cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Medical and Surgical Complications After Robot-Assisted Partial Nephrectomy: An Analysis of 1139 Patients in a Multi-Institutional Kidney Cancer Database

Abstract Introduction: Previous robot-assisted partial nephrectomy (RAPN) studies have identified various predictors of overall and major postoperative complications, but few have evaluated the specific role of these factors in the development of medical and surgical complications. In this study, we present an analysis of the modifiable and nonmodifiable variables influencing medical and surgical complications in a contemporary series of patients who underwent RAPN and were followed in a prospectively maintained, multi-institutional kidney cancer database. Methods: A retrospective review of all patients who underwent RAPN at four institutions between 2008 and 2015 was performed. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine predictors of medical and surgical postoperative complications. Results: Data from 1139 patients were available for analysis. Sixty-seven patients (5.8%) experienced a medical postoperative complication, and 82 (7.1%) experienced a surgical complication. Decreasing ba...
Reducing estimated parameters of a synchronous generator for microgrid applications

Synchronous generators are widely utilized in microgrids with high penetration of distributed renewable energy resources for small scale power generation. An accurate model of a synchronous generator is key to effective planning and operation of a grid-tied microgrid as well as stabilizing the frequency and regulating the voltage in an islanded microgrid. In this paper, a new strategy, based on the sensitivity trajectory analysis, for modeling a synchronous generator, which influences the transients of a microgrid greatly, is proposed. This method partitions the model parameters into significant and less significant sets. It is shown that in microgrid modeling, only the significant parameters need to be identified, and the remaining parameters can be replaced by typical values as they do not influence the model outputs critically. Reduction of the estimated parameters allows for modeling other components using on-line measurements, increases the reliability of the identified parameters and generalization capability of the characterizing model. The performance of the proposed approach is demonstrated by modeling a 5.3 MVA synchronous generator utilized in the San Diego State University microgrid.
A switchable route to valuable commodity chemicals from glycerol via electrocatalytic oxidation with an earth abundant metal oxidation catalyst

Electrocatalytic upgrading of glycerol to value-added commodity is demonstrated using an ultralow loading of a cobalt-based oxidation catalyst at 16 μg cm−2. Reactions take place under ambient conditions in an aqueous environment, while generating H2 as a byproduct. Selectivity towards two major products, lactic acid and glyceric acid, can be controlled via simple variation of reaction conditions. The system is scalable and functions well even in the presence of methanol, an impurity commonly found in the industrial bio-diesel waste stream. Industrial glycerol waste from a local bio-diesel plant was also shown to be upgradable after a simple aqueous pretreatment.
Telemedicine broadening access to care for complex cases.

Abstract Background Surgical and nonsurgical specialists are highly centralized, making access to high-quality care difficult for many Americans. We explored the feasibility, benefits, preliminary outcomes, and patient satisfaction with a new type of health visit, in which a surgical oncologist used video telecommunication to manage and treat complex cancer diseases, including patients with severe comorbidities. Materials and methods Patients visited local VA medical centers throughout Florida to engage in video telecommunication visits with a centralized surgical oncologist in Miami, who directed their oncology treatment. The average length of stay and rate of unplanned readmission were calculated within each organ. The total mileage saved was calculated by subtracting the distance between the patient's home address and the local VA from the distance between the patient's home address and the Miami VA. Travel costs were determined by the VA's reimbursement of $0.415/mile for health-related travel and reimbursement of $150.00 for an overnight hotel stay. A Likert scale with both positively and negatively keyed questions was used to assess patient satisfaction. Results In 24 mo, seven unplanned readmissions occurred among 195 operations. Patients experienced an 80.7% reduction in travel distance and saved a total of 213,007.58 miles by visiting their local VA instead of the Miami VA. Survey results indicate that 86% of patients believed that the telemedicine program made medical care more accessible. Conclusions The Specialist-Directed Telemedicine Model can save patients substantial time and money by not traveling to centralized areas, while delivering greater continuity of care and patient satisfaction.
Geoarchaeological Investigation at the Buffalo Ranch Site (41BU119), Texas

The Buffalo Ranch site (41BU119) is located along the Brazos River in Burleson County, Texas, under 10 m of late Quaternary alluvium. Here, Wilson and Big Sandy projectile points were found in natu...
Neonatal hypertension: cases, causes, and clinical approach

Neonatal hypertension is increasingly recognized as dramatic improvements in neonatal intensive care, advancements in our understanding of neonatal physiology, and implementation of new therapies have led to improved survival of premature infants. A variety of factors appear to be important in determining blood pressure in neonates, including gestational age, birth weight, and postmenstrual age. Normative data on neonatal blood pressure values remain limited. The cause of hypertension in an affected neonate is often identified with careful diagnostic evaluation, with the most common causes being umbilical catheter-associated thrombosis, renal parenchymal disease, and chronic lung disease. Clinical expertise may need to be relied upon to decide the best approach to treatment in such patients, as data on the use of antihypertensive medications in this age group are extremely limited. Available data suggest that long-term outcomes are usually good, with resolution of hypertension in most infants. In this review, we will take a case-based approach to illustrate these concepts and to point out important evidence gaps that need to be addressed so that management of neonatal hypertension may be improved.
What do physicians know about normal pressure hydrocephalus and when did they know it? A survey of 284 physicians.

Normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH) is a relatively new neurologic disorder first described by Salamon Hakim of Bogota, Colombia, in 1965. NPH is characterized by three symptoms — impaired gait, incontinence and dementia — and an anatomic abnormality, i.e., enlargement of the cerebral ventricles, which can be seen on computerized tomographic or magnetic resonance imaging. Surprisingly, the intracranial pressure is normal. The first author of this article, a Yale Medical School faculty member, developed NPH over the decade from 1992 to 2002, during which it was erroneously diagnosed as cerebral atrophy and/or Parkinson’s disease. On recognizing the lack of awareness of NPH by physicians, he initiated a survey to explore this problem. He interviewed 166 practicing physicians who graduated from 50 American and 33 foreign medical schools, using a one-page, 10-point questionnaire (Part I). Almost one-third of the physicians had never heard of NPH. One-fifth had learned of NPH in medical school, and about half learned of it after medical school. Because there were insufficient physicians surveyed from 1986 to 2005, we recruited 118 additional physicians from the 20 Yale Medical School graduating classes from 1986 through 2005 (Part II). Two-thirds of them had learned of NPH in medical school, and one-fourth during residency and fellowship. Seven percent had never heard of NPH. The significance of these studies is discussed.
Delay Tolerant Computing: The Untapped Potential

The digital world is expanding rapidly and advances in networking technologies such as wireless broadband (WiBro), low-power wide area networks (LPWANs), 4G/5G, LiFi, and so on, are paving the way for the emergence of sophisticated services. The number of online and mobile applications leveraging sophisticated smart devices are increasing in complexity requiring more computation and communication. While current smart phones and other IoT devices are becoming more powerful, the support gap is widening when compared to the demand of current and future compute-intensive tasks such as those often required for smart health care, ambient assisted living (AAL), virtual/augmented reality, intelligent vehicular communication, and so on. For many of these applications, computational or data storage tasks can not be entirely performed locally and have thus exploited different offloading techniques. The focus in such techniques has traditionally been on minimizing delay when supporting such applications. In this paper, we argue for the opportunity to tap into idle compute resources to support another dimension of applications characterized with high task demand, but can tolerate larger delays. We present delay tolerant computing (DTC) paradigm, and define where it falls within the compute ecosystem. We highlight the potential behind DTC with various applications, and propose a generalized architecture for how this paradigm can be realized. Finally, we show, using a couple of case studies, the potential behind DTC when compared to other compute paradigms by providing preliminary experimental results based on monetary cost, computational requirements, and delay.
The Time of Troubles in Alexander Dugin’s Narrative

Alexander Dugin (b. 1962) is one of the best-known philosophers and public intellectuals of post-Soviet Russia. While his geopolitical views are well-researched, his views on Russian history are less so. Still, they are important to understand his Weltanschauung and that of like-minded Russian intellectuals. For Dugin, the ‘Time of Troubles’ – the period of Russian history at the beginning of the seventeenth century marked by dynastic crisis and general chaos – constitutes an explanatory framework for the present. Dugin implicitly regarded the ‘Time of Troubles’ in broader philosophical terms. For him, the ‘Time of Troubles’ meant not purely political and social upheaval/dislocation, but a deep spiritual crisis that endangered the very existence of the Russian people. Russia, in his view, has undergone several crises during its long history. Each time, however, Russia has risen again and achieved even greater levels of spiritual wholeness. Dugin believed that Russia was going through a new ‘Time of Troubles’. In the early days of the post-Soviet era, he believed that it was the collapse of the USSR that had led to a new ‘Time of Troubles’. Later, he changed his mind and proclaimed that the Soviet regime was not legitimate at all and, consequently, that the ‘Time of Troubles’ started a century ago in 1917. Dugin holds a positive view of Putin in general. Still, his narrative implies that Putin has been unable to arrest the destructive process of a new Time of Trouble.
Mindfulness and Daily Negative Mood Variation in Romantic Relationships

The current study examined the association between trait mindfulness and negative emotion regulation in the context of romantic relationships. Forty-seven cohabiting heterosexual couples participated in 24-day online daily questionnaires. Actor-partner interdependence modeling (APIM) was used to examine the associations between the five facets of mindfulness and both average level of negative mood and negative mood variation. Women with higher non-judging facet of mindfulness scores reported lower levels of average negative mood over the 24-day period (i.e., actor effect). There were also partner effects reflecting associations between one’s mindfulness and one’s partner’s negative mood variation. The non-reactivity and describing facets of mindfulness in women were associated with their partners having more stable mood (less negative mood variation), whereas the non-judging facet in men was associated with their partners reporting more stable mood (i.e., less negative mood variation). These findings suggest that although one’s own mindfulness is an important determinant of one’s own general mood disposition, variation in negative daily mood may be more likely to be influenced by one’s romantic partner.
Comparative expression profiling reveals widespread coordinated evolution of gene expression across eukaryotes

Comparative studies of gene expression across species have revealed many important insights, but have also been limited by the number of species represented. Here we develop an approach to identify orthologs between highly diverged transcriptome assemblies, and apply this to 657 RNA-seq gene expression profiles from 309 diverse unicellular eukaryotes. We analyzed the resulting data for coevolutionary patterns, and identify several hundred protein complexes and pathways whose expression levels have evolved in a coordinated fashion across the trillions of generations separating these species, including many gene sets with little or no within-species co-expression across environmental or genetic perturbations. We also detect examples of adaptive evolution, for example of tRNA ligase levels to match genome-wide codon usage. In sum, we find that comparative studies from extremely diverse organisms can reveal new insights into the evolution of gene expression, including coordinated evolution of some of the most conserved protein complexes in eukaryotes. Gene pairs that are coexpressed across various environmental conditions in multiple species suggest functional similarity. Here the authors analyze patterns of gene expression co-evolution across diverse eukaryotes, and identify hundreds of protein complexes and pathways whose gene expression levels have co-evolved since their ancient divergence.
Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia presenting simultaneously with ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes

Abstract Background Vertebrobasilar dolichoectasia (VBDE) can present with brainstem- compressive symptoms, cerebral ischemia, or hemorrhage. Herein we describe a unique patient with VBDE who presented with hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia simultaneously. Case Patient is a 76-year-old man presenting with an acute, symptomatic left pontine ischemic stroke heralded by ataxic dysarthria and right ataxic-hemiparesis. MRI scan of the brain demonstrated acute cerebral ischemia in the left pons, a small right thalamic hemorrhage, and evidence of VBDE. Conclusion The perforating vessels branching off of the pathologic VBDE may result in both ischemia and hemorrhage. This is the first known case, to our knowledge, in which hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia occurred simultaneously.
K-th Nearest Neighbor (KNN) Entropy Estimates of Complexity and Integration from Ongoing and Stimulus-Evoked Electroencephalographic (EEG) Recordings of the Human Brain

Information-theoretic measures for quantifying multivariate statistical dependence have proven useful for the study of the unity and diversity of the human brain. Two such measures-integration, I(X), and interaction complexity, CI(X)-have been previously applied to electroencephalographic (EEG) signals recorded during ongoing wakeful brain states. Here, I(X) and CI(X) were computed for empirical and simulated visually-elicited alpha-range (8-13 Hz) EEG signals. Integration and complexity of evoked (stimulus-locked) and induced (non-stimulus-locked) EEG responses were assessed using nonparametric k-th nearest neighbor (KNN) entropy estimation, which is robust to the nonstationarity of stimulus-elicited EEG signals. KNN-based I(X) and CI(X) were also computed for the alpha-range EEG of ongoing wakeful brain states. I(X) and CI(X) patterns differentiated between induced and evoked EEG signals and replicated previous wakeful EEG findings obtained using Gaussian-based entropy estimators. Absolute levels of I(X) and CI(X) were related to absolute levels of alpha-range EEG power and phase synchronization, but stimulus-related changes in the information-theoretic and other EEG properties were independent. These findings support the hypothesis that visual perception and ongoing wakeful mental states emerge from complex, dynamical interaction among segregated and integrated brain networks operating near an optimal balance between order and disorder.
Abstract WP525: Adherence and Adherence Recovery in a Stroke Trial

Objective: Standards for reporting and analyzing adherence to medical therapy have recently improved due to international consensus efforts. We report adherence in a stroke trial using the EMERGE g...
Verbesserung der virologischen Ansprechrate durch Therapie mit pegyliertem Interferon alpha-2-b plus Ribavirin nach Lebertransplantation bei Hepatitis-C-Zirrhose

Background Recurrence of hepatitis C (HCV) infection after OLT for HCV cirrhosis is almost universal and approximately 10% of patients develop cirrhosis after OLT for HCV. Common treatments with ribavirin and interferon alpha-2b failed to show a satisfying sustained antiviral response (SVR). Peg-Intron is a pegylated form of interferon alpha-2b and has been proved to increase the response of antiviral therapy in non-transplanted HCV positive patients. The aim of this prospective open non-randomized trial was to examine whether Peg-Intron in combination with ribavirin is effective to treat liver transplant recipients with HCV reinfection.
An Unique Methodology to Estimate The Thermal Time Constant and Dynamic Self Heating Impact for Accurate Reliability Evaluation in Advanced FinFET Technologies

The increasing impact of self-heating effect (SHE) in complex FinFET structure is a serious reliability concern. Although the evaluation of SHE has become extremely arduous; this work proposes an in-situ layout based experimental solution to find out the precise thermal time constant (T TH ) due to SHE on advanced FinFET devices, even with the application of very pragmatic ‘circuit-like’ gate and drain input waveforms. Using this precise T TH , the accurate dynamic thermal profile is found out from SPICE simulations. Finally, the true degradations due to different reliability mechanisms are evaluated including SHE impact and successfully compared with measured FinFET silicon data.
The ERK Pathway: Molecular Mechanisms and Treatment of Depression

Major depressive disorder is a chronic debilitating mental illness. Its pathophysiology at cellular and molecular levels is incompletely understood. Increasing evidence supports a pivotal role of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), in particular the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) subclass of MAPKs, in the pathogenesis, symptomatology, and treatment of depression. In humans and various chronic animal models of depression, the ERK signaling was significantly downregulated in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus, two core areas implicated in depression. Inhibiting the ERK pathway in these areas caused depression-like behavior. A variety of antidepressants produced their behavioral effects in part via normalizing the downregulated ERK activity. In addition to ERK, the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), an immediate upstream regulator of ERK, the cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB), a transcription factor downstream to ERK, and the MAPK phosphatase (MKP) are equally vulnerable to depression. While BDNF and CREB were reduced in their activity in the prefrontal cortex and hippocampus of depressed animals, MKP activity was enhanced in parallel. Chronic antidepressant treatment readily reversed these neurochemical changes. Thus, ERK signaling in the depression-implicated brain regions was disrupted during the development of depression, which contributes to the long-lasting and transcription-dependent neuroadaptations critical for enduring depression-like behavior and the therapeutic effect of antidepressants.
Fluorometholone modulates gene expression of ocular surface mucins

Purpose Mucins are vital to keep the ocular surface hydrated. Genes encoding for mucins contain a glucocorticoid response element. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of fluorometholone, a glucocorticoid receptor agonist used in the management of dry eye, on the gene expression of conjunctival and corneal epithelial cell mucins. Methods Stratified cultures of human conjunctival and corneal epithelial cells were exposed to 25, 50 and 100 nM of fluorometholone alone or in presence of mifepristone, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist. The mRNA was isolated from the cells and reverse transcribed to cDNA. The cDNA was used for quantification of gene expression of mucin (MUC) 1, 4, 16 and 19 using real-time PCR. Results Fluorometholone caused a dose- and time-dependent increase in the gene expression of MUC1, MUC4, MUC16 and MUC19 in the conjunctival as well as corneal epithelial cells. Mifepristone, a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist, inhibited fluorometholone-mediated increase in the gene expression of conjunctival and corneal mucins. At the tested concentration, neither fluorometholone nor mifepristone caused any notable changes in the cellular phenotype or viability of conjunctival and corneal epithelial cells. Conclusion Fluorometholone increases the gene expression of MUC1, MUC4, MUC16 and MUC19 in the conjunctival and corneal epithelial cells through activation of glucocorticoid receptors. The increased expression of mucins can be an additional possible mechanism contributing to the beneficial effects of fluorometholone in dry eye in addition to its well-known anti-inflammatory effects.
A Defense Bar: The

In most states, a civil plaintiff must prove her innocence of criminal wrongdoing in order to recover in a legal malpractice suit against her former criminal defense attorney. The reasoning behind such requirements is faulty and, instead, a criminal defendant-cum-malpractice-plaintiff should not have to prove her innocence to bring such a malpractice claim. The first part of the article lays out the landscape of the law in this developing area. Although some states require no proof of innocence on the part of the malpractice plaintiff, most states require either prove of post-conviction relief, proof of actual innocence, or both. The article then argues against the justifications offered for the proof of post-conviction relief and proof of actual innocence requirements. These justifications range from efficiency-based concerns to difficulty-of-proof arguments to manifest hostility toward convicted persons. The final part of the article illustrates the affirmative harm visited upon convicted persons by compelling post-conviction relief and concludes that no proof of innocence requirement should be imposed to recover in a civil malpractice action against a criminal defense attorney.
Effect of heat treatment on microstructural evolution and hardness homogeneity in laser powder bed fusion of alloy 718

Abstract The thermal history developed in laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) processes has been shown to be complex resulting in equally complex microstructures and mechanical properties. Microscopic observations and Vickers micro-hardness mapping measurements were carried out on diﬀ ;erent section planes of LPBF alloy 718 cuboids. Three-dimensional finite element analysis was used to simulate thermal history and to predict the residual stress distribution in the as-built material. Computational thermodynamics was used to predict the micro-segregation and nucleation driving force of various phases in the bulk and in segregated regions. Varied heat-treatments such as simulated hot isostatic pressing, and double aging were applied. Their influence on the microstructure, micro-segregation, precipitate formation, and micro-hardness variations of LPBF alloy 718 were investigated. Hardness map results showed heterogeneous micro-hardness on the xy- and xz-planes of the as-built parts where the bottom plane and center regions had larger hardness of ∼315 HV0.5 while the top plane and contours showed hardness of ∼300 HV0.5. It was found that the aging treatment increased the overall hardness of the as-built condition from ∼310 HV0.5 to 470 HV0.5 but also increased the hardness gradient throughout the coupon. After simulated hot isostatic pressing process (i.e., without applied pressure) at 1020 °C for 4 h followed by water quench (HIPWQ), the hardness gradient and hardness was minimized (∼210 HV0.5) as the microstructure transitioned from heterogeneous columnar grains in the as-built condition to more uniform recrystallized grains. A double aging treatment was applied to enhance hardness from ∼210 HV0.5 to ∼440 HV0.5. HIPWQ followed by double aging produced a homogeneous microstructure and more uniform hardness map with enhanced mechanical properties in LPBF alloy 718 coupons.
Increasing Learning While Serving the Community: Student Engagement as the Key to Learning in a Basic Public Speaking Course

Despite the significant amount of research published regarding the effect of service-learning on attitudinal measures such as empathy and civic engagement, little is known about how service-learning influences direct student learning outcomes. This pilot study employed a repeated measures, quasi-experimental design with a comparison group to compare cognitive and behavioral learning outcomes of students in two courses: a service-learning public speaking course (n = 84) and a traditionally taught public speaking course (n = 92). No significant differences were revealed between service-learning and non-service-learning students on measures of cognitive learning. However, service-learning student groups significantly outperformed their non-service-learning counterparts on measures of behavioral learning (application/performance of a skill). The article concludes by addressing issues uncovered in this pilot project and offering suggestions for additional research.
Growth of the lower hybrid drift instability in the plume of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster

Analytical and numerical investigations have been carried out that show the lower hybrid drift instability is active in a region of low-β plasma outside the discharge channel of a magnetically shielded Hall thruster. The region is located downstream of the inner front pole magnet and is contained by the thruster ion beam and hollow cathode plume. It is found that large enough E × B and diamagnetic drifts in the out-of-plane (azimuthal) direction are produced in this region to destabilize lower hybrid waves, even in the presence of electron collisions. The results have been obtained by solving an electrostatic dispersion relation in which the density inhomogeneity is accounted for in the velocity distribution function of the strongly magnetized electrons. Ions in the azimuthal direction have been treated as stationary and unmagnetized. The plasma properties in the dispersion have been provided independently by large-scale 2D multi-fluid/particle-in-cell simulations. The growth rates are found to be even greater than those associated with the modified two-stream instability, which was also predicted recently to be active in this region. The implication of the findings is that ions may be heated anomalously by these instabilities, in both the out-of-plane and in-plane directions perpendicular to the applied magnetic field, thereby altering the velocity field and enhancing the energy of those ions that strike nearby thruster surfaces.
Bioinspired mononuclear Mn complexes for O2 activation and biologically relevant reactions

A general interest in harnessing the oxidizing power of dioxygen (O2) continues to motivate research efforts on bioinspired and biomimetic complexes to better understand how metalloenzymes mediate these reactions. The ubiquity of Fe- and Cu-based enzymes attracts significant attention and has resulted in many noteworthy developments for abiotic systems interested in direct O2 reduction and small molecule activation. However, despite the existence of Mn-based metalloenzymes with important O2-dependent activity, there has been comparatively less focus on the development of these analogues relative to Fe- and Cu-systems. In this Perspective, we summarize important contributions to the development of bioinspired mononuclear Mn complexes for O2 activation and studies on their reactivity, emphasizing important design parameters in the primary and secondary coordination spheres and outlining mechanistic trends.
Small Arms and Security: New Emerging International Norms

Preface: The Rise of Small Arms into the International Agenda: A Debate in the Context of Global Governance and Human Security Section 1: Small Arms, Norms and the International Agenda 1. Norms in International Relations: The Case of Small Arms 2. Norm Building Processes in the Evolution of the Small Arms Question in the International Agenda Section 2: Leading International Emerging Norms 3. The Destruction and Disposal of Surplus Weapons 4. Regulating Illicit Arms Brokering 5. Marking, Tracing and Record Keeping Section 3: Failed or Weaker International Emerging Norms 6. Creating a Norm of Transparency in Small Arms Transfers 7. Regulating Civilian Gun Ownership 8. Banning the Sale of Weapons to Non-State Actors Section 4: Findings and Conclusions 9. The Making of International Norms
An introduction to the chemistry of the sea

Fully updated and expanded, this new edition provides students with an accessible introduction to marine chemistry. It highlights geochemical interactions between the ocean, solid earth, atmosphere and climate, enabling students to appreciate the interconnectedness of Earth's processes and systems and elucidates the huge variations in the oceans' chemical environment, from surface waters to deep water. Written in a clear, engaging way, the book provides students in oceanography, marine chemistry and biogeochemistry with the fundamental tools they need for a strong understanding of ocean chemistry. Appendices present information on seawater properties, key equations and constants for calculating oceanographic processes. New to this edition are end-of-chapter problems for students to put theory into practice, summaries to allow easy review of material and a comprehensive glossary. Supporting online resources include solutions to problems and figures from the book.
Governing Fracking from the Ground Up

In The Political Economy of Local Vetoes, 93 Texas Law Review 351 (2014), David Spence asks how we can regulate drilling and hydraulic fracturing for oil and gas in a manner that ultimately maximizes net benefits — assessing whether state or local veto authority over oil and gas development will achieve this result. Although Spence does not directly invoke the Calabresi-Melamed framework, his arguments fit rather neatly within it. One way to achieve an efficient level of oil and gas development, Spence suggests, is for states to use some of their fracturing-related surplus to compensate local governments for the concentrated costs they experience. This is what Calabresi and Melamed would call a liability rule. Spence focuses instead on what one could label as a property rule — whether giving local or state governments the authority to ban oil and gas development and fracking will best promote Coasean bargaining. Spence concludes that in light of strong preferences at the local level, giving local governments veto power will lead to more bargaining, and thus more efficient outcomes, than will state-level decision making.Spence's Article is thorough and persuasive, but I would slightly reconstruct his account in three modest ways. First, when focusing on the question of whether states should preempt local governments, we must not forget other actors. Fracking generates benefits and costs not fully internalized by local governments and oil and gas producers, and state, regional, and federal regulatory actors need a voice in the bargaining process. Second, we must look more closely at the role of regulation — not just an up or down veto — by local governments. Local governments understand the concentrated impacts of oil and gas development, and, rather than fully banning this development, many cities and towns have regulated the practice in a sophisticated manner. It is also important to more closely consider the transaction costs that local governments and producers face in bargaining. And finally, as academics and courts continue to wrangle over the proper allocation of fracking entitlements, we must turn to the Coasean scheme that Spence only briefly addresses — the scheme that very few states have adopted, in which states compensate local governments for their losses — while waiting for an improved governance solution.
The removal of irregular migrants in Europe and America

If there is a clear trend in the world’s contemporary immigration debates, it is the ascendancy of irregular migration to center stage. The preoccupation with irregular migration in turn has spawned increased attention to, and policy prioritization of, the removal of irregular migrants. This chapter describes the removal processes that are in place in the United States and the European Union, including the use of readmission agreements in the latter. The chapter then seeks to place removal in context by exploring the broader range of policy responses adopted or proposed in the United States and, in some instances, in the European Union.
Fate and removal of Cryptosporidium in a dissolved air flotation water plant with and without recycle of waste filter backwash water

Pilot plant research focused on the removal of Cryptosporidium oocysts by dissolved air flotation (DAF) clarification and by dual media filtration and on the impacts of the recycle of waste filter backwash water containing oocysts. No impacts from recycle of filter backwash (10% rate) were found for turbidity, particle counts (2-15 μm), and UV 254 on DAF and filtration performance. DAF achieved Cryptosporidium log removals of 1.6 to 2.2 without or with recycle of filter backwash. No impacts of recycle were found on filtration, and cumulative (DAF plus filtration) log oocyst removals exceeded 4 log. Model predictions show that the fate of Cryptosporidium and the buildup of oocysts in the plant influent depend on: DAF performance, the percent of filtered water production used for backwashing, and the percent of filter backwash recycle flow. A DAF plant using 2.5% of filtered water production for backwashing and achieving 1.6 log removal or greater of oocysts by DAF clarification will not have a build-up of oocysts in the plant influent regardless of the recycle rate.
The Role of Beliefs and Attitudes in Learning Statistics: Towards an Assessment Framework

While many teachers of statistics are likely to focus on transmitting knowledge, many students are likely to have trouble with statistics due to non-cognitive factors, such as negative attitudes or beliefs towards statistics. Such factors can impede learning of statistics, or hinder the extent to which students will develop useful statistical intuitions and apply what they have learned outside the classroom. This paper reviews the role of affect and attitudes in the learning of statistics, critiques current instruments for assessing attitudes and beliefs of students, and explores assessment methods teachers can use to gauge students' dispositions regarding statistics.
Alteration of Electromagnetic Scattering Using Hard and Soft Anisotropic Impedance Surfaces

The scattering from a rectangular metal sheet is altered by patterning the surface with hard and soft anisotropic impedance surfaces. A plane wave incident normally to an edge of a metal rectangle will have maximum backward scattering in the direction of the source for both transverse magnetic (TM) and transverse electric (TE) polarizations. This scattering lobe is manipulated by patterning the metal sheet in two sections. A hard surface is applied to the incident region which reflects neither TM nor TE waves from the front edge. Similarly, a soft surface prevents reflections of both polarizations from the back edge. The surfaces are patterned with an angled boundary, so that surface waves and incident radiation are scattered at an angle instead of backward. Unit cells are designed and analyzed for both regions for operation centered at 15 GHz. A surface is fabricated and measured, and the scattering alteration effect is achieved over a large bandwidth for each polarization. Curved and zigzag geometries are also discussed.
Wiretap channel II with a noisy main channel

In this paper, a wiretap channel where the transmitter and receiver communicate through a discrete memoryless channel, and the eavesdropper (Eve) has perfect access to a fixed fraction of transmitted symbols (of its choosing) is considered. An outer bound for the rate-equivocation region of the channel, for all such fractions, is derived. An achievable scheme, which provides an inner bound for the rate-equivocation region, is proposed. The achievability is established by defining a class of good codebooks for which there exists a good partition that achieves the required level of equivocation no matter what subset of symbols Eve chooses. It is shown that, for a uniform input distribution, the probability of this class of good codes approaches 1 as the block length increases. This generalizes the wiretap II model to one with a noisy main channel.
Impact of chemotherapy dose intensity on cancer patient outcomes

Chemotherapy dose intensity represents unit dose of chemotherapy administered per unit time. Dose intensity can be increased or decreased through altering dose administered, time interval of administration, or both. Evidence supporting the importance of delivered chemotherapy dose intensity on clinical outcomes in patients with potentially curable malignancies comes from in vitro studies of cancer cell lines and abundant in vivo preclinical studies, in addition to retrospective and prospective clinical trials in both advanced and early-stage disease settings. Myelosuppression continues to represent the major dose-limiting toxicity of cancer chemotherapy, resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality along with frequent reductions in chemotherapy dose intensity, which may compromise disease control and survival. Several retrospective and prospective randomized trials have shown that reductions in the chemotherapy dose intensity established in efficacy studies may compromise long-term disease control and survival. Despite compelling data, surveys in the United States and elsewhere have reported that dose reductions and delays frequently occur in clinical practice, even in the potentially curative setting. Alternatively, an increase in dose intensity above standard may be achieved through either increasing the dose of individual agents (dose escalation) or compressing or shortening the treatment interval (dose-dense). In early studies, dose-dense schedules showed an increase in survival, whereas the benefit of dose escalation studies has been less consistent and may be accompanied by other dose-limiting toxicities. This article focuses on the rationale for delivering full chemotherapy dose intensity, the apparent reasons for failing to deliver treatment, and available strategies for sustaining full chemotherapy dose intensity when indicated. The delivery of full chemotherapy dose intensity in patients with potentially curable malignancies should be considered a quality of care indicator in clinical oncology.
Yenta: a multi-agent, referral-based matchmaking system

Many important and useful applications for software agents require multiple agents on a network that communicate with each other. Such agents must find each other and perform a useful joint computation without having to know about every other such agent on the network. As an example, this extended abstract describes a matchmaker system, called Yenta, designed to find people with similar interests and introduce them to each other. The matchmaker is designed to introduce everyone, unlike conventional Internet media which only allow those who take the time to speak in public to be known.
Photoelectron Spectroscopic Investigation of Nitrogen-Doped Titania Nanoparticles

A series of titania (TiO2)-based nanometer-sized photocatalysts, including nitrogen-doped TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs), are investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Conclusive evidence is obtained for O−Ti−N bond formation during the doping process. Therefore, this substitutional doping is held accountable for the significant increase in photocatalytic activity in nitrogen-doped TiO2 NPs.
Modeling Ca2+ Induced Ca2+ Release Between Neighboring Ryanodine Receptors

In the heart, Ca2+ is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) through ryanodine receptors (RyR). A small Ca2+ trigger activates a RyR, which then mediates a larger Ca2+ flux sufficient to activate neighboring RyRs. The inherent positive feedback of Ca2+ induced Ca2+ release (CICR) should cause Ca2+ release to continue until the SR is empty. This phenomenon does not occur in cells. In order to understand why, we have developed a simple physical model to describe CICR using simulations of discrete RyR channels on a two dimensional grid. RyR open probability (Po) is defined through a traditional two-site Hill function comprised of one cytosolic Ca2+ activation and one cytosolic Ca2+ inactivation sites per subunit. The diffusion equation for a steady state point source of Ca2+ current defines the Ca2+ concentration everywhere in the system. Single channel experimental Ca2+ dissociation constant values were used. Our Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations quantitatively reproduce Po's measured as a function of cytosolic Ca2+ for both single RyR as well as a two-RyR channel system reconstituted in bilayers. Our simulations suggest a mechanism for CICR termination requiring only a reduction in unitary Ca2+ current. Small changes in Ca2+ current produce large and sudden changes in overall activity in RyR arrays. Our simulations show reducing current may terminate release well before depletion of the SR at Ca2+ loads consistent with experiment. This current-termination occurs independently from any form of luminal regulation or coupled gating. Thus, we propose CICR termination may be due to a drop in single channel Ca2+ current as local intra-SR Ca2+ levels fall during release.
The Effect of Microaerosolized Hydrogen Peroxide on Bacterial and Viral Poultry Pathogens

The effect of microaerosolized H2O2 on bacterial and viral poultry pathogens was investigated. Bacterial cultures and viruses were dried on sterile glass Petri dishes and subjected to direct and indirect 5% (H2O2) microaerosol mist. In the trials using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, there was complete inactivation following exposure to H2O2. Using Salmonella typhimurium, indirect exposure resulted in only partial inactivation whereas direct exposure to H2O2 gave complete inactivation. For the viruses studied, 5% H2O2 microaerosol mist completely inactivated infectious laryngotracheitis virus. Newcastle disease virus, infectious bronchitis virus, and avian influenza virus showed reduced infectivity but were not completely inactivated. Avian reovirus susceptibility varied with the method of exposure and infectious bursal disease virus was highly resistant. The use of 10% H2O2 mist, however, resulted in total inactivation of infectious bursal disease virus. The effect of 10% H2O2 on equipment and selected materials representative of a hatcher or poultry house was investigated. A solar cell calculator, a thermostat containing a microswitch, and samples of uncoated steel, galvanized steel, and uncoated aluminum were subjected to 10 fumigation cycles. No damage was detected in the calculator and the thermostat. Both the uncoated steel and the galvanized steel showed signs of oxidation. The aluminum did not show signs of oxidation.
Controlled myocardial injury produced by a hypothermal method.

Following a review of experimental methods used for the production of necrosis or inactivation of the myocardium, a new method employing low temperatures is described. Lesions, with complete necrosis of muscle cells, can be controlled as to size and can be selectively placed to involve any of the four cardiac chambers and the interventricular septum. This facilitates attempts to study chronic myocardial insufficiency in terms of quantity and location of damaged muscle. Also, it has been possible to produce disturbances in conduction by production of small interventricular septal lesions. Refined electrocardiographic analysis of the magnitude and location of ventricular lesions has not been possible.
Olegoru: A Soundscape Composition Tool to Enhance Imaginative Storytelling with Tangible Objects

Learning storytelling is beneficial for children's development. Various tools have been proposed to expand the set of materials children can use to compose their stories. However, most previous research focuses on enhancing the visual aspect of storytelling and underexplores the acoustic elements needed for children's stories. In this paper, Olegoru1, a sound composition tool in the form of magic gloves and soul stones, is proposed to augment children's storytelling when using physical objects. Children can create contextual and regional sound effects as well as event-based acoustics through speech, non-verbal and gestural interaction, and could potentially enable children to create more immersive story-worlds. To investigate the technical feasibility of such tool, a preliminary prototype was built that accepts a limited number of vocalized sound effects and vocabulary.
Applicability of reconfigurable computers in satellite telemetry data processing

ABSTRACT The advent of reconfigurable computers (RCs) containing field-programmable gate-array (FPGA) ICs presents a potentialsolution to the problem of processing telemetry data at the high rates required to support the latest remote-sensing satellites.For example, one satellite scheduled for launch in 1999 by NASA's Earth Science Enterprise (ESE) project will generate asmuch Earth-science telemetry in six months as has been collected in NASA's entire 40-year history. NASA is developingsoftware for large, expensive, conventional parallel-processing computer systems in an attempt to meet the expected processing requirements, but whether or not the resulting performance will be adequate remains unknown. For computationally-intensive, repetitive applications like this, RC technology can provide the critical performance edge. The Adaptive Scientific Data Processing (ASDP) project at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) has been investigating RC applications in scientific processing systems. ASDP has developed prototype RC solutions which haveachieved processing speeds an order of magnitude faster than a conventional high-end computer workstation alone. Thispaper presents an overview of remote-sensing satellite telemetry, outlines a particular telemetry processing challenge,describes ASDP's application ofRC, discusses the results, and analyzes the current and future state ofthe art.Keywords: reconfigurable, adaptive, computing, computer, FPGA, NASA, GSFC, ESE, EOS, MODIS, Earth science,remote-sensing, telemetry, processing, acceleration, performance, compute, computation, bound, bottleneck
Present status of the pull‐through sphincter‐preserving procedure

The pull-through operation, which is performed for, rectal carcinoma situated between 7 and 12 cm from the anal verge, is a sound surgical procedure and its radicality is in no way compromised by preservation of the anal sphincters. The mortality, survival, and recurrence rates compare favorably with those of abdominoperineal excision (the Miles operation). In some respects, the pull-through operation is superior to the Miles operation. The perineal wound heals in a shorter time and the patient is able to return to work sooner. Aside from the physiologic advantage of having the transplanted colon in the anal canal, continence for practical purposes is retained.