cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Wideband frequency synthesis for broadband communications

To mitigate intentional and unintentional in-band interference problems in today's navigation and communication frequency bands, spread-spectrum techniques such as direct sequence (DS) or frequency hopped (FH) systems are frequently used. 1 2 A key component of an FH spread-spectrum system is the frequency hop synthesizer used to generate the hop frequencies. Spreading of the communication or the navigation signals is done over a wider transmission bandwidth to lessen the impact of any intentional or unintentional interference. Typically, frequency synthesizers are driven by a secure code generator called Transec (transmission security) to avoid follow-on interference. The wideband frequency synthesizers must be designed to support wideband communication data rates and waveforms employed with adequate margin to close the link. In this paper, issues related to FH synthesizer implementation in modern survivable communications such as the required frequency step size, hop rate, hop bandwidth, phase noise, spreading process gain, and the settling time are addressed. A typical FH synthesizer implementation and the associated link analysis example is given in this paper. FH spread spectrum helps in the link closure in interference condition.
The distinctiveness effect in the absence of conscious recollection: Evidence from conceptual priming ☆

We tested whether the distinctiveness effect in memory (superior memory for isolated or unusual items) only occurs with conscious recollection or could emerge with recapitulation of the type of processing that occurred at study even in the absence of recollection at test. Participants studied lists of categorically isolated exemplars. In Experiment 1, participants received either an explicit or an implicit test of category verification. We hypothesized that this task would recapitulate the evaluative processing from study. Results showed better explicit category cued recognition as well as greater priming for isolated items than nonisolated items on a category verification test. The latter outcome suggests that the distinctiveness effect can occur in the absence of conscious recollection. In Experiment 2, we sought converging evidence for our hypothesis that reinstating the evaluative process is critical for obtaining the effect on the implicit test; we used another conceptual implicit memory test (category production) that contained matching test cues but did not require evaluative processing. The absence of a distinctiveness effect on this measure in conjunction with its presence on the implicit category verification measure suggests that evaluative processing mediates the distinctiveness effect.
Evidence that a Serotonergic Mechanism Stimulates the Secretion of Pituitary β-Endorphin-Like Immunoreactivity in the Rat

A pharmacological approach was used to investigate serotonergic control of the secretion of pituitary β-endorphin- like immunoreactivity (β-END-LI) in the rat. The administration of 75 or 200 mg/kg L-tryptophan (ip, over 30 min) increased brain serotonin by 17% and 19%, respectively, and increased circulating β-END-LI from 0.30 ± 0.6 to 0.56 ±0.7 and 0.64 ± 0.8 ng/ml, respectively. D,L,5-Hydroxytryptophan (30 mg/kg, ip, over 30 min) produced a 4.9-fold increase in brain serotonin content and a 3.4-fold rise in plasma β-END-LI. The administration of a serotonin reuptake blocker, fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, ip, over 15 min), elevated basal levels of plasma β-ENDLI from a control value of 0.38 ± 0.02 to 1.21 ± 0.32 ng/ml. Exposure to ether increased circulating β-END-LI to 1.08 ± 0.18 ng/ml, and fluoxetine treatment further increased this rise to 1.69 ± 0.09 ng/ml (P < 0.05). Quipazine, a serotonin receptor agonist, evoked a dose-related (2.5-5.0 mg/kg, ip) increase in circulating β-END-LI levels by 15–45 min post...
Flavor of Cooked, Ground Turkey Patties with Added Sodium Tripolyphosphate as Perceived by Sensory Panels with Differing Phosphate Sensitivity

The flavor of cooked, ground turkey patties, with and without sodium tripolyphosphate, was profiled by two panels. One panel had a lower threshold for STP in ground turkey. Flavor profiles indicated that turkey patties without phosphate had more intense protein, serumy, brothy, and metallic character and less intense turkey and soapy character than the samples with phosphate. Both panels found similar characteristics for turkey with added phosphate, although the characteristics had a slightly different order of appearance. The panel with a lower threshold for STP found a more intense soapy character that tended to linger in the phosphate-treated samples.
Mask industry quality assessment

Product quality and timely delivery are two of the most important parameters in determining the success of a mask manufacturing facility. Because of the sensitivity of this data, very little was known about industry performance in these areas until an assessment was authored and presented at the 1993 BACUS Symposium by Larry Regis of Intel Corporation, Neil Paulsen of Intel Corporation, and James A. Reynolds of Reynolds Consulting. This data has been updated and will be published and presented at this year's BACUS Symposium. Contributor identities will again remain protected by utilizing Arthur Andersen & Company to compile the submittals. Participation was consistent with last year's representation of over 75% of the total merchant and captive mask volume in the United States. The data compiled includes shipments, customer return rate, customer return reasons from 1988 through Q2, 1994, performance to schedule, plate survival yield, and throughput time (TPT).
Effect of Bacille Calmette-Guérin on the Immune Response of BALB/c Mice to a Tumor Allograft

The effect of dosage and route of inoculation of bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) on immune response to allogeneic tumor cells was investigated. BALB/c mice were tested 14 and 21 days after injection of EL-4 lymphoma for spleen-cell cytotoxicity against EL-4 cells in vitro and for complement-dependent, antibody-mediated lysis of tumor cells. BCG treatment had no measurable effect on the antibody-mediated lysis of tumor cells, but spleen-cell cytotoxicity was significantly increased in mice treated with 10(4) or 10(8) BCG by the intraperitoneal route; no such increase occurred when BCG was given by the oral or subcutaneous routes. The cytotoxic effector cells were primarily thymus-derived, since treatment of spleens with rabbit antiserum to mouse brain serum decreased cytotoxicity titers by approximately 90%. Within the framework of these experiments, the intraperitoneal route of BCG inoculation resulted in a more effective immune stimulation than the oral or subcutaneous routes.
Exploring the relationship between project selection and requirements analysis: an empirical study of the new millennium program

The relationship between project selection and requirements analysis is important, yet has not received much attention. The decisions made during project selection directly affect and frame a project's requirements analysis. In current practice, it is expected that requirements analysis begins after project selection has occurred. Yet, we know little empirically about the procedural relationship between project selection and requirements analysis. We performed a field study to examine in detail how project selection is performed and what procedural relationship, if any, exists between project selection and requirements analysis. We found, contrary to the common view of requirements engineering practice, that requirements analysis occurred in multiple parallel streams. We observed that requirements analysis helped define the initial project choices. In addition, as the project selection process progressed, each candidate project's requirements were further refined. We call this process multiple parallel competitive requirements analysis (MPCRA). We argue that MPCRA should be considered as a viable alternative to current requirements engineering practices, especially for determining and designing large-scale complex projects.
Grammar Induction: Beyond Local Search

Many approaches to probabilistic grammar induction operate by iteratively improving a single grammar, beginning with an initial guess. These local search paradigms include Expectation Maximization [1, 10] and its variants [13, 14, etc.]; hill-climbing [6] and Markov chain Monte Carlo [9]; and greedy merging [15] or splitting [16, 3, 12] of nonterminals. Unfortunately, local search methods tend to get caught in local optima, even with random restarts [2, 13] or linguistically guided objective functions [4, 11]. I will suggest two techniques to try to avoid this problem. One approach searches exhaustively within a region of parameter space, using branchand-bound to eliminate subregions that cannot contain the optimum. This exploits relaxation and decomposition techniques from the operations research community [17]. The other approach is inspired by recent work on “deep learning” for vision [e.g., 8]. It uses spectral methods [7, 5] to build up featural representations of all substrings, without premature commitment to which substrings are constituents.
Furacin vaginal suppositories in pre- and postoperative treatment of cervix and vagina.

Abstract Furacin vaginal suppositories were used in 90 cases for the pre- and postoperative treatment of the vagina and cervix. They contribute to a smoother postoperative course in both vaginal and cervical surgery. When used postoperatively in cases requiring cauterization or conization of the cervix, as compared to other techniques, they reduced the healing time and markedly de-creased the slough and malodorous discharge. These suppositories when used both pre- and postoperatively in total abdominal hysterectomies resulted in smoother and quicker healing. In the postradiation treatment for carcinoma of the cervix, Furacin vaginal suppositories inserted daily caused a marked decrease in slough and malodorous discharge. In only one case among the 90 patients was any vaginal sensitivity to this dosage form of Furacin noted. The symptoms ceased promptly upon discontinuation of therapy.
Local realities: a frontier perspective on child protection team practice.

This article presents a case study of a child protection team in a frontier county in Montana. Narratives from individual and group interviews highlight team members' experiences and the structuring of team practice in their frontier community, the power and challenge of community culture and history, and the interplay of constructions of children and child abuse as key elements that influence and shape team practice. This exploration suggests a framework for rethinking child protection team practice in diverse locations. Language: en
Seed-Specific Expression of the Arabidopsis AtMAP18 Gene Increases both Lysine and Total Protein Content in Maize

Lysine is the most limiting essential amino acid for animal nutrition in maize grains. Expression of naturally lysine-rich protein genes can increase the lysine and protein contents in maize seeds. AtMAP18 from Arabidopsis thaliana encoding a microtubule-associated protein with high-lysine content was introduced into the maize genome with the seed-specific promoter F128. The protein and lysine contents of different transgenic offspring were increased prominently in the six continuous generations investigated. Expression of AtMAP18 increased both zein and non-zein protein in the transgenic endosperm. Compared with the wild type, more protein bodies were observed in the endosperm of transgenic maize. These results implied that, as a cytoskeleton binding protein, AtMAP18 facilitated the formation of protein bodies, which led to accumulation of both zein and non-zein proteins in the transgenic maize grains. Furthermore, F1 hybrid lines with high lysine, high protein and excellent agronomic traits were obtained by hybridizing T6 transgenic offspring with other wild type inbred lines. This article provides evidence supporting the use of cytoskeleton-associated proteins to improve the nutritional value of maize.
Stress, Belief in God and Prayer Habits in Adolescents

Adolescence is a time of stress in the life cycle of a human being. Belief in God and Prayer habits are believed to alleviate stress. The study examined the relationship between stress and belief in God and prayer habits. 203 adolescents were administered a questionnaire on stress. Data on their belief in God and prayer habits were also collected. T tests and correlational analysis were conducted. It was found that females had higher stress levels, belief in God and prayer habits. However, there was no correlation between stress, belief in God and prayer habits. The higher levels of stress in females is hypothesized to be a result of pressure to confirm to societal role as a female.
Catalysis by desolvation: the catalytic prowess of SAM-dependent halide-alkylating enzymes.

In the biological fixation of halide ions, several enzymes have been found to catalyze alkyl transfer from S-adenosylmethionine to halide ions. It proves possible to measure the rates of reaction of the trimethylsulfonium ion with I–, Br–, Cl–, F–, HO–, and H2O in water at elevated temperatures. Comparison of the resulting second-order rate constants, extrapolated to 25 °C, with the values of kcat/Km reported for fluorinase and chlorinase indicates that these enzymes enhance the rates of alkyl halide formation by factors of 2 × 1015- and 1 × 1017-fold, respectively. These rate enhancements, achieved without the assistance of cofactors, metal ions, or general acid–base catalysis, are the largest that have been reported for an enzyme that acts on two substrates.
Cytochrome P450, CYP93A1, as defense marker in soybean

Cytochrome P450, CYP93A1, is involved in the synthesis of the phytoalexin glyceollin in soybean (Glycine max L. Merr). The gene encoding CYP93A1 has been used as defense marker in soybean cell cultures, however, little is known regarding how this gene is expressed in the intact plant. To further understand the tissue-specific role of CYP93A1 in soybean defense, we analyzed the expression of this gene in mechanically damaged leaves and stems. In leaves, CYP93A1 was constitutively expressed; its expression did not change in response to mechanical damage. In stems, however, expression of CYP93A1 was induced as quickly as 4 h after mechanical damage and remained upregulated for at least 48 h. The induction of CYP93A1 was associated with the synthesis of glyceollins. In comparison to several other defense-related genes encoding cysteine protease inhibitors L1 and R1 and storage proteins vspA and vspB, CYP93A1 was the most strongly induced by stem wounding. The induction of CYP93A1 was observed only locally, not systemically. Similar stem expression patterns were consistently observed among three different soybean genotypes. The strong induction of CYP93A1 in mechanically damaged stems suggests an important role in the soybean stem defense response; therefore, this study expands the use of CYP93A1 as a defense response marker to stems, not just soybean cell cultures.
Epidemiological Analysis of Syphilis in Huairou District of Beijing during 2005-2010

[Objective]To understand the epidemiological characteristics and rules of syphilis in Huairou district of Beijing in recent years,provide the scientific basis for prevention and control of syphilis in the future. [Methods]The data of confirmed syphilis cases which were reported from the direct network reporting system by medical institutions in this district from 2005 to 2010 were analyzed statistically. [Results]The reported incidence rate of syphilis increased year by year,and the average annual growth rate was 26.60%.The incidence rate of syphilis in females was higher than that in males.Syphilis cases occurred mainly in people aged 20~49 years old,which accounted for 72.62% of total case,and most of them were people aged 20~29 years old.The main occupations were housework,unemployment and farmers,which accounted for 57.38% of total case.A majority of cases were first or second stage syphilis,and firs stage cases were more than second stage cases.The congenital syphilis cases had been reported since 2008,and the incidence of latent syphilis showed an increasing trend. [Conclusion]It is important to strengthen the education of knowledge about syphilis prevention and control,behavior intervention and monitoring among the high-risk population in this district in the future.
Language evolution in the lab tends toward informative communication

Language evolution in the lab tends toward informative communication Shubha Guha, Alexandra Carstensen, and Terry Regier Human languages carve the world into category systems that are highly informative (e.g. Kemp & Regier, 2012)—but how do such systems develop? One possibility is that these systems result from the process of cultural transmission. Xu, Dowman, and Griffiths (2013) showed that human simulation of cultural transmission in the lab creates systems of categories that converge toward those in natural language—but they did not test whether those systems also converge toward greater informativeness. Here, we test that proposal in an iterated learning experiment. We find that learners do modify category systems over generations in the direction of greater informativeness, and that this increase in informativeness is closely tied to the systems’ similarity to natural languages. These findings support accounts of linguistic universals as the natural result of shared communicative principles across communities of language learners.
Effects of degree of thrombocytopenia on thrombocytopoietic response.

Rats were exchange transfused with platelet-poor blood to reduce the number of circulating platelets. When thrombocytopenia was moderate, the rate of platelet increase toward normal levels was relatively slow, whereas after severe thrombocytopenia an early slow rate of increase was followed by a rapid rate. It seems likely that the rapid platelet increase that begins about 36-48 hr after acute, severe thrombocytopenia is engendered by a ploidy shift among megakaryocytes and by an increased input of cells into the maturing population. The basis of the moderate increase in circulating platelets before 48 hr in severely thrombocytopenic rats and for about 5 days in moderately thrombocytopenic rats is less clear. Both peripheral changes in the age distribution of the platelet population and in platelet depots, as well as hemopoietic changes in the marrow, probably contribute.
Let’s Move Together: A Randomized Trial of the Impact of Family Health History on Encouragement and Co-Engagement in Physical Activity of Mexican-Origin Parents and Their Children

Background. Due to shared health behaviors and disease risk, families may be more effective targets for health promotion. This study assessed whether providing family health history (FHH)–based risk information for heart disease and diabetes affected encouragement to engage in physical activity (PA) and healthy weight (HW) maintenance and co-engagement in physical activity among 320 Mexican-origin parents and their 1,081 children. Method. At baseline and 10 months, parents indicated who they encouraged and who encouraged them to engage in PA/HW, and with whom they co-engaged in PA. Households were randomized to receive FHH-based assessments either by one or all adult household members. Primary analyses consisted of regression analyses using generalized estimating equations. Results. At baseline, parents reported encouraging their child for both PA and HW in 37.6% of parent–child dyads and reported receiving children’s encouragement for both in 12.1% of dyads. These increased to 56.8% and 17.5% at 10 month...
Behavioral Counseling to Promote a Healthful Diet and Physical Activity for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention in Adults with Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

J.W., a 34-year-old man who smokes, presents for his annual checkup for hypertension. Hisblood pressure is elevated (142/95 mm Hg), and he has gained 10 lb (4.5 kg) since his lastvisit. J.W. is now considered overweight, with a body mass index (BMI) of 27 kg per m2. He reports no other symptoms or problems.
Physiological models II: Pharmacokinetic modeling of warfarin: A multifactorial approach

Aging is accompanied by altered physiology, reduced organ function, and multiple pathology, all of which affect drug therapy. A multifactorial model, based upon a physiological flow model, was developed to compute the effects of these processes on drug distribution and elimination using warfarin as an illustrative example.
Grain Boundary Sliding in Alumina Bicrystals

A technique has been developed for forming bicrystals of alumina with controlled grain boundary orientation by pressure-sintering in vacuo. Bicrystals with tilt misorientations prepared by this technique have been tested in compressive shear and the stress-strain relationship determined. Bicrystal fracture strengths at several temperatures are reported. The microstructural features of the fractured crystal boundaries were examined and related to the observed mechanical behavior.
Water Management Decision Making in the Face of Multiple Forms of Uncertainty and Risk

In the Wasatch Range Metropolitan Area of Northern Utah, water management decision makers confront multiple forms of uncertainty and risk. Adapting to these uncertainties and risks is critical for maintaining the long-term sustainability of the region's water supply. This study draws on interview data to assess the major challenges climatic and social changes pose to Utah's water future, as well as potential solutions. The study identifies the water management adaptation decision-making space shaped by the interacting institutional, social, economic, political, and biophysical processes that enable and constrain sustainable water management. The study finds water managers and other water actors see challenges related to reallocating water, including equitable water transfers and stakeholder cooperation, addressing population growth, and locating additional water supplies, as more problematic than the challenges posed by climate change. Furthermore, there is significant disagreement between water actors over how to best adapt to both climatic and social changes. This study concludes with a discussion of the path dependencies that present challenges to adaptive water management decision making, as well as opportunities for the pursuit of a new water management paradigm based on soft-path solutions. Such knowledge is useful for understanding the institutional and social adaptations needed for water management to successfully address future uncertainties and risks.
How to vote

Ahead of the upcoming US elections, Robert P Crease describes his tactic for determining the qualifications of candidates.
Impact of Insurance Provider on Overall Costs in Failed Back Surgery Syndrome: A Cost Study of 122,827 Patients.

Objectives Failed back surgery syndrome (FBSS) affects 40% of patients following spine surgery with estimated costs of $20 billion to the US health care system. The aim of this study was to assess the cost differences across the different insurance providers for FBSS patients. Methods A retrospective longitudinal study was performed using the Truven MarketScan® database to identify FBSS patients from 2001 to 2012. Patients were grouped into Commercial, Medicaid, or Medicare cohorts. We collected one-year prior to FBSS diagnosis (baseline), then at year of spinal cord stimulation (SCS)-implantation and nine-year post-SCS implantation cost outcomes. Results We identified 122,827 FBSS patients, with 117,499 patients who did not undergo an SCS-implantation (Commercial: n = 49,075, Medicaid: n = 23,180, Medicare: n = 45,244) and 5328 who did undergo an SCS implantation (Commercial: n = 2279, Medicaid: n = 1003, Medicare: n = 2046). Baseline characteristics were similar between the cohorts, with the Medicare-cohort being significantly older. Over the study period, there were significant differences in overall cost metrics between the cohorts who did not undergo SCS implantation with the Medicaid-cohort had the lowest annual median (interquartile range) total cost (Medicaid: $4530.4 [$1440.6, $11,973.5], Medicare: $7292.0 [$3371.4, $13,989.4], Commercial: $4944.3 [$363.8, $13,294.0], p Conclusions Our study demonstrates a significant difference in overall costs between various insurance providers in the management of FBSS, with Medicaid-insured patients having lower overall costs compared to Commercial- and Medicare-patients. SCS is cost-effective across all insurance groups (Commercial > Medicaid > Medicare) beginning at two years and continuing through nine-year follow-up. Further studies are necessary to understand the cost differences between these insurance providers, in hopes of reducing unnecessary health care expenditures for patients with FBSS.
Telemedicine and Palliative Care: an Increasing Role in Supportive Oncology

With the emergence of telemedicine as a routine form of care in various venues, the opportunities to use technology to care for the most vulnerable, most ill cancer patients are extremely appealing. Increasingly, evidence supports early integration of palliative care with standard oncologic care, supported by recent NCCN guidelines to increase and improve access to palliative care. This review looks at the use of telemedicine to expand access to palliative care as well as provide better care for patients and families where travel is difficult, if not impossible. When telemedicine has been used, often in Europe, for palliative care, the results show improvements in symptom management, comfort with care as well as patient and family satisfaction. One barrier to use of telemedicine is the concerns with technology and technology-related complications in population that is often elderly, frail and not always comfortable with non-face-to-face physician care. There remain significant opportunities to explore this intersection of supportive care and telemedicine.
Public and Private Property Rights: Regulatory and Physical Takings and the Public Trust Doctrine

In Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council, the Supreme Court held that, when a regulation has deprived a landowner of all economically beneacial use, a threshold issue in determining whether compensation is due is whether the landowner’s rights of ownership are conaned by the limitations on the use of land which “inhere in the title itself.” For land that may fall within the public trust doctrine, Lucas’s threshold determination has signiacant consequences. Because the public trust doctrine is a “background principle,” buyers and sellers of real property may not be able to claim full title, and should be cognizant of the potential application of the doctrine to their land. Further, state and local regulatory bodies should strategically employ the public trust doctrine in environmental protection regulation. Finally, the public trust doctrine’s role in a takings analysis suggests that property rights are perhaps more communal than generally acknowledged, and reveals that it may make sense to evaluate property rights from a community-based perspective. By the law of nature these three things are common to mankind—the air, running water, [and] the sea.1 —Justinian Institute
Daptomycin and combination daptomycin-ceftaroline as salvage therapy for persistent methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia.

Sir,We read with interest a recent report in the present journal describing synergistic bactericidal activity in vitro against a daptomycin nonsusceptible methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureu...
Labor Activism in Local Politics: From CBAS to ‘CBAS’

Activism by labor and community coalitions at the local level is redefining labor law in the United States. Despite a drastic decline in union density and power in the United States, labor and community alliances have emerged at the local level that seek to influence labor conditions outside of the traditional collective bargaining framework. Unions and their community allies in some cities have had success in securing living wages, job training, local hiring preferences, workplace safety protections, health insurance benefits, and even job security for local workers. These achievements have been built on a new legal foundation: local government law. Labor-community alliances have leveraged different facets of local government power – contracting, land use, and general regulatory power – to achieve labor objectives through local ordinances and negotiated community benefit agreements. This chapter describes some of the ways in which these new labor-community alliances have exercised power at the local level. It pays particular attention to Los Angeles where local labor activism has achieved a series of remarkable successes through the robust use of local governmental levers. The authors then address the question of whether, and to what extent, local labor initiatives can provide an adequate substitute for, or enhancement of, labor power at the national level.
Femtosecond Infrared Spectroscopy: The Condensed Phase Photochemistry of Metal Carbonyl Dimers

The photochemistry of cyclopentadienyl transition metal carbonyl dimers has been extensively studied by various IR techniques.
Photopolymers: Radiation-Curable Imaging Systems

Photopolymers can be viewed as a special type of radiation-curable system.1–6 In these systems, as with other radiation-curable systems, irradiation can be carried out in bulk to produce uniform physical property changes in the coating. However, by far the greatest utility for these materials has been derived from imagewise exposure, in which the physical property changes that occur on exposure are used for imaging purposes.
Das System der ethischen Grundordnungsgebilde

Es gilt nun den systematischen Zusammenhang der ethischen Grundordnungsgebilde festzustellen, der Idealverhalte ebenso wie der idealen Seinsverhalte und der konkreten Ideale. Zunachst seien sie ihrer Verwandtschaft entspechend geordnet, wie das bei den idealen Ordnungsgebilden uberhaupt bereits geschehen ist.
Jarvie, Popper, McLuhan, and Me

This is a personal reflection on my encounters with Ian C. Jarvie over the years in relation to Popperian philosophy, media theory, and popular culture.
A 3D Registration Method Using a Web Camera and a Marker Attached RGB-D Sensor

In this study, to achieve 3D registration for objects which do not have unique shape and enough texture, we proposed a 3D registration method using a web camera and a marker attached RGB-D sensor. The proposed method takes two steps. First step is a coarse registration without 2D/3D features by estimating posture and position of the RGB-D sensor. Second step is a fine registration using ICP algorithm. In the proposed method, 2D/3D features are not used for the coarse registration. Thus, the proposed method is able to achieve the coarse registration regardless of shape and texture of target objects. Through experiments, we confirmed that the proposed method was able to achieve the 3D registration even if target objects do not have unique shape and enough texture.
Current U.S. Practice in Assessing and Making Decisions About Handicapped Students

James E. Ysseldyke An overview of findings from a major national six-year study of practices in making referral, classification/placement/eligibility, instructional, and evaluation decisions is provided. This includes the composition and deliberations of placement teams, the relationship between decisions made and how students perform on tests, and the technical adequacy of tests. Implications for practice are drawn.
CHAPTER 36 – Interactions of viruses with dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs), “nature's adjuvants,” are key antigen presenting cells (APCs) for the induction of protective immune responses to viruses. DCs in peripheral tissues can be directly infected by viruses thereby allowing viruses that do not gain entry to the central lymph nodes to be transported to the T cell areas of draining nodes. In some cases, infection directly leads to DC maturation providing a mechanism for the coupling of antigen presentation and T cell activation. For those viruses that fail to infect DCs directly, such as Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), crosspresentation of virus-infected dying cells provides a mechanism by which potent antiviral CTLs can be generated. Virus infection may induce bystander maturation of DCs. In this way, uninfected DCs could phagocytose virus-infected dying cells, while simultaneously undergoing maturation. DCs are now recognized to be important bridges between innate and adaptive immune responses via their ability to rapidly produce significant quantities of antiviral proteins, lyse cellular targets, and simultaneously skew the T cell helper response.
Self-Regulation, Negotiated Agreements and Social Welfare

The literature on voluntary agreements studies self-regulation, negotiated agreements and public voluntary programs, typically in the shadow of a legislative threat. Prior studies have examined each of these instruments in isolation, but interactions between them have received less attention. We show that in the presence of multiple voluntary instruments, equilibrium outcomes and welfare results depend critically on the timing of moves and the bargaining power of each player. In contrast to prior work, we nd conditions under which a full-informatio ne quilibrium involves self-regulation and no negotiated agreement. We also show that the opportunity to sign a negotiated agreement only reduces welfare when the regulator has little bargaining power and the rm can commit to an ine!cient threat to eschew self-regulation should negotiations fail. More generally, we stress the nee df or the literature to take account of the 錂technological detail 鐂 of particular contexts when studying voluntary agreements.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication Use by Individuals With Huntington's Disease: Benefits and Challenges of Implementation

Purpose The purpose of this article was to describe the complex symptoms associated with Huntington's disease (HD) and how they influence implementation of augmentative and alternative communicatio...
CEO Ideological Dissonance and its Impact on Lobbying Investment and Strategy

This paper explores the extent to which political ideological tribalism theory influences a firm’s lobbying investment and strategy. In particular, we consider whether CEO political ideological dis...
APPENDIX 3D Direct PCR of Intact Bacteria (Colony PCR)

This protocol describes an efficient method for screening intact bacteria for the presence of desired DNA sequences using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). This method is commonly referred to as colony PCR. Curr. Protoc. Microbiol. 9:A.3D.1-A.3D.6. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: colony PCR; bacteria; screen
Methods of stent placement in patients with upper-third and middle-third esophageal cancer

Relevance. At that moment of diagnosis patients with esophageal cancer (EC) are often inoperable due to locally advanced disease. Life expectancy in such cases augmented with dysphagia comprises 90 days in average. Curative treatment can be performed only in 20-30 % of patients with a 5-year survival rate varying from 10,3 to 35%. Objective. Assessing short-term and long-term outcomes of patients with stents with EC depending on the localization of the primary tumor. Materials and methods. We analyzed our experience of using intraesophageal self-expanding stents in ЕС patients. 49 of patients them had tumor in upper-third of esophagus and 73 patients had middle-third esophageal tumor location as compared to those who underwent stoma formation (53 patients) in EC patients. Results. All patients who were stented had significantly lower grade of dysphagia and could eat in the ordinary way. It also improved quality of life, and many of such patients had an opportunity to continue treatment. It has been revealed that stenting of inoperable cancer patients with upper and middle-third esophageal cancer gives benefit to patients as it allows to continue to eat naturally and thereby significantly improves the quality of life in contrast to stoma placement. Patients with upper-third esophageal cancer who were not stented because of fistula formation had significantly better long-term survival than EC patients with stoma and similar cancer patients with middle-third esophageal tumors. Survival rate of patients with cancer of upper-third of esophagus after stenting not because of fistula was significantly better. Patients with cancer of the middle esophagus, who experienced stent placement because of fistulae, had the same long-term survival rate as cancer patients with middle esophageal tumors and with fistula who were not stented. It shows high efficacy of stenting in cancer of the middle-third esophagus with presence of fistula. Conclusion. Stent placement in case of inoperable cancer of upper and middle-third of esophagus shows significant benefit. It allows patients to eat in an ordinary was, and thereby significantly improves the quality of life in comparison with stoma formation.
Will savings from biosimilars offset increased costs related to dose escalation? A comparison of infliximab and golimumab for rheumatoid arthritis

Biosimilar infliximab has the potential for appreciable cost savings compared to its reference biologic, but dose escalation is common and increases costs. We compared frequency of dose escalation and associated Medicare-approved amount so as to determine the break-even point at which infliximab dose escalation would offset the cost savings of using a biosimilar, referent to alternatively using golimumab. We studied Medicare enrollees with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) initiating infliximab or golimumab. Frequency of dose escalation was summarized descriptively over 18 months, as were Medicare-approved amounts for reimbursement. Analyses were repeated conditioning on high adherence (i.e., non-discontinuation, > 10-week gap). Multivariable-adjusted logistic regression and mixed models evaluated factors associated with infliximab dose escalation. A total of 5174 infliximab and 2843 golimumab initiators were observed. Dose escalation was rare for golimumab (5%) but common for infliximab (49%), and was even more common (72%) for infliximab among patients who persisted on treatment. Regardless of dose escalation, the adjusted least square mean dollar amounts were appreciably higher for golimumab ($28,146) than for infliximab ($21,216) and greater among persistent patients (cost difference $9269, favoring infliximab). Only when patients escalated infliximab to ≥ 8 mg/kg every 6 weeks was golimumab IV at break-even or less expensive. After controlling for multiple factors, physician ownership of the infusion center was associated with greater likelihood of infliximab dose escalation (odds ratio = 1.25, 95% CI 1.09–1.44). Despite frequent dose escalation with infliximab that often increase its dose by threefold or more, the savings from the current price of its biosimilar substantially offsets the costs of an alternative infused TNFi biologic for which no biosimilar is available.
Assisted gene flow in the context of large-scale forest management in California, USA

Author(s): Young, DJN; Blush, TD; Landram, M; Wright, JW; Latimer, AM; Safford, HD | Abstract: As climate changes, locally adapted tree populations may become maladapted to the sites in which they presently occur. When natural adaptive processes are insufficient for populations to keep pace with changing climate, human-assisted relocation of genotypes (assisted gene flow) may be a useful tool for maintaining forest resilience. While existing empirical evidence provides insight into the potential outcomes and consequences of assisted gene flow, its applicability to large-scale plantings needs to be evaluated. We conducted a test of assisted gene flow in the context of operational postfire restoration plantings in three U.S. Department of Agriculture National Forests in California. Our experimental restoration plantings included seedling provenances representing both the local planting site and lower-elevation provenances that may be adapted to hotter and drier conditions. For the duration of the experiment, the planting sites experienced anomalously hot, dry conditions, offering a window into the potential outcomes of assisted gene flow in a future climate characterized by warmer temperatures and more frequent drought. In most cases, there was no significant difference in seedling growth or survival among provenances. However, in a few cases, lower-elevation provenances performed better than local provenances, suggesting a potential benefit of assisted gene flow as a management response to climate change. Our analyses accounted for spatial variation in shrub cover and detected a consistent and substantial negative association between shrub cover and seedling growth. In addition, our study revealed that the use of operational seed collections that are not geographically precise (and therefore also not climatically precise) can complicate selection of appropriate provenances and lead to unpredictable outcomes. Numerous other risks and uncertainties—including the fact that tree populations are often adapted to local site factors other than climate and that long-term outcomes may differ from short-term observations—complicate evaluations of the potential utility of assisted gene flow.
Low-Energy QCD Research at TUNL

Experiments are underway at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL) that provide data for evaluating calculations based on low-energy QCD theories, e.g., effective field theory formulations of two-nucleon and three-nucleon interactions, chiral-perturbation theory, and Lattice QCD. Few-nucleon reaction measurements are carried out using the monoenergetic polarized gamma-ray beam at the High Intensity Gamma-ray Source (HI\(\gamma \)S) and the neutron beams at the tandem laboratory. Experiments in nucleon structure are performed at HI\(\gamma \)S. In this paper we present the status of recent few-nucleon experiments that measure the cross sections for neutron-neutron quasifree scattering in neutron-deuteron breakup and for photodisintegration of \(^3\)He.
Oxidative Inactivation of the Proteasome Augments Alveolar Macrophage Secretion of Vesicular SOCS3

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) contain a diverse array of molecular cargoes that alter cellular phenotype and function following internalization by recipient cells. In the lung, alveolar macrophages (AMs) secrete EVs containing suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (SOCS3), a cytosolic protein that promotes homeostasis via vesicular transfer to neighboring alveolar epithelial cells. Although changes in the secretion of EV molecules-including but not limited to SOCS3-have been described in response to microenvironmental stimuli, the cellular and molecular machinery that control alterations in vesicular cargo packaging remain poorly understood. Furthermore, the use of quantitative methods to assess the sorting of cytosolic cargo molecules into EVs is lacking. Here, we utilized cigarette smoke extract (CSE) exposure of AMs as an in vitro model of oxidative stress to address these gaps in knowledge. We demonstrate that the accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in AMs was sufficient to augment vesicular SOCS3 release in this model. Using nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) in tandem with a new carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE)-based intracellular protein packaging assay, we show that the stimulatory effects of CSE were at least in part attributable to elevated amounts of SOCS3 packaged per EV secreted by AMs. Furthermore, the use of a 20S proteasome activity assay alongside treatment of AMs with conventional proteasome inhibitors strongly suggest that ROS stimulated SOCS3 release via inactivation of the proteasome. These data demonstrate that tuning of AM proteasome function by microenvironmental oxidants is a critical determinant of the packaging and secretion of cytosolic SOCS3 protein within EVs.
Photovoice: Integrating Course-Based Research in Undergraduate and Graduate Social Work Education

Research skills are vital to students' professional careers and must be cultivated in the social work curriculum. While students and faculty may hesitate to participate in a course-based research project, the authors believe that the Photovoice method is easily adapted to a variety of class and student needs. Photovoice is a field-oriented and qualitative research method that visually documents and communicates community assets and needs. The first purpose of this article is to offer Photovoice as a potential model for instructors to implement a course-based research project. The second purpose is to quantitatively assess changes in students' reported confidence in social work topics and research activities. Data revealed that the students reported increased confidence in the majority of the content and research evaluated; content examples include economic justice and determinants of social inequalities; research examples include analysing data for patterns and identifying the limitations of research methods. The data illustrate the pedagogical power of Photovoice.
The Relationship between Sport-Related Concussion and Sensation-Seeking

Sensation-seeking, or the need for novel and exciting experiences, is thought to play a role in sport-related concussion (SRC), yet much remains unknown regarding these relationships and, more importantly, how sensation-seeking influences SRC risk. The current study assessed sensation-seeking, sport contact level, and SRC history and incidence in a large sample of NCAA collegiate athletes. Data included a full study sample of 22,374 baseline evaluations and a sub-sample of 2037 incident SRC. Independent samples t-test, analysis of covariance, and hierarchical logistic regression were constructed to address study hypotheses. Results showed that (1) among participants without SRC, sensation-seeking scores were higher in athletes playing contact sports compared to those playing limited- or non-contact sports (p < 0.001, R2 = 0.007, η2p = 0.003); (2) in the full study sample, a one-point increase in sensation-seeking scores resulted in a 21% greater risk of prior SRC (OR = 1.212; 95% CI: 1.154-1.272), and in the incident SRC sub-sample, a 28% greater risk of prior SRC (OR = 1.278; 95% CI: 1.104-1.480); (3) a one-point increase in sensation-seeking scores resulted in a 12% greater risk of incident SRC among the full study sample; and (4) sensation-seeking did not vary as a function of incident SRC (p = 0.281, η2p = 0.000). Our findings demonstrate the potential usefulness of considering sensation-seeking in SRC management.
Controlling for Confounding when Association is Quantified by Area Under the ROC Curve

CONTROLLING FOR CONFOUNDING WHEN ASSOCIATION IS QUANTIFIED BY AREA UNDER THE ROC CURVE By Hadiza I. Galadima, Ph.D. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University. Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Advisor: Donna K. McClish, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Biostatistics In the medical literature, there has been an increased interest in evaluating association between exposure and outcomes using nonrandomized observational studies. However, because assignments to exposure are not done randomly in observational studies, comparisons of outcomes between exposed and non-exposed subjects must account for the effect of confounders. Propensity score methods have been widely used to control for confounding, when estimating exposure effect. Previous studies have shown that conditioning on the propensity score results in biased estimation of odds ratio and hazard ratio. However, there is a lack of research into the performance of propensity score methods for estimating the area under the ROC curve (AUC). In this dissertation, we propose AUC as measure of effect when outcomes are continuous. The AUC is interpreted as the probability that a randomly selected non-exposed subject has a better response than a randomly selected exposed subject. The aim of this research is to examine methods to control for confounding when association between exposure and outcomes is