cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Three Projects in the New Law and Finance

This article is a review of Katharina Pistor’s book The Code of Capital: How the Law Creates Wealth and Inequality. Using modern derivatives markets as a case study, it explores the important contributions – and limits – of Professor Pistor’s story about the role of the law and lawyers as the master coders of capitalism. This exploration reveals three distinct projects: a historical coding project, an intellectual decoding project, and a policy-driven recoding project. The fact that these projects are so intricately intertwined posed unique challenges for scholars, but also holds out a potential blueprint for a new law and finance.
A New Model of Giftedness Emphasizing Active Concerned Citizenship and Ethical Leadership That Can Make a Positive, Meaningful, and Potentially Enduring Difference to the World

In this chapter, I present a theory of giftedness that emphasizes that giftedness should be defined not just in terms of general-intellectual skills, as it has been in the past, but in terms of adaptive-intellectual skills—a person’s ability to make a positive, meaningful, and potentially enduring difference to the world. People who are adaptively intelligent not only are “smart” in a traditional sense, but they also have the skills to become active engaged citizens and ethical leaders. I discuss the theory, the research, and the implications of the work for gifted identification and instruction.
The Way Forward: Underserved Clients, Underemployed Lawyers--What Can Law Schools Do?

Some lawyers are in the position where they would find it difficult to afford to hire themselves if they needed an attorney. The “twin crises” of underserved clients and underemployed lawyers might seem like a problem that would correct itself if we had a market that was working efficiently, but that does not appear to be the case. This Article suggests that these are multifaceted problems, reflecting not just specific challenges facing law schools, such as declining applicants, declining minority enrollment, dramatic increases in law school tuition, falling salaries and too few jobs for graduates, and the high costs of clinical education, but also the “twin crises” are affected by a number of disquieting problems within the larger American economy and culture, including stubbornly high unemployment, falling median household income, the growing gap between the wealthy and poor in America, and trends with respect to marriage and family. The Article focuses on what law schools can do to address these two problems. The Article’s recommendations reflect mainly what we already know about contemporary legal education: law schools should become more affordable, law schools should emphasize public service, law schools should admit more students who are likely to serve middle-class client, and law schools should focus on preparing students for today’s job markets. The Article makes two modest proposals: eliminating the per student expenditure factor in law school rankings and facilitating market corrections rather than trying to engineer macro solutions. The Article concludes by expressing skepticism about some “big ideas” that currently seem quite popular: reducing law school to two years or implementing a third-year apprenticeship.
Bad Mother / Good Mother: The Poetics and Politics of the Sounds of Invisible Labor

Bad Mother / Good Mother is an audiovisual performance that explores societal perceptions about ideal and non-ideal motherhood through sound and projected visuals. The sound comes from an amplified breast pump, while the visuals are projected on a single screen. In the performance, the artist plays the breast pump at different speeds. She plays it as a solo instrument and as part of an arrangement, and---at certain points in the performance---processes the breast pump sound using filters. This paper situates the performance within a discussion of how audiovisual performance can help express the relationship between gender and invisible labor.
A 2b-RAD parentage analysis pipeline for complex and mixed DNA samples

Next-generation sequencing technology has revolutionized genotyping in many fields of study, yet parentage analysis often still relies on microsatellite markers that are costly to generate and are currently available only for a limited number of species. 2b-RAD sequencing (2b-RAD) is a DNA sequencing technique developed for ecological population genomics that utilizes type IIB restriction enzymes to generate consistent, uniform fragments across samples. This technology is inexpensive, effective with low DNA inputs, and robust to DNA degradation. Here, we developed a probabilistic genotyping-by-sequencing genetic testing pipeline for parentage analysis by using 2b-RAD for inferring familial relationships from mixed DNA samples and populations. Our approach to partial paternity assignment utilizes a novel weighted outlier paternity index (WOPI) adapted for next-generation sequencing data and an identity-by-state (IBS) matrix-based clustering method for pedigree reconstruction. The combination of these two parentage assignment methods overcomes two major obstacles faced by other genetic testing methods: 1) It allows detection of parentage when closely related or inbred individuals are in the alleged parent population (e.g., in laboratory strains); and 2) it resolves mixed DNA samples. We successfully demonstrate this novel approach by correctly inferring paternity for samples pooled from multiple offspring (i.e., entire clutches) in a highly inbred population of an East African cichlid fish. The unique advantages of 2b-RAD in combination with our bioinformatics pipeline enable straightforward and cost-effective parentage analysis in any species regardless of genomic resources available.
Static and modal analysis of a crankshaft reciprocating driver for reciprocating-airfoil (RA) driven VTOL aircraft

New modes of transportation systems are under intensive development because traditional systems fail to become mass transportation means due to their technological limitations. To meet the growing ...
Process development of high pressure-based technologies for food: research advances and future perspectives

High pressure processing has emerged as a versatile technology for food processor use to ensure food safety and preserve various heat sensitive nutrients and bioactive compounds. By carefully controlling pressure-thermal intensity, the treatment helps to reduce product thermal exposure while simultaneously achieving different treatment effects including pasteurization, sterilization, and shelf-life extension. This opinion paper summarizes scientific advances and future research needs in food process design and development of high pressure-based technologies. Research underway to develop continuous high pressure ultra-shear technology for formulating liquid beverages, sauces, and nano emulsions. Emerging application of high-pressure technology include its use as extraction tool for separating bioactive compounds from various food waste, and as a hyperbaric storage method for reducing energy use during refrigeration storage of foods.
Insurance Adjudication Simulation Across Multiple Institutions and Levels of Learners

Objective A virtual educational innovation was designed and implemented to simulate insurance processing for student pharmacists. Objectives of this manuscript are to evaluate the impact of a third party payer simulation on student knowledge and confidence and report student perceptions of the activity.Methods First, second, and third-year pharmacy students at four institutions completed the self-paced simulation. Knowledge was assessed by comparing results of multiple choice questions on the pre- and post-assessments and evaluated by Wilcoxon signed rank test. Confidence was assessed by the change in self-reported confidence scale measurements and compared using Chi-squared test.Results The simulation had a significant impact on student knowledge. The largest improvement was in P1s with a pre- to post-assessment average score difference (scale 0-100) of 16.55 compared to 7.17 for P2s and 10.23 for P3s. The majority of the knowledge questions demonstrated statistically significant improvement, with variation for certain questions between groups. All groups had significantly improved self-rated confidence in their abilities. Most students agreed that they would recommend this activity to other students (91.7%) and it encouraged them to think about the material in a new way (85%).Conclusions Through an innovative simulation on prescription insurance processing, positive results were seen across all 3 levels of learners. Knowledge assessments significantly improved and student confidence increased across all groups and all confidence questions. Participants recommend this activity to other students and felt it was an effective way to learn about insurance adjudication.
A Modernization of MacCullagh’s Ether Theory

MacCullagh’s ether [1] may in a certain sense be regarded as a predecessor of the Cosserat Continuum. It was necessary, in particular, for MacCullagh to identify either the electric or magnetic field components with rotations of the ether. It is of some interest to investigate a natural modern extension of MacCullagh’s ether theory. We have carried out the generalization of this theory in its linear approximation by (a) extending it from three to four dimensional spAcc and (b) considering a plastic as well as elastic mode of deformation. We consider space-time to be representable as a four-dimensional Euclidean spAcc haviug as its fourth coordinate ict. We consider equilibrium to exist between elastic stresses, dislocations and body forces. To simplify the mathematical treatment we consider two limiting cases, the ideal elastic case characterized by μ ≪ k, Y, and the ideal plastic case characterized by Y ≪ μ, k. Here μ and k represent the shear and bulk moduli respectively, and Y represents the plastic yield strength of the medium.
Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze? Integration of Females into a Male Organization

Integrating women into organizations that have historically been all male poses a number of problems from a policy implementation perspective. Under a directive issues by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, a variety of combat positions in the U.S. military must be open to women by January 2016 or exceptions must be requested; the order includes elite forces such as Navy Seals and Army Special Forces. Our project employs data from focus groups and a survey to understand the perspectives of men and women on the integration of women into U.S. Army Special Forces. In particular we identify the real and perceived barriers to implementation and make recommendations regarding gender integration.
The Origins of the Shi‘a: Kūfa and the Classical Narratives of Early Shī‘ism

Kūfa, located on the banks of the Euphrates River in southern Iraq, was founded by Sa‘d b. Abī Waqqāṣ (d. 55/675) following the Muslim victory over the Sassanian army at Qādisiyya in the year 17/638. Originally intended to house Arab tribesmen in seclusion from subject populations, the settlement also served as a base for future conquests in northern Mesopotamia and Iran. In the 1st/7th century, Kūfa witnessed dramatic urban growth accompanied by a well-documented rise in tension that pitted early-comers, who had participated in the initial conquests, against tribal elites ( ashrāf ) and late-comers ( rawādif ), who clamored for a larger portion of the state’s newfound wealth. The early-comers had profited from the policies of Abū Bakr (d. 13/635) and especially ‘Umar (d. 23/644) who allotted economic benefits and political posts primarily on the basis of Islamic precedence ( sābiqa ). When ‘Uthmān became caliph in 23/644, however, the early-comers were politically and economically marginalized and replaced by tribal elites who could command (or purchase) the loyalty of their fellow tribesmen. Over the next decade, Kūfa witnessed a substantial influx of late-arriving tribesmen, the establishment of financial procedures that favored the tribal elites, and a halt in territorial expansion on the two Kūfan fronts of Azerbaijan and Rayy. The volatile environment that resulted from these factors contributed to Uthmān’s murder at the hands of Egyptian early-comers in 35/656 and facilitated ‘Alī’s (d. 40/661) subsequent assumption of the caliphate. The same political alignments that destabilized Kūfa in the first half of the 1st/7th century persisted into the Umayyad period. Mu‘āwiya (rl. 41–60/661–80) confirmed the authority of the tribal elites and essentially ruled through their auspices, further undermining the political position of the early-comers and accelerating their general economic disempowerment. Over the next century, it was clan leaders with significant wealth and tribal status who dominated Kūfa with the backing of the Umayyad caliphs in Syria and their governors in Iraq (see ). The early-comers continued to clamor for a socio-political order based on Islamic precedence, which they expected would restore their economic rights.They were joined by a growing non-Arab Muslim ( mawālī ) population that felt systematically discriminated against by Umayyad fiscal policies. The resulting coalition coalesced behind the political claims of the descendants of ‘Alī. The reasons for the particular prominence of the ‘Alids ranged from a belief in the superiority of their knowledge by virtue of their descent from the Prophet (i.e., the early Shī‘a) to a fond remembrance of ‘Alī’s support of early-comer rights and his decision to make Kūfa the caliphal capital.
Counting positives accurately despite inaccurate classification

Most supervised machine learning research assumes the training set is a random sample from the target population, thus the class distribution is invariant. In real world situations, however, the class distribution changes, and is known to erode the effectiveness of classifiers and calibrated probability estimators. This paper focuses on the problem of accurately estimating the number of positives in the test set—quantification—as opposed to classifying individual cases accuratel y. It compares three methods: classify & count, an adjusted variant, and a mixture model. An empirical evaluation on a text classification benchmark reveals that the simple method is consistently biased, and that the mixture model is surprisingly effective even when positives are very scarce in the training set—a common case in information retrieval.
Computational Modeling and Least‐Squares Fittingof EPR Spectra

In EPR (electron paramagnetic resonance) spectroscopy, computer simulation and least-squares fitting are essential in extracting quantitative structural and dynamic parameters from experimental spectra.Without numerical methods, this extraction would be restricted to simple systems. This chapter summarizes simulation and fitting methods that have been proposed in the literature and implemented in software. It includes an extensive, though not complete, list of references. Emphasis is placed on methods currently implemented in the software package EasySpin [1], which covers EPR simulations in the following regimes: (i) rigidlimit continuous-wave (cw) EPR spectra for arbitrary spin systems, for both powders and single crystals, at various levels of theory including eigenfields, matrix diagonalization, and perturbation theory; (ii) dynamic EPR spectra of tumbling spin centers with one electron spin and several nuclei, implementing stochastic Liouville equation (SLE) solvers and perturbative approaches; (iii) EPR spectra in the fast-motion limit, using either a Breit–Rabi solver or perturbation theory; (iv) dynamic EPR spectra due to chemical exchange in solution, implementing a direct Liouville-space method; (v) solid-state ENDOR (electron nuclear double resonance) spectra based on eithermatrix diagonalization or perturbation theory; and (vi) pulse EPR spectra for general pulse sequences using the Hilbert-space density matrix formalism in the high-field limit. All these simulation regimes are reviewed in the following. Similarly to many other programs, EasySpin also provides a range of leastsquaresfitting algorithms, among themLevenberg–Marquardt (LM),Nelder–Mead simplex, genetic algorithms, particle-swarm optimization, as well as simple Monte Carlo and grid searches. These algorithms, as well as the objective function choice, multicomponent fitting, and error analysis, are discussed below. This chapter is not intended to be a complete review of all theory underlying EPR simulation methods, which would be utterly impossible. Instead, it summarizes theoretical and algorithmic aspects that are implemented in or are relevant to EasySpin. Applicability and limitations of methods are discussed as well. The
Prostate-specific antigen screening and prostate cancer treatment in renal transplantation candidates: A survey of U.S. transplantation centers

Abstract Introduction Renal transplantation candidates are a highly screened population. There are currently no guidelines or consensus on prostate cancer (CaP) screening in these patients. In light of the recent United States Preventive Services Task Force recommendations against prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening, we conducted a survey of transplantation surgeons to gain a better understanding of practice patterns among U.S. centers. Materials and methods A 14-question multiple-choice online survey was e-mailed to 195 U.S. renal transplantation centers. The questionnaire assessed CaP screening and treatment practices. The survey also evaluated characteristics of the respondent’s institution. Descriptive statistics were used for each of the responses, and associations were made with program characterization using logistic or linear regression models. Results A total of 90 surgeons responded, representing 65 of 195 programs (33% response rate). Overall, 89% of respondents reported routinely screening for CaP in renal transplantation candidates and 71% had set guidelines for PSA screening. The most common age to start PSA screening was 50 years (51%) and 79% of respondents reported no age limit to stop PSA screening. Definitive treatment of CaP was required before proceeding to transplantation in 45% of respondents. Active surveillance was a viable option in 67% of responders. Most respondents (73%) replied that the waiting time for eligibility after treatment depended on the CaP stage and risk. Conclusions Although most programs have guidelines on PSA screening in renal transplantation candidates, there is still variation nationwide in screening and treatment practices. AS is a viable treatment option in most of the programs. Our results suggest a benefit of a consensus panel to recommend guidelines in this population.
Less than general production system architectures

Many of the recent expert rule-based systems [Dendral, Mycin, AM, Pecos] have architectures that differ significantly from the simple domain-independent architectures of "pure" production systems. The purpose of this paper is to explore, somewhat more systematically than has been done before, the various ways in which the simplicity constraints can be relaxed, and the benefits of doing so. The most significant benefits arise from three sources: (i) the grain size of a typical rule can be increased until it captures a unit of advice which is meaningful in that system's task domain, (ii) the interpreter can become accessible to the rules and thus become dynamically modifiable, and (iii) meaningful permanent Knowledge can be stored in data memories, not just within productions. Although there are costs associated with relaxing the simplicity constraints, for many task domains the benefits outweigh the costs.
A temperature stable current reference source with programmable output

A current reference source is presented that achieves stability over temperature with a neural network architecture and floating gate devices. It allows postfabrication adjustment to a user-specified output value. Tuning of floating gate devices is also used to accurately cancel temperature gradients at various temperatures. The circuit allows approximation of arbitrary functions over temperature. A first implementation for a limited temperature range yielded an accuracy of about 1.5%. Simulation results of an improved version are presented. >
Hygrothermal effects on viscoelastic responses of laminated composites

Abstract Temperature and moisture content effects on viscoelastic responses of GY70/339, T300/934 and kevlar-epoxy laminated composites are investigated using finite element analyses. Time-dependent strains and stresses for these composite plates subjected to moisture absorption and desorption cycles are presented. The results show kevlar-epoxy laminates to be more strongly affected by hygrothermal loads than those made of graphite fibers.
Computer aided analysis of characteristic impedance of rectangular coaxial lines

Abstract The characteristic impedance of a coaxial line with rectangular conductors and a homogeneous dielectric is computed by a numerical technique. Results are compared against those of a special line for which analytical solution is possible. Good agreement establishes the adequacy and the accuracy of the proposed computer model and numerical technique.
Prediction of penicillin allergy by immunological tests

Abstract This paper serves to evaluate objective immunological tests to predict penicillin allergy. Prospective immediate skin and serum tests were performed on a total of 218 patients with past histories of penicillin allergy who had major medical indication for penicillin and who were then treated with penicillin depending upon the test results. Skin tests were found to be valuable predictive tests for immediate (including anaphylactic) and accelerated urticarial allergic reactions to penicillin. The clinical value of these tests is discussed, as well as the possible meaning of the data obtained with regard to the immune mechanisms of various allergic reactions to penicillin.
A 1.16-μm-radius disk cavity in a sunflower-type circular photonic crystal with ultrahigh quality factor

We present a 1.16-μm-radius disk cavity with ultrahigh quality (Q) factor by embedding the disk into a sunflower-type circular photonic crystal (CPC). The bandgap of the CPC reduces the bending loss of the whispering-gallery mode of the disk, leading to a simulated Q of 107, at least an order of magnitude higher than a bare disk of the same size. The design is experimentally verified with a record high loaded Q of 7.4×105 measured from an optimized device fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator substrate.
International comparison of fire loss

This article provides comparative estimates of fire loss experience in various developed nations of the world. Strong relationships have been shown, but causality has not been demonstrated. The findings demand further investigation.
Potassium-Adenosine Triphosphate Complex: Formation Constant Measured with Ion-Selective Electrodes

Valinomycin and glass electrodes were used to measure activity of potassium ions in equilibrium with adenosine triphosphate. The thermodynamic formation constant of the complex is approximately 25 times greater than indirect measurements predict.
Critical Elements of Criminal Behavior Explanation

Many theorists have suggested what might be considered elements necessary to committing a criminal act, but no one has attempted to formulate and test a model of criminal behavior which includes the elements appearing most often in the literature: motivation, freedom from social constraints, skill, and opportunity. This paper presents a review of conceptual problems in using two of these elements, followed by a multiplicative model of criminal behavior containing all four elements. The model is then utilizen date pertaining to the pertaining to the purchase of stolen merchandise. All four elements are implicated in this activity.
Comparison of the effect of passive exercise v static wrapping on finger range of motion in the burned hand.

A prospective study was undertaken to compare the use of passive exercise with that of static wrapping to increase finger flexion range of motion in burn patients. Six patients (four males and two females) with combined full- and partial-thickness dorsal hand burns were randomized to receive either treatment. Results showed that metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint flexion improved an average of 7.46 degrees with passive exercise and 2.65 degrees with static wrapping. Proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint flexion improved an average of 9.68 degrees with static wrapping and 4.28 degrees with passive exercise. The percentages of improvement in the MCP joint with passive exercise and static wrapping were 8.53% and 2.92%, respectively. In the PIP joint, the respective percentages were 3.69% and 8.09%. All differences were statistically significant at a P value of less than .001. It was concluded that in the rehabilitation of hands and/or fingers with recently healed burns, manual passive exercise is significantly better than static wrapping for increasing MCP joint flexion, while static wrapping is more effective for increasing PIP joint flexion.
Dialectal variants of verbs in narratives of African Americans with aphasia: some methodological considerations

Abstract A focus on African American Vernacular English (AAVE) verb use in narratives is advantageous for examining the effects of dialect in aphasia. The inherent variability in speakers' use of dialect features is discussed. Verb morpho-syntax is examined in speakers of AAVE who have aphasia, and compared to that of African American normal controls. Dialect features were preserved despite the presence of aphasia, although there was variability in performance that could not readily be attributed to code-switching. While individuals with less mild aphasia used fewer AAVE verb forms in this sample, they also produced shorter narratives. The challenges of research in this area are discussed, and strategies are suggested for future efforts.
The saving collapse during the transition in Eastern Europe

Almost all of the transition economies in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union experienced a severe decline in their national saving rates. The saving collapse could be explained by the elimination of involuntary saving, a feature of central planning, or by a change in equilibrium saving reflecting the new economic-circumstances following the end of socialism. The predicted saving rates of market economies with the same fundamentals as the transition economies before the transition are computed to test for the presence of involuntary saving. The results provide some support for the hypothesis of consumption smoothing. Also considered is whether differences m the extent of liberalization affected saving rates in the cross section of transition economies. This is found to be the case: greater liberalization is association with lower saving with a one-year lag. To the extent that liberalization is associated with future growth, this finding is consistent with smoothing m the face of output evolving along J-curve.
Quantum phase transitions in a charge-coupled Bose-Fermi Anderson model

We study the competition between Kondo physics and dissipation within an Anderson model of a magnetic impurity level that hybridizes with a metallic host and is also coupled, via the impurity charge, to the displacement of a bosonic bath having a spectral density proportional to \omega^s. As the impurity-bath coupling increases from zero, the effective Coulomb interaction between two electrons in the impurity level is progressively renormalized from its repulsive bare value until it eventually becomes attractive. For weak hybridization, this renormalization in turn produces a crossover from a conventional, spin-sector Kondo effect to a charge Kondo effect. At particle-hole symmetry, and for sub-Ohmic bath exponents 0 _0 \ne 1. The response of the impurity occupancy to a locally applied electric potential features the hyperscaling of critical exponents and \omega/T scaling that are expected at an interacting critical point. The numerical values of the critical exponents suggest that the transition lies in the same universality class as that of the sub-Ohmic spin-boson model. For the Ohmic case s = 1, the transition is instead of Kosterlitz-Thouless type. Away from particle-hole symmetry, the quantum phase transition is replaced by a smooth crossover, but signatures of the symmetric quantum critical point remain in the physical properties at elevated temperatures and/or frequencies.
Suspended judgment ethics, evidence, and uncertainty

An article in the August 7, 1989, issue of The Boston Globe carried the headline "A Harvard study on newborns draws fire: Doctors faulted for limiting lifesaving treatment" [1]. The story was yet another installment in the controversy concerning extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), a recent innovation in the field of neonatal intensive care. This time, however, the results of the clinical trial and the ensuing debate were reported by the mass media 4 months before the study was published in a peer-reviewed medical journal [2]. ECMO has been proposed as a lifesaving treatment for infants with respiratory failure who have expected neonatal mortality of at least 80% with conventional ventilator support. It is a highly invasive and expensive procedure. It involves cardiopulmonary bypass, to provide adequate time and conditions for recovery of the impaired lungs. Pioneered by Robert Bartlett and associates, ECMO was tested by this team in a randomized clinical trial (RCT) [3]. The outcome was strongly in favor of ECMO, but the study design had been of the randomized play-the-winner type and provoked controversy [4]. It so happened that of 12 patients in the study, only I had been assigned to conventional treatment; this patient died, and all 11 ECMO patients survived. The Harvard study, using a different adaptive design, has been the second RCT undertaken for the assessment of neonatal ECMO. The results are again in favor of ECMO, but problems persist, involving ethical as well as medical considerations. The issues are well known: When is it appropriate to carry out an RCT? When should patient entry cease? What is the absolute mandate for informed consent? For ECMO there is the added problem of patient selection; other investigators are reporting equally good results without ECMO [5J and some are critical of the treatment given the control group in the trial. In the meantime, the technology is in a phase of rapid diffusion.
Safety and Tolerability of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α Inhibitors in Psoriasis: A Narrative Review

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α inhibitors are an alternative to oral systemic therapies for psoriasis. Data regarding the safety of TNF-α inhibitors from randomized clinical trials may not fully reflect the effects on the clinic patient population receiving the therapy, but other sources of information are available. We performed a literature review to assess the safety and tolerability of the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis with TNF-α inhibitors. A literature search was conducted using PubMed for articles dating from January 2000 to October 2013. Randomized controlled, cohort, open-label, and observational studies were included, as well as case reports and letters to the editor. Articles found on PubMed describing the safety of anti-TNF-α therapy in psoriasis patients were included, while studies highlighting interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23 inhibitors were excluded, as were non-English articles. In total, 58 articles were included in the review. TNF-α inhibitors exhibit both efficacy and tolerability in patients with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. Adverse effects associated with these medications are not common and can be minimized with routine clinical monitoring and patient education. While the risk of severe adverse events is low, the lack of very large, long-term, randomized safety trials limits the ability to fully define the safety of these agents. TNF-α inhibitors have a good efficacy/safety ratio for use in patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Serious adverse effects are not common, and common injection-site reactions are usually manageable. The benefits of TNF-α inhibitors outweigh the risks for moderate-to-severe psoriasis; however, there are potential adverse effects and the patient populations at highest risk include the elderly and those with a history of malignancy.
A simplified matrix for making direct cores

This article describes the use of a pharmaceutical gelatin capsule as a matrix for making various posted and nonposted crown substructures. The procedure used for a cast post and core using this matrix is outlined.
Perfecting the plate: adding cardioprotective compounds to the diet.

r r c For centuries, food has played a key role in different aspects of human culture, serving social, religious, economic, medicinal, and nutritional functions. Different dietary patterns have been observed in different populations based on their geographic location, climate, or their cultural and religious beliefs. Ancient records revealing dietary customs, habits, and evolution can be found in the Egyptian medical papyrus, in the Inca’s crafts, and the Aztec’s burials. Although ancient cultures heralded food, modern day society maintains a problematic relationship with food that has led to an epidemic of obesity and heart disease. Recently, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has replaced the recommended dietary pyramid with “MyPlate” (http://www.choosemyplate.gov/) (Fig. 1). The most significant revision is a greater emphasis on consumption of fruits, vegetables, and grains and this is predicted to have a major impact on the problems of obesity, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the future. More than 100 years ago, in 1894, Dr Wilbur Atwater presented the first nutritional guidelines for Americans. Various guides have been implemented by the USDA including the Basic Seven (1943 to 1956), Basic Four (1956 to 1992), Food Guide Pyramid (1992 to 2005), and MyPyramid (2005 to 2011). MyPlate was unveiled in June 2011 by First Lady Michelle Obama and Surgeon General Dr Regina Benjamin. This food icon serves as both a simple and user friendly guide reminding us to make good food choices, recommending “MyPlate” and your plate be composed of approximately 30% vegetables, 30% grains, 20% fruits, and 20% protein, and accompanied by a glass of dairy (http://www.whitehouse.gov/). Atherosclerosis is the leading culprit of mortality in Western countries. In 2007, CVD took 813,804 lives in the United States—1 of every 2.9 deaths. The American Heart Association estimates 785,000 Americans suffer a
Family consent and the pursuit of better medicines through genetic research.

AbstractRapid changes in the science and technology related to genetic research are challenging scientists, health care providers, ethicists, regulators, patient groups, and the pharmaceutical industry to keep pace with ethically grounded, workable guidelines for both the research and clinical appli
Infrared imaging to map power on target for a millimeter-wave source

Infrared camera images are used to calculate the power deposited on a target by a millimeter wave source. Thin carbon-impregnated sheets of Kapton are illuminated with RF energy, and then infrared images in the 3-5 /spl mu/m band provide temperature data that is used to numerically solve the heat equation and obtain absorbed power values. Techniques to determine the electrical properties of Kapton up to 94 GHz were developed.
Validation of volume flow measurements in blood vessels with quantitative color velocity imaging using a physiologic model of the circulation

Rationale and Objectives. Color velocity imaging-quantitative (CVI-Q) is a new sonographic technique designed to measure volume flow (VF) in blood vessels. We attempted to validate VF measurements with CVI-Q in an in vitro model of the circulation. Methods. We validated CVI-Q in a flow phantom mimicking physiologic conditions by connecting isolated porcine arteries 4–14 mm in diameter to a calibrated perfusion roller pump generating pulsatile flow with porcine blood. Pump flow was varied stepwise from 0 to 1,000 ml/min. CVI-Q VF measurements were performed using a 7.5-MHz linear array transducer. VF results then were compared with pump flow calibration values through linear regression. Results. A good correlation ( r 2 = .98–.99, slope = 0.88–1.02) was obtained from 0 to 400–600 ml/min. The degree of correlation depended on vessel diameter, with linearity being maintained over a somewhat larger range in medium-sized vessels. At higher flows, variability increased significantly. Conclusion. VF measurements with CVI-Q are accurate in a physiologic flow range. At supraphysiologic flow rates, as are encountered within arteriovenous fistulae, CVI-Q may give inaccurate results. Awareness of possible pitfalls and limitations of the technique is important for obtaining accurate and reproducible results.
Description and hydraulic interpretation of grain size cumulative curves from the Platte River system

Log-probability plots of grain-size distribution from the Platte, North Platte, and South Platte rivers are composed of four or five straight line segments. The line segments are grouped, dividing each curve into three regions. These regions are interpreted as subpopulations moved by different transport mechanisms. Consideration of the criterion for suspension and calculation of shear velocities associated with dominant discharges support this interpretation. The grain size cumulative curves are similar to each other but distinct from curves of fluvial systems transporting only fine-grained material, the difference being the presence of a subpopulation of grains moved in traction transport. One of two possible relationships seems to exist between the grain-size distributions and flow conditions within the Platte River system. Estimated shear velocities derived by varying flow conditions within reasonable limits predict a range of grain sizes within which the break between the intermittent suspension and traction loads should occur. This break appears to be associated with intermediate shear velocities if truncated normal distributions are assumed; but if overlapping distributions are assumed, the ‘break'is associated with estimated maximum shear velocities.
Modernity and the Early Discourse of Scientific Buddhism

The interpretation of Buddhism as consonant with science has been an essential factor in the transmission of Buddhism to the West, as well as in the success of certain reform movements in Asia. Both westerners and Asians developed the discourse of scientific Buddhism in response to different but interrelated crises in their various cultural contexts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Anagarika Dharmapala's contribution to this discourse arose out of a crisis of legitimacy in Sinhalese Buddhism that stemmed from colonialism, missionization, western hegemony, and western representations of Asians and Buddhism common to this period. Two Americans, Paul Carus and Henry Steel Olcott, attempted to establish the scientificity of Buddhism in response to the Victorian crisis of faith. This discourse represented Buddhism as an inverse reflection of what skeptics and liberal Christians believed to be problematic about orthodox interpretations of Christianity in light of scientific developments and biblical criticism.
The material properties of the native porcine mitral valve chordae tendineae : An in vitro investigation

Abstract The material properties of the mitral valve chordae tendineae are important for the understanding of leaflet coaptation configuration and chordal pathology. There is limited information about the mechanical properties of the chordae during physiologic loading. Dual camera stereo photogrammetry was used to measure strains of the chordae in vitro under physiologic loading conditions. Two high-speed, high-resolution cameras captured the movement of graphite markers attached to the central section of the chordae. A uniaxial test simulating the same loading conditions was conducted on the same chordae using the same markers. The maximum strain experienced during the cardiac cycle was 4.29%±3.43%. The loading rate was higher at 75.3%±48.6% strain per second than the unloading rate at −54.8%±−56.6% strain per second. The anterior lateral strut chordae had a higher maximum strain (5.7%±3.8%) and loading rate (80.5%±51.9% strain per second) than the posterior medial strut chordae (5.5%±2.3% strain and 68.1%±48.3% strain per second). The posterior medial strut chordae had a higher unloading rate (−68.5%±−59.1% strain per second) than the anterior lateral strut chordae (−44.9%±−57.2% strain per second). Although the anterior lateral and posterior medial strut chordae have a significantly different diameter and length, they experience a similar strain, strain rate, and tension. In conclusion, a non-destructive technique was developed to measure in vitro chordal strain in the mitral valve. This technique allows the investigation of the behavior of biological tissues under physiologic loading conditions.
SELECTED RENAL FINDINGS IN ASPHYXIATED NEWBORNS

Seven babies with intrauterine asphyxia were compared to eleven infants with normal intrauterine and post partal courses. Asphyxia was defined as an Apgar score of five or less at one and five minutes, in the absence of prematurity, congenital anomalies, or maternal drug administration. No asphyxiated infant had clinical renal failure as is seen in some asphyxiated infants. Infants had comparable gestational ages and birth weights. Total intake over the first 24 hours was the same. The time before the first voiding was longer in the asphyxiated group (11 hours versus 20 hours). The serum and the first voided urine specimen were evaluated biochemically in the first 24 hours. Comparison of the two groups reveals that the serum sodium concentrations were equivalent, however, serum potassium concentrations were slightly higher in the non-asphyxiated group. Serum osmolality was equivalent, but urine osmolality was significantly higher (310 milliosmoles versus 238 milliosmoles) in the asphyxiated group. Urine potassium concentration was increased dramatically in the asphyxiated group (36 milli-equivalents per liter versus 4.1 milliequivalents per liter). These data may reflect altered renal blood flow or an asphyxia-related tubular dysfunction.
Homogeneity, flatness, and "large" extra dimensions.

We consider a model in which the Universe is the direct product of an ordinary $(3+1)$-dimensional space---a brane where all the standard model fields are confined---and a compact hyperbolic manifold. The decay of massive Kaluza-Klein modes leads to the injection of bulk entropy into the observable Universe. The large statistical averaging inherent in the collapse of the initial entropy onto the brane smoothes out any initial inhomogeneities in the distribution of matter and of three-curvature.
Mutations in the F-box gene SNEEZY result in decreased Arabidopsis GA signaling

We previously reported that the SLEEPY1 (SLY1) homolog, F-box gene SNEEZY/SLEEPY2 (SNE/SLY2), can partly replace SLY1 in gibberellin (GA) hormone signaling through interaction with DELLAs RGA and GAI. To determine whether SNE normally functions in GA signaling, we characterized the phenotypes of two T-DNA alleles, sne-t2 and sne-t3. These mutations result in no apparent vegetative phenotypes, but do result in increased ABA sensitivity in seed germination. Double mutants sly1-t2 sne-t2 and sly1-t2 sne-t3 result in a significant decrease in plant fertility and final plant height compared to sly1-t2. The fact that sne mutations have an additive effect with sly1 suggests that SNE normally functions as a redundant positive regulator of GA signaling.
A Cytological Study of Mitotic Chromosomes in Chicken Embryos

Abstract INTRODUCTION WHILE many cytological studies of the chicken have been conducted, disagreement concerning the karyotype remains. Differences as to which are true chromosomes have contributed to the disagreement regarding the total number of chromosomes in Gallus domesticus. Newcomer (1957) proposed that only those he considered as the macrochromosomes, 11 for the female and 12 for the male, be the accepted number for the chicken. Other investigators (Ford and Wollam, 1964; Krishan, 1962; Ohno, 1961; Owen, 1965; Van Brink and Ubbels, 1956; Yamashina, 1944) considered all the chromatin elements as true chromosomes. A diploid number of 78 was reported as early as 1944 by Yamashina, but Ford and Wollam (1964) found 40 bivalents in male gonadal tissue, suggesting the possibility of a diploid number of 80. It appears that solutions to many of the problems encountered in cytological investigations will be found by using improved techniques and equipment. In this investigation …
ANALYSIS OF THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE SPACINGS BETWEEN NUCLEAR ENERGY LEVELS. II.

The statistic $\ensuremath{\Lambda}(n)$, previously defined for the purpose of comparing empirical distributions of energy-level spacings with theoretical distributions, is applied to the recently published series of neutron-capture levels observed in the even-$A$ erbium isotopes. When the empirical values of $\ensuremath{\Lambda}(n)$ in the energy range of the highest experimental resolution were averaged over all possible sets of $n$ successive spacings, the resulting value ${\ensuremath{\Lambda}}^{*}(n)$ is found to decrease sharply with increasing values of $n$. This decrease is consistent with that of the expectation value $〈\ensuremath{\Lambda}(n)〉$ calculated for Wigner's Gaussian orthogonal ensemble of real symmetric matrices.
The analysis of 2-acetamido-2-deoxyaldose derivatives by gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.

Abstract The trimethylsilylated O -methyloximes of three naturally occurring 2-acetamido-2-deoxyaldoses were prepared. The mass spectra of these derivatives were recorded, and the conditions for resolving them by gas-liquid chromatography defined.
A Hypothetical Stochastic Mechanism of Radiation Effects in Single Cells

This paper is a sequel to an earlier one (Neyman & Puri 1976), which deals with a hypothetical structural stochastic model of radiation effects in living cells. This model incorporates two important details of the mechanism overlooked in its mathematical treatment by the previous workers. The first is that the passage of a single `primary9 radiation particle generates a `cluster9 of secondaries which can produce `hits9 that damage the living cells. The second detail concerns the time scales of radiation damage and of the subsequent repair. The events of arrival of a primary particle, its generation of secondary particles and their causing `hits9 on the sensitive targets within the cells, all occur for all practical purposes instantly. On the other hand the subsequent changes in the damaged cell, such as repair, appear to require measurable amounts of time. While the biological and physical justifications for some of the underlying assumptions of the model were discussed in the previous paper referred to above, the present paper is concerned mainly with the mathematical details and also with how the model attempts to explain some of the empirical findings available in the literature.
Collective instability of salt fingers

We first consider a steady laminar model of salt fingers and show that the latter become unstable with respect to internal gravity waves when the finger Reynolds number exceeds a critical value. The criterion is then used in speculations about the statistically steady state in a fully developed similarity model where horizontally averaged temperature and salinity gradients are constant at all depths. Dimensional reasoning is used to obtain the asymptotic dependence of the turbulent flux on the molecular salt diffusivity. From this and other relationships order-of-magnitude estimates are obtained and compared with laboratory experiments and ocean observations.