cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Beam lifetime and beam brightness in ALS

Beam lifetime in ALS is dominated by the Touschek scattering. Measurements of lifetime in single-bunch mode with estimates of bunch dimensions obtained from undulator radiation data are consistent with expectations (t=1.8 hours at 1.25 mA per bunch). However, the lifetime is significantly longer in multi-bunch mode (t=11 hours at 400 mA per 320 bunches). This discrepancy has been traced to an increase in the momentum spread and bunch length in the beam caused by longitudinal coupled-bunch motions driven by higher-order modes in the rf cavities. The increased momentum spread leads to a significant degradation in the undulator spectral performance. Feedback stabilization of the coupled-bunch motion improves the spectral characteristics of the undulator beam at the expense of beam lifetime. We observe an increase of /spl sim/200% in beam lifetime by operating at the betatron coupling resonance.
A case of system-level hardware/software co-design and co-verification of a commodity multi-processor system with custom hardware

This paper presents an interesting system-level co-design and co-verification case study for a non-trivial design where multiple high-performing x86 processors and custom hardware were connected through a coherent interconnection fabric. In functional verification of such a system, we used a processor bus functional model (BFM) to combine native software execution with a cycle-accurate interconnect simulator and an HDL simulator. However, we found that significant extensions need to be made to the conventional BFM methodology in order to capture various data-race cases in simulation, which eventually happen in modern multi-processor systems. Especially essential were faithful implementations of the memory consistency model and cache coherence protocol, as well as timing randomization. We demonstrate how such a co-simulation environment can be constructed from existing tools and software. Lessons from our study can similarly be applied to design and verification of other tightly-coupled systems.
A self-calibrating fiber optic probe for tissue optical spectroscopy

Calibration of diffuse reflectance spectrum for instrument response and time-dependent fluctuation is complicated, time-consuming and potentially inaccurate. We demonstrate a novel fiber optic probe with real-time, self-calibration capability that can be used for tissue spectroscopy.
Origin and evolution of peptide-modifying dioxygenases and identification of the wybutosine hydroxylase/hydroperoxidase

Unlike classical 2-oxoglutarate and iron-dependent dioxygenases, which include several nucleic acid modifiers, the structurally similar jumonji-related dioxygenase superfamily was only known to catalyze peptide modifications. Using comparative genomics methods, we predict that a family of jumonji-related enzymes catalyzes wybutosine hydroxylation/peroxidation at position 37 of eukaryotic tRNAPhe. Identification of this enzyme raised questions regarding the emergence of protein- and nucleic acid-modifying activities among jumonji-related domains. We addressed these with a natural classification of DSBH domains and reconstructed the precursor of the dioxygenases as a sugar-binding domain. This precursor gave rise to sugar epimerases and metal-binding sugar isomerases. The sugar isomerase active site was exapted for catalysis of oxygenation, with a radiation of these enzymes in bacteria, probably due to impetus from the primary oxygenation event in Earth’s history. 2-Oxoglutarate-dependent versions appear to have further expanded with rise of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. We identify previously under-appreciated aspects of their active site and multiple independent innovations of 2-oxoacid-binding basic residues among these superfamilies. We show that double-stranded β-helix dioxygenases diversified extensively in biosynthesis and modification of halogenated siderophores, antibiotics, peptide secondary metabolites and glycine-rich collagen-like proteins in bacteria. Jumonji-related domains diversified into three distinct lineages in bacterial secondary metabolism systems and these were precursors of the three major clades of eukaryotic enzymes. The specificity of wybutosine hydroxylase/peroxidase probably relates to the structural similarity of the modified moiety to the ancestral amino acid substrate of this superfamily.
Rule-Based On-Line Feature Interaction Detection for IMS Call Control Services

This paper presents a rule-based on-line feature interaction detection approach for IMS (IP multimedia sybsystem) call control services. We model dynamic service behaviors, intentions and party relationships in simple and effective service notations carried in extended SIP headers at run time. A small set of service actions is abstracted from possible service operations upon SIP messages. Based on the service behavior model, two groups of feature interaction detection rules, action interaction rules and address interaction rules, are developed to describe the condition when pairs of call control services interacts with each other. By applying the rules on appropriate detection set of service notations, conflicted service instances can be identified for following resolution. We present experiment results that proves the effectiveness of our approach.
Identification of phosphatidylserylglutamate: a novel minor lipid in Escherichia coli

Advances in mass spectrometry have facilitated the identification of novel lipid structures. In this work, we fractionated the lipids of Escherichia coli B and analyzed the fractions using negative-ion electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to reveal unknown lipid structures. Analysis of a fraction eluting with high salt from DEAE cellulose revealed a series of ions not corresponding to any of the known lipids of E. coli. The ions, with m/z 861.5, 875.5, 887.5, 889.5, and 915.5, were analyzed using collision-induced dissociation mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and yielded related fragmentation patterns consistent with a novel diacylated glycerophospholipid. Product ions arising by neutral loss of 216 mass units were observed with all of the unknowns. A corresponding negative product ion was also observed at m/z 215.0. Additional ions at m/z 197.0, 171.0, 146.0, and 128.0 were used to propose the novel structure phosphatidylserylglutamate (PSE). The hypothesized structure was confirmed by comparison with the MS/MS spectrum of a synthetic standard. Normal phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis further showed that the endogenous PSE and synthetic PSE eluted with the same retention times. PSE was also observed in the equivalent anion exchange fractions of total lipids extracted from the wild-type E. coli K-12 strain MG1655.
Normal pressure hydrocephalus: how often does the diagnosis hold water?

Objective: To determine our community9s incidence of clinically suspected normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), the rate of shunting for NPH, and short- and long-term outcomes of shunting. Methods: A retrospective query of the Mayo Clinic medical records linkage system was conducted to identify residents of Olmsted County, Minnesota, undergoing an invasive diagnostic procedure for evaluation of suspected NPH from 1995 through 2003. Among patients with shunts, early- and long-term outcomes were determined via a review of available medical records. Results: Forty-one patients underwent an invasive diagnostic procedure for evaluation of suspected NPH; 13 ultimately received shunts, representing an incidence of 1.19/100,000/year. The incidence of sustained definite improvements at 3 years after shunting was only 0.36/100,000/year. Definite gait improvement was documented in 75% at 3–6 months after shunt placement, although it dropped to 50% at 1 year and to 33% at 3 years. Only 1 of 8 patients with cognitive impairment and 1 of 6 patients with urinary incontinence had definite improvement in these symptoms at 3 years. No patient with moderate to severe postural instability experienced sustained definite improvement in any symptom. Complications occurred in 33% of patients including one perioperative death. Additional or alternative neurologic diagnoses later surfaced in 5 of 12 patients. Conclusions: In this community, NPH is relatively rare with an incidence approximating that of progressive supranuclear palsy in this population. Whereas early gait improvement was common, only one-third of patients enjoyed continued improvement by 3 years; cognition or urinary incontinence was even less responsive long term. Baseline postural instability predicted poor outcome. Clinicians should balance potential benefits of shunting against the known risks.
Tangible images: bridging the real and virtual worlds

In this paper we describe our efforts to create tangible imaging systems that provide rich virtual representations of real-world surfaces. Tangible imaging systems have three main properties: 1) the images produced must be visually realistic; 2) the images must be responsive to user interaction; and 3) the images must be situated, appearing to be integrated with their environments. Our current system, based on a computer, LCD display, light and position sensors, and graphics rendering tools meets all these requirements; supporting the accurate simulation of the appearances of surfaces with complex textures and material properties, and allowing users to interact with and experience these virtual surfaces as if they were real ones. We first describe the components of our current system and its implementation. We then illustrate the system's capabilities for simulating the appearances and behaviors of real-world surfaces. Finally we describe some potential applications of tangible imaging systems and discuss limitations and future work.
Optimum Checking Schedules for Systems Subject to Random Failure

An optimum checking schedule is one that minimizes the expected cost, which is the sum of the cost of checking and the expected loss due to an undetected failure. The problem is made tractable by supposing that checking is so frequent that it can be described by a continuous density nt of checks per unit time. The optimum nt is found by the methods of the calculus of variations. An explicit result is given when the loss is proportional to the duration of an undetected failure. A minimax solution is also given for the case in which the probability of failure is not known.
Nonvolatile Memory With Ge/Si Heteronanocrystals as Floating Gate

A p-channel memory with Ge/Si heteronanocrystals (HNCs) as the floating gate was fabricated and tested. The nanocrystals (NCs) were synthesized by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition of Si NCs followed by selective growth of Ge on top of Si. Both hole and electron storages were characterized in Ge/Si HNC memory. Fowler-Nordheim and hot carrier injection programming operations were studied. Compared to Si NC memory, enhanced memory performances were demonstrated in Ge/Si HNC memory in terms of longer retention, larger storage capability, and faster programming.
Gravity Balancing of a Human Leg using an External Orthosis

Gravity balancing is often used in industrial machines to decrease the required actuator efforts during motion. In this paper, we present a new design for gravity balancing of the human leg using an external orthosis. This external orthosis is connected to the human leg on the shank and its other end is fixed to a walking frame. The major issues addressed in this paper are: (i) design for gravity balancing of the human leg and the orthosis, (ii) kinematic compatibility of the human leg and the external orthosis during walking, (iii) comparison of the joint torque trajectories of the human leg with and without external orthosis, and (iv) effects of variation of the link lengths and masses of the human leg on the inertia of the external orthosis. We illustrate feasible 2D and 3D designs of the external orthosis through computer simulations. Fabrication of this design will be the subject of future work.
Characterization of a Native Algae Species Chlamydomonas debaryana: Strain Selection, Bioremediation Ability, and Lipid Characterization

Native microalgal species may offer a favorable combination of both wastewater treatment and biofuel production. In this research, a green microalgae, Chlamydomonas debaryana, was isolated from a local lagoon, screened for its lipid content using flow cytometry, and further identified with microscopic observations and DNA sequence analysis. When using swine wastewater as a medium, the biomass yields were between 0.6 and 1.62 g/L, giving a median value of 1.11 g/L. By increasing mass transfer rates and providing sufficient light intensity, the microalgal growth was intrinsically enhanced. The growth of C. debaryana reduced most nutritional contents of the wastewater except iron. When combining the microalgal growth and nutrient removal, C. debaryana was able to utilize 1.3 to 1.6×103 mg COD (chemical oxygen demand)/g biomass, 55 to 90 ppm ammonia/g biomass, and 48 to 89 ppm phosphorous/g biomass, The lipid content of C. debaryana was 19.9 ± 4.3% of cell dry weight. The transesterified microalgal oil mostly consisted of 14 kinds of fatty acids, ranging from C5 to C22, which can be refined into renewable jet fuel or used as sources of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
Measurement of the quality of life in cancer survivors

A QOL instrument was developed to measure the specific concerns of long term cancer survivors. The QOL-CS is based on previous versions of the QOL instrument developed by researchers at the City of Hope National Medical Centre (Grant, Padilla, and Ferrell). This instrument was revised over a one year pilot by Hassey-Dow and Ferrell. The revised instrument included 41 items representing the four domains of quality of life incorporating physical, psychological, social, and spiritual well being. The present study was conducted as a mail survey to the membership (n = 1,200) of the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship with 686 subjects responding to the survey. This survey included a Demographic tool, QOL-CS and the FACT-G tool developed by Cella. Psychometric analysis, performed on 686 respondents, included measures of reliability and validity. Two measures of reliability included test-retest and internal consistency. The overall QOL-CS tool test-retest reliability was 0.89 with subscales of Physical r = 0.88, Psychological r = 0.88, Social r = 0.81, and Spiritual, r = 0.90. The second measure of reliability was computation of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha coefficient as a measure of agreement between items and subscales. Analysis revealed an overall r = 0.93. Subscale alphas average ranged from r = 0.71 for spiritual well being, r = 0.77 for physical, r = 0.81 for social, and r = 0.89 for psychological. Several measures of validity were used to determine the extent to which the instrument measured the concept of QOL in cancer survivors. The first method of content validity was based on a panel of QOL researchers and nurses with expertise in oncology. The second measure used stepwise multiple regression to determine factors most predictive of overall QOL in cancer survivors. Seventeen variables were found to be statistically significant accounting for 91% of the variance in overall QOL. The fourth measure of validity used Pearson's correlations to estimate the relationships between the subscales of QOL-CS and the subscales of the established FACT-G tool. There was moderate to strong correlation between associated subscales including QOL-CS physical to FACT physical (r = 0.74), QOL-CS Psych to FACT Emotional (r = 0.65), QOL Social to FACT Social (r = 0.44). The overall QOL-CS correlation with the FACT-G was 0.78. Additional measures of validity included correlations of individual items of the QOL-CS tool, factor analysis, and construct validity discriminating known groups of cancer survivors. Findings demonstrated that the QOL-CS and its subscales adequately measured QOL in this growing population of cancer survivors.
Invasive Cystic Hypersecretory Ductal Carcinoma of Breast

Abstract Few individual cases of invasive cystic hypersecretory ductal carcinoma of the breast have been described. Review of 33 cases of cystic hypersecretory carcinoma, including the current case, indicate that only 6 cases presented with invasive disease. Two of these cases had positive nodes and 2 had distal metastases. The case presented here is unique in an additional aspect: the contralateral breast harbored lobular breast carcinoma 10 years after mastectomy of the first malignancy. Bilateral breast disease resulting in bilateral mastectomies over long-term follow-up, as in the case presented here, was reported in 3 of 33 cases.
Inhibition of phagosome maturation and survival of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis in polymorphonuclear leukocytes from Crohn's disease patients.

Background Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) is an intracellular pathogen that is known to parasitize macrophages. MAP is the known etiological agent of Johne's disease and implicated in the etiology of Crohn's disease. Material/methods In this study, the survival of human-derived MAP isolate following phagocytosis was evaluated using murine macrophage cell line J774A.1 and polymorphonuclear cells (PMNC's) from six Crohn's disease patients. PMNC's from five healthy individuals and four ulcerative colitis patients, as well as Escherichia coli and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, were included as controls (MOI 10:1). Maturation of the phagosome was determined by evaluating the presence of stage specific markers on the surface of the phagosomal membrane. The endosomal protein, transferrin receptor, and the lysosomal protein, Lamp-1, were then immunostained with Cy-5 conjugated secondary antibodies, and colocalization of bacteria with each marker was evaluated separately using confocal scanning laser microscopy (CSLM). Results In both models, colocalization of viable MAP and M. tuberculosis with the early endosomal marker occurred with a higher frequency than did association with the late lysosomal marker, as compared to live E. coli, and all dead bacterial species. Using differential live/dead staining and fluorescent microscopy, survival of M. tuberculosis and MAP was calculated to be 85% and 79%, respectively compared to only 14% for E. coli. Conclusions Overall, MAP survival in murine macrophages and human PMNCs appears to mimic M. tuberculosis, suggesting the ability of this microorganism to resist phagolysosome fusion, by maintaining association with the early endosomes. The data supports MAP virulence in humans.
Diagnostic and Summative Appraisal Ratings of Teaching Effectiveness

Based on a review of current policies and practices in evaluation, Seldin ( 5 ) noted an increasing use of systematic smdents' ratings to support curriculum and personnel decisions in higher education. In each domain of use, students are requested to furnish narrative and quantitative judgments of the instructor's performance compared with other teachers (summaiive appraisal) or judgments of whether the instructor needs to improve performance in specific areas (diagnostic app+aisal). Summative appraisals are being used in part to support personnel decisions, while diagnostic appraisals are intended to improve the curriculum and practices in specific courses (5, 4 ) . The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relative efficiency of students' ratings to predict summative and diagnostic appraisal criteria. Subjects were 9,875 students enrolled in 446 lecture-format courses at the University of Hawaii. The Faculty-Course Evaluation Scale (Form 1-24) consisted of 34 5-point ratings and was administered during the last week of instruction (Spring semester 1983). Two criterion ratings were identified: ( a ) Diagnostic Appraisal ("Based on your observations this semester, indicate the extent to which you feel your instructor needs to improve his/her teaching skills") ( 1 = No improvement needed, 5 = Maximum amount of improvement is needed), and ( b ) Summative Appraisal ("Compared with other instructors that you've taken at the university, how would you evaluate this instructor?") ( 1 = Very poor, 5 = Excellent). The relationship between need for improvement and ~ummative appraisal ratings was significant ( r = -.62, df > 1000, p < .001). The remaining rating scales were defined as predictor variables in a stepwise multiple regression analysis. To what extent do smdents' ratings predict the two criterion measures? Using the need for improvement (Diagnostic Appraisal) rating as the criterion in a stepwise multiple regression resulted in R = .61, accounting for 37% of criterion variance2. The five best predictors (zero-order r with criterion and contribution to variance) were: ( a ) it was easy to remain attentive in this class compared to others that I'm taking this semester ( r = -.49, 24% contribution) (Attention Value), ( b ) the instructor was able to explain difficult concepts; pulled abstractions "down to earth" ( r = -.49, 7 % contribution) (Clarity of Explanation), ( c ) the instructor was consistently well prepared and organized for class ( r = -.47, 4 % contribution) (Preparation & Organization), ( d ) the instructor was skillful in adjusting the rate at which new ideas were covered so that the material could be followed and understood ( r = -.48, 1% contribution) (Pacing), and ( e ) the instructor was able to inspire interest in the content of the course
Evaluating 'Plasticity-First' Evolution in Nature: Key Criteria and Empirical Approaches

Many biologists are asking whether environmentally initiated phenotypic change (i.e., ‘phenotypic plasticity’) precedes, and even facilitates, evolutionary adaptation. However, this ‘plasticity-first’ hypothesis remains controversial, primarily because comprehensive tests from natural populations are generally lacking. We briefly describe the plasticity-first hypothesis and present much-needed key criteria to allow tests in diverse, natural systems. Furthermore, we offer a framework for how these criteria can be evaluated and discuss examples where the plasticity-first hypothesis has been investigated in natural populations. Our goal is to provide a means by which the role of plasticity in adaptive evolution can be assessed.
Realistic Job Previews and the Adjustment of New Employees

The study investigated three possible psychological processes underlying the use of realistic job previews (RJPs). RJPs were hypothesized to reduce turnover through (1) lowered expectations and inc...
The Surgical Fate of Ureteral Calculi: Review of Mayo Clinic Experience

AbstractA review of 1,061 patients who underwent ureterolithotomy or transurethral manipulation revealed 2 factors that are important to consider: 1) the roentgenographic size of the calculi measured at the largest diameter and 2) the location of the calculus. These 2 factors in addition to the general medical condition of the patient, the duration of severity of symptoms and the status of the upper urinary tract provide suitable guide lines for individual management of ureteral calculi.
Correction of caudal deflections of the nasal septum with a modified Goldman septoplasty technique: how we do it.

Correcting deviations of the caudal septum can be challenging because of cartilage memory, the need to provide adequate nasal tip and dorsal septal support, and the long-term effects of healing. The authors describe a minimally invasive, endonasal approach to the correction of caudal septal deviations. The procedure involves a hemitransfixion incision, unilateral flap elevation, and cartilage repositioning by limited dissection and excision.
Immunology of pyelonephritis. VII. Effect of allopurinol.

Abstract The inflammatory response and the respiratory burst of bacterial phagocytosis have been shown to be at least partially responsible for the renal damage from infection. In addition, we have shown that renal blood flow decreases following infection. Hypoxanthine is produced in ischemic tissue during the anerobic metabolism of adenosine monophosphate (AMP). During reperfusion hypoxanthine is metabolized to uric acid and superoxide in the presence of xanthine oxidase. The toxicity of this oxygen radical was prevented by preventing its formation with pretreatment with allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase inhibitor. The data suggest that xanthine oxidase may be the enzyme responsible for the respiratory burst of phagocytosis, as well as preventing reperfusion damage which occurs after ischemia.
UN Peacekeeping in Civil Wars: Eastern Slavonia: institution-building and the limited use of force

Introduction The battle over Vukovar, the main city in the Eastern Slavonian region of Croatia, was arguably the most brutal and destructive confrontation during the wars in the former Yugoslavia. During the last few months of 1991, out of a prewar Eastern Slavonian population of 135,000, approximately 5,000 were killed, 10,000 wounded, and the city and surrounding region were completely destroyed, mainly by Yugoslav People's Army heavy artillery. Because it was so thoroughly ruined, the city has become known as the “Stalingrad” of the former Yugoslavia. Five years after the Vukovar battle, in 1996, the UN began a complex, multidimensional peacekeeping mission called the UN Transitional Administration in Eastern Slavonia, Baranja, and Western Sirium (UNTAES). The operation was successful at implementing its basic tasks. Moreover, it allowed Croats and Croatian Serbs time to come to terms with living in the same state, and to engage in a preliminary dialogue about reconciliation. The mission also served as a liaison through which Croatia and Serbia normalized diplomatic relations: “The course and completion of UNTAES neutralized the possibility of a major armed conflict, which could have escalated into a new inter-state (Croatian–Yugoslav) war.” UNTAES was a military and civilian transitional administration. The mission lasted almost two years, cost approximately $480 million, and fielded 5,000 troops, 455 civilian police, and 800 international civilian personnel. The operation functioned under the umbrella of possible NATO military support, if greater force had been necessary, but the mission did not have to fall back on such contingency plans.
Space-Time Code. III

The quantum (q) concept of space-time dynamics described previously is extended from free to interacting systems. The idea is developed that the world is not a plenum of q objects but a plexus of q processes. The q mode of description by Hilbert-space vectors with a special rule of interpretation (stators) ordinarily used for physical objects is used instead for physical processes acting upon objects, including free propagation. The geometrical object proposed as stator for a q network of processes is a natural generalization of a tensor, a Feynman-diagram amplitude, and a chain in a complex, called a plexor. The notation, algebra, and geometry of plexors is illustrated. A strong Mach principle is a self-evident feature of such a q-process theory of space-time, in which it is meaningless to speak of empty space-time or of space-time relations between noninteracting systems.
Research Mash: A Simple Procedure for Conducting Congress Mashes Using Reduced Quantities of Malt

The use of simple benchtop devices capable of temperature-controlled vortex mixing of small samples is examined for the generation of small-scale Congress worts. Small (<200 mg) quantities of standard ASBC fine-grind malts suspended in 1.5 mL of water by continuous vortex mixing and exposed to the Congress mash thermal profile were used to produce reduced-volume worts. Modifications of several standard ASBC malt analysis methodologies to accommodate the reduced sample size yielded malt quality parameter estimates for the small-scale worts that were representative of the values obtained by traditional-scale mashing and quality analysis. Thus, the small-volume worts produced using the benchtop devices are similar to traditional-scale worts and may be useful for investigations into the properties of worts. The research mash protocol is particularly useful in those situations where the supply of malt is insufficient for traditional-scale mashing or where larger-scale mash baths are not available.
Defect spatial signature analysis for semiconductor process

The equipment in manufacturing process of semiconductor tends to cause defects in specific distribution over substrates when it fails, so the defect spatial signatures are efficient information for diagnosis of its operations. However, it is difficult to automatically detect each signature from inspection results because it depends on each failure and the distribution of defects becomes complex if several sets of equipment fail simultaneously. Therefore, we developed a new method using ICA (Independent Component Analysis) and SOM (Self-Organizing Maps) to detect the defect spatial signatures, and we introduce effectiveness of the method.
Vice or virtue: How shopping frequency affects healthfulness of food choices

• We investigate the impact of grocery shopping frequency on the healthfulness of food purchases.
Disease Stabilization of DYT1-Positive Primary Generalized Dystonia With Deep Brain Stimulation of the Globus Pallidus Interna: A 15-Year Follow-up.

Background and importance Primary generalized dystonia (PGD) is a genetic form of dystonia that frequently displays pharmacological resistance and progresses quickly after onset. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) has been used successfully to treat refractory dystonia, specifically globus pallidus interna (GPi) DBS for DYT1-positive PGD patients. Long-term follow-up of the safety and efficacy falls short of the longevity seen in other diseases treated with DBS. Case presentation A male patient presented for neurosurgical evaluation with scapular winging, hand contractures, and violent truncal spasms, which forced him to be bedridden. After failing conservative therapy, the 18-yr-old patient was implanted with bilateral GPi-DBS. DBS parameter adjustments were made primarily within the first 3 yr after implantation, with nominal changes thereafter. Initial settings were contact of 3 + 0-, amplitude of 4.9 V, frequency of 185 Hz, and pulse width of 270 μsec on the left and 3 + 0-, 2.8 V, 185 Hz, and 120 μsec on the right. Current settings are 3 + 2 + 1-, 5.2 V, 130 Hz, 330 μsec on the left and 3 + 0-, 3.5 V, 185 Hz, and 180 μsec on the right and have been relatively unchanged in the past 4 yr. Unified dystonia rating scale scores reveal a significant decrease in dystonic symptoms. Conclusion While prior reports have shown that GPi-DBS is effective for dystonia, this is the first with 15 yr of long-term follow-up showing disease stabilization, suggesting that stimulation is efficacious and can potentially prevent disease progression. This report reaffirms previous reports that recommend early surgical intervention before the onset of permanent musculoskeletal deficits.
Victorian Fiction and Finance

In this chapter, I argue that integrating the rise of finance into Victorian literature courses allows students to recognize how literature captures abstract historical and economic shifts at the level of human experience, and to reflect critically on the literature using their own experiences with the modern credit economy. By discussing novels explicitly or implicitly engaged with the Victorian credit economy, I explore how connecting Victorian experiences of financialization to their effects in everyday life—from how people lived and worked to the ways in which rationalization and calculation affected their understanding of their social world—makes finance a crucial topic in the literature classroom.
From Local to EXtreme Environments (FLEXE): Connecting Students and Scientists in Online Forums

Science education reform efforts have challenged scientists to model inquiry practices for precollege students through student-scientist interactions (SSIs). Given the limited availability of scientists, their varying experience with effective pedagogy, the widespread distribution of schools, and the numbers of students potentially involved, however, questions abound concerning how best to structure these interactions. Our international environmental education project has developed online forums to support SSIs, making use of web and database technology to facilitate communication between students and scientists. We have addressed the question, “How best to do this?” scientifically, combining program evaluation with randomized trials explicitly testing the effects of SSIs on student outcomes.
Momentary factors during marijuana use as predictors of lapse during attempted abstinence in young adults.

Abstract Introduction Young adults using marijuana heavily often try multiple times to quit on their own. We sought to identify momentary experiences during marijuana use that could aid in predicting lapse when young adults subsequently attempt abstinence. Methods Young adults ( N = 34) age 18–25 using marijuana ≥ 5 days/week and planning to quit completed a survey of sociodemographic characteristics, substance use, marijuana expectancies, use motives, perceived social support, and confidence to abstain. They completed ecological momentary assessment (EMA) smartphone reports several times/day for two weeks prior to, then during two weeks of attempted abstinence. Use period EMA reports assessed affect, craving, accessibility, situational permissibility, use, and motivation to abstain. Baseline survey and EMA data were examined in relation to subsequent lapse during attempted abstinence. Results Nearly 3 in 4 participants (73.5%) reported lapsing during attempted abstinence from marijuana. On bivariate analyses, lower baseline dependence severity score, negative effect expectancies, perceived family support, and confidence to abstain were each associated with lapse. Of the use period EMA variables, greater percent of days with marijuana use, reports of easy accessibility, and reports of situational permissibility were each associated with lapse. Modeled together, negative effect expectancies, perceived family support, confidence to abstain, and situational permissibility during use were highly accurate in predicting lapse during attempted abstinence. Conclusions Momentary factors may add to conventionally-surveyed characteristics to enhance prediction of lapse during attempted abstinence among young adults with heavy marijuana use. Momentary assessment prior to a quit attempt may thus enable more effective personalized approaches to preventing lapse.
Corrected US opioid-involved drug poisoning deaths and mortality rates, 1999-2015.

Background and Aims Most prior estimates of opioid-involved drug poisoning mortality counts or rates are understated because the specific drugs leading to death are frequently not identified on death certificates. This analysis provides corrected national estimates of opioid and heroin/synthetic opioid-involved counts and mortality rates, as well as changes over time in them from 1999 to 2015. Methods Data on drug poisoning deaths to US residents from 1999 to 2015, obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Multiple Cause of Death (MCOD) files, were used with the drugs involved in fatal overdoses imputed when not identified on the death certificates. Results The official CDC figure that 33 091 drug deaths involved opioids in 2015 is an undercount, with the actual number being approximately 39 999. Corrected counts and rates of any opioid and heroin/synthetic opioid-involved drug deaths are 20–35% higher in every year than reported figures. The corrections almost always raise the changes estimated to have occurred since 1999, with the largest differences observed in 2011 for any opioids (5677 deaths and 1.7 per 100 000) and in 2015 for heroin/synthetic opioids (3228 deaths and 1.0 per 100 000). However, percentage growth since 1999 is sometimes slower when based on corrected rather than reported fatality data, and with sensitivity to the choice of base years. Conclusions Death certificate reports understate the prevalence of and changes over time in opioid and heroin/synthetic opioid-involved drug mortality in the United States. Adjustments imputing the drugs involved for cases where none are identified on the death certificates are likely to provide more accurate estimates.
Power, Situation, and Character: A Confucian-Inspired Response to Indirect Situationist Critiques

Indirect situationist critiques of virtue ethics grant that virtue exists and is possible to acquire, but contend that given the low probability of success in acquiring it, a person genuinely interested in behaving as morally as possible would do better to rely on situationist strategies - or, in other words, strategies of environmental or ecological engineering or control (Doris, 2002, 1998; see also Levy 2012). In this paper, I develop a partial answer to this critique drawn from work in early Confucian ethics and in contemporary philosophy and psychology. From early Confucian ethics, I lean on the concept of li, or ritual. Ritual represents both a set of situational manipulations that are especially effective at directly producing moral behavior and at indirectly cultivating virtue over time, and also a virtue that consists of facility with and expertise in these situational manipulations (Mower 2013; Slingerland, 2011; Sarkissian, 2010; and Hutton, 2006). Appealing to the particular example of social power, I then argue that one is justified in attempting to acquire virtue if one (a) knows that one will frequently encounter circumstances in which purely situationist strategies lose effectiveness, (b) if these circumstances also carry moral urgency: the risk of great harm or opportunity for great benefit to others is high, and (c) if utilizing the potent combination of situationist strategies and virtue envisioned by the early Confucians as ritual is possible.
Pediatric marginal donor hearts: Trends in US national use, 2005-2014.

Pediatric patients awaiting heart transplant face high mortality rates due to donor organ shortages, including non-use of marginal donor hearts. We examined national trends in pediatric marginal donor heart use over time. UNOS data were queried for heart donors <18 years from 2005 to 2014. The proportion of donor hearts considered marginal was determined using previously cited marginal characteristics: left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50%, use of ≥2 inotropes, cerebrovascular death, CDC high-risk status, and eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2 . Disposition of donor hearts was determined and stratified by marginal donor status. Of 6778 pediatric hearts offered from 2005 to 2014, 2373 (35.0%) were considered marginal. Non-use of marginal donor hearts was significantly higher than that of donor hearts without any marginal characteristics (59.5% vs 20.3%, P < .001). In particular, LVEF < 50% and donor inotropes were associated with high rates of organ non-use among pediatric donors. Yet, non-use of marginal donor organs decreased from 67% to 48% from 2005 to 2014 (P < .001). Although the proportion of pediatric donor hearts used for pediatric patients has increased, more than half of donor hearts are declined for use in pediatric recipients due, in part, to perceived marginal status.
On the proof of Kuranishi's embedding theorem

Abstract We prove a local holomorphic embedding theorem for a formally integrable, strictly pseudoconvex CR manifold M with dim M = 2n − 1 ≧ 7. This embedding is obtained as the limit of a sequence of approximate embeddings into complex n-space, which is constructed and shown to converge by the methods of Nash and Moser. The linearized problem is solved using the explicit integral operators constructed by Henkin. With estimates wich we have previously obtained for these operators, we show that if M is of class Cm, then it admits a Ck embedding provided 21 ≦ k, 6k + 5n − 2 ≦ m. Our argument is much shorter and simpler than previous arguments, which were based on the Neumann operator and carried out in the C∞ category.
Non-coordinative metal selectivity bias in human metallothioneins metal–thiolate clusters

Mammalian metallothioneins (MT-1 through MT-4) are a class of metal binding proteins containing two metal–thiolate clusters formed through the preferential coordination of d10 metals, Cu(I) and Zn(II), by 20 conserved cysteine residues located in two protein domains. MT metalation (homometallic or heterometallic Zn(II)/Cu(I) species) appears to be isoform specific and controlling zinc and copper concentrations to perform specific and distinct biological functions. Structural and functional relationships, and in vivo metalation studies, identified evolutionary features defining the metal-selectivity nature for MTs. Metallothionein-3 (MT-3) has been shown to possess the most pronounced Cu–thionein character forming Cu(I)-containing species more favorably than metallothionein-2 (MT-2), which possesses the strongest Zn–thionein character. In this work, we identify isoform-specific determinants which control metal binding selectivity bias in different MTs isoforms. By studying the reactivity of Zn7MT-2, Zn7MT-3 and Zn7MT-3 mutants towards Cu(II) to form Cu(I)4Zn4MTs, we have identified isoform-specific key non-coordinating residues governing folding/outer sphere control of metal selectivity bias in MTs metal clusters. By mutating selected residues and motifs in MT-3 to the corresponding MT-2 amino acids, we dissected key roles in modulating cluster dynamic and metal exchange rates, in increasing the Cu(I)-affinity in MT-3 N-terminal β-domain and/or modulating the higher stability of the Zn(II)–thiolate cluster in MT-2 β-domain. We thus engineered MT-3 variants in which the copper–thionein character is converted into a zinc–thionein. These results provide new insights into the molecular determinants governing metal selectivity in metal–thiolate clusters.
Satire in a multi-cultural world: a Bakhtinian analysis

In the aftermath of the transnational humour scandal, there remains no basic framework to assess satire on a multi-cultural level. This essay utilises Mikhail Bakhtin’s theory of the carnival, fest...
Smart Mobility for Seniors: Challenges and Solutions in El Paso, TX, and New York, NY

Many older adults or seniors face mobility issues as they age, for example, switching from driving to using carpool, taxi, or staying on fixed routes. Seniors require responsive transportation services to attend activities. Unfortunately, there are limited tools to assist seniors to find the most appropriate transportation options given their mobility needs (e.g., inability to walk long distances, use of a cane). Mobile devices (e.g. smartphones, tablets, etc.) have demonstrated to be a useful tool to provide real-time information that has the potential to assist seniors with mobility challenges. This paper focuses on investigating senior citizens’ mobility needs in El Paso, Texas and New York City, New York in order to define the requirements and recommendations for an ad-hoc solution on smart mobility for seniors, using state-of-the-art mobile technologies. In order to identify the main concerns and requirements to assist in mobility of seniors, a survey was conducted at various senior recreation centers across El Paso and New York City with a total of 458 and 61 responses, respectively. Survey results indicate that: (i) the most required assistance for seniors is the avoidance of traffic congestion; (ii) the majority of seniors who own mobile devices are not using the available applications or functions to meet their mobility needs; and (iii) seniors indicated that they prefer mobile applications that are easy and intuitive to use. These findings provide additional insights to those from previous surveys. We provide recommendations for researchers and developers interested in creating solutions for mobility of seniors based on these findings and the interactions with seniors when the survey was performed.
Medical Child Abuse: An Unusual "Source" of Vaginal Bleeding.

Abstract Background Medical child abuse (MCA) is challenging to diagnose. Although young children are often affected, adolescents can be victims through caregiver coercion. Presentation is highly variable. Diagnosis is essential because of high associated morbidity and mortality. Case We describe the case of a 12-year-old girl who presented to multiple subspecialty clinics with reported menorrhagia. Despite reassuring clinical examinations, the family described menorrhagia that failed to respond to standard treatment. After an urgent evaluation for reported heavy bleeding revealed only scant blood, the diagnosis of MCA was made. Summary and Conclusion Vaginal bleeding is a rare presentation of MCA, but must be considered whenever reported symptomatology does not follow physiologic patterns, respond to standard medical treatment, or correspond to clinical evaluation. Prompt identification is important to prevent further harm.
Raising Awareness of Problem Gambling with Child Welfare Workers

Although there has been an increase in problem gambling in the U.S., there is a lack of scholarship engaging practitioners, specifically child welfare practitioners. Child welfare practitioners may...
Conflict Resolution for Heterogeneous Teams in Communication-limited Environments: A Generous Agent Approach

We present a schedule deconfliction algorithm to enhance cooperation among heterogeneous teams of autonomous agents in situations where communication is severely limited. The proposed solution, which we call the Generous Agent Algorithm (GAA), encodes human-like negotiations during conflict resolution. Individual agents propose modified schedules, vacating their most costly task from their schedules, while simultaneously augmenting their schedules with another agent’s vacated task. An act of generosity, as we define it, must not increase an agent’s makespan (or schedule completion time) beyond the time set by the team. Thus the GAA ensures that schedule alterations are done without degrading a team’s global makespan. We present a proof of bounds on an agent’s makespan after an act of generosity, as well as simulation results demonstrating the efficacy of the GAA at reducing task-redundancy and decreasing the makespan.
A GaN-Based CRM Totem-Pole PFC Converter with Fast Dynamic Response and Noise Immunity for a Multi-Receiver WPT System

The soft-switching gallium-nitride (GaN) based critical conduction mode (CRM) totem-pole power factor correction (PFC) converter is a good candidate for the front-end rectifier in wireless power transfer (WPT) applications. In multi-receiver MHz WPT systems, the PFC converter is required to have fast dynamic response and noise immunity. In this work, a GaN-based CRM totem-pole PFC converter is designed for a multi-receiver wireless charging power supply. Digital-based variable on-time control is used to achieve the zero voltage switching (ZVS) within the whole line cycle, and a voltage-loop controller with notch filters is designed to improve the transient response. The impact of high-frequency noise on the sensing signals and ZVS control are analyzed, and implementation methods are proposed to mitigate the disturbances. A GaN-based CRM totem-pole PFC that is demonstrated with 98.5% full-load efficiency is built as the first stage in the transmitter of a 100 W 6.78 MHz multi-receiver WPT system. The noise immunity of the CRM PFC is verified by testing the whole WPT system. Experimental results show that the system end-to-end efficiency at full load is 90.16%, and fast dynamic response is achieved during load variation.