cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictive Surveillance and the Threat to Fourth Amendment Jurisprudence

This Article explores how the use of predictive surveillance to prevent terrorist and criminal activity may shape Fourth Amendment law. Predictive surveillance refers to a potential model of surveillance in which government collects data in bulk and then uses predictive analytics to detect patterns indicating terrorist or criminal activity. The existing model of surveillance regulation presumes that the government’s first step is to target a specific person. Therefore, the first analytical step in evaluating the constitutionality of a given surveillance practice is to determine whether the government had sufficient particularized suspicion about the target. Predictive surveillance, however, confounds the existing model because it requires collection of massive amounts of data with no particularized suspicion. Despite that disconnect, judges will face great pressure to twist existing doctrine rather than ban the data collection that the government claims is necessary to fight terrorism or crime. Assuming that courts will be predisposed to find predictive surveillance constitutional, this Article explores the various doctrinal approaches that courts could take to approve predictive surveillance and assesses the risk that each approach poses to Fourth Amendment doctrine. Part I introduces the concept of predictive analytics and describes predictive surveillance as a potential application of predictive analytics. Part II first identifies the technical and political challenges that the government will face if it tries to implement predictive surveillance and then discusses the reasons to believe that researchers and political actors will overcome these challenges. Part III describes why predictive surveillance threatens Fourth Amendment doctrine itself and offers a cautionary tale of how courts evaluating a prior mass surveillance program twisted the statutory language to authorize the program. Part IV discusses the different ways that courts could apply the Fourth Amendment’s third-party and public-exposure doctrines to predictive surveillance and then assesses how each approach could affect the development of those doctrines. Finally, Part V discusses the different ways that courts could apply the Fourth Amendment reasonableness standard to predictive surveillance and assesses how each approach could affect the reasonableness standard.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Chimerism and Tolerance Induction

The immune system of mammals evolved to discriminate between self- and nonself-antigens. This assures protection from foreign pathogens without eliciting autoimmunity. The process of self/nonself discrimination is primarily acquired via positive and negative selection of T cells during ontogeny in the thymus. Thymic tolerance to self-antigens, however, is not absolute and several peripheral mechanisms have also evolved to reinforce tolerance to self-antigens and promote immunity to foreign antigens.
Expected Utility in Non-Cooperative Game Theory

The theory of equilibrium in general non-cooperative games was initially developed for two-person “zero-sum” games by Borei (1921, 1924), von Neumann (1928) and von Neumann and Morgenstern (1944).1 It was then extended to general n-person games with finite strategy sets by Nash (1950, 1951). This classical theory allows different players to choose stochastically independent “mixed” strategies in the form of objective probability distributions. In this connection, Aumann (1987b, p. 466) gives a very clear and concise account of the role played by objectively expected utility theory in the classical theory of games with independent mixed strategies. A recent extension of classical non-cooperative game theory due to Aumann (1974, 1987a) allows different players to correlate their mixed strategies through some form of correlation device.2
Heating and cooling of electrons in an ultracold neutral plasma using Rydberg atoms

We have experimentally demonstrated both heating and cooling of electrons in an ultracold neutral plasma (UNP) by embedding Rydberg atoms into the plasma soon after its creation. We have determined the relationship between the initial electron temperature, ${T}_{e,i}$, and the binding energy of the added Rydberg atoms, ${E}_{b}$, at the crossover between heating and cooling behaviors (that is, the binding energy of the atoms, which, when they are added to the plasma, neither accelerate nor slow down the plasma expansion). Specifically, this condition is $|{E}_{b}|\ensuremath{\approx}2.7\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{k}_{B}{T}_{e,i}$ when the diagnostic used is the effect of the Rydberg atoms on the plasma asymptotic expansion velocity. Additionally, we have obtained experimental estimates for the amount of heating or cooling which occurs when the Rydberg binding energy does not satisfy the crossover condition. The experimental results for the crossover condition, and the degree of heating or cooling away from the crossover, are in agreement with predictions obtained from numerical modeling of the interactions between Rydberg atoms and the plasma. We have also developed a simple intuitive picture of how the Rydberg atoms affect the plasma, which supports the concept of a ``bottleneck'' in the Rydberg state distribution of atoms in equilibrium with a coexisting plasma.
The Impact of Sargon & Enheduanna on Land Rights in Deuteronomy:

Hormuzd Rassam (1826-1910) and Austen Henry Layard (1817–1894) recovered the Birth Stories of Sargon copied or composed under Sargon II (722–705 BCE). Existing studies of their intriguing parallels...
Increased Clinical Sensitivity and Specificity of Plasma Protein N-Glycan Profiling for Diagnosing Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation by Use of Flow Injection–Electrospray Ionization–Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

Background: Congenital disorders of glycosylation (CDG) represent 1 of the largest groups of metabolic disorders with >130 subtypes identified to date. The majority of CDG subtypes are disorders of N -linked glycosylation, in which carbohydrate residues, namely, N -glycans, are posttranslationally linked to asparagine molecules in peptides. To improve the diagnostic capability for CDG, we developed and validated a plasma N -glycan assay using flow injection–electrospray ionization–quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Methods: After PNGase F digestion of plasma glycoproteins, N -glycans were linked to a quinolone using a transient amine group at the reducing end, isolated by a hydrophilic interaction chromatography column, and then identified by accurate mass and quantified using a stable isotope-labeled glycopeptide as the internal standard. Results: This assay differed from other N -glycan profiling methods because it was free of any contamination from circulating free glycans and was semiquantitative. The low end of the detection range tested was at 63 nmol/L for disialo-biantennary N -glycan. The majority of N -glycans in normal plasma had N -glycan profiles from 19 patients with known diagnoses of 11 different CDG subtypes were generated, some of which had previously been reported to have normal N -linked protein glycosylation by carbohydrate-deficient transferrin analysis. Conclusions: The clinical specificity and sensitivity of N -glycan analysis was much improved with this method. Additional CDGs can be diagnosed that would be missed by carbohydrate-deficient transferrin analysis. The assay provides novel biomarkers with diagnostic and potentially therapeutic significance.
Brief Interventions as Evidence-Based Prevention Strategies

Brief interventions—defined broadly here as interventions delivered in a circumscribed time frame—are one promising approach for preventing and reducing substance use. This chapter summarizes the different types of brief interventions available for substance-related behavior change, their overall effectiveness, and variability in their effectiveness across settings, populations, and intervention types. Brief interventions share, by definition, a limited amount of contact time; otherwise, they can vary in terms of procedures, materials, delivery personnel, format of delivery, location, dosage, underlying theory of change, and general intervention philosophy. Despite the accumulating evidence base supporting brief interventions as a strategy for preventing and reducing substance use, there are still notable gaps in the research. Importantly, brief interventions do not appear to be universally effective, necessitating additional exploration of mediators and moderators of effects to help identify the mechanisms of change in these interventions and which subpopulations to target with which brief interventions. Other opportunities for future research in this area are discussed, including a focus on core outcome sets and feasibility of implementation across settings.
Australian doctors' perspectives on spiritual history-taking skills

Introduction: This original research examined the experience of Australian doctors using spiritual history-taking skills in holistic medical consultations and evaluated the support of Australian doctors for education on spiritual history-taking skills. Methods: General practice registrars and post-registrar graduate doctors, sourced primarily from the Hawkesbury Nepean region within NSW, Australia, completed an online survey. Excel data analysis tools were applied to analyse the quantitative results obtained. Line-by-line coding and manual analysis were applied to the free-text answers. Results: The survey was completed by 147 doctors practising medicine in Australia, a response rate of 24%. Registrars or residents-in-training accounted for 46%; 53% were post-registrar general practitioners. Most doctors (91%) recognised that spiritual care had some role in holistic medical care. Spirituality was included in medical consultations at least occasionally by 47% of doctors. However, only 21% felt confident with including spiritual history. Key barriers were insufficient time, lack of knowledge and lack of skills. Key facilitators included understanding other world views, knowledge of religions, awareness of own beliefs and basic communication skills. Spiritual history-taking skill education for all doctors was supported by 75%. Conclusions: The majority of Australian doctors who participated in this survey acknowledged the importance of spiritual history within holistic medical care, and many are incorporating this into their regular practice. Yet most doctors recognised a lack of knowledge and skills and desired further training, especially in spiritual history-taking skills. Inclusion of this in Australian medical education was strongly supported.
Meaning and Attentional Guidance in Scenes: A Review of the Meaning Map Approach.

Perception of a complex visual scene requires that important regions be prioritized and attentionally selected for processing. What is the basis for this selection? Although much research has focused on image salience as an important factor guiding attention, relatively little work has focused on semantic salience. To address this imbalance, we have recently developed a new method for measuring, representing, and evaluating the role of meaning in scenes. In this method, the spatial distribution of semantic features in a scene is represented as a meaning map. Meaning maps are generated from crowd-sourced responses given by naive subjects who rate the meaningfulness of a large number of scene patches drawn from each scene. Meaning maps are coded in the same format as traditional image saliency maps, and therefore both types of maps can be directly evaluated against each other and against maps of the spatial distribution of attention derived from viewers’ eye fixations. In this review we describe our work focusing on comparing the influences of meaning and image salience on attentional guidance in real-world scenes across a variety of viewing tasks that we have investigated, including memorization, aesthetic judgment, scene description, and saliency search and judgment. Overall, we have found that both meaning and salience predict the spatial distribution of attention in a scene, but that when the correlation between meaning and salience is statistically controlled, only meaning uniquely accounts for variance in attention.
Gromov-Hausdorff limits of Kähler manifolds and the finite generation conjecture

We study the uniformization conjecture of Yau by using the GromovHausdorff convergence. As a consequence, we confirm Yau’s finite generation conjecture. More precisely, on a complete noncompact Kahler manifold with nonnegative bisectional curvature, the ring of polynomial growth holomorphic functions is finitely generated. During the course of the proof, we prove if M is a complete noncompact Kahler manifold with nonnegative bisectional curvature and maximal volume growth, then M is biholomorphic to an affine algebraic variety. We also confirm a conjecture of Ni on the existence of polynomial growth holomorphic functions on Kahler manifolds with nonnegative bisectional curvature.
Machine Learning of Choquet Integral Regression with Respect to a Bounded Capacity (or Non-monotonic Fuzzy Measure)

Regression is the process of learning the relationship between sets of variables, enabling predictions of continuous output variables. Many approaches have been proposed to learn parameterized models with respect to numerous error metrics. In this paper, we propose a regression model based on the Choquet integral with respect to a bounded capacity (of which fuzzy measures are a subset). Our model has a generalized bias that enables capability beyond previously proposed Choquet integral regression approaches. We also develop an approach for learning the parameters of the Choquet integral regression from training data. Simulated and real-world benchmark data are used to demonstrate the performance of our regression approach compared with several competing regression methods. Results show that our approach has superior performance and is computationally very fast. An additional benefit of our Choquet integral regression is that it enables interpretability of the learned model, which we will explore in later works.
Imaging of Non-obstetric Pelvic Emergencies

Abdominal and pelvic pain are common reasons for pregnant women to present to the emergency department, and can pose a diagnostic dilemma due to overlap in the symptoms of a normal pregnancy and non-obstetric pathology. A nonspecific presentation with signs and symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, and leukocytosis, may necessitate diagnostic imaging for further characterization. Ultrasonography (US) is often the best initial modality for imaging pregnant patients in the emergency department setting due to its wide availability, lack of ionizing radiation, and diagnostic versatility. However, ultrasound may not fully characterize non-obstetric pathology and can have high inter-user variability. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with its lack of ionizing radiation and excellent soft-tissue contrast, is preferred over CT for assessing the pregnant patient but may have limited availability, especially in the acute setting or after hours. This includes weekends, evening, 3 am, etc. Computed tomography (CT) has the downside of ionizing radiation to the fetus, but can provide useful information in certain gastrointestinal or urinary tract pathology that can be difficult to characterize with ultrasound or MR.
Cullin-3: Renal and Vascular Mechanisms Regulating Blood Pressure

The goal of this review is to evaluate recent advances in understanding the pivotal roles of Cullin-3 (CUL3) in blood pressure regulation with a focus on its actions in the kidney and blood vessels. Cul3-based ubiquitin ligase regulates renal electrolyte transport, vascular tone, and redox homeostasis by facilitating the normal turnover of (1) with-no-lysine kinases in the distal nephron, (2) RhoA and phosphodiesterase 5 in the vascular smooth muscle, and (3) nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 in antioxidant responses. CUL3 mutations identified in familial hyperkalemic hypertension (FHHt) yield a mutant protein lacking exon 9 (CUL3∆9) which displays dual gain and loss of function. CUL3∆9 acts in a dominant manner to impair CUL3-mediated substrate ubiquitylation and degradation. The consequent accumulation of substrates and overactivation of downstream signaling cause FHHt through increased sodium reabsorption, enhanced vasoconstriction, and decreased vasodilation. CUL3 ubiquitin ligase maintains normal cardiovascular and renal physiology through posttranslational modification of key substrates which regulate blood pressure. Interference with CUL3 disturbs these key downstream pathways. Further understanding the spatial and temporal specificity of how CUL3 functions in these pathways is necessary to identify novel therapeutic targets for hypertension.
High School Calculus and Computer Science Course Taking as Predictors of Success in Introductory College Computer Science

Success in an introductory college computer science (CS) course encourages students to major and pursue careers in computer science and many other STEM fields, whereas weak performance is often a powerful deterrent. This article examines the role of high school course taking (AP, regular, or none) in mathematics and in CS as predictors of later success in college introductory computer science courses, measured by students’ final grades. Using a sample of 9,418 students from a stratified random sample of 118 U.S. colleges and universities, we found that the observed advantage of taking AP calculus over taking AP CS, seen in an uncontrolled model, was largely confounded by students’ background characteristics. After applying multinomial propensity score weighting, we estimated that the effects of taking AP calculus and AP CS on college CS grades were similar. Interestingly, enrollment in both AP calculus and AP CS did not have any additional positive effect, suggesting that both AP calculus and AP CS strengthened similar skills that are important for long-term CS achievement. Taking regular CS did not have a significant effect; taking regular calculus had a positive effect, about half the size of taking AP calculus or AP CS. Thus, the study showed that simply exposing students to any kind of CS course before college does not appear to be sufficient for improving college CS performance; and that advanced CS and advanced calculus in high school may substitute for each other in the preparation of college CS.
New Culprits, True Culprits: The Re-politicization of Mexican 'Organized Crime' in 'Crimen de estado' (2009) and 'Ingobernable' (2017–2018)

Since the 1970s, Mexican and foreign fictions have persistently glamorized Mexican narcotrafficking and have, as Pablo Piccato and Oswaldo Zavala have argued, contributed depoliticized understandings of the phenomenon. According to Zavala, Mexican politicians have constructed a “hegemonic discourse” that blames narcos while concealing state responsibility. This article argues that two recent works of fiction, Gregorio Ortega Molina’s novel Crimen de estado (2009) and the Netflix TV show Ingobernable (2017–2018) work to re-politicize Mexican organized crime. Both portray the phenomenon as both an arm of and a scapegoat of politicians and law enforcement. They shift discourse away from commonly glamorized elements to cast light on the responsibility borne by government. Both based on real events in Mexico’s recent history, they avoid glorifying narcotraffickers to portray them instead as subordinates of Mexico’s political machine. The works not only hypothesize that it is Mexico’s political (under)world that pulls the strings of organized crime but also depict the process of concocting what Zavala identifies as the hegemonic discourse. Borrowing from Wolfgang Iser, I demonstrate how the “fictionalizing acts” of works like Crimen de estado and Ingobernable achieve two goals: they dismantle the hegemonic discourse about organized crime and reveal how that discourse is in fact constructed by a complicit governing State.
Water interaction with dielectric surface: A combined ab initio modeling and experimental study

A combined ab initio modeling and experimental study of water adsorption on a dry hydrophobic dielectric surface is presented. This is an important phenomenon for controlled droplet deposition in various technological applications. The ab initio density functional theory calculations are performed to reveal the dominant water adsorption sites, energetics, and the electron density profile on Teflon and parafilm surfaces. Several surface states such as stretched, nondefective, and defective are considered for water adsorption studies. It is revealed that stretching of nondefective surface leads to weaker water adsorption compared to an unstretched surface. Accordingly, such stretching makes the surface more hydrophobic as revealed by the electron density profile. The introduction of random defects into Teflon and parafilm surfaces results in an increase in water adsorption energy leading, in some cases, to practically hydrophilic interactions. These findings are in good agreement with the present measurements of static contact angle on prestretched Teflon and parafilm samples, where stretching not only elongates interatomic bonds but also changes the surface roughness. Thus, the present combined modeling and experimental study allows for a mechanistic interpretation of the reasons behind the change of wettability of dry hydrophobic surfaces.
Duration of tick attachment necessary for transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) nymphs.

Abstract This study assessed the duration of tick attachment necessary for a successful transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by an infected I. scapularis nymph. Individual nymphs were placed upon BALB/c mice and allowed to feed for predetermined time intervals of 4 to 72 h. Ticks removed from mice at predetermined intervals were tested by PCR for verification of infection and evaluation of the bacterial load. The success of pathogen transmission to mice was assessed by blood-PCR at 7, 14 and 21 days postinfestation, and IFA at 21 days postinfestation. Anaplasma phagocytophilum infection was documented in 10-30 % of mice, from which ticks were removed within the first 20 h of feeding. However, transmission success was ≥70% if ticks remained attached for 36 h or longer. Notably, none of the PCR-positive mice that were exposed to infected ticks for 4 to 8 h and only half of PCR-positive mice exposed for 24 h developed antibodies within 3 weeks postinfestation. On the other hand, all mice with detectable bacteremia after being infested for 36 h seroconverted. This suggests that although some of the ticks removed prior to 24 h of attachment succeed in injecting a small amount of A. phagocytophilum, this amount is insufficient for stimulating humoral immunity and perhaps for establishing disseminated infection in BALB/c mice. Although A. phagocytophilum may be present in salivary glands of unfed I. scapularis nymphs, the amount of A. phagocytophilum initially contained in saliva appears insufficient to cause sustainable infection in a host. Replication and, maybe, reactivation of the agent for 12-24 h in a feeding tick is required before a mouse can be consistently infected.
AMPA receptor mediated d-serine release from retinal glial cells

J. Neurochem. (2010) 115, 1681–1689. Abstract The N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) co-agonist d-serine is important in a number of different processes in the CNS, ranging from synaptic plasticity to disease states, including schizophrenia. d-serine appears to be the major co-agonist acting on retinal ganglion cell NMDA receptors, but the cell type from which it originates and whether its release can be modulated by activity are unknown. In this study, we utilized a mutant mouse line with elevated d-serine to investigate this question. Direct measurements of extracellular d-serine using capillary electrophoresis demonstrate that d-serine can be released from the intact mouse retina through an α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate receptor (AMPAR) dependent mechanism. α-Amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate-evoked d-serine release persisted in the presence of a cocktail of neural inhibitors but was abolished after administration of a glial toxin. These findings provide the first evidence that extracellular d-serine levels in the retina can be modulated, and that such modulation is contingent upon glial cell activity.
Personality type and success among female naval academy midshipmen.

There are relatively few studies regarding factors that predict success among female midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy (USNA). This study examined the personality characteristics of 1,568 women admitted to USNA between 1988 and 1996 to evaluate whether personality type was predictive of success vs. attrition. Participants completed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as well as a demographic questionnaire upon admission. Indicators of performance were gathered at graduation. Results indicated that most women at USNA are extroverts. Extroverted-Sensing-Thinking-Judging types were more likely to graduate, whereas Feeling and Perceiving themes were associated with dropping out. Previous military service and higher Scholastic Aptitude Test Math scores were also predictive of success at USNA. In general, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator was not a good predictor of academic or military success at USNA. Among women who graduate, Scholastic Aptitude Test (Verbal and Math) scores appear to be the best predictors of both academic and military ratings.
The Impact of State Anti-Predatory Lending Laws on the Foreclosure Crisis

By the end of 2007, thirty states and the District of Colombia had passed some sort of mortgage regulation statute, while the remaining states left the mortgage market unregulated. Were these state mortgage laws effective in restraining risky mortgage lending and mitigating the surge in foreclosures? Our study takes advantage of this natural experiment and compares loan terms, foreclosures and defaults in states with and without anti-predatory lending laws (“APLs”), using a sample of 1.2 million mortgage loans originated during the subprime boom and observed monthly through the end of 2008. Using these loan level data, we find that State APLs are associated with a 13 percent reduction in prepayment penalties and appear also to reduce the incidence of option ARM loans. APL’s also clearly affected the risk of default and foreclosure: they reduced the likelihood of a loan becoming 90 days delinquent by 15 percent. The degree of coverage and restrictions matter, with more stringent APLs having a stronger dampening effect on default rates. These results prove to be remarkably consistent, even after testing for different samples and law specifications. This analysis, combined with other research on the effect of APLs and federal preemption leads us to conclude that strong state APLs are an important tool for consumer protection and that state APLs should not be preempted by federal law.
Differentiation of neuroepithelia from human embryonic stem cells.

Neural tissue is derived from the embryonic ectoderm. The initial step in the generation of the vertebrate nervous system is the specification of neuroepithelia from ectodermal cells—a process known as neural induction. The specified neuroepithelia in the midline dorsal ectoderm rapidly grow into a pseudostratified layer of neural plate, which later folds and closes to form the neural tube, the rudiment of the central nervous system (CNS). The lateral lip of the neural plate detaches when the neural plate closes and gives rise to neural crest derivatives. In mouse, neural plate forms at embryonic day 7, whereas in humans, it develops around embryonic day 18 (1).
Near-IR Polarization Imaging of Sound and Carious Dental Enamel.

A thorough understanding of how polarized near-IR light propagates through sound and carious dental hard tissues is important for the development of dental optical imaging systems. New optical imaging tools for the detection and assessment of dental caries (dental decay) such as near-IR imaging and optical coherence tomography can exploit the enhanced contrast provided by polarization sensitivity. In this investigation, an automated system was developed to collect images for the full 16-element Mueller Matrix. The polarized light was controlled by linear polarizers and liquid crystal retarders and the 36 images were acquired as the polarized near-IR light propagates through the enamel of extracted human thin tooth sections. In previous work, we reported that polarized light is rapidly depolarized by demineralized enamel, and sound and demineralized dentin. 1 The rapid depolarization of polarized light by dental caries in the near-IR provides high contrast for caries imaging and detection. In this initial study, major differences in the Mueller matrix elements were observed in both sound and demineralized enamel which supports this approach and warrants further investigation.
Macrophage-specific expression of class A scavenger receptors enhances granuloma formation in the absence of increased lipid deposition.

Class A scavenger receptors (SR-A) have several pro- posed functions that could impact atherosclerosis and inflam- matory processes. To define the function of SR-A in vivo, we created C57BL/6 transgenic mice that expressed bovine SR-A under the control of the restricted macrophage promoter, lysozyme (lyso-bSR-A). bSR-A mRNA was present in cultured peritoneal macrophages of transgenic mice and tissues that contain significant macrophages including spleen, lung, and ileum. Functional overexpression of SR-A was demonstrated in peritoneal macrophages both by augmented cholesterol ester deposition in response to AcLDL and enhanced adhesion in transgenic mice compared with nontransgenic littermates. To determine whether macrophage-specific expression of bSR-A regulated inflammatory responses, granulomas were generated by subcutaneous injection of carrageenan. Granuloma size was significantly increased in lyso-bSR-A transgenic mice compared with wild-type littermates (421 � 51 mg (n � 11) vs. 127 � 22 mg (n � 10), P � 0.001). However, the larger granulomas in lyso-bSR-A transgenic mice were only associated with an in- crease in unesterified cholesterol, and not cholesterol esters. Furthermore, granulomas from transgenic mice had an in- crease in the number of macrophages within the tissue. Therefore, macrophage expression of bSR-A increased pres- ence of this cell type in granulomas without enhancing the dep- osition of cholesterol esters, consistent with a role of the adhe- sive property of the protein. —Daugherty, A., N. Kosswig, J. A. Cornicelli, S. C. Whitman, S. Wolle, and D. L. Rateri. Macrophage- specific expression of class A scavenger receptors enhances granuloma formation in the absence of increased lipid deposi- tion. J. Lipid Res. 2001. 42: 1049-1055.
Multidimensional voice outcomes after type I Gore-Tex thyroplasty in patients with nonparalytic glottic incompetence: a subgroup analysis

Objectives/Hypothesis Nonparalytic glottic incompetence (GI) encompasses a variety of laryngeal pathologies, and vocal outcome data for this group is limited. We report a subgroup analysis of validated, subjective, and perceptual voice outcome measures: voice-related quality of life (VRQOL), Glottal Function Index (GFI), and GRBAS (grade, roughness, breathiness, asthenia, and strain), after type I Gore-Tex thyroplasty (GTP) in patients with vocal fold paresis (VFP), hypomobility, scar, and atrophy. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods Forty-eight patients with nonparalytic GI treated with GTP were reviewed. Patients were grouped according to primary diagnosis: VFP (n=12), hypomobility (n=20), scar (n=7), and atrophy (n=9). Voice outcome measures (VRQOL, GFI, and GRBAS) obtained during the initial evaluation and the most recent follow-up were collected and analyzed. Results The median change in VRQOL was significant for each subgroup (all P<.03). Hypomobility and VFP patients demonstrated significantly improved GFI scores postoperatively (P=.0002 and .008, respectively); atrophy and scar groups did not. All groups, with the exception of scar patients (P=.13), showed significant improvement in perceptual scores. Increases in VRQOL moderately correlated with decreases in GFI (rho=−0.52). Conclusions Regardless of etiology, patients with nonparalytic GI demonstrated improved subjective and perceptual measures following GTP. Although showing trends toward improvement, vocal fold scar patients performed worse than all other subgroups across all three voice outcome measures. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 2013
Micro-indentation hardness variation as a function of composition for polycrystalline solutions in the systems PbS/PbTe, PbSe/PbTe, and PbS/PbSe

Vickers micro-indentation hardness as a function of composition has been measured for polycrystalline solutions of lead chalcogenide systems and results compared to exsolution tendencies as implied by subsolidus features of the phase diagrams. Each system exhibited a positive deviation from a linear hardness relation between the end member compounds. The most pronounced hardening was observed for PbS/PbTe solutions; the maximum hardness occurs at about 30 mole % PbTe, coincident with a large solubility gap with a solvus maximum (critical point) at about 30 mol % PbTe and approximately 805° C. The least amount of hardening was observed for the system PbS/PbSe, which exhibits no exsolution at temperatures as low as 300° C. The hardness versus composition curve was approximately symmetric about the 50 mol % composition. Intermediate between these two systems, the PbSe/PbTe crystalline solutions exhibited an asymmetric hardness/composition curve with maximum hardness at about 30 mol % PbTe. Partial phase studies indicate the possibility of a solvus maximum at 500 to 600° C on the PbSe-rich side of the diagram.
Erythropoietin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation and taurine transport in skate erythrocytes

Taurine, a β amino acid, is a primary osmolyte in nucleated skate erythrocytes and is involved in the regulation of cell volume. Growth factors may be involved in the regulation of cell volume which occurs during cell division. Erythropoietin (EPO) is the primary growth factor controlling erythropoiesis. To investigate its mechanism of action, we used nucleated skate erythrocytes. EPO stimulates Na+-independent uptake of taurine in a concentration-dependent manner. The uptake was inhibited by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein. Concomitantly, EPO stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of proteins, particularly ones of molecular masses 145, 120, 100, 80, 65, and 35 kDa. Using specific antibodies, the 145 kDa protein is identified as phospholipase C γ-1 (PLC γ-1) and the 100 kDa protein as the skate homolog of the anion exchanger band 3. Since PLC γ-1 is activated, turnover of membrane lipids was determined. EPO increased 1,2-diacylglycerol formation from phosphatidylinositols (phosphatidylinositol-4-monophosphate and 4,5-biphosphate) during an early phase and later preferentially from phosphatidylcholine. The early hydrolysis of phosphoinositides was confirmed measuring generation of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate, demonstrating an activation of PLC γ-1 activity. To determine if phospholipase D (PLD) stimulation also occurred, ethanol was included in the reactions. Phosphatidylethanol, synthesized by PLD-mediated transphosphatidylation, appeared at times longer than 5 min, suggesting delayed activation of PLD. These results demonstrate that EPO, via simulation of tyrosine phosphorylation, stimulates taurine transport in skate erythrocytes. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Brain mechanisms for processing co-speech gesture: A cross-language study of spatial demonstratives

Abstract This electrophysiological study investigated the relationship between language and nonverbal socio-spatial context for demonstrative use in speech communication. Adult participants from an English language group and a Japanese language group were asked to make congruency judgment for simultaneous presentation of an audio demonstrative phrase in their native language and a picture that included two human figures as speaker and hearer, as well as a referent object in different spatial arrangements. The demonstratives (“this” and “that” in English, and “ko,” “so,” and “a” in Japanese) were varied for the visual scenes to produce expected and unexpected combinations to refer to an object based on its relative spatial distances to the speaker and hearer. Half of the trials included an accompanying pointing gesture in the picture, and the other half did not. Behavioral data showed robust congruency effects with longer reaction time for the incongruent trials in both subject groups irrespective of the presence or absence of the pointing gesture. Both subject groups also showed a significant N400-like congruency effect in the event-related potential responses for the gesture trials, a finding predicted from previous work (Stevens & Zhang, 2013). In the no-gesture trials, the English data alone showed a P600 congruency effect preceded by a negative deflection. These results provide evidence for shared brain mechanisms for processing demonstrative expression congruency, as well as language-specific neural sensitivity to encoding the co-expressivity of gesture and speech.
Red Blood Cells and Other Nonspherical Capsules in Shear Flow: Oscillatory Dynamics and the Tank-Treading-to-Tumbling Transition

We consider the motion of red blood cells and other nonspherical microcapsules dilutely suspended in a simple shear flow. Our analysis indicates that depending on the viscosity, membrane elasticity, geometry, and shear rate, the particle exhibits either tumbling, tank-treading of the membrane about the viscous interior with periodic oscillations of the orientation angle, or intermittent behavior in which the two modes occur alternately. For red blood cells, we compute the complete phase diagram and identify a novel tank-treading-to-tumbling transition as the shear rate decreases. Observations of such motions coupled with our theoretical framework may provide a sensitive means of assessing capsule properties.
Update on Lithium Carbonate Therapy in Children and Adolescents

The use of lithium to treat child and adolescent psychiatric disorders is becoming more common. Since the publication of the report of The Committee on Biological Aspects of Child Psychiatry of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry in 1978, a considerable body of literature has accumulated on the efficacy of lithium in treating adolescent bipolar disorders, childhood aggression, and behavioral disorders associated with mental retardation and developmental disorders. Efforts to understand lithium's mechanism(s) and refinements in psychiatric diagnosis have contributed to its growing use.
Tubular proteinuria in acute kidney injury: a critical evaluation of current status and future promise

The diagnosis and prognosis of acute kidney injury (AKI) by current clinical means is inadequate. Biomarkers of kidney injury that are easily measured and unaffected by physiological variables could revolutionize the management of AKI. Our objective was to systematically review the diagnostic and prognostic utility of urine and serum biomarkers of AKI in humans. We searched MEDLINE, PubMed and EMBASE databases (January 2000-August 2009) for biomarker studies that could be classified into the following categories: (a) confirmation of the diagnosis of established AKI, (b) early prediction of AKI, and (c) prognostication of AKI. We identified 54 manuscripts published since 2000 that met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. Urinary interleukin-18 (IL-18), kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) are potentially useful biomarkers for the diagnosis of established AKI. Urinary NGAL, IL-18, and liver-type fatty acid binding protein, and serum NGAL and cystatin C represent the most promising biomarkers for early prediction of AKI. Urinary cystatin C, alpha1-microglobulin, NAG and retinol-binding protein may be useful to predict severity and outcomes of AKI. In conclusion, we identified several studies of promising biomarkers for the diagnosis, prediction and prognostication of AKI. However, we note several limitations, including small sample sizes, inadequate gold standard, exclusion of patients with chronic kidney disease, incomplete statistical analyses, utilization of research-based assays and a paucity of studies examining prediction for clinical outcomes. Future studies will need to address these limitations in order for further progress to be made.
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: Rapid pain relief for vertebral compression fractures

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are minimally invasive procedures aimed at relieving symptoms associated with vertebral compression fractures. They have become accepted, highly effective, safe procedures, and are known for their high patient satisfaction rates. Although they are image-guided percutaneous spine therapies, differences do exist. They have each arisen from different backgrounds and are championed by different subspecialties and each involves slightly different techniques. In addition, a prospective, randomized trial comparing the two techniques has yet to be performed. This lack of objective data allows market forces and opinions to have a large influence on utilization and patient referral.
An overview of power-law creep in polycrystalline β-titanium

Abstract A constitutive law for power-law creep of BCC β-Ti is developed, based on experimental data from eight independent studies. The present compilation adds more than twice as many data points as previous analyses, covers nine orders of magnitude in strain rate from 10 −7 to 10 2 s −1 , and incorporates recent data for the shear modulus of β-Ti.
Control of a one-link flexible manipulator via Lyapunov methods

A dynamic model and subsequent control strategy for a lightweight, flexible manipulator which rotates in the horizontal plane is presented. The model, which can be derived directly, is composed of a dominant deterministic component plus a small uncertain part which represents the effects of compliance. A stabilizing controller based on the model is designed via Lyapunov techniques to control the tip position of the link. The simplicity of the model and ease of controller design are emphasized. Also presented are computer simulation results which demonstrate the effectiveness of this model and control design methodology. >
DISCOVERY OF FINELY STRUCTURED DYNAMIC SOLAR CORONA OBSERVED IN THE Hi-C TELESCOPE

In the summer of 2012, the High-resolution Coronal Imager (Hi-C) flew aboard a NASA sounding rocket and collected the highest spatial resolution images ever obtained of the solar corona. One of the goals of the Hi-C flight was to characterize the substructure of the solar corona. We therefore examine how the intensity scales from AIA resolution to Hi-C resolution. For each low-resolution pixel, we calculate the standard deviation in the contributing high-resolution pixel intensities and compare that to the expected standard deviation calculated from the noise. If these numbers are approximately equal, the corona can be assumed to be smoothly varying, i.e. have no evidence of substructure in the Hi-C image to within Hi-C's ability to measure it given its throughput and readout noise. A standard deviation much larger than the noise value indicates the presence of substructure. We calculate these values for each low-resolution pixel for each frame of the Hi-C data. On average, 70 percent of the pixels in each Hi-C image show no evidence of substructure. The locations where substructure is prevalent is in the moss regions and in regions of sheared magnetic field. We also find that the level of substructure varies significantly over the roughly 160 s of the Hi-C data analyzed here. This result indicates that the finely structured corona is concentrated in regions of heating and is highly time dependent.
Transport Diffusion of Gases Is Rapid in Flexible Carbon Nanotubes

Molecular dynamics simulations of rigid, defect-free single-walled carbon nanotubes have previously suggested that the transport diffusivity of gases adsorbed in these materials can be orders of magnitude higher than any other nanoporous material (A. I. Skoulidas et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 2002, 89, 185901). These simulations must overestimate the molecular diffusion coefficients because they neglect energy exhange between the diffusing molecules and the nanotube. Recently, Jakobtorweihen et al. have reported careful simulations of molecular self-diffusion that allow nanotube flexibility (Phys. Rev. Lett. 2005, 95, 044501). We have used the efficient thermostat developed by Jakobtorweihen et al. to examine the influence of nanotube flexibility on the transport diffusion of CH4 in (20,0) and (15,0) nanotubes. The inclusion of nanotube flexibility reduces the transport diffusion relative to the rigid nanotube by roughly an order of magnitude close to zero pressure, but at pressures above about 1 bar the trans...
The influence of the Π-electron distribution and Π -bond stability of ketene acetals on their reactivity and stereoselectivity in thermal (2 + 2) cycloadditions with 1,1-dicyanostyrenes

Abstract The reactions of a series of ketene acetals (R1R2C C(OMe)2) with dicyanostyrenes (ArCH C(CN)2) have been studied. Ketene acetals with a symmetrical Π-electrone distribution give stable cyclobutanes via reactions in which no dipolar intermediates can be trapped. Ketene acetals with an unsymmetrical Π-electron distribution give unstable cyclobutaes or other products derived from dipolar intermediates. In this case, dipolar intermediatess can be intrecepted with H2O. The results have been explained by supposing a different approach of the reactant in the cycloadditions of the two different types of ketene acetals Further support for this supposition was obtained from the stereochemical course of the cycloadditton rcactions with R1HC C(OMe)2. (R1 OMe, Me, Cl) and from the Hammett plots which show a better correlation with σ+for the symmetrically substituted (MeO)2C(OMe)2 and with σ for the unsymmetrical MeCH C(OMe)2.
Software character generation

Programming considerations are described for computer-controlled visual displays. Software character generation is emphasized.
Direct Instruction: Effects on Oral and Written Language Comprehension.

Twenty-three learning disabled children were randomly assigned to three different classrooms, one of which served as a control condition. The two experimental classrooms consisted of homogeneous gr...
Adiabaticity criterion and the shortest adiabatic mode transformer in a coupled-waveguide system

By analyzing the propagating behavior of the supermodes in a coupled-waveguide system, we have derived a universal criterion for designing adiabatic mode transformers. The criterion relates e, the fraction of power scattered into the unwanted mode, to waveguide design parameters and gives the shortest possible length of an adiabatic mode transformer, which is approximately 2/πe1/2 times the distance of maximal power transfer between the waveguides. The results from numerical calculations based on a transfer-matrix formalism support this theory very well.