cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Theoretical Diversity in Political Communication

Note: The late Steven H. Chaffee originally planned to write this chapter, which is dedicated to his memory.In the 2000 election, almost every political candidate running for ofﬁce at every level (presidential, state, county, city, and local) had an active Web site. This fact indicates the current importance of Internet-related communication technologies in political communication and suggests how this specialty ﬁeld has evolved since its beginnings earlier in the past century in the hands of Walter Lippman, Harold Lasswell, Paul F. Lazarsfeld, and other forefathers and founders of communication study. Despite the growth of television in the 1950s and the Internet in the 1990s, which altered the channels of communication carrying political messages to the U.S. public, certain human communication processes involved in changing political behavior have remained much the same.
Anomalous thermopower and Nernst effect in CeColn5: Loss of entropy current in precursor state

The heavy-electron superconductor CeCoIn5 exhibits a puzzling precursor state above its superconducting critical temperature at Tc=2.3 K. The thermopower and Nernst signal are anomalous. Below 15 K, the entropy current of the electrons undergoes a steep decrease reaching ~0 at Tc. Concurrently, the off-diagonal thermoelectric current αxy is enhanced. The delicate sensitivity of the zero-entropy state to field implies phase coherence over large distances. The prominent anomalies in the thermoelectric current contrast with the relatively weak effects in the resistivity and magnetization.
Global Change: Biospheric Impacts and Feedbacks

The terrestrial biosphere interacts with the atmosphere through exchanges of trace gases and of energy. These interactions are bidirectional, with atmospheric conditions modifying ecological controls of trace gas and energy exchange, and the very exchanges feeding back to affect atmospheric chemistry and climate. This article addresses the role of biosphere–atmosphere material and energy exchange in atmospheric processes, the biological processes involved, and how biotic responses to ongoing and future global changes could influence the future chemical and radiative balance of the atmosphere.
Condyle destruction concomitant with advanced gout and rheumatoid arthritis: Report of a case

Abstract A 61-year-old white man with advanced gout and rheumatoid arthritis was seen at the East Orange Veterans Administration Hospital Dental Clinic with a severe anterior open-bite caused by advanced bilateral destruction of the condylar heads of the mandible. In spite of the severe joint involvement, there was no history of temporomandibular joint discomfort. Both joints were still capable of hinge and gliding movements, although they were limited in their capacity to glide. The glenoid fossae and articular eminences appeared uninvolved radiographically. Whether the temporomandibular joint pathosis reported here can be attributed to gout and/or rheumatoid arthritis is debatable. In lieu of evidence to the contrary, however, the consensus is that these two diseases are the only etiologic factors in the joint destruction.
Microvascular blood volume-to-flow relationships in porcine heart wall: whole body CT evaluation in vivo.

The goal of this study was to evaluate the functional behavior of recruitable (mostly capillary) and nonrecruitable (mostly arterioles and venules) components of the intramyocardial microvasculature in the in situ heart of intact experimental animals. For this purpose fast X-ray computerized tomography (CT) scans were performed in a group of anesthetized pigs. Each scan was performed during an aortic root angiogram and was repeated after sequential injections of a suspension of nonradioactive microspheres into a selected coronary artery. Regional myocardial perfusion (F, ml.g-1.min-1) and intramyocardial blood volume (rho, ml/g) were estimated from the dynamic CT image sequences. For the intramyocardial microcirculation, rho = AF + B square root of F [where A = 0.016 min and B = 0.076 (ml.min/g)1/2] was shown to describe the rho-to-F relationship over the entire range of flows observed. With increasing embolization with 15-microns diameter microspheres, the coefficients A and B changed in a way consistent with A describing the transit time through the functionally recruitable component and B/ square root of F describing the transit time through the functionally nonrecruitable component of the microcirculation.
Introduction to the 2nd Edition of the Handbook of Entrepreneurship Research

The role of entrepreneurship in society has changed dynamically. Immediately following World War II, entrepreneurship seemingly lost importance fading nearly completely away. In 1968, when J.J. Servan-Schreiber warned Europeans of the American Challenge, it was not from small entrepreneurial firms, but the polar opposite—from the “dynamism, organizational, innovation, and boldness that characterized the giant American corporations.” By then a generation of scholars had systematically documented and supported the conclusion of Joseph A. Schumpeter (1942, 106): “What we have got to accept is that the large-scale establishment or unit of control has come to be the most powerful engine of progress and in particular of the long-run expansion of output ….”
Optimal Switching of Voltage Source Inverters Using Approximate Dynamic Programming

In this study, approximate dynamic programming is utilized to devise an optimal procedure in order to convert DC voltage to single-phase AC voltage. In order to determine the optimal policy, a function approximator, called critic, is used. The critic, which is defined to be a function of system states and elapsed time, is tuned once offline and then used in feedback control to achieve the desired AC voltage. Simulations show that the proposed controller not only performs successfully with linear and highly nonlinear load, but also has some relative robustness to parameter uncertainty and disturbances.Copyright © 2018 by ASME
Effect of O2 on the long-term operation and corrosion of steel X65 in CO2-H2O environments for direct supercritical CO2 power cycle applications

Abstract The corrosion resistance of high-strength low-alloy carbon steel was investigated in simulated conditions that exist in direct supercritical CO 2 power cycle heat exchangers. The experiments were performed at 80 bar for 500 h at either 50 ° C with samples exposed to H 2 O-saturated CO 2 and CO 2 -saturated H 2 O or 250 ° C undersaturated CO 2 . Exposures were conducted with and without O 2 . Corrosion rates were determined via mass loss measurements. Corrosion products were analyzed via X-ray diffraction. Morphology of the corroded surfaces were determined with scanning electron microscopy. Localized corrosion, pitting rate was determined using a optical profilometry. The results indicate that oxygen has a large effect on the corrosion rate of carbon steel in these environments while the effect of temperature is less significant. Pitting, in the absence of oxygen, was minimal and primarily located on polishing scratches. At 50 ° C, higher general corrosion and pitting rates were detected in CO 2 -saturated H 2 O than in H 2 O-saturated CO 2 .
Impact of Surgical Timing and Approaches to Health Care Utilization in Patients Undergoing Surgery for Acute Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury.

Objective Acute traumatic cervical spinal cord injury (AcSCI) causes significant morbidity and has an impact on health care utilization. The aim of our study was to analyze health care utilization in patients undergoing surgical decompression and fusion for AcSCI based on timing and type of surgical approaches. Patient and methods Data were extracted using ICD9/10 and CPT codes from MarketScan (IBM Corp. Armonk, New York [v. 2000-2015]). We defined the comparative groups based on the timing of surgery (early 24 hours) and surgical approaches: anterior, posterior and circumferential. Outcomes of interest were: length of hospital stay, discharge disposition and health care utilization in the index hospitalization, within 30 days after discharge and 12 months following injury. Results Of 1604 patients, 80.9% had early procedures and 55.7% of these had anterior-only procedures. Overall, the median age was 46 years in the early surgery group and 47 years in the late surgery group. Patients in the early surgical group incurred higher outpatient services and there was no difference in cumulative median payments (index + 12 months) across the cohorts (early: $127,379, late: $121,049). The incidence of repeat surgery at the index level did not differ based on the timing of surgery (early 5% vs. late 7%). Complications were higher in the circumferential surgery cohort irrespective of the timing of surgery. Overall, combined median payment (index hospitalization + 12 months) was significantly higher for early circumferential cohorts compared to the anterior or posterior-only cohort ($195,990 and $109,977 vs. $121,236 respectively). Conclusion Late (>24 hours) surgeries were associated with a higher likelihood to be discharged home, lower utilization of outpatient services, higher hospital readmissions and no differences in payments (index and cumulative) compared to early surgeries. Circumferential approaches were associated with higher complication rates, lesser likelihood to be discharged home, higher utilization of outpatient services compared to anterior-only approaches.
Nowhere Density of the Set of Non-norm-attaining Functionals

In this short note we prove that every real Banach space with separable dual can be equivalently renormed so that the set of non-norm-attaining functionals on it is nowhere dense. This solves a question proposed by Enflo.
Dance Discourses: Keywords In Dance Research

The formation of what Randy Martin has called “critical dance studies” (1998) has gained increased momentum over the past decade. Martin's notion of critical dance studies clarified how dance scholarship was being reshaped by the explicit inclusion of critical theory in its methodologies and epistemologies. One of the major consequences for dance studies in embracing critical theory was the identification of dancing and choreographic practices as being also theory. Understanding dance as theory is not equivalent to seeing dance as the sole provider of the theoretical tools it needs for its own analysis (this would be intolerably solipsistic). Rather, it means that dance becomes a privileged practice ready to provide analytical tools for theorizing other areas of social performances: politics, culture, formations of disciplines and their bodies (docile or resistant). Dance is a mode of theorization that theory itself would need in order to address the social and political problematic brought by issues close to dance such as mobilization, embodiment, subjectivities, participation, representation, desire, discipline, control, etc.
Editor's Choice - Short Term and Long Term Outcomes After Endovascular or Open Repair for Ruptured Infrarenal Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms in the Vascular Quality Initiative.

Objective Repair of ruptured infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysms (rAAA) has shifted from open surgical (OAR) to endovascular (EVAR) over the last decade. However, the long term impact of EVAR vs. OAR for rAAA has not been well described. Methods Prospectively collected registry data (Vascular Quality Initiative [VQI]) were analysed retrospectively to identify patients who underwent EVAR or OAR for rAAA (2004–2018). The primary outcome was death (in hospital and overall post-discharge). Inverse probability weighting (IPW) was used to adjust for treatment selection. Poisson regression assessed the number of one year post-discharge re-interventions. Results In total, 4257 patients receiving EVAR (n = 2389 [56%]) or OAR (n = 1868 [44%]) for rAAA were identified. Patients were predominantly male (n = 3310 [77.8%]) with a mean ± standard deviation age of 72.7 ± 9.6 years; most (n = 2449 [59.4%]) presented with haemodynamic instability. Use of EVAR for rAAA increased from 7.8% in 2004 to 67.2% in 2018. After IPW, OAR was associated with a higher odds of in hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.54–2.01; p Conclusion Within the VQI, EVAR for rAAA repair has been increasingly adopted with favourable short term outcomes in terms of morbidity and mortality, as compared with OAR. Unlike elective AAA repair, survival rates between EVAR and OAR do not converge in long term follow up for patients who survived the index hospitalisation.
Evolving Navigation, Robotics, and Augmented Reality in Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery:

Innovative technology and techniques have revolutionized minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS) within the past decade. The introduction of navigation and image-guided surgery has greatly affected spinal surgery and will continue to make surgery safer and more efficient. Eventually, it is conceivable that fluoroscopy will be completely replaced with image guidance. These advancements, among others such as robotics and virtual and augmented reality technology, will continue to drive the value of 3-dimensional navigation in MIS. In this review, we cover pertinent features of navigation in MIS and explore their evolution over time. Moreover, we aim to discuss the key features germane to surgical advancement, including technique and technology development, accuracy, overall health care costs, operating room time efficiency, and radiation exposure.
Database Repair Meets Algorithmic Fairness

Fairness is increasingly recognized as a critical component of machine learning systems. However, it is the underlying data on which these systems are trained that often reflect discrimination, suggesting a database repair problem. Existing treatments of fairness rely on statistical correlations that can be fooled by anomalies, such as Simpson's paradox. Proposals for causality-based definitions of fairness can correctly model some of these situations, but they rely on background knowledge of the underlying causal models. In this paper, we formalize the situation as a database repair problem, proving sufficient conditions for fair classifiers in terms of admissible variables as opposed to a complete causal model. We show that these conditions correctly capture subtle fairness violations. We then use these conditions as the basis for database repair algorithms that provide provable fairness guarantees about classifiers trained on their training labels. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed techniques with experimental results.
Bridging ultrahigh-Q devices and photonic circuits

Optical microresonators are essential to a broad range of technologies and scientific disciplines. However, many of their applications rely on discrete devices to attain challenging combinations of ultra-low-loss performance (ultrahigh Q) and resonator design requirements. This prevents access to scalable fabrication methods for photonic integration and lithographic feature control. Indeed, finding a microfabrication bridge that connects ultrahigh-Q device functions with photonic circuits is a priority of the microcavity field. Here, an integrated resonator having a record Q factor over 200 million is presented. Its ultra-low-loss and flexible cavity design brings performance to integrated systems that has been the exclusive domain of discrete silica and crystalline microcavity devices. Two distinctly different devices are demonstrated: soliton sources with electronic repetition rates and high-coherence/low-threshold Brillouin lasers. This multi-device capability and performance from a single integrated cavity platform represents a critical advance for future photonic circuits and systems.
Brown Eyed Boy: Narrating Internalized Oppression and Misogynoir in Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s Everything I Don’t Remember

The rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and right-wing extremism in Sweden in the wake of growing migration has affected Sweden’s global reputation as a model progressive welfare state that prioritizes human rights and generously extends citizenship, welfare, and labor rights to migrants and asylum seekers. In Jonas Hassen Khemiri’s Allt jag inte minns [Everything I Don’t Remember] (2015), xenophobia, Islamophobia, and racialized heteronormativity appear in the unlikely form of Vandad, a hypermasculine Muslim immigrant who has secretly fallen in love with another Swedish Arab man. This study involves a narratological analysis of how internalized racism inspires the novel’s narrator of color to produce figurative narrative acts of internal colonialism—that is, violent narrative acts, made possible by the effects of racism, against other non-white characters in the story. The essay additionally explores how the objectification of non-white women’s bodies and acts of misogynoir, the anti-Black misogyny that Black women experience, by queer men of color in the text operate as secondhand technologies of oppression manufactured by the political discourse of the extreme right. The essay concludes with a critique of the far right’s exploitation of collective cultural memory to mass-produce white nationalism in the guise of tradition and the implications this has for non-white Swedes and migrants in Sweden.
Fear of discovery as a deterrent to undocumented Latinx immigrants’ reporting of crimes and the effects of political rhetoric

Objectives Comparing undocumented Latinx immigrants (UDLI), Latinx citizens/residents (LCR) and non-Latinx citizens/residents (NLCR), we sought to assess rates of crime victimization, fear of reporting crimes, causes of this fear, and whether political rhetoric from the US president had changed the reporting of crimes. Methods From October 2018 to February 2020, we conducted this in-person survey study, enrolling similar numbers of UDLI, LCR and NLCR patients at two urban county hospital emergency departments (EDs) in San Francisco and Oakland, California. Our primary outcomes were responses to key survey questions regarding crime victimization, fear of reporting crimes and the effects of anti-immigrant rhetoric on reporting crimes. Results Of 667 patients approached, 531 (80%) participated and six participants were excluded: 165 (31.3%) were UDLI, 183 (34.7%) were LCR, and 177 (33.6%) were NLCR. Similar percentages of UDLI (34%), LCR (32%) and NLCR (39%) knew of someone (themselves, friends or family) who was a victim of a crime. Similar percentages of UDLI (41%), LCR (46%), and NLCR (41%) stated that these victims were afraid to report this crime to the police. The primary reason for this fear in UDLI was fear of discovery and deportation (30%). Similar percentages of UDLI (63%), LCR (58%) and NLCR (46%) ultimately reported the crime to the police. Most (85%) respondents had heard the US president's statements about measures against immigrants; 54% reported that they believe that because of these statements, people are more afraid to report a crime to the police. Conclusions Fear of reporting crimes is common in ED patients. The most common fear in undocumented Latinx immigrants is fear of discovery and deportation. Political rhetoric against immigrants contributes to this fear.
Excess activity of 3-hydroxykynurenine, quinolinic acid, and other toxic tryptophan metabolites in neurogenerative diseases and other protein misfolding diseases

Abstract Many diseases, particularly diseases caused by neural degeneration, have important similarities in that cell death is associated with abnormal deposition of protein aggregates within neuronal cells. These diseases tend to occur predominantly in older individuals and to be slowly progressive. Notable examples include Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (ALZ), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Huntington's disease (HD). These neurodegenerative diseases are all proteopathies, diseases of protein misfolding, and misfolded proteins tend to aggregate and cause damage within neurons. Abnormal protein folding is also a prominent feature of other diseases, including diseases as different as sickle cell anemia, type 2 diabetes, cystic fibrosis, autism spectrum disorder, cataracts of the eye, schizophrenia, multiple sclerosis, and even of aging itself. Abnormal tryptophan (TRY) metabolism appears to play a crucial role in the causation of each of these diseases, through numerous mechanisms. Importantly, excess production of neurotoxic kynurenines, such as 3-hydroxykynurenine (3-HK), quinolinic acid (pyridine-2,3-dicarboxylate, QUIN) and xanthurenic acid, potentiate the protein misfolding and aggregation that characterize these diseases. Optical spectroscopy of TRY and its toxic metabolites provides further evidence for the role of the KYN pathway in these diseases.
Breast Cancer Consensus Subtypes: A system for subtyping breast cancer tumors based on gene expression.

Breast cancer is heterogeneous in prognoses and drug responses. To organize breast cancers by gene expression independent of statistical methodology, we identified the Breast Cancer Consensus Subtypes (BCCS) as the consensus groupings of six different subtyping methods. Our classification software identified seven BCCS subtypes in a study cohort of publicly available data (n = 5950) including METABRIC, TCGA-BRCA, and data assayed by Affymetrix arrays. All samples were fresh-frozen from primary tumors. The estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) BCCS subtypes were: PCS1 (18%) good prognosis, stromal infiltration; PCS2 (15%) poor prognosis, highly proliferative; PCS3 (13%) poor prognosis, highly proliferative, activated IFN-gamma signaling, cytotoxic lymphocyte infiltration, high tumor mutation burden; PCS4 (18%) good prognosis, hormone response genes highly expressed. The ER− BCCS subtypes were: NCS1 (11%) basal; NCS2 (10%) elevated androgen response; NCS3 (5%) cytotoxic lymphocyte infiltration; unclassified tumors (9%). HER2+ tumors were heterogeneous with respect to BCCS.
New Ferrocene Complexes and Polymers for Nonlinear Optical Applications

Ferrocene was the starting point for organometallic chemistry nearly four decades ago and is still today one of the most studied and versatile organometallic building blocks.1 Ferrocene has been incorporated in polymeric systems to alter bulk properties of the material.2 Ferrocene possesses excellent thermal and photochemical stability and can also protect polymeric systems from photodegradation.3 In addition, the ferrocene building block has been used in conducting polymers4 and in main chain liquid crystalline polyesters.5
Functional Connectivity with Distinct Neural Networks Tracks Fluctuations in Gain/Loss Framing Susceptibility

Multiple large-scale neural networks orchestrate a wide range of cognitive processes. For example, interoceptive processes related to self-referential thinking have been linked to the default-mode network (DMN); whereas exteroceptive processes related to cognitive control have been linked to the executive-control network (ECN). Although the DMN and ECN have been postulated to exert opposing effects on cognition, it remains unclear how connectivity with these spatially overlapping networks contribute to fluctuations in behavior. While previous work has suggested the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) is involved in behavioral change following feedback, these observations could be linked to interoceptive processes tied to DMN or exteroceptive processes tied to ECN because MPFC is positioned in both networks. To address this problem, we employed independent component analysis combined with dual-regression functional connectivity analysis. Participants made a series of financial decisions framed as monetary gains or losses. In some sessions, participants received feedback from a peer observing their choices; in other sessions, feedback was not provided. Following feedback, framing susceptibility—indexed as the increase in gambling behavior in loss frames compared to gain frames—was heightened in some participants and diminished in others. We examined whether these individual differences were linked to differences in connectivity by contrasting sessions containing feedback against those that did not contain feedback. We found two key results. As framing susceptibility increased, the MPFC increased connectivity with DMN; in contrast, temporal-parietal junction decreased connectivity with the ECN. Our results highlight how functional connectivity patterns with distinct neural networks contribute to idiosyncratic behavioral changes.
Military Wives Emotionally Coping During Deployment: Balancing Dependence and Independence

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how military wives’ coping mechanisms are related to their emotional connection with their deployed husbands. Conceptualizing the marital relationship as an attachment system, we explored how military wives adopted various coping mechanisms during their husbands’ deployment and identified two types of efforts toward independence: self-sufficient independence through emotional avoidance, and autonomous interdependence through emotional connection. These are consistent with those coping behaviors informed by secure and avoidant attachment styles. Clinical implications are offered based on the discussion of the results.
Effects of Weight Cue Reactivity on Self-Report Measures of Body Dissatisfaction

Research has shown that answers on self-report measures can be influenced by a participant’s awareness of information regarding the study (“reactivity”). There exists a gap in the literature regarding weight cue reactivity on self-report measures of body dissatisfaction (BD). This type of reactivity involves exposing participants to information regarding their height, weight, or body mass index (BMI). Ninety-Nine participants (45.5 % female, mean age = 20.17, SD = 3.08) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: proximal weight cue (being weighed before completing measures); distal weight cue (knowledge of impending measurement following questionnaire completion); and no weight cues (control), all before measures of BD. Perceived body size and BD were measured using the Stunkard Figure Rating Scale. Two separate ANCOVAs revealed a significant main effect for condition on self-reported perceived body size F [2,92] = 5.22, p = 0.01, η2 = 0.10, as well as on BD, F [2,92] = 9.46, p < 0.001, η2 = 0.17, while controlling for BMI. Both proximal and distal cues elicited elevated BD; only proximal cues elicited self-reported perceived body size. These results quantify the impact of weight cue reactivity effects on self-report measures and suggest that researchers and/or clinicians collect answers on such measures prior to anthropometric data.
Testing a Poverty Trap Mechanism with Tsimane' Panel Data

Even if people have asserted the existence of a poverty trap within the forest, it has never been empirically tested that forest and poverty interactions lead to a poverty trap from which poor forest people could not escape (Angelsen and Wunder, 2003). This paper tests whether such a mechanism arises within forest communities and analyses the different livelihoods forest people could implement. Data used are from the Tsimane' Amazonian Panel Study (TAPS 2002-06) and have been complemented by qualitative data collected in June-July 2008. The poverty trap mechanism studied is inspired by Carter and Barrett's model defined for their studies of agrarian communities (Carter and Barrett, 2006). They intend to show that an S-shape exists in the asset accumulation process of households due to the presence of increasing returns to assets at an unstable equilibrium. An asset index is computed through factor analysis to estimate the asset accumulation process. To test the S-shape, different regression techniques are used: parametric, nonparametric and semiparametric. The parametric regression uses a fourth-degree polynomial regression to estimate the relationship between the change in asset index and its lagged value. For both nonparametric and semiparametric regressions, penalised splines and LOWESS estimators are used. All three regressions show that a poverty trap mechanism does not occur for the Tsimane', there is no S-shape in the asset accumulation and it seems concave. These results contradict Carter's and Barrett's results, because here Tsimane' households have a wide range of activities and assets. Households rely on diverse assets to achieve their livelihood. They use forest resources in addition to agriculture, so they are not pushed further into poverty if forest resources are depleted, they would rely more on agriculture as also land constraints are weak.
Induction of non-catalytic TrkB neurotrophin receptors during lesion-induced synaptic rearrangement in the adult rat hippocampus.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents a hypothesis that the interactions between brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its TrkB receptors may play an important role in modulating the plasticity of the adult hippocampus. BDNF, a member of the NGF family of neurotrophins, was purified as a survival promoting factor for sensory neurons. Two novel members of this neurotrophin family, neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and neurotrophin-4/-5 (NT-4/-5)—have been recently described. Among mammalian species, there is complete conservation of the 119-amino acid sequence of mature BDNF and approximately 50% identity with the other neurotrophins. Based on the hypothesis that combined the lesions of hippocampal afferents more closely model the combination of neuroanatomical deficits of Alzheimer's disease; such lesions were chosen in the study presented in the chapter for the analysis of BDNF mechanisms. In adult rats, lesions of the perforant path were combined with the complete transections of the fimbria–fornix, which remove the majority of septal cholinergic axons and noradrenergic axons of the locus ceruleus. The effects of such lesions were studied on the temporal and subregion-specific expression of BDNF and trkB specific transcripts using quantitative in situ and northern blotting techniques. These combined lesions resulted in precisely defined, complex changes of both BDNF and trkB mRNA levels, suggesting that BDNF mechanisms play a crucial role in the synaptic rearrangements produced by hippocampal afferent lesions.
Managing the software development by using the recursive multithreaded (RMT) tool

A number of software life cycles for object oriented software development (Fountain Model, Recursive/Parallel Model, McGregor and Sykes Model, and Chaos Model Life-Cycle) exist today. However, these life cycles have little or no support for estimating and monitoring progress during the development of the software. The ability to measure progress during the development is significant because it allows both the managers and the developers to determine whether a project is on schedule or not. Identifying that a project is behind schedule allows managers and developers to notify appropriate individuals of any scheduling and/or budgetary impacts at an early stage during the development and to determine appropriate course of action. The paper presents the Recursive Multi-Threaded (RMT) software life cycle which supports the monitoring of progress during development, addresses the specific needs of the developing object oriented software, and attempts to resolve deficiencies found in many existing software life cycles. What makes RMT unique from existing software life cycles is its use of a "thread" for partitioning and organizing software development activities. Threads support iteration and recursion, which are critical concepts for the development of the software. To implement the concepts of the RMT software life cycle model, we develop the RMT Tool, which is Java based. The Tool was used in an actual software development project in our software engineering course to test its functionalities.
Measuring the expressed abundance of the three phases of water with an imaging spectrometer over melting snow

[1] From imaging spectrometer data, we simultaneously estimate the abundance of the three phases of water in an environment that includes melting snow, basing the analysis on the spectral shift in the absorption coefficient between water vapor, liquid water, and ice at 940, 980, and 1030 nm respectively. We apply a spectral fitting algorithm that measures the expressed abundance of the three phases of water to a data set acquired by the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) over Mount Rainier, Washington, on 14 June 1996. Precipitable water vapor varies from 1 mm over the summit of Mount Rainier to 10 mm over the lower valleys to the northwest. Equivalent path absorption of liquid water varies from 0 to 13 mm, with the zero values over rocky areas and high-elevation snow and the high values associated with liquid water held in vegetation canopies and in melting snow. Ice abundance varies from 0 to 30 mm equivalent path absorption in the snow- and glacier-covered portions of Mount Rainier. The water and ice abundances are related to the amount of liquid water and the sizes of the ice grains in the near-surface layer. Precision of the estimates, calculated over locally homogeneous areas, indicates an uncertainty of better than 1.5% for all three phases, except for liquid water in vegetation, where an optimally homogeneous site was not found. The analysis supports new strategies for hydrological research and applications as imaging spectrometers become more available.
Clinical experience with extended lymph node dissection during radical prostatectomy

14545 Background: The value of the extent of lymph node dissection at radical prostatectomy remains controversial. We report our experience with extended lymph node dissection in patients undergoin...
A linguistically sound approach to content analysis of natural language text

An approach to text content analysis aimed at utilizing linguistic structure effectively within a robust, pattern-directed framework is described. The method, which is under development as part of the ROBIN (robust interpreter) text analysis system, uses a bottom-up chart parser to collect information about the linguistic structure of the input. The chart is then subjected to rule-based pattern matching to recognize the concepts of interest. It is shown how the structure-matching approach is able to use syntactic information to distinguish correct from incorrect examples of a concept, even when the chart provides only a partial analysis of the input. >
The Role of Composition, Invasives, and Maintenance Emissions on Urban Forest Carbon Stocks

There are few field-based, empirical studies quantifying the effect of invasive trees and palms and maintenance-related carbon emissions on changes in urban forest carbon stocks. We estimated carbon (C) stock changes and tree maintenance-related C emissions in a subtropical urban forest by re-measuring a subsample of residential permanent plots during 2009 and 2011, using regional allometric biomass equations, and surveying residential homeowners near Orlando, FL, USA. The effect of native, non-native, invasive tree species and palms on C stocks and sequestration was also quantified. Findings show 17.8 tC/ha in stocks and 1.2 tC/ha/year of net sequestration. The most important species both by frequency of C stocks and sequestration were Quercus laurifolia Michx. and Quercus virginiana Mill., accounting for 20 % of all the trees measured; 60 % of carbon stocks and over 75 % of net C sequestration. Palms contributed to less than 1 % of the total C stocks. Natives comprised two-thirds of the tree population and sequestered 90 % of all C, while invasive trees and palms accounted for 5 % of net C sequestration. Overall, invasive and exotic trees had a limited contribution to total C stocks and sequestration. Annual tree-related maintenance C emissions were 0.1 % of total gross C sequestration. Plot-level tree, palm, and litter cover were correlated to C stocks and net sequestration. Findings can be used to complement existing urban forest C offset accounting and monitoring protocols and to better understand the role of invasive woody plants on urban ecosystem service provision.
Pulmonary dendritic cells isolated from neonatal and adult ovine lung tissue.

Lung dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen presenting cells (APCs) that initiate and modulate the adaptive immune response upon microbial infection within the pulmonary environment. For the first time, neonatal and adult lung DCs in a large animal model were compared in these studies. Here, we isolated and identified lung DCs in both neonatal and adult sheep, a valuable experimental animal utilized in pulmonary studies of naturally occurring respiratory diseases. Neonatal lung DCs exhibited characteristic dendrites and morphology when observed by transmission electron microscopy and expressed low to moderate DEC-205, CD80/86, MHC class II and CD 14. Regardless of age, lung DCs were functionally able to endocytose FITC conjugated ovalbumin but to a lesser degree than monocyte-derived DCs. In addition, neonatal lung DCs were demonstrated to be potent stimulators of allogeneic T cell proliferation. Together, these results demonstrate that neonatal and adult lung DCs are functionally similar. It is apparent from the data presented that neonatal pulmonary DCs do not exhibit an intrinsic functional defect that would impair their ability to take up antigen and stimulate naive T cells. These data support growing evidence that neonatal immune responses may differ from adults due to different microenvironmental influences rather than differences in dendritic cell maturation states.
Parameter identification of linear delay systems

Abstract The parameter identification of a class of multiple-input multiple-output continuous linear delay systems is considered. Only the input and output variables of the system are used for identification. The identification process is carried out through an intermediate pseudo-equivalent system. A linear modulating operator is introduced to eliminate the problems of input and output differentiation and initial values. It is shown that for the method to be applicable, the system should be minimal, that is observable and weakly controllable.
Phosphatidic acid signaling regulation of Ras superfamily of small guanosine triphosphatases

Phosphatidic acid (PA) has been increasingly recognized as an important signaling lipid regulating cell growth and proliferation, membrane trafficking, and cytoskeletal reorganization. Recent studies indicate that the signaling PA generated from phospholipase D (PLD) and diacylglycerol kinase (DGK) plays critical roles in regulating the activity of some members of Ras superfamily of small guanosine triphosphatases (GTPases), such as Ras, Rac and Arf. Change of PA levels regulates the activity of small GTPases by modulating membrane localization and activity of small GTPase regulatory proteins, guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase activating proteins (GAPs). In addition, PA also targets some small GTPases to membranes by direct binding. This review summarizes the roles of PLD and DGK in regulating the activity of several Ras superfamily members and cellular processes they control. Some future directions and the implication of PA regulation of Ras small GTPases in pathology are also discussed.
Screening to identify mental health problems in pediatric primary care: considerations for practice.

Objective:Few pediatric primary care providers routinely use mental health screening tools, in part because they may have concerns about whether screening is useful and how it will affect their pra...
Evaluation of a possible proximity effect of aspartame and vitamin C on muscular strength.

Summary Inconsistent findings of a proximity effect on muscular strength, using a neutral control substance, prompted the current study. Double-blind, counterbalanced assessments of grip strength were performed, with subjects holding either an envelope of ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) or aspartame. No proximity effects were found despite the use of two substances believed by some applied kinesiologists to yield positive and negative results, respectively.
Carbon sequestration in soils of central Asia

Problems of frequent drought stress, low soil organic carbon (SOC) concentration, low aggregation, susceptibility to compaction, salinization and accelerated soil erosion in dry regions are accentuated by removal of crop residues, mechanical methods of seedbed preparation, summer clean fallowing and overgrazing, and excessive irrigation. The attendant soil degradation and desertification lead to depletion of SOC, decline in biomass production, eutrophication/pollution of waters and emission of greenhouse gases. Adoption of conservation agriculture, based on the use of crop residue mulch and no till farming, can conserve water, reduce soil erosion, improve soil structure, enhance SOC concentration, and reduce the rate of enrichment of atmospheric CO2. The rate of SOC sequestration with conversion to conservation agriculture, elimination of summer fallowing and growing forages/cover crops may be 100 to 200 kg ha−1 y−1 in coarse-textured soils of semiarid regions and 150 to 300 kg ha−1 y−1 in heavy-textured soils of the subhumid regions. The potential of soil C sequestration in central Asia is 10 to 22 Tg C y−1 (16±8 Tg C y−1) for about 50 years, and it represents 20 per cent of the CO2 emissions by fossil fuel combustion. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fast kinetics of the reactions of hydroxyl radicals with nitrone spin traps

The technique of spin trapping with nitrone spin traps nas gained wide acceptance as a method for estimating·OH yields in ESR studies. In our study, fast optical kinetic techniques applied to a series of these traps (PBN, 2-PyBN, 3-PyBN, 4-PyBN, 3-PyOBN and 4-PyOBN) reveal relaxation spectra that indicate two absorption maxima with different time constants, with all except 4-PyOBN showing second order behavior. These two spectral regions show different kinetics. Thus, two reaction sites are indicated, only one of which is necessarily a measure of initial · OH when ESR methods are used. One other trap (DMPO) after · OH reaction decays in one mode suggesting that its final product might be useful as a measure of initial · OH. Also, our ESR evidence shows that OH detection can be improved significantly by spin trapping α-hydroxyalkyl radicals formed by · OH attack on alcohols.
Conformational Dynamics in a Dipeptide After Single-Mode Vibrational Excitation

The dynamics of conformational isomerization are explored in a methyl-capped dipeptide, N-acetyl-tryptophan methyl amide (NATMA), using infrared-ultraviolet (IR-UV) hole-filling and IR-induced population transfer spectroscopies. IR radiation selectively excites individual NH stretch vibrational fundamentals of single conformations of the molecule in the early portions of a gas-phase expansion, and then this excited population is collisionally recooled into its conformational minima for subsequent conformation-specific detection. Efficient isomerization is induced by the IR excitation that redistributes population between the same conformations that have population in the absence of IR excitation. The quantum yields for transfer of the population into the various conformational minima depend uniquely on which conformation is excited and on which NH stretch vibration is excited within a given conformation.
Measurement of noise and resolution in x-ray computed microtomograms

X-ray microcomputed tomograms with resolution of 50 microns or better have been obtained at several research centers by using either synchrotron or microfocus x-ray sources. Full 3D reconstructions have been obtained in these laboratories on specimens or small animals. In our laboratory we have studied embedded bone specimens by using x-ray cone beam microtomography-methods. For conventional, medical x-ray computed tomography systems, well accepted techniques and standards exist for characterizing the performance of an instrument. No comparable standards exist for computed microtomography and previous publications are vague with respect to the performance achieved. We report in this paper the experimental methods that we have developed to measure noise and resolution in our microtomography laboratory and the specific performance characteristics we have achieved.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Comment on “‘Elevated heat pump’ hypothesis for the aerosol‐monsoon hydroclimate link: ‘Grounded’ in observations?” by S. Nigam and M. Bollasina

In their recent paper Nigam and Bollasina [2010, hereafter NB] claimed to have found observational evidences that are at variance with the Elevated Heat Pump (EHP) hypothesis regarding the possible impacts of absorbing aerosols on the South Asian summer monsoon [Lau et al., 2006; Lau and Km 2006). We found NB's arguments and inferences against the EHP hypothesis flawed, stemming from a lack of understanding and an out-of-context interpretation of the hypothesis. It was argued that the simultaneous negative correlation of aerosol with rainfall, and correlations with other quantities in May as evidences against the EHP hypothesis. They cannot be more wrong in that argument. First, Lau and Kim [2006, hereafter, LKO6] never stated that the main rainfall response to EHP is in May. Second, the EHP is about responses of the entire Indian monsoon system that are non-local in space and time with respect to the aerosol forcing. Third, the correlation maps shown in NB, including the increased convection over the Bay of Bengal is not the response to EHP but rather represents the large-scale circulation that provides the build-up of the aerosols, before the onset of the monsoon rainfall over India. Because aerosol can only accumulate where there is little or no wash-out by rain, the negative correlation is a necessary condition for increased atmospheric loading of aerosols.
Patient-selected goals: a new perspective on surgical outcome.

Abstract Objective This study was undertaken to study the relationship between achievement of patient goals, overall satisfaction, and objective outcome measures. Study design After Institutional Review Board approval, we prospectively evaluated 78 women undergoing pelvic reconstructive surgery at Loyola University Medical Center. After informed consent for surgery, patients were asked to state their goals for surgery. In a follow-up telephone conversation, these goals were reviewed and negotiated to modify expectations. The same physician investigator contacted women 3 months after surgery to assess goal achievement, overall satisfaction, and their surgical experience. Date were analyzed with Spearman correlation and Mann-Whitney tests. Results Of 78 women, 75% indicated that they met most of their goals, and 72% were more than 80% satisfied. Patient satisfaction was moderately correlated to goal achievement (ρ=0.57, P P =.14). Dissatisfaction was highly associated with feeling "unprepared for surgery" ( P Conclusion Objective and subjective outcomes are necessary to predict patient satisfaction.