cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improved understanding of combined sewer systems using the Illinois Conveyance Analysis Program (ICAP)

Understanding the conveyance of sewer networks is vital, especially in cases of great variability in flow rates, such as in combined sanitary and storm sewer systems. Conventional conveyance studies in sewer systems often have extended computation times due to complexity of the solution, or alternatively make assumptions that ignore the water-surface profile within a pipe. In previous research, the hydraulic performance graph (HPG) was successfully used for open-channel capacity determination. The HPG summarizes the results of many backwater calculations for a reach so that these calculations do not need to be repeated. This article describes algorithms utilized by the Illinois Conveyance Analysis Program that uses the HPGs to describe the conveyance of a system, identify bottlenecks for varying conditions, conserve mass by tracking outflow and overflows under stepwise steady flow conditions. The software is freely available at https://github.com/obergshavefun/icap/wiki.
Suppression of thermal fluctuation placement errors in linear arrays of block copolymer cylinders

Directed self-assembly (DSA) of block copolymers has attracted much interest for its use as a low-cost, high throughput patterning tool to supplement existing lithographic techniques, and especially for its ability to easily pattern vertical interconnect accesses (VIAs).1 Assembling multiple cylinders in a single template has obvious advantages for feature density increase. However, denser patterning comes at a cost, due to more abundant defect modes2 and increased susceptibility to placement errors due to thermal fluctuations. Linear arrays of cylinders have been shown in a simplified model to contain collective excitations, ultimately leading to unbounded positional variance away from their equilibrium locations in a manner analogous to a one-dimensional crystal.3 In order to reduce this positional uncertainty, we introduce chemically selective stripes on the substrate of the system. These chemoepitaxially patterned regions create an energetic preference for the equilibrium configuration of the system, pinning the VIAs in place. In this study, we use three-dimensional self-consistent field theory (SCFT) simulations and complex Langevin (CL) sampling to investigate the effects of thermal fluctuations on cylinder positions in linear arrays of VIAs with preferentially striped substrates. We interrogate the relationship between stripe interaction strength and positional variance, compare the magnitude of reduction with a Landau-Peierls analysis on a simplified system, and propose a predictive model for placement error in similarly chemo patterned systems. Since the cylinders are flexible, we propose a maximum system height for linear arrays with acceptably low placement error.
Geometric pattern, rupture termination and fault segmentation of the Dixie Valley—Pleasant Valley active normal fault system, Nevada, U.S.A.

Abstract Active fault systems of both interplate and intraplate settings clearly show patterns of segmentation. Fault segmentation, therefore, is very important for understanding fault behavior and assessing seismic hazard. The complexity of geometric patterns along fault systems has a strong influence on the propagation of earthquake ruptures, because it can form structural heterogeneities that tend to inhibit rupture propagation. This implies that there should be relations between fault segmentation and the complexity of fault geometry. The active normal faults of the Dixie Valley—Pleasant Valley system provide an excellent example to study such relations and to establish the geometric method of normal fault segmentation in the Basin and Range province. Studies of fault segmentation in the Dixie Valley—Pleasant Valley fault system indicate that there are changes of both geometric pattern and geomorphic character in the area of the segment boundary. The characteristics of segment boundaries on normal faults of the Dixie Valley—Pleasant Valley system can be explained in terms of the nature of rupture propagation and termination. These changes may be helpful criteria for distinguishing normal fault segmentation at least in the Basin and Range province.
Triplet Separation Drives Singlet Fission after Femtosecond Correlated Triplet Pair Production in Rubrene

Singlet fission, a multistep molecular process in which one photon generates two triplet excitons, holds great technological promise. Here, by applying a combination of transient transmittance and two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy with 5 fs laser pulses, we resolve the full set of fission steps before the onset of spin dephasing. In addition to its role as a viable singlet fission material, single-crystalline rubrene is selected because its energetics and transition dipole alignment uniquely allow for the unambiguous identification of the various fission steps through their contributions to distinct spectroscopic features. The measurements reveal that the neighboring correlated triplet pair achieves its maximum population within 20 fs. Subsequent growth of the triplet signal on picosecond time scales is attributable to spatial separation of the triplets, proceeding nonadiabatically through weakly coupled but near-resonant states. As such, we provide evidence in crystalline rubrene for a singlet fiss...
Relation between depressive symptoms and cytokines associated with cardio- metabolic risk in African American women

Cardiometabolic diseases are the most prevalent diseases in the United States. Depressive symptoms are considered to be significant risk factors for cardiometabolic diseases, however, it is not clear if the relation between depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic risk is applicable in diverse populations. We examined the relations of depressive symptom subtypes to cardiometabolic disease-associated cytokines in a sample of African-American women. Participants were 30 African-American women (average age = 59 years) living in low income neighborhoods of Washington, DC who completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Revised scale (CESD-R) and provided blood samples. Multiple regression analyses examined whether the CESD-R total score and the CESD-R subscales (entered separately) were associated with IL-1b, IL-6, IL-8, and IL-18. Analyses were adjusted for age, average physical activity level (as measured using physical activity tracker data), and body mass index (BMI). Results showed that sadness, loss of interest, and worthlessness were associated with increased levels of both IL-1b and IL-18, however, only IL-1b was associated with greater feelings of depression (total score), fatigue, and poorer sleep. IL-6 and IL-8 were not shown to have any significant relationship with any depressive symptom subtypes. These results indicate that depressive symptoms in African American women are associated with increased levels of inflammation, suggesting that negative psychological well- being may modulate the immune system in a manner that increases risk for development of cardiometabolic diseases.
Changes in medical student implicit attitudes following a health equity curricular intervention

Purpose: This study assessed the: (1) effect of an LGBTQI + health equity curriculum (eQuality) on implicit attitudes among first (M1) and second year (M2) medical students and (2) utility of dedic...
Evolving Treatment Paradigms in Non-clear Cell Kidney Cancer

With no therapy specifically approved for non-clear cell cancers of the kidney, this disease remains an orphan site. Clear cell renal cancers (ccRCC) have seen a flurry of activity with multiple agents gaining Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in recent years. Simultaneously, non-clear cell RCC (ncRCC) have also seen a fair share of activity and exploration of new agents in development but no specific FDA approvals. Non-clear cell RCC is a mixed bag of multiple types of tumors originating in the kidney with distinct clinical molecular and genetic characteristics that vary significantly from clear cell carcinoma of the kidney. Conventionally, non-clear cell RCC have been treated with the same therapies as clear cell RCC. The clinical trials are typically conducted in ccRCC and the FDA approval covers non-clear cell cancer as well. Few randomized clinical trials have been conducted specifically for ncRCC. With the advent of molecular and tumor genomic testing, leading to discovery of targets and associated therapies for ncRCC, a specific review of the state of management of this disease is timely and clinically relevant.
Delta/mu opioid receptor interactions in operant conditioning assays of pain-depressed responding and drug-induced rate suppression: assessment of therapeutic index in male Sprague Dawley rats

Although delta/mu receptor interactions vary as a function of behavioral endpoint, there have been no assessments of these interactions using assays of pain-depressed responding. This is the first report of delta/mu interactions using an assay of pain-depressed behavior. A mult-cycle FR10 operant schedule was utilized in the presence of (nociception) and in the absence of (rate suppression) a lactic acid inflammatory pain-like manipulation. SNC80 and methadone were used as selective/high efficacy delta and mu agonists, respectively. Both SNC80 and methadone alone produced a dose-dependent restoration of pain-depressed responding and dose-dependent response rate suppression. Three fixed ratio mixtures, based on the relative potencies of the drugs in the nociception assay, also produced dose-dependent antinociception and sedation. Isobolographic analysis indicated that all three mixtures produced supra-additive antinociceptive effects and simply additive sedation effects. The therapeutic index (TI) inversely varied as a function of amount of SNC80 in the mixture, such that lower amounts of SNC80 produced a higher TI, and larger amounts produced a lower TI. Compared to literature using standard pain-elicited assays, the orderly relationship between SNC80 and TI reported here may be a unique function of assessing pain-depressed behavior.
Could a tax on unhealthy products sold for weight loss reduce consumer use? A novel estimation of potential taxation effects.

Abstract Abuse of widely available, over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and supplements such as diet pills, laxatives, and diuretics by adolescents for weight control is well-documented, yet manufacturers and retailers can sell them to minors without restriction. The aim of our study was to estimate the effect of added taxation of OTC drugs and dietary supplements sold for weight loss on household purchases of these products. With data from 60,538 U.S. households in the 2012 waves of the Nielsen/IRi National Consumer Panel (NCP) and the Nielsen/IRi Retail Scanner (NRS) datasets, we conducted analyses in 2017 to tally annual quantities and expenditures on OTC drugs or dietary supplements making weight-loss, cleanse/detox, or diuretic claims. We estimated the percent reduction in household purchases due to a simulated 20% added tax on each category. Among the 14,151 households reporting at least one purchase in the three claims categories, a 20% higher average price of weight-loss products was associated with a 5.2% lower purchases of those products. Among households with children ages 12 to 17 years old present, purchases were 17.5% lower, and among households with a daughter present, purchases were 10.3% lower. Taxation may be an effective public health strategy to reduce purchasing of potentially dangerous OTC drugs and supplements sold for weight loss, especially for households that include children ages 12–17 years old or a daughter.
The Near-Equilibrium Thermodynamics Approach to Living Systems

Classical equilibrium thermodynamics (Gibbs, 1875–1878) has been used to evaluate many of the central reactions in intermediary metabolism (Holzer, et al., 1956, Huckabee, 1957, Bucher and Klingenberg, 1958, Hohorst, et al., 1959, Williamson, et al., 1967). Such near-equilibrium reactions usually have a high forward and reverse flux relative to the net flux through the enzyme and thus, due to analytical limitations, can not be distinguished from reactions which are in true equilibrium. They differ from true equilibrium reactions in that they violate the law of microscopic reversibility since there is a small net flux instead of a true equilibrium where the forward flux, v1 exactly equals the reverse flux, v−1.
Minority-Majority Relations and Religion

Whether a society is religiously homogeneous or has adherents of several different faiths, its religious patterns are a sensitive index of the majority-minority situation. The religious beliefs and institutional structures of a group not only show intrinsic religious aspects but also indicate secular positions and secular problems as well.
Mask-substrate alignment via interferometric moiré fringes

Abstract: Highly robust alignment is achieved with formation and analysis of interferometric moire fringes. High signal-to-noise is attained by illuminating and imaging at an oblique angle, avoiding contribution of reflections to an image. Detectivity is below the nanometer level, due to displacement magnification in the moire pattern and spatial-phase analysis. The moire fringe period is independent of illumination wavelength. Alignment marks can be placed on the wafer backside and imaged with infrared illumination, providing a permanent, unambiguous reference for multi-level alignment.
The Local Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Contaminant Transport Problems

We discuss the application of the Local Discontinuous Galerkin method to the approximation of contaminant transport in porous media.
Immunomodulation Imposed by Chronic Treatment with D-Penicillamine and Zinc in the Mouse

The scope of uses for D-penici11 amine (D-PA) has grown substantially since its introduction to medicine in 1956. Initially used for the treatment of heavy metal poisoning and Wilson’s disease, this agent has become in addition a principle drug of choice for the management of cystinuria as well as rheumatoid arthritis and is currently under investigation for the treatment of primary biliary cirrhosis (1,2). A multiplicity of hypotheses have been offered to explain the beneficial effects of D-PA in rheumatoid arthritis. These include: dissociation of the rheumatoid factor (3–5), inhibition of immunoglobulin synthesis (6-8), inhibition of complement binding and/or activation (9,10), inhibition of collagen cross-linking (11,12) and modulation of cell-mediated aspects of immunity (13–18). In essence, these studies demonstrate that D-PA selectively modifies Tlymphocyte function at concentrations approaching therapeutic levels (19), whereas at elevated concentrations the agent appears to alter many other aspects of immune function as wel1.
Supercritical fluid chromatography with redox chemiluminescence detection

The new selective and sensitive redox chemiluminescence detector (RCD), originally developed for gas chromatography, has been successfully interfaced with a capillary column supercritical fluid chromatograph. Interfacing the SFC-RCD was accomplished simply through utilization of the redox reaction chamber presently used for both capillary and packed column GC. The feasibility of this new separation-detection scheme was demonstrated with SFC chromatograms of antioxidant isomers and some compounds of biological relevance. Mobile phase compatibility and signal quenching are also discussed.
A Modular Biolocomotion Emulator for Hydrodynamic Testing in a Towing Tank

Biologists have long admired the many modes of animal locomotion and the role these modes may play in the survival of species. Engineers find similar inspiration in the myriad ways nature addresses transport, but usually with a different purpose: to improve the speed, agility, stealth, robustness, and efficiency of technologies that serve human needs.
Potential Interventions Against BMPR2-Related Pulmonary Hypertension

For more than 60 years, researchers have sought to understand the molecular basis of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Recognition of the heritable form of the disease led to the cr...
Use of Natural Language Processing Tools to Identify and Classify Periprosthetic Femur Fractures

Abstract Background Manual chart review is labor-intensive and requires specialized knowledge possessed by highly trained medical professionals. The cost and infrastructure challenges required to implement this is prohibitive for most hospitals. Natural language processing (NLP) tools are distinctive in their ability to extract critical information from unstructured text in the electronic health records. As a simple proof-of-concept for the potential application of NLP technology in total hip arthroplasty (THA), we examined its ability to identify periprosthetic femur fractures (PPFFx) followed by more complex Vancouver classification. Methods PPFFx were identified among all THAs performed at a single academic institution between 1998 and 2016. A randomly selected training cohort (1538 THAs with 89 PPFFx cases) was used to develop the prototype NLP algorithm and an additional randomly selected cohort (2982 THAs with 84 PPFFx cases) was used to further validate the algorithm. Keywords to identify, and subsequently classify, Vancouver type PPFFx about THA were defined. The gold standard was confirmed by experienced orthopedic surgeons using chart and radiographic review. The algorithm was applied to consult and operative notes to evaluate language used by surgeons as a means to predict the correct pathology in the absence of a listed, precise diagnosis. Given the variability inherent to fracture descriptions by different surgeons, an iterative process was used to improve the algorithm during the training phase following error identification. Validation statistics were calculated using manual chart review as the gold standard. Results In distinguishing PPFFx, the NLP algorithm demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 99.8% specificity. Among 84 PPFFx test cases, the algorithm demonstrated 78.6% sensitivity and 94.8% specificity in determining the correct Vancouver classification. Conclusion NLP-enabled algorithms are a promising alternative to manual chart review for identifying THA outcomes. NLP algorithms applied to surgeon notes demonstrated excellent accuracy in delineating PPFFx, but accuracy was low for Vancouver classification subtype. This proof-of-concept study supports the use of NLP technology to extract THA-specific data elements from the unstructured text in electronic health records in an expeditious and cost-effective manner. Level of Evidence Level III.
Revisiting age-related admission following tonsillectomy in the pediatric population.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS The objectives of this study were to examine patient outcomes using a 36-month age cutoff as a strict admission criterion following tonsillectomy, and review the safety and determine the plausibility of same-day discharge of children under 3 years old following tonsillectomy. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. METHODS A chart review of patients aged 24 to 42 months undergoing tonsillectomy over a 3-year period was conducted. Patients were stratified into <36 months and ≥ 36 months cohorts. Data collected included demographics, medical/sleep history, inpatient records, 30-day emergency department visits, and readmission data. Bivariate comparisons were made using χ2 and Wilcoxon tests for categorical and continuous variables. RESULTS Between July 2014 and July 2017, 427 patients aged 24 to 42 months underwent tonsillectomy at our institution. Thirty-day emergency department visit, readmission, and greater-than-expected length of stay rates were 3.0% versus 3.7% (P = .75), 1.0 versus 1.8% (P = .61), and 4.7% versus 4.5% (P = 1.00) between the younger and older cohorts, respectively, with no difference in complication rates identified based on age. CONCLUSIONS No significant difference in adverse outcomes was appreciated based on a cutoff of 36 months of age at a tertiary center over 3 years. There should continue to be ongoing studies addressing strict age-related admission criteria. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 129:E389-E394, 2019.
Synchronized cardiac impulses emerge from multi-scale, heterogeneous local calcium signals within and among cells of heart pacemaker tissue

The current functional paradigm of sinoatrial node (SAN), the hearts natural pacemaker, postulates the entrainment of full-scale action potentials (APs) at one common frequency and does not involve any subcellular events or subthreshold signals. SAN cells studied in isolation, however, generate subcellular, spontaneous, rhythmic, local Ca2+ releases (LCRs) and, while each LCR is a small, subthreshold signal, the emergent LCR ensemble signal critically contributes to generation of spontaneous APs and accounts for the heterogeneity of AP firing rates of these cells. We hypothesized that cells embedded in SAN tissue also generate heterogeneous subthreshold LCR signals of different rates and amplitudes and that self-organization of the LCRs within and among cells critically contributes to the ignition of APs that emerge from the SAN to excite the heart. To this end we combined immunolabeling with a novel technique to image microscopic Ca2+ dynamics, including both LCRs and AP-induced Ca2+ transients (APCTs) within and among individual pacemaker cells across the entire mouse SAN. Immunolabeling identified a meshwork of HCN4(+)/CX43(-) non-striated cells of different morphologies that extended along the crista terminalis from the superior vena cava to the inferior vena cava, becoming intertwined with a network of striated cells, rich in F-actin and CX43, but devoid of HCN4 immunolabeling. The earliest APCTs within a given pacemaker cycle occurred within a small area of HCN4 meshwork below the superior vena cava, just medial to the crista terminalis. Although subsequent APCT appearance throughout the SAN at low magnification resembled a continuous propagation pattern, higher magnification imaging revealed that APCT appearance at different sites within the SAN was patchy and discontinuous. Both LCR dynamics and APCTs were markedly heterogeneous in amplitudes and frequencies among SAN cells: in some cells, APCT occurrence was preceded by diastolic LCRs occurring in the same cell; other cells did not generate spontaneous APCTs, but had subthreshold LCRs only, which preceded APCT generation by adjacent cells; APCTs of various frequencies were generated steadily or in bursts. In summary, we discovered a novel, microscopic Ca2+ signalling paradigm of SAN operation that could not be detected with low-resolution, macroscopic tissue methods employed in prior studies: synchronized macroscopic signals within the SA node, including full-scale APs, emerge from heterogeneous microscopic subthreshold Ca2+ signals. This multiscale, complex process of impulse generation within the SAN resembles the emergence of organized signals from heterogeneous local signals generated within clusters of neurons within neuronal networks.
Epidemiology of Hemostatic Transfusions in Children Supported by Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the epidemiology of hemostatic transfusions (plasma, platelet, and cryoprecipitate) in children supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. DESIGN Secondary analysis of a large observational cohort study. SETTING Eight pediatric institutions within the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development's Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network. PATIENTS Critically ill children supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was used in the care of 514 consecutive children. Platelets were transfused on 68% of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation days, plasma on 34% of the days on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and cryoprecipitate on 14%. Only 24% of the days on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation were free of any hemostatic transfusions. Daily platelet transfusion dose was independently associated with chest tube output (p < 0.001), other bleeding requiring RBC transfusion (p = 0.03), and daily set platelet goal (p = 0.009), but not with total platelet count (p = 0.75). Daily plasma transfusion dose was independently associated with chest tube output (p < 0.001), other bleeding requiring RBC transfusion (p = 0.01), activated clotting time (p = 0.001), and antithrombin levels (p = 0.02), but not with international normalized ratio (p = 0.99) or activated partial thromboplastin time (p = 0.29). Daily cryoprecipitate transfusion dose was independently associated with younger age (p = 0.009), but not with chest tube bleeding (p = 0.18), other bleeding requiring RBC transfusion (p = 0.75), fibrinogen level (p = 0.67), or daily fibrinogen goal (p = 0.81). CONCLUSIONS Platelets were transfused on two third of the days on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, plasma on one third, and cryoprecipitate on one sixth of the days. Although most hemostatic transfusions were independently associated with bleeding, they were not independently associated with the majority of hemostatic testing. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the appropriateness of these transfusion strategies.
Record high power single-mode erbium-ytterbium fiber amplifier with a near quantum-limited optical efficiency

We demonstrate a double-cladding Er/Yb fiber MOPA counter-pumped by 915nm pump diode, which produces a record high output of 302W diffraction-limited power at 1562nm with an optical efficiency of 56% and average M2 ~1.04.
A Model to Introduce Medical Students to the Use of Artificial Intelligence and Genomics for Precision Medicine

ABSTRACT Objective Despite the significant medical impact of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, emergence of AI-related topics in medical curricula has been slow. The authors sought to introduce pre-clinical students to the importance of AI methodologies and medical applications using modular short courses focused on active learning with precision medicine as a primary use case. Materials and Methods A short elective course was designed to introduce first-year students to how various bioinformatic and AI-related processes work and how they help classify medical data, facilitate genomic analysis and predict clinical outcomes. The course covers gene sequencing and variants, neural networks, natural language processing, medical computer vision and the limitations and ethical concerns related to use of AI in precision medicine. Online content serves as major source material. After a faculty-led introduction, sessions focus on teams of students who present course content to one another and lead discussions with faculty guidance. A related short AI course focused on gene variants was given to the entire second-year class. Results The elective course has been taken by 74 first- year students over 8 consecutive semesters (2017-2021). The course achieved average satisfaction scores of 4.4/5.0 (n = 13) when the active learning approach became dominant in 2018. Students were able to describe accurately how bioinformatics and AI make personalized medicine possible. Students also did well on the gene variants exercise given to the entire second year class (2018), but the full class short AI course was not continued in subsequent years. Students have created a school-approved interest group in medical AI. Conclusions This experience shows that AI-related materials can be sustainably introduced into pre- clinical medical education with precision medicine as the primary use case. This modular course design and content could be adapted easily for educational use in medical subspecialties and other health professions.
Application of fluorescent dextrans to the brain surface under constant pressure reveals AQP4-independent solute uptake

Extracellular solutes in the central nervous system are exchanged between the interstitial fluid, the perivascular compartment, and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The "glymphatic" mechanism proposes that the astrocyte water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4) is a major determinant of solute transport between the CSF and the interstitial space; however, this is controversial in part because of wide variance in experimental data on interstitial uptake of cisternally injected solutes. Here, we investigated the determinants of solute uptake in brain parenchyma following cisternal injection and reexamined the role of AQP4 using a novel constant-pressure method. In mice, increased cisternal injection rate, which modestly increased intracranial pressure, remarkably increased solute dispersion in the subarachnoid space and uptake in the cortical perivascular compartment. To investigate the role of AQP4 in the absence of confounding variations in pressure and CSF solute concentration over time and space, solutes were applied directly onto the brain surface after durotomy under constant external pressure. Pressure elevation increased solute penetration into the perivascular compartment but had little effect on parenchymal solute uptake. Solute penetration and uptake did not differ significantly between wild-type and AQP4 knockout mice. Our results offer an explanation for the variability in cisternal injection studies and indicate AQP4-independent solute transfer from the CSF to the interstitial space in mouse brain.
An analysis of structure of tree seedling populations on a Lahar

The structure of a tree seedling population is dependent on the interaction of several processes including seed dispersal, germination, survival, and competition on a physical landscape. Structural components (composition, size distributions, spatial distributions, age distributions, density, and history) of a tree seedling population on the Muddy River Lahar on the east side of Mount St. Helens were examined over a range of extents (1/10 m to 1000 m). Many of these component have rarely been examined at the larger extents listed here. Composition reflected distances to seed source and seed morphology. Seedling sizes are inversely proportional to depth to a buried soil if one existed. Spatial patterns indicated that seedling are clustered for tree seedlings less than 200 m apart, random for tree seedling from 200 m to 400 m and uniform for seedling greater than 400 m apart. This was confirmed by two measures of multidimensional spatial point pattern. Age distributions did not reflect the size distributions; old seedlings could be almost any size, young seedlings were constrained to be small in size. Densities appear to be typical for forests in the area. History of disturbance events (the lahar establishment, and successive ash, pumice, and erosion) has strongly influenced this tree seedling community.
Hierarchical Skill Learning for High-Level Planning

I present skill bootstrapping, a proposed new research direction for agent learning and planning that allows an agent to start with low-level primitive actions, and develop skills that can be used for higher-level planning. Skills are developed over the course of solving many different problems in a domain, using reinforcement learning techniques to complement the benefits and disadvantages of heuristic-search planning. I describe the overall architecture of the proposed approach and discuss how it relates to other work.
A Laplace expansion solution technique for 2D simulation of PPM fields

Summary for only given. The magnetic fields generated by periodic permanent magnet (PPM) stacks can be approximated at 2-dimensional with axial symmetry. For such systems with Laplacian fields, it is possible to obtain field solutions in the source-free region around the symmetry axis from a knowledge of the on-axis magnetic potential (or field) by application of the Laplace expansion solution method. This technique employs an incomplete power series expansion of a scalar potential function in the transverse variable where the series coefficients are axial derivatives of the on-axis potential (or field). By approximating a PPM stack with an equivalent system of magnetic coils, the Laplace expansion solution technique can be applied to accurately calculate the 2D off-axis magnetic field of the stack. This solution technique has been implemented in a compact, flexible, and extremely fast numerical code, lesPPM. The PPM stack geometry is used to construct an equivalent coil system, which can include key design elements such as end-effects and variation of PPM parameters (period, radius, magnet strength, number of periods, etc.).
Two-dimensional (2D) in-plane strain mapping using a laser scanning technique on the cross-section of a microelectronics package

Strain distribution exists in all microelectronic devices, including emerging flexible[1] and foldable[2] electronics. When a device is subject to bending or elevated temperature, the mechanical and electrical properties change. In some cases induced or applied strain can cause the device to fail[3–5]. For this reason, accurate strain mapping techniques are of great interest[6] to the electronics industry and could provide a detailed understanding of the strain distribution across a device. This understanding will help improve the structure or layout design of mechanical and electronic devices. The laser scanning technique demonstrated in this work could potentially provide a solution to map the two dimensional (2D) strain distribution within an electronic package. We have validated the strain sensitivity and spatial resolution of features for the device in a previous report[7, 8] and are now applying the technique to a practical microelectronic package sample. Here, we demonstrate 2D strain mapping capability by preforming 2D scans across the composite solder bump region at room temperature and an elevated temperature.
Chegg: Textbook Rental Takes Flight

In late 2010, Silicon Valley-based Chegg, the leading online college textbook rental company, is scaling rapidly. The case recounts Chegg's history from its origins as a distant competitor to Craigslist in college classified listings through a pivot into textbook rental followed by a period of explosive growth. Resulting challenges in scaling warehouse operations, customer service, and information technology are described, along with efforts to professionalize sourcing/pricing and product management functions. The case closes with questions about how Chegg should respond to the pending transition from printed textbooks to electronic textbooks.Learning Objective: Depict a rapidly growing firm, its difficulties and adaptations.
Parallel solution of large-scale, block-angular linear

Many important large-scale optimization problems can be formulated as linear programs with a block-angular structure. This structure lends itself naturally to parallel solutions and is used to great advantage in the solution method described. To demonstrate the efficiency of the method, it has been implemented and computationally tested on both a shared-memory vector multiprocessor (CRAY-2) and a local-memory hypercube (NCUBE/seven) with 64 processors. Computational results for problems with as many as 24,000 rows and 74,000 columns (1,024 blocks and 1.4 million nonzero elements) are presented. A problem of this size was solved on the NCUBE in less than four minutes and the CRAY-2 in 37 seconds.
Attenuation of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 cytopathic effect by a mutation affecting the transmembrane envelope glycoprotein

The cytopathic effects of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection are specific for cells that express the CD4 viral receptor and consist of syncytium formation and single-cell lysis. Here we report that a mutation (517A) affecting the amino terminus of the HIV-1 gp41 transmembrane envelope glycoprotein resulted in a virus that was markedly less cytopathic than was wild-type HIV-1. In systems in which cell-to-cell transmission of HIV-1 occurred, the replication ability of the 517A virus was comparable with that of the wild-type virus. Even though the levels of viral protein expression, virion production, and interaction of the envelope glycoproteins with CD4 were similar for the 517A and wild-type viruses, both syncytium formation and single-cell lysis were attenuated for the 517A mutant virus. These results demonstrate that an envelope glycoprotein region important for mediating post-receptor binding events in cell membrane fusion is important for the induction of cytopathic effects by HIV-1. These results also indicate that levels of HIV-1 viral proteins or viral particles produced in infected cells are in themselves not sufficient to induce cytopathic effects.
Functional Identification of the Segregation Distorter Locus of Drosophila Melanogaster by Germline Transformation

Segregation Distorter (SD) is a meiotic drive system in D. melanogaster that results in the failure of SD/SD+ males to transmit SD+ homologs owing to the induced dysfunction of spermatids carrying the normal chromosome. Segregation distorter (Sd), the gene primarily responsible for this distorted transmission, is associated with a novel 12-kb restriction fragment containing a tandem duplication of a 5-kb wild-type segment of genomic DNA. When introduced into appropriate genetic backgrounds by germline transformation, this 12-kb fragment causes full levels of distortion and directs the expression of an SD-specific 4-kb transcript. Transformants that have lost part of this segment are unable to cause distortion and do not express the 4-kb transcript. These results identify the tandem duplication as Sd.
An Empirically Based Electrosource Horizon Lead-Acid Battery Model

An empirically based mathematical model of a lead-acid battery for use in the Texas A and M University`s Electrically Peaking Hybrid (ELPH) computer simulation is presented. The battery model is intended to overcome intuitive difficulties with currently available models by employing direct relationships between state-of-charge, voltage, and power demand. The model input is the power demand or load. Model outputs include voltage, an instantaneous battery efficiency coefficient and a state-of-charge indicator. A time and current depend voltage hysteresis is employed to ensure correct voltage tracking inherent with the highly transient nature of a hybrid electric drivetrain.
Reproductive preferences of pregnant women under shifting probabilities of vertical HIV transmission

Abstract Pregnant women, imagining they were HIV-positive, were asked whether they would have an abortion or avoid pregnancy under shifting probabilities of vertical transmission.
Simultaneous 3-D Flow Visualization with 2-D PIV to Observe a Turbulent Boundary Layer

A high speed 3-D flow visualization system is synchronized with a 2-D particle image velocimetry (PIV) system to simultaneously capture instantaneous 3-D images with a 2-D PIV slice through the center of the measurement volume. Trials were performed on a zero pressure gradient (ZPG) turbulent boundary layer (Reθ ~ 4900) on the wall of a 2 ft x 2 ft open circuit wind tunnel. The experimental setup, including the two lasers, two cameras, wind tunnel, and seeding technique is described. Comparison of the velocity and vorticity fields with the 3-D flow visualization images show agreement in locating the edge of the boundary layer as marked by smoke injected into the boundary layer well upstream of the measurement location. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) is used to elucidate the most common structures in the flow from both a flow visualization and velocity field perspective. The coefficients used to construct velocity POD modes are used on flow visualization images to create a conditionally averaged image that corresponds to the velocity mode. The similarities in these constructed images and the modes indicate a connection between the velocity and flow visualization for this experiment. Additional trials with a larger set of images will be run to further investigate the connections between the flow visualization and PIV.
Real-time approximate Range Motif discovery & data redundancy removal algorithm

Removing redundancy in the data is an important problem as it helps in resource and compute efficiency for downstream processing of massive (10 million to 100 million records) datasets. In application domains such as IR, stock markets, telecom and others there is a strong need for real-time data redundancy removal of enormous amounts of data flowing at the rate of 1Gb/s or higher. We consider the problem of finding Range Motifs (clusters) over records in a large dataset such that records within the same cluster are approximately close to each other. This problem is closely related to the approximate nearest neighbour search but is more computationally expensive. Real-time scalable approximate Range Motif discovery on massive datasets is a challenging problem. We present the design of novel sequential and parallel approximate Range Motif discovery and data de-duplication algorithms using Bloom filters. We establish asymptotic upper bounds on the false positive and false negative rates for our algorithm. Further, time complexity analysis of our parallel algorithm on multi-core architectures has been presented. For 10 million records, our parallel algorithm can perform approximate Range Motif discovery and data de-duplication, on 4 sets (clusters), in 59s, on 16 core Intel Xeon 5570 architecture. This gives a throughput of around 170K records/s and around 700Mb/s (using records of size 4K bits). To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest real-time throughput for approximate Range Motif discovery and data redundancy removal on such massive datasets.
Comminution of single particles in a rigidly-mounted roll mill part 2: product size distribution and energy utilization

Abstract Product size distributions are invariably self similar when particles are comminuted singly under compression ina rigidly-mounted roll mill. This is a consequence of the geometrically similar crack patterns formed on a progressively finer scale with increasing input of energy. Rumpfs similarity law of fracture mechanics formulated in terms of surface area is modified by making use of the self-preserving nature of the size spectra into an energy-reduction ratio relationship in terms of median size. This relationship, which is far more convenient for analysis of the experimental data, provides a measure of the inherent grindability of the material or of its energy utilization capacity. The energy investment equation derived in Part 1 is coupled with the energy utilization equation presented here for an integrated formulation of the role of particle size, compression ratio and energy expended on energy utilized and size reduction achieved when single particles are comminuted. Conditions are established under which comminuted size distributions become a unique function of the product of particle size and specific energy input and breakage distribution functions are normalizable with respect to the parent size. These results are in agreement with previous data in the literature on single-particle breakage.
Headache and Subacute Sinusiris in Children and Adolescents

SYNOPSIS The medical records of 150 children and adolescents with chronic headaches seen during 1984 and 1985 were reviewed. Sinus pathology diagnosed radiographically was present in 15 patients. None had prominent respiratory symptoms. All improved with appropriate therapy directed toward the sinus pathology. The importance of including sinusitis in the differential diagnosis when seeing children and adolescents with chronic headache is emphasized.
WOMEN'S COMMUNITY SERVICE, 1940–1960: Insights from a Cohort of Gifted American Women

Americans who came of age during and immediately following World War II have recently become a central feature for more broadly understanding volunteerism, as well as civic participation, in the Un...
Low Light Level V-Type Electromagnetically Induced Transparency using Tapered Fiber Embedded in Rubidium Vapor

We report observation of V-type electromagntically induced transparency (EIT) at a few nW of optical power, using tapered fiber (TF) embedded in a rubidium vapor.
A temporal based forensic analysis of electronic communication

Previous work [1] reported on our research in developing a data mining environment for analyzing email communication data. In this paper, we describe our extensions to EMT for applying forensic discovery over temporal email data. The goal is to produce a semi-automatic system to aid in evidence discovery and a host of other applications. We describe our research on profile stability, temporal search and clustering, and new social network dynamic algorithms.
Cardiac tamponade caused by serous pericardial effusion in patients on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Abstract Purpose: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been successful in the treatment of critically ill children; however, its use has been accompanied by a broad range of complications. The authors describe the presentation, clinical course, treatment, and outcome of 4 patients on ECMO in whom pericardial tamponade developed caused by a serous effusion. Methods: A retrospective review of patients placed on ECMO at our institution from 1993 to 1997 was performed. The case histories of 4 patients in whom pericardial tamponade developed caused by a serous effusion were reviewed in detail. Results: The first patient presented with hypotension while on venovenous (VV) ECMO. The hypotension improved with fluid resuscitation. The patient was converted from (VV) to venoarterial (VA) ECMO when hypotension recurred. After a third episode of hypotension, a narrow pulse pressure was noted, and echocardiography results confirmed a pericardial effusion. The diagnosis was recognized earlier in the course of the subsequent 3 patients. All 4 patients were treated with aspiration of serous fluid from the pericardium with an over-the-needle plastic catheter that was left in place. More than 1 aspiration was required in all cases. All 4 patients survived. Conclusions: The authors have identified a group of ECMO patients with pericardial tamponade caused by serous effusion with good response to treatment. A high index of suspicion and early echocardiography is warranted to confirm the diagnosis in a patient with hypotension on ECMO.
The utility of cadaver dissection in endoscopic sinus surgery training courses.

BACKGROUND Understanding paranasal sinus anatomy is crucial for successful outcomes in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). This study was designed to evaluate subjective and objective differences in ESS cadaver dissections among participants of varying experience levels in association with the use of image guidance and computer-aided technologies in a physician training cadaver dissection laboratory. METHODS Participants in a 2-day cadaver dissection course completed daily predissection surveys evaluating subjective comfort with ESS. Pre- and postdissection computer tomography (CT) scans assessed completeness of dissection. Images were analyzed for maxillary antrostomy, frontal and sphenoid sinusotomy, residual ethmoid cells and partitions, and residual frontal recess cells. RESULTS Fifty-one sides were dissected. Participant comfort increased significantly from day 1 to 2 for overall ESS (p = 0.001) and for individual sinuses (p < 0.001 to p = 0.047). Participants with more years in practice had fewer unopened ethmoid cells (p = 0.015) and frontal recess cells (p = 0.014) on dissection day 1. Participants with increased comfort in ethmoid dissection had fewer retained ethmoid partitions on day 1 (p = 0.017). Observed differences on dissection day 1 for unopened ethmoid and frontal recess cells and retained ethmoid partitions were not present on day 2. No significant differences were found based on use of image guidance for any parameter. CONCLUSION Surgeons with increased comfort and more years in practice had more complete endoscopic cadaver dissections initially. Differences among participants diminished on dissection day 2, indicating the ability to review postdissection CT scans may improve surgeon comfort level and completeness of dissection.