cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pre-Post Demographic Study of Child-Centered Play Therapy for Students With Highly Disruptive Behavior in High-Poverty Schools

As a follow-up to a controlled comparison study of child-centered play therapy (CCPT) for students with highly disruptive behavior in high-poverty schools (Cochran & Cochran, in press), this study considers changes from pretreatment to posttreatment across nine school weeks of CCPT for all served students (regardless of control period), yielding evidence of significant improvement and large effect sizes, and a large enough sample to investigate possible demographic differences. While main effects were found for ethnicity and gender, with students from minority ethnicities in the data set (African American, Hispanic, and Native American) having higher means in externalizing behavior than students from the majority ethnicity in the data set (Caucasian), and girls having lower means in externalizing and higher means in internalizing than boys, no differences in rates of progress were found for ethnicity, gender, or age for each of the five dependent variables, supporting evidence of the wide ranging applicab...
Verbal Learning in Schizophrenics and Normals

27 hospitalized chronic schizophrenics and 27 normals, matched on age, sex, and vocabulary ability, participated in a verbal learning task. 21 words, selected to represent evaluative, potency, and activity semantic factors and matched for Thorndike-Lorge frequencies, were presented via a memory drum on 3 trials. Normals recalled more words than schizophrenics, both groups recalled more words on each succeeding trial, and normals recalled more evaluative factor words than other factor words, while schizophrenics recalled more potency factor words than other factor words. The 2 groups did not differ significantly in the number of incorrect words they wrote. The results were interpreted as supporting an interference theory of schizophrenic functioning.
Institutionalizing Coastal Restoration in Louisiana After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita: The Importance of Advocacy Coalitions and Claims-Making in Post-disaster Policy Innovation

Why do disasters sometimes lead to the creation of innovative, new policy frameworks? People often assume that this happens because disasters cause people to understand environmental problems in new ways. However, this case study of changes in Louisiana’s coastal land management policy after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 tells a different story. After the hurricanes, state and federal legislators passed several laws that created a framework for comprehensive coastal restoration, replacing the haphazard and poorly funded approach that preceded the storms. This policy innovation occurred because the hurricanes created an opportunity to enact ideas developed by a coalition of coastal scientists, environmental attorneys, and local businesspeople during the previous three decades. Without the long-term work of this advocacy coalition, policy innovation would probably not have occurred. The case study presents the history of coastal restoration policy in Louisiana and explains how this history illustrates models of policy agenda setting from political science and environmental problems construction from sociology. In turn, these models provide a key to interpreting other examples of post-disaster policy change.
Zero-divisors in tensor products

I shall discuss a very simple, frustrating, tantalizing question in ring theory, some partial results I have obtained on it, and some possible methods of further attack, which the reader is invited to pursue. The problem comes from the theory of division algebras, but the approach to be described will lead us through general ring theory, linear algebra, algebraic geometry and category theory. (We shall make a detour into semigroup theory as well.) Which fields may hold the methods by which the problem can be solved I do not know; but I think this paper contains ideas which should be of interest to people in all the areas mentioned.
Can a Dead Hand from the Grave Protect the Kids from Darling Daddy or Mommie Dearest

The natural connection between parent and child matters both in life and in death. This article considers the legal conflicts that may arise when a primary caregiver parent dies. Consider whether a manipulative, self-involved, child-abusing, alcoholic mother who beat and badgered her children, tied them to their beds, and whose abuse of the children became cinematic legend, should be able to maintain custody of her children when the children’s other parent dies? Can a parent take any testamentary steps to protect his or her children, even from the grave? Children who survive the death of their primary caregiving parent are generally, by operation of law, transferred to the care and custody of their surviving parent. However, should that surviving parent need to be “fit” for parenting? Should the court be required to protect the best interests of the children? Alternatively, can the deceased parent ever leave guardianship directions that are afforded weight against natural parental rights? Can a court determining custody of children in the death of the primary caregiving parent be allowed to entertain a rebuttal of the natural parent presumption if diverging wishes of the decedent parent are left by will? This article explores these questions and offers potential answers for practitioners working to protect clients’ children in the event of the demise of the primary caregiving parent, particularly when the surviving natural parent has exhibited conduct that does not seem to be in the best interests of the child. Part I outlines the law, juxtaposing probate rules and family law rules surrounding natural parents and their children, and examines how states have handled or may handle the conflict of laws. Part II offers some suggestions to practitioners regarding how to best protect the rights of parents and the best interests of the children. Shall a child in the decedent’s custody be left to the care and custody of a surviving parent despite the parent-testator’s wishes to the contrary? The answer, as always, lies in the law as applied to the facts of each case, but this article offers some solutions to protect the best interests of children in these challenging parental situations.
Medical Aspects of the Treatment of Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms/Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: 5-Alpha Reductase Inhibitors

Abstract With age, men experience an increase in the volume of prostrate stroma (histologically diagnosed as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH); static component), and an increase in the alpha-1 adrenergic receptors in the prostate stroma (dynamic component). Either or both of these changes in synergy can result in lower urinary tract symptoms. 5-Alpha reductase inhibitors (5αRIs) block the conversion of testosterone to dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and thus limit prostate stroma growth. Regardless of initial prostate volume, consistent use of 5αRIs can reduce prostate volume by as much as 25% over the initial 12 months through prostatic epithelial cell apoptosis. 5αRI therapy prevents progression of BPH: treatment with 5αRI monotherapy is associated with significant reductions in the risk of acute urinary retention, the risk of surgical intervention for BPH, and the risk for any clinical progression of BPH. Several studies have demonstrated no significant differences between long-term treatment of BPH with finasteride versus dutasteride regarding changes in symptom scores, maximum urinary flow rate, postvoid residual volume, prostate volume, or prostate specific antigen (PSA) value; however, a lower incidence of sexual side effects may occur with finasteride compared with dutasteride. Combination therapy with a 5αRI and an alpha-1 adrenergic receptor blocker improves symptom scores and prevents the clinical progression of BPH better than either monotherapy; and improves maximum urinary flow rate, decreases risk of acute urinary retention, and decreases risk of invasive therapy for BPH better than alpha-1 adrenergic receptor blocker monotherapy. These benefits seem to be greatest for men with higher initial PSA and greater initial prostate volume. Additional indications for 5αRIs in the treatment of prostatic-origin hematuria and hemorrhage after transurethral resection of the prostate, as well as in the prevention and treatment of prostate cancer require further study.
Disseminated coccidioidomycosis masquerading as recurrent lymphoma.

Infection with Coccidioides immitis , a soil-dwelling fungus endemic to the American Southwest, may have protean manifestations in immunocompromised patients who reside in1 2 or who have travelled to3 that region. We report a patient whose abnormal PET/CT scan raised concern for recurrent lymphoma but instead was due to disseminated coccidioidomycosis. A 62-year-old woman was diagnosed with ileocaecal marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) after presenting with iron-deficiency anaemia and faecal occult blood. Ten years earlier, she underwent allogeneic haematopoietic cell transplantation for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). She had recurrent cutaneous chronic graft-versus-host-disease (CGVHD); 50 months before the diagnosis of MZL, she completed a 9-month course of …
WIC Households' Bread and Cold Cereal Purchases: When They Use Benefits Versus Paying Out of Pocket.

Purpose:The US Department of Agriculture’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) seeks to improve the health of participating women and children by providing...
Automated Discharging Arguments for Density Problems in Grids.

Discharging arguments demonstrate a connection between local structure and global averages. This makes it an effective tool for proving lower bounds on the density of special sets in infinite grids. However, the minimum density of an identifying code in the hexagonal grid remains open, with an upper bound of $\frac{3}{7} \approx 0.428571$ and a lower bound of $\frac{5}{12}\approx 0.416666$. We present a new, experimental framework for producing discharging arguments using an algorithm. This algorithm replaces the lengthy case analysis of human-written discharging arguments with a linear program that produces the best possible lower bound using the specified set of discharging rules. We use this framework to present a lower bound of $\frac{23}{55} \approx 0.418181$ on the density of an identifying code in the hexagonal grid, and also find several sharp lower bounds for variations on identifying codes in the hexagonal, square, and triangular grids.
Echoing Helicon: Music, Art and Identity in the Este Studioli, 1440–1530, by Tim Shephard

Envisioning music’s participation in the construction of princely identity in the Renaissance period is precisely the subject of Tim Shephard’s Echoing Helicon: Music, Art and Identity in the Este ...
Mafic volcanism in the Colorado Plateau/Basin-and-Range Transition Zone, Hurricane, Utah

The Hurricane volcanic field (HVF) is a small-volume (0 .48 Jan3) mafic volcanic field in the Colorado Plateau I Basin & Range Transition Zone located in the eastern part of the St. George basin in southwestern Utah. Strombolian-Hawaiian style eruptions produced thin (10m) a'a lava flows and cinder (scoria) cones composed of vesicular basalt, bombs and agglutinate. Radiometric dating and geologic relationships demonstrate that the HVF formed over a period of at least I 00,000 years. In the upper crust, magma probably rose along joints in sedimentary rocks because chains of volcanic vents follow joint orientation maxima in sedimentary rocks. Three rock groups, low-silica basanite ( 46% Si02), originated from the partial melting offour isotopically distinct garnet-free mantle sources. Limited mixing between two of the four types of magmas may explain intra-element variation ofbasanites and some alkali basalts. HVF mafic lavas have relatively high La!Ba, La/Nb and 87Srf86Sr and lower f:Nd values compared to Basin-andRange basalts less than 5 m.y. old indicating that HVF magmas originated in the lithospheric mantle and interacted with lower crustal component(s) in one or two steps. With distance from the Colorado Plateau and time HVF magmas, like those in other areas of the Transition Zone, become more like ocean island basalt (Offi). The contamination by a lower crustal component of the Transition Zone basalts reflects the thick lithosphere beneath the Transition Zone and Colorado Plateau when compared with the Basin-andRange basalts which lack this component. The transition ofHVF lavas toward an Offi composition with time may reflect the thinning of the lithosphere during extension. Differences in chemical and isotopic features of volcanic rocks erupted from the Volcano Mountain vent complex indicate that the complex is polygenetic. Geochronological data indicate that the complex erupted over a period of at least 100,000 years and is also polycyclic.
Estimated glomerular filtration rate better predicts 30-day mortality after non-cardiac surgery than serum creatinine: a retrospective analysis of 92,888 patients

Serum creatinine is the most commonly used indicator of renal function, but its derivative, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), has been shown to be superior in non-surgical settings. It remains unknown if eGFR better predicts postoperative mortality in non-cardiac surgical patients. We thus tested the hypothesis that eGFR predicts 30-day mortality after non-cardiac surgery better than serum creatinine. We evaluated patients who had inpatient non-cardiac surgery of at least one hour duration during January 2006 to December 2011 at the Cleveland Clinic Main Campus and whose preoperative serum creatinine was measured within 30 days before surgery. The eGFR was calculated using the Chronic Kidney Disease-Epidemiology Collaboration equation. Preoperative eGFR was compared in a multivariable analysis with preoperative serum creatinine (both assessed as continuous variables) on the ability to predict 30-day mortality in all patients. Secondarily, the comparison was made within subgroups based on amount of blood loss, blood transfusion, and sex. There were 92,888 patients included in the final analysis. The eGFR was a modestly better discriminator of 30-day mortality than serum creatinine, with an estimated c-statistic (95% confidence interval) of 0.67 (0.65 to 0.68) for eGFR vs 0.61 (0.59 to 0.63) for serum creatinine (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the eGFR was consistently a better discriminator of 30-day mortality across blood loss, transfusion, and sex groups. Reclassification analyses suggested improved individual predictions of 30-day mortality using eGFR compared with serum creatinine. Nevertheless, a multivariable combination of baseline characteristics of American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status, age, and body mass index (all P < 0.001) discriminated 30-day mortality with a c-statistic of 0.850. Adding eGFR to the model improved the c-statistic to only 0.851, while separately adding serum creatinine did not change the c-statistic. The eGFR is a modestly better predictor of 30-day mortality than serum creatinine in patients having inpatient non-cardiac surgery. Given that eGFR is often reported by clinical laboratories and is otherwise easy to calculate, it should generally be used in preference to creatinine alone.
“We Are a Football Family”: Making Sense of Parents’ Decisions to Allow Their Children to Play Tackle Football:

Parents of middle school–aged children face a true dilemma as they consider whether to allow their children to play tackle football. The sport is cited as one that fosters a number of intangible be...
Giving Competition in Medical Care and Health Insurance a Chance

This study summarizes what we know and do not know, in both economic theory and empirical practice, about the potential to more closely approximate competitive markets in healthcare and insurance in ways that will do more good than harm to the current dysfunctional system. The alternatives to competitive markets are, on the one hand, private markets where sellers of medical products and health insurance have market power, and, on the other hand, markets in which government both funds and controls production of such items. This study briefly discusses the economic ideal of competition and its current state in hospital, physician, pharmaceutical, and health insurance markets. It then considers circumstances in which more supply-side competition would or would not improve outcomes, identifies imperfect information as a key problem, and closes by discussing competition among health plans, systems, and networks. This research combines data, theory, and reasonable conjecture to focus on market-like improvements that are likely to do more good than harm.
Canalicular Obstructions and Management

Canalicular stenosis or obstruction is a common cause of chronic epiphora. Proper evaluation of epiphora is the cornerstone of dacryology and will enable the practitioner to assess the underlying etiology, thus developing a sound surgical plan. The anatomical complexities of the lacrimal drainage system are discussed, as well as the proper technique and potential challenges in the diagnosis and management of this condition. Congenital and acquired causes of canalicular obstruction and canaliculitis are discussed. Iatrogenic canalicular obstruction may occur secondary to migrated or intracanalicular punctal plugs. In severe cases of canalicular obstruction, a conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy may be necessary.
Populism and Democratic Theory

Commentators routinely describe “populism” as vague. Some argue that the early US populists, who coined the modern usage, were not populists. We disagree and identify this common conceptual core: t...
Digital Patient Engagement and Social Media

The adoption and use of social media in the United States have risen exponentially over the last few decades. In the era of precision oncology medicine, social media use is boundless, with ever-increasing capabilities and innovations. Popularity of social media use in the general public has increased tremendously. At the same time, there is a parallel increase in social media use by healthcare professionals and healthcare professional organizations. While promising, social media use in cancer care and clinical trials is still in its infancy, and improved understanding of the patient, provider, and systems-related implications of social media is needed. As more and more patients engage in social media use for healthcare purposes, oncologists and cancer centers should familiarize themselves with the principles of social media use in clinical care and clinical trials. Using journal articles, research reports, state of the science papers, position papers, and clinical guidelines from professional organizations, the primary purpose of this chapter is to describe the current use of digital patient engagement and social media use in oncology care, and to describe evidence-based information on use of digital technology for personalized oncology care, including clinical trial enrollment and participation.
An exploration of youth physically restrained in mental health residential treatment centers

Abstract Youth are physically restrained in residential treatment centers to prevent them from harming themselves or others, and this practice is common in treatment settings. Consequences from restraint (including clinical, emotional, and physical harm; even death) demonstrate the necessity of reducing restraint use. These consequences may be more severe for youth who have experienced trauma, a population that is disproportionately represented in residential treatment facilities. Using a large dataset (798 youth in residential treatment centers in the Midwest involved in 13,339 restraint incidents over three years), this paper explores the characteristics of the youth who were restrained (including age, race, sex, and primary diagnosis), the reasons why restraints occurred, when restraints occurred during the day, week, and course of the youth's treatment, and the techniques used to restrain youth. African-American youth were more likely to be restrained, as were younger youth. There were no differences between sex or primary diagnosis. Restraints are more likely to occur early in the week and in the evening hours. A majority of youth ever restrained are restrained within their first five weeks of treatment, including a fifth of youth restrained in their first week. Standing holds are the most common restraint technique, and most youth are restrained using only one hold; a disturbing minority of incidents, however, involve the use of multiple holds, including 7% of incidents involving four or more holds. These exploratory results are discussed in terms of how they may be used to reduce restraints and spur future research.
Use of Force Simulator for Law Enforcement Handgun Qualification

Significant research has been done on the use of simulators for military weapons training from initial weapons handling to robust mission planning scenarios. In the United States, less has been done to validate the use of simulators in law enforcement training. A brief history of law enforcement training is provided followed by a discussion of some points on adult educational theory that may inform current law enforcement training practices. Following a review of other disciplines using simulators for training, current practices integrating simulators into law enforcement training is provided. A short selection of the different types of simulators available to law enforcement is presented as background to the presentation of a current study regarding the use of a weapons simulator for new law enforcement cadets.
Congress, the Supreme Court and Accountability Mechanisms: The Role of Non Governmental Organisations in Sustainable Development

The emphasis and reference to “Women Empowerment” in this volume, should not infer that men assume insignificant roles as role models for the authors. In fact my greatest heroes have always included Abraham Lincoln and John F Kennedy – which is why in part, figures such as Jackie Kennedy and great institutions – such as the United States Congress, have always been greatly admired and revered. It is perhaps in view of my male heroes, as well as male role models who have played such uplifting and inspiring roles in my life, that I have been inspired to commit some sections – as well as highlight the importance of the need for women to empower each other – as well as others. At times when we particularly encounter our moments of deepest “valley experiences”, there is greatest need for sources of empowerment. “…..looking back at the wonderful journey of life I turned round, and so far, What has struck most has not been the number of mountains or peaks experienced, Or the valleys crossed, But that, for every mountain, There is a valley, And what has resounded most, is not just how important the length of time spent in the valley may significantly differ from that experienced on the peak, But what experiences and lessons have been taken from such times spent – particularly, during those times in the valley.”
Label-free multi-spectral deep UV imaging of prostate cancer tissue

Prostate cancer is the most common non-cutaneous cancer in men. Moreover, identifying the most effective treatment strategy for an individual with prostate cancer strongly depends on the Gleason score (Grade group) of the disease. However, this task continues to be a significant clinical challenge in a subset of patients. Currently, the gold standard for grading prostate cancer is the Pathologist’s visual assessment of hematoxylin-and-eosin-stained histological sections, and designation of a Gleason score (Grade group) based on the top two most common Gleason grades. However, this process is subjective and thus prone to error and high variability, especially amongst non-Urologic Pathologists or those who are not aware of recent modifications to the grading system. In addition, variations in protocols for staining, could make quantitative analysis of stained tissues challenging in some cases. Therefore, there is a significant clinical need to develop additional complementary quantitative methods that can provide robust, objective, reproducible, and accurate information of the aggressiveness and grade of prostate cancer. Here we address this issue by imaging unstained tissue sections using multi-spectral deep-UV microscopy. This method enables us to obtain valuable quantitative insight into the aggressiveness and grade of the disease due to its subcellular spatial resolution and high sensitivity to many endogenous biomolecules, including nucleic acid and proteins. The approach uses a simple, fast and cost effective wide-field imaging configuration that is well-suited for pathology applications. Spectral signatures form wavelengths ranging from 220 nm to 450 nm are analyzed using a geometrical representation of principal component analysis. Our results reveal distinct morphological and molecular alterations in tissue as they progress from benign to cancerous, and as they become more aggressive (higher grade). In this research project, we delineated the design of the multispectral, deep UV microscope and described our quantitative and qualitative image analysis. Our results show that multispectral deep UV microscopy provides a quantitative measure to differentiate between prostate cancer patients with varying grades of cancer.
An analysis of major and career decision-making difficulties of exploratory college students in a Mid-Atlantic University

The nexus between an academic field of study (major) and a career remains nebulous for most undergraduate college students who seek the best-fit major to prepare them for the right career path. Using the CDDQ, Career Decision-making Difficulty Questionnaire (Gati et al in J Counsel Psychol 43:510–526, 1996; A taxonomy of difficulties in career decision making, 2001), a paired sample t test was conducted to analyze the impact of a major and career exploration course (COM-200) on 54 undeclared first-year college students in a Mid-Atlantic university. The CDDQ was used to test the hypothesis that at the end of the course, students’ career decision-making difficulties would be reduced in each of the three major cluster scores: (1) Lack of Readiness, (2) Lack of Information, and (3) Inconsistent Information. Findings from the study indicate statistically significant difference between the pretest and posttest analysis of the career decision-making difficulty for each of the variables studied.
Tensile Viscoelastic Properties of the Sclera after Glycosaminoglycan Depletion.

Fibrillar collagen network and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are the primary components of extracellular matrix (ECM) of the sclera. The main goal of this study was to investigate the possible structur...
Physiological and perceptual responses during walking at set and preferred pace in normal and overweight adults.

BACKGROUND This study aimed to investigate the influence of body weight, exercise modality, and pace on physiological and perceptual responses to determine the relation between perceptual and physiological responses. METHODS Aerobically untrained, normal weight, and overweight males and females participated. Participants were randomly assigned to one exercise condition for a 1-mile walk. RESULTS Prescribed pace resulted in a greater physiological stress than self-selected pace (all p < 0.001) through blood lactate (1.3 ± 0.4 vs 1.7 ± 0.5 mmol), systolic blood pressure (128.9 ± 10.3 vs 139.2 ± 13.2 mmHg), heart rate recovery (2.1 ± 1.7 vs 4.5 ± 2.6 min), oxygen consumption (15.1 ± 2.6 vs 18.1 ± 3.6 ml/kg/min), heart rate (111.7 ± 16.6 vs 134.4 ± 8.3 bpm), and energy expenditure (5.5 ± 1.4 vs 6.8 ± 1.7 kcal/min). Overweight individuals exhibited higher values than normal weight for heart rate (113 ± 8.8 vs 125.5 ± 13.2 bpm, p < 0.001), percentage of max heart rate (60.7 vs 69.0%, p < 0.001), percent of VO2peak (42.2 vs 55.6%, p < 0.001), and total energy expenditure (100.9 ± 27.4 vs 114.1 ± 33.5 kcal, p = 0.022). Greater perceived effort was seen on a treadmill (6.3 ± 0.5 vs 12.5 ± 2.0 RPE, p < 0.001) and at prescribed pace (6.5 ± 1.1 vs 8.9 ± 1.9 RPE, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION A novel finding of this study was the increased physiological stress and perception of effort on a treadmill and at a prescribed pace, while total energy expenditure showed no significant differences. This could indicate an unfavorable perception and less affective response to the treadmill modality. These results indicate exercise at self-selected pace in preferred environments promotes enjoyable experiences with similar health benefits as those during prescribed higher intensity exercise.
Automated Essay Scoring versus Human Scoring: A Correlational Study.

The purpose of the current study was to analyze the relationship between automated essay scoring (AES) and human scoring in order to determine the validity and usefulness of AES for large-scale placement tests. Specifically, a correlational research design was used to examine the correlations between AES performance and human raters’ performance. Spearman rank correlation coefficient tests were utilized for data analyses. Results from the data analyses showed no statistically significant correlation between the overall holistic scores assigned by the AES tool and the overall holistic scores assigned by faculty human raters or human raters who scored another standardized writing test. On the other hand, there was a significant correlation between scores assigned by two teams of human raters. A significant correlation was also present between AES and faculty human scoring in Dimension 4 - Sentence Structure, but no significant correlations existed in other dimensions. Findings from the current study do not corroborate previous findings on AES tools. Implications of these findings for English educators reveal that AES tools have limited capability at this point and that more reliable measures for assessment, like writing portfolios and conferencing, still need to be a part of the methods repertoire.
On the Character of the instability of the Laminar Boundary Layer Near the Nose of a Blunt Body

(9) r = f(p/Pr)dt (10) where pr is a reference density. Eq. (7) becomes du/dr = v r(d2u/dv2) (11) where vr ~ M/V- This, of course, is the well known one-dimen­ sional heat equation, numerous solutions of which are recorded in the literature. Any of these can be used for arbitrary variations of density with time, provided only that these variations make sense physically. The mathematical requirements on the function pit) are simply that it must be integrable and that it must remain positive (or negative) so that the transformation given by Eq. (10) exists and is one to one. Since in all cases rj is proportional to y at any time t, the instantaneous velocity profile—that is, the variation of u with y—always has the characteristics of the profile in the constant density case, where rj can be identified with y. For example, a solution given in reference 1 is written in our notation
The Road to Open Distributed Processing (ODP)

Open Distributed Processing (ODP) is a new work item in ISO and related standardization bodies. The goal of ODP is to provide a generic reference model for distributed processing in open, heterogeneous environments. This goes beyond the communication aspects that were the subject of the standardization activities for Open Systems Interconnection (OSI).
Regulation of AMPA receptor phosphorylation by the neuropeptide PACAP38

Dynamic changes in synaptic strength are thought to be critical for higher brain function such as learning and memory. Alterations in synaptic strength can result from modulation of AMPA receptor (AMPAR) function and trafficking to synaptic sites. The phosphorylation state of AMPAR subunits is one mechanism by which cells regulate receptor function and trafficking. Receptor phosphorylation is in turn regulated by extracellular signals; these include neuronal activity, neuropeptides, and neuromodulators such as dopamine and norepinephrine (NE). Although numerous studies have reported that the neuropeptide pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide 38 (PACAP38) alters hippocampal CA1 synaptic strength and GluA1 synaptic localization, its effect on AMPAR phosphorylation state has not been explored. We determined that PACAP38 stimulation of hippocampal cultures increased phosphorylation of S845, and decreased phosphorylation of T840 on the GluA1 AMPAR subunit. Increases in GluA1 S845 phosphorylation primarily occurred via PAC1 and VPAC2 receptor activation, whereas a reduction in GluA1 T840 phosphorylation was largely driven by PAC1 receptor activation and to a lesser extent by VPAC1 and VPAC2 receptor activation. GluA1 S845 phosphorylation could be blocked by a PKA inhibitor, and GluA1 T840 dephosphorylation could be blocked by a protein phosphatase 1/2A (PP1/PP2A) inhibitor and was partly blocked by a NMDA receptor (NMDAR) antagonist. These results demonstrate that the neuropeptide PACAP38 inversely regulates the phosphorylation of two distinct sites on GluA1 and may play an important role modulating AMPAR function and synaptic plasticity in the brain.
Dynamic Hedging of Vanilla and Exotic Options with Transaction Costs

The classical finance problem of dynamically hedging a short option in a discrete time environment with transaction costs has generally been approached through either a sub-optimal analytical solution with an instantaneous horizon or through the formulation of a long term horizon dynamic program whose solution is often computationally out of reach. We propose a new methodology to solve the dynamic hedging problem that combines the long term horizon of dynamic programming with computational feasibility, a major feature of the analytic methods. Our methodology has two key performance attributes: first, the ability to significantly reduce expected absolute hedging error on vanilla options where analytic solutions exist and second, the ability to be applied to exotics without analytic solutions where our methodology outperforms heuristic methods. We compare the results of our methodology, which utilizes tools from control theory and stochastic programming, to existing analytic delta hedging methodologies from Black and Scholes (1973) and Leland (1985) when we are shorting vanilla options. Simulation reveals our methodology can produce significantly lower expected absolute hedging error, in both a statistical and economic sense, than these analytic methods. When hedging exotic options where no analytic solution exists we can also apply our methodology. We dynamically hedge a 10 asset basket call option and show that our methodology significantly outperforms the expected absolute hedging error of heuristic hedging methodologies. We perform our tests on simulated underlying assets as well as on empirical S&P 500 data showing our methodology's superiority in each case. We believe this is an exciting new dynamic hedging methodology given this strong performance and applicability to both vanilla and exotic options.
Origami-inspired printable tele-micromanipulation system

Origami-engineering is an emerging design and manufacturing technology for creating 3-D robotic systems using 2-D designs. We present a new origami-inspired tele-micromanipulation system manufactured by printing and folding. The developed micromanipulation system consists of two miniature machines, wearable user interface devices and a multi degree-of-freedom slave manipulator. A simple hydraulic system using syringes allows motion reduction and force transmission between the master and the slave. This paper introduces how to design and rapidly prototype these devices, and, finally, demonstrate different micromanipulation abilities such as 2-D trajectory following, pick-and-place, and 3-D micro-assembly. Highlighting rapid design and fabrication of a low-cost high performance origami-based tele-micromanipulation system, this paper proposes new applications of origami-inspired printable robots to wearable robots, micro-robotics and tele-operation.
How the Gun-Free School Zones Act Saved the Individual Mandate

The PPACA's individual mandate would be considerably more vulnerable to commerce-clause attack if United States v. Lopez had never been decided. To be sure, Lopez stands for the proposition that the commerce power is limited. But both as a matter of common-law process and as a matter of constitutional discourse, Lopez has helped create the conditions under which this particular exercise of the commerce power is easy to validate as constitutional.
Particle combustion rates in premixed flames of polydisperse metal—air aerosols

A new approach and experimental technique are proposed to determine times of metal particle combustion in flames of polydisperse aerosols. Laminar flames are produced in air at 1 atm, using aerosol jets formed by an electrostatic particulate method. The flame radiation intensities as a function of vertical coordinate are measured and compared with the flame radiation profiles reconstructed using experimental data and simplified models. The experimental data used include particle size distributions, flame velocities, and temperatures of metal ignition and combustion. The simplified models describe the particle ignition delay, combustion time, and particle flame radiation intensity as a function of particle diameter, D. Variable parameters of the models describing particle radiation intensities and combustion times are adjusted to achieve the best fit between the reconstructed and measured flame radiation profiles. A set of parameters providing the best agreement between the reconstructed and measured profiles is selected for several aerosol flames produced by powders of different sizes of the same material. These parameters are assumed to adequately describe particle combustion times and radiation intensities for the chosen material. The experimental radiation profiles for both aluminum and magnesium aerosol flames with particles of different sizes were found to be in very good agreement with the respective reconstructed profiles. For both metals, particle radiation intensities were well described by a D3-type expression. The combustion times for magnesium aerosol particles were well described by the traditional D2-law with the evaporation constant close to those reported earlier for single particles. Aluminum aerosol particle combustion was better described by a D1-law and combustion times of fine (<80 μm) aluminum particles in the aerosol were somewhat longer than the reported earlier combustion times for single aluminum particles.
Photorefractive two-beam coupling with white light.

We demonstrate, for the first time to our knowledge, two-beam coupling in BaTiO3 using white light. An achromatic grating arrangement in conjunction with a high-pressure mercury-arc lamp is used to produce the white-light fringes. The sensitivity of the coupling to source coherence, crystal orientation, and grating spacing is determined, and a comparison with two-beam coupling with monochromatic light at the same intensity is made.
Synthesis, cellular evaluation, and mechanism of action of piperlongumine analogs

Piperlongumine is a naturally occurring small molecule recently identified to be toxic selectively to cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. This compound was found to elevate cellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) selectively in cancer cell lines. The synthesis of 80 piperlongumine analogs has revealed structural modifications that retain, enhance, and ablate key piperlongumine-associated effects on cells, including elevation of ROS, cancer cell death, and selectivity for cancer cells over nontransformed cell types. Structure/activity relationships suggest that the electrophilicity of the C2-C3 olefin is critical for the observed effects on cells. Furthermore, we show that analogs lacking a reactive C7-C8 olefin can elevate ROS to levels observed with piperlongumine but show markedly reduced cell death, suggesting that ROS-independent mechanisms, including cellular cross-linking events, may also contribute to piperlongumine’s induction of apoptosis. In particular, we have identified irreversible protein glutathionylation as a process associated with cellular toxicity. We propose a mechanism of action for piperlongumine that may be relevant to other small molecules having two sites of reactivity, one with greater and the other with lesser electrophilicity.
An approach to the biometeorology of decomposer organisms

A search for surrogate variables of weather's control over rate of decay by decomposer organisms has revealed that Actual Evapotranspiration (AE), a water budget term, correlates well (r = 0.976) with measured values of litter decomposition rate. Using data from many biomes of the earth, a curve-fit of AE with measured decomposition rate has been formulated. This curve-fit has been used to prepare a map which displays the geography of predicted decay rate for North America. The physical properties of the litter also controls decomposition rates. Work is in progress to refine the AE to decomposer relationship by considering the lignin content of decomposing litter. Preliminary results suggest that control of decomposition rates by lignin increases with AE so that in high AE environments small changes in lignin concentration result in large changes in litter decay rates. This relationship perhaps explains the great variability in decay rates reported in tropical ecosystems.
Performance of cadmium sulfide thin film solar cells in a space environment

Cadmium sulfide thin film solar cells have been subjected to extended thermal cycling tests in vacuum to simulate the conditions of an earth orbiting satellite. When cycled under load, the solar cells exhibit a slow loss of output. Several possible causes of this loss are suggested.
The failure of evolution: Late quaternary mammalian extinctions in the holarctic

Abstract The ‘mass extinction’ of large mammals (‘megafauna’) in the late Pleistocene can be viewed as the failure of evolution to adapt to climatic and/or biotic changes. Extinctions before the Last Cold Stage, affecting both large and small mammals, were mostly balanced by evolution or immigration of new species. However, in the late Pleistocene extinctions occurred at a greatly accelerated rate, seriously depleting the ‘megafauna’ on a global scale. Extinctions were most severe in North America, South America and Australia, moderate in northern Eurasia and slight in sub-Saharan Africa where the largest mammals survive today. In northern Eurasia two phases of extinction can be recognized: (1) extinction pre-ca. 20,000 BP of ‘interglacial survivors’ confined to Southern Europe; and (2) extinction within ca. 14–10,000 BP of larger group of more or less cold-adapted species. In North America many more species became extinct, all or most within the period ca. 11,500-10,500 BP. Compared with Europe, where extinctions were moderate and staggered, those in North America were severe and sudden. Both late Pleistocene environmental changes and ‘overkill’ by Upper Palaeolithic hunters have been blamed for extinctions, but neither hypothesis alone is adequate for northern Eurasia and North America. A third hypothesis, involving interaction of environmental changes with human predation appears consistent with available data. A much greater body of accurate data is required before we can hope to determine the cause or causes of late Pleistocene extinctions on a global scale.
Recovery of Methanogenesis Following Summer Drought in Soils from Two Cool Temperate Peatlands, New York State, USA

Following a summer drought, intact cores of peat soil from two cool temperate peatlands (a rain-fed bog and a groundwater-fed swamp) were exposed experimentally to three different water table levels. The goal was to examine recovery of anaerobic methanogenesis and to evaluate peat soil decomposition to methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) upon rewetting. Methane emission from soils to the atmosphere was greatest (mean = 80 μmol m−2 s−1) when the entire peat core was rewetted quickly; emission was negligible at low water level and when peat cores were rewetted gradually. Rates of CO2 emission (mean = 1.0 μmol m−2 s−1) were relatively insensitive to water level. Concentrations of CH4 in soil air spaces suggest that onset of methanogenesis induces, but later represses, aerobic oxidation of CH4 above the water table. Concentrations of CO2 suggest production at the soil surface of swamp peat versus at greater depths in bog peat. Portions of peat soil incubated in vitro withou...
Treatment of chronic haemophilic synovitis in humans with D-penicillamine

Abstract Chronic proliferative synovitis secondary to haemathroses is a major complication in patients with severe haemophilia. Current management strategies include prophylactic infusions of the missing coagulation factor, corticosteroids, synoviorthesis and/or synovectomy with variable degrees of benefit. In addition, patients with coagulation factor inhibitors are not amenable to the invasive therapeutic modalities. The gross and microscopic findings of the synovitis in haemophilic arthritis are remarkably similar to those seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, although the pathophysiology of these two conditions are quite different. Haemophilic arthropathy, in the later stages, resembles degenerative rather than inflammatory joint disease. Oral D-penicillamine, a drug effective in the proliferative synovitis of rheumatoid arthritis, was evaluated in 16 patients. Ten patients had an unequivocal response, while three had a reduction in palpable synovium and three had no response. Thus 81% of the patients had a beneficial response. Minor reversible drug side-effects occurred in two patients (proteinuria in one and a rash in the second). The results of this study suggest that D-penicillamine is an effective and safe drug for the treatment of haemophilic chronic synovitis.
New Deal Activity and the States, 1933 to 1939

In the three months after his inauguration—the now famous 100 days—Franklin Roosevelt proposed a veritable barrage of programs that were passed by Congress—programs which were to have a profound effect on the American economy. From this beginning sprang forth the economic policy of the 1930's which was aimed at returning the nation to prosperity and changing its social and economic structure. The programs were directed toward specific as well as general problems and affected differently the various geographic areas of the nation.
Measures of Departure from Constant Failure Rate Models and Proportional Hazards Rate Models for Grouped Data

Two measures are proposed to represent the degree of departure from the constant failure rate model of a system when data are grouped. Two measures are also proposed to represent the degree of departure from the proportional hazards rate model when two systems are present and grouped data are considered. In each case one measure is based on the Kullback-Leibler discrepancy and the other is based on the Pearson X 2 type discrepancy using the failure rates. The usefulness of the proposed measures are discussed with applications. A simulation study shows that the proposed measures perform no worse than the goodness-of-fit tests when testing for the constant failure rate model.
Cardiac Tamponade in Procainamide Induced Lupus Erythematosus

After three years of procainamide 1.0 gram daily, a 56-year-old man presented with pleurisy and pleural effusion, which progressed to pericardial effusion and tamponade, requiring two pericardiocenteses within 24 hours. After four months of prednisone therapy, he was asymptomatic.
Optical Sensor Position Indicator for Neonatal MEG

We have developed an inexpensive PC camera-based system to measure sensor position and to track head motion during magnetoencephalography recordings. The system employs mirrors to triangulate the position of markers using a single camera. Sensor position measurement and head tracking can be performed without the need to manually digitize markers or fiducial points. The system is capable of measuring relative 3-D position within the required volume of interest with an accuracy of ~450 μm and can be constructed for approximately $150.