cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced techniques in magnetic resonance imaging in the evaluation of the large endolymphatic duct and sac syndrome

The purpose of this report is to compare temporal bone computed tomography (CT) to high-resolution magnetic resonance (MR) imaging using a novel thin-section fast spin echo (FSE) pulse sequence in identifying and characterizing patients with large vestibular aqueduct syndrome. Sixteen patients with sensorineural hearing loss and a CT diagnosis of large vestibular aqueduct(s) underwent high-resolution fast spin echo magnetic resonance imaging with dual, 3-in phased array receiver coils centered over the external auditory canals. Magnetic resonance imaging parameters included axial and oblique sagittal fast spin echo with an effective slice thickness of 1 mm contiguous. Thirty-eight patients with 76 normal inner ears who underwent MR imaging using this technique had their endolymphatic duct measured. MR alone identified the enlarged endolymphatic sac seen along with the large endolymphatic duct in all cases. Three cases (five inner ears) with enlarged bony vestibular aqueducts on CT showed no evidence of endolymphatic duct or sac enlargement on MR. MR alone identified a single case of mild cochlear anomaly in conjunction with an enlarged endolymphatic duct and sac. In the normal population the size of the normal endolymphatic duct at its midpoint measured from 0.1 to 1.4 mm. Thin-section, high-resolution fast spin echo MR imaging of the inner ear may be superior to CT in the evaluation of patients with the large vestibular aqueduct syndrome.
Mechanisms of Change in Cognitive Processing Therapy and Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Preliminary Evidence for the Differential Effects of Hopelessness and Habituation.

The present study examined two potential mechanisms of change, hopelessness cognitions and habituation, in a randomized controlled trial of cognitive processing therapy (CPT) and prolonged exposure therapy (PE) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants were 171 adult women with a current primary diagnosis of sexual assault related PTSD. The potential mechanisms were examined by evaluating the intraindividual change in hopelessness within the course of both treatments and subjective units distress (SUDS) ratings (a proxy for habituation) within the course of PE. The effects of intraindividual change in the proposed mechanisms were then examined on within-treatment changes in PTSD symptoms. Findings indicated that the participants assigned to the CPT treatment had significantly greater pre-post reductions in hopelessness than those assigned to PE and that the changes in hopelessness predicted changes in PTSD symptoms (R2 = .24). Intraindividual changes in SUDS ratings for participants in the PE treatment condition also predicted changes in PTSD symptoms and did so independently of the effect of changes in hopelessness. Future research should examine these mechanisms using more intensive methods of data collection that would permit the demonstration of temporality of change.
A microflow cytometer for optical analysis of phytoplankton

Analysis of the intrinsic scatter and fluorescence profiles of marine algae can be used for general classification of organisms based on cell size and fluorescence properties. We describe the design and fabrication of a Microflow Cytometer on a chip for characterization of phytoplankton. The Microflow Cytometer measured distinct side-scatter and fluorescence properties of Synechococcus sp., Nitzschia d., and Thalassiosira p. Measurements were confirmed using the benchtop Accuri C6 flow cytometer. The Microflow Cytometer proved sensitive enough to detect and characterize picoplankton with diameter approximately 1 mm and larger phytoplankton of up to 80 mm in length. The wide range in size discrimination coupled with detection of intrinsic fluorescent pigments suggests that this Microflow Cytometer will be able to distinguish different populations of phytoplankton on unmanned underwater vehicles. Reversing the orientation of the grooves in the channel walls returns the sample stream to its original unsheathed position allowing separation of the sample stream from the sheath streams and the recycling of the sheath fluid.
Depicting time-related events after cardiac surgery: Kaplan-Meier or competing risk?

Abstract The Kaplan-Meier estimate is the technique most frequently used to depict time-related events. When an event is being depicted in the setting of more than one possible event, the censoring process eliminates the influence of these other events; that is, it assumes that they do not occur. Under these circumstances, the Kaplan-Meier estimate of the event under study is different from the actual probability of the event. The competing outcomes method determines the actual probability of an event when more than one outcome event is possible. The Kaplan-Meier estimate and competing outcomes estimate of an event in the setting of multiple possible outcomes provide different information, but each has an application in the study of time-related events.
Modeling the Altered Expression Levels of Genes on Signaling Pathways in Tumors as Causal Bayesian Networks

This paper concerns a study indicating that the expression levels of genes in signaling pathways can be modeled using a causal Bayesian network (BN) that is altered in tumorous tissue. These results open up promising areas of future research that can help identify driver genes and therapeutic targets. So, it is most appropriate for the cancer informatics community. Our central hypothesis is that the expression levels of genes that code for proteins on a signal transduction network (STP) are causally related and that this causal structure is altered when the STP is involved in cancer. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed 5 STPs associated with breast cancer, 7 STPs associated with other cancers, and 10 randomly chosen pathways, using a breast cancer gene expression level dataset containing 529 cases and 61 controls. We identified all the genes related to each of the 22 pathways and developed separate gene expression datasets for each pathway. We obtained significant results indicating that the causal structure of the expression levels of genes coding for proteins on STPs, which are believed to be implicated in both breast cancer and in all cancers, is more altered in the cases relative to the controls than the causal structure of the randomly chosen pathways.
The Genetic Architecture of Reproductive Isolation in Louisiana Irises: Pollination Syndromes and Pollinator Preferences

In animal-pollinated plants, pollinator preferences for divergent floral forms can lead to partial reproductive isolation. We describe regions of plant genomes that affect pollinator preferences for two species of Louisiana Irises, Iris brevicaulis and Iris fulva, and their artificial hybrids. Iris brevicaulis and I. fulva possess bee and bird-pollination syndromes, respectively. Hummingbirds preferred I. fulva and under-visited both I. brevicaulis and backcrosses toward this species. Lepidopterans preferred I. fulva and backcrosses toward I. fulva, but also under-visited I. brevicaulis and I. brevicaulis backcrosses. Bumblebees preferred I. brevicaulis and F1 hybrids and rarely visited I. fulva. Although all three pollen vectors preferred one or the other species, these preferences did not prevent visitation to other hybrid/parental classes. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping, in reciprocal BC1 mapping populations, defined the genetic architecture of loci that affected pollinator behavior. We detected six and nine QTLs that affected pollinator visitation rates in the BCIb and BCIf mapping populations, respectively, with as many as three QTLs detected for each trait. Overall, this study reflects the possible role of quantitative genetic factors in determining (1) reproductive isolation, (2) the pattern of pollinator-mediated genetic exchange, and thus (3) hybrid zone evolution.
Wisdom as self-transcendence: What’s love (& individualism) got to do with it? ☆

Certain spiritual and contemplative traditions (e.g., Mahayana Buddhism, and Sufism) suggest that love or compassion may be one path toward wisdom. Fromm (1956) argued that certain cultures, particularly capitalistic ones, hinder productive and mature forms of love, and thus perhaps wisdom. In the first study, 90 Southeast Asian, Russian/Slavic, and Tibetan community participants completed a survey containing measures of cultural syndromes, immature love, and self-transcendence, an aspect of wisdom. The second study collected similar data on 164 undergraduate students. The results of these two studies revealed that one cultural syndrome, vertical individualism, was negatively associated with self-transcendence and positively with immature love. An egalitarian cultural stance was also related to self-transcendence among college students. The results did not support a mediating role for immature love between vertical individualism and self-transcendence. Future studies, particularly longitudinal ones, are needed to establish the causal or reciprocal relationships among culture, love, and self-transcendence.
Raman spectra and the structure of rutile at high pressures

Raman spectra of rutile crystals under hydrostatic pressures to 80 kbar and non-hydrostatic stresses to 155 kbar are reported. Spectral changes near 35 kbar, previously interpreted in terms of a transformation to TiO2 II, are shown to represent an intermediate case between the spectra of a very anharmonic material at low pressures and a relatively harmonic material at pressures greater than 50 kbar.
Behavior problems in young children: An analysis of cross‐informant agreements and disagreements

This study examined (a) convergence between parents' and day care teachers' ratings of children's behavior problems, and (b) whether agreements and disagreements were associated with characteristics of the informant, context, or measures. Parents of 241, 2-4-year old children in day care centers serving low-income families completed measures of child behavior problems, parenting style, stress, depression, and self-efficacy. Teachers completed a measure of classroom behavior problems. There was a low correlation between parents' and teachers' ratings of child behavior (r=.17), and few children (2.5%) received high behavior problem scores from both parents and teachers. Cross-informant agreement on high behavior problem children was related to characteristics of the informants and home context. Implications for identifying children at risk are discussed.
Motion Purity of Robotic Mechanisms with Desired and Undesired Motions

For a robotic system, the complete description of the end-effector motion requires six independent parameters, while the desired end-effector motion for a task often needs less than 6 d.o.f. Therefore, the end-effector motion can be divided into desired motion and undesired motion. The end-effector motion is transformed from the joint motions. In this paper, the efficiency of the joint motions to implement the desired motion is investigated and a new concept called motion purity is proposed to measure this efficiency. The new concept is more comprehensive and direct than other existing performance measures, such as the volume of workspace and manipulability. It is appropriate as a design objective at various phases in designing a robotic mechanism. The tripod machine tool is studied and its structure is optimized from the viewpoint of the motion purity.
Smoke Emission Factors from Medium-Scale Fires: Part 2

Smoke emission factors, (i.e., the mass of smoke per mass of fuel burned), were measured in 11 separate experiments. The size distribution of the smoke particles was determined using a cascade impactor. The percentages of “black” carbon (also called “graphitic” or “elemental” carbon) and organic carbon have been determined for all the experiments as a function of particle aerodynamic diameter. Values in the range of 0.1%–0.2% are reported for the smoke particle emission factors for Douglas fir whole wood and plywood burning under well-ventilated conditions. Approximately 65% of the particles have aerodynamic diameters less than 1 μm. Douglas fir whole wood gave smoke emission factors in the range of 2%–3.5% when burned under poorly ventilated conditions representative of a building fire that is limited by air entrainment. For this case the size distribution was much broader, with substantial quantities of particles up to 5-μm aerodynamic diameter. For all ex periments, the black carbon content represented...
Prevalence and causes of visual impairment in Asian and non-Hispanic white preschool children: Multi-ethnic Pediatric Eye Disease Study.

Purpose To determine the prevalence and causes of decreased visual acuity (VA). Design Population-based cross-sectional study. Participants Multi-ethnic sample of children 30 to 72 months of age identified in Los Angeles. Methods All eligible children underwent a comprehensive ophthalmic evaluation including monocular VA testing, cover testing, cycloplegic autorefraction, fundus evaluation, and VA retesting with refractive correction. Decreased VA was defined as presenting or best-measured VA worse than 20/50 in children 30 to 47 months of age and worse than 20/40 for children 48 months of age and older. The prevalence and causes of decreased VA were determined, for both presenting and best-measured VA, in the better-seeing and the worse-seeing eyes. Main Outcome Measures Prevalence and causes of decreased vision. Results Presenting VA was assessed in 1840 children and best-measured VA was assessed in 1886 children. Presenting VA was decreased in the worse eye of 4.2% of Asian children and of 3.6% of non-Hispanic white (NHW) children. Close to one-fourth of these cases had no identifiable cause, and 81% of these resolved on retesting. Decreased presenting VA in the worse eye with an identifiable ophthalmic cause was present in 3.4% of Asian children and in 2.6% of NHW children. Decreased presenting VA attributable to simple refractive error (myopia ≥0.5 diopters [D]; hyperopia ≥3.0 D; astigmatism ≥2.0 D or ≥1.5 D for children older than 36 months) was present in the worse eye of 2.3% of Asian children and of 1.4% of NHW children and in the better eye of 0.5% of Asian children and of 0.3% of NHW children. Decreased best-measured VA attributable to a cause was present in the worse eye of 1.2% of both Asian children and NHW children and in the better eye of 0.2% of Asian and of 0.3% of NHW children. Amblyopia related to refractive error was the most common cause, and was 10 times as common as ocular disease. Severe visual impairment was rare. Conclusions Seventy percent of all decreased VA in Asian and NHW preschool children and more than 90% of decreased VA with an identifiable cause is related to refractive error—either uncorrected refractive error or amblyopia resulting from refractive error. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
Wnt Antagonism in Multiple Myeloma: A Potential Cause of Uncoupled Bone Remodeling

Bone disease in patients with multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by uncoupled bone remodeling, evident as enhanced osteolytic resorption and decreased rather than increased bone formation. MM-triggered osteolysis follows deregulation of the receptor activator of nuclear factor kappaB ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin cytokine axis. Inhibition of bone formation may result from the ability of MM to inhibit the function of Wnts, secreted glycoproteins critical to osteoblast development. Recent studies show how these processes may be linked.
Totally Synthetic Routes to the Higher Monosaccharides

The evolution of a strategy to synthesize the title compounds is described. Three principal developments allowed realization of this goal: (1) the attainment of high margins of diastereofacial selectivity and regioselectivity in the construction of pyranoid systems via the Lewis acid-catalyzed cyclocondensation reaction of activated dienes and aldehydes; (2) the exploitation of stereoselective reactions for functionalization of the pyranoid matrix; and (3) the discovery of stereoselective reactions for extending the chiral biases of pyranoid systems to newly emerging stereogenic centers on side chains. The coordination of these components in the synthesis of target systems of high biological interest is described.
Place Your Bet on Politics: Local Governments Roll the Dice

Concentrating at the local level, this study expands on existing research by measuring the political and economic determinants of gambling policy. Using data from the National Gambling Impact Study Commission, a larger data set of interest group activity, levels of saliency, fiscal stress, and leisure orientation were constructed. This article examines the political determinants from the morality policy framework and the economic variables that produce local gambling policy, their interaction effects, and the mediating variable of institutional structure. The evidence shows that political variables, or the determinants of morality policy, are significant predictors of local gambling codes and ordinances, whereas economic variables lack statistical significance. There are substantial interaction effects of interest groups and saliency, and when mediated by local government structure, unreformed governments experience more restrictive gambling policy. Understanding the different politics attributed to policy typology, gambling policy poses an ideal test for the morality or economic policy framework, and to measure these changes at the local level is indeed a contribution to the gambling literature. By measuring the politics of economic development and morality, this research finds that local gambling policy, operationalized by its degree of regulation, is determined by its politics rather than its market or economic explanations.
The Encyclopedia as a Process of Civic Engagement

Revolutions in knowledge, authority, and technology are creating opportunities to reconceive encyclopedias as vehicles for building shared community information. This essay describes how The Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia strived to build from a foundation of civic engagement to create a reference tool that provides reliable, accessible information about a region while also building community by raising awareness of shared patterns of history and experience.
Edmund H. Sonnenblick (1932–2007)

Ed Sonnenblick was simply an intellectual giant in the field of cardiovascular research, and the work that he did will forever shape everyday treatment of heart disease. This piece will briefly summarize his accomplishments, but will mainly serve to honor him as a mentor, teacher, colleague, and friend. Ed’s education took him from Wesleyan University where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude in 1954, to Harvard Medical School, where he graduated cum laude and was a member of Alpha Omega Alpha. His residency at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital in New York culminated in 1960, after which he moved to the National Institutes of Health, where he worked with Stanley Sarnoff. It was there that he wrote his seminal, single author paper in 1962 that concluded that the mechanical performance of the heart was intimately linked to its properties as a muscle. At this point in time, this seems so obvious, but this research changed the face of cardiovascular therapeutics and provided the scientific justification for therapeutic afterload reduction. He stayed on at the NIH where he worked on the relationship of contractility and disease states until 1967, when he moved to the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital as Director of Cardiovascular Research. In 1975 he was appointed the first Director of the Cardiology Division at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, where he remained for the rest of his career. While at Einstein, Ed attracted many young colleagues to work on cardiac physiology and convinced me, a relative newcomer to the field, that knowing the molecular biology of muscle was not of much use in the absence of understanding its function. During the ensuing years, one of the first Molecular Cardiology Programs in the country was formed. Ed’s support of this program was critically important, and …
News media coverage of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising: implications for countervailing powers theory.

Since a 1997 regulatory shift on the part of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), there has been an explosion of televised direct- to-consumer (DTC) pharmaceutical advertising in the United States. The introduction and growth of this form of advertising, as well as other recent evolutions in the health care arena, have altered relationships among key countervailing powers in the health care system, suggesting the need to recast countervailing powers theory so as to account for these changes. Coming from the perspective that the news media play an important role in refl ecting the balance of power among the various countervailing powers, the paper advances this theoretical framework through an empirical assessment of the relative prominence of those entities in print news media coverage of the DTC advertising phenomenon. The study fi nds that 'corporate sellers' (pharmaceutical industry) are accorded more prominence in news coverage than are providers, consumers, corporate purchasers, or state players and that DTC critics, in particular, have minimal representation. In addition, the fi ndings point toward two modifi cations for countervailing powers theory: (1) an incorporation of the role of academic/research organizations, and (2) a consideration of the universe of possibilities with respect to each of the countervailing powers.
Regression of a meningioma during paclitaxel and bevacizumab therapy for breast cancer

Meningiomas often are not amenable to total resection, and subtotally resected meningiomas often recur. Recurrent meningiomas present a clinical dilemma, particularly when surgical and radiotherapy options are exhausted, as there are no chemotherapeutic options that demonstrate consistent, significant efficacy. We report a patient with the regression of a recurrent World Health Organization grade I meningioma during combination chemotherapy with bevacizumab and paclitaxel for breast cancer. This chemotherapy regimen has never been explored for recurrent meningiomas. While further data are necessary, we suggest that combination chemotherapy with bevacizumab and paclitaxel may be an option for treatment of recurrent meningiomas when no further surgical or radiotherapy options exist.
Peer effects on student achievement: evidence from Chile

Abstract This paper reports estimates of peer effects on student achievement, using a 1997 census of eighth-grade achievement in Chile. The data allow detailed measures of peer characteristics to be constructed for each classroom within a school. The paper addresses the endogeneity of peer variables by including school fixed effects that control for unobserved family and student characteristics. The estimates suggest that the classroom mean of mothers’ education is an important determinant of individual achievement, though subject to diminishing marginal returns. Additional specifications using family fixed effects are not suggestive that estimates are biased by within-school sorting.
Wavelet-neuro-fuzzy control of hybrid building-active tuned mass damper system under seismic excitations:

This paper proposes a wavelet-based fuzzy neuro control algorithm for the hazard mitigation of seismically excited buildings equipped with a hybrid control system. The wavelet-based fuzzy neuro con...
Using social media to address Asian immigrants’ mental health needs: A systematic literature review

Objectives: Social media have entered the communication landscape in recent years. This paper seeks to identify emerging themes in the growing literature of social media and health. Methods: We perform a systematic review to understand the emergence of social media as a technological innovation in public health. Our focus is a specific population group—Asian immigrants with mental health issues and needs. Results: Using Google Scholar as the search engine, we have found 76 studies initially. Based on certain inclusion criteria, 46 studies remain in the final analysis. Our analysis shows that researchers have revealed both the positive and negative impacts of social media for Asian immigrants with mental health needs. Besides, researchers have utilized social media as a new tool for data collection and analysis. Conclusions: Organizational involvement, innovative combinations of methodologies and multidisciplinary perspectives are essential to advancing this significant research topic. Our findings have limitations but provide a useful baseline for further studies. Journal of Nature and Science, 1(4):e66, 2015
The Collegiate Influence on the Early Social Studies Curriculum: A Reassessment of the Role of Historians

Abstract The traditional view of the early social studies curriculum has been to see it as the product of an all powerful collegiate pressure, one embodied solely in those most directly concerned with the social studies — historians. As a result, there has been a tendency to ignore other aspects of the collegiate influence, and to create far too simplistic a picture of the founding of the social studies curriculum. This examination attempts to reassess the role of historians in shaping the form and organization of the secondary social studies in the period 1890–1911. Special attention is given to the importance of the broader institutional relationships of high schools and colleges and the changing nature of both higher education and social science.
l-Arginine prevents lung neutrophil accumulation and preserves pulmonary endothelial function after endotoxin

l-Arginine supplementation has been shown to restore endothelium-derived nitric oxide production in several pathological states. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of administration of exogenousl-arginine on the endotoxin-induced lung neutrophil accumulation and impairment of endothelium-dependent guanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP)-mediated pulmonary vasorelaxation in rats. Endothelium-dependent relaxation was tested by receptor-dependent [acetylcholine (ACh)] and receptor-independent (A-23187) pathways. Endothelium-independent relaxation was tested with sodium nitroprusside (SNP). In isolated pulmonary arterial rings, concentration-response curves were generated with ACh, A-23187, and SNP (10−9 to 10−6 M) 4 h after endotoxin (500 μg/kg ip) with and without prior administration ofl-arginine (300 mg/kg ip). Lung neutrophil accumulation was determined by myeloperoxidase (MPO) assay. After endotoxin, lung neutrophil accumulation was significantly increased (MPO activity, 3.8 ± 0.4 vs. 0.8 ± 0.1 units/g lung weight in control cells; P < 0.05), which was prevented byl-arginine treatment (MPO activity, 1.3 ± 0.3 units/g lung weight; P < 0.05 vs. endotoxin). Endotoxin produced a significant impairment of endothelium-dependent cGMP-mediated pulmonary vasorelaxation by receptor-dependent (ACh) and -independent (A-23187) pathways as well as of endothelium-independent relaxation (SNP). Prior treatment withl-arginine, but not withd-arginine, preserved endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation. Neitherl- nord-arginine influenced endotoxin-induced impairment of endothelium-independent, cGMP-mediated pulmonary vasorelaxation. We conclude that administration of exogenousl-arginine prevents endotoxin-induced lung neutrophil accumulation and attenuates its associated impairment of endothelium-dependent, cGMP-mediated pulmonary vasorelaxation.
Height and sexual dimorphism of stature among human societies

In this study, which is concerned with the varying degrees of sexual dimorphism of stature between human societies, adult male and female height measurements and male-female height ratios – the measure of sexual dimorphism – from 216 societies are statistically compared with several variables: marriage practices, protein availability, the presence of milking herds, settlement size, and climate. Our results indicate that while greater mean male height is associated with polygynous marriage, marriage practices did not exert an influence on the degree of sexual dimorphism of stature. On the other hand, the results suggest that while sexual dimorphism in height has a strong genetic component, dietary factors can influence the degree of dimorphism.
Radiation efficiency of electrically small multiturn loop antennas

The radiation efficiency of electrically small multiturn loop antennas is calculated using an ohmic resistance which includes both the normal skin effect and the additional loss due to the proximity effect.
Compact Operators and Fredholm Theory

Suppose X is a vector space (over \(\mathbb{R}\) or \(\mathbb{C}\)) and let \(T:X\rightarrow X\) be a linear operator. Let us recall some basic definitions from linear algebra. The kernel (or nullspace) of T is the subspace of X given by \(\mathrm{ker}(T)=\{x:Tx=0\}\). The range (or image) of T is given by \(\mathrm{ran}(T)=\{Tx:x\in X\}\). We say that \(x\in X\) is an eigenvector of T if \(x\neq 0\) and there exists some scalar λ (called an eigenvalue) such that \(Tx = \lambda x\).
Property Tax Assessments: Evaluating the System

What would happen if a supermarket charged different customers different prices for the same item? What if the differences became steadily larger? And usually favored better-off customers? Undoubtedly there would be objections or maybe even lawsuits. The chances of getting away with such discriminatory practices would be slim. Yet this same kind of discrimination has been applied to many Illinois property owners through the state's property tax assessment system. This paper analyzes tax assessment practices in all "downstate" Illinois counties (every county except Cook) and shows that over the last 12 years the system has registered unequal assessments of residential properties, significantly undervaluing some homeowners and significantly overvaluing others. Furthermore, these inequities tended to hit lower priced property owners harder: in approximately one-third of the counties owners of lower-priced parcels tended to be increasingly overassessed compared to owners of higher priced properties, while only five counties showed steady improvements in the equal treatment of lower and higher valued properties. The discussion closes with suggestions for improving assessment uniformity in downstate Illinois.
Appendix to: 'Why are There so Few Conservatives and Libertarians in Legal Academia? An Empirical Exploration of Three Hypotheses'

There are few conservatives and libertarians in legal academia. Why? Three explanations are usually provided: the Brainpower, Interest, and Greed Hypotheses. Alternatively, it could be because of Discrimination. This paper explores these possibilities by looking at citation and publication rates by law professors at the 16 highest-ranked law schools in the country. Using regression analysis, propensity score matching, propensity score reweighting, nearest neighbor matching, and coarsened exact matching, this paper finds that after taking into account traditional correlates of scholarly ability, conservative and libertarian law professors are cited more and publish more than their peers. The paper also finds that they tend to have more of the traditional qualifications required of law professors than their peers, with a few exceptions. This paper indicates that, at least in the schools sampled, conservative and libertarian law professors are not few in number because of a lack of scholarly ability or professional qualifications. Further, the patterns do not prove, but are consistent with, a story of discrimination. The downsides to having so few conservatives and libertarians in the legal academy are also briefly explored.
Complexity Analysis Integrating Pure Adaptive Search (PAS) and Pure Random Search (PRS)

Pure adaptive search (PAS) is a random search algorithm for global optimization that has promising complexity results. The complexity of pure adaptive search has been analyzed for both continuous and discrete, finite global optimization. Unfortunately, it is not possible at this time to implement pure adaptive search and achieve the ideal computational performance. To model practical random search algorithms more closely, we extend the complexity analysis to integrate pure adaptive search with pure random search. Many practical algorithms have some probability of sampling in the improving region, which is analogous to sampling according to PAS, and a probability of sampling outside the improving region, which is analogous to sampling according to PRS. Simulated annealing also has a probability of accepting a non-improving point. A Markov chain analysis is used to determine the expected number of iterations required to find the global optimum and to provide bounds for the expected number of iterations needed for a combination of PAS and PRS with acceptance probability. The analysis shows that one needs only a small probability of sampling in the improving region in order to dramatically improve performance.
Profiles of Personal Mentors

This exercise is intended to help students/participants identify the specific areas in which mentors have been influential in their lives and thereby help the individual and the class (with shared data) get a better sense of what "mentors" really do and do not do. The exercise is self-administered.
Evolution of SOI MOSFETs: from Single Gate to Multiple Gates

To improve short-channel characteristics and increase current drive, SOI technology is shifting focus from “classical” single-gate MOSFET architectures to multiple-gate device structures. This paper traces the history of single- and multiple-gate SOI MOSFETs and summarizes the electrical characteristics of such devices.
Institutional Argumentation and Institutional Rules: Effects of Interactive Asymmetry on Argumentation in Institutional Contexts

Recent approaches to studying argumentation in institutions have pointed out the role of institutional rules in constraining argumentation that takes place in institutional contexts. However, few studies explain how these rules concretely affect actual argumentation. In particular, little work has been done as to the consequences of interactional asymmetry which often exists between participants in institutional contexts. While previous studies have suggested that this asymmetry exists as an aberration in the deliberative process, this paper argues that asymmetry is built into day-to-day institutional practices as a means of achieving institutional agendas. This article draws upon findings from workplace and discourse studies to explicate particular dimensions of asymmetry that commonly occur within institutional settings, and establishes a methodological framework to account for how this asymmetry can be operationalized for arguments that favor institutional interests regardless of the underlying strength of the arguments being made. Drawing on a controversial case of institutional argumentation during a hearing of the US House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC) in the mid-1950s, this article demonstrates how in using these advantages, HUAC is able to overcome legitimate witness counterarguments to its claims and achieve its institutional goals for the hearing. Though the testimony is admittedly 60-years old, HUAC is a useful case study: the asymmetry in the exchange is clear and we have a historical record to verify the factual accuracy of the claims being made. Additionally, we can see how the subsequent legal reforms that reduced conditions of asymmetry for witnesses were responsible for HUAC’s eventual demise as an institutional force. Though this paper analyzes one particular interaction, these findings are applicable to analysis of argumentation in many institutional settings.
Menopause and sleep.

CLINICAL SCENARIO An obese, 50-year-old woman complains of hot flashes, poor sleep, snoring, and daytime sleepiness. She states that these problems have bothered her for about 4 years. Her partner recently complained about her snoring and restlessness, prompting this visit. She has become hypertensive. What should she do?
Relationships Among Streptomycetes, Nocardiae, Mycobacteria and Other Actinomycetes

Many comparative studies on actinomycetes have been undertaken in recent years to evaluate the use of diverse criteria for separating taxa and to provide insight into biological affinities within the group. Gordon and Mihm (1957) have used physiological tests primarily; Adams and McClung (1962a, b) have emphasized cytological aspects, and Bradley et al. (1961) have employed susceptibility to actinophage as an index of relatedness. These three groups (Adams and McClung, 1960; Gordon and Mihm, 1961; Jones and Bradley, 1961) using their respective approaches concluded independently that the organism designated Jensenia canicruria (Bisset and Moore, 1950) was not readily distinguished from cultures designated Mycobacterium rhodochrous (Gordon and Mihm, 1959), Nocardia rubra or N. corallina (Waksman, 1961). Unanimity in matters of actinomycete taxonomy, however, has not always been achieved. For example, Gordon and Mihm (1957, 1959) have assigned to the genus Mycobacterium many cultures traditionally considered nocardiae (Breed et al., 1957). Our investigation was undertaken to determine relationships among actinomycetes, in particular, those typified by Nocardia farcinica, Nocardia corallina and Mycobacterium smegmatis, and to compare a taxonomic tree based primarily on physiological tests with previous ones based on susceptibility to actinophage (Bradley et al., 1961; Jones and Bradley, 1962). Present results indicate that cultures designated M. rhodochrous, N. corallina and J. canicruria are more closely allied to N. brasiliensis and N. asteroides than to M. smegmatis.
Quenched assembly of NIR-active gold nanoclusters capped with strongly bound ligands by tuning particle charge via pH and salinity

Gold nanospheres coated with a binary monolayer of bound citrate and cysteine ligands were assembled into nanoclusters, in which the size and near-infrared (NIR) extinction were tuned by varying the pH and concentration of added NaCl. During full evaporation of an aqueous dispersion of 4.5 ± 1.8 nm Au primary particles, the nanoclusters were formed and quenched by the triblock copolymer polylactic acid (PLA)(1K)-b-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)(10K)-b-PLA(1K), which also provided steric stabilization. The short-ranged depletion and van der Waals attractive forces were balanced against longer ranged electrostatic repulsion to tune the nanocluster diameter and NIR extinction. Upon lowering the pH from 7 to 5 at a given salinity, the magnitude of the charge on the primary particles decreased, such that the weaker electrostatic repulsion increased the hydrodynamic diameter and, consequently, NIR extinction of the clusters. At a given pH, as the concentration of NaCl was increased, the NIR extinction decreased mo...
The History of Robotics in Surgical Specialties.

A major positive step in the field of surgery was made when a robot was first used in the theater of surgery about 25 years ago. The robot was a PUMA 200 (Westinghouse Electric, Pittsburgh, PA) which was used for needle placement in a CT-guided brain biopsy1. Since then it has been exciting to see that the field of robotic surgery grow in leaps and bounds. Part of the reason for this is the plethora of benefits afforded by robotics that are simply absent in traditional surgical methods. For example, robots offer stability, accuracy, integration with modern imaging technology, greater range of motion, telesurgery, in addition to multiple other benefits inherent to individual surgical specialties2. Since the introduction of robotic surgery, many advances have been made in the field. In order to fully utilize the potential of the surgical robot it is important to understand the past in order to build towards the future. In order to understand the past, it is important to look at both the advances and achievements of robotic surgery in the various fields of surgery such as otolaryngological, neurosurgery, gynecological, cardiothoracic, gastric, urologic, orthopedic, endoscopy, and miniature after which the future developments that are on the horizon can be evaluated. This article will enumerate major milestones and will continue with limitations in subsequent articles.
Antibiotic and sulfonamide therapy in communicable diseases.

It is now possible to terminate rapidly many of the communicable diseases and to eradicate complications by the use of the antibiotics and sulfonamides. A group of diseases and their treatment are reviewed, and a bibliography included.
Preparation of high quality potassium chloride with magnesium sulfate subtype brine from Dayantan

According to the characteristics of magnesium sulfate subtype potassium-bearing brine from Dayantan,potassium chloride was prepared by using the process of two steps adding brine-cold decomposition crystallization,and separation of carnallite crystal(potassium chloride) from impurities was realized by using adding brine crystallization reactor and decomposition crystallization reactor.The experiment results showed that the technological process was simple,and its product quality was good,and it was easy to realize industrialization.
Controlled and Sequential Delivery of Fluorophores from 3D Printed Alginate-PLGA Tubes

Controlled drug delivery systems, that include sequential and/or sustained drug delivery, have been utilized to enhance the therapeutic effects of many current drugs by effectively delivering drugs in a time-dependent and repeatable manner. In this study, with the aid of 3D printing technology, a novel drug delivery device was fabricated and tested to evaluate sequential delivery functionality. With an alginate shell and a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) core, the fabricated tubes displayed sequential release of distinct fluorescent dyes and showed no cytotoxicity when incubated with the human embryonic kidney (HEK293) cell line or bone marrow stromal stem cells (BMSC). The controlled differential release of drugs or proteins through such a delivery system has the potential to be used in a wide variety of biomedical applications from treating cancer to regenerative medicine.
Optimal trajectories for secondary payloads from Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits to the Moon

Trajectories that provide fuel-efficient transfers from Geosynchronous Transfer Orbits (GTO) to the Moon are examined in this paper. These trajectories are becoming more important as relatively inexpensive launch options to GTO are now available by launching as a secondary payload. The main focus of this research is to explore possibilities for reaching lunar orbit via methods other than launching directly into the lunar orbit plane or waiting in a parking orbit for orbit perturbations to create favorable transfer conditions. Through the use of carefully chosen bi-elliptic type transfers or transfer orbits with optimally placed plane changes, this research shows that relatively efficient transfers to the Moon can be obtained from GTO.
The Authority of Law and Legal Punishment

The Place of Punishment within a Natural Law Account of Politics There is no doubt that a great deal of ordinary thought about law involves thought about punishment. But one might think, for more than one reason, that the place of a theory of punishment is bound to be at the periphery of a natural law account of political matters. First, recall that the central thesis of a natural law political theory is that the authority of law derives from its privileged place with respect to the common good (0.1). Natural law political philosophy is concerned with law's authority. Punishment, by contrast, is concerned with law not as authoritative but with law as coercive : punishment involves the wielding of force against the unwilling to bring about certain desirable actions or outcomes. But bearing authority and having the right to coerce are two fundamentally different conditions, and neither entails the other. Needing the direction of a personal trainer, I might promise to follow your directions with respect to my exercise regimen. While that promise establishes you as an authority over me – at least in this limited domain – it does not of itself give you a right to coerce me if I fail to comply. Nor does a right to coerce entail authority. Needing help in stopping smoking, I might grant you a right to knock a cigarette from my hand if you ever see me lighting up.
Bargaining between the Legislative and Executive Branches

One of a legislature's key powers is the ability to reshape policy proposals from the executive branch. This is in large part what separates a transformative legislature from an arena, and it often divides congressional from parliamentary systems. When a house lacks the capacity to scrutinize and amend executive proposals, its role in a system of separated powers is compromised. But if a state's legislature is transformative, it will be able to dissect the elements of a governor's offer, and – if it disagrees with them – rewrite the document to better reflect its own preferences. A useful way to evaluate a legislature, then, is by asking whether the influence of its members is equal to that of the executive branch in shaping policy. Of course, a legislature may possess the capacity to alter executive requests but choose to exercise this power only when its members disagree with them. Why might the two democratically elected branches of state government be expected to have different policy preferences? A familiar argument references the legislature's reputation as the branch most responsive to the popular will. Jacob (1966, p. 5) tells us, “Every schoolboy has learned that legislators represent the people” and that “they are instrumental in integrating public demands with public policy.” It is true that an individual may have more access to his or her district's representative than to his or her governor and that members of one and sometimes both legislative chambers face more frequent elections than governors do.
Preventing weight gain in African American breast cancer survivors using smart scales and activity trackers: a randomized controlled pilot study

This study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of two 6-month, self-regulation interventions that focused on daily self-weighing (DSW) and used objective monitoring and tailored feedback about weight (±activity), to prevent weight gain among African American breast cancer survivors. Participants (n = 35) were randomized to an intervention + activity monitoring (INT+), intervention (INT), or control (CON) group. Interventions included a wireless scale (±activity tracker) that transmitted objective data to a mobile app/website, emailed lessons, and tailored feedback based on objective weight (±activity data). Participants completed in-person and online assessments at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. Ninety-four percent of participants completed assessments at 3 months, and 97 % at 6 months. Median (IQR) weight change after 6 months was −0.9 % (−4.4–0.1) in the INT+ (p = 0.075; p = 0.067 vs. CON) and −0.2 % (−4.2–1.3) in the INT groups (p = 0.463; p = 0.357 vs. CON), versus a 0.2 % (−0.7–1.7) gain in the CON group. The proportion of INT+, INT, and CON participants that were at or below baseline weight was 72.7, 53.8, and 45.5 %, respectively (effect sizes d = 0.64, d = 0.18). Most INT+ participants weighed and wore trackers ≥5 days/week (INT+, 81.9 % vs. INT, 38.5 % vs. CON, 0 %; p < 0.0005; INT+, 72.7 %). Both intervention groups perceived DSW as positive, and 100 % would recommend the program to other breast cancer survivors. An intervention focused on DSW as a self-monitoring strategy shows promise for preventing weight gain in breast cancer survivors. Daily self-monitoring of weight and activity may be a feasible and accessible approach to promote weight gain prevention in breast cancer survivors. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02030353