cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An implicit QoS provisioning strategy in multimedia cellular network

It is an inherently challenging task to provide quality of service (QoS) to real time multimedia users in a cellular network owing to their mobility induced uncertainty. We propose an implicit resource allocation strategy and justify the need of such a strategy toward an effective solution to QoS provisioning. The reservation scheme presented, based on this proposed strategy, aims at meeting the users' QoS requirement while maintaining a better utilization as compared to the conventional resource reservation schemes. Simulation results are presented which show the effectiveness of the scheme under a varying level of user mobility.
The Effects of Accomplice Witnesses and Jailhouse Informants on Jury Decision Making

The present study presents one of the first investigations of the effects of accomplice witnesses and jailhouse informants on jury decision-making. Across two experiments, participants read a trial transcript that included either a secondary confession from an accomplice witness, a jailhouse informant, a member of the community or a no confession control. In half of the experimental trial transcripts, the participants were made aware that the cooperating witness providing the secondary confession was given an incentive to testify. The results of both experiments revealed that information about the cooperating witness' incentive (e.g., leniency or reward) did not affect participants' verdict decisions. In Experiment 2, participant jurors appeared to commit the fundamental attribution error, as they attributed the motivation of the accomplice witness and jailhouse informant almost exclusively to personal factors as opposed to situational factors. Furthermore, both experiments revealed that mock jurors voted guilty significantly more often when there was a confession relative to a no confession control condition. The implications of the use of accomplice witness and jailhouse informant testimony are discussed.
Effects of Great Lakes Water Loading upon Glacial Isostatic Adjustment and Lake History

Over the last century geological studies of the ancestral Great Lakes have confirmed that the large surface load of the Laurentide ice sheet deformed the region causing tilting of ancient lake shorelines. Models of this glacial isostatic adjustment mechanism have promoted understanding of this process but have only included ice sheet loads as the source of earth deformation in the region. We describe a method, utilizing a model of glacial isostatic adjustment combined with GIS, that recreates the paleohydrology of the Great Lakes. Predictions include the extent of late glacial, postglacial, and Holocene lakes and their associated outlets and bathymetries. This predicted history of the Great Lakes is similar to that obtained from a century of detailed field studies but our method uses only the present digital elevation model, a prescribed ice sheet chronology, and an assumed earth viscoelastic rheology. Ancient lake bathymetry predictions provide an estimate of water loads associated with each lake. The effect of these lake loads upon vertical deformation of the Great Lakes region is shown to be small, less than 15 m, but not insignificant when compared to approximately 150 m of deformation forced by ice and ocean loads. Maximum lake-induced deformation is centered upon Lake Superior where water depths were greatest. Where topography is low relief, prediction of shoreline locations should include the lake loading effect as well as the ice and ocean loads.
Ideals' central tendency, and frequency of instantiation as determinants of graded structure in categories

Three possible determinants of graded structure (typicality) were observed in common taxonomic categories and goal-derived categories: (1) an exemplar's similarity to ideals associated with goals its category serves; (2) an exemplar's similarity to the central tendency of its category (family resemblance); and (3) an exemplar's frequency of instantiation (people's subjective estimates of how often it is encountered as a category member). Experiment 1 found that central tendency did not predict graded structure in goal-derived categories, although it did predict graded structure in common taxonomic categories. Ideals and frequency of instantiation predicted graded structure in both category types to sizeable and equal extents. A fourth possible determinant--familiarity--did not predict typicality in either common taxonomic or goal-derived categories. Experiment 2 demonstrated that both central tendency and ideals causally determine graded structure, and work showing that frequency causally determines graded structure is discussed. Experiment 2 also demonstrated that the determinants of a particular category's graded structure can change with context. Whereas ideals may determine a category's graded structure in one context, central tendency may determine a different graded structure in another. It is proposed that graded structures do not reflect invariant structures associated with categories but instead reflect people's dynamic ability to construct concepts. Language: en
The Socioeconomic Benefits of Active Military Service to Reservists

This article compares the socioeconomic benefits of reservists with prior active military service (PS) and reservists with nonprior service (NPS). The economic theory of investment in human capital, the sociological concept of higher educational attainment, and the social psychological theory of the development of personality traits associated with PS are employed to develop a conceptual framework. The "bridging" argument of greater gains to nonwhite reservists is also tested for data for the All Volunteer Force era. Regression analysis of the Defense Manpower Data Center's Reserve Components Surveys (n = 8,000) revealed that individual and family earnings of PS personnel were higher by 6.8% and 3.5%, respectively, compared to similar earnings of NPS reservists. The results also found some support for the bridging hypothesis in that nonwhite reservists had higher family earnings and higher home ownership relative to white reservists. Limitations of the article for generalizability of the results to all ve...
A geometric flow-based approach for diffusion tensor image segmentation

Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DT-MRI, shortened as DTI) produces, from a set of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance images, tensor-valued images where each voxel is assigned a 3×3 symmetric, positive-definite matrix. This tensor is simply the covariance matrix of a local Gaussian process with zero mean, modelling the average motion of water molecules. We propose a three-dimensional geometric flow-based model to segment the main core of cerebral white matter fibre tracts from DTI. The segmentation is carried out with a front propagation algorithm. The front is a three-dimensional surface that evolves along its normal direction with speed that is proportional to a linear combination of two measures: a similarity measure and a consistency measure. The similarity measure computes the similarity of the diffusion tensors at a voxel and its neighbouring voxels along the normal to the front; the consistency measure is able to speed up the propagation at locations where the evolving front is more consistent with the diffusion tensor field, to remove noise effect to some extent, and thus to improve results. We validate the proposed model and compare it with some other methods using synthetic and human brain DTI data; experimental results indicate that the proposed model improves the accuracy and efficiency in segmentation.
Review of issues concerning the use of reproductive inhibitors, with particular emphasis on resolving human-wildlife conflicts in North America

This manuscript provides an overview of past wildlife contraception efforts and discusses the current state of research. Two fertility control agents, an avian reproductive inhibitor containing the active ingredient nicarbazin and an immunocontraceptive vaccine, have received regulatory approval with the Environmental Protection Agency and are commercially available in the USA. OvoControl G Contraceptive Bait for Canada Geese and Ovo Control for pigeons are delivered as oral baits. An injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine (GonaCon Immunocontraceptive Vaccine) was registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for use in female white-tailed deer in September 2009. An injectable product (GonaCon Immunocontraceptive Vaccine) is registered for use in female white-tailed deer. Both products are labeled for use in urban/suburban areas where these species are overabundant. Several other compounds are currently being tested for use in wildlife in the USA, Europe, Australia and New Zealand that could have promise in the future. The development and use of reproductive inhibitors for resolving human–wildlife conflicts will depend on a number of factors, including meeting the requirements of regulatory agencies for use in the environment and on the biological and economical feasibility of their use. Use will also be dependent on health and safety issues and on public acceptance of the techniques.
MR imaging of the prostate: 1.5T versus 3T.

Over the past several years, evidence supporting the use of MR imaging in the evaluation of prostate cancer has grown. Almost all this work has been performed at 1.5T. The gradual introduction of 3T scanners into clinical practice provides a potential opportunity to improve the quality and usefulness of prostate imaging. Increased signal to noise allows for imaging at higher resolution, higher temporal resolution, or higher bandwidth. Although this may improve the quality of conventional T2-weighted prostate imaging, which has been the standard sequence for detecting and localizing prostate cancer for years, the real potential for improvement at 3T involves more advanced techniques, such as spectroscopy, diffusion-weighted imaging, dynamic contrast imaging, and susceptibility imaging. This review presents the current data on 3T MR imaging of the prostate as well as the authors' impressions based on their experience at Yale–New Haven Hospital.
Nonunion of Mandibular Midline Osteotomy After Tumor Surgery and Radiation Repaired by Endosseous Implants

Nonunion of the mandible after microvascular flap reconstruction of defects resulting from tumor surgery is a known but rare complication, occurring in 5% of cases. When nonunion results with the use of microvascular flaps, rigid internal fixation, and radiotherapy, other options to treat the nonunion carry a greater risk of osteomyelitis, osteoradionecrosis, and/or persistent nonunion. Although endosseous implants have been reported to cause mandibular fracture in some cases, our case proposes and supports the use of implants for immobilization and/or prevention of nonunion of the mandible in patients who have a high probability of this complication developing, thereby avoiding plating across the nonunion site with the risk of plate exposure and osteoradionecrosis. This technique permitted a good quality of life in our patient during the healing period. He was able to masticate and phonate properly when compared with other treatment options that would have required external and/or intermaxillary fixation devices.
Retroviral Preparations Derived from PA317 Packaging Cells Contain Inhibitors That Copurify with Viral Particles and Are Devoid of Viral Vector RNA

Obtaining high expression levels of a therapeutic gene in target cells could be achieved by integrating multiple copies of a recombinant retrovirus. However, we observed that cells retrovirally infected at high multiplicities of infection (MOIs) carried only single or double integrated proviral copies, suggesting that maximum retroviral transduction was achieved at relatively low MOIs. The same results were obtained when purified virus, free of most medium components, was used. Retroviral infection was shown to be inhibited by supernatants of other viral producer cell lines, and this inhibition could be removed by a centrifugation step that also removed more than 90% of infectious virus. Quantitative-competitive PCR of retroviral preparations showed that the amount of retroviral vector RNA present was similar to the amount expected on the basis of virus titers. Our data suggest that retroviral preparations derived from PA317 packaging cells contain inhibitors that copurify with retroviruses and do not contain viral vector RNA. We postulate that these inhibitor particles cannot achieve a productive infection but interfere with transduction of the target cells by infectious virions. This study might define an important criterion for the selection of more effective packaging cell lines.
Collapse of a homogeneous Bose-Einstein condensate

We probe the collapse of large attractive Bose-Einstein condensates. We observe the amplification of a local instability by seeding a momentum state p and switching the scattering length negative via a Feshbach resonance. We also observe the appearance of atoms in the conjugate momentum state.
Right ventricular arrhythmogenesis in failing human heart: the role of conduction and repolarization remodeling.

Increased dispersion of repolarization has been suggested to underlie increased arrhythmogenesis in human heart failure (HF). However, no detailed repolarization mapping data were available to supp...
A Fluorescence Approach to Discrimination of Aggregated Amyloid Proteins

We present the design and synthesis of a new class of fluorophores with sensitivity to both environment viscosity as well as environment polarity, a property known as solvatochromism. We recently reported the ability of these fluorophores to discriminate, based on fluorescence emission, protein amyloid aggregate deposition in ex vivo neuronal tissue (Cao et al., J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2012, 134, 17338-17341). Here, we have further modeled the solvatochromic relationship of these probes with environmental permittivity and have used these results to extrapolate the permittivity values of the probe binding pockets within several amyloid proteins. Additionally, we have begun to examine the utility of these fluorophores as potential diagnostic tools for detection of neurodegenerative pathologies.
Bi-directional Gap Closing MEMS Actuator Using Timing and Control Techniques

We analyze a Micro-Electro Mechanical System tem (MEMS) device known as a Gap Closing Actuator (GCA) and propose two timing and control algorithms that enable bi-directional motion control. The electrostatic and mechanical force equations are defined and a model created that simulates a GCA. Two timing and control techniques are used to enable bi-directional operation without using additional mechanical or electrical actuators, but with feedback control.
A New Entity Salience Task with Millions of Training Examples

Although many NLP systems are moving toward entity-based processing, most still identify important phrases using classical keyword-based approaches. To bridge this gap, we introduce the task of entity salience: assigning a relevance score to each entity in a document. We demonstrate how a labeled corpus for the task can be automatically generated from a corpus of documents and accompanying abstracts. We then show how a classifier with features derived from a standard NLP pipeline outperforms a strong baseline by 34%. Finally, we outline initial experiments on further improving accuracy by leveraging background knowledge about the relationships between entities.
Long-term performance of a 200 liter modularized microbial fuel cell system treating municipal wastewater: treatment, energy, and cost

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) have been intensively studied at a bench scale and the further development of this technology requires system scaling up and understanding of their performance under non-laboratory conditions. In this study, a 200 L modularized MFC system consisting of 96 MFC modules was developed and operated in a local wastewater treatment plant for treating primary effluent. During more than 300 days' operation, the MFC system removed more than 75% of the total chemical oxygen demand and 90% of the suspended solids, despite significant fluctuations in treatment performance affected by wastewater quality and operational factors. It achieved 68% removal of ammonia nitrogen, but phosphorous and the nitrate accumulated due to nitrification needs further disposal. The frequency of the catholyte recirculation exerted a strong effect on the energy consumption of the MFC system. Through both parallel and serial electric connections, the MFC system generated power of ∼200 mW that was extracted by a power management system to drive a 60 W DC pump for catholyte recirculation. Over 60% of the material cost of the MFCs was due to the cation exchange membrane, and the capital cost of the MFC system could be comparable to that of small wastewater treatment facilities. The results of this study encourage the further development of MFC technology with reduced costs and improved performance towards sustainable wastewater treatment.
Genetic evidence for multiple origins of dioecy in the Hawaiian shrub Wikstroemia (Thymelaeaceae).

Dioecy is unusually common in the Hawaiian Islands, yet little is known about the evolutionary biology of this breeding system. A native shrub, Wikstroemia, has an unusually diverse array of breeding systems: two forms of dioecy, cryptic and morphological dioecy, as well as hermaphroditism (perfect flowers). The existence of two forms of dioecy is significant for three reasons: 1) the presence of cryptic unisexuals that are functionally unisexual, but retain the appearance of hermaphroditism in both sexes, is strong evidence for the ancestral status of hermaphroditism; 2) the production of nonfunctional pollen, by female cryptic unisexuals, is a new instance of a phenomenon which has previously been reported for a few other species; 3) the two forms of dioecy are morphological markers which are useful in hybridization studies for tracing the genetic basis of their inheritance. Crosses were made between cryptically unisexual individuals (C), between morphologically unisexual individuals (M), and between the two types of unisexuality. The offspring of crosses between individuals with the same sex type usually resulted in offspring with that sex type, but most of the progeny of between-sex type crosses were, unexpectedly, perfect-flowered hermaphrodites. These results show that genetic control of sex determination is not homologous in all populations, suggesting that dioecy has evolved at least twice in Hawaiian Wikstroemia. The genetic data further suggest that males are the heterozygous sex.
SERS Orientational Imaging of Silver Nanoparticle Dimers

This Article introduces surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) orientational imaging as a powerful far-field optical technique for determining the in-plane and out-of-plane orientations of SERS-active nanoparticle dimers. Optical images of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) SERS emission patterns are measured and correlated with atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the associated SERS-active silver nanoparticle dimers. The AFM is used to measure individual silver nanoparticle dimer orientations and height asymmetry, defining in-plane and out-of-plane angles associated with the dimer geometry. Theoretical emission pattern images based on these angles are generated using a simple dipole emission model and show excellent agreement with the experimental emission patterns. This technique provides a rapid all-optical technique to analyze the orientation of SERS active nanoparticle dimers.
Social, Economic, and Political Issues Affecting End-of-Life Care

For many decades, Americans showed a preference for delaying death through a technological imperative that often created challenges for nurses in caring for dying patients and their families. Because of their vast knowledge of health and healing, and their proximity to patients' bedsides, nurses are often well positioned to advocate for healthcare reform and legislation to improve end-of-life care. This article provides an overview of the social, economic, and political factors that are shaping end-of-life care in the United States. First, historical perspectives on end-of-life care are presented to enhance understanding of why some clinicians and patients seem to resist change to current practices. Second, end of care issues related to advanced technology utilization, societal expectations of care, clinical practices, financial incentives, palliative care services, and policy reforms are discussed. Finally, future recommendations are provided to encourage nurses and other healthcare providers to improve care for individuals facing end-of-life care decisions.
Androgens and cognitive function.

It is well accepted that mortality in acromegaly is increased because of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases while neoplastic complications account less to mortality. Amongst different cardiovascular complications the most frequent is biventricular hypertrophy, which occurs independently of hypertension and metabolic complications that, in turn, aggravate the cardiomyopathy. Diastolic and systolic dysfunction develops in a variable number of patients, depending on age and disease duration. Other cardiac disorders, such as arrhythmias, valve disease, hypertension, atherosclerosis and endothelial dysfunction have been less characterized but all appear to be present in acromegaly, depicting the so called "acromegalic cardiomyopathy". The best characterized respiratory disease is the sleep apnea. Ventilatory dysfunction recognizes bony changes of thoracic cage and lung overgrowth as relevant pathogenetic factors. Earlier evidences that patients with acromegaly have an increased risk of developing malignancies have become more realistic in recent years. Most studies have reported an increased risk of colonic polyps, which more frequently recur in patients not controlled after treatment. Malignancies in other organs have also been described, but less convincingly than at the gastrointestinal level and are not a main cause of mortality. Bone changes are also feature of the disease. They involve theoretically all bones and, particularly, the appendicular and the axial skeleton. Patients with long-standing disease are more prone to develop degenerative changes. Control of acromegaly by surgery or pharmacotherapy, especially by somatostatin analogs, improves cardiovascular morbidity and sleep apnea. There is still no demonstration that improvement of different complications corresponds a reduction in mortality.
Pepper, Chili ( Capsicum annuum )

Pepper is a recalcitrant plant for Agrobacterium-mediated genetic transformation. Several obstacles to genetic transformation remain such as extremely low transformation rates; the choice of correct genotype is critical; and there is a high frequency of false positives due to direct shoot formation. Here, we report a useful protocol with a suitable selection method. The most important aspect of the pepper transformation protocol is selecting shoots growing from the callus, which is referred to as callus-mediated shoot formation. This protocol is a reproducible and reliable system for pepper transformation.
Growth in the high-risk infant.

Although poor growth is frequent among high-risk infants, the majority of these infants will ultimately attain sizes appropriate for their age. This article describes growth dynamics in these infants, offers practical methods for evaluating growth standards, and presents guidelines for identifying abnormal growth and its etiologies.
The Health Equity Certificate Program: A Targeted Approach to Reducing Health Disparities and Increasing the Competence of Health Professional Students:

Health disparities and their social determinants are critical for public health students to understand in order to pursue a more equitable state of health for all. To improve an existing Health Equ...
For Goodness’ Sake: A Two-Part Proposal for Remedying the U.S. Charity/Justice Imbalance

The U.S. approach to addressing economic and social needs strongly favors individual and corporate charity over the establishment and enforcement of economic and social rights. This charity/justice imbalance has a severely negative impact on the nation’s poor, who despite the overall U.S. wealth struggle with inadequate access to healthcare, housing, and nutrition. This article suggests a two-part approach for remedying the charity/justice imbalance in the U.S.: First, the U.S. should eliminate the charitable tax deduction, a policy creation that does not effectively address economic and social needs, forces an inequitable poverty relief and tax burden on the middle class, and lulls the nation into a false sense of complacency about its poverty crisis. Second, the U.S. should replace the deduction with ratification of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. This two-part process would reverse the U.S. legacy of avoiding enforceable commitments to economic and social rights. Charity would take a step back; justice a step forward.
P-023 Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformation Flow is Associated with Venous Intimal Hyperplasia

Introduction/purpose Histopathological changes in cerebral arteriovenous malformation (AVM) draining veins secondary to chronically high AVM inflow have not been clearly elucidated. Here, we examine the relationship between draining vein wall thickness and AVM flow rate. Materials and methods Records of patients with cerebral AVMs evaluated at our institution between 2007–2013 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were included if a surgical specimen of the nidus was available and if flows were obtained before treatment using quantitative magnetic resonance angiography. Specimens were mounted on slides and stained with hematoxylin and eosin as well as elastin special stain. Perinidal veins were identified and the wall thickness of each vein was measured from digitized images of the slides (Figure 1). Maximum vein wall thickness was recorded for each specimen. Intranidal arteries were also identified and the diameter of each artery was measured. Total AVM flow was estimated as aggregate flow within primary arterial feeders or flow in single draining veins. The relationship between maximum vein wall thickness, total AVM flow, flow per draining vein, flow per unit volume of AVM, and mean intranidal artery diameter was assessed. Results 28 patients (20 male, 8 female) with mean age of 37 years (range 16–68 years) were included. Spearman’s correlation revealed a statistically significant relationship between maximum vein wall thickness and total AVM flow (rho = +0.51, P = 0.006) (Figure 2) as well as AVM flow per draining vein (rho = +0.41, P = 0.03). However, there was no statistically significant correlation between maximum vein wall thickness and flow per unit volume of AVM (rho = +0.27, P = 0.17) or mean intranidal artery diameter (rho = +0.42, P = 0.24). Mean vein wall thickness was significantly higher in the presence of venous ectasia (562 μm vs. 300 μm, P = 0.007). Presence of venous stenosis was not significantly associated with age, Spetzler-Martin grade, volume, number of draining veins, deep venous drainage, intranidal fistula, or maximum vein wall thickness. Conclusion Maximum vein wall thickness is significantly related to total AVM flow and AVM flow per draining vein. This finding implicates chronically high AVM inflow in venous intimal hyperplasia and possible subsequent development of venous outflow stenosis. Disclosures S. Shakur: None. A. Hussein: None. S. Amin-Hanjani: None. T. Valyi-Nagy: None. V. Aletich: None. F. Charbel: None. A. Alaraj: None.
Quantum gas microscopy of an attractive Fermi–Hubbard system

The attractive Fermi–Hubbard model is the simplest theoretical model for studying pairing and superconductivity of fermions on a lattice. It exhibits many interesting features including a short-coherence length at intermediate coupling and a pseudogap regime with anomalous properties. Here we study an experimental realization of this model using a two-dimensional (2D) atomic Fermi gas in an optical lattice. Using a new technique for selective imaging of doublons with a quantum gas microscope, we observe chequerboard doublon density correlations in the normal state close to half-filling. With the aid of quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we show that the measured doublon density correlations allow us to put a lower bound on the strength of s-wave pairing correlations in our system. We compare the temperature sensitivity of the doublon density correlations and the paired atom fraction and find the correlations to be a much better thermometer. Accurate thermometry of attractive lattice systems will be essential in the quest for optimizing cooling schemes to reach superfluid phases in future experiments. The simplest lattice model that allows the investigation of superconductivity with attractive interactions is realized using ultracold quantum gas. The experimental observation provides a lower bound on the strength of s-wave pairing correlations.
Towards low-cost object tracking: Embedded RFID in golf balls using 3D printed masks

We present the design of a non-planar UHF RFID tag embedded in a golf ball for tracking purposes. We discuss how our design minimally impacts the weight and functionality of the ball. We also demonstrate how a 3D printed mask facilitates rapid prototyping and is amenable to large-scale manufacturing. The tag prototype is shown to perform reliably over a distance of 0.8 m in real world conditions and exhibits a maximum gain of 1.5 dB. Lessons learned and future research directions are also discussed.
Tissue engineering for the treatment of short bowel syndrome in children

Short bowel syndrome is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in children. Despite decades of experience in the management of short bowel syndrome, current therapy is primarily supportive. Definitive treatment often requires intestinal transplantation, which is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. In order to develop novel approaches to the treatment of short bowel syndrome, we and others have focused on the development of an artificial intestine, by placing intestinal stem cells on a bioscaffold that has an absorptive surface resembling native intestine, and taking advantage of neovascularization to develop a blood supply. This review will explore recent advances in biomaterials, vascularization, and progress toward development of a functional epithelium and mesenchymal niche, highlighting both success and ongoing challenges in the field.
Fools or Crooks: Testing for Fraud in the Residential Mortgage Market

Current explanations for the high rate of default and foreclosure in the U.S. emphasize house price fluctuations and lax lending criteria. An alternative explanation for default and foreclosure, that has generally been neglected, is fraud. One impediment to identifying and measuring fraud is the lack of a statistical test capable of detecting it. This paper proposes and implements the first test for fraud in mortgage lending. In a completely serendipitous turn of events, subsequent to the writing of this paper, indictments for fraud were announced in the area under study. Tests reveal that the proposed test successfully identified the fraudulent activity. The test proposed here is important for at least three reasons. First it can document the role of fraud in the mortgage foreclosure crisis. Second, it can serve as part of a forensic effort designed to detect and deter mortgage fraud. Third, the model developed here demonstrates that mortgage fraud distorts repeat sales house price indexes because it artificially elevates house prices during the period of fraud followed by a subsequent collapse due to the foreclosure sales. Accordingly, fraud can give the false impression that foreclosure lowers area house prices when it actually artificially inflates them. This suggests an alternative interpretation for the recent empirical literature on externalities from foreclosure.
Demonstration of Haptic Revolver: Touch, Shear, Texture, and Shape Rendering on a VR Controller

We present Haptic Revolver, a handheld virtual reality controller that renders fingertip haptics when interacting with virtual surfaces. Haptic Revolver's core haptic element is an actuated wheel that raises and lowers underneath the finger to render contact with a virtual surface. As the user's finger moves along the surface of an object, the controller spins the wheel to render shear forces and motion under the fingertip. The wheel is interchangeable and can contain physical textures, shapes, edges, or active elements to provide different sensations to the user. Because the controller is spatially tracked, these physical features can be spatially registered with the geometry of the virtual environment and rendered on-demand.
Untreated chronic lymphocytic leukemia concurrent with or followed by acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome. A report of five cases and review of the literature.

Although it has been known that patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have a higher frequency of second malignant neoplasms, the development of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in these patients is extremely rare. Most reported cases have been therapy-related. In this article, we report the clinical and immunophenotypic features of 5 cases of untreated CLL concurrent with or followed by the development of AML or MDS. All 5 patients were men, with ages ranging from 57 to 87 years (mean, 73.8 years). Four patients had AML and 1 patient had refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts. In the 4 cases of AML and CLL, 2 distinct cell populations (i.e., myeloblasts and lymphocytes) were identified morphologically and/or immunophenotypically. Our findings support that this rare concurrence of AML or MDS and untreated CLL may represent 2 separate disease processes.
The Future Role of the Eximbank

This chapter provides an overview of the future role of Eximbank and with U. S. objectives and strategy regarding officially supported export financing. The Eximbank is currently in a transition period. In contrast to the expansionist policies of the Carter administration in which export promotion and meeting foreign officially supported export credit competition were emphasized, the Reagan administration's policies have included a reduction in the Bank's lending authorization, coupled with renewed attempts to reach international agreements to eliminate concessionary export financing. Domestically, Eximbank will continue to be buffeted by political pressures both from those who seek its support and wish to promote U. S. exports and from those who seek to reduce its costs and the government's role in export financing. The outcome of this political contest is difficult to predict and can always be overturned by the course of events, but in the interim the Bank can continue to improve its administrative procedures to reduce its costs, increase its effectiveness in generating additional exports, and further negotiations regarding export financing. The Bank's administrative tasks are inherently difficult because of incomplete information and its conflicting mandates, but one can hope that with some additional progress in the international negotiations, those tasks can in the near future be relegated to the private sector where they belong.
Hybrid Molecular Dynamics and Continuum Mechanics Analysis of Thin Film Lubrication

Abstract Optimism exists in scientific circles that the mechanisms of friction and boundary lubrication, studied for centuries, can soon be understood and predicted by first principles. However, from the engineering point of view, practical predictive ability seems far away. Toward the eventual goal of applying MD analysis to practical tribological design, we continue our work on a hybrid molecular dynamics-continuum method. Similar approaches have been used in simulating dislocations and other defects in crystalline solids under nanoindenting. Our linkage to MD is established through a variable effective viscosity, which increases near the surfaces due to molecular forces. The classical line contact problem of a rigid cylinder and a sliding plane is addressed. Results are presented showing an increase in pressure due to the presence of nearby surfaces.
An Introduction and Practical Guide to Use of the Soil-Vegetation Inventory Method (SVIM) Data

Abstract Long-term vegetation dynamics across public rangelands in the western United States are not well understood because of the lack of large-scale, readily available historic datasets. The Bureau of Land Management’s Soil-Vegetation Inventory Method (SVIM) program was implemented between 1977 and 1983 across 14 western states, but the data have not been easily accessible. We introduce the SVIM vegetation cover dataset in a georeferenced, digital format; summarize how the data were collected; and discuss potential limitations and biases. We demonstrate how SVIM data can be compared with contemporary monitoring datasets to quantify changes in vegetation associated with wildfire and the abundance of exotic invasive species. Specifically, we compare SVIM vegetation cover data with cover data collected by BLM’s Assessment, Inventory, and Monitoring (AIM) program (2011–2016) in a focal area in the northern Great Basin. We address issues associated with analyzing and interpreting data from these distinct programs, including differences in survey methods and potential biases introduced by spatial and temporal variation in sampling. We compared SVIM and AIM survey methods at 44 plots and found that percent cover estimates had high correspondence for all measured functional groups. Comparisons between historic SVIM data and recent AIM data documented significant declines in the occupancy and cover of native shrubs and native perennial forbs, and a significant increase in exotic annual forbs. Wildfire was a driver of change for some functional groups, with greater change occurring in AIM plots that burned between the two time periods compared with those that did not. Our results are consistent with previous studies showing that many native shrub-dominated plant communities in the Great Basin have been replaced by exotic annuals. Our study demonstrates that SVIM data will be an important resource for researchers interested in quantifying vegetation change through time across public rangelands in the western United States.
The electoral costs of policy commitments

Existing arguments across political science posit that parties in government use domestic and international institutions to lock in their own policy preferences by tying the hands of successors. I demonstrate that these arguments contrast with the assumption of office-seeking parties and therefore portray an incomplete picture of the incentives of governments. The paper emphasizes the trade-off between implementing policy preferences, on the one hand, and exploiting partisan differences for electoral success, on the other hand: locking in a policy takes an issue off the table, but it also undermines a party’s ability to leverage differences to the opposition in elections. Because office-seeking parties need to take into account these electoral consequences, they have a disincentive to tie their successors’ hands. I advance this argument in the context of the establishment of independent central banks, provide empirical evidence, and suggest implications for the literature on international institutions.
Volume-Staged CyberKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Treatment of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy for a Spetzler-Martin Grade V Arteriovenous Malformation: A Case Report and Review of the Literature.

Background Evidence to support the use of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) in the treatment of epilepsy secondary to cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is emerging. However, these studies have not clearly demonstrated the use of SRS in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in high Spetzler-Martin grade (IV-V) AVMs. Case Description We present a 48-year-old woman with DRE secondary to a Spetzler-Martin grade V cerebral AVM. She was treated with volume-staged SRS (VS-SRS) and achieved near-complete resolution of her seizures with incomplete obliteration of the AVM. Six years after treatment, she has experienced no serious complications. Conclusions VS-SRS successfully controlled seizures (Engel Outcome Measure of 1A) in a patient with intractable, DRE secondary to a high-grade cerebral AVM.
Plant remains and associated insects from the Millipede site (13ML361), a burned earthlodge in southwest Iowa

The Millipede site is a Nebraska variant (Central Plains tradition) lodge dating to ca. AD 1300. The structure had burned, preserving a rich array of plant remains and insects. Elm was the principa...
Abstract 281: Antihypertensive Pharmacotherapy Eligibility Based Upon the 2017 ACC/AHA High Blood Pressure Clinical Practice Guidelines Among Young Adults Prior to Myocardial Infarction

Introduction: A recent study showed that in a cohort of young adults with MI (age ≤ 50 years) most young adults would not have been eligible for primary prevention statin therapy prior to their myo...
Peripheral neuropathy in wild type transthyretin amyloidosis. (P1.438)

Objective: To examine the prevalence of neuropathy in patients diagnosed with wild type TTR amyloidosis (ATTRwt). Background: Patients with mutations in the transthyretin gene develop amyloidosis, with primarily peripheral neuropathy and cardiomyopathy, caused by extracellular deposition of abnormal protein fibrils. Currently, prevalence of ATTRwt is about 10–20% of patients with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction and is believed to primarily cause cardiomyopathy and not neuropathy. However, the prevalence of polyneuropathy in ATTRwt patients is unknown. Design/Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of 2 groups of patients. Group A consisted in 107 patients with ATTRwt followed by the Cardiology Department at Columbia University Medical Center. Group B consisted in 10 patients referred to the Neurology department with ATTRwt amyloidosis for evaluation of neuropathy. Data collected includes medical history, EMG reports, laboratory and skin biopsy results Results: Group A revealed 30.8% (n=33) patients with neuropathy symptoms. Specifically, age, gender, BMI, diabetes mellitus, B12 deficiency, and “back” disease did not differ between patients with and without neuropathy symptoms (p>0,05). Group B had 100%(n=10) of patients diagnosed with neuropathy, either by nerve conductions and EMG or skin biopsy for epidermal nerve fiber density, although 50% of patients had a presentation consistent with spine disease, 40% with sensorimotor polyneuropathy and 10% had a mixed picture. 75% of the patients that presented with neurological symptoms prior to cardiac symptoms were diagnosed with small fiber neuropathy and 20% of the patients in Group B have not presented with cardiac symptoms yet. Conclusions: Symptoms of peripheral neuropathy are common in patients with ATTRwt. Clinical presentation is sometimes masked by the history of spine disease and should be better evaluated. Some patients have neuropathy symptoms before the onset of cardiac symptoms. Further prospective studies, with objective outcomes of neuropathy are necessary to characterize the presence of neuropathy in this group. Disclosure: Dr. Wajnsztajn has nothing to disclose. Dr. Kim has nothing to disclose. Dr. Boehme has nothing to disclose. Dr. Maurer has nothing to disclose. Dr. Brannagan has received personal compensation for consulting, serving on a scientific advisory board, speaking, or other activities with Alnylam. Dr. Brannagan has received research support from Ionis, Alnylam.
Mapping the Intersections of Adolescents’ Ethnic-Racial Identity and Critical Consciousness

Ethnic racial identity and critical consciousness frame how youth of color understand themselves in their racialized worlds. Although both may be salient in the lives of youth of color, little work investigates how ethnic racial identity and critical consciousness development overlap to promote positive outcomes during adolescence. This theoretical paper contributes to this effort, providing an overview of research on both phenomena and mapping their potential areas of congruence. This article concludes with suggestions of how the two processes might influence one another to foster positive developmental outcomes among youth of color. This work urges researchers to examine the intersections of ethnic racial identity and critical consciousness processes among youth of color that can lead to a more holistic understanding of how youth of color draw upon these processes to resist and challenge racial marginalization, as well as navigate diverse sociopolitical contexts.
Accessible robotics and intelligent systems for social science undergraduates: poster session

In 2001, Wheaton implemented an innovative curriculum called Connections [5] where students enroll in pairs of linked courses that span disciplinary boundaries. We developed a course offering entitled Intelligent Systems, which will be linked with several Psychology courses (e.g., Consciousness, Comparative Animal Behavior) and a Sociology course. Intelligent Systems provides a rigorous introduction to robotics and surveys selected topics in artificial intelligence. Unlike the upper-level Computer Science courses in this area, this course is intended for non-major students.
Do Antibiotic-Impregnated Intramedullary Dowels Assist in Eradicating Infection in Total Knee Arthroplasty? Pro

Antibiotic-loaded bone cement (ALBC) spacer constructs for the treatment of periprosthetic joint infections of the knee continue to evolve from the original hockey puck designs. Countless techniques have since been described for augmentation of ALBC spacers with the use of intramedullary (IM) dowels. The use of IM dowels has become a vital addition to any knee spacer construct. ALBC IM dowels are an excellent vessel to provide targeted local antibiotic treatment to high-risk areas like the medullary canal while increasing the overall therapeutic antibiotic elution. In addition, IM dowels provide needed stabilization to the relatively unstable intra-articular spacer component, thereby reducing spacer-related complications like displacement and fracture. Therefore, we recommend regular use of IM dowel augmentation to ALBC spacer constructs.
Optimal price regulations in international pharmaceutical markets with generic competition.

Abstract In a two-country (home and foreign) model in which the home producer of a branded pharmaceutical product faces generic competition in each market, we analyze home's optimal policy choices regarding two major types of price regulations: external reference pricing (ERP) and direct price controls. Home's nationally optimal ERP policy lowers domestic price while maintaining the firm's export incentive. This ERP policy results in a negative international price spillover that the foreign country can (partly) offset via a local price control. Generic competition in either market reduces home's welfare gain from instituting an ERP policy. Weaker competition abroad or a greater weight on firm profits relative to consumer surplus in home's welfare function makes it more likely that home prefers an ERP policy to a price control. While international integration of national generic markets can improve welfare, such is not the case if it causes home to relax its ERP policy.
Promoting Academic Success

Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) comprise a large percentage of students receiving special education services in schools. Students with ASD have particular areas of need that may influence their academic and school success. In this chapter, we describe some of the reading, mathematics, and communication difficulties students with ASD may have in schools and provide an overview of effective strategies and interventions. Using an applied fictional case example, we highlight how interdisciplinary collaboration can be used within schools to maximize the success of all students with ASD.