cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Origin of the Subtropical Anticyclones

Abstract The origin of the Northern Hemisphere summer subtropical anticyclones is investigated using a linear quasigeostrophic model. It is found that the broad features in the model solutions forced by realistic heating fields acting on observed zonal flows agree well with those in the observations. The realistic features of the model solutions include the subtropical continental lows and oceanic highs in the lower troposphere, and continental ridges and midoceanic troughs in the upper troposphere. The forced responses are largest near the surface and the tropopause with a vertical node around 500 hPa as observed. The results indicate that the model stationary waves owe their existence largely to the Asian heat source. The authors thus propose that the observed low-level subtropical anticyclones over the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans be interpreted as a remote response of Rossby waves forced by the large-scale heat sources over Asia. The results support the existing theory that the observed low...
Insect thin films as sun blocks, not solar collectors

We measured the visible reflectance spectra of whole wing sections from three species of iridescent butterflies and moths, for normal incidence, integrated over all reflected angles. In this manner, we separated the optics of the thin films causing the iridescence from the optics of the rest of the scale. We found that iridescence reduces solar absorption by the wing in all cases, typically by approximately 20% or less, in contrast to claims by Miaoulis and Heilman [Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am.91, 122 (1998)] that the thin-film structures that produce iridescence act as solar collectors.
Isolation and characterization of Pseudoalteromonas strains with divergent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon catabolic properties

Fifteen strains of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-catabolizing bacteria, identified as Pseudoalteromonas spp. were isolated from Eagle Harbor, Puget Sound, USA, using a most probable number procedure in which naphthalene or phenanthrene was the sole carbon and energy source. Despite having identical 16S rDNA sequences, some catabolized many PAHs, whereas others oxidized only naphthalenes. A putative naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase gene fragment was polymerase chain reaction-amplified from the naphthalene-degrading strains and shown to be almost identical to a gene present in Neptunomonas naphthovorans, suggesting horizontal transfer.
Subdivision of the Family

The Poaceae are one of the few large plant families that currently enjoys a fully phylogenetic classification. It is based on a phylogeny generated largely from DNA sequence data, but supported by extensive morphological data (Fig. 9). All named subfamilies, tribes, and subtribes are strictly monophyletic (i.e., including all the descendants of a given ancestor). Of the ca. 11,000 species in the family, all can be placed in one of the early-diverging subfamilies, or in the BEP or PACMAD clades, using either molecular or morphological data or both. Subfamily assignment is uncertain for fewer than ten species, and a large majority of species can be placed into tribes and subtribes. Over 1/3 of the species in the family now have some sort of molecular data available, and the remainder exhibit enough morphological synapomorphies to place them confidently in clades identified by combined molecules and morphology.
Review: Portopulmonary hypertension: challenges in diagnosis and management:

Portopulmonary hypertension is defined as the combination of pulmonary arterial hypertension with portal hypertension and presents management complications in patients awaiting liver transplantation. The combination of these vascular disorders has a marked impact on mortality. At present the recommendations for management are limited because of the paucity of definitive clinical trials. We have reviewed the available data on prevalence, diagnosis and treatment. It is clearly time to more formally approach the study of this patient population.
Austempered Ductile Iron Performance at Rail Wheel Operating Conditions

As transportation costs rise, rail stock material improvements are critical to improving efficiency, durability, and performance. Steel wheels have been a consistent part of rail equipment, but it may be time to assess potential other alloys and materials in anticipation of future demands. Strength requirements are steadily increasing with rail car capacity, while weight savings in equipment can reduce fuel costs and/or increase carrying capacity. Herein, the current requirements for railroad wheels are discussed and compared with experimental evaluation of a potential alternative material, austempered ductile iron (ADI).ADI is an attractive wheel material because of its higher strength-to-weight ratio (as compared to steel) and its wear resistance. ADI castings are also typically cheaper to produce than steel. While ADI can meet or exceed the strength of steel components, it is also comparable in ductility and impact strength, so conversion to ADI does not bring additional risk of brittle fracture, as is commonly the case when achieving higher strengths.There are challenges with its implementation, however. AAR certification of new materials is costly and time consuming, so adoption is unlikely until there is a very compelling business case. Heat produced during on-tread braking has the potential to damage the heat-treated structure of ADI. The regular exchange of cars across different sections of track and therefore different managing companies requires that new wheel materials be fully backwards compatible, so alterations in design are severely limited. This paper will take initial steps toward assessing the potential of ADI railroad wheels by investigating the performance of ADI at elevated temperatures, and comparing the results to measured and simulated wheel temperatures.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
A continuous feedback approach to global strong stabilization of nonlinear systems

We present a continuous feedback approach to the problem of global strong stabilization, for genuinely nonlinear systems that may not be stabilized, even locally, by any smooth feedback. We describe conditions under which it is possible to prove, while no smooth controllers exist, the existence of continuous state feedback control laws that achieve global strong stability (GSS) in the sense of Kurzweil (1956). The proof is constructive and carried out by developing a machinery, which combines the theory of homogeneous systems with the idea of adding a power integrator, for the explicit construction of globally stabilizing continuous controllers. We then illustrate, by means of examples, how this machinery can be used to overcome the topological obstruction caused by smooth feedback, and hence resulting in new solutions to a variety of open control problems, including global stabilization of an underactuated unstable two degree of freedom mechanical system.
Effects of activated eosinophils cultured from human umbilical cord blood on guinea pig trachealis

We studied the biochemical indexes and corresponding induction of airway smooth muscle contraction and hyperresponsiveness in guinea pig trachealis in situ caused by cultured eosinophils derived from mononuclear cell fractions of human umbilical cord blood. A method was developed that permitted isolation of large numbers of cells (approximately 2.6 x 10(6)/ml cord blood) having morphological and immunohistological characteristics of human peripheral blood eosinophils. After activation with 10(-6) M formyl-Met-Leu-Phe + 5 micrograms/ml cytochalasin B (fMLP + B), in situ application to the epithelial surface of 6 x 10(6) cord-derived eosinophils (CDE)/surface area (cm2) caused 1.46 +/- 0.24 g/cm maximal active tracheal tension in guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle (P < 0.005 vs. zero baseline). Muscarinic responsiveness also was augmented in situ in trachealis preparations treated with activated 3-wk CDE. Contraction caused by 3 x 10(-7) mol/kg iv methacholine (MCh) was 0.94 +/- 0.18 g/cm at baseline vs. 1.80 +/- 0.24 g/cm after activated CDE (P = 0.02). Control (sham-activated) 3-wk CDE caused neither significant contraction [0.41 +/- 0.16 g/cm active tension (AT); P < 0.05 vs. fMLP+B] nor augmented muscarinic responsiveness. Cells cultured for 5 wk contained fewer granules than 3-wk CDE and also caused less direct contraction of trachealis (0.73 +/- 0.14 g/cm AT) after activation (P < 0.01 vs. 3-wk CDE). Both contraction and muscarinic augmentation were blocked in 3-wk CDE after blockade of leukotriene C4 (LTC4) synthesis by pretreatment with the 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, A63162 (50 microM). Treatment with A63162 had no effect on the stimulated release of eosinophil peroxidase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Transfer of the brachioradialis to improve wrist extension in high spinal-cord injury.

A method to improve wrist extension in the severely paralyzed hand has been described. The ability to dorsiflex the wrist and to perform automatic grasp is one of the quadriplegic's most important functions. Four of six hands with transfer of a good or normal brachioradialis to weak or absent radial wrist extensors gained this most important function with effective grasp. The other two had improved posture of their hands and were pleased with their results.
Fundamentals of computer numerical control

The fundamental characteristics of computer numerical control technology are described. The role of computer numerical control in computer integrated manufacturing is presented. Industrial applications of computer numerical control technology are discussed. Managerial aspects of this technology are also presented.
Changing Structure of the American Economy: Its Implications for the Performance of Agricultural Markets

T HE suggested title of this paper is an impressive one. I have pondered at some length the question-how does one inquire into the effects of the changing structure of the American economy on the performance of agricultural markets? But fortunately for you and me, I have discovered a way to avoid both the general and exacting aspects of this problem. My relief comes in the form of being unable to reach any generally useful conclusions, at least for analytical purposes, with respect to changes in the structure of the American economy. I have reviewed the work of the experts, Markham here, and others including Bain, Stocking, Nutter, Miller, Blair and Houghton and Lintner and Butters, and I come away from their researches and writings more than a little confused. My intuition and some of the findings indicate that market power (i.e., the ability of firms to pursue market policies independent of their competitors) is being increasingly concentrated into the hands of a few firms in some industries, and is becoming a more general phenomenon in others. Most concentration ratios, however, for the period 1940 and thereafter do not bear out this conclusion. Although, here again, most of the experts are unhappy with the resource concentration ratios as measures of the concentration of market power. Perhaps the following statement by Gideon Rosenbluth best summarizes the thinking of the experts with regard to the changing structure of the American economy, and particularly with reference to concentration in recent years. He writes:
Non-Linear Gasoline Tanks and Gauges

In this article, the dynamic equations describing the behaviour of the liquid level in a gasoline tank, as typically found on a conventional passenger car, are developed for a variety of geometric tank shapes. Generalized solutions to these equations are then presented for a number of specific such shapes, and these results are compared with actual data taken on an American passenger automobile.
Initial Considerations When Applying an Instructional Sensitivity Framework: Partitioning the Variation Between and Within Classrooms for Two Mathematics Assessments

ABSTRACTDrawing inferences about the extent to which student performance reflects instructional opportunities relies on the premise that the measure of student performance is reflective of instructional opportunities. An instructional sensitivity framework suggests that some assessments are more sensitive to detecting differences in instructional opportunities compared to other assessments. This study applies an instructional sensitivity framework to compare student performance on two different mathematics achievement measures across five states and three grade levels. Results suggest a range of variation in student performance among teachers on the same mathematics achievement measure, variation between the two different mathematics achievement measures, and variation between grade levels within the same state. Findings highlight initial considerations for educators interested in selecting and evaluating measures of student performance that are reflective of instructional opportunities.
'A Triple-Braided Cord': Empirical Analysis of Three Theories of Nonprofit Sector Density

The three primary strands of nonprofit formation and density are well-documented, though often as rivalrous as the nonprofit-government relationships often encased in such theories. Building on previous studies which utilize similar data to test isolated hypotheses, this paper utilizes a combination of new “digitized” data and established records of social trust and community characteristics to mount a simultaneous test of the three top theories: government failure, interdependence, and social capital. We find that all sources of funding exert substantial impact on a nonprofit’s choice of location, in addition to local levels of social capital and heterogeneous demand. Therefore, we find evidence that both demand (client-as-agent) and supply (nonprofit-as-agent) forces are at work in the nonprofit market. Though this suggests simultaneity, such a model would both acknowledge a complex system more closely resembling that of a modern marketplace for quasi-public goods and would support the existence of a triple-braided cord of established threads of thought that explains the resilience of the nonprofit sector to various causes of density.
How To Get In The First Pile

Pressures facing junior faculty during a tenure track job search are high and can come from a multitude of areas. It follows that professionals in this position would try to reduce uncertainty associated with securing a new employment contract. The authors offer their observations below on how to increase an applicants chance to succeed in an initial screening processwhat is we refer to as making the first pileand the interviews that follow.
In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy Observation of Nanostructural Changes in Phase-Change Memory

Phase-change memory (PCM) has been researched extensively as a promising alternative to flash memory. Important studies have focused on its scalability, switching speed, endurance, and new materials. Still, reliability issues and inconsistent switching in PCM devices motivate the need to further study its fundamental properties. However, many investigations treat PCM cells as black boxes; nanostructural changes inside the devices remain hidden. Here, using in situ transmission electron microscopy, we observe real-time nanostructural changes in lateral Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) PCM bridges during switching. We find that PCM devices with similar resistances can exhibit distinct threshold switching behaviors due to the different initial distribution of nanocrystalline and amorphous domains, explaining variability of switching behaviors of PCM cells in the literature. Our findings show a direct correlation between nanostructure and switching behavior, providing important guidelines in the design and operation of future...
Which patients are responsible for their illnesses

Physicians must regularly make judgments as to the extent to which patients should be considered responsible for their symptoms. Such judgments have important social and treatment consequences for ...
Surgical repair of right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery and left ligamentum arteriosum.

Five cases of right aortic arch with aberrant left subclavian artery and left ligamentum arteriosum, with or without Kommerell’s diverticulum, are presented. Either right or left thoracotomy with division of the aberrant retroesophageal left subclavian artery can be accomplished with good results. However, a right thoracotomy is recommended in the presence of a large Kommerell diverticulum because such a diverticulum should be excised. The development of a subclavian steal syndrome later in life may be prevented by reimplantation of the divided left subclavian artery into the aorta or the left common carotid artery.
Cytology in the Diagnosis of Benign Lung Diseases

SUMMARY While cytologic techniques have traditionally been concerned with cancer diagnosis, reactive and infectious pulmonary diseases can often be easily and accurately diagnosed, obviating the need for thoracotomy. High diagnostic yields necessitate a team approach. With close cooperation among the bronchoscopist, radiologist, and pathologist, patient care can be greatly enhanced.
Obstructive sleep apnea: can the downward spiral be reversed—a summary of John Stradling’s ATS keynote speech

In a gripping ATS keynote speech Professor John Stradling from Oxford argued his view of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) as a self-perpetuating disease, and the potential of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) to reverse some of the pathophysiological changes that are both caused by and contribute to OSA. In his view, CPAP use may allow patients to enter a “remission phase” of sleep apnea, or that reversal of these changes may also allow for successful treatment with non-CPAP therapies in selected individuals that would otherwise not work as initial therapy.
Self-identity reprogrammed by a single residue switch in a cell surface receptor of a social bacterium

The ability to recognize close kin confers survival benefits on single-celled microbes that live in complex and changing environments. Microbial kinship detection relies on perceptible cues that reflect relatedness between individuals, although the mechanisms underlying recognition in natural populations remain poorly understood. In myxobacteria, cells identify related individuals through a polymorphic cell surface receptor, TraA. Recognition of compatible receptors leads to outer membrane exchange among clonemates and fitness consequences. Here, we investigated how a single receptor creates a diversity in recognition across myxobacterial populations. We first show that TraA requires its partner protein TraB to function in cell-cell adhesion. Recognition is shown to be traA allele-specific, where polymorphisms within TraA dictate binding selectivity. We reveal the malleability of TraA recognition, and seemingly minor changes to its variable region reprogram recognition outcomes. Strikingly, we identify a single residue (A/P205) as a molecular switch for TraA recognition. Substitutions at this position change the specificity of a diverse panel of environmental TraA receptors. In addition, we engineered a receptor with unique specificity by simply creating an A205P substitution, suggesting that modest changes in TraA can lead to diversification of new recognition groups in nature. We hypothesize that the malleable property of TraA has allowed it to evolve and create social barriers between myxobacterial populations and in turn avoid adverse interactions with relatives.
Surgical Management of Simultaneous Left Coronary Atresia and Anomalous Right Coronary Artery Origin

A 9-year-old child presented with syncope during exercise. He received a diagnosis of congenital atresia of the left main coronary artery by angiography. He underwent successful coronary artery bypass grafting. On the third postoperative day, he experienced acute, precordial chest pain. An urgent computed tomographic scan showed an unrecognized anomalous origin of the right coronary artery (RCA) with a 1.5-cm intramural course. He was taken back to the operating room to undergo unroofing of the RCA. This case highlights the difficulty involved in making two rare diagnoses that can cause the same exact symptoms in a patient and the surgical challenges associated with it.
Global Information Environment

Information technology is ever innovative in its approach to deliver information to the points of use. It does transfer information at a speed and response conducive to the searchers' comfort. The Developments in digital library system has increased these capacities to greater facilitation. The frameworks for a digital library system is a step towards this fast growing media of information. Digital libraries have come to stay. We have to either convert the traditional libraries into digital libraries or directly develop digital libraries.
Anisotropic organic glasses

Abstract While the last decades have seen considerable efforts to control molecular packing in organic crystals, the idea of controlling packing in organic glasses is relatively unexplored. Glasses have many advantageous properties that crystals lack, such as macroscopic homogeneity and compositional flexibility, but packing in organic glasses is generally considered to be isotropic and highly disordered. Here we review and compare four areas of recent research activity showing control over anisotropic packing in organic glasses: (1) anisotropic glasses of low molecular weight organic semiconductors prepared by physical vapor deposition, (2) the use of mesogens to produce anisotropic glasses by cooling equilibrium liquid crystal phases, (3) the preparation of highly anisotropic glassy solids by vapor-depositing low molecular weight mesogens, and (4) anisotropic films of polymeric semiconductors prepared by spin-coating or solution casting. We delineate the connections between these areas with the hope of cross-fertilizing progress in the development of anisotropic glassy materials.
High-power Ka-band free-electron maser experiment

Free-Electron Lasers (FELs) [1] are coherent sources of high-power electromagnetic radiation. In the microwave part of the spectrum, high efficiencies can be achieved at power levels in the multi-megawatt range. FELs can be operated as amplifiers or oscillators, and so have applications in a variety of areas ranging from electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) to RF acceleration [2]. In this paper, results of the de- sign and operation of a 27 GHz Bragg resonator Free-Electron Maser (FEM) oscillator and a 35 GHz high-gain FEM amplifier are presented and discussed. The experiment is driven by a 700 kV, 900 Ω HV modulator, and operates with a pulse length of 1μs at power levels in the 1-3 MW range.
Enteric Ductal Drainage for Chronic Pancreatitis

The concept of draining an apparently obstructed main pancreatic duct was first addressed by opening either the proximal end of the pancreatic duct at the ampulla, by doing a sphincterotomy, or the distal end of the pancreatic duct, by removing the tail of the pancreas and performing a pancreatojejunostomy (Duval procedure). Puestow is credited with the concept of a longitudinal incision along the main pancreatic duct, through the body and the head of the pancreas, after resecting the pancreatic tail. Partington and Rochelle determined that a tail resection was unnecessary and carried out only a side-to-side lateral pancreaticojejunostomy. The principle of the procedure is to decompress an apparently obstructed main pancreatic duct (and perhaps also to decompress the pancreatic parenchyma, overcoming the pancreatic compartment syndrome suggested by Reber). This assumption is based on the fact that the pancreatic duct is markedly dilated, suggesting a restriction to flow.
Materials and techniques of Islamic manuscripts

Over 50 works on paper from Egypt, Iraq, Iran and Central Asia dated from the 13th to 19th centuries were examined and analyzed at the Straus Center for Conservation and Technical Studies. Forty-six of these were detached folios, some of which had been removed from the same dispersed manuscript. Paintings and illuminations from five intact manuscripts were also examined and analyzed, although not all of the individual works were included. The study was undertaken to better understand the materials and techniques used to create paintings and illuminations from the Islamic World, with particular attention paid to the diversity of greens, blues and yellows present. The research aimed to determine the full range of colorants, the extent of pigment mixing and the various preparatory drawing materials. The issue of binding materials was also addressed, albeit in a preliminary way.
The Effects of a Text-Centered Literacy Curriculum for Students With Intellectual Disability

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine the promise and feasibility of a newly developed curriculum to teach early literacy skills to students with intellectual disability (ID) and students with low IQs. The curriculum texts were written to include familiar settings, high frequency words, natural syntax, and cumulative practice. A single-case design was used with multiple baseline across levels of instruction and included eight participants who had IQs spanning from 40 to 63. The study was conducted across one academic year in two private schools for students with special needs. Results showed that all eight students demonstrated significant growth on proximal measures of taught words, as well as growth on at least some curriculum-based distal measures. Additionally, the program was demonstrated to be feasible; the teachers implemented the intervention with high degrees of fidelity and expressed satisfaction with the effectiveness and practicality of the program.
Marketing Notes and Communications: Market Exclusion and Dealer Coercion in Sponsored TBA Sales:

A recent series of Supreme Court decisions has assumed the economic power of large oil companies causes dealers to restrict sales to sponsored brands with the result that competitors are denied acc...
Identification of Co2 sequestration opportunities: Co2 miscible flooding guidelines

Abstract Carbon dioxide (CO2) flooding has been demonstrated as an economically feasible technique for carbon capture and storage (CCS) via enhanced oil recovery (EOR). In the oil industry, most of the CO2-EOR projects were implemented in miscible phase (CO2 miscible flooding), and it has become the most productive EOR method in the United States since 2012. Successful implementation of CO2 miscible flooding requires comprehensive guidelines about where CO2 can be applied. With the development of new technology, the suitable conditions for CO2-EOR have changed. Therefore, updating the guidelines for CO2-EOR is necessary. In this study, we updated the guidelines for field CO2 miscible applications in the United States by collecting valuable information from about 100 publications. Significant parameters for CO2 miscible flooding such as minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) and pay zone net thickness were considered for the first time in comparison with existing research studies. After data processing/cleaning, 207 projects have remained in the dataset. Combination plots were created to explore the ranges, distributions, and cumulative frequencies of each property. Meanwhile, descriptive values were calculated based on statistical methods. The guidelines for CO2 miscible flooding were presented with important parameters, including porosity, permeability, depth, reservoir temperature, net thickness, oil saturation, oil gravity, oil viscosity, and MMP. The analyzed results show that the reservoir pressure should be greater than 1020 psi to achieve miscibility, and CO2 miscible flooding project could be successfully applied in a reservoir with an oil gravity greater than 25 °API, oil viscosity less than 4 cp, and a reservoir temperature less than 120 °F.
Tourism Management Profiles: Implications for Tourism Education

Studies of state tourism directors and convention and visitor bureau directors show that there is a need for organized tourism management educations. The author discusses these studies and how they can be used in the development of tourism management education.
Effect of Uridine on the Metabolism of 5-Fluorouracil in the CD8F1 Murine Mammary Carcinoma System

The effect of uridine on the incorporation of 5-fluorouracil into RNA and the inhibition of DNA synthesis by the FdUMP block of thymidylate synthetase was studied in the CD8F1 murine mammary carcinoma system. The administration of exogenous uridine resulted in about a one third reduction of 5-fluorouracil in RNA of tumor and normal tissues. However, unlike thymidine, uridine was unable to reverse the early, partial inhibition of DNA synthesis. The amount of fluorouridine nucleotides and (5-fluorouracil)RNA formed in various tissues correlates with the level of orotate phosphoribosyl transferase activity suggesting that the major pathway for activation of 5-fluorouracil to nucleotide form in these tissues is via phosphoribosyl transferase. Enzyme preparations from three different murine tumors convert about 15 times as much 5-fluorouracil to FUMP as they do uracil to UMP. In contrast, the ratio of FUMP to UMP formed in enzyme preparations from gut and bone marrow is lower, 2–6 fold. However, in none of these tissues was the in vitro conversion of 5-fluorouracil to FUMP or incorporation into RNA substantially inhibited by uracil. Examination of tumor, gut and bone marrow uridine nucleotide pools showed that the thymidine-uridine-5-fluorouracil schedule does increase uridine nucleotide pools. Thus, the reduction in 5-fluorouracil in RNA is probably not due to inhibition of the conversion of 5-fluorouracil to FUMP by uracil (derived from phosphorylase cleavage of uridine) but, rather, is probably due to the elevated levels of UTP. We conclude that the protection from 5-fluorouracil toxicity afforded by the addition of uridine is due to the reduction in 5-fluorouracil in RNA rather than by reversal of the FdUMP block on thymidylate synthetase.
Why Does the FDA Overrule Its Expert Committees’ Recommendations?

To evaluate some complex drugs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) creates committees of experts who recommend whether the drugs should be approved or rejected. The popular press and earlier studies commonly report that the FDA almost never overrules these recommendations. Some say this is because both the FDA and the experts have financial ties to drug companies, leading them to approve too many drugs. Others claim the FDA and experts are both risk averse, leading them to reject too many drugs when they fear approval could draw criticism from the press and Congress. We show that FDA overrules are fairly common (16 percent of cases), and that financial ties to drug companies do not explain them. We find that in a majority of overrules, experts recommend rejection, but the FDA approves the drug anyway, suggesting that the experts could be more risk averse than the FDA. This is consistent with our finding that committees with top experts reject more drugs, perhaps to protect their reputations from being associated with drugs that later might be judged unsafe.
Victorious Counterrevolution: The Nationalist Effort in the Spanish Civil War

Author Michael Seidman responds to the review of his book Victorious Counterrevolution: The Nationalist Effort in the Spanish Civil War (National Identities, published online 14 February 2019 (http...
Next-Generation Biomass Mapping for Regional Emissions and Carbon Inventories: Incorporating Uncertainty in Wildland Fuel Characterization

Biomass mapping is used in variety of applications including carbon assessments, emission inventories, and wildland fire and fuel planning. Single values are often applied to individual pixels to represent biomass of classified vegetation, but each biomass estimate has associated uncertainty that is generally not acknowledged nor quantified. In this study, we developed a geospatial database of wildland fuel biomass values to characterize the inherent variability within and across major vegetation types of the United States and Canada. For vegetation types that had sufficient quantification of biomass by fuel type (e.g., canopy, shrub, herbaceous, fine downed wood, coarse downed wood, and organic soil layers), we developed empirical distribution estimates. Based on available data, fitted distributions will be useful for informing the first‐generation biomass mapping that incorporates variability in loading by vegetation and fuel type and to evaluate potential errors in point estimates given in current map products. Because combustible biomass is a common input in fire and smoke models, variability estimated for fitted distributions can be used to inform data input uncertainty in predictions of wildland fuel consumption and emissions and to provide stochastic inputs of biomass to ensemble simulation models.
Oncologic Safety and Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy.

Background Nipple-sparing mastectomy (NSM) is an alternative to skin-sparing mastectomy in appropriately selected patients. The aim of this study was to review our experience with NSM and to evaluate for oncologic safety. Study design Patients who underwent NSM at our institution from September 2008 through August 2017 were identified after IRB approval. Data included patient age, tobacco use, tumor size, hormone receptor status, lymph node status, radiation and chemotherapy use, incision type, and reconstruction type. Statistical analyses were performed using ANOVA and chi-square tests. Results There were 322 patients who underwent 588 NSM (83% bilateral, 17% unilateral), including 399 (68%) for malignancy (Stage 0 [27%], I [44%], II [25%] and III [4%]). The overall rate of wound complication was 18.9%. Tobacco use increased complication (37.5% vs 16.3%, p Conclusions Most NSM performed at our institution are in patients with malignancy. The oncologic safety is confirmed by the low locoregional recurrence rate. Tobacco use and adjuvant radiation therapy remain the most significant risk factors for complication, highlighting the need for careful patient selection and patient counseling regarding modifiable risk factors and expected outcomes.
Impact of Technology Hazards and Regulatory Methods on Commercial Fusion Development

The past ten years has seen a significant investment in private companies pursuing commercialization of fusion technology. The successful near-term development and deployment of fusion technology will partially depend on the ability of designers to meet regulatory requirements for safety standards. Since no clear regulations or a regulatory body exists for commercial fusion technology, the designers have an opportunity to propose an efficient pathway for licensing and regulation that protects the public health and addresses technology hazards. While fusion has widely been regarded as an inherently safe technology, current approaches to commercial fusion—specifically fuel cycles requiring radioactive tritium—have inherent hazards that must be controlled, mitigated, or eliminated. Various regulatory evaluation methods, design strategies, and analysis tools can be used to demonstrate and ensure safety but each approach will impact the technical, economic, or social feasibility of the technology. This article first discusses different regulatory evaluation methods that could be used to support the licensing of fusion technology and the potential impact of these methods on the subsequent level of regulatory oversight for commercial fusion. Second, techniques for the reduction of calculated hazard consequences by design or analysis are presented. Third, the impact of these different regulatory evaluation methods and hazard reduction techniques on design and analysis of fusion technology is reviewed. Finally, offsite hazards associated with a commercial-scale fusion facility are discussed to illustrate the need for a more detailed investigation of the hazards of commercial fusion and hazard-reducing design and analysis methodologies.
Comparison of Two High-Throughput Reverse Transcription-PCR Systems for the Detection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2.

ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as the cause of a worldwide pandemic. Many commercial SARS-CoV-2 reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) assays have received Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, there are limited data describing their performance, in particular the performance of high-throughput SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR systems. We analyzed the diagnostic performance of two high-throughput systems: cobas 6800 and Panther Fusion, and their associated RT-PCR assays, with a collection of 389 nasopharyngeal specimens. The overall agreement between the platforms was 96.4% (375/389). Cohen’s kappa analysis rated the strength of agreement between the two platforms as “almost perfect” (κ = 0.922; standard error, 0.051). Furthermore, there was no significant difference between corresponding cycle threshold values generated on the two systems (P value = 0.88; Student’s t test). Taken together, these data imply that the two platforms can be considered comparable in terms of their clinical performance. We believe that this information will be useful for those who have already adopted these platforms or are seeking to implement high-throughput RT-PCR testing to stem the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.
MODIFIED K$lambda$ EXCHANGE MODEL FOR AK$sup 0$ PRODUCTION

A model is proposed to explain simultaneously the backward peaking of the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ particles in the reaction ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}+p\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\Lambda}+{K}^{0}$, the large polarization observed, and the peak of the total cross section. The ${K}^{*}$ exchange diagram and a resonant state in our channel are considered as the main contributions to the amplitudes. By assuming a resonant ${p}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ state, excellent fits to the angular distribution and polarization are obtained at a pion kinetic energy of 871 MeV and at an incident pion momentum of 1.01-1.05 BeV/c. A fairly good fit is obtained at a pion kinetic energy of 791 MeV. A new estimate for the ${K}^{*}\ensuremath{\Lambda}N$ coupling constant is given.
Drivers of diazotroph community structure and co-occurrence in a Northern Great Plains pulse crop rotation system

Abstract The Northern Great Plains of the United States and Canada have seen an increase in pulse crops like pea, lentil, and chickpea acreage in dryland and irrigated systems. Rotating pulse crops into cereal crop production systems could reduce the demand for nitrogen fertilizer due to the symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria called diazotrophs. Legume-diazotroph relationships are well studied, but little is known about the free-living bacteria of the bulk soil in the legume-cereal rotation systems. Here we determine the community structure of the overall (16S) and diazotroph (nifH) soil microbiome in pulse-cereal rotations across the state of Montana. Many variables influenced the microbial community structure, but and among them, irrigation caused a significant shift in the composition of the communities and co-occurrence network topology. Interestingly, the diazotrophic communities in dryland soil are more robust and contain more generalist compared to irrigated soils. Co-occurrence networks support the identification of different diazotrophic keystone taxa such as Firmicutes in irrigated and Proteobacteria in dryland soils. Linking farm management practices and crop productivity with microbial community structure dynamics is an initial step in establishing a knowledge base for farmers to exploit the soil microbiota to maintain healthy soil for crop production.
Predictive modelling of drop ejection from damped, dampened wings by machine learning.

The high frequency, low amplitude wing motion that mosquitoes employ to dry their wings inspires the study of drop release from millimetric, forced cantilevers. Our mimicking system, a 10-mm polyte...
Citizens Without Robes: On the Deliberative Potential of Everyday Politics

This essay is a sympathetic critical comment on Cristina Lafont’s recent book, Democracy without Shortcuts: A Participatory Conception of Deliberative Democracy. I focus primarily on the arguments in the final chapters of the book that introduce a deliberative democratic re-interpretation of judicial review. Lafont appeals to the evocative imagery of citizens in robes and suggests that contesting legislation at the level of the supreme court does not take questions out of the public sphere and into the legal domain but rather brings questions of right and constitutionality into the political domain. The institutional possibility for individual citizens to challenge any law and thus launch a broad public debate that demands justifications and reasons is the heart of Lafont’s conception of participatory deliberative democracy. I find this a powerful and compelling defense and understanding of judicial review. I question, however, what appears to be a narrowing of deliberative democracy to constitutional contestation and so an abandonment of everyday politics where issues, debates, and controversies are not structured by the constraint of constitutional discourse. I argue that the focus on constitutional politics, made necessarily by her public reason requirement, narrows the range of her theory and appears to leave everyday politics outside the scope of deliberative democracy.
Optimizing the diagnosis and management of ductal prostate cancer

Ductal adenocarcinoma (DAC) is the most common variant histological subtype of prostate carcinoma and has an aggressive clinical course. DAC is usually characterized and treated as high-risk prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma (PAC). However, DAC has a different biology to that of acinar disease, which often poses a challenge for both diagnosis and management. DAC can be difficult to identify using conventional diagnostic modalities such as serum PSA levels and multiparametric MRI, and the optimal management for localized DAC is unknown owing to the rarity of the disease. Following definitive therapy for localized disease with radical prostatectomy or radiotherapy, the majority of DACs recur with visceral metastases at low PSA levels. Various systemic therapies that have been shown to be effective in high-risk PAC have limited use in treating DAC. Although current understanding of the biology of DAC is limited, genomic analyses have provided insights into the pathology behind its aggressive behaviour and potential future therapeutic targets.
Testing for COVID-19 in dental offices: mechanism of action, application and interpretation of laboratory and point-of-care screening tests

Abstract Background The dental office potentially possesses all transmission risk factors for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Anticipating the future widespread use of COVID-19 testing in dental offices, the authors wrote this article as a proactive effort to provide dental health care providers with current and necessary information surrounding the topic. Methods The authors consulted all relevant and current guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the US Food and Drug Administration, as well as online resources and review articles. Results Routine COVID-19 screening and triage protocols are unable to detect all infected people. With the advancements in diagnostic tools and techniques, COVID-19 testing at home or in the dental office may provide dentists with the ability to evaluate the disease status of their patients. At-home or point-of-care (POC) tests, providing results within minutes of being administered, would allow for appropriate measures and rapid decisions about dental patients' care process. In this review, the authors provide information about available laboratory and POC COVID-19 screening methods and identify and elaborate on the options available for use by dentists as well as the regulatory requirements of test administration. Conclusions Dentists need to be familiar with COVID-19 POC testing options. In addition to contributing to public health, such tests may deliver rapid, accurate, and actionable results to clinical and infection control teams to enhance the safe patient flow in dental practices. Practical Implications Oral health care must continue to offer safety in this or any future pandemics. Testing for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 at the POC offers a control mechanism contributing to and enhancing the real and perceived safety of care in the dental office setting.
A Multimodal Learning Framework to Study Varying Information Complexity in Structural and Functional Sub-Domains in Schizophrenia

Approaches involving the use of learning architectures on multimodal neuroimaging data tend to assume uniformity in the way information is stored in various sub-domains of the brain, thus not catering to the differences across functional and structural sub-domains. We introduce a learning framework to effectively incorporate multimodal features using structural and functional MRI data from a dataset of schizophrenia patients and controls, accounting for and exploiting the heterogeneity in the sub-domains of the brain. We analyze these sub-domains in terms of their functional interactions (i.e. within and between network connectivity) and structural properties (gray matter volume). By using Bayesian optimization on a search space of flexible multimodal architectures with multiple branches, we demonstrate that the discriminatory information from structural and functional sub-domains can be better recovered if the complexity of subspace structure in the model can be tuned to reflect the extent of non-linearity with which each sub-domain encodes the information. Our repeated cross-validated results from a schizophrenia classification problem show that for better classification and interpretation, sub-domains known for their role or disruption in Schizophrenia require more sophisticated subspace structure in the model compared to others. Our work emphasizes on the requirement to create multimodal frameworks that can adapt based on differences in the way various sub-domains of the brain encode discriminatory information. This is important to not only have better-performing prediction models but also to reveal sub-domains associated with the outcome at hand.
Accelerated aging and mortality in long-term survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the St. Jude Lifetime Cohort (SJLIFE).

10045Background: Survivors of childhood cancer have functional limitations and health-related morbidity consistent with an accelerated aging phenotype. We characterized aging using a Deficit Accumu...