cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On solving large-scale low-rank zero-sum security games of incomplete information

Zero-sum games are useful to model the strategic interactions between an attacker and a defender over a network. The computation of the equilibrium solutions become challenging when entries of the payoff matrix are either partially or completely unknown. The uncertainties of the game often arise from the error in the observations and the incomplete information on the structure of the game. In this work, we leverage low-rank features of the security games to establish a robust computational framework that enables to solve games of incomplete information and compute their security strategies. We characterize the upper and the lower security values of the games using two robust and convex optimization problems in which the players compute the worst-case strategies subject to their unknown. The robust framework is compared with the benchmark matrix completion approach in which saddle-point equilibrium strategies are computed after the matrix is completed using rank optimization. Our numerical results have shown that the strategy found by using the holistic robust optimization method can outperform the matrix completion method in the prediction of the attacker and defender strategies.
Implementation and stability analysis of discrete-time filters for approximating frequency-dependent impedance functions in the time domain

Abstract This work presents the implementation and stability analysis of a method to account for inertial soil-structure interaction (SSI) in time-history analyses, which is achieved by approximating nominally frequency-dependent foundation impedance functions in the time domain using discrete-time digital filters. The method is demonstrated using a multi-story shear building supported by a rigid disk foundation resting atop a uniform soil half-space and subjected to a horizontal ground motion. The soil-foundation-structure system's equations of motion are numerically integrated to determine its time-history response. The results are verified through comparison to those obtained both through frequency domain analyses and through sampling of the foundation impedance functions at a representative frequency. Numerical stability of the method is examined both analytically and numerically; and it was determined that the stability of the filter and the stability of the time-stepping method adopted do not guarantee that their combination will be stable as well.
Magnesium Presence Prevents Removal of Antigenic Nuclear-Associated Proteins from Bovine Pericardium for Heart Valve Engineering.

Current heart valve prostheses are associated with significant complications, including aggressive immune response, limited valve life expectancy, and inability to grow in juvenile patients. Animal derived “tissue” valves undergo glutaraldehyde fixation to mask tissue antigenicity; however, chronic immunological responses and associated calcification still commonly occur. A heart valve formed from an unfixed bovine pericardium (BP) extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffold, in which antigenic burden has been eliminated or significantly reduced, has potential to overcome deficiencies of current bioprostheses. Decellularization and antigen removal methods frequently use sequential solutions extrapolated from analytical chemistry approaches to promote solubility and removal of tissue components from resultant ECM scaffolds. However, the extent to which such prefractionation strategies may inhibit removal of antigenic tissue components has not been explored. We hypothesize that presence of magnesium in prefractiona...
Outcomes of a Therapeutic Gardening Program in a Mental Health Recovery Center

This study evaluated outcomes of a therapeutic gardening project in a community mental health center. The authors worked with 20 adults with severe mental illnesses, to plan, build, and care for ra...
Analyzing the dependence of oxygen incorporation current density on overpotential and oxygen partial pressure in mixed conducting oxide electrodes

The oxygen incorporation reaction, which involves the transformation of an oxygen gas molecule to two lattice oxygen ions in a mixed ionic and electronic conducting solid, is a ubiquitous and fundamental reaction in solid-state electrochemistry. To understand the reaction pathway and to identify the rate-determining step, near-equilibrium measurements have been employed to quantify the exchange coefficients as a function of oxygen partial pressure and temperature. However, because the exchange coefficient contains contributions from both forward and reverse reaction rate constants and depends on both oxygen partial pressure and oxygen fugacity in the solid, unique and definitive mechanistic assessment has been challenging. In this work, we derive a current density equation as a function of both oxygen partial pressure and overpotential, and consider both near and far from equilibrium limits. Rather than considering specific reaction pathways, we generalize the multi-step oxygen incorporation reaction into the rate-determining step, preceding and following quasi-equilibrium steps, and consider the number of oxygen ions and electrons involved in each. By evaluating the dependence of current density on oxygen partial pressure and overpotential separately, one obtains the reaction orders for oxygen gas molecules and for solid-state species in the electrode. We simulated the oxygen incorporation current density-overpotential curves for praseodymium-doped ceria for various candidate rate-determining steps. This work highlights a promising method for studying the exchange kinetics far away from equilibrium.
Global Fútbol, the Masked Fan, and Flat Screen Arenas: Mexican Soccer Communities in the USA and the Genesis of the Tricolor Brand in Global Landscapes, 1970–2012

This chapter analyzes the profile, evolution, and transformation of Mexican soccer communities in the USA in the context of current globalization processes that are redefining national identities, recreational activities, ideals of youth and manhood, and consumer practices among people of Mexican descent in the USA. Focusing on the interactions and connections US–Mexican soccer communities have developed with the Mexican national team and with the increasingly dominant sports global media, this examination discusses new ways of producing and framing Mexican nationalist symbols. This chapter contends that the formation of Mexican global sporting communities in the USA is more than a response to the brandification of the Mexican national soccer team in American sports arenas and media outlets. It is also a ritual of resistance to the post-9/11 xenophobic waves, a self-mediatized effort to challenge Mexican stereotypes in multimedia America, and a celebration of the Mexican resilience.
Kawasaki Syndrome. An Important Consideration in the Febrile Child

Many aspects of Kawasaki syndrome remain a mystery. The cause of the disease has eluded researchers, and its pathophysiology is a subject of much debate. However, the diagnostic features have been identified: A significant fever for at least 5 days, bilateral nonexudative conjunctivitis, erythema of the palms and soles, a polymorphic diffuse rash, cervical lymphadenopathy, and injection of the mouth and oropharynx. The recently instituted treatment protocol of high-dose aspirin with gamma globulin (Gamastan, Gammar) helps patients recover more quickly and with fewer potentially life-threatening sequelae than does aspirin alone.
A framework to find the logic backbone of a biological network

Cellular behaviors are governed by interaction networks among biomolecules, for example gene regulatory and signal transduction networks. An often used dynamic modeling framework for these networks, Boolean modeling, can obtain their attractors (which correspond to cell types and behaviors) and their trajectories from an initial state (e.g. a resting state) to the attractors, for example in response to an external signal. The existing methods however do not elucidate the causal relationships between distant nodes in the network. In this work, we propose a simple logic framework, based on categorizing causal relationships as sufficient or necessary, as a complement to Boolean networks. We identify and explore the properties of complex subnetworks that are distillable into a single logic relationship. We also identify cyclic subnetworks that ensure the stabilization of the state of participating nodes regardless of the rest of the network. We identify the logic backbone of biomolecular networks, consisting of external signals, self-sustaining cyclic subnetworks (stable motifs), and output nodes. Furthermore, we use the logic framework to identify crucial nodes whose override can drive the system from one steady state to another. We apply these techniques to two biological networks: the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition network corresponding to a developmental process exploited in tumor invasion, and the network of abscisic acid induced stomatal closure in plants. We find interesting subnetworks with logical implications in these networks. Using these subgraphs and motifs, we efficiently reduce both networks to succinct backbone structures. The logic representation identifies the causal relationships between distant nodes and subnetworks. This knowledge can form the basis of network control or used in the reverse engineering of networks.
Consistency, not speed: temporal regularity as a metacognitive cue.

We examined the hypothesis that skilled performance is monitored on the basis of fluency, where fluency is operationally defined as temporal regularity or rhythmicity rather than speed. Since error is often associated with variable timing, we tested the possibility that people use varied timing as a metacognitive cue. Using a sequential counting task, which may be representative of the broader class of skilled, multi-step tasks, we found that shifting between irregular and regular timing led to greater confidence ratings when the timing associated with the task was regular. We argue that regular, consistent timing, when compared directly to irregular timing, produced feelings of fluent task performance, leading to increased confidence. In the first experiment, we demonstrated that both accuracy and confidence were higher when participants completed a task presented with regular timing. In the second experiment, we found a dissociation between accuracy and confidence, strengthening the argument that individuals relied on monitoring of fluency to support their metacognitive judgments. In Study 3 and an assessment of naive beliefs, we ruled out alternative explanations for these findings.
Why Liberals Should Chuck the Exclusionary Rule

This article makes the case against the exclusionary rule from a "liberal" perspective. Moving beyond the inconclusive empirical data on the efficacy of the rule, it uses behavioral and motivational theory to demonstrate why the rule is structurally unable to deter individual police officers from performing most unconstitutional searches and seizures. It also argues, contrary to liberal dogma, that the rule is poor at promoting Fourth Amendment values at the systemic, departmental level. Finally, the article contends that the rule stultifies liberal interpretation of the Fourth Amendment, in large part because of judicial heuristics that grow out of constant exposure to litigants with dirty hands. It also explains why noninstrumental justifications for the rule, even when viewed from a liberal bias, fail to support a broad policy of exclusion. In place of the exclusionary rule, the article proposes an administrative damages regime in which actions for Fourth Amendment violations would be brought directly against police officers and departments. The proposed regime includes: (1) liquidated damages for all constitutional violations, (2) personal liability for officers who knowingly or recklessly violate the Fourth Amendment, (3) departmental liability for all other violations, (4) state-paid legal assistance for all Fourth Amendment claims, and (5) a judicial decisionmaker. The article demonstrates how this regime would be superior to the exclusionary rule not only in deterring individual Fourth Amendment violations, but also in encouraging use of warrants, invigorating judicial review, diminishing racism on the beat, curbing perjury, improving hiring and training practices, and promoting respect for the system.
Strategies for laser cooling of Yb-doped ZBLAN and silica single-mode optical fiber (Conference Presentation)

Radiation-balanced lasers are lasers where the heat generation in the gain medium is compensated by optical refrigeration due to anti-Stokes fluorescence emission. To investigate the feasibility of RBL operation in an optical fiber, a diagnostic test and a comprehensive model are essential. The model presented here is based on a two-level system and includes the intensity saturation effect, which has been usually neglected in bulk materials. We will show that for a material with a very low dopant area such as a single mode fiber (SMF) in which the saturation power is easily attainable, there is an optimum power at which the best cooling efficiency is obtained. The effect of the dopant density on the cooling power is investigated to find the maximum cooling efficiency which can be extracted for the material. We also present data for the extraction efficiency and other parameters of commercial Yb:ZBLAN glass and Yb:Silicate SMFs to discuss their cooling feasibility. Due to the structural defects, a double exponential behavior is usually observed in the fluorescence decay of the fibers that includes an slow and a fast decay channels. Some of the ions usually reside in the fast decay side and cause a large decrease in the heat extraction efficiency. Using our model, we will first analytically show that there is a maximum limit for the fast decay lifetime below which the cooling can still be functional and secondly discuss the effect of the measured decay lifetimes on the cooling efficiency.
Summation of pain produced in different anatomical regions

Unescapable shock was administered to rats in a spatial preference task through pairs of electrodes implanted subcutaneously near the neck and tail. The animals were permitted to choose between shock through both pairs of electrodes or through one pair by crossing from one side of a cage to the other. Rats preferred shock in two locations to an equal amount in one location. The results indicate that summation of pain is greater when stimuli are added in the same rather than in different places. When two aversive stimuli, such as noise and shock, are administered to rats, the aversive properties of the two stimuli summate (Campbell, 1968). However, results from human psychophysics indicate that summation is the exception, rather than the rule, when stimuli interact. For instance, vibrotactile stimulation
Enhanced sampling of interdomain motion using map-restrained Langevin Dynamics and NMR: Application to Pin1

Many signaling proteins consist of globular domains connected by flexible linkers that allow for substantial domain motion. Because these domains often serve as complementary functional modules, the possibility of functionally important domain motions arises. To explore this possibility, we require knowledge of the ensemble of protein conformations sampled by interdomain motion. Measurements of NMR residual dipolar couplings (RDCs) of backbone HN bonds offer a per-residue characterization of interdomain dynamics, as the couplings are sensitive to domain orientation. A challenge in reaching this potential is the need to interpret the RDCs as averages over dynamic ensembles of domain conformations. Here, we address this challenge by introducing an efficient protocol for generating conformational ensembles appropriate for flexible, multi-domain proteins. The protocol uses map-restrained self-guided Langevin dynamics simulations to promote collective, interdomain motion while restraining the internal domain motion to near rigidity. Critically, the simulations retain an all-atom description for facile inclusion of site-specific NMR RDC restraints. The result is the rapid generation of conformational ensembles consistent with the RDC data. We illustrate this protocol on human Pin1, a two-domain peptidyl-prolyl isomerase relevant for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. The results include the ensemble of domain orientations sampled by Pin1, as well as those of a dysfunctional variant, I28A-Pin1. The differences between the ensembles corroborate our previous spin relaxation results that showed weakened interdomain contact in the I28A variant relative to wild type. Our protocol extends our abilities to explore the functional significance of protein domain motions.
Development of New Transferable Coarse-Grained Models of Hydrocarbons.

We have utilized an approach that integrates molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with particle swarm optimization (PSO) to accelerate the development of coarse-grained (CG) models of hydrocarbons. Specifically, we have developed new transferable CG beads, which can be used to model the hydrocarbons (C5 to C17) and reproduce their experimental properties with good accuracy. First, the PSO method was used to develop the CG beads of the decane model represented with a 2:1 (2-2-2-2-2) mapping scheme. This was followed by the development of the nonane model described with hybrid 2-2-3-2 and 3:1 (3-3-3) mapping schemes. The force-field parameters for these three CG models were optimized to reproduce four experimentally observed properties including density, enthalpy of vaporization, surface tension, and self-diffusion coefficient at 300 K. The CG MD simulations conducted with these new CG models of decane and nonane, at different timesteps, for various system sizes, and at a range of different temperatures, wer...
Growth, Reproduction, and Differentiation in Acanthamoeba

Publisher Summary Acanthamebas are attractive models for the study of several major problems in eukaryotic cell and developmental biology. The ease with which a variety of strains can be grown in axenic or chemically defined media and the simplicity of the single-cell differentiation are very useful attributes. Acanthamebas grow either as monolayer or suspension cultures. Individual amebas migrate extensively when A . castellanii is seeded in axenic medium on glass, plastic, or bacteria-free agar surfaces and, consequently, fail to form colonies. Colony formation is observed when A . castellanii is grown in or on agar with yeast or bacteria. The occurrence of lipophosphonoglycan instead of glycoprotein in the plasma membrane, the prominent role of pinocytosis in soluble nutrient uptake, the branched mitochondrial electron transport chain, the phenomenon of amitosis, and the induction of differentiation by inhibitors of mitochondrial macromolecule synthesis are all unusual features. Moreover, acanthamebas have are beneficial in the study of the effect of visible light on cell multiplication and the influence of cell concentration on nuclear gene expression.
Using Participant Observation for Organizational Discovery and Systems Analysis: Global AIDS Program Uganda

Recent scaling up of HIV/AIDS treatment at one of the Global AIDS Program’s (GAP) major partner organizations required the CDC’s informatics team in Uganda to develop a clinical information system during a time of significant growth and change within the organization. Analysis of system utilization revealed numerous discrepancies between system functionality and the workflow of the clinic it was designed for. Participant observation was an effective data collection method for documenting the impact of the clinical information system on the organization, and for assessing the suitability of the system for the intended clinic.
Providing Pharmaceutical Care in a Physician Office

Abstract Objective To develop a physician office–based pharmaceutical care practice and evaluate the impact on the participating physicians, their staff, and patients. Setting Internal medicine physician office. Practice Description Two physicians and two nurses practice in a medical office complex in a rural setting in eastern Washington. Practice Innovation Development of an experimental pharmaceutical care program in which a registered pharmacist works in a physician office to evaluate the medication needs of patients and to provide pharmaceutical care and medication information to health professionals and patients. Main Outcome Measures Functions and interventions performed by the pharmacist; types of disease states in patients that were confronted by the pharmacist; summary of time spent with patients; and attitudes of physicians and patients concerning the pharmacist interventions. Results 660 pharmacist interventions or functions occurred during the seven months of the project. Of 107 recommendations to the physicians concerning changes in therapy, 89 were accepted. Patients suffered from 53 different disease states that were evaluated by the pharmacist. The pharmacist spent from less than 5 minutes to more than an hour with individual patients, 5 to 15minutes with the majority of patients. Both patients and physicians were impressed with the service and strongly desired to have it continued. Conclusion There is a career opportunity for pharmacists to provide pharmaceutical care in the setting of a physician office practice. Many of the barriers to providing pharmaceutical care can be eliminated or diminished in this setting.
Effects of body composition, pre- and postpartum energy level and early weaning on reproductive performance of beef cows and preweaning calf gain.

Mature Charolais x Angus rotational cross cows were adjusted to moderate body condition by d 190 of gestation then randomly blocked to a maintenance (ME) or low-energy (LE) diet. At parturition, the 128 cows were randomly allotted within prepartum (PRP) diet to a high-energy (HE) or LE diet. At d 30 postpartum (PP), cows were randomly blocked to two treatments in which calves were weaned early (EW) or normally (NW) at 7 mo of age. Cows receiving a LE PRP diet had lighter calves at birth (34.7 vs 39.0 kg) and 105 d (127.9 vs 144.6 kg). Prepartum and PP energy interacted to affect postpartum anestrous interval (PPI, d) and cycling activity (%), respectively (LE-LE = 72.6, 33.3; LE-HE = 54.3, 56.3; ME-LE = 65.7, 52.9; ME-HE = 68.4, 54.3). High PP energy averaged over PRP diet increased (P less than .10) pregnancy rate by 22.7% and 105-d calf weight by 15.1 kg. Early weaning reduced PPI by 24.3 d (P less than .01) and first service conception rate by 21.7% (P less than .10). Cycling activity within 60 d PP was affected (P less than .01) by PRP diet and suckling status (LE-EW = 62.5, LE-NW = 26.7, ME-EW = 88.9, ME-NW = 13.3%). Thin cows had a longer PPI but had a higher first service conception rate than moderate and fleshy cows. Higher pregnancy rates were observed in cows approaching or maintaining average body condition from parturition to conception than for cows moving away from moderate body condition. Results suggest that fleshy and thin cows at parturition should be managed to approach moderate body condition before the breeding season to optimize reproductive performance and preweaning calf gain.
Can There Really Be "Free Speech" in Public Schools?

The Supreme Court's decision in Morse v. Frederick leaves unresolved many interesting and difficult problems about the authority of public-school officials to regulate public-school students' speech. Perhaps the most intriguing question posed by the litigation, decision, and opinions in Morse is one that the various Justices who wrote in the case never squarely addressed: What is the basic educational mission of public schools, and what are the implications of this mission for officials' authority and students' free-speech rights? Given what we have come to think the Free Speech Clause means, and considering the values it is thought to enshrine and the dangers against which it is thought to protect, is it really possible for the freedom of speech to co-exist with the mission of the public schools? We all recall Justice Jackson's stirring rhetoric in the West Virginia flag-salute case: If there is any fixed star in our constitutional constellation, he proclaimed, it is that no official, high or petty, can prescribe what shall be orthodox in politics, nationalism, religion, or other matters of opinion[.] But, is this really true - could it be true? - in public schools?
Zinc Oxide Materials and Devices Grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy

Abstract Owing to its suitable material properties, such as large direct bandgap (3.37 eV) and large exciton binding energy (60 meV) and ease of production compared to other compound semiconductors, ZnO has been at the focus of momentous interest for potential applications in optical devices, transparent ohmic contacts, transparent thin film and heterostructure transistors, chemical/bio sensors, and piezotransducers. However, lack of reproducible and sufficient p-type conductivity in ZnO has so far prevented its introduction to the commercial light emitter applications. Like other semiconductor systems, advanced deposition methods such as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) has allowed invaluable insight into the growth dynamics and fundamental properties of ZnO thanks to its fine control over growth parameters. This chapter discusses MBE growth of ZnO and related materials and the progress in the development of high-quality epitaxial layers and ZnO-based devices after reviewing the growth-related material properties such as crystal structure, lattice parameters, and thermal properties. In addition to bandgap engineering, doping and heterostructure devices, mainly optical emitters and transistors based on ZnO, are discussed. It has been shown that ZnO could address niche applications such as transparent contacts and thin film transistors and polariton lasers. Moreover, further improvements in p-type conductivity in ZnO by codoping using MBE might pave the way for high-efficiency ZnO light emitting devices.
Output Feedback Reinforcement Learning Control for the Continuous-Time Linear Quadratic Regulator Problem

In this paper, we present an output feedback reinforcement learning scheme to solve the LQR problem for continuous-time linear systems. The problem consists of finding the optimal feedback gain to achieve asymptotic stability without the knowledge of system dynamics and the information of the full state. An output feedback policy iteration algorithm is proposed that iteratively solves the ADP Bellman equation to find the optimal control parameters. Unlike the existing methods, the proposed scheme does not require any discrete approximation, and is not affected by the excitation noise bias. As a result, the need of a discounting factor, which has been a bottleneck in the past in achieving stability guarantee, is eliminated. The learned control parameters are optimal and match exactly the solution of the LQR Riccati equation. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Comparison of Postbaccalaureate and Baccalaureate Graduates' Performance in First and Second Years of Dental School.

Postbaccalaureate programs help predental students strengthen their basic science knowledge and improve their study skills before applying or reapplying for dental school admission. A high percentage of postbac students are admitted to and graduate from dental schools, but gaining greater understanding of how well these students perform in key areas of the first two years’ curriculum would be useful for the design of those programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate postbac dental students’ performance in the D1 and D2 years at one U.S. dental school compared to dental students with a four-year baccalaureate degree only. Performance assessed was the students’ dental school grades in basic science courses, in all D1 and D2 didactic courses, and on preclinical simulation lab practical exams. Didactic and practical scores were gathered anonymously for the Classes of 2013–18 at the College of Dental Medicine-Arizona (CDMA) at Midwestern University, where postbac students with master’s degrees from the affiliated College of Health Sciences made up 6–19% of each class. The two cohorts chosen for comparison were students with baccalaureate degrees only and students with one-year Master of Arts degrees from the College of Health Sciences. The scores of these postbac dental students and their non-postbac peers were found to be comparable in the basic science courses. However, for all the didactic courses combined, the non-postbac cohort had significantly higher mean scores than the postbac cohort for the fall quarter 2 and winter quarter 2 in 2013–15 and all years combined. The practical scores for the two cohorts were not significantly different for any year. Overall, this study demonstrated that the MA program in the College of Health Sciences prepared the postbac students to compete on an equal level with the non-postbac students in the CDMA D1 and D2 curriculum.
Epilepsy surgery: Think globally, act locally

A computational approach predicts the success of epilepsy surgery based upon presurgical structural connectivity.
C9orf72 Repeat Expansion Frequency among Patients with Huntington Disease Genetic Testing.

BACKGROUND European studies identified the C9orf72 repeat expansion as the most frequent genetic alteration in patients with Huntington disease (HD)-like phenotypes but negative HD genetic testing. OBJECTIVE To investigate C9orf72 repeat expansion frequency in individuals tested for HD in a North American tertiary referral laboratory. METHODS Three hundred and seventy-three cases (115 positive and 258 negative for HD) were evaluated by genotyping PCR, with follow-up Southern blot and 5' repeat methylation status assessment by combined repeat-primed and methylation-specific PCR in a subset. RESULTS Three cases (all HD-negative) tested positive: 2 had > 2,000 repeats and were methylated, 1 had 80-100 repeats and was unmethylated. Two cases (1 HD-positive and 1 HD-negative) had intermediate alleles (20-29 repeats) and were unmethylated. The remaining 368 cases were negative (< 20 repeats). C9orf72 repeat expansion was absent in patients with HD and was identified in a small subset (1.2%) of patients with negative HD genetic testing. CONCLUSION These findings suggest that C9orf72 repeat expansion does not coexist with HTT repeat expansion and that C9orf72 repeat expansion testing is unnecessary for patients with HD. In addition, C9orf72 evaluation may be considered for individuals negative for HD genetic testing. Similar to in previous studies, methylation of C9orf72 repeat expansion was limited to large expansions.
Exploring the thermal stability of a bimodal nanoscale multilayered system

Abstract The thermal stability of bimodal Ta-Hf nanometallic multilayers, comprised of columnar and brick-like grains, was explored by characterizing films annealed at 550 °C and 1000 °C. Although the brick-like grains recrystallized, their grain size remained in the nanoscale. Recrystallization of the columnar grains was hindered by semi-coherent sub-grain boundaries and quadrupole points. Growth of the recrystallized brick-like grains was prevented by Hf precipitates, which activated kinetic and thermodynamic stabilization mechanisms. The present results outline a promising route to improve the stability of nanomaterials by using bimodal nanometallic multilayers with engineered interfaces while expanding the available architectures to synthesize nanocrystalline materials.
Cervical Fractures: Who Did Jefferson Bite?

Cervical spinal fractures and dislocations rarely present to the emergency department. However, providers must remain always vigilant for cervical spine injuries as misdiagnosis can have grave consequences of progressive neurologic deficit and death. Of the millions of patients who present with potential cervical spine trauma, in stable alert patients, less than 1% will have sustained a cervical spine injury.
Electrocardiogram-Gated Computed Tomography with Coronary Angiography for Cardiac Substructure Delineation and Sparing in Patients with Mediastinal Lymphomas Treated with Radiation Therapy

Abstract Purpose (1) Demonstrate feasibility of electrocardiogram-gated computed tomography with coronary angiography (E-CTA) in treatment planning for mediastinal lymphoma and (2) assess whether inclusion of cardiac substructures in the radiation plan optimization (CSS optimization) results in increased cardiac substructure sparing. Methods and Materials Patients with mediastinal lymphomas requiring radiation therapy were prospectively enrolled in an observational study. Patients completed a treatment planning computed tomography scan and E-CTA in the deep inspiration breath hold position. Avoidance structures (eg, coronary arteries and cardiac valves) were created in systole and diastole and then merged into a single planning organ-at-risk volume based on a cardiac substructure contouring atlas. In the photon cohort, 2 volumetric modulated arc therapy plans were created per patient with and without CSS optimization. Dosimetric endpoints were compared. Results In the photon cohort, 7 patients were enrolled. For all 7 patients, the treating physician elected to use the CSS optimization plan. At the individual level, 2 patients had reductions of 10.8% and 16.2% of the right coronary artery receiving at least 15 Gy, and 1 had a reduction of 9.6% of the left anterior descending artery receiving 30 Gy. No other differences for coronary arteries were detected between 15 and 30 Gy. Conversely, 5 of 7 patients had >10% reductions in dose between 15 to 30 Gy to at least 1 cardiac valve. The greatest reduction was 22.8% of the aortic valve receiving at least 30 Gy for 1 patient. At the cohort level, the maximum, mean, and 5-Gy increment analyses were nominally similar between planning techniques for all cardiac substructures and the lungs. Conclusions Cardiac substructure delineation using E-CTA was feasible, and inclusion in optimization led to modest improvements in sparing of radiosensitive cardiac substructures for some patients.
Optimized sensor placement for dependable roadside infrastructures

We present a multi-stage optimization method for efficient sensor deployment in traffic surveillance scenarios. Based on a genetic optimization scheme, our algorithm places an optimal number of roadside sensors to obtain full road coverage in the presence of obstacles and dynamic occlusions. The efficiency of the procedure is demonstrated for selected, realistic road sections. Our analysis helps to leverage the economic feasibility of distributed infrastructure sensor networks with high perception quality.
Erythema Multiforme Major caused by topical Imiquimod

Erythema multiforme (EM) is an acute, self-limited inflammatory skin disease that is associated with an immune reaction to various triggers, such as herpes simplex virus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and medications. Topically applied medications are a rare cause of EM or EM-like eruptions. We report one patient with EM major from imiquimod 5% topical cream. After reviewing the relevant literature, we found eight cases of erythema multiforme induced by topical imiquimod. Of the eight cases of Imiquimod-induced EM, seven patients had a significant local reaction that subsequently led to the more distant cutaneous manifestations of erythema multiforme. Because Imiquimod is a commonly used topical treatment for a variety of dermatologic conditions, clinicians must be aware of this rare but serious complication. Furthermore, patients with an exuberant local reaction to imiquimod may be at higher risk of developing EM.
Spontaneous Spinal Cerebrospinal Fluid Leak: Review and Management Algorithm

Spontaneous spinal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak is a condition that commonly presents with debilitating positional headaches. Often, the cause of the leak is located in the spine. Although often cured with conservative management, including epidural blood patching, a subset of patients are refractory to this initial management. Determining the focal location of the spinal leak can, in some patients, require several imaging modalities. Treatment similarly involves multiple options, including targeted epidural blood and/or fibrin patching as well as surgical closure. In this article, we review the current literature regarding this challenging condition and present an algorithm for management.
Sedimentality: sediment landscapes, socio-politics, and the environment in the lower Detroit River

Sedimentation and dredging are two sides of the same coin; dredged landscapes are sediment landscapes, especially in the Great Lakes. Confined Disposal Facilities (CDFs)—often large dikes and/or islands full of dredged sediment—dot the Great Lakes landscapes as nearshore, onshore, offshore, submerged, and island sites. Some CDF islands are completely manmade while others were developed by depositing dredge spoils on original river islands. This article argues that new landscapes created through dredging in the Great Lakes were not static—in space, time, and public imagination—even if they were perceived to be so by experts, engineers, and even politicians. One specific sediment landscape, the Crystal Bay and Crystal Island in the lower Detroit River, was created out of material dredged to make a more efficient shipping channel. In the 1970s, there was a proposal to further augment the dredged landscape and open Crystal Bay and Crystal Island to public use. The move was met with stiff resistance in Canada, where the island and bay had ironically become a sentimental symbol of ‘nature.’ The bay and island are also bi-national, straddling the international border between the United States and Canada, and thus make dredged landscapes an issue of international diplomacy. Through the experience of the Crystal Bay and island, this paper argues that understanding the socio-political histories of these sediment landscapes is imperative to better understanding the entanglement of science and technology, with river systems and social dynamics.
Experience with Medical Nephrectomy

In the past, patients with nephrotic syndrome have died from severe proteinuria, hypoproteinemia, anasarca, malnutrition, infection, and end-stage renal disease. The development and effective use of more potent diuretics and antibiotics have improved management of these patients, and treatment by dialysis has prevented death when nephrotic syndrome has gone on to end-stage renal failure and uremia. This prevention of death from renal failure and uremia in these patients has also suggested that, if the degree of proteinuria, edema, and malnutrition were life threatening, the patient′s life might be saved by altering renal function to decrease proteinuria and then maintaining the patient, if necessary, by chronic dialysis. Reports of ablation of renal function for this purpose have described a number of techniques, including surgical nephrectomy and complete infarction of both kidneys by embolization1,2 as well as decrease of proteinuria produced either by prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors3–5 or by administration of metallic salts.6,7
Teaching maintenance using large software artifacts

A method for teaching software maintenance at the graduate level using software artifacts is described. Objectives, the syllabus, and assignments are included in annotated form. A discussion of the actual events and lessons learned in a prototype course is presented.
Linker chain L1 of earthworm hemoglobin. Structure of gene and protein: homology with low density lipoprotein receptor.

Abstract The extracellular hemoglobins (Hbs) of annelids and tube worms are giant multisubunit proteins of up to approximately 200 polypeptides and molecular masses to at least 3,900 kDa. They differ from all other Hbs in having both O2-binding chains and "linker" chains. The latter are required for assembly and structural integrity of the protein and are deficient in or lack heme. We have determined the nucleotide sequences of the cDNA and gene for linker chain L1 of the hemoglobin of Lumbricus terrestris. The cDNA-derived amino acid sequence has 225 residues and a calculated molecular mass of 25,847 Da. The chain is 21-28% identical to linker chains of the related annelid Tylorrhynchus heterochaetus and the deep-sea tube worm Lamellibrachia sp. A remarkable feature of the linker chains is a conserved 38-39-residue segment that contains a repeating pattern of cysteinyl residues: (Cys-X6)3-Cys-X5-Cys-X10-Cys. This pattern, not present in any globin sequence, corresponds exactly to the cysteine-rich repeats of the ligand binding domains of the low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors of man and Xenopus laevis. Furthermore, the cysteine-rich segment of linker chain L1 has the sequence Asp-Gly-Ser-Asp-Glu which is characteristic of LDL receptor repeats. Similar cysteine-rich sequences also occur in two other mammalian proteins, complement C9 and renal glycoprotein GP330. The results support the conclusion that the cysteine-rich motif of the LDL receptor and annelid Hbs is a multipurpose protein-binding unit of ancient origin which has been incorporated into diverse unrelated proteins, presumably by the process of exon shuffling.
Model-Based Event Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper we present an application of techniques from statistical signal processing to the problem of event detection in wireless sensor networks used for environmental monitoring. The proposed approach uses the well-established Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique to build a compact model of the observed phenomena that is able to capture daily and seasonal trends in the collected measurements. We then use the divergence between actual measurements and model predictions to detect the existence of discrete events within the collected data streams. Our preliminary results show that this event detection mechanism is sensitive enough to detect the onset of rain events using the temperature modality of a wireless sensor network.
Synthesis and Secretion of γ-Globulin by Lymph Node Cells X. THE GENERATION OF INCOMPLETELY SYNTHESIZED IMMUNOGLOBULIN HEAVY CHAINS

Abstract Incompletely synthesized heavy chains of immunoglobulin G were produced by rabbit lymph node cells incubated in the presence of 10-5 m puromycin. After cyanogen bromide treatment, such incomplete chains yielded peptides which overlapped with those derived from native heavy chains. Cells incubated with [3H]puromycin produced radioactive materials which were precipitated with a serum specific for immunoglobulin G. Furthermore, reduced and alkylated [3H]puromycin-labeled immunoglobulins were smaller than heavy chains as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Incomplete heavy chains were synthesized as well as secreted into the extracellular medium by lymph node cells incubated in the presence of puromycin.
Reproducibility of tumor volume measurement at microCT colonography in living mice.

Rationale and Objectives We sought to demonstrate the viability of microcomputed tomographic colonography (μCTC) as a tool for monitoring tumorigenesis in mouse models of human colorectal cancer during prospective longitudinal studies. The precision and accuracy of volumetric measurements were determined to assess whether changes in tumor volume over time were readily detectable. Materials and Methods All animal studies were conducted under the guidelines set forth by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of the American Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care. μCTC was performed on C57BL/6J (B6) mice carrying the Min allele of Apc , ultimately yielding 18 scans. Assessments of scan quality and tumor volume were both performed once per week over 8 weeks. Results Scans with a good quality rating had a mean standard deviation in tumor volume measurement of 8%. By contrast, scans with a poor quality rating had a mean standard deviation in tumor volume measurement of 35%. Variables affecting μCTC scan quality in living mice included bowel preparation, motion artifact, and tumor morphology. Tumor volume measurements were highly correlated with tumor weight ( r 2 = 0.87). Conclusions The reproducibility of tumor volume measurement at μCTC in living mice makes prospective longitudinal evaluation of colonic tumor response feasible. For μCTC scans of good quality, a 16% change in tumor volume can be detected at the 95% confidence level.
Stresses between 3D fractures in infinite and layered elastic solids

Periodically distributed opening mode fractures are often found in layered sedimentary rocks. The stress analysis related to opening mode fractures in layered solids is solved by a new numerical approach combining (3D) fast Fourier transform with the theory of periodic eigenstrain and the conjugate gradient method. Results show that the fracture spacing to layer thickness ratio for embedded opening mode fractures, using a three-dimensional (3D) model, is in good comparison with that of the plane strain case (two-dimensional model). The critical value of the fracture spacing to layer thickness ratio increases for a stiff layer case and decreases for a stiff surrounding solid case. Out-of-plane fracture length is also studied as a parameter in the 3D modeling. Opening mode surface fractures in a layered half-space were also studied. The results show that a critical fracture saturation ratio exists for this case and occurs when the normal surface stress transitions from tensile to compressive. This stress state is shown to be caused by a bending effect in the layer.
One where the kid actually is "all right": the queering of Iva in Marilyn Hacker's Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons.

This article explores Marilyn Hacker's 1986 sonnet sequence, Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons, for its depiction of lesbian parenting. Hacker moves beyond the simply erotic to focus on a truly subversive act present within the queer community, namely that of child-rearing. Lesbian parenting is a private world, one not subject to the male gaze in the ways that other seemingly private worlds (like sex) are still commodified. The daughter character of Iva exemplifies the construction of self in a queer environment. Children of queer parents have the unique subject position of being “queered” themselves regardless of their ultimate sexual orientation. While this queering would seem to primarily affect their understandings of gender and sexuality, this article argues that such early “othering” serves to deconstruct one's understanding of binaries and social conformity on a large scale, thereby encouraging qualities of acceptance and compassion and increasing the intimate family bond.
Rapid growth or stagnation: An economic policy choice

Why has the American economy performed so poorly in the past decade, especially in comparison with the two prior decades? This paper makes the theoretical and empirical case that a series of economic policy decisions provides the most satisfactory explanation and that policy reform will restore good economic performance. The paper also considers alternative explanations including the idea of a new secular stagnation unrelated to policy and the view that the deep financial crisis inevitably delayed recovery from the recession.
Effects of hydrogen chloride on the annealing kinetics of interface and oxide traps in oxidized silicon stressed by avalanche electron injection

Abstract Effects of HCl during oxidation on the room temperature annealing kinetics of interface and oxide traps are investigated in aluminum/polysilicon/oxide/silicon capacitors after avalanche electron injection (AEI) from silicon. A turn-around phenomenon in the interface trap annealing kinetics is observed in the HCl oxides, which may be associated with the activation of a chlorine-related interface trap after the AEI ceases. HCl reduces or retards the anneal of the interface traps but enhance the anneal of the oxide traps. In a 200 A oxide, an exposure to 10 15 e/cm 2 of 8-keV electrons gave much larger annealed densities of oxide and interface traps than in an oxide stressed by avalanche injected electrons of 10 18 e/cm 2 of an equivalent amount of energy with initial gate voltage in the 22–25 V range. This is consistent with interface trapping of the holes generated by the 8-keV electrons.