cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantifying power system resiliency improvement using network reconfiguration

Electricity grid complexity with its diverse critical infrastructures has been continuously evolved into a more complicated network that is vulnerable to unpredictable hazards of internal and external origins. Resiliency assessment of the large-scale smart electricity grids has recently attracted many attentions in electric industry for more efficient daily operations in face of emergencies. This paper aims to quantify the power system resiliency in dealing with grid severe vulnerabilities and extreme emergencies. The suggested approach for resiliency improvement is to harness the existing system infrastructure, with minimum additional cost, through transmission network reconfiguration. The applied concept of reconfiguration is predictively planned and used as a temporary operation mechanism for the main sake of electricity outage recovery. The system resiliency features, e.g., flexibility, capacity recovery and the imposed cost indices, are quantified for each optimal reconfiguration option, helping the system operators evaluate the recovery options and decide on the final plan for implementation considering its impacts on system resiliency requirements. The suggested approach is tested on the IEEE 118-Bus test system under a critical contingency and the results reveal its applicability and efficiency.
Unrecognized species diversity and new insights into colour pattern polymorphism within the widespread Malagasy snake Mimophis (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae)

Although many wide-ranging taxa occur in Madagascar, phylogeographic studies for most of these species are still lacking. This is especially the case for snakes, where of more than 100 endemic species, the population structure of only two species has so far been examined. Here, we examine genetic population structure of one of the most common snakes of Madagascar, Mimophis mahfalensis (Grandidier, 1867). This taxon is the only representative of Psammophiinae in Madagascar, where the majority of species in this subfamily is distributed throughout mainland Africa. Applying an integrative approach, where both morphological data and genetic results from coalescent species delimitation analyses are considered, we determine that Mimophis mahfalensis is composed of two distinct taxa: M. mahfalensis in the central montane and southern parts of Madagascar, and a second new species restricted to the north and north-west, which we describe here. We also examine the colour pattern polymorphism exhibited in Mimophis, ...
The foreign body response and morphometric changes associated with mesh-style peripheral nerve cuffs.

Abstract Nerve cuffs have been used to anchor and protect penetrating electrodes in peripheral nerves and have been used as non-penetrating electrodes for neural recording and nerve stimulation. The material of choice for such applications is silicone, an inert synthetic biomaterial which elicits a minimal chronic foreign body response (FBR). While histological studies of solid silicone cuffs are available, to the best of our knowledge a comparison to other cuff designs is not well documented. Here, we describe the FBR and morphological changes that accompany nerve cuff implantation in the rat sciatic nerve by comparing a metallic mesh with and without a parylene coating to one made of silicone. Two months after implantation, we observed that such implants, irrespective of the cuff type, were associated with a persistent inflammatory response consisting of activated macrophages attached to the implant surfaces, which extended into the endoneurial space of the encapsulated nerve. We also observed foreign body giant cells in the epineurial space that were more prevalent in the mesh cohorts. The mesh cuff groups showed significant changes in several morphometric parameters that were not seen in the silicon group including reductions in nerve fiber packing density and a greater reduction of large diameter fibers. High magnification microscopy also showed greater evidence of foamy macrophages in the endoneurial space of the mesh implanted cohorts. Although the precise mechanisms are unknown, the results showed that mesh style nerve cuffs show a greater inflammatory response and had greater reductions in morphometric changes in the underlying nerve compared to silicone in the absence of a penetrating injury. Statement of Significance While traditional silicone cuffs have been in use for decades, the inflammatory and morphometric effects of these cuffs on the underlying nerve have not been deeply studied. Further, manipulation of the foreign body response to nerve cuffs by using various materials and/or designs has not been well reported. Therefore, we report the inflammatory response around nerve cuffs of various materials and designs, as well as report morphometric parameters of the underlying nerve. These data provide important information regarding the potential for quantitative morphometric changes associated with the use of nerve cuffs, and, importantly, suggests that these changes are associated with the degree of inflammation associated with the cuff.
Assessing multicultural competence (knowledge and awareness) in study abroad experiences

This study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the study abroad experience on student multicultural competence (i.e. knowledge and awareness) using the Multicultural Counselling Knowledge...
The coding of valence and identity in the mammalian taste system.

The ability of the taste system to identify a tastant (what it tastes like) enables animals to recognize and discriminate between the different basic taste qualities1,2. The valence of a tastant (whether it is appetitive or aversive) specifies its hedonic value and elicits the execution of selective behaviours. Here we examine how sweet and bitter are afforded valence versus identity in mice. We show that neurons in the sweet-responsive and bitter-responsive cortex project to topographically distinct areas of the amygdala, with strong segregation of neural projections conveying appetitive versus aversive taste signals. By manipulating selective taste inputs to the amygdala, we show that it is possible to impose positive or negative valence on a neutral water stimulus, and even to reverse the hedonic value of a sweet or bitter tastant. Remarkably, mice with silenced neurons in the amygdala no longer exhibit behaviour that reflects the valence associated with direct stimulation of the taste cortex, or with delivery of sweet and bitter chemicals. Nonetheless, these mice can still identify and discriminate between tastants, just as wild-type controls do. These results help to explain how the taste system generates stereotypic and predetermined attractive and aversive taste behaviours, and support the existence of distinct neural substrates for the discrimination of taste identity and the assignment of valence.
Spitzer’s Formula Involving Capacity

Let X t be a strongly transient Levy process on a second countable locally compact Abelian group and let B be a bounded Borel set. Set E B (t,A)=∫Px(T B ≤t,\({{\rm X}_{{T_B}}}\)∈A)dx where T B =inf{t >0:X t ∈B} We give an asymptotic expansion to third order for E B (t, A). If X t is a strongly transient strictly stable process on R d we give an expansion to order 4 of E B (t,R d ).
Ease of use with concurrent collections (CnC)

Parallel programming is hard. We present a new approach called Concurrent Collections (CnC). This paper briefly explains why writing a parallel program is hard in the current environment and introduces our new approach based on this perspective. In particular, a CnC program doesn't explicitly express the parallelism. It expresses the constraints on parallelism. These constraints remain valid regardless of the target architecture.
A Laser Based Fusion Test Facility

The Fusion Test Facility (FTF) is a high repetition rate ignition facility that would bridge the gap between single shot facilities (such as NIF and LMJ) and a fully functioning laser fusion power ...
New clinical powers, new ethical questions.

Introduction to the October 2010 issue of Virtual Mentor on the topic of Ethical Challenges in Modern Cardiovascular Medicine. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Convergence to Consensus — The Elementary Model

In this chapter and the next we offer a formal account of the details of iterated arithmetic averaging and convergence to consensus. For the convenience of those who choose to read the mathematical chapters of this book (Chapters Six, Seven, and Eight) first, we include in the first section of the present chapter a brief account of the method of iterated averaging. Those who have already read Chapters Two and Three, which describe this method as applied, respectively, to the amalgamation of probabilities, and of utilities, may wish nevertheless to review the outline of this method offered in the following section. In this chapter we assume, as in Chapters Two and Three, that individuals have uniform skills at all levels of judgment. In Chapter Eight we give a formal account of iteration and convergence which deletes this assumption, thus providing a mathematical counterpart of Chapter Four.
A method to quantify the 37 Ar emanation fraction in powders and rocks

In order to make predictions of the potential 37Ar signal from an underground nuclear explosion, a value for the 37Ar emanation fraction is needed. A system was developed to quantify the emanation fraction from samples ranging in size from powder to small rocks. Assorted rock samples were irradiated with Watt fission spectrum neutrons to produce radioactive argon gas via activation of calcium. The argon produced was extracted on a custom apparatus and cryogenically trapped. The extracted gas was then processed to separate the argon and load it into a proportional counter for counting. The emanation fraction of argon gas from the rock samples was then calculated by comparing the measured and predicted activities.
An update on expression and function of P-gp/ABCB1 and BCRP/ABCG2 in the placenta and fetus.

Introduction: P-glycoprotein (P-gp)/ABCB1 and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP)/ABCG2 are highly expressed in the placenta and fetus throughout gestation and can modulate exposure and toxicit...
The Role of Management in Open Data Initiatives in Local Governments: Opening the Organizational Black Box

Previous studies have infrequently addressed the dynamic interactions among social, technical, and organizational variables in open government data initiatives. In addition, organization level models have neglected to explain the role of management in decision-making processes about technology and data. This article contributes to addressing this gap in the literature by analyzing the complex relationships between open government data characteristics and the organizations and institutions in which they are embedded. We systematically compare the open data inception and implementation processes, as well as their main results, in three Spanish local governments (Gava and Rubi in Catalonia and Gijon in Asturias) by using a model that combines the technology enactment framework with some specific constructs and relationships from the process model of computing change. Our resulting model is able to identify and explain the significant role of management in shaping and mediating different interactions, but also acknowledges the importance of organizational level variables and the context in which the open data initiative is taking place.
Spatial Receptive Fields of Single Neurons of Primary Auditory Cortex of the Cat

Neurons in the primary auditory cortical field (AI) have been shown to be sensitive to the direction of a sound when the source is either in an anechoic free field (Middle- brooks et al, 1980; Rajan et al, 1990; Imig et al, 1990) or in anechoic virtual acoustic space (Brugge et al, 1994; 1996a,b). The spatial receptive fields obtained under these stimulus conditions are typically large in size at suprathreshold levels, often exceeding an acoustic hemifield; close to threshold their centers tend to lie on or near the acoustic axis. How large receptive fields centered around the acoustic axis enable AI neurons to encode information about sound direction is not well understood, although it would appear that the time structure of the neuronal discharge within the receptive field plays a role (Mid- dlebrooks et al, 1994; Brugge et al, 1996). In this paper we review and extend our findings on directional sensitivity of isolated AI neurons to transient sound, employing conventional extracellular recording methods (Brugge et al, 1994,1996a) and a technique by which synthesized signals that mimic sounds coming from particular directions in space are delivered at the eardrums of Nembutal-anesthetized cats through a sealed and calibrated sound delivery system (Chan et al, 1993; Reale et al, 1996).
Redefining PTB Domain Into Independently Functional Dual Cores

Abstract Current understanding of phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domain is limited. Recently, we revealed a novel atypical phosphotyrosine binding (aPTB) domain in CCM2, making it a dual PTB domain-containing protein. Since aPTB domain is only 1/3 of the size of typical PTB domain, we explored the possibility to decrease the size of PTB domain and demonstrate that the typical PTB domain can be divided into two similarly structural and functional cores that can independently bind to NPXY motif. Further, we reduced each PTB core into a minimum core motif (mCore) which is the functional unit of PTB domains and structurally similar to the novel aPTB domain. Based on structural data, we developed several cis- and trans-inhibitors for NPXY binding scheme, with potential applications for therapeutic strategies in human health conditions.
Iran’s Role in the Yemen Crisis

In 2014, few people in Iran were familiar with the term “Houthis” or “Ansar Allah,” the official name of the group in Yemen. However, this militant political group, which Western media began describing as “Iranian-backed” or “Shia Houthis,” has since became an important pawn in Tehran’s multifaceted geopolitical struggle against one of its key regional adversaries, Saudi Arabia. And yet, the lack of historical ties and an exaggerated sense of the importance of sectarian bonds between Iran and the Houthis only underscore the reality that this has mostly been a marriage of convenience. The durability of the Iran-Houthi partnership continues to depend on the policy decisions of third-party actors, most notably the Saudis, Emiratis, and Americans, all of whom consider both Tehran and the Houthis to be malign actors. There is no doubt that Iran’s investments in Yemen increased as the Houthis were able to consolidate political and military power. That said, Tehran’s Yemeni project has largely not been an end in itself but an endeavor to provide the Iranians with a bargaining chip to use with its greatest regional rival, Saudi Arabia. On paper, the Houthis were the last addition to the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance,” but as a manifold movement, they have never been Tehran’s minions.
Demo of JARET: A.I. Powered Web App for Goal Review and Time Management

This demo will present the implementation of an A.I. powered web application designed to assist students with creation of a homework and study schedule. The intent of this project is to use key principles from Self-Regulated Learning and Cognitive Load Theory to translate the large, abstract problem of "creating a study and homework schedule from scratch" into a structured, repeatable set of review tasks. The system then uses a constraint satisfaction AI agent to recommend a weekly schedule of activities that supports the student to achieve the specified goals.
Chemotherapy and COVID-19 Outcomes in Patients With Cancer.

PURPOSECoronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) mortality is higher in patients with cancer than in the general population, yet the cancer-associated risk factors for COVID-19 adverse outcomes are not fully cha...
C3 glomerulonephritis and systemic lupus erythematosus: A report of a patient treated with eculizumab and review of the literature:

IntroductionActivation of the complement pathway by immune complexes is a key feature of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and SLE glomerulonephritis, which translates into low levels of C3 and C4...
Nonlinear Pricing with Finite Information

Abstract We analyze nonlinear pricing with finite information. We consider a multi-product environment where each buyer has preferences over a d-dimensional variety of goods. The seller is limited to offering a finite number n of d-dimensional choices. The limited menu reflects a finite communication capacity between the buyer and seller. We identify necessary conditions that the optimal finite menu must satisfy, for either the socially efficient or the revenue-maximizing mechanism. These conditions require that information be bundled, or “quantized,” optimally. We introduce vector quantization and establish that the losses due to finite menus converge to zero at a rate of 1 / n 2 / d . In the canonical model with one-dimensional products and preferences, this establishes that the loss resulting from using the n-item menu converges to zero at a rate proportional to 1 / n 2 .
Primary central nervous system lymphoma presenting as Parkinsonism with atypical MRI findings and elevated 14-3-3 protein (P6.083)

Objective: Not applicable. we are submitting a case report Background: Though primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare neoplasm, accounting for 2–3% of central nervous system malignancies, it is becoming more frequent in immunocompetent individuals. Since this condition can be clinically aggressive with poor prognosis after a period of time, it is critical to recognize how PCNSL can present in its early stages. Here we present an unusual manfiestation of PCNSL of which clinicians should be aware, with a heretofore unreported pattern of radiographic, clinical, and spinal fluid findings Design/Methods: Case Report Results: A right handed 76 year old Caucasian woman presented with gradual onset indistinct slowed speech without anomia, aphasia, dysphagia, or initial motor complaint. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of brain showed patchy T2 signal prolongation and enhancement of bilateral putamen and caudate, but no mass effect or edema. Dysarthria gradually worsened over 6 months and began to develop bradykinesia, mild rigidity, wide based nonfestinating gait with reduced left arm swing. Repeat MRI showed increasing bilateral putamen enhancement with T2 hyperintensity, but still no mass effect or edema. Spinal fluid showed elevated 14-3-3 protein. Laboratory assessment could not rule in heavy metal or other toxicity, metabolic, infectious or inflammatory etiologies. Stereotypic biopsy of right caudate reveled PCNSL. Early methotrexate chemotherapy followed by whole brain radiation produced satisfactory symptomatic and radiographic improvement with clinical remission two years after initial presentation. Conclusions: This is the first case we know of in the literature to show PCNSL presenting with bilateral basal ganglia enhancement and T2 signal prolongation but without edema or mass effect. Also unusual, though not without precedent, was PCNSL presenting with mainly parkinsonian symptoms. However, elevated 14-3-3 in PCNSL as occurred here is unprecedented in the medical literature in immunocompetent people, previously reported only in the setting of HIV. Disclosure: Dr. Nagarajan has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yerram has nothing to disclose. Dr. Bollu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Shenker has nothing to disclose.
Writing the evaluation report

The evaluation report summarizes the information gathered during the evaluation and the conclusions about the patient derived from the evaluation. This chapter outlines the major features of the evaluation report. Much of the report can be generated from information included on the Neuropsychological Interview form, the Behavioral Observations form, and the Neuropsychology Data Summary Sheet. The report begins with a header identifying the clinical practice within which the evaluation took place and its address. The referral and background information begins by summarizing the referral source, referral question, and the reason for the evaluation. Several paragraphs then summarize the information gathered during the clinical interview and the review of medical records to describe the symptoms of concern and their course. This summary includes the nature of cognitive, behavioral, affective, psychotic, motor, and other symptoms; when they were initially observed; their course, progression, and responsiveness to treatments that have been offered; and their possible relationship to other significant variables, such as personal losses or medical illnesses. Then the patient's medical history is summarized, highlighting conditions that may be related to current or past neurobehavioral change. The patient's current medication regimen is detailed and relevant family medical history is described, particularly of disorders associated with neurobehavioral disease. The patient's behavior during the clinical interview and formal testing are described and then a section includes a listing of the tests administered during the evaluation. The description of the test results is organized by neuropsychological domain such as general intellectual function, attention, executive function, motor behavior, verbal abilities, visuospatial and visuoconstructive abilities, memory, and affect/personality.
Cell‐Based Hepatitis C Virus Infection Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) Assay for Antiviral Compound Screening

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects an estimated 3% of the population and is a leading cause of chronic liver disease worldwide. Since HCV therapeutic and preventative options are limited, the development of new HCV antivirals has become a global health care concern. This has spurred the development of cell-based infectious HCV high-throughput screening assays to test the ability of compounds to inhibit HCV infection. This unit describes methods that may be used to assess the in vitro efficacy of HCV antivirals using a cell-based high-throughput fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) HCV infection screening assay, which allows for the identification of inhibitors that target HCV at any step in the viral life cycle. Basic protocols are provided for compound screening during HCV infection and analysis of compound efficacy using an HCV FRET assay. Support protocols are provided for propagation of infectious HCV and measurement of viral infectivity.
Nimbus-7 SMMR Derived Global Snow Cover Parameters

Snow covers about 40 million km2 of the land area of the Northern Hemisphere during the winter season. The accumulation and depletion of snow is dynamically coupled with global hydrological and climatological processes. Snow covered area and snow water equivalent are two essential measurements. Snow cover maps are produced routinely by the National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA/NESDIS) and by the US Air Force Global Weather Center (USAFGWC). The snow covered area reported by these two groups sometimes differs by several million km2, Preliminary analysis is performed to evaluate the accuracy of these products. Microwave radiation penetrating through clouds and snowpacks could provide depth and water equivalent information about snow fields. Based on theoretical calculations, snow covered area and snow water equivalent retrieval algorithms have been developed. Snow cover maps for the Northern Hemisphere have been derived from Nimbus-7 SMMR data for a period of six years (1978–1984). Intercomparisons of SMMR, NOAA/NESDIS and USAFGWC snow maps have been conducted to evaluate and assess the accuracy of SMMR derived snow maps. The total snow covered area derived from SMMR is usually about 10% less than the other two products. This is because passive microwave sensors cannot detect shallow, dry snow which is less than 5 cm in depth. The major geographic regions in which the differences among these three products are the greatest are in central Asia and western China. Future study is required to determine the absolute accuracy of each product. Preliminary snow water equivalent maps have also been produced. Comparisons are made between retrieved snow water equivalent over large area and available snow depth measurements. The results of the comparisons are good for uniform snow covered areas, such as the Canadian high plains and the Russian steppes. Heavily forested and mountainous areas tend to mask out the microwave snow signatures and thus comparisons with measured water equivalent are poorer in those areas.
Marked Variation of the Association of ESRD Duration Before and After Wait Listing on Kidney Transplant Outcomes

Numerous studies report a strong association between pretransplant end-stage renal disease (ESRD) duration and diminished transplant outcomes. However, cumulative waiting time may reflect distinct phases and processes related to patients' physiological condition as well as pre-existing morbidity and access to care. The relative impact of pre- and postlisting ESRD durations on transplant outcomes is unknown. We examined the impact of these intervals from a national cohort of kidney transplant recipients from 1999 to 2008 (n = 112,249). Primary factors explaining prelisting ESRD duration were insurance and race, while primary factors explaining postlisting ESRD duration were blood type, PRA% and variation between centers. Extended time from ESRD to waitlisting had significant dose-response association with overall graft loss (AHR = 1.26 for deceased donors [DD], AHR = 1.32 for living donors [LD], p values < 0.001). Contrarily, time from waitlisting (after ESRD) to transplantation had negligible effects (p = 0.10[DD], p = 0.57[LD]). There were significant associations between pre- and postlisting ESRD time with posttransplant patient survival, however prelisting time had over sixfold greater effect. Prelisting ESRD time predominately explains the association of waiting time with transplant outcomes suggesting that factors associated with this interval should be prioritized for interventions and allocation policy. The degree to which the effect of prelisting ESRD time is a proxy for comorbid conditions, socioeconomic status or access to care requires further study.
A Numerical Approach to Controller Design with an Application to a Space Structure Test Facility

An iterative numerical algorithm that improves feasible closed loop design criteria by updating the parameters of a linear controller is developed. The algorithm allows the use of experimentally derived data collected from the open loop plant; thereby, eliminating the need for a accurate parametric model of the open loop system. Experimental results from the application of a controller designed for a large space structure ground test facility using the algorithm are presented.
Overestimation of genetic risks owing to small sample sizes in cardiovascular studies

We sought evidence of publication bias to explain conflicting findings in studies of angiotensin-converting enzyme deletion polymorphism (ACE D) and glycoprotein IIIa PlA2 (PLA2) polymorphism and the risk of myocardial infarction. Factor 5 Leiden (F5L), a well-established thrombotic risk factor, served as an internal comparison. We conducted systematic reviews of published studies involving ACE D, PLA2, F5L and relevant outcomes, searching medline (January 1990 through February, 2001), bibliographies, and meta-analyses. Random effects pooled odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for cardiovascular outcomes were as follows: PLA2 (n = 13,167 subjects): 1.13 (1.02, 1.26); ACE D (n = 42,140 subjects): 1.22 (1.11, 1.35); and F5L (n = 27,277 subjects): 4.43 (3.65, 5.38). However, funnel plots of ACE D and PLA2, but not F5L, showed an inverse relationship between sample size and odds ratios for ACE D (p = 0.02) and PLA2 (p = 0.04) but not F5L (p = 0.65) by Egger's test for potential publication bias. Despite research-based genotyping of over 50,000 subjects, the overall risk for myocardial infarction as a result of PLA2 and ACE D remains doubtful. Our study provides a clear example of how publication of underpowered studies can spuriously implicate polymorphisms as genetic risk factors.
Bacteremia caused by CDC group Ve-1 in previously healthy patient with granulomatous hepatitis.

This is a case report of CDC group Ve-1 bacteremia in an otherwise healthy patient with granulomatous hepatitis.
Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone Stimulation of Cultured Pituitary Cells Requires Calcium

The requirement for Ca2+ during luteinizing hormone (LH) release stimulated by gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) was studied in dispersed cultured rat pituicytes. With maximal GnRH stimulation, LH release required 1 mM Ca2+ for optimal stimulation, although basal production was not calcium dependent. Stimulated release was inhibited when cells were incubated in media lacking Ca2+, and by LaCl3 (a potent inhibitor of Ca2+ action) which inhibited GnRH-induced LH release in the presence of Ca2+. The requirement for Ca2+ is specific, since Mg2+ is not as effective, even at elevated concentrations. Two agents that block Ca2+ movement into and within cells, Ruthenium Red and D-600 (methoxy-verapamil), also blocked the release of LH from stimulated pituicytes. The present results demonstrate a specific dependence on calcium for GnRH stimulation of LH release from cultured gonadotrophs. Our observations satisfy some of the criteria require for a postulated role of Ca2+ in stimulus-secretion coupling in this system.
Superconducting and Structural Properties of the (Ba0.6K0.4) (Bi1-YSbY)O3 System

Single-phase samples of (Ba1-xKx)(Bi1-xSby)O3 have been synthesized over a limited compositional range using a two-step procedure: high-temperature firing in a low oxygen partial pressure followed by low-temperature oxygen annealing. For y=0 and 0.37 0 samples are superconducting again with a simple cubic structure and with Tc gradually decreasing as y increases.
Center Competition and Outcomes Following Liver Transplantation

In the United States, livers for transplantation are distributed within donation service areas (DSAs). In DSAs with multiple transplant centers, competition among centers for organs and recipients may affect recipient selection and outcomes in comparison with DSAs with only 1 center. The objective of this study was to determine whether competition within a DSA is associated with posttransplant outcomes and variations in patients wait-listed within the DSA. United Network for Organ Sharing data for 38,385 adult cadaveric liver transplant recipients undergoing transplantation between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2009 were analyzed to assess differences in liver recipients and donors and in posttransplant survival by competition among centers. The main outcome measures that were studied were patient characteristics, actual and risk-adjusted graft and patient survival rates after transplantation, organ quality as quantified by the donor risk index (DRI), wait-listed patients per million population by DSA, and competition as quantified by the Hirschman-Herfindahl index (HHI). Centers were stratified by HHI levels as no competition or as low, medium (or mid), or high competition. In comparison with DSAs without competition, the low-, mid-, and high-competition DSAs (1) performed transplantation for patients with a higher risk of graft failure [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.24, HR = 1.26, and HR = 1.34 (P < 0.001 for each)] and a higher risk of death [HR = 1.21, HR = 1.23, and HR = 1.34 (P < 0.001 for each)] and for a higher proportion of sicker patients as quantified by the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score [10.0% versus 14.8%, 20.1%, and 28.2% with a match MELD score of 31-40 (P < 0.001 for each comparison)], (2) were more likely to use organs in the highest risk quartile as quantified by the DRI [18.3% versus 27.6%, 20.4%, and 31.7% (P ≤ 0.001 for each)], and (3) listed more patients per million population [18 (median) versus 34 (P = not significant), 37 (P = 0.005), and 45 (P = 0.0075)]. Significant variability in patient selection for transplantation is associated with market variables characterizing competition among centers. These findings suggest both positive and negative effects of competition among health care providers.
A Radical Right Revival

Radical Right: Voters and Parties in the Electoral Market. By Pippa Norris. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005. 366 pp., $70.00 cloth (ISBN: 0-521-84914-4), $24.99 paper (ISBN: 0-521-61385-X). In Radical Right: Voters and Parties in the Electoral Market , Pippa Norris has provided a significant contribution to the growing literature on the rise of radical right-wing parties in the Western world. Although much of the book is focused on the radical right in Western Europe, she extends her analysis far beyond the French National Front and the other usual suspects to include parties vying for votes in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Russia, Israel, and the United States. One might quibble here and there about her choice of parties. (Identifying Ross Perot's Reform Party as belonging to the radical right seems a stretch, to say the least.) Nonetheless, the heterogeneity of countries with radical-right parties permits Norris to employ a novel and ambitious research design. One might ask what motivates the recent interest in the rise of right-wing parties? Is this interest a reaction to a realignment of political ideology in these countries, or does it reflect a deep-seated fear of a fascist revival? Much of the current literature on radical right-wing parties, including Radical Right , is premised on the belief that there has been an important and possibly enduring surge in support among voters for these parties over the past decades. Norris, for example, describes the radical Austrian Freedom Party as having solidified its support following a “critical” breakthrough election in 1999 (p. 248). Yet, even though the radical right has enjoyed success in some places (for example, France), it has not flourished elsewhere (for example, Germany). Nor is it clear just how enduring the successful parties are likely to be. Norris recognizes that the postwar history of the radical right in Europe abounds with examples of skyrocket or “flash” parties (for example, the French Poujadists in the early 1950s). These …
Clinincal Observations: Nutrient Supplements in Clinical Care

Popular demand for and interest in alternative medicine has increased considerably in recent years. Several of these therapies, if administered correctly, may be safe and effective complements to conventional medical treatment. Of greater concern is the ingestion of various herbs and chemicals marketed as dietary supplements. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs that are subject to rigorous testing, dietary supplements are exempt from FDA clinical scrutiny as a result of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Some supplements may have health benefits but many may be intrinsically dangerous when ingested alone or in combination with other supplements or drugs. Adverse effects of a few of the popular supplements are described in this article. Patients who use supplements are often guided by misconceptions or inaccurate information. Therefore, it is important that physicians and other health care professionals understand the potential associated health consequences so that they can help patients make informed decision about their use. To increase physicians' awareness about the unconventional therapies, there is a need for inclusion of alternative medicine as part of the medical curriculum.
Water-soluble phosphorus in fresh broiler litter is dependent upon phosphorus concentration fed but not on fungal phytase supplementation

This experiment determined the effects of different phosphorus (P) feeding programs on total and water-soluble P excretion by broilers. Ross 308, male broilers were fed an industry (IND) diet (0.48, 0.35, 0.31, and 0.30% nonphytate P; NPP), an industry diet with reduced NPP and supplemental phytase [IND + PT; 600 phytase units (FTU)/kg; 0.36, 0.26, 0.20, and 0.19% NPP], a diet to more closely meet the birds' NPP requirements in which NPP was reduced further with supplemental phytase (REQ + P; 600 FTU/kg; 0.36, 0.26, 0.19, and 0.09% NPP), or a diet with low-phytate(lpa 1-1) corn with supplemental phytase (LPA + P; 600 FTU/kg; 0.37, 0.29, 0.19, 0.19% NPP). These diets were fed from hatch to 17 d, 17 to 31 d, 31 to 42 d, and 42 to 49 d of age, respectively. Fungal phytase was analyzed prior to diet formulation. Diets were fed to six replicate pens of 39 birds per pen. Litter samples were collected at 49 d of age and frozen prior to analyses. Diet did not significantly affect broiler performance (average BW at 49 d = 3.03 kg), tibia, or toe ash throughout the study (P > 0.05). Litter from broilers fed the IND diet was significantly higher (P < or = 0.05) in total and water-soluble P (1.11 and 0.22% of DM, respectively) compared with litter from broilers fed IND + PT (0.84 and 0.14% of DM, respectively), REQ + P (0.78 and 0.11% of DM, respectively), or LPA + PT (0.64 and 0.12% of DM, respectively). Litter total and water-soluble P were not significantly different among broilers fed IND + PT, REQ + PT, or LPA + PT. In conclusion, phytase supplementation did not affect the solubility of P in the litter regardless of P feeding program.
Discrimination, Nepotism, and Long-Run Wage Differentials

The wage discrimination model developed by Becker has been criticized for predicting that competitive forces will lead to the disappearance of racial discrimination in the long run. We have reformulated the model in terms of nepotism toward white workers rather than discrimination against black workers. In this new framework, both nepotistic and taste-neutral firms are expected to survive the competitive struggle in the long run. Therefore, the new framework is consistent with long-run as well as short-run racial wage differentials.
Developing a computing & information policy

The growth and expansion of information technologies on campuses across the country has caused many universities to begin to develop (or modify existing) information policies. Questions concerning moral, ethical, and legal obligations have arisen which in the past have been overlooked or not even considered. Lehigh having implemented a campus-wide information system which is used by over 90% of the campus has had to develop an Information Policy to address the growing concerns on campus relating to the appropriateness of publicly available electronic information.Lehigh's Information System allows individuals to post information without any filtering to both on-campus and off-campus messaging systems. While these facilities are very useful, they have raised serious concerns relating to system resource management, possible legal liabilities concerning the nature of the information, and also the placement of materials that are obscene and offensive. The following issues relating to the development of Lehigh's Information Policy are discussed: possible legal liabilities, censorship, resource management, information ownership, user responsibilities, and approval chain.
Mechanism of action and resistant profile of anti-HIV-1 coumarin derivatives.

Abstract Dicamphanoyl khellactone (DCK) is a coumarin derivative that can potently inhibit HIV-1 replication. DCK does not inhibit RNA-dependent DNA synthesis. However, an HIV reverse transcriptase (RT) inhibitor-resistant strain, HIV-1/RTMDR1, is resistant to DCK. Thus, it is possible that HIV-1 RT is the target of DCK. To test this possibility, DCK-resistant viruses were selected in the presence of DCK. Our results indicate that a single amino acid mutation, E138K in HIV-1 RT, is sufficient to confer DCK resistance. Interestingly, a DCK derivative, 3′R,4′R-Di- O -(-)-camphanoyl-2-ethyl-2′,2′-dimethyldihydropyrano[2,3-f]chromone (DCP8), is effective against HIV-1/RTMDR1. However, the DCK-escape virus carrying the E138K mutation remains resistant to DCP8. Since DCK did not inhibit the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity of HIV-1 RT when using poly-rA or poly-rC as template, we evaluated the effect of DCK on the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity of HIV-1 RT. Our results indicate that DCK can inhibit the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity of HIV-1 RT. In conclusion, DCK is a unique HIV-1 RT inhibitor that inhibits the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity. In contrast, DCK did not significantly affect the RNA-dependent DNA polymerase activity when poly-rA or poly-rC was used as templates. An E138K mutation in the non-nucleoside RT inhibitors (NNRTIs) binding pocket of HIV-1 RT confers resistance to DCK and its chromone derivative, DCP8.
An experimental test of the single channel Lovelace-Wagner-Veneziano model☆

Abstract The off-mass-shell behavior of the ππ amplitude predicted by the Lovelace-Wagner-Veneziano model implies that the forward-backward asymmetry term in pion production by one pion exchange vanishes for certain values of momentum transfer. A test of this prediction for the region 0.6 s s is the diplion effective mass) was made by analyzing the ππN final state. Substantial agreement between experiment and theory was found.
Well posedness of balance laws with boundary

Consider the initial-boundary value problem for a Temple system of balance laws. Aim of this paper is to prove the well posedness of this problem for large times and without requiring the total variation of the initial data be small.
A Hybrid Particle-Cell Model for Nanoparticle Targeted Delivery in Microcirculation

Multifunctional nanomedicine holds considerable promise as the next generation of medicine that allows for targeted therapy with minimal toxicity. Most current theoretical studies considered nanoparticle (NP) suspensions in a Newtonian fluid without blood cells [1–3]. However, blood is a complex biological fluid composed of deformable cells, proteins, platelets, and plasma. For blood flow in capillary, arterioles and venules, the particulate nature of the blood need to be considered in the delivery process. Non-Newtonian effects such as the cell-free-layer and nanoparticle-cell interaction will largely influence both the dispersion and binding rates, thus impact targeted delivery efficacy. In this paper, a particle-cell hybrid model is developed to model NP transport, dispersion, and adhesion dynamics in blood suspension. The motion and deformation of red blood cell is captured through Immersed Finite Element method. The motions and adhesion of individual NPs are tracked through Brownian adhesion dynamics. A mapping and interaction potential function is introduced to consider the cell-particle collision. NP dispersion and binding coefficients are derived from the developed model under various rheology conditions. The influence of vascular flow rate, diameter, and particle size on NP distribution and delivery efficacy is characterized.© 2011 ASME
Fast, accurate semiempirical molecular orbital calculations for macromolecules

A detailed review of the semiempirical divide-and-conquer (D&C) method is given, including a new approach to subsetting, which involves dual buffer regions. Comparisons are drawn between this method and other semiempirical macromolecular schemes. D&C calculations are carried out using a basic 32 Mbyte memory workstation on a variety of peptide systems, including proteins containing up to 1960 atoms. Aspects of storage and SCF convergence are addressed, and parallelization of the D&C algorithm is discussed.
Autonomous robotic system for high-efficiency non-destructive bridge deck inspection and evaluation

Bridges are one of the critical civil infrastructure for safety of traveling public. The conditions of bridges deteriorate with time as a result of material aging, excessive loading, and inadequate maintenance, etc. In this paper, the development of an autonomous robotic system is presented for highly-efficient bridge deck inspection and evaluation. An autonomous mobile robot is used as a platform to carry various non-destructive evaluation (NDE) sensing systems for simultaneous and fast data collection. Besides the NDE sensors, the robot is also equipped with various onboard navigation sensors. A sensing integration scheme is presented for high-accuracy robot localization and navigation. The effectiveness of the autonomous robotic NDE system is demonstrated through extensive experiments and field deployments.
Quantum tunneling of vortices in Bi-2212 with randomly oriented columnar defects

Abstract Vortex pinning in textured Bi-2212/Ag superconducting tapes was enhanced by randomly oriented columnar defects, formed by GeV proton-induced fission of Bi-nuclei. Studies of J versus time in the range 2–40 K shows that thermally activated current decay decreased greatly. However, temperature-independent quantum tunneling of vortices considerably limits J and its temporal stability for a significant fraction of the finite- J c region.
On Motion Switchability in a Two Degree of Freedom, Friction-Induced Oscillator Traveling on Constant Speed Belts

In this paper, all possible stick and non-stick motions in such a friction-induced oscillator are discussed and the corresponding analytical conditions for the stick and non-stick motions to the traveling belts are presented. The mapping structures are introduced and the periodic motions of the two oscillators are presented through the corresponding mapping structure. Velocity and force responses for stick and non-stick, periodic motions in the 2-DOF friction-induced system are illustrated for a better understanding of the motion complexity in such many degrees of freedom systems.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Exosomes released from macrophages infected with intracellular pathogens stimulate a proinflammatory response in vitro and in vivo

Intracellular pathogens and the molecules they express have limited contact with the immune system. Here, we show that macrophages infected with intracellular pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis, M bovis BCG, Salmonella typhimurium, or Toxoplasma gondii release from cells small vesicles known as exosomes which contain pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs). These exosomes, when exposed to uninfected macrophages, stimulate a proinflammatory response in a Toll-like receptor– and myeloid differentiation factor 88–dependent manner. Further, exosomes isolated from the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of M bovis BCG–infected mice contain the mycobacteria components lipoarabinomannan and the 19-kDa lipoprotein and can stimulate TNF-α production in naive macrophages. Moreover, exosomes isolated from M bovis BCG– and M tuberculosis–infected macrophages, when injected intranasally into mice, stimulate TNF-α and IL-12 production as well as neutrophil and macrophage recruitment in the lung. These studies identify a previously unknown function for exosomes in promoting intercellular communication during an immune response to intracellular pathogens, and we hypothesize that extracellular release of exosomes containing PAMPs is an important mechanism of immune surveillance.
Environmental research, policy and regulation : the Chesapeake bay experience

Abstract Current efforts to manage the environmental impacts of human activities tend to focus on symptoms of environmental stress rather than on underlying causes. Given the need to “act now”, a distinction must be made between short-term, tactical responses to indicators of stress and long-term, strategic solutions based on a theoretically sound understanding of ecosystems and the role of the human species in ecosystems. The formulation of environmental policy and management plans for coastal seas must be based on information generated by environmental research that is independent of government agencies responsible for policy and management and special interest groups that have environmental agendas. Using Chesapeake Bay as an example, we discuss (1) the relevance of independent research to coastal seas' governance and (2) the importance of clearly defined roles and relationships among research institutions and government agencies.