cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Use of inspiratory muscle strength training to facilitate ventilator weaning: a series of 10 consecutive patients.

Background and purpose: We instituted a low-repetition, high-intensity inspiratory muscle strength training (IMST) program and progressively longer spontaneous breathing periods (SBPs) in a group of medically complex patients who were dependent on mechanical ventilation (MV) and had failed to wean. Case descriptions: IMST was provided to 10 consecutive patients (four men, six women; mean [ SD] age, 59 15 years) who had failed to wean from MV by conventional methods for > 7 days. Prior to initiating IMST, patients had received MV support for a mean of 34 31 days. Daily IMST consisted of four sets of six breaths through a threshold inspiratory muscle trainer that had been set at an intensity to yield an exertion rating of 6 to 8 of a maximal value of 10. At the start of IMST, patients were tolerating 2.1 3.4 consecutive hours of SBPs. The duration of the SBPs was increased daily, as tolerated. Patients were considered to have been weaned from MV when they were able to breathe without MV support for 24 consecutive hours. Outcomes: After 44 43 days of IMST, 9 of 10 patients were weaned from MV. The initial IMST pressure was 7 3c m H 2O, and it was increased to 18 7c m H 2 O( p< 0.05). Discussion: These results indicate that an IMST protocol that produces significant increases in threshold training pressure, in combination with progressive SBPs, aids in weaning patients from MV. Although promising, these preliminary observations must be tested in a controlled trial. (CHEST 2002; 122:192–196)
Coupling Reduction for Collocated Antennas on MIMO Systems

Cavity-backed slot (CBS) antennas are commonly used in earth-based and space-borne MIMO systems. Coupling between antennas degrades the performance of MIMO systems. Therefore, it is desirable to minimize the coupling between antennas used on MIMO systems. In this paper, the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to analyze antenna coupling with emphasis on different methods to reduce coupling. Specifically, coupling reduction is attempted using lossy material superstrates or ground plane discontinuities, such as slits.
Distributed flit-buffer flow control for networks-on-chip

The combination of flit-buffer flow control methods and latency-insensitive protocols is an effective solution for networks-on-chip (NoC). Since they both rely on backpressure, the two techniques are easy to combine while offering complementary advantages: low complexity of router design and the ability to cope with long communication channels via automatic wire pipelining. We study various alternative implementations of this idea by considering the combination of three different types of flit-buffer flow control methods and two different classes of channel repeaters (based respectively on flip-flops and relay stations). We characterize the area and performance of the two most promising alternative implementations for NoCs by completing the RTL design and logic synthesis of the repeaters and routers for different channel parallelisms. Finally, we derive high-level abstractions of our circuit designs and we use them to perform system-level simulations under various scenarios for two distinct NoC topologies and various applications. Based on our comparative analysis and experimental results, we propose a NoC design approach that combines the reduction of the router queues to a minimum size with the distribution of flit buffering onto the channels. This approach provides precious flexibility during the physical design phase for many NoCs, particularly in those systems-on-chip that must be designed to meet a tight constraint on the target clock frequency.
Dye-sensitized solar cells based on low cost nanoscale carbon/TiO 2 composite counter electrode

A dye-sensitized solar cell based on low cost nanoscale carbon/TiO2 composite counter electrode was fabricated and its photovoltaic performance (η = 5.5%, AM 1.5, 91.5 mW cm−2) was comparable to that from platinum counter-electrode devices (η = 6.4%, AM 1.5, 91.5 mW cm−2) made at similar conditions.
Pulsed Ruby Laser Annealing of Zn, Mg, Se and Si Ion Implants in Semiconducting GaAs

The properties of p+ and n+ layers formed by pulsed ruby laser annealing (PRLA) of shallow (Rp ∼ 320–680 A) implantations of Mg, Zn, Si and Se ions in both n- and p-type semiconducting GaAs have been evaluated using a combination of SIMS and electrical properties measurements. High activation (> 80%) was obtained for high dose (5 × 1015 ions/cm2) implants of both Mg and Zn, within a pulsed laser energy density “window” 0.5 ≤ Eλ ≤ 0.8 J/cm2 (FWHM pulse duration = 20–25 ns). SIMS measurements following PRLA show a wellbehaved increasing penetration of dopant ions into the GaAs substrate, with dopant ion concentrations well in excess of 1020 ions/cm3 in the near-surface region. Measured hole mobilities are consistent with the values anticipated for these high concentrations of ionized impurity scattering centers.
The zinc-ribbon domain of Helicobacter pylori HP0958: requirement for RpoN accumulation and possible roles of homologs in other bacteria

Helicobacter pylori HP0958 protein (FlgZ) prevents the rapid turnover of RpoN (σ54), a transcription factor required for expression of several flagellar genes in H. pylori. FlgZ possesses a zinc-ribbon domain (DUF164) that contains two conserved CXXC motifs which coordinate a zinc ion and is thought to interact with nucleic acids or proteins. Two conserved cysteine residues in FlgZ (Cys-202 and Cys-223) were replaced with serine to assess their significance in FlgZ function. After confirming the importance of the CXXC motifs in the DUF164 domain of FlgZ, the distribution of DUF164 proteins and RpoN homologs in other bacteria was examined to determine if a correlation existed for the concurrence of the two proteins. Levels of RpoN were greatly reduced in H. pylori strains that expressed the FlgZC202S or FlgZC223S variants. The FlgZC202S variant, but not the FlgZC223S variant, accumulated at levels similar to the wild-type protein. DUF164 proteins are not universally distributed and appear to be absent in several major bacterial taxa, including Cyanobacteria as well as Alpha-, Beta- and Gammaproteobacteria. With the exception of the Actinobacteria, members of which generally lack RpoN, genes encoding DUF164 proteins and RpoN are frequently found in the same genome. Interestingly, many of the DUF164 proteins in Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes lack most or even all of the conserved cysteine residues. These findings suggest the importance of the zinc-ribbon domain of FlgZ in protecting RpoN from turnover. Since many bacteria that possess a DUF164 protein also contain RpoN, DUF164 proteins may have roles in RpoN protection or function in other bacteria.
Beyond liberal Utopia: freedom as the problem of modernity

This essay critiques the concept of the “punctual” or autonomous self that served as the foundation of classical liberalism and its moral philosophy, beginning in the work of A. Smith, T. Paine, and I. Kant. Grounded in the language of “rights,” personal liberty, and rational self‐possession, the modern individual is paradoxically characterized as a unique agent and as formally equivalent to all other such beings. Furthermore, its political and epistemological claims rest on unexamined assumptions about freedom that would be severely challenged by the pessimistic turn of much nineteenth‐century literary and philosophical narrative.
Nutrient regulation strategies differ between cricket morphs that trade‐off dispersal and reproduction

Summary 1. Nutrient regulation should covary with life history, but actual demonstrations of this connection are rare. 2. Here, we use a wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus, that trades off dispersal and reproduction; the long-winged morph with functional flight muscles [LW(f)] is adapted for dispersal at the expense of egg production, while the short-winged (SW) morph is adapted for egg production at the expense of flight. We explore the extent to which these two morphs differentially regulate macronutrient intake to best match their life-history strategy. 3. In a ‘choice’ experiment, we offered female crickets of each morph [LW(f) and SW] two nutritionally complementary foods varying in protein and digestible carbohydrate content. In a second ‘no-choice’ experiment, we confined crickets to one of five foods, each with a different protein/carbohydrate ratio. In both experiments, and for both morphs, we measured food intake, mass gain and lipid concentration. 4. In the ‘choice’ experiments, LW(f) females selected a more carbohydrate-biased diet than SW females. The two morphs gained similar total mass, but the LW morph had higher lipid concentration. 5. In the no-choice experiment, the two morphs practised different nutrient ‘consumption rules’. SW females ate similar total nutrient amounts (protein plus carbohydrate) across diets, while LW(f) females decreased intake as the protein/carbohydrate ratio of the available food became increasingly imbalanced. Overall mass gain was marginally higher in the SW morph and lowest for both morphs on the diets that were extremely carbohydrate biased. LW(f) and SW females had similar lipid concentrations across the diets, even though LW(f) crickets ate less carbohydrate on the two carbohydrate-biased diets. Our data suggest that for LW(f) females, there are costs of overeating nutrients in excess of requirements, but they are efficient at utilizing ingested nutrients. 6. Our results shed new light on how the nutritional environment interacts with the direct trade-off between dispersal and reproduction occurring in adult G. firmus crickets. Dispersal is linked to heightened diet selectivity and an emphasis on nutrients promoting flight fuel (lipid) storage over protein acquisition for egg laying, such that nutritional regulation complements the metabolic mechanisms that generate this trade-off.
Characterization of Chloramphenicol and Florfenicol Resistance in Escherichia coli Associated with Bovine Diarrhea

Florfenicol, a veterinary fluorinated analog of thiamphenicol, is approved for treatment of bovine respiratory pathogens in the United States. However, florfenicol resistance has recently emerged among veterinary Escherichia coli isolates incriminated in bovine diarrhea. The flo gene, which confers resistance to florfenicol and chloramphenicol, has previously been identified in Photobacterium piscicida and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium DT104. The flo gene product is closely related to the CmlA protein identified in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The cmlA gene confers nonenzymatic chloramphenicol resistance via an efflux mechanism. Forty-eight E. coli isolates recovered from calves with diarrhea, including 41 that were both chloramphenicol and florfenicol resistant, were assayed for the presence of both flo and cmlA genes. Forty-two of the 44 isolates for which florfenicol MICs were ≥16 μg/ml were positive via PCR for the flo gene. All E. coli isolates for which florfenicol MICs were ≤8 μg/ml were negative for the flo gene (n = 4). Twelve E. coli isolates were positive for cmlA, and chloramphenicol MICs for all 12 were ≥32 μg/ml. Additionally, eight isolates were positive for both flo and cmlA, and both florfenicol and chloramphenicol MICs for these isolates were ≥64 μg/ml. DNA sequence analysis of the E. coli flo gene demonstrated 98% identity to the published GenBank sequences of both serovar Typhimurium floSt and P. piscicida pp-flo. The flo gene was identified on high-molecular-weight plasmids of approximately 225 kb among the majority of florfenicol-resistant E. coli isolates. However, not all of the florfenicol-resistant E. coli isolates tested contained the large flo-positive plasmids. This suggests that several of the E. coli isolates may possess a chromosomal flo gene. The E. coli flo gene specifies nonenzymatic cross-resistance to both florfenicol and chloramphenicol, and its presence among bovine E. coli isolates of diverse genetic backgrounds indicates a distribution much wider than previously thought.
Dietary intake in the Personalized Medicine Research Project: a resource for studies of gene-diet interaction

Background: To describe the dietary intake of participants in the Personalized Medicine Research Project (PMRP), and to quantify differences in nutrient intake by smoking status and APOE4-a genetic marker that has been shown to modify the association between risk factors and outcomes. Methods: The PMRP is a population-based DNA, plasma and serum biobank of more than 20,000 adults aged 18 years and older in central Wisconsin. A questionnaire at enrollment captures demographic information as well as self-reported smoking and alcohol intake. The protocol was amended to include the collection of dietary intake and physical activity via self-reported questionnaires: the National Cancer Institute 124-item Diet History Questionnaire and the Baecke Physical Activity Questionnaire. These questionnaires were mailed out to previously enrolled participants. APOE was genotyped in all subjects. Results: The response rate to the mailed questionnaires was 68.2% for subjects who could still be contacted (alive with known address). Participants ranged in age from 18 to 98 years (mean 54.7) and 61% were female. Dietary intake is variable when comparing gender, age, smoking, and APOE4. Over 50% of females are dietary supplement users; females have higher supplement intake than males, but both have increasing supplement use as age increases. Food energy, total fat, cholesterol, protein, and alcohol intake decreases as both males and females age. Female smokers had higher macronutrient intake, whereas male nonsmokers had higher macronutrient intake. Nonsmokers in both genders use more supplements. In females, nonsmokers and smokers with APOE4 had higher supplement use. In males, nonsmokers with APOE4 had higher supplement use between ages 18-39 only, and lower supplement use at ages above 39. Male smokers with APOE4 had lower supplement use. Conclusion: Dietary intake in PMRP subjects is relatively consistent with data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Findings suggest a possible correlation between the use of supplements and APOE4. The PMRP dietary data can benefit studies of gene-environment interactions and the development of common diseases.
Mediators in the architecture of future information systems

For single databases, primary hindrances for end-user access are the volume of data that is becoming available, the lack of abstraction, and the need to understand the representation of the data. When information is combined from multiple databases, the major concern is the mismatch encountered in information representation and structure. Intelligent and active use of information requires a class of software modules that mediate between the workstation applications and the databases. It is shown that mediation simplifies, abstracts, reduces, merges, and explains data. A mediator is a software module that exploits encoded knowledge about certain sets or subsets of data to create information for a higher layer of applications. A model of information processing and information system components is described. The mediator architecture, including mediator interfaces, sharing of mediator modules, distribution of mediators, and triggers for knowledge maintenance, are discussed. >
A PPARγ–FGF1 axis is required for adaptive adipose remodelling and metabolic homeostasis

Although feast and famine cycles illustrate that remodelling of adipose tissue in response to fluctuations in nutrient availability is essential for maintaining metabolic homeostasis, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we identify fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) as a critical transducer in this process in mice, and link its regulation to the nuclear receptor PPARγ (peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ), which is the adipocyte master regulator and the target of the thiazolidinedione class of insulin sensitizing drugs. FGF1 is the prototype of the 22-member FGF family of proteins and has been implicated in a range of physiological processes, including development, wound healing and cardiovascular changes. Surprisingly, FGF1 knockout mice display no significant phenotype under standard laboratory conditions. We show that FGF1 is highly induced in adipose tissue in response to a high-fat diet and that mice lacking FGF1 develop an aggressive diabetic phenotype coupled to aberrant adipose expansion when challenged with a high-fat diet. Further analysis of adipose depots in FGF1-deficient mice revealed multiple histopathologies in the vasculature network, an accentuated inflammatory response, aberrant adipocyte size distribution and ectopic expression of pancreatic lipases. On withdrawal of the high-fat diet, this inflamed adipose tissue fails to properly resolve, resulting in extensive fat necrosis. In terms of mechanisms, we show that adipose induction of FGF1 in the fed state is regulated by PPARγ acting through an evolutionarily conserved promoter proximal PPAR response element within the FGF1 gene. The discovery of a phenotype for the FGF1 knockout mouse establishes the PPARγ–FGF1 axis as critical for maintaining metabolic homeostasis and insulin sensitization.
Detecting Self-Regulated Learning in Online Communities by Means of Interaction Analysis

Interaction analysis is increasingly used to study learning dynamics within online communities. This paper aims to investigate whether interaction analysis can help understand the practice and development of self-regulated learning (SRL) in virtual learning communities (VLCs). To this end, a set of SRL indicators is proposed to spot clues of self-regulated events within students' messages. Such clues have been identified and classified according to Zimmerman's SRL model and some subsequent studies concerning SRL in technology enhanced learning environments (TELEs). They have been tested on the online component of a blended course for trainee teachers, by analyzing the messages exchanged by a group of learners in two modules of the course. The results of this analysis have been compared with those of a previous study carried out, with more traditional methods, on the same course. The similarity of the results obtained by the two approaches suggests that interaction analysis is an effective, though rather labor-intensive, methodology to study SRL in online learning communities.
The design and implementation of a three-phase active power filter based on sliding mode control

This paper presents an active power filter for three-phase power systems. The work is motivated by the need for active filtration in a current-source excitation system for a variable-reluctance generator. The active filter is comprised of a six-switch three-phase inverter, a DC bus capacitor, and an isolation transformer. The isolation transformer is required by the application. The leakage inductance associated with each phase of the isolation transformer is used as the series impedance with each phase, by which the inverter is able to actively shape the phase currents in order to compensate for the nonlinearities of all loads within the point of common coupling. The active filter is controlled through two control loops. The inner current regulation loop uses sliding-mode control by virtue of its ease of implementation. The outer voltage loop regulates the average voltage on the DC bus capacitor. The outer voltage loop is responsible for correctly setting the commanded magnitude of the phase currents. This paper presents the analysis, design, and operation of the active filter. Experimental results are provided for the active filter compensating a phase-controlled rectifier which is drawing 10.4 kW. >
Obsessive–compulsive symptoms in neurologic disease: a review

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an increasingly recognized disorder with a prevalence of 2-3% (Robins et al., 1984). Once thought to be psychodynamic in origin, OCD is now generally recognized as having a neurobiological cause. Although the exact pathophysiology of OCD in its pure form remains unkown, there are numerous reports of obsessive-compulsive symp­ toms arising in the setting of known neurological disease. In this paper, we review the reported cases of obsessive-compulsive symptoms associated with neurologic diseases and outline the known facts about the underlying neurobiology ofOCD. Finally, we synthesize these findings into a proposed theory of the pathophysiology of OCD, in both its pure form and when it accompa­ nies other neurological illness.
Cardiac biexcitability: Two ways to catch a wave

i a b t b n u w s E s i b s s c Early afterdepolarizations (EADs) are abnormal oscillations of the membrane potential that occur during action potential repolarization. EADs occurring at potentials near the plateau of the action potential are due to reactivation of the L-type Ca-channel current (ICaL) often in the context of educed repolarizing K currents. Mathematical models ave revealed common ionic mechanisms underlying EADs nd have explained how ICaL reactivation interacts with K currents to dictate EAD rate dependence. Modeling and in vitro experimental studies have recently demonstrated that the highly irregular occurrence of EADs can be explained by dynamical chaos and is highly sensitive to random fluctuations in ionic currents. EADs play a key role in the genesis of polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (PVT) in long QT syndrome (LQTS), particularly the undulating PVT known as torsades de pointes (TdP). Two main hypotheses have been proposed to explain how EADs contribute to TdP. Dessertenne initially proposed that TdP arises from repeated firing from multiple interacting foci (caused by EADs.) Numerous studies have supported this hypothesis either by stimulating the ventricles at multiple locations or by directly imaging multifocal activity using optical mapping. An alternative hypothesis is that TdP is initiated by EADs at a single focus, which because of the enhanced dispersion of repolarization induces reentrant arrhythmia. In this case, meandering or hifting reentrant arrhythmias would be responsible for the ndulating axis characteristic of TdP. Multiscale mathematical models have mechanistically linked molecular defects underlying congenital LQTS to irregular EADs, enhanced dispersion of repolarization, and arrhythmia. But one of the important unanswered questions is why clinically observed TdP exhibits considerably slower rotation and often self-terminates compared with typical Na current (INa)-mediated reentrant arrhythmias. In this issue of HeartRhythm, Chang et al propose an intriguing new hypothesis of how EADs initiate and sustain arrhythmia. The authors began by modifying a previously validated computational model of the rabbit ventricular
SUCCESSIONS OF LATE CENOZOIC PLATFORM DOLOMITES DISTINGUISHED BY TEXTURE, GEOCHEMISTRY, AND CRYSTAL CHEMISTRY : NIUE, SOUTH PACIFIC

ABSTRACT Niue Island, a former atoll in the South Pacific, contains unusually well-resolved successions of dolomites recording repeated episodes of Late Cenozoic dolomitization. The massive Upper Dolomite unit consists of shoaling-upward depositional cycles of Pliocene age which have been thoroughly replaced by corresponding repetitive successions of crystalline mimetic (CM), transitional (CMS), and microsucrosic (MS) dolomite textures. In contrast, the Lower Dolomite unit, of late Miocene age, has only partially been replaced by crystalline non-mimetic (CNM) dolomite texture. Porosity and permeability of the precursor facies were likely the chief controls of dolomite texture distributions. The CM-CMS-MS dolomite textures contain variable proportions of 1 to 3 diachronous dolomite crystal phases having distinct chemical and isotopic compositions. The CM dolomite is Ca, Sr, and Na rich and has relatively light 18O values (41.4 ± 0.6 Mg mole %, 234 ± 19 ppm, and 386 ± 39 ppm, 2.8 ± 0.9o/oo PDB, respectively; n = 36). The MS dolomite is Ca, Sr, and Na poor and has heavier 18O values (44.9 ± 0.9 Mg mole %, 142 ± 26 ppm, 241 ± 47 ppm, and 3.6 ± 0.3o/oo PDB, respectively; n = 29). Phase mixing causes linear trends in the elemental and 18O compositions of the CM-CMS-MS dolomites that have been interpreted in the Bahamas to represent kinetic effects. CNM dolomites lack linear geochemical trends because of single phase composition that is Ca, Sr, and Na rich and has heavy 18O values (40.9 ± 0.6 Mg mole %, 293 ± 67 ppm, 339 ± 59 ppm, and 4.2 ± 0.3o/oo PDB, respectively; n = 49). Isotopic and elemental compositions suggest that dolomites developed from normal seawater. Episodic dolomitization of the Upper Dolomite unit likely occurred in the marine phreatic zone beneath the meteoric-marine mixing zone whenever a glacio-eustatic fall subaerially exposed the platform. The 18O enrichments observed in the Lower Dolomite Unit may indicate dolomitization in deeper and colder seawater. The Niuean dolomites are remarkably similar to probably contemporaneous dolomites in the Mio-Pliocene section of the Bahamas, suggesting that glacio-eustasy may be important in dolomitization.
Data fusion through fuzzy logic applied to feature extraction from multi-sensory images

A fusion formula based on the measure of fuzziness is developed and tested mathematically against several desirable properties of fusion operators. A fuzzification scheme is established by which different types of input data (images) may be modeled. A defuzzification scheme is carried out to recover crisp data from the combined fuzzy assessment. This approach is implemented and tested with real range and intensity images acquired using an odetics laser scanner. A systematic method for evaluating the results of feature extraction is presented. The goal is to obtain better scene descriptions through a segmentation process of both images. Despite the low resolution of the images and the amount of the noise associated with the acquisition process, the segmented output should be suitable for recognition purposes. >
My Prostate Cancer

On March 6, 2007, I had a robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy and pelvic lymph node dissection for a pT2C, N0, M0, Gleason 3 + 4 adenocarcinoma of the prostate. At my 3-year follow-up, I was disease-free, continent of urine, and as potent as I wanted to be. This is my story.
Market Pricing Orders Management with Price and Demand Uncertainty in Complete and Implied Complete Markets

The purpose of this paper is to price an order (inventory control) policy when markets are complete, assuming that the underlying product ordered (a commodity for example) by an industrial manager for example, can be set to be independent of inventories by using price derivatives (such as Call and Put options on the underlying product) while mitigating the effects of demand uncertainty. The approach developed in this paper underlies as well a common practice by certain firms who use materials that are traded in speculative financial markets. In these situations, managers combine their production based activities with speculations regarding their potential demand and the associated price of materials. To illustrate the approach used in this paper, a number of examples are used. For simplicity, and in order to highlight the essential elements of the approach used, we consider a two periods, two states (of uncertainty) model which is generalized subsequently to multiple states including price and demand uncertainty.
New Efficient Spatial Model with Built-In Gaussian Markov Random Fields

Recently, there have been efforts to find a way to fit a computationally efficient Gaussian Markov Random Field (GMRF) on a discrete lattice to a Gaussian random field on a continuum space [86–88].
Using Buckling-Restrained Braces on Long-Span Bridges. I: Full-Scale Testing and Design Implications

Using the Vincent Thomas Bridge (VTB) as a feasibility case study, near-fault loading protocols for qualifying buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) for use on long-span bridges were developed and are presented in a companion paper. In this paper, full-scale component testing demonstrated the ability of BRBs to sustain several consecutive near-fault loading protocols, and therefore, they are recommended as qualified for potential use on the VTB and other similar long-span bridges near seismic faults. Near-fault protocol test results led to the proposal of a new procedure for measuring unbalanced BRB compression and tension forces by testing two nominally identical braces. Other novel test variables included the use of stainless steel (SS) for several BRB yielding cores and high strain rates, characteristic of near-fault loading, in two dynamic tests. Design considerations were identified for BRBs using highly ductile SS considering its significant strain-hardening properties, as well as the increased brace force response due to the high strain rate observed for both steels.
Geometric control of rippling in supported polymer nanolines.

We study the swelling behavior of finlike polymer line gratings supported on a rigid substrate and show that the edge-supported polymer laminae undergo a rippling instability with a well-defined ri...
Attraction of the Olive Fruit Fly to Pheromone, McPhail, and Color Traps

Pheromone traps baited with natural male lure were compared with McPhail traps and yellow color traps for Dacus oleae (Gmelin). Combinations of pheromone with either yellow or McPhail traps also were tested. Pheromone traps were as effective in trapping males as McPhail traps and much more effective than yellow traps. Combinations of pheromone and yellow or McPhail traps have additive effects on male captures. Presence of pheromones does not affect female captures of yellow or McPhail traps.
Medical Device Data Goes to Court

Advances in mobile and computer technology are combining to create massive changes in the way data about human health and well-being are gathered and used. As the trend toward wearable and ubiquitous health tracking devices moves forward, the sheer quantity of new data from a wide variety of devices presents challenges for analysts. In the coming years, this data will inevitably be used in the criminal and civil justice systems. However, the tools to make full use of it are currently lacking. This paper discusses scenarios where data collected from health and fitness related devices may intersect with legal requirements such as investigations into insurance fraud or even murder. The conclusion is that there is much work to be done to enable reliable investigations. This should include at least the establishment of an organization to promote development of the field, development of cross-disciplinary education materials, and the creation of an open data bank for information sharing.
Mass Transportation Planning Legislation in the U.S. and Policy Implications

This paper is an overview of legisla- tion and regulations that dealt with urban mass transportation planning passed in the 1960s in the U.S. as well as an exploration respective driving forces behind each of the legislation and regulations. The author believes that they are the principal factors that shaped the mass transporta- tion planning process of today in U.S. and deeply affected what has been achieved in the field ever since. The author thus suggests that, legislation and the driving forces behind it play an important role in mass transportation planning and as a planner, legislator or policy maker, one should recognize this and appropriately use legis- lation as a means to reach his planning or policy goals.
Physical and psychosocial consequences of stroke in elderly Mexican Americans.

OBJECTIVE The current study examines the psychosocial and physical predictors and consequences of stroke among elderly non-institutionalized Mexican Americans. DESIGN A cross-sectional cohort study design was used. SETTING The sampling frame included the Southwestern United States (Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico and Texas) where subjects were interviewed in their homes. PARTICIPANTS A probability sample consisted of 3,050 Mexican Americans aged 65 or older. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE The main outcome measure was self-report of being diagnosed by a physician as having a stroke that required hospitalization. RESULTS Those who ever had a stroke (N=159) were less likely to be able to perform activities of daily living than persons who never had a stroke (N=2,869). Rates of disability and prevalence of stroke appear to be higher in elderly Mexican Americans than in the general elderly population. Greater education and language acculturation were risk factors for having a stroke. CONCLUSIONS The finding that Mexican Americans who are less acculturated are more healthy suggests that acculturation may increase morbidity and, potentially, mortality from stroke.
Basilar artery perforator aneurysms (BAPAs): review of the literature and classification

Basilar artery perforator aneurysms (BAPAs) are an uncommon subtype of perforating artery aneurysms, with only 18 published cases since their initial description in 1996 by Ghogawala et al To date, there are only seven published cases of ruptured BAPAs treated using endovascular techniques. Given the rarity of these aneurysms, the natural history and ideal approach to treatment has not been established. We describe a new endovascular approach to treating these aneurysms using staged telescoping stents, summarize all published cases of BAPAs, and present a unique classification system to enable future papers to standardize descriptions.
FUNDAMENTAL STUDIES ON VAPOR PHASE WATER CLUSTERS

The vapor phase clustering of water molecules (both homo-molecular and heteromolecular) influences atmospheric electro-optics, certain electrical phenomena, and helps remove pollutants through gas-to-particle conversion. The University of Missouri-Rolla Center for Cloud Physics Research has devoted a concerted effort toward developing the molecular description of clusters. In the microcrystalline approximation a given cluster structure is described by a factorized statistical mechanical partition function which contains the binding energy, translation and rotation factors, internal vibrations and rotations, and a contribution to the entropy. New quantum mechanical procedures continue to improve the knowledge of structural details and the frequencies and oscillator strengths of internal motions. Molecular dynamics investigations sharpen the understanding of conformational changes, collision dynamics, energy transfer, and growth and decay reactions. The experimental program has evolved information which along with other work has guided the development of theory. Careful homogeneous nucleation rate measurements delineate shortcomings in the classical liquid drop theory. Ion mobility measurements yield additional clues about the properties of equilibrium ion clusters. So far no theory is completely successful in describing clustering phenomena. Recent findings indicate that the less stable clusters may be more important than previously realized. A realistic evaluation of the theory will be given and possible avenues for future work discussed.
Moral Performance and Cultural Governance in China: The Compassionate Politics of Disasters

This article examines the Chinese state's moral performance during several major disasters, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the 1998 Yangtze River floods, and the 1976 Tangshan earthquake. Drawing on the theatrical theory of symbolic politics, I argue that the Sichuan earthquake marked a turn in the state's moral performance. While the Chinese state continued to project an image of a secure, heroic state, it endeavoured to construct a sympathetic image through leaders' displays of compassion and sorrow, a mourning ritual for ordinary victims, and narratives of response and rescue. This shift towards a more compassionate performance can be explained by the state's deployment of cultural resources to respond to societal challenges since the new millennium and its effort to repair its image amid the crises of 2008. The compassionate performance was temporarily effective because it found common ground with the traditional political culture of disaster, which still shapes the public's expectations of the state's moral conduct, and the new public culture that values equality and dignity of human life. Nevertheless, the political dilemmas of the compassionate performance became evident. Its efficacy largely relied on the presentation of suffering at the scene, which, however, led to public demands for the state to address the causes of the suffering. When the state failed to construct an “accountable state” image, this “dilemma of scene” had repercussions for its legitimacy. The efficacy of paternalism was also limited because it was less appealing to the growing urban middle class. By addressing moral performance, this paper contributes to the literature on politics of disaster and advances the important research agenda on cultural governance.
Psychosocial benefits of animal companionship

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role that companion animals play in people's quality of life. Although these contributions can enhance anyone's life, they are especially crucial for persons whose network of social support is limited. Abundant research literature on human social support has documented the essential role of relationships for avoiding early mortality and morbidity. Animals provide support by offering love and comfort that somewhat becomes a substitute when human companionship is lacking. Animals can play a major positive role in people's lives, moreover, if the animal is well suited to the person's living situation, the person can easily manage to take care of the animal, and behavior problems are avoided. Health professionals thus have an opportunity to provide leadership in assisting in individualized pet placements with follow-ups to increase the rate of success and anticipate problems before they become serious. Many volunteers who currently bring animal-assisted activities to individuals residing in institutions with guidance could assist precarious individuals still living within the community. Such leadership is also needed to develop new creative solutions for offering more flexible means of having continued contact with animals in later life, but associated with less demanding responsibilities. Community-based councils that include the various constituencies concerned with human and animal health would be well positioned to begin tackling these challenges.
Research Methods and the Mestizo World View

I was very dissatisfied with Oscar Lewis's portrayal of the people of Tepoztlan (Lewis, 1951) and the Mexican family (Lewis, 1959) and first depressed and then angry with the application of Frommian characterology to Mexican villagers.
Surface-Presentation of CpG and Protein–Antigen on Pathogen-Like Polymer Particles Generate Strong Prophylactic and Therapeutic Antitumor Protection

Despite significant efforts, development of clinically relevant prophylactic and therapeutic cancer vaccines has proven challenging. Cancer-associated antigens, which are often self-antigens, do not activate innate immune cells sufficiently, underscoring the need for codelivery of appropriate immune-stimulatory adjuvants. Recent research has underscored the need for biomaterial-based carriers for vaccine delivery, not only to target antigens and adjuvants to antigen-presenting cells or to create “depot” like systems but also to avoid acute systemic toxicity of molecular adjuvants that occurs when adjuvants are delivered in their “naked” form. The work presented here focuses on surface-presentation of both antigens and adjuvants on a pathogen-like particle (PLP) platform and understanding how PLP-induced antitumor responses differ when protein antigens and adjuvants, specifically the TLR9 agonist CpG, are delivered on the surface of the same particle (dual-loaded) versus being codelivered on separate parti...
Strict moderate invariantism and knowledge-denials

Strict moderate invariantism is the ho-hum, ‘obvious’ view about knowledge attributions. It says knowledge attributions are often true and that only traditional epistemic factors like belief, truth, and justification make them true. As commonsensical as strict moderate invariantism is, it is equally natural to withdraw a knowledge attribution when error possibilities are made salient. If strict moderate invariantism is true, these knowledge-denials are often false because the subject does in fact know the proposition. I argue that strict moderate invariantism needs an explanation of this phenomenon, but it does not have one. That is significant, for if strict moderate invariantism does not square with ordinary intuition, then it cannot rely on ordinary intuition for support. Section 1 introduces the concept of epistemic relevance blindness, which says ordinary subjects are generally insensitive to whether or not error possibilities are relevant to knowledge attributions. Section 2 focuses on Patrick Rysiew’s influential strict moderate invariantist pragmatic explanation of knowledge-denials and argues that such pragmatic explanations of knowledge-denials depend on attributors being epistemic relevance blind. Section 3 targets psychological explanations of epistemic relevance blindness offered separately by Jennifer Nagel and Mikkel Gerken. I argue that strict moderate invariantists lack a plausible explanation of epistemic relevance blindness.
Fuzzy Adaptive Management of Coupled Natural and Human Systems

Abstract A fuzzy logic-based, adaptive management (FLAM) model is developed that allows managers of coupled natural and human systems to determine preferred management actions over time when they are uncertain about the extent of future climate change and system responses to climate change and management actions. The FLAM model uses (1) data from adaptive management experiments and expert judgment, surveys, and/or simulation models to estimate multiple attributes of system responses to climate change and management actions, (2) fuzzy TOPSIS to determine the preferred management action for each climate change scenario within time periods, and (3) the minimax regret criterion to determine the preferred management actions across climate change scenarios within time periods. Application of the model is demonstrated for a hypothetical national park whose managers want to determine the best adaptive management strategy for increasing the number of backcountry campsites over time.
Modeling impact of urbanization in us cities using simple biosphere model SiB2

We combine Landsat- and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)-based products, as well as climate drivers from Phase 2 of the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS-2) in a Simple Biosphere land surface model (SiB2) to assess the impact of urbanization in continental USA (excluding Alaska and Hawaii). More than 300 cities and their surrounding suburban and rural areas are defined in this study to characterize the impact of urbanization on surface climate including surface energy, carbon budget, and water balance. These analyses reveal an uneven impact of urbanization across the continent that should inform upon policy options for improving urban growth including heat mitigation and energy use, carbon sequestration and flood prevention.
On Creative Self-Driving Cars: Hire the Computational Logicians, Fast

There can be no denying that it is entirely possible for a car-manufacturing company like Daimler to build and the deploy self-driving cars without hiring a single computational logician. However, for reasons we explain herein, a logician-less approach to engineering self-driving automobiles and, for that matter, self-moving vehicles of any consequence, in general is a profoundly unwise one. As we shall see, the folly of leaving aside logic has absolutely nothing to do with the standard and stale red-herring concern that self-driving cars will face exotic human-style ethical dilemmas the philosophers have a passionate penchant for.
Intensive Culture of American Sycamore in the Ohio River Valley

In 1971 American sycamore (Plantanus occidentalis) plantations were established on a terrace and a floodplain site along the Ohio River near Hawesvile, KY, to study short-rotation yields. 3 spacings - 0.3 x 0.9 m, 0.9 x 0.9 m, and 1.8 x 0.9 m - and 3 fertilization treatments - control, N (160 kg/ha) and NP (169 kg/ha N and 112 kg/ha P) - were tested. After 3 years highest above-ground yields on both sites occurred with the closest spacing and N fertilization. Exclusive of foliage, saplings produced an average ovendry biomass of 14.3 and 15.4 MT/ha on the floodplain and terrace sites respectively for this treatment combination. Foliage accounted for approximately 20% of the total yield, and bark on the main bole comprised about 10% of the bole and branch dry weight. Branches, with leaves removed, comprised an additional 25% of the dry weight, leaving approximately 25% of the dry weight yield as bolewood.
Who We Are: Constructivism and the Dual Personality of American Nationalism

Constructivism, as an approach to the study of nationalism, best explains American identity as perceptions of ourselves and our destinies â€œconstructedâ€ or shaped through messages from various media. In America, various messages and myths based on ideas rather than ethnicity continually shape identity. Formation identity involves debate between competing liberal and civic ideologies. In addition, American national identity finds beginnings in religious imagery and linguistic commonality. Key American values such as equality receive lip service and then come under attack as forces attempt to define a uniform American identity in the name of cultural assimilation. Counterattacks come as multiculturalists see protection of liberty and individuality as key to American identity. Enigmatic, contradictory and continuously changing, American nationalism at times becomes a battle between extremes.
Hieroglyph: Locally-Sufficient Graph Processing via Compute-Sync-Merge

Mainstream graph processing systems (such as Pregel [3] and PowerGraph [1]) follow the bulk synchronous parallel model. This design leads to the tight coupling of computation and communication, where no vertex can proceed to the next iteration of computation until all vertices have been processed in the current iteration and graph states have been synchronized across all hosts. This coupling of computation and communication incurs significant performance penalty. Fully decoupling computation from communication requires (i) restricted access to only local state during computation and (ii) independence of inter-host communication from computation. We call the combination of both conditions local sufficiency. Local sufficiency is not efficiently supported by state of the art. Synchronous systems, by design, do not support local sufficiency due to their intrinsic computation-communication coupling. Even systems that implement asynchronous execution only partially achieve local sufficiency. For example, PowerGraph's asynchronous mode satisfies local sufficiency by distributed scheduling.