cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Is dopamine a neurotransmitter within the ventral pallidum/substantia innominata?

In a classic treatise titled “Criteria for Identification of a Central Nervous System Transmitter” (1966), R. Werman provided a basis by which a chemical found in the brain could be classified as involved in the communication from one nerve cell to another. As listed in Werman’s paper, the criteria are: “The Criterion of the Inactivating Enzyme. The Criterion of the Presence of the Transmitter. The Criterion of Collectability of the Transmitter. The Criterion of the Synthesizing Enzyme. The Criterion of the Presence of Precursors. The Criterion of a Specific Release Mechanism. The Criterion of Identical Actions. The Criterion of Pharmacological Identity.”
Preoperative Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Scores Assist in Predicting Early Postoperative Success in Lumbar Discectomy

Study Design.Retrospective review of prospective data.Objective.Determine whether patient reported outcome (PRO) data collected prior to lumbar discectomy predicts achievement of a minimal important difference (MID) after surgery. Compare ability of PRO and clinical information to predict achievemen
Religious and Role Contributions to the Marital Satisfaction of Evangelical Women

The present study examined how Evangelical Christian women’s marital satisfaction is related to religiosity (i.e., religious commitment and sanctification of marriage), role ideology, and role cong...
How to Save the Supreme Court

The consequences of Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation are seismic. Justice Kavanaugh, replacing Justice Anthony Kennedy, completes a new conservative majority and represents a stunning Republican victory after decades of increasingly partisan battles over control of the Court. The result is a Supreme Court whose Justices are likely to vote along party lines more consistently than ever before in American history. That development gravely threatens the Court’s legitimacy. If in the future roughly half of Americans lack confidence in the Supreme Court’s ability to render impartial justice, the Court’s power to settle important questions of law will be in serious jeopardy. Moreover, many Democrats are already calling for changes like court-packing to prevent the new conservative majority from blocking progressive reforms. Even if justified, such moves could provoke further escalation that would leave the Court’s image and the rule of law badly damaged. The coming crisis can be stopped. But saving the Court’s legitimacy as an institution above politics will require a radical rethinking of how the Court has operated for more than two centuries. In this Feature, we outline a new framework for Supreme Court reform. Specifically, we argue for reforms that are plausibly constitutional (and thus implementable by statute) and that are capable of creating a stable equilibrium even if initially implemented using “hardball” tactics. Under this framework, we evaluate existing proposals and offer two of our own: the Supreme Court Lottery and the Balanced Bench. Whether policymakers adopt these precise proposals or not, our framework can guide their much-needed search for reform. We can save what is good about the Court—but only if we are willing to transform the Court.
The importance of accurate diagnosis and vigorous care of the patient with liver disease and gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Abstract Gastrointestinal hemorrhage in the patient with liver disease is often massive and life threatening. Although varices are the most likely cause of hemorrhage, other sources, such as peptic ulcer disease, Mallory-Weiss tears, and portal hypertensive gastropathy, are common. As liver disease is an important risk factor for intractable bleeding and death in patients with gastrointestinal hemorrhage, outcome in these patients is often poor regardless of the cause of the bleeding. Essential elements of initial therapy include prompt and adequate intravascular volume replacement, correction of severe anemia and coagulopathies, and adequate airway management. After initial resuscitation, urgent endoscopy is required to secure the diagnosis and to deliver endoscopic therapy if possible. The specific form of therapy will differ depending on the lesion encountered. Adjunctive measures, such as the administration of antibiotics and drugs that reduce portal pressure, including octreotide, may also improve outcome. Clinical and endoscopic information can be used to predict first bleeding in patients with liver disease. A large body of data supports the use of beta-blockers in the prevention of first bleeding in patients with known varices.
Pyrimidine pathways: news concerning the mechanism of orotidine-5'-monophosphate decarboxylase.

I will present the recently established mechanism (1,2) for the reaction catalyzed by orotidylate decarboxylases (ODCases) and detail the characteristics of one altered ODCase that we have prepared using biotechnology. The modified protein shows the dramatic loss of activity one would expect to see when a site-specific mutation is made to change an amino acid residue that is essential for catalysis.
Heterogeneity Among Hospitals in the Percentages of All Lumbosacral Epidural Steroid Injections Where the Patient Had Received 4 or More in the Previous Year.

Background Current guidelines for the administration of therapeutic epidural injections suggest that these be limited to a maximum of 4 per year. We sought to gain an understanding of the proportion of lumbosacral epidural injections administered to patients who had received ≥4 such injections during the preceding 364 days, and whether these proportions varied among hospitals. Methods This observational cohort study included data from all facilities owned by the 121 nonfederal hospitals in the State of Iowa, July 2012 through September 2017. One end point was the percentage of all lumbar or sacral transforaminal or interlaminar epidural injections where the patient had received ≥4 such injections during the preceding 364 days. Comparisons also were made among hospitals' percentages of injections that were the fifth or greater (ie, patient had already received ≥4 during preceding 364 days) using Bonferroni-adjusted conservative 95% confidence intervals. Results There were 48,270 unique patients who underwent at least 1 lumbosacral epidural steroid injection. The patients received care at 112 hospitals' facilities. Most patients received no additional steroid injections within 364 subsequent calendar days after the first steroid injection (54.1%). There were ≥5 steroid injections for 1.27% of patients (ie, the injection was the fifth or greater). Among the 39 hospitals in Iowa that performed overall at least 1 steroid injection every 4 days, there were 6 hospitals at which the percentages of injections that were the fifth or greater significantly exceeded the overall prevalence of 1.91% (range: 3.0%-6.4%). There were 14 of the 39 hospitals with prevalences significantly less. Conclusions Although most patients received only 1 lumbosacral steroid injection within 1 year, 1.27% of patients received 5 or more, and 1.91% of injections were the fifth or greater. Several hospitals had significantly greater than the overall average percent of steroid injections which were fifth or more. This heterogeneity warrants study of whether annual steroid injections per patient should be a clinical quality measure for the care received by patients with lower back pain or whether payment should be greater when injections are in accordance with guidelines.
Consumer Purchasing Habits of Environmental Horticulture Products in Florida

Abstract A garden center exit survey examining consumer purchasing habits of environmental horticulture products was conducted in Florida in 2002. A total of 910 surveys were completed with informa...
Mechanical Properties and Microstructural Fatigue Damage Evolution in Cyclically Loaded Lead-Free Solder Joints

Solder joints in electronic assemblies are typically subjected to cyclic loadings, either in actual applications or in accelerated life tests. Mismatches in the thermal expansion coefficients of the assembly materials lead to the solder joints being subjected to cyclic (positive/negative) mechanical shear strains and stresses when they are exposed to repetitive thermal cycles with fixed temperature extremes. This cyclic loading leads to thermomechanical fatigue damage that involves damage accumulation, crack initiation, crack propagation, and failure/fracture. The material damage that occurs during cyclic loading becomes immediately evident through the "load drop" and "widening" that occurs in the cyclic stress-strain curves as cycling progresses. Eventually, this damage leads to microcrack formation and recrystallization of the Sn grain structure. In the current work, a novel technique has been developed to characterize the fatigue damage evolution occurring in the lead free SAC305 and SAC_Q (SAC+Bi) solder joints subjected to shear mechanical cycling. The prime objective of this study was to better understand the damage accumulation and microstructural evolution in lead free solder joints subjected to cyclic fatigue loading. Specifically, both SAC305 and SAC_Q solder joints were fabricated, and then they were cycled for various durations up to values near failure. The fatigue life and accumulated inelastic work were also measured and correlated to the microstructural damage. In addition, nanoindentation tests were performed on the shear cycled joints to study the evolution of the joint creep properties occurring as a function of the duration of cycling and microstructural damage.
The hyaluronidase, TMEM2, promotes ER homeostasis and longevity independent of the UPRER

Summary Cells have evolved complex mechanisms to maintain protein homeostasis, such as the UPRER, which are strongly associated with several diseases and the aging process. We performed a whole-genome CRISPR-based knockout (KO) screen to identify genes important for cells to survive ER-based protein misfolding stress. We identified the cell-surface hyaluronidase (HAase), Transmembrane Protein 2 (TMEM2), as a potent modulator of ER stress resistance. The breakdown of the glycosaminoglycan, hyaluronan (HA), by TMEM2 within the extracellular matrix (ECM) altered ER stress resistance independent of canonical UPRER pathways but dependent upon the cell-surface receptor, CD44, a putative HA receptor, and the MAPK cell-signaling components, ERK and p38. Last, and most surprisingly, ectopic expression of human TMEM2 in C. elegans protected animals from ER stress and increased both longevity and pathogen resistance independent of canonical UPRER activation but dependent on the ERK ortholog mpk-1 and the p38 ortholog pmk-1.
Secondary Organic Aerosols from Aromatic Hydrocarbons and their Contribution to Fine Particulate Matter in Atlanta, Georgia.

Abstract Tracers of secondary organic aerosols (SOA) from thirteen aromatic hydrocarbons were quantified in laboratory smog chamber experiments. Class-specific SOA tracers emerged, including 2,3-dihydroxy-4-oxo-pentatonic acid (DHOPA) from monoaromatic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), phthalic acid from naphthalene and 1-methylnaphthalene, and methyl-nitrocatechol isomers from o,m,p-cresol oxidation. Organic carbon mass fractions (fSOC) for these and other tracers were determined and extend the SOA tracer method widely used to apportion biogenic secondary organic carbon (SOC). The extended SOA tracer model was applied to evaluate the sources of SOC in Atlanta, GA during summer 2015 and winter 2016 after modifying the chamber-derived fSOC values to reflect SOA yields and local VOC levels (fSOC’). Monoaromatic, diaromatic, and cresol SOC contributed an average of 24%, 8%, and 0.12% of organic carbon (OC) mass during summer and 17%, 5%, and 0.27% during winter, respectively. Cresol SOC peaked during winter and was highly correlated with levoglucosan (r = 0.83, p
Understanding Hybrid-MOOC Effectiveness with a Collective Socio-Behavioral Model

Online courses for high school students promise the opportunity to bring critical education to youth most at need, bridging gaps which may exist in brick-and-mortar institutions. In this work, we investigate a hybrid Massive Open Online Course for high schoolers which includes an in-person coaching component. We address the efficacy of these courses and the contribution of in-person coaching. We first analyze features of student behavior and their effect on post-test performance and then propose a novel probabilistic model for inferring student success on an AP exam post-test. Our proposed model exploits relationships between students to collectively infer student success. When these relationships are not directly observed, we formulate latent constructs to capture social dynamics of learning. By collectively inferring student success as a function of both unobserved individual characteristics and relational dynamics, we improve predictive performance by up to 6.8% over an SVM model with only observable features. We propose this general socio-behavioral modeling framework as a flexible approach for including unobserved aspects of learning in meaningful ways, in order to better understand and infer student success.
Pulmonary Thromboembolic Disease in Patients with COVID-19 Undergoing Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA): Incidence and Relationship with Pulmonary Parenchymal Abnormalities

Purpose This study aims to report the incidence, severity and extent of pulmonary thromboembolic disease (PTD) in patients with confirmed COVID-19 who have undergone CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) in a tertiary centre. Materials and Methods This is a retrospective analysis of all patients undergoing CTPA between 23rd March 2020 and 19th April 2020 in a tertiary centre. The presence of PTD, location and involved pulmonary lobes were documented. The pattern and extent of pulmonary parenchymal abnormalities including the presence of fibrosis, lymph node enlargement and pleural effusion were evaluated by two experienced observers independently and consensus was achieved for the most disparate results. Inter-observer agreement was assessed using Kappa statistics. Student t-test, Chi square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to compare imaging features between PTD and non-PTD sub-groups. Results During the study period, 2157 patients were confirmed with COVID-19, 297/2157 (13.8%) had CT imaging, 100/2157 (4.6%) were CTPA studies, 93 studies were analysed, excluding sub-optimal studies. Overall incidence of PTD was 41/93 (44%) with a third of patients showing segmental and subsegmental PTD (n=28/93, 30%,). D-dimer was elevated in 90/93 (96.8%) of cases. High Wells score did not differentiate between PE and non-PE groups (p=0.801). The inter-observer agreement was fair (Kappa=0.659) for parenchymal pattern and excellent (Kappa = 0.816) for severity. Lymph node enlargement was found in 34/93 of cases (36.6%) with 29/34 (85.3%) showing no additional source of infection. Fibrosis was seen in 16/93 (17.2%) of cases, mainly demonstrating fibrotic organising pneumonia. Conclusion There is a high incidence of PTD in COVID -19 patients undergoing CTPA, complicated by lack of a valid risk stratification tool. Our data indicates a much higher suspicion of PTD is needed in severe COVID-19 patients. The concomitant presence of fibrotic features on CT indicates the need for follow-up for evaluation of chronic pulmonary complications.
Dysglycemia in Pregnancy and Maternal/Fetal Outcomes

Maternal dysglycemia-including diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, and impaired fasting glucose-affects one in six pregnancies worldwide and represents a significant health risk to the mother and the fetus. Maternal dysglycemia is an independent risk factor for perinatal mortality, major congenital anomalies, and miscarriages. Furthermore, it increases the longer-term risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular morbidity, malignancies, and ophthalmic, psychiatric, and renal diseases in the mother. The most commonly encountered form of maternal dysglycemia is gestational diabetes. Currently, international consensus does not exist for diagnostic criteria defining gestational diabetes at 24-28 weeks gestation, and potential diagnostic glucose thresholds earlier in gestation require further investigation. Likewise, recommendations regarding the timing and modality (e.g., lifestyle or pharmacological) of treatment vary greatly. Because a precise diagnosis determines the appropriate treatment and outcome of the pregnancy, it is imperative that a better definition of maternal dysglycemia and its treatment be achieved. This article will address some of the controversies related to diagnosing and managing maternal dysglycemia. In addition, the article will discuss the impact of maternal dysglycemia on complications experienced by the mother and infant, both at birth and in later life.
Assessment During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ethical, Legal, and Safety Considerations Moving Forward

The COVID-19 crisis and the subsequent social distancing measures have imposed numerous challenges on school psychologists balancing public health and students’ right to a free and appropriate educ...
Visual images of prescription drug benefits in direct-to-consumer television advertisements.

Abstract Objective Images demonstrating a prescription drug’s efficacy are often included in direct-to-consumer television advertisements. The current research assessed whether exaggerated efficacy images can mislead individuals, and whether providing accurate quantitative information can reduce these misperceptions. Methods We conducted two experimental studies with internet panelists 60 years and older testing drug efficacy images in television ads for wet age-related macular degeneration (N = 901) and plaque psoriasis (N = 902). In each study, participants viewed one of six ads that varied in the efficacy images included (no image, accurate image, exaggerated image) and the presentation of quantitative information (absent, present). Measures included recall, perceptions, and numeracy. Results In both studies, participants who saw exaggerated images were more likely than those who saw no image or accurate images to overestimate efficacy. Presenting quantitative information increased participants’ gist and verbatim recall of drug efficacy, and in some cases, led participants to have more accurate perceptions of the drug’s efficacy even in the presence of exaggerated images. Higher numeracy was associated with better gist and verbatim recall. Conclusions These results support visual persuasion theory. Moreover, they show that exaggerating benefits visually can mislead viewers. Practice implications Stakeholders should ensure that images in direct-to-consumer promotion are accurate and non-misleading.
Modular Synthesis of a Versatile Double-Allylation Reagent for Complex Diol Synthesis

Double-allylation reagents allow for the construction of highly complex molecules in an expedient fashion. We have developed an efficient, modular, and enantioselective approach towards accessing novel variants of these reagents through Cu/Pd-catalyzed alkenylboration of alkenylboron derivatives. Importantly, we demonstrate novel use of an allylBdan reagent directly in a stereocontrolled allylation without initial deprotection to the boronic ester. These allylation products are employed in a second intermolecular allylation to access complex diol motifs, which has yet to be shown with these types of double-allylation reagents. Overall, the modularity of this approach and the ease in which complex structural motifs can be accessed in a rapid manner signify the importance and utility of this method.
TMEM120A is a coenzyme A-binding membrane protein with structural similarities to ELOVL fatty acid elongase

TMEM120A, also named as TACAN, is a novel membrane protein highly conserved in vertebrates and was recently proposed to be a mechanosensitive channel involved in sensing mechanical pain. Here we present the single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of human TMEM120A, which forms a tightly packed dimer with extensive interactions mediated by the N-terminal coiled coil domain (CCD), the C-terminal transmembrane domain (TMD), and the re-entrant loop between the two domains. The TMD of each TMEM120A subunit contains six transmembrane helices (TMs) and has no clear structural feature of a channel protein. Instead, the six TMs form an α-barrel with a deep pocket where a coenzyme A (CoA) molecule is bound. Intriguingly, some structural features of TMEM120A resemble those of elongase for very long-chain fatty acids (ELOVL) despite the low sequence homology between them, pointing to the possibility that TMEM120A may function as an enzyme for fatty acid metabolism, rather than a mechanosensitive channel.
SNPP: A simple network payment protocol

A protocol is proposed to securely implement payment transactions between mutually distrustful parties. This protocol is designed to operate over an open network, and can be implemented using a currently available encryption technology. A logical verification of the protocol is included, as well as a status report on its implementation. >
Symbolic Model Checking

Symbolic model checking is a powerful formal specification and verification method that has been applied successfully in several industrial designs. Using symbolic model checking techniques it is possible to verify industrial-size finite state systems. State spaces with up to 1030 states can be exhaustively searched in minutes. Models with more than 10120 states have been verified using special techniques.
Management assistance for Work First via a dynamic website

The purpose of the Work First project is to assist the state Dept. of Health and Human Services (DHHS) staff and each county Dept. of Social Services (DSS) across the state in the management of welfare reform initiatives. Work First is the cash assistance program in NC. One important objective is to encourage and support program managers to use data on outcomes to assess their performance. This is accomplished by providing them with easy to use and easy to understand comprehensive information on the experiences of families and individuals that have received assistance through their agency over time.
Chilean Unremunerated Reserve Requirement Capital Controls as a Screening Mechanism

Resumen es: Este trabajo presenta un modelo sobre los speed bump (topes) a los controles de capital de tipo chileno, que los interpreta como un mecanismo para ide...
Lamin dimers: Presence in the nuclear lamina of surf clam oocytes and release during nuclear envelope breakdown

The nuclear lamina of surf clam oocytes contains dimers of 67-kDa lamin which are stabilized by both noncovalent interactions and disulfide bonds. The latter can be reduced but re-form when the reducing agent is removed. The cysteine residues involved in these disulfide bonds are inaccessible to alkylating agents unless the protein is unfolded in urea. During nuclear envelope breakdown the lamin is released as a mixture of oligomers in which disulfide-stabilized dimers are associated noncovalently with lamin monomers. Concurrent with solubilization, both dimers and monomers are phosphorylated to a similar extent, indicating that the interactions which maintain these complexes are not destabilized by lamin phosphorylation. Our results suggest the existence of two types of interactions between the lamin molecules in the polymer, which react differently to phosphorylation during nuclear envelope breakdown.
Analysis of axially dispersed systems with general boundary conditions—II: Solution for dispersion in the appended sections

Abstract The axial dispersion problem formulated in Part I[1] of this series is solved here for “case 1” which corresponds to the situation of finite, non-zero dispersion in both semi-infinite appended sections. The solutions are obtained in terms of the spectrum of the operator consisting of a continuous spectrum and frequently a finite set of discrete eigenvalues. Transient solutions are presented for a first order reaction in the axially dispersed reactor for a variety of initial conditions demonstrating where and where not the Danckwerts boundary conditions may be valid. It is shown that “controlling” eigenvalues may be exploited from persisting tails of transient concentration measurements on tracer experiments to obtain dispersion parameters.
A prototype data collection circuit for the SDC

Work in progress on the design and fabrication of a data collection circuit is presented. The design effort consists of structural and abstract models in VHDL. The current emphasis is simulation, while future plans include synthesis and prototype implementation. The data collection circuit design is flexible enough to read out the front end subsystems in the Solenoidal Detector Collaboration (SDC) proposal. A visual interface to VHDL can be used to describe the models to designers who are not familiar with VHDL. >
A Systems Approach to Access to Justice: Exploring Fundamental Causes, Common Themes and Solutions

Conceptualizing access to justice as the product of an interconnected, dynamic and multidimensional system, this Article explores the roots of and links between access-to-justice deficiencies, the dynamic forces that entrench or disrupt these deficiencies and the promise, challenges and trade-offs inherent in proposed reforms. This Article seeks to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework to connect various branches of a sprawling access-to-justice literature and model central aspects of a tragic social problem. The first part of our model takes the perspective of persons seeking justice, exploring their diverging endowments and the choices, barriers and institutions they encounter during their pursuit of justice. The second part of the model focuses on the structure of the justice system, examining its current composition and the trade-offs implicated in structural reform through the lens of five jurisprudential tensions that provide a multidimensional normative underpinning for the system. The final part of the model studies system dynamics, exploring the social, political, economic and technological forces buffeting the extant system. The Article applies this tripartite framework to both existing access-to-justice realities and leading proposals for access-to-justice reform.
Rule‐Based and Expert Systems

This section considers the concepts of production and rule-based systems as they apply to expert systems and intelligent agents. Some Internet applications may be partially or totally based on these concepts. Benefits include enhanced functionality, increased productivity, better performance, and more useful and user-friendly Web interfaces. Some of the mathematical and computational underpinnings of these systems are shown, and selected Internet-related examples are provided. Keywords: agent; expert system; heuristic; intelligent agent; recommender system; rule; rule-based system
Nucleosome Positioning on Chicken and Human Globin Gene Promoters in Vitro: Novel Mapping Techniques

Abstract We have developed two new techniques to assess the positions adopted by core histone octamers when reconstituted onto DNA. These, together with a previously described technique, were applied to mapping binding sites on plasmid DNAs containing either the human ζ-globin or chicken β-globin gene promoters. Each of the approaches enabled the sites occupied by histone octamers to be measured at high resolution and, in qualitative terms, revealed the same pattern of multiple, overlapping sites. Monomer extension, one of the novel techniques, can be used to reveal binding sites over extensive stretches of a single reconstitute (≈ 1000 bp). We found the distribution of histone octamer binding sites to be largely independent of the conditions employed for reconstitution, the topology of the DNA substrate and prolonged incubation under various post-reconstitution conditions. These properties, and features of the binding site maps that we derived, suggest that histone octamer positioning on these DNAs is predominantly a characteristic of the DNA sequence itself and, by implication, that nucleosome—nucleosome interactions and the formation of nucleosome arrays are of minor influence. Some of the techniques provide quantitative information concerning the relative binding strengths of the core histone octamer for different positioning sequences. In this context, it is notable that the majority of potential binding sites compete very poorly for the histone octamer, demonstrating that under the conditions pertinent to our analysis, the range of binding strengths exhibited by the octamer for particular DNA sequences is extensive, and greater than that observed when competitive binding has been studied by methods that do not reflect precise positioning.
Selective involvement of protein kinase C isozymes in differentiation and neoplastic transformation.

Publisher Summary This chapter concentrates on the present literature that implicates Protein kinase C (PKC) in the differentiation and neoplastic transformation, emphasizing the data that delineate specific roles for individual PKC isozymes. It deals generally with the PKC structure and function, and normal transduction of mitogenic signals. Despite the enormous literature, it is still not possible to define an unified view or an unanimous consensus on the role of each PKC isoform in differentiation and neoplastic transformation. The exact function of different isozymes becomes clear only when their physiological substrates are identified and characterized. Expression of the 11known PKC isozymes is often tissue specific and differentiation-stage specific. Several experimental systems, for example, erythroleukemia cells, provide clues that the differentiation is regulated by the relative concentrations of the two principal cPKCs, PKC-α and -β. Overexpression studies provide the most direct evidence that PKCs can behave as oncogenes. Considerable evidence implicates the PKC family in complex signal transduction processes. The contribution of each isoform may be inhibitory or stimulatory, but the operational word is complex.
Measuring the Effects of Human Rights Treaties

Do human rights treaties improve human rights conditions on the ground? In the end, this critical question is empirical in character. The effectiveness of any regulatory strategy turns on whether its rules and institutions actually mitigate the problems they are designed to address. Although empirical questions require empirical study, bad data is worse than no data. In a recent study, Professor Oona Hathaway purports to quantify the effect of human rights treaty ratification on human rights violations. Her findings are striking. She contends that ratification is associated with worse human rights practices (when other important variables are held constant). Of course, it is unsurprising that some states continue to commit substantial human rights abuses even after ratifying human rights treaties. It is, however, startling to suggest that treaty membership - including the labeling, monitoring, and reporting of abuses - actually increases violations. In our view, any study advancing such wildly counterintuitive claims carries a heavy burden. While we support the empirical study of these phenomena (and indeed we rely on many such studies in formulating our critique), we identify several problems with Hathaway's project. We suggest that these problems demonstrate serious deficiencies in her empirical findings, theoretical model, and policy prescriptions.
Maximally informative statistics for localization and mapping

This paper presents an algorithm for simultaneous localization and mapping for a mobile robot using monocular vision and odometry. The approach uses variable state dimension filtering (VSDF) framework to combine aspects of extended Kalman filtering (EKF) and nonlinear batch optimization. This paper describes two primary improvements to the VSDF. The first is to use the maximally informative statistics criterion to derive an interpolation scheme for linearization in recursive filtering. The interpolation is based on fitting a set of deterministic samples rather than using analytic Jacobians. The second improvement is to replace the inverse covariance matrix-in the VSDF with its Cholesky factor to improve the computational complexity. Results of applying the filter to the localization and mapping are presented.
THE TOPOLOGY AND ANALYSIS OF THE HANNA NEUMANN CONJECTURE

The statement of the Hanna Neumann Conjecture (HNC) is purely algebraic: for a free group Γ and any nontrivial finitely generated subgroups A and B of Γ, The goal of this paper is to systematically develop machinery that would allow for generalizations of HNC and to exhibit their relations with topology and analysis. On the topological side we define immersions of complexes, leafages, systems of complexes, flowers, gardens, and atomic decompositions of graphs and surfaces. The analytic part involves working with the classical Murray–von Neumann (!) dimension of Hilbert modules. This also gives an approach to the Strengthened Hanna Neumann Conjecture (SHNC) and to its generalizations. We present three faces of it named, respectively, the square approach, the diagonal approach, and the arrangement approach. Each of the three comes from the notion of a system, and each leads to questions beyond graphs and free groups. Partial results, sufficient conditions, and generalizations of the statement of SHNC are presented.
A systematic review of risk factors associated with accidental falls, outcome measures and interventions to manage fall risk in non-ambulatory adults.

Purpose: To systematically review peer-reviewed literature pertaining to risk factors, outcome measures and interventions managing fall risk in non-ambulatory adults. Methods: Twenty-one papers wer...
ALLOY SURFACE STRUCTURE: COMPUTER SIMULATIONS USING THE BFS METHOD

The use of semiempirical methods for modeling alloy properties has proven to be difficult and limited. The two primary approaches to this modeling, the embedded atom method and the phenomenological method of Miedema, have serious limitations in the range of materials studied and the degree of success in predicting properties of such systems. Recently, a new method has been developed by Bozzolo, Ferrante and Smith (BFS) which has had considerable success in predicting a wide range of alloy properties. In this work, we reference previous BFS applications to surface alloy formation and alloy surface structure, leading to the analysis of binary and ternary Ni-based alloy surfaces. We present Monte Carlo simulation results of thin films of NiAl and Ni–Al–Ti alloys, for a wide range of concentration of the Ti alloying addition. The composition of planes close to the surface as well as bulk features are discussed.
À la Carte or Prix Fixe? Differing Approaches to Addressing the Gap in Dissemination of Evidence-Based Care in Mental Health

Abstract We comment on the use of a common elements treatment approach (CETA) to address mental health symptoms in a trauma-exposed population in Iraq and Thailand, with the aims of highlighting several of the strengths of this approach and how this approach may inform treatment, both within and outside of the United States. In particular, we compare the use of CETA as compared to a more focal treatment approach, consider the potential of using paraprofessionals as treatment providers, and highlight some of the challenges in cultural adaptions of psychotherapy protocols. We also identify remaining research questions, including whether a CETA approach is more efficient than focal interventions, whether CETA’s effects are due to one or two very strong elements, and whether it is more difficult to learn CETA than a robust non-CETA intervention. This use of CETA, along with our other adaptation work, also raises broader issues about how our field develops and disseminates psychotherapy protocols. We discuss several of them, including the need to develop treatments for providers with lower levels of formal education and mental health training and to develop treatment materials that are less expensive, use simplified language and terms, and that can be adapted for use with clients with lower levels of formal education and/or literacy.
The use of chemical genomics to detect functional systems affecting the non-host disease resistance of pea to Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli

Non-host resistance is more durable than race-specific resistance and may involve more signaling systems than race-specific resistance. An array of chemicals capable of specifically inhibiting/affecting most of the vital systems of the plant cell was employed to evaluate a range of systems vital in promoting non-host resistance in the Fusarium solani f. sp. phaseoli/pea endocarp interaction. The parameters measured included pisatin synthesis, hypersensitive discoloration, fungal growth, PR gene induction, and DNA damage. Specific inhibitors of protein phosphatases 1 and 2A (calyculin A, okadaic acid, cantharidin and endothall) and two kinase inhibitors (staurosporine and K-252a from Nocardiopsis sp.) were comparable to fungal challenge in inducing pisatin accumulation. These treatments could often break non-host resistance to a bean pathogen, F. solani f. sp. phaseoli. At low concentrations the treatments transiently enhanced resistance to the pea pathogen, F. solani f. sp. pisi. Nitric oxide and superoxide-generating compounds, salicylic acid, methyl salicylate, and jasmonic acid implicated, as effectors in other systems had no major detectable effect. Thus the broad array of inhibitors delineated cellular functions associated with non-host disease resistance in pea and tentatively excluded some signaling systems reported in other systems.
Disease in the Capital: Nationalist Health Services and the ‘Sick [Wo]man of East Asia’ in Wartime Chongqing

The Chongqing Bureau of Public Health, established shortly after the Nationalists relocated to the wartime capital, faced frequent air raids, rampant inflation, and acute personnel shortages. Still it accomplished an astonishing amount of work, demonstrating its commitment to public health as a barometer of modernity, national stability, and political fitness. The Bureau also treated male and female bodies differently, institutionalizing gender roles through its public health administration. This paper illustrates differences between medical care for men and women, arguing that Chongqing health officials’ myopic focus on maternal issues when discussing women’s healthcare, their failure to address highly skewed gender ratios in the patient reports and vaccination statistics that their office received on a monthly basis, and the relatively late opening of the city’s most substantial maternal health facilities, all point to male-centric priorities within the administration. Military health took priority not only because of the war, but because soldiers’ health conditions and facilities were so appallingly dismal. Thus, wartime health conditions reveal the continued haunting of modern China’s great specter, the “Sick Man of East Asia,” and two types of disease in the wartime capital: the Nationalist state, politically diseased, failed to protect its civilians and soldiers from common diseases.
Application of thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry to identification of intermediates formed in the electrochemical oxidation of purines

Abstract A combination of thin-layer spectroelectrochemistry and gas-chromatography/mass spectroscopy has been used to generate, trap, derivatize and analyze for the UV-absorbing intermediate formed upon electrochemical oxidation of uric acid at physiological pH. The mass spectral data confirm the earlier speculation that the UV-absorbing intermediate is an imine-alcohol species. Enzymic oxidation of uric acid with peroxidase and H 2 O 2 gives the same intermediate species.
Alternate copies of D1 are used by cyanobacteria under different environmental conditions.

All cyanobacteria sequenced to date have multiple psbA genes, encoding the D1 protein. Some of these psbA genes have a series of mutations that would seem to render D1 incapable of binding the Mn4CaO5 metallocluster (Murray, Photosynth Res 110(3):177–184, 2012). Nonetheless, these genes are expressed under specific environmental conditions, such as during N2 fixation in unicellular diazotrophs of the genes Cyanothece. These genes emphasize the clever way that cyanobacteria have learned to deal with a constantly changing environment.
An Occupational Noise Exposure Assessment for Headset-Wearing Communications Workers

Abstract An occupational noise exposure study was conducted on a group of 37 communications workers who wear closed-back circumaural headsets. These workers underwent preevaluation audiometric testing, and were monitored for noise exposure during a normal work shift. The noise exposure was assessed employing a real ear model, in which subminiature microphones are placed at the entrance of the external auditory meatus of each subject. The total monitoring period for each subject was subdivided into several cycles. The data from the cycles were compared and incorporated into an average equivalent continuous sound level for each subject. Resulting equivalent continuous sound levels ranged from 79.9 to 103.7 dBA, with a mean value of 87.0 dBA. The maximum peak values ranged from 119.2 to 148.8 dB, with a mean of 140.8 dB. Equivalent continuous sound levels and peak sound levels were compared with the gender, age, work experience, and smoking status of each subject. Comparison of noise exposure level with demo...
Sequencing Negotiating Partners: Implications for the Two‐Level Game?

In the late 1990s, Japan and South Korea concluded their first bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) in completely opposite sequences despite similar domestic pressures. Japan concluded an “easier” FTA with Singapore first and then concluded a more “difficult” FTA with Mexico. South Korea concluded a more difficult FTA first with Chile and then moved on to negotiate with Singapore. In this article, I analyze these cases and review the literature on bargaining and two-level games to develop a model of how these differences in sequence account in part for the relative differences in each country's bargaining strength in their more difficult negotiations. The preexistence of the Singapore FTA eased domestic pressures to reap the benefits of entry into the bilateral FTA game. Thus, Japan could approach the more difficult FTA negotiation knowing that a “no-agreement” outcome would not fundamentally increase domestic pressure to get into the free trade “game.” This alternative to no agreement put the Japanese in a stronger international bargaining position. South Korea negotiated its harder case knowing that the relative domestic pressure to get in the FTA game would increase without an agreement. This relatively worse bargaining position created a context in which South Korea conceded more internationally at the expense of higher side payments domestically.
Radical nephrectomy surgical outcomes in the University HealthSystem Consortium Data Base: Impact of hospital case volume, hospital size, and geographic location on 40,000 patients.

BACKGROUND: We sought to determine the impact of radical nephrectomy case volume, hospital size, and geographic region on immediate surgical outcomes for patients undergoing radical nephrectomy in academic centers across the country. METHODS: The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) Clinical Data Base was queried for data corresponding to patients who underwent radical nephrectomy at 1 of 134 academic medical centers nationwide between 2003 and quarter 2 of 2007 (n = 42,988). Radical nephrectomy case volume (1-99, 100-499, and 500 + ), total discharges (1-49,999, 50,000-99,999, 100,000 + ), and geographic region (5 categories) were determined for each academic center. ANOVA and the Tukey statistic were used. Length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) rate, complication (comp) rate, and in-hospital mortality were analyzed. RESULTS: Case volume was a significant predictor of length of stay, ICU, and comp. Mean length of stay was 6.88, 5.61, and 4.76 days, respectively, for centers from lowest to highest case volumes (P < .001). ICU rates for the 3 tiers were 30.77, 17.93, and 12.22 (P < .001). Comp rates were 24.50, 19.40, and 15.48 (P < .001). Tukey analysis revealed a ceiling effect: No differences were seen between the 2 higher case volume groups. Stratification by total discharges revealed differences in ICU rates (P = .001) and comp rates (P = .001). Region of the country had no significant impact on any of the outcome variables in this study. CONCLUSIONS: Radical nephrectomy case volume emerged as an important variable in predicting 3 of the 4 outcome parameters in this study. Results suggest that a “critical volume” of cases portends improved surgical outcomes. Cancer 2009. © 2009 American Cancer Society.
Web server software architectures

Web site scalability depends on several things - workload characteristics, security mechanisms, Web cluster architectures as we discussed previously. Another important item that can affect a site's performance and scalability is the Web server software architecture. We provide a classification of Web server architectures, offer a quantitative analysis of some possible software architectural options, and discuss the importance of software contention on overall response time.
Cognitive models of criminal violence based upon intelligence and psychopathy levels.

Examined specific models of violence relating to psychopathic status by considering additional cognitive factors that might relate to intelligence and to the expression of physical aggression. 168 male prisoners (mean age 32.96 yrs) served as Ss. Three cognitive psychopathic models were suggested by the data: (1) An impaired-processing psychopathic model of violent crime, involving low-IQ psychopaths, would explain the highest risk factor for violence by a combination of poor impulse control and low empathy and the lack of inhibitions against physical aggression associated with poor socialization. (2) A sadistic, effective-processing psychopathic model of violence was suggested by the higher empathy and better impulse control of the high-IQ psychopath. It was proposed that empathy promoted sadistic reinforcement by enhancing the psychopath's awareness of the victim's pain and distress. (3) A defensive, impaired-processing, nonpsychopathic model of violence was proposed for the low-IQ nonpsychopaths: Effective self-reinforcement coupled with poor impulse control and low empathy placed them in hazardous situations that exceeded their cognitive skills. (61 ref)
Managerial Professionalism in State Fish and Wildlife Agencies: A Survey of Duties, Attitudes, and Needs

Abstract The director, assistant director, fisheries and wildlife chiefs, and assistant chiefs of each state's fish and wildlife agency were surveyed to determine relationships between managerial and technical functions. Information on age, sex, education, career patterns, training needs, and job tasks and perceptions was also obtained. Directors had the most diverse educational backgrounds and assistant chiefs were the best educated group. Almost 90% of these individuals had state government backgrounds. Most duties performed were managerial, an area where few respondents had formal training. The majority thought additional training in managerial subjects would improve their job performance, while few thought added technical training would be beneficial. Almost no agencies required formal managerial training after hiring and most managers did not seek such training. Managerial skills were learned on the job, which appears to adversely affect the agencies. A high percentage of directors, assistant directo...