cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Factor Endowments, the Rule of Law & Structural Inequality: Testing the Engerman-Sokoloff Hypothesis

This paper provides an empirical test of the Engerman-Sokoloff hypothesis that factor endowments influenced the development of the rule of law, which in turn has shaped the income distribution. Using a measure of the suitability of land for growing wheat relative to sugarcane as an instrument for the rule of law, as measured by area 2 of the Economic Freedom of the World index, we estimate the potential causal impact of the rule of law on the long-run net income inequality. Conditioning on geography, ethnolinguistic fractionalization and legal tradition, the rule of law exerts a negative impact on inequality that is both economically and statistically significant. The results are robust to additional control variables, two alternative measures of the rule of law, an alternative instrumental variable, and the exclusion of strategic country samples and outliers.
Study on the chemical characteristics of groundwater and instructions of high arsenic groundwater at Jianghan Plain

30groundwater samples were collected respectively from two endemic arsenism areas of Xiantao and Honghu,they were located in the central Jianghan Plain,Hubei Province.The groundwater chemical characteristics, including the contents of arsenic,TDS,pH,Eh,SO2-4,NO-3,Cl-,HCO-3,Fe and Mn,of these samples were measured and compared to study the relationship between arsenic and the other measured parameters.Among the 60groundwater samples,the maximum arsenic concentration was 1.560mg/L,28% ground water samples(17samples)exceeded the specified limits(0.05mg/L)of drinking water.The pH of ground water samples ranged 6.01-7.16with average pH was 6.56,suggesting an obvious acidity of groundwater;the Eh of these samples ranged 13.6-75.3mV,the average Eh was 44.2mV,appearing weak oxidation.These water chemical characteristics showed a significant difference compared with the groundwater from Datong Basin,Shanxi Shanyin and Hetao Plain of Inner Mongolia.A positive correlation was observed between As and TDS,HCO-3,Fe,Mn.However,a negative correlation was found between As and SO2-4,NO-3,which suggests the typical environment of high arsenic in groundwater.TOC of these groundwater samples ranged 2.35-5.32mg/L with the average value was 3.29mg/L,the dissolved organic matters played the key role in transportation and transformation of arsenic in groundwater.
Impact of the artificial lung on medical care.

Mechanical systems to oxygenate blood outside of the body were first employed in clinical medicine as a component of the «heart-lung machine». The artificial lung has been an essential component of...
Evaluation of Argonne 9-cm and 10-cm Annular Centrifugal Contactors for SHINE Solution Processing

Work is in progress to evaluate the SHINE Medical Technologies process for producing Mo-99 for medical use from the fission of dissolved low-enriched uranium (LEU). This report addresses the use of Argonne annular centrifugal contactors for periodic treatment of the process solution. In a letter report from FY 2013, Pereira and Vandegrift compared the throughput and physical footprint for the two contactor options available from CINC Industries: the V-02 and V-05, which have rotor diameters of 5 cm and 12.7 cm, respectively. They suggested that an intermediately sized “Goldilocks” contactor might provide a better balance between throughput and footprint to meet the processing needs for the uranium extraction (UREX) processing of the SHINE solution to remove undesired fission products. Included with the submission of this letter report are the assembly drawings for two Argonne-design contactors that are in this intermediate range—9-cm and 10-cm rotors, respectively. The 9-cm contactor (drawing number CE-D6973A, stamped February 15, 1978) was designed as a single-stage unit and built and tested in the late 1970s along with other size units, both smaller and larger. In subsequent years, a significant effort to developed annular centrifugal contactors was undertaken to support work at Hanford implementing the transuranic extractionmore » (TRUEX) process. These contactors had a 10-cm rotor diameter and were fully designed as multistage units with four stages per assembly (drawing number CMT-E1104, stamped March 14, 1990). From a technology readiness perspective, these 10-cm units are much farther ahead in the design progression and, therefore, would require significantly less re-working to make them ready for UREX deployment. Additionally, the overall maximum throughput of ~12 L/min is similar to that of the 9-cm unit (10 L/min), and the former could be efficiently operated over much of the same range of throughput. As a result, only the 10-cm units are considered here, though drawings are provided for the 9-cm unit for reference.« less
Infectious Diseases: Bacterial Infections

The focus of this chapter is cutaneous infections due to bacteria, Leishmania, and fungi, and the available evidence supporting specific treatments, both medical and surgical, for these conditions in children and adolescents. For some infections, adjunctive therapies are recommended in addition to first-line, second-line, and third-line treatments.
Implementation of daily chlorhexidine bathing to reduce colonization by multidrug-resistant organisms in a critical care unit

Background Colonized patients are a reservoir for transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs). Not many studies have examined the effectiveness of daily chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) bathing under routine care conditions. We present a descriptive analysis of the trends of MDRO colonization following implementation of daily CHG bathing under routine clinical conditions in an intensive care unit (ICU). Methods From May 2010-January 2011, we screened patients admitted to a 24-bed ICU for and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE), and fluoroquinolone-resistant gram-negative bacilli (FQRGNB). We calculated and plotted monthly incidence and prevalence of colonization of these MDROs. Results Prevalence decreased in the immediate aftermath of daily CHG bathing implementation and generally remained at that level throughout the observation period. We observed low rates of incidence of MDRO colonization with VRE>FQRGNB>MRSA. Monthly prevalence of colonization and incidence for the composite of MRSA, VRE, and/or FQRGNB was 1.9%-27.9% and 0-1.1/100 patient-days, respectively. Conclusions Following the implementation of daily CHG bathing, the incidence of MDROs remained low and constant over time, whereas the prevalence decreased immediately after the implementation.
Obese (Body Mass Index >30) Patients Have Greater Functional Improvement and Reach Equivalent Outcomes at 12 Months Following Decompression Surgery for Symptomatic Lumbar Stenosis.

Objective To evaluate effect of obesity on 12-month functional outcomes after surgery for lumbar stenosis in adult patients. Methods Data were collected on patients treated with lumbar laminectomy for symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis as part of an observational registry and analyzed using a retrospective cohort study design. Patients with body mass index (BMI) >30 were compared with patients with BMI Results There were 101 patients. At baseline, patients with BMI >30 had significantly more back pain ( P P P P P P = 0.063) and higher ODI score ( P = 0.064) relative to low-BMI patients. By 12 months, there was no difference between low- and high-BMI patients in back pain ( P = 0.929), leg pain ( P = 0.638), EQ-5D score ( P = 0.733), or ODI score ( P = 0.214). Conclusions The difference between low- and high-BMI patients trended toward significance for leg pain and ODI score at 3 months, but this difference disappeared by 12 months. This suggests that obese patients with symptomatic lumbar spinal stenosis may require longer to recover after decompression but can expect to reach equivalent outcomes of similarly treated patients with BMI
Nondegenerate Parametric Pumping of Spin Waves by Acoustic Waves

The linear and nonlinear interactions between spin waves (magnons) and acoustic waves (phonons) in magnetostrictive materials provide an exciting opportunity for realizing novel microwave signal processing devices and spintronic circuits. Here, we demonstrate the parametric pumping of spin waves by acoustic waves in a ferrimagnet, the possibility of which has long been theoretically anticipated but never experimentally realized. Spin waves propagating in a thin film of yttrium iron garnet—a magnetostrictive ferrimagnet with low spin and acoustic wave damping—are pumped using an acoustic resonator driven at frequencies near twice the spin wave frequency. The observation of a counterpropagating idler wave and a distinct pump threshold that increases quadratically with frequency nondegeneracy are evidence of a nonlinear parametric pumping process consistent with classical theory. This demonstration of acoustic parametric pumping lays the groundwork for developing new spintronic and microwave signal processing devices based on amplification and manipulation of spin waves by efficient, spatially localized acoustic transducers.
Correlates of decisional dynamics in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex

We hypothesized that during binary economic choice, decision makers use the first option they attend as a default to which they compare the second. To test this idea, we recorded activity of neurons in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) of macaques choosing between gambles presented asynchronously. We find that ensemble encoding of the value of the first offer includes both choice-dependent and choice-independent aspects, as if reflecting a partial decision. That is, its responses are neither entirely pre- nor post-decisional. In contrast, coding of the value of the second offer is entirely decision dependent (i.e., post-decisional). This result holds even when offer-value encodings are compared within the same time period. Additionally, we see no evidence for 2 pools of neurons linked to the 2 offers; instead, all comparison appears to occur within a single functionally homogenous pool of task-selective neurons. These observations suggest that economic choices reflect a context-dependent evaluation of attended options. Moreover, they raise the possibility that value representations reflect, to some extent, a tentative commitment to a choice.
Editorial Commentary: Shoulder Instability Outcome Reporting Requires Standardization

A recent review highlights outcomes reported after arthroscopic anterior shoulder instability repair in adolescents and shows great variability in the reporting of outcome in terms of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), recurrence, return to sport, satisfaction, pain, and physical examination findings. These findings highlight the importance of more standardized outcome reporting including using consistent measures between studies, using validated PROMs, and using age-appropriate PROMs.
Introduction to the Study of Body Fluids

The study of body fluids, relating to health or lack of health, has been a strategy of health care practitioners for perhaps thousands of years, in an effort to alleviate the suffering of diseased persons. The ancient medical term, humors, is still incorporated into some medical terms. The collection of urine over a period of hours or days was judged by its odor, color, and clarity, or the ability to attract ants in those excreting sugars in their urine. The process of letting blood for some ailments, which served to weaken the patient was still in practice during George Washington’s time during the latter part of the eighteenth century.
Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease

Legg-Calve-Perthes is a hip disorder affecting young children. The effects of unrecognized, or untreated Perthes can be destructive to the young hip. Older children affected with Perthes may benefit from surgical intervention.
Successive-beat analysis of cardiovascular orienting and conditional responses

We have shown that prominent changes in heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) occur in dogs during classical defensive conditioning. These changes are usually analyzed as average HR and BP during control periods versus averages during conditional stimulus (CS) and unconditional stimulus (US) periods. A new method has been developed for evaluation of these functions, viz., analysis across many trials of successive beats beginning at onset of CS and working backward (control period) and forward (CS period). Nine awake dogs were continuously studied: six with HR and intra-arterial BP measurements and three with HR measurements only. A drop in HR occurs 1 to 2 beats after CS onset (often noted as a “dropped” beat on individual trials). In some dogs, on the third to fifth beat HR reaches its maximum during the CS period, thereafter falling slightly, but still above baseline; other dogs show progressively increasing HR throughout the whole CS period. At US onset (foreleg shock) HR usually rises rapidly to a peak greater than that at CS maximum. BP follows HR changes fairly closely, diastolic better than systolic. These results indicate that I) this method can reveal transients previously unsuspected, 2) a prominent initial sudden bradycardia followed by tachycardia commonly occurs in conditioning in dogs, 3) the latent period of prominent HR increase is usually quite short (1.3 to 1.6 secs.), and 4) BP follows HR directly during the early part of the CS.
A Natural Way to Teach Division of Rational Numbers.

We again ask: "Will this technique work for all division problems?" At this point there are a few converts, but most of the people in all three groups still doubt that this is a correct algorithm for division of rational numbers. The "doubters" suggest that the examples are all rather special, with the divisor chosen such that the numerator divides the numerator of the dividend and similarly for the denominator. We now ask for examples for which the technique will not work. The examples are of the following type:
Platelet-associated IgG in Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura

A method for the measurement of immunoglobulin G associated with gel- filtered platelets is described and finding in 70 control subjects and 37 patients with immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) are reported. Control platelet-associated IgG (PAIgG) levels (nanograms IgG per 10(9) platelets) averaged (+/-SD) 1231+/-424; samples studied after 24 and 48 hr remained within the control range. PAIgG values of 19 adult and 12 childhood patients with chronic ITP averaged 4711+/-3025 and 4923+/- 3955, respectively, and differed significantly from controls (p less than 0.001). There was an inverse correlation between PAIgG values and the chronic ITP patient's platelet count. Six patients with childhood acute ITP had PAIgG levels ranging from 5588 to 56,250 and appeared to represent a different statistical population from those with chronic ITP. In chronic ITP patients responding to splenectomy, there was an immediate normalization of PAIgG levels; however, a certain percentage of patients studied several months after splenectomy evidenced elevated PAIgG levels in association with normal platelet counts. These data showed that the direct measurement of platelet associated antibody is a useful technique in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients with chronic ITP. Preliminary studies in patients with acute ITP have suggested that this method may be useful in differentiating acute and chronic childhood ITP.
CT scanning in psychiatric inpatients: II. Clinical data predicting scan results.

To date, clinicians have lacked measurable data guiding the use of computed-tomography (CT) studies of the brain for patients presenting with psychiatric abnormalities. In a review of 156 records, only two clinical signs were found that consistently preceded a positive CT result: mental state impairment (p
Impact of political instability on firm-level export decisions

Abstract In this paper, I use South Asian firm-level data to examine the effect of political instability on firm-level decisions to enter the foreign market. This is the first micro-level study in the international trade literature to examine the relationship between political instability and the firm-level export decision. This study uses the IV probit model to analyze the repeated cross-sectional data collected by the World Bank. I estimate various specifications to show that political instability is closely related to firm-level decisions to enter the market. The results confirm that political instability increases the probability that a firm enters the foreign market.
Les débuts de la presse enfantine au Québec : L’Oiseau bleu (1921-1940)

La Societe Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montreal publia, de 1921 a 1940, la premiere revue quebecoise destinee a la jeunesse : L’Oiseau bleu. Un bref historique de la revue precede l’analyse de contenu proprement dite. Celle-ci apporte des precisions sur les idees pedagogiques alors en vigueur, ainsi que sur les conceptions que l’on avait de l’enfant et de la famille.
Improving visible light OCT of the human retina with rapid spectral shaping and axial tracking

Visible light optical coherence tomography (OCT) theoretically provides finer axial resolution than near-infrared OCT for a given wavelength bandwidth. To realize this potential in the human retina in vivo, the unique technical challenges of visible light OCT must be addressed. We introduce three advances to further the performance of visible light OCT in the human retina. First, we incorporate a grating light valve spatial light modulator (GLV-SLM) spectral shaping stage to modify the source spectrum. This enables comfortable subject alignment with a red light spectrum, and image acquisition with a broad “white light” spectrum, shaped to minimize sidelobes. Second, we develop a novel, Fourier transform-free, software axial motion tracking algorithm with fast, magnetically actuated stage to maintain near-optimal axial resolution and sensitivity in the presence of eye motion. Third, we implement spatially dependent numerical dispersion compensation for the first time in the human eye in vivo. In vivo human retinal OCT images clearly show that the inner plexiform layer consists of 3 hyper-reflective bands and 2 hypo-reflective bands, corresponding with the standard anatomical division of the IPL. Wavelength-dependent images of the outer retina suggest that, beyond merely improving the axial resolution, shorter wavelength visible light may also provide unique advantages for visualizing Bruch’s membrane.
Use of Adjuncts Reduces Cardiopulmonary Bypass Time During Minimally Invasive Aortic Valve Replacement.

BACKGROUND Minimally invasive aortic valve replacement (MIAVR) through a mini-thoracotomy is comparable to AVR through a sternotomy, but may have increased surgical times. The development of adjuncts such as the automatic knot fastener and percutaneous coronary sinus (CS) catheter may reduce this disadvantage. METHODS A retrospective review conducted between 2002 and 2015 at a single institution revealed 78 patients who underwent MIAVR with adjuncts. The automatic knot fastener was used on all patients, and a successful CS catheter was placed and confirmed by echocardiography in 67 patients (86%). Patients were propensity matched against those who had MIAVR without adjuncts (n = 78) and through a median sternotomy (n = 78) for assessment of major morbidity. Variables were compared using an unpaired t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum test, chi-squared and Fisher's exact test where appropriate. RESULTS Patients who underwent MIAVR with adjuncts had shorter cross-clamp times (70.5 versus 108.1 and 84.4 min; p <0.0001) and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) times (101.1 versus 166.12 and 127.7 min; p <0.0001) than those who underwent MIAVR without adjuncts or through a median sternotomy. Patients who underwent MIAVR received fewer blood transfusions compared to those undergoing AVR via a median sternotomy (0.6 and 1.2 versus 2.5; p <0.012). Patients who underwent MIAVR with adjuncts had similar rates of new-onset atrial fibrillation (AF) than those undergoing MIAVR without adjuncts (33% versus 22%; p = 0.11), but had higher rates of AF compared to the sternotomy group (33% versus 17%; p = 0.02). Rates of in-hospital morbidity and mortality were similar between all groups. CONCLUSIONS The use of adjuncts during MIAVR led to a significant shortening of cross-clamp and CPB times, and to a requirement for fewer blood transfusions. Morbidity and mortality rates after MIAVR were similar to those in patients undergoing a median sternotomy.
X-Ray Hardness Evolution in GRB Afterglows and Flares: Late-Time GRB Activity without NH Variations

We show that the X-ray and γ-ray spectra of Swift GRBs and their afterglows are consistent with the emission characteristic of an expanding, relativistic fireball. The classical afterglow due to the impact of the fireball on the external medium is often not observed until 1 to several hours after the GRB. Focusing on GRBs 061121, 060614, and 060124, but generalizing to the full (>50 Ms XRT exposure) Swift sample up to and including GRB 061210, we show that the early emission in >90% of early afterglows has a characteristic νFν spectral energy Epeak, which likely evolves from the γ-rays through the soft X-ray band on timescales of 102-104 s after the GRB. The observed spectra are strongly curved when plotted with logarithmic axes and have often been incorrectly fitted in other studies with a time-varying soft X-ray absorption. The spectral evolution inferred from fitting instead models used to fit GRBs demonstrates a common evolution—a power-law hardness-intensity correlation and hard-to-soft evolution—for GRBs and the early X-ray afterglows and X-ray flares. Combined with studies of short-timescale variability, our findings indicate a central engine active for longer than previously suspected. The GRB spectra are observed to become very soft at late times due to an intrinsic spectral evolution and due to the surprising faintness of some afterglows. We discuss models for the early X-ray emission.
Irregular Autonomic Modulation Predicts Risky Drinking and Altered Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex Response to Stress in Alcohol Use Disorder.

AIMS Autonomic dysfunction has been associated with risky drinking and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Although autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity has been attributed to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VmPFC)-limbic-striatal regions, the specific role of ANS disruption in AUD and its association with these regions remain unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and concurrent electrocardiogram (ECG), the current study examined neural correlates of ANS activity in AUD and its role in AUD pathology. METHODS Demographically matched 20 AUD patients and 20 social drinkers (SD) completed an fMRI task involving repeated exposure to stress, alcohol-cue and neutral-relaxing images in a block design. Based on the known VmPFC-limbic-striatal functions involved in emotions, reward and the ANS, we performed a regions of interest (ROI) analysis to examine the associations between ANS activity and neural responses in the VmPFC, amygdala, and ventral striatum. RESULTS Across conditions, AUD patients showed significantly higher levels of overall heart rate (HR) and approximate entropy (ApEn) compared to SD (Ps < 0.05). In all participants, increased HR was associated with greater drinking volume (P < 0.05). In addition, higher ApEn levels were associated with greater drinking volume (P < 0.05) and decreased right VmPFC response to stress (P < 0.05). DISCUSSION Our findings demonstrate ANS disruption in AUD indexed by high overall HR and ApEn. The association between ApEn and rVmPFC response suggests that ApEn may play a role in modulating drinking via interactions with neural regions of emotion regulation. These findings provide insight into patterns of ANS disruption and their relevance to AUD pathology.
Average number of anesthetics still in progress in the early evening increased at least proportionally to the numbers of anesthetizing locations in the morning: a retrospective, long-term longitudinal study at two large hospitals

ABSTRACT Background An earlier study examined weekend and holiday cases at many hospitals. Over a decade, treating weekend/holiday caseloads simply as proportional to total caseload resulted in a low error rate of Methods Data from two large teaching hospitals, November 2002 through May 2021 and November 2005 through June 2021, respectively, were retrieved and analyzed. Results At one hospital, over 18.6 studied years, there was a 75% increase in anesthetics ongoing at 9:00 AM; Spearman rank correlation 0.99 (P Conclusions Hospitals should plan that as first case starts are added progressively, workload in the early evening may grow at least proportionally, as found for weekends and holidays. Such knowledge is important for operating room managers to consider when planning staffing, staff scheduling, and managerial decision-support for the end of the workday.
Applying a Transformative Justice Approach to Encourage the Participation of Black and Latina Girls in Computing

Global protests and civil unrest in 2020 has renewed the world’s interest in addressing injustice due to structural racism and oppression toward Black and Latinx people in all aspects of society, i...
Bad-data detection in smart grid: a distributed approach

Introduction This chapter is motivated by the fact that wide-area monitoring, control and protection (WAMPAC) are becoming increasingly important in the vision for future smart grid operations [1]. Technological advances in sensing, communication, and computation could enable smart grid operations with improved situational awareness. This improved situational awareness could lead to more reliable and economical integration of renewable energy resources, as well as to the prevention of potential blackouts [1]. Given the need for improved situational awareness in large interconnected power systems, a key research challenge is to develop fast and robust state-estimation techniques for wide-area monitoring. State estimation converts redundant measurements into reliable estimates of the state of an interconnected electric power system [2]. For wide-area state estimation, which involves multiple system operators or utilities, it is more desirable to develop distributed approaches to obtaining the system-wide states through limited information exchange among the system operators [3, 4]. In our recent work [5], a fully distributed and fast state-estimation method is proposed with provable convergence with centralized state-estimation results. One essential function of a state estimator is to detect, identify, and eliminate measurement errors if possible. Such functions in power system operations are defined as ‘bad-data processing’ [6]. The main objective of this chapter is to review the bad-data processing techniques and propose a fully distributed bad-data detection algorithm for wide-area state estimation. In particular, the focus of this chapter is to (i) formulate the bad-data processing problem in a fully distributed manner; and (ii) design an information-exchange scheme among different control centres for provable distributed bad-data detection performance.
The Declaration, the Constitution, and the Interpreter's Dilemma: An Essay on Historical and Iconic Meaning

The Declaration of Independence is one of the paradigm texts in American history. It was originally written for a time-specific purpose. But it also has spoken to a broader audience across time, as an icon representing American ideals. After describing how the Declaration has been given both historical and iconic meaning by judges, presidents, and public figures, this Essay considers the relevance of these two forms of meaning to current debates over constitutional interpretation. Originalists generally privilege the historical meaning of texts. Yet originalist Justices on the Court have acknowledged that iconic meaning also exists and can sometimes be more relevant. In Pleasant Grove City v. Summum, 555 U.S. 460 (2009), these originalist Justices turned to iconic meaning over historical meaning, endorsing dynamic interpretation of monuments -- even those containing texts. Ironically, then, they found fluidity in the meaning of texts that are literally carved in stone. The Essay closes with a discussion of the interpreter’s dilemma: the tension between fidelity to the past (served by historical meaning) and affirmation in the present (served by iconic meaning).
HPV-Positive Oropharyngeal Carcinoma: A Systematic Review of Treatment and Prognosis

ObjectiveHuman papillomavirus-positive (HPV+) head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is increasing in incidence and appears to exhibit improved response to treatment and better survival than that of...
Characterization of intergenic spacers in two rrn operons of Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790.

Abstract Two DNA restriction enzyme fragments coding for the 3' termini of 16S rRNA, the 5' termini of 23S rRNA, and the intergenic spaces between them in Enterococcus hirae ATCC 9790 were cloned and sequenced. The intergenic space of one of these genes contains a tRNA(Ala) sequence, whereas the other does not. Nevertheless, the intergenic spaces contain several regions that exhibit high levels of sequence homology and are capable of forming structures with similar base pairs. An analysis of Southern blots of chromosomal DNA cut with one and two restriction enzymes indicated that E. hirae has a total of six rrn operons.
A practical approach to QoS routing for wireless networks

We study QoS routing in wireless networks. We impose a structure on the network to combat the far-reaching effects of interference. We observe that there is little difference between routes through shared interference domains; instead the choices exist between routes through different domains. Based on this observation, we suggest partitioning the network into non-overlapping clusters where each cluster represents an interference domain. Routing algorithms operate over the cluster-level topology and use shortest paths within the clusters. Clustering decouples the constraints allowing for estimates of the available capacity within a cluster via local measurements. We present a routing algorithm that chooses amongst cluster-level paths to accommodate a flow with certain QoS requirements. An admission control policy checks the feasibility of the suggested route and refines our estimates of available capacity.
The beer mat nematode, Panagrellus redivivus: a study of the connectedness of scientific discovery

The taxonomic lineage of the nematode currently known asPanagrellus redivivus can be traced, through numerous generic assignments and species synonymies, to the library paste nematode, Chaos redivivum, described by Linnaeus in 1767. In a synonymy that has survived several reviews, the beer mat nematode, described by de Man in 1913 and 1914, is now considered to be the same as the library- or sour-paste nematode. In the absence of preserved specimens of early material, and with the inadequacy of early descriptions of the organisms, the unifying thread for the taxonomic lineage is the nature of the environments in which the nematodes have been found, primarily fermenting pastes and beer-soaked fibres that might provide substrate for yeasts. Consequently, despite the precise rules that have evolved for documenting changes in a binomial, and our ability to track those changes through the literature, there must remain lingering uncertainty that Chaos redivivum and Panagrellus redivivus are the same nematode.
Russell's Paradox and Legal Positivism

In 1902, Bertrand Russell overturned set theory, which aspired to reduce all sets to their rules of recognition. These rules were to have logical priority to empirical sets posited by empirical human beings. As a result of Russell's Paradox, set theory gave up the hope of theorizing sets. This paper claims Russell's Paradox can be applied directly to jurisprudence. The result is that legal positivism (carefully defined as the claim that law can be reduced to rules of recognition) is invalid and must be abandoned. The corollary to this proposition is that law cannot be entirely separated from morality.
Bacteriophage T4 Head Morphogenesis III. Some Novel Properties of Gene 13-Defective Heads

The nature of phage precursors in gene 13-defective infected cells was studied by electron microscopy and pulse-chase isotopic labeling experiments. Our results suggest that both stable (20%) and fragile (70%) filled-head precursors accumulated in the absence of gene 13 product. Upon extraction, the fragile heads were found to lose most of their deoxyribonucleic acid and appeared unfilled with an average density of 1.34 g/cm(3) and a sedimentation coefficient of 300S. These unfilled heads differed from empty gene 13-defective heads which did not have any associated deoxyribonucleic acid and banded at an average density of 1.31 g/cm(3). Furthermore, it was found that a tsN38 (temperature-sensitive mutant in gene 13)- infected culture maintained at 41.5 C for increasing times led to a decrease in specific infectivity of 1,000S phagelike particles. Electron microscopy of these particles revealed that the decreased infectivity was due to an improper union of head and tails.
Privacy protection in government mashups

The Web 2.0 technologies allow dynamic content creation using syndications or mashups, extracted from diverse data sources, including government enterprise data. As a primary source of citizen data, the US government has the obligation not only to make public data available for citizen access as stated in the Freedom of Information Act, but also to protect the privacy of individual citizen's records as stated in the Privacy Act. In a mashup, a third party mashup Web application provider requests the individual's data from the government agencies through Web services. Since the data is public data and not necessarily provided through electronic interactions, individual citizens may not be able to express fine-grained privacy policies on how data may be used. In addition, the government agency's privacy policy is very coarse grained, and the relative sensitivity of individual information is not considered. We discuss the opportunities and issues associated with the programmable web and mashups, provide a Privacy Protection Model for Mashup Applications, using a mashup related multi-dimensional privacy protection space and present policy recommendations to complement the technological solutions. The model and recommendations include deployment of a personal privacy policy network, a distributed system over which citizens can publish their individual privacy policies. These policies are accessible by all web service providers to be consulted in real time by data providers including government agencies for the purposes of automated privacy protection reasoning concerning data release.
The aspartate metabolism pathway is differentiable in human hepatocellular carcinoma: transcriptomics and 13C-isotope based metabolomics

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the primary form of human adult liver malignancy, is a highly aggressive tumor with average survival rates that are currently less than a year following diagnosis. Although bioinformatic analyses have indicated differentially expressed genes and cancer-related mutations in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), integrated genetic and metabolic pathway analyses remain to be investigated. Herein, gene (i.e. mRNA) enrichment analysis was performed to delineate significant alterations of metabolic pathways in HCC. The objective of this study was to investigate the pathway of aspartate metabolism in HCC of humans. Coupled with transcriptomic (i.e. mRNA) and NMR-based metabolomics of human tissue extracts, we utilized liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based metabolomics analysis of stable [U-13C6]glucose metabolism or [U-13C5,15N2]glutamine metabolism of HCC cell culture. Our results indicated that aspartate metabolism is a significant and differentiable metabolic pathway of HCC compare to non-tumor liver (p-value < 0.0001). In addition, branched-chain amino acid metabolism (p-value< 0.0001) and tricarboxylic acid metabolism (p-value = < 0.0001) are significant and differentiable. Statistical analysis of measurable NMR metabolites indicated that at least two of the group means were significantly different for the metabolites alanine (p-value = 0.0013), succinate (p-value = 0.0001), lactate (p-value = 0.0114), glycerophosphoethanolamine (p-value = 0.015), and inorganic phosphate (p-value = 0.0001). However, 13C isotopic enrichment analysis of these metabolites revealed less than 50% isotopic enrichment with either stable [U-13C6]glucose metabolism or [U-13C5,15N2]glutamine. This may indicate the differential account of total metabolite pool versus de novo metabolites from a 13C labeled substrate. The ultimate translation of these findings will be to determine putative enzyme activity via 13C labeling, to investigate targeted therapeutics against these enzymes, and to optimize the in vivo performance of 13C magnetic resonance imaging techniques.
A New Standardized and Calibrated Phonocardiographic System

A phonocardiographic system has been designed and built using standard units of known frequency characteristics. The system is calibrated, as the relative and absolute intensity of the signal can be computed from the records' amplitude, given the conversion factor of the transducer and the degree of amplification in decibels. The system is standardized. It allows the spectrum to be scanned in bands of 1 octave of 3-db attenuation (therefore ideally flat) with the low-cut-off frequency coinciding with the nominal frequency. A 36 db per octave attenuation for the high-pass section is suggested for the selective recording of the high-frequency vibration of low intensity. Representative phonocardiographic tracings are presented.
DNA Damage in Mammalian Cells by Atmospheric Pressure Microsecond-Pulsed Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Is Not Mediated Via Lipid Peroxidation

Lipid peroxidation in mammalian cells by nonthermal atmospheric pressure microsecond-pulsed dielectric barrier discharge plasma was investigated. It has been shown previously that plasma treatment of mammalian cells submerged in a shallow layer of culture medium can result in dose-dependent DNA damage. We show that nonthermal plasma induces lipid peroxidation, measured by release of malondialdehyde, in cells treated under medium and not under phosphate-buffered saline. N-Diphenyl-phenylenediamine, a lipophilic antioxidant, was used to block nonthermal plasma–induced lipid peroxidation. Although nonthermal plasma induces lipid peroxidation in mammalian cells, this peroxidation does not lead to DNA damage in mammalian cells. Thus, one needs to consider other possible mechanisms for plasma-induced DNA damage in mammalian cells such as reactive oxygen species signaling or active transport of long-lived organic hydroperoxides.
Assimilation and Partitioning of Photosynthate and Nitrogen in Isogenic Tall, Semidwarf, and Doubledwarf Winter Wheats

Patterns of assimilation and partitioning of photosynthate and nitrogen in isogenic tall, semidwarf, and doubledwarf (Norin 10/5/Pawnee) ‘Pawnee’ hard red winter wheats (Triticum aestivum L.) were studied under controlled environmental conditions and field conditions. The objective of the investigations was to determine reasons for the advantageous harvest index associated with dwarf genes. Plants were sampled at four growth stages and separated into plant parts as they developed. Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (RuBPC) and nitrate reductase (NR) activities in leaves differed among growth stages but not among isogenic lines. Fructosan in sheaths, stems, and roots increased from the soft dough stage to maturity, but differed little among the lines. Nitrogen concentrations decreased in leaf blades, stems, and roots as plants developed to the soft dough stage and then stayed nearly constant until maturity. Nitrogen in all plant parts frequently varied directly with the complement of dwarfing genes, being lowest in the tall line and highest in the doubledwarf line. The tall and semidwarf lines had significantly higher grain yield, test weight, total dry matter, spike number, and 1000-kernel weight than the doubledwarf line under either or both experimental conditions. The dwarf lines, however, had significantly higher kernel number per spike than the tall line. Harvest index was higher for the doubledwarf line (0.58) than for the two other lines (0.54).
Colliding pulse mode-locked dye laser stabilization using an intracavity spectral filter.

A trivial modification to the six-mirror CPM laser enhances the utility of the laser through the increased stability and allows for some limited spectral tuning. This modification may well be applicable to any CPM laser in which the SPM and GVD are such that there is a soliton-like pulse-shaping mechanism.
Distributed Reputation System for Tracking Applications in Sensor Networks

Ad-hoc sensor networks are becoming more common, yet security of these networks is still an issue. Node misbehavior due to malicious attacks can impair the overall functioning of the system. Existing approaches mainly rely on cryptography to ensure data authentication and integrity. These approaches only address part of the problem of security in sensor networks. However, cryptography is not sufficient to prevent the attacks in which some of the nodes are overtaken and compromised by a malicious user. Recently, the use of reputation systems has shown positive results as a self-policing mechanism in ad-hoc networks. This scheme can aid in decreasing vulnerabilities which are not solved by cryptography. We look at how a distributed reputation scheme can benefit the object tracking application in sensor networks. Tracking multiple objects is one of the most important applications of the sensor network. In our setup, nodes detect misbehavior locally from observations, and assign a reputation to each of their neighbors. These reputations are used to weight node readings appropriately when performing object tracking. Over time, data from malicious nodes will not be included in the track formation process. We evaluate the reputation system experimentally and demonstrate how it improves object tracking in the presence of malicious nodes.
Self-contained Tubular Drill Guard for Anterior Cervical Fusion

A self-contained tubular drill guard was adapted for use in performing anterior cervical discectomies and interbody fusions. The use of this instrument eliminates steps, provides absolute safety against drilling too deeply, allows for adjustment in individual cases, provides for easy inspection of the trephine hole, permits electing the cephalocaudal angle of the drill, and gives a measurement of the ultimate depth of the trephine hole. In 171 consecutive operations only one neurological complication occurred, and total morbidity related to cervical surgery was 6% (7% morbidity was associated with surgery at the donor site). The data suggest that the technical modification herein advocated reduces the surgical complication rate.
The death of an innovative project: How grief recovery enhances learning

Abstract Given the increase in corporate innovative activity, entrepreneurial projects that are created to pursue new and unique opportunities often fail—or “die”—due to the uncertain environment within which they develop. Although failure can be an important source of information for learning, this learning is not automatic or instantaneous. The emotions generated by failure (e.g., grief) can interfere with the learning process. This article highlights explanations of the grief process and how it can be managed by individuals and organizations to enhance learning. Specifically, by using a dual process model for recovering from grief, innovators can learn more from their project failures and remain committed to future innovative endeavors.
Bovine versus Porcine Acellular Dermal Matrix: A Comparison of Mechanical Properties.

Despite being classified together as acellular dermal matrices (ADMs), biologic mesh devices vary widely in both origin and processing. They are derived from numerous sources (human, porcine, bovine, etc.) and tissues (dermis, intestine or bladder submucosa, pericardium, etc.), are decellularized by distinct proprietary methods, and are sterilized by one of several techniques (gamma irradiation, electron beam irradiation, ethylene oxide, etc.).1,2 The result of this diversity is materials with inherently different biochemistries, mechanical properties,2 and host responses upon implantation.3,4 As clinical outcomes in hernia repair can be associated with biomechanical properties, it is reasonable to expect that outcomes might be different for different materials. For example, the use of human acellular dermal matrix has been almost completely abandoned for use in hernia repair due to overwhelming evidence that it leads to unacceptably high rates of hernia recurrence and bulge.3,5 Despite this, there is a paucity of data that directly compares the initial, preimplant mechanical properties of commercially available ADMs. A recently published clinical study compared the use of porcine acellular dermal matrix (PADM) and bovine acellular dermal matrix (BADM) in a retrospective cohort of complex abdominal wall reconstructions (AWRs).6 The study demonstrated a low overall hernia recurrence rate of 3.3% over the approximately 1.8-year mean follow-up, which was similar between the PADM and BADM groups.6 However, intraoperative device failures (IDFs), characterized by tearing of mesh and suture pulling through mesh, were observed in a number of patients who underwent AWR with PADM (10.1%), whereas none were reported in those with BADM (0%).6 The goal of this study is to directly compare the mechanical properties of PADM and BADM to help elucidate the contributory role of mesh selection as a potential cause of previously reported device failures in complex AWR.
Effect of a novel solution for organ preservation on equine large colon in an isolated pulsatile perfusion system

Summary Reasons for performing study: Several therapeutic agents have been tested in models of ischaemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) in equine jejunum, with mixed results. This study was based on the use of an organ perfusion solution (OPS) designed to protect human allografts from IRI. Hypothesis: A modified OPS can preserve the integrity of equine large colon during 12 h of isolated pulsatile perfusion, in the absence of oxygen and blood. Methods: Segments of large colon were removed from anaesthetised horses, the contents removed and the mucosa rinsed with 0.9% saline. Experimental segments were perfused for 12 h with one litre modified OPS (n = 7) delivered by pulsatile flow through an extracorporeal circuit. Control segments (n = 4) were perfused on the same circuit with one litre of autologous blood. Vascular resistance, flow and pressure were measured serially, and aliquots of OPS and blood drawn hourly for routine biochemical analyses. Mucosal biopsies of the experimental and control segments were taken at 0, 6 and 12 h and in vivo mucosal tissue at 0 h for baseline comparison. All biopsies underwent histomorphometric analysis and immunohistochemical assessment of calprotectin activity. Results: All colon segments were machine perfused without technical complications. Vascular and biochemical indices remained constant over 12 h in the OPS group, and were constant over 6 h in the control group, but deteriorated later. Mucosal integrity, expression of cyclooxygenases-1 and -2, and expression of mucosal calprotectin were unchanged in the OPS group compared with the baseline tissues, and mucosal integrity was superior to the control tissues. Conclusions: A modified OPS designed to target specific pathways of damage from IRI can preserve colonic mucosal integrity for 12 h in the absence of blood and oxygen. Potential relevance: This extracorporeal system has the potential to preserve equine colon for humane investigation into colonic function and repair over longer periods than previously described for other in vitro and ex vivo systems. Future investigations into use of the modified OPS on injury to equine colon from ischaemia and reperfusion are recommended.