cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Degrees of Ignorance About the Costs of Data Breaches: What Policymakers Can and Can't Do About the Lack of Good Empirical Data

Estimates of the costs incurred by a data breach can vary enormously. For instance, a 2015 Congressional Research Service report titled “The Target and Other Financial Data Breaches: Frequently Asked Questions” compiled seven different sources’ estimates of the total losses resulting from the 2013 Target breach, ranging from $11 million to $4.9 billion. The high degree of uncertainty and variability surrounding cost estimates for cybersecurity incidents has serious policy consequences, including making it more difficult to foster robust insurance markets for these risks as well as to make decisions about the appropriate level of investment in security controls and defensive interventions. Multiple factors contribute to the poor data quality, including that cybercrime is continuously evolving, cyber criminals succeed by covering their tracks and victims often see more risk than benefit in sharing information. Moreover, the data that does exist is often criticized for an over-reliance on self-reported survey data and the tendency of many security firms to overestimate the costs associated with security breaches in an effort to further promote their own products and services. While the general lack of good cost data presents a significant impediment to informed decision-making, ignorance of the economic impacts of data breaches varies across categories of costs, events, and stakeholders. Moreover, the need for precision, accuracy, or concurrence in data estimates varies depending on the specific decisions the data is intended to inform. Our overarching goals in this paper are to clarify which types of cybersecurity cost data are more easily collected than others; how policymakers might improve data access and why previous policy-based efforts to do so have largely failed; and what differential ignorance implies for cybersecurity policy and investment in cyber defenses and mitigation. Our prognosis is that important data gaps, especially as those relate to the $-impacts of cybercrime, including data breaches, will endure and are not fully solvable. Certain cost categories are relatively easily estimated, while others will forever remain difficult if not impossible to estimate precisely. Furthermore, much of the best data that will exist will in the hands of Information Security (InfoSec) and Cybersecurity Insurance (CyberIns) providers and will remain private. We do not view this as a problem in need of correction; however, we do see a role for government in helping make some of this cybersecurity market intelligence data available to other market participants. Although data gaps for publicly available data will continue to remain severe, in many cases, this will not be an impediment to evidence-based decision-making so long as the government can encourage a flow of good third-party research.
A novel use for the comet assay: detection of topoisomerase II inhibitors.

BACKGROUND The simple and quick comet assay can quantitatively detect DNA cleavage in cells. This study aimed to determine whether the comet assay could be used to detect topoisomerase (topo) II inhibitors. MATERIALS AND METHODS HT-29 colon cancer cells were pre-incubated with aclarubicin, a topo II antagonist, then treated with topo II poisons: etoposide (VP-16), teniposide (VM-26), 4'-(acridinylamino) methansulfon-m-anisidide (m-AMSA) and adriamycin (doxorubicin). We also tested a topo I poison (camptothecin) and a microtubule depolymerization inhibitor (taxol). RESULTS Aclarubicin significantly reduced DNA cleavage induced by topo II poisons, but not that induced by camptothecin. In HL-60/MX2 cells (containing no topo II beta and reduced topo II alpha), DNA breakage induced by topo II poisons was lower. Also, aclarubicin antagonized topo I-mediated camptothecin-induced DNA cleavage in these resistant cells. CONCLUSIONS The comet assay can be used to detect topo II poisons in cultured cells. Also, aclarubicin has a dual topo I and topo II antagonism, with "preferential antagonism" of topo II when topo II beta catalytic activity is normally expressed.
Third trimester ultrasound for fetal macrosomia: optimal timing and institutional specific accuracy.

Purpose: To determine the performance of third trimester ultrasound in women with suspected fetal macrosomia.Materials and methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of fetal ultrasounds fr...
Making Worlds with Cyborg Fish

This chapter builds from the migrating fish in a New England river to point rhetorical studies beyond discourse and text. Employing what they refer to as diadromous methodology, Druschke and Rai attend to the diverse energetics that weave among and through the biotic and abiotic materials of the world. Diadromous methodology allows an imagining of how an ecological orientation to rhetoric, from the inside of both science and activism, can encourage dynamic, fleeting, and creative trans-species alliances. This field-based chapter offers a speculative vision for rhetorical studies that orients the discipline toward playful and consequential engagements with a more expansive array of co-creators.
Ongoing efforts to reduce perioperative morbidity of radical cystectomy: towards widespread adoption of extended-duration thromboprophylaxis.

Radical cystectomy (RC) is the gold standard treatment for muscle invasive and select high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancers. The operation is well known to pose significant perioperative morbidity (1). Venous thromboembolic events (VTE) remain a major and increasingly acknowledged complication of RC.
Photogeneration of Polymer-Anchored Catalytic Species from Iron Carbonyls

Recently a number of studies have shown that coordinatively unsaturated transition metal complexes, which are capable of serving as catalysts for a variety of reactions involving olefins, may be generated by photolysis.1–6 Coordinative unsaturation can be obtained by light-induced ligand dissociation or metal-metal bond dissociation. Light-generated catalysts may be genuinely unique since the catalyst is the result of an excited state decay process.
The unique effects of maternal and paternal depressive symptoms on youth's symptomatology: Moderation by family ethnicity, family structure, and child gender

Drawing on five waves of longitudinal data from 392 families (52% female; mean age of wave 1 [Mage_W1] = 12.89, standard deviation [SD] = .48; Mage_W5 = 21.95, SD = .77; 199 European American and 193 Mexican American families; 217 intact and 175 stepfather families), this study documented transactional relations of mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms with youth's symptomatology from early adolescence to young adulthood. Trait and time-varying cross-lagged models revealed that both mothers' and fathers' between- and within-person differences in depressive symptoms were associated with youth's internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Whereas each parent's depressive symptoms uniquely contributed to youth's internalizing symptoms, however, only mothers' depressive symptoms influenced youth's externalizing symptoms. Although reciprocal effects of youth's internalizing symptoms on parents' depressive symptoms were not significant, youth's externalizing symptoms predicted changes in mothers' depressive symptoms over time. Moderation analyses revealed distinct transactional patterns by family ethnicity and child gender, but not by family structure. This study revealed dynamic transactions among family members' symptomatology that point to opportune times and targets for intervention efforts aimed at mitigating the negative impact of parents' depressive symptoms on youth's adjustment.
Some Compliments (and Insults) Are More Heartfelt

Abstract. Previous research suggests that individuals with increased awareness of internal bodily states (i.e., high interoceptive awareness) are more sensitive to emotional stimuli, particularly s...
Valve Timing Control for a Digital Displacement Hydraulic Motor Using an Angle-Domain Repetitive Controller

A digital displacement hydraulic motor uses actively controlled on/off valves instead of a valve plate for porting fluid. Displacement can then be varied by varying the timing of the on/off valves. To minimize throttling energy loss, the valve timing must also consider the precompression and decompression of the compressible fluid. In this paper, a rotary on/off valve, whose rotation controls the valve timing, is used. The desired motion of the rotary valve that encodes the ideal valve timing is a function of, and is periodic with respect to, the motor crank shaft angle. As the desired valve trajectory is not periodic in time unless the motor speed is constant, the conventional internal model based repetitive control is not applicable. A recently developed angle-domain repetitive control is used instead to control the rotary valve motion to achieve the desired valve timing. Experiments show that the proposed controller achieves good tracking performance for a broad range of varying motor speeds. The maximum error is reduced by six to ten times with the new control scheme over baseline fixed period repetitive or proportional-integral controllers. This in turn leads to efficiency gains for the digital hydraulic motor up to 45%.
The use of natural language processing to identify Tdap-related local reactions at five health care systems in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.

Abstract Objective Local reactions are the most common vaccine-related adverse event. There is no specific diagnosis code for local reaction due to vaccination. Previous vaccine safety studies used non-specific diagnosis codes to identify potential local reaction cases and confirmed the cases through manual chart review. In this study, a natural language processing (NLP) algorithm was developed to identify local reaction associated with tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine in the Vaccine Safety Datalink. Methods Presumptive cases of local reactions were identified among members ≥ 11 years of age using ICD-9-CM codes in all care settings in the 1–6 days following a Tdap vaccination between 2012 and 2014. The clinical notes were searched for signs and symptoms consistent with local reaction. Information on the timing and the location of a sign or symptom was also extracted to help determine whether or not the sign or symptom was vaccine related. Reactions triggered by causes other than Tdap vaccination were excluded. The NLP algorithm was developed at the lead study site and validated on a stratified random sample of 500 patients from five institutions. Results The NLP algorithm achieved an overall weighted sensitivity of 87.9%, specificity of 92.8%, positive predictive value of 82.7%, and negative predictive value of 95.1%. In addition, using data at one site, the NLP algorithm identified 3326 potential Tdap-related local reactions that were not identified through diagnosis codes. Conclusion The NLP algorithm achieved high accuracy, and demonstrated the potential of NLP to reduce the efforts of manual chart review in vaccine safety studies.
Optimizing B-lines on lung ultrasound: an in-vitro to in-vivo pilot study with clinical implications

B-lines on lung ultrasound (US) are the hallmark of pulmonary edema. It is unknown if ultrasound machine settings or probe type matter. We created an in-vitro gelatin model. Using lung presets as baseline, five blinded investigators assessed the impact of 32 distinct settings on B-line visibility based on a Likert-Scale (LS) from 0 to10 ( 5 better) separately for two probes. The experiment was then repeated in-vivo in a patient with known pulmonary edema. Based on a multivariable regression LS-ratings were similar when comparing the in-vitro versus in-vivo experiment (P = 0.16; partial R2 = 0.2%) and when using the curvilinear versus linear probe (P = 0.69; partial R2 = 0.02%) but significantly different across machine settings (P < 0.0001; partial R2 = 34.4%). Limited by its pilot character, our study suggests that (1) certain US-machine settings heavily impact B-line visibility, with no clear difference between probes; (2) in-vitro models are a valid and practical alternative to more challenging patient-based research; (3) there is significant potential to improve B-line visibility and thus diagnostic yield in the clinical setting by using lung presets, centering the focal zone at the pleural line and increasing the distal time gain compensation, most of which are (in our experience) rarely done.
A Review of the Science of Colorful, Plant-Based Food and Practical Strategies for “Eating the Rainbow”

Over the past decades, thousands of published studies have amassed supporting recommendations to consume fruits and vegetables for physiological and psychological health. Newer research has emerged to suggest that these plant-based foods contain a plethora of not only vitamins and minerals, but perhaps, most importantly, phytonutrients. These phytonutrients have known pleiotropic effects on cellular structure and function, ultimately resulting in the modulation of protein kinases and subsequent epigenetic modification in a manner that leads to improved outcomes. Even though eating fruits and vegetables is a well-known feature of a healthy dietary pattern, population intakes continue to be below federal recommendations. To encourage consumers to include fruits and vegetables into their diet, an "eat by color" approach is proposed in this review. Although each individual food may have numerous effects based on its constituents, the goal of this simplified approach was to identify general patterns of benefits based on the preponderance of scientific data and known mechanisms of food-based constituents. It is suggested that such a consumer-oriented categorization of these plant-based foods may lead to greater recognition of their importance in the daily diet throughout the lifespan. Other adjunctive strategies to heighten awareness of fruits and vegetables are discussed.
Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva and Its Implications in Podiatric Medicine: A Case Report

The purpose of this case report is to show the clinical presentation of a rare genetic disorder, called fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, on the development of the foot in a newborn. Shortened great toes and malformations of the first metatarsals are present in all affected individuals at birth. Irreversible heterotopic endochondral ossification of soft tissues occurs in the first decade of life, often resulting in permanent immobility by the third decade of life. Trauma caused by surgical excision of nodules, dental procedures, or injections can further exacerbate this condition. Early diagnosis is imperative for these patients to prevent irreversible damage that may result from unnecessary invasive interventions. This case report presents a boy aged 2 years 3 months who was born with bilateral bunion deformity. The goal is to raise awareness of this disorder in the podiatric community, especially for those who work with pediatric patients.
Pathogens of Pacific Lamprey Detected Through Routine Fish Health Screenings

Abstract Interest in conservation, management, and captive rearing of Pacific Lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus in the Pacific Northwest has risen in recent years. General and specific information re...
Life and Death in Rikers Island

When the approach to governance is to avoid bad news, poorly designed systems like jails are bound to produce bad outcomes.—Homer VentersIn Life and Death in Rikers Island, Homer Venters, the forme...
An update on development of a cryogenically cooled-silicon mirror for the Advanced Light Source Upgrade project

In this paper we provide an update on the development of a novel cantilevered-liquid-nitrogen-cooled-silicon mirror for a new insertion device beamline included in the Advanced Light Source Upgrade (ALS-U). The goals of this mirror development are to achieve diffraction limited performance, demonstrate reliability, minimize coolant flow induced vibration, and demonstrate carbon contamination prevention and cleaning techniques. In this paper we summarize the design requirements, the design of the mirror system, and prototype fabrication.
Growth and characterization of multiferroic BiMnO3 thin films

We have grown epitaxial thin films of multiferroic BiMnO3 using pulsed laser deposition. The films were grown on SrTiO3 001 substrates by ablating a Bi-rich target. Using x-ray diffraction, we confirmed that the films were epitaxial and the stoichiometry of the films was confirmed using Auger electron spectroscopy. The films have a ferromagnetic Curie temperature (TC) of 85 ± 5 K and a saturation magnetization of 1 μB/Mn. The electric polarization as a function of electric field (P-E) was measured using an interdigital capacitance geometry. The P-E plot shows a clear hysteresis that confirms the multiferroic nature of the thin films.
Topographic Control of Light at the Quantum Level

we present the synthesis of ultrashort laser bullets with real-time adaptive and programmable field topology, including field amplitude, and linear, spin angular, and orbital angular momenta.
Anatomical texture patterns identify cerebellar distinctions between essential tremor and Parkinson's disease

Voxel-based morphometry is an established technique to study focal structural brain differences in neurologic disease. More recently, texture-based analysis methods have enabled a pattern-based assessment of group differences, at the patch level rather than at the voxel level, allowing a more sensitive localization of structural differences between patient populations. In this study, we propose a texture-based approach to identify structural differences between the cerebellum of patients with Parkinson's disease (n = 280) and essential tremor (n = 109). We analyzed anatomical differences of the cerebellum among patients using two features: T1-weighted MRI intensity, and a texture-based similarity feature. Our results show anatomical differences between groups that are localized to the inferior part of the cerebellar cortex. Both the T1-weighted intensity and texture showed differences in lobules VIII and IX, vermis VIII and IX, and middle peduncle, but the texture analysis revealed additional differences in the dentate nucleus, lobules VI and VII, vermis VI and VII. This comparison emphasizes how T1-weighted intensity and texture-based methods can provide a complementary anatomical structure analysis. While texture-based similarity shows high sensitivity for gray matter differences, T1-weighted intensity shows sensitivity for the detection of white matter differences.
Risk-based fault detection and diagnosis for nonlinear and non-Gaussian process systems using R-vine copula

Abstract This paper presents a risk-based fault detection and diagnosis methodology for nonlinear and non-Gaussian process systems using the R-vine copula and the event tree. The R-vine model provides a multivariate probability that is used in the event tree to generate a dynamic risk profile. An abnormal situation is detected from the monitored risk profile; subsequently, root cause(s) diagnosis is carried out. A fault diagnosis module is also proposed using the density quantiles, developed from marginal probabilities. The performance of this methodology is benchmarked using the Tennessee Eastman chemical process. The proposed risk-based framework has also been applied to an experimental setup and a real industrial isomer separator unit. The diagnosis module is found sensitive to both single and simultaneous faults. The results confirm that the proposed methodology provides better performance than the conventional principal component analysis and transfer entropy-based fault diagnosis techniques using the advantage of marginal density quantile analysis.
Further evidence that sex matters in lung development: maternal asthma and infant lung function.

Over the last four decades, birth cohort studies have materially improved our understanding of the early origins of respiratory disease. In this issue, Belinelo et al present evidence from the bern infant lung development (BILD) and breathing for life trial (BLT) cohorts demonstrating that maternal asthma is associated with altered tidal breathing patterns in male infants.1 The BILD cohort recruited healthy neonates from 1999 to 2010 to further understand the complex interactions of environment and genetics on lung development and respiratory disease. In contrast, the BLT was a clinical trial to investigate the utility of the fractional concentration of exhaled nitric oxide in guiding medical management of asthma in pregnant women which included prospective infant follow-up. This analysis uses a combined data set of the two cohorts to look at the link between maternal asthma and tidal breathing parameters in young infants.1 The authors found that male infants born to mothers with asthma had a lower ratio of the time to peak tidal expiratory flow to total expiratory time (tPTEF/tE%).1 This breathing pattern is compatible with a longer respiratory system time constant and has been shown to be associated with later wheezing in early life2 and asthma up to age 36.3 Low lung function in infancy not only precedes and predicts later respiratory problems it also seems to partly determine …
Low-frequency neural tracking of speech amplitude envelope reflects the convolution of evoked responses to acoustic edges, not oscillatory entrainment

Abstract The amplitude envelope of speech is crucial for accurate comprehension, and several studies have shown that the phase of neural activity in the theta-delta bands (1 - 10 Hz) tracks the phase of the speech amplitude envelope during listening, a process referred to as envelope tracking. However, the mechanisms underlying envelope tracking have been heavily debated. A dominant model posits that envelope tracking reflects continuous entrainment of endogenous low-frequency oscillations to the speech envelope. However, it has proven challenging to distinguish this from the alternative model that envelope tracking reflects a convolution of evoked responses to acoustic landmarks within the envelope. To address this, we recorded magnetoencephalography while participants listened to natural and slowed speech. First, we found that peaks in the rate of envelope change, acoustic edge landmarks, induced a strong evoked response. We then contrasted central diverging predictions of evoked response and oscillatory models regarding the spectral and temporal extent of neural phase locking in the theta-delta range at different speech rates. Our analyses revealed transient theta phase locking at both speech rates and delta phase locking in slow speech. This pattern was predicted by the evoked response model but not by oscillatory entrainment. Furthermore, the encoding of acoustic edge magnitudes was invariant to contextual speech rate, demonstrating speech rate normalization of acoustic edge representations. Taken together, our results show that an evoked response model provides a better account of neural phase locking to the speech envelope than oscillatory entrainment.
Abstract 16854: Left Atrial Dysfunction and Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation in LMNA Cardiomyopathy

Introduction: LMNA cardiomyopathy is characterized by a high incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and an increased risk for AF-related stroke. AF commonly occurs before apparent cardiomyopathy, an...
Skewed Cytokine Responses Rather Than the Magnitude of the Cytokine Storm May Drive Cardiac Dysfunction in Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children.

Background Cardiac dysfunction is a prominent feature of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), yet the etiology is poorly understood. We determined whether dysfunction is global or regional, and whether it is associated with the cytokine milieu, microangiopathy, or severity of shock. Methods and Results We analyzed echocardiographic parameters of myocardial deformation and compared global and segmental left ventricular strain between 43 cases with MIS-C ≤18 years old and 40 controls. Primary outcomes included left ventricular global longitudinal strain, right ventricular free wall strain), and left atrial strain. We evaluated relationships between strain and profiles of 10 proinflammatory cytokines, microangiopathic features (soluble C5b9), and vasoactive-inotropic requirements. Compared with controls, cases with MIS-C had significant impairments in all parameters of systolic and diastolic function. 65% of cases with MIS-C had abnormal left ventricular function (|global longitudinal strain|<17%), although elevations of cytokines were modest. All left ventricular segments were involved, without apical or basal dominance to suggest acute stress cardiomyopathy. Worse global longitudinal strain correlated with higher ratios of interleukin-6 (ρ -0.43) and interleukin-8 (ρ -0.43) to total hypercytokinemia, but not absolute levels of interleukin-6 or interleukin-8, or total hypercytokinemia. Similarly, worse right ventricular free wall strain correlated with higher relative interleukin-8 expression (ρ -0.59). There were no significant associations between function and microangiopathy or vasoactive-inotropic requirements. Conclusions Myocardial function is globally decreased in MIS-C and not explained by acute stress cardiomyopathy. Cardiac dysfunction may be driven by the relative skew of the immune response toward interleukin-6 and interleukin-8 pathways, more so than degree of hyperinflammation, refining the current paradigm of myocardial involvement in MIS-C.
One Nanometer HfO2-Based Ferroelectric Tunnel Junctions on Silicon

Author(s): Cheema, SS; Shanker, N; Hsu, CH; Datar, A; Bae, J; Kwon, D; Salahuddin, S | Abstract: In ferroelectric materials, spontaneous symmetry breaking leads to a switchable electric polarization, which offers significant promise for nonvolatile memories. In particular, ferroelectric tunnel junctions (FTJs) have emerged as a new resistive switching memory which exploits polarization-dependent tunnel current across a thin ferroelectric barrier. This work integrates FTJs with complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor-compatible Zr-doped HfO2 (Zr:HfO2) ferroelectric barriers of just 1 nm thickness, grown by atomic layer deposition on silicon. These 1 nm Zr:HfO2 tunnel junctions exhibit large polarization-driven electroresistance (g20 000%), the largest value reported for HfO2-based FTJs. In addition, due to just a 1 nm ferroelectric barrier, these junctions provide large tunneling current (g1 A cm−2) at low read voltage, orders of magnitude larger than reported thicker HfO2-based FTJs. Therefore, this proof-of-principle demonstration provides an approach to simultaneously overcome three major drawbacks of prototypical FTJs: a Si-compatible ultrathin ferroelectric, large electroresistance, and large read current for high-speednoperation.
Development of a New Fiber Metal Laminate Variant Optimized for Cold Expansion and Riveting of Holes

The increased use of fiber metal laminates (FML) in aerospace structural applications led to an investigation into whether current FML layups could be improved to provide a better response during cold expansion and riveting of holes. Static measurements of the residual strain during cold expansion of holes were made using digital image correlation. Various grades of FML as well as 2024-T3 aluminum were investigated with the results leading to the design of a new FML layup. Static strength testing of this new FML variant demonstrated that its elastic modulus compared well to more traditional FML.
Parameter estimation in stochastic differential equations

Continuous Sampling.- Parametric Stochastic Differential Equations.- Rates of Weak Convergence of Estimators in Homogeneous Diffusions.- Large Deviations of Estimators in Homogeneous Diffusions.- Local Asymptotic Mixed Normality for Nonhomogeneous Diffusions.- Bayes and Sequential Estimation in Stochastic PDEs.- Maximum Likelihood Estimation in Fractional Diffusions.- Discrete Sampling.- Approximate Maximum Likelihood Estimation in Nonhomogeneous Diffusions.- Rates of Weak Convergence of Estimators in the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process.- Local Asymptotic Normality for Discretely Observed Homogeneous Diffusions.- Estimating Function for Discretely Observed Homogeneous Diffusions.
Genes required for ionizing radiation resistance in yeast.

The ability of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to tolerate ionizing radiation damage requires many DNA-repair and checkpoint genes, most having human orthologs. A genome-wide screen of diploid mutants homozygous with respect to deletions of 3,670 nonessential genes revealed 107 new loci that influence γ-ray sensitivity. Many affect replication, recombination and checkpoint functions. Nearly 90% were sensitive to other agents, and most new genes could be assigned to the following functional groups: chromatin remodeling, chromosome segregation, nuclear pore formation, transcription, Golgi/vacuolar activities, ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, cytokinesis, mitochondrial activity and cell wall maintenance. Over 50% share homology with human genes, including 17 implicated in cancer, indicating that a large set of newly identified human genes may have related roles in the toleration of radiation damage.
Much Ado About Dictum; or, How to Evade Precedent Without Really Trying: The Distinction between Holding and Dictum

From the birth of our Republic, starting with Chief Justice Marshall in Cohens v. Virginia, judges and scholars alike have grappled with the distinction between holding and dictum. However, neither the judiciary nor the academy has been able to come up with a consistent and workable definition of these two concepts. This article attempts to shine some light on this perplexing issue. This article proceeds as follows. In Part I, I will discuss some of the simpler, yet unsatisfying definitions of dictum, and introduce some of the easy cases, where distinguishing dictum from holding is relatively straightforward. Next, I will chronicle the Supreme Court's erratic approach to dealing with dictum, and show how this uncertainty has left a gaping void in our jurisprudence. Next, I will discuss prior scholarly attempts to define dictum, and show why their approaches are inadequate, as they only focus on Supreme Court cases, and ignore how the inferior courts treat the distinction.In Part II, I will confront the task where others have not ventured, and systematically survey and analyze over four hundred court cases that distinguish between dictum and holding. After explaining my methodology and framework, I will attempt to answer three critical questions. First, what is dicta worth? Second, whose dicta must/should/can courts follow? Third, how do courts define dicta? These three questions reveal clues to understanding how courts have treated dictum, and what the distinction means in practice. In Part III, I will analyze the results from Part II. Based on the arbitrary nature with which courts define dictum, and the varying weight courts assign to dictum, even from superior courts, I conclude that the holding/dictum distinction is a standardless standard. Unlike generally accepted standards of review, labeling an opinion as holding or dictum is an entirely subjective process, which I argue enables judges to easily evade precedent without needing to justify the departure; or in the alternative create precedent where none existed before. Next, I analyze precedent, stare decisis, and dictum through the lenses two jurisprudential schools, legal formalism and realism. I conclude with a legal realist argument, that the distinction between dicta and holding is inextricably linked with a judge's views on precedent.
Multiple Forms of Pseudomonas multivorans Glucose-6-Phosphate and 6-Phosphogluconate Dehydrogenases: Differences in Size, Pyridine Nucleotide Specificity, and Susceptibility to Inhibition by Adenosine 5′-Triphosphate

Abstract Two major species of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) differing in size, pyridine nucleotide specificity, and susceptibility to inhibition by adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) were detected in extracts of Pseudomonas multivorans (which has recently been shown to be synonymous with the species Pseudomonas cepacia) ATCC 17616. The large species (molecular weight ca. 230,000) was active with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) or nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP) and was markedly inhibited by ATP, which decreased its affinity for glucose-6-phosphate and for pyridine nucleotides. This form of the enzyme exhibited homotropic effects for glucose-6-phosphate. The small species (molecular weight ca. 96,000) was active with NADP but not with NAD, was not inhibited by ATP, and exhibited no homotropic effects for glucose-6-phosphate. Under certain conditions multiplicity of 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.43) activities was also noted. One form of the enzyme (80,000 molecular weight) was active with either NAD or NADP and was inhibited by ATP, which decreased its affinity for 6-phosphogluconate. The other form (120,000 molecular weight) was highly specific for NADP and was not susceptible to inhibition by ATP. Neither form of the enzyme exhibited homotropic effects for 6-phosphogluconate. The possible relationships between the different species of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase are discussed.
Digestion and Metabolism

Digestion is classically defined as the preparation of food by the animal for absorption. As such, this may include mechanical reduction of particle size (grinding by pharyngeal teeth or gizzard), enzyme solubilization of organics, pH solubilization of inorganics, and emulsification of lipids. Thus, absorption includes the various processes that allow ions and molecules to pass through membranes of the intestinal tract into the blood to be metabolized by the animal. In a less formal context, digestion is often broadly used to describe both processes.
Dynamic thiol exchange with β-sulfido-α,β-unsaturated carbonyl compounds and dithianes

A reversible covalent bond exchange of thiols, β-sulfido-α,β-unsaturated carbonyls, and dithianes has been studied in DMSO and D2O/DMSO mixtures. The equilibrium between thiols and β-sulfido-α,β-unsaturated carbonyls is obtained within a few hours, while the equilibration starting with the β-dithiane carbonyls and thiols requires a few days. This time scale makes the system ideal for utilization in dynamic combinatorial chemistry.
Primordial magnetic fields generated in the quark-hadron transition.

We propose a mechanism by which magnetic fields of magnitude up to 10 $^{8}$ G are generated at the quark-hadron phase transition. The primordial field is generated by currents formed at the boundaries between the quark and hadron phases, where charge separation occurs. We estimate the magnetic field generated during this phase and discuss its subsequent evolution and possible implications at later times. Today, this seed field would have an amplitude \ensuremath{\lesssim}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}10}$ \ensuremath{\mu}G on scales of \ensuremath{\sim} 1 pc in the intergalactic medium, and in the galactic interstellar medium it would correspond to \ensuremath{\lesssim}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}5}$ \ensuremath{\mu}G on scales of \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{3}$ AU and \ensuremath{\lesssim}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}14}$ \ensuremath{\mu}G on kpc scales. The generated field may act as a seed for galactic and stellar fields.
Evolving Land-Atmosphere Interactions over North America from CMIP5 Simulations

AbstractLong-term changes in land–atmosphere interactions during spring and summer are examined over North America. A suite of models from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project simulating preindustrial, historical, and severe future climate change scenarios are examined for changes in soil moisture, surface fluxes, atmospheric boundary layer characteristics, and metrics of land–atmosphere coupling.Simulations of changes from preindustrial to modern conditions show warming brings stronger surface fluxes at high latitudes, while subtropical regions of North America respond with drier conditions. There is a clear anthropogenic aerosol response in midlatitudes that reduces surface radiation and heat fluxes, leading to shallower boundary layers and lower cloud base. Over the Great Plains, the signal does not reflect a purely radiatively forced response, showing evidence that the expansion of agriculture may have offset the aerosol impacts on the surface energy and water cycle.Future changes show...
Analysis of a plane strain neck in a flat sheet

Abstract The Bridgman analysis gives the stress distribution at the minimum cross section in a neck in a flat tensile specimen. This analysis is essentially one-dimensional since only variation through the thickness is considered. In the present analysis the assumptions made by Bridgman are considered valid for other cross sections close to a plane strain neck. A method used previously by the authors for the analysis of round bar necks is used to extend the Bridgman analysis to obtain the full, three-dimensional stress distribution near the minimum cross section.
Behaviors in the Home Cage Reveal Toxicity: Recent Findings and Proposals for the Future

Nervous system impairment is prominent among signs of chemical toxicity in humans and animals, yet evaluation of behavioral and neurologic responses is seldom included in premarket screening. The sensitivity and validity of automatically recorded rodent locomotor activity, whether inside or outside of the home cage, justifies its inclusion in first-tier testing. Home cage behaviors are studied in the toxicologic laboratory using quantitative techniques from behavioral neuroscience. A practical, noninvasive, automated system was developed and validated at New York University, in accord with Federal guidelines for testing neurotoxicity. Effects of neurotoxicants on motor activity, eating, drinking, and the daily cycle of rest-activity indicate sensitivity to a variety of chemicals as well as new avenues to the understanding of mechanisms of toxicity. The rat's pattern of nocturnal activity is particularly sensitive to neurotoxicants and thus deserves additional attention, The coefficient of variability of various end points did not correlate with sensitivity to toxicants. This underscores the need for behavioral data to supplement theoretical considerations in test selection. The system's advantages are economy, high data capacity, humaneness, accessible and well-known end points, widely available equipment, automation, and the potential for direct comparisons of several different animal species.
Brennverfahrens-Entwicklung für die neuen Dieselmotoren in leichten Nutzfahrzeugen von Ford und PSA

Erstmals wurde im Rahmen der Zusammenarbeit zwischen Ford Motor Company und PSA Peugeot Citroen eine Dieselmotorenfamilie speziell fur leichte Nutzfahrzeuganwendungen entwickelt. Trotz Ubernahme der Grundarchitektur des Vorgangermotors konnte eine Reihe technischer Neuheiten eingefuhrt werden, die den technischen Status im Nutzfahrzeugbereich nochmals anheben. Die Entwicklung des Brennverfahrens bildete den Schwerpunkt der Arbeiten, die unter Leitung des Ford Forschungszentrums Aachen durchgefuhrt wurden. Die Motoren erfullen die Auflagen der EU4-Abgasgesetzgebung fur leichte Nutzfahrzeuge bei gleichzeitig niedrigem Kraftstoffverbrauch.
The Human Phenomenon

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin The Human Phenomenon Translated by Sarah Appleton-Weber, East Sussex: Sussex Academic Press, 1999. 320 pp. $29.95 (paperback) ISBN-13: 978-1902210 308 For many years Bern...
Liquid–liquid segmented flows in polycarbonate microchannels with cross-sectional expansions ☆

Abstract Liquid–liquid segmented flows in microchannels fabricated on polycarbonate test chips were investigated experimentally. Three different cross-sectional expansion ratios of 16, 4, and 2 from the injection to the test channels were used to observe the effect of different cross-sectional areas of the injection channel on the segmented flow regimes in the test channel. Flow regime maps and the transitions between flow regimes were determined for the different expansion ratios. The effect of the cross-sectional expansion ratio was determined by mutual comparison of these results. The measured length of the dispersed fluid segments was found to scale inversely with the carrier fluid volumetric flow ratio ( β C ). A simplified geometric model for the volume of the dispersed and the carrier fluid plugs provided good estimates of the carrier plug length, which scaled inversely with (1 − β C ). Velocity and pressure drop measurements of the liquid–liquid segmented flows were carried out for all flow regimes, and the associated trends were correlated with changes in the flow topology. Most previous homogeneous and separated flow models based on the viscous frictional pressure drop underestimated the measured pressure drops. Including the contribution of the capillary pressure drop in addition to the frictional pressure drop improved the agreement with the measured data.
Impact of the GH-cortisol ratio on the age-dependent changes in body composition.

Aging is associated with a decrease in GH levels and this is paralleled by changes in body composition, i.e., increased visceral fat, and decreased lean body mass and bone mineral density. Similar changes in body composition are seen in the state of hypercortisolism. Increasing age has been shown to be associated with elevated evening cortisol levels in men. An increased exposure of several tissues to glucocorticoids with aging, i.e., visceral fat cells, in combination with the reduction of the lipolytic effects of declining GH levels, may contribute to the age-dependent increase of visceral fat accumulation. We hypothesize that the age-dependent changes in body fat are the result of an age-dependent decrease of the GH/cortisol ratio at the level of the adipocyte. This is caused by the decline in GH concentrations and the increase in cortisol levels and/or metabolism at the adipocyte.
Characterization of a human gene encoding nucleosomal binding protein NSBP1.

We characterize the cDNA and genomic structure of NSBP1, and demonstrate that it is a nuclear protein and the homologue of mouse Nsbp1, which is known to encode a nucleosomal binding and transcriptional activating protein related to the HMG-14/-17 chromosomal proteins. The encoded NSBP1 protein has 86% amino acid similarity to Nsbp1, including identity in nucleosomal binding domains of the HMG-14/-17 proteins. Our radiation hybrid data localize NSBP1 and Nsbp1 to homologous regions of chromosome X, with NSBP1 in Xq13.3 between DXS983 and DXS995 and Nsbp1 in the interval DXMit65 and DXMit39. Although Nsbp1 produces one mRNA transcript, NSBP1 produces three transcripts with alternate polyadenylated sites. The 3′ untranslated region (UTR) of NSPB1 mRNA also contains several AU-rich elements (AREs), which are associated with rapid mRNA turnover. Northern analysis of NSBP1/Nsbp1 shows differences in transcript abundance among adult and fetal tissues, with predominant expression in liver, kidney, trabecular bone, and bone marrow stromal cells. However, a reverse transcriptase-PCR analysis shows nearly ubiquitous expression of the three NSBP1 transcripts in all tissues examined, although the abundance of each transcript was not quantified. NSBP1 is encoded by six exons and has exon–intron boundaries identical to the HMG-14/-17 genes. The last exon and the 3′ UTR of NSBP1 contain retrotransposon sequences of HAL1, HERV-H, and L1MB7, suggesting that these retrotransposons were involved in the origin of NSPB1 from an ancestral-like HMG-14/-17 gene. The similarities among NSBP1, Nsbp1, and the HMG-14/-17 proteins suggest that NSBP1 may function as a nucleosomal binding and transcriptional activating element. Further, the AREs in the 3′ UTR of NSPB1 suggest that alternate poly(A) site selection may mediate the mRNA stability of this gene.
The system CaO-Al2O3-CaCl2-H2O at 23±2 °C and the mechanisms of chloride binding in concrete

Abstract The stable quaternary diagram for the system CaO-Al 2 O 3 -CaCl 2 -H 2 O at 23±4 °C has been constructed. Among the phases in this system are the calcium oxychlorides Ca(OH) 2 .CaCl 2 .H 2 O and 3Ca(OH) 2 .CaCl 2 .12H 2 O. The formation of Friedel's salt (FS) and calcium oxychlorides provides a mechanism for chloride binding in Portland cement concrete. The compatibility relationships involving these compounds, FS and Ca(OH) 2 , were established empirically, and 3Ca(OH) 2 .CaCl 2 .12H 2 O was found not to coexist in equilibrium with FS. The solubility behaviors of these compounds may play a role in affecting temperature-dependent corrosion rates. Additionally, the formation of oxychlorides from solutions containing elevated concentrations of NaCl may provide a mechanism by which ASR is facilitated.
Semiparametric Estimation of Treatment Effect with Time-Lagged Response in the Presence of Informative Censoring

In many randomized clinical trials, the primary response variable, for example, the survival time, is not observed directly after the patients enroll in the study but rather observed after some period of time (lag time). It is often the case that such a response variable is missing for some patients due to censoring that occurs when the study ends before the patient’s response is observed or when the patients drop out of the study. It is often assumed that censoring occurs at random which is referred to as noninformative censoring; however, in many cases such an assumption may not be reasonable. If the missing data are not analyzed properly, the estimator or test for the treatment effect may be biased. In this paper, we use semiparametric theory to derive a class of consistent and asymptotically normal estimators for the treatment effect parameter which are applicable when the response variable is right censored. The baseline auxiliary covariates and post-treatment auxiliary covariates, which may be time-dependent, are also considered in our semiparametric model. These auxiliary covariates are used to derive estimators that both account for informative censoring and are more efficient then the estimators which do not consider the auxiliary covariates.
Advancing sexual science: Strategic analysis and planning

If sexual science is to advance, sexual scientists must strategically analyze critical issues and strategically plan their future. Four critical issues must be solved: (a) increasing recognition, (b) developing scientists, (c) securing resources, and (d) reducing sex‐negative bias. The strategy for the overall direction of sexual science is determined by prioritizing strategic areas. The driving force—the principle criterion for planning and decision‐making—of sexual science is: technology—broadly conceived as a scholarly body of knowledge, reproducible and subject to frequent updating and extension through scientific research. In the past, members’ needs were the driving force of organizations like the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex. However, if sexual science is to advance, sexual scientists must recognize that their central purpose is the advancement of sexual knowledge. The mission of sexual science is: (a) to advance scientific knowledge of human sexuality, (b) to develop sexual scientists, ...