cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
D-Cycloserine enhances both intrinsic excitability of CA1 hippocampal neurons and expression of activity-regulated cytoskeletal (Arc) protein

The interaction of NMDA receptor (NMDAR) activation and other mechanisms regulating neuronal excitability have not been thoroughly described. While excess activation of NMDARs results in excitotoxicity, partial activation of NMDARs by d-cycloserine (DCS) is nootropic, enhancing both acquisition and extinction of memories. The mechanism by which DCS treatment enhances memory is unclear. NMDAR activation has been shown to increase expression of the activity-regulated cytoskeletal (Arc) protein associated with neural plasticity and enhanced memory. Enhanced memory is also associated with increases in neuronal intrinsic excitability, i.e. reductions in post-burst afterhyperpolarizations (AHPs) after acquisition of new tasks. Reductions in AHPs can occur when Ca(2+) influx is reduced. This study aimed to determine if either if Arc expression, intrinsic excitability, or both were altered following systemic administration of a memory-enhancing dose of DCS, i.e. what form of plasticity would be exhibited. Both Arc protein expression and intrinsic excitability were enhanced in tissue prepared 1h post-administration of a nootropic dose of DCS. Both mechanisms have been strongly associated with memory enhancement, but have not previously been demonstrated to change across the same time frame in the same preparation in response to DCS treatment.
Validated infrared transmittance band model for methane in the atmosphere.

A validated band model for atmospheric methane (CH4) in the 1085–1755- and 2370–3215-cm−1 wave-number regions is presented. Discussions of the transmittance data base used to create the model and of the band parameter determination scheme are given. Comparisons of the model vs methane transmittance are provided. Band model parameters at 5-cm−1 intervals for 20-cm−1 spectral resolution throughout the absorption bands are included for direct incorporation into the lowtran code. A vertical profile of methane’s volume mixing ratio is also proposed for use with the thirty-three-layer standard atmosphere.
Feasibility studies on the use of sewage sludge as supplementary feed for rearing tilapia I. Trace metal contents of the treated fish

Abstract The first part of the present project studied the trace metal content of different parts of tilapia, Oreochromis mossambicus, fed sludge cake as supplementary feeds. The feeding trial lasted for 60 days under stable aerated conditions. Various portions of sludge cake (5, 10, 20 and 30% w/w) and detoxified (removing trace metals) sludge cake (10 and 30%) were mixed with an artificial fish diet which contained 50% fish meal, 25% wheat flour, 20% peanut meal, 3% cod liver oil and 2% vitamin), while the control group were fed artificial diet only. The sludge supplementary diets (including the detoxified sludge) had significantly higher (p<0.05) amounts of all the trace metals tested (Cd, Cu, Cr, Ni, Pb and Zn) compared to the control diet, except Pb in the detoxified sludge. The concentrations of metals in different fish tissues (head, gill, viscera, flesh and bone) were related to the proportion of added sludge cake. The fish fed with the detoxified sludge cake supplement had significantly lower (p<...
Enhanced immunity by NeuEDhsp70 DNA vaccine Is needed to combat an aggressive spontaneous metastatic breast cancer.

The rapid growth and ruthless metastasis of tumors demand effective broad immune responses. Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical in developing tumor vaccines. Recent investigations have been focused on modifying tumor antigens to target DCs to induce immune responses efficiently in vivo. In this study, human hsp70 was fused to the extracellular domain of rat Her2/Neu (NeuEDhsp70) for enhancing anti-tumor immunity in aggressive breast tumor models. NeuEDhsp70-conditioned DCs produced significant IL-12p40 and effectively presented NeuED antigens to T cells in vitro. NeuEDhsp70 DNA vaccine induced enhanced Neu-specific antibody and IFN-γ-producing cellular immune responses in vivo. Although NeuEDhsp70 and NeuED DNA vaccines elicited comparable therapeutic anti-tumor immunity in an aggressive primary breast tumor model, NeuEDhsp70 DNA vaccine significantly increased survival and reduced metastasis in an aggressive spontaneous metastatic breast tumor model. Results from animal experiments with depletion of immune cells or with deficiency of CD40 molecules indicate that T cells and CD40 molecules are critical in the anti-tumor immunity induced by NeuEDhsp70 DNA vaccine. These observations suggest that NeuEDhsp70 DNA vaccine is a promising reagent to induce potent anti-tumor immunity to an aggressive spontaneous metastatic breast tumor.
Short-course induction chemoradiotherapy with paclitaxel for stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

Abstract Background . This study assessed toxicity, tumor response, disease control, and survival after short-course induction chemoradiotherapy and surgical resection in patients with stage III non-small-cell lung carcinoma. Methods . Forty-five patients with stage III non-small-cell lung carcinoma received 12-day induction therapy of a 96-hour continuous infusion of cisplatin (20 mg/m 2 per day), 24-hour infusion of paclitaxel (175 mg/m 2 ), and concurrent accelerated fractionation radiation therapy (1.5 Gy twice daily) to a dose of 30 Gy. Surgical resection was scheduled for 4 weeks later. Postoperatively, a second identical course of chemotherapy and concurrent radiation therapy (30 to 33 Gy) was given. Results . Induction toxicity resulted in hospitalization of 18 (40%) patients for neutropenic fever. No induction deaths occurred. Of 40 (89%) patients who underwent thoracotomy, resection for cure was possible in 32 (71%) patients. Pathologic response was noted in 21 (47%) patients, and 14 (31%) were downstaged to mediastinal node negative (stage 0, I, or II). At a median follow-up of 19 months, 24 patients were alive, 10 with recurrent disease. Of 21 deaths, 16 were from recurrent disease, three were from treatment, and two were unrelated. Recurrent disease was distant in 21 patients, distant and locoregional in 2, and locoregional in 3. The Kaplan-Meier projected 24-month survival is 49%. Projected 24-month survival is 61% for stage IIIA, 17% for stage IIIB ( p = 0.035); 84% for pathologic responders, 22% for nonresponders ( p p = 0.005); and 63% for resectable patients, 14% for unresectable patients ( p = 0.007). Conclusions . We conclude that short-course neoadjuvant therapy with paclitaxel (1) has manageable toxicity and a low treatment mortality, (2) results in good tumor response and downstaging, (3) provides excellent locoregional control with most recurrences being distant, and (4) has improved the median survival compared with historical controls. Survival was better in stage IIIA patients, resectable patients, pathologic responders, and patients downstaged to mediastinal node negative disease (stage 0, I, or II).
Superfast phase-shifting method for 3-D shape measurement

Recently introduced DLP Discovery technology allows for tens of kHz binary image switching, which has great potential for superfast 3-D shape measurement. This paper presents a system that realizes 3-D shape measurement by using a DLP Discovery technology to switch binary structured patterns at very high frame rates. The sinusoidal fringe patterns are generated by properly defocusing the projector. Combining this approach with a phase-shifting method, we achieve an unprecedented rate for 3-D shape measurement: 667 Hz. This technology can be applied to numerous applications including medical science, biometrics, and entertainment.
Boosting power to detect genetic associations in imaging using multi-locus, genome-wide scans and ridge regression

Most algorithms used for imaging genetics examine statistical effects of each individual genetic variant, one at a time. We developed a new approach, based on ridge regression, to jointly evaluate multiple, correlated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of brain images. Our goal was to boost the power to detect gene effects on brain images. We tested our method on MRI-derived hippocampal and temporal lobe volume measures, from 740 subjects scanned by the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). We identified two significant and one almost significant SNP for the hippocampal and temporal lobe volume phenotypes, respectively, after correcting for multiple statistical tests across the genome. Ridge regression gave more significant associations than univariate analysis. Two SNPs, near regulatory genomic regions, showed significant voxelwise effects in post hoc, tensor-based morphometry analyses. Genome-wide ridge regression may detect SNPs missed by univariate GWAS, by incorporating multi-SNP dependencies in the model.
Negative regulation of p53 by Ras superfamily protein RBEL1A

We had previously reported that RBEL1A, a novel Ras-like GTPase, was overexpressed in multiple human malignancies and that its depletion suppressed cell growth. However, the underlying molecular mechanism remained to be elucidated. Here we report that depletion of endogenous RBEL1A results in p53 accumulation due to increased p53 half-life whereas increased expression of RBEL1A reduces p53 levels under unstressed and genotoxic stress conditions. RBEL1A directly interacts with p53 and MDM2, and strongly enhances MDM2-dependent p53 ubiquitylation and degradation. We also found that RBEL1A modulation of p53 ubiquitylation by MDM2 does not depend on its GTPase activity. We have also defined the p53 oligomeric domain and RBEL1A GTPase domain to be the crucial regions for p53–RBEL1A interactions. Importantly, we have found that RBEL1A strongly interferes with p53 transactivation function; thus our results indicate that RBEL1A appears to function as a novel p53 negative regulator that facilitates MDM2-dependent p53 ubiquitylation and degradation.
Vibrational control of an exothermic reaction in a CSTR: Theory and experiments

Des oscillations forcees introduites dans des debits d'entree d'un reacteur continu agite exothermique, provoquent une modification de la courbe en S de regime permanent. Cette modification rend possible d'operer a un regime asymptotiquement stable localise au voisinage d'un regime permanent instable du reacteur aux debits d'entree stationnaires. Ainsi, des vibrations dans les debits d'entree peuvent etre considerees comme un mecanisme stabilisant ce type de reacteur
Three-dimensional kinematics and wake structure of the pectoral fins during locomotion in leopard sharks Triakis semifasciata.

The classical theory of locomotion in sharks proposes that shark pectoral fins are oriented to generate lift forces that balance the moment produced by the oscillating heterocercal tail. Accordingly, previous studies of shark locomotion have used fixed-wing aircraft as a model assuming that sharks have similar stability and control mechanisms. However, unlike airplanes, sharks are propelled by undulations of the body and tail and have considerable control of pectoral fin motion. In this paper, we use a new approach to examine the function of the pectoral fins of leopard sharks, Triakis semifasciata, during steady horizontal swimming at speeds of 0.5‐2.0l s -1 , where l is total body length, and during vertical maneuvering (rising and sinking) in the water column. The planar orientation of the pectoral fin was measured using threedimensional kinematics, while fluid flow in the wake of the pectoral fin and forces exerted on the water by the fin were quantified using digital particle image velocimetry (DPIV). Steady horizontal swimming in leopard sharks is characterized by continuous undulations of the body with a positive body tilt to the flow that decreases from a mean of 11 ° to 0.6 ° with increasing flow speeds from 0.5 to 2.0 l s -1 . Three-dimensional analysis showed that, during
Links between transforming growth factor-β and canonical Wnt signaling yield new insights into breast cancer susceptibility, suppression and tumor heterogeneity

In a recent issue of Breast Cancer Research, investigators from the Serra laboratory describe a novel mechanism of transforming growth factor (TGF)-β tumor suppression. Previously, the authors discovered that stromal TGF-β signaled through Wnt5a to restrain pubertal ductal elongation and branching. Here, they show that inhibition of stromal TGF-β signaling or Wnt5a loss leads to increased β-catenin transcriptional activity and reduced latency in mammary tumor models, with tumors displaying a higher proportion of progenitor cell markers. These findings reveal a novel intersection of two tumor suppressors with a potent oncogenic pathway and highlight the need for further study on the role played by canonical Wnt signaling in breast cancer susceptibility and subtype.
Field Performance of a New Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Deck

The field performance of a new bridge deck system composed of pultruded trapezoidal fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) tubes wrapped in an outer wrap is described in this paper. The proof of concept FRP deck was installed on a rehabilitated bridge in Bolivar, New York, in 2012 as part of the Highways for LIFE Program from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Based on the field test, the writers developed a three-dimensional finite-element model of the bridge superstructure to further study the interaction of the FRP deck and girders. Experimental and analytical data was used to determine that no composite action was developed by the new deck-girder connection. Comparisons between distribution factors based on field measurements and standard specifications show that the lever rule should be used to estimate live load distribution in similar bridge girder spacing. The serviceability performance of the bridge was found adequate; girder deflections met standard limits, and while the FRP deck experienced deflections larger than typically allowed, they were confined to the localized area of the wheel load and would not affect bridge users.
Learning from Speculating and the No Trade Theorem

Due to the no trade theorems of Aumann (1976) and others, models of speculative trade have relied on the presence of irrational noise traders. We present a model in which trade occurs when all agents are fully rational speculators that share a common prior and trade a common value asset based only on private information. The motive that helps agents overcome adverse selection, and hence the no trade result, is experimentation. An agent that engages in trade receives a payoff but also learns about his type. If he learns he has a low skill the agent exits while if he learns he has a high skill he remains and continues to benefit from trade against future cohorts. Younger cohorts appear as noise traders in a single period snapshot since they enter unprofitable trades, thus the model provides a rational foundation for some perceived behavioral biases including overconfidence.
Elevated International Normalized Ratio Associated with Use of Dronedarone and Warfarin

Objective:To describe a case of elevated International normalized ratio (INR) after addition of dronedarone to warfarin therapy.Case Summary:A 72-year-old white female with a history of tinnitus, g...
Cognitive bioinformatics: computational cognitive model for dynamic problem solving

We describe a new computational cognitive model that is being developed for solving complex problems in bioinformatics. This cognitive model was developed based on observing biologists solving problems in their current environments. Bioinformatics provides several challenges to current problem-solving environments: 1) massive heterogeneous data to mine and fuse; 2) quantity of information is growing and changing on a monthly basis; 3) knowledge base is being challenged and changed as biologists learn more (this occurs on a very short schedule). This paper describes the problem domain, evolution of this new model, the model itself how this model relates to current literature, and concludes with a summary of our ongoing research efforts.
Implicit surfaces that interpolate

Implicit surfaces are often created by summing a collection of radial basis functions. Researchers have begun to create implicit surfaces that exactly interpolate a given set of points by solving a simple linear system to assign weights to each basis function. Due to their ability to interpolate, these implicit surfaces are more easily controllable than traditional "blobby" implicits. There are several additional forms of control over these surfaces that make them attractive for a variety of applications. Surface normals may be directly specified at any location over the surface, and this allows the modeller to pivot the normal while still having the surface pass through the constraints. The degree of smoothness of the surface can be controlled by changing the shape of the basis functions, allowing the surface to be pinched or smooth. On a point-by-point basis the modeller may decide whether a constraint point should be exactly interpolated or approximated. Applications of these implicits include shape transformation, creating surfaces from computer vision data, creation of an implicit surface from a polygonal model, and medical surface reconstruction.
Enhanced striatal cholinergic neuronal activity mediates l-DOPA–induced dyskinesia in parkinsonian mice

Treatment of Parkinson disease (PD) with l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) dramatically relieves associated motor deficits, but l-DOPA–induced dyskinesias (LID) limit the therapeutic benefit over time. Previous investigations have noted changes in striatal medium spiny neurons, including abnormal activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase1/2 (ERK). Using two PD models, the traditional 6-hydroxydopamine toxic lesion and a genetic model with nigrostriatal dopaminergic deficits, we found that acute dopamine challenge induces ERK activation in medium spiny neurons in denervated striatum. After repeated l-DOPA treatment, however, ERK activation diminishes in medium spiny neurons and increases in striatal cholinergic interneurons. ERK activation leads to enhanced basal firing rate and stronger excitatory responses to dopamine in striatal cholinergic neurons. Pharmacological blockers of ERK activation inhibit l-DOPA–induced changes in ERK phosphorylation, neuronal excitability, and the behavioral manifestation of LID. In addition, a muscarinic receptor antagonist reduces LID. These data indicate that increased dopamine sensitivity of striatal cholinergic neurons contributes to the expression of LID, which suggests novel therapeutic targets for LID.
Sociolinguistic Patterns in Seattle English

Although it was the focus of several publications by Carroll Reed in the 1950s and early 1960s, English spoken in the Pacific Northwestern United States (PNWE) has received minimal research attention in variationist sociolinguistics. This paper provides the first report from an ongoing sociophonetic study. Data from a single-ethnicity, 25-person subsample of the larger corpus, constituted to explore change in apparent time, clarifies Seattleites' use of key markers of Western speech, including merger of cot /a/ and caught /ɔ/, and the positions of all vowel phonemes in the system. Several heretofore unreported characteristic features are found, including a tendency for PNWE speakers to monophthongize /e:/ bake and to raise prevelar /ae/ bag and /e/ beg toward /e:/.
The Mass Comm Type Student Personality Traits, Motivations, and the Choice between News and Strategic Communication Majors

A study of news media and strategic communication majors (n = 273) revealed differences in regard to personality indices and impetuses for selecting to pursue degrees. Showing overall agreement in ...
The Oberbeck-Boussinesq Equations. The Stability of Constant Gradient Solutions of the Oberbeck-Boussinesq Equations

The presence of density gradients in a fluid means that gravitational potential energy can be converted into motion through the action of buoyant forces. Density differences can be induced by heating the fluid and by forcing concentration differences in mixtures like salt water. In the Oberbeck-Boussinesq (OB) equations, the fluid is assumed to have a uniform density; density differences are recognized only in those terms which drive the motion. The OB equations are given in § 54. In § 55 we discuss boundary conditions of various kinds and complete the statement of the initial-boundary-value problem, IBVP, for the OB equations.
Throughput-latency tradeoffs in concurrent communication and DSP systems

The actual throughput, latency, and cost-effectiveness of feedback systems, concurrent recursive systems, and generalized concurrent systems are analyzed, and an overall design methodology is proposed. The differences between the throughput speedup, the iteration bound speedup, and the intrinsic throughput-latency tradeoffs in concurrent design are discussed. It is shown that the iteration bound can be relaxed at the expense of latency and that a concurrent system can achieve the relaxed iteration bound only if the recursion hardware is not pipelined and sufficient concurrency (sometimes higher than the improvement in the iteration bound) is available. >
The "Good Cholesterol" High-Density Lipoprotein

Atherosclerosis is an insidious and dangerous disease: a progressive chemical and structural injury to the blood vessels in such critical organs as the heart, brain, and kidney. The hallmark feature of atherosclerosis is the buildup of cholesterol into lesions called plaques that can reduce the flow of blood. When the delivery of blood to heart muscle drops enough, this can result in the development of chest pain or angina. Angina indicates that the heart muscle is not receiving enough oxygen to carry out its pumping functions. Atherosclerotic plaques can also suddenly rupture, develop a blood clot on their surface, and completely choke off a portion of heart muscle. This chain of events frequently results in heart attack or sudden death without warning. Atherosclerotic disease also predisposes people to stroke, peripheral vascular disease, lower-extremity amputation, and loss of kidney function, among other devastating outcomes. Despite all that we have learned in the past 50 years, atherosclerosis remains the No. 1 killer of men and women and the chief reason for loss of quality of life in Western countries. We are, however, gaining ground. Considerable research has revealed the importance of factors that increase an individual’s risk for developing this disease. Among the most important of these risk factors are elevated blood pressure, diabetes mellitus, obesity, inactivity, smoking, and cholesterol levels. When your physician measures your cholesterol level, he or she is looking at your lipid profile, which comprises low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, or the “bad” cholesterol), triglycerides (blood fats), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C, or the “good” cholesterol). In a general way, when it comes to measurement of your LDL-C and triglyceride values, a lower value is better because these lipids drive the development and progression of atherosclerosis. In sharp contrast, when it …
Mechanical behavior and dilatation of particulate-filled thermosets in the glassy state

Dilatation of specimens is measured during tensile tests to investigate the mechanical response of particulate-filled amorphous networks in the glassy state. The effects of particle size, volume fraction of filler, coupling agents, and crosslink density of the matrix on the mechanical-dilatational behavior are studied on model composites of glass-bead-filled polyurethanes. It is found that the stress-strain response of composites with untreated glass beads shows nonlinearity and subsequent yielding due to dewetting of particles from the matrix. In contrast, composites containing particles coated with a comupling agent fracture in a brittle manner, showing no significant nonlinearity and dewetting. Coated particles provide a higher tensile strength, but a lower strain at fracture, than uncoated particles. The volume fraction of the filler has an effect on Young's modulus, which is independent of the degree of coupling between the matrix and the filler. Tensile strength and strain at break decrease with increasing filler content for coated and uncoated particles. No strong effect of particle size is observed on either the tensile modulus or the dilatational behavior in the 25 μm to 160 μm diameter range. However, strain at break increases with decreasing particle size. When the accompanying yield phenomena shift to smaller strains, and a transition to brittle fracture takes place at high crosslink densities.
Tendency to produce unusual visual perspective as a predictor of creative achievement.

Summtrsy.-In a long-range prediction smdy of creative achievement, it was hypothesized that the number of objects presented in unusual visual perspective on the Repeatetd Figures Activity of the Torrance tests would be related to adult creative achievement whereas the number of objects presented in common or usual visual perspective would be unrelated to such criteria. Ss were 144 students in Grades 7, 9, 11, and 12, followed up 12 yr. later. The number of objects presented in unusual visual perspective on the circles test is moderately and significantly related to the criteria of adult creativity (rs = .39, .49, and .45 for Quantity of Creative Achievements, Quality of Peak Creative Achievements, and Creativeness of Aspirations respectively) and number of objects presented in usual or common perspective is unrelated to these criteria (rs = -.08, .04, and -.03). The creative person is able to return again and again to a commonplace object or situation and perceive it in a different way. The creative writer is one who is able to perceive life in a new way and communicate his perception through a poem, a novel, a drama, or other literary work. The creative artist or creative photographer is one who is able to communicate what he sees though a painting, a sculprure, a photograph or a film. A creative scientist is one who is able to see something new in physical or social phenomena and validate his perception with adequate evidence. In every area of creative endeavor the breakthroughs come from those who see in new ways things that have already been viewed repeatedly by themselves and others. During the administration of tests of creative thinking, the author and his associates have been made aware many times of individual differences in ability to use and produce unusual visual perspective. These differences have been observed visually in the Incomplete Figures and Repeated Figures Activities of the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (Torrance, 1966). Some children hold rigidly to the visual set provided by the stimuli and see only the most obvious things. Others rotate the stimuli and in doing so produce unusual and frequently very powerful images. Others simply manipulate the stimuli imaginatively and produce equally powerful and original images framed in the conventional way but using the stimuli in very clever and unusual ways. In administering the Product Improvement Activity which requites S to produce unusual ideas for improving a stuffed toy (dog, elephant, monkey, etc.) so that it will be more fun for a child to play with, the author (Torrance, 1963) found that the most creative children were the ones who did the most manipulation of the toy. With the most crea
Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of feline herpesvirus 1 IgG in serum, aqueous humor, and cerebrospinal fluid

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV) is an important cause of feline ocular and respiratory disease, but the role the virus plays in central nervous system disease of cats has not been explored. The study described here was performed to validate an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect FHV-specific IgG antibodies for use in feline epidemiologic, ocular, and central nervous system disease studies. The indirect IgG ELISA was applied to serum, aqueous humor, and cerebrospinal fluid from cats. Serum FHV IgG ELISA results were compared with those of serum neutralization in client-owned cats and laboratory-housed cats following vaccination. Of the 100 client-owned cats tested by ELISA, 97 had detectable FHV IgG; 95 had titers >32. The FHV IgG ELISA was more sensitive than serum neutralization and could be used with aqueous humor and cerebrospinal fluid. Cats with inflammatory central nervous system or ocular diseases had significant leakage of serum proteins into aqueous humor and cerebrospinal fluid, necessitating use of cutoff values derived from serum when these fluids were assessed.
Formal Verification of Large Software Systems

We introduce a scalable proof structure to facilitate formal verification of large software systems. In our approach, we mechanically synthesize an abstract specification from the software implementation, match its static operational structure to that of the original specification, and organize the proof as the conjunction of a series of lemmas about the specification structure. By setting up a different lemma for each distinct element and proving each lemma independently, we obtain the important benefit that the proof scales easily for large systems. We present details of the approach and an illustration of its application on a challenge problem from the security domain
Into the Breach: The Case for Robust Noncapital Proportionality Review Under State Constitutions

The Eighth Amendment forbids cruel and unusual punishments. The Supreme Court has found in the Amendment a guarantee that punishment be proportionate to the crime. Although the requirement technically applies equally to all punishment, in practice the Court has used the guarantee strictly to regulate capital punishment — a practice it recently extended to life without parole sentences for juveniles — but has abdicated almost entirely on noncapital sentences. States have authority to regulate excessive punishment under their state constitutions, but most have chosen to interpret their state proportionality clauses in lockstep with the Eighth Amendment. Even the states that have found greater protection in their constitutions have done so cautiously, striking down only the rare sentence so absurd that the legislature could not possibly have intended the result. This Note suggests that states should aggressively police the proportionality of noncapital sentences under their state constitutions. Part I discusses extant noncapital proportionality, both the United States Supreme Court’s Eighth Amendment doctrine and states’ responses to either heighten standards of review or to march in lockstep with the Court. Part II discusses the primary basis for state courts’ failure to regulate proportionality — that regulating sentences would be intervening into legislative judgment of retributive fit — and its deep flaws. State courts ignore that criminal codes bear little relation to actual crime and punishment — criminal liability is so broad and sentences so punitive that legislatures have essentially delegated decisions on criminality and sentence length to prosecutors. Prosecutors, in turn, routinely deliver disproportionate sentences because prosecutors are local political actors who push the actual costs of incarceration onto state governments; because the public pushes for ever-harsher sentences; and because prosecutors deliver trial penalties to defendants who refuse to plead guilty. Much of the Supreme Court’s cautiousness comes from its broader fear about intervention in state criminal justice systems; this fear is legitimate but should carry no weight with state courts, which are part of state criminal justice systems. Part III addresses the remaining arguments against aggressive state proportionality review — that states should interpret their parallel provisions in the same manner as the federal provision and that judges are institutionally incompetent to make decisions about comparative blameworthiness. The Note concludes that states should use their constitutions to pursue aggressive noncapital proportionality review.
Thallium Chalcogenide-Based Wide-Band-Gap Semiconductors: TlGaSe2 for Radiation Detectors

The wide-band-gap semiconductor thallium gallium selenide (TlGaSe2) is promising for X-ray and γ-ray detection. In this study, the synthesis and crystal growth of semiconducting TlGaSe2 was accomplished using a stoichiometric combination of TlSe, Ga, and Se and a modified Bridgman method. These large detector-grade crystals can be synthesized and cut to dimensions appropriate for a detector. The crystals have mirror-like cleaved surfaces and are transparent red, in agreement with a band gap of 1.95 eV observed in absorption measurements. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction refinements confirm that TlGaSe2 crystallizes in the monoclinic C2/c space group with a layered crystal structure consisting of planes of GaSe4 corner-sharing tetrahedra connected by weak Tl–Se bonds. Electronic band structure calculations made using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave method with the screened-exchange local density approximation, including spin orbit coupling, indicate the unusual characteristic of the hole...
SrTiO3 Nanocuboids from a Lamellar Microemulsion

Microemulsion science has provided a wide range of possibilities in materials fabrication. Here, we describe a novel approach to the synthesis of SrTiO3 nanoparticles of different shapes from a microemulsion. We show that the microemulsion structure plays a critical role in the shape of the nanoparticles, with diffusion-limited growth when normal or reverse micelles are present to nanocuboids with a kinetic-Wulff shape in a lamellar microemulsion leading to nanocuboids. As determined by a combination of in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) as a function of temperature and ex situ high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) imaging, the as-prepared SrTiO3 nanocuboids grow between three layers of water (3 × 1.1 nm) and two layers of oil (2 × 2.3 nm) leading to individual crystals which are uniformly 8 nm thick with somewhat greater lengths and widths.
Touching, unbelonging, and the absence of affect

This article argues that psychoanalytic notions of affect – including ideas of anxiety and melancholia, as well as deconstructive concepts of auto-affection – offer a feminist ethico-politics and a notion of affect as interface. Beyond the confines of the experiential and the positivist, both psychoanalysis and deconstruction provide insights into affect as a technology that understands the subject as porous. I consider works by Derek Jarman and Shirin Neshat to demonstrate the importance of the ethico-politics of affect as interface in contemporary cultural production. Both artists, in the process of considering the spectacular nature of notions of feminist and queer, use images of interface as a way of delimiting the spectacular nature of being and demonstrating the singularity of the event, the desire to fix through framing, and the parergonal nature of framing. The presence of the subject is questioned even as an auto-affection is suggestive of a spectral demand of the ethico-political. In the case of...
Departure Efficiency Benefits of Terminal RNAV Operations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

On September 6, 2005 the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) implemented revised Standard Instrument Departure (SID) procedures at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The procedures leverage Area Navigation (RNAV) capabilities that enable greater flexibility and accuracy in point-to-point navigation. Implementation of the procedures relies on flight automation systems currently available on the majority of commercial and corporate aircraft and promises more efficient utilization of available runways and constrained airspace surrounding the airport. This paper outlines the design of DFW’s RNAV departure procedures and reviews the mechanism that enables operational benefits. It describes the Monte Carlo modeling approach taken to evaluate operational changes, the methodology used to validate model performance with radar data, and presents potential departure capacity and delay reduction benefits of RNAV departure operations at DFW. It shows that delay reduction benefits to users and operators of close to $10 million annually are possible for DFW when conducting RNAV departure operations. Key performance metrics of the model are compared to performance metrics obtained from extensive preand post-implementation evaluations. They confirm that the required operational changes that enable delay reduction benefits were largely realized within the first 2 months after implementation of the procedures.
Persons and Death: What's Metaphysically wrong with Our Current Statutory Definition of Death?

This paper challenges the recommendations of 1981 President's Commission for the Study of Ethical Problems in Medicine and Biomedical and Behavioral Research that all jurisdictions in the United States should adopt the Uniform Determination of Death Act, which endorses a whole-brain, rather than a higher-brain, definition of death. I argue that the Commission was wrong to reject the "personhood argument" for the higher-brain definition on the grounds that there is no consensus among philosophers or the general population as to what constitutes "personhood". I claim that philosophers agree that some potential for cognitive function is necessary for personhood and that, when this is absent in cases of anencephaly and persistent vegetative state (PVS), the individual should be considered dead. I further argue that the lack of consensus among the general population is due in large measure to misunderstandings about the medical reality of PVS and beliefs influenced by feelings for a specific individual in PVS. I also examine and reject two tutorist arguments which have been used to support the Commission's position: that the higher-brain definition would threaten the severely senile and severely retarded, and that there are not currently adequate medical techniques for determining when all higher-brain activities have ceased.
All-in-one processing of heterogeneous human cell grafts for gene and cell therapy

Current cell processing technologies for gene and cell therapies are often slow, expensive, labor intensive and are compromised by high cell losses and poor selectivity thus limiting the efficacy and availability of clinical cell therapies. We employ cell-specific on-demand mechanical intracellular impact from laser pulse-activated plasmonic nanobubbles (PNB) to process heterogeneous human cell grafts ex vivo with dual simultaneous functionality, the high cell type specificity, efficacy and processing rate for transfection of target CD3+ cells and elimination of subsets of unwanted CD25+ cells. The developed bulk flow PNB system selectively processed human cells at a rate of up to 100 million cell/minute, providing simultaneous transfection of CD3+ cells with the therapeutic gene (FKBP12(V36)-p30Caspase9) with the efficacy of 77% and viability 95% (versus 12 and 60%, respectively, for standard electroporation) and elimination of CD25+ cells with 99% efficacy. PNB flow technology can unite and replace several methodologies in an all-in-one universal ex vivo simultaneous procedure to precisely and rapidly prepare a cell graft for therapy. PNB's can process various cell systems including cord blood, stem cells, and bone marrow.
Great Leap Forward and Chinese Famine of 1958—1961:State,Collective and Peasants in Centralized System

China suffered the most severe famine in human history from 1958 to 1961. The causes documented in prior studies include food availability decline,communal dining system,urban bias policy,food deficient regions bias policy,political radicalism,inadequate government relief and historical memory on famine. This paper examines whether the distribution system of people's commune accompanied by the great leap forward was another important cause of the famine. Based on the provincial data from 1953 to 1966,we find that people's commune drastically raised collective accumulation and thus led to a sharp decline on peasants' individual food consumption. We argue that the loss of peasants' political rights in centralized system is the main contributor of famine frequently occurred in traditional socialism.
Antimicrobial resistance in urinary tract infections at a large urban ED: Factors contributing to empiric treatment failure.

Abstract Objective To calculate the emergency department (ED)-level Escherichia coli percentage of isolates susceptible to commonly used antibiotics and to determine the risk factors associated with inadequate empiric antibiotic therapy among patients treated for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in our ED. Methods Retrospective cohort study conducted at a large tertiary teaching hospital. Participants included patients older than 18years of age who had a urine culture with growth of >100,000 colonies of E . coli . Demographic and therapeutic choices associated with inadequate empiric antibiotic therapy were explored. Antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of E . coli isolates recovered from ED patients were calculated, and stratified by gender and age. Results A total of 300 unique patients had E . coli bacteriuria during the study period. Among patients who received at least one dose of antibiotic in the ED, variables independently associated with an increased risk of inadequate empiric therapy were age (relative risk [RR] 1.016; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.001–1.031; P =0.032), male gender (RR 2.507; 95% CI 1.470–4.486; P =0.001), and use of fluoroquinolones (RR 2.128; 95% CI 1.249–3.624 P =0.005). Sub-group analysis of patients discharged from the ED showed that definitive therapy with nitrofurantoin decreased the risk of inadequate empiric antibiotic therapy by 80% (RR 0.202; CI 0.065–0.638; P =0.006). ED-level antibiograms showed differences in antimicrobial susceptibility of E . coli by age and gender. Conclusions Development of ED-level antimicrobial susceptibility data and consideration of patients' clinical characteristics can help better guide selection of empiric antibiotic therapy for the treatment of UTIs.
On Achieving Balance

In a rapidly changing world, the question concerning the “right” balance between modeling and empirical work has never been more important. But achieving that balance is not just a matter of student training—it involves examining the incentives in, and structures of, the discipline as a whole.
The Potential Role for a Nitrogen Compliance Policy in Mitigating Gulf Hypoxia

We evaluate whether expanding compliance to include nitrogen management could be an effective tool to reduce excess nitrogen applications in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya River Basin (MARB). Compliance requires farmers to meet some minimum standard of environmental protection on environmentally sensitive land as a condition for receiving federal farm program benefits. Using farm-level data on “excess” nitrogen applications and program benefits, we estimate the level of compliance and the reduction in excess nitrogen applications to cropland in the MARB. Extending compliance provisions to nitrogen management could reduce excess applications up to 60% under ideal conditions.
Pentoxifylline inhibits TLR- and inflammasome-mediated in vitro inflammatory cytokine production in human blood with greater efficacy and potency in newborns

Toll-like receptor (TLR)-mediated inflammation may contribute to neonatal sepsis, for which pentoxifylline (PTX), a phosphodiesterase inhibitor that raises intracellular cAMP, is a candidate adjunctive therapy. We characterized the anti-inflammatory effects of PTX toward TLR-mediated production of inflammatory (tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and interleukin (IL)-1β) and proresolution (IL-6 and IL-10) cytokines in human newborn and adult blood. Newborn cord and adult blood were treated with PTX (50–400 µmol/l) before, during or after stimulation with LPS (TLR4 agonist), R848 (TLR7/8 agonist) or LPS/ATP (inflammasome activation). Cytokines were measured by multiplex assay (supernatants), intracellular cytokines and signaling molecules by flow cytometry, and mRNA by quantitative real-time PCR. Whether added 2 h pre-, simultaneously to, or 2 h post-TLR stimulation, PTX inhibited TLR-mediated cytokine production in a concentration-dependent manner, with greater efficacy and potency in newborn blood, decreasing intracellular TNF and IL-1β with relative preservation of IL-10 and IL-6. PTX decreased TLR-mediated TNF mRNA while increasing IL-10 mRNA. Neonatal plasma factors contributed to the anti-inflammatory effects of PTX in newborn blood that were independent of soluble TNF receptor concentrations, p38 MAPK phosphorylation and IĸB degradation. PTX is a potent and efficacious inhibitor of TLR-mediated inflammatory cytokines in newborn cord blood and a promising neonatal anti-inflammatory agent.
Population based MRI and DTI templates of the adult ferret brain and tools for voxelwise analysis

Non-invasive imaging has the potential to play a crucial role in the characterization and translation of experimental animal models to investigate human brain development and disorders, especially when employed to study animal models that more accurately represent features of human neuroanatomy. The purpose of this study was to build and make available MRI and DTI templates and analysis tools for the ferret brain as the ferret is a well-suited species for pre-clinical MRI studies with folded cortical surface, relatively high white matter volume and body dimensions that allow imaging with pre-clinical MRI scanners. Four ferret brain templates were built in this study - in-vivo MRI and DTI and ex-vivo MRI and DTI - using brain images across many ferrets and region of interest (ROI) masks corresponding to established ferret neuroanatomy were generated by semi-automatic and manual segmentation. The templates and ROI masks were used to create a web-based ferret brain viewing software for browsing the MRI and DTI volumes with annotations based on the ROI masks. A second objective of this study was to provide a careful description of the imaging methods used for acquisition, processing, registration and template building and to demonstrate several voxelwise analysis methods including Jacobian analysis of morphometry differences between the female and male brain and bias-free identification of DTI abnormalities in an injured ferret brain. The templates, tools and methodological optimization presented in this study are intended to advance non-invasive imaging approaches for human-similar animal species that will enable the use of pre-clinical MRI studies for understanding and treating brain disorders.
Dimensions of Somatization and Hypochondriasis

A significantly large group of patients who communicate their psychosocial distress in the form of physical symptoms are called somatizers. They tend to overuse medical services. The syndromes with which they present have indistinct boundaries, and there tends to be some fluidity of their symptomatic presentations. Underlying psychiatric disorders such as mood disorders, anxiety disorders (including obsessive compulsive disorder), and personality disorders are frequently present.