cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Game-Theoretic Autonomous Car Racing Using Control Barrier Functions

In this paper, we consider a two-player racing game, where an autonomous ego vehicle has to be controlled to race against an opponent vehicle, which is either autonomous or human-driven. The approach to control the ego vehicle is based on a Sensitivity-ENhanced NAsh equilibrium seeking (SENNA) method, which uses an iterated best response algorithm in order to optimize for a trajectory in a two-car racing game. This method exploits the interactions between the ego and the opponent vehicle that take place through a collision avoidance constraint. This game-theoretic control method hinges on the ego vehicle having an accurate model and correct knowledge of the state of the opponent vehicle. However, when an accurate model for the opponent vehicle is not available, or the estimation of its state is corrupted by noise, the performance of the approach might be compromised. For this reason, we augment the SENNA algorithm by enforcing Permissive RObust SafeTy (PROST) conditions using control barrier functions. The objective is to successfully overtake or to remain in the front of the opponent vehicle, even when the information about the latter is not fully available. The successful synergy between SENNA and PROST—antithetical to the notable rivalry between the two namesake Formula 1 drivers—is demonstrated through extensive simulated experiments.
A relatively short proof of Itô’s formula for SPDEs and its applications

We give a short proof of Ito's formula for stochastic Hilbert-space valued processes in the setting V ⊂ H ⊂ V ∗ based on the possibility to lift the stochastic differentials, which are originally in V ∗ , into H. Using this result we also prove the
Improved survival after heart transplantation in patients bridged with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in the new allocation system.

BACKGROUND Historically, patients bridged on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) to heart transplantation (HT) have very high post-transplant mortality. In the new heart transplant allocation system, ECMO-supported patients have the highest priority for HT. However, data are lacking on the outcomes of these critically ill patients. We compared the waitlist and post-transplant outcomes of ECMO-supported patients in the new and old allocation systems. METHODS Adult patients supported by ECMO at the time of listing or transplantation who were registered in the United Network for Organ Sharing database between November 1, 2015 and September 30, 2019 were included. Clinical characteristics, outcomes in the waitlist, and post-transplant survival were compared between the old and new systems. Cox Proportional and subdistribution hazard regression models were used to evaluate the variables contributing to the post-transplant and waitlist outcomes RESULTS A total of 296 ECMO-supported patients were listed for HT. Of these, 191 were distributed to the old system, and 105 were distributed to the new system. Patients listed in the new system had a higher cumulative incidence of HT (p CONCLUSIONS With the implementation of the new heart transplant allocation system, ECMO-supported patients have a shorter waitlist time, improved frequency of HT, and improved short-term post-transplant survival.
Whole microbial community viability is not quantitatively reflected by propidium monoazide sequencing approach.

High-throughput sequencing provides a powerful window into the structural and functional profiling of microbial communities, but it is unable to characterize only the viable portion of microbial communities at scale. There is as yet not one best solution to this problem. Previous studies have established viability assessments using propidium monoazide (PMA) treatment coupled with downstream molecular profiling (e.g., qPCR or sequencing). While these studies have met with moderate success, most of them focused on the resulting “viable” communities without systematic evaluations of the technique. Here, we present our work to rigorously benchmark “PMA-seq” (PMA treatment followed by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing) for viability assessment in synthetic and realistic microbial communities. PMA-seq was able to successfully reconstruct simple synthetic communities comprising viable/heat-killed Escherichia coli and Streptococcus sanguinis. However, in realistically complex communities (computer screens, computer mice, soil, and human saliva) with E. coli spike-in controls, PMA-seq did not accurately quantify viability (even relative to variability in amplicon sequencing), with its performance largely affected by community properties such as initial biomass, sample types, and compositional diversity. We then applied this technique to environmental swabs from the Boston subway system. Several taxa differed significantly after PMA treatment, while not all microorganisms responded consistently. To elucidate the “PMA-responsive” microbes, we compared our results with previous PMA-based studies and found that PMA responsiveness varied widely when microbes were sourced from different ecosystems but were reproducible within similar environments across studies. This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of PMA-seq exploring its quantitative potential in synthetic and complex microbial communities, where the technique was effective for semi-quantitative purposes in simple synthetic communities but provided only qualitative assessments in realistically complex community samples.
Communication Mediation Model Predicting Political Participation among Instant Messaging App Users: An OSROR Approach

This study proposes and tests a communication mediation model that examines the potential influence of instant messenger (IM) apps on cognitive biases and political participation among users. Data ...
Multiple primary malignancies among patients with advanced melanoma.

e22531Background: Multiple primary malignancies (MPMs) describe two or more primary tumors arising in a synchronous or metachronous manner in the same individual. Patients with a primary cutaneous ...
Zeit und Raum im Projekt der Aufklärung

Modernity developed a strong sense of time-space compression - that is, a sense of shrinking of the spatial world and of a shortening of time-horizons. The author first analyzes the transition that prepared the way for Enlightenment thinking of time and space. The voyages of discovery indicated a finite and knowable globe, and the rules of perspective broke radically with the practices of medieval art and architecture and shaped the ways of seeing for the next four centuries. Perspectivism had reverberations in all aspects of social life and in all fields of representation, which is extensively demonstrated by examples of cartographic representations. The conceptual foundations for the Enlightenment project were laid by the Renaissance revolution in concepts of space and time. Accurate maps and chronometers became essential tools not only for a rational order of space and time, but also for domination and social control in an age of commodity capitalism.
Student Remarks to Professor Kent Newmyer

The following are the published remarks of the students and former students of Professor Kent Newmyer who spoke at a celebration honoring his work on Friday, November 8, 2019, at the University of Connecticut School of Law.
The Lore of Large Numbers

Large numbers have always been a source of wonder and many questions are raised about them. 'What comes after billions?' or 'How do the relative sizes of an atom and a man compare to the relative sizes of a man and the sun?' The author has answered some of these questions by explaining the arithmetic and the uses of large numbers in a way which introduces the reader to the horizons of modern mathematics. Using large num bers as a unifying theme and employing only the simplest materials, the author provides the reader with an understanding for numbers, their magnitude, and their growth. The reader is introduced to exponents, computation, number theory, and to the rapidity of growth of sequences. Several historical passages reveal mathematics as a living thing that grows and changes with the generations. Tables listing interesting and useful numbers in the physical universe are appended.
Systematics of the scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus: Timaliidae): phylogeny, biogeography, and species‐limits of four species complexes

Monophyly of the scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus, Xiphirhynchus: Timaliidae), traditionally defined by the characteristic of having long, curved bills, has been questioned by recent molecular phylogenetic results. We examined representatives of all scimitar babbler species complexes, including all distinct lineages of four complexes as well as several potential relatives, and corroborate that Xiphirhynchus and some species of Stachyris group within Pomatorhinus. Pomatorhinus species comprise three separate clades: larger scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus hypoleucos, Pomatorhinus erythrogenys complexes); orange- and coral-billed scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus ochraceiceps, Pomatorhinus ferruginosus complexes); and small scimitar babblers (Pomatorhinus schisticeps, Pomatorhinus ruficollis, Pomatorhinus horsfieldii, Pomatorhinus montanus complexes). Additionally, at least two of the traditional species complexes are not monophyletic. Lineages of the ruficollis and schisticeps groups are intertwined, and P. montanus and P. horsfieldi group within the schisticeps complex. Upon revision of four traditional species complexes, P. hypoluecos, P. ferruginosus, P. schisticeps, and P. ruficollis (with 41 subspecies described in total), 27 distinct, independent lineages or phylogenetic species were distinguished. Two contrasting biogeographical patterns are evident in these groups: Sino-Himalayan areas are either sister to south-east Asian areas or are embedded within a clade of other Asian areas. The present study demonstrates the need for unraveling the confusion in traditional taxonomy to allow the study of complex biodiversity patterns in tropical Asia. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 102, 846–869.
The Legendary Biographies of Tamerlane: Central Asia in Turmoil, 1700–1750

In reflecting upon the poverty of Tūrān and Arabia, I was at first at a loss to assign a reason, why those countries had never been able to retain wealth, whilst, on the contrary, it is daily increasing in Hindustan. Tīmūr carried into Tūrān the riches of Turkey, Persia, and Hindustan, but they are all dissipated.… It is evident that this dissipation of the riches of a state must have happened either from some extraordinary drains, or from some defect in the government. Hindustan has been frequently plundered by foreign invaders, and not one of its Kings ever gained for it any acquisition of wealth; neither has the country many mines of gold and silver, and yet Hindustan abounds in money, and every other kind of wealth. The abundance of species is undoubtedly owing to the large importation of gold and silver in the ships of Europe, and other nations, many of whom bring ready money in exchange for the manufactures and natural productions of the country. If this is not the cause of the prosperous state of Hindustan, it must be owing to the peculiar blessingof God. [‘Abd al-Karīm Kashmīrī, 1740] The study of Central Asia's history in the first half of the eighteenth century, scanty as it has been, has been dominated by the paradigm of a region in decline: a political and economic crisis that afflicted the land as the different Central Asian polities struggled and could not measure up to former, more glorious days in the region's history.
Spectral analysis of the entire cardiac cycle from signal-averaged ECGs for the detection of patients prone to ventricular tachycardia

To enhance frequency resolution and obviate the need for window functions in the analysis of short ECG segments, performed spectral analysis of the entire cardiac cycle. The cardiac cycles for the X, Y, and Z leads were digitally filtered to reduce dominant low-frequency components and then transformed with a discrete Fourier transform. Spectral plots from patients prone to ventricular tachycardia (VT) differed markedly from plots from patients without VT. It is found that spectral analysis of the entire cardiac cycle allows improved frequency resolution, elimination of smearing associated with window functions, and interrogation of the entire biological interval. >
Universal concept for fabricating micron to millimeter sized 3-D parylene structures on rigid and flexible substrates

This paper describes a novel fabrication concept of using wax as a molding/sacrificial material and conformal parylene deposition to produce large and thin 3D parylene structures on a rigid or flexible substrate such as silicon, metal sheet, paper, fabric, etc. The idea is to form a wax mold for a desired shape, followed by conformal deposition of parylene film over the wax mold, and then to remove the wax in toluene at room temperature to release parylene structures of micron to millimeter size. With this technique, we have fabricated a large area membrane (6 mm in diameter, 2 /spl mu/m thick) over a curved surface or on a flexible substrate such as a sheet of paper. Also, we have fabricated the following useful devices: (1) parylene bellow tubings on a silicon wafer with microfluidic channels so that the fluidic channels at different levels of the silicon wafer may be connected through the flexible bellow tubings without any leak, and (2) dome-shaped-diaphragm transducers (DSDT) built on a parylene support diaphragm with a piezoelectric film and electrode films.
Principles for Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Healthcare

The elimination of racial and ethnic disparities in health has become a national priority in the United States (1). These disparities have many causes and potential solutions. In the landmark Unequal Treatment report, the Institute of Medicine reviewed and highlighted racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare as an important factor contributing to disparities in health outcomes (2). This report concluded with a strong call for action to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in the US healthcare system. Since 2003, the federal government has issued an annual National Healthcare Disparities Report to monitor racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in access to care and quality of care. Whereas the initial report released by the federal Department of Health and Human Services generated considerable controversy and debate about the content and interpretation of key findings (3), subsequent reports have become a useful tool for tracking national trends in disparities across a wide array of quality measures. In 2004, this report found that lower quality of care was experienced by African Americans for two-thirds of measures, by Hispanics for one-half of measures, and by American Indians/Alaskan Natives for one-third of measures (4).
Observations of Secular Changes in the Kinematic Model of SS433

In this paper we present evidence that several of the defining parameters of the Kinematic Model for SS433 are not constant but rather exhibit long term systematic changes. Recent data confirm the existence of the previously reported decrease in the precessional period. The value for this period change, when combined with the observed change in the period of the synodic spectral variations, implies that the orbital period is not significantly changing on a time scale less than 1000 years.
In vivo measurements of humeral movement during posterior glenohumeral mobilizations.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to quantify in vivo posterior translational movements occurring in the glenohumeral joint during posterior mobilizations and to determine the intratester reliability of those posterior translational movements.Methods: Twenty-eight individuals (17 females, 11 males) participated in this study. One physical therapist utilized a Kaltenborn approach to apply three grades of posterior humeral mobilization. A hand held dynamometer was used to quantify the force used during each grade of mobilization. Ultrasound imaging was used to visualize and measure posterior humeral movement. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics for force and posterior movement, intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for intrarater reliability of force and posterior movement during each grade of mobilization and paired t-tests to compare movement and force between grades of mobilization.Results: Mean posterior movement (mm) measurements were 3.0, 8.2 and 10.7 for grade I, grade II ...
Handoff of application sessions across time and space

Personal computing on mobile platforms such as laptops and personal digital assistants, rather than in a traditional desktop environment, is becoming increasingly more common. We address the issue of application session transfer for uninterrupted data access across this diverse range of platforms. This work is part of the iMASH project, a multi-year, multi-discipline collaborative effort focused on enabling mobile client platforms and incorporating them into existing legacy networked systems for use by medical practitioners. We have developed a tiered architecture that includes a middleware server layer positioned between existing application servers and multiple clients to make session transfer transparent to the user. Any client application executing our middleware-aware remote code library can save and restore its session by interacting with a middleware server. As a proof of concept, we have implemented the transfer of bookmarks, history, Web cache, and user preferences with the Mozilla open source Web browser, from this effort we have established baseline performance metrics and have found that the overhead is within reasonable bounds of just a few seconds of latency.
An observation-based approach towards self-managing web servers

As more business applications have become web enabled, the web server architecture has evolved to provide performance isolation, service differentiation, and QoS guarantees. Various server mechanisms that provide QoS extensions, however, rely on external administrators to set the right parameter values for their desirable performance. Due to the complexity of handling varying workloads and bursty traffic, configuring such parameters optimally becomes a challenge. In this paper, we describe an observation-based approach for self-managing web servers that can adapt to changing workloads while maintaining the QoS requirements of different classes. In this approach, the system state is monitored continuously and parameter values of various system resources-primarily the accept queue and the CPU-are adjusted to maintain the system-wide QoS goals. We implement our techniques using the Apache web server and the Linux operating system. We first demonstrate the need to manage different resources in the system depending on the workload characteristics. We then experimentally demonstrate that our observation-based system monitors such as workload changes and adjusts the resource parameters of the accept queue and CPU schedulers in order to maintain the QoS requirements of the different classes.
Adaptive grid generation

An adaptive grid generator has been developed and coupled into a finite element solver for automatically performing grid refinements based on error estimators. Initial grids are constructed such that the distribution of interior points satisfies the boundary point spacing functions. The error analysis guides the refinement of the ensuing grids by adding points in regions of large errors.
Influence of adult lymphoid tissues on polyoma-induced tumours.

POLYOMA virus can induce multiple tumours in mice1, hamsters2 and rats3. To obtain tumours in a high percentage of animals, the animals must be inoculated when newly born or at a very early age. Such a requirement is not unusual for tumour-inducing viruses—the Gross leukaemia virus, for example4. The relationship of susceptibility to early age suggests that immunological immaturity in the host is a prerequisite for tumour induction by the virus. In this communication, preliminary results of experiments are reported which indicate that the presence of adult lymphoid tissue may be an important factor in determining the appearance and progression of virus-induced tumours.
Bus modification to improve safety, comfort, and human reliability

The MITRE Corporation has made a preliminary analysis of the needs of bus patrons, with emphasis on the needs of the disabled. This analysis, based on observations and consultation with specialists was used to derive human performance requirements for average, aged and disabled patrons, and for the driver.The bus modification kits described are intended to increase human reliability and safety. To accomplish this the kits should improve: Information on the identification of buses, routes, and destinations; access, equilibrium, and egress for the disabled, with a minimum of assistance; recognition and use of emergency exits; nighttime visual access for drivers and patrons; familiarity with vehicle accessories; and safety under mobile or emergency conditions.Modification kits are evaluated on the basis of effectiveness, and costs of research, development, production, and installation. Since it may be impractical to install all kits immediately, they are recommended for implementation on the basis of effect ...
The Second Spark Spectrum of Sulphur, S III

Analysis of the sulphur III spectrum.---With experimental data previously obtained the spectrum of sulphur III is analyzed. Most of the triplet terms predicted by the Hund theory are found and the strongest lines in both the visible and extreme ultra-violet regions are classified. The ground term $3{s}^{2}3{p}^{2}^{3}P_{0}$ gives the ionization potential as 34.9\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4 volts. Complete term tables and a list of classified lines are given. The term $3{s}^{2}3p\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}4s^{3}P$ is anomalous, having a total separation of 450 while the $p$ doublet of the ion is 950. The interval ratio of this term is 10 to 1, instead of the 2 to 1 give by Land\'e's rule. Combinations of this term with the ground term in the extreme ultra-violet are unusually weak.
Regional myocardial kinetics of lidocaine in experimental infarction: Modulation by regional blood flow

The regional myocardial concentration of lidocaine after intravenous bolus administration was studied in the setting of myocardial infarction in 27 dogs utilizing a 24 hour old infarct model. Myocardial levels of lidocaine measured by gas chromatography were related to regional myocardial blood flow measured by radioactive microspheres in the same sample. A highly significant positive linear relation was noted between relative regional myocardial blood flow and lidocaine tissue concentration in animals killed 1 and 3 minutes after the injection of lidocaine (R2 = 0.81 and 0.85, respectively). This positive linear relation was no longer evident at 5 or more minutes after injection of lidocaine. This lack of linear relation resulted from dramatic reductions in myocardial lidocaine concentration in normally perfused zones with much lesser reductions in lower flow zones. Thus the initial distribution of lidocaine after bolus injection is directly proportional to myocardial blood flow within the first 3 minutes of injection. Thereafter, the washout of lidocaine appears to be the dominant factor in myocardial distribution.
Boll Weevil: Effects of Difluhenzuron on Sperm Transfer, Mortality, and Sterility

Adults of Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman were held for 5 days after emergence on diet containing several levels of diflubenzuron (50–500 ppm) diet and then exposed to 10 krad of gamma irradiation from a 137Cs source in a nitrogen atmosphere on the 6th day. This procedure sterilized both males and females. The lower levels of diflubenzuron (50–100 ppm) did not affect the transfer of sperm by treated males to virgin females whereas levels of 200–500 ppm significantly ( P > 0.05) reduced sperm transfer. The feeding of diflubenzuron in the adult diet did not contribute to adult mortality but did significantly lower egg hatch and larval development ( P > 0.01). Diflubenzuron in the diet plus irradiation was used for sterilizing the boll weevils for the Boll Weevil Eradication Trial in North Carolina and Virginia in 1979.
Application of combined gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to neurotransmitter research

Abstract The features of flexibility, sensitivity and specificity continue to make GC/MS a valuable technique for identification and quantification of neurotronsmitters and related compounds. In this report four recent examples are presented which highlight the potentials of this technique. The traditional concept that GC/MS equipment is expensive and complex to operate warrants reconsideration in light of recent manufacturing trends in automation, computerization and the introduction of cheaper bench-top models.
Ventilator weaning protocols and techniques: getting the job done

Various protocols and techniques used to facilitate the weaning process are herein summarized. The protocols were derived from the literature, a survey of critical care nurses, and personal communications with individuals who use innovative methods to expedite the weaning process and reduce costs. The protocols provide a guideline for standardizing the weaning process, but they do not negate the importance of having skilled clinicians who provide continuity in implementing the protocols. The nursing profession has the opportunity to provide leadership in reducing health care costs through implementation of standardized approaches to weaning patients from mechanical ventilatory support.
The Obligations of Memory? Gender and Historical Responsibility in Tanja Dückers's Himmelskörper and Arno Geiger's Es geht uns gut

In this article, I analyze Tanja Duckers's Himmelskorper (2003) and Arno Geiger's Es geht uns gut (2005) in the context of questions concerning remembering history and feminist ethics, specifically the development of care ethics from the early 1980s into the present. The purpose of the analysis is to understand what, if anything, gender and reproduction have to do with remembering and the obligations that remembering generates. I argue that the way the authors of these novels explore the connections among gender, historical memory, and responsibility closely resembles certain aspects of the work of feminist scholars on care ethics, who, at the beginning of the discipline, sought to locate in maternal behavior an alternative ethical paradigm to the tradition of Western ethics. Reading the development of feminist ethics together with the way Duckers and Geiger lay out the relationships that each novel's protagonist has with others, I conclude that the obligation to remember arises primarily from the responsibilities to which human relationships give rise, rather than from the specific relationship between mother and child.
Influence of Underlying Weak Soil on Passive Earth Pressure in Cohesionless Deposits

Finite-element simulations demonstrate the influence of underlying weak soil on mobilization of passive pressures in cohesionless deposits. Traditional passive earth pressure theories with typical angles of interface friction may overestimate passive forces in such cases. Simple analytical models that incorporate the underlying weak soil using traditional passive earth pressure concepts are shown to agree reasonably with the finite-element simulations. The studies presented herein are relevant for cases in which cohesionless soil deposits overlie soft clay, liquefiable sand, or other weak layers.
A Framework to Identify Best Practices: Social Media and Web 2.0 Technologies in the Emergency Domain

Social media is used in a variety of domains, including emergency management. However, the question of which technologies are most appropriate for a given emergency remains open. We present a framework of dimensions of emergencies that can assist in selecting appropriate social media for an emergency situation. Social media is not a panacea but can be used effectively given the proper functions available from the particular services provided by each of the Web 2.0 technologies available. The main objective of this paper is to identify the best practices for social media to leverage its ability given the complexities that coincide with events. This is a conceptual paper based on the results of preliminary studies involving group interactions with emergency professionals with various backgrounds. In addition, emergency management students who are professionals in the field followed by another interview soliciting information from information systems scientist were surveyed. We found that each situation called forth various dimensions where only sub phases of the stated dimension may be used given the task type derived from the event characteristics. This lays a foundation upon which a more formal approach can be taken to help tame the social media mania into a manageable set of ‘best practices’ from which emergencies can be managed more effectively given Web 2.0 technologies and social collaborative online tools.
PSYCHOLOGICAL COPING AND THE MANAGEMENT OF PAIN WITH COGNITIVE RESTRUCTURING AND BIOFEEDBACK: A CASE STUDY AND VARIATION OF COGNITIVE EXPERIENTIAL THERAPY '

Pain is generally recognized as being influenced by multiple psychological factors. Cognitive experiential therapy may use cognitive restructuring with imagery and hypnosis. The restructuring of negative cognitive, affective, behavioral, and physiological states occurs through six stages. This case study illustrates the use of cognitive restructuring and biofeedback with a woman hospitalized for depression and a chronic pain syndrome consisting of tension headache pain. Measures of headache pain (frequency, intensity), skin temperature, and assessment with the Millon Behavioral Health Inventory consisting of broad categories and scales were taken at pretest, posttest and follow-up. The biofeedback treatment alone showed some physiological improvement. Cognitive restructuring and biofeedback resulted in improvements on the Millon, and reduction of headache symptoms at the posttest. Gains on the Millon broad categories of personality coping styles and psychosomatic correlates were maintained at follow-up and chronic headache pain was not reported. Self-report headache frequency and intensity decreased over time with the cognitive restructuring and biofeedback approach.
Comparison of enteric adenovirus infection in various human cell lines.

Abstract Growth of the fastidious enteric adenoviruses 40 and 41 was compared in different human cell lines. Purified virions were used to infect the following cell lines: A549; KB; Chang's conjunctiva; 293; HeLa. Both types of enteric adenovirus were infectious for each cell line, with the exception of adenovirus 40 in HeLa cells. Relatively low infectious titers were obtained from each cell type following infection with adenovirus 40 (TCID50 average = 10−1.5), whereas adenovirus 41 replicated to significantly higher titer (TCID50 average = 10−3.0). For both viruses, the highest infectious titers were obtained with A549 and KB cells. A time course experiment performed to quantitate the amount of hexon present in A549 and KB cells infected with each virus indicated that while the kinetics of accumulation were similar for both viruses, the concentration of type 41 hexon was significantly greater than that for type 40 in either cell line. The concentration of type 41 hexon was similar in each cell type; for type 40, a greater concentration of hexon was obtained in the A549 cell line than in the KB cells. The results indicate the distinct replication characteristics exhibited by adenovirus 40 are not due to a restriction in a specific host cell, and, because purified virions were used, not attributable to interference that might occur with co-infection from multiple viruses present in the same clinical specimen. We conclude the differences observed in the replication of these viruses are independent of host cell type and are associated, uniquely, with each virus.
Notes on geochronologic and chronostratigraphic units

There is no need to regard the term “geochronology” as a redundant synonym of either “geologic time scale” or “radiometric dating.” This term may reasonably be used in reference to all principles and methods employed in geology to determine the relative and numerical ages of all kinds of rocks. The term “chronostratigraphy” would best be restricted to the process of defining the formal subdivisions of the geologic time scale. “Geochronologic unit” is best used as a general category term. It includes aurichronologic units (spans of time defined operationally by golden spikes), geochronometric units (spans of time defined theoretically in terms of absolute numerical age before present), and biochronologic units (spans of time defined theoretically by paleobiological events). A chronostratigraphic unit is a set of material, existing, stratified rock that was formed during a given span of time (geochronologic unit). Therefore, a geochronologic unit must be defined before the corresponding chronostratigraphic unit can even be conceptualized. Chronostratigraphic units are generally not isochronous bodies of rock, because owing to the unconformities that exist over any appreciable geographic area, their upper and lower material boundaries are not everywhere synchronous. Thus, particular systems, series, and stages are material stratigraphic units of geographically variable time value within the maximum temporal limits of the corresponding periods, epochs, and ages. Geochronologic boundaries that have been formally ratified serve a conventional function, and will rarely if ever need to be redefined. We can continue to discover and debate important events in Earth history without insisting that such events must be used to constantly redefine the boundaries of our global temporal pigeonholes.
Designing for youth interpreter professional development: a sociotechnologically-framed participatory design approach

Informal science institutions (ISIs) are beginning to adopt mobile technology to support interpreters (docents), but not much is known about how to design these supports. One approach to designing technology for new scenarios is participatory design (PD), where end-users are involved as experts in the task domain who can help envision the application of technology. However, in our context end-users are often youth interpreters who are emerging professionals. This poses a challenge because traditional PD methods trust that the users can represent the task domain. Novice professionals may not yet fully understand the task domain, but eliciting their needs and visions is still important for producing a tool they will find useful. A design approach is needed that captures the requirements for supporting expert task execution as an underlying structure for the tool, while nonetheless eliciting and respecting the special needs of novices. We developed and applied two different framing strategies (one technological, one sociotechnological) to traditional PD methods to help youth non-expert interpreters generate task-relevant design ideas. We report results from using these strategies in an exploratory fashion and discuss opportunities for future research on PD methods that can address the needs of youth as emerging professionals.
Detection of G6PD and pyruvate kinase deficiencies in reticulocytosis by reference to erythrocyte creatine

Erythrocyte activities of G6PD and PK, referenced to creatine content, are presented as a means to detect enzyme deficiencies despite the presence of variable proportions of young erythrocytes in the assayed cell population. Lysate enzyme activities, creatine and hemoglobin concentrations, and whole blood reticulocyte counts were determined on 110 samples from 87 patients with a variety of anemias, including two pyruvate kinase deficient, three G6PD deficient, and four proven G6PD heterozygotes. Highest correlations were obtained between log of G6PD activity/g hemoglobin and lysate creatine, and between PK activity/g hemoglobin and lysate creatine. Ninety-five percent limits for this population are presented for creatine concentrations to 28 mg/dl, corresponding to 20% reticulocyte count. In addition to providing reference intervals appropriate to the suspect patient population, the data afford greater confidence in detecting partial enzyme deficiencies concomitant with other hemolytic processes, such as hemoglobinopathies.
Behavioral Disturbances of Dementia and Caregiver Issues

Three issues concerning behavioral problems of dementia emerge from research on family caregivers. The first issue concerns the reliability of caregivers' reports of behavioral disturbances. The second issue is the realization that caregivers can provide valuable information not available from other sources. The final issue concerns how caregivers' reports can clarify the determinants behavioral problems.
Abstract 1529: Cross-talk between carcinoma-associated fibroblasts and invasive breast cancer cells: Role of RhoA / ROCK signaling

The high density of collagen and carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) correlates with metastasis and reduced survival in breast cancer. CAFs have been shown to contribute to tumor progression by promoting notably cancer cell survival, migration and invasion. Furthermore, in breast cancer patients, the expression of RhoA and its downstream effector ROCK1 has been associated with cancer outgrowth and dissemination. RhoA has been shown to promote the motility and invasion of breast cancer cells. Hence, the main goal of our study is to determine how CAFs affect breast cancer cell survival and invasion, and the role of RhoA/ROCK signaling in these two processes. To study in vitro invasion, we grew MDA-MB-231 cells expressing GFP on a low adhesive substrate (poly-HEMA) in order to produce spheroids, which we then seeded alone or with human mammary CAFs in a collagen I gel. We measured RhoA activation with a pull-down assay. Our findings show that CAFs activate RhoA in MDA-MB-231 cells and promote their invasion, by inducing cellular scattering and a switch from an elongated to an amoeboid mode of migration. In presence of CAFs, the ROCK inhibitor Y27632 inhibited the rounding of cancer cells and significantly reduced their invasion, confirming the role of ROCK in the CAF-promoted invasiveness of cancer cells. Then to determine the role of RhoA signaling in cancer cells in response to CAFs, we used an shRNA construct to downregulate the expression of RhoA. Interestingly, RhoA downregulation prevented cellular aggregation and the formation of spheroids on poly-HEMA, and induced anoikis in MDA-MB-231 cells, thus suggesting that RhoA plays a role in cell-cell adhesion, which can promote the survival of cells with relatively poor matrix adhesion. These results further suggest that the high levels of active-RhoA induced by CAFs – in rounded cancer cells – maybe necessary for the survival of cancer cells with an amoeboid migration phenotype. To determine if CAFs could affect other pathways that would improve the survival of rounded cancer cells, we used a pathway-focused RT-PCR array to analyze apoptosis signaling. Our preliminary results show that CAFs can enhance the expression of several pro-survival genes in cancer cells, including Akt, which has been recently reported to promote anoikis resistance in melanoma cells via RhoA. In conclusion, our results suggest that CAFs-dependent activation of RhoA/ROCK signaling promotes anoikis resistance and amoeboid migration in invasive breast cancer cells. Since the ROCK inhibitor Fasudil has been approved for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases in Japan, our findings may lead to the use of this drug or other ROCK inhibitors in the treatment of invasive breast cancer. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1529. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1529
Determinants of the timing of adult role entry

Abstract A growing body of research indicates that the timing of entry into adult roles has long-term consequences for individuals and society. At present, little is known about determinants of the timing of adult role entry. Based on data from a 15-year follow-up study of high school students originally surveyed in 1957–1958 and resurveyed in 1973–1974, this paper examines and compares the processes by which the ages at entry into the labor force, entry into marriage, and entry into parenthood are determined. The timing of adult role entry is hypothesized to be a function of (1) the duration of time spent in transitional roles, (2) the availability of the opportunity to enter an adult role, and (3) an individual's orientation to an adult role. Evidence supporting this conceptualization is presented for both sexes.
Comparison of various lipid, lipoprotein, and bilirubin combinations as risk factors for predicting coronary artery disease

Studies were performed to determine if serum bilirubin, when combined with various lipid and lipoprotein risk factors, enhances our ability to predict coronary artery disease (CAD). This hypothesis was tested in a retrospective study of 644 middle-aged males who had undergone coronary angiography. The traditional risk factors of cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), cholesterol/HDL-C ratios, triglycerides, age, cigarette smoking, and systolic blood pressure were tested by discriminant analysis, as were various cholesterol/bilirubin, cholesterol/(HDL-C+bilirubin), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)/(HDL-C+bilirubin) ratios. Each of these bilirubin-containing ratios was found to be an independent risk predictor when tested with the traditional risk factors. When the LDL-C/(HDL-C+bilirubin) ratio was included with the traditional risk predictors, it improved the prediction of severe CAD from 28.4 to 35.3% and the overall correct classification of CAD from 68.3 to 71.1%. When the 75th percentile was used as a cut-point, the diagnostic sensitivities obtained with cholesterol/(HDL-C+bilirubin) ratios (52.1%) and LDL-C/(HDL-C+bilirubin) ratios (51.7%) were better than those obtained with cholesterol/HDL-C ratios (40.4%) (P=0.033 and 0.048, respectively). LDL-C/(HDL-C+bilirubin) ratios also improved the prediction of severe CAD over those obtained with LDL-C/HDL-C ratios (43.4%); however, the changes were not statistically significant (P=0.096). If confirmed in other populations, serum bilirubin may be combined with LDL-C/HDL-C ratios, cholesterol/HDL-C ratios, cholesterol, or with various apolipoproteins to improve the prediction of CAD.
Easier Said Than Done Leading Technology Integration

In this case, Mr. Phuture, a district administrator, attempts to lead a diverse team of educators and community members in an effort to develop a district-wide action plan for the integration of in...
The structure of continuous-valued neutral monotonic social functions

This article consists of several results characterizing neutral monotonic social functions over alternative sets that are compact, convex subsets of Euclidean space. One major result is that a neutral monotonic social function is continuous-valued (i.e., does not make abrupt reversals) for all profiles of continuous-valued weak orderings if and only if it is simple (i.e., completely determined by a single set of decisive coalitions). A second major result is that a continuous-valued neutral monotonic social function will guarantee the existence of a socially undominated alternative for all profiles of continuousvalued, almost convex weak orderings if and only if the smallest empty intersection within the set of decisive coalitions is at least m+2 in size where m is the dimension of the alternative set.
Generalized self adjointness in the complex doubly stochastic matrices

It is shown that the set of complex n × n doubly stochastic matrices Ω n is the set of products of members of a certain collection of n×n complex matrices and the adjoints of members of that collection, though each such product, representation is unique. The problem of representing AeΩ n in the form XY + where so that ‖X − Y‖ is a minimum is treated. ‖ċ‖ is the Euclidean norm.
National Health Systems Throughout the World Lessons for Health System Reform in the United States

This article provides essential tools for reforming the U.S. health system. It describes the component elements of health systems and discusses the U.S. entrepreneurial health system. Several welfa...
Reflections on definitive surgical treatment of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia

The past 15 years have witnessed a substantial commitment to the understanding and surgical cure of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia, and the results of treatment have steadily improved. However, outside influences have had a negative impact on the use of this modality. With the widespread availability of implantable defibrillators, this has become an attractive alternative therapy to the sometimes difficult definitive surgical treatment. Meanwhile, early thrombolytic therapy for the management of evolving myocardial infarctions has been found to create a postinfarction electrical substrate that does not appear to be arrhythmogenic. As a result, clinical efforts to develop and refine definitive ventricular tachycardia surgical treatments have all but ceased. The intent of this article is to review the events that took place in this apparently transient era.
Distribution of Population Declines in Large Mammals

Uncertainty in the temporal abundance of species may be attributed to sampling error, demographic or environmental stochasticity, changes in genetic structure, or "catastrophes." These sources of variability influence the persistence time of small populations (Shaffer 1987; Lande 1988, 1993; Boyce 1992; Caughley 1994), although a consensus on their relative importance has not emerged. And it is not clear whether any such consensus will emerge given the disparate life histories and habitats of the species of interest. What is clear is that much empirical information is still needed regarding the significance and frequency of uncertain "events" in ecological dynamics. Based on Lande's (1993) result that the effects of environmental stochasticity and catastrophes on persistence time are similar in kind, Caughley (1994) argued that the artificial distinction between environmental stochasticity and catastrophes be abandoned. In essence, catastrophes simply represent a tail of the distribution of environmental stochasticity. Young (1994), however, presented an analysis of the across-species frequency of catastrophic declines in abundance of large mammals and concluded that "severe population crashes in populations of large mammals are apparently widespread and not uncommon in nature." His results show that the number of die-offs between 70% and 90% occurred with higher frequency than those between 25% and 70%. This contradicts the suggestion that catastrophes represent the tail of an environmental stochasticity distribution. Such discrepancy may result from inadequacies in Caughley's (1994) suggestion or Young's (1994) analysis. Our initial concerns with the nature of Young's (1994) data prompted us to suspect the latter. And although Young's synthesis does provide information on the occurrence of "catastrophic" declines, we were not convinced that the results provided a clear or useful picture. The following are five primary concerns with Young's (1994) approach. 1. Reported population declines will be biased toward those of larger proportion, a bias increased by Young's in-
MRI of Wrist Ligaments

The optimal imaging protocols for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the wrist ligaments are discussed, including the use of magnetic resonance arthrography, and 3 Tesla (T) versus 1.5 T magnetic field strength. The normal MRI appearance of the triangular fibrocartilage complex, capsular, and interosseous wrist ligaments is briefly covered to point out potential diagnostic pitfalls. Numerous examples of common ligamentous pathology discernible on MRI are provided, along with the latest estimates of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity provided by the literature.