cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hot dynamic consolidation of hard ceramics

Diamond and cubic boron nitride powders were shock compacted at high temperature (873 and 973 K) by using a planar impact system at 1.2 and 2.0 km s−1. Silicon, graphite or a mixture of titanium and carbon powders were added to enhance the bonding of these superhard materials. Hot-consolidated specimens exhibited fewer surface cracks as compared with the specimens shock consolidated at room temperature. Diamond compacts having microhardness values over 55 GPa were obtained by subjecting porous mixtures of diamond crystals (4-8 μm) plus 15 wt% graphite (325 mesh) to an impact velocity of 1.2 km s−1 at 873 K. Well-consolidated c-BN samples, with microhardnesses (starting powders with 10–20 and 40–50 (μm) over 53 GPa were obtained.
Amiodarone phenocopy of Fabry's keratopathy.

To the Editor.— Recognition of the distinctive corneal opacity associated with amiodarone therapy has stimulated our interest in this drug-induced phenocopy of Fabry's keratopathy. The timely correspondence by Alves and colleagues (1982; 248:1448) suggested a biochemical approach somewhat anticipating our recent enzymatic studies, which have exploited the phenocopy relationship. The primary defect of Fabry's disease, an X-linked inborn error of glycosphingolipid metabolism, is the well-characterized deficiency of lysosomal α-galactosidase A enzymatic activity. The distinctive corneal opacification of this disorder results from the consequent accumulation of glycosphingolipid substrates in the corneal epithelium of affected male hemizygotes and most female heterozygotes. Although morphologically unique among heritable storage-disease keratopathies, the cornea verticillata of Fabry's disease is indistinguishable from a number of reversible, drug-induced corneal dystrophies both by slit-lamp microscopy and on the basis of ultrastructural, lysosomal, multilamellar inclusion bodies. Based on these observations, we proposed that chloroquine keratopathy, the prototype drug-induced phenocopy, might
Prevalence of Breastfeeding and Acculturation in Hispanics: Results from NHANES 1999–2000 Study

Abstract: Background: A more current estimate to evaluate ethnic and acculturation differences in breastfeeding is warranted, given the rapid growth of the Hispanic population in the United States and the proliferation of breastfeeding promotion programs. The study objective was to describe current national estimates of the prevalence of breastfeeding and evaluate differences in reasons not to breastfeed by acculturation status. Methods: Secondary data analysis of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000 was performed on a nationally representative sample of non-Hispanic white women born in the U.S. and Hispanic women with at least one live birth. Acculturation status among Hispanics was assessed using a validated language scale, and prevalence of breastfeeding was based on maternal self-report. Results: Prevalence of breastfeeding was higher in less acculturated Hispanic women (59.2%) than high acculturated Hispanic women (33.1%) and white women (45.1%). Less acculturated Hispanic women were more likely to cite their child's physical/medical condition as a reason not to breastfeed (53.1%), whereas whites and more acculturated Hispanics were more likely to cite their child preferred the bottle (57.5% and 49.8%, respectively). A logistic regression analysis revealed no significant differences in likelihood to breastfeed between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanics after controlling for education, age, and income. Higher acculturated women were less likely to breastfeed their children than low acculturated women (95% CI: 0.14–0.40) even after education, age, and income were taken into account. Conclusions: Acculturation differences in prevalence of breastfeeding and reasons not to breastfeed may be the result of attitudinal changes that occur due to acculturation. Further research into the acculturation process and its impact on breastfeeding may help to prevent the decline in breastfeeding that occurs as mothers become more acculturated. Meanwhile, patient education that addresses women's perceptions of the child's health condition and benefits of breastfeeding would be helpful. (BIRTH 32:2 June 2005)
Inorganic reinforcement in PET/silica electrospun nanofibers

PET/silica nanocomposite fibers of high quality were fabricated from electrospinning by choosing appropriate surface modification of inorganic fillers, solution properties, and processing conditions. The existence of an immobilized layer around silane-modified silica particles in PET fibers was verified by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the results of which confirm previous thermal analysis studies. The influence of silica particles on the crystal growth during isothermal crystallization as well as the phase structure of the crystallized nanocomposite fibers were examined using differential scanning calorimetry. The PET crystallization rate increases significantly with increasing silica content, which indicates that the silica nanoparticles act as an efficient nucleating agent to facilitate PET crystallization. Using Avrami analysis, for the first time, preferred 1-D crystal growth was confirmed for geometrically confined nanocomposite fibers. Addition of silica particles makes the crystal growth more likely to occur in a 1-D manner.
Lake Ontario: Nearshore conditions and variability in water quality parameters

Abstract We conducted a high-resolution survey of the Lake Ontario nearshore along the 20-m contour using towed electronic instrumentation. The 720-km survey was conducted 6–10, September 2008. The survey included a repeat of a shorter 300 km stretch surveyed during 14–15, August. The towed sensors provided high-resolution information on spatial variability both vertically and horizontally in the nearshore. Along the survey tracks we also sampled fixed stations to collect samples for traditional wet chemistry and plankton analyses which we used to calibrate the in situ electronic sensors. Multiple cross-contour tows (15, from 10 to 30 m) on both cruise dates were used to characterize the variability across the breadth of the nearshore. There was a strong linear correlation among shore parallel and cross-contour variable values, and this result gives confidence in the use of a depth contour-based survey to characterize the nearshore comprehensively and explore potential linkages to landscape variability. Variation in the nearshore data was analyzed using multivariate stepwise regressions with respect to landscape characteristics of the adjacent coastal watersheds (US only). The strongest correlations to the landscape among the nearshore data were from specific conductivity and beam attenuation (r 2 of 0.49 and 0.42, respectively). A broadscale clustering of the nearshore variables identified three general regions distinguished primarily by temperature, plankton, and specific conductivity. Lake-wide averages, spatial trends, and associated variability at multiple scales across the nearshore provided a comprehensive depiction of the entire Lake Ontario nearshore condition.
1D fast transient simulator for modeling CdS/CdTe solar cells

We developed a fast 1D time-dependent/steady-state drift-diffusion simulator, accelerated by adaptive nonuniform mesh and automatic time-step control, for modeling CdS/CdTe solar cells. The algorithm for non-uniform mesh reduces the number of nodes by defining coarse meshing where the electric field is low and fine meshing where the electric field is high. The automatic time step control gives large time step to accelerate the time domain simulation when the current changes smoothly. Transients simulated by constant time step in response to step-function signals of different bias and varied light intensity are reproduced.
Oil Film Behavior under Minute Vibrating Conditions in EHL Point Contacts

We expressed the degree of amplitude as a non-dimensional parameter of amplitude ratio and found that we could restrain fretting wear by setting the amplitude ratio to more than 1.6 and by using a high viscosity lubricating oil. Therefore, as a result of measuring oil film thickness under conditions of minute oscillations with a ball-on-disk EHL test rig, we can understand that an oil film is formed if the amplitude ratio is set to more than 1.6.
The Measurement of Critical Masking Bands

The characteristics of the critical masking band, that spectral region of a wide-band noise that is effective in masking a pure-tone signal, were inferred by measuring detectability (d′) for tonal ...
The Entrepreneurial Family Economy: Family Strategies and Self-Employment in Detroit, 1880:

Using data from the 1880 manuscript census, city directories, and R. G. Dun and Company credit reports for Detroit, Michigan, this study examines the family economy of entrepreneurial households. Two family work strategies are examined for a sample of 1,881 male self-employed and wage-earning household heads: family enterprise, and the joint labor force participation of family members. The family organization of business is related to high occupational status and wealth among the self-employed. The joint labor force participation of multiple family members is most characteristic of unskilled wage earners in comparison to other occupational strata. Modes of entrepreneurial family economy reflect the middle-class status of the self-employed and their social and economic homogeneity relative to wage earners.
Towards engaging big data for CS1/2 (abstract only)

A number of contextualized approaches to teaching introductory Computer Science (CS) courses have been developed in the past few years, catering to students with different interests and learning styles. For instance, entire courses have been developed around media computation or robots (real and virtual). There is however one context which, to our knowledge, has not been exploited in a systematic fashion - that of "big data," by which we mean massive, openly accessible online datasets from a wide variety of sources. We present progress on a code framework and methodology to facilitate the incorporation of large, online data sets into traditional CS1 and CS2 courses. The goal of our project is to develop a way to provide students a library that relieves them from low-level issues of reading and parsing raw data from web-based data sources and that interfaces with data structures and representations defined by students themselves. In addition, the library requires minimal syntactic overhead to use its functionality and allows students and instructors to focus on algorithmic exercises involving processing live and large data obtained from the Internet. At a minimum, the library should serve to create drop-in replacements for traditional programming exercises in introductory courses - raising the engagement level by having students deal with "real" data rather than artificial data provided through standard input.
Phylogenetic Systematics of Ipomopsis (Polemoniaceae): Relationships and Divergence Times Estimated from Chloroplast and Nuclear DNA Sequences

Abstract The genus Ipomopsis (Polemoniaceae) encompasses about 29 species and 24 subspecies generally divided into three sections: sect. Ipomopsis, sect. Microgilia, and sect. Phloganthea. We employed maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference of DNA sequences from the nuclear ribosomal ITS region (ITS1, 5.8S ribosomal subunit, ITS2) and the chloroplast trnL—F region (trnL intron + trnL—trnF intergenic spacer) to estimate phylogenetic relationships within this genus and its placement among other genera of Polemoniaceae. The chloroplast and combined sequences provide support for the monophyly of Ipomopsis, but only if four species previously included in the genus are removed: Ipomopsis havardii, I. sonorae, Microgilia minutiflora (= I. minutiflora), and Loeseliastrum depressum (= I. depressa). Of the three sections, two are conditionally supported as being monophyletic. Section Microgilia (with 11 species and 11 infra-specific taxa) is supported as monophyletic if I. polycladon, I. sonorae, I. depressa, and...
Matrix metalloproteinases: contribution to pathogenesis, diagnosis, surveillance and treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms.

SUMMARYBackground: Aortic abdominal aneurysm (AAA) represents a common chronic degenerative disease of the aortic wall. Chronic inflammation and enzymatic degradation of elastic lamellae and extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins constitute the most prominent characteristics of AAAs. There is mounting evidence that matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the predominant proteinases in the AAA wall. These enzymes represent a potential target for therapeutic intervention to modify vascular pathology. This paper is an overview of matrix metalloproteinases and their role in the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of AAA.Literature search: Comprehensive search of the MEDLINE, EMBASE and HEAL-Link databases from 1980 to 2003.Findings: Increased levels of MMPs expression and activity have been demonstrated within the aortic wall of AAA, associating with histological alterations. An imbalance between MMPs and their inhibitors (Tissue Inhibitors of Matrix Metalloproteinases – TIMPs), may tip the equilibrium towards...
Vaccination with photodynamic therapy-treated macrophages induces highly suppressive T-regulatory cells.

The mode of cell death and uptake of dead cell by antigen-presenting cells influences a finely tuned balance between immune tolerance and a pathogenic auto-inflammatory response (1). Photodynamic therapy (PDT) induces apoptosis via permeabilization of the mitochondrial inner membrane by reactive oxygen species, which leads to mitochondrial swelling, cytochrome C release into the cytosol, and a caspase cascade (2–4). The uptake of apoptotic cells by immature dendritic cells has been shown to promote immune tolerance, whereas cell debris can elicit an inflammatory immune response (1). In the present study, we intend to test whether PDT-mediated apoptosis is tolerogenic and can suppress collateral tissue damage during infectious processes. We chose cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in susceptible BALB/c mice as our experimental model as in this model, an immune response is not only incapable of eliminating the etiologic agent but also results in collateral tissue damage (5, 6). Progressive involvement of the new tissues may lead to the complete destruction and self-amputation of the affected parts of the host (7). The understanding of the mechanisms underlying the counter-regulation of this inflammatory reaction may have therapeutic implications. There is some evidence that tolerance following presentation of apoptotic cells is mediated by CD4+CD25+Foxp3+ T regulatory (Treg) cells (8). Treg have been shown to control the severity of an inflammatory response, preserving surrounding tissues from unnecessary damage in many infectious diseases (9–11), including the early stage of CL (12, 13). We found that vaccination with the apoptotic, but not necrotic non-infected macrophages (MZ), was beneficial for the restriction of parasitic replication during an early stage of Leishmania infection and was mediated by Treg activation. The adoptive transfer of spleen-derived Treg from mice vaccinated with PDT-treated apoptotic, but not necrotic MZ restrained disease progression. These changes were mediated by the depletion of CD3+CD8+ and NKT cells and increased levels of IL-12p70 and interferon (IFN)-γ, IL-10, and TGF-β in the CL lesions.
Genetic influences on social network characteristics

Who becomes the most central individual in a society and why? What determines how many friends a given individual has? What determines how clustered or tightly-knit the friendships in a society are? In a set of important and original new findings reported in this issue of PNAS, Fowler, Dawes, and Christakis (1) provide evidence that network characteristics such as those mentioned above are heritable: that is, they show that an increase in the overlap in genetic material in twins corresponds to an increase in the covariation of some of their social network characteristics.
Distinct subpopulations of enteric neuronal progenitors defined by time of development, sympathoadrenal lineage markers and Mash-1-dependence.

Enteric and sympathetic neurons have previously been proposed to be lineally related. We present independent lines of evidence that suggest that enteric neurons arise from at least two lineages, only one of which expresses markers in common with sympathoadrenal cells. In the rat, sympathoadrenal markers are expressed, in the same order as in sympathetic neurons, by a subset of enteric neuronal precursors, which also transiently express tyrosine hydroxylase. If this precursor pool is eliminated in vitro by complement-mediated lysis, enteric neurons continue to develop; however, none of these are serotonergic. In the mouse, the Mash-1−/− mutation, which eliminates sympathetic neurons, also prevents the development of enteric serotonergic neurons. Other enteric neuronal populations, however, including those that contain calcitonin gene related peptide are present. Enteric tyrosine hydroxylase-containing cells co-express Mash-1 and are eliminated by the Mash-1−/− mutation, consistent with the idea that in the mouse, as in the rat, these precursors generate serotonergic neurons. Serotonergic neurons are generated early in development, while calcitonin gene related peptide-containing enteric neurons are generated much later. These data suggest that enteric neurons are derived from at least two progenitor lineages. One transiently expresses sympathoadrenal markers, is Mash-1-dependent, and generates early-born enteric neurons, some of which are serotonergic. The other is Mash-1-independent, does not express sympathoadrenal markers, and generates late-born enteric neurons, some of which contain calcitonin gene related peptide.
The Geography of Generosity: Metropolitan Disparities in Donations and Support for Amenities

Abstract Are some places in the United States more generous than others, even after allowing for differences in need and resources? Are the differences attributable to contextual factors unique to the individual places and their historical development, or do broad regional differences in values and welfare functions account for the patterns? The thesis examined in this study suggests that the patterns of both public and private support for social and amenity services are expressions of value differences that have both regional and place manifestations. Levels of support for cultural, educational, health, and social services and donor contributions for federated charities are analyzed for the eighty-five largest U.S. metropolitan areas, after allowances are made for their differences in resources, accessibility, and level of distress. The findings indicate general consistency between state and local public expenditures for dependent populations and local donor support for both amenity and social services, ...
Scaling limit of silicon nitride gate dielectric for future CMOS technologies

CMOS technology scaling in recent years has reduced the SiO/sub 2/ gate dielectric thickness below 3 nm. Excessive direct tunneling currents through ultra-thin (<2 nm) SiO/sub 2/ necessitates its replacement by dielectrics with higher relative permittivity. Silicon nitride (Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/, k=7.8) (Ma, 1998) is a promising candidate as the first post-SiO/sub 2/ gate dielectric due to its compatibility with conventional CMOS processes. However, there has been relatively little modeling work done on the direct tunneling current through Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ in comparison to SiO/sub 2/ (Lo et al., 1997; Schuegraf and Hu, 1994). In this paper, we report the characterization and modeling of direct tunneling gate currents through ultra-thin Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ gate dielectric in CMOS transistors. The model is then used to project the scaling limit of Si/sub 3/N/sub 4/ gate dielectric.
Modal analysis of synchronous machine dynamics

A theory for the asymptotic modal decomposition of a linear multivariable feedback system subject to high gain output feedback has been developed and applied to the ideal synchronous machine by identifying the latter with such a high gain output feedback system. This new conceptualization leading to the asymptotic decoupling of machine modes brings a unified and rigorous understanding to synchronous machine dynamics. The numerical simulation runs show that the asymptotic decoupling approximation is highly accurate for a wide range of situations.
The PCH family member proline-serine-threonine phosphatase-interacting protein 1 targets to the leukocyte uropod and regulates directed cell migration.

Pombe Cdc15 homology (PCH) family members have emerged as important regulators of membrane–cytoskeletal interactions. Here we show that PSTPIP1, a PCH family member expressed in hematopoietic cells...
The Effect of Religion on Suicide: An Analysis of Cultural Context

Research on the impact of religion has been marked by a recurrent flaw: the failure to analyze the greater social context of religion. The present study addresses this by inspecting the impact of Catholicism on suicide in two socio-culturally different regions in the state of Louisiana. A multiple regression analysis of county suicide rates, however, finds no evidence for a contextual effect. Catholicism does not reduce suicide in the historically French Catholic, southern region of the state, and it does not increase suicide in the historically Anglo-Saxon, Protestant northern region of the state. The results tend to question the religious networks and religious integration perspectives.
Types of Synergy and Economic Value: The Impact of Acquisitions on Merging and Rival Firms

Summary Acquisitions, in gene-al, have been demionstrated to create economic valle. The intuitive reason ulndlerlying this value creation stems either firon an ability to redulce costs of the comtibined entity, an ability to charge higher prices, or both. Current research in the area attributes these abilities to an opportutnity to utilize a specialized resource. Oul focus in this study is to comnpare three broad classes of resources that contribute to the creation of value. Following the conventionial wisdom, these r esouirces are classified as cost of capital related (resullting in financial syneergy), cost of production related (resuilting in operational synergy), anid price related (resulting in collusive synergy). Given the limitations of our sample and research design, we find that collusive synergy is, on average, associated with the highest value. Furthem; the resoulrces behind financial synergy tend to create mnore value than the resouirces behind operational synergy.
Molecular Mobility and Confined Plasticity in NEMS Applications

Many modern and future technological applications involve ultrathin polymer films with a thickness below the 100-nanometer scale, where statistical bulk averaging is jeopardized and interfacial constraints dictate transport properties. In such confined polymeric systems, transport properties strongly depend on molecular relaxation and structural phases that deviate from the bulk. This is particularly relevant in applications involving nano-electromechanical systems (NEMS). In this paper, we address the correspondence between bulk deviating local glass transition values with the non-monotonic plastic deformation properties in ultrathin polystyrene films. Polystyrene serves as a model material in a NEMS application designed to circumvent the superparamagnetic limit associated with magnetic data storage. The application involves data bit writing via an ultrahigh density thermomechanical indentation process. An elaborate friction-velocity analysis is introduced as a material characterization tool. It provides fundamental insight into the glass forming process, and consequently, the glass transition value in ultrathin spin coated polymer films. The glass transition value is thereby discussed as a phenomenological limit, not unlike an asymptote, to a diverging size of cooperative rearranging regions upon cooling. Unexpected large cooperative clusters up to 40 nm were observed–a dimension that is noticeable at the 100-nanometer length scale. In the light of MD simulations and their good correspondence with the presented intrinsic friction analysis, the importance of angular and torsional intramolecular motions are particularly emphasized for nanotechnological applications.
Characterization of microprocessor chip stress distributions during component packaging and thermal cycling

On-chip piezoresistive stress sensors represent a unique approach for characterizing stresses in silicon die embedded within complicated packaging architectures. In this work, we have used test chips containing such sensors to measure the stresses induced in microprocessor die after various steps of the assembly process, as well as to continuously characterize the in-situ die surface stress during slow temperature changes and thermal cycling experiments. The utilized (111) silicon sensor rosettes were able to measure the complete three-dimensional stress state (all 6 stress components) at each sensor site being monitored by the data acquisition hardware. The test chips had dimensions of 20 × 20 mm, and 3600 lead free solder interconnects (full area array) were used to connect the chips to high CTE ceramic chip carriers. Before packaging, the sensor resistances were measured by directly probing the test chip wafers. The chips were then diced, reflowed to the ceramic substrate, and then underfilled and cured. Finally, a metallic lid was attached to complete the ceramic LGA package. After every packaging step (solder reflow, underfill dispense and cure, lid attachment and adhesive cure), the sensor resistances were re-measured, so that the die stresses induced by each assembly operation could be characterized. A set of low stress test fixtures was developed to eliminate clamping induced stresses being generated during the sensor resistance measurements. The build-up of the die stresses was found to be monotonically increasing, and the relative severity of each assembly step was judged and compared. In addition, finite element models of the packaging process were developed and correlated with the test chip data. This combined approach allowed for various material sets (solders, underfills, TIM materials, lid metals, and lid adhesives) to be analyzed and rated for their contribution to the die stress level. After first level packaging of the chips on the ceramic chip carriers, experiments have been performed to analyze the effects of slow (quasi-static) temperature changes and thermal cycling on the die stresses. Thermal cycling of selected parts was performed from 0 to 100 C (40 minute cycle, 10 minute ramps and dwells). After various durations of cycling, the sensor resistances at critical locations on the die device surface (e.g. die center and die corners) were recorded. From the resistance data, the stresses at each site were calculated and plotted versus time.
Exploring the relationship between personal and public annotations

Today people typically read and annotate printed documents even if they are obtained from electronic sources like digital libraries If there is a reason for them to share these personal annotations online, they must re-enter them. Given the advent of better computer support for reading and annotation, including tablet interfaces, will people ever share their personal digital ink annotations as is, or will they make substantial changes to them? What can we do to anticipate and support the transition from personal to public annotations? To investigate these questions, we performed a study to characterize and compare students' personal annotations as they read assigned papers with those they shared with each other using an online system. By analyzing over 1, 700 annotations, we confirmed three hypotheses: (1) only a small fraction of annotations made while reading are directly related to those shared in discussion; (2) some types of annotations - those that consist of anchors in the text coupled with margin notes - are more apt to be the basis of public commentary than other types of annotations; and (3) personal annotations undergo dramatic changes when they are shared in discussion, both in content and in how they are anchored to the source document. We then use these findings to explore ways to support the transition from personal to public annotations.
Solving the Linear Systems

As has been seen in the preceding chapters, the numerical tracing of c(s) will generally involve the frequent calculation of both the tangent vectors and the execution of the corrector steps. This will require a sufficient amount of linear equation solving to warrant that it be done in an efficient and carefully considered manner. Here too, we shall treat the details of numerical linear algebra only in the context which concerns us viz. the calculation of tangent vectors t(A), and performing the operations w = A+b where A is an N × (N + 1) matrix with rank (A) = N which arise in the corrector steps. Readers interested in further background concerning numerical linear algebra may consult such textbooks on the subject as that of Golub & Van Loan.
GLOBAL HOLOMORPHIC EXTENSION OF A LOCAL MAP AND A RIEMANN MAPPING THEOREM FOR ALGEBRAIC DOMAINS

In his paper of 1907 [Po07], Poincare showed, among other things, that any local non-constant holomorphic map f from an open piece of the sphere ∂B into ∂B extends to a global biholomorphic map between the ball B. This result was generalized to B by Tanaka [Ta62] and was further established in a much more general setting by Alexander [A74]. Since then, the mixed equivalence problem was naturally formulated (see for instance [Wel82], [Be90]): How far can a local equivalence map between the boundaries of two nice domains be biholomorphically extended ? A significant contribution along the lines of this direction was made by Webster: In [We77], he not only extended Poincare’s theorem to real ellipsoids, but also did a pioneer work by showing a type of Chow’s theorem for local maps between algebraic domains. In particular, he showed that any local equivalence map between two smooth algebraic domains extends as a branched algebraic map. Webster’s algebraicity theorem was established in more general situations in the recent deep work of Baouendi, Ebenfelt and Rothschild (see [BR95], [BER96]), and in the first author’s work ([Hu94], [Hu94T]). In [CJ96], Chern and the second author showed a related result: Any local map f , which maps a piece of ∂D into ∂B, extends along any path γ ⊂ D as a locally bimeromorphic map, where D is a bounded domain with real analytic spherical boundary. The purpose of this paper is to study the global holomorphic extension of a local map between algebraic domains, i.e, domains whose boundaries are locally defined by real polynomials. Our first result is the following theorem:
Preablation 131-I Scans With SPECT/CT Contribute to Thyroid Cancer Risk Stratification and 131-I Therapy Planning

Context: The use of preablation diagnostic radioiodine scans for risk stratification and radioiodine therapy planning for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) remains controversial. Objective: The objective was to assess the contribution of preablation diagnostic 131-I scans with SPECT/CT (Dx 131-I scan) to (1) the risk stratification and (2) the postoperative management of DTC. Design: The study was designed as a prospective sequential patient series. Setting: The study was conducted at a University hospital. Patients: Three hundred twenty patients (pts) with DTC (219F; 101M, mean age 47.3 ± 16.4 y, range 10–90) were studied. Intervention: Using clinical and histopathology information an endocrinologist performed risk stratification and determined postoperative management with respect to radioiodine therapy (RAI) planning. The decision to withhold or to administer RAI, and the recommended low, medium or high therapeutic 131-I activity were recorded. Dx 131-I scans were performed and interpreted by two nuc...
Proof of the Riemannian Penrose Conjecture Using the Positive Mass Theorem

We prove the Riemannian Penrose conjecture, an important case of a conjecture made by Roger Penrose in 1973, by defining a new flow of metrics. This flow of metrics stays inside the class of asymptotically flat Riemannian 3-manifolds with nonnegative scalar curvature which contain minimal spheres. In particular, if we consider a Riemannian 3-manifold as a totally geodesic submanifold of a space-time in the context of general relativity, then outermost minimal spheres with total area $A$ correspond to apparent horizons of black holes contributing a mass $\sqrt{A/16\pi}$, scalar curvature corresponds to local energy density at each point, and the rate at which the metric becomes flat at infinity corresponds to total mass. The Riemannian Penrose conjecture then states that the total mass of an asymptotically flat 3-manifold with nonnegative scalar curvature is greater than or equal to the mass contributed by the black holes. The flow of metrics we define continuously evolves the original 3-metric to a Schwarzschild 3-metric, which represents a spherically symmetric black hole in vacuum. We define the flow such that the area of the minimal spheres (which flow outward) and hence the mass contributed by the black holes in each of the metrics in the flow is constant, and then use the positive mass theorem to show that the total mass of the metrics is nonincreasing. Then since the total mass equals the mass of the black holes in a Schwarzschild metric, the Riemannian Penrose conjecture follows. This result improves upon the beautiful work of Huisken and Ilmanen, who used inverse mean curvature flows of surfaces to show that the total mass is at least the mass contributed by the largest black hole.
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is the most common reproductive endocrinopathy of women during their childbearing years. A significant degree of controversy exists regarding the etiology of this syndrome, but there is a growing consensus that the key features include insulin resistance, androgen excess, and abnormal gonadotropin dynamics. Familial and genetic factors cause predisposition to PCOS. Insulin resistance and adiposity put women with PCOS at a higher risk for diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. Even though the adverse health consequences associated with PCOS are substantial, most women are not aware of these risks. Early recognition and treatment of metabolic sequelae should be the main focus of clinicians. Lifestyle modifications, mainly a balanced diet, weight loss, and regular exercise, are of utmost importance. On the pharmacologic front, various therapies including metformin, thiazolidinediones, and others appear to be very promising in the management of cardiometabolic aspects of PCOS.
The Glucocorticoid Antagonist 17α-Methyltestosterone Binds to the 10 S Glucocorticoid Receptor and Blocks Agonist-Mediated Dissociation of the 10 S Oligomer to the 4 S Deoxyribonucleic Acid-Binding Subunit

The glucocorticoid antagonist 17α-methyltestosterone inhibits binding of the agonist [3H]triamcinolone acetonide to the glucocorticoid receptor in cytosol prepared from rat pituitary tumor GH1 cells. Competitive binding studies indicate that the dissociation constant for 17α-methyltestosterone is about 1 μm. After incubation of intact GH1 cells with 10 nm [3H] triamcinolone acetonide at 37 C and subsequent cell fractionation at 4 C, three glucocorticoid receptor forms are observed: cytosolic 10 S receptor, cytosolic 4 S receptor, and nuclear receptor. Concurrent incubation with 17α-methyltestosterone reduces the amount of [3H]triamcinolone acetonide bound to each of these receptor forms. Ligand-exchange assays performed at 0 C in intact cells using [3H] triamcinolone acetonide show that the exchangeable antagonist is associated predominantly with cytosolic 10 S receptor. Immunochemical analysis using monoclonal antibody BuGR2 indicates that 17α-methyltestosterone does not cause substantial accumulation of...
The 'Seller's Put' and Deal Terms in Corporate Mergers and Acquisitions

We provide novel evidence that the interim risk between a merger deal's announcement and completion is asymmetrically borne by the bidder. While the target can generally accept higher offers during the interim period -- presumably when its value increases -- the legal literature argues that bidders are more constrained in their ability to withdraw. We find that the likelihood of deal renegotiation is higher only when the target's value increases relative to the offer value during the interim period. Furthermore, we find significant effects on the bid premium, break-up fee, and method of payment, all consistent with this asymmetric risk hypothesis.
A Tightrope Act between Freedom and Equality of Speech on the Hungarian Publication of Owen M. Fiss’ Liberalism Divided: Delayed, But Never Too Late

In comparison with the standards of US legal literature on the freedom of speech, Fiss’ work could even be called ‘radical’. The essence of his message is that the state — which, on the basis of the power conferred upon it by legislation, is able to regulate the areas of freedom of speech and the media, to oversee compliance with the regulations via the government, the courts and the various authorities and to make corrections, if necessary — can actually be a friend (supporter or promoter) of freedom of speech. This represents a major leap away from the dogma previously prevalent, according to which it is wise to be wary of the state, as the state’s potential oppressive power allows it to limit freedom of speech for no good cause. The state (the government, the authorities and anyone whose actions may be ‘attributed’ to the state) should be kept an eye on at all times, and any steps taken that could inhibit freedom of speech for any reason whatsoever (be they legitimate or morally sound) should be viewed with caution and reservations. That is, any measure capable of restricting freedom of speech to any extent and for whatever reason should be viewed as unacceptable. Obviously there are certain situations — problems generalized in legal provisions — where such a restriction is not impermissible, but the scope of these is very narrow. By contrast, Fiss argues in favor of the role of the state in respect of freedom of speech. The issue is not that Fiss does not recognize the potentially oppressive nature of the state. Instead, he emphasizes those abilities of the state which the previous defenders of free speech have left unnoticed or claimed to be insignificant, namely, the state is able to eliminate the negative, harmful phenomena that arise during the practice of the exercise of freedom of speech. Such harmful phenomena are the result of the unregulated nature of the ‘marketplace of ideas’ or, rather, the prohibition of its regulation.
Approaches to a cortical vision prosthesis: implications of electrode size and placement.

Objective In order to move forward with the development of a cortical vision prosthesis, the critical issues in the field must be identified. Approach To begin this process, we performed a brief review of several different cortical and retinal stimulation techniques that can be used to restore vision. Main results Intracortical microelectrodes and epicortical macroelectrodes have been evaluated as the basis of a vision prosthesis. We concluded that an important knowledge gap necessitates an experimental in vivo performance evaluation of microelectrodes placed on the surface of the visual cortex. A comparison of the level of vision restored by intracortical versus epicortical microstimulation is necessary. Because foveal representation in the primary visual cortex involves more cortical columns per degree of visual field than does peripheral vision, restoration of foveal vision may require a large number of closely spaced microelectrodes. Based on previous studies of epicortical macrostimulation, it is possible that stimulation via surface microelectrodes could produce a lower spatial resolution, making them better suited for restoring peripheral vision. Significance The validation of epicortical microstimulation in addition to the comparison of epicortical and intracortical approaches for vision restoration will fill an important knowledge gap and may have important implications for surgical strategies and device longevity. It is possible that the best approach to vision restoration will utilize both epicortical and intracortical microstimulation approaches, applying them appropriately to different visual representations in the primary visual cortex.
Procedural Timeout Compliance Is Improved With Real-time Clinical Decision Support

The goal of this study was to assess compliance with a presurgical safety checklist before and after the institution of a surgical flight board displaying a surgical safety checklist with embedded real-time clinical decision support (CDS). We hypothesized that the institution of a surgical flight board with embedded real-time data support would improve compliance with the presurgical safety checklist. In this prospective, observational trial, surgeon-led procedural timeout compliance for 300 procedures was studied. In phase I (PI), procedural timeouts were performed using a simple paper checklist. In phase II (PII), an electronic surgical flight board with an embedded safety checklist was installed in each operating room, but the timeout procedure consisted of the same paper process as in PI. In phase III (PIII), the flight board safety checklist was used. Ten procedures each from 10 surgeons were evaluated in each phase. Compliance was scored on a 12-point scale with each point representing a different item on the checklist. Timeout compliance in PI ranged from 4.5 to 8.6 and 8.75 to 12 in PIII. All 10 surgeons demonstrated statistically improved compliance from PI to PIII. Compliance was significantly improved in 8 of 12 safety check items. Decreased compliance was not seen with any checklist item. Of the items with CDS, compliance with procedure consent and special safety precautions improved from PI to PIII, as did compliance with display of essential imaging, critical events or concerns, and number of procedures (i.e., >1 surgeon performing procedures). Using the electronic medical record with real-time CDS improves compliance with presurgical safety checklists.
Determination of a Unit Value for Specimen Processing Activities

A unique workload unit was determined for the Specimen Processing Section in a large clinical chemistry laboratory; these data are not available through the College of American Pathologists' Workload Recording Method. Information from time studies that were performed was used to determine an average clerical workload unit value that could be applied to all the tests performed by the laboratory. The clerical workload unit is then utilized to accurately evaluate productivity and determine staffing requirements for the Specimen Processing Section, thereby providing valuable information for optimizing staff utilization.
A word processor-based pathology reporting system.

This report describes a pathology report generating system based on a programmable word processing system (Wang® OIS-140). The system supports printing of preliminary and final draft reports as well as automatically producing index cards for insertion into a file of previous procedures. Completed pathology reports can be archived on floppy disks if desired. The pathology system is part of a multistation “shared logic” word processing system that serves the needs of several hospital departments. The programming capabilities included in the word processor permit it to handle anatomic pathology reporting functions without the need for an associated generalpurpose computer system. Experience with the system indicates that it has produced a 60% increase in the number of reports a secretary can produce compared with the previous system based on magnetic card typewriters.
Thrombopoietin Measurement as a Key Component in the Evaluation of Pediatric Thrombocytosis

JAK2, MPL, and CALR mutations, which underlie essential thrombocythemia (ET) in most adults, are infrequent in children. Consequently, additional tests are needed to confirm pediatric ET diagnoses. We report a child with suspected ET and normal JAK2, MPL, and CALR analyses. Serum thrombopoietin (TPO) was markedly elevated, leading to analysis of the TPO gene, TPHO, which contains an upstream open reading frame (uORF) known to repress THPO translation. Sequencing revealed a de novo, germline stopgain mutation in the uORF, explaining the elevated TPO and thrombocytosis. This finding suggests that screening TPO levels and, if elevated, THPO 5' UTR sequencing could be diagnostic.
Bonding and Abandoning: Gender, Social Interaction, and Relationships in Fantasy Sports

Using data on 396 fantasy sports participants, we explore how fantasy sports participation impacts players’ perceptions of their relationships with others, with attention to how and why outcomes ar...
Trends in radar: a U.S. Army Research Laboratory perspective

Today’s military radars are being challenged to satisfy multiple mission requirements and operate in complex, dynamic electromagnetic (EM) environments. They are simultaneously constrained by practical considerations like cost, size, weight and power (SWaP), and lifecycle requirements. Tomorrow’s radars need to be resilient to changing operating environments and capable of doing more with fewer resources. Radar research supports this shift toward more agile and efficient radar systems, and current trends include modular hardware and software development for multi-purpose, scalable radio frequency (RF) solutions. Software-defined radios (SDRs) and other commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology are being used for flexible waveform generation, signal processing, and nontraditional radar applications. Adaptive RF technology, including apertures and other front-end components, are being developed for multi-purpose functionality and resiliency. Together, these research trends will result in a technology framework for more robust future systems that are capable of implementing cognitive processing techniques and adapting their behavior to meet the demands of a congested and contested EM environment.
Rawls, self-respect, and assurance How past injustice changes what publicly counts as justice

This article adapts John Rawls’s writings, arguing that past injustice can change what we ought to publicly affirm as the standard of justice today. My approach differs from forward-looking approac...
Engaging the Sociological Imagination

The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions. Within that welter, the framework of modern society is sought, and within that framework the psychologies of a variety of men and women are formulated. By such means the personal uneasiness of individuals is focused upon explicit troubles and the indifference of publics is transformed into involvement with public issues.
Numerical Simulation of Incompressible Flows Within Simple Boundaries. I. Galerkin (Spectral) Representations

Galerkin (spectral) methods are explored for the numerical simulation of incompressible flows within simple boundaries. A major part of the paper is devoted to the development of transform methods for efficient simulation of flows in box geometries with periodic and free-slip boundary conditions. Techniques for incorporating known symmetries and invariances into transform methods are illustrated for the Taylor-Green vortex. Galerkin methods for accurate and efficient representation of rigid no-slip boundary conditions are also explained. A class of pseudospectral approximations is introduced in order to handle more complicated dynamical interactions in more complicated geometries. Later papers in this series will demonstrate the important advantages of spectral methods over finite-difference methods for simulation of many of the flows of current interest and will present specific numerical results for various transition and turbulent flows.