cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Future Land Use Scenarios on Runoff Volumes in the Muskegon River Watershed

In this article we compared the response of surface water runoff to a storm event for different rates of urbanization, reforestation and riparian buffer setbacks across forty subwatersheds of the Muskegon River Watershed located in Michigan, USA. We also made these comparisons for several forecasted and one historical land use scenarios (over 140 years). Future land use scenarios to 2040 for forest regrowth, urbanization rates and stream setbacks were developed using the Land Transformation Model (LTM). Historical land use information, from 1900 at 5-year time step intervals, was created using a Backcast land use change model configured using artificial neural network and driven by agriculture and housing census information. We show that (1) controlling the rate of development is the most effective policy option to reduce runoff; (2) establishing setbacks along the mainstem are not as effective as controlling urban growth; (3) reforestation can abate some of the runoff effects from urban growth but not all; (4) land use patterns of the 1970s produced the least amount of runoff in most cases in the Muskegon River Watershed when compared to land use maps from 1900 to 2040; and, (5) future land use patterns here not always lead to increased (worse) runoff than the past. We found that while ten of the subwatersheds contained futures that were worse than any past land use configuration, twenty-five (62.5%) of the subwatersheds produced the greatest amount of runoff in 1900, shortly after the entire watershed was clear-cut. One third (14/40) of the subwatersheds contained the minimum amount of runoff in the 1960s and 1970s, a period when forest amounts were greatest and urban amounts relatively small.
Case of Fluoxetine-Induced Remission of Raynaud's Phenomenon—A Case Report:

The authors report complete remission of digital ischemia, blanching, ulceration, pain, and poor fingernail growth associated with Raynaud's phenomenon in a thirty-one-year-old, nondepressed woman treated with fluoxetine.
On-die self-healing of mixer image-rejection ratio for mixed-signal electronic systems

An integrated wideband (6–20 GHz) image-reject mixer and test signal source for "self-healing" of image-rejection ratio (IRR) is demonstrated for the first time. The mixer can be adapted to deliver consistent performance over process variations, environmental changes, and/or aging effects. An IRR of over 36 dB is obtained in measurement for a wide range of IF frequencies. The healing is achieved by means of an automated procedure controlled by MATLAB algorithms. The test signal source consists of an on-die wideband differential ring oscillator with an amplitude-control mechanism to provide a 20 dB range of adjustable power at the input of the mixer. The circuits were fabricated in a commercially-available 180 nm SiGe BiCMOS platform.
Defining international terrorism: A pragmatic approach

One of the fundamental problems in addressing the phenomenon of international terrorism is that despite a plethora of scholarly work and more than thirty years of inter‐governmental discourse there is still no commonly accepted definition of international terrorism. Existing definitions tend to fall into two broad categories academic and political. Contemporary academic definitions of international terrorism are primarily designed to fit incidents into various statistical models. They are often lengthy, over‐complicated and defy common usage. Governmental definitions of international terrorism tend to be ambiguous to allow the most politically convenient interpretation of events. This paper takes a pragmatic look at the ongoing definitional dilemma in the study of international terrorism. Drawing upon both sides of the definitional spectrum, it charts a middle course arguing for a more lucid and functional definition of terrorism based on primary characteristics which distinguish international terrorism f...
Subsystem Throughputs of a Clinical Picture Archiving and Communications System

We measured the throughtput rates of individual picture archiving and communications system (PACS) subsystems including the acquisition, archive, display, and communication network as a basis of evaluation the overall throughput of our clinical PACS. The throughput rate of each PACS subsystem was measured in terms of average residence time of individual images in the subsystem. The residence time of an image in a PACS subsystem was determined by the total time the image was required to be processed within the subsystem. The overall throughput of the PACS was measured as the total residence time of an image in the various subsystems. We also measured throughputs of the PACS subsystems using three types of networks (Ethernet; fiber distributed data interface; and UltraNet, UltraNetwork Technologies, San Jose, CA), and the results were compared. Approximately 200 gigabytes of data transactions including magnetic resonance, computed tomography and computed radiography images from our PACS were analyzed. Results showed that PACS throughput was limited by three major factors: (1) low-speed data interface used in the radiologic imaging devices and archive devices; (2) competition for systems processing time among the PACS processes; and (3) network degradation caused by heavy network traffic. We concluded that PACS performance could be improved with a well-designed network architecture, a job prioritizing mechanism, and an image routing strategy. However, device-dependent low-speed data interface has limited PACS performance.
Understanding Limits on Fin Aspect Ratios in Counterflow Microchannel Arrays Produced by Diffusion Bonding

This paper investigates the manufacturability limits of fin aspect ratios within two-fluid counter-flow microchannel arrays based on the stress state between laminae during diffusion bonding. In prior papers, it has been shown that the diffusion bonding of two-fluid systems by microlamination can result in regions of the device that do not directly transmit bonding pressure and, consequently, result in unbonded regions leading to device leakage. A finite element model is used to analyze the stress state between laminae during diffusion bonding. The stress state is used to determine the critical stress necessary for diffusion bonding to occur in areas not receiving direct bonding pressure. Model results are compared with experimental results over a wide range of counter-flow geometries. It has been found generally that a compressive stress state must exist in every part of the geometry in order to produce leak-free bonds. Implications of this finding on the design of two-fluid microchannel arrays are discussed. DOI: 10.1115/1.2280672
Scintillation index for N Gaussian laser beams with different wavelengths in weak atmospheric turbulence

We study the scintillation index of N partially overlapping lowest order Gaussian laser beams with different wavelengths in weak atmospheric turbulence. Assuming a Von Karman turbulence spectrum and slow detector response and using the Rytov approximation we calculate the longitudinal and radial components of the scintillation index for typical free-space laser communication setups. We find the initial beam separation that minimizes the longitudinal scintillation and corresponds to the optimal beam configuration. Further reduction of the longitudinal scintillation is obtained by optimizing with respect to both initial beam separation and initial spot size. The longitudinal scintillation of the optimal N -beam configurations is inversely proportional to N , resulting in a 92% reduction for a 9-beam system compared with the single beam value. The existence of the minimum of longitudinal scintillation is not very sensitive to the form of the turbulence spectrum. Moreover, the radial scintillation values for the optimal N-beam configurations are found to be significantly smaller than the corresponding single beam values, and this reduction effect also grows with increasing N .
Primacy Effects in Nonspatial Recognition Memory in Rats

Abstract The existence of primacy and recency effects in nonspatial recognition memory in rats was investigated using a nonmatching-to-sample task (namely, visual discrimination in a Y-maze). Although previous research has demonstrated recency effects in nonspatial tasks, evidence for a primacy effect in such tasks is equivocal. The current study evaluated nonspatial memory under conditions that have been found to optimize primacy effects. Significant primacy effects were found over all trials and also for the last six trials. Results are discussed in terms of identification of the optimal conditions for producing and detecting serial position effects in memory.
Effects of O,S,S-trimethyl phosphorodithioate on immune function.

Abstract The effect of acute administration of 20–80 mg/kg O,S,S-trimethyl phosphorodithioate (OSS-TMP) to C57BL/6 female mice on the murine immune system was determined. The parameters examined to evaluate overt toxicity of the compound included body weight, plasma cholinesterase levels, splenic nucleated cell number and thymic weight and nucleated cell number. Acute administration of 60 or 80 mg/kg OSS-TMP led to a 75 or 63% decrease, respectively, in plasma cholinesterase levels and a decrease in thymic size. At a dose of 80 mg/kg OSS-TMP, the animals also exhibited some lethargy and body weight loss. Below 60 mg/kg OSS-TMP, no overt toxic manifestations were observed. These studies were carried further to determine the effect of OSS-TMP on the generation of in vivo primary and in vitro secondary cellular and humoral immune responses. At nontoxic doses of the compound, i.e. 20 and 40 mg/kg OSS-TMP, the in vivo generation of a primary cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response to alloantigen was significantly elevated, but this response was unaffected following restimulation of the splenocytes by alloantigen in vitro. The generation of an in vivo primary and in vitro secondary humoral responses to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was elevated following a single dose of 40 mg/kg OSS-TMP. Administration of toxic doses of OSS-TMP, i.e. 60 and 80 mg/kg, did not alter the ability of splenocytes to generate a primary or secondary CTL response, but suppressed the generation of humoral immune responses. These results differ significantly from those observed in a similar system following acute administration of a structural analog, O,O,S-trimethyl phosphorothioate which was previously shown to have potent immunosuppressive activity at nontoxic doses.
Enduring difficulties in China–U.S. defense diplomacy

Abstract Despite decades of military-to-military talks and the creation of several China–U.S. defense confidence-building measures, clashes between Chinese and American military units operating in the international waters and airspace near China have repeatedly disrupted their bilateral relations. Since the mid-1990s, the two defense communities have negotiated a series of bilateral defense and security agreements and confidence-building measures seeking to reduce mutual tensions and advance their common security interests. These measures have promoted a better understanding of each party's security concerns, but they remain highly constrained and vulnerable to disruption from external shocks. Several factors have impeded their development. The most important obstacle has been the underlying contentious nature of the Chinese–U.S. relationship, which is manifested most acutely by tensions over Taiwan. As leaders of the weaker power, moreover, Chinese policymakers fear that excessive transparency could prov...
A new approach to Kolmogorov equations in infinite dimensions and applications to the stochastic 2D Navier–Stokes equation

In this Note we present a new approach to solve Kolmogorov equations in infinitely many variables in weighted spaces of weakly continuous functions, including the case of non-constant possibly degenerate diffusion coefficients. To cite this article: M. Rockner, Z. Sobol, C. R. Acad. Sci. Paris, Ser. I 345 (2007).
Basal and stimulated insulin levels: comparison of insulinogenic effects of oral glucose and intravenous tolbutamide in nondiabetic and diabetic subjects.

Abstract Immunoreactive insulin (IRI) and glucose levels before and during standard oral glucose (100 g) and intravenous tolbutamide (1 g) tolerance tests were compared in 17 obese and nonobese subjects with normal and abnormal carbohydrate tolerance. After tolbutamide, the increases observed in IRI levels were directly related to the prestimulated or basal IRI (r = + 0.50, p
Subelliptic harmonic maps from Carnot groups

For subelliptic harmonic maps from a Carnot group into a Riemannian manifold without boundary, we prove that they are smooth near any $\epsilon$ -regular point (see Definition 1.3) for sufficiently small $\epsilon > 0$ . As a consequence, any stationary subelliptic harmonic map is smooth away from a closed set with zero HQ-2 measure. This extends the regularity theory for harmonic maps (cf. [SU], [Hf], [El], [Bf]) to this subelliptic setting.
The effect of the first and second stages of tempering on microcracking in martensite of an Fe-1.22 C alloy

The effect of tempering on microcracking in the plate martensite of an Fe-1.22 C alloy was investigated by isothermal heat treatments in the temperature range between 180 and 225°C. The second stage of tempering, followed by X-ray measurement of retained austenite, was confirmed to depend upon the diffusion of C in austenite, and the transformation product was found to consist of very closely spaced cementite lamellae in ferrite. Microcracking, despite the volume expansion that accompanies the transformation of the retained austenite, decreased only slightly with time during the second stage. The major decrease in microcracking occurred during the first stage, a result attributed to the plastic deformation that accompanies the dimensional changes caused by the reduction of the lattice tetragonality of the high carbon martensite in the first stage. Metallographic observations of surface relief and etching effects associated with martensite plates provided evidence of the first-stage plastic flow.
The quantitative separation of chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants by column chromatography

Abstract Chylomicrons and chylomicron remnants cannot be separated by classical techniques of ultracentrifugation or gel filtration, since there is a marked overlap of density and size. Chylomicron remnants develop a high negative surface charge during their formation presumably due to surface-oriented free fatty acids. Two Chromatographic matrices have been identified which separate these two lipoprotein species based on the charge differences. Both DEAE-Sephacel and protamine-Affi-Gel 10 effect a quantitative separation. These techniques may be useful in studies of chylomicron metabolism both in vivo and in vitro.
Factors Affecting Gas Slippage in Tight Sandstones of Cretaceous Age in the Uinta Basin

The gas permeability of some sandstones from Uinta County, UT was measured in the laboratory. The effect of confining pressure and partial water saturation on gas permeability was investigated. Measurements were conducted at pressures of up to 34.5 MPa and partial liquid saturations of up to 60%. We noted that the slope of the straight line relating apparent gas permeability to reciprocal mean pore pressure decreased with increasing net confining pressure and with increasing partial water saturation. Gas permeabilities extrapolated to infinite pore pressure were often higher than liquid permeabilities under the same confining pressure conditions; scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations indicated rock/fluid interactions. Geologic studies of end pieces cut off from core plugs revealed that porosity is reduced by quartz overgrowths, authigenic clays (kaolinite, illite, and minor quantities of chlorite), carbonate cements (calcite and dolomite), and physical compaction of labile rock fragments. In some samples, organic-rich laminae were found to lie parallel to bedding surfaces. Apparently, microporosity had been formed by partial leaching of feldspars and rock fragments. Most of the pores were lined with authigenic clays that form highly irregular pore walls. Thin film intergranular pores, which were observed in samples impregnated with blue epoxy at ambient pressure,more » were not found in samples in which the epoxy was cured under a confining pressure of 34.5 MPa.« less
Temporal effects of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol on feeding patterns and activity of obese and lean Zucker rats

Food intake and activity of Zucker obese and lean rats were monitored by on-line computer for 24-hr periods. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) failed to reduce intake duirng the first 3 hr postinjection and shifted the feeding pattern towards more, smaller meals (“nibbles”). Subsequent reduction in food intake was associated with a suppression of running wheel activity. These data are inconsistent with the currently held models of anorexia and suggest that Δ9-THC may suppress feeding by indirect means.
Use of an Adsorption Process for Purification of Pollock-Oil-Based Biodiesel Comprises Methyl Esters

The quality of biodiesel from crude pollock oil and the effect of a purification process on the physicochemical properties of pollock oil biodiesel were evaluated. Unpurified pollock oil (PO) was transesterified to biodiesel from pollock oil (BPO) using methyl alcohol (1:6 molar ratio) and NaOH (1 % w/w of the oil weight); and the resulting fatty acids methyl esters (FAME) were purified with 10 % (w/w) activated earth to yield purified biodiesel from pollock oil (PBPO). The samples were evaluated for yield, FAME composition, free fatty acids (FFA), peroxides value (PV), moisture, bulk density, cloud point, flash point, free and total glycerin, color, rheological properties, and minerals. BPO and PBPO were evaluated for the kinetics of lipid oxidation. The transesterification and purification processes had no effect on the FAME composition of PO. The yield of PBPO was significantly (P < 0.05) reduced after the transesterification and purification processes. Moreover, the transesterification process significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the FFA, moisture, bulk density, flash point, total glycerides, redness, viscosity, arsenic and silicon content in PO. Meanwhile, the purification process significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the PV, redness, and sulfur content of BPO. The flash point of BPO was significantly (P < 0.05) increased by the purification process from 79 to 84 °C. PO, BPO, and PBPO behaved as non-Newtonian and Newtonian fluids at 0 and 25 °C, respectively. BPO showed a lower oxidation rate and activation energy compared to those of PBPO. BPO and PBPO met the ASTM biodiesel standard D6751 for moisture, bulk density, cloud point, free and total glycerin, Na, P, and S. The study demonstrated that high viscosity crude pollock oil could be converted into low viscosity purified pollock oil biodiesel.
Microbial Symbionts and Sponge Heterotrophy; Morphological Aspects of Sponge: Symbiont Integration via SEM Analysis

The ecological and evolutionary relationship between sponges and their symbiotic microflora remains poorly understood, which limits our ability to understand broad scale patterns in benthicpelagic coupling on coral reefs. Sponges can process > 40 ml of water per kg of tissue per hour, removing microbes and dissolved organic matter during the process. Some sponge species are known to harbor extraordinarily dense populations of microbes (high microbial abundance (HMA) sponges), while other species maintain bacterial populations at very low levels (low microbial abundance sponges (LMA)). HMA and LMA sponges have significantly different pumping rates and trophic states. The role these different feeding strategies play in benthic-pelagic coupling on coral reefs may be significant. Previous work in this area examined the importance of sponge pumping rates. It has been suggested that the dense tissue in the HMA sponges would result in smaller water canals, which would contribute to a decrease in water flow [1]. Previous work has confirmed these predictions given that HMA sponges displayed a slower pumping rate than LMA sponges [2]. The differences in microbial abundance suggested that there is a morphological explanation for the differences in pumping rate, which also provides evidence of significant differences between HMA and LMA sponge morphology and physiology.
A comparison of the generalized ray and reflectivity methods of waveform synthesis

Summary The generalized ray and reflectivity methods of waveform synthesis have been compared for realistic models of the upper mantle and of the oceanic crust. Both methods entail some approximations, but the one which requires the most careful testing is the truncation of the generalized ray sum. It has been shown in this study that for the types of time windows typically used in waveform modelling the generalized ray sum converges very rapidly to the reflectivity result. In most cases, it is only necessary to include the primary rays in the sum. Additional internal multiples are sometimes necessary if the model contains thin high gradient zones. The primary rays alone do not always correctly predict the amplitude decay of the supercritical reflection from the gradient. Multiples are also required to avoid long-period errors and truncation arrivals if very shallow travelling energy arrives within the time window of interest. It has also been shown that a number of fast approximate methods provide a very cost efficient alternative to the two more exact methods. The best approach to trial and error modelling studies appears to be to begin with a fast approximate method, to advance to generalized ray theory for the final iterations and to use reflectivity to test and to store the results.
Wavelet Basis Function Neural Networks for Sequential Learning

In this letter, we develop the wavelet basis function neural networks (WBFNNs). It is analogous to radial basis function neural networks (RBFNNs) and to wavelet neural networks (WNNs). In WBFNNs, both the scaling function and the wavelet function of a multiresolution approximation (MRA) are adopted as the basis for approximating functions. A sequential learning algorithm for WBFNNs is presented and compared to the sequential learning algorithm of RBFNNs. Experimental results show that WBFNNs have better generalization property and require shorter training time than RBFNNs.
IMPULSE T)$IUST STAND FOR MEMS PROPULSION 'SYSTEMS : .I,

A simple thrust stand based on a rigid pendulum was built to measure impulse bits as small as 10m6 N-s. The system comprised a freely suspended bob carrying microscopic propellant charges; a low friction pivot; a commercially available interferomet& which measured the displacement of the bob; a switchable magnetic damper; and-vibration isolation. An infrared%nk to the bob allowed individual chambers to be discharged without physical contact. An absolute calibration device was also build which allowed the system to be calibrated in vacuum. The pendulum was calibrated at, systematic intervals between 5 xlOa and 10" N-s. The foiemost considerations taken in the design of these . devices,are simplicity and the use commercial off-the- shelf (COTS) components. A.detailed analysis of the pendulum and calibration systems as well as experimental results are presented.
Left vagal stimulation induces dynorphin release and suppresses substance P release from the rat thoracic spinal cord during cardiac ischemia

Electrostimulatory forms of therapy can reduce angina that arises from activation of cardiac nociceptive afferent fibers during transient ischemia. This study sought to determine the effects of ele...
Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability, and Survival – By Daniel Jaffee

The article reviews the book "Brewing Justice: Fair Trade Coffee, Sustainability, and Survival," by Daniel Jaffee.
Optimize operational bandwidth through core design in air-core photonic bandgap fibers for IR transmission

We determine the optimal inner glass ring thickness and its dependence on the glass index in infrared PBGFs. We find that the optimal thickness is 0.04Λ and the optimal index is as small as possible.
Outcomes of correcting hyponatremia in patients with myocardial infarction

Hyponatremia has significant prognostic implications in patients with heart, failure. However, little data are available regarding its significance in patients presenting with myocardial infarction. In addition, it is not known if correction of hyponatremia impacts outcomes in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of hyponatremia in patients with myocardial infarction and the effect of its correction on all-cause mortality. Patients with the discharge diagnosis of myocardial infarction at our institution between 2000 and 2010 with serum sodium levels measured within 24 h of admission were included in this retrospective analysis. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the predictors of all-cause mortality. Cox proportional hazard model was applied to determine the adjusted survival. A total of 11,562 patients (67.15 ± 14.6 years, males 56.3 %) were included in the analysis. There were a total of 1,535 (13.3 %) deaths within mean follow-up duration of 5.5 ± 3.3 years. There were 425 (27.9 %) deaths in patients with corrected hyponatremia and 155 (55.3 %) deaths in persistent hyponatremia patients. Multivariate analysis indicated that corrected hyponatremia and persistent hyponatremia were independent predictors of all cause mortality (p < 0.0001). When analyzing short-term (30 days) and long-term mortality, corrected hyponatremia group did not have associated long term mortality. Various methods to correct hyponatremia were also analyzed and use of vaptans was associated with decrease in mortality in patients with hyponatremia from 115 to 125 (HR 0.45; 95 % CI 0.26–0.78, p = 0.005). Our analysis showed that corrected and persistent hyponatremia in patients presenting with myocardial infarction is a predictor of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events and heart failure related 30 day rehospitalization. In certain cases, correction of hyponatremia may actually improve survival of the patients.
Word Length and Lexical Competition: Longer Is the Same as Shorter.

Neighborhood density refers to the number of words that sound similar to a given word. Previous studies have found that neighborhood density influences the recognition of spoken words (Luce & Pisoni, 1998); however, this work has focused almost exclusively on monosyllabic words in English. To investigate the effects of neighborhood density on longer words, bisyllabic words varying in neighborhood density were presented auditorily to participants in a perceptual identification task and a lexical decision task. In the perceptual identification task, words with sparse neighborhoods were more accurately identified than words with dense neighborhoods. In the lexical decision task, words with sparse neighborhoods were responded to more quickly and more accurately than words with dense neighborhoods. These results are similar to those found in studies examining the influence of neighborhood density on the recognition of monosyllabic words in English. In order to better understand lexical processing, models of spoken word recognition must account for the processing of words of all types.
Changes in the Hypothalamic-Hypophyseal Axis of Mares Associated with Seasonal Reproductive Recrudescence

Four groups of mares, representing anestrus (AN; n = 8), early transition (ET; n = 7), late transition (LT; n = 8) and estrus (EST; n = 12) were used to examine changes in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary during the period of transition from winter anestrus into the breeding season. Mares were of mixed breeding, between the ages of 3 and 20 years, and had shown normal patterns of estrous behavior and ovulation during the breeding season previous to this experiment. Hypothalamic content of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and anterior pituitary content of luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were determined by radioimmunoassay. The number of receptors for GnRH in anterior pituitary tissue was also determined. There was no effect of stage of transition into the breeding season on receptors for GnRH or content of FSH (p greater than 0.05). Likewise, content of GnRH in the hypothalamus did not differ between the four groups (p greater than 0.05). However, pituitary content of LH increased progressively from anestrus to the breeding season (p less than 0.05). Means for the AN, ET, LT and EST groups were 1.1 +/- 0.2, 2.2 +/- 0.3, 6.3 +/- 1.4 and 15.2 +/- 1.8 micrograms LH/mg pituitary, respectively. In addition, serum concentrations of LH associated with the first ovulation of the year for 5 of the EST mares were significantly lower (p less than 0.01) than those associated with the second ovulation of the year.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Reevaluation of contemporary laboratory methods for detection of antimicrobial resistance among enterococci

Objective To evaluate broth microdilution, disk diffusion, Etest and Vitek Systems for susceptibility testing of enterococci. Methods Susceptibility testing of a panel of 149 enterococci (99 vancomycin-resistant) strains, using the study methods, was performed and the results compared. Results For vancomycin susceptibility testing, categorical agreement of disk diffusion, Etest and Vitek with the reference broth microdilution test was > 95%. For aminoglycoside and ampicillin testing, categorical agreement between Etest and Vitek was 98 to 100%. Conclusions Disk diffusion, Etest and Vitek have acceptable performance for detection of vancomycin resistance of Van A and Van B phenotypes among enterococci.
Buy-in-Bulk Active Learning

In many practical applications of active learning, it is more cost-effective to request labels in large batches, rather than one-at-a-time. This is because the cost of labeling a large batch of examples at once is often sublinear in the number of examples in the batch. In this work, we study the label complexity of active learning algorithms that request labels in a given number of batches, as well as the tradeoff between the total number of queries and the number of rounds allowed. We additionally study the total cost sufficient for learning, for an abstract notion of the cost of requesting the labels of a given number of examples at once. In particular, we find that for sublinear cost functions, it is often desirable to request labels in large batches (i.e., buying in bulk); although this may increase the total number of labels requested, it reduces the total cost required for learning.
Visual Selective Behavior Can Be Triggered by a Feed-Forward Process

The ventral visual pathway implements object recognition and categorization in a hierarchy of processing areas with neuronal selectivities of increasing complexity. The presence of massive feedback connections within this hierarchy raises the possibility that normal visual processing relies on the use of computational loops. It is not known, however, whether object recognition can be performed at all without such loops (i.e., in a purely feed-forward mode). By analyzing the time course of reaction times in a masked natural scene categorization paradigm, we show that the human visual system can generate selective motor responses based on a single feed-forward pass. We confirm these results using a more constrained letter discrimination task, in which the rapid succession of a target and mask is actually perceived as a distractor. We show that a masked stimulus presented for only 26 msec - and often not consciously perceived - can fully determine the earliest selective motor responses: The neural representations of the stimulus and mask are thus kept separated during a short period corresponding to the feed-forward "sweep." Therefore, feedback loops do not appear to be "mandatory" for visual processing. Rather, we found that such loops allow the masked stimulus to reverberate in the visual system and affect behavior for nearly 150 msec after the feed-forward sweep.
Mesenchymal stem cells

Bone and cartilage formation in the embryo and repair and turnover in the adult involve the progeny of a small number of cells called mesenchymal stem cells. These cells divide, and their progeny become committed to a specific and distinctive phenotypic pathway, a lineage with discrete steps and, finally, end-stage cells involved with fabrication of a unique tissue type, e.g., cartilage or bone. Local cuing (extrinsic factors) and the genomic potential (intrinsic factors) interact at each lineage step to control the rate and characteristic phenotype of the cells in the emerging tissue. The study of these mesenchymal stem cells, whether isolated from embryos or adults, provides the basis for the emergence of a new therapeutic technology of self-cell repair. The isolation, mitotic expansion, and site-directed delivery of autologous stem cells can govern the rapid and specific repair of skeletal tissues.
Associations Between Coronary Calcification on Chest Radiographs and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients

Background: KDIGO (Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes) guidelines recommend lateral abdominal radiographs to assess vascular calcification in incident dialysis patients. However, nearly all dialysis patients in the United States receive chest radiographs at dialysis therapy inception, which may provide readily available information on coronary artery (CAC) and aortic arch calcification (AAC). We determined the prevalence of CAC and AAC visible on plain chest radiographs and their associations with mortality in our dialysis population. Study Design: Retrospective analysis. Setting & Participants: 93 participants who received maintenance hemodialysis at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Medical Center in 2009-2010. Predictor: Presence of CAC and AAC as evaluated by a radiologist. Outcome: All-cause mortality. Results: Average age was 64 years, 22% were African American, and 97% were men. CAC and AAC prevalences were 25% and 58%, respectively. During 20 months’ follow-up, 28% died. CAC was associated with mortality in models including cardiovascular (HR, 2.41; 95% CI, 1.04-5.59) and dialysis-related (HR, 2.86; 95% CI, 1.24-6.60) risk factors. AAC was associated with HRs of 5.25 (95% CI, 1.46-17.72) in cardiovascular risk factor‐adjusted models and 7.31 (95% CI, 2.03-26.34) in dialysis models. When CAC and AAC were both included in models, both CAC (HR, 3.40; 95% CI, 1.24-9.36) and AAC (HR, 6.23; 95% CI, 1.64-23.66) remained significantly associated with mortality. Limitations: The study sample is relatively small and mostly male. Conclusions: CAC and AAC are highly prevalent on chest radiographs in dialysis patients and strongly associated with mortality independent of one another. Because these images are nearly ubiquitous, inexpensive, and often obtained for other indications, they should be considered for risk assessment in hemodialysis patients. Future studies are required to determine whether CAC or AAC on chest radiography is additive or duplicative of the risk of aorto-iliac calcification on lateral abdominal radiographs currently suggested by KDIGO.
Using abstraction to coordinate multiple robotic spacecraft

The trend toward multiple-spacecraft missions requires autonomous teams of spacecraft to coordinate their activities when sharing limited resources. The paper describes how an iterative repair planner/scheduler can reason about the activities of multiple spacecraft at abstract levels in order to greatly improve the scheduling of their use of shared resources. By finding consistent schedules at abstract levels, refinement choices can be preserved for use in robust plan execution systems. We present an algorithm for summarizing the metric resource requirements of an abstract activity based on the resource usages of its potential refinements. We find that reasoning about this summary information and that of state constraints can offer exponential improvements in the time to find consistent schedules with an iterative repair planner. We analytically describe the conditions under which these improvements are made and show that sometimes the extra overhead involved does not warrant their use. We apply these techniques within the ASPEN planner/scheduler to a domain where a team of rovers must coordinate their schedules to avoid conflicts over shared resources. Experiments using the ASPEN planner/scheduler in a Mars multi-rover domain support our analyses and compare techniques for controlling decomposition.
Activation of 5-HT2A/C receptors counteracts 5-HT1A regulation of n-methyl-D-aspartate receptor channels in pyramidal neurons of prefrontal cortex.

Abnormal serotonin-glutamate interaction in prefrontal cortex (PFC) is implicated in the pathophysiology of many mental disorders, including schizophrenia and depression. However, the mechanisms by which this interaction occurs remain unclear. Our previous study has shown that activation of 5-HT1A receptors inhibits N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor (NMDAR) currents in PFC pyramidal neurons by disrupting microtubule-based transport of NMDARs. Here we found that activation of 5-HT2A/C receptors significantly attenuated the effect of 5-HT1A on NMDAR currents and microtubule depolymerization. The counteractive effect of 5-HT2A/C on 5-HT1A regulation of synaptic NMDAR response was also observed in PFC pyramidal neurons from intact animals treated with various 5-HT-related drugs. Moreover, 5-HT2A/C stimulation triggered the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in dendritic processes. Inhibition of the β-arrestin/Src/dynamin signaling blocked 5-HT2A/C activation of ERK and the counteractive effect of 5-HT2A/C on 5-HT1A regulation of NMDAR currents. Immunocytochemical studies showed that 5-HT2A/C treatment blocked the inhibitory effect of 5-HT1A on surface NR2B clusters on dendrites, which was prevented by cellular knockdown of β-arrestins. Taken together, our study suggests that serotonin, via 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A/C receptor activation, regulates NMDAR functions in PFC neurons in a counteractive manner. 5-HT2A/C, by activating ERK via the β-arrestin-dependent pathway, opposes the 5-HT1A disruption of microtubule stability and NMDAR transport. These findings provide a framework for understanding the complex interactions between serotonin and NMDARs in PFC, which could be important for cognitive and emotional control in which both systems are highly involved.
Examining Burnout and Engagement in Layoff Survivors: The Role of Personal Strengths.

This study investigates burnout and work engagement in layoff survivors. Layoff survivors are defined as individuals who remain working at organizations that have recently had layoffs. Job demands (job insecurity and work overload) and job and personal resources (social support, optimism, career adaptability, and career management self-efficacy) are examined as predictors of burnout and engagement. The sample consists of 203 adults currently working at organizations that downsized within the past year. As hypothesized, job demands had positive relationships with burnout, while social support, optimism, and career management self-efficacy had positive relationships with engagement. Contrary to hypotheses, career adaptability was not positively related to engagement. Engagement also mediated the relationships between several resources and burnout. This study makes a unique contribution to the literature, as little research has examined personal strengths of layoff survivors, in addition to job characteristics.
Research on Political Institutions and their Response to the Problem of Increasing CO 2 in the Atmosphere

The focus of this paper is the agenda of research on political institutions and the roles those institutions might play in meeting the challenge and resolving the issues connected with increases in the concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere. Institutions are conceived broadly, encompassing those structures, processes and policy approaches for making public decisions and for influencing the behavior of private individuals, groups, and firms. Institutional analysis must incorporate the private structures and processes as they relate to the public decision-making process. In the United States and other countries with substantial private economies, the interdependencies between the public and private sectors make such comprehensive analysis essential.
Upper-Tropospheric Low Richardson Number in Tropical Cyclones: Sensitivity to Cyclone Intensity and the Diurnal Cycle

AbstractHigh-vertical-resolution rawinsondes were used to document the existence of low–bulk Richardson number (Rb) layers in tropical cyclones. The largest frequency of low Rb existed in the inner 200 km at the 13.5-km level. This peak extended more than 1000 km from the storm center and sloped downward with radius. The presence of an extensive upper-tropospheric low-Rb layer supports the assumption of Richardson number criticality in tropical cyclone outflow by Emanuel and Rotunno.The low-Rb layers were found to be more common in hurricanes than in tropical depressions and tropical storms. This sensitivity to intensity was attributed to a reduction of upper-tropospheric static stability as tropical cyclones intensify. The causes of this destabilization include upper-level cooling that is related to an elevation of the tropopause in hurricanes and greater longwave radiative warming in the well-developed hurricane cirrus canopy. Decreased mean static stability makes the production of low Rb by gravity wav...
Effect of Uncontrolled Diabetes on Outcomes After Cystectomy in Patients With Bladder Cancer: A Population-Based Study

Abstract Background We evaluated the complications, mortality, hospital length of stay (LOS), and cost for patients with diabetes undergoing radical cystectomy (RC). Materials and Methods Data were extracted from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample for 2001 to 2012 using the “International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification” codes for patients with uncontrolled diabetes (UD) (patients with diabetes receiving treatment that did not keep the blood glucose at acceptable levels) and controlled diabetes (CD) (patients with diabetes not otherwise stated as uncontrolled) who had undergone RC. χ2 and Wilcoxon rank sum tests and multivariable regression analysis were used for statistics. The LOS and cost are presented as the median and interquartile range. Results In the present study, 989 patients had UD, 15,693 CD, and 73,603 had no diabetes (ND). Postoperative complications were significantly more common in the UD group (73%) than in the CD (51%) and ND (52%) groups (P Conclusion The findings from the present study have demonstrated an increase in post-RC complications rates, hospital mortality, and hospital resource usage for patients with UD undergoing RC. UD might be a modifiable preoperative risk factor for post-RC morbidity and mortality. Further studies are needed to validate this association.
Evidence for a Direct Effect of Angiotensin-II on Adrenal Cortex of the Dog.∗†:

SummaryIn 6 nephrectomized hypophysectomized dogs, the increase in aldosterone and 17-hydroxycorticoid secretion produced by infusion of angiotensin-II into the arterial blood supplying the adrenal...
Substituent Effects on Scalar 2J(19F,19F) and 3J(19F,19F) NMR Couplings: A Comparison of SOPPA and DFT Methods

Substituent effects for 2J(F,F) couplings in aliphatic and olefinic CF2 moieties and 3J(F,F) couplings in fluorinated derivatives of ethylene were studied using both high level ab initio and DFT/B3LYP calculations. Where possible, J variations have been compared with experimental values. In general, the SOPPA (second-order polarization propagator approximation) methodology matches absolute experimental values reasonably well, whereas the DFT/B3LYP approach performs poorly in describing 2J(F,F) couplings. Fortunately, substituent effects for DFT J couplings are notably better reproduced. For a vinyl CF2 moiety, the accurate prediction of 2J(F,F) couplings is a challenging task even for high level ab initio methods such as SOPPA and SOPPA(CCSD) (second-order polarization propagator approximation with coupled cluster singles and doubles amplitudes). Aliphatic 2J(F,F) couplings are very sensitive to the electronegativity of substituents placed α to the CF2 group. The latter J perturbations are dominated large...
SY09-3HARM REDUCTION IN NON-SUBSTANCE RELATED ADDICTIONS

Behavioral addictions (gambling, gaming, internet use) are new challenges for policy makers, and the question arises if harm reduction is an applicable concept. Gambling addiction policies are trying to include harm reduction models (limitation of the amount of money you can bet, limitation in access to gambling venues). We will discuss if these models are valid in gaming addiction. I.E. If we only consider the classical policy models applied for reducing substances harm: supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction, limitations arise: for example: applying these concepts to gaming addiction is impossible. If heroin is an identified substance, games are heterogeneous in nature and are described from cognitive enhancers to highly addictive. The concept of supply should include the complex nature of video games. Reducing demand could be considered as a censure directly in conflict with human nature to produce the best and most attractive games (should unattractive cars be produced to reduce global warming). And finally harm reduction concepts in gaming will be discussed.
Induction of immunoglobulin synthesis in corticosteroid-treated blood lymphocytes of a patient with acquired agammaglobulinemia.

Coculture experiments between lymphocytes of a 17-year-old immunodeficient male, DL, and a group of normal subjects, assaying pokeweed mitogen (PWM)-stimulated Ig secretion as a measure of B-cell function, revealed immunoregulatory abnormalities. Initial studies disclosed that DL had corticosteroid-sensitive T suppressor (Ts) cells capable of blocking Ig secretion by both HLA-identical and HLA-nonidentical cells in coculture. Cocultures of DL's peripheral blood mononuclear cells could be induced to secrete Ig in large amounts after certain maneuvers—the most informative of which involved mixing prednisolone-treated DL mononuclear cells with any normal T lymphocytes except those from DL himself. When these same experimental manipulations were performed individually, i.e., prednisolone treatment of cultured DL cells to remove Ts activity, or mixing equal numbers of normal T cells with untreated DL mononuclear cells, Ig was not produced. The data indicated that the T-cell abnormalities in DL included an excess of Ts cells and a deficiency of T helper (Th) cells. When repeat studies were performed later in the clinical course, during which interval a number of clinical interventions were attempted, it was found that the patient's cells were no longer corticosteroid sensitive and, further, they suppressed only HLA-identical cells.
Design of Inductors With Significant AC Flux

A design methodology is introduced to select a minimum core volume for an inductor or coupled inductors experiencing appreciable core loss. The geometric constant ( K gac) has been found to be a power function of the core volume for commercial toroidal, ER, and PQ cores, permitting the total loss to be expressed as a direct function of the core volume. The inductor is designed to meet specific loss or thermal constraints. An iterative procedure is described in which 2-D or 3-D proximity effects are first neglected and then subsequently incorporated via finite-element simulation. The methodology is demonstrated for coupled inductors in a 5-MHz converter in critical conduction mode. The core loss is verified using rectangular excitation and the winding loss is inferred from thermal measurements.