cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Higher compressive strengths and the Bauschinger effect in conformally passivated copper nanopillars

Our current understanding of size-dependent strength in nano- and microscale crystals is centered around the idea that the overall strength is determined by the stress required to propagate dislocation sources. The nature and type of these dislocation sources is the subject of extensive debate, however, one commonality amongst these theories is that the ability of the free surface to absorb dislocations is a necessary condition for transition to a source controlled regime. In this work we demonstrate that atomic layer deposition (ALD) of conformal 5–25 nm thick TiO_2/Al_(2)O_3 coatings onto electroplated single crystalline copper pillars with diameters ranging from 75 nm to 1 μm generally inhibits the ability of a dislocation to vanish at the free surface. Uniaxial compression tests reveal increased strength and hardening relative to uncoated pillars at equivalent diameters, as well as a notable recovery of plastic strain during unloading, i.e. the Bauschinger effect. Unlike previous reports, these coated pillars retained the stochastic signature in their stress–strain curves. We explain these observations within the framework of a size-dependent strength theory based on a single arm source model, dislocation theory, and microstructural analysis by transmission electron microscopy.
Talking It Through: Puzzles of American Democracy

American democracy is commonly described as "majoritarian" by a wide range of commentators. This book exposes the impoverishment of the characterization first by developing a "vote-centered" model that likely inspires it and then by discussing the many inadequacies of the vote-centered model. The book then turns to a much more useful "conversational" framework for understanding American Democracy. The incentive structure produced by a competitive electoral system makes all modern democracies engines for producing conversation about public affairs directed to essentially the entire adult citizenry. And a large number of central features of American democracy act as special spurs to wide-ranging conversational interaction between governmental actors and media of communications, on the one hand, and the citizenry on the other. These American features include a separately elected executive, bicameralism, federalism, localism, single member geographically-defined legislative districts, loose political party discipline, and heightened constitutional protection for speech and press. The book argues that the resultant democratic conversation plays an important role in holding the enterprise of American democracy together and in inducing fidelity on the part of citizens to actions taken in its name. This conversational account also illuminates facets of American democracy which have heretofore "been blurry, if visible at all." Four perplexing puzzles of American democracy that can be "solved" through this conversational account are given extended treatment in the second half of the book. These puzzles are the lack of concern with the apportionment of the United States Senate; the inattention to the anomalous political treatment of children; the fixation of law professors and others with the "counter-majoritarianism" of judicial review in enforcement of the United States Constitution; and the much discussed "paradox of voting," why it is that so many people vote when their individual votes have almost no chance of changing election outcomes. The book finally treats methodological questions of just what makes theories of complex social phenomena (like American democracy) more and less successful.
Spatial predictions of solar irradiance for photovoltaic plants

Today's electrical power grid is going through an important transition, where the integration of clean and renewable energy sources is an essential fact. The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic (PV) and wind power impact the function of bulk power system. The renewable energy generation is intermittent and uncertain, which introduces challenges in power system operation and control. Solutions to overcome the frequency and power flow fluctuations due to the uncertain energy generation needs further research and development. Predicting variable generation of renewable energy sources in short term intervals has become an interesting area of study, which can be applied to control the power and frequency fluctuations. In this study, a cellular computational network (CCN) based prediction method is presented to predict the solar irradiance for utility-scale PV plants. Modern utility-scale PV plants are designed as spatially distributed number of modular PV plants. Use of spatial information can improve the prediction accuracy in a single PV plant location. Neighboring plant units' weather information is used to predict the solar irradiance in individual locations. Predictions are done using archived data from Oahu solar measurement grid, Oahu, Hawaii, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Typical prediction results are compared with different CCN configurations.
Approximation guarantees of algorithms for fractional optimization problems arising in dispatching rules for INDS problems

In this paper, we provide approximation guarantees of algorithms for the fractional optimization problems arising in the dispatching rules from recent literature for Integrated Network Design and Scheduling problems. These fractional optimization problem are proved to be NP-hard. The approximation guarantees are based both on the number of arcs in the network and on the number of machines in the scheduling environment. We further demonstrate, by example, the tightness of the factors for these approximation algorithms.
Autopecking With Gross Movement Physically Restrained

Pigeons were studied under the autoshaping, automaintenance, and omission procedures while either physically restrained or free in the operant chamber. Physical restraint had no effect on autoshaping or automaintenance, possibly because of a ceiling effect. The percentage of trials with at least one response under the omission procedure was lower for the restraint condition than the free condition for most subjects. These data show that, while gross approach movements are not necessary for autoshaping to occur, movement does play some role in autopecking due to light-food pairings.
Exploring the role of intertextuality in promoting young ELL children’s poetry writing and learning: a discourse analytic approach

This article probes into the social and discursive construction of intertextualities in young ELL children’s poetry writing process. It aims to explore the role of intertextuality in promoting youn...
The Political Economy of Dynamic Elections: Accountability, Commitment, and Responsiveness

We survey the literature on dynamic elections in the traditional settings of spatial preferences and rent seeking under perfect and imperfect monitoring of politicians. We define stationary electoral equilibrium, which encompasses notions used by Barro (1973), Ferejohn (1986), Banks and Sundaram (1998), and others. We show that repeated elections mitigate the commitment problems of politicians and voters, and that a responsive democracy result holds under general conditions. Term limits, however, attenuate the responsiveness finding. We also touch on related applied work, and we point to areas for fruitful future research, including the connection between dynamic models of politics and economics.
Local density of the Bose-glass phase

We study the local density of the Bose-Hubbard model in the presence of on-site disorder near the Bose-glass transition using multifractal, typical medium, and percolation theories. At incommensurate filling our findings support the scenario of percolating superfluid clusters enhancing Anderson localization. Scaling analysis of the superfluid density at the incommensurate filling of $\ensuremath{\rho}=1.1$ and on-site interaction $U=80t$ predicts a superfluid-Bose-glass transition at disorder strength of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}30t$. At this filling the local-density distribution becomes more skew with increasing disorder strength. Multifractal analysis suggests a multifractal behavior resembling that of the Anderson localization. In the Bose-glass phase the mode of the local-density distribution approaches an integer value as expected from typical medium theory for the Anderson localization. Percolation analysis points to a phase transition of percolating noninteger filled sites around the same value of disorder. On the other hand, the behavior at commensurate filling is rather different. Close to the tip of the Mott lobe ($\ensuremath{\rho}=1,U=22t$) we find a Mott-insulator-Bose-glass transition at disorder strength of ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Delta}}}_{c}\ensuremath{\approx}16t$. An analysis of the local-density distribution shows Gaussian-like behavior for a wide range of disorders above and below the transition.
Cultural Competence and Inclusivity in Mentoring, Coaching, and Advising

This chapter asserts that effective mentors, coaches, and advisors must be culturally competent in order to engage in inclusive practice with emerging leaders. Specific recommendations are provided.
Evaluating the Water Quality Impacts of Hydrothermal Liquefaction Assessment of Carbon, Nitrogen, and Energy Recovery

Abstract This research evaluates possible water impacts arising from creation of potent wastewaters during hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) of organic wastes. Aqueous co-products (ACPs) arising from HTL of eight feedstocks contained very high concentrations of traditional wastewater pollutants: 100–3300 mg/L total nitrogen (N), 45–3600 mg/L total phosphorus (P), and 16,000–234,000 mg/L chemical oxygen demand (COD). pH was 4.4–8.8. These characteristics render ACP more noxious than relevant benchmark wastewaters. Adjustment of published energy ratio metrics to account for ACP treatment reveals that energy yield is moderately decreased, and energy consumption for COD, TN, and TP removal is of the same order of magnitude as liquefaction. Recovery of valuable nutrients (i.e., N and P) from ACP via precipitation could reduce the energy intensity of ACP management and mitigate its impact on energy recovery. In particular, precipitation-based nutrient recovery could enhance HTL's appeal as means to valorize waste into renewable energy and valuable scarce materials.
Some Aspects in the Management of Orbital Disease

Computerized axial tomography provides a new dimension in the diagnosis of orbital disorders. It renders obsolete orbital phlebography, injection of contrast material in the orbit, and radionuclide orbital scanning. A history that excludes previous thyroid disease or systemic malignancies is important in the diagnosis of proptosis. Retraction of the upper eyelid and lag of the upper eyelid involving the globe in downward gaze are important. Choroidal folds are not diagnostically significant.
Exploration of molten hydroxide electrochemistry for thermal battery applications

The electrochemistry of molten LiOH–NaOH, LiOH–KOH, and NaOH–KOH was investigated using platinum, palladium, nickel, silver, aluminum and other electrodes. The fast kinetics of the Ag+/Ag electrode reaction suggests its use as a reference electrode in molten hydroxides. The key equilibrium reaction in each of these melts is 2 OH− = H2O + O2− where H2O is the Lux-Flood acid (oxide ion acceptor) and O2− is the Lux–Flood base. This reaction dictates the minimum H2O content attainable in the melt. Extensive heating at 500 °C simply converts more of the alkali metal hydroxide into the corresponding oxide, that is, Li2O, Na2O or K2O. Thermodynamic calculations suggest that Li2O acts as a Lux–Flood acid in molten NaOH–KOH via the dissolution reaction Li2O(s) + 2 OH− = 2 LiO− + H2O whereas Na2O acts as a Lux–Flood base, Na2O(s) = 2 Na+ + O2−. The dominant limiting anodic reaction on platinum in all three melts is the oxidation of OH− to yield oxygen, that is 2 OH− → 1/2 O2 + H2O + 2 e−. The limiting cathodic reaction in these melts is the reduction of water in acidic melts ([H2O] ≫ [O2−]) and the reduction of Na+ or K+ in basic melts. The direct reduction of OH− to hydrogen and O2− is thermodynamically impossible in molten hydroxides. The electrostability window for thermal battery applications in molten hydroxides at 250–300 °C is 1.5 V in acidic melts and 2.5 V in basic melts. The use of aluminum substrates could possibly extend this window to 3 V or higher. Preliminary tests of the Li–Fe (LAN) anode in molten LiOH–KOH and NaOH–KOH show that this anode is not stable in these melts at acidic conditions. The presence of superoxide ions in these acidic melts likely contributes to this instability of lithium anodes. Thermal battery development using molten hydroxides will likely require less active anode materials such as Li–Al alloys or the use of more basic melts. It is well established that sodium metal is both soluble and stable in basic NaOH–KOH melts and has been used as a reference electrode for this system.
Development of target-biased scoring functions for protein-ligand docking

Accurate scoring of protein-ligand interactions for docking, binding-affinity prediction and virtual screening campaigns is still challenging. Despite great efforts, the performance of existing scoring functions strongly depends on the target structure under investigation. Recent developments in the direction of target-class-specific scoring methods and machine-learning-based procedures reveal significant performance improvement in binding mode and affinity prediction. However, there is no open-source framework that combines such sophisticated techniques with molecular docking algorithms to make them simply applicable for virtual screening. Therefore, the aim of this work is the implementation of general tools within the open-source framework ParaDockS [1] to obtain target-class-specific scoring functions. These scoring functions are based on knowledge-based atom-pair potentials which can be used in an additive manner (PMF-Score) to score protein-ligand complexes. Because ParaDockS already includes algorithms for protein-ligand docking, every new obtained scoring function can be immediately applied. Recently it was shown, that atom-pair potentials are also useful for training machine-learning models like support vector machines or random forests [2]. Such methods circumvent a particular functional form for the scoring function and thereby implicitly capture binding contributions that are hard to model explicitly. Our goal is to implement different machine-learning procedures within the ParaDockS framework to provide further possibilities for scoring protein-ligand complexes. In a first test and validation study, we applied this workflow on kinase data sets, but in principle it is applicable to every target class with enough structural data. In further studies we want to obtain a set of different scoring functions that are biased to a certain target class and can be used for docking and scoring within ParaDockS.
Emissivity of Frozen Regions Retrieved from Aquarius Measurements

The land emissivity model used in the Aquarius data processing has been updated for the latest data release (V5.0). In order to improve the estimates of the brightness temperatures of frozen regions, the new model uses values of surface emissivity that have been estimated from the Aquarius measurements averaged over the entire duration of the mission. The retrieved emissivities depend on the geographic location, but they depend only marginally on time, temperature and snow cover.
Crystal chemistry and phase equilibria of the CaO-½Dy2O3-CoOz system at 885 °C in air

Abstract The phase equilibrium diagram of the CaO-½Ho2O3-CoOz system was determined at 885 °C in air. This diagram offers compatibility relationships in the ternary oxide system that are essential for processing and for the understanding of properties of several thermoelectric phases in the system. Four three-phase regions and three solid solution tie-line regions were determined in the CaO-½Ho2O3-CoOz system. In the CaO-Ho2O3 system, while a small solid solution region was identified for (Ho1-xCax)O(3-z)/2 (0 ≤x ≤ 0.14), Ho was not present in the Ca site of CaO. Neither the reported Ho2CoO4 phase in the Ho2O-CoOz system nor the Ca-doped (Ho1+xCa1-x)CoO4-z phase was present at 885 °C. No solid solution of the distorted perovskite, (Ho1-xCax)CoO3-z, was established at this temperature. The CaO-CoOz system consists of two calcium cobaltate thermoelectric compounds. The 2D thermoelectric oxide, (Ca3-xHox)Co4O9-z (0 ≤x ≤ 0.5), has a misfit layered structure, and the 1D Ca3Co2O6 consists of chains of alternating CoO6 trigonal prisms and CoO6 octahedra. Ca3Co2O6 was found to be a stoichiometric compound. A comparison of the phase diagrams of the CaO-½R2O3-CoOz (R = La, Nd, Eu, and Ho) systems is given.
Swinging Door Invariants: Optical Information from Rotating Panels

Ecological perceptual research focuses on stimulus array invariants as information that might guide organismic (particularly human) actions. Constructed by human agency, built environments entail s...
Forms of Hypothetical Justification

A critical discussion of the appeal, in various contexts, of ideas of hypothetical agreement, with particular reference to Amartya Sen's criticism of John Rawls' Original Position argument, and to ...
Measures and metrics for the enforcement of critical security controls: a case study of boundary defense

The center for internet security (CIS) publishes a set of defense actions which forms a set of defense in depth best practices known as critical security control (CSC) to detect, prevent, respond, and mitigate the cyber attacks against cyber systems and networks. However, no well defined automated measures and metrics are developed to validate the enforcement of these CSCs. Additionally, it is infeasible to directly analyze the implementation of security products to verify and validate the enforcement of CSCs in those security products. In this poster, we are going to present our preliminary analysis to develop automated measures and metrics for CSC based on threat model each CSC is targeting, measurable features, and cyber artifacts which can be used to create metrics for key enforcement indicators. We also present a case study to develop measures and metrics for a CIS CSC called boundary defense.
Enhanced Ratiometric Detection using a Buried Dual Junction Diode for Wearable Optofluidic Biosensing Application

We demonstrate a novel integrated silicon buried dual-junction (BDJ) photodiode-based device as a first step towards viable microscale integration of an optofluidic wearable biosensor for continuous monitoring of analytes within human interstitial fluid (ISF). Specifically, we show our BDJ photodetector is applicable for optical FRET-based ratiometric sensing of relevant fluorophores with 1µM sensitivity in a ~7 µL volume fluid cavity. We have also implemented and demonstrated the effectiveness of an optical filtering system to increase the sensitivity and the signal to background ratio of our photodetector. Given integration with an array of silicon hollow microneedles that we have previously designed and fabricated, and a FRET-based optical analyte sensor we have recently produced, we show that our system can operate within at the sample size and concentration required for wearable applications, thus effectively delivering the first results towards a truly integrated, wearable, optical biosensor.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast/Cockpit Display of Traffic Information: Pilot Use of Electronic VS Paper Map Displays During Aircraft Navigation on the Airport Surface

The Federal Aviation Administration is making a concerted effort to reduce runway incursions. A 5-day operational evaluation, conducted in October 2000, assessed pilot use of varying types of CDTI devices. Structured and unstructured taxi routes examined how well pilots navigated their aircraft using an electronic surface-map display (north-up, track-up) or a paper surface map. An analysis of 15 hours of communication data was performed to determine how the use of these displays might aid situation awareness and influence operational communications. A Type-of-Route x Type-of-Map ANOVA revealed more problems occurred and more messages were exchanged for structured taxi routes. A statistically significant interaction indicated most problems occurred for the north-up map during structured taxi routes and the number of problems encountered was comparable for the other maps when pilots navigated along unstructured taxi routes. Avionics developers may want to reconsider north-up surface moving map displays airport surface navigation tasks.
Virtual navigation for blind people: Transferring route knowledge to the real-World

Abstract Independent navigation is challenging for blind people, particularly in unfamiliar environments. Navigation assistive technologies try to provide additional support by guiding users or increasing their knowledge of the surroundings, but accurate solutions are still not widely available. Based on this limitation and on the fact that spatial knowledge can also be acquired indirectly (prior to navigation), we developed an interactive virtual navigation app where users can learn unfamiliar routes before physically visiting the environment. Our main research goals are to understand the acquisition of route knowledge through smartphone-based virtual navigation and how it evolves over time; its ability to support independent, unassisted real-world navigation of short routes; and its ability to improve user performance when using an accurate in-situ navigation tool (NavCog). With these goals in mind, we conducted a user study where 14 blind participants virtually learned routes at home for three consecutive days and then physically navigated them, both unassisted and with NavCog. In virtual navigation, we analyzed the evolution of route knowledge and we found that participants were able to quickly learn shorter routes and gradually increase their knowledge in both short and long routes. In the real-world, we found that users were able to take advantage of this knowledge, acquired completely through virtual navigation, to complete unassisted navigation tasks. When using NavCog, users tend to rely on the navigation system and less on their prior knowledge and therefore virtual navigation did not significantly improve users’ performance.
Minding the Close Relationship: A Theory of Relationship Enhancement

Preface and acknowledgements 1. Introduction to the minding concept 2. Minding: definition and components 3. Knowing and being known by one's partner 4. Attributions in close relationships 5. Acceptance, respect, reciprocity, and continuity 6. Beginnings and endings 7. Minding in the close relationship literature 8. Minding and other major concepts of closeness 9. Evidence about minding in close relationships 10. An international perspective on minding 11. Minding in couples therapy and counseling 12. Limitations and future directions References Index.
Size Matching and Combined Heart Kidney Transplantation - UNOS Registry Analysis

Purpose Optimal size-matching metrics for prediction of outcomes after combined heart-kidney transplantation (HKT) are unknown. Methods Combined HKTs performed between January 2000 and April 2019 were analyzed using United Network of Organ Sharing registry. Size metrics (weight, height, body mass index (BMI) and predicted heart mass (PHM)) were divided into seven equally sized groups using donor-to-recipient ratio. Kaplan-Meier survival and Cox proportional hazard analyses were performed to assess composite risk of mortality or re-transplantation at 1-year. Results A total of 1,290 recipients were analyzed; 155 events occurred (n=153 deaths; n=4 re-transplants). Compared to a well-matched cohort, severe under-sizing by either PHM (0.56 to 0.85; hazard ratio (HR) 1.77, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02-3.08, p=0.042) or weight (0.50 to 0.80; HR 2.00, 95% CI 1.14-3.52, p=0.015), but not BMI and height, was associated with an increased risk of events. Upon categorizing recipients into 4 groups based on presence or absence of severe under-sizing by either PHM or weight ratio, those whose donors were severely undersized for both were at significantly higher risk of poor outcomes (HR 2.74, 95% CI 1.78-4.19, p Conclusion Recipients of combined HKT whose donors were severely undersized based on both weight ratio and PHM had significantly worse outcomes compared to those whose donors were severely undersized by either parameter alone or not at all.
The Securities and Exchange Commission's Administrative, Enforcement, and Legislative Programs and Policies - Their Influence on Corporate Internal Affairs

This Article will examine the methods by which the Securities and Exchange Commission affects internal corporate processes. Following a discussion of the general methods of administration and enforcement, the Article will examine the Commission's exhortatory approach. Next, the Article will discuss the SEC's disclosure processes, focusing on their impact on corporate internal affairs. Later sections examine SEC substantive "non-enforcement" regulation, law enforcement and related proceedings, the Commission's legislative program, and the Commission's amicus curiae program. Finally, the Article describes how the various Commission initiatives addressed to lawyers and accountants may affect their clients' internal affairs.
“I don’t feel studied”: Reflections on power-consciousness in action research with college student sex workers:

An overarching component of PAR is that there should be participant engagement between researchers and other participants as members of a/the community under inquiry. This expectation while powerfu...
The Effect of Lameness on Milk Production in Dairy Cattle

Decisions regarding the economic value of preventingand treating lameness in dairy cattle require accurateestimates of costs of lameness.
Structural implications of lipoarabinomannan glycans from global clinical isolates in diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection.

In Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), surface-exposed Lipoarabinomannan (LAM) is a key determinant of immunogenicity, yet its intrinsic heterogeneity confounds typical structure–function analysis. Recently, LAM gained a strong foothold as a validated marker for active tuberculosis (TB) infection and has shown great potential in new diagnostic efforts. However, no efforts have yet been made to model or evaluate the impact of mixed polyclonal Mtb infections (infection with multiple strains) on TB diagnostic procedures other than antibiotic susceptibility testing. Here, we selected three TB clinical isolates (HN878, EAI, and IO) and purified LAM from these strains to present an integrated analytical approach of one-dimensional and two-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, as well as enzymatic digestion and site-specific mass spectrometry (MS) to probe LAM structure and behavior at multiple levels. Overall, we found that the glycan was similar in all LAM preparations, albeit with subtle variations. Succinates, lactates, hydroxybutyrate, acetate, and the hallmark of Mtb LAM-methylthioxylose (MTX), adorned the nonreducing terminal arabinan of these LAM species. Newly identified acetoxy/hydroxybutyrate was present only in LAM from EAI and IO Mtb strains. Notably, detailed LC/MS-MS unambiguously showed that all acyl modifications and the lactyl ether in LAM are at the 3-OH position of the 2-linked arabinofuranose adjacent to the terminal β-arabinofuranose. Finally, after sequential enzymatic deglycosylation of LAM, the residual glycan that has ∼50% of α−arabinofuranose -(1→5) linked did not bind to monoclonal antibody CS35. These data clearly indicate the importance of the arabinan termini arrangements for the antigenicity of LAM.
Capture, analysis and synthesis of photorealistic crowds

This thesis explores techniques for synthesizing crowds from imagery. Synthetic photorealistic crowds are desirable for cinematic gaming, special effects and architectural visualization. While motion captured-based techniques for the animation and control of crowds have been well-studied in computer graphics, the resulting control rig sequences require a laborious model-based graphics pipeline to render photorealistic videos of crowds. Over the past ten years, data-driven techniques for rendering imagery of complex phenomena have become a popular alternative to model-based graphics. This popularity is due in large part to difficulties in constructing the sufficiently-detailed models that are required to achieve photorealism. A dynamic crowd of humans is an extremely challenging example of such phenomena. Example-based synthesis methods such as video textures are an appealing alternative, but current techniques are unable to handle new challenges posed by crowds. This thesis describes how to synthesize video-based crowds by explicitly segmenting pedestrians from input videos of natural crowds and optimally placing them into an output video while satisfying environmental constraints imposed by the scene. There are three key challenges. First, the crowd layout of segmented videos must satisfy constraints imposed by environmental and crowd obstacles. This thesis addresses four types of environmental constraints: (a) ground planes in the scene which are valid for crowd traversal, such as sidewalks, (b) spatial regions of these planes where crowds may enter and exit the scene, (c) static obstacles, such as mailboxes and walls of a building, and (d) dynamic obstacles such as individuals and groups of individuals. Second, pedestrians and groups of pedestrians should be segmented from the input video with no artifacts and minimal interaction time. This is challenging in real world scenes due to significant appearance changes while traveling through the scene. Third, segmented pedestrian videos may not have enough frames or the right shape to compose a path from an artist-defined entrance to exit. Plausible temporal transitions between segmented pedestrians are therefore needed but they are difficult to identify and synthesize due to complex self occlusions. We present a novel algorithm for composing video billboards, represented by crowd tubes, to form a crowd while avoiding collisions between static and dynamic obstacles. Crowd tubes are represented in the scene using a temporal sequence of circles planted in the calibrated ground plane. The approach consists of representing crowd tube samples and constraint violations with a conflict graph. The maximal independent set yields a dense crowd composition. We present a prototype system for the capture, analysis, synthesis and control of video-based crowds. Several results demonstrate the system's ability to generate videos of crowds which exhibit a variety of natural behaviors.
Randomized trial of high-dose chemotherapy and autologous hematopoietic stem cell support for high-risk primary breast carcinoma: follow-up at 12 years.

BACKGROUND The authors previously reported results from a randomized trial of standard-dose chemotherapy with combined 5-fluorouracil (1000 mg/m2 per cycle), doxorubicin (50 mg/m2 per cycle), and cyclophosphamide (500 mg/m2 per cycle) (FAC) versus FAC followed by high-dose chemotherapy (HDCT) and autologous stem cell support (ASCS) for patients with high-risk primary breast carcinoma. After a median follow-up of 6.5 years, no significant differences were observed in recurrence-free survival (RFS) or overall survival (OS) between the 2 arms. This report updates the survival analyses. METHODS Patients with ≥10 positive axillary lymph nodes after primary surgery or ≥4 positive lymph nodes at surgery after neoadjuvant chemotherapy were eligible. All patients were to receive 8 cycles of FAC. Patients were assigned randomly to receive either no further chemotherapy or 2 cycles of combined high-dose cyclophosphamide (5250 mg/m2 per cycle), etoposide (1200 mg/m2 per cycle), and cisplatin (165 mg/m2 per cycle) with ASCS. Primary endpoints were RFS and OS. RFS and OS were calculated by using the Kaplan–Meier method. The log-rank statistic was used to compare treatment arms. RESULTS Between 1990 and 1997, 78 patients were registered, and 39 patients were assigned randomly to each arm. The median follow-up for all patients who were alive at last follow-up was 142.5 months (range, 45-169 months). An intention-to-treat analysis showed no significant difference between the 2 arms in terms of RFS (at 10 years: 40% with FAC vs. 26% with FAC plus HDCT; P = .11) or OS (at 10 years: 47% with FAC vs. 42% with FAC plus HDCT; P = .13). CONCLUSIONS With a median follow-up of nearly 12 years for patients who remained alive, this trial continued to demonstrate no RFS or OS advantage for patients with high-risk primary breast carcinoma treated with HDCT after standard-dose FAC chemotherapy. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
Looking Under the Hood: What Does Quantile Regression Tell Us About the Low-Beta Anomaly?

In a CAPM world, the expected return of every portfolio is linearly related to its market beta. Further, the market portfolio attains the maximum Sharpe ratio among all portfolios of risky assets. Consequently, low-beta portfolios are predicted to earn a lower rate of return and to have Sharpe ratios no greater than the market portfolio. A low-beta portfolio of risky assets with beta B is predicted to earn the same rate of return as a portfolio that invests B in the market portfolio and 1 - B in the risk-free asset. Empirically, neither of these predictions has been realized. Low-beta (B
The Inefficiency of First and Second Price Auctions in Dynamic Stochastic Environments

First and second price auctions are optimal mechanisms for resource allocation in many situations and are used widely. However, unlike the static once-and-for-all situations for which auctions are efficient, in dynamic stochastic environments these standard auctions cannot necessarily support optimal allocations. The potential inefficiency of auctions is demonstrated by example. A computer server is modeled as a non-interruptible M/M/1 system, with heterogeneous users. The optimal allocation of jobs is derived, and it is shown that this allocation cannot be supported as either a first-price or a second-price auction equilibrium.
SU-E-J-08: Comparison of Unintended Radiation Doses to Organs at Risk Resulting From the Out-Of-Field Therapeutic Beams and From Image-Guidance X-Ray Procedures

Purpose: The unintended radiation dose to organs at risk (OAR) can be contributed from imaging guidance procedures as well as from leakage and scatter of therapeutic beams. This study compares the imaging dose with the unintended out-of-field therapeutic dose to patient sensitive organs. Methods: The Monte Carlo EGSnrc user codes, BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc, were used to simulate kV X-ray sources from imaging devices as well as the therapeutic IMRT/VMAT beams and to calculate doses to target and OARs on patient treatment planning CT images. The accuracy of the Monte Carlo simulations was benchmarked against measurements in phantoms. The dose-volume histogram was utilized in analyzing the patient organ doses. Results: The dose resulting from Standard Head kV-CBCT scans to bone and soft tissues ranges from 0.7 to 1.1 cGy and from 0.03 to 0.3 cGy, respectively. The dose resulting from Thorax scans on the chest to bone and soft tissues ranges from 1.1 to 1.8 cGy and from 0.3 to 0.6 cGy, respectively. The dose resulting from Pelvis scans on the abdomen to bone and soft tissues range from 3.2 to 4.2 cGy and from 1.2 to 2.2 cGy, respectively. The out-of-field doses to OAR are sensitive to the distance between the treated target and the OAR. For a typical Head-and-Neck IMRT/VMAT treatment the out-of-field doses to eyes are 1–3% of the target dose, or 2–6 cGy per fraction. Conclusion: The imaging doses to OAR are predictable based on the imaging protocols used when OARs are within the imaged volume and can be estimated and accounted for by using tabulated values. The unintended out-of-field doses are proportional to the target dose, strongly depend on the distance between the treated target and OAR, and are generally higher comparing to the imaging dose. This work was partially supported by Varian research grant VUMC40590.
Simultaneous simulation of alternative system configurations

Simulation to obtain reliability and availability estimates has been widely used by system designers to evaluate and compare alternative choices before making design decisions. However, traditionally that approach worked only if significant computer resources were available or designers accepted a significant time delay between design iterations. In this paper, we present an alternative approach to compute measures of interest for a family of models that represent alternative design choices that is significantly more efficient than the traditional approach. The new approach combines the existing single-clock multiple-system simulation with adaptive uniformization. We achieve the speedup by simulating all the alternative configurations of the discrete-event model simultaneously while amortizing the cost of enabled event set management. That allows us to explore and evaluate multiple configuration settings of a discrete-event model at the same time, significantly increasing the number of alternative versions of the model that are explored in a given amount of time.
Some Combinatorial Problems on Partially Ordered Sets

This paper is concerned with some combinatorial problems related to the following theorem on partially ordered sets: The minimal number of chains in the representation of a finite partially ordered set P as a set union of chains is equal to the maximal number of mutually non-comparable elements of P.
Principles of Organ Preservation

Organ preservation is the ability to maintain ex vivo organ viability in addition to the capacity to restore normal organ function at the time of restitution of physiological blood flow.1 It is currently the basis upon which clinical and research models of organ transplantation rely. Clinically, when the organ does not regain normal function rapidly after implantation surgery and reperfusion, there is either delayed graft function (DGF) or primary nonfunction (PNF). DGF by definition is impaired function that eventually returns to normal. On the other hand, graft PNF indicates complete failure of the organ to restore function or the inability to sustain life. In the clinical setting, DGF occurs in 10% to 15% of all liver grafts and 30% to 50% of cadaveric kidneys transplanted within 24 h of cold preservation.2 In heart, lung, or liver transplants, DGF can have devastating results in the individual patient, with prolonged ICU and hospital stays and possible long-term effects on organ function. PNF of vital organs results in death of the patient unless a retransplant is rapidly performed. In the initial course following surgery the distinction between DGF and PNF is often difficult, and the decision to relist a patient for retransplantation may be particularly challenging. Attempts to predict graft function in individual and large cohorts of patients has demonstrated that the ability of transplanted organs to restore function is dependent upon multiple factors; these include preexisting organ diseases in the donor, events occurring during the process of death of the donor and organ recovery, the duration of cold preservation, events during implantation surgery, and the medical conditions of the recipients. Acceptance or refusal of an organ for transplantation requires extensive experience because a single risk factor might be well tolerated but may have devastating effects when several risk factors are combined.
Laser VS, Suture Nerve Anastomosis

The repair of injured or transected nerves is frequently encountered in head and neck surgery. Recently, CO2 lasers with milliwatt capability and micrometer spot sizes have been developed that may be used in nerve anastomosis. A comparative study was performed between microsuture and CO2 laser repair of transected sciatic nerves in rats. Nerve regeneration was measured in terms of morphology, electrophysiology, and function. Histologic studies revealed no difference in the size and number of regenerated axons, although there was less scar tissue formation at the anastomotic site with the laser repair. EMG and nerve conduction velocity were similar for the two repair methods. Functional recovery, as determined objectively using measurements of gait footprints, showed no difference between suture and laser repair. Laser-repaired nerves did have a higher dehiscence rate, although this problem can probably be prevented by splinting the rats postoperatively. However, laser repair was faster and simpler than suture repair and required less manipulation of the nerve. This study shows laser repair of peripheral nerves is possible with results comparable to conventional microsuture neurorrhaphy. Laser nerve anastomosis may be an effective alternative to suture nerve repair.
Nine Worlds of SEID-MAGIC: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism

Nine Worlds of SEID-MAGIC: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. Jenny Blain. London and New York: Routledge, 2001. 192 pages $20.95 Paperback.
Diet and Cancer: What's Next?

Our advances in knowledge of the epidemiology of cancer and of the nutritional and genetic effects on this disease have not yet been translated into successful treatment. This is due in part to our tendency toward reductionist thinking, dating to the days when one drug killed one bug. We could learn something by trying to reconcile the differences. Cancer is a degenerative disease that develops over a long time and goes through many stages. Perhaps different nutritional approaches are needed at each stage. The same dietary treatment may not exert the same effects during all stages of tumor development. Obesity is one risk factor that is generally agreed upon. Energy (caloric) restriction has been shown to inhibit experimental carcinogenesis, and energy expenditure affects human carcinogenesis. It would be interesting to combine energy restriction with nutritional treatment. One neglected area of inquiry is that of interactions among nutrients. Substitution of nutrient A for nutrient B can precipitate a series of interactions between nutrient B and the rest of the diet. If more experimental work were done with spontaneous tumors, it would eliminate possible effects of carcinogen metabolism in carcinogenesis and might provide a more accurate reflection of human carcinogenesis. Focusing on one specific dietary component or class of components belies the complexity of the problem.
Sports Medicine Training and Practice Opportunities for Emergency Physicians

Abstract Background There is growing interest among emergency physicians to seek additional training in Sports Medicine (SM) and to add it to their clinical practice. This presents unique training and practice management issues. The majority of Primary Care SM fellowship programs list that they will accept emergency physicians, and approximately one-third have already had an emergency physician as an SM fellow. Objectives The objective of this article is to provide an overview of the key elements for emergency physicians to consider as they pursue SM career goals. Discussion Training needs such as continuity of care as it pertains to the athlete, SM skills development, and practice management are reviewed. Practice challenges such as malpractice insurance and billing issues are discussed. Examples of several practice models are presented. Evolving trends in SM practice and training opportunities for emergency physicians are discussed as well. Conclusions Sports Medicine is a viable career option for emergency physicians and may complement their skills set in the management of acute injuries. Practice and training opportunities will continue to evolve as this pathway into the practice of SM gains further recognition.
Heme oxygenase-1 protects HepG2 cells against cytochrome P450 2E1-dependent toxicity.

Abstract The inducible form of heme oxygenase (HO-1) is increased during oxidative injury and HO-1 is believed to be an important defense mechanism against such injury. Arachidonic acid (AA) and l -buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO), which lowers GSH levels, cause cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1)-dependent oxidative injuries in HepG2 cells (E47 cells). Treatment of E47 cells with 50 μM AA or 100 μM BSO for 48 h was recently shown to increase HO-1 mRNA, protein, and activity. The possible functional significance of this increase in protecting against CYP2E1-dependent toxicity was evaluated in the current study. The treatment with AA and BSO caused loss of cell viability (40 and 50%, respectively) in E47 cells. Chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP), an inhibitor of HO activity, significantly potentiated this cytotoxicity. ROS production, lipid peroxidation, and the decline in mitochondrial membrane potential produced by AA and BSO were also enhanced in the presence of CrMP in E47 cells. Infection with an adenovirus expressing rat HO-1 protected E47 cells from AA toxicity, increasing cell viability and reducing LDH release. HO catalyzes formation of CO, bilirubin, and iron from the oxidation of heme. Bilirubin was not protective whereas iron catalyzed the AA toxicity. The carbon monoxide (CO) scavenger hemoglobin enhanced AA toxicity in E47 cells analogous to CrMP, whereas exposure to exogenous CO partially reduced AA toxicity and the enhanced AA toxicity by CrMP. Addition of exogenous CO to the cells inhibited CYP2E1 catalytic activity, as did overexpression of the rat HO-1 adenovirus. These results suggest that induction of HO-1 protects against CYP2E1-dependent toxicity and this protection may be mediated in part via production of CO and CO inhibition of CYP2E1 activity.
Enantiomeric Composition of Trans-Dihydrodiols Formed from Meso-K-Region Arene Oxides by Microsomal Epoxide Hydrolase

Abstract Absolute configurations for the enantiomers of trans -4,5-dihydroxy-4,5-dihydrobenzo[e]pyrene were determined by the exciton chirality method and by correlation of physical properties of their (−)-(menthyloxy)acetyl diesters. Microsomal epoxide hydrolase catalyzed the hydrolysis of K-region arene oxides of benzo[e]pyrene, pyrene, and phenanthrene to trans -dihydrodiols containing 83 %, 86 %, and 42 % of the R,R enantiomer, respectively.