cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evolutionary Economics: At the Crossroads of Biology and Physics

Abstract For almost a century, evolutionary economics has been based to a significant extent on analogies derived from biology. At the same time, the discipline suffered from lack of analytical rigor. Recently, advances in thermodynamics and information theory have provided a new foundation for evolutionary studies in biology and economics alike. As a result, the body of studies in evolutionary economics that imports concepts from thermodynamics and information theory to develop new analogies is growing. This paper surveys recent trends in evolutionary economics at the crossroads of biology and physics, and argues to supplant analogies derived from either of the two disciplines. Albeit powerful means to crystallize thought about evolutionary processes in economic systems, analogies from biology have tended to plaster over the many differences between biological and economic processes that are essential to economic systems. Similarly, thermodynamics and information theory cannot provide a non-anthropocentric evaluation of economic processes. Yet, the concepts and measures available from physics can be used to improve our understanding of economic evolution if properly placed into the context of socioeconomic processes. The article delineates the realm for non-analogy-based applications of concepts from physics for the assessment of economic processes in light of discontinuities and emergent complexities.
Requiem for a Heavyweight The Demise of Creatine Kinase-MB

The development of rapid, automated, and accurate laboratory testing for creatine kinase MB (CK-MB) revolutionized the treatment of patients with acute cardiac events in the 1970s and 1980s.1 To clinicians, CK-MB values augmented a thorough history, physical, and ECG findings, and elevations rapidly became the gold standard for identifying cardiac injury.1 CK-MB allowed earlier diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and detection of reinfarction, and measurements could be used to provide a facile clinical estimate of infarct size. Elevations of CK-MB were never intended to be synonymous with myocardial infarction, only indicative of cardiac injury.1 However, because of the relative insensitivity of measurements, increased concentrations occurred predominantly with larger insults such those associated with acute ischemic heart disease. For that reason, AMI was rarely diagnosed, assuming appropriate timing of the samples, in the absence of a CK-MB elevation.2,3 CK-MB assays initially relied on the measurement of enzyme activity, but over time, improved accuracy and ease of use were established by the use of mass assays. Mass assays allowed earlier detection of abnormal values and improved both clinical sensitivity and specificity. However, mass assays unmasked an increased frequency of CK-MB elevations due primarily to skeletal muscle injury because of their increased sensitivity.4–6 Clinical use of the percent relative index was then initiated. This approach improved the specificity of elevations for cardiac muscle injury but was insensitive when concurrent cardiac injury and skeletal muscle injury were present because elevations from skeletal muscle often are of a large magnitude.7–10 A large number of analytical confounds such as macrokinases and interfering substances also were substantial problems with these assays.10,11 Attempts to standardize assays12 have been partially successful, but differences still exist between manufacturers and even between the same testing antibodies used on different analytical platforms (ie, …
Textile Production and Gender in the Sokoto Caliphate

Men and women, trained in the occupations of spinner, weaver, dyer, tailor and embroiderer, manufactured the renowned textile products of the Sokoto Caliphate, a nineteenth-century state in the central Sudan region of West Africa. The numerical distributions of men and women within these occupations were uneven, but not in accordance with the pattern described most frequently in the literature. Offered here is another, more detailed view of textile production. Women were not simply spinners but were also weavers and dyers. Uneven, too, were the geographical distributions of men and women workers. Men skilled in textile manufacturing were widely disseminated throughout the caliphate, as were women spinners; women skilled at weaving and dyeing, however, were concentrated mainly in the southern emirates of Nupe and Ilorin. Similarly, male entrepreneurs organized large-scale textile manufacturing enterprises in the north-central portion of the caliphate while enterprises created by women were located to the south.New sources, the textile products of the caliphate, along with other contemporary evidence, reveal that women's work was more varied, more prominent, more highly skilled and more organized than previously thought. Comparative analyses along gender lines show that men's work and women's work were similar in the degree of training required and the levels of skill achieved. Labor, especially skilled labor, was critical to textile production if the caliphate was to maintain its external markets. But there were substantial differences in the degree to which men and women could mobilize and organize labor. A variety of social and political factors in caliphate society combined to assist men and hinder women in the organization and management of textile manufacturing.
Work in progress - using the virtual world to improve our world

Our college is leveraging Second Life to develop and build sustainable problem solving communities to address pressing social problems through the collaborative efforts of college students, high school students, volunteers, staff members affiliated with the Food Bank Council of Michigan (FBCM), and Gleaners Incorporated. Our approach is to have engineering students build a Second Life island that provides a structure for collaborative problem solving activities. Second Life serves as a vehicle to build a stronger community among food bank network members, to help conceptualize parameters of their problems, develop virtual solutions collaboratively, test these solutions, and then implement these solutions in the real world. Three projects were created in Second Life. Initial student survey data indicates satisfaction with the service learning experience.
Chronic fungal sinusitis leading to disastrous cerebral aspergillosis: a case report

Cerebral angioinvasion is a fatal complication of disseminated aspergillosis and has been rarely described in diabetic population in the absence of ketoacidosis. We present a case of invasive fungal sinusitis in a 79 year old diabetic man who presented with chronic frontal headaches. Despite appropriate medical and surgical treatment, the disease progressed and the patient eventually succumbed to a fatal ruptured mycotic aneurysm. We emphasize that clinicians should consider this in the differential diagnoses of all diabetics who present with chronic sinusitis, as early diagnosis could be the key in the successful treatment.
Comparative Study at Stockholm

If historians, as some non-historians imagine, were occupied only with the detail of national past politics, they would have nothing to say to each other at an international conference. Yet leading historians have labored to create a permanent organization, the International Congress of Historical Sciences, which now holds regular quinquennial meetings with increasingly worldwide representation. At least twenty countries besides all European countries and the Soviet Union were represented at its eleventh meeting, held at Stockholm in August 1960.
The Hijacking of Cellular Signaling and the Diabetes Epidemic: Mechanisms of Environmental Disruption of Insulin Action and Glucose Homeostasis

The burgeoning epidemic of metabolic disease causes significant societal and individual morbidity and threatens the stability of health care systems around the globe. Efforts to understand the factors that contribute to metabolic derangements are critical for reversing these troubling trends. While excess caloric consumption and physical inactivity superimposed on a susceptible genetic background are central drivers of this crisis, these factors alone fail to fully account for the magnitude and rapidity with which metabolic diseases have increased in prevalence worldwide. Recent epidemiological evidence implicates endocrine disrupting chemicals in the pathogenesis of metabolic diseases. These compounds represent a diverse array of chemicals to which humans are exposed via multiple routes in adulthood and during development. Furthermore, a growing ensemble of animal- and cell-based studies provides preclinical evidence supporting the hypothesis that environmental contaminants contribute to the development of metabolic diseases, including diabetes. Herein are reviewed studies linking specific endocrine disruptors to impairments in glucose homeostasis as well as tying these compounds to disturbances in insulin secretion and impairments in insulin signal transduction. While the data remains somewhat incomplete, the current body of evidence supports the hypothesis that our chemically polluted environment may play a contributing role in the current metabolic crisis.
Is Rugged Individualism the Whole Story? Public and Private Accounts of a Firm's Founding:

This article compares public and private accounts of the creation of a retail sales business. The two sets of accounts are examined from the perspectives of literature on entrepreneurial activity and literature on family systems theory. The two theoretical perspectives explain the salience of different facts regarding the founding of the business. The article also questions the legitimacy of privileging certain types of accounts of business foundings over other types.
Environmental Justice: A Framework for Collaboration Between the Public Health and Parks and Recreation Fields to Study Disparities in Physical Activity

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of physical activity (PA) for good health, not all populations have equal access to PA facilities and resources. This disparity is an environmental justice (EJ) issue because of the negative impact on the health of low-income and racial/ethnic minorities. METHODS: This paper reviews the first wave of the EJ movement, presents the second wave of the EJ movement, discusses the implications of adopting principles from the EJ movement to focus on research in parks and recreation services (PRS), and recommends future research directions. RESULTS: Studies on EJ have documented the disproportionate burden of environmental challenges experienced by low-income and racial/ethnic minorities. With regard to PA, these communities face inadequate access to, quality of, financing for, and public involvement in recreation opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: EJ is a useful framework to facilitate collaborative research between public health and PRS to study racial/ethnic and socioeconomic disparities in PA. Language: en
Coupled Assimilation of Geostationary Satellite Sounder Data into a Mesoscale Model Using the Bratseth Analysis Approach

Abstract A satellite–model coupled procedure for assimilating geostationary satellite sounder data was adapted to a mesoscale analysis and forecast system jointly developed by the Naval Research Laboratory and the Air Force Research Laboratory. The coupled procedure involves the use of the model output fields as the first guess for the thermodynamic retrievals. Atmospheric thermodynamic profiles and ground temperatures were retrieved from observed radiances of the VISSR Atmospheric Sounder (VAS) on board the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite. The successive corrections objective analysis scheme in the mesoscale analysis and forecast system was modified to consider the horizontal spatial correlation of the satellite data. The procedure was tested using a wintertime case from the 1986 Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment project. The retrievals generated by the coupled method were modestly improved relative to independent stand-alone retrievals. Coupled analyses and forecasts of temperature a...
Uterine blood flow in women at term.

Abstract The Fick principle with nitrous oxide as the test material was used to estimate uterine blood flow (UBF) and metabolism in human term pregnancies at cesarean section under general anesthesia. Mean values found were 461 ml. per minute for UBF and 17.7 ml. of O 1 per minute for oxygen consumption of the uterus and its contents. Expressed in terms of the metabolizing tissue supplied, the values were 110 ml. per minute per kilogram for UBF and 4.2 ml. of O 1 per minute per kilogram for oxygen consumption. The results of previous investigators were confirmed and additional refinements of previous techniques were described.
Abstract 2337: Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC) Signal Maturation: Rates Of ADC Decline Depend On Severity Of Perfusion Deficit During Hyperacute Ischemic Stroke

Background: While it is known that a reduction of blood flow leads to a decrease in apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC), how ADC evolves as a function of time from ischemia onset is unclear. We evaluated ADC signal change in brain tissue with temporally stable hypoperfusion, examining the relationship between severity of hypoperfusion and the rate of ADC decline during acute ischemia. Methods: Ischemic stroke patients were sequentially imaged with diffusion-perfusion weighted imaging at 4sec + the contralateral median MTT. In tissue with stable hypoperfusion on tp1 and tp2, ADC regions of interest (ROIs) with normal or moderate reduction on tp1 were evaluated. To avoid capturing tp1 ADC voxels that had already maximally declined (floor effect, -5 mm 2 /s), ADC values 18 (ROI6) seconds. Paired t-tests compared tp1 and tp2 ROIs for each patient. Infarct probability based on tp3 FLAIR was computed for each ROI. Results: 43 patients were imaged at 2.9 (tp1) and 6.4 hrs (tp2) after stroke onset, of which 37 returned for 1 month FLAIR. The 6 ROIs with increasing MTT severity were found in 41, 27, 19, 12, 6, and 10 patients for ROI’s 1-6, respectively. ADC values for all ROIs were similar at tp1 (near normal), despite different tp1 MTT. For ROI1-3, ADC values did not decline between tp1 and tp2 or decreased mildly (ROI3, P=0.079). For severe hypoperfusion, ADC decreased significantly: ROI4 (p=0.006), ROI5 (P=0.038), and ROI6 (P=0.0001). Using linear regression to approximate the ADC decline, the slopes were significantly different from zero with ADC decay rates of -1.87×10 -5 mm 2 /s/hr (R=0.58), -2.86×10 -5 mm 2 /s/hr (R=0.65) and -4.51×10 -5 mm 2 /s /hr (R=0.82) for ROI4-6, respectively (Figure). The median infarct probabilities for the 6 ROI’s increased with increasing MTT severity: 16%, 53%, 57%, 87%, 100%, and 90% for ROI1-6, respectively. Conclusions: ADC remained normal after ischemic stroke in regions with stable, moderate hypoperfusion. In contrast, with stable, severe hypoperfusion (MTT>12s), ADC decreased from 3-6 hours and the rate of decline was highly dependent on the degree of hypoperfusion.
Comparative study of vitamin B12 assay in urine.

SummaryThe response of Ochromonas malhamensis, Euglena gracilis, and Lactobacillus leichmannii to vit. B12 in normal urine and in urine of patients, given an intramuscular dose of 50 μg of vit. B12...
Facile solution synthesis of α-FeF3·3H2O nanowires and their conversion to α-Fe2O3 nanowires for photoelectrochemical application.

We report for the first time the facile solution growth of α-FeF(3)·3H(2)O nanowires (NWs) in large quantity at a low supersaturation level and their scalable conversion to porous semiconducting α-Fe(2)O(3) (hematite) NWs of high aspect ratio via a simple thermal treatment in air. The structural characterization by transmission electron microscopy shows that thin α-FeF(3)·3H(2)O NWs (typically 100 nm in diameter) become polycrystalline porous α-Fe(2)O(3) NWs. We further demonstrated the photoelectrochemical (PEC) application of the nanostructured photoelectrodes prepared from these converted hematite NWs. The optimized photoelectrode with a ~400 nm thick hematite NW film yielded a photocurrent density of 0.54 mA/cm(2) at 1.23 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode potential after modification with cobalt catalyst under standard conditions (AM 1.5 G, 100 mW/cm(2), pH = 13.6, 1 M NaOH). The low cost, large quantity, and high aspect ratio of the converted hematite NWs, together with the resulting simpler photoelectrode preparation, can be of great benefit for hematite-based PEC water splitting. Furthermore, the ease and scalability of the conversion from hydrated fluoride NWs to oxide NWs suggest a potentially versatile and low-cost strategy to make NWs of other useful iron-based compounds that may enable their large-scale renewable energy applications.
Preference and Demand Characteristics of Reinforcement: Practical Extensions

Positive reinforcement is a common component of many response acquisition and reduction programs. Given the ubiquity of this process, it is critical to identify stimuli that will function as effective positive reinforcers. This issue is particularly vexing for individuals who have limited communicative skills, as is the case for many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). To address this problem, previous research has identified a range of preference identification methods. A review of these methods is provided in the first part of this chapter. The remainder of this chapter addresses variables that might influence the efficacy of positive reinforcement-based procedures, with a particular emphasis placed on the methods and analytic methods that are common to a subfield of behavior analysis—behavioral economics. In this conceptual framework, responding is viewed as an interaction between several variables, such as the price of the reinforcer, demand for a particular reinforcer, and the magnitude of reinforcement. Clinical examples of these concepts are discussed in reference to how they might impact responding in reinforcement-based programs for individuals with ASD.
Immuno-allergy of childhood. I.

This two part paper is a selective review of developments of greatest significance to practicing physicians. Among the topics considered in part 1 are the immunologic mechanisms of the common atopic allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, infantile eczema), the immunoglobulins of human serum and their concentrations in infancy, and two significant immunohematologic developments: intra-uterine transfusion in hemolytic disease and suppression of immune response by 6-mercaptopurine.
Hip Hop Stroke: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial to AddressStroke Literacy

Objective: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term adult disability in the US. Acute stroke treatments with intravenous thrombolysis and endovascular therapy are proven to reduce disability, however a critical limitation on their effectiveness is the narrow time window for administration, which is 4.5 hours and 6 hours respectively from the onset of symptoms. Our overarching goal is to reduce pre-hospital delays to acute stroke treatments in economically disadvantaged minority communities where the greatest delays exist, using hip hop stroke. Methods: Hip hop stroke (HHS) is a school-based, child-mediated, culturally-tailored stroke communication multimedia intervention developed using validated models of behavior change and designed to improve stroke literacy (knowledge of stroke symptoms, the urgent need to call 911, and prevention measures) of 4th, 5th and 6th grade students and their parents residing in poor urban communities. Children in the intervention arm will receive the HHS intervention, while those in the attentional control arm will receive standardized nutrition education based on the USDA's MyPyramid program. Children will be trained and motivated to share stroke information with their parents or other adult caregiver. Both children and parents will complete a stroke knowledge assessment at baseline, immediately following the program, and at 3-months post-program. The primary outcome is the effect of the child mediation on parental stroke literacy. Conclusion: Stroke literate children, a captive audience in school systems, may represent a viable channel for spreading stroke information into households of poor urban communities where mass media stroke campaigns have shown the lowest penetration. These children may also call 911 when witnessing a stroke in their homes or communities. The HHS program may highlight the potential role of children in the chain of stroke recovery as a strategy for reducing prehospital delays to acute stroke treatment.
Jump Variation Estimation with Noisy High Frequency Financial Data via Wavelets

This paper develops a method to improve the estimation of jump variation using high frequency data with the existence of market microstructure noises. Accurate estimation of jump variation is in high demand, as it is an important component of volatility in finance for portfolio allocation, derivative pricing and risk management. The method has a two-step procedure with detection and estimation. In Step 1, we detect the jump locations by performing wavelet transformation on the observed noisy price processes. Since wavelet coefficients are significantly larger at the jump locations than the others, we calibrate the wavelet coefficients through a threshold and declare jump points if the absolute wavelet coefficients exceed the threshold. In Step 2 we estimate the jump variation by averaging noisy price processes at each side of a declared jump point and then taking the difference between the two averages of the jump point. Specifically, for each jump location detected in Step 1, we get two averages from the observed noisy price processes, one before the detected jump location and one after it, and then take their difference to estimate the jump variation. Theoretically, we show that the two-step procedure based on average realized volatility processes can achieve a convergence rate close to O P ( n − 4 / 9 ) , which is better than the convergence rate O P ( n − 1 / 4 ) for the procedure based on the original noisy process, where n is the sample size. Numerically, the method based on average realized volatility processes indeed performs better than that based on the price processes. Empirically, we study the distribution of jump variation using Dow Jones Industrial Average stocks and compare the results using the original price process and the average realized volatility processes.
Firm Financing in Chile After the 2014-2015 Tax Reform: Debt of Equity?

This paper analyzes the effects of the 2014-2015 Chilean tax reform on firms’ valuation and incentives to retain earnings and finance their operations with equity versus debt. By analyzing the effects of the reform on total taxes paid and cash flows received by investors, the paper concludes that in general the reform reduces the value of firms and lessens the incentives to retain earnings. Also, simulations show that the majority of firms would choose the accrual or ‘attributed’ tax based system. However, if the latter is not permitted firms will choose debt over equity. The cash-based or semi-integrated system becomes the preferred option only when tax avoidance is possible.
A Sensor-based Method for Diagnostics of Geometric Performance of Machine Tool Linear Axes☆

Abstract A linear axis is a vital subsystem of machine tools, and when installed and operating within a manufacturing facility, a machine tool needs to stay in good condition for parts production. All machine tools degrade during operations, yet knowledge of that degradation is elusive; accurate detection of linear axis degradation is a manual and time-consuming process. Thus, manufacturers need automated and efficient methods to diagnose the condition of their machine tool linear axes without disruptions to production. Towards this end, a sensor-based method was developed to quickly estimate the performance degradation of linear axes. The multi-sensor-based method uses data from inclinometers, accelerometers, and rate gyroscopes to identify changes in linear and angular errors due to axis degradation. A linear axis testbed, developed for verification and validation of the sensor-based method, contains a linear axis and a reference laser-based system for measurement of the axis geometric performance. Comparison of the sensor-based results and the laser-based results shows that the sensor-based method is capable of detecting micrometer-level and microradian-level degradation of linear axes. Consequently, if a sensor box resides on a machine tool, then the degradation of the linear axes can be periodically measured and used to help optimize maintenance.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Support for Medication Therapy Management (Enhanced Medication Therapy Management): Testing Strategies for Improving Medication Use Among Beneficiaries Enrolled in Medicare Part D

In 2006, Medicare beneficiaries began receiving prescription coverage benefits through Part D of the Medicare benefit. Medicare Part D plans must provide medication therapy (MTM) services. MTM services aim to improve medication use and are targeted toward eligible beneficiaries, determined by morbidity, prescription use, and anticipated cost of prescription use. Now, 10 years after the start of Medicare Part D, several changes have been made to the program's design. This article focuses on changes related to MTM and the impact that these changes have and will continue to have on Medicare beneficiaries and medication use.
Thalidomide in Combination with Rituximab Is Active in Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia and May Overcome Poor Response Determinants Associated with Rituximab Monotherapy.

Abstract INTRODUCTION: Rituximab is active in Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia (WM), producing major (CR + PR) response rates of 40–50% using an extended dose schedule. Lower response rates though are observed among patients with the FcgRIIIA-158 F/F polymorphism (JCO 23:474) and higher serum IgM levels (>6,000 mg/dL) (Ann Oncol 16:132). Thalidomide enhances rituximab mediated ADCC killing of lymphoplasmacytic cells and produces response rates of 25% in WM. As such, we conducted this phase II study using combination thalidomide and rituximab in patients naive to either agent. METHODS: Intended therapy was as follows: Weeks 1–52 Thalidomide (200 mg po qHS for 2 weeks, then 400 mg po qHS);Weeks 2–5, 13–16 Rituximab (375 mg/m2/week). Twenty-five patients were enrolled, 20 of who were previously untreated, with a baseline median age of 62 (range 44–86 yrs), BM involvement of 40 (range 5–90%), serum IgM of 3670 (range 924–8610 mg/dL), B2M of 2.6 (range 1.4–7.8 mg/L), Hct of 33.0 (range 24.5–37.7%). RESULTS: Grade 3/4 toxicities to thalidomide included paresthesia (n=10); somnolence (n=8); rash (n=7); neuropathic pain (n=6); confusion (n=4); tremors (n=2); and bradycardia (n=2). Dose reduction occurred in all patients and led to premature discontinuation in 11 patients. All evaluable patients received the intended rituximab therapy. Paradoxical IgM spikes following rituximab occurred during both courses of therapy and were observed in 12 patients. Two patients succumbed, unrelated to therapy, and were unevaluable. Responses were as follows: CR (n=1); PR (n=15); MR (n=2); SD (n=1) for an overall and a major response rate of 78% and 70%, respectively, among evaluable patients. Four patients had no response to therapy. With a median follow-up of 19 months, 6 patients have progressed. The median duration of response was 19.6+ months (range 7 to 26+ months) Overall response was associated with median cumulative dosed thalidomide: CR/PR/MR (29,275 mg) vs. SD/NR (7,400 mg); p=0.004. Importantly, overall responses were unaffected by FcgRIIIA-158 polymorphism status (75% vs. 71% for VV/FV vs. FF); serum IgM (83% vs. 80% for 6,000 mg/dL); and B2M levels (86% vs. 78% for CONCLUSION: These studies demonstrate that thalidomide in combination with rituximab is highly active in WM, though additional studies are warranted to determine the ideal dose and schedule for thalidomide in view of toxicities. Moreover, thalidomide in combination with rituximab may overcome unfavorable prognostic determinants previously reported with rituximab monotherapy in WM.
The Stifling of Edna O’Brien in the People’s Republic of Poland

Edna O’Brien’s career in Ireland has been controversial and stormy, while she remains largely unknown in Poland, despite two novels and a collection of short stories being translated and running to several editions. This article compares The Country Girls, The Girl With Green Eyes and A Scandalous Woman with their Polish translations to see what influence the censor and the translator had on the course of O’Brien’s career in Poland. The nature of the changes that her books underwent on their passage from English to Polish is examined and conclusions drawn about the social mores of Poland at that time and the chilling effects of censorship. The article raises questions about the operation of censorship, self-censorship and strong domesticating tendencies visible in the translation strategy.
Analysis of Barn Owl (Tyto alba) Diet at CSU Channel Islands and Their Potential to Control Rodents Within an Integrated Pest Management Program

We analyzed the barn owl (Tyto alba) diet on the campus of California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) and explored the potential use of Tyto for the control of rodents. Owl-based Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an alternative method to the wide-spread application of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR). Anticoagulants poisons work by reducing the ability of rodents to produce Vitamin K, a crucial enzyme that allows blood to clot and prevent the uncontrollable loss of blood. SAGAR have a high potential to kill non-target wildlife. We posit a more sustainable approach to rodent control at CSUCI would be to increase Tyto populations and therefore the corresponding predation pressure upon local rodents, ultimately reducing the numbers of potentially nuisance rodents and need for SGAR.
Pu-239/Pu-240 isotope ratios determined using high resolution emission spectroscopy in a laser-induced plasma

Abstract Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been applied for the determination of plutonium isotope ratios through direct observation of atomic emission from laser-induced plasmas at high resolution. The Pu-239/Pu-240 isotope shift of −0.355 cm −1 from the plutonium atomic line at 594.52202 nm (Blaise et al., The Atomic Spectrum of Plutonium , Argonne National Laboratory Report ANL-83-95, 1984) is clearly resolved in our plasma conditions. Atomic emission is dispersed through a 2-m spectrometer in double pass mode and collected on an electronically gated, intensified charge-coupled device (ICCD) camera. The integrated peak areas obtained from curve-fitting closely match the Pu-239/Pu-240 isotopic ratios obtained from standard methods of thermal ionization mass spectrometry and gamma spectrometry. The observed plutonium linewidths were 0.19 cm −1 (0.0067 nm). These linewidths are within the experimental error of the ideal instrument-limited linewidth, which is calculated to be 0.15 cm −1 (0.0052 nm) based upon the known modulation transfer function for the ICCD system. This linewidth should allow LIBS to be applicable for isotopic ratio measurements for all of the light actinides.
The stuff of bits: exploring the materialities of information in interaction

Much of the language of computation is based on the idea that virtual experiences are, by definition, immaterial. On the other hand, in the context of mobile and ubiquitous computing, we have been reminded of the importance of the physical world, and many in HCI over the last decade have been intrigued by the possibilities of new interactive materials. In this talk, I will explore the range of ways that we might want to grapple with the materiality of information --- not just of information infrastructures, or of information-rich objects, but of digital information itself and particularly information representations. I will draw on research from anthropology, philosophy, and science studies to demonstrate how we might incorporate a sense of the material more deeply into the ways that we think about interaction with digital information.
Improvements to Bayesian Gene Activity State Estimation from Genome-Wide Transcriptomics Data

An important question in many biological applications, is to estimate or classify gene activity states (active or inactive) based on genome-wide transcriptomics data. Recently, we proposed a Bayesian method, titled MultiMM, which showed superior results compared to existing methods. In short, MultiMM performed better than existing methods on both simulated and real gene expression data, confirming well-known biological results and yielding better agreement with fluxomics data. Despite these promising results, MultiMM has numerous limitations. First, MultiMM leverages co-regulatory models to improve activity state estimates, but information about co-regulation is incorporated in a manner that assumes that networks are known with certainty. Second, MultiMM assumes that genes that change states in the dataset can be distinguished with certainty from those that remain in one state. Third, the model can be sensitive to extreme measures (outliers) of gene expression. In this manuscript, we propose a modified Bayesian approach, which addresses these three limitations by improving outlier handling and by explicitly modeling network and other uncertainty yielding improved gene activity state estimates when compared to MultiMM.
Temozolomide lymphodepletion enhances CAR abundance and correlates with antitumor efficacy against established glioblastoma

Adoptive transfer of T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) is an effective immunotherapy for B-cell malignancies but has failed in some solid tumors clinically. Intracerebral tumors may pose challenges that are even more significant. In order to devise a treatment strategy for patients with glioblastoma (GBM), we evaluated CARs as a monotherapy in a murine model of GBM. CARs exhibited poor expansion and survival in circulation and failed to treat syngeneic and orthotopic gliomas. We hypothesized that CAR engraftment would benefit from host lymphodepletion prior to immunotherapy and that this might be achievable by using temozolomide (TMZ), which is standard treatment for these patients and has lymphopenia as its major side effect. We modelled standard of care temozolomide (TMZSD) and dose-intensified TMZ (TMZDI) in our murine model. Both regimens are clinically approved and provide similar efficacy. Only TMZDI pretreatment prompted dramatic CAR proliferation and enhanced persistence in circulation compared to treatment with CARs alone or TMZSD + CARs. Bioluminescent imaging revealed that TMZDI + CARs induced complete regression of 21-day established brain tumors, which correlated with CAR abundance in circulation. Accordingly, TMZDI + CARs significantly prolonged survival and led to long-term survivors. These findings are highly consequential, as it suggests that GBM patients may require TMZDI as first line chemotherapy prior to systemic CAR infusion to promote CAR engraftment and antitumor efficacy. On this basis, we have initiated a phase I trial in patients with newly diagnosed GBM incorporating TMZDI as a preconditioning regimen prior to CAR immunotherapy (NCT02664363).
The Role of Resting Electrocardiogram in Screening for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Diseases in High-Risk Groups

We sought to determine whether a role existed for the screening of certain populations with electrocardiogram (ECG) to improve risk stratification and facilitate risk reduction for primary prevention. Current screening guidelines do not recommend ECG screening for the general population. While current guidelines, based on the available evidence, do not recommend ECG screening for the general population, in this report, we show that certain groups such as the elderly, those with hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, may benefit from screening as a cost-effective means for identifying those at risk for future cardiovascular disease events. However, future studies are needed to standardize ECG markers and further qualify the screening value in these populations.
Reliable transmission of stream transported media in wireless real time communications

The Real Time Protocol (RTP) provides a well established mechanism for media transmission that typically relies on the packetization on top of the User Datagram Protocol. One serious problem of datagram based traffic, however, is that highly restrictive firewalls prevent their traversal making Real Time Communication not possible. The alternative of transporting RTP on top of the Transport Control Protocol , while reliable, it is not effective as ever-present network packet loss introduces latency that degrades media quality and negatively affects user experience. In this paper, a scheme that relies on multiplexing media frames over multiple streams is proposed. This mechanism is analyzed through a novel analytical model that links application and network packet loss in the context of wireless multiple stream transport. The model is later validated by means of an experimental framework that relying on state of the art speech codecs and quality metrics quantifies its advantages.
Response of Labor Productivity and Employment to Changes in Overtime Hours in US Manufacturing from 1982 to 2004

The intensity of use of overtime hours has risen markedly since the early 1990s. Recent research suggests that there has been a structural break in manufacturing productivity beginning in the 1990s in the US. This paper investigates how a given increase or decrease in hours - measured here as average weekly hours of overtime work - affects the subsequent adjustment of output, productivity and employment in the manufacturing sector. Impulse responses are constructed using parameter estimates obtained from vector auto regression (VAR) models consisting of hours, employment, output and wages in the manufacturing industries over the period 1982-2004. The period is subdivided into two periods, prior to and after a structural break identified in 1995. Impulse responses are used to contrast the relative size of productivity, output and employment adjustments to a given shock in average weekly overtime hours. Findings indicate that in recent years, a given increase in overtime hours suppresses average labor productivity for a more sustained period of months than it had in the past, at least for the non-durables sector of manufacturing. In addition, increases in overtime hours lead to somewhat smaller increases in employment than observed prior to 1995, somewhat in non-durables manufacturing but more so in durables, where evidence of a jobless recovery is more apparent. Thus, the more jobless the recovery the smaller is the negative impact on labor productivity. Implications are derived for future research regarding the jobless recovery, the pro-cyclicality and secular trend of productivity and the long-term escalation of average weekly overtime hours.
Bond valences and anharmonicity in vacancy-ordered double perovskite halides

Anharmonic lattice dynamics are intimately linked with optical and electronic properties in perovskite halide semiconductors. Vacancy-ordered double perovskites are a subset of the perovskite halide family containing isolated octahedral units. The absence of polyhedral connectivity engenders the vacancy-ordered double perovskites with additional degrees of dynamic freedom, which presents an ideal structural framework to study dynamic–property relationships in perovskite halide semiconductors. In the present study, we examine the structure and bonding origins of anharmonicity in the vacancy-ordered double perovskites Cs2Sn1−xTexI6. While X-ray diffraction indicates that all members adopt the cubic vacancy-ordered double perovskite structure, the local coordination environment probed by X-ray pair distribution function (XPDF) analysis reveals asymmetry of the Cs–I/I–I pair correlation that smoothly decreases with increasing tellurium content. Temperature-dependent neutron total scattering suggests that this asymmetry in the PDF occurs due to anharmonic lattice dynamics arising from octahedral tilting and Cs+ displacements, as supported by Reverse Monte Carlo simulations of the Cs2SnI6 and Cs2TeI6 end members. We further correlate the trends in asymmetry and anharmonicity with the bond valence sum of the Cs+ ion, and find that the anharmonicity vanishes when the bonding preferences of the Cs+ are satisfied by the size of the cuboctahedral void. This study presents a simple and effective approach for understanding the origin of anharmonicity in vacancy-ordered double perovskite materials.
Reduced interleukin 1A gene expression in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of individuals with PTSD and depression.

Abstract The inflammatory system has been implicated in the pathophysiology of a variety of psychiatric conditions. Individuals with PTSD, depression, and other fear- and anxiety-related disorders exhibit alterations in peripheral circulating inflammatory markers, suggesting dysregulation of the inflammatory system. The relationship between inflammation and PTSD has been investigated almost exclusively in the periphery, and has not been extensively explored in human postmortem brain tissue. Interleukins (ILs) represent a subtype of cytokines and are key signaling proteins in the immune and inflammatory systems. Based on prior research implicating IL signaling in PTSD and depression, we performed a preliminary investigation of IL gene expression in a region of the cortex involved in emotion regulation and PTSD, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), using tissue from the newly established VA National PTSD Brain Bank. Gene expression analyses were conducted on post-mortem tissue from the dlPFC from 50 donors: 13 controls, 12 PTSD cases, and 25 depressed cases. RNA was extracted from frozen dlPFC tissue, reverse transcribed to cDNA, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to assess gene expression of IL1A, IL1B, IL6, IL8, IL10, IL13, and IL15. We found a multiple-testing corrected significant decrease in IL1A expression in the dlPFC for PTSD and depression cases compared to controls (p
Challenging the View That Science is Value Free: A Book Review of "Is Science Value Free? Values and Scientific Understanding"

A book review of "Is Science Value Free? Values and Scientific Understanding", by Hugh Lacey.
Science and American Foreign Relations since World War II

The sciences played a critical role in American foreign policy after World War II. From atomic energy and satellites to the green revolution, scientific advances were central to American diplomacy in the early Cold War, as the United States leveraged its scientific and technical pre-eminence to secure alliances and markets. The growth of applied research in the 1970s, exemplified by the biotech industry, led the United States to promote global intellectual property rights. Priorities shifted with the collapse of the Soviet Union, as attention turned to information technology and environmental sciences. Today, international relations take place within a scientific and technical framework, whether in the headlines on global warming and the war on terror or in the fine print of intellectual property rights. Science and American Foreign Relations since World War II provides the historical background necessary to understand the contemporary geopolitics of science.
Enhancing the activity of oxygen-evolution and chlorine-evolution electrocatalysts by atomic layer deposition of TiO2.

We report that TiO2 coatings formed via atomic layer deposition (ALD) may tune the activity of IrO2, RuO2, and FTO for the oxygen-evolution and chlorine-evolution reactions (OER and CER). Electrocatalysts exposed to ∼3–30 ALD cycles of TiO2 exhibited overpotentials at 10 mA cm−2 of geometric current density that were several hundred millivolts lower than uncoated catalysts, with correspondingly higher specific activities. For example, the deposition of TiO2 onto IrO2 yielded a 9-fold increase in the OER-specific activity in 1.0 M H2SO4 (0.1 to 0.9 mA cmECSA−2 at 350 mV overpotential). The oxidation state of titanium and the potential of zero charge were also a function of the number of ALD cycles, indicating a correlation between oxidation state, potential of zero charge, and activity of the tuned electrocatalysts.
Radiation Therapy Workflow and Dosimetric Analysis from a Phase 1/2 Trial of Noninvasive Cardiac Radioablation for Ventricular Tachycardia.

Purpose A prospective phase 1/2 trial for electrophysiologic guided noninvasive cardiac radioablation treatment of ventricular tachycardia (ENCORE-VT) demonstrating efficacy for arrhythmia control has recently been reported. The treatment workflow, report dose-volume metrics, and overall process improvements are described here. Methods and Materials Patients receiving 25 Gy in a single fraction to the cardiac ventricular tachycardia substrate (identified on presimulation multimodality imaging) on the phase 1/2 trial were included for analysis. Planning target volume (PTV), R50, monitor unit ratio, and gradient measure values were compared over time using statistical process control. Outlier values in the dose-volume histogram (DVH) for PTV and organs at risk were identified by calculating inner fences based on the interquartile range. Median heart substructure doses are also reported. Results For the 16 trial patients included, the median target volumes for the gross “target” volumes, internal target volumes, and PTVs were 25.1 cm3 (minimum: 11.5 cm3, maximum: 54.9 cm3), 30.1 cm3 (17.7, 81.6), and 97.9 cm3 (66, 208.5), respectively. On statistical process control analysis, there was a significant decrease in PTV volume among the more recent cohort of cases and mean doses to the nontargeted heart (heart – PTV). Two patients had heart-minus-PTV, esophagus, and stomach DVH data significantly higher than inner fence, and 3 patients had spinal cord DVH data higher than the inner fence, but in all cases the deviations were clinically acceptable. Subjective decreases were seen in the R50, gradient measure, and treatment time from the first to last patient in this series. All plans were verified in phantom with ionization chamber measurements within 2.9% of the expected dose value. Conclusions Over the duration of this trial, PTV volumes to the cardiac substrate target decreased significantly, and organ-at-risk constraints were met for all cases. Future directions for this clinical process will include incorporating knowledge-based planning techniques and evaluating the need for substructure optimization.
Factors Shaping Religious and Cultural Identities in the Ihievbe Community

There is an essential continuity in the understanding of how a people view themselves, but it is not shaped by static factors that defy time. Instead, social interactions hinged on constantly evolving values, which are also shaped by the worldview of each epoch, help to define how a people collectively embrace a hermeneutic of identity. Ihievbe people face this same reality. Historical interactions with foreigners on the economic, social, political, and religious areas of life have led Ihievbe people to construct a broader approach to identity. With the introduction of Islam and Christianity to the town, the previous mono-religious identity embraced within the framework of Ihievbe Traditional Religion has given way to multiple religious identities. It should be noted that although Ihievbe, historically, had multiple shrines for worship within the context of Ihievbe Traditional Religion, Ihievbe people refer collectively to them as forming the religion of their land. Though the shrines have different rituals and rites, they are within the community’s collective religious worldview. Each of the deities venerated by the different villages and quarters is part of the total spiritual domain. Finally, this chapter sheds light on the history of interreligious encounters in the town.