cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Animal models of Diamond Blackfan Anemia

Diamond Blackfan anemia (DBA) is a genetic syndrome characterized by red blood cell aplasia in association with developmental abnormalities such as growth retardation, orofacial, hand or limb malformations, urogenital anomalies, and heart defects. The only known cause is heterozygosity for mutations in genes encoding ribosomal proteins. Understanding how defective ribosome biogenesis and function, important for all cells, causes defects in erythropoiesis and tissue-specific phenotypes during development is paramount to the evolution of effective treatment protocols. Here, we discuss how animal models based on mammals, insects, and fish replicate genetic or developmental aspects of DBA and have led to the identification of pathways and candidate molecules that are important in the pathogenesis of the disease. A recurring theme in many of these models suggests that defective ribosome biogenesis induces a p53-dependent cell cycle checkpoint in cells that require high levels of ribosome production and leads to cell type–specific, whole animal phenotypes.
Incision Technique for Endoscopic Forehead Elevation

Care must be taken when creating the incisions for endoscopic forehead elevation to minimize the risks of scarring and alopecia. Typically five incisions are utilized to include one central, two paracentral, and two temporal incisions. The central incision is directly above the glabella, made in a radial fashion, 1–2 cm (cm) into the hairline, and 1–2 cm long. The hair is confined with either rubber bands or staples. The incision is carried to the bone through the periosteum. If preoperative alopecia exists, the incisions can be hidden in a horizontal forehead furrow. The two paracentral incisions are made in a similar fashion lateral to the central incision. Since these sites are where fixation will be performed, they correspond to the site of the desired maximum brow elevation. For males, this is above the center of the pupil, and for females, it is near the lateral limbus. The temporal incisions are also placed within the hairline perpendicular to a line drawn from the lateral nasal ala to the lateral canthus of the eye. These incisions must be made carefully and cleanly to identify the deep temporal fascia and the overlying superficial temporal fascia. Identification of these structures prevents superficial dissection and possible damage to the facial nerve. Several incision techniques can minimize the risk of postoperative alopecia. These include limiting compression and cautery along the incisions, keeping the dissection subperiosteal when possible and making the incisions parallel to the hair follicles to limit damage.
Dimes and Helping: The Other Side of the Coin

An attempt was made to replicate and extend Levin and Isen's (1975) "Feeling good and helping" experiment. Con trary to their findings, those subjects who found a dime did not mail an apparently lost letter more often than did those who did not find a dime. These results were obtained in three different settings.
Natural Language Models for Predicting Programming Comments

Statistical language models have successfully been used to describe and analyze natural language documents. Recent work applying language models to programming languages is focused on the task of predicting code, while mainly ignoring the prediction of programmer comments. In this work, we predict comments from JAVA source files of open source projects, using topic models and n-grams, and we analyze the performance of the models given varying amounts of background data on the project being predicted. We evaluate models on their comment-completion capability in a setting similar to codecompletion tools built into standard code editors, and show that using a comment completion tool can save up to 47% of the comment typing.
Can captivity lead to inter‐species mating in two Mesocricetus hamster species?

In two closely related species, females generally prefer conspecific males over heterospecific males. We found that estrous (but not diestrous) female Syrian hamsters Mesocricetus auratus prefer the odors of conspecific males to odors of Turkish hamsters Mesocricetus brandti. However, female Syrian hamsters are not aggressive toward male Turkish hamsters and will readily mate with them. We hypothesize that many generations in captivity led to a reduction in females' ability to avoid inter-species mating, possibly related to the heightened sexual receptivity observed in Mesocricetus hamsters in captivity. To test this hypothesis, we replicated a study carried out with female Turkish hamsters soon after the current laboratory stock of this species was established. In that study, female Turkish hamsters showed lordosis toward male Syrian hamsters in only 20% of interactions and attacked heterospecific males in 80% of the pairings. Using animals descended from that original colony (after many generations in captivity and certain episodes of inbreeding), 100% of female Turkish hamsters mated with heterospecific males and none showed aggression toward heterospecific males. Thus female avoidance of inter-specific mating may be affected by captive rearing conditions.
Postexposure effects of brief cadmium, zinc, and phenol exposures on freshwater organisms

Conventional toxicity testing has relied heavily on fixed duration continuous exposure conditions. These conditions have little relevance to the exposure conditions of many environmental pollutants, particularly the highly variable and often brief exposure regimes of episodic pollution events. This research was designed to assess the effects of brief exposures using a postexposure observation period. The common freshwater organisms Ceriodaphnia dubia, Hyalella azteca, and Pimephales promelas were exposed to a range of cadmium (Cd), zinc (Zn), and/or phenol concentrations for durations ranging from 15 to 240 min. Immobility was measured for up to 7 d after the exposure period. Results showed that organisms exposed to Cd and Zn exhibited delayed effects that resulted in increasing immobility for up to 172 h after the exposure period. Ceriodaphnia dubia, H. azteca, and P. promelas exposed to Cd for as short as 30 min exhibited 100, 95, and 85% immobility, respectively, during postexposure observation. Ceriodaphnia dubia and H. azteca exposed to Zn for as short as 30 min exhibited 100 and 30% immobility, respectively, during postexposure observation. Ceriodaphnia dubia exposed to phenol exhibited recovery of mobility after the exposure period. The presence of delayed effects or organism recovery suggests that toxicity tests used to monitor brief exposures should use environmentally relevant exposure durations and postexposure observations.
Lessons learned from testing utility connected by PV systems

Engineers from the Southwest Region Experiment Station (SWRES) have tested over 60 grid-connected, flat-plate photovoltaic (PV) systems in the last six years. The authors examine some common problems that have been observed and present recommendations for improving system reliability. In particular, it is pointed out that there are two common problems that lower energy production in grid-connected PV system: power conditioning system downtime (PCS) caused by fault sensing circuitry, and balance of system failures in the PV array. Another common finding is that manufacturers' module ratings are over-optimistic, resulting in array outputs that do not meet nameplate ratings. It is found that the alarm circuitry designed to protect the PCS causes unacceptable amounts of system downtime. It is suggested that eliminating as many of the alarm thresholds to a reasonable level, will reduce energy loss. DC switch and fuse failures contribute to losses in the DC portion of PV systems. >
Inhibition by Thyrocalcitonin of the Mitogenic Actions of Parathyroid Hormone and Cyclic Adenosine-3′,5′-monophosphate on Rat Thymocytes1

Parathyroid hormone stimulates the flow of rat thymic lymphocytes into mitosis by a mechanism mediated by cyclic-3′,5′-adenosine monophosphate. The cyclic nucleotide mimics this effect of the hormone. Thyrocalcitonin and imidazole inhibit the mitogenic actions of both parathyroid hormone and the cyclic nucleotide. The inhibitory effect of thyrocalcitonin and imidazole on parathyroid hormone action can be completely suppressed by caffeine. (Endocrinology 86: 934, 1970)
Stimulation of Aldosterone Secretion by Hemorrhage in Dogs after Nephrectomy and Decapitation

In eight intact, anesthetized dogs the aldosterone secretory rate averaged 13.8 ± 1.9 ng/min (mean ± SE). One hour after nephrectomy and decapitation, the aldosterone secretory rate decreased to 2.3 ± 1.7 ng/min and failed to increase in response to hemorrhage. By 8 hours after surgery, the aldosterone secretory rate had returned to control levels. The serum potassium concentration gradually increased from 3.2 ± 0.5 mEq/liter in the control samples to 5.3 ± 0.5 mEq/liter in the 8-hour samples. Eight hours after nephrectomy and decapitation, the arterial blood pressure was lowered to 70 mm Hg by hemorrhage in six dogs. During the next 3 hours, the aldosterone secretory rate increased from 11.2 ± 2.1 ng/min to 27.3 ± 2.1 ng/min. Associated with the increase in the aldosterone secretory rate following hemorrhage was a further increase in the serum potassium concentration from 5.3 ± 0.5 mEq/liter to 6.8 ± 0.5 mEq/liter. The aldosterone secretory rate did not increase following hemorrhage when the rise in serum potassium concentration was prevented by hemodialysis. These data indicate that normal levels of aldosterone secretion can be maintained in the absence of the renin-angiotensin system and the pituitary secretion of adrenocorticotropic hormone. Also, hemorrhage will greatly enhance aldosterone secretion in the absence of the head and the kidneys but only if the serum potassium concentration is allowed to rise following the hemorrhage.
Physical and sexual intimate partner violence, women's health and children's behavioural functioning: entry analysis of a seven‐year prospective study

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To increase knowledge of physical and sexual intimate partner violence against women, its impact on women's health and children's behavioural functioning. BACKGROUND: Physical assault and sexual assault frequently co-occur. Women who experience both physical and sexual violence are at risk of poorer health outcomes than women who experience only physical violence. The behavioural functioning of children of women who experience partner violence may be adversely affected. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, using baseline data from a seven-year prospective study. METHODS: Data related to severity of abuse (both physical and sexual) and the outcome measures of maternal (n = 300) mental health measures, risk of lethality, chronic pain and child (n = 300) behavioural functioning were analysed. RESULTS: Higher physical abuse scores were significantly correlated with higher sexual abuse scores, and higher levels of physical abuse were associated with higher maternal anxiety and higher child externalisation scores. Higher levels of sexual abuse were associated with higher maternal somatisation and post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and higher child internalisation scores and total problems. CONCLUSIONS: These initial findings suggest that children have behavioural functioning and coping that is closely related to their mothers' functioning, which is based on the type of abuse experienced by the mothers. As we gain a greater understanding of these issues, we will be better able to develop effective policies and therapeutic interventions to help abused women and their children. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Findings for the mental health functioning of women participating in this study add to the overwhelming evidence for the importance of screening for partner violence when women present for health care and for the need for effective assistance services for women who have or are currently experiencing partner violence. They also support emerging research that indicates the great need to provide effective services for the children of abused women. Language: en
Phylogeny of the Coneflowers and Relatives (Heliantheae: Asteraceae) Based on Nuclear rDNA Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) Sequences and Chlorplast DNA Restriction Site Data

Abstract The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of 18S–26S nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was sequenced in 65 taxa representing most coneflowers (i.e., species in Dracopis, Echinacea, Ratibida, and Rudbeckia) and other taxa representing 21 outgroup genera of tribe Heliantheae. Results of parsimony analysis of the rDNA dataset by itself and in combination with the cpDNA dataset uphold the hypothesis from an earlier cpDNA restriction site study that Echinacea is not closely related to the other three genera of coneflowers. The data support placement of Echinacea in subtribe Zinniinae. The remaining three coneflower genera represent a monophyletic lineage corresponding to subtribe Rudbeckiinae sensu H. Robinson. The rDNA data support two sublineages in Rudbeckia congruent with the two traditionally recognized subgenera, subg. Macrocline and subg. Rudbeckia. In subg. Macrocline, two geographic areas of diversification are indicated: southeastern and western United States. The widespread species R. lacinia...
Alcohol consumption and rates of personal violence (suicide and homicide).

The present study examined the association between alcohol consumption and rates of personal violence (suicide and homicide) over regions within a nation. Although suicide rates were higher in regions with a higher per capital consumption of alcohol, other social variables were also found to be associated with both alcohol consumption and suicide rates, such as divorce rates and inter-region migration. Thus, it appears that alcohol consumption may be but one index of a broader sociocultural dimension that is associated with regional rates of suicidal behavior. Language: en
Selectively manipulable acoustic-powered microswimmers

Selective actuation of a single microswimmer from within a diverse group would be a first step toward collaborative guided action by a group of swimmers. Here we describe a new class of microswimmer that accomplishes this goal. Our swimmer design overcomes the commonly-held design paradigm that microswimmers must use non-reciprocal motion to achieve propulsion; instead, the swimmer is propelled by oscillatory motion of an air bubble trapped within the swimmer's polymer body. This oscillatory motion is driven by the application of a low-power acoustic field, which is biocompatible with biological samples and with the ambient liquid. This acoustically-powered microswimmer accomplishes controllable and rapid translational and rotational motion, even in highly viscous liquids (with viscosity 6,000 times higher than that of water). And by using a group of swimmers each with a unique bubble size (and resulting unique resonance frequencies), selective actuation of a single swimmer from among the group can be readily achieved.
Origin of osteogenic precursor cells in extramedullary marrow implants.

Autologous extramedullary marrow implantation leads to the formation of a nodule consisting of bone and hemopoietic tissue. Irradiation of the marrow immediately prior to implantation with up to 1000 rads does not interfere with the regenerative process. Since this amount of radiation is lethal for most of the hemopoietic cells the cell initiating the regeneration must be more radioresistant and is therefore probably associated with the relatively radioresistant marrow stroma. When the marrow was irradiated with 4000 rads 2 wk prior to implantation it did not regenerate even though at the time of implantation it contained numerous hemopoietic cells. This suggests that the hemopoietic cells do not play a significant role in the regeneration of marrow implants.
Book Review: Econometrics — Legal, Practical, and Technical Issues (Second Edition)

In this article, I review the second edition of Econometrics -- Legal, Practical, and Technical Issues (2014) by the American Bar Association. In addition to an overview of the content, I elaborate on some areas in the book that warrant more consideration and clarify a few important concepts.
Compression structures for Earth launch

The possible utility of a towers to facilitate launch is discussed. The advantages of high altitude launch are enumerated. Four possible performance gains, initial potential energy, reduced gravity loss, reduced drag loss, and improved engine performance, are calculated for a reference SSTO design launched from sea level compared to launch from a 15-km tower. The most significant gains are due to reduced atmospheric pressure, and accounts for a 60% increase in payload to orbit. Other performance advantages not considered could have even greater performance advantages.
Route Design and Development of a MET Kinase Inhibitor: A Copper-Catalyzed Preparation of an N1-Methylindazole

The synthesis of a MET kinase inhibitor in an overall yield of 22% was achieved over eight steps starting with 3-hydroxybenzaldehyde, an improvement from the initial 12-step process with a 5.4% yield. Highlights of the process chemistry design and development are a Cu-catalyzed cyclization to form an important N1-methylindazole ring, a selective nitro reduction in the presence of an aryl bromide, a late-stage Suzuki cross-coupling, and a base-promoted Boc deprotection to form the desired drug candidate.
InxGa1-xAs Nanowires on Silicon: One-Dimensional Heterogeneous Epitaxy, Bandgap Engineering, and Photovoltaics

We report on the one-dimensional (1D) heteroepitaxial growth of In(x)Ga(1-x)As (x = 0.2-1) nanowires (NWs) on silicon (Si) substrates over almost the entire composition range using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) without catalysts or masks. The epitaxial growth takes place spontaneously producing uniform, nontapered, high aspect ratio NW arrays with a density exceeding 1 × 10(8)/cm(2). NW diameter (∼30-250 nm) is inversely proportional to the lattice mismatch between In(x)Ga(1-x)As and Si (∼4-11%), and can be further tuned by MOCVD growth condition. Remarkably, no dislocations have been found in all composition In(x)Ga(1-x)As NWs, even though massive stacking faults and twin planes are present. Indium rich NWs show more zinc-blende and Ga-rich NWs exhibit dominantly wurtzite polytype, as confirmed by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and photoluminescence spectra. Solar cells fabricated using an n-type In(0.3)Ga(0.7)As NW array on a p-type Si(111) substrate with a ∼ 2.2% area coverage, operates at an open circuit voltage, V(oc), and a short circuit current density, J(sc), of 0.37 V and 12.9 mA/cm(2), respectively. This work represents the first systematic report on direct 1D heteroepitaxy of ternary In(x)Ga(1-x)As NWs on silicon substrate in a wide composition/bandgap range that can be used for wafer-scale monolithic heterogeneous integration for high performance photovoltaics.
Integrative Schemes In Management Theory

One of the constant problems of the manager is reconciliation and integration of human and organizational values. This article reviews a number of suggested theoretical frameworks, with a view towa...
Ethnic Identification on Adolescents' Evaluations of Advertisements

ABSTRACT This manuscript examines whether the strength of ethnic identity influences black and white adolescents9 responses to advertisements featuring models of different races. The researcher digitally manipulated the race of characters in the advertisements as well as the number of race-specific cultural cues while maintaining all other visual features of these advertisements. One hundred seventy-three black and white adolescents evaluated black or white character advertisements. The findings demonstrate that black adolescents who have a strong black ethnic identity perceive themselves more similar to and identify more strongly with black character advertisements than do black adolescents with weaker ethnic identities. Other results suggest that white adolescents, despite their ethnic identity, find black character advertisements with varying degrees of black cultural cues as appealing as similar white character advertisements.
Context-Inappropriate Anger, Emotion Knowledge Deficits, and Negative Social Experiences in Preschool

This study examined contextually inappropriate (CI) anger in relation to emotion recognition and situation knowledge, negative social experiences, and externalizing behavior among low-income 4-year-olds attending Head Start (n = 134). Approximately 23% showed anger when presented with positive/neutral slides and videos (valence-incongruent CI anger), whereas 40% of children showed anger when presented with negative slides and videos (valence-congruent CI anger). Valence-incongruent CI anger was associated with lower emotion situation knowledge (for boys only), more self-reported peer rejection and loneliness, and greater negative nominations by teachers and peers. Both valence-incongruent and (for boys only) valence-congruent CI anger were positively associated with externalizing behavior. Overall, valence-incongruent CI anger was more strongly associated with negative child outcomes than valence-congruent CI anger.
Kant’s Rational Morality and the Mentally Impaired: The Quest for a Universal Moral Account

Kantian deontology makes at least three central claims: (1) All humans are ends in themselves, (2) All humans have moral obligations, and (3) Morality (the categorical imperative) is a rational endeavor. However, the universal claims of Kantian deontology become suspect when we consider the mentally impaired who, in some cases, cannot meet the rationality requirements implicit in the categorical imperative. In this paper, I argue that Kantian deontology cannot account for the entirety of the human population lest it exclude the mentally impaired as either non-moral agents or sub-human entities. I then suggest that by adopting the paradigm of virtue ethics, we can sufficiently avoid this problem and account for the dignity and moral agency of the mentally impaired. Finally, I consider one objection to this moral picture and respond.
Familial Risk of Biliary Tract Cancers: A Population-Based Study in Utah

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) including, cholangiocarcinoma (CC) and gallbladder cancer (GBC), are rare and highly fatal malignancies. The etiology and inherited susceptibility of both malignancies are poorly understood. We quantified the risk of BTC in first-degree (FDR), second-degree (SDR), and first cousin (FC) relatives of individuals with BTC, stratified by tumor subsite. BTC diagnosed between 1980 and 2011 were identified from the Utah Cancer Registry and linked to pedigrees from the Utah Population Database. Age- and gender-matched BTC-free controls were selected to form the comparison group for determining BTC risk in relatives using Cox regression analysis. Of the 1302 index patients diagnosed with BTC, 550 (42.2 %) were located in the gallbladder and 752 (57.8 %) were cholangiocarcinomas. There was no elevated risk of BTC (all subsites combined) in FDRs (HR 0.94, 95 % CI 0.29–3.0), SDRs (HR 0.25, 95 % CI 0.06–1.03), and FCs (HR 0.96, 95 % CI 0.61–1.51) of BTC cases compared to cancer-free controls. Similarly, no increased familial risk of GBC or CC was found in relatives of BTC patients stratified by tumor subsite compared to relatives of controls. Relatives of BTC patients are not at an increased risk of GBC or CC in a statewide population. This suggests that biliary tract cancer risk is not associated with a familial predisposition and may be mitigated more strongly by environmental modifiers.
Activation of hedgehog pathway in neuroendocrine tumors.

e14662 Background: Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare tumors and often follow an indolent course, especially the tumors of low-to-intermediate grade. Nonetheless, they are incurable and lethal when advanced. The genetic etiology of sporadic NET is largely unknown. Numerous established oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been studied, but no mutations have been consistently identified, indicating tumorigenesis of NET may follow distinct mechanisms. It is well known that significant amount of patients with NETs may have harbored the slow-growing lesions since very young age, suggesting it could result from alterations of pathways involved in development. Hedgehog (Hh) signaling has been found to be important in embryonic patterning, stem cell maintenance and tissue repair; and is normally silenced in most mature adult tissue. However, it frequently undergoes gain-of-function mutations or reactivation due to ligand overproduction and has been linked to the etiology of a variety of tumors. Specific i...
Comparison of stroke volume evolution on diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery following endovascular thrombectomy.

Background To compare the evolution of the infarct lesion volume on both diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery in the first five days after endovascular thrombectomy. Methods We included 109 patients from the CRISP and DEFUSE 2 studies. Stroke lesion volumes obtained on diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images both early post-procedure (median 18 h after symptom onset) and day 5, were compared using median, interquartile range, and correlation plots. Patients were dichotomized based on the time after symptom onset of their post procedure images (≥18 h vs. 6 s; ≥ 90% vs. < 90%). Results Early post-procedure, median infarct lesion volume was 19 ml [(IQR) 7-43] on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and 23 ml [11-64] on diffusion-weighted imaging. On day 5, median infarct lesion volume was 52 ml [20-118] on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, and 37 ml [16-91] on diffusion-weighted imaging. Infarct lesion volume on early post-procedure diffusion-weighted imaging, compared to fluid-attenuated inversion recovery, correlated better with day 5 diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery lesions (r = 0.88 and 0.88 vs. 0.78 and 0.77; p < 0.0001). Median lesion growth was significantly smaller on diffusion-weighted imaging when the early post-procedure scan was obtained ≥18 h post stroke onset (5 ml [-1-13]), compared to <18 h (13 ml [2-47]; p = 0.03), but was not significantly different on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (≥18 h: 26 ml [12-57]; <18 h: 21 ml [5-57]; p = 0.65). In the <90% reperfused group, the median infarct growth was significantly larger for diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (diffusion-weighted imaging: 23 ml [8-57], fluid-attenuated inversion recovery: 41 ml [13-104]) compared to ≥90% (diffusion-weighted imaging: 6 ml [2-24]; p = 0.003, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery: 19 ml [8-46]; p = 0.001). Conclusions Early post-procedure lesion volume on diffusion-weighted imaging is a better estimate of day 5 infarct volume than fluid-attenuated inversion recovery. However, both early post-procedure diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery underestimate day 5 diffusion-weighted imaging and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery lesion volumes, especially in patients who do not reperfuse.
Some Aspects of the Physiology of the Placenta

One cannot properly consider the physiology of the fetus without that of the placenta, a fetomaternal organ characteristic of mammalian pregnancy, upon which the fetus is dependent not only for the transfer of oxygen and a variety of nutrients but the elaboration of a number of hormones and growth factors in the “maternal-placental-fetal” complex. Thus, it is perhaps appropriate to review some of the concepts regarding development of that organ and its function, the intervillous space, villous structure, and placental classification. The placenta differs from other organs in being formed by the interaction of both fetal and maternal tissues, shows extreme diversity in its structure among the species, and is of limited lifespan – dare say, a disposable organ. The placenta’s unique and specific service as an interface between the mother and fetus, to convey all that is necessary in support of progeny growth while protecting the mother from allograft growth leads to the recognition that this may well be the last organ to differentiate in female mammals. Development of the placenta must be correlated closely with that of the fetus. Near or at term in humans, the placenta weights ~0.5 kg, and throughout pregnancy, by mechanisms poorly understood placental mass, maternal and fetal blood flows, villous surface area for nutrient exchange, and the elaboration of hormones must be matched closely to fetal growth and development. A history of placental biology might be considered from a number of perspectives. These include embryology; variation by species; morphologic form; microscopic cellular organization; maternal and fetal circulations; the interface between maternal and fetal exchange surfaces; respiratory gas and nutrient exchange; metabolic, endocrine, and immunologic functions; and others. Quite obviously, considerations of these subjects in detail would require a multivolume treatise far beyond a simple historical discussion. Different aspects of the history of the placenta have been recorded by several authors (Corner 1963; De Witt 1959; Longo and Reynolds 2010; Neale 1970; Ramsey 1977).
Nuclear Modification of Excited Quarkonia States from SPS to LHC Energies

The study of quarkonia spectroscopy in the presence of hadronic or deconfined medium is a powerful procedure to study density and temperature of different kinds of nuclear matter. Most of the efforts are made with the ground states \(J/\psi \) and \(\Upsilon \)(1S), but excited state quarkonia offers a rich spectrum of binding energies and particle sizes for nuclear medium studies. This report summarizes measurements of several quarkonium excited states in the last three decades by Fermilab, SPS, HERA, RHIC and LHC experiments along with the current understanding on how nuclear medium affects their yields.
Protection and Risk in College Student Smoking

A theory-based protection and risk model was applied to explain variation in college students’ cigarette smoking. Key aims were to examine whether psychosocial and behavioral protective and risk factors can account for cross-sectional and developmental variation in smoking, and to examine whether protection moderates the impact of risk on smoking involvement. Data for this three-wave longitudinal study were collected in fall 2002, spring 2003, and spring 2004 from 549 male and 427 female first-semester college students at the University of Colorado, Boulder. A 32-page questionnaire was used, with content theoretically derived from the constructs in Problem Behavior Theory. Cigarette smoking (number of cigarettes smoked on an average day in the past month), three types of psychosocial protection (models protection, controls protection, support protection), three types of psychosocial risk (models risk, opportunity risk, and vulnerability risk), two types of behavioral protection (church involvement, academic achievement), and two types of behavioral risk (problem drinking, marijuana use) were assessed. Psychosocial and behavioral protective and risk factors accounted for significant variation in smoking involvement, and protection moderated the impact of risk. Findings were consistent, for the most part, for both genders and across three separate waves of data. Key predictors of smoking involvement included controls protection, models risk, vulnerability risk, behavioral protection, and behavioral risk. Antecedent protective and risk factors were associated with the initiation of smoking in the college setting. A model of protective and risk factors can be useful in understanding college smoking behavior and suggesting targets for intervention.
Beyond maximum grade: A novel method to assess toxicity over time in clinical trials of targeted therapy in lymphoma.

7546Background: As more targeted, chronically administered therapies are developed in lymphoma, evaluation of adverse events (AEs) over time is increasingly relevant. Limited reports of high grade ...
Auditory sequential accumulation of spectral information.

In many listening situations, information about the spectral content of a target sound may be distributed over time, and estimating the target spectrum requires efficient sequential processing. Listeners' ability to estimate the spectrum of a random-frequency, six-tone complex was investigated and the spectral content of the complex was revealed using a sequence of bursts. Whether each of the six tones was presented within each burst was determined at random according to a presentation probability. In separate conditions, the presentation probabilities (p) ranged from 0.2 to 1, the total number of bursts varied from 1 to 16, and the inter-burst interval was either 0 or 200 ms. To evaluate the information acquired by the listener, the burst sequence was followed, after a 500-ms silent interval, by the six-tone complex acting as an informational masker and the listener was required to detect a pure-tone target presented simultaneously with the masker. Greater performance in this task indicates more accurate estimation of the spectrum of the complex by the listener. Evidence for integration of information across bursts was observed, and the integration process did not significantly depend on inter-burst interval.
Tendentious Texts: Holocaust Representations and Nation-Rebuilding in East German, Italian, and West German Schoolbooks, 1949-1989

This article examines how post-fascist perpetrator countries – East Germany, Italy, and West Germany – represented the Second World War and the Holocaust in middle school history textbooks. History...
Reduced nitrogen losses after conversion of row crop agriculture to alley cropping with mixed fruit and nut trees

Abstract Agriculture across the temperate zone is dominated by a maize-soybean rotation (MSR) characterized by a “leaky” nitrogen (N) cycle. MSR N losses have considerable negative impacts on water quality via N leaching and climate change via soil emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. Alley cropping (AC) focused on food- or fodder-producing tree crops has the potential to substantially reduce environmental N losses while maintaining agricultural productivity. To compare the N cycling of MSR and AC, this study (1) summarized literature values of N pools and fluxes in both systems, (2) directly measured N leaching and N2O emissions in a side-by-side trial of MSR and an establishing AC over four years, and (3) used AC yield projections to estimate the trajectory of yield-scaled N losses as AC grows to productive maturity. Ample literature data on MSR permitted the construction of a robust working N budget, while a paucity of existing data on N cycling in AC revealed gaps and high uncertainty in our existing knowledge. In the field trial, AC quickly reduced both N leaching and N2O emissions compared to MSR. Nitrate leaching at 50 cm depth in MSR ranged from 21.6 to 88.5 kg N ha−1 yr−1, whereas leaching was reduced by 82–91% in AC. Cumulative annual net N2O fluxes in MSR ranged from 0.4 to 2.0 kg N ha−1, but AC reduced annual fluxes by 25–83%. Overall, conversion of MSR to AC reduced unintended N losses over four years by 83% from 240 to 41 kg N ha−1. Even when accounting for the low yield in AC during the establishment years studied here, yield-scaled N leaching in AC and MSR were not significantly different. In contrast, yield-scaled N2O fluxes were an average of 4.8 times higher in AC across years and were only estimated to reach a comparable range to MSR after reaching productive maturity. Our results demonstrate rapid tightening of the N cycle and a competitive trajectory of yield-scaled N losses as row crop agriculture is converted to AC.
Enhancing student engagement and immediate feedback with clickers and response cards

Engaging students with immediate feedback demonstrates improvement in student learning and success. There are both high-tech and low-tech strategies to enhance student engagement and learning. The study focuses on the effectiveness of clickers and response cards. The effectiveness of clickers in the classroom is done by implementing the device in operations management (OM) classes. Clickers are very effective with the exception of a few drawbacks. Response cards are limited in capabilities but are effective for immediate feedback and student engagement. Since the use of response cards in higher education is almost non-existent, this study fills the gap and proposes more studies.
Incompletely treated malignancies of the major salivary gland: Toward evidence-based care.

BACKGROUND Unexpected malignancy is common in major salivary gland tumors due to variability of workup, creating challenging treatment decisions. The purpose of this study was to define treatment-related outcomes for patients with incompletely treated major salivary gland tumors. METHODS A retrospective cohort study was completed of patients with incompletely treated major salivary gland tumors. Tumor burden at presentation was established and treatment categorized. The Cox Proportional Hazards model was used to determine predictors of survival and failure. RESULTS Of the 440 included patients, patients with gross residual or metastatic disease had a worse overall survival (OS; P < .001). Presentation status was an independent predictor of OS on multivariate analysis (gross residual disease adjusted hazard ratio [HRadjusted ] 2.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20-5.30; metastatic disease HRadjusted 9.53; 95% CI 3.04-27.06). CONCLUSION Failure to achieve gross total resection during initial surgery resulted in worse OS. Adequate preoperative planning is required for initial surgical management to optimize tumor control and survival.
Effect of Stress on Interband Tunneling in Semiconductors

The study of effects of stress on interband tunneling in semiconductors has added to our understanding of both the tunneling process and the semiconductor materials. The same degree of success is not to be expected for the case of metal-insulator-metal tunneling. In order to appreciate the difference between metal and semiconductor tunneling, a few important factors governing interband tunneling in semiconductors should be pointed out.
Surgery for Solitary Thyroid Nodule Including Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid nodules are common in the United States, with a prevalence of 4–7% for palpable nodules. However, nonpalpable nodules discovered incidentally on ultrasound or at autopsy suggest an overall prevalence of 19–67%. The incidence of thyroid cancer has increased from 3.6 per 100,000 in 1973 to 8.7 per 100,000 in 2002—a 2.4-fold increase—with 87% of the increase due to the diagnosis of small differentiated thyroid cancers. The association between increasing age and incidence of thyroid nodules makes their diagnosis and treatment an important public health issue.
Effects of Twist Angle on Rubbing Induced Vibration Responses of Blade

In rotating machinery, such as axial-flow compressor, gas turbine and aero-engine, the small clearance between the rotational blade and casing can increase the system efficiency, but may also lead to the rubbing between the blade and casing. The severe rubbing can bring about damages of the blade or casing. In this paper, two mathematical models of blade: a uniform-thickness-shell (UTS) model and a uniform-thickness-twisted-shell (UTTS) model, are established to compare the effects of the blade twist angle on the rubbing-induced vibration responses. The natural characteristics obtained from the two models are compared. Dynamic behaviors obtained from two models considering the combined effects of centrifugal force and aerodynamic force are also compared. Moreover, considering the effects of the misalignment angle and radial misalignment, the transient responses caused by rubbing using the two models are discussed. The results exhibit that the resonance in the radial direction cannot be observed when the blade twist angle is ignored (using UTS model). However, this resonance can be observed using the UTTS model, i.e., taking the influences of twist angle into account.
Quantifying the Bias Dynamics in a Mode-Based Kalman Filter for Stochastic Hybrid Systems

Many estimation algorithms proposed for stochastic hybrid systems (SHS) typically involve a bank of (mode-based) Kalman filter used to estimate the continuous states. The accuracy of discrete state knowledge has a significant impact on the error performance of the mode-based Kalman filter. In this paper, we quantify this relationship between the mode estimation quality and continuous state estimation in terms of the bias dynamics of the mode-based Kalman filter. We also derive sufficient conditions for statistical convergence of the bias dynamics and illustrate the stable region in which the mode-based Kalman filter has high tolerance to mode estimation error. The fundamental theoretical results are validated via simulation of an SHS. The analysis presented in this work is important for many practical applications such as quantifying the impact of network topology error in a smart grid.
Impact of Effective Detector Pixel and CT Voxel Size on Accurate Estimation of Blood Volume in Opacified Microvasculature.

Rationale and Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of effective detector-pixel-size and image voxel size on the accurate estimation of microvessel density (ratio of microvascular lumen volume/tissue volume) in an excised porcine myocardium specimen using microcomputed tomography (CT), and the ability of whole-body energy-integrating-detector (EID) CT and photon-counting-detector (PCD) CT to measure microvessel density in the same ex vivo specimen. Materials and Methods Porcine myocardial tissue in which the microvessels contained radio-opaque material was scanned using a micro-CT scanner and data were generated with a range of detector pixel sizes and image voxel sizes from 20 to 260 microns, to determine the impact of these parameters on the accuracy of microvessel density estimates. The same specimen was scanned in a whole-body EID CT and PCD CT system and images reconstructed with 600 and 250 micron slice thicknesses, respectively. Fraction of tissue volume that is filled with opacified microvessels was determined by first subtracting the mean background attenuation value from all voxels, and then by summing the remaining attenuation. Results Microvessel density data were normalized to the value measured at 20 µm voxel size, which was considered reference truth for this study. For emulated micro-CT voxels up to 260 µm, the microvessel density was underestimated by at most 11%. For whole-body EID CT and PCD CT, microvessel density was underestimated by 9.5% and overestimated by 0.1%, respectively. Conclusion Our data indicate that microvessel density can be accurately calculated from the larger detector pixels used in clinical CT scanners by measuring the increase of CT attenuation caused by these opacified microvessels.
Alkali and Alkaline Earth Metals

The selective extraction of alkali metal ions made a dramatic step forward with the discovery of the crown ethers. These oxygen-containing macrocycles are important because they were the first compounds that allowed alkali metal ions to be solubilized in organic solvents. These compounds effectively extract alkali metal ions into an organic solvent from an aqueous phase, and by changing the cavity size within the macrocycle selectivity, between the different alkali metals can be achieved. More recently, chemically modified calixarenes have been found to be good extractants for these ions. The present state of the art in designing extractants for alkali metal ions involves incorporating a crown ether moiety onto a calixarene framework. The resulting calixcrowns can be highly selective complexants and extractants for the individual alkali metal ions. Although early research in seeking hosts focused on discovering extractants for the lighter alkali metals such as sodium, more recently the focus has been on cesium because of its presence as one of the radioactive metals in nuclear wastes.
Cortical Topography of Error-Related High-Frequency Potentials During Erroneous Control in a Continuous Control Brain–Computer Interface

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) benefit greatly from performance feedback, but current systems lack automatic, task-independent feedback. Cortical responses elicited from user error have the potential to serve as state-based feedback to BCI decoders. To gain a better understanding of local error potentials, we investigate responsive cortical power underlying error-related potentials (ErrPs) from the human cortex during a one-dimensional center-out BCI task, tracking the topography of high-gamma (70-100 Hz) band power (HBP) specific to BCI error. We measured electrocorticography (ECoG) in three human subjects during dynamic, continuous control over BCI cursor velocity. Subjects used motor imagery and rest to move the cursor towards and subsequently dwell within a target region. We then identified and labeled epochs where the BCI decoder incorrectly moved the cursor in the direction opposite of the subject’s expectations (i.e., BCI error). We found increased HBP in various cortical areas 100-500 ms following BCI error with respect to epochs of correct, intended control. Significant responses were noted in primary somatosensory, motor, premotor, and parietal areas and generally regardless of whether the subject was using motor imagery or rest to move the cursor towards the target. Parts of somatosensory, temporal, and parietal areas exclusively had increased HBP when subjects were using motor imagery. In contrast, only part of the parietal cortex near the angular gyrus exclusively had an increase in HBP during rest. This investigation is, to our knowledge, the first to explore cortical fields changes in the context of continuous control in ECoG BCI. We present topographical changes in HBP characteristic specific to the generation of error. By focusing on continuous control, instead of on discrete control for simple selection, we investigate a more naturalistic setting and provide high ecological validity for characterizing error potentials. Such potentials could be considered as design elements for co-adaptive BCIs in the future as task-independent feedback to the decoder, allowing for more robust and individualized BCIs.
A Novel Memory Subsystem and Computational Model for Parallel Reconfigurable Architectures

While FPGA and other reconfigurable technologies have dramatically increased in size and speed, memory technology has had only modest improvements. Relative to logic speeds, memory latency is virtually flat and physical constraints on external pins limit memory bandwidth. Unfortunately, the traditional cache hierarchy found in fixedfunction integrated circuits has evolved to support sequential processors and is ineffective for highly parallel architectures. This paper proposes a novel memory subsystem and computational model for reconfigurable architectures.
Non-Hermitian adiabatic transport in spaces of exceptional points

We consider the space of $n\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}n$ non-Hermitian Hamiltonians ($n=2$, 3, ...) that are equivalent to a single $n\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}n$ Jordan block. We focus on adiabatic transport around a closed path (i.e., a loop) within this space, in the limit as the time scale $T=1/\ensuremath{\varepsilon}$ taken to traverse the loop tends to infinity. We show that, for a certain class of loops and a choice of initial state, the state returns to itself and acquires a complex phase that is ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ times an expansion in powers of ${\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{1/n}$. The exponential of the term of $n\mathrm{th}$ order (which is equivalent to the ``geometric'' or Berry phase modulo $2\ensuremath{\pi}$) is thus independent of $\ensuremath{\varepsilon}$ as $\ensuremath{\varepsilon}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}0$; it depends only on the homotopy class of the loop and is an integer power of ${e}^{2\ensuremath{\pi}i/n}$. One of the conditions under which these results hold is that the state being transported is, for all points on the loop, that of slowest decay.