cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management of postcardiotomy hypertension by microcomputer-controlled administration of sodium nitroprusside

Manual administration of sodium nitroprusside in patients who have undergone cardiac operations can be associated with wide swings in mean systemic arterial pressure. Moreover, it is necessary for constant attention to be paid in order to minimize these potentially catastrophic arterial pressure changes. A microcomputer-based controller was constructed in the belief that it might improve the accuracy of systemic arterial pressure control as well as relieve the clinical staff of a time-consuming task. Comparison was made of the effectiveness of manual control versus computer control of sodium nitroprusside infusion in two groups of patients with similar clinical characteristics. In the manual control group the mean systemic arterial pressure could be maintained within 5 mm Hg of the target pressure only half (52%) of the time. In the computer-controlled group the mean systemic arterial pressure was maintained within 5 mm Hg of the target pressure 94% of the time (p
Random linear network coding for time-division duplexing: Queueing analysis

We study the performance of random linear network coding for time division duplexing channels with Poisson arrivals. We model the system as a bulk-service queue with variable bulk size. A full characterization for random linear network coding is provided for time division duplexing channels [1] by means of the moment generating function. We present numerical results for the mean number of packets in the queue and consider the effect of the range of allowable bulk sizes. We show that there exists an optimal choice of this range that minimizes the mean number of data packets in the queue.
Highly variable male courtship behavioral sequences in a crambid moth

Research on male courtship behavior of moths has focused on documenting stereotyped sequences for successful copulation. We characterized successful male courtship behavior among 126 virgin mating pairs of Ostrinia nubilalis. Using Markov analysis, stereotypy indices, and a novel application of ecological network analysis, we found high variability in these sequences. Fifteen courtship behaviors were described and 96 behavioral transitions were observed, 39 of which occurred only once. The number of courtship bouts ranged from one to ten, the number of behavioral transitions ranged from four to 41, and the number of copulation attempts ranged from one to 29. Only 23% of males used a common, simple behavioral sequence. Females exhibited acceptance or rejection behaviors in 40% of the sequences, but these did not explain the high variability in male courtship sequences. About half of the transitions occurred non-randomly, and stereotypy was low. Network analysis revealed that the courtship sequences started and ended with stereotyped behaviors and the high variability occurred in the middle of the sequences. Whole system analysis showed that the courtship sequences were more variable than for optimal transfer of information. Overall, these results suggest that the sequence of behaviors may be less important than the occurrence of certain behavioral elements for successful mating.
Controllability of a square solar sail with movable membrane tips

This paper presents a controllability study for a square solar sail that uses the wing tip displacement method for its attitude control. The goal is to determine whether this method of attitude control guarantees full control authority over normal attitude maneuvers that would be expected during a typical solar sail mission. The controllability of a given state is determined by first linearizing the full nonlinear equations of motion of the craft about the chosen state, and then applying the classical controllability test to the resulting linear model. This process is then repeated enough times to adequately span the allowable states of the vehicle. Because of the nature of the expressions for the control torques, direct analytical linearizations are not practical; and a full numerical approach is inefficient because of the sheer volume of computations involved. A hybrid linearization method that judiciously combines analytical and numerical approaches was therefore adopted. Results obtained show that the...
Geographic variation in host fish use and larval metamorphosis for the endangered dwarf wedgemussel

Host fishes play a crucial role in survival and dispersal of freshwater mussels (Unionoida), particularly rare unionids at conservation risk. Intraspecific variation in host use is not well understood for many mussels, including the endangered dwarf wedgemussel (Alasmidonta heterodon) in the USA. Host suitability of 33 fish species for dwarf wedgemussel glochidia (larvae) from the Delaware and Connecticut river basins was tested in laboratory experiments over 9 years. Relative suitability of three different populations of a single host fish, the tessellated darter (Etheostoma olmstedi), from locations in the Connecticut, Delaware, and Susquehanna river basins, was also tested. Connecticut River basin A. heterodon metamorphosed into juvenile mussels on tessellated darter, slimy sculpin (Cottus cognatus), and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr. Delaware River basin mussels metamorphosed using these three species, as well as brown trout (Salmo trutta), banded killifish (Fundulus diaphanus), mottled sculpin (Cottus bairdii), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and shield darter (Percina peltata). Atlantic salmon, striped bass, and sculpins were highly effective hosts, frequently generating 5+ juveniles per fish (JPF) and metamorphosis success (MS; proportion of attaching larvae that successfully metamorphose) ≥ 0.4, and producing juveniles in repeated trials. In experiments on tessellated darters, mean JPF and MS values decreased as isolation between the mussel source (Connecticut River) and each fish source increased; mean JPF = 10.45, 6.85, 4.14, and mean MS = 0.50, 0.41, and 0.34 in Connecticut, Delaware, and Susquehanna river darters, respectively. Host suitability of individual darters was highly variable (JPF = 2–11; MS = 0.20–1.0). The results show that mussel–host fish compatibility in A. heterodon differs among Atlantic coastal rivers, and suggest that hosts including anadromous Atlantic salmon and striped bass may help sustain A. heterodon in parts of its range. Continued examination of host use variation, migratory host roles, and mussel–fish interactions in the wild is critical in conservation of A. heterodon and other vulnerable mussel species.
Multimodal and multilingual resources in children's framing of situated learning activities: An introduction

Abstract The papers in this Special Issue respond to pivotal developmental theories ( Piaget, 1932/1997 , Vygotsky, 1978 ) arguing for the importance of dialogic processes and peer interaction in children's learning. They examine how children build action and participate together in various problem-solving activities with others in their classrooms and family homes and agricultural fields, focusing on how these interactions unfold moment-to-moment in their material environments. The approach we take is grounded in conversational analysis ( Sacks, Schegloff, & Jefferson, 1974 ) and brings together complementary frameworks of “situated learning” ( Lave & Wenger, 1991 ), “participation” ( Goodwin & Goodwin, 2004 ) and “epistemic ecologies” ( Erickson, 2004 ; C. Goodwin, 2013 ; Goodwin & Goodwin, 2012 ) to study the situated, temporally unfolding, collaborative, and public nature of learning. Building upon traditions of linguistic anthropological research and research on classroom interaction, we use ethnography to place local practices within the range of practices that are possible for the particular peer groups, classrooms, and communities studied ( Erickson, 2004 ; M.H. Goodwin, 2006a ). Lastly, we provide an overview of the individual contributions to the issue and the central themes they present.
Untargeted mass spectrometry discloses plasma solute levels poorly controlled by hemodialysis

Many solutes have been reported to remain at higher plasma levels relative to normal than the standard index solute urea in hemodialysis patients. Untargeted mass spectrometry was employed to compare solute levels in plasma and plasma ultrafiltrate of hemodialysis patients and normal subjects. Quantitative assays were employed to check the accuracy of untargeted results for selected solutes and additional measurements were made in dialysate and urine to estimate solute clearances and production. Comparison of peak areas indicated that many solutes accumulated to high levels in hemodialysis patients, with average peak areas in plasma ultrafiltrate of dialysis patients being more than 100 times greater than those in normals for 123 features. Most of these mass spectrometric features were identified only by their mass values. Untargeted analysis correctly ranked the accumulation of 5 solutes which were quantitatively assayed but tended to overestimate its extent. Mathematical modeling showed that the elevation of plasma levels for these solutes could be accounted for by a low dialytic to native kidney clearance ratio and a high dialytic clearance relative to the volume of the accessible compartment. Numerous solutes accumulate to high levels in hemodialysis patients because dialysis does not replicate the clearance provided by the native kidney. Many of these solutes remain to be chemically identified and their pathogenic potential elucidated.
Catalytic co-pyrolysis of switchgrass and polyethylene over HZSM-5: Catalyst deactivation and coke formation

Abstract Conducted in the presence of a zeolite catalyst such as HZSM-5, fast pyrolysis of biomass can promote the rejection of oxygen and the formation of aromatic hydrocarbons in the organic liquid products. Unfortunately, this pathway removes hydrogen from the already hydrogen deficient biomass starting material, limiting the yield of hydrocarbons and leading to coke formation which results in catalyst deactivation. Co-pyrolysis of biomass and a low cost hydrogen rich material such as waste plastic has been considered as one strategy for mitigating hydrogen-deficiency with an added benefit of disposing of waste plastics effectively. Previous work has shown an enhancement of aromatic yields when polyolefins were copyrolyzed with biomass over fresh HZSM-5, but studies on the effect of catalyst deactivation with repeated use of the catalyst are lacking. In this study, pyrolysis coupled with gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (py-GC/MS) with an external catalytic reactor was used to perform ex situ catalytic co-pyrolysis of switchgrass and polyethylene (1:1 w:w) in the presence of HZSM-5. The catalyst (∼15 mg) was exposed to ∼1 mg biomass and/or plastic in a series of 30 or 60 pulsed experiments for a cumulative feedstock to catalyst ratio of 2:1 and 4:1, respectively. Results showed that the initial rate of catalyst deactivation (up to feed:catalyst 2:1), as measured by the decrease in production of aromatic hydrocarbons, was significantly decreased, estimated at only ∼28% of the rate of deactivation that processing of switchgrass alone caused. However, over the continued use of the catalyst, up to a feed to catalyst ratio of 4:1, the rates of deactivation from the blended feedstock increased to near expected rates based on the rate of deactivation for the switchgrass and HDPE individually.
ISAR imaging and target characterization in the presence of multiplicative noise

ISAR imaging techniques are used to estimate the target spatial image from target backscatter data. In the ISAR measurement environment, the target is often modeled as a collection of point scatterers to take advantage of the Fourier relationship between scatterer location and measured backscatter data. Current ISAR imaging methods include range-Doppler processing, subspace techniques, and compressive sensing. Range-Doppler and subspace techniques are especially useful when imaging a target in the presence of AWGN (additive white Gaussian noise). Range-Doppler utilizes the processing gain of the Fourier transform to achieve a sign-to-noise gain while subspace techniques remove additive noise by separating signal and noise subspaces. Compressive sensing does not generally perform well in the presence of additive noise but can achieve very high resolution in low-noise conditions. These methods are well developed and proven in literature for the case of additive noise but do not address the case of multiplicative noise. This paper will present a method for extracting relative spatial information about the target in a computationally efficient manner.
Evolution and the Development of the Different Forms of Life

This chapter examines why and how life undergoes an evolution of species, drawing upon Aristotle, Kant, and Hegel, as well as more recent thinkers, such as Hans Jonas, Daniel Dennett, and Richard Dawkins. The discussion begins by examining Aristotle’s ladder of life forms to shed light on the problems of how to differentiate the fundamental forms of life and how their differentiation bears upon the order of their emergence. The special individuality of living things is addressed in connection with their species being and how heredity plays a role in the diversification of species. The fundamental stages of evolutionary development are then outlined, taking into account how differences in metabolism affect the order of evolution. The chapter concludes by considering how rational animals can affect the course of evolution through ethical concern and genetic engineering.
Delay Discounting and Social Policy Issues

The present study used a delay discounting framework to study decisions about six social policy issues and one monetary outcome. For outcomes that nearly all participants discounted, social policies were discounted significantly more than money. A similar result was observed when analyzing all outcomes using data only from participants who discounted all outcomes. Factor analyses, however, indicated that discounting of social policies outcomes was not independent of discounting money. When data from nondiscounters were included in the analyses, results indicated that participants placed the most value on money and the least value on expanding legalized abortion. Further, a factor analysis suggested that the issues of abortion, gay marriage, and potentially affirmative action were valued differently than the other outcomes. This separation appeared to be mediated by political party affiliation and church attendance. The present results highlight the potential value of studying how individuals discount delayed outcomes pertaining to social issues, but also reveal the potential complexities of doing so.
Thermodynamics with Maple I—symbolic computation

We consider the use of a computer algebra system to carry out the symbolic computations needed in thermodynamics. A package for Maple is described and illustrated with several examples involving the creation and manipulation of thermodynamic derivatives.
An Example of Frustration in a Ferromagnetic Material

The theory of micromagnetics, as developed by W. F. Brown, provides an expression for the free energy of a magnetization field and then seeks to determine the field of minimum energy. We show, in the often considered case where exchange energy is omitted, that the minimum of free energy is not attained for uniaxial materials but is attained for cubic materials. A study of minimizing sequences reveals that these describe many features of observed domain structures. The coercivity paradox is reexamined from this point of view. We suggest how these considerations may be extended to consider the magnetostrictive effect. This is primarily a report on [28].
Coincidence cloning recovery of Brucella melitensis RNA from goat tissues: advancing the in vivo analysis of pathogen gene expression in brucellosis

Brucella melitensis bacteria cause persistent, intracellular infections in small ruminants as well as in humans, leading to significant morbidity and economic loss worldwide. The majority of experiments on the transcriptional responses of Brucella to conditions inside the host have been performed following invasion of cultured mammalian cells, and do not address gene expression patterns during long-term infection. Here, we examine the application of the previously developed coincidence cloning methodology to recover and characterize B. melitensis RNA from the supramammary lymph node of experimentally-infected goats. Using coincidence cloning, we successfully recovered Brucella RNA from supramammary lymph nodes of B. melitensis-infected goats at both short-term (4 weeks) and long-term (38 weeks) infection time points. Amplified nucleic acid levels were sufficient for analysis of Brucella gene expression patterns by RNA-sequencing, providing evidence of metabolic activity in both the short-term and the long-term samples. We developed a workflow for the use of sequence polymorphism analysis to confirm recovery of the inoculated strain in the recovered reads, and utilized clustering analysis to demonstrate a distinct transcriptional profile present in samples recovered in long-term infection. In this first look at B. melitensis gene expression patterns in vivo, the subset of Brucella genes that was highly upregulated in long-term as compared to short-term infection included genes linked to roles in murine infection, such as genes involved in proline utilization and signal transduction. Finally, we demonstrated the challenges of qPCR validation of samples with very low ratios of pathogen:host RNA, as is the case during in vivo brucellosis, and alternatively characterized intermediate products of the coincidence cloning reaction. Overall, this study provides the first example of recovery plus characterization of B. melitensis RNA from in vivo lymph node infection, and demonstrates that the coincidence cloning technique is a useful tool for characterizing in vivo transcriptional changes in Brucella species. Genes upregulated in long-term infection in this data set, including many genes not previously demonstrated to be virulence factors in mice or macrophage experiments, are candidates of future interest for potential roles in Brucella persistence in natural host systems.
The effect of reliability on drivers’ trust and behavior in conditional automation

The development of automated vehicles continues unabated. The human factor challenges of designing safe automated driving systems are critical as the first several generations of automated vehicles are expected to be semi-autonomous, requiring frequent transfers of control between the driver and vehicle. Conditional automation raises particular concerns about drivers being out of the loop. A driving simulator study was performed with 20 participants to study driving with conditional automation. We observed driver performance and measured comfort as an indicator of the development of trust in the system. One scenario used a more capable automation system that was able to respond to most events by slowing or changing lanes on its own. The other scenario used a less capable automation system that issued takeover requests for all events. Participants drove both scenarios in counterbalanced order and experienced the different capabilities as changes in reliability. The automation would behave one way in the first work zone and a different way in the second. We observed three types of comfort profiles over the course of the drives. Several behavioral measures, notably gaze, showed effects of reliability variations. Trust calibrated during the first-driven scenario was seen to affect behavior during the second one, and this effect was more pronounced in the older age group, and most pronounced for women in that group.
Constraint Through Independence

A tide of skepticism of the administrative state has been rising among members of the judiciary and the academy. Uncomfortable with the ways doctrines like Chevron and Auer seem to leave bureaucrats unchecked, pressure has been building to cut back on deference to agencies’ legal interpretations. Similarly, these “anti-administrativists” have advocated for striking down statutory regimes granting independence to certain bureaucratic actors, such as administrative law judges (ALJs), who are partially insulated from the President’s removal power. Underlying both of these prongs of the anti-administrativist program is the idea that the federal judiciary needs to be doing more to constrain the exercise of administrative force by unaccountable regulatory bodies. Taking as given the need for greater judicial constraints on the administrative state, this Note argues that the two-pronged program of the anti-administrativists, challenging deference and ALJ independence, is both woefully incomplete and inherently counterproductive. It is incomplete because, while focusing intently on issues of statutory interpretation, it has ignored an entire hemisphere of agency decision-making and judicial review: fact-finding. It is counterproductive because it fails to appreciate the way in which — on a system level — independence, fact-finding, and legal interpretation interact. Tightening the tourniquet around legal deference creates incentives for agencies to obscure their policy-making in fact-finding, a hemisphere where judicial review is significantly less effective. As this Note shows using a novel empirical study of over 250 holdings, judicial review of agency fact-finding is dependent on the identification of “red flags” in the administrative record, that is, of evidence of factual manipulation. Independent ALJs, who generate the initial administrative record, are critical in planting those red flags and, as a result, essential for effective judicial review. Exploring these institutional dynamics in the context of both labor and financial regulation, this Note reveals the importance of the counterintuitive observation that judicial review depends on deference and bureaucratic independence.
Pied-Noir Trauma and Identity in Postcolonial France, 1962–2010

This chapter follows the evolving memory narratives of the European settlers or pieds noirs who left Algeria en masse in the final throes of the Algerian War of Independence in 1962. It shows that the narratives of exile and loss became collective “trauma” narratives over time, after a period of political organizing by key associations. These narratives soon became a powerful mobilizing force for pied-noir associations, helping to forge a shared identity of displacement among community members, even if not every pied-noir had experienced the war and mass migration in the same way. The chapter highlights key narrative threads in the public discourse of associations and in the works of several pied-noir authors who, in the decades that followed Algeria’s independence, provided a shared ethos and emotional register for a pied-noir identity grounded in trauma and loss.
Association Between Meeting Physical Activity, Sleep, and Dietary Guidelines and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors and Adiposity in Adolescents.

Abstract Purpose The aim of the study was to assess the associations of meeting physical activity (PA), sleep, and dietary guidelines with cardiometabolic risk factors and adiposity in adolescents. Methods The sample included adolescents aged 10–16 years. Accelerometry was used to measure PA and sleep over 7 days, 24 h/d. The PA guideline was defined as ≥60 min/d of moderate-to-vigorous PA. The sleep guideline was 9–11 hours (10–13 years) or 8–10 hours (14–16 years) per night. The dietary guideline was based on the Healthy Eating Index calculated from dietary recalls. Cardiometabolic risk factors and adiposity were assessed in an in-patient setting. Linear regression was used to examine the association between meeting each guideline and cardiometabolic risk factors/adiposity, adjusted for confounders and meeting other guidelines. Results Of the 342 participants, 251 (73%) provided complete measurements. Adolescents were 12.5 ± 1.9 years (African American [37%] and white [57%], girls [54%], and overweight or obesity [48%]). Half met the sleep guideline (52%), few met the PA guideline (11%), and the top quintile was preselected as meeting the diet guideline (20%). Most met one (47%) or no guidelines (35%), and few met multiple guidelines (18%). Meeting the PA guideline was associated with lower cardiometabolic risk factors and adiposity (p Conclusions Few met the PA or multiple guidelines, and those not meeting guidelines were associated with adverse cardiometabolic factors and adiposity. Multidisciplinary strategies for improving multiple behaviors are needed to improve adolescent health.
Nonlinear dynamical responses of forced carbon nanotube-based mass sensors under the influence of thermal loadings

This study presents an analytical solution for the nonlinear forced vibration response of bridged carbon nanotube (CNT)-based mass sensors subjected to different types of thermal loading and external harmonic excitations. The structure undergoes a temperature change through its thickness when considering three different distribution patterns of the temperature, namely uniform, linear, and nonlinear. The CNT is modeled as a nonlocal doubly clamped beam that complies with Euler–Bernoulli beam theory and Eringen’s nonlocal elasticity theory. The von Karman geometric nonlinearity is adopted to account for the mid-plane stretching of end-constrained beams. The extended Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the nonlinear governing equations of motion, boundary conditions, and continuity conditions accounting for the location of the deposited particle. The method of multiple scales (MMS) is employed to perform the nonlinear dynamical analysis of the nanobeam. Analytical expressions of the nonlinear dynamic response of the system exposed to thermal loadings in the case of primary resonance are presented. An important contribution of this work is the provision for closed-form expressions of the resonance frequency and the critical amplitude of the considered system. Simultaneously, validation of the results by MMS is achieved by Galerkin’s procedure and Runge–Kutta method. Then, the effects of the thermal loads and some key parameters on the nonlinear resonance frequency and amplitude shifts are discussed, and some meaningful conclusions are drawn.
Reshaping of Truncated Pd Nanocubes: Energetic and Kinetic Analysis Integrating Transmission Electron Microscopy with Atomistic-Level and Coarse-Grained Modeling

Stability against reshaping of metallic fcc nanocrystals synthesized with tailored far-from-equilibrium shapes is key to maintaining optimal properties for applications such as catalysis. Yet Arrhe...
The Economics and Effectiveness of Advanced Practice Providers Are Decidedly Local Phenomena.

The growth and promulgation of Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) across the entire spectrum of healthcare delivery has been profound, and APPs are increasingly common members of emergency department (ED) care teams. Emergency APP workforce growth is outpacing that of emergency physicians with little to suggest that this trend will subside. The evolution of the deployment of APPs in emergency care has been dramatic; initially, emergency APPs were deployed to lower acuity patients or environments-minor injury and illness and in conjunction with an emergency physician-hence the now antiquated description of APPs as "physician extenders."
Applying Administrative Law Principles to Hydraulic Fracturing

Because fracking regulators and industry need both legal clarity and the ability to react to new information, courts should apply principles of administrative deference to resolve conflicts between state and local fracking regulations. Under these principles, courts weigh expert agency decision making more heavily when the agency has acted reasonably. When faced with a conflict between state and local fracking laws, courts should adopt administrative principles and privilege expert agency regulations rather than engage in an independent judicial inquiry. Part I provides background on fracking and argues that states are in the best position to regulate the practice. Part II then explores the difference between preemption doctrine and administrative deference, ultimately concluding that state courts should defer to state agency decisions on fracking regulation.
Large-scale voltage imaging in the brain using targeted illumination

Recent improvements in genetically encoded voltage indicators enabled optical imaging of action potentials and subthreshold membrane voltage dynamics from single neurons in the mammalian brain. To perform high speed voltage imaging, widefield microscopy remains an essential tool for recording activity from many neurons simultaneously over a large anatomical area. However, the lack of optical sectioning makes widefield microscopy more prone to background signal contamination, and thus far voltage imaging using fully genetically encoded voltage indicators remains limited to simultaneous sampling of a few cells over a restricted field-of-view. We here demonstrate a strategy for large scale voltage imaging using the fully genetically encoded voltage indicator SomArchon and targeted illumination. We implemented a simple, low-cost digital micromirror device based targeted illumination strategy to restrict illumination to the cells of interest, and systematically quantified the improvement of this microscopy design theoretically and experimentally with SomArchon expressing neurons in single layer cell cultures and in the brains of awake mice. We found that targeted illumination, in comparison to widefield illumination, increased SomArchon signal contrast and reduced background cross-contamination in the brain. Such improvement permitted the reduction of illumination intensity, and thus reduced fluorescence photobleaching and prolonged imaging duration. When coupled with a high-speed, large area sCMOS camera, we routinely imaged tens of spiking neurons simultaneously over minutes in the brain. Thus, the widefield microscopy design with an integrated targeted illumination system described here offers a simple solution for voltage imaging analysis of large neuron populations in behaving animals.
Quantifying dispersion of nanosilica in hardened cement matrix using a novel SEM-EDS and image analysis-based methodology

Abstract A novel image analysis method integrated with SEM-EDS is proposed in this study for assessing the dispersion state of nanosilica (NS) particles in the hardened cement matrix. The method entailed capturing a statistically significant number of SEM micrographs of a cement-NS paste and their EDS elemental maps, the latter of which revealed that at 3-days, distinct C-S-H gel with a consistently low Ca/Si ratio (
Current practices regarding Staphylococcus aureus surveillance, prophylaxis, and decolonization among United States neonatal intensive care units: Results of a national survey

Objective: To evaluate Staphylococcus aureus surveillance, prophylaxis, and decolonization practices among US
CYBERSECURITY: WHAT ABOUT U.S. POLICY?

During December 2014, just hours before the holiday recess, the U.S. Congress passed five major legislative proposals designed to enhance U.S. cybersecurity. Following signature by the President, these became the first cybersecurity laws to be enacted in over a decade, since passage of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002. My goal is to explore the unusually complex subject of cybersecurity policy in a highly readable manner. An analogy with the recent deadly and global Ebola epidemic is used to illustrate policy challenges, and hopefully will assist in transforming the technological language of cybersecurity into a more easily understandable story. Much like Ebola, cyberthreat has the ability to bring our cities to a standstill. Many cybersecurity policy implications are strikingly similar to those occasioned by Ebola.First, a brief recital of the grave danger and potential consequences of cyberattack is provided. Second, I comment on the policy impact resulting from rapid changes in technological complexity and the relative lack of computer familiarity on the part of many senior business and governmental leaders. Third, the characteristics of selected competing cybersecurity constituency groups are discussed: consumers; investors; law enforcement; business; federal, state and local government; and national security interests. By exploring the perceived needs and sometimes conflicting actions of these various constituencies, I hope to make a worthwhile contribution to the national conversation about cyber policy and make meaningful progress toward dealing with the new pandemic of technological virus. Next, is an examination of recent policy development milestones achieved during the past decade or so, including passage of several major legislative proposals designed to enhance U.S. cybersecurity during the waning hours of 2014: The National Cybersecurity Protection Act of 2014; The Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014; The Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act; The Homeland Security Workforce Assessment Act; and The Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014. Finally, given the critical need for an immediate and effective coordinated approach to cybersecurity, a few thoughts about crafting policy goals and strategies are offered. Hopefully this essay will assist in the conversation being had today by policy makers on this important topic.
HMM-based driving behavior recognition for in-car control service

The purpose of this study is to present an approach to analyze and recognize the driver posture. By using the wearable device, the sensing data of the driving behavior postures can be collected and calibrated. The calibrated data is as the input parameters of driving behavior modeling. Then, the Hidden Markov Model (HMM) is utilized to establish the driving behavior posture models. The HMM model can recognize 7 kinds of head postures. Moreover, the static indoor environment and dynamic in-car environment are considered in modeling process. Finally, the constructed driving behavior model can apply to in-car service to provide driver more convenient control service.
Reconstruction of the vein of Labbe by using a short saphenous vein bypass graft. Technical note

Protection of the vein of Labbe is a significant concern during surgery that involves retraction of the temporal lobe. A cranial base surgical approach, especially one via the presigmoid-petrosal route, carries considerable risk to this venous complex. A case is presented in which a large dominant vein of Labbe was injured during resection of a petroclival meningioma. This vein drained all the sylvian venous circulation as well as the lateral temporal surface; no connection to another venous system was noted. The vein was successfully reconstructed using a short saphenous vein bypass graft. Significant complications could have occurred without this reconstruction. The technique and benefits of this type of reconstruction are discussed.
5-lipoxygenase inhibitors and their anti-inflammatory activities.

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates about 5-Lipoxygenase inhibitors and their anti-inflammatory activities. Oxidation of arachidonic acid in mammalian cells gives rise to a number of metabolites, collectively called eicosanoids, which are intimately involved in inflammation and other physiological and pathological processes. Prostaglandins (PGs) are the first members of this family to be identified and characterized, and are involved in inflammatory and pain responses. The clinically useful non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) of today are considered to act by inhibiting the enzyme cyclo-oxygenase (CO), which converts arachidonic acid to prostaglandins. A second major pathway of arachidonate metabolism has been characterized, in which arachidonic acid is converted to proinflammatory products called leukotrienes (LTs). The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) initiates this cascade. 5-LO catalyzes the stereospecific conversion of arachidonic acid to a 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HPETE). The enzyme contains non-heme iron in the active site, and the mechanism of the transformation probably involves an organoiron intermediate or a dienyl radical which is trapped by molecular oxygen to produce 5-hydroperoxyeicosatetraenoic acid.
Social Enterprise: Accountability and Evaluation Around the World, by Denny, S., & Seddon, F.: (2014). New York: Routledge, ISBN 978-415-62609-1, 252 pp

There has been a major shift in thinking about the role of governments and nonprofit organizations in social welfare since the 1980s. It was previously taken for granted that governments would be r...
Fair Value and Volatility in the Cases of Assets Securitization, Derivative Hedging and Loan Loss Provisioning

The concept of fair value is a key element in the international accounting standards and its implementation poses serious concerns in terms of financial stability. There are a number of issues which are particularly important for financial stability that are evidenced in the GFC and have been received much attention in the reform of fair value regime, namely assets securitization, derivatives hedging and loan loss provisioning. This study analyzes and shows the way in which financial reporting for fair values could create volatility through the processes of assets securitization, derivative hedging and loan loss provisioning. The other objectives of financial reporting, namely reliability and comparability, are achievable only if the measures of fair value are reliable and relevant. Fair value measurement is supported on the ground that it provides information which is more relevant to the economic substance and presumably such information will be more useful to investors. Nonetheless, changes in the market landscape and financial innovation are evident and accounting standards so far have not kept pace with the development of financial market which is revealed in this study by analyzing the transactions of assets securitization, derivative hedging and loan loss provisioning.
Interacting Signals: Imperfect Information, Institutional Environments, and Increased FDI in Developing Countries

Higher domestic institutional quality has been statistically shown to lead to increased FDI inflows (Li & Resnick 2003; Busse & Hefeker 2007; Jensen 2008). Countries with higher quality governance infrastructure, which I define as the core institutions within a state that facilitate government competency and economic efficiency, signal to economic actors that the states in question are committed to providing a stable macroeconomic environment, market friendly policies, and efficient institutions, thereby reducing transaction costs. This can be viewed as a classic imperfect information game, in that the states have more information on the quality of their respective institutional environments than do the firms looking to invest in foreign markets. Therefore, states that are in competition for limited foreign direct investment convey this information through their quality level of governance infrastructure. In this paper, I develop a formal signaling model that explicitly demonstrates this theoretical link. To empirically examine this model, I interact previous FDI inflows, considered one the strongest signals regarding the quality of a state’s investment environment, with different aspects of a developing state’s domestic institutional environment. These institutional aspects included, veto players, regime stability, regime type and governance infrastructure. Preliminary results demonstrate that when a state’s prior FDI inflows are sufficiently low the quality level of a state’s governance infrastructure provides a strong signal regarding its level of commitment to maintaining an investment-friendly environment. However, as previous FDI reaches a large enough level the signal sent by governance infrastructure is overwhelmed by this stronger and more readily visible signal. Moreover, the other aspects of a developing countries domestic institutional environment appear to not send significant signals to investors. This paper demonstrates, conceptually and empirically, that governance quality is an important signal in determining where firms invest.
Comparison of Crystal Enteric/Nonfermenter system, API 20E system, and Vitek AutoMicrobic system for identification of gram-negative bacilli.

A comparative evaluation of the Crystal Enteric/Nonfermenter system (Crystal; Becton Dickinson, Cockeysville, Md.), API 20E (API; bioMerieux Vitek, Inc., Hazelwood, Mo.), and the Vitek GNI card (Vitek; bioMerieux Vitek) was performed with 512 clinical isolates of gram-negative bacilli, including 381 members of the family Enterobacteriaceae and 131 nonenteric bacilli. With supplemental testing, API, Crystal, and Vitek correctly identified to the genus and species level 505 (98.6%), 489 (95.5%), and 494 (96.5%) of the 512 isolates, respectively. Supplemental testing, as specified by the manufacturer, was required to identify 119 (23.2%), 18 (3.5%), and 5 (1.0%) of the isolates with the three systems, respectively. Of the 381 isolates from the family Enterobacteriaceae, API and Crystal correctly identified 90.3 and 91.6% by 18 to 24 h without supplemental testing, respectively, and Vitek identified 92.4 and 96.1% following 10 and 18 h of incubation, respectively. Of the 131 nonenteric organisms, API and Crystal correctly identified 28.2 and 93.9% by 18 to 24 h without supplemental testing, respectively, and Vitek identified 84.0% by 10 h and 93.9% by 18 h. Errors in identification with each system were infrequent and appeared to be randomly distributed among the genera evaluated. The three systems were comparable in accuracy when either a weighted clinical laboratory profile of organisms or a group of selected isolates in a stress test sample was evaluated (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences between the three systems in their ability to identify either the isolates in the weighted group or those in the stress test (P > 0.05). Crystal compared favorably with API and Vitek, which have established track records in clinical laboratories, and is acceptable for the identification of members of the Enterobacteriaceae and nonenteric bacilli in a clinical microbiology laboratory.
Chronic Neurotrophin-3 Strengthens Synaptic Connections to Motoneurons in the Neonatal Rat

We report that neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), delivered chronically via fibroblasts implanted intrathecally into neonatal rats, can facilitate synaptic transmission in the spinal cord. A small collagen plug containing NT-3-secreting fibroblasts was placed on the exposed dorsal surface of the spinal cord (L1) of 2-d-old rats; controls received β-galactosidase-secreting fibroblasts. After 6 hr to 12 d of survival, synaptic potentials (EPSP) elicited by two synaptic inputs, L5 dorsal root and ventrolateral funiculus (VLF), were recorded intracellularly in L5 motoneurons in vitro . Preparations treated with NT-3 implants exhibited enhanced monosynaptic synaptic transmission from both inputs, which persisted over the entire testing period. Unlike acute enhancement of transmission by NT-3 ([ Arvanian and Mendell, 2001a ][1]), the chronic effect could occur at connections not normally eliciting an NMDA receptor-mediated response at the time of NT-3 exposure. Using susceptibility to blockade of the NMDA receptor by Mg2+ and APV, we confirmed that chronic treatment with NT-3 did not enhance NMDA receptor activity at these connections. Cords treated with chronic NT-3 also transiently displayed polysynaptic components activated by VLF that were blocked by the NMDA receptor antagonist APV. These novel NMDA receptor-mediated potentials may reflect changes in interneurons near the site of fibroblast implantation. We conclude that chronic NT-3 enhances the potency of segmental and descending projections via mechanisms different from those underlying acute changes. [1]: #ref-1
Rethinking Eliminative Connectionism

Abstract Humans routinely generalize universal relationships to unfamiliar instances. If we are told “if glork then frum,” and “glork,” we can infer “frum”; any name that serves as the subject of a sentence can appear as the object of a sentence. These universals are pervasive in language and reasoning. One account of how they are generalized holds that humans possess mechanisms that manipulate symbols and variables; an alternative account holds that symbol-manipulation can be eliminated from scientific theories in favor of descriptions couched in terms of networks of interconnected nodes. Can these “eliminative” connectionist models offer a genuine alternative? This article shows that eliminative connectionist models cannot account for how we extend universals to arbitrary items. The argument runs as follows. First, if these models, as currently conceived, were to extend universals to arbitrary instances, they would have to generalize outside the space of training examples. Next, it is shown that the class of eliminative connectionist models that is currently popular cannot learn to extend universals outside the training space. This limitation might be avoided through the use of an architecture that implements symbol manipulation.
Massively Parallel Solver for the High-Order Galerkin Least-Squares Method

A high-order Galerkin Least-Squares (GLS) finite element discretization is combined with massively parallel implicit solvers. The Balancing Domain Decomposition by Constraints (BDDC) algorithm is applied to the linear system arising from the two-dimensional, high-order discretization of the advection-diffusion equation and the Euler equation. The Robin-Robin interface condition is extended to the Euler equations using entropy-symmetrized variables. The BDDC method maintains scalability for the high-order discretization of the diffusion-dominated flows, and achieves low iteration count in the advection-dominated regime. The BDDC method based on inexact local solvers with incomplete factorization and p = 1 coarse correction maintains the performance of the exact counterpart for the wide range of the Peclet numbers considered.
Isotonic fatigue in laminin α2-deficient dy/dy dystrophic mouse diaphragm

Laminin alpha2 deficiency causes approximately 50% of human congenital muscular dystrophies. Muscle in the corresponding dy/dy mouse model has reduced force but increased fatigue resistance during isometric contractions. To determine whether a similar pattern of alterations is present during isotonic contractions, dy/dy diaphragm was studied in vitro. During 20% load, dystrophic diaphragm had significantly reduced shortening, shortening velocity, work and power deficits, which persisted during the fatigue-inducing stimulation. In contrast, during 40% load, isotonic contractile performance of diseased muscle was impaired only mildly and only for some contractile parameters. At both loads, rate of isotonic fatigue when expressed relative to initial contractile values was similar for dystrophic and normal muscle, or in some instances slightly higher for dystrophic muscle. Therefore, fatigue resistance is considerably impaired during isotonic contractions relative to that reported previously for isometric contractions. This has important implications for increased susceptibility to respiratory failure in laminin alpha2-deficient muscular dystrophy.