cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mimetic Theory, Sacrifice, and The Iliad?

This essay strives to apply Girard’s mimetic theory to Homeric sacrifice scenes, poetic characterizations, and the plot of the Iliad. The theory is found to be wanting at the level of sacrifice scenes, and barely salient at the levels of poetic characterization and plot. On the whole, Girard’s theory of sacrifice is anachronistic for the Iliad, and the Iliad’s poetic characterizations, particularly of Achilles, defy the lack of interiority presumed by Girard’s mimetic theory. However, Girard’s discussion of our fascination with violence does resonate with the Homeric Weltanschauung, as well as with persistent themes in ancient Near Eastern literature and art.
Rube Goldberg Meets the Constitution: The Supreme Court, Technology and the Fourth Amendment

Rube's drawings depict absurdly-connected machines functioning in extremely complex and roundabout ways to produce a simple end result; because of this Rube Goldberg has become associated with any convoluted system of achieving a basic task... While most machines work to make difficult tasks simple, his inventions made simple tasks amazingly complex.
Tree leaf litter composition drives temporal variation in aquatic beetle colonization and assemblage structure in lentic systems

Tree leaf litter inputs to freshwater systems are a major resource and primary drivers of ecosystem processes and structure. Spatial variation in tree species distributions and forest composition control litter inputs across landscapes, but inputs to individual lentic habitat patches are determined by adjacent plant communities. In small, ephemeral, fishless ponds, resource quality and abundance can be the most important factor affecting habitat selection preferences of colonizing animals. We used a landscape of experimental mesocosms to assess how natural populations of aquatic beetles respond over time to variation in tree leaf litter composition (pine or hardwood). Patches with faster-decomposing hardwood leaf litter were initially colonized at higher rates than slower-decomposing pine pools by most species of Hydrophilidae, but this pattern reversed later in the experiment with higher colonization of pine pools by hydrophilids. Colonization did not differ between pine and hardwood for dytiscids and the small hydrophilid Paracymus, but there were distinct beetle assemblages between pine and hardwood patches both early and late in the experiment. Our data support the importance of patch quality and habitat selection as determinants of species abundances, richness, and community structure in freshwater aquatic systems, not only when new habitat patches are formed and initial conditions set, but as patches change due to interactions of processes such as decomposition with time.
The Newcomer Student: An Educator’s Guide to Aid Transitions by Louise H. Kreuzer: (2016). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 212 pp

Louise Kreuzer’s practitioner-oriented book tackles complex issues faced by U.S. teachers of refugee students. It covers the needs of refugees and other newcomers from their arrival, to social adju...
Automated and Rule-Based Pruning and Experimental Execution

The main features of the System Entity Structure, its specializations and aspects, as well as pruning and model generation have now been introduced. Such concepts provide a wealth and variety of potential hierarchical structures with which to tackle complex Systems of Systems problems. However, the rapidly growing combinatorial spaces that are set up by specialization and aspect selections can outstrip human capacity to do manual pruning. Accordingly, this chapter discusses automated pruning—concepts and tools for pruning that can reduce, and sometimes, eliminate, the manual pruning that is otherwise required. Enumerative pruning entirely eliminates manual pruning entirely but is restricted to small enough solution spaces. Random pruning samples from a large solution space to give a statistical picture of the space. Context-free and context-sensitive selection rules provide the ability to constrain the solution space to combinations that are more likely to meet your requirements. To conclude this chapter, we discuss a methodology and supporting concepts to create SES-based execution control of simulation models that lends itself to implementation on sequential computers as well as parallel and distributed platforms.
Social discomfort moderates the relationship between drinking in response to negative affect and solitary drinking in underage drinkers.

Abstract Objective Research shows that solitary drinking is associated with negative reinforcement motives (i.e., relieving negative affect). An untested hypothesis proposes that this association may be especially strong for individuals who experience social discomfort. This study aimed to 1) replicate findings linking solitary drinking to social discomfort (i.e., loneliness, social anxiety, and lack of perceived social support), alcohol problems, and drinking in response to negative affect (i.e., drinking to cope motives and inability to resist alcohol during negative affect), and 2) investigate whether greater social discomfort moderates the relationship between drinking in response to negative affect and solitary drinking in underage drinkers. Method Current alcohol drinkers ages 18 to 20 (N = 664) recruited from a TurkPrime panel reported the percentage of time they drank solitarily and completed measures assessing social discomfort, drinking in response to negative affect, and alcohol involvement. Structural equation modeling was used to test the moderation model. Results Results replicated prior literature supporting the first aim. For the second aim, analyses indicated a positive association between solitary drinking and drinking in response to negative affect across all individuals, but contrary to prediction, this relationship was stronger for individuals with lower, rather than higher, social discomfort. Conclusion Underage drinkers with lower, rather than higher, social discomfort appear to be at greater risk for drinking alone. These findings may inform our understanding of individuals at greatest risk for drinking alone and promote new avenues for intervention.
Right Gastroepiploic Artery Grafting: History and Operative Techniques

The right gastroepiploic artery has been used as a coronary artery bypass graft for almost 21 years, with excellent short termand long termresults and freedom from graft atherosclerosis. Despite this, it is underutilized, particularly in North America, and deserves further attention. The combination of pedicled internal thoracic artery grafts to the left coronary system and a pedicled right gastroepiploic artery graft to the right coronary system allows total arterial revascularization of the heart with three separate inflow sources and the avoidance of aortic manipulation. The right gastroepiploic artery should become the graft of choice for the posterior wall of the heart.
Data-adaptive harmonic analysis and modeling of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling

Abstract The solar wind-magnetosphere coupling is studied by new data-adaptive harmonic decomposition (DAHD) approach for the spectral analysis and inverse modeling of multivariate time observations of complex nonlinear dynamical systems. DAHD identifies frequency-based modes of interactions in the combined dataset of Auroral Electrojet (AE) index and solar wind forcing. The time evolution of these modes can be very efficiently simulated by using systems of stochastic differential equations (SDEs) that are stacked per frequency and formed by coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators. These systems of SDEs capture the modes' frequencies as well as their amplitude modulations, and yield, in turn, an accurate modeling of the AE index' statistical properties.
Violence transformed: Posttraumatic growth in survivors and their societies

Violence can be a catalyst for personal and social transformation. In this review, theory and research on processes that lead to posttraumatic growth are applied to survivors of violence. Certain kinds of rumination appear to lead to revision of fundamental schemas about the self, others, and the future. Revised schemas appear to survivors as personal growth that has occurred as a result of having to cope with their trauma, and this is incorporated into a personal narrative that gives meaning to the trauma and consolidates perceptions of growth. Survivors often report positive changes in identity, philosophy, and goals. Social transformations occur when survivors tell about their experiences and take other actions that enlighten others, obtain justice, and prevent recurrences of similar events.
Molecular Pathology of Plasma Cell Neoplasms

The plasma cell neoplasms are a heterogeneous category of disorders that are defined by a combination of clinical, pathologic, and radiologic criteria and range from the very indolent (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS)) to clinically aggressive, overt malignancies (such as plasma cell leukemia). The majority of the molecular pathology literature in plasma cell neoplasms has focused on plasma cell myeloma (PCM). However, the molecular abnormalities identified in PCM are not unique to this disorder, and may also be found in other plasma cell neoplasms, such as plasma cell leukemia or solitary plasmacytomas. For this reason, molecular studies do not assist in the classification of plasma cell neoplasms. Once a diagnosis of PCM is ascertained, however, molecular studies may be very helpful in assessing a patient’s prognosis. Several molecular abnormalities have been shown to be of prognostic significance in patients treated with standard chemotherapy, or with high dose chemotherapy and single or tandem bone marrow (BM) transplants. Through an assessment for the molecular abnormalities described in this chapter, patients with PCM may be divided into those with “high-risk” or “standard-risk” disease, and risk-stratified treatment regimens may therefore be possible. It must be kept in mind, however, that therapeutic regimens for patients with PCM continue to evolve, with the introduction of immunomodulatory agents, such as thalidomide and its derivatives and other novel agents such as bortezomib. Whether the molecular abnormalities described below maintain their prognostic significance in the face of these new therapeutic options remains to be determined.
THE FIRST DECADE OF X-RAY ASTRONOMY - A PERSONAL VIEW

One of the hallmarks of 20th century science has been the ability of investigators to carry instruments to high altitudes in order to minimize the effect of the atmosphere on incoming radiation. Even in the 19th century, the process of establishing observatories on mountain tops had begun. Early in the 20th century instruments carried in balloons led to the discovery of cosmic rays and for the first time sensed astronomical phenomena by means other than ordinary optical radiation (or the second if meteorites are included). Phenomena associated with radio waves also greatly expanded the scope of scientific investigation. The study of the long distance propagation of radio waves led directly to the discovery of the ionosphere and the speculation that large fluxes of ionizing radiation were produced in the sun. In 1932, investigations dictated by the needs of the communications industry led to the discovery of cosmic radio waves, yet another means of studying astronomical phenomena.
Virtual Infrastructure at Traffic Lights: Vehicular Temporary Storage Assisted Data Transportation at Signalized Intersections

In this correspondence, we propose to exploit vehicles waiting at red lights as virtual network infrastructure, for communication, computing, and storage, based on the observation that there always exists a direction getting red lights at signalized intersections. To illustrate our idea, we study how those vehicles stopping at red lights can be utilized as vehicular temporary storage (VTS) to create more contact opportunities between vehicles at signalized intersections and facilitate timely data transportation. We design a VTS-assisted data transportation scheme through Markov decision processes and demonstrate its effectiveness via simulations.
ALGEBRAIC REALIZATION FOR CYCLIC GROUP ACTIONS WITH ONE ISOTROPY TYPE

Suppose G is a cyclic group and M a closed smooth G-manifold with exactly one isotropy type. We will show that there is a nonsingular real algebraic G-variety X such that X is equivariantly diffeomorphic to M and all G-vector bundles over X are strongly algebraic.
Votes, Vetoes, Voice, and Exit: Constitutional Protections in the Work of James M. Buchanan and Vincent Ostrom

James M. Buchanan’s and Vincent Ostrom’s contributions to the field of Constitutional Political Economy spanned 60+ years as they explored how individuals come together in democratic societies to design social decision processes capable of protecting individual liberty. This chapter examines a set of rules frequently associated with such protective processes—votes, vetoes, voice, and exit—in order to compare how these scholars’ approaches to constitutional choice overlapped and where their perspectives differed slightly. It concludes with an examination of their treatments of US federalism and their concerns for the future viability of this institutional form.
Host Control of Tumor Feeding: Autophagy Holds the Key

Cancer cells are dependent on functional autophagy both within their cytoplasm and systemically in the host to maintain growth. How systemic autophagy directly contributes to tumor growth remains unclear. In a study published in Nature, Poillet-Perez et al. (2018) show that host autophagy helps to maintain the levels of circulating arginine that feed tumor growth.
Noncoding RNAs in cardiovascular diseases

Purpose of reviewHuman genome is pervasively transcribed, producing coding and noncoding RNAs. Recent studies have revealed the roles of a class of noncoding RNAs, the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), in heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases. This review provides a brief summary of recent fi
Gastrointestinal neuroimmune disruption in a mouse model of Gulf War illness.

Gulf War illness (GWI) is a chronic multisymptom disorder that is prominent in Gulf War veterans. Major unexplained symptoms of GWI include functional gastrointestinal disorders and undiagnosed illnesses, including neurologic disorders. Exposure to the antinerve gas drug pyridostigmine bromide (PB) is linked to the development of GWI, but the exact mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we tested the hypothesis that PB alters gut function by disrupting the neural and immune systems of the intestine. We exposed male and female mice to physiologically comparable amounts of PB that match the dose, route, and time frame of exposure experienced by Gulf War veterans and assessed the acute and chronic impacts on gastrointestinal functions, the functional architecture of the enteric nervous system, and immune responses in the gut and brain. Exposure to PB drove acute alterations to colonic motility and structure in both male and female mice that transitioned to chronic changes in gut functions. PB drove acute alterations to enteric neural and glial activity, glial reactivity, and neuron survival with glial reactivity persisting into the chronic phase in male mice. Despite having no effect on colonic permeability, exposure to PB caused major shifts in the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the colon and brain that suggest immunosuppressive effects. Interestingly, immune disruption was still evident in the colon and brain in female animals at 1 mo following exposure to PB. Together, our results show that the paradigm of PB exposure experienced by veterans of the Persian Gulf War contributes to long-lasting pathophysiology by driving enteric neuroinflammation, promoting immunosuppression, and altering functional anatomy of the colon in a sex-dependent manner.-Hernandez, S., Fried, D. E., Grubisic, V., McClain, J. L., Gulbransen, B. D. Gastrointestinal neuroimmune disruption in a mouse model of Gulf War illness.
Systems Metabolic Engineering Meets Machine Learning: A New Era for Data-Driven Metabolic Engineering.

The recent increase in high-throughput capacity of 'omics datasets combined with advances and interest in machine learning (ML) have created great opportunities for systems metabolic engineering. In this regard, data-driven modeling methods have become increasingly valuable to metabolic strain design. In this review, the nature of 'omics is discussed and a broad introduction to the ML algorithms combining these datasets into predictive models of metabolism and metabolic rewiring is provided. Next, this review highlights recent work in the literature that utilizes such data-driven methods to inform various metabolic engineering efforts for different classes of application including product maximization, understanding and profiling phenotypes, de novo metabolic pathway design, and creation of robust system-scale models for biotechnology. Overall, this review aims to highlight the potential and promise of using ML algorithms with metabolic engineering and systems biology related datasets.
Surface-mediated reactions. 5. Oxidation of sulfides, sulfoxides, and alkenes with tert-butyl hydroperoxide

Abstract Silica gel mediates the reactivity of (CH3)3COOH, affording a convenient, environmentally benign method for oxidizing sulfides, sulfoxides, and alkenes. Electrophilic oxidation of sulfides and alkenes (Scheme 1A) and nucleophilic oxidation of sulfoxides (Scheme 1B) are apparently involved. Basic alumina mediates the oxidation of sulfoxides.
Educational Benefits for Veterans: The Post-9/11 GI Bill.

The Post-9/11 GI Bill provides educational assistance to veterans and certain dependents. Veterans have had educational benefits provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs since World War II, b...
Capital Budgeting and Improvement Process

Capital budgeting plays a vitally important role in the overall budgetary activities of a government. In some ways, it can be considered much more important than the routine operations of a government; because of the impact, these activities have on long-term economic growth and development of an economy. The activities, commonly referred to as improvement activities, involve investments in capital assets such as roads, bridges, highways, land, buildings, vehicles, equipment, physical plants, and so forth. The level and the quality of capital assets in a government and how well they are maintained indicate how well an economy is performing. In general, the better the condition of capital assets the stronger is the economy. Understanding the characteristics of a capital budget and, more important, the process that underlies these activities is important to understand what makes capital budgeting so unique and different from the operating budget and why it is necessary to have a separate capital budget, as most state and local governments do. The chapter has twofold objectives: One, to provide a brief discussion of the characteristics of a capital budget, types of capital assets a government maintains, and the relationship between a capital budget and long-term planning; two, to provide an at length discussion of the capital budgeting process which, like an operating budget, is complex, detailed, and often time-consuming. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of the impact a capital budget has on the operating budget.
Addressing Coronary Artery Anatomy and Disease in Adult Congenital Heart Lesions

In the northern hemisphere, there is compelling evidence for climate-related advances of spring events, but no such long-term biological time series exist for the southern hemisphere. We have studied a unique data set of dates of first arrival and laying of first eggs over a 55-year period for the entire community of Antarctic seabirds in East Antarctica. The records over this long period show a general unexpected tendency toward later arrival and laying, an inverse trend to those observed in the northern hemisphere. Overall, species now arrive at their colonies 9.1 days later, on average, and lay eggs an average of 2.1 days later than in the early 1950s. Furthermore, these delays are linked to a decrease in sea ice extent that has occurred in eastern Antarctica, which underlies the contrasted effects of global climate change on species in Antarctica.
Olanzapine as an Adjunct in the Management of Refractory Psychogenic Excoriation With Comorbid Schizophrenia: A Case Report.

Neurotic or psychogenic excoriation (PE) is one of the most commonly diagnosed skin disorders associated with a primary psychiatric condition. PE is characterized by excessive picking and scratching of normal-appearing skin, and is often comorbid or is an inherent manifestation of affective disturbance and psychosis itself in schizophrenia. Evidence in the literature has demonstrated the therapeutic efficacy of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) in treating PE. Other pharmacological treatments that have shown therapeutic benefits in case reports include doxepin, clomipramine, naltrexone, pimozide, and olanzapine. However, using adjunct therapeutic methods or augmentation in the treatment of neurogenic excoriation in the setting of schizophrenia is still not well explored. In this study, we discuss the case of a 59-year-old medically complex paraplegic male with schizophrenia comorbid with severe refractory PE. The patient had poor adherence to psychopharmacological treatment. Consequently, the patient was repeatedly hospitalized due to acute exacerbations of schizophrenic episodes and self-mutilation due to PE. After several failed treatment approaches, olanzapine 10 mg PO BID was added as an adjunct therapy to the Haldol® Decanoate (Janssen Pharmaceutica, Beerse, Belgium) at a dosage of 100 mg/month intramuscularly to control the acute PE symptoms. This treatment modality proved successful in this case, and the patient has been free from PE relapse for over one year of close follow-up. Olanzapine along with Haldol Decanoate long-acting injectable (LAI), might, therefore, be a useful adjunct therapeutic modality for patients with refractory PE with a comorbid diagnosis of schizophrenia and warrants further research.
Dynamic Physician-patient Matching in the Healthcare System

Long waiting time has attracted public attention significantly due to the negative effects on patients’ satisfaction with health systems. In the United States, waiting time of a patient to see a physician for the first time has been increased by 30% since 2014. This is in part due to the ineffective allocation between physicians and patients, and in part due to growing population needing healthcare and the restriction introduced by insurance policies. There is an urgent need to develop matching mechanisms with the consideration of preferences from both patients and physicians to improve matching results. This paper presents a new allocation framework between physicians and patients to shorten the patient waiting time as well as improve the allocation effectiveness. We leverage the matching theory and extend the conventional deferred acceptance algorithm to a discrete-time stable marriage framework (i.e., discrete deferred acceptance algorithm, DDA) with the consideration of uncertainty constraints introduced by insurance types. We benchmark our proposed algorithm with the current practice (i.e., continuous deferred acceptance scheme, CDA) under different scenarios when the demand-supply ratio (DSR) varies. Experimental results show that when the DSR is more than 1.25, DDA outperforms traditional CDA practices in terms of waiting time and matching regret. The proposed framework shows strong potential to tackle the problem of long waiting time in the healthcare system.
Comprehensive Model-Driven Complexity Metrics for Software Systems

Measuring software complexity is key in managing the software lifecycle and in controlling its maintenance. While there are well-established and comprehensive metrics to measure the complexity of the software code, assessment of the complexity of software designs remains elusive. Moreover, there are no clear guidelines to help software designers chose alternatives that reduce design complexity, improve design comprehensibility, and improve the maintainability of the software. This paper outlines a language independent approach to measuring software design complexity using objective and deterministic metrics. The paper outlines the metrics for two major software design notations; UML Class Diagrams and UML State Machines. The approach is based on the analysis of the design elements and their mutual interactions. The approach can be extended to cover other UML design notations.
A New Technique for Century-Scale Wind Component Indices

Advancing the understanding of how variations in the climate over the ocean influences the weather over the U.S. can be aided by developing marine climatic indices. Herein, wind component indices are developed using nearly 125 years of wind observations from ships. A new technique using probability density functions for the values of meridional and zonal wind components is developed to create indices for a user-selected region and accumulation interval (e.g., annual, seasonal) over a climatological period. The index is a measure of the shift in the likelihood of values above or below a threshold for a given season or year as compared to the long-term (e.g., 125 year) probability distribution. The new index method is demonstrated using ship-based wind observations for select regions of the Atlantic Ocean. Ship observations are extracted from release 3.0.0 of the International Comprehensive Ocean-Atmosphere Data Set. Prior to index creation, an assessment of wind data quality is completed, and suspect observations are removed. The method to create a probabilistic wind component index is described along with a metric of the uncertainty in the calculated index. Two wind component indices, for regions in the north Atlantic and eastern Gulf of Mexico, are presented to demonstrate the technique. Using the Gulf of Mexico index as a case study, we compare the wind component indices to precipitation measured over the Gulf coastal states and identify several relationships between multi-year changes in winds in the eastern Gulf of Mexico and precipitation on a seasonal basis. Exploring the spatiotemporal patterns of the onshore/offshore component wind indices derived from seasonal wind forecasts could provide a metric for future prediction of seasonal or annual precipitation to support the agricultural sector. The index method demonstrated can be applied to other spatiotemporal regions for different parameters and using other source datasets.
Lymph node positivity and association with long-term survival for different histologies of appendiceal cancer.

BACKGROUND Appendiceal cancers represent a diverse group of malignancies with varying biological behavior. The significance of lymph node metastases in relation to long-term survival and chemotherapy response is poorly defined. METHODS The National Cancer Database was queried to find patients diagnosed with appendiceal cancer from 1998 to 2012. Kaplan-Meier curves and multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to study the association between lymph node status and overall survival. Stage IV patients were excluded. RESULTS The rate of nodal positivity of the 9841 patients with known node status was: signet ring 47.4%, carcinoid 42.3%, nonmucinous adenocarcinoma 28.8%, goblet cell 21.9%, and mucinous adenocarcinoma 20.4%. Node-positive patients had worse long-term survival for all subtypes with the exception of carcinoid tumors (p < 0.001). The strongest association was for signet cell and goblet cell. Adjuvant chemotherapy in node-positive patients improved survival for mucinous, nonmucinous, and signet ring cell histology (p < 0.01), but not for goblet cell. CONCLUSIONS Nodal involvement in patients with appendiceal cancer varies in incidence, association with adverse survival, and response to systemic therapy. Individualized treatment algorithms for the management of the subtypes of appendiceal cancer are needed.
Inhaled β2 Adrenergic Agonists and Other cAMP-Elevating Agents: Therapeutics for Alveolar Injury and Acute Respiratory Disease Syndrome?

Inhaled long-acting β-adrenergic agonists (LABAs) and short-acting β-adrenergic agonists are approved for the treatment of obstructive lung disease via actions mediated by β2 adrenergic receptors (β2-ARs) that increase cellular cAMP synthesis. This review discusses the potential of β2-AR agonists, in particular LABAs, for the treatment of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We emphasize ARDS induced by pneumonia and focus on the pathobiology of ARDS and actions of LABAs and cAMP on pulmonary and immune cell types. β2-AR agonists/cAMP have beneficial actions that include protection of epithelial and endothelial cells from injury, restoration of alveolar fluid clearance, and reduction of fibrotic remodeling. β2-AR agonists/cAMP also exert anti-inflammatory effects on the immune system by actions on several types of immune cells. Early administration is likely critical for optimizing efficacy of LABAs or other cAMP-elevating agents, such as agonists of other Gs-coupled G protein–coupled receptors or cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Clinical studies that target lung injury early, prior to development of ARDS, are thus needed to further assess the use of inhaled LABAs, perhaps combined with inhaled corticosteroids and/or long-acting muscarinic cholinergic antagonists. Such agents may provide a multipronged, repurposing, and efficacious therapeutic approach while minimizing systemic toxicity. Significance Statement Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) after pulmonary alveolar injury (e.g., certain viral infections) is associated with ∼40% mortality and in need of new therapeutic approaches. This review summarizes the pathobiology of ARDS, focusing on contributions of pulmonary and immune cell types and potentially beneficial actions of β2 adrenergic receptors and cAMP. Early administration of inhaled β2 adrenergic agonists and perhaps other cAMP-elevating agents after alveolar injury may be a prophylactic approach to prevent development of ARDS.
Hypnosis and Memory

Judicial opinions about the legal admissibility of hypnosis are mixed, although the majority of states have ruled that hypnotically elicited recall is per se inadmissible. Skpeticism about hypnosis has arisen from the facts that hypnosis: (a) increases the sheer volume of recall, with a tradeoff of inaccurate memories that often more than negates any increase in accurate memories; (b) increases recall confidence independent of recall accuracy. Although research generally supports per se admissibility rulings, it is not firmly established that hypnosis increases resistance to cross-examination, and misleading questions can compromise recall to an equal or greater extent than hypnosis. Keywords: hypnosis; memory; suggestion; confidence; cross-examination
Emerging ideas and people: The structural impact of the small refiner bias: An econometric analysis

Abstract The Small Refiner Bias (SRB) provided subsidies to smaller refiners under the federal oil entitlements program from 1973 to 1981. The program led to a proliferation of smaller refineries between 1973 and 1981. When the program ended in 1981, 110 of 282 refineries closed, but capacity fell by only 11 percent. A logit model of the industry shake-out is presented. Refinery capacity, growth between 1973 and 1981, and whether the refinery started production after 1973 were significantly correlated with the probability of closing. The author concludes that the SRB program provided strong incentives for inefficient production.
Suicidal behavior in psychiatric emergency room patients

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric emergency room (ER) patients are thought to be at increased risk of suicide. The prevalence and characteristics of suicidal behavior in a recent sample of patients who came to the ER for psychiatric evaluation were examined. METHODS: Charts of 311 consecutive psychiatric ER patients were reviewed. Suicidal behavior was considered present if current suicidal ideation or attempts within 24 hours of or during the emergency evaluation were noted in the chart. RESULTS: Suicidal behavior was present in 38% of the psychiatric ER patients. Younger age, white race, affective disorders in female patients, and substance abuse disorders in male patients were features of the suicidal group. Sex of the patient was not associated with suicidal behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Suicidal behavior is prevalent in the psychiatric ER. Effective suicide prevention in this setting will hinge on finding more specific risk factors. Language: en
Haze in beverages

Beverages such as beer, wine, clear fruit juices, teas, and formulated products with similar ingredients are generally expected by consumers to be clear (free of turbidity) and to remain so during the normal shelf life of the product. Hazy products are often regarded as defective and perhaps even potentially harmful. Since consumers are usually more certain of what they perceive visually than of what they taste or smell, the development of haze in a clear product can reduce the likelihood of repeat purchasing of a product and can have serious economic consequences to a producer. Hazes are caused by suspended insoluble particles of colloidal or larger size that can be perceived visually or by instruments. Hazes in clear beverages can arise from a number of causes, but are most often due to protein-polyphenol interaction. The nature of protein-polyphenol interaction and its effect on haze particles, analysis of haze constituents, and stabilization of beverages against haze formation are reviewed.
A comparison of different window formulations for two-dimensional FIR filter design

Two-dimensional windows are generally derived by beginning with a one-dimensional window as a prototype and either rotating that window in the 2-D plane to produce a window with a round region of support or forming the outer product of that window with itself to produce a window with a square region of support. In this paper we present a comparison of results obtained using these two window formulations for 2-D FIR filter design. Design formulas are produced for estimating filter order for a given set of frequency domain specifications when a one-dimensional Kaiser window is used as the prototype window. The results suggest some interesting differences from the one-dimensional case.
Topologically invariant methods in document image analysis

One of the main tasks of digital image analysis is to recognize the properties of real objects based on their digital images. These images are obtained by some sampling device, like a CCD camera, and are represented as finite sets of points that are assigned some value in a gray-level or color scale. A fundamental question in image understanding is which features in the digital image correspond, under a given set of conditions, to certain properties of the underlying objects. In many practical applications this question is answered empirically by visually inspecting the digital images. In this paper, a mathematically comprehensive answer is presented to this question with respect to topological properties. In particular, conditions are derived relating properties of real objects to the grid size of the sampling device which guarantee that a real object and its digital image are topologically equivalent. Moreover, we prove that a topology preserving digitization must result in well-composed or strongly connected sets. Consequently, only certain local neighborhoods are realizable for such a digitization. Using the derived topological model of a well-composed digital image, we demonstrate the effectiveness of this model with respect to the digitization, thresholding, correction, and compression of digital document images.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
14 C activity of dissolved organic carbon fractions in the north-central Pacific and Sargasso Sea

RADIOCARBON measurements of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) oxidizable by ultraviolet irradiation (DOCuv) yielded apparent ages of ∼6,000 yr in the deep waters of the oligotrophic north-central Pacific gyre1. Recent reports of a potentially larger pool of DOC as measured by high-temperature catalytic combustion (DOChtc) using discrete injections of sea water2,3 have led to speculation that 'younger', more recently produced DOC could contribute significantly to overall oceanic organic carbon fluxes, owing to its suspected greater biological lability4–6. Here we present a comparison ofΔ14C (the deviation in parts per thousand from the 14C activity of nineteenth-century wood)7 of the DOChtc, DOCuv and humic substances in profiles from the oligotrophic north-central Pacific and Sargasso Sea. For each ocean, the Δ14C values of all three fractions are remarkably similar, yielding no evidence for a component of DOC that is cycled through the system on timescales shorter than several thousands of years. We observe an age difference between the two oceans of ∼ 2,000 yr for the deepest DOC, which can largely be accounted for by differences in the Δ14C of the DOC sources to the deep basins, and by the different deep-water circulation patterns and transit times in the two oceans.
Homeodomain containing protein HOXB9 regulates expression of growth and angiogenic factors, facilitates tumor growth in vitro and is overexpressed in breast cancer tissue

HOXB9 is a homeobox-containing gene and is critical for the development of mammary gland and sternum. HOXB9 is also regulated by estrogen and is critical for angiogenesis. We investigated the biochemical roles of HOXB9 and its homeodomain in cell-cycle progression and tumorigenesis. Our studies demonstrated that HOXB9 is overexpressed in breast cancer tissue. HOXB9 overexpression stimulated 3D formation in soft agar assay. HOXB9 binds to the promoters of various tumor growth and angiogenic factors and regulates their expression. The homeodomain of HOXB9 plays crucial roles in transcriptional regulation of tumor growth factors and also in 3D colony formation, indicating crucial roles of the HOXB9 homeodomain in tumorigenesis. Overall, we demonstrated that HOXB9 is a critical regulator of tumor growth factors and is associated with tumorigenesis.
Distinct responses of splenic dendritic cell subsets to infection with Listeria monocytogenes: Maturation phenotype, level of infection, and T cell priming capacity ex vivo

To determine the relative contributions of DC subsets in the development of protective immunity to Listeria monocytogenes we examined the relationship between maturation, bacterial burden, and T cell priming capacity of four well characterized subsets of splenic DC following infection with Lm. CD8α(+), CD4(+), and CD8α(-)CD4(-) DC and the B220(+) plasmacytoid DC (pDC) were compared for abundance and costimulatory molecule expression at 24, 48, and 72h post i.v. infection. We further determined the bacterial burden associated with each DC subset and their relative capacities to prime CD8(+) T cells at 24hpi. The CD8α(+) DC displayed the highest level of maturation, association with live bacteria, and T cell activation potential. Second, the CD4(+) DC were also mature, yet were associated with fewer bacteria, and stimulated T cell proliferation, but not IFN-γ production. The CD8α(-)CD4(-) DC showed a modest maturation response and were associated with a high number of bacteria, but failed to induce T cell proliferation ex vivo. pDC displayed a strong maturation response, but were not associated with detectable bacteria and also failed to stimulate T cell activation. Finally, we measured the cytokine responses in these subsets and determined that IL-12 was produced predominantly by the CD8(+) DC, correlating with the ability of this subset DC to induce IFN-γ production in T cells. We conclude that Listeria-specific CD8(+) T cell activation in the spleen is most effectively achieved by infection-induced maturation of the CD8α(+) DC subset.
Hyperglycemic and Hyperlipidemic Conditions Alter Cardiac Cell Biomechanical Properties

Currently, many diabetic cardiomyopathy (DC) studies focus on either in vitro molecular pathways or in vivo whole-heart properties such as ejection fraction. However, as DC is primarily a disease caused by changes in structural and functional properties, such studies may not precisely identify the influence of hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemia in producing specific cellular changes, such as increased myocardial stiffness or diastolic dysfunction. To address this need, we developed an in vitro approach to examine how structural and functional properties may change as a result of a diabetic environment. Particle-tracking microrheology was used to characterize the biomechanical properties of cardiac myocytes and fibroblasts under hyperglycemia or hyperlipidemic conditions. We showed that myocytes, but not fibroblasts, exhibited increased stiffness under diabetic conditions. Hyperlipidemia, but not hyperglycemia, led to increased cFos expression. Although direct application of reactive oxygen species had only limited effects that altered myocyte properties, the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine had broader effects in limiting glucose or fatty-acid alterations. Changes consistent with clinical DC alterations occur in cells cultured in elevated glucose or fatty acids. However, the individual roles of glucose, reactive oxygen species, and fatty acids are varied, suggesting multiple pathway involvement.
Use of Image-Guided Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Lieu of Intracavitary Brachytherapy for the Treatment of Inoperable Endometrial Neoplasia

Purpose Retrospective analysis of patients with invasive endometrial neoplasia who were treated with external beam radiation therapy followed by stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) boost because of the inability to undergo surgery or brachytherapy. Methods and Materials We identified 11 women with stage I-III endometrial cancer with a median age of 78 years that were not candidates for hysterectomy or intracavitary brachytherapy secondary to comorbidities (91%) or refusal (9%). Eight patients were American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage I (3 stage IA, 5 stage IB), and 3 patients were AJCC stage III. Patients were treated to a median of 4500 cGy at 180 cGy per fraction followed by SBRT boost (600 cGy per fraction × 5). Results The most common side effect was acute grade 1 gastrointestinal toxicity in 73% of patients, with no late toxicities observed. With a median follow-up of 10 months since SBRT, 5 patients (45%) experienced locoregional disease progression, with 3 patients (27%) succumbing to their malignancy. At 12 and 18 months from SBRT, the overall freedom from progression was 68% and 41%, respectively. Overall freedom from progression (FFP) was 100% for all patients with AJCC stage IA endometrial carcinoma, whereas it was 33% for stage IB at 18 months. The overall FFP was 100% for International Federation of Obstetrics and Gynecology grade 1 disease. The estimated overall survival was 57% at 18 months from diagnosis. Conclusion In this study, SBRT boost to the intact uterus was feasible, with encouragingly low rates of acute and late toxicity, and favorable disease control in patients with early-stage disease. Additional studies are needed to provide better insight into the best management of these clinically challenging cases.
The Angular Ordering in Soft-Gluon Emission

The way to evaluate multi-parton cross-sections systematically is discussed. In the leading-double-log approximation in QCD, the successive emission of soft gluons is at successively smaller angles. The angular ordering, however, is violated in the next-to-leading order.
Improved liquid chromatography-MS/MS of heparan sulfate oligosaccharides via chip-based pulsed makeup flow.

Microfluidic chip-based hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) is a useful separation system for liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) in compositional profiling of heparan sulfate (HS) oligosaccharides; however, ions observed using HILIC LC-MS are low in charge. Tandem MS of HS oligosaccharide ions with low charge results in undesirable losses of SO3 from precursor ions during collision induced dissociation. One solution is to add metal cations to stabilize sulfate groups. Another is to add a non-volatile, polar compound such as sulfolane, a molecule known to supercharge proteins, to produce a similar effect for oligosaccharides. We demonstrate use of a novel pulsed make-up flow (MUF) HPLC-chip. The chip enables controlled application of additives during specified chromatographic time windows and thus minimizes the extent to which non-volatile additives build up in the ion source. The pulsed MUF system was applied to LC-MS/MS of HS oligosaccharides. Metal cations and sulfolane were tested as additives. The most promising results were obtained for sulfolane, for which supercharging of the oligosaccharide ions increased their signal strengths relative to controls. Tandem MS of these supercharged precursor ions showed decreased abundances of product ions from sulfate losses yet more abundant product ions from backbone cleavages.
Early identification of risk factors for sudden cardiac death

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a global health issue. The unexpected nature of this devastating condition compounds the urgency of discovering methods for early detection of risk, which will lead to more effective prevention. However, the complex and dynamic nature of SCD continues to present a considerable challenge for the early identification of risk factors. Measurement of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) is currently the only major risk factor used for stratification in clinical practice. Severely decreased LVEF is likely to manifest late in the natural history of SCD, however, and may only affect a small subgroup of patients who will suffer SCD. A growing body of literature describes novel risk markers and predictors of SCD, such as high-risk phenotypes, genetic variants and biomarkers. This Review will discuss the potential utility of these markers as early identifiers of risk, and suggests a framework for the conduct of future studies for the discovery, validation, and deployment of novel SCD risk factors.
Delamination and Debonding of Materials

The general topics consist of stress analysis, mechanical behavior, and fractography/NDI of composite laminates. Papers are presented on a dynamic hybrid finite-element analysis for interfacial cracks in composites, energy release rate during delamination crack growth in composite laminates, matrix deformation and fracture in graphite-reinforced epoxies, and the role of delamination and damage development on the strength of thick notched laminates. In addition, consideration is given to a new ply model for interlaminar stress analysis, a fracture mechanics approach for designing adhesively bonded joints, the analysis of local delaminations and their influence on composite laminate behavior, and moisture and temperature effects on the mixed-mode delamination fracture of unidirectional graphite/epoxy.