cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biomolecular Activity Switch Actuated by Ultrafast Pulsed Laser Irradiation of Gold Nanorods

In the pursuit of improved medical, diagnostic and therapeutic solutions, scientists and engineers are interested in designing nanoscale machinery to perform a variety of tasks [1]. The most promising of these machines are comprised of natural biological systems or artificial systems that exploit nature’s machinery, namely proteins. In either case, scientists must exert control over proteins to harness the potential of nanoscale biomolecular machinery.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Role of the Endocannabinoid System in Regulating Cardiovascular and Metabolic Risk Factors

Increased endocannabinoid (EC) system activity promotes excessive food intake and obesity in animals and humans. The EC system regulates food intake and hedonic reward through central mechanisms located within the hypothalamus and limbic forebrain. In rodent models, cannabinoid1 (CB1) receptor blockade reduces appetite and weight and prevents obesity and insulin resistance. The EC system also regulates food intake and metabolic factors through peripheral CB1 receptors located at multiple sites throughout the body, including adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, liver, and the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In rodent models, CB1 receptor antagonists act in the liver to decrease lipogenesis, act in the GI tract to increase satiety, and function in adipose tissue to normalize adiponectin levels and reduce fat storage. The CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant has been shown to reduce food intake and improve metabolic parameters, such as insulin resistance and fatty liver, in animal models of obesity. In preliminary human studies, upregulation of the EC system has been linked to obesity through mechanisms that include high-fat diet, insulin resistance, and genetic malfunction of an EC inactivation enzyme. Evidence suggests that CB1 receptor blockade is a novel therapeutic strategy that addresses the underlying mechanisms of both obesity and cardiometabolic risk.
Learned Helplessness: An Alternative Explanation for Performance Deficits

This paper presents a theory of learned helplessness to account for passive maladaptive behavior in organizations. The essential hypothesis is that the properties of formal organizations often inadvertently condition employee failure and that this behavior frequently continues even after environmental changes make success possible. A model describing the intrapersonal process of becoming helpless is developed. Particular attention is devoted to the description of strategies for minimizing organizationally induced helplessness.
Convergence of the Adiabatic Nuclear Potential

A conjecture made in a previous paper concerning the non-convergence of the series of adiabatic nuclear potentials for meson pair theory obtained by means of perturbation methods is shown to be incorrect. The correct series is derived and summed and is in agreement with a result given previously by Wentzel. The same methods suffice for the derivation and summation of two additional series of potentials of the pseudoscalar theory with pseudoscalar coupling. One of these has as its leading term the one-pair potential of fourth order, and the other begins with the leading term of sixth order. Each series has the same radius of convergence which is determined by the condition $x{e}^{x}g2\ensuremath{\alpha}$, where $x$ is the separation of the nucleons in units of the meson Compton wavelength and $\ensuremath{\alpha}=(\frac{{g}^{2}}{4\ensuremath{\pi}})(\frac{\ensuremath{\mu}}{2M})$. With $(\frac{{g}^{2}}{4\ensuremath{\pi}})=15$, perturbation theory converges for $xg0.85$; with $(\frac{{g}^{2}}{4\ensuremath{\pi}})=10$, for $xg0.57$. The convergence for $x\ensuremath{\lesssim}1$ is in any case very slow for these values of the coupling constant. The possibility remains that for substantially smaller values of the coupling constant, as are suggested by the inclusion of radiative corrections, perturbation calculations of adiabatic potentials may yield a meaningful first approximation when used in conjunction with a suitable cut-off.
Increase of SiC sublimation growth rate by optimizing of powder packaging

In this paper, a comprehensive model for silicon carbide (SiC) sublimation crystal growth considering powder packaging is presented. This model is based on heat and mass transfer of porous powder charge with different sizes of the particle and accounts for induction heating, powder charge sublimation, vapor transport, and porosity evolution in a SiC sublimation crystal growth system. The mechanism of vapor transport is proposed by introducing a driving force arising from temperature difference between powder charge and seed in the growth system. Powder porosity evolution and sublimation rate variations are predicted based on vapor transport mechanism. Effects of powder geometry, such as particle sizes, volume and size ratios of different particles, and driving forces on the sublimation rate are studied. In addition, simulation results for powder sublimation with and without a central hole are presented. The results indicate that the sublimation rate can be increased by optimizing the powder packaging, or by creating a hole in the center of packed powder.
Predictability of patches of neritic salps and doliolids (Tunicata, Thaliacea)

The occurrence of large patches of gelatinous zooplankton has for decades been considered to be unpredictable. An evaluation of our own data and published results on abundances of doliolids and salps from ocean margins reveals that a considerable degree of prediction is possible, based upon meteorological and boundary current intrusion dynamics.
The type and time of menopause as decisive factors for bone mass changes.

Background Early menopause, whether it be natural or surgical, is one of the established risk factors for osteoporosis. Surgical menopause, however, differs from natural menopause owing to the abrupt cessation of estrogen secretion. This study attempts to investigate the influence of menopause type on bone mineral density (BMD) changes. Methods Four groups, each consisting of 30 women, were compared: early menopause (EMP), surgical menopause (SUMP) and two groups of natural menopause. The two groups share a similar number of years since menopause (YSM) but have a different chronological age (NMPO), or share a similar age but different YSM (NMPY) to the EMP and SUMP. BMD was measured by the DXA method at L2–L4 vertebrae and proximal femur. Results Mean vertebral BMD of EMP was lower than that of SUMP (P < 0.05) and of NMPY (P < 0.001) women. Femoral neck BMD did not differ between SUMP and EMP women but both exhibited significantly lower BMD than either natural menopause groups. BMD of SUMP and vertebral BMD of NMPY women was inversely correlated to chronological age and to number of YSM. Pertaining to T-score values according to the osteoporotic range, NMPO, EMP and SUMP women being homogeneous exhibited significantly lower values than NMPY in the vertebrae (F-ratio = 7.84, P < 0.001). Whereas, in the femoral neck and the trochanter major, EMP and SUMP categories presented significantly lower T-score values than the NMPO and NMPY (F = 3.61, P < 0.01 and 2.8, P < 0.05 respectively). Conclusion Women with early menopause exhibit lower vertebral BMD than women of similar age after either surgical or natural menopause. In women of similar age, surgical menopause results in lower vertebral and femoral neck densities compared to natural menopause. Chronological age and the interval after menopause negatively affects bone density in women with similar age whether in surgical or natural menopause.
Using SQL Hotspots in a Prioritization Heuristic for Detecting All Types of Web Application Vulnerabilities

Development organizations often do not have time to perform security fortification on every file in a product before release. One way of prioritizing security efforts is to use metrics to identify core business logic that could contain vulnerabilities, such as database interaction code. Database code is a source of SQL injection vulnerabilities, but importantly may be home to unrelated vulnerabilities. The goal of this research is to improve the prioritization of security fortification efforts by investigating the ability of SQL hotspots to be used as the basis for a heuristic for prediction of all vulnerability types. We performed empirical case studies of 15 releases of two open source PHP web applications: Word Press, a blogging application, and WikkaWiki, a wiki management engine. Using statistical analysis, we show that the more SQL hotspots a file contains per line of code, the higher the probability that file will contain any type of vulnerability.
Risk factors for preterm delivery in patients demonstrating sonographic evidence of premature dilation of the internal os, prolapse of the membranes in the endocervical canal and shortening of the distal cervical segment by second trimester ultrasound.

ABSTRACT Objective To investigate the outcomes and risk factors associated with the second trimester sonographic findings of premature dilation of the internal cervical os, prolapse of the membranes into the endocervical canal and shortening of the distal segment. Study design Retrospective chart review to identify patients who met the following criteria: (i) gestational age between 16 and 24 weeks; (ii) a vaginal probe ultrasound documenting dilatation of the internal os, prolapsed membranes into the endocervical canal but not extending beyond the external os, and a shortened distal cervix; and (iii) no evidence of increased uterine activity. Methods Sonographic measurements obtained included: (i) the width of the internal os dilation; (ii) the depth of membranes prolapsed into endocervix (funneling); (iii) the distal cervical length;and (iv) the total cervical length. Patients were stratified into two groups according to gestational age at delivery: the preterm group (< 34 weeks) and the near-term group (≥ 34 weeks). Results Thirty-seven patients had complete records for analysis and their pregnancies resulted in 47 live births. Eighteen patients were stratified to the near term group and 19 were stratified to the preterm group. There were no stillborn infants and 10 neonatal deaths. Ten patients received cerclage and seven patients delivered at 1.3 cm (p = 0.04), and a composite Benham score ≥ 1.0 (p = 0.02). Conclusions The sonographic findings of premature dilatation of the internal os, prolapse of the membranes into the endocervical canal and shortening of the distal cervix are associated with a high rate of delivery < 34 weeks (51%) and neonatal death (27%).
The use of Huygens' equivalence principle for solving 3D volume integral equation of scattering

Presents an integral equation solver using the nested equivalence principle algorithm (NEPAL) which has been successfully applied previously to 2D problems. It is known that in solving an integral equation, one can first replace the volume scatterer by small subscatterers where the size of a subscatterer is much smaller than a wavelength. The unknown function to be sought is expanded in terms of basis functions which usually have their supports on the subscatterers. By matching the field on the subscatterers, a set of linear equations are formed. The number of unknowns is proportional to the number of subscatterers in this case. Physically, each subscatterer can be considered a scattering center. The interaction of a subscatterer with the other subscatterers can be described by interaction matrices. If there are N subscatterers, then there will be N/sup 2/ interaction matrices since each subscatterer will interact with all the other subscatterers including itself. The N/sup 2/ interaction matrices can be found with N/sup 3/ operations. The idea of NEPAL is to reduce the number of scattering centers, and hence to reduce the CPU time required for the solution, and essentially find the inverse of the integral operator with computational complexity less than O(N/sup 3/).
Potential noncontact tools for rapid credibility assessment from physiological and behavioral cues

Credibility assessment is a perennial and increasingly urgent problem in light of escalating international security threats. New tools such are needed for rapid, noninvasive and possibly unobtrusive detection of deception and hostile intent. This paper reports five novel instrumented approaches to credibility assessment being investigated in a multi-institution research program. These instruments do not require physical contact with humans and can reliably measure veracity from physiological and behavioral indicators. Data were collected via an experiment, which required participants to commit a mock crime and then be interviewed by a trained interviewer. During and following the interviews, multiple instruments measured physiological, cognitive and behavioral responses of interviewees to determine which automatable features accurately differentiate truthtellers from deceivers. Details concerning the instruments and the experimental method used to test them are shared.
Are web applications ready for parallelism

In recent years, web applications have become pervasive. Their backbone is JavaScript, the only programming language supported by all major web browsers. Most browsers run on desktop or mobile devices with parallel hardware. However, JavaScript is by design sequential, and current web applications make little use of hardware parallelism. Are web applications ready to exploit parallel hardware? We answer the question in two steps: First, we survey 174 web developers about the potential and challenges of using parallelism. Then, we study the performance and computation shape of a set of web applications that are representative for the emerging web. Our findings indicate that emerging web applications do have latent data parallelism, and JavaScript developers' programming style is not a significant impediment to exploiting this parallelism.
Category Use and Category Learning

Categorization models based on laboratory research focus on a narrower range of explanatory constructs than appears necessary for explaining the structure of natural categories. This mismatch is caused by the reliance on classification as the basis of laboratory studies. Category representations are formed in the process of interacting with category members. Thus, laboratory studies must explore a range of category uses. The authors review the effects of a variety of category uses on category learning. First, there is an extensive discussion contrasting classification with a predictive inference task that is formally equivalent to classification but leads to a very different pattern of learning. Then, research on the effects of problem solving, communication, and combining inference and classification is reviewed.
Studies on binding and uptake of vitellogenin by follicles of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta

An in vitro system for the uptake of 125l-vitellogenin (VG) or vitellin into isolated follicles of the tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta, is described. After incubation with 125l-VG, follicles were disrupted and the internal yolk contents separated from the follicle membranes. The results showed that 125l-VG was associated principally with the membranes (92%) after incubation at 4°C. However, at 27°C, 125l-VG was mainly in the yolk (92%). Furthermore, trypsin treatment removed approximately 70% of VG bound to the follicles at 4°C. Labeled VG was shown to bind to sonicated follicle membranes with high specificity and affinity (KD ⋍ 1.3 × 10−8 M). This binding was sensitive to pH and calcium concentration. The total binding sites were estimated at 4 × 1014 sites/g of membrane protein. Competition studies showed that binding of 125l-VG to follicle membranes was blocked by excess unlabeled vitellin and deglycosylated vitellogenin but not by lipophorin (the major hemolymph lipoprotein), microvitellogenin, a female-specific protein (Mr ∼ 31,000) found in both hemolymph and eggs, and the smaller vitellogenin subunit, apovitellogenin-II (Mr ∼ 45,000). These results suggest that selective uptake of M. sexta VG from the hemolymph involves binding to specific receptors located on the follicle membranes.
Base-pair neutral homozygotes can be discriminated by calibrated high-resolution melting of small amplicons

Genotyping by high-resolution melting analysis of small amplicons is homogeneous and simple. However, this approach can be limited by physical and chemical components of the system that contribute to intersample melting variation. It is challenging for this method to distinguish homozygous G::C from C::G or A::T from T::A base-pair neutral variants, which comprise � 16% of all human single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We used internal oligonucleotide calibrators and custom analysis software to improve small amplicon (42–86 bp) genotyping on the LightScanner. Three G/C (PAH c.1155C>G, CHK2 c.1-3850G>C and candidate gene BX647987 c.261+22,290C>G) and three T/A (CPS1 c.3405-29A>T, OTC c.299-8T>A and MSH2 c.15119A>T) human single nucleotide variants were analyzed. Calibration improved homozygote genotyping accuracy from 91.7 to 99.7% across 1105 amplicons from 141 samples for five of the six targets. The average Tm standard deviations of these targets decreased from 0.0678C before calibration to 0.0228C after calibration. We were unable to generate a small amplicon that could discriminate the BX647987 c.261+22,290C>G (rs1869458) SNP, despite reducing standard deviations from 0.0868C to 0.0328C. Two of the sites contained symmetric nearest neighbors adjacent to the SNPs. Unexpectedly, we were able to distinguish these homozygotes by Tm even though current nearest neighbor models predict that the two homozygous alleles would be identical.
Individualism and Community: Ritual Discourse in a Parochial High School

Students identified two contradictory emphases at St. Anne's High School. The school's religious foundation led to an emphasis on caring among its members. However, as a private secondary school it also had to promote competitive achievement. Two all-school rituals are examined in light of this structural tension. The analysis suggests that the assemblies used “love” and “fun,” two American metasymbols, as temporary mediators or regulators of the school's tension.
A short presentation of the main features of AEPL - an extensible programming language

AEPL is a programming system designed as a tool for the implementation of problem-oriented languages. It is based on a small number of simple but powerful concepts described briefly below. The AEPL system is not yet implemented at the present time; it has been used, however, to define - on paper - a language for the manipulation of graphs. The extensibility of the system stems from the ability to create new data types and from the ability to modify some of the language structures dynamically (syntax and associated semantic as well as some control structures).
Protein hydrolysates are avoided by herbivores but not by omnivores in two-choice preference tests.

Background: The negative sensory properties of casein hydrolysates (HC) often limit their usage in products intended for human consumption, despite HC being nutritious and having many functional benefits. Recent, but taxonomically limited, evidence suggests that other animals also avoid consuming HC when alternatives exist. Methodology/Principal Findings: We evaluated ingestive responses of five herbivorous species (guinea pig, mountain beaver, gopher, vole, and rabbit) and five omnivorous species (rat, coyote, house mouse, white-footed mouse, and deer mouse; N=16–18/species) using solid foods containing 20% HC in a series of two-choice preference tests that used a nonprotein, cellulose-based alternative. Individuals were also tested with collagen hydrolysate (gelatin; GE) to determine whether it would induce similar ingestive responses to those induced by HC. Despite HC and GE having very different nutritional and sensory qualities, both hydrolysates produced similar preference score patterns. We found that the herbivores generally avoided the hydrolysates while the omnivores consumed them at similar levels to the cellulose diet or, more rarely, preferred them (HC by the white-footed mouse; GE by the rat). Follow-up preference tests pairing HC and the nutritionally equivalent intact casein (C) were performed on the three mouse species and the guinea pigs. For the mice, mean HC preference scores were lower in the HC v C compared to the HC v Cel tests, indicating that HC’s sensory qualities negatively affected its consumption. However, responses were species-specific. For the guinea pigs, repeated exposure to HC or C (4.7-h sessions; N=10) were found to increase subsequent HC preference scores in an HC v C preference test, which was interpreted in the light of conservative foraging strategies thought to typify herbivores. Conclusions/Significance: This is the first empirical study of dietary niche-related taxonomic differences in ingestive responses to protein hydrolysates using multiple species under comparable conditions. Our results provide a basis for future work in sensory, physiological, and behavioral mechanisms of hydrolysate avoidance and on the potential use of hydrolysates for pest management.
Detection of Movement in Bed Using Unobtrusive Load Cell Sensors

Quality of sleep is an important attribute of an individual's health state and its assessment is therefore a useful diagnostic feature. Changes in the patterns of motor activities during sleep can be a disease marker, or can reflect various abnormal physiological and neurological conditions. Presently, there are no convenient, unobtrusive ways to assess quality of sleep outside of a clinic. This paper describes a system for unobtrusive detection of movement in bed that uses load cells installed at the corners of a bed. The system focuses on identifying when a movement occurs based on the forces sensed by the load cells. The movement detection approach estimates the energy in each load cell signal over short segments to capture the variations caused by movement. The accuracy of the detector is evaluated using data collected in the laboratory. The detector is capable of detecting voluntary movements in bed while the subjects were awake, with an average equal error rate of 3.22% (±0.54). Its performance is invariant with respect to the individual's characteristics, e.g., weight, as well as those of the bed. The simplicity of the resulting algorithms and their relative insensitivity to the weight and height of the monitored individual make the approach practical and easily deployable in residential and clinical settings.
Granulomatous Lymphangiitis (Melkersson‐Rosenthal Type)

A 33-year-old Caucasian female presented with a ten-year history of flushing and facial swelling partially responsive to anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial therapies. Progressive edema of the right upper eyelid was recently treated by blepharoplasty. The blepharoplasty specimen had a dense mononuclear inflammatory infiltrate and diffuse non-caseating granulomas composed of epithelioid and multinucleated histiocytes. The granulomas appeared both peri-and intralymphatic with prominent molding. Special stains and polarization studies were negative. To confirm the intralymphatic location of these granulomas we performed immunohistochemical staining with Factor VIII and D2–40. D2–40 is a new monoclonal antibody that reacts with an O-linked sialoglycoprotein found on lymphatic endothelium, fetal testis, and on the surface of testicular germ cell tumors. In recent studies, clone D2–40 has shown staining in lymphatic channel endothelium but not in adjacent capillary. Factor VIII antibody highlighted both lymphatic and blood vessel endothelium, while D2–40 stained only the lymphatic endothelium and confirmed the intra-lymphatic location of granulomas. The patient was diagnosed with granulomatous lymphangiitis of the Melkersson-Rosenthal type (orofacial granulomatosis). Granulomatous lymphangiitis is characteristic but not completely diagnostic of the Melkersson-Rosenthal syndrome. We present the complex differential diagnosis of intralymphatic granulomas and the use of a new monoclonal antibody helpful in verifying their location.
Urethral diverticulum in women: diverse presentations resulting in diagnostic delay and mismanagement.

Purpose: We describe various clinical presentations of urethral diverticulum, which may mimic other pelvic floor disorders and result in diagnostic delay. Management and outcome results are reported.Materials and Methods: We reviewed retrospectively 46 consecutive cases of urethral diverticulum. Patient characteristics, history, clinical evaluation, management and long-term followup are reported.Results: Mean patient age plus or minus standard deviation was 36.3 ± 11.7 years. Most (83%) cases were referred as diagnostic dilemmas with symptoms present for 3 months to 27 years. Mean interval between onset of symptoms to diagnosis was 5.2 years. The most common symptoms were pain (48% of cases), urinary incontinence (35%), dyspareunia (24%) and frequency/urgency (22%). The number of physicians previously consulted ranged from 3 to 20 and prior therapies included oral and/or vaginal medications, anti-incontinence surgery and psychotherapy. The diverticulum was palpable on examination in 24 patients (52%), in ...
Gender Differentials in Cognitive Impairment and Decline of the Oldest Old in China

Objective Research in China has shown that women are significantly disadvantaged in cognitive functioning in old age. This article adds to this line of inquiry by examining gender differentials in the odds of having cognitive impairment at baseline and during follow-up among the Chinese oldest old, as well as the potential pathways linking gender and the likelihood of having cognitive impairment. Methods Using two waves (1998 and 2000) of the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, the researcher estimated logistic and multinomial regression models of cognitive impairment for a nationwide sample of people aged 80-105 years old (N = 8,291). Results Among the Chinese oldest old, women were at higher risk than men for having cognitive impairment both at baseline and during 2-year follow-up, controlling for age, activities of daily living disability, and rural residence. Women's disadvantages in socioeconomic status, social network, and participation in leisure activities partially accounted for the gender differentials in cognitive impairment. Discussion The findings suggest that oldest old Chinese women are a vulnerable group at higher risk for cognitive impairment than oldest old men. Closing gender disparities in formal education will significantly reduce the gender gap in cognitive impairment in old age.
Distribution of tetracycline resistance genes and transposons among phylloplane bacteria in Michigan apple orchards.

The extent and nature of tetracycline resistance in bacterial populations of two apple orchards with no or a limited history of oxytetracycline usage were assessed. Tetracycline-resistant (Tcr) bacteria were mostly gram negative and represented from 0 to 47% of the total bacterial population on blossoms and leaves (versus 26 to 84% for streptomycin-resistant bacteria). A total of 87 isolates were screened for the presence of specific Tcr determinants. Tcr was determined to be due to the presence of Tet B in Pantoea agglomerans and other members of the family Enterobacteriacae and Tet A, Tet C, or Tet G in most Pseudomonas isolates. The cause of Tcr was not identified in 16% of the isolates studied. The Tcr genes were almost always found on large plasmids which also carried the streptomycin resistance transposon Tn5393. Transposable elements with Tcr determinants were detected by entrapment following introduction into Escherichia coli. Tet B was found within Tn10. Two of eighteen Tet B-containing isolates had an insertion sequence within Tn10; one had IS911 located within IS10-R and one had Tn1000 located upstream of Tet B. Tet A was found within a novel variant of Tn1721, named Tn1720, which lacks the left-end orfI of Tn1721. Tet C was located within a 19-kb transposon, Tn1404, with transposition genes similar to those of Tn501, streptomycin (aadA2) and sulfonamide (sulI) resistance genes within an integron, Tet C flanked by direct repeats of IS26, and four open reading frames, one of which may encode a sulfate permease. Two variants of Tet G with 92% sequence identity were detected.
Constitutive relations for fault slip and earthquake instabilities

Constitutive relations for fault slip are described and adopted as a basis for analyzing slip motion and its instability in the form of earthquakes on crustal faults. The constitutive relations discussed include simple rate-independent slip-weakening models, in which shear strength degrades with ongoing slip to a residual frictional strength, and also more realistic but as yet less extensively applied slip-rate and surface-state-dependent relations. For the latter the state of the surface is characterized by one or more variables that evolve with ongoing slip, seeking values consistent with the current slip rate. Models of crustal faults range from simple, single-degree-of-freedom spring-slider systems to more complex continuous systems that incorporate nonuniform slip and locked patches on faults of depth-dependent constitutive properties within elastic lithospheric plates that may be coupled to a viscoelastic asthenosphere.
Detection and discrimination of radar targets

A new method for detection and discrimination of radar targets is described. The basis for this method is that the gross structure of a radar target can be identified from scattered fields of the target at harmonic radar frequencies located just in the low resonance region. This is in sharp contrast to many target signature schemes that operate at much higher frequencies and observe many of the details of the target in lieu of its gross features. Multiple frequency radar scattering data and the complex natural resonant frequencies of radar targets are integrated into a predictor-correlator processor. The method is illustrated using as target models both classical shapes and thin-wire configurations of simple geometry. Integral equation programs are utilized to calculate multiple frequency backscatter data for the wire geometries and to deduce the complex natural resonant frequencies of the wire structures. Discrete multiple frequency radar scattering data spanning a particular spectral range are shown to be desirable for optimum capability but discrimination and detection can be achieved using just two near-conventional radars, even if the radars are located at different sites and hence view the target from different aspects.
The Law, Economics and Politics of Federal Preemption Jurisprudence

Federal preemption case law under the Commerce Clause and Supremacy Clause has been marked by a high degree of conflict and controversy. That is not surprising given the unusual ideological and political conflicts these cases pose. After describing this jurisprudence, we analyze a group of more than one hundred federal preemption decisions in the federal courts. All involve the exercise of state or local police power in the form of environmental, health and safety regulation, and the cases cover a period from the late 1960s to the present. We employ both statistical analyses and more traditional methods to try to discern some patterns in these decisions. We conclude that several different components of ideology (including judges' policy preferences and philosophies of regulation) explain these decisions, as do a variety of case-specific factors. The analysis supports a circumscribed "legal realist" view of judging. It also implies that politics plays a central role in the resolution of preemption conflicts, despite preemption doctrine's stated preference for market solutions to "externality" problems. Consciously or not, judges have effectively ensured that certain kinds of political distortions of the market for externalities survive, while others fail.
A Modest Proposal for Justice Scalia's Seat

The unexpected death of leading conservative Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia during the final year in office of liberal President Barack Obama has had a seismic effect on the political scene. Even before President Obama had nominated a replacement, members of both parties aggressively staked out contrary positions. Part of the acrimony is surely driven by the stakes: the Supreme Court has taken on an increasingly central role in our national life, and a lifetime appointment to the Court would reshape its direction for decades to come. The prospect of a lame duck President making a choice with such long term consequences as a result of the unanticipated death of one man naturally raises meaningful concerns. But it also creates a real opportunity to revisit the institution of lifetime tenure on the Supreme Court. While lifetime tenure on the Supreme Court is commonly assumed to be required by the Constitution, the Constitution actually grants Congress substantial flexibility in structuring the judicial branch. Congress might use this flexibility creatively, to create judges who enjoy life tenure but spend only part of that tenure on the Supreme Court. President Obama would then be able to fill Justice Scalia’s seat without remaking the Court for decades to come. Even if this approach were ultimately unsuccessful, it would be an unusually constructive resolution of an otherwise difficult impasse.
Men Nurses in Atlantic Canada: Career Choice, Barriers, and Satisfaction

The health care industry is facing a worldwide shortage. Despite a repeated call for a greater effort on recruitment and retention of men nurses to aid the nursing shortage, men remain a minority within the profession. In Canada, less than 7% of the nursing workforce are men. Using a survey, all men registered nurses in the Atlantic provinces reported on why they chose nursing, barriers they experienced, strategies to improve recruitment/retention, recommendations to others, and career satisfaction. The most common reasons for entering nursing were helping people, job security, and a challenging profession. The most common perceived barriers were being seen as “muscle,” inadequate recruitment, and sexual stereotypes. Most subjects were satisfied with career choice and had no hesitation in recommending the career for other men. Respondents stressed that recruitment strategies should focus on factors such as helping others, job security, and career opportunities. Findings may help with future recruitment st...
The effect of square trailing edges on turbine blade performance

An experimental investigation was conducted on the aerodynamic performance of transonic gas turbine blades with blunt and round trailing edges. All work was performed at the recently-developed transonic cascade facility of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. This paper provides a brief description of the equipment and testing procedures used, a summary of the various test parameters, a description of data reduction techniques, figures containing collected data, and a discussion of the results. Tests were conducted on both the blunt and round trailing edged blades at blade row exit Mach numbers from 0.7 to 1.35. Total and static pressure measurements were taken at t w o locations downstream o f the cascade. Performance of the t w o trailing edge geometries was compared using a total pressure loss coefficient and also with shadowgraph photos. Results of the testing indicate that overall performance of the t w o trailing edge geometries was similar, with slightly greater losses for the blunt blades varying as a function of exit Mach number. -
A method for extracting ferruginous bodies from sputum and pulmonary tissue.

A method for extracting ferruginous bodies from sputum and fixed or unfixed lung is described. The principle is to digest the sputum or tissue completely in domestic laundry bleach (5.25% sodium hypochlorite) and to collect the solid residue on a membrane filter. This method allows one to extract from a specimen virtually every ferruginous body that is visible with the light microscope. With this method, ferruginous bodies were found in pulmonary tissue from each of 100 consecutive necropsies of patients 16 years old and over. In one case, ferruginous bodies were found in a concentration of about 750,000 per Gm. of wet fixed pulmonary tissue.
Femtosecond Time-Resolved Fluorescence Study of TiO2-Coated ZnO Nanorods/P3HT Photovoltaic Films

The photovoltaic performance of organic–inorganic hybrid films based on regioregular poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) and ZnO nanorods depends strongly on the quality of the interfaces between the organic polymer and the inorganic nanostructures. A thin, solution-processed TiO2 interlayer was introduced on the surface of ZnO nanorods to improve the interface between ZnO and P3HT. In order to understand the effects of the TiO2 interlayer on the initial photophysical processes after photoexcitation, femtosecond time-resolved fluorescence dynamics of the hybrid ZnO nanorods/P3HT (ZnO/P3HT) films with or without TiO2 interlayer coating were comparatively studied using a fluorescence up-conversion technique. Because of the well-aligned P3HT nanodomains in these annealed hybrid films, energetically downhill excitation energy transfer was found to be the dominant process in the subps time scale with an excitation at 400 nm. The fluorescence decay times for the ZnO–TiO2/P3HT film were significantly extended...
The Traditionalist Jewish Physician and Modern Biomedical Ethical Problems

Recent advances in biomedical technology and therapeutic procedures have generated a moral crisis in modern medicine. The vast strides made in medical science and technology have created options which only a few decades earlier would have been relegated to the realm of science fiction. Man, to a significant degree, now has the ability to exercise control not only over the ravages of disease but even over the very processes of life and death. With the unfolding of new discoveries and techniques, the scientific and intellectual communities have developed a keen awareness of the ethical issues which arise out of man's enhanced ability to control his destiny. In response to the concern for questions of this nature, there has emerged the rapidly developing field of bioethics. Jews, to whom all such questions are quests not only for applicable humanitarian principles but for Divine guidance, must, of necessity, seek answers in the teaching of the Torah. "The Torah of God is perfect" (Psalms 19: 8), and in its teachings the discerning student will find eternally-valid answers to even newly-formulated queries. As physicians and patients turn to Rabbinic authorities for answers, Jewish scholars seek to elucidate and expound the teachings of the Torah in these vital areas of concern. The present essay highlights some of the ethical issues faced by the Jewish physician who faithfully observes his tradition in all matters including his daily practice of medicine. Although more questions are raised than answered, the aim of this essay will have been achieved if the reader is stimulated to pursue these issues in the extending writings on the subject now available in English.
Performance Comparison Study of Multicast Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad hoc Networks under Default Flooding and Density and Mobility Aware Energy-Efficient (DMEF) Broadcast Strategies

Performance Comparison Study of Multicast Routing Protocols for Mobile Ad hoc Networks under Default Flooding and Density and Mobility Aware Energy-Efficient (DMEF) Broadcast Strategies
Real-time reciprocal collision avoidance with elliptical agents

We present a novel algorithm for real-time collision-free navigation between elliptical agents. Each robot or agent is represented using a tight-fitting 2D ellipse in the plane. We extend the reciprocal velocity obstacle formulation by using conservative linear approximations of ellipses and derive sufficient conditions for collision-free motion based on low-dimensional linear programming. We use precomputed Minkowski Sum approximations for real-time and conservative collision avoidance in large multi-agent environments. Finally, we present efficient techniques to update the orientation to compute collision-free trajectories. Our algorithm can handle thousands of elliptical agents in real-time on a single core and provides significant speedups over prior algorithms for elliptical agents. We compare the runtime performance and behavior with circular agents on different benchmarks.
Controlling Blood Clotting by Laser Triggered Release From Gold Nanorods

The shape and size-dependent surface plasmon resonance of gold nanoparticles has made them attractive for biological applications. We use laser triggered release from gold nanorods for selective melting to control blood clotting.
Looking for the state and finding god: conceptions of security among low-income Cairenes

This article analyses how low-income individuals in Cairo, Egypt interpret the aspects of security and insecurity that affect their daily lives. Particular attention is paid to crime and failing transportation infrastructure during Mohammed Morsi’s presidency, 2012–2013. Primarily, I show how religion is both a tool and coping mechanism to help combat chronic periods of insecurity. Participants invoke religion to force officials to perform their duties and to perform them honestly. Secondly, religion is called upon as a final form of mental and spiritual relief against injustice and the trials of daily urban life. This paper seeks to make an intervention into security studies by showing how Egyptians defend themselves through personal and communal understandings of religion in distinction to security practices enacted by the state and other national and international organizations.
A Model for the Factory of the Future for Industrialized Housing

The objective of this paper is to explore opportunities to improve quality, affordability and energy efficiency of industrialized housing in the United States. The paper presents current research efforts at the University of Central Florida to develop a conceptual model for building homes in the 21st century. The model is a fully-automated facility that employs a number of advanced information and manufacturing technologies. This paper describes the 21st century manufacturing facility, its layout and operation, the automation building blocks that are required and likely impacts.
Community based bioremediation: grassroots responses to urban soil contamination

The past 150 years of industrial processes have left a legacy of toxicity in the soils of today’s urban environments. Exposure to soil based pollutants disproportionately affects low-income communities who are frequently located within formerly industrialized zones. Both gardeners, who come into direct contact with soil, as well as those who eat the products grown in the soil, are at risk to exposure from industrial contaminants. Options for low-income communities for remediating contaminated soils are limited, with most remediation work being carried out by costly engineering firms. Even more problematic is the overall lack of awareness and available information regarding safety and best practices with soils. In response to these challenges, a grassroots movement has emerged that seeks to empower urban residents with the tools and information necessary to address residual industrial toxicity in their ecosystems. Focusing on methods that are simple and affordable, this movement wishes to remove the barriers of cost and technical expertise that may be otherwise prohibitive. This paper will give an overview of this exemplar of generative justice, looking at case studies of organizations that have been successful in implementing these strategies.
Modeling joint evacuation decisions in social networks: The case of Hurricane Sandy

Abstract Coastal areas of the United States are vulnerable to substantial loss of lives and property damage from repeatedly occurring hurricanes and evacuation is the usual recourse to prevent loss of life when high storm surge threatens. The fundamental question in evacuation modeling is to explore the complex evacuation decision-making process leading to an individual’s decision to evacuate or not during a hurricane threat. Recent studies suggest that the social network characteristics of individuals could potentially determine overall evacuation patterns. This study explores the joint evacuation decisions of individuals in personal networks by using ego-centric social network data obtained from Hurricane Sandy and by considering the nested structure of the ego-centric network data, i.e. close contacts (alters) as nested within an individual (ego). In this regard, the study develops a multinomial multilevel model of joint evacuation decisions at the dyadic (ego-alter tie) level utilizing a Hierarchical Generalized Linear Modeling (HGLM) approach. Model estimation results suggest factors that define a social tie (contact frequency, discussion topic and geographic proximity) significantly influence the evacuation decisions between individuals and their social partners. In addition, individuals’ (both ego and alter) own socio-demographics such as age, marital status, previous evacuation experience, evacuation order, household’s type, size, location and proximity to a water body also affect the decision to evacuate. These findings are useful to help emergency managers implement efficient evacuation strategies and to facilitate planning by policymakers by determining fractions of people evacuating or not for a major hurricane within the context of their social networks.
Impact cratering as a cause of climate change, surface alteration, and resurfacing during the early history of Mars

Ancient valley networks (VNs) and related open- and closed-basin lakes are testimony to the presence of flowing liquid water on the surface of Mars in the Late Noachian and Early Hesperian. Uncertain, however, has been the mechanism responsible for causing the necessary rainfall and runoff and/or snowfall and subsequent melting. Impact cratering has been proposed (e.g., Segura et al. 2002) as a process for temporarily raising temperatures and inducing conditions that would produce rainfall, snowmelt, runoff, and formation of the VNs and associated lacustrine features. We refer to the collective effects of this process as the ICASE model (impact cratering atmospheric/surface effects). In this contribution, we assess the proposed impact cratering mechanism in order to understand its climatic implications for early Mars: we outline the step-by-step events in the cratering process and explore the predictions for atmospheric and surface geological consequences. For large and basin-scale impacts, rainfall should be globally and homogeneously distributed and characterized by very high temperatures. Rainfall rates are predicted to be high, ~2 m yr−1, similar to rates in tropical rainforests on Earth, and runoff rates are correspondingly very high. These predicted characteristics do not seem to be consistent with the observed VNs, which are mainly equatorial and not homogeneous in their distribution. Prior to the Late Noachian, however, we predict that basin-scale impact effects are very likely to contribute significantly to degradation of crater rims and regional smoothing of terrain, implying vast resurfacing and resetting of crater ages following large crater and basin-scale impacts. Furthermore, the high temperatures of impact-induced rainwater and snowmelt and the pervasive penetration of heat into the regolith substrate are predicted to have a significant influence on the mineralogical alteration of the crust and its resulting physical properties. We conclude by describing a case example (Isidis basin) and describe how the ICASE model provides an alternative scenario for the interpretation of the layered phyllosilicates in the Nili Fossae and NE Sytris regions. We outline specific conclusions and recommendations designed to improve the ICASE model and to promote further understanding of its implications for the geological, mineralogical, and climate history of early Mars.