cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do physicians make too much money

The average net income of physicians in the USA is more than four times the average net income of people working in all domestic industries in the USA. When critics suggest that physicians make too much money, defenders typically appeal to the following four prominent principles of economic justice: Aristotle's Income Principle, the Free Market Principle, the Utilitarian Income Principle, and Rawls' Difference Principle. I shall show that no matter which of these four principles is assumed, the present high incomes of physicians cannot be defended.
A Phenomenological Reflection on the Experience of Hope

Abstract Many theologians and philosophers, but few psychologists, have reflected on the experience of hope. It is not my intention, then, to reinvent the wheel or to belabor the obvious. What I intend to do is to elaborate a select number of themes often discussed in the hope literature and to examine them in the concrete context of the actively addicted alcoholic's pilgrimage from hopelessness to a sober life of hope. On this pilgrimage we shall explore the theme of the human necessity to hope, the phenomenon of despair, the embodied quality of hope vividly expressed in the human upright posture, body temporality and relaxation, imaginative thinking's central role in hoping, and finally the ersatz hope of optimism. The interpersonal profile of hoping is highlighted and its foundational power in therapeutic transformation explicated.
Epameinondas and the New Inscription from Knid

The appearance of a Theban fleet of 100 triremes in the Aegean Sea in 364 B.C. has always been an anomaly in the history of the Theban Hegemony1). From the liberation of the Kadmeia in 379 B.C. to the battle of Mantineia in 362 B.C., the Thebans had consistently pursued a land strategy, first against the Spartans and later against the Athenians, who had come to the aid of the enemy. In 367/6 B.C. Pelopidas won the support of the King for a Common Peace, which, however, was never ratified2). Yet a connection with Persia had been made. Moreover, this diplomatic failure did not retard work on the Theban fleet, nor did it entail a break between Persia and Thebes. The usual strategy of the Persians for dealing with the eastern Aegean was to finance a Greek fleet as an agent of their policy in the area. The King and his satraps had employed both Athenian and Spartan fleets during the Ionian War, and had provided Konon with the means to defeat the Spartans at the battle of Knidos in 394 B.C.3). Themselves lacking the huge resources necessary for naval warfare, the Thebans needed foreign funds with which to build a fleet, and the only realistic source for them was the King4). Diodoros is the principal, but not the only, source for these
Parents' Preferred Communication Style and Locus of Control of Preschool Children

The purpose was to examine within family similarity and across situational consistency in parental models of optimal communication, and to examine parental preferred communi cation strategy in relation to locus of control of young children. Data were collected on 25 middle-class couples and their preschool-aged child. Parental communication preference in teaching and child management situations was assesed by a specially devised interview questionnaire technique, and children's locus of control was measured by the Stanford Pre school Internal-External Scale. Results indicated that mothers' preference for nondirective socratic communication in child management but not teaching situations was related to internal locus of control in children. The importance of considering situational variation in the study of parent-child relations and locus of control was indicated.
Critical currents, grain boundaries and squids in the high temperature cuprate superconductors

Abstract A summary of some of the recent findings on the properties of grain boundaries in the high temperature superconductors, particularly in the Y 1 Ba 2 Ca 3 O 7−δ epitaxial films, is presented. We show that some aspects of the behavior of the critical current across the grain boundary can be explained by assuming that the boundary can be presented by a dirty metal. Annealing in ozone at low temperatures decreases both the resistance and 1/f noise of the boundary; implying that the boundary contains charge trapping sites. Finally, the utility of single grain boundary junctions as Josephson elements of a SQUID is described.
Complement activation on poly(ethylene oxide)-like radiofrequency glow discharge–deposited surfaces

Nonspecific protein adsorption, particularly fibrinogen (Fg), is thought to be an initiating step in the foreign body response (FBR) to biomaterials by promoting phagocyte attachment. In previous studies, we therefore prepared radiofrequency glow discharge (ethylene oxide)-like tetraglyme (CH(3)O(CH(2)CH(2)O)(4)CH(3)) coatings adsorbing <10 ng/cm(2) Fg and showed that they had the expected low monocyte adhesion in vitro. However, when these were implanted in vivo, many adherent inflammatory cells and a fibrous capsule were found, suggesting the role of alternative proteins, such as activated complement proteins, in the FBR to these materials. We therefore investigated complement interactions with the tetraglyme surfaces. First, because of its well-known role in complement C3 activation, we measured the hydroxyl group (-OH) content of tetraglyme, but found it to be low. Second, we measured C3 adsorption to tetraglyme from plasma. Low amounts of C3 adsorbed on tetraglyme, although it displayed higher binding strength than the control surfaces. Finally, complement activation was determined by measuring C3a and SC5b-9 levels in serum after incubating with tetraglyme, as well as other surfaces that served as positive and negative controls, namely poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels, Silastic sheeting, and poly(ethylene glycol) self-assembled monolayers with different end groups. Despite displaying low hydroxyl group concentration, relatively high C3a and SC5b-9 levels were found in serum exposed to tetraglyme, similar to the values in our positive control, PVA. Our results support the conclusion that complement activation by tetraglyme is a possible mechanism involved in the FBR to these biomaterials.
Murine models of hepatitis C: what can we look forward to?

The study of interactions between hepatitis C virus (HCV) with its mammalian host, along with the development of more effective therapeutics and vaccines has been delayed by the lack of a suitable small animal model. HCV readily infects only humans and chimpanzees, which poses logistic, economic and ethical challenges with analyzing HCV infection in vivo. Progress has been made in understanding the determinants that dictate HCV’s narrow host range providing a blueprint for constructing a mouse model with inheritable susceptibility to HCV infection. Indeed, genetically humanized mice were generated that support viral uptake, replication and production of infectious virions – albeit at low levels. These efforts are complemented with attempts to select for viral variants that are inherently more capable of replicating in non-human species. In parallel, engraftment of relevant human tissues into improved xenorecipients is being continuously refined. Incorporating advances in stem-cell-biology and tissue engineering may allow the generation of patient-specific humanized mice. Construction of such mouse “avatars” may allow analyzing functionally patient-specific differences with respect to susceptibility to infection, disease progression and responses to treatment. In this review, we discuss the three, before mentioned approaches to overcome current species barriers and generate a small animal model for HCV infection, i.e. genetic modification of mice to increase their susceptibility to the virus; genetic modification of HCV, to increase its pathogenicity for mice; and the introduction of human liver and immune cells into immunodeficient mice, to create “humanized” mice. Although in the foreseeable future there will not be a single model that perfectly mimics the natural course of HCV in humans there is reason for optimism. The spectrum of murine animal models for hepatitis C provides a broad arsenal for analyzing the disease. These models may play an important role by prioritizing vaccine candidates and possibly refining combination anti-viral drug therapies. This article forms part of a symposium in Anti-viral Research on “Hepatitis C: next steps toward global eradication.”
Relevance of Endothelial Surface Structure to the Activity of Vasoactive Substances

Increasingly it appears that expressions of vascular reactivity depend to a significant degree on reactions that occur on or near the endothelial surface. While the full scope of such reactions is not yet clear, some are now understood in terms of ultrastructural specializations of endothelium.
Switching Repulsion to Attraction: Changing Responses to Slit During Transition in Mesoderm Migration

Slit is secreted by cells at the midline of the central nervous system, where it binds to Roundabout (Robo) receptors and functions as a potent repellent. We found that migrating mesodermal cells in vivo respond to Slit as both an attractant and a repellent and that Robo receptors are required for both functions. Mesoderm cells expressing Robo receptors initially migrate away from Slit at the midline. A few hours after migration, these same cells change their behavior and require Robo to extend toward Slit-expressing muscle attachment sites. Thus, Slit functions as a chemoattractant to provide specificity for muscle patterning.
Agents, Engines, Traffic, Objects and Illusions: Paradigms of Computer Science

It has been shown that the language of some scientific disciplines is highly metaphorical, but there is probably no field that uses metaphor quite as pervasively and idiosyncratically as does computer science. One senses that this phenomenon results from a need to compensate for the exceedingly abstract nature of the discipline. The central metaphors do not exist singly. They exist in groups or families, suggesting a deep influence on the way people in computer science write and talk. Such a cluster of deep metaphors can be thought of as a paradigm of the discipline, a set of eyeglasses through which we see our world. This article examines some essential paradigms of computer science. These paradigms are so much a part of the way we think about and talk about computers that it is difficult to imagine computer discourse without them.
An Experiment in Nonlinear Statistical Weather Forecasting

Abstract We inquire whether an empirical weather forecasting scheme can profitably incorporate a possible nonlinear relationship between observed predictands and predictors. We analyze a set of twice–daily hemispheric 500 mb height fields into truncated series of spherical harmonies. From each act of spherical-harmonic coefficients, we predict the coefficients 24 h in advance by integrating the barotropic vorticity equation in spherical-harmonic form. We then establish linear regression equations for predicting the same coefficients, using as predictors the coefficients which represent the observed height fields, and, in some instances, the numerically predicted height fields. We find that the empirical schemes which incorporate nonlinearity by using the numerically predicted fields perform considerably better than those which do not.
Asymptotic confidence bands for normal distributions

The substitution procedure in the normal case, like using to mimici N(μ, σ 2), has been widely used in many branches of statistics, for examples, in the parametric bootstrap, in ranking and selection, in Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and many many practical situations. In view of these, a question has to be addressed “How big differences it may make with some certainty by using instead of N(μ, σ 2) ?” In this paper, we study this question by investigating asymptotics of the Kolmogorov type statistical functions, like . Three cases are considered here: (1) a normal distribution with its mean unknown and its variance known; (2) a normal distribution with its mean known and its variance unknown; (3) a normal distribution with its mean and variance unknown. We answered the preceding question in the sense of constructing asymptotic bands for normal distributions in these three cases. For the first two, the corresponding Kolmogorov type statistical functions follow folded normal distributions approximately. For the l...
"Anecdotal evidence": why narratives matter to medical practice.

I want to tell you a story. After a lecture I gave recently at a well-known medical school on the possible utility of narrative to clinical practice, from the back of the auditorium came the first question of the traditional question and answer portion of the program: “Don't you feel, Dr. Campo, that what you seem to regard as the arrogant biomedical science model of medicine is already sufficiently under attack these days?” As the lights came up, I could make out a tall, bearded man in a long white coat, standing as if at attention near the end of one of the aisles. “We have creationists trying to teach ‘intelligent design’ in our children's science classes, and even closer to home, nurses and optometrists being given the right to prescribe medications.” Their applause having ceased, my audience now grew hushed as he went on, his voice steadily rising. “Do you really expect physicians to accept the notion that what any ignorant patient tells us about his disease should carry a weight equal to what our years of training and expertise reveals to us about complex pathophysiology?” Then came what was clearly meant to be his coup de grace, delivered in an almost derisive tone. “Really, sir, do you have anything more than the anecdotal evidence you shared to support your thesis?”
Failure analysis of R/C columns using a triaxial concrete model

Abstract Inelastic failure analysis of concrete structures has been one of the central issues in concrete mechanics. Especially, the effect of confinement has been of great importance to capture the transition from brittle to ductile fracture of concrete under triaxial loading scenarios. Moreover, it has been a challenge to implement numerically material descriptions, which are susceptible to loss of stability and localization. In this article, a novel triaxial concrete model is presented, which captures the full spectrum of triaxial stress and strain histories in reinforced concrete structures. Thereby, inelastic dilatation is controlled by a non-associated flow rule to attain realistic predictions of inelastic volume change at various confinement levels. Different features of distributed and localized failure of the concrete model are examined under confined compression, uniaxial tension, pure shear, and simple shear. The performance at the structural level is illustrated with the example of a reinforced concrete column subjected to combined axial and transverse loading.
Subvalvular Alterations Promote Increased Mitral Valve Regurgitation in Progressive Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Background Alterations in transmitral pressure, valve structure, subvalvular geometry, and abnormal myocardial function have all been implicated in the pathophysiology of functional/progressive mitral valve regurgitation (MR). In this study, we hypothesized that a relatively small structural lesion to the mitral valve apparatus predisposes to severe MR in the setting of progressive left ventricular dilation. While examining this hypothesis, an additional purpose of this study was to determine the extent of papillary muscle (PM) distortion and mitral annular dilation with increasing MR resulting from progressive dilated cardiomyopathy. Methods and Results Mild MR was produced via a limited, fixed structural lesion to the mitral valve apparatus of 8 dogs (20 to 22 kg). Incremental tachypacing induced left ventricular dilation over an 8-month period. The pacer was deactivated and the dogs followed for an additional 6 weeks. Echocardiographic measurements demonstrated significant cardiac remodeling (left ventricular end diastolic diameter) and MR progression with a 54% increase in left ventricular end diastolic diameter and a 44% increase in MR jet area ( P P P = NS). Conclusion Progressive MR severity in nonischemic dilated cardiomyopathy resulted from changes in left ventricular shape and altered papillary muscle geometries and does not require mitral annulus dilation or a reduced left ventricular ejection fraction.
Fermentable Fiber Reduces Recovery Time and Improves Intestinal Function in Piglets Following Salmonella typhimurium Infection

Diarrhea is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. The addition of fiber to infant formulas reduces recovery time following pathogenic infection in infants > 6 mo old, but effects on neonates are unknown. The hypothesis that fermentable fiber reduces infection-associated symptoms and enhances intestinal structure and function in neonates was examined. Piglets (2 d old) were randomly assigned to receive formula alone (control) or formula containing methylcellulose (MCEL), soy polysaccharides (SPS) or fructooligosaccharides (FOS) for 14 d. On d 7, piglets were further randomly assigned to receive an oral gavage of Salmonella typhimurium or serve as noninfected controls. S. typhimurium infection produced diarrhea in controls and MCEL groups, but not in the SPS and FOS groups. Postinfection physical activity was lower (P = 0.0001) in the controls than in all other groups. Ileal lactase activity was reduced (P < 0.05) following infection in the control group but not in the MCEL, SPS and FOS groups. Ileal mucosal barrier function, measured as resistance, was impaired by infection (P < 0.05) in the control and SPS groups, but was unaltered in the jejunum and colon. Total ion transport and basal short-circuit current were higher (P < 0.05) in jejunum than in ileum and colon, irrespective of diet or infection. SPS and FOS increased (P < 0.05) ileal glutamine transport relative to piglets fed MCEL, irrespective of infection. Because fermentable fiber enhances intestinal function and reduces the severity of S. typhimurium infection-associated symptoms, it may be a cost-effective way in which to reduce the severity of pathogenic infection-associated symptoms in infants.
Light sources generating far fields with tunable flat profiles

Planar, scalar, optical Schell-model, and quasi-homogeneous sources with correlations that are Fourier transforms of multi-Gaussian functions are introduced. It is demonstrated that far fields produced by these families of sources carry interesting characteristics, being flatlike with adjustable steepness of the edge. Beam conditions for such sources are also derived.
Anaplasma phagocytophilum Asp14 Is an Invasin That Interacts with Mammalian Host Cells via Its C Terminus To Facilitate Infection

Anaplasma phagocytophilum, a member of the family Anaplasmataceae, is the tick-transmitted obligate intracellular bacterium that causes human granulocytic anaplasmosis. The life cycle of A. phagocytophilum is biphasic, transitioning between the noninfectious reticulate cell (RC) and infectious dense-cored (DC) forms. We analyzed the bacterium's DC surface proteome by selective biotinylation of surface proteins, NeutrAvidin affinity purification, and mass spectrometry. Transcriptional profiling of selected outer membrane protein candidates over the course of infection revealed that aph_0248 (designated asp14 [14-kDa A. phagocytophilum surface protein]) expression was upregulated the most during A. phagocytophilum cellular invasion. asp14 transcription was induced during transmission feeding of A. phagocytophilum-infected ticks on mice and was upregulated when the bacterium engaged its receptor, P-selectin glycoprotein ligand 1. Asp14 localized to the A. phagocytophilum surface and was expressed during in vivo infection. Treating DC organisms with Asp14 antiserum or preincubating mammalian host cells with glutathione S-transferase (GST)-Asp14 significantly inhibited infection of host cells. Moreover, preincubating host cells with GST-tagged forms of both Asp14 and outer membrane protein A, another A. phagocytophilum invasin, pronouncedly reduced infection relative to treatment with either protein alone. The Asp14 domain that is sufficient for cellular adherence and invasion lies within the C-terminal 12 to 24 amino acids and is conserved among other Anaplasma and Ehrlichia species. These results identify Asp14 as an A. phagocytophilum surface protein that is critical for infection, delineate its invasion domain, and demonstrate the potential of targeting Asp14 in concert with OmpA for protecting against infection by A. phagocytophilum and other Anaplasmataceae pathogens.
Trends in management and outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction in patients with end-stage renal disease in the United States

Acute myocardial infarction in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Limited data are available on the contemporary trends in management and outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in patients with ESRD. We analyzed the 2003 to 2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases to examine the temporal trends in STEMI, use of mechanical revascularization for STEMI, and in-hospital outcomes in patients with ESRD aged ≥18 years in the United States. From 2003 to 2011, whereas the number of patients with ESRD admitted with the primary diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction increased from 13,322 to 20,552, there was a decrease in the number of STEMI hospitalizations from 3,169 to 2,558 (p trend trend trend trend = 0.32). During the study period, in-hospital mortality increased from 22.3% to 25.3% (adjusted odds ratio [per year] 1.09; 95% confidence interval 1.08 to 1.11; p trend trend trend
The Quantum Theory of Lattice Dynamics. IV

The total electronic energy for condensed systems is examined as a function of nuclear displacements from the equilibrium configuration. The expansion is derived to all orders both for the exact solutions to the many-electron Schrodinger equation and for the approximate Hartree-Fock solutions. The results are shown to be translationally invariant to all orders. Expressions are derived for the electronic contributions to the force-constant tensors in real space and it is shown that the effective nuclear potential has a simple two-body form for a Bravais lattice.
Swoosh: a generic approach to entity resolution

We consider the entity resolution (ER) problem (also known as deduplication, or merge---purge), in which records determined to represent the same real-world entity are successively located and merged. We formalize the generic ER problem, treating the functions for comparing and merging records as black-boxes, which permits expressive and extensible ER solutions. We identify four important properties that, if satisfied by the match and merge functions, enable much more efficient ER algorithms. We develop three efficient ER algorithms: G-Swoosh for the case where the four properties do not hold, and R-Swoosh and F-Swoosh that exploit the four properties. F-Swoosh in addition assumes knowledge of the "features" (e.g., attributes) used by the match function. We experimentally evaluate the algorithms using comparison shopping data from Yahoo! Shopping and hotel information data from Yahoo! Travel. We also show that R-Swoosh (and F-Swoosh) can be used even when the four match and merge properties do not hold, if an "approximate" result is acceptable.
Cd30+ cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorders: The stanford experience in lymphomatoid papulosis and primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma ☆

Abstract Background CD30 + cutaneous lymphoproliferative disorders (CLPDs) include lymphomatoid papulosis, borderline cases of CD30 + CLPDs, and primary cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (PCALCL). Prior studies have shown CD30 + CLPDs have an excellent prognosis. Objective We sought to present the single-center experience of Stanford University, Stanford, Calif, in the management of CD30 + CLPDs. Methods A retrospective cohort analysis of 56 patients with CD30 + CLPDs treated at our institution was performed. Results No patients with lymphomatoid papulosis died of disease, and overall survival was 92% at 5 and 10 years. Disease-specific survivals at 5 and 10 years for PCALCL were 85%. Disease-specific survival at 5 years for localized versus generalized PCALCL was 91% versus 50% ( P = .31). PCALCL was highly responsive to treatment, but the relapse rate was 42%. In all, 3 patients progressed to extracutaneous stage of disease. No clinical or histologic factors analyzed were predictive of worse outcome in lymphomatoid papulosis and PCALCL. Conclusion Similar to prior reports from multicenter European groups, the single-center experience at our institution demonstrates CD30 + CLPDs have an overall excellent prognosis; however, cases of PCALCL with poor outcome do exist.
Applications of nonlinear filtering in radar CFAR detection

The primary concern in radar constant false alarm rate (CFAR) design is the estimation of background noise distributions of known parametric form, but with unknown parameters. Most systems employ an adaptive detection threshold, using an estimate of the noise level to maintain a CFAR. Various nonlinear filtering algorithms, notably, order statistic (OS) filters, are used as the CFAR estimator. The authors review the application of such nonlinear filtering techniques, progressing from Gaussian to non-Gaussian situations. They present a new method for non-Gaussian clutter. >
Bactericidal effects of cefotetan and other antibiotics in human fluids

Antibiotics were added at final concentrations of 0.5 to 10 mg/l to either human blood, serum, urine, bile or ascitic fluid inoculated with sensitive cultures. Bactericidal effects were monitored by estimation of viable counts over 24 h at 37 degrees C. Cefotetan was reliably bactericidal to bacteria suspended in human urine over a wide range of conditions. Gentamicin, cefotaxime, cefotetan and azthreonam were predominantly bactericidal against Enterobacteriaceae in serum and blood; gentamicin, cefotetan and cefotaxime were bactericidal in bile, and cefotetan bactericidal in ascitic fluid. The above antibiotics all also produced a bactericidal effect against Haemophilus influenzae in serum, and the macrolides erythromycin and rosaramicin destroyed haemophilus in serum more rapidly than did ampicillin or amoxycillin. In most of these fluids, destruction (reduction in viable counts by greater than 10-fold) of the inoculum occurred within 2 to 4 h for gentamicin and 4 to 6 h for similar concentrations of beta-lactam agents.
Mathematical Modeling of Flow and Heat Transfer Phenomena in Glass Melting, Delivery, and Forming Processes

This article reviews the scientific and engineering principles and practices involved in the mathematical modeling of flow and heat transfer phenomena in industrial-scale glass melting, delivery, and forming processes. The approach taken is to highlight the characteristic features of flow and heat transfer in each of the three processes, summarize the relevant transport and constitutive equations and boundary conditions, and illustrate practical applications of mathematical models. The article also describes modeling approaches used for auxiliary processes and phenomena associated with melting, delivery, and forming operations. Thus, modeling of batch melting, electric heating of glass melt, convection due to bubbling, combustion, turbulence, and viscoelasticity are discussed. Unlike melting and delivery processes, which share many similarities across the various glass industry segments, forming tends to be segment specific. So, the article focuses on one forming process (container) and, through it, emphasizes the key technical attributes of forming models. A selection of results is provided to bring out modeling capabilities and limitations. The article also provides a historical perspective on the development of advanced mathematical models and their industrial applications. Finally, key areas needing research and development are identified to further enhance the practical utility of mathematical models for the glassmaking processes.
Optimal quadratic control of jump linear systems with Gaussian noise in discrete-time

An optimal discrete-time jump linear quadratic Gaussian (JLQG) control problem is investigated. The system to be controlled is linear, except for randomly jumping parameters which obey a discrete-time finite-state Markov process. A quadratic expected cost is minimized, for systems subject to additive Gaussian input and measurement noise. It is assumed that the system structure (i.e. jumping parameters) is known at each time. A separation property enables the authors to design the optimal JLQ controller and optimal x-state estimator separately. Based on the appropriate controllability and observability properties for discrete-time jump linear systems, the infinite-time-horizon JLQG problem is solved. The optimal infinite-time-horizon JLQG compensator has a steady-state control law but does not have a steady-state filter. A suboptimal JLQG compensator, using a filter which converges to a steady-state filter, is then constructed. >
Kinetic movement analysis in adults with vision loss.

The purpose of this investigation was to assess movement capabilities of adults with visual impairments in comparison to sighted peers. Thirty participants (n = 15 visually impaired; n = 15 without vision loss) were age and gender matched and assesed on three functional movement measures. A Walk Across, Forward Lunge, and Sit to Stand were completed on a long force plate and analyzed using Group MANOVAs. Individuals with visual impairment were more cautious and conservative in their movement as evident by signifigantly reduced performance on both the Walk Across assessment and the Forward Lunge task. Performance between groups was similar on the Sit to Stand manuver. It was concluded that individuals with visual impairments are more cautious and have more difficulty performing tasks when their center of gravity is outside of their base of support.
The radiotherapeutic management of optic nerve gliomas in children

Abstract Optic nerve gliomas represent one to five percent of all intracranial tumors in children. The management of these tumors remains controversial. From 1956 to 1977, 18 children with optic nerve gliomas were treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital using external beam radiotherapy . All children presented with decreased visual acuity and five of eighteen were blind in one eye. No patient was found to have involvement of a single optic nerve. In eight patients, the chiasm was involved, in ten patients, tumor had extended to the frontal lobes and/or hypothalamus. Initial surgical management included biopsy only in seven patients, inspection of tumor in two patients and partial excision in seven patients. Two patients were treated with radiotherapy based on radiological findings. A tumor dose of 5000–6000 rad was given in 5.5–6.5 weeks. Stabilization of visual impairment or improvement in vision was noted in 78 percent of patients who were evaluable. The ten year survival was 73 percent. Radiological evidence of tumor regression will be presented. It is our impression that radiotherapy is indicated in the treatment of children with optic nerve gliomas who have poor prognostic signs (i.e. chissmal and/or hypothalamic involvement and progressive visual loss).
Potassium depletion increases proton pump (H(+)-ATPase) activity in intercalated cells of cortical collecting duct.

Intercalated cells (ICs) from kidney collecting ducts contain proton-transporting ATPases (H+-ATPases) whose plasma membrane expression is regulated under a variety of conditions. It has been shown...
Don't settle for eventual: scalable causal consistency for wide-area storage with COPS

Geo-replicated, distributed data stores that support complex online applications, such as social networks, must provide an "always-on" experience where operations always complete with low latency. Today's systems often sacrifice strong consistency to achieve these goals, exposing inconsistencies to their clients and necessitating complex application logic. In this paper, we identify and define a consistency model---causal consistency with convergent conflict handling, or causal+---that is the strongest achieved under these constraints. We present the design and implementation of COPS, a key-value store that delivers this consistency model across the wide-area. A key contribution of COPS is its scalability, which can enforce causal dependencies between keys stored across an entire cluster, rather than a single server like previous systems. The central approach in COPS is tracking and explicitly checking whether causal dependencies between keys are satisfied in the local cluster before exposing writes. Further, in COPS-GT, we introduce get transactions in order to obtain a consistent view of multiple keys without locking or blocking. Our evaluation shows that COPS completes operations in less than a millisecond, provides throughput similar to previous systems when using one server per cluster, and scales well as we increase the number of servers in each cluster. It also shows that COPS-GT provides similar latency, throughput, and scaling to COPS for common workloads.
What is Life Cycle Interpretation

Life Cycle Interpretation “is a systematic technique to identify, quantify, check, and evaluate information from the results of the life cycle inventory(LCI) and/or the life cycle impact assessment (LCIA)…”[1] The purpose of performing life cycle interpretation is to determine the level of confidence in the final results and communicate them in a fair, complete, and accurate manner. Interpreting the results of a life cycle assessment (LCA) is not as simple as 3 is better then 2, therefore Alternative A is the best choice! Interpreting the results of an LCA starts with understanding the accuracy of the results, and ensuring they meet the goal of the study. This is accomplished by identifying the data elements that contribute significantly to each impact category, evaluating the sensitivity of these significant data elements, assessing the completeness & consistency of the study, and drawing conclusions and recommendations based on a clear understanding of how the LCA was conducted and the results we re developed. The guidance provided in this article builds from the information provided on life cycle interpretation in the International Organization of Standard's (ISO's) draft standard entitled “Environmental Management -Life Cycle Assessment - Life Cycle Interpretation,” ISO/DIS 14043.
Liver glycogenesis, glycogen synthetase and adrenal responsiveness of rats exposed to acceleration stress.

To investigate further the mechanism (s) of stress-induced stimulation of liver glycogenesis, overnight fasted female rats, 14, 40, 70 and 90 days old, were centrifuged at 4.7 g for 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 hr. Changes in plasma glucose, plasma corticosterone, liver glycogen, G-6-P and glycogen synthetase activity were determined. Increased liver glycogenesis in stressed rats was always preceded by an increase in total synthetase activity due to an increase in the G-6-P independent form of the enzyme. No increase in liver glycogenesis or synthetase activity occurred in 14-day-old rats, in rats treated with actinomycin D or Metopirone, or in adrenalectomized rats. The 14-day-old rats which showed no marked increase in plasma corticosterone when stressed had significantly smaller concentrations of adrenal corticosterone and a lower rate of steroidogenesis in vitro than mature rats. (Endocrinology 80: 707, 1967)
Analysis of T-cell differentiation antigens in acute lymphatic leukemia using monoclonal antibodies.

Leukemic cells in 134 patients with ALL were analyzed by a panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies. Two antibodies are reactive with all peripheral blood T cells but define different surface antigens (Leu-1 and Leu-4). Two other antibodies react with antigens that are restricted to suppressor/cytotoxic T cells (Leu-2) and to helper T cells (Leu-3). We also used antibodies to the receptor for sheep red blood cells (SRBC) (Leu-5) and to a human “TL-like” antigen that is found on most thymocytes but not in peripheral T cells (Leu-6). An antibody to the human p29.34 “Ia-like” molecule was also tested. Of the 134 ALL patients, 17 had a predominance of SRBC-rosetting (Leu-5+) lymphoblasts (“T” ALL), expressing different surface phenotypes defined by this panel of monoclonal antibodies. These phenotypes were not readily classifiable according to a scheme of sequential stages of normal differentiation proposed. Moreover, the lymphoblasts in 8 of 113 patients not expressing conventional B- to T-cell markers (“null” ALL) reacted with the monoclonal anti-T-cell antibodies. This study suggests that the classification of lymphoblasts in ALL based on the reactivities observed with this panel of mouse monoclonal antibodies is not easily reconciled with current models of normal T-cell differentiation. However, it should be emphasized that the precise sequence of antigenic expression by cells undergoing thymic differentiation is still not fully known, and further phenotypic analysis of ALL cells might contribute to an improved understanding of this malignancy.
The Big Three Performance Variables: Macroperformance of the United States and the Eurozone

The big three performance variables -- growth in real GDP, inflation rate, and unemployment rate -- are important starting points for delving into the macroeconomies of any country. This note offers some brief background on the policy environment surrounding performance reporting in the United States and the Eurozone; exhibits show historical performance on each of the big three variables for both. Students are asked to relate important events in the world economy to the path of the three variables from 1999 through mid-2009. Differences in performance in each country/region over time and differences among the regions are also requested in the assignment questions.
Compilation techniques for short-vector instructions

Multimedia extensions are nearly ubiquitous in today's general-purpose processors. These extensions consist primarily of a set of short-vector instructions that apply the same opcode to a vector of operands. This design introduces a data-parallel component to processors that exploit instruction-level parallelism, and presents an opportunity for increased performance. In fact, ignoring a processor's vector opcodes can leave a significant portion of the available resources unused. In order for software developers to find short-vector instructions generally useful, the compiler must target these extensions with complete transparency and consistent performance. This thesis develops compiler techniques to target short-vector instructions automatically and efficiently. One important aspect of compilation is the effective management of memory alignment. As with scalar loads and stores, vector references are typically more efficient when accessing aligned regions. In many cases, the compiler can glean no alignment information and must emit conservative code sequences. In response, I introduce a range of compiler techniques for detecting and enforcing aligned references. In my benchmark suite, the most practical method ensures alignment for roughly 75% of dynamic memory references. This thesis also introduces selective vectorization, a technique for balancing computation across a processor's scalar and vector resources. Current approaches for targeting short-vector instructions directly adopt vectorizing technology first developed for supercomputers. Traditional vectorization, however, can lead to a performance degradation since it fails to account for a processor's scalar execution resources. I formulate selective vectorization in the context of software pipelining. My approach creates software pipelines with shorter initiation intervals, and therefore, higher performance. In contrast to conventional methods, selective vectorization operates on a low-level intermediate representation. This technique allows the algorithm to accurately measure the performance trade-offs of code selection alternatives. A key aspect of selective vectorization is its ability to manage communication of operands between vector and scalar instructions. Even when operand transfer is expensive, the technique is sufficiently sophisticated to achieve significant performance gains. I evaluate selective vectorization on a set of SPEC FP benchmarks. On a realistic VLIW processor model, the approach achieves whole-program speedups of up to 1.35× over existing approaches. For individual loops, it provides speedups of up to 1.75×. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Emobie™: A Robot Companion for Children with Anxiety

EmobieTM is a concept for a social robot that provides companionship and comfort to children with anxiety. Emobie helps calm anxious children by responding to their emotions, both reflecting back emotions and helping them to increase coping skills. An additional goal of Emobie is to improve communication between children, parents, and therapists by sharing thoughts and feelings.
Coulomb Excitation of Ru 99 and Ru 101

The gamma-ray spectra resulting from Coulomb excitation of ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{99}$ and ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{101}$ by 4-7-MeV $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ particles are reported. Gamma-ray spectra were investigated using both Ge(Li) detectors and NaI(Tl) detectors. More than 14 transitions in ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{99}$ and 21 transitions in ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{101}$ were observed. $B(E2)$ values are presented for 7 states in ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{99}$ and 10 states in ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{101}$. In addition, transition speeds are presented for several $M1$ and $E2$ transitions between excited states of these nuclei. The level schemes constructed for both nuclei are essentially in agreement with previous studies of radioactive decay. Many of the $E2$ transitions in both nuclei are very much enhanced, indicative of the collective character of the states. The transition speeds are compared with various nuclear-model predictions.
Laboratory Feeding Activity and Bait Preferences of Four Species of Cockroaches (Orthoptera: Blattaria)

Feeding preferences of individual American cockroaches (Periplaneta Americana (L.)), smokybrown cockroaches ( P. fuliginosa (Serville)), brownbanded cockroaches ( Supella longipalpa (F.)), and Eurycotis floridana (Walker) were examined in the laboratory to test the hypothesis that dry distiller’s grain is as attractive as dry cat chow, laboratory rat chow, or distiller’s grain with uric acid. Except for E. floridana , females typically spent more time on baits than did males. Only the brownbanded cockroach showed a significant preference for cat chow. Data were variable for the other three species, but showed that adults readily accept dry distiller’s grain. We conclude that this bait is preferable to the others for field studies of cockroach population dynamics.
Constituencies and Strategies

Whether it is the politics of the nomination process, the politics of the general election, or the politics of governance, it is safe to say that all candidates will firmly announce that they represent "all the people." Each will pronounce profusely that he or she "owes no one or no special interest group." And each will insist that he or she will pursue policies based on principles, not on pressures.
Study on Exchange Bias Enhanced Stabilization of Antiferromagnetic FeMn Thin Film

A series of substrate//Ta/NiFe(Ⅰ)/FeMn(Ⅰ)/ NiFe(Ⅱ)/FeMn(Ⅱ)/Ta films have been synthesized by magnetron sputtering.It was found that,for NiFe/FeMn bilayers,only those with FeMn thickness of larger than 3.5nm presented exchange bias.However,by exchanging couple with NiFe,the FeMn(Ⅰ) with thickness of only 2nm can generate exchange bias to NiFe(Ⅰ).This result suggests that the exchange bias enhance the stabilization of antiferromagnetic FeMn.
Slice Culture Modeling of Central Nervous System (CNS) Viral Infection

The complexity of the central nervous system (CNS) is not recapitulated in cell culture models. Thin slicing and subsequent culture of CNS tissue has become a valued means to study neuronal and glial biology within the context of the physiologically relevant tissue milieu. Modern membrane-interface slice culturing methodology allows straightforward access to both CNS tissue and feeding medium, enabling experimental manipulations and analyses that would otherwise be impossible in vivo. CNS slices can be successfully maintained in culture for up to several weeks for investigation of evolving pathology and long-term intervention in models of chronic neurologic disease.Herein, membrane-interface slice culture models for studying viral encephalitis and myelitis are detailed, with emphasis on the use of these models for investigation of pathogenesis and evaluation of novel treatment strategies. We describe techniques to (1) generate brain and spinal cord slices from rodent donors, (2) virally infect slices, (3) assess virally induced injury/apoptosis, (4) characterize "CNS-specific" cytokine production, and (5) treat slices with cytokines/pharmaceuticals. Although our focus is on CNS viral infection, we anticipate that the described methods can be adapted to address a wide range of investigations within the fields of neuropathology, neuroimmunology, and neuropharmacology.
Hydrologic flowpaths during snowmelt in forested headwater catchments under differing winter climatic and soil frost regimes

Changes in hydrologic flowpaths have important impacts on the timing, magnitude and hydrochemistry of run-off during snowmelt in forested catchments, but how flowpaths are affected by variation in winter climate and the irregular presence of soil frost remains poorly understood. The depth and extent of soil frost may be expected to increase as snowpack decreases or develops later because of climate change. In this study, we used end-member mixing analysis to determine daily contributions of snow, forest floor soil water and groundwater to stream run-off during snowmelt under different soil frost regimes resulting from interannual and elevational variation at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire, USA. We observed greater routing of run-off through forest floor flowpaths during early snowmelt in 2011, when the snowpack was deep and soil frost was minimal, compared with the early snowmelt in 2012 under conditions of deep and extensive soil frost. The results indicate that widespread soil frost that penetrated the depth of the forest floor decreased the flow signal through the shallowest subsurface flowpaths, but did not reduce overall infiltration of melt waters, as the contribution from the snow-precipitation end-member was similar under both conditions. These results are consistent with development of granular soil frost which permits vertical infiltration of melt waters, but either reduces lateral flow in the forest floor or prevents the solute exchange that would produce the typical chemical signature of shallow subsurface flowpaths in streamwater. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.