cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Predictors of Successful Learning in Multilingual Older Adults Acquiring a Majority Language

Understanding language learning in later life can elucidate how linguistic experiences and age-specific cognitive skills can be leveraged for language acquisition, providing insight into how lifelong experiences configure our learning capacity. In this study, we examined to what extent acquisition and maintenance of a non-native language (English) is scaffolded by cognitive skills and previous linguistic experiences in older adults; and to what extent these cognitive/linguistic factors predict older learners’ success in acquiring novel functional language. We recruited 53 participants who were native speakers of Mandarin, Spanish, Tagalog and Somali, had continued to learn English as adults, and were currently exposed to majority-English contexts. To identify contributors to participants’ English skills, we administered a language history and self-reported proficiency interview, brief cognitive testing, and verbal fluency tasks in L1 and English. We found that digit span and orientation measures were cognitive predictors of English proficiency, while similarity of known languages to English, L1 skills, and English language exposure were linguistic predictors of English skills. To examine participants’ ability to maintain language knowledge and to learn new functional English, we also conducted a preliminary longitudinal service-based study in a subset of 19 participants using our Specific-Purpose English Communication System for Seniors (SPECSS) curriculum. In this subset of SPECSS learners, we identified digit span and orientation, but not age, as cognitive predictors of short-term language maintenance and new language learning success. Further, better novel English learning as a result of our curriculum was observed in learners whose other known languages were less similar to English. Findings inform best practices in developing language curricula for older adults, and help generate new hypotheses on preparedness for language learning across the adult lifespan with a possible interaction between cognitive skills and transfer of knowledge from previous languages in multilingual older learners.
Structure Reassignment of Cryptorigidifoliols E and K

The structures of the α-pyrones cryptorigidifoliols E (5) and K (11) have been reassigned as 5C and 11C.
Multicomponent mHealth Intervention for Large, Sustained Change in Multiple Diet and Activity Risk Behaviors: The Make Better Choices 2 Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Prevalent co-occurring poor diet and physical inactivity convey chronic disease risk to the population. Large magnitude behavior change can improve behaviors to recommended levels, but multiple behavior change interventions produce small, poorly maintained effects. Objective: The Make Better Choices 2 trial tested whether a multicomponent intervention integrating mHealth, modest incentives, and remote coaching could sustainably improve diet and activity. Methods: Between 2012 and 2014, the 9-month randomized controlled trial enrolled 212 Chicago area adults with low fruit and vegetable and high saturated fat intakes, low moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and high sedentary leisure screen time. Participants were recruited by advertisements to an open-access website, screened, and randomly assigned to either of two active interventions targeting MVPA simultaneously with, or sequentially after other diet and activity targets (N=84 per intervention) or a stress and sleep contact control intervention (N=44). They used a smartphone app and accelerometer to track targeted behaviors and received personalized remote coaching from trained paraprofessionals. Perfect behavioral adherence was rewarded with an incentive of US $5 per week for 12 weeks. Diet and activity behaviors were measured at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months; primary outcome was 9-month diet and activity composite improvement. Results: Both simultaneous and sequential interventions produced large, sustained improvements exceeding control (P<.001), and brought all diet and activity behaviors to guideline levels. At 9 months, the interventions increased fruits and vegetables by 6.5 servings per day (95% CI 6.1-6.8), increased MVPA by 24.7 minutes per day (95% CI 20.0-29.5), decreased sedentary leisure by 170.5 minutes per day (95% CI –183.5 to –157.5), and decreased saturated fat intake by 3.6% (95% CI –4.1 to –3.1). Retention through 9-month follow-up was 82.1%. Self-monitoring decreased from 96.3% of days at baseline to 72.3% at 3 months, 63.5% at 6 months, and 54.6% at 9 months (P<.001). Neither attrition nor decline in self-monitoring differed across intervention groups. Conclusions: Multicomponent mHealth diet and activity intervention involving connected coaching and modest initial performance incentives holds potential to reduce chronic disease risk. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01249989; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01249989 (Archived by WebCite at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01249989).
The Baade-Wesselink Technique

The historical foundations of the Baade-Wesselink (BW) method were established through the work of Baade (1926), Becker (1940), and Wesselink (1947). All modern versions of the BW-method are constructed upon these foundations. Since the radii of pulsating stars are fundamental to many areas of astronomical research (theories of stellar structure and evolution, galactic structure, and the cosmic distance scale), it is paramount that we strive to improve their observational determination. At the present time, the BW-technique is the only “direct” method for determining the radii of pulsating stars. Until a new technique is devised, better determinations of this important physical parameter will only occur through improvements in the BW-method.
Time-Resolved Stimulated-Emission and Transient-Absorption Microscopy and Spectroscopy

We have demonstrated the first application of the stimulated-emission technique to fluorescence microscopy. By measuring the fluorescence signal at the cross-correlation frequency, pump—probe fluorescence microscopy can provide superior spatial resolution and effective off-focal background rejection compared to conventional one-photon microscopy. Due to the wavelengths used in the one-photon pumping and probing processes, this technique has better spatial resolution than two-photon excitation microscopy, and comparable spatial resolution to confocal microscopy. Furthermore, imaging at low-frequency harmonics eliminates the need of using a fast optical detector in time-resolved imaging of biological systems. The technical development of pump—probe microscopy is still in its early stages. Substantial future improvements are expected. The implementation of transient absorption mode in pump—probe microscopy will allow ground-state kinetics to be directly monitored. The addition of two-photon excitation would improve the microscope spatial resolution as well as making wavelength-dependent spectroscopy possible. The implementation of the pump—probe technique in the time domain would make the microscopy alignment and automation more difficult but may take time-resolved microscopy solidly into the femtosecond time scale. The pump—probe microscopy technique has the potential to radically transform the field of time-resolved microscopy.
Circulation to Voluntary Muscle

A knowledge of the normal vascular pattern in the voluntary muscles of the extremities and of the responses of the vessels in these sites to various types of physical, chemical, and hormonal agents is basic to the proper understanding of various pathologic states affecting such structures. This is particularly true if surgical intervention is contemplated in the control of situations resulting from local trauma.
Synaptically evoked dendritic action potentials in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons.

Schwindt, Peter C. and Wayne E. Crill. Synaptically evoked dendritic action potentials in rat neocortical pyramidal neurons. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2432–2446, 1998. In a previous study iontophoresis ...
Acrolithic or Pseudo-Acrolithic Sculpture of the Mature Classical Greek Period in the Archaeological Museum of the Johns Hopkins University

In 1986 a section of face and a fragment of hair from two different-ancient marble heads of good quality were donated from the estate of Dorothy Kent Hill to the Archaeological Museum of th; Johns Hopkins University.2 Both pieces are of unknown provenience and have never been published. They are of the sane fine-grained white marble, probably Parian, with a yellowish patina and brownish discolorations, From visual observation alone, the marble type appears to be Parian.; The texture of each of the Hopkins pieces is rough and somewhat granular as a result of weathering.
Review of Oceanic Turbulence: Implications for Biodynamics

This review focuses on the nature of oceanic turbulence. It describes some of the existing ideas and measurements to bring attention to the possible effects of turbulence on biodynamics. Much of the turbulence occurs in the upper part of the ocean where the biological productivity is greatest. Reported intensities extend from the noise levels of the instrumentation (about 10-7 W/m3) to 1 W/m3. Sources of turbulent energy are the current shear, surface waves, internal waves, tides, intrusions, free convection and forced convection, and topographic features. In many instances the probability distribution of turbulent dissipation values can be approximated by a lognormal distribution. Models relating the intensity of the turbulence to the mean fields--e.g. wind, currents, and surface waves--are developing and appear useful to support future biological modelling.
Advances, Promises, and Challenges in HIV Prevention

As there are over two million new HIV infections each year, there is a critical need for effective HIV prevention strategies. Over the past 3 decades, studies have tested the efficacy of numerous biomedical prevention interventions that have been developed to complement existing behavioral strategies. Until recently, few of these interventions were sufficiently efficacious to merit broad implementation. However, over the past several years, groundbreaking studies have demonstrated the efficacy of several primary and secondary biomedical interventions, which has revitalized the field of HIV prevention. These promising interventions include the administration of antiretroviral medications to high-risk HIV-uninfected persons, known as preexposure prophylaxis, and the early administration of antiretroviral treatment to HIV-infected persons to reduce their infectiousness, a strategy referred to as “Treatment as Prevention.” Voluntary medical male circumcision represents an additional prevention intervention that has been demonstrated to be efficacious and is undergoing scale-up in several regions with generalized HIV epidemics. However, each of these promising interventions faces barriers to achieving optimal effectiveness, such as substantial adherence challenges resulting in conflicting efficacy results for preexposure prophylaxis, structural challenges with scaling-up antiretroviral therapy for Treatment as Prevention, and cultural challenges in increasing male circumcision uptake in communities where the practice has not been normative. If these challenges can be overcome through scientific creativity, perseverance, and political will, a combination of promising biomedical and behavioral interventions could help curb the HIV epidemic.
Anti-Self-Dual Metrics and Kähler Geometry

The fact that the Lie group SO(4) is nonsimple gives 4-dimensional geometry an extremely distinctive flavor. Indeed, the choice of a Riemannian metric g on an oriented 4-manifold M splits the bundle of 2-forms $${\Lambda ^2} = {\Lambda ^ + } \oplus {\Lambda ^ - }$$ (1) into the rank-3 bundles of self-dual and anti-self dual 2-forms, respectively defined as the ±1-eigenspaces of the Hodge star operator ⋆ : ⋀2 → ⋀2; this just reflects the fact that the adjoint representation of SO(4) on the skew (4 x 4)-matrices is the sum of two 3-dimensional representations, as indicated by the Lie algebra isomorphism so(4) ≅ so(3)⊕so(3). The decomposition (1) is conformally invariant, in the sense that it is unchanged if g is replaced by ug for any positive function u; but reversing the orientation of M interchanges the bundles ⋀±.
Antiretroviral Adherence Following Prison Release in a Randomized Trial of the imPACT Intervention to Maintain Suppression of HIV Viremia

Many people living with HIV (PLWH) pass through correctional facilities each year, a large proportion of whom do not maintain viral suppression following release. We examined the effects of imPACT, an intervention designed to promote post-release viral suppression, on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence. PLWH awaiting release from prisons in two southern states were randomized to imPACT (consisting of motivational interviewing, care linkage coordination, and text message medication reminders) versus standard care (SC). ART adherence, measured by unannounced monthly telephone pill counts, was compared between study arms over 6 months post-release. Of 381 participants eligible for post-release follow-up, 302 (79%) completed ≥ 1 of 6 possible pill counts (median: 4; IQR 1–6). Average adherence over follow-up was 80.3% (95% CI 77.5, 83.1) and 81.0% (78.3, 83.6) of expected doses taken in the imPACT and SC arms, respectively. There was no difference between arms when accounting for missing data using multiple imputation (mean difference = − 0.2 percentage points [− 3.7, 3.3]), controlling for study site and week of follow-up. Of the 936 (40.9%) pill counts that were missed, 212 (22.7%) were due to re-incarceration. Those who missed pill counts for any reason were more likely to be unsuppressed, suggesting that they had lower adherence. However, missingness was balanced between arms. Among PLWH released from prison, ART adherence averaged > 80% in both study arms over 6 months—a level higher than seen with most other chronic diseases. However, missing data may have led to an overestimate of adherence. Factors independent of the intervention influence ART adherence in this population and should be identified to inform future targeted interventions.
Stochastic Gradient Descent Variants for Corrupted Systems of Linear Equations

Often in applications like medical imaging, error correction, and sensor networks, one needs to solve large-scale linear systems in which a fraction of the measurements have been corrupted. We consider solving such large-scale systems of linear equations Ax=b that are inconsistent due to corruptions in the measurement vector b. With this as our motivating example, we develop several variants of stochastic gradient descent that converge to the solution of the uncorrupted system of equations, even in the presence of large corruptions. We present both theoretical and empirical results that demonstrate the promise of these iterative methods.
Missed Opportunities for Human Papillomavirus Vaccination at Office Visits During Which Influenza Vaccine Was Administered: An AAP Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS) National Primary Care Research Network Study

Introduction Little is known about missed opportunities (MOs) for HPV vaccination during primary care visits at which influenza vaccination is delivered. Methods We extracted electronic health records for HPV vaccine-eligible 11-to-17-year-olds. We assessed the proportion of visits during which an influenza vaccine was given and an HPV vaccine was due, but not given (i.e., MOs). Results Of 56,135 eligible visits, 57.5% represented MOs for HPV vaccination. MOs were more common at visits where an initial versus subsequent HPV vaccine dose was due (68.6% vs. 31.3%) and for acute/chronic and nurse-only visits compared to preventive visits (74.0% and 80.2% vs. 36.7%). In a multivariable model, MOs were more likely for the initial HPV dose and for non-preventive visits, but did not vary by patient sex/age. Conclusions HPV vaccine MOs were common during visits where influenza vaccine was administered. Increasing simultaneous administration of HPV and influenza vaccines could increase HPV vaccine coverage.
A Review of Research on Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning: Implications for Research and Practice.

As a pedagogical approach, process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) allows students to socially construct knowledge through iterative cycles that include three steps: exploring a model, inventing a concept, and applying the resulting ideas. A growing body of research indicates that relative to lecture-based approaches, POGIL supports student learning more effectively. In this article, we review research related to POGIL, focusing on the nature of the evidence used to evaluate its impact on student learning, as well as trends related to relevant features of the studies, such as theoretical and methodological choices. We find that this body of research has typically focused on quantitative measures that broadly assess student outcomes, with fewer studies concentrating on qualitative, theory-based explanations of student learning. Moreover, key features of POGIL implementation (e.g., theoretical underpinnings, activity structure, process skills, and student roles) remain understudied. On the basis of the review, we propose suggestions for future research and practice.
Brief Announcement: Byzantine Agreement, Broadcast and State Machine Replication with Optimal Good-Case Latency

This paper investigates the problem good-case latency of Byzantine agreement, broadcast and state machine replication in the synchronous authenticated setting. The good-case latency measure captures the time it takes to reach agreement when all non-faulty parties have the same input (or in BB/SMR when the sender/leader is non-faulty) and all messages arrive instantaneously. Previous result implies a lower bound showing that any Byzantine agreement or broadcast protocol tolerating more than n/3 faults must have a good-case latency of at least Δ. Our first result is a matching tight upper bound for a family of protocols we call 1Δ. We propose a protocol 1Δ-BA that solves Byzantine agreement in the synchronous and authenticated setting with optimal good-case latency of Δ and optimal resilience f < n/2. We then extend our protocol and present 1Δ-BB and 1Δ-SMR for Byzantine fault tolerant broadcast and state machine replication, respectively, in the same setting and with the same optimal good-case latency of Δ and f < n/2 fault tolerance.
Pretomanid dose selection for pulmonary tuberculosis: An application of multi-objective optimization to dosage regimen design

Clinical development of combination chemotherapies for tuberculosis (TB) is complicated by partial or restricted phase II dose-finding. Barriers include a propensity for drug resistance with monotherapy, practical limits on numbers of treatment arms for component dose combinations, and limited application of current dose selection methods to multidrug regimens. A multi-objective optimization approach to dose selection was developed as a conceptual and computational framework for currently evolving approaches to clinical testing of novel TB regimens. Pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) modeling was combined with an evolutionary algorithm to identify dosage regimens that yield optimal trade-offs between multiple conflicting therapeutic objectives. The phase IIa studies for pretomanid, a newly approved nitroimidazole for specific cases of highly drug-resistant pulmonary TB, were used to demonstrate the approach with Pareto optimized dosing that best minimized sputum bacillary load and the probability of drug-related adverse events. Results include a population-typical characterization of the recommended 200 mg once daily dosage, the optimality of time-dependent dosing, examples of individualized therapy, and the determination of optimal loading doses. The approach generalizes conventional PK-PD target attainment to a design problem that scales to drug combinations, and provides a benefit-risk context for clinical testing of complex drug regimens.
The Virtual Law School, 2.0

Just over twenty years ago I gave a talk to the AALS called The Virtual Law School? Or, How the Internet Will De-skill the Professoriate, and Turn Your Law School Into a Conference Center. I came to the subject because I had been working on Internet law, learning about virtual worlds and e-commerce, and about the power of one-to-many communications. It seemed to me that a lot of what I had learned applied to education in general and to legal education in particular. It didn’t happen. Or at least, it has not happened yet. In this essay I want to revisit my predictions from twenty years ago in order to see why so little has changed (so far). The massive convulsion now being forced on law teaching due to the social distancing required to prevent COVID-19 transmission presents an occasion in which we are all forced to rethink how we deliver law teaching. After discussing why my predictions failed to manifest before 2020, I will argue that unless this pandemic is brought under control quickly, the market for legal education may force some radical changes on us—whether we like it or not, and that in the main my earlier predictions were not wrong, just premature.
Carbonyl Identification and Quantification Uncertainties for Oxidative Polymer Degradation

Abstract The most revealing indicator for oxidative processes or state of degraded plastics is usually carbonyl formation, a key step in materials degradation as part of the carbon cycle for man-made materials. Hence, the identification and quantification of carbonyl species with infrared spectroscopy have been the method of choice for generations, thanks to their strong absorbance and being an essential intermediate in carbon oxidation pathways. Despite their importance, precise identification and quantification can be challenging and rigorous fully traceable data are surprisingly rare in the existing literature. An overview of the complexity of carbonyl quantification is presented by the screening of reference compounds in solution with transmission and polymer films with ATR IR spectroscopy, and systematic data analyses. Significant variances in existing data and their past use have been recognized. Guidance is offered how better measurements and data reporting could be accomplished. Experimental variances depend on the combination of uncertainty in exact carbonyl species, extinction coefficient, contributions from neighboring convoluting peaks, matrix interaction phenomena and instrumental variations in primary IR spectral acquisition (refractive index and penetration depth for ATR measurements). In addition, diverging sources for relevant extinction coefficients may exist, based on original spectral acquisition. For common polymer degradation challenges, a relative comparison of carbonyl yields for a material is easily accessible, but quantification for other purposes, such as degradation rates and spatially dependent interpretation, requires thorough experimental validation. All variables highlighted in this overview demonstrate the significant error margins in carbonyl quantification, with exact carbonyl species and extinction coefficients already being major contributors on their own.
Utility Of An Emergency Department Clinical Protocol For Early Identification of Coronavirus Infection.

Author(s): Bonadio, William; Jackson, Kaedrea; Gottlieb, Lindsey; Legome, Eric | Abstract: Introduction: We assessed the utility of an emergency department (ED) protocol using clinical parameters to rapidly distinguish likelihood of novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) infection; the applicability aimed to stratify infectious-risk pre-polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test results and accurately guide early patient cohorting decisions.Methods: We performed this prospective study over a two-month period during the initial surge of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic in a busy urban ED of patients presenting with respiratory symptoms who were admitted for in-patient care. Per protocol, each patient received assessment consisting of five clinical parameters: presence of fever; hypoxia; cough; shortness of breath/dyspnea; and performance of a chest radiograph to assess for bilateral pulmonary infiltrates. All patients received nasopharyngeal COVID-19 PCR testing.Results: Of 283 patients studied, 221 (78%) were PCR+ and 62 (22%) PCR-. Chest radiograph revealed bilateral pulmonary infiltrates in 85%, which was significantly more common in PCR+ (94%) vs PCR- (52%) patients (P l 0.0001). The rate of manifesting all five positive clinical parameters was significantly greater in PCR+ (63%) vs PCR- (6.5%) patients (P l 0.0001). For PCR+ outcome, the presence of all five positive clinical parameters had a specificity of 94%, positive predictive value of 98%, and positive likelihood ratio of 10.Conclusions: Using an ED protocol to rapidly assess five clinical parameters accurately distinguishes likelihood of COVID-19 infection prior to PCR test results, and can be used to augment early patient cohorting decisions.
Don’t Let Discourse Confine Your Model: Sequence Perturbations for Improved Event Language Models

Event language models represent plausible sequences of events. Most existing approaches train autoregressive models on text, which successfully capture event co-occurrence but unfortunately constrain the model to follow the discourse order in which events are presented. Other domains may employ different discourse orders, and for many applications, we may care about different notions of ordering (e.g., temporal) or not care about ordering at all (e.g., when predicting related events in a schema). We propose a simple yet surprisingly effective strategy for improving event language models by perturbing event sequences so we can relax model dependence on text order. Despite generating completely synthetic event orderings, we show that this technique improves the performance of the event language models on both applications and out-of-domain events data.
Noise levels during cesarean delivery: a prospective observational study.

Abstract Background Excessive noise has negative implications for both clinicians and patients. Emergency cesarean deliveries require rapid co-ordination and communication, possibly increasing noise pollution. We aimed to determine if noise levels in the Labor and Delivery operating room were higher during emergency cesarean deliveries than during non-emergency cesarean deliveries. Methods We conducted a prospective observational study measuring noise levels in Labor and Delivery operating rooms at a single academic medical center. Sound meters placed on anesthesia machines and events charted in the electronic medical record were used to correlate noise levels to clinical activity. Noise levels in all cesarean deliveries were recorded for one year. Deliveries were classified into two groups: non-emergency (routine or urgent) and emergency. We compared noise levels of the groups at eight time points of interest: anesthesia provider enters operating room (T1), induction (T2), five minutes before incision (T3), three minutes before incision (T4), one minute before incision (T5), time of incision (T6), delivery (T7), and five minutes before initiating emergence (T8). Results Noise levels were measured for 440 cesarean deliveries. Forty were classified emergency and 400 non-emergency (304 routine, 96 urgent) procedures. Emergency cesarean deliveries were noisier at all eight time points, although the absolute difference in decibels between the two groups was modest. The difference in noise level reached statistical significance at five time points (T1, T2, T5, T6, and T7). Conclusion Noise levels were higher during emergency than during non-emergency cesarean deliveries.
Quantitative Sensory Testing at Baseline and During Cycle 1 Oxaliplatin Infusion Detects Subclinical Peripheral Neuropathy and Predicts Clinically Overt Chronic Neuropathy in Gastrointestinal Malignancies.

Abstract Purpose Oxaliplatin neurotoxicity has a spectrum of manifestations from an often reversible acute neurotoxicity to a more irreversible “stocking and glove” chronic neuropathy that is associated with high morbidity. Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a noninvasive psychometric testing method that can potentially be used in the clinic setting to measure subclinical neurologic changes early on to identify patients that will experience chronic oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy at 1 year. Patients and Methods Thirty patients with gastrointestinal malignancies who were receiving oxaliplatin were recruited. QST and patient-reported outcomes were assessed at baseline; during infusion cycles 1, 2, 4, and 6; and at 1 year. National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (NCI CTCAE), version 4.0, chronic neuropathy scores were assessed at the 1-year time point. The variables at each time point were evaluated for prediction of 1-year chronic neuropathy scores. Results We found that patients with preexisting subclinical neuropathy were more likely to experience grades 2 and 3 chronic neuropathy than were those who did not have this condition (heat detection threshold, Spearman correlation coefficient (r s ) = 0.39; P = .037; pellet retrieval time, r s = 0.47; P = .024). Patients in whom thermal and cutaneous sensory deficits developed with cycle 1 infusion were also more likely to experience grades 2 and 3 neuropathy at 1 year (cold detection threshold, r s = 0.50; P = .007; heat detection threshold, r s = 0.39; P = .042; cutaneous detection threshold, r s = 0.42; P = .043). Conclusion QST provides a noninvasive, commercially available, and feasible clinical test to select patients, even before oxaliplatin treatment, who are likely to experience moderate to severe chronic peripheral neuropathy.
A uranium bioremediation reactive transport benchmark

A reactive transport benchmark problem set has been developed based on in situ uranium bio-immobilization experiments that have been performed at a former uranium mill tailing site in Rifle, CO, USA. Acetate-amended groundwater stimulates indigenous microorganisms to catalyze the reduction of U(VI) to a sparingly soluble U(IV) mineral. The interplay between the flow, acetate loading periods and rates, and microbially mediated and geochemical reactions leads to dynamic behavior in metal- and sulfate-reducing bacteria, pH, alkalinity, and reactive mineral surfaces. The benchmark is based on an 8.5 m long one-dimensional model domain with constant saturated flow and uniform porosity. The 159-day simulation introduces acetate and bromide through the upgradient boundary in 14- and 85-day pulses separated by a 10 day interruption. Acetate loading is tripled during the second pulse, which is followed by a 50 day recovery period. Terminal electron-accepting processes for goethite, phyllosilicate Fe(III), U(VI), and sulfate are modeled using Monod-type rate laws. Major ion geochemistry modeled includes mineral reactions as well as aqueous and surface complexation reactions for UO\(_{2}^{2+}\), Fe2+, and H+. In addition to the dynamics imparted by the transport of the acetate pulses, U(VI) behavior involves the interplay between bioreduction, which is dependent on acetate availability, and speciation-controlled surface complexation, which is dependent on pH, alkalinity, and available surface complexation sites. The general difficulty of this benchmark is the large number of reactions (74), multiple rate law formulations, a multisite uranium surface complexation model, and the strong interdependency and sensitivity of the reaction processes. Results are presented for three simulators: HYDROGEOCHEM, PHT3D, and PHREEQC.
Visible-to-SWIR wavelength variation of skylight polarization

Knowledge of the polarization state of natural skylight is important to growing applications using polarimetric sensing. We previously published measurements and simulations illustrating the complex interaction between atmospheric and surface properties in determining the spectrum of skylight polarization from the visible to near-infrared (1 μm). 1 Those results showed that skylight polarization can trend upward or downward, or even have unusual spectral discontinuities that arise because of sharp features in the underlying surface reflectance. The specific spectrum observed in a given case depended strongly on atmospheric and surface properties that varied with wavelength. In the previous study, the model was fed with actual measurements of highly variable aerosol and surface properties from locations around the world. Results, however, were limited to wavelengths below 1 μm from a lack in available satellite surface reflectance data at longer wavelengths. We now report measurement-driven simulations of skylight polarization from 350 nm to 2500 nm in the short-wave infrared (SWIR) using hand-held spectrometer measurements of spectral surface reflectance. The SWIR degree of linear polarization was found to be highly dependent on the aerosol size distribution and on the resulting relationship between the aerosol and Rayleigh optical depths. Unique polarization features in the modeled results were attributed to the surface reflectance and the skylight DoLP generally decreased as surface reflectance increased.
Action potential variation in canine ventricle: a modeling study

An ionic model of the ventricular cell based on voltage-clamp and action potential data measured experimentally in dog heart has been developed. The model is used to test the hypothesis that spatial variation of the magnitude of I/sub to1/, I/sub Ks/, I/sub to2/, and the recovery time constant of I/sub to1/ reported in the literature can account for differences in action potential shape of epicardial (EPT), midmyocardial (M), and endocardial (ENDO) cells. The model results demonstrate that experimentally observed differences in EPI, M, and ENDO cells, that are phase 1 spike, notch, phase 3 repolarization, and rate dependence (0.5-2 Hz) of action potential duration (APD), are accounted for by the model. The simulated effects of blocking I/sub Ks/, I/sub Kr/ and I/sub to1/ also agree with experimental data in M cells. Reduction of I/sub to1/, I/sub K1/ and I/sub up/ current magnitudes and increase of I/sub NaCa/ produce prolongation of the APD in the model similar to that observed during pacing tachycardia-induced heart failure in dogs.
The human neurokinin A (substance K) receptor. Molecular cloning of the gene, chromosome localization, and isolation of cDNA from tracheal and gastric tissues

Neurokinin A (substance K) is a peptide neurotransmitter of the tachykinin family with potential as a major mediator in human airway and gastrointestinal tissues. Neurokinin A acts via a receptor (the NK-2 receptor) believed to be localized on smooth muscle cells and pharmacologically coupled to a GTP-binding protein. To characterize the human NK-2 receptor, we prepared a partial cDNA from human tracheal RNA using the polymerase chain reaction with oligonucleotide primers derived from the bovine NK-2 receptor cDNA sequence (Masu, Y., Nakayama, K., Tamaki, H., Harada, Y., Kuno, M., Nakanishi, S. (1987) Nature 329, 836-838). This partial human NK-2 receptor cDNA was used to screen a human genomic DNA library and yielded a clone, NGNK-2, of approximately 25 kilobases. Analysis of NGNK-2 indicates that it contains the entire coding sequence of the NK-2 receptor as well as 5'- and 3'-flanking sequences. The gene is organized with five exons interrupted by four introns. The complete sequence of the exons and the intron-exon junctions was determined, as were the transcription initiation site and the 3'-polyadenylation signal. Analysis of EcoRI digests of genomic DNA from human-mouse cell hybrids indicates a single gene for the human NK-2 receptor localized to chromosome 10. Sequence analysis of exons 1 and 5, where major differences occur between the human and animal species, provided information for polymerase chain reaction primers which allowed us to prepare full-length cDNA for the human NK-2 receptor. The protein predicted from the gene sequence is extended by 14 amino acids at the COOH terminus compared to the bovine and 9 residues compared to the rat molecules. The seven membrane-spanning regions are encoded by exons 1-4 and none is interrupted by introns. These regions are highly conserved among the species studied, suggesting stringent evolutionary control over these molecules.
Role of MHC-Linked Genes in Autoantigen Selection and Renal Disease in a Murine Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

We previously described a renal protective effect of factor B deficiency in MRL/lpr mice. Factor B is in the MHC cluster; thus, the deficient mice were H2b, the haplotype on which the knockout was derived, whereas the wild-type littermates were H2k, the H2 of MRL/lpr mice. To determine which protective effects were due to H2 vs factor B deficiency, we derived H2b congenic MRL/lpr mice from the 129/Sv (H2b) strain. Autoantibody profiling using autoantigen microarrays revealed that serum anti-Smith and anti-small nuclear ribonucleoprotein complex autoantibodies, while present in the majority of H2k/k MRL/lpr mice, were absent in the H2b/b MRL/lpr mice. Surprisingly, 70% of MRL/lpr H2b/b mice were found to be serum IgG3 deficient (with few to no IgG3-producing B cells). In addition, H2b/b IgG3-deficient MRL/lpr mice had significantly less proteinuria, decreased glomerular immune complex deposition, and absence of glomerular subepithelial deposits compared with MRL/lpr mice of any H2 type with detectable serum IgG3. Despite these differences, total histopathologic renal scores and survival were similar among the groups. These results indicate that genes encoded within or closely linked to the MHC region regulate autoantigen selection and isotype switching to IgG3 but have minimal effect on end-organ damage or survival in MRL/lpr mice.
Advisory Commitees at FDA: The Hinchey Amendment and 'Conflict of Interest' Waivers

Congress was in 2006 considering an amendment that would prevent the agency from using appropriated funds to waive certain conflicts of interest identified by members of its advisory committees. This article opposed the change in the law, arguing that it would undermine congressional efforts in 1962 and 1989 to carefully balance the goals of attracting qualified experts and protecting agency decisionmaking. It also argued that the change was unnecessary given how conflicts were managed at FDA. It suggested following the recommendations from organizations like the OIG and GAO to improve the process at the agency level. Although the law has been amended several times since this article was written, the underlying policy debate remains live.
Decontamination of strawberries using batch and continuous chlorine dioxide gas treatments.

Efficacy of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) gas in reducing Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes on strawberries was determined using batch and continuous flow ClO2 gas treatment systems. Effects of continuous ClO2 gas treatment on total aerobic plate count, color, and residual ClO2 and chlorite on strawberries were also evaluated. Strawberries were spot inoculated with 7 to 8 log CFU per strawberry of each pathogen (E. coli O157:H7 and L. monocytogenes), stored for 1 day at 4°C, and treated at 22°C and 90 to 95% relative humidity with 0.2 to 4.0 mg/liter ClO2 gas for 15 or 30 min using a batch treatment system or with 0.6, 1.8, and 3.0 mg/liter for 10 min using a continuous treatment system. Surviving microbial populations were determined using a membrane-transfer plating recovery method. Increased ClO2 gas concentrations resulted in increased log reductions of each pathogen for both the batch and continuous systems. A batch treatment of strawberries with 4 mg/liter ClO2 for 30 min and continuous ...
Gender Differences in Cerebral Cortical Folding: Multivariate Complexity-Shape Analysis with Insights into Handling Brain-Volume Differences

This paper presents a study of gender differences in adult human cerebral cortical folding patterns. The study employs a new multivariate statistical descriptor for analyzing folding patterns in a region of interest (ROI) and a rigorous nonparametric permutation-based scheme for hypothesis testing. Unlike typical ROI-based methods that summarize folding complexity or shape by single/few numbers, the proposed descriptor systematically constructs a unified description of complexity and shape in a high-dimensional space (thousands of numbers/dimensions). Furthermore, this paper presents new mathematical insights into the relationship of intra-cranial volume (ICV) with cortical complexity and shows that conventional complexity descriptors implicitly handle ICV differences in different ways, thereby lending different meanings to "complexity". This paper describes two systematic methods for handling ICV changes in folding studies using the proposed descriptor. The clinical study in this paper exploits these theoretical insights to demonstrate that (i) the answer to which gender has higher/lower "complexity" depends on how a folding measure handles ICV differences and (ii) cortical folds in males and females differ significantly in shape as well.
On the linearization of second-order ordinary differential equations

In this Letter, the problem of characterizing all second-order ordinary differential equations y″=f(x, y, y′) which are locally linearizable by a change of dependent and independent variables (x, y)→(X, Y) is considered. Since all second-order linear equations are locally equivalent to y″=0, the problem amounts to finding necessary and sufficient conditions for y″=f(x, y, y′) to be locally equivalent to y″=0. It turns out that two apparently different criteria for linearizability have been formulated in the literature: the one found by M. Tresse and later rederived by E. Cartan, and the criterion recently given by Arnol'd [Geometrical Methods in the Theory of Ordinary Differential Equations, Springer-Verlag, New York, 1983]. It is shown here that these two sets of linearizability conditions are actually equivalent. As a matter of fact, since Arnol'd's criterion is stated without proof in the latter reference, this work can be alternatively considered as a proof of Arnol'd's linearizability conditions based on Cartan-Tresse's. Some further points in connection with the relationship between Arnol'd's and Cartan-Tresse's treatment of the linearization problem are also discussed and illustrated with several examples.
Mary and the Biblical Heritage

L'esprit des prophetes et des psalmistes est capte par le magnificat de Marie. Il s'agit d'un hymne qui resonne bien avec la priere juive du premier siecle. A l'instar des benedictions classiques de la priere juive, l'action de grâces et la louange sont des formes de gratitude qui constituent le fondement de toutes les requetes. La compassion envers le pauvre qui est contenue dans la priere est liee a une profonde affirmation de la foi dans le Dieu d'Israel. Ceci provient non seulement d'une connaissance de la Bible grecque, mais egalement d'une experience vecue de la foi juive
Autonomous Lane Changing Using Model Predictive Control

This paper takes a look at one of the problems associated with the concept of autonomous control of vehicles in the current traffic environment, namely the changing of lanes. Given the increase in traffic density on highways and interstate roads over the past few decades, safe navigation of individual vehicles has required increased driver attention and diligence to an increased number of visual information cues. The concept of autonomous vehicles operating without driver intervention in the present traffic system appears daunting. One aspect of traffic maneuvering involves changing lanes to a position between two other vehicles. Although this aspect appears straightforward, it is the lack of accurate knowledge of other vehicle maneuvering which makes the task difficult. Using Model Predictive Control (MPC) techniques, the task is addressed in an optimization problem framework.
Form and meaning : essays on the Renaissance and modern art

The Description for this book, Form and Meaning: Writings on the Renaissance and Modern Art, will be forthcoming.
Data fusion for improved situational understanding

Situational understanding is a difficult problem in cybersecurity where the challenge lies in effective integration of evidence reported by multiple sources or sensors monitoring cyberspace. While sensor diversity contributes to better coverage of attack space, it makes analysis of diverse data more difficult. Our work employs a possibilistic approach to intelligent fusion of data from multiple sources to better understand security situation of information systems. This paper summarizes our previous work in this area and presents goal of our ongoing work.
Formation of Binucleated Cardiac Myocytes in Rat Heart: I. Role of Actin–myosin Contractile Ring

Abstract Cardiac myocytes in rat hearts lose their ability to undergo cytokinesis between day 3 and day 4, resulting in the formation of binucleated myocytes. Failure in the formation of the actin–myosin contractile ring could cause cardiac myocytes to be defective in cytokinesis. Enzymatically isolated cardiac myocytes from 2- and 4-day-old rats were employed to investigate the organisation and distribution of actin, myomesin, and myosin by rhodamine phalloidin, anti-myomesin, and isoform-specific anti-myosin antibodies, respectively. Interestingly, the actin–myosin contractile ring was formed in mitotic myocytes from both 2- and 4-day-old animals. The changes in organisation and distribution of actin, myosin and myomesin in mitotic myocytes from 4-day-old rats were similar to those from 2-day-old rats, except that there were longitudinal actin filaments in the cytoplasm of mitotic myocytes from 4-day-old rats. In mitotic myocytes from both 2- and 4-day-old rats, actin disassembled in prometaphase, concentrated in the equator of the mitotic spindle in late anaphase, and formed a circumferential intensely staining band in early telophase. Cytoplasmic myosin was evenly distributed in the cytoplasm as small spots, and appeared to associate with the cell membrane from interphase to early anaphase. It became progressively more concentrated in association with the cortical membrane in the equator region in late anaphase, formed a ring-like structure in early telophase, and remained associated with adjacent membrane at the cleavage furrow until late telophase. Sarcomeric myosin and myomesin were only partially disassembled in mitotic myocytes from both 2- and 4-day-old animals. The present study showed that the actin–myosin contractile ring was actually formed during the binucleation process of cardiac myocytes. Molecules involved in the latter stages of cytokinesis may be responsible for incomplete cytokinesis during the binucleation process.
Patterns of microvascular response associated with reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the hand and wrist

Abstract The diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy is based on clinical presentation and often the presence of a positive three-phase technetium bone scan result. This study compared vasomotor control patterns between reflex sympathetic dystrophy patients with positive bone scan results and those with negative results. Both groups showed similar vasomotor responses to isolated cold stress testing—warm, cold, and transitional patterns of response were identified in both groups. Thus, this study demonstrates that a positive technetium bone scan results does not correlate with vasomotor disturbances in patients with reflex sympathetic dystrophy of the hand.