cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Should Federal Courts Continue to Apply the 'Probate Exception' to Their Jurisdiction?

This article previews the issues and arguments presented in Marshall v. Marshall, a case on the Court’s 2005-06 docket. The basic issue presented in Marshall v. Marshall asks the Court to determine whether federal courts should continue to recognize and apply the probate exception to federal court jurisdiction. If the Court determines that the probate exception does have continuing validity, then the Court has been asked to determine the applicable scope of the doctrine and whether there are instances in which federal courts may hear some types of cases that relate to probate. Finally the Court is asked whether the probate exception applies only to cases within the federal courts' diversity jurisdiction or whether the doctrine also applies within the federal courts' bankruptcy jurisdiction. The primary issue that the Court will address focuses on the scope of the probate exception to federal jurisdiction. Did Congress intend the probate exception to apply where a federal court is not asked to probate a will, administer an estate, or otherwise assume control of property in the custody of a state probate court? Did Congress intend the probate exception to apply to cases arising under the Constitution, laws, or treaties of the United States (28 U.S.C. § 1331), including the Bankruptcy Code (28 U.S.C. § 1334), or is it limited to cases in which jurisdiction is based on diversity of citizenship? Did Congress intend the probate exception to apply to cases arising out of trusts, or is it limited to cases involving wills? Without doubt, Marshall v.Marshall is destined to receive more media attention and notoriety than most compelling legal appeals before the Court, arising as it does out of a truly transfixing Texas soap opera involving an 89-year-old billionaire, a 26-year-old female adult club entertainer, a 14-month marriage, a Texas-sized fortune, and a disgruntled adult heir. Never has a case been argued to the Court in which 200 million people in the United States, and countless millions around the world, know the underlying facts. The core concerns in Marshall v. Marshall address the broad issues of who should have access to federal courts and for what types of matters. The appeal implicates questions of federalism and deference to state court systems to adjudicate purely local concerns. It also implicates policy questions concerning artful pleading to evade established constraints on federal court jurisdiction. Notwithstanding these lofty constitutional questions, without a doubt everyone will be watching to see whether the Supreme Court allows Anna Nicole to take her S449 million Texas estate.
Circulating Tumor DNA—the Potential of Liquid Biopsies

Recent studies suggest circulating cell-free tumor DNA offers advantages compared to tissue biopsies for mutation profiling. This concept of “liquid biopsy” allows for a more global genomic picture of metastatic disease since blood serves as a reservoir for all metastatic sites. In addition, cell-free tumor DNA can be measured quantitatively, presenting the possibility of using circulating tumor DNA as a biomarker to measure disease burden and response to therapies. Here, we review historic and recent studies demonstrating the clinical potential of measuring cell-free tumor DNA in breast cancer patients and future steps needed to translate liquid biopsies from research to clinical practice.
S.P.28 Reported incidence of orthopedic and cardiopulmonary complications in patients with congenital muscle disease

Abstract Congenital muscle disease, including congenital myopathies (CM) and congenital muscular dystrophies (CMD) may develop hip dysplasia, progressive joint contractures, and scoliosis, sometimes leading to surgical intervention. Both the incidence of orthopedic problems and cardiopulmonary abnormalities that may impact surgical management and patient outcomes in certain CM/CMD subtypes are unknown. Defining the incidence and outcome of orthopedic and cardiopulmonary involvement per CM/CMD subtype will direct pre and post-surgical management to improve patient care. The objective was to determine the incidence of orthopedic, pulmonary and cardiac problems in CM/CMD subtypes. A PubMed search of peer-reviewed literature limited to human case reports, series, and multicenter studies was performed with the keywords “congenital myopathy,” “congenital muscular dystrophy” and CM/CMD specific genes. We excluded articles that did not report on orthopedic, pulmonary or cardiac involvement and excluded patients without genetic confirmation or if symptom onset was after 2 years of age. Twenty-eight articles met the review criteria, which included 365 patients who had CM/CMD with confirmed mutations in either ACTA1, COL6, DNM2, FKTN, LAMA2, LMNA, POMT1, POMT2, POMGnT1, LARGE, RYR1, or SEPN1. There were 504 orthopedic findings, including congenital hip dislocation (24), torticollis (15), joint contractures (201), joint laxity (42), and abnormal spinal curvatures (222). More than half of patients (210) had respiratory compromise with 114 patients requiring ventilatory support. 27 patients had documented cardiac abnormalities. Orthopedic manifestations, respiratory compromise, and cardiac abnormalities are common in patients with congenital muscle disease. Pre-surgical cardiac and respiratory evaluations are indicated.
Morphoproteomics: Bringing Personalized Medicine to the Cancer Patient

Copyright: © 2012 Zhao B. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. We are now in an era of molecular pathology which presents pathologists with the opportunity to study the underlying pathogenesis of lesions at the molecular level, in addition to making a pathological diagnosis based on morphology. The ultimate goal of such integration would be to provide insight into the biology of the disease process contained in a patient’s specimen so that therapies could be customized for that individual patient. Among the methodologies for molecular study, there is a relatively new approach called “morphoproteomics” which is unique to anatomic pathology because it combines morphology with proteomic analysis [1].
Partial isolation and perfusion of rat submaxillary gland.

SummaryAn infusion-perfusion method has been devised for rat submaxillary gland which permits replacement by modified Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution of at least 30% of the blood supply to the gland. Glands maintained by this procedure for periods of 30 to 60 minutes secrete saliva of normal Na, K composition and show no significant change in tissue Na, K or total water, or in histological appearance.
Short-Term Angiotensin Subtype 1 Receptor Blockade Does Not Alter the Circulatory Responses to Sympathetic Nervous System Modulation in Healthy Volunteers Before and During Sevoflurane Anesthesia: Results of a Pilot Study

Objective The mechanism of perioperative hypotension in patients taking an angiotensin-receptor blocker up to the time of surgery remains unclear. This study tested the hypothesis that short-term angiotensin-receptor blocker treatment attenuated the sympathetic and vascular responses to autonomic stimuli in volunteers undergoing anesthesia. Design Randomized, crossover, blinded, pilot design. Setting Zablocki Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Milwaukee, WI. Participants The study comprised 8 male and 6 female healthy, young volunteers (age 23±1.2 years [mean±standard error of the mean]). Interventions Volunteers were studied after receiving oral placebo or 50 mg of losartan (angiotensin-receptor blocker) for 3 days before each test day. The effectiveness of angiotensin-receptor blocker treatment was confirmed using the mean arterial blood pressure response to intravenous angiotensin II (1-µg bolus). Eight volunteers underwent direct mean arterial pressure and forearm bloodflow measurements during conscious baseline, a cold pressor test, induction of anesthesia, tracheal intubation, maintenance of anesthesia with 1 minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane, and airway irritation with 12% desflurane. Six volunteers experienced mean arterial pressure responses to 0.1 mg of phenylephrine at baseline and during 1 minimum alveolar concentration of sevoflurane. Measurements and Main Results Comparisons were made over time and across groups. Angiotensin-receptor blocker treatment significantly reduced-mean arterial pressure and forearm vascular resistance (forearm blood flow/mean arterial pressure) over time and blocked the mean arterial pressure response to angiotensin-II challenge. The changes in mean arterial pressure and forearm vascular resistance in response to all stressors did not differ between treatments. Mean arterial pressure increases from phenylephrine were preserved. Conclusions In healthy, young volunteers, sympathetically-mediated responses from the short-term use of an angiotensin-receptor blocker were not altered and most likely did not contribute to perioperative hypotension during the intraoperative period.
The grey zone

Comment on Ortner, Sherry. 2016. “Dark anthropology and its others: Theory since the eighties.” HAU: Journal of Ethnographic Theory 6 (1): 47–73.
Haskins & Sells’ Selected Papers – a profile in leadership thought (1955–1974)

ABSTRACTFrom 1955 through 1974, the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) firm of Haskins & Sells published a series of annual volumes, entitled Selected Papers, which highlighted the publications and speeches of the firm’s partners and staff. Over the 20 volumes, a total of 724 articles and speeches were shared with national and international audiences through this publication outlet. The publication of the volumes served to provide evidence of the thoughts of the firm’s leadership and served as a form of outreach, providing the community with information about the firm’s positions on accounting and auditing principles, as well as views on problems facing the accounting profession in the USA. Alternatively, the firm also benefited in that the volumes could be considered an indirect form of advertising in the era before advertising was permitted for CPAs. Authors included the firm’s managing partners, John Queenan (the most prolific contributor), Arthur B. Foye, and Michael Chetkovich. Practice office partner...
The Wavelet Spectral Finite Element-based user-defined element in Abaqus for wave propagation in one-dimensional composite structures:

A Wavelet Spectral Finite Element (WSFE)-based user-defined element (UEL) is formulated and implemented in Abaqus (commercial finite element software) for wave propagation analysis in one-dimension...
10 – Root Diseases

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the growth and function of roots and describes root diseases. The initial symptoms of most root diseases are similar, slow to rapid decline and death of the tree, beginning in the upper branches. A large part of the root system is killed before any obvious symptoms appear and consequently, it is difficult or impossible to control root diseases after the appearance of decline symptoms. Many fungi that cause root diseases are the facultative parasites that are found growing as saprophytes in the soil on organic matter, such as dead roots or stumps. The trees of low vigor are easily infected, but some fungi are able to infect vigorous trees. Some root disease fungi penetrate directly into healthy roots, but most gain entrance through wounds in the lower trunk, buttress, and roots. Most root disease fungi produce specialized structures for survival or movement in the soil. These may be the reproductive structures, such as thick-walled motile spores, or the vegetative structures that enable the translocation or storage of materials.
LTE/WWAN monopole antenna integration with hinge slot region in the laptop computer

A small-size LTE/WWAN monopole antenna integration with hinge slot region in laptop computer applications is presented. The monopole antenna is installed in the hinge slot between metal covers and hinges. By integrating the monopole antenna with the metal covers and hinges, not only several resonant modes of monopole structure but those of the hinge slot are also excited to cover the desired eight-band LTE/WWAN operation (LTE700/GSM850/900 and GSM1800/1900/UMTS/LTE2300/2500 bands). The antenna comprises a feeding strip and a folded strip that can be arranged in the hinge slot of the laptop computer. The proposed antenna can be integrated with the surrounding metal planes (metal covers) to enhance the operating bandwidth to cover LTE/WWAN band with good radiation efficiency. The antenna has a small area of only 25 mm∗8 mm. Over the lower and upper bands, the antenna efficiencies are about 65–88% and 55–78%, respectively.
Salivary Gland Secretory Carcinoma With High-Grade Transformation, CDKN2A/B Loss, Distant Metastasis, and Lack of Sustained Response to Crizotinib.

Background. Salivary gland secretory carcinoma is usually a low-grade neoplasm. However, high-grade transformation can occur and has important implications for clinical outcome. Methods. A patient ...
Total volatile organic compound emission evaluation and control for stereolithography additive manufacturing process

Abstract Additive manufacturing has gained rapidly increasing public interest as it has shown to be a viable and promising alternative to traditional manufacturing processes. Since a great number of additive manufacturing processes are used in indoor environments without proper emission control, there is an urgent need to assess and prevent any potentially harmful effects on the environment and human health. The stereolithography process utilizes photosensitive liquid resins, which might cause hazardous gaseous emissions due to the volatilization process as well as additive manufacturing production activities. Current studies fail to theoretically evaluate these emissions and propose efficient emission control approaches. This paper aims to advance the state-of-the-art on emission evaluation for stereolithography-based additive manufacturing by establishing an analytic model for the total volatile organic compound emissions. The proposed analytical model is experimentally validated. In addition, the measured emission levels are significantly higher than the reported values in literature as well as the recommended emission standards. Therefore, two emission control strategies are proposed as follows: (1) the adoption of Titanium Dioxide photo catalytic oxidation method, and (2) the employment of activated Carbon absorption approach. Compared to current commercial technology, the two proposed strategies are tested and lead to 44.15% and 71.06% reductions in the average total volatile organic compound concentration, and 62.74% and 68.54% in the total volatile organic compound caused by additive manufacturing activities, respectively.
Thermochemistry of oxygen steel

Oxygen steelmaking processes are evaluated and compared with other processes. The analysis shows that from 0 to 50% scrap may be handled and closer control is possible by the oxygen process. The information presented shows the process to be capable of making excellent low-carbon steel from basic iron on the low side of normal phosphorus content for North American ores. (T.R.H.)
Secure quantum clock synchronization

The ability to synchronize remote clocks plays an increasingly important role in our infrastructure, from maintaining coherence in the electrical grid to allowing precise positioning and navigation for civilian and military applications. However, many of the techniques to establish and maintain this time synchronization have been shown to be susceptible to interference by malicious parties. Here we propose a protocol that builds on techniques from quantum communication to provide a verified and secure time synchronization protocol. In contrast with classical protocols aimed at increasing the security of time distribution, we need not make any assumptions about the distance or propagation times between the clocks. In order to compromise the security of the protocol, an adversary must be able to perform quantum non-demolition measurements of the presence of a singe photon with high probability. The requirement of such quantum measurements raises a serious technological barrier for any would-be adversary
Hyperon-nucleon scattering

Abstract The hyperon-nucleon scattering is calculated for Λ-laboratory energies up to 315 Mev. The potentials used were those linear combinations of the nucleon-nucleon potentials as prescribed by global symmetry. We have taken the mass difference between the Λ- and Σ-hyperon exactly into account in the kinematics. However, the mass differences between the Σ-hyperons and between the nucleons are neglected. Angular distributions and total cross sections are given for all possible hyperon-nucleon scattering reactions. Where possible a comparison with experiment is made.
Assessment of Types of Prototyping in Human-Centered Product Design

One of the challenges that human-centered product designers face while generating and validating a design concept is the dilemma of whether to build a full physical prototype, a full computational simulation or a combination of both. A full physical prototype can assist designers to evaluate the human-product interactions with high-fidelity, but it requires additional time and resources when compared to a computational prototype, which is a cheaper option but provides low-fidelity. Human-product interactions often require complex motions and postures, and the interaction can vary due to multiple reasons such as individual differences, routine and emergency procedures, environmental conditions etc. In this paper, reach postures of a pilot during a routine and an emergency procedure are evaluated through a full computational and a mixed prototype. It is found that pilot’s reaching strategy, based on the joint angles, during the emergency procedure is different than that of the routine procedure for the same reaching posture. It is also found that the full computational prototype that utilizes the empirical whole-body posture prediction has limitations in reflecting the individual variations in reaching strategies during the emergency procedure. However, the mixed prototype can simulate the emergency procedure and can capture the difference of reaching posture that occurs during an emergency event.
Identifying the Function of School Refusal Behavior: A Revision of the School Refusal Assessment Scale

A revision of the School Refusal Assessment Scale (SRAS-R), a measure designed to help clinicians identify the primary function of a child's school refusal behavior, was examined. Changes in the original version of the scale were made to improve psychometric quality and align the measure in accordance with evolutions in the functional model. Two samples of youth with school refusal behavior, in addition to parents and teachers, were evaluated to determine the test-retest and interrater reliability and construct and concurrent validity of the SRAS-R. The scale was found to have good psychometric strength. Implications of these findings for clinicians who address this population are discussed.
Small Deviations for Gaussian Markov Processes Under the Sup-Norm

Let {X(t); 0≤t≤1} be a real-valued continuous Gaussian Markov process with mean zero and covariance σ(s, t) = EX(s) X(t) ≠ 0 for 0 0, H>0 and G/H nondecreasing on the interval (0, 1). We show that $$\mathop {\lim }\limits_{\varepsilon \to 0} \varepsilon ^2 \log P({\text{ }}\mathop {\sup }\limits_{0 < t \leqslant 1} {\text{ |}}X(t)| < \varepsilon ) = - (\pi ^2 /8)\int_0^1 {(G'H - H'G)dt} $$ In the critical case, i.e. this integral is infinite, we provide the correct rate (up to a constant) for log P(sup0<t≤1 |X(t)|<∈) as ∈→0 under regularity conditions.
Metabolic Pathways Involved in DMSP Degradation

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is initially biodegraded by cleavage into dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and acrylate or by demethylation to 3-methylmercaptopropionate (MMPA). Demethylation of MMPA produces 3-mercaptopropionate (MPA) which is catabolized with the elimination of H2S to leave acrylate. MMPA is also metabolized with the formation of methanethiol by unknown mechanisms. DMSP lyases which catalyze the cleavage of DMSP into DMS and acrylate, occur in a variety of organisms; aerobic and anaerobic bacteria, phytoplankton, macroalgae and possibly higher plants. Biochemical properties reveal the occurrence of more than one DMSP lyase probably because of the different physiological functions of the enzyme. Demethylations of DMSP to MMPA and thence to MPA are performed by aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. In anaerobes the first demethylation step was documented for a species of Desulfobacterium and the second step from MMPA to MPA was established with species of Methanosarcina. MPA degradation has been observed only with anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria (Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain BB1, Thiocapsa roseopersicina) and occurs with H2S elimination to leave acrylate. DMS and methanethiol are degraded by a variety of aerobes and anaerobes. Strict aerobes may use monooxygenases to oxidize the methyl groups whereas facultative and strict anaerobes probably employ transmethylases and a C1-folate system of oxidation. Methanogens probably funnel methyl groups from DMS, methanethiol and MMPA via specific methyl transferases to methyl coenzyme M reductase.
“He Is the Object of Information”: The Intersection of Big Data and the Opioid Crisis

The author discusses the use of big data in ending the epidemic of opioid abuse in the U.S.
The effect of rho kinase inhibition on morphological and electrophysiological maturity in iPSC-derived neurons

Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons permit the study of neurogenesis and neurological disease in a human setting. However, the electrophysiological properties of iPSC-derived neurons are consistent with those observed in immature cortical neurons, including a high membrane resistance depolarized resting membrane potential and immature firing properties, limiting their use in modeling neuronal activity in adult cells. Based on the proven association between inhibiting rho kinase (ROCK) and increased neurite complexity, we seek to determine if short-term ROCK inhibition during the first 1–2 weeks of differentiation would increase morphological complexity and electrophysiological maturity after several weeks of differentiation. While inhibiting ROCK resulted in increased neurite formation after 24 h, this effect did not persist at 3 and 6 weeks of age. Additionally, there was no effect of ROCK inhibition on electrophysiological properties at 2–3, 6, or 12 weeks of age, despite an increase in evoked and spontaneous firing and a more hyperpolarized resting membrane potential over time. These results indicate that while there is a clear effect of time on electrophysiological maturity, ROCK inhibition did not accelerate maturity.
Focal Ablative Therapy for Renal Cell Carcinoma in Transplant Allograft Kidneys.

Abstract Objective To evaluate outcomes after focal ablative therapy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in transplant allograft kidneys. Methods After institutional review board approval, patients with a history of RCC in a transplanted allograft kidney who underwent focal ablative therapy were identified. Complete chart reviews were performed and the relevant data were extracted for cumulative analysis. Results Six patients were treated with focal ablative therapy for RCC in a transplanted allograft kidney at our institutional between 2010 and 2017. Masses were diagnosed at a median of 8 years (range 1 month-8 years) after transplantation. Median mass size was 3 cm. Three patients were treated with microwave ablation, 1 with percutaneous irreversible electroporation, 1 with laparoscopic cryoablation, and 1 with open cryoablation. Median follow-up was 45 months (range 8-61 months). The median creatinine level was 1.65 before ablation and 1.58 1 year after ablation. No patients required dialysis after ablation. No patients developed local recurrence during the follow-up period. However, 1 patient developed lymph node metastases 4 years after ablation. Two patients died during follow-up of other causes. At the time of death both patients had functioning grafts. Conclusion Focal ablative therapies are a feasible, renal-sparing intervention for the management of RCC in renal allografts at intermediate-term follow-up.
Constrained differentiation

In every calculus book, there is a section on the use of differentials for the approximation of increments of functions. Curiously, however, there is no such discussion in the presence of constraints, although constrained increments occur quite naturally in many situations. For example, one may want to know the possible error in the expected value of a random variable when the probabilities are measured with limited accuracy, but are constrained, of course, to sum up to one. In this paper, a very simple formula is presented for the computation of constrained differentials and the idea is then further developed into a novel alternative to the Lagrange multiplier method for constrained extrema.
Adenosine kinase from Trypanosomacruzi

Abstract Adenosine kinase was demonstrated in the soluble fraction of Trypanosoma cruzi . Magnesium is required for activity. ATP and GTP are efficient phosphate donors while p - nitrophenylphosphate is without activity. The pH optimum is high (8.0), it is heat labile and is stabile to freezing (−20° or −80°). It is substrate inhibited, does not survive dialysis and its stability to gel filtration is enhanced by the presence of ATP or GTP. Time curves are parabolic only if the enzyme is preincubated with ATP (or GTP); sigmoid when preincubated with adenosine.
“Too much changing has happened to go back”: professional development, paradigm shifts and poetry

Restorative justice (RJ) holds significant potential as a means for nurturing relational school cultures and addressing harm within those contexts. However, educators participating in professional ...
Large-Scale Evolutionary Optimization Using Multi-Layer Differential Evolution

In this paper, we propose Multi-layer Differential Evolution (MLDE) algorithm that is capable of optimizing large scale problems. A grouping of different strategies are assembled together to solve the problems instead of depend on one strategy. Different strategies applied on individuals to strengthen the ability of exploration of the algorithm. Extensive computational studies are also carried out to evaluate the performance of newly proposed algorithm on a large number of benchmark functions with up to 100 dimensions. A set of well-known CEC 2013 benchmark functions have been used to assessment and evaluate the performance of proposed algorithm.
Acid–Base Disorders in Critically Ill Patients

Acid–base disorders are extremely common in patients admitted to the critical care units because of multiorgan dysfunction. Sepsis, septic shock, toxin ingestion, diabetic ketoacidosis, removal of vomitus by nasogastric suction, massive transfusion with citrated blood, and renal as well as respiratory failure are some of the important causes for acid–base disorders. Hyperchloremic metabolic acidosis is frequently seen due to fluid resuscitation with normal saline or fluids that contain high Cl−. Among acid–base disorders, some reports suggested metabolic acidosis as the predominant disorder in critically ill patients. For example, an observational cohort study reported that 64% had acute metabolic acidosis. Other studies showed metabolic alkalosis to be the most common acid–base disorder in critically ill patients. Therefore, it is difficult to predict which acid–base disorder predominates in critically ill patients. It should be noted that any acid–base disorder is associated with high morbidity and mortality in critically ill patients. Lindner et al. (Intensive Care Med 39:399–405, 2013) described an acid–base disorder called hypernatremic alkalosis in critically ill patients. Their study included 51patients who developed hypernatremia (serum Na+ level > 149 mEq/L) after admission to intensive care units (ICUs). Based on an increase in base excess, hypernatremia was accompanied by an increase in serum HCO3− level and pH. The authors suggest that hypernatremic alkalosis should be part of the differential diagnosis of metabolic acid–base disorders. In this chapter, we will discuss the pathophysiology and management of only four primary acid–base disorders (metabolic acidosis, metabolic alkalosis, respiratory acidosis, and respiratory alkalosis) in critically ill patients.
The Power of Linear Controllers in LQR Control.

The Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) framework considers the problem of regulating a linear dynamical system perturbed by environmental noise. We compute the policy regret between three distinct control policies: i) the optimal online policy, whose linear structure is given by the Ricatti equations; ii) the optimal offline linear policy, which is the best linear state feedback policy given the noise sequence; and iii) the optimal offline policy, which selects the globally optimal control actions given the noise sequence. We fully characterize the optimal offline policy and show that it has a recursive form in terms of the optimal online policy and future disturbances. We also show that cost of the optimal offline linear policy converges to the cost of the optimal online policy as the time horizon grows large, and consequently the optimal offline linear policy incurs linear regret relative to the optimal offline policy, even in the optimistic setting where the noise is drawn i.i.d from a known distribution. Although we focus on the setting where the noise is stochastic, our results also imply new lower bounds on the policy regret achievable when the noise is chosen by an adaptive adversary.
A Preliminary Assessment of Stigma in Law Enforcement Officers’ Responses to Opioid Overdoses:

Prior work has suggested that provider-based stigma of substance use disorders may be one barrier to fighting the opioid epidemic. However, to date, provider-based stigma has been afforded little a...
Semantic Trajectory Planning for Long-Distant Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation in Urban Environments

There has been a considerable amount of recent work on high-speed micro-aerial vehicle flight in unknown and unstructured environments. Generally these approaches either use active sensing or fly slowly enough to ensure a safe braking distance with the relatively short sensing range of passive sensors. The former generally requires carrying large and heavy LIDARs and the latter only allows flight far away from the dynamic limits of the vehicle. One of the significant challenges for high-speed flight is the computational demand of trajectory planning at sufficiently high rates and length scales required in outdoor environments. We tackle both problems in this work by leveraging semantic information derived from an RGB camera on-board the vehicle. We first describe how to use semantic information to increase the effective range of perception on certain environment classes. Second, we present a sparse representation of the environment that is sufficiently lightweight for long distance path planning. We show how our approach outperforms more traditional metric planners which seek the shortest path, demonstrate the semantic planner’s capabilities in a set of simulated and excessive real-world autonomous quadrotor flights in an urban environment.
Spectroscopic and Theoretical Study of the Intramolecular π-Type Hydrogen Bonding and Conformations of 2-Cyclopenten-1-ol.

The conformations of 2-cyclopenten-1-ol (2CPOL) have been investigated by high-level theoretical computations and infrared spectroscopy. The six conformational minima correspond to specific values of the ring-puckering and OH internal rotation coordinates. The conformation with the lowest energy possesses intramolecular π-type hydrogen bonding. A second conformer with weaker hydrogen bonding has somewhat higher energy. Ab initio coupled-cluster theory with single and double excitations (CCSD) was used with the cc-pVTZ (triple-ζ) basis set to calculate the two-dimensional potential energy surface (PES) governing the conformational dynamics along the ring-puckering and internal rotation coordinates. The two conformers with the hydrogen bonding lie about 300 cm−1 (0.8 kcal/mole) lower in energy than the other four conformers. The lowest energy conformation has a calculated distance of 2.68 A from the hydrogen atom on the OH group to the middle of the C=C double bond. For the other conformers, this distance is at least 0.3 A longer. The infrared spectrum in the O-H stretching region agrees well with the predicted frequency differences between the conformers and shows the conformers with the hydrogen bonding to have the lowest values. The infrared spectra in other regions arise mostly from the two hydrogen-bonded species.
Advanced Procedure Topic for Austere Providers: Thoracentesis

For decades, the drainage of air or fluid from the pleural cavity has been accomplished using a variety of physical exam techniques. However, lacking in sensitivity, physical exam is unable to match the diagnostic accuracy of modern imaging modalities, particularly ultrasound. It is therefore unsurprising that thoracentesis guided by point of care ultrasound, either used statically or dynamically, is becoming increasingly prevalent and in some cases is now widely considered the standard of care. While the thoracentesis procedure itself is unchanged – ultimately resulting in a needle being safely inserted into the pleural space, draining the target collection – the addition of ultrasonography has allowed for increased procedural safety and efficacy without added risk to the patient or provider and minimal time added to the procedure.
In situ and transcriptomic identification of microglia in synapse-rich regions of the developing zebrafish brain.

Microglia are brain resident macrophages that play vital roles in central nervous system (CNS) development, homeostasis, and pathology. Microglia both remodel synapses and engulf apoptotic cell corpses during development, but whether unique molecular programs regulate these distinct phagocytic functions is unknown. Here we identify a molecularly distinct microglial subset in the synapse rich regions of the zebrafish (Danio rerio) brain. We found that ramified microglia increased in synaptic regions of the midbrain and hindbrain between 7 and 28 days post fertilization. In contrast, microglia in the optic tectum were ameboid and clustered around neurogenic zones. Using single-cell mRNA sequencing combined with metadata from regional bulk sequencing, we identified synaptic-region associated microglia (SAMs) that were highly enriched in the hindbrain and expressed multiple candidate synapse modulating genes, including genes in the complement pathway. In contrast, neurogenic associated microglia (NAMs) were enriched in the optic tectum, had active cathepsin activity, and preferentially engulfed neuronal corpses. These data reveal that molecularly distinct phagocytic programs mediate synaptic remodeling and cell engulfment, and establish the zebrafish hindbrain as a model for investigating microglial-synapse interactions. Microglia remodel synapses and engulf apoptotic cells. The molecular program underlying these distinct functions are unclear. Here, the authors identify distinct microglial subsets associated with synaptic vs. neurogenic regions of the developing zebrafish brain.
Bone Marrow Collection

Objectives Bone marrow collections are often difficult, and creating quality smears and touch preparations at the bedside can prove challenging. The objective of this study is to compare the quality of bone marrow specimens between unassisted and assisted bone marrow collections by a bone marrow technologist. Methods Data for this study were collected from 422 hematopathology reports over 14 months. We recorded the bone marrow quality of the different parts (aspirate smears, touch imprints, core biopsy, and clot/particle sections) as adequate, suboptimal, or inadequate. Student t test statistical analysis was performed between the corresponding parts in the two groups. Results Our results demonstrate that the quality of assisted bone marrow specimens is significantly better compared with unassisted specimens, particularly for the aspirate smears (P Conclusions We conclude that assistance by a bone marrow technologist resulted in a significant improvement in the quality of bone marrow collection.
Double-Resonance Spectroscopy

The domain of spectroscopy is a large and richly varied one, constituting one of the basic methodologies of physical science. And yet, the way in which spectroscopy is usually carried out is severely limited: typically, one considers the interaction of a resonant medium with a single light wave, and derives absorption and emission properties separately for each frequency of radiation. In this chapter we shall consider those phenomena resulting from the simultaneous application of two radiation fields to a molecular system. With conventional, incoherent optical fields, no new physical features would be introduced by the simultaneous use of two fields; the intensities of each field are sufficiently low that the absorbing system would respond to each field independently, and the overall effect would simply be the sum of the two interactions. But the ever-widening use of intense, coherent, monochromatic laser radiation sources has led to the possibility of using one field to alter the internal state distribution of an absorbing system, thereby influencing its response to a second radiation field and leading to new physical information. For convenience, we shall term such use of two radiation fields to interrogate a sample “double-resonance spectroscopy.”
Out-of-sequence signal 3 as a mechanism for virus-induced immune suppression of CD8 T cell proliferation (VIR1P.960)

Virus infections are known to induce a transient state of immune suppression often associated with an inhibition of T cell proliferation in response to mitogen or cognate-antigen stimulation. Recently, virus-induced immune suppression has been linked to responses to type 1 IFN, a signal 3 cytokine that normally can augment the proliferation and differentiation of T cells exposed to antigen (signal 1) and co-stimulation (signal 2). However, pre-exposure of CD8 T cells to IFN-inducers such as viruses or poly(I:C) prior to antigen signaling is inhibitory, indicating that the timing of IFN exposure is of essence. Studies with T cells lacking IFN receptors implicated a direct role for type 1 IFN in this process. CD8 T cells pretreated with poly(I:C) down-regulated the IFN receptor, up-regulated SOCS1, and were refractory to IFNβ-induced STAT phosphorylation. When exposed to a viral infection these CD8 T cells behaved more like 2-signal than 3-signal T cells, showing defects in short lived effector cell differentiation, reduced effector function, delayed cell division, and reduced levels of survival proteins. This suggests that IFN-pretreated CD8 T cells are unable to receive the positive effects that type 1 IFN provides as a signal 3 cytokine when delivered later in the signaling process. This desensitization mechanism may partially explain why vaccines function poorly in virus-infected individuals.
New Estimates of Capital Flight from Sub-Saharan African Countries: Linkages with External Borrowing and Policy Options

Even as African countries became increasingly indebted from 1970 to 2004, they experienced large-scale capital flight. Some of this was legitimately acquired capital fleeing economic and political uncertainties; some was illegitimately acquired wealth spirited to safer havens abroad. This paper presents new estimates of the magnitude and timing of capital flight from 40 sub-Saharan African countries and analyzes its determinants, including linkages to external borrowing. Our results confirm that sub-Saharan Africa is a net creditor to the rest of the world, in that the subcontinent’s private external assets exceed its public external liabilities: total capital flight amounted to $420 billion (in 2004 dollars), compared to the external debt of $227 billion. Econometric analysis indicates that for every dollar in external loans to Africa in this period, roughly 60 cents flowed back out as capital flight in the same year, a finding that suggests the existence of widespread “debt-fueled” capital flight. The results also show a debt-overhang effect, as increases in the debt stock spur additional capital flight in later years. In addition to policies for recovery of looted wealth and repatriation of externally held assets, we discuss the need for policies to differentiate between legitimate and “odious” debts, both to ease current burdens and to improve international financial governance in the future.
The Neoconservative Revolution: Jewish Intellectuals and the Shaping of Public Policy

This book which will come as a surprise to many educated observers and historians suggests that Jews and Jewish intellectuals have played a considerable role in the development and shaping of modern American conservatism. The focus is on the rise of a group of Jewish intellectuals and activists known as neoconservatives who began to impact on American public policy during the Cold War with the Soviet Union and most recently in the lead up to and invasion of Iraq. It presents a portrait of the life and work of the original and small group of neocons including Irving Kristol, Norman Podhoretz, and Sidney Hook. This group has grown into a new generation who operate as columnists in conservative think tanks like The Heritage and The American Enterprise Institute, at colleges and universities, and in government in the second Bush Administration including such lightning rod figures as Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and Elliot Abrams. The book suggests the neo cons have been so significant in reshaping modern American conservatism and public policy that they constitute a Neoconservative Revolution.
Time-related changes in the prognostic significance of the total number of examined lymph nodes in node-negative pancreatic head cancer

Background and Objectives The aim of study was to assess time trends in the association between the total number of lymph nodes examined (TNLE) and survival in patients operated for adenocarcinoma of the head of pancreas. Methods Patients operated for node-negative adenocarcinoma of the head of pancreas between 1988 and 2007 were identified from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database. Patients diagnosed between 1988 and 2002 were compared to those diagnosed between 2003 and 2007. Results A total of 3,406 patients were included. Although TNLE was associated with survival, the effect was not uniform. Compared to patients with >12 TNLE, survival decreased with lower TNLE (4–12 TNLE: hazard ratio [HR] 1.27, 95% CI 1.10–1.46; <4 TNLE: HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.20–1.60) among patients diagnosed between 1988 and 2002. In contrast, for those diagnosed between 2003 and 2007, while there was decreased survival for those with <4 nodes (HR 1.44, 95% CI 1.22–1.71), no effect was seen for patients with TNLE 4–12 (HR 0.98, 95% CI 0.85–1.14). Conclusion The prognostic significance of the TNLE in patients operated for adenocarcinoma of the head of the pancreas is not constant over time. J. Surg. Oncol. 2014 110:858–863. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Francisella tularensis Inhibits the Intrinsic and Extrinsic Pathways To Delay Constitutive Apoptosis and Prolong Human Neutrophil Lifespan

Francisella tularensis is a facultative intracellular bacterium that infects many cell types, including neutrophils. We demonstrated previously that F. tularensis inhibits NADPH oxidase assembly and activity and then escapes the phagosome to the cytosol, but effects on other aspects of neutrophil function are unknown. Neutrophils are short-lived cells that undergo constitutive apoptosis, and phagocytosis typically accelerates this process. We now demonstrate that F. tularensis significantly inhibited neutrophil apoptosis as indicated by morphologic analysis as well as annexin V and TUNEL staining. Thus, ∼80% of infected neutrophils remained viable at 48 h compared with ∼50% of control cells, and ∼40% of neutrophils that ingested opsonized zymosan. In keeping with this finding, processing and activation of procaspases-8, -9, and -3 were markedly diminished and delayed. F. tularensis also significantly impaired apoptosis triggered by Fas crosslinking. Of note, these effects were dose dependent and could be conferred by either intracellular or extracellular live bacteria, but not by formalin-killed organisms or isolated LPS and capsule, and were not affected by disruption of wbtA2 or FTT1236/FTL0708 —genes required for LPS O -antigen and capsule biosynthesis. In summary, we demonstrate that F. tularensis profoundly impairs constitutive neutrophil apoptosis via effects on the intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, and thereby define a new aspect of innate immune evasion by this organism. As defects in neutrophil turnover prevent resolution of inflammation, our findings also suggest a mechanism that may in part account for the neutrophil accumulation, granuloma formation, and severe tissue damage that characterizes lethal pneumonic tularemia.
Switching characteristics of silver-silicon monoxide superlattices

Layer structures of successive silver and silicon monoxide layer pairs were made using evaporating techniques. Small angle X-ray diffraction and multiple reflection interferometric techniques have been used to establish the identity periods of the samples. these samples were found to have switching characteristics. Slow and fast switching was observed and the application of voltage would induce switching into higher as well as into lower resistance states. Sequential switching through multiple resistance states has also been observed.
Radiative Transfer through Media with Uncertain or Variable Parameters

Abstract While it is now possible to compute the optical transmission, reflection and absorption of a homogeneous horizontal layer of known parameters to great accuracy, the input parameters (optical depth, scattering phase function and single-scattering albedo) are in general neither precisely known nor exactly constant over a layer. In this paper several simple representations of the distributions of input parameters are used to compute the mean values and standard deviations of layer transmission, reflection and absorption. The effects of variability in input parameters depend on the mean-layer properties; under certain conditions this variability induces errors on the order of 5% in the derived optical properties. This magnitude is comparable to the differences between those obtained by the Eddington, delta-Eddington, and discrete ordinate four-steam approximations, and a more precise 20-stream doubling method.
Field Tuning the g Factor in InAs Nanowire Double Quantum Dots

We study the effects of magnetic and electric fields on the g factors of spins confined in a two-electron InAs nanowire double quantum dot. Spin sensitive measurements are performed by monitoring the leakage current in the Pauli blockade regime. Rotations of single spins are driven using electric-dipole spin resonance. The g factors are extracted from the spin resonance condition as a function of the magnetic field direction, allowing determination of the full g tensor. Electric and magnetic field tuning can be used to maximize the g-factor difference and in some cases altogether quench the electric-dipole spin resonance response, allowing selective single spin control.