cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Review of: “Useless Arithmetic: Why Environmental Scientists Can't Predict the Future”

To the extent environmental scientists—or anyone else—can predict the future, reasonable predictions call for manifold methods and approaches consistent with the complex, noisy, protean real world....
Dynamic and cellular interactions of nanoparticles in vascular-targeted drug delivery (review)

Vascular-targeted drug delivery systems could provide more efficient and effective pharmaceutical interventions for treating a variety of diseases including cardiovascular, pulmonary, inflammatory,...
Aggregate structure identification and its application to program analysis

In this paper, we describe an efficient algorithm for lazily decomposing aggregates such as records and arrays into simpler components based on the access patterns specific to a given program. This process allows us both to identify implicit aggregate structure not evident from declarative information in the program, and to simplify the representation of declared aggregates when references are made only to a subset of their components. We show that the structure identification process can be exploited to yield the following principal results: - A fast type analysis algorithm applicable to program maintenance applications such as date usage inference for the "Year 2000" problem. - An efficient algorithm for atomization of aggregates. Given a program, an aggregate atomization decomposes all of the data that can be manipulated by the program into a set of disjoint atoms such that each data reference can be modeled as one or more references to atoms without loss of semantic information. Aggregate atomization can be used to adapt program analyses and representations designed for scalar data to aggregate data. In particular, atomization can be used to build more precise versions of program representations such as SSA form or PDGs. Such representations can in turn yield more accurate results for problems such as program slicing.Our techniques are especially useful in weakly-typed languages such as Cobol (where a variable need not be declared as an aggregate to store an aggregate value) and in languages where references to statically-defined subranges of data such as arrays or strings are allowed.
On the possibility of using polycrystalline material in the development of structure-based generic assays

The discovery of ligands that bind specifically to a targeted protein benefits from the development of generic assays for high-throughput screening of a library of chemicals. Protein powder diffraction (PPD) has been proposed as a potential method for use as a structure-based assay for high-throughput screening applications. Building on this effort, powder samples of bound/unbound states of soluble hen-egg white lysozyme precipitated with sodium chloride were compared. The correlation coefficients calculated between the raw diffraction profiles were consistent with the known binding properties of the ligands and suggested that the PPD approach can be used even prior to a full description using stereochemically restrained Rietveld refinement.
Blueprint and First Experiences Bridging Hardware Virtualization and Global Grids for Advanced Scientific Computing: Designing and Building a Global Edge Services Framework (ESF) for OSG, EGEE, and LCG

We report on first experiences with building and operating an edge services framework (ESF) based on Xen virtual machines instantiated via the workspace service in Globus toolkit, and developed as a joint project between EGEE, LCG, and OSG. Many computing facilities are architected with their compute and storage clusters behind firewalls. Edge services (ES) are instantiated on a small set of gateways to provide access to these clusters via standard grid interfaces. Experience on EGEE, LCG, and OSG has shown that at least two issues are of critical importance when designing an infrastructure in support of ES. The first concerns ES configuration. It is impractical to assume that each virtual organization (VO) using a facility will employ the same ES configuration, or that different configurations will coexist easily. Even within a VO, it should be possible to run different versions of the same ES simultaneously. The second issue concerns resource allocation: it is essential that an ESF be able to effectively guarantee resource allocation (e.g., memory, CPU, and networking) to different VOs. By providing virtualization on the level of instruction set architecture, virtual machines (VMs) allow configuration of independent software stacks for each VM executing on a resource. Modern implementations of this abstraction are extremely efficient and have outstanding fine-grained enforcement capabilities. To securely deploy VMs, we have extended the design of, and use, workspace service in the Globus toolkit, which allows a VO administrator to dynamically launch appropriately-configured system images. In addition, we are developing a library of such images, reflecting the needs of presently participating communities ATLAS, CMS, and CDF. In this paper, we report on first experiences designing, building and operating this edge services framework.
Projecting the Health and Economic Impact of Road Safety Initiatives: A Case Study of a Multi-country Project

Objective: The Road Safety in 10 Countries (RS-10) project will implement 12 different road safety interventions at specific sites within 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This evaluation reports the number of lives that RS-10 is projected to save in those locations, the economic value of the risk reduction, and the maximum level of investment that a public health intervention of this magnitude would be able to incur before its costs outweigh its health benefits. Methods: We assumed a 5-year time implementation horizon corresponding to the duration of RS-10. Based on a preliminary literature review, we estimated the effectiveness for each of the RS-10 interventions. Applying these effectiveness estimates to the size of the population at risk at RS-10 sites, we calculated the number of lives and life years saved (LYS) by RS-10. We projected the value of a statistical life (VSL) in each RS-10 country based on gross national income (GNI) and estimated the value of the lives saved using each countr...
SURVEY OF UROLOGICAL LAPAROSCOPIC PRACTICE PATTERNS IN THE MIDWEST

ABSTRACTPurpose: Laparoscopic surgery is assuming a greater role in the management of many urological disorders. We performed a survey of urologists in the Midwest United States to define laparoscopic practice patterns regarding urological disease.Materials and Methods: Surveys were mailed to 1,450 members of the North Central Section of the American Urological Association. Questions pertained to age, practice demographics, residency training and amount of laparoscopy performed.Results: A response rate of 33% was obtained. A total of 49% of urologists perform no laparoscopy, 30% devote less than 5% of their practice and 21% devote 5% or more of their practice to laparoscopy. Of the responders 15% believed they were adequately trained during residency to perform laparoscopy. Among those who performed hand assisted laparoscopy (HAL), 52% used it to gain familiarity with laparoscopic techniques. There was an inverse correlation between time in practice and amount of laparoscopy performed (p <0.0001). Urologi...
Autosomal Mutations in Mouse Kidney Epithelial Cells Exposed to High-Energy Protons In Vivo or In Culture

Proton exposure induces mutations and cancer, which are presumably linked. Because protons are abundant in the space environment and significant uncertainties exist for the effects of space travel on human health, the purpose of this study was to identify the types of mutations induced by exposure of mammalian cells to 4–5 Gy of 1 GeV protons. We used an assay that selects for mutations affecting the chromosome 8-encoded Aprt locus in mouse kidney cells and selected mutants after proton exposure both in vivo and in cell culture. A loss of heterozygosity (LOH) assay for DNA preparations from the in vivo-derived kidney mutants revealed that protons readily induced large mutational events. Fluorescent in situ hybridization painting for chromosome 8 showed that >70% of proton-induced LOH patterns resembling mitotic recombination were in fact the result of nonreciprocal chromosome translocations, thereby demonstrating an important role for DNA double-strand breaks in proton mutagenesis. Large interstitial dele...
Thermal Expansion of Three Group IVA Carbides to 2700°C

X-ray thermal expansion measurements on arc- cast carbides of titanium, zirconium, and hafnium are reported. The coefficients of thermal expansion for these materials from room temperature to 2700°C are 9.5 ± 0.3 × 10−6/0C, 7.6 ± 0.2 × 10−6/0C, and 7.3 ± 0.2 × 10−6/0C, respectively.
Have the risks of rosiglitazone been exaggerated

Nissen and Wolski recently reported a meta-analysis of 42 clinical trials of 27,847 subjectsthat ignited a firestorm of controversy by claim-ing that treatment with rosiglitazone (Avandia,GlaxoSmithKline [GSK]), a widely prescribedPPAR-γ agonist, was associated with a “…worri-some…” 43% greater risk of myocardial infarc-tion (MI; p = 0.03) and a 64% greater risk ofcardiovascular death (CVD; p = 0.06)
Elasticity of partially saturated frozen sand

Seasonal thawing and freezing of near‐surface sediments significantly affect the interpretation of seismic reflection surveys and vertical seismic profiling, as well as activity on the surface. Permafrost covers much of the Earth’s colder regions and is also subject to periodic thawing and freezing. The significance of the regions with large seasonal temperature variations for exploration and engineering activities makes understanding the elasticity of frozen ground an important practical and scientific goal.
A general solution for the field of polygonal electromagnet

A general solution for the field of a two-dimensional polygonal electromagnet is presented. The solution is applicable to magnetic recording head models of finite size and arbitrary polygonal configuration. It uses a combination of analytic and numerical techniques. Analytic procedures are based on mixed boundary conditions and a succession of conformal mappings starting with the Schwartz-Christoffel (S-C) transformation. A concept of an idealized winding allows any magnetostatic problem to be reduced to an electrostatic problem of two equipotential shims on the plane of conformal mapping. The result of the analytic solution is a parametric formula for the field vector that can be easily obtained for any model by an inspection of its configuration. This formula contains S-C constants and parameters of unknown values. These difficulties are resolved by numerical procedures. >
Mapping the cardiogenic impedance signal on the thorax

The cardiogenic electrical impedance signal was mapped on the anterior surface of the thorax. Using spot electrodes to pick up the impedance signal between the suprasternal notch and a point 10 cm below, stroke volume (SV) was measured with postural change and during 50-W bicycle exercise. The mapping showed that approximately 80% of the signal comes from the upper thorax. The impedance SV measured with spot electrodes showed poor agreement with results obtained with the dye dilution method during position change and exercise. The results suggest that the signal has multiple origins and that spot electrodes cannot simply be used to replace band electrodes without great care. >
Evaluation of Cu Back Contact Related Deep Defects in CdTe Solar Cells

CdTe solar cells with back contacts formed by either (i) 15nm Cu evaporation followed by application of carbon conductive paste embedded with micron sized Cu particles in ZnTe powder and (ii) only with the above mentioned conducting paste, were evaluated. A Cu-related deep level defect with an activation energy of Ea ∼ 0.57 eV was observed for Cu evaporated back contact cells and an intrinsic defect with an activation energy Ea ∼ 0.89 eV was found for cells prepared only by ZnTe:Cu embedded carbon paste. Frequency dispersion in C-V measurements confirms the presence of Cu-related deep level traps for cells with Cu evaporated back contact whereas no such defects were observed in carbon paste contact. The behavior was believed to be due to diffusion of excess Cu from the contact. It was further observed that majority carrier deep level traps (Cu-related or intrinsic) contribute differently to the degradation of electronic properties of the CdTe solar cells.
The first neurology book written in English (1650) by Robert Pemell. De Morbis Capitis.

• In 1650 Robert Pemell, an English country physician, publishedDe Morbis Capitis; or, Of the Chief Internal Diseases of the Head, the first neurology book written in English. Two factors are probably responsible for the appearance of this book. It was written during the 17th century, a period when the number of medical books published in English increased sixfold. In addition, there was a need for texts in English. Most poor people could not afford a physician's care and were ministered to by laymen who could not read Latin. The text ofDe Morbis Capitiswas based on the works of contemporary and ancient authors. It contains chapters on modern syndromes, eg, headache, paralysis, epilepsy, and vertigo, as well as disorders of the time, eg, incubus and phrenitide. Each chapter first describes the disease and its differential diagnosis and then provides remedies, including herbals and bleeding. Overall, the treatment of brain diseases, as outlined inDe Morbis Capitis, is probably a description of a high standard of neurologic practice in the 17th century English countryside.
Coble-creep response and variability of grain-boundary properties

A microstructural model of steady-state creep that couples grain-boundary transport, micromechanics, and grain sliding is employed to investigate the grain-boundary diffusional creep response of an idealized microstructure with variable boundary diffusivities. Both numerical and analytical methods were used to determine the stress state and, in some cases, the strain rate associated with an applied uniaxial, tensile stress. Various types of boundaries are considered, and the implications of our results for more general microstructures are discussed.
Joint Kernel-Based Supervised Hashing for Scalable Histopathological Image Analysis

Histopathology is crucial to diagnosis of cancer, yet its interpretation is tedious and challenging. To facilitate this procedure, content-based image retrieval methods have been developed as case-based reasoning tools. Recently, with the rapid growth of histopathological images, hashing-based retrieval approaches are gaining popularity due to their exceptional scalability. In this paper, we exploit a joint kernel-based supervised hashing (JKSH) framework for fusion of complementary features. Specifically, hashing functions are designed based on linearly combined kernel functions associated with individual features, and supervised information is incorporated to bridge the semantic gap between low-level features and high-level diagnosis. An alternating optimization method is utilized to learn the kernel combination and hashing functions. The obtained hashing functions compress high-dimensional features into tens of binary bits, enabling fast retrieval from a large database. Our approach is extensively validated on thousands of breast-tissue histopathological images by distinguishing between actionable and benign cases. It achieves 88.1% retrieval precision and 91.2% classification accuracy within 14.0 ms query time, comparing favorably with traditional methods.
Massively parallel adaptive mesh refinement and coarsening for dynamic fracture simulations

We use the graphical processing unit (GPU) to perform dynamic fracture simulation using adaptively refined and coarsened finite elements and the inter-element cohesive zone model. Due to the limited memory available on the GPU, we created a specialized data structure for efficient representation of the evolving mesh given. To achieve maximum efficiency, we perform finite element calculation on a nodal basis (i.e., by launching one thread per node and collecting contributions from neighboring elements) rather than by launching threads per element, which requires expensive graph coloring schemes to avoid concurrency issues. These developments made possible the parallel adaptive mesh refinement and coarsening schemes to systematically change the topology of the mesh. We investigate aspects of the parallel implementation through microbranching examples, which has been explored experimentally and numerically in the literature. First, we use a reduced-scale version of the experimental specimen to demonstrate the impact of variation in floating point operations on the final fracture pattern. Interestingly, the parallel approach adds some randomness into the finite element simulation on the structured mesh in a similar way as would be expected from a random mesh. Next, we take advantage of the speedup of the implementation over a similar serial implementation to simulate a specimen whose size matches that of the actual experiment. At this scale, we are able to make more direct comparisons to the original experiment and find excellent agreement with those results.
C^{2,\alpha }-estimate for Monge-Ampère equations with Hölder-continuous right hand side

We present a somewhat new proof to the $$C^{2,\alpha }$$ a priori estimate for the uniform elliptic Monge-Ampere equations, in both the real and complex settings. Our estimates do not need to differentiate the equation, and only depends on the $$C^{\alpha }$$ -norm of the right-hand side of the equation.
Age patterns of child mortality in the developing world.

This article uses the data from [a] United Nations database supplemented in a few cases with information from local studies thought to be of particular accuracy to examine age patterns of child mortality [in developing countries]. The focus is on the split between infant mortality--that is mortality before the first birthday and child mortality between the exact ages of 1 and 5 years....The underlying objective of the article is to identify regional patterns both because the epidemiology and social behaviours underlying child mortality are likely to be similar across regions and because such identified patterns could then be used to guide the selection of a model life-table family when using indirect estimation methods in countries of a region. (EXCERPT)
Age and Body Size Effects on Blood Meal Size and Multiple Blood Feeding by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Ten-day-old, parous Aedes aegypti (L.) had a higher threshold of blood meal size for the inhibition of continued host-seeking than did 5 d-old, nulliparous females of the same size. Older females of a smaller-bodied cohort had a higher threshold of blood meal size for the initiation of egg development than did younger females. In contrast, older larger-sized females had a lower blood meal-size threshold for egg development. The blood of paired avian hosts was marked with rubidium and cesium to study the effect of age and body size on the frequency of multiple blood feeding. Chronologically old females had a higher frequency of multiple blood feeding than younger females. In the laboratory, the frequency of multiple blood feeding among larger-sized females was higher than among small-sized females.
Histopathological Evaluation of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: A Critical Review:

BackgroundChronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) consists of a constellation of symptoms, including facial pressure/pain, hyposmia, rhinorrhea, and nasal congestion. On histopathological evaluation, the dise...
The 1896 Election and Congressional Modernization: An Appraisal of the Evidence

This essay will explore the relationship between the modernization of Congress and one of the main forces that is alleged to have produced it, the critical election of 1896.1 This is the election in which William Jennings Bryan of Nebraska ran for President on the Democratic ticket on a platform urging currency reform and bimetallic coinage. He was opposed on the Republican side by William McKinley of Ohio.2 The election results, according to many competent observers, divided the country to a remarkable degree along sectional lines. Other bases of cleavage, such as class, ethnicity, and religion, were transformed by the election, as the solidly Democratic South and the populist West formed a coalition against the tariffminded, business-oriented Midwest and East.3 In The Significance of Sections in American History, Frederick Jackson Turner (1932: 250; see also Binkley, 1962: 319-320) says: When Bryan in 1896 made his definition of the business man to include the farmer and the miner, and in the Democratic convention of that memorable year "defied" the East and issued a
The Laboratory of Insect Pathology at the University of California: The First Decade

Earlier this afternoon, you heard Mabry Steinhaus tell of the founding of the Laboratory of Insect Pathology at the University of California. I want to speak of some of the developments in that laboratory during the first decade of its existence.
Communication between physicians and Spanish-speaking Latin American women with pelvic floor disorders: a cycle of misunderstanding?

Objective This study aimed to assess the effect of the initial visit with a specialist on disease understanding among Spanish-speaking women with pelvic floor disorders. Methods Spanish-speaking women with referrals suggestive of urinary incontinence (UI) and/or pelvic organ prolapse (POP) were recruited from public urogynecology clinics. Patients participated in a health literacy assessment and interview before and after their physician encounter. All interviews were analyzed using Grounded Theory qualitative methods. Results Twenty-seven women with POP (n = 6), UI (n = 11), and POP/UI (n = 10) were enrolled in this study. The mean age was 55.5 years, and most women had marginal levels of health literacy. From our qualitative analysis, 3 concepts emerged. First, was that patients had poor understanding of their diagnosis before and after the encounter regardless of how extensive the physician's explanation or level of Spanish-proficiency. Second, patients were overwhelmed with the amount of information given to them. Lastly, patients ultimately put their trust in the physician, relying on them for treatment recommendations. Conclusions Our findings emphasize the difficulty Spanish-speaking women with low health literacy have in understanding information regarding pelvic floor disorders. In this specific population, the physician has a major role in influencing patients' treatment decisions and helping them overcome fears they may have about their condition.
Selected Sintering Conditions for SiC and Si3N4 Ceramics

Typical sintering conditions and microstructures of a few selected compositions of SiC and Si3N4 are presented for these two important structural ceramics. Some significant changes in microstructure and chemical reactions that occur at high temperatures in different atmospheres during sintering are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on identifying and controlling undesirable chemical reactions that compete with the densification process by coarsening the pore/grain microstructures.
Hispanic ethnicity and Caucasian race: Relations with posttraumatic stress disorder's factor structure in clinic-referred youth.

The severity of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms is linked to race and ethnicity, albeit with contradictory findings (reviewed in Alcantara, Casement, & Lewis-Fernandez, 2013; Pole, Gone, & Kulkarni, 2008). We systematically examined Caucasian (n = 3,767) versus non-Caucasian race (n = 2,824) and Hispanic (n = 2,395) versus non-Hispanic ethnicity (n = 3,853) as candidate moderators of PTSD's 5-factor model structural parameters (Elhai et al., 2013). The sample was drawn from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's Core Data Set, currently the largest national data set of clinic-referred children and adolescents exposed to potentially traumatic events. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we tested the invariance of PTSD symptom structural parameters by race and ethnicity. Chi-square difference tests and goodness-of-fit values showed statistical equivalence across racial and ethnic groups in the factor structure of PTSD and in mean item-level indicators of PTSD symptom severity. Results support the structural invariance of PTSD's 5-factor model across the compared racial and ethnic groups. Furthermore, results indicated equivalent item-level severity across racial and ethnic groups; this supports the use of item-level comparisons across these groups.
Nitrates in heart failure.

Organic nitrates have been used widely in the treatment of chronic congestive heart failure. These drugs have been shown to have beneficial hemodynamic effects both at rest and during dynamic and isometric exercise. In combination with hydralazine, nitrates have been shown to improve exercise tolerance, enhance left ventricular ejection fraction, and prolong survivai. The potential limitations of nitrate therapy are related to dose-related nitrate resistance and the development of nitrate tolerance. More imforma- tion is needed regarding the usefulness of nitrate therapy without hydralazine and the additional benefits of these drugs in patients already treated with angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors.
Cortical and Standard Trajectory Pedicle Screw Fixation Techniques in Stabilizing Multisegment Lumbar Spine with Low Grade Spondylolisthesis

Background Cortical screw (CS) fixation has been recently proposed as an alternative to the standard pedicle screw (PS) fixation technique. Biomechanical studies involving individual screw pullout and single level motion segment stabilization showed comparable performance of both techniques. However, whether this new fixation technique can be applied to the stabilization of multilevel lumbar segments with significant destabilization has been unclear. Purpose To compare stability of CS fixation to the traditional PS fixation in an unstable 3 level spondylolisthesis model. Study Design This is a biomechanical study comparing cortical trajectory pedicle screw fixation to traditional trajectory pedicle screw fixation in an unstable cadaveric model using nondestructive flexibility test. Methods Eight fresh frozen cadaveric lumbar spines (T12- S1) were obtained. After intact baseline testing, a 3-level lowgrade spondylolisthesis was simulated at the L1-4. Each specimen was instrumented with the PS and CS fixation systems. Standard nondestructive flexibility test was performed. Range of motion at each level was compared between the constructs during flexion-extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Results The destabilization model significantly increased the ROM in all planes (P 0.05). Conclusions Cortical trajectory pedicle screw fixation provided stabilization to multilevel lumbar segment with low-grade spondylolisthesis comparable to the standard trajectory pedicle screw construct.
Second Son: 1903–24

His full name was Arthur Evelyn St John Waugh. Since Arthur was his father’s name and St John he thought comically pretentious, Evelyn — ‘a whim of my mother’s’ — he was called. He disliked the name and it repeatedly involved him in mistakes of gender identity, but it was characteristic of him to play the hand he had been dealt, to make the world accept that Evelyn was his name. His birth in Hampstead occurred at number 11, Hillfield Road, West Hampstead, a Victorian terraced house now divided into flats and awaiting its blue plaque. When he was four, his parents had built for them a villa, ‘Underhill’, in the then village of North End, Hampstead, ‘a very ordinary little suburban villa’, his father accurately called it, though he much annoyed his younger son by his sentimental pride in the house. Evelyn thought it hideous and disadvantageously located, since the Post Office changed its address from Hampstead to the far less chic Golders Green, a change that apparently caused Evelyn sometimes to take long walks to get the superior Hampstead postmark on his letters.
Reframing the Iraq War: Official Sources, Dramatic Events, and Changes in Media Framing

This study examines how official sources and dramatic events influence media framing of political issues, assessing the claims of the indexing hypothesis and event-driven models. Through an analysis of the New York Times' coverage of the Iraq War in late 2005 and early 2006, this study compares coverage from before and after the bombing of a major Shi'ite shrine in Iraq. The analysis shows that journalists avoided the preferred frame of the White House while amplifying the preferred frame of the military. It also shows that the bombing spurred journalists to reframe the conflict. These findings challenge parts of the indexing hypothesis and support a more event-driven model of media framing.
A New Species of Gouldia (Mollusca: Bivalvia) From the Pleistocene of Eastern North Carolina

The small venerid bivalve Gouldia is represented by many look-alike species from both modern and fossil Cenozoic marine environments. In the western Atlantic- Caribbean region the genus consists of species that feature either an exterior surface sculpture of fine radial costae crossing the concentric growth bands on the anterior and posterior edges of valves, or a more uniformly reticulate pattern over the whole of valve exteriors. All of these forms are assigned to the subgenus Gouldia, with the best known and most widely distributed species being Gouldia (Gouldia) cerina (C. B. Adams, 1845), the type of the genus. Owing to the discovery of a rare new species described herein, in the middle Pleistocene Flanner Beach Formation, eastern North Carolina (Fig. 1), a second supraspecific subdivision of Gouldia is here recognized. The members of this sub· genus have a surface ornamentation of coarse, flat costae that cross the concentric bands along the anterior and posterior ends of the valves, in contrast to the typical finely costate to reticulate surface design of most species of Gouldia. The purpose of this note is to describe the new species from the Flanner Beach Formation, and to comment on its possible evolutionary and biostratigraphic significance. The general stratigraphy, geologic age and time-correlation, and paleoenvironmental contexts of the formation have been described by DuBar and Solliday (1963), Mixon and Pilkey (1976), McCartan et al. (1982), and Miller (this volume). All specimens have been deposited in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (ANSP).
Bridging the spectral gap using image synthesis: a study on matching visible to passive infrared face images

We propose an approach that bridges the gap between the visible and IR band of the electromagnetic spectrum, namely the mid-wave infrared or MWIR (3---5 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$μm) and the long-wave infrared or LWIR (8---14 $$\upmu \hbox {m}$$μm) bands. Specifically, we investigate the benefits and limitations of using synthesized visible face images from thermal and vice versa, in cross-spectral face recognition systems when utilizing canonical correlation analysis and manifold learning dimensionality reduction. There are four primary contributions of this work. First, we assemble a database of frontal face images composed of paired VIS-MWIR and VIS-LWIR face images (using different methods for pre-processing and registration). Second, we formulate a image synthesis framework and post-synthesis restoration methodology, to improve face recognition accuracy. Third, we explore cohort-specific matching (per gender) instead of blind-based matching (when all images in the gallery are matched against all in the probe set). Finally, by conducting an extensive experimental study, we establish that the proposed scheme increases system performance in terms of rank-1 identification rate. Experimental results suggest that matching visible images against images acquired with passive infrared spectrum, and vice-versa, are feasible with promising results.
The Role of Regional Centers for Gestational Trophoblastic Disease

The concept of establishing regional centers for the management of patients with gestational trophoblastic disease (GTD) evolved as a direct result of the success of the program established by Dr. Roy Hertz at the National Cancer Institute. A number of individuals trained in the field of obstetrics and gynecology emerged from the clinical fellowship program at that institution who recognized that they had both an obligation and an opportunity to create in their own academic centers the type of facility which had functioned so well on a national level for over 10 years. Decentralization, as it were, would at the same time make available this new therapeutic modality to the largest number of patients and provide an adequate source of material for expanded clinical and laboratory research and teaching programs.
The gp130 Cytokine Interleukin-11 Regulates Engraftment of Vav1–/– Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Lethally Irradiated Recipients

During bone marrow transplantation, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) respond to signals from the hematopoietic microenvironment by coordinately activating molecular pathways through Rho GTPases, including Rac. We have previously shown that deletion of Vav1, a hematopoietic-specific activator of Rac, compromises engraftment of transplanted adult HSPCs without affecting steady-state hematopoiesis in adult animals. Here, we show that Vav1-/- fetal HSPCs can appropriately seed hematopoietic tissues during ontogeny but cannot engraft into lethally irradiated recipients. We demonstrate that the engraftment defect of Vav1-/- HSPCs is abrogated in the absence of irradiation and demonstrate that Vav1 is critical for the response of HSPCs to the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-11 (IL-11) that is upregulated in the marrow of irradiated recipients. Vav1-/- HSPCs display abnormal proliferative responses to IL-11 in vitro and dysregulated activation of pathways critical to engraftment of HSPCs. The engraftment of Vav1-/- HSPCs can be partially rescued in irradiated recipients treated with an anti-IL-11 antibody. These data suggest that HSPCs may respond to different functional demands by selective usage of the IL-11-Vav-Rac pathway, contextualizing further the recent view that HSPCs capable of reconstituting the blood system following transplantation might be distinct from those supporting hematopoiesis during homeostatic conditions. Stem Cells 2018; 36:446-457.
Spatial Resolution and Minimum Detection

Often when you do X-ray analysis of thin foils you are seeking information that is close to the limits of spatial resolution. Before you carry out any such analysis you need to understand the various controlling factors and in this chapter we explain these. Minimizing your specimen thickness is perhaps the most critical aspect of obtaining the best spatial resolution, so we summarize the various ways you can measure your foil thickness at the analysis point, but the quality of the TEM-XEDS system is also important.
The Airway Transcriptome as a Biomarker for Early Lung Cancer Detection

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death due to its advanced stage at diagnosis. Early detection of lung cancer can be improved by better defining who should be screened radiographically and determining which imaging-detected pulmonary nodules are malignant. Gene expression biomarkers measured in normal-appearing airway epithelium provide an opportunity to use lung cancer-associated molecular changes in this tissue for early detection of lung cancer. Molecular changes in the airway may result from an etiologic field of injury and/or field cancerization. The etiologic field of injury reflects the aberrant physiologic response to carcinogen exposure that creates a susceptible microenvironment for cancer initiation. In contrast, field cancerization reflects effects of "first-hit" mutations in a clone of cells from which the tumor ultimately arises or the effects of the tumor on the surrounding tissue. These fields might have value both for assessing lung cancer risk and diagnosis. Cancer-associated gene expression changes in the bronchial airway have recently been used to develop and validate a 23-gene classifier that improves the diagnostic yield of bronchoscopy for lung cancer among intermediate-risk patients. Recent studies have demonstrated that these lung cancer-related gene expression changes extend to nasal epithelial cells that can be sampled noninvasively. While the bronchial gene expression biomarker is being adopted clinically, further work is necessary to explore the potential clinical utility of gene expression profiling in the nasal epithelium for lung cancer diagnosis, lung cancer risk assessment, and precision medicine for lung cancer treatment and chemoprevention. Clin Cancer Res; 24(13); 2984-92. ©2018 AACR.
Bayesian Network inference for probabilistic strength estimation of aging pipeline systems

Abstract A novel approach for reliability assessment of aging gas pipeline systems based on a Bayesian network methodology is proposed in this paper with a focus on the improvement of the pipeline strength prediction. A multimodal diagnosis is performed by assessing the variation in the mechanical property (e.g., yield strength) within the pipe in terms of material property measurements, such as microstructure, composition, and hardness. The multimodality measurements are then integrated with the Bayesian network information fusion model. Prototype testing is carried out for model verification, validation and demonstration. The model updating scheme employs a Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithm to infer the posterior distribution of the pipe strength using the multimodality measurements, whereas, the priors are derived from the literature knowledge of such systems. Moreover, through-thickness studies of pipe cross-sections are performed to demonstrate the mechanical property variation from the surface to bulk. Finally, data training of the model is employed to obtain a more accurate measure of the probabilistic pipe strength. Discussions on the observations and future work are provided.
Real-world comparison of HbA1c reduction at 6-, 12- and 24-months by primary care provider type.

Abstract Aims To assess differences in hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) over time in diabetics treated by internal medicine physicians using the chronic care model (IMP-ancillary) or an advanced practice nurse (APN-IMP). Methods Retrospective, 2-group comparative design using administrative databases and matching of IMP-ancillary and APN-IMP subjects 2:1 based on patient age (±3 years), gender and race. Subjects were diabetics treated ≥2 times during 2007–2010, had ≥1 follow-up visit 6-months from baseline and ≥2 HbA1c levels. HbA1c levels were assessed longitudinally using linear mixed effect models. Pearson chi-square and two-sample t-tests compared groups on patient characteristics. Results A total of 774 patients were identified. After matching 93 APN-IMP patients with 176 IMP-ancillary patients (N = 269), there were no differences between groups in demographics; however, baseline mean (SD) HbA1c was higher in APN-IMP group, p Conclusion Compared to baseline HbA1c, patients treated by APN-IMP and IMP-ancillary provider groups had equivalent reductions in HbA1c.
Spin-Unrestricted Self-Energy Embedding Theory

We present a new theoretical approach, unrestricted self-energy embedding theory (USEET), that is a Green’s function embedding theory used to study problems in which an open, embedded system exchanges electrons with the environment. USEET has a high potential to be used in studies of strongly correlated systems with an odd number of electrons and open shell systems such as transition metal complexes important in inorganic chemistry. In this paper, we show that USEET results agree very well with common quantum chemistry methods while avoiding typical bottlenecks present in these methods.
A Safety and Efficacy Study of Intravenous rt-PA in Patients with Acute Stroke

Several studies have proven the safety and efficaey of intravenous (IV) thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute myocardial infarction [26, 27]. Past trials of IV thrombolytic therapy in stroke patients have reported limited efficacy and a disturbing incidence of side effects [11, 14, 16]. Some researchers have indicated that these negative findings were due to poor patient selection, late therapy, and heterogenous drug administration techniques [3]. More recent trials of intra-arterial (IA) thrombolytic therapy in highly selected stroke patients have reported improved safety and efficacy [4, 13]. Because the IV administration of thrombolytic agents is logistically preferable and more widely feasible than IA infusions, it is appropriate to re-study the safety and efficacy of IV recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) in a select group of stroke patients.
Interaction of water with the (1×1) and (2×1) surfaces of α-Fe2O3(012)

Abstract The interaction of water with the (1×1) and (2×1) surfaces of α-Fe2O3(012) was examined with temperature programmed desorption (TPD), static secondary ion mass spectrometry (SSIMS), low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) in the temperature range between 100 and 950 K. The (1×1) surface is fully oxidized and has a bulk-like concentration and structure of cation and anion sites. After vacuum annealing at 950 K a (2×1) pattern is observed in LEED. Although the structure of the (2×1) surface is not fully understood, it possesses a greater surface concentration of cation sites than the (1×1) surface, some of which are probably reduced. H2O adsorbs dissociatively on both surfaces as evidenced by HREELS losses at 3625 and 960 cm−1 due to the stretching and bending modes of terminal hydroxyl groups. These losses shift as expected for D2O. Bridging hydroxyls are also formed by proton transfer to bridging oxygen anion sites from dissociating water molecules, but have a poorly resolved O–H stretch at 3400 cm−1 suggesting they are involved in hydrogen-bonding interactions. Further evidence for water dissociation on both surfaces comes from isotopic scrambling of oxygen between these hydroxyls and the 18 O -enriched surfaces. Although both surfaces dissociate water, the structural differences between the (1×1) and (2×1) surfaces result in different ratios of molecular-to-dissociative water. Terminal hydroxyls occupy roughly 6×1014 sites cm−2 on the (1×1) surface, but only about 4.5×1014 sites cm−2 on the (2×1) surface. The balance of available cation sites bind molecular water that evolves in TPD below 300 K from either surface. This molecular water is readily detected in both HREELS and SSIMS. The surface structure also influences the hydroxyl recombinative desorption kinetics. Terminal and bridging hydroxyls recombine to liberate water in TPD at 350 K from the (1×1) surface and at 405 K from the (2×1) surface. The recombinative desorption state of water at 350 K from the (1×1) surface exhibits first-order desorption kinetics with an activation energy of about 120 kJ mol−1 and a pre-exponential of 1×1017 s−1. The first-order behavior and the high pre-exponential suggests that recombinative desorption from the (1×1) surface involves pairing of bridging and terminal hydroxyl groups. In contrast, recombinative desorption from the (2×1) surface is pseudo-zeroth order in appearance suggesting that hydroxyls are bound in one-dimensional arrays with desorption occurring preferentially at the ends of each array.
Early Studies on Interactions between Proteins and Small Molecules or Ions

The first observations on binding of ligands to proteins were made almost 70 years ago, long before the chemical structure of the steroids was elucidated. In 1903, the anatomist Heidenhain (1903) described the dialysis of acidic azo dyes through parchment tubing and its inhibition by the addition of serum albumin. He interpreted this result correctly by assuming complex formation between dye and serum protein. This appears to be the first documented observation of ligand-protein interaction in solution and recognition of the consequences on the diffusibility of the ligand. Heidenhain seems to have sensed and appreciated the biochemical significance and implications of his finding; however, he left it to others to further pursue the problem which lay beyond the field of anatomy.
Spatial and temporal patterns of sediment storage and erosion following a wildfire and extreme flood

Abstract. Post-wildfire landscapes are highly susceptible to rapid geomorphic changes, and the resulting downstream effects, at both the hillslope and watershed scales due to increases in hillslope runoff and erosion. Numerous studies have documented these changes at the hillslope scale, but relatively few studies have documented larger-scale post-fire geomorphic changes over time. In this study we used five airborne laser scanning (ALS) datasets collected over 4 years to quantify erosion and deposition throughout the channel network in two ∼15 km 2 watersheds, Skin Gulch and Hill Gulch, in northern Colorado after a wildfire followed by a large, long-duration flood 15 months later. The objectives were to (1) quantify the volumes, spatial patterns, and temporal changes over time of erosion and deposition over a nearly 4-year period, and (2) evaluate the extent to which these spatially and temporally explicit changes are correlated to precipitation metrics, burn severity, and morphologic variables. The volumetric changes were calculated from a differencing of DEMs for 50 m long segments of the channel network and associated valley bottoms. The results showed net sediment accumulation after the wildfire in the valley bottoms of both watersheds, with greater accumulations in the wider and flatter valley bottoms in the first 2 years after burning. In contrast, the mesoscale flood caused large amounts of erosion, with higher erosion in those areas with more post-fire deposition. Only minor changes occurred over the 2 years following the mesoscale flood. Volume changes for the different time periods were weakly but significantly correlated to, in order of decreasing correlation, contributing area, channel width, percent burned at high and/or moderate severity, channel slope, confinement ratio, maximum 30 min precipitation, and total precipitation. These results suggest that morphometric characteristics, when combined with burn severity and a specified storm, can indicate the relative likelihood and locations for post-fire erosion and deposition. This information can help assess downstream risks and prioritize areas for post-fire hillslope rehabilitation treatments.
Determinants of Parenting Practices Related to Monitoring Sugar Sweetened Beverages Among Hispanic Mothers.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate Hispanic mothers (n = 238) of 2–5 year old children and determinants of their monitoring practices related to their preschooler’s consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB). Hispanic mothers were recruited from numerous areas (i.e. churches, community agencies, and daycares) in southwest Oklahoma City. Constructs of the Reasoned Action Approach (RAA) were evaluated along with demographic questions. Most mothers (92%) were born outside the US, and a majority had been in the US ≥ 11 years (61%). The RAA constructs autonomy, capacity (or self-efficacy), and descriptive norms predicted a significant amount of the variance of SSB monitoring practices (14.7%). Results show that public health interventions that promote maternal monitoring practices related to SSB for Hispanic mothers should focus on promoting capacity, autonomy, and norms. Such interventions can take place in community centers, clinics, and day cares.