cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mobile Ad Hoc and Sensor Systems for Global and Homeland Security Applications

Communications infrastructures are a critical asset in today’s information society. However, legacy telecommunication systems easily collapse in case of disruptions that may occur due to security incidents or crises. In this chapter, we first elaborate on the major shortcomings of the current communications networks for security applications to identify the key missing requirements for such networks. Then, we show that the ad hoc networking technologies, coupled with disruptive-tolerant techniques, are the best suited paradigm to build the next generation of dependable, secure, and rapidly deployable communications infrastructures. In particular, we focus on mesh, opportunistic, vehicular, and sensor networks giving an overview of the most recent advances and summarizing the challenges facing the design and the deployment of these networks. Finally, we conclude this chapter presenting the open research issues to realize the vision of a dependable communications infrastructure, with special attention to aspects such as interoperability among multiple heterogeneous networks, autonomic network management, and QoS protection.
Management of conjunctival malignancies at a quaternary care center: Outcomes and potential for quality improvement.

e18095Background: Conjunctival melanoma (CM) and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) are ocular malignancies (OMs) with high rates of recurrence and morbidity. Optimal surgical management includes excisi...
Immunotopological Analysis of the Treponema denticola Major Surface Protein (Msp)

ABSTRACT Treponema denticola, one of several recognized periodontal pathogens, is a model organism for studying Treponema physiology and host-microbe interactions. Its major surface protein Msp (or MOSP) comprises an oligomeric outer membrane-associated complex that binds fibronectin, has cytotoxic pore-forming activity, and disrupts several intracellular responses. There are two hypotheses regarding native Msp structure and membrane topology. One hypothesis predicts that the entire Msp protein forms a β-barrel structure similar to that of well-studied outer membrane porins of Gram-negative bacteria. The second hypothesis predicts a bipartite Msp with distinct and separate periplasmic N-terminal and porin-like β-barrel C-terminal domains. The bipartite model, based on bioinformatic analysis of the orthologous Treponema pallidum Tpr proteins, is supported largely by studies of recombinant TprC and Msp polypeptides. The present study reports immunological studies in both T. denticola and Escherichia coli backgrounds to identify a prominent Msp surface epitope (residues 229 to 251 in ATCC 35405) in a domain that differs between strains with otherwise highly conserved Msps. These results were then used to evaluate a series of in silico structural models of representative T. denticola Msps. The data presented here are consistent with a model of Msp as a large-diameter β-barrel porin. This work adds to the knowledge regarding the diverse Msp-like proteins in oral treponemes and may contribute to an understanding of the evolutionary and potential functional relationships between Msps of oral Treponema and the orthologous group of Tpr proteins of T. pallidum. IMPORTANCETreponema denticola is among a small subset of the oral microbiota contributing to severe periodontal disease. Due to its relative genetic tractability, T. denticola is a model organism for studying Treponema physiology and host-microbe interactions. T. denticola Msp is a highly expressed outer membrane-associated oligomeric protein that binds fibronectin, has cytotoxic pore-forming activity, and disrupts intracellular regulatory pathways. It shares homology with the orthologous group of T. pallidum Tpr proteins, one of which is implicated in T. pallidum in vivo antigenic variation. The outer membrane topologies of both Msp and the Tpr family proteins are unresolved, with conflicting reports on protein domain localization and function. In this study, we combined empirical immunological data derived both from diverse T. denticola strains and from recombinant Msp expression in E. coli with in silico predictive structural modeling of T. denticola Msp membrane topology, to move toward resolution of this important issue in Treponema biology.
Calibration of Electricity Meters with Digital Input

Over recent decades, proliferation of harmonic producing loads in the electric power system is noticeable, due to, in large part, increase in use of many power electronics devices. The role of power electronics in Smart Grid developments is very important. Smart Grid is characterized by the use of intelligent electronic devices in digital substations, for monitoring, control, protection and metering, based on voltage and current sampled values (SVs) conforming to lEC 61850-9-2 format. The SVs are used for revenue metering by non-conventional energy meters with digital inputs. The paper discusses the performance of these electricity meters under non-sinusoidal waveform conditions.
Stochastic frontier models with network selectivity

Worker peer-effects and managerial selection have received limited attention in the stochastic frontier analysis literature. We develop a parametric production function model that allows for worker peer-effects in output and worker-level inefficiency that is correlated with a manager’s selection of worker teams. The model is the usual “composed error” specification of the stochastic frontier model, but we allow for managerial selectivity (endogeneity) that works through the worker-level inefficiency term. The new specification captures both worker-level inefficiency and the manager’s ability to efficiently select teams to produce output. As the correlation between the manager’s selection equation and worker inefficiency goes to zero, our parametric model reduces to the normal-exponential stochastic frontier model of Aigner et al. (1977) with peer-effects. A comprehensive application to the NBA is provided.
Workload Management in Teleoperation of Unmanned Ground Vehicles: Effects of a Delay Compensation Aid on Human Operators’ Workload and Teleoperation Performance

ABSTRACTWorkload management is of critical concern in the teleoperation of unmanned vehicles because teleoperation is often employed in high-risk industries wherein high workload can lead to sub-op...
A Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm for Heart-Rate Detection Using Doppler Motion-Sensing Radar

The advancement of vital sign radar technology has proven to be a useful tool in assessing various physiological dynamics, including heartbeat and respiration. There remains several signal processing challenges in this field, which include overcoming the nonlinearities and harmonics that populate the power spectrum. Respiration harmonics distort and overwhelm the measurement of heartbeat due to the large signal amplitude. A supervised machine learning algorithm, the gamma filter, offers an efficient, calibration-free solution to model the time series heartbeat signal given respiration and respiration artifacts. The measured signal is provided by a 5.8-GHz quadrature Doppler radar and a modified electrocardiogram signal is used as the ground truth for training the filter. Experimental results show that the heartbeat is independent and separable from respiration and the algorithm can be implemented in real time.
ACA's Contraceptive Coverage Requirement: Measuring Use And Out-Of-Pocket Spending.

Following the implementation of the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage requirement, privately insured women’s out-of-pocket spending for contraception declined and their use of long-actin...
Reducing Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Employees Through Participation in a Wellness Program

The objective was to evaluate the long-term impact that the University of Rochester Employee Wellness program has made in reducing cardiovascular disease risk. The authors conducted a 5-year retros...
CARDIAC TAMPONADE AS A RESULT OF THYROTOXICOSIS

Thyrotoxic pericarditis with pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade is a rare phenomenon. Establishing the diagnosis early and implementing treatment are necessary to improve outcomes. A 29-year-old woman with metastatic choriocarcinoma to brain, liver, lung, and bone presented with shortness
A CASE REPORT OF SYNCOPE FOLLOWING INITIATION OF ISAVUCONAZONIUM

Drug-induced arrhythmias can cause sudden cardiac death. While cardiology clinicians traditionally pay more attention to QT-prolonging drugs, there are a handful of QT-shortening drugs that may be associated with increased risk of ventricular fibrillation and cardiac arrest. A 73 year old female
Comparison of IV Insulin Dosing Strategies for Hyperkalemia in the Emergency Department.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of insulin dosing of less than 10 units versus 10 units in patients receiving hyperkalemia treatment. Design Retrospective single-center study. Setting Emergency department at a large academic medical center in the United States. Patients Seven hundred adults treated for hyperkalemia with IV regular insulin between April 1, 2013, and September 27, 2018. Interventions Patients that received less than 10 units of insulin were compared to those that received 10 units of insulin. Measurements and Main Results Patients treated with less than 10 units had significantly lower frequency of hypoglycemia (11.2% vs 17.6%; p = 0.008). Reduction in serum potassium was significantly more modest in size in patients treated with less than 10 units (mean reduction 0.94 ± 0.71 mMol/L) compared with patients treated with 10 units (mean reduction 1.11 ± 0.8 mMol/L; p = 0.008). There were no statistically significant differences between groups in time to hypoglycemia, nadir serum glucose, severe hypoglycemia (<40 mg/dL), dextrose requirements, use of concurrent agents for hyperkalemia, need for repeat insulin dosing, length of stay, or mortality. Conclusions Patients treated for hyperkalemia with insulin doses less than 10 units had reduced frequency of hypoglycemia; however, potassium reduction post treatment was more modest in these patients. These findings suggest providers choosing to administer 10 units IV insulin should ensure patients have adequate monitoring for hypoglycemia.
World War II & the Holocaust: Necessary Conditions for Modern Israel?

A central argument of anti-Zionists is that the Holocaust was a “pretext” for Israel’s 1948 establishment. Because of their belief in the Holocaust's centrality, Israel's opponents sometimes deny the Holocaust — inferring that if the justification for Israel's founding was the Holocaust, and if the Holocaust is a myth, then the justification underlying Israel's foundation is illegitimate. In this essay, I argue that the "Israel happened because the Holocaust happened" argument is false and, more importantly, pernicious. While the Second World War certainly accelerated Israel's creation — opening the eyes of non-Jews to the validity of Jewish anxiety — it was one factor of many. The groundwork had been laid long before the Second World War through the efforts of late 19th and early 20th century Jewish immigrants to the Levant; these refugees established the nascent political, economic, and military institutions that would ultimately become formalized as the state of Israel. .
Development and optimization of a Zika virus antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) assay.

Zika virus (ZIKV) has become a global public health issue due to its teratogenicity and ability to cause Guillain-Barre syndrome in adults. Although anti-ZIKV envelope protein neutralizing antibodies correlate with protection, the non-neutralizing function of ZIKV antibodies including antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) is incompletely understood. To study the role of ADCC antibodies during ZIKV infections, we generated a stably transfected, dual-reporter target cell line with inducible expression of a chimeric ZIKV prM-E protein on the cell surface as the target cell for the assay. By using this assay, nine of ten serum samples from ZIKV-infected patients had >20% ADCC killing of target cells, whereas none of the 12 healthy control sera had >10% ADCC killing. We also observed a time-dependent ADCC response in 2 patients with Zika. This demonstrates that this assay can detect ZIKV ADCC with high sensitivity and specificity, which could be useful for measurement of ADCC responses to ZIKV infection or vaccination.
Comprehensive enhanced methodology of an MRI-based automated left-ventricular chamber quantification algorithm and validation in chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity.

Purpose: To comprehensively outline the methodology of a fully automated, MRI motion-guided, left-ventricular (LV) chamber quantification algorithm that enhances a similar, existing semi-automated approach. Additionally, to validate the motion-guided technique in comparison to chamber quantification with a vendor tool in post-chemotherapy breast cancer patients susceptible to cardiotoxicity. Approach: LV deformation data were acquired with the displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) sequence on N = 21 post-chemotherapy female patients and N = 21 age-matched healthy females. The new chamber quantification algorithm consists of detecting LV boundary motion via a combination of image quantization and DENSE phase-encoded displacements. LV contractility was analyzed via chamber quantification and computations of 3D strains and torsion. For validation, estimates of chamber quantification with the motion-guided algorithm on DENSE and steady-state free precession (SSFP) acquisitions, and similar estimates with an existing vendor tool on DENSE acquisitions were compared via repeated measures analysis. Patient results were compared to healthy subjects for observing abnormalities. Results: Repeated measures analysis showed similar LV ejection fractions (LVEF), 59 % ± 6 % , 58 % ± 6 % , and 58 % ± 6 % , p = 0.2 , by applying the motion-guided algorithm on DENSE and SSFP and vendor tool on DENSE acquisitions, respectively. Differences found between patients and healthy subjects included enlarged basal diameters ( 5.0 ± 0.5 cm versus 4.4 ± 0.5 cm , p 0.01 ), torsions ( p 0.001 ), and longitudinal strains ( p 0.001 ), but not LVEF ( p = 0.1 ). Conclusions: Measurement similarities between new and existing tools, and between DENSE and SSFP validated the motion-guided algorithm and differences found between subpopulations demonstrate the ability to detect contractile abnormalities.
Safety and sedation-associated adverse event reporting among patients undergoing endoscopic cholangiopancreatography: a comparative systematic review and meta-analysis

There is wide variation in choice of sedation and airway management for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP). The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate safety outcomes of deep sedation with monitored anesthesia care (MAC) versus general endotracheal anesthesia (GETA). Individualized search strategies were performed in accordance with PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines. This meta-analysis was performed by calculating pooled proportions using random effects models. Measured outcomes included procedure success, all-cause and anesthesia-associated adverse events, and post-procedure recovery time. Heterogeneity was assessed with I2 statistics and publication bias by funnel plot and Egger regression testing. Five studies (MAC: n = 1284 vs GETA: n = 615) were included. Patients in the GETA group were younger, had higher body mass index (BMI), and higher mean ASA scores (all P < 0.001) with no difference in Mallampati scores (P = 0.923). Procedure success, all-cause adverse events, and anesthesia-associated events were similar between groups [OR 1.16 (95% CI 0.51–2.64); OR 1.16 (95% CI 0.29–4.70); OR 1.33 (95% CI 0.27–6.49), respectively]. MAC resulted in fewer hypotensive episodes [OR 0.32 (95% CI 0.12–0.87], increased hypoxemic events [OR 5.61 (95% CI 1.54–20.37)], and no difference in cardiac arrhythmias [OR 0.48 (95% CI 0.13–1.78)]. Procedure time was decreased for MAC [standard difference − 0.39 (95% CI − 0.78–0.00)] with no difference in recovery time [standard difference − 0.48 (95% CI − 1.04–0.07)]. This study suggests MAC may be a safe alternative to GETA for ERCP; however, MAC may not be appropriate in all patients given an increased risk of hypoxemia.
Revamping Lithium–Sulfur Batteries for High Cell-Level Energy Density by Synergistic Utilization of Polysulfide Additives and Artificial Solid-Electrolyte Interphase Layers

Despite the high theoretical capacity of lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries, a high cell-level energy density and a long cycling life are barely achieved, mainly due to the large electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio, polysulfide (PS) shuttle causing the loss of active sulfur, and the formation of passivation layers on the Li anode. To raise the energy density, holding PS in the cathode has been the most popular approach. Still, it has failed, particularly, when the sulfur loading is high enough to have energy densities similar to those of commercial Li-ion batteries. Here, a practical approach of achieving high "cell-level" energy densities is attempted using lithium PS (LPS)-containing electrolytes instead of a pure electrolyte, reducing the electrolyte-to-sulfur ratio and PS diffusion out of the cathode due to concentration differences. Meanwhile, the persistent problems including PS passivation and Li dendrites are suppressed using Li2 S-phobic artificial solid-electrolyte interphase (A-SEI) layers on Li metal. The synergistic effects from the LPS additives and A-SEI result in a superior cell-level volumetric energy density of 650 Wh L-1 as well as large cumulative energy densities considering cycling life. This approach provides an important stepping stone to realize commercial Li-S batteries rivaling the current Li-ion batteries.
Public Choice Theory & Earmarked Taxes

The Article draws on public choice theory to argue that the manner in which the federal income tax distributes its costs and its benefits undergirds the massive fiscal crises that the federal government is now experiencing. Then, this Article offers recent historical evidence on 1500 state-level taxes to develop a way out of the current tax lawmaking paralysis at the federal level. At present, the federal income tax spreads its benefits widely among large yet diffuse groups, which makes the income tax easy to undermine and difficult to improve. The Article proposes, however, that restructuring the manner in which the federal income tax allocates its costs and benefits can circumvent its self-destructive shortcomings. For this purpose, state-level tax laws offer useful templates. In particular, states "earmark" tax revenues for specific purposes. That arrangement gives rise to fundamentally different tax lawmaking dynamics than those operating at the federal level. To understand how and why these dynamics succeed, the Article presents evidence on the cost-benefit structure of all state-level earmarked taxes from the 1997-2005 historical period. Analysis of this evidence demonstrates that how state-level earmarked taxes laws assign their costs and benefits relates to how revenue-productive and durable these tax laws are. This conclusion furnishes federal tax policymakers with a promising way of revising the federal income tax code to overcome its current defects. The analysis also opens new lines of research at the neglected intersection of public choice theory and scholarship on legal reform.
Demonstration of non-deterministic quantum logic operations using linear optical elements

Summary form only given. Knill, Laflamme, and Milburn (2001) showed that probabilistic quantum logic devices could be implemented using only linear optical elements, additional ancilla photons, and post-selection based on the output of single-photon detectors. These devices produce the desired result with certainty when a specific output from the detectors is obtained, but that will only occur for some fraction of the events. Here we report the experimental demonstration of two logic devices of this kind, a destructive controlled-NOT gate and a quantum parity check. In each of these devices, two polarization-encoded qubits in the form of two single photons from a parametric down-conversion source are incident on a polarizing beam splitter.
Path-Based Reputation System for MANET Routing

Most existing reputation systems in mobile ad hoc networks (MANET) consider only node reputations when selecting routes. Therefore, reputation and trust are only ensured within a one-hop distance when routing decisions are made. This often fails to provide the most reliable, trusted route. In this paper we propose a system that is based on path reputation , which is computed from the reputation and trust values of each and every node in the route. This greatly enhances the reliability of the resulting routes. The system is simulated on top of the AODV (Ad-hoc On-demand Distance Vector) routing protocol. It is effective at detecting misbehaving nodes, including selfishness and worm-hole attacks. It greatly improves network throughput in the midst of malicious nodes and requires very limited message overhead. To our knowledge, this is the first path-based reputation system proposal that is applicable to non-source-based routing schemes.
H‐p clouds—an h‐p meshless method

A new methodology to build discrete models of boundary-value problems is presented. The h-pcloud method is applicable to arbitrary domains and employs only a scattered set of nodes to build approximate solutions to BVPs. This new method uses radial basis functions of varying size of supports and with polynomialreproducing properties of arbitrary order. The approximating properties of the h-p cloud functions are investigated in this article and a several theorems concerning these properties are presented. Moving least squares interpolants are used to build a partition of unity on the domain of interest. These functions are then used to construct, at a very low cost, trial and test functions for Galerkin approximations. The method exhibits a very high rate of convergence and has a greater -exibility than traditional h-p finite element methods. Several numerical experiments in I-D and 2-D are also presented. @ 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. In most large-scale numerical simulations of physical phenomena, a large percentage of the overall computational effort is expended on technical details connected with meshing. These details include, in particular, grid generation, mesh adaptation to domain geometry, element or cell connectivity, grid motion and separation to model fracture, fragmentation, free surfaces, etc. Moreover, in most computer-aided design work, the generation of an appropriate mesh constitutes, by far, the costliest portion of the computer-aided analysis of products and processes. These are among the reasons that interest in so-called meshless methods has grown rapidly in recent years. Most meshless methods require a scattered set of nodal points in the domain of interest. In these methods, there may be no fixed connectivities between the nodes, unlike the finite element or finite difference methods. This feature has significant implications in modeling some physical phenomena that are characterized by a continuous change in the geometry of the domain under analysis. The analysis of problems such as crack propagation, penetration, and large deformations, can, in principle, be greatly simplified by the use of meshless methods. A growing crack, for example, can be modeled by simply extending the free surfaces that correspond to the crack [ 11. The analysis of large deformation problems by, e.g., finite element methods, may require the continuous remeshing of the domain to avoid the breakdown of the calculation due to
Adding algebraic rewriting to the untyped lambda calculus (extended abstract)

We investigate the system obtained by adding an algebraic rewriting system R to the untyped lambda calculus. On certain classes of terms, called here “stable”, we prove that the resulting calculus is confluent if R is confluent, and terminating if R is terminating. The termination result has the corresponding theorems for several typed calculi as corollaries. The proof of the confluence result yields a general method for proving confluence of typed β reduction plus rewriting; we sketch the application to the polymorphic calculus Fω.
Aggregation-disaggregation algorithm for epsilon /sup 2/-singularly perturbed limiting average Markov control problems

Finite state and action Markov decision processes (MDPs) are dynamic, stochastic systems controlled by a controller. These models are usually referred to as Markovian control problems (MCPs). The authors consider a singular perturbation of order 2 for a Markov decision process with the limiting average reward criterion. They define a singular perturbation of order 2 in the following sense: it is assumed that the underlying process is composed of n separate irreducible processes, and that a small epsilon -perturbation is such that it unites these processes into m separate irreducible processes. Then another small epsilon /sup 2/-perturbation is such that it unites these latter processes into a single irreducible process. The singular perturbation of order 2 is formulated. The limit MCP that is entirely different from the original unperturbed MDP, which forms an appropriate asymptotic approximation to a whole family of perturbed problems, is given explicitly. Thus, only the single limit MCP needs to be solved. An aggregation-disaggregation algorithm is constructed for solving the limit MCP. >
Growth-Linked Instability of a Mutant Valyl-Transfer Ribonucleic Acid Synthetase in Escherichia coli

The valyl-transfer ribonucleic acid (tRNA) synthetase of Escherichia coli strain NP2907, previously described as having an elevated Km for adenosine triphosphate and reduced stability in vitro compared to the wild type, was found to be conditionally thermolabile in vivo. The rate of inactivation of this enzyme at a particular temperature appears to be coordinated with the rate of growth; at 40 C this coordination results in equal rates of synthesis and destruction over a wide range of growth rates. In vitro studies showed that conditions favoring maintenance of the valyl-tRNA synthetase-valyl adenylate complex conferred complete protection against inactivation at 40 C, whereas the further addition of uncharged tRNA caused rapid, irreversible decay. We propose that the rate of inactivation of this mutant valyl-tRNA synthetase in vivo is a function of the ratio of deacylated to acylated tRNAval and that this ratio is a function of growth rate. The event which renders the valyl-tRNA synthetase susceptible to inactivation is likely to be the normal breakdown of the valyl-tRNA synthetase–valyl-adenylate complex during a cycle of aminoacylation of tRNAval.
Rejection of far-field activity by tripolar electrodes

Accurate and rapid rhythm classification is a problem is designing devices for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Spatially discriminating electrodes detect the electrical activation of the tissue in their neighborhood while rejecting both artificial and natural artifacts from elsewhere. Tripolar (3-P), bipolar (2-P) and unipolar (1-P) configurations of epicardial concentric ring electrodes were studied in vivo for normal sinus (NSR) and ventricularly paced rhythms from different sites. The electrodes were fabricated from nested conductive and insulating tubes. >
Microwave backscattering of a spherical conductor coated by lossless metamaterials with an intervening air gap

A theoretical study of the electromagnetic backscattering from a lossless metamaterial (MTM) coated conducting sphere with an intervening air gap is presented in this article. The boundary-value technique is used to obtain the normalized backscattering cross section. A comparison of backscattering characteristics is provided using different kinds of MTMs for the coating. The MTM coating combined with the added feature of an air gap (practically realized by replacing air with styrofoam) indicate that it is possible to achieve low EM backscattering over a broad range of frequencies for certain cases. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:2099–2104, 2015
A review of feed efficiency in swine: biology and application

Feed efficiency represents the cumulative efficiency with which the pig utilizes dietary nutrients for maintenance, lean gain and lipid accretion. It is closely linked with energy metabolism, as the oxidation of carbon-containing components in the feed drive all metabolic processes. While much is known about nutrient utilization and tissue metabolism, blending these subjects into a discussion on feed efficiency has proven to be difficult. For example, while increasing dietary energy concentration will almost certainly increase feed efficiency, the correlation between dietary energy concentration and feed efficiency is surprisingly low. This is likely due to the plethora of non-dietary factors that impact feed efficiency, such as the environment and health as well as individual variation in maintenance requirements, body composition and body weight. Nonetheless, a deeper understanding of feed efficiency is critical at many levels. To individual farms, it impacts profitability. To the pork industry, it represents its competitive position against other protein sources. To food economists, it means less demand on global feed resources. There are environmental and other societal implications as well. Interestingly, feed efficiency is not always reported simply as a ratio of body weight gain to feed consumed. This review will explain why this arithmetic calculation, as simple as it initially seems, and as universally applied as it is in science and commerce, can often be misleading due to errors inherent in recording of both weight gain and feed intake. This review discusses the importance of feed efficiency, the manner in which it can be measured and reported, its basis in biology and approaches to its improvement. It concludes with a summary of findings and recommendations for future efforts.
Violence, suicide, and all-cause mortality

In their article in The Lancet Psychiatry, Seena Fazel and colleagues 1 argue persuasively that although people with schizophrenia and related disorders are known to be at an increased risk of adverse outcomes (especially violent crime, premature mortality, and death by suicide) compared with the general population, whether this association represents secular trends or is specific to mental health problems is generally unknown. The authors succeed in advancing understanding about this issue. The simultaneous analysis of suicide, premature mortality, and violent crime offers hope for the streamlining of risk assessment for people with schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders and encourages assessing clinicians to explore several behaviours. Fazel and colleagues' finding that at least three prediagnosis risk factors--drug use disorders, history of violent criminality, and self-harm--increased the risk for several adverse outcomes has implications for practical population-based strategies. Several questions still remain. To what extent the findings are generalisable to other countries remains unclear. Although the authors state that many similarities exist between Sweden and other high-income countries, it is important to note that research indicates a lower than 10% level of unmet treatment needs in Nordic countries in people who have schizophrenia2 and that the authors report absence of differences when inpatients and outpatients were compared. People with schizophrenia in other countries have varying access to treatment, as discussed by Mojtabai and colleagues,3 who noted in a review that roughly 40% of patients with schizophrenia reported they had not received any mental health treatment in the preceding 6-12 months..... 1. S Fazel, A Wolf, C Palm, P Lichtenstein. Violent crime, suicide, and premature mortality in patients with schizophrenia and related disorders: a 38-year total population study in Sweden. Lancet Psychiatry, 1 (2014), pp. 44-54 2. L Hansson, HR Vinding, T Mackeprang, et al. Comparison of key worker and patient assessment of needs in schizophrenic patients living in the community: a Nordic multicentre study. Acta Psychiatr Scand, 103 (2001), pp. 45-51 Language: en
The Social Context of War and Peace

No Peace, No War: An Anthropology of Contemporary Armed Conflicts. Edited by Paul Richards. Athens: Ohio University Press, 2005. 288 pp., $49.95 cloth (ISBN: 0-8214-1575-1), $24.95 paper (ISBN: 0-8214-1576-X). Inter-disciplinary approaches to the study of international and domestic conflict can provide specialists with a valuable auxiliary resource in two primary ways. First, they can supply raw theoretical material, which can inform more systematic analyses and be incorporated into new empirical models. Second, they can offer alternate conceptualizations, which can revitalize established research traditions by suggesting new avenues of inquiry. The contemporary “conflict processes” school, which emphasizes the use of advanced formal and statistical methodologies, has become largely concentrated on the extension of various insular research agendas (for example, modeling alliances, civil wars, and third-party intervention) with the goal of producing general explanations of these phenomena. However, in their preoccupation with building and verifying their own comprehensive, predictive theories, these scholars might neglect the more intricate details involved in the origins and dynamics of conflict. This concern is especially applicable to traditional disciplinary endeavors, exemplified by the literature on the causes of war among the major powers. It is, for example, apparent that “war” and “peace” can no longer be understood simply in terms of a dichotomous variable. Rather, armed struggles occur along a continuum in which varieties of both cooperative and conflictive behavior and the evolution of rivalries over time influence the direction and ultimate outcome of a dispute (Kadera 2001:36–40). No Peace, No War , edited by agrarian specialist Paul Richards, seeks to expand and enrich this research agenda. Together with a group of cultural anthropologists who focus on the relationship between identity, political economy, and conflict in developing societies, Richards challenges the prevailing assumptions about the sources and contours of war and peace in 10 countries: Burkina Faso, Somalia, Uganda, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zimbabwe, Guatemala, Cambodia, Tibet, and Bosnia. In his introduction, Richards relates that, in the post-Cold War era, strategists have often characterized the intrastate …
A Comparison of Variable Configurations Across Scale Lengths: An Empirical Study'

Data from 2-, 3-, 6-, and 7-point rating scales were analyzed to determine whether scale length affected response patterns. The results of this study indicate that data configurations are relativel...
The cardiovascular responses to mu opioid agonist and antagonist in conscious normal and obese rats

Abstract Beta-endorphin decreases blood pressure in normal rats but increases blood pressure in obese rats. Since beta-endorphins can bind both mu opioid and kappa-opioid receptors we investigated the effect of a mu specific receptor agonist, d -Ala 2 ,N-Me-Phe 4 ,Gly 5 -ol]-enkephalin (DAMGO) and a mu specific antagonist, d -Phe-Cys-Trp-Arg-Thr-Pen-Thr-NH 2 (CTAP) on cardiovascular responses in conscious control and obese rats. Rats were also implanted with telemetry transmitters and intracerebroventricular (ICV) cannulas for recording and peptide administration. The mu agonist, DAMGO, increased blood pressure (BP) in control rats. DAMGO also increased BP in obese rats but only at high concentrations. The heart rate responses paralleled the MAP responses. CTAP, the mu antagonist, paradoxically increased the MAP in both control and obese rats. The responsiveness to the mu agonist and antagonist was greater in controls. In other animals the brains were excised and the ventral medial hypothalamic area removed and mu receptor expression determined using PCR. The expression of mu opioid receptors was increased in obese rats. We conclude that the mu opioids can stimulate cardiovascular responses, but the excitatory responsiveness was not increased in conscious obese rats.
On the mechanism of M+O3− and M+NO2− formation by photolysis of matrix samples at 15 K

Abstract The species M + O 3 − and M + NO 2 − have been produced in matrix samples of alkali atoms, N 2 O and O 2 or NO by mercury arc photolysis. In similar studies, Milligan and Jacox proposed a mechanism involving the diffusion and reaction of the O − anion. We believe that the observations are better explained by photolysis of N 2 O in the presence of M + O 2 − with oxygen atom transfer to give M + O 3 − and the analogous reaction with M + NO − to give M + NO 2 − .
A new model for aggregate output planning

Abstract Aggregate production planning has been aided in the recent past by the advent of mathematical programming models and the improvement in computer solution techniques. Such models have only considered single objectives; this paper formulates a multi-objective production planning model as a goal program and discusses the problems involved in its implementation.
Indexation of international commodity prices through international buffer stock operations

Abstract The developing economies have been advocating the indexation of the prices for their primary commodity exports by tying such prices to other relevant international prices, such as the prices of imports to the less-developed countries. We have used econometric models to simulate a program of indexation of the prices of the ten UNCTAD core commodities at their 1963 levels for 1963–1975. The results suggest definite difficulties in such a program. Most notably the order of magnitude of the costs of buffer stock operations and financing is likely to be prohibitive. Also the distribution of benefits and losses among the less-developed countries is quite arbitrary. Therefore we are very skeptical about indexation by buffer stock operations.
Regulation of MLL1 H3K4 methyltransferase activity by its core components

Histone H3 Lys4 (H3K4) methylation is a prevalent mark associated with transcription activation. A common feature of several H3K4 methyltransferase complexes is the presence of three structural components (RbBP5, Ash2L and WDR5) and a catalytic subunit containing a SET domain. Here we report the first biochemical reconstitution of a functional four-component mixed-lineage leukemia protein-1 (MLL1) core complex. This reconstitution, combined with in vivo assays, allows direct analysis of the contribution of each component to MLL1 enzymatic activity and their roles in transcriptional regulation. Moreover, taking clues from a crystal structure analysis, we demonstrate that WDR5 mediates interactions of the MLL1 catalytic unit both with the common structural platform and with the histone substrate. Mechanistic insights gained from this study can be generalized to the whole family of SET1-like histone methyltransferases in mammals.
Spatial and temporal growth dynamics of Barrier Island shrub thickets

Spatial and temporal dynamics of barrier island shrub thickets were investigated on Hog Island, a barrier island along the Eastern Shore peninsula of Virginia. The island thickets are dominated by the actinorhizal shrub, Myrica cerifera. On the accreting, northern half of the island, thickets expanded as swale area increased. Analysis of aerial photographs revealed that total thicket area increased by nearly 400% from 1949 to 1989, paralleling a substantial increase in area for the northern portion of the island. Thicket characteristics varied with the age and position of the three field sites on Hog Island. At the youngest site examined (20 yr), recruitment and shrub growth were high. Shrub growth remained high and recruitment continued in the stable central portions of the island (50 yr). However, at the oldest site near a bay side salt marsh (z 130 yr), recruitment was not evident, shrub growth was reduced, and mortality was most apparent. Several "life stages" for shrub thickets were identified relative to island accretion. After the stabilization of new land, seedlings establish and grow rapidly to form a thicket. Once established, a thicket rapidly expands in the relatively protected, mesic swale environment. Thicket decline follows, characterized by an increase in vine growth on and around the shrubs, and the formation of gaps as the thicket breaks up. Spatial variation in M. cerifera thickets on Hog Island is related to length of time soils have been stabilized and, especially, to time since thicket establishment.
Electroretinographic and psychophysical measures of cone spectral mechanisms using the two-color threshold technique

Abstract The two-color threshold pradigm of Stiles (1939) and a spatially alternating bar pattern stimulus were used to derive electrophysiological and psychophysical spectral sensitivity curves from the human retina. The test wavelength was kept constant at 600 nm and the background wavelength was varied from 450 to 650 nm. Three experiments were carried out with two color normal subjects. In the first experiment the original stimulus configuration of Stiles, a 1°, 500 msec test flash on a 10° background, was used to determine increment threshold curves. In the second experiment, ERGs were recorded with a bar pattern test field with a stripe width of 30′ alternating at a rate of 8Hz superimposed on a steady background. The diameter of both test and adaptation field was 15°. In the third experiment psychophysical thresholds were determined with the same stimulus conditions used to record the ERG. Stilesπ5 mechanism provides a good fit to the spectral sensitivity curves derived from the increment threshold (ΔI/I) functions.
High concentrations of interleukin-2 selectively suppress T-cell dependent humoral immune responses

Abstract The recent therapeutic application of immunoregulatory cytokines, most notably the T-cell growth factor, interleukin-2 (IL-2), marks the advent of a new class of pharmacologic agents. In the present studies the effects of exogenous IL-2 on in vitro humoral immune responses in spleen cells isolated from female B6C3F1 mice were investigated. In vitro direct addition of low concentrations of rmIL-2 (25 U/ml) to naive spleen cells induced a moderate enhancement of the T-cell dependent antibody forming cell (AFC) response to sRBC. Similarly, low concentrations of rmIL-2 (10–50 U/ml) enhanced T-cell independent AFC responses to DNP-Ficoll and LPS. Interestingly, high concentrations of rmIL-2 (100 or 250 U/ml) selectively suppressed the T-cell dependent AFC response but not T-cell independent AFC responses to either DNP-Ficoll or LPS. Neither immunoenhancing (25 U/ml) nor immunosuppressive (200 U/ml) concentrations of rmIL-2 altered the kinetics of the sRBC response. Temporal addition studies indicated that high concentrations of rmIL-2 (200 U/ml) were only inhibitory when added to the cultures during the first 24 h following antigen sensitization. Conversely, a significant enhancement of the response was observed when 200 U/ml rmIL-2 was added 48 h following antigen sensitization. These results are in agreement with previous reports that the presence of high concentrations of IL-2 render T-cells unresponsive to subsequent antigen stimulation but that the high concentrations of IL-2 enhance immune responses when added at 48 h following antigen sensitization.
Ergodic theorems for the multitype contact process

This paper studies a process involving competition of two types of particles (1 and 2) for the empty space (0). Each site of the latticeZ d is therefore in one of three possible states: 0, 1, or 2. Particles of each type die with rate 1, while an empty site becomes occupied by a particle of typei with rate λ i (proportion of neighbors of typei). The set of neighbors of a sitex is of the form {y:‖x−y‖≦J}, for a positive integerJ and a norm ‖·‖. Assuming there are only 0's and 1's present at the beginning, the process reduces to the contact process, with the critical rate of survival of 1's being λ c . The basic problem we address is the existence of equilibria in which both types of particles coexist. Without loss of generality, one can restrict to the case λ2 ≧ λ1 > λ c and in this case we show: (1) If λ2 > λ1, and the initial state is translation invariant and contains infinitely many 2's, then the 1's go away and the process approaches the invariant measure of the contact process with only 2's and 0's present, (2) If λ2 = λ1, andd≦2, then clustering occurs: starting from a translation invariant initial measure with no mass on all 0's, the process converges weakly to a convex combination of the two invariant measures obtained with only one type of particles present, and (3) If λ2 = λ1, andd≧3, then there is a one-parameter family of invariant measures including both types.
Computation of the Effective Cross Section for the Recombination of Electrons with Hydrogen Ions

The quantum-mechanical computation or the cross-section for combination of electrons with a positive point charge has been carried out in polar coordinates. This gives the fraction of the recombination to a final state of total quantum number $n$ arising from recombination to the substances of different $l$ values, making possible a comparison of the results with the experimental recombination intensities for alkali vapors to which the theory applies approximately.
Simulated validation of a brief food frequency questionnaire

Nutrient assessment by the brief 45-item food frequency questionnaire used in the New York State Cohort was simulated by reducing the food list and frequency-of-use categories of the extensive 131-food item semiquantitative questionnaire used in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. As a validation of the brief questionnaire, daily nutrient intakes were calculated following simulation procedures for 127 men who completed the extensive questionnaire, and the values were compared with those from two 1-week diet records in the same population. Deattenuated correlation coefficients for 25 energy-adjusted nutrient values ranged from 0.12 for iron to 0.76 for vitamin C (mean, 0.26). The brief questionnaire appears reasonably effective in assessing relative dietary intakes of total fat, saturated fat, monounsaturated fat, carbohydrate, dietary fiber, carotene, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Modest improvements in the correlations for most nutrients were seen when the number of frequency-of-use categories was increased. Correlations decreased when nutrient intakes were calculated using regression coefficients instead of a conventional nutrient database.
Monoterpene differentiation in relation to the morphology of pinus culminicola pinus nelsonii pinus pinceana and pinus maximartinezii

Abstract Wood from 92 trees of Pinus culminicola, Pinus nelsonii, Pinus pinceana and Pinus maximartinezii from nine localities and oleoresin from several trees of Pinus nelsonii from one Iocality were analyzed for monoterpenes by gas liquid chromatography. Monoterpenes of Pinus nelsonii were composed mainly of α- and β-pinenes, while the main constituent of the monoterpenes of Pinus pinceana and Pinus maximartinezii was limonene, present in amounts of about 90 percent. The similarity in composition of the monoterpenes of Pinus pinceana and Pinus maximartinezii strongly supports the contention of Rzedowski [12] of the close evolutionary relation of the two pines. Pinus culminicola wood produced monoterpenes composed mainly of α-pinene, sabinene, terpinolene and limonene, with other monoterpenes occurring sporadically in sizeabie amounts. The variability between individual populations was relatively high, probably due to their long-time isolation by the intervening low-elevation barriers. Appreciable differences were found in compositions of monoterpenes from stem and from twigs of Pinus culrninicola.