cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Platelet function defects associated with hemorrhage or thrombosis

Platelet dysfunction, especially acquired forms, is a common cause of hemorrhage, especially when associated with trauma or surgery. Although the hereditary platelet function defects are generally quite rare, hereditary storage pool disease is common enough to be suspected in an individual, usually a child, with characteristic historical and clinical findings. The acquired platelet function defects, especially those resulting from drugs, are common and should promptly be suspected in patients developing easy and spontaneous bruising, mild-to-moderate mucosal membrane hemorrhage, or unexplained bleeding associated with trauma or surgery. The template bleeding time is generally useful as a screening test of platelet function, but a normal template bleeding time, in the face of a suggestive history, suggestive clinical findings, or in a patient frankly bleeding, is not reliable, and platelet aggregation or lumiaggregation should be done in appropriate clinical situations. Also, prolongation of the template bleeding time is an unreliable predictor of clinical bleeding propensity. The mainstay of therapy for almost all these defects, if bleeding is significant, is the liberal infusion of appropriate numbers of platelet concentrates. The acquired platelet function defects should also be managed by attempts to treat or control the underlying disease, if possible, and offending drugs or potentially offending drugs should immediately be stopped.
Impact of transistor technology on power savings in monolithic 3D ICs

In this paper, we discuss the impact of transistor technology on the power savings in monolithic 3D ICs over traditional 2D ICs. Our results are based on gate-level 3D IC partitioning and full RTL to GDSII design and analysis of a Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) benchmark circuit block with use of two different silicon validated foundry technologies. These two technologies have the same nominal operating voltage, but differ in terms of device performance, power, and gate capacitance. Our results show that monolithic 3D IC provides 37.5% more power savings for the technology with lower device power and input capacitance compared to that of a high power device technology.
El predominio de uno en Bogotá, Colombia: ¿estrategia para desfocalizar o para subjetivizar?

Este articulo analiza los factores semantico-pragmaticos que influyen en el uso del pronombre uno en el habla de Bogota. Mediante un enfoque variacionista y con base en los resultados del programa estadistico Goldvarb, se advierte una reduccion de la caracteristica impersonal de uno , pues se utiliza principalmente como marcador de la postura del hablante (subjetivizacion del discurso) mas que como mecanismo para disminuir su protagonismo. Los resultados de las variables de clase semantica del verbo, tipo de discurso y clase de entrevista aportan evidencia acerca de la utilizacion de uno casi con las mismas funciones referenciales de yo con verbos emotivos, mentales y estativos, en narraciones y situaciones hipoteticas, y en interacciones informales y espontaneas. Estos resultados apuntan a la perdida de la antigua connotacion socio-pragmatica de un sobreuso caracteristico de los individuos con menor nivel economico y educativo.
A 4H-SiC phonon polariton enhanced hybrid waveguide

This endeavor investigates the use of 4H-SIC surface phonon polariton (SPhP) to hybridize the mode of a ridge waveguide in a practical design. Applications for hybrid SPhP modes are in the fields of photonic integrated circuits (PIC) and in sensing in the mid to long infrared (IR).
Three Approaches to Macrofinance: Evidence from 140 Years of Data

We interrogate 140 years of macrofinancial data from three directions. The first approach pays attention to the slow buildup of financial imbalances that threaten financial stability and isolates medium-term movements in credit and property prices to identify national financial cycles. We show that the data reveals the reemergence of outsized financial cycles since the 1980s. In particular, we document the existence of an outsized financial cycle in the United States during the interwar period. We show that national financial cycles tend to move together and that their comovement has become particularly marked since the 1980s. Further, we show that virtually all financial booms are accompanied by housing-finance booms. The second approach pays attention to the predictive information in the consumption to wealth ratio. We show that the consumption to wealth ratio predicts not only global real rates (as has already been shown) but also property excess returns and the term spread although not stock excess returns. The third approach pays attention to the risk appetite of financial market intermediaries whose marginal value of wealth prices a broad class of financial assets. We create a metric for intermediary risk appetite for an earlier period not covered by the extant literature (1920-1970) and show that intermediary risk appetite predicts stock excess returns. We conclude with a discussion of our findings and the path forward for marcrofinance.
Spatiotemporal Imaging, Spatiotemporal Pulse Shaping, and Spatiotemporal Coherent Control

Anharmonic phonon-polaritons are driven in polar crystals and their propagation is imaged spatially. Spatially and temporally shaped waveforms are used to control their behavior.
A micro-UAS to Start Prescribed Fires

Prescribed fires have many benefits, but existing ignition methods are dangerous, costly, or inefficient. This paper presents the design and evaluation of a micro-UAS that can start a prescribed fire from the air, while being operated from a safe distance and without the costs associated with aerial ignition from a manned aircraft. We evaluate the performance of the system in extensive controlled tests indoors. We verify the capabilities of the system to perform interior ignitions, a normally dangerous task, through the ignition of two prescribed fires alongside wildland firefighters.
Effect of Phosphorus Concentration on Growth of Muhlenbergia capillaris in Flooded and Non-Flooded Conditions

Research was conducted to evaluate the effect of phosphorus (P) concentration in irrigation water on growth of a southeastern U.S. native grass Muhlenbergia capillaris in flooded and non-flooded conditions. Plants of Muhlenbergia capillaris (Lam.) Trin. (gulf muhly grass) growing in 3.8 liter (1 gal) containers in 85:15 sand:peat were flooded to the substrate surface for 0 (non-flooded) or 3 days (flooded). Between flooding events, plants were drained for 6 d with no additional irrigation. The flood-drain process was repeated five times. Non-flooded plants were hand watered as needed. Plants were irrigated (non-flooded) or flooded with one of several tap water solutions, each with a different P concentration ranging from 0 to 0.8 mg·liter−1 (ppm) P (hereafter referred to as P irrigation rate). The experiment was repeated once (total two runs). Shoot dry weight (SDW) root dry weight (RDW) were higher in non-flooded plants than in flooded plants in both runs. Shoot dry weight increased linearly with an incr...
The Role of Microenvironment in Preserving the Potency of Adult Porcine Pulmonary Valve Stem Cells In Vitro.

Background and Objective The potency of tissue resident stem cells is regulated primarily by inputs from the local microenvironment. Isolation of stem cells through enzymatic digestion of tissue may affect epigenetic regulation of cell fate and performance. Here we employ a non-enzymatic method to harvest and investigate tissue resident stem cells from the adult porcine pulmonary valve. Methods and Results The presence of c-Kit⁺ stem cells within the valve tissue was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. An in vitro culture of minced valve leaflets was developed under the standard conditions (37°C with 5% CO₂). The viability of the cellular outgrowths was evaluated over the subsequent 12 weeks. Under this culture condition, we identified a population of non-adherent c-Kit⁺ cells and multiple cellular structures mimicking the phenotype of embryonic stem cells at different stages of development. Formation of multinucleated cells through cell fusion provided an active niche area for homing and interaction of the non-adherent c-Kit⁺ cells. Expression of pluripotency markers Oct-4 and Nanog was detected in the newly formed multinucleated cells but not in mature colonies. Partial cell fusion was shown by fluorescent live-cell tracking, which confirmed intercellular molecular exchange between donor and recipient cells, resulting in altered cytoplasmic protein expression by the recipient cell. Conclusions These results suggest a role for the microenvironment in decrypting the potential of the valve somatic stem cells in vitro. In addition, our data provide evidence for cell fusion, which may play a critical role in reversing somatic cell fate and spontaneous cellular reprogramming.
Finding our way

By the fifteenth century it became evident that the Julian calendar was in error. Over the course of the succeeding two centuries science was driven by this problem, as well as the quest to circle the Earth. A principle necessity to exploration was the development of the ship, a problem involving mechanics. Explorers such as Columbus, Cabral, Magellan, Drake, and Cook all faced challenges involving mechanics
The St. Jude Medical bileaflet valve prosthesis. A 5 year experience

A 5 year experience with the bileaflet St. Jude Medical valve is reported. Between March, 1978, and June, 1982, 198 patients received 233 such valves (90 mitral, 73 aortic, and 35 double mitral-aortic valve replacements). Total follow-up was 4,896 patient-months; survivors were followed up for 1 to 5 years (mean 35 months). Early (30 day) mortality was 6.6% overall and 11.1% after mitral, 2.7% after aortic, and 2.9% after double valve replacement. Total late mortality was 15.2%; the actuarial survival rate at 4 years was 67% after mitral, 79% after aortic, and 79% after double valve replacement. Ischemic mitral valve disease was associated with an early mortality of 26.7% and a 4 year survival rate of 34%; without this high-risk subset, early mortality was 3.3% and the 4 year survival rate was 77% after mitral valve replacement. A multivariate logistic regression model identified three preoperative patient characteristics associated with increased postoperative mortality: ischemic mitral valve disease (p less than 0.001), a depressed left ventricular ejection fraction (less than 55%; p less than 0.05), and advanced New York Heart Association class (IV; p less than 0.05). Valve-related complications occurred in 14 patients (3.4% per patient-year). There were no instances of primary structural failure or hemolysis. Thromboembolism (nine patients, 2.2% per patient-year) occurred more frequently after double (3.7% per patient-year) or mitral valve replacement (2.3% per patient-year) than after aortic valve replacement (1.3% per patient-year) and more frequently in 12 patients receiving aspirin and dipyridamole (6.5% per patient-year) than in 173 patients receiving warfarin (1.9% per patient-year). No thromboembolic event was fatal. Reoperation was necessary because of one valve thrombosis, one valve erosion, and two perivalvular leaks due to endocarditis; three of the four patients survived reoperation (one valve-related death, 0.5%). Of 154 patients alive at latest follow-up, 85% were in New York Heart Association Class I or II, and 90% had improved by at least one class. This intermediate experience with the St. Jude Medical valve indicates that, in addition to its previously demonstrated excellent hemodynamic performance, there have been no instances of primary structural failure or hemolysis. Warfarin anticoagulation is recommended in all patients.
Legally Lethal Kratom: A Herbal Supplement with Overdose Potential

This case report describes an overdose on kratom, and elicits the potential dangers of overdose on the regulated dietary supplement. A young male presented to the emergency department intubated after being found unresponsive. He was found by his family to be unarousable and agonal breathing with minimal response to naloxone administered by Emergency Medical Services (EMS). Urine toxicology and blood alcohol content were negative. Physical exam was significant for tachycardia, hypotension, and pinpoint pupils with sluggish reactivity to light. Laboratory studies were significant for elevated liver enzymes, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, lipase, amylase, troponins, and lactic acid. Family members revealed that the patient consumed kratom, which he obtained through an e-commerce business, and had consumed over 500 grams the previous day. Urine sample for kratom on day 3 tested positive with levels of more than 500 ng/dL. The patient received supportive care and, by day 10, pupillary reflexes returned to normal and he was extubated by day 14. Most of the medications/drugs labelled under herbal supplements by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are not regulated and can be purchased over the counter. The safety and side-effect profile of kratom is not well-studied, especially in an overdose scenario.
Endoscopic third ventriculostomy prior to resection of posterior fossa tumors in children

Hydrocephalus is a common presenting symptom of pediatric posterior fossa tumors and often requires permanent cerebrospinal fluid diversion even after resection. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is a well-established treatment of obstructive hydrocephalus in children. The objective of this study is to demonstrate that ETV prior to posterior fossa tumor resection decreases the rate of postoperative ventriculoperitonal shunt (VPS) placement. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients who presented with hydrocephalus and underwent posterior fossa tumor resection between 2005 and 2016 excluding pineal and tectal tumors. The rate of postoperative VPS placement was compared in patients who underwent resection and had a VPS placed perioperatively (historical controls) with patients who underwent ETV prior to resection. The two groups were matched for demographics, tumor histology, and tumor location. We also performed a literature review of prior studies that examined the role of ETV in pediatric posterior fossa tumors. Thirty-six patients in the control group were compared to 38 patients in our study. The patients were matched across all variables (age, gender, tumor histology, and tumor locations). The rate of postoperative VPS placement was 31% in the control group compared to 16% in the ETV group. No complications were encountered during ETV. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy prior to posterior fossa tumor resection in children appears to decrease the rate of postoperative VPS placement. Given its efficacy and safety, ETV should be considered prior to tumor resection in these patients.
Assessment of irritability in school-aged children by pediatric, family practice, and psychiatric providers:

Background:Irritability, a common behavioral problem for school-aged children, is often first assessed by primary care providers, who manage about a third of mental health conditions in children. U...
Prelimbic input to basolateral amygdala facilitates the acquisition of trace cued fear memory under weak training conditions

The ability to predict the occurrence of an aversive outcome based on available cues requires associative learning and plastic changes in the amygdala. When the predictive cue and aversive shock outcome are separated in time as in trace fear conditioning, additional circuitry is needed, including the prelimbic (PL) area of the prefrontal cortex. We have previously shown that neuronal firing in the PL during the trace interval separating the cue and shock is required for trace cued fear memory formation, but whether this mnemonic signal is conveyed to the amygdala is unknown. Here we show in males that silencing PL activity during the trace interval reduces Arc protein in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) of trace-conditioned rats. Then, using pathway-specific optogenetic and chemogenetic silencing, we show a role for direct PL-BLA communication in trace cued fear learning under weak training conditions, but not standard training. These results suggest that PL input to the BLA may serve to promote cued learning when the cue-shock relationship is most ambiguous and that other trace fear circuitry can compensate for the loss of this connection with additional training. This also highlights the challenge to studying how emotional memories are formed and stored within a distributed network and suggests that the function of individual connections within such a network may best be determined using weak training conditions.
Chemoradiation Bladder Preservation

Chemoradiation is a potential treatment option for muscle-invasive bladder cancer for low-volume focal disease or limited disease, those individuals who desire bladder preservation, or those who are medically unfit for cystectomy. Ideal candidates are patients with an organ-confined solitary tumor, therefore without multifocal disease, or carcinoma in situ, hydronephrosis, or mixed histology. Trimodal therapy is considered the most comprehensive strategy for a select group of patients and associated with favorable oncologic outcomes. Maintenance of bladder function and the goal of treatment response is key in choosing a management strategy. Preservation of quality of life is often a motivating factor for patients in choosing trimodal therapy (TMT). Survivorship is managed collaboratively by the genitourinary disciplines inclusive of urologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and advanced practice providers.
The Valuation of American Options on Multiple Assets

In this paper we provide valuation formulas for several types of American options on two or more assets. First we characterize the optimal exercise regions and provide valuation formulas for a number of American option contracts on multiple underlying assets with convex payoff functions. Examples include options on the maximum of two assets, dual strike options, spread options, exchange options, options on the product and powers of the product, and options on the arithmetic average of two assets. Second, we also consider a class of contracts with non-convex payoffs, such as American capped exchange options. For this option we explicitly identify the optimal exercise boundary and provide a decomposition of the price in terms of a capped exchange option with automatic exercise at the cap and an early exercise premium involving the benefits of exercising prior to reaching the cap.
Rapid Screening of Chemical Sensing Materials Using Molecular Modeling Tools for the JPL Electronic Nose

We report a first principles Quantum Mechanics (QM) study to screen chemical functionalities in polymer-based chemical sensing materials to detect sulfur dioxide (SO2) and elemental mercury (Hg) vapors. The screening methodology involves evaluating the performance of various chemical functionalities in polymers based on their binding energy scores of the target molecules (SO2 and Hg). The QM results were validated by comparing the actual sensor response trends with the calculated binding energy values, by performing experiments using polymer-carbon composite sensors made from the polymers with the recommended chemical functionalities. A good correlation is found between the experimental sensor responses (strong or weak) to SO2 and Hg and the calculated binding energy values (strong or weak). The sensors were successfully used in the Third Generation JPL Electronic Nose (ENose) Technology Demonstration Experiment on the International Space Station (ISS).
Leading from the inside Out: Contemplative Practice as Radical Self-care for BIPOC Activists

This article contributes to scholarship focused on the contemplative justice movement. The study analyzes the experiences of BIPOC activists engaged in contemplative practice through the Practice i...
‘Emotional preparedness’: a nuanced approach to disaster readiness among social workers

Social work providers are at risk of experiencing lower morale during disasters because of added emotional stressors, yet, dissemination of factors that impact a social worker’s ability to manage e...
After a Critique of Secularism: Excess and the Reliquary Logic of American Jewish Holocaust Commemoration

Turning to the immanent space of contemporary Jewish life, this essay considers what happens after the critique of secularism to explore Holocaust commemoration in contemporary Jewish life. It argues that part of what the critique of secularism opens up are new ways of exploring these Jewish practices. Without the constraints of secularization’s clear definitions of what is either secular or religious, this essay shows how we can begin to make different connections. Appreciating what scholar of American religion Sally Promey has described as sensational religious practices, this essay explores a set of religiously inflected practices that challenge these norms, practices often made invisible by an abiding set of Protestant secular norms that read embodied, sensational practices as atavistic and objectionable.
The Dimensions and Effects of Reciprocity in Political Tolerance Judgments

Reciprocity is a foundational concept of cooperative societies with roles in face-to-face and anonymous transactions. In essence, we trust others, follow social norms, and abide by formal laws with the expectation that others will do the same. Absent some understanding that others will also play by the rules of the game, however, we may no longer feel compelled to abide by those rules ourselves. Numerous experimental studies infer that reciprocity plays just such a role. Curiously, however, we are unaware of any attempts to operationalize the concept in a direct way. We attempt to remedy this lacuna by introducing a series of original survey items that are geared toward tapping the belief in reciprocal respect for basic rights and liberties by a range of groups. Data from an internet-based panel reveal that the belief in rights reciprocity is not widespread, moves with the political context, and is shaped by a variety of dispositional measures. Reciprocity, as likely another dimension of threat, builds political tolerance—a relationship which we confirm with both panel and experimental evidence.
Testing the security vulnerabilities of OpenEMR 4.1.1: a case study

OpenEMR is a widely used open source electronic medical record system. Since it is used for storing and transmitting sensitive health information, the security posture of the system is of great concern. This paper reports our findings of vulnerabilities in OpenEMR 4.1.1 using various approaches. We analyzed the authentication function of OpenEMR, conducted session ID analysis, source code analysis, black-box testing, scanning with vulnerability assessment tool, as well as testing based on attack patterns. The vulnerabilities discovered include potential authentication vulnerabilities, lack of input validation, cross site scripting, HTTP Parameter Pollution, Server Side Include (SSI) injection, etc. This case study could be adapted into hands-on exercises for teaching software security testing methods.
Lhermitte Sign as a Presenting Symptom of Thoracic Spinal Pathology: A Case Study

A 54-year-old male with ankylosing spondylitis presented with complaints of progressively worsening bilateral leg weakness and difficulty ambulating of 2-week duration. He also felt a sharp, electric, shock-like sensation radiating from his lower back into his legs upon flexing the trunk. There was no history of trauma or other inciting events within the 2 weeks prior to presentation. Thoracic MRI at this visit showed a three-column fracture at T11-T12. He underwent spinal fusion surgery and within 2 days after surgery the radiating electrical sensation with spinal flexion had completely resolved.
Statistical Methods in the Frequency Domain

In previous chapters, we saw many applied time series problems that involved relating series to each other or to evaluating the e_ects of treatments or design parameters that arise when time-varying phenomena are subjected to periodic stimuli. In many cases, the nature of the physical or biological phenomena under study are best described by their Fourier components rather than by the di_erence equations involved in ARIMA or state-space models. The fundamental tools we use in studying periodic phenomena are the discrete Fourier transforms (DFTs) of the processes and their statistical properties. Hence, in x7.2, we review the properties of the DFT of a multivariate time series and discuss various approximations to the likelihood function based on the large-sample properties and the properties of the complex multivariate normal distribution. This enables extension of the classical techniques discussed in the following paragraphs to the multivariate time series case.
The Measurement of Rent Inflation

Providing for shelter represents a large portion of the typical household budget. Accordingly, rent, paid either to a landlord or to oneself as an owner-occupant, has a large weight in the CPI and in the personal consumption expenditures deflator, resulting in substantial scrutiny of how tenant rent and owners’ equivalent rent are measured in these price indexes. In this paper, we describe how the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimates tenant rent and owners’ equivalent rent. We then estimate alternative inflation rates for tenant rent and owners’ equivalent rent based on American Housing Survey data, following BLS methodology as closely as possible. Our alternative tenant rent inflation series is generally consistent with the corresponding BLS series. However, our alternative owners’ equivalent rent inflation series is consistently lower than the corresponding BLS series by an amount large enough to have a significant effect on the overall inflation rate. This result is driven by the inverse relationship between rent inflation and the level of monthly housing cost evident in the American Housing Survey data.
Green's function approach for interfacing UTD with FEM for a conformal array antenna on a large platform

A hybrid interface method is presented for analyzing complex array antennas mounted on a large platform. The antenna is characterized using the finite element method (FEM), and the radiation from the antenna is computed in the presence of the platform using the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD). The antenna is replaced by a set of equivalent sources on an interface surface that radiate in the presence of the platform. The platform is characterized by a UTD Green's function which finds the fields at any point in space due to each equivalent source. This approach may be applied to computing the radiation pattern of the antenna, the coupling to other antennas on the same platform, or the scattering from the platform back into the source antenna.
Metabolism of Linear Alcohols with Various Chain Lengths by a Pseudomonas Species

Pseudomonas C12B grew on and oxidized linear primary alcohols with even- and odd-numbered carbon chains ranging from C(2) to C(11). Cell-free extracts of the bacteria contained a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide-linked dehydrogenase(s) active with these alcohols and with branched primary and linear secondary alcohols as well. Analysis by gas-liquid chromatography of hexane extracts of filtrates of cultures containing mixtures of even-carbon numbered alcohols from C(10) to C(18) revealed that decanol was rapidly utilized, whereas the remainder were slowly dissimilated up to 19 hr and then were rapidly degraded in the next few hours of culture. The validity for these studies of (i) steam distillation as a method for collecting the alcohols from cultures, and (ii) quantitative estimation by gas-liquid chromatographic comparison with an added internal marker, was established. Steam distillation and gas-liquid chromatography were then used to show that failure to demonstrate stoichiometry of sulfate and dodecanol in the alkyl sulfatase reaction in a previous study resulted from contamination of the commercial "Dodecyl Sodium Sulfate, 95%" used with decyl, undecyl, and tetradecyl sulfates.
A Guide to Designing Future Ground-based CMB Experiments

In this follow-up work to the High Energy Physics Community Summer Study 2013 (HEP CSS 2013, a.k.a. Snowmass), we explore the scientific capabilities of a future Stage-IV Cosmic Microwave Background polarization experiment (CMB-S4) under various assumptions on detector count, resolution, and sky coverage. We use the Fisher matrix technique to calculate the expected uncertainties in cosmological parameters in $\nu \Lambda$CDM that are especially relevant to the physics of fundamental interactions, including neutrino masses, effective number of relativistic species, dark-energy equation of state, dark-matter annihilation, and inflationary parameters. To further chart the landscape of future cosmology probes, we include forecasted results from the Baryon Acoustic Oscillation (BAO) signal as measured by DESI to constrain parameters that would benefit from low redshift information. We find the following best 1-sigma constraints: $\sigma$ constraints: $\sigma(M_{\nu})= 15$ meV, $\sigma(N_{\rm eff})= 0.0156$, Dark energy Figure of Merit = 303, $\sigma(p_{ann})= 0.00588\times3\times10^{-26}$ cm$^3$/s/GeV, $\sigma(\Omega_K)= 0.00074$, $\sigma(n_s)= 0.00110$, $\sigma(\alpha_s)= 0.00145$, and $\sigma(r)= 0.00009$. We also detail the dependences of the parameter constraints on detector count, resolution, and sky coverage.
Bundling Public and Private Goods: The Market for Sustainable Organics

Modern agriculture has vast environmental externalities. The pesticides, fertilizers, and sediments in irrigation runoff pollute surface and groundwater; single-crop farms destroy biodiversity; and massive amounts of fossil fuels are burned in agricultural production, post-harvest processing, and shipping. Nevertheless, farming operations have largely escaped the post-1970 expansion of federal environmental regulation. Compounding the problem, federal farm policy has encouraged the very farming practices that most cause this degradation.In 1990, Congress passed the Organic Foods Production Act (OFPA), which created an organic food certification and labeling system. While OFPA’s primary purposes are to facilitate the growth of the organic sector and to protect consumers, this Note suggests that the Act’s secondary purpose, underimplemented by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), is to foster sustainable farming practices. This Note explores whether the OFPA’s organic labeling system does or could fill the regulatory gap described above.This Note finds that under current standards the labeling program does not foster sustainable farming, not only because of shortfalls with the standards themselves but also because the market suffers from a freerider problem: Organic foods cost more, but consumers do not want to pay more for dispersed public benefits. Strengthening the standards would drive up production costs and exacerbate the freerider problem, but this Note argues that the USDA could mitigate the resulting decline in demand by taking advantage of the fact that organic products bundle sustainability, a public good for which people are not willing to pay much, with health, a private good for which many people are willing to pay more.
OPEC AND THE STRATEGY OF EXPORT SUBSTITUTION INDUSTRIALIZATION

One of the most pressing policy objectives of oil producing countries is that of transforming a raw material producing! exporting economy to one that is capable of exporting semi-processed, processed and manufactured goods. This policy objective was stressed by OPEC Secretary General Ali M. Jaidah when he addressed representatives of the international oil industry in October of last year in Vienna. On that occasion, the Secretary Generai spoke of the need for “the speedy transformation of the role of OPEC Member Countries from that of raw material exporters to manufacturers by carrying out certain downstream operations, especially with regard to refining and petrochemicals.” In this way, the Secretary General said, the national oil industries should become the central pivot in the process of industrialization. In the following article, Professor Alnasrawi outlines the main theoretical arguments for an industrialization strategy based on the concept of export substitution – i.e. placing the emphasis of development policy on non-traditional, non-primary exports; some of the difficulties which such a strategy is bound to encounter; and, finally, the applicability of that strategy to OPEC Member Countries.
Multiple controls on the preservation of organic matter in Devonian¿Mississippian marine black shales: geochemical and petrographic evidence

Abstract Geochemical and petrographic analysis of an interval of black shales between the Huron Shale Member of the New Albany Shale (Upper Devonian, Famennian) and the Sunbury Shale (Lower Mississippian, Tournaisian) suggests that multiple controls influenced the accumulation of organic matter. Stratigraphic trends were determined following detailed analysis of a core from the central Appalachian Basin (D6, Montgomery County, KY). Specifically, C–S–Fe relationships, Mo, V/(V+Ni), Ni/Co, and V/Cr were used to assess paleo-redox conditions during sediment accumulation; the role of clastic input was evaluated using Ti/Al, K/Al, and Si/Al; and C/P was used as a proxy for paleoproductivity. The terrestrial-to-marine maceral ratio (T/M)—(vitrinite plus inertinite)/(alginite plus bituminite)—was used to evaluate changes in OM source. C–S–Fe relationships and trace-element ratios suggest anoxic conditions prevailed during deposition of much of the upper part of this interval. However, bottom-water conditions were intermittently dysoxic during accumulation of the Huron Shale Member, and possibly dysoxic to marginally oxic during accumulation of the lowermost Huron Shale Member. Productivity appears to have been an important factor in the accumulation of Corg, and high C/P ratios are consistent with a productivity–anoxia feedback mechanism. In addition, nutrients from increased terrestrial weathering may have contributed to enhanced productivity. Variations in sediment influx may also have influenced Corg concentrations through sediment starvation. One of the more significant observations in this work is an increase in terrestrial OM (inertinite and vitrinite) up-section, which may reflect vegetative changes occurring on land during this time interval. Most of this increase is due to inertinite, much of which appears to be fusinitic in origin and hence may be fossil charcoal. This latter observation has implications for the expansion of land plants into drier niches and for Late Devonian atmospheric oxygen levels. Introduction of more resistant terrestrial OM to anoxic basins may have been an important factor in the preservation of high-carbon (>10%) intervals, especially in the Cleveland Member of the New Albany Shale (Upper Devonian, Famennian) and the Sunbury Shale (Lower Mississippian, Tournaisian).
Recent advances to nonlinear minimum average correlation energy filters

We present recent advances in the development of nonlinear extensions to the minimum average correlation energy (MACE) filter. The MACE filter and its variations have been applied to the area of automatic target detection and recognition (ATD/R). Nonlinear extensions (Fisher and Principe, 1994) have been presented based on a statistical formulation of the optimization criterion, of which the linear MACE filter is a special case. The method by which nonlinear topologies can be incorporated into the filter design is reviewed. We present recent advances to this nonlinear method as well as new experimental results applying the technique to inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) data. The methods described result in faster convergence times and significantly better classification performance.
MO‐SAM‐304A‐01: Optimizing CT Dose and Image Quality for Different Patient Sizes

CT technology has improved dramatically over the past decade and its clinical utilization has increased significantly as well. While CT can yield exquisite descriptions of anatomy that were not previously possible (at least not with noninvasive techniques), its increased utilization has led concerns over radiationdose;CT has now been identified as the single largest contributor to medical radiationdose to the population and accounts for approximately 50% of medical exposure. Methods to reduce radiationdose have been the focus of all stakeholders (medical physicists, technologists, radiologists, manufacturers and regulators). Reducing dose while maintaining acceptable image quality can be complex and this is made even more complex when considering patients of different sizes. This talk will first describe methods currently used, and some being developed, to estimate radiationdose in patients. This will include a discussion of measurement techniques as well as Monte Carlo simulation‐based techniques. Specific attention will be paid to the differences in dose to patients of different sizes ranging from pediatric patients to obese adult patients. Tradeoffs in image quality and radiationdose will also be described in this context as well. Radiationdose reduction techniques, including a review of various tube current modulation schemes currently being employed will also be described. The effect of these dose reduction methods on both radiationdose and image quality will be discussed, again with attention to how they can be deployed with patients of different size. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand how radiationdose for CT studies is currently estimated 2. Understand the trade‐offs of dose and image quality, especially for large (obese) patients and in pediatric patients 3. Review of the manufacturers' dose modulation methods and how these affect dose in different patients
Interobserver and intraobserver bias exists in the interpretation of anal dysplasia.

INTRODUCTION: Natural history of progression from anal intraepithelial neoplasia to invasive carcinoma remains unproven. The risk of progression may be linked to the severity of dysplasia. Important therapeutic decisions are thus based on the severity of anal intraepithelial neoplasia. Consistency and reliability in the interpretation of anal intraepithelial neoplasia are unproven. METHODS: One hundred ninety anal biopsy specimens were identified for review of dysplasia with a six-point grade system from normal to invasive cancer, evidence of human papillomavirus infection, and quality of histology by three pathologists. RESULTS: Results revealed poor to moderate agreement on grading of quality of histology (weighted kappa score, 0.07–0.22), human papillomavirus status (weighted kappa score, 0.24–0.53), and dysplasia (weighted kappa score, 0.38–0.7). Complete agreement between the original pathology and the three pathologists was observed in only 32 percent of cases. Analysis of 86 slides previously read by one of the pathologists revealed only moderate agreement, with a weighted kappa score of 0.64. CONCLUSION: Significant interobserver and intraobserver bias exists in the interpretation of anal intraepithelial neoplasia. These inconsistencies may explain the uncertainty about the natural progression of anal intraepithelial neoplasia and the varied results of surgery reported for anal intraepithelial neoplasia in the literature.
World War II Archivists: In the Field and on the Home Front

In response to the widespread looting and destruction of cultural property in the European Theater during World War II, the Allies established the Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) Sub-commission, a unit charged with safeguarding historic sites and protecting, recovering, and repatriating objects of cultural heritage. This article discusses the inclusion of an archival program in the MFAA mission and identifies the American and British archivists who were members of the MFAA along with their notable advocates on the home front.
Acne treatment with a low-dose oral contraceptive

Objective: To test whether a lower-dose oral contraceptive (Estrostep) that reduces circulating androgens is effective in acne treatment. Methods: Five hundred ninety-three women, aged 13–49 years, were enrolled in two 6-cycle, randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, multicenter studies; 297 received Estrostep (1 mg norethindrone acetate and 20, 30, and 35 μg ethinyl estradiol) and 296 placebo. Demographics and discontinuation rates were similar across the two studies and between treatment groups. Efficacy was determined by changes in acne lesion counts, investigator’s overall rating of facial acne, subject assessment of acne severity, and acne-specific quality-of-life questionnaires. Results: Estrostep-treated subjects had greater decreases from baseline in all acne lesion counts relative to placebo (P <0.0001) and a higher proportion of investigator ratings of absent or minimal facial acne (P = 0.0004). Eighty-four percent of Estrostep-treated subjects assessed their acne severity as improved at study exit, and there were significant increases in acne-specific quality of life (P <0.0001). Conclusion: Estrostep is efficacious in the treatment of moderate acne vulgaris, providing an alternative to higher-dose oral contraceptives.
A systematic review of placebo‐controlled randomized clinical trials of treatments used in oral lichen planus

Summary Background Oral lichen planus (OLP) is one of the commoner conditions seen in oral medicine clinics. Current treatments are palliative rather than curative. Numerous treatments have been tried but many have not been evaluated in randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Objectives To review the effectiveness and safety of any therapy compared with placebo for the treatment of symptomatic OLP. Methods A systematic review of 11 RCTs, totalling 223 patients was done. The main outcome measures used were improvement of signs (erythema, reticulation, ulceration) and symptoms (pain, discomfort) usually after 8 weeks of therapy. Results Eleven interventions were grouped into four therapeutic classes (topical ciclosporins, topical or systemic retinoids, topical steroids and phototherapy) for comparison. No therapy was replicated exactly. Trials recording the same outcomes in each therapeutic class were pooled. The largest number of pooled trials was four. Small odds ratios with very wide confidence intervals indicating statistically significant but imprecisely known treatment benefits were seen in all but one trial. Only systemic agents were associated with treatment toxicities; all other side-effects were mild and mainly local. Conclusions The results are tempered by the small study sizes, lack of replication, lack of standardized outcome measures and the very high likelihood of publication bias. Therefore this review provides only circumstantial evidence for the superiority of the assessed interventions over placebo for the palliation of symptomatic OLP. There is a need for larger placebo-controlled RCTs with carefully selected and standardized outcome measures.
Impact of flash memory on video-on-demand storage: analysis of tradeoffs

There is no doubt that video-on-demand (VoD) services are very popular these days. However, disk storage is a serious bottleneck limiting the scalability of a VoD server. Disk throughput degrades dramatically due to seek time overhead when the server is called upon to serve a large number of simultaneous video streams. To address the performance problem of disk, buffer cache algorithms that utilize RAM have been proposed. Interval caching is a state-of-the-art caching algorithm for a VoD server. Flash Memory Solid-State Drive (SSD) is a relatively new storage technology. Its excellent random read performance, low power consumption, and sharply dropping cost per gigabyte are opening new opportunities to efficiently use the device for enterprise systems. On the other hand, it has deficiencies such as poor small random write performance and limited number of erase operations. In this paper, we analyze tradeoffs and potential impact that flash memory SSD can have for a VoD server. Performance of various commercially available flash memory SSD models is studied. We find that low-end flash memory SSD provides better performance than the high-end one while costing less than the high-end one when the I/O request size is large, which is typical for a VoD server. Because of the wear problem and asymmetric read/write performance of flash memory SSD, we claim that interval caching cannot be used with it. Instead, we propose using file-level Least Frequently Used (LFU) due to the highly skewed video access pattern of the VoD workload. We compare the performance of interval caching with RAM and file-level LFU with flash memory by simulation experiments. In addition, from the cost-effectiveness analysis of three different storage configurations, we find that flash memory with hard disk drive is the most cost-effective solution compared to DRAM with hard disk drive or hard disk drive only.
Prairie Revegetation of a Strip Mine in Illinois: Fifteen Years after Establishment

We examined the long-term success of prairie planting on a former strip mine in northeastern Illinois. The site was reclaimed and planted with prairie species in the 1970s. Total biomass increased over time, largely as a result of an increase in biomass of non-prairie species. Biomass of prairie species remained unchanged because of an increase in Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) offsetting decreases in Sorghastrum nutans (Indian grass). Total biomass was less than values published for other restored prairies (78 ± 4 g/m 2 to 298 ± 72 g/m 2 for our site, as opposed to 302-489 g/ m 2 for the Trelease Prairie). Mycorrhizal inoculum potential (MIP) was variable across the site. There were also relatively few species of mycorrhizal fungi present as spores. Gigaspora sp., Scutellospora sp., Glomus sp., Glomus geosporum, and Glomus cf. fasciculatum were identified from spores. On a transect dominated by warm-season (C4) prairie grasses, MIP of rhizosphere soil collected under these species was lower than the MIP of rhizosphere soil collected under exotic cool-season (C3) grasses on a transect dominated by C3 species. On a transect with mixed warm- and cool-season vegetation, however, MIP did not differ under the two vegetation types. These results suggest that within-site patchiness rather than cover type is influencing MIP. Values of MIP were lower than those reported for native Illinois prairie.
Stability of a flexible wheelset for high speed rail vehicles with constant and varying parameters

The stability of an elastic wheelset coupled with torsional spring and damper is studied in this paper. With flexible elements between two wheels, the advantages of both rigid and independently rotating wheel systems may be obtained. Previous investigations indicated that axle flexibility will affect the vehicle dynamic behavior and an optimal design may improve the system performance. Those studies were limited to constant wheel/rail geometry as the wheelset rolls along the track. In this paper, it is intended to determine the critical speed regions for both constant and time-varying models. The variation in conicity is assumed to be periodic thus the Floquet stability concept may be employed. The computation of the state-transition matrix is based on a Runge-Kutta algorithm.