cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Changing the Course of Alzheimer's Disease: Anti-Amyloid Disease-Modifying Treatments on the Horizon

Objectives: To review the amyloid hypothesis as the predominant mechanistic theory of Alzheimer's disease and update the status of new disease-modifying, anti-amyloid treatments in clinical development. Data Sources: Governmental Web sites and those of professional Alzheimer's disease associations and drug manufacturers were searched for new drugs in development. An English-language search of PubMed (January 2003–January 2006) was conducted using the search terms Alzheimer's disease and amyloid hypothesis and each of the drugs and immunotherapies from the 4 identified classes of anti-amyloid, disease-modifying therapies. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Studies and reports were selected on the basis of recent publication, adequate methodology, and completeness of data. Data Synthesis: Immunotherapy, γ-secretase inhibitors, selective neurotoxic aggregated 42-amino acid peptide subspecies of amyloid β (Aβ42)–lowering agents (tarenflurbil), inhibitors of amyloid aggregation (tramiprosate), and statins show promise in clinical trials. Safety remains an important factor. Disease-modifying drugs that specifically target the amyloid cascade and do not interact with essential biological pathways are expected to possess a lower rate of unintended adverse events. Agents that selectively target Aβ42 production (e.g., tarenflurbil), block Aβ aggregation (e.g., tramiprosate), or enhance α-secretase activity (statins) offer hope for disease modification and prevention and do not appear to interfere with other biological pathways. Conclusions: Discovery of safe and effective disease-modifying therapies will usher in a new age of Alzheimer's disease treatment.
Linearization of the quadratic eigenvalue problem

Abstract The eigenproblem m x + C x + Kx = 0 occurs frequently in the dynamic analysis of structures. It is usually linearized by an augmentation procedure in which a trivial set of equations involving M or K is used to double-up the eigenmatrices. It is shown in this note that the same results may be obtained by augmentation with any arbitrary, non-singular matrix, G. If G is selected judiciously, substantial economy may be achieved in computation time and storage when solving large order problems characteristic of many engineering structures.
Concurrency control by transactions carrying states and preordering multiversioned entities

Abstract We present a protocol for improving concurrency and preserving consistency in databases with multiversioned entities; the database can be either centralized or distributed and may or may not have data replication. In the proposed protocol, entities are assigned an order, and whenever possible each transaction accesses entities in this order; entities that need not be accessed by a transaction may be skipped by the transaction, and out-of-order accesses are permitted at an additional cost. Each transaction carries with it, as it moves along the preordered entities, the state information required to ensure serializability of schedules. At each entity, a transaction executes logically after all the transactions in the state carried to the entity by the transaction.
The 1992 U.S. Presidential election: An annotated bibliography

“What went wrong?” This was the question no doubt asked by the Bush campaign and the Republican Party after the 3 November 1992 presidential election.
Exhaled Pentane and Nitric Oxide Levels in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Background Upper airway inflammation is present in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Objective To determine whether exhaled pentane and nitric oxide (NO) levels, two nonspecific markers of inflammation, are increased in patients with OSA. Methods Exhaled nasal and oral pentane and NO levels were determined before and after sleep in 20 patients with OSA (apnea-hypopnea index, 48±7; mean±SEM) and eight healthy control subjects. Results In patients with OSA, exhaled nasal and oral pentane levels after sleep were significantly higher than presleep values (6.1 ±1.2 nM vs 3.4±0.4 nM, and 7.0±1.3 nM vs 4.2±0.4 nM, respectively; p Conclusion Exhaled nasal pentane and NO levels are increased after sleep in patients with moderate-severe OSA. These data suggest that upper airway inflammation is present in these patients after sleep.
Migration-selection polymorphism in dioecious populations

Conditions are derived for a protected polymorphism in a dioecious population subdivided into an arbitrary number of demes which exchange migrants. Generations are discrete and nonoverlapping; mutation and random drift are neglected. The analysis is restricted to a diallelic autosomal locus. In contrast to the monoecious case, the protection criteria depend on the order of migration and selection; they become identical for adult and juvenile migration if both the male and female backward migration matrices are symmetric, or the migration or selection patterns in the two sexes are the same. The protection conditions are presented explicitly for the Levene model. A recessive allele is protected in a panmictic dioecious population if the unweighted average of the recessive-to-dominant fitness ratios in the two sexes exceeds unity.
'Hypafix': new technique of skin graft fixation.

A new technique for split skin graft fixation using 'Hypafix' adhesive dressing is described. Ninety-three patients with burns involving less than 20% body surface area grafted at the Adelaide Children's Hospital during February 1985-May 1987 were reviewed. Comparisons were made between the results of standard fixation and Hypafix methods. The Hypafix technique showed itself to be simple and reliable, affording considerable versatility and allowing early mobilization without splintage or sedation. The adhesive is readily loosened with Ungvita ointment allowing the dressing to be removed painlessly. In this study its use has shortened both the length of inpatient stay and outpatient follow-up in the Scar Management Programme.
Micro- and nanoscale devices for the investigation of epigenetics and chromatin dynamics

This Review examines recent advances in the use of micro- and nanoscale devices for studying epigenetic modifications, including covalent DNA modifications, differences in histone proteins and higher-order chromatin structures. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is the blueprint on which life is based and transmitted, but the way in which chromatin — a dynamic complex of nucleic acids and proteins — is packaged and behaves in the cellular nucleus has only begun to be investigated. Epigenetic modifications sit 'on top of' the genome and affect how DNA is compacted into chromatin and transcribed into ribonucleic acid (RNA). The packaging and modifications around the genome have been shown to exert significant influence on cellular behaviour and, in turn, human development and disease. However, conventional techniques for studying epigenetic or conformational modifications of chromosomes have inherent limitations and, therefore, new methods based on micro- and nanoscale devices have been sought. Here, we review the development of these devices and explore their use in the study of DNA modifications, chromatin modifications and higher-order chromatin structures.
Implementation of damage detection algorithms for the Alfred Zampa Memorial Suspension Bridge

This study investigated a number of different damage detection algorithms for structural health monitoring of a typical suspension bridge. The Alfred Zampa Memorial Bridge, a part of the Interstate 80 in California, was selected for this study. The focus was to implement and validate simple damage detection algorithms for structural health monitoring of complex bridges. Accordingly, the numerical analysis involved development of a high fidelity finite element model of the bridge in order to simulate various structural damage scenarios. The finite element model of the bridge was validated based on the experimental modal properties. A number of damage scenarios were simulated by changing the stiffness of different bridge components including suspenders, main cable, bulkheads and deck. Several vibration-based damage detection methods namely the change in the stiffness, change in the flexibility, change in the uniform load surface and change in the uniform load surface curvature were employed to locate the simulated damages. The investigation here provides the relative merits and shortcomings of these methods when applied to long span suspension bridges. It also shows the applicability of these methods to locate the decay in the structure.
Pelvic pain and mode of delivery

Objective We sought to determine the long-term effect of mode of delivery on the prevalence and severity of pelvic pain. Study Design Six to eleven years after a first delivery, pelvic pain (dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and pelvic pain not related to menses or intercourse) was measured using the Oxfordshire Women's Health Study Questionnaire. Obstetrical exposures were assessed by review of the hospital delivery record. The prevalence of moderate to severe pelvic pain was compared between the 577 women who delivered via cesarean for all births and the 538 who delivered at least 1 child vaginally. Other obstetrical exposures were also studied. Results Prevalence of pelvic pain was similar between women who delivered vaginally and by cesarean. Among women who delivered vaginally, those who experienced at least 1 forceps delivery and women who delivered at least 1 baby ≥4 kg vaginally reported a higher rate of dyspareunia. Perineal trauma was not associated with dyspareunia. Conclusion Forceps delivery and a vaginal delivery of a baby ≥4 kg are associated with dyspareunia 6-11 years after vaginal birth. Vaginal birth is not associated with a higher rate of pelvic pain when compared to cesarean delivery.
Probabilistic frameworks for privacy-aware data mining

Often several cooperating parties would like to have a global view of their joint data for various data mining objectives, but cannot reveal the contents of individual records due to privacy, ownership or competitive considerations. In this talk, we present a probabilistic framework for resolving such seemingly contradictory goals. Rather than sharing parts of the original or perturbed data, the framework shares the parameters of suitable probabilistic models built at each local data site. We mathematically show that the best representative of all the data is a certain ldquomeanrdquo model, and empirically show that this model can be approximated quite well by generating artificial samples from the underlying distributions using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques, and then fitting a combined global model with a chosen parametric form to these samples. We also propose a new measure that quantifies privacy in such situations based on information theoretic concepts, and show that decreasing privacy leads to a higher quality of the combined model and vice versa. The method can also be applied to situations where different local datasets may not have identical features by using certain maximum likelihood and maximum entropy principles. We provide empirical results on different data types with continuous vector, categorical and directional attributes to highlight the generality of our framework. The results show that high quality distributed clustering or classification can be achieved with little privacy loss and low communication cost.
The Theme of Giving Back to Parents in Chinese and American songs

Based on the assumption that there is greater reciprocity of relationships (i.e., mutuality of give and take) in China than there is in the United States, the authors predicted cultural differences in the incidence of songs in which adult children express a desire to give back to parents. More songs expressing giving back to mothers than giving back to fathers was also predicted. Popular songs in both cultures were rated for themes of positive or negative giving back to parents. Almost all of the Chinese songs expressed positive giving back, and the majority of U.S. songs expressed negative giving back. More songs about mothers than about fathers were found only for the Chinese songs. American songs' focus on fathers, about whom there are negative feelings, may reflect the U.S. disposition to negative giving back. Processes underlying giving back-involving modeling, caregiving practices, direct tuition, and reciprocity-are discussed.
Premarital Abuse: A Social Psychological Perspective

Little research has examined the incidence and dynamics of abuse between premarital partners at all levels of commitment. The present questionnaire study found the incidence of premarital abuse to be substantial and largely reciprocal in nature. Abuse typically began after some degree of commitment was established. Abuse was usually seen as caused by anger, although the effect of abuse on the relationship was not routinely seen as detrimental. It appeared that one possible explanation for abuse in these relationships was that those who stayed in abusive situations reported having fewer alternatives to the violent relationship than those who had terminated an abusive liaison. In general, the respondents had negative attitudes toward violence in relationships. However, those who had experienced abuse were more accepting of violence than those who had not experienced premarital abuse. The discussion focuses on several suggestions for further research to construct a clearer picture of premarital abuse.
Loss of Ly-6A.2 expression on immature developing T cells in the thymus is necessary for their normal growth and generation of the Vβ T-cell repertoire

Stage-specific expression of a number of cell-surface and signaling proteins is critical for normal development of T cells in the thymus. Equally important may be the loss of expression/signaling of developmentally regulated proteins for proper transitioning of developing T cells into thymic subsets. Ly-6A.2 exhibits a regulated pattern of expression on T cells maturing in the thymus, and dysregulating its expression results in arrest of developing T cells within the CD3-CD4-CD8- triple negative (TN) stage where the normal expression of Ly-6A.2 is extinguished. To further characterize the mechanisms underlying this block, we examined whether cell signaling and/or cell adhesion properties of the Ly-6A.2 molecule influenced the block in T-cell development. Analysis of bone marrow chimeras generated by injecting CFSE-labeled Ly-6A.2 transgenic bone marrow cells into irradiated syngeneic non-transgenic mice revealed normal trafficking of developing T cells from the cortex into the medulla. Production of LAT but not p56lck was diminished in CD4-CD8- DN cells from Ly-6A.2 dysregulated mice when compared with control littermates. Dysregulated expression of Ly-6A.2 did not suppress endogenous TCR-Vbeta expression. Finally, dysregulated expression of Ly-6A.2 enhanced apoptosis of an immature CD4+CD8+ (DP) subset of developing cells and altered the selected TCR-Vbeta repertoire. Taken together, these observations indicate that the termination of Ly-6A.2 expression and signaling within the CD4-CD8-CD3- subset of developing T cells is an important checkpoint during normal thymic development.
Integrated Diode Phase-Shifter Elements for an X-Band Phased-Array Antenna (Short Papers)

The design and production of 502 X-band P-I-N diode phase-shifter elements for a transmissive phased-array RADAR are presented. These elements consist of three phase-shifter states and two integrated dipole radiators formed using microwave integrated circuit techniques. The detailed design of loaded-line phase shifters and effects of circuit variations during production are examined in terms of measured performance. Finally, the performance of the phase shifters in the phased array is demonstrated through computed and measured antenna patterns giving quantitative results.
Single-port cholecystectomy with the TransEnterix SPIDER: simple and safe.

Introduction Single-port or single-incision cholecystectomy with current rigid laparoscopic devices is limited by in-line visualization, restricting the ability to approach the surgical site with proper angles and instrumentation. A single-port access system with articulating arms and strong instrumentation should minimize these issues. The TransEnterix system may facilitate safe and straightforward single-port surgery.
Racial/ethnic disparities in access to physician care and medications among US stroke survivors

Background: Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic blacks have higher stroke recurrence rates and lower rates of secondary stroke prevention than non-Hispanic whites. As a potential explanation for this disparity, we assessed racial/ethnic differences in access to physician care and medications in a national sample of US stroke survivors. Methods: Among all 4,864 stroke survivors aged ≥45 years who responded to the National Health Interview Survey years 2000–2006, we compared access to care within the last 12 months by race/ethnicity before and after stratification by age (45–64 years vs ≥65 years). With logistic regression, we adjusted associations between access measures and race/ethnicity for sex, comorbidity, neurologic disability, health status, year, income, and health insurance. Results: Among stroke survivors aged 45–64 years, Mexican Americans, non-Hispanic blacks, and non-Hispanic whites reported similar rates of no generalist physician visit (approximately 15%) and inability to afford medications (approximately 20%). However, among stroke survivors aged ≥65 years, Mexican Americans and blacks, compared with whites, reported greater frequency of no generalist visit (15%, 12%, 8%; p = 0.02) and inability to afford medications (20%, 11%, 6%; p p Conclusions: Among US stroke survivors at least 65 years old, Mexican Americans and blacks reported worse access to physician care and medications than whites. This reduced access may lead to inadequate risk factor modification and recurrent stroke in these high-risk minority groups.
Boundary-layer transition at high free-stream disturbance levels – beyond Klebanoff modes

We consider a nominally uniform flow over a semi-infinite flat plate and show how a small slowly modulated (predominantly streamwise) disturbance of the upstream flow is amplified by leading-edge bluntness effects and eventually develops into a small-amplitude but nonlinear spanwise motion far downstream from the edge. This motion is then imposed on the viscous boundary layer at the surface of the plate – causing an order-one change in its profile shape, which can reduce the wall shear to zero and thereby causes the boundary layer to separate. The present study is similar to an earlier steady flow analysis, but the unsteady effects now cause the upstream boundary layer to develop inflectional profiles which can support rapidly growing inviscid instabilities that give rise to transition before the separation can occur.
Generalizations of the sampling theorem: Seven decades after Nyquist

The sampling theorem is one of the most basic and fascinating topics in engineering sciences. The most well-known form is Shannon's uniform-sampling theorem for bandlimited signals. Extensions of this to bandpass signals and multiband signals, and to nonuniform sampling are also well-known. The connection between such extensions and the theory of filter banks in DSP has been well established. This paper presents some of the less known aspects of sampling, with special emphasis on non bandlimited signals, pointwise stability of reconstruction, and reconstruction from nonuniform samples. Applications in multiresolution computation and in digital spline interpolation are also reviewed.
The Chemical Attack on Polymeric Materials as Modified by Diffusion

Abstract : This report investigates the reaction of polymeric media with a chemical reagent generally involving preliminary diffusion of the reagent through the polymer. The effect of a relatively rapid diffusion of a chemical reagent into a cylindrical fiber on the overall rate of reaction is considered and the equation therefor is derived. The equation is applicable both to the extent of the reaction and to the decay of stress in the polymer, provided that a linear relationship between stress and extent of reaction is assumed. (Author)
Developing a Contextualization of Students’ Mathematical Problem Solving

Abstract This paper investigates how students contextualize mathematical problem solving, not the actual problems. When students attempt to solve problems, what contexts (situational, cultural, or conceptual) do they evoke to describe their experiences with problem solving? The Common Core State Standards for Mathematical Practice emphasize contextualizing and decontextualizing problems, but what does this mean in practice? Middle and high school students were asked to attempt ability-appropriate problems during semi-structured interviews in this qualitative study. Situational contexts were analyzed using representation analysis (symbolic and nonsymbolic) while cultural contexts were analyzed using linguistic analysis (metaphors). The synergy of these two analyses developed a coherent and consistent conceptual contextualization for mathematical problem solving. Secondary students conceptualized problems as containers with the given information within the problem and solutions outside the problem. Thus students’ representations are a means to travel from within the problem to outside of the problem.
Information Organization in the Airline Cockpit: Lessons From Flight 236

We describe the all-engine-out landing of Air Transat Flight 236 in the Azores Islands (August 24, 2001) and use certain aspects of that accident to motivate a conceptual framework for the organiza...
Heat Stress Effects are Stronger on Spikelets Than on Flag Leaves in Rice Due to Differences in Dissipation Capacity

Rice is most sensitive to heat stress at the flowering stage, with different degrees of heat damage in spikelets and leaves. To investigate the heat damage in spikelets and flag leaves, two rice genotypes, N22 (heat‐tolerant) and GT937 (heat‐sensitive), were subjected to a heat‐stress treatment (40 °C for 15 days). The results showed that more damaging was found in spikelets than in flag leaves and the heat stress significantly decreased the seed‐setting rate by 12.41 % in N22 and by 65.02 % in GT937. However, the difference in the net photosynthetic rate of the flag leaf between heat‐stressed and control was not significant. Moreover, the difference of temperatures in spikelets and flag leaves was attributed to the differences in heat dissipating. Under heat stress, the transpiration rate was significantly higher in flag leaves than in spikelets, and the temperature in flag leaves were at least 4 °C cooler than in spikelets. Although the spikelet temperatures did not differ significantly between the two genotypes under heat stress, spikelets of GT937 were more severely damaged than those of N22, which might result from the differences in the antioxidant capacities between genotypes. Results showed that little difference of superoxide dismutase, peroxidase and catalase activities of spikelets was found in N22, while significant reduction was found in GT937 under heat stress, compared with control. These results suggest that organ temperature is controlled mainly by transpirational cooling, and that heat stress is an indirect result of oxidative stress, rather than a direct result of heat damage.
Conditional Probabilities of Significant Tornadoes from RUC-2 Forecasts

Abstract Several previous studies have established statistical relationships between the severity of convection and environmental conditions determined from rawinsonde observations. Here, the authors seek 1) to determine whether similar relationships are observed when severe weather reports are associated with gridded short-term numerical forecasts, and 2) to develop and demonstrate a prototypal probabilistic model to forecast the likelihood a thunderstorm will be tornadic. Severe weather reports and lightning network data from 1 January 1999 through 30 June 1999 were used to classify the weather at a set of Rapid Update Cycle (RUC-2) grid points into four weather categories. These were no thunderstorms, nonsupercellular thunderstorms, supercellular thunderstorms without significant tornadoes, and thunderstorms with significant tornadoes (F2 or greater). RUC-2 forecast convective available potential energy (CAPE), helicity, and 0–4-km mean wind shear from the same period were associated with this gridded ...
Regulatory Protectionism: A Hidden Threat to Free Trade

Despite the impressive success of trade liberalization, domestic industries continue to find ways to use the power of government to protect themselves from foreign competition. The practice of using domestic environmental or consumer safety regulation as a way to disguise protectionist policy has become a serious and growing problem in the United States. This regulatory protectionism harms the U.S. economy and violates our trade obligations. A number of factors combine to explain the rise in regulatory protectionism. Economic globalization has provided Americans with access to a wide range of imported products. This has enabled consumers to demand not only high-quality products at low cost but also products that are produced according to consumers’ philosophical or ethical preferences. Simultaneously, domestic producers seeking protection from this influx of imports must find alternative shelters now that the use of tariffs and quotas is constrained by international law and economic good sense. The consequence is a perfect storm in which social welfare activists and special commercial interests join forces to promote regulatory regimes that unfairly and unnecessarily restrict imports. There is already a system of laws in place to prevent regulatory protectionism. The rules of the international trading system recognize that domestic laws can be just as protectionist as tariffs. Many of the disciplines of World Trade Organization (WTO) law are embedded in the rules U.S. administrative agencies follow when setting new regulations. But the U.S. government must take its WTO obligations more seriously. Prior to implementing a new regulation, federal agencies should be required to evaluate the possibility that less trade-restrictive alternatives could meet regulatory goals as effectively as their preferred proposal. Also, the U.S. government should not dilute or bypass the multilateral rules of the WTO through bilateral or regional negotiations that accept managed protectionism. This paper uses a number of recent examples of protectionist regulations to show that the enemies of regulatory protectionism are transparency and vigilance. Policymakers should be skeptical of regulatory proposals backed by the target domestic industry and of proposals that lack a plausible theory of market failure. These are red flags that the proposal is the product of privilege-seeking special interests disguised as altruistic consumer advocates.
The impact of temporary assistance programs on the Social Security claiming age

Delaying claiming past the early eligibility age of 62 has taken on increased importance. Individuals turning 62 with no job and limited income may be able to use temporary assistance programs such as Unemployment Insurance (UI), Medicaid, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) as sources of support prior to collecting Social Security benefits. To what extent do these programs allow recipients to delay Social Security claiming? The challenge in answering this question stems from the fact that program users’ dire economic straits may make them more likely to claim benefits from both Social Security and these programs, generating a misleading correlation between Social Security claiming and temporary assistance benefits. This paper constructs instruments for program generosity that vary with an individual’s state of residence but should not reflect the characteristics or circumstances of the individual.
In vitro formation of neuroclusters in microfluidic devices and cell migration as a function of stromal-derived growth factor 1 gradients

Central nervous system (CNS) cells cultured in vitro as neuroclusters are useful models of tissue regeneration and disease progression. However, the role of cluster formation and collective migration of these neuroclusters to external stimuli has been largely unstudied in vitro. Here, 3 distinct CNS cell types, medulloblastoma (MB), medulloblastoma-derived glial progenitor cells (MGPC), and retinal progenitor cells (RPC), were examined with respect to cluster formation and migration in response to Stromal-Derived Growth Factor (SDF-1). A microfluidic platform was used to distinguish collective migration of neuroclusters from that of individual cells in response to controlled concentration profiles of SDF-1. Cell lines were also compared with respect to expression of CXCR4, the receptor for SDF-1, and the gap junction protein Connexin 43 (Cx43). All cell types spontaneously formed clusters and expressed both CXCR4 and Cx43. RPC clusters exhibited collective chemotactic migration (i.e. movement as clusters) along SDF-1 concentration gradients. MGPCs clusters did not exhibit adhesion-based migration, and migration of MB clusters was inconsistent. This study demonstrates how controlled microenvironments can be used to examine the formation and collective migration of CNS-derived neuroclusters in varied cell populations.
Rees Algebras and Almost Linearly Presented Ideals

Abstract Consider a grade 2 perfect ideal I in R = k [ x 1 , ⋯ , x d ] which is generated by forms of the same degree. Assume that the presentation matrix φ is almost linear, that is, all but the last column of φ consist of entries which are linear. For such ideals, we find explicit forms of the defining ideal of the Rees algebra R ( I ) . We also introduce the notion of iterated Jacobian duals.
Marketing and Public Policy: A Contemporary View:

Market structure analysis provides a useful means of relating market competition to contemporary environmental-ecological-political forces.
The Mathematics Of Aërodynamics

(1918). The Mathematics Of Aerodynamics. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 25, No. 7, pp. 292-297.
Lessons Learned from the Boston Marathon Bombing

The Boston Marathon bombing was the first major, modern US terrorist event with multiple, severe lower extremity injuries. First responders, including trained professionals and civilian bystanders, rushed to aid the injured. Of 243 injured, 152 patients presented to an emergency department within 24 h. Of these 152 patients, there were 66 suffering at least one extremity injury, with ages ranging from less than 15 to 71 years old. Of the 66 patients with extremity injuries, 4 had upper limbs affected, 56 lower limbs only, and 6 combined upper and lower limbs affected. There were 17 lower extremity traumatic amputations in 15 patients. Additionally, there were ten patients with 12 lower extremities suffering major vascular injuries. In total, 29 patients had recognized extremity exsanguination at the scene. Twenty-seven tourniquets were applied to these 29 patients: 16 of 17 traumatic amputations, 5 of 12 lower extremities with major vascular injuries, and six additional limbs with major soft tissue injury. All tourniquets were improvised and no commercial, purpose-designed tourniquets were applied or used. Although the mortality rate among the 243 injured was 0 %, extremity exsanguination at the point-of-injury was either left untreated or treated with an improvised tourniquet in the prehospital environment. An effective, prehospital extremity hemorrhage control posture should be translated to all civilian first responders in the United States, and should mirror the military’s posture toward extremity bleeding control. The prehospital response to extremity exsanguination after the Boston Marathon bombing demonstrates that our current practice is an approach, lost in translation, from the battlefield to the homeland.
Platelet fibrinogen and vitronectin in Glanzmann thrombasthenia: evidence consistent with specific roles for glycoprotein IIb/IIIA and alpha v beta 3 integrins in platelet protein trafficking [see comments]

To assess the individual contributions of the platelet glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor and the alpha v beta 3 vitronectin receptor to platelet levels of fibrinogen and vitronectin, we analyzed the platelets from two groups of Glanzmann thrombasthenic patients: Iraqi- Jews, whose platelets lack both receptors, and Arab patients in Israel, whose platelets lack GPIIb/IIIa, but have normal or increased numbers of alpha v beta 3 vitronectin receptors. The platelets from both thrombasthenic groups had profound deficiencies of fibrinogen, but the defect in the Iraqi-Jewish patients' platelets appeared to be slightly more severe. This finding indicates that GPIIb/IIIa is the major determinant of platelet fibrinogen, presumably acting by receptor- mediated uptake, and that the alpha v beta 3 vitronectin receptor plays little or no role. Arab patients' platelets have normal amounts of platelet vitronectin, whereas Iraqi-Jewish patients' platelets have nearly five times as much vitronectin as control or Arab patients' platelets. To account for these data, we propose a working hypothesis in which vitronectin is synthesized in megakaryocytes and the alpha v beta 3 vitronectin receptor is involved in transport of the protein out of megakaryocytes and/or platelets. Collectively, these observations suggest that in addition to their recognized roles in cell adhesion and in the interaction of cells with extracellular proteins, integrin receptors may be important in protein trafficking into, and perhaps out of, platelets.
Vanadium-Substituted LiCoPO4 Core with a Monolithic LiFePO4 Shell for High-Voltage Lithium-Ion Batteries

High-voltage lithium-ion cathodes are a promising solution for achieving higher energy density batteries. However, the use of high-voltage cathodes is presently limited by the irreversible chemical reactions occurring between the cathode and the electrolyte at the high operating voltages. Metal-oxide coatings on micrometer-sized high-voltage cathode materials have been employed to improve the electrochemical performance, but it is often difficult to achieve a robust, durable, monolithic coating on nanoparticles. This study presents a low-temperature microwave-assisted solvothermal process for realizing a robust, monolithic coating of LiFePO4 on the high-voltage (∼4.8 V) LiCo1–3x/2Vx□x/2PO4 (x = 0, 0.02, and 0.04) nanoparticles, offering a stable cathode–electrolyte interface. The core–shell cathode obtained exhibits enhanced electrochemical performance compared to the uncoated sample with an initial discharge capacity of 145 mAh/g. A lower operating voltage of LiFePO4 (∼3.4 V) raises the Fermi energy of t...
Federal Fisheries Management: A Quantitative Assessment of Federal Fisheries Litigation Since 1976

When Congress enacted the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act in 1976, it intended the Act to operate largely without the courts. Indeed, since the statute’s enactment, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the regional Fisheries Management Councils have published over 1700 regulatory actions in the Federal Register, but cases challenging fisheries management have been relatively limited. Given how much fisheries management “flies under the courts’ radar,” so to speak, it is worth asking what kinds of cases do end up in the courts. This article presents an initial quantitative assessment of federal fisheries litigation since 1976 to begin to assess the role of the courts in federal fisheries management. It concludes first that the 1996 and 2006 amendments to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, each of which added enforceable ecological requirements, both increased the amount of environmentally-minded litigation brought under that statute. Nevertheless, contrary to many perceptions, fishermen always have been the Act’s primary litigants, arguably confounding Congress’s original intent for fisheries management.
Is old age a contraindication to elective ventral hernia repair

Ventral hernia repair (VHR) is a frequent problem in the expanding aging population. However, advanced age is often viewed as a contraindication to elective hernia surgery. We aimed to analyze outcomes of VHR in a large cohort of elderly patients. We hypothesized that elective VHR is safe and effective even in patients over 70 years old. We conducted a retrospective review of consecutive patients over the age of 70 who underwent VHR at a at a tertiary care hospital. Main outcome measures included postoperative complications and recurrence rate. Between 2006 and 2015, 263 elderly patients who underwent elective VHR were included. Major comorbidities included diabetes, COPD, and smoking history. The majority of the patients underwent open repairs. Surgical site events occurred in 54 patients (21%). Postoperative complications included 17 venous thromboembolism occurrences, 2 myocardial infarctions, 41 patients who required postoperative critical care, and 1 mortality. Readmission within 90 days postoperatively occurred in 34 patients (13%). At a mean follow-up of 25.6 months, 17 patients in the open group and 6 patients in the laparoscopic group had a recurrence. We demonstrated that VHR can be performed reasonably safely and effectively even in this potentially risky cohort. The use of laparoscopy might be associated with further reduction in morbidity. Overall, age should not be a contraindication to elective VHR, even in patients over 70 years old.
Indocyanine Green Fluorescence to Evaluate Nasoseptal Flap Viability in Endoscopic Endonasal Cranial Base Surgery.

Objectives The pedicled nasoseptal flap (NSF) has dramatically reduced postoperative cerebrospinal fluid leakage following endoscopic endonasal approach (EEA) surgery. Although rare, its arterial supply may be damaged during harvest or may be preoperatively damaged for numerous reasons. Early recognition permits harvesting a contralateral flap before sacrificing its pedicle as part of the surgical exposure or use of an alternative flap. Design Technical feasibility study and case series. Setting Tertiary care university-associated medical center. Participants Five patients requiring an EEA with NSF reconstruction. Main Outcome Measures During NSF harvest, intravenous indocyanine green (IVICG) was administered, and a customized endoscopic system was used to visualize the emerging fluorescence. At the end of each case, just before final positioning of the NSF, additional IVICG was administered, and the custom endoscope was again introduced to evaluate fluorescence. Results In four patients, the entire NSF fluoresced brightly with IVICG on initial harvest and before final positioning. One patient showed heterogeneous fluorescence of the pedicle and distal parts of the NSF at both stages. All NSFs healed well without complication. Conclusion IVICG facilitates real-time evaluation NSF's arterial supply. This may provide early recognition of arterial compromise, allowing the harvest of alternate flaps or modification of surgery.
Effective in battle: conceptualizing soldiers’ combat effectiveness*

How do we understand combat effectiveness – soldiers’ performance in battle? Despite the broad consensus that understanding combat effectiveness is important both for scholars and policymakers, the...
A Dynamic Differential Calorimetric Technique for Measuring Heats of Polymerization

Dynamic differential calorimetry is now widely used for measuring heats of transitions and reactions in solid and in relatively nonvolatile liquid systems. Similar rapid determinations are often needed on volatile systems, such as determination of heats of polymerization of volatile monomers. Several instrument manufacturers have available, so-called “hermetically” sealed sample containers for volatile samples, which, however, often rupture at relatively low pressures. More recently, other workers have devised techniques to seal the sample cells but with variable success. For instance, Horie et al. (1) modified the Perkin-Elmer sample pans for use with its Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC) by bonding face to face two standard aluminum pans with a heat-resistant adhesive. The sample was injected into the enclosed pan with a syringe, and the hole produced was closed with cellophane tape. Although the authors claimed good results in their polymerization studies, this sealing technique does not seem to withstand high pressures and, consequently, gas leakage may occur. Freeberg and Alleman (2) devised threaded metal cells, and Barrett and Thomas (3) sealed aluminum cylinders with polytetrafluoroethylene plugs, both for use with the Perkin-Elmer DSC.
Accelerating electromigration aging for fast failure detection for nanometer ICs

For practical testing and detection of electromigration (EM) induced failures in dual damascene copper interconnects in today's and future sub-10nm ICs, one critical issue is how to create stressing conditions so that the chip will fail exclusively under EM in a very short period of time so that EM signoff and validation can be carried out efficiently. In this work, we propose novel EM wearout-acceleration techniques for practical VLSI chips. We will first review the recently proposed three-phase physics-based EM models and discuss the important factors contributing to the EM aging process. Then we propose a new formula for fast estimation of the void's saturation volume for general multi-segment interconnect wires, which is important for EM mortality check. We then investigate two strategies to accelerate the EM failure process: reservoir-enhanced acceleration and temperature-based acceleration. First we show that multi-segment interconnects with reservoir structures and their stressing currents can be exploited to significantly speedup the EM wearout process. Such configurable reservoir-based wires are very flexible and can achieve various EM accelerations at the costs of some routing resources. Additionally, we show that further acceleration can be achieved by increasing temperature. On average, 10% increase in temperature yields about 10X wearout acceleration. However, purely temperature based acceleration is not possible since practical VLSI chips have temperature limitations which must be strictly enforced to ensure the chip only fails under EM, and not due to other reliability effects. In this study, we show that it is possible to achieve significantly high acceleration while staying within the feasible operating zones by combining the two acceleration techniques. Experimental results show that by combining temperature and reservoir accelerations, we can reduce the EM lifetime of a chip from 10 years down to a few hours (about 105 acceleration) under the 150°C temperature limit, which is sufficient for practical EM testing of typical nanometer CMOS ICs.
Predicting Receptive-Expressive Vocabulary Discrepancies in Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Purpose Correlates of receptive–expressive vocabulary size discrepancies may provide insights into why language development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) deviates from typical lan...
Using latin squares to understand hamming codes

Determining the codeword length, k, in order to correct a given number of bit errors is a relatively simple algorithm. However, choosing the correct q-ary subset of codewords from the 2^k set of possible codewords is not a trivial exercise. This tends to be the "missing step" in most textbooks and discussions of the Hamming bound. Using a set of Latin squares to represent the Hamming distance between all possible codewords provides a simpler, and more visual, representation of k-space, and provides a method for choosing acceptable codewords. Moreover, a Latin squares approach can prove useful for discussing many types of error-detection and error correction.
Inguinal Hernia Repair

This section introduces the reader to the types of inguinal hernias and their potential complications, including incarceration and strangulation. The technique for both open and laparoscopic herniorrhaphy is discussed, as are the most common postoperative complications. A classic case of an incarcerated inguinal hernia is described, and questions are provided for review.
Patient-Specific Computational Simulations of Hyperpolarized $^3$ He MRI Ventilation Defects in Healthy and Asthmatic Subjects

Combined, medical imaging data and respiratory computer simulations may facilitate novel insight into pulmonary disease phenotypes, including the structure/function relationships within the airways. This integration may ultimately enable improved classification and treatment of asthma. Severe asthma (15% of asthmatics) is particularly challenging to treat, as these patients do not respond well to inhaled therapeutics. Methods: This study combines medical image data with patient-specific computational models to predict gas distributions and airway mechanics in healthy and asthmatic subjects. We achieve this by integrating segmental volume defect percent (SVDP), measured from hyperpolarized 3 He MRI and computed tomography images, to create models of patient-specific gas flow within the conducting airways. Predicted and measured SVDP distributions are achieved when the prescribed resistances are increased systematically. Results: Because of differences in airway morphology and regional function, airway resistances and flow structures varied between the asthmatic subjects. Specifically, while mean SVDP was similar between the severe asthmatics (4.30 ± 5.22 versus 3.54 ± 5.98%), one subject exhibited abnormal flow structures, high near wall flow gradients, and enhanced conducting airway resistances (17.3E-3 versus 1.1E-3 cmH 2 O-s/mL) in comparison to the other severe asthmatic subject. Conclusion: By coupling medical imaging data with computer simulations, we provide detailed insight into pathological flow characteristics and airway mechanics in asthmatics, beyond what could be inferred independently.
Common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) abundance and distribution patterns in St Andrew Bay, Florida, USA

Common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are found in temperate and tropical waters of the world across a wide range of habitats. Along Florida's north‐western coast, this species resides in the bays, sounds, and estuaries (BSE) and coastal (CST) waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico. The National Marine Fisheries Service has identified one CST (Northern Coastal Stock) and seven adjacent BSE dolphin stocks, including the St Andrew Bay BSE Stock. Baseline data are critical to assess the impacts of ongoing and future anthropogenic stressors on these stocks. Currently, there is no comprehensive abundance estimate for the St Andrew Bay BSE Stock, and there are limited data on distribution patterns and site fidelity for this stock. In addition, little is known about the Northern Coastal Stock hypothesized to range from the Big Bend of Florida to the Mississippi River Delta, inclusive of the CST waters adjacent to St Andrew Bay. The goals of this study were to conduct photographic‐identification surveys during 2015 and 2016 to determine abundance, distribution, and site fidelity of common bottlenose dolphins in the St Andrew Bay BSE Stock over four primary periods (July and October 2015, and April and October 2016). St Andrew Bay BSE dolphin abundance was lowest in April 2016 (199, 95% confidence interval [CI] 173–246), followed by July 2015 (249, 95% CI 199–338), and highest in October 2015 (299, 95% CI 259–361) and October 2016 (315, 95% CI 274–378). Few individuals were sighted in both BSE and CST waters (N = 25/353; 7%), and this fact, taken in tandem with limited connections between the BSE and CST environments, suggests that there may be minimal overlap between the St Andrew Bay BSE and Northern Coastal Stocks.
A mHealth Platform Using Transfer Learning and Internet of Things to Improve Children's Health Consciousness and Behavior

Developing bad food habits at an early age is becoming a very concerning issue among parents. Unhealthy food consumption may lead to various diseases. In fact, this is the major reason behind children obesity issues. In this paper, we developed an Internet of Things enabled mHealth platform with transfer learning where we suggest a balanced and categorized food chart according to nutrition and children's meal timing.