cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Morality, tax evasion, and equity

Abstract This paper considers tax evasion with morality and its implication for equity of the tax system. In the standard model of tax evasion without moral costs, higher-income taxpayers evade more, relative to their incomes, than lower-income taxpayers, and evasion makes the tax system regressive. With moral costs, equity of the tax system depends on the degree of morality. As the level of morality in society increases, it increases moral costs of evasion and evasion become inferior. Higher-income taxpayers evade less and pay more taxes, and evasion makes the tax system progressive for a high level of morality. The opposite holds true and evasion makes the tax system regressive for a low level of morality.
Multi-purpose configurable range for antenna testing up To 220 GHz

NIST has developed a multi-purpose test range for performing several types of antenna testing including spherical, cylindrical, and planar near-field scanning, as well as extrapolation measurements. This range uses a commercial, off-the-shelf, six-axis robot and a laser tracker to accomplish highly accurate positioning that allows scanning up to 220 GHz. Near-field measurements require positioning accuracies on the order of 0.01 to 0.02 wavelengths. We have evaluated the positioning capability of the robot and performed spherical near-field measurements at 183 GHz. We have performed spherical farfield and extrapolation measurements from 112 – 125 GHz. In addition, position data are acquired continuously using the laser tracker, which allows us to compensate for position errors in software. We report on the results of these measurements.
Dependence of confined plastic flow of polycrystalline Cu thin films on microstructure

Axial compression was conducted on micro-pillars, in which polycrystalline Cu thin films were sandwiched between CrN and Si. Plastic flow of Cu was achieved, when the Cu films are inclined either at 90° or 45° with respect to the pillar axis. The texture of Cu films was altered by changing the template on which film growth occurred. The Cu microstructure was further altered by post-deposition annealing. The flow stress shows little dependence on the film texture in the as-deposited state. However, annealing influences the flow stress of confined Cu films significantly. The implications on strain gradient plasticity models are discussed.
Biomimetic design of protic lipidic ionic liquids with enhanced fluidity

We demonstrate herein a facile synthesis of a series of highly-ordered low-melting protic ionic liquids with linear C16–C20 side chains identical to natural fatty acids, which were produced by the S-alkylation of the 2-mercapto-1-methylimidazole (methimazole) ring. There is considerable structural latitude possible when designing highly lipophilic protic ionic liquids that exhibit low Tm values due to the cumulative disruptive effects of thioether and unsaturation on their packing efficiency. Their bulk thermophysical properties, hydrophobicity and cytotoxicity were also determined.
Enhancing healthcare quality by promoting work-life balance among nursing staff

Nurses are fundamental to the functioning of any healthcare organization. However, nursing is a demanding and stressful profession. Excessive occupational stress can cause work-life conflict, decrease quality of care, and increase nurse resignation. It is essential that healthcare providers examine their organizational culture to ensure a supportive climate to maximize the well-being and work-life balance of nurses. With the improvement of the organizational culture, nurses will be able to provide top quality medical care, be more productive, and enhance patient satisfaction.
Exploring the Connection Between Community Food Security Initiatives and Social-Cognitive Factors on Dietary Intake

Food insecurity and poor dietary consumption continues to impact low-income populations in the U.S. However, communities are developing ways to address it at the local level. Community Food Security Initiatives (CFSI) focus on increasing a sustainable, healthy food supply and food system while simultaneously addressing food insecurity and dietary quality within a community. The purpose of this study was two-fold: (1) explore CFSIs in low-income areas in a metropolitan Midwest city and (2) examine the effects of the initiatives along with other social-cognitive factors on fruit and vegetable consumption in persons participating in local CFSIs. This was a mixed methods study. First, seven representatives from different CFSIs were interviewed and factors regarding initiative success were identified. Secondly, a group of 128 community members made up of both CFSI participants and non-CFSI participants completed questionnaires assessing fruit and vegetable intake, dietary-related social cognitive behavior, and socio-demographics. Several themes emerged from the interviews with the CFSI representatives including challenges, resources, and benefits in developing and sustaining an initiative. A multiple regression analysis was utilized to explain fruit and vegetable behavior across CFSI participation and dietary-related social-cognitive factors, controlling for education and income. The analysis showed that dietary-related social-cognitive factors, not CFSI participation, were an independent predictor of fruit and vegetable intake. In conclusion, CFSIs may increase food access within a local food system but may have a minimal impact on dietary behavior overall. CFSIs may need to reexamine their operations and identify ways to address not only food access but other social factors such as community empowerment and individual psychosocial factors relating to dietary behavior.
Negotiating New Borders for Special Collections

Special collections administrators face particular challenges as they try to craft an effective mission and strategic policy for what is collectively and commonly called outreach. In the archives profession, outreach is defined as “client-centered or audience-directed activities.” The two terms are used synonymously and assigned a broad compass. The activities can be an exhibition, a published guide, a tour, a conference, a workshop, a speech, any activity, in fact, “that contributes to a greater awareness of archives and what they do.” 1 In the keynote address at the 1998 ACRL President's Program, titled “The Value of Values,” the writer William Gass . . .
Programmed Self-Assembly of Hierarchical Nanostructures through Protein-Nanoparticle Coengineering.

Hierarchical organization of macromolecules through self-assembly is a prominent feature in biological systems. Synthetic fabrication of such structures provides materials with emergent functions. Here, we report the fabrication of self-assembled superstructures through coengineering of recombinant proteins and nanoparticles. These structures feature a highly sophisticated level of multilayered hierarchical organization of the components: individual proteins and nanoparticles coassemble to form discrete assemblies that collapse to form granules, which then further self-organize to generate superstructures with sizes of hundreds of nanometers. The components within these superstructures are dynamic and spatially reorganize in response to environmental influences. The precise control over the molecular organization of building blocks imparted by this protein–nanoparticle coengineering strategy provides a method for creating hierarchical hybrid materials.
The Present of Futures: Valuing Eurodollar-Futures Convexity Adjustments in a Multi-Curve World

Futures convexity adjustments in the multi-curve world depend on: i) the distribution of forward LIBORs, ii) the distribution of OIS rates, and iii) the correlation between LIBORs and OIS rates. In this article, we introduce a new multi-curve framework for pricing futures convexity adjustments. We assume that forward LIBORs follow a one-factor shifted-lognormal LMM, and that OIS rates evolve according to a general one-factor Cheyette (1992) model. We will consider two particular cases: 1) OIS rates follow a one-factor Hull-White (1990) model; 2) the LIBOR-OIS basis volatility is minimal, which includes the sub-case of deterministic basis when LIBOR and OIS curves are perfectly correlated. We will derive explicit convexity adjustments in both cases, and analyze the impact of the cap skew in their valuation. We will show that the extent a cap smile affects futures pricing depends on the chosen OIS dynamics, or equivalently on the assumed behavior of the LIBOR-OIS basis.
Optimally Scheduling Jobs with Multiple Tasks

We consider optimal job scheduling where each job consists of multiple tasks, each of unknown duration, with precedence constraints between tasks. A job is not considered complete until all of its tasks are complete. Traditional heuristics, such as favoring the job of shortest expected remaining processing time, are suboptimal in this setting. Furthermore, even if we know which job to run, it is not obvious which task within that job to serve. In this paper, we characterize the optimal policy for a class of such scheduling problems and show that the policy is simple to compute.
Does County Form of Government Impact Economic Growth and Development Trends? The Case of Four States

Counties have expanded the scope of their activities in the economic development process. However, limited research exists of the factors that influence economic growth and development trends of these unique communities. The primary focus of this case study analysis is to determine whether form of government has an impact on county economic growth and development trends while controlling for environmental context and demographic characteristics in Alabama, Pennsylvania, Illinois, and Washington. To empirically test the impact that county form of government and environmental factors have on local economic growth and development trends, ordinary least squares regression is used. The results of this study show that form of government has only a marginal impact on county economic growth and development trends. County environmental factors are found to have a more substantive impact on the economic growth and development trends of counties across these four states.
Eris and Epos

This article examines the development of the theme of eris in Hesiod and Homer. Starting from the relationship between the destructive strife in the Theogony (225) and the two versions invoked in the Works and Days (11–12), I argue that considering the two forms of strife as echoing zero and positive sum games helps us to identify the cultural and compositional force of eris as cooperative competition. After establishing eris as a compositional theme from the perspective of oral poetics, I then argue that it develops from the perspective of cosmic history, that is, from the creation of the universe in Hesiod’s Theogony through the Homeric epics and into its double definition in the Works and Days . To explore and emphasize how this complementarity is itself a manifestation of eris , I survey its deployment in our major extant epic poems.
MRI in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is increasingly used in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) for diagnosis, classification, assessment of disease progression and treatment response, and for identifying complications. Herein we review the role of MRI in the management of patients with ADPKD. We show how MRI-derived total kidney volume is a biomarker for assessing ADPKD severity and predicting decline in renal function. We also demonstrate the MR appearances of common complications. Level of Evidence: 3 Technical Efficacy Stage: 5 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2019;50:41-51.
Super Soldier Program: A Numerical Optimization Approach for Optimal Planning and Utilization of Distributed Generation and Storage in Power Grids

Factors such as population growth, introduction of new electric appliances, and aging of transmission and distribution gird contribute in system rating problems in a power system. To address this issue, one must either restructure and upgrade the transmission and distribution network or add distributed energy resources (DERs) and electrical energy storage (EES) systems to the network. We investigate different approaches toward this problem to find the optimal DER and EES capacity as well as the optimal energy production and storage schedules to minimize the energy retail price. In particular, we propose a new numerical optimization technique, called super soldier program (SSP)—a mutation of genetic algorithm (GA)—that shows faster convergence to the optimal solution. In the proposed scheme, the dispatchable power sources throughout the network work at around their nominal ratings, while the non-dispatchable sources are utilized as much as possible. Therefore, the energy generation and maintenance cost of each power source and the overall cost of energy generation in the network decreases significantly. Also, the proposed scheme is more resilient in avoiding local optima; therefore, it can achieve the global optimal solution with a higher certainty.
Reynolds v. United States, Rewritten

In Reynolds v. United States, 98 U.S. 145 (1878), Chief Justice Morrison Waite, writing for a unanimous Supreme Court, upheld the federal Morrill Anti-Bigamy Act outlawing polygamy in the federal territories and providing criminal penalties for it. This is a re-writing of that opinion, presented in the form of a dissent, available in Feminist Judgments: Family Law Opinions Rewritten (Cambridge University Press, forthcoming 2020). Unlike the Court’s opinion, this dissent concludes that religious practice, as well as belief, is protected by the First Amendment. It therefore holds that a religious duty to engage in an unlawful practice may be a defense to a criminal charge absent evidence of harm to others or disruption of the public order. It further demonstrates that the common law crime of polygamy was intended to penalize fraud and deception rather than consensual conduct. Finally, the opinion addresses head-on the implicit religious freedom claims of the wives of the defendant. It finds that polygamy is no better and no worse for women than monogamous marriage under coverture and that overturning the defendant’s conviction would further the religious freedom and equality of the defendant’s wives and the female citizens in the Territory of Utah. The aims of the dissent are to make visible the women erased by the Court's opinion and to create a more free and egalitarian law of marriage for all women in the United States in the late 19th century.
Incidence and characteristics of engraftment syndrome after autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation in light chain amyloidosis

AbstractEngraftment syndrome (ES), a complication of autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (auto-HCT), can occur around the time of neutrophil recovery. We sought to identify the incidence ...
Pregnancy in Familial Left Ventricular Noncompaction-Associated Cardiomyopathy.

Abstract Left ventricular (LV) noncompaction is a phenotypic variant of LV structure; however, it also can be associated with cardiomyopathies. Pregnancy in the setting of LV dysfunction carries a ...
Pulsed focused ultrasound lowers interstitial fluid pressure and increases nanoparticle delivery and penetration in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma xenograft tumors.

Nanocarriers offer a promising approach to significantly improve therapeutic delivery to solid tumors as well as limit the side effects associated with anti-cancer agents. However, their relatively large size can negatively affect their ability to efficiently penetrate into more interior tumor regions, ultimately reducing therapeutic efficacy. Poor penetration of large agents such as nanocarriers is attributed to factors in the tumor microenvironment such as elevated interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) and fibrillar collagen in the extracellular matrix. Our previous studies reported that pretreatment of solid tumor xenografts with nondestructive pulsed focused ultrasound (pFUS) can improve the delivery and subsequent therapy of a variety of therapeutic formulations in different tumor models, where the results were associated with an expanded extracellular spaces (ECS), an increase in hydraulic conductivity, and decrease in tissue stiffness. Here, we demonstrate the inverse relationship between IFP and the penetration of systemically administered nanoparticle (NP) probes, where IFP increased from the tumor periphery to their center. Furthermore, we show that pretreatment with pFUS can safely reduce IFP and improve NP delivery; especially into the center of the tumors. These results coincide with effects generated in the fibrillar collagen network microstructure in the ECS as determined by quantitative polarized light microscopy. Whole tumor and histomorphometric analysis, however, did not show significant differences in collagen area fraction or collagen feature solidity, as well as tumor cross-sectional area and aspect ratio, as result of the treatments. We present a biophysical model connecting the experimental results, where pFUS-mediated cytoarchitectural changes are associated with improved redistribution of the interstitial fluid and lower IFP. The resulting improvement in NP delivery supports our previous therapeutic studies and may have implications for clinical applications to improve therapeutic outcomes in cancer therapy.
Target's Accounting Conservatism and the Gains from Acquisition

We present evidence on the benefits of accounting conservatism of the target firm in a merger and acquisition transaction. The use of conservative accounting serves as a mechanism that reduces the likelihood of acquiring underperforming assets for the acquirer, making the target more valuable due to the reduced risk. In addition, the monitoring benefit of accounting conservatism can increase the competition for the target in the acquisition market. Lastly, managers of conservative firms may be more risk averse and demand greater compensation to exit the firm. Consistent with these arguments, we find that the target’s accounting conservatism increases the deal premium received. Furthermore, we find that the target’s accounting conservatism increases the announcement returns for both the target and the acquirer. In support of acquiring firms having preference for conservative targets, we find that targets with greater accounting conservatism are more likely to receive bids. Overall, these results indicate that accounting conservatism provides benefits to both sellers and buyers of equity.
Moving educational policy to educators’ lived reality: One state’s trickle-down, bottom-up pathway to literacy intervention reform

What happens when a state’s literacy reform policy allows for ownership and individualized diversification of the policy’s instructional mandates at the level of district and school? How do systems and individuals experience the change in reform and respond to both the power and the pressures of having to design and implement their own literacy assessment and intervention accountability plans? This research highlights the variety of pathways and interpretations the policy took within and across districts and individual schools across the state. Interviews with 29 teachers, reading coaches, and administrators in 10 schools from 4 unique districts across the state describe their unique experiences with their district and school accountability plans and the actual reform implementation that followed. Educators at each school experienced the policy’s preparation and implementation differently as each district and school had a hand in creating their own plan to meet reform requirements. Implications from this research address the issues of inequities and imbalance of power experienced by educators within a system’s educational reform movement.
Photoelectrochemical oxidation performance via a protective, catalytic self-limiting Ni-Co alloys by electrodeposition

Abstract Scalable energy conversion/storage by water splitting is significantly hindered by the slow kinetics of oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The development of electrochemical catalysts with low cost and high turn-over efficiency, or the usage of a photoanode in a photoelectrochemical (PEC) cell using a semiconductor with a proper protective layer are among the possible solutions. Herein, a binary alloy film of Ni-Co grown under self-limiting electrodeposition conditions is investigated and continuous ultrathin films with various compositions are generated. The self-limiting deposition mechanism is validated by potential transients and XPS depth profiles; both methods support a film thickness independent of electrodeposition time when the self-limiting deposition condition is attained with a deposition time no more than 1s. The Ni-Co alloy film exhibits a reduced potential of 217 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for electrochemical water oxidation kinetics compared to pure Ni in 1M KOH solution, with an optimum Ni2+/ (Ni2++Co2+) fraction of 0.75. The Ni-Co film deposited on GaAs is further investigated for photoelectrochemical oxidation in a ferri/ferrocyanide solution while the stability towards photocorrosion under light in an aqueous solution containing K3Fe(CN)6/K4Fe(CN)6 is significantly enhanced, resulting in a photocurrent retention improvement from 82.4 to 91.8% in the first 300s.
Wide frequency magnetic field sensor based on Archimedes spiral structure

Current is one of the most basic detection indexes in power system. In addition to the measurement of basic power frequency and DC current, the measurement of impulse current in power system is also very important. Its measurement accuracy is directly related to the measurement level of power system transient over-current and the safety of equipment and personnel. In order to measure the impulse current efficiently, conveniently and accurately, a broadband magnetic field sensor based on Archimedes spiral structure is developed. Firstly, the field circuit simulation of the magnetic field sensor with Archimedes spiral structure is carried out. The sensitivity of the magnetic field sensor is greatly improved, and the capacitance to ground is 1.0578pf. The rise time of step response is 20.4ns and the overshoot is 4.5%. The simulation results show that the magnetic field sensor has excellent high frequency characteristics and dynamic response characteristics. Compared with the standard shunt of State Grid measurement center, the amplitude error is better than 0.2%, the rise time error linearity is better than 0.2%, and the half peak time error linearity is better than 0.1%.
How to Think About PPMs (and Climate Change)

Introduction The European Commission has apparently backed off from a proposal to tax imported goods produced by methods that generate excessive greenhouse gas emissions. So the issue of whether such a tax would be legal under the WTO has become slightly less urgent than it recently appeared. But Pascal Lamy the Director-General of the WTO still thought the possibility of some countries imposing emission-based trade restrictions was worth mentioning prominently in his speech to the Trade Ministers Conference in conjunction with the Bali Conference on climate change after Kyoto. And at that same conference, an official of the European Commission may have indicated that such restrictions are not off the table entirely. Clearly, the impetus for such a tax to be levied by some nation or other is not going to go away until we have a universally accepted international regime for emissions control — which is to say, not any time soon. Of course, as Lamy notes, there are all sorts of reasons to prefer a multilateral solution to the climate problem. Unilateral import restrictions based on emissions will be deeply resented by exporting countries. Unilateral restrictions are also likely to disrupt the economy of the importing country, if its supply chains and production have been globalised. Unilateral restrictions cannot in any event fully address the problem of high-emissions production when the products are sold in third-country markets (or in the home market of the high-emissions exporting country itself).
Changes in Nuclear Basic Proteins During Pseudorabies Virus Infection

As a preliminary study to investigation of the possible role played by basic proteins in the genetic regulation of virus-infected cells, acid-extractable proteins synthesized during pseudorabies virus infection were investigated. The synthesis of histones was found to decrease in a gradual manner, and arrest was complete by 6 hr after infection. Five virus-induced acid-extractable proteins appeared in nuclei of infected cells after 4 hr of infection. Four of these proteins were virus structural proteins; one was not. All these proteins contained tryptophan and, therefore, were not “classic” histones.
Evidence that a G-protein transduces signals initiated by the protein-tyrosine kinase v-Fps.

The protein-tyrosine kinase (PTK) v-Fps induces protein kinase C (PKC)-dependent expression of the transformation-related 9E3 gene in chicken embryo fibroblasts (Spangler, R., Joseph, C., Qureshi, S.A., Berg, K., and Foster, D.A. (1989) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 86, 7017-7021). We present evidence here that a GTP-binding protein (G-protein) is a component of this PKC-dependent signaling pathway. 1) A GTP analogue that stimulates G-protein-mediated signals induced 9E3 gene expression. 2) A GDP analogue that inhibits signaling through G-proteins inhibited expression of 9E3 and phosphorylation of a 67-kDa PKC substrate induced by v-Fps. The GDP analogue had no effect on phosphorylation of the PKC substrate or the expression of 9E3 induced by direct activation of PKC with phorbol ester. 3) Increased v-Fps PTK activity led to increased GTP binding to a 50-kDa protein. The molecular weight of this GTP-binding protein is consistent with the molecular weight of alpha-subunits of G-proteins of the heterotrimeric class. The data suggest that a G-protein functions upstream from PKC in a signaling pathway that connects v-Fps PTK activity to increased 9E3 gene expression.
Peddlers of the Rod: Melville's “The Lightning‐Rod Man” and the Antebellum Periodical Market

Herman Melville’s “The Lightning-Rod Man” concludes with an odd threat made by the title character, a lightning-rod salesman. After entering the narrator’s home, the salesman attempts to convince the narrator to purchase a lightning rod. His performance, intended to produce anxiety in his potential customer, acts out the safety instructions he advises the narrator to take. But the narrator—a rural mountain dweller—resists, exclaiming in language consistent with the theological tenor of their conversation, “Who has empowered you, you Tetzel, to peddle round your indulgences from divine ordinations? The hairs of our heads are numbered, and the days of our lives. In thunder as in sunshine, I stand at ease in the hands of my God. False negotiator, away!” Then comes an odd threat from the salesman: “Impious wretch! . . . I will publish your infidel notions.”2 The threat to publish the narrator’s refusal to buy a lightning rod is troubling for prior critical readings of the story. Categorizing “The LightningRod Man” as a religious allegory, critics have decontextualized the story from nineteenth-century cultural discourses concerning lightning rods and efforts to market them in the lightning-rod advertising of American print culture. These allegorical readings assume that lightning rods signify only religious themes. As Ben Kimpel contends, with a strong degree of certainty,
Structured Max Margin Learning on Image Annotation and Multimodal Image Retrieval

Image retrieval plays an important role in information retrieval due to the overwhelmingmultimedia data brought by modern technologies, especially the Internet. One of the notorious bottlenecks in the image retrieval is the semantic gap (16). Recently, it is reported that this bottleneck may be reduced by the multimodal approach (2; 9) which takes advantage of the fact that in many applications image data typically co-exist with other modalities of information such as text. The synergy between different modalities may be exploited to capture the high level concepts. In this chapter, we follow this line of research by further considering a max margin learning framework. We assume that we have multiple modalities of information in co-existence. Specifically, we focus on imagery and textmodalities whereas the frameworkmay be easily extended to incorporate other modalities of information. Accordingly, we assume that we have a database consisting of imagery data where each image has textual caption/annotation. The framework is not just for image retrieval, but for more flexible across-modality retrieval (e.g., image-to-image, image-to-text, and text-to-image retrieval). Our framework is built upon the max margin framework and is related to the model proposed by Taskar et al. (17). Specifically, we formulate the image annotation and image retrieval problem as a structured prediction problemwhere the input x and the desired output y are structures. Furthermore, following the max margin approach the image retrieval problem is formulated as a quadratic programming (QP) problem. Given the multimodal information in the image database, the dependency information between different modalities is learned by solving for this QP problem. Acrossmodality retrieval (image annotation and word querying) and image retrieval can be done based on the dependency information. By properly selecting the joint feature representation between different modalities, our approach captures the dependency information between different modalities which is independent of specific words or specific images. This makes our approach scalable in the sense that it avoids retraining the model starting from scratch every time when the image database undergoes dynamic updates which include image and word space updates. While this framework is a general approach which can be applied to multimodal information retrieval in any domains, we apply this approach to the Berkeley Drosophila embryo image
PLEUROPULMONARY BLASTOMA IS THE PULMONARY BLASTOMA OF CHILDHOOD

Pulmonary blastoma was defined by Spencer and others as a neoplasm with histopathological features thought to be reminiscent of Wilms' tumor. Unlike the other embryonal-fetal neoplasms that typically occur in early childhood, the majority of pulmonary blastomas have been reported in adults. One explanation offered by Spencer for the delayed clinical presentation of pulmonary blastoma is the continued development of lung parenchyma well past the postnatal period. It has been proposed that the pulmonary blastoma is a variant of carcinosarcoma, which is seen almost exclusively in adults. The classic pulmonary blastoma is described as a neoplasm with a mixture of primitive tubular profiles, immature blastema, and a spindle cell stroma. More recently, some have included the well-differentiated adenocarcinoma of fetal type as a pure epithelial expression of pulmonary blastoma. By contrast, most cases of pulmonary blastoma in children have been described as having an exclusive mesenchymal composition, either embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma or a complex, mixed blastematous and sarcomatous neoplasm. Some pulmonary blastomas in children, particularly those with only embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, have presented as a peripheral multicystic lesion that has been interpreted as a developmental cyst, either cystic adenomatoid malformation or bronchogenic cyst. Other tumors have been described as intrathoracic and anatomically separate from the lung, like some extralobar sequestrations. We have proposed the designation pleuropulmonary blastoma for these pulmonary or extrapulmonary neoplasms of childhood. We propose that this neoplasm is the rightful pulmonary blastoma rather than the pulmonary blastoma of Spencer, which has been the long-time pretender to the title.
Resveratrol activates autophagic cell death in prostate cancer cells via downregulation of STIM1 and the mTOR pathway

Resveratrol (RSV), a natural polyphenol, has been suggested to induce cell cycle arrest and activate apoptosis-mediated cell death in several cancer cells, including prostate cancer. However, several molecular mechanisms have been proposed on its chemopreventive action, the precise mechanisms by which RSV exerts its anti-proliferative effect in androgen-independent prostate cancer cells remain questionable. In the present study, we show that RSV activates autophagic cell death in PC3 and DU145 cells, which was dependent on stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1) expression. RSV treatment decreases STIM1 expression in a time-dependent manner and attenuates STIM1 association with TRPC1 and Orai1. Furthermore, RSV treatment also decreases ER calcium storage and store operated calcium entry (SOCE), which induces endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, thereby, activating AMPK and inhibiting the AKT/mTOR pathway. Similarly, inhibition of SOCE by SKF-96365 decreases the survival and proliferation of PC3 and DU145 cells and inhibits AKT/mTOR pathway and induces autophagic cell death. Importantly, SOCE inhibition and subsequent autophagic cell death caused by RSV was reversed by STIM1 overexpression. STIM1 overexpression restored SOCE, prevents the loss of mTOR phosphorylation and decreased the expression of CHOP and LC3A in PC3 cells. Taken together, for the first time, our results revealed that RSV induces autophagy-mediated cell death in PC3 and DU145 cells through regulation of SOCE mechanisms, including downregulating STIM1 expression and trigger ER stress by depleting ER calcium pool.
Analysis of curve tracer instruments for fault location

A review of testability, fault isolation algorithms, and fault simulation techniques is performed. Within the context of established theoretical and simulation analysis methods for fault isolation, the use of curve tracer instruments is analyzed. Curve tracer instruments are extensively employed by the military, in repair environments, to aid technicians in the isolation and repair of failed circuit boards. An example circuit is analyzed for testability. The circuit is simulated and the results are compared to results taken from a curve tracer instrument. The results are discussed and the implications for deployment of curve tracer instruments as general fault diagnostic aids for electronic component repair are presented.
Implementation and evaluation of relational algebra operations on the Connection Machine

The authors describe the implementation and analysis of relational algebra (RA) operators on a single instruction multiple data computer, the Connection Machine. Several traditional algorithms for RA operations are parallelized and reevaluated in this environment. >
Infected femoral artery false aneurysms in drug addicts: evolution of selective vascular reconstruction

Fifty-four infected femoral artery false aneurysms resulting from chronic drug addiction were managed surgically with an 11% amputation rate and no mortality. Angiography localized the arterial segment involved, which in turn influenced the type of operation performed. Twenty-six aneurysms of anatomically isolated femoral artery segments were ligated and excised without resultant amputation. However, of the 28 aneurysms involving the common femoral bifurcation, 18 required triple ligation and excision that led to six amputations. Six of the 28 aneurysms were reconstructed with autogenous saphenous vein grafts, three by prosthetic grafts, and one by primary anastomosis. No amputations followed vascular reconstruction. However, all synthetic grafts eventually developed septic complications that required graft removal. On the basis of this experience we recommend ligation and excision for single artery segment aneurysms and immediate autogenous reconstruction for selected common femoral bifurcation lesions. This approach has proved safe and has reduced our amputation and graft complication rates. Extensive uncontrollable wound sepsis may contraindicate revascularization. Under these circumstances we estimate a 33% risk of amputation when the common femoral bifurcation is excised.
Safety of using a computerized rounding and sign-out system to reduce resident duty hours.

Purpose To determine whether changing sign-out practices and decreasing the time spent in rounding and recopying patient data affect patient safety. Responding to limited resident duty hours, the University of Washington launched a computerized rounding and sign-out system ("UW Cores"). The system shortened duty hours by facilitating sign-out, decreasing rounding time, and sharply reducing the time spent in prerounds data recopying. Method This 14-week, randomized, crossover study involved 14 inpatient resident teams (6 general surgery, 8 internal medicine) at two hospitals. The authors measured resident-reported deviations in expected care that occurred during cross-coverage, medical errors, and institutionally reported adverse drug events (ADEs). Results The mean number of resident-reported deviations from expected care per 1,000 patient-days did not differ significantly between the control and UW Cores groups: 14.29 and 13.81, respectively (P = .85). The mean number of reported incidents involving errors was 6.33 per 1,000 patient-days for the control group and 5.61 per 1,000 patient-days for the UW Cores group (P = .68). The odds ratio of a reported overnight medical error under the UW Cores system was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.64, 1.60; P = .96). The odds ratio of an ADE while a resident is on an intervention team was 1.10 (95% CI: 0.69, 1.74; P = .70). Conclusions Managing information for sign-out and rounding with the UW Cores system, to reduce time spent in recopying patient data and in rounding on patients, improved continuity and enhanced resident efficiency without weakening systemic defenses against error or jeopardizing patient safety.
Extension of the Limit Cycle Reciprocal Interaction Model of REM cycle control. An integrated sleep control model

The Limit Cycle Reciprocal Interaction Model (LCRIM) describes the stable interaction of REM-promoting and REM-antagonizing neurons which generates the periodic Occurrence of REM sleep. The cycling of this physiological oscillator is subject to perturbation from excitatory input, referred to as E, which derives from other parts of the nervous system. An extended model is now proposed which combines the ultraradian REM regulation modelled by the LCRIM with the homeostatic regulation of slow-wave activity modelled by the Two-Process Models of Borbely, Achermann and Beersma. In addition, this integrated model extends the E construct to relate explicitly to both the REM and slow-wave sleep control systems, and to have stochastic dynamics. Overall, the model generates qualitatively realistic SWA, REM and wake-up patterns. However, its performance awaits quantitative validation.
Exploiting quality and texture features to estimate age and gender from fingerprints

Age and gender of an individual, when available, can contribute to identification decisions provided by primary biometrics and help improve matching performance. In this paper, we propose a system which automatically infers age and gender from the fingerprint image. Current approaches for predicting age and gender generally exploit features such as ridge count, and white lines count that are manually extracted. Existing automated approaches have significant limitations in accuracy especially when dealing with data pertaining to elderly females. The model proposed in this paper exploits image quality features synthesized from 40 different frequency bands, and image texture properties captured using the Local Binary Pattern (LBP) and the Local Phase Quantization (LPQ) operators. We evaluate the performance of the proposed approach using fingerprint images collected from 500 users with an optical sensor. The approach achieves prediction accuracy of 89.1% for age and 88.7% for gender.
PPAR-γ-Mediated Regulation of Normal and Malignant B Lineage Cells

Prostaglandins of the E-series stimulate B lymphocytes by enhancing immunoglobulin-class switching and antibody production. Little is known about whether or not other prostaglandins affect B lineage cells and perhaps counterbalance the stimulatory effects of PGE2. PGD2 is a major product of cyclooxygenase in bone marrow and in macrophages, suggesting a role for this lipid product in immunological responses. PGD2 undergoes dehydration to the biologically active prostaglandin 15-deoxy-delta 12,14-PGJ2 (15d-PGJ2) that binds to the nuclear receptor known as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma). We found that normal mouse B cells and a variety of B lymphoma cells (e.g., 70Z/3, WEHI-231, CH12, and J558) express PPAR-gamma mRNA and the 67-kDa PPAR-gamma protein. 15d-PGJ2 had a dose-dependent antiproliferative/cytotoxic effect on normal and malignant B cells, as shown by 3H-thymidine and MTT assays. Only PPAR-gamma agonists (i.e., thiazolidinediones) mimicked the effect of 15d-PGJ2 on B lineage cells, indicating that the mechanism by which 15d-PGJ2 negatively affects B lineage cells involves PPAR-gamma. The mechanism whereby PPAR-gamma agonists induced cytotoxicity is via apoptosis, as shown by Annexin V assay. PPAR-gamma agonists may serve as a counterbalance to the stimulating effects of PGE2, which promotes B-cell differentiation. The use of prostaglandins, such as 15d-PGJ2, and synthetic PPAR-gamma agonists to induce apoptosis in B lineage cells may lead to the development of therapies for fatal PGE2-resistant B lymphomas.
Evidence for 1μm size instabilities in hydrogen-assisted cracking of Fe3%Si crystals

Summary Groups of AE events were detected for hydrogen-assisted slow crack growth in an Fe-3%Si single crystal. Each group of events can be correlated to a 1μm size advance of the entire crack front which is accomplished by many microcracking events. The time interval between each group of events is about 12 seconds which is the secondary incubation time for the discontinuous crack advance.
Electrical activity of the canine esophagus and gastroesophageal sphincter: its relation to intraluminal pressure and movement of material.

Myogenic electrical activity of the sphincter and adjacent esophagus and stomach was detected by the chronic implantation of bipolar silver/silver chloride electrodes. Action potentials occurred in the esophagus following deglutition and were synchronous with the peristaltic contractions detected from within the lumen. Continuous phasic activity was present in the gastroesophageal sphincter and the adjacent gastric fundus. Reduction of the continuous phasic electrical activity occurred in the sphincter with relaxation. Reduction of it also occurred in the fundus with distention of the esophagus or stomach and during anesthesia. With swallowing, sphincteric action potentials, related to sphincteric contraction, followed the inhibition of phasic activity in the orad segment of the sphincter, while only inhibition of phasic activity and its return occurred in the caudad segment. Esophageal distention caused inhibition of action potentials in the esophagus distal to the distention as well as inhibition of the sphincteric continuous phasic activity. The inhibition continued until the distention was terminated. After subhilar bilateral vagotomy, intraluminal pressures and myogenic action potentials were simultaneous and of lesser magnitude in the vagotomized segment of the esophagus. The motor action of the gastroesophageal sphincter was not altered by vagotomy but the incidence of response to swallowing was reduced by about 50%.
Near-contact thermocapillary motion of two non-conducting drops

The axisymmetric, thermocapillary-driven motion of a pair of non-conducting, spherical drops in near contact is analysed for conditions of small Reynolds and Marangoni numbers. The pairwise motion and an associated contact force are computed by considering touching drops in point contact. Relative motion for nearly touching drops results from the contact force balanced by a lubrication resistance. A new, analytical solution is obtained for the axisymmetric temperature field around an unequal pair of non-conducting, tangent spheres embedded in an ambient temperature gradient. Numerical results for the painvise migration velocity, contact force, and the relative and individual drop velocities are presented for all size ratios and a wide range of viscosity ratios, and asymptotic formulae are derived for small size ratios. For nearly equisized drops, the ratio of the relative velocity for two drops in near contact to that for widely separated drops is similar for thermocapillary-driven and gravity-driven motion. For small and moderate size ratios, however, this ratio is much larger for thermocapillary-driven relative motion than for gravity-driven relative motion, indicating that the former represents a more efficient coalescence mechanism. An explanation for this finding is provided in terms of the thermocapillary motion of the interface of the larger drop aiding the withdrawal of continuous phase from between the two drops.
Pre-stimulus neural activity predicts successful encoding of inter-item associations

fMRI was employed to investigate the relationship between pre-stimulus neural activity and associative encoding of words and pictures in humans. While undergoing scanning, subjects studied randomly interleaved word or picture pairs. A pre-stimulus cue preceded the presentation of each study pair and signaled whether it would comprise words or pictures. Memory for the study pairs was later tested with an associative recognition test, which comprised word or picture pairs presented either in the same (intact) or a different (rearranged) pairing as at study, along with pairs of new items. The critical fMRI contrast was between study activity associated with pairs later correctly judged intact and pairs incorrectly judged as rearranged. A key question was whether material-selective pre-stimulus encoding effects could be identified which overlapped regions selectively activated by the respective study material. Picture-selective pre-stimulus effects were identified in bilateral fusiform and the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), whereas word-selective effects could not be identified. Material-invariant pre-stimulus subsequent memory effects were also identified in several neocortical regions as well as in the hippocampus. Whereas the loci of the neocortical effects suggest that they reflect the benefit to encoding that accrues from engagement of cognitive control processes, their magnitude was negatively correlated across subjects with associative recognition performance and positively related to false alarm rate. Conversely, the hippocampal effects also predicted unique variance in associative memory and were negatively related to hit rate. It is suggested that the neocortical pre-stimulus effects may reflect encoding processes that increase familiarity of single items, whereas the hippocampal pre-stimulus effects are proposed to reflect either the encoding of task-irrelevant features or the retrieval of task-relevant information associated with the pre-stimulus cues. Overall, the results provide evidence that pre-stimulus processes may be deleterious, rather than beneficial, to associative encoding.
A vectorized near neighbors algorithm of order N using a monotonic logical grid

In free Lagrangian representations of fluid dynamics, the fluid is assigned to discretized parcels which are defined throughout the flow by a large number of nodes moving with the local fluid velocity. These Lagrangian nodes define a finite difference or finite element grid for calculating fluid dynamic averages and driving gradients in the vicinity of the fluid parcels. Because the nodes move with the fluid, the convective terms in continuity equations governing the flow are transformed away. Thus unwanted numerical diffusion is reduced greatly or eliminated. The price for this improved numerical accuracy is having to compute derivatives in a complicated shifting geometry and having to keep track of which of the many Lagrangian nodes are nearby.
Constituency Population and Representation in the U.S. House

The U.S. House of Representatives has remained frozen at 435 members for almost a century. House members on average represent more than 640,000 citizens, which is expected to continue to rise if th...