cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
At Home Photography-Based Method for Measuring Wrist Range of Motion.

Purpose To determine the reliability of wrist range of motion (WROM) measurements based on digital photographs taken by patients at home compared with traditional measurements done in the office with a goniometer. Methods Sixty-nine postoperative patients were enrolled in this study at least 3 months postoperatively. Active and passive wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation were recorded by one of the two attending surgeons with a 1-degree resolution goniometer at the last postoperative office visit. Patients were provided an illustrated instruction sheet detailing how to take digital photographic images at home in six wrist positions (active and passive flexion/extension, and radial/ulnar deviation). Wrist position was measured from digital images by both the attending surgeons in a randomized, blinded fashion on two separate occasions greater than 2 weeks apart using the same goniometer. Reliability analysis was performed using the intraclass correlation coefficient to assess agreement between clinical and photography-based goniometry, as well as intra- and interobserver agreement. Results Out of 69 enrolled patients, 30 (43%) patients sent digital images. Of the 180 digital photographs, only 9 (5%) were missing or deemed inadequate for WROM measurements. Agreement between clinical and photography-based measurements was “almost perfect” for passive wrist flexion/extension and “substantial” for active wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation. Inter- and intraobserver agreement for the attending surgeons was “almost perfect” for all measurements. Discussion This study validates a photography-based goniometry protocol allowing accurate and reliable WROM measurements without direct physician contact. Passive WROM was more accurately measured from photographs than active WROM. This study builds on previous photography-based goniometry literature by validating a protocol in which patients or their families take and submit their own photographs. Clinical Relevance Patient-performed photography-based goniometry represents an alternative to traditional clinical goniometry that could enable longer-term follow-up, overcome travel-related impediments to office visits, improve convenience, and reduce costs for patients.
Acoustic topological insulator based on phononic crystals

Quantum Spin Hall Effects(QSHE) underpins most of the design in topological insulators. The intrinsic spin-0 of the phononics, yet, continue to be the main barrier in designing acoustic topological insulators. Previous research proposed a solution using external fields such as clockwise and counter-clockwise circulating fluids to create artificial acoustic spin-1/2 states. Most recently, several papers provided ideas based on forming two pairs of degenerate Bloch modes in phononic crystals by tuning the filling factor of the honeycomb lattice. In this work, we introduce a new way to form a phononic double Dirac cone based on the idea of “zone folding”. By simple modifications of the geometry, topological protected bulk band gaps can be opened and a helical edge channel can be realized.
Employee Benefit Plan Audits: The Current State and Future Direction

SUMMARY Employee benefit plans represent vital components of our economic system and are a critical employment and retirement consideration for many individuals and the organizations that employ them. Surprisingly, the extant academic research and official authoritative standards on audits of employee benefit plans are sparse. This paper describes the current state of employee benefit plan audit quality, focusing on a recent report from the Department of Labor. Next, a proposed statement on auditing standards specific to employee benefit plans is described and summarized. Concluding, I provide insights on potential future directions for this industry of audits.
Radiation Gene-expression Signatures in Primary Breast Cancer Cells

Background/aim In breast cancer (BC) care, radiation therapy (RT) is an efficient treatment to control localized tumor. Radiobiological research is needed to understand molecular differences that affect radiosensitivity of different tumor subtypes and the response variability. The aim of this study was to analyze gene expression profiling (GEP) in primary BC cells following irradiation with doses of 9 Gy and 23 Gy delivered by intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) in order to define gene signatures of response to high doses of ionizing radiation. Materials and methods We performed GEP by cDNA microarrays and evaluated cell survival after IOERT treatment in primary BC cell cultures. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was performed to validate candidate genes. Results We showed, for the first time, a 4-gene and a 6-gene signature, as new molecular biomarkers, in two primary BC cell cultures after exposure at 9 Gy and 23 Gy respectively, for which we observed a significantly high survival rate. Conclusion Gene signatures activated by different doses of ionizing radiation may predict response to RT and contribute to defining a personalized biological-driven treatment plan.
Interagency Conflict, Power, and Sanctioning Systems: An Alaskan Example

The covert processes in the interagency system in Anchorage social services is the subject of this paper. The emphasis is on (1) conflicts between explicit goals of planning and rationality in social services and covert or hidden goals concerning protection of organizational jurisdiction; (2) the structure of interagency power; and (3) the socialization and regulation of member agencies' behavior. The data for the study derive from focused interviews with agency administrators and staff members and observations at community planning meetings. The major finding of the study is that the explicit goals of rationality, integration, and planning in social services are subverted by other hidden goals concerning member agencies' organizational survival interests. The domination of these hidden goals shapes the interagency power, control, and sanctioning system.
PATTERN RECOGNITION APPLIED TO THE COUNTING OF NERVE FIBER CROSS-SECTIONS AND WATER DROPLETS

Very simple recognition algorithms for black and white pictures containing many simple objects of any size, position, orientation and shape are described. The techniques are simple to implement as computer programs, and have been applied to the histogramming of nerve fiber cross-sections and masses of water droplets.
Una nueva síntesis humanista para un orden económico y social justo

This note is the revised text of an oral communication presented at the round table on the ﬁnancial system, business ethics and social thought (within the session “ Financialization of the economy, a crisis of ethics and social emergencies “) at the XIII Congress Sainz de Andino Association “The duty and the right to protection of consumers in times of crisis”, held in Cordoba on June 28, 2013 . This text is part of a research project on consumer protection, competition rules and corporate culture and tries to lay the foundation –a foundation and a horizon– contemplating ethical regeneration and political commitment in a fair economic and social order, an economy to serve the common good.
Increased attention to the tobacco power wall predicts increased smoking risk among adolescents.

Abstract The purpose of this correlational study was to evaluate the association between attention paid by adolescents to the tobacco power wall and their susceptibility to future smoking. The study was conducted in the RAND Store Lab (RSL), a life-sized replica of a convenience store designed to investigate how tobacco advertising displays in retail point-of-sale environments relate to tobacco use risk and behaviors. In this study, middle and high school students (N = 80) shopped in the RSL while their attention to the tobacco power wall was measured covertly. Before and after shopping in the RSL, participants completed a measure of susceptibility to smoking in the future. Controlling for baseline cigarette smoking susceptibility and other potential confounders, attention toward the tobacco power wall was found to be significantly associated with future smoking susceptibility, p = .046. This finding suggests that policies aimed at decreasing the prominence of power walls in retail outlets should be given careful consideration as ways to reduce the impact of point-of-sale tobacco advertising and promotion on youth smoking susceptibility.
Abstract CT079: Neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in resectable lung cancer

Background: Programmed death-1 (PD-1) blocking antibodies improve survival in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) but have not been tested in resectable NSCLC, where little progress has been made over the last decade. Methods: Adults with untreated surgically resectable stage I-IIIA NSCLC received two doses of nivolumab (anti-PD-1) preoperatively. The primary endpoints of the study were safety and feasibility. Tumor pathologic response, PD-L1 expression, mutation burden and mutation-associated neoantigen-specific T-cell responses were evaluated. Results: Neoadjuvant nivolumab was had an acceptable side effect profile without surgical delays, and 20 of 21 tumors were completely resected. Major pathologic response occurred in 45% (9/20) of resected tumors. Responses occurred in both PD-L1 positive and negative tumors. Pathologic response significantly correlated with pre-treatment tumor somatic mutation burden. T-cell clones shared between the tumor and peripheral blood increased systemically upon anti-PD-1 treatment in 8 of 9 patients analyzed. Mutation-associated neoantigen-specific T-cell clones, from a primary tumor that underwent pathologic complete response, rapidly expanded in peripheral blood at 2-4 weeks post-treatment, some of these clones were not detected before anti-PD-1. Conclusions: Neoadjuvant nivolumab was associated with few side effects, did not delay surgery, and induced major pathologic responses in 45% of resected tumors. Tumor mutation burden is predictive of pathologic response to anti-PD-1. Anti-PD-1 can induce expansion of mutation-associated neoantigen-specific T-cell clones in peripheral blood. [P.M.F., J.E.C., and K.N.S. contributed equally to this work.] Citation Format: Patrick M. Forde, Jamie E. Chaft, Kellie N. Smith, Valsamo Anagnostou, Tricia R. Cottrell, Matthew D. Hellmann, Marianna Zahurak, Stephen C. Yang, David R. Jones, Stephen Broderick, Richard J. Battafarano, Moises J. Velez, Natasha Rekhtman, Zachary Olah, Jarushka Naidoo, Kristen A. Marrone, Franco Verde, Haidan Guo, Jiajia Zhang, Justina X. Caushi, Hok Yee Chan, John-William Sidhom, Robert B. Scharpf, James White, Edward Gabrielson, Hao Wang, Gary L. Rosner, Valerie Rusch, Jedd D. Wolchok, Taha Merghoub, Janis M. Taube, Victor E. Velculescu, Suzanne L. Topalian, Julie R. Brahmer, Drew M. Pardoll. Neoadjuvant PD-1 blockade in resectable lung cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr CT079.
THE INFLUENCE OF WATER TEMPERATURE AND HARDNESS ON THE CLEANING OF C-I-P FARM MILK PIPELINES1

By means of a laboratory model of a C-I-P milk pipeline device, it has been shown that farm C-I-P milk pipelines can be satisfactorily cleaned with the cleaning solution temperature starting in the range of 130–140° F. and cooling to as low as 90°F. during the washing cycle. This was demonstrated with waters of as high as 25 grains per gallon hardness. Satisfactory cleaning is dependant upon the use of an adequate cleaning agent and the periodic use of on acid cleaner.
Indulgent Parenting, Helicopter Parenting, and Well-being of Parents and Emerging Adults

Research on indulgent parenting in childhood and adolescence and its association with helicopter parenting in emerging adulthood and the well-being of parents and emerging adult children is limited. In this study, we examined (1) the association between indulgent parenting in childhood and adolescence and helicopter parenting in emerging adulthood, (2) the association between indulgent parenting and parents’ parenting stress and negative well-being, and (3) whether helicopter parenting mediated the association between indulgent parenting and emerging adults’ psychological problems. The sample was composed of 449 college students with a subsample of 142 parent-student dyads. Results from analyses on parents (Part I, N = 142) and emerging adults (Part II, N = 449) suggested that (1) indulgent parenting in childhood and adolescence was associated with helicopter parenting in emerging adulthood (b = .69, p < .01 in Part I; b = .58, p < .01 in Part II), (2) there was a positive association between indulgent parenting and parents’ negative well-being (b = .26, p < .01 in Part I) and parenting stress (b = .29, p < .01 in Part I), and (3) helicopter parenting mediated the association between indulgent parenting and emerging adults’ depressive and anxiety symptoms and emotional dysregulation (.15, 95% CI .03 to .43 in Part II). Implications for parenting and emerging adult health programs were discussed.
Internal Electrostatic Discharge Testing of a RF Cable and Connectors

Internal Electrostatic Discharge (IESD) tests and 3D simulations on a RF coax cable with three different connectors (SMA, 2.92 mm, and 3.5 mm) are performed to assess the iESD threat at Europa Clipper Environment.
Chiral Synthesis via Organoboranes. 47. Efficient Synthesis of Unsymmetrical Ketones and Enantiomerically Pure Spiroketals Using (+/-)-Isopinocampheyldichloroborane.

Readily prepared and stable (±)-isopinocampheyldichloroborane [(±)-IpcBCl2] was conveniently used for the stepwise hydroboration of two different alkenes using the in situ reduction−hydroboration p...
Harnessing Behavioral Economics Principles to Promote Better Surgeon Accountability for Operating Room Cost: A Prospective Study.

Background Operating room (OR) cost accounts for a significant portion of inpatient spending, but most surgeons are unaware of the costs of OR implants and supplies. We leveraged behavioral economics principles and a cost transparency tool to have an impact on discretionary OR spending (disposable supplies). Study design We performed a single-institution, prospective study, from January to December 2018, across 3 departments: urology, thoracic, and endocrine. Two self-selected procedures per department were subjected to intraoperative supply cost (ISC) feedback via a custom dashboard and monthly email reports. Behavioral economics principles like choice overload, social ranking, and threshold effects were leveraged during study design. The primary outcome of percentage change in the department-level mean ISC, as determined via an interrupted time-series mixed effects model, was compared between the intervention year (2018) and “pre-baseline” (2016) and “baseline” (2017) years. Results A total of 2,853 procedures and 26 surgeons comprised our analytical sample. Costs decreased in 5 of the 6 procedures in 2018. On average, there was a significant monthly decrease in costs of approximately 0.5% over the study period (p = 0.0004). Post-intervention, there was a nonsignificant additional decrease of 0.6% in monthly cost (p = 0.0648). Overall cost significantly decreased by 20% due to the intervention (p Conclusions Deployment of a cost feedback tool using behavioral economics principles resulted in a significant decrease in OR spending without negatively affecting complication rate.
Stepwise Description and Outcomes of Bladder Neck Sparing Robot-Assisted Simple Prostatectomy.

Background: To present a stepwise description and outcomes of bladder neck sparing (BNS) robot-assisted simple prostatectomy (RASP). Methods: Between March 2015 and December 2018, 30 consecutive patients with benign prostate hyperplasia underwent BNS RASP. Baseline characteristics, and intraoperative and postoperative variables were retrospectively abstracted. Descriptive statistics were used to report the variables. Results: The median age was 66.5 (59.3-72.3) years, and median body mass index was 27.6 (24.5-72.3) kg/m2. The median preoperative International Prostate Symptoms Score was 23 (17.5-27), and median prostate size was 97 (74-148.75) mL. The mean (standard deviation [SD]) operative time was 107.5 (22.2) minutes, and the mean (SD) estimated blood loss was 132.4 (35.4) mL. All cases were completed robotically without any intraoperative complications, and continuous bladder irrigation was not necessary for any patient postoperatively. All patients were able to void after catheter removal except one patient with a preexisting diagnosis of neurogenic bladder who resumed clean intermittent catheterization. All patients were continent as defined as using 0 pads postoperatively. Of the 19 patients who had antegrade ejaculation before the operation, 8 patients (42%) reported of continued antegrade ejaculation after the operation. Conclusions: In this report, we demonstrate a simplified approach of BNS RASP that is reproducible with a favorable perioperative complication rates and acceptable postoperative functional outcomes. This technique obviates the need for continuous bladder irrigation and intraperitoneal drain.
Food waste of Chinese cruise passengers

This paper investigates the food waste phenomenon concerning Chinese cruise passengers holidaying on international cruise ships. Data were collected through participant observation, casual conversa...
Doubly Protective MOF-Photo-Fabrics: Facile Template-Free Synthesis of PCN-222-Textiles Enables Rapid Hydrolysis, Photo-Hydrolysis and Selective Oxidation of Multiple Chemical Warfare Agents and Simulants

New materials and chemical knowledge for improved personal protection are among the most pressing needs in the international community. Reported attacks using chemical warfare agents (CWAs,) including organophosphate soman (GD) and thioether mustard gas (HD) are driving research in field-deployable catalytic composites for rapid toxin degradation. In this work, we report simple template-free low temperature synthesis that enables for the first time, a deployable-structured catalytic metal-organic framework/polymer textile composite "MOF-fabric" showing rapid hydrolysis and oxidation of multiple active chemical warfare agents, GD and HD, respectively, and their simulants. Our method yields new zirconium-porphyrin based nano-crystalline PCN-222 MOF-fabrics with adjustable MOF loading and robust mechanical adhesion on low-cost nonwoven polypropylene fibers. Importantly, we describe quantitative kinetic analysis confirming that our MOF-fabrics are as effective as or better than analogous MOF powders for agent degradation, especially for oxidation. Faster oxidation using the MOF-fabrics is ascribed to the composite geometry, where active MOF catalysts are uniformly displayed on the MOF-textile enabling better reactant transport and reactive oxidant generation. Furthermore, we note the discovery of visible photo-activation of GD hydrolysis by a MOF-fabric, which is ascribed to oxidation at the active metal node site, significantly increasing the rate over that observed without illumination. These results provide important new insights into the design of future materials and chemical systems to protect military, first-responders, and civilians upon exposure to complex chemical toxins.
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Pathway for Single-Level Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion Decreases Length of Stay and Opioid Consumption.

Background Opioid requirements in the perioperative period in patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion surgery remain problematic. Although minimally invasive surgery (MIS) techniques have been developed, there still remain substantial challenges to reducing length of hospital stay (LOS) because of postoperative opioid requirements. Objective To study the effect of implementing an enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) pathway in patients undergoing a 1-level MIS transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (MIS TLIF) at our institution. Methods We implemented an ERAS pathway in patients undergoing an elective single-level MIS TLIF for degenerative changes at a single institution. Consecutive patients were enrolled over a 20-mo period and compared with a pre-ERAS group prior to the implementation of the ERAS protocol. The primary outcome was LOS. Secondary outcomes included reduction in morphine milligram equivalent units (MME), pain scores, postoperative urinary retention (POUR), and incidence of postoperative delirium. Patients were compared using the chi-square and Welch's 2-sample t-tests. Results A total of 299 patients were evaluated in this study: 87 in the ERAS group and 212 in the pre-ERAS group. In the ERAS group, there was a significant reduction in LOS (3.13 ± 1.53 vs 3.71 ± 2.07 d, P = .019), total admission MME (252.74 ± 317.38 vs 455.91 ± 498.78 MME, P = .001), and the number of patients with POUR (48.3% vs 65.6%, P = .008). There were no differences in pain scores. Conclusion This is the largest ERAS MIS fusion cohort published to date evaluating a single cohort of patients in a generalizable manner. This ERAS pathway has shown a substantial decrease in LOS and opioid requirements in the immediate perioperative and postoperative period. There is further work to be done to evaluate patients undergoing other complex spine surgical interventions.
Symposium on “Geological Factors in Tunnel Construction: Geology and Tunnel Design

The work of the Committee on Grouting of the Soil Mechanics and Foundations Division is divided among four task committees, concerned with (1) bituminous, (2) chemical, (3) cement and (4) clay grou...
Examining Pathways of Iron and Sulfur Acquisition, Trafficking, Deployment, and Storage in Mineral-Grown Methanogen Cells.

Methanogens have a high demand for iron (Fe) and sulfur (S); however, little is known of how they acquire, deploy, and store these elements and how this, in turn, affects their physiology. Methanogens were recently shown to reduce pyrite (FeS2), generating aqueous iron sulfide (FeSaq) clusters that are likely assimilated as a source of Fe and S. Here, we compared the phenotypes of Methanococcus voltae grown with FeS2 or ferrous iron [Fe(II)] and sulfide (HS−). FeS2-grown cells are 33% smaller yet have 193% more Fe than Fe(II)/HS−-grown cells. Whole-cell electron paramagnetic resonance revealed similar distributions of paramagnetic Fe, although FeS2-grown cells showed a broad spectral feature attributed to intracellular thioferrate-like nanoparticles. Differential proteomic analyses showed similar expression of core methanogenesis enzymes, indicating that Fe and S source does not substantively alter the energy metabolism of cells. However, a homolog of the Fe(II) transporter FeoB and its putative transcriptional regulator DtxR were up-expressed in FeS2-grown cells, suggesting that cells sense Fe(II) limitation. Two homologs of IssA, a protein putatively involved in coordinating thioferrate nanoparticles, were also up-expressed in FeS2-grown cells. We interpret these data to indicate that, in FeS2-grown cells, DtxR cannot sense Fe(II) and therefore cannot downregulate FeoB. We suggest this is due to the transport of Fe(II) complexed with sulfide (FeSaq), leading to excess Fe that is sequestered by IssA as a thioferrate-like species. This model provides a framework for the design of targeted experiments aimed at further characterizing Fe acquisition and homeostasis in M. voltae and other methanogens. IMPORTANCE FeS2 is the most abundant sulfide mineral in the Earth’s crust and is common in environments inhabited by methanogenic archaea. FeS2 can be reduced by methanogens, yielding aqueous FeSaq clusters that are thought to be a source of Fe and S. Here, we show that growth of Methanococcus voltae on FeS2 results in smaller cell size and higher Fe content per cell, with Fe likely stored intracellularly as thioferrate-like nanoparticles. Fe(II) transporters and storage proteins were upregulated in FeS2-grown cells. These responses are interpreted to result from cells incorrectly sensing Fe(II) limitation due to assimilation of Fe(II) as FeSaq. These findings have implications for our understanding of how Fe/S availability influences methanogen physiology and the biogeochemical cycling of these elements.
Integrating Ethical Dimensions into a Model of Budgetary Slack Creation

The "Ibercorp affair" was front-page news in Spain at various times between 1992 and 1995. In itself, there was nothing particularly new about it: a newly formed financial group engaged in legally and ethically reprehensible behaviour that eventually came to light in the media, ruining the company (and the careers of those involved). What aroused public interest at the time was the fact that it involved individuals connected with Spanish public and political life, the media and certain business circles. Above all, it demonstrated the personal, economic, social and political consequences of a business culture based on the pursuit of easy profits at any price (what came to be known as the cultura del pelotazo or "culture of the fast buck"). Again, this is all too familiar in business ethics. But it served to goad Spanish society into a rejection of such behaviour. This article describes the facts and their ethical implications.
Why Do Firms Bribe? Insights from Residual Control Theory into Firms' Exposure and Vulnerability to Corruption.

This study answers the questions of why firms bribe government officials and why some firms pay higher bribes than other firms. Using insights from residual control theory, we examine how governments exercise residual rights of control through regulation or state ownership of firms, and how these rights affect the payment and size of bribes by firms. We argue that firms vary in their exposure and vulnerability to residual rights of control by government officials, depending on the firms’ characteristics and circumstances. Differences in firms’ exposure and vulnerability to corruption affect their threat point (i.e. ability to walk away) and thus affect which firms pay bribes and bribe size. Our results show that, at the firm level, bribe size depends on how much a government can exercise residual rights of control and the firm’s threat point. At the same time, at the country level, the type of corruption matters; pervasive corruption is positively related, while arbitrary corruption is negatively related, to bribes paid.
Restoration of E-cadherin Cell-Cell Junctions Requires Both Expression of E-cadherin and Suppression of ERK MAP Kinase Activation in Ras-Transformed Breast Epithelial Cells

E-cadherin is a main component of the cell-cell adhesion junctions that play a principal role in maintaining normal breast epithelial cell morphology. Breast and other cancers that have up-regulated activity of Ras are often found to have down-regulated or mislocalized E-cadherin expression. Disruption of E-cadherin junctions and consequent gain of cell motility contribute to the process known as epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Enforced expression of E-cadherin or inhibition of Ras-signal transduction pathway has been shown to be effective in causing reversion of EMT in several oncogene-transformed and cancer-derived cell lines. In this study, we investigated MCF10A human breast epithelial cells and derivatives that were transformed with either activated H-Ras or N-Ras to test for the reversion of EMT by inhibition of Ras-driven signaling pathways. Our results demonstrated that inhibition of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) kinase, but not PI3-kinase, Rac, or myosin light chain kinase, was able to completely restore E-cadherin cell-cell junctions and epithelial morphology in cell lines with moderate H-Ras expression. In MCF10A cells transformed by a high-level expression of activated H-Ras or N-Ras, restoration of E-cadherin junction required both the enforced reexpression of E-cadherin and suppression of MAPK kinase. Enforced expression of E-cadherin alone did not induce reversion from the mesenchymal phenotype. Our results suggest that Ras transformation has at least two independent actions to disrupt E-cadherin junctions, with effects to cause both mislocalization of E-cadherin away from the cell surface and profound decrease in the expression of E-cadherin.
RADIATING FLOWS DURING ENTRY INTO PLANETARY ATMOSPHERES

Publisher Summary Probes have circumnavigated Mars, Venus, and the Moon. Much advance planning has been done on future missions. Among numerous other problems, the question of probe survival during their penetration in the atmosphere of planets has received attention. This chapter reviews the progress that was made in the understanding of the radiation processes that take place around probes during planetary entry. Three kinds of atmospheres seem to be of interest: air, nitrogen-carbon dioxide mixtures, and hydrogen-helium mixtures. The design of systems that make the best use of available technology involves a wide choice of trajectories, with varying atmospheric entry patterns. Velocities up to 55,000 fps have been studied for Earth re-entry and up to 190,000 fps for Jupiter entry. The density ranges relevant to radiation exchanges are the same for all atmospheres. The recent advances in this domain can be grouped into three parts: emissive properties, shock layer techniques, and non-equilibrium phenomena.
Towards a Latinidad Feminista: The Multiplicities of Latinidad and Feminism in Contemporary Cinema

This essay examines the multiplicities of Latinidad and feminism as portrayed in contemporary cinema. Using the films Selena (1997), Girlfight (2000), and Real Women Have Curves (2002) as case studies, the author argues that these films mark a moment in U.S. cinematic history in which diverse and complex Latinidades feministas are represented. This representational analysis offers insight into how these films demonstrate the dynamics and intersectionality of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class while challenging gendered and racialized notions of authenticity. Ultimately, the author contends that despite their status as popular commodified forms, these films embody a Latinidad feminista that transgresses historical representations of Latinas in U.S. cinema in offering Latina subjectivities that are hybrid, fluid, and complex.
Application of automatic differentiation for the simulation of nonisothermal, multiphase flow in geothermal reservoirs

Simulation of nonisothermal, multiphase flow through fractured geothermal reservoirs involves the solution of a system of strongly nonlinear algebraic equations. The Newton-Raphson method used to solve such a nonlinear system of equations requires the evaluation of a Jacobian matrix. In this paper we discuss automatic differentiation (AD) as a method for analytically computing the Jacobian matrix of derivatives. Robustness and efficiency of the AD-generated derivative codes are compared with a conventional derivative computation approach based on first-order finite differences.
Autoregulatory Sequences are Revealed by Complex Stability Screening of the Mouse brn-3.0 Locus

The POU-IV or Brn-3 class of transcription factors exhibit conserved structure, DNA-binding properties, and expression in specific subclasses of neurons across widely diverged species. In the mouse CNS, Brn-3.0 expression characterizes specific neurons from neurogenesis through the life of the cell. This irreversible activation of expression suggests positive autoregulation. To search for cis -acting elements that could mediate autoregulation we used a novel method, complex stability screening, which we applied to rapidly identify functional Brn-3.0 recognition sites within a large genomic region encompassing the mouse brn-3.0 locus. This method is based on the observation that the kinetic stability of Brn-3.0 complexes with specific DNA sequences, as measured by their dissociation half-lives, is highly correlated with the ability of those sequences to mediate transcriptional activation by Brn-3.0. The principal Brn-3.0 autoregulatory region lies ∼5 kb upstream from the Brn-3.0 transcription start site and contains multiple Brn-3.0-binding sites that strongly resemble the optimal binding site for this protein class. This region also mediates transactivation by the closely related protein Brn-3.2, suggesting a regulatory cascade of POU proteins in specific neurons in which Brn-3.2 expression precedes Brn-3.0.
Experimental modeling of the etch characteristics of polysilicon in CCl/sub 4//He/O/sub 2/ plasmas

The objective is to obtain a comprehensive set of statistical models for a variety of process data which accurately represent the behavior of a specific piece of equipment under a wide range of etch conditions. In particular, this study focuses on the control of etch rate, uniformity, and selectivity of n/sup +/-doped polysilicon in a CCl/sub 4//He/O/sub 2/ plasma generated by a Lam Research Autotech 490 single-wafer system operating at 13.56 MHz. These responses were monitored under the variation of six input parameters: RF power, pressure, electrode spacing, and the three gas flows. These parameters are fitted to quadratic response surface models. Although the models obtained are generated for a specific process running on a specific piece of equipment, the methodology outlined is general enough to be applied to many semiconductor manufacturing processes. >
Effect of night vision goggles on performance of advanced life support skills by emergency personnel.

ABSTRACT Night vision goggles (NVGs) are used by military personnel operating in low-light environments. It is not known whether NVGs can be used by medical personnel to provide emergency care under such conditions. This was a randomized controlled study to determine the effect of NVGs on the performance of intravenous line insertion (IVI) and endotracheal intubation (EI) on training manikins. Emergency physicians and paramedics were randomized to perform EI and IVI in ambient light or in total darkness using NVGs. Each skill was repeated three times, and averages were determined. The average times for EI in ambient light and with NVGs were 48.4 and 188.2 seconds, respectively (SE of 13.4 seconds for both; p > 0.0001). The average times for IVI in ambient light and with NVGs were 34.7 and 73.7 seconds, respectively (SE of 4.1 seconds for both; p > 0.0001). Emergency personnel were able to successfully perform these skills using NVGs, but their times were significantly longer than in ambient light.
Electric field assisted doping of semiconductors during epitaxial growth

Abstract We describe a novel technique to improve doping in semiconductors, by the application of external electric fields during crystal growth. The dopants are modeled as charged, mobile species that are free to diffuse and drift under electric fields. In the case of molecular beam expitaxial (MBE) growth, we solve for the steady state of these species in a moving coordinate frame that travels with the growth front. We have specifically applied our analysis to Li donors in n-type ZnTe. Our results indicate that excellent improvements in the doping concentrations could be obtained under normal MBE growth conditions, with the applications, with the application of substantial electric fields.
Children’s response speeds to familiarized stimuli

Young children observed 20 presentations each of a red and a green light. The duration of 1 light (NS) was 1.5 sec., that of the other (FS) was 4.5 sec. Ss then responded to the onset of the stimuli in a lever-pulling task. Starting, but not movement, speeds to the NS were significantly greater than those to the FS. No evidence for a change effect was obtained.
Elaborating the elaboration theory

In this article, the author comments on the preceding article, “A Critical Review of Elaboration Theory,” by Brent Wilson and Peggy Cole
Cardiac xenotransplantation: Progress toward the clinic

Background Animal organs could satisfy the demand for solid organ transplants, which currently exceeds the limited human donor supply. Hyperacute rejection, the initial immune barrier to successful xenotransplantation, has been overcome with pig donors transgenic for human complement regulatory proteins. Delayed xenograft rejection, thought to be mediated by anti-pig antibodies predominantly to Gal antigens, is currently regarded as the major barrier to successful xenotransplantation. A median graft survival of 90 days in the life-supporting position is considered a reasonable initial standard for consideration of entry to the clinic. Methods A series of 10 heterotopic heart transplants from CD46 transgenic pigs to baboons was completed. Immunosuppression consisted of splenectomy, Rituximab (Anti-CD20), tacrolimus, sirolimus, corticosteroids, and TPC. Thymoglobulin (Rabbit Anti-Thymocyte Globulin) was used to treat putative rejection episodes. Results Median graft survival was 76 days (range 56-113 days, n = 9). Only three grafts were lost to rejection. The remaining grafts lost were due to recipient mortality with baboon cytomegalovirus (BCMV) being the major cause (n = 4). No cellular infiltrates were present as a manifestation of rejection. Three hearts showed chronic graft vasculopathy. Conclusions The median survival of 76 days in this group of heterotopic porcine-to-baboon cardiac xenografts represents a major advance over the median 27-day survival reported in the literature. Cellular rejection may not constitute a direct major barrier to xenotransplantation. A median survival of 90 days may be achievable with better control of BCMV infection. If further studies in the orthotopic position replicate these outcomes, criteria considered appropriate for clinical application of cardiac xenotransplantation would be approached.
Bonding in Xenon Fluorides and Halogen Fluorides

The bonding in rare gas fluorides is similar to that in halogen polyfluorides, and the stability of such compounds should depend primarily on the ionization potential of the central atom. This theory is consistent with findings for all known compounds of the system and yields predictions concerning other systems.
Quinolinate in brain and cerebrospinal fluid in rat models of congenital hyperammonemia.

ABSTRACT: Children with inborn errors of urea synthesis who survive neonatal hyperammonemic coma commonly exhibit cognitive deficits and neurologic abnormalities. Yet, there is evidence that ammonia is not the only neurotoxin. Hyperammonemia appears to induce a number of neurochemical alterations. In rodent models of hyperammonemia, uptake of L-tryptophan into brain is increased. It has been reported that in an experimental rat model of hepatic encephalopathy, in the ammonium acetate-injected rat, and in patients with hepatic failure and inborn errors of ammonia metabolism, quinolinate, a tryptophan metabolite, is increased. Elevations in quinolinate are of particular concern, as quinolinate could excessively activate the N-methyl-D-aspartate subclass of excitatory amino acid receptors, thereby causing selective neuronal necrosis. We sought to identify an animal model that would replicate the increases in quinolinate that have been associated with hyperammonemia in humans. Levels of quinolinate were measured in hyperammonemic urease-infused rats and ammonium acetate-injected rats. In the urease-infused rat, brain tryptophan was doubled, and serotonin and its metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid were significantly increased. Yet, despite the increase in tryptophan and evidence for increased metabolism of tryptophan to serotonin, there were no observed increases of quinolinate in brain, cerebrospinal fluid, or plasma. In the ammonium acetate-injected rat, significant increases of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in cerebral cortex were also observed, but quinolinate did not change in cerebrospinal fluid or cerebral cortex. In summary, we were unable to demonstrate an increase of quinolinate in brain or cerebrospinal fluid in these rat models of hyperammonemia.
Expert Opinion, Agency Characteristics, and Agency Preferences

The study of bureaucracies and their relationship to political actors is central to understand ing the policy process in the United States. Studying this aspect of American politics is difficult because theories of agency behavior, effectiveness, and control often require mea sures of administrative agencies' policy preferences, and appropriate measures are hard to find for a broad spectrum of agencies. We propose a method for measuring agency pref erences based upon an expert survey of agency preferences for 82 executive agencies in existence between 1988 and 2005. We use a multirater item response model to provide a principled structure for combining subjective ratings based on scholarly and journalistic expertise with objective data on agency characteristics. We compare the resulting agency preference estimates and standard errors to existing alternative measures, discussing both the advantages and limitations of the method.
Fiber transmission losses in high-radiation fields

A summary is provided on the effects of ionizing radiation on present generation optical fibers. In particular, the paper focuses on the magnitude and the spectral and temporal characteristics of the radiation-induced transmission losses in irradiated fibers. The most radiation resistant classes of fibers are identified and possible approaches for further improvements in fiber performance are suggested.
A modeling study of shelf circulation off northern California in the region of the Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment 2. Simulations and comparisons with observations

[1] This is the second part of a modeling study of wind-forced flow on the continental shelf off northern California in the region (37°–40°N) of the Coastal Ocean Dynamics Experiment (CODE). Gan and Allen [2002] analyzed the shelf flow response to idealized wind stress forcing in a process-oriented study. The study here applies forcing from observed winds and heat flux for April–May 1982 and compares the model results with moored current and temperature measurements. The Princeton Ocean Model (POM) is used in a three-dimensional limited area domain with a high-resolution curvilinear grid (approximately 1 km horizontal spacing, 60 vertical levels) and realistic coastline and bottom topography. The objectives of the study are to simulate the response of the shelf circulation field to time-varying observed wind stress and heat flux, to compare model results with oceanographic observations to establish confidence in the model, and to subsequently analyze the model fields and the model dynamical balances to help understand the behavior of the observed flow. The model variables show overall good agreement with corresponding observations. Similar to the conclusions by Gan and Allen [2002], it is found that the alongshore variability of upwelling is mainly controlled by the interaction of the wind-forced shelf flow with the coastline and bottom topography. Different dynamical regimes in the regions north and south of the coastal capes formed by Pt. Reyes and Pt. Arena and in the more uniform region between these capes are identified and investigated. The results demonstrate that the coastal capes play a dominant role in causing alongshore variability of the upwelling flow, including the setup of an alongshore pressure gradient that forces northward currents during relaxation of southward upwelling favorable winds. An analysis of the balance of terms in the equation for potential temperature indicates that across-shore temperature advection is the major contributor to the cooling of coastal water during upwelling, with a larger magnitude to the south of the capes. To the north of the capes, however, alongshore temperature advection is the dominant contributor to the colder water near the coast.
Spurious Correlations and Causal Inferences

The failure to recognize a correlation as spurious can lead people to adopt strategies to bring about a specific outcome that manipulate something other than a cause of the outcome. However, in a 2008 paper appearing in the journal Analysis, Bert Leuridan, Erik Weber and Maarten Van Dyck suggest that knowledge of spurious correlations can, at least sometimes, justify adopting a strategy aiming at bringing about some change. This claim is surprising and, if true, throws into question the claim of Nancy Cartwright and others that knowledge of laws of association is insufficient for distinguishing effective and ineffective strategies. This paper examines the nature of spurious correlations and their value in crafting strategies for change. The conclusion of the paper is that while knowledge of a spurious correlation may have practical value, the value depends on either having knowledge of the causal structure underlying the correlation or it depends on the use of ‘causal criteria’.
The Pseudorabies Virus Us2 Protein, a Virion Tegument Component, Is Prenylated in Infected Cells

The Us2 gene is conserved among alphaherpesviruses, but its function is not known. We demonstrate here that the pseudorabies virus (PRV) Us2 protein is synthesized early after infection and localizes to cytoplasmic vesicles and to the plasma membrane, despite the lack of a recognizable signal sequence or membrane-spanning domain. Us2 protein is also packaged as part of the tegument of mature virions. The Us2 carboxy-terminal four amino acids comprise a CAAX motif, a well-characterized signal for protein prenylation. Treatment of infected cells with lovastatin, a drug that disrupts protein prenylation, changed the relative electrophoretic mobility of Us2 in sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. In addition, lovastatin treatment caused a dramatic relocalization of Us2 to cytoplasmic punctate structures associated with microtubules, which appeared to concentrate over the microtubule organizing center. When the CAAX motif was changed to GAAX and the mutant protein was synthesized from an expression plasmid, it concentrated in punctate cytoplasmic structures reminiscent of Us2 localization in infected cells treated with lovastatin. We suggest that prenylation of PRV Us2 protein is required for proper membrane association. Curiously, the Us2 protein isolated from purified virions does not appear to be prenylated. This is the first report to describe the prenylation of an alphaherpesvirus protein.
Modeling the Effects of Pilot Performance on Weapon Delivery Accuracy

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