cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Federal fire managers’ perceptions of the importance, scarcity and substitutability of suppression resources

Wildland firefighting in the United States is a complex and costly enterprise. While there are strong seasonal signatures for fire occurrence in specific regions of the United States, spatiotemporal occurrence of wildfire activity can have high inter-annual variability. Suppression resources come from a variety of jurisdictions and provide a wide range of skills, experience and associated mobility and logistical needs. Dispatch centres and regional and national resource allocation centres move suppression resources to respond to demand. However, little is known about the decision-making processes driving the allocation of limited resources at the national scale, particularly during periods of increased resource scarcity. Moreover, an understanding of these systems provides no insight into the impressions from the field regarding the value and relative scarcity of specific resources. We designed and implemented an online survey of United States Forest Service employees who have direct or indirect responsibility for ordering suppression resources, with the main objective of identifying which resources the field perceived to be most important, most scarce and which were without acceptable substitutes. In this research note, we present a preliminary overview of a selection of results of our survey and discuss the next steps for potential future analyses of the dataset.
Long-term survival in 101 metastatic gastroesophageal cancer (mGEAC) patients eventually treated with consolidative local therapy.

197Background: Through a multidisciplinary decision-making process, we developed a strategy of systemic therapy followed by local consolidative therapy (chemoradiation and/or surgery) for selected mGEAC patients. We present results in a large cohort. Methods: From our database, we identified a 101 such patients. We analyzed the association of various clinical variables (location of primary, location of metastases, duration of initial chemotherapy, histologic grade, and radiation dose {≥50.4 Gy vs. <50.4 Gy}) with overall survival (OS). Results: There were 71 patients with proximal primary (esophageal, Siewert types I/II) and 30 patients with distal primary (Siewert type III and gastric). The median OS was 25.7 months (95% CI: 22.3-32.8 months). The OS rates at 2-years and 5-years from diagnosis were 53.8% (95% CI: 44.7%-64.8%) and 20.7% (95% CI: 13.4%-31.9%), respectively. The median OS was highly associated with the location of primary (22.8 months for proximal GEACs vs. 41.5 months for distal GEACs, p=0...
Bayesian data analysis for newcomers

This article explains the foundational concepts of Bayesian data analysis using virtually no mathematical notation. Bayesian ideas already match your intuitions from everyday reasoning and from traditional data analysis. Simple examples of Bayesian data analysis are presented that illustrate how the information delivered by a Bayesian analysis can be directly interpreted. Bayesian approaches to null-value assessment are discussed. The article clarifies misconceptions about Bayesian methods that newcomers might have acquired elsewhere. We discuss prior distributions and explain how they are not a liability but an important asset. We discuss the relation of Bayesian data analysis to Bayesian models of mind, and we briefly discuss what methodological problems Bayesian data analysis is not meant to solve. After you have read this article, you should have a clear sense of how Bayesian data analysis works and the sort of information it delivers, and why that information is so intuitive and useful for drawing conclusions from data.
Histotripsy Treatment of S. Aureus Biofilms on Surgical Mesh Samples Under Varying Pulse Durations

Prior studies demonstrated that histotripsy generated by high-intensity tone bursts to excite a bubble cloud adjacent to a medical implant can destroy the bacteria biofilm responsible for the infection. The goal of this paper was to treat Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) biofilms on surgical mesh samples while varying the number of cycles in the tone burst to minimize collateral tissue damage while maximizing therapy effectiveness. S. aureus biofilms were grown on 1-cm square surgical mesh samples. The biofilms were then treated in vitro using a spherically focused transducer (1.1 MHz, 12.9-cm focal length, 12.7-cm diameter) using either a sham exposure or histotripsy pulses with tone burst durations of 3, 5, or 10 cycles (pulse repetition frequency of 333 Hz, peak compressional pressure of 150 MPa, peak rarefactional pressure of 17 MPa). After treatment, the number of colony forming units (CFUs) on the mesh and the surrounding gel was independently determined. The number of CFUs remaining on the mesh for the sham exposure (4.8 ± 0.9–log10) (sample mean ± sample standard deviation-log10 from 15 observations) was statistically significantly different from the 3-cycle (1.9 ± 1.5–log10), 5-cycle (2.2 ± 1.1–log10), and 10-cycle exposures (1 ± 1.5–log10) with an average reduction in the number of CFUs of 3.1–log10. The numbers of CFUs released into the gel for both the sham and exposure groups were the same within a bound of 0.86–log10, but this interval was too large to deduce the fate of the bacteria in the biofilm following the treatment.
Property and whiteness: the Oregon standoff and the contradictions of the U.S. Settler State

On 2 January 2016, armed anti-government protestors took over the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge (MNWR) in rural Oregon. The takeover of the MNWR is part of a larger, much longer set of movements called the Sagebrush Rebellion that has come to define contemporary white contestations about the federal regulation of lands in the American West. Specifically, we argue that the armed takeover of MNWR is revelatory of the way white supremacy intersects with place in important and consequential ways. In addition, we examine the politics of place and property to interrogate the way settler imaginaries affords settlers a perceived right to property and the land. We contend that this perception, illustrated by the events at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, is enmeshed within particular conceptions of property, the frontier, and whiteness. The MNWR takeover illuminates how discourses of whiteness and property rights are essential to the ongoing production of white supremacy within the US settler state.
Oxidation protection of carbon-carbon composites by sol-gel ceramic coatings

Carbon-carbon composites were coated with Calcium Magnesium Zirconium Phosphate (CMZP) and Mg-doped Al2TiO5 sol-gels in order to form an oxygen barrier at temperatures above ∼650°C. The coatings were applied using a dipping technique and controlled drying procedures. It was determined that 10 coats of CMZP sol-gel fired every other coat created crack free coatings and oxidation protection. Mg-doped AlTi2O5 coatings produced were unsuccessful as oxidation barriers.
Methodological issues in stable isotope-based kinetic studies in children.

Childhood and adolescence are times of rapid growth and development. This growth includes both an increase in body mass and changes in body composition, with a rapid increase in lean tissues. The nutritional requirements needed to meet these challenges are extremely high, particularly for those minerals found predominantly in bone and muscle, and in those subjects whose dietary intake is marginal.
Therapeutic benefit of empiric drug sequencing in metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

e16569Background: Multiple targeted therapies (TT) against the VEGFR, mTOR and PD-1 pathways exist to treat metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC). Due to a lack of biomarkers, current practice rel...
Liver metastases and sensitivity to checkpoint inhibition in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

e20665Background: Inhibitors of Programmed Cell Death 1 (PD-1) and Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) have therapeutic efficacy in patients with advanced NSCLC. We examined the patterns of resp...
Giving It Away at The Strand : A Short Story of Rights and Relationships in Intellectual Property

In early 1916, Arthur Conan Doyle (the versatile and productive Victorian/Edwardian-era writer remembered nowadays mostly for his Sherlock Holmes stories), sent a letter and a package to Herbert Greenhough Smith, his longtime editor at The Strand Magazine. Could it be that Conan Doyle was having a little fun, making a slightly grim legal joke about his demand that the Strand return his old manuscripts? He may well have known enough about intellectual property law, or about the history of publishing, to be aware that some of the most important ownership-of-manuscript lawsuits had involved letters and diaries. And in “The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez” (the story in the package Conan Doyle had sent) the killing of an innocent person – a character who might have been based on Herbert Greenhough Smith – happens during a righteous attempt by another person to recover wrongfully withheld letters and a diary.
Relationship of negative urgency to cingulo-insular and cortico-striatal resting state functional connectivity in tobacco use

Negative urgency, defined as a tendency to act rashly under extreme negative emotion, is strongly associated with tobacco use. Despite the robust evidence linking negative urgency and tobacco use and accumulating evidence suggesting that localized, segregated brain regions such as the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), insula, and amygdala are related to negative urgency, resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) of negative urgency in tobacco use has not yet been examined. This study included 34 daily tobacco users and 62 non-users matched on age, gender, race/ethnicity, and lifetime psychiatric diagnosis from a publicly available neuroimaging dataset collected by the Nathan Kline Institute-Rockland Project. Using the bilateral NAcc, insula, and amygdala as seed regions, seed-based rsFC analyses were conducted on the whole brain. In the whole sample, negative urgency was positively correlated with rsFC between the left insula and right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC). Compared to non-users, tobacco users had a stronger rsFC strength between the right amygdala and right middle temporal gyrus. In tobacco users, negative urgency was negatively associated with rsFC between the left NAcc and right dACC and between the left NAcc and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; these relationships were positive in non-users. Identifying functional connectivity implicated in negative urgency and tobacco use is the crucial first step to design and test pharmacological and physiological interventions to reduce negative urgency related tobacco use.
The unmeasured burden: Contribution of depression and psychological stress to patient-reported outcomes in atrial fibrillation

Abstract Introduction Patient-reported outcomes are routinely assessed in atrial fibrillation (AF) to evaluate efficacy of treatment and as clinical trial outcomes. The relation of depression to such measures has had limited study in AF. Methods In a cohort receiving treatment for AF, we assessed depression with the Patient Health Questionniare-9 (PHQ; 0–4, normal range; 5–9, mild depression; ≥10 moderate depression). We related depression to disease-specific quality of life with the AF Effect on QualiTy of life (AFEQT, range 0–100) and the Global Perceived Stress Scale (GPPS, range 0–24) in multivariable-adjusted models. Results In 260 individuals (age 71.7 ± 10.1, 44.6% women) with AF, 51 (26.1%) had PHQ scores ≥5 and 17 (6.5%) ≥10. AFEQT scores decreased progressively with depression severity (normal range PHQ, 81.4 ± 14.1; mild depression, 65.8 ± 17.1; moderate depression, 50.6 ± 19.3). Individuals without depression had lower GPPS scores (3.0 ± 2.6) than those with mild (4.9 ± 2.5) or moderate (8.9 ± 4.0) depression. In multivariable-adjusted models mild depression was associated with a 12.1-point (95% confidence interval [CI], −17.2 to −6.9) decrease in AFEQT and 1.9-point (95% CI, 1.1 to 2.7) increase in GPSS, while moderate depression a 27.7-point (95% CI, −35.5 to −19.8) decrease in AFEQT and 5.5-point (95% CI, 4.2 to 6.8) increase in GPSS, relative to normal range PHQ. Regression analyses confirmed significant correlations between depression and AFEQT and GPPS scores in multivariable-adjusted models. Conclusions We determined that depression is associated with a step-wise, progressively adverse change in patient-centered outcomes in individuals with AF. Our findings suggest the importance of assessing depression in the evaluation of AF. Subject term list: health services, atrial fibrillation, risk factors
CFTR Corrector Therapies/New Therapies

The number of adults with CF in the United States has been greater than the number of children with CF since 2013, and as therapeutic advances continue to be researched and brought to market, longevity in the CF community is only expected to continue along its upward trend. While initial attempts in the 1990s at a cure for CF through genetic therapy were unsuccessful, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was undeterred from its mission to provide all people with CF the opportunity to lead full and productive lives. In the last decade, cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) therapies have been developed and are currently available for about 50% of the CF population within the United States. Further therapeutics, including genetic therapy options, are in various stages of development with the eventual hope of providing CFTR modulating and/or genetic therapy options for all individuals with CF.
Vulnerable children: Protection and social reintegration of child soldiers and youth members of gangs

In the 30 years since the adoption of the United Nation's Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), international policy and research has continuously examined the impact of community violence exposure on child development. This article uses the framework of the CRC to review how the world has studied the involvement of child soldiers in armed conflict. We then apply Article 38 of the CRC (which prohibits the use of child soldiers) to parallel the literature regarding youth involvement in gangs. We argue that due to high similarities of these groups, including in regards to risk factors, traumatic experiences, and post-experience sequelae, youth gang members should be included as a protected group under the CRC as are child soldiers. We conclude with a discussion of programs that may be effective at preventing recruitment into armed conflict and gang memberships, and programs that reduce traumatic symptoms of children who experience and perpetrate violence.
Adherence to and determinants of guideline-recommended biomarker testing and targeted therapy in patients with gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma: Insights from routine practice.

12Background: Precision oncology has transformed care for patients with advanced HER2+ gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA), where the addition of anti-HER2 therapy with trastuzumab improves overa...
Development of a pilot procedural skills training course for preclerkship medical students.

Objective Despite procedural skills being recognized as an important component of medical school education, medical students are not confident in their ability to carry out a range of medical procedures. We conducted an institutional needs assessment and used the results to inform the creation of a procedure-based preclinical elective for first- and second-year students. Methods We surveyed second-, third-, and fourth-year medical students at Alpert Medical School as well as select program directors to guide selection of a list of procedures to be taught in the elective. We then created an extracurricular 10-week procedural skills course for preclerkship medical students utilizing a hands-on, flipped classroom practice model. Volunteer preceptors were recruited from the Department of Emergency Medicine to participate with a student-to-faculty ratio not exceeding 5:1. Knowledge and skill acquisition were assessed using a multiple-choice knowledge exam and 4-station practical exam, respectively. Pre- and post-course online surveys were used to assess self-perceived confidence for all procedures. Results We implemented our procedural skills training course for first- and second-year medical students in the fall of 2015. Forty-four students applied for the first iteration of the course and 15 students were selected to participate. Fourteen students ultimately completed the elective as well as the subsequent course surveys, multiple-choice exam, and practical exam. Students who participated in the elective had increased levels of self-reported confidence at the conclusion of the elective and performed better on a practical exam and multiple-choice exam compared to students who participated in only the standard curriculum. Conclusion A longitudinal preclerkship procedural course early during medical school is a feasible method of teaching procedural skills to a cohort of learners. A number of adjustments could be made to the course in order to scale up and include a larger cohort of students at our own or another institution.
The effects of direction and speed on treadmill walking in typically developing children.

Abstract Background Backward walking and fast walking have distinctive gait patterns in adults; however, there is minimal literature describing these gait modifications in typically developing children. Additionally, most of previous research focused on overground backward walking, but not on a treadmill. Research question How do typically developing children adapt their gait patterns, including spatiotemporal parameters, joint kinematics, and muscle activation, to changes in direction and speed during treadmill walking? Methods We recruited 19 children (10 M/9 F) aged 6–12 years. Treadmill conditions included forward and backward walking at three speeds: slow (75 % of normal speed), normal speed, and fast (125 % of normal speed). Subjects completed a 2-minute trial under each condition. Spatiotemporal, kinematic, kinetic and electromyography data were collected and analyzed. Correlations between forward and time-reversed backward walking were calculated for joint angles and vertical ground reaction force. Results During backward walking, children (a) decreased step lengths and increased step widths and foot clearance, (b) decreased peak hip and knee flexion and increased peak ankle dorsiflexion, and (c) increased muscle activity at the vastus lateralis, rectus femoris, and tibialis anterior. At faster speeds, children increased step lengths and inconsistently increased overall muscle activity. Both the hip and knee showed high correlation between forward and time-reversed backward walking, while correlation at the ankle was low. Significance Overall, children adapt their gait to changes in direction and speed of treadmill walking in similar ways to adults. However, notable differences emerged in that children limited their ankle range of motion. Our results suggest that, while many aspects of gait are mature enough by this age to adapt to backward walking on a treadmill, neuromuscular control at the ankle may still be lacking in children while walking backward on a treadmill.
Endotoxin Acts Synergistically With Clostridioides difficile Toxin B to Increase Interleukin 1β Production: A Potential Role for the Intestinal Biome in Modifying the Severity of C. difficile Colitis

BACKGROUND Inflammation is a crucial driver of host damage in patients with Clostridioides difficile colitis. We examined the potential for the intestinal microbiome to modify inflammation in patients with C. difficile colitis via the effects of gut-derived endotoxin on cytokine production. METHODS Endotoxin from Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as stool-derived endotoxin were tested for their ability to enhance interleukin 1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production by toxin B-stimulated peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Inflammasome and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) blocking studies were done to discern the importance of these pathways, while metagenomic studies were done to characterize predominant organisms from stool samples. RESULTS Endotoxin significantly enhanced the ability of C. difficile toxin B to promote IL-1β production but not TNF-α. The magnitude of this effect varied by endotoxin type and was dependent on combined inflammasome and TLR4 activation. Stool-derived endotoxin exhibited a similar synergistic effect on IL-1β production with less synergy observed for stools that contained a high proportion of γ-proteobacteria. CONCLUSIONS The ability of endotoxin to enhance IL-1β production highlights a manner by which the microbiome can modify inflammation and severity of C. difficile disease. This information may be useful in devising new therapies for severe C. difficile colitis.
Transcriptome-wide association analysis of brain structures yields insights into pleiotropy with complex neuropsychiatric traits.

Structural variations of the human brain are heritable and highly polygenic traits, with hundreds of associated genes identified in recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS). Transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) can both prioritize these GWAS findings and also identify additional gene-trait associations. Here we perform cross-tissue TWAS analysis of 211 structural neuroimaging and discover 278 associated genes exceeding Bonferroni significance threshold of 1.04 × 10−8. The TWAS-significant genes for brain structures have been linked to a wide range of complex traits in different domains. Through TWAS gene-based polygenic risk scores (PRS) prediction, we find that TWAS PRS gains substantial power in association analysis compared to conventional variant-based GWAS PRS, and up to 6.97% of phenotypic variance (p-value = 7.56 × 10−31) can be explained in independent testing data sets. In conclusion, our study illustrates that TWAS can be a powerful supplement to traditional GWAS in imaging genetics studies for gene discovery-validation, genetic co-architecture analysis, and polygenic risk prediction. Brain structural traits are highly heritable and have been linked to disease. Here the authors have used gene expression data to perform a transcriptome-wide association study on 211 brain structural traits, discovering 273 associated genes.
Efficacy of Disinfectants for Sanitizing Boots Under Dairy Farm Conditions

Ampicillin-resistant Escherichia coli (AR-E. coli), suspended in a manure slurry, was placed on rubber and plastic boot material surfaces to determine survival time. In addition, rubber boots were immersed in the bacteria- manure slurry, placed in water, and then several disinfectants were applied to the boots to determine the bacterial kill time. In the second phase of the study, boots were contaminated with the bacteria-manure slurry, and plastic and concrete surfaces were walked on to determine how far the bacteria could be tracked.AR-E. coli was isolated from the surfaces of both rubber and plastic strips for up to one day after the strips were inoculated with in the AR-E. coli slurry, with the exception of rubber strips at the highest temperature tested. Alcohol and Roccal-D Plus appeared to be the most effective disinfectants used on rubber, followed by bleach. Betadine Solution, Nolvasan Solution and water showed similar efficacy. AR-E. coli could be isolated from boot tracks on plastic for nearly 400 ft (121.9 m) and from a concrete surface for up to 150 ft (47.7 m).Results of this study emphasize the importance of time and temperature on the ability of disinfectants to eliminate bacterial contamination in manure and supports the use of biosecurity Good Management Practices (GMP’s) to control the movement of potentially pathogenic bacteria on dairies.
Scissor-type knife improves the safety of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) among endoscopists without experience in ESD: A randomized ex vivo study

Background and study aims Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is technically challenging, difficult to learn, and carries a substantial risk of perforation, all of which remain significant barriers to its adoptability. We aimed to determine whether use of a novel scissor-type knife improved efficacy and safety among novice performers of ESD. Materials and methods Following a brief didactic session on ESD, participants performed ESD of two lesions (2 cm diameter) in an ex vivo porcine gastric model. One resection was performed with a conventional knife and the other with the scissor knife (order of knife randomized). We recorded procedure time, successful en bloc resection, and adverse events (including full-thickness perforation and muscle injury) for each dissection. Participants completed a post-study survey. Results 10 endoscopists (8 trainees, 2 staff) considered novices in ESD participated. Compared with the conventional knife, use of the scissor knife was associated with a significantly shorter time to completion of submucosal dissection (mean 6.2 [SD 5.6] vs. 15.6 [SD 15.6] minutes; P = 0.04) and total procedure time was not significantly different (22.1 [SD 13.3] vs. 24.9 [SD 26.5] minutes; P = 0.65). Scissor knife use was also associated with a significantly lower proportion of perforation and/or muscle injury (10.0 % vs. 70.0 %; P Conclusions Among novices performing ESD on an ex vivo animal model, use of a scissor knife was associated with a significantly lower proportion of adverse events without prolonging procedure time. Scissor-type knives may improve ESD safety, at least among novices.
Viral information

Viruses are major drivers of global biogeochemistry and the etiological agents of many diseases. They are also the winners in the game of life: there are more viruses on the planet than cellular organisms and they encode most of the genetic diversity on the planet. In fact, it is reasonable to view life as a viral incubator. Nevertheless, most ecological and evolutionary theories were developed, and continue to be developed, without considering the virosphere. This means these theories need to be to reinterpreted in light of viral knowledge or we need to develop new theory from the viral point-of-view. Here we briefly introduce our viral planet and then address a major outstanding question in biology: why is most of life viral? A key insight is that during an infection cycle the original virus is completely broken down and only the associated information is passed on to the next generation. This is different for cellular organisms, which must pass on some physical part of themselves from generation to generation. Based on this premise, it is proposed that the thermodynamic consequences of physical information (e.g., Landauer’s principle) are observed in natural viral populations. This link between physical and genetic information is then used to develop the Viral Information Hypothesis, which states that genetic information replicates itself to the detriment of system energy efficiency (i.e., is viral in nature). Finally, we show how viral information can be tested, and illustrate how this novel view can explain existing ecological and evolutionary theories from more fundamental principles.
Endotaxis: A Universal Algorithm for Mapping, Goal-Learning, and Navigation

Abstract An animal entering a new environment typically faces three challenges: explore the space for resources, memorize their locations, and navigate towards those targets as needed. Experimental work on exploration, mapping, and navigation has mostly focused on simple environments – such as an open arena, a pond [1], or a desert [2] – and much has been learned about neural signals in diverse brain areas under these conditions [3, 4]. However, many natural environments are highly constrained, such as a system of burrows, or of paths through the underbrush. More generally, many cognitive tasks are equally constrained, allowing only a small set of actions at any given stage in the process. Here we propose an algorithm that learns the structure of an arbitrary environment, discovers useful targets during exploration, and navigates back to those targets by the shortest path. It makes use of a behavioral module common to all motile animals, namely the ability to follow an odor to its source [5]. We show how the brain can learn to generate internal “virtual odors” that guide the animal to any location of interest. This endotaxis algorithm can be implemented with a simple 3-layer neural circuit using only biologically realistic structures and learning rules. Several neural components of this scheme are found in brains from insects to humans. Nature may have evolved a general mechanism for search and navigation on the ancient backbone of chemotaxis.
Cloning and expression of cDNA encoding human lysosomal acid lipase/cholesteryl ester hydrolase. Similarities to gastric and lingual lipases

Molecular cloning of a full-length cDNA for human lysosomal acid lipase/cholesteryl ester hydrolase (EC 3.1.1.13) reveals that it is structurally related to previously described enteric acid lipases, but lacks significant homology with any characterized neutral lipases. The lysosomal enzyme catalyzes the deacylation of triacylglyceryl and cholesteryl ester core lipids of endocytosed low density lipoproteins; this activity is deficient in patients with Wolman disease and cholesteryl ester storage disease. Its amino acid sequence, as deduced from the 2.6-kilobase cDNA nucleotide sequence, is 58 and 57% identical to those of human gastric lipase and rat lingual lipase, respectively, both of which are involved in the preduodenal breakdown of ingested triglycerides. Notable differences in the primary structure of the lysosomal lipase that may account for discrete catalytic and transport properties include the presence of 3 new cysteine residues, in addition to the 3 that are conserved in this lipase gene family, and of two additional potential N-linked glycosylation sites. Transfection of the cDNA into Cos-1 cells resulted in the expression of acid lipase activity with the substrate range of the native enzyme at a level that was greater than 40 times the endogenous activity.
The Tragedy of the Global Commons

Global commons. Say it out loud a few times. It has a nice ring, doesn't it? Admittedly, it paints an appealing scene. Picture forests of happy little trees1 surrounded by a multicultural ring-around-the-rosey.2 People of all nations join hands in a collaborative appreciation of the beauty of nature. One can almost imagine a shared space, equivalent to the kindergarten sandbox, where everyone plays nicely with their neighbor. Unfortunately, reality is not as picturesque. Global commons are not, as their name would logically imply, equally shared resources. Moreover, areas labeled as global commons are not any more protected than areas subject to sovereign utilization. Their inherent value is not natural, but financial. Consequently, these global commons are labeled as such not in the hopes of maintaining pristine treasures, but for extracting the most profit over the longest period. Ultimately, as long as treaties concerning these areas focus on exploitation instead of preservation, there will be no more rosey to ring around. This note will address the impending degradation of the global commons and how treaties incorporating these areas offer ineffective protection. I will define the theories of sustainable development and the common heritage of mankind (CUM) and outline their incorporation into international environmental agreements. Specifically, I will focus on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (Convention). In analyzing these international agreements, I will discuss how their development and text portray global commons as resources to be exploited
The blood-brain barrier and AIDS.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on how human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) are proposed to interact with and cross the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and to effect central nervous system (CNS) damage. The CNS as a reservoir of virus and the BBB as a limitation to the eradication of HIV are discussed. Animal and tissue culture models for the study of virus interactions with the BBB are reviewed. HIV infection of the CNS is currently one of the most challenging aspects of HIV-induced disease, despite the recent relative success of highly active antiretroviral therapy. Although HIV-induced pathological changes in the brain have been well documented in the absence of opportunistic infections, the mechanisms of viral entry into the brain are little understood as are the sequelae following virus entry. While HIV has now been clearly shown to infect the CNS, neural elements, including neurons and oligodendrocytes, surprisingly do not appear to be directly infected by virus. The BBB is an anatomical barrier between the general circulation and the brain parenchyma. The BBB is composed of specialized microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) in contact with astrocytes. The contact between brain MVECs and astrocyte foot processes has been postulated to be critical for the formation of the barrier. Some of the enabling properties of the BBB are limited pinocytotic vesicular transport, the presence of tight junctions among endothelial cells, and a selective permeability to physiological ions.
APPLICATIONS OF FINITE DIFFERENCING TO DATABASE INTEGRITY CONTROL AND QUERY/TRANSACTION OPTIMIZATION

Koenig and Paige have presented a view maintenance strategy based on finite differencing for explicitly storing the values of database views, and updating these values whenever parameters on which they depend are modified. Examples were given that illustrated how this view maintenance strategy could be used to monitor integrity constraints. In this paper, we extend that idea to demonstrate how a DBMS can automatically define its own views that will be maintained efficiently by differencing. Based on this approach, we define a new class of deferred integrity constraints that can be monitored efficiently. In particular we show that the computational cost of each block of constraint monitoring code introduced within the original unmonitored code is bounded by a constant. It is also shown how this approach provides a simple and unified solution to the problem of integrity control and query/ transaction optimization.
Diagnosis of bladder cancer on intravenous pyelography. Analysis of 117 cases.

Abstract A review of 117 cases of bladder carcinoma showed that the accuracy of x-ray diagnosis on the intravenous pyelogram-cystogram depended not only on the extent of the disease but also on the information supplied to the radiologist. Tumors were overlooked because they were (1) associated with enlarged prostates and trabeculations, (2) they were flat rather than exophytic, and (3) very small growths were confused with superimposed intestinal gas. If the radiologist maintains a high index of suspicion and the cystograms are of good quality, he should be able to identify the lesion in at least 80 per cent of the cases. There is little doubt that double contrast studies of the bladder can improve this yield significantly.
End-to-end guaranteed QoS with statistical multiplexing for ATM networks

We investigate a method for supporting diverse quality-of-service requirements in broadband networks based on ATM technology. The method uses deterministic bandwidth reservation at the Virtual Path (VP) level and statistical multiplexing within each VP. A deterministic server such as a Weighted Round Robin (WRR) server is used to enforce bandwidth reservations among the VPs. We develop a connection admission algorithm which accounts for end-to-end delay and loss guarantees for Virtual Circuits which traverse a single VP. We show that under certain conditions the amount of network bandwidth required by a VP is minimized by incurring all the allowable loss at the first link of a VP. Achievable utilization is demonstrated using simulation. The effect of the parameters of the WRR server (i.e., the vacation time) on the cell loss probability is also studied using simulation.
Conducted-emission modeling for a switched-mode power supply (SMPS)

This paper is focused on the construction of a conducted-emission model for a switched-mode power supply (SMPS). First, the total voltage source is extracted by measurement. Second, the coupling path between the aggressor and the victim is characterized by both simulation and measurement. Finally, the coupled noise to the victim with respect to the extracted total voltage source can be obtained by both simulation and calculation. Both results match well with the measurement result, which validates the robustness of the constructed model.
Differential regulation of a glial fibrillary acidic protein-LacZ transgene in retinal astrocytes and Müller cells

PURPOSE: Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is normally expressed in astrocytes, but not in Muller cells, in the mouse retina. In response to retinal injury or photoreceptor degeneration, however, GFAP gene transcription is strongly activated in the Muller cell. To identify the genetic elements involved in GFAP gene induction, the authors have studied gene expression in transgenic mice in which beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) expression is under control of GFAP regulatory sequences. METHODS: Histochemical methods were used to study gene expression. The transgene expression was followed by x-gal staining, whereas GFAP expression was monitored by immunostaining with GFAP antibody. RESULTS: In GFAP-LacZ transgenic mice, beta-gal activity and GFAP immunostaining were found in retinal astrocytes. Transgene expression showed the same developmental pattern as that of endogenous GFAP in retinal astrocytes. In addition, beta-gal staining also was observed in lens epithelial cells. Neither GFAP nor beta-gal expression was seen in Muller cells in the adult or developing retina. When focal retinal lesions were introduced into the retina, strong GFAP immunostaining was observed in Muller cells throughout the retina. No beta-gal staining was seen in Muller cells in these retinas. In astrocytes, however, beta-gal and GFAP both were present. CONCLUSIONS: The observations suggest that cis elements responsible for GFAP expression in retinal astrocytes are present in 5' flanking region of the GFAP gene, whereas the regulatory elements involved in GFAP induction in Muller cells are located elsewhere.
An inverse free electron laser accelerator: Experiment and theoretical interpretation

Experimental and numerical studies of the Inverse Free Electron Laser using a GW-level 10.6 {mu}m CO{sub 2} laser have been carried out at Brookhaven`s Accelerator Test Facility. An energy gain of 2.5 % ({Delta}E/E) on a 40 MeV electron beam has been observed E which compares well with theory. The effects on IFEL acceleration with respect to the variation of the laser electric field, the input electron beam energy, and the wiggler magnetic field strength were studied, and show the importance of matching the resonance condition in the IFEL. The numerical simulations were performed under various conditions and the importance of the electron bunching in the IFEL is shown. The numerical interpretation of our IFEL experimental results was examined. Although good numerical agreement with the experimental results was obtained, there is a discrepancy between the level of the laser power measured in the experiment and used in the simulation, possibly due to the non-Gaussian profile of the input high power laser beam. The electron energy distribution was studied numerically and a smoothing of the energy spectrum by the space charge effect at the location of the spectrometer was found, compared with the spectrum at the exit of the wiggler. The electron bunching by the IFEL and the possibility of using the IFEL as an electron prebuncher for another laser-driven accelerator were studied numerically. We found that bunching of the electrons at 1 meter downstream from the wiggler can be achieved using the existing facility. The simulation shows that there is a fundamental difference between the operating conditions for using the IFEL as a high gradient accelerator, and as a prebuncher for another accelerator.
Automatic failure isolation and reconfiguration (ring networks)

An automatic reconfiguration of counter-rotating rings that significantly increases the reliability of a network is described. The automatic failure isolation and reconfiguration methodology (FIRM) uses flags and management frames to bypass both single and multiple link failures as well as cable failures. FIRM uses WRAP-D switching along with the beaconing process to locate some failures which cannot be located by beaconing process alone. Examples illustrating the reconfiguration procedures are presented. >
Capillary waves and diffuse surface layers of clusters and drops

Abstract It is shown that a simple model of capillary waves excited by thermal energy yields a surface thickness about 80% as large as the total thickness of the surface layer deduced for liquid clusters by molecular dynamics computations. Moreover, a sum over subsets of integrals over surface harmonics is found to be a linear function of the index l of harmonics up to and beyond l = 109, thereby permitting an extrapolation of surface thicknesses from clusters to bulk surfaces. Results imply not only that small liquid clusters can be expected to be irregular in shape, but more significantly that critical nuclei in phase transitions are likely to be extremely haphazard in shape rather than the idealized spheres they are usually taken to be.
The Development of the Peace of God in Aquitaine (970–1005)

L'A. se concentre sur un aspect du mouvement de la paix de Dieu en Aquitaine : la defense de la propriete ecclesiasique par des eveques et des comtes d'Aquitaine. Le developpement de ce mouvement entre 970 et 1005 a ete intimement lie aux processus de changements sociaux de ce que l'on appelle la mutation feodale. Le mouvement de paix a efface les distinctions entre pouvoir seculier et sacre, c'est-a-dire ente la cour des comtes de Poitou et celle de la cour celeste.
Fingerprint self-captures: Usability of a fingerprint system with real-time feedback

The performance of a biometric system depends on the quality of interaction of the biometric subject and the system. Past research has shown that fingerprint image quality is improved when the subjects received feedback from the system. However, the availability of feedback from current fingerprint systems is very limited. Currently, no feedback exists regarding the subject's hand positioning and how to correct any undesirable positions. In a study by Guan, Theofanos, Choong, and Stanton, the researchers designed a rich, quality-driven interactive real-time algorithm for detecting hand positioning and analyzing fingerprint images. The current paper investigates if subjects can perform fingerprint self-captures by following the real-time system feedback and if an overlay guide will help with hand positioning. Eighty subjects participated in a controlled experiment with usability measures on efficiency, effectiveness and satisfaction of the system. The findings show that the real-time feedback fingerprint system is a highly usable system. By following the real-time, on-screen textual instructions, participants quickly learned, and felt comfortable and confident to capture their own fingerprints without any assistance. The overlay was perceived as helpful with hand positioning and providing visual feedback of where users' hands were in relation to the scanner area. Based on the results, future research should focus on finding the best format to present the system feedback and investigating if users would benefit from all instructions in graphical format.
Clinical investigation of simple schizophrenia.

A group of 64 schizophrenic patients who had been diagnosed simple type was clinically investigated and the majority of these patients (55) personally examined. Though being much more inconspicuous than the other clinical subtypes, the simple type proved to be most characteristically schizophrenic as to heredity, personality make-up, early environmental situations and failure to shoulder normal responsibilities.
The Futility of Reason: Incommensurable Differences Between Sustainability Narratives in the Aftermath of the 2003 San Diego Cedar Fire

After the largest wildfire in California over the past century, natural resource agencies described how they could reduce vulnerability to fire hazard by sustainability managing fuel levels. A community coalition challenged this narrative by placing the fire within evolutionary time and describing how sustainability could be achieved through collective action within a dynamic and vulnerable landscape. The agencies rejected the coalition alternative as a dangerous and scientifically dubious distraction from their security responsibilities. In this clash, differing knowledge practices delimited the possibilities of citizenship and governance in which alternative sustainability narratives had meaning and significance. Ambivalence persisted because sustainability narratives were informed and justified by knowledge practices that were both driver and outcome of efforts to achieve different sustainabilities.
K-Cell activity in lamina proprial lymphocytes from the human colon.

Using an enzymatic method for their isolation, it has been shown that human colonic lamina proprial lymphocytes, isolated from patients with various colonic diseases and depleted of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and macrophages, demonstrated K-cell activity in two antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity assaysin vitro. No differences were found between the activities of lamina proprial lymphocytes isolated from colonic specimens involved by Crohn's disease, chronic ulcerative colitis, or colonorectal carcinoma. K-cell activity was demonstrable using lymphoid cells isolated from the colons of patients receiving steroid therapy at the time of the therapeutic resections. These findings indicate the need for further investigation of possible roles for K-cells in local immune responses in the human bowel mucosa in inflammatory and neoplastic diseases.
Identification of a vasoactive substance (vasopressin) in a brain extract containing an unknown inhibitor of Na,K-ATPase.

An endogenous inhibitor of the Na,K pump, postulated to be involved in the etiology of some hypertensive states, has been reported in extracts of mammalian brain. This encouraged us to test its effects on arterial muscles. An acid-acetone extract of guinea pig brain inhibited Na,K-ATPase derived from canine kidney and evoked responses in arterial strips similar to those produced by ouabain. Unlike ouabain, however, it did not prevent muscles in K-free solutions from relaxing when K was re-added. Bioassays on strips of arteries, uterus and portal vein indicated that the extract did not contain sufficient concentrations of norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin, prostaglandins, angiotensin II, oxytocin or the Na,K-ATPase inhibitor to account for the observed vascular effects. This could not be said of vasopressin. Furthermore, vasopressin and the vasoactive component of the extract were equally sensitive to several peptidases, and conditions which cleave disulfide bridges. A radioimmunoassay verified that the ...
Estimators for the Finite Mixture of Rayleigh Model Based on Progressively Censored Data

In this article, based on progressively Type-II censored samples from a heterogeneous population that can be represented by a finite mixture of two-component Rayleigh lifetime model, the problem of estimating the parameters and some lifetime parameters (reliability and hazard functions) are considered. Both Bayesian and maximum likelihood estimators are of interest. A class of natural conjugate prior densities is considered in the Bayesian setting. The Bayes estimators are obtained using both the symmetric (squared error) loss function, and the asymmetric (LINEX and General Entropy) loss functions. It has been seen that the estimators obtained can be easily evaluated for this type of censoring by using suitable numerical methods. Finally, the performance of the estimates have been compared on the basis of their simulated maximum square error via a Monte Carlo simulation study.