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). SI severity was assessed using the Geriatric Suicide Ideation Scale (GSIS). Participants were considered to have PADL disability if they reported any of the following as “very difficult” or “cannot do:” dropping to the floor for alarms, climbing on/off the top bunk, hearing orders, walking while wearing handcuffs, standing in line for medications, and walking to chow. Associations were examined with bivariate tests and with multivariable logistic and linear regression models, and the interaction term gender × PADL disability was tested. Results PADL disability was associated with depression and SI severity. There was no main effect of gender on either depression or SI, yet the association between PADL disability and depression was considerably stronger in male than in female older prisoners. Conclusions Identifying older prisoners who have difficulty performing PADLs may help distinguish prisoners who may also be likely to be depressed or experience more severe SI. Furthermore, the association between PADL disability and depression may be particularly salient in older male prisoners. Longitudinal studies are needed as causal inferences are limited by the cross-sectional design. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Climate change and livestock: Impacts, adaptation, and mitigation

Global demand for livestock products is expected to double by 2050, mainly due to improvement in the worldwide standard of living. Meanwhile, climate change is a threat to livestock production because of the impact on quality of feed crop and forage, water availability, animal and milk production, livestock diseases, animal reproduction, and biodiversity. This study reviews the global impacts of climate change on livestock production, the contribution of livestock production to climate change, and specific climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the livestock sector. Livestock production will be limited by climate variability as animal water consumption is expected to increase by a factor of three, demand for agricultural lands increase due to need for 70% growth in production, and food security concern since about one-third of the global cereal harvest is used for livestock feed. Meanwhile, the livestock sector contributes 14.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, driving further climate change. Consequently, the livestock sector will be a key player in the mitigation of GHG emissions and improving global food security. Therefore, in the transition to sustainable livestock production, there is a need for: a) assessments related to the use of adaptation and mitigation measures tailored to the location and livestock production system in use, and b) policies that support and facilitate the implementation of climate change adaptation and mitigation measures.
Does Awareness of the Affordable Care Act Reduce Adverse Selection? A Study of the Long-term Uninsured in South Carolina:

Adverse selection predicts that individuals with lower health status would be more likely to sign up for health insurance. This hypothesis was tested among the long-term uninsured population in South Carolina (SC). This study used data from an in-person survey conducted from May 2014 to January 2015. Interviews were held with the long-term uninsured individuals at multiple sites throughout the state, using a multistage sampling method. SC residents aged 18 to 64 years who had had no health insurance for at least 24 consecutive months were eligible for the survey. The dependent variable is the participants' attempt to obtain insurance coverage. Key independent variables are self-reported health status, hospitalization in the past year, use of emergency department in the past year, and presence of serious long-standing health problems. The analysis is stratified by the awareness of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)'s individual mandate while controlling for age, gender, race/ethnicity, and household income. Participants' self-reported health status was not significantly associated with the attempt to sign up for health insurance in both groups (those aware and those unaware of the individual mandate). Being hospitalized in the previous year was significantly associated with their attempt to sign up for insurance in both groups. Participants with serious long-term health problems were more likely to have attempted to sign up for insurance among those who were not aware of the ACA. However, this association was statistically insignificant among those who had heard of ACA. Sicker people were more likely to attempt to sign up for insurance. However, being aware of the ACA's individual mandate seemed to play a role in reducing adverse selection.
HAMR near-field tranducer design: Remote plasmon-assisted impedance tuning and thermal curvature dependence on optical polarization

We address numerically two important aspects of HAMR (heat-assisted magnetic recording) near-field transducer (NFT) design, namely media-impedance matching and hot spot thermal curvature flattening. A scheme to tune the NFT-media impedance mismatch remotely from the air-bearing surface (ABS) is proposed, and the dependence of the thermal curvature on the optical polarization is investigated.
Nanomedical studies of the restoration of nitric oxide/peroxynitrite balance in dysfunctional endothelium by 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D 3 – clinical implications for cardiovascular diseases

Background Clinical studies indicate that vitamin D3 improves circulation and may have beneficial effects in hypertension. This study uses nanomedical systems to investigate the role of 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3 in the preservation/restoration of endothelial function in an angiotensin II (Ang II) cellular model of hypertension. Methods 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D3-stimulated nitric oxide (NO) and peroxynitrite (ONOO-) concentrations were measured in situ with nanosensors (200-300 mm diameter with a detection limit of 1 nM) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells of African American (AA) and Caucasian American (CA) donors exposed to Ang II. The balance/imbalance between NO and ONOO- concentrations ([NO]/[ONOO-]) was simultaneously monitored and used as an indicator of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) uncoupling and endothelial dysfunction. Results [NO]/[ONOO-] imbalance in Ang II-stimulated dysfunctional endothelium was 0.20±0.16 for CAs and 0.11±0.09 for AAs. Uncoupled eNOS and overexpression of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase contributed to high production of ONOO-. Vitamin D3 treatment reversed [NO]/[ONOO-] to 3.0±0.1 in CAs and 2.1±0.1 in AAs - exceeding that observed in normal endothelium. Vitamin D3 restored uncoupled eNOS and endothelial function by increasing cytoprotective NO and decreasing the cytotoxic ONOO-. The beneficial effect of vitamin D3 is associated with a favorable rate of NO and ONOO- release, restoration of the [NO]/[ONOO-] and the overall decrease in the overexpression of eNOS, inducible nitric oxide synthase and NADPH oxidase. This effect of vitamin D3 may prove to be beneficial in the treatment of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, myocardial infarction, vasculopathy, stroke and diabetes.
Mathematics Skills and Everyday Problem Solving

We administer a basic mathematics exam to over 600 students enrolled in various college economics courses to understand what factors influence a student's ability to use basic math skills in solving simple real world problems. We find that students with strong elementary math skills are better able to use their math background in solving everyday problems. Moreover, our findings suggest that by taking more math classes in college, students significantly improve their ability to apply math in real world settings. Finally, we find that many demographic variables are important determinants, particularly the size of personal and family income. Students with greater personal financial responsibility in funding their education do significantly better in understanding and applying basic math skills.
The Apprenticeship of an Iconographer

Much has been written about icons, with a great deal of interest and remarkable competence, especially during the twentieth century. However, almost all that has been written has been about the visible face of icons. Those who studied them were, in most cases, art historians and art critics, regular historians or theologians interested in Biblical history and in the part of the icon conveying the message (implicitly in the iconographic programs). Naturally, they went as far as the limits of their respective specialized fields, and no further.
Bifurcations of a Class of Discrete-Time Singular Biological Economic Models

It is well known that the Lotka-Volterra prey-predatormodel is one of the fundamental population models. A predator-prey interaction was first described by two pioneers, Lotka [8] and Volterra [12], in two independent works. The research dealing with interspecific interactions hasmainly focused on continuous prey-predatormodels of two variables. However, certain species, including many species of insects, have no overlap between successive generations and so their population evolves in discrete time-steps. Such populations can be modeled by difference equations, otherwise known as discrete dynamical systems or (iterative)maps. There is now a considerable literature on discrete ecosystem models, e.g., see [6, 9, 10] and references therein. Some works by Danca et al. [2], Jing and Yang [5], Liu and Xiao [7], and Agiza et al. [1] showed that, for the discrete-time prey-predator models, the dynamics can produce a much richer set of patterns than those observed in continuous-time models. Also, Summers et al. have examined four typical discrete-time ecosystem models under the effects of periodic forcing [11]. They found that a system that has simplistic behavior in its unforced state can assume chaotic behaviorwhen subjected to periodic forcing, dependent on the values chosen for the controlling parameters.
Role of Pituitary LH and Placenta in Luteal Progesterone Production and Maintenance of Pregnancy in the Rat

It is now well-established that neutralization of circulating LH using specific antiserum leads to termination of pregnancy in the rat (1–3). In our extensive investigations, we demonstrated that LH antiserum is effective when administered from day 1–8 or any day between 8 and 11 (1,3). Neutralization of LH is effective even at midnight of day 11, but not at 10 a.m. on day 12, indicating a sharp ‘cut off’ point. The observed termination of pregnancy is accompanied by profuse vaginal bleeding 36 to 48 hrs after antiserum administration. Plasma progesterone levels drastically fall within a short period of neutralizing LH (4). This indicates that LH is essential for production of progesterone at this time of pregnancy. The effects of LH antiserum on pregnancy have been amply confirmed by other investigators (5–7). Morishige and Rothchild (5) extended these studies to earlier period of pregnancy and demonstrated that LH dependency sets in between day 6 and 8, simultaneously with the loss of dependency on pituitary prolactin. To investigate the mode of action of LH, Gibori et al utilized the LH antiserum treated rat model system (8). They demonstrated that testosterone implants can maintain pregnancy, in such rats. Further Gibori and Keyes have provided significant evidence that testosterone administered is converted to estrogen, which in turn maintains progesterone production in the pregnant rat. The rat corpus luteum contains high concentrations of estrogens during pregnancy (9, 10) and exogenous estrogen stimulates luteal growth and progesterone secretion in hypophysectomized-hysterectomized pregnant rats (11, 12). Intraovarian bursal estrogen implants also seem to maintain luteal functionality as judged by progesterone secretion, during days 10 and 11 of pregnancy (13). Thus at the present time it seems that the luteal progesterone production becomes dependent on pituitary LH and placental luteotropin by day 8 of pregnancy. The present series of investigations were undertaken to elucidate the contribution of the placenta and its potential to sustain steroidogenesis in the absense of LH.
Care-by-parent model as a tool for reduction of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome in neonates exposed to buprenorphine maintenance therapy in-utero.

Objective: To determine if a structured care-by-parent (CBP) protocol is associated with a reduction in diagnosis of treatment-requiring Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS).Study design: We ...
Symmetry-Broken Many-Body Excited States of the Gaseous Atomic Double-Well Bose-Einstein Condensate

Macroscopic, many-body self-trapped and quantum superposition states of the gaseous double-well Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) are investigated within the context of a multiconfigurational bosonic self-consistent field theory based upon underlying spatially symmetry-broken one-body wave functions. To aid in the interpretation of our results, an approximate model is constructed in the extreme Fock state limit, in which self-trapped and superposition states emerge in the many-body spectrum, striking a delicate balance between the degree of symmetry breaking, the effects of the condensate's mean field, and that of atomic correlation. It is found, in both the model and full theory, that the superposition state lies energetically below its related self-trapped counterpart even when many configurations are involved. Noticeably different spatial density profiles are associated with each type of excited state, thus providing a rigorous justification for approximate descriptions of high-lying excited states of the BEC.
Trend-following market behaviour at the 4pm London time BFIX and WMR fixing windows

We investigate trend-following market behaviour around the 4pm London time BFIX and WMR fixing windows to reduce trading costs for trend and counter-trend flows
Tissue plasminogen activator dose and pulmonary artery pressure reduction in catheter directed thrombolysis of submassive pulmonary embolism

Author(s): Patel, Darshan C; Gaba, Ron C; Liu, Li; Lokken, R Peter | Abstract: PURPOSE:The purpose of this study is to assess the incremental effect of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) dose on pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and bleeding during catheter directed thrombolysis (CDT) of submassive pulmonary embolism (PE). MATERIALS AND METHODS:Records of 46 consecutive patients (25 men, 21 women, mean age 55±14 y) who underwent CDT for submassive PE between September 2009 and February 2017 were retrospectively reviewed. Mean t-PA rate was 0.7±0.3 mg/h. PAP was measured at baseline and daily until CDT termination. Mixed-effects regression modeling was performed of repeated PAP measures in individual patients. Bleeding events were classified by Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO) and t-PA dose at onset. RESULTS:Mean t-PA dose was 43.0±30.0 mg over 61.9± 28.8 h. Mean systolic PAP decreased from 51.7±15.5 mmHg at baseline to 35.6±12.7 mmHg at CDT termination (pl0.001). Mixed-effects regression revealed a linear decrease in systolic PAP over time (β = -0.37 (SE = 0.05), pl0.001) with reduction in mean systolic PAP to 44.8±1.9 mmHg at 12 mg t-PA/20 h, 39.5±2.0 mmHg at 24 mg t-PA/40 h, and 34.9±2.1 mmHg at 36 mg/60 h. No severe, one moderate, and 8 mild bleeding events occurred; bleeding onset was more frequent at ≤24 mg t-PA (p l0.001). One patient expired from cardiopulmonary arrest after 16 h of CDT (15.4 mg t-PA); no additional intra-procedural fatalities occurred. CONCLUSION:Increased total t-PA dose and CDT duration were associated with greater PAP reduction without increased bleeding events.
Decision-Making for Medically Complex Children in Foster Care: Exploring the Ethical Challenges

Introduction: Of the nearly 430,000 children in foster care in the US, an estimated 10% are considered medically fragile or complex. These children may require multiple medications, numerous medical appointments, be technology dependent, and require recurrent hospitalizations. These intensive care needs often result in frequent and difficult medical decisions. For the most medically complex children in foster care, high stake medical decisions such as whether to proceed with a tracheostomy or sign a DNR order can be challenging and fraught with ethical, legal, and practical challenges. Case Report: “Courtney” is …
The Inca in the Plaza: debating change in the World Heritage historic urban centre of Cusco, Peru

A statue known locally as the ‘Piel Roja’ (‘Red Skin’, a Native American in leggings, mocassins, cape, and carrying a bow and arrow) stood atop the Belle Epoque fountain in the centre of Cusco’s Pl...
Commentary on ‘The right not to know and the obligation not to know’

The idea of a right not to know (RNTK) emerged in the late 20th century, largely in response to the early incorporation of genetic testing into clinical care. While a few commentators took a more absolute view about the strength of the RNTK, most of the scholarship was openly sceptical of the concept, or at least was willing to acknowledge that the RNTK was defeasible.1 After two decades of relative quiet, it was surprising, then, that the RNTK reappeared with a seemingly widespread consensus that it deserved to be treated as an absolute right. In response to the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics recommendation2 to actively search for a limited set of high-value medical variants as a default (ie, without soliciting the patient’s preference to know or not know that information) many bioethics commentators came forward to endorse a strong RNTK.3 While ‘deliberate ignorance’ is a complicated moral and psychological concept,4 I was and remain sceptical of a strong RNTK in all cases, and largely support the novel arguments put forth by Ben Davies. But he makes two moves that deserve additional discussion and analysis. Specifically, I have concerns about conflating the provision of medical information with the separate decision about whether or not to act on …
Diversity, consensus, and decision making: evidence from the U.S. Courts of Appeals

In this article, we identify key theoretical perspectives from the literature in social and organizational psychology on diversity and workgroups and apply these concepts to an analysis of decision...
Apathy in Parkinson disease: Why we should care.

The main objective of the study by Scott et al.1 was to explore the possible coexistence of apathy and impulse control disorders in a convenience sample of 887 patients with Parkinson disease (PD). Definitions are important in this neurologic study, as these behavioral entities are more often discussed in psychiatric journals than those devoted to neurology. The impulse control disorders referenced in this study were generally compulsive rather than impulsive disorders in the purest sense. As such, the clinical issues of concern focused largely on repetitive and difficult-to-stop behaviors rather than “out of the blue” impulsive surges. The behaviors reported are typical of those included under this designation within neurologic studies, but in the strictest sense they are more aligned with obsessive-compulsive behaviors than true impulsivity. In the same way, apathy has been variably defined, both as a symptom and as a syndrome. In this study, it was defined by a score on a validated scale.2 The symptoms of apathy are diminished motivation, interest, or emotional experience.2 The apathetic syndrome requires the addition of a variety of abnormalities associated with decreased goal-directed behavior and the social consequences of these behavioral anomalies.2,3 The authors merge these strict distinctions for this study, but as the field expands further, they may need to be separated for clearer precision.
Religiosity and identity interference among graduate students in the sciences.

Abstract Individuals who hold an identity that is stigmatized in a particular social context will often, if possible, conceal that identity. While such concealment is intended to help the individual fit into that context, research has found that concealment often harms the individual's ability to form an identity and sense of belonging. The study presented here examines this dynamic as it relates to religious individuals in science. Past research suggests that being religious is a stigmatized identity within academic science and that many religious scientists conceal their religious identity to avoid that stigma. Using data generated from a survey of U.S. science graduate students and structural equation modeling, we examine concealment of religious identity among religious students and whether this concealment mediates a negative relationship between student religiosity and identification as a scientist. The analysis finds that religiosity is positively associated with concealment of religious identity, which itself is negatively associated with identification as a scientist. This study contributes to the sociological study of religion and science by shifting the focus away from epistemological conflicts and towards more social and cultural forms of religion-science conflict. These findings also contribute to research on identity conflict, stigma management, and the role of social identities in workplaces.
Dear Preservice Middle Level Majors and Beginning Middle School Teachers

This methods book takes a very practical approach to learning to teach middle school school mathematics in the Age of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The Kindergarten through Grade 12 CCSS in Mathematics (i.e., CCSSM) was officially released on June 2, 2010 with 45 of the 50 US states in agreement to adopt it. Consequently, that action also meant implementing changes in their respective state standards and curriculum in mathematics.
Seating, Console and Workplace Design: Seated Operator Reach Profiles:

Traditional methods for the characterization of reach envelopes have been based upon systems designed for static measurement of reach and have been frequently less accurate than is desirable for design recommendations. This paper describes the development and validation of a methodology for dynamic measurement of reach envelopes, based upon a position-sensing potentiometric system. The characterization of reach envelopes for restrained and unrestrained male and female seated operators is also described. Anthropometric data of subject populations, example reach envelope contours and comparisons of data from the present study with previous reach envelope data are presented.
Safety of an Amino Acid-Derived Infant Formula in Children Allergic to Cow Milk

Allergy to cow milk occurs in 2.0% to 2.5% of children younger than 3 years of age.1-3 Soy protein-based and hydrolyzed cow milk-based formulas are often substituted in children believed to have allergy to cow milk. However, studies suggest that soy allergy occurs as frequently as cow milk allergy when introduced as the initial formula,4,5 and up to 50% of infants with cow milk-induced enterocolitis syndrome will react to soy protein formulas.6 In addition, rare patients with IgE-mediated cow milk allergy and cow milk-induced enterocolitis syndrome react to the extensively hydrolyzed cow milk formulas. The availability of an elemental formula for such infants would be useful.
Luck vs. skill

Recent legislation in the US regarding gambling over the web has led to renewed interest in the question of which games are games of skill. We take a statistical approach to the problem, defining the skill index of a game to be the average amount of playing time after which variance due to chance and variance due to skill differences are equal. We then look at tournament results for championship-level duplicate bridge, PGA golf, and duplicate poker, as well as some simulated toy games, to see how their skill indices compare.
Asymmetry-Aware link quality services in wireless sensor networks

Recent studies in wireless sensor networks (WSN) have observed that the irregular link quality is a common phenomenon, rather than an anomaly. The irregular link quality, especially link asymmetry, has significant impacts on the design of WSN protocols. In this paper, we propose two asymmetry-aware link quality services: the neighborhood link quality service (NLQS) and the link relay service (LRS). The novelty of the NLQS service is taking the link asymmetry into consideration to provide timeliness link quality and distinguishing the inbound and outbound neighbors with the support of LRS, which builds a relay framework to alleviate the effects of link asymmetry. To demonstrate the proposed link quality services, we design and implement two example applications, the shortest hops routing tree (SHRT) and the best path reliability routing tree (BRRT), on the TinyOS platform. We found that the performance of two example applications is improved substantially. More than 40% of nodes identify more outbound neighbors and the percentage of increased outbound neighbors is between 14% and 100%. In SHRT, more than 15% of nodes reduce hops of the routing tree and the percentage of reduced hops is between 14% and 100%. In BRRT, more than 16% of nodes improve the path reliability of the routing tree and the percentage of the improved path reliability is between 2% to 50%.
Escherichia coli proteins inducible by oxidative stress mediated by the superoxide radical.

Abstract Two-dimensional gel analyses were made of proteins synthesized in Escherichia coli during various O2- -generating conditions. Nine proteins were constitutively synthesized over wild-type levels in superoxide dismutase (sodA sodB) double mutants. Addition of redox cycling agents such as paraquat and plumbagin at various concentrations induced up to 13 proteins in wild-type cells. Among these 13 were 5 of the 9 constitutively synthesized in the sodA sodB double mutants. Addition of these agents to the superoxide dismutase mutants in low micromolar concentrations induced an additional set of 14 proteins. The proteins induced included only five proteins that have been previously associated with stress responses, consisting of endonuclease IV (Nfo), three oxyR-regulated proteins, and one heat shock protein. O2- -mediated induction of the superoxide inducible (Soi) proteins in the wild type was independent of the oxyR+ gene for all but the three oxyR-regulated proteins. Analyses of proteins from three soi::lacZ gene fusions previously isolated (T. Kogoma, S. B. Farr, K. M. Joyce, and D. O. Natvig, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 85:4799-4803, 1988) indicated the specific loss of one of these induced proteins in each fusion strain and the constitutive expression of some Soi proteins.
Observation of the low-energy 1Ag state of diphenylhexatriene by two-photon excitation spectroscopy

Abstract The origin of the lowest-energy 1 A g excited state of DPH in a rigid EPA matrix at 77 K has been located at 25050 cm −1 by two-photon excitation spectroscopy. It lies 990 cm −1 below the origin of the lowest one-photon allowed 1 B u ← 1 B g transition, thus supporting the reordering of polyene excited electronic states suggested by recent theoretical and other experimental considerations.
Optical Frequency Synthesis Based on Mode- Locked Lasers

The synthesis of optical frequencies from the primary cesium microwave standard has traditionally been a difficult problem due to the large disparity in frequency. Recently this field has been dramatically advanced by the introduction and use of mode-locked lasers. This application of mode-locked lasers has been particularly aided by the ability to generate mode-locked spectra that span an octave. This review article describes how mode-locked lasers are used for optical frequency synthesis and gives recent results obtained using them.
Endovascular repair of arterio-bronchial fistula of the outflow graft of HeartMate II left ventricular assist device

Arterio-bronchial ﬁstula in combination with prostheticvascular graft infection is a formidable challenge for sur-geons. We describe a patient with arterio-bronchial ﬁstulaof the outﬂow graft of a left ventricular assist device(LVAD) who presented with hemoptysis and hemothorax.CLINICAL SUMMARYThe patient is a 58-year-old obese female who under-went implantation of a HeartMate XVE (Thoratec Corp,Pleasanton, Calif) for advanced heart failure. The LVADwas exchanged for a HeartMate II (Thoratec Corp) within15 months because of device failure. Four months later,she presented with copious hemoptysis. She was hemo-dynamically stable with a patent airway. Computed to-mography (CT) angiogram of the chest revealed a righthemothorax and extravasation of the contrast at the mid-portion of the outﬂow graft of the LVAD (Figure 1).This location corresponded to the site of the Dacron graftto graft anastomosis or the de-airing site. Emergency sur-gical exploration and graft repair were contemplated;however, morbidity of a third sternotomy was consideredsigniﬁcant in this anticoagulated, obese patient. Further-more, the right hemothorax was considered contaminatedwith lower respiratory bacterial ﬂora, which can causea deep sternal wound infection; therefore, we decided toproceed with a non-sternotomy option, such as an endo-vascular approach.In a hybrid operating room, a pigtail catheter was ad-vancedthroughtheleftfemoralartery into theoutﬂowgraftthatwasanastomosedtothemid-ascendingaorta.Preproce-dural angiogram conﬁrmed active extravasation of the con-trast. The right common carotid artery was chosen for stentgraft delivery. After the right common carotid artery wasexposed, the patient was heparinized. Via a 5F sheath, an180-cm Nitrex wire was advanced into the ascending aortaand subsequently into the outﬂow graft. Thewirewas care-fully ‘‘parked’’ just downstream from the rotor inside theLVAD.Theoutﬂowgraftwas16mm,measuredonthebasisoftheCTﬁndingsandintraoperativeangiogram.A20355mm AneuRx iliac limb stent graft (Medtronic, Santa Rosa,Calif)wasdeployedintheoutﬂowgraft.Completionangio-gram showed a type Ib endoleak; therefore, a secondAneuRx aortic cuff stent graft (22 3 40 mm) was placedjustdistaltotheﬁrstgraftﬂushtotheascendingaorta.Are-peat angiogram revealed successful endovascular repair(Figure 2).On postoperative day 1, neurologic examination re-vealed slight motor weakness in the left foot; however,the patient regained full strength 2 days later and was dis-chargedonpostoperativeday6withlong-termantibiotics.A follow-up CT scan before her discharge revealed a suc-cessful endovascular exclusion of the arterio-bronchialﬁstula.DISCUSSIONArterio-bronchialﬁstulawithinvolvementofaprostheticvasculargraftisasigniﬁcantsurgicalchallengethatusuallyrequires excision of the graft with extra-anatomic bypass.
Fe Promoted NOx Storage Materials: Structural Properties and NOx Uptake

Fe promoted NOx storage materials were synthesized in the form of FeOx/BaO/Al2O3 ternary oxides with varying BaO (8 and 20 wt %) and Fe (5 and 10 wt %) contents. Synthesized NOx storage materials were investigated via TEM, EELS, BET, FTIR, TPD, XRD, XPS, and Raman spectroscopy, and the results were compared with the conventional BaO/Al2O3 NOx storage system. Our results suggest that the introduction of Fe in the BaO/Al2O3 system leads to the formation of additional NOx storage sites which store NOx mostly in the form of bidentate nitrates. NO2 adsorption experiments at 323 K via FTIR indicate that, particularly in the early stages of the NOx uptake, the NOx storage mechanism is significantly altered in the presence of Fe sites where a set of new surface nitrosyl and nitrite groups were detected on the Fe sites and the surface oxidation of nitrites to nitrates is significantly hindered with respect to the BaO/Al2O3 system. Evidence for the existence of both Fe3+ as well as reduced Fe2+/(3−x)+ sites on the ...
The logic of query languages for data streams

Data Stream Management Systems (DSMS) represent a vibrant research area that is rich in technical challenges, which many projects have approached by extending database query languages and models for continuous queries on data streams [1, 3, 4, 9, 5]. These database-inspired approaches have delivered remarkable systems and applications, but have yet to produce solid conceptual foundations for DSMS data models and query languages---particularly if we compare with the extraordinary ones of relational databases. A cornerstone of the success of relational databases was the tight coupling between their data model and their logic-based query languages. In this paper, we show that a similar approach can succeed for data streams and propose a tight-coupled design for DSMS data models and query languages. To express more naturally the behavior of a data stream and attain more powerful on-line queries, we abandon the set-of-tuples model of relational databases, and instead use sequences of tuples ordered by their time-stamps as our data stream model. This approach allows us to overcome the blocking problem that severely impairs the expressive power of data stream query languages. As elucidated in [1]: A blocking query operator is one that cannot produce the first tuple of the output until it has seen the entire input. Previous work had characterized blocking query operators by their non-monotonic behavior [7, 6, 8]. In this paper, we instead use the closed-world assumption [11, 10] to characterize blocking/nonblocking behaviors with respect to the incompleteness/completeness of the streaming database. From this, we infer simple syntactic conditions that make Datalog rules immune from blocking. A significant and surprising new result is that the use of negated goals in the bodies of rules does not imply a blocking behavior: in fact, many very useful nonblocking queries can be expressed using negation. The flip side of this exciting result is that additional conditions must then be imposed on the rules to ensure that (i) the results produced by Datalog programs are ordered according to their time-stamps, and (ii) possible time-skews between streams are also managed explicitly by the rules [2]. These problems, and their possible remedies, are captured and expressed quite naturally using Datalog, which thus emerges as a powerful framework for analyzing and expressing continuous queries. Related problems, including the treatment of data streams without time-stamps, the characterization of monotonic query operators [7, 6, 8], and the use of more general closed-world assumptions were also studied and answered in the course of this research [12].
A visibility meter for monitoring atmospheric aerosol parameters.

Abstract A reliable, easily operated, compact visibility meter has been developed for routine monitoring of atmospheric aerosol parameters. The meter operates on a principle similar to that of the integrating nephelometer. Visibilities (computed for a 2 per cent threshold) are measured from 5 km (polluted urban air) to 335 km (pure air) with an absolute accuracy of better than 15 per cent.
Fisher-information-based data compression for estimation using two sensors

A transform coding data compression method is developed for the case of making estimates from data collected using two sensors. We focus on the transfer of data from one sensor to another sensor, where the shared data is then used with the local data to estimate a parameter. Particular attention is paid to the case where neither sensor alone can estimate the parameter from its data. The method uses an operational rate-distortion viewpoint together with a distortion measure based on the Fisher information (FI) of the estimation problem. Explicit means of using the transformed data to compute operational measures of the FI are given. An integer optimization version of the Lagrange multiplier method is used to efficiently determine the optimal operating point of the transform compression algorithm. The advantages of the method lie in its ability to use transform coding to effectively capture the impact of compression on estimation accuracy in a way that lends itself to efficient optimization within the operational rate-distortion viewpoint. The applicability and effectiveness of the method are demonstrated for two illustrative examples: 1) estimation of time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA), and 2) estimation of frequency-difference-of-arrival (FDOA). In these two cases it is shown that the Fisher-information-based method outperforms the standard mean-square error (MSE) approach.
Crystal Structures of Tetrakis(4,4‘-(2,2-diphenylvinyl)-1,1‘-biphenyl)methane: Transmission Electron Microscopy and X-ray Diffraction

The crystal structures of tiny crystallites (micron to submicron in size) of tetrakis(4,4'-(2,2-diphenylvinyl)-1,1'-biphenyl)methane (C(DPVBi) 4 ) have been investigated by using a combination of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray powder diffraction techniques. The crystal structure of as-synthesized C(DPVBi) 4 is hexagonal. The lattice parameters are a = 2.068 nm and c = 2.194 nm with possible space group P6. After C(DPVBi) 4 was annealed up to 280 °C, the crystal structure converted to a different hexagonal structure with lattice parameters: a = 2.102 nm and c = 3.370 nm. The possible space group is P6/m. The two hexagonal structures correspond to different packing of the individual molecules, which may result in different bulk optical and electronic properties.
Dural arteriovenous fistula associated with superior sagittal sinus occlusion secondary to invasion by a parafalcine meningioma: case report.

OBJECTIVE: We report a rare case of thrombosis of the superior sagittal sinus associated with a parafalcine meningioma resulting in a superior sagittal sinus dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF). We conclude that dural sinus thrombosis is a significant predisposing factor for development of a dAVF. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 60-year-old man had a left parietal parafalcine meningioma that invaded the posterior third of his superior sagittal sinus, leading to its occlusion and presumably resulting in an associated dAVF. The fistula was fed by the middle meningeal and superficial temporal arteries on both sides and drained through a superior interhemispheric cortical vein into the vein of Galen and straight sinus. INTERVENTION AND TECHNIQUE: The parafalcine mass, which involved the sagittal sinus, was excised via a left parieto-occipital craniotomy. It was decided to resect the dAVF at a later date. Seven days after the original operation, the patient underwent a parietal interhemispheric approach for occlusion of the dAVF. Dissection proceeded until a large arterialized vein and venous pouch with multiple feeders from both external carotid arteries were observed. The vein, which was partially embedded within the falx cerebri, was collapsed, and a second indocyanine green injection confirmed cessation of blood flow. CONCLUSION: This report supports that dAVFs are acquired lesions and that venous outflow obstruction is a significant contributing factor to their development. In meningiomas associated with the dural sinuses, diagnostic evaluation for possible dAVFs should be considered. Treatment of these lesions should be based on risk factors because spontaneous resolution after tumor excision has been reported.
Ciliated Epithelial Cells Lining the Oesophagus of Young Turkeys and Chick Embryos

Abstract While making an histological study of the digestive tract of the broad breasted bronze turkey during the summer of 1943, the author observed clumps of ciliated epithelial cells lining the oesophageal stratified squamous epithelium of two-day-old poults. A review of the literature revealed that this type of cell had been reported as present at certain stages during the development of mammalian embyros, but, so far as the author is aware, it has not been reported as being present in two-day-old turkey poults. These cells, as seen in stained cross section, were in groups ranging from one or two to a dozen or more. They were most numerous toward the anterior end of the oseophagus. The same type of cell was also present in the crop, but there it possessed a brush border rather than cilia. Ciliated cells of the columnar type were not observed at any other point along the . . .
Left ventricular systolic torsion correlates global cardiac performance during dyssynchrony and cardiac resynchronization therapy.

Left ventricular (LV) systolic torsion is a primary mechanism contributing to stroke volume (SV). We hypothesized that change in LV torsion parallels changes in global systolic performance during d...
On the existence of free and self-trapped carriers in insulators: an abrupt temperature-dependent conductivity transition

Abstract A variational calculation of the eigenstates of the three-dimensional analogue of Holstein's Molecular Crystal Model is utilized as a basis for determining the conditions under which carrier self-trapping does or does not occur in this system. It is found that below a temperature-dependent critical value of the electron-lattice coupling strength self-trapping does not occur; the eigenstates then correspond to an excess electron being only weakly coupled to the vibratory motion. Above a larger temperature-dependent critical value of the electron-lattice coupling strength only self-trapped (small-polaron) eigenstates exist. Between these two (temperature-dependent) critical values of the electron-lattice coupling strength both types of solutions are found. The condition for the existence of the weakly coupled situation, as well as that for the self-trapped circumstance, is shown to be derivable from arguments which are independent of the detailed variational calculation. These ancillary derivations...