cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toward Usable Network Traffic Policies for IoT Devices in Consumer Networks

The Internet of Things (IoT) revolution has brought millions of small, low-cost, connected devices into our homes, cities, infrastructure, and more. However, these devices are often plagued by security vulnerabilities that pose threats to user privacy or can threaten the Internet architecture as a whole. Home networks can be particularly vulnerable to these threats as they typically have no network administrator and often contain unpatched or otherwise vulnerable devices.In this paper, we argue that the unique security challenges of home networks require a new network-layer architecture to both protect against external threats and mitigate attacks from compromised devices. We present initial findings based on traffic analysis from a small-scale IoT testbed toward identifying predictable patterns in IoT traffic that may allow construction of a policy-based framework to restrict malicious traffic. Based on our observations, we discuss key features for the design of this architecture to promote future developments in network-layer security in smart home networks.
Yik Yak: An Exploratory Study of College Student Uses and Gratifications:

Publically launched in 2013 and discontinued in 2017, Yik Yak was an anonymous and geographically restricted social media application. A uses and gratifications theoretical framework and a mixed-me...
Aharonov-Casher Effect Suppression of Macroscopic Flux Tunneling

We show theoretically that the Aharonov-Casher effect can be used to modulate flux tunneling. We study a variant of an rf-SQUID in which the Josephson junction is replaced by a Bloch transistor — two junctions separated by a small superconducting island on which the charge can be induced by an external gate voltage. When the Josephson coupling energies of the junctions are equal and the induced charge is q = e, destructive interference between tunneling paths brings the flux tunneling rate to zero. Destructive interference can still occur even if the two junctions are not equivalent, although the tunneling rate no longer goes precisely to zero. We analyze the system in two limits: when the Josephson energy E j is much larger than the island charging energy E c and vice versa.
Using the plan-do-study-act approach to improve inpatient colonoscopy preparation

Poor inpatient colonoscopy preparations can provide multiple challenges to healthcare providers and patients alike. Poor preparations can make the colonoscopy difficult to perform, and can require the procedure to be repeated. This can in turn lead to greater costs, longer length of stays, less patient satisfaction and worse outcomes. The aim of this quality improvement project was to decrease the rate of poor inpatient colonoscopy preparations using the plan-do-study-act approach. Inpatient colonoscopies at our institution from a 3-month span (November 2016 to January 2017) were evaluated, and found to have a 19% rate of poor preparations. A multiphase intervention programme was then conducted to improve the quality of these preparations. This intervention programme was threefold, and involved (1) direct education to physicians and nursing staff on the preparation process and its importance; (2) the implementation of an electronic order set within our electronic medical record (EMR) to standardise and simplify the process of ordering colonoscopy preparations; and (3) patient education in the form of a handout explaining the steps and importance of a good preparation. Through these interventions, we were able to bring down our rate of poor preparations over a 3-month average from 19% to 4%. Specifically, the implementation of an electronic order set within our EMR resulted in the greatest impact. Our interventions can be replicated at other institutions in order to decrease the rate of poor preparations, and thus result in better outcomes for patients, providers and healthcare facilities.
Information Based Exploration with Panoramas and Angle Occupancy Grids

In this work we present a multi-robot information based exploration strategy with the goal of constructing high resolution 3D maps. We use a Cauchy–Schwarz Quadratic Mutual Information (CSQMI) based objective which operates on a novel angle enhanced occupancy grid to guide robots in the collection of RGBD panoramas, which have been shown to provide memory efficient high quality representations of space. To intelligently collect panoramas, we introduce the angle enhanced occupancy grid which emphasizes perspective in addition to coverage, a characteristic we believe results in the construction of higher quality maps than traditional occupancy grid methods. To show this, we conduct simulations and compare our approach with frontier exploration. Using our angle enhanced occupancy grid, only 11.4% of decimeter wall segments were covered by fewer than 20 pixels as compared with 33.5% for the frontier method.
Replication of a Rank-Framed Social Norms Experiment

Decades of research on the social norms approach (SNA) has shown that informing people of how their behavior compares to their peers is an effective way to reduce risky behavior. The SNA has been p...
Cyclic AMP-regulating agents inhibit endotoxin-mediated cartilage degradation

The influence of cyclic AMP on cartilage degradation was investigated by using phosphodiesterase inhibitors [theophylline and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX)], forskolin (which activates the catalytic subunit of adenylate cyclase) and cyclic AMP analogues (dibutyryl and 8-bromo). Breakdown was assessed by quantification of proteoglycans released into the media of 8-day bovine nasal-septum cartilage cultures. Theophylline (1-20 mM), IBMX (0.01-2 mM) and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (0.1-2 mM) had little or no influence on the rate of proteoglycan release from unstimulated (no-endotoxin) cartilages. A small but detectable increase in breakdown was observed with 8-bromo cyclic AMP (0.5-2 mM) and forskolin (50-75 micrograms/ml). To examine potential inhibitory influences of these agents, the cyclic AMP modulators were added to cultures simultaneously treated with Salmonella typhosa endotoxin (12-25 micrograms/ml), a potent stimulator of cartilage degradation. The 3-4-fold stimulation of breakdown by endotoxin was strikingly inhibited by all three classes of cyclic AMP regulators. Optimal inhibition was found at 10-20 mM-theophylline, 1-2 mM-IBMX, 50-75 micrograms of forskolin/ml, 2 mM-dibutyryl cyclic AMP and 2 mM-8-bromo cyclic AMP. Inhibition was shown to be reversible, indicating that cartilages were viable after treatment. Sepharose CL-2B chromatography of proteoglycan products released from treated cartilages showed that the endotoxin-stimulated shift to lower average Mr was significantly prevented by cyclic AMP analogues and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Together, these results show that agents which increase cyclic AMP inhibit both quantitative and qualitative aspects of endotoxin-mediated cartilage degradation.
Consent and Decisional Authority in Children’s Health Care Decisionmaking: A Reply to Dan Brock

Dan Brock argues persuasively that the general presumption of incompetence on the part of minors to decide about their medical care seems indefensible for children roughly above the age of 14 [1]. The presumption still exists and apparently remains strong in the law. But as Angela Holder points out [2], the courts are moving in the other direction. I am essentially in agreement with this, and find most of Brock’s analysis of the notion of competence convincing. However, I am unconvinced that children at even earlier ages may not often have as much competence in this area as most adults. I stress this comparative judgment, because I think it is important that, in our concern for the well-being of children, we do not expect more from them than from adults in comparable situations. That having been said, I will argue that children nonetheless probably should not be given the authority to make such decisions, even though adults in similar situations should. That is, I will argue both that children have the necessary competence and that decisionmaking authority should not be extended to them.
Advances in adoptive cellular therapy of cancer

Adoptive cellular therapy is becoming an important cancer therapy. Tumor infiltrating T cells and peripheral blood T cells engineered to express high affinity T cell receptors specific to tumor antigens have been effective in treating melanoma. T cells engineered to express chimeric antigen receptors are being used to treat cancers and hematologic malignancies. Clinical studies have found that the characteristics of cellular therapies effects clinical outcomes. There is considerable variability between production lots of adoptive cellular therapies. This variability affects product characteristics and clinical outcomes. Production variability is due to both donor and manufacturing factors. Donor genetics as well as donor age, gender, race and prior therapies may affect product characteristics and function. The complexity involved with manufacturing cellular therapies also contributes to variability in the final product. Manufacturing adoptive cell therapies may involve stimulation with antibodies, cytokines, growth factors or allogeneic cells; prolonged culture and expansion; and genetic engineering. Product characteristics can affect clinical outcomes. Several studies have found that adoptive cellular therapies that have greater in vivo persistence and proliferation are associated with better clinical outcomes; however, the specific product characteristics responsible for better or worse clinical outcomes are not well understood. To better understand the critical characteristics responsible for the clinical effectiveness of cellular therapies we and others have been studying the potency of cellular therapies. Specific phenotypes have been associated with better clinical outcomes. Animal models suggest that T memory stem cells have greater proliferative potential and persistence than effector T cells and are more effective for adoptive cellular therapy. We have found that high throughput molecular assays are useful at identifying markers that are useful at measuring cell potency. In conclusion, in order to improve the clinical effectiveness of cellular therapies it’s important to better understand the biological functions that contribute to product potency and develop potency markers and assays to ensure that the highest quality cells are consistently produced.
Structure, Regulation and Function of the Osmotin Gene

Over the past years several genes have been reported to be osmotically regulated (Storey and Storey, 1981; Holtum and Winter, 1982; Singh et al., 1985; Singh et al., 1987a;Bedford et al., 1987; Close et al., 1989; Cushman et al., 1989; Singh et al., 1989a; 1989b; Delauney and Verma, 1990; Perez-Prat et al., 1990; Skriver and Mundy, 1990; Bartels et al., 1991; Dhindsa, 1991, Estragarcia et al., 1991; Narasimhan et al., 1991; Perez-Prat et al., 1992; Kononowicz et al., 1992; Nelson et al., 1992; Niu et al., 1993; Zhu et al., 1993b). These studies have been rationalized on the assumption that amongst these genes are molecular determinants of osmotic tolerance. Although the products of many of these genes still remain unidentified there are a number that have been well characterized and are of interest of several laboratories. One of these genes is osmotin (Singh et al., 1987a; LaRosa et al., 1989, Meeks-Wagner et al., 1989; Grosset et al., 1990; Roberts and Selitrennikoff, 1990; Stintzi et al., 1991; Woloshuk et al., 1991; Casas et al., 1992; LaRosa et al., 1992, Kononowicz et al., 1993).
Protons are Not Forever

The aim of this talk is to convince people that grand unified theories give a very nice and plausible explanation of a whole lot of different and at first sight unrelated phenomena, and they definitely have the merit and right to be taken seriously. A detailed analysis of many of the things that I mention here may be found in Ref. 1, which the interested reader may consult. I’ll try to argue in simple words that a grand synthesis (unification) of strong-electromagnetic and weak interactions beyond aesthetic appeal and conceptual satisfaction may be a necessity if for example we want to understand charge quantization. Such a picture has made many successful predictions1 such as sin2θW ≃ 0.20, ms ≃ 0.5 GeV and mb ≃ 5 GeV and for the first time it is possible to explain the absence of appreciable accumulations of antimatter in the universe, and directly and successfully estimate the baryon to photon ratio in the universe in terms of observable parameters of elementary particle physics. Then a with a lifetime not far above present lower bounds. Since the calculations of the proton lifetime have the usual theoretical uncertainties, we would like to urge experimentalists to improve measurements on the proton lifetime, because we believe that the decay of the proton will be the most dramatic confirmation of a grand synthesis of all elementary particle forces.
Taking official positions: How public policy preferences influence the platforms of parties in the United States

Abstract Do political parties in the United States respond to public opinion when writing their official party platforms? Current research suggests a clear linkage between public opinion and party positions, with parties responding to public preferences, and public opinion responding to party messages. Drawing on existing research regarding the saliency/issue competition model of party position-taking, this study examines the specific effect of public opinion on party positions, positing that when a larger percentage of the public views a particular issue area as important, political parties will discuss that issue area to a greater degree in their official election platforms. To test this theoretical construct, we rely on public opinion data collected by Gallup, and normalized by the Policy Agendas Project, from 1947 through 2011, combined with content analyzed data regarding both the Republican and Democratic platforms from 1948 through 2012. Using OLS regression with a Prais-Winsten transformation and panel-corrected standard errors, we find support for the hypothesis that political parties discuss, in their platforms, issue areas that the public views as more important. Further, we find that this responsiveness does not appear to vary across political parties. These findings have important implications for our understandings of both political party dynamics and party representation in the United States. Moreover, these findings allow us to assess the health of American democracy.
Outdoor Fall Experiences: An Exploratory Study of Urban and Suburban Dwelling Older Adults

Aims: Outdoor falls can result in significant challenges to the health and well-being of older adults. Therefore, factors associated with outdoor fall risk warrant attention in research and clinica...
3D printing using powder melt extrusion

Additive manufacturing promises to revolutionize manufacturing industries. However, 3D printing of novel build materials is currently limited by constraints inherent to printer designs. In this work, a bench-top powder melt extrusion (PME) 3D printer head was designed and fabricated to print parts directly from powder-based materials rather than filament. The final design of the PME printer head evolved from the Rich Rap Universal Pellet Extruder (RRUPE) design and was realized through an iterative approach. The PME printer was made possible by modifications to the funnel shape, pressure applied to the extrudate by the auger, and hot end structure. Through comparison of parts printed with the PME printer with those from a commercially available fused filament fabrication (FFF) 3D printer using common thermoplastics poly(lactide) (PLA), high impact poly (styrene) (HIPS), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) powders (< 1 mm in diameter), evaluation of the printer performance was performed. For each build material, the PME printed objects show comparable viscoelastic properties by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) to those of the FFF objects. However, due to a significant difference in printer resolution between PME (X-Y resolution of 0.8 mm and a Z-layer height calibrated to 0.1 mm) and FFF (X-Y resolution of 0.4 mm and a Z-layer height of 0.18 mm), as well as, an inherently more inconsistent feed of build material for PME than FFF, the resulting print quality, determined by a dimensional analysis and surface roughness comparisons, of the PME printed objects was lower than that of the FFF printed parts based on the print layer uniformity and structure. Further, due to the poorer print resolution and inherent inconsistent build material feed of the PME, the bulk tensile strength and Young's moduli of the objects printed by PME were lower and more inconsistent (49.2 ± 10.7 MPa and 1620 ± 375 MPa, respectively) than those of FFF printed objects (57.7 ± 2.31 MPa and 2160 ± 179 MPa, respectively). Nevertheless, PME print methods promise an opportunity to provide a platform on which it is possible to rapidly prototype a myriad of thermoplastic materials for 3D printing.
Low-Range Interaction Periodic Rendezvous Along Lagrangian Coherent Structures

This paper presents synchronous rendezvous conditions for minimally actuated and very short-range communicating mobile sensors in open sea environments. The working assumption is that the ocean currents of interest can be approximated by gyres or eddy flows arranged over a grid, in which each gyre is delineated by Lagrangian coherent structures. Sensor interactions can only occur between sensors in neighboring gyres, when they drift in close proximity, and over short time periods where the required distance is maintained. Within these application-dictated constraints, a cooperative synchronization controller is designed to establish and robustify periodic sensor rendezvous. Both the rendezvous conditions, as well as the rendezvous controller are tested and validated in simulation.
Are the Biomedical Sciences Sliding Toward Institutional Corruption? And Why Didn't We Notice It?

The social role of science is to produce reliable knowledge within the bounds of safety for subjects and subsequent users. Regulations in human subjects protection, research misconduct and control of conflict of interest have failed to prevent widespread bias and irreproducibility in scientific findings, which weakened their protections as well as undermining production of reliable knowledge. Effects of conflicts of interest involving commercial interests have largely continued unabated despite legal attempts to control some of them. Quality control has been inadequately addressed under scientific self-regulation and research has not been done to assure that regulatory mechanisms are effective in meeting their purposes. Other fields (economics) and other countries (China) also show clear signs of institutional corruption. Better management of the current regulatory system will be insufficient. Institutional corruption provides a new lens for looking at research ethics in the biomedical sciences and suggests new regulatory approaches. Research could be treated as a product that must pass tests of verifiability. Bioethics commissions have been very useful in defining issues but require strong political follow-up to be implemented. Current legal mechanisms are in multiple ways a poor fit to ensure scientific integrity. Meta-science (the science of science) will continue to provide empirical evidence relevant to how well science is meeting its public purpose; stronger ethical norms and political will to impose them will be necessary.
Heart transplantation and in-hospital outcomes in adult congenital heart disease patients with Fontan: A decade nationwide analysis from 2004 to 2014

INTRODUCTION Treatment of adult congenital heart disease patients who require advanced therapies remains challenging due to high perioperative and wait-list mortality and limited donors. Patients palliated with Fontan are at the highest risk of early mortality due to multiorgan involvement and few centers able to safely transplant them. We sought to evaluate the early outcomes of heart transplants in these adult Fontan patients. METHODS Using the Nationwide Inpatient Sample database, we identified all adults aged at least 18 years old who underwent heart transplantation across U.S. hospitals from 2004 to 2014. We then identified those with specific ICD-9 codes to include tricuspid atresia, hypoplastic left heart syndrome and common ventricle. Multivariate regression models were created to adjust for potential confounders. RESULTS A total of 93 Fontan patients underwent heart transplant during the study time (0.5% of all heart transplants). Compared to non-Fontan heart transplantations, Fontan patients were younger, with a higher incidence of liver disease and coagulopathy. Fontan patients receiving heart transplant had higher mortality during transplant hospitalization compared to non-Fontan patients (26.3% vs 5.3% OR, 18.10, CI, 5.06-65.0 P < .001). Extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) usage and bleeding were also higher in the Fontan cohort with an OR of 5.30 (P = .016) and 5.32 (P = .015) for ECMO and bleeding, respectively. The remaining outcomes were similar for both cohorts. CONCLUSION Adults with Fontan palliation undergoing heart transplantation have exceptionally high inpatient mortality, which is nearly five times that of non-Fontan heart transplant recipients, perhaps related to a delayed referral, surgical complexity, and coexistent, underrecognized liver failure.
Acute Pancreatitis in Patients with a History of Bariatric Surgery: Is It Less Severe?

Bariatric surgery (BSx) leads to weight loss and causes alterations in gastrointestinal and pancreatic peptides. This raises questions on acute pancreatitis (AP) occurrence and outcomes in this cohort of patients. We aim to assess mortality, morbidity, and resource utilization of AP in patients with BSx. Observational retrospective cohort study (2012–2016) with propensity score match. Patients with a principal diagnostic ICD9-10CM code for AP were included. Stratification for the coexistence of history of BSx was performed. The primary outcome was mortality. Secondary outcomes were morbidity, resource utilization, length of hospital stay (LOS), total hospital charges, and costs. Out of 920,615 AP patients, 15,345 had undergone BSx. After propensity matching, 8220 patients with BSx had AP. The mortality for AP was 0.42 (p < 0.01) and for biliary AP 0.29 (< 0.04) in the history of BSx group compared to patients without BSx history. Acute kidney insufficiency (AKI), shock, ICU, multiorgan failure, ERCP, costs, charges, and LOS were all lower for patients with AP who had history of BSx. Patients with biliary AP showed even lower odds of AKI, ICU, multiorgan failure, costs, charges, and LOS, but higher odds of cholecystectomy. Patients with AP with history of BSx have lower mortality, morbidity, and resource utilization. This may be due to post-surgical alterations in pancreatic and gastrointestinal functions including hormonal and anatomical changes. Interestingly, patients with biliary AP and BSx had even lower odds of mortality and morbidity than patients with non-biliary AP, suggesting an added benefit with milder disease course.
Cathode electrolyte diagnostics based on scanning probe microscopy

Various processes lead to degradation of cathodes in lithium-ion batteries. Questions remain regarding mechanisms of many of these processes. Probe microscopy methods including scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) are capable of directly probing processes at the cathode/electrolyte interface. SECM uses a small electrode to perform rapid electrochemical analysis of transient species generated at an active cathode/electrolyte interface. This paper discusses the background of the SECM instrument and its application to lithium-ion battery research. We also describe the application of SECM methods to the study of cathode degradation processes observed in lithium-ion batteries. Specifically, we focus on characterizing the dissolution of manganese from LiMn2O4 (LMO) based on recent debate in the literature. We describe experiments to observe and characterize the electrochemical properties of manganese complexes emerging from degrading LMO electrode materials.
The Role of Real Options in Capital Budgeting: Theory and Practice

Most discussions of capital budgeting take for granted that discounted cash flow (DCF) and real options valuation (ROV) are very different methods that are meant to be applied in different circumstances. Such discussions also typically assume that DCF is easy and ROV is hard - or at least dauntingly unfamiliar - and that, mainly for this reason, managers often use DCF and rarely ROV. This paper argues that all three assumptions are wrong or at least seriously misleading. DCF and ROV both assign a present value to risky future cash flows. DCF entails discounting expected future cash flows at the expected return on an asset of comparable risk. ROV uses risk-neutral valuation, which means computing expected cash flows based on risk-neutral probabilities and discounting these flows at the risk-free rate. Using a series of single-period examples, the author demonstrates that both methods, when done correctly, should provide the same answer. Moreover, in most ROV applications - those where there is no forward price or replicating portfolio of traded assets - a preliminary DCF valuation is required to perform the risk-neutral valuation. So why use ROV at all? In cases where project risk and the discount rates are expected to change over time, the risk-neutral ROV approach will be easier to implement than DCF (since adjusting cash flow probabilities is more straightforward than adjusting discount rates). The author uses multi-period examples to illustrate further both the simplicity of ROV and the strong assumptions required for a typical DCF valuation. But the simplicity that results from discounting with risk-free rates is not the only benefit of using ROV instead of - or together with - traditional DCF. The use of formal ROV techniques may also encourage managers to think more broadly about the flexibility that is (or can be) built into future business decisions, and thus to choose from a different set of possible investments. To the extent that managers who use ROV have effectively adopted a different business model, there is a real and important difference between the two valuation techniques. Consistent with this possibility, much of the evidence from both surveys and academic studies of managerial behavior and market pricing suggests that managers and investors implicitly take account of real options when making investment decisions.
Arbitraging Covered Interest Rate Parity Deviations and Bank Lending

In this paper, I propose and test a new channel that can affect bank lending in an emerging markets setting. This channel works as follows. When there are covered interest rate parity (CIP) deviations, banks attempt to arbitrage them. This requires banks to borrow in a particular currency. In the presence of borrowing frictions, banks either increase the rates paid for deposits to arbitrage or shift a portion of the resources used to lend to fund their arbitrage activities. Either case, bank lending in the currency required to arbitrage decreases. I test this channel by exploiting differences in the abilities of Peruvian banks to arbitrage CIP deviations. I show that banks that have greater ability to arbitrage reduce their lending in the currency they need to fund their CIP arbitrage. This is partly compensated by lending in a different currency. This evidence suggests that arbitraging CIP deviations can affect the currency composition of bank lending.
Immigrant and international college students’ learning gaps: Improving academic and sociocultural readiness for career and graduate/professional education

Abstract The learning gaps of immigrant and international student groups on the increase in American college campuses raise the challenges of ensuring educational equity and inclusion for minoritized students. This mixed-methods study is based on transformative education and asset model, challenging conventional deficit views about immigrant and international student groups marginalized as aliens in American colleges and universities. Quantitative analysis of the U.S. national longitudinal data reveals diverse patterns of learning gaps among these groups in which high-impact practices (HIPs) influence the chances of 4-year college degree completion with full-time job employment and graduate/professional school enrollment. Qualitative analysis of interview cases offers further insights into ecological challenges, opportunities, and strategies for recognizing immigrant and international students as assets and improving both academic and sociocultural readiness for their college success.
The prognostic value of digital rectal exam for the existence of advanced pathologic features after prostatectomy.

BACKGROUND Accurate staging at the time of prostate cancer diagnosis is fundamental to risk stratification and management counseling. Digital rectal exam (DRE) is foundational in clinical staging of prostate cancer, even with a known limited interexaminer agreement and poor sensitivity for detecting extraprostatic disease. We sought to evaluate the prognostic value of DRE for the presence of advanced pathologic features (APFs) following radical prostatectomy (RP). METHODS All patients undergoing RP as primary treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer in the National Cancer Database between 2008 and 2014 were identified. Patients with additional malignancies, prior treatment with radiation or systemic therapy, incongruent clinical staging and DRE findings or without fully evaluable clinical staging were excluded. The primary outcome was the presence of postsurgical APFs, defined as positive surgical margins, nodal disease, or pathologic stage T3 or greater. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to account for prostate-specific antigen (PSA), biopsy grade group, percent of positive biopsy cores, and clinical stage. RESULTS In total, 91,525 patients consisting of 69,182 cT1, 20,641 cT2, and 1702 cT3-T4 were included. The average age was 61.1 ± 7.0 years, and the average PSA was 8.6 ± 10.3 ng/ml. On multivariable analysis, cT3 and T4 were associated with the presence of APFs (odds ratio [OR] 11.12, p < .01 and 5.28, p = .04), however, cT2 was only slightly associated with the presence of APFs when compared with cT1 (OR 1.15, p < .01). Furthermore, cT2 was associated with more node-positive disease (OR 1.63, p < .01), positive margins (OR 1.06, p < .01), and more than or equal to pT3 disease (OR 1.22, p < .01). CONCLUSIONS Overall, advanced clinical stage as assessed by DRE was independently associated with an increasing risk of APFs. For individual APFs, the greatest effect is noticed between clinical stage and nodal positivity and less so between clinical stage and positive margins. DRE continues to hold value, particularly for patients with locally advanced disease and potential lymph node disease.
International Codes of Conduct for Multinational Corporations

The 1960s and 1970s were tumultuous not only in the United States but in the international community as a whole. A climate of confrontation developed between multinational corporations (MNCs) and the developing countries because of a series of blatantly illegal and unethical actions by MNCs in violation of the sovereignty of host governments and of the human rights of their citizens.1
High-performance direct-drive flight actuators: advanced technology demonstration

A concept in design of fly-by-wire actuator systems is developed to be implemented in advanced flight vehicles. To attain the specified vehicle performance, highly reliable flight actuators are needed to be deployed. To satisfy severe requirements on weight and size, efficiency and torque density, steady-state and dynamic characteristics, ruggedness and reliability, survivability and maintenance, novel flight actuator systems are developed using high-performance stepper motors with advanced power electronics controlled by microprocessors. It is illustrated that the desired performance and integrity are guaranteed. Weight and size are decreased, reliability and survivability are increased, by using the advanced actuator technology reported. Permanent-magnet stepper motors can be directly attached to control surfaces, and redundancy needed is achieved. This solution enhances the reliability by eliminating geartrains and ensures compact, highly integrated assembling compared with the existing actuators. Permanent-magnet stepper motors are needed to be controlled. A new design method is reported to design control laws, and the Lyapunov stability theory is used to prove the robust stability and tracking as well as to find the feedback coefficients. It is illustrated that innovative control algorithms are designed based upon the electric machinery features to maximize the electromagnetic torque developed. Experiments have been performed to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of direct-drive actuator technology.
Handbook for Research in American History: A Guide to Bibliographies and Other Reference Works

When the Handbook for Research in American History was first published, reviewers called it "an excellent tool for historians of all interests and levels of experience ...simple to use, and concisely worded" (Western Historical Quarterly) and "an excellent work that fulfills its title in being portable yet well-filled" (Reference Reviews). The Journal of American History added, "It is not easy to produce a reference work that is utilitarian and enriching and does not duplicate existing works. Professor Prucha has done the job very well." This second, revised edition takes account of the revolution that is occurring in bibliographic science as printed reference works extend to electronic databases, CD-ROMs, and online networks such as the Internet. Focusing on and expanding the major section of the original Handbook, it provides information on traditional printed works, describes new guides and updated versions of old ones, notes the availability of reference works and of some full-text sources in electronic form, and discusses the usefulness to researchers of different kinds of material and the forms in which they are available. Extensive cross-referencing and a detailed index that includes authors, subjects, and titles enhance the book's usefulness. Francis Paul Prucha, S.J., is professor emeritus of history at Marquette Uni-versity and the author or editor of some two dozen works of American history, including the prize-winning The Great Father: The United States Government and the American Indians (1984) and the Atlas of American Indian Affairs (1990), both published by the University of Nebraska Press.
Sharpening Our Plowshares: Applying the Lessons of Counterinsurgency to Development and Humanitarian Aid

Abstract : Since the 1980s, encouraging social, political, and economic development and dispensing humanitarian assistance have become highpriority missions for both national policy makers and international and nongovernmental organizations (NGO). During the Cold War, donor nations often competed among themselves for influence and reputational rewards or from a simple desire to do good in the developing world. This focus on dispensing developmental and humanitarian aid has only accelerated since the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2005 President George W. Bush promulgated National Security Presidential Directive 44, Management of Interagency Efforts Concerning Reconstruction and Stabilization, which underscored America s commitment to providing humanitarian assistance and reconstruction aid to populations in need. Later, during the Obama administration, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates argued that where possible, U.S. strategy is to employ indirect approaches primarily through building the capacity of partner governments and their security forces to prevent festering problems from turning into crises that require costly and controversial direct military intervention. More recently, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton argued that the United States must elevate development as a core pillar of American power as part of a strategy of exercising smart power internationally.
The Way of Kinship: An Anthology of Native Siberian Literature

Reviewed Medium: book Year: 2010 Pages: 280 Publisher: University of Minnesota Press ISBN: 978-0-8166-7081-9 (soft cover).
Solid-solid interactions—III: Complexes of diacetamide and alkali and alkaline earth metal salts

Abstract Twenty-four chelates of diacetamide and alkali and alkaline earth metal salts have been prepared. In addition, ten related complexes of N-methyldiacetamide, dimethylformamide, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and acetamide have also been isolated. It appears that only those halides of less than 64% ionic character form these complexes. Infra-red data show oxygen-to-metal bidentation and NH to anion bonding in the diacetamide complexes. Unusaully high alkaline earth metal co-ordination numbers are found for the chelates, i.e., MX2·4DA and M(ClO4)2·5DA. The fact that complexes can be formed by solid-solid interaction explains in part the reason for anomalous infrared spectra for molecules containing a —CONHCO— group when alkali halides are used as pellet media.
Understanding Spirituality and Religiosity in the Transgender Community: Implications for Aging

ABSTRACT Given that the established Gerontological literature on the long-term negative impact of violence, abuse, and other negative life events, given that researchers have demonstrated the positive impact of faith, spirituality, and particularly religiosity on long-term health, and given that violence and abuse are a serious, frequent and lifelong experience in the transgender-identified population, we undertook an examination of the religious, spiritual, and faith beliefs and practices of female-to-male (FTM) transgender-identified persons. Results from the FTM survey are herein reported, along with those found in the larger mixed transgender population Transcience Longitudinal Aging Research Study (TLARS). Participants were asked about their religiosity/spirituality/faith beliefs as measured by the Fetzer Multidimensional Measurement of Religiousness/Spirituality instrument and by the TLARS survey instrument, violence and abuse sub-component. The researchers found that the religious beliefs of the re...
Investor Reactions to Derivative Use: Experimental Evidence

How do investors evaluate managers who choose to use or not use derivatives once the outcomes of those decisions become known? Competing theories make different predictions, and we test these in three experiments. Results show that even when outcomes are held constant, investors are more satisfied and assign a higher value to a company that uses derivatives than to one that does not use derivatives. This finding is consistent with decision justification theory. Additional tests reveal that this result occurs because investors believe that firm managers who use derivatives to address risk exposures exhibit a higher level of decision-making care. In contrast, we find that speculative use of derivatives is not assumed to result from careful thought, resulting in harsher judgments about management. Overall, our study adds to our understanding of how investors judge companies who use derivatives, given the outcomes that result from such use.
Job Satisfaction and Advanced Career Opportunities for Women: An Empirical Investigation of Workers in Six Formerly Socialist Economies

Does gender equality in the workplace have consequences for job satisfaction? We use data collected from workers in six formerly socialist economies (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Serbia) to investigate the link between the perceived chance that a woman would hold a senior-level position at the firm and job satisfaction. In several groups of survey participants, such a link exists and is positive. Although part of the effect is due to worker personality/attitudes and firm characteristics, the total effect cannot be explained by these factors. Indeed, our results indicate that workers often enjoy higher job satisfaction because they perceive the lack of glass ceiling as a signal of improved own career opportunities. Moreover, it appears that some survey participants enjoy working at the firms that promote gender balance at the top. Generally, the effects are larger and more often statistically significant among men. We talk about possible explanations for these findings. Cross-country differences and policy implications are also discussed.
Re‐Os isotope systematics in carbonates from Serpent Mound, Ohio: Implications for Re‐Os dating of crustal rocks and the osmium isotopic composition of Ordovician seawater

[1] Eleven core samples of Ordovician carbonates and shale from within and nearby the Serpent Mound (Ohio) cryptoexplosion structure were analyzed for Re-Os isotopes. Whole-rock samples span a large range in measured 187Os/188Os (0.714 to 6.083), and exhibit a linear correlation of 187Os/188Os with 187Re/188Os. The linear relationship is inconsistent with a meteorite-crust mixing trend, but could represent an errorchron with an age of 485 ± 35 Ma, and an initial 187Os/188Os of 0.54 ± 0.15. In order to assess whether the errorchron slope and initial 187Os/188Os ratio may provide constraints on depositional age and the 187Os/188Os ratio of Ordovician seawater, acetic acid and HCl leaching studies were done on selected samples. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of the leachates vary from 0.7081 to 0.7091, within the range found in Middle-Upper Ordovician brachiopods [Shields et al., 2003], and consistent with the leachable fraction of the carbonates representing Ordovician seawater compositions. 187Os/188Os signatures for the leached samples are generally lower than those of respective whole rocks. However, five of six leachate samples produce a strong linear correlation on a Re-Os isochron diagram, the slope of which reflects an “age” of 443 ± 34 Ma, consistent with biostratigraphic constraints on the depositional ages of the sampled rock units (∼445–472 Ma). The calculated initial 187Os/188Os of 0.53 ± 0.04 is distinctly lower than present-day seawater, and, if representative of Ordovician seawater, may reflect relatively low continental weathering rates due to waning Pan African orogenies as proposed to explain the slow decrease in seawater 87Sr/86Sr starting in early Ordovician [Qing et al., 1998].
Influence of female reproductive hormones on local thermal control of skin blood flow

Progesterone and estrogen modify thermoregulatory control such that, when both steroids are elevated, body temperature increases and the reflex thermoregulatory control of cutaneous vasodilation is...
Linking the Physical with the Perceptual: Health and Exposure Monitoring with Cyber-physical Questionnaires

Health often depends as much on human choices as on physical phenomena: how people perceive their status and how they decide to respond affect their health and, more generally, their wellness. Supporting health and wellness with a cyber-physical system requires a holistic integration of components for remote monitoring of both physical and perceptual phenomena. This paper presents a system that meets this requirement through cyber-physical questionnaires, which trigger questions based on physical phenomena to record human perceptions. This prototype is a basis for future efforts aimed at evaluating the system in the field and expanding it not only to track human perceptions but also to affect choices and lifestyles.
Endoscopic intestinal bypass creation by using self-assembling magnets in a porcine model

Background and Aims A purely endoluminal method of GI bypass would be desirable for the treatment of obstruction, obesity, or metabolic syndrome. We have developed a technology based on miniature self-assembling magnets that create large-caliber anastomoses (Incisionless Anastomosis System [IAS]). The aim of this study was to evaluate procedural characteristics of IAS deployment and long-term anastomotic integrity and patency. Methods We performed a 3-month survival study of Yorkshire pigs (5 interventions, 3 controls). Intervention pigs underwent simultaneous enteroscopy/colonoscopy performed with the animals under intravenous sedation. The IAS magnets were deployed and coupled with reciprocal magnets under fluoroscopy. Every 3 to 6 days pigs underwent endoscopy until jejunocolonic anastomosis (dual-path bypass) creation and magnet expulsion. Necropsies and histological evaluation were performed. The primary endpoints were technical success; secondary endpoints of anastomosis integrity, patency, and histological characteristics were weight trends. Results Under intravenous sedation, endoscopic bypass creation by using IAS magnets was successfully performed in 5 of 5 pigs (100%). Given porcine anatomy, the easiest dual-path bypass to create was between the proximal jejunum and colon. The mean procedure time was 14.7 minutes. Patent, leak-free anastomoses formed by day 4. All IAS magnets were expelled by day 12. All anastomoses were fully patent at 3 months with a mean diameter of 3.5 cm. The mean 3-month weight was 45 kg in bypass pigs and 78 kg in controls ( P = .01). At necropsy, adhesions were absent. Histology showed full re-epithelialization across the anastomosis without fibrosis or inflammation. Conclusion Large-caliber, leak-free, foreign body–free endoscopic intestinal bypass by using IAS magnets can be safely and rapidly performed in the porcine by model using only intravenous sedation.
Kinetics of the Regeneration of Sea-Urchin Cilia

The kinetics of the regeneration of cilia of the sea urchin Tripneutes gratilla have been examined. The maximum cilia length is attained asymptotically which may reflect the transport of precursors to the distal tip. However, a detailed analysis indicates that the maximum length is regulated by a mechanism other than the availability of precursors at the distal end. It is argued that this control is independent of the size of the precursor pool, the rate of protein synthesis or the rate of precursor transport to the distal tip.
Release of Proteins and Peptides from Fusion Proteins Using a Recombinant Plant Virus Proteinase

An improved method for the production, cleavage, and purification of fusion proteins and peptides is described. The unique aspect of this method is dependent on the use of a proteinase from tobacco etch virus (TEV). The proteinase used is a recombinant TEV proteinase produced with a polyhistidine tract positioned at the amino terminus. The proteinase recognizes a specific, extended cleavage site sequence. The peptide or protein of interest is purified as a fusion protein with a TEV proteinase cleavage site sequence located between it and an affinity carrier portion of the fusion. Incubation with the recombinant TEV proteinase mediates release of the peptide or protein of interest. Use of the recombinant TEV proteinase to cleave fusion proteins is an improvement over use of other proteinases for several reasons, including its high degree of specificity, its insensitivity to many proteinase inhibitors generally used in protein purification, and the ready separation of both the affinity tag and the proteinase from the cleaved product of interest.