cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steam-dealuminated, OSDA-free RHO and KFI-type zeolites as catalysts for the methanol-to-olefins reaction

RHO and KFI-type zeolites are synthesized in the absence of organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs), post-synthetically dealuminated via high temperature (600–800 °C) steam treatments, and evaluated as catalysts for converting methanol-to-light olefins (MTO). The proton forms of the as-made zeolites deactivate rapidly when tested for the MTO reaction (conducted at 400 °C and atmospheric pressure) due to their high aluminum content. Steam treatments lead to improvements in olefin selectivities and catalyst lifetimes with samples steamed at 600 °C giving the best combination of lifetime and olefin selectivity. Zeolite characterizations by ^(27)Al NMR, ^(29)Si NMR and argon physisorption indicate that the steam treatments extract framework aluminum, leading to reductions in the total number of Bronsted acid sites and the creation of mesopores that can facilitate transport of reactants. Poisoning of the acid sites external to the 8MR pores of the zeolites by treatments with trimethylphosphite results in longer catalyst lifetimes but do not affect the observed olefin selectivities, suggesting that olefins do not undergo secondary dimerization or methylation reactions at these sites.
ATP releases HSP-72 from protein aggregates after renal ischemia

The pattern of 72-kDa heat-shock protein (HSP-72) induction after renal ischemia suggests a role in restoring cell structure. HSP-72 activity in the repair and release from denatured and aggregated...
Effect of Design Rail Cant on Concrete Crosstie Rail Seat Pressure Distribution

Previous research has focused on the effect of rail cant on rail wear and wheel/rail interaction, indicating that a steeper rail cant results in increased wear on rails and wheels. However, no research has investigated the effect of rail cant on the crosstie rail seat pressure distribution. Past research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) looked into the effect of negative (reverse) rail cant on pressure distribution across the rail seat utilizing matrix-based tactile surface sensors (MBTSS) on artificially created rail seat wear profile at TTC, Pueblo. These results showed that the pressure distribution became more non uniform with increasing negative rail cant. This paper looks into the effect of ‘design’ rail cant on pressure distribution across the rail seat. Static tests were carried out on 1:30 and 1:40 cant crossties imparting a predefined sequence of vertical and lateral load combinations. MBTSS and potentiometers were used to measure pressure distribution and rail rotation respectively. The 1:30 cant distributed load more evenly than 1:40 cant at lateral to vertical force ratios greater than 0.4. The two rail cants did not show significant differences in the values of average pressure, contact area, or rail rotation.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Viral hepatitis--a primer: 1. Epidem.iology.

Hepatitis A is most often transmitted by the fecal-oral route under conditions of crowding, poor hygiene, and prolonged exposure to infected persons. Direct spread of hepatitis B via person-to-person contact has only recently been proved. Hepatitis B is usually transmitted indirectly by percutaneous routes, and the increase in drug abuse has brought about a change in its epidemiologic pattern.
Single Microbubble Measurements of Lipid Monolayer Viscoelastic Properties for Small-Amplitude Oscillations

Lipid monolayer rheology plays an important role in a variety of interfacial phenomena, the physics of biological membranes, and the dynamic response of acoustic bubbles and drops. We show here measurements of lipid monolayer elasticity and viscosity for very small strains at megahertz frequency. Individual plasmonic microbubbles of 2–6 μm radius were photothermally activated with a short laser pulse, and the subsequent nanometer-scale radial oscillations during ring-down were monitored by optical scatter. This method provided average dynamic response measurements of single microbubbles. Each microbubble was modeled as an underdamped linear oscillator to determine the damping ratio and eigenfrequency, and thus the lipid monolayer viscosity and elasticity. Our nonisothermal measurement technique revealed viscoelastic trends for different lipid shell compositions. We observed a significant increase in surface elasticity with the lipid acyl chain length for 16 to 20 carbons, and this effect was explained by ...
Cognitive Motor Interference in Multiple Sclerosis: Insights From a Systematic Quantitative Review.

Abstract Objective To synthesize the evidence for differences in cognitive motor interference (CMI) between persons with multiple sclerosis (MS) and those without MS by using systematic review and meta-analysis. Data Sources EMBASE, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science. Our focused literature search was informed by past systematic reviews of CMI during walking in MS. Study Selection The key terms searched included Multiple sclerosis and synonyms of motor function (eg, Gait disorders , Gait , Walking , Balance , or Fall ) and motor and cognitive functions (eg, Cognitive motor interference or Thinking ). Data Extraction From the 116 abstract-identified articles, 13 experimental studies were selected for the final analysis and were rated using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. A meta-analysis was performed for all considered outcomes. Data Synthesis The results yielded a small overall effect size (ES) of .08 (SE=.17; 95% confidence interval, −.25 to .40; z =.49; P >.05), which indicated a nonsignificant minimal difference in CMI between persons with MS and those without MS. The moderator analysis for motor task (mobility task: ES, .22; postural task: ES, −.11) was not significantly different between persons with MS and those without MS. The moderator analysis for cognitive task (verbal fluency task: ES, .66; mental tracking task: ES, .04; discrimination and decision-making task: ES, −.30) resulted in a significant difference in CMI between persons with MS and those without MS ( P Conclusions We provide evidence that overall there is a minimal difference in CMI between persons with MS and those without MS.
Association Between Commonly Prescribed Opioids and Androgen Deficiency in Men: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

Objective. Androgen deficiency is common among men who use opioids daily for chronic pain. In previous studies, we found that long-acting opioids are associated with greater odds of androgen suppression than equipotent doses of short-acting opioids. Here we examined whether specific commonly prescribed opioids were associated with greater odds of androgen deficiency compared to hydrocodone. Design. Retrospective cohort study. Setting and Patients. Within a large, integrated health care delivery system, this study was comprised of men ages 18–80 on a stable regimen of a single opioid for chronic non-cancer pain. Methods. Morning serum total testosterone levels were measured in subjects prescribed one opioid for at least 90 days. The association between individual opioids and androgen deficiency was assessed with logistic regression, controlling for dose, obesity, age, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, using hydrocodone as a referent. Results. This study included 1,159 men. Men on fentanyl (odds ratio [OR] 25.7, 95% CI 2.82–234.97), methadone (OR 7.33, 95% CI 3.29–16.33), or oxycodone (OR 3.15, 95% CI 1.87–5.33) were more likely to be androgen deficient than men on hydrocodone. Increases in dose affected the odds of androgen deficiency differently for different opioids. Increased doses of hydrocodone (OR 1.18 per 10-mg increase in drug, 95% CI 1.09–1.28) and oxycodone (OR 1.01, 95% CI 1.00–1.02) were associated with increased odds of androgen deficiency. Conclusions. Our results suggest that certain opioids are associated with increased odds of androgen deficiency compared with hydrocodone. Transdermal fentanyl, methadone and oxycodone were associated with higher odds of androgen deficiency than hydrocodone.
Framing DNA: Social Movement Theory And The Foundations Of The Innocence Movement

The “innocence movement” has often been mentioned, but rarely explored in depth. In particular, scholars have yet to study the beginning of the movement thoroughly. This article explores the early history of the innocence movement, referred to as the “foundations” of the movement, suggesting that the common focus solely on DNA as the source of the movement is an overly narrow historical focus. Based on archival research and interviews with key movement participants, this article draws on social movement theory to better understand the roots of the innocence movement, including its organizational foundation, early leadership, and the identification of the “problem” of wrongful conviction as a cause worthy of collective action. These three developments re-framed DNA as a tool to seek justice through post-conviction exonerations, thus creating the foundation on which the innocence movement was built.
Intrinsic and Stable Conjugation of Thiolated Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles with Radioarsenic

The development of new image-guided drug delivery tools to improve the therapeutic efficacy of chemotherapeutics remains an important goal in nanomedicine. Using labeling strategies that involve radioelements that have theranostic pairs of diagnostic positron-emitting isotopes and therapeutic electron-emitting isotopes has promise in achieving this goal and further enhancing drug performance through radiotherapeutic effects. The isotopes of radioarsenic offer such theranostic potential and would allow for the use of positron emission tomography (PET) for image-guided drug delivery studies of the arsenic-based chemotherapeutic arsenic trioxide (ATO). Thiolated mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN) are shown to effectively and stably bind cyclotron-produced radioarsenic. Labeling studies elucidate that this affinity is a result of specific binding between trivalent arsenic and nanoparticle thiol surface modification. Serial PET imaging of the in vivo murine biodistribution of radiolabeled silica nanoparticl...
Accelerating the calculation of minimum set of viewpoints for maximum coverage over digital elevation model data by hybrid computer architecture and systems

This paper introduces how to accelerate the calculation of the minimum set of viewpoints for the maximum coverage over digital elevation model data using Intel's Xeon Phi and a computer cluster equipped with Intel's Many-Integrated-Core (MIC) coprocessors. This data and computation intensive process consists of a series of geocomputation tasks, including 1) the automatic generation of control viewpoints through map algebra calculation and hydrological modeling approaches; 2) the creation of the joint viewshed derived from the viewshed of all viewpoints to establish the maximum viewshed coverage of the given digital elevation model (DEM) data; and 3) the identification of a minimum set of viewpoints that cover the maximum terrain area of the joint viewshed. The parallel implementation on the hybrid computer cluster was able to achieve more than 100× performance speedup in comparison to the sequential implementation. The outcome of the computation has broad societal impacts since the research questions and solutions can be applied to real-world applications and decision-making practice.
Slow Electron–Hole Recombination in Lead Iodide Perovskites Does Not Require a Molecular Dipole

Hybrid organic/inorganic lead iodide perovskites of the formula APbI3, where A is a molecular cation such as methylammonium, exhibit remarkably slow photoinduced charge carrier recombination rates, for reasons that remain uncertain. Prevalent hypotheses credit this behavior to the unique dipolar nature of the molecular cation. Herein, transient terahertz spectroscopy is applied to solution-processed, all-inorganic, perovskite-phase cesium lead iodide (CsPbI3) thin films, which lack such a dipole. The recombination kinetics are studied as a function of the initial photoinduced carrier concentration and the wavelength of excitation. A kinetic model combining diffusion and recombination is fit to the data, from which the rate constants are determined, revealing a bimolecular recombination rate of 10–10 cm3 s–1, comparable to high-quality, single-crystal, direct-gap semiconductors. This rate, as well as a charge carrier mobility > 30 cm2 V–1 s–1 measured herein for CsPbI3, are similar to values reported for t...
The 'bulging fontanelle' to be included in primary care algorithms.

Major changes have taken place in the delivery of out-of-hours primary care. There is a growing trend towards help-lines and drop in centres. Many patients will often first speak to a nurse, who will triage the calls with or without the help of guidelines or algorithms. The concern arises as to whether this is safe. In the last few years of my training, I have come across two children whose parents mentioned a ‘bulging fontanelle’ as part of their concerns, and who were falsely reassured over the phone. Both infants presented with a non-specific febrile illness. They contacted NHS Direct in one case, and a local nurse-led call centre of the local GP cooperative in the other. This last centre used the same guidelines/algorithms as NHS Direct. In both cases, parents mentioned the protruding soft spot during the structured interview. Neither nurse nor protocol picked up on this significant finding, and parents were reassured and advised to give paracetamol and ensure adequate fluid intake. After presentation to the hospital, one child turned out to have a viral illness, while the other had pneumococcal meningitis and required a prolonged hospital stay. The helplines have since addressed the issue by updating their protocol and providing further training for their nurses. In both these cases an important sign, that is the bulging fontanelle, was missed, and parents were falsely reassured. In medical school, presentation of meningitis in children is well-rehearsed, including all rare and non-specific presentations, to ensure this disastrous condition is recognised early. I doubt that any doctor would have missed this sign. I would encourage all primary care trusts to review their out-of-hours service, and to review protocols and guidelines they hold on children presenting with non-specific febrile illness, and in particular, include this subtle but important sign. I would like to advocate a low threshold for babies and infants to be reviewed by a doctor in any case.
Testing concurrent user behavior of synchronous web applications with Petri nets

Web applications are now used in every aspect of our lives to manage work, provide products and services, read email, and provide entertainment. The software technologies used to build web applications provide features that help designers provide flexible functionality, but that are challenging to model and test. In particular, the network-based request-response model of programming means that web applications are inherently “stateless” and implicitly concurrent. They are stateless because a new network connection is made for each request (for example, when a user clicks a submit button). Thus, the server does not, by default, recognize multiple requests from the same user. Web applications are also concurrent because multiple users can use the same web application at the same time, creating contention for the same resources. Unfortunately, most web application testing does not adequately evaluate these aspects of web applications, leaving many software faults in deployed web applications. Part of this problem is because most traditional software modeling tools (such as UML) do not have built-in support for the stateless and concurrent aspects of web applications. This research project uses a novel model that is based on Petri nets to describe certain aspects of the behavior of web applications. This paper makes several contributions. We present a novel technique to design tests from this model that explicitly tests concurrency in web applications. We present novel coverage criteria that are defined on the Petri net model. We present results from an empirical study of 18 web applications with 343 components and 30,186 lines of code, followed by a case study on a large industrial web application. The tests found significantly more faults than traditional requirements-based tests, with fewer tests.
Predicting News Coverage of Scientific Articles

Journalists act as gatekeepers to the scientific world, controlling what information reaches the public eye and how it is presented. Analyzing the kinds of research that typically receive more media attention is vital to understanding issues such as the “science of science communication” (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine 2017), patterns of misinformation, and the “cycle of hype.” We track the coverage of 91,997 scientific articles published in 2016 across various disciplines, publishers, and news outlets using metadata and text data from a leading tracker of scientific coverage in social and traditional media, Altmetric. We approach the problem as one of ranking each day’s, or week’s, papers by their likely level of media attention, using the learning-to-rank model lambdaMART (Burges 2010). We find that ngram features from the title, abstract and press release significantly improve performance over the metadata features journal, publisher, and subjects.
DNA splicing systems: an ordinary differential equations model and simulation

DNA splicing in the test tube may generate DNA molecules other than well-formed ones having two blunt ends. We introduce an example splicing system that generates all possible molecular types.We use differential equations to model the system, and Mathematica to simulate its dynamics. We find that most simulation results match our predictions, and acknowledge that a more comprehensive program is needed for further investigations. This is the first model and simulation of which we are aware that specifically treats the fact that several molecular types in addition to well-formed molecules may be present in a splicing system, even at equilibrium.
Economic Games for Social Scientists

Abstract Experimental economics has developed since the 1960s, establishing a methodology, a professional organization, and, finally, a journal. Economics experiments differ methodologically from other social science experiments in two ways: subjects are paid their earnings in the experiments, and no deception of subjects is allowed. They differ in content as well, focusing on tests of economic theory and careful examinations of behavior that deviate from the “rational actor model” dominating the field of economics. Four canonical games are examined (double auction market, public goods game, ultimatum game, and trust game), and contributions of experiments in economics are summarized.
Rapid Automated Assessment of Microgrid Performance Software System (RAMPS)

This paper proposes an interactive software system called Rapid Automated Assessment of Microgrid Performance Software Systems (RAMPS) for assessing the ranges of time-varying loads, power produced by renewable resources, and microgrid configurations which can be operated in a stable manner. This tool can aid deployment of microgrids through rapid automated modeling, model-based simulations and assessment of most critical constraints. Particular emphasis is on assessing the effects of different controllers on microgrid performance. Finally, it is illustrated how one can begin to operate microgrids by adaptively adjusting gains and set points of these controllers in response to additional data made available. Challenge problems are illustrated on a microgrid and its performance is assessed as a function of its control. RAMPS is an open-access software system to be made publicly available to potential users.
Inter-Rater Reliability Between Critical Care Nurses Performing a Pediatric Modification to the Glasgow Coma Scale.

OBJECTIVES Estimate the inter-rater reliability of critical care nurses performing a pediatric modification of the Glasgow Coma Scale in a contemporary PICU. DESIGN Prospective observation study. SETTING Large academic PICU. PATIENTS/SUBJECTS All 274 nurses with permanent assignments in the PICU were eligible to participate. A subset of 18 nurses were selected as study registered nurses. All PICU patients were eligible to participate. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS PICU nurses were educated and demonstrated proficiency on a pediatric modification of the Glasgow Coma Scale we created to make it more applicable to a diverse PICU population that included patients who are sedated, mechanically ventilated, and/or have developmental disabilities. Each study registered nurse observed a sample of nurses perform the Glasgow Coma Scale, and they independently scored the Glasgow Coma Scale. Patients were categorized as having developmental disabilities if their preillness Pediatric Cerebral Performance Category score was greater than or equal to 3. Fleiss' Kappa (κ), intraclass correlation coefficient, and percent agreement assessed inter-rater reliability for each Glasgow Coma Scale component (eye, verbal, motor) and age-specific scale (≥ 2 and < 2-yr-old). The overall percent agreement between study registered nurses and nurses was 89% for the eye, 91% for the verbal, and 79% for the motor responses. Inter-rater reliability ranged from good (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.75) to excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.96) for testable patients. Agreement on the motor response was significantly lower for children with developmental disabilities (< 2 yr: 59% vs 95%; p = 0.0012 and ≥ 2 yr: 55% vs 91%; p = 0.0012). Agreement was significantly worse for intermediate range Glasgow Coma Scale motor responses compared with responses at the extremes (e.g., motor responses 2, 3, 4 vs 1, 5, 6; p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS A pediatric modification of the Glasgow Coma Scale performed by trained PICU nurses has excellent inter-rater reliability, although reliability was reduced in patients with developmental disabilities and for intermediate range Glasgow Coma Scale responses. Further research is needed to determine the effectiveness of this Glasgow Coma Scale modification to detect clinical deterioration.
Musical commemorations and grand narratives: The case of the oratorio “Srebrenički Inferno” in post-genocide Bosnia:

In the last 20 years, Bosnia-Herzegovina has witnessed the creation of a grand narrative about the Srebrenica genocide. Affecting perceptions, renditions, and understandings of this event, this gra...
A randomized phase II study of nivolumab monotherapy versus nivolumab combined with ipilimumab in advanced gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST).

11017Background: Most GISTs are driven by mutations in KIT and PDGFRa and secondary mutations are felt to confer resistance to TKIs. In advanced/metastatic GIST, the benefit of second line TKIs and...
Urea recovery from fresh human urine by forward osmosis and membrane distillation (FO-MD)

Urea is widely used as fertilizer and has other valuable uses such as diesel exhaust fluid and for resin fabrication. Human urine is a readily available and local source of urea that is overlooked due to the rapid hydrolysis of urea in fresh urine and wastewater, which makes its recovery challenging. Moreover, urea is a compound without an established method for recovery from urine or other waste streams. In this research, a novel two-step process of forward osmosis (FO) and membrane distillation (MD) was developed to recover the urea in fresh human urine. Specifically, FO was used to selectively separate urea from the other components in urine and MD was used to concentrate the separated urea. Five pre-treatment conditions were investigated for urea stabilization. For samples of fresh urine, fresh urine with acetic acid, fresh urine with calcium hydroxide, fresh urine with sodium hydroxide, and synthetic fresh urine with sodium hydroxide, FO recovered 20%, 15%, 12%, 11%, and 21% of the urea in urine, respectively. MD was able to concentrate the product draw solutions from FO containing urea by a factor of 1.9 to 3.3. The combined process was able to produce a product solution that had an average urea concentration that is 45–68% of the urea concentration found in the fresh urine with greater than 90% rejection of TOC. The proof-of-concept study illustrated that FO–MD provides a technology platform for urea recovery from fresh human urine, which currently does not have an established method for recovery.
Orbital Floor Fractures Concurrent with Acute Open-Globe Injuries.

Abstract In a national database, 8.9% of patients with acute open globe injury suffered a concurrent orbital floor fracture, an association significantly impacted by demographics, classification of globe injury, medical history, and status of globe preservation.
Responding to Outbreaks of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Among Persons Who Inject Drugs-United States, 2016-2019: Perspectives on Recent Experience and Lessons Learned

In 2015, a large human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) outbreak occurred among persons who inject drugs (PWID) in Indiana. During 2016-2019, additional outbreaks among PWID occurred across the United States. Based on information disseminated by responding health departments and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) involvement, we offer perspectives about characteristics of and public health responses to 6 such outbreaks. Across outbreaks, injection of opioids (including fentanyl) or methamphetamine predominated; many PWID concurrently used opioids and methamphetamine or cocaine. Commonalities included homelessness or unstable housing, previous incarceration, and hepatitis C virus exposure. All outbreaks occurred in metropolitan areas, including some with substantial harm reduction and medical programs targeted to PWID. Health departments experienced challenges locating case patients and contacts, linking and retaining persons in care, building support to strengthen harm-reduction programs, and leveraging resources. Expanding the concept of vulnerability to HIV outbreaks and other lessons learned can be considered for preventing, detecting, and responding to future outbreaks among PWID.
Optimal Stopping of Adaptive Dose-Finding Trials

The primary objective of this paper is to develop computationally efficient methods for optimal stopping of an adaptive Phase II dose-finding clinical trial, where the decision maker may terminate ...
Antitrust Immunity, the First Amendment & Settlements: Defining the Boundaries of the Right to Petition

Specifically, this Article examines whether settlement agreements and consent decrees resulting from what would otherwise be immunized litigation are protected from antitrust scrutiny and liability under Noerr. In order to conduct this analysis, this Article develops a methodology for determining immunity by focusing the immunity examination upon the means used to petition government and the source of the alleged injuries. Ultimately, private conduct is immune from antitrust scrutiny when it represents a valid attempt to persuade an independent governmental decision-maker in an effort to solicit government action, and the alleged injuries result from that persuasive effort. The validity of any effort depends upon the forum in which the petitioning is conducted without reference to antitrust. By focusing upon the means used to petition government, this analysis ensures that Noerr immunity protects the people's right to petition their government for the redress of grievances without unnecessarily limiting the protection afforded by the antitrust laws.
Labour market institutions, liquidity constraints, and macroeconomic stability

Abstract The sensitivity of employment and real wages — hence aggregate labour income — to short-run fluctuations in output varies across countries. We develop a simple theoretical model to show that, if workers, but not capitalists, are liquidity constrained, the sensitivity of an economy to exogenous expenditure shocks is inversely related to the extent to which capitalists, rather than workers, bear fluctuations in income. We perform an econometric test of this proposition using cross-sectional, country-level data. The empirical results support the view that the lower the sensitivity of labour income to output fluctuations, the smaller the output fluctuations themselves will be.
Machine Vision Techniques for Situational Awareness and Path Planning in Model Test Basin Ice-Covered Waters

The following paper describes recent efforts made by the National Research Council of Canada's Ocean, Coastal and River Engineering Research Centre to develop a real-time computer vision system in its Ice Tank facility. It describes the design of the camera system installation, as well as the various software tools created to collect and composite imagery, to process and extract ice field information, and to provide this situational awareness information to autonomous vessels for path-planning and following by interfacing with data acquisition software.
Abstract P008: Ideal Cardiovascular Health And Hepatocyte Growth Factor In The Multi-ethnic Study Of Atherosclerosis

Background: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a cytokine released in response to vascular injury and a novel biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, the relationship between ideal ...
Uniting Stereo and Depth-from-Defocus: A Thin Lens-based Variational Framework for Multiview Reconstruction

The problem of reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) scene geometry and radiometry from images is an important problem in computer vision and has applications in a variety of fields such as medicine and artifact preservation. However, state-of-the-art multiview algorithms assume a pinhole camera that incorrectly models defocus blur as a property of the scene instead of a property of the imaging process. We address the problem of dense 3D shape reconstruction from multiple viewpoints in situations where the image data exhibits noticeable defocus. We develop a mathematical framework for a fully generative variational algorithm that iteratively deforms an estimate of the foreground surface shapes and scene radiance such that irradiance estimates given by the thin lens forward model are photometrically consistent with the actual image data. This framework is founded on novel geometric computations of flux differentials across an evolving surface as well as gradients along occluding boundaries and their projections. While more work is needed to make them fit for practical use, the future potential of methods based on these computations is shown with experiments reconstructing simple object shapes from both synthetically generated and real defocused images. While our reconstruction algorithm has a higher computational cost than pinhole-based methods due to the more general optical model, it better reconstructs object proportions as well as sharp features that are blurred due to image defocus. As such, our geometry-based method provides a unified framework that extends the applicability of multiview reconstruction techniques to the poorly supported domain of defocused images where state-of-the-art pinhole-based methods fail.
Placental Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Preclinical Safety Evaluation for Fetal Myelomeningocele Repair.

Abstract Background Myelomeningocele (MMC) is the congenital failure of neural tube closure in utero, for which the standard of care is prenatal surgical repair. We developed clinical-grade placental mesenchymal stromal cells seeded on a dural extracellular matrix (PMSC-ECM), which have been shown to improve motor outcomes in preclinical ovine models. To evaluate the long-term safety of this product prior to use in a clinical trial, we conducted safety testing in a murine model. Methods Clinical grade PMSCs obtained from donor human placentas were seeded onto a 6 mm diameter ECM at a density of 3 × 105 cells/cm2. Immunodeficient mice were randomized to receive either an ECM only or PMSC-ECM administered into a subcutaneous pocket. Mice were monitored for tumor formation until two study endpoints: 4 wk and 6 mo. Pathology and histology on all tissues was performed to evaluate for tumors. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was performed to evaluate for the presence of human DNA, which would indicate persistence of PMSCs. Results Fifty-four mice were included; 13 received ECM only and 14 received PMSC-ECM in both the 4-wk and 6-mo groups. No mice had gross or microscopic evidence of tumor development. A nodular focus of mature fibrous connective tissue was identified at the subcutaneous implantation pocket in the majority of mice with no significant difference between ECM only and PMSC-ECM groups (P = 0.32 at 4 wk, P > 0.99 at 6 mo). Additionally, no human DNA was detected by qPCR in any mice at either time point. Conclusions Subcutaneous implantation of the PMSC-ECM product did not result in tumor formation and we found no evidence that PMSCs persisted. These results support the safety of the PMSC-ECM product for use in a Phase 1/2a human clinical trial evaluating fetal MMC repair augmented with PMSC-ECM.
Technical note: Entrainment-limited kinetics of bimolecular reactions in clouds

Abstract. The method of entrainment-limited kinetics enables atmospheric chemistry models that do not resolve clouds to simulate heterogeneous (surface and multiphase) cloud chemistry more accurately and efficiently than previous numerical methods. The method, which was previously described for reactions with first-order kinetics in clouds, incorporates cloud entrainment into the kinetic rate coefficient. This technical note shows how bimolecular reactions with second-order kinetics in clouds can also be treated with entrainment-limited kinetics, enabling efficient simulations of a wider range of cloud chemistry reactions. Accuracy is demonstrated using oxidation of SO2 to S(VI) – a key step in formation of acid rain – as an example. Over a large range of reaction rates, cloud fractions, and initial reactant concentrations, the numerical errors in the entrainment-limited bimolecular reaction rates are typically
A Closer Look at Discretion: The Prosecution of Serious Economic Crimes

While the last chapter described how organizational factors shaped the prosecution of major crimes in general terms, in this chapter I explore how nuances in the criminal law, combined with organizational factors, impact decision-making. In focusing on the prosecution of serious economic crimes, I demonstrate how organizational priorities and resource allocations impact prosecution rates. By creating groups of prosecutors with specialized expertise, some states have made a strategic choice to prioritize the prosecution of serious economic crime and corruption. In many of those specialized departments, prosecutors create work routines which reflect a shared approach to practice that, in some cases, is shared by the investigative team itself. Due to the complexity of many economic crimes, prosecutors must find ways to successfully work in joint investigation teams across agency lines. To succeed in this environment, during the investigation process, many prosecutors have had to abandon work practices of the past which reflected prosecutors’ strict hierarchical control of the investigation’s progress. In the most effective units, prosecutors no longer inscribe a written order in a file and then wait a day for a file to be delivered to law enforcement. Instead these prosecutors must meet with investigators face-to-face, use email, or pick up the phone to steer and coordinate the course of investigation on a daily basis. Despite that coordination, in some cases, these investigations may last several years.
Protecting the Freedom of Information Act Requestor: Privacy for Information Seekers

FOIA requests are one of the foremost tools of American democracy, a primary means for assuring government transparency. Asking for government information is a basic right of American citizens. Unfortunately, this right is threatened by a lack of privacy for FOIA requestors. Current laws do not contain mechanisms to prevent the release of FOIA requestors’ personal information and the substantive contents of their requests. Once outside of requestors’ hands, the contents of FOIA requests can be used to invade requestors’ private lives and even as a tool of persecution, especially in situations where the requests deal with controversial materials and issues. Leaving requestors’ information unprotected threatens to deter people from making FOIA requests. This article explains the insidious nature of the current FOIA scheme on requestors’ privacy, describes successful models for protecting requestors’ privacy, and proposes that either the FOIA or the Privacy Act of 1974 be amended to protect requestors’ privacy rights, discussing the benefits and potential pitfalls of each approach.
Design of all-dielectric frequency selective surfaces using genetic algorithms combined with the finite element-boundary integral method

A genetic algorithm (GA) design methodology is presented for the synthesis of doubly periodic all-dielectric frequency selective surfaces (DFSS). The GA is used to optimize the dielectric constants of the material as well as the topology of the unit cell to produce the desired frequency response. The finite element-boundary integral method (FE-BI) is employed to evaluate efficiently the fitness of a candidate design.
Effects of prenatal morphine exposure on rat heterotypical sexual behavior.

Prenatal exposure to morphine inhibits ovarian steroid-dependent lordosis behavior in female rats, and enhances certain components of male sexual behavior in male rats. In the present study, the effects of mid to late gestational morphine exposure on male sexual behavior in females and on female sexual behavior in males were examined in adult offspring. Gonadectomized male rats were injected at weekly intervals with 30 or 60 μg estradiol benzoate and 1.0 mg progesterone and tested for female sexual behavior with stimulus males on 2 consecutive weekly tests. Ovariohysterectomized (OVX) females were injected with 500 μg testosterone propionate (TP) daily for 15 days and tested for male sexual behavior with stimulus females on the last day of TP injection and 1 week later, after TP withdrawal. Prenatal morphine exposure increased the expression of male sexual behaviors in female rats, but it did not increase lordosis behavior in male rats. Thus, exposure to morphine during gestation alters male and female sexual behavior in young adult animals. Because prenatal morphine exposure both defeminized and masculinized adult sexual behavior in female rats, it is possible that female brain development is more vulnerable to prenatal insult such as opiate exposure.
Smokers with multiple behavioral risk factors: how are they different?

Abstract Objective . The first aim of the present investigation was to examine cross-sectional differences between smokers who engage in additional health risk behaviors (i.e., high-fat diets and low physical activity levels) and those who do not that could affect readiness for smoking cessation treatment and treatment prognosis. The second aim was to examine prospective associations between risk factor status and smoking outcomes (i.e., cessation and quit attempts). Design . Data were derived from baseline and 1-year follow-up surveys for the SUCCESS project, a randomized trial of worksite smoking interventions conducted in 24 worksites in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. Included in the analyses were 2,149 study participants who reported smoking at baseline. Methods . Current smokers were categorized into one of three “risk groups”: the “1 additional risk factor” group (i.e., either low physical activity level or high dietary fat intake), the “2 additional risk factor” group (i.e., both low physical activity and high dietary fat intake), and the “smoker only” group (i.e., neither low physical activity nor high dietary fat intake). Mixed model regression analyses examined cross-sectional associations between risk group status and baseline demographic variables, smoking dependency, social environments for smoking, and health problems. Prospective associations between baseline risk group status and 1-year follow-up cessation attempts and quits were also examined. Results . At baseline, risk factor status was associated with smoking dependency for both men and women. Women smokers with at least one additional risk factor reported a greater number of cigarettes smoked per day, higher Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence scores, and lower self-efficacy for refraining from smoking in a variety of situations compared with smokers with no additional risk factors. Men smokers with at least one additional risk factor reported higher Fagerstrom Nicotine Dependence scores compared with smokers with no additional risk factors. Women smokers with at least one additional risk factor were more likely to report being encouraged to quit by co-workers compared with smokers with no other risk factors. No relationship between risk factor status and social pressure to quit was observed among men. Prospective analyses indicated that baseline risk factor status was marginally related to smoking outcome at 1-year follow-up; however, these relationships were attenuated considerably when controlling for smoking dependence. Relationships between risk factor status and smoking outcomes were stronger for men. Conclusion . Results indicated that the presence of multiple health risk behaviors was related to more serious problems with smoking. However, the presence of additional risk factors did not strongly affect prognosis for smoking cessation.
The Effects of Chronic Ethanol Self-Administration on Hippocampal Serotonin Transporter Density in Monkeys

Evidence for an interaction between alcohol consumption and the serotonin system has been observed repeatedly in both humans and animal models yet the specific relationship between the two remains unclear. Research has focused primarily on the serotonin transporter (SERT) due in part to its role in regulating extracellular levels of serotonin. The hippocampal formation is heavily innervated by ascending serotonin fibers and is a major component of the neurocircuitry involved in mediating the reinforcing effects of alcohol. The current study investigated the effects of chronic ethanol self-administration on hippocampal SERT in a layer and field specific manner using a monkey model of human alcohol consumption. [3H]Citalopram was used to measure hippocampal SERT density in male cynomolgus macaques that voluntarily self-administered ethanol for 18 months. Hippocampal [3H]citalopram binding was less dense in ethanol drinkers than in controls, with the greatest effect observed in the molecular layer of the dentate gyrus. SERT density was not correlated with measures of ethanol consumption or blood ethanol concentrations, suggesting the possibility that a threshold level of consumption had been met. The lower hippocampal SERT density observed suggests that chronic ethanol consumption is associated with altered serotonergic modulation of hippocampal neurotransmission.
Childhood cancer and birthmarks in the Collaborative Perinatal Project.

OBJECTIVE. Three previous retrospective studies noted a positive association between birthmarks and childhood cancer. The objective of this study was to determine whether the incidence of cancer is increased in children with birthmarks relative to those without birthmarks using data from the Collaborative Perinatal Project cohort, a large, prospective study. METHODS. Our study population comprised 49503 US children who were born between 1959 and 1968. Birthmarks were documented as definite or suspected during the first year through history or medical examinations and included hemangiomas (port-wine, strawberry, or cavernous), pigmented nevi, lymphangiomas, and cafe-au-lait spots. The association between birthmarks and childhood cancer was determined using Cox proportional hazards regression. RESULTS. In the Collaborative Perinatal Project, 2505 individuals had a documented definite or suspected birthmark, including 7 of 47 children who developed cancer. Birthmarks were associated with a significant increase in the risk for cancer. There was a slight attenuation of the risk estimate when cases that were diagnosed in the first year of life were excluded. No specific childhood malignancies were notably affected by birthmarks. CONCLUSIONS. Although this study was based on a small number of cases, we found birthmarks to be in excess in children who received a diagnosis of cancer using prospective data. These findings provide additional support for the possibility of a shared etiology between birthmarks and childhood cancer that could offer insight into the pathogenesis of pediatric malignancy.
The evolution of hydrogen from ferrous bromide solution and magnesium oxide

Abstract When ferrous bromide solution is mixed with magnesium oxide, a redox reaction takes place with the formation of hydrogen, magnesium bromide in solution and precipitation of a mixed valent iron hydroxy-bromide with the general formula (Fe(OH)2)A (FeOOH)B (FeOBr)C known as “green rust I.” Two reactions for H2 generation can be discerned by following the increase in pressure due to H2 as the reaction proceeds. The first involves the simultaneous precipitation of green rust and H2 evolution and becomes too rapid to be seen at high concentrations. The second involves the intramolecular oxidation of the solid green rust with accompanying H2 formation. H2 formation in this second step follows a first order kinetic rate law and is catalysed by palladium black. The H2 yield is increased by increasing the amount of MgO and decreasing the amount of water but is unaffected by temperature and amounts of Pd black. In all cases the H2 yield is greater than that found in similar systems where the bromide ion is not present. It is possible to form an amount of bromine equivalent to the H2 formed by heating green rust in a stream of hydrogen bromide. These reactions can be postulated as a method of splitting HBr as part of a closed cycle for the thermochemical production of H2 from water.
Stand structure and dynamics of young red alder as affected by planting density

Abstract The response of stand structure and dynamics of young red alder ( Alnus rubra Bong.) was examined over a gradient in planting density. Data from three Nelder plots, representing ages 1–7 years and planting densities from 238 to 101 218 trees ha −1 , were used to develop biomathematical models for dominant height, diameter, and survival. The models accounted for 88–99% of the observed variation in projected height, diameter, and survival, with planting density accounting for 0.6–2.6% of the variation in diameter and height and 7.1% of the variation in survival. Height growth rate exhibited a quadratic relationship with planting density up to 24 670 trees ha −1 and a linear relationship at greater planting densities. The natural logarithm of planting density exhibited a linear relationship with change in relative diameter and quadratic mean diameter growth rates. These functional relationships between growth rates and planting density were consistent with the concepts of competition thresholds: height and diameter growth rates were more affected by planting density at lower than at higher planting density while mortality rate increased linearly with increasing density. At high planting density, annual height and quadratic mean diameter growth were less and reached a maximum at younger ages than at low planting density. The dominant height projection function depicts a temporal ripple in maximum height growth that progresses outward over time from the high planting densities in the center of Nelder plots to the lower densities near the edge of the plots.