cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Put the healthy item first: Order of ingredient listing influences consumer selection

This study examined effects of an order form intervention on choice of healthy ingredients among college students ordering submarine sandwiches (subs). Over eight weekly sub-nights, college students submitted 9765 orders. The order form format was manipulated in one condition making the healthier selections more salient. Main outcome measures were selection of ingredients. Multi-level logistic regression, chi square, and analysis of variance were used to examine the effect of experimental conditions on selection of ingredients. The health-salient form increased selection of healthier and decreased selection of unhealthy ingredients. The manipulation increased fiber, decreased sodium, but did not impact calorie/fat levels of the subs served.
Partial nephrectomy using a new dissecting instrument.

AbstractThe kidney is made of friable parenchyma with flexible blood vessels and collecting system structures. A dissecting clamp with interlacing blunt teeth was designed that, by repeated action of closing and opening over the renal parenchyma, crushes and dissects away the friable tissue, leaving the blood vessels and collecting system structures intact. Thus, individual ligation of blood vessels and collecting system structures can be performed at the line of resection. We report our experience in 10 dogs and 1 patient in whom partial nephrectomy was performed with this instrument.
Effect of mass-ratio, damping, and stiffness on optimal hydrokinetic energy conversion of a single, rough cylinder in flow induced motions

Abstract Flow Induced Motions (FIMs) of a single, rigid, circular cylinder with end-springs are investigated for Reynolds number 30,000 ≤ Re ≤ 120,000 with mass ratio, damping, and stiffness as parameters. Selective roughness is applied to enhance FIM and increase the hydrokinetic energy captured by the VIVACE (Vortex Induced Vibration for Aquatic Clean Energy) Converter at higher Reynolds numbers. The second generation of virtual spring-damping system Vck, recently developed in the Marine Renewable Energy Laboratory (MRELab), enables embedded computer-controlled change of viscous-damping and spring-stiffness for fast and precise oscillator modeling. Experimental results for amplitude response, frequency response, energy harvesting, and efficiency are presented and discussed. All experiments were conducted in the Low Turbulence Free Surface Water (LTFSW) Channel of the MRELab of the University of Michigan. The main conclusions are: (1) The oscillator can harness energy from flows as slow as 0.3946 m/s with no upper limit. (2) Increasing the spring stiffness, shifts the VIV synchronization range to higher flow velocities, resulting in reduced gap between VIV and galloping, where the harnessed power drops. (3) In galloping, the harnessed power increases with the mass ratio. (4) Local optima in energy conversion efficiency appear at the beginning of the VIV upper branch and at the beginning of galloping. (5) Local optima in power appear at the end VIV upper branch and at the beginning of galloping.
On the Selection of Spectral Zeros for Generating Passive Reduced Order Models

As process technology continues to scale into the nanoscale regime, passive components and interconnect plays an ever increasing role in realization of mixed-signal systems. In this paper, the authors develop a new method for the model order reduction of passive components and interconnect using frequency selective projection methods with interpolation points based on the spectral-zeros of the RLC interconnect model's transfer function. The methodology uses imaginary part of the spectral zeros for frequency selective adaptive projection and provides stable as well as passive reduced order models. The results indicate that our method provides more accurate approximations than techniques based on balanced truncation and moment matching
Comparison of the BackJoy SitSmart Relief and Spine Buddy LT1 H/C Ergonomic Chair Supports on Short-Term Neck and Back Pain

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to perform a needs assessment to determine whether short-term use of BackJoy SitSmart Relief and Spine Buddy LT1 H/C chair supports influences neck, upper back, and lower back pain. Methods Forty-eight college students (age, 27.5 ± 6.3 years; height, 1.72 ± 0.08 m; body mass, 78.7 ± 19.8 kg; time seated that day, 4.3 ± 2.8 hours; means ± SD) were recruited for this study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to measure pain for the neck, upper back, and lower back regions. Subjects were randomized to sit in a stationary office chair for a single 12-minute period under 1 of 4 conditions: office chair only (control group), BackJoy SitSmart Relief and chair, freezer-cooled Spine Buddy LT1 H/C and chair, or microwave-heated Spine Buddy LT1 H/C and chair. Participants then completed a posttest Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. A between-within repeated-measures analysis of variance using the between-subject factor intervention (group) and within-subject factor time (baseline and posttest) was used to analyze study data. Results The main effect of time across the whole sample was statistically significant for neck ( P = .000), upper back ( P = .032), and lower back ( P = .000) pain; however, there was no statistically significant interaction effect between intervention and time. Thus, as long as participants sat down and rested, symptoms improved similarly across the different groups. Conclusions In this preliminary study, short-term and single use of a support product for an office chair had no additive effect on reducing neck and back pain.
Tricuspid valve endocarditis

Right-sided infective endocarditis (RSIE) is less common than left-sided infective endocarditis (IE), encompassing only 5–10% of cases of IE. Ninety percent of RSIE involves the tricuspid valve (TV). Given the relatively small numbers of TVIE cases operated on at most institutions, the purpose of this review is to highlight and discuss the current understanding of IE involving the TV. RSIE and TVIE are strongly associated with intravenous drug use (IVDU), although pacemaker leads, defibrillator leads and vascular access for dialysis are also major risk factors. Staphylococcus aureus is the predominant causative organism in TVIE. Most patients with TVIE are successfully treated with antibiotics, however, 5–16% of RSIE cases eventually require surgical intervention. Indications and timing for surgery are less clear than for left-sided IE; surgery is primarily considered for failed medical therapy, large vegetations and septic pulmonary embolism, and less often for TV regurgitation and heart failure. Most patients with an infected prosthetic TV will require surgery. Concomitant left-sided IE has its own surgical indications. Earlier surgical intervention may potentially prevent further destruction of leaflet tissue and increase the likelihood of TV repair. Fortunately, TV debridement and repair can be accomplished in most cases, even those with extensive valve destruction, using a variety of techniques. Valve repair is advocated over replacement, particularly in IVDUs patients who are young, non-compliant and have a higher risk of recurrent infection and reoperation with valve replacement. Excising the valve without replacing, it is not advocated; it has been reported previously, but these patients are likely to be symptomatic, particularly in cases with septic pulmonary embolism and increased pulmonary vascular resistance. Patients with concomitant left-sided involvement have worse prognosis than those with RSIE alone, due predominantly to greater likelihood of invasion and abscess formation in left-sided IE. Patients with isolated TVIE have an operative mortality between 0–15% and excellent survival.
Problem Solving for First-Year Law Students

Law students need to learn how to solve client problems and not just how to interpret and apply the law to the client's situation. This article describes the Problem Solving Workshop, a course required for all first-year students at Harvard Law School. It is designed to help students focus on determining the client's goals, the facts necessary to help the client and to apply the law, the various laws that create both constraints and opportunities, and the options available to solve the problem. We describe both the structure of the problems used in the course and the problem solving methodology, as well as tips on how any professor can create such problems for her or his own course. The problems used at Harvard Law School are available for use by law professors at any school at very low cost, and new problems are being written and posted from time to time. The problems can be found by going to The Case Studies website at Harvard Law School under the Subject of Problem Solving.
Physical education policy compliance and Latino children's fitness: Does the association vary by school neighborhood socioeconomic advantage?

Objectives To investigate the contribution of school neighborhood socioeconomic advantage to the association between school-district physical education policy compliance in California public schools and Latino students’ physical fitness. Methods Cross-sectional Fitnessgram data for public-school students were linked with school- and district-level information, district-level physical education policy compliance from 2004–2005 and 2005–2006, and 2000 United States Census data. Multilevel logistic regression models examined whether income and education levels in school neighborhoods moderated the effects of district-level physical education policy compliance on Latino fifth-graders’ fitness levels. Results Physical education compliance data were available for 48 California school districts, which included 64,073 Latino fifth-graders. Fewer than half (23, or 46%) of these districts were found to be in compliance, and only 16% of Latino fifth-graders attended schools in compliant districts. Overall, there was a positive association between district compliance with physical education policy and fitness (OR, 95%CI: 1.38, 1.07, 1.78) adjusted for covariates. There was no significant interaction between school neighborhood socioeconomic advantage and physical education policy compliance (p>.05): there was a positive pattern in the association between school district compliance with physical education policy and student fitness levels across levels of socioeconomic advantage, though the association was not always significant. Conclusions Across neighborhoods with varying levels of socioeconomic advantage, increasing physical education policy compliance in elementary schools may be an effective strategy for improving fitness among Latino children.
Reticuloendothelium Malignancy: Current Role of Imaging

Imaging has an important role in the diagnosis and staging of patients with lymphoma, with a major influence on both patient management and outcome. CT is probably the most widely used modality in patients with lymphoma bur MRI is probably as useful as CT in the initial work-up of the patient. Finally, PET/CT can detect residual disease in patients post-treatment better than both CT and MRI and is playing an increasing role in the imaging of patients with lymphoma.
Sexuality education instructional techniques: relationships among teacher usage, student preferences, and student learning styles

independent students preferred nondirective teachers who usually promoted informal learning situations, while concrete-dependent students performed well under either directive or nondirective teaching styles. Low Friendliness as well as low Conceptual Level students per­ formed better with lecture-discussion presentations. High Friendli­ ness and high Conceptual Level students performed better with programmed instruction. Competitive students preferred lecture presented by the teacher, while collaborative students preferred unstructured learning situations and would rather have the peer-centered format. Instructional Techniques Used to Teach Sexuality Education Because the number of research studies related to instructional technique usage in sexuality education is limited, conceptual literature also is reviewed. Journal articles, secondary education curriculum guides, and teacher manuals form the basis for this conceptual review. Watts (1974) investigated the effectiveness of three teaching methods in relation to acquisition of knowledge and development of attitudes in a sex education instructional unit. The three teaching methods in­ cluded lecture, independent study combined with small group discussion, and audiovisual materials. The study involved 62 undergraduate students enrolled in three personal health classes at Indiana University. A preposttest design using a Sex Knowledge and Attitude Questionnaire (SKAQ) to collect data was employed. Watts found that the lecture and inde-
Trajectory of Memory Decline Differs in Hippocampal Sclerosis and Alzheimer’s Disease (P5.192)

Objective: To compare trajectories of cognitive decline in patients with Hippocampal Sclerosis (HS) and Alzheimer Disease (AD). Background: Hippocampal Sclerosis (i.e. cell loss and gliosis in CA1 and subiculum of the hippocampus) is a dementia-causing pathology distinct from AD. Although cross-sectional studies suggest differences in patterns of cognitive impairment, little is known about longitudinal change in cognition associated with the two pathologies. Design/Methods: Participants in the UCSD Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center longitudinal study with a pathological diagnosis of HS (n=28), HS+AD (n=24) or AD (n=271) completed an average of 6.2 annual evaluations between baseline and death. Evaluations included testing of memory, language, executive function, and visuospatial ability. Trajectories of decline on each test were examined with linear mixed effects models (with random slopes and intercepts by subject) that included terms for pathologic diagnosis, age at baseline, score at baseline, and the interaction by time for each term. Results: Groups differed in age at baseline (HS≈HS+AD>AD) and baseline-to-death interval (HS Conclusions: Despite older age, faster progression to death, and similar baseline cognitive impairment, HS and HS+AD declined more slowly than AD on memory and visuospatial measures. This suggests that pathology accumulates more slowly, or with a different distribution, in areas important for memory in HS than in AD, and is less likely to involve posterior cortex. These results have implications for differential diagnosis and prognosis. Study Supported by: This research was supported by NIA P50 AG005131 and the Shiley-Marcos Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at the University of California, San Diego. Disclosure: Dr. Smirnov has nothing to disclose. Dr. Galasko has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with vTv Pharmaceuticals: consultant; Proclara LLC: DSMB for clinical trial;. Dr. Galasko has received personal compensation in an editorial capacity for Editor for Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy. Dr. Hansen has nothing to disclose. Dr. Edland has nothing to disclose. Dr. Salmon has nothing to disclose.
A “New and Improved” View of Puffery:

Many researchers believe “puffery” is a form of selling claim that frequently deceives consumers but which officials refuse to regulate. This article argues there is an underlying fallacy in this v...
Making It Home: An Intersectional Analysis of the Police Talk:

Black mothers often are responsible for teaching their children how to respond to police violence. Through 30 in-depth interviews with black mothers from diverse social class backgrounds, I investi...
Continuing Medical Education: Urogenital Complaints and Female Sexual Dysfunction (Part 2) (CME)

ABSTRACT Introduction Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) is common in women with urogenital disorders that occur as a result of pelvic floor muscle and fascial laxity. Aim Provide a comprehensive review of FSD as it relates to common urogenital disorders including pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) and to discuss the impact of the surgical repair of these disorders on sexual function. Methods Systematic search of the medical literature using a number of related terms including FSD, POP, SUI, surgical repair, graft augmentation, complications, and dyspareunia. Main Outcome Measures Review of the medical literature to identify the relation between FSD and common urogenital disorders in women and to describe appropriate treatment strategies to improve quality of life (QOL) and sexual function. Results FSD is common in women with POP and SUI. Treatment options for POP and SUI include behavioral, pharmacological, and surgical methods which can also affect sexual function. Conclusions Sexual dysfunction is a common, underestimated complaint in women with POP and SUI. Treatment should be tailored toward improving sexual function and QOL. Surgical correction is generally beneficial but occasionally can result in negative alterations in sexual function. Patient selection and methods used for surgical repair are important factors in determining anatomical and functional success. Wehbe SA, Kellogg S, and Whitmore K. Urogenital complaints and female sexual dysfunction (part 2).
Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential–associated mutations and risk of comorbidities in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome

Background Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP)-associated mutations increase the risk of atherosclerotic heart disease. Comorbidities significantly impact the prognosis of patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). The objective of this study was to determine the association and impact of CHIP mutations with comorbidities in patients with MDS. Methods This retrospective analysis of 566 consecutive patients with MDS was conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center from August 2013 to December 2016. The 27-item Adult Comorbidity Evaluation (ACE-27) scale was used to assess the severity of comorbid conditions. Next-generation sequencing was used to detect the presence of CHIP mutations in bone marrow aspirates. Spearman correlations and logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association between mutations and comorbidities. Results Mutations in the genes tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2), ASXL transcriptional regulator 1 (ASXL1), DNA methyltransferase 3α (DNMT3A), Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and tumor protein 53 (TP53) were noted in 20%, 18%, 9%, 2%, and 21% of patients, respectively. Patients with DNMT3A and JAK2 mutations had higher likelihoods of a prior history of myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 2.62; P = .03) and veno-occlusive disease (odds ratio, 6.48; P = .02), respectively. TP53 mutation was associated with a prior history of malignancy. Patients with TET2 mutation had no association with any comorbidity. A prognostic model including the revised International Prognostic Scoring System classification, the ACE-27 score, and TP53 mutation status (the I-RAT model) predicted median overall survival. Conclusions In patients with MDS, the presence of CHIP-associated mutations is associated with comorbidities. DNMT3A and JAK2 mutations were associated with higher likelihoods of prior myocardial infarction and thrombotic events. There was no association between comorbidity and TET2 mutation. Incorporating the revised International Prognostic Scoring System classification with the ACE-27 and TP53 mutation status improved outcome prediction in patients with MDS.
The Registry of Efficacy and Effectiveness Studies (REES): A Step toward Increased Transparency in Education.

The primary goal of research is to produce valid and useful findings. However, the sheer number of design, analysis, and reporting decisions researchers face makes it important to create safeguards...
The Meaning of a Market and the Meaning of "Meaning"

Are there any viable semiotic objections to commodification? A semiotic objection holds that even if there is no independent consequentialist or deontic objection to the marketing of a good—such as that it is exploitative or causes third party harm—there remains a problem with what is said by participating in that market. Recent discussion of semiotic objections have suffered from a basic ambiguity in such talk. As Grice pointed out, there is a difference between saying that smoke on the horizon means fire, and saying that it means there will be war tomorrow. We could say that in the former case smoke indicates fire because of its causal connection with fire, while in the latter case smoke expresses a call to war because that is the non-natural meaning given to it by convention or by its place in a communicative practice. The recent defenses of semiotic objections presented by Anthony Booth, Jacob Sparks, and Mark Wells do not survive this distinction, as they either complain about non-semiotic facts that are indicated rather than expressed by markets, or they complain about semiotic features of markets, but these complaints inevitably collapse into weak consequentialist objections. But this result is not bad for anticommodificationists, as semiotic objections have dialectical disadvantages.
Endothelial acid ceramidase in exosome-mediated release of NLRP3 inflammasome products during hyperglycemia: Evidence from endothelium-specific deletion of Asah1 gene

Exosomes have been demonstrated to be one of the mechanisms mediating the release of intracellular signaling molecules to conduct cell-to-cell communication. However, it remains unknown whether and how exosomes mediate the release of NOD-like receptor pyrin domain 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome products such as interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) from endothelial cells. The present study hypothesized that lysosomal acid ceramidase (AC) determines the fate of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) to control the exosome-mediated release of NLRP3 inflammasome products during hyperglycemia. Using a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes mouse model, we found that endothelium-specific AC gene knockout mice (Asah1fl/fl/ECcre) significantly enhanced the formation and activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes in coronary arterial ECs (CECs). These mice also had increased thickening of the coronary arterial wall and reduced expression of tight junction protein compared to wild-type (WT/WT) littermates. We also observed the expression of exosome markers such as CD63 and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was augmented in STZ-treated Asah1fl/fl/ECcre mice compared to WT/WT mice, which was accompanied by an increased IL-1β release of exosomes. In the primary cultures of CECs, we demonstrated that AC deficiency markedly enhanced the formation and activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes, but significantly down-regulated tight junction proteins when these cells were exposed to high levels of glucose. The CECs from Asah1fl/fl/ECcre mice had decreased MVB-lysosome interaction and increased IL-1β-containing exosome release in response to high glucose stimulation. Together, these results suggest that AC importantly controls exosome-mediated release of NLRP3 inflammasome products in CECs, which is enhanced by AC deficiency leading to aggravated arterial inflammatory response during hyperglycemia.
Human Plasma BDNF Is Associated With Amygdala-Prefrontal Cortex Functional Connectivity and Problem Drinking Behaviors.

Background Preclinical studies suggest that decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the amygdala play a role in anxiety and alcohol use disorder. The association between brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and amygdala function in humans with alcohol use disorder is still unclear, although neuroimaging studies have also implicated the amygdala in alcohol use disorder and suggest that alcohol use disorder is associated with disrupted functional connectivity between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex during aversive states. Methods The current study investigated whether plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels in individuals with and without alcohol use disorder (n = 57) were associated with individual differences in amygdala reactivity and amygdala-prefrontal cortex functional connectivity during 2 forms of aversive responding captured via functional magnetic resonance imaging: anxiety elicited by unpredictable threat of shock and fear elicited by predictable threat of shock. We also examined whether brain-derived neurotrophic factor and brain function were associated with binge drinking episodes and alcohol use disorder age of onset. Results During anxiety, but not fear, lower levels of plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor were associated with less connectivity between the left amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex and the inferior frontal gyrus. In addition, within individuals with alcohol use disorder (only), lower levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity during anxiety were associated with more binge episodes within the past 60 days and a lower age of alcohol use disorder onset. There were no associations between brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and focal amygdala task reactivity. Conclusions Together, the results indicate that plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels are related to amygdala circuit functioning in humans, particularly during anxiety, and these individual differences may relate to drinking behaviors.
Evolution of Graph Classifiers

Architecture design and hyperparameter selection for deep neural networks often involves guesswork. The parameter space is too large to try all possibilities, meaning one often settles for a suboptimal solution. Some works have proposed automatic architecture and hyperparameter search, but are constrained to image applications. We propose an evolution framework for graph data which is extensible to generic graphs. Our evolution mutates a population of neural networks to search the architecture and hyperparameter space. At each stage of the neuroevolution process, neural network layers can be added or removed, hyperparameters can be adjusted, or additional epochs of training can be applied. Probabilities of the mutation selection based on recent successes help guide the learning process for efficient and accurate learning. We achieve state-of-the-art on MUTAG protein classification from a small population of 10 networks and gain interesting insight into how to build effective network architectures incrementally.
Epidermal inclusion cyst in the thyroid gland

Epidermal inclusion cysts (EIC) are common benign lesions of the skin, ovaries, and testicles. However, their occurrence in thyroid gland is rare. We reported a case in which a 57-year-old male patient with history of nontoxic uninodular goiter presented with dysphonia and dysphagia. The cytology of ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration of the thyroid nodule revealed epidermal cyst. Despite the benign presentation. The patient underwent lobectomy to relieve his clinical symptoms and the surgical pathology exam confirmed the diagnosis of benign thyroid cyst, consistent with EIC of the thyroid.
Review of Game Theory

Theoretic models, such as game-theoretic model, Markov decision processes, linear and non-linear dynamic models, etc., at the system level, play a significant role in Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs). These models stand as a scientific basis for high-level, security-related decision making. Game theory provides mathematical tools and models for investigating multi-person strategic decision making, where the players or decision-makers compete for limited and shared resources (Manshaei et al., ACM Comput Surv 45(3):25, 2013). Considering the security issues in CPSs, we can view the defenders and attackers as two types of players, who fight for specific resources. Therefore, we use game models to describe the interactions between them. The analytical results based on the game models can assist us in finding the optimal defense strategy. In this chapter, we briefly review specific game theory models, including zero-sum games, Stackelberg games, and FlipIt game. These models are closely related to our applications.
Response of Microcystis aeruginosa and Microcystin-LR to electron beam irradiation doses.

Abstract Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) pose threats to human and animal health due to the production of harmful cyanotoxins. Microcystis aeruginosa is a common cyanobacterium associated with these blooms and is responsible for producing the potent cyclic hepatotoxin microcystin-LR (MC-LR). Concerns over the public health implications of these toxins in water supplies have increased due to rising occurrence of these blooms. High energy electron beam (eBeam) irradiation technology presents a promising strategy for the mitigation of both cyanobacterial cells and cyanotoxins within the water treatment process. However, it is imperative that both cellular and chemical responses to eBeam irradiation are understood to ensure efficient treatment. We sought to investigate the effect of eBeam irradiation on M. aeruginosa cells and MC-LR degradation. Results indicate that doses as low as 2 kGy are lethal to M. aeruginosa cells and induce cell lysis. Even lower doses are required for degradation of the parent MC-LR toxin. However, it was observed that there is a delay in cell lysis after irradiation where M. aeruginosa cells may still be metabolically active and able to synthesize microcystin. These results suggest that eBeam may be suitable for cyanoHAB mitigation in water treatment if employed following cell lysis.
The Curious Road from Basic Pathogen Research to Clinical Translation.

I was very lucky to have stumbled into curiosity-driven scientific research for a career, because I suspect that I have always had a poorly developed herd instinct. In my case, when I set up my first research lab as a new primary investigator in 1980, I elected to study a family of viruses that infect only rabbits. Why rabbits, you ask? I had become fascinated by events that had happened a half-century earlier, when a rabbit poxvirus called myxoma virus had been deliberately released into the Australian outback in a failed attempt to wipe out the hoards of feral rabbits that had proliferated out of control and devastated the ecological balance of the countryside. This release failed to reduce rabbit populations as planned but it did prove another point that later turned out to be significant: myxoma virus was completely harmless to all other vertebrates, including humans. So, it was pretty much guaranteed that the research in my lab would never be relevant to any human disease. But fortunately for me, I received research funding to investigate how this virus causes disease only in this one particular host species. After several years of investigating the molecular features of this virus, we discovered that the virus genome encoded a large family of proteins with remarkable similarity to elements of Image 1. Grant McFadden and his grandson.
Changes in Loon ( Gavia spp.) and Red-necked Grebe ( Podiceps grisegena ) Populations in the Lower Matanuska-Susitna Valley, Alaska

More than two-thirds of the human population of Alaska resides in the south-central portion of the state, where its continued growth is likely to affect some wildlife populations negatively. To assess changes in waterbird populations in this region, we compared counts of Common Loons ( Gavia immer ), Pacific Loons ( G. pacifica ), and Red-necked Grebes ( Podiceps grisegena ) made on Matanuska-Susitina Valley lakes. In general, the number of lakes occupied by loon or grebe pairs decreased between 1987 and 1999. Decreases in the number of lakes occupied by Common Loons were less drastic in the northwest region of the study area than in the southeast region; human development is greater in the southeastern portion of our study area. Contrary to lake occupancy, the percentage of lakes that fledged Common Loon chicks remained stable between years. Because the human population is expected to continue to grow, proactive management of lake use and lakeshore development, coupled with monitoring of loon and grebe occupancy and productivity, is needed to ensure the persistence of these waterbird populations in the lower Matanuska-Susitna Valley.
Exactly Solvable Dielectrics, Radiation Induced Forces and Causality

We present an exactly solvable model of a classical dielectric medium that gives an unambiguous local decomposition of field and charge motion and their contribution to the conserved quantities. The result is a set of four branches to the dispersion law that gives full independent freedom in the selection of initial data of the fields and charge motion, in contrast with constitutive laws. This is done with special care to the forces that exist at surfaces, coatings and the ends of packets. As a result the utility of a stress-tensor as a function of field strengths and dielectric response for deriving general forces is called into question. The Abraham-Minkowskii paradox is clarified from this point of view and the export of such notions to realistic media and metamaterials are discussed. One result of this model is a mathematically simpler and more intuitive understanding of causality in media than the Brillouin and Sommerfeld theories. Necessary elastic medium response is estimated and some implications of this picture for quantum effects are included based on conservation laws. This model can be extended to manifestly maintain these features as general nonlinear and time and space dependent changes in medium response are introduced. The extent to which this can provide a universal description for all dielectrics is discussed. A microscopic treatment of negative index materials from this point of view is included as an illustration of the extreme economy and simplicity of these methods.
A Design Framework for the ELTeach Program Assessments

ELTeach is an online professional development program consisting of two courses, English-for-Teaching and Professional Knowledge for English Language Teaching (ELT). Each course includes a coordinated assessment leading to a score report and certificate for individual teachers. Developed with reference to international and national teaching standards, and drawing on the resources of various national English-language curricula and teaching materials, the program is designed to ensure that teachers have the functional classroom English language and the professional knowledge to support the implementation of the English-language curricula they are expected to teach. In this document, we outline the design and development process followed in creating the two ELTeach assessments—the Test of English-for-Teaching (TEFT™) and the Test of Professional Knowledge (TPK™). The paper is organized into the following sections: (a) the purposes and intended uses for test scores/certificates, (b) the target populations, (c) the construct definitions, (d) the program frameworks and domain descriptions, (e) the test designs, (f) the scoring systems, and (g) directions for research in support of the program.
Impassioned Aesthetics: Seeing Sound and Hearing Images in Michel Chion's Audio-Vision

Michel Chion _Audio-Vision: Sound on Screen_ Translated by Claudia Gorbman Foreword by Walter Murch New York: Columbia University Press, 1994 ISBN 0-231-0799-4 pbk Xxiv + 239 pp.
Activity Representation in Crowd

Video surveillance of large facilities, such as airports, rail stations and casinos, is developing rapidly. Cameras installed at such locations often overlook large crowds, which makes problems such as activity and scene understanding very challenging. Traditional activity recognition methods which rely on input from lower level processing units dealing with background subtraction and tracking, are unable to cope with frequent occlusions in such scenes. In this paper, we propose a novel activity representation and recognition method that bypasses these commonly used low level modules. We model each local spatio-temporal patch as a dynamic texture. Using a Martin distance metric to compare two patches based on their estimated dynamic texture parameters, we present a method to temporally stitch together local regions to form activity streamlines and represent each streamline by its constituent dynamic textures. This allows us to seamlessly perform activity recognition without explicitly detecting individuals in the scene. We demonstrate our method on multiple real data sets and show promising results.
Initiation of cationic polymerization with alcohol/Lewis acid systems

The discovery that tertiary alcohols in conjunction with BCl3 are efficient cationic polymerization systems was exploited for the synthesis of new graft and block copolymer, i.e., poly (styrene-g-isobutylene), poly (isobutylene-g-indene) and poly (isobutylene-b-indene). Syntheses involved the initiation of isobutylene and indene polymerizations by polymeric alcohols (i.e., randomly hydroxylated polystyrene, and randomly terminally hydroxylated polyisobutylene) in the presence of BCl3. The starting prepolymers, i.e., hydroxylated polystyrene and polyisobutylene, were synthesized by conventional techniques. The syntheses of these sequential copolymers prove that the mechanism proposed for initiation with ROH/BCl3 systems is fundamentally correct.
Review Essay: Efforts to Make Sense of the Vietnam War

The Vietnam War is notoriously difficult to explain. The war lasted so long, passed through so many phases, and involved such a wide range of people and groups in Vietnam, the United States, and other countries that the task of explaining it all in a single volume is nearly impossible. Several recent books have tried to make sense of the conflict, with varying degrees of success. The books under review are syntheses aimed at undergraduate students and general readers. Although both books have their strong points, neither of them provides a comprehensive or satisfactory account of the war.
Same-Sex Incest: The Too Too Taboo

AbstractThe author points out that incest has been receiving attention in recent years. However, the attention has been given to heterosexual incest; especially father-daughter incest. There is sufficient evidence, reviewed and presented, to indicate that same-sex incest (“homosexual incest”) is more prevalent than people believe. Review of the literature and presentation of excerpts from case histories collected by the author are used to support this claim. More research and clinical attention to same-sex incest is encouraged. Also, readers are encouraged to send information to the author.
Vasopressin instead of epinephrine enhances efficacy of CPR without causing tachycardia (1150.5)

Survival from cardiac arrest is highly dependent on the arterial pressure generated by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). To increase efficacy of precordial compressions, the potent vasoconstrict...
Teratogenicity of anticonvulsant drugs. IV: The association of clefting and epilepsy

Cleft lip with or without cleft palate (CL/P) is the most common congenital malformation reported among infants of epileptic mothers. This study sought to examine the relative roles of anticonvulsant teratogenicity and other factors responsible for this association. Among 175 families with a proband with isolated CL/P, there were 13 parents with epilepsy and a high frequency of other family members with CL/P and epilepsy. Evaluation of the 13 cases suggested that teratogenicity of anticonvulsant drugs was not the primary factor responsible for the observed association of maternal epilepsy and clefting. Among 140 families with a proband with clefting other than CL/P, there were no instances of parental epilepsy observed.
Studies in the statistical and thermal properties of hadronic matter under some extreme conditions

The thermal and statistical properties of hadronic matter under some extreme conditions are investigated using an exactly solvable canonical ensemble model. A unified model describing both the fragmentation of nuclei and the thermal properties of hadronic matter is developed. Simple expressions are obtained for quantities such as the hadronic equation of state, specific heat, compressibility, entropy, and excitation energy as a function of temperature and density. These expressions encompass the fermionic aspect of nucleons, such as degeneracy pressure and Fermi energy at low temperatures and the ideal gas laws at high temperatures and low density. Expressions are developed which connect these two extremes with behavior that resembles an ideal Bose gas with its associated Bose condensation. In the thermodynamic limit, an infinite cluster exists below a certain critical condition in a manner similar to the sudden appearance of the infinite cluster in percolation theory. The importance of multiplicity fluctuations is discussed and some recent data from the EOS collaboration on critical point behavior of nuclei can be accounted for using simple expressions obtained from the model.
β-Adrenergic agonists suppress chronic/relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (CREAE) in Lewis rats

Chronic/relapsing experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (CREAE) serves as an animal model for relapsing/remitting multiple sclerosis. Treatment with the beta-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol or the beta 2-adrenergic agonist terbutaline significantly suppressed both the first acute attack and the number of relapses in CREAE Lewis rats. The number of relapses was decreased even when treatment with beta-adrenergic agonist was started after the onset of the first acute attack of CREAE. beta-adrenergic receptor number was increased significantly on splenocytes from CREAE rats as compared to healthy controls or CFA-injected rats. Terbutaline treatment of CREAE rats lowered the splenocyte receptor number to normal values.
Bridging Geodynamics, Hazards, and Capacity Building in East Africa: Advanced Workshop on Evaluating, Monitoring, and Communicating Volcanic and Seismic Hazards in East Africa; Trieste, Italy, 17–28 August 2009

Africa exhibits some of the most spectacular volcanic and tectonic features on Earth. Hazards associated with these features include volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and carbon dioxide (CO2) degassing. For example, in 2002 an eruption destroyed 25% of the city of Goma, Congo, and forced 500,000 people to evacuate. In 1986, hundreds died as a result of the CO2 degassing at Lake Nyos, Cameroon. In Tanzania in 2007, explosive activity of the carbonatite volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai forced the evacuation of the region. From the 1980s to the present, Nyamuragira (Congo) had numerous eruptions, each with sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions exceeding 1 million tons. Large rift-related fault systems that cross national boundaries challenge efforts for integrated seismic hazard evaluations. These observations highlight the need for basic and hazards-related research in East Africa.
U. S. energy production activity and innovation

Abstract Life-cycle studies provide a comprehensive insight into comparative innovation behavior and innovation constants. In this article a comparison of the life-cycle plots for the production and patent activity is made for US energy production categories. As has been shown previously for material production [TFSC, vol.78, 2011], the two activities may be correlated to such an extent that they may be superimposed to a large degree, for all growth stage except stage IV, simply by an origin-shift. Over ten energy production methods have been studied in this manner for the first time. An origin-shift ratio, OR, (positive or negative lag) describes the amount required to shift the two activity curves in order to superimpose them. The relative drive-force ratio, DR (defined as the ratio of the production and patent growth constants) is noted to scale with the origin-shift. The value of this drive-force ratio determines the amount of production that is influenced by patents. The slope of curve of the drive-force ratio plotted against the origin-shift ratio is noted to be constant across all energy categories in the high growth Stage III. The authors find for the first time that even early stage production displays an origin-shift. Energy materials (i.e., those materials that dominate a particular type of energy production) are also studied in the material category alone, where the total usage of the material is considered. The concept of Green materials is discussed in this context. The life-cycle approach collapses the energy categories/sources and related materials into two groups. The authors discuss these groups in the Schumpeterian framework of constructive and destructive innovation. Group 1, containing coal, natural gas, wind, renewable, fossil fuel, solar and total energies, is composed of energy categories/sources whose patent activity could be inferred as driving their production. On the other hand, energy production from biomass, biofuel, geothermal and nuclear energies is identified in Group 2, in which the patent activity is driven by production (high innovation group). An (OR) of slightly less than one and a (DR) less than one, lead to a placement where with time, a constructive to destructive innovation transition is encountered A very low (OR) and a low (DR) on the other hand leads to a transition from Stage III growth to a no-growth (Stage IV) with time. Innovation enhanced resources and production are also discussed.
La Maison Assassinée de Pierre Magnan: D'une Affaire Criminelle à une Aventure Mythique

L'intrigue de La Maison Assassinee, roman de Pierre Magnan publie en 1984, parait a premiere lecture comme la poursuite vengeresse du seul survivant d'une famille massacree. Le heros de Magnan, Seraphin Monge, etant lance sur trois pistes, il fait egalement face a trois figures de guide et trois figures de deesse. Le but du present essai est donc de devoiler le decor mythique de cette œuvre et de montrer que le parcours de Seraphin correspond au cycle de l'aventure heroique telle que le mythologiste americain Joseph Campbell l'a structuree dans The Hero with a Thousand Faces.
On the study of two interacting populations one of which acts independently of the other

Many ecological and biological systems can be studied in terms of a bivariate stochastic branching process, { X 1 ( t ), X 2 ( t )}, each of whose components (or populations) varies in magnitude according to the laws of a generalized birth-death process. Of particular interest is such a model in which the birth and death rates of the first population, X 1 , are constant while those of the second population, X 2 , exhibit a functional dependence upon the magnitude of the first. It is shown, first, that the existence of the stochastic mean of a birth death process implies the existence of all higher moments. The values of all the factorial moments of such a process are then determined. The moments of the dependent population of the bivariate process are given in terms of its expectation and the joint probability density function of the process is determined. It is possible, therefore, to use Bayesian techniques to infer conclusions about the independent population, given information about the variation of the dependent one.
The effects of corticosteroids on IgG Fc receptor and complement receptor-mediated interaction of monocytes with red cells.

Abstract The effects of hydrocortisone sodium succinate (HCSS) upon the Fc receptor-mediated interaction of monocytes with IgG-coated human erythrocytes was assessed in vitro. Brief incubation of monocytes with HCSS had no effect on Fc receptor-mediated interaction or on the reduction in interaction produced by incubation with anti-IgG, soluble aggregates of IgGl, or IgGl monomer adsorbed to plastic. However, monocytes incubated in vitro in medium containing HCSS for 2–3 days bound, ingested, and lysed a larger number of red cells coated with IgG anti-D and also bound a larger number of red cells coated with complement components than did monocytes incubated in medium not containing HCSS. Monocytes incubated with HCSS also recovered the capacity to interact with IgG-coated red cells more rapidly than untreated monocytes after the capacity to interact had been reduced as a result of incubation with anti-IgG. These effects also were produced by other water-soluble corticosteroids. Serum obtained from donors 4 hr after the administration of a single 100-mg dose of cortisone acetate by mouth produced the same effect.