cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dose Calculation Comparisons between Three Modern Treatment Planning Systems.

Purpose: Monaco treatment planning system (TPS) version 5.1 uses a Monte-Carlo (MC)-based dose calculation engine. The aim of this study is to verify and compare the Monaco-based dose calculations with both Pinnacle3 collapsed cone convolution superposition (CCCS) and Eclipse anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) calculations. Materials and Methods: For this study, 18 previously treated lung and head-and-neck (HN) cancer patients were chosen to compare the dose calculations between Pinnacle, Monaco, and Eclipse. Plans were chosen from those that had been treated using the Elekta VersaHD or a Novalis Tx linac. All of the treated volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans used 6 MV or 10 MV photon beams. The original plans calculated with CCCS or AAA along with the recalculated ones using MC from the three TPS were exported into Velocity software for intercomparison. Results: To compare the dose calculations, Planning target volume (PTV) heterogeneity indexes and conformity indexes were calculated from the dose volume histograms (DVH) of all plans. While mean lung dose (MLD), lung V5 and V20 values were recorded for lung plans, the computed dose to parotids, brainstem, and mandible were documented for HN plans. In plan evaluation, percent differences of the above dosimetric values in Monaco computation were compared against each of the other TPS computations. Conclusion: It could be concluded through this research that there can be differences in the calculation of dose across different TPSs. Although relatively small, these differences could become apparent when compared using DVH. These differences most likely arise from the different dose calculation algorithms used in each TPS. Monaco employs the MC allowing it to have much more detailed calculations that result in it being seen as the most accurate and the gold standard.
CaMn3IVO4 Cubane Models of the Oxygen Evolving Complex: Spin Ground States S < 9/2 and the Effect of Oxo Protonation

We report the single crystal XRD and MicroED structure, magnetic susceptibility, and EPR data of a series of CaMn3 IV O4 and YMn3 IV O4 complexes as structural and spectroscopic models of the cuboidal subunit of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). The effect of changes in heterometal identity, cluster geometry, and bridging oxo protonation on the spin-state structure was investigated. In contrast to previous computational models, we show that the spin ground state of CaMn3 IV O4 complexes and variants with protonated oxo moieties need not be S=9/2. Desymmetrization of the pseudo-C3 -symmetric Ca(Y)Mn3 IV O4 core leads to a lower S=5/2 spin ground state. The magnitude of the magnetic exchange coupling is attenuated upon oxo protonation, and an S=3/2 spin ground state is observed in CaMn3 IV O3 (OH). Our studies complement the observation that the interconversion between the low-spin and high-spin forms of the S2 state is pH-dependent, suggesting that the (de)protonation of bridging or terminal oxygen atoms in the OEC may be connected to spin-state changes.
The KRAB Domain-Containing Protein ZFP961 Represses Adipose Thermogenesis and Energy Expenditure through Interaction with PPARα

Adipose thermogenesis plays a pivotal role in whole-body metabolic homeostasis. Although transcriptional mechanisms that promote thermogenesis are extensively studied, the negative regulatory network is still poorly understood. Here, a Kruppel-associated box (KRAB) domain-containing zinc finger protein, ZFP961, as a potent repressor of the thermogenic program is identified. ZFP961 expression is induced by cold and β3-adrenergic agonist in adipose tissue. ZFP961 represses brown fat-selective gene expression and mitochondrial respiration without any effect on general adipogenesis in cultured adipocytes. Adipose-specific knockdown and overexpression of ZFP961 produce remarkable and opposite phenotypes of white fat remodeling. ZFP961 knockout mice display robust inguinal white adipose tissue browning, which is abolished by reexpression of full-length ZFP961, but not by KRAB domain-deleted ZFP961 mutant. ZFP961-deficient mice are cold tolerant and resistant to high-fat diet-induced obesity, hyperglycemia, and hepatic steatosis. ZFP961 suppresses thermogenic gene expression by directly interacting with PPARα and blocking its transcriptional activity, which can be completely negated by the PPARα agonist. The findings uncover ZFP961 as a critical physiological brake that limits adipose thermogenesis and provides insights into the regulatory mechanisms that maintain energy balance and tissue homeostasis.
Handbook of Nanomaterials Properties: Siliceous Nanobiomaterials

In the scope of silica materials across the breadth of research and technology, perhaps one of the most active and exciting research areas is that of siliceous nanobiomaterials – materials forged at the interface of silica and biomaterials that give rise to and augment a multitude of biotechnological applications. In the development of these hybrid silica nanomaterials, taking cues from both the short term in early silica research to the long term in nature itself, the main rationale for the application of silica has been to enhance functionality through the adaptation and exploitation of properties inherent to silica materials and chemistry. In fact, siliceous nanobiomaterials are not a human creation: Silica interactions with cells and other biological entities are ancient and ubiquitous. Stromatolites, Earth’s earliest fossils, consist of bacteria within silica-containing mineral matrices as an early example of biomineralization. Even today diatoms and radiolarian sponges employ silica shells for protection. Incorporation of siliceous components within nanobiomaterials has mainly been motivated by properties and attributes of silica that have made it a valuable research tool for decades. Silica is readily formed by hydrolysis and condensation of simple silicate precursors (e.g., tetramethyl orthosilicate, TMOS, and tetraethyl orthosilicate, TEOS, are the most common). In addition, silica materials can be tuned in size, porosity, and pore size by controlling reaction rates and chemistries. Silica also provides good mechanical strength while being compatible for biological applications. Lastly, silica and its precursors are relatively inexpensive materials and provide for ease of production and scale-up.
Why a New Paradigm

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Yale Law School Faculty Scholarship at Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. Ithas been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Scholarship Series by an authorized administrator of Yale Law School Legal Scholarship Repository. Formore information, please contact cesar.zapata@yale.edu.
Cadmium free lead alloy for reusable radiotherapy shielding.

Abstract A low melting point cadmium free fusible lead alloy suitable for custom radiotherapy shielding blocks is described. The alloy, referred to here as Alloy-203, differs in composition from the more common Lipowitz’s metal (Cerrobend * ) by being cadmium free, having a slightly higher lead content and a 203°F melting temperature. Attenuation properties have been studied for 4–18 MV X-rays. Alloy-203 has lower transmission than Lipowitz’s metal, primarily due to the higher content of lead and bismuth. Daily use for the past 2 years at Mayo Clinic has not indicated any major problems associated with the use of this cadmium free alloy for custom shield fabrication.
Integrating metadata development, XML, and DBMS search and query techniques in a state of Wisconsin land information system

In addition to Nancy Wiegand, the PIs on this project are Isabel Cruz at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Stephen Ventura at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. The goal of the project is to provide full Database Management System type querying over government-produced data in a distributed Web-based information system. Current research focuses on the major issue of integrating and querying heterogeneous statewide data. We are using a semantic approach to achieve interoperability.
Beneath the Veil: Corollaries on Diversity and Critical Mass Scholarships from Rawls' Original Position on Justice

In his influential work A Theory of Justice, John Rawls identifies the "original position," in which all actors are behind a "veil of ignorance," such that no one knows what qualities, attributes, privileges, and abilities each person might hold. There is a nascent debate on the fairness of race conscious financial aid, scholarships and other targeted financial resources available to students of color in institutions of higher learning. Goodman examines the inherent fairness of race conscious financial aid and scholarship programs within the analytical framework set forth by John Rawls. She considers the extent to which these policies would be considered fair by rational actors in the "original position," which John Rawls used as a launching point for a discussion of justice and fairness. In section II of this article, Goodman provides an overview of Rawls' theories of justice and fairness and identifies two corollaries on financial aid in higher education that would emerge from the original position behind the veil of ignorance. The first corollary relies upon the equality of opportunity notion of the traditional "need-based" financial aid rule and posits that it would be "just" to give those who need financial assistance to enroll in higher education whatever financial assistance they need. The second corollary contemplates that regardless of financial need, those groups underrepresented in higher education are entitled to additional assistance as well and further proposes that the additional assistance can take many forms, not the least of which is financial. In section III, Goodman examines how the two corollaries meet the standards of existing civil rights laws, including the Department of Education's guidelines on financial assistance; the Podberesky decision of the Fourth Circuit, which provided a test for analyzing race based scholarship programs in 1994; and the Grutter and Gratz cases on diversity as a compelling interest in higher education. She also considers the extent to which discrimination currently exists in some financial aid and scholarship policies and practices and examines how any such current discrimination can be remedied using race conscious measures. The section concludes with a discussion of the acceptable parameters and the limitations of the diversity rationale in this context. Section IV recommends a specific Diversity Scholarship Program with a Critical Mass Scholarship component, which would provide a stronger mechanism for achieving and maintaining racial and ethnic diversity in higher education. Goodman also examines the narrow tailoring factors from Grutter, Podberesky and other authorities, to demonstrate how this particular scholarship program not only would satisfy the Grutter version of strict scrutiny but also could survive a challenge presented to the current Supreme Court roster. Goodman concludes by summarizing how the Diversity Scholarship Program complies with Rawls' theories of justice and fairness.
The monosaccharide transporter gene family in land plants is ancient and shows differential subfamily expression and expansion across lineages

In plants, tandem, segmental and whole-genome duplications are prevalent, resulting in large numbers of duplicate loci. Recent studies suggest that duplicate genes diverge predominantly through the partitioning of expression and that breadth of gene expression is related to the rate of gene duplication and protein sequence evolution. Here, we utilize expressed sequence tag (EST) data to study gene duplication and expression patterns in the monosaccharide transporter (MST) gene family across the land plants. In Arabidopsis, there are 53 MST genes that form seven distinct subfamilies. We created profile hidden Markov models of each subfamily and searched EST databases representing diverse land plant lineages to address the following questions: 1) Are homologs of each Arabidopsis subfamily present in the earliest land plants? 2) Do expression patterns among subfamilies and individual genes within subfamilies differ across lineages? 3) Has gene duplication within each lineage resulted in lineage-specific expansion patterns? We also looked for correlations between relative EST database representation in Arabidopsis and similarity to orthologs in early lineages. Homologs of all seven MST subfamilies were present in land plants at least 400 million years ago. Subfamily expression levels vary across lineages with greater relative expression of the STP, ERD6-like, INT and PLT subfamilies in the vascular plants. In the large EST databases of the moss, gymnosperm, monocot and eudicot lineages, EST contig construction reveals that MST subfamilies have experienced lineage-specific expansions. Large subfamily expansions appear to be due to multiple gene duplications arising from single ancestral genes. In Arabidopsis, one or a few genes within most subfamilies have much higher EST database representation than others. Most highly represented (broadly expressed) genes in Arabidopsis have best match orthologs in early divergent lineages. The seven subfamilies of the Arabidopsis MST gene family are ancient in land plants and show differential subfamily expression and lineage-specific subfamily expansions. Patterns of gene expression in Arabidopsis and correlation of highly represented genes with best match homologs in early lineages suggests that broadly expressed genes are often highly conserved, and that most genes have more limited expression.
Geometric phase for N-level systems through unitary integration

Geometric phases are important in quantum physics and are now central to fault-tolerant quantum computation. For spin $1∕2$, the Bloch sphere ${S}^{2}$, together with a U(1) phase, provides a complete SU(2) description. We generalize to $N$-level systems and $\mathrm{SU}(N)$ in terms of a $2(N\ensuremath{-}1)$-dimensional base space and reduction to a $(N\ensuremath{-}1)$-level problem, paralleling closely the two-dimensional case. This iteratively solves the time evolution of an $N$-level system and gives $(N\ensuremath{-}1)$ geometric phases explicitly. A complete analytical construction of an ${S}^{4}$ Bloch-like sphere for two qubits is given for the Spin(5) or SO(5) subgroup of SU(4).
Recent Manufacturing Advances for Spiral Bevel Gears

The U.S. Army Aviation Systems Command (AVSCOM), through the Propulsion Directorate at NASA LRC, has recently sponsored projects to advance the manufacturing process for spiral bevel gears. This type of gear is a critical component in rotary-wing propulsion systems. Two successfully completed contracted projects are described. The first project addresses the automated inspection of spiral bevel gears through the use of coordinate measuring machines. The second project entails the computer-numerical-control (CNC) conversion of a spiral bevel gear grinding machine that is used for all aerospace spiral bevel gears. The results of these projects are described with regard to the savings effected in manufacturing time.
A Tenured Faith and an Adjunct Faculty: Successes and Challenges in Instructor Formation at Catholic Colleges That Offer Business Programs in an Accelerated Format

Many Catholic colleges in the United States offer Business programs in an accelerated format, featuring evening courses for adult learners, with fewer faculty contact hours than traditional classes. Most of these institutions believe in the ideals of Catholic Social Teaching and wish to integrate those principles into their curricula for the sake of student formation. These same institutions are heavily reliant on adjunct instructors, many of whom have little or no understanding of the basic principles of Catholic social thought. This study attempts to quantify how reliant such institutions are on adjunct instructors for accelerated Business courses, and to suggest some ways that adjunct faculty formation might be undertaken, for better inculcating principles of CST among adult learners.
Molecular Modeling of the Tributyl Phosphate Complex of Europium Nitrate in the Clay Hectorite

Molecular modeling of the large tributyl phosphate complex of europium provides a test of the sensitivity of force field calculations to molecules within the interlayer of a trioctahedral smectite clay. A nonbonded version of the consistent-valence force field was utilized. Parametrization is based on the structures of simple clays and oxides. The simulations were carried out with complete translational freedom for all atoms. Energy minimization of the hectorite supercell containing, within the interlayer, the Eu·3TBP complex as the trinitrate, eight sodium cations, and 48 waters of hydration resulted in a d spacing of 18.66 A. Molecular dynamics simulations at 298 K resulted in a d spacing of 17.40 ± 0.15 A. The experimental d spacing for hectorite absorbed with the TBP solvate of Eu(NO3)3 is 17.18 ± 0.04 A.
Immigration Transition and Depressive Symptoms: Four Major Ethnic Groups of Midlife Women in the United States

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationships between immigration transition and depressive symptoms among 1,054 midlife women in the United States. This was a secondary analysis of the data from two national Internet survey studies. Questions on background characteristics and immigration transition and the Depression Index for Midlife Women were used to collect the data. The data were analyzed using inferential statistics including multiple regressions. Immigrants reported lower numbers of symptoms and less severe symptoms than nonimmigrants (p <.01). When controlling for background characteristics, self-reported racial/ethnic identity and immigration status were significant predictors of depressive symptoms (R(2) =.01, p <.05).
Anatomical and electrophysiological evidence for GABAergic bipolar cells in tiger salamander retina

Abstract Our previous work showed that about 12% of bipolar cells in salamander retina synthesize and take up γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), are GABA transporter (GAT)-immunoreactive, and respond with a GAT current to extracellularly applied GABA, suggesting that these bipolar cells use GABA, in addition to glutamate, as a neurotransmitter. Further support for this idea was obtained in this study by use of immunogold electron microscopy and whole-cell patch clamp electrophysiology. Ultrastructural analysis showed that amacrine cell and ganglion cell processes were postsynaptic to GABA-immunoreactive synapses made by bipolar cell axon terminals. Whole-cell recordings were obtained from amacrine and ganglion cells in response to activation of bipolar cells by puffing KCl at their dendrites in the outer plexiform layer. Inhibitory postsynaptic currents were observed in several third order neurons, even after blocking the excitatory postsynaptic responses, generated in the inner plexiform layer, with a combined application of NMDA and non-NMDA receptor antagonists, AP-5 and CNQX. These ultrastructural and electrophysiological data support our previous neurochemical results, and suggest that the retinal through-information pathway in salamander includes both inhibitory GABAergic as well as excitatory glutamatergic synaptic mechanisms.
Anterior open bite in the deciduous dentition: Longitudinal follow-up and craniofacial growth considerations * ** *

The aim of this longitudinal cephalometric study was to evaluate craniofacial growth changes in subjects with an anterior open bite in the deciduous dentition. From longitudinal records of untreated subjects, an open bite group (n = 14) was selected at the age of 5 years based on the presence of a negative overbite and compared with a control group (n = 14) with a regular overbite at this age. Cephalometric measurements were analyzed at ages 5, 9, and 12 years. Although only 1 subject in the deciduous dentition open bite group had an open bite at 12 years of age, the overbite remained lower during the longitudinal follow-up. Early cephalometric characteristics of the open bite group included a reduced overbite depth indicator and a lower ANB angle. At ages 9 and 12 years, the open bite sample was also characterized by shorter ramus height. An underlying skeletal pattern seems to be present in the deciduous dentition open bite sample that persists during the longitudinal follow-up. The overbite depth indicator might help to identify patients with anterior open bite tendencies.
Localized delivery of the Neurturin (NTN) neurotrophic factor through focused ultrasound - Mediated blood-brain barrier opening

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) constitutes a major obstacle in drug delivery to the brain. Focused Ultrasound (FUS) in conjunction with microbubbles has been shown to open the BBB non-invasively, locally and transiently to allow the delivery of molecules to the tissue parenchyma. Neurturin (NTN), a member of the glial cell-line derived neurotrophic factor family, has been demonstrated to have neuroprotective and regenerative effects on dopaminergic neurons, suggesting its therapeutic potential for Parkinson's disease (PD). The caudate putamen (CP) and substantia nigra (SN) are the brain structures mostly affected in PD animal models, and were selected as the target areas in this study. First, fluorescently tagged dextrans and gadolinium, were used for the optimization of the acoustic parameters and sonication locations for efficient and safe drug delivery in both CP and SN. The FUS parameters were selected as follows: 1.5 MHz (center frequency), 0.45 MPa peak-negative acoustic pressure, 10 Hz PRF, 1 min duration on each location. Polydisperse manufactured in-house lipid-coated microbubbles (8 × 105 #/g) were used. Fluorescence microscopy and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) were used to quantify and assess the BBB opening characteristics. NTN (20 mg/ kg, Invitrogen, CA, USA) diluted in saline was injected to CB57/bl wild type mice (25 g). The diffusion and the downstream signaling bioactivity were detected using immunostaining for RET, ERK1/2 and CREB, and microscopy. ELISA was performed to quantify the amount of NTN in the sonicated regions and was measured to be 210.58 ng, i.e., 0.04% of the 500 μg injected intravenously. These findings confirm the effective delivery of NTN to the murine brain parenchyma which could serve as a good therapeutic candidate for reversing the degenerative phenotype in PD animal models.
Chemical imaging of insulators by STM

Nanostructures of ${\mathrm{CaF}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{CaF}}_{1}$ on Si(111) are used to demonstrate a chemical imaging method for insulators. Chemical sensitivity is achieved in scanning tunneling microscopy via a sharp drop of the tunneling current for bias voltages below the conduction-band minimum. This imaging method has a spatial resolution of better than 1 nm and distinguishes different oxidation states. A resonance is found in $(dI/dV)/(I/V)$ at the conduction-band minimum that enables an accurate determination of its position. We observe enhancements by up to a factor of 5 and absolute values in the range of 20\char21{}50, compared to 1 for an Ohmic metal. A minimal model is given, explaining the resonance in terms of tunneling across a thin insulator film. These methods should be generally applicable for determining local Schottky barriers and band offsets in nanostructures and for chemically selective imaging of insulators and wide-gap semiconductors.
Methods for optimization in the manufacturing system - the taguchi method: An engineering approach to its implementation

Abstract A series of 9 steps are presented and explained to guide the manufacturing professional through the use of the Taguchi Method. Techniques for problem identification and study, team building, and the design, analysis and interpretation of Taguchi experiments are included. Following this step-by-step approach will allow this powerful tool to be applied to problem solution at all levels of manufacturing.
A Model of Stomatal Conductance in Sugar Maple (Acer saccharumMarsh)

Abstract A model was developed to describe stomatal conductance as a function of photosynthetically active radiation, leaf water potential, leaf temperature, vapor pressure difference (leaf interior minus leaf surface) inAcer saccharumMarsh. The model used a multiplicative approach and used a new method for determining the functional dependence of stomatal conductance on individual variables. The functions: (1) were expressed using a linear spline technique; (2) were constrained by very general mechanisms of stomatal action rather than specific analytical equations; and (3) were directly determined from data measured in the field. The spline functions were fit by least square estimation applied to data under uncontrolled field conditions. This is in contrast to the normal method of measuring functions from experiments conducted under controlled conditions. The data used for spline fitting were obtained in the field from more than 40 detached branches on about 30 days during various weather conditions throughout two summers (1990 and 1992). Our model predicted nearly 80% of the observed conditions throughout two summers (1990 and 1992). Our model predicted nearly 80% of the observed variation in leaf stomatal conductance and 90% of the variation in transpiration for leaves on mature trees and on excised branches when leaf water potential was >−2 MPa.
Multivariable Nyquist criteria, root loci, and pole placement: A geometric viewpoint

Classical control theory is concerned with the topics in our title in the context of single-input/single-output systems. There is now a large and growing literature on the extension of these ideas to the multiinput/multioutput case. This development has posed certain difficulties, some due to the intrinsic nature of the problem and some, we would argue, due to an inadequate reflection on what the multivariable problem calls for. In this paper we describe what seems to us to be the natural multivariable analogs of these concepts from classical control theory. A rather satisfactory generalization of the Nyquist criterion will be described, and a clear analog of the asymptotic properties of the root locus will be obtained in the "multiparameter" case. However, an example is given which illustrates the quite surprising fact that the root locus map is not always continuous at infinite gains. This calls for a new ingredient, a compactification of the space of gains, and perhaps the most interesting new feature in this circle of ideas comes in the area of pole placement. This problem is difficult in the multivariable case, but by establishing a correspondence with a classical set of problems in geometry, we are able to understand its main aspects and to derive results on pole placement by output feedback over the real field.
Educating via entertainment media: the Sesame Workshop approach

Sesame Workshop was founded 35 years ago to investigate whether entertainment media could be used to educate children. At that time the medium in question was television. As the Sesame Street television show prepares to celebrate its 35th year on the air, the television programming schedule now includes a wide variety of other educational programming for young children, and researchers are in almost universal agreement that television can be used successfully for educational purposes. In recent years, the Workshop has faced the same challenge with a variety of interactive entertainment media (including videogames, DVD, and interactive television); i.e., these media all might have potential for educating children, but neither the platforms themselves nor the typical programming for these media are being planned with any particular thought toward education. This paper describes how the Sesame Street "experiment" has been continued and extended, by adapting interactive media platforms designed for entertainment so that they can be used to deliver educational experiences to young children. The paper also outlines Sesame Workshop's educational philosophy and approach, as applied in the interactive arena, and identifies some of the challenges and solutions in designing interfaces and interactive educational experiences that can be used and enjoyed by preschool-age children. Two specific research projects are described as examples of this approach: one details the development of an adapted software interface to make console videogame systems accessible to young children and the other evaluates a new approach to creating interactive television programming for young children on a DVD platform.
An endoscopic grading system for vocal process granuloma

Background A reliable grading system allows the clinician to classify disease severity, monitor progress and evaluate treatment efficacy. There is no currently accepted grading system for vocal process granuloma of the larynx. Aim To evaluate the reliability of a new grading system for vocal process granuloma. Methods All vocal process granuloma images from a digital laryngeal image library were abstracted. Granulomas were graded on a one to four system, as follows: grade one, sessile, non-ulcerative granuloma limited to vocal process; grade two, pedunculated or ulcerated granuloma limited to vocal process; grade three, granuloma extending past vocal process but not crossing midline of airway in fully abducted position; and grade four, granuloma extending past vocal process and past the midline of the airway in the fully abducted position. The granulomas were additionally graded A if unilateral and B if bilateral. Two laryngologists and two otolaryngology residents rated the granulomas on two separate occasions. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was evaluated with the kappa (kappa) test statistic. Results Thirty-five vocal process granulomas were identified. The percentage intra-observer agreement for the two laryngologists was 97 and 100 per cent (kappa = 0.94 and 1.00, respectively). The percentage inter-observer agreement between the two laryngologists was 91 per cent (kappa = 0.83). The percentage intra-observer agreement for the two residents was 89 and 91 per cent (kappa = 0.83 and 0.77, respectively). The percentage inter-observer agreement between the two residents was 83 per cent (kappa = 0.67). Conclusions The proposed grading system for vocal process granuloma displayed excellent intra- and inter-observer reliability among residents and experienced laryngologists.
Spectral optimization for constituent retrieval in Case 2 waters I: Implementation and performance

We describe in detail the implementation of the spectral optimization algorithm (SOA) for Case 2 waters for processing of ocean color data. This algorithm uses aerosol models and a bio-optical reflectance model to provide the top-of atmosphere (TOA) reflectance. The parameters of both models are then determined by fitting the modeled TOA reflectance to that observed from space, using non-linear optimization. The algorithm will be incorporated into the SeaDAS software package as an optional processing switch of the Multi-Sensor Level-1 to Level-2 code. To provide potential users with an understanding of the accuracy and limitations of the algorithm, we generated a synthetic data set and tested the performance of the SOA with both correct and incorrect bio-optical model parameters. Application of the SOA to actual SeaWiFS data in the Lower Chesapeake Bay (for which surface measurements were available) showed that 20% errors in the bio-optical model parameters still enabled retrieval of chlorophyll a and the total absorption coefficient of dissolved plus particulate detrital material at 443 nm with an error of less than 30% and 20%, respectively. In a companion paper we present a validation study of the application of the algorithm in the Chesapeake Bay.
RESOLUTION-LESS CONFLICT AND SHIFTING ALIGNMENTS IN MUNICIPAL AIR TOXICS DISPUTES: THE CASE OF HOUSTON UNDER THE WHITE ADMINISTRATION, 2004–2009

Convinced that state and national regulatory bodies were not doing enough to control airborne toxic pollution, the City of Houston, Texas, led by a newly elected Mayor, implemented an aggressive pollution-reduction campaign from 2004–2008. The City provoked controversy over the presence and extent of an air toxics problem in Houston, first, by contesting the meaning of available scientific evidence, and then, by advocating for more stringent regulatory controls to address it. The controversy involved many different participants, and a shift from their ex ante consensus, as each was moved to support its claims with analyses and re-interpretations of scientific evidence. The City's attempt to expand its role in the regulation of air toxics, in large part through discursive means, met with considerable resistance and prompted realignments among participants. This case study examines how this came about, highlights the unorthodox features of the dispute and accounts for the absence of a conventional consensus-based resolution.
Gauging Primary and Secondary Processes in Rorschach Responses

When Rorschach gave us his test—his blots, his way of administering the experiment, as he called it, and interpreting the results—he also left us a system of scoring the responses. Essentially, this was a way of abstracting from a complex performance four or five important dimensions—dimensions which hundreds of Rorschachers since have found most useful. Hermann Rorschach was perfectly open in pointing out the intuitive and heuristic nature of these scoring categories. One of the first points he made in his monograph was that the theoretical basis of the test was almost nonexistent.
Association of cognitive domains with postural instability/gait disturbance in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: Research suggests an association between global cognition and postural instability/gait disturbance (PIGD) in Parkinson disease (PD), but the relationship between specific cognitive domains and PIGD symptoms is not clear. This study examined the association of cognition (global and specific cognitive domains) with PIGD symptoms in a large, well-characterized sample of individuals with PD. Methods: Cognitive function was measured with a detailed neuropsychological assessment, including global cognition, executive function, memory, visuospatial function, and language. PIGD symptoms were measured using the Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) Part III, Motor Examination subscale. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the relationship between cognition and PIGD symptoms with models adjusting for age, sex, education, enrollment site, disease duration, and motor symptom severity. Results: The analysis included 783 participants, with mean (standard deviation) age of 67.3 (9.7) years and median (interquartile range) MDS-UPDRS Motor Subscale score of 26 (17, 35). Deficits in global cognition, executive function, memory, and phonemic fluency were associated with more severe PIGD symptoms. Deficits in executive function were associated with impairments in gait, freezing, and postural stability, while visuospatial impairments were associated only with more severe freezing, and poorer memory function was associated only with greater postural instability. Discussion: While impairments in global cognition and aspects of executive functioning were associated with more severe PIGD symptoms, specific cognitive domains were differentially related to distinct PIGD components, suggesting the presence of multiple neural pathways contributing to associations between cognition and PIGD symptoms in persons with PD.
Gypidulid Brachiopods: Their Life Position and Paleoenvironment: ABSTRACT

Life assemblages of 2 species of gypidulid brachiopods, preserved in their original positions of growth, have been collected from Upper Silurian and Lower Devonian limestones of the Appalachian basin. The 2 assemblages inhabited the same environmental locus at different times in a transgressing carbonate sea. The earlier G. prognostica is in the Keyser Formation in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, and the later G. coeymanensis is found in the Coeymans Formation of New York state. The gypidulids, in both cases, lived clustered in a beak-down position on poorly sorted skeletal sand substrates in association with a diverse faunal assemblage of brachiopods, bryozoans, crinoids, and trilobites. The specimens appear to have no pedical openings, indicating lack of pedical development in mature forms. The inner prismatic shell layer in the pedical umbo is many times thicker than the total shell elsewhere on the organism. The resulting weighting of the pedical umbo and lateral contact with other individuals in the cluster promoted an upright, posterior down orientation. Gypidulids are restricted to shallow (near, but above wave base) shelf environments. Onshore skeletal barrier sands and skeletal lagoonal muds, as well as offshore fossiliferous muds, are barren of gypidulids. The gypidulid environmental position occurs only in transgressive stratigraphic sequences. End_of_Article - Last_Page 637------------
Percolation in networks of aligned SWNTs formed with laminar flow deposition

Macroscopic networks of highly aligned SWNTs have been fabricated at room temperature by laminar flow deposition from aqueous suspensions. This deposition method allows the growth of a macroscopic two dimensional SWNT network through successive deposition cycles. AFM image analysis showed that each deposition cycle puts down a reproducible density of SWNTs, with the final density being directly proportional to the number of deposition cycles for a given solution. The macroscopic electronic behavior of these networks was characterized by DC conductance measurements taken after each deposition cycle. This showed that these networks could be described by two dimensional percolation models throughout the growth process.
A Patient with Heart Failure and Worsening Kidney Function

There is high prevalence of CKD, defined by reduced GFR, in patients with heart failure. Reduced kidney function is associated with increased morbidity and mortality in this patient population. The cardiorenal syndrome (CRS) involves a bidirectional relationship between the heart and kidneys whereby dysfunction in either may exacerbate the function of the other, but this syndrome has been difficult to precisely define because it has many complex physiologic, biochemical, and hormonal abnormalities. The pathophysiology of CRS is not completely understood, but potential mechanisms include reduced kidney perfusion due to decreased forward flow, increased right ventricular and venous pressure, and neurohormonal adaptations. Treatment options include inotropic medications; diuretics; ultrafiltration; and medications, such as β-blockers, inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and more novel treatments that focus on unique aspects of the pathophysiology. Recent observational studies suggest that treatments that result in a decrease in venous pressure and lead to hemoconcentration may be associated with improved outcomes. Patients with CRS that is not responsive to medical interventions should be considered for ventricular assist devices, heart transplantation, or combined heart and kidney transplantation.
Information needs and priorities for assessing the sensitivity of marine birds to oil spills

Abstract Our experience in developing models to predict the potential impacts of oil spills on colonially breeding marine birds has revealed some major gaps in the information available on these systems. We consider the availability of data for a variety of parameters of seabird biology that are required in modelling efforts, and assign provisional priorities to our information needs. In order to develop means of predicting the impacts of oil spills on seabirds, we suggest that colony- or site-specific information on the timing of reproduction and colony occupancy, chick growth rates and body weights, several metabolic parameters, flight speed, and food load size is of relatively low overall priority. Intermediate priority is assigned to the collection of specific data on the dynamics of oil spills, the age and breeding structure of the populations, reproductive success, foraging activity budgets and flight paths, flight costs, and the response of growing chicks to food deprivation. We suggest that studies of seabird biology should give highest priority to obtaining information on population sizes, the probability of adult death upon encountering a spill, age-specific fecundity and survivorship, the time required in foraging trips, the lag time in the response of birds to an oil spill, foraging rate as a function of resource density, and changes in the availability of resources to the birds as a consequence of oil spills.
Framing terrorism: geography-based media coverage variations of the 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid and the 2009 twin suicide car bombings in Baghdad

Written media mould how civil society perceives acts of terrorism. In employing different framing techniques, news articles develop a unique narrative that influences how readers comprehend an attack. Past studies of the relationship between the media and terrorism ignore how media portrayals of terrorist attacks vary based on the attacks’ geographic location. By comparing two similar terrorist attacks, one that occurred in the West – Madrid, Spain – and the other in the East – Baghdad, Iraq – the paper seeks to explore how media coverage of terrorist attacks that occur in different geographic locations varies. Employing news frame analysis reveals how coverage of the 11 March 2004 commuter train bombings in Madrid differs from the 25 October 2009 double suicide bombings in Baghdad. Coverage of an attack on a Western nation compared to one on an Eastern nation contributes to Islamophobia and exacerbates an us–them mentality. Simply accepting information published in news articles at face value inhibits fo...
Testicular carcinoma metastatic to the neck

Abstract Purpose: To show that a supraclavicular neck mass may be indicative of metastatic testicular carcinoma and to offer further insight into the treatment of residual neck disease. Method: We report six cases of testicular carcinoma metastatic to the neck. All were initially treated with radiation, chemotherapy, or a combination of both depending on histological type. Results: Neck masses persisted despite primary therapy. Three patients underwent subsequent modified neck dissection and remained free of disease; three others received nonsurgical forms of adjuvant therapy and ultimately died of their cancer. Conclusion: Metastatic testicular carcinoma may manifest as a supraclavicular neck mass and must therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of a mass in this region. Surgical resection is indicated in the management of neck masses that persist after cytoreductive chemotherapy to remove residual foci of disease and potential source of spread.
Further Observations on the Fine Structure of the Spores of Glugea weissenbergi (Microsporida, Nosematidae)*

SYNOPSIS. A Glugea xenoma sectioned and viewed with the electron microscope contained many spores with everting polar filaments. Several details not seen in previous studies of this species were observed. A specialized area with the appareance of a lattice was commonly present near the anterior end of the polaroplast. The external portion of a partially everted polar filament appeared to have about twice the diameter of the part remaining within the spore. No membrane was seen limiting the external surface of the everted portion. The everting filament had pushed thru the polar cap and the adjacent thin area of the spore wall, making the polar cap into a ring. The ring connected the proximal end of the everting filament to the inner spore membrane, thereby anchoring the filament to the spore. The electron density of some of the membranous organelles of the spore was enhanced by the use of ruthenium red.
Surgery: laparoscopic promontofixation is safe and effective for POP.

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) is a common problem experienced by women. A recent research article examined the outcomes of women with POP treated with laparoscopic promontofixation. This technique—a relatively new approach to POP surgery—was associated with symptom improvements and a low rate of recurrence.
Monoclonal Antibodies Reveal the Structural Basis of Antibody Diversity

Hybridoma technology has made it possible to introduce into continuous culture normal antibody-forming cells and to obtain large amounts of the immunoglobulin produced by each of these cells. Examination of the structure of a number of monoclonal antibodies that react with a single antigen has provided new information on the structural basis of the specificity and affinity of antibodies. Comparisons of families of monoclonal antibodies derived from a single germ line gene revealed the importance of somatic mutation in generating antibody diversity. Monoclonal antibodies that react with variable regions of other monoclonals allow the further dissection and modulation of the immune response. Finally, the continued somatic instability of immunoglobulin genes in cultured antibody-forming cells makes it possible to determine the rate of somatic mutation and to generate mutant monoclonal antibodies that may be more effective serological reagents.
Modified Charters Model for Single Wall Perforation

Abstract A simple perforation prediction model which describes the size of the hole created in a thin metallic plate is presented and compared to hypervelocity impact experiments. The new mechanics model is based on the 1959 Charters model, but takes into account the initial compressive wave on impact by replacing the characteristic deformation stress with the Hugoniot elastic limit. The model predictions are compared to experiments performed with tantalum and steel spherical projectiles impacting steel targets at 1 to 3 km/s using a unique two-stage light-gas gun facility. A statistically significant improvement in the energy-based modified Charters model is shown over the original, with particular improvement when target and projectile are of different materials.
Pathogen Control in Complex Fluids with Water-coupled Excimer Lamps at 282 and 308 nm

Water-coupled excimer lamp systems have been developed to inactivate microorganisms within complex, low–optical quality, fluids. Monochromatic lamps were selected to minimize UV-B and UV-C absorption within the carrier fluids while maximizing deposition within specific chemical targets. Fundamentals, system scaling and power supply design are discussed. This work used two large-surface area excimer lamps as intense sources of near monochromatic radiation at 308 and 282 nm. Data are presented for two distinct fluid systems: flow-through processing of large-volume metalworking fluids used in heavy industry and batch irradiation of human blood plasma and platelet suspensions used in transfusion medicine. In the first, a 200–600 L/min reactor is used to control bacterial concentrations within metalworking fluids used in large-scale metal machining processes. Control is defined as the maintenance of 103 to 104 CFU/mL in fluids that without treatment would have concentrations over 107 CFU/mL. The second is a batch process for viral inactivation in undiluted blood bank products. Samples of fresh frozen plasma and platelet suspensions were spiked with high titers of porcine parvovirus (PPV) and irradiated at 308 and 282 nm. Although both wavelengths were effective at reducing PPV levels, 308 nm light resulted in both higher rates of viral inactivation (greater than 6 log units) and lower rates of fluid degradation.