cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The development of biomedical databases in the Soviet Union.

Compte rendu d'une visite de 2 bibliotheques biomedicales de Moscou (the State Central Scientific Medical Library et the Eye Microsurgery Intersectoral Research and Technology Complex) et commentaires sur les 6 bases de donnees qui y sont developpees
Post-cystectomy Enterocele: A Case Series and Review of the Literature

Abstract Objective To present a case series and literature review on post radical cystectomy (RC) pelvic organ prolapse (POP) to heighten awareness of the symptoms, imaging findings, and risk factors associated with this complication and discuss opportunities for prevention. Women with muscle invasive bladder cancer undergo RC with anterior exenteration, significantly disrupting the pelvic floor. These women are at risk for POP. Methods We present 4 cases of high-grade POP in women who underwent RC for bladder cancer. We reviewed the literature by conducting a Boolean search in PubMed with the terms “(“radical cystectomy”) AND (“enterocele” OR “pelvic organ prolapse” OR “rectocele” OR “vaginal vault prolapse”).” Results All 4 women reported a bulge sensation in the vagina and physical exam confirmed POP. Three had radiographic findings consistent with high-grade enterocele at rest. Three experienced prolonged intra-abdominal pressure rise post-RC that may have further weakened pelvic floor support, while the fourth had a history of surgery for high-grade POP. Nine articles on POP following RC were identified. Four focused on treatment and 3 focused on prevention. Conclusion Administration of a single validated question would have identified all 4 cases of postoperative enterocele and is sensitive to detect most women who are experiencing POP. Attention to the pelvic floor on cross-sectional imaging with identification of features that indicate POP, such as herniation of intestinal contents below the pubo-coccygeal line, will identify and/or confirm high-grade enterocele. Familiarity with risk factors for POP and identification of weakened vaginal wall support opens up the opportunity for prevention.
Sugar causes obesity and metabolic syndrome in mice independently of sweet taste

Intake of sugars, especially the fructose component, is strongly associated with the development of obesity and metabolic syndrome, but the relative role of taste versus metabolism in driving preference, intake, and metabolic outcome is not fully understood. We aimed to evaluate the preference for sweet substances and the tendency to develop metabolic syndrome in response to these sugars in mice lacking functional taste signaling [P2X2 (P2X purinoreceptor 2)/P2X3 (P2X purinoreceptor 3) double knockout mice (DKO)] and mice unable to metabolize fructose (fructokinase knockout mice). Of interest, our data indicate that despite their inability to taste sweetness, P2X2/3 DKO mice still prefer caloric sugars (including fructose and glucose) to water in long-term testing, although with diminished preference compared with control mice. Despite reduced intake of caloric sugars by P2X2/3 DKO animals, the DKO mice still show increased levels of the sugar-dependent hormone FGF21 (fibroblast growth factor 21) in plasma and liver. Despite lower sugar intake, taste-blind mice develop severe features of metabolic syndrome due to reduced sensitivity to leptin, reduced ability to mobilize and oxidize fats, and increased hepatic de novo lipogenesis. In contrast to P2X2/3 DKO and wild-type mice, fructokinase knockout mice, which cannot metabolize fructose and are protected against fructose-induced metabolic syndrome, demonstrate reduced preference and intake for all fructose-containing sugars tested but not for glucose or artificial sweeteners. Based on these observations, we conclude that sugar can induce metabolic syndrome in mice independently of its sweet properties. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that the metabolism of fructose is necessary for sugar to drive intake and preference in mice.
What's in a Name?: Naming Big Science Data in Named Data Networking

Data naming is the most critical construct of Named Data Networking (NDN). The way a piece of content is named has profound impacts on content discovery, routing of user requests, data retrieval, and security. Besides, the naming of individual pieces of content seriously affects how the network behaves. While names are ubiquitous in NDN, the design choices for content names and how they affect the network have largely been overlooked. NDN applications and protocols usually name content to fit their particular application scenarios, often derived from existing naming conventions. However, these ad-hoc naming schemes often ignore the impact of these names on the network and the applications themselves. Drawing upon our experience in applying NDN to multiple science domains, we point out different exiting naming schemes in scientific communities, how we translated these names into NDN names, and the effect of naming on the network. Based on these observations, we provide a set of naming guidelines for future scientific applications and network operators supporting those applications.
Low-Cost Vision System for Pick and Place application using camera and ABB Industrial Robot

This paper describes and explains vision-based pick and place robot using a web camera and ABB IRB 140 industrial robot. The robot which comes directly from the company does not have the intelligence to detect the color. This project uses color sorting algorithm developed in Matlab 2013 using image processing and computer vision toolbox. The input image color is detected by the use of a web camera. The algorithm provides the smart solution to the controller to do specific tasks to the robot followed by DSQC IO card and relay module. The proposed design gives real-time color detection using image processing and provides pick and place approach for object sorting. The experimental result shows provide 100% result for green and blue object detection for object pick and place.
Phase I/II study of bendamustine in combination with ofatumumab, carboplatin, etoposide (BOCE) for relapsed or refractory aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

We developed an outpatient salvage chemotherapy regimen using bendamustine, ofatumumab, carboplatin and etoposide (BOCE) to treat relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma (RR NHL) in a single-cente...
Incidence, treatment, and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction following transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate the incidence, treatment, and outcomes of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following transcatheter or surgical aortic valve replacement (TAVR or SAVR). BACKGROUND Coronary artery disease is common in patients who undergo aortic valve replacement. However, little is known about differences in clinical features of post-TAVR or post-SAVR AMI. METHODS We retrospectively identified post-TAVR or post-SAVR (including isolated and complex SAVR) patients admitted with AMI using the Nationwide Readmissions Database 2012-2017. Incidence, invasive strategy (coronary angiography or revascularization), and in-hospital outcomes were compared between post-TAVR and post-SAVR AMIs. RESULTS The incidence of 180-day AMI was higher post-TAVR than post-SAVR (1.59% vs. 0.72%; p < 0.001). Post-TAVR AMI patients (n = 1315), compared with post-SAVR AMI patients (n = 1344), were older, had more comorbidities and more frequent non-ST-elevation AMI (NSTEMI: 86.6% vs. 78.0%; p < 0.001). After propensity-score matching, there was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality between post-TAVR and post-SAVR AMIs (14.7% vs. 16.1%; p = 0.531), but the mortality was high in both groups, particularly in ST-elevation AMI (STEMI: 38.8% vs. 29.2%; p = 0.153). Invasive strategy was used less frequently for post-TAVR AMI than post-SAVR AMI (25.6% vs. 38.3%; p < 0.001). Invasive strategy was associated with lower mortality in both post-TAVR (adjusted odds ratio = 0.40; 95% confidence interval = [0.24-0.66]) and post-SAVR groups (0.60 [0.41-0.88]). CONCLUSIONS AMI, albeit uncommon, was more frequent post-TAVR than post-SAVR. Patients commonly presented with NSTEMI, but the mortality of STEMI was markedly high. Further studies are needed to understand why a substantial percentage of patients do not receive invasive coronary treatment, particularly after TAVR, despite seemingly better outcomes with invasive strategy.
Small-Signal Impedance Analysis of the Impact of Grid-Forming Controllers on their DC and AC Dynamics

Grid-forming converters have recently been gaining more interest as a viable alternative to replace bulk synchronous generation for supporting and sustaining medium to low voltage grids. While the ability of grid-connected converters to support bulk generation has been thoroughly investigated, the capacity and behavior of converters that would replace bulk generation are not well defined. In an inverter-dominated system with one or more grid-forming inverters, maintaining dc-link stability is equally, if not more, important as maintaining frequency stability. To this end, and to better understand the behavior of grid-forming converters with different types of controllers, this paper derives the small-signal models for converters with nested and single-loop control structures, and compares their input and output impedance characteristics with and without synchronization. The analysis of input impedance provides insight into the impact of each grid-forming converter controller on upstream (dc) elements such as the dc-link and non-stiff dc sources, while the analysis of output impedance provides insight into the interaction of the controller with downstream (ac) elements of the grid such as the line impedance and loads. The analytical results are verified using simulation and experimental measurements.
Chronic Manganese Exposure and the Enteric Nervous System: An in Vitro and Mouse in Vivo Study

Background: Chronic environmental exposure to manganese (Mn) can cause debilitating damage to the central nervous system. However, its potential toxic effects on the enteric nervous system (ENS) ha...
Artificial intelligence in education: Addressing ethical challenges in K-12 settings.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a field of study that combines the applications of machine learning, algorithm productions, and natural language processing. Applications of AI transform the tools of education. AI has a variety of educational applications, such as personalized learning platforms to promote students’ learning, automated assessment systems to aid teachers, and facial recognition systems to generate insights about learners’ behaviors. Despite the potential benefits of AI to support students’ learning experiences and teachers’ practices, the ethical and societal drawbacks of these systems are rarely fully considered in K-12 educational contexts. The ethical challenges of AI in education must be identified and introduced to teachers and students. To address these issues, this paper (1) briefly defines AI through the concepts of machine learning and algorithms; (2) introduces applications of AI in educational settings and benefits of AI systems to support students’ learning processes; (3) describes ethical challenges and dilemmas of using AI in education; and (4) addresses the teaching and understanding of AI by providing recommended instructional resources from two providers—i.e., the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s (MIT) Media Lab and Code.org. The article aims to help practitioners reap the benefits and navigate ethical challenges of integrating AI in K-12 classrooms, while also introducing instructional resources that teachers can use to advance K-12 students’ understanding of AI and ethics.
STITCHING THE CURVE: PANDEMIC CRAFT AND FEMINIST DATA VISUALIZATION

Feminist scholars are increasingly drawing attention to the ways “big data” and data representations reinscribe gender and racial inequality, an issue made even more pressing by the role data has taken in our daily lives since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. "Stitching the Curve," a knitted pandemic data visualization project by librarians at the University of Alberta, offers an intersection between digital activism and craftivism, enabling a material, feminist response to an erasure and minimization of collective loss. We examine the media coverage around the project, which includes the online blogs of the project’s participants. Using critical technocultural discourse analysis (CTDA) as a guiding methodology, we consider simultaneously the feminist, activist framing and the influence of material and digital platforms on the cultural influence of the work (Brock 2018). Blogging and knitting are frequently associated with craft and writing as an expression of the domestic and personal, relegated to a feminine and, consequently, minimized space of care and labor. Through a critical technocultural discourse analysis of Stitching the Curve, we understand how the project makes a powerful statement in representing not only the oft-dismissed human cost of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also uses mediums of representation that challenge patriarchal “big data” collection and representational practices. Stitching the Curve makes data visualization a rhetoric of care.
Quantitative Comparison of Field-Update Algorithms for Polymer SCFT and FTS

A wide range of field-update algorithms for polymer self-consistent field theory (SCFT) and field theoretic simulations (FTSs) are analyzed. We provide the first direct comparison between Anderson ...
Modeling of Self-Winding Helices for Sub-Millimeter Traveling Wave Tube Amplifiers

We present simulations of a travelling wave tube amplifier based o n a self-winding helix f or o peration a t THz frequencies. Helix fabrication relies on guided self-assembly of conductive nanomembranes. The structure is modeled and simulated using CST Studio time domain and Particle in Cell solvers. The impact of meshing on the simulation results as well as simulation time is evaluated. Electric field distribution as well as gain at 1 THz are calculated for a 0.25 µm-thick helix forming a 1 mm-long travelling wave tube amplifier.
Estimation of somatic cells in milk using membrane filter separation and DNA determination with diphenylamine.

A diphenylamine-DNA method of estimating somatic cell concentration in milk was studied in two separate trials. Trial I involved 68 bulk milk samples and a comparison of detergent and centrifuge procedures for separation of milk fat prior to estimation of somatic cells. Membrane filters of 3μ-pore size were used to concentrate cells. Color developed with diphenylamine was measured in a spectrophotometer. The detergent preparation was superior to centrifuging, as judged by correlation coefficients between the direct microscopic cell count (DMSCC) and optical density (OD) of 0.93 and 0.82, respectively, for the two methods. Coefficients of variation of duplicate optical density readings were 9.4 and 16.7 for the detergent and centrifuge methods, respectively. Regression equations revealed a linear relationship between OD and DMSCC for the detergent, but a curvilinear relationship for the centrifuge procedure. In Trial II, 40 bulk milk samples were analyzed with an improved procedure involving detergent prep...
Preliminary Performance Analysis of the Space Interferometer Mission Using an Integrated Modeling Methodology

Space Interferometer Mission (SIM) scheduled for launch in 2006, is one of the premiere missions in the Origins Program, NASA's endeavor to understand the origins of the galaxies, of planetary systems around distant stars, and perhaps the origins of life itself.
Adverse childhood experiences and substance use among Hispanic emerging adults in Southern California

Introduction Emerging adults who experienced stressful childhoods may engage in substance use as a maladaptive coping strategy. Given the collectivistic values Hispanics encounter growing up, adverse childhood experiences may play a prominent role in substance use decisions as these events violate the assumptions of group oriented cultural paradigms. Alternatively, adverse childhood events might not increase the risk of substance use because strong family ties could mitigate the potential maladaptive behaviors associated with these adverse experiences. This study examined whether adverse childhood experiences were associated with substance use among Hispanic emerging adults.
A Dangerous Stir: Fear, Paranoia, and the Making of Reconstruction – By Mark Wahlgren Summers

Reconstruction historiography is vast and complex, but if there is one enduring question that rests just beneath the surface of all the literature written over the past three or so generations it i...
Shared Memory Optimization in Virtualized Cloud

Shared memory management is widely recognized as an optimization technique in the virtualized cloud. Most current shared memory techniques allocate shared memory resources from guest VMs based on pre-defined system configurations. Such static management of shared memory not only increases the VM memory pressure, but also limits the flexibility to balance shared memory resources across multiple VMs running on a single host. In this paper, we present a dynamic shared memory management framework that enables multiple VMs to dynamically access shared memory resources according to their demands. We illustrate our system design through two case studies: One aims to improve the performance of interdo main communication while the other aims to improve VM memory swapping efficiency. We demonstrate that the dynamic shared memory mechanism not only improves the utilization of shared memory resources but also significantly enhances the performance of VM applications. Our experimental results show that by using dynamic shared memory management, we can improve the performance of inter-VM communication by up to 45 times, while mitigating the VM memory swapping overhead by up to 58%.
Control of hypertrophic versus hyperplastic growth of vascular smooth muscle cells

A long-term objective of my laboratory has been to understand the mechanisms that regulate both normal and developmental growth of vascular smooth muscle as well as the accelerated growth of smooth muscle that occurs in atherosclerotic lesions or arteries of hypertensive patients and animals. Previous studies in this and other laboratories have demonstrated that smooth muscle cells are capable of two distinct growth responses in vivo, depending on the nature of the growth stimulus. Smooth muscle cell growth in large vessels of chronically hypertensive animals appears to occur primarily by enlargement of preexisting cells (i.e., cellular hypertrophy) with little or no cell proliferation (hyperplasia) and is accompanied by development of polyploidy in a large fraction of the cells. In contrast, in experimental injury models of atherogenesis, or after induction of severe acute hypertension, aortic smooth muscle cells undergo a classic proliferative response. This lecture focuses on possible control mechanisms for hypertrophy of vascular smooth muscle, with particular emphasis on examination of the possible role of contractile agonists as hypertrophic agents, exploration of how this process differs from cellular hyperplasia, discussion of the possible mechanisms for formation of polyploid cells, and examination of the role of mechanical factors in growth regulation of vascular smooth muscle cells.
Effect of Dietary Amino Acid Source on the Zinc-deficiency Syndrome in the Chick

The objective of these studies was to compare isolated soybean protein, casein hydrolysate and dried egg white as amino acid sources in chick diets varying in zinc content. Compared with isolated soybean protein in low zinc diets for chicks, casein hydrolysate and dried egg white produced severe zinc deficiency, but the chicks did not develop leg abnormalities, and tibias and femurs of the chicks had higher concentrations of zinc, ash and fat and less water. The length-to-width ratios of femurs from zinc-deficient chicks fed casein hydrolysate or egg white were much greater than for chicks fed zinc-deficient soy protein diets. Dietary amino acid source had no effect on the zinc content of heart, liver or muscle. Supplements of Mn, inorganic P, vitamin Da, cod liver oil, or a mixture of 13 additional trace elements had no effect on the zinc-deficiency syndrome in chicks fed soy protein. Autoclaving the soy protein or adding 80 ppm Cu had slight beneficial effects, whereas doubling of the mineral mix had slight detrimental effects on the zinc-deficient chick fed soy protein. HEDTA in a soy protein diet containing 12 ppm zinc overcame all zinc-deficiency symptoms. Addi tion of phytic acid in amounts comparable to those in soy protein to egg white and casein hydrolysate diets caused little or no depression in zinc availability and caused no leg abnormalities. It appears that soy protein contains a complicating factor other than phytic acid which affects zinc metabolism, especially in bone.
The language of pain: affective descriptors of pain are a better predictor of psychological disturbance than pattern of sensory and affective descriptors.

Abstract The language used by chronic benign pain patients to characterize their pain complaint was analyzed to determine the best predictor of psychiatric disturbance. Using the 78 adjectives provided by the McGill Pain Questionnaire, the number of affective descriptors used was the best predictor of psychiatric disturbance. Addition of sensory descriptors either to augment the total number of descriptors used (magnitude) or as a pattern of sensory > affective or sensory
Implications of Self-Deception for Self-Reported Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Dispositions and Actual Learning Performance: A Higher Order Structural Model

The authors explored implications of individuals' self-deception (a trait) for their self-reported intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions and their actual learning performance. In doing so, a higher order structural model was developed and tested in which intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions were underlying factors that were each manifested in four distinct propensities that were measured. The authors also tested whether controlling for self-deception influenced predictive relationships. Analyses of data from 429 college students supported the validity of the higher order model and indicated that self-deception was positively related to intrinsic and negatively related to extrinsic motivational dispositions. Self-deception was negatively related, whereas intrinsic and extrinsic motivational dispositions were positively related, to learning performance. Removing the influences of self-deception altered some of the predictive relationships.
Cross-media pollution and fuels — Can we avoid future MTBEs?

Abstract Recent experience with the gasoline additive MTBE shows that regulations intended to improve environmental quality in one medium (e.g., air) may lead to unintended, and more serious, environmental consequences in another (e.g., water). The “cross-media pollution problem” refers to the unintended impacts in one environmental medium of environmental regulations implemented in another. We examine the potential for mechanism design to help regulators avoid unintended consequences of cross-media pollution in situations involving uncertain cross-media damages and asymmetric liability information between regulators and firms. In an empirical example, we consider the case of MTBE gasoline additive regulation in California.
Mothers’ Regulation Strategies in Response to Toddlers’ Affect: Links to Later Emotion Self-Regulation

Recently, there has been a great deal of research on the socialization of children's emotions and self-regulation. In the present study, the specific strategies that mothers use to help their young children regulate their emotional responses were examined using a longitudinal design. Forty-three mother–toddler pairs were observed when toddlers were both 18 and 30 months of age, and mothers’ attempts to regulate their toddlers’ emotions during several emotion-eliciting tasks were transcribed from videotape. When the children were 5 years old, their responses to a disappointment task were observed. Results indicated a relation between mothers’ regulation strategies in toddlerhood and children's facial and behavioral responses to the disappointment task measured at 5 years of age. Specifically, mothers’ use of regulation strategies at 30 months, but not at 18 months, was positively related to children's appropriate emotional displays in response to disappointment. Moreover, the specific types of strategies that mothers used had differential associations to children's responses to disappointment. Findings are discussed in terms of the potentially important role of mothers’ behaviors in the development of children's emotion self-regulation.
Structures, Rotational Barriers, and Thermodynamic Properties of C2 Vinyl and Chlorovinyl Alcohols and Additivity Groups

Vinyl and chlorovinyl alcohol species result from the addition of OH radicals to chlorinated olefins under both atmospheric and combustion conditions. Stable vinyl and chlorovinyl alcohols are form...
Identification of civil structures with nonproportional damping

Recently, the method of Hilbert transform has been used successfully by the authors to identify parameters of linear structures with real eigenvalues and eigenvectors, e.g., structures with proportional damping. Frequently, linear structures may not have proportional damping so that normal modes do not exist. In this case, all the eigenvalues, eigenvectors and modeshapes are complex. In this paper, the Hilbert transform and the method of Empirical Mode Decomposition are used to identify the parameters of structures with nonproportional damping using the impulse response data. Measured impulse response signals are first decomposed into Intrinsic Mode Functions using the method of Empirical Mode Decomposition with intermittency criteria. An Intrinsic Mode Function (IMF) contains only one characteristic time scale (frequency), which may involve the contribution of a complex conjugate pair of modes with a unique frequency and a damping ratio, referred to as the modal response. It is shown that all the modal responses can be obtained from IMFs. Then, each modal response is decomposed in the frequency-time domain to yield instantaneous phase angle and amplitude as functions of time using the Hilbert transform. Based on only a single measurement of the impulse response time history at one location, the complex eigenvalues of the linear structure can be identified using a simple analysis procedure. When the response time histories are measured at all locations, the proposed methodology is capable of identifying the complex modeshapes as well as the mass, damping and stiffness matrices of the structure. The effectiveness and accuracy of the methodology presented are demonstrated through numerical simulations. It is shown that complete dynamic characteristics of linear structures with nonproportional damping can be identified effectively using the Hilbert transform and the Empirical Mode Decomposition method.
THE POLITICAL ECOLOGY OF DEFORESTATION IN MALAWI

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes deforestation in Malawi during colonial and post-colonial periods, examining demographic, agricultural, and fuelwood use practices that have influenced forestry policy. It will be hypothesized that artificial land scarcities have exacerbated deforestation pressures, forcing a significant majority of Malawi's population to subsist off a fraction of its land resources. This population-land distribution discrepancy has resulted in environmental degradation, challenging post-colonial Malawi's government to counter with appropriate forestry policy. Early post-colonial policies were “top-down” projects, however, after decades of unsuccessful results a transition has occurred in which “bottom-up” programs are advocated.
Vaccination of Chickens with a Clone-Selected Lastoa Strain of Newcastle Disease Virus,

Abstract A cone-selected Lasota strain of Newcastle disease (ND) was found to be more immunogenic than the B1 strain but less immunogenic than the regular Lasota strain while having the same pathogenic index as the B1 strain. The geometric mean hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) titers induced in chickens vaccinated with the cloned Lasota strain were higher than those induced in chickens vaccinated with the B1 strain but were found to be slightly less than the titers obtained in chickens vaccinated with the regular Lasota strain. The clone-selected Lasota strain had essentially the same spreading potential as the regular Lasota strain, as indicated by geometric mean titers and challenge mortality of nonvaccinated chickens which were placed in contact with the vaccinated chickens. Oral, ocular, or aerosol vaccination of maternally immune chickens with the clone-selected Lasota strain gave essentially the same protection as those vaccinated with the regular Lasota strain.
Bayesian methods for evidence evaluation: are we there yet?

“First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win,” a saying reportedly misattributed to Mahatma Ghandi,1 might apply to the use of Bayesian statistics in medical research. The idea that Bayesian approaches might be used to “affirm” findings derived from conventional methods, and thereby be regarded as more authoritative, is a dramatic turnabout from an era not very long ago when those embracing Bayesian ideas were considered barbarians at the gate. I remember my own initiation into the Bayesian fold, reading with a mixture of astonishment and subversive pleasure one of George Diamond’s early pieces taking aim at conventional interpretations of large cardiovascular trials of the early 1980s.2 It is gratifying to see that the Bayesian approach, which saw negligible application in biomedical research in the 1980s and began to get traction in the 1990s, is now not just a respectable alternative to standard methods, but sometimes might be regarded as preferable. That said, it is premature to declare a win, and the statistical lingua franca of biomedical research is still firmly frequentist, with P -values, confidence intervals, and type I and II errors dominating the journal landscape. It is helpful to use the thoughtful and thorough Bayesian exercise of Bittl et al3 to reflect on what Bayesian approaches give us, and what they do not. Many introductions to this approach can be found in the literature, and those basics will not be repeated here.4–6 But it is useful to examine the philosophical foundations of Bayesianism, which have their roots not so much in the Bayes theorem, from which the approach gets its name, but in its definition of probability, which Bittl et al allude to. Uncertainty can be roughly divided into 2 types: stochastic and epistemic. …
PUBLIC OPINION, REPRESENTATION, AND THE MODERN SUPREME COURT

Evidence suggests that the modern Supreme Court reflects nationwide public opinion in nearly three-fifths of its decisions. The post-New Deal Court has been especially majoritarian in federal-level disputes and in “crisis times” cases. Overall, the modern Court appears to be as majoritarian as other American policymakers.
The use of queuing networks and mixed integer programming to allocate resources optimally within a library layout

Queuing networks, mixed integer programming, and expected utility theory are combined together to model effectively the library building programming problem. The model is utilized with empirical data to allocate activities, equipment, and staff optimally within a library layout.
Respiratory virus and asthma: the role of immunoglobulin E.

Abstract Background: Atopic diseases, including asthma, have increased to epidemic proportions in the westernized world. The reasons for this increase are not known, nor are the mechanisms behind the development of these diseases. An interesting aspect of atopic disease is the role of respiratory viruses in the development of asthma and atopy. In fact, severe respiratory viral infection in infancy has been associated with a greatly increased risk of asthma. Objective: This paper explores potential mechanisms through which viruses impart an increased risk of asthma, focusing on new pathways in mouse models of atopy. Methods: A search of MEDLINE (1950-March 2008) was conducted using terms that included viral-induced wheeze, respiratory virus, asthma, IgE , and dendritic cells . Results: A total of 1643 publications were identified that contained ≥ 1 of the search terms; however, only 7 of these focused on immunoglobulin E (IgE) and the viral risk of asthma, and only 1 of the 7 explored the role of dendritic cells in this process. The latter study suggested a mechanistic link between lung dendritic cells and the development of postviral atopic disease. Important in this pathway is the generation of IgE, its high-affinity receptor, and the T-cell chemoattractant CCL28. Conclusions: Data from recent mouse models suggest that the development of asthma after severe respiratory viral infection may be the result of a response generated by production of antiviral IgE, which is capable of engaging dendritic cells to form a chemoattractant for interleukin-13-producing T cells. This new paradigm points to a focus for development of future therapies to prevent or at least ameliorate post- viral atopic disease.
Arterial hypoxemia following the administration of sublingual nitroglycerin

The effect of nitroglycerin on arterial blood gases and cardiovascular hemodynamics were studied in patients with coronary artery disease. In 13 premedicated patients blood gases and cardiovascular hemodynamics were studied before and 10 minutes after sublingual nitroglycerin (0.6 mg). In eight unpremedicated patients only blood gases were determined before and 10 minutes after sublingual nitroglycerin 0.6 mg. All studies were performed before induction of anesthesia with the patients in the supine position breathing room air. In both groups, arterial PO2 decreased significantly (p less than 0.001); pH and pCO2 did not change. In the 13 patients on which hemodynamic studies were performed, the mean arterial pressure (p less than 0.001), cardiac index (p less than 0.001), central venous pressure (p less than 0.001), pulmonary artery (p less than 0.001) and pulmonary artery wedge pressure (p less than 0.001) decreased. Calculated values for systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance were not significantly altered (p greater than 0.4). This study gives conclusive evidence that nitroglycerin reduces arterial PO2 in most patients with coronary artery disease breathing room air in the supine position. The possible mechanisms and clinical implications are discussed.
Computing the multiple access rate region for real-world signals

In this correspondence, we address the problem of predicting the usable rates of a multiple access communications channel under real world conditions. In particular, we are interested in channels and communications signals that cannot be easily modeled by the usual Gaussian assumptions, and call for alternative methods of analysis. The examples we use in our development typically involve two communicators, facilitating visualization of the rate regions. These results would be immediately applicable to the situation where a new communicator wishes to enter a channel where another link may be in progress, and needs to devise a strategy to allow each to operate normally. Our results should benefit both the system design of multiple access systems, especially adaptive or cognitive communications systems operating in an ad-hoc multiple access scheme.
Gamma-globulin treatment of acute myocarditis in the pediatric population.

BACKGROUND Myocardial damage in myocarditis is mediated, in part, by immunological mechanisms. High-dose intravenous gamma-globulin (IVIG) is an immunomodulatory agent that is beneficial in myocarditis secondary to Kawasaki disease, as well as in murine myocarditis. Since 1990, the routine management of presumed acute myocarditis at Children's Hospital, Boston, and Children's Hospital, Los Angeles, has included administration of high-dose IVIG. METHODS AND RESULTS We treated 21 consecutive children presenting with presumed acute myocarditis with IVIG, 2 g/kg, over 24 hours, in addition to anticongestive therapies. A comparison group comprised 25 recent historical control patients meeting identical eligibility criteria but not receiving IVIG therapy. Left ventricular function was assessed during five time intervals: 0 to 7 days, 1 to 3 weeks, 3 weeks to 3 months, 3 to 6 months, and 6 to 12 months. At presentation, the IVIG and non-IVIG groups had comparable left ventricular enlargement and poor fractional shortening. Compared with the non-IVIG group, those treated with IVIG had a smaller mean adjusted left ventricular end-diastolic dimension and higher fractional shortening in the periods from 3 to 6 months (P = .008 and P = .033, respectively) and 6 to 12 months (P = .072 and P = .029, respectively). When adjusting for age, biopsy status, intravenous inotropic agents, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, patients treated with IVIG were more likely to achieve normal left ventricular function during the first year after presentation (P = .03). By 1 year after presentation, the probability of survival tended to be higher among IVIG-treated patients (.84 versus .60, P = .069). We observed no adverse effects of IVIG administration. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that use of high-dose IVIG for treatment of acute myocarditis is associated with improved recovery of left ventricular function and with a tendency to better survival during the first year after presentation.
NEON terrestrial field observations: designing continental scale, standardized sampling

Rapid changes in climate and land use and the resulting shifts in species distributions and ecosystem functions have motivated the development of the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). Integrating across spatial scales from ground sampling to remote sensing, NEON will provide data for users to address ecological responses to changes in climate, land use, and species invasion across the United States for at least 30 years. Although NEON remote sensing and tower sensor elements are relatively well known, the biological measurements are not. This manuscript describes NEON terrestrial sampling, which targets organisms across a range of generation and turnover times, and a hierarchy of measurable biological states. Measurements encompass species diversity, abundance, phenology, demography, infectious disease, ecohydrology, and biogeochemistry. The continental-scale sampling requires collection of comparable and calibrated data using transparent methods. Data will be publicly available in a variety of formats and suitable for integration with other long-term efforts. NEON will provide users with the data necessary to address large-scale questions, challenge current ecological paradigms, and forecast ecological change.
What do walking humans want from mechatronics

It is an exciting time to be developing robotic prostheses, exoskeletons, and gait trainers, with clever new innovations emerging at a rapid pace. But are these the droids we're looking for? It is very difficult to predict how a human will respond and adapt to forceful interactions with an electromechanical device, and many years of development are typically required before proposed designs can be tested on humans. What if we could test our ideas for device function quickly, without the overhead of designing a product-ready prototype? This might lead to faster, and more meaningful, understanding of design requirements and trade-offs for human users. We will describe a system that we have developed for rapid emulation of robotic ankle prostheses and orthoses, and present initial results from the high-throughput experiments that this technology has enabled. One set of experiments provides quantitative insights into the optimal prosthesis motor and battery size for a given user, while another set identifies the relationships between energy cost, balance, and variability during gait. Experiments with an ankle-foot orthosis demonstrate shaping of the human energy-cost landscape, revealing that least-effort drives can be harnessed to shape self-selected coordination patterns, with applications to gait rehabilitation. We think this approach will facilitate faster identification of what humans need from wearable robots, providing detailed design requirements for engineers and resulting in better assistive technologies, sooner.
Some characteristics of metal iodide-mercury arcs

The spectral characteristics of arcs operated in several kilotorr of mercury vapor with lower pressures of various metal iodides can be explained on the basis of local thermal equilibrium among all components of the plasma except for the radiation itself. The fraction of atoms excited to an electronic state depends only on the excitation energy of the state and the plasma temperature. Conversely, the plasma temperature depends strongly on excitation energy for those transitions responsible for the principal radiative output. Plasma temperature, excitation energies, and number of radiating atoms can be related quantitatively and can lead to calculated plasma temperatures in satisfactory agreement with experimental determinations of temperature.
Collaborative Empiricism, Guided Discovery, and the Socratic Method: Core Processes for Effective Cognitive Therapy

[Clin Psychol Sci Prac 18: 62–66, 2011] Cognitive therapy sessions typically blend content and process issues to help clients make effective changes in their attitudes, beliefs, and expectations. Collaborative empiricism helps therapists and clients work together to examine the evidence supporting or refuting the client’s beliefs. In a similar manner, guided discovery helps to structure the process of therapy toward an exploration of critical issues involved in the client’s struggles. Finally, the Socratic method provides a comprehensive framework for the complex processes involved in therapy, while remaining aligned with the core concepts of cognitive therapy. These process issues may force the field to confront the mixed blessing derived from structured treatment manuals, psycho-educational approaches, and directive forms of therapy.
Visual Crowding Is Correlated with Awareness

Summary Crowding by nearby features causes identification failures in the peripheral visual field [1, 2]. However, prominent visual features can sometimes fail to reach awareness [3, 4], causing scenes to be incorrectly interpreted. Here we examine whether awareness of the flanking features is necessary for crowding to occur. Flankers that were physically present were rendered perceptually absent with adaptation-induced blindness [5]. In a letter identification task, targets were presented unflanked or with up to four flanker letters. On each trial, observers reported both the number of letters they perceived and the identity of a target letter. This paradigm allowed trial-by-trial assessment of awareness and crowding and ensured that both targets and flankers were attended. Target-letter identification performance was correlated with the number of flanking letters that were perceived on a given trial, regardless of the number that were physically present. Our data demonstrate that crowding can be released when flanking elements at attended locations are suppressed from visual awareness.
Auswertung gravimetrisch gemessener Sorptionsisothermen zur Oberflächen- und Porenbestimmung mit einer elektronischen Rechenanlage

Zur maschinellen Auswertung von Adsorptionsisothermen wurde ein Programm erstellt, das folgende Teilprogramme umfast:
Motion and Conformational Entropy in Protein Function: Creation of an NMR-Based Entropy Meter

Conformational entropy is a potentially important thermodynamic parameter contributing to protein function. Quantitative measures of conformational entropy are necessary for an understanding of its role but have been difficult to obtain. We have recently introduced empirical method that utilizes changes in conformational dynamics as a proxy for changes in conformational entropy. We have now used molecular dynamics simulations to probe the microscopic origins of the link between conformational dynamics and conformational entropy. Simulation of seven proteins gave an excellent correlation with measures of side-chain motion derived from NMR relaxation. The simulations show that the motion of methyl-bearing side-chains are sufficiently coupled to that of other side chains to serve as excellent reporters of the overall side-chain conformational entropy. These results tend to validate the use of experimentally accessible measures of methyl motion - the NMR-derived generalized order parameters - as a proxy from which to derive changes in protein conformational entropy due to a perturbation such as the binding of a ligand. A slightly modified weighting scheme to project the change in dynamics of experimental methyl dynamics into conformational entropy is presented. Originally based on data from the calmodulin system, we will describe experimental results from other systems that indicate that the “entropy meter” approach is both robust and general and that the involved conformational entropies are often large and cannot be ignored. Supported by the NIH and the Mathers Foundation.
Lesion-induced transneuronal plasticity in the adult rat hippocampus.

Abstract The process of reactive synaptogenesis has been demonstrated in several areas of the central nervous system, including the hippocampal dentate gyrus. After a complete unilateral entorhinal lesion. approximately 85% of the input to the outer two-thirds of the ipsilateral dentate molecular layer is lost. Bilateral fluctuations in synaptic density within non-denervated zones of the dentate molecular layer predict further alterations in neural circuitry at sites located transneuronally to the denervated dentate granule cells. Using quantitative electron microscopy, our study demonstrates a complete cycle of synapse loss and reacquisition within the ipsilateral but not contralateral CA4 hilus region of the hippocampal formation. This area is one of the terminal fields for the dentate granule cell mossy fiber axons. In addition the granule cell mossy fiber axons sprout during the postlesion time course and form a significantly increased number of new mossy fiber terminals within the ipsilateral and contralateral CA4 hilus area. Our results indicate that responses to brain injury may no longer be confined to a local denervated site. but probably include polyneuronal circuitry loops, which may encompass one or more areas of the central nervous system. Previous difficulties in providing a close behavioral or functional correlation to localized structural events may be explained by a more global brain response to an injury.
Regional cell count and respiration in the brain of Rana catesbeiana.

Cell counts were made in three divisions of the bullfrog brain: (1) olfactory lobes-telencephalon, (2) diencephalon-mesencephalon, and (3) the hindbrain; average cellular respiration in potassium-enriched Ringer solution and the rate of respiration in sodium-free medium were tested for their possible relationship to the numbers of glia and numbers of neurons in each region. After restoring some of the sodium ions to sodium-free minces, the percent increase in respiration was plotted for each brain segment and compared to the percent of glia per brain division to determine the glial respiratory contribution. Where glial numbers were greater, the potassium-stimulated respiration was greater; where neuronal numbers were greater, the sodium-free respiration was most prominent. The respiration increased most above the sodium-free rate, when sodium ions were added or when the full amount of sodium was present, in the hindbrain, where the glia appear to metabolize more vigorously and the neurons least actively.