cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quadratic Inventory Cost Approximations and the Aggregation of Individual Products

The purpose of this paper is to place into focus a whole class of problems that have not yet received the attention they deserve. The problem studied, although seemingly narrow in scope, reflects a much broader class of problems relating aggregate and disaggregate cost functions. It raises questions relating to the efficacy of constructing aggregate cost functions that adequately represent the “true” costs and, at the same time, are easy to manipulate in decision models. It also questions whether seemingly optimal aggregate decisions will lead to serious suboptimalities when they are broken down to the level of disaggregation necessary for implementation. The questions are raised in the context of the aggregate inventory cost function of HMMS as well as their suggested procedure for using disaggregate data to estimate the parameters of the aggregate cost function. It is found that, under conditions of varying demand, the parameters of the aggregate cost function ordinarily thought to be independent of demand are in fact highly related to demand. Approximate cost functions designed to hold in certain ranges of the decision variables may fit poorly in other ranges and may therefore be unreasonable for developing decision rules for respond-to rather wide variations in demand.
Patterns of vertical growth in the face

The purpose of this study was to examine the patterns of facial growth development in subjects with skeletal open-bite and skeletal deep-bite faces. Longitudinal data based on lateral cephalometric radiographs of 16 male and 16 female subjects, ages 3 through 18 years, were used. These subjects were selected on the basis of lower face height as a percentage of total face height. Persons exhibiting extreme values were selected to create four groups with eight subjects in each group. Curves of absolute and incremental growth for total anterior face height, upper anterior face height, lower anterior face height, posterior face height, and ramal length were analyzed statistically and graphically. It was established that the anterior dimensions of the face demonstrated typologically divergent patterns of development in open- and deep-bite faces. Further, the posterior dimensions of the face did not discriminate between these two typological groups. The female open-bite subjects were earliest in the timing of the adolescent growth spurt, followed in succession by deep-bite female subjects, open-bite male subjects, and finally the deep-bite male subjects. The clinical implications of these observations pertain to the timing of orthodontic treatment, the length of retention period, and the prediction of adult occlusal status during the mixed dentition.
The Gill Model and the Weak Temperature Gradient Approximation

Abstract The authors investigate the accuracy of the weak temperature gradient (WTG) approximation, in which the divergent flow is computed by an assumed balance between adiabatic cooling and diabatic heating, for a prototype linear problem, the Gill model of a localized tropical heat source in a zonally periodic domain. As in earlier work by Neelin using a realistic, spatially distributed forcing, WTG is found to be a reasonable approximation to the full Gill model even when fairly large values of the thermal damping are used. Use of the local forcing and consideration of the different dispersion relations of free modes in the WTG and full Gill systems helps to clarify differences between the two solutions. WTG does not support an equatorial Kelvin wave. Instead, the Kelvin wave speed can be regarded as infinite in WTG. Hence, WTG becomes highly accurate when the thermal damping is sufficiently weak (0.1 day−1 or less) that an equatorial Kelvin wave can propagate around the globe without substantial loss...
Embedded C Options

Chapter 8 showed that in order to get the maximum performance out of ROBOTIS systems, ones must consider the “Embedded C” routes which happened to be quite numerous. Some of the resources that I know of are listed below (and I know that I have missed many): Vanadium Labs had been supporting the ArbotiX RoboController line, Atmel AVR-based (http://www.vanadiumlabs.com/arbotix.html). It is supported by the ROS organization (http://wiki.ros.org/arbotix). The Humanoid Lab provides C libraries for the Bioloid Premium (http://apollo.upc.es/humanoide/trac/wiki/bioloidCframeworks) via Windows and Linux. BioloidCControl is an alternative firmware for BIOLOID PREMIUM Humanoids A/B/C (https://code.google.com/p/bioloidccontrol/). “Software Souls” also offer another approach (http://softwaresouls.com/softwaresouls/series/programming-robotis-bioloid-hardware/). Another interesting product is the USB2AX which is equivalent to the USB2Dynamixel module (http://www.xevelabs.com/doku.php?id=product:usb2ax:usb2ax) for Windows, Linux and MacOS systems. As far as Arduino books go, there are many in existence to suit the reader’s skills and goals, but I would recommend the classic “Arduino Cookbook” by Margolis (2011).
Frequency-domain parameter estimation for the brushless doubly-fed machine

Frequency-domain estimation of the parameters in a d-q representation of the brushless, doubly-fed machine in the rotor reference frame is investigated using off-line techniques. The identifiability of the model parameters is discussed, and simulation results are presented. Laboratory results are provided to show the feasibility of the proposed estimation scheme. >
Teaching Medical Students How to Talk with Patients about Cardiovascular Risk Factor Modification.

Although medical students are increasingly taught about the nature and importance of cardiovascular risk factors, they are less often taught how to talk about them with patients and how to encourage patients to modify certain behaviors (e.g., smoking), which are associated with high risk for cardiovascular disease. The authors describe a short educational module designed to help third year psychiatry clerks learn some practical, patient-oriented aspects of preventive cardiology. From a small group discussion that encourages active participation, students learn to assess and explore environmental factors, skill deficits, cognitive distortions and emotions that may prevent patients from changing high-risk behavior. Strategies for change are then suggested, discussed and assessed for effectiveness in sample situations. This type of module is readily adoptable into most medical school psychiatry curricula and, if widely used, could promote the necessary skills to effectively change high-risk behaviors and lead to a further reduction in cardiovascular disease.
Conditional logics of belief change

The study of belief change has been an active area in philosophy and AI. In recent years two special cases of belief change, belief revision and belief update, have been studied in detail. Belief revision and update are clearly not the only possible notions of belief change. In this paper we investigate properties of a range of possible belief change operations. We start with an abstract notion of a belief change system and provide a logical language that describes belief change in such systems. We then consider several reasonable properties one can impose on such systems and characterize them axiomatically. We show that both belief revision and update fit into our classification. As a consequence, we get both a semantic and an axiomatic (proof-theoretic) characterization of belief revision and update (as well as some belief change operations that generalize them), in one natural framework.
Ethnicity, gender, and evaluations of aggression

In order to investigate some of the ways in which ethnicity and gender influence interpretations of aggression, 363 Anglo and Hispanic university students responded to a questionnaire soliciting their evaluations of aggression in three situations. Consistent with previous research and with the stereotype of machismo, Hispanics, particularly Hispanic males, were more likely to endorse some aggressive behaviors than Anglos. However, the same pattern of gender influences emerged for both ethnic groups. As predicted, males were more aggressive and more supportive of fighting back and punishing an aggressor than females, whereas females were more likely to show self-control about aggression and to endorse restraint. Respondents, particularly males, said that they would behave more aggressively toward a male, and they encouraged a male to behave more aggressively. These results are consistent with the social constructionist view that performance and evaluations of aggression are largely influenced by cultural factors. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Convergence of Extrapolated BDF2 Finite Element Schemes for Unsteady Penetrative Convection Model

Extrapolated two-step backward difference (BDF2) in time and finite element in space discretization for the unsteady penetrative convection model is analyzed. Penetrative convection model employs a nonlinear equation of state making the problem more nonlinear. Optimal order error estimates are derived for the semi-discrete finite element spatial discretization. Two time discretization schemes based on linear extrapolation are proposed and analyzed, namely a coupled and a decoupled scheme. In particular, we show that although both schemes are unconditionally nonlinearly stable, the decoupled scheme converges unconditionally whereas coupled scheme requires that the time step be sufficiently small for convergence. These time discretization schemes can be implemented efficiently in practice, saving computational memory. Numerical computations and numerical convergence checks are presented to demonstrate the efficiency and the accuracy of the schemes.
Technique for comprehensive head and neck irradiation using 3-dimensional conformal proton therapy.

Abstract Owing to the technical and logistical complexities of matching photon and proton treatment modalities, we developed and implemented a technique of comprehensive head and neck radiation using 3-dimensional (3D) conformal proton therapy. A monoisocentric technique was used with a 30-cm snout. Cervical lymphatics were treated with 3 fields: a posterior-anterior field with a midline block and a right and a left posterior oblique field. The matchline of the 3 cervical nodal fields with the primary tumor site fields was staggered by 0.5 cm. Comparative intensity-modulated photon plans were later developed for 12 previously treated patients to provide equivalent target coverage, while matching or improving on the proton plans׳ sparing of organs at risk (OARs). Dosimetry to OARs was evaluated and compared by treatment modality. Comprehensive head and neck irradiation using proton therapy yielded treatment plans with significant dose avoidance of the oral cavity and midline neck structures. When compared with the generated intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans, the proton treatment plans yielded statistically significant reductions in the mean and integral radiation dose to the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus, and the maximally spared parotid gland. There was no significant difference in mean dose to the lesser-spared parotid gland by treatment modality or in mean or integral dose to the spared submandibular glands. A technique for cervical nodal irradiation using 3D conformal proton therapy with uniform scanning was developed and clinically implemented. Use of proton therapy for cervical nodal irradiation resulted in large volume of dose avoidance to the oral cavity and low dose exposure to midline structures of the larynx and the esophagus, with lower mean and integral dose to assessed OARs when compared with competing IMRT plans.
Meet the 2013–2014 AGU Congressional Science Fellows

AGU announces its Congressional Science Fellows for the 2013–2014 fellowship term: Aaron Goldner and Daniel Pomeroy. For the past 36 years, AGU has sponsored fellows to serve in Congress. This program provides scientists with an opportunity to work outside the academic setting and utilize their unique skills and scientific expertise to contribute to the policy-making process. In turn, fellows gain knowledge that benefits their career, whether that career includes returning to an academic setting or continuing in science policy.
Symphony: a simulation backplane for parallel mixed-mode co-simulation of VLSI systems

In this paper we present an integrated simulation paradigm in which parallel mixed-mode co-simulation is accomplished by integrating sequential simulators in a software simulation backplane. Distributed conservative event-driven scheduling is used in combination with an efficient deadlock-free mechanism for handling synchronous feedback circuits. Simulation concurrency can be further increased by utilizing circuit pipeline. The resulting parallel simulation backplane is capable of concurrently simulating systems at circuit, switch, gate, RTL and behavioral levels. We implemented this parallel mixed-mode simulator on both the iPSC/860 message-passing machine and the DASH shared-memory multiprocessor. Experimental results are presented.
Concomitant cerebral and coronary subclavian steal

We report the unusual presentation of simultaneous coronary and cerebrovascular insufficiency secondary to subclavian steal in a patient previously treated with coronary artery bypass grafting. Movement of the arm produced reversal of flow ("steal") in both the left vertebral and left internal thoracic arteries and resulted in the onset of angina and neurologic symptoms.
Effect of the size of evacuated blood collection tubes on total carbon dioxide concentration in equine plasma.

Objective—To determine whether plasma total CO2 concentrations would vary with the size of the evacuated tube used to collect blood samples. Design—Randomized crossover study. Animals—Convenience sample of 20 healthy adult horses. Procedures—Jugular venous blood was collected from horses in random order into 8 types of evacuated tubes: 2-mL glass, 2- or 3-mL plastic or plastic plasma separator, 4- or 6-mL plastic, and 10-mL glass or plastic. Total CO2 concentrations in plasma were measured with a biochemistry analyzer. Data were analyzed via repeated-measures ANOVA and multivariate regression. Results—The air volume-to-blood volume ratio was significantly higher and consequently, plasma total CO2 concentration was significantly lower when blood was collected into 2-mL glass tubes and 2- or 3-mL plastic tubes than when the other 5 types of evacuated tubes were used. Concentrations in the other tube types were statistically equivalent. A linear relationship was detected between total CO2 concentration and a...
Teaching Human Genetics with Mustard: Rapid Cycling Brassica rapa (Fast Plants Type) as a Model for Human Genetics in the Classroom Laboratory

We have developed experiments and materials to model human genetics using rapid cycling Brassica rapa, also known as Fast Plants. Because of their self-incompatibility for pollination and the genet...
On Urgency of I/O Operations

Many high-performance parallel file systems and storage hierarchies employ multilayer storage caches in an attempt to reduce data access latencies. In current storage cache hierarchies, all data requests are treated uniformly and hit/miss characteristics are dictated only by the degree of reuse exhibited by data blocks. In reality however, different I/O operations may have different urgencies (criticalities), and in particular, some I/O operations can be delayed without having a major impact on overall application performance. Motivated by this observation, we define the concept of I/O operation urgency (criticality) and study the critical latencies of I/O operations for a set of seven high-performance applications that manipulate disk-resident data sets. We propose and experimentally evaluate three profile-based strategies for exploiting urgent I/O operations in managing storage caches. The results collected with these schemes on both two-tier and three-tier systems indicate that significant performance improvements are possible if one could exploit urgencies of different I/O operations in managing storage caches.
Presence of Magnetic Resonance Imaging Suspicious Lesion Predicts Gleason 7 or Greater Prostate Cancer in Biopsy-Naive Patients.

Objective To compare the relative value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in biopsy-naive patients to those with previous negative biopsy. Although MRI-targeted biopsy has been studied in several major prostate cancer (PCa) cohorts (biopsy naive, previous negative biopsy, and active surveillance), the relative benefit in these cohorts has not been established. Methods We retrospectively reviewed biopsy-naive (n = 45) and previous negative biopsy (n = 55) patients who underwent prostate MRI prior to biopsy at our institution. Patients with an MRI suspicious region (MSR) underwent MRI-targeted biopsy as well as a systematic template biopsy, whereas those without MSR underwent only the template biopsy. All biopsies were performed with the TargetScan (Envisioneering, Pittsburgh, PA) biopsy system. MRI targeting was performed with cognitive guidance. Results On multivariate logistic regression, the presence of an MSR was the only statistically significant and independent predictor of Gleason ≥ 7 PCa on biopsy for biopsy-naive men (odds ratio [OR] 40.2, P = .01). For men with previous negative biopsy, the presence of MSR was not a predictor of Gleason ≥ 7 PCa on biopsy (OR 4.35, P = .16), whereas PSA density > 0.15 ng/mL 2 was a significant and independent predictor (OR 66.2, P Conclusion Prostate MRI should be considered prior to biopsy in all patients presenting with clinical suspicion for PCa, as presence of a MSR will help guide prebiopsy counseling and provide an opportunity for MRI targeting during biopsy.
Medical Knowledge Assessment by Hematology and Medical Oncology In-Training Examinations Are Better Than Program Director Assessments at Predicting Subspecialty Certification Examination Performance

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education's Next Accreditation System requires training programs to demonstrate that fellows are achieving competence in medical knowledge (MK), as part of a global assessment of clinical competency. Passing American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) certification examinations is recognized as a metric of MK competency. This study examines several in-training MK assessment approaches and their ability to predict performance on the ABIM Hematology or Medical Oncology Certification Examinations. Results of a Hematology In-Service Examination (ISE) and an Oncology In-Training Examination (ITE), program director (PD) ratings, demographic variables, United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE), and ABIM Internal Medicine (IM) Certification Examination were compared. Stepwise multiple regression and logistic regression analyses evaluated these assessment approaches as predictors of performance on the Hematology or Medical Oncology Certification Examinations. Hematology ISE scores were the strongest predictor of Hematology Certification Examination scores (β = 0.41) (passing odds ratio [OR], 1.012; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.008-1.015), and the Oncology ITE scores were the strongest predictor of Medical Oncology Certification Examination scores (β = 0.45) (passing OR, 1.013; 95 % CI, 1.011-1.016). PD rating of MK was the weakest predictor of Medical Oncology Certification Examination scores (β = 0.07) and was not significantly predictive of Hematology Certification Examination scores. Hematology and Oncology ITEs are better predictors of certification examination performance than PD ratings of MK, reinforcing the effectiveness of ITEs for competency-based assessment of MK.
Risk Assessment and Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease

In this book, our target is prevention of clinical AD. There are two ways to prevent this condition: by giving interventions that slow the underlying pathologic process, and by maintaining or growing reserve in order to tolerate AD lesions without becoming demented. Several large clinical trials are in progress, most aimed at evaluating whether immunization with antibodies against Aβ in people who are at high risk but not demented reduces the incidence or biomarker profile of AD. The earliest findings from these trials will be available in 2017. Nonpharmacologic therapies, including diet, and physical and mental exercise also may reduce the levels of Aβ, but more human studies are needed to determine whether this is occurring. A second approach to AD prevention is implementation of interventions based on modifiable risk factors. An NIH State-of-the Science statement published in 2010 concluded that there was insufficient evidence to support the association of any modifiable risk factor with cognitive decline or AD. However, the analyses on which this statement was based had numerous problems, including the focus on cohort studies in which there was a strong possibility of underestimation of relative risk. Three large trials are in progress in Europe in which multimodal interventions, including diet, physical and mental exercise, social interaction, and reduction in vascular risk factors, are being assessed. Risk indices for preclinical detection of AD appear to work best close in time to dementia onset, but midlife indices can offer good predictive accuracy. The development of more comprehensive indices that incorporate markers and risk factors for Alzheimer and vascular pathology as well as measures of reserve are needed.
Toward Permetalated Alkyne/Azide 3 + 2 or “Click” Cycloadducts

The Cu(I)-catalyzed reaction of the platinum butadiynyl complex trans-(C6F5)(p-tol3P)2Pt(C≡C)2H and rhenium cyclopentadienylazide complex (η5-C5H4N3)Re(CO)3 yields the 1,2,3-triazole trans-(C6F5)(p-tol3P)2PtC≡CC═CHN((η5-C5H4)Re(CO)3)N═N (54%), which upon treatment with Re(CO)5OTf or Re(CO)5Br affords Re(CO)5+TfO– or cis-Re(CO)4Br adducts derived from attack at N(3) (84–98%). The crystal structures of solvates of these three complexes are compared, but attempts to metalate the ═CH groups were unsuccessful. However, the reaction of monometallic trans-(C6F5)(p-tol3P)2PtC≡CC═CHN(CH2C6H5)N═N and MeI gives an N(3)-methyl triazolium salt (81%), which upon addition of Ag2O and [RhCl(cod)]2 yields the N-heterocyclic carbene complex trans-(C6F5)(p-tol3P)2PtC≡CC...C(RhCl(cod))...N(CH2C6H5)...N...N(Me). Further experiments and analyses suggest that ═CH derivatization is possible only when the 1H NMR chemical shift is downfield of ca. δ 7.9 ppm. Electropositive metal fragments generally effect upfield shifts, meaning ...
Estimation on manning quotas standard for centers for disease control and prevention at county level in Zhejiang province

Objective To explore a method to estimate standard manning quotas reasonably for centers for disease control and prevention( CDCs) at county level in Zhejiang province and to provide a reference for human resource allocation in the province. Methods The data on manning quotas and the number of staff in all CDCs at county level in Zhejiang province were collected with a questionnaire survey and analyzed with descriptive statistics,correlation analysis,and consistency test. Results The overall manning quota for 88 county CDCs in the province was 3 641 and the number of on-the-job staff was 4 353,of which,1 177 were the staff out of the manning quota. The least size of personnel force for a county CDC is 50 calculated according to the post to complement. There was a close correlation between manning quota and permanent population( rs= 0. 78,P 0. 05),and permanent population was taken as main index for the calculation of manning quota size. Meanwhile,according to the actual condition,the manning quota size was adjusted by population density and total area of a region. The calculated overall manning quota was 7 024 which agreed well with present situation( Kendall'W = 0. 88,P 0. 05). Conclusion The calculated manning quota of the study is reasonable,which generally reflects the present situation of county CDCs and meets with requirements of relevant documents.
Consumer Product Preferences in Upper Level Supermarket Environments

This paper reports research on consumer preferences for factors associated with the purchase of premium and specialty food items in an upper level market environment. A series of focus groups and a survey was conducted to determine the importance of various factors that influence the decision to patronize a retail location of this type.
Understanding, evaluating, and improving the availability of bft protocols

We live in an increasingly digital world where many critical services such as healthcare, financial services, and transportation are accessed over the Internet. These services must run correctly and continuously despite faults—deviations can lead to the loss of money, sensitive information, and even human life. Most commercial systems only tolerate benign faults, where a faulty component stops participating in the system as soon as it fails. However, these services also experience arbitrary (Byzantine) faults, for example software bugs, hardware faults, mis-configurations, and malicious attacks. Byzantine Fault-Tolerance (BFT) is a promising technique for tolerating such a wide range of faults because no assumptions are made about the nature of the fault. However, successfully deploying BFT techniques in general-purpose distributed systems requires us to address many challenges. First, BFT protocols are complex and their performance characteristics in realistic operating conditions are not well understood. Moreover, the implementations of these protocols have been independently developed using different operating systems, languages, and workloads, making a fair comparison among them difficult. We present BFTSim, a simulation tool that simplifies the construction of BFT protocols and enables a comprehensive evaluation of these protocols in a wide range of realistic operating conditions. Second, many e-commerce services favor high availability over consistency. In these services, it is acceptable for a read operation to return a potentially stale value to ensure responsiveness. However, existing BFT techniques can not be directly applied in these systems because they favor strong consistency guarantees over availability. For example, a read always returns the result of the latest write operation and otherwise the read operation blocks. To bridge this gap, we present Zeno, a novel BFT protocol that provides a weak consistency guarantee to achieve higher availability. The contributions made by this thesis are important steps towards enabling the widespread adoption of BFT techniques in general-purpose distributed systems.
SU‐F‐J‐181: An Alternative Patient Alignment Tool On TomoTherapy: The First In‐ Human Megavoltage‐Topogram Acquisition

Purpose: To show the first in-human Megavoltage (MV)-Topogram acquisition for the evaluation of the potential for MV-Topogram-based alignment as an alternative to MVCT for reducing dose and imaging time. Methods: A lung cancer patient was enrolled in an ongoing IRB-approved clinical trial at our institute. The patient was set up using the clinical protocol employing positioning lasers. 3.2mm diameter tungsten spheres were placed on the patient's skin at their alignment tattoos to check surface-based marker concordance between topograms and MVCT. Anterior-Posterior (AP) and lateral (LAT) MV-Topograms were acquired using gantry angles of 0°/90° with a 1mm collimator opening, all MLC leafs open, 4cm/s couch speed, and 12.5s scanning time. The topogram acquisition was immediately followed by the normal MVCT scan acquisition. MV-Topograms were reconstructed from the detector exit-data using in-house developed software. The topograms were also enhanced using contrast-limited adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE). The MV-Topograms were registered to reference kV-based digitally reconstructed topograms. The localization results were compared against results obtained comparing the clinical MVCT to the kVCT simulation. Results: The shifts using the unenhanced Topograms, enhanced Topograms, and MVCT were (LAT, LONG, VERT, ROLL) (5.8mm, 2.6mm, −5.6mm, 0.34°), (3.9mm, 2.5mm, −2.2mm, 0.65°) and (2.4mm, 1.5mm, −3.0mm, 0.5°), respectively. The magnitude alignment differences between the enhanced Topograms and MVCT were within 1.5 mm and 0.15°. The average MVCT and total Topogram acquisition times were 272.9s ± 31.5s and 46s, respectively. Conclusion: MV-Topograms have the potential for providing equivalent performance with less dose and acquisition time than the traditional MVCT technique. We are evaluating other sites as well as adding patients to develop statistically significant analyses regarding the alignment quality differences. MV-Topograms are likely to be most clinically useful for bony anatomy and radiopaque marker-based alignments. The study was supported by an Accuray Grant.
Introduction: Regnum Cecilianum

This is a book about realpolitik and drama in the ‘Elizabethan’ era (1558–1603). I would prefer to use the dates 1547–1612 because this period marks a shift in which English domestic policy is wedded to a new global foreign policy run not by monarchs but by a conglomeration of forces recognizable as the ‘state.’ This epoch features the rise of a ‘Regnum Cecilianum,’ or ‘Cecilian Regime’ initiated by Sir William Cecil (created Lord Burghley in 1571), and inherited by his second son, Robert. The regime was a concatenation of powers emanating from previous developments in the English state, powers greatly enhanced by England’s decisive break from Roman Catholicism. Henry VIII’s estrangement from Rome in the 1530s was a crucial turning-point in domestic relations, but its impact on foreign policy was far less significant than the later Cecilian construction of a Protestant state church as a precondition for both domestic repression and external aggression. Whereas Henry’s break with Rome did not alter centuries of English hostility toward France, the Cecilian regime severed England’s traditional alliance with Spain and then attacked the Spanish Empire as part of a larger expansion of wealth and power simultaneously devised to siphon off domestic energies into foreign adventures.1
X-Ray Fluorescence and Stable Isotope Analysis of Marble in Central Lydia, Western Turkey

Summary This paper presents the results of carbon and oxygen stable isotope analysis on marble quarries and artefacts from central Lydia, western Turkey under the auspices of the Central Lydia Archaeological Survey (CLAS). The marble survey and sampling programme studied 11 small-scale quarries in the hinterland of the ancient city of Sardis. These quarries demonstrate evidence of ancient tool use, though their precise periods of operation were unknown prior to this study. The results presented here correlate material from these quarries with material previously studied from Sardis and from several tumuli in the monumental cemetery known as Bin Tepe. This study demonstrates that small quarries were important components of ancient social and economic landscapes, and that they are deserving of more consideration in archaeometric and marble studies. The data also point towards different social and economic factors at work in Lydian and Roman-period marble acquisition.
Valproate-Induced Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy in General Hospital Patients With One or More Psychiatric Disorders

Background Divalproex sodium/valproic acid (VPA) is an antiepileptic drug approved for use in epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Valproate-induced hyperammonemia occurs in up to 50% of VPA-treated patients, some of whom may become encephalopathic. Valproate-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy (VHE) is thought to be rare, and for a variety of reasons, the diagnosis requires a high index of suspicion. Objective The study's goals are to determine how common VHE is, and the quality of treatment provided when diagnosed. Methods Retrospective, cross-sectional survey of general hospital patients. The hospital's laboratory and pharmacy databases were combined to identify a cohort of all VPA-treated patients who developed hyperammonemia during a 5-year period. Hospital records of the subset of patients with a psychiatric disorder were selected and reviewed for data collection. Results Twenty of 793 (2.52%) VPA-treated patients had signs and symptoms consistent with VHE. The majority were White males on multiple psychotropic agents. Valproate was appropriately discontinued in 8 (40%) patients. Lactulose was the only ammonia-lowering drug used, and it was administered to 6 patients and only one among them had VPA discontinued. Conclusion Study results indicate that VHE may be more common in psychiatric patients than previously assumed but underrecognized and inadequately treated. The diagnosis of VHE requires a high index of suspicion. Outcome is favorable once it is recognized and treated appropriately.
Efficient fluorescence collection from trapped ions with an integrated spherical mirror

Efficient collection of fluorescence from trapped ions is crucial for quantum optics and quantum computing applications, specifically for qubit state detection and in generating single photons for ion-photon and remote ion entanglement. In a typical setup, only a few percent of the ion fluorescence is intercepted by the aperture of the imaging optics. We employ a simple metallic spherical mirror integrated with a linear Paul ion trap to achieve a photon collection efficiency of at least $10%$ from a single Ba${}^{+}$ ion. An aspheric corrector is used to reduce the aberrations caused by the mirror and achieve high image quality.
Multipole Operators in Semileptonic Weak and Electromagnetic Interactions with Nuclei

Abstract We discuss the multipole operators that arise in treatments of semileptonic weak and electromagnetic interactions with nuclei. Tables in which exact expressions for the single-particle matrix elements of these operators in a harmonic oscillator basis are given for a wide range of oscillator shells. Together with some approximation to the one-body density matrix, these tables will allow the reader to calculate with ease cross sections for (e, e′), real photon processes, β-decay, and charged lepton capture, as well as those for many more exotic semileptonic interactions (charged and neutral current neutrino reactions, (μ, e) conversion, etc.). A specific example, elastic magnetic electron scattering from 27Al, is considered in detail.
Chaotic motion of single ions in a toroidal ion trap mass analyzer

Abstract Although widely used in mass spectrometry, radiofrequency ion traps involve complex electric field shape and correspondingly complex ion motion. In addition, numerous variations of electrode geometry have been developed to address or benefit from different aspects of ion motion and the resulting effects on performance as a mass analyzer. We report on SIMION simulations that show classical chaotic behavior of ions in the toroidal ion trap. The chaotic motion is a result of the non-linear components of the electric fields as established by the trap electrodes, and not by Coulombic interaction from other ions. The chaotic behavior was observed specifically in the ejection direction of ions located in non-linear resonance bands within and adjacent to the region of stable trapping. The non-linear bands crossing through the stability regions correspond to hexapole resonance conditions, while the chaotic ejection observed at the boundary of the stable trapping region represents a “fuzzy” ejection boundary. Fractal-like patterns were obtained in a series of zoomed-in regions of the stability diagram.
Non-enforcement of Contract Obligations for Illegality, Violations of Public Policy, and Unconscionability

This chapter, on Illegality, Public Policy, and Unconscionability, is from a first-year textbook that the author first drafted in 2008 and has used many years in electronic format, but which appeared this year in updated form and for the first time in hardcover. The latest version of the book includes two additional chapters from co-author Stephen Gerst. Entitled Contracts: Cases, Text, and Problems, the book reflects a combination of case method and problem method with an added emphasis on presenting material in the way that an associate would approach a legal problem in a law office: (1) secure a general understanding of the topic by reading from a secondary source, (2) focus on primary authority in the form of case law or statutory text, and (3) apply the newly learned legal principles to facts. Accordingly, the book (1) introduces each topic with legal background to provide general context, (2) moves to specific case law or statutory text, and (3) provides numerous exercises and practice exams for students to apply their acquired knowledge. This student-friendly approach has facilitated learning, helped to reinforce lessons in students' legal research and writing courses, and helped to prepare them for work in a law office. The chapter on Illegality, Public Policy, and Unconscionability is representative of the book’s method of combining hornbook style orientation and excerpts from scholarly articles, primary law such as case law, and numerous exercises including queries about legislative proposals. Indeed, the topic of noncompetition agreements is presented primarily through text and problems. As a further link to the practice of law, the chapter presents a particularly interesting unconscionability analysis by a trial court and then invites students find the case on appeal to determine its fate (which turns out to be a less interesting tool for teaching and debate).
Abstract P214: Utilizing Geospatial Technologies to Compare Existing Healthcare Resources with Noted Cardiovascular Risks Among Children in a Rural Setting

With 1/3 of children classified as overweight or obese in the US, effective programming is important. Child obesity programs are conceptualized to reach various settings (e.g., school, home) and (e...
Kinetic analyses of single-stranded break repair by human DNA ligase III isoforms reveal biochemical differences from DNA ligase I.

Humans have three genes encoding DNA ligases with conserved structural features and activities, but they also have notable differences. The LIG3 gene encodes a ubiquitous isoform in all tissues (LIG3α) and a germ line-specific splicing isoform (LIG3β) that differs in the C-terminal domain. Both isoforms are found in the nucleus and the mitochondria. Here, we determined the kinetics and thermodynamics of single-stranded break ligation by LIG3α and LIG3β and compared this framework to that of LIG1, the nuclear replicative ligase. The kinetic parameters of the LIG3 isoforms are nearly identical under all tested conditions, indicating that the BRCA1 C terminal (BRCT) domain specific to LIG3α does not alter ligation kinetics. Although LIG3 is only 22% identical to LIG1 across their conserved domains, the two enzymes had very similar maximal ligation rates. Comparison of the rate and equilibrium constants for LIG3 and LIG1 nevertheless revealed important differences. The LIG3 isoforms were seven times more efficient than LIG1 at ligating nicked DNA under optimal conditions, mainly because of their lower Km value for the DNA substrate. This could explain why LIG3 is less prone to abortive ligation than LIG1. Surprisingly, the affinity of LIG3 for Mg2+ was ten times weaker than that of LIG1, suggesting that Mg2+ availability regulates DNA ligation in vivo, because Mg2+ levels are higher in the mitochondria than in the nucleus. The biochemical differences between the LIG3 isoforms and LIG1 identified here will guide the understanding of both unique and overlapping biological roles of these critical enzymes.
Why Don't Some White Supremacists Groups Pay Taxes?

A number of white supremacist groups enjoy tax-exempt status. As such, these hate groups do not have to pay federal taxes and people who give money to these groups may take deductions on their personal taxes. This recognition not only results in potential lost revenue for government programs, but it also serves as a public subsidy of racist propaganda and operates as the federal government’s imprimatur of white supremacist activities. This is all due to an unnecessarily broad definition of “educational” that somehow encompasses the activities of universities, symphonies, and white supremacists. This Essay suggests a change in the Treasury regulations to restrict the definition of educational organizations to refer only to traditional, degree-granting institutions, distance learning organizations, or certain other enumerated entities. With this change, we would no longer allow white supremacists to call themselves charities, remove the public subsidy of such reprehensible organizations, and eliminate the government’s implicit blessing of hate groups.
The Effects of 2'-O-Methoxyethyl Oligonucleotides on Renal Function in Humans.

Systemically administered 2′-O-methoxyethyl (2′MOE) antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) accumulate in the kidney and metabolites are cleared in urine. The effects of eleven 2′MOE ASOs on renal function were assessed in 2,435 patients from 32 phase 2 and phase 3 trials. The principle analysis was on data from 28 randomized placebo-controlled trials. Mean levels of renal parameters remained within normal ranges over time across dose groups. Patient-level meta-analyses demonstrated a significant difference between placebo-treated and 2′MOE ASO-treated patients at doses >175 mg/week in the percentage and absolute change from baseline for serum creatinine and estimated glomerular filtration rate. However, these changes were not clinically significant or progressive. No dose-related effects were observed in the incidence of abnormal renal test results in the total population of patients, or subpopulation of diabetic patients or patients with renal dysfunction at baseline. The incidence of acute kidney injury [ser...
Adventure Game with a Neural Network Controlled Non-playing Character

This paper presents a way to evolve a non-playing character by controlling it through a neural network, then using a genetic algorithm to alter the weights. Previous neural network data provides a population from which to select individuals, and the simulated results allow relative rankings that we use as a fitness function. Treating the selected sets of neural network weights as a binary sequence, the program uses cross-over and mutation to create a new set of weights, which are subsequently evaluated. Through this process, we find that the program creates better sets of neural network weights, and that the relative rankings allow the computercontrolled character to have a range of difficulty levels. We implement this experiment as part of a game.
Predicting volatility between China and Hollywood: Using network management to understand Sino-US film collaboration:

Sino-US film collaboration processes reveal the fraught power dynamic between the Chinese and American film industries. Through several key Chinese film policy deal structures, China’s centralizati...
Training and Performance Self-Efficacy, Affect, and Performance in Wheelchair Road Racers

In the current study, social cognitive theory was examined with athletes with disabilities. More specifically, hierarchical and self-regulatory performance self-efficacy, self-regulatory training self-efficacy, outcome confidence, and affect were examined with wheelchair road racers (N = 51). In accordance with social cognitive theory, moderate to strong significant relationships among 3 types of self-efficacy and outcome confidence were found (rs = .41 - .78). All forms of self-efficacy and positive affect (rs = .39 - .56) were also related providing additional support to social cognitive theory and the important relationships among training and performance related efficacy and affect in sport.
Beacon-Based algorithms for geometric routing

We consider beacons, an analog of geographical greedy routing, motivated by sensor network applications. A beacon b is a point object that can be activated to create a 'magnetic pull' towards itself everywhere in a polygonal domain P. We explore the properties of beacons and their effect on points in polygons, as well as demonstrate polynomial-time algorithms to compute a variety of structures defined by the action of beacons on P. We establish a polynomial-time algorithm for routing from a point s to a point t using a discrete set of candidate beacons, as well as a 2-approximation and a PTAS for routing between beacons placed without restriction in P.
The Intersection of Sustainable and Anti-Consumption: Repurposing to Extend Product Lifespans

One of the primary causes of environmental problems is the overconsumption of natural resources, such as those invested in the production of consumer goods. To combat overconsumption, some researchers and policymakers have suggested that consumers should extend product lifespans through sustainable and anti-consumption practices. In keeping with this proposition, we use the consumer context of repurposing to explore the extension of product lifespans via processes of reusing and reclaiming. Our results identify the antecedents, process, and outcomes of repurposing. Antecedents of repurposing include social influences, repurposing motivations, and object agency. The process of repurposing takes three different forms: aesthetic, functional, and amalgamative. Repurposing outcomes include value creation, behavioral and perception effects, and identity effects. Overall, our results offer marketers and policymakers insights into repurposing as an important avenue for lengthening product lifespans and promoting ...
The acoustics of argumentation and advocacy

The “Acoustics of Argumentation and Advocacy” claims that sound offers us a new starting point to rethink argumentative form (structure), flow (how it unfolds in time), and force (the effects). sta...
How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system

Yoga is an increasingly popular activity, perhaps because of its association with stress reduction and relaxation - an association that is generally supported by empirical evidence. Understanding of the mediating variables is, however, limited. Given that, the purpose of this paper is to present a theoretical perspective that encourages systematic research regarding the relationship between yoga, stress, and musculoskeletal activity. This embodied perspective parallels popular interest in the mind-body connection and emphasizes the influence of body position on thinking as well as emotion. Those influences take on added meaning in the context of the Cognitive Appraisal Theory and the Biopsychosocial Model of Challenge and Threat. Investigations of embodied cognition suggest that yoga may reduce stress by affecting the way individuals appraise stressors. The combination of body position and common components of yoga practice may also contribute to that effect, particularly when considering thoughts about the self and feelings of confidence. Findings regarding embodied emotion make a similar contribution to understanding the implications of previous research findings and common yoga practices. Considering yoga and stress from an embodied perspective also highlights the role of the musculoskeletal system in the stress process, leading to the question of whether yoga influences stress by directly influencing the musculoskeletal system, indirectly by influencing awareness of that system, or through a combination of the two. Those questions, in turn, highlight the importance of expanding investigations of psychological processes, body position, musculoskeletal activity during yoga, and the interactions between those variables.