cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Limitations of quantitative sensory testing when patients are biased toward a bad outcome

To the Editor: Having conducted research on quantitative sensory tests (QSTs) for the past 20 years, I cannot argue with the conclusions of the Views and Reviews by Dyck et al.1 It is important to note, however, that these conclusions are particular to classic QSTs such as those implemented in the commercially available devices developed by Dyck et al. Those devices use physical stimuli such as vibration or temperature to assess nerve function. Contemporary research has yielded an electrodiagnostic QST that generates independent sensory nerve conduction threshold measures from the large and small myelinated and unmyelinated nerve fibers. The electrical stimulus used directly excites the nerve fibers instead of their specialized sensory nerve endings.2 Direct neuronal stimulation with a constant current permits reliable and painless current perception threshold (CPT) measures to be obtained. These measures are not affected by bone conduction, skin thickness, edema, or ambient temperature—factors that can be problematic for classic QSTs. CPT measures are also capable of quantifying both hyperesthetic and hypoesthetic conditions. Because hyperesthesia precedes hypoesthesia in progressive neuropathy, this test is sensitive to the earliest stages of neuropathy associated with conditions such as diabetes and carpal tunnel syndrome.3-5 The article also cites “mind-altering medications” and “psychophysical” factors that compromise the validity of the classic QSTs. CPT measures are not affected by medications such as ethanol and opiates, although they have been proven to provide a sensitive neuroselective measure of the anesthetic effects of intravenous, epidural, and …
Chronic menthol attenuates the effect of nicotine on body temperature in adolescent rats

Menthol is a commonly used additive in tobacco products. Smoking cessation may be more difficult for smokers of mentholated cigarettes, particularly adolescent smokers. Evidence indicates that menthol can influence neurotransmitter receptors and nicotine metabolism. We investigated the effects of chronic menthol using body temperature as a bioassay for the effects of acute nicotine in vivo. Male rats (34-36 days, adolescent; 53-58 days, young adult; 9-10 months, full adult) were injected with menthol (100 mg/kg) or vehicle once daily for 4 days. On day 5, animals were injected with nicotine (0.5 mg/kg) and body temperature was measured for the next 70 min. We found no effect of chronic menthol treatment or of age on baseline temperature. Nicotine quickly produced vasodilatory hypothermia in all animals. Chronic menthol treatment had significant effects only in adolescent rats, diminishing nicotine-induced hypothermia. Nicotine treatment was repeated on day 6 to test for tolerance. Equivalent tolerance was found in all ages, and the attenuating effect of menthol was still present and was still limited to adolescent rats. In adolescents, acute menthol injection (400 mg/kg) 30 min prior to nicotine also attenuated nicotine-induced hypothermia but with a smaller effect size. Also in adolescents, we found no effect of chronic or acute menthol on hypothermia induced by hydralazine, a peripherally acting vasodilator. These data demonstrate that menthol diminishes the influence of nicotine on body temperature in adolescents, suggesting a greater susceptibility of youthful physiology to menthol.
Interfacial properties of arabinofuranosylcytosine diphosphate diacylglycerol, a synthetic liponucleotide

Abstract The interfacial properties of a synthetic liponucleotide [1-β- d -arabinofuranosylcytosine 5′-diphosphate 1,2- l -diacylglycerol (ara-CDPdiacylglycerol)] were investigated at 23°C. Surface properties studied included the quasi-equilibrium surface pressure-area (π-A) behavior of solvent-spread monolayers on a Wilhelmy balance, dynamic surface tension lowering at high cycling rate with an oscillating bubble, and the adsorption kinetics of aqueous dispersions. The π-A isotherm of ara-CDPdiacylglycerol was greatly expanded compared with that of egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC), which had identical fatty acyl chain composition, and this feature was most pronounced at low surface pressures. Molecular areas of the liponucleotide and egg PC were more similar at higher surface pressures with film collapse areas of 60 and 53 A2/molecule, respectively. Collapse pressures were 40 dynes/cm for ara-CDPdiacylglycerol and 46 dynes/cm for egg PC at a low cycling rate of 4 A2/molecule/min, and these increased only slightly to 44 and 48 dynes/cm, respectively, for a 15-fold increase in cycling rate on the Wilhelmy balance. Maximum surface pressures for these surfactants also did not change significantly in complementary oscillating bubble studies, even at rates as high as 20 cycles/min. Additivity analyses of Wilhelmy balance (π-A) data for mixed monolayers of ara-CDPdiacylglycerol and egg PC suggested that these compounds form ideally miscible films at the air-water interface. Finally, in terms of the additional surface property of adsorption, aqueous dispersions of ara-CDPdiacylglycerol displayed a markedly greater adsorption rate and magnitude than egg PC, correlating with its larger critical micelle concentration. The rapid adsorption found for the synthetic liponucleotide, coupled with its ability to expand phosphatidylcholine monolayers, may give such molecules the potential for biomembrane toxicity.
Stresses and elastic constants of metals with classical ion motion

For a metallic system of ions with interaction potentials of the general form given by pseudopotential theory, and with the motion of the ions treated by classical statistics, strain derivatives of the canonical partition function are constructed. Expressions are obtained for the stresses and isothermal elastic constants, for any crystal in which there are no sublattice displacements accompanying a homogeneous deformation. These expressions are in the form of canonical-ensemble averages, and can be evaluated by standard computer simulation techniques. The nature and magnitude of quantum corrections are discussed.
Individual Differences in Language Processing: Electrophysiological Approaches

Language processing is a complex task that requires both specialized cognitive processes (e.g. speech decoding) and more general cognitive processes (e.g. working memory). Research on how individual differences in these processes influence language processing and comprehension has primarily relied on behavioral methods, such as reaction time measures, self-paced reading, and eye-tracking. However, a growing number of studies have used electrophysiological (EEG) techniques to study individual differences in language processing. EEG and event-related potential (ERP) methods provide a unique link between neural activity and cognitive processing and can be used to draw specific inferences about the neural basis of language processing and its variability. The primary goal of this paper is to showcase EEG/ERP studies that have made significant contributions to the study of individual differences in how the brain processes language, over and above what would be possible using behavioral methods alone. A secondary goal of this paper is to highlight several methodological issues specific to research on individual differences in language processing and identify ways in which EEG/ERP studies can take advantage of what has been learned from previous research to minimize these issues.
Multi-domain gating network for classification of cancer cells using gene expression data

Gene expression data (GED) can be indicative of the status of a cell, i.e., healthy or not, type 1 or type 2 of a disease, etc. However, GED differences between cells may be so subtle that most pattern recognition tools can not accurately discriminate them. Toure and Basu (2001) explored the ability of monolithic neural networks and modular neural networks to classify two type of acute leukemia: acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL). In this work, we show that modular neural networks are better suited for GED based classification due the high dimensionality and multistructural properties of the input data. A modular network has the ability to examine the data simultaneously in more than one input space. This approach provides more information to the classifier and overcomes various limitations present in the training data.
Visualizing the invisible: the construction of three low-cost schlieren imaging systems for the undergraduate laboratory

We describe the construction and operation of three low-cost schlieren imaging systems that can be fabricated using surplus optics and 80/20, an aluminium extrusion based construction system. Each system has a different optical configuration. The low cost and ease of construction makes these systems highly suitable for high-school and undergraduate laboratories. Undergraduate students responded enthusiastically to the experience of assembling and operating these systems. This experience also served as an introduction to issues in optical design, helping the students gain an intuition for geometrical optics.
The AI technologies of the Philadelphia area urban wireless network testbed

and David Dorsey and Chris Dugan andIris Howley and Moshe Kam and Joseph Kopena and Rob Lass and Kris Malfettone andAndy Mroczkowski and Gaurav Naik and Max Peysakhov and Brian Pyles and William Regli andEvan Sultanik and James Thiel and Kyle Usbeck and Dan Venutolo and Marc WinnersDepartment of Computer Science and Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringDrexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
Lesson Spurned? Reactions of Online Music Pirates to Legal Prosecutions by the RIAA

In 2003, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) initiated a surge of lawsuits against peer-topeer (P2P) network users to stop them from illegally sharing music files. The main goal of this new strategy was not to dissuade individual persons from violating copyright laws, but to educate the general public about the illegality of this behavior and to deter the mass of Internet users from using the ever-emerging P2P networks to share music files (RIAA, 2003). Despite these legal efforts, the few studies conducted on online music file sharing suggest that the majority of music downloaders show little awareness of wrongdoing and that a large gap exists between the self-perception of P2P users and the deviant label assigned to them by the recording industry. This study uses recent data from the PEW Internet and American Life Project to analyze the latest shifts in the population of P2P users. Results show that the popularity of P2P networks has been steadily increasing since the sharp decline in 2003 and that the sociodemographics of file-sharing communities are changing. P2P users appear to be largely unimpressed by the legal prosecutions. Implications for the music and video industry as well as future research are discussed.
Subtelomeric FISH uncovers trisomy 14q32: lessons for imprinted regions, cryptic rearrangements and variant acrocentric short arms.

The recent development of a set of chromosome-specific, subtelomeric probes has proved useful in diagnosis and recurrence risk counseling of patients and families with mental retardation and in further characterization of known chromosomal abnormalities. Cases of cryptic, subtelomeric rearrangements may account for up to 7.5% of cases of idiopathic moderate-severe mental retardation. We present the molecular cytogenetic studies of trisomy 14q detected by subtelomeric fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Our patient is a 3-year-old girl with growth and developmental delay, myelomeningocele, partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, hypertelorism, tented mouth, simple ears, small mandible, and congenital heart disease (atrial and ventricular septal defects with subaortic conus). G-banded chromosome analysis was apparently normal. A set of FISH-based, subtelomeric, region-specific probes revealed trisomy for 14q in the child. Parental FISH studies established that the mother is a balanced carrier for a half-cryptic translocation between the distal long arm of chromosome 14 and the short arm of chromosome 22. FISH analysis using two BAC clones that contain the imprinted genes MEG3 and DLK1, which localize to 14q32, established that our patient has two maternal copies of these genes. Because the child does not have features of the maternal UPD 14 syndrome, this case suggests that it is absence of expression of a paternally expressed gene, rather than overexpression of a maternally expressed gene, that is responsible for the maternal UPD 14 phenotype.
Geologic significance of anomalous instantaneous frequency

Anomalous frequency spikes derived from complex-trace analysis have long been considered more as a flaw of algorithms than a valuable seismic attribute. However, synthetic models and field data show that instantaneous frequency spikes are clearly linked to physical models that could help geologic interpretations of seismic data. Frequency spikes are related to relative amplitude minima along a seismic trace that occur either at the merging point of the top and base reflections of a wedge (type I) or at the tip of the wedge (type II). A type II spike is indicative of a seismically thin bed (average 0.2λ or thinner in this study; λ denotes wavelength), although the bed thickness tends to decrease with the data frequency and bed spacing in a multibed acoustic-impedance profile (in the range of λ∕16 to λ∕2 in this study). Interpretive values of instantaneous frequency include recognizing thin reservoirs that are otherwise difficult to detect, mapping relative thickness changes of lithofacies, detecting lithof...
Acute Aortic Regurgitation

Aortic regurgitation (AR) is characterized by regurgitation of blood from the aorta to the left ventricle (LV) during diastole and is attributable to diverse congenital and acquired abnormalities of the aortic valve or the wall of the aortic root. AR can be either chronic or acute. The classic features of chronic AR have been known to clinicians for nearly 2 centuries. Corrigan described chronic AR in 1832 in his text “On Permanent Patency of the Mouth of the Aorta, or Inadequacy of the Aortic Valves.”1 Patients with chronic AR remain asymptomatic for many years as the LV becomes gradually enlarged; cardiac symptoms and clinical congestive heart failure then develop. On the other hand, acute severe AR, if untreated, leads to advanced heart failure and early death. Acute severe AR may be difficult to recognize clinically and is often erroneously diagnosed as another acute condition such as sepsis, pneumonia, or nonvalvular heart disease. Acute or subacute infective endocarditis, aortic dissection, and aortic valve damage caused by trauma are known causes of acute AR. We present 2 cases of acute AR (case 1, infective endocarditis; case 2, Stanford type A aortic dissection), and we propose management plans for each case (Figure 1A and 1B). Figure 1. Proposed management plan for acute aortic regurgitation (AR) due to infective endocarditis ( A ) and aortic dissection ( B ). CHF indicates congestive heart failure; TTE, transthoracic echocardiogram; TEE, transesophageal echocardiogram; IE, infective endocarditis; AR, aortic regurgitation; PMVC, premature mitral valve closure; DMR, diastolic mitral regurgitation; ESMR, early systolic mitral regurgitation; ICU, intensive care unit; EKG, electrocardiogram; LVOT, left ventricular outflow tract; and AV, aortic valve. A 23-year-old man admitted to an intensive care unit with Staphylococcus bacteremia presented with soft heart sounds and a to-and-fro murmur, which progressed to a silent precordium within 24 hours. Bedside transthoracic …
Treatment of drug-induced dystonic reactions

Thirty-two cases of drug-induced dystonic reaction were treated by the author with diphenhydramine or benztropine mesylate, intramuscularly or intravenously, in a prospective, nonrandomized fashion. Recovery time with the two drugs was compared. Benztropine mesylate lessened recovery time in this case series. An epidemiological study of drug-induced dystonic reactions found that most of the patients were drug abusers. The commonest offensive agent in this case series was haloperidol. The most common dystonic reactions seen were buccolingual and torticollic.
A comparison of two methods for retrieving ICD-9-CM data

ObjectiveMost existing controlled terminologies can be characterized as collections of terms, wherein the terms are arranged in a simple list or organized in a hierarchy. These kinds of terminologies are considered useful for standardizing terms and encoding data and are currently used in many existing information systems. However, they suffer from a number of limitations that make data reuse difficult. Relatively recently, it has been proposed that formal ontological methods can be applied to some of the problems of terminological design. Biomedical ontologies organize concepts (embodiments of knowledge about biomedical reality) whereas terminologies organize terms (what is used to code patient data at a certain point in time, based on the particular terminology version). However, the application of these methods to existing terminologies is not straightforward. The use of these terminologies is firmly entrenched in many systems, and what might seem to be a simple option of replacing these terminologies is not possible. Moreover, these terminologies evolve over time in order to suit the needs of users. Any methodology must therefore take these constraints into consideration, hence the need for formal methods of managing changes. Along these lines, we have developed a formal representation of the concept-term relation, around which we have also developed a methodology for management of terminology changes. The objective of this study was to determine whether our methodology would result in improved retrieval of data. DesignComparison of two methods for retrieving data encoded with terms from the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9-CM), based on their recall when retrieving data for ICD-9-CM terms whose codes had changed but which had retained their original meaning (code change). MeasurementsRecall and interclass correlation coefficient. ResultsStatistically significant differences were detected (p<0.05) with the McNemar test for two terms whose codes had changed. Furthermore, when all the cases are combined in an overall category, our method also performs statistically significantly better (p<0.05). ConclusionOur study shows that an ontology-based ICD-9-CM data retrieval method that takes into account the effects of terminology changes performs better on recall than one that does not in the retrieval of data for terms whose codes had changed but which retained their original meaning.
Ohmic contacts to Si-implanted and un-implanted n-type GaN

We report on ohmic contacts to Si-implanted and un-implanted n-type GaN on sapphire. A ring shaped contact design avoids the need to isolate the contact structures by additional implantation or etching. Metal layers of Al and Ti/Al were investigated. On un-implanted GaN, post metalization annealing was performed in an RTA for 30 seconds in N2 at temperatures of 700, 800, and 900°C, A minimum specific contact resistance (rc) of 1.4×10−5 Ω-cm2 was measured for Ti/Al at an annealing temperature of 800°C. Although these values are reasonably low, variations of 95% in specific contact resistance were measured within a 500 µm distance on the wafer. These results are most likely caused by the presence of compensating hydrogen. Specific contact resistance variation was reduced from 95% to 10% by annealing at 900°C prior to metalization. On Si-implanted GaN, un-annealed ohmic contacts were formed with Ti/Al metalization. The implant activation anneal of 1120°C generates nitrogen vacancies that leave the surface heavily n-type, which makes un-annealed ohmic contacts with low contact resistivity possible.
Perceptions of Climate in Clinical Psychology Doctoral Programs: Development and Initial Validation of the Graduate Program Climate Scale

Measurement of program climate, defined as a sense of environmental safety amid respectful relationships and effective organizational systems, has been associated with a myriad of important outcomes in school and workplace settings. However, climate has received scant attention in the realm of graduate training, including training in psychology health service programs, despite related research suggesting that quality of mentor–mentee relationships and the research training environment influences student satisfaction and educational attainment. The current study presents the initial development of the Graduate Program Climate Scale, a brief 20-item assessment of climate derived from school and workplace climate measures, targeted at clinical psychology doctoral students in scientist-practitioner programs. The scale was found to be internally consistent and correlated with program satisfaction, satisfaction with evaluation and feedback procedures, and confidence in research skills. Importantly, more positive program climate also predicted outcomes related to peers with problems of professional competence, suggesting that program climate is associated with students’ faith in faculty to handle professional competence issues. Results from the current study suggest that the Graduate Program Climate Scale may be a useful tool for examining program-level characteristics and processes associated with success in clinical psychology training programs.
Neuroimaging Techniques Offer New Perspectives on Callosal Transfer and Interhemispheric Communication

The brain relies on interhemispheric communication for coherent integration of cognition and behavior. Surgical disconnection of the two cerebral hemispheres has granted numerous insights into the functional organization of the corpus callosum (CC) and its relationship to hemispheric specialization. Today, technologies exist that allow us to examine the healthy, intact brain to explore the ways in which callosal organization relates to normal cognitive functioning and cerebral lateralization. The CC is organized in a topographical manner along its antero-posterior axis. Evidence from neuroimaging studies is revealing with greater specificity the function and the cortical projection targets of the topographically organized callosal subregions. The size, myelination and density of fibers in callosal subregions are related to function of the brain regions they connect: smaller fibers are slow-conducting and connect higher-order association areas; larger fibers are fast-conducting and connect visual, motor and secondary somotosensory areas. A decrease in fiber size and transcallosal connectivity might be related to a reduced need for interhemispheric communication due, in part, to increased intrahemispheric connectivity and specialization. Additionally, it has been suggested that lateralization of function seen in the human brain lies along an evolutionary continuum. Hemispheric specialization reduces duplication of function between the hemispheres. The microstructure and connectivity patterns of the CC provide a window for understanding the evolution of hemispheric asymmetries and lateralization of function. Here, we review the ways in which converging methodologies are advancing our understanding of interhemispheric communication in the normal human brain.
Superfluous neuroscience information makes explanations of psychological phenomena more appealing

Does the presence of irrelevant neuroscience information make explanations of psychological phenomena more appealing? Do fMRI pictures further increase that allure? To help answer these questions, 385 college students in four experiments read brief descriptions of psychological phenomena, each one accompanied by an explanation of varying quality good vs. circular and followed by superfluous information of various types. Ancillary measures assessed participants' analytical thinking, beliefs on dualism and free will, and admiration for different sciences. In Experiment 1, superfluous neuroscience information increased the judged quality of the argument for both good and bad explanations, whereas accompanying fMRI pictures had no impact above and beyond the neuroscience text, suggesting a bias that is conceptual rather than pictorial. Superfluous neuroscience information was more alluring than social science information Experiment 2 and more alluring than information from prestigious "hard sciences" Experiments 3 and 4. Analytical thinking did not protect against the neuroscience bias, nor did a belief in dualism or free will. We conclude that the "allure of neuroscience" bias is conceptual, specific to neuroscience, and not easily accounted for by the prestige of the discipline. It may stem from the lay belief that the brain is the best explanans for mental phenomena.
PHOTON-PHOTON COLLISION EXPERIMENTS AT SPEAR

The SLAC electron-positron colliding beam facility and its associated magnetic detector facility are described. General experimental problems in performing photon-photon collision experiments at SPEAR and the proposed experiment of Masek et al. are discussed. -e (Talk presented at the International Colloquium on Photon-Photon Collisions in Electron-Positron Storage Rings, Paris, Sept. 3-4, 1973. Proceedings to be published in Journal de Physique. )
The Intelligibility of the Thomistic God

Man has the urge to thrust against the limits of language. Think for instance about one's astonishment that anything exists. This astonishment cannot be expressed in the form of a question and there is no answer to it. Anything we can say must, a priori, be nonsense. (Wittgenstein)
Plant Location Under Economies-of-Scale---Decentralization and Computation

An exploration of the margin of error entailed in using a “one-point move” algorithm for solving a class of fixed-charge problems. The algorithm is of interest both from the viewpoint of numerical analysis and also from the analogy with market mechanisms. Despite the presence of economies-of-scale, there is the possibility of operating a decentralized system. This is a two-price system; it implies discriminatory and also marginal cost pricing.
State and Society in Contemporary China

Recent works on contemporary China stress the importance of the nonmarket economy in shaping a pattern of state-society relations quite unlike those found in capitalist economies. Nevertheless, these studies present strikingly different pictures of the Chinese case: a new, party-dominated, divided, yet compliant network society on the one hand; and an enduring, localistic, solidary, and resistant cellular society on the other. The author suggests that such divergent images may be partially reconciled if local variation (by region and social sector) is systematically incorporated into our models of Chinese politics. Calling for a nuanced and dynamic approach to state-society relations, the article argues for the importance of historically grounded research.
Simulation and visualization of integrated sensory-motor systems

A binocular robot head, BETH, with ten degrees of freedom (DOF) has been developed for research in active vision. To complement BETH, a graphical simulation and visualization environment has also been developed. The objective of building the graphical system is to create a comprehensive design tool to design and study the dynamic behavior of sensory-motor systems and their interactions with the environment. This environment integrates perception and motor actions and features complete kinematic simulation of BETH, it's sensors and it's workspace. We demonstrate the utility of this environment in systematic and extensive experimental development of computational frameworks and algorithms for 3D active vision systems which utilizes multiple passive depth cues (stereo, vergence, and depth from focusing). >
Reflections on State Reorganizations.

Never before in the long history of our state governments have there been so many studies of the structure of state administration under way at one time.' There are several reasons for the present concerted effort to improve state administrative organization. Some of the interest is related to recent special developments in present-day American government; but, in great part, the motivation is simply a continuation of the thinking that has been behind the administrative reorganization movement since its inception nearly half a century ago. Many of the states that are now considering what should be done to overhaul the structure of their administration have been prompted to do so by the recent popularization of the administrative reorganization idea brought about by the Hoover Commission report and by public interest in it. The very association of the name of the ex-President with the reorganization movement gives it respectability among many conservative leaders in state government who might otherwise have stood apart from it, or, indeed, even opposed it. It is also true that the present high level of federal taxation has made for an understandable reluctance to levy more taxes for state purposes to offset both threatened, and, in some instances, actual deficits now appearing in state budgets. Reserves accumulated in wartime are rapidly disappearing. Rather than load the taxpayer more, state officials are willing to consider altering the administrative status quo. This motivation for the improvement of state administration almost invariably brings to the fore the loosely used "efficiency and economy" slogan. In the past, embracing reorganization with this thought uppermost has resulted in disappointment: that either efficiency or economy has been enhanced has been difficult to prove. Yet whether the slogan suggests a reduction in the number of dollars spent for state government or greater efficiency, and hence economy, of both manpower and materials in achieving administrative objectives, the possibilities of the catchword attract many today. Worthy as efficiency and economy may be as aims in government, however, it now seems clear that selling reorganization on the basis of cutting costs has dangers. Very little is known about what really inspires efficiency. The morale studies made by James C. Worthy within Sears-Roebuck and Company indicate that following the time-honored "principles" of so-called good administration may actually lower morale and productivity, especially where
Some PLATO Applications in Health Sciences Education

The University of Illinois PLATO system has a unique flavor because it is a large network — over 950 terminals spread throughout the United States connect to the same processing facility and can access the same collection of instructional materials and communication facilities. Teaching programs in health sciences have been a feature of the system library from its early inception (see for example Bitzer and Boudreaux, 1969) and there is now an extensive catalog of lessons in health-related subjects including biology, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, nursing, and allied health. In addition, there exists a large body of instructional materials at the college level in mathematics, physical sciences, and behavioral sciences, much of which is useful as remedial or supplementary resources for health science students.
Reply to Questions by Professors Puterbaugh and Lampe

(5) ". . . it is not considered necessary to use the simultaneous equations approach for estimating production functions if the investigator is able to obtain enterprise input-output data that indicate with sufficient accuracy the input used and the outputs produced by the individual enterprises." Is "sufficient accuracy" obtained by detailed cost accounting or arbitrary allocation? (6) "Vertically integrated enterprises such as crops and livestock enterprises should be treated separately, otherwise it is not possible to determine accurately where in the farm business a reallocation of inputs is necessary." Since the separation was made so that land contributed only to the crop and not to the livestock enterprises, and the functions are independent, does this imply that no land is required for the livestock enterprises? (7) If enterprise production functions are actually independent of each other, it should be possible for the level of output for all but one product to decrease sharply, without a change in the production function of any of the products. Carrying this one step farther, the output of all enterprises save this one could go to zero and this one be carried on at a very high level of output. Thus, the multiple enterprise farm has become a specialized farm without a change of production functions, or if preferred, a multiple enterprise farm with only one enterprise being carried on at a level greater than zero. Hence, can one logically state that enterprise production functions on multiple enterprise farms are independent of one another and yet different from those existing on specializing farms? (8) Were the enterprise production functions on these multiple enterprise farms really independent?
Design of optimal coupling gains for synchronization of nonlinear oscillators

This paper develops a structured optimal-control framework to design coupling gains for synchronization of weakly nonlinear oscillator circuits connected in resistive networks with arbitrary topologies. The oscillators are modeled as weakly nonlinear Lienard-type circuits, and the coupling gain amounts to the current gain which scales the output current of the oscillator. The structured optimal-control problem allows us to seek a decentralized control strategy (equivalently, a diagonal feedback matrix) that precludes communications between oscillators. To this end, a sparsity-promoting optimal control algorithm is developed to tune the optimal diagonal feedback-gain matrix with minimal performance sacrifice. This involves solving an ℋ2 optimal control problem with l1 regularization by applying the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). Simulation studies with application to voltage regulation in islanded networks composed of power-electronic inverters are provided to validate the approach.
Combining spin-adapted open-shell TD-DFT with spin-orbit coupling

The recently proposed spin-adapted time-dependent density functional theory (S-TD-DFT) is extended to the relativistic domain for fine-structure splittings of excited states of open-shell systems. Scalar-relativistic effects are treated to infinite order via the spin-free (sf) part of the exact two-component (X2C) Hamiltonian, whereas the spin–orbit couplings (SOC) between the scalar-excited states are treated perturbatively via an effective one-electron spin–orbit operator derived from the same X2C Hamiltonian. The calculated results for prototypical open-shell systems containing heavy elements reveal that the composite approach sf-X2C-S-TD-DFT-SOC is very promising. The fine-structure splitting of a spatially degenerate ground state can also be described properly by taking a non-degenerate excited state as the reference.
The Occurrence of Polycomplexes in the Nucleus of Encysting Spores of Lagenidium Callinectes, A Marine Phycomycete

Moses (1956) first described the appearance of chromosomal cores in nuclei of crayfish spermatocytes. In a later study involving salamander spermatocytes, Moses (1958) termed similar chromosomal cores, synaptonemal complexes. He showed these complexes to be structures formed during pairing of the bivalent chromosomes at synapsis. Such complexes were described as linear structures consisting of three parallel strands. The outermost strands or lateral elements were said to appear as thick, electron-dense rods about 300 A in width, with the innermost strand central element being thinner, about 170 A, and less dense. Since the work by Moses (1958) there have been numerous reports of synaptonemal complexes in systems undergoing meiosis. In addition, nuclear structures resembling compound synaptonemal complexes have been reported (Roth, 1966; Jaworska and Lima De Faria, 1969). Moens and Rapport (1971) reported irregular polycomplex bodies in nuclei of the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen. Also, Aldrich and Mims (1970) reported polycomplexes in nucleoli of the slime mold Stemonitis herbatica Peck.
Space-Time Loadings on Wind Turbine Blades Driven by Atmospheric Boundary Layer Turbulence

the interactions between the spatio-temporal loadings on wind turbine blade blades and the turbulence structure of the neutral and moderately convective atmospheric surface layer by combining the Blade Element Method incorporated in the FAST/AeroDyn codes from NREL with a dynamic stall model with large-eddy simulation (LES) of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). The inow conditions were obtained from high-resolution LES interpolated to the turbine blade. The central aim of our analysis is to search for and quantify direct causal relationships between specic space-time variabilities in the turbulent inow velocity eld and the spatio-temporal variability of forces on the turbine blades, and the integrations along the blade span that produce time variations in bending moment at the hub and shaft torque. A related interest is the impact of an accurate versus inaccurate predictions of shear rate by the LES. We nd that atmospheric turbulence is a major contributor to blade loadings and that the distribution of force uctuations is sensitive to the specic structure of ABL turbulence. A well designed, accurate LES model has signicant advantages for quantifying the role of atmospheric turbulence on wind turbine performance.
The Effectiveness of Digital Badges on Student Online Contributions

Digital badges have been increasingly used to encourage users to achieve specific goals in learning. Recent studies have shown that badges can be effective to incentivize learners to complete speci...
New viscodissection instrument for use with microincisional vitrectomy in the treatment of diabetic tractional retinal detachments.

Objective To report on the results of the surgical management of diabetic tractional retinal detachments using 25-gauge vitrectomy and a newly developed viscodissection instrument. Design Single-surgeon, noncomparative, consecutive case series of 30 eyes with severe diabetic tractional retinal detachment in patients who underwent viscodissection-assisted 25-gauge vitrectomy using the viscodissection instrument. Results Median preoperative visual acuity was 20/400. Median follow-up was 170 days. All retinas were attached at last follow-up. Median postoperative visual acuity was 20/70. Visual acuity improved by 2 or more lines in 17 eyes and remained stable in 11 eyes, without worsening of vision in any eyes. Conclusion The newly developed viscodissection instrument facilitates microincisional vitrectomy for complex diabetic tractional retinal detachment.
Stochastic CoSaMP: Randomizing Greedy Pursuit for Sparse Signal Recovery

In this paper, we formulate the K-sparse compressed signal recovery problem with the $$L_0$$ norm within a Stochastic Local Search SLS framework. Using this randomized framework, we generalize the popular sparse recovery algorithm CoSaMP, creating Stochastic CoSaMP StoCoSaMP. Interestingly, our deterministic worst case analysis shows that under the Restricted Isometric Property RIP, even a purely random version of StoCoSaMP is guaranteed to recover a notion of strong components of a sparse signal, thereby leading to support convergence. Empirically, we find that StoCoSaMP outperforms CoSaMP, both in terms of signal recoverability and computational cost, on different problems with upi¾źto 1 million dimensions. Further, StoCoSaMP outperforms several other popular recovery algorithms, including StoGradMP and StoIHT, on large real-world gene-expression datasets.
Does Conflict Lead to Ethnic Particularism? Electoral Violence and Ethnicity in Kenya 2005–2008

What impact does violence have on ethnic identity? Do acts of violence tend to create greater segmentation and “hardening” of identities among ethnic groups? In this article, we empirically assess the claim that violence inevitably leads to the hardening of ethnic identity (which we operationalize as expressions of ethnic particularism over a national identity). Using survey data from Kenya covering the period 2005–2008, integrated with geocoded data on conflict events in Kenya during that period, and employing multilevel logistic regression analysis, we do not find support for the contention that ethnic identity hardens inevitably as the result of violence. Rather, our findings suggest support for a more nuanced view of the effects of violence on ethnic identity.
SPINAL MAST CELL TUMORS IN DOGS: IMAGING FEATURES AND CLINICAL OUTCOME OF FOUR CASES

Published information regarding canine vertebral column mast cell tumors (MCTs) is limited. The objectives of this study were to report clinical and advanced imaging findings for a group of dogs with confirmed spinal MCT. Inclusion criteria for this retrospective case series were dogs with spinal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) scans and a histological diagnosis of spinal MCT. Clinical, imaging, treatment, and outcome data were recorded. Four dogs met inclusion criteria. One dog had primary spinal MCT and three dogs had metastatic spinal MCT. All four dogs presented for paraspinal hyperesthesia and subacute progressive or acute myelopathy. All CT and MRI lesions were extradural. Two cases exhibited distinct masses in the epidural space. In one case, an epidural tumor invaded from the paravertebral musculature. One case exhibited polyostotic lesions indistinguishable from multiple myeloma by MRI. One dog with a primary epidural low-grade MCT remains clinically normal 4 years postoperatively, following adjunctive lomustine. An epidural high-grade MCT, metastatic from a cutaneous tumor, recurred within 2 months of surgery despite adjunctive vinblastine. Two high-grade cases with concurrent visceral involvement were euthanized immediately after imaging. In dogs, MCT should be considered as a differential diagnosis for a progressive painful myelopathy and CT or MRI evidence of an extradural spinal lesion (epidural, paravertebral, or polyostotic). While more often associated with cutaneous or disseminated disease, MCT may also occur as a primary tumor of the epidural space in dogs.
Food Chain Restoration for Pollinators: Regional Habitat Recovery Strategies Involving Protected Areas of the Southwest

The steep declines over the last quarter century of wild pollinators in the Southwest among native bees, monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus L.), hummingbirds, and nectar-feeding bats have come during a time of accelerated climate change, and are likely due to a variety of stresses interacting with climatic shifts. Nevertheless, there is mounting evidence that declining availability and altered timing of floral resources along “nectar corridors” accessible to pollinators involves climatic shifts as a serious stressor that had been previously underestimated. Longitudinal studies from both urban heat islands and rural habitats in Southwestern North America suggest peak flowering of many wildflowers serving as floral resources for pollinators is occurring three to five weeks earlier in spring than a century ago, leaving “phenological gaps” in nectar resource availability for certain pollinators. To avoid the threat of what A. Dobson (Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University) and others have termed “food web collapse,” a range of groups have initiated ecological restoration efforts in semi-arid zones that attempt to (a) assemble more resilient plant-pollinator food chains, and (b) hydrologically restore watercourses to ensure water scarcity will be less likely to disrupt re-assembled food chains in the face of droughts, catastrophic floods, and other correlates of global climate change. We recommend “bottom-up food chain restoration” strategies for restoring nectar corridors in protected areas on or near geopolitical and land management boundaries in all regions, but particularly in the Southwest or US-Mexico desert border states. We highlight binational and multicultural workshops facilitated to communicate about, and initiate restoration of, mutualistic relationships among plants, pollinators, and people to protected area managers on both sides of the border.
Chiral symmetry and three nucleon forces

After a brief review of the role three-nucleon forces play in the few-nucleon systems, the chiral-perturbation-theory approach to these forces is discussed. Construction of the (nominal) leading- and subleading-order Born terms and pion-rescattering graphs contributing to two-pion-exchange three-nucleon forces is reviewed, and comparisons are made of the types of such forces that are used today. It is demonstrated that the short-range {ital c} term of the Tucson-Melbourne force is unnatural in terms of power counting and should be dropped. The class of two-pion-exchange three-nucleon forces then becomes rather uniform. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Abstract 79: Caveolin-1 Knockout Mice Have Salt-Sensitive Hypertension and Dopamine-1 Receptor Defects in Renal Cortex and Isolated Renal Proximal Tubule Cells

Dopamine-1 receptors (D1R) are necessary for kidney proximal tubule-dependent natriuresis and maintenance of normal blood pressure, especially under high salt conditions. G-protein coupled receptor kinase 4 (GRK4) is a negative regulator of D1R function and single nucleotide polymorphisms in GRK4 have been associated with both hypertension and salt sensitivity in humans. Caveolin-1 (CAV1) directly binds to GRK4 and decreases kinase activity. We hypothesized that CAV1 knockout mice (CAV1KO) would have increased GRK4 kinase activity due to lack of physical interaction and inhibition of GRK4; thus overactive GRK4 would inactivate the D1R. Mean arterial blood pressure (MAP, in mmHg ±SEM) measured over 5 days was not significantly different for Wild-type mice (WT, 128.9±4.2 mmHg, n=4) vs CAV1KO (129.5±3.5 mmHg, n=4) on normal chow (0.3% sodium). However, on a 4% high sodium diet, the MAP of CAV1KO mice increased in just 2 days by 20.1±4.2 mmHg (p
Asthma medication use among adults with current asthma by work-related asthma status, Asthma Call-back Survey, 29 states, 2012-2013.

Objective: Asthma severity is defined as the intensity of treatment required to achieve good control of asthma symptoms. Studies have shown that work-related asthma (WRA) can be associated with poo...
Security Governance in Latin America

This chapter argues that power shifts in Latin America have operated not only at the hemispheric level with the relative decline of the presence of the United States and the emergence of Brazil, but also at the level of individual states when countries have experienced a domestic fragmentation of power. The chapter examines the main sources of security threats in the region and the security instruments for addressing them from the perspective of four political levels of aggregation (hemispheric, regional, bilateral and domestic); furthermore, it argues that the capacity of these instruments varies depending on the centrality of the main actors (states or regional organizations) and the strength of security mechanisms (i.e. their legal capacity and the resources allocated).
Resveratrol increases phagocytosis and lipopolysaccharide-induced interleukin-1β production, but decreases surface expression of Toll-like receptor 2 in THP-1 monocytes

THP-1 monocytes were used to evaluate the effects of physiological levels of resveratrol aglycone, resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide, resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide, and resveratrol-3-O-sulfate on phagocytosis, IL-1β, IL-1α, and IL-18 production, viability, and TLR2 and TLR4 expression. THP-1 cells were treated with 1, 5, 10, and 15μM resveratrol or metabolites. Resveratrol-3-O-glucuronide, resveratrol-4'-O-glucuronide, and resveratrol-3-O-sulfate had no effect on the functional parameters tested. Resveratrol aglycone increased phagocytosis at concentrations of 5, 10, and 15μM and LPS-induced IL-1β production at concentrations of 10 and 15μM. Expression of TLR4 increased slightly after resveratrol treatment, but surface expression of TLR2 was reduced as resveratrol concentrations increased. Our data suggest that resveratrol may be effective in modulating monocyte function in an environment where there is direct exposure to the aglycone, such as at the gut epithelium.