cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU‐GG‐T‐515: The Influence of Longitudinal CT Resolution on Target Delineation and Treatment Planning for Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Purpose: To investigate the effect of longitudinal CT resolution on target delineation and treatment planning in stereotactic radiosurgery(SRS) to determine optimal acquisition parameters for SRS simulation. Method and Materials:CTimages for 6 SRSbrain patients were acquired and image sets were retrospectively reconstructed with 1, 2 and 3mm slice thicknesses. In total, 9 lesions were contoured 3 times each to quantify intra‐observer variability. The volumes contoured on the 2mm scan were the designated reference consistent with current clinical protocol. Variation in GTV with different CT slice thicknesses was evaluated. Additionally, treatment plans were created and optimized using the 2mm scans. Superimposing these plans on the 1mm and 3mm image sets provided a basis for dosimetric comparison—specifically in terms of target coverage. Results: All of the 3mm GTVs were larger than the 2mm GTVs. However, this consistent overestimation in the GTV was not observed at 1mm, suggesting that the 1mm and 2mm scans produced comparable GTVs. The average % difference in GTV volume when compared to the 2mm scans was 4.6% higher for the 3mm versus 1mm scans. Increasing CT slice thickness from 1 to 3mm caused an increase in the intra‐observer variation; volume standard deviations increased up to 51%. The intra‐observer variation also increased at larger tumor volumes. Average standard deviations (SD) in GTV extent were 0.14, 0.11 and 0.14cm in the sup‐inf, ant‐post, and lat dimensions, respectively, implying no directional dependence in target delineation. Dosimetrically, variations in GTV resulted up to a 19% loss in PTV dose coverage. Conclusion: This study indicates that longitudinal CT resolution causes considerable variation in GTV definition which can potentially compromise SRS treatment plan quality. Therefore, the SRS simulation process may benefit from improvement in scanning parameters in order to yield the most accurate information on the CT dataset.
The Corsi Block-Tapping Task: Methodological and Theoretical Considerations

The Corsi block-tapping task has enjoyed extensive use in clinical and experimental studies for a quarter of a century and is arguably the single most important nonverbal task in neuropsychological research. Nevertheless, there has been considerable inconsistency not only in the administration and scoring of this measure, but also in the physical properties of the test apparatus. In this paper, we survey a wide range of studies that have made use of the block-tapping task during the past 25 years and provide a detailed appraisal of the manifold methodological variations. Additionally, we discuss the historical context in which the Corsi originated and offer a critical examination of the cognitive processing operations purported to underlie performance on this task.
Hubble space telescope observations of the 1990 equatorial disturbance on Saturn: Zonal winds and central Meridian albedos

The present comparison of two sets of HST data from August and November 1990 with Voyager 1 and 2 data acquired in 1980 and 1981 gives attention to Saturn's equatorial-region disturbance of September 1990. Longitudinal variations in the equatorial zonal winds are interpreted as evidence for interaction between the storm nucleus that was generated during the disturbance and the local wind field.
Quantum dense coding with atomic qubits.

PACS numbers: 03.67.Lx, 32.80.Qk Quantum dense coding [1] enables the communication of two bits of classical information with the transmission of one quantum bit or ‘‘qubit’’ (two-level quantum system). Two parties, Alice and Bob, each hold one qubit of a maximally entangled pair that has been previously prepared and distributed. With this starting point, Bob applies one of four possible unitary operations (each identified with the states of two classical bits) to his qubit and sends it to Alice. Alice then performs a Bell measurement [2] of both qubits; the outcomes of these measurements tell her which of the four operations Bob applied and the corresponding two-bit classical number. Some of the elements of this protocol were first demonstrated in optics, where the qubit states were represented by a photon’s states of polarization [3]. The protocol was also simulated in nuclear magnetic resonance using temporal averaging [4]. Dense coding has been investigated theoretically [5‐7] and experimentally [8,9] in the context of continuous variables. It has also been considered for more than two entangled bits [10 ‐14] or entangled degrees of freedom [15], but here we limit our discussion to the case of two qubits.
Coping with writing apprehension

Abstract Students with high writing apprehension (WA) were exposed or not exposed to visualization (a procedure designed to encourage positive thinking). Those exposed to visualization reported enjoying writing more than those who were not trained to visualize, both immediately and over time. The paper ends with a discussion of these and other results.
SHATTERING THE INSTRUMENTAL-EXPRESSIVE MYTH The Power of Women's Networks in Corporate-Government Affairs

Women in corporate-government affairs are involved in work networks at all levels; yet, there are significant differences in the character of ties by gender. This article challenges claims that women's work connections are not instrumental, and hence not powerful, relative to men's. The author argues that, although limited, women are in key positions to influence business-government relations and their own situations.
Analysis and design of a linear array of electromagnetically coupled microstrip patches

Analysis and design procedures are presented for an array of patches that are coupled electromagnetically by means of microstrip line sections embedded within the substrate. Such an array has a simple feed mechanism, with only the first and last patches fed actively or terminated with a load. In the design procedure the geometry of the embedded line sections is determined in order to excite a specified set of patch currents and produce a specified pattern. A four-element array having a uniform amplitude taper and a 45 degrees beam was designed and built. >
Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Treatment of Small Renal Tumors with Irreversible Electroporation: A Single-Center Experience

Abstract Purpose To evaluate whether irreversible electroporation (IRE) can be used as an ablation technique for small renal tumors (T1a cancers or small benign tumors) and to describe features after ablation on computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Materials and Methods In this retrospective study, 20 patients (mean age, 65 y ± 12.8 y) underwent CT-guided IRE of T1a renal carcinoma (n = 13) or small benign or indeterminate renal masses Results Technical success was achieved in all patients (100%); there were no major procedure-related complications. Minor complications occurred in 7 patients, including self-limiting perinephric hematomas, pain difficult to control, and urinary retention. Mean procedure time was 2.0 hours ± 0.7. At 6 weeks, 2 patients required salvage therapy because of incomplete ablation. At 6 months, all 15 patients with imaging studies available had no evidence of recurrence. At 1 year, 1 patient (1 of 6) was noted to have experienced recurrence. CT/MR imaging after IRE ablation demonstrated an area of nonenhancement in the treatment zone that involuted over ~6 months. Conclusions Renal IRE appears to be a safe treatment for small renal tumors. Tumors treated with IRE demonstrated nonenhancement in the treatment zone with involution on follow-up CT/MR imaging.
Comparison of lipolytic and melanotropic factors in bovine choroid plexus and in bovine pineal gland.

Aqueous extracts of bovine pineal gland stimulate lipolysis in adipose tissue of the rabbit but not of the cat, and darken the skin of the frog. Extracts of bovine choroid plexus stimulate lipolysis in adipose tissue of both rabbit and cat, and also darken the frog's skin. Both pineal glands and choroid plexus were fractionated by the following scheme: extraction with acetic acid ->fractional precipitation of the acid extract with acetone and ether -> chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose (CM-32). In both pineal and choroid plexus experiments, the rabbit lipolytic and melanotropic activities emerged from CM-32 together in two zones: an earlier zone (fraction 8) eluted at pH 4.9–5.1, which contained about 40% of the rabbit lipolytic and melanotropic activities applied to the column, and a later zone eluted at pH 6.5–7.0, containing about 5% of the activities. In the effluent from the choroid plexus (but not from the pineal) CM-32 column, a third region of biological activity was eluted at pH 6.0–6.5, wh...
A novel endotoxin antagonist attenuates tumor necrosis factor-α secretion

Twenty-seven amino acid peptides with sequences corresponding to a proposed endotoxin binding region of bactericidal permeability increasing protein (BPI):1) inhibit lipopolysaccharide induced macrophage tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretion, 2) have bactericidal activity against gram-negative bacteria, and 3) protect mice from a lethal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Unfortunately, peptides have a short halflife in vivo. Therefore, we have chemically conjugated the BPI based peptide, BG38, to a larger carrier protein, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and characterized its ability: 1) to inhibit LPS induced macrophage TNF-alpha secretion and 2) to decrease plasma endotoxin and TNF-alpha levels following an i.v. injection of E. coli 0111:B4 LPS. BG38-KLH inhibited cultured macrophage TNF-alpha secretion in response to LPS derived from four pathogenic strains of gram-negative bacteria in a dose dependent manner (>90% inhibition at 50 microgram/ml, P 90%, P 30% inhibition, P < 0.05 Student's t test) following E. coli LPS challenge in a murine gram-negative bacterial sepsis model. Novel endotoxin antagonists based upon a small domain of BPI represent promising reagents for the treatment of serious gram-negative bacterial infections.
The Factors Affecting Sexual Assaults Committed by Strangers and Acquaintances

Research on the causes of sexual assault typically analyzes rape committed by acquaintances and strangers together, despite the fact that the characteristics of the assault in these two circumstances are very different. Thus, this work examines whether the causes of each type of sexual assault—stranger and acquaintance rape—differ. The results of the analyses reveal that variables that describe a culture of gender equality, prior child abuse, and prior sexual assaults are associated with acquaintance assaults. In contrast, a culture of “hypermasculinity” is associated with stranger rape. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Determinants of Modality Selection among Incident US Dialysis Patients: Results from a National Study

Few studies have comprehensively addressed the association of social factors and elements of pre-end-stage renal disease (ESRD) care with the selection of dialysis modality. This study examines the relative contribution of demographic, medical, social, pre-ESRD, and geographic factors to modality assignment among new ESRD patients. Data were collected from the Dialysis Mortality and Morbidity Wave 2 Study, a national random sample of 4025 patients in 1996 and 1997. In multivariate analyses, the selection of peritoneal dialysis (PD) over hemodialysis (HD) was significantly associated with younger age, white race, fewer comorbid conditions, and lower serum albumin. Greater use of PD was seen in patients who were employed, married, and living with someone before the start of ESRD and in those who were more autonomous and more accomplished educationally. Patients referred earlier to a nephrologist (> 4 mo versus or =2 visits versus < 2 visits) in the pre-ESRD period had greater PD use. Of the factors listed, 25% of the variability (R(2)) in PD use was explained by demographic (4.1%), comorbid (1.2%), social/pre-ESRD (14.5%), and geographic (5.2%) factors. This study identifies several clinical, social, and pre-ESRD factors with the selection of PD, and it underscores the importance of patient education, autonomy, and a strong social support system in improving rates of PD use in the United States. As pre-ESRD patient care is an important contributor to PD use in the United States, greater efforts should be expended in improving its delivery earlier in the pre-ESRD period.
Some examples of Borel-inseparable pairs of coanalylic sets

The purpose of this paper is to give some natural examples of Borel-inseparable pairs of coanalytic sets in Polish spaces. A Polish space is a topological space homeomorphic to a separable complete metric space. In this paper, all spaces are uncountable Polish spaces. A pointset is analytic (or ) if it is the continuous image of a Borel set (in any space), or equivalently, the projection of a Borel set, and is coanalytic (or ) if it is the complement of an analytic set. The class of analytic sets is closed under countable unions and intersections, images and preimages by Borel measurable functions, and projections; it is not closed under complements, hence there is an analytic set which is not Borel.
Proinsulin Endoproteolysis Confers Enhanced Targeting of Processed Insulin to the Regulated Secretory Pathway

Recently, two different prohormone-processing enzymes, prohormone convertase 1 (PC1) and carboxypeptidase E, have been implicated in enhancing the storage of peptide hormones in endocrine secretory granules. It is important to know the extent to which such molecules may act as “sorting receptors” to allow the selective trafficking of cargo proteins from the trans-Golgi network into forming granules, versus acting as enzymes that may indirectly facilitate intraluminal storage of processed hormones within maturing granules. GH4C1 cells primarily store prolactin in granules; they lack PC1 and are defective for intragranular storage of transfected proinsulin. However, proinsulin readily enters the immature granules of these cells. Interestingly, GH4C1 clones that stably express modest levels of PC1 store more proinsulin-derived protein in granules. Even in the presence of PC1, a sizable portion of the proinsulin that enters granules goes unprocessed, and this portion largely escapes granule storage. Indeed, all of the increased granule storage can be accounted for by the modest portion converted to insulin. These results are not unique to GH4C1 cells; similar results are obtained upon PC1 expression in PC12 cells as well as in AtT20 cells (in which PC1 is expressed endogenously at higher levels). An in vitro assay of protein solubility indicates a difference in the biophysical behavior of proinsulin and insulin in the PC1 transfectants. We conclude that processing to insulin, facilitated by the catalytic activities of granule proteolytic enzymes, assists in the targeting (storage) of the hormone.
A qualitative study of provider thoughts on implementing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in clinical settings to prevent HIV infection

Background A recent clinical trial demonstrated that a daily dose tenofovir disoproxil fumarate and emtricitabrine (TDF-FTC) can reduce HIV acquisition among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender (TG) women by 44%, and up to 90% if taken daily. We explored how medical and service providers understand research results and plan to develop clinical protocols to prescribe, support and monitor adherence for patients on PrEP in the United States. Methods Using referrals from our community collaborators and snowball sampling, we recruited 22 healthcare providers in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles for in-depth interviews from May-December 2011. The providers included primary care physicians seeing high numbers of MSM and TG women, HIV specialists, community health clinic providers, and public health officials. We analyzed interviews thematically to produce recommendations for setting policy around implementing PrEP. Interview topics included: assessing clinician impressions of PrEP and CDC guidance, considerations of cost, office capacity, dosing schedules, and following patients over time. Results Little or no demand for PrEP from patients was reported at the time of the interviews. Providers did not agree on the most appropriate patients for PrEP and believed that current models of care, which do not involve routine frequent office visits, were not well suited for prescribing PrEP. Providers detailed the need to build capacity and were concerned about monitoring side effects and adherence. PrEP was seen as potentially having impact on the epidemic but providers also noted that community education campaigns needed to be tailored to effectively reach specific vulnerable populations. Conclusions While PrEP may be a novel and clinically compelling prevention intervention for MSM and TG women, it raises a number of important implementation challenges that would need to be addressed. Nonetheless, most providers expressed optimism that they eventually could prescribe and monitor PrEP in their practice.
Querying the web graph

This paper focuses on using hyperlinks in the ranking of web search results. We give a brief overview of the vast body of work in the area; we provide a quantitative comparison of the different features; we sketch how link-based ranking features can be implemented in large-scale search engines; and we identify promising avenues for future research.
Hierarchical Structures that Arise from Self-Assembling Systems

A working definition of the term hierarchy that is consistent with past usage is that a hierarchy is an assemblage of assemblages. Self-assembling systems are essential to those hierarchical structures that contain structure on micro and nano distance scales since these tiny structures being so large in number can not be manipulated individually as is possible for larger structures. It is shown how self-assembling structures are nothing more than materials that have undergone a structure inducing phase transition. The induced structures can be either equilibrium structures (example lamellar block copolymers) or kinetic patterns (example snowflakes). Polymer systems provide a rich source of phase transitions. There are at least ten classes of polymer phase transitions. [1] helixrandom coil [2) polymerization or one-dimensional crystallization [3] adsorption [4] collapse transition [5] coilfstretch transition [6] liquidliquid transitions [7] crystallization [8] liquid crystals-plastic crystals [9] glass-amorphous and sol-gel transitions [10] soaps-membranes-micellesvesicles-block copolymers. These phase transitions can interact with each other creating an even richer overlay of self-assembled systems. We discuss three aspects of the building of Hierarchical structures from selfassembling systems.
Reconciling information gaps in organic farm borrowers' dealings with farm lenders

Purpose – Organic outputs have been increasing at much lower rates than growth in consumer demand. Organic farmers’ debt aversion hinders them from obtaining business funds through borrowing. The purpose of this paper is to clarify that the farmers’ reluctance to use debt as a funding option can be more attributed to gaps in existing borrower-lender relationships, beyond sustainability principles. Design/methodology/approach – Empirical evidence collected from organic farmers and farm lenders establish differing expectations and perceptions that reinforce the organic farmers’ debt aversion. The farm lender survey data set was analyzed using the Heckman approach applied to two lenders’ decisions: their interest in lending to organic farm borrowers and loan amounts approved for successful loan applicants. The econometric results were reconciled with the compiled inputs provided by organic farmers interviewed. Findings – Results validate the farmers’ lower reliance on loans due to suspicions that lenders lac...
Metaphilosophical Skepticism and the Teaching of Philosophy

There is a tradition in philosophy, certainly in the analytic tradition, and perhaps stretching back to antiquity, in which the teaching of philosophy is thought to require a certain form of neutrality. A philosophy teacher should not take it as a goal of the teaching of philosophy that students be converted to any particular philosophical doctrine, or that they be sustained in any of their preexisting opinions. The point of teaching philosophy is not that students should become theists, ethical cognitivists, libertarians, reductive materialists, nor indeed that they adopt any particular philosophical stance. Instead, the successful teacher of philosophy forces students to think critically about a philosophical position and its competitors. I have, at least implicitly, always taken such a thesis of neutrality to be an orthodox and obvious tenet of the philosophy of teaching philosophy. Nonetheless, I have recently found colleagues, particularly those with passionate religious, political or ethical beliefs, who were in less than full agreement with this “received” tradition of philosophical neutrality. I still wish to maintain my orthodoxy, but can no longer expect other philosophers to agree with it unless the position can be adequately articulated and defended. In order to understand what is at issue, and to answer some sophisticated critics of this received tradition, we must become clearer on the epistemic status of philosophical opinion. I would maintain that the neutrality incumbent on the teaching of philosophy is a consequence of a skepticism with respect to philosophy itself.
Location Modeling for Logistics Parks

This case study highlights issues that are faced by location theorists in solving real-world problems by drawing upon a project involving the location of a Logistics Park in the Southeastern region of North Carolina, USA. First, the location modelling is presented using standard analytical methodology from location theory. Thereafter, a structured framework, referred to by its acronym SIRC, is introduced, which can be used for real-life location modeling problems. The implementation of SIRC is then illustrated through a description of the actual process used during the implementation of the project. Finally, the case study closes with its most important section, namely, lessons learned from the project that can guide future academic research in location theory in incorporating real life factors into location modeling.
Group B streptococcal infections.

1. Samuel P. Gotoff, MD* 1. *Professor and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Rush Children’s Hospital, Chicago, IL After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Delineate the epidemiologic factors in the transmission of group B Streptococcus (GBS) neonatal infections. 2. List the major factors that increase the risk of neonatal GBS infections. 3. Describe four clinical presentations of neonatal GBS infections. 4. List the laboratory methods for isolating and identifying GBS in mixed flora, normally sterile biologic fluids, and a patient treated with a penicillin. The group B Streptococcus (GBS) initially was isolated by Nocard in 1887 and described as Streptococcus agalactiae , a cause of bovine mastitis. The organism is an encapsulated gram-positive diplococcus that usually produces a narrow zone of beta-hemolysis on blood agar. Most strains are resistant to bacitracin. The streptococci were classified serologically in the 1930s by Lancefield, based on cell wall polysaccharides. The GBS organisms are differentiated further by type-specific capsular polysaccharides and protein antigens. Current serotypes include: Ia, Ib, Ia/c, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, and VIII. Since the mid-1960s, GBS has become the major cause of bacterial infections in the perinatal period, including bacteremia, amnionitis, endometritis, and urinary tract infection in pregnant women as well as focal and systemic infections in newborns. It is a relatively rare cause of infection in older children and nonpregnant adults. GBS early-onset disease (EOD) occurs within the first week after birth, usually before 72 hours. GBS late-onset disease (LOD) accounts for about 20% of cases, usually occurring between 1 to 4 weeks after birth, but rarely seen up to 6 months of age. Late, late-onset infections, which occur from 1 to 6 months of age, and infections in nonpregnant adults often are associated with immunodeficiency. All of the serotypes have been associated with GBS EOD, with Ia, II, III, and V being most common in the United States. GBS LOD is caused by serotype III …
Equivalence of an Identity in Vector Analysis to Quaternion Associativity, and Ramifications

(1981). Equivalence of an Identity in Vector Analysis to Quaternion Associativity, and Ramifications. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 88, No. 6, pp. 441-443.
Contextual Density and US Automotive CO2 Emissions across the Rural–Urban Continuum

Using data from the 2009 National Household Travel Survey, we quantify the effects of settlement patterns on individual driving habits and the resulting automotive carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. W...
Application of Indica Hybrid Rice Restorer Line Minghui77

Successful breeding and application of the restorer line Minghui77 had changed a relatively single situation and played the role in the renewal of the early maturing restorer line application in China.Up to 2010,there were 11 combinations of hybrid rice approved by the national and provincial crop variety registration committee,which were bred from Minghui77.And three of them were approved by the national authorities in China.The statistics indicated that the total planting area of hybrid rice combinations derived from Minghui77 was 7.4467 million hectares,and the output of rice was increased by 3.6 billion kilograms.Furthermore,Minghui77 was an important backbone parent to breed early maturing restorer lines.Up to 2011,24 new restorer lines were successfully bred from Minghui77 as the main parent in China.34 combinations of hybrid rice with these new restorer lines were approved by the national and provincial crop variety registration committee.The total planting area of them was 504 thousand hectares in China from 2005 to 2010,and the output of rice was increased by 107.32 million kilograms.Finally,the author discussed the reason that Minghui77 was widely utilized.The strong restoring ability,broad restoring spectrum,high combining ability,obvious heterosis of hybrid combinations,high rice yield,excellent adaptability,good resistance to rice blast,super grain quality and so on good characteristics can explain the reason for the large produce area of Minghui77.
Analysis on Clinical and Epidemiological Characteristics of 12 Imported Cases with Dengue Fever

OBJECTIVE To analyze the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of dengue fever in Changning District of Shanghai so as to provide scientific evidence for dengue fever control.METHODS Clinical and epidemiological data of 12 imported cases with dengue fever from 2005 to 2011 were retrospectively analyzed.RESULTS There were 9 males and 3 female with the average age 29.3 years.11 cases came from Southeast Asia and the other one infected from Hainan Province.All of the patients had a history of recent exposure to mosquito bite.The common manifestations were seen as,fever(12/12),headache(8/12),nausea(5/12),skin rash(4/8),myalgia,orbit soreness etc.There were evidence of dengue fever ELISA test that 6 cases both IgM and IgG,3 cases only IgM,2 cases only IgG and 1case negative.CONCLUSION The risk of dengue fever's epidemic in Changing was always existed.The one had fevered unknown cause after came back from the epidemic districts of dengue fever,were regarded as suspected cases and had the detection of pathogens in time.
Optimization of Folate-Targeted Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Experimental Arthritis

Folate-targeted immunotherapy constitutes a powerful method for the treatment of established arthritis in multiple animal models of the disease. The therapy involves immunization of the animal against a hapten to induce anti-hapten antibodies, followed by injection with a folate-hapten conjugate to decorate the surface of folate receptor-positive (activated) macrophages with the antigenic hapten. The hapten-marked macrophages are then recognized by the anti-hapten antibodies and eliminated by immune mechanisms, leading to attenuation of disease symptoms. In the following paper, we optimize the therapy for elimination of inflammatory macrophages and suppression of rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. We also demonstrate a tight correlation between folate receptor-positive macrophage abundance in the liver and inflammation of affected joints. The results suggest that therapies that reduce folate receptor-positive macrophage populations in the body should constitute effective treatments for rheumatoid arthritis.
Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Mass Fingerprinting for Identification of Acacia Gum in Microsamples from Works of Art.

This paper reports an improved method for the identification of Acacia gum in cultural heritage samples using matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) after enzymatic digestion of the polysaccharide component. The analytical strategy was optimized using a reference Acacia gum (gum arabic, sp. A. senegal) and provided an unambiguous MS profile of the gum, characterized by specific and recognized oligosaccharides, from as little as 0.1 μg of material. The enhanced experimental approach with reduced detection limit was successfully applied to the analysis of naturally aged (∼80 year) gum arabic samples, pure and mixed with lead white pigment, and allowed the detection of gum arabic in samples from a late painting (1949/1954) by Georges Braque in the collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. This first application of the technique to characterize microsamples from a painting, in conjunction with analyses by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS), prov...
Gambling in rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta): The effect of cues signaling risky choice outcomes

Preference for a larger-variable "risky" option over a smaller-reliable "safe" option often depends upon the likelihood that the risky option will deliver a sufficiently sized reward to have an equivalent or superior expected value. However, preference for the risky option has been shown to increase under conditions where informative stimuli signaling the outcome of a risky choice is included between the choice and the outcome and this risk-prone preference persists even when the risky option has a lower expected value than the alternative safe option. In the present study, rhesus macaques chose between a risky option and a safe option across two experimental phases to determine whether the outcome signal affected the degree of preference for the risky option. Overall, six out of seven macaques showed a greater preference for the risky option in the signaled condition than in the unsignaled condition. The macaques' risky choices were sensitive to the expected value of the risky option and the signaled condition produced a general increase in risky choices independently of the expected value of the risky outcome. Overall, these results are consistent with those obtained with other animals, and this may relate to a process where animals show a biased preference for "good news." This process may model some of the relevant factors that explain the psychology of gambling in humans.
Multilevel Environmental Governance in the United States

This short essay, solicited by the ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENTIST journal, distills the lessons of American experimentation with environmental federalism and multilevel governance for use by other nations (drawing from Environmental Federalism’s Tug of War Within, in THE LAW AND POLICY OF ENVIRONMENTAL FEDERALISM: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS (Kalyani Robbins, ed., 2015). Multilevel environmental governance disputes reflect increasing pressure on all levels of government to meet the challenges of regulation in an increasingly interconnected world. In the United States (US), debate over the responsibilities of different levels of government are framed within our system of constitutional federalism, which divides sovereign power between the central federal administration and regional states. Dilemmas about devolution have been erupting in all regulatory contexts, but environmental governance remains uniquely prone to federalism discord because it inevitably confronts the core question with which federalism grapples — “who gets to decide?” — in contexts where state and federal claims to power are simultaneously at their strongest. Environmental problems tend to match the need to regulate the harmful use of specific lands (among the most sacred of local prerogatives) with the need to regulate border-crossing harms caused by these uses (among the strongest of national prerogatives). As a result, it is often impossible to solve the problem without engaging authority on both ends of the spectrum — and disputes erupt when local and national ideas on how best to proceed diverge. Ongoing jurisdictional controversies in energy policy, pollution law, and natural resource management reveal environmental law as the canary in federalism’s coal mine, showcasing the underlying reasons for jurisdictional conflict in all areas of law. Wrestling with these incendiary tensions at the intersection of local land use and spill-over harm, environmental federalism helpfully exposes the fault lines underlying the American federal system to analysis — but also the available tools for coping with them. American environmental law has developed structural means of managing these tensions which may be instructive for other devolution conflicts or claims for decentralised environmental decision-making in other jurisdictions. This article suggests a few potential lessons from the American experience.
Admissions of Guilt in Civil Enforcement

Should agencies require admissions of guilt from the targets of civil enforcement? Administrative agencies rely heavily on settlement as a key enforcement tool. Admissions of guilt - or, more commonly, declarations that nothing is admitted - form part of these settlement agreements and the underlying negotiations. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has come under particular fire for allowing enforcement targets to settle while neither admitting nor denying allegations, and we use its policy changes as a case study. But our observations are aimed more broadly at civil enforcement across agencies and our examples come from a wide range of administrative agencies. We use the explicit debate over the SEC’s practices to draw attention to the high (and mostly unexamined) stakes of admissions for enforcement throughout the administrative system. The article identifies possible enforcement models and provides a nuanced account of what it means to make and require admissions. Although the policy choice is often portrayed as binary - either an agency requires admissions or it does not - the reality is more varied. We break down the options, addressing how admissions of guilt interact with denials and identifying more precisely what may be admitted (facts? legal violation? intent?). Taking our lead from judges, regulators and commentators who have described agencies’ approaches to admissions with words like “truth,” “guilt,” “confession,” and “apology,” we link this discussion to empirical studies of the psychology of blame and responsibility-taking, acknowledgement, and apologies. We use these studies to shed light on the function and value of admissions and the implications for agency settlement negotiations.
‘Raise Her Right’: (mis)representing authentic women sports fans in US advertising

AbstractThis study explores how women sports fans have engendered a boom of US advertising images and narratives that comply, confound and resist traditional gendered roles. Against the backdrops of the gender regime and hegemonic masculinity, this analysis interrogates female fan typologies to illustrate how female fandom is constructed and constrained through advertising. This piece focuses on five television advertisements broadcast throughout the 2015–2016 NFL play-offs and NCAA tournaments. This article also explores online responses to the ads to indicate how commercial interests reflect our popular imagination regarding female sports fandom. Often, these images reinforce female fans as mothers, love interests and objects while idealizing heteronormative, feminine physical attractiveness. These strategies position female fans not as agents but as fans in relation to the hegemony. Ultimately, this reasserts men as privileged, authentic sports fans even as women’s presence and access to sports is legi...
Design of switched controllers using an enhanced passivation method

This paper studies an enhanced passivation method for feedback interconnected switched controllers consisting of N sub-controllers. It is shown that stability and passivity of the closed-loop system are achieved through the feedback interconnection of the passivated switched controller. The passivation technique is established through finding a common gain for the switched controller and therefore the switched controller is passivated by a single input-output passivation matrix. This approach significantly reduces the implementation cost for the design of switched controllers. A design example is provided to verify the capability of the developed method.
Aris Trantidis: Clientelism and economic policy: Greece and the crisis

Clientelism and Economic Policy is an application of public choice to explain the contemporary political economy of Greece, as well as a broader theoretical contribution to the study of clientelism as a political and economic phenomenon.
Controllable synthesis of mesoporous cobalt oxide for peroxide free catalytic epoxidation of alkenes under aerobic conditions

Abstract We report the synthesis of mesoporous Co3O4 by an inverse micelle template self-assembly method and its catalytic activity towards selective oxidation of alkenes to epoxides. The chemical and structural properties of the materials were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, nitrogen sorption studies, electron microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. The morphology of the material exhibits flower like nanoparticle aggregates. Nanoparticles are packed closely in a random manner to form the mesoporous network via connected interparticle voids. Particle size expansion could be observed with heat treatment (250 °C–450 °C), which strongly correlates with surface area of the material. Co-250, which has the highest surface area along with highest oxygen vacancies, gave the best performance in alkene epoxidation. The catalyst was found to be efficient in selective oxidation of alkenes to epoxides with a broad substrate scope and achieved >99% conversion with high selectivity (93%). Liquid phase batch mode reactions were carried out under atmospheric pressure and aerobic conditions, in the absence of any additives. Moreover the catalyst could be recycled several times without losing its activity, which makes this catalyst economical and environmentally benign.
The Uncertainty Area Metric: a Method for Comparing Learning Machines on What They Don’t Know

Abstract Schaffer and Land 14 described a method whereby a machine intelligence (MI) process can “know what it doesn’t know.” In this paper, the concept is illustrated by three examples: the GRNN oracle ensemble method that combines multiple SVM classifiers for detecting Alzheimer’s type dementia using features automatically extracted from a speech sample, an Evolutionary Programming and Adaptive Boosting hybrid and a Generalized Regression Neural Network hybrid for classifying breast cancer. The authors assert it is (1) applicable quite directly to a great many other learning classifier systems, and (2) provides an intuitive approach to comparing the performance of different classifiers on a given task using the size of the “area of uncertainty” as a measure of performance metric. This paper provides support for these assertions by describing the steps needed to apply it to a previously published study of breast cancer benign / malignancy prediction, and then illustrates how this “area of uncertainty” may be computed, which is a work in progress, using the GRNN oracle results and a resultant Bayesian network from the Alzheimer’s speech research study.
Activation of 4-1BB on liver myeloid cells triggers hepatitis via an interleukin-27 dependent pathway

Purpose: Agonist antibodies targeting the T-cell costimulatory receptor 4-1BB (CD137) are among the most effective immunotherapeutic agents across preclinical cancer models. In the clinic, however, development of these agents has been hampered by dose-limiting liver toxicity. Lack of knowledge of the mechanisms underlying this toxicity has limited the potential to separate 4-1BB agonist-driven tumor immunity from hepatotoxicity.Experimental Design: The capacity of 4-1BB agonist antibodies to induce liver toxicity was investigated in immunocompetent mice, with or without coadministration of checkpoint blockade, via (i) measurement of serum transaminase levels, (ii) imaging of liver immune infiltrates, and (iii) qualitative and quantitative assessment of liver myeloid and T cells via flow cytometry. Knockout mice were used to clarify the contribution of specific cell subsets, cytokines, and chemokines.Results: We find that activation of 4-1BB on liver myeloid cells is essential to initiate hepatitis. Once activated, these cells produce interleukin-27 that is required for liver toxicity. CD8 T cells infiltrate the liver in response to this myeloid activation and mediate tissue damage, triggering transaminase elevation. FoxP3+ regulatory T cells limit liver damage, and their removal dramatically exacerbates 4-1BB agonist-induced hepatitis. Coadministration of CTLA-4 blockade ameliorates transaminase elevation, whereas PD-1 blockade exacerbates it. Loss of the chemokine receptor CCR2 blocks 4-1BB agonist hepatitis without diminishing tumor-specific immunity against B16 melanoma.Conclusions: 4-1BB agonist antibodies trigger hepatitis via activation and expansion of interleukin-27-producing liver Kupffer cells and monocytes. Coadministration of CTLA-4 and/or CCR2 blockade may minimize hepatitis, but yield equal or greater antitumor immunity. Clin Cancer Res; 24(5); 1138-51. ©2018 AACR.
Community-Based Action for Food Justice

One of the most important public health issues of the new century is food justice, which is a special case of environmental justice, food access and health equity. Food justice encompasses a range of issues from assuring the production and distribution of healthy food in ways that promote local consumption and protect natural resources and human labor. Further, it also is concerned with community self-determination in food access and honors cultural sensitivity and cultural renewal in terms of how food is made available, and which food products are offered. Food justice goes beyond food security to address health equity in that available foods meet current dietary guidelines and foster healthy eating over the life span. Given the persistence of health inequities and the national and global obesity epidemic, this concept has emerged as highly salient for community health improvement, particularly in underserved, minority communities. This chapter will review the science and practice of community-based action to promote food justice, while examining the relationship between food justice and health equity. Two case studies will illustrate community-based responses to food justice, and highlight the social change processes therein. Discussion will show the relevance of food justice work to community-based health promotion initiatives. The chapter concludes with implications for building healthier communities and utilizing knowledge from food justice efforts, noting potential contributions from public health social scientists.
Simplified read schemes for krypton tagging velocimetry in N 2 and air

The background and results for two simplified read schemes for krypton tagging velocimetry (KTV) are presented. The first scheme utilizes the excitation/re-excitation approach found in the literature but replaces the pulsed dye laser used for the re-excitation step with a continuous wave, narrowband laser diode. The second scheme is a single-laser setup with no read laser where the fluorescence of the tagged Kr is imaged at successive times. Results are presented and compared to historical data for experiments performed in 99%N2/1% Kr and 95% air/5% Kr underexpanded jets. The approach with the laser diode has a higher signal, while the single-laser approach yields more consistent results. Both schemes maintain an SNR comparable to that in the literature, but with a simpler setup that enables future high-repetition rate KTV experiments.
Frame Bundles and Spacetimes

An n-dimensional smooth manifold X is locally diffeomorphic to ℝ n and the study of such manifolds generally necessitates piecing together well- understood local information about ℝ n into global information about X. The basic tool for this piecing together operation is a partition of unity. In this section we will prove that these exist in abundance on any manifold and use them to establish the global existence of two useful objects that clearly always exist locally (Riemannian metrics and connection forms). The same technique will be used in Section 4.3 to obtain a convenient reformulation of the notion of orientability while, in Section 4.6, a theory of integration is constructed on any orientable manifold by piecing together Lebesgue integrals on coordinate neighborhoods.
Parallelism in a CRC Coprocessor.

Cyclic Redundancy Checks (CRC) constitute an important class of hash functions for detecting changes in data blocks after transmission, storage and retrieval, or distributed processing. Currently, most sequential methods based on Horner’s scheme are applied with some extensions or modifications. The flexibility of these methods with respect to the generator polynomial and the sequence of data processing is limited. A newly proposed algorithm and architecture [DW03, DW04] offer a high degree of flexibility in several aspects and provide high performance with a modest investment in hardware. The algorithm has inherent freedom for parallel processing on several levels, which is exploited in the proposed architecture. An early implementation gives quantitative results on cost and performance and suggests possible extensions and improvements. The algorithm, a typical system architecture, and the coprocessor’s structure are described in this paper with an emphasis on parallelism.
Knowledge of intrapartum care among obstetric care providers in rural Kenya.

Background Kenya did not meet its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) target under the Millennium Development Goals. The aim of this study was to examine the gaps in knowledge of intrapartum care among obstetric care providers (OCPs) in rural Nandi County, Kenya. Methods This cross-sectional study in 2015 surveyed 326 nurses, midwives, clinical officers and physicians about their knowledge, attitudes and practices related to normal labor and childbirth, immediate newborn care and management of obstetric complications. Results Self-reported intrapartum knowledge among OCPs was insufficient according to accepted international standards. The mean total knowledge score for all OCPs based on a validated 30-question inventory was 62% (range 23-90%). Only 14 providers (4%) scored as 'competent' (a score ≥80%). Scores were higher for OCPs who had received pre- and postemployment emergency obstetric care training and those with higher levels of confidence in their skills. Survey respondents identified a lack of knowledge as one of the greatest barriers to high-quality patient care. Conclusions Increasing training opportunities for OCPs may improve the quality of obstetric care provided to women in Kenya and other high-MMR locations in sub-Saharan Africa and enable progress toward achieving the ambitious Sustainable Development Goals target for maternal survival.