cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patent foramen ovale and stroke: More closure to closure but concerns remain-a review

Abstract A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a persistent opening between the right and the left atrium that fails to close spontaneously after birth. An estimated 25% of all adults harbor this condition making it the commonest congenital cardiac anomaly in the general population. Presence of a PFO has long been implicated in causing strokes in the young even though it does not produce any cardiopulmonary hemodynamic perturbations. Patient management has traditionally relied on prophylaxis with antiplatelet medications or occasionally anticoagulants. Good quality evidence supporting surgical or mechanical closure of PFOs following a stroke had been lacking. Publication of 3 new randomized controlled trials in a recent edition of the New England Journal of Medicine is expected to reinforce calls for closing PFOs with percutaneous closure devices in stroke patients. While these trials provide answers to important questions in stroke prevention, it also raises concerns about injudicious extrapolation of these results and indiscriminate use of these devices in practice. The aim of this article is to review the background, pathophysiology and current level of evidence for secondary stroke prevention from PFO and highlight some pitfalls in management.
Time to Reimplantation: Waiting Longer Confers No Added Benefit.

Abstract Background While the preferred surgical treatment for chronic periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) in North America is a 2-stage exchange arthroplasty, the optimal time between first-stage and reimplantation surgery remains unknown. This study was conceived to examine the association between time to reimplantation and treatment failure. Methods Using an institutional database, we identified PJI cases treated with 2-stage exchange arthroplasty between 2000 and 2016. Musculoskeletal Infection Society criteria were used to define PJI, and treatment failure was defined using Delphi criteria. The interstage interval between first-stage and reimplantation surgery for each case was collected, alongside demographics, patient-related and organism-specific data. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine association with treatment failure. Results Our final analysis consisted of 282 patients with an average time to reimplantation of 100.2 days (range, 20-648). Sixty-three patients (22.3%) failed at 1 year based on Delphi criteria. Time to reimplantation was not significantly associated with failure in both univariate (P = .598) and multivariate (P = .397) models. However, patients reimplanted at >26 weeks were twice as likely to fail in comparison to those reimplanted within Conclusion The length of the interstage interval was not a statistically significant predictor of failure in patients undergoing 2-stage exchange arthroplasty for PJI.
The shape of Fraught – urban – rural – the nation-state: tensions and dynamics

ABSTRACTI argue that the tension between cities and nation states go through the countryside, or rural areas, at least in the U.S. Further, cities are decidedly constrained in their abilities to ef...
Definitions and Concepts of Genocide: Lemkin and the Concept of Genocide

The Polish-American-Jewish international lawyer and scholar Dr. Raphael Lemkin (1900–1959) coined our word “genocide” and was the motivating force behind the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (commonly referred to as the Genocide Convention). He is also the scholarly parent of the emerging field of Genocide studies, an outgrowth and expansion of the earlier field of Holocaust studies. In examining his biography, one incident looms large: of a teenage boy who reads a novel about the Roman emperor Nero’s (37–68) horrendous treatment of the Christians in his realm, and, living in the world of pre– and post–World War I antisemitic Poland, begins a reading journey that will cause him to discover other examples of genocide throughout human history (e.g., the Armenian Genocide). Coupled with Lemkin’s escape during World War II and the tragedy of the Holocaust, tantalizing questions suggest themselves: What impact did his studies have upon him and his life’s work coupled with his own lived experiences? What role did his filtered memory of those events have upon his thinking? To what degree did they shape his commitment to international law as the vehicle to eliminate the scourge of genocide? These and other questions are explored, including the author’s own thinking vis-a-vis the relationship between genocide and memory.
Functional Characteristics of Mortalin

Mortalin, also termed mitochondria heat shock protein 70 (mthsp70), peptide binding protein 74 (PBP74), or glucose regulated protein 75 (Grp75), is a member of the Hsp70 chaperone family and has been shown to possess unique functional characteristics in a number of different subcellular loci. Functional roles can be classified into two major classes based upon subcelluar location. The first class of functions involve those that occur in the mitochondrion which include participation in the import of nuclear-encoded cytoplasmically-delivered proteins, nascent protein folding and protein degradation within the mitochondrion, and interaction with submitochondrial constituents. The second class involves extramitochondrial functions that include interaction with protein 53 (p53), centrosomes, growth factors, immune system constituents, proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum, and metabolic constituents. The purpose of this review is to describe some of the major functional roles of mortalin action in various subcellular compartments. Further, evaluation of pathology on mortalin proteomic status will be examined in an effort to highlight the potential importance of mortalin in disease initiation and progression.
Operating Room Preparation for Mass Casualties

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the planning and training required for mass casualties at the operating-room (OR) level. The functioning of the OR should be broken down to fundamental tasks and workflow. Vulnerabilities under various stress scenarios should be examined and mitigation strategies should be devised. Once a plan is written, it should be tested, practiced, and revised. Analysis should be performed on dimensions such as scale, critical systems, workflow, and interdepartmental communications/cooperation. The most fundamental level of training occurs at the individual level. For the professional staff, a combination of self-education, consisting of selected readings and online courses, can be supplemented with periodic lectures and attendance at conferences. The departmental plan should be a simple, living, practical document developed jointly by the surgical service leadership. The plan should address the key issues such as mission, chain of command, communications, and logistics. The chapter concludes by discussing problems such as the surgical mass-casualty management.
Treatment of Mesothelioma with Radiotherapy

Radiation therapy is a therapeutic modality that uses ionizing radiation to treat cancers and some nonmalignant conditions. Ionizing radiation kills cells by damaging DNA (1). Approximately two thirds of the DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation is from indirect action, that is, damage caused by free radicals generated mostly from the ionization of water (1). The remainder of the damage caused by radiation is through direct ionization of DNA. Radiation damage is also highly dependent on the presence of oxygen. The cytotoxicity of radiation is approximately three times greater in the presence of oxygen than that which occurs in an anoxic environment (1). Hypoxia in human tumors has been extensively investigated and may be a physiologic cause for radiation resistance (2–4). The absorbed dose of radiation therapy is prescribed in units called gray (Gy). The clinical use of radiation therapy in the United States is usually fractionated, that is, delivered in small doses daily. In general, for definitive or curative radiation therapy courses, a daily dose of 180 or 200cGy per day is used. A total dose of radiation therapy for a curative course is usually between 5000 and 7000cGy. For palliative courses of radiation therapy, daily doses between 250 and 400cGy are used for a total dose of between 2000 to 3500cGy. The biologic basis for fractionation is that greater tumor cell kill can be achieved with fractionation relative to normal tissue effects by exploiting the 4 Rs: cellular repair, reassortment of tumor cells into sensitive phases of the cell cycle, reoxygenation of tumor cells, and repopulation of normal tissues. The total dose of radiation therapy used clinically is, in general, dependent on the radiation doses that the normal tissues within the radiation field can tolerate (so-called tolerance doses). There are some tumors that are quite radioresponsive, and for these tumors, doses below normal tissue tolerances can be used. However, for most solid tumors, including mesothelioma, the dose of radiation therapy that is prescribed is based on the tolerance of the normal tissues. In the case of mesothelioma, normal tissues that are sensitive to the effects of radiotherapy are
How do Amino Acid Substitutions Alter the Function of Gramicidin Channels

Amino acid substitutions within the gramicidin A sequence can modulate the single-channel characteristics; including maximal conductance, ion selectivity, current-voltage characteristics, and mean channel duration. Introduction of a polar side chain at position #1 will tend to alter the energy barrier for ion movement through the channel. For example, replacing a valine by trifluorovaline (or norvaline by S-methyl-cysteine) will decrease the conductance, enhance the Cs+/Na+ specificity, and increase the voltage dependence of single-channel conductance. These effects are mediated at some 5-10 A distance and not through direct ion-side chain contact. The results are most easily interpreted in terms of through-space ion-dipole interactions that modulate the height and shape of the energy barrier. The effect of a particular amino acid substitution depends upon the precise position of substitution, as different results are observed when side chains at different positions are interchanged. Amino acid substitutions affect not only the conductance but also the stability of gramicidin channels. Channels with a branched side chain at #1 have longer durations than channels with a corresponding straight side chain.
The role of peptides in central sensitization

Peptides released in the spinal cord from the central terminals of nociceptors contribute to the persistent hyperalgesia that defines the clinical experience of chronic pain. Using substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) as examples, this review addresses the multiple mechanisms through which peptidergic neurotransmission contributes to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Activation of CGRP receptors on terminals of primary afferent neurons facilitates transmitter release and receptors on spinal neurons increases glutamate activation of AMPA receptors. Both effects are mediated by cAMP-dependent mechanisms. Substance P activates neurokinin receptors (3 subtypes) which couple to phospholipase C and the generation of the intracellular messengers whose downstream effects include depolarizing the membrane and facilitating the function of AMPA and NMDA receptors. Activation of neurokinin-1 receptors also increases the synthesis of prostaglandins whereas activation of neurokinin-3 receptors increases the synthesis of nitric oxide. Both products act as retrograde messengers across synapses and facilitate nociceptive signaling in the spinal cord. Whereas these cellular effects of CGRP and SP at the level of the spinal cord contribute to the development of increased synaptic strength between nociceptors and spinal neurons in the pathway for pain, the different intracellular signaling pathways also activate different transcription factors. The activated transcription factors initiate changes in the expression of genes that contribute to long-term changes in the excitability of spinal and maintain hyperalgesia.
Let’s Play! Digital and Analog Play Patterns between Preschoolers and Parents

Play is an enjoyable and developmentally useful part of early childhood, and parent-child play is a highly productive mechanism by which children learn to participate in the world. We conducted an observational lab study to examine how 15 parent-child pairs (children age 4-6) respond to and play with tablet apps as compared to analog toys. We found that parents and children were less likely to engage with each other or to respond to each other’s bids for attention during play sessions with tablets versus play sessions with toys. We also observed that specific design features of tablet devices and children’s apps—such as one-sided interfaces, game paradigms that demand continual attention, and lack of support for parallel interaction—are the primary mechanism shaping these differences. We provide guidance suggesting how children’s apps might be re-designed to preserve the advantages of digital play experiences while also evolving to build in the advantages of traditional toys.
Impact of inflammation on brain subcellular energetics in anesthetized rats

Emerging data suggests that volatile anesthetic agents may have organ protection properties in the setting of critical illness. The purpose of this study was to better understand the effect of inflammation on cerebral subcellular energetics in animals exposed to two different anesthetic agents—a GABA agonist (propofol) and a volatile agent (isoflurane). Forty-eight Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized with isoflurane or propofol. In each group, rats were randomized to celiotomy and closure (sham) or cecal ligation and puncture (inflammation [sepsis model]) for 8 h. Brain tissue oxygen saturation and the oxidation state of cytochrome aa3 were measured. Brain tissue was extracted using the freeze-blow technique. All rats experienced progressive increases in tissue oxygenation and cytochrome aa3 reduction over time. Inflammation had no impact on cytochrome aa3, but isoflurane caused significant cytochrome aa3 reduction. During isoflurane (not propofol) anesthesia, inflammation led to an increase in lactate (+ 0.64 vs. − 0.80 mEq/L, p = 0.0061). There were no differences in ADP:ATP ratios between groups. In the isoflurane (not propofol) group, inflammation increased the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (62%, p = 0.0012), heme oxygenase-1 (67%, p = 0.0011), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (31%, p = 0.023) in the brain. Animals exposed to inflammation and isoflurane (but not propofol) exhibited increased expression of protein carbonyls (9.2 vs. 7.0 nM/mg protein, p = 0.0050) and S-nitrosylation (49%, p = 0.045) in the brain. RNA sequencing identified an increase in heat shock protein 90 and NF-κβ inhibitor mRNA in the inflammation/isoflurane group. In the setting of inflammation, rats exposed to isoflurane show increased hypoxia-inducible factor-1α expression despite a lack of hypoxia, increased oxidative stress in the brain, and increased serum lactate, all of which suggest a relative increase in anaerobic metabolism compared to propofol. Differences in oxidative stress as well as heat shock protein 90 and NF-κβ inhibitor may account for the differential expression of cerebral hypoxia-inducible factor-1α during inflammation.
Metabolic Health: Inflammation and Men's Health

Abstract In recent years, there has been an increased focus within the medical literature on the relationship between inflammation and men's health. Upregulation of inflammatory pathways and dysregulation of the male genitourinary microbiome likely play a large role in numerous conditions affecting the male reproductive tract. Specifically, inflammation has been linked to chronic prostatitis and pelvic pain syndrome, erectile dysfunction, hypogonadism, male infertility, abnormal semen parameters, prostate cancer, and bladder cancer. Elevated markers of inflammation may confer a predisposition or worsened prognosis for several urological conditions. The relationship between these conditions and inflammation is complex, but ongoing research is being conducted to delineate clear mechanistic pathways that may impact clinical outcomes and treatment options in the future.
Self-, Social-, or Neural-Determination?

Human “free will” has been made problematic by several recent arguments against mental causation, the unity of the I or “self,” and the possibility that conscious decision-making could be temporally prior to action. This paper suggests a pathway through this thicket for free will or self-determination. Doing so requires an account of mind as an emergent process in the context of animal psychology and mental causation. Consciousness, a palpable but theoretically more obscure property of some minds, is likely to derive from complex animals’ real-time monitoring of internal state in relation to environment. Following Antonio Damasio, human mind appears to add to nonhuman “core consciousness” an additional narrative “self-consciousness.” The neurological argument against free will, most famously from Benjamin Libet, can be avoided as long as “free will” means, not an impossible event devoid of prior causation, but an occasional causal role played by narrative self-consciousness in behavioral determination. There is no necessary incompatibility between the scientific and evolutionary exploration of mind and consciousness and the uniquely self-determining capabilities of human mentality which are based on the former.
Occult Spinal Dysraphism.

1. Lucy C. Holmes, MD, MPH*,‡ 2. Veetai Li, MD†,‡ 1. *Department of Pediatrics, 2. †Department of Neurosurgery, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Buffalo, NY 3. ‡John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital, Buffalo, NY Spinal dysraphism is an incomplete fusion of the spine during embryologic development and encompasses a spectrum of congenital anomalies that can affect the spinal cord, nerve roots, and vertebral column. These anomalies can be categorized into open and closed spinal dysraphism. Open spinal dysraphism is also known as spina bifida aperta. The neural tissue in these lesions is exposed, and examples include meningoceles and myelomeningoceles. Closed spinal dysraphism is also referred to as occult spinal dysraphism (OSD). In these lesions, the neural tissue is covered with skin, making the diagnosis less apparent. Isolated vertebral defects are the most common and least severe form of OSD. Other examples of OSD include neurenteric cysts, split notochord syndrome, split spinal cord malformation, sacral meningeal cysts, spinal lipomas, caudal regression syndrome, dorsal dermal sinus tracts and cysts, and tethered cord syndrome. Among these diagnoses for OSD, evaluations for potential tethered cord syndrome and dermal sinus tracts are the most common reasons for referrals to pediatric neurosurgeons. Because the scope of this In Brief cannot go into detail with all of these diagnoses, we describe tethered cord syndrome and dorsal dermal sinus tracts in more detail and then focus on the epidemiology, associated morbidity, physical findings, challenges with diagnosis, and management of all types of OSD. Tethered cord syndrome can result from several types of spinal dysraphism. A tethered cord arises when the spinal dysraphic malformation creates a situation where the spinal cord is anchored in some way, thereby causing the spinal cord to stretch as the child grows. This leads to ischemic changes in the neurons. Findings on imaging depend on the type of …
Nucleic acid analysis in the clinical laboratory

Abstract Clinical molecular diagnostics is a rapidly growing and evolving field, and it is, therefore, essential to understand the fundamentals of how genetic material is studied and how results are interpreted by laboratorians and providers. This chapter covers the biochemistry of nucleic acids and the numerous tools that clinical laboratories use to study the human genome. The molecular methods discussed in this chapter include the Southern blot, fluorescence in situ hybridization, numerous types of polymerase chain reaction, microarrays, and next-generation sequencing. In addition, analytical characteristics, assay limitations, and result interpretation are included in this chapter. While this chapter does not detail every molecular diagnostic test available, it covers a broad spectrum of technologies that are critical to the clinical genomics laboratory and precision medicine.
Measuring hot spots policing in non-research settings

Abstract Hot spots policing has become a robust evidence-based strategy to address the problem of crime in U.S. cities. Today, a growing number of police departments report that they use hot spots policing to some extent in their daily operations. However, to our knowledge, only one study has been conducted to determine whether police departments have implement the strategy effectively. In our study, we used crime and stop-question-and-frisk (SQF) data from the New York Police Department (NYPD) and an innovative analytical strategy to assess (1) whether the NYPD makes significant use of hot spots policing, and (2) if yes, how much hot spots policing the department performs. Our findings showed that the NYPD uses hot spots policing in about 40%–45% of its violent crime hot spots. The implications of the study are discussed.
The Tryptophan-Induced tnaC Ribosome Stalling Sequence Exposes High Amino Acid Cross-Talk That Can Be Mitigated by Removal of NusB for Higher Orthogonality

A growing number of engineered synthetic circuits have employed biological parts coupling transcription and translation in bacterial systems to control downstream gene expression. One such example, the leader sequence of the tryptophanase (tna) operon, is a transcription-translation system commonly employed as an l-tryptophan inducible circuit controlled by ribosome stalling. While induction of the tna operon has been well-characterized in response to l-tryptophan, cross-talk of this modular component with other metabolites in the cell, such as other naturally occurring amino acids, has been less explored. In this study, we investigated the impact of natural metabolites and E. coli host factors on induction of the tna leader sequence. To do so, we constructed and biochemically validated an experimental assay using the tna operon leader sequence to assess differential regulation of transcription elongation and translation in response to l-tryptophan. Operon induction was then assessed following addition of each of the 20 naturally occurring amino acids to discover that several additional amino acids (e.g., l-alanine, l-cysteine, l-glycine, l-methionine, and l-threonine) also induce expression of the tna leader sequence. Following characterization of dose-dependent induction by l-cysteine relative to l-tryptophan, the effect on induction by single gene knockouts of protein factors associated with transcription and/or translation were interrogated. Our results implicate the endogenous cellular protein, NusB, as an important factor associated with induction of the operon by the alternative amino acids. As such, removal of the nusB gene from strains intended for tryptophan-sensing utilizing the tna leader region reduces amino acid cross-talk, resulting in enhanced orthogonal control of this commonly used synthetic system.
Protocol for rapid implementation of a SARS-CoV-2 sero-survey during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic: who, where, how?

Introduction: The 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had devastating consequences in the US, yet clinical research on its natural history and transmission outside hospitalized settings has faced tangible and intangible challenges due to uncertainty in testing, case ascertainment, and appropriate safety measures. To better understand temporal evolution of COVID-19 related serological and other immune responses during a pandemic, we designed and implemented a baseline cross-sectional study of asymptomatic community volunteers and first responders in metro-Atlanta before the predicted infection peak in 2020. Methods: We recruited healthy community volunteers and first responders for health history, serology, and biobanking. Through an iterative process, we identified one location on our campus and one community location which were accessible, vacant, distant from COVID-19 testing sites, open for social distancing, private for informed consent, and operational for sanitation and ventilation. Research and cleaning supplies were obtained from other researchers and private online vendors due to shortages, and faculty directly participated in consenting and phlebotomy. Results: A total of 369 participants completed the study visits over six full and three half days. Over half of Phase 1 (174/299, 58.2%) and Phase 2 (45/70, 64.3%) self-reported as healthcare workers, and there was a high percentage of participants reporting exposure to known COVID-19 cases (48.2% and 61.4%). Conclusions: Rigorous prospective clinical research with informed consents and is possible during a pandemic. Effective recruitment for moderately large sample size is facilitated by direct faculty involvement, connections with the community, and non-financial support from colleagues and the institution.
Materials and Device Strategies for Nanoelectronic 3D Heterogeneous Integration

Monolithic 3D heterogeneous integration is the most cost effective route to realize continued scaling in power and performance in integrated circuit technologies. In this paper, we discuss a variety of methods, materials, and device concepts to help overcome the constraints imposed by putting active devices in the upper levels. Our focus is on realizing better materials at low processing temperature for logic, memory, and dense interconnects taking advantage of unique physics to surmount current limitations in 3D integrated device performance.
Chapter 9 Econometric and time-series market response models

Publisher Summary Marketing has seen a rapid expansion in the widespread use of quantitative methods. Correlation and regression analysis were among the first techniques used as marketing research emerged as a discipline after World War II. In the early 1970s regression analysis became econometrics. Simultaneous equation systems could be estimated almost as easily as single regression equations. While econometrics as a whole continues to flourish as new and more sophisticated estimation techniques and associated computer software have become available, simultaneous-equation systems have not become widely prevalent. The dynamic structure of marketing variables themselves is addressed in the chapter, followed by discussions of leads and lags among marketing variables and the assessment of the direction of causality. Dynamic properties of sales-response functions have been discussed in more detail. Marketing generalizations that have been uncovered as well as empirical evidence on the shape of the sales response function is reported.
United States ex rel. Leveski v. ITT Educational Services, Inc.: The Seventh Circuit Reinvigorates the False Claims Act to Combat Recruiting Abuses by For-Profit Schools

The False Claims Act (“FCA”) is the government’s primary tool in combatting procurement fraud. It allows the United States to litigate cases alleging fraudulent claims against governmental entities, and also allows whistleblowers (called relators) to bring such cases, litigate them on behalf of the government, and collect a share of the proceeds. The viability of the FCA depends on its ability to encourage whistleblowers to come forward and report fraud committed by contractors with the government. One limitation on whistleblowers’ ability to litigate FCA cases is the so-called public-disclosure bar, which bars claims that have been publicly exposed.1 This bar has an exception for whistleblowers who are original sources of their claims. Consistent with the legislative history of the FCA, the public-disclosure bar should be interpreted narrowly while the original-source exception should be interpreted broadly. In a groundbreaking decision, the Seventh Circuit held in United States ex rel. Leveski v. ITT Educational Services, Inc.,2 that a prior lawsuit against a defendant for the same claim should not trigger the public-disclosure bar when the later lawsuit discloses a different fraud scheme from the one alleged in the earlier lawsuit. A contrary ruling would have largely insulated fraudsters from FCA liability when they alter their method of committing fraud.
Field-induced dx2−y2+idxy state and marginal stability of high-Tc superconductor

Abstract It is shown that the complex d xy component is generated in d-wave superconductor in the magnetic field. As one enters superconducting state at finite field, the normal to superconducting transition occurs into bulk d x 2 − y 2 + i d xy (d+ i d′) state. The driving force for the transition is the linear coupling between magnetic field and non-zero magnetization of the d+ i d′ condensate. The external magnetic field violates parity and time reversal symmetries and the nodal quasiparticle states respond by generating the i d xy component of the order parameter, with the magnitude estimated to be on the order of a few Kelvins. Parity ( P ) and time reversal ( T ) symmetries are violated in this state.
SUBSURFACE DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS BY GALERKIN'S METHOD

FOR THE SOLUTION OF DRAINAGE PROBLEMS A LINERIZED FORM OF BOUSSINESQ'S EQUATION IS OFTEN USED. TO IMPROVE THE DESIGN, HIGHER ORDER APPROXIMATIONS HAVE BEEN USED. IN THIS PAPER A VARIATION OF GALERKIN'S METHOD IS USED TO SOLVE THE NONLINEAR BOUSSINESQ EQUATION. BY COMPARISON IT IS FOUND THAT THE LINEARIZED METHOD, WHEN THE DRAWDOWN TO AQUIFER DEPTH RATIO, H/D, BECAUSE LARGE, PROVIDES TOO OPTIMISTIC DESIGNS. THE DESIGN CRITERIA BASED ON THE LINEARIZED BOUSSINESQ EQUATION OVERESTIMATES THE RATE OF DRAINAGE FOR TWO REASONS: (1) THEY DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR IMPORTANT NONLINEAR EFFECTS; AND (2) THEY DO NOT ACCOUNT FOR THE DELAYING EFFECT OF THE UNSATURATED FLOW CONDITION ABOVE THE WATER TABLE. THE USE OF GALERKIN'S METHOD MAKES IT POSSIBLE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE NONLINEAR EFFECT WHICH IS QUITE SIGNIFICANT. THIS IS ILLUSTRATED ON A DESIGN EXAMPLE. /ASCE/
An error concealment scheme for entire frame losses based on H.264/AVC

In this paper, an error concealment algorithm is proposed to conceal an entirely lost frame in an H.264/AVC compressed video bitstream. For a lost frame, the algorithm reconstructs the lost motion information of this frame based on its temporal neighbors. The algorithm is block based and thus has low computation and implementation complexity. It is designed for those hard-to-conceal video sequences, which have abundant active and chaotic motions. Experimental results show that the algorithm compares favorably to other simple error concealment algorithms.
An Interactive Computerized Multimedia Tutorial for Engineering Graphics Instruction

A multimedia tutorial has been developed as a learning aid for a freshman engineering graphics course. The tutorial is designed to assist in visualizing the principles of engineering graphics including orthogonal projection, sectioning in engineering drawing, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, and the geometric relationships involved in descriptive geometry. A combination of 3-dimensional (3D) images, animation, and audio narration explain many of the basic principles of engineering graphics that may be difficult to describe with text and still images alone. Interactive example problems, with solutions, that parallel the course lectures and assignments are also included. These examples provide step-by-step solutions to traditional graphics problems, explaining at each step the proper procedure to reach the solution. Students can review the material at their own pace, moving backward or forward as necessary. Multimedia tutorials in engineering graphics have been used at U.C. Berkeley for four years.
Assessment of driving outcomes after epilepsy surgery

Abstract Introduction Driving is an important factor contributing to good quality of life in patients with epilepsy. Little work has been undertaken to explore the details of driving experience alone in this patient population. We assessed the driving status of our patients prior to and following surgery for epilepsy. We also sought to determine what associations exist between patient characteristics and postoperative driving status. Methods The participants were selected from those adult patients with epilepsy who have required surgical treatment at our home institution between 2006 and 2010. Each participant received a questionnaire asking about driving and seizure status before and after surgery. The surveys were distributed using a modified Dillman approach. Perioperative patient data were obtained from the electronic medical record system in addition to a previously assembled epilepsy database from the Neurology Department at our institution. Independent variables were analyzed to look for significant associations with driving outcomes. Results One hundred forty eligible patients were included in the survey population; 78 patients returned a questionnaire for a response rate of 55.7%. Eighty percent of patients experienced driving as a regular part of life at some point prior to surgery. At the time of the questionnaire distribution, 68% of patients had returned to regular driving. Demographic characteristics did not play a significant role in whether or not the patient had a favorable driving outcome after surgery. However, patients who had a history of driving on a regular basis prior to surgery and those who had an Engel Class I outcome after surgery had significantly higher rates of good driving outcomes. Also, patients with an unfavorable preoperative driving status were more likely to have a favorable driving outcome after surgery if they had an Engel Class I outcome. Patients in whom intracranial electroencephalography (EEG) was utilized prior to resection had worse driving outcomes. Conclusions A surprisingly high percentage of patients with epilepsy have experienced driving on a regular basis prior to surgery. We can assume that most patients were not driving immediately prior to surgery, given the fact that they had progressed to requiring surgery for treatment of their epilepsy. Thus, a driving rate of 68% after surgery can be considered good. We found that a patient's preoperative driving history, the use of intracranial EEG before surgical resection, and Engel classification were significant predictors of postoperative driving outcomes. These data provide patients with assistance in preoperative counseling. More investigation needs to be completed in other patient variables – such as seizure types, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings, and patient motivators for driving – as possible predictors of driving outcomes.
Use of Pearson’s Chi-Square for Testing Equality of Percentile Profiles across Multiple Populations

In large sample studies where distributions may be skewed and not readily transformed to symmetry, it may be of greater interest to compare different distributions in terms of percentiles rather than means. For example, it may be more informative to compare two or more populations with respect to their within population distributions by testing the hypothesis that their corresponding respective 10th, 50th, and 90th percentiles are equal. As a generalization of the median test, the proposed test statistic is asymptotically distributed as Chi-square with degrees of freedom dependent upon the number of percentiles tested and constraints of the null hypothesis. Results from simulation studies are used to validate the nominal 0.05 significance level under the null hypothesis, and asymptotic power properties that are suitable for testing equality of percentile profiles against selected profile discrepancies for a variety of underlying distributions. A pragmatic example is provided to illustrate the comparison of the percentile profiles for four body mass index distributions.
Application of isotope hydrograph separation to understand contributions of stormwater control measures to urban headwater streams

Insights into the effects of stormwater control measures (SCMs) on urban stream hydrology and in-stream processes are required to understand their effectiveness in mitigating the environmental problems associated with urbanization. Stable water isotopes were applied to understand processes occurring within SCMs and their effects on water sourcing in urban streams. We sampled ten events from June to November 2013 at four locations along a 360-m headwater stream reach in North Carolina and at four SCMs (two ponds, one wetland and one bioretention) that contribute to the reach. We used streamflow upstream of the SCM-affected reach and outflow from an intensively sampled retention pond as endmembers to quantify contributions of this pond's outflow to streamflow. Synchronous sampling revealed that SCM outflows have different isotopic signatures, likely a function of evaporation and mixing within the storage volume of each SCM. The SCMs also have distinctive isotopic signatures relative to the receiving stream. The isotopic signature of discharge from the intensively sampled pond reveals varying residence times (hours to weeks) within the structure. At sampled timepoints during ten events, this pond, which drains 25% of the watershed's impervious area, contributed an average of 10% (0–21%) of the streamflow on the rising limb and 12% (0–19%) of discharge at peak flow. During recession, this pond contributed an average of 32% (11–54%) of the stream's discharge, reflecting the SCM's design goals of temporarily storing and delaying run-off, mitigating the effects of impervious surface on peak flows. Based on this study, isotopes appear to be a robust tool for examining stormwater-stream dynamics. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Digital government security infrastructure design challenges

The authors propose an approach that provides a theoretical foundation for the use of object-oriented databases and object-relational databases in data warehouse, multidimensional database, and online analytical processing applications. This approach introduces a set of minimal constraints and extensions to the Unified Modeling Language for representing multidimensional modeling properties for these applications. Multidimensional modeling offers two benefits. First, the model closely parallels how data analyzers think and, therefore, helps users understand data. Second, multidimensional modeling helps predict what final users want to do, thereby facilitating performance improvements. The authors are using their approach to create an automatic implementation of a multidimensional model. They plan to integrate commercial online-analytical-processing tool facilities within their GOLD model case tool as well, a task that involves data warehouse prototyping and sample data generation issues.
Effects of day length, temperature, and endogenous control on annual rhythms of reproduction and hibernation in chipmunks (Eutamias ssp.)

1. Male least chipmunks (Eutamias minimus) and yellow pine chipmunks (E. amoenus) were captured in the field and exposed to constant conditions of photoperiod (LD 8∶16, LD 12∶12, or LD 16∶8) and temperature (23° C or 5°C) for as long as 20 months. The seasonal courses of reproductive function and functions associated with hibernation were monitored by repeated measurement of testis size, body mass, water consumption, locomotor activity, and torpor. 2. In the absence of seasonally changing environmental cues the chipmunks showed reproductive and hibernatory cycles that resemble rhythms of reproduction and hibernation in nature, i.e., the animals exhibited ‘endogenous circannual rhythms’. Cycles were repeated spontaneously and had a period of less than a year. 3. Cycles of testis size and hibernatory functions persisted in photoperiods of LD 8∶16 and LD 12∶12, but were inhibited by LD 16∶8. Some of the animals exposed to LD 16∶8 in autumn showed brief, slight testicular development followed by regression, suggesting that there was an initial delay in the response of these animals to the negative influence of long photoperiod on testes. 4. Testicular growth was promoted by warm temperature (23 °C) and retarded by cold (5 °C). Occurrence of torpor was not a requisite for the progression of the seasonal reproductive rhythm. Torpor was promoted by cold and was absent at 23 °C, but other manifestations of hibernation (decreases in locomotor activity, body mass, and water consumption) still persisted at 23 °C. Torpor of animals at 5 °C was partially inhibited by LD 16∶8. 5. Endogenous annual rhythmicity should initiate preparation by chipmunks for their brief, once-a-year breeding season that follows hibernation. In addition to the peripheral responsiveness of seasonal functions to day length and temperature demonstrated by the present results, there must also be responses in chipmunks to environmental information by which the endogenous rhythmicity is synchronized with the annual environmental cycle.
Quantum mechanics on the half-line using path integrals

We study the Feynman path-integral formalism for the constrained problem of a free particle moving on the half-line. It is shown that the effect of the boundary condition at the origin can be incorporated into the path integral by a simple modification of the action. The small-time behavior of the Green's function can be obtained from the stationary-phase evaluation of our expression for the path integral, which in this case includes contributions from both the direct and reflected classical paths.
Peripubertal Diazepam Administration Prevents the Emergence of Dopamine System Hyperresponsivity in the MAM Developmental Disruption Model of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is believed to arise from an interaction of genetic predisposition and adverse environmental factors, with stress being a primary variable. We propose that alleviating anxiety produced in response to stress during a sensitive developmental period may circumvent the dopamine (DA) system alterations that may correspond to psychosis in adults. This was tested in a developmental rat model of schizophrenia based on prenatal administration of the mitotoxin methyl azoxymethanol acetate (MAM). MAM administration leads to a hyperdopaminergic state consisting of an increase in the number of DA neurons firing spontaneously, which correlates with an increased behavioral response to amphetamine. MAM-treated rats exhibited a heightened level of anxiety during adolescence. Peripubertal administration of the antianxiety agent diazepam was found to prevent the increase in DA neuron activity and blunt the behavioral hyperresponsivity to amphetamine in these rats. These data suggest that the pathophysiological factors leading to the onset of psychosis in early adulthood may be circumvented by controlling the response to stress during the peripubertal period.
Contact activation of kallikrein-kinin system by superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo

Previously we reported that plasma kallikrein and high molecular weight kininogen attach to the surface of dextran-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION) through the incompletely covered iron oxide core (Simberg et al., Biomaterials, 2009). Here we show that SPION also activate kallikrein-kinin system in vitro and in vivo. The serine protease activity of kallikrein was stably associated with SPION and could be detected on the nanoparticles even after extensive washing steps. The enzymatic activity was not detectable in kininogen-deficient and Factor XII-deficient plasma. The enzymatic activation could be blocked by precoating SPION with histidine-rich Domain 5 (D5) of kininogen. Importantly, the kallikrein activity was detectable in plasma of SPION-injected, but not of D5/SPION-injected mice. Tumor-targeted SPION when injected into kininogen-deficient and control mice, produced high levels of vascular clotting in tumors, suggesting that kallikrein activation is not responsible for the nanoparticle-induced thrombosis. These data could help in understanding the toxicity of nanomaterials and could be used in designing nanoparticles with controlled enzymatic activity.
From the Guerra Del Agua to the Guerra Del Gas: Resource Governance, Neoliberalism and Popular Protest in Bolivia

Recent resource protests in Bolivia have crystallized broad sets of claims involving livelihood rights, political participation, regional autonomy, and the meanings of citizenship and the nation. In both the 2000 “Water War”, and the 2003 “Gas War”, protestors objected to the restructuring and re-scaling of resource governance that has taken place under recent waves of neoliberal reforms in Bolivia. In both cases, protestors demanded greater participation in decision-making regarding resource management, more equitable distribution of the economic benefits derived from resource exploitation, and a more socially oriented alternative to Bolivia's neoliberal model of economic development. In spite of these similarities, however, these struggles were characterized by markedly uneven geographies of popular protest. The water and gas wars had different spatial dynamics, stemming in part from the biophysical differences between water and natural gas, and the ways these resources enter into social life. Moreover, the protests had very uneven social effects, and in some respects excluded the most marginalized sectors of Bolivia's poor.
The US–ROK Alliance: Security Implications of the South Korea–US Free Trade Agreement*

South Korea and the USA maintained a strong alliance relationship throughout the Cold War. However, changes in the international security environment surrounding the Korean peninsula with the end of the Cold War and changes among South Korean political elites brought about different perceptions of North Korea and the USA. These changes led to sharp turns in South Korea's policy toward the North and its relationship with the USA. The Seoul government has often downplayed North Korea's military threat from nuclear weapons and missile programs, and Washington and Seoul have had serious disagreements in dealing with North Korea. There has also been a rise in anti-American sentiment in South Korea. The USA recently agreed to transfer wartime operational control to South Korea in 2012. In June 2007, however, the USA and South Korea signed a free trade accord. The Korea–US Free Trade Agreement has significant security implications in addition to economic benefits for both countries.
On the probability of intermolecular energy transfer in polar molecules

Abstract An expression is developed for the probability of intermolecular energy transfer P in polar molecules for particular orientations on the basis of the Lennard-Jones-dipole-quadrupole interaction energy. The temperature dependence of P is briefly discussed.
Teaching a generalized response to the lures of strangers to adults with severe handicaps

Abstract We implemented in vivo instruction consisting of a constant time‐delay procedure used in combination with multiple exemplars of strangers, lures, supervisors, and sites to teach three adults with severe mental handicaps a generalized response to the lures of strangers. Each of the participants acquired the response during training sessions as a result of the intervention package, but transfer of the response to probe trials was inconsistent and mixed. Only one participant consistently generalized to the probe condition, which included novel exemplars of lures, strangers, and settings. In addition, only one participant performed the correct response during social validity probes. We attempted to follow practices that have been effective in producing generalized responding; however, the results suggest that limitations exist in the current technology with this population. It is hoped that the outcome of this investigation will serve to generate future directions for research in the facilitation of ...