cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eyes for relighting

The combination of the cornea of an eye and a camera viewing the eye form a catadioptric (mirror + lens) imaging system with a very wide field of view. We present a detailed analysis of the characteristics of this corneal imaging system. Anatomical studies have shown that the shape of a normal cornea (without major defects) can be approximated with an ellipsoid of fixed eccentricity and size. Using this shape model, we can determine the geometric parameters of the corneal imaging system from the image. Then, an environment map of the scene with a large field of view can be computed from the image. The environment map represents the illumination of the scene with respect to the eye. This use of an eye as a natural light probe is advantageous in many relighting scenarios. For instance, it enables us to insert virtual objects into an image such that they appear consistent with the illumination of the scene. The eye is a particularly useful probe when relighting faces. It allows us to reconstruct the geometry of a face by simply waving a light source in front of the face. Finally, in the case of an already captured image, eyes could be the only direct means for obtaining illumination information. We show how illumination computed from eyes can be used to replace a face in an image with another one. We believe that the eye not only serves as a useful tool for relighting but also makes relighting possible in situations where current approaches are hard to use.
The aching surgeon: a survey of physical discomfort and symptoms following open, laparoscopic, and robotic surgery.

There is increasing interest in understanding the toll that operating takes on a surgeon’s body. The effect of robotic surgery on surgeon discomfort has not been studied. We sought to document the discomfort of robotic surgery compared with open and laparoscopic surgery and to investigate the factors that affect the risk of physical symptoms. Nineteen-thousand eight-hundred and sixty-eight surgeons from all specialties trained in the use of robots were sent a 26-question online survey and 1,407 responded. One-thousand two-hundred and fifteen surgeons who practiced all three approaches were used in the analysis. Eight-hundred and seventy-one surgeons had physical discomfort or symptoms attributable to operating. Of those with symptoms, 55.4% attributed most of the symptoms to laparoscopic surgery, 36.3% to open surgery, and 8.3% to robotic surgery. A higher case load was predictive of increased symptoms for open and laparoscopic surgery, but not for robotic surgery. Robotic surgery was less likely than open or laparoscopic surgery to lead to neck, back, hip, knee, ankle, foot, and shoulder pain and less likely than laparoscopic surgery to lead to elbow and wrist pain. Robotic surgery was more likely than either open or laparoscopic surgery to lead to eye pain, and more likely than open surgery to lead to finger pain. Nearly a third (30.3%) of surgeons admit to giving consideration to their own discomfort when choosing an operative modality. Robotic surgery has promise in reducing the risk of physical discomfort for the operator. This is important as more surgeons consider their own health when choosing a surgical modality.
Iodinated contrast prior to evaluation for thyrotoxicosis.

BACKGROUND: Radioactive iodine is useful in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with newly diagnosed thyrotoxicosis. However, in many patients these tests are not possible to obtain due to recent administration of iodinated contrast for other types of diagnostic studies, most frequently computed tomography (CT) scans. OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of iodinated contrast use in hospital inpatients newly diagnosed with thyrotoxicosis and the utility of these studies. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING: Academic medical center. INTERVENTION: None. PATIENTS: Inpatients with newly diagnosed thyrotoxicosis who were seen in consultation by the endocrinology service. MEASUREMENTS: The records of inpatient endocrinology consultations (n = 1171) performed by our service over a 4-year period were reviewed. Records of patients with newly diagnosed thyrotoxicosis were identified and reviewed to determine if iodinated contrast had been recently administered, the types of studies it was used for, and the results of those studies. RESULTS: Forty-five patients (45%) had been given iodinated contrast within 2 weeks prior to endocrinology evaluation, 43 for CT scanning, and 2 for angiography. Of the patients who underwent CT scanning, 7 (16%) had a finding that potentially changed their inpatient management. Only 1 of these patients required emergent treatment of a condition diagnosed by CT scan before further diagnostic studies could have been performed. CONCLUSIONS: A substantial number of inpatients with thyrotoxicosis receive iodinated contrast prior to endocrinologic evaluation. Acute findings from these studies that change patient management are uncommon. Awareness of this issue may facilitate care of hospitalized patients with thyrotoxicosis. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2009;4:285–288. © 2009 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Lenski's Power Theory of Economic Inequality: A Central Neglected Question in Stratification Research

Dans cet article, l'A se penche la contribution de G. Lenski a la comprehension de la stratification sociale. L'A analyse ici les differentes theories, marxistes, fonctionnalistes et weberiennes de l'inegalite et de stratification sociale, pour expliquer la preponderance du travail de Lenski sur la mobilite sociale et la concentration des richesses, a travers notamment son ouvrage, Power and Privilege
Communal School Organization Effects on School Disorder: Interactions with School Structure

Previous research has demonstrated multiple beneficial outcomes of communal school organization for teachers and students alike. The current research uses data from a nationally representative sample of 253 public, non-alternative, secondary schools to examine how a communal school organization interacts with school contextual factors, such as school size and racial diversity, to affect school disorder. It was found that more diverse schools are less likely to be communally organized and that communal school organization had a stronger negative effect on school disorder in these more diverse schools. Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Management of acute alcohol withdrawal

Abstract The relationship between maxillofacial trauma and alcohol abuse has been well documented. The onset of acute alcohol withdrawal following the injury can seriously complicate and compromise the treatment of the maxillofacial injuries as be potentially lethal for the patient. A clear understanding of the biochemistry, development, signs and symptoms, and management of acute alcohol withdrawal is necessary for the oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
Ureterolysis for Extrinsic Ureteral Obstruction: A Comparison of Laparoscopic and Open Surgical Techniques

AbstractPurpose: We evaluated the role of laparoscopy in the management of extrinsic ureteral obstruction due to benign retroperitoneal fibrosis or ovarian pathology. The results of laparoscopic ureterolysis were compared to those of a contemporary series of open ureterolysis performed for the same pathological conditions.Materials and Methods: We compared 6 patients undergoing unilateral laparoscopic ureterolysis for extrinsic ureteral obstruction to 7 undergoing open unilateral ureterolysis for similar pathological conditions. Patient demographic, operative, and early and late postoperative data were collected.Results: Laparoscopic ureterolysis was associated with less intraoperative blood loss and need for parenteral pain medications, and significantly shorter hospital stay and convalescence than open surgery. Although there were no intraoperative or postoperative complications in the laparoscopy group, 1 patient in the open surgery group had an intraoperative ureteral avulsion and 4 had minor postoper...
Deletion of the NOT4 gene impairs hyphal development and pathogenicity in Candida albicans.

The Candida albicans NOT4 gene was disrupted in order to investigate the role of Not4p in growth, morphogenesis and pathogenicity. Heterozygote (NOT4/not4), null (not4/not4) and reconstructed heterozygote ([NOT4]/not4) strains of C. albicans, as well as CAF2-1, the parental strain, were grown under conditions that promote hyphal formation. When cultured in liquid medium 199 the heterozygote, reconstructed and wild-type strains began the yeast-to-hyphal transition within 3 h and continued hyphal growth for the duration of experiments. The null mutant also began hyphal growth within 3–5 h but hyphae tended to be shorter and distorted. Subsequently, hyphal growth was arrested and growth returned predominantly to the yeast form. Similar differences were observed when strains were grown on solid Spider medium and medium 199. The parental, heterozygote and reconstructed strains formed normal filamentous networks emanating from colonies. In contrast, the null mutant failed to form hyphae on all solid media tested. The ability of the NOT4 null strain to form biofilms was also investigated, and it was observed that biofilm development does not readily occur for this strain. Virulence of each strain was examined utilizing the mouse model of systemic candidiasis. Mice infected with CAF2-1 succumbed to infection within 3–7 days. All mice infected with the null strain survived for the duration of experiments, while the heterozygote and reconstructed heterozygote strains showed an intermediate level of virulence. These findings suggest that NOT4 may play a role in affecting strain pathogenicity, possibly by regulating expression of certain genes that effect cellular morphogenesis and virulence.
Exploiting error control in network traffic for robust, high rate covert channels

Current means of steganography within network traffic are limited in terms of throughput and robustness. We present a novel concept for establishing reliable two-way covert channels that exchange information at a significantly higher rate compared to previous methods. This concept exploits the difficulty in differentiating between erroneous data and unauthorised data. As a proof-of-concept, we examine how the manipulation of Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) error handling may be used for global covert information transfer. Specifically, a new TCP routing application was developed to embed hidden information into cover media and to retrieve the information at the receiving end. A flexible testing architecture was designed and implemented that may also be used to test other steganographic techniques. Error handling techniques for the hidden information were identified for the steganographic protocol, to increase the robustness of the hidden information. Finally, steganalytic techniques and tools have been identified to counter the use of this technique by unfriendly forces.
Toroidally rotating plasma confinement with a spatially periodic field

Some possible plasma confinement configurations are identified in which a spatially periodic electrostatic or magnetostatic field may provide or enhance ion confinement. The plasma drifts at a speed much faster than the ion thermal speed. The periodic field has a spatial period that is much smaller than the plasma size, and the field has a non-negligible strength only at the plasma edge. The periodic field could be produced, for example, by a sequence of electrodes with alternating applied voltages or a sequence of wires with alternating current directions. Classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulation results are used to develop expressions for predicting the conditions under which ions are reflected away from an artificially structured boundary that produces a spatially periodic field, without the ions reaching the boundary.
Rd network services: differentiation through performance incentives

With the Internet offering a single best-effort service, there have been numerous proposals of diversified network services that align better with the divergent needs of different distributed applications. The failure of these innovative architectures to gain wide deployment is primarily due to economic and legacy issues, rather than technical shortcomings. We propose a new paradigm for network service differentiation where design principles account explicitly for the multiplicity of Internet service providers and users as well as their economic interests in environments with partly deployed new services. Our key idea is to base the service differentiation on performance itself, rather than price. The proposed RD (Rate-Delay) services enable a user to choose between a higher transmission rate or low queuing delay at a congested network link. An RD router supports the two services by maintaining two queues per output link and achieves the intended rate-delay differentiation through simple link scheduling and dynamic buffer sizing. After analytically deriving specific rules for RD router operation, we conduct extensive simulations that confirm effectiveness of the RD services geared for incremental deployment in the Internet.
On Some Mathematical Aspects of Magnetohydro-and Plasma-Dynamics

The author presents a review of some mathematical aspects of magnetohydrodynamics and plasma-dynamics, and the fields of mathematics required and used in those domains are briefly discussed. The last section is devoted to the discussion of adjusting the mathematical program of a university, from the point of view of engineering, physics and mathematics, so that a greater number of students in those disciplines will be prepared for graduate courses in magnetohydrodynamics and plasma-dynamics.
Reading people’s minds from emotion expressions in interdependent decision making.

How do people make inferences about other people's minds from their emotion displays? The ability to infer others' beliefs, desires, and intentions from their facial expressions should be especially important in interdependent decision making when people make decisions from beliefs about the others' intention to cooperate. Five experiments tested the general proposition that people follow principles of appraisal when making inferences from emotion displays, in context. Experiment 1 revealed that the same emotion display produced opposite effects depending on context: When the other was competitive, a smile on the other's face evoked a more negative response than when the other was cooperative. Experiment 2 revealed that the essential information from emotion displays was derived from appraisals (e.g., Is the current state of affairs conducive to my goals? Who is to blame for it?); facial displays of emotion had the same impact on people's decision making as textual expressions of the corresponding appraisals. Experiments 3, 4, and 5 used multiple mediation analyses and a causal-chain design: Results supported the proposition that beliefs about others' appraisals mediate the effects of emotion displays on expectations about others' intentions. We suggest a model based on appraisal theories of emotion that posits an inferential mechanism whereby people retrieve, from emotion expressions, information about others' appraisals, which then lead to inferences about others' mental states. This work has implications for the design of algorithms that drive agent behavior in human-agent strategic interaction, an emerging domain at the interface of computer science and social psychology.
A boundary element Galerkin method for a hypersingular integral equation on open surfaces

A hypersingular boundary integral equation of the first kind on an open surface piece Γ is solved approximately using the Galerkin method. As boundary elements on rectangles we use continuous, piecewise bilinear functions which vanish on the boundary of Γ. We show how to compensate for the effect of the edge and corner singularities of the true solution of the integral equation by using an appropriately graded mesh and obtain the same convergence rate as for the case of a smooth solution. We also derive asymptotic error estimates in lower-order Sobolev norms via the Aubin–Nitsche trick. Numerical experiments for the Galerkin method with piecewise linear functions on triangles demonstrate the effect of graded meshes and show experimental rates of convergence which underline the theoretical results.
Autoregulation and conduction of vasomotor responses in a mathematical model of the rat afferent arteriole

We have formulated a mathematical model for the rat afferent arteriole (AA). Our model consists of a series of arteriolar smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells, each of which represents ion tra...
The fragile X mental retardation protein is required for type-I metabotropic glutamate receptor-dependent translation of PSD-95

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a common inherited cause of mental retardation resulting from the absence of the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is thought to regulate the translation of target mRNAs, including its own transcript. Here we show that the levels of FMRP are rapidly up-regulated in primary cortical neurons in response to the type-I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) agonist S-3,5-dihydrophenylglycine. These changes require new protein synthesis but not transcription and are specific to mGluR activation. We also demonstrate that the mRNA for PSD-95, a scaffolding protein involved in synaptic plasticity, contains a highly conserved canonical binding site for FMRP within its 3' UTR. Furthermore, PSD-95 is rapidly translated in response to S-3,5-dihydrophenylglycine. Finally, we show that these mGluR-dependent changes in PSD-95 expression are lost in neurons derived from FMRP knockout mice, a model of FXS. Taken together, these studies suggest that FMRP is required for mGluR-dependent translation of PSD-95 and provide insights into the pathophysiology of FXS.
Predicting inpatient hospital payments in the United States: a retrospective analysis

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has increased rates of public and private health insurance in the United States. Increasing coverage could raise hospital revenue and reduce the need to shift costs to insured patients. The consequences of ACA on hospital revenues could be examined if payments were known for most hospitals in the United States. Actual payment data are considered confidential, however, and only charges are widely available. Payment-to-charge ratios (PCRs), which convert hospital charges to an estimated payment, have been estimated for hospitals in 10 states. Here we evaluated whether PCRs can be predicted for hospitals in states that do not provide detailed financial data. We predicted PCRs for 5 payer categories for over 1,000 community hospitals in 10 states as a function of state, market, hospital, and patient characteristics. Data sources included the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) State Inpatient Databases, HCUP Hospital Market Structure file, Medicare Provider of Service file, and state information from several sources. We performed out-of-sample prediction to determine the magnitude of prediction errors by payer category. Many individual, hospital, and state factors were significant predictors of PCRs. Root mean squared error of prediction ranged from 32 to over 100 % of the mean and varied considerably by which states were included or predicted. The cost-to-charge ratio (CCR) was highly correlated with PCRs for Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance but not for self-pay or other insurance categories. Inpatient payments can be estimated with modest accuracy for community hospital stays funded by Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. They improve upon CCRs by allowing separate estimation by payer type. PCRs are currently the only approach to estimating fee-for-service payments for privately insured stays, which represent a sizable proportion of stays for individuals under age 65. Additional research is needed to improve the predictive accuracy of the models for all payers.
Towards adaptive recruitment and engagement mechanisms in social systems

Although successful online communities have engaged thousands of users, designers still struggle to recruit newcomers and increase current contribution rates. Related work on encouraging contributions has drawn from Social Psychology, Sociology and Economics theories. Engagement mechanisms embed the principles of these theories, and experimental studies evaluate the impact of different mechanisms on the contribution rates. Significant differences among alternative engagement mechanisms have been found, however, the results are sometimes contradictory for different groups of users. Our hypothesis is that the effectiveness of engagement mechanisms may depend on users' characteristics, and not solely on the mechanism itself. To start exploring this hypothesis, we performed a study to evaluate the impact of recruitment and engagement messages on different users' cohorts. Levels of current participation rates and demographic data were analyzed in order to explain differences in the impact of these engagement strategies.
China's Long March Toward Rule of Law: Rule of law and its critics

Rule of law is not without its critics. Skeptics claim that the efforts to promote rule of law in China are likely to fail, just as the earlier attempts of the law and development movement in the 1960s and '70s to export rule of law to developing states failed. Some PRC scholars caution that the rule-of-law movement has been largely a top-down effort and thus is not likely to be supported when legal reforms begin seriously to restrict the authority of the ruling regime. They also worry that as a product of modern Western states, rule of law cannot be transplanted to China, or that implementing rule of law will disrupt the existing social order and hence may be too costly. Critiques of rule of law from leftists in China emphasize the class nature of law, while Critical Legal Studies scholars (CRITS) abroad contend that law is a mask for oppression and serves the interests of the ruling elite. Even liberal reformers worry that in the absence of democracy and pluralistic forms of political participation, implementing rule of law will serve authoritarian ends and bolster the legitimacy of the Party. Others, as will be discussed in Chapter 10, question whether China needs rule of law and in particular whether rule of law is necessary for economic development. In this chapter, I examine the critics' arguments and suggest that while implementing rule of law is not an answer to all of China's social, political, economic, or even legal problems, on balance it represents a major step forward relative to the status quo.
Anticoagulation in pregnant women with prosthetic heart valves.

Background: Pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of thrombosis in women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves. Effective anticoagulation is therefore critical in such patients but remains problematic, since oral anticoagulation and both unfractionated and lowmolecular-weight heparin may be associated with important fetal and maternal side effects. Purpose: To review information related to the use of anticoagulation with both warfarin and heparin and reassess the safety and efficacy of these therapies in pregnant women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves. Data source and selection: A MEDLINE search from 1966 to October 2003 for English and non-English language articles that reported the use of anticoagulation in pregnancy was conducted. Articles were included if they reported use of anticoagulation in pregnancy with emphasis on those that included women with mechanical prosthetic heart valves. Conclusions: Anticoagulation prophylaxis with both warfarin and heparin (unfractionated heparin and low-molecular-weight heparin) may be associated with important fetal and maternal side effects. Optional regimens for the treatment of low-risk and high-risk patients are proposed to minimize potential complications.
An empirical study of the structure of the patrol/marking motivational system in the rat

Abstract The existence and structure of an hypothesized motivational system of patrol/marking was supported and elucidated by a behavioral study on untrained highly inbred laboratory rats. One rat (the “runner”) was placed into a test chamber containing a wire-mesh running wheel flanked by two chambers, one of which contained another rat (the “target”). Four conditions of runners (socially-isolated males, socially-housed males, non-estrous females, and estrous females) were exposed to four types of targets (socially-housed males, non-estrous females, estrous females, and blank targets consisting of any empty target chamber). Also placed in the chamber was a Petri dish containing scent-markings of the target rat. The experiment was designed in a counterbalanced way with 10 replications and repeated two times in two separate years. As predicted from the hypothesis, scent-marking, sniffing the dish, locomotion (number of wheel revolutions), and approach (differential running towards the target) were all correlated with each other and varied in the same way as a function of the hormonal and experiential condition of the runner and the type of target. They were interpreted to reflect motor patterns of a single unitary patrol/marking motivational system. Grooming, on the other hand, did not correlate with the other behaviors and facial gland secretion was, therefore, rejected as a motor pattern of patrol/marking.
State Estimation With Finite Signal-to-Noise Models via Linear Matrix Inequalities

This paper presents estimation design methods for linear systems whose white noise sources have intensities affinely related to the variance of the signal they corrupt. Systems with such noise sources have been called finite signal-to-noise (FSN) models, and the results provided in prior work demonstrate that estimation problem for FSN systems (estimating to within a specified covariance error bound) is nonconvex. We shall show that a mild additional constraint for scaling will make the problem convex. In this paper, sufficient conditions for the existence of the state estimator are provided; these conditions are expressed in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs), and the parametrization of all admissible solutions is provided. Finally, a LMI-based estimator design is formulated, and the performance of the estimator is examined by means of numerical examples.
Adaptive beamforming using fast low-rank covariance matrix approximations

Calculating accurate low-rank covariance estimates for sensor arrays with a large number of elements is a common task in signal processing. Many algorithms make use of the exact spectral decomposition of the empirical covariance structure-but the singular value decomposition is often too costly in practice, owing to array size or constraints on computation. Recent approaches geared toward the approximate spectral decomposition of large matrices present an appealing alternative; here we compare two recently proposed algorithms for low-rank matrix approximation and compare their performance in a beamforming covariance estimation task. Simulation results demonstrate that the latter method, explicitly designed for the efficient approximation of symmetric positive semi-definite matrices, yields performance and robustness characteristics that offer encouragement for its use in practical beamforming applications.
A sex-linked recessive disorder with retardation of growth, peculiar hair, and focal cerebral and cerebellar degeneration.

In two generations of the G. family, five males suffered from a cerebral degenerative disorder characterized by (1) peculiar stubby white hair with the microscopic picture of pili torti, monilethrix, and trichorrexis nodosa; (2) early and severe retardation; and (3) severe neurological impairment beginning within the first month or two of life and rapidly progressing to decerebration. A sex-linked recessive trait has been implicated. Postmortem examination in two cases revealed a widespread degeneration of the cerebral grey matter, secondary degeneration of the cerebral white matter, and a diffuse atrophy of the cerebellar cortex. Plasma amino acid chromatography showed consistently elevated glutamic acid. The significance of this finding is unknown. Other biochemical investigations were found to be within normal limits. The suggestion is offered that the condition described represents a new clinical syndrome due to an inherited error in metabolism.
Male Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in the United States: An Examination of the Review of Literature through the Critical Theoretical Perspective

Male victims of intimate partner violence have become an issue of concern within United States of America. Research has found that approximately 3.8 women and 1.3 men per 1,000 are victims of intimate partner violence each year. Even though collaborative professions to criminal justice such as nursing, social work, counseling, and psychology have began to discuss male victims of intimate partner violence; scholars within criminal justice have conducted limited empirical research, which has revealed the need for further studies by criminologists. This article examines the review of literature concerning the male victims of domestic violence by their female intimate partners.
Historical and Biological Aspects of Calcium Action

Our knowledge of the biological importance of calcium began about a century ago with the serendipitous discovery made by Sydney Ringer that a solution of sodium chloride plus tap water was more efficacious in maintaining cardiac contractility than a corresponding one constituted from distilled water [23]. Ringer concluded that the minute amount of calcium present in tap water antagonized the “injurious” effects of sodium. Locke and other investigators subsequently demonstrated that motor nerves exposed to pure sodium chloride lose their stimulant effects on muscle contractility which could be restored by adding calcium (and potassium) in the proper proportions [25]. So, by the early 20th century researchers had become well aware that normal biological activity depended on specific concentrations of calcium, sodium, and potassium, with calcium occupying a key position in the natural order of things.
Collaborative Strategies for Improving Clinical Resource Utilization: How Pharmacists Can Make a Difference

BACKGROUND: Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is associated with substantial health care costs that place a significant burden on scarce hospital resources. Preventative measures and appropriate management strategies can be effective in reducing the incidence of VAP and in improving VAP related resource utilization. OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the economic costs associated with VAP and of strategies that can be used to meet the goals of improving the efficiency of resource utilization without negatively impacting clinical outcomes. SUMMARY: The substantial costs attributed to VAP are mainly due to the prolonged hospital length of stay (LOS) associated with these patients. Initial appropriate antimicrobial therapy is critical in achieving successful outcomes—including reducing LOS, mechanical ventilation days, and mortality. Initial treatment includes combination therapy when a multidrug-resistant pathogen or Pseudomonas aeruginosa is suspected. Once microbiologic results are available, de-esc...
Children on all-terrain vehicles: development of simulated crash scenarios for educational intervention

Background All-terrain vehicle (ATV) rollover crashes are associated with major injuries and deaths. ATV and rider kinematics in rollover incidents are poorly understood. Computer simulation techniques for modelling crash events provides an opportunity to evaluate and improve the vehicle dynamic performance to prevent injuries. Objectives To develop computer simulation models of ATV rollover events of child and adult riders using previously validated model of an adult-sized ATV. Methods Simulations of ATVs with biofidelic models of 6-year-old and 10-year-old child riders were produced using MADYMO software. Crash simulations of ATVs under varying conditions of speed and slope were produced with underlying assumptions of grip and surface conditions. Video animations/movies were developed from the simulations. Results The validated computer model of the ATV demonstrated rollover crashes at 10 MPH and 30° with the child riders. This study standardises a methodology for differing scenarios of ATV use and for injury pattern analysis. Validation of models for grip strength and tire/surface contact interaction are planned. Significance The validated computer model of an adult-sized ATV and video animations demonstrating dynamic performance of ATVs with child riders provides a potential educational tool to convey risks and promote safety. These models may support studies of injury patterns and improved designs for ATVs and protective gear.
Hormesis in Caenorhabditis elegans dauer-defective mutants

We have shown that increased longevity and stress resistance can be induced by sub-lethal exposure to stressors (hormesis). Here we ask whether genes of the dauer formation pathway that are known to modulate life span in Caenorhabditis elegans are required for this hormesis. We find that loss-of-function mutations in any of three genes (daf-16, daf-18, or daf-12) not only reduce or abolish the ability to form dauers but also block the hormetic response increasing life span following sub-lethal heat stress. Indeed, the life expectancy of these dauer-defective mutants is decreased by the same pretreatments that increase the life expectancy of wild-type animals. Additionally, we find that daf-16 and daf-12 are not required for the induction of thermotolerance, but daf-18 is required for its full induction. Our results underscore the importance of the dauer-formation pathway in specifying life span by demonstrating a similar, but not identical, role in life extension attributed to hormesis.
GPA-Cast, a Computer Forecasting System for Predicting Populations and Implementing Control of the Green Peach Aphid on Potatoes

Three yr of field observations of the interaction of aldicarb, a systemic insecticide, green peach aphids (GPA), and GPA natural enemies were used to develop a computer forecast system, GPA-CAST. This system was utilized to predict current year field populations of GPA. Predictions showed close agreement with observed field populations until application of the selective aphicide, pirimicarb. Populations of GPA after sprays with pirimicarb were overestimated by GPA-CAST. Since pirimicarb was less toxic to natural enemies than to GPA, overestimation may have been due to continued predation on reduced GPA populations.
Ethics and Economies of Art in Renaissance Spain: Felipe de Guevara’s Comentario de la pintura y pintores antiguos*

The Comentario de la pintura y pintores antiguos (Commentary on Painting and Antique Painters) by the humanist Felipe de Guevara stands as the first art treatise of its type produced in Renaissance Spain. Critical studies underscore the reliance on ancient texts in spite of significant divergences from the sources. Philological studies of near-contemporary texts and a close reading of the author’s extant writings provide an alternative framework for understanding these transformations. Through the appropriation of ancient texts, Guevara calls for the practical overhauling of the Spanish artistic system. The text addresses the art of painting as having both transcendental and intrinsic values, focusing on its formative capabilities and virtue ethics as the most important for the former, and its role in the larger Spanish economy for the latter.
Sex Differences in Pain and Stress

Females and males differ in their experience of clinical and experimental pain, with females reporting higher incidence of chronic pain and exhibiting increased sensitivity to painful experimental stimuli. While the mechanisms associated with these sex differences are not entirely known, it is suggested that various biological and psychological factors contribute to these disparities. One potential mechanism accounting for sex differences in pain is sexual dimorphism in stress regulatory systems. Although there is abundant literature examining the interactive relationship between stress and pain, the role of sex differences in this association has been relatively understudied. This chapter provides a brief overview of the research examining sex differences in clinical and experimental pain, discusses the bidirectional relationship between stress and pain, and highlights the potential influence that sex differences may have on the relationship between stress and pain.
Brief treatment for PTSD: A non-inferiority trial.

Prior studies have identified several psychosocial treatment approaches as effective for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Unfortunately, a substantial minority of individuals who receive these treatments drop out prematurely. Moreover, a considerable number of individuals in need of PTSD treatment do not present for treatment due to time constraints and other barriers to care. Thus, there is a need to develop alternative evidence-based PTSD treatments that have lower treatment dropout rates and address current barriers to receiving care. One recently developed PTSD treatment that has demonstrated efficacy and potentially meets these criteria is Written Exposure Therapy (WET), a 5-session treatment protocol that promotes recovery through writing about the trauma event as well as one's thoughts and feelings about it without any assigned homework. In an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) we are investigating whether WET is equally efficacious as Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), a treatment that typically requires more therapist training and more therapy sessions. The study sample consists of 126 adults diagnosed with PTSD who are randomly assigned to either WET (n = 63) or CPT (n = 63). Participants are assessed prior to treatment and 6-, 12-, 24-, 36-, and 60-weeks after the first treatment session. The primary outcome measure is PTSD symptom severity assessed with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5. Given the prevalence of PTSD and the aforementioned limitations of currently available first-line PTSD treatments, the identification of a brief, efficacious treatment that is associated with reduced patient dropout would represent a significant public health development.
Improvements in coated electrical sleeving properties offer new design opportunities

Recent developments in the field of resin chemistry have resulted in improved performance properties of electrical sleeving and have eliminated many undesirable characteristics of the conventional coated, fiberglass electrical sleeving.
Clinical observation on Gentamicin combined with Ranitidine on treating patients with chronic superficial gastritis

Objective:To investigate the clinical efficacy of Gentamicin combined with Ranitidine for chronic superficial gastritis.Methods:The clinical data of 196 cases of chronic superficial gastritis from January 2007 to January 2009 were analyzed retrospectively.196 cases with chronic superficial gastritis were randomly divided into experimental group and control group.The cases of the experimental group were treated with Gentamicin combined with Ranitidine,and the cases of the control group were treated with sucralfate.The clinical efficacy and adverse reactions were compared after treatment.Results:The total effective rate was 95.92%,the incidence of adverse reactions was only 1.02% in the experimental group,and the total effective rate was 82.65%,the incidence of adverse reactions was only 5.10% in the control group,there was significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).Conclusion:Gentamicin combined with Ranitidine were effective in treatment of patients with chronic superficial gastritis,and has few side reaction,can be widely used.
Discussion on the Auxiliary Limiting Characteristics and Technical Indicators of Automatic Voltage Regulators

The automatic voltage regulator(AVR) plays an important role in maintaining generator terminal voltages and ensuring the power system stability.However,the auxiliary limiting characteristics of digital AVRs made by various manufactures are quite different,which has affected the safety of generator apparatus and stability of power grids,but enough attention has not been paid to for a long time.Based on the performance testing of AVRs and generator running power diagram,the differences in auxiliary limiting characteristics of various AVRs were analyzed and their possible impact on the safety of generator apparatus and stability of power grids were determined.Some proposals were put forward for testing analysis of the auxiliary limiting technical indicators of AVRs according to statistical data from experimental tests.The results can be used as a reference for strengthening management of the excitation system.
Review: En el principio: Génesis de la catedral románica de Santiago de Compostela—Contexto, construcción y programa iconográfico, edited by José Luis Senra

Jose Luis Senra, ed. En el principio: Genesis de la catedral romanica de Santiago de Compostela—Contexto, construccion y programa iconografico Santiago de Compostela: Teofilo Edicions, 2014, 239 pp., 117 b/w illus. €20.80, ISBN 9788494208683 Commenced in the 1070s and consecrated in 1211, the Romanesque cathedral of Santiago de Compostela furnished the Galician shrine of Saint James the apostle with a building in the forefront of European experiments with structural engineering, architectural design, and programmatic sculptural decoration, suiting the shrine's preeminence as a pilgrimage center. English-speaking medievalists and architectural historians will be familiar with the great architectural and sculptural campaigns under Bishop Diego Gelmirez (1100–1140), Master Mateo's late twelfth-century west porch (Portico de la Gloria), Kenneth Conant's monograph, and his notion of the “pilgrimage church,” which associates Compostela with churches of similar design at Tours, Limoges, Conques, and Toulouse.1 En el principio , a book of five essays, treats a phase of the cathedral's history less prominent in recent North American scholarship: the conception and initiation of the project during the episcopate of Diego Pelaez (1070/71–88) and the construction completed before the consecration of numerous chapels in 1105. The first two chapters sketch the historical context of ecclesiastical reform and the promotion of Saint James's see and cult. The next three amply illustrated studies closely analyze construction, masons’ marks, and iconography. Together, they explore the circumstances that led the bishop to undertake a church of unprecedented scale and foreign design; trace the chronology and extent of the first campaigns through scrutiny of the building fabric, its sources, and contemporary texts; and assess the legacy of those earliest accomplishments. In the first chapter, Jose Andrade introduces Diego Pelaez's episcopate and reviews controversial issues: a supposed royal assembly in Compostela (1075) and its relationship to the Romanesque cathedral; the Concordia de Antealtares (1077), the bishop's agreement with monks who tended the shrine, arising from the planned construction; and Diego's deposition by Alfonso VI (1088). Charting the bishop's place in royal documents, Andrade defends the prelate's importance …
TH‐D‐204‐01: The Pursuit of Radiation Oncology Performance Excellence

The Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Improvement Act was signed into law in 1987 to advance U.S. business competitiveness and economic growth. Administered by the National Institute of Standards and Technology NIST, the Act created the Baldrige National Quality Program, now renamed the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The comprehensive analytical approaches referred to as the Baldrige Healthcare Criteria, are very well suited for the evaluation and sustainable improvement of radiation oncology management and operations. A multidisciplinary self-assessment approach is used for radiotherapy program evaluation and development in order to generate a fact based knowledge driven system for improving quality of care, increasing patient satisfaction, building employee engagement, and boosting organizational innovation. The methodology also provides a valuable framework for benchmarking an individual radiation oncology practice against guidelines defined by accreditation and professional organizations and regulatory agencies. Learning Objectives: 1.To gain knowledge of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program as it relates to Radiation Oncology. 2.To appreciate the value of a multidisciplinary self-assessment approach in the pursuit of Radiation Oncology quality care, patient satisfaction, and workforce commitment. 3.To acquire a set of useful measurement tools with which an individual Radiation Oncology practice can benchmark its performance against guidelines defined by accreditation and professional organizations and regulatory agencies.
[The coupling of canine ventricular myocyte beta2-adrenoceptors to L-type calcium current].

UNLABELLED To establish the functional coupling of beta adrenoceptor (beta AR) subtypes of beta 1AR and beta 2AR to L-type calcium current (ICaL), we investigated the non-selective agonist isoproterenol (ISO), and the relatively selective beta 2AR agonists zinterol (ZIN) and salbutamol (SAL) on ICaL in isolated canine ventricular myocytes in the presence and absence of CGP 20712A (CGP) and atenolol (AT), selective beta 1AR antagonists, and ICI 118,551 (ICI) a selective beta 2AR antagonist. Peak ICaL was determined using "patch type" microelectrodes and whole cell voltage clamp. ISO (0.5 microM) increased ICaL maximally 3.5 +/- 0.67 fold. ZIN (10.0 microM) and SAL (10.0 microM) increased ICaL maximally 1.5 +/- 0.2 (n = 5) fold and 1.4 +/- 0.1 (n = 5) fold, respectively. These effects were fully inhibited by CGP (0.3 microM) and AT (1.0 microM), inhibitors of beta 1AR but not by ICI (0.1 microM) a beta 2AR inhibitor. ZIN at relatively lower concentrations (< or = 0.1 microM) did not increase ICaL. CGP (0.3 microM) but not AT and ICI inhibited ICaL in the absence of beta AR agonists. CGP inhibition of ICaL was absent in the presence of forskolin (FK, 1.0 microM) that increases cAMP levels and ICaL by directly stimulating the adenylate cyclase. These indicate that none of the antagonists affect ICaL through an action downstream of beta AR. CONCLUSION beta-adrenergic agonists increase ICaL via beta 1AR but not beta 2AR in canine ventricular myocytes.
Design of an energy-balance-measurement diagnostic for the upgraded OMEGA laser system

Direct-drive inertial-confinement fusion (ICF) requires the on-target irradiation to be uniform within 1%–2%. This is achieved only if each beam reaches the target with approximately a 2% mutual energy balance. At the University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics the desired UV irradiation is produced by frequency tripling the OMEGA laser system, a 1053-nm Nd:glass laser. At the output of this system, the unconverted 1053-nm fundamental energy, the residual 527-nm frequency-doubled energy, and the 351-nm frequency -ripled energy must be sampled and measured for each of the 60 beams. Results from these measurements are used to adjust the laser system to achieve the desired on-target UV energy balance.