cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“I Would, If Only I Could” How Cities Can Use California’s Housing Element to Overcome Neighborhood Resistance to New Housing

Author(s): Elmendorf, Christopher S.; Biber, Eric; Monkkonen, Paavo; O’Neill, Moira | Abstract: City councils are on the front lines of California’s housing crisis. But local lawmakers who understand that California needs to accommodate a lot more housing are stuck in a political bind. Wherever they might put new housing, neighborhood groups spring up and oppose it. The same groups will have money to spend or voters to turn out at the next election. What’s a well-meaning city councilperson to do? Our answer: California’s “housing element” process provides a way forward. California requires cities to periodically adopt a state-approved plan, called a housing element, which accommodates the city’s share of regional housing need. These plans are reviewed and certified for compliance by the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Cities across the state will adopt new housing elements between 2020 and 2022, guiding development for the next eight years. This process hasn’t always worked well in the past, but the legislature and HCD have recently strengthened the framework. There are now substantial political advantages for city officials to pursue pro-housing policies through their housing element, rather than through the normal municipal lawmaking channels.
Engineered microRNA-based regulatory element permits safe high-dose miniMECP2 gene therapy in Rett mice

MECP2 gene transfer has been shown to extend the survival of Mecp2-/y knockout mice modelling Rett syndrome, an X-linked neurodevelopmental disorder. However, controlling deleterious overexpression of MECP2 remains the critical unmet obstacle towards a safe and effective gene therapy approach for Rett syndrome. A recently developed truncated miniMECP2 gene has also been shown to be therapeutic after AAV9-mediated gene transfer in knockout neonates. We show that AAV9/miniMECP2 has a similar dose-dependent toxicity profile to that of a published second-generation AAV9/MECP2 vector after treatment in adolescent mice. To overcome that toxicity, we developed a risk-driven viral genome design strategy rooted in high-throughput profiling and genome mining to rationally develop a compact, synthetic microRNA target panel (miR-responsive auto-regulatory element, 'miRARE') to minimize the possibility of miniMECP2 transgene overexpression in the context of Rett syndrome gene therapy. The goal of miRARE is to have a built-in inhibitory element responsive to MECP2 overexpression. The data provided herein show that insertion of miRARE into the miniMECP2 gene expression cassette greatly improved the safety of miniMECP2 gene transfer without compromising efficacy. Importantly, this built-in regulation system does not require any additional exogenous drug application, and no miRNAs are expressed from the transgene cassette. Although broad applications of miRARE have yet to be determined, the design of miRARE suggests a potential use in gene therapy approaches for other dose-sensitive genes.
Political Differences in Air Pollution Abatement Under the Clean Air Act

In the US, federal statute delegates much of the authority to administer the Clean Air Act (CAA) to individual states. States are responsible primarily for the administration of the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which impose technological and other requirements on stationary emission sources located in areas in “nonattainment” with the standards. In this paper, we examine the differential state level implementation of the CAA’s abatement technology requirements across political regimes. We use a regression discontinuity design to estimate the effect of each state’s political leadership on the expenditures and types of new air pollution abatement technology at electric utilities. We find that the political affiliation of a state’s governor has no effect on either outcome in areas that meet the NAAQS. However, in nonattainment areas, Republican gubernatorial control decreases electric utilities’ new air pollution abatement capital expenditures and their probability of installing the most effective nitrogen oxide abatement technology, relative to electric utilities in states with a Democratic governor. In a supplementary multidimensional regression dis-continuity analysis of the legislative branch, we find that Republican majority control of the lower state house has qualitatively similar, but weaker differential impacts on air pollution abatement capital outcomes in nonattainment areas. These results are consistent with the structure of the regulatory environment, where the executive branch has direct control of the NAAQS implementation and enforcement process, but the legislative branch wields indirect influence. Finally, we present evidence that the additional costs of air pollution abatement technology adoption at electric utilities in nonattainment areas with a Democratic governor may exceed the additional health benefits of decreased NOx emissions in these areas, especially in the short term.
Comparative analyses of control charts in studying tool efficiency in semiconductor fabrication

Due to the complexities of various modules and the cost of machinery involved in semiconductor fabrication, it is vital to capture the efficiency of parts fabricated during the machines’ productive state and highlight whenever there is a performance issue. Depending on the threshold cascade size and underlying requirements for monitoring and quantifying the shift in mean, the performance of various control charts will be analyzed.
Backstepping Density Control for Large-Scale Heterogeneous Nonlinear Stochastic Systems.

This work studies the problem of controlling the probability density of large-scale stochastic systems, which has applications in various fields such as swarm robotics. Recently, there is a growing amount of literature that employs partial differential equations (PDEs) to model the density evolution and uses density feedback to design control laws which, by acting on individual systems, stabilize their density towards to a target profile. In spite of its stability property and computational efficiency, the success of density feedback relies on assuming the systems to be homogeneous first-order integrators (plus white noise) and ignores higher-order dynamics, making it less applicable in practice. In this work, we present a backstepping design algorithm that extends density control to heterogeneous and higher-order stochastic systems in strict-feedback forms. We show that the strict-feedback form in the individual level corresponds to, in the collective level, a PDE (of densities) distributedly driven by a collection of heterogeneous stochastic systems. The presented backstepping design then starts with a density feedback design for the PDE, followed by a sequence of stabilizing design for the remaining stochastic systems. We present a candidate control law with stability proof and apply it to nonholonomic mobile robots. A simulation is included to verify the effectiveness of the algorithm.
Spatial and temporal overlap between foraging shorebirds and spawning horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) in the Cape Romain-Santee Delta Region of the U.S. Atlantic coast

Shorebird use of horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) eggs as food items has been well documented along the Atlantic coast of the United States at northeastern stopover sites such as the Delaware Bay. However, the relationship between migratory shorebirds and horseshoe crab eggs has not been well studied in the South Atlantic Bight. The objective of our study was to assess the spatial and temporal overlap between the density of horseshoe crab eggs and the relative abundance of foraging shorebirds during spring migration in the Cape Romain-Santee Delta Region (CRSD), South Carolina, USA. The CRSD is a site of international importance for shorebirds that supports ∼100,000 shorebirds annually. We also sought to determine if horseshoe crab eggs were present in the diets of shorebirds at these sites. We monitored study plots between March and June 2015–2016 at predicted horseshoe crab spawning sites on beaches throughout Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge. We conducted weekly shorebird surveys and collected core samples of beach substrate twice per month to measure densities of horseshoe crab eggs. We found a positive correlation between number of foraging shorebirds and horseshoe crab eggs for both years. In a molecular analysis of shorebird fecal samples, 95% of the samples tested contained DNA from horseshoe crab eggs. The spatial and temporal overlap between shorebirds and horseshoe crab eggs, and the dietary analysis of fecal samples, suggest that there are areas of localized horseshoe crab spawning that shorebirds can utilize as a food source during spring in Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge.
Tumor-induced Sensitivity to Apoptosis in T Cells from Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma: Role of Nuclear Factor-κB Suppression

Antitumor immunity fails to adequately develop in many cancer patients, including those with renal cell carcinoma (RCC). A number of different mechanisms have been proposed to explain the immune dysfunction observed in cancer patient T cells. Here we show that T cells from RCC patients display increased sensitivity to apoptosis. Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) display the most profound sensitivity, because 10-15% of those cells are apoptotic when assessed by terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated nick end labeling in situ, and the number of apoptotic TILs further increases after 24 h of culture. Peripheral blood T cells from RCC patients are not directly apoptotic, although T lymphocytes derived from 40% of those individuals undergo activation-induced cell death (AICD) upon in vitro stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate and ionomycin. This is in contrast to T cells from normal individuals, which are resistant to AICD. TILs and peripheral blood T cells from RCC patients also exhibit impaired activation of the transcription factor, nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB. Additional findings presented here indicate that the heightened sensitivity of patient T cells to apoptosis may be tumor induced, because supernatants from RCC explants sensitize, and in some instances directly induce, normal T cells to apoptosis. These same supernatants also inhibit NF-kappaB activation. RCC-derived gangliosides may represent one soluble tumor product capable of sensitizing T cells to apoptosis. Pretreatment with neuraminidase, but not proteinase K, abrogated the suppressive effects of tumor supernatants on both NF-kappaB activation and apoptosis. Additionally, gangliosides isolated from tumor supernatants not only inhibited NF-kappaB activation but also sensitized T cells to AICD. These findings demonstrate that tumor-derived soluble products, including gangliosides, may contribute to the immune dysfunction of T cells by altering their sensitivity to apoptosis.
State and Party Rules and Voter Turnout in Presidential Nomination Contests

One of the goals of the McGovern-Fraser Commission was to increase the participation of ordinary citizens in selecting the presidential nominee. Despite this lofty goal and the decades of reform that have followed, turnout in presidential primaries and caucuses is quite low and varies dramatically across states and year. This variation is attributable, in part, to electoral rules, which vary across states, years, and parties. In this paper, I provide a comprehensive examination of the extent to which party and state rules, such as the contest date, the competitiveness of the race, the delegate allocation rule, the openness of the contest, and whether a state holds a primary or a caucus, affect voter turnout in nomination contests from 1980-2008. Using the normal partisan support score as the voter turnout denominator, I find that primaries, open contests, competitive contests, and proportional representation rules result in higher levels of turnout. Overall, my analysis provides insight into the institutional structures that inﬂuence the number of people who participate in the presidential nomination process and suggests that the party reforms have not been as successful as widely believed in achieving meaningful participation for the mass public.
Tempering Extremism: A Longitudinal Analysis of Polarizing Language Surrounding November 2012

In a two-party system, the median voter model explains how individuals seeking election maximize their potential vote share by presenting themselves to the electorate as moderates. It does not explain, though, why we have observed a rightward shift in the American median voter over the past couple of decades. There are a number of possible reasons for this shift, and we add to this list by tapping the median voter model. We predict that during lulls in the election cycle, politicians are more extreme in their behavior meaning that when elections come around and officials exhibit more moderate behavior, the median voter has already shifted. To test whether politicians’ behavior between elections is more extreme than their behavior during campaigns, we use data from their social media activity. We analyze nearly 290,000 Twitter postings by 522 politicians’ accounts from November 2011 to July 2013 using automated classifiers to identify their polarizing behaviors and compare their behaviors longitudinally. This paper largely confirms our expectations. There is evidence of extreme behavior decreasing from November 2011 to November 2012 and increasing afterwards. We also see that Republicans are more extreme in their rhetoric than Democrats, offering an explanation for why the median voter shifts right and not left.
Heparin cofactor II and thrombin Heparin-binding proteins linking hemostasis and inflammation.

α-Thrombin is a trypsinlike serine proteinase involved in blood coagulation and wound-healing processes, which interacts with many different macromolecular substances. Heparin cofactor II is a serpin (serine proteinase inhibitor) superfamily member that specifically inhibits thrombin but no other proteinase in blood coagulation. Both heparin cofactor II and thrombin interact with highly negatively charged glycosaminoglycans like heparin and dermatan sulfate, and they both are leukocyte chemoattractants. The focus of this brief review is structure-function characteristics of heparin cofactor II and thrombin and their physiologic participation in uniting hemostatic and inflammatory processes.
Effects of Roasting Pretreatment in Intense Magnetic Field on Digestion Performance of Diasporic Bauxite

This paper investigates the changes of phase and apparent morphology under the combined effects of an intense magnetic field and temperature field and the effect law of different roasting conditions on the digestion performance of roasted diaspore. The results indicated that roasting pretreatment under high magnetic fields can change the microstructure and improve the digestion properties of bauxite. The reasonable roasting conditions with intense magnetic field are as follows; the roasting temperature is 550°C, roasting time is 60min and the magnetic field intensity is 6T. The digestion rate of alumina of the roasted ore is 84.17% and the digesting liquid ratio is 1.39 while the digesting temperature is 190°C with the digestion time of 60mins. The digestion rate of alumina of the roasted ore increases to higher 52.85% than that of the raw ore, but the digesting liquid ratio is decreased to lower than 0.99 of the raw ore under the above roasting conditions. The digestion temperature of roasted ore decreases by 30°C compared to the raw ore.
Cloud service recommendation and selection for enterprises

The standardization of cloud services makes it possible to have one cloud service management platform for customers to take advantage of their subscriptions from various cloud providers. One immediate benefit lies in the way that enterprise customers may have plenty of choices of available providers, when seeking cloud services to fulfill their criteria, such as price or Service Level Agreement (SLA). However, how to select appropriate cloud offerings in terms of business requirements and company policies becomes challenging and non-trivial, especially when a composition of multiple services are to be chosen for achieving business goals. In this paper, a systematic framework on top of a hybrid cloud management platform is proposed for enterprises to automatically recommend and select cloud services according to business requirements, company policies and standards, and the specifications of cloud offerings.
Climate change intensification of horizontal water vapor transport in CMIP5

Global warming of the Earth's atmosphere is hypothesized to lead to an intensification of the global water cycle. To determine associated hydrological changes, most previous research has used precipitation. This study, however, investigates projected changes to global atmospheric water vapor transport (integrated vapor transport (IVT)), the key link between water source and sink regions. Using 22 global circulation models from the Climate Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5, we evaluate, globally, the mean, standard deviation, and the 95th percentiles of IVT from the historical simulations (1979–2005) and two emissions scenarios (2073–2099). Considering the more extreme emissions, multimodel mean IVT increases by 30–40% in the North Pacific and North Atlantic storm tracks and in the equatorial Pacific Ocean trade winds. An acceleration of the high-latitude IVT is also shown. Analysis of low-altitude moisture and winds suggests that these changes are mainly due to higher atmospheric water vapor content.
Use of oversampled Sigma - Delta modulator for analogue adaptive FIR filters based on LMS algorithm

An adaptive FIR filter configuration which uses a Sigma - Delta modulator as a front end is proposed for implementing the LMS algorithm in analogue form. The oversampled Sigma - Delta modulator converts the filter input into a binary sequence, which can be readily delayed and multiplied with a shift register and on/off switching. Computer simulations show very good performance for such a hardware efficient configuration. >
Statins in the Treatment of Dyslipidemia in the Presence of Elevated Liver Aminotransferase Levels: A Therapeutic Dilemma

The beneficial role of statins in primary and secondary prevention of coronary heart disease has resulted in their frequent use in clinical practice. However, safety concerns, especially regarding hepatotoxicity, have driven multiple trials, which have demonstrated the low incidence of statin-related hepatic adverse effects. The most commonly reported hepatic adverse effect is the phenomenon known as transaminitis, in which liver enzyme levels are elevated in the absence of proven hepatotoxicity. This class effect is usually asymptomatic, reversible, and dose-related. However, the increasing incidence of chronic liver diseases, including nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis C, has created a new challenge when initiating statin treatment in patients with high cardiovascular risk. These diseases result in abnormally high liver biochemistry values, discouraging statin use by clinicians, fostering treatment discontinuation, and leaving a large number of at-risk patients untreated. A PubMed/MEDLINE search of the literature regarding statin safety (January 1, 1994-December 31, 2008) was performed, using the following search terms: statin safety, statin-related hepatotoxicity, and chronic liver disease and statin use, as well as the specific names of different statins and different liver diseases. Relevant clinical trials, review articles, panel discussions, and guideline recommendations were selected. This review supports the use of statin treatment in patients with high cardiovascular risk whose elevated aminotransferase levels have no clinical relevance or are attributable to known stable chronic liver conditions. For each patient, the decision should be based on an individual assessment of risks and benefits.
The electrochemical behaviour of zircaloy-4 electrodes in acid iodide solution

Abstract Potentiostatic as well as potentiodynamic measurements have been made in order to elucidate the role played by iodide ion in the electroformation and growth of a ZrO 2 film at Zircaloy-4 electrodes. The results show that at potential values close to the corrosion potential, iodide can be adsorbed at the oxide covered electrode with further formation of zirconium-iodide species. As a consequence of this process a partial inhibition in oxide growth is produced. A dissolution-precipitation mechanism which is consistent with the experimental potentiodynamic parameters is proposed for the overall process in which iodide is involved.
Investigating the impact metamaterials have on breakdown delay in plasma formation in high power microwave experiments

The efficacy of protecting electronics from high power microwaves (HPM) through plasma creation depends on how quickly the plasma forms in the protective gas chamber when illuminated with microwave radiation. A cylindrical chamber with polycarbonate windows was filled with a neon, krypton gas mixture and illuminated with a train of ∼25kW, 800ns long pulses at 43Hz repetition rate as a simulation of the HPM attack scenario. In order to facilitate the formation of a plasma, a set of metamaterial, stainless steel masks for the incident polycarbonate window were created to increase the effective electric field. In addition to the masks, we investigated the effect chamber pressure had on the breakdown delay.
Processing of poly(o-toluidine) into fibers and their properties

Abstract Poly(o-toluidine), POT, with an inherent viscosity of 0.45 does not gel in N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP) at a fiber spinnable concentration, e.g., 33 W.%. The behavior is quite different from that of parent polyaniline which gels readily even at a much lower concentration. Besides NMP, 100.2 W.% H 2 SO 4 and m-cresol are used for preparation of spinning solutions. Air-gap spinning is employed to prepare fibers. The m-cresol solution of a POT/camphor sulfonic acid salt produces fibers having a much higher conductivity even without post-spinning doping with a protonic acid. Mechanical and electrical properties and structural characteristics of the POT fibers made from the three solutions are compared.
Differential stability of cytoplasmic RNA in a Drosophila cell line.

Abstract RNA lifetimes have been investigated in a Drosophila cell line in which RNA can be labeled to high specific activity. Because it is possible to obtain an effective pulse chase in this cell line, the decay of the RNA components was measured directly. After graphical resolution of the complex lifetime curve (but no other mathematical corrections), three lifetime classes of poly(A)+ cytoplasmic RNA have been determined: a short component with a half-life of approximately 1 hr, an intermediate component with a half-life of 6–7 hr, and a 14S component with the same stability as ribosomal RNA. The modal sedimentation distribution of the poly(A)+ RNA decreases from 19S to 14S during the chase, similar to that described for a mosquito cell line ( Spradling, A., Hui, H. , and Penman, S. (1975). Cell 4, 131–137). The stable 14S species is probably a transcript of mitochondrial DNA (Spradling, Lenk, and Penman, in preparation). The stability of 4S and 5S RNA has also been examined: rRNA decays with a half-life of 53 hr, whereas 5S RNA has the same stability as rRNA.
On radioactive labeling of proliferating cells: the graph of labeled mitosis.

Abstract The interpretation of the results of radioactive labeling during the state of DNA synthesis is discussed in terms of the model of proliferating cells in which the time spent in each state is determined stochastically. Using renewal equations for the labeled and unlabeled populations, the birth rate of labeled cells, the labeling index, and various aspects of limiting forms of the labeling index are discussed. It is shown that the index can be very well represented by its asymptotic value plus the product of a cosine function (with a period slightly less than the doubling time) and a decaying exponential for times long after labeling. Modifications due to cell death and differentiation are considered. It is shown that some of the results obtained are rather insensitive to a uniform death rate or differentiation. This is in contrast to the behavior of the fractions-in-state which are found to depend strongly on the multiplication rate at the end of the cycle. It is found that the asymptotic labeling index is given by the fraction of time in S rather than the log-phase fraction in S as one might expect. This makes a significant difference if the state labeled has a transit time short compared to the cycle time and occurs at one end of the cycle.
In situ aerosol profiles over the Southern Great Plains cloud and radiation test bed site: 2. Effects of mixing height on aerosol properties

[1] The goal of this study was to determine under what meteorological conditions, if any, measurements of aerosol properties made at the Earth's surface are representative of aerosol properties measured within the column of air above the surface. Specifically, this study uses instrumentation from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program's Southern Great Plains (SGP) site to determine how the observed mixing height (MH) and the degree of mixing affects the vertical variation of aerosol extensive and intensive properties. The MH was estimated by applying the Heffter [1980] technique with a critical lapse rate of 0.001 K m−1 to the available radiosonde data. This estimate was then used to determine whether each vertical aerosol profile flight leg from 59 flights was within or above the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL). Although the aerosol extensive properties, such as light absorption by particles σap, light scattering by particles σsp, and total extinction by particles σext measured within the ABL were highly correlated with the surface measurements (R2 = 0.74, 0.88, and 0.88, respectively), the airborne measurements of σap were systematically lower (slope = 0.77). By contrast, the σsp and σext regression line slopes were 0.99 and 1.00. The aerosol extensive properties measured above the ABL were poorly correlated with surface values and were almost an order of magnitude lower than the simultaneous measurements made within the ABL. Aerosol intensive properties such as the single-scattering albedo ϖo, the hemispheric backscatter fraction b, and the Angstrom exponent a exhibited a similar behavior (R2 = 0.74, 0.61, and 0.55, respectively) but had regression line slopes within the ABL of 0.88, 0.75, and 0.62, respectively. There were no statistically significant correlations between the intensive aerosol properties measured above the ABL and those measured at the surface. Limiting the analysis to well-mixed days with near-neutral static stability did not significantly improve the results. Thus the hypothesis that the best agreement between surface measurements and those within the ABL will occur when the atmosphere is well mixed was not supported by this data set.
New Technologies and Approaches to Endoscopic Control of Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Endoscopic treatment of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is considered the first line of therapy. Although standard techniques, such as epinephrine injection, through-the-scope hemoclips, bipolar coagulation, argon plasma coagulation, and band ligation are routinely used, some GI bleeds are refractory to these therapies. Newer technologies have emerged to assist with the treatment of GI bleeding. This article highlights endoscopic and endoscopic ultrasound-guided therapies that may be used by experienced endoscopists for the primary control of GI bleeding or for cases refractory to standard hemostatic techniques.
Multifractals in Elastic Tube Vibrations Due to Internal Flow

Abstract A cantilevered tube with internal flow loses stability through a mechanism known as flutter. In this paper we investigate a fluttering tube subject to a periodic external forcing. This system is characterized by two frequencies: the flutter frequency and the forcing frequency. For low amplitude forcing, the dynamics evolve on a 2-torus and can exhibit quasiperiodicity or mode locking. For stronger forcing, the dynamics can bifurcate to chaotic motion through the quasiperiodic route. At this bifurcation, we investigate the structure of the Poincare map generated by sampling on the forcing frequency. After unwinding the attractor, we characterize the distribution of points using the theory of multifractals. Comparisons are made to the results of the standard sine circle map and the binomial iterations. Distributions were obtained which correlate well with the subcritical circle map or with the binomial distribution depending on the system configuration.
The ATLAS heavy ion program: status prior to the first LHC Pb+Pb run

Abstract The LHC will begin colliding lead nuclei at a nucleon-nucleon center of mass energy of 2.76 TeV in November, 2010. The luminosity during this first LHC heavy ion run is expected to be roughly one hundredth of the Pb+Pb “design” luminosity. The ATLAS experiment is prepared to carry out measurements during this first Pb+Pb run of bulk observables such as charged particle multiplicity, charged particle spectra and elliptic flow and to make first measurements of jet spectra and jet fragment spectra. The prospects for these measurements are briefly described.
A practical approach to reconciling availability, performance, and capacity in provisioning extreme-scale storage systems

The increasing data demands from high-performance computing applications significantly accelerate the capacity, capability and reliability requirements of storage systems. As systems scale, component failures and repair times increase, significantly impacting data availability. A wide array of decision points must be balanced in designing such systems. We propose a systematic approach that balances and optimizes both initial and continuous spare provisioning based on a detailed investigation of the anatomy and field failure data analysis of extreme-scale storage systems. We consider the component failure characteristics and its cost and impact at the system level simultaneously. We build a tool to evaluate different provisioning schemes, and the results demonstrate that our optimized provisioning can reduce the duration of data unavailability by as much as 52% under a fixed budget. We also observe that non-disk components have much higher failure rates than disks, and warrant careful considerations in the overall provisioning process.
The hemodynamic, tissue oxygenation, and selected biochemical effects of isoflurane and halothane anesthesia in horses

Summary Eight healthy horses (337 to 643 kgs) were used to determine the effects of halothane and isoflurane (1.5 MAC) on cardiovascular and blood gas parameters over a 4 hour perio d, while in left lateral recumbency. Each animal was used twice (2 weeks apart) and the order in which the agents were used was randomized. End tidal CO2 was maintained at 45-55 mmHg using positive pressure ventilation. The following parameters were measured every 30 minutes; HR, ET CO2, ET anes. gas cone., SAP, CVP, PAP, and CO. Heparinized samples were also drawn for blood gas analysis from the right lateral metatarsal artery, right jugular vein, and the femoral veins in each rear limb. The 02 delivered to the tissues (TOD) was calculated using the following equation: {ie396-1} It was determined that more 02 was delivered to the tissues during isoflurane anesthesia (382m102/min/m2 + 21 SEM) than halothane anesthesia (280m102min/m2 + 11 SEM). Furthermore the 02 extraction ratio (OER) in the dependent limb was significantly higher during halothane anesthesia. The differences seen in the OER's are due to both anesthetic and positional effects. Serum biochemical changes also suggest differences in tissue damage related to differences in TOD and OER.
Enzyme modification of starch granules: in situ reaction of glucoamylase to give complete retention of d-glucose inside the granule

Abstract Starch granules have been modified in situ by using a reaction system in which glucoamylase reacts inside starch granules to give conversions of 10–50% d -glucose inside the granule. Waxy maize, maize, and amylomaize-7 starches were converted to the extent of 18.4, 15.0, and 9.4%, respectively, after reaction for 24 h and to 51.0, 33.8, and 24.4%, respectively, after reaction for 288 h. The reaction conditions, of solid granules with a relatively low amount of water and glucoamylase inside the granule, gave 100% retention of d -glucose inside the granule. The amount of d -glucose obtained inside the granule depends on the length of time of the reaction and the type of starch. The action of glucoamylase inside the granule can be terminated by heating at 110−120° C for 20 min. By stopping the reaction at selected periods of time, starch granules were obtained that contained 10–50% (w/w) d -glucose inside the granules.
Mechanism for coordination between the collector and the dismantler in a reverse supply chain

The growing desire of consumers to acquire the latest technology (both at home and in the workplace), along with the rapid technological development of new products, has led to a new environmental problem: waste. The only way to tackle this problem is design and implementation of reverse supply chains. Implementation of an efficient reverse supply chain requires coordination among a number of parties, such as the collector, the dismantler, the shredder, and the recycler. In this paper, we identify four different scenarios of homogeneous and heterogeneous products, and formulate some potential interactions between the collector and the dismantler, for each of those scenarios.
Rheumatoid arthritis and coronary arteritis.

Abstract Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with a variety of cardiac manifestations, particularly pericarditis, myocarditis and granulomas. Coronary arteritis has been detected in up to 20% of necropsy patients with rheumatoid arthritis, but involvement is usually confined to small arteries. 1 Rheumatoid-associated coronary arteritis rarely causes clinically evident myocardial infarction. We describe findings in a patient with rapidly progressive rheumatoid arthritis who had acute myocardial infarction from severe, generalized rheumatoid-associated coronary arteritis.
Cancer Rehabilitation: Challenges, Approaches, and New Directions

Impairments and disability in cancer patients can be caused by the disease process or by its treatment, including the effects of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. The prevalence of all cancers, with an estimated 1.4 million new cases in 2006, the development of new treatment options, and improved outcomes have created a constantly growing population of cancer survivors whose function and quality of life have been affected by their diagnoses. This article reviews the theoretical framework, clinical interventions, and research initiatives pertinent to providing rehabilitation services for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer.
Alcohol and drug education programs.

The design and implementation of alcohol and drug education efforts and programs are discussed by presenting necessary concepts for effective programming. Philosophy and policy statements, which form the support basis for educational efforts, are outlined. Specific prevention goals and the interpretation of these goals into program content and methodology are presented. Significant aspects of program evaluation and the need for improved approaches and further research in this area conclude the focus on alcohol and drug education programs.
Real-time visualization of dynamic holographic interferometric images using photorefractive crystals

Holographic interferometry of vibrating specimens using two-wave mixing in photorefractive Bi12SiO20 (BSO) crystals is achieved in reaJ-time. Real-time acquisition (30 frames per second) of holographic interferograms from vibrating objects is performed using repetitive sequences of separate record and readout times synchronized with the ccd acquisition rate. In this two-wave mixing experiment, the reference beam is collinear with the optical imaging system (the object beam) and an external AC electric field is applied onto the BSO crystal. This configuration improves the diffraction efficiency and keeps the time response to a minimum, compared to configurations where the reference and object beam interfere with a large writing-beam angle, 0. The performance of the photorefractive holographic interferometer using onaxis reference beam (0=0°) and off-axis reference beam (0=30°) are compared. Example of real-time acquisition with good fringe contrast is demonstrated.
Impact of Concurrent Diagnostic Level CT With PET/CT on the Utilization of Stand-Alone CT and MRI in the Management of Head and Neck Cancer Patients

Purpose of the ReportThis study aims to determine if the expansion of a PET/CT service to include simultaneous contrast-enhanced CT with PET (PET/DCT) leads to a reduction of supplemental diagnostic CT (sCT) performed within a 6-month period centered around PET/CT for initial treatment planning of p
The Dataverse Network Project: A New Architecture for Data Citation and Data-Sharing

This article describes the development of the Dataverse Network project, which is a set of technological developments that aim to provide authors, journal editors, and others the tools to adopt and effectively implement emergent norms of data sharing and citation. As the replication standard spreads across social scientific and scientific disciplines, the need for ways in which to manage it has become paramount. The article, largely based on documents and previously published descriptions of the Dataverse Network project, demonstrates how the technology responds to the challenges that are posed by the proliferation of electronic data, and how it modifies the incentive structures for users to adopt common usage and citation standards.
Focal Mechanism Determination from S Wave Observations of Different Qualit

A least squares method is derived for the focal mechanism determination from S wave observations (polarization angles) of different quality. Some considerations are made on how to determine a weight appropriate to each observation.As one of numerical examples, a least squares solution is obtained for the Southeast Nevada earthquake of August 16, 1966, that occurred near the Nevada Test Site. This S wave solution represented by a pure strike-slip motion satisfies well the observed initial motions of P waves, and the tension axis trends to S 34°E (±4°) nearly on the horizontal plane.
Clinical Significance in Dementia Research A Review of the Literature

Clinical research traditionally relies on measures of statistical significance to assess the strength of evidence while less attention is paid to the practical import of the results. The objective of this study was to provide a critical overview of the current approaches to measuring clinical significance in dementia research and to provide suggestions for future research. A systematic search was conducted of Medline and Embase for original, English-language, peer-reviewed articles published before July 2012. A total of 18 articles met the inclusion criteria, of which 13 used multiple approaches to measure clinical significance. In all, 5 articles used expert opinion as anchors; 4 also used distribution-based approaches. In all, 8 articles used Goal Attainment Scaling; 7 of these also relied on clinician-based impressions of change. Another 3 articles used only clinical global impressions of change, 1 article used changes in symptomatology, and another used the value from literature.
Superconducting Combined Function Magnets

Superconducting accelerators and storage rings, presently under construction or in the design phase, are based on separate dipole and quadrupole magnets. It is here suggested that a hybrid lattice configuration consisting of dipoles and combined function gradient magnets would (1) reduce the number of magnet units and their total cost and (2) increase the filling factor and thus the energy at a given field. Coil cross sections are presented for the example of the Brookhaven Colliding Beam Accelerator. An asymmetric two-layer cable gradient magnet would have transfer functions of 10.42 G/A and 0.628 G cm-1/A versus 15.77 G/A and 2.03 G cm-1/A of the present separate dipoles and quadrupoles.
The EHD-driven fluid flow and deformation of a liquid jet by a transverse electric field

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of a uniform transverse electric field on the steady-state behavior of a liquid cylinder surrounded by another liquid of infinite extent. The governing electrohydrodynamic equations are solved for Newtonian and immiscible fluids in the framework of leaky-dielectric theory and in the limit of small electric field and fluid inertia. A detailed analysis of the electrical and hydrodynamic stresses acting on the interface separating the two fluids is presented, and an expression is found for the interface deformation for small distortions from a circular shape. The electrical stresses acting on the interface of two leaky-dielectric liquids are compared with those acting on an interface separating a perfect dielectric or infinitely conducting core fluid cylinder from a surrounding perfect dielectric fluid. A comparison is made between the results of this study and those of a similar study for fluids with permeable interfaces and the classical results for liquid drops.
Application of sampling criterion on numerical diffraction from bacterial colonies

Numerical diffraction from a bacterial colony was investigated from the viewpoint of applying the sampling criterion for both spatial and frequency domains. Once the morphology information of a bacterial colony was given, the maximum diffraction angle was estimated to reveal the minimum and maximum length of both the imaging and aperture domains. Scalar diffraction modeling was applied to estimate the diffraction pattern, which provided that two phase functions were contributing to the phase modulation: chirp and Gaussian phase functions. Optimal sampling intervals for both phase functions were investigated, and the effect of violating these conditions was demonstrated. Finally, the Fresnel approximation was compared to the angular spectrum method for accuracy and applicability, which then revealed that the Fresnel approximation was valid for both large imaging distances and longer wavelengths.
LQG-obstacles: Feedback control with collision avoidance for mobile robots with motion and sensing uncertainty

This paper presents LQG-Obstacles, a new concept that combines linear-quadratic feedback control of mobile robots with guaranteed avoidance of collisions with obstacles. Our approach generalizes the concept of Velocity Obstacles [3] to any robotic system with a linear Gaussian dynamics model. We integrate a Kalman filter for state estimation and an LQR feedback controller into a closed-loop dynamics model of which a higher-level control objective is the “control input”. We then define the LQG-Obstacle as the set of control objectives that result in a collision with high probability. Selecting a control objective outside the LQG-Obstacle then produces collision-free motion. We demonstrate the potential of LQG-Obstacles by safely and smoothly navigating a simulated quadrotor helicopter with complex non-linear dynamics and motion and sensing uncertainty through three-dimensional environments with obstacles and narrow passages.
Longstanding hydrocele in adult Black Africans: Is preoperative scrotal ultrasound justified?

Background: Longstanding hydrocele is very common among adult Black Africans. Preoperative scrotal ultrasound is widely used for adult patients presenting with hydrocele, with the main aim to rule out more serious underlying pathologies like malignancy or testicular torsion. This paper analyzes the findings and the necessity of automatic ordering of scrotal ultrasound in cases of longstanding hydrocele in adult Black Africans. Materials and Methods: 102 consecutive patients with longstanding scrotal hydrocele were investigated clinically and all patients also had routine preoperative scrotal ultrasound. Results: Overall, none of our patients had any serious underlying pathology associated with their hydrocele. 97% of the patients had simple hydrocele on ultrasound. Hydrocele is more common on the right ( P =0.04) and is more bilateral in elderly patients ( P =0.0002). Conclusions: Routine preoperative scrotal ultrasound does not seem to be justified in longstanding hydroceles. This is especially important considering the fact that most hydroceles are benign in origin and nature. Key words: Adult hydrocele, Black Africans, health care cost, testicular pathology, ultrasonography
Cancer cachexia therapy: a key weapon in the fight against cancer.

Purpose of review Cachexia affects millions of cancer patients around the world. Though its causes are poorly understood, its devastating impact on the patient and their loved ones underscore the urgency of this unmet medical need. Recent research efforts suggest multiple body systems are dysregulated in cachexia, not only increasing the challenge in effectively treating the disease but also expanding the opportunities for intervention. Recent findings Agents as diverse as anti-inflammatory monoclonal antibodies and novel anabolic small molecules are under clinical evaluation for their ability to prevent and treat wasting. The therapies evaluated to date range in their ability to improve appetite, mitigate weight loss and reverse undesirable changes in body composition and physical function. Summary An increased understanding of cancer cachexia, both mechanistically and its impact on cancer patients' struggle with their disease, has resulted in diverse therapeutic concepts. Recent clinical efforts demonstrate progress with novel therapies but fall short of effectively treating most cachectic patients and highlight a clear need for further research. Given the inherent heterogeneity of cancer patients and the significant impact of muscle wasting on morbidity and mortality, continued research efforts are critical in developing effective therapies to prevent and treat cancer cachexia.
(-)-Nornicotine partially substitutes for (+)-amphetamine in a drug discrimination paradigm in rats.

Abstract Rats were trained in a two-lever food-reinforced operant task to discriminate (+)-amphetamine (1 mg/kg) from saline. After discrimination training stabilized, test doses of (+)-amphetamine (0.0625–2.0 mg/kg), (−)-nicotine (0.1–1.0 mg/kg), or (−)-nornicotine (1–10 mg/kg) were assessed for their ability to substitute for the (+)-amphetamine training dose during brief test sessions in which food reinforcement was withheld. As expected, as the test dose of (+)-amphetamine increased, there was a dose-related increase in drug-appropriate responding, with both 1 and 2 mg/kg test doses substituting fully for the (+)-amphetamine training dose. Both (−)-nicotine and (−)-nornicotine showed partial substitution (approximately 50% drug-appropriate responding) for the (+)-amphetamine training dose, with (−)-nicotine being more potent than (−)-nornicotine. Rate suppressant effects prevented the assessment of higher doses of (−)-nicotine or (−)-nornicotine. Thus, while (−)-nicotine and (−)-nornicotine share similar discriminative stimulus properties, the mechanism that mediates this effect appears to differ, at least in part, from that activated by (+)-amphetamine.
A comparative study of the histopathology of the large intestine of conventionally reared, specific pathogen free and gnotobiotic pigs infected with Trichuris suis.

Abstract The sequential development of the lesions of T. suis infection in conventionally reared (CR), specific pathogen frec (SPF) and gnotobiotic (GN) piglets was studied histologically. In all three groups there was elongation of crypts, excessive mucus production, desquamation of epithelial cells and acute inflammation of the mucosa. In SPF and GN pigs the inflammatory cells were predominantly eosinophils but in CR pigs the predominant cells were neutrophils. The lesions in the CR pigs were much more severe than in the two other