cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Airway management at Level 1 trauma center in the era of video laryngoscopy.

Background Rapid sequence induction and tracheal intubation through direct laryngoscopy (DL) has been the most common approach to secure the airway in trauma patients. The introduction of video laryngoscopy (VL) has changed airway management in many clinical settings. In this retrospective study, we assessed if immediate availability of VL in the trauma suite has changed the approach and outcomes of airway management during acute resuscitation at a dedicated trauma center. Materials and methods We retrospectively collected data from emergency intubation in the 6 resuscitation bays at a high-volume, academic, Level 1 trauma center over a 42-month period following the introduction of immediately available VL in the resuscitation bay. We divided the data into 13-week bins to assess the trend in the use of VL over time. Our measured outcomes were the incidence of failed intubations requiring a surgical airway and the frequency of VL use for airway management. Results Among 1328 airway management events in the resuscitation bays when intubation was attempted, the failure rate resulting in the placement of a surgical airway was 0.38% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.12% -0.88%). This was consistent with the surgical airway rate before the introduction of VL into trauma practice (0.3%). VL use (primary or as a rescue technique) throughout the study period was 4.14% (95% CI, 2.76%-5.74%), with no temporal trend. Conclusion The immediate availability of VL in the resuscitation bay has not changed the prevalence of its use during emergency airway management at our trauma center. DL remains a preferred primary modality for airway management by the trauma anesthesiologists working at this facility, with an acceptably low incidence of both primary failure and the need to establish a surgical airway.
Graphene nanoribbons as flexible docks for chemiresistive sensing of gas phase explosives

Interpretation of chemiresistive sensor measurements is made difficult by the fact that similar conductance changes may be produced by different adsorbed species. This fundamental ambiguity may be addressed by formulating a new docking paradigm. Instead of decorating graphene with ligands whose structure is well suited to bind with a particular target molecule, a generic dock in the form of a flexible, semiconducting graphene nanoribbon (GNR) may be employed. If the deformed shape of the GNR is then varied, via mechanical actuation, a two dimensional signature (sensor current versus bias voltage and GNR deformation) of the target molecule may be obtained. Ab initio modeling results indicate that this signature may be used to distinguish explosives from background gases and to discriminate between chemically similar explosives.
Surgical Treatment for and Prognosis of Congenital Pulmonary Airway Malformation

Congenital pulmonary airway malformation (CPAM) is a congenital disease in which cystic lesions form within the pulmonary parenchyma, because the development of the airway or lung are partially interrupted in the fetal lung development. When considering the indications, timing, procedure, and other aspects of surgery for CPAM, it is imperative to appropriately understand the anatomical and pathophysiological differences between CPAM and other congenital cystic lung diseases (CCLD). The major anatomical characteristic of CPAM is that the cystic lesions are communicated with the normal airways. Since lesions seen in the fetuses with CPAM are generally larger compared with other CCLDs, neonates with CPAM tend to be associated with hydrops and pulmonary hypoplasia and often develop persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PPHN). Therefore, infants with CPAM have a high risk of severe postnatal respiratory impairment. Surgical treatment during the neonatal period is necessary for the infants with CPAM who reveal any respiratory symptoms after birth. Surgery should be considered even in the asymptomatic cases of CPAM after birth in order to prevent respiratory infection. If all cystic lesions of the CPAM are not treated, the residual cysts could act as a nidus for postoperative infection. Therefore, all affected lesions must be completely resected if the affected lesions are limited in a single lobe. although the affected lesions should be resected as much as possible even in a case of multiple lobes are involved, resection of multiple lobes including total pneumonectomy in a single procedure should be avoided in order to preserve pulmonary functions of the residual lungs.
Endoscopic Spring-Mediated Distraction for Unilambdoid Craniosynostosis.

Background Craniosynostosis treatment modalities have changed over time. These have included open calvarial remodeling, suturectomy with helmet molding, hand-powered distraction devices, and spring-mediated distraction. Implantable springs were first described for their use in treatment of craniosynostosis in 1998 (Lauritzen et al, Plast Reconstr Surg 121;2008:545-554). They have been used for the correction of craniosynostosis involving single and multiple sutures and have been placed through both endoscopic and open approaches. Their use for correction of lambdoid synostosis has been previously only described using an open approach (Arnaud et al, Child Nerv Syst 28;2012:1545-1549). The senior author has performed spring-mediated distraction for treating unilambdoid craniosynostosis using an endoscopic approach, which is described below and has not previously been reported by other authors. Methods A retrospective analysis of our series of endoscopic unilambdoid synostosis repairs is included in this article. Patients were analyzed based on patient characteristics, operative details, and outcomes. The operation commences by approaching the lambdoid suture endoscopically through a 2- to 3-cm incision lateral to the lambdoid suture. Burr holes are placed on either side of the suture and a suturectomy is performed. Springs are bent preoperatively to a predetermined force. Two springs are placed across the suturectomy defect and the skin is closed. The patient is monitored for improvement in head shape and cranial X-rays are performed to measure the degree of distraction. Results Seven patients underwent endoscopic spring-mediated distraction for unilambdoid craniosynostosis. The average age at the time of operation was 9.4 months. The median force of each spring placed was 7.0 N. The median length of hospital stay after spring placement was 2 days. Springs were removed at 5.6 months on average. Five patients had X-rays immediately after placement and prior to removal. Each spring expanded an average distance of 15.3 mm. There were no surgical complications. Three patients had both preoperative and postoperative computed tomography scans available. The angle of the cranial base, calculated by comparing foramen magnum to cribriform plate angles, improved 5.8° (12.3 preoperatively to 6.6 postoperatively). Conclusion Endoscopic spring-mediated distraction is a safe and effective method of treatment for unilambdoid craniosynostosis. The series represents the largest experience with this technique. The approach can be considered in all patients with unilambdoid synostosis given the efficacious improvement in vault remodeling, low patient morbidity, short operating time, and minimal inpatient stay.
A Self-Powered, Biodegradable Dissolved Oxygen Microsensor

We report a biodegradable, self-powered sensor for measurement of dissolved oxygen in the body. The principle of operation is the competition of an oxygen reduction reaction against the ordinarily dominant hydrogen reduction reaction at the cathode of a corroding electrochemical couple. Because the relative contribution of the oxygen reduction reaction to the overall electrochemical reaction depends on the local oxygen concentration, the output voltage of the couple is also dependent on local oxygen concentration. The sensor is formed by embedding the biodegradable metals magnesium and molybdenum within a biodegradable poly(lactic acid) substrate using lamination; external physiological solution is utilized as the electrolyte. The output voltage of the sensor (i.e., the voltage generated across the corroding couple) was measured as a function of oxygen concentration over typical physiological oxygen concentration ranges of 0–60% that of atmospheric oxygen. A linear output voltage response of approximately 6 mV per percentage point oxygen concentration was observed; oxygen concentrations above this range resulted in sensor saturation. [2020-0192]
An Inspiration to Study Inspiration

This chapter introduces the concept of inspiration into Amabile’s componential model of creativity, focusing on its relationship with intrinsic motivation. In doing so, the authors summarize research linking inspiration, intrinsic motivation, and creativity and detail a new empirical study on how the physical environment can inspire creativity. The chapter is book-ended by Conti’s reflections on her work with Teresa Amabile and the inspiration she received from it.
Testing Inequality and Identity Accounts of Racial Gaps in Political Expression on Social Media

Do social media simply reproduce political inequality between racial groups or are they powerful tools for marginalized racial groups to contest the status quo? This study examined resource-based a...
Tumor growth rate after nadir is associated with survival in patients with egfr-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer treated with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor

PURPOSETo investigate the association between tumor volume growth rate after the nadir and survival in patients with EGFR-mutant advanced non–small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) treated with erlotinib.M...
Journal Club Review of "What Is the Persistence to Methotrexate in Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Does Machine Learning Outperform Hypothesis-Based Approaches to Its Prediction?"

OBJECTIVE The objectives of this study were to assess the 1-year persistence to methotrexate (MTX) initiated as the first ever conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug in new-onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and to investigate the marginal gains and robustness of the results by increasing the number and nature of covariates and by using data-driven, instead of hypothesis-based, methods to predict this persistence. METHODS Through the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register, linked to other data sources, we identified a cohort of 5475 patients with new-onset RA in 2006-2016 who were starting MTX monotherapy as their first disease-modifying antirheumatic drug. Data on phenotype at diagnosis and demographics were combined with increasingly detailed data on medical disease history and medication use in four increasingly complex data sets (48-4162 covariates). We performed manual model building using logistic regression. We also performed five different machine learning (ML) methods and combined the ML results into an ensemble model. We calculated the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) and made calibration plots. We trained on 90% of the data, and tested the models on a holdout data set. RESULTS Of the 5475 patients, 3834 (70%) remained on MTX monotherapy 1 year after treatment start. Clinical RA disease activity and baseline characteristics were most strongly associated with the outcome. The best manual model had an AUROC of 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.60-0.71). For the ML methods, Lasso regression performed best (AUROC = 0.67; 95% CI 0.62-0.71). CONCLUSION Approximately two thirds of patients with early RA who start MTX remain on this therapy 1 year later. Predicting this persistence remains a challenge, whether using hypothesis-based or ML models, and may yet require additional types of data. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/acr2.11266 Westerlind H, Maciejewski M, Frisell T, Jelinsky SA, Ziemek D, Askling J. What is the persistence to methotrexate in rheumatoid arthritis, and does machine learning outperform hypothesis-based approaches to its prediction? ACR Open Rheumatol 2021;3:457-463.
Cervical range of motion and strength during resting and neutral head postures in healthy young adults

The purposes of this investigation were: 1) to determine whether cervical range of motion and strength differ when measured in resting head posture (RHP) vs. neutral head posture (NHP), 2) to examine gender differences in cervical range of motion, strength, and neck girth, and 3) to examine the relationship between cervical range of motion and strength with: a) neck girth, b) height, and c) weight. Fortysix graduate students (10 males, 36 females) age 20–40 with no history of cervical or shoulder girdle pathology were recruited. Height, weight, and neck girth were measured for each subject. The Cervical Range of Motion (CROM) device was used to determine the amount of forward head posture and active range of motion for flexion (FLEX), extension (EXT), right and left lateral flexion (RLF and LLF), and right and left rotation (RROT and LROT) with subjects seated in a straight-back chair. Isometric cervical strength for FLEX, EXT, RLF, LLF, RROT, and LROT was then determined using the Microfet hand-held dynamometer with subjects seated in a chair which stabilized the trunk. Subjects performed the six active range of motion and the six isometric contractions in the RHP and NHP. Greater range of motion for EXT was achieved in the NHP, while greater RLF, RROT and LROT was achieved in the RHP. LROT in the RHP was the only contraction to demonstrate significantly greater strength. Females had greater cervical extension than males in both postures. Males were consistently stronger than females for all contractions in both postures and had larger neck girths. Strength correlated with neck girth, weight, and then height.
Maintenance Principles for Civil Structures

This chapter explores the rapidly evolving field related to incorporating information obtained through structural health monitoring (SHM) into the design, maintenance, and management of civil structures. Herein, the employment of monitoring technologies is investigated with respect to the following topics: development of a strategic, top-down monitoring approach; collecting the most critical information, at the right time, with the right instrument; probabilistic formulation of the analysis; conducting structural assessment; updating with monitoring information; life-cycle costing; and inclusion of risk. Simple examples are utilized to highlight the issues related to the use of monitoring technologies as a natural part of design and management. In this article, the need for performance-based design, several examples of monitoring-based structural assessment, and calculating life-cycle costs are treated in detail. In the end, the reader should gain an appreciation of recent progress in the rapidly developing field of SHM, some of the considerations for its implementation, and needs for further study. Keywords: civil infrastructure; life-cycle management; structural health monitoring; performance-based design; structural assessment; risk; uncertainty
Quantitative Analysis by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Quantitative analysis by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) involves reduction of spectral intensities to compositional values by the use of either empirical sensitivity factors or a physical model of ion emission. Ofthe several physical models available, the local thermal equilibrium (LTE) model is the one most easily applied to the analysis of an arbitrary multielement specimen. The accuracy of SIMS analysis by both the LTE model and by sensitivity factors has been compared on a series of well-characterized glass samples. Error factor histograms have been prepared for several hundred elemental determinations. For the LTE analysis, approximately 50 percent of the analyses fall within a factor of two of the accepted value, and 80 percent fall within a factor of five. For analysis with elemental sensitivity factors derived from the glasses, approximately 80 percent of the analyses lie within a factor of two and over 95 percent within a factor of five of known values.
Network-on-chip quality-of-service through multiprotocol label switching

Providing quality-of-service (QoS) in networks-on-chip (NoCs) is an important consideration for the complex multiprocessor chips of the future. In this paper, we discuss the difficulties encountered in addressing these requirements. Then, we propose a promising solution to this problem that is based on applying the well-known MPLS technology of large-scale computer networks to the on-chip environment. A network simulator is used to evaluate the concept for a typical communications scenario that must support several classes of traffic having a range of QoS requirements.
The Wrong Side of History: A Comparison of Modern and Historical Criminalization Laws

Like many other cities throughout the country, Washington’s homeless population is being targeted through ordinances infused with a historical spirit of control and discrimination. The policy brief looks at the history of criminalization laws by focusing on historical criminalization laws and how they paved a way for current anti-homeless ordinances. The policy brief reveals that the spirit of historical criminalization laws is present in anti-homeless ordinances today. Since these historical laws have been repealed and overturned, so should anti-homeless ordinances that share the same spirit of control, exclusion, and discrimination. The brief focuses on five historical laws and modern anti-homeless ordinances through case studies: Vagrancy; Anti-Okie, Jim Crow, Ugly, and Sundown Town laws. Each section discusses the impetus for each law and the effect it had on targeted individuals. Next, the brief examines specific language from these laws and how they were applied - and ultimately, how they were overturned by judges, legislatures, and public opinion. The brief then shifts focus to three case studies of modern anti-homeless ordinances. This comparison reveals that modern anti-homeless ordinances share much of the same form, phrasing, and function as historical laws that banned African-Americans from attending public school with white Americans; that banned Midwesterners from entering Western states during the Great Depression; and that banned people with physical disabilities from residing in certain cities. And yet, anti-homeless ordinances are just contemporary expressions of the same impulse to marginalize already marginalized people. Ultimately, this brief shows that modern anti-homeless ordinances are just historically infamous laws in a new guise.
Buying Time: Gendered Patterns in Union Contracts

As products of negotiations, union contracts provide insight into areas of stress concerning work hours and schedules. Our analysis demonstrates the ways workers in two occupations—nurses and firefighters—use collective bargaining to develop workplace policies that enable them to manage jobs and family. The contracts show significant differences between firefighters and nurses over issues of work scheduling, overtime, and vacations. These differences reflect nurses' concern with putting boundaries on their work lives in favor of caregiving and firefighters' concern with breadwinning. Nurse contracts specify scheduling rules in detail, heavily restrict mandatory overtime, and outline guidelines for distributing prime time vacations. Firefighter contracts, by contrast, downplay the substance of scheduling processes in favor of emphasizing fairness among firefighters in the context of restrictive weekly schedules and equal access to overtime opportunities. Findings suggest not only that union contracts are an important tool with which workers manage the competing demands of work and family, but that the manner and extent to which such negotiations happen are shaped by gendered occupation.
Legg-Calvé-Perthes Disease

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is an idiopathic hip disorder that produces ischemic necrosis of the growing femoral head. Permanent femoral head deformity is the most significant sequela. Experimental studies indicate that the pathologic repair process, which is marked by an imbalance of bone resorption and formation, contributes to the pathogenesis of femoral head deformity. Important prognostic factors include degree of deformity, age at disease onset, extent of head involvement, head-at-risk signs, and lateral pillar collapse. Treatment should be guided by age at disease onset, current best evidence, and prognostic factors. Patients aged 8 years), indicating the need to develop more effective treatments based on the pathobiology of the disease.
Authoring a CAI Lesson in Nutrition Education.

The increasing accessibility of microcomputers in hospitals (1) as well as schools (2) makes feasible the use of computer-assisted instruction (CAl) for both patient and classroom nutrition education. CAl promises to increase both the effectiveness and efficiency of instruction by allowing learners to progress at their own rates, enabling content to be adapted to meet the needs of each learner, and providing immediate feedback (3,4). The potential for using CAl in nutrition is currently limited, however, by the lack of software. While several diet analysis programs are available, programs to teach specific nutrition topics are still needed. Nutrition educators are ideally suited to respond to this need. As nutritionists, they have subject matter expertise; as educators, they can quickly learn CAl design. Nutrition educators may be reluctant to become involved, however, because they feel they lack sufficient programming skills. But such skills are not necessary; collaboration with an experienced programmer is most practical. This article describes how we recently developed a nutrition education lesson on the topic of vegetarianism (Note 1), using a plan developed by Steinberg (5) that concentrates on lesson content and design.
Cine-CMR quantified left atrial diameter - a simple index of left atrial remodeling that closely parallels chamber area and stratifies longitudinal atrial arrhythmic risk

Methods The study comprised patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) included in a multimodality registry. CineCMR (1.5T) was performed using a standard 2-dimensional steady state free precession (SSFP) pulse sequence (typical TR 3.5 msec, TE 1.6 msec, flip angle 60°, temporal resolution 30-50 msec). Cine-CMR evidenced mitral regurgitation (MR) severity was graded in accordance with established conventions based on size of MR associated inter-voxel dephasing of the regurgitant jet. LA size was measured on cine-CMR at atrial end-diastole using two established methods: [1] linear diameter (measured in 3-chamber long axis orientation), [2] area (planimetered in 4-chamber long axis orientation), with both indices indexed to body surface area. Clinical follow-up was performed via medical record review, with atrial fibrillation (AF) or flutter (AFl) verified based on physician documentation. Results 336 patients with CAD were studied (60 ± 12 yo, 79% M, 34% DM, 58% HTN); LA diameter (mean 2 ± 0.4 cm/m2) and area (12 ± 3 cm2/m2) yielded similar prevalence of chamber dilation (20% vs. 21%, p = 0.76) assigned using established cine-CMR population-based cutoffs. LA indices correlated highly (r = 0.74, p < 0.001; Figure 1), with similar magnitude of correlation among subgroups at risk for LA remodeling, such as patients
Indocyanine green (ICG) fluorescent cholangiography during robotic cholecystectomy: results of 184 consecutive cases in a single institution.

Background/Aim. Laparoscopic cholecystectomy is currently the gold standard treatment for gallstone disease. Bile duct injury is a rare and severe complication of this procedure, with a reported incidence of 0.4% to 0.8% and is mostly a result of misperception and misinterpretation of the biliary anatomy. Robotic cholecystectomy has proven to be a safe and feasible approach. One of the latest innovations in minimally invasive technology is fluorescent imaging using indocyanine green (ICG). The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of ICG and the Da Vinci Fluorescence Imaging Vision System in real-time visualization of the biliary anatomy. Methods. A total of 184 robotic cholecystectomies with ICG fluorescence cholangiography were performed between July 2011 and February 2013. All patients received a dose of 2.5 mg of ICG 45 minutes prior to the beginning of the surgical procedure. The procedures were multiport or single port depending on the case. Results. No conversions to open or laparoscopic su...
Unification as a Regulative Ideal

I The Unity of Science Movement is dead. If philosophers ever believed that science could be organized as a hierarchy of theories founded on general principles with the basic generalizations of “higher level” theories derivable from those of more “fundamental” theories, then they do so no more. The doctrine that chemistry is reducible to physics, biology to physics and chemistry, psychology to biology, and the social sciences to psychology has suffered from scrutiny of crucial junctions—particularly those between biology and the physical sciences, and between psychology and biology. The following points are, I hope, relatively uncontroversial. (1) Some sciences, particularly parts of biology, psychology, and the social sciences, are not happily viewed as collections of laws that can be organized in an axiomatic system. (2) Some sciences legitimately employ functional concepts (like the concept of a gene) and historical concepts (like many taxonomic concepts) that resist identiacation in structural terms. (3) Even to the extent that some “higher-level” sciences contain generalizations whose component concepts can be speciaed in terms of the concepts of “lower-level” sciences, the derivation of these generalizations from the speciacations and the principles of the “lower-level” sciences would not be explanatory. We wouldn’t deepen our understanding of Mendelian rules of inheritance by deriving them within molecular cell biology, even if we could give the derivation. The questions raised by this symposium center on how far we want to depart from the picture of one science, hierarchically organized. Some philosophers, Ian Hacking, John Dupre, and Nancy Cartwright, have
On the parametrization of nonlinear finite gain over set stabilizing controllers

The concepts of gain and incremental gain over set have been introduced to alleviate some of the limitations of the conventional notions of gain and incremental gain. In this paper, the class of all finite gain over set stabilizing controllers is parametrized in terms of a finite gain over set stable map Q provided that the plant P is finite incremental gain over set stable. An alternate theorem for finite gain over ball stability of the closed loop is also developed which provides a superset and a subset of the set of all finite gain over set stabilizing compensators for the feedback system.
Nonparametric comparison of treatments with a standard in the one-way layout: some design considerations

Previously two nonparametric tests were proposed for one-sided comparison of k treatments with a known standard in the one-way layout. The tests are based on (1) the sum, and (2) the minimum, of the k individual one-sided sign test statistics. In this paper we give expressions for the size and power of each test. For specified size and power these formulas are solved simultaneously to determine the minimum sample size and corresponding rejection region for each test. Large sample solutions based on the normal approximation are also given. Specific tables of exact and approximate solutions, are given for k = 2 treatments.
Theoretical reactivity (carcinogenicity) indices for selected aza‐polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

Abstract Huckel molecular orbital calculations and application of Seybold‐Smith reactivity theory suggests an explanation for the different carcinogenic potencies observed among selected aza‐polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in terms of the tendencies of these compounds to undergo specific metabolic activating reactions. Theoretical reactivity indices representing these reactions correlate with the carcinogenic activities of these environmental pollutants and can be used as an estimate of carcinogenicity in the absence of animal studies.
A rider to "A Question of Semantics"

Peter Denning, in the April '78 issue of CAN, voiced several very incisive observations concerning the generally slow rate at which commercial computer systems have incorporated the architectural knowledge currently available.
Spatio-temporal modeling of signaling protein recruitment to EGFR

A stochastic simulator was implemented to study EGFR signal initiation in 3D with single molecule detail. The model considers previously unexplored contributions to receptor-adaptor coupling, such as receptor clustering and diffusive properties of both receptors and binding partners. The agent-based and rule-based approach permits consideration of combinatorial complexity, a problem associated with multiple phosphorylation sites and the potential for simultaneous binding of adaptors. The model was used to simulate recruitment of four different signaling molecules (Grb2, PLCγ1, Stat5, Shc) to the phosphorylated EGFR tail, with rules based on coarse-grained prediction of spatial constraints. Parameters were derived in part from quantitative immunoblotting, immunoprecipitation and electron microscopy data. Results demonstrate that receptor clustering increases the efficiency of individual adaptor retainment on activated EGFR, an effect that is overridden if crowding is imposed by receptor overexpression. Simultaneous docking of multiple proteins is highly dependent on receptor-adaptor stability and independent of clustering. Overall, we propose that receptor density, reaction kinetics and membrane spatial organization all contribute to signaling efficiency and influence the carcinogenesis process.
Influence of Message Sidedness, Pictures, and Need for Cognition on Beliefs and Behavior: The Terri Schiavo Case1

The Terri Schiavo case received intense national and international media coverage. The current investigation examined students' beliefs on whether or not Terri's feeding tube should have been removed, as well as attitudes and behavior. Students either received a persuasive message that came from the husband's perspective or the parents' perspective, crossed with a picture that either suggested Terri was interactive vs. one that suggested she was not. The results indicate that beliefs were altered by the perspective that students received, even after intense media coverage had presumably “hardened” attitudes. Students with low or high need for cognition were also influenced by pictures that either matched or mismatched the perspective they received.
British American Tobacco's partnership with Earthwatch Europe and its implications for public health.

This paper explores a partnership between British American Tobacco (BAT) and the environmental organisation Earthwatch Europe (EE) and considers its implications for countries implementing Article 5.3 of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. We reviewed approximately 100 internal BAT documents, interviewed EE's former executive director and examined media accounts and BAT and EE websites. We analysed materials by reviewing them iteratively, identifying themes, constructing a timeline of events and assembling a case study. BAT sought a partnership with EE to gain a global ally that could provide entree into the larger non-governmental organisation (NGO) community. EE debated the ethics of working with BAT, resolving them in BAT's favour and taking a narrow view of its own overall organisational mission. To protect its reputation, EE delayed public disclosure of the partnership. Instead, EE promoted it to policy-makers and other NGOs, extending BAT's reputation and reach into influential circles. The potential for normalising the tobacco industry presence within government through NGO partnerships and the benefits that accrued to BAT even when the partnership was not being publicised show why governments seeking to protect effective tobacco control policies from industry influence need to consider ways to identify and discourage 'hidden' NGO partnerships.
Improvement of laser damage resistance and diffraction efficiency of multilayer dielectric diffraction gratings by HF etchback linewidth tailoring

Multilayer dielectric (MLD) diffraction gratings for Petawatt-class laser systems possess unique laser damage characteristics. Details of the shape of the grating lines and the concentration of absorbing impurities on the surface of the grating structures both have strong effects on laser damage threshold. It is known that electric field enhancement in the solid material comprising the grating lines varies directly with the linewidth and inversely with the line height for equivalent diffraction efficiency. Here, they present an overview of laser damage characteristics of MLD gratings, and describe a process for post-processing ion-beam etched grating lines using very dilute buffered hydrofluoric acid solutions. This process acts simultaneously to reduce grating linewidth and remove surface contaminants, thereby improving laser damage thresholds through two pathways.
Ransom, Revenge, and Heroic Identity in the Iliad

From beginning to end of the Iliad, Agamemnon and Achilleus are locked in a high-stakes struggle for dominance based on their efforts to impose competing definitions of loss incurred and the nature of compensation thereby owed. This typology of scenes involving apoina, or 'ransom' and poine, or 'revenge' is the basis of Donna Wilson's detailed anthropology of compensation in Homer, which she locates in the wider context of agonistic exchange. Wilson argues that a struggle over definitions is a central feature of elite competition for status in the zero-sum and fluid ranking system characteristic of Homeric society. This system can be used to explain why Achilleus refuses Agamemnon's 'compensation' in Book 9, as well as why and how the embassy tries to mask it. Ransom, Revenge, and Heroic Identity in the Iliad thus examines the traditional semantic, cultural and poetic matrix of which compensation is an integral part.
An investigation of acetylcholinesterase inhibition and aging and choline acetyltransferase activity following a high level acute exposure to paraoxon

Abstract Male rats were given a high sublethal dose of the organophosphate paraoxon (the potent anticholinesterase metabolite of the insecticide parathion) or a lethal dose of paraoxon antidoted with atropine to assure survival. These doses yielded a high level persistent inhibition of brain acetylcholinesterase, with 83–94% inhibition in the cerebral cortex, corpus striatum, and medulla oblongata within 2 hr of treatment, and still 25–45% inhibition 4 days after treatment. Recovery was faster in the medulla oblongata than the other two brain parts. Aging, as estimated by the amount of inhibition remaining after in vitro exposure to an oxime reactivator, gradually increased from no aging on the day of treatment to virtually complete aging at 4 days after treatment. Although a change in choline acetyltransferase activity could have helped compensate for the paraoxon-induced hypercholinergic activity to reduce overt symptomology and return other behaviors to normal levels, no paraoxon- or atropine-induced changes were observed in choline acetyltransferase specific activity in the cerebral cortex or corpus striatum at any time after treatment.
The effect of age, race, tumor size, tumor grade, and disease stage on invasive ductal breast cancer survival in the U.S. SEER database.

Purpose. To examine the effect of patient and tumor characteristics on breast cancer survival as recorded in the U.S. National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 1973 to 1998. Methods. A sample of 72,367 female cases from 1973 to 1998 aged 21-- 90 years with invasive ductal breast cancer were examined with Cox proportional hazards regression to determine the effect of age at diagnosis, race, tumor size, tumor grade, disease stage, and year of diagnosis on disease-specific survival. Results. Larger tumor size and higher tumor grade were found to have large negative effects on survival. Blacks had a 47 % greater risk of death than whites. Year of diagnosis had a positive effect, with a 15 % reduction in risk for each decade in the time period under study. The effects of patient age and disease stage violated the proportional hazards assumption, with distant disease having much poorer short-term survival than one would expect from a proportional hazards model, and younger age groups matching or even falling below the survival rate of the oldest group over time. Conclusion. Tumor size, grade, race, and year of diagnosis all have significant constant effects on disease-specific survival in breast cancer, while the effects of age at diagnosis and disease stage have significant effects that vary over time.
Survey of 500 Consecutive Routine Abdominal Roentgenograms of Adults Hospitalized for Chest Disease

Five hundred patients admitted to National Jewish Hospital from April, 1957 until October, 1958 had a scout film of the abdomen performed in the supine position, in addition to the routine hospital work-up. In 22.4 per cent (112) of the adult patients studied, significant findings were observed in this film. These included: (1) six cases of abnormal size solid viscera; (2) 37 in which abnormal calcifications were observed; (3) 17 with foreign bodies or residues of the injection of radio-opaque materials; (4) 49 cases of arthritic and bony changes; (5) 12 of severe atherosclerosis; (6) nine of deformity secondary to healed fractures; and (7) one of pregnancy. Although patients over 40 years comprised only 43 per cent of the population studied, 75 per cent of pathologic changes were observed in this group. Because of the proportionately greater yield and because the radiation hazards are of lesser importance in the older population, these results indicate that films of the abdomen of patients admitted to hospitals specializing in chest disease should be made routinely only on patients over 40 years of age.
Aging and sleep in the albino rat.

To provide data for comparisons with sleep patterns in human adulthood, the amount of sleep per day, the percentage of REM sleep, the length of sleep bouts, and the amplitude of the sleep EEG were assessed at several age levels in male rats aged 104–1005 days who were chronically implanted for EEG and EMG recordings. Except for indications of reduced sleep-time and shortened sleep-bouts in advanced old-age, no unequivocal age-related trends were revealed either by longitudinal or cross-sectional comparisons. In contrast to man, the amplitude of the rat's EEG slow-wave activity does not diminish with age, and age-related sleep disturbance does not appear until late in life. The REM sleep percentage appears more stable in the rat, but total sleep-time is probably stable until advanced old-age in both species.
Description of the adult skeleton and developmental osteology of the hyperossified horned frog, Ceratophrys cornuta (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

The adult skeleton and tadpole chondrocranium of the leptodactylid frog, Ceratophrys cornuta (Ceratophryinae), are described in detail, including the ontogenetic development of the chondrocranium and the ossification sequence of the skeleton. The chondrocranium of the carnivorous larvae is unique in lacking a frontoparietal fontanelle and possessing a complete dorsal roof of cartilage. Furthermore, the chondrocranium is extremely robust, particularly those elements involved in the feeding mechanism; these include large palatoquadrate cartilages, stout Meckel's, supra-, and infrarostral cartilages, and short, wide, cornua trabeculae. The chondrocranium of C. cornuta resembles that described for Ceratophrys cranwelli, but differs from the chondrocrania reported for the species of Lepidobatrachus. The large adult skull is hyperossified; most elements are fused into a single unit, and nearly all dermal elements are ornamented, casqued, and co-ossified. Calcification is present in nearly every cartilaginous element of the skeleton in larger (older) adults. Several osteological characters previously used in ceratophryine systematics, such as the otic ramus of the squamosal and the columella, are reassessed. Contrary to previous reports, the ossified, dorsal dermal shield above the vertebral column in many ceratophryine anurans is absent in C. cornuta. With few exceptions, the ossification sequence relative to metamorphosis is consistent with those that are known for other anurans. The squamosal arises from three distinct centers of ossification, including an otic element. The frontoparietal arises from two centers of ossification that fuse early in development. A robust postorbital arch is formed primarily by the otic flange of the frontoparietal, which articulates laterally with the medial border of the otic ramus of the squamosal. Changes in the timing of development, or heterochrony, are involved with the evolution of the unusual skull and skeleton of ceratophryine frogs.
Near-surface controls on the composition of growing crystals: Car–Parrinello molecular dynamics (CPMD) simulations of Ti energetics and diffusion in alpha quartz

Abstract Ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were used to explore changes in the vacancy-formation energy for Ti atoms and Ti–O bond characteristics in the outermost monolayers of the (1 0 0) and (0 1 0) prism faces of α quartz. Within 2 or 3 polyhedral layers of the crystal surface, the Ti vacancy-formation energy is substantially smaller than the bulk-lattice value of 11.8 eV. This is true of both oxygen-terminated surfaces and the geologically more realistic case in which the outermost oxygens are bonded to hydrogen. A key additional finding is that the Ti vacancy-formation energy near the H-terminated (1 0 0) surface differs by 1–2 eV from that near the H-terminated (0 1 0) surface. This difference means that the energy change accompanying Ti ↔ Si exchange between the bulk lattice and the near surface is also different for (1 0 0) and (0 1 0). Ultimately, therefore, the equilibrium concentrations of Ti near these two prism faces will not be the same. During crystal growth, this compositional difference may be “captured” by the quartz lattice and preserved as sectoral variation in Ti content—a feature commonly observed in both synthetic and natural α quartz. In this respect, the MD simulations provide direct support for the growth entrapment model (GEM; Watson, 2004 ) for non-equilibrium uptake of trace elements. To complement the vacancy-formation energy results, we used the first-principles metadynamics method to calculate diffusion pathways and free energy barriers for Ti diffusion in the bulk α quartz lattice and in the near-surface region. The computed estimate of the bulk-lattice activation energy compares favorably with the experimentally determined value of 2.8 eV ( Cherniak et al., 2007 ), lending credence to the method. Diffusion results for the near-surface reveal a steep decrease in the activation energy for Ti diffusion approaching the surface in the outermost 2–3 polyhedral layers of the crystal. This finding implies depth-dependent Ti diffusion in the near-surface (∼0.5 nm), which is also a key aspect of the growth-entrapment model. Although our results are strictly applicable only to Ti in α quartz, the demonstration that impurity atom energetics and diffusion are functions of depth in the near-surface region may be broadly applicable, given the similarity in measured length scale of the near-surface relaxed region in a wide variety of minerals. Kinetic models of impurity uptake that do not consider these factors may be incomplete.
Modification of the electro-optical properties of the B1 liquid-crystal phase using a rodlike liquid-crystal dopant.

It has recently been observed that on application of an alternating electric field, the B1 liquid-crystalline phase may be induced to form a switchable phase. This induced phase has been shown to have an almost thresholdless dielectric response. In this paper we examine this $E$-field-induced transition as a function of temperature both with and without a ferroelectric liquid-crystal dopant. Although the aim of this experiment was to enhance and stabilize the field-induced phase on addition of dopant, we find that the opposite is the case. The ferroelectric dopant actually increases the threshold $E$-fields required for transformation to the switching phase and at just $5\text{ }\text{wt}\text{ }\mathrm{%}$ dopant a smectic-$A$ phase is formed. Addition of the dopant also acts against the low-field switching and significantly speeds relaxation back to the B1 phase on field removal. In addition we find that the field-induced phase experiences a slower crystallization. We use polarized optical microscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and x-ray scattering experiments to characterize the physical properties of the mixtures.
Oxygen vacancy diffusion across cathode/electrolyte interface in solid oxide fuel cells: An electrochemical phase-field model

Abstract An electrochemical phase-field model is developed to study electronic and ionic transport across the cathode/electrolyte interface in solid oxide fuel cells. The influences of local current density and interfacial electrochemical reactions on the transport behaviors are incorporated. This model reproduces two electrochemical features. Nernst equation is satisfied through the thermodynamic equilibriums of the electron and oxygen vacancy. The distributions of charged species around the interface induce charge double layer. Moreover, we verify the nonlinear current/overpotential relationship. This model facilitates the exploration of problems in solid oxide fuel cells, which are associated with transport of species and electrochemical reactions at high operating temperature.
“Levellers”: The economic reduction of political equality in the Putney debates, 1647

The Putney debates of 1647 between Puritan radicals and moderates within the New Model Army over political equality are a classic example of the de‐legitimation of demands for political change. The radicals sought to present their proposal for the institution of political equality as an extension of the consent theory of sovereignty that had been employed by Parliament to justify resistance to Charles I. The moderates’ response to this strategy was to reduce the idea of political equality from the level of a religiously‐grounded civil right to that of an economic liability that would plunge society into chaos. This reduction facilitated the ability of the upper classes to “misname” the radicals as self‐interested “Levellers” of all person's estates. The radicals’ inability to refute this charge stigmatized their proposals as irresponsible and irreparably damaged their ethos.