cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electronic structure and magnetism of Sr 3 Ru 2 O 7

The electronic structure of layered ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{3}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ in its orthorhombic structure is investigated using density functional calculations. The band structure near the Fermi energy, consists of Ru ${t}_{2g}$ states hybridized with O p orbitals. The $\mathrm{yz}$ and $\mathrm{xz}$ bands, which are largely responsible for the nesting related antiferromagnetic spin fluctuations in ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{4}$ split pairwise into even and odd combinations due to the interlayer coupling reducing the strength of the nesting. The $\mathrm{xy}$ bands show much less interplanar coupling as expected, and also less c-axis dispersion, so that the barrel-like sections are largely intact compared to the single layer material. The zone folding due to orthorhombicity yields small cylindrical lens shaped Fermi surfaces centered at the midpoints of the former tetragonal $\ensuremath{\Gamma}\ensuremath{-}X$ lines. Fixed spin moment calculations indicate that tetragonal ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{3}{\mathrm{Ru}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{7}$ is borderline ferromagnetic but that orthorhombicity favors magnetism via a substantial magnetoelastic coupling. These results are related to experimental observations particularly in regard to magnetic properties.
A study on the in-line type inertance tube pulse tube cryocooler

Publisher Summary The purpose of this chapter is to analyze the characteristics of in-line type inertance tube pulse tube refrigerator (IPTR), and to get main factor to improve the performance of the inline type IPTR. The Experimental results of the in-line type inertance tube pulse tube cryocooler for cooling superconductor RF filter are presented. Design parameters of the in-line IPTR are discussed by Ames Research Center Orifice Pulse Tube Refrigerator (ARCOPTR) program of NASA's Ames Research Center and then the effects of the charging pressure, the volume of the regenerator and the diameter and length of the inertance tube on the cooldown characteristics of the pulse tube cryocooler are investigated by experiment. The optimal conditions of in-line type IPTR, cool down characteristics according to the variations of the charging pressure, inertance tube volume, regenerator volume, and pulse tube volume are measured by the experiment. In the analysis by ARCOPTR program, as the diameter of the regenerator decreased, maximum cooling capacity and COP increased and volume ratio at the maximum cooling capacity and COP decreased, but the range of the volume ratio at the maximum cooling capacity and COP was very narrow, therefore the IPTR was operated stably in the large volume of the regenerator. As volume of the regenerator increased, the performances of the lowest temperature, cooling capacity and COP were improved.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of chip seal with and without millings

AbstractMillings or old pavement materials (also known as reclaimed asphalt pavement) are used in pavement base and surface course mostly for rehab and reconstruction processes. Millings can also be used in pavement maintenance such as chip seal. However, it is not known whether chip seal with millings are cheaper than chip seal with virgin chips considering their lifetime performance. In this study, life cycle cost of chip seal with and without millings was determined from data gathered by surveying three transportation Districts in New Mexico. Performance plot over time was used to evaluate the benefit and cost-effectiveness index (EI). For all districts, chip seal with millings has higher EI compared to chip seal with virgin aggregates.
An Integrated Wind Resource Assessment Tool for Wind Farm Planning: System's Upgrades and Applications

An integrated wind resource assessment tool (WRAT) was previously developed and tested to support wind energy studies during the pre-feasibility stage. This WRAT was applied across a 4-year period to assess the wind potential of the Tuscany region (Italy) according to a 2-km spatial resolution based on 120x107 (12840) gridded points. This application provided the input to a GIS-based interactive web decision support system aimed at wind farm planning in Tuscany. In the present work all significant upgrades implemented to the WRAT are described, as well as their main on-site applications performed within wind energy studies in the recent literature. Main WRAT upgrades include: (i) integration of further wind turbine models into system’s database; (ii) wind power density function; (iii) wind speed vertical extrapolation based on logarithmic law and power law; (iv) annual energy yield uncertainty assessment; (v) wind data import and processing at 10-min time bin; (vi) computation of wind turbulence parameters such as turbulence intensity and gust factor; (vii) turbulence intensity vs. wind speed plot and compliance assessment to the IEC standards. In the end, a number of system’s limitations are also pointed out, as well as further upgrades to be possibly implemented in the near future to overcome some of those limitations.
Fool’s gold and chasing unicorns: USMLE Step 1 has no clothes!

Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid .—Albert Einstein hans christian andersen tells the tale of an emperor who loved wearing fine garments and consumed all of his peoples’ hard-earned money on
The Illusion of International Prestige

Policymakers and international relations scholars concur that prestige is critical to world politics because states having prestige enjoy greater authority. An examination of how policymakers asses...
Time-Varying Edema Requires Cautious Interpretation of Myocardium at Risk and Infarct Size by All Imaging Methods

Article, see p 1288 Although it has been known for ≈50 years that the size of a myocardial infarction (MI) can be modulated by medications and other interventions, reperfusion by fibrinolysis or percutaneous coronary intervention remains the only treatment known to reduce infarct size in patients.1 Although many pharmacological treatments reduce infarct size in animal models, the overwhelming majority have failed in human clinical trials. The concept that cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) could retrospectively image myocardium at risk (MaR), measure infarct size, and determine myocardial salvage in an examination conveniently 2 days after reperfusion2 was intriguing and garnered much attention over the past decade. However, with scrutiny, the simple explanation of why myocardial T2 could detect the area at risk in acute MI as edematous tissue has turned out to be more complicated and controversial. However, it seems clear that these magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods are providing insight into the pathophysiology of acute MI. Beyond methodological issues, which are fundamental to the field, it is important for clinicians and scientists to recognize that edema modulates the relationship between area at risk and infarct size, and thus one needs to interpret these measurements carefully regardless of the method used. In this issue of Circulation , Fernandez-Jimenez et al3 describe that a bimodal temporal course of myocardial T2 occurs in patients after reperfused acute MI—an important extension beyond their previous preclinical experiments. Their group was the first to notice that myocardial edema after ischemia/reperfusion goes through a bimodal pattern with a wave of substantial edema on the day of the infarct, a decline in edema 24 hours after reperfusion, and a rebound in edema 4 to 7 days after …
The modulation of motor control by imitating non-biological motions: a study about motor resonance

[Purpose] Sensorimotor experience modulates motor resonance, such as motor interference, which occurs when observing others' movements; however, it is unclear how motor resonance is modulated by intentionally imitating others' movements. This study examined the effects of imitation experience on subsequent motor resonance. [Subjects and Methods] Twenty-seven healthy participants performed horizontal arm movements while observing non-biological, incongruent (vertical) movements of a visual stimulus (triangle object) in pre- and post-test procedures. Thirteen participants in the imitation group imitated vertical movements (non-biological motion) of the triangle object between pre- and post-test procedures and fourteen participants in the non-imitation group observed that. [Results] Variance in the executed movements was measured as an index of motor resonance. Although there was no significant difference in the non-imitation group, there was a significantly smaller variance for post-test compared to pre-test in the imitation group. [Conclusion] Motor resonance was inhibited by intentionally imitating non-biological motions. Imitating movements different from one's own motor property might inhibit subsequent motor resonance. This finding might be applied to selectively using motor resonance as a form of rehabilitation.
Crystal structure of strontium and barium acesulafame (6-methyl-4-oxo-4H-1,2,3-oxa-thia-zin-3-ide 2,2-dioxide).

Both strontium and barium acesulfames, namely poly[aqua­bis­(μ3-6-methyl-2,2-dioxo-1,2λ6,3-oxa­thia­zin-4-olato)strontium(II)], [Sr(C4H4NO4S)2(H2O)]n, and the barium(II) analogue, [Ba(C4H4NO4S)2(H2O)]n, crystallize in nearly identical isotypic forms, with barium–oxygen inter­atomic distances being longer due to the larger ionic radius of the barium(II) ion. The coordination number of the metal ion is 9; the coordination polyhedra can be described as distorted capped square anti­prisms [Johnson solid J10; Johnson (1966). Can. J. Math. 18, 169–200]. The conformation of the acesulafame ions is a distorted envelope with an out-of-plane S atom. Metal and acesulfame ions are assembled into infinitive chains along the [100] axis. These chains are connected via hydrogen bonds into a three-dimensional network.
Direct-Recycle Networks: An Algebraic Approach

This chapter presents the algebraic analogue to the material recycle pinch diagram. Graphical approaches such as the material recycle pinch diagram provide insightful visualization and methodical approaches to the targeting and synthesis of direct-recycle networks. Notwithstanding the usefulness and insights of the graphical methods, it is beneficial to develop an algebraic procedure that is particularly useful. The objective is to develop a noniterative algebraic procedure aimed at minimizing the purchase of fresh resource, maximizing the usage of process sources, and minimizing waste discharge. The sink composite is a cumulative representation of all the sinks and corresponds to the upper bound on their feasibility region whereas the source composite curve is a cumulative representation of all process streams considered for recycle. The targeting question involves the algebraic identification of this maximum shortage without the need to resort to the graphical representation. Algebraic targetting procedure ranks the sinks in ascending order of maximum admissible composition and ranks sources in ascending order of pollutant composition. It computes the cumulative loads for the sinks and for the sources by summing up their individual loads, while ranking the cumulative loads in ascending order. Based on the interval source and sink flow rates, develop the cascade diagram and carry out flow balances around the intervals to calculate the values of the flow residuals. It is worth noting that, when the fresh source is impure, the foregoing procedure can be modified to account for the concentration of contaminants.
An Inference Language for Imaging

We introduce iLang, a language and software framework for probabilistic inference. The iLang framework enables the definition of directed and undirected probabilistic graphical models and the automated synthesis of high performance inference algorithms for imaging applications. The iLang framework is composed of a set of language primitives and of an inference engine based on a message-passing system that integrates cutting-edge computational tools, including proximal algorithms and high performance Hamiltonian Markov Chain Monte Carlo techniques. A set of domain-specific highly optimized GPU-accelerated primitives specializes iLang to the spatial data-structures that arise in imaging applications. We illustrate the framework through a challenging application: spatio-temporal tomographic reconstruction with compressive sensing.
The Organization of the Cat Pretectum

About ten years ago a number of investigators proposed that the mammalian visual system is composed of two divisions, one specialized in locating objects the other in identifying objects (1,2). According to this proposal, the geniculostriate system processes information about patterned stimuli while the superior colliculus allows the animal to orient in its visual world. This idea was based in part on an experiment done by SCHNEIDER, in which he showed that hamsters with lesions of the primary visual cortex are able to locate objects but fail pattern recognition tasks while hamsters with lesions of the superior colliculus can learn to recognize patterns but have difficulty in locating them (2). The concept of two visual systems was also based on anatomical studies which showed that the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and the superior colliculus are the two major targets of the retina in mammals. In this scheme other retinal targets are considered less important, partly because they are smaller and partly because there have been fewer studies of their function. More recently, however, an anatomical technique based on axoplasmic transport, the autoradiographic technique, has been developed (3, 4), and the central projections of the retina have been found to be much more widespread than previously thought. In the cat the retina projects to the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus and to the superior colliculus, but following an injection of tritiated amino acids into an eye label can be seen in the following areas as well: the ventral lateral geniculate nucleus, the medial intralaminar nucleus: the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus; the dorsal, medial, and lateral nuclei of the accessory optic tract; the pulvinar, and two nuclei of the pretectal complex: the olivary pretectal nucleus and the nucleus of the optic tract (5, 6). If each of these retinal targets is considered a separate visual system, then there must be eleven visual systems. The pretectal complex receives a major retinal input, but among the way stations of the mammalian visual system, it has proved to be particularly refractory to functional interpretations. As a first step toward understanding the function(s) of the pretectal complex, I have studied its afferent and some of its efferent connections using anterograde and retrograde techniques.
DD63: Viagrata – die Ethikpille (März 2008)

Jetzt kursieren Berichte um Bemuhungen, unser Hirn zu verbessern. Die neue Bewegung heist Neuro-Enhancement oder Cognitive Enhancement. Viele nehmen schon Constant-Focus-Pills, damit sie immer dasselbe gut konnen, ohne abgelenkt zu werden. Noch Viagra dazu und das Galeerensklaven-Diplom ist ein Klacks?
Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control: Critical Human Factors Issues and Research Questions

As traffic volume and delay on highways increase each year, new solutions are required to meet travel demand and ease congestion. One possible solution, Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control, permits vehicles and infrastructure to communicate, providing the capability to maintain safety while increasing travel lane capacity. The technical capabilities have been demonstrated, but as important to ensuring successful implementation is an understanding of the potential human factors-related issues. Use of automation in the driving environment can have numerous pitfalls, which are heavily influenced by a variety of both deliberate and reflexive human judgments and decisions known to be error-prone. This paper examines these potential issues and identifies research areas and questions that may guide future research to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and acceptance of this new technology.
Ministry to Transgender Teenagers (Part One): Pursuing Awareness and Understanding about Trans Youth

Several significant aspects are addressed in this article to gain clarity and to pursue awareness regarding transgender teenagers. It begins by offering a brief introduction and then moves towards a common understanding of the language and landscape surrounding transgender teenagers. Next the paper centers on maligned, marginalized, and misunderstood transgender teenagers and the experiences they encounter. Hopefully, the information gleaned in this article will empower pastoral care givers to minister directly to this particular underserved sexual minority group.
A predictable all-digital workflow to retrofit a crown to an existing removable prosthesis

Abstract The task of fabricating a new crown under an existing removable partial denture presents challenges for the dentist, technician, and patient. The main concern is accurately communicating the configuration of the rest, retentive clasps, and reciprocal elements to the laboratory technician without temporarily depriving the patient of the prosthesis. A variety of solutions involving stone cast alterations and elastomeric or resin indexes have been used for this task. However, these methods require significant additional time and technique-sensitive work by the operator and technician. More recent approaches using digital technologies require many of these traditional steps, each of which introduces potential inaccuracy and labor cost. This updated approach eliminates the inaccuracies associated with manual manipulation by the technician by leveraging contemporary intraoral scanning technology and a completely digital workflow to predictably and accurately fabricate a crown under an existing prosthesis.
Mixed Student Ideas about Mechanisms of Human Weight Loss

Recent calls for college biology education reform have identified "pathways and transformations of matter and energy" as a big idea in biology crucial for students to learn. Previous work has been conducted on how college students think about such matter-transforming processes; however, little research has investigated how students connect these ideas. Here, we probe student thinking about matter transformations in the familiar context of human weight loss. Our analysis of 1192 student constructed responses revealed three scientific (which we label "Normative") and five less scientific (which we label "Developing") ideas that students use to explain weight loss. Additionally, students combine these ideas in their responses, with an average number of 2.19 ± 1.07 ideas per response, and 74.4% of responses containing two or more ideas. These results highlight the extent to which students hold multiple (both correct and incorrect) ideas about complex biological processes. We described student responses as conforming to either Scientific, Mixed, or Developing descriptive models, which had an average of 1.9 ± 0.6, 3.1 ± 0.9, and 1.7 ± 0.8 ideas per response, respectively. Such heterogeneous student thinking is characteristic of difficulties in both conceptual change and early expertise development and will require careful instructional intervention for lasting learning gains.
Disaster documentation: the impact of Oregon's evolving damage assessment methodology for emergency declarations

This experience report focuses on the impact of Oregon's evolving methodology for documenting and publishing data and information about damage from natural disasters and other emergencies. In tracing public damage assessment genre sets through organizational levels and user groups, the report (a) outlines the current processes by which data and information are generated and transferred and (b) connects the potential future damage assessment methodology to a larger paradigm shift in the state's broader data-sharing approach.
TEM Investigation of Microwave Joined Si-SiC/Al/Si-SiC and α-SiC/Al/α-SiC.

Electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) have been used to examine the SiC/Al interfaces in microwave joined Si-SiC/Al/Si-SiC and α-SiC/Al/α-SiC. Both the SiC/Al interfaces display intimate contact between the ceramic and metal and are free of porosity. EPMA of the α-SiC/Al/α-SiC joints reveals that no Al has diffused into the bulk α-SiC, unlike the reported diffusion of Al in Si-SiC/Al/Si-SiC. The TEM investigations show that while the Si-SiC/Al/Si-SiC interface is reaction-free, the α-SiC/Al/α-SiC joint contains Si at the interface. The TEM findings are correlated to the strength data available on these joints and the possible reasons for the presence of Si in the absence of Al4C3 in the α-SiC/Al/α-SiC joint are discussed.
Feeding the other: Whiteness, privilege, and neoliberal stigma in food pantries

The food pantry is a peculiar artifact of the food systems of advanced economies. It is the site where two of today’s governing logics intersect: that of late-stage industrial capitalism (food inse...
Discontinuation of Statins in Veterans Admitted to Nursing Homes near the End of Life

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Geriatric guidelines recommend against statin use in older adults with limited life expectancy (LLE) or advanced dementia (AD). This study examined resident and facility factors predicting statin discontinuation after nursing home (NH) admission in veterans with LLE/AD taking statins for secondary prevention. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study of Veterans Affairs (VA) bar code medication administration records, Minimum Data Set (MDS) assessments, and utilization records linked to Medicare claims. SETTING VA NHs, known as community living centers (CLCs). PARTICIPANTS Veterans aged 65 and older with coronary artery disease, stroke, or diabetes mellitus, type II, admitted in fiscal years 2009 to 2015, who met criteria for LLE/AD on their admission MDS and received statins in the week after admission (n = 13,110). MEASUREMENTS Residents were followed until statin discontinuation (ie, gap in statin use ≥14 days), death, or censoring due to discharge, day 91 of the stay, or end of the study period. Competing risk models assessed cumulative incidence and predictors of discontinuation, stratified by whether the resident had their end-of-life (EOL) status designated or used hospice at admission. RESULTS Overall cumulative incidence of statin discontinuation was 31% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 30%-32%) by day 91, and it was markedly higher in those with (52%; 95% CI = 50%-55%) vs without (25%; 95% CI = 24%-26%) EOL designation/hospice. In patients with EOL designation/hospice (n = 2,374), obesity, congestive heart failure, and admission from nonhospital settings predicted decreased likelihood of discontinuation; AD, dependency in activities of daily living, greater number of medications, and geographic region predicted increased likelihood of discontinuation. In patients without EOL designation/hospice (n = 10,736), older age and several specific markers of poor prognosis predicted greater discontinuation, whereas obesity/overweight predicted decreased discontinuation. CONCLUSION Most veterans with LLE/AD taking statins for secondary prevention do not discontinue statins following CLC admission. Designating residents as EOL status, hospice use, and individual clinical factors indicating poor prognosis may prompt deprescribing.
Anomalous enhancement of focused ion beam etching by single raster propagating toward ion beam at glancing incidence

Focused ion beam (FIB) sample preparation for electron microscopy often requires large volumes of materials to be removed. Prior efforts to increase the rate of bulk material removal were mainly focused on increasing the primary ion beam current. Enhanced yield of etching at glancing ion beam incidence is known but has not found widespread use in practical applications. In this study, etching at glancing ion beam incidence was explored for its advantages in increasing the rate of bulk material removal. Anomalous enhancement of material removal at glancing angles of ion beam incidence was observed with single-raster etching in along-the-slope direction with toward-FIB direction of raster propagation. Material removal was inhibited in an away-from-FIB direction of raster propagation. The effects of glancing angles and ion doses on depth of cut and volume of removed materials were also recorded. We demonstrated that the combination of single-raster FIB etching at glancing incidence in along-the-slope direction with toward-FIB raster propagation and a “staircase” type of etching strategy holds promise for reducing the processing time for bulk material removal in FIB sample preparation applications.
VA Home Based Primary Care Teams: Partnering with and Acting as Caregivers for Veterans

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) provides in-home, primary care for medically complex Veterans. This study explores how HBPC and Veterans' caregivers partner to provide care. Interviews, focus groups, and field observations were conducted during eight HBPC site visits. Qualitative thematic analysis was performed. Caregivers/IDT member partnerships are important to care. Effective partnerships include: ease of communication; caregiver-centered support; and when no caregiver is present, IDTs providing more monitoring/services to Veterans and connection to community services. As this model expands, understanding dynamics between IDT members and caregivers will optimize the success of HBPC programs.
Time is muscle: A recommendation for early treatment for preterm infants with spinal muscular atrophy.

Implementation of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) in 33 US states and increased genetic carrier screening have led to an increase in early, presymptomatic diagnosis of SMA. Early treatment is critically important and is recommended for presymptomatic infants with two to four copies of survival motor neuron 2. Currently, no specific treatment recommendations exist for preterm infants with SMA. The US Food and Drug Administration does not recommend using onasemnogene abeparvovec-xioi in preterm infants. Some insurance companies interpret "preterm" to be less than 40 weeks gestational age (GA) instead of the commonly accepted 37 weeks GA, which can be a barrier to treatment access. Given the risk of rapid decline in some infants, we recommend treatment of preterm infants when they reach 37 weeks GA, based on the definitions of term GA from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, assuming all other treatment criteria are met.
Do You Mean What I Mean? Comparing Teacher Performance Self-Scores and Evaluator-Generated Scores

Teacher performance scores inform education leaders' management of teacher human resources. However, prior research has implied that different interpretations of performance criteria between teache...
Does capitalism have a future? A review essay of Peter Boettke’s The Struggle for a Better World and Daniel Bromley’s Possessive Individualism: A Crisis of Capitalism

In this review essay, I compare and contrast Peter Boettke’s The Struggle for a Better World (Mercatus Center, 2021) and Daniel Bromley’s Possessive Individualism: A Crisis of Capitalism (Oxford University Press, 2019). Each of these books considers the future of capitalism. Boettke’s Struggle sees capitalism as the only morally and economically justifiable system but that continual effort is necessary to ensure the capitalist enterprise succeeds. Bromley’s Crisis sees capitalism as a spent force that no longer does what it was meant to do—namely, improve the economic well-being of households. There are surprisingly many points of agreement in these books, most notably a concern for the downtrodden in society and an appreciation for the legitimation crisis confronting capitalism. There are also important differences that will give anyone interested in the future of capitalism much to ponder. Boettke sees unconstrained government as the primary threat to legitimacy; Bromley identifies the possessive individualism that lies at the heart of our current capitalist system as the source of the crisis. Both books make a significant contribution to our understanding of the institutions governing capitalist economies and powerful arguments as we contemplate the future of capitalism.
Profiting from Gaizhi: Management Buyout During China's Privatization

During the late 1990s, China introduced the gaizhi process for privatizing state-owned firms. Under gaizhi, managers could acquire their firms at a price that was based on recent profitability. Systematic analysis of longitudinal data reveals the following: (1) There is a statistically significant 4 percent decrease in net margin relative to trend in the one year period immediately prior to privatization; (2) There is no statistically meaningful difference in net margin in the period after privatization relative to the period one year or more before privatization. These findings suggest that managers intentionally suppressed the performance of their firms so as to acquire them at less than fair value. We test and reject other, more innocuous explanations for this profit pattern.
RanBP2/Nup358 is required for topoisomerase IIα-mediated DNA decatenation, proper chromosome segregation and tumor suppression

3068 RanBP2/Nup358 is a component of the nucleocytoplasmic transport machinery that has been implicated in mitotic progression. To determine the physiological importance of RanBP2 and its role in mitosis we have generated a series of mice with graded reduction of RanBP2 levels. Mice with very low amounts of RanBP2 are viable and overtly normal, but develop severe aneuploidy. Their main mitotic abnormality is the formation of anaphase bridges, a defect linked to improper topoisomerase IIα-mediated decatenation of sister chromatids. We find that RanBP2 forms a complex with topoisomerase IIα in mitosis and regulates its decatenation activity and localization to chromosomes. Furthermore, we find that RanBP2 deficient mice are prone to spontaneous tumors and carcinogen-induced skin and lung tumors. Analysis of primary human lung tumors and cellines reveals that RanBP2 downregulation is a frequent event in lung tumorigenesis. Together, these data identify RanBP2 as a key regulator of topoisomerase IIα-mediated DNA decatenation and a suppressor of aneuploidy and tumorigenesis.
Changes in circumferential strain can differentiate pediatric heart transplant recipients with and without graft rejection.

Background Routine surveillance protocols rely heavily on endomyocardial biopsy (EMB) for detection of rejection in pediatric heart transplant recipients. More sensitive echocardiographic tools to assess rejection may help limit the number of EMBs. This study compared changes in left ventricular (LV) strain in patients who had rejection versus those who did not. Methods A single center retrospective review was conducted between 2013 and 2020. Patients were categorized based on rejection history. Echocardiograms were evaluated at the time of 2 consecutive EMBs; in the rejection group, the second echocardiogram was collected at the time of a rejection episode. Conventional measures of LV function and speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived longitudinal (LS) and circumferential strain (CS) were measured. Results 17 patients were in the non-rejection group and 17 were in the rejection group (30 total rejection episodes). The rejection group was older at the time of transplant (12.5 vs. 1.3 years, p = .01). A decline in CS was seen in the rejection group at the second echocardiogram [-18.5 (IQR -21.5, -14.6) to -15.7 (IQR -19.8, -13.2)] while CS improved in the non-rejection group [-20.8 (IQR -23.9, -17.8) to -23.9 (IQR -24.9, -20.1)]. This difference in change reached significance (p = .02). A similar pattern was seen in LS that neared significance (p = .06). There was no significant difference in ejection fraction change (p = .24). Conclusions Patients in the non-rejection group displayed improvement in CS between echocardiograms while patients in the rejection group showed subsequent decline. Worsening of LV CS may help identify acute rejection in the early post-transplant period.
Evaluation of a Hemagglutination Test for Human Leptospirosis

An indirect hemagglutination test for the diagnosis of leptospirosis is described; the test uses a soluble antigen from serotype patoc to sensitize sheep erythrocytes which are then fixed with glutaraldehyde. Evaluation of this procedure indicates that it is more reliable than the conventional macroscopic agglutination test and, in contrast with both microscopic and macroscopic agglutination tests, is positive only with sera from persons with current leptospiral illness. The test is simple and convenient and sensitized fixed cells may be stored for at least a year. In comparison with the macroscopic and microscopic tests, only a single antigen is required.
Four Key Elements of Successful Financial Regulatory Reform

The most recent crisis on Wall Street presents our nation with an extraordinary opportunity to begin a conversation about the economic and social policies that have led to the financial meltdown we have witnessed over the past few months. In keeping with the themes of the Hastings Business Law Journal’s Symposium, “Beyond the Bailout: Risk, Responsibility, and the Road Ahead,” this Article does not chronicle the crisis, but rather focuses on the lessons it might hold in getting “beyond the bailout.” To mitigate, or perhaps even avoid, future disasters I argue that policymakers should focus on remedying four pernicious facilitators to scandal: dissemination of untruthful or misleading financial information, abuse of regulatory gaps, exploitation of credulous consumers, and the ability to use corporate size to privatize profits and socialize costs.
Cross Border Business Cycle Impacts on CommercialElectricity Demand

Empresas de alumbrado electrico en regiones fronterizas se enfrentan1 con circunstancias especiales al analizar y pronosticar el consumo de energia electrica. El presente trabajo tiene como meta investigar la sis-r tematica incorporacion de fluctuaciones economicas internacionales1 en modelos estratificados de demanda de energia electrica. El articulo1 emplea funciones de transferencia ARIMA para medir la reaccion del consumo electrico de empresas privadas en El Paso, Texas, impulsado por cambios en los ciclos economicos que caracterizan al mercado metropolitano de Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, y a la economia nacional de Mexico. ABSTRACT Border region electric utilities face unique circumstances in attempting to assess overall business and load demand conditions. A basic question arises with respect to such situations as to whether international economic fluctuations can be systematically incorporated into electricity demand models. Transfer function ARIMA analysis is utilized to examine whether commercial electricity sales in El Paso, Texas respond to the national and metropolitan business cycles affecting economic performance in Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico.
On the canonicity of Sahlqvist identities

We give a simple proof of the canonicity of Sahlqvist identities, using methods that were introduced in a paper by Jonsson and Tarski in 1951.
Kadomtsev–Petviashvili hierarchy: N-soliton solutions and distinct dispersion relations

Abstract In this paper, we investigate the Kadomtsev–Petviashvili (KP) hierarchy that was recently derived. We use the simplified Hirota’s method to study two integrable members of this new KP hierarchy. We show that these two equations give multiple soliton solutions that possess the same amplitude and the same phase shift, but with distinct dispersion relations.
Invasion impacts diversity through altered community dynamics

Summary 1 Invading plant species often alter community structure, composition and, in some instances, reduce local diversity. However, the community dynamics underlying these impacts are relatively unknown. 2 Declines in species richness with invasion may occur via displacement of resident species and/or reduction of seedling establishment by the invader. These two mechanisms differ in the demographic stage of the interaction. 3 We document turnover dynamics using long-term permanent plot data to assess the mechanism(s) of invasion impacts of four exotic species on a mixed community of native and exotic species. These mechanisms were evaluated at both the neighbourhood (1-m 2 plot) and population (individual species) scales. 4 During invasion, species richness declined with increasing invader cover for three of the four invaders. All invaders reduced colonization rates, but had no effect on extinction rates at the neighbourhood scale. Populations differed in their susceptibility to invasion impacts, with significant reductions in colonization for 10 of 25 (40%) species and increases in extinction for only 4 of 29 (14%) species. 5 At neighbourhood and population scales, influences of invasion on community dynamics were essentially the same for all invaders regardless of life-form. While individual resident species had some increase in extinction probability, community richness impacts were largely driven by colonization limitation. 6 The consistency of invasion impacts across life-forms suggests establishment limitation as a general mechanism of invasion impact. This common causal mechanism should be explored in other systems to determine the extent of its generality.
Patent Case Management Judicial Guide

As the number, size, and complexity of patent cases have grown throughout the United States over the past several decades - paralleling expansion in the role of high technology enterprises in the U.S. economy - the need for a comprehensive, user-friendly, and practical judicial guide for managing patent cases has become increasingly apparent. Although similar in many respects to other forms of complex civil litigation, patent cases pose distinctive case management challenges. Patent cases feature complex and dynamic technological facts to a degree rarely encountered in most other areas of litigation. Furthermore, they employ unique procedures (such as claim construction hearings) that affect and interact with other aspects of the case (such as summary judgment motions and expert reports) in ways that create unusual scheduling and substantive complexity. In addition, patent cases often entail distinctive and difficult discovery issues, extensive use of experts, and particularly complex dispositive and pre-trial motion practice.Because of the decentralized, general jurisdiction structure of federal courts in the United States, much of the experience relating to managing patent cases is silo-ed in particular judicial chambers. As one jurist aptly noted, best practices for patent case management have been transmitted largely through word of mouth. Given the crowded, diverse dockets of federal courts, the accessibility and reliability of such knowledge is far from ideal. Judges in some districts have partially codified recommended practices in the form of Patent Local Rules, standing orders, and patent jury instructions, but these documents do not address the full range of distinctive challenges posed by patent litigation. Furthermore, such judicial wisdom continues to evolve. Recognizing these patterns, the authors undertook in 2006 to survey the range of approaches and perspectives on patent case management, foster discussion and analysis of patent case management techniques, and develop an authoritative guide for judges, law clerks, practitioners, and patent and civil procedure professors and scholars. Given the dynamism of the patent system and patent litigation, the authors plan to revise the Guide on a biennial basis.
Detecting crater ejecta-blanket boundaries and constraining source crater regions for boulder tracks and elongated secondary craters on Eros

Abstract– We present results of a numerical model of the dynamics of ejecta emplacement on asteroid 433 Eros. Ejecta blocks represent the coarsest fraction of Eros’ regolith and are important, readily visible, “tracer particles” for crater ejecta-blanket units that may be linked back to specific source craters. Model results show that the combination of irregular shape and rapid rotation of an asteroid can result in markedly asymmetric ejecta blankets (and, it follows, ejecta block spatial distribution), with locally very sharp/distinct boundaries. We mapped boulder number densities in NEAR-Shoemaker MSI images across a portion of a predicted sharp ejecta-blanket boundary associated with the crater Valentine and confirm a distinct and real ejecta-blanket boundary, significant at least at the 3-sigma level. Using our dynamical model, we “back track” the landing trajectories of three ejecta blocks with associated landing tracks in an effort to constrain potential source regions where those blocks were ejected from Eros’ surface in impact events. The observed skip distances of the blocks upon landing on Eros’ surface and the landing speeds and elevation angles derived from our model allow us to estimate the coefficient of restitution, e, of Eros’ surface for impacts of 10-m-scale blocks at approximately 5 m s−1 impact speeds. We find mean values of e of approximately 0.09–0.18.
Physical and emotional health of Gulf War veteran women

Background: Numerous questions have been raised about the health consequences to veterans of the Gulf War but most particularly to issues concerning women, who were deployed in unprecedented numbers. Little is known about the health consequences to women of wartime stressors, in general, or the environmental and job-related exposures specific to the theater of the Gulf War. Methods: A stratified sample of 525 women participated in the study following the war and again in a follow-up study 2 yr later. The sampling frame was stratified on component of the U.S. Air Force (active, guard or reserve), deployment (in the theater or elsewhere), and parental status (parent or nonparent). Measures included items concerning general physical health, gender-specific health, the Gulf War Syndrome, and the emotional responses to war, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Results: Multiple statistical analyses were used to describe women's physical and emotional health at two time points following the war. Women deployed to the theater reported significantly more general as well as gender-specific health problems than did women deployed elsewhere. A cluster of common health problems included: skin rash, cough, depression, unintentional weight loss, insomnia, and memory problems. Women serving in the theater also reported a significant increase in several gender-specific problems compared to women deployed elsewhere. Conclusions: Findings suggest the need for follow-up of a cluster of specific health effects, including those concerning gynecologic and reproductive health.
Postreceptor Resistance to Exogenous Growth Hormone Exists in the Jejunal Mucosa of Parenterally Fed Rats

Our objective was to determine whether the intestinal mucosa is resistant to the mitogenic effects of exogenous growth hormone (GH) but sensitive to exogenous insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) during total parenteral nutrition (TPN) because of decreased GH receptor (GHR) binding or postreceptor responsiveness to GH. First, only continuous i.v. administration of IGF-I, but neither pulsatile subcutaneous nor continuous i.v. GH, stimulated jejunal mucosal hyperplasia; however, both GH and IGF-I increased serum IGF-I and promoted similar whole-body growth after 8 d of exclusive TPN and 6 d of growth factor treatment in rats. This suggests a tissue-specific resistance to GH action in the intestinal mucosa during TPN. Second, exogenous GH during TPN did not reduce GH-specific binding in jejunum, suggesting that the inability of GH to stimulate mucosal hyperplasia is not due to low levels of the GHR. Third, IGF-I, but not GH, induced acute expression of c-fos (P < 0.009) and c-jun (P = 0.053) mRNAs in jejunum based on Northern analysis and in situ hybridization histochemistry 60 min after a single i.v. bolus of GH or IGF-I. This suggests that IGF-I, but not GH, activates early postreceptor growth-related signaling pathways in jejunum. In summary, the lack of early c-fos and c-jun induction in response to GH in TPN rats indicates that the jejunal mucosa is resistant to exogenous GH between GHR activation and induction of immediate early genes. This may contribute to the inability of mucosal cells to respond to the trophic effects of GH.
Male Gametic Strategies: Sperm Size, Testes Size, and the Allocation of Ejaculate Among Successive Mates by the Sperm-Limited Fly Drosophila pachea and Its Relatives

The gametic strategy of males comprises the amount of energy invested per sperm, the total amount invested in sperm production, and the pattern of sperm allocation among successive reproductive bouts. All of these variables were measured for each of the four species constituting the nannoptera species group of the Drosophilidae. Extreme interspecific variation was identified for all variables and enigmatic male reproductive strategies, including submaximal insemination of females, partitioning of ejaculate among successive mates, and production of few large sperm, were observed. Variation among species in female remating behavior was found to occur concomitantly with male remating behavior, probably because of female fertility demands. Relationships among testes size, sperm size, sperm numbers, and mating systems in these fruit flies are examined. These relationships are not consistent with patterns identified in studies of vertebrate taxa and suggest fundamental differences between vertebrates and invert...
Intraluminal lipoma of small intestine producing intussusception

Summary A case of intussusception due to an intraluminal lipoma of the terminal ileum is reported. Benign tumors of the small intestine are rare, occurring only slightly more than half as frequently as malignant tumors of the small intestine. The preoperative diagnosis may be made by x-ray and by the symptoms of partial obstruction or intussusception in an adult, and the findings of a palpable, mobile tumor mass within the abdominal cavity. The treatment is surgical and should be done promptly if signs of intussusception or acute intestinal obstruction are present.
Simulation with object oriented programming

Abstract Simulation with Object Oriented Programming (SW-OOP) is a library of software modules (classes) designed to provide the software constructs necessary for programming general purpose discrete event computer simulations in Pascal. Systems modeling and simulation has been cited by those disciplined in operations research and management science as one of the skills most frequently applied to the study, understanding and improvement of systems in industry (Law 1991). This paper presents SW-OOP and discusses how it is used to facilitate systems modeling and simulation when computer software is developed to study a particular problem.