cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Household risk aversion and portfolio choices

In practice, stock investment is one of the most important decisions made by households. The primary goal of this paper is to explain family investment decisions under the assumptions of household member’s preferences and efficient risk sharing based on the collective household model. In particular, by examining the absolute (relative) risk aversion of the household welfare function, we demonstrate how household’s portfolio allocation in stocks changes with family wealth. We examine two types of preference heterogeneity between family members: parameter heterogeneity and functional form heterogeneity. This study offers an alternative explanation of household portfolio choice corresponding with the observation that wealthier households tend to hold greater share of their wealth in risky assets. Specifically, if two decision-makers have standard constant relative risk aversion preference with different relative risk aversions in a household, family’s relative risk aversion decreases as household wealth increases (decreasing relative risk aversion).
Respiratory and Laryngeal Changes With Vocal Loading in Younger and Older Individuals

Purpose The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of age and vocal loading on the respiratory and laryngeal systems. Method Fourteen younger (M = 20 years) and 13 older (M =...
Abstract 16097: Comparison of Outcomes for Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease Treated With Pre-Hospital Reduced Dose Fibrinolytic Followed by Urgent Percutaneous Coronary Intervention versus Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Alone for Treatment of ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction

Background: Pre-hospital administration of reduced-dose fibrinolytic restores coronary patency prior to urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) but it could be associated with stroke or bleeding risk, especially in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) for whom recurrence of stroke and bleeding hazards may be increased. For over 7 years we have used a strategy of field evaluation for STEMI using 12 lead EKGs obtained and transmitted by emergency services (EMS) personnel with over-read by emergency center physicians. Appropriate STEMI patients receive pre-hospital reduced dose fibrinolytic (10 units reteplase) along with aspirin, clopidogrel, and heparin, and are transported to our STEMI center for urgent PCI (FAST-PCI strategy). Methods: We examined the data for CKD patients (ie, glomerular filtration rate 2 for 3 months or more) treated by either a FAST-PCI strategy or primary PCI (PPCI). We compared demographic, clinical, angiographic data and outcomes. Ischemic time was defined as time from onset of pain to device activation. Bleeding was assessed using GUSTO criteria. Results: Between May 2006 and February 2013, we treated 1258 STEMI patients of which 199 (15.8%) had CKD. FAST-PCI was employed in 84 (42%) and PPCI in 115 (58%) patients. Both groups were comparable in age, cardiac risk factors and ischemic time. Data are shown in the table. Conclusions: The FAST-PCI strategy reduced 30 day mortality among CKD patients with STEMI, without increasing the risk of stroke or bleeding, compared to PPCI. It was also associated with earlier infarct-related artery patency and decreased the incidence of shock at presentation.
Heart Rate Variability During a Simulated Assembly Task; Influence of Age and Gender:

Attention has been concentrated on productivity in manufacturing settings with assembly line tasks being a common area of focus. Prolonged fatigue can occur during various assembly tasks both cognitively and physically. This can place a damper on efficiency and productivity for workers in manufacturing. Intercession can subsequently take place centered on reducing excessive workload tasks to assure a worker’s mental and physical thresholds are not contravened. Fatigue can be better understood by a person’s physiologic measures specifically their heart rate. Heart rate variability (HRV) which consists of calculations taken from each heartbeat can objectively quantify human capacity levels and the onset of fatigue. This study considers HRV during an assembly line task and compares differences in cardiac parameters between younger and older participants. The results obtained from this study were used to better understand the pattern of fatigue during the task at each segmented time interval. The HRV outcomes...
Iterative techniques for analyzing nonlinear vibrating dynamical systems in the frequency domain

The nonlinear response of prototypical structures experiencing harmonic excitation is studied using novel techniques called iterative harmonic analysis (IHA) and iterative modal analysis (IMA). First, a simple damped oscillator with a cubic hardening stiffness nonlinearity is studied, and IHA is used in this single-degree-of-freedom system. In this first section, a high-order harmonic balance is applied, and IHA is employed in order to find the amplitude coefficients for different harmonics and their codependence. Additionally, a set of nested sums are identified that describe the harmonic coupling explicitly. Secondly, a pinned–pinned nonlinear beam of rectangular cross-section is studied, and IMA is applied to find the amplitude coefficients for different modes and their codependence. The nonlinearity is introduced through the membrane effect, where axial strain due to transverse deflection becomes a significant contributor to the system behavior. Typical frequency-domain methods cannot be easily applied to these systems as the solutions of the differential equations lead to intricate coupling between coefficients of the solution, and no analytical expression exists for those coefficients. Based upon these examples, other nonlinear systems may also be considered in future work using either a modal-based or finite element model. Finally, the advantages of the new method (reduced computational cost) as well as the limitations (effectively the same as those of an nth-order harmonic balance) are emphasized.
Marooned time: disruptive waiting and idleness in Carpentier and Coetzee

AbstractThis article develops a framework for reading the maroon in literature, drawing on the maroon’s historical and contemporary significance in the Caribbean, as well as its continuing resonance for writers and thinkers. The maroon’s separateness or withdrawal, I argue, is characterized by a spatial distance that also engenders a challenge to the authority and temporality of the colonial regime or the apartheid state. I turn to Alejo Carpentier and J.M. Coetzee to offer readings of their novels through the lens of marronage, analyzing their protagonists’ flight, labor, and “idleness” as newly legible dimensions of resistive waiting. The strategies of marronage encourage new readings of the formulations of freedom and unfreedom, resistance and refusal in the literary texts, and create a “line of flight” between the Caribbean and South Africa.
Epithelial barrier dysfunctions in atopic dermatitis: a skin-gut-lung model linking microbiome alteration and immune dysregulation.

Background Atopic dermatitis is a systemic disorder characterized by abnormal barrier function across multiple organ sites. Causes of epidermal barrier breakdown are complex and driven by a combination of structural, genetic, environmental and immunological factors. In addition, alteration in microflora diversity can influence disease severity, duration, and response to treatment. Clinically, atopic dermatitis can progress from skin disease to food allergy, allergic rhinitis, and later asthma, a phenomenon commonly known as the atopic march. The mechanism by which atopic dermatitis progresses towards gastrointestinal or airway disease remains to be elucidated. Objectives This review addresses how epithelial dysfunction linking microbiome alteration and immune dysregulation can predispose to the development of the atopic march. Methods A literature search was conducted using the PubMed database for relevant articles with the keywords 'atopic dermatitis', 'epithelial barrier', 'skin', 'gut', 'lung', 'microbiome' and 'immune dysregulation'. Results Initial disruption in the skin epidermal barrier permits allergen sensitization and colonization by pathogens. This induces a T helper 2 inflammatory response and a thymic stromal lymphopoietin-mediated pathway that further promotes barrier breakdown at distant sites, including the intestinal and respiratory tract. Conclusions As there are no immediate cures for food allergy or asthma, early intervention aimed at protecting the skin barrier and effective control of local and systemic inflammation may improve long-term outcomes and reduce allergen sensitization in the airway and gut.
Individualized Education: A Public School Model

Only recently have teachers been given a prominent role in the task of working with autistic children. Many special education techniques have been developed for these children, sometimes with competition for priority in the educational marketplace. However, the individual variations in behavioral symptoms, intellectual impairment, and learning styles found under the label of autism prevent the exclusive suitability of any one techinque for every autistic child. Although the need for individualized curricula for autistic children is widely recognized, the practice is not always implemented. The North Carolina state program for autistic children (Division TEACCH) is cited as a model for developing administrative structures to facilitate individualization and assessment procedures for defining individual curricula within a developmental structure. Special education techniques are adapted for individualized use, and the involvement of parents promotes transfer of learning from the to the home.
A Parallelizable And Approximate Dynamic Programming-Based Dynamic Fleet Management Model With Random Travel Times And Multiple Vehicle Types

This chapter presents an approximate dynamic programming-based dynamic fleet management model that can handle random load arrivals, random travel times and multiple vehicle types. Our model decomposes the fleet management problem into a sequence of time-indexed subproblems by formulating it as a dynamic program and uses approximations of the value function. To handle random travel times, the state variable of our dynamic program includes all individual decisions over a relevant portion of the history. We propose a sampling-based strategy to approximate the value function under this high-dimensional state variable in a tractable manner. Under our value function approximation strategy, the fleet management problem decomposes into a sequence of time-indexed min-cost network flow subproblems that naturally yield integer solutions. Moreover, the subproblem for each time period further decomposes by the locations, making our model suitable for parallel computing. Computational experiments show that our model yields high-quality solutions within reasonable runtimes
Reactive Oxygen and Nitrogen Species and Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): New Mechanisms to be Considered

The adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) represents a common response of the lung to a variety of different and often unrelated insults, most frequently sepsis, trauma, aspiration and shock. Important consequences are the priming and activation of many components of the inflammatory-immune system accompanied by alterations in the permeability of endothelial and epithelial cell membrane barriers manifest by accumulations of inflammatory pulmonary edema fluid accompanied by phagocyte infiltrations in the interstitial and alveolar compartments of the lung. The net physiologic result is severe hypoxemic acute respiratory failure due to lung ventilation-perfusion mismatching and extensive intrapulmonary shunts. As with inflammatory-immune activation states involving other systems (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis in joints), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are likely to play a significant role in the pathobiology of the lung injury seen in ARDS (Louie et al., 1997; Forni et al., 1997).
Composite cell agent model of epithelial culture in vitro

An advantage of the synthetic, agent-oriented modeling approach is the ease with which model components can be refined or replaced with additional mechanisms and details. Here we present an agent-based model of epithelial cell culture, and describe revisions made to include subcellular details. Specifically, we developed new components inside cell agents, thereby evolving atomic cell agents into composite counterparts. The new components mapped abstractly to subcellular features involved in cell surface differentiation, which replaced agent rules governing simulated cell polarization and depolarization. Cross-model validation results under normal conditions confirmed that the revisions did not measurably alter model phenotype, specifically the simulated growth dynamics and gross morphology. However, cross-model validation results uncovered discrepancies for dysregulated conditions where one or more cell agent actions (e.g., division and death) were blocked in a probabilistic manner. Their elimination required reengi-neering the composite. We expect the approach and methods developed will facilitate and accelerate knowledge discovery in biomedical research.
Clinical Aspects of Antiemesis: Role of the 5-HT, Antagonists

Development of effective antiemetics has depended upon understanding of the emetic reflex arc and identification of significant neurotransmitter receptors within that reflex arc. Appreciation of the role of histaminergic, cholinergic, and dopaminergic receptors led to development of the first generation of antiemetics. The increased efficacy of high-dose metoclopramide (an antidopaminergic agent) was later found to be due at least in part to additional blockade of serotonergic (5-HT3) neurotransmitter receptors. Pure 5-HT3antagonists now allow effective antiemesis without antidopaminergic toxicity. However recent studies concerning dose-response effects and schedule effects with 5-HT3receptor blockers suggest that additional factors must also be identified to fully understand the physiology and pharmacology of chemotherapy-induced emesis and antiemetic activity.
Contextual Interactions in Visual Processing

Converging streams of evidence – perceptual, neurophysiological, and anatomical – point to the important role of visual context early in visual processing. Perceptual studies suggest that the primitives of visual perception are not individual spots of light and color, or even short elemental edges and lines, but, rather, midlevel features such as surfaces and object boundaries. In parallel, neurophysiological studies show that responses of neurons, even in the earliest cortical stages, are modulated profoundly by the surrounding context of embedding figure or contour. Finally, in some cortical areas, particularly V1, the neuronal circuitry provides plausible substrates for these contextual interactions.
Disentangling Climate and Disturbance Effects on Regional Vegetation Greening Trends

Productivity of northern latitude forests is an important driver of the terrestrial carbon cycle and is already responding to climate change. Studies of the satellite-derived Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for northern latitudes indicate recent changes in plant productivity. These detected greening and browning trends are often attributed to a lengthening of the growing season from warming temperatures. Yet, disturbance-recovery dynamics are strong drivers of productivity and can mask direct effects of climate change. Here, we analyze 1-km resolution NDVI data from 1989 to 2014 for the northern latitude forests of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem for changes in plant productivity to address the following questions: (1) To what degree has greening taken place in the GYE over the past three decades? and (2) What is the relative importance of disturbance and climate in explaining NDVI trends? We found that the spatial extents of statistically significant productivity trends were limited to local greening and browning areas. Disturbance history, predominately fire disturbance, was a major driver of these detected NDVI trends. After accounting for fire-, insect-, and human-caused disturbances, increasing productivity trends remained. Productivity of northern latitude forests is generally considered temperature-limited; yet, we found that precipitation was a key driver of greening in the GYE.
A fractal Cantor set based description of interlaminar contact evolution during thermoplastic composites processing

Fusion bonding is the principal phenomenon governing the fabrication of layered thermoplastic-matrix composites using techniques such as tow placement and tape laying. An important step in fusion bonding is the intimate contact process, which refers to the development of interfacial contact area between thermoplastic plies, caused by the spreading of the surface asperities. The contacted areas, in turn, form sites for molecular interdiffusion which leads to interfacial bonding. The geometric complexity of the surface asperity profiles presents a fundamental challenge to an effective description of the intimate contact process. Toward addressing the challenge, this paper presents a model for interfacial contact area development utilizing the fractal properties of thermoplastic ply surfaces. Using a Cantor set representation of the surfaces, and a squeeze flow model to describe their spreading during the processing, the interfacial contact area evolution is related to the process parameters and the geometric parameters in the fractal surface description. The model predictions are shown to compare well with experimental data for several thermoplastic materials.
Integration of Inductors, Capacitors, and Damping Into Bus Bars for Silicon Carbide Inverter dv/dt Filters

A dv/dt filter is useful to mitigate the deleterious effects of voltage pulses with high edge rates, such as voltage overshoot and ringing in motor drive systems, which can cause premature motor failure. With the introduction of wide-bandgap semiconductor drives, these issues will become more pronounced. This paper introduces a new type of dv/dt filter where the inductor, capacitor, and damping resistor are integrated into the output bus bar or cable of a silicon carbide (SiC) inverter. This integrated filter may be smaller, lighter, and cheaper to construct than filters built from discrete components. An analytical model of the integrated dv/dt filter is developed, and this model is used to design output filters for a 460 V AC, three-phase SiC motor drive. Prototype filters are constructed and tested with a SiC inverter connected to a 460 Vrms, 30-HP induction motor, and experimental results demonstrate output waveforms that match the analytical model and meet the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) MG 1 Part 31 requirements for inverter-rated motors. Finally, the voltage waveforms and losses of the prototype-integrated filter are compared with several other mitigation options, demonstrating that the integrated filters meet the NEMA specification at a fraction of the mass and volume of the discrete component solution without sacrificing efficiency.
Drug resistance of stem-like cells of BRCA1/p53 associated breast cancer in conditional knockout mice

5722 Cancer stem cells have been postulated to be involved in cancer recurrence and chemoresistance. We have observed that mammary gland tumors, in a mouse model that carries a tissue specific disruption of p53 and BRCA1, recurred after complete regression following cisplatin (CDDP) treatment. We sought to examine the possible involvement of CDDP-resistant cancer stem cells in this phenomenon, and to characterize these cells. We isolated potential cancer stem cells using FACS sorting based on CD24 and CD44 cell surface marker expression. We assayed for their ability to self-renew in culture and to initiate tumor growth in vivo. Our investigation revealed that these cells were able to grow in serum-free media as loose clusters of suspension cells. They were not able to form mammospheres, an observation that has recently been reported with human samples. Colony forming assays performed on irradiated NIH3T3 feeder layers showed that the CD24-positive cells resulted in ten-fold more colonies compared to CD44-positive cells. This observation suggested that CD24-positive cells were more likely to be the stem cells. Transplantation of the CD24-positive cells into cleared fat pads of immunodeficient mice resulted in tumor regeneration. CDDP treatment of the tumors resulted in partial regression, suggesting an increase in CDDP resistant cells in the regenerated tumor. This response appeared to be dependent on the number of cells injected, since a five-fold increase in cell number resulted in almost complete resistance to CDDP. FACS analysis of the regenerated tumors revealed a phenotypically diverse population of cells expressing a wide range of CD24 levels. These data are suggestive of the CD24-positive cells’ stemness, which reflects their ability to generate cells of diverse phenotypes. A large proportion of the CD24-positive cells was found to express high levels of CD29, another putative stem cell marker. A secondary transplantation, using 5000 of these CD24-positive cells, also resulted in tumor regeneration. Tumor growth increased tremendously in a short time period following the secondary cell injection. CDDP treatment had no effect on these tumors. FACS analysis of cells harvested from the tumors also showed regeneration of cells with a wide range of CD-24 expression levels. Most of the CD24-positive cells in this population were also CD29-positive. Our study demonstrates that CDDP resistance observed in this mouse model may involve drug-resistance cancer stem cells expressing high levels of CD24 and CD29. These data may provide useful information towards improved therapies targeting a small subpopulation of drug-resistant cancer stem cells.
Indications for Neurotoxin: Upper Face

Botulinum neurotoxins type A (BoNT/A) smooth out wrinkles by relaxing the underlying muscles, thereby creating a more refreshed, alert appearance. Although the effects are temporary, lasting approximately 3–4 months, consistent use can lead to longer term benefits such as prevention of additional lines and increased muscle memory. Patients with active facial muscles that lead to dynamic lines are ideal candidates for BoNT/A treatment and the forehead, glabella, and orbital areas are on-label uses. However, some of the off-label applications of BoNT/A include the infra-orbital muscles to treat fine wrinkles and the nasalis muscle to treat bunny lines.
Fostering empowerment through occupation: An overview of an urban school-based parenting program

Occupational scientists have long examined the challenges of discrimination within societies, and this paper utilizes qualitative research to examine a) occupational justice and how it relates to t...
NERVE GROWTH FACTOR EXPRESSION CORRELATES WITH SEVERITY AND OUTCOME OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY IN CHILDREN

Objective Traumatic brain damage after traumatic brain injury (TBI) involves neuro-inflammatory mechanisms, mainly dependent on the intracerebral production of cytokines. IL-1β is associated with neuronal damage, whereas IL-6 exerts a neuroprotective role due to its ability to modulate neurotrophin biosynthesis. However, the relationship between these cytokines and neurotrophins with the severity and outcome of TBI still remains controversial. To determine whether the concentration of IL-1β and IL-6 and neurotrophins (nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF)) in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of children with TBI correlates with the severity of the injury and its neurological outcome. Methods Prospective observational clinical study in a university hospital. CSF samples were collected from 27 children at 2 h (time T1) and 48 h (time T2) after severe TBI, and from 21 matched controls. The severity of TBI was evaluated by Glasgow coma scale and neurological outcome by the Glasgow outcome scale. Results Early NGF and IL-1β concentrations (T1) correlated significantly with the severity of head injury, whereas no correlation was found for IL-6, BDNF and GDNF. Furthermore, higher NGF and IL-6 and lower IL-1β expression at T2 were associated with better neurological outcomes. No significant association was found between BDNF or GDNF expression and neurological outcome. Conclusions NGF concentration in CSF is a useful marker of brain damage following severe TBI and its regulation, in the first 48 h after head injury together with lower IL-1β expression, correlates with a favourable neurological outcome. Clinical and prognostic information may also be obtained from IL-6 expression.
‘A Blank slate body:’ Cis individuals’ descriptions of their androgynous body ideals

Body image is typically studied through the framework of internalising gender binary standards of attractiveness. However, not all individuals adhere to traditional appearance norms. This study aim...
Exploring Knowledge and Attitudes About Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Among School Nurses in an Urban School District.

BACKGROUND Nurses in an urban school district completed a brief survey about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination. METHODS Descriptive and bivariate analyses examined trends and differences. RESULTS Among 208 nurses, only 3% correctly answered all 5 knowledge questions. Nurses with greater than 10 years of experience were more confident about where to refer a student for vaccination (p < .01) and less likely to be interested in providing the vaccine at their school (p < .001) compared to those with less than 10 years of experience. Almost one third (32%) of nurses reported having access to educational material about the HPV vaccine at their schools. CONCLUSIONS Whereas most nurses had positive attitudes about the vaccine, fewer were interested in administering the HPV vaccine in school. Educational resources for school nurses could increase awareness of the vaccine and promote linkages to care outside of school.
Training in the Era of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected virtually every segment of society and every aspect of daily life. In addition to dealing with the threat of serious infection, it has brought an absolute halt to...
Universal Injunctions: Why Not Follow the Rule?

Over the last several years, a debate has flared up over universal injunctions—court orders that purport to benefit individuals across the nation, including vast numbers of people not party to the litigation from which the injunction issued. Critics on both the left and the right have criticized these injunctions as they to shut down the programs of administrations which they support. All the while, a solution to these controversies remains hiding in plain sight in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23. Subdivision (b)(2) of the rule allows class actions when “final injunctive relief or corresponding declaratory relief is appropriate respecting the class as a whole.” Why don’t these provisions solve the problem of universal injunctions? The Essay argues that it largely does. If a class can be certified, then the injunction can reach beyond the named parties. If it cannot, then the injunction must be limited to the named parties. The scholarly commentary has recognized the relevance of Rule 23(b)(2), but then inexplicably pushed it to the side. Yet the rule frames the constitutional and remedial questions in the appropriate terms, yielding this simple conclusion: universal injunctions must be preceded by certification of similarly broad class. There is no need to address the power of courts to issue this remedy under the Constitution or as a matter of equitable remedies if this prerequisite is not met.
The Effect of Music Listening on Pain in Adults Undergoing Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the role of music listening in reducing pain in adults undergoing colonoscopy. Design This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized control trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effect of music in reducing pain in adults undergoing colonoscopy. Methods We searched CINAHL, Embase, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and PubMed for RCTs that reported on the effects of music listening in reducing pain in adult patients undergoing colonoscopy from database inception to March 15, 2020, when the search was completed. Studies published in English with adult participants testing the efficacy of music during colonoscopy were eligible for inclusion. Studies reporting the results of combined nonpharmacological interventions were excluded. The methodological quality of each included RCT was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration tool for assessing the risk of bias. Two authors independently abstracted data and assessed risks of bias. Findings Seven RCTs with a total of 622 adult participants fulfilled our inclusion criteria and were, therefore, included. A random-effects model estimated the summary effect of the 7 included studies as −1.83 ± 0.98, P = 0.06. Conclusions Although our meta-analysis demonstrated a small treatment effect, this effect was clinically not statistically significant. Substantial heterogeneity among the included trials limits the certainty of our findings. Additional trials investigating the effects of listening to music on pain in adults undergoing colonoscopy are needed to generate further evidence to establish the analgesic effect of music in adults undergoing colonoscopy.
Transformation of Swimmers’ Forces Acting in a 2D Incompressible Fluid

In this chapter we will investigate how the original swimmer’s internal forces will change, both in magnitude and direction, when it is placed into a 2D incompressible fluid. We are particularly interested in the case when the swimmer’s body parts are small rectangles or discs.
Leaves of Grass, 1855

The detailed history of Whitman’s undertaking to publish this first book of twelve poems, all untitled. The beginning of what will be a continuous evolution of positioning poems as the book grows to include 400 poems, his life’s work. A range of critical commentary from today’s observers, apparently agreeing that this is not only an American poem but perhaps the first modern poem. Emphasis on religious beliefs, racial tolerance, and on women as characters.
Algebraic Systems of Generating Functions and Return Probabilities for Random Walks

A technique for analyzing the leading singularity of an infinite algebraic system of generating functions is developed. The generating functions are assumed to have positive coefficients, and to be interrelated by a system of holomorphic functional equations. It is shown that if the Jaco-bian operator is of Perron-Probenius type at the lead singularity then the generating functions have a square-root type singularity. Standard Taube-rian theorems then imply that the power series coefficients satisfy power laws with exponent 3/2. Examples of systems obeying the hypotheses include random walks on homogeneous trees and random walks on regular languages.
MONITORING PAVEMENT RESPONSE AND PERFORMANCE USING IN-SITU INSTRUMENTATION

The aim of this paper is to present the effectiveness of in-situ instrumentation in diagnosing pavement layer conditions under full-scale accelerated traffic loading (ATL). The test section is an in-service pavement in Jacksboro, Texas (U.S.). Multi-depth deflectometers (MDDs) were used to measure both permanent deformations and transient deflections, caused by ATL and Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) tests. Four different FWD loads of 25, 40, 52, and 67 kN were applied in close proximity to the MDDs at various traffic loading intervals to determine pavement conditions. It was found that the majority of rutting occurred in the newly recycled asphalt mix. The aged (>40 years) underlying base and subgrade layers contributed less than 30% to overall rutting. Only the top recycled asphalt layer underwent notable deterioration due to ATL. Up to 1.5 million axle repetitions, the test pad responded to FWD load almost linearly, not only over the whole pavement system but also within individual layers. However, under higher FWD loads, the percentage of total deflection contributed by the subgrade increased.
Phase II evaluation of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) for the treatment of hot flashes.

Purpose Hot flashes are a significant source of symptom burden that negatively impacts quality of life (QOL). For women who have contraindications to, or are unwilling to consider, estrogens or antidepressants for bothersome hot flashes, there are limited effective pharmacologic or complementary and alternative medicines.
Optimal Decentralized Detection for Conditionally Independent Sensors

The optimal fusion rule for decentralized detection is easily shown to be a likelihood ratio test on the data transmitted by the sensors. It is more difficult to determine the procedure whereby the sensors reduce their observations in order to transmit over a bandlimited channel. Intuitively, it seems that the optimal sensor processor would compute and transmit as close a facsimile to the local (sensor) likelihood ratio as the channel will allow. This, in fact, is the case. We show that the sensor decision rule which is optimal under both the Neyman-Pearson and the Bayes criteria partitions the sensor observation space by the value of the likelihood ratio at the sensor input. We also show that sensor decision rules based on likelihood ratio partitions maximize the Ali-Silvey distance between the distributions under the two hypotheses at the fusion center input.
Maps: Finding our Place in the World

Maps: Finding our Place in the World explores maps, mapping, and map use across individual cultures and time periods. The book challenges readers to expand their concepts of maps and mapping, and t...
Contracts Small and Contracts Large: Contract Law Through the Lens of Laissez-Faire

This paper examines and rejects the commonplace view that the doctrines of classical contract law (offer and acceptance, consideration, damages) were logically linked to the political philosophy of laissez-faire. Many writers (Grant Gilmore, Patrick Atiyah, Lawrence Friedman) attribute much of the rigid and mechanical nature of nineteenth century contract law to its affinity with laissez-faire. In this paper I reject that connection. The key distinction is that between security of exchange and freedom of contract. Laissez-faire is strongly committed to both, but most of contract law only requires the former without the latter. Security of exchange ensures that the enforcement of legal contracts when, as commonly is the case, one party must perform before the other. Freedom of contract guarantees a broad sphere in which voluntary arrangements are permissible. Most contract law is devoted to the former, which can be supported even by those who favor extensive regulation of economic transactions. The strength or weakness of that law is largely determined by instrumental questions of whether they promote stable contracting over time.
Seabed fluid expulsion along the upper slope and outer shelf of the U.S. Atlantic continental margin

[1] Identifying the spatial distribution of seabed fluid expulsion features is crucial for understanding the substrate plumbing system of any continental margin. A 1100 km stretch of the U.S. Atlantic margin contains more than 5000 pockmarks at water depths of 120 m (shelf edge) to 700 m (upper slope), mostly updip of the contemporary gas hydrate stability zone (GHSZ). Advanced attribute analyses of high-resolution multichannel seismic reflection data reveal gas-charged sediment and probable fluid chimneys beneath pockmark fields. A series of enhanced reflectors, inferred to represent hydrate-bearing sediments, occur within the GHSZ. Differential sediment loading at the shelf edge and warming-induced gas hydrate dissociation along the upper slope are the proposed mechanisms that led to transient changes in substrate pore fluid overpressure, vertical fluid/gas migration, and pockmark formation.
Total Expected Discounted Reward MDPS: Existence of Optimal Policies

This article describes the results on the existence of optimal and nearly optimal policies for Markov Decision Processes (MDPs) with total expected discounted rewards. The problem of optimization of total expected discounted rewards for MDPs is also known under the name of discounted dynamic programming. Keywords: Markov decision process; dynamic programming; reward function; optimal policy; discounted rewards
Chapter Four Expression of foreign sequences in virus-infected plants using alfalfa mosaic virus coat protein

Publisher Summary The use of virus-based vectors has greatly contributed to the studies of viral pathogenesis, host–pathogen interactions, virus replication, and cell-to-cell and long-distance movement of virus. Although plant virus–based vectors originally emerged as tools for the study of different aspects of virus pathogenesis, they have since found increasing use as vectors for the expression of the recombinant proteins of medical importance. In the past several years, a number of plant virus vectors have been engineered and used as a safe and inexpensive system to express foreign sequences, including vaccine antigens based on short peptides. Immunological testing of these plant virus–based antigens has demonstrated great promise for the development of plant virus–based subunit vaccines that may soon enter the clinic. Plant-virus vectors have also been successfully used to express enzymes that have the appropriate biological activity.
Anx7 Is Required for Nutritional Control of Gene Expression in Mouse Pancreatic Islets of Langerhans

Gene expression in islets of Langerhans is profoundly sensitive to glucose and other nutrients. Islets of Langerhans in the Anx7(+/−) knockout mouse exhibit a profound reduction in ITPR3 protein expression, defective intracellular calcium signaling, and defective insulin secretion. Additional data presented here also show that mRNA for ITPR3 is virtually undetectable in isolated Anx7(+/−) islets. IP3Receptor type 3 (ITPR3) expression in islets of Langerhans is closely regulated by secretory stimuli, and it has been suggested that the level of the ITPR3 expression controls the ability of the islets to respond to nutritional signals. We report that although control islets respond to glucose in vitro by a transient increment in ITPR3 mRNA, the islets from the Anx7(+/−) mouse remain low. We therefore hypothesized that the Anx7/IP3 Receptor(3)/Ca2+ signaling pathway plays a role in β cell responses to glucose, and that in the absence of the Anx7/ITPR3 signaling system, the islets would be unable to discriminate between fed or fasted states in vivo. To test this hypothesis, we subjected Anx7(+/−) and control mice to either food and water ad libidum or to an overnight fast with access to water only. We then isolated the respective islets and compared nutrient-dependent changes in global gene expression under the four conditions using genome-based microarray technology. Anx7 protein expression in these islets is only about 50% of control levels in normal littermate controls, and IPTR3 message and protein are virtually zero. cDNA microarray analyses show that in control animals gene expression is significantly affected by the fasting state. Many of the affected genes have historical relevance to development and differentiation of islets. These include preproglucagon, APOJ, cadherin2, phosphoglucoisomerase, oncostatin M, PAX6, HGF, and cytokeratin 18. However, there are also many other nutritionally sensitive genes in control islets that are principally associated with cell division and DNA repair. The latter genes have not specifically been associated with islet physiology in the past. By contrast, Anx7(+/−) mouse islets exhibit a greatly reduced ability to discriminate genomically between fed and fasted states for all classes of identified genes. Many of the validated genes are specific to islets in comparison to liver tissue examined. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR analysis of islets from Anx7 heterozygous mice and littermate controls revealed remarkable down-regulation in PTEN, Glut-2, PDX-1, IGF-1, and Neuro D1 expression, but not in liver. We conclude that reduced gene dosage in the Anx7(+/−) islet, with concomitant loss of ITPR3 expression and consequent defects in Ca2+ signaling, may substantially contribute to the mechanism of the loss of genomic discrimination, in vivo, between the fed and fasted states. We believe that the requirement for complete Anx7 gene dosage and IPTR3 expression in islets of Langerhans will prove to be of fundamental importance for understanding the mechanism of nutritional sensing in health and disease.
Diagnosis of Food Allergy

The prevalence of food allergies has been on the increase over the last 2 decades. Diagnosing food allergies can be complicated, as there are multiple types that have distinct clinical and immunologic features. Food allergies are broadly classified into immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated, non-IgE-mediated, or mixed food allergic reactions. This review focuses on the clinical manifestations of the different categories of food allergies and the different tests available to guide the clinician toward an accurate diagnosis.
Quantifying in and Out of Quotes

Publisher Summary Logic is many things: a science, an art, a toy, and a joy. One thing the logician can do is provide useful systems—that is, systems that are both widely applicable and efficient. Set theory has been developed for the mathematician, modal logic for the metaphysician, boolean logic for the computer scientist, syllogistics for the rhetorician, and the first order functional calculus for all. The chapter discusses the combination of quotation with quantifiers bearing the substitutional interpretation, for use by the logicians themselves, or by any practicing metalinguist. There is some evidence that substitutional quantification into quotes is the formal analog of an intuitive idea that people naturally come to once variables and quotes have been made available. Quantifying into quotes might well prove useful in application to proof theory as well as to grammar and semantics. The chapter also discusses expressions and domain-and-values variables, propositional variables, lambda abstraction, predicate and operator variable, and convention T and infinite conjunctions.
Position of the Distal Fibular Fragment in Pronation and Supination Ankle Fractures: A CT Evaluation

BACKGROUND Although classically the fibula has been reported to be in external rotation after supination-external rotation (SER) or pronation-external rotation (PER) ankle fractures, a previous CT study demonstrated that what had traditionally been interpreted as external rotation of the distal fibular fracture fragment is actually internal rotation of the proximal fibular fragment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a series of CT scans in patients who have suffered type IV SER or PER ankle fractures to assess the rotational deformity of the fibular fragment. MATERIALS AND METHODS CT scans of the injured and uninjured extremities were performed on 30 extremities which had sustained either SER (21) or PER (9) injuries. The rotational relationship between the tibia and fibula was determined by a measured rotational ratio. A qualitative assessment of the rotational relationship between the tibia and fibula above, at, and below the fracture site at the level of the mortise was also performed. The difference in the ratio (calculated by subtracting the rotation ratio of the normal side from the fracture side) demonstrated whether the fractured fibula is externally or internally rotated compared to the uninjured side. RESULTS The average rotational ratio difference above the fracture compared to below the fracture for the SER group demonstrated significant external rotation (p < .001). The PER fracture also demonstrated external rotation of the distal fragment compared to the proximal fragment (p = .002). Additionally, qualitative assessment of the relationship demonstrated no obvious change in the rotational relationship in any patient above the fracture site except one where mild internal rotation of the proximal fragment was noted. However, at the level of the mortise, all had a normal talofibular rotational relationship while 24 of 30 had widening of the medial clear space with external rotation clearly evident on 15 of these 24 scans. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated that the distal fibular fragment in both SER and PER fractures is externally rotated relative to both the contralateral normal side and compared to the proximal fibular fragment.
Production of succinic acid by engineered E. coli strains using soybean carbohydrates as feedstock under aerobic fermentation conditions

Escherichia coli strains HL2765 and HL27659k harboring pRU600 and pKK313 were examined for succinate production under aerobic conditions using galactose, sucrose, raffinose, stachyose, and mixtures of these sugars extracted from soybean meal and soy solubles. HL2765(pKK313)(pRU600) and HL27659k(pKK313)(pRU600) consumed 87mM and 98mM hexose of soybean meal extract and produced 83mM and 95mM succinate, respectively. While using soy solubles extract, HL2765(pKK313)(pRU600) and HL27659k(pKK313)(pRU600) consumed 160mM and 187mM hexose and produced 158mM and 183mM succinate, respectively. Succinate yield of HL2765(pKK313)(pRU600) was low as compared to that of HL27659k(pKK313)(pRU600) while using acid hydrolysate of soybean meal or soy solubles extracts. Maximum succinate production of 312mM with a molar yield of 0.82mol/mol hexose was obtained using soy solubles hydrolysate by HL27659k(pKK313)(pRU600). This study demonstrated the use of soluble carbohydrates of the renewable feedstock, soybean as an inexpensive carbon source to produce succinate by fermentation.