cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical features of acute kidney injury in patients receiving dabrafenib and trametinib

Objectives To characterize the incidence, risk factors, and clinical features of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients receiving dabrafenib and trametinib. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study examining the kidney outcomes of patients in a large healthcare system who received dabrafenib/trametinib between 2010 and 2019. The primary outcome was AKI, defined as a 1.5-fold increase in serum creatinine from baseline within a 12-month study period. AKI severity and etiology was determined for each case by chart review. Logistic regression was used to evaluate baseline predictors of AKI. Results 199 patients who received dabrafenib in our healthcare system from 2010-2019 were included in the analysis. Forty-two patients (21%) experienced AKI within 12 months; 10 patients (5% of total cohort, 24% of AKI) experienced AKI occurring during a dabrafenib/trametinib-induced febrile syndrome characterized by fever, chills, gastrointestinal symptoms, and elevated liver enzymes. Pre-existing liver disease was the only significant predictor of AKI in the cohort. One patient had biopsy-proven granulomatous acute interstitial nephritis that resolved with corticosteroids. Conclusions Oncologists and nephrologists should be aware that AKI is common after dabrafenib/trametinib and a substantial number of cases occur in the setting of treatment-induced pyrexia.
Personal Finance: An Interdisciplinary Profession.

This commentary recommends that financial counseling and planning research, education, and practice be framed as an interdisciplinary profession called personal finance. Authors summarize the history of the profession and key theories providing the conceptual foundation. In order for the emerging profession of personal finance to achieve significant visibility and gain maturity, professionals must reach consensus on defining collective scholarship. Readers are encouraged to engage in the dialogue and comment on the call to action by contacting the lead author.
The value of “boutique” financial advisors in mergers and acquisitions

Abstract Between 1995 and 2006 about a quarter of merging firms hired boutique banks as their advisors on mergers and acquisitions (M&A). Boutique advisors, often specialized by industry, are generally smaller and more independent than full-service banks. This paper investigates firms' choice between boutique and full-service advisors and the impact of advisor choice on deal outcomes. We find that both acquirers and targets are more likely to choose boutique advisors in complex deals, suggesting that boutique advisors are chosen for their skill and expertise. After controlling for the endogenous choice of advisors, we find lower deal premiums when acquirers hire boutique advisors. In addition, boutique advisors spend more time, probably on due diligence and negotiation, to complete deals. Overall, our findings suggest that boutique advisors are chosen in more complex deals and they achieve more favorable deal outcomes.
Islands of (in)security in the Anthropocene

In this response, I think through some implications of Chandler and Pugh’s typology of relational ontologies and onto-epistemologies for how we might engage the question of security in the Anthropo...
Cubs Find Going Tough on Field, also in Copyright Fight

In the past few years, the Cubs have had their fair share of success in defending the team’s copyrights and trademarks, including suing vendors outside Wrigley Field for trademark violations in 2016, protecting its “W” trademark from startup WalletHub in 2015 and removing the unofficial bar-fighting “Billy Cub” mascot from the Wrigleyville neighborhood in 2014. However, this time the similarities between the 2016 World Series ivy leaf commemorative and the 1984 souvenir may be too strikingly similar for the court to deny. The team was just recently named as a defendant in a case alleging that the marketing of a 2016 World Series ivy leaf commemorative constitutes copyright infringement and unjust enrichment. The plaintiff, Daniel Fox, a lifelong Cubs fan now living in Michigan, entered into a licensing agreement with the Cubs in 1984 when he was an advertising executive living in Chicago. Fox contracted with the Cubs to create a commemorative to mark the team’s near-run to its first World Series since 1945, the 1984 National League East Championship.
Thinking Strategically: Power Tools for Personal and Professional Advancement

Acknowledgements Introduction Part I. Component Skills of Strategic Thinking: 1. Strategic creativity 2. Discovery as a process 3. Strategic problem solving 4. Reality check 5. A matter of style 6. Attitude: the inner strategist 7. Strategic thinking exercises Part 2. Strategic Thinking in Practice: 8. Problem finding 9. Analysis: tools of thought 10. Solutions: getting a grip Summary: the strategic thinker Literature cited Index.
Introduction to the Brain: Basic Brain Features and Brain Imaging

This chapter focuses on features that allows develop model of higher brain function by making big but reasonable leaps from hard-core data. It addresses the questions of how one think, reason, and creates, and what are the appropriate spatial and temporal scales in the brain necessary to understand these questions. This chapter first illustrates neocortex or cortex, which in terms of evolution are the newest part of the brain and the part most responsible for higher brain function. The neuron is the fundamental cell of the brain. Electrical input signals from other neurons come in from their axons and terminate on the cell body or on the dendrites at the synapses or junctions. Furthermore, it also compares the methods for monitoring and imaging mammalian brain activity. This includes many new and exciting imaging techniques, such as microelectrodes, positron emission tomography (PET), functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), and optical recording. All of these brain imaging techniques depend on powerful physics developments.
Transporting and Monitoring the Head-Injured Patient

Patients with severe brain injury may be at risk during intrahospital transport to imaging facilities [1]. Specialized studies such as stable xenon measurements of cerebral blood flow by computerized tomography (CTCBF) and brain water mapping by magnetic resonance (MRI) imaging require even longer durations in excess of 2 hours away from the intensive care setting. Knowledge of ICP and systemic parameters is critical to reducing risks of complication. Equally important, the maintenance of blood gases at normal levels is essential to preventing either brain ischemia induced by over aggressive manual ventilation or excessive rise in ICP caused by hypoventilation.
Managing localized prostate cancer in the era of prostate‐specific antigen screening

Because prostate cancer is diagnosed by blind biopsy, there is underlying uncertainty as to its extent and aggressiveness, evidenced by 40% of cases being upgraded after surgery compared to the diagnostic biopsy. This uncertainty contributes to the overtreatment of low risk localized prostate cancer that fuels the current debate surrounding prostate cancer screening and treatment. This issue presents presents a validated tool that uses clinical variables to predict upgrading of Gleason score 6 prostate cancer. Ideally, this and other tools should increase the acceptance, safety and use of active surveillance in men with localized prostate cancer detected by screening and help to address the problem of overtreatment.
Planar YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// ion damage Josephson junctions and arrays

Reproducible low resistance lumped element Josephson junction arrays are desired for many microwave applications. Using our established process of electron beam lithography and ion damage, we have fabricated and demonstrated high quality YBa/sub 2/Cu/sub 3/O/sub 7-/spl delta// superconductor-normal superconductor-superconductor (SS'S) in-plane Josephson junctions. Single junctions and multiple junction arrays with as many as 50 junctions in series have been investigated. These junctions are in close proximity and offer several possible applications. Current-voltage characteristics for single junctions are consistent with the resistively shunted junction model. Junction in pairs have been fabricated which show nearly identical characteristics. Rounding near the critical current occurs for larger number arrays which we attribute to junction nonuniformity. Microwave measurements reveal sharp giant Shapiro steps for junction pairs and 10 junction arrays, rounded steps appear for larger arrays.
Connecting Balance Sheet Plugs: A New Integrated Presentation of Pro Forma Analysis

Using a “plug” figure or “slack term” within a pro forma analysis is the standard method to make a forecasted balance sheet have assets equal liabilities and equity. The plug is usually stock or long-term debt because either one or a combination of the two, are assumed to be the source of funding for sales growth. In this presentation, a mathematical connection between the two different plug figures is demonstrated allowing for a more integrated presentation of pro forma analysis rather than the perception of each type of plug belonging to a separate independent technique.
Component analysis of the fast photoelectric signal from model bacteriorhodopsin membranes: Part 1. Effect of multilayer stacking and prolonged drying

Abstract We used a technique originally developed by Trissl and Montal to reconstitute a bacteriorhodopsin (BR) model membrane which gives rise to a photosignal that is pH- and temperature-sensitive. We interpreted it as being composed of two components: B1, a pH- and temperature-insensitive component, and B2, a pH- and temperature-sensitive component. In addition, we used a modification of this technique to produce a multilayered BR thin film which gives rise to a photosignal that is much larger in magnitude and much less sensitive to both pH and temperature. Stripping of layers from the multilayered film gives rise to a photosignal which is similar in magnitude, and in pH and temperature sensitivity to that of a Trissl-Montal membrane. Drying of the multilayered film results in a photosignal that is totally insensitive to pH, and this photosignal can be regarded as a pure component, presumably B1, free from any B2 contribution. Stripping of layers from these films has no effect on the pH or temperature insensitivity. We report experimental observations which suggest why the pH- and temperature-sensitive B2 component is eliminated in a multilayered BR thin film. Our results suggest that the B1 signal originates from an intramolecular charge separation, the amplitude of which is additive as the number of layers increases; the B2 signal originates from the binding and release of aqueous protons that can be generated only from the top layer of the film, and so the amplitude of the B2 component is diminished relative to the B1 component in a multilayered thin film. In multilayered films that have been dried for a prolonged period, the amplitude of the B2 signal is reduced to an insignificant level, presumably because of denaturation of the protein.
Testicular Adenosine 3′ : 5′-Monophosphate-dependent Protein Kinase: REGULATION BY FOLLICLE-STIMULATING HORMONE

Abstract Incubation of testis seminiferous tubules with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) results within 5 min in an activation of soluble adenosine 3' : 5'-monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent protein kinase, as indicated by a conversion of the inactive holoenzyme to the active catalytic subunit. Maximal stimulation (3-fold) is achieved by 20 min. Moreover, this increased kinase activity can be directly correlated with increased intracellular accumulation of cAMP. Activation of protein kinase in isolated tubules is specific for FSH and is dependent upon time and temperature of incubation. This response to FSH is also dependent upon the age of the animal and disappears at approximately 30 days. However, sensitivity to gonadotrophin can be restored in adult animals by hypophysectomy or by addition of 1-methyl-3-isobutylxanthine to the incubation medium. These results suggest that the appearance of an active phosphodiesterase may be responsible for the decreased response to FSH during spermatogenesis. Increased protein kinase activity in response to the continued presence of FSH exhibits a half-life time of 2 to 4 hours. Furthermore, bound FSH can be recovered following treatment of the tissue of acid pH and this hormone retains the ability to activate protein kinase in fresh tissue suggesting that FSH may not be degraded while attached to testicular receptors. Excellent temporal correlation exists between binding of FSH and activation of protein kinase. Maximal enzyme activation occurs at a lower concentration of FSH than is necessary to saturate testicular binding sites.
Nutrients as a link between ionic concentration/composition and diatom distributions in saline lakes

Diatom profiles in closed-basin lake sediments are commonly used to reconstruct climate change based on the observed correlations between salinity (ionic concentration) and modern diatom assemblages. Diatom assemblages are strongly correlated not only with salinity but also anion composition, with certain taxa characteristic of carbonate systems and others sulfate-dominated waters. Although strong correlations exist, the actual mechanisms behind these correlations are unknown. Here we briefly review the influence of salinity and ionic composition on nutrient dynamics in saline lakes and suggest that these interactions may drive shifts in diatom species composition along gradients of ionic concentration/composition. We discuss the influence of salinity and anion composition on nutrient availability, as well as on nutrient requirements and uptake by diatoms.
Hedonic ratings of reduced-fat food products : Factors affecting ratings from female and male college-age students

ABSTRACT Attitudes and beliefs of consumers and sensory characteristics of foods affect acceptance of reduced-fat food products. Because dieting and excessive weight preoccupation are prevalent among adolescent and adult females, acceptance of reduced-fat food products by college-age students was examined. One hundred and two students (51 females, 51 males) used nine-point hedonic scales to indicate how much they liked the following reduced-fat products: turkey luncheon meat, white bread, and tortilla chips. Results indicated that more females than males considered themselves overweight, were trying to lose weight, and reported frequent use of reduced-fat foods. Both females and males reported frequent use of reduced-fat dairy products and snack foods. Gender had a minor effect on hedonic ratings of the food products. Action regarding weight control and frequency of use of reduced-fat foods significantly affected hedonic ratings for tortilla chip and bread, suggesting that these factors are important to a...
The Implications and Assessment of Myocardial Fibrosis in Older Cardiovascular Patients

Myocardial fibrosis (MF) may play a role in homeostenosis—the decreasing ability of the aging heart to tolerate stressors and cardiac insults—since MF distorts myocardial architecture, impairs mechanical, electrical, and vasomotor function, and culminates in vulnerability to adverse outcomes. While MF is prevalent in many cardiac disorders found in older people, most MF is not attributable to age. MF is a dynamic process whereby synthesis predominates over degradation. Importantly, MF is reversible which likely leads to regression of mechanical and vasomotor abnormalities and survival benefit. MF may be a therapeutic target. Cardiac magnetic resonance using T1 mapping and extracellular volume measures offers a novel and non-invasive capability to quantify the entire spectrum MF and also detect cardiac amyloidosis. MF may represent an important phenotype to identify for diagnostic and prognostic decision making or even therapeutic decision-making even though its causes and optimal treatment are not fully understood.
Carbohydrate Oxidation Rates in Patients With Anorexia Nervosa

This study was prompted by the authors' observation that some patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) do not gain weight despite appropriate caloric intake and some recent evidence 1 that patients with AN respond differently to caloric supplementation depending on what their body habitus was before developing AN. The primary purpose of this study was to study carbohydrate oxidation rates in patients with AN and determine whether differences could be discerned between those patients who gained weight and those who failed to gain weight.The study consisted of 21 female AN patients whose average weight was 30.1% ± 1.5% below their ideal body weight and 10-age matched healthy women serving as controls (NC). Caloric intake was stabilized over a 10-day period. At the conclusion of the 10-day period, those 21 AN patients were divided into two groups (AN-a consisted of 10 patients who gained less than 2% of their body weight, and AN-b consisted of 11 patients who gained more than 2% of their body weight during the 10...
Familiarity Breeds Investment: Immigration and Equity Home Bias

Why do investors hold such large positions in domestic equity when there are gains to be made from international diversification? This equity home bias puzzle has received considerable attention in the literature, with asymmetric information on domestic and foreign assets (whether by individual choice or by market imperfection) emerging as the most plausible explanation. If investors have relatively better information about local equities, what happens when we consider a subset of investors whose information sets are closer in line to investors in foreign countries? I assess the relationship between immigration and equity home bias and find that inward migration is positively correlated with increased foreign equity positions and reduced home bias. Looking across income groups, outward migration appears to reduce home bias for relatively rich countries, but may actually increase home bias when migration occurs to or from a developing country. These results suggest that immigration generates an external benefit of increased information flows between developed countries, but not for developing nations. That immigration tends to reduce equity home bias lends further credence to the information asymmetry explanation for the puzzle and supports recent work suggesting that this asymmetry is the result of optimizing behavior.
Initial Stages of the Pyrolysis of Polyethylene

An experimental study of the kinetics of the initial stages of the pyrolysis of high-density polyethylene (PE) was performed. Quantitative yields of gas-phase products (C1–C8 alkanes and alkenes) and functional groups within the remaining polyethylene melt (methyl, vinyl, vinylene, vinylidene, and branching sites) were obtained as a function of time (0–20 min) at five temperatures in the 400–440 °C range. Gas chromatography and NMR (1H and 13C) were used to detect the gas- and condensed-phase products, respectively. Modeling of polyethylene pyrolysis was performed, with the primary purpose of determining the rate constants of several critical reaction types important at the initial pyrolysis stages. Detailed chemical mechanisms were created (short and extended mechanisms) and used with both the steady-state approximation and numerical integration of the differential kinetic equations. Rate constants of critical elementary reactions (C–C backbone scission, two kinds of H-atom transfer, radical addition to ...
Soldiers in the Other War: The United States Marine Corps' Combined Action Platoons in Vietnam

This paper presents a brief historical and strategic analysis of the genesis, development, operation, and decline of the U.S. Marine Corps’ Combined Action Platoons (CAPs) in the Vietnam War. Although the CAPs are considered an effective element in a counterinsurgency strategy, as stated most recently in the 2006 Joint U.S. Army/Marine Counterinsurgency Field Manual, this paper argues that the CAPs were not as effective in Vietnam as is popularly argued. Moreover, the flaws manifested in the CAPs should discourage their unquestioned employment in future counterinsurgency contingencies.
Ground Control Centers, U.S. Military

First page of article Keywords: ground control centers, U.S. military; space force enhancement-missile warning
Dynamic equations for a two-link flexible robot arm

Abstract The dynamic equations for a two-link flexible robot arm have been derived rigorously. The arm is moving in the vertical plane. The payload is simulated by attaching additional masses to the arm at any specific locations. Although the governing equations of the system and the measurements are nonlinear, they are explicitly obtained. The control strategy and the general procedures to construct a linear observer and to formulate a control law are discussed.
The cells of origin of the spinohypothalamic tract in cats.

Various cutaneous and visceral stimuli alter the discharge rates of neurons in the hypothalamus. Changes in the activity of hypothalamic neurons are thought to play important roles in eliciting neuroendocrine, autonomic, and affective responses to somatosensory and visceral stimuli. Information from peripheral structures has been considered generally to reach the hypothalamus via multisynaptic ascending pathways. Recently, a direct projection from the spinal cord to the hypothalamus was demonstrated in rats. The goal of this study was to determine whether a similar projection exists in cats. Either wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, a mixture of this tracer and the B subunit of cholera toxin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase, or fast blue was injected into the hypothalamus of cats. Injections were centered in the hypothalamus in seven cats and did not spread to the thalamus, zona incerta or midbrain. After these injections, retrogradely labeled neurons were observed bilaterally in each of the 17 spinal segments that were examined. A total of approximately 400–500 labeled neurons was observed in alternate sections through these segments in the most effective cases. Roughly 70% of the labeled neurons were located contralaterally. Labeled neurons were found predominantly in the deep dorsal horn, the intermediate zone/ventral horn and in the area surrounding the central canal. A few were also noted in the superficial dorsal horn. The first and second sacral segments contained the largest numbers of retrogradely labeled neurons in the spinal cord. The number of spinohypothalamic tract neurons observed in this study in cats was roughly an order of magnitude smaller than that previously reported for rats. This finding suggested either that the spinohypothalamic tract is relatively small in cats or that our tracing techniques did not label many spinohypothalamic tract neurons in cats. To test the sensitivity of one of our tracing techniques, control injections of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase that filled the ventrobasal thalamus were made in two cats. In both cases, thousands of spinal cord neurons were labeled. In summary, our results indicate that a spinohypothalamic tract exists in cats. However, our findings also suggest that the total number of spinohypothalamic tract neurons in cats may be an order of magnitude smaller than it is in rats.
Understanding the dynamics of correct and error responses in free recall: Evidence from externalized free recall

The dynamics of correct and error responses in a variant of delayed free recall were examined in the present study. In the externalized free recall paradigm, participants were presented with lists of words and were instructed to subsequently recall not only the words that they could remember from the most recently presented list, but also any other words that came to mind during the recall period. Externalized free recall is useful for elucidating both sampling and postretrieval editing processes, thereby yielding more accurate estimates of the total number of error responses, which are typically sampled and subsequently edited during free recall. The results indicated that the participants generally sampled correct items early in the recall period and then transitioned to sampling more erroneous responses. Furthermore, the participants generally terminated their search after sampling too many errors. An examination of editing processes suggested that the participants were quite good at identifying errors, but this varied systematically on the basis of a number of factors. The results from the present study are framed in terms of generate-edit models of free recall.
Reduction in QT interval dispersion by successful thrombolytic therapy in acute myocardial infarction. TEAM-2 Study Investigators.

BACKGROUNDQT dispersion (QTd, equals maximal minus minimal QT interval) on a standard ECG has been shown to reflect regional variations in ventricular repolarization and is significantly greater in patients with than in those without arrhythmic events.METHODS AND RESULTSTo assess the effect of thrombolytic therapy on QTd, we studied 244 patients (196 men; mean age, 57 +/- 10 years) with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who were treated with streptokinase (n = 115) or anistreplase (n = 129) at an average of 2.6 hours after symptom onset. Angiograms at 2.4 +/- 1 hours after thrombolytic therapy showed reperfusion (TIMI grade > or = 2) in 75% of patients. QT was measured in 10 +/- 2 leads at 9 +/- 5 days after AMI by using a computerized analysis program interfaced with a digitizer. QTd, QRSd, JT (QT minus QRS), and JT dispersion (JTd, equals maximal minus minimal JT interval) were calculated with a computer. There were significant differences in QTd (96 +/- 31, 88 +/- 25, 60 +/- 22, and 52 +/- 19 milliseco...
Morales’s MAS Government Building Indigenous Popular Hegemony in Bolivia

At his 2006 inauguration, Bolivia’s President Evo Morales claimed a lineage that included Andean indigenous insurrectional struggles, Simon Bolivar’s nationalism, and Che Guevara’s socialism. He and his MAS party have been attempting to articulate three very different lines of struggle, focusing on indigenous rights, economic justice, and popular democracy. They mediate these contradictions by adopting a core agenda that might be called “indigenous nationalism.” Comparison of the strategies of Morales and Vice President Garcia Linera illuminates the productive tensions of different approaches to dealing with the violent counterrevolution from the eastern lowlands. Despite having to confront serious obstacles and multiple critiques, this “unstable confederation” appears to be holding, allowing the government to continue on its path to long-term change refounding the nation and decolonizing society.
Capacitance–Voltage Characterization of AlN MIS Structures Grown on 6H‐SiC(0001) Substrates by MOCVD

The electrical characterization of Al/AlN/SiC metal–insulator–semiconductor structures was carried out by the capacitance–voltage technique at room temperature. The AlN layers were grown by MOCVD on a silicon polarity 3.5° off-axis 6H-SiC(0001) substrates at temperatures ranging from 950 to 1500 °C. The high frequency C–V characteristics clearly showed accumulation at 25 V and a deep-depletion behavior at voltages from 0 to —30 V. UV light was used to enhance the generation of minority carriers in the SiC depletion layer but this did not change appreciably the C–V curves. The AlN thickness was estimated from high frequency C–V measurements under accumulation condition. Breakdown voltages and field strengths were measured for all samples. The lowest density of defects in the AlN nucleation layers resulting in the highest breakdown field were deposited at 1100 °C, in agreement with structural characterization.
Sensor Web Design Studies for Realtime Dynamic Congestion Pricing

Traffic congestion is a multi-billion dollar national problem and is worsening every year with population growth and increase in freight traffic. We present a model for realistic simulation studies to mitigate congestion in urban areas using dynamic congestion pricing on express toll lanes. Specifically, we identify and address the design issues needed to develop a real time event driven sensor Web observation system for traffic monitoring that provides dynamic congestion pricing. To assess the feasibility of this sensor Web system, we are in the process of conducting simulation studies based on real data for various system configurations to validate the mitigating impact of dynamic congestion pricing on intermodal freight flow to and from the ports in urban areas. In this paper, we focus on freight flow into the Baltimore corridor from its ports
3-D multiview object representation for model-based object recognition

Abstract 3-D multiview object representations are presented as an alternative approach to traditional 3-D volumetric object representations. 3-D multiview models store features in a viewer-centered representation and thus can be immediately used to match features derived from 2-D images. Algorithms are presented that construct, search and perform region growing on 3-D multiview object models.
Learning symbolic descriptions of shape for object recognition in X-ray images

Abstract In this paper we describe a method for learning shape descriptions of objects in X-ray images. The descriptions are induced from shape examples using the AQ15c inductive learning system. The method has been experimentally compared to k-nearest neighbor, a statistical pattern recognition technique, the C4.5 decision tree learning program, and a multilayer feed-forward neural network. Experimental results demonstrate strong advantages of the AQ methodology over the other methods. Specifically, the method has higher predictive accuracy and faster learning and recognition rates. AQ's representation language, VL1, was better suited for this problem, which can be seen by examining the empirical results and the learned rules. The method was applied to the problem of detecting blasting caps in X-ray images of luggage. An intelligent system performing this detection task can be used to assist airport security personnel with luggage screening.
Releasing N jobs to an unreliable machine

Abstract In this paper we develop an algorithm that determines the optimal times of releasing N jobs to an unreliable machine. The job processing times are assumed to be random and the machine is subject to random breakdowns. The objective is to minimize the cost incurred by jobs waiting in the system and utilizing the machine. The job flowtime distributions are first derived from which the average flowtimes and the machine completion time are calculated. Efficient computation of the average flowtimes are discussed in detail. The optimization methods and numerical examples are demonstrated.
Lessons from Hurricane Andrew

At dawn on 26 August 1992 Hurricane Andrew made its first landfall on the Louisiana coast at Point Aufer Island. This category four storm had already caused 16,000 M of insured losses [Ref.1] in southern Florida before it hit a rural region of southern Louisiana near Morgan City, 115 km west of New Orleans. The winds caused by Hurricane Andrew effected the built environment of coastal Louisiana in various ways that depended on the level of designer input and the construction quality control. A variety of commercial buildings, dwellings and engineered structures were examined by a United States National Science Foundation funded disaster team and a summary of their findings is presented here; along with some useful design suggestions for hurricane or cyclone-prone areas.
Organized Racism and the Stranger

To attract members and adherents, contemporary racist organizations construct interpretive frames that address a wide variety of social issues and problems. We draw on Simmel's insights on the social position of “the stranger,” arguing that racist framing should have greater resonance in communities with a large non-White population that is not fully integrated into the community. We examine county-level variation in the presence or absence of an active racist group in 2001. Results show that the combination of a large non-White population and White isolation from non-Whites provides a favorable context for racist activism.
Effects of a deterministic hill climber on hBOA

Hybridization of global and local search algorithms is a well-established technique for enhancing the efficiency of search algorithms. Hybridizing estimation of distribution algorithms (EDAs) has been repeatedly shown to produce better performance than either the global or local search algorithm alone. The hierarchical Bayesian optimization algorithm (hBOA) is an advanced EDA which has previously been shown to benefit from hybridization with a local searcher. This paper examines the effects of combining hBOA with a deterministic hill climber (DHC). Experiments reveal that allowing DHC to find the local optima makes model building and decision making much easier for hBOA. This reduces the minimum population size required to find the global optimum, which substantially improves overall performance.
Pulsed laser deposition of Y2O3 : Eu thin film phosphors

Abstract Thin films of Y2O3 : Eu cathodoluminescent (CL) phosphors were deposited using pulsed laser deposition using deposition temperature between 250°C and 800°C, O2 pressures between residual vacuum (2×10−5 Torr) and 6 Torr, and post annealing up to 1200° for 1 h in air. The CL efficiency of the best thin film was about one third that of the starting powder. The brightness and efficiency of the thin films improved as the deposition temperature, O2 pressure and post annealing temperature were increased, except that O2 pressures above 600 mTorr did not significantly improve the CL properties. At deposition temperatures >600°C, the surface morphology changed from a smooth film to a nodular deposit for O2 pressures >200 mTorr, with nodule dimensions ≈100 nm. Simultaneously, the CL properties improved dramatically because of enhanced optical scattering out of the thin film. Optical scattering was discussed in terms of anomalous diffraction. The CL properties also improved dramatically with high temperature post annealing. This effect was interpreted in terms of improved crystallinity and activation of the Eu. The low brightness and efficiency of thin films versus powder was affected by depletion of the Eu in the thin films owing to the deposition process.
Textural feature based face recognition for single training images

A novel face recognition algorithm using single training face image is proposed. The algorithm is based on textural features extracted using the 2D log Gabor wavelet. These features are encoded into a binary pattern to form a face template which is used for matching. Experimental results show that on the colour FERET database the accuracy of the proposed algorithm is higher than the local feature analysis (LFA) and correlation filter (CF) based face recognition algorithms even when the number of training images is reduced to one. In comparison with recent single training image based face recognition algorithms, the proposed 2D log Gabor wavelet based algorithm shows an improvement of more than 3% in accuracy.
Community Influences on School Crime and Violence

Community crime and violence intrudes into schools that are, after all, parts of the communities they serve.
Short-range remote spectral sensor using mid-infrared semiconductor lasers with orthogonal code-division multiplexing approach

Demonstration of short-range multispectral remote sensing, using 3 to 4-μm mid-infrared Sb semiconductor lasers based on code-division multiplexing (CDM) architecture, is described. The system is built on a principle similar to intensity-modulated/direct-detection optical-CDMA for communications, but adapted for sensing with synchronous, orthogonal codes to distinguish different wavelength channels with zero interchannel correlation. The concept is scalable for any number of channels, and experiments with a two-wavelength system are conducted. The CDM-signal processing yielded a white-Gaussian-like system noise that is found to be near the theoretical level limited by the detector fundamental intrinsic noise. With sub-mW transmitter average power, the system was able to detect an open-air acetylene gas leak of 10−2 STP ft3/hr from 10-m away with time-varying, random, noncooperative backscatters. A similar experiment detected and positively distinguished hydrocarbon oil contaminants on water from bio-organic oils and detergents. Projection for more advanced systems suggests a multi-kilometer-range capability for watt-level transmitters, and hundreds of wavelength channels can also be accommodated for active hyperspectral remote sensing application. © 2002 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers.
Environmental and ecological controls of coral community metabolism on Palmyra Atoll

Accurate predictions of how coral reefs may respond to global climate change hinge on understanding the natural variability to which these ecosystems are exposed and to which they contribute. We present high-resolution estimates of net community calcification (NCC) and net community production (NCP) from Palmyra Atoll, an uninhabited, near-pristine coral reef ecosystem in the central Pacific. In August–October 2012, we employed a combination of Lagrangian and Eulerian frameworks to establish high spatial (~2.5 km2) and temporal (hourly) resolution coral community metabolic estimates. Lagrangian drifts, all conducted during daylight hours, resulted in NCC estimates of −51 to 116 mmol C m−2 h−1, although most NCC estimates were in the range of 0–40 mmol C m−2 h−1. Lagrangian drift NCP estimates ranged from −7 to 67 mmol C m−2 h−1. In the Eulerian setup, we present carbonate system parameters (dissolved inorganic carbon, total alkalinity, pH, and pCO2) at sub-hourly resolution through several day–night cycles and provide hourly NCC and NCP rate estimates. We compared diel cycles of all four carbonate system parameters to the offshore surface water (0–50 m depth) and show large departures from offshore surface water chemistry. Hourly Eulerian estimates of NCC aggregated over the entire study ranged from 14 to 53 mmol C m−2 h−1, showed substantial variability during daylight hours, and exhibited a diel cycle with elevated NCC in the afternoons and depressed, but positive, NCC at night. The Eulerian NCP range was very high (−55 to 177 mmol C m−2 h−1) and exhibited strong variability during daylight hours. Principal components analysis revealed that NCC and NCP were most closely aligned with diel cycle forcing, whereas the NCC/NCP ratio was most closely aligned with reef community composition. Our analysis demonstrates that ecological community composition is the primary determinant of coral reef biogeochemistry on a near-pristine reef and that reef biogeochemistry is likely to be responsive to human behaviors that alter community composition.
Biological and biochemical properties of angiotensin-converting enzyme.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme catalyzes cleavage of dipeptides from the COOH-termini of a large number of oligopeptides. It is a glycoprotein with a molecular weight of approximately 130,000 to 140,000 and contains a single, large polypeptide chain and one molar equivalent of bound zinc. It is located in blood vessel walls of many organs and is probably exposed on the luminal surface. It is also present in blood and certain parenchymal cells. Its two currently recognized important substrates are angiotensin I and bradykinin, and its action on each may be viewed as vasopressor. Thus, it catalyzes the formation of angiotensin II, a potent vasopressor agent, and the inactivation of bradykinin, a powerful vasodepressor molecule. The lung is important in regulating the level of angiotensin II in the systemic arterial circulation due to its strategic location, its large vascular bed and the fact that enzymatically generated angiotensin II is minimally metabolized in the pulmonary circulation. Studies with venom peptide inhibitors suggest that the enzyme may represent an important therapeutic target in renin-dependent hypertension. The enzyme is apparently accessible to exogenous anticatalytic antibody so that immunologic regulation of its activity may ultimately be feasible in vivo.
Data Transfers Between Incompatible Operating Systems

Michael D. Chase is associate professor of accounting at California State University, Long Beach CA, 90840. receive data from outside locations, as can be verified with the computer staff. The software requirements include: 1. a communications program which assumes that the originating pc has the same communications program or that the originating computer is a mainframe configured to communicate with outside sources and can transfer ASCII files; 2. alternatively, a host program which allows the recipient computer to receive data from an originating computer (another micro) which is not utilizing the same communications program as the recipient microcomputer; 3. a database program to organize and manipulate data that can accept data in ASCII text or delimited form (some programs such as R:base 4000 have limited data field width, for example, formatted ASCII files of only 80 characters or fewer [Microrim, 1984a] or format-free files that identify text with quotation marks [Microrim, 1984b]);' 4. a word processing program to edit unwanted titles, headings or other transferred "garbage" that the database program does not know what to do with and will not accept; once the data is successfully transferred, these items can be recreated by the database program. The procedure to be followed starts with your communications program. Call the appropriate number and log on to the appropriate account. At this point your computer is acting as a terminal connected to the mainframe. Technically it is a smart terminal because it is capable of capturing data sent to it and performing independently of the originating computer. Once into your account, access the file (database) that you wish to transfer. The originating computer usually stores data in
Mechanisms mediating effects of nitric oxide on perifornical lateral hypothalamic neurons

The perifornical-lateral hypothalamic area (PF-LHA) is a major wake-promoting structure. It predominantly contains neurons that are active during behavioral and cortical activation. Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous neurotransmitter that has been implicated in the regulation of sleep. Recently we found that NO levels in the PF-LHA are higher during sustained waking and that NO exerts predominantly inhibitory effects, especially on PF-LHA neurons excited by tactile stimulation. The mechanisms underlying this NO-evoked inhibitory action on the PF-LHA neurons were assessed in the present study. We investigated the contributions of adenosinergic, GABAergic, and sGC-cGMP signaling mechanisms in mediating nitrergic influences on the PF-LHA neurons. The extracellular discharge activity of PF-LHA neurons was recorded in combination with microdialytic delivery of pharmacological agents adjacent to the recorded neurons in urethane-anesthetized rats. First, we quantified changes in the discharge activity of the PF-LHA neurons during the blockade of the adenosine A(1) receptor, GABA(A) receptor, and sGC-cGMP pathway. Then, we determined the efficacy of blocking adenosine A(1) receptor, GABA(A) receptor, and sGC signaling mechanisms in attenuating the inhibitory influences of 3,3-bis(aminoethyl)-1-hydroxy-1-oxo-1-triazene (a NO donor) (NOC-18), a NO donor, on the discharge activity of the PF-LHA neurons. We found that NOC-18-induced suppression in the discharge activity of PF-LHA neurons was significantly attenuated during the blockade of adenosine A(1) receptor-, GABA(A) receptor-, and sGC-cGMP-mediated signaling. These findings suggest that NO-evoked inhibition of PF-LHA neurons involves a complex mechanism including, but may not be limited to, adenosinergic, GABAergic and sGC-cGMP signaling pathways. The findings are consistent with a generalized sleep-promoting role of NO within the PF-LHA and, given the sleep-promoting roles of adenosinergic and GABAergic systems in this area, further suggest that this effect may be mediated through nitrergic interactions with other neurotransmitters and neuromodulators.
An intracristal structure in beef heart mitochondria.

Abstract A new structural element has been observed in the intracristal space of beef heart mitochondria. It takes the form of a continuous line or a row of evenly spaced particles so that a sheet of parallel rods is the most likely interpretation of the structure. The intracristal structure is observed in both orthodox and condensed states of the mitochondria without apparent dimensional change.
Making government efficient: How much waste can be cut from public programs?

The public administrator should be concerned with waste due to implementing programs inefficiently, not with waste due to implementing the wrong programs. Based upon a synthesis of efficiency studies using frontier analysis, the mean inefficiency of public programs is estimated at five percent. Efficiency gains beyond this level ordinarily require advances in technology, or changes in what constitutes best practice. While greater efficiency is a desirable goal, efficiency gains achieved through forced spending reductions need to be weighed against possible concomitant reductions in a program's quality of service, benefit to society, and cost-effectiveness. An efficiency analysis of an emergency medical service program illustrates the sort of information required to identify improvements in efficiency within this broader context.
Development and testing of a disease-specific health literacy measure in kidney transplant patients.

Context—Health literacy affects a patient's ability to navigate through the system of care for late-stage kidney disease, including evaluation, waiting, and recovering from kidney transplant.Objectives—To develop and provide a preliminary evaluation of a knowledge and decision-making capacity tool, which is a component of health literacy.Design—Cross-sectional design with purposive sampling.Setting—Vascular access, dialysis, and outpatient transplant clinics.Methods—A Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Tool (DMCAT) was developed and administered to 127 adults at different stages in the kidney care process.Results—The DMCAT tool is positively and significantly correlated to the other 2 previously validated instruments and accounts for more variance than the other 2 tools in the regression models. We found significant differences in patients' health literacy and decision-making capacity related to their stage of care. Decision-making capacity appeared to be an important component of health literacy and sho...
Data driven fuzzy membership function generation for increased understandability

Fuzzy Logic Systems (FLS) are a well documented proven method for various applications such as control classification and data mining. The major advantage of FLS is the use of human interpretable linguistic terms and rules. In order to capture the uncertainty inherent to linguistic terms, Fuzzy Membership Functions (MF) are used. Therefore, membership functions are essential for improving the understandability of fuzzy systems. Optimizing FLS for improved accuracy in terms of classification or control can reduce the understandability of fuzzy MFs. Expert knowledge can be used to derive MFs, but it has been shown that this might not be optimal, and acquiring expert knowledge is not trivial. Therefore, this paper presents a data driven method using statistical methods to generate membership functions that describe the data while maintaining the understandability. The presented method calculates key points such as membership function centers, intersections and slopes using data driven statistical methods. Furthermore, the presented method utilizes several understandability metrics to adjust the generated MFs. The presented method was tested on several benchmark datasets and a real-world dataset and was shown to be able to generate MFs that describe the dataset, while maintaining high levels of understandability.