cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detecting in-situ active corrosion by a SQUID magnetometer

The magnetic field distributions above the surface of in-situ active corroding 2024-T3 and 7075-T6 aircraft aluminum alloy plates have been measured using a high-resolution superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. The magnetic field distributions and their variation with time are clearly different for the two aluminum alloys in an identical solution and for 2024-T3 in two different solutions. It is believed that these results demonstrate theability of SQUID to noninvasively detect in-situ active corrosion in aircraft aluminum alloys in a way that present corrosion-detection methods do not allow.
The new look in diabetic diets

arbohydrate restriction and rigid meal patterns are no longer the rule for diabetic patients. In addition, differences have been noted in dietary approaches for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus versus noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. An insulin-dependent person, for example, may need to plan to have extra food when he exercises, while a non-insulin-dependent person does not. The current standards of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) allow up to 60 percent'of daily calories to come from carbohydrate(l). This recommendation is based on clinical studies demonstrating that higher carbohydrate diets may improve glucose tolerance(2). It also reflects a concern that to restrict carbohydrate means to allow more fat-which is not advisable in view of the high incidence of arteriosclerosis among individuals with diabetes. Because of this, ADA recommends that fat intake be limited to 30 percent or less of calories.
Effects of carbon dioxide, light and temperature on seedling growth of Begonia x sempeiflorens-cultorum

Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum Hort. cv. Scarletta plants were grown in controlled environment chambers under all combinations of 21 or 27°C temperature, 112,217, or 322 ^mol lrfV PAR, and 445 970, or 1 495 (j.1 I“1 C02 for two, four or six weeks. Seedlings under 27°C, 112 (imol m“V PAR, and 970 or 1 495 |il I“1 C02 were transplantable from plugs 31 days from sowing compared with 58 d for the slowest treaments. Seedling leaf area was largest under 27°C, 112 |imol irfV PAR, and 970 or 1 495 |xl 1~' C02 after four weeks but declined with greater photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and reduced temperature. In contrast, the combination of 27°C, 321 (imol m'V1 PAR, and 970 and 1 495 |jl I-1 C02 produced the greatest seedling dry weight after four weeks’ treatment. Time to visible bud from sowing was shortest for seedlings that had received 27°C and 322 |amol m'V PAR for four weeks averaging 13 weeks compared with 17 weeks for plants of the slowest treatment. Few significant differences in finished plan...
Effects of in-stream structures and channel flow rate variation on transient storage

Abstract In-stream structures can potentially enhance surface and subsurface solute retention. They form naturally in small streams and their installation has gained popularity in stream restoration for multiple purposes, including improved water quality. Yet few studies have quantified the cumulative effect of multiple structures on solute transport at the reach scale, nor how this varies with changing stream flow. We built a series of weirs in a small stream to simulate channel spanning structures such as natural debris dams and stream restoration log dams and boulder weirs. We conducted constant rate conservative (NaCl) tracer injections to quantify the effect of the weirs on solute transport at the reach scale. We used a one dimensional solute transport model with transient storage to quantify the change of solute transport parameters with increasing number of weirs. Results indicate that adding weirs significantly increased the cross-sectional area of the surface stream (A) and transient storage zones (As) while exchange with transient storage (α) decreased. The increase in A and As is due to backwater behind weirs and increased hydrostatically driven hyporheic exchange induced by the weirs, while we surmise that the reduction in α is due at least in part to reduced hydrodynamically driven hyporheic exchange in bed ripples drowned by the weir backwater. In order for weir installation to achieve net improvement in solute retention and thus water quality, cumulative reactions in weir backwater and enhanced hydrostatically driven hyporheic exchange would have to overcome the reduced hydrodynamically driven exchange. Analysis of channel flow variation over the course of the experiments indicated that weirs change the relationship between transient storage parameters and flow, for example the trend of increasing α with flow without weirs was reversed in the presence of weirs. Effects of flow variation were substantial, indicating that transient storage measurements at a single point in time typically cannot be extrapolated to estimate net annual effects. Thus, rigorous evaluation of water quality effects of stream restoration structures requires measurements at multiple channel flow rates.
Is DNA methylation the new guardian of the genome

It has been known for more than 100 years that aneuploidy is an essence of cancer. The question is what keeps the genome stable, thereby preventing aneuploidy. For the past 25 years, it has been proposed that p53 is the “guardian of the genome.” However, it has been shown that inactivation of p53 does not cause aneuploidy. Another essence of cancer is global DNA hypomethylation, which causes destabilization of the genome and subsequent aneupoloidy. Yet, another essence of cancer is excessive use of methionine, resulting in methionine dependence. Methionine dependence is due to possible “metabolic reprogramming” due to carcinogens, including chemical agents and infectious organisms, such as Helicobacter pylori, that result in altered and excessive transmethylation in cancer cells. Cancer cells appear to have a “methyl-sink” whereby methyl groups are diverted from DNA. DNA hypomethylation destabilizes the genome, leading to aneuploidy and subsequent selection and speciation into autonomous cancers, leading to the conclusion that DNA methylation is the “guardian of the genome.”
Women's voices in management: identifying innovative and responsible solutions: book review

Research examining women's voices in academia, women's leadership in academic and industry contexts, and their management styles in business and social spheres has been more or less steady since the late 1970s. For the last ten years, female students have accounted for approximately 57% of the students enrolled in colleges and universities around the world (Martin, 2014). Despite these enrollment numbers, female administrators in many academic institutions and non-academic businesses are still outnumbered by their male counterparts. The collection Women's Voices in Management: Identifying Innovative and Responsible Solutions edited by Helena Desivilya Syna and Carmen-Eugenia Costea asks readers to consider women's voices in different cultural and global settings, "emphasizing and materializing gender equality [...] in top management, entrepreneurship, and leadership in complex sociopolitical and culturally diverse societies" (p. 10).
Courting the community: Organizational flexibility and community courts

This article examines how a community court in the United States framed its mission to a diverse population of stakeholders. Drawing from 11 months of ethnographic data, I show how community courts...
No-report Paradigmatic Ascription of the Minimally Conscious State: Neural Signals as a Communicative Means for Operational Diagnostic Criteria

The minimally conscious state (MCS) is usually ascribed when a patient with brain damage exhibits observable volitional behaviors that predict recovery of cognitive functions. Nevertheless, a patient with brain damage who lacks motor capacity might nonetheless be in MCS. For this reason, some clinicians use neural signals as a communicative means for MCS ascription. For instance, a vegetative state patient is diagnosed with MCS if activity in the motor area is observed when the instruction to imagine wiggling toes is given. The validity of using neural signals in ascribing MCS requires a special sort of inference. That is, no-report paradigmatic assessments must have inductively strong ways of inferring a purported informational content from the observed neural signal that grounds the fact that the patient has top-down cognitive control (or residual volition). Shannon’s mathematical theory of communication and Bayes’ theorem reveals the formal structure of neural communication. On the basis of relevant data from the neuroscience literature, I conclude that the formal structure combined with the data shows that neural signals can be used as a communicative means for operational diagnostic criteria for MCS ascription.
Loss of Gα i proteins impairs thymocyte development, disrupts T-cell trafficking, and leads to an expanded population of splenic CD4 + PD-1 + CXCR5 +/- T-cells

Thymocyte and T cell trafficking relies on signals initiated by G-protein coupled receptors. To address the importance of the G-proteins Gαi2 and Gαi3 in thymocyte and T cell function, we developed several mouse models. Gαi2 deficiency in hematopoietic progenitors led to a small thymus, a double negative (DN)1/DN2 thymocyte transition block, and an accumulation of mature single positive (SP) thymocytes. Loss at the double positive (DP) stage of thymocyte development caused an increase in mature cells within the thymus. In both models an abnormal distribution of memory and naive CD4 T cells occurred, and peripheral CD4 and CD8 T cells had reduced chemoattractant responses. The loss of Gαi3 had no discernable impact, however the lack of both G-proteins commencing at the DP stage caused a severe T cell phenotype. These mice lacked a thymic medullary region, exhibited thymocyte retention, had a peripheral T cell deficiency, and lacked T cell chemoattractant responses. Yet a noteworthy population of CD4+PD-1+CXCR5+/− cells resided in the spleen of these mice likely due to a loss of regulatory T cell function. Our results delineate a role for Gαi2 in early thymocyte development and for Gαi2/3 in multiple aspects of T cell biology.
A Personalized Treatment for Lung Cancer: Molecular Pathways, Targeted Therapies, and Genomic Characterization

Lung cancer is a heterogeneous, complex, and challenging disease to treat. With the arrival of genotyping and genomic profiling, our simple binary division of lung cancer into non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is no longer acceptable. In the past decade and with the advent of personalized medicine, multiple advances have been made in understanding the underlying biology and molecular mechanisms of lung cancer. Lung cancer is no longer considered a single disease entity and is now being subdivided into molecular subtypes with dedicated targeted and chemotherapeutic strategies. The concept of using information from a patient’s tumor to make therapeutic and treatment decisions has revolutionized the landscape for cancer care and research in general.
Renal Toxicities in the Peri-HSCT Period

Renal dysfunction within the first 100 days post-hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is common. Many HSCT patients have some degree of renal dysfunction prior to HSCT, and the degree of this dysfunction impacts the extent of renal dysfunction that can occur during the pre-engraftment and early post-engraftment periods of the HSCT course. Renal dysfunction may be due to renal tubule damage, compromised renal blood flow, and obstruction or irritation of post-renal structures. Renal dysfunction impairs the ability of the kidneys to maintain acid-base and electrolyte balance as well as maintain fluid balance and eliminate waste. The renal complications post-HSCT are discussed in Chap. 22. The most common renal toxicities are related to medications frequently used during the peri-HSCT period. These include calcineurin inhibitors, antifungal agents, antibiotics (particularly aminoglycosides), and antiviral agents. In addition, components of conditioning regimens such as alkylators and irradiation to the bladder can cause significant renal toxicity. An infrequent but very serious renal complication is hemorrhagic cystitis which is the focus of this chapter. The remainder of HSCT-associated renal complications is addressed in Chap. 22.
Malnutrition chez les personnes âgées

La malnutrition est frequente, elle augmente avec l’âge et peut toucher les personnes ayant un poids insuffisant, normal ou excessif.
FPGA based Deterministic Latency Image Acquisition and Processing System for Automated Driving Systems

Automated driving systems are one of the key motive in latest developments in artificial intelligence and hardware technologies required for artificial intelligence. These systems have a sheer number of sensors including image sensors. These image sensors produce a huge amount of visual data. This data is generally processed using traditional image recognition and classification techniques or the latest deep learning techniques like Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs). The accuracy and latency of the systems have great impact on how the vehicle deals with its surroundings. In this paper, we discuss how Field-Programmable Gated Array's (FPGA) flexible input/output structure enables us to implement a deterministic latency acquisition and processing system. Experimental results show that by bypassing the host CPU from the input data path overall system becomes orders of magnitude more deterministic. When the CPU is bypassed from the input data path, non-determinism in overall processing is up-to 115.5 nsec as compared to 77.4 msec when CPU is in the input path.
Immunological studies in sickle cell disease: I. Analysis of circulating T-lymphocyte subpopulations☆

Abstract Patients with sickle cell disease have an increased risk of development of overwhelming bacterial infection. Although several defects in immunological function have been described, analysis of suppressor T (T G ) cells has not been studied. Of the sickle cell patients assessed, all had at least 50% less T cells than the normal controls. In 70% of the cases, these patients had increased percentages of suppressor (T G ) cells. When helper cells (T M ) were tested, these numbers were similar to control values. These preliminary findings suggest an important mechanism to explain sickle cell disease infections in addition to previously defined immunological disorders and the asplenic state.
Mining databases with different schemas: integrating incompatible classifers

Distributed data mining systems aim to discover (and combine) usefull information that is distributed across multiple databases. The JAM system, for example, applies machine learning algorithms to compute models over distributed data sets and employs meta-learning techniques to combine the multiple models. Occasionally, however, these models (or classifiers) are induced from databases that have (moderately) different schemas and hence are incompatible. In this paper, we investigate the problem of combining multiple models computed over distributed data sets with different schemas. Through experiments performed on actual credit card data provided by two different financial institutions, we evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches and demonstrate their potential utility.
A Framework for Integrating Safety in Usability Engineering for Electronic Health Records

Usability engineering approaches, borrowed from commercial software development, rarely hold safety as a significant design priority. This paper presents our approach for integrating safety into EH...
Laparoscopic Hiatal Hernia Repair

Repair of hiatal hernias is increasingly being performed through a laparoscopic approach. Indications for repair should take into account the patient’s symptoms, age, and overall health condition. Patients with an asymptomatic hernia and significant comorbidities may initially be managed with “watchful waiting.” Key steps of the laparoscopic hiatal hernia repair procedure include reducing the hernia contents, mobilization of the hernia sac, mobilization of the esophagus, closure of the cura, and performing an anti-reflux procedure (e.g., Nissen fundoplication). Intraoperative challenges include a short esophagus, for which a Collis gastroplasty should be performed. Immediate post-operative management consists of a clear diet and aggressive antiemetics. Contrast imaging is not routinely obtained. The majority of patients experience symptomatic relief after the operation, even when radiologic recurrences are present.
The Effects of Teaching Mindfulness on Stress in Physical Therapy Students – A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract Purpose High stress levels among doctor of physical therapy (DPT) students have been reported consistently in the literature. Training in mindfulness has been shown to reduce stress. The purpose of this research study was to investigate the impact of teaching a mindfulness curriculum to DPT students on stress levels and mindfulness scores following training and 8 weeks later. Methods This was a mixed methods, randomized controlled study design conducted with 32 DPT students, who were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received course instruction, plus a mindfulness curriculum over a 6-week period, and the control group received only the course instruction. The Five Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) were administered as pre- and post-tests (immediately after and again 8 weeks after) to both groups. Qualitative interviews were conducted following the intervention. Results Repeated measures MANOVA revealed statistically significant interaction for PSS between time and group (P = .022). Pairwise comparisons revealed statistically significant differences on posttests one (P = .008) and two (P = .029), with PSS scores being higher in the control group. FFMQ results showed a statistically significant interaction between time and group (P = .016). Pairwise comparisons showed a statistically significant difference (P = .032) at the first posttest time point, with the control group scores being lower, but no statistically significant difference for posttest two. Qualitative analysis showed Prior Experience, Perception, Mindfulness Tools, Challenges, Stress Management, Self-Regulation, Continued Application, and Feedback on Course as categories, each containing subcategories and themes. Discussion The results showed a statistically significant improvement in students’ perceived stress and mindfulness, and a favorable learning experience for most students. These results suggest that incorporating short segments of mindfulness training into DPT education may decrease student stress and increase mindfulness.
A novel approach for assessing watershed susceptibility using weighted overlay and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) methodology: a case study in Eagle Creek Watershed, USA.

Watershed vulnerability and the characterization of potential risk are important inputs for decision support tools in assessing watershed health. Most previous studies have focused on the assessment of the environmental risk using physicochemical properties of surface water and mathematical models to predict the health of a watershed. Here, we present a new methodology for evaluating watershed vulnerability using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted overlay analysis. The new methodology provides an inexpensive approach for assessing areas that need more investigation based on known factors such hydrogeological, geological, and climate parameters without the need for site-specific physicochemical data. The proposed method was implemented using six main factors that influence water quality: land use, soil type, precipitation, slope, depth to groundwater, and bedrock type. Vulnerability was predicted for ten sub-watersheds within the Eagle Creek Watershed in Indiana using publicly available data input into geographic information system. Combination of watershed susceptibility assessment and GIS spatial analysis tools was used to produce the maps that show the susceptible zones within a watershed. A comparison of the resulting vulnerability estimates showed the expected significant positive correlations with measurements of nitrate, phosphate, temperature, and electrical conductivity. Likewise, the vulnerability estimates negatively correlated with dissolved oxygen and E. coli. Furthermore, the validation of the proposed approach revealed that the areas predicted to have high vulnerability did have lower water quality indices; the results showed a high negative correlation (r2 = 0.77, p < 0.05) between water quality index (WQI) and vulnerability which strongly suggests this method can be used successfully to assess a watershed’s susceptibility.
Improved calibration of area detectors using multiple placements

Calibration of area detectors from powder diffraction standards is widely used at synchrotron beamlines. From a single diffraction image, it is not possible to determine both the sample-to-detector distance and the wavelength, but, with images taken from multiple positions along the beam direction and where the relative displacement is known, the sample-to-detector distance and wavelength can both be determined with good precision. An example calibration using the GSAS-II software package is presented.
Variance-Reduced Decentralized Stochastic Optimization With Accelerated Convergence

This paper describes a novel algorithmic framework to minimize a finite-sum of functions available over a network of nodes. The proposed framework, that we call GT-VR , is stochastic and decentralized, and thus is particularly suitable for problems where large-scale, potentially private data, cannot be collected or processed at a centralized server. The GT-VR framework leads to a family of algorithms with two key ingredients: (i) local variance reduction , that enables estimating the local batch gradients from arbitrarily drawn samples of local data; and, (ii) global gradient tracking , which fuses the gradient information across the nodes. Naturally, combining different variance reduction and gradient tracking techniques leads to different algorithms of interest with valuable practical tradeoffs and design considerations. Our focus in this paper is on two instantiations of the ${\bf \mathtt {GT-VR}}$ framework, namely GT-SAGA and GT-SVRG , that, similar to their centralized counterparts ( SAGA and SVRG ), exhibit a compromise between space and time. We show that both GT-SAGA and GT-SVRG achieve accelerated linear convergence for smooth and strongly convex problems and further describe the regimes in which they achieve non-asymptotic, network-independent linear convergence rates that are faster with respect to the existing decentralized first-order schemes. Moreover, we show that both algorithms achieve a linear speedup in such regimes compared to their centralized counterparts that process all data at a single node. Extensive simulations illustrate the convergence behavior of the corresponding algorithms.
3 – Radian Measure

Publisher Summary Radian measure presents a way to measure angles with real numbers instead of degrees. There are a number of situations that occur in trigonometry for which real numbers are the more appropriate measure for angles. This chapter explains how to derive formulas for arc length and area, and defines angular velocity for points in motion on the circumference of a circle. The reference angle, sometimes called related angle, for any angle θ in standard position is the positive acute angle between the terminal side of θ and the x-axis. In a circle, a central angle that cuts off an arc equal in length to the radius of the circle has a measure of 1 radian. To find the radian measure of any central angle, one has to find out how many radii are in the arc it cuts off. If a central angle, θ, in a circle of radius r, cuts off an arc of length s, then the measure of θ, in radians, is given by θ (in radians) = .
Lie Groups, Lie Algebras, and the Exponential Map

In Chapter 4 we defined the notion of a Lie group as a certain type of manifold embedded in \({\mathbb {R}}^N\), for some N ≥ 1. Now that we have the general concept of a manifold, we can define Lie groups in more generality. If every Lie group was a linear group (a group of matrices), then there would be no need for a more general definition. However, there are Lie groups that are not matrix groups, although it is not a trivial task to exhibit such groups and to prove that they are not matrix groups.
The spatial-temporal hierarchy of regional inequality of China

Abstract This paper advances the multi-scale and multi-mechanism framework of regional inequality in China by using the most recent statistical data. We analyze the multi-scalar patterns of China's regional inequality with GIS and statistical techniques, and demonstrate the significance of the municipality effect. The authors also apply multilevel modeling to identify the spatial structure and time dimension of the underlying forces driving regional development. This study illustrates that China's regional inequality is sensitive to the spatial-temporal hierarchy of multi-mechanisms, and reveals the relative influence of globalization, marketization, and decentralization.
Financial distress and corporate risk management: Theory and evidence.

Abstract This paper extends the current theoretical models of corporate risk-management in the presence of financial distress costs and tests the model's predictions using a comprehensive data set. I show that the shareholders optimally engage in ex-post (i.e., after the debt issuance) risk-management activities even without a pre-commitment to do so. The model predicts a positive (negative) relation between leverage and hedging for moderately (highly) leveraged firms. Consistent with the theory, empirically I find a non-monotonic relation between leverage and hedging. Further, the effect of leverage on hedging is higher for firms in highly concentrated industries.
Characterizing the phenotype of drug-resistant childhood epilepsy associated with leukemia: A case series.

Abstract Children with leukemia are at risk for epilepsy due to primary disease or neurotoxic therapies. We describe the phenotypes of drug-resistant epilepsy in 10 children with history of leukemia. Of 10 cases, 6 had features of Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and 4 had focal epilepsy. Mean age of epilepsy onset was 5 years in Lennox-Gastaut cases and 6.5 years in focal epilepsy cases. Mean latency between leukemia diagnosis and seizure onset was about 3 years. Brain MRI of 2 patients with epileptic encephalopathy had structural abnormalities – unclear if causative for epilepsy, and 4 had no overt structural abnormalities. In focal epilepsy group, 3 had temporal lobe epilepsy and one had fronto-temporal localization. All 10 patients had received intrathecal chemotherapy; 2 also had received whole brain irradiation. Seizures were poorly controlled in the epileptic encephalopathy group. Three underwent corpus callosotomy with variable response. Two patients with temporal lobe epilepsy had temporal lobectomy with Engel 1 outcome at 2 year follow-up in both. Two phenotypes of refractory epilepsy were observed in children with previous history of leukemia, focal epilepsy and epileptic encephalopathy. Children with temporal lobe epilepsy had good response to temporal lobectomy; response to palliative surgery was variable.
Sequential Estimation of Convex Functionals and Divergences.

We present a unified technique for sequential estimation of convex divergences between distributions, including integral probability metrics like the kernel maximum mean discrepancy, $\varphi$-divergences like the Kullback-Leibler divergence, and optimal transport costs, such as powers of Wasserstein distances. This is achieved by observing that empirical convex divergences are (partially ordered) reverse submartingales with respect to the exchangeable filtration, coupled with maximal inequalities for such processes. These techniques appear to be complementary and powerful additions to the existing literature on both confidence sequences and convex divergences. We construct an offline-to-sequential device that converts a wide array of existing offline concentration inequalities into time-uniform confidence sequences that can be continuously monitored, providing valid tests or confidence intervals at arbitrary stopping times. The resulting sequential bounds pay only an iterated logarithmic price over the corresponding fixed-time bounds, retaining the same dependence on problem parameters (like dimension or alphabet size if applicable). These results are also applicable to more general convex functionals, like the negative differential entropy, suprema of empirical processes, and V-Statistics.
Improved Stress Analysis for Cross-Tie Tracks

Presently, the dominant method for calculating rail stresses and rail-tie contact forces is based on the model of a beam on a Winkler base. One shortcoming of this analysis is that it neglects the effect of the moments that the ties exert on the rails when the rails deflect in the vertical plane. The paper presents an improved analysis of this problelm. It also suggests a simple method for the determination of the track parameters that enter the analysis and demonstrates its use on actual track test data. Paper concludes with a comparison of analytical and track test results.
Student Perceptions of Effective College Teachers

Being an effective college teacher is typically a major goal of all faculty, especially junior faculty on the tenure-track. As a new tenure-track faculty member interested in improving his teaching skills (and student ratings), the author surveyed aerospace students at Middle Tennessee State University over a three-year period to gain insight into what students consider to be an effective college teacher. The author’s findings reveal that students prefer fun and interesting classes where material is clearly explained and reviews and study guides are provided to help students better prepare for tests. Students also most benefit from courses taught by motivated and passionate professors who make the class fun and interesting by incorporating a great deal of hands-on activities and group discussion. Further, they dislike a boring/monotone professor who lectures the entire class period and is unable to clearly explain the material. Finally, students value professors who are passionate and have a sincere desire to teach, show real respect/caring for students, and are knowledgeable of the subject they are teaching.
Estrogen–cholinergic interactions: Implications for cognitive aging

This article is part of a Special Issue "Estradiol and Cognition". While many studies in humans have investigated the effects of estrogen and hormone therapy on cognition, potential neurobiological correlates of these effects have been less well studied. An important site of action for estrogen in the brain is the cholinergic system. Several decades of research support the critical role of CNS cholinergic systems in cognition in humans, particularly in learning and memory formation and attention. In humans, the cholinergic system has been implicated in many aspects of cognition including the partitioning of attentional resources, working memory, inhibition of irrelevant information, and improved performance on effort-demanding tasks. Studies support the hypothesis that estradiol helps to maintain aspects of attention and verbal and visual memory. Such cognitive domains are exactly those modulated by cholinergic systems and extensive basic and preclinical work over the past several decades has clearly shown that basal forebrain cholinergic systems are dependent on estradiol support for adequate functioning. This paper will review recent human studies from our laboratories and others that have extended preclinical research examining estrogen-cholinergic interactions to humans. Studies examined include estradiol and cholinergic antagonist reversal studies in normal older women, examinations of the neural representations of estrogen-cholinergic interactions using functional brain imaging, and studies of the ability of selective estrogen receptor modulators such as tamoxifen to interact with cholinergic-mediated cognitive performance. We also discuss the implications of these studies for the underlying hypotheses of cholinergic-estrogen interactions and cognitive aging, and indications for prophylactic and therapeutic potential that may exploit these effects.
Una errante luciérnaga

Jose A. Silva. Vida y creacion. Compilacion de Fernando Charry Lora. Nueva Biblioteca Colombiana de Cultura, Bogota, 1985.
The Central Valley Project and the Farmers

The Central Valley Project had its inception in the dire need for additional irrigation water on the part of Southern San Joaquin Valley irrigators. It was their distress which inspired the initial appropriation by the California Legislature for an investigation of Calfornia's water resources. The investigation culminated in a plan issued by the Division of Water Resources in 1930.2 This was transmitted to the legislature and designated as the "State Water Plan."3 The plan contains the following:4
Protecting Water Infrastructure in the United States—Setting Priorities, Conducting Research, and Sharing Results

Water is an essential ingredient of life on planet Earth. Less than 1% of the world's water is available for human use, 97% is salt water, and the other 2% is frozen. Ensuring that drinking water is safe and clean is a primary mission of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Water infrastructure vulnerability can make water and wastewater systems targets for intentional threats and attacks. Addressing these threats and attacks has been an important focus by EPA since September 11, 2001. The destruction of the World Trade Center and a portion of the Pentagon, and the anthrax letters that followed, reinforced the need to protect critical infrastructure, including the nation's water and wastewater systems. This review presents, in general terms, the potential threats to water infrastructure. Emphasis is placed on the research contributing to the water sector's preparedness for, response to, and recovery from intentional threats or attacks on drinking water infrastructure. Keywords: water infrastructure; water security; water contamination; terrorism; water systems vulnerability; water supply
Viscosity in Accretion Disks

The nature of the viscosity within accretion disks remains one of the greatest uncertainties afflicting models for inflows onto compact objects. Given the presence of even a modicum of angular momentum in the accreting fluid, the strength of the viscosity will have a substantial influence upon the structure of the accretion disk. Unfortunately, under nearly all astrophysically relevant circumstances, all of the well understood microscopic transverse momentum transport mechanisms such as ionic, molecular, and radiative viscosity, are extremely small. Observations with direct relevance to the nature and strength of macroscopic viscosity mechanisms are very difficult to make and their interpretations are model dependent. In the case where a black hole is the compact accretor, such observations have not yet been possible.
Sales Suppression as a Service (SSaaS) & the Apple Store Solution

The problem of sales suppression fraud is estimated to cost state and local governments $20 billion annually ($2 billion in New York restaurants alone). Modern sales suppression (skimming) is carried out with technology (Zappers and Phantom-ware). Nine undercover sting operations in and around Manhattan and the Bronx by investigators working for New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance (NY-DT&F) have identified the SSaaS variant of modern skimming.A striking example of SSaaS may be unfolding in the $1 million sales suppression case against Congressman Michael Grimm (R-NY). It is alleged that Grimm skimmed sales from his Healthalicious restaurant in Manhattan, and it appears at this early stage that SSaaS was the skimming method used. Starting in Buffalo, NY in March 2009, and ending in the Bronx by September of that year, approximately 23 stings were set up by the NY-DT&F looking for Zappers and Phantom-ware. Sting locations were in Buffalo, Schenectady, Albany, Dutchess County, and the Bronx. False restaurants, manned by undercover agents, invited point of sale (POS) system salesmen. Almost all offered to show owners how to suppress sales. The preferred suppression technique was SSaaS. This paper recaps the author’s keynote address at the California Board of Equalization’s Sales Suppression & Detection Techniques Symposium in Pasadena California, April 28-29, 2014. The paper draws five observations from the NY stings, finds a disturbing conclusion about the extent of this fraud in the NY retail sector, and presents the technological solution that has been adopted in VAT jurisdictions. The solution essentially treats all businesses as an Apple Store. The key to preventing sales suppression fraud is to obtain secure, encrypted transactional sales data from the moment of a sale. The most advanced solution on the market today for accomplishing this was demonstrated at the California Sales Suppression & Detection Techniques Symposium – the Avatar-DTI system. It is explained here.
COMPARATIVE STUDY OF LETHAL PHOTOSENSITIZATION OF SARCINA LUTEA BY 8-METHOXYPSORALEN AND BY TOLUIDINE BLUE

Mathews, Micheline M. (Department of Bacteriology, University of California, Berkeley). Comparative study of lethal photosensitization of Sarcina lutea by 8-methoxypsoralen and by toluidine blue. J. Bacteriol. 85:322–328. 1963.—A comparative study has been made of the photo-killing of Sarcina lutea by 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP) and by toluidine blue. It has been found that photosensitization by 8-MOP differs from photosensitization by toluidine blue, in that it has a temperature coefficient of less than one, and that the presence of oxygen is not necessary for, and even is deleterious to, the photosensitization, the psoralen being destroyed by its presence. It has previously been shown that the presence of carotenoid pigments protects the cells of S. lutea from lethal photosensitization by toluidine blue; it was found that the presence of these pigments has no protective effect in photosensitization with 8-MOP. Studies on the lethal photosensitization of S. lutea with toluidine blue suggested that the primary sensitive site of the photokilling was the protein of the cell membrane, as manifested by the destruction of membrane enzyme activity and the regulation of permeability. It has been found that photokilling by 8-MOP has no effect on these functions. A study was made on the effect of photokilling by 8-MOP on the production of penicillin-resistant mutants as an indication of an alteration in the cellular deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) by the psoralen. Psoralen photosensitization resulted in the development of many penicillin-resistant mutants. On the basis of the findings reported in this paper, it is suggested that photosensitization of S. lutea by 8-MOP does not reflect damage to cellular protein, as does toluidine blue, but rather damage to cellular DNA.
A new vista in pulmonary cytology; aerosol induction of sputum.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS Hygroscopic, heated, saline-aerosol induction of sputum provides specimens which are superior to spontaneously raised sputum or bronchial aspirates for the cytologic diagnosis of bronchial carcinoma. This new technic not only increases the sensitivity of the cytologic diagnosis of bronchogenic carcinoma, but provides the means for studying cells from bronchial dysplasia and early neoplasia. Studies are needed to determine the feasibility of using this procedure for detecting premalignant or early malignant changes in the bronchial mucosa. The method is recommended for routine hospital, out-patient, and office practice. It may very well become a part of routine periodic examination as are roentgenograms of the chest and electrocardiographic examination of the heart.
Business and the Politics of Urban Violence in Colombia

What explains variation in local government policy responses to urban violence? Existing research on the politics of urban violence overlooks the pivotal role that private sector interests play in shaping the public provision of security in major developing world cities faced with conditions of intense violence. I argue that business is a pivotal political actor that mobilizes through powerful private sector institutions to shape policy responses to urban violence in ways that advance its economic interests and preserve its privileged status in local political arenas. The security policy preferences of business vary across economic sectors due to variation in relations to urban space and violence. This cross-sectoral variation in security policy preferences generates both opportunities and challenges for political and societal actors that seek to stem and prevent urban violence. Analysis of puzzling variation in policy responses across Colombia's three principal cities—Medellin, Cali, and Bogota—and over time within each shows that a focus on business can strengthen our understanding of the politics of urban violence and, more broadly, its implications for development.
Layered Basic Complex in Oceanic Crust, Romanche Fracture, Equatorial Atlantic Ocean

A layered, basic igneous intrusion, analogous in mineralogy and texture to certain large, continental layered complexes, is exposed in the Romanche Fracture, equatorial Atlantic Ocean. Crustal intrusion of large masses of basic magmas with their subsequent gravity differentiation is probably one of a number of major processes involved in the formation of new oceanic crust during sea-floor spreading.
High-pressure X-ray diffraction study of diaspore

Abstract Effects of pressure on lattice parameters and molar volume of diaspore were studied to 25.5 GPa at 300 K by polycrystalline X-ray diffraction techniques. The pressure-volume data fit with a second-order Birch-Murnaghan equation of state give a bulk modulus K 0 = 167.5 GPa by Ruoff and previously reported, but unsubstantiated, value of K 0 = 85 GPa by Ruoff and Vanderborgh [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 754 (1991)]. Thermodynamic calculation indicates that hydrogen and ruby are stable relative to diaspore and aluminum to pressures above 200 GPa.
Cerebellar cGMP varies with motor function and respiratory gas exchange

Abstract Paralysis of rats with d-tubocurarine decreased cerebellar guanosine 3′: 5′-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) content to about one third of normal values when arterial oxygen and carbon dioxide were maintained at normal values. In addition, altering arterial carbon dioxide tensions in these paralyzed rats revealed that cerebellar cGMP was inversely related to arterial carbon dioxide tension, and that this relationship could be blunted by increasing arterial oxygen tension. It is possible that part of the decrease in cerebellar cGMP content by CNS depressants observed in several species in many laboratories may be simply secondary to the decreased motor function and/or respiratory depression produced.
Decision analysis to compare treatment strategies for Stage I/favorable histology Wilms tumor.

Background Decision analysis was used to clarify differences in survival and complication rates comparing surgery alone versus surgery plus chemotherapy for Stage I, favorable histology Wilms tumor patients. Procedure A state transition model was used to simulate treatment with nephrectomy-only, nephrectomy with adjuvant vincristine (VCR) or with vincristine plus dactinomcyin (NWTS Regimen EE4A). Rates of relapse and complications of therapy were obtained from the literature. In sensitivity analysis, the model was probed for the value(s) at which the treatment of choice changes. Results The overall survival (OS) is essentially the same for patients treated with any of the three strategies (OSNephrectomy = 98.8%; OSEE4A = 98.8%; OSVCR = 98.6%). Rates of serious long-term complications in the surviving population are also similar across treatment strategies (nephrectomy = 1.4%; VCR = 1.2%; EE4A = 0.3%). Both the progression and salvage rates after nephrectomy-only would have to be much worse than expected for nephrectomy-only to be an unacceptable strategy. Conclusions The differences in overall survival and rates of long-term complications between the three different initial strategies were negligible in the model. Based on this analysis, it was decided by the Children's Oncology Group that it was acceptable to continue to include nephrectomy without adjuvant chemotherapy as an experimental arm of the low risk Wilms tumor protocol with stringent eligibility criteria and close follow-up. Decision analysis can have a role in clinical trial design by making the tradeoffs between strategies more explicit. The robustness of these conclusions can be tested by widely varying the underlying assumptions. Pediatr Blood Cancer. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Torsional deformation of the left ventricular midwall in human hearts with intramyocardial markers: regional heterogeneity and sensitivity to the inotropic effects of abrupt rate changes.

The spiral orientation of left ventricular (LV) fibers suggests that twisting about the ventricular long axis of the apex with respect to the base, i.e., torsional deformation, may be characteristic of LV contraction. To demonstrate this twisting motion, 10 orthotopic human cardiac allograft recipients were studied with biplane cineradiography of tantalum helices implanted within the LV midwall at 12 specific sites. Counterclockwise twisting about the LV long axis (as reviewed from apex to base) accompanied ventricular ejection in all patients. Torsional deformation angles, measured relative to a reference minor axis at the base, were substantially smaller in the anteroapical wall, as compared with counterparts in the apical third of the inferior and lateral walls (anterior = 13.3 +/- 6.0 degrees, inferior = 18.7 +/- 6.3 degrees, and lateral = 23.4 +/- 10.7 degrees). Torsional angles at the midventricular level were roughly half as much and exhibited similar regional variabilities (anterior = 7.6 +/- 3.3 degrees, inferior = 9.0 +/- 3.3 degrees, lateral = 10.7 +/- 5.2 degrees, and septal = 8.8 +/- 3.8 degrees). Comparison of control beats and the initial beat after abrupt cessation of rapid atrial pacing (126 +/- 10 beats/min) with return to the control heart rate (96 +/- 9 beats/min) permitted the mild positive inotropic effect of tachycardia to be assessed at similar levels of ventricular load. Torsional deformation of the anteroapical and inferoapical sites increased significantly (p less than 0.05) over control values to 15.6 +/- 7.5 degrees and 21.2 +/- 5.5 degrees, respectively. In contrast, torsional deformation of the lateral wall was essentially unchanged. These data provide direct evidence for torsional deformation of the left ventricle in humans, demonstrate that torsion of the LV chamber is nonuniform, and suggest a dependence of LV torsion upon contractile strength that is attenuated in the lateral wall.
The Infrared Horizon of the Planet Earth

Infrared horizon of planet earth - difference between surface, atmospheric, & outer space spectral regions - choosing spacecraft sensors