cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
OPTIMAL EXIT FROM A PROJECT WITH NOISY RETURNS

We consider the problem of selecting a stopping time t which determines when to exit an investment project when the project's cumulative profit up to time t is Xt, where {Xt : t ≥ 0} is a Brownian motion with drift m and variance σ2. The profit rate m never changes over time, but m is not directly observable. Specifically, m takes the value mH > 0 when in the high state and mL < 0 when in the low state, and the initial probability p0 that the project is in the high state is known. The decision-maker seeks to maximize the expected discounted profit up to time t. Using the theory of stochastic differential equations, we show that it is optimal to exit only when the posterior probability Pt of being in the high state falls below a critical number p*, and we produce a simple, closed form for p*. Our most surprising comparative-statics result is that the expected discounted profit increases with |mL|, provided |mL| is large.
Generation of radical anions of nitrofurantoin, misonidazole, and metronidazole by ascorbate

Nitrofurantoin, misonidazole, and metronidazole were reduced to their corresponding nitro anion radicals by ascorbate in anaerobic solutions at high pH. The nitrofurantoin anion radical could be detected at neutral pH. In neutral solutions, the nitro anion radicals of misonidazole and metronidazole were too unstable to be observed by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. At neutral pH, solutions containing ascorbate, nitrofurantoin, or misonidazole consumed oxygen. The addition of superoxide dismutase, catalase, or both superoxide dismutase and catalase decreased the rate of oxygen consumption. These results show that nitro anion radicals are formed by reduction with ascorbate, and superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide are produced by reactions of these radicals with oxygen.
Management trade-off between aboveground carbon storage and understory plant species richness in temperate forests

Because forest ecosystems have the capacity to store large quantities of carbon (C), there is interest in managing forests to mitigate elevated CO2 concentrations and associated effects on the global climate. However, some mitigation techniques may contrast with management strategies for other goals, such as maintaining and restoring biodiversity. Forest thinning reduces C storage in the overstory and recruitment of detrital C. These C stores can affect environmental conditions and resource availability in the understory, driving patterns in the distribution of early and late-seral species. We examined the effects of replicated (N ¼ 7) thinning experiments on aboveground C and understory vascular plant species richness, and we contrasted relationships between aboveground C and early- vs. late- seral species richness. Finally, we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine relationships among early- and late-seral species richness and live and detrital aboveground C stores. Six years following thinning, aboveground C was greater in the high-density treatment and untreated control than in moderate- (MD) and variable-density (VD) treatments as a result of reductions in live overstory C. In contrast, all thinning treatments increased species richness relative to controls. Between the growing seasons of years 6 and 11 following treatments, the live overstory C increment tended to increase with residual density, while richness decreased in MD and VD treatments. The richness of early-seral species was negatively related to aboveground C in MD and VD, while late-seral species richness was positively (albeit weakly) related to aboveground C. Structural equation modeling analysis revealed strong negative effects of live overstory C on early-seral species richness balanced against weaker positive effects on late-seral species richness, as well as positive effects of detrital C stocks. A trade-off between carbon and plant species richness thus emerges as a net result of these relationships among species traits, thinning treatments, and live and detrital C storage. Integrating C storage with traditional conservation objectives may require managing this trade-off within stands and landscapes (e.g., maintain early-seral habitat and species within dense, C-rich forests and, conversely, live and detrital C stores in early-seral habitats) or separating these goals across scales and species groupings.
The risks of epilepsy after traumatic brain injury

The aim of this study is to present the incidence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) and identify those characteristics of brain injuries that are associated with the development of seizures. We identified 5984 episodes of TBI (loss of consciousness, post-traumatic amnesia, or skull fracture) in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 1935 to 1984. Of these, 4541 were followed for seizure. Injuries were classified as mild (loss of consciousness or amnesia less than 30 minutes), moderate (loss of consciousness 30 minutes to 1 day or a skull fracture), or severe (loss of consciousness of more than 1 day, subdural hematoma, or brain contusion). The incidence of TBI in the period from 1975 to 84 peaked at 800 per 100 000 in males aged 15-24. The relative risk of seizures was 1.5 (95 percent confidence interval 1.0-2.2) after mild injuries, but with no increase after 5 years; 2.9 (95 percent confidence interval 1.9-4.1) after moderate injuries; and 17.2 (95 percent confidence interval 12.3-23.6) after severe injuries. Significant risk factors were brain contusion with subdural hematoma, skull fracture, loss of consciousness or amnesia of 1 day or more, and age over 65 years. We conclude that TBI is a major public health problem and contributes to the occurrence of seizures and epilepsy.
Prediction intervals with a Dirichlet‐process prior distribution

Let X1, …,Xn, and Y1, … Yn be consecutive samples from a distribution function F which itself is randomly chosen according to the Ferguson (1973) Dirichlet-process prior distribution on the space of distribution functions. Typically, prediction intervals employ the observations X1,…, Xn in the first sample in order to predict a specified function of the future sample Y1, …, Yn. Here one- and two-sided prediction intervals for at least q of N future observations are developed for the situation in which, in addition to the previous sample, there is prior information available. The information is specified via the parameter α of the Dirichlet process prior distribution. Soient X1, …, Xn, et Y1, …, Yn des echantillons consecutifs obeisant a une loi F, elleměme choisie aleatoirement dans l'ensemble des fonctions de repartition en se servant de la loi a priori du processus de Dirichlet, a la maniere de Ferguson (1973). Ordinairement, on se sert des observations X1, …, Xn du premier echantillon pour construire des intervalles qui permettront de predire la valeur de telle ou telle fonction du futur echantillon Y1, …, Yn. Dans cet article, nous construisons des intervalles lateraux et bilateraux pour au moins q des N observations a venir dans le cas ou, en plus du premier echantillon, de l'information a priori est disponible. Cette information est incarnee par le parametre α de la loi a priori du processus de Dirichlet.
Basic Challenges to Prisoner Reentry

Crime, incarceration and prisoner reintegration are pressing issues facing the United States today. The U.S. prison population has increased from 330,000 in 1980 to over 2.2 million prisoners today. As the prison population grows at record rates so, in turn, does the reentry of prisoners into society. Currently, around 700,000 prisoners are released each year from custody and reenter society – nearly 2,000 inmates per day. The transition from prison to the outside world is often difficult for post-release prisoners, their families, their communities and the larger society. Many formally incarcerated individuals do not have the skills or support to succeed outside prison walls. Unfortunately, when post-release prisoners are not successfully reintegrated, they are returned to prison and begin the cycle of incarceration. Practitioners and academics agree that the main components for successful reentry include proper housing, viable employment, and family and community support. However, while there is consensus regarding what post-release prisoners need for successful reentry there is debate as to which programs and policies work best. This paper examines the basic challenges to reentry and provides a brief summary of the problems with reentry program evaluation.
Experimental prototyping of beyond-CMOS nanowire computing fabrics

Nanoscale 3D-integrated Application Specific ICs (N3ASICs) [1], a computing fabric based on semiconductor nanowire grids, is targeted as a scalable alternative to end-of-the-line CMOS. In contrast to device-centric approaches like CMOS, N3ASIC design choices across device, circuit and architecture levels are geared towards reducing manufacturing requirements while focusing on overall benefits. In this fabric, regular arrays with limited customization imply mitigated overlay precision requirements, novel circuit styles with single-type cross-nanowire FETs eliminate the need for arbitrary fine-grain sizing, doping and routing. In addition, junctionless transistors eliminate the need for stringent control of doping profiles. In this paper, we present theoretical and experimental progress towards realizing a functional N3ASIC prototype with junctionless transistors as active cross-point devices. We first validate this device concept through detailed 3D device simulations. We then present a manufacturing pathway as well as show experimental results demonstrating a proof-of-concept metal-gated junctionless nanowire device and N3ASIC tile structure with sub-30nm nanowires.
THE EFFECT OF INFORMATIVE FEEDBACK ON TEMPORAL TRACKING IN THE PIGEON

Pigeons emitted interresponse times thatwerereinforced iftheyfell between anupperanda lowerbound(t< IRT< t+ t/10). Brief stimuli followed eachresponse; undersomeexperimentalconditions thecolor ofthese stimuli wascorrelated withwhether thepreceding interresponse timewaslonger orshorter thanthatspecified bytheschedule. Preliminary experimentsindicated thatthese"feedback" stimuli acquired no discriminative properties even after prolonged training. A modified procedure, inwhichtvaried cyclically throughout each experimental session, allowed thestimuli toacquire suchproperties: stimulus control was demonstrated underthetraining conditions, fortwoofthepigeons, andundertransfer conditions forallthree birds. A series ofprobeconditions, followed byareplication ofthesimple procedure usingamultiple schedule, indicated thatthecontrolling property ofthestimuli wasnottherelation between stimuli, interresponse time, andvalueoft,butavariable determinedbytheinteraction between theanimals' responding andthecyclic procedure. Thisvariablewasprobably therelative frequency oftheless-frequent feedback stimulus.
Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells: Linking Innate and Adaptive Immunity

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are one of two principal subsets of human dendritic cells (DCs). pDCs were initially identified in pathological specimens of reactive or neoplastic lymph nodes (LNs), in close association with high endothelial venules (HEVs) ([44][1]). Their plasma cell-like
Effects of pentagastrin, G17, and G34 on the electrical and mechanical activities of canine antral smooth muscle

Abstract Intracellular microelectrode technique and standard organ bath technique were used to investigate the effects of pentagastrin, G 17 , and G 34 on the electrical and mechanical activities of canine antral circular muscle. All three molecular forms increased the amplitude and duration of the plateau of the gastric action potential and the frequency of spontaneous action potentials. They also increased the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous contractions. G 17 was equal to or less potent than pentagastrin in all of its actions on this tissue. G 34 had an equal or greater activity than G 17 . The electrical studies indicate that G 17 is active in this tissue in a physiological range of concentrations. The ed 50 for the effect of G 17 to increase the amplitude of the plateau potential is less than that for the effect of G 17 on gastric secretion, indicating that this is a physiological action of gastrin. Atropine studies indicate that only part of the in vitro inotropic action of gastrin is caused by the release of acetylcholine from nerve terminals, but that the chronotropic action is attributable to a direct effect on the smooth muscle membrane.
Midlife trends in activities and disability.

Objectives: This is the first analysis that demonstrates empirically the likely tie between activities (time spent) and disability (health-related difficulty in activities). We compare trends in ac...
CRISPR/Cas9 Mutagenesis Reveals Versatile Roles of Hox Genes in Crustacean Limb Specification and Evolution

Crustaceans possess a diverse array of specialized limbs. Although shifts in Hox gene expression domains have been postulated to play a role in generating this limb diversity, little functional data have been provided to understand the precise roles of Hox genes during crustacean development. We used a combination of CRISPR/Cas9-targeted mutagenesis and RNAi knockdown to decipher the function of the six Hox genes expressed in the developing mouth and trunk of the amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis. These experimentally manipulated animals display specific and striking homeotic transformations. We found that abdominal-A (abd-A) and Abdominal-B (Abd-B) are required for proper posterior patterning, with knockout of Abd-B resulting in an animal with thoracic type legs along what would have been an abdomen, and abd-A disruption generating a simplified body plan characterized by a loss of specialization in both abdominal and thoracic appendages. In the thorax, Ubx is necessary for gill development and for repression of gnathal fate, and Antp dictates claw morphology. In the mouth, Scr and Antp confer the part-gnathal, part-thoracic hybrid identity of the maxilliped, and Scr and Dfd prevent antennal identity in posterior head segments. Our results allow us to define the role Hox genes play in specifying each appendage type in Parhyale, including the modular nature by which some appendages are patterned by Hox gene inputs. In addition, we define how changes in Hox gene expression have generated morphological differences between crustacean species. Finally, we also highlight the utility of CRISPR/Cas9-based somatic mutagenesis in emerging model organisms.
Solid-phase redistribution of rare earth elements in hillslope pedons subjected to different hydrologic fluxes

Abstract Prior studies indicate that patterns of rare earth element (REE) depletion or enrichment in critical zone (CZ) weathering systems are sensitive to variation not only in lithology, but also in climatic and/or biological processes. Organic ligands and secondary mineral surfaces vary in complex stability with different lanthanide series metals, which can result in solid-solution fractionation during incongruent mineral dissolution. REE fractionation during precipitation of solid phase weathering products is also expected to vary with host phase affinity and aqueous geochemistry along fluid flow paths. We postulated that patterns of REE fractionation during pedogenic weathering would exhibit mass-dependent trends as a function of depth in the soil profile. We further hypothesized that REE signatures would be influenced by depth-dependent variation in water and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) fluxes resulting from topographic position of the pedon under investigation. Field-based hypothesis testing utilized instrumented pedons derived from rhyolitic bedrock overlain by mixed conifer forest in the Jemez River Basin Critical Zone Observatory (JRB-CZO). REE depletion trends correlated with topographically-induced variation in soil pore water and DOC through-fluxes occurring predominantly during winter snowmelt. Bulk regolith analyses indicated that light rare earth elements (LREE) were depleted preferentially relative to medium and heavy REE (MREE and HREE). Lateral fluxes of water and DOC through subsurface horizons in the concave hillslope pedon correlated not only with greater REE depletion, but also with greater fractionation of REE into organo-metal colloid forms (2–23%) relative to a planar site hillslope pedon (3–13%) where vertical water and DOC fluxes were predominant. MREEs were preferentially retained in secondary colloids, indicating a mechanism for their stabilization in the weathering profile. Positive Ce-anomalies in the soils were the result of Ce retention in pedogenic Fe-(oxy)hydroxides.
The Influence of Individual Modernism on Consumer Behavior in a Developing Nation

Developing nations around the world are experiencing differing degrees of an ongoing modernization process. Three-fourths of the world's nations are classified as "developing." In most, or all of them, there are people whose traditional consumption habits have changed or are being replaced by modern ones. This study examines the influence of consumer modernism on six consumer behaviors--family purchasing roles, information seeking, brand evaluation and decision making, labor-saving attitudes, shopping behavior, and packaging attitudes. The results indicate that in one developing nation, Mexico, individual modernism does influence four of these aspects of consumer behavior.
Making Provisions in the Estate Plan for Section 529 Plans

Professor Jerry A. Kasner raises some questions about qualified prepaid tuition and college savings plans under section 529, and notes that estate planners often fail to take into account the impact of these plans on basic estate planning.
Application: Body Composition

Health and physical fitness are of vital concern to many people in this day and age. It is well documented that we can choose lifestyles that will drastically alter how we feel and how productive we are, and one of the key variables in this process is weight. (Why are there so many diet books on the market?) But to a large extent weight is determined by a person’s size and body structure. A more important related variable that can be controlled more directly by diet and exercise is percent body fat. The problem is that percent body fat is somewhat difficult to measure. This leads directly to a modeling problem. The goal is to find a model that estimates percent body fat as a function of easily measured variables.
Summer Musings on Curricular Innovations to Change the Lawyer's Standard Philosophical Map

When Hamline’s participation in the FIPSE grant was announced several years ago, the Hamline community saw an opportunity to help achieve the stated strategic-plan objective to ensure that every graduating student “will have basic knowledge about ADR and the opportunity for simulation experience with ADR.” The FIPSE grant working-group established the following objectives to guide the curriculum-development effort: (a) emphasize the importance of ADR by formally recognizing it as “substance,” (b) help students confront the standard philosophical map of lawyers and promote an “alternative” definition of lawyer as “problem-solver,” (c) provide a baseline familiarity with rule vs. interest and position vs. interest distinctions, and (d) provide a definitional overview of ADR processes and ways they differ from the traditional litigation model. The working group concluded that a student leaving Hamline should have a combination of substantive knowledge, skills training, and experience to: (a) effectively listen to a client, (b) understand legal and other interests, (c) choose the most appropriate dispute resolution process, and (d) differentiate between law as a tool for justice and law as a tool to accomplish individual client objectives. While on paper, the author can make a strong case for having accomplished a great deal during the two years of the FIPSE project, as well as the subsequent academic year, he is not as convinced as he would like to be that our efforts actually influence student perception of a lawyer’s work. The article discusses his uncertainties, as well as what was accomplished, difficulties encountered, and the results of a formal project assessment.
Uncovering and Reprogramming G Protein Coupled Receptor Signaling

G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) constitute one of the largest classes of signaling membrane receptors and drug targets. GPCRs display a large diversity of constitutive activities and responses to extracellular stimuli defining their complex physiologies. Yet, how receptor sequences and structures encode these allosteric properties remains poorly understood and difficult to study in absence of high-resolution structural information for many GPCRs. To address this problem, my laboratory has developed computational techniques to model GPCRs, predict ligand-bound GPCR conformations from a large diversity of structural homologs and design membrane receptors with novel functions. Using these methods, we have rationally engineered structurally-uncharacterized GPCRs with novel ligand binding selectivities, allosteric regulation properties and self-association propensities. I will also discuss how, during the course of these studies, we uncovered novel molecular determinants of membrane protein functions.
Interaction energy and itinerant ferromagnetism in a strongly interacting Fermi gas in the absence of molecule formation

In this study, we investigate the interaction energy and the possibility of itinerant ferromagnetism in a strongly interacting Fermi gas at zero temperature in the absence of molecule formation. The interaction energy is obtained by summing the perturbative contributions of Galitskii-Feynman type to all orders in the gas parameter. It can be expressed by a simple phase-space integral of an in-medium scattering phase shift. In both three and two dimensions (3D and 2D), the interaction energy shows a maximum before reaching the resonance from the Bose-Einstein condensate side, which provides a possible explanation of the experimental measurements of the interaction energy. This phenomenon can be theoretically explained by the qualitative change of the nature of the binary interaction in the medium. The appearance of an energy maximum has significant effects on the itinerant ferromagnetism. In 3D, the ferromagnetic transition is reentrant and itinerant ferromagnetism exists in a narrow window around the energy maximum. In 2D, the present theoretical approach suggests that itinerant ferromagnetism does not exist, which reflects the fact that the energy maximum becomes much lower than the energy of the fully polarized state.
Einfluss der Zylinderlaufflächentopografie auf den Ölverbrauch und die Partikelemissionen eines DI-Dieselmotors

Moderne, hochbelastete Dieselmotoren mussen hinsichtlich Olverbrauch und Emissionen zukunftig steigende Anforderungen erfullen. Besondere Aufmerksamkeit gilt dem Einlaufverhalten und der Fresssicherheit. Fur viele Hersteller hat die Verlangerung der Olwechselintervalle uber Laufleistungen von 15 000 km hinaus hohe Prioritat. Dieser Schritt erfordert allerdings eine Senkung des Olverbrauchs auf unter 0,07 l/1 000 km, damit innerhalb des Wechselintervalls kein Ol nachgefullt werden muss. Auch die vom Gesetzgeber limitierten Emissionen lassen sich nur durch das Zusammenspiel von niedrigerem Olverbrauch, optimierter Verbrennung und Abgasnachbehandlung einhalten. Die Federal-Mogul Burscheid GmbH hat mit dieser Untersuchung dokumentiert, welches Verbesserungspotential glatte und definiert strukturierte Zylinderlaufflachen fur die Verringerung der Schmierfilmdicke und damit die Absenkung des Olverbrauchs und der Partikelemission haben.
The Marcus Gunn phenomenon. Discussion and report of a case.

Abstract A detailed clinical description of the Marcus Gunn phenomenon is featured. Related opthalmologic aberrations associated with mandibular movement are briefly discussed. A report of a case of Marcus Gunn phenomenon, which was significant for a paternal history of bilateral cleft lip and palate, is presented. The general and the dental considerations in the management of this disorder are summarized. Protective eye shields are recommended for use during dental procedures.
Effects of bone extracts injected into the mouse testis.

SummaryAn acid alcoholic extract of bone did not cause the development of bone when it was injected into the testes of 33 male mice of the Strong A strain. It caused extreme damage to about 2/3 of the testis, producing a subtotal infarction of the area. Since fragments of bone marrow produce bone when transplanted to the testis, whereas extracts from much larger amounts of marrow and bone do not cause the development of bone, it is concluded that the marrow reticulum cells survive grafting and produce the bone.
Abstract LB-301: Potential role of prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts in inducing stem cell-like properties to the malignant epithelial cells of the prostate

Epithelial-mesenchymal transdifferentiation (EMT) is a well recognized mechanism for initiating metastasis of epithelial cancers. Shared attributes between EMT and cancer stem cells (CSCs) are being uncovered and extracellular signals from the microenvironment which regulate EMT are being investigated to define their role in a potential Cancer Cell-EMT-CSC lineage. Recently we have described epithelial cell lines ( Hormones & Cancer. 1: 44–54, 2010), primary cultures of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) ( Cancer Res. 68: 198–205, 2008) and CSC subpopulation ( Cancer Res. 70: 7294–303, 2010), all derived from the cPten-/-L mouse model of prostate adenocarcinoma ( Cancer Res. 67: 7525–33, 2007) that could be used to evaluate and characterize factors that can support or accelerate EMT induction to epithelial cancer cells, and further define putative factors that may facilitate de-differentiation to CSC phenotypes and biology. Here we report that a malignant epithelial cell line (cE1) derived from the androgen depletion-independent recurrent tumor of the model can be further fractionated into three different subpopulations based on the levels of cell surface expressions of SCA-1(S) and CD49f (C) antigens: SC − (low expression of S and C), SC hi (high expression of S and C), and SC me (medium expression of S and C). Of these fractions, SC me population is relatively more sensitive to undergo EMT-like changes when exposed to TGF-β1 than the other fractions. SC hi fraction displays increased ability to form spheroids in 3-D cultures akin to the CSCs isolated from the prostate tumors of the model. SC − cells appear to represent bulk of the cells with reduced propensity for EMT or spheroid formation. SC me cells were treated with conditioned medium (CM) from either CAF cultures or NPF (normal prostate fibroblast) cultures, and the morphological changes were monitored over a period of 14 days. It is remarkable that extensive EMT-like changes were induced by CM from CAFs and much less by that from NPFs. Furthermore, following EMT induction, these transformed cells appear to be more similar to the SC hi group based on expression of S and C and statistically significant upregulation of Oct4 ( p p p Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-301. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-301
Using Concept Building in Optics to Improve Student Research Skills

Optics is a core component of an undergraduate physics degree. Not only is optics a fascinating topic on its own, but a good understanding of optics helps students gain valuable insight into more complex topics. A working knowledge of optics is vital for the experimental investigation of astronomy, quantum mechanics, and a host of other research endeavors involving optical measurements. Research is also a critical part of a student’s education. Participation in research brings tremendous benefits to a student. So what do the students gain by participation in research? They learn independence. They learn how to plan a project. They learn the process of discovery. They learn that all answers are not always found on the internet, from professors, in books and publications (in that order). Research makes the “book” learning real. But what skills do the students need to be able to do research? Most of our experimental research opportunities involve optics. We have students working on investigations that range from atomic spectroscopy of rubidium to Rayleigh scattering to optical tweezers to quantum optics. When a student starts research, we want them to be ready to go. We don’t want them to have to relearn material (or for us to reteach material) that they should already have mastered in earlier classes.
Dependence of clutch predation rate of Eurasian reed warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus on nesting site selection: a model study

The article is focused on describing a possible way of how biological data can be processed, introduces the procedures used and compares the results gained from a field ornithological study. This was carried out using statistical methods of nonparametric regression with binomial classification and probit function together with the method with forward selection, and presents the most significant outcomes. Some of the interesting findings of this study are as follows: first, a lower level of reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus Hermann 1804) nest predation by bird predators was proven in the common reed [Phragmites australis (Cavanilles) Trinius 1841] stands growing in shallow waters, compared to nests located in stands growing in deeper waters. For this field research artificial nests containing one egg made of plasticine and one egg of Japanese quail were used. Second, a negative correlation was proven between predation of nests and their distance from the nearest tree, whereas no interdependence was proven either for various nesting-site types (oligotrophic sandpits, ponds with intensive fish-pond management and ponds with extensive use) or monitoring time (during the first, resp. second nesting). Based on the methods applied, 56% of egg predation variability was clarified and last but not least, the efficiency of these statistical methods was proven for practical use in similar field research zoological studies.
George Orwell and ecological citizenship: moral agency and modern estrangement

AbstractTheories of ecological citizenship seek to conceptualize political agency while taking into account humanity’s embeddedness in nature. This essay intervenes with contributions from an author distant from discourses about environmental politics, but with insights to offer them. George Orwell’s writings respond to a problem continuously articulated in the history of ecological thought: the estrangement from the conditions of one’s existence. In doing so, he provides a literary case study of ecological moral reasoning, a practice whereby the virtues of ecological citizenship are cultivated. Such virtues are cultivated by confronting the conditions of one’s existence in embodied terms, incorporating that experiential knowledge, and contributing to practices of self-government using it. This essay presents Orwell’s case, explains its relevance to the contemporary discourse on ecological citizenship, and concludes by suggesting that it also provides resources for empirical social scientists seeking to o...
The postvalvulotomy propranolol test to determine reversibility of the residual gradient in pulmonary stenosis

We advocate the use of propranolol in very low dosage at the end of operation to determine a prognosis of the long-term results to be expected after valvulotomy in diverse types of pulmonary stenosis.
Phonocatalysis. An ab initio simulation experiment

Using simulations, we postulate and show that heterocatalysis on large-bandgap semiconductors can be controlled by substrate phonons, i.e., phonocatalysis. With ab initio calculations, including molecular dynamic simulations, the chemisorbed dissociation of XeF6 on h-BN surface leads to formation of XeF4 and two surface F/h-BN bonds. The reaction pathway and energies are evaluated, and the sorption and reaction emitted/absorbed phonons are identified through spectral analysis of the surface atomic motion. Due to large bandgap, the atomic vibration (phonon) energy transfer channels dominate and among them is the match between the F/h-BN covalent bond stretching and the optical phonons. We show that the chemisorbed dissociation (the pathway activation ascent) requires absorption of large-energy optical phonons. Then using progressively heavier isotopes of B and N atoms, we show that limiting these high-energy optical phonons inhibits the chemisorbed dissociation, i.e., controllable phonocatalysis.
Clinical Evaluation of Two Modeling Programs in Assessing Neurodegenerative Disease in 18F-FDG PET Imaging.

2640 Objectives The aim of this study was to compare two versions of software used in the quantitative interpretation of PET brain studies. The original and updated versions of the software are known as CortexID and CortexID Suite, respectively. CortexID Suite uses an age-matched database with a greater number of subjects that can potentially affect the quantitative results. Therefore, it is important for our clinical and research practices to determine if there is good agreement between the two programs; this is especially important for the quantitative analysis of patients enrolled in longitudinal studies. Methods A retrospective analysis of forty patients (20 normal/20 abnormal) who underwent a clinically-indicated 18F-FDG PET/CT brain scan was conducted. The reconstructed PET images of each patient were processed with CortexID and CortexID Suite on a GE Healthcare Advantage Windows workstation. 3D stereotactic surface projections were generated and 21 regional Z-scores were calculated. Bland Altman plots were generated using the difference and mean of the Z-scores. In addition regression analysis was used to compare the results of the two programs. Results A notable difference was seen in the Z-scores between the two programs. In CortexID areas of hypometabolism are given a positive Z-score, whereas CortexID Suite gives these areas a negative Z-score. In subsequent analysis the signs of the Z-scores of CortexID were swapped. The Bland Altman plots showed that the majority of the data fell within the 95% confidence interval. The mean difference in Z-scores for normals, abnormals and all patients combined was -0.31, -0.04 and -0.17, respectively. A regression slope of .94, 1.21 and 1.16 was obtained for normals, abnormals and all patients combined, respectively. A good overall linear correlation was obtained for all regions; however, the precuneus regions showed poor correlation for both normals and abnormals. Conclusions An overall good agreement between CortexID and CortexID Suite was demonstrated. The clinical significance of the outlying data points will require further investigation. Employing the use of the new CortexID Suite should not have any negative impact on future data analysis of these enrolled patients.
Cable towed body dynamics

In recent years a large number of towed bodies for military and commerieal ocean engineering purposes have been put into service. A general trend in this activity is that towed bodies are getting larger, towing speed is getting faster and the operating depth of towed bodies is getting deeper. Towing vehicle, tow line and towed body are not only subjected to ocean wave, wind and current but also subjected to vibration excitation force due to flow around tow line and machinery of towing vehicle. In this paper the equilibrium attitude and altitude of towed body, and equilibrium configuration of cable when towing vehicle is advancing at constant speed is discussed. In addition, the dynamic characteristics of tow line due to tow point motion excitation is discussed. Finally, the considerations required to select a right tow line for the towing applications are listed.
Ambient Horror: From Sonic Palimpsests to Haptic Sonority in the Cinema of Kurosawa Kiyoshi

Brown explores how sound flows modulate affective and noncognitive responses to the ambient horror films of Kurosawa Kiyoshi. Hardly any research has been done on sound design in Japanese horror, yet it remains one of the most productive means by which J-horror distinguishes itself from other forms of horror. Through advanced spectral and surround field analysis and a careful consideration of elements such as the interrelations between noise and silence, the function of ambient drones and sonic palimpsests, and the status of the acousmatic voice, Brown illuminates how soundscapes contribute to the construction of horror as a space for what he calls “haptic sonority,” an intensive space where one does not so much hear sounds as one feels them in one’s body.
Varieties of user misconceptions: detection and correction

This paper discusses some of our research into detecting and reconciling critical differences between a user's view of the world and the system's. We feel there is benefit to be gained by separating misconceptions into two main classes: misconce.pt ions about what is the case and misconceptions about what can be the case. We review some initial work in both areas and discuss our work in progress.
Abstract 166: Small Dense LDL Cholesterol Is Associated with Risk for Coronary Heart Disease: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background— Evidence from in vitro studies indicates that small dense LDL (sd-LDL) is more atherogenic than large buoyant LDL. Previously, sd-LDL has been associated with risk for vascular disease....
Methods to Assess the Value of New Technologies: the Case of Consumer Sentiment Towards Digital Wallet Technology

New technologies and scientific findings are typically announced in peer-reviewed scholarly journals which seldom assess the economic or social consequences of the technology, even though this may be important in motivating funding for future extensions and commercial applications of the research. This paper describes new methodologies that have become available with the advent of social network data and computationally intensive statistical methods to ascertain the value of new technologies. It provides an example application of two methodologies to answer basic questions in a specific industry, regarding the dynamic processes governing IP protection, innovation law, market structure and evolution, and rates or entry and exit. It also proposes a third affective technology for revealing true consumer sentiment and discusses risks and controls of collecting such affective data, which is commercially important in areas such as film and television review, food and beverage consumption, and in general arenas that display strong non-verbal or emotive characteristics, which would be likely subjects for data acquisition. Our application collected 449,145 Twitter postings on consumer perceptions of digital wallet payment systems and collected all available information on patents in the US Patent and Trademark Office’s (USPTO) databases on digital wallet technologies. Automated lexical analysis was programmed and applied to individual tweets to extract consumer sentiment concerning specific technologies in the USPTO database, and assessed using customized econometric methods. The application of methodologies in this topic area can provide guidance for using newly available datasets to assess the potential economic value and consumer acceptance of new technologies arising out of the laboratory.
Is it Too Soon to Meet? Examining Differences in Geosocial Networking App Use and Sexual Risk Behavior of Emerging Adults

Location-based geosocial networking smartphone applications (GSN apps) have become a popular way to meet romantic and casual sex partners. Although first used primarily by men who have sex with men (MSM), GSN apps are now commonly used in the population at large, particularly among emerging adults. Although, these apps may potentially contribute to increases in STI/HIV incidence, previous research linking GSN app use to sexual risk behavior has been mixed, with some suggesting app users report greater sexual risk behavior and others suggesting less. The present paper details findings of two studies with independent samples of emerging adults. The first, a pilot study, examined GSN app use among young MSM (n = 64) to identify possible within-group factors relating dating app use to sexual risk behavior. Results indicated that the time app users spent talking to each other through the app before meeting in person (time before meeting) was related to engagement in sexual risk behavior. Those who talked less before meeting in person engaged in more sexual risk behaviors than those who spent more time talking before meeting in person. The second study sought to expand upon this finding in a more representative sample of GSN app users (n = 129) and compared sexual risk behavior and impulsivity to non-users (n = 88). There were no differences in sexual risk behavior between GSN app users and non-users. However, when examining app users by time before meeting, those with a shorter time before meeting were more impulsive and more likely to report sexual risk behavior. These findings highlight the importance of understanding GSN app use in the spread of STIs/HIV among emerging adults.
7. Secessionism and Civilian Targeting

This paper contributes to a burgeoning literature on civilian targeting in civil war by arguing that rebel war aims can offer critical insight into who targets civilians, and when. Specifically, I argue that secessionists are less likely than non-secessionist rebel groups to target civilians in civil war, for two reasons. First, secessionists, who have the greatest military capacity in their claimed region, are unlikely to target civilians meant to comprise the population of their desired state. And second, secessionists are especially, and increasingly, aware of and concerned with their reputation with respect to the international community. I test these claims using an original data set on civil wars from 1816 to 2007.
Cancer stemness in bone marrow micrometastases of human breast cancer.

Background Cancer cells metastasize to the bone marrow to create the premetastatic niche. Cancer stemness (expression of stem cell characteristics) is regulated by the tumor microenvironment and associated with self-renewal and poor clinical outcomes. Osteopontin induces mesenchymal stem cells in the tumor microenvironment to adopt a cancer-associated fibroblast phenotype to potentiate cancer growth and metastasis. The mechanisms by which cancer cells and tumor microenvironment regulate stemness in the bone marrow premetastatic niche is unknown. Methods Human breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 were used in an orthotopic murine xenograft model. NOD-scid mice were implanted with 2 × 106 tumor cells in the presence and absence of human mesenchymal stem cells-green fluorescent protein cells and/or osteopontin aptamer, which blocks and inactivates extracellular osteopontin, or mutant aptamer (osteopontin mutant aptamer). In select instances, MCF-7 cells transfected to express osteopontin were coimplanted instead of MCF-7. Stemness markers (Nanog, Oct4, Sox2) in the tumor cells and cancer-associated fibroblast (α-smooth muscle actin, Vimentin) markers in the mesenchymal stem cells were measured in femoral bone marrow via real-time polymerase chain reaction. Cell number was determined by titrating cell number to Ct value in vitro. Results Tumor cells and mesenchymal stem cells migrate from the primary tumor site to the bone marrow. Migration of mesenchymal stem cells is osteopontin dependent. In both MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines, levels of both cancer-associated fibroblast and stemness markers were 3 to 4 times greater under conditions wherein mesenchymal stem cells were present with osteopontin. Inactivation of extracellular osteopontin with an aptamer decreased migration of mesenchymal stem cells and expression of both cancer-associated fibroblast and stemness markers. Cancer cells exhibited a significantly increased stem cell profile in the presence of cancer-associated fibroblast in the bone marrow. In the presence and absence of osteopontin, Sox2 knockdown abolished expression of both Nanog and Oct4. Conclusion We conclude that osteopontin-dependent migration of cancer-associated fibroblast is required for increased cancer cell stemness in the bone marrow premetastatic niche.
Prophylactic salpingectomy with delayed oophorectomy (PSDO): Feasibility study in women with BRCA mutations.

1506Background: Despite the benefits of risk reducing salpingo-oophorectomy (RRSO) for BRCA 1/2 mutation carriers, the adverse effects of surgical menopause on young women are problematic. Mounting evidence suggests the fallopian tube is the site of origin of BRCA-associated ovarian malignancies. However, no data exist to demonstrate whether salpingectomy lowers the risk of developing ovarian cancer (OC) in women with BRCA mutations. We conducted a feasibility study of PSDO to determine patient acceptance, and to evaluate pathology results and sexual function. Methods: Eligibility criteria included pre-menopausal women with BRCA mutations ages 30 to 47 years recruited from 2 academic centers with high risk clinics and gynecologic oncology programs. Patients (pts) chose one of 3 arms: screening, RRSO, or PSDO. Completion oophorectomy is recommended at age 39 for BRCA1 and age 45 for BRCA2 pts. All pts were seen twice yearly with CA125 and transvaginal ultrasound. Quality of life, sexuality, and menopausal ...
Sparse direct matrix solvers of finite element discretizations in electromagnetics

The paper outlines some direct solution strategies for sparse matrices arising from the finite element (FE) discretization of electromagnetic (EM) models, and explores whether the conventional thinking followed by highly optimized direct method tools for sparse matrices is indeed the best available option for directly solving FEM problems in EM. Factorization memory and time, solution time, parallelization potential, and error will be considered in the comparisons between approaches. Drawing from advances in the area of integral equation (IE) methods that rely on relatively small but dense matrices, we will conjecture that direct solvers that minimize factorization fill-in while maintaining sparsity may not lead to the best overall strategy after all. We present an direct solution algorithm for FEM, based on domain decomposition that generates and operates on a lesser sparse matrix with block-wise sparse pattern, thus bridging the gap between the two extreme matrix structures, (a large fully sparse encountered in FEM and a smaller fully dense encountered in IE methods). Early results on 3D arbitrary tetrahedron meshes and arbitrary volumetric geometries suggest that the proposed approach significantly outperform state-of-the-art sparse matrix direct solvers in terms of memory while maintaining competitive run times for serial implementations.
Clinical applications of electrogastrography

Recently, electrogastrography (EGG) has received more and more attention. While gastroenterologists are interested in its clinical applications, concerns remain regarding the reliability and analysis of the EGG and the correlation between the EGG and gastric motility. The aims of this paper are to address these concerns and to review the potential clinical applications of the EGG. The following areas are discussed, based on the literature and our own experience with EGG: the refined method for the measurement of the EGG, the advanced techniques for quantitative analyses of the EGG, the reliability of the EGG in measuring gastric myoelectrical activity, the correlation between the EGG and gastric motility, and applications of the EGG in clinical gastroenterology
Continental Plates and Accreted Oceanic Terranes in the Arctic

The geology of the Arctic Ocean Basin is in many ways less well understood than that of the other ocean basins discussed in preceding volumes of this series. Very broad shelf seas conceal large parts of the continents fronting on the Arctic. This geography plus ice cover and difficult working conditions has retarded the accumulation of data and progress in resolving the controversial origin and history of the Arctic Ocean (Churkin, 1973; Churkin et al., this volume).