cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Observation-based design methods for gestural user interfaces

The design of gestural user interfaces is uniquely challenging because the input is freeform, personal, and often carries subconscious meanings that are domain-specific and difficult to articulate. These features suggest an approach of observation-based design: learning from what people do, rather than relying on what they say. To facilitate observation-based design, this dissertation is exploring two design methods: gesture brainstorming, a Wizard of Oz method for early prototyping of new interfaces, and gesture log analysis, a machine learning-based log analysis method for improving existing interfaces. These design methods will be tested by applying them to two gestural interfaces: a 3D pathway selection interface (CINCH, see Figure 1), and a 3D modeler (Google SketchUp). Experience with CINCH already suggests the utility of observation-based design, while work on Google SketchUp is anticipated to begin this summer. These test cases should inform observation-based design for gestural user interfaces in general.
Absence of diurnal variation in serum progesterone concentrations in mares

Abstract Blood samples were taken at 0800 and 2000 hours each day from 6 horse mares for the duration of one estrous cycle, and from 6 mares for the first 35 days of pregnancy. Progesterone concentration was determined by radioimmunoassay. Data were subjected to repeated measures analyses of variance to compare pregnant vs nonpregnant animals and day and time of day. In addition, within group analyses were performed on data from Days 1 to 18 post ovulation in nonpregnant mares and from Day 1 to 35 post ovulation in pregnant mares. There was no significant effect of time (P=0.1383), and no interaction of time by group (P=0.3225), time by day (P=0.2524), or time by day by group (P=0.5354). Since morning and evening progesterone concentrations did not differ on any day within either group, an average daily progesterone concentration was calculated for each horse on each day. Comparison of daily mean progesterone concentrations (pregnant vs nonpregnant) revealed that pregnant mares did not have higher progesterone concentrations than nonpregnant mares until Days 16, 17 and 18 post ovulation (P There do not appear to be regular diurnal variations in serum progesterone concentrations in the horse mare, although substantial random variation in circulating progesterone can occur throughout the day.
Reinforcement-Based Treatment for Substance Use Disorders

Tuten, L. M., Jones, H. E., Schaeffer, C. M. & Stitzer, M. L. (2011). Reinforcement-based treatment for substance use disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association (293 pp., $69.95,...
Effects of Fluid Density on a Poly(dimethylsiloxane)-Based Junction in Pure and Methanol-Modified Carbon Dioxide

We report on the behavior of a three-armed, poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based junction that is site-selectively labeled with a single fluorescent dansyl reporter group (dansyl junction, DJ) in (i) pure CO2 at 308 K as a function of CO2 density and (ii) a binary mixture of CO2 and 3 mol % methanol at 313 K as a function of mixture density. The DJ results are compared to those of dansylpropylsulfonamide (DPSA)a dansyl reporter molecule without any PDMS segments. In pure CO2 at low fluid densities, the local microenvironment sensed by the dansyl residue in DJ appears to be rich in PDMS, indicating that the solvent quality is poor and the PDMS segments interact strongly with the dansyl residue. Increasing the CO2 density increases the solvent quality, and PDMS segments become better solvated by the CO2. At the highest CO2 densities studied, the solvent quality begins to decrease again, resulting in a local increase in the PDMS composition around the average dansyl residue. Results from steady-state anisotro...
Knowledge-based approach to structural integrity verification in requirements analysis and logical system specification

Constructing an accurate representation of an information system that meets user requirements and translating these requirements into appropriate logical system specifications are two time-consuming tasks in the systems development life cycle. Though many structured methodologies are effective in enhancing communication between analysts and users, they provide limited support in representing an information system accurately. Furthermore, translating a user requirement, expressed as a function of this representation, into its logical equivalent is still a tedious task that is often performed manually by an analyst. This paper describes a knowledge-based approach to the representation of an information system as a Petri net. The characteristics of the network are then used to verify the system's structural integrity during the requirements analysis and system specification phases. The knowledge-based approach described is implemented in the logic programming language PROLOG.
Spin dynamics and spin-polarized EELS spectra of model itinerant-electron magnetic films.

The spin excitations of model itinerant-electron ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic ultrathin films are studied theoretically. The discussion is based on the one-band Hubbard model, treated in mean-field theory. A description of the spin excitations is generated by means of the random-phase approximation. We find both the low-lying collective modes (spin waves) and the spectrum of Stoner excitations. We also compute the spin-polarized electron-energy-loss scattering (SPEELS) spectra for our model films. The applications of SPEELS to the study of magnetic excitations at surfaces is discussed.
Differential Regulation of Cell Type-specific Apoptosis by Stromelysin-3 A POTENTIAL MECHANISM VIA THE CLEAVAGE OF THE LAMININ RECEPTOR DURING TAIL RESORPTION IN XENOPUS LAEVIS

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been extensively studied because of their functional attributes in development and diseases. However, relatively few in vivo functional studies have been reported on the roles of MMPs in postembryonic organ development. Amphibian metamorphosis is a unique model for studying MMP function during vertebrate development because of its dependence on thyroid hormone (T3) and the ability to easily manipulate this process with exogenous T3. The MMP stromelysin-3 (ST3) is induced by T3, and its expression correlates with cell death during metamorphosis. We have previously shown that ST3 is both necessary and sufficient for larval epithelial cell death in the remodeling intestine. To investigate the roles of ST3 in other organs and especially on different cell types, we have analyzed the effect of transgenic overexpression of ST3 in the tail of premetamorphic tadpoles. We report for the first time that ST3 expression, in the absence of T3, caused significant muscle cell death in the tail of premetamorphic transgenic tadpoles. On the other hand, only relatively low levels of epidermal cell death were induced by precocious ST3 expression in the tail, contrasting what takes place during natural and T3-induced metamorphosis when ST3 expression is high. This cell type-specific apoptotic response to ST3 in the tail suggests distinct mechanisms regulating cell death in different tissues. Furthermore, our analyses of laminin receptor, an in vivo substrate of ST3 in the intestine, suggest that laminin receptor cleavage may be an underlying mechanism for the cell type-specific effects of ST3.
Performance analysis and optimization of VLSI dataflow arrays

Abstract Motivated primarily by their potential for VLSI implementation, wavefront arrays have recently attracted significant research interest. Relative to their systolic counterparts, the asynchronous, data-driven nature of wavefront arrays eliminates the need for global synchronization and control. However, performance analysis for wavefront arrays is more complex. In this paper we introduce a datallow graph model for the timing analysis of general (cyclic or acyclic), decision-free asynchronous architectures. We then show how the results of this analysis can be used to synthesize optimal (in terms of speed and storage) special-purpose hardware implementations of both general datallow arrays and regular wavefront arrays.
Blast Loading on Sandwich Structures: A Critical Assessment

Sandwich structures are used in many applications in which they are subjected to blast loading due in-air or underwater explosions. In an early phase, the response is dominated by the propagation of waves through the thickness of the sandwich structure which can result in severe damage to the core and debonding. At a later stage, the response if dominated by the overall bending of the structure. A thorough analysis shows that existing plates and shell theories cannot predict the early phase response and that a separate analysis in needed. The behavior of sandwich structures under blast loading depends on the type of core used and the properties of these cores. Constitutive equations and failure criteria will be discussed. We compare the mechanical properties of several types of core: foam, honeycomb, lattice, and corrugated cores. Models with various levels of complexity are developed and to determine the different types of behavior observed during blast loading of sandwich structures. The study of submerged structures subjected to underwater blasts is of particular interest in this study and both evacuated and fluid-filled structures are considered. The complex interaction of the shock wave with a cylindrical or spherical shell is analyzed using a ray tracing approach that accurately predicts the many wavefronts observed during experiments.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Eumops underwoodi sonoriensis in Arizona

On May 5, 1954, William J. Schaldach, Jr., shot a mastiff bat at 7:25 pm over a pond two miles east of Sasabe, Pima County, Arizona. This specimen (59092 KU), identified as Eumops underwoodi sonoriensis Benson, is, to my knowledge, the first record ot …
Preventive diplomacy, international relations, conflict resolution and international water law: implications for success and failure of the Israeli-Palestinian water conflict

After the cold war, environmental conflicts have become a predominant issue for analysis as a function of state security, negotiation, conflict resolution and preventive diplomacy. Conflicts over water are perhaps one of the most dominant issues in the environment-security dialectic. Specifically, water conflicts in the Middle East are of very serious concern given the aridity of the region, population growth, its relative low development, and the historical protracted conflict that has plagued the region. While the paper discusses issues relevant for global water conflicts, it focuses on the Israeli-Palestinian water conflict (given its centrality to the regional conflict). It considers the historical claims, international legal claims and negotiating positions of the parties. It also makes references to the water negotiations that took place during the 2000 Camp David talks. The paper then shows how environmental preventive diplomacy may be applied to the water conflict in the Middle East by referring to several related guidelines including theories of international relations, conflict resolution and international law and demonstrates their relevance to preventive diplomacy and the Israeli-Palestinian water conflict.
Towards a computational neuroscience of autism-psychosis spectrum disorders

Crespi & Badcock (C&B) hypothesize that psychosis and autism represent opposite poles of human social cognition. I briefly outline how computational models of cognitive brain function may be used as a resource to further develop and experimentally test hypotheses concerning “autism-psychosis spectrum disorders.”1
Contemporary Management of Acoustic Neuromas

Objectives/Hypothesis: This review of the literature on vestibular schwannomas focuses on the developments in the fields of surgery, radiosurgery, and observation during the past decade that have redefined the treatment algorithm. The authors hope to derive some recommendations that are evidence based and applicable to everyday clinical practice while advancing the dialogue regarding the optimal management of these lesions. Study Design: Contemporary review. Methods: English literature search for acoustic neuroma or vestibular schwannoma. Results: Radiosurgical treatment appears to maintain strong tumor control during an ever-increasing number of years of follow-up. Fractionated radiation therapy, with attention to limiting the cochlear radiation dose, seems to afford the best hearing-nerve functional outcomes. Microsurgical treatment remains the best cytoreductive therapy, and although it cannot achieve the facial and hearing nerve outcomes of radiosurgery, it is still the preferred treatment for large lesions causing mass effect and obstructive hydrocephalus. Bevacizumab holds substantial promise for the treatment of neurofibromatosis type 2–associated progressive lesions. Conclusions: Our review of the literature suggests that near-total or extensive subtotal resection of vestibular schwannomas may confer much improved functional outcomes without significant detriment to acceptable rates of tumor control. However, further follow-up is needed in patients treated with this relatively novel surgical paradigm.
Sociotechnical Transitions and Urban Planning A Case Study of Eco-Cohousing in Tompkins County, New York

The sociotechnical transitions framework describes how novel practice emerges from marginal “niche” contexts to the mainstream. Scholars of various fields have used sociotechnical transitions to explain processes of structural change for sustainability, yet little research examines the role of local plans or planners in transition processes. The author offers an in-depth case study following the evolution of an eco-cohousing model from its grassroots origins to its current application in the housing market of Ithaca, New York. Planners used existing planning documents to translate innovative practices to the public, defying assumptions of the rational-linear model still common in planning scholarship.
Statistical Prediction of Drug Stability Based on Nonlinear Parameter Estimation

The classical approach in Arrhenius prediction of drug stability uses two sequential steps of linear regression involving (a) a function of drug content versus time to obtain the rate constants (k) at several elevated temperatures and (b) the relationship of logarithm of mean k versus reciprocal temperature to predict the room temperature rate constant and hence the shelf-life of the drug. Uncertainties in drug content determinations are often neglected in the second regression. The classical approach also provides a wide and unsymmetrical 95% confidence interval for the predicted shelf-life. We have developed equations which allow for direct statistical prediction of shelf-life using observed values of drug content, time, and temperature. Nonlinear regression analysis was employed to provide parameter estimates of drug shelf-life and the energy of activation. The developed approach was shown to provide good estimates of shelf-life with meaningful statistics of reactions over a wide range of stability and energetics, with various kinetic orders, with different levels of noise in the data, and with different types of data structure. Comparison between the nonlinear approach and the classical approach showed that the nonlinear approach provided better mean estimates of shelf-life with much smaller and more symmetrical 95% confidence intervals than the classical approach. The method appears sufficiently robust and wide-ranging as to be potentially applicable for the prediction of the drug stability of pharmaceutical products.
Women and games: technologies of the gendered self:

This study examines how individual differences in the consumption of computer games intersect with gender and how games and gender mutually constitute each other. The study focused on adult women with particular attention to differences in level of play, as well as genre preferences. Three levels of game consumption were identified. For power gamers, technology and gender are most highly integrated. These women enjoy multiple pleasures from the gaming experience, including mastery of game-based skills and competition. Moderate gamers play games in order to cope with their real lives. These women reported taking pleasure in controlling the gaming environment, or alternately that games provide a needed distraction from the pressures of their daily lives. Finally, the non-gamers who participated in the study expressed strong criticisms about game-playing and gaming culture. For these women, games are a waste of time, a limited commodity better spent on other activities.
Dual Depth Passenger Air Bag

A dual depth passenger air bag technology has been developed which provides two different deployed cushion shapes coupled with two inflation levels, but only uses two initiators, one for a single level inflator and one for a dual depth mechanism. The developed dual depth air bag module design utilizes a seat position switch to help determine deployed output. The module deploys a shallow cushion depth for occupants in the forward portion of seat track travel and a deep cushion depth for occupants in the rearward portion of seat track travel. The mechanism controls the release of an air bag cushion tether and also enables the inflator to vent a portion of gas through the module housing. This paper summarizes the development effort including initial sled and out-of-position testing. The final design was found to be a useful tool when balancing in-position restraint performance between otherwise competing in-position test conditions. The dual depth air bag technology was also noted to have the same challenges as conventional single depth dual level inflator technology with balancing regulated in-position high restraint capacity compliance test conditions with out-of-position performance.
The nature of sites of general anaesthetic action

The molecular nature of the site of general anaesthesia has long been sought through the process of comparing the in vivo potencies of general anaesthetics with their physical properties, particularly their ability to dissolve in solvents of various polarities. This approach has led to the conclusion that the site of general anaesthesia is largely apolar but contains a strong polar component. However, there is growing evidence that several physiological targets underlie general anaesthesia, and that different agents may act selectively on subsets of these targets. Consequently research now focuses on the details of general-anaesthetic-protein interactions. There are large amounts of structural data that identify cavities where anaesthetics bind on soluble proteins that are readily crystallizable. These proteins serve as models, having no role in anaesthesia. Two problems make studies of the more likely targets--excitable membrane proteins--difficult. One is that they rarely crystallize and the other is that the sites have their highest affinity for general anaesthetics when the channels are in the open state. Such states rarely exist for more than tens of milliseconds. Crystallographers are making progress with the first problem, whilst anaesthesia researchers have developed a number of strategies for addressing the second. Some of these (kinetic analysis, site-directed mutagenesis) provide indirect evidence for sites and their nature, whilst others seek direct identification of sites by employing newly developed general anaesthetics that are photoaffinity labels. Such studies on acetylcholine, glycine and GABA receptors point to the existence of sites located within the plane of the membrane either within the ion channel lumen (acetylcholine receptor), or on the outer side of the alpha-helix lining that lumen (GABAA and glycine receptors). Bound anaesthetics generally exert their actions on ion channels by binding to allosteric sites whose topology varies from one conformation to another, but definitive proof for this mechanism remains elusive.
Combined plant and controller design using decomposition-based design optimization and the minimum principle

An often cited motivation for using decomposition-based optimization methods to solve engineering system design problems is the ability to apply discipline-specific optimization techniques. For example, structural optimization methods have been employed within a more general system design optimization framework. We propose an extension of this principle to a new domain: control design. The simultaneous design of a physical system and its controller is addressed here using a decomposition-based approach. An optimization subproblem is defined for both the physical system (i.e., plant) design and the control system design. The plant subproblem is solved using a general optimization algorithm, while the controls subproblem is solved using a new approach based on optimal control theory. The optimal control solution, which is derived using the the Minimum Principle of Pontryagin (PMP), accounts for coupling between plant and controller design by managing additional variables and penalty terms required for system coordination. Augmented Lagrangian Coordination is used to solve the system design problem, and is demonstrated using a circuit design problem.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Myocardial infarction and remodeling in mice: effect of reperfusion

Anatomic and functional changes after either a permanent left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion (PO) or 2 h of occlusion followed by reperfusion (OR) in C57BL/6 mice were examined and c...
EFFECTS OF SOME HYPNOTIC DRUGS ON RESPIRATION AND OXIDATIVE PHOSPHORYLATION IN RAT BRAIN.

Pentobarbital and glutethimide inhibited respiration of rat brain homogenates in the presence of glucose, pyruvate, malate, or glutamate. These effects were not evoked by ethinamate or methyprylon. None of the drugs produced effects on malic dehydrogenase activity, but both pentobarbital and glutethimide inhibited the oxidation of reduced diphosphopyridine nucleotide. Of the four drugs studied only pentobarbital produced significant effects on oxidative phosphorylation by mitochondria.
Why continuum damage is nonlocal: Justification by quasiperiodic microcrack array

Strain-softening damage due to distributed cracking is modeled by an elastic continuum with a quasiperiodic array of cracks of regular spacing but varying sizes. As a model for the initial stage, the cracks are penny-shaped and small compared to their spacing, and as a model for the terminal stage the uncracked ligaments between the cracks are circular and small compared to their spacing. The strain due to cracks and the compliance per crack are calculated. The cracked material is homogenized in such a manner that the macroscopic continuum strains satisfy exactly the condition of compatibility with the actual strains due to cracks, and the macroscopic continuum stress satisfies exactly the condition of work equivalence with the actual stresses in the cracked material. The results show that, contrary to the existing theories, the damage variable used in continuum damage mechanics should be nonlocal, while the elastic part of the response should be local. In particular, the nonlocal continuum damage should be considered as a function of the spatial average of the cracking strain rather than its local value. The size of the averaging region is determined by the crack spacing.
Alcohol dependence with comorbid drug dependence: genetic and phenotypic associations suggest a more severe form of the disorder with stronger genetic contribution to risk*

Background Twin data suggest that alcohol dependence comorbid with illicit drug dependence represents a more heritable form of the disorder. In the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism sample, approximately half the alcohol-dependent individuals also meet diagnostic criteria for illicit drug dependence. In this study, we tested for heterogeneity in the association between the muscarinic acetylcholine M2 receptor gene (CHRM2) and alcohol depen- dence,reportedpreviouslyinthefullsample,amongthesubgroupsof alcohol-dependentindividualswithandwithout comorbid drug dependence. Methods Family-based association tests were conducted separately (a) in individuals with alcohol dependence with comorbid drug dependence (n = 477) and (b) in individuals with alcohol dependence without comorbid drug dependence (n = 433). These subgroups were subsequently compared on other phenotypic characteristics. Results The evidence for association between CHRM2 and alcohol dependence came entirely from the subgroup of individuals with comorbid drug dependence. There was no evidence of association with CHRM2 among the alcohol-dependent individuals without drug dependence. Subsequent phenotypic analyses suggest that the subgroup of alcohol-dependent individuals with comorbid drug dependence differ on a number of other phenotypic characteristics, including several measures of the severity of their alcohol problems, personality traits and comorbid psychiatric disorders. Conclusions These analyses provide specific genetic evidence suggesting that alcohol depen- dence with comorbid drug dependence represents a particularly severe form of the disorder, with higher genetic contribution to vulnerability.
Cladistic Asset Pricing

In most contexts in which agents possess long-lived private information about a firm's value, they will also have repeated access to new information over time. We develop a method for analyzing informed trade in such environments. We exploit the stationary structure of the economy to map informed agents' optimization problems in the time domain - maximize discounted expected trading profits - into the frequency domain. We then use control-theoretic arguments to solve for equilibrium trading strategies, pricing, profits and the information content of prices. We derive explicit characterizations of equilibrium outcomes - trading strategies, pricing, profits and information transmission - when informed agents see distinct AR(1) innovations to the asset value each period. We characterize analytically how equilibrium outcomes are affected by the amounts of private information or noise trade. Finally, we provide a practical method to approximate equilibrium trading strategies. We prove that the approximation converges to the true equilibrium, and then use it to characterize the equilibrium quantitatively to derive the impact of persistence in firm value and the degree of competition among informed agents on equilibrium outcomes.
Spillover between marital quality and parent–child relationship quality: Parental depressive symptoms as moderators.

Using a daily diary method, this study examined concurrent and time-lagged relations between marital and parent-child relationship qualities, providing a test of the spillover and compensatory hypotheses. In addition, this study tested both mothers' and fathers' depressive symptoms as moderators of these daily linkages. Participants were 203 families, in which mothers and fathers completed daily diaries for 15 days. At the end of each reporting day, parents independently rated the emotional quality of their relationship with their spouse and with their child that day. Controlling for global levels of marital satisfaction, marital conflict, and parenting, a positive association was found between mothers' and fathers' daily ratings of marital quality and their ratings of parent-child relationship quality, supporting the spillover hypothesis. When considering time-lagged relations, support was found for the compensatory hypothesis for mothers: lower levels of marital quality were related to increases in mother-child relationship quality from one day to the next. Furthermore, both maternal and paternal depressive symptoms moderated the link between marital quality and the other parent's relationship quality with their child. Whereas maternal depressive symptoms strengthened spillover relations for fathers on the next day, paternal depression was related to less spillover for mothers on the same day. Alternative models did not find evidence for parent-child relationship quality as a predictor of changes in marital quality on the next day. The findings underscore the importance of the quality of the marital relationship for predicting the quality of other family relationships.
The others and their stories: Byzantines, Franks, Lombards and Saracens in ninth-century neapolitan narrative texts

The ninth century was a fundamental period for the history of Naples. Newly untethered from Constantinople and trying to forge a stable state, the Campanian city faced a complex political landscape in Southern Italy. The Frankish conquest of the Lombard kingdom and the weakening of the Byzantine Empire, which allowed the Saracens to seize Sicily, reshaped the South into a region dominated by several competing protagonists. Naples resisted conquest at the hands of the neighbouring Lombards of Benevento while simultaneously maintaining peaceful relationships with the two empires and the Saracens. The goal of this article is to examine how Neapolitan authors portrayed Byzantines, Franks, Lombards and Saracens, and what they knew about them. In particular, it will focus on the Gesta Episcoporum Neapolitanorum (Deeds of the Neapolitan Bishops) by John the Deacon—the main Neapolitan source for that epoch.
Rapid Hygienic Evaluation after Earthquake Disaster

Objective To understand the most important public health situation and demand on the first stage after earthquake disaster in the Earthquake-stricken area. Method Face-to-Face interview and field investigation methods were used to collect information for the local situation, history of communicable diseases, public health resource, settlement of the victims, water hygiene, food hygiene, environment sanitation, disease surveillance, disinfection, handling of the dead bodies, and demands. Result After earthquake, in the earthquake-stricken area, the ecological environment and health system were distorted, environment sanitation was deteriorated, drinking water systems disrupted completely, lots of refugees camped in open areas and had no adequate toilet facilities, sentinel disease surveillance system is not established, food safety are scare and there are many unsafe factors in the process of preparing food. There is also no professional staff to provide the public health service. Conclusion In the emergency phase after earthquake, the most important public health intervention measures are to strengthen the monitoring and control of vectors, find clean water sources and disinfect drinking water, build symptoms surveillance system, and monitor food hygiene.
Flow cytometric analysis of primary and metastatic bladder cancer.

AbstractA total of 22 patients with high grade P2-4N+ transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder underwent flow cytometric analysis of nuclei obtained from paraffin embedded specimens from the primary (bladder) and metastatic (lymph node) sites. Tumor heterogeneity was defined as polyclonal aneuploidy of the primary tumor (not identified in the population studied) or as a difference in the deoxyribonucleic acid index of the primary and metastatic sites of 0.20 or more (8 patients). With these criteria 8 patients (36%) had heterogeneous tumors and 14 (64%) had homogeneous tumors. The median survival of 14 patients with aneuploid and 8 with diploid primary tumors was 17.5 and 8.0 months, respectively (p equals 0.08, Lee-Desu test). When patient survival was compared to the ploidy of the metastatic site, or in patients with diploid primary and metastatic lesions versus deoxyribonucleic acid aneuploidy at either the primary and/or metastatic site, the aneuploid tumors had a longer survival but this difference...
Potentiating effect of eszopiclone on GABA(A) receptor-mediated responses in pedunculopontine neurons.

The pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is part of the cholinergic arm of the reticular activating system, which is mostly active during waking and REM sleep. GABAergic modulation of this area appears to regulate sleep-wake cycles. Eszopiclone (ESZ), a nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic agent, appears to modulate GABAergic receptors. However, the action site of ESZ in the brain is still unresolved. We tested the hypothesis that ESZ acts by potentiating GABAA receptors on PPN neurons. Whole-cell voltage clamp recordings were performed on PPN neurons in 7-15 day rat brainstem slices, and the potentiating effects of ESZ on the responses to the GABAA receptor agonist isoguvacine (IGV), and on GABAA receptor-mediated inhibitory post-synaptic currents (IPSCs), were determined. In the presence of tetrodotoxin, ESZ (1) increased the amplitude of the outward current induced by IGV, (2) increased its duration, and (3) enhanced the IGV-induced decrease in input resistance (Rin). The GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine (GBZ) blocked these effects. ESZ alone did not induce detectable currents or change Rin at a holding potential of −60 mV, but when held at 0 mV, ESZ induced an outward current in 13/21 PPN cells, an effect blocked by GBZ. ESZ also increased the amplitude (n = 18/21), duration (n = 17/21), and frequency (n = 13/15) of IPSCs. ESZ may potentiate GABAA inhibition in the PPN via pre- and post-synaptic modulation, which may underlie the hypnotic effects of ESZ. The differential effects of ESZ on both pre- and post-synaptic sites may partially explain why it has less significant side effects compared to other hypnotic agents. Citation: Ye Y; Garcia E. Potentiating effect of eszopiclone on GABAA receptor-mediated responses in pedunculopontine neurons. SLEEP 2009;32(7):879-887.
Identification of ginkgolide targets in brain by photoaffinity-labeling

Ginkgolides are terpene trilactones in Ginkgo biloba, a popular medicinal herb for memory disorders. Although ginkgolides are known for various neurobiological effects, their macromolecular target in brain is unknown. In this work, we employed benzophenone derivatives of ginkgolides to identify their binding target in brain. Photolabeling of bovine hippocampus homogenates identified a series of α-tubulin isotypes. Selective photolabeling of α-tubulin over β-tubulin, which is equally abundant in brain, suggested that ginkgolides might modulate microtubule biology differently than typical microtubule-binding agents, such as taxol. In fact, ginkgolide A did not affect microtubule polymerization or cell proliferation; instead, it inhibited detyrosination of α-tubulin and reorientation of microtubule-organizing centers. Taken together, the current findings indicate that ginkgolides constitute a new class of microtubule-binding agents with distinct effects on α-tubulin biology.
Purpose in Life

When asked the question “What is the most important principle you live your life by?”, the 94 respondents in the sample provided answers that revealed as much about their identities as it did about their value systems. Statements such as “my values are my life… the rules of the body, the rules of the mind” and “the key to everything else” revealed the potential for a sense of values to be a dominant feature of adult identity.
Managing Creativity: The Innovative Research Library

Research libraries are complex organizations whose cultures and organizational constraints appear to be remarkably adept at sustaining the status quo. Yet how do they create and nurture new ways of...
Gaussian kernel based anatomically-aided diffuse optical tomography reconstruction

Image reconstruction in diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is challenging because its inverse problem is nonlinear, ill-posed and ill-conditioned. Anatomical guidance from high spatial resolution imaging modalities can substantially improve the quality of reconstructed DOT images. In this paper, inspired by the kernel methods in machine learning, we propose the kernel method to introduce anatomical information into the DOT image reconstruction algorithm. In this kernel method, optical absorption coefficient at each finite element node is represented as a function of a set of features obtained from anatomical images such as computed tomography (CT). The kernel based image model is directly incorporated into the forward model of DOT, which exploits the sparseness of the image in the feature space. Compared with Laplacian approaches to include structural priors, the proposed method does not require the image segmentation of distinct regions. The proposed kernel method is validated with numerical simulations of 3D DOT reconstruction using synthetic CT data. We added 15% Gaussian noise onto both the numerical DOT measurements and the simulated CT image. We have also validated the proposed method by agar phantom experiment with anatomical guidance from a CT scan. We have studied the effects of voxel size and number of nearest neighborhood size in kernel method on the reconstructed DOT images. Our results indicate that the spatial resolution and the accuracy of the reconstructed DOT images have been improved substantially after applying the anatomical guidance with the proposed kernel method.
Risk, agricultural intensification, political administration, and collapse in the classic period gulf lowlands: A view from above

Satellite imagery and a LiDAR-based DEM have enabled the identification of more area of agricultural intensification in the Gulf lowlands than anywhere else in Classic period (∼300–800 CE) ancient Mesoamerica. This research helps to unravel the complex relationships among population density, settlement organization, food production, agricultural management, and level of sociopolitical complexity. The following conclusions are made: 1) Vestiges of agricultural intensification occur primarily in areas with dense concentrations of prehispanic monumental architecture, which represent nodes of political authority; 2) Nevertheless, some regions with evidence of intensification are distant from any monumental architectural complexes, indicating that at least some fields were constructed using family and corporate labor outside direct political oversight; 3) Intensified agricultural field area correlates negatively with the amount of rainfall recorded in historic times along the coast, suggesting that intensifications may have aimed either to reduce risks associated with exclusive use of rainfall (non-irrigation) agriculture or to maximize the annual growth cycle to produce a surplus; 4) Limited dating suggests that use of intensified agriculture ceased around the same time (∼500–800 CE) just before a massive depopulation took place across much of the Gulf lowlands. This pattern implicates environmental and social stresses as part of the multifaceted process of Classic period collapse in the Gulf lowlands.
Simultaneous Utility and Heat Exchanger Area Targeting for Integrated Process Synthesis and Heat Integration

We propose a mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) model for simultaneous utility and heat exchanger area targeting with variable stream conditions. The model represents the composite-curve-based area targeting method by constructing the hot and cold composite curves mathematically. We introduce a “dynamic” enthalpy grid onto which the stream inlet/outlet temperatures and enthalpies are mapped. By calculating the temperatures at each grid point and the stream heat duties at each interval, the utility consumption and heat exchanger areas are simultaneously optimized using an economic criterion. We discuss preprocessing methods tailored to aid the solution of the proposed MINLP model. The model is applied to two illustrative examples as well as an example where it is integrated with a process synthesis model.
Sn whisker growth mitigation by using NiO sublayers

The potential of NiO sublayers for whisker growth mitigation has been examined. A thin NiO film was applied on a Cu-coated substrate before the deposition of a thicker Sn layer. The growth of Sn whiskers was then followed by optical and scanning electron microscopy and was compared with the whisker growth on a control sample without the NiO sublayer. No whiskers were observed on the sample with the NiO layer even after 12 months, whereas the control sample developed whiskers of size and density that is generally expected, based on the vast amount of published work on the topic. The mechanisms of whisker growth and whisker growth suppression are briefly discussed as well.
Case-controlled Analysis of Patient-based Risk Factors for Assault in the Healthcare Workplace

Author(s): Claudius, Ilene; Desai, Shoma; Henderson, Sean | Abstract: Introduction: Violence against healthcare workers in the medical setting is common and associatedwith both physical and psychological adversity. The objective of this study was to identify featuresassociated with assailants to allow early identification of patients at risk for committing an assault inthe healthcare setting.Methods: We used the hospital database for reporting assaults to identify cases from July 2011through June 2013. Medical records were reviewed for the assailant’s (patient’s) past medical andsocial history, primary medical complaints, ED diagnoses, medications prescribed, presence ofan involuntary psychiatric hold, prior assaultive behavior, history of reported illicit drug use, andfrequency of visits to same hospital requesting prescription for pain medications. We selectedmatched controls at random for comparison. The primary outcome measure(s) reported are featuresof patients committing an assault while undergoing medical or psychiatric treatment within themedical center.Results: We identified 92 novel visits associated with an assault. History of an involuntarypsychiatric hold was noted in 52%, history of psychosis in 49%, a history of violence in the ED ona prior visit in 45%, aggression at index visit noted in the ED chart in 64%, an involuntary hold (orconsideration of) for danger to others in 61%, repeat visits for pain medication in 9%, and history ofillicit drug use in 33%. Compared with matched controls, all these factors were significantly different.Conclusion: Patients with obvious risk factors for assault, such as history of assault, psychosis, andinvoluntary psychiatric holds, have a substantially greater chance of committing an assault in thehealthcare setting. These risk factors can easily be identified and greater security attention given tothe patient.
SELF BLOOD GLUCOSE MONITORING UNDERESTIMATES HYPERGLYCEMIA AND HYPOGLYCEMIA AS COMPARED TO CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING IN TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 DIABETES

Objective: When glucose records from self blood glucose monitoring (SBGM) do not reflect estimated average glucose from glycosylated hemoglobin (HgBA1) or when patients' clinical symptoms are not e...
Point to Point and Flow-Based Financial Transmission Rights: Revenue Adequacy and Performance Incentives

The prevalent market mechanism for defining transmission rights in North American restructured electricity markets is through financial instruments that enable energy traders to hedge congestion risk. The underlying quantities for such instruments are either Locational Marginal Prices (LMP) or shadow prices on transmission flowgates which are determined as part of an Optimal Power Flow (OPF) calculation. There are three prevalent forms of financial transmission rights whose settlements are based on the above underlying quantities:
New data on intimate partner violence and intimate relationships: Implications for gun laws and federal data collection.

Abstract Age at first marriage has risen substantially and birth rates are at a record low; people are spending more time in relationships that, by comparison, have fewer emotional, financial, and legal commitments. Little research has examined intimate partner violence (IPV) prevalence in current and former adult (vs. adolescent) dating relationships. Such information is relevant to federal firearms policies that are based on the nature of an intimate relationship. We examined assaultive behaviors by the type and status of the relationship – current spouse, former spouse, current boyfriend or girlfriend, and former boyfriend or girlfriend – in 31,206 IPV incidents responded to by Philadelphia police in 2013. Over 80% of the IPV incidents involved individuals in non-marital relationships. Incidents involving current boyfriends or girlfriends had the highest percentage of violent behaviors (e.g., punch, strangle). They also were more likely than current spouses to use bodily weapons (hands, fists, or feet) or non-gun weapons (knives, bats, etc.) (AOR = 1.19 and 1.43, respectively), to injure their victims (AOR = 1.37), and to be arrested (AOR = 1.46). Former unmarried partners had the highest odds of stalking their intimate (AOR = 3.37) and violating a restraining order (AOR = 2.61). Gun use was similar across relationship type. A growing portion of the population is not protected by federal policies designed to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. Current boyfriends and girlfriends are a risk to their intimates. Federal data collection practices and firearm policies merit updating to more fully take into account dating, same-sex marriage, and other partnerships.
Communitarianism: A Historical Overview

This chapter focuses on the development of communitarianism as a social philosophy and its application to public policy from the 1980s to the present. Communitarianism sees a good society as one that balances several conflicting normative principles, in particular autonomy and the common good. The balance needs to be adjusted as historical conditions change. This need to find a new balance is examined with special attention to the tension between national identities and the EU’s community-building as well as between globalists and nationalists. It suggests that right-wing populism is at least partially attributable to a misunderstanding of communitarian values; that in order to reduce such populism, local communities must be nurtured rather than undermined or denounced. The chapter outlines a liberal communitarian position, that outlines ways globalist and parochial values can combine to achieve a better society.
Duhem’s problem revisited: logical versus epistemic formulations and solutions

When the results of an experiment appears to disconfirm a hypothesis, how does one know whether it’s the hypothesis, or rather some auxiliary hypothesis or assumption, that is at fault? Philosophers’ answers to this question, now known as “Duhem’s problem,” have differed widely. Despite these differences, we affirm Duhem’s original position that the logical structure of this problem alone does not allow a solution. A survey of philosophical approaches to Duhem’s problem indicates that what allows any philosopher, or scientists for that matter, to solve this problem is the addition of epistemic information that guides their assignment of praise and blame after a negative test. We therefore advocate a distinction between the logical and epistemic formulations of Duhem’s problem, the latter relying upon additional relevant information about the system being tested. Recognition of the role of this additional information suggests that some proposed solutions to the epistemic form of Duhem’s problem are preferable over others.