cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wavering on Waiver: Montejo v. Louisiana and the Sixth Amendment Right to Counsel

This Article analyzes the future of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel following the United States Supreme Court case of Montejo v. Louisiana, 129 S. Ct. 2079 (2009). In Montejo, the Court overturned a long-standing prohibition on the interrogation of a represented defendant without his counsel present. Now, following Montejo, the police may approach a criminal defendant and ask him, outside the presence of his lawyer, to waive his Sixth Amendment right to have counsel present during an interrogation.This significant change in Sixth Amendment law raises many new questions regarding the scope and procedure of a waiver of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel. In addressing these questions, this Article first critiques the Montejo decision for its conflation of the Sixth Amendment right to counsel with the Fifth Amendment right to counsel. This Article posits that the Court wrongly grafted Fifth Amendment notions of voluntariness and coercion onto its Sixth Amendment analysis, thereby ignoring traditional Sixth Amendment concerns, such as fairness in the adversarial process and the provision of counsel as an intermediary between the defendant and the State. This Article then considers several questions that arise in the wake of Montejo, including: whether a formal waiver is still needed to waive the Sixth Amendment right to counsel; if it is, what language constitutes a valid waiver; and what police conduct will invalidate a waiver? In answering each of these questions, this Article discusses the inherent limitations of the Montejo Court’s conclusion that the protections afforded by the Fifth Amendment right to counsel, namely those of Miranda and its progeny, offer sufficient protection of a defendant’s Sixth Amendment right to counsel. Finally, this Article argues that these Fifth Amendment-based protections are, in fact, insufficient, and courts should answer these post-Montejo questions by reaffirming the distinct fundamental principles that underlie the Court’s traditional Sixth Amendment right to counsel jurisprudence.
A new synchronous reluctance generator AC/DC buck rectifier as a controllable power supply

This paper sets forth the use of a three-phase synchronous reluctance generator feeding a pulse-width modulation (PWM) based AC/DC buck rectifier to produce controllable AC and/or DC power. This is made possible by controlling both the modulation magnitude and phase angle of the rectifier. This generating scheme is targeted for application requirements for equipment on airplanes, ships or ground vehicles with high speed turbines to which the synchronous reluctance generator may be directly connected. Steady-state and transient performance of this system is comprehensively investigated. >
Electron transport in indium arsenide nanowires

The vapor--liquid--solid growth of semiconductor nanowires led to the implementation of engineered electronic and optoelectronic one-dimensional nanostructures with outstanding promise for device applications. To realize this promise, detailed understanding and control over their growth, crystal structure, and transport properties and their combined impact on device performance is vital. Here, we review our work on electron transport in InAs nanowires in a variety of device schemes. First, we provide a brief introduction and historical perspective on growth and transport studies in InAs NWs. Second, we discuss and present experimental measurements of ballistic transport in InAs nanowires over ~200 nm length scale, which indicates a large electron mean free path and correlates with the high electron mobility measured on similar nanowires. Third, we devise a device model that enables accurate estimation of transport coefficients from field-effect transistor measurements by taking into account patristic device components. We utilize this model to reveal the impact of surface states, diameter, lateral and vertical fields, as well as crystal structure, on electron transport and transport coefficient calculation. We show in these studies that electron transport in InAs nanowires is dominated by surface state effects that introduce measurement artifacts in parameter extraction, reduce electron mobility for smaller diameters, and degrade the subthreshold characteristics of transistors made of Zinc Blende InAs nanowires. This device model is also used for isolating vertical and lateral field effects on electron transport in nanowire transistor channels and explaining observed negative differential conductance and mobility degradation at high injection fields, which is supported by electro-thermal simulations and microstructure failure analysis. We adopt the concept of lack of inversion symmetry in polar III-V materials and the resultant spontaneous polarization charges perpendicular to the electron transport trajectory in twinned Wurtzite nanowires to explain compensation of surface charges for this type of nanowires and their enhanced subthreshold characteristics over transistors made of Zinc Blende ones. Fourth, we discuss the combined effects of surface states and field variations in InAs nanowire transistor channels to shed light on the local electrostatic behavior in 1D channels studied by scanning probe measurements. Fifth, we survey and benchmark results on nanowire transistor performance and demonstrate the superiority of InAs nanowires for high-on currents and high-speed applications. Finally, we implement a novel integration scheme for InAs nanowires on Si substrates that enables vertical alignment and electrical isolation between nanowires which is necessary for achieving multifunctional devices per single chip.
Reproductive biology of Datura wrightii: the benefits of a herbivorous pollinator.

† Background and Aims A deeper understanding of mutualism can be reached by studying systems with measurable costs and benefits. Most studies of this type focus on an unusual class of obligate, species-specific pollination mutualisms. The interaction between Datura wrightii (Solanaceae) and the hawkmoth Manduca sexta offers similar advantages but greater generality. Adult moths both nectar at and deposit eggs on the same plant; larvae are herbivorous. The antagonistic component of this interaction has been well studied. Here the role of M. sexta as a pollinator of D. wrightii, particularly in the context of this moth’s frequent nectaring visits to the bat-pollinated plant Agave palmeri, is documented. † Methods Hand-pollinations were used to determine breeding system and the reproductive consequences of mixed loads of A. palmeri and D. wrightii pollen. Plants and moths were caged overnight to assess whether nectaring visits led to fruit and seed set. Finally, pollen deposited on field-collected stigmas was identified, with a particular focus on documenting the presence of D. wrightii and A. palmeri grains. † Key Results Datura wrightii is highly self-compatible, and a visit that deposits either outcross or self pollen almost doubles fruit and seed set compared with unvisited flowers. Manduca sexta transferred enough pollen to produce fruit and seed sets comparable to hand-pollination treatments. Agave palmeri did not interfere with D. wrightii success: in the field, stigmas received almost pure D. wrightii pollen, and hand-addition of large quantities of A. palmeri pollen had no measurable effect on fruit and seed set. † Conclusions The floral visitation component of the D. wrightii –M. sexta interaction is indeed mutualistic. This finding is essential background to future development of this interaction as a model system for studying mutualism’s costs and benefits. It is already proving valuable for dissecting third-species effects on the outcome of mutualism. Results indicate that M. sexta’s heavy visitation to A. palmeri has no negative effect on the benefits conferred to D. wrightii. However, it can be predicted to augment M. sexta populations to the point where the costs of the interaction begin to exceed its benefits.
Does Brain Reserve Protect Older Women from Vascular Depression

Objectives. Brain reserve theory, typically discussed in relation to dementia, was examined with regard to late-life depression symptomatology and cerebrovascular burden (CVB) in older-old women. Method. It w as predicted that in a 6-year longitudinal sample (Health and Retirement Study) of 1,355 stroke-free women aged 80 years and older, higher levels of depressive symptomatology (8-item Center for Epidemiologic StudiesDepression score) would be predicted by high CVB, less educational attainment, and the education × CVB interaction after controlling for age and cognitive functioning (Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status). A latent growth curve model was used to identify differences in depression symptomatology at baseline and over time. Logistic regression analyses were used to predict clinically significant depressive symptomatology at each wave based on CVB, education, and the education × CVB interaction. Results. Results indicate that among older w omen, greater educational attainment predicted fewer depression symptoms at baseline, but this advantage was partially eroded over time. The education × CVB interaction predicted clinically significant depressive symptoms at baseline when the benefits of education were most robust. Discussion. Brain reserv e, characterized by educational attainment, may counterbalance the effect of high CVB with respect to depressive symptoms, thereby preserving mood in late life. These findings support the application of brain reserve theory to late-life depression.
Resurrection and redescription of Pomponia bullata Schmidt, 1924 stat. rev. (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadini)

Abstract Pomponia bullata Schmidt, 1924 stat. rev. from Java is resurrected from junior synonymy with Pomponia picta (Walker, 1870) from Sumatra and redescribed. The only male specimen out of three syntypes is designated as the lectotype.
Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Cytokine Networks in Atherosclerosis

Despite advances in prevention and treatment, atherosclerotic vascular disease continues to account for significant morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in the western world. Our current understanding of this disease presents atherosclerosis as a chronic inflammatory process involving multiple cell types in various stages of activation, apoptosis, and necrosis. These cells include monocyte/macrophage, dendritic cells, lymphocytes, endothelial cells, and vascular smooth muscle cells. Activation of these cells and their processes is initiated and sustained by a complex network of soluble factors termed cytokines. Cytokines are produced and recognized by both inflammatory and resident vascular cells, allowing crosstalk between these two systems. Cytokines also regulate the phenotype of many of these cell types. Recognizing functions of these cytokines and their effects on cells which populate atherosclerotic plaque is key to uncovering targets of therapeutic intervention. This paper will present recent studies which describe the cellular protagonists of atherosclerosis and the role they play in formation of atherosclerotic plaque. It will also describe the cytokines which have been identified as produced by and directly affecting dysfunction of these cells. Because atherosclerosis is considered an inflammatory condition, emphasis will be placed on inflammatory cytokines and their effects on atherogenesis. We will conclude with new directions in therapeutic strategies and points of emphasis for future research.
A recommender system based on the collaborative behavior of bird flocks

This paper proposes a swarm intelligence based recommender system (FlockRecom) based on the collaborative behavior of bird flocks for generating Top-N recommendations. The flock-based recommender algorithm (FlockRecom) iteratively adjusts the position and speed of dynamic flocks of agents on a visualization panel. By using the neighboring agents on the visualization panel, top-n recommendations are generated. The performance of FlockRecom is evaluated using the Jester Dataset-2 [1] and is compared with a traditional collaborative filtering based recommender system. Experiments on real data illustrate the workings of the recommender system and its advantages over its CF baseline.
Lost in Degree: A Chicano PhD Student's Search for Missing Clothes

This is a reflection essay that posits the issues of identity, education, and social responsibility on the shoulders of a dream gone wrong. Beginning in the violent streets of south Los Angeles, a young Chicano boy (me) becomes addicted to the word and inquiry at age 5. He follows the tenets of society, seeking upward mobility and happiness via higher education. In spite of being raised on welfare, he is able to study and make it all the way to PhD study. Then tragedy sets in; or an epiphany that should have came many years before. How much have I lost? Why do I not want to pursue the academic track anymore? Why do I feel invisible amidst visible characters engaged in daily living? Ultimately, will I get a second chance and will I be able to go back home?
Association of genetic defects with yield and type traits: the weaver locus effect on yield.

Abstract The association of recessive genetic disorders with yield and type traits was investigated. The frequency of a defective gene could be increased by selection if it is positively associated with selected traits, despite efforts to reduce it. Genetic defects considered were weaver in Brown Swiss and rectovaginal constriction and limber leg in Jerseys. Data sets for linkage analysis consisted of 245 sons of 9 carrier sires, 1036 sons of 16 carrier sires, and 557 sons of 10 carrier sires, respectively. Weaver carrier sons had higher producing daughters than noncarrier sons within all 9 sire families. Weaver carrier cows have an advantage of 673.6 kg milk and 26.0 kg fat and a disadvantage in rear legs score, indicating that the condition may not be completely recessive. Carriers of the other defect genes have no advantage for milk production, are scored lower for pelvic angle, and limber leg carriers have more desirable udders. Estimates of defect gene frequencies in 264,000 Jersey cows show a decrease over time for rectovaginal constriction and limber leg; in 97,723 Brown Swiss cows, frequency of the weaver gene increased over time. Gene frequencies in daughters of the youngest sires were 5.48, 2.13, and 8.89%, respectively. Consistently higher yield evaluations of weaver carrier sons within each sire family, large advantage in production of weaver carrier cows, and increasing gene frequency over time indicate that a chromosome segment with major effect on yield is tightly linked to weaver in Brown Swiss.
Tailored Phase Transitions via Mixed-Mesogen Liquid Crystalline Polymers with Silicon-Based Spacers

Control over thermotropic phase behavior in low-Tg main-chain liquid crystalline polymers (LCPs) is desired for a variety of applications, including soft actuation when cross-linked. Here, we describe the synthesis of new silicon-based main-chain LCPs, including homopolymers, blends, and copolymers, with tunable clearing temperatures as governed by their chemical composition. Two mesogenic groups, namely, 1,4-bis(4-(4-pentenyloxy)benzoyl)hydroquinone (M1) and 2-tert-butyl-1,4-bis(4-(4-pentenyloxy)- benzoyl)hydroquinone (M2), were polymerized with various silicon-based flexible spacers, specifically, 1,4-bis(dimethylsilyl)benzene (S1), 1,1,3,3,5,5-hexamethyltrisiloxane (S2), and hydride-terminated poly- (dimethylsiloxane) (DP ) 8) (S3) spacers, following routine hydrosilation reaction techniques. These mesogens and flexible spacers were chosen so that both copolymerization and blending of homopolymers would allow for potential tailoring of phase behavior. Indeed, despite their similar chemical structure, the clearing transition temperatures of M1 and M2 differ dramatically (¢TNI ) 140 °C), while the silicon- based spacers offer accessibility to a large range of molecular flexibility. High-molecular-weight LCPs were successfully prepared using Pt-catalyzed addition polymerization. Interestingly, the polymers exhibited wide liquid crystalline windows with relatively high degree of order (smectic phases) except for the S1-based blends, which, in addition to a smectic phase, also displayed a narrow nematic phase. As expected, a drastic decrease of the glass transition temperature arose on polymerizing with longer, more flexible spacers, from about 56 to -17 °C. Finally, in comparing the two approaches to phase behavior tailoring, namely, blending vs copolymerization, the former led to apparently immiscible systems with constant isotropization temperatures, while the latter yielded homogeneous, single-phased materials with tunable isotropization temperatures dictated by the M1/M2 ratio of the copolymers.
A Common Molecular Basis for Rearrangement Disorders on Chromosome 22q11

The chromosome 22q11 region is susceptible to rearrangements that are associated with congenital anomaly disorders and malignant tumors. Three congenital anomaly disorders, cat-eye syndrome, der(22) syndrome and velo-cardio-facial syndrome/DiGeorge syndrome (VCFS/DGS) are associated with tetrasomy, trisomy or monosomy, respectively, for part of chromosome 22q11. VCFS/DGS is the most common syndrome associated with 22q11 rearrangements. In order to determine whether there are particular regions on 22q11 that are prone to rearrangements, the deletion end-points in a large number of VCFS/DGS patients were defined by haplotype analysis. Most VCFS/DGS patients have a similar 3 Mb deletion, some have a nested distal deletion breakpoint resulting in a 1.5 Mb deletion and a few rare patients have unique deletions or translocations. The high prevalence of the disorder in the population and the fact that most cases occur sporadically suggest that sequences at or near the breakpoints confer susceptibility to chromosome rearrangements. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed hamster-human somatic hybrid cell lines from VCFS/DGS patients with all three classes of deletions and we now show that the breakpoints occur within similar low copy repeats, termed LCR22s. To support this idea further, we identified a family that carries an interstitial duplication of the same 3 Mb region that is deleted in VCFS/DGS patients. We present models to explain how the LCR22s can mediate different homologous recombination events, thereby generating a number of rearrangements that are associated with congenital anomaly disorders. We identified five additional copies of the LCR22 on 22q11 that may mediate other rearrangements leading to disease.
Sub-38 nm resolution tabletop microscopy with 13 nm wavelength laser light

We have acquired images with a spatial resolution better than 38 nm by using a tabletop microscope that combines 13 nm wavelength light from a high-brightness tabletop laser and Fresnel zone plate optics. These results open a gateway to the development of compact and widely available extreme-ultraviolet imaging tools capable of inspecting samples in a variety of environments with a 15-20 nm spatial resolution and a picosecond time resolution.
Schizoanalyzing Souls: Godard, Deleuze, and the Mystical Line of Flight

"In an article on montage written for Cahiers du cinema , Jean-Luc Godard made an observation that has been quoted many times in many contexts: If direction is a look, montage is a heartbeat…what one seeks to foresee in space, the other seeks in time….Cutting on a look is…to bring out the soul under the spirit, the passion behind the intrigue, to make the heart prevail over the intelligence by destroying the notion of space in favor of that of time. This passage appeared in 1956, almost three decades before Gilles Deleuze published Cinema 1: The Movement-Image and Cinema 2: The Time-Image in 1983 and 1985, respectively. Yet despite the distance between those dates, the young critic’s remark anticipates key aspects of the philosopher’s film-theoretical stance. The need to displace the notional bias toward space with a conception of time as a concrete and dynamic force is the single most vital element in the thinking of Henri Bergson, whose ideas about this subject – ramified into such areas as affect, memory, perception, language, and the ontological properties of mind itself – play indispensable roles in Deleuze’s writings on cinema and allied areas of immanence, multiplicity, and difference..."
Much Ado about Pluralities: Pride and Precedent Amidst the Cacophony of Concurrences, and Re-Percolation after Rapanos

Conflicts created by concurrences and pluralities in court decisions create confusion in law and lower court interpretation. Rule of law values require that individuals be able to identify controlling legal principles. That task is complicated when pluralities and concurrences contribute to the vagueness or uncertainty that leaves us wondering what the controlling rule is or attempting to predict what it will evolve to become. The rule of law is at least handicapped when continuity or confidence or confusion infuse our understanding of the applicable rules. This Article uses the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Rapanos v. United States to explore this topic of concurrences, precedential complexities, and confusion. It addresses these issues by introducing the Marks doctrine's ability to assist jurists and others who are wrangling with precedents latten by pluralities. Part of the precedential system is the signaling function to lower courts, and that signal can be disrupted by plurality opinions, and it analyzes lower courts' reaction to the fractured nature of Rapanos. But plurality decisions may open the door to re-percolation in interpretations. Finally, this Article examines Marks and this situation in relation to judicial motives. The legal treatment of separate opinions may alter incentives to concur rather than join, thus creating the possibility that their nuance on the holding will have greater influence once a case must be applied in the lower courts. Rapanos provides an excellent case study of a fragmented decision in the era of many such decisions. The confusion that it has caused is serious and reflects the limitations of lower courts' ability to apply the Marks doctrine as well as the limitations of the doctrine itself. Thus, while the Marks doctrine creates self-interested incentives to write separately, its limitations act as a check on these incentives. Whether that check is enough to control the pride, prejudice or prudence that causes the Court to issue a fractured decision is questionable. As a result, some plurality decisions are much ado about nothing, but others are a source of ongoing confusion and uncertainty that seriously undermines our system of precedent.
Physician in Triage Versus Rotational Patient Assignment.

Abstract Background Physician in triage and rotational patient assignment are different front-end processes that are designed to improve patient flow, but there are little or no data comparing them. Objective To compare physician in triage with rotational patient assignment with respect to multiple emergency department (ED) operational metrics. Methods Design—Retrospective cohort review. Patients—Patients seen on 23 days on which we utilized a physician in triage with those patients seen on 23 matched days when we utilized rotational patient assignment. Results There were 1,869 visits during physician in triage and 1,906 visits during rotational patient assignment. In a simple comparison, rotational patient assignment was associated with a lower median length of stay (LOS) than physician in triage (219 min vs. 233 min; difference of 14 min; 95% confidence interval [CI] 5–27 min). In a multivariate linear regression incorporating multiple confounders, there was a nonsignificant reduction in the geometric mean LOS in rotational patient assignment vs. physician in triage (204 min vs. 217 min; reduction of 6.25%; 95% CI −3.6% to 15.2%). There were no significant differences between groups for left before being seen, left subsequent to being seen, early (within 72 h) returns, early returns with admission, or complaint ratio. Conclusions In a single-site study, there were no statistically significant differences in important ED operational metrics between a physician in triage model and a rotational patient assignment model after adjusting for confounders.
CYTOPLASMIC EFFECTS ON COMPONENTS OF FITNESS IN TOBACCO CYBRIDS.

Comparisons of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences may establish maternal phylogenies, date species divergence, provide an analysis of hybrid zones, and generate conclusions about evolutionary and population dynamics (Clark and Lyckegaard, 1988; MacRae and Anderson, 1988; McClean and Hanson, 1986; Ovendon and White, 1990). Most models dealing with mtDNA diversity assume neutrality of alternate alleles (Arnold et al., 1988; Birky et al., 1983; Chapman et al., 1982; DeSalle et al., 1987; Kimura, 1983; Kimura and Ohta, 1969; Neigel and Avise, 1986). If the assumption of neutrality is not met, evolutionary conclusions based on neutrality may be compromised (Lansman et al., 1983; Ovendon and White, 1990). Several lines of evidence challenge the validity of the neutral theory. Clark and Lyckegaard (1988) make the point that phylogenies established from nuclear and mitochondrial clocks should be identical if the neutral theory is true, but such equality is not the rule. In reviewing the evidence for and against the neutral theory of mtDNA, Clark (1984) concluded that variation of mtDNA sequences is not random, which suggests evolutionary constraints on sequence variation. The present research demonstrates a difference in fitness between cybrid and normal lines of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) that differ only in the mitochondrial genome. A cybrid is a plant with a single parental nucleus and a hybrid cytoplasm produced by mixing the two parental cytoplasms (Belliard et al., 1979). The two lines have a nearly isogenic nuclear background (N. tabacum) but the cybrid has a recombinant mitochondrial genome, the result of mixing mitochondria from two allopatric tobacco species (Belliard et al., 1979). These plants allow direct comparison of functional differences that can be attributed only to the mitochondria or to mitochondrial-nuclear interactions. Results indicate that mitochondrial alleles are not neutral in tobacco derived from two different species. This is relevant to the behavior of alternative mitochondrial genomes in natural populations, particularly in hybrid zones where introgression of foreign mtDNA would be expected (Ferris et al., 1 983; Powell, 1983; Saunders et al., 1986; Tegelstrom, 1987).
Evaluation of ARS Program on Alternative Methods of Insect Control: Host Plant Resistance to Insects

Host plant resistance (HPR) to insects was reported in the 18th century, but concentrated efforts to search for and develop resistant crop varieties did not begin until the 1900s, and widespread recognition of the potential of HPR as a means of reducing populations of pest insects was even slower. Indeed, strong support for such research did not develop until the 1950s despite many significant examples of resistance reported prior to this period. Then as greater emphasis was placed on the development of nonchemical means of insect control, attention was drawn to the important role that insect resistant cultivars have in insect management programs, either as a means of control in themselves or as part of an integrated control scheme.
Energetics and kinetics of native point defects in Ga 2 Se 3 from first principles

Based on first-principles calculations, the Ga vacancy and antisite defect Se${}_{\mathrm{Ga}}$ are the only intrinsic shallow acceptors in Ga${}_{2}$Se${}_{3}$. The Ga interstitial is always a donor, $+$3 charge state under $p$-type conditions or $+$1 charge state under $n$-type conditions. Both the Se vacancy and Se interstitial are neutral defects except under an extremely $p$-type condition. Both the Ga interstitial and Se interstitial are predicted to be a very fast diffuser under $n$-type conditions, with a migration barrier value of $l$0.3 eV. Under $p$-type conditions, the calculated migration barrier of the Ga interstitial has a quite large value of $g$1.0 eV. The $+$2 charge state is stable for the Se interstitial under the extremely $p$-type condition, and the corresponding migration barrier is 0.68 eV. The migration barriers of the Ga vacancy and Se vacancy are $g$0.8 eV and $g$1.3 eV, respectively.
The New Surgeon: Patient-Centered, Disease-Focused, Technology-Driven, and Team-Oriented

Advances in technology have greatly influenced the practice of surgery in multiple ways. Not only is the surgeon of today patient-centered, academically oriented, disease-based, and highly specialized, but the entire spectrum of surgical care now is more technology-driven than ever before. While these facets of surgery are not totally new, the environment on which the surgeon is operating is rapidly changing for the better. Today’s surgeon incorporates genomics, nanotechnology tools, robots, and cameras to provide care and has much greater knowledge of the biology of disease than in the past. This has resulted in a substantial metamorphosis of the surgeon. While the surgical foundation is fundamentally the same, the modus operandi of the practice of surgery has changed substantially. Today’s surgeon is working in a collaborative environment that is heavily influenced by the financial bottom line, multiple layers of bureaucracy and administration, insurance companies, and continuing changing public policies and perceptions pertaining to health. Regardless of the many outside influences, surgeons continue to strive to maintain the basic principles of caring, teaching, mentoring, and advancing the art and science of the surgical discipline above everything else. The transformation in health care and surgical practice has not changed the basic tenets: surgeons care for the sick and injured, surgeons are healers, surgeons strive for perfection, but surgeons respect the rich surgical past and contributions of our teachers. However, in order to be prepared proficiently for the future, surgeons must constantly strive to understand and master the magnitude and complexities of the new body of knowledge, technology, and teamwork essential to optimal health care today. And finally, the training of the new surgeons needs to be addressed. The new surgeons that we are educating must above all be adaptable because we can expect technology to come in successive waves to challenge our prejudice and demand the best in critical understanding of the changing options for patient care. In this chapter, we discuss some of the elements that we believe are paramount in changing “the old surgeon” to “the new surgeon”: one who can navigate nanotechnology and surgical science, yet maintain the skills of comforting a dying patient, as well as working effectively under exceptionally stressful situations such as war, other disasters, and a myriad variety of other emergencies.
Cigarette Advertising and Smoking: A Comparison of White and African American Teenagers

Amid the recent furor over the issue of cigarette smoking by underage youth, the role of cigarette advertising and promotion continues to occupy a central position in this controversy. While smoking among white teens has increased slightly, leveled off, or decreased (depending upon which measure of smoking is used and which years are compared), there remain a huge gap between white and black teenagers, especially between whites of both sexes and black teenage females.
A new dawn for genetic association studies in multiple sclerosis

Before the genomics technology revolution allowed us to do genome-wide science, genetics research relied on our limited knowledge about a subject to generate hypothesis and candidate genes to study. Despite the level of naivete, several associations with susceptibility to a complex disease such as multiple sclerosis (MS) were discovered. Of these, HLA-DRB1 and IL7R1 stand out as being confirmed and refined early by the genome-wide association studies (GWAS) that followed.2 Despite the expense and gargantuan efforts, these GWAS have successfully led to the discovery of more than 100 additional genes, albeit with smaller effect sizes, that contribute to MS susceptibility.3 This list keeps growing, but it comes with no surprise that most of these genes identified the immune system as one large candidate for MS susceptibility.
State Right to Refuse Medication Laws and Procedures: Impact on Homicide and Suicide.

BACKGROUND: As part of the expansive overhaul of the mental health system that occurred in the latter half of the 20th Century, many states passed laws that allow, under certain conditions, voluntary and involuntarily committed patients to refuse medication. While some predicted the consequences of these laws would be dire, the effect on violent behavior remains untested. AIMS OF THE STUDY: The aim is to decipher any differences state right to refuse medication laws may have on violence. METHOD: Using the homicide rate of every US state between 1972 and 2001 (N = 1,479), and the suicide rate between 1981 and 2001 (N = 1,071). The study compares the difference in homicide/suicide rates before and after a law change to that same difference in a set of control states to estimate the effect of laws aimed at extending the right to refuse medication to both voluntary and involuntarily committed mental health patients. RESULTS: Laws designed to allow voluntarily committed patients to refuse medication are associated with a 0.8 increase in homicides per 100,000 of the state population while laws dictating an involuntarily committed patient's right to request refusal of medication are negative but statistically insignificant using standard t test. Laws designed to allow voluntarily committed patients to refuse medication have no statistically significant effect on suicides while laws dictating an involuntarily committed patient's right to request refusal of medication, specifically when the request is reviewed by independent mental health professionals, are associated with a statistically significant reduction in suicides. IMPLICATIONS FOR HEALTH POLICIES: Allowing voluntarily committed patients to refuse medication may entice some to enter in-patient facilities, but the brief and optional exposure to medication and their side effects may actually discourage treatment and increase violence. Language: en
A model for individualized risk prediction of contralateral breast cancer.

Patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer (BC) or ductal carcinoma in situ are increasingly choosing to undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM) to reduce their risk of contralateral BC (CBC). This is a particularly disturbing trend as a large proportion of these CPMs are believed to be medically unnecessary. Many BC patients tend to substantially overestimate their CBC risk. Thus, there is a pressing need to educate patients effectively on their CBC risk. We develop a CBC risk prediction model to aid physicians in this task. We used data from two sources: Breast Cancer Surveillance Consortium and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results to build the model. The model building steps are similar to those used in developing the BC risk assessment tool (popularly known as Gail model) for counseling women on their BC risk. Our model, named CBCRisk, is exclusively designed for counseling women diagnosed with unilateral BC on the risk of developing CBC. We identified eight factors to be significantly associated with CBC—age at first BC diagnosis, anti-estrogen therapy, family history of BC, high-risk pre-neoplasia status, estrogen receptor status, breast density, type of first BC, and age at first birth. Combining the relative risk estimates with the relevant hazard rates, CBCRisk projects absolute risk of developing CBC over a given period. By providing individualized CBC risk estimates, CBCRisk may help in counseling of BC patients. In turn, this may potentially help alleviate the rate of medically unnecessary CPMs.
Sequential planning for steering immune system adaptation

Biological adaptation is a powerful mechanism that makes many disorders hard to combat. In this paper we study steering such adaptation through sequential planning. We propose a general approach where we leverage Monte Carlo tree search to compute a treatment plan, and the biological entity is modeled by a black-box simulator that the planner calls during planning. We show that the framework can be used to steer a biological entity modeled via a complex signaling pathway network that has numerous feedback loops that operate at different rates and have hard-to-understand aggregate behavior. We apply the framework to steering the adaptation of a patient's immune system. In particular, we apply it to a leading T cell simulator (available in the biological modeling package BioNetGen). We run experiments with two alternate goals: developing regulatory T cells or developing effector T cells. The former is important for preventing autoimmune diseases while the latter is associated with better survival rates in cancer patients. We are especially interested in the effect of sequential plans, an approach that has not been explored extensively in the biological literature. We show that for the development of regulatory cells, sequential plans yield significantly higher utility than the best static therapy. In contrast, for developing effector cells, we find that (at least for the given simulator, objective function, action possibilities, and measurement possibilities) single-step plans suffice for optimal treatment.
Mitogens as motogens

Numerous in vivo methodologies have documented the invasive behavior of glioma cells through normal brain parenchyma. Glioma cell locomotion has also been assessed with a number of in vitro assays including the Boyden chamber and other chemotaxis assays, colloidal gold cell tracking, analysis of migration of cells tumor cells from spheroids, confrontation cultures of glioma cells with aggregates of non-neoplastic tissue, time-lapse video microscopy, electron microscopic examination of the cytomorphologic correlates of cell motility, the radial dish assay, and quantitative enzyme immunoassay of proteins associated with invasion (e.g. laminin). Several of these techniques have been specifically modified to assess the effects of cytokines on glioma cell motility in vitro. Cytokines studied utilizing these methods include: epidermal growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), the bb dimer of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGFbb), nerve growth factor (NGF), interleukin 2 (IL-2), transforming growth factors alpha and beta 1 (TGF alpha and TGFstraat1), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF alpha). This review summarizes the investigational methods used to evaluate random and directional glioma cell motility and invasion in vivo and in vitro. The roles of specific mitogens as motogens, as evaluated with these methods are then presented.
Intestinal Epithelial Cells: An Integral Component of the Mucosal Immune System

Publisher Summary Intestinal epithelial cells compose a barrier that separates the host's internal milieu from the external environment. They have essential role to play in secretory and absorptive processes. Moreover, intestinal epithelial cells can be regarded also as an integral and essential component of the host's innate and acquired immune system. Thus, intestinal epithelial cells constitutively express, or can be induced to express, HLA class II molecules known to be important in antigen presentation classical class I as well as nonclassical HLA class Ib molecules such as CD1d. Intestinal epithelial cells communicate with other mucosal cells via a spectrum of mediators that have both autocrine and paracrine activities. These mediators act on the intestinal epithelial cells themselves, as well as on intraepithelial lymphocytes (IEL) in the paracellular space, and on lymphoid cells, mononuclear phagocytes, neutrophils, mast cells, and eosinophils in the adjacent lamina propria. These latter cells also act as important components of the host's cytokine cascade and, as such, release additional mediators which have further autocrine and paracrine effects on epithelial cells, as well as lymphoid and mononuclear cells in the lamina propria. These cascades of mediator release and mediator activity are finely regulated both to induce and to downregulate appropriate host immune and inflammatory responses at mucosal surfaces.
Homogeneous Linewidth of Encapsulated MoSe 2 Monolayer Revealed using Multidimensional Coherent Spectroscopy

We use a collinear multidimensional coherent spectroscopic technique to measure van der Waals structures with a nearly diffraction-limited spot size. Encapsulation by boron nitride narrows both the homogeneous and inhomogeneous linewidths of MoSe 2 .
On the Importance of Preschool Civic Education for the Global Culture of Lawfulness

There is a consensus on the effectiveness of various preschool institutional arrangements for effective civic education. This essay takes on board the question of kindergarten education in some Global North countries in which refugee and immigrant children find themselves. The author looks into the findings from various researches with a view to assessing if kindergarten programs and projects provide for the civic education of such children, especially in comparison to native-born children. While in some such initiatives this comparison clearly speaks in favor of disadvantaged children (especially immigrant girls), assessments of other projects only suggest that they may be adaptable interculturally. No doubt, however, that overall in kindergarten education, there is a potential to contribute to peaceful and inclusive societies, envisioned by the 2016–2030 United Nations Sustainable Agenda.
Comparative Utility of Dynamic and Static Imaging in the Management of Lumbar Spondylolisthesis.

Objective Segmental instability traditionally is investigated with flexion and extension (F/E) radiographs. We sought to determine whether motion between upright and supine (U/S) views can serve as an alternative sensitive diagnostic tool that predicts similar outcomes. Methods Ambispective collection of data was performed for 222 consecutive patients who underwent transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion. Patients were divided into either group 1 (≥3 mm spondylolisthesis difference between F/E radiographs) or group 2 (≥3 mm spondylolisthesis difference between U/S imaging and otherwise not meeting group 1 criteria). Results In total, 77 patients met all inclusion/exclusion criteria. Patients in group 1 (n = 26) and group 2 (n = 51) did not differ with respect to key demographic criteria. Average clinical follow-up for groups 1 and 2 were 31.8 and 35.6 months (P = 0.43). Average spondylolisthesis was 8.1 mm and 8.0 mm for groups 1 and 2 (P = 0.93). The incidence of facet joint hyperintensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and average maximal facet joint widening (P > 0.2) did not differ between groups. Average F/E slip change was 5.0 mm for group 1 and average U/S slip change was 5.2 mm for group 2. For both groups, Numeric Rating Scale Back Pain and Numeric Rating Scale Leg Pain, Oswestry Disability Index v2.1a, and Short-Form 36 RAND (P 0.2) were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions No differences in outcomes were noted between patients based on either imaging criteria. These data suggest that static U/S imaging may identify a distinct group of patients who may benefit from transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion surgery.
Employing software maintenance techniques via a tower-defense serious computer game

In this paper we address the problem of the stereotype which portrays a software engineer as one who spends his or her whole day in a cubicle programming. We present an interactive, real-time strategy, tower defense game, to help students ranging from middle school to college juniors learn about the maintenance phase of the software engineering life cycle. Specifically, our game educates students about the four forms of software maintenance: adaptive, corrective, perfective, and preventive. The important aspect of our game is that the student does not actually perform software maintenance, which could be an abstract and intimidating process. Instead, the student plays a real-time strategy, tower defense game which is appealing especially to a younger audience. The key is the student is still using the same strategies that would be used in a real software project to perform software maintenance to complete our game.
Recovery of Cryptococcus neoformans from sputum using new technics for the isolation of fungi from sputum.

Three sputum-digesting agents, N-acetyl-l-cysteine, dithiothreitol, and pancreatin–trypsin, were shown to be equally effective in allowing for the isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans from sputum samples in quantitative comparisons. By quantitative plating on bird-seed medium it was also shown that centrifugation after digestion concentrated C. neoformans into a platable sediment and, further, that the organisms, when present in concentrations as low as 10 yeasts per ml. of sputum, could be isolated with much higher frequencies than when no digestion–centrifugation procedure was used.
Primary Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: Trials in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Over the past decade, four randomized, controlled trials have evaluated therapies for prevention of sudden cardiac death in patients with coronary disease. Three of the four trials have shown significant reductions in mortality with implanted defibrillators. Two studies failed to demonstrate any benefit from pharmacologic antiarrhythmic therapy. The results of these studies in similar patient populations have erased any doubt regarding the ability of implanted defibrillators to reduce the risk of sudden death in patients with coronary disease. Our major challenge at this time is understanding how best to utilize this therapy in order to bring the benefit to the maximum number of patients while minimizing expense.
An analytic learning system for specializing heuristics

This paper describes how meta-level theories are used for analytic learning in MULTI-TAC. MULTI-TAC operationalizes generic heuristics for constraint-satisfaction problems, in order to create programs that are tailored to specific problems. For each of its generic heuristics, MULTI-TAC has a meta-theory specifically designed for operationalising that heuristic. We present examples of the specialisation process and discuss how the theories influence the tractability of the learning process. We also describe an empirical study showing that the specialised programs produced by MULTITAC compare favorably to hand-coded programs.
Patrick W. Berry. Doing Time, Writing Lives: Refiguring Literacy and Higher Education in Prison. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2018. 143 pages. $40.00 paperback.

By now, the statistics that illustrate the scope of mass incarceration play like a haunting and familiar refrain: the U.S. incarcerates more people than any country in the world, and a disproportio...
A Convex Optimization Approach for Distributed Energy Trading of Interconnected Microgrids

A distributed convex optimization framework for energy trading of interconnected microgrids is investigated to improve the economy and reliability of system operation. In this work, a distributed energy trading approach for interconnected operation of islanded microgrids is studied. Specifically, the system includes several islanded microgrids that can trade energy in a given topology. A distributed iterative deep cut ellipsoid (DCE) algorithm is implemented with limited information exchange. This approach will address the scalability issue and also secure local information on cost functions. During the iterative process, the information exchange among interconnected microgrids is restricted to electricity prices and expected trading energy. Numerical results are presented in terms of the convergent rate of the algorithm for different topologies, and the performance of the DCE algorithm is compared with sub-gradient algorithm.