cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Forward/backward J/ψ production and hadron v n in Cu + Au collisions in PHENIX

Abstract Cu + Au collisions provide a test for theories trying to describe heavy-ion data by changing the initial conditions and introducing distinct asymmetries into the initial geometry of the collision system. We present the first results from the PHENIX collaboration from these asymmetric collisions. The measured hadron v 1 is found to be large at midrapidity, whilst v 3 is found to be small when the reaction plane is determined from the spectators. In the forward region, the J / ψ is found to be more suppressed in the Cu-going direction compared to the Au-going direction.
Computation of a branch-cut integral arising in transient electromagnetic scattering by a perfectly conducting cylinder

The paper addresses the rigorous computation of a branch-cut integral that arises in the transient electromagnetic scattering by a perfectly conducting cylinder subject to line source excitation. The branch-cut integral is formulated according to the singularity expansion method (SEM) representation of circumnavigating creeping waves, proposed in a recent paper by Heyman and Felsen. The branch-cut integral decays exponentially and its contribution is negligible in comparison with that of the natural resonant mode. A useful byproduct of this computation is an algorithm to compute accurately the zeros of Hankel functions (and their derivatives) in the complex order-plane. These zeros occur frequently in electromagnetic and acoustic scattering by impenetrable cylinders as poles of creeping waves. The accuracy of the computed zeros is checked with appropriate small- and large-argument approximations.
Pairs of functions with indefinite Pick matrices

Results of factorization type are proved that characterize pairs of functions whose Pick matrices have not more than a prescribed number of negative eigenvalues. These results are in turn used to describe functions having Caratheodory matrices with bounded number of negative eigenvalues.
The Analyst's Anticipatory Fantasies: Aid and Obstacle to the Patient's Self-Integration

In this paper I explore instances of enactment related to the analyst's feelings and fantasies about how analysis will proceed. As I discuss a patient who was developing a new capacity to experience conflict, I explore how the analyst's fantasies about the impact of his interpretations may be utilized in helping him to elaborate and understand the patient's unconscious fantasies and identifications and unintegrated feeling states. In so doing, we sometimes discover how we are unwittingly influencing or avoiding understanding our patient's own version of their psychic catastrophe. As we develop language where there was previously no integrative language for the patient's internalized and interactive version of catastrophe, we always project particular kinds of expectations into the therapeutic situation.
Behavioral control based adaptive bandwidth allocation in a system of Unmanned Ground Vehicles

As the number of nodes in large scale network control systems increases, allocating constant bandwidth to all the nodes is neither practical nor efficient in terms of quality of control because of the limited amount of available bandwidth. In order to resolve this issue of bandwidth management in a networked control system consisting of several control loops, dynamic methods for resource allocation should be used. Bandwidth allocation techniques like Large Error First (LEF) and some auction based techniques exist which have approached this problem from the perspective of efficient bandwidth usage, and from the perspective of performance improvement in the control loop. In this paper, we present a novel Behavioral Control (BC) based adaptive bandwidth allocation method in a fleet of Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV). The BC algorithm uses the UGV's speed and trajectory relative to the future path to allocate the available bandwidth. Simulation results have shown that the performance, in terms of the trajectory tracking error and tracking time, has improved up to 22% and 9% resp. when using the BC algorithm compared to existing bandwidth allocation algorithms.
MOLD-SHAPED, NANOFIBER SCAFFOLD-BASED CARTILAGE ENGINEERING USING HUMAN MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS AND BIOREACTOR

Background Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC)-based tissue engineering is a promising future alternative to autologous cartilage grafting. This study evaluates the potential of using MSCs, seeded into electrospun, biodegradable polymeric nanofibrous scaffolds, to engineer cartilage with defined dimensions and shape, similar to grafts used for subcutaneous implantation in plastic and reconstructive surgery.
Lyme myocarditis diagnosed by gallium scan.

ric patients have all had primary LIP without articular symptoms, except for our patient and one reported by Athreya and Doughty 2 who had polyarticular J R A beginning at 4.5 years of age, a rheumatoid factor titer of 1:5120, and a chronic interstitial infiltrate and dyspnea developing during the first 6 months of arthritic problems. Lung biopsy showed extensive lymphoid bronchiolitis and LIP. The patient was given treatment for 6 months with cyclophosphamide and then corticosteroids, both orally. Seven years later the chest radiographic findings were improved, but pulmonary function tests showed persistent lung disease (decreased vital capacity, FEV1, and diffusion capacity) .2 The natural history and response to therapy in children with LIP appears to be variable, The cases are few and treatment has been varied, although there have been favorable responses to steroids in some cases. Driesin et al. l~ have shown that the presence of circulating immune complexes in patients with idiopathic interstitial pneumonia indicates potential response to steroid therapy. Both :: Athreya's patient with polyarticular J R A and LIP and our patient had high titers of rheumatoid factor consistent with the presence of circulating immune complexes. Our patient had a rapid, complete resolution of symptoms and radiologic abnormalities and during 5 years of follow-up has not had evidence of recurrence.
The art, science, and techniques of reframing in psychiatric mental health nursing.

Reframing is a powerful psychotherapeutic intervention. Changing the “frame” in which a person perceives events can change the meaning the person associates with the events. This article describes several types of reframing strategies that have been developed within the context of a model of human behavior and communication known as neurolinguistic programming (NLP). Fundamental assumptions of the NLP model are discussed and several reframing techniques are described. A set of strategies that clinicians can use to redefine behaviors and expand a client's model of the world are illustrated. Development of theoretical and clinical applications of the NLP model and reframing techniques in psychiatric-mental health nursing is an important task for the 1990sTo sum up, reframing involves art, science, and technique. This article has described several reframing strategies that were developed within the context of the NLP model of human behavior and communication. The NLP model is rich with clinically useful tech...
Z-boson pair production via vector boson scattering and the search for the Higgs boson at hadron supercolliders

Abstract We present the results of a complete perturbative calculation of Z-boson pair production via the O( α W 4 ) electroweak process qq → qqZZ, and the O( α s 2 α W 2 ) mixed QCD-electroweak processes, gg → q q ZZ , qg → qgZZ, q q → ggZZ and qq → qqZZ at supercollider energies. Compact analytic expressions for the helicity amplitudes for all contributing diagrams, including the subsequent decay of the Z boson into massless fermions and all interference effects, are given. Detailed results for the event characteristics and the jet activity in electroweak qq → qqZZ events are presented for the full range of invariant masses of the Z pair, m ZZ , as well as in the Higgs boson resonance region, m ZZ = m H ± Γ H , where we compare the results of the exact calculation with the effective W approximation, and the approximation where only s -channel Higgs resonance diagrams are taken into account. We also compute the background resulting from the mixed QCD-electroweak ZZ + 2 jet processes at large jet transverse momenta in the resonance region and suggest techniques to suppress this background. Cross sections for Higgs boson production in the ZZ channel and the continuum ZZ background, in association with up to 2 jets, are given. We find that jet identification in the forward rapidity region,  η j  > 2.5 may considerably facilitate the detection of a heavy Higgs boson with m H ∼ O(1 TeV) at the LHC and SSC.
Clinic referral for oppositional defiant disorder: Relative significance of attachment and behavioral variables

Attachment classifications have been found to distinguish clinic-referred, oppositional preschool boys from controls, but there has been no previous effort to examine the relative contribution of attachment when behaviors from a social learning perspective are also considered. The present study examined the contribution of attachment and behavioral variables to the prediction of clinic referral for oppositional defiant disorder in a sample of preschool boys. We hypothesized that the attachment measures would offer better discrimination of clinic and control group boys at this age. This hypothesis was confirmed when the attachment measures were compared with the parent-child behaviors most strongly associated with social learning conceptualizations of disruptive problems (maternal commands and criticism, and child noncompliance), but rejected in a more stringent test in which the attachment measures were compared with the behavioral variables distinguishing the groups in this particular sample. Manuscript received in final form June 8, 1994.
U.S. credit union motivation for involvement in the first-mortgage market

U.S. credit union involvement in first-mortgage lending has grown rapidly since extended lending powers were granted through several regulatory changes from 1977 to 1984. The purpose of this study is to examine credit unions that initiated first-mortgage lending programs during the period 1983 through 1988, and attempt to identify factors or variables that influenced the decision to become active in the first-mortgage market. The results indicate that there are certain factors that distinguish credit unions that become involved in first-mortgage lending from those that do not. Specifically, the size of a credit union, a full-service orientation, and a residential type of membership bond were factors consistently significant in their relationship to first-mortgage initiation.
Candidate Mechanisms Responsible for Property Changes in Dielectric Nanocomposites

This contribution seeks to provide some insight for the documented changes in the electrical properties of filled polymers when the filler size is reduced to nanometric dimensions. After examining the possible underlying mechanisms, experiments are described in which composites based on a benign biphenol epoxy resin formulation are subjected to photo- and electro-luminescence studies in which the spectrum of the emitted light can be resolved as a function of formulation. It is shown that there is a red shift in the spectral peak at 600 nm as a result of the reduction of particulate size. The electroluminescence measurements are complemented by a detailed study of the internal space charge distribution in these materials, using the pulsed electroacoustic method. By examining both the internal charge distribution and dynamics, some linkage between the field-dependent electroluminescence and the changes of the internal charge in nanodielectrics can be established.
Ethanol withdrawal hyper-responsiveness mediated by NMDA receptors in spinal cord motor neurons

1. Following ethanol (EtOH) exposure, population excitatory postsynaptic potentials (pEPSPs) in isolated spinal cord increase to a level above control (withdrawal hyper-responsiveness). The present studies were designed to characterize this phenomenon and in particular to test the hypothesis that protein kinases mediate withdrawal. 2. Patch-clamp studies were carried out in motor neurons in rat spinal cord slices. Currents were evoked by brief pulses of glutamate, alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) or N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA). 3. Of 15 EtOH-sensitive neurons in which currents were evoked by glutamate, four (27%) displayed withdrawal hyper-responsiveness in the washout period. Mean current area after washout was 129.6+/-5% of control. 4. When currents were evoked by AMPA, two of 10 neurons (20%) displayed withdrawal hyper-responsiveness, with a mean current area 122+/-8% of control on washout. 5. Of a group of 11 neurons in which currents were evoked by NMDA, nine (82%) displayed withdrawal hyper-responsiveness. Mean increase in current area at the end of the washout period was to 133+/-6% of control (n=9, P 0.05). 6. The tyrosine kinase inhibitor genistein (10-20 microM) blocked withdrawal hyper-responsiveness. Of six EtOH-sensitive neurons, the mean NMDA-evoked current area after washout was 89+/-6% of control, P>0.05. 7 The protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor Rp-cAMP (20-500 microM) did not block withdrawal hyper-responsiveness. On washout, the mean NMDA-evoked current area was 124+/-6% of control (n=5, P 0.05. 9 NMDA activation during EtOH exposure is necessary for withdrawal hyper-responsiveness. Both tyrosine kinase and PKC, but not PKA, appear to be essential for EtOH withdrawal hyper-responsiveness mediated by postsynaptic NMDA receptors in spinal cord motor neurons.
Types of feedback in a computer-based collaborative problem-solving group task

This study measured collaborative problem-solving processes and outcomes in a computer-based knowledge mapping environment. One hundred and twenty Asian American high school students were randomly assigned to be either a group leader, whose responsibility was to construct the map, or a group searcher, whose responsibility was to seek information and access feedback from a Web environment. Each group was randomly assigned to a feedback condition (knowledge of response feedback or adapted knowledge of response feedback). Results showed that adapted knowledge of response feedback was significantly more beneficial than knowledge of response feedback. Further, most of the study hypotheses were supported regarding the relationship between problem-solving processes and outcomes.
Survey of snowplow operators about forward lighting and visibility during nighttime operations

Snowplow operators are a valuable source of information about improving forward visibility at night in snow, fog, or rain. These men and women have a heightened awareness of forward lighting and associated visibility issues and will try various techniques to improve their ability to see. Consequently, these operators have first-hand empirical knowledge about the factors that affect forward visibility. The purpose of this study was to survey a large number of active snowplow operators to determine what issues they believed were most important for forward visibility in perturbed atmospheric conditions at night. A survey was distributed to 300 New York State Department of Transportation snowplow operators throughout New York. Respondents reported that the most effective solution was to place lamps with narrow-beam distributions, what they generally term “spot lamps,” away from the driver's line of sight. They also reveal some apparently sound, practical observations that also should be considered for improvi...
1705 PERINATAL HYPOXIA-ISCHEMIA CAUSES SEVERE BUT REVERSIBLE DEPRESSION OF BRAIN 3-H-DOPAMINE UPTAKE

Hypoxia-ischemia in brain stimulates catecholamine release by increasing neuronal activity and/or by disrupting presynaptic nerve terminals, Neurotransmitter (NT) uptake by synaptosomes is energy-dependent and requires intact membrane systems. To examine the relationship between NT release and neuronal damage, we compared changes in dopamine (D) turnover and synaptosomal 3H-D uptake in hypoxic-ischemic rat striatum. In 7 day old rat pups, unilateral carotid artery ligation (UCL) & exposure to 2 hours of 8% O2, leads to striatal D depletion and homovanillic acid (HVA) accumulation on the side of UCL: HVA/D=2.27±.82 vs. HVA/D=.13±.03 on the opposite side (n=20, p<.001, t-test). In synaptosomes prepared from striatum of 22 pups treated in similar fashion, on the side of UCL there was a 76% reduction in 3H-D uptake (.12±.03 pmol/mg tissue vs. .51±.04 in 20 untreated controls, (p<.001, t-test). Uptake was reduced 47% on the opposite side (.27±.05 pmol/mg), similar to values found in pups subjected to hypoxia alone (.31±.06). However, if pups were sacrificed 24 hours after UCL synaptosomes showed normal activity(.53±.04 pmol on side of UCL and .55±.03 on the opposite side). The results suggest that immature D nerve terminals exposed to hypoxia-ischemia are initially disrupted functionally but do recover. Understanding the metabolic processes involved in the initial depression and subsequent recovery is important for devising strategies to protect the brain from hypoxic-ischemic injury.
Negishi Coupling—Expedient Formation of Biphenyls on the Periphery of Inorganic/Organometallic Diruthenium Species

Negishi coupling is a facile, mild, and high-yield alternative to Suzuki coupling in the biphenyl formation at the periphery of diruthenium coordination and organometallic compounds.
The Effects of Air and/or Heat on the Rate of Accumulation of Solids in Indoor Manure Digestion Tanks (Indoor Lagoons)

Abstract THE concept of the “Indoor Lagoon” for poultry manure storage is a very recent one. Adams and Owings (1961), installed a concrete pit with 16 inches of water under slat floors. They reported (1962) 11.7 percent dry matter (D.M.) accumulation after 16 months use. A solution carrying this percentage of solids can easily be handled by diaphragm type pumps and therefore cleaning can be accomplished hydraulically. Goodwin and Adams (1962) conducted taste and smell panels comparing eggs gathered from the lagoon house with eggs from a litter-floor pen. A slight odor was detected on the shells of the unwashed eggs from the lagoon house and none from the same eggs washed or stored under refrigeration for one week. Odor of similar intensity but different quality was also detected on dirty egg shells from the litter house. Broken out eggs from both houses, however, did not have any detectable interior odors.
Comparison of beryllium-7 and caesium-137 radioactivity in ground-level air.

The difference in behavior between Be/sup 7/, formed at a constant rate by cosmic ray interactions with atinospheric constituents throughout the entire atinosphere, and Cs/sup 137/ from stratospheric fall-out is examined as an indication of the transport of debris from the stratosphere into the troposphere. The effect of precipitation, seasonal variation, elevation of the tropepause, and uniformity of rate of stratospheric removal are discussed. (C.H.)
Quenching Rate Constants of NCl(a1Δ) at Room Temperature

The total quenching rate constants for NCl(a1Δ) molecules were measured at room temperature for 40 molecular reagent species and for F, H, N and O atoms. The Cl + N3 reaction was used to provide the NCl(a1Δ) molecules in a room temperature flow reactor; the azide radicals were obtained from the F + HN3 reaction. In most cases, rate constants were obtained for both NF(a1Δ) and NCl(a1Δ) so that the data could be confirmed by comparison with earlier studies of NF(a1Δ). The quenching rate constants for NCl(a1Δ) range from ∼1 × 10-15 to 4 × 10-11 cm3 molecule-1 s-1. Except for O2, F, H, CH3Cl, HCl, HBr, and HI, rate constants for the NCl(a1Δ) molecule are generally smaller than or comparable to those for NF(a1Δ), and NCl(a1Δ) is not especially reactive at 300 K. Small rate constants were obtained for common gases, such as H2, CO2, and CH4; the rate constants are larger for unsaturated hydrocarbons and they increase with the number of carbon atoms in the molecule. A correlation was found between the basicity of...
A Woman's Field Is Made At Night: Gendered Land Rights And Norms In Burkina Faso

Gendered social norms and institutions are important determinants of agricultural activities in southwestern Burkina Faso. This paper argues that gendered land tenure, in particular, has effects on equity and efficiency. The usual view of women as holders of secondary, or indirect, rights to land must be supplemented by a more nuanced understanding of tenure. Women's rights are in fact considerably more complex than the simple right to fields from their husbands. First, women's rights to property obtained from men may be coupled with other rights and obligations. In many ethnic groups, women have share rights to the harvest of their husbands. Second, despite land scarcity and rises in land value certain types of rights are strengthening. Specifically, women are more and more able to obtain land through the market. Finally, government intervention in the gendering of tenure seems to have eroded women's individual rights to land even when government projects explicitly try to incorporate women as "partners"...
Sustainable development education: Averting or mitigating cultural collision

Abstract The essay explores the role educational institutions can play in fostering sustainable development, a framework based on the integration of the economic, social, and environmental dimensions. Sustainable development, a culture sensitive model, lends itself to reconciling competing cultures in a contemporary context driven by global demands for competition and consumerism on one extreme, while the other focuses almost exclusively on strict environmental protection. It further affirms the value of traditional or indigenous knowledge to complement modern knowledge. The paper suggests that educating for a sustainable future requires inclusion of six features: an interdisciplinary approach; teacher-training, pre- and in-service; curricula based on the three pillars of sustainable development; social and environmental justice; meaningful political participation; and respect for local and indigenous cultures.
Perspectives in microwave circuit analysis

It is shown that computational inefficiency can be avoided by combining the individual subnetworks two at a time, and calculating the S-parameters each time a connection is made, until the complete network is assembled. This technique, called the subnetwork growth method, has the advantage that no large sparse matrices are created. In making a connection there are two distinct operations, depending on whether the ports to be joined are on different networks or on the same network. Formulas for the new S-parameters can be calculated using signal flow graphs. To demonstrate the subnetwork growth method, a microstrip CAD package called Puff has been developed. The circuit description in Puff is stored as dynamic variables that are addressed using pointers. The process of laying out a network consists of building up a linked list of subnetworks and connections. In the analysis stage, Puff collapses these linked lists by making connections until no joints remain. To illustrate a practical design, a simple microstrip low-pass filter, namely a three-stage low-pass Tchebyscheff filter with a 0.1-dB ripple, is built. >
Larval cannibalism, time constraints, and adult fitness in caddisflies that inhabit temporary wetlands

The fitness of non-feeding adult insects depends on energy accumulated during the larval stage. Larvae of the caddisfly Asynarchus nigriculus primarily feed on plant detritus, but supplement their diet with animal material obtained through cannibalism. Habitat drying constrains development in many populations of this species, and we hypothesized that cannibalism should accelerate development to facilitate timely metamorphosis. We manipulated larval diets in a field experiment by supplementing detritus with animal material, and in a laboratory experiment by varying animal material and detritus quality (conditioned vs unconditioned). We mea- sured the effects of dietary manipulation on larval and pupal growth and development, the timing of metamor- phosis, and adult fitness correlates. The results of the laboratory experiment suggest that this species can metamorphose with a detritus-only diet, but development is extremely protracted. In the field experiment, indivi- duals with animal material in their diet had higher larval survival, shorter larval and pupal development times, and earlier emergence dates (7-10 days), than those without a supplement. This delay in emergence should have important effects on survival in natural populations where the difference between desiccation and successful emergence can be only a few days. Dietary supplementa- tion also affected adult body mass (30-40% increase), female fecundity (30% more eggs), and proportional allocation to different adult body parts. Our results are consistent with recent growth-development models that predict coupled (earlier emergence and larger adults) rather than tradeoff responses (earlier emergence and smaller adults) to pre-threshold manipulation of larval diets. Many detritivorous aquatic insects supplement their diets with animal material, and our data provide evidence that this supplementation can have strong effects on fitness. This type of dietary supplementation should be especially important for taxa that do not feed as adults, and in temporary habitats that impose time constraints on larval development.
Immunohistochemical mapping of histamine, dopamine, and serotonin in the central nervous system of the copepod Calanus finmarchicus (Crustacea; Maxillopoda; Copepoda).

Calanoid copepods constitute an important group of marine planktonic crustaceans that often dominate the metazoan biomass of the world’s oceans. In proportion to their ecological importance, little is known about their nervous systems. We have used immunohistochemical techniques in a common North Atlantic calanoid to localize re-identifiable neurons that putatively contain the biogenic amines histamine, dopamine, and serotonin. We have found low numbers of such cells and cell groups (approximately 37 histamine pairs, 22 dopamine pairs, and 12 serotonin pairs) compared with those in previously described crustaceans. These cells are concentrated in the anterior part of the central nervous system, the majority for each amine being located in the three neuromeres that constitute the brain (protocerebrum, deutocerebrum, and tritocerebrum). Extensive histamine labeling occurs in several small compact protocerebral neuropils, three pairs of larger, more posterior, paired, dense neuropils, and one paired diffuse tritocerebral neuropil. The most concentrated neuropil showing dopamine labeling lies in the putative deutocerebrum, associated with heavily labeled commissural connections between the two sides of the brain. The most prominent serotonin neuropil is present in the anterior medial part of the brain. Tracts of immunoreactive fibers of all three amines are prominent in the cephalic region of the nervous system, but some projections into the most posterior thoracic regions have also been noted.
SP-A1 and SP-A2 variants differentially enhance association of Pseudomonas aeruginosa with rat alveolar macrophages

Chronic airway inflammation caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an important feature of cystic fibrosis (CF). Surfactant protein A (SP-A) enhances phagocytosis of P. aeruginosa. Two genes, SP-A1 an...
Genetic Diversity of Fluorescent Proteins in Caribbean Agariciid Corals

The fluorescent protein (FP) gene family is a highly diverse group of proteins whose expression govern color diversity in corals. Here, we examine the genetic diversity of FPs and the extent to which it can be used to assess phylogenetic relationships within the coral genus Agaricia. Tissue samples were collected throughout the Florida Keys from a wide range of phenotypes within the genus Agaricia (A. agaricites [n = 7], A. fragilis [n = 13], and A. lamarcki [n = 2]), as well as the confamilial species Helioseris cucullata (n = 3). Primers were developed from published cDNA sequences to amplify a region of coding and noncoding sequences of FPs. Cloning reactions were performed to capture the multiple copies of FPs and allele diversity. In the resulting 116 cloned sequences, we identified a 179-bp coding region for phylogenetic analysis. Three distinct clades were found in all 3 species of Agaricia, potentially representing 3 copies of the FP gene. Of the 3 gene copies, 2 contain distinct subclades that display reciprocal monophyly between A. agaricites and A. fragilis, whereas A. lamarcki is polyphyletic. Further resolution of the species phylogeny is necessary to fully understand how genetic diversity within this gene family is distributed among taxa and habitats.
Heidegger, technology and postmodernity

Abstract This article presents an overview of Martin Heidegger's philosophical thinking in regard to technology. Heidegger is a key twentieth century thinker whose work can be compared and contrasted to the more well known thinkers and their insights in regard to modernity. Using Heidegger as a springboard, and locating him in the historical context of modernistic thinkers (which include Machiavelli, Descartes, Bacon, Newton, Hobbes) this article provides a definition of modernity that coheres to historical and present day conceptions; and treats Heidegger's critique of modernity, technology, and metaphysics as a key to understanding conceptions of postmodern political and social life.
PPARgamma as a potential therapeutic target in pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a progressive disorder of the pulmonary circulation associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The pathobiology of PH involves a complex series of derangements causing endothelial dysfunction, vasoconstriction and abnormal proliferation of pulmonary vascular wall cells that lead to increases in pulmonary vascular resistance and pressure. Recent evidence indicates that the ligand-activated transcription factor, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) can have a favorable impact on a variety of pathways involved in the pathogenesis of PH. This review summarizes PPARγ biology and the emerging evidence that therapies designed to activate this receptor may provide novel approaches to the treatment of PH. Mediators of PH that are regulated by PPARγ are reviewed to provide insights into potential mechanisms underlying therapeutic effects of PPARγ ligands in PH.
The current state of performance measurement in health care

Health care quality measurement is at least 250 years old. While the names and faces of the measures and measurees have changed, the intent of such measurement, i.e. obtaining data and information bearing clinical outcomes, has not changed over the years, and nor have the challenges associated with the measurement of quality in health care. Measurement is not a neutral activity. It evokes considerable anxiety and frustration among all concerned: those who are being measured, those who are doing the measuring, and those who are seeking the data for a variety of purposes. There is little agreement on the philosophy of measurement, on what to measure, on whether or how to adjust for what the patient brings to the clinical encounter, on how data should be analyzed, or on how to report the data; and of course the ultimate questions relate to the value of measurement. Measurement adds new costs to the health care delivery system. Tangible improvements in care, directly attributable to ­performance measurement, are repeatedly being documented. However, the jury has not yet returned a verdict on whether performance measurement data are being used by stakeholders for better decision-making.
Responding to Silence: Asian American Representation through Bill Sponsorship and Co-Sponsorship

Abstract: How do members of Congress react to small and politically inactive minority groups? Racial and ethnic representation scholarship finds that descriptive representation leads to better substantive representation. Furthermore, the subconstituency politics theory states that elected officials represent only politically active numerical minorities. Asian Americans, a relatively small ethnic minority group in the United States, suffer from poor descriptive representation. In addition, they participate at lower rates than African Americans and Latinos. Does this mean that Asian Americans are not represented in Congress? Using bill sponsorships and co-sponsorships from the 106th- 110th Congress, I find that Democrats with a large number of Asian American constituents sponsor or co-sponsor more bills that have to do with Asian American issues on domestic policy while both Democrats and Republicans use symbolic legislation to represent Asian Americans. Furthermore, I also find that Asian American legislators are much more likely than non-Asian Americans to sponsor or co-sponsor co-ethnic legislation.
Software-based ultrasound phase rotation beamforming on multi-core DSP

Phase rotation beamforming (PRBF) is a commonlyused digital receive beamforming technique. However, due to its high computational requirement, it has traditionally been supported by hardwired architectures (e.g., application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or more recently field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs)). In this paper, we investigate the feasibility of supporting software-based PRBF on a multi-core DSP. To alleviate the high computing requirement, the analog front-end (AFE) chips integrating quadrature demodulation in addition to analog-to-digital conversion could be adopted. Under this condition, only delay alignment and phase rotation need to be performed by DSP, substantially reducing the computational load. We implemented the delay alignment and phase rotation modules on a Texas Instruments C6678 DSP with 8 cores. With a sampling rate of 40 MHz and 2:1 decimation, it takes 200 μs to generate one scanline (2048 samples/scanline) on two cores. With 4 cores, it can support beamforming for 64 channels with 10k scanlines/s, e.g., 200 scanlines/frame and at 50 frames/s. The remaining 4 cores can work on back-end processing tasks and applications, e.g., color Doppler or ultrasound elastography. Keywords-ultrasound, beamforming, phase rotation, DSP, programmable, software-based
Risk Factors in a General Population for Snoring: Importance of Cigarette Smoking and Obesity

In order to study risk factors associated with snoring in a general adult population, 2,187 subjects in the Tucson Epidemiologic Study of Obstructive Airways Disease were surveyed to determine the prevalence of snoring. Major independent risk factors for snoring were male gender, age between 40 and 64 years, obesity, and current cigarette smoking. Furthermore, greater intensity of cigarette smoking also was associated with higher snoring prevalence rates. Snoring prevalence remained elevated in subjects who recently quit smoking, but declined in ex-smokers to the level of never smokers within four years of smoking cessation. The presence of cough or sputum production was associated with an increase in snoring prevalence especially in ex-smokers. Snoring prevalence was slightly increased in subjects who regularly used alcohol or medications as aids to sleep. We conclude that cigarette smoking, obesity, male gender, age over 40, and use of alcohol or sleep medications are important risk factors for snoring. We propose that the effect of smoking may be related to the production of upper airway inflammation and edema by cigarette smoke, and that smoking cessation may eventually reduce snoring risk.
Patterns and predictors of amelioration of genitourinary toxicity after high-dose intensity-modulated radiation therapy for localized prostate cancer: implications for defining postradiotherapy urinary toxicity.

Abstract Background Treatment-related toxicity and quality of life (QoL) considerations are important when counseling patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa). Objective To determine the incidence and longitudinal pattern of late genitourinary (GU) toxicity and QoL after high-dose, intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Design, setting, and participants A total of 268 patients with localized PCa were treated between June 2004 and December 2008 at a tertiary referral center. Median follow-up was 5 yr (range: 3–7.7 yr). Intervention Patients underwent IMRT to a total dose of 86.4Gy; 50% of patients underwent neoadjuvant and concurrent androgen-deprivation therapy. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis Patients were evaluated with the prospectively obtained International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS) questionnaire. GU toxicity was also scored using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v.4.0; toxicity events were defined as increase over baseline. Differences in increases in IPSS sums and QoL index between baseline IPSS sum and QoL index groups were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression models were applied. Results and limitations The overall median IPSS sum increase during follow-up was 3 and was less pronounced among patients with severe baseline symptoms compared with those with mild baseline symptoms (median increase: 0 vs 4; p p Conclusions Late GU toxicity after high-dose IMRT was mild; severe, late GU toxicity was rare. Changes in IPSS sum and QoL index were dependent on the baseline GU function, which might be useful for future patient counseling.
Containment control with multiple stationary or dynamic leaders under a directed interaction graph

In this paper, we study the problem of distributed containment control of a group of mobile autonomous agents with multiple stationary or dynamic leaders under fixed and switching directed network topologies. In the case of stationary leaders, we show necessary and sufficient conditions on the network topology such that all followers will ultimately converge to the stationary convex hull formed by the stationary leaders for arbitrary initial states in both continuous-time and discrete-time settings. In particular, when the network topology is fixed, the final states of the followers are constant. When the network topology is switching, the final states of the followers might be changing depending on the switching graphs. In the case of dynamic leaders, we propose a distributed tracking control algorithm without velocity measurements and derive conditions on the network topology and the control gain to guarantee that all followers will ultimately converge to the dynamic convex hull formed by the dynamic leaders for arbitrary initial states.
Being Uninsured Is Bad for Your Health: Can Medical Homes Play a Role in Treating the Uninsurance Ailment?

In the United States, stable health insurance coverage is associated with improved health outcomes. A lack of insurance is associated with premature death from preventable causes. Although primary care clinicians are often in a position to see firsthand the impact that being uninsured has on patients, most ambulatory care clinics are not actively involved in helping patients obtain health insurance, retain their coverage, or make important health insurance coverage decisions. The magnitude and complexity of the US “uninsurance” problem, as well as recent federal initiatives to expand coverage options, inspire important questions: Can medical homes play a more active role in helping patients find and keep insurance coverage? How can basic tenets from the chronic care model be operationalized to build systems to treat the uninsurance ailment? Creating effective processes and tools within the medical home to keep a patient insured may be as important to improving population health as helping a patient maintain a normal blood pressure. Similar system-level interventions could be used to support both endeavors.
A Forensic and Ethics-Based View of Carter’s “Racism and Psychological and Emotional Injury”:

The psychological effect that racism has on individuals is of significant interest to mental health professionals. But it is of particular interest to those professionals who treat the clinical dimensions of the trauma to those who are involved in the assessment of the trauma for forensic purposes. Robert T. Carter provides a systematic, disciplined, science-based review of the evidence bearing on this subject in his article in this issue. He also adds to his review and synthesis some novel and creative recommendations that will have considerable impact on the field. This commentary focuses on certain aspects of Carter’s work from an ethics-based and forensic dimension. I also suggest slight modifications of his contributions in an attempt to make them more user-friendly for the forensic specialist.
Air Cargo Shipments And Regional Employment: The Northern Nevada Case

Air cargo is a critical component for developing an integrated transportation system to facilitate regional economic diversification and growth. Additionally, demand for air cargo shipments is affected by regional, national and international economic conditions. To get a better sense on these issues in Northern Nevada, a study was conducted to determine : (1) characteristics of business behavior for air cargo and other freight modes at Reno-Tahoe International Airport and (2) if employment in Reno MSA, as a proxy for regional business activities, has a systematic impact on air cargo shipments at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The first question is examined by conducting interviews and surveys of the firms in Northern Nevada in 2002-2003. The second question is evaluated by estimating time-series models using monthly data on employmen in Reno MSA and air cargo shipments at Reno-Tahoe International Airport. The findings do support the importance of regional economic factors in determining the demand for air cargo shipments.
The Frontal Lobes and Executive Functioning

The frontal lobes are often referred to as the seat of cognition and higher-order processing that play a role in virtually all domains of neuropsychological functioning; however, the examination of this mysterious cortical area is often plagued with dubiety. The frontal lobes have fascinated and perplexed scientists who study human behavior for decades, yet still remain largely understood (Filley, 2010). They play a role in virtually all neurological and psychiatric disorders (Levine & Craik, 2012) as well as in theories of development in children and adults. The frontal lobes regulate higher-order “executive” cognitive functions needed to successfully perform complex tasks in the environment. They include a number of psychological processes, including the selection and perception of pertinent information; maintenance, retrieval, and manipulation of information in working memory; self-directed behavior, planning, and organization; behavioral regulation and control in response to a changing environment; and appropriate decision-making on the basis of positive and negative outcomes. Dysfunction in the frontal lobes can result in a variety of deficits including distractibility and perseveration, social irresponsibility, lack of initiation, impulsivity, and disinhibition (Chudasama & Robbins, 2006).
Adjuvant Chemotherapy for T3 Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer with Additional Tumor Nodules in the Same Lobe

Abstract Introduction Adjuvant chemotherapy after surgical resection of non–small cell lung cancer is associated with a survival advantage in several staging scenarios. T3 tumors associated with a separate tumor nodule in the same lobe (formerly “satellite nodules”) have a significant risk for systemic failure, yet the efficacy of adjuvant chemotherapy in this setting is unknown. The survival of patients with T3 tumors and additional tumor nodules in the same lobe treated with and without postoperative chemotherapy was evaluated to understand the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in this setting. Methods The National Cancer Data Base was queried for patients with T3 tumors with additional tumor nodules in the same lobe between 2010 and 2012. Primary outcomes were 3-year overall and relative survival (a surrogate of cancer-specific survival). Results A total of 1013 patients with T3 tumors and additional tumor nodules in the same lobe were identified; 56% received multiagent postoperative chemotherapy and 44% were treated with surgical resection only. The use of adjuvant chemotherapy versus resection alone was associated with improved 3-year overall survival (70% versus 59%, p p Conclusions Adjuvant chemotherapy is associated with increased overall survival among patients with T3 tumors with additional pulmonary nodules. Further study is warranted to clarify the role of adjuvant chemotherapy in this setting.
My world: a case study in adapting scientists' tools for learners

In previous research, we identified strategies for adapting scientists' investigation tools to be appropriate for use by students to support inquiry-based learning (Edelson & Gordin, 1998; Edelson, Gordin, & Pea, 1999). The goal is to take tools that enable scientists to conduct investigations that extend the boundary of human understanding and adapt them to create tools that enable students to conduct investigations that enable them to extend the boundaries of their personal understanding. The challenge is to take a tool designed for experts who bring substantial understanding of both the subject under study and the investigation techniques supported by the tool and convert it into a tool for novices who will use the tool to develop understanding of subject matter and investigation techniques.
Spontaneous Multielectron Transfer from the Surfaces of PbS Quantum Dots to Tetracyanoquinodimethane

This paper describes an investigation of the interfacial chemistry that enables formation of a multielectron ground-state charge-transfer (CT) complex of oleate-coated PbS quantum dots (QDs) and tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) in CHCl3 dispersions. Thermodynamically spontaneous electron transfer occurs from sulfur ions on the surfaces of the QDs (radius = 1.6 nm) to adsorbed TCNQ molecules and creates indefinitely stable ion pairs that are characterized by steady-state visible and mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy of reduced TCNQ and by NMR spectroscopy of the protons of oleate ligands that coat the QDs. The combination of these techniques shows that (i) each QD reduces an average of 4.5 TCNQ molecules, (ii) every electron transfer event between the QD and TCNQ occurs at the QD surface, (iii) sulfur ions on the surfaces of the QDs (and not delocalized states within the QDs) are the electron donors, and (iv) some TCNQ molecules adsorb directly to the surface of the QDs while others adsorb upon displacem...
Investigations on the biogenesis of chlorophyll a: I. Purification and mass spectra of maleimides from the oxidation of chlorophyll and related compounds

Abstract The structure of porphyrins in the amounts of 1–2 mg may be inferred from examination of the mass spectra of the free base ester and of the maleimides resulting from its oxidation with chromic acid. Fragmentation patterns of maleimides found in the chlorophyll a biosynthetic pathway are presented, along with the thin-layer chromatographic procedure for their prior purification.