cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A New Classification Scheme for Hypertension Based on Relative and Absolute Risk With Implications for Treatment and Reimbursement

Classification schemes for hypertension are necessary. They provide us with definitions for when hypertension begins and help us to assess risk, determine prognosis, and guide management. Systems in current use rely on either the level of blood pressure (diastolic, systolic, or both) and classify patients based on the level of relative risk (the proportional likelihood of cardiovascular events occurring as blood pressure rises), absolute risk (the actual odds that a patient or a population will develop an event), or both. Absolute risk reflects the sum of all the factors that contribute to the likelihood that a patient will experience cardiovascular disease. The system we propose stages hypertensive individuals on the basis of blood pressure level (as does the Fifth Joint National Committee report on the detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure [JNC-V] and the World Health Organization/International Society of Hypertension guidelines) but uses different levels for each stage than do the previous systems and then modifies the numerical stage with the subscript "c" for complicated (when target-organ damage and/or other cardiovascular risk factors are present) or "u" for uncomplicated (when they are absent). The data obtained from a complete medical history and physical examination and a few inexpensive laboratory tests provide the information a provider needs to classify an individual as being complicated or uncomplicated. This system also provides a guide to treatment, as drug therapy would be used sooner in individuals with complicated hypertension, and we propose that compensation for providers be higher when they are caring for a patient with complicated rather than uncomplicated hypertension.
The opiorphin gene (ProL1) and its homologues function in erectile physiology

OBJECTIVE To determine if ProL1, a member of the opiorphin family of genes, can modulate erectile physiology, as it encodes a peptide which acts as a neutral endopeptidase inhibitor, other examples of which (Vcsa1, hSMR3A) modulate erectile physiology. MATERIALS AND METHODS We cloned members of the opiorphin family of genes into the same mammalian expression backbone (pVAX); 100 µg of these plasmids (pVAX-Vcsa1, -hSMR3A, -hSMR3B and -ProL1) were injected intracorporally into retired breeder rats and the affect on erectile physiology assessed visually, by histology and by measuring the intracavernous pressure (ICP) and blood pressure (BP). As a positive control, rats were treated with pVAX-hSlo (expressing the MaxiK potassium channel) and as a negative control the empty backbone plasmid was injected (pVAX). We also compared the level of expression of ProL1 in corporal tissue of patients not reporting erectile dysfunction (ED), ED associated with diabetes and ED not caused by diabetes. RESULTS Gene transfer of plasmids expressing all members of the opiorphin family had a similar and significant effect on erectile physiology. At the concentration used in these experiments (100 µg) they resulted in higher resting ICP, and histological and visual analysis showed evidence of a priapic-like condition. After electrostimulation of the cavernous nerve, rats had significantly better ICP/BP than the negative control (pVAX). Gene transfer of pVAX-hSlo increased the ICP/BP ratio to a similar extent to the opiorphin homologues, but with no evidence for a priapic-like condition. Corpora cavernosa tissue samples obtained from men with ED, regardless of underlying causes, had significant down-regulation of both hSMR3A and ProL1. CONCLUSION All members of the human opiorphin family of genes can potentially modulate erectile physiology. Both hSMR3 and ProL1 are down-regulated in the corpora of men with ED, and therefore both genes can potentially act as markers of ED.
From a Value to a Right: The Supreme Court's Oh-so-Conscious Move from 'Privacy' to 'Liberty'

The right to privacy is highly cherished, and continues to set the terms for many debates about the Supreme Court's role. I argue that this focus is outdated and misleading because the Court itself has made a conscious effort to move away from the rhetoric of privacy in the decisions upon which this role-based commentary tends to focus. I trace this evolution in jurisprudential thought from Justice Harlan's separate opinions in Poe v. Ullman (1961) and Griswold v. Connecticut (1965), in which he argues for liberty-based interpretations of the personal decision-making issues; to Bowers v. Hardwick (1986), in which some of the dissenting justices suggested that the Court should resurrect liberty in order to diffuse the criticism that the unenumerated term privacy generated; through Lawrence v. Texas (2003) where the return to the text approach won the support of a majority of the Court. The change between Bowers and Lawrence is explained as a conscious effort by a group of justices, led by Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, to show that, constitutionally speaking, liberty is a right of which privacy is merely a constituent value. I substantiate my conclusions by drawing on Justice Kennedy's pre- and post-confirmation speeches, and the papers of Justices Marshall, Blackmun and Brennan.
Automated eligibility screening and monitoring for genotype-driven precision oncology trials

The Information Systems Department at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center developed the DARWIN Cohort Management System (DCMS). The DCMS identifies and tracks cohorts of patients based on genotypic and clinical data. It assists researchers and treating physicians in enrolling patients to genotype-matched IRB-approved clinical trials. The DCMS sends automated, actionable, and secure email notifications to users with information about eligible or enrolled patients before their upcoming appointments. The system also captures investigators input via annotations on patient eligibility and preferences on future status updates. As of August 2015, the DCMS is tracking 159,893 patients on both clinical operations and research cohorts. 134 research cohorts have been established and track 64,473 patients. 51,192 of these have had one or more genomic tests including MSK-IMPACT, comprising the pool eligible for genotype-matched studies. This paper describes the design and evolution of this Informatics solution.
End Points of Resuscitation

Our understanding of resuscitation in trauma and critically ill patients has evolved. Traditional end points and goals include restoration to normal vital signs and urine output. We have progressed from these crude measures of circulation to include restoration of chemical markers of hypoperfusion such as lactate and venous oxygenation. However, such markers are not perfect; these are often late findings. As technology has progressed, we are able to collect data regarding microcirculation. It has been debated whether microcirculatory evidence of hypoxia will provide more valuable information to target resuscitation efforts. The use of these data to accurately assess the adequacy of perfusion is still under investigation. The additional use of ultrasound in monitoring hemodynamic status is another useful noninvasive instrument.
Propionibacterium acnes Cerebral Botryomycosis: The Role of Plastic Embedding in the Diagnosis of Grain-Producing Infections

Botryomycosis is a chronic infection in which bacterial colonies, or "grains," occur in purulent exudate associated with draining sinus tracts or abscess formation. This condition usually is caused by Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, but other organisms occasionally have been implicated. This report describes the first case of botryomycosis caused by Propionibacterium acnes, a diphtheroid that has been rarely associated with opportunistic disease. In this case, plastic embedding allowed the observation of the structural details of the organisms composing the grains and permitted their presumptive identification as diphtheroids. The differential diagnosis of infectious agents that produce grains in tissue sections also will be discussed.
Familial Juvenile Polyposis Coli: A Clinical and Pathologic Study of a Large Kindred

A kindred with familial juvenile polyposis coli is described. Of 92 family members, 26 have had symptoms consistent with polyposis, and a definite diagnosis of polyposis has been made in 19. Two family members have developed colorectal carcinoma before age 40 yr. The lesion of juvenile polyposis is a characteristic nonneoplastic polyp that is distinct from the neoplastic lesion of adenomatous polyposis. Patients with this disorder develop symptoms at an earlier age than those with adenomatous polyposis. Both variants of polyposis appear to have a dominant pattern of inheritance. Patients with juvenile polyposis who present in infancy are likely to have severe symptoms and complications. Although the premalignant potential of the juvenile polyp remains in doubt, there may be an increased risk of gastrointestinal cancer in these patients and their families.
Lookback of Sterilization Techniques of Yellow Rice Wine

The sterilization is a key processing procedure in the production of yellow rice wine. Heat sterilization of yellow rice wine in ancient times had experienced three development stages from "wine warming" to "wine roasting" to "wine boiling". Nowadays, high temperature(80～90 ℃) sterilization is applied for bottled yellow rice wine and steam heating is applied for product wine in yellow rice wine enterprises. The innovative sterilization techniques for yellow rice wine cover microwave sterilization, pulse strong light sterilization and strong magnetic pulse sterilization. (Tran. by YUE Yang)
The stable VIP analogue, Ro 24-9981, potentiates bradykinin-induced increases in clearance of macromolecules.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the stable cyclic peptide analogue of human vasoactive intestinal peptide, Ro 24-9981, modulates bradykinin-induced plasma exudation in the oral m...
Learning stroke treatment progression models for an MDP clinical decision support system

This paper describes a clinical decision support framework in multi-step health care domains that can dynamically recommend optimal treatment plans with respect to both patient outcomes and expected treatment cost. Our system uses a modified POMDP framework in which hidden states are not explicitly modeled, but rather, probabilistic models for predicting future observables given observation and action histories are learned directly from electronic health record (EHR) data. High quality treatment recommendations are found using a sampling-based tree growing approach which produces good results despite only exploring a fraction of the observation and action spaces. We describe the application of the approach to an ischemic stroke domain with clinical trial data (International Stroke Trial Dataset, 1993-1996). The dataset is of moderate size (N=19,435) and exhibits many characteristics of real EHR data, including noise, missing values, and idiosyncratic coding. The system’s predictive model was chosen using cross-validated model selection from a set of several candidate learning methods, including logistic regression, Naive Bayes, Bayes nets, and random forests. Simulations suggest that the optimized decisions improve patient outcomes, such as 6-month survival rate, compared to the decisions of human doctors during the study.
Covering the Median Voter in Congress

Political communication and congressional politics scholars have seemingly long settled the question of who in Congress receives national news attention. Party leaders, committee chairs and ranking members, and influential senators typically dominate national news attention. In this paper, I argue that scholars also need to consider the median voter in the House and the filibuster pivot in the Senate to gain a clearer understanding of national media coverage of Congress and its members. The results suggest that members do not receive more coverage simply from being the median voter or the filibuster pivot. Instead, the median voter in the House receives more attention when the majorities in the House are slim and thus the median voter is potentially more important. In the Senate, the filibuster pivot garners more attention from the national media, again conditioned on party margins, than other senators.
Structural Insights into the Drosophila melanogaster Retinol Dehydrogenase, a Member of the Short-Chain Dehydrogenase/Reductase Family.

The 11-cis-retinylidene chromophore of visual pigments isomerizes upon interaction with a photon, initiating a downstream cascade of signaling events that ultimately lead to visual perception. 11-cis-Retinylidene is regenerated through the enzymatic transformations collectively called visual cycle. The first and rate-limiting enzymatic reaction within this cycle, i.e. the reduction of all-trans–retinal to all-trans-retinol, is catalyzed by retinol dehydrogenases. Here, we solved the structure of Drosophila melanogaster photoreceptor retinol dehydrogenase (PDH) isoform C (PDHc) that belongs to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) family. This is the first reported structure of a SDR that possesses this biologically important activity. Two crystal structures of the same enzyme grown under different conditions revealed a novel conformational change of the NAD+ co-factor, likely representing conformational changes during catalysis. Amide hydrogen–deuterium exchange of PDH demonstrates changes in the ...
Alternative Splicing in Breast Cancer

Alternative splicing of pre-mRNA is an essential event that leads to protein diversity and regulation of the cellular processes in mammals. With the advent of the next generation sequencing technologies, the role of alternative splicing is gaining a momentum. Regulation of alternative splicing is a complex process involving the core spliceosome machinery and multiple regulatory factors that enable the tightly controlled splicing of introns/exons. Any aberrant alteration in this process can result in diseases such as cancer. Indeed, accumulating evidence suggests that alternative splicing plays an important role in all hallmarks of cancer including proliferative signaling, resisting cell death, inducing angiogenesis, and activating invasion and metastasis. These changes may occur due to mutations or altered expression levels of key regulatory genes of spliceosome machinery or splicing factors. In this review, we summarize recent findings that have implicated the critical role of alternative splicing in breast cancer and discuss current understandings and its potential utility in breast cancer.
Mesonets: Mesoscale Weather and Climate Observations for the United States

AbstractMesoscale in situ meteorological observations are essential for better understanding and forecasting the weather and climate and to aid in decision-making by a myriad of stakeholder communities. They include, for example, state environmental and emergency management agencies, the commercial sector, media, agriculture, and the general public. Over the last three decades, a number of mesoscale weather and climate observation networks have become operational. These networks are known as mesonets. Most are operated by universities and receive different levels of funding. It is important to communicate the current status and critical roles the mesonets play.Most mesonets collect standard meteorological data and in many cases ancillary near-surface data within both soil and water bodies. Observations are made by a relatively spatially dense array of stations, mostly at subhourly time scales. Data are relayed via various means of communication to mesonet offices, with derived products typically distribut...
Fifty Years of Research in ARDS. Is Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome a Preventable Disease

Despite significant advances in our understanding and management of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), the morbidity and mortality from ARDS remains high. Given the limited number of effective treatments for established ARDS, the strategic focus of ARDS research has shifted toward identifying patients with or at high risk of ARDS early in the course of the underlying illness, when strategies to reduce the development and progression of ARDS and associated organ failures can be systematically evaluated. In this review, we summarize the rationale, current evidence, and future directions in ARDS prevention.
Servant Leaders in Public Service: Christian Spirituality in Practice

Relying on a survey of members of the American Society for Public Administration, servant leadership is examined through the lens of Christian spirituality. Findings indicate that citizens can have confidence in the dedication and committment of public servants.
Mass uncertainties of f 0 ( 600 ) and f 0 ( 1370 ) and their effects on determination of the quark and glueball admixtures of the I = 0 scalar mesons

Within a nonlinear chiral Lagrangian framework, the correlations between the quark and glueball admixtures of the isosinglet scalar mesons below 2 GeV and the current large uncertainties on the masses of ${f}_{0}(600)$ and ${f}_{0}(1370)$ are studied. The framework is formulated in terms of two scalar meson nonets (a two-quark nonet and a four-quark nonet) together with a scalar glueball. It is shown that, while some properties of these states are sensitive to the masses of ${f}_{0}(600)$ and ${f}_{0}(1370)$, several relatively robust conclusions can be made: ${f}_{0}(600)$, ${f}_{0}(980)$, and ${f}_{0}(1370)$ are admixtures of two- and four-quark components, with ${f}_{0}(600)$ being dominantly a nonstrange four-quark state, and ${f}_{0}(980)$ and ${f}_{0}(1370)$ having a dominant two-quark component. Similarly, ${f}_{0}(1500)$ and ${f}_{0}(1710)$ have considerable two- and four-quark admixtures, but in addition they have a large glueball component. For each state, a detailed analysis providing the numerical estimates of all components is given. It is also shown that this framework clearly favors the experimental values: ${m}^{\mathrm{expt}}[{f}_{0}(600)]l700\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$ and ${m}^{\mathrm{expt}}[{f}_{0}(1370)]=1300\char21{}1450\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{MeV}$. Moreover, an overall fit to the available data shows a reciprocal substructure for ${f}_{0}(600)$ and ${f}_{0}(1370)$, and a linear correlation between their masses of the form $m[{f}_{0}(1370)]=0.29m[{f}_{0}(600)]+1.22\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. The scalar glueball mass of 1.5\char21{}1.7 GeV is found in this analysis.
Principal Component Analysis of the PEAK Generalization Module

The current study sought to assess the content validity and internal consistency of the PEAK Generalization Module. Eighty-four children with autism were evaluated using the PEAK Generalization Assessment to ascertain the presence or absence of 184 language and learning skills within the child’s repertoire. Following the assessment, a principal component analysis was run yielding a four-component model of the PEAK Generalization Module. Specifically, components possessing eigenvalues greater than 3 and that had at least one item which was most strongly correlated to them were retained. Items were then sorted into the various components based on their correlation scores within the rotated component matrix generated by the principal component analysis. Following the establishment of the four-component model, the internal consistency of the model was tested using Cronbach’s Alphas which indicated strong internal consistency in the overall PEAK-G Assessment as well as each of the four underlying components. The four components identified include the constructs of Foundational Learning and Basic Social Skills, Basic Verbal Comprehension, Memory, and Advanced Social Skills, Advanced Verbal Comprehension, Reading and Writing, and Basic Problem Solving Skills, and Verbal Reasoning, Problem Solving, Logic, and Mathematical Skills. With the increased demand for evidence-based intervention as the number of individuals with diagnoses of autism rises, the present data provide support for a conceptually systematic behavior analytic approach to the treatment of children with autism.
Relative multiplicative extended Kalman filter for observable GPS-denied navigation:

This work presents a multiplicative extended Kalman filter (MEKF) for estimating the relative state of a multirotor vehicle operating in a GPS-denied environment. The filter fuses data from an iner...
Switching the Selectivity of Cobalt-Catalyzed Hydrogenation of Nitriles

Previous studies of base metals for catalytic hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines or secondary aldimines focus on designing complexes with elaborate structures. Herein, we report “twin” catalytic systems where the selectivity of nitrile hydrogenation can be tuned by including or omitting the ligand HN(CH2CH2PiPr2)2 (iPrPNHP). Simply treating CoBr2 with NaHBEt3 generates cobalt particles, which can catalyze the hydrogenation of nitriles to primary amines with high selectivity and broad functional group tolerance. Ligating CoBr2 with iPrPNHP followed by the addition of NaHBEt3, however, forms a homogeneous catalyst favoring secondary aldimines for both hydrogenation and hydrogenative coupling of benzonitrile.
Direct Evidence of an Enzyme-Generated LPP Intermediate in (+)-Limonene Synthase Using a Fluorinated GPP Substrate Analog.

Linalyl diphosphate (LPP) is the postulated intermediate in the enzymatic cyclization of monoterpenes catalyzed by terpene synthases. LPP is considered an obligate intermediate due to the conformat...
Treating the kidneys - a new era in the United States (and beyond)

Kidney disease is one of the leading causes of death and its prevalence continues to increase worldwide. However, the pace at which new treatments have become available has been excruciatingly slow over the past 30 years. A new White House directive promises to focus the spotlight on accelerating innovations for patients with kidney disease.
Evaluating the Clinical Outcomes of Parotid Hemangiomas in the Pediatric Patient Population.

Introduction:Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common tumor of the parotid gland in children; however, there is no standard protocol for the treatment of IH. The generally accepted practice ...
Multidisciplinary approaches to complication reduction in complex spine surgery: a systematic review.

Abstract BACKGROUND CONTEXT Complex spine surgery carries a high complication rate that can produce suboptimal outcomes for patients undergoing these extensive operations. However, multidisciplinary pathways introduced at multiple institutions have demonstrated a promising potential towards reducing the burden of complications in patients being treated for spinal deformities. To date, there has been no effort to systematically collate the multidisciplinary approaches in use at various institutions. PURPOSE The present study aims to determine effective multidisciplinary strategies for reducing the complication rate in complex spine surgery by analyzing existing institutional multidisciplinary approaches and delineating common themes across multiple practice settings. STUDY DESIGN Systematic review. METHODS We followed guidelines established under the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The studies reported on data from PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Web of Science and Cochrane. We included articles that described either approaches to, or results from, the implementation of multidisciplinary paradigms during the pre-operative, peri-operative, and post-operative phases of care for patients undergoing complex spine surgery. We excluded studies that only targeted one complication unless such an approach was in coordination with more extensive multidisciplinary planning at the same institution. RESULTS A total of 406 unique articles were identified. Following an initial determination based on title and abstract, 22 articles met criteria for full-text review, and 10 met the inclusion criteria to be included in the review. Key aspects of multidisciplinary approaches to complex spine surgery included extensive pre-operative workup and interdisciplinary conferencing, intra-operative communication and monitoring, and post-operative floor management and discharge planning. These strategies produced decreases in surgical duration and complication rates. CONCLUSIONS This study represents the first to systematically analyze multidisciplinary approaches to reduce complications in complex spine surgery. This review provides a roadmap towards reducing the elevated complication rate for patients undergoing complex spine surgery.
lncRNA, PVT-1, controls tumorigenesis and cancer stem-like phenotypes in osteosarcoma through PI3K/TSC2.

e23512Background: Osteosarcoma is the most common pediatric bone cancer and a key genetic characteristic of this particular malignancy is its complex karyotype. Specifically it has been reported th...
Performance evaluation of geosynthetic reinforced flexible pavement: a review of full-scale field studies

Many experimental studies have shown that geosynthetic reinforcement of flexible pavement can be beneficial in terms of extending their service life and decreasing the required structural number of the pavement. Although numerous researches have performed experimental and numerical studies to evaluate the benefits of these reinforcements, comprehensive comparisons are lacking among the different investigations. This paper reviews typical field experimental studies on geosynthetic reinforcement of flexible pavement performed by various investigators. Researchers have found that the main appreciable improvement of geosynthetics reinforcement depends on various factors such as subgrade stiffness, base aggregate thickness and quality, hot mix asphalt thickness and quality, geogrid stiffness/location and so on. The granular equivalent (G.E.) factor was determined based on the results of the falling weight deflectometer (FWD) and the results of the unreinforced and reinforced section were compared to obtain the G.E. factors based on mentioned factors of reinforcements. Then, a unique formula is presented in this study, according to the performed comparison of the results. Although more investigations are needed to develop the presented method and general corrections, the results of this study can be used by the designers to evaluate the geosynthetic reinforcement of flexible pavements in their designs as well.
Using diffusion of innovations theory to understand agricultural producer perspectives on cover cropping in the inland Pacific Northwest, USA

There is increased interest in cover crops on farms; those planted during the fallow period or in place of a cash crop to improve soil and water quality. Despite extensive research suggesting that the practice can enhance on-farm resilience, cover crop use is not widespread, especially across the dryland wheat-growing region of the USA inland Pacific Northwest. Cover crops are being promoted across this region as a means to improve agronomic conditions and farmer livelihoods. Yet, there is limited producer-centered social science research to understand the regional and field-level challenges associated with the practice. To address this gap, we draw from the diffusion of innovations theory to examine the perceived relative advantage (the degree to which cover crops are compatible with the current agricultural system), and trialability of cover crops. Trialability encompasses the relative complexity and observability of the practice. Interviews (n = 28) were conducted with producers to better understand perceptions on relative advantage and how cover crop characteristics may contribute to barriers to adoption. Based on the results from interviews, focus groups (n = 48) were conducted to explore potential avenues for improving the integration of cover crops into existing cropping systems. Analysis of interviews with dryland crop and livestock producers suggested that perceptions of low relative advantage, including low compatibility with common regional management systems, perceived lack of profitability and increased cost of inputs act as deterrents to cover crop integration. Low trialability was associated with the complexity of experimentation, a lack of directly observable results and inflexible regional policies. These perceptions were compounded by a lack of region-specific agronomic and economic information on cover crops. Analysis of focus groups with crop and livestock producers and agricultural stakeholders suggested that there are several opportunities to improve potential adoption strategies and improve perceptions of relative advantage and trialability. Understanding the unique management goals of producers within the environmental, social and economic context in which they operate will better inform regional policies, outreach and future adoption strategies.
Bimodal velocity and size distributions of pulsed superfluid helium droplet beams.

We report detailed measurements of velocities and sizes of superfluid helium droplets produced from an Even–Lavie pulse valve at stagnation pressures of 20–60 atm and temperatures between 5.7 and 18.0 K. By doping neutral droplets with Rhodamine 6G cations produced from an electrospray ionization source and detecting the positively charged droplets at two different locations along the beam path, we determine the velocities of the different groups of droplets. By subjecting the doped droplet beam to a retardation field, size distributions can then be analyzed. We discover that at stagnation temperatures above 8.0 K, a single group of droplets is observed at both locations, but at 8.0 K and below, two different groups of droplets with different velocities are detectable. The slower group, considered from fragmentation of liquid helium, cannot be deterred by the retardation voltage at 9 kV, implying an exceedingly large size. The faster group, considered from condensation of gaseous helium, has a bimodal distribution when the stagnation temperatures are below 12.3 K at 20 and 40 atm, or 16.1 K at 60 atm. We also report similar size measurements using low energy electrons for impact ionization, and this latter method can be used for facile in situ characterization of pulsed droplet beams. The mechanism of the bimodal size distribution of the condensation group and the reason for the coexistence of both the condensation and fragmentation groups remain elusive.
Development of Curriculum-Based Local Norms for Use in Special Education Decision-Making

Assessment practices for mildly handicapped students face continued challenges of lack of utility, reliability, validity, discrimination, and general effectiveness. Recently proposed solutions to t...
A novel large area fan-shaped lidar sensor for space debris: laboratory demonstration and model validation

The feasibility of a novel lidar-based sensor for space debris detection is tested in a laboratory setting using a low-power transmitter and simplified receiver. The transmitter employs a Powell lens to spread transmitted laser light into an evenly distributed fan shape which detects particles or objects moving through the beam and measures their approximate size. Link budget calculations based on a theoretical model are validated. Additionally, several important considerations for future deployment on a satellite are identified.
Repugnant Precedents and the Court of History

The Supreme Court’s precedents continue to tolerate many practices that would shock modern sensibilities. Eugenic sterilization, race-based naturalization, forced labor on public roads, the conscription of child soldiers, and the exclusion of non-heterosexual immigrants all remain ostensibly valid policy options. Yet the Court lacks standard tools for phasing out decisions that offend our national character. The very societal shifts that have reoriented our normative universe have also insulated most repugnant precedents from direct attack. And the familiar stare decisis factors cannot satisfactorily explain what ails culturally outmoded decisions. Even for Justices inclined to condemn these cases in less clinical terms, it is unclear what qualifies courts to make universalist claims about America’s deepest values. The Court recently sidestepped these difficulties by insisting that one of its most reviled decisions had been “overruled in the court of history.” In substituting rhetorical flair for analytical precision, however, the court-of-history trope threatens to destabilize the Court’s doctrines of horizontal and vertical precedent. This Article urges greater normality in implementing perceptions of national ethos. It first defends the inquiry’s legitimacy by recovering a longstanding judicial tradition of pronouncing specific practices abhorrent to American values. It then underscores the project’s stakes by identifying an assortment of precedents that trudge along as ethical outcasts. After highlighting various tangible and expressive harms that these decisions can still inflict, I propose that the Court integrate its ethical judgments into the existing stare decisis framework. And I challenge the Court’s presumed incapacity to dislodge vestigial precedents. These relics may be difficult to pry loose, but we are not stuck with them forever.
Studies on the mechanism of action of 2-β-d-ribofuranosylthiazole-4-carboxamide—V: Factors governing the response of murine tumors to tiazofurin

The pharmacological effects and metabolism of tiazofurin have been compared in the six transplantable tumors comprising the NCI rodent tumor panel, viz. the P388 leukemia (S); the L1210 leukemia (S); the Lewis lung carcinoma (S); the B16 melanoma (R); the colon 38 carcinoma (R); and the M5076 sarcoma (R), where (S) denotes sensitivity and (R) resistance to tiazofurin. In addition, a variant of the P388 leukemia rendered resistant to the drug in vitro, and maintaining stable resistance in vivo, P388/TR, was also studied. Intraperitoneal administration of tiazofurin (100 mg/kg) resulted in a 3- to 30-fold greater accumulation of thiazole-4-carboxamide adenine dinucleotide (TAD), the proposed active metabolite of the drug in S versus R lines. In general, levels of TAD, percent inhibition of IMP dehydrogenase (mean 40% in S versus 10% in R), depression in the concentration of guanosine nucleotides, (50% in S versus 20% in R) and percent elevation of levels of IMP (500% in S versus 60% in R) correlated well with sensitivity or resistance. However, the B16 melanoma, although resistant to tiazofurin treatment, showed certain biochemical features characteristic of an S line. The sensitive and resistant tumors displayed comparable abilities to phosphorylate tiazofurin, but there was significant depression only in the R lines of the pyrophosphorylase which converts tiazofurin-5'-monophosphate to TAD (mean 78 nmoles/mg protein/hr in S versus 22 nmoles/mg protein/hr in R). The naturally resistant tumors were also found to exhibit a greater ability to degrade synthetic TAD than the sensitive lines (mean 102 nmoles/mg protein/hr in R versus 29 nmoles/mg protein/hr in S lines). The state of sensitivity or resistance could not be attributed to the basal levels of IMP dehydrogenase, to the specific activities of the enzymes of purine salvage, or to the basal concentration of purine and pyrimidine nucleotides. Moreover, treatment with tiazofurin did not influence the enzymes of TAD synthesis or of purine salvage.
State and Trait Anxiety, Achievement Motivation and Skill Attainment in College Women

Abstract This study explored the relationships between state and trait anxiety, two motivational dispositions, and skill attainment in beginning bowling and beginning riflery. Subjects were 212 college women. Results showed a relationship between trait anxiety and the level of state anxiety experienced in the two activities, but no relationship between the two motivational dispositions. There was a significant negative relationship between both state and trait anxiety and the level of skill attained in beginning riflery; however, these variables did not have a reliable relationship to bowling skill attainment. There was no relationship between the motivational dispositions and skill attainment in riflery. A negative relationship was indicated between achievement motivation Factor I and bowling skill.
Pathways to school dropout: A conceptual model for early prevention.

In order to develop individual or systems-wide interventions for the primary prevention of school dropout, it would be helpful to have a conceptual model that focuses on the interaction between the school and those pupils considered at risk. By analyzing the interaction patterns that lead up to early school leaving, dropout can be seen as a behavior, not a predetermined characteristic of certain students. Four broad "pathways" are proposed; these are not causal explanations, but types of developmental progression for which school dropout is a likely eventual outcome. The model discussed herein has implications for generating practical strategies to prevent school failure in individual pupils, and offers special services providers a rationale for supporting better defined programmatic school reforms and policies.
Engineering American society: the lesson of eugenics.

We stand at the threshold of a new century, with the whole human genome stretched out before us. Messages from science, the popular media, and the stock market suggest a world of seemingly limitless opportunities to improve human health and productivity. But at the turn of the last century, science and society faced a similar rush to exploit human genetics. The story of eugenics — humankind's first venture into a `gene age' — holds a cautionary lesson for our current preoccupation with genes.
The English Clown Tradition from the Middle Ages to Shakespeare

From the late-medieval period through to the seventeenth century, English theatrical clowns carried a weighty cultural significance, only to have it stripped from them, sometimes violently, by the close of the Renaissance when the famed 'license' of fooling was effectively revoked. This groundbreaking survey of clown traditions in the period looks both at their history, and reveals their hidden cultural contexts and legacies; it has far-reaching implications not only for our general understanding of English clown types, but also their considerable role in defining social, religious and racial boundaries. It begins with an exploration of previously un-noted early representations of blackness in medieval psalters, cycle plays, and Tudor interludes, arguing that they are emblematic of folly and ignorance rather than of evil. Subsequent chapters show how protestants at Cambridge and at court, during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward, patronised a clownish, iconoclastic Lord of Misrule; look at the Elizabethan puritan stage clown; and, move on to a provocative reconsideration of the Fool in "King Lear", drawing completely fresh conclusions. Finally, the epilogue points to the satirical clowning which took place surreptitiously in the Interregnum, and the (sometimes violent) end of 'licensed' folly. Professor Robert Hornback teaches in the Departments of Literature and Theatre at Oglethorpe University.
Singularity detection and consistent 3d arm tracking using monocular videos

Singular (unobservable) movements pose major challenges for consistent 3D human arm tracking using monocular image sequences. In this paper, we present an efficient and robust method for the detection and tracking recovery from one of the singular movements: rotation about humerus with outstretched arm. In our approach using a particle filter for 3D arm tracking, movement constraints (i.e. range of arm joint angles) are not enforced in particle generation. Instead, singularity detection is achieved by looking for particles with joint angles violating these constraints. Once such a singular movement has been detected, inverse kinematics method is used to recover correct arm tracking by transferring invalid particles from unconstrained movement parameter space into valid constrained space. Experimental results have demonstrated the efficacy of our approach in terms of explicit singularity detection, fast recovery of tracking and small number of particles.
The impact of glucose sensing dynamics on the closed-loop artificial pancreas

A closed-loop artificial pancreas (AP) to provide automated treatment for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus has the potential to improve patient health outcomes; however, the system's success hinges on its ability to quickly detect and react to changing blood glucose concentrations (BG). In this study, the impact of measurement lag on AP robust stability, performance, and time-domain disturbance rejection was investigated and compared to the case of an ideal BG sensor. The analysis was performed for an AP using either intraperitoneal (IP) or subcutaneous (SC) insulin delivery routes. Decreasing the sensor lag resulted in a higher tolerance for model uncertainty for robust stability and performance. In the case of a 20 min sensor lag, the time spent in hyperglycemia after a meal disturbance was 59±19 min and 120 ±22 min for IP and SC insulin, respectively. Switching the sensor to the ideal case decreased the time spent in hyperglycemia by 21±8 min for IP insulin and by 13±3 min for SC insulin. Since the SC system already contains large actuation delays, a faster sensor is not as important to improved performance as it is in the IP case. Significant gains in AP performance can be achieved with the use of IP insulin, but these improvements will not be fully realized unless faster glucose sensing is implemented as well.
The sequential dissociation of protonated polyethylene glycols

Early investigations of protonated polyethylene glycol fragmentation suggested the dissociation mechanism includes both direct and sequential processes. Experiments designed to study the proposed mechanisms of sequential dissociation are absent from the literature. In order to obtain additional experimental details about the fragmentation reactions, the dissociation of protonated polyethylene glycol was studied by energy-dependent collision-induced dissociation (CID). Key fragment ions were separated by mass differences corresponding to the loss of single monomer units. Several fragment ions were also generated by in-source fragmentation and studied by CID. These experiments indicate the primary ions undergo sequential dissociation by the loss of either one or two monomer units. The results suggest that at least two different mechanisms must be considered to explain the sequential dissociation of protonated polyethylene glycols. The reaction involving the elimination of two subunits suggests the loss of a six-membered 1,4-dioxane product, while the elimination of a single subunit involves the loss of acetaldehyde by a 1,2-hydride shift rearrangement. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
CORR Insights(®): Are Patient-reported Outcome Measures in Orthopaedics Easily Read by Patients?

P atient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) are essential tools for orthopaedic clinical research and, increasingly, for assessing the results of routine clinical practice. A good PROM accurately assesses health-related quality of life and function, identifies deficits related to physical impairments, and demonstrates change with successful interventions. Most PROMs provide written statements with which a patient is asked to agree or disagree; sometimes an activity is described and the patient is asked to indicate how difficult it is for him to do the activity. All PROMs require from the patient the ability to read and comprehend the questions being asked in the questionnaire—which are presented in written form. The fact that not all patients being queried may be able to do so is the issue that leads us to the current paper. ‘‘Health literacy’’ is a broad term, describing a person’s ability to understand and use health information. The ability to read is an essential part of this. Prior work [1] has shown that educational materials provided to patients often are written at a reading level far above that of the average patient. Are the questionnaires and surveys that we give patients any easier to read? In this paper, the authors analyzed 59 of the most commonly used orthopaedic PROMs and calculated a ‘‘readability score’’ for each, using widely available software. The vast majority of the PROMs were written at such a high level that they were ‘‘likely to be unreadable and potentially incomprehensible to most patients asked to complete them.’’
Non-scorable Response Detection for Automated Speaking Proficiency Assessment

We present a method that filters out non-scorable (NS) responses, such as responses with a technical difficulty, in an automated speaking proficiency assessment system. The assessment system described in this study first filters out the non-scorable responses and then predicts a proficiency score using a scoring model for the remaining responses. The data were collected from non-native speakers in two different countries, using two different item types in the proficiency assessment: items that elicit spontaneous speech and items that elicit recited speech. Since the proportion of NS responses and the features available to the model differ according to the item type, an item type specific model was trained for each item type. The accuracy of the models ranged between 75% and 79% in spontaneous speech items and between 95% and 97% in recited speech items. Two different groups of features, signal processing based features and automatic speech recognition (ASR) based features, were implemented. The ASR based models achieved higher accuracy than the non-ASR based models.
A consideration of radionuclide particulate resuspension as a verification tool in the CTBT On-Site Inspection verification component

A considerable amount of radioactivity could leak from an underground nuclear test at levels easily detectable by one or more of the radiological methods available for on-site inspection, even if the event does not immediately result in gas or particulate debris reaching stations of the International Monitoring System, of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. This work presents a feasibility study showing that winds or human activity can resuspend surface debris in quantities that could be detected using high-volume aerosol samplers outside an established restricted area and subsequent measurement in a Base of Operations laboratory.
eIF3: a versatile scaffold for translation initiation complexes.

Translation initiation in eukaryotes depends on many eukaryotic initiation factors (eIFs) that stimulate both recruitment of the initiator tRNA, Met-tRNA i Met , and mRNA to the 40S ribosomal subunit and subsequent scanning of the mRNA for the AUG start codon. The largest of these initiation factors, the eIF3 complex, organizes a web of interactions among several eIFs that assemble on the 40S subunit and participate in the different reactions involved in translation. Structural analysis suggests that eIF3 performs this scaffolding function by binding to the 40S subunit on its solvent-exposed surface rather than on its interface with the 60S subunit, where the decoding sites exist. This location of eIF3 seems ideally suited for its other proposed regulatory functions, including reinitiating translation on polycistronic mRNAs and acting as a receptor for protein kinases that control protein synthesis.