cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlling polyurethane foam flammability and mechanical behaviour by tailoring the composition of clay-based multilayer nanocoatings

This study is a thorough evaluation of clay-based Layer-by-Layer (LbL) coatings intended to reduce the flammability of polymeric materials. Through a systematic variation of a baseline coating recipe, an ideal combination of the coating attributes that provides a rapidly developing coating with an optimum balance of flammability, mechanical, and physical attributes on a complex 3D porous substrate, polyurethane foam (PUF) was identified. Using a unique trilayer (TL) assembly approach, the coating growth was significantly accelerated by the polymer (poly(acrylic acid) (PAA)/branched polyethylenimine (BPEI)) concentration in the formulation. However, to significantly reduce flammability without compromising other performance attributes, the concentration of the nanoparticle fire retardant (nanoFR, clay) suspension was critical. This study has resulted in the most significant reduction in PUF flammability using LbL technology without compromising any of the mechanical or physical attributes of the PUF. More specifically, a reduction in the peak heat release rate (pHRR) and average heat release rate (aHRR) of 33% and 78%, respectively, has been achieved. This reduction in flammability is at least two times more effective than commercial fire retardants and other LbL FR coatings for PUF. The insights gained through this research are expected to accelerate the development of other LbL coatings regardless of the intended application.
The use of a Leksell-BRW adapter for linac radiosurgery as an adjunct to Gamma Knife treatment.

We have investigated the use of an adapter that permits the use of a Leksell coordinate frame with a linear accelerator stereotactic radiosurgery system based on the Brown–Robert–Wells (BRW) design. This device is useful when lesions that are planned for treatment on a Leksell Gamma Knife system are found to be inaccessible to the Gamma Knife. We have found that with this device objects within a head phantom can be targeted by the linear accelerator within an accuracy of approximately 1 mm.
A decade of acoustic thermometry in the North Pacific Ocean

[1] Over the decade 1996–2006, acoustic sources located off central California (1996–1999) and north of Kauai (1997–1999, 2002–2006) transmitted to receivers distributed throughout the northeast and north central Pacific. The acoustic travel times are inherently spatially integrating, which suppresses mesoscale variability and provides a precise measure of ray-averaged temperature. Daily average travel times at 4-day intervals provide excellent temporal resolution of the large-scale thermal field. The interannual, seasonal, and shorter-period variability is large, with substantial changes sometimes occurring in only a few weeks. Linear trends estimated over the decade are small compared to the interannual variability and inconsistent from path to path, with some acoustic paths warming slightly and others cooling slightly. The measured travel times are compared with travel times derived from four independent estimates of the North Pacific: (1) climatology, as represented by the World Ocean Atlas 2005 (WOA05); (2) objective analysis of the upper-ocean temperature field derived from satellite altimetry and in situ profiles; (3) an analysis provided by the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean project, as implemented at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL-ECCO); and (4) simulation results from a high-resolution configuration of the Parallel Ocean Program (POP) model. The acoustic data show that WOA05 is a better estimate of the time mean hydrography than either the JPL-ECCO or the POP estimates, both of which proved incapable of reproducing the observed acoustic arrival patterns. The comparisons of time series provide a stringent test of the large-scale temperature variability in the models. The differences are sometimes substantial, indicating that acoustic thermometry data can provide significant additional constraints for numerical ocean models.
Nuclear safety research: Responsive industry results

Abstract This paper reviews EPRI's nuclear safety research program and how it meets the everyday challenges of commercial nuclear power.
Cmap ADHD and comorbid aggression algorithm.

The Texas Children`s Medical Algorithm Project was recently revisited in the Journal (Pliszka et al., 2006). The algorithm for treatment of comorbid ADHD and aggression recommends the addition of an atypical antipsychotic to stimulant treatment. This recommendation is of concern based on lack of evidence for the safety and efficacy of combining these classes of medications, lack of standardized definitions, theoretical concerns based on conflicting mechanisms of action, and anecdotal experience. Aggression can be a symptom of many disorders and can be defined in various contexts. Recommending a specific pharmacological treatment of this symptom void of specific diagnoses invites inappropriate overuse of this class of medications. Indeed, recent evidence suggests a significant increase in the number of children being treated with atypical antipsychotics (Olfsen and Blanco, 2006). Combining a dopamine agonist with an antagonist could result in adverse reactions. One case example of such adverse reaction is noted:
A new algorithm for array pattern synthesis using the recursive least squares method

This letter presents a new array pattern synthesis algorithm using the recursive least squares method. This new algorithm designs a minimax array pattern without an ad hoc weighting function, and without solving a matrix inverse at each iteration. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate this new algorithm.
Secrecy capacity of the degraded Poisson wiretap channel

Providing security guarantees for the information “traveling” through the air is of critical importance for today's applications. Previous research concentrated on studying this problem when the medium used for communication is radio frequency (RF) channels. However, providing security guarantees on RF channels is a complicated task as RF channels' conditions are prone to rapid variations due small scale fading and at a given moment it is difficult to predict which of the main or wiretapper's channel has a better quality. Wireless optical communication is inherently more secure than regular RF communication. Despite this fact, optical communication is not completely immune against wiretapping and signal interception. The purpose of this paper is to study the secrecy capacity of a direct detection optical communication system. For the degraded Poisson wiretap channel, we give a complete characterization of the secrecy capacity in terms of the system parameters.
Deformation and fracture of a mudflat-cracked laser-fabricated oxide on Ti

Concentrated heating of titanium by a focused laser beam in ambient atmosphere produces unique dielectric layers with characteristic colors dictated by film thickness and optical properties. A combination of microscopy and diffraction techniques employed to study the phase and microstructure of the oxide coatings showed that nanosecond-pulsed laser irradiation produces polycrystalline TiO films and underlying Ti6O interfacial layers. Mudflat cracking was prevalent in all coatings with most cracks extending through thickness to the metal substrate. Deformation and fracture behavior were probed by traditional nanoindentation methods with accompanying electron microscopy. These mixed titanium oxide coatings have moduli (~200 GPa) and hardnesses (~16 GPa) that are larger than the underlying metallic substrates. Fracture energies and residual stress have also been determined from pre-cracked films; fracture toughness and residual stress tend to decrease with decreasing laser fluence. Electrical contact resistance, measured with conductive nanoindentation, indicates a correlation between laser exposure, current–voltage behavior at constant load, and indentation response. Film conductance increases with decreasing laser fluence, likely due to the presence of defects, which act as a conduction path. Combining techniques provide a unique approach for defining electromechanical behavior and the resulting performance of the films in conditions that cause wear.
Uniterm Voice Indexing and Search for Mobile Devices

In this paper we present two novel approaches for voice indexing and search. The first approach is a Uniterm based voice indexing and search scheme that can be used for the fast retrieval of voice tagged multimedia contents on mobile devices. Uniterms, a string of phonemes with high scores, are extracted, in the indexing stage, from the phoneme lattice. For retrieval, the Uniterms are scored against the latent lattice model from the query voice. The candidate Uniterm list is selected to generate the audio segments of which the best phoneme paths are retrieved. These best paths of the candidate audio segments are compared against the best path of query voice and the search results are generated among the best matches. The second approach is also presented for comparison where the indices are extracted from the lattice in the form of unigram and bigram feature vectors. Each audio segment is represented by a tf-idf modulated feature vector. The search process involves two stages: the coarse search looks up the index and quickly returns a set of candidates; the fine search then compares the best paths of the query voice to the phone lattices of the candidates by using dynamic programming. Experimental results show that the Uniterm approach is significantly better and it is feasible for such voice search approaches on voice tagged multimedia contents on mobile devices. Finally we introduce a real-time news broadcasting search system.
Conjectural permutation decoding of some AG codes

We study the action of a finite group on the Riemann-Roch space of certain divisors on a specific hyperelliptic curve X defined over a finite field with "large" automorphism group G. If D and E = Pl + ... + Pn are G-equivariant divisors on X (Pi ∈ X(F)) then G acts on associated AG code C = C(D,E) by permuting coordinates. This note discusses the permutation decoding of these AG codes. The main "results" are conjectures regarding the complexity of the permutation decoding of these hyperelliptic codes. The open source GAP error-correcting codes package GUAVA is used to compute examples.
PROTECTING THE WORLD'S CHILDREN An Agenda for the 1990s

The 3rd Bellagio conference was held on March 10-12 1988 at Talloires France. It was convened to ensure continued commitment to the goal of universal childhood immunization by 1990 and the provision of the necessary support to that end. The principal foci of the meeting were sustainability of immunization the addition of new and better vaccines and the introduction of other major cost-effective health initiatives. When the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) started work in 1974 only 5% of the children of the developing world were immunized. It is now expected that in 1990 the long-term EPI goal of 80% of the worlds children immunized will be achieved. Many new more powerful and more specific vaccines are expected to be available by the end of the century. At the conference detailed discussions of the control of diarrheal diseases and of fertility took place. I was clear at the meeting that the Child Survival and Development Revolution has generated massive political commitment to child health throughout the developing world.
Teriparatide's role in the management of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaw.

1. Recently, we published a model for the pathogenesis of bisphosphonate-associated osteonecrosis of the jaws (BON) based on perpetuation of attenuated bone remodeling as a result of the patient’s underlying disease, such as osteoporosis or malignant bone disease and its management with bisphosphonates; together, these factors undermine bone remodeling setting the stage for the development of osteonecrosis of the jaw [2]. This model predicts therapeutic value for osteoanabolic medications such as teriparatide and alludes to six published case reports of BON resolution with teriparatide treatment [2]. Our manuscript complements the section discussing BON pathogenesis and its proposed management with teriparatide. 2. While we do recognize teriparatide’s therapeutic potential in BON, the study design in the above manuscript may unintentionally confound data interpretation. Recent publications document successful surgical resection of BON lesions [3, 4]. Given this situation, it is difficult to dissect out the contribution of adjuvant teriparatide treatment towards BON resolution from the role played by surgery. It is interesting to note that patient 6 did not require surgical intervention and brief treatment with teriparatide facilitated resolution of BON [1]. 3. The recent case reports documenting resolution of BON lesions with concomitant teriparatide treatment have demonstrated bone regeneration upon imaging, in sharp contrast to the surgerized jaw [4–8]. This observation led us to propose that the necrotic bone probably served as an osteoconductive scaffold during teriparatidestimulated bone remodeling and healing. Given this possibility, it is interesting to consider that teriparatide monotherapy may serve superior to it being used as an adjuvant to surgical resection that eliminates the necrotic bone. Recently, with the use of teriparatide therapy as an adjuvant to periodontal surgery, the surgerized sites demonstrated superior clinical effects than the corresponding control sites [9]. However, surgical access may have allowed for better scaling and root planing and hence prepared the surgical sites better to respond to teriparatide treatment.
Who are the missing parents? Grandparentage analysis identifies multiple sources of gene flow into a wild population

In order to increase the size of declining salmonid populations, supplementation programmes intentionally release fish raised in hatcheries into the wild. Because hatchery-born fish often have lower fitness than wild-born fish, estimating rates of gene flow from hatcheries into wild populations is essential for predicting the fitness cost to wild populations. Steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) have both freshwater resident and anadromous (ocean-going) life history forms, known as rainbow trout and steelhead, respectively. Juvenile hatchery steelhead that ‘residualize’ (become residents rather than go to sea as intended) provide a previously unmeasured route for gene flow from hatchery into wild populations. We apply a combination of parentage and grandparentage methods to a three-generation pedigree of steelhead from the Hood River, Oregon, to identify the missing parents of anadromous fish. For fish with only one anadromous parent, 83% were identified as having a resident father while 17% were identified as having a resident mother. Additionally, we documented that resident hatchery males produced more offspring with wild anadromous females than with hatchery anadromous females. One explanation is the high fitness cost associated with matings between two hatchery fish. After accounting for all of the possible matings involving steelhead, we find that only 1% of steelhead genes come from residualized hatchery fish, while 20% of steelhead genes come from wild residents. A further 23% of anadromous steelhead genes come from matings between two resident parents. If these matings mirror the proportion of matings between residualized hatchery fish and anadromous partners, then closer to 40% of all steelhead genes come from wild trout each generation. These results suggest that wild resident fish contribute substantially to endangered steelhead ‘populations’ and highlight the need for conservation and management efforts to fully account for interconnected Oncorhynchus mykiss life histories.
Inhibitory effect of cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate (cGMP) on the afferent resting activity in the cephalopod statocyst

Abstract The effects of exo- and endogenous cGMP on the resting activity (RA) of afferent crista fibers were studied in isolated preparations of the statocysts of the cuttlefish Sepia officinalis and the squid Sepioteuthis lessoniana. Bath application of the membrane-permeable cGMP analogs 8-bromo-cGMP (B-cGMP) and N2,2′-o-dibutyryl 3′,5′-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (dB-cGMP), and of the selective inhibitor of cGMP-phosphodiesterase zaprinast (ZAP), caused an inhibition of RA. The inhibitory effects of B-cGMP and dB-cGMP remained when the preparation was pre-treated with: (i) the guanylate cyclase inhibitors 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3,-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) or cystamine (CYS); (ii) the adenylate cyclase inhibitors nicotinic acid (NIC-A), 2′,3′dideoxyadenosine (DDA), or MDL-12330A (MDL); (iii) the guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue (M-BLU) and the adenylate cyclase inhibitor MDL combined; or (iv) the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitors NG-nitric- l -arginine methyl ester HCl ( l -NAME) or NG-nitro- l -arginine ( l -NOARG). These data indicate that cGMP, as an intracellular messenger, has a tonic inhibitory effect on the RA of afferent crista fibers in cephalopod statocysts.
Composition for the culture of professionalism: notes on the history of technical writing instruction

The history of technical writing instruction reveals an increasing specialization which mirrors growing specialization in both engineering and the wider culture. Since World War II, professional communicators have taken on the role of translators, bridging the inevitable communication gaps between communities of specialists. Technical writers are specialists in specialization. >
Sporulation of Bacillus thuringiensis Without Concurrent Derepression of the Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle

Abstract Bacillus thuringiensis sporulates in a glucose-glutamate medium without concurrent derepression of the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Glutamate appears to regulate tricarboxylic acid cycle activity as well as to influence spore heat resistance and production of dipicolinic acid.
THE STRATEGIC 1P1 STATES OF HEAVY QUARKONIA

In this brief review, we examine carefully and critically the status of search for (i) the ψ(11P1) charmonium state and (ii) the ϒ(11P1) state of bottonium. We wish to emphasize in particular that the strategic debate between Kuang-Yan and Voloshin concerning the size of the branching ratio for the transition ϒ(3S)→ϒ(11P1)ππ and the reality of the ISR events for the existence of ψ(11P1) in charmonium can be resolved in a more straightforward manner by (iii) measuring the decay rates ϒ(1D, 2D)→ϒππ and ψ(3770)→J/ψππ together with the amount of S-D mixing in the ψ′(3684)−ψ″(3770) system. Preliminary data are already available from Crystal Ball, Mark II and Mark III experiments concerning ψ″(3770)→J/ψππ rate supportive of Kuang-Yan. We also discuss the current situation in ϒ(3S)→ϒ(1S, 2S)ππ dipion mass spectra, in the context of the expected mass spectrum for ϒ(3S)→ϒ(11P1)ππ.
Efficacy of a litter amendment to reduce pododermatitis in broiler chickens

Abstract Broiler house environment, especially volatile NH3 content, has a significant effect on pododermatitis in chickens. The efficacy of NaHSO4 in reducing pododermatitis in broiler chickens was investigated in this study. A total of 960 straight-run 1-d-old chicks were randomly assigned to 16 environmental chambers with 4 different levels of NaHSO4 (4 chambers/treatment). The treatments (TRT) comprised of TRT 1 (control), TRT 2 with NaHSO4 applied at 1 × rate (0.22 kg/m2) on the day of placement of chicks, TRT 3 with NaHSO4 applied at 2 × rate on the day of placement of chicks, and TRT 4 with NaHSO4 applied at 1 × rate on the day of placement of chicks and at 1 × rate on 21 d. Birds were raised to 49 d of age on a 4-stage feeding program with diets formulated to contain high protein levels and all-vegetable ingredients. At 35 d of age, the litter was moistened artificially to see the effect of NaHSO4 on NH3 volatilization. In addition to assessing live performance, feet were scored on 42 and 49 d of age for incidence and severity of pododermatitis. Ammonia concentration (ppm) in the chambers was measured before placement of chicks and on a weekly basis throughout the experiment. No differences in live performance of the birds were observed throughout the study (P > 0.05). Sex had significant effects on incidence of pododermatitis (P 0.05), using NaHSO4 as a litter amendment numerically reduced the incidence of pododermatitis by 10 or more percentage points.
C60 exposure augments cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury and coronary artery contraction in Sprague Dawley rats

The potential uses of engineered C₆₀ fullerene (C₆₀) have expanded in recent decades to include industrial and biomedical applications. Based on clinical findings associated with particulate matter exposure and our data with multi-walled carbon nanotubes, we hypothesized that ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and pharmacological responses in isolated coronary arteries would depend upon the route of exposure and gender in rats instilled with C₆₀. Male and female Sprague Dawley rats were used to test this hypothesis by surgical induction of cardiac I/R injury in situ 24 h after intratracheal (IT) or intravenous (IV) instillation of 28 μg of C₆₀ formulated in polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) or PVP vehicle. Serum was collected for quantification of various cytokines. Coronary artery segments were isolated for assessment of vasoactive pharmacology via wire myography. Both IV and IT exposure to C₆₀ resulted in expansion of myocardial infarction in male and female rats following I/R injury. Serum-collected post-I/R showed elevated concentrations of interleukin-6 and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 in male rats exposed to IV C₆₀. Coronary arteries isolated from male rats exposed to IT C₆₀ demonstrated augmented vasocontraction in response to endothelin-1 that was attenuated with Indomethacin. IV C₆₀ exposure resulted in impaired acetylcholine relaxation in male rats and IT C₆₀ exposure resulted in depressed vasorelaxation in response to sodium nitroprusside in female rats. Based on these data, we conclude that IT and IV exposure to C₆₀ results in unique cardiovascular consequences that may favor heightened coronary resistance and myocardial susceptibility to I/R injury.
Decision-Making under Uncertainty: Using Case Studies for Teaching Strategy in Complex Environments

Decision-makers today respond to a security environment characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity. Decisions cut across a wide range of social, political and cultural domestic and global issues and demand cognitive flexibility, adaptability and the ability to make decisions “on the fly.” While the U.S. military excels in preparing its soldiers and officers for the operational demands and tactical requirements of a wide array of increasingly complex contingency missions, a number of observers have pointed to the need for teaching strategy more effectively as part of professional military education. The purpose of this article is to analyze some of the cognitive frames that inform strategic decision-making, discuss the importance of heuristic shortcuts as cognitive decision-guides, and compare the rational actor decision model that has traditionally informed linear strategic decision-making in the military with a sense-making framework more suitable to complex strategic environments. Specifically, I illustrate how the case study method can be employed effectively to teach strategic thinking using the sense-making framework in civilian and military educational settings.
Is open space a magnet for business? A spatial analysis of New York

In this paper, we investigate the spatial patterns of 22 types of industries in New York with respect to open space of four types – Central Park, waterfront, and passive and active inland open spaces – to compare industries’ preferences to, and their actual accessibility to, open space. As a preference indicator, we use logit regression to estimate the degree to which the occurrence of the business cluster may be attributed to open space. Also as an accessibility indicator, we use descriptive statistics to assess average distance to the nearest open space for each type of industry. We find that for businesses in the hospitality and creative industries, the probability of being part of a cluster is higher with better accessibility to open spaces. We also find that, on average, managerial service and public administration-related industries have the closest proximity to open spaces. Some of the industries that exhibited preference to open spaces indeed locate themselves in its vicinity, however spatial mism...
Function of the reticuloendothelial system. I. A study on the phenomenon of carbon clearance inhibition.

Reticuloendothelial clearance of carbon particles is inhibited by injection of heat-aggregated albumin. The possibility that this inhibition might involve a serum component has been explored. Evidence that such a serum factor does participate in carbon clearance inhibition by heat-aggregated albumin derives from the fact that prior treatment of the carbon with homologous serum eliminates the blockade; and also, if serum previously absorbed with carbon is mixed with the carbon particles no restoration of "blockade" by albumin occurs. A method for extracting the component from serum using barium sulfate adsorption is described which allows concentration of the factor and sensitive assay for its presence. It is concluded that while large or multiple carbon injections may bring about a saturation of the phagocytic cell, this saturation masks an underlying factor which protects against acute inhibition of carbon phagocytosis by denatured albumin when subsaturating carbon doses are used.
Surface Recruitment but Not Activation of Integrin αIIbβ3 (GPIIb-IIIa) Requires a Functional Actin Cytoskeleton

Abstract Binding of integrin αIIbβ3 (glycoprotein [GP] IIb-IIIa) to soluble fibrinogen requires that the receptor undergo a conformational change (receptor activation), which occurs rapidly in agonist-stimulated platelets. Agonist stimulation of platelets also results in αIIbβ3 recruitment from intracellular membranes (α-granules and open canalicular system) to the platelet surface. Once activated and accessible, the receptor can engage, a process that corresponds to the binding of the receptor to its soluble fibrinogen ligand, leading to intracellular signaling reactions and centripetal migration of bound receptor molecules. Because these processes occur concurrently with a marked reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton, we investigated the role of actin in fibrinogen receptor activation and surface recruitment. We used a flow cytometric assay to directly quantitate the binding of αIIbβ3 to fluorescently labeled fibrinogen on the platelet surface. Cytochalasin D, which inhibits elongation of actin filaments, was used to prevent the actin response to platelet agonists. Despite its ability to inhibit the actin response and αIIbβ3 binding to the actin cytoskeleton, cytochalasin D did not alter the agonist-induced intramolecular changes resulting in increased affinity of αIIbβ3 for soluble fibrinogen and therefore did not inhibit ADP-induced aggregation. Thus, disruption of the actin network with cytochalasin D had no effect on the dissociation constant of the complex between activated αIIbβ3 and fibrinogen (Kd=0.26 to 0.28 μmol/L). However, cytochalasin D suppressed the recruitment of cryptic αIIbβ3 molecules to the platelet surface. While the physiological consequence of exposing additional αIIbβ3 molecules on the surface of platelets is unclear, it is tempting to speculate that this process plays an important role in consolidating intra-arterial platelet thrombi, despite the shear strain generated by the arterial blood flow.
Process-variation-tolerant clock skew minimization

In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical multiple-merge zero skew clock routing algorithm. The routing results produced by our approach will have zero skew in the nominal case and minimal skew increase in the presence of worst process variations. In order to construct such a clock routing, we formulate the linear placement with maximum spread problem and provide an O(nmin{n,P}lognlogP) algorithm for optimally solving this problem, where n is the number of cells to be placed and P is the maximum spread. Experimental results show that our algorithm can indeed reduce the skew in various manufacturing variations effectively.
Staged Left Ventricular Recruitment and Biventricular Conversion in Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

We describe a relatively long left ventricular recruitment pathway consisting of early and serial aortic valvuloplasties and multiple endocardial fibroelastosis resections resulting in successful biventricular conversion of hypoplastic left heart syndrome.
Psychometric evaluation of the Chicago Multiscale Depression Inventory in multiple sclerosis patients.

Objective: The C hicago Multiscale Depression Inventory (CMDI), a comprehensive self-report measure of depression, has proven useful in the assessment of patients with chronic medical conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the validity of the C MDI in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and explore the nature of depressive symptoms reported by people with MS. Method: Using a combined classical and modern psychometric appro ach, the factor structure of responses in MS patients was compared with that of a normative sample to confirm meaningful subtypes of depression in MS (mood, depressive cognition, and vegetative symptoms). Patient groups also were compared by disease severity to evaluate differences in depression associated with differences in disease severity. Results: The results supported the factor structures of the measure, which was internally consistent, reliable, and factorially valid. Some items function differently in MS patients when compared with depressed patients and normals,...
Rethinking Case Briefing: Teaching Case Briefing as a Sustainable Skill

Virtually all new law students learn to brief cases, usually during the first week of law school, sometimes even earlier. Case briefing is closely tied to the prevailing instructional method in law school classrooms, the case method, and is viewed as a skill fundamental to success in law classes. However, it is often not taught as a skill that will continue to be useful to students as they transition from student status to practitioner status. The author argues that it can be a powerful tool beyond the classroom, a view known as “case brief-plus.” Throughout the article, the author explains the benefits of teaching this expanded vision of case briefing including the following: context, specific analysis, and documentation.
The Role of Ornithology in Conservation of the American West

Joseph Grinnell, first Director of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology at the University of California, Berkeley, was a dedicated and remarkably prescient conservationist, as well as a pioneer western ornithologist. He was one of the first to recognize that birds have particular value in conservation because of their charisma, familiarity, and sensitivity to environmental conditions. History has proven Grinnell right, as evidenced by the influence of birds and ornithology in efforts to protect species and their habitats. However, threats to natural landscapes in western North America continue on a scale even Grinnell might not have predicted. Omithologically-based conservation efforts must be re-doubled, focused on subjects such as landscape and metapopulation models specifically for western habitats, the use of large-scale data sets, the genetic structure of species and populations, avian responses to environmental stressors and disease, and studies of birds in winter.
Strange Parallels: Introduction: The Ends of the Earth

In 1792 the French monarchy collapsed. Between 1799 and 1815, a new Parisian regime improved the efficiency and penetration of the central apparatus, while dramatically extending French military power. Short-lived though France's conquests were, her continental wars precipitated imitative reforms of administrative and military structures across Europe and a permanent reduction in the number of independent states. Between 1752 and 1786 the Burmese, Siamese, and Vietnamese kingdoms all disintegrated. In each realm, a new, more dynamic leadership then succeeded in quelling the chaos, increasing the resources and local authority of the state, and enlarging its territorial writ. The ensuing wars between reinvigorated empires in the late 18th and early 19th centuries accelerated competitive reform while diminishing the number of independent polities across mainland Southeast Asia. How shall we explain these parallels between Europe and Southeast Asia? Surely, one is tempted to say, no explanation is needed: the cultural contexts were so different, the interstate and domestic systems so unique, the trajectories so disparate as to render parallels ultimately meaningless. This is historical flotsam, curious but basically random coincidences, like similarities between Meso-American and Egyptian pyramids or between Jewish and Buddhist cosmogonic explanations for the origin of suffering. But closer scrutiny suggests rather more was involved. In fact, in mainland Southeast Asia as well as in France, the late 18th and early 19th centuries ended the third and inaugurated the last of four roughly synchronized cycles of political consolidation that together spanned the better part of a millennium.
Elective Thoracolumbar Spine Fusion Surgery in Patients with Parkinson Disease

Objective Few data are available concerning clinical outcomes in patients with Parkinson disease who undergo elective thoracolumbar spine fusion surgery. The goal of this study is to elucidate complication and revision rates after posterior thoracolumbar fusion surgery in patients with Parkinson disease, with a focus on how Parkinson disease modifies these rates. Methods The PearlDiver database (2005–2012) was queried for patients who underwent posterior approach thoracolumbar fusion from 2006 to 2011. Cohorts of patients with a previous diagnosis of Parkinson disease ( n = 4816) and without ( n = 280,702) were compared. Multivariate analysis that included various comorbidities and demographics was used to calculate effects of Parkinson disease on development of postoperative infection and major medical complications within 90 days and revision surgery within 1 year. For analyses, significance was set at P Results Major medical complications were observed in 545 patients (11.3%) for 90 days after the index procedure. Postoperative infection was noted in 91 patients (1.9%) within 90 days, and revision surgeries were performed in 250 patients (5.2%) within 1 year. Multivariate analysis showed that Parkinson disease was significantly associated with an increased risk for medical complications (adjusted odds ratio, 1.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–1.34; P P P = 0.02). Conclusions Patients with Parkinson disease are more likely to require revision surgery and have higher rates of adverse medical events postoperatively. Patients with Parkinson disease should be appropriately selected to ensure favorable clinical outcomes.
Long-term consequences of disrupting adenosine signaling during embryonic development

There is growing evidence that disruption in the prenatal environment can have long-lasting effects on an individual's health in adulthood. Research on the fetal programming of adult diseases, including cardiovascular disease, focuses on epi-mutations, which alter the normal pattern of epigenetic factors such as DNA methylation, miRNA expression, or chromatin modification, rather than traditional genetic alteration. Thus, understanding how in utero chemical exposures alter epigenetics and lead to adult disease is of considerable public health concern. Few signaling molecules have the potential to influence the developing mammal as the nucleoside adenosine. Adenosine levels increase rapidly with tissue hypoxia and inflammation. Adenosine antagonists including the methlyxanthines caffeine and theophylline are widely consumed during pregnancy. The receptors that transduce adenosine action are the A1, A2a, A2b, and A3 adenosine receptors (ARs). We examined the long-term effects of in utero disruption of adenosine signaling on cardiac gene expression, morphology, and function in adult offspring. One substance that fetuses are frequently exposed to is caffeine, which is a non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist. Over the past several years, we examined the role of adenosine signaling during embryogenesis and cardiac development. We discovered that in utero alteration in adenosine action leads to adverse effects on embryonic and adult murine hearts. We find that cardiac A1ARs protect the embryo from in utero hypoxic stress, a condition that causes an increase in adenosine levels. After birth in mice, we observed that in utero caffeine exposure leads to abnormal cardiac function and morphology in adults, including an impaired response to β-adrenergic stimulation. Recently, we observed that in utero caffeine exposure induces transgenerational effects on cardiac morphology, function, and gene expression. Our findings indicate that the effects of altered adenosine signaling are dependent on signaling through the A1ARs and timing of disruption. In addition, the long-term effects of altered adenosine signaling appear to be mediated by alterations in DNA methylation, an epigenetic process critical for normal development.
Improvements in low contrast detectability with iterative reconstruction and the effect of slice thickness

Iterative reconstruction has become a popular route for dose reduction in CT scans. One method for assessing the dose reduction of iterative reconstruction is to use a low contrast detectability phantom. The apparent improvement in detectability can be very large on these phantoms, with many studies showing dose reduction in excess of 50%. In this work, we show that much of the advantage of iterative reconstruction in this context can be explained by differences in slice thickness. After adjusting the effective reconstruction kernel by blurring filtered backprojection images to match the shape of the noise power spectrum of iterative reconstruction, we produce thick slices and compare the two reconstruction algorithms. The remaining improvement from iterative reconstruction, at least in scans with relatively uniform statistics in the raw data, is significantly reduced. Hence, the effective slice thickness in iterative reconstruction may be larger than that of filtered backprojection, explaining some of the improvement in image quality.
Porcine Transmissible Gastroenteritis Virus

This chapter provides an overview of porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGE). This virus is a species that belongs to the family Coronaviridae and the genus Coronavirus. The virus causes severe fatal diarrhea in young piglets and usually a mild disease in adult pigs. Pigs, foxes, dogs, and cats are the hosts to the virus. TGE was first described in 1946 in the United States. Subsequently, it was found to be in many other countries. Live vaccines have been used for porcine transmissible gastroenteritis. Epizootiological studies that have been made on the disease reveal that it is possible that birds are involved as carriers of the disease. A profusion of methods of diagnosis has been reported in the literature for the disease. Agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID), virus neutralisation (VN), indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA), complement fixation (CF), microneutralization, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) are some diagnostic techniques for the disease.
The Enclosure of Justice: Courthouse Architecture, Due Process, and the Dead Metaphor of Trial

Theories of justice have not had much to say about the space in which it is administered. Renderings of justice are almost entirely conceptual. In political theory, abstractions about the state of nature (an imagined condition in imaginary time) are followed by abstractions about consent, sovereignty, and just distribution that reduce agreement to implication, authority to inference, and equality to deferred expectation.2 In moral philosophy, exhortations about right action are offered in concededly metaphysical (which is to say, atemporal, disembodied) terms.3 And beyond the question of jurisdiction, which sovereignty implies, and the right of exclusion, which private property entails, precious little is said in legal theory about the relationship between justice and the space in which it operates.4
Optimizing provision of ecosystem services using modern portfolio theory

Abstract Portfolio selection is a flexible tool that can be used to support natural resource decision-making to optimize provision of ecosystem services. The natural resource portfolio literature includes applications in fisheries, forestry, agriculture, spatial planning, invasive pest and disease surveillance, climate change adaptation, and biodiversity conservation, among others. We contribute to this growing literature by proposing a set of essential questions to guide the development and implementation of empirical portfolios for natural resource management that deal with (1) the nature and objectives of the portfolio manager, (2) the definition of assets to be included in the portfolio, (3) the way in which returns and risk are measured and distributed, and (4) the definition of constraints in the programming problem. The approach is illustrated using landings data from the Colombian Pacific, a data limited fishery, to set catch limits in fisheries at the ecosystem level. We also develop a set of constraints in the programming problem to simulate potential policy options regarding resource sustainability and social equity. The resulting efficient catch portfolios can be used to optimize the flow of provisioning ecosystem services from this fishery.
History and Development of Lasers in the Treatment of BPH

Lasers have become a fundamental tool in the modern clinical practice of multiple surgical specialties, with urology having one of the higher utilization rates. The term “laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation, thus lasers are devices that generate an intense beam of coherent monochromatic light (or other electromagnetic radiation) by stimulated emission of photons from excited atoms or molecules. Since lasers are capable of precisely focusing intense energy it is not surprising that they have been effectively utilized in clinical scenarios such as: wart removal, stone fracturing, and treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). This chapter focuses on the history of laser development and the various different lasers used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Pokémon GO and physical activity among college students. A study using Ecological Momentary Assessment

Abstract The popularity of the augmented reality smartphone game, Pokemon GO, prompted multiple possibilities regarding its utilization as a mechanism to increase physical activity (PA) levels among young adults. A better comprehension of the gameplay characteristics may aid researchers and game developers in the implementation/design of interventions and games which provide the greatest chances at promoting health. A sample of 74 US college students were asked to complete a pre and post online survey and to install an Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) tool and a step counter on their smartphones. The EMA tool prompted a set of questions on playing behavior and PA three times per day (12pm, 7pm, 10pm) for seven days. Linear mixed effects regression models were used to address the relationship between gameplay characteristics (time of play, play context, playing environment, social play) and PA at each time of the day. Playing Pokemon GO was associated with higher PA when playing occurred during weekdays and during daytime and also among those who played while being active (i.e., walking). During weekends, this association was only found in the morning or late in the evening (after 7pm). Accumulating three or more active playing episodes per day was associated with an increase of 1526 daily steps. Pokemon GO has uneven effects on player's PA. However, under the right circumstances such as the time of day during which playing occurs, or where the playing takes place, Pokemon GO can become a useful tool for health promotion among young adults.
Assessing Equity in Health and Women’s Opportunities to Be Healthy

This chapter conducts an assessment of whether the ongoing problem of HIV in black South African women constitutes a health inequity. Nested within the health equity analysis is a section that considers key capabilities in direct relation to human rights afforded South African women in the basic law. The assessment concludes that: (a) this problem does constitute a health inequity that is modifiable; (b) four central capabilities are undermined and these have direct counterparts in sections 11, 12 and 27 of the South African Constitution; (c) the current government response to HIV in South African women is insufficient because it fails to attend to the social factors that foster HIV risk and transmission in women; (d) relational factors associated with the basic social structure are contributing to HIV in this population; (e) this problem can be socially governed, which generates an obligation by agents of the State to take further action to ameliorate HIV in women and to facilitate the enjoyment of their rights. Moreover, the Government and South African National AIDS Council are aware of these structural drivers but they have failed thus far to address them fully in the National Strategic Plan on HIV.
Chapter Five – PV Learning Curves and Cost Dynamics

Abstract The cost of photovoltaics (PV) has declined by a factor of 100 over the past four decades, more than any other energy technology. This cost trajectory appears to very closely fit a learning curve, in which a power law is used to related costs to cumulative experience in production. However, the cost-reducing mechanism behind the learning curve, learning by doing, does not account for all of the observed cost reductions. Efficiency improvements, economies of scale, market structure, and spillovers from other industries have also affected the costs of PV. Analysis of patents for PV shows that the most important ones do not only emerge from experience in production. Important policy implications emerge from the finding that factors other than increasing demand affect costs. Analytical models are being developed that aim to inform policy decisions related to PV by taking into account this broader set of factors, eliciting expert judgments, and addressing uncertainty in outcomes.
Exogenous factors in Crohn's disease. A critical review.

The etiology of Crohn's disease remains elusive. Though there may be a genetic predisposition to the disease, epidemiologic evidence suggests that environmental factors are important. The role of dietary components and enhanced intestinal permeability deserve more attention. From this review of past studies, this investigator believes that ingested compounds may play an important role in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease, Silica and various silicates provide models of how dietary factors might cause the disease and explain some of its features.