cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Predictive Approach for Monitoring Services in the Internet of Things

In Internet of Things (IoT) environments, devices offer monitoring services that would allow tenants to collect real-time data of different metrics through sensors. Values of monitored metrics can go above (or below) certain predefined thresholds, triggering the need to monitor these metrics at a higher or lower frequency since there are limited monitoring resources on the IoT devices. Also, such triggers might require additional metrics to be included or excluded from the monitoring service. An example for this is in a healthcare application, where if the blood pressure increases beyond a certain threshold, it might be necessary to start monitoring the heart beat at a higher frequency. Similarly, the change of the environmental context might necessitate the need to change/update the monitored metrics. For instance, in a smart car application, if an accident is observed on the monitored route, another route might need to be monitored. Whenever a trigger happens, there are optimization-based methods in the literature that calculate the optimal set of metrics to keep/start measuring and their frequencies. However, running these methods takes a considerable amount of time, making the approach, of waiting until the trigger happens and executing the optimization models, impractical. In this paper, we propose a novel system that predicts the next trigger to happen, run the optimization-based methods beforehand, and thus have the results ready before the triggers happen. The prediction is built as a tree structure of the state of the system followed with its predicted child nodes/states, and the children states of these children… etc. Whenever part of that predicted tree actually occurs, one can remove the calculations of the part that did not occur to save storage resources.
Aortitis as a Harbinger of Occult Malignancy

Noninfectious aortitis can be associated with an occult malignancy. Although glucocorticosteroids are often used, there is no clear evidence-based therapy and there is little consensus regarding treatment. Identifying and treating an underlying trigger is the most efficacious therapy. We present an unusual case initially concerning acute bacterial endocarditis of the native mitral valve; however, aseptic ischemic valvitis manifested on pathology. Concurrent aortitis was diagnosed with angiography. Occult colon adenocarcinoma was discovered during diagnostic abdominal imaging. Treatment of this underlying malignancy was associated with dynamic mitigation of inflammation affecting the entire aorta and a reduction in associated symptoms. This is an unusual case of a paraneoplastic secondary large vessel vasculitis involving the entire aorta, a diagnosis of exclusion but a consideration that can have dramatic impact on both morbidity and mortality.
Synchrony and asynchrony between an epigenetic clock and developmental timing.

Epigenetic changes have been used to estimate chronological age across the lifespan, and some studies suggest that epigenetic “aging” clocks may already operate in developing tissue. To better understand the relationship between developmental stage and epigenetic age, we utilized the highly regular sequence of development found in the mammalian neural retina and a well-established epigenetic aging clock based on DNA methylation. Our results demonstrate that the epigenetic age of fetal retina is highly correlated with chronological age. We further establish that epigenetic aging progresses normally in vitro, suggesting that epigenetic aging is a property of individual tissues. This correlation is also retained in stem cell-derived retinal organoids, but is accelerated in individuals with Down syndrome, a progeroid-like condition. Overall, our results suggest that epigenetic aging begins as early as a few weeks post-conception, in fetal tissues, and the mechanisms underlying the phenomenon of epigenetic aging might be studied in developing organs.
N-Acyl pyrazoles: Effective and tunable inhibitors of serine hydrolases

Abstract A series of N-acyl pyrazoles was examined as candidate serine hydrolase inhibitors in which the active site acylating reactivity and the leaving group ability of the pyrazole could be tuned not only through the nature of the acyl group (reactivity: amide > carbamate > urea), but also through pyrazole C4 substitution with electron-withdrawing or electron-donating substituents. Their impact on enzyme inhibitory activity displayed pronounced effects with the activity improving substantially as one alters both the nature of the reacting carbonyl group (urea > carbamate > amide) and the pyrazole C4 substituent (CN > H > Me). It was further demonstrated that the acyl chain of the N-acyl pyrazole ureas can be used to tailor the potency and selectivity of the inhibitor class to a targeted serine hydrolase. Thus, elaboration of the acyl chain of pyrazole-based ureas provided remarkably potent, irreversible inhibitors of fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH, apparent Ki = 100–200 pM), dual inhibitors of FAAH and monoacylglycerol hydrolase (MGLL), or selective inhibitors of MGLL (IC50 = 10–20 nM) while simultaneously minimizing off-target activity (e.g., ABHD6 and KIAA1363).
Opacification of Akreos Hydrophilic Acrylic Lens After Retinal Detachment Repair with Silicone Oil Tamponade: A Case Report

We report localized opacification of a sclera-fixated Akreos® hydrophilic acrylic intraocular lens after successful repair of rhegmatogenous retinal detachment with silicone oil tamponade in a nondiabetic patient. No intraoperative lens opacification during air–fluid exchange or lens dislocation was encountered. Granular opacities within the optic were noted at 5 months after surgery, and did not relent to scrubbing with a vitrector during oil removal. Akreos lens opacification under silicone oil is not well documented in the literature. Surgeons must be aware of this potential complication, which is known to occur with various types of hydrophilic acrylic lenses after exposure to air or gas.
Texting-While-Driving Bans and Motor Vehicle Crash–Related Emergency Department Visits in 16 US States: 2007–2014

Objectives. To examine the impact of state texting bans on motor vehicle crash (MVC)–related emergency department (ED) visits.Methods. We used ED data from 16 US states between 2007 and 2014. We employed a difference-in-difference approach and conditional Poisson regressions to estimate changes in counts of MVC-related ED visits in states with and without texting bans. We also constructed age cohorts to explore whether texting bans have differential impacts by age group.Results. On average, states with a texting ban saw a 4% reduction in MVC-related ED visits (incidence rate ratio = 0.96; 95% confidence interval = 0.96, 0.97). This equates to an average of 1632 traffic-related ED visits prevented per year in states with a ban. Both primary and secondary bans were associated with significant reductions in MVC-related visits to the ED regardless of whether they were on all drivers or young drivers only. Individuals aged 64 years and younger in states with a texting ban saw significantly fewer MVC-related ED...
Aortotracheobronchial and Aortocutaneous Fistula

Aortotracheobronchial (A-T-B) fistulas are very rare and usually cause massive hemoptysis. Mediastinal vascular fistula involving the trachea or bronchi most commonly occurs as a result of atherosclerotic aneurysms, tracheal or carinal grafting, trauma, mediastinal neoplasms, or open vascular grafting. Thoracic aortic aneurysms (primary or secondary), pseudoaneurysms, and vascular anastomosis erosion and graft infection are the usual causes for these vascular fistula lesions. Accurate diagnosis using CTA, MRI, or angiography will establish the diagnosis in most patients. Surgical treatment leads to the best survival, and many use the endograft, either as a temporizing or a definitive treatment, as their preferred initial approach. Secondary aortocutaneous fistulas due to graft infection are very rare.
Management of Heart Failure and Cardiogenic Shock in Pregnancy

While the prognosis of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is generally more favorable than other cardiomyopathies, PPCM can be associated with cardiogenic shock and significant maternal morbidity in young women. The management of a pregnant woman in cardiogenic shock necessitates consideration of harm to the fetus. This review focuses on the management of these women. A number of advances have increased the repertoire of therapies available to manage PPCM. Increased understanding of PPCM pathophysiology has led to a number of new and experimental medications. In the current era, mechanical circulatory support has been gaining a stronger presence in critical care and can be used in cardiogenic shock of the pregnant patient refractory to medical therapy. We discuss medical therapies, mechanical circulatory support, arrhythmia management, and a delivery plan in the setting of cardiogenic shock secondary to PPCM.
Racial Attitudes Through a Partisan Lens

The conventional wisdom is that racial attitudes, by forming through early socialization processes, are causally prior to most things political, including whites' party identifications. Yet a broad literature demonstrates that partisanship can shape mass attitudes. The author argues that this influence extends even to presumptively fundamental predispositions like racial attitudes. The study applies cross-lagged models to panel data from the 1990s and 2000s to demonstrate that whites align their racial attitudes with their party loyalties. The results demonstrate that partisanship has a more pronounced influence in the latter time period, which is consistent with a view that changes in the political context can make partisanship a more likely causal force on other attitudes. Racial concerns not only provide a foundation for political conflict: my results reveal that political processes can increase or decrease racial animus.
Evaluation of vascular endothelial growth factor in early diagnosis of non-typical ectopic pregnancy

Objective To investigate the best dignostic cut-off point of non-typical ectopic pregnancy(EP) through the determination of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)in 154 cases of suspected ectopic pregnancy patients.Methods The serum level of VEGF in 154 cases with suspected EP was determined by means of immunossay technique,and the results were made into ROC-Curve.Results The acreage behind the curve was 0.95,illustrating that the VEGF can be as a better marker for early diagnosis of EP.The serum VEGF level of 200pg/ml was the cut-off point for early diagnosis of EP throash ROC-Curve.Condusion The serum VEGF can be considered as an early diagnostic marker of EP,which cut-off point is benifical to reducing misdiagnosis of EP. Key words: Suspected etopic pregnancy; Endothelial growth factor; Cut-off point
A just compensation for leaving it in the ground: Climate easements and oil development

Abstract The Paris Climate agreement of 2015 implies that a large portion of the world’s coal, oil, and gas resources must be left non-combusted in order to meet the goal of limiting climate change to 2 °C. As a result of this commitment, some of the national and corporate owners of fossil fuel reserves will be required to leave their reserves in the ground. However, which reserves should be left in the ground, and when and how should reserve-owners be compensated? Using the oil reserves in Uganda’s Albertine Graben as a case study, we show that Ugandan oil development is likely to be cost-effective but unlikely to be consistent with the Paris Treaty commitments. We argue that Western nations should compensate Uganda for their foregone oil revenues and we propose a mechanism called “climate easements” for such compensation.
Higher Paraspinal Muscle Density Effect on Outcomes After Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Study Design:Retrospective cohort study.Objectives:Studies in the lumbar spine suggest a correlation between sarcopenia and worse patient outcomes. The purpose of this study was to determine whethe...
Experimental design applied in the semolina pasta cooking to increase the resistant starch formation

Abstract Pasta that undergoes the cooking exhibits several structural changes that can mainly affect protein and starch availability. In this study a central composite rotatable design (CCRD) 22 was applied to find the best cooking times and pasta:water ratios to prepare commercial semolina pasta (spaghetti) to increase RS levels. Time intervals applied to cooking ranged from 7 to 13 min while the pasta:water ratio ranged from 1:33 to 1:4 (m v−1; g mL−1). Composition of the spaghetti samples was also determined. Cooking times strongly influenced RS formation and water absorption (WA) capacity, since there was mean decrease of 17% in WA and increase of 164% in the RS content when both extreme points (−1.41 and + 1.41) of the experimental design where applied. Protein and ash contents also affected the RS level. Cooking time between 7 and 10 min and pasta:water ratios (from 1:4 to 1:10, m v−1) enabled satisfactory RS contents (from 72.2 to 138.0 mg g−1), which should improve the functional fiber content in the pasta.
Valuation: Understanding, Assessing, and Documenting

Valuation is a measuring process because in so doing an empirical relation (e.g., an intangible value) is assigned a numerical relation (e.g., a monetary unit). The question arises about what a good valuation or measuring process is. This chapter outlines the concept of narratives and numbers. It shows that a good valuation requires both an accurate numerical process, i.e., the calculation part, as well as a convincing narrative that puts the calculation into context. A good valuation defined by numbers and narrative also needs to be documented. This chapter shows the link between narratives, numbers, and notes with typical assessment criteria for a measuring process: validity, reliability, and objectivity. This chapter concludes with a description of the documentation requirements of a valuation for transfer pricing purposes according to OECD principles.
Intramolecular, Visible Light-Mediated Aza Paternò-Büchi Reactions of Unactivated Alkenes

Azetidines are of particular interest in medicinal chemistry for their favorable properties, including increased resistance to oxidative metabolism and lower lipophilicity. The recent development of [2+2] reactions has significantly benefitted the previously limited methods for azetidine synthesis, but access to more complex architectures still requires further development. Herein we report a visible-light enabled intramolecular [2+2] cycloaddition to access tricyclic azetidines with 3D complex structures and high levels of saturation.
Assessment of software testing and quality assurance in natural language processing applications and a linguistically inspired approach to improving it

Significant progress has been made in addressing the scientific challenges of biomedical text mining. However, the transition from a demonstration of scientific progress to the production of tools on which a broader community can rely requires that fundamental software engineering requirements be addressed. In this paper we characterize the state of biomedical text mining software with respect to software testing and quality assurance. Biomedical natural language processing software was chosen because it frequently specifically claims to offer production-quality services, rather than just research prototypes. We examined twenty web sites offering a variety of text mining services. On each web site, we performed the most basic software test known to us and classified the results. Seven out of twenty web sites returned either bad results or the worst class of results in response to this simple test. We conclude that biomedical natural language processing tools require greater attention to software quality. We suggest a linguistically motivated approach to granular evaluation of natural language processing applications, and show how it can be used to detect performance errors of several systems and to predict overall performance on specific equivalence classes of inputs. We also assess the ability of linguistically-motivated test suites to provide good software testing, as compared to large corpora of naturally-occurring data. We measure code coverage and find that it is considerably higher when even small structured test suites are utilized than when large corpora are used.
The relationships of certain variables to conceptions in treated infertility patients

Abstract Data were analyzed from a sample of 73 patients (33 nulligravidas and 40 prior gravidas) who presented with infertility problems. Only patients who accepted investigation and therapy, apparently maintained interest in conceiving, and were not immediately lost to follow-up were included in the sample. The onset of follow-up was post investigation for all patients. The incidence of viable births, with the use of the life-table procedure, was found to be 50 per cent at 72 months of follow-up in nulligravidas and 64 per cent at 92 months of follow-up in prior gravidas. The results indicate that the magnitude of the disturbance(s) is associated with treatment outcome, i.e., the frequency of viable births was significantly higher in patients with single disturbances compared to patients with multiple disturbances. To the extent that the magnitude of disturbance(s) is related to age in nulligravidas and in prior gravidas, and duration of infertility is not independent of age in nulligravidas, there is a tendency for the latter two variables to be associated with treatment results.
Counseling Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys : A Strengths-Based Guide for Helping Professionals and Educators

Part 1: Understanding the Developmental Needs of Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys. 1. Coming Out and Identity Development Needs in Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys Joseph Manera and Denis Frank. 2. The Role of Friendships in the Lives of Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys Michael M. Kocet. Part 2: Cultural Issues with Sexual Minority Men, Adolescents, and Boys. 3. Cultural Considerations: Helping Gay Men, Teens, and Boys Integrate a Racial and Sexual Identity Richmond Wynn, Joel Filmore, and Derrick A. Paladino. 4. Addressing Spirituality When Counseling Gay Boys, Adolescents, and Men Samuel Sanabria and Joffrey Suprina. Part 3: Developing Integral Partnerships in the Treatment of Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys. 5. Assessment and Treatment of the Medical Needs of Gay Men, Adolescents and Boys James Leone, Elizabeth Mullin, and Shan Mohammed. 6. The Mental Health and Counseling Needs of Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys Larry D. Burlew, Nichole Pulliam, and Kathleen Grant. 7. The Impact of Substance Abuse and Addiction in the Lives of Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys Michael P. Chaney and Michael Brubaker. 8. Recognizing the Needs of Sexual Minority Boys and Adolescents in Schools Melissa M. Luke and Kristopher M. Goodrich. 9. The Role of Career & Leisure Needs in the Lives of Gay Men, Adolescents, and Boys Jane Goodman and Paul Battle. Part 4: Counseling Special Populations: Sexual and Gender Minority Boys, Adolescents, and Men. 10. Non-Gay Men and Boys: Working With Men, Teens, and Boys Who Identify as Bisexual Jason Patton, Jeff Lubsen, and Stacee Reicherzer. 11. Counseling in the Periphery of Queer Discourse: Transgender Children, Adolescence, Women, and Men Stacee Reicherzer, Andrew S. Garland-Forshee, and Jason Patton.
Ethnopolitical demography and democracy in sub-Saharan Africa

Ethnic fragmentation is largely presumed to be bad for democracy. However, many African countries belie this claim, as democracy has recently sprouted in several of its multiethnic states. We argue that African countries that have demographic patterns where the largest ethnopolitical group is at least a near-majority and is simultaneously divided into nested subgroups produce Africa's most democratic multiethnic societies. This large-divided-group pattern, which has gone largely unnoticed by previous scholars, facilitates transitions to democracy from authoritarian rule. The large group's size foments the broad-based multiethnic social agitation needed to pose a genuine threat to a ruling autocrat, while its internal divisions reassure minorities that they will not suffer permanent exclusion via ethnic dominance under an eventual democracy. We support our claim with cross-national quantitative evidence on ethnic fragmentation and regime type.
Solvent and moisture effects in deteriorated wood consolidated with soluble resins

Cultural property made of wood may require consolidation with soluble resins because, of biological deterioration. Certain effects of solvents and moisture on consolidated wood were studied, using Douglas-fir wood damaged by bacteria. It was found that the mechanical properties of consolidated wood are quite stable over a period of 3.5 years, but that retained solvents may have an effect with some treatments. Consolidants do not appear to affect wood hygroscopicity because of their high molecular weight. Wood will swell during consolidation treatment, the amount being proportional to the swelling potential of the solvent used.
A 16-year follow-up study of 163 children with nephrotic syndrome.

One hundred and sixty-three children with onset of nephrotic syndrome prior to 1959 are the subjects of this study. The average duration of follow-up was 16.5 years with 79% (129) being followed 15 years. The Life Table survival rate was 77% at 15 years. There were no correlations between the survival rate and the age of onset or sex of the patient. Hypertension in combination with azotemia, and/or hematuria was associated with a poorer prognosis. Twenty percent of the children showed a nonrelapsing course after the first year, whereas 45% experienced several relapses before achieving apparent cure. Ten percent had continued activity. Seventy-nine percent of the patients who were initially resistant to steroid therapy were dead at the 15-year follow-up.
Analysis of a nonlinear torsional coupling having dynamic links—I: Steady running and free oscillation

Abstract A torsional coupling, consisting of a number of masses connected by means of simple links to both the driving member and the load member, has been found to be effective in suppressing torsional oscillations of the load while transmitting a large mean torque to the load. Under the assumptions stated in the paper the equations of motion are derived by means of the Lagrangian method. These equations are used to obtain the quasi-static performance, that is, the torque vs. relative angular displacement at constant rotational velocity. An exact solution is also found for the phase-plane representation ∗ for motion under steady torque. This is analogous to the usual phase-plane representation for free oscillation, since this system seeks an equilibrium position which is dependent upon the mean torque transmitted. The results show clearly that this coupling can be designed to have a wide variety of nonlinearities in the restoring torque, depending upon a geometrical parameter. Curves are presented which show the effects of the various parameters upon the phase-plane characteristics, and a tabulation shows the effects of these same parameters on the fluctuation in output velocity for a given input-velocity fluctuation.
The process of identity in twins.

The Blacky Picture Test was administered to a sample of 12 pairs of male MZ twins, aged 17 to 19 years, and to an equal number of singletons. A score for 30 factors was assigned to each protocol. By comparing the scores of the two groups using the Mann-Whitney U test, only one significant difference emerged, relative to the factor concerned with positive identification and fraternal relationship. Twins chose the sibling figure as the identification object significantly less often than singletons did. A more qualitative elaboration was undertaken in order to interpret this result. From the final data, the pre-cariousness of the sense of identity in the twins comes out indirectly in their passive and conformistic acceptance of the paternal model. It would seem that the twin is induced by his relationship with his cotwin, seen as the origin of this uncertainty as to his own identity, to adhere closely to the paternal image.
The Fitness of Periodicals

The current decline in library budgets and increase in journal acquisition costs affects all fields. This paper's purpose is twofold: to provide background on the widely misunderstood field of health, physical education, recreation and dance; and to describe considerations for selecting and canceling serial subscriptions in that area. Emphasis is on the breadth of the field and the resulting uniqueness of individual departments, a condition that makes questionable the use of master lists of desirable holdings. Strategies for retrenchment, based on experience at the University of North Dakota, are presented.
The Bunraku Puppet Theatre of Japan: Honor, Vengeance, and Love in Four Plays of the 18th and 19th Centuries

For English speaking readers at all familiar with Japanese theatre traditions, Stanleigh Jones’s The Bunraku Theatre of Japan belongs right up there on the bookshelf beside the works of Donald Keen...
Chemical Processes in Vapor Deposition of Silicon I . Deposition from and Etching by

Chemical processes occurring in the vapor deposition of Si from SiCl/sub 2/H/sub 2/ and in the etching of Si by HCl were studied by means of a mass spectrometer coupled to the chemical-vapor-deposition reactor. This setup was successfully used for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of the composition of the vapor phase in the Si-Cl-H system. Species found in the vapor phase were H/sub 2/, HCl, SiCl/sub 2/, SiCl/sub 2/H/sub 2/, SiCl/sub 3/H, and SiCl/sub 4/, and their partial pressures were measured as a function of temperature, Cl/H ratio, and of the chemical nature of the initial gaseous mixture entering the reactor. The experimentally determined partial pressures were compared with the equilibrium partial pressures of vapor species, calculated from the newest thermochemical data for the Si-Cl-H system. Based on these results, the nature and the extent of chemical processes in systems studied are discussed. (WDM)
Space and time efficient algorithms to discover endogenous RNAi patterns in complete genome data

RNAi, short for RNA Interference, a phenomenon of inhibiting the expression of genes, is widely adopted in laboratories for the study of pathways and determination of gene function. Recent studies have shown that RNAi could be used as an approach to treat diseases like cancers and some genetic disorders in which the down-regulation of a protein could prevent or stop progression of the disease. In [7], the problem of detecting endogenous dsRNA control elements and their corresponding mRNA target, i.e., the gene under RNAi control by degradation, in complete genomes of species using a suffix tree data structure is discussed. While the algorithm identifies triple repeats in the genome sequence in linear time, its very high memory requirement (12 GB for the C. elegans genome of size 100 Mbp) becomes a bottleneck for processing genomes of higher order. In this paper, we give algorithms that are space and time efficient in practice than the suffix tree based algorithm. Our algorithms are based on simple array data structures and adopt basic sorting techniques to identify the desired patterns in a given genome sequence. We achieve a speedup of 23 and reduction in memory requirement by a factor of 12 for the C. elegans genome, over the suffix tree approach, making the processing of higher order genomes possible for detecting such endogenous controls and targets for RNAi by degradation.
Micro APS based star tracker

JPL has conducted a study on how to design future miniaturized star trackers. The study proposes an ultra-low power (70 mW), ultra-low mass (42 grams) and very fast (50 Hz) Micro, APS-based Star Tracker (MAST). The accuracy of the MAST will be /spl sim/7.5 arcseconds at 50 Hz update rate. The MAST is indispensable to all low mass and power micro/nano spacecraft where mass and power is a concern. The MAST consists of only two chips-a breakthrough CMOS Active Pixel Sensor (APS) image detector optimized for star tracker applications and an ASIC chip including an I/sup 2/C interface, memory and an 8051 microcontroller. MAST has functionality so it outputs pixel data from small windows and the spacecraft computer performs the processing.
Age and Growth of Alaskan Broad Whitefish, Coregonus nasus

Abstract Age and growth data are presented on 341 Alaskan broad whitefish, Coregonus nasus, from the Porcupine River, Minto Flats, Holitna River, Imuruk Basin, and the Sagavanirktok River. Fish examined were 23–64 cm fork length and ranged in age from III to XIII. Broad whitefish from the Porcupine and Holitna rivers and Minto Flats were approximately 12 cm longer by age VII than Imuruk Basin and Sagavanirktok River fish. Length of growing season is proposed as the main reason for differences in growth of various populations. Males reached sexual maturity between ages V and IX and females between ages V to X.
Geochemistry of Birch Creek, Inyo County, California a travertine depositing creek in an arid climate

Abstract A small stream in eastern California was studied in detail to determine the causes of travertine deposition from the stream. Although the ground water feeding the stream is slightly supersaturated to just saturated with calcite, the ground water is supersaturated with CO2 with respect to the overlying air. The water becomes increasingly supersaturated with calcite in a downstream direction as CO2 loss to the air and by photosynthesis exceeds the rate of precipitation of calcite. Water loss by evaporation was below detection and does not play an important role in calcite deposition in this case. The water loss is by seepage through the stream bed. Observations showed variations in HCO−3, pH, discharge, Ca+2, relative humidity, water and air temperatures, and dissolved CO2. Comparisons of observed and equilibrium states are given for five sampling stations along the stream.
Salt Marsh Geomorphological Analyses via Integration of Multitemporal Multispectral Remote Sensing with LIDAR and GIS

Abstract Ecogeomorphological modeling in salt marshes faces distinct challenges due to tidal oscillation and variability, fieldwork logistics, and the inherent dynamic nature of these environments. Recently developed technologies and methods introduce the capability to create fine-scale, system-wide databases to quantitatively characterize salt marsh geomorphology in support of improved understanding of the evolution of intertidal systems. This study combines the use of 20-cm AIMS-1 multispectral imagery flown at spring high and low tides with a LIDAR–derived digital elevation mode (DEM) of a New England estuarine system to quantify relationships among marsh features, their metrics, elevations, and tidal datums. The methods used to quantify features across an intertidal watershed in its entirety represent a significant advance in support of future development of process-driven models to explain these observations. Geomorphological analyses of the distribution of marsh features at the Great Marsh, Massachu...
Automated analysis of the 12-lead electrocardiogram to identify the exit site of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia.

Background The value of the 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) to identify the exit site of postinfarction ventricular tachycardia (VT) has been questioned. The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of a computerized algorithm for identifying a VT exit site on the basis of the 12-lead ECG. Methods and Results In 34 postinfarction patients, pace mapping was performed from within scar tissue. A computerized algorithm that used a supervised learning method (support vector machine) received the digitized pace-map morphologies combined with the pacing sites as training data. No other information (ie, infarct localization, bundle branch block morphology, axis, or R-wave pattern) was used in the algorithm. The training data were validated in 58 VTs in 33 patients. The sizes of 10 different anatomic sections within the heart were determined by using the pace maps as the determining factor. Accuracy was found to be 69% for pace maps, and when 2 adjacent regions were combined, accuracy improved to 88%. Validation of the data in 33 patients showed an accuracy of 71% for localizing a VT exit site to 1 of the 10 regions within the left ventricle. If combined with the best adjacent region, accuracy improved to 88%. The median anatomic size of each section was 21 cm 2 . The median spatial resolution of the 12-lead ECG pattern of the pace maps for a particular region was 15 cm 2 . Conclusion The 12-lead ECG of postinfarction VT contains localizing information that enables determination of a region of interest in the 10–20 cm 2 range for more than 70% of VT exit sites in a given sector.
Chlorine-fluorine flame structure

Chlorine-fluorine flame, determining adiabatic propagation speed, refractive index field, temperature profile, composition distribution and atom concentrations
Token Constitutionalism and Islamic Opposition in Tajikistan

Abstract Tajikistan is a predominantly Muslim country where the concept of having a constitution is not controversial, but the content of that constitution is. Roughly seventy years of Soviet rule over the territory that became independent Tajikistan at the end of 1991 introduced constitutions as a norm, although the rights the constitutions appeared to accord did not jibe with political reality. The years of Soviet rule also created an environment hostile to Islam, as a result of which some of Tajikistan’s inhabitants ceased to be believers, while many who continued to practice their faith knew little about it other than the rituals of everyday life. In the last years of the Soviet era and the two decades after the breakup of the USSR, Islam was caught up in the political as well as religious controversies that developed in Tajikistan during this upheaval. There was an upsurge of attention to Islam, in a religious sense for some, a cultural and nationalist sense for others, and as a bogeyman for yet others. The Islamic Rebirth Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), the only legal Islamic political party in post-Soviet Central Asia, along with the head of the religious establishment in the republic, the qadi, joined with secular groups advocating reforms that would promote political and economic change. The power struggle between neo-Soviet ruling elites and the opposition led to a civil war (1992-97) in which the neo-Soviets prevailed. Tajikistan’s post-Soviet constitution reflects the emphatic secularism of the neo-Soviets, despite the objections of the IRPT. The post-civil-war government has also enacted legislation reestablishing Soviet-style constraints on Islamic institutions and personnel and has used its power to thwart genuinely pluralistic politics. The IRPT as well as secular opposition parties have felt the effects of the rigged elections and harassment by the regime.
Lumpy Goods and Cheap Riders: An Application of the Theory of Public Goods to International Alliances

Mancur Olson and Richard Zeckhauser's ‘An Economic Theory of Alliances’ has been described as ‘the best known application of the theory’ of collective (or public) goods. In that article, Olson and Zeckhauser advanced the claim that America's Western European Allies (and by implication, Japan as well) are all, more or less, ‘free riders.’ Yet, more than twenty years later, the meaning of this claim remains very much in doubt. This article outlines Olson and Zeckhauser's basic argument and conclusions and the evidence against their argument; explains how application of the ‘free rider’ thesis to the problem of collective security can be revised in the light of contemporary thinking about the provision of collective goods; presents some preliminary tests of this formulation; and suggests a few of the implications of this analysis for the formulation of United States defense policy.
Successful model of learning system in a multinational corporation

Lifelong learning and development of foundational competencies in constantly changing market and economic circumstances become one of top priorities of modern multinational corporations. Presentation of IBM will focus on the introduction of successful global internal learning portal Learning@IBM, which enables learners to access a world -class program offering job relevant courses delivered via traditional classroom, innovative web-based 'virtual classroom', interactive learning tools or virtual laboratories, available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In addition, portal is directly connected to Career Smart, internal career management system, assisting employees in planning their career path, identifying critical skills and their development needs. As result of IBM's continuing commitment to education and cooperation with educational institutions, IBM has introduced “Transition to Teaching” program, which enables senior IBM experts in post-active career to take an active part in the educational process at universities or higher schools by transfering their valuable know how and skills to students.
Advances in Surgical Treatment of Facial Nerve Paralysis in ChildrenFacial Nerve Paralysis in Children

Background: Free muscle transfer for facial reanimation has become the standard of care in recent decades and is now the cornerstone intervention for dynamic smile reanimation. We sought to quantify smile excursion and quality-of-life (QOL) changes in our pediatric free gracilis recipients following reanimation.Methods: We quantified gracilis muscle excursion in 17 pediatric patients undergoing 19 consecutive pediatric free gracilis transplantation operations, using our validated SMILE program, as an objective measure of functional outcome. These were compared against excursion measured the same way in a cohort of 17 adults with 19 free gracilis operations. In addition, we prospectively evaluated QOL outcomes in these children using the Facial Clinimetric Evaluation (FaCE) instrument.Results: The mean gracilis excursion in our pediatric free gracilis recipients was 8.8 mm ± 5 mm, which matched adult results, but with fewer complete failures of less than 2-mm excursion, with 2 (11%) and 4 (21%), respectively. Quality-of-life measures indicated statistically significant improvements following dynamic smile reanimation (P = .01).Conclusions: Dynamic facial reanimation using free gracilis transfer in children has an acceptable success rate, yields improved commissure excursion, and improves QOL in the pediatric population. It should be considered first-line therapy for children with lack of a meaningful smile secondary to facial paralysis.
Secondary structure of Src homology 2 domain of c-Abl by heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy in solution

Abstract The Src homology 2 (SH2) domain is a recognition motif thought to mediate the association of the cytoplasmic proteins involved in signal transduction by binding to phosphotyrosyl-containing sequences in proteins. Assignments of nearly all 1H and 15N resonances of the SH2 domain from the c-Abl protein-tyrosine kinase have been obtained from homonuclear and heteronuclear NMR experiments. The secondary structure has been elucidated from the pattern of nuclear Overhauser effects, from vicinal coupling constants, and from observation of slowly exchanging amino hydrogens. The secondary structure contains two alpha-helices and eight beta-strands, six of which are arranged in two contiguous, antiparallel beta-sheets. Residues believed to be involved in phosphotyrosyl ligand binding are on a face of one beta-sheet. The alignment of homologous sequences on the basis of secondary structure suggests a conserved global fold in a family of SH2 domains.
Towards Efficient N-x Contingency Selection Using Group betweenness Centrality

The goal of N - x contingency selection is to pick a subset of critical cases to assess their potential to initiate a severe crippling of an electric power grid. Even for a moderate-sized system there can be an overwhelmingly large number of contingency cases that need to be studied. The number grows exponentially with x. This combinatorial explosion renders any exhaustive search strategy computationally infeasible, even for small to medium sized systems. We propose a novel method for N - x contingency selection for x ≥ 2 using group betweenness centrality and show that computation can be relatively decoupled from the problem size. Thus, making contingency analysis feasible for large systems with x ≥ 2. Consequently, it may be that N - x (for x ≥ 2) contingency selection can be effectively deployed despite the combinatorial explosion of the number of potential N - x contingencies.
Supercontinuum generation in a silica spiral waveguide

A low-loss silica spiral waveguide is used for demonstrating on-chip supercontinuum generation. The broadest measured spectrum spans an octave (936 – 1888 nm) at −50 dB from peak when 2.17 nJ pulses are launched.
An Improved Transformation-Based Kernel Estimator of Densities on the Unit Interval

The kernel density estimator (KDE) suffers boundary biases when applied to densities on bounded supports, which are assumed to be the unit interval. Transformations mapping the unit interval to the real line can be used to remove boundary biases. However, this approach may induce erratic tail behaviors when the estimated density of transformed data is transformed back to its original scale. We propose a modified, transformation-based KDE that employs a tapered and tilted back-transformation. We derive the theoretical properties of the new estimator and show that it asymptotically dominates the naive transformation based estimator while maintains its simplicity. We then propose three automatic methods of smoothing parameter selection. Our Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate the good finite sample performance of the proposed estimator, especially for densities with poles near the boundaries. An example with real data is provided.
Magnetic field effects on the open circuit potential of ferromagnetic electrodes in corroding solutions.

Magnetic fields shift the open circuit potential (OCP) of ferromagnetic electrodes (Fe, Co, and Ni) in corroding solutions. The OCP changes we observe (a) follow the series Fe>Co>Ni; (b) increase with the magnetic flux density; (c) reach a maximum with disk electrodes approximately 1 mm in diameter; and (d) depend on the orientation of the electrode. We report that when the surface of the electrode is oriented parallel (θ = 90°) or perpendicular (θ = 0°) to the magnetic field, the open circuit potential moves in opposite directions (positive and negative, respectively) with the largest changes occurring when the electrode surface is parallel to the magnetic field. Nonconvective sleeve electrodes produce the same behavior. The overall experimental evidence suggests that the magnetic field changes the OCP by modifying the surface concentrations of the paramagnetic participants in the corrosion process of the ferromagnetic electrode by species in solution; this in turn is accomplished by imposing a field-gra...
Processing of mesocarbon microbeads to high-performance materials: Part II. Reaction bonding by in situ silicon carbide and nitride formation

Abstract The processing of carbon–ceramic composites by utilizing the unique sintering ability of mesocarbon microbeads (MCMB) is reported. The ceramic constituents (silicon nitride and silicon carbide) are formed in situ by reactions between MCMB and silicon in different atmospheres. In comparison with direct addition of ceramic (SiC, Si3N4) phases, in situ formation shows several appealing features. By inducing the reaction of silicon with MCMB, the sintering ability of the composite is enhanced via reaction bonding mechanisms. Similarly, it is demonstrated that composite porosity is limited owing to silicon reaction with nitrogen. The reactive formation of nanoscale ceramic reinforcements via decomposition of the silicon-containing polymer (e.g. poly-carbomethyl-silane) is also reported. This approach results in formation of uniform nanosized (>100 nm) SiC layers strongly bonded to the surface of the carbon particles. The presented results contribute to the development of carbon–ceramic materials with high-operational properties.
Possible solar forcing of interannual and decadal stratospheric planetary wave variability in the northern hemisphere: An observational study

Abstract The variability of stratospheric planetary waves and their possible connection with the 11-year solar cycle forcing have been investigated using annual-mean temperatures for the period of 1958–2001 derived from two reanalysis data sets. The significant planetary waves (wavenumbers 1–3) can be identified in the northern mid-high latitudes (55–75°N) in the stratosphere using this data. Comparisons with satellite-retrieved products from the Microwave Sounding Unit (MSU) confirm the significant planetary wave variability seen in the reanalyses. A planetary wave amplitude index (PWAI) is defined to indicate the strength of the stratospheric planetary waves. The PWAI is derived from Fourier analysis of the temperature field for wavenumbers 1–3 and averaged over 55–75°N latitude and the 70–20 hPa layers. The results include two meaningful inter-annual oscillations (2- and 8-year) and one decadal trend (16-year) that was derived from wavelet analysis. The stratospheric temperature structure of the wave amplitudes appear associated with the Arctic Oscillation (AO) which explicitly changed with the PWAI. The temperature gradients between the polar and mid-high latitudes show opposite tendencies between the top-10 strong and weak wave regimes. The variation of the planetary wave amplitude appears closely related to the solar forcing during the recent four solar cycles (20–23). The peak of the 2-year oscillation occurs synchronously with solar minimum, and is consistent with the negative correlation between the PWAI and the observed solar UV irradiance. The UV changes between the maxima and minima of the 11-year solar cycle impact the temperature structure in the middle-lower stratosphere in the mid-high latitudes and hence influence the planetary waves. During solar maximum, the dominant influence appears to be exerted through changes in static stability, leading to a reduction in planetary wave amplitude. During solar minimum, the dominant influence appears to be exerted through changes in the meridional temperature gradient and vertical wind shear, leading to an enhancement of planetary wave amplitude.
Drilling reaches Antarctic subglacial Lake Whillans

A decade-long planning effort to drill through 800 meters of ice to directly and cleanly sample the waters and sediments of subglacial Lake Whillans in West Antarctica succeeded at 5:00 A.M. local time on 28 January. The effort “marks the first successful retrieval of clean whole samples from an Antarctic subglacial lake,” according to a 28 January statement from the Whillans Ice Stream Subglacial Access Research Drilling (WISSARD) project team.