cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous tracheotomy in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery residency training programs.

Objectives: Percutaneous tracheotomy (PT) has been garnering attention in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (OTO–HNS) community for many years. This procedure is used routinely by a variety of surgical disciplines; yet its use remains controversial especially in OTO–HNS. The purpose of this study is to understand the current practices pertaining to PT in OTO–HNS training programs. Study Design: Multi-institution physician survey. Methods: A survey of 102 American OTO–HNS residency program directors. Results: The response rate was 80%. 29% of programs perform PT on a regular basis. Ciaglia Blue Rhino method was used by all respondents who could identify the method used. Simultaneous video bronchoscopy was always used by 91% of those who performed PT. Among respondents in programs where PT was not done regularly, 18% felt that it was the method of choice for selected patients; among those in programs where PT was done regularly, 72% felt that it was the method of choice. 64% of respondents indicated that other hospital services regularly performed PT in their institution, and this was evenly split between trauma, general surgery, pulmonology and intensive care unit (ICU). There was no significant difference in this regard between respondents from hospitals that did or did not do PT. 71% of OTO–HNS graduates are not trained in PT. Conclusions: Only 29% of otolaryngology residency programs in the U.S. perform PT regularly. This study objectively shows that this is a highly polarized subject amongst OTO–HNS but apparently not in medicine in general. Further study is needed to understand the reason for this controversy. Laryngoscope, 119:289–292, 2009
ENERGY EXPENDITURE FOR GLIDING MOTILITY IN A BLUE‐GREEN ALGA1

SUMMARY The energy required to overcome viscous drag in a gliding trichome of a blue-green alga advancing and rotating through a medium of known viscosity (67 poise at 25 C) has been calculated to be about 0.05% of the energy available from oxidative phosphorylation (based on respiration measurements), whereas 0.2–5% are possible figures for the amount actually expended. These values represent a low energy demand for a function of probable high survival value, but are comparable to estimates for motility in flagellated cells.
The fatty acid and phospholipid composition of Longissimus dorsi muscle from pietrain and large white pigs

An examination was made of the fatty acid and phospholipid composition of longissimus dorsi muscle from Pietrain and Large White pigs. The neutral lipid fraction from Pietrain muscle had a more unsaturated fatty acid composition possibly because of a reduced rate of intramuscular fat deposition in these pigs. The phospholipid content of muscle and muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum was similar in both breeds. The fatty acid composition of phospholipid and the concentrations of individual phospholipids were also similar. Differences in the lipid composition of muscle between the breeds appear to reflect a reduced capacity for carcass fat deposition in Pietrains rather than the propensity of pigs of this breed to produce muscle which is pale, soft and exudative (p.s.e.).
The intermediary metabolite pyruvate attenuates stunning and reduces infarct size in in vivo porcine myocardium

The intermediary metabolite pyruvate has been shown to exert significant beneficial effects in in vitro models of myocardial oxidative stress and ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, there have be...
High-Energy Behavior of Scattering due to Massless (Neutrino) Exchange

We devise a method of calculating the high-energy behavior of some processes where massless particles are being exchanged and the normal theorems such as the Froissart bound cannot be directly applied. The processes are $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ scattering, with a long-range potential due to the exchange of neutrinos. It is shown that as the energy $E$ tends to infinity, (i) the $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ total cross sections behave as constants, (ii) the $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ cross sections approach each other (a Pomeranchuk theorem), and (iii) the long-range two-neutrino exchange force is of the form $\frac{E}{{r}^{5}}$. The calculation is made with the assumption that the amplitudes obey the Mandelstam representation, but we do not restrict ourselves to any specific order in the weak coupling constant $G$, or to any specific form of the Hamiltonian. The high-energy behavior is deduced by constructing a consistency condition to it. Using analyticity and unitarity, the potential due to the massless neutrino exchange is shown to depend on the high-energy behavior of the $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\nu}$ and $\ensuremath{\nu}\ensuremath{-}\overline{\ensuremath{\nu}}$ processes. Since, in turn, the high-energy cross sections of these processes are themselves dependent on the potential, a consistency requirement is available on the former, leading to the results mentioned above.
Interactions of Dedicated Export Membrane Proteins of the Colicin V Secretion System: CvaA, a Member of the Membrane Fusion Protein Family, Interacts with CvaB and TolC

The antibacterial peptide toxin colicin V uses a dedicated signal sequence-independent system for its secretion in Escherichia coli and requires the products of three genes, cvaA, cvaB, and tolC. As a member of the membrane fusion protein family, CvaA is supposed to form a bridge that connects the inner and outer membranes via interaction with CvaB and TolC, respectively. In this study, we investigated the possible interaction of these proteins. When CvaA or CvaB was absent, the corresponding amount of CvaB or CvaA, respectively, was decreased, and the amounts of both proteins were reduced when TolC was depleted. Translational lacZ fusions showed that TolC did not affect the synthesis of either CvaA-beta-galactosidase or CvaB-beta-galactosidase, and CvaA or CvaB did not affect the synthesis of CvaB-beta-galactosidase or CvaA-beta-galactosidase, respectively. However, the stabilities of CvaA and CvaB proteins were affected by the absence of one another and by that of TolC. The instability of CvaA was more severe in TolC-depleted cells than in CvaB-depleted cells. On the other hand, CvaB was less stable in the absence of CvaA than in the absence of TolC. In addition, using a cross-linking reagent, we showed that CvaA directly interacts with both CvaB and TolC proteins. Taken together, these data support the hypothesized structural role of CvaA in connecting CvaB and TolC.
Temperature Dependence of Modulus, Density, and Crystallinity of Linear Polyethylenes

Abstract : AD-276 008Div. 26, 17U (TISTM/EJH OTS price $1.00 General Dynamics/Fort Worth, T EX. DEVELOPMENT OF BRAZED BERYLLIUM SANDWICH CONS RUCTION, by S. V. Glorioso, D. P. O'Keefe, and C. W. Rogers. Dec 0, 27p. incl. illus. tables, 2 refs. (Rept. no. ERR-FW-043) (Contract AF 33(657)7248) Unclassified report DESCRIPTORS: *Sandwich construction, *Sand wich panels, *Beryllium, Sheets, *Brazing, *Silver solders, Steel, Titanium, Honeycomb cores, Soldered joints, Bonded joints, Solder ing alloys, Silver alloys. Beryllium sheet, .020 gage, was successfully prepared and brazed with steel and titanium honeycomb core to form a sandwich panel. Commercially available silver based alloys may be used for this purpose, however, an undesirable amount of diffusion or dissolution of the base metals may be experienced. The breakage as ociated with thin gage beryllium during handling or sawing is greatly reduced when the sheet is brazed into a sandwich. The full potential of brazed construction will not be realized until a braze alloy with properties compatible with beryllium has been developed. (Author)
The effects of gender and age on health-related quality of life following kidney transplantation

Aims and objectives. To evaluate whether gender, age and their interaction affect health-related quality of life and overall health status following kidney transplantation. Background. Some investigators have examined the main effects of gender and/or age on health-related quality of life following kidney transplantation, but the potential interaction effect of these measures on this outcome has not been reported. Design. This was a cross-sectional, single-centre study, based in one US geographic area. Methods. Self-report survey data were provided by adult kidney transplant recipients using the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and a visual analogue scale of overall health. SF-36 physical and mental component summary and individual scales and overall health were measured prospectively at one time point post-transplant. All adult patients were eligible to participate and rolling enrolment was employed. Statistical effects were tested using analysis of covariance (controlling for time post-transplant). Results. Subjects (n = 138) included 66 women and 72 men. There were no effects of gender, age group, or their interaction on MCS or overall health scores (all p ≥ 0·12). Physical component summary scale data demonstrated: (i) a significant effect of gender (p = 0·025); (ii) a statistically marginal effect of age group (p = 0·068); and (iii) a statistically marginal gender by age group interaction effect (p = 0·066). Women reported poorer scores on the SF-36 physical functioning (p = 0·049), role physical (p = 0·014) and bodily pain scales (p = 0·028). There was an effect of age group on physical functioning (p = 0·005), with younger patients reporting higher scores. Conclusions. Women report lower scores on several physical measures and may experience a greater reduction with age in physical health-related quality of life than men. Physical functioning declines with age following kidney transplantation. Relevance to clinical practice. Findings may help healthcare professionals to develop gender- and age-specific interventions to optimize health-related quality of life of kidney transplant patients.
Antibiotic Use in Agriculture and Its Impact on the Terrestrial Environment

Since their discovery, antibiotics have been instrumental in treating infectious diseases that were previously known to kill humans and animals. However, their widespread use as an additive in animal feeds has raised concerns about the development of antibiotic‐resistant microorganisms. Increasingly, more microorganisms are becoming resistant to multiple antibiotics. A high proportion of the antibiotics added to animal feed is excreted in urine or manure. In some cases, as much as 90% of the antibiotic administered orally may pass through the animal unchanged. Once excreted in urine and manure, these antibiotics can enter surface and/or groundwater through nonpoint source pollution from manure‐applied lands. The literature shows that most of the antibiotics are strongly adsorbed in soils and are not readily degraded. An important environmental concern is the presence of antibiotics in sources of potable water. Except erythromycin and some sulfa drugs, most of the antibiotics found in surface waters have been only in minute quantities. In all cases, the amounts observed are in parts per billion ranges; 100‐ to 1000‐fold below minimum inhibitory concentration. Tetracyclines and penicillins, two of the most commonly used antibiotics in animal agriculture, have seldom been found in sources of potable water. There has been some reported presence of resistant bacteria in surface waters. This may have been from transport of resistant bacteria via animal or insect vectors, in airborne dusts, or simply water flow from some antibiotic‐rich setting such as manure lagoons. Direct toxic effects of antibiotics on plants and soil microflora and ‐fauna are unlikely because of the low concentrations at which antibiotics in manure are land‐applied. The indirect effects of antibiotics on the food web, however, cannot be discounted at this stage. Decrease in some components of the soil microbial populations due to manure‐applied antibiotics could cause loss of food sources for other soil organisms, which, in turn, could affect important soil microbial processes such as decomposition and mineralization. Also, repeated application of antibiotic‐laden manure can provide an environment in which selection of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria can occur. Prudent use of antibiotics to a bare minimum along with alternative methods that minimize development and proliferation of resistant bacteria need investigation.
Real interest rates, leverage, and bank risk-taking

Do low interest rate environments lead to greater bank risk-taking? We show that, when banks can adjust their capital structures, reductions in real interest rates lead to greater leverage and higher risk for any downward sloping loan demand function. However, if the capital structure is fixed, the effect depends on the degree of leverage: following a decrease in interest rates, well capitalized banks increase risk, while highly levered banks may decrease it if loan demand is linear or concave. Further, the capitalization cutoff depends on the degree of bank competition. This effect therefore should vary across countries and over time.
Social Support, Relationship Problems and the Psychological Functioning of Young African-American Mothers

Although extended social networks are considered to be an extremely important resource in the African-American community, the potentially negative aspects of these networks have not been systematically examined. The influence of the helpful and problematic aspects of young African-American mothers' social relationships was assessed in this study. Problems in relationships were negatively related to the psychological functioning of the young women. These results were evidenced with overall support and within various subgroups of providers. In addition, significant interactions between relationship problems and economic strain were found. Whereas past theory and research have emphasized the stress-buffering effects of social support, these findings point to the stress-potentiating effects of relationship problems for young African-American mothers.
Investigation of low noise, low cost readout electronics for high sensitivity PET systems based on Avalanche Photodiode arrays

A compact, low noise and low cost readout system based on commercially available application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) is under investigation. These front-end circuits have been used to readout a prototype detector module comprising Lutetium Oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillation crystals coupled to avalanche photodiode (APD) arrays. A major goal for this work is to build a dedicated high performance breast imaging PET system. Characteristics of signal response, noise, pedestals and gain of the chip have been evaluated. The channels have a linear response to within 2% across a /spl plusmn/75 fC dynamic range and have an intrinsic 120 e-rms noise level in each channel. The chips allow hardware adjustment of bias levels to allow gain uniformity of less than 5% for all channels within a chip. Initial tests of the chip when connected to a prototype APD array also showed good performance. 13% energy resolution was obtained with direct 5.9 keV X-ray interactions in a single APD pixel. The gain performance is very stable over all channels. Initial performance evaluation indicates that the chip has good performance and may be used as front-end electronics for the proposed PET system.
Simulation of cygnus rod-pinch diode using radiographic chain model

Radiographic chain model is used to self-consistently model the diode with a two-dimensional particle-in-cell code (Merlin) which links to an electron-photon Monte Carlo transport code (MCNP) and obtain the spectrum under three different situations. These are: steady state spectrum using a voltage pulse of 2.5 MV; time integrated spectrum using an experimental voltage pulse; inclusion of reflexing electrons at the anode in our particle-in-cell simulation. Detailed electron dynamics are obtained in this study. The investigations conclude that the time integrated bremsstrahlung spectrum is significantly softer than that of the steady state. The simulations included reflexing electrons around the tapered and un-tapered rods. The dynamics and impact on the bremsstrahlung spectrum are presented.
Regulation of intraocular pressure by soluble and membrane guanylate cyclases and their role in glaucoma

Glaucoma is a progressive optic neuropathy characterized by visual field defects that ultimately lead to irreversible blindness (1, 2). By the year 2020, an estimated 80 million people will have glaucoma, 11 million of which will be bilaterally blind. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common type of glaucoma. Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is currently the only risk factor amenable to treatment. How IOP is regulated and can be modulated remains a topic of active investigation. Available therapies, mostly geared towards lowering IOP, offer incomplete protection, and POAG often goes undetected until irreparable damage has been done, highlighting the need for novel therapeutic approaches, drug targets, and biomarkers (3, 4). In this review, the role of soluble (nitric oxide (NO)-activated) and membrane-bound, natriuretic peptide (NP)-activated guanylate cyclases that generate the secondary signaling molecule cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in the regulation of IOP and in the pathophysiology of POAG will be discussed.
Accuracy of Muscle Moment Arms Estimated from MRI-Based Musculoskeletal Models of the Lower Extremity

Objective: Biomechanical models that compute the lengths and moment arms of soft tissues are broadly applicable to the treatment of movement abnormalities and the planning of orthopaedic surgical procedures. The goals of this study were to: (i) develop methods to construct subject-specific biomechanical models from magnetic resonance (MR) images, (ii) create models of three lower-extremity cadaveric specimens, and (iii) quantify the accuracy of muscle-tendon lengths and moment arms estimated using these models.Materials and Methods: Models describing the paths of the medial hamstrings and psoas muscles for a wide range of body positions were developed from MR images in one joint configuration by defining kinematic models of the hip and knee, and by specifying “wrapping surfaces” that simulate interactions between the muscles and underlying structures. Our methods for constructing these models were evaluated by comparing hip and knee flexion moment arms estimated from models of three specimens to the momen...
Di‐μ‐chlorobis(1,5‐cyclooctadiene)diiridium(I)

[12112-67-3] C16H24Cl2Ir2 (MW 671.71) InChI = 1S/2C8H12.2ClH.2Ir/c2*1-2-4-6-8-7-5-3-1;;;;/h2*1-2,7-8H,3-6H2;2*1H;;/q;;;;2*+1/p-2/b2*2-1-,8-7-;;;; InChIKey = ZFOUDQNHNLDNLD-MIXQCLKLSA-L (active catalyst precursor for Claisen rearrangements,2 [2 + 2] cycloadditions,3 hydrosilations,4 and hydroboration5 reactions) Physical Data: mp 190 °C (dec); 1H NMR (CDCl3) δ 4.22 (m, CH2), 2.15 (m, CH2), 1.40 (CH2).6 Solubility: sparingly sol acetone; sol CH2Cl2 and toluene; insol diethyl ether. Form Supplied in: orange–red crystalline solid. Preparative Method: a solution of 6 mL of 1,5-cyclooctadiene in 35 mL of ethanol and 20 mL of water is added to 2.0 g of IrCl3·3H2O in a round-bottomed flask. The mixture is refluxed under nitrogen for 24 h, during which time an orange–red product precipitates from solution. The mixture is cooled to rt and di-μ-chlorobis(1,5-cyclooctadiene)diiridium(I) is collected by filtration, washed with cold methanol, and dried in vacuo at 25 °C for 8 h.1 Handling, Storage, and Precautions: the dry solid is moderately air-stable.
Three dimensional object recognition using axial feature signatures

A method for recognizing 3-D polyhedra using a passive vision system is presented. Object surfaces are modeled as an aggregation of triangular surfaces, each triangular surface in turn being represented by its vertices. Features are extracted from the two-dimensional perspective projection silhouette as the object is rotated about a predetermined axis. These features, as determined by a complete revolution around the object about this axis, constitute the axial feature signatures (AFS) for the modeled polyhedra solid. Features include the area, perimeter, and other 2-D characteristics of the silhouette of the object. The process of recognition is to match the AFS of modeled objects in the database to the signature of a polyhedron under visual scrutiny. >
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE VIA THE WEB

The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) makes available a wide variety of information concerning the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) via the Space Telescope Electronic Information Service (STEIS). STEIS is accessible via anonymous ftp, gopher, WAIS, and WWW. The information on STEIS includes how to propose for time on the HST, the current status of HST, reports on the scientific instruments, the observing schedule, data reduction software, calibration files, and a set of publicly available images in JPEG, GIF and TIFF format. STEIS serves both the astronomical community as well as the larger Internet community. WWW is currently the most widely used interface to STEIS. Future developments on STEIS are expected to include larger amounts of hypertext, especially HST images and educational material of interest to students, educators, and the general public, and the ability to query proposal status.
Rapid and Acute Effects of Estrogen on Time Perception in Male and Female Rats

Sex differences in the rapid and acute effects of estrodiol on time perception were investigated in adult male and female Sprague-Dawley rats. Because estrodiol has been shown to increase striatal dopamine release, it may be able to modify time perception and timed performance by increasing the speed of an internal clock in a manner similar to indirect dopamine agonists such as amphetamine and cocaine. Two groups of females (neonatally estradiol-treated/adult ovariectomized and neonatally oil-treated/adult ovariectomized) and 2 groups of males (neonatally castrated and adult castrated) were trained in a 2 s vs. 8 s duration bisection procedure and tested using intermediate signal durations. After obtaining oil-injected baseline psychometric functions over several days, rats were administered 5μg of estradiol for 4 days and behaviorally evaluated 30 min following each injection. This oil-estradiol administration cycle was subsequently repeated 3 times following the re-establishment of baseline training. Results revealed significant sex differences in the initial baseline functions that were not modifiable by organizational hormones, with males’ duration bisection functions shifted horizontally to the left of females’. Upon the first administration of estradiol, females, but not males, showed a significant, transient leftward shift in their bisection functions, indicative of an increase in clock speed. After extensive retraining in the duration bisection procedure, rats that were exposed to gonadal hormones during the first week of life showed a significant rightward shift in their bisection functions on the fourth day of estradiol administration during each cycle, suggesting a decrease in clock speed. Taken together, our results support the view that there are multiple mechanisms of estrogens’ action in the striatum that modulate dopaminergic activity and are differentially organized by gonadal steroids during early brain development.
Experimental Infection with Giardia lamblia in Rats

Sprague-Dawley rats were orally inoculated with Giardia lamblia cysts. Infection was documented using microscopic examination of feces, counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE) of feces for G. lamblia antigen, and intestinal biopsy. After inoculation with 150 cysts, 100% of the rats became infected. CIE and intestinal biopsy detected infection on days 2-3 after inoculation. Results of microscopic examinations were variable, but cysts were observed as early as day 4. CIE and intestinal biopsy were comparable in detecting infection. The infection rate peaked at day 7 and remained high until day 20. Spontaneous resolution of infection occurred after 28-42 days in 96% of the rats. Cysts stored in liquefied feces at 4 C demonstrated a gradual decline of infectivity but remained infective for one year.
Public Access Defibrillation Programs: Improving Outcomes Worldwide.

Out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is one of the most frequent causes of death and leading cause of healthcare expenditures.[1][1] This has led to significant research to study ways to reduce morbidity and mortality secondary to OHCA. The American Heart Association has developed a campaign to
Early Results of a Helmetless-Tackling Intervention to Decrease Head Impacts in Football Players

Objective: To test a helmetless-tackling behavioral intervention for reducing head impacts in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I football players. Design: Randomized controlled c...
Criticism of the Libertarian Account of Political Values and Market Principles

Libertarianism has evident attractions. One is that its tenets are simple and direct. The libertarian reduces complexities to simpler formulations that can be solved as a function of the affected personal liberties. There is a purported 'primordial natural fact' of personal freedom and the claim is that collective behavior diminishes it. Libertarianism also has psychological attractions. It emphasizes the potency of initiative and self-sufficiency.However, the celebration of personal liberty and individual initiative is not reserved to libertarianism; they are also key values for competing political and social theories. A concern for the potential arrogance and ineptitude of government actions similarly runs across alternative political theories, even those that ultimately opt for considerable government involvement in social and economic affairs. This paper describes the mistaken view that only a theory that focuses exclusively upon the protection of personal liberties is adequately protective of those liberties. A discussion of the genesis and architecture of that view will help reveal the mistake. This paper also discusses the conflation of the protection of personal liberties with the promotion of market practices. By equating economic liberties with personal liberties, libertarianism fails to discriminate market priorities from political priorities.
Feminism in Turkey

Feminism in Turkey has reached a new exciting dimension in the last decade with the emergence of autonomous and multifarious female voices. Duygu Asena, an editor and novelist, has much to do with paving the way for the emergence of these voices. With her controversial writings and independent lifestyle, she is an icon of Turkish feminism, the Gloria Steinem of Turkish culture. As a proponent of staunch individualism, she has not allied herself with any group or movement. But through her editorials in Kadinca (Womanly) and two controversial novels, Kadinin Adi Yok (Woman Has No Name) and its sequel Aslinda Ask da Yok (In Reality, Love Does Not Exist Either) that insist on female equality and autonomy, she has greatly shaped public opinion that has made possible the mobilization of other feminists.
Hadronic parity violation in few-body systems

Efforts to describe hadronic parity violation in few-nucleon systems using effective field theories are described. Particular emphasis is given to observables in two- and three-nucleon systems and their relation to ongoing experimental efforts. The role of parityviolating three-nucleon interactions is also discussed.
Inhibition of lipid synthesis by alpha-phenyl-N-butyrate and related compounds.

Summary1 Alpha-phenyl-n-butyrate at 1 × 10-3 M has been shown to decrease rate of incorporation of acetate-1-C14 into cholesterol and into fatty acids by rat liver slices. 2) Incorporation of acetate into aceto-acetate is inhibited about the same extent, while oxidation to C02 is generally less strongly inhibited. 3) Endogenous oxygen consumption can proceed relatively unimpaired in the presence of 1 × 10-3 M alpha-phenylbutyrate. 4) Several compounds structurally related to alpha-phenylbutyrate are also demonstrated to inhibit acetate incorporation into lipids. 5) The possible relation between present observations on inhibition of lipid synthesis and studies of Brodie et al.(14) on drug potentiators is discussed.
The effects of antithymocyte globulin in NZB-NZW F1 mice.

SummaryAntithymocyte globulin was administered to 33 NZB-NZW F1 hybrid mice ranging from 36 to 47 weeks of age at the start of treatment. Thirty-one age matched female controls were studied. The ATG had a deleterious effect on survival, but no marked effect on renal histopathologic changes. The ATG did appear to prevent the development of fibrinoid arteritis. We speculate that the decrease in survival rate in the treated animals was related to an exacerbation of an underlying viral disorder.
Urban security: game-theoretic resource allocation in networked physical domains

Law enforcement agencies frequently must allocate limited resources to protect targets embedded in a network, such as important buildings in a city road network. Since intelligent attackers may observe and exploit patterns in the allocation, it is crucial that the allocations be randomized. We cast this problem as an attacker-defender Stackelberg game: the defender's goal is to obtain an optimal mixed strategy for allocating resources. The defender's strategy space is exponential in the number of resources, and the attacker's exponential in the network size. Existing algorithms are therefore useless for all but the smallest networks. We present a solution approach based on two key ideas: (i) A polynomial-sized game model obtained via an approximation of the strategy space, solved efficiently using a linear program; (ii) Two efficient techniques that map solutions from the approximate game to the original, with proofs of correctness under certain assumptions. We present in-depth experimental results, including an evaluation on part of the Mumbai road network.
The impact of caregiver coping strategies and patient level of functioning on perception of caregiver burden among caregivers of persons living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya

ABSTRACTThere exists little research on caregiver burden among persons caring for family members with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. Research suggests that coping strategies affect the perception of caregiver burden and caregiver burden increases as a patient’s condition deteriorates. This study investigated the impact of coping strategies and activities of daily living on caregiver burden among Kenyans caring for family members living with HIV and AIDS. There was a statistically significant difference on two items of the Caregiver Burden Inventory based on patient’s total Activities of Daily Living (ADL) score. When ADLs were considered separately, there were no significant differences in caregiver burden by ADL scores. The combined coping scales on the Brief COPE were a significant predictor of caregiver burden. Self-blame, substance use, and behavioral disengagement were significantly related to caregiver burden. Implications for counselors, social workers, and researchers are discussed.
Linearised identification of the longitududinal flight dynamics of the solar powered airship Lotte

This paper relates to a recent project in which the aim was to devise a procedure that could be used to identify the linearised transfer functions of the longitudinal motion of the solar powered airship Lotte from flight test data. Using a non-linear mathematical model of the Airship, a linearised state space model was derived numerically and this was used to derive the response transfer functions, which formed the theoretical results. A test procedure was then developed to identify the transfer functions experimentally from frequency response data obtained in simulated flight tests. Initially, the linearised model was used and the test procedure was refined until a suitable level of coherence between the experimental and theoretical results was observed. The test procedure was then applied to simulated flight test data from the non-linear model, and finally sensor noise was added in order to represent actual flight test conditions as closely as possible
Communication and computation tradeoffs for a network of intelligent sensors

A linear network of intelligent sensors is examined. The objective is to solve a computational problem in a minimal amount of time. The sensors in the networks can be equipped either with front-end processors for communication off-loading or without front-end processors. The cases of equal division of processing load and optimal division of processing load are discussed for both the network with front-end processors and the network without front-end processors. An example of the inclusion of the solution time, the time taken for sensors to report the solution back to originator, is also presented. >
Reevaluating fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) population declines in the southeastern United States

We used southeastern fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) in the southeastern United States as an example of how modern approaches to estimate density coupled with a reevaluation of previous estimates can provide important new insights into the management and conservation of mammals. There are few rigorous density estimates of southeastern fox squirrels, which hinders our ability to manage and conserve their populations. Based on an initial estimate from 1957 of 38 squirrels/km2 and subsequent decreases in estimates of population densities, noted decreases in hunter harvest reports, and anecdotal observations, southeastern fox squirrels are believed to be declining. To assess the extent of this decline, we first estimated the density of a subspecies of southeastern fox squirrel, Sherman's fox squirrel (S. n. shermani), using live trapping and camera trapping and modern analytical approaches for mark–recapture analysis. Then, to compare our densities to previous work, we calculated a standardized effective survey area correction factor for past studies and recalculated their population densities. Once standardized, we found little temporal or geographic variation in densities of southeastern fox squirrels (2.4–8.5 squirrels/km2) spanning nearly 70 years of research. Past densities were substantially lower than initially reported with corrected survey areas, suggesting that densities may have always been naturally low but were incorrectly inflated due to study designs and statistical approaches. Moreover, corrected densities from all studies were correlated with the bounded survey area, suggesting that researches aiming to estimate population densities of southeastern fox squirrels were frequently conducted at scales too small relative to the size of their home ranges. The use of methodological and analytical approaches such as those used in this study may help to avoid misdirected conservation designations or management actions and misuse of conservation funding.
LMStr: Local memory store the case for hardware controlled scratchpad memory for general purpose processors

In this paper, we present a hardware controlled on-chip memory called Local Memory Store (LMStr) that can be used either solely as a scratchpad or as a combination of scratchpad and cache, storing any variable specified by the programmer or extracted by the compiler. LMStr is different than a traditional scratchpad in that it is hardware-controlled and it stores the same type of variables in a block that is allocated based on availability and demand. In this initial work on LMStr, we focus on identifying the potential for LMStr, namely, the advantages of storing temporary and program variables in blocks in LMStr and comparing the performance against a regular cache. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work where scratchpad has been used in a generalized way where the focus is on storing temporary and programmer specified variables in blocks. We evaluate LMStr on a micro-benchmark and a set of the mini-applications in the mantevo suite. We simulate LMStr in the Structural Simulation Toolkit (SST) simulator. LMStr provides a 10% reduction in average data movement between on-chip and off-chip memory compared to a traditional cache hierarchy.
Fear reactivity to cognitive dyscontrol via novel head-mounted display perceptual illusion exercises.

Abstract Background Anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns (ASCC), refer to fears of mental catastrophe or losing control over mental processes. Recent findings show that ASCC are related to suicide risk, mood disorders and trauma-related disorders. Using controlled experimental psychopathology paradigms could be one heretofore unutilized method of increasing understanding of ASCC. Our goal was to test fear reactivity to four head-mounted display perceptual illusion challenges designed to bring on feelings of cognitive dyscontrol (i.e., derealization, depersonalization) in a group of high and low anxiety sensitivity cognitive concerns participants. Methods Participants (N=49) with Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 cognitive scores at least 1.5 SD above or below the mean completed four cognitive dyscontrol challenges utilizing head-mounted display technology. Results Results showed all four challenges successfully elicited high cognitive anxiety symptoms. Consistent with other laboratory challenge studies; high versus low ASCC participants reported comparable cognitive symptoms but reported significantly greater fear. Limitations This was an initial proof of concept study designed to examine fear reactivity to cognitive dyscontrol challenges. Therefore, no control exercises were evaluated. Conclusions The finding that fear reactivity to the laboratory challenges can potentially serve as a viable behavioral correlate of ASCC provides a potentially useful exposure exercise for clients experiencing high levels of ASCC. Given the association between ASCC and severe psychopathology, with further investigation and refinement, such exposure exercises could be integrated into cognitive-behavioral treatments.
Seasonal Abundance and Mathematical Distribution of Wireworms and Wireworm Feeding Damage in Sweet Potato

Seasonal abundance and spatial distribution of wireworm feeding damage were determined for sweet potato by examining storage roots. Spatial distribution of wireworms was determined by sampling corn-wheat seed baits. Wireworm feeding damage (deep, shallow and healed holes) increased as the season progressed. The distribution of wireworms in sweet potato fields was clumped as was feeding damage distribution. The spatial distribution of wireworm damage on sweet potato roots fits the negative binomial distribution. Values for the negative binomial parameter k for two fields indicated a clustered distribution of wireworm feeding damage. Greater k-values for healed feeding damage and total feeding damage than for deep and shallow feeding damage indicate that sample size could be adjusted, depending on seasons, to achieve optimal sampling efficiency. As feeding damage can predict wireworm populations, a sampling strategy based on early-season wireworm damage data is particularly timely, efficient and economical ...
Children Environmental Identity Development in an Alaska Native Rural Context.

Scholarship in Early Childhood Education for Sustainability (ECEfS) continues to advocate for the incorporation of Indigenous ways of knowing and children’s agency in research and practice. This study contributes to the literature by examining how young children from an Alaskan rural setting make meaning of and interact with nature. Informed by a participatory and phenomenological framework, this study included 5-to-7-year-old Alaska Native children. Data were collected through Sensory Tours (wearable cameras) where children freely explored their environment with an adult and a peer. Interpreted through Environmental Identity Development theory, findings revealed children had a strong sense of Trust in Nature, uniquely informed by their cultural and subsistence lifestyle. Such trust prompted children to gain a sense of Spatial Autonomy through exploration and establishing connections with water, plants, and animals. Children tasted and touched, experimented and discovered, learning about features of the local ecology and their shared role in it, which, in turn, heightened their sense of Environmental Competency. Children’s demonstrated competencies promote engagement in a subsistence-based lifestyle. Harvesting food from the wilderness is an important sustainable practice in a rural isolated settings and, thus, important to consider in ongoing dialogue on ECEfS.
A stable algorithm for downdating the ULV decomposition

Publisher Summary This chapter consists of three sections— the first focusing on a method for downdating ULV decomposition along with its main results. The second section presents an error analysis showing the favorable stability properties of this downdating algorithm and the procedures carried out to develop it. The third section describes the ULV decomposition algorithm in detail. The ULV method was described by Stewart who also gives a method for updating it. It is a particular case of what Lawson and Hanson called HRK decompositions but the difference is that blocks that are exactly zero are separated out. The downdating algorithm presented here coupled with Stewart's updating algorithm show that the ULV decomposition can be updated and downdated in O(n2) flops in a manner that preserves their structure.
Managing the Energy Basket in the Face of Limits

Forrester’s World Dynamics model (Forrester, World Dynamics. Wright-Allen, Cambridge, 1971) and the subsequent Limits to Growth study (Meadows et al., Dynamics of Growth in a Finite World. Wright-Allen, Cambridge, 1974) led to make a pioneering statement recognizing the intertwined nature of resource use (that subsumed energy) and its environmental repercussions. Yet, policy actions pertaining to energy and environment have remained quite detached, even though the interaction between the two is now common knowledge. The Limits study made appeals for controlling population, resource use, and environmental pollution, albeit the operational policy options for achieving those ends that can be implemented through existing intervention structure (or policy space) continue to be a challenge, which this chapter attempts to address to meet the more specific objective of sustaining energy supply and environment concomitantly. It draws on a simple model suggested in Saeed (Technol. Forecast Soc. 28:311–323, 1985), which does not deal with the human activity modeled in the Limits project but with the eco-system impacted by the human activity. Thus, it incorporates the policy space needed for managing the ecosystem rather than the demand for resources, which helps to delineate the operational means to avoid the impending catastrophe predicted in the Limits study. It also explores the operational means for managing the environmental impact of energy use, the principles of which are outlined in Saeed (J. Econ. Issues 38(4):909–937, 2004). These principles call for integrating environmental restoration into the market activity. The policy issues pertaining to energy use and environmental restoration are dealt with in separate models following the problem-partitioning principles outlined in Saeed (Syst. Dynam. Rev. 8(2): 251–261, 1992).
Vincenzo Consolo: gli anni de «l’Unità» (1992-2012), ovvero la poetica della colpa-espiazione

Vincenzo Consolo: gli anni de «l’Unita» (1992-2012), ovvero la poetica della colpa-espiazione analyses the frequent collaboration between Vincenzo Consolo (1933-2012) and the Italian newspaper «l’Unita», which started in the 1990s and would continue until the author’s death. This collaboration reveals a form of political protagonism which the writer had originally shied away from. Over this period of time, in his written pieces, Consolo turns from the «contastorie consolatorio» (a consoling storyteller) into a Benjamin-style narrator, offering the new generations a progressive life model based on his own youthful experiences. This artistic development reflects in a similar transformation within his narration, and explains the reason behind the use of the first person narrator, that «impudico io» (the “impure I”), as the author himself puts it. This form of literary experimentation, which differs from the work he carried out over the previous decades, allows the writer to atone for not having done more in the Seventies and the Eighties to improve the social, environmental and political degradation whose spread he had witnessed.Vincenzo Consolo: gli anni de «l’Unita» (1992-2012), ovvero la poetica della colpa-espiazione analizza l’assidua collaborazione di Vincenzo Consolo (1933-2012) con il quotidiano «l’Unita», una collaborazione che, iniziata nei primi anni Novanta e durata fino alla morte, rivela una forma di protagonismo politico a cui lo scrittore si era in precedenza sottratto. In questo stesso arco di tempo, Consolo si trasforma nei suoi scritti letterari da «contastorie consolatorio» a narratore benjaminiano, e offre alle giovani generazioni un modello di vita progressista basato sulle proprie esperienze giovanili. Tale sviluppo artistico necessita a sua volta di una trasformazione del punto di vista narrativo e spiega l’adozione del pronome di prima persona, quell’«impudico io», come lui stesso lo definisce. Questa forma di sperimentalismo letterario, che si differenzia dal lavoro svolto nei decenni precedenti, permette allo scrittore di espiare la colpa di non avere, negli anni Settanta ed Ottanta, fatto di piu per ovviare al degrado sociale, ambientale e politico che aveva visto dilagare.
Picturing the future

Directed by Brett Ryan Bonowicz ( The Perfect 46 , 2014), Closer Than We Think is an eponymous documentary about a mid–20th-century comic strip and its creator, Arthur Radebaugh. The film provides important insight into what made the comic a foundation for other popular science fiction endeavors. More important, however, it shows how the strip directly encouraged nascent engineers and scientists to actualize the future described therein.
Depletion of dendritic cells in perivascular adipose tissue improves arterial relaxation responses in type 2 diabetic mice.

Background Accumulation of multiple subtypes of immune cells in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) has been proposed to cause vascular inflammation and dysfunction in type 2 diabetes (T2DM). This study was designed to investigate specific roles for dendritic cells in PVAT in the development of vascular inflammation and impaired PVAT-mediated vasorelaxation in T2DM. Methods and results Studies were performed using db/db mice (model of T2DM) and their Db heterozygote (DbHET), lean and normoglycemic controls. Dendritic cell depletion was performed by cross-breeding DbHet with Flt3l-/- (null for ligand for FMS-kinase tyrosine kinase) mice. Using PCR, it was found that the majority of dendritic cells (CD11c+) were located in PVAT rather than the vascular wall. Flow cytometry similarly showed greater dendritic cell accumulation in adipose tissue from db/db mice than DbHET controls. Adipose tissue from db/db mice displayed increased mRNA levels of proinflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and decreased mRNA levels of the anti-inflammatory mediator adiponectin, compared to DbHET mice. Depletion of dendritic cells in dbFlt3l-/dbFlt3l- (confirmed by flow cytometry) reduced TNF-α and IL-6 mRNA levels in diabetic adipose tissue without influencing adiponection expression. Moreover, in mesenteric arteries, dendritic cell depletion improved the ability of PVAT to augment acetylcholine-induced vasorelaxation and anti-contractile activity. Conclusions In a murine model of T2DM, dendritic cells accumulated predominantly in PVAT, as opposed to the vessel wall, per se. Accumulation of dendritic cells in PVAT was associated with overproduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, which contributed to an impaired ability of PVAT to augment vasorelaxation and exert anti-contractile activity in T2DM.