cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
State of the Field

Although scholars of West European politics have long debated whether the region's highly institutionalised party systems were becoming de-aligned and electorally unstable, the political fallout from the post-2008 financial crisis has lent a new sense of urgency to the debate. The threats posed to party systems by economic crises are hardly unique to Europe, however. The Latin American experience with the debt crisis of the 1980s and 1990s suggests that party system upheaval was not simply a function of retrospective economic voting during the period of crisis. It was also attributable to programmatically de-aligning policy responses to crises – namely the ‘bait-and-switch’ imposition of austerity and adjustment measures by labour-based, left-leaning parties that were traditional champions of statist and redistributive policies. Such patterns of reform made it difficult for party systems to channel societal resistance to market orthodoxy in the post-adjustment era, setting the stage for convulsive ‘reactive sequences’ when such resistance arose outside and against mainstream parties through varied forms of social and electoral protest, typically on the left flank. This article explores the political fallout from the European and Latin American economic crises from a comparative perspective, arguing that it is essential to think beyond the short-term political dynamics of crisis management to consider the longer-term institutional legacies and fragilities of the different political alignments forged around crisis-induced policy reforms.
Improving anticancer drug development begins with cell culture: misinformation perpetrated by the misuse of cytotoxicity assays

// Alan Eastman 1 1 Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Lebanon, NH, USA Correspondence to: Alan Eastman, email: // Keywords : cytotoxicity assays, cell survival, apoptosis, target validation, synergy Received : July 05, 2016 Accepted : October 12, 2016 Published : October 14, 2016 Abstract The high failure rate of anticancer drug discovery and development has consumed billions of dollars annually. While many explanations have been provided, I believe that misinformation arising from inappropriate cell-based screens has been completely over-looked. Most cell culture experiments are irrelevant to how drugs are subsequently administered to patients. Usually, drug development focuses on growth inhibition rather than cell killing. Drugs are selected based on continuous incubation of cells, then frequently administered to the patient as a bolus. Target identification and validation is often performed by gene suppression that inevitably mimics continuous target inhibition. Drug concentrations in vitro frequently far exceed in vivo concentrations. Studies of drug synergy are performed at sub-optimal concentrations. And the focus on a limited number of cell lines can misrepresent the potential efficacy in a patient population. The intent of this review is to encourage more appropriate experimental design and data interpretation, and to improve drug development in the area of cell-based assays. Application of these principles should greatly enhance the successful translation of novel drugs to the patient.
Impact ionization in strained-Si/SiGe heterostructures

We have experimentally studied impact ionization (II) in a strained-Si/SiGe heterostructure. We found that, unlike bulk Si, II in this heterostructure has a positive temperature coefficient. Coupled with the severe self-heating that characterizes this heterostructure, this results in significantly higher levels of II when compared with reference Si devices operating under identical conditions.
“La Bamba Rebelde”: Chicana/o nationalism, transnational culture, and postnationalist politics

In this essay, I argue that the Chican@ music group Las Cafeteras uses the son jarocho musical genre to produce counternarratives to anti-immigrant, racist/sexist discourses in the United States and that these counternarratives simultaneously generate a broader oppositional political message to other frameworks of criminality. Las Cafeteras deploys these counternarratives by reinterpreting the song “La Bamba” as “La Bamba Rebelde” [emphasis added]; their call for listeners not to believe in borders; their reappropriation of the myth of La Llorona as a method of articulating a “haunting” in the American imagination related to immigration issues; their expressed feminist Zapatista politics; and, their reliance on a cultural and political landscape in Los Angeles that allows them to re/imagine the city and the US-Mexico borderlands as a localized site of global, postnationalist politics of solidarity.
Reply to Joly: Inferring causation from comprehensive analysis of observation.

In our paper, “How jet lag impairs Major League Baseball performance,” we describe performance reductions in teams as a function of travel across time zones and attribute these effects to jet lag (1). The letter by Joly (2) raises the issue of correlation versus causation, implying that we cannot conclude that jet lag causes these effects. In cases where laboratory studies or prospective controlled intervention trials are not possible or are difficult, retrospective studies in natural settings can be valuable. Nonetheless, … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: r-allada{at}northwestern.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Reverential abandonment: a termination ritual at the ancient Maya polity of El Palmar

Archaeological evidence for Maya termination rituals has been reported from several sites, but spatial analyses based on quantitative data have not previously been undertaken. This study uses spatial analysis of deposits at the Guzman Group, an outlying architectural group within the Maya centre of El Palmar in Mexico, to identify the participants and their behaviour in the termination ritual, along with associated public activities. Results suggest that participants were Guzman Group inhabitants, who intentionally placed particular items in specific locations. The size and use-wear of vessels suggest repeated feasting events in the plaza. The study highlights the significance of contextual analyses for a greater understanding of the spatial dynamics inherent in the abandonment processes of early complex societies.
Materials science and materials engineering

When materials are viewed from the vantage point of how they are processed and used rather than from the science that underlies and explains their behavior, it is difficult to differentiate problems associated with different classes of materials; hence, the trend toward materials scientists and engineers.
The Urology Applicant: An Analysis of Contemporary Urology Residency Candidates.

Objective To better understand today's urology applicant. Methods All 2016 Urology Residency Match applicants to the study-participating institutions were provided a survey via email inquiring about their paths to urology, their career aspirations, how they evaluate a training program, and how they perceive residency programs evaluate them. Results Of a possible 468 applicants registered for the match, 346 applicants completed the survey. Only 8.7% had a mandatory urology rotation, yet 58.4% believed that a mandatory urology rotation would influence their career decision. Most applicants (62.1%) spent more than 8 weeks on urology rotations, and 79.2% completed 2 or more away rotations. Applicants were attracted to urology by the diversity of procedures, prior exposure to the field, and the mix of medicine and surgery, with mean importance scores of 4.70, 4.52, and 4.45 of 5, respectively. Female applicants were more likely to be interested in pediatric urology, trauma or reconstructive urology, and female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery. Significant differences in survey results were noted when applicants were separated by gender. Three-fourths of respondents (75.7%) applied to more than 50 residency programs. Applicants ranked operative experience, interactions with current residents, and relationships between faculty and residents as the most important criteria when evaluating training programs. Of the subspecialties, 62.1% of applicants expressed most interest in urologic oncology. At this stage in their career, a significant majority (83.5%) expressed interest in becoming academic faculty. Conclusion This study provides new information that facilitates a more comprehensive understanding of today's urology applicants.
Comparison of experimental methods for estimating matrix diffusion coefficients for contaminant transport modeling

Diffusion cell and diffusion wafer experiments were conducted to compare methods for estimating effective matrix diffusion coefficients in rock core samples from Pahute Mesa at the Nevada Nuclear Security Site (NNSS). A diffusion wafer method, in which a solute diffuses out of a rock matrix that is pre-saturated with water containing the solute, is presented as a simpler alternative to the traditional through-diffusion (diffusion cell) method. Both methods yielded estimates of effective matrix diffusion coefficients that were within the range of values previously reported for NNSS volcanic rocks. The difference between the estimates of the two methods ranged from 14 to 30%, and there was no systematic high or low bias of one method relative to the other. From a transport modeling perspective, these differences are relatively minor when one considers that other variables (e.g., fracture apertures, fracture spacings) influence matrix diffusion to a greater degree and tend to have greater uncertainty than effective matrix diffusion coefficients. For the same relative random errors in concentration measurements, the diffusion cell method yields effective matrix diffusion coefficient estimates that have less uncertainty than the wafer method. However, the wafer method is easier and less costly to implement and yields estimates more quickly, thus allowing a greater number of samples to be analyzed for the same cost and time. Given the relatively good agreement between the methods, and the lack of any apparent bias between the methods, the diffusion wafer method appears to offer advantages over the diffusion cell method if better statistical representation of a given set of rock samples is desired.
Effect of blood transfusions on oncological outcomes of surgically treated localized renal cell carcinoma.

Abstract Objective To assess the associations between perioperative allogeneic blood transfusions (ABTs) and recurrence, overall and renal cell carcinoma (RCC)-specific survival in patients undergoing surgical treatment for clinically localized disease. Materials and methods We performed a retrospective review of 1,056 consecutive patients undergoing surgical treatment (radical or partial nephrectomy) for clinically localized RCC between 2000 to 2010. Demographic (age, race, and sex) clinical (preoperative hemoglobin and hematocrit, type of surgery [partial or radical nephrectomy]), and pathological (T and N stages, RCC histotype, grade) data were compared between patients receiving perioperative (intraoperative or postoperative) blood transfusions and those who are not. Distant and local recurrence-free survival, overall survival, RCC-specific survival were recorded and Kaplan-Meier survival curves as well as multivariable proportional regression models adjusted for clinical and pathological characteristics were produced. Results On multivariable analyses adjusted for clinical and pathological characteristics, the receipt of ABTs was associated with lower recurrence-free (HR = 1.86, P = 0.002), overall (HR = 1.83, P = 0.016), and RCC-specific survival (HR = 2.12, P = 0.031). The negative effect of ABTs was apparent for distant (HR = 2.24, P Conclusions In this study, perioperative ABTs were independently associated with worse oncological outcomes in patients with clinically localized RCC. Receipt of ABT was associated with roughly a 2-fold increase in the hazard of metastatic progression, all-cause and RCC-specific mortality. Further research is needed on the mechanisms of transfusion-induced immunomodulation, alternative transfusion protocols and methods for autologous blood transfusion and recovery.
TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 OPIATE RECEPTORS: A SUBCLASSIFICATION SCHEME BASED UPON GTP'S DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS ON BINDING

Summary We present evidence for a simple opiate receptor subclassification scheme analogous to the one recently proposed for the dopamine receptor. The Type 1 receptor is GTP-sensitive, adenylate cyclase-coupled and associated with a soium ionophore. The Type 2 receptor is GTP-resistant and uncoupled. We find Type 1 receptors predominantly in the ileum and in most of rat brain, particularly the areas which mediate analgesia; Type 2 receptors predominate in the limbic system, a neuroblastoma-glioma cell hybrid, vas deferens , pituitary and invertebrate nervous systems. Type 1 receptors are easily reversed by naloxone, while Type 2 receptors are even resistant to naloxone blockade. Comparisons of a Type 1 receptor-enriched area (midbrain) and a Type 2 receptor-enriched area (frontal cortex) revealed the following ligand selectivity (in order of strongest preference for Type 1): naloxone > morphine > diprenorphine ≃= N-allylnormetazocine ≃= ketocyclazocine ≃ = cyclazocine ≃ = B-endorphin > D-Ala-enkephalin amide > met-enkephalin > leu-enkephalin. Benzo-morphans generally lack selectivity but differ in their relative affinity for the Type 1 antagonist conformation (σ).
Going Global? International Activities by U.S. Schools of Public Policy and Management to Transform Public Affairs Education

U.S. schools of public policy and management (PPM) recently have devoted considerable attention to the international content of their degree programs. Most U.S. PPM programs, however, focus on trai...
Cyber-Insurance for Cyber-Physical Systems

In this paper we review the emerging role of cyber insurance for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) and discuss the obstacles, the needs, and the avenues forward. Specifically we focus on the unique characteristics and challenges that cyber-physical systems provide to the cyber-insurance industry (compared to classical information technology risks) and show how they change the incentives for security investments.
Adjudicated Heart Failure in HIV-Infected and Uninfected Men and Women.

Background HIV is associated with elevated risk of heart failure (HF). Despite poor agreement between automated, administrative code–based HF definitions and physician‐adjudicated HF, no studies ha...
Towards Large-scale Drive-by Sensing with Multi-purpose City Scanner Nodes

Drive-by sensing has the potential to provide hyper-local data to study a number of urban phenomena and deliver actionable insights for public good. Yet drive-by deployments are often characterized by small fleets, huge costs and lack of flexibility to adapt to a city’s multiple sensing needs. The City Scanner project aims to accelerate the development of drive-by sensing by turning everyday vehicles into sensing nodes. In this paper we present Greta II, a solar-powered sensing platform that allows for low-cost continuous data collection and streaming of multiple phenomena. Thanks to a modular design it can be customized with off-the-shelf sensors and re-used across different deployments. Greta II can be easily built and deployed without disrupting a vehicle’s normal operation. The platform has been validated during test deployments in two large American cities to collect air quality data. Drawing on our experience building and deploying Greta II we discuss challenges to be solved for enabling large-scale drive-by sensing.
A 21952-Pixel Multi-Modal CMOS Cellular Sensor Array with 1568-Pixel Parallel Recording and 4-Point Impedance Sensing

This paper presents a fully integrated CMOS multi-modal cellular sensor/stimulator array with 21952 multi-modal pixels, 1568 simultaneous parallel readout channels, 16 μm×16 μm pixel pitch for single cell resolution, and 3.6 mm×1.6 mm tissue-level field-of-view (FoV), achieving high-resolution multi-parametric cellular potential/impedance/optical imaging for holistic cellular characterization and cell-based assays. Moreover, the array system reports the first on-chip true 4-point impedance sensing scheme with 16 parallel impedance sensing channels, which enables precise cellular impedance measurements with aggressively scaled electrodes and large electrode-electrolyte interfacial impedance. The chip also supports concurrent 16-channel 5-bit reconfigurable current-mode cell stimulation. The chip is implemented in a 130 nm low-cost standard CMOS process. Extracellular potentials (700 μV-1.5 mV) from on-chip cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) are successfully measured. With on-chip cultured cardiac fibroblasts, full-chip high-resolution optical images and 4-point impedance mapping precisely capture cell distribution, growth, proliferation, and surface adhesion.
Effect of Levetiracetam on Time to High‐Dose Methotrexate Clearance in Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

High-dose methotrexate (HDMTX) is a commonly used treatment for hematologic malignancies involving the central nervous system. Two case reports described possible delayed methotrexate clearance in patients receiving concurrent levetiracetam, while a retrospective cohort study did not find this association. The objective of this single-center, retrospective case-control study of 121 patients who received their first cycle of HDMTX was to investigate the association between HDMTX clearance time and concomitant levetiracetam use. The most common diagnosis was primary central nervous system lymphoma (47.9%). The mean HDMTX dose was 4601 mg/m2 (standard deviation [SD], 2052.6 mg/m2 ). Concurrent levetiracetam was administered in 30 of 121 patients (24.8%), with a mean total daily levetiracetam dose of 1434.4 mg (SD, 622.9 mg; range, 900-3000 mg). Baseline characteristics were similar between patients who received concomitant levetiracetam and those who did not. The mean time to methotrexate clearance was 82.5 hours (SD, 51.2; 95% confidence interval, 69.4-95.7) in the concomitant levetiracetam group and 72.4 hours (SD, 31.2; 95% confidence interval, 61.7-83.0) in the nonlevetiracetam group, which was not significantly different (P > .05), even in the subgroup receiving methotrexate doses >3500 mg/m2 . Grade 3 or higher toxicity occurred in 33.3% of the concomitant levetiracetam group and in 34.1% of nonconcomitant levetiracetam patients. This study, which, to our knowledge, is the first examining levetiracetam effect on only the first dose of HDMTX, supports the larger retrospective study finding no significant effect of levetiracetam on HDMTX clearance time, and suggests that administering concomitant levetiracetam does not affect HDMTX toxicity.
Small Scale Field Study of Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) Communications for Safety Applications

This decade has seen a major focus in the development of autonomous vehicles around the world. Various types of sensors, communication systems, computational hardware, and the emerging AI technologies play key roles in advancing the research and development of autonomous and connected mobility. Researchers are actively working on technologies that enable vehicles to communicate with each other and with surrounding devices in the environment, which is collectively known as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. The main elements of V2X are Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I). These enable vehicles to transmit public messages between one another or between vehicles and roadside units. In this study, V2V hardware platform from Savari, an automobile communication technologies company with a marketable V2X products, was utilized to explore the inner workings of the technology by setting up small scale field experiment. Research and early results of the experimental tests demonstrate the viability of the technology to improve safety of vehicles on the road.
Instant FLIM enables 4D in vivo lifetime imaging of intact brains

Traditional fluorescence microscopy is blind to molecular microenvironment information that is present in the emission decay lifetime. With fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM), physiological parameters such as pH, refractive index, ion concentration, dissolved gas concentration, and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) can be measured. Despite these benefits, existing FLIM techniques are typically slow, noisy, and hard to implement due to expensive instrumentation and complex post-processing. To overcome these limitations, we present instant FLIM, a method that allows real-time acquisition and display of two-photon intensity, lifetime, and phasor imaging data. Using analog signal processing, we demonstrate in vivo four-dimensional (4D) FLIM movies by imaging mouse and zebrafish glial cell response to injury over 12 hours through intact skulls. Instant FLIM can be implemented as an upgrade to an existing multiphoton microscope using cost-effective off-the-shelf components, requires no data post-processing, and is demonstrated to be compatible with FD-FLIM super-resolution techniques.
Zitkala-Ša’s Indigenous Gothicism

Gertrude Simmons Bonnin (1876–1938), better known by the Lakota name Zitkala-Sa, wrote works deeply informed by her youth on the Yankton Sioux agency, her time as a student and instructor in Indian boarding schools, and her subsequent political activism. This essay considers how Zitkala-Sa probes the deadliness of US Indian policy during the assimilation period through what critic Michele Burnham calls an “indigenous gothic.” Zitkala-Sa’s works appeal to a non-Native audience’s desire for the local, picturesque, and marginal, but express resistance through eruptions of violence, hauntings, and terror. Building on a deep reservoir of Sioux cultural practice, as well as a faith in intergenerational care, Zitkala-Sa’s indigenous Gothicism counters at once settler colonialism and regionalism’s consumerist ethos.
Risk factors and patterns of recurrence after sentinel lymph node biopsy for thin melanoma.

While having a thin melanoma (defined as AJCC 8 T1 stage tumor ≤ 1.0 mm) with negative sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) provides an excellent prognosis, some patients still develop recurrence and die. To determine risk factors for any recurrence (local/in-transit, nodal, distant) in thin melanoma patients with negative SLNB and assess survival outcomes. Retrospective review of thin melanomas with negative SLNB from 1999 to 2018 was performed. Two hundred and nine patients were identified. Clinicopathologic characteristics of the primary melanoma were collected. Patterns of recurrence for local/in-transit, nodal or distant recurrence and survival outcomes were analyzed. Eighteen patients (8.6%) developed recurrence: 3 (1.9%) local/in-transit, 4 (2.9%) regional/nodal, and 11 (5.3%) distant recurrence during a median follow-up time of 62 months. A multivariate Cox regression model showed that head and neck site (HR 3.52), ulceration (HR 10.8), and mitotic rate (HR 1.39) were significant risk factors for recurrence. Median time to first recurrence was 49 months. Patients with recurrence had a significantly worse 5 year overall survival than those without recurrence (82.2 vs 99.2%). A retrospective single center study and limited sample size. Did not factor in possible false negative SLNBs when calculating hazard ratios. For thin melanoma patients with negative SLNB, heightened surveillance is warranted for those with ulceration, primary tumor location on the head or neck, and elevated mitotic rate.
Sexual Innocence in Crisis-Justice Movements: A Political Theology

In September 2020 two seemingly unrelated articles appeared in the mainstream press. The first, entitled How Shouting, Finger-Waving Girls Became Our Conscience, examines the rise of female adolescents, such as Greta Thunberg, to the role of social justice orators. The other, entitled QAnon Goes to Washington, tells the story of the rise of QAnon following (millions of followers in the U.S. and elsewhere) and documents the entry of QAnon believers into political positions of power. Greta Thunberg has become an international symbol of purity, justice, outrage, and generational innocence; QAnon, a bizarre conspiracy theory about an evil cabal of pedophilia rings run by Hillary Clinton and others, gained worldwide recognition especially after the U.S. Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021. The public images and representations of both Thunberg and QAnon, I argue, while possibly forgettable in the bigger scheme of U.S. history and politics, manifest a disturbing reliance of crisis-driven social justice movements on the right (QAnon) and left (Thunberg) on Christian theology and myths about human sexuality.
Degrees of Flexibility: Predicting Market Category Change and Stability

We further develop scholarly understandings of market category dynamics by offering a theoretical framework describing the conditions under which any given category is likely to change over time. W...
Synthesis and characterization of oligodeoxyribonucleotides modified with 2'-thio-2'-deoxy-2'-S-(pyren-1-yl)methyluridine.

Pyrene-functionalized oligonucleotides are intensively explored for applications in materials science and diagnostics. Here, we describe a short synthetic route to 2′-S-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-2′-thiouridine monomer S, its incorporation into oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ONs), and biophysical characterization thereof. Pseudorotational analysis reveals that the furanose ring of this monomer has a slight preference for South-type conformations. ONs modified with monomer S display high cDNA affinity but decreased binding specificity. Hybridization is associated with bathochromic shifts of pyrene absorption bands and quenching of pyrene fluorescence consistent with an intercalative binding mode of the pyrene moiety. Monomer S was also evaluated as a building block for mixed-sequence recognition of double-stranded DNA via the Invader strategy. However, probes with +1 interstrand arrangements of monomer S were found to be less efficient than Invader probes based on 2′-O-(pyren-1-yl)methyluridine or 2′-N-(pyren-1-yl)methyl-2′-N-methyl-2′-aminouridine.
The Kinetics and Workspace of a Satellite-Mounted Robot

Satellite-mounted robots are considered that manipulate loads whose masses are not negligible compared to the satellite mass. In this paper the satellite attitude control system is considered to be turned off, as is often done on the space shuttle during Remote Manipulator System operation. Thus the satellite is considered to be free to not only translate, but to rotate in reaction to robot motions. Three basic topics in robotics, the forward kinematics, the inverse kinematics, and the robot work space, are all generalized here for satellite-mounted robots. The generalized version of the forward kinematics problem has become a dynamics problem with the property that the robot load position at the end of a maneuver is not just a function of the final joint angles, but of the whole history of the joint angles instead. For this reason, the new terms forward kinetics and inverse kinetics have been coined here. An interesting property of the inverse kinetics problem is that one not only specifies the desired load position and orientation, but one can choose any desired final satellite attitude as well. One complete solution to the very complex inverse kinetics problem for six degree-of-freedom satellite-mounted robot manipulators is presented. The robot workspace is also generated, and found to be a perfect sphere whose radius is a function of the load mass. Comparison of the free-flying satellite robot workspace to that of a robot mounted on an attitude fixed satellite, and to an inertially mounted robot, shows that it is usually larger than either one.
Escuchando pequeñas voces. Rosario Castellanos y el nacionalismo indigenista

The article outlines the influence of indigenism on Mexican nationalism. It shows the presence of an intimate level of indigenism present into the each national subject. It describes the features and effects of this inner voice. The analysis is done through life and work of Rosario Castellanos during the 50’s, where this inner voice acquire literary form. It concludes that indigenist nationalism had some aesthetic and political purposes.
Mustelid Spacing Patterns: Variations on a Theme by Mustela

This is a review of mustelid spacing patterns. The Mustelinae appear to have intrasexual territories where ♂♂ are territorial against ♂♂, ♀♀ against ♀♀, but there is extensive territory overlap between sexes. Mustelids of other subfamilies appear to have variations on this theme; usually female territories are replaced by territories of family groups of one adult ♀ and her most recent offspring. Sea otters and European badgers do not appear to fit into these organizational schemes. There is a strong correlation between degree of intrasexual territoriality, sexual dimorphism in body size, degree of body elongation and degree of carnivory. It is suggested that energy requirements of individuals may tie these correlations together.
Mosquitoes Cut Short

Can the life-shortening effect of a bacterium on mosquitoes control the transmission of dengue?
CLIMATIC CONTROL OF SOIL ACIDITY IN THE B HORIZON OF UNITED STATES SOILS

Soil acidity was sampled for the B horizon of 53 United States soils and compared with climatic variables, including soil water balance variables, and soil texture variables. Simple correlations indicated that B horizon pH (pHB) varied mainly with the gradients in climatic moisture. A model based on average annual precipitation had the highest R2 = (0.77) although a model based on a logarithmically transformed index of soil leaching rates was nearly as good (R2 = 0.75) and is better supported by current theories of pH evolution. Geochemical theory suggests that soil pH is determined by soil equilibria conditions through their control over clay mineral genesis and soil buffering capacities. Soil leaching regulates pH because it determines the soil ionic activities which control soil equilibria. Attempts to include the influence of environmental energy and soil texture in this model did little to improve the explanatory power above that of leaching. Thus, the model pHB = 12.91 – 1.234 In(LI) is supported by...
A new method for in vivo visualization of vessel remodeling using a near-infrared dye.

Please cite this paper as: Billaud, Ross, Greyson, Bruce, Seaman, Heberlein, Han, Best, Peirce and Isakson (2011). A New Method for In Vivo Visualization of Vessel Remodeling Using a Near-Infrared Dye. Microcirculation 18(3), 163–171. Abstract Objectives: Vascular obstructive events can be partially compensated for by remodeling processes that increase vessel diameter and collateral tortuosity. However, methods for visualizing remodeling events in vivo and with temporal comparisons from the same animal remain elusive. Methods: Using a novel infrared conjugated polyethylene glycol dye, we investigated the possibility of intravital vascular imaging of the mouse ear before and after ligation of the primary feeder artery. For comparison, we used two different mouse models known to have impaired vascular remodeling after ligation (i.e., aged and PAI-1−/− mice). The results obtained with the infrared dye were confirmed using immunofluorescence labeling of the ear microvasculature with confocal microscopy. Results: After ligation, increases in vessel diameter (between 10% and 60%) and tortuosity (approximately 15%) were observed in C57Bl/6 mice using both the infrared dye and the immunofluorescence technique. However, aged C57Bl/6 and PAI-1−/− mice did not show vascular remodeling following ligation. Conclusions: Vascular remodeling can be visualized and accurately quantified using a new infrared dye in vivo. This analysis technique could be generally employed for quantitative investigations of changes in vascular remodeling.
Non-group a beta-hemolytic streptococcal cellulitis. Association with venous and lymphatic compromise

Cellulitis occurring in the limbs of patients who have previously undergone saphenous venectomy and coronary bypass surgery has been the subject of several recent reports. Although isolation of pathogenic microorganisms from these lesions has been uncommon, this report describes three patients who had undergone venectomy previously and in whom non-group A beta-hemolytic streptococci were recovered either during acute episodes of cellulitis or during quiescent intervals. There are to date only four other reported cases of post-venectomy cellulitis from which beta-hemolytic streptococci were isolated: one was non-group A and the others were not serologically characterized. Moreover, studies in patients without bypass who have experienced cellulitis in extremities with compromised venous and/or lymphatic circulation have also yielded a substantial number of non-group A streptococci. The data thus far implicate non-group A beta-hemolytic streptococci as a major cause of cellulitis, especially in the setting of circulatory compromise.
Control of Aldosterone Secretion in Hyperthyroidism

The control of aldosterone secretion was investigated in 23 hyperthyroid patients. Compared to normal subjects, chronically sodium restricted hyperthyroid patients had blunted aldosterone secretion (645 ± 73 μg/day); low plasma aldosterone (47 ±4 ng/100 ml); increased estimated aldosterone metabolic clearance rate (2230 ± 284 L/day); and increased plasma renin activity (32.7 ± 3.5 ng/ml/3 hr). Renin and aldosterone responses during ACTH and saline loading were normal, and oral potassium loading normalized aldosterone secretion and lowered renin activity. Propranolol significantly lowered renin activity but not aldosterone secretion. The elevated plasma renin activity was probably secondary to increased sympathetic stimulation and potassium depletion. It is likely that potassium depletion also contributed to the blunted aldosterone secretion during sodium deprivation.
A printed antenna beam former implemented using tensor transmission-line metamaterials

This paper presents the implementation of an antenna beam former using tensor transmission-line (TL) metamaterials. Unit cells exhibiting both isotropic and anisotropic effective material parameters are utilized in the design. The beam former produces a uniform power density and a uniform phase profile at its output. The device includes a printed beam former, an antenna flare and seven feeds. The designed antenna beam former has planar input/output faces and has dimensions 2.97λ 0 ×5.94λ 0 at the operating frequency of 8.25 GHz. Measurement results show that the beam former exhibits a scan capability between -33° and +33°, a gain of 8.55 dB, and HPBW of 11.70°.
Axisymmetric membrane in adhesive contact with rigid substrates: Analytical solutions under large deformation

Abstract The large deformation of an elastic axisymmetric membrane in adhesive contact with a rigid flat punch is studied. Detachment of membrane is analyzed using a critical energy release rate criterion. Two types of incompressible hyperelastic material models are considered: neo-Hookean and a class of materials whose elastic energy density functions are independent of the trace of the Cauchy–Green tensor ( I 2 -based material). We also include pre-stretch in our formulation and study the stability of detachment process. Closed form analytical solutions for the membrane stresses, deformed profiles and energy release rate are obtained in the regime of large longitudinal stretch. For the I 2 -based material, we discover an interesting “pinching” instability where the contact angle suddenly increases in a displacement controlled test. The region of validity of our analytical solutions is determined by comparing them with numerical solutions of the governing equations. We found that the accuracy of our solution improves with pre-stretch; for pre-stretch ratios greater than 1.3, our analytical solution also works well in the small deformation regime.
Nutrient demand and the allocation of time: evidence from Guam

This paper presents an econometric study of nutrient intake in Guam which explicitly accounts for household time allocation and household capital variables. The empirical framework is based on a household production model of nutrient consumption, food expenditure, and the allocation of time between labour, leisure and food preparation activities. The study finds evidence that: (1) capital and wage variables have significant impacts on households' nutrient demands; (2) income, wage and educational status have very different effects on the nutrient choices of low-calorie households than on the nutrient choices of high-calorie households; and (3) a family's participation in the food stamp programme leads to higher levels of food expenditure but this impact is attributable to the purchase of more costly ‘taste’ characteristics in food, rather than to the purchase of more nutritious foods.
Numerical solution of a problem in the theory of epidemics

We propose a numerical algorithm for a model of the spread of infection in the theory of epidemics. This model involves a threshold for becoming infective and leads to a system of delay-differential equations with the delay function which depends on the values of the unknowns over an interval. The numerical algorithm is based on diagonally implicit multistage integration formulas with stage order equal to the order of the method. This makes possible the efficient evaluation of past values to the accuracy compatible with the requested error tolerance. This algorithm is appicable to the general model without any simplifying assumptions on the parameters of the delay-differential system. Numerical results illustrate the effect of varying various parameters of the model on the spread of infection in a constant population.
Stability and convergence proofs for a discontinuous-Galerkin-based extended finite element method for fracture mechanics

Abstract We prove the optimal convergence of a discontinuous-Galerkin-based extended finite element method for two-dimensional linear elastostatic problems over cracked domains. The method, which we proposed earlier [1], has two distinctive traits: a) it enriches the finite element space with the modes I and II singular asymptotic crack tip fields over a neighborhood of the crack tip termed the enrichment region, and b) it allows functions in the finite element space to be discontinuous across the boundary between the enrichment region and the rest of the domain. The treatment for this discontinuity, generally a non-polynomial function, is facilitated by a specially designed discontinuous Galerkin method based on the Bassi–Rebay numerical flux. The stability of the method is contingent upon an inf–sup condition, which we have proved to hold for any quasiuniform mesh family with sufficiently fine meshes. We have also shown the optimal convergence of the displacement and stress fields, and the convergence of the stress intensity factors extracted as the coefficients of the enrichment functions.
Cloud formation on vapour or liquid mixing with air

Abstract It is often important to know if a stream of vapour, leaving a vessel or vent, will cause a visible cloud, as, for example, in evaluating eye-witness accounts of accidents. The basis for deciding the answer to that question, and a historical example, are presented here.
Extraction of sedimentological information via computer-based image analyses of gray shales in carboniferous coal-bearing sections of Indiana and Kansas, USA

Fine-scale fabric within shales can be used to interpret environments of deposition. In particular, systematic variations in lamina thicknesses can be used to suggest the presence or absence of specific sedimentological controlling factors, such as tides. Herein, shale fabric is analyzed from Carboniferous coal-bearing and siliciclastic-rich formations in Indiana and Kansas. The shales exhibit well developed, normally graded lamina. Sediment grain sizes range from silt and sand at the base of the lamina up to silt and clay at the top. Computer-based optical scanning of prepared shale samples was undertaken so that the lamina thicknesses could be extracted automatically and then used for thickness-series analysis. The sands and silts tend to be very light in color because they consist of well sorted, quartz-rich sands. Conversely, the silt and clay that cap the laminae tend to be dark because of the small grain size; such fine-grained layers also contain large amounts of macerated and coalified plant material. Grain size and sedimentological differences within the laminae can be detected by optical properties and this facilitates automated image processing. Extraction of laminae thicknesses and harmonic analyses of laminae-thickness series can then be used to test the reasonability of specific environmental processes, such as tidal forcing, that were operative during the formation of these shales.
Thymoma and myasthenia gravis in a 4-year-old child case report and review of the literature

Thymomas are exceedingly rare in the first 20 years of life, and only a few well-documented cases are present in the literature. Thymomas in adults are commonly associated with other diseases, the most frequent being myasthenia gravis (MG). However, this association has been reported not to occur in childhood. The authors report the case of a 4-year and 10-month-old girl who presented with clinical evidence of MG before thoracotomy and who developed florid MG after thoracotomy for removal of an anterior mediastinal mass later documented to be a thymoma.
The Effects of Variable-Interval and Fixed-Interval Signal Presentation Schedules on the Auditory Evoked Response

Averaged auditory evoked responses to 1000-Hz 20-msec tone bursts were obtained from normal-hearing adults under two different intersignal interval schedules: (1) a fixed-interval schedule with 2-s...
Evaluation of a variable dose acquisition methodology for breast tomosynthesis

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the recently proposed variable dose (VD) acquisition scheme that has been hypothesized to overcome the limitations of microcalcification detection in breast tomosynthesis. In this acquisition methodology, approximately half of the total dose is used for one central projection. This central projection view is similar to a conventional mammogram and used to detect microcalcifications. The other half of the total dose is split among the rest of the projection views. These variable dose projection data are then reconstructed and the 3D slices are used for detection of masses. This novel acquisition methodology can potentially overcome the current limitations with microcalcification detection in breast tomosynthesis (BT) and may result in faster and more accurate detection of both microcalcifications and masses. Having access to both a conventional mammogram (i.e., the central projection) and tomosynthesis slices would also act as a bridge for radiologists who are used to viewing single projection images. In the current study, a comparison of microcalcification detection accuracy obtained using VD and conventional BT was conducted. A realistic computer simulation was used to model the realistic noise and blur encountered in BT systems. The simulation used a compressed breast phantom, modeled using CT images of compressed mastectomy specimens. Localization receiver operating characteristic (LROC) analysis was performed for detecting microcalcifications of size ranging from 147 microns to 178 microns. The results suggested higher microcalcification detection and localization accuracy using the VD technique. The complete study will also consist of evaluating detection of masses for the two strategies.
Scattering Function for Fogs

The paper summarizes recent experimental data on fogs. It is shown that a wide range of conditions from very light to very dense fogs can be represented by a single shape of scattering function. The scattering function F(θ) is defined graphically and by a table of values. Given this scattering function, the scattering coefficient of a fog can be defined in terms of the attenuation coefficient.
Mandibular and Maxillary Asymmetry in Individuals with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate

Abstract Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the degree of maxillary and mandibular asymmetry in the verticle and transverse planes seen in posteroanterior cephalometric radiographs relative to chronologic age in postoperative complete UCLP patients compared to controls. Method: Mandibular and nasomaxillary asymmetry was retrospectively studied in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and noncleft individuals (controls) by means of posteroanterior cephaiometric analysis. All the UCLP patients available (total 40) and randomly selected noncleft controls (total 142) were included in the study. The UCLP patients had undergone lip and palate reconstruction in Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, and orthodontic treatment in the Department of Orthodontics, Eastman Dental Center, Rochester, New York. The controls were selected based on the age that treatment was initiated and were treated in the department for various malocclusions; none had undergone max...
Role of the vascular endothelium in regulating the response of small arteries of the dog kidney to transmural pressure elevation and reduced PO2

The goal of this study was to determine the role of the vascular endothelium in regulating the response of small renal arteries to increased transmural pressure and reduced PO2. Canine small renal arteries (496 +/- 32 microns) were isolated, cannulated with micropipettes, and mounted in an in vitro chamber that allowed transmural pressure, tissue bath PO2, and vessel lumen PO2 to be controlled. In intact arteries, elevation of transmural pressure caused contractile activation and a progressive depolarization (0.17 +/- 0.09 mV/mm Hg pressure increase) of the vascular smooth muscle cells. Endothelial damage by air perfusion caused a 13-14% reduction in resting diameter and an 18 +/- 3 mV depolarization of the vascular smooth muscle, but eliminated the progressive contraction and depolarization that occurred in intact vessels in response to transmural pressure elevation. Reduction of either tissue bath O2 concentration or vessel lumen PO2 significantly enhanced norepinephrine-induced contractions of the arteries. Endothelial damage prevented the enhancement of norepinephrine-induced contractions by reduced PO2 in the vessels. The results of this study suggest that the vascular endothelium regulates both myogenic contraction and the enhancement of norepinephrine-induced contractions by reduced PO2 in small arteries of the dog kidney.