cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compiler-directed voltage scaling on communication links for reducing power consumption

Reducing power consumption of communication networks is an important optimization goal in many application domains, ranging from large-scale simulation codes to embedded multi-media applications. Most of the prior efforts on network power optimization are hardware-based schemes. These schemes are predictive by definition as they control communication link status based on the observations made In the past. Since prediction may not be very accurate most of the time, these approaches can result in overheads in terms of both performance and power. This paper proposes a compiler driven approach to communication link voltage management. In this approach, an optimizing compiler analyzes the application code and extracts the data communication pattern among parallel processors. This information along with network topology is used for identifying the link access patterns. These patterns and the inherent data dependence information of the underlying code help the compiler decide the optimum voltages/frequencies to be used for communication links at a given time frame. Our focus in this work is on loop-intensive codes which frequently appear in data intensive video and image processing. We exploit the regularity in data accesses of these codes to abstract out their inter-processor communication patterns, which In turn enable us select the most appropriate voltage/frequency level to employ for each communication link at any time.
Dynamic MR venography: an intrinsic benefit of time-resolved MR angiography.

Purpose To investigate the possibility of obtaining dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance venography (DCE-MRV) images of the lower extremities. Materials and Methods Peripheral contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance angiography (CE-MRA) was performed on 20 patients using a time-resolved sequence that combined undersampled projection reconstruction (PR) in-plane and Cartesian slice encoding through-plane. The contrast dynamics of distal vessels were depicted. An automated segmentation algorithm based on a contrast arrival time (CAT) threshold was used to generate contrast dynamics in the venous system. The signal difference between the vein and artery was measured to evaluate the effectiveness of this technique in isolating the venous contrast dynamics. Results The automatically generated image series depicted the contrast dynamics of both the arterial and venous systems, including asymmetric venous enhancement and background tissue enhancement. Quantitative measurement showed a mean venous/arterial signal ratio increase from 1.58 to 4.82 for the peak venous frame after arterial signal suppression. Conclusion DCE-MRV is a minimally invasive technique for evaluating the venous side of the systemic vascular anatomy. Time-resolved MRA has the potential clinical benefit of enabling both arterial and venous disease to be detected in patients undergoing CE-MRA. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Regulation of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone transcription by elevated glucocorticoids.

Negative glucocorticoid feedback is essential for preventing the deleterious effects of excessive hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis axis activation, with an important target being CRH transcription in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. The aim of these studies was to determine whether glucocorticoids repress CRH transcription directly in CRH neurons, by examining glucocorticoid effects on glucocorticoid receptor (GR)–CRH promoter interaction and the activation of proteins required for CRH transcription. Immunoprecipitation of hypothalamic chromatin from intact or adrenalectomized rats subjected to either stress or corticosterone injections showed minor association of the proximal CRH promoter with the GR compared with that with phosphoCREB (pCREB). In contrast, the Period-1 (Per1, a glucocorticoid-responsive gene) promoter markedly recruited GR. Stress increased pCREB recruitment by the CRH but not the Per1 promoter, irrespective of circulating glucocorticoids. In vitro, corticosterone pretreatment (30 minutes or 18 hours) only slightly inhibited basal and forskolin-stimulated CRH heteronuclear RNA in primary hypothalamic neuronal cultures and CRH promoter activity in hypothalamic 4B cells. In 4B cells, 30 minutes or 18 hours of corticosterone exposure had no effect on forskolin-induced nuclear accumulation of the recognized CRH transcriptional regulators, pCREB and transducer of regulated CREB activity 2. The data show that inhibition of CRH transcription by physiological glucocorticoids in vitro is minor and that direct interaction of GR with DNA in the proximal CRH promoter may not be a major mechanism of CRH gene repression. Although GR interaction with distal promoter elements may have a role, the data suggest that transcriptional repression of CRH by glucocorticoids involves protein-protein interactions and/or modulation of afferent inputs to the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. (Molecular Endocrinology 27: 1796–1807, 2013)
LEPTON-NUMBER AND CHIRALITY NONCONSERVATION IN WEAK PROCESSES.

We propose a description of leptonic and semileptonic weak processes which involves the use of only three distinct lepton field operators ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}}(x)$, ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}}(x)$, and ${\ensuremath{\psi}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}(x)$ and postulates such an expression for the leptonic weak current ${l}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}}({\ensuremath{\psi}}_{{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}}(x),{\ensuremath{\psi}}_{{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}}(x),{\ensuremath{\psi}}_{\ensuremath{\nu}}(x))$ that (1) neither the conservation of total lepton number nor the "conservation of neutrino chirality" holds exactly, and (2) the extent of lepton-number nonconservation and neutrino-chirality nonconservation becomes maximal at high interlepton momentum transfers. As a result, various weak processes forbidden in the conventional description and so far unobserved at relatively small momentum transfers are expected to proceed with non-negligible rates at higher momentum transfers. A discussion is given of certain of these processes and particular attention is focused on the production processes ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{e}^{+}+n$, ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}+{\ensuremath{\Delta}}^{++}$, ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}+n$, and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}+(Z,A)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{e}^{\ensuremath{-}}+{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}+{\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}+(Z,A)$, and on the decay processes ${K}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}+{e}^{+}+{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{e}^{+}+\ensuremath{\gamma}$.
How Sensitive are Coarse General Circulation Models to Fundamental Approximations in the Equations of Motion

The advent of high-precision gravity missions presents the opportunity to accurately measure variations in the distribution of mass in the ocean. Such a data source will prove valuable in state estimation and constraining general circulation models (GCMs) in general. However, conventional GCMs make the Boussinesq approximations, a consequence of which is that mass is not conserved. By use of the height‐pressure coordinate isomorphism implemented in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology general circulation model (MITGCM), the impact of non-Boussinesq effects can be evaluated. Although implementing a non-Boussinesq model in pressure coordinates is relatively straightforward, making a direct comparison between height and pressure coordinate (i.e., Boussinesq and non-Boussinesq) models is not simple. However, a careful comparison of the height coordinate and the pressure coordinate solutions ensures that only non-Boussinesq effects can be responsible for the observed differences. As a yardstick, these differences are also compared with those between the Boussinesq hydrostatic and models in which the hydrostatic approximation has been relaxed, another approximation commonly made in GCMs. Model errors (differences) caused by the Boussinesq and hydrostatic approximations are demonstrated to be of comparable magnitude. Differences induced by small changes in subgrid-scale parameterizations are at least as large. Therefore, non-Boussinesq and nonhydrostatic effects are most likely negligible with respect to other model uncertainties. However, because there is no additional cost incurred in using a pressure coordinate model, it is argued that non-Boussinesq modeling is preferable simply for tidiness. It is also concluded that even coarse-resolution GCMs can be sensitive to small perturbations in the dynamical equations.
Distributed Detection of Information Flows

Distributed detection of information flows is considered in which traffic sensors at different locations of a network observe transmission epochs. The traffic sensors communicate their measurements to a fusion center via channels with rate constraints, and the fusion center performs hypothesis testing for information flow detection. Under a nonparametric flow model where relayed packets can be perturbed up to bounded delays and multiplexed with chaff noise, flow detectability is characterized through a notion called consistency-rate function that shows the level of detectable flows under capacity constraints on the fusion channels. Achievability results are presented by constructing detection systems consisting of quantization, data transmission, and detection subsystems. In particular, slot-by-slot quantization schemes at the local sensors and threshold detection schemes at the fusion center are proposed to provide consistent detection with quantifiable performance.
Modeling Slope Instability as Shear Rupture Propagation in a Saturated Porous Medium

When a region of intense shear in a slope is much thinner than other relevant geometric lengths, this shear failure may be approximated as localized slip like in faulting, with strength determined by frictional properties of the sediment and effective stress normal to the failure surface. Peak and residual frictional strengths of submarine sediments indicate critical slope angles well above those of most submarine slopes—in contradiction to abundant failures. Because deformation of sediments is governed by effective stress, processes affecting pore pressures are a means of strength reduction. However, common methods of examining slope stability neglect dynamically variable pore pressure during failure. We examine elastic-plastic models of the capped Drucker-Prager type and derive approximate equations governing pore pressure about a slip surface when the adjacent material may deform plastically. In the process we identify an elastic-plastic hydraulic diffusivity with an evolving permeability and plastic storage term analogous to the elastic term of traditional poroelasticity. We also examine their application to a dynamically propagating subsurface rupture and find indications of downslope directivity.
Snow‐fed streamflow timing at different basin scales: Case study of the Tuolumne River above Hetch Hetchy, Yosemite, California

[1] Diurnal cycles in snow-fed streams provide a useful technique for measuring the time it takes water to travel from the top of the snowpack, where snowmelt typically peaks in the afternoon, to the river gauge, where the daily maximum flows may arrive many hours later. Hourly stage measurements in nested subbasins (6-775 km2) of the Tuolumne River in Yosemite National Park illustrate travel time delays at different basin scales during the spring 2002 and 2003 melt seasons. Travel times increase with longer percolation times through deeper snowpacks, increase with longer travel times over land and along longer stream channels, and increase with slower in-stream flow velocities. In basins smaller than 30 km2, travel times through the snowpack dominate streamflow timing. In particular, daily peak flows shift to earlier in the day as snowpacks thin and mean discharges increase. In basins larger than 200 km2, snowpack heterogeneity causes the hour of peak flow to be highly consistent, with little or no variation as the snowpack thins. Basins with areas in between 30 and 200 km2 exhibit different sequences of diurnal streamflow timing in different years, sometimes acting like small basins and other times like large basins. From the start of the melt season until the day of peak snowmelt discharge, increasing travel distances in channels as the snow line retreats to higher elevations do not cause long enough travel delays to offset the observed decrease in mean travel times through the snowpack. A model that couples porous medium flow through thinning snowpacks with free surface flow in stream channels can reproduce the observed patterns, provided that the model incorporates snowpack heterogeneity.
Utility of computed tomographic angiography in the pre-operative planning for initial and repeat congenital cardiovascular surgery.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the utility of computed tomographic angiography as an adjunctive imaging modality before congenital cardiac surgery. DESIGN We evaluated 33 patients who underwent a pre-operative computed tomographic angiogram. They were classified according to the anatomic site of repair. Post-operatively, the surgeon completed a questionnaire assessing the utility of the study. RESULTS Computed tomographic angiography was found to be either "essential" or "very useful" for pre-operative planning in 94% of the patients. Specifically, the scan was consistently useful for procedures involving the aorta (14/15, 93%) or the pulmonary veins (4/4, 100%) and obviated pre-operative catheterisations in 14 patients (42%). Furthermore, when compared with other diagnostic groups, computed tomographic angiography determined the need for peripheral cannulation in patients undergoing re-operations (6/7; 86%, p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS Computed tomographic angiography was found to be useful in the pre-operative planning of virtually all patients undergoing repair of congenital cardiac malformations, regardless of diagnosis. Specifically, the studies were essential in select populations, such aortic arch or pulmonary vein repairs, and helped to determine cannulation sites for repeat operations while significantly reducing the need for invasive imaging.
Perceptions of Conflict in the First Year of Marriage: How Important are Similarity and Understanding?:

Perceptions of self and spouse play a central role in marital relationships. Using data from 219 newlywed couples, we examined the relative importance (to marital well-being) of partners' similarity and understanding of conflict styles. These data include reports of behaviors of the self and spouse during their most recent disagreement. Behaviors were categorized as either constructive or destructive to resolving the conflict, and data from each category were analyzed separately. Measures of perceptions of similarity based on one spouse's report, actual similarity between spouses' separate reports and spouses' accuracy in reporting (or `understanding' of) each other's behaviors were derived from these reports. Consistent with earlier studies, perceived similarity was shown to be higher than actual similarity and was a stronger positive predictor of marital well-being. This finding highlights the importance of partners believing that they are similar. The strongest predictor of marital well-being for wives...
The Problem of Price Controls at the Time of Natural Disasters

(1991). The Problem of Price Controls at the Time of Natural Disasters. Review of Social Economy: Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 62-75.
Two populations of glutamatergic axons in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus defined by the vesicular glutamate transporters 1 and 2.

Most glutamatergic neurons in the brain express one of two vesicular glutamate transporters, vGlut1 or vGlut2. Cortical glutamatergic neurons highly express vGlut1, whereas vGlut2 predominates in subcortical areas. In this study immunohistochemical detection of vGlut1 or vGlut2 was used in combination with tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH) to characterize glutamatergic innervation of the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) of the rat. Immunofluorescence labeling of both vGlut1 and vGlut2 was punctate and homogenously distributed throughout the DRN. Puncta labeled for vGlut2 appeared more numerous then those labeled for vGlut1. Ultrastructural analysis revealed axon terminals containing vGlut1 and vGlut2 formed asymmetric-type synapses 80% and 95% of the time, respectively. Postsynaptic targets of vGlut1- and vGlut2-containing axons differed in morphology. vGlut1-labeled axon terminals synapsed predominantly on small-caliber (distal) dendrites (42%, 46/110) or dendritic spines (46%, 50/110). In contrast, vGlut2-containing axons synapsed on larger caliber (proximal) dendritic shafts (> 0.5 μm diameter; 48%, 78/161). A fraction of both vGlut1- or vGlut2-labeled axons synapsed onto TPH-containing dendrites (14% and 34%, respectively). These observations reveal that different populations of glutamate-containing axons innervate selective dendritic domains of serotonergic and non-serotonergic neurons, suggesting they play different functional roles in modulating excitation within the DRN.
Interest groups in Venezuela: lessons from the failure of a ‘Model Democracy’ and the rise of a Bolivarian democracy

This article uses the Venezuelan case to shed light on the potential role of interest-group systems in discrediting liberal democracies and to identify challenges that the region's democracies are likely to confront in constructing effective and fair interest-group systems. It first analyzes the role Venezuela's interest groups played in discrediting its 40-year two-party democracy. It argues that the discrediting of a system heralded by many as the region's ‘model democracy’ cannot be understood by merely assessing how the structure of the group system excluded certain groups. The study shows that the inclusion of certain business interests in visible positions of power also helped discredit the two-party democracy. The article then compares the above system with the new group system which has emerged since 1998 as part of a new democratic system inspired by Latin America's 19th century Liberator, Simon Bolivar. This comparison reveals that the current system inverts the former system of inclusion and exclusion, even as it has retained a number of the old system's less virtuous features. The implications of the Venezuelan case for the region's democracies are elaborated in the conclusion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Substitution processes in molecular evolution. III. Deleterious alleles.

The substitution processes for various models of deleterious alleles are examined using computer simulations and mathematical analyses. Most of the work focuses on the house-of-cards model, which is a popular model of deleterious allele evolution. The rate of substitution is shown to be a concave function of the strength of selection as measured by alpha = 2N sigma, where N is the population size and sigma is the standard deviation of fitness. For alpha 4, the model ceases to evolve. The stagnation for large alpha may be understood by appealing to the theory of records. The house-of-cards model evolves to a state where the vast majority of all mutations are deleterious, but precisely one-half of those mutations that fix are deleterious (the other half are advantageous). Thus, the model is not a model of exclusively deleterious evolution as is frequently claimed. It is argued that there are no biologically reasonable models of molecular evolution where the vast majority of all substitutions are deleterious. Other models examined include the exponential and gamma shift models, the Hartl-Dykhuizen-Dean (HDD) model, and the optimum model. Of all those examined, only the optimum and HDD models appear to be reasonable candidates for silent evolution. None of the models are viewed as good candidates for protein evolution, as none are both biologically reasonable and exhibit the variability in substitutions commonly observed in protein sequence data.
Comparative Toxicology of Ozone and t-Butyl Hydroperoxide on Isolated Rat Lung

Comparative studies were undertaken on the effects of ozone and t-butyl hydroperoxide (t-BuOOH) on alkane production, glutathione and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release from isolated rat lungs. Specifically, ethane and pentane production, as well as glutathione and LDH release were simultaneously determined at different time intervals from the isolated lung preparation in the absence and presence of toxic concentrations of ozone or t-BuOOH. When compared to control conditions, both toxic agents produced a marked decrease in the dry weight to wet weight ratios, reflecting the development of acute pulmonary edema. These toxic agents also caused a marked increase in the efflux of glutathione into the effluent. A much higher glutathione efflux into the effluent was observed during t-BuOOH perfusion in comparison to ozone exposure. In parallel with the enhancement of glutathione release a significant increase in ethane production was also observed during t-BuOOH perfusion. However, the production of either al...
Visualization of Aviation Fluid Droplets At High Temperatures In A Drop Tube Furnace

Providing safe breathable air to aircraft crew and passengers is of primary importance for commercial airlines. This paper discusses a laboratory furnace system and its use to analyze the behavior, degradation, and combustion of several aviation fluids that are potential contaminants of jet engine bleed air. Visualization techniques are discussed for studies with suspended and free-falling droplets in environments where the temperature and the gas composition can be precisely controlled and measured. Droplets were suspended on the tip of a graphite capillary tube or micron sized droplets were allowed to free-fall from a custom piezoelectric droplet generator. Image analyses provided information about the behavior and combustion/degradation from specific aviation fluids, including engine oils and hydraulic fluids. These studies are being used to identify combinations of aviation fluids and bleed air conditions that are potentially harmful and they are being used to design and evaluate sensors for continuous monitoring of aircraft environments.
Response by rhizocephalan-parasitized crabs to analogues of crab larval-release pheromones.

ABSTRACT During larval release in the crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii, the attached eggs release peptide pheromones that induce the female to undergo stereotypic larval-release behavior entailing vigorous pumping of the abdomen (pumping response). Rhithropanopeus harrisii is parasitized by the rhizocephalan Loxothylacus panopei, which develops a reproductive body (externa) in the position normally occupied by the egg mass. The pumping response by the host crab has been observed at the time of larval release by rhizocephalan parasites infecting other crab species. Similar behavior was observed in R. harrisii on one occasion. Parasitized R. harrisii show the pumping responses upon exposure to peptides that are similar to the pheromones released by eggs. Peptide sensitivity, however, is enhanced in the parasitized crabs in two ways: the threshold concentrations are lower and the types of active peptides expanded, from those having a neutral amino acid at the amino terminus and basic amino acid at the carboxy terminus (neutral-basic), to include acid-basic and basic-basic peptides. The preconditions for responsiveness to the pheromone peptides are apparently the presence of material on the underside of the abdomen and an internal sense (probably hormonal) that a crab is ovigerous, or pseudoovigerous as in the case of parasitized crabs. The peptide receptor site is not located solely on the antennules, dactyls, or chelipeds. The evidence suggests that peptides, similar to the normal egg-hatching pheromones, are transmitted from the parasite to the crab at the time of larval release.
Proof Without Words: Mollweide's Equation

(1988). Proof Without Words: Mollweide's Equation. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 61, No. 5, pp. 281-281.
Platelet factor 4 in platelet disorders--storage location and the requirement of endogenous ADP for its release.

SummaryPlatelet factor 4 was present in normal amounts in patients whose platelets are deficient in the storage pool of adenine nucleotides and in the electron–dense granules in which these substances are stored. These findings suggest that PF–4 may be stored in other granules. The release of PF–4 by collagen and epinephrine, however, was decreased in these patients and these findings suggest that the storage pool of ADP may, in addition to being released, play a role in the release mechanism. The findings in patients with thrombasthenia indicate that this is not related to the ability of storage pool ADP to aggregate platelets.
Union of forces.

There are increasing demands on all of us. This year’s Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST) scientific assembly has been replete with discussions about the future of health care, trauma surgery, and acute care surgery. In a session sponsored by the Society of Trauma Nurses here just 2 days ago, Kate Fitzpatrick, Samir Fakhry, and Alice Gervasini portrayed the present and future landscape of quality initiatives in trauma and acute care surgery in a plenary session entitled ‘‘Bridging Institutional and Trauma Quality and Safety: New Era/New Issues.’’ These issues include items that influence all of us in our daily practices. How are we going to make this work in the future? What exactly does enactment to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 hold in store for us, our practices, hospitals, surgical training, and the direction of this organization? All of these represent an uncertain future, a future that will bring change, which will impact all of us, even potentially threaten our livelihoods and the future success of EAST. First, we must address a few baseline issues upfront about complex decision making. It is important to understand this so as best to interpret, in context, the things addressed later in this article. Understanding some of this theory might just help us in our future endeavors, as we deal with the challenging changes outlined previously. This complex decision making is presented as an allegory.
The student clinical experience. Implications for participation of pediatric personnel.

(1967). Pediatrics: The Student Clinical Experience. Hospital Topics: Vol. 45, No. 9, pp. 99-102.
Unconventional Monetary Policy and the Allocation of Credit

Despite massive large-scale asset purchases (LSAPs) by central banks around the world since the global financial crisis, there is a lack of empirical evidence on whether and how these programs affect the real economy. Using rich borrower-linked mortgage-market data, we document that there is a “flypaper effect” of LSAPs, where the transmission of unconventional monetary policy to interest rates and (more importantly) origination volumes depends crucially on the assets purchased and degree of segmentation in the market. For example, QE1, which involved significant purchases of GSE-guaranteed mortgages, increased GSE-eligible mortgage originations significantly more than the origination of GSE-ineligible mortgages. In contrast, QE2's focus on purchasing Treasuries did not have such differential effects. We find that the Fed's purchase of MBS (rather than exclusively Treasuries) during QE1 resulted in an additional $600 billion of refinancing, substantially reducing interest payments for refinancing households, leading to a boom in equity extraction, and increasing consumption by an additional $76 billion. This de facto allocation of credit across mortgage market segments, combined with sharp bunching around GSE eligibility cutoffs, establishes an important complementarity between monetary policy and macroprudential housing policy. Our counterfactual simulations estimate that relaxing GSE eligibility requirements would have significantly increased refinancing activity in response to QE1, including a 20% increase in equity extraction by households. Overall, our results imply that central banks could most effectively provide unconventional monetary stimulus by supporting the origination of debt that would not be originated otherwise.
Robotic approach to hepatobiliary surgery. German version

Die roboterassistierte hepatobiliare Chirurgie ist in den letzten Jahren stetig gewachsen. Sie stellt bei ausgewahlten Patienten eine Alternative zu den offenen und laparoskopischen Verfahren dar. Die Endowrist-Instrumente und die verbesserte Visualisierung bieten einen wichtigen Vorteil bezuglich Blutungskontrolle, Mikronahten und Dissektion. Cholezystektomien und kleinere Hepatektomien werden mit vergleichbaren Ergebnissen durchgefuhrt wie offene und laparoskopische Operationen. Auch komplexe Verfahren, wie z. B. schwere und erweiterte Hepatektomien zeigen exzellente Ergebnisse, sofern sie von Experten durchgefuhrt werden. Der zusatzlich verwendete fluoreszierende Farbstoff Indozyaningrun bietet einen weiteren Vorteil zur Erkennung der vaskularen und biliaren Anatomie. Zukunftige Innovationen werden es ermoglichen, die Anwendung und Indikationsgebiete fur dieses Verfahren zu erweitern. Die roboterassistierte Operation ist zu einem sehr wichtigen Teil der modernen minimal-invasiven Chirurgie geworden, und die Entwicklung neuer Robotertechnologien werden eine breitere Anwendung dieser Technik fordern.
Spin dependent charge pumping: A new tool for reliability studies

We have developed a new technique, spin dependent charge (SDCP) pumping which combines the unrivaled analytical power of EPR to identify the atomic scale nature of point defects with charge pumping, a widely used electrical characterization technique used to study interface/near interface defects in MOSFETs. We demonstrate SDCP to be a very powerful tool with potential to be of widespread use to the MOSFET reliability community.
High Prevalence of Osteoporosis and Osteopenia in Adult Neuromuscular Patients: A Prospective Pilot Study in Central Pennsylvania (P3.388)

OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in patients seen in an academic neuromuscular clinic in central Pennsylvania. BACKGROUND: Osteoporosis (OP) and osteopenia are largely under-diagnosed conditions. Scattered reports of prevalence of osteoporosis in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, SMA, ALS, Dermatomyositis and polymyomyositis, and post-polio syndrome have been published. A mouse model study of osteoporosis has shown progressive trabecular bone loss with progression of neuromuscular conditions. A Canadian multicenter osteoporosis study showed a prevalence of OP in men over 25 to be 6.6[percnt] and that for women over 50 years of age to be 15.8[percnt]. Such data for OP and osteopenia for patients seen in adult neuromuscular clinics in the US are lacking. METHODS: 27 consecutive adult patients, seen after random selection,had baseline bone mineral density (BMD) testing done from L spine and femur-neck. These patients were those who were considered for oral prednisone therapy. Among he paients, sixteen were women, and eleven men. RESULTS:6 patients had osteoporosis (22[percnt]); 8 had osteopenia (30[percnt]), and 13 had normal (48[percnt]) BMD testing. Six out of eleven men and eight out of sixteen women had abnormal testing. The prevalence of osteoporosis/osteopenia was statistically significant for both the gender groups. CONCLUSION; This PILOT study showed a statistically significant high prevalence of osteoporosis and osteopenia in patients with neuromuscular disorders independent of any known long term similar effects of prednisone therapy.such high prevalence was seen in men as well as in women.Large multicentric studies are worth contemplating. This can turn out to be an undiagnosed endemic or even pandemic condition. Plummeted quality of life, pain, and fractures can result from osteoporosis which can be potentially preventable if accurate and holistic diagnoses are made, prompting appropriate measures. Study supported by: none Disclosure: Dr. Bandyopadhyay has nothing to disclose.
Energy modeling of aggregated community scale residential microgrids

Many residential homeowners are investing in distributed energy generation, energy storage, and load management technologies. Due to the highly variable nature of residential energy consumption, homeowners tend to oversize their generation and storage capabilities in order to meet their demand. We find the energy needs of many households are more efficiently met when neighboring homeowners pool their energy resources into an aggregate microgrid instead of relying solely on individually owned resources. We quantify the energy needs of individual residences and the aggregate microgrid by measuring net load variability. Using modified coincident factors, a conventional measure of variability in the electric utility industry, we calculate that the overall load variability for four southern Wisconsin households is reduced due to net load aggregation.
A Life Design Perspective on the Work to Retirement Transition

Two important evolutions of the 21st century are the recognition of retirement as a normative third age in the lifespan and the rapid economic and social changes individuals need to adapt to. The objective of this chapter is to examine the transition from work to retirement using a life design perspective that relies on the concepts of identity, meaning, and mattering. The proposed conceptual framework delineates how subjective identity forms are articulated between individuals’ salient roles in different life domains and through time, and how meaning is provided by the fulfillment of individuals’ key goods and perception of mattering. The case of a 69-year old Swiss man—a former entrepreneur, now fully retired–—illustrates that identity continuity and shift can occur among different life domains through time, and how specific key goods and sense of mattering may enhance meaning in life.
STUDYING CRIME TRENDS: NORMAL SCIENCE AND EXOGENOUS SHOCKS*

The study of crime trends has proceeded along two paths: 1) normal science investigations of slow-moving and tractable changes in crime rates and explanatory conditions and 2) research encounters with unexpected and abrupt changes in crime rates resulting from exogenous shocks. I draw from my research on the relationship between crime rates and changing macroeconomic conditions to illustrate the pains and pleasures of studying crime trends with the tools of normal science. I describe my exploratory investigations of the recent homicide rise in the United States to underscore the theoretical importance and methodological challenges of research on exogenous shocks to crime rates. Finally, I hope to convey to the next generation of criminologists the intellectual excitement that comes from the study of crime trends.
Building a life note-by-note: music and the life course

Music is an omnipresent component of many people's lives. On an individual level it is used to set moods, mark milestones, and connect to one's personal history. At a collective level music marks the concerns of cultural heritage, national holidays and days of remembrance, and brings people together by serving as a conduit to engage in fellowship, as well as an immediate point of shared interest or experience that helps to form bonds. While popular music is characterized by a degree of ephemerality in terms of its immediacy in popular culture, its roots extend deep into the soil of the cultural fabric and the people who embrace it. As will be displayed in this paper, the ubiquitous social qualities of music that are foundational to the development of personal identity, meaning making, and community formation are integral to life course development in music fans. Using the lens of the broaden-and-build theory, we demonstrate how people build a life through music, note-by-note.
Neighborhood Density and Syntactic Class Effects on Spoken Word Recognition: Specific Language Impairment and Typical Development.

Purpose The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of neighborhood density and syntactic class on word recognition in children with specific language impairment (SLI) and typical ...
Hyaline membranes in full-size infants.

The respiratory distress syndrome, manifested by hyaline membranes at autopsy, was found in 42 full-size infants, and four additional full-size infants of diabetic mothers among 460 neonatal autopsies, and approximately 90,000 births. The mean gestational age was 36.5 weeks and the cases were predominantly males. Ante- or intrapartum complications were present in threefourths of the cases and death was attributable to factors in addition to hyaline membranes in over one-half of the total. Forty per cent were delivered by cesarean section, most for serious indications, but the gestational age in the majority was less than 38 weeks. The findings in ten cases with a gestational age of 39 weeks or longer did not differ from the remainder. Hyaline membranes are uncommon in full-size infants when compared to the total number of live births, especially if corrected for full-term gestation (about 0.1/1000).
A Pilot Phase II Study of Erlotinib for the Treatment of Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Erlotinib, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor, may have off-target activity inducing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) differentiation, possibly through SYK inhibition. We investigated erlotinib in a pilot phase II study for efficacy in relapsed/refractory AML patients at a dose of 150 mg once daily in 28-day cycles. Twenty-nine patients were treated for a median of 29 days (range 12-142 days). Seven patients (24%) received > 1 cycle of therapy and 12 (41%) discontinued treatment before day 28 due to disease progression. One patient (3%) achieved complete remission and 2 (7%) a > 50% reduction in blasts. The most common toxicities associated with erlotinib were fatigue in 10 patients (34%), diarrhea in 10 (34%), nausea in 8 (28%), and rash in 7 (24%). Only 2 patients (7%) had study drug-related adverse events requiring dose reductions and eventual discontinuation. The main reason for treatment discontinuation was disease progression in 26 patients (90%). All patients had died by the time of the last follow-up. Progression of disease was the primary cause of death in all patients. Median overall survival was 14 weeks (range 2.3-96.9 weeks) and median event-free survival was 5 weeks (range 1.7-21.0 weeks). Erlotinib as a single agent has limited clinical efficacy in patients with relapsed/refractory AML.
Waveform Design of Linear Frequency Modulation Pulse Signal Based on Ambiguity Function

The rapid development of science and technology brings exigent demands for radar performance. Intelligent radar should have the ability to be flexible and agile and transmit different waveforms according to different working environment. In this paper, in order to obtain more flexible waveform, we propose a novel waveform design method of linear frequency modulation pulse signal after analyzing principles of ambiguity function. In simulations, time–frequency characteristics and ambiguity characteristics are provided. Simulations results demonstrate the proposed method which has good range and velocity resolution. Finally, the full paper is summarized.
Neuropsychological and Criminological Features of Female Homicide Offenders

Few studies have examined life history and cognitive characteristics unique to female homicide offenders. Understanding these characteristics could aid in risk assessment for extreme violence in this group of offenders. The current study utilized t-tests or chi-square tests to compare 27 female and 81 male homicide offenders on psychiatric, neurologic, criminal, and cognitive characteristics. Additionally, we explored the role of abuse history in female offenders through Kruskal-Wallis or Fisher's exact tests. Results indicate that in comparison with male counterparts, females are more likely to have history of mood disorder, borderline personality disorder, and abuse. Cognitively, female homicide offenders exhibit circumscribed cognitive impairment in verbal abilities and perform similarly to male homicide offenders across most cognitive tasks. Within the female offender group, history of sexual abuse is associated with higher rates of impulsive homicide and poorer verbal abilities. These findings provide preliminary evidence for distinct factors associated with homicide in women.
Do Testing Conditions Explain Cyber Charter Schools’ Failing Grades?

ABSTRACTRecent Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) analyses find that cyber charter schools in seventeen states show consistently low reading and mathematics value-added test scores c...
In the Epistemological Spotlight: Epidemiological Evidence in Toxic Torts

Haack begins by telling the sad story of Andrew Wakefield's badly flawed work on MMR vaccination and autism, with the aim of showing that even a lay judge or jury, with the help of common sense and some epistemological principles, can make reasonable critical assessments of epidemiological evidence.
Relationships between institutional success and length of tenure in a Kenyan irrigation scheme

In a global context of climate change and increased water scarcity, the development of efficient irrigation schemes in sub-Saharan Africa where rainfed agriculture still prevails could significantly support food security. However, developing efficient irrigation schemes is highly challenging and necessitates the resolution of a number of collective action problems. Since the 1980s, a large body of research has explored the conditions needed for successful collective action, sustainable use of the resource in irrigation schemes, and the development of efficient institutions. Although there is no agreed-upon definition of what successful, sustainable, or efficient governance schemes or institutions are, there is a common understanding that institutions that last over a long period of time are successful. However, past work mostly paints a homogenous and holistic picture of institutional efficiency across a given CPR, while limited research has investigated differences in terms of institutional efficiency between appropriators with various levels of institutional experience. In order to deepen our understanding of institutional efficiency, this study investigates how appropriators in one irrigation scheme, with different lengths and types of institutional experience, practice institutions. Building on existing literature, we ask how institutional efficiency relates to institutional experience at the levels of both irrigation units and the appropriators of water. To answer this research question, we conducted our analysis in the Mwea irrigation scheme (MIS) in Kenya, an irrigation scheme that has not only persisted but expanded over time since the 1950s. We analyze payment of operation and maintenance (O&M) fees for 71 irrigation units over two consecutive years. We also explore the results of 422 household surveys on the practice of institutions conducted in eight irrigation units with distinct duration and types of institutional experience. This work sheds new light on the dynamic formation and definition of institutional efficiency by highlighting the importance of farmers’ experience and empowerment in supporting adaptive institutions. We show that under the pressure of experienced and empowered appropriators, institutions can evolve and adapt to become more efficient. Irrigation schemes can only alleviate food insecurity when farmers are deeply involved in local institutions. This study shows their central role in correctly appropriating and provisioning the resource but also in using their knowledge and authority to critique the rules in place and promote the adaptation of institutions.
On EBM Guidelines for Assessment of Evidence

The leaders of the EBM movement act as authorities on how clinicians in general should critically evaluate the evidence from diagnostic and prognostic research. They issue precepts, and actual guidelines, for this evaluation. In these teachings they draw from epidemiology. But a point of major note is that diagnostic and prognostic research for clinical medicine have not been understood by epidemiologists any better than their central, etiologic/etiogenetic/etiognostic research for community medicine. Therefore, the EBM precepts and guidelines on the evaluation of evidence are ill-founded. They need to be taken with large grains of salt.
Leveraging program invariants to promote population diversity in search-based automatic program repair

Search-based automatic program repair has shown promise in reducing the cost of defects in real-world software. However, to date, such techniques have typically been most successful when constructing short or single-edit repairs. This is true even when techniques make use of heuristic search strategies, like genetic programming, that in principle support the construction of patches of arbitrary length. One key reason is that the fitness function traditionally depends entirely on test cases, which are poor at identifying partially correct solutions and lead to a fitness landscape with many plateaus. We propose a novel fitness function that optimizes for both functionality and semantic diversity, characterized using learned invariants over intermediate behavior. Our early results show that this new approach improves semantic diversity and fitness granularity, but does not statistically significantly improve repair performance.
How Virtual Reality Can Help Bankers Become More Empathetic – and More Ethical

The scandals in the financial industry have thus far been beyond the law’s power to prevent. Many constituencies have suffered significant harm, including those dealing with financial institutions, and many others. Indeed, the institutions themselves have also been adversely affected. Bank culture is apparently in significant part to blame. Banks hire, and promote and otherwise incentivize, train, and discipline and fire, employees in ways that encourage them to be heedless of the consequences of their actions – to third parties and sometimes, even to the banks themselves. The craft of gaming financial rules, formulas, and covenants is lauded, as are other activities that violate the spirit of the law while honoring its letter. The corporate form allows bankers and banks to get the benefits of risk-taking while limiting their exposure to the associated costs. The result is predictable, and becomes embedded in the banks’ ethos. Bankers readily experience the proximate results of what they do – the bonuses and promotions, the admiration of their peers and the camaraderie of their work-groups engaged in a collective task, and their own internal pride – but may not be willing or even able to make the imaginative leap to the less proximate effects. Lack of cognitive and affective empathy (the former meaning not knowing about others’ reactions, and the latter meaning not caring) may be a big reason why. This piece asks the reader to engage in a thought experiment: What if bankers could be made more aware of the consequences of their actions by the use of virtual reality?