cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Topological Constructs for Automatic Reconfiguration of Polymorphic Control Systems

The emergence of distributed technologies as a reliable infrastructure for real-time control is enabling a new generation of distributed plug-and-play control architectures and methodologies; increasingly common are control system formulations configured across traditional system boundaries that utilize distributed remote sensing, processing, and actuation. The formalization of topological control constructs that permit autonomous reconfiguration in an unrestrained topology over distributed system architectures to enhance the level of resilience and adaptation demonstrated by composite systems has the promise of providing controllers that demonstrate increased resilience to failure and uncertainty, and increased performance by better utilization of available resources. This formalization enables the realization of control structures that give rise to polymorphic control systems: such systems can fundamentally restructure in a timely manner to optimize control system topologies that share resources across multiple heterogeneous systems with disparate individual system goals to take advantage of temporal topological possibilities, restructuring accordingly as the composite systems evolve over time and the availability of resources change. Autonomous reconfiguration would increase system resilience to component-failure, enable systems to exploit temporary configuration possibilities to decrease objective costs, and provide adaptability under the face of uncertainty. This paper introduces a topological formulation to model the domain of distributed plug-and-play control systems and demonstrates its application to an autonomous multi-vehicle control problem.
Reflections on the Mutual Impact of Violence and Religious Change in Latin America

The mutual impact of violence and religious transformation in the recent experience of Latin America has reshaped the public presence of churches (both Catholic and Protestant) and altered their discourse and appeal. Many churches turned to promotion of human rights, protection of victims, and opposition to authoritarian rule. Others allied with repressive regimes in the name of a kind of Christian nationalism. The violence at issue ranges from the massive violence of repression, torture, and revolutionary struggle to the institutionalized violence of poverty, disease, and injustice, which is often accompanied by the violence of daily life and linked with migration, drugs, gangs, and domestic abuse. Religion itself has changed: the Catholic monopoly has been replaced by pluralism, as Protestant and Pentecostal churches reach new populations and offer potential converts a way of opting out of the violence of daily life through rebirth in a new religious community.
Videostimulation as enrichment for captive rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta)

Abstract Visual stimulation may be an ideal, though often underutilized, means by which to enrich the environment of captive monkeys. Here, we compared the reactions of both socially and individually housed rhesus monkeys to 2 types of videostimulation—videotapes and a video game. We determined whether the monkeys used the devices, exhibited other changes in their behavioral repertoire and showed signs of habituation. Nine monkeys were exposed to 5 experimental phases in the following order: no monitor, blank monitor, videotape, blank monitor and video game. In the videotape phase, each of 4 h-long tapes was shown for 5 days, totalling 20 days of exposure. In the video game phase, monkeys had access to this device for 13 days. Data were collected during 1 h test sessions using a scan-all, point sampling method in which the behavior and cage location of each subject within a group was recorded every 15 s. Our measures of usage clearly indicated that monkeys both watched selected videotapes and manipulated the video game joystick. However, monkeys spent substantially more time watching videotapes than manipulating the joystick, and females showed more interest in these devices than males. Exposure to these devices also affected other behaviors. Both socially and individually housed monkeys became more active. The social subjects displayed lower levels of passive social contact and higher levels of locomotion during device presentation. Individually housed monkeys slept less. There was little evidence of habituation to either device in females. Males, however, displayed some habituation to videotapes but not to the video game. These results suggest that videostimulation in the form of videotapes and/or video games may be successful forms of enrichment for captive rhesus monkeys.
Arterial spin labeling fMRI measurements of decreased blood flow in primary visual cortex correlates with decreased visual function in human glaucoma.

Purpose Altered metabolic activity has been identified as a potential contributing factor to the neurodegeneration associated with primary open angle glaucoma (POAG). Consequently, we sought to determine whether there is a relationship between the loss of visual function in human glaucoma and resting blood perfusion within primary visual cortex (V1).
Implications of All-or-None Synaptic Transmission and Short-Term Depression beyond Vesicle Depletion: A Computational Study

The all-or-none character of transmission at central synapses is commonly viewed as evidence that only one vesicle can be released per action potential at a single release site. This interpretation is still a matter of debate; its resolution is important for our understanding of the nature of quantal response. In this work we explore observable consequences of the univesicular release hypothesis by studying a stochastic model of synaptic transmission. We investigated several alternative mechanisms for the all-or-none response: (1) the univesicular release constraint realized through lateral inhibition across presynaptic membrane, (2) the constraint of a single releasable vesicle per active zone, and (3) the postsynaptic receptor saturation. We show that both the univesicular release constraint and the postsynaptic receptor saturation lead to a limited amount of depression by vesicle depletion, so that depletion alone cannot account for the strong paired-pulse depression observed at some cortical synapses. Although depression can be rapid if there is only one releasable vesicle per active zone, this scenario leads to a limit on the transmission probability. We evaluate additional mechanisms beyond vesicle depletion, and our results suggest that the strong paired-pulse depression may be a result of activity-dependent inactivation of the exocytosis machinery. Furthermore, we found that the statistical analysis of release events, in response to a long stimulus train, might allow one to distinguish experimentally between univesicular and multivesicular release scenarios. We show that without the univesicular release constraint, the temporal correlation between release events is always negative, whereas it is typically positive with such a constraint if the vesicle fusion probability is sufficiently large.
Image field theory of enhanced Raman scattering by molecules adsorbed on metal surfaces: Detailed comparison with experimental results

An image field theory of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy is used to study the dependence of Raman intensities on light frequency, nature of the adsorbate and metal, electrode potential, scattering angle and light polarization. Although the image field enhancement (IFE) theory is at best a crude approximation to the true enhancement mechanism, we do find quite reasonable agreement between the IFE predictions and most existing experimental results.
Coupled gating of skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors is modulated by Ca2+, Mg2+, and ATP

Coupled gating (synchronous openings and closures) of groups of skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors (RyR1), which mimics RyR1-mediated Ca2+ release underlying Ca2+ sparks, was first described by Ma...
Time Resolved Optical Studies of InGaN Layers Grown on LGO

Radiative recombination processes in bulk InGaN grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on lithium gallate (LGO or LiGaO2) substrates were investigated using microscopic PL and time-resolved photoluminescence (TRPL). The improved structural quality resulting from a better lattice match of the LGO substrate to III-V nitride materials simplifies these investigations because well-defined composition phases can be analyzed for both homogeneous and phased separated InGaN samples. Epilayers of InGaN intentionally grown with and without indium segregation were studied. X-ray diffraction measurements showed that the homogeneous epilayer was high quality In0.208Ga0.702N and the segregated epilayer exhibited peaks corresponding to both In0.289Ga0.711 Na nd In 0.443Ga0.557N indicating the presence of higher In concentration regions in this sample. Spatially resolved photoluminescence spectra confirm the existence of these regions. The photoluminescence intensity decay is non-exponential for both samples and a stretched exponential fit to the decay data confirms the existence of local potential fluctuations in which carriers are localized before recombination.
Childhood maltreatment and methylation of FK506 binding protein 5 gene (FKBP5)

A growing body of evidence suggests that alterations of the stress response system may be a mechanism by which childhood maltreatment alters risk for psychopathology. FK506 binding protein 51 (FKBP5) binds to the glucocorticoid receptor and alters its ability to respond to stress signaling. The aim of the present study was to examine methylation of the FKBP5 gene (FKBP5), and the role of an FKBP5 genetic variant, in relation to childhood maltreatment in a sample of impoverished preschool-aged children. One hundred seventy-four families participated in this study, including 69 with child welfare documentation of moderate to severe maltreatment in the past 6 months. The children, who ranged in age from 3 to 5 years, were racially and ethnically diverse. Structured record review and interviews in the home were used to assess a history of maltreatment, other traumas, and contextual life stressors; and a composite variable assessed the number exposures to these adversities. Methylation of two sites in intron 7 of FKBP5 was measured via sodium bisulfite pyrosequencing. Maltreated children had significantly lower levels of methylation at both CpG sites (p < .05). Lifetime contextual stress exposure showed a trend for lower levels of methylation at one of the sites, and a trend for an interaction with the FKBP5 polymorphism. A composite adversity variable was associated with lower levels of methylation at one of the sites as well (p < .05). FKBP5 alters glucocorticoid receptor responsiveness, and FKBP5 gene methylation may be a mechanism of the biobehavioral effects of adverse exposures in young children.
Comparison of milk output between breasts in pump-dependent mothers.

This article reports the naturally occurring pattern of milk output beginning day 6 through day 42 postpartum from each individual breast in 95 pump-dependent mothers of a non-nursing preterm infant. Of the 3488 study days, milk output was greater from the left breast on 51.6% (n = 1800) of the study days, from the right breast 45.8% (n = 1598) of the study days, and equal 2.6% (n = 90) of the study days. Overall, total left and right breast milk output for the entire study (37 days) was 52.6% and 47.4%, respectively. There was no significant relationship between individual breast milk output and maternal handedness, parity, or breastfeeding experience. Clinicians need to assess the total milk output as well as individual breast output in lactating mothers, as there may be significant disparities in milk production. J Hum Lact. 23(4):333-337.
A Critical View of Home Education

The remarkable spread of home education needs to be considered in light of the arguments driving its growth. While acknowledging that there are many good reasons for individuals to choose home education, this analysis examines some of the most prominent assumptions and claims that advance the practice as a mass movement. Specifically, arguments regarding the rights and responsibilities of parents, and the impact of home education on students and schools are considered with regards to organisational theory, democratic governance and social science standards. These arguments promoting home education highlight the individualised or privatised focus of the phenomenon. The paper contends that home education amplifies the advantages and disadvantages of students' background characteristics, yet such serious equity issues are too often disregarded in an emerging paradigm based on the pursuit of individual advantage.
Jodgment-versus-choice, accountability demands, and the auditor's evidence search strategy

This study examines two elements of the audit decision environment that may influence the auditor's decision strategy: the nature of the task (judgment or choice), and the presence of accountability demands. Judgment involves the explicit assignment of a particular value to an attribute under examination. Choice is the selection of a course of action over other alternative actions. Accountability is the expected requirement to justify one's position to significant others. Recent work in decision- making literature suggests that judgment and choice are not equivalent tasks. This work suggests that judgment, when compared to choice, is characterized to be more time-demanding and cognitively demanding (e.g., Tversky 1972; Einhorn and Hogarth 1981). Recent work in audit judgment literature suggests that the influence of accountability demands likely depends, at least in part, on the perceived preferences of the individual to whom the auditor is accountable (Peecher 1996). Eighty auditor-participants completed two audit tasks -- an accounts receivable collectibility review and an inventory obsolescence review. The auditors were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions created by crossing three levels of accountability (no accountability, credence-inducing, and skepticism-inducing) and two levels of response tasks (judgment and choice). Similar to Peecher (1996), credence-inducing preferences are characterized as preferences of a reviewing manager who is concerned with auditors who undertake, without adequate justification, costly investigations of unusual account balance fluctuations. Skepticism-inducing preferences are characterized as preferences of a reviewing manager who is concerned with auditors who accept, without adequatejustification, client-provided explanations of unusual account balance fluctuations. The results of this study indicate that auditors who make judgments evaluate more evidence and expend more time than those who make choices. Further, auditors who are held accountable to a reviewer possessing skepticism-inducing preferences evaluate more evidence and follow a more exhaustive search strategy than those who are not.
Mathematical and computer modelling reports: Using mathematical models to understand the aids epidemic

The most urgent public-health problem today is to devise effective strategies to minimize the destruction caused by the AIDS epidemic. This complex problem will involve medical advances and new public-health and education initiatives. Mathematical models based on the underlying transmission mechanisms of the AIDS virus can help the medical/scientific community understand and anticipate its spread in different populations and evaluate the potential effectiveness of different approaches for bringing the epidemic under control. Before we can use models to predict the future, we must carefully test them against the past spread of the infection and for sensitivity to parameter changes. The long and extremely variable incubation period and the low probability of transmitting the AIDS virus in a single contact imply that population structure and variations in infectivity both play an important role in its spread. The population structure is caused by differences between people in numbers of sexual partners and the use of intravenous drugs and because of the way in which people mix among age, ethnic, and social groups. We use a simplified approach to investigate the effects of variation in incubation periods and infectivity specific to the AIDS virus, and we compare a model of random partner choices with a model in which partners both come from similar behavior groups.
Acoustical Burrows Constructed by Mole Crickets

Males of Scapteriscus acletus Rehn and Hebard and S. vicinus Scudder call from burrows that open outward via an exponentially expanding horn. The horn arises from a bulb-like chamber connected by another chamber to the remainder of the tunnel system. Scapteriscus spp. calling burrows, like those of Gryllotalpa spp., probably increase the male's acoustical output. Since males of Scapteriscus spp. call with their tegmina in the bulb-like chamber while those of Gryllotalpa spp. call with their tegmina in the throat of the horn, different acoustical principles are evidently involved.
Elites and Masses: Another Look at Attitudes toward America's World Role

The post-Vietnam breakdown of the presumed foreign policy consensus of the Cold War years has become a touchstone of American foreign policy analyses during the past decade. Diachronic analysis of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations' quadrennial public opinion surveys demonstrates the persistence of a belief system among the mass public defined by two distinct attitude dimensions, cooperative and militant internationalism. Elite attitudes after 1978 are somewhat less easily characterized but still reflect elements of "selective internationalism." When the mass and elite samples are pooled, elites are consistently found in higher proportions than masses in the internationalist and accommodationist quadrants of the attitude clusters defined by the militant and cooperative internationalism dimensions. The mass public, on the other hand, is more evenly distributed among the four categories, with a consistently higher proportion in the hardline and isolationist quadrants. Ideology and partisanship predict to Americans' foreign policy beliefs, but differences between elites and masses inhere in the occupancy of opinionmaking roles. Those attentive to foreign and public affairs are shown to hold elite-like foreign policy attitudes.
Diphenylether-Modified 1,2-Diamines with Improved Drug Properties for Development against Mycobacterium tuberculosis

New treatments for tuberculosis infection are critical to combat the emergence of multidrug- and extensively drug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). We report the characterization of a diphenylether-modified adamantyl 1,2-diamine that we refer to as TBL-140, which has a minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC99) of 1.2 μg/mL. TBL-140 is effective against drug-resistant Mtb and nonreplicating bacteria. In addition, TBL-140 eliminates expansion of Mtb in cell culture infection assays at its MIC. To define the mechanism of action of this compound, we performed a spontaneous mutant screen and biochemical assays. We determined that TBL-140 treatment affects the proton motive force (PMF) by perturbing the transmembrane potential (ΔΨ), consistent with a target in the electron transport chain (ETC). As a result, treated bacteria have reduced intracellular ATP levels. We show that TBL-140 exhibits greater metabolic stability than SQ109, a structurally similar compound in clinical trials for treatment of MDR...
Indications for Splenectomy

The cure rate in primary hypersplenism is impressive and the improvement obtainable in hypersplenism secondary to other conditions sufficiently great to justify the procedure's wider use. Dr. Crosby makes a plea for removal of the spleen in the aged as well as the young before the patient has deteriorated to the point where relatively little or no benefit can be anticipated.
The Psychiatric Consultant in Professional Team Sports

The role of the sport psychiatrist consulting to a professional sports team is complex, challenging, and varied. Sport psychiatrists serve to enhance the psychosocial development of the athlete by removing obstacles to growth and by facilitating lines of communication that support the exchange of information, sharing of feelings, and the development of solid winning relationships on the team and throughout the organization. The consultant psychiatrist often provides input to players and to management. These dual responsibilities raise ethical concerns and often require the services of additional treating psychiatrists and other mental health professionals.
Chemical Dissolution Pathways of MoS2 Nanosheets in Biological and Environmental Media.

Material stability and dissolution in aqueous media are key issues to address in the development of a new nanomaterial intended for technological application. Dissolution phenomena affect biological and environmental persistence; fate, transport, and biokinetics; device and product stability; and toxicity pathways and mechanisms. This article shows that MoS2 nanosheets are thermodynamically and kinetically unstable to O2-oxidation under ambient conditions in a variety of aqueous media. The oxidation is accompanied by nanosheet degradation and release of soluble molybdenum and sulfur species, and generates protons that can colloidally destabilize the remaining sheets. The oxidation kinetics are pH-dependent, and a kinetic law is developed for use in biokinetic and environmental fate modeling. MoS2 nanosheets fabricated by chemical exfoliation with n-butyl-lithium are a mixture of 1T (primary) and 2H (secondary) phases and oxidize rapidly with a typical half-life of 1–30 days. Ultrasonically exfoliated shee...
Extracorporeal Life Support Use in Adult Burn Patients

Burn-related cardiopulmonary failure causes significant morbidity and is associated with increased risk of death. Extracorporeal life support (ECLS) may be used to support burn patients, but its efficacy and safety in this population have not been well defined. This study examined survival rates and risk factors for death in adult burn patients who received ECLS. Retrospective data from the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization international registry were analyzed to determine clinical outcomes and risk factors for death in adult burn patients treated with ECLS. During the study period, we identified 58 adult burn patients who were treated with ECLS. Overall survival to hospital discharge was 43%. Survivors and nonsurvivors were similar in age, gender, body weight, mode of ECLS used, and duration of ECLS. Nonsurvivors had lower pH values (7.15 vs 7.30, P < .001) and higher pCO2 values (65.5 vs 50.5, P = .038) before initiation of ECLS. Nonsurvivors had higher rates of renal failure (49 vs 16%, P = .01) and renal replacement therapy (70 vs 36%, P = .016). Infection was documented in 21 patients; survival in this group was 43%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified acidosis (pH < 7.16) and the use of inotropic/vasopressor medications before ECLS as risk factors associated with increased risk of mortality. ECLS appears to be a viable treatment option for adult burn patients with cardiopulmonary failure. ECLS survival in adult burn victims is similar to that observed in nonburn patient populations treated with ECLS.
Empires of Inequality: Ancient China and Rome

This paper analyzes the dynamics of income and wealth inequality in two of the largest ancient empires, Han China and Rome. Pervasive structural similarities emerge from this comparative survey. In both cases, resource concentration at the top of society was greatly amplified by rent-seeking and predatory behavior that was commonly linked to privileged access to governmental functions and institutions. The exercise of or proximity to political power were crucial means of elite enrichment. Yet the same features also served to constrain the growth and persistence of large fortunes as the violent seizure and recirculation of elite wealth ensured ongoing redistribution within the ruling class and among its associates. In the long run, imperial stability was conducive to growing economic inequality.
'Fields of Battle' as 'Fields of Perception': Examining Technological Speed and Public Opinion During the Persian Gulf War

Public perception of the military and what happens in war is often considered in the disjunctive: as either complacent detachment of the informed or apathetic ignorance of the uninformed. Technological changes undeniably impact the ability of media to communicate with its patrons – and of the government or military to utilize media to communicate with citizens. Technological changes in military technology also impact public opinion.Humans respond to visual stimuli in varying ways. However, visual learners make up the majority share of the total population. Because so many people get their news from television today, war photography is one medium that pervasively informs the public not only of happenings during war, but of what the public should think of televised events from the particular war – or sometimes about the military, generally. Increasingly, public receipt of such images and similar broadcasts can be near simultaneous with the event itself because of the drastic advances in communications technology.The linkage between public perception and technological change – military technology or communications devices – is oft-studied and leaves little room for doubt as to impact. However, discussion of speed is not always included in academic writing – outside Paul Virilio, his supporters, and critics. Measuring the impact of speed on public opinion in any empirical sense is beyond the scope of this Paper. Instead, this Paper seeks only to provide a landscape of prevailing thought on the importance of speed in terms of public influence.
Development of the Primate Visual System Throughout Life

Developmental principles derived from experimental analysis of the visual system in nonhuman primates provide insight into the normal and pathological development of vision in man, and reveal some general mechanisms of brain maturation and aging. This overview is based on a series of longitudinal studies in the developing rhesus monkey carried out in my laboratory over the last two decades. This type of work poses extraordinary challenges, as there is no easy and straightforward way to determine how functional circuitry is formed and maintained in a species with a lifespan of more than 30 years. To be meaningful, the research has to be carried out on the entire visual system, rather than focused on its components, and the analysis has to be rigorously quantitative, as many changes may be relatively small. The introduction of computer-aided quantitative methods, and the availability of cell class-specific markers, neurotransmitters and receptors have opened unprecedented opportunities for probing the principles governing the development of functionally dedicated networks even in the large and complex primate brain. I will also include in my presentation our data on the development of binocular as well as color-opponent or broad-band parallel pathways from the retina across the lateral geniculate nucleus to the striate cortex, the formation of cytoarchitectonic maps, as well as the dynamics of synaptic connections and their biochemical maturation in the visual system. Although progress in this field has been possible due to research carried on in many laboratories, this short overview is based exclusively on the studies done in my laboratory. Description of the material and methods, experimental details, factual data and additional relevant literature can be found in the papers listed in the bibliography.
Privacy-Sensitive Robotics

As robots start to enter our everyday lives, they will bring with them the risk of privacy invasions. Unlike videoconferencing, we might not have control of where the sensors on our robots look, and where the robots go. They might operating in or homes and offices while we are not there, opening the door to an invasion of our privacy that no previous technology has been capable of. How do people think about privacy in terms of robots? Are they worried about their privacy being violated and, if so, in what ways? How does the law view the issues around privacy and robotics? What are the pressing questions that we need to address now, before it's too late. This workshop will bring together researchers from a wide variety of communities to look at these questions, identify others, and help define the new area of Privacy-Sensitive Robotics. The workshop will result in a white paper that defines the pressing issues in Privacy-Sensitive Robotics, from a variety of perspectives, and will suggest a research agenda to address these problems.
The Damagings Clauses

Twenty-seven state constitutions contain a clause prohibiting the “damaging” or “injuring” of property for public use without just compensation. Yet when compared to its relative, the Takings Clause of the Federal Constitution—which says that private property cannot be “taken” for public use without just compensation—the ways in which state courts interpret and apply their “damagings clauses” have remained opaque and virtually unstudied. This Article recovers the hidden history of the state damagings clauses. It traces the clauses to the threats to private property posed at the turn of the twentieth century as a result of rapid infrastructural improvement. These state constitutional provisions were meant to fix perceived inequities resulting from strict application of takings law: many jurisdictions would not recognize a right to compensation when public works affected use rights and drastically devalued property but did not physically invade or appropriate it. Drafters envisioned the damagings clauses as a powerful bulwark for property owners whose livelihoods and homes were affected yet not touched by public works. However, as state courts were tasked with the brunt of the interpretive work, their rulings coalesced around a variety of doctrinal limitations that severely undercut the clauses’ potency. As a result, modern interpretations of the clauses mainly provide coverage in a variety of contexts where the offending activity would already qualify as a physical-invasion taking under most federal precedents. This Article argues that the damagings clauses deserve broader applications in condemnation law. Damagings comprise a more limited and historically supported category than regulatory takings, for which courts have long awarded compensation. Moreover, courts already try to mandate compensation for some of these types of injuries by manipulating ordinary takings law, leading to unnecessary doctrinal confusion. As a new wave of infrastructural growth looms, it is time for professors and practitioners to return their attention to these forgotten provisions of the state constitutions.
Convective melting and freezing of phase change materials encapsulated within small diameter polymer tubes

Abstract This work characterizes the inward melting and freezing of phase change materials (PCMs) within small diameter polymer tubes under convective boundary conditions. Using air as the heat transfer fluid, a custom-built experimental apparatus was used to control the convective heating and cooling of vertically oriented PCM-filled tubes with an outer diameter of 3.175 mm. Various air speeds and air temperatures were investigated, as well as the effects of wall thickness and material properties, using three different polymer encapsulant tubes. Volume fraction, latent heat transfer rate, and the associated overall heat transfer coefficient have been measured experimentally during the transient melting and freezing processes. Using a commercially available paraffin-based PCM with a nominal melting temperature of 35 °C, phase change times ranging from 50 s to 180 s were recorded with air speeds and air temperatures of 4.7–15.3 m/s and 25.3–62.6 °C, respectively. Overall latent heat transfer coefficients as high as 200 W/m2 K were measured and shown to decay with time as the PCM changes phase during inward melting and freezing. For the thinnest encapsulants tested here, the results were consistent with a simplified one-dimensional quasi-steady-state thermal circuit model. Deviations from this model were observed and explained, including the importance of the wall thickness and thermal conductivity of the encapsulant.
P II – 3–4 The problems of typhoid fever and brucellosis in uranium zone of the kyrgyz republic

Background/aim The aim is to study the problems of typhoid fever (TF) among the population living in uranium zone and in the Valley of the Mayluusuu River passing through this zone. Methods A total of 2158 patients who contracted TF during the period of 2001–2016 in the Kyrgyz Republic were subjected to analysis. Of them, 964 lived in uranium zone and in the Valley of the Mayluusuu River, 1174 patients were from the other areas of Kyrgyzstan. The incidence of TF in Mayluusuu (400 cases) and Tash-Kumyr (202 cases) during the period from 2007 to 2016 was studied. Epidemiological methods were used. Results Of the 2158 TF patients, 964 (44.7%) lived in uranium zone. TF cases have been registered even in cold season since 2006 in this area. Direct economic losses from TF for Kyrgyzstan due to inpatient treatment of TF patients from uranium zone amounted to more than 1.5 million US dollars. The incidence rate of TF among the patients directly living in uranium biogeochemical zone was M=144.36±35.723 vs 0.6±0.14 for the Republic per 100 000 population (p The incidence rate of brucellosis in Mayluusuu over the past 10 years was M=177.25±33.97 per 100 000 population versus 56.16±42.63 reported in Tash-Kumyr (uranium free area). Conclusion Thus, the incidence rate of TF and brucellosis among the population living in uranium zone is more than 240.0 and 3 times higher than that in the other areas. But this issue requires a more detailed study.
Large Mean out Crossing of Nonlinear Response to Stochastic Input

The mean out-crossing rate of a nonlinear system subjected to stochastic excitation is computed by use of the first-order reliability method, FORM. The mean out-crossing rate can be used to compute an upper bound to the failure probability. The method can account for system stochasticity and can be extended to multi-degree-of-freedom systems. Three systems are investigated: a linear oscillator, a duffing oscillator, and a hysteretic oscillator.
A Systematic Review on Promoting Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy in HIV-infected Patients Using Mobile Phone Technology.

Objective Adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) is paramount to successful long-term suppression of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). For poorly adherent patients with HIV, barriers to remaining adherent may be overcome by the implementation of targeted interventions delivered via mobile devices. This systematic review is focused specifically on mobile phone technologies to deliver adherence interventions in HIV/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) populations. Methods This review (PROSPERO #CRD42017065131) systematically extracted data from published literature from five databases on mobile phone interventions to improve adherence to ART for HIV. The reported studies had been conducted between 2007 and 2017. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane method ranking each criterion as low, high, or unclear risk of bias. Results Of the 835 articles returned, we identified 26 randomized controlled trials (RCTs), retrospective and prospective cohort trials, or mixed method studies with a comparison group that fit criteria for inclusion. No standard measure of adherence was consistent throughout the examined studies, and assessments by self-report, pill counting, and medication event monitoring system (MEMS) were utilized. The studies reported mixed results, with 17 reporting significant improvements to adherence, 3 reporting improvements without supplying p-values, and 6 reporting no significant change or a reduction in adherence. Conclusion The mixed nature of the results exemplifies the need for more comprehensive approaches and larger scale trials to confirm results observed in limited cohort sizes. To better retain satisfactory adherence within the HIV population, and especially in low-resource settings, we recommend that future interventions incorporate multiple strategies: mobile-based reminders, social support structures, and personalized content.
TESS Vibration Testing: A Boundary Condition Case Study

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) program is led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. The TESS payload consists of four identical cameras mounted to a composite plate and a data handling unit. Each camera consists of a detector assembly, a lens assembly, and a lens hood. TESS is currently slated to launch in March 2018 to begin a two year, all sky transit survey to detect exoplanets. MIT Lincoln Laboratory is responsible for the four cameras and the composite camera plate. As part of the environmental test campaign, Lincoln Laboratory conducted force limited proto-flight vibration testing at two distinct levels of assembly. As vibration responses were monitored at nearly identical locations during the two sub-system level tests, a variety of valuable assessments can be made regarding fixed-base vibration testing. As part of this case study, the effects of the boundary condition on the overall test article response are evaluated. This discussion addresses the effects of the boundary condition on the qualification of hardware against various failure mechanisms. Additionally, the advantages and limitations of force limited vibration testing are assessed.
Neurological Facts and Formulas

Neurologic illness in the emergency department and the intensive care unit may be devastating. The following, formulas, facts, and laboratory values may help in the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological patients.
USE OF AVIAN-HUMAN REASSORTANT INFLUENZA A VIRUSES AS LIVE VACCINE VIRUSES IN MAN

Publisher Summary There is a renewed interest in the development of a live attenuated influenza A virus vaccine as current inactivated influenza virus vaccines do not provide complete protection and do not appear to retain their effectiveness when administered annually. Live attenuated influenza A viruses have been produced by the transfer of genes from an attenuated donor virus to new epidemic influenza A viruses. This chapter discusses the use of avian–human reassortant influenza A viruses as live vaccine viruses in man. This process of gene exchange is readily achieved with influenza A viruses as they possess a segmented genome consisting of eight negative-stranded RNA segments that code for at least ten proteins. There is a need for stable attenuated viruses that are unable to escape their attenuated phenotype. Many of the influenza A virus genes that have evolved over a long period in birds differ significantly in nucleotide sequence from corresponding genes of human influenza A viruses.
The PSLRA Discovery Stay Meets Complex Litigation: Five Questions Answered

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (“PSLRA”) was enacted nearly 20 years ago in order to combat perceived abuses in private securities litigation. One key provision of the Act is the discovery stay, which applies in any private action under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and which states that “all discovery and other proceedings shall be stayed during the pendency of any motion to dismiss.” Congress enacted the discovery stay to prevent the perceived abuses of fishing-expedition and extortive discovery. This stay, which applies in a straightforward fashion in simple cases, raises myriad issues in complex cases with multiple defendants, multiple claims, and staggered briefing schedules. The application of the discovery stay in complex cases is often outcome-determinative because, absent discovery, it is extraordinarily difficult for a plaintiff to meet the PSLRA’s heightened pleading standards. Yet, these complexities are rarely addressed by the appellate courts, leaving the district courts in disarray. In this essay, I seek to answer the following five questions that arise when the PSLRA discovery stay meets complex litigation: (1) When does the discovery stay begin? (2) Does the discovery stay apply to successive motions to dismiss, even if the first motion to dismiss was denied in part? (3) Does the discovery stay apply to 12(c) motions for judgment on the pleadings? (4) Does the discovery stay apply to the entire case, even if only a subset of defendants have pending motions to dismiss? (5) After the discovery stay has been lifted, does the PSLRA prevent the plaintiff from relying on discovered materials to assert additional claims against existing, new, or previously dismissed defendants? I hope that this essay will help guide litigants and courts as they seek to apply the PSLRA discovery stay in complex litigation. I also hope that this essay will encourage other scholars and commentators to delve into this messy and unsettled, yet frequently outcome-determinative, area of securities litigation.
Spectroscopy of Magnetic Insulators

The basic principles of electron exchange are covered first and applied to optical transitions in ion pairs. The Frenkel exciton theory of molecular crystals is developed and applied to magnetic crystals. The electronic and magnetic structure of magnetic insulators is reviewed, including aspects of most importance to the optical properties of these substances. Finally, a review of several systems such as MnF2 is given.
All climate is local.

The article discusses how making changes at the local level is more efficient and effective than national policy changes at countering climate change. Mayors and city managers are motivated to make changes because they witness firsthand local effects of climate change. The article suggests cities make changes toward reducing emissions, preserving water, and ensuring transportation systems can handle environmental hazards. The article also notes that cities should create common sets of standards around reporting emissions, the impact of climate change, and how to preserve human life and property.
9.04 – Quantitative Methods for Ecological Network Analysis and Its Application to Coastal Ecosystems*

In recent years, the description of system networks has been gaining in popularity as an alternative to conventional dynamical analysis. Although network description elsewhere treats only simple graphs and digraphs, ecosystem theory has enjoyed a legacy of analyzing quantitative digraphs. Ecological network analysis spans all levels of system description. Indirect influences of individual species upon one another can readily be measured. Trophic groupings and clusters of cycling can be identified and quantified. Whole system attributes, for ex ample, organization and flexibility can be gauged. It is even possible to provide specific directions for remediating ecosystems so as to improve their sustainability.
Adjuvant and Neoadjuvant Therapy of NSCLC

For patients with operable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), surgery has long been the standard of care. However, despite complete resection, 5-year survival rates have been disappointing with about 50% of patients eventually suffering relapse and death from disease. Efforts at improving survival for patients with operable NSCLC have examined the addition of chemotherapy and/or radiation in the preoperative (neoadjuvant or induction) and postoperative (adjuvant) settings.
Medical Device Innovation: Prospective Solutions for an Ecosystem in Crisis: Adding a Professional Society Perspective

Barriers to medical device innovation compromise timelines and costs from bench to bedside. Fragmented strategies by individual competitors are no longer sustainable. Pragmatically focused pre-competitive collaboration across stakeholders approaches innovation as an ecosystem. Desiloing experience and expertise encourages high-impact infrastructure efficiencies unique to pre-competitive constructs. Alignment of processes and objectives across the regulatory, reimbursement, clinical research, and clinical practice enterprises, with particular attention to the total product life cycle and continuous accrual of safety information, promotes more predictable equipoise for speed of access relative to residual safety concerns. Professional societies are well positioned to convene pre-competitive dialogue, facilitate alignment, and add perspective to equipoise within the innovation ecosystem.
MR-Guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Medically Refractory Lesional Epilepsy in Pediatric Patients: Experience and Outcomes.

Introduction MR-guided laser interstitial thermal therapy (MRgLITT) has emerged as a safe and effective treatment option for the ablation of epileptic foci. Its minimally invasive nature makes it attractive due to decreased morbidity and hospital stay. Objective To report the efficacy and safety of MRgLITT as a minimally invasive procedure for the ablation of epileptic foci in the pediatric population of medically refractory lesional epilepsy. Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent MRgLITT via Visualase laser ablation at a single pediatric center was performed. Demographic and outcome data were compiled and analyzed. Results Twelve pediatric patients with a total 18 lesions underwent MRgLITT procedures between December 2013 and September 2017. Mean age at surgery was 11.1 years. Surgical substrates included 4 hypothalamic hamartomas, 3 periventricular heterotopias, 2 deep focal cortical dysplasias, 2 tuberous sclerosis, and 1 mesial temporal sclerosis. Methods of stereotaxis used included Leksell frame, BrainLab VarioGuide, ROSA robot guidance, and ClearPoint navigation. Mean procedure length was 250 min, and mean length of stay was 1.3 days. After treatment, 8 patients were seizure free (Engel I, 66.7%), 2 patients demonstrated significant improvement (Engel II, 16.7%), and 2 patients showed worthwhile improvement (Engel III, 16.7%). One patient developed a left superior quadrantanopsia postoperatively. Mean follow-up duration was 10 months. Conclusion This study contributes to the sparse literature in this field by demonstrating the high efficacy and low morbidity of MRgLITT as a minimally invasive method of ablation of epileptic foci in the pediatric population of medically refractory lesional epilepsy.
Ruthenium Coordination Chemistry: Implications for Directed Carbon Nanotube Assembly

Ruthenium coordination chemistry is studied for its usage as a building block for constructing supramolecular coordination complexes.Our laboratory focuses on how nanometer sized ruthenium structures interact with single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) with implications for directed nano-structure assembly.Understanding aspects of carbon nanotube assembly involves synthesizing ruthenium coordination complexes with various morphological and electrostatic properties.For example, various ruthenium dendrimers, each of which differs in shape and overall cationic charge, can be synthesized.Progress towards synthesizing a ruthenium trimer is reported.The central unit to the trimer, [Ru(phendione)2 phen]2+, was successfully created in high purity.[Ru(phen ) 2 phendiamine]2+, the peripheral monomer implemented in trimer synthesis, was not attained.However, precursor to the peripheral unit, [Ru(phen)2 phendione]2+, was synthesized.Since ruthenium monomers are built from various diimine ligands, syntheses of these ligands are also presented.Taken together, we possess half the starting material needed to create the trimer that will be utilized for carbon nanotube aggregation studies.
Incidence of hypomagnesemia in a pertuzumab-treated population.

e18820Background: Most HER2+ breast cancers treated in the U.S. today will receive Pertuzumab (P). Other EGFR inhibitors Cetuximab and Panitumumab have recommendations to monitor magnesium; however...
Survival and glycemic control in patients with coexisting melanoma and diabetes mellitus

Aim: Given the lack of data in the literature, we examined the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on melanoma survival and the impact of melanoma on glycemic control. Materials & methods: Patients wi...