cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aspects of the computer-based patient record

A particular political issue today concerns ways of improving national healthcare systems without incurring further costs. An extensive study by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in the United States formally reported that computer-based patient records are absolutely necessary to help contain the cost explosion in health care. The information obtained from experts, the studies conducted, and the conclusions that went into the IOM's report have now been collected in this volume. A large portion of the volume discusses the state-of-the-art in existing computer-based systems as well as the essential needs which must be addressed by future computer-based patients' records. A final section in the book discusses implementation strategies for changing to the electronic system and practical issues. The book asks who will bear the final cost? how and when will health-care providers who use the system be trained? This volume contains the sort of information which hospital administrators, hospital systems designers, third-party payer groups, and medical technology providers will need in any sucessful transition to hospital systems which use a computer-based patient record.
Enhancement of transgene expression by nuclear transcription factor Y and CCCTC-binding factor.

If a transgene is effectively delivered to a cell, its expression may still be limited by epigenetic mechanisms that silence the transgene. Indeed, once the transgene reaches the nucleus, it may be bound by histone proteins and condensed into heterochromatin or associated with repressor proteins that block transcription. In this study, we sought to enhance transgene expression by adding binding motifs for several different epigenetic enzymes either upstream or downstream of two promoters (CMV and EF1α). Screening these plasmids revealed that luciferase expression was enhanced 10-fold (10.4 ± 5.8) by the addition of a CCAAT box just upstream of the EF1α promoter to recruit nuclear transcription factor Y (NF-Y), while inserting a CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) motif downstream of the EF1α promoter enhanced expression at least 14-fold (14.03 ± 6.54). ChIP assays confirmed that NF-Y and CTCF bound to the motifs that were added to each plasmid, but the presence of NF-Y and CTCF did not significantly affect the levels of histone acetylation (H3K9ac) or methylation (H3K9me3). Overall, these results show that transgene expression from the EF1α promoter can be significantly increased with motifs that recruit NF-Y or CTCF. © 2018 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 34:1581-1588, 2018.
Endothelial Stabilization Reduces the Effects of Brain Death Induced Acute Lung Injury Post-Transplant

Purpose Donor Brain death (BD) provokes activation of inflammatory pathways resulting in acute lung injury (BD-ALI), characterized by the breakdown of endothelial and epithelial barrier function. These injuries are further propagated in the early transplant period by ischemia reperfusion injury (IRI) which together adversely affect post-transplant outcomes. We have developed and characterized a novel small molecule gap/tight junction stabilizer, aCT1, which we have shown to improve cellular communication and integrity. Herein we explored the use of aCT1 as a pretreatment therapeutic to protect donor lungs from the effects of BD-ALI. Methods A mouse model of BD and orthotopic left lung transplant (LTx) were utilized to examine the effects of aCT1 on barrier function stabilization in BD and subsequent impact on LTx outcomes. Following BD induction donors were nebulized with aCT1 or vehicle and ventilated for a further 3 hours. Lungs were then removed to be flushed with and stored in Perfadex solution at 4°C. After 18 hours of cold storage the right lung was processed for histological analysis and the left lung transplanted into CD45.1 B6 mice. Transplanted lungs were then harvested 6 hours post-Tx for analysis of graft injury via histopathology and protein quantification. For controls a standard living donor (LD) model was used for comparison. Results After 3 hrs of BD induction and 18 hours cold ischemia, lungs had BD-ALI features which included significant increases in immune cell infiltration, edema, and endothelial activation. Treatment with aCT1 had no impact on BD-ALI features. 6 hrs post-Tx lungs from BD donors had significantly increased IRI as compared to LD controls, as determined by increased immune cell infiltration and pathological assessment of injury. Treatment of BD donors with aCT1 significantly reduced this BD injury profile, with pathological injury not dissimilar to that seen in LD controls (BD+aCT1 3 vs. BD 8.25, BD+aCT1 3 vs. LD 3, respectively. p Conclusion These data support gap junction stabilization as a viable option for protecting donor lungs against BD-ALI exacerbated ischemia reperfusion injury.
Fragility of Fermi arcs in Dirac semimetals

We use tunable, vacuum ultraviolet laser based angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the electronic properties of Dirac semimetal candidate cubic ${\mathrm{PtBi}}_{2}$. In addition to bulk electronic states we also find surface states in ${\mathrm{PtBi}}_{2}$, which is expected as ${\mathrm{PtBi}}_{2}$ was theoretically predicated to be a candidate Dirac semimetal. The surface states are also well reproduced from DFT band calculations. Interestingly, the topological surface states form Fermi contours rather than double Fermi arcs that were observed in ${\mathrm{Na}}_{3}\mathrm{Bi}$. The surface bands forming the Fermi contours merge with bulk bands in proximity to the Dirac point projections, as expected. Our data confirm the existence of Dirac states in ${\mathrm{PtBi}}_{2}$ and reveal the fragility of the Fermi arcs in Dirac semimetals. Because the Fermi arcs are not topologically protected in general, they can be deformed into Fermi contours, as proposed by M. Kargarian et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 113, 8648 (2016)]. Our results demonstrate the validity of this theory in ${\mathrm{PtBi}}_{2}$.
Investigation of free convection in micropolar nanofluid with induced magnetic field

The spotlight of the study is mainly the effect of the induced magnetic field on the free convection for a non-Newtonian micropolar nanofluid using the single phase model. The nondimensional equations describing the fluid motion, energy, angular momentum and the induced magnetic field of nanofluid are solved using the Keller box method. The study of the effect of the magnetic Reynolds number on the fluid flow, heat and mass transfer is carried out as an important part of the investigation. The behavior of the nanofluid is also observed under the effect of the spin viscosity material parameter of the micropolar fluid. It is interesting to see that the angular momentum boundary layer shrinks for a greater Prandtl number while the suction velocity enhances the angular momentum profile. The material parameter is found to reduce the velocity profile as well as the skin friction coefficient.
Transfer Learning from an Auxiliary Discriminative Task for Unsupervised Anomaly Detection.

Unsupervised anomaly detection from high dimensional data like mobility networks is a challenging task. Study of different approaches of feature engineering from such high dimensional data have been a focus of research in this field. This study aims to investigate the transferability of features learned by network classification to unsupervised anomaly detection. We propose use of an auxiliary classification task to extract features from unlabelled data by supervised learning, which can be used for unsupervised anomaly detection. We validate this approach by designing experiments to detect anomalies in mobility network data from New York and Taipei, and compare the results to traditional unsupervised feature learning approaches of PCA and autoencoders. We find that our feature learning approach yields best anomaly detection performance for both datasets, outperforming other studied approaches. This establishes the utility of this approach to feature engineering, which can be applied to other problems of similar nature.
Episode Payments for Transcatheter and Surgical Aortic Valve Replacement.

Background: Aortic stenosis is the most common valvular heart disease in the United States. Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is increasingly being adopted as an alternative to surgical...
A Model to Improve the Workflow for Radiation Treatments in the Era of Bundled Payments: A Quality Improvement Project Report.

Abstract The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed alternate payment models to improve the efficiency and decrease the redundancy of health care. Bundled payments or episode-based care is one example. Herein, we report on the successful implementation of a quality improvement project in which changing the clinical workflow for postoperative radiation treatment to the hip to prevent heterotopic ossification improved the efficiency of patient care and decreased cost by eliminating redundant imaging through multidisciplinary participation. This project is a model for interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient care and reduce unnecessary health care spending in the era of bundled payment/episodes of care program implementation.
Limb ischemia and bleeding in patients requiring venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation

Abstract Objective Acute limb ischemia (ALI) and cannulation site bleeding are frequent complications of venoarterial (VA) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and are associated with worse outcomes. The goals of this study were to assess our rates of ECMO-related ALI and bleeding and to evaluate the efficacy of strategies to prevent them, such as distal perfusion cannula (DPC) and ultrasound-guided cannulation. Methods This is a single-center retrospective cohort study of adult patients placed on peripheral VA-ECMO at a tertiary medical center between 2014 and 2018. ALI was defined as new ischemia of the extremity ipsilateral to arterial cannulation. Significant cannulation site bleeding was defined as excessive bleeding requiring intervention (eg, transfusion or reoperation). Univariate analyses were used to identify factors associated with ALI, bleeding, and in-hospital mortality. Results During the study period, 105 patients were placed on peripheral VA-ECMO (61.3% female; mean age, 54.9 ± 14.8 years). Nearly half (46.6%) had ECMO implantation in an extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation setting and 37 (44.0%) had a DPC. Average duration of support was 5.6 ± 5.0 days. Overall in-hospital mortality and death on ECMO support were 65.1% and 50%, respectively. ALI occurred in 21 (20%) and cannulation-related bleeding occurred in 24 (22.9%) patients who were treated with a total of 27 procedures, including thromboembolectomy (22.2%), vascular repair (18.5%), and fasciotomy (25.9%). On univariate analysis, cannulation in the operating room (odds ratio [OR], 0.25; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.08-0.77; P = .02) was associated with decreased risk of ALI, whereas cannulation in the operating room (OR, 2.65; 95% CI, 1.09-6.45; P = .03) and cutdown approach (OR, 4.96; 95% CI, 2.32-10.61; P Conclusions ALI and significant bleeding are common occurrences after peripheral VA-ECMO cannulation. Whereas DPC placement did not significantly decrease risk of ALI, ultrasound-guided cannulation decreased the risk of bleeding. Cannulation in the operating room is associated with decreased risk of ALI at the expense of increased risk of bleeding. ALI, older age (≥65 years), and worse heart failure increased risk of in-hospital mortality.
COVID-19 Upends Pandemic Plan

COVID-19 quickly spread worldwide, with over 113,000 deaths in the United States by June 2020. Governments at all levels in this nation responded. This analysis starts with a basic question: How did prior planning for pandemics shape responses? A second question emerges: why were data systems inadequate? Expectations, policies, and procedures focused on addressing influenza pandemics shaped responses to COVID-19. Crippled by inadequate data, federal experts did not fully understand likely impacts of COVID-19 until early March. Planned public health processes were overwhelmed by a surge in infections and deaths. Decision making planned to be responses by experts moved to elected officials. Needed data were provided by sources outside government. Governors in 42 states issued stay-at-home orders, causing severe dislocations in the economy and society at a scale never experienced before as the result of deliberate public policy choices. Possible improvements for the future are discussed.
Increased lipid synthesis in the culture of Chlorella homosphaera with magnetic fields application

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the influence of different intensities (15, 30 and 60 mT) and exposure times (1 h d-1, 24 h d-1) of magnetic fields (MF) on the stimulation of lipid synthesis by the microalga Chlorella homosphaera. The growth and biochemical characterization of protein, carbohydrate and lipid content were determined. Biomass concentration increased by 20.6% (30 mT, 1 h d-1) and 12.4 % (60 mT, 1 h d-1) in the presence of MF. However, biomass decreased by 33.0 % (15 mT 1 h d-1) in relation to control cultivation (CC). The stress caused by the MF application stimulated lipid synthesis and biomass production. In all evaluated conditions, MF application showed a positive effect on lipid production; the application of 60 mT or 30 mT for 1 h d-1 increased lipid productivity by 108.4% and 135.1%, respectively. MF application with ferrite magnets was thus efficient to stimulate lipid synthesis.
Momentum fluctuations in coarse grained systems

At first glance the definition of mass and momentum appears to be uniquely defined. We show here, however, that this certainty can be misleading for many coarse grained systems. We show that particularly the fluctuating properties of common definitions of momentum in coarse grained methods like lattice gas and lattice Boltzmann do not agree with a fundamental definition of momentum. In the case of lattice gases, the definition of momentum will even disagree in the limit of large wavelength. For short times we can give analytical representations for the distribution of different momentum measures and thereby give a full account of these differences.
"Did I Choose a Birth Control Method Yet?" Health Care and Women's Contraceptive Decision-Making.

In the United States, unintended pregnancy is medicalized, having been labeled a health problem and "treated" with contraception. Scholars find women's access to contraception is simultaneously facilitated and constrained by health care system actors and its structure. Yet, beyond naming these barriers, less research centers women's experiences making contraceptive decisions as they encounter such barriers. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 86 diverse, self-identified women, this study explores how the medicalization of unintended pregnancy has influenced women's contraceptive access and decision-making. We highlight the breadth of such influence across multiple contraceptive types and health care contexts; namely, we find the two most salient forces shaping women's contraceptive decisions to be their insurance coverage and providers' contraceptive counseling. Within these two categories, we offer crucial nuance to demonstrate how these oft-cited barriers implicitly and explicitly influence women's decisions. Paradoxically, it is the health care system, itself, that both offers yet constrains women's contraceptive decisions.
The transformation of aragonite to calcite in the presence of magnesium: Implications for marine diagenesis

Abstract Magnesium (Mg) in natural waters plays a critical role in governing carbonate mineral formation, dissolution, and diagenesis. Previous laboratory experiments show that Mg can strongly inhibit direct calcite precipitation as well as aragonite to calcite diagenetic transformation. Data from natural settings, however, suggest that diagenetic calcite in most Phanerozoic limestones has formed in the shallow marine burial realm in the presence of ample Mg. Thus, the diagenetic conditions under which aragonite-rich sediments convert to calcite-rich limestones are poorly understood. Here, we present data from laboratory experiments whereby aragonite is converted to calcite at 70 °C in Mg-bearing solutions to investigate the effects of fluid:solid ratio (F:S), which varies greatly across diagenetic environments, on Mg inhibition and incorporation in calcite. Our data show that not only can the transformation of aragonite to calcite occur in solutions with higher [Mg] than previously shown possible in laboratory experiments, but that progressively lower F:S increase the rate at which aragonite stabilizes to calcite. For example, in experiments with an F:S of 0.3 mL/g, which corresponds to sediments in a closed system with 50% porosity, aragonite stabilizes to calcite in solution with [Mg] = 30 mM (Mg/Ca = 5.14) when an initial high degree of undersaturation with respect to aragonite is used and in a solution with [Mg] = 20 (Mg/Ca = 5.14) when a low degree of undersaturation is used. In contrast, aragonite does not stabilize to calcite after nearly 3000 h in experiments with an F:S of 100 mL/g, which is more typical of an open system, even in a solution with [Mg] = 5 mM (Mg/Ca = 5.14) regardless of the degree of undersaturation. Our results also show that the amount of Mg incorporated into calcite products increases linearly with the increase of F:S. Collectively, these observations further point to F:S as an important factor in carbonate diagenesis with broad implications. First, the observations that transformation of aragonite to calcite is inhibited at high [Mg] and F:S imply that calcite precipitation is unlikely to occur in marine diagenetic environments that are in direct hydrologic contact with seawater. This leaves aragonite dissolution as the dominant diagenetic process in these environments, which may represent an underrated source of alkalinity to the open ocean. Second, transformation from aragonite-rich sediments to the calcite-rich limestones that dominate the rock record is likely promoted by a decrease in the F:S and the development of a closed system during progressive burial.
UFIT: A tool for modeling faults in UPPAAL timed automata

We present the tool UFIT (Uppaal Fault Injector for Timed automata). In UFIT, we model five types of faults, namely, message loss, transient, byzantine, stuck-at, and fail-stop faults. Given the fault-free timed automata model and the selection of a type of fault, UFIT models the faults and generates the fault-affected timed automata model automatically. As a result, the designer can analyze the behavior of the model in the presence of faults. Moreover, there are several tools that extract timed automata models from higher-level programs. Hence, the designer can use UFIT to inject the faults into the extracted models.
Legal Education, Feminist Epistemology, and the Socratic Method

I have been asked to comment on the papers presented by Judith Resnik and Deborah Rhode. Deborah and Judith have both demonstrated how certain elements of feminist theory would move us toward transformations of legal education, and of law practice as well. I would like to talk about the contribution made by another aspect of feminist theory: the feminist critique of mainstream epistemology.1 First, I'll say a few words about how Deborah's and Judith's transformative goals rest on a feminist epistemology, and then I will turn to a more specific example of transformation. The Socratic method is perhaps the clearest expression of mainstream epistemological assumptions in traditional legal education. I'd like to explore whether a feminist Socratic method is possible and what it might look like.
When Does Soldier Patriotism or Nationalism Matter? The Role of Transformational Small-Unit Leaders

Patriotism and nationalism, 2 sets of attitudes often associated with the military, are examined in relation to perceived combat readiness and intention to remain in military service. Transformational leadership served as an intervening variable in these relationships. Survey data obtained from a sample of Army National Guard soldiers (N = 415) were used to examine relationships. Among junior-ranking enlisted soldiers, both patriotism and nationalism showed significant, positive associations with perceived combat readiness and intention to remain in military service. The structural equation model fit soldiers' nationalistic attitudes best, having a considerable indirect effect through transformational leadership on perceived combat readiness. Implications of nationalistic and patriotic attitudes combined with charismatic leaders to benefit soldier readiness and retention are discussed.
Optimizing Cloud Mobile 3D Display Gaming user experience by asymmetric object of interest rendering

The growing popularity of auto-stereoscopic 3D displays for mobile devices, together with ubiquitous wireless networks, have fueled an increasing user expectation for rich 3D mobile multimedia experiences, including 3D display gaming. However, rendering 3D games on mobile devices requires high computational power and battery and thus may restrict users from enjoying true 3D experience for a long time. In this paper, we explore the possibility of developing Cloud Mobile 3D Display Gaming, where the 3D video rendering and encoding are performed on cloud servers, with the resulting 3D video streamed wirelessly to mobile devices with 3D displays. However, with the significantly higher bitrate requirement for 3D video, ensuring user experience may be a challenge considering the bandwidth constraints and fluctuations of mobile networks. In this paper, we propose a novel asymmetric Object of Interest (OOI) rendering approach, which adapts the rendering richness of different objects according to their importance in order to reduce the video encoding bitrate needed while maintaining a satisfactory video quality, thereby making it easier to transmit the 3D game video over wireless network. Specifically, we first develop a model to quantitatively measure the user experience by different OOI rendering settings. We also develop a model to relate the bitrate of the resulting video with the changes of different OOI Rendering settings. We further propose an optimization algorithm which uses the above two models to automatically decide the optimal OOI rendering settings for left view and right view to ensure the best user experience given the network conditions. Experiments conducted using real 4G-LTE network profiles on commercial cloud service demonstrate the improvement in user experience when the proposed optimization algorithm is applied.
Fracture Failure Criteria of SOFC PEN Structure

Thermal stresses and warpage of the PEN are unavoidable due to the temperature changes from the stress-free sintering temperature to room temperature and mismatch of the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of various layers in the PEN structures of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) during the PEN manufacturing process. In the meantime, additional mechanical stresses will also be created by mechanical flattening during the stack assembly process. The porous nature of anode and cathode in the PEN structures determines presence of the initial flaws and crack on the interfaces of anode/electrolyte/cathode and in the interior of the materials. The sintering/assembling induced stresses may cause the fracture failure of PEN structure. Therefore, fracture failure criteria for SOFC PEN structures is developed in order to ensure the structural integrity of the cell and stack of SOFC. In this paper, the fracture criteria based on the relationship between the critical energy release rate and critical curvature and maximum displacement of the warped cells caused by the temperature changes as well as mechanical flattening process is established so that possible failure of SOFC PEN structures may be predicted deterministically by the measurement of the curvature and displacement of the warped cells.
Preconditioned Krylov Subspace Methods for the Numerical Solution of Markov Chains

In a general projection technique the original matrix problem of size N is approximated by one of dimension m, typically much smaller than N. A particularly successful class of techniques based on this principle is that of Krylov subspace methods which utilise subspaces of the form span{v, Av,…., Am-1 v}. This general principle can be used to solve linear systems and eigenvalue problems which arise when computing stationary probability distributions of Markov chains. It can also be used to approximate the product of the exponential of a matrix by a vector as occurs when following the solutions of transient models. In this paper we give an overview of these ideas and discuss preconditioning techniques which constitute an essential ingredient in the success of Krylov subspace methods.
Integration and Induction of Phage P22 in a Recombination-deficient Mutant of Salmonella typhimurium

Phage P22 can integrate as prophage into a recombination-deficient (Rec(-)) strain of Salmonella typhimurium. At 37 C, the integration efficiency is only 10% that in Rec(+) infection, but at 25 C the efficiencies in Rec(-) and Rec(+) hosts are similar. Rec(-) lysogens cannot be induced by ultraviolet irradiation or by treatments with the chemical inducing agents streptonigrin or mitomycin C. Heat induction of Rec(-) cells lysogenic for a temperature-sensitive c(2) mutant (ts c(2)) is normal, showing that the Rec(-) cell has the machinery necessary for prophage excision. Ultraviolet irradiation of Rec(-) (ts c(2)) lysogens prior to heat induction does not prevent the formation of infective centers after temperature shift. Thus, the noninducibility of Rec(-) lysogens is not due to destruction of the prophage as a result of ultraviolet irradiation. Deoxyribonucleic acid-ribonucleic acid (RNA) hybridization experiments demonstrate that no increase in phage-specific RNA synthesis occurs after ultraviolet irradiation of a Rec(-) (c(+)) lysogen. The Rec(-) mutant appears to lack part of the mechanism required to destroy the phage repressor and allow the initiation of early phage functions such as messenger RNA synthesis. A similar conclusion was reached previously for an Escherichia coli Rec(-) strain.
Arenaviruses: Cellular Response to Long-Term In Vitro Infection with Parana and Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis Viruses

Persistent infections were established in suspension cultures of BHK21/13S cells with both Parana and lymphocytic choriomeningitis viruses. Four generations after infection with either virus, more than 90% of the cells scored as infective centers, with concomitant peaks in extracellular virus yields. In both cultures the synthesis of detectable plaque-forming units (PFU) ceased about the 50th generation postinfection, and this condition was maintained until the 350th cell generation when the cultures were discontinued. The generation time of each culture was identical to that of uninfected parent controls, and at no time were cytopathic effects evident. In spite of the absence of infectivity, over 90% of the cells sampled at various times contained viral antigen demonstrable by immunofluorescence. When either of these persistently infected cell lines was substituted for normal cells in the standard plaque assay, very low efficiencies of plating were observed for homotypic and heterotypic viruses. Plaque formation by several heterologous viruses was virtually unaffected. The mechanism of homotypic plaque exclusion in both cell lines was shown to occur beyond the virion adsorption stage. The original infecting virus genome persisted in both cell lines after standard virus was no longer detectable. This was shown with the lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus-infected cells after storage in liquid nitrogen. After thawing, such cells were found to synthesize standard virus for a brief period. Although the Parana virus-infected cells did not behave this way, the growth medium from these cells would initiate PFU synthesis in normal cells within 36 hr after infection.
Dry spots and wet spots in the Andean hotspot

Aim To explain the relationship between topography, prevailing winds and precipitation in order to identify regions with contrasting precipitation regimes and then compare floristic similarity among regions in the context of climate change. Location Eastern slope of the tropical Andes, South America. Methods We used information sources in the public domain to identify the relationship between geology, topography, prevailing wind patterns and precipitation. Areas with contrasting precipitation regimes were identified and compared for their floristic similarity. Results We identify spatially separate super-humid, humid and relatively dry regions on the eastern slope of the Andes and show how they are formed by the interaction of prevailing winds, diurnally varying atmospheric circulations and the local topography of the Andes. One key aspect related to the formation of these climatically distinct regions is the South American low-level jet (SALLJ), a relatively steady wind gyre that flows pole-ward along the eastern slopes of the Andes and is part of the gyre associated with the Atlantic trade winds that cross the Amazon Basin. The strongest winds of the SALLJ occur near the ‘elbow of the Andes’ at 18° S. Super-humid regions with mean annual precipitation greater than 3500 mm, are associated with a ‘favourable’ combination of topography, wind-flow orientation and local air circulation that favours ascent at certain hours of the day. Much drier regions, with mean annual precipitation less than 1500 mm, are associated with ‘unfavourable’ topographic orientation with respect to the mean winds and areas of reduced cloudiness produced by local breezes that moderate the cloudiness. We show the distribution of satellite-estimated frequency of cloudiness and offer hypotheses to explain the occurrence of these patterns and to explain regions of anomalously low precipitation in Bolivia and northern Peru. Floristic analysis shows that overall similarity among all circumscribed regions of this study is low; however, similarity among super-humid and humid regions is greater when compared with similarity among dry regions. Spatially separate areas with humid and super-humid precipitation regimes show similarity gradients that are correlated with latitude (proximity) and precipitation. Main conclusions The distribution of precipitation on the eastern slope of the Andes is not simply correlated with latitude, as is often assumed, but is the result of the interplay between wind and topography. Understanding the phenomena responsible for producing the observed precipitation patterns is important for mapping and modelling biodiversity, as well as for interpreting both past and future climate scenarios and the impact of climate change on biodiversity. Super-humid and dry regions have topographic characteristics that contribute to local climatic stability and may represent ancestral refugia for biodiversity; these regions are a conservation priority due to their unique climatic characteristics and the biodiversity associated with those characteristics.
Optical nonlinearities and ultrafast carrier dynamics in semiconductor quantum dots

Low-dimensional semiconductors have attracted great interest due to the potential for tailoring their linear and nonlinear optical properties over a wide-range. Semiconductor nanocrystals (NCs) represent a class of quasi-zero-dimensional objects or quantum dots. In this paper we report femtosecond (fs) studies of ultrafast optical nonlinearities, and energy relaxation and trapping dynamics in three types of quantum-dot systems: semiconductor NC/glass composites made by high temperature precipitation, ion-implanted NCs, and colloidal NCs. Comparison of ultrafast data for different samples allows us to separate effects being intrinsic to quantum dots from those related to lattice imperfections and interface properties.
Effect of Intelligent Instruction on Students' Mental Models and Performance:

The effects of two types of Intelligent Computer Aided Instruction (ICAI) and a non-intelligent tutoring system on the development of students' mental models and on performance was explored. One of the two ICAI systems provided both principle-based and task specific advice while the other provided task specific advice only. The non-intelligent CAI provided no advice. The problems presented to students increased in difficulty as the student progressed. It was hypothesized that the mental models of students who interacted with the ICAI that provided both principle-based and task specific advice would be most similar in structure to a “gold standard” model, and that these students would also exhibit the best performance. It was also hypothesized that students who were exposed to the ICAI that provided only task specific advice would perform better, and exhibit more accurate and detailed mental models than would students who interacted with the CAI that provided no advice. Study results indicated that student...
Fundamentals of excitation and resonance of a near-field transducer in the presence of a conductive magnetic recording medium

Plasmonic Near-Field Transducers (NFTs) find use in Energy-Assisted Magnetic Recording (EAMR) schemes, where a high-anisotropy recording medium is locally heated to the Curie temperature, allowing conventional magnetic recording heads to overcome the high coercivity of the medium. However, coupling efficiency is low, and the conditions for excitation and resonance are poorly understood. In this work, we explore the behavior of a canonical EAMR setup including rectangular dielectric waveguide, elliptic cylinder gold NFT, and conductive planar recording medium. We systematically examine the effects of polarization and angle; spacing between NFT, waveguide, and recording medium; and variations in NFT size and incident wavelength.
Preparation of fullerene-shell dendrimer-core nanoconjugates.

Generation 4 amine-terminated polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM G4) was allowed to react with an excess of buckminsterfullerene (C60) to form a nanoconjugate containing a PAMAM core and C60 shell. The PAMAM−C60 conjugate was characterized by MALDI-TOF, TGA, UV−vis, and IR spectroscopy. Approximately thirty shell fullerenes surround each dendrimer core. The conjugates catalyze photooxidation of thioanisole by generation of singlet oxygen (1O2). The oxidation reactions occur in both organic and aqueous solvents, but the reactivity is enhanced in aqueous solution, possibly due to a nanoreactor effect resulting from diffusion of hydrophobic reactant molecules into dendrimer cavities.1
On the behavior of nonexchangeable potassium in soils

Abstract A comprehensive review on the chemistry and mineralogy of nonexchangeable potassium is presented. Forms of soil K, the effect of mineralogy on release of nonexchangeable K, methods of determining nonexchangeable K, and the kinetics of non‐exchangeable ? release are fully discussed.
TNF-α/TNFR1 signaling is required for the development and function of primary nociceptors.

Summary Primary nociceptors relay painful touch information from the periphery to the spinal cord. Although it is established that signals generated by receptor tyrosine kinases TrkA and Ret coordinate the development of distinct nociceptive circuits, mechanisms modulating TrkA or Ret pathways in developing nociceptors are unknown. We have identified tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor 1 (TNFR1) as a critical modifier of TrkA and Ret signaling in peptidergic and nonpeptidergic nociceptors. Specifically, TrkA+ peptidergic nociceptors require TNF-α-TNFR1 forward signaling to suppress nerve growth factor (NGF)-mediated neurite growth, survival, excitability, and differentiation. Conversely, TNFR1-TNF-α reverse signaling augments the neurite growth and excitability of Ret+ nonpeptidergic nociceptors. The developmental and functional nociceptive defects associated with loss of TNFR1 signaling manifest behaviorally as lower pain thresholds caused by increased sensitivity to NGF. Thus, TNFR1 exerts a dual role in nociceptor information processing by suppressing TrkA and enhancing Ret signaling in peptidergic and nonpeptidergic nociceptors, respectively.
Massive Parallel Laser Shock Peening: Simulation, Verification, and Analysis

Laser shock peening (LSP) is a surface treatment process to improve the surface integrity of metallic components. The nearly pure mechanical process of LSP results in favorable surface integrity such as compressive residual stress and improved surface material properties. Since LSP is a transient process with laser pulse duration time on the order of 40 ns, real time in-situ measurement of laser/material interaction is very challenging, if not impossible. A fundamental understanding of laser/material interactions is essential for LSP planning. Previous finite element simulations of LSP have been limited to a single laser shock location for both two and three dimensional modeling. However, actual LSP are performed in a massively parallel mode which involves almost simultaneous multi-laser/material interactions in order to induce uniform compressive residual stress across the entire surface of the workpiece. The massively parallel laser/material interactions have a significant compound/interfering effect on the resulting surface integrity of the workpiece. The numerical simulation of shock pressure as a function of time and space during LSP is another critical problem. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effects of parallel multiple laser/material interactions on the stress/strain distributions in the workpiece during LSP of AISI 52100 steel. FEA simulations of LSP in single and multiple passes were performed with the developed spatial and temporal shock pressure model via a subroutine. The simulated residual stresses agree with the measured data in nature and trend, while magnitude can be influenced by the interactions between neighboring peening zones and the locations of residual stress measurement. Design-of-experiment (DOE) based simulations of massive parallel LSP were also performed to determine the effects of laser intensity, laser spot size, and peening spacing on stresses and strains. Increasing the laser intensity increases both the stress magnitude and affected depth. The use of smaller laser spot sizes decreases the largest magnitude of residual stress and also decreases the depth affected by LSP. Larger spot sizes have less energy attenuation and cause more plastic deformation. Spacing between peening zones is critical for the uniformity of mechanical properties across the surface. The greatest uniformity and largest stress magnitudes are achieved by overlapping of the laser spots.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Maximizing H2 production by combined partial oxidation of CH4 and water gas shift reaction

A dense ceramic membrane reactor has been constructed to exclusively transport oxygen for the partial oxidation of methane (CH4) to syngas (a mixture of CO and H2) at temperatures of 850–900°C. H2 production is enhanced in a second catalytic reactor through the water gas shift reaction, in which the CO reacts with steam that is injected into the reactor at a controlled rate to produce CO2 and H2. Experiments and thermodynamic calculations were used to establish the optimal lower temperature (≈400°C) and lower steam-to-CO ratio (≈2) to achieve thermodynamic efficiency while maximizing H2 production. No unusual synergisms were observed by the combination of the two processes and the experimental results are in good agreement with thermodynamic predictions.
Cyclophosphamide-associated carcinomaof urothelium: Modalities for prevention

Abstract The relationship between the cyclophosphamide metaboliteacrolein and hemorrhagic cystitis is well documented. Its role in inducing bladder cancer is not clear. There are at least 35 cases of cyclophosphamide-associated bladder cancer in the literature to date. We report 3 additional cases of transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. Literature assessing the relative risk of bladder cancer associated with cyclophosphamide therapy is reviewed as are methods for decreasing the toxic effects on the urothelium of the metabolite acrolein.
Resolution enhancement through TARID processing

This paper outlines a generalized image reconstruction approach to improve the resolution of an Electro-Optic (EO) imaging sensor using multiple frames of an image sequence. This method only assumes the constituent video has some ambient motion between the sensor and stationary background, and the optical image is physically captured by a staring focal plane array.
Prostaglandins Promote and Block Adipogenesis through Opposing Effects on Peroxisome Proliferator-activated Receptor γ

Fat cell differentiation is a critical aspect of obesity and diabetes. Dietary fatty acids are converted to arachidonic acid, which serves as precursor of prostaglandins (PGs). PGJ2 derivatives function as activating ligands for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma), a nuclear hormone receptor that is central to adipogenic determination. We report here that PGF2 alpha blocks adipogenesis through activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase, resulting in inhibitory phosphorylation of PPAR gamma. Both mitogen-activated protein kinase activation and PPAR gamma phosphorylation are required for the anti-adipogenic effects of PGF2 alpha. Thus, PG signals generated at a cell surface receptor regulate the program of gene expression required for adipogenesis by modulating the activity of a nuclear hormone receptor that is directly activated by other PG signals. The balance between PGF2 alpha and PGJ2 signaling may thus be central to the development of obesity and diabetes.
Higher-order squeezing from an anharmonic oscillator

We show that ordinary coherent light, interacting with a nonabsorbing nonlinear medium modeled as an anharmonic oscillator, is highly squeezed, at least up to the sixth order.
Amount of feeding activity and size of meals in free-feeding rats.

Abstract Instrumentation is described for simultaneous measurement of feeding duration (time actually spent feeding during a nominal meal) and weight of food eaten in individual meals throughout 24-hr periods in free-feeding rats. These variables were measured in two rat strains. Meal weight cannot usefully be estimated directly from meal duration (total time from beginning to end of a nominal meal) or from meal feeding duration. An adjustment procedure is described that removes systematic error and allows a useful estimate to be made from meal feeding duration. The discrepancy remaining between measured and estimated meal size is quite large and is a measure of the independence of control of food intake and control of the behavioral output of feeding.
Power, Participation, and Inflexible Institutions: An Examination of the Challenges to Community Empowerment in Participatory GIS Applications

Participatory GIS (PGIS) applications provide tools that allow underprivileged groups to make a case for recognition, participation, and political access. These community-based applications have therefore become the focal point for claims about public participation and empowerment. However, empowerment is a difficult and complex process necessitating the transformation of bureaucratic organizations into flexible institutions that address the concerns of marginalized groups in society. This process involves shifts in power relations during which PGIS organizations confront deeply embedded structures and vested political interests. Opposition from local leaders, unfamiliar customs and rituals, and lack of infrastructure and skilled GIS personnel impede successful participation and empowerment. Additionally, reliance on external sources of funding and expertise for PGIS projects severely limits their long-term sustainability. To date, PGIS applications have produced case studies about attempts to empower com...
Using glint to perform geometric signature prediction and pose estimation

We consider two problems in this paper. The rst problem is to construct a dictionary of elements without using synthetic data or a subset of the data collection; the second problem is to estimate the orientation of the vehicle, independent of the elevation angle. These problems are important to the SAR community because it will alleviate the cost to create the dictionary and reduce the number of elements in the dictionary needed for classication. In order to accomplish these tasks, we utilize the glint phenomenology, which is usually viewed as a hindrance in most algorithms but is valuable information in our research. One way to capitalize on the glint information is to predict the location of the int by using geometry of the single and double bounce phenomenology. After qualitative examination of the results, we were able to deduce that the geometry information was sucient for accurately predicting the location of the glint. Another way that we exploited the glint characteristics was by using it to extract the angle feature which we will use to do the pose estimation. Using this technique we were able to predict the cardinal heading of the vehicle within ±2° with 96:6% having 0° error. Now this research will have an impact on the classication of SAR images because the geometric prediction will reduce the cost and time to develop and maintain the database for SAR ATR systems and the pose estimation will reduce the computational time and improve accuracy of vehicle classication.
Circadian Blood Pressure and Renin, Aldosterone, Cortisol, and Prolactin Levels in Hypertensive Pseudohypoparathyroid Patients

We investigated the relation between 24-h recumbent blood pressure levels and secretory patterns of PRA, aldosterone, cortisol, and PRL in four hypertensive pesudohypoparathyroid (PsHP) males and nine age- and weight-matched males with essential hypertension. Although both groups had PRA and aldosterone circadian rhythms, the variability and concentrations of these hormones over 24 h were considerably less in PsHP patients. Plasma cortisol concentrations demonstrated a well defined circadian rhythm in both groups, with no discernable differences between the PsHP patients and the patients with essential hypertension. All patients with essential hypertension had circadian rhythms of PRL secretion, but the PsHP patients failed to demonstrate a circadian variation in PRL secretion. These results suggest that factors other than those investigated in this study are responsible for the maintenance of elevated blood pressures in PsHP patients. The absence of circadian secretion of PRL may be related to altered dopaminergic control mechanisms in PsHP patients.
Medical oncology: Second-line XELOX or FOLFOX-4 for metastatic colorectal cancer

In the movement towards individualized treatment regimens, Rothenberg et al. validate XELOX as another available systemic therapy for patients being treated with second-line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer. This paper adds to a growing body of data in the first-line and second-line setting that confirms the noninferiority of oral fluoropyrimidine-containing regimens.
A Weakness in Process Technology

Although the United States seems to be neither behind when it comes to research and development on new products or the willingness of its consumers to buy new products, the evidence clearly shows that it is behind when it comes to process technologies. Often Americans, even when a correction is made for wage differences, cannot produce goods at the price or quality levels achieved abroad. There is no one overriding reason for this lag in process technologies. An undereducated and trained labor force, too little savings and investment, a failure to see production as a central task, and a number of other factors have all contributed to the problem.