cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coase Revisited: Business Groups in the Modern Economy

Ronald Coase's celebrated query as to why economic actors typically aggregate into entities called 'firms' rather than transacting as individuals in a market has engendered a vigorous stream of research. This paper asks a parallel question: why is it that in all modern economies, firms themselves aggregate into larger entities, often more stable than any literature predicts, which are here referred to as 'business groups'? After establishing some working definitions, and discussing the curious conjunction of empirical importance and analytical invisibility of business groups, an attempt is made to establish the most significant dimensions along which such groups vary. We end with some speculations on the role of these groups in economic development. Copyright 1995 by Oxford University Press.
A Unified Formation Control Scheme with a Single or Multiple Leaders

In the exploration and implementation of formation control schemes, bandwidth limitations and communication breakdown form a barrier to large scale formation control applications. The limitations of current formation control strategies involving a leader-follower approach and a consensus-based formation control approach with fully available group trajectory information are explored. A unified formation control scheme that accommodates an arbitrary number of group leaders and arbitrary information flow between vehicles is proposed. The scheme requires only local neighbor-to-neighbor information exchange. In particular, an extended consensus algorithm is applied on the group level to estimate the time-varying group trajectory information in a distributed manner. Based on the estimated group trajectory information, a consensus-based distributed formation control strategy is then applied for vehicle level control. The proposed scheme is experimentally implemented on a multi-robot platform under local neighbor-to-neighbor information exchange. The effect of a single or multiple leaders within the formation is also experimentally explored and discussed.
Dandelion: supporting coordinated, collaborative authoring in Wikis

Dandelion is a tool that extends wikis to support coordinated, collaborative authoring using a tag-based approach. Specifically, users can insert tags in a wiki page to specify various co-authoring tasks. These tags can then be executed to help drive and manage the collaboration workflow, and provide content-centric collaboration awareness for all the co-authors. Four successful pilot deployments and positive user feedback show the practical value of Dandelion, especially its value in supporting a structured, collaborative authoring process often seen in business settings.
From Chemistry to Biochemistry to Catalysis to Movement

Mechanisms of chemical reactions can often be predicted by determining the dependence of the lifetime of reaction intermediates on the structure of the reactants. When there is no lifetime in the presence of another reactant or catalyst the reaction proceeds through an enforced concerted mechanism. Noncovalent binding interactions between enzymes and their substrates provide a major contribution to catalysis by decreasing entropy and by destabilizing the ground state relative to the transition state, as well as by covalent and noncovalent chemical interactions with the substrate. Movement in biological systems, such as muscle contraction and the active transport of ions, is generally brought about through a series of alternating chemical and vectorial steps that involve a series of changes in the specificity for catalysis of the chemical and vectorial reactions. These changes divide the overall reaction into segments so that neither the chemical nor the vectorial reaction will be completed unless the othe...
Motion perception using spatiotemporal frequency analysis

Motion information is extracted by identifying the temporal signature associated with the textured objects in the scene. We present a new computational framework for motion perception. Our methodology considers spatiotemporal frequency (STF) domain analysis to extract the optical flow information. First, we show that a sequence of image frames can be used to extract the motion parameters for the different regions in a dynamic scene using the basic Fourier transform properties in the STF analysis approach. A detailed analytical description of this model to interchangably extract motion and depth parameters and results to highlight their salient properties are presented. >
Effect of Passenger Age and Gender on Fatal Crash Risks of Young Drivers

The effect of passenger age and gender on young driver fatal crash risk was studied with police-reported crash data in Louisiana from 1999 to 2004. Young drivers were divided into three age groups—16, 17, and 18 to 20 years of age—by gender. Passengers were grouped into 15 to 17 and 18 to 20 years of age by gender. A series of analyses of young drivers and young passengers was conducted to study their risks of being involved in fatal crashes. Relative risks and crash rates were used to measure crash risk. The analyses followed step-by-step disaggregation of driver and passenger characteristics, including the number of passengers, passenger age, and passenger age and gender for each driver age and gender group. It was found that young drivers are negatively affected by young passengers, especially from their own peer age groups. However, the presence of adult passengers reduces their fatal crash risks. Sixteen-and 17-year-old drivers have similar fatal risk patterns that are much higher than and different ...
The Muscarinic Antagonist MT3 Distinguishes Between Form Deprivation- and Negative Lens-Induced Myopia in Chicks.

AbstractPurpose: The muscarinic M4 receptor antagonist MT3 (muscarinic toxin 3) is effective at inhibiting the development of myopia in response to form deprivation, and prevents the deprivation-induced choroidal thinning. We asked if it was equally effective in eyes wearing negative lenses.Methods: Chicks wore monocular diffusers or −15 D lenses for 7 days. Intravitreal injections of MT3 (90 nmoles) were given on days 2, 4 and 6 (diffusers: n = 13; lenses: n = 12); saline was used as injection controls (diffusers: n = 11; lenses: n = 13). Ocular dimensions were measured with A-scan ultrasound on days 1 and 7. Refractions were measured using a Hartinger’s refractometer. A third group of “normal” chicks received monocular injections of drug (n = 7) or saline (n = 7), and eyes were measured 3 and 72 h later.Results: MT3 inhibited the myopia in response to form deprivation, but did not affect the compensation to negative lenses (drug versus saline: FD: −3.2 versus −7.4 D; p < 0.001; Lenses: −4.5 versus −4.9 ...
A developmentally regulated deletion element with long terminal repeats has cis-acting sequences in the flanking DNA

Approximately 6000 specific DNA deletion events occur during development of the somatic macronucleus of the ciliate Tetrahymena. The eliminated Tlr1 element is 13 kb or more in length and has an 825 bp inverted repeat near the rearrangement junctions. A functional analysis of the cis-acting sequences required for Tlr1 rearrangement was performed. A construct consisting of the entire inverted repeat and several hundred base pairs of flanking DNA on each side was rearranged accurately in vivo and displayed junctional variability similar to the chromosomal Tlr1 rearrangement. Thus, 11 kb or more of internal element DNA is not required in cis for DNA rearrangement. A second construct with only 51 bp of Tetrahymena DNA flanking the right junction underwent aberrant rearrangement. Thus, a signal for determination of the Tlr1 junction is located in the flanking DNA, 51 bp or more from the right junction. Within the Tlr1 inverted repeat are 19 bp tandem repeats. A construct with the 19mer repeat region deleted from the right half of the inverted repeat utilized normal rearrangement junctions. Thus, despite its transposonlike structure, Tlr1 is similar to other DNA rearrangements in Tetrahymena in possessing cis-acting sequences outside the deleted DNA.
Self-synchronization for Spread Spectrum Audio Watermarks after Time Scale Modification

De-synchronizing operations such as insertion, deletion, and warping pose significant challenges for watermarking. Because these operations are not typical for classical communications, watermarking techniques such as spread spectrum can perform poorly. Conversely, specialized synchronization solutions can be challenging to analyze/ optimize. This paper addresses desynchronization for blind spread spectrum watermarks, detected without reference to any unmodified signal, using the robustness properties of short blocks. Synchronization relies on dynamic time warping to search over block alignments to find a sequence with maximum correlation to the watermark. This differs from synchronization schemes that must first locate invariant features of the original signal, or estimate and reverse desynchronization before detection. Without these extra synchronization steps, analysis for the proposed scheme builds on classical SS concepts and allows characterizes the relationship between the size of search space (number of detection alignment tests) and intrinsic robustness (continuous search space region covered by each individual detection test). The critical metrics that determine the search space, robustness, and performance are: time-frequency resolution of the watermarking transform, and blocklength resolution of the alignment. Simultaneous robustness to (a) MP3 compression, (b) insertion/deletion, and (c) time-scale modification is also demonstrated for a practical audio watermarking scheme developed in the proposed framework.
Nitro: a capacity-optimized SSD cache for primary storage

For many primary storage customers, storage must balance the requirements for large capacity, high performance, and low cost. A well studied technique is to place a solid state drive (SSD) cache in front of hard disk drive (HDD) storage, which can achieve much of the performance benefit of SSDs and the cost per gigabyte efficiency of HDDs. To further lower the cost of SSD caches and increase effective capacity, we propose the addition of data reduction techniques. Our cache architecture, called Nitro, has three main contributions: (1) an SSD cache design with adjustable deduplication, compression, and large replacement units, (2) an evaluation of the trade-offs between data reduction, RAM requirements, SSD writes (reduced up to 53%, which improves lifespan), and storage performance, and (3) acceleration of two prototype storage systems with an increase in IOPS (up to 120%) and reduction of read response time (up to 55%) compared to an SSD cache without Nitro. Additional benefits of Nitro include improved random read performance, faster snapshot restore, and reduced writes to SSDs.
The implementation of an effective system of assessment in the Engineering Department at the United States Coast Guard Academy

The United States Coast Guard Academy Department of Engineering has implemented a system of assessment to establish long-standing processes that improve educational programs and satisfy Engineering Criteria 2000. The system is cyclical in nature and involves assessment practices at the course, program and department (4 programs) levels. The implementation scheme was borne of strategic planning that gave rise to the formalization of assessment processes, and the, development of "standardized" assessment tools (many of which already existed less formally). These processes are described in the article. The implementation of a formalized system has forced programs within the Department to more carefully reflect on outcomes and performance and has paid dividends by: (1) providing clearer vision at all levels, (2) fostering better communication between programs, (3) facilitating CGA's high level of personnel turnover (primarily military transfers), and (4) simplifying preparation for the recent EC2000 visit. The implementation of an effective system has certainly not come without tremendous effort and many challenges. Assessment has clarified these challenges however, and provided the evidence and information necessary to address them in an effective and informed manner.
System engineering for spaceborne optical interferometers

Spaceborne optical interferometry truly represents uncharted territory - one in which the community developing such missions is still "learning the ropes". This paper is based on a collection of lessons-learned based on related missions including StarLight, a formation-flying stellar interferometry mission that merged with the Terrestrial Planet Finder technology development program just prior to entering phase C/D, the Space Interferometry Mission (currently in phase B), and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (a radar interferometer which flew in 2000). In first order, optical interferometry missions differ from classical deep-space science missions in several key respects: they are highly distributed systems, they are sensitive to small, cross-coupling error sources, and their operation is very complex. This leads to three unique system engineering challenges associated with implementing such missions: error handling and performance modeling, validation and verification (V&V), and system robustness. With an upcoming suite of interferometry missions approaching the transition from technology-development mode to flight project implementation mode the time is ripe for a discussion of these challenges and proposed solutions.
Reconfigurable MEMS-enabled frequency selective surfaces

A technique for designing reconfigurable frequency selective surfaces using microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology is presented. A method of moments simulation technique for analysing these periodic structures has been used to predict the tunability using this technique. Fabricated and measured results verify the concept of tunability.
The Economic Impact of Elderly Winter Residents in the Phoenix Area

This article presents preliminary estimates of the economic impact of elderly winter residents in the Phoenix area during the 1986-1987 season. To derive the estimates the authors look at the number of seasonal households during the 1986-1987 season. Survey findings from individual mobile home and travel trailer parks on average lengths of stay and average household expenditures by category are studied; when combined with the estimated number of households these findings allow estimates of spending injection and tax revenues to be determined. Some study findings follow. 1) Figures imply some 100000 migratory households at the peak of the 1986-1987 season; 47% of these winter residents or snowbirds live in mobile homes or travel trailer 23% in apartments 15% in single family homes or condominiums 8% in hotels or motels and 7% with friends or relatives. 2) Surveys of snowbird households were conducted by the authors at 2 mobile home/travel trailer parks in early March 1986. The 226 households that responded consist almost entirely of white couples with median ages between 68 and 70 and with high school completion the median level of education for both males and females. They typically travel great distances to their winter residences. For the mobile home households the most prevalent home origins were Minnesota (11%) Michigan (10%) and Canada (13%). For the travel trailer households they were Minnesota (22%) Iowa (20%) and Michigan (15%). Mobile home households stay nearly a month and a half longer than travel trailer households; over 10% of the travel trailer households and 46% of the mobile home households stay 6-10 months but do not call Arizona their usual place of residence. 38% of the snowbirds living in mobile homes and 30% of those residing in travel trailers stay 6 months or longer. 3) In terms of total spending the authors estimate that park snowbirds injected $200176000 into the economy during the peak months of the 1986-1987 season. This estimate relates only to spending by the snowbird population living in mobile home and travel trailer parks. All told spending by winter resident households during their period of residence in the Phoenix area during the 1986-1987 winter season totaled at least $472 million. 4) Some costs to the community include peaks and troughs in demand for businesses catering to the snowbirds trailer parks left as barren pieces of land after the winter season and increased traffic congestion. Some residents also complain that seasonal visitors do not contribute enough to tax revenues during their stays though the mobile home and trailer households are estimated to have contributed $10 million in sales tax rental occupancy tax and gas tax in 1986-1987.
Rebuttal: Adaptive Point Mutation (Rosenberg and Hastings)

Rosenberg and Hastings (4) commit the same logical fallacy as do Roth and Andersson (5). They first state that there are three models to explain adaptive mutation: directed mutation, hypermutation, and cryptic growth. Then they argue against directed mutation and cryptic growth, leaving hypermutation as the only alternative. But, they ignore the alternative model that I presented in my review (2), which involves neither directed mutation nor cryptic growth. My model postulates one underlying mutational mechanism in which all cells can engage; but, in a few cells (the hypermutators) the process is more mutagenic than in the majority because Pol IV is highly expressed and mismatch repair is deficient. The majority produces 90% and the hypermutators produce 10% of the Lac mutations, but hypermutators produce all of the multiple mutations. The conclusion that only a few Lac mutations arise in hypermutators is based, in part, on the higher than expected frequency of Lac cells with two other mutations. Rosenberg and Hastings argue that this is because some cells spend more time in the hypermutable state and thus have more mutations. It is true that the proportion of cells with multiple mutations increases with time during lactose selection (3). But this effect is not large enough to account for the frequency of triple mutants. The argument is as follows (J. Cairns, personal communication). Consider a homogeneous population of cells accumulating three mutations, Lac, A, and B, each at a constant rate. The frequency of cells with any one mutation will increase linearly with time, with any two as the square of time and with all three as the cube of time. Simple calculus shows that at time T, the proportion of mutation A that occurs in cells that already have another mutation is equal to (kA)(T/2), where kA is the mutation rate constant for A; the proportion of mutation A that occurs in cells that already have two other mutations is equal to (kA)(2T/3). Thus, by time T, mutation A will be more common
Identification and Transcriptional Modulation of the Largemouth Bass, Micropterus salmoides, Vitellogenin Receptor During Oocyte Development by Insulin and Sex Steroids

Fish vitellogenin synthesized and released from the liver of oviparous animals is taken up into oocytes by the vitellogenin receptor. This is an essential process in providing nutrient yolk to developing embryos to ensure successful reproduction. Here we disclose the full length vtgr cDNA sequence for largemouth bass (LMB) that reveals greater than 90% sequence homology with other fish vtgr sequences. We classify LMB Vtgr as a member of the low density lipoprotein receptor superfamily based on conserved domains and categorize as the short variant that is devoid of the O-glycan segment. Phylogenetic analysis places LMB Vtgr sequence into a well-supported monophyletic group of fish Vtgr. Real-time PCR showed that the greatest levels of LMB vtgr mRNA expression occurred in previtellogenic ovarian tissues. In addition, we reveal the effects of insulin, 17beta-estradiol (E2), and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) in modulation of vtgr, esr, and ar mRNAs in previtellogenic oocytes. Insulin increased vtgr expression levels in follicles ex vivo while exposure to E2 or 11-KT did not result in modulation of expression. However, both steroids were able to repress insulin-induced vtgr transcript levels. Coexposure with insulin and E2 or of insulin and 11-KT increased ovarian esr2b and ar mRNA levels, respectively, which suggest a role for these nuclear receptors in insulin-mediated signaling pathways. These data provide the first evidence for the ordered stage-specific expression of LMB vtgr during the normal reproductive process and the hormonal influence of insulin and sex steroids on controlling vtgr transcript levels in ovarian tissues.
Citrus Tristeza Virus: Survival at the Edge of the Movement Continuum

Systemic invasion of plants by viruses is thought to involve two processes: cell-to-cell movement between adjacent cells and long-distance movement that allows the virus to rapidly move through sieve elements and unload at the growing parts of the plant. There is a continuum of proportions of these processes that determines the degrees of systemic infection of different plants by different viruses. We examined the systemic distribution of Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in citrus species with a range of susceptibilities. By using a "pure" culture of CTV from a cDNA clone and green fluorescent protein-labeled virus we show that both cell-to-cell and long-distance movement are unusually limited, and the degree of limitation varies depending on the citrus host. In the more-susceptible hosts CTV infected only a small portion of phloem-associated cells, and moreover, the number of infection sites in less-susceptible citrus species was substantially decreased further, indicating that long-distance movement was reduced in those hosts. Analysis of infection foci in the two most differential citrus species, Citrus macrophylla and sour orange, revealed that in the more-susceptible host the infection foci were composed of a cluster of multiple cells, while in the less-susceptible host infection foci were usually single cells, suggesting that essentially no cell-to-cell movement occurred in the latter host. Thus, CTV in sour orange represents a pattern of systemic infection in which the virus appears to function with only the long-distance movement mechanism, yet is able to survive in nature.
Design of an Integrated Non-Destructive Plutonium Assay Facility

The Department of Engergy requires improved technology for nuclear materials accounting as an essential part of new plutonium processing facilities. New facilities are being constructed at the Savannah River Plant by the Du Pont Company, Operating Contractor, to recover plutonium from scrap and waste material generated at SRP and other DOE contract processing facilities. This paper covers design concepts and planning required to incorporate state-of-the-art plutonium assay instruments developed at several national laboratories into an integrated, at-line nuclear material accounting facility operating in the production area.
Long-Term Admissions to Home Health Agencies: A Life Table Analysis

This article uses the first national survey of home health agencies and their patients to characterize the complete length-of-use distribution for an elderly admissions cohort. Of the 26 million older Americans admitted to home health agencies in 1992, 36% received care for at least three months, 22% for at least six months, and 15% for at least one year. Analyses suggest that one-year limits on Medicare's home health benefit would have affected a relatively small percentage of new admissions (less than 13%) but would have amounted to 300,000 or so beneficiaries in 1992. In contrast, proposals to limit Medicaid would have affected a more substantial proportion of home health agency admissions (about one fourth) but only a relatively small number of older Americans (30,000 in 1992). Such length of use limits would also disproportionately affect those at highest risk for nursing home admission: very old, unmarried, minority women with relatively unstable chronic conditions.
Characterization of water vapor plasma-modified polyimide

To enhance polyimide-to-polyimide adhesion, we have investigated the effect of surface modification in water vapor plasma. The use of a water vapor plasma to treat a fully cured polyimide (PMDA–ODA) surface before subsequent layers of polyimide are applied results in dramatically enhanced interfacial adhesion. The polyimide-to-polyimide interfacial adhesion strength attained following water vapor plasma treatment exceeds the cohesive strength of the applied polyimide layer. The effect of surface modification in water vapor plasma on metal-to-polyimide adhesion has also been investigated. The use of a water vapor plasma to treat a fully cured polyimide (PMDA–ODA) surface prior to metallization results in increased metal-to-polymer interfacial adhesion. A study of both electroless and vacuum-deposited metal was conducted. The use of contact-angle measurements, peel tests, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, optical emission spectroscopy, nuclear forward scattering, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy has led us to a preliminary understanding of the resulting surface modification and the subsequent effect of adhesion promotion. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Predictors of length of stay after elective total shoulder arthroplasty in the United States.

Background Total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) is an increasingly used treatment of glenohumeral arthritis and proximal humerus fractures. However, patient-specific characteristics affecting length of hospital stay postoperatively have not been elucidated. Methods All patients undergoing primary unilateral TSA between 2005 and 2011 were isolated from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Patient demographics, medical comorbidities, and selected surgical variables were extracted, and length of stay was established as the primary end point of interest. Risk factors were expressed as odds ratios (ORs) with 95% confidence intervals by bivariate and multivariable analysis. Results A total of 2004 patients were identified; the average age was 68.8 years, and 57% were women. Mean length of stay after TSA was 2.2 days (standard deviation, 1.7), and 91% of cases received hospital discharge in P = .0002), increased age (OR, 2.13; P = .011), longer operative time (OR, 1.94; P = .0041), and American Society of Anesthesiologists class ≥3 (OR, 1.86; P = .0016) as the most significant risk factors for length of stay. Gender also influenced length of stay; women were more likely to stay ≥4 days (OR, 0.44; P Conclusions Perioperative risk stratification and preoperative counseling are paramount for patients undergoing TSA, particularly for those individuals with cardiac and renal disease or of advancing age. These variables may effectively predict prolonged hospital stay after TSA.
Current concepts on the role of inflammation in COPD and lung cancer

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer are leading cause of death, and both are associated with cigarette smoke exposure. It has been shown that 50–70% of patients diagnosed with lung cancer suffer from COPD, and reduced lung function is an important event in lung cancer suggesting an association between COPD and lung cancer. However, a causal relationship between COPD and lung tumorigenesis is not yet fully understood. Recent studies have suggested a central role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of both the diseases. For example, immune dysfunction, abnormal activation of NF-κB, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, altered adhesion signaling pathways, and extracellular matrix degradation/altered signaling are the key underlying mechanisms in both COPD and lung cancer. These parameters along with other processes, such as chromatin modifications/epigenetic changes, angiogenesis, and autophagy/apoptosis are altered by cigarette smoke, are crucial in the development of COPD and lung cancer. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes will provide novel avenues for halting the chronic inflammation in COPD and devising therapeutic strategies against lung cancer.
Topographic Gene Expression in the Sinonasal Cavity of Patients with Chronic Sinusitis with Polyps

Objective. To determine whether variations in gene expression exist at multiple subsites along the sinonasal tract in patients with chronic sinusitis with polyps and in healthy controls.Study Design. Prospective, controlled study.Setting. Academic medical center.Subjects and Methods. Tissue expression levels of 5 genes, previously found to be characteristic of ethmoid polyps, were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction in 100 sinonasal tissue samples. Specimens harvested from 5 regions—the ethmoid sinus, septum, inferior turbinate, middle turbinate, and lateral nasal wall—in 10 patients with chronic sinusitis and ethmoid polyps were compared to tissue from similar regions in 10 control patients without sinusitis. Western blot analysis was performed to validate differential gene expression at the protein level.Results. Gene expression levels of ethmoid polyps differed significantly from those of healthy ethmoid mucosa, as well as tissue from 4 surrounding anatomical sites in both p...
CMOS active pixel image sensors for highly integrated imaging systems

A family of CMOS-based active pixel image sensors (APSs) that are inherently compatible with the integration of on-chip signal processing circuitry is reported. The image sensors were fabricated using commercially available 2-/spl mu/m CMOS processes and both p-well and n-well implementations were explored. The arrays feature random access, 5-V operation and transistor-transistor logic (TTL) compatible control signals. Methods of on-chip suppression of fixed pattern noise to less than 0.1% saturation are demonstrated. The baseline design achieved a pixel size of 40 /spl mu/m/spl times/40 /spl mu/m with 26% fill-factor. Array sizes of 28/spl times/28 elements and 128/spl times/128 elements have been fabricated and characterized. Typical output conversion gain is 3.7 /spl mu/V/e/sup -/ for the p-well devices and 6.5 /spl mu/V/e/sup -/ for the n-well devices. Input referred read noise of 28 e/sup -/ rms corresponding to a dynamic range of 76 dB was achieved. Characterization of various photogate pixel designs and a photodiode design is reported. Photoresponse variations for different pixel designs are discussed.
p-Channel Ge MOSFET by Selectively Heteroepitaxially Grown Ge on Si

We successfully demonstrate Ge pMOSFET integrated on Si. In this process, Ge is grown selectively on Si on patterned SiO2 by heteroepitaxy, and pMOSFET is fabricated with gate dielectric stack consisting of thin GeO2 and Al2O3 and Al metal gate electrode. Fabricated devices show ~80% enhancement over the Si universal hole mobility. These results are promising toward monolithically integrating Ge MOSFETs with Si CMOS VLSI platform.
New Concepts in High Tibial Osteotomy for Medial Compartment Osteoarthritis

Medial compartment osteoarthritis remains a clinical challenge for the orthopedic surgeon. Accurate preoperative planning is an integral part of management. MCOA with genu varum is not a single condition but a family of related deformities. One single technique may not be appropriate for all the permutations. An individualized approach is necessary to address the many facets of this complex disorder. Treatment must begin with recognition of all of these facets through careful history and physical examination and radiographic evaluation and through preoperative planning of the location of the deformity (femur, tibia, or knee joint), level of angulation, magnitude of the deformity, and plane of the angulation. One can then formulate a treatment plan to address the problems identified. Surgeons should not become rigid in their choice of method or device, but also consider its appropriateness to address the problems to be corrected. Because the patient seeks to prolong the life of the knee before joint replacement, a comprehensive approach achieving as accurate a correction as possible should be associated with the best possible outcome. In total knee replacement, the important emphasis has been on achieving correct bony alignment and soft-tissue balance. With osteotomy, the emphasis has been on bony alignment. However, soft-tissue balance should also be considered an important element in preserving the knee in osteotomy surgery.
Vibration Transfer from Shear Buildings to Ground

A plausible, simple mechanism is presented to illustrate vibratory energy transfer from a shear type building to the ground on which it stands. The mechanism involves wave travel and reflection constants. Because the simplified mechanism fails to consider some geometrical continuity requirements, notably near the interface perimeter, a modified method for circumventing this defect is presented. The radiation loss of vibratory energy from a building is related to that of a pseudo-damping phenomenon involving stepwise, half cycle decreases in vibrational amplitudes. An illustrative example shows that the unmodified pseudo-damping is remarkably large unless the ground is either hard or soft; both conditions lead to instability. The suggested method of modifying the interface area yields pseudo-damping values that appear to be of reasonable magnitude.
Energy Efficiency Potential for China’s Cement Industry: A Bottom-Up Technology-Level Analysis

China’s annual cement production (i.e., 1,868 Mt) in 2010 accounted for nearly half of the world’s annual cement production in the same year. We analyzed 23 energy efficiency technologies and measures applicable to the processes in the cement industry. Using a bottom-up electricity conservation supply curve model, the cumulative cost-effective electricity savings potential for the Chinese cement industry for 2010-2030 is estimated to be 410 TWh, and the total technical electricity saving potential is 468 TWh. The fuel conservation supply curve model for the cement industry shows cumulative cost-effective fuel savings potential of 6,248 PJ-equivalent to the total technical potential.
Does Lymph Node Count Influence Survival in Surgically Resected Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer?

Background The prognostic significance of the number of lymph nodes sampled (NLNS) during resection for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is unclear. The NLNS is influenced by many factors, and some have argued that it should be a surrogate for quality. We sought to determine the influence of the NLNS on overall survival and cancer-specific survival for surgically resected NSCLC. Methods The California Cancer Registry was queried from 2004 to 2011 for cases of stage I to III NSCLC treated with surgical resection, identifying 16,393 patients. Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to determine the influence of NLNS on overall survival and cancer-specific survival. Results In all, 15,195 patients had information regarding nodal sampling. Eighty percent (13,167 of 15,195) were treated with lobectomy. Patients who were younger, male, non-Hispanic white, highest socioeconomic status, higher stage, or larger size tumor had more nodes removed. Sampling fewer than 10 nodes was associated with poorer overall survival when compared with sampling 10 or more nodes after adjustment for demographic and clinical factors for stage I: overall survival hazard ratio 1.78 (95% confidence interval: 1.54 to 2.05, p Conclusions For NSCLC, the NLNS influenced both overall survival and cancer-specific survival, but the influence is dependent on stage. Surgeons should perform mediastinal lymphadenectomy to maximize patient survival, but the optimal NLNS remains unclear.
Weyerhaeuser, North Carolina, United States of America

Weyerhaeuser forest management plans enable both financial benefits to shareholders and ecosystem service benefits to society. To this end, plans are constructed using best available science, with precision data gathered using cost-effective technology, and evaluated using modeling tools to develop robust options to serve customers and markets over the long term. Weyerhaeuser practices sustainable forest management in its North Carolina Timberlands, and trained and experienced foresters practice the art and science of sustainable forestry. Weyerhaeuser’s forestry practices in North Carolina are based on high-yield forestry principles and the associated financial attractiveness of silviculture regimes. Forest planning is a business-driven activity based on timberlands strategic direction, change in inventory, existing and future market conditions, and products demand by customers. This chapter briefly describes the guiding principles, the processes employed, and some of the outcomes of the plan. The planning process uses a combination of commercial and proprietary software to determine sustainable harvest levels, maximize financial returns, and maintain environmental sustainability.
Choosing an Electoral System

As regards the translation between votes and seats electoral systems can be considered continuous, since the major variable is here the constituency size, and given the fact that sizes that range continuously (serially) from 1 to about 40–50 all exist in some country or another. But as regards their ends and their underlying reason for being, I insist that electoral systems must be neatly disjoined into majoritarian and proportional. The alternative may be stated as follows: ‘Representational systems belong to two main patterns ... The English type sacrifices the representativeness of parliament to the need of efficient government, while the French type sacrifices efficient government to the representativeness of parliament... [And] we cannot build a representational system that maximizes at one and the same time the function of functioning and the function of mirroring.’1
Spirituality and Environmental Education

Environmental education in Australian schools is generally becoming recognised as education for the environment, as distinct from but usually including education 'about' and education 'in' the environment (Greenall, 1987). This means that students of environmental education will be encouraged to develop an attitude of caring for the Earth (including the biosphere) and its resources, and to participate actively in maintaining and improving the quality of their environment. What encourages students (and ourselves) to move actively towards these goals?
Classification and equivariant cohomology of circle actions on 3d manifolds

Abstract The classification of Seifert manifolds was given in terms of numeric data by Seifert (1933), and then generalized by Raymond (1968) and Orlik and Raymond (1968) to circle actions on closed 3d manifolds. In this paper, we further generalize the classification to circle actions on 3d manifolds with boundaries by adding a numeric parameter and a graph of cycles. Then, we describe the rational equivariant cohomology of 3d manifolds with circle actions in terms of ring, module and vector-space structures. We also compute equivariant Betti numbers and Poincare series for these manifolds and discuss the equivariant formality.
Comprehensive characterization of BEOL-TDDB performance using very fast Voltage ramp Dielectric Breakdown tests

In this paper we present a model to generate voltage acceleration (Vacc) values from VRDB measurements with different ramp rates. The results have been verified with TDDB measurements.
Meta-Analysis on the Prevalence of Selected Premotor Symptoms of Parkinson Disease before and after Diagnosis (P06.097)

OBJECTIVE: To conduct meta-analyses on the prevalence of selected PD pre-motor symptoms (PMS) before and after clinical diagnosis. BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence suggests that some nonmotor symptoms precede the diagnosis of Parkinson disease (PD). DESIGN/METHODS: PubMed publications from 1965 through June 2011 were searched for the following key PD PMS: hyposmia, constipation , REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), depression, and anxiety. Eligible studies were publications with original data on one or more PMS. For each symptom, we calculated the pooled prevalence and 95% confidence intervals using random-effects models. RESULTS: The search generated a total of 592 publications and 101 met the inclusion criteria. 93 papers provided data on these symptoms after PD diagnosis. For all symptoms, the prevalence was substantially higher in PD cases than controls: hyposmia being the most prevalent (63.7% among cases vs. 12.2% among controls), followed by constipation (50.8% vs. 16.1%), anxiety (39.8% vs. 19.7%), depression (36.5% vs. 11.8%), RBD (32.5% vs. 8.4%), and EDS (29.7% vs. 12.8%). Across studies, we also found a correlation between disease duration and higher prevalence of constipation, EDS, and anxiety. Only 12 studies provided data prior to PD diagnosis. All symptoms were more prevalent among future PD patients than controls prior to diagnosis: 37.5% of cases vs. 19.9% of controls for hyposmia, 25.1% vs. 9.7% for constipation, 24.1% vs. 16.4% for depression, 20.9% vs. 7.7% for EDS, and 10.4% vs. 3.5% for anxiety. The prevalence of RBD among future PD patients was 15.4%, though there was no corresponding data on controls for RBD. However, data on temporal relationship are limited. CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis provided summary estimates for the prevalence of key PMS before and after PD diagnosis. More studies are needed to study these symptoms prior to PD motor onset and to understand the temporal relationships. Supported by: The intramural research program of NIH, the national institute of environmental health sciences. Disclosure: Dr. Zhao has nothing to disclose. Dr. Zhang has nothing to disclose. Dr. Peddada has nothing to disclose. Dr. Chen has nothing to disclose.
Are Real-World Data and Evidence Good Enough to Inform Health Care and Health Policy Decision-Making?

We are entering the era of digitized real-world data to inform health-care and health policy decisions—including medical claims, electronic health records, sensor/real-time monitoring data, etc. This will increasingly be merged with novel other data sources—including purchasing preferences self-reporting of experience via social networks, weather, etc. Together this big data has the potential to revolutionize decision-making and help to realize the goal of a “learning health-care system.” However, there are concerns that the data are not of sufficient quality—both in terms of accuracy and completeness. Are data good enough today? If not, when will we know when they are good enough? There are multiple ongoing and potential applications of real-world data/big data including understanding the epidemiology of disease and unmet medical need, informing the development of precision medicines, informing health-care benefit design, informing quality improvement efforts, informing health technology assessments regarding access to and pricing of new therapies, assessing the incidence/prevalence of adverse events associated with marketed medications to inform regulatory labelling, informing bedside shared decision-making between patient and provider, and informing regulatory labelling decisions regarding indications, dosing, benefits in subpopulations, etc. The criteria for what are good enough are not the same across these applications. For some uses, the data we have today are already good enough. For other uses, it remains controversial whether the data are good enough. A framework is discussed that allows end users to decide whether data are of sufficient quality to inform decision-making.
The Protestant Supranationalism of Britain

This extensive chapter traces British Euro-skepticism to ideas of the English Reformation. Theologically, Royce identifies five central propositions of Britain in the sixteenth century: “Popery” is a totalitarian ideology, Britain should be a Divine Commonwealth, the monarch is inviolable, Parliament is sovereign, and the people have liberties; and he then explains how they became embodied in some of the most important British statutes following the Restoration. Royce then discusses the Common Market/EU referendums of 1975 and 2016, respectively, and identifies these ideas within the political theories of the anti-European politicians in each case. This chapter thus includes one of the first scholarly discussions of the Brexit development.
Reduction of postoperative pelvic adhesions in the rabbit with Gore-Tex surgical membrane

Gore-Tex (W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc., Flagstaff, AZ) surgical membrane (SM), a nonreactive expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), was used in 24 mature New Zealand rabbits (2200 to 3000 gm) to cover 2-cm 2 ischemic defects in the pelvic sidewall peritoneum to reduce adhesion formation in a rabbit pelvic sidewall/uterine horn injury model. SM was randomly assigned to cover one defect; the opposite defect remained uncovered, each animal serving as its own control. Rabbits were sacrificed 3weeks later, and adhesions between uterine horn and pelvic sidewall or SM were scored for extent (0 to 4), type (0 to 4), and tenacity (0 to 3). Injury sites were removed en bloc for histologic study. The mean (± standard deviation [SD]) adhesion score for SM-covered lesions (4.3±1.8) was significantly lower than for controls (9.1±2.5) ( P P 0.001; chi-square test). By both gross and microscopic assessment, SM was nonadherent to the underlying sidewall defect in 100% of cases. In conclusion, Gore-Tex surgical membrane is an effective barrier for reducing primary adhesions in this pelvic injury model and offers promise for adhesion reduction in human pelvic surgery.
Paranormal Survivors: Validating the Struggling Middle Class

Abstract:Over a dozen reality TV shows are based on first-hand accounts of paranormal experiences. Shows like A Haunting and Paranormal Witness feature “ordinary Americans” who use paranormal terms to express the effects of the 2008 housing crisis as they seek validation of their suffering.
Mechanical behavior of structurally gradient nickel alloy

Abstract Certain structurally gradient metallic materials have shown a combination of high strength and work hardening capability. The fundamental mechanisms behind such a unique mechanical behavior remain less well understood. Here we processed NiCrMo based C-22HS alloys by surface mechanical grinding treatment to achieve a gradient microstructure consisting of surface nanolaminated layer, deformation twinned layer and severely deformed layers. In situ micropillar compression tests performed inside a scanning electron microscope reveal different mechanical behaviors of each layer. This study suggests that the increase of intergranular back stress may have contributed to the high strain hardening behavior of the gradient material.
Determination of the Optimal Seat Profile Parameters for an Airplane Eco-class Passenger Seat

An airplane passenger seat, like other seats in transportation, is used by thousands or millions of people. The seat should be designed to accommodate the maximum number of a target population by taking into account the variability of body size and also the environment's constraints. Thanks to a ful
Authority and Text in Wolfram’s Titurel and Parzival

Die Titurel-Fragmente zeigen den Konflikt zwischen notwendiger personlicher Lebenserfahrung und nachempfundenem Wissen. Rat und personliche Unerfahrenheit sind zentrale Themen im Parzival und im ersten Titurel-Vragment. Das ‚Brackenseil ‘wird dann als Text vorgestellt, von dem sich besonders Sigune Einsicht erhofft. In der Verschachtelung von Texten stellt Wolfram die Frage nach dem Verhaltnis zwischen Autor und Leser.