cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bias correction of satellite rainfall estimates using a radar-gauge product – a case study in Oklahoma (USA)

Abstract. Hourly Satellite Precipitation Estimates (SPEs) may be the only available source of information for operational hydrologic and flash flood prediction due to spatial limitations of radar and gauge products. SPEs are prone to larger systematic errors and more uncertainty sources in comparison with ground based radar and gauge precipitation products. The present work develops an approach to seamlessly blend satellite, radar and gauge products to fill gaps in ground-based data. To mix different rainfall products, the bias of any of the products relative to each other should be removed. The study presents and tests a proposed ensemble-based method which aims to estimate spatially varying multiplicative biases in hourly SPEs using a radar-gauge rainfall product and compare it with previously used bias correction methods. Bias factors were calculated for a randomly selected sample of rainy pixels in the study area. Spatial fields of estimated bias were generated taking into account spatial variation and random errors in the sampled values. Bias field parameters were determined on a daily basis using the shuffled complex evolution optimization algorithm. To include more error sources, ensembles of bias factors were generated and applied before bias field generation. We demonstrate this method using two satellite-based products, CPC Morphing (CMORPH) and Hydro-Estimator (HE), and a radar-gauge rainfall Stage-IV (ST-IV) dataset for several rain events in 2006 over Oklahoma. The method was compared with 3 simpler methods for bias correction: mean ratio, maximum ratio and spatial interpolation without ensembles. Bias ratio, correlation coefficient, root mean square error and mean absolute difference are used to evaluate the performance of the different methods. Results show that: (a) the methods of maximum ratio and mean ratio performed variably and did not improve the overall correlation with the ST-IV in any of the rainy events; (b) the method of interpolation was consistently able to improve all the performance criteria; (c) the method of ensembles outperformed the other 3 methods.
The Anti-Aging and Tumor Suppressor Protein Klotho Enhances Differentiation of a Human Oligodendrocytic Hybrid Cell Line

Klotho functions as an aging suppressor, which, in mice, extends lifespan when overexpressed and accelerates development of aging-like phenotypes when disrupted. Klotho is mainly expressed in brain and kidney and is secreted into the serum and CSF. We have previously shown that Klotho is reduced in brains of old monkeys, rats, and mice. We further reported the ability of Klotho to enhance oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination. Here, we examined the signaling pathways induced by Klotho in MO3.13, a human oligodendrocytic hybrid cell line. We show that exogenous Klotho affects the ERK and Akt signaling pathways, decreases the proliferative abilities and enhances differentiation of MO3.13 cells. Furthermore, microarray analysis of Klotho-treated MO3.13 cells reveals a massive change in gene expression with 80 % of the differentially expressed genes being downregulated. Using gene set enrichment analysis, we predicted potential transcription factors involved in regulating Klotho-treated MO3.13 cells and found that these cells are highly enriched in the gene sets, that are similarly observed in cancer, cardiovascular disease, stress, aging, and hormone-related chemical and genetic perturbations. Since Klotho is downregulated in all brain tumors tested to date, enhancing Klotho has therapeutic potential for treating brain and other malignancies.
Clustering of the Diffuse Infrared Light from the COBE DIRBE Maps. III. Power Spectrum Analysis and Excess Isotropic Component of Fluctuations

The cosmic infrared background (CIB) radiation is the cosmic repository for energy release throughout the history of the universe. The spatial fluctuations of the CIB resulting from galaxy clustering are expected to be at least a few percent on scales of a degree, depending on the luminosity and clustering history of the early universe. Using the all-sky data from the COBE DIRBE instrument at wavelengths 1.25-100 μm, we attempt to measure the CIB fluctuations. In the near-IR, foreground emission is dominated by small-scale structure due to stars in the Galaxy. There we find a strong correlation between the amplitude of the fluctuations and Galactic latitude after removing bright foreground stars. Using data outside the Galactic plane (|b| > 20°) and away from the center (90° < l < 270°), we extrapolate the amplitude of the fluctuations to csc |b| = 0. We find positive intercepts of δFrms = 15.5, 5.9, 2.4, and 2.0 nW m-2 sr-1 at 1.25, 2.2, 3.5, and 4.9 μm, respectively, where the errors are the range of 92% confidence limits. For color subtracted maps between band 1 and 2 we find the isotropic part of the fluctuations at 7.6 nW m-2 sr-1. Based on detailed numerical and analytic models, this residual is not likely to originate from the Galaxy, our clipping algorithm, or instrumental noise. We demonstrate that the residuals from the fit used in the extrapolation are distributed isotropically and suggest that this extra variance may result from structure in the CIB. We also obtain a positive intercept from a linear combination of maps at 1.25 and 2.2 μm. For 2° < θ < 15°, a power-spectrum analysis yields firm upper limits of (θ/5°) × δFrms(θ) < 6, 2.5, 0.8, and 0.5 nW m-2 sr-1 at 1.25, 2.2, 3.5, and 4.9 μm, respectively. From 10 to 100 μm, the dominant foregrounds are emission by dust in the solar system and the Galaxy. The upper limits on the CIB fluctuations are below 1 nW m-2 sr-1 there and are lowest (≤0.5 nW m-2 sr-1) at 25 μm.
Angioid Streaks Associated with Pseudoxanthoma Elasticum in a 13-Year-Old Patient

This report describes a 13-year-old girl who presented with angioid streaks associated with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE). Extensive retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) mottling, known as peau d'orange, characteristic of PXE, was also noted. The potential complication of choroidal neovascularization is described. Physicians should be aware that angioid streaks and their potentially sight-threatening complications can occur in this age group.
Quaternary glaciation and hydrologic variation in the South American tropics as reconstructed from the Lake Titicaca drilling project

A 136-m-long drill core of sediments was recovered from tropical high-altitude Lake Titicaca, Bolivia-Peru, enabling a reconstruction of past climate that spans four cycles of regional glacial advance and retreat and that is estimated to extend continuously over the last 370,000 yr. Within the errors of the age model, the periods of regional glacial advance and retreat are concordant respectively with global glacial and interglacial stages. Periods of ice advance in the southern tropical Andes generally were periods of positive water balance, as evidenced by deeper and fresher conditions in Lake Titicaca. Conversely, reduced glaciation occurred during periods of negative water balance and shallow closed-basin conditions in the lake. The apparent coincidence of positive water balance of Lake Titicaca and glacial growth in the adjacent Andes with Northern Hemisphere ice sheet expansion implies that regional water balance and glacial mass balance are strongly influenced by global-scale temperature changes, as well as by precessional forcing of the South American summer monsoon.
Community Forestry and Tree Theft in Mexico: Resistance or Complicity in Conservation?

Community forestry is thought to diffuse the kind of tensions over access to resources that frequently make centralized forest management systems based on the principles of scientific forestry ineffective and conflictive. Centralized systems often create resistance as communities whose vegetation management practices have been declared illegal by forest bureaucracies anonymously contest the restrictions imposed on them by "stealing" trees and committing "arson". These restrictions are intimately related to the requirements of scientific forestry however so co-management strategies relying on scientific forestry might also engender various forms of internal resistance such as tree theft. Local interpretations of justice in access to resources together with community social structures and the distribution of resources can result in internalized resistance rendering community-based resource management ineffective. In a Mexican community case study scientific forestry and tree theft co-evolved during a period of concessions and continue under co-management. This system creates an arena where anonymous individual resistance like tree theft can give way to forms of protest more likely to result in legitimate and effective forest management systems. (authors)
Presurgical levels of circulating cell-derived microparticles discriminate between patients with and without transfusion in coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Objectives Improved understanding of presurgical risk factors for transfusions will lead to reduction in their number and related complications. The goal of this study is to identify these factors in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Methods Presented herein are results of analyses of data from an ongoing study of transfusion in CABG surgery. Of 122 patients, 81 received transfusion (Tx) and 41 did not (NoTx). In addition to routine tests, presurgical levels of microparticles from platelets (PMPs), red cells (RMPs), and other lineages were assayed. Results The Tx and NoTx groups were similar with respect to most presurgical variables but differed in distribution of gender, blood type, diabetes prevalence, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), hemoglobin (HGB), and microparticle levels. Stepwise multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate presurgical variables and to develop a model to assess risk factors for transfusion. CD41 + PMP and CD235 + RMP levels were found to be the main risk factors for transfusion. The Model's discriminating ability was assessed using receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, which showed that the area under the model curve (± standard error) was 0.86 ± 0.04 (95% confidence interval, 0.77-0.94). According to the model, patients with higher presurgical levels of circulating CD41 + PMP, CD235a + RMP, and HGB, as well as a shorter aPTT, are less likely to receive transfusion(s). Conclusions Presurgical levels of CD41 + PMPs and CD235a + RMPs are the main risk factors for transfusion in CABG, followed by HGB and aPTT.
Vacuum polarization in homogeneous magnetic fields

The lowest-order vacuum polarization in homogeneous magnetic fields is calculated exactly, using a "momentum" representation of the electron Green's function obtained by Schwinger in 1951.
In Search of the Molecular Basis of Heterosis

Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, refers to the phenomenon that progeny of diverse inbred varieties exhibit greater biomass, speed of development, and fertility than the better of the two parents ([Figure 1][1]). This phenomenon has been exploited extensively in crop production and has been a powerful
Pharmacology Review: Pharmacologic Closure of Patent Ductus Arteriosus in the Neonate

After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Delineate the factors regulating patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) and the two stages of closure of PDA. 2. Detail the medical treatment of PDA with indomethacin. 3. Explain the role of ibuprofen in treating PDA. 4. Discuss other agents and novel therapeutic approaches for PDA. PDA is a common complication that occurs in more than 70% of very low-birthweight infants who have respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). Burnard initially noted in 1939 that murmurs were more common among infants who had respiratory distress, and he suggested the possibility of PDA in affected infants. The presence of a ductal left-to-right shunt shortly after birth in normal term infants was inferred from dye dilution studies by Prec and Cassels and from cardiac catheterization studies by Adams and Lind and by Rowe and James. The first reported catheterization proof of PDA in preterm infants who had RDS was provided by Rudolph and coworkers in 1961. Exogenous surfactant therapy has altered both the incidence and presentation of PDA. Although surfactant has no effect on the contractile behavior of the ductus, its effects on pulmonary vascular resistance lead to an earlier clinical presentation of the left-to-right shunt in preterm infants. This has resulted in a greater perceived need by physicians to treat PDA. The clinical consequences of PDA are related to the degree of left-to-right shunting through the ductus. The blood flow distribution is altered by the decrease in diastolic pressure and localized vasoconstriction. The reduced organ perfusion contributes to some of the morbidity caused by PDA, including feeding intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis, and decreased glomerular filtration rate. PDA also exposes the pulmonary microvasculature to systemic blood pressure and increased pulmonary blood flow. Because the preterm infant who has RDS frequently has low plasma oncotic pressure and increased capillary permeability, an increase …
Studies of hybridization and chromosome number variation in aquatic angiosperms: evolutionary implications

Abstract Aquatic angiosperms are widely recognized as a biological group sharing attributes associated with adaptations to the aquatic condition. Clonal growth, high vagility of vegetative propagules, and rare to sporadic sexual reproduction are common convergences among aquatic plants, and play central, interacting roles in various evolutionary factors. In this review, two important evolutionary factors, hybridization and chromosome number variation, are discussed with respect to interactions involving clonal growth, vagility, and asexuality. Asexual reproduction emerges as a significant evolutionary catalyst allowing for the perpetuation of hybrid offspring and anomalous cytotypic variants. Inherent phenotypic plasticity in aquatic plants is difficult to discern from both hybrid individuals and cytotypic variants. Detailed studies of putative ‘hybrids’ in some groups may reveal a higher incidence of cytotypic variants at the basis of morphological differences previously attributed to hybridization.
Real Options in Enterprise Architecture: A Holistic Mapping of Mechanisms and Types for Uncertainty Management

Uncertainty management is crucial for achieving high performance in enterprises that develop or operate complex engineering systems. This study focuses on flexibility as a means of managing uncertainties and builds upon real options analysis (ROA) that provides a foundation for quantifying the value of flexibility. ROA has found widespread applications ranging from strategic investments to product design. However, these applications are often isolated to specific domains. Furthermore, ROA is focused on valuation, rather than the identification of real options. In this paper, we introduce a framework for holistic consideration of real options in an enterprise context. First, to enable a holistic approach, we use a generalized enterprise architecture framework that considers eight views: strategy, policy, organization, process, product, service, knowledge, and information technology (IT). This expands upon the classical IT-centric view of enterprise architecture. Second, we characterize a real option as a mechanism and type. This characterization disambiguates among mechanisms that enable flexibility and types of flexibility to manage uncertainties. Third, we propose mapping of mechanisms and types to the enterprise architecture views. We leverage this mapping in an integrated real options framework and demonstrate its benefit over the traditional localized approach to ROA.
Retinoic acid signaling biomarkers after treatment with retinoic acid and retinoic acid receptor alpha antagonist (Ro 41-5253) in canine testis: an in vitro organ culture study.

Retinoic acid (RA) is an essential component for development and maintenance of the male genital tract and for spermatogenesis. Aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH)1, cytochrome P450 (CYP)26b1, RA receptor (RAR)α, cellular RA-binding protein (CRAB)II, and stimulated by RA gene (STRA)8 are involved in synthesis, metabolism signaling pathways, and as downstream effectors of RA. The objective was to elucidate the effects of exogenous RA and a RARα antagonist on gene expression of ALDH1, CYP26b1, RARα, cellular RA-binding protein II, and STRA8 in an in vitro organ culture model of canine testis. Testicular tissues from medium-sized mixed breed dogs (N = 5; age 8 ± 0.17 mo) were subjected to exogenous all trans-RA (final concentrations of 1, 2, and 10 μM, and DMSO as control) for 24 h. Similarly, testicular tissues were treated with Ro 41-5253 (RARα antagonist), at 1, 10, and 50 μM final concentrations (DMSO as control) for 24 h. Exogenous RA or the RARα antagonist decreased (P < 0.05) mRNA abundance of ALDH1 in a dose-dependent manner compared with control. The CRABII mRNA abundance was greater after RA treatment compared with control (P < 0.01), but only 50 μM Ro 41-5253 effectively decreased CRABII mRNA abundance compared with control (P < 0.01). Although RA did not affect RARα mRNA abundance, the RARα antagonist treatment lowered RARα mRNA abundance compared with control (P < 0.05). Abundance of CYP26b1and STRA8 mRNA were greater (P < 0.05) after RA treatment, but lower (P < 0.05) after RARα antagonist treatment compared with control. In conclusion, exogenous RA decreased mRNA abundance of ALDH1 and increased mRNA abundance of RA signaling molecules and its downstream effectors (CYP26b1, CRABII, and STRA8), whereas treatment with a RARα antagonist effectively decreased RARα and RA metabolism molecules and its downstream effectors in canine testis. Perhaps pharmacological intervention via the RA pathway would enable canine male contraception or treatment of testicular pathology.
A Study of Partial Denture Clasping

The most controversial and seemingly contradictory phase of partial denture design is that of the clasp component. Many clasp types have been presented to the profession, each being claimed by its originator to be the solution of all clasp­ ing problems and difficulties. A study of the rationale and method of design of each clasp type reveals a startling dis­ agreement. One might easily conclude that there is an irreconcilable and un­ scientific basis for the design of partial denture clasps. However, by analyzing all available clasp types from an unprejudiced point of view, and eliminating all preconceived conclusions, a common basis for clasp design can be found. Basic fundamentals applying to all clasps may be formulated and any specific clasp type may be rated on its ability to carry out these concepts. To illustrate the fundamentals of clasp design, the circumferential clasp will be used as an example. I t is the type of clasp most frequently encountered in partial denture construction, and is the basis for all types of clasp design.
LOCAL DEMAND FOR A SCHOOL CHOICE POLICY: EVIDENCE FROM THE WASHINGTON CHARTER SCHOOL REFERENDA

The expansion of charter schools—publicly funded, yet in direct competition with traditional public schools—has emerged as a favored response to poor performance in the education sector. While a large and growing literature has sought to estimate the impact of these schools on student achievement, comparatively little is known about demand for the policy itself. Using election returns from three consecutive referenda on charter schools in Washington State, we weigh the relative importance of school quality, community and school demographics, and partisanship in explaining voter support for greater school choice. We find that low school quality—as measured by standardized tests—is a consistent and modestly strong predictor of support for charters. However, variation in performance between school districts is more predictive of charter support than variation within them. At the local precinct level, school resources, union membership, student heterogeneity, and the Republican vote share are often stronger predictors of charter support than standardized test results.
Which configuration option should I change

Modern software often exposes configuration options that enable users to customize its behavior. During software evolution, developers may change how the configuration options behave. When upgrading to a new software version, users may need to re-configure the software by changing the values of certain configuration options. This paper addresses the following question during the evolution of a configurable software system: which configuration options should a user change to maintain the software's desired behavior? This paper presents a technique (and its tool implementation, called ConfSuggester) to troubleshoot configuration errors caused by software evolution. ConfSuggester uses dynamic profiling, execution trace comparison, and static analysis to link the undesired behavior to its root cause - a configuration option whose value can be changed to produce desired behavior from the new software version. We evaluated ConfSuggester on 8 configuration errors from 6 configurable software systems written in Java. For 6 errors, the rootcause configuration option was ConfSuggester's first suggestion. For 1 error, the root cause was ConfSuggester's third suggestion. The root cause of the remaining error was ConfSuggester's sixth suggestion. Overall, ConfSuggester produced significantly better results than two existing techniques. ConfSuggester runs in just a few minutes, making it an attractive alternative to manual debugging.
Plasma sex steroid hormones and risk of developing type 2 diabetes in women: a prospective study

Aims/hypothesis Prospective data directly investigating the role of endogenous sex hormones in diabetes risk have been scant, particularly in women. We aimed to examine comprehensively plasma sex hormones in connection with risk of developing type 2 diabetes in postmenopausal women. Methods We conducted a prospective, nested case–control study of plasma oestradiol, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and risk of type 2 diabetes in a cohort of women health professionals with a mean age of 60.3 and 12.2 years since menopause. Among women not using hormone therapy and free of baseline cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes, 359 incident cases of type 2 diabetes were matched with 359 controls during an average follow-up of 10 years. Results Oestradiol and testosterone were each strongly and positively associated with risk of type 2 diabetes. After adjustment for BMI, family history, lifestyle and reproductive variables, the multivariable relative risks (95% CI) comparing the highest vs lowest quintile were 12.6 (2.83–56.3) for total oestradiol (p=0.002 for trend), 13.1 (4.18–40.8) for free oestradiol (p<0.001 for trend), 4.15 (1.21–14.2) for total testosterone (p=0.019 for trend) and 14.8 (4.44–49.2) for free testosterone (p<0.001 for trend). These associations remained robust after adjusting and accounting for other metabolic syndrome components and baseline HbA1c levels. Conclusions/interpretation In postmenopausal women, higher plasma levels of oestradiol and testosterone were strongly and prospectively related to increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. These prospective data indicate that endogenous levels of sex hormones may play important roles in the pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes. ClinicalTrials.gov ID no.: NCT00000479.
MPM-2 epitope sequence is not sufficient for recognition and phosphorylation by ME kinase-H

Monoclonal antibody MPM-2 recognizes a large family of mitotic phosphoproteins in a phosphorylation-dependent manner. The antigenic phosphoepitope, designated the MPM-2 epitope, putatively consists of hydrophobic residue-Thr/Ser-Pro-hydrophobic residue-uncharged/basic residue. In this study, we addressed whether this sequence motif contains all the information necessary for recognition and phosphorylation by the kinase that phosphorylates most MPM-2 antigens. A fusion protein between glutathione S-transferase and a 19-residue peptide that contained two representative MPM-2 epitope sequences overlapping with two potential MAP kinase phosphorylation sites was constructed. Both the MPM-2 epitope sequences in the fusion protein (GST-MPM2) were phosphorylated by Xenopus egg extract, making the fusion protein MPM-2 reactive. However, while MAP kinase phosphorylated both the MPM-2 epitope sequences, neither ME kinase-H, a good candidate for a major MPM-2 epitope kinase, nor mitotic cdc2 kinase, which is known to phosphorylate certain MPM-2 antigens in vitro, phosphorylated GST-MPM2 to any significant extent. Furthermore, depletion of MAP kinase activity removed most, if not all, of the GST-MPM2 phosphorylating activity from crude Xenopus egg extracts. These results suggest that additional or different structural information than that provided by the deduced MPM-2 epitope sequence is required for recognition and phosphorylation by ME kinase-H or other major MPM-2 epitope kinases. They also offer a valid explanation for selective phosphorylation of certain MPM-2 antigens by MAP kinase as well as selective recognition of certain phosphorylated MAP kinase substrates by MPM-2.
Knowing the Unseen: Estimating Vocabulary Size over Unseen Samples

Empirical studies on corpora involve making measurements of several quantities for the purpose of comparing corpora, creating language models or to make generalizations about specific linguistic phenomena in a language. Quantities such as average word length are stable across sample sizes and hence can be reliably estimated from large enough samples. However, quantities such as vocabulary size change with sample size. Thus measurements based on a given sample will need to be extrapolated to obtain their estimates over larger unseen samples. In this work, we propose a novel nonparametric estimator of vocabulary size. Our main result is to show the statistical consistency of the estimator -- the first of its kind in the literature. Finally, we compare our proposal with the state of the art estimators (both parametric and nonparametric) on large standard corpora; apart from showing the favorable performance of our estimator, we also see that the classical Good-Turing estimator consistently underestimates the vocabulary size.
Erwin Schrödinger, Vienna Indeterminist

Whenever Erwin Schrodinger wrote about causality and determinism, he acknowledged Franz Serafin Exner as the first to have advocated a genuinely indeterminist conception of physics
Low-cost On-Chip Structures for Combating Die and IC Recycling

The recycling of electronic components has become a major concern for the industry and government as it potentially impacts the security and reliability of a wide variety of electronic systems. The sheer number of component types (analog, digital, mixed-signal) and sizes (large or small) makes it extremely challenging to find a one-size-fits-all solution to detect and prevent recycled ICs. In this paper, we propose a suite of solutions for combating die and IC recycling (CDIR). These solutions include light-weight, on-chip structures based on ring oscillators (RO-CDIR), anti-fuses (AF-CDIR) and fuses (F-CDIR). Each structure meets the unique needs and limitations of different part types and sizes providing excellent coverage of recycled parts. HSPICE simulation results using 90nm technology demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed negative-bias temperature instability (NBTI)-aware RO-CDIR for detecting ICs used for very short period of time. Recycling of large digital ICs can effectively be detected by using AF-CDIR. Small analog and digital recycled components can be identified by testing our F-CDIR with very low cost measurement devices, e.g., a multimeter.
Effect of root systems on preferential flow in swelling soil

Abstract Permeability problems on irrigated soils may be alleviated by root systems that increase water flow by creating macropores. Infiltration rates have been shown to increase where plant roots decay and serve as preferential flow paths. For low‐organic‐matter swelling soil, there is a question whether macropores are able to resist the lateral swelling forces of the soil. The objective of this study was to observe preferential water flow paths in a swelling soil under two cropping systems. A Holtville silty clay (clayey‐over‐loamy, montmorillonitic Typic Torrifluvent) was observed in situ. Two crops, alfalfa (Medicago sativa, L.) and wheat (Triticum turgidum, L.) provided sharply contrasting root systems, with wheat possessing fine, fibrous roots; alfalfa on the other hand, has a taproot system. Macropores were observed after applying soil‐adsorbing methylene blue dye to irrigation water. Shrinkage cracks failed to conduct dye after 10 minutes into a flood irrigation. Earthworm (Lubricus terrestris) c...
Sea ice–ocean coupling using a rescaled vertical coordinate z*

Abstract Realistic representation of sea ice in ocean models involves the use of a non-linear free-surface, a real freshwater flux and observance of requisite conservation laws. We show here that these properties can be achieved in practice through use of a rescaled vertical coordinate “ z ∗ ” in z-coordinate models that allows one to follow undulations in the free-surface under sea ice loading. In particular, the adoption of “ z ∗ ” avoids the difficult issue of vanishing levels under thick ice. Details of the implementation within MITgcm are provided. A high resolution global ocean sea ice simulation illustrates the robustness of the z ∗ formulation and reveals a source of oceanic variability associated with sea ice dynamics and ice-loading effects. The use of the z ∗ coordinate allows one to achieve perfect conservation of fresh water, heat and salt, as shown in extended integration of coupled ocean sea ice atmospheric model.
Reply to “A Brain Drain due to Increased Regulation of Influenza Virus Research Is Highly Speculative”

We appreciate the perspective provided by Dr. Culp in describing the acceptance by scientists of the highly regulated environment for classified physics research (1). We agree that as more microbiology research falls into the category of “dual-use research of concern” or DURC, it is important to consider the experience in fields such as physics, whose members had to learn how to deal and work with these challenges. …
The Reconfiguration of Participatory Irrigation Management in Water Users Associations. Evidence from Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union water management in Central Asia has been affected by different institutional changes which led to socio-political, technical and environmental issues, in particular at the local level. In order to address this context, since the nineties several international agencies have sought to promote participatory irrigation management (PIM) and water users associations (WUAs) in the region. This article aims to discuss these initiatives, their implementation and logic in two areas, Samarkand province (Uzbekistan) and South-Kazakhstan province (Kazakhstan), according to a qualitative comparative approach.
Magic-Size II–VI Nanoclusters as Synthons for Flat Colloidal Nanocrystals

Five new, discretely sized, magic-size II–VI nanoclusters are synthesized in primary-amine bilayer templates and are isolated as the derivatives [(CdS)34(n-butylamine)18], [(ZnS)34(n-butylamine)34], [(ZnSe)13(n-butylamine)13], [(CdTe)13(n-propylamine)13], and [(ZnTe)13(n-butylamine)13]. The nanoclusters are characterized by elemental analysis, UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, laser-desorption-ionization mass spectrometry, and transmission electron microscopy. Four of the nanocluster precursors are converted to wurtzitic CdS, ZnS, and ZnSe quantum platelets and CdTe quantum belts, respectively, under mild conditions.
Preparation of Er-doped optical fiber by the solgel method

Er-doped fiber amplifiers are of great interest in the field of optical fiber communications because they operate in a loss minimum region (1.55-µm band) of silica fibers.1 Typical fabrication methods for rare earth-doped silica glasses are chemical vapor deposition and the molecule stuffing method.2 Currently, a solgel method has become technologically important because of potential advantages for high concentration and homogeneous doping. This paper describes the fluorescence characteristics of Er-doped silica glass prepared by the solgel method and the amplification characteristics of optical fiber prepared by solgel dipcoating.3
The Reactivity of Polymersome Encapsulated Hemoglobin with Physiologically Important Gaseous Ligands: Oxygen, Carbon Monoxide and Nitric Oxide.

Two distinct preparations of amphiphilic diblock copolymer vesicles (i.e., polymersomes), composed of (poly(ethylene oxide)–poly(butadiene)) (PEO–PBD), with molecular weights of 1.8 and 10.4 kDa, offering different hydrophobic membrane thicknesses, were used to encapsulate the oxygen (O2) storage and transport protein hemoglobin (Hb) for possible application as a red blood cell (RBC) substitute. Key biophysical properties as well as the kinetics of polymersome encapsulated Hb (PEH) interaction with physiologically important gaseous ligands (O2, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide) were measured as a function of the hydrophobic membrane thickness of the PEH particle. Taken together, the results of this work show that PEHs exhibit biophysical properties and retarded ligand binding/release kinetics (compared to cell-free Hb), which are similar to the behavior of RBCs. Therefore, PEHs have the potential to serve as safe and efficacious RBC substitutes for use in transfusion medicine.
Sex difference in the response of rats to sodium pentobarbital.

ConclusionAdult male rats require significantly larger amounts of sodium pentobarbital than do females for the maintenance of deep surgical anesthesia.
Mapping Strategic Thought

This article presents a review of the book & Mapping Strategic Thought,& edited by Anne Sigismund Huff.
Superconvergence of mixed finite element methods on rectangular domains

Superconvergence by one power of h along Gauss lines for theBDFM (Brezzi-Douglas-Fortin-Marini) mixed finite element approximation by rectangular elements of the vector field associated with a second order elliptic equation on a rectangular domain is established under an appropriate assumption of smoothness on the exact solution.
National survey of hospital policies on pharmaceutical sales representatives' activities

Hospital pharmacy directors were surveyed nationwide to determine hospital policies on activities of pharmaceutical sales representatives (PSRs). The data were collected by means of a mail survey sent to pharmacy directors in a random sample of 854 hospitals. The survey asked them to indicate whether they had written or unwritten PSR policies and who was responsible for developing and enforcing them and describe the actual policies with regard to access controls, detailing controls, and exhibit controls. The response rate was 52.2%. Of the responding hospitals, 66.6% had written policies. However, many of those with written policies had developed them only recently. The pharmacy director was responsible for developing and enforcing policies on PSR activities in most of the hospitals, although pharmacy and therapeutics committees or purchasing directors developed and enforced such policies in some hospitals. Many hospitals rely on only an oral briefing during the PSR's first visit to communicate policy. The hospitals with written policies tend to be more likely than those without written policies to place specific limits on PSR access to hospitals and on detailing activities. A wide variability exists among the hospitals in the degree of formalization of PSR policies and in the nature of controls on PSRs.
Surveillance on effect of disinfection and sterilization in hospitals in Beijing

Objective:To insure the quality of disinfection and sterilization during 2008 Olympic Game by investigating the situation of disinfection and sterilization in hospital.Methods:Field investigation and sampling was used to test and evaluate the quality of indoor air,object surface,staff's hand,ultraviolet lamp,autoclave sterilizer,disinfectant,and clean operating room.Results:The qualified rate of indoor air,object surface,ultraviolet lamp and autoclave sterilizer is 100%.The qualified rate of staff's hand and disinfectant is 89.36% and 88.24%,respectively.For clean operating room,the qualified rate of colony forming units,particle Number,pressure,number of air changes,temperature,humidity is 87.5%,87.5%,62.5%,6.67%,62.5% and 31.25%,respectively.Conclusion:The integral quality of disinfection and sterilization in hospital was good,but the qualified rate of staff's hand,disinfectant and clean operating room need to be improved.
A generalized framework for mining arbitrarily positioned overlapping co-clusters

The goal of co-clustering is to simultaneously cluster both rows and columns in a given matrix. Motivated by several applications in text mining, recommendation systems and bioinformatics, different methods have been developed to discover local patterns that cannot be identified by traditional clustering algorithms. In spite of much research in this domain, existing co-clustering algorithms have some critical limitations in terms of identifying co-clusters with different types of correlations in the data and the ability to capture overlapping co-clusters in the data matrix. In this paper, we present a new deterministic co-clustering algorithm, POsitive and NEgative correlation based Overlapping Co-Clustering (PONEOCC), which can be used to find significant co-clusters efficiently. Our algorithm uses a novel ranking-based objective function that is optimized to simultaneously find large co-clusters with minimum residual errors. It allows positively and negatively correlated objects to be members of the same co-clusters and can extract overlapping co-clusters. In addition, the co-clusters can be arbitrarily positioned in the data matrix. We evaluated our algorithm on several synthetic and real-world gene expression datasets, and the experimental results showed that PONEOCC is able to find biologically significant coclusters and also outperformed some of the well-known existing co-clustering algorithms in terms of the quality, size and biological significance of the co-clusters.
Ten-year trends in the financing of family medicine training programs: considerations for planning and policy.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The recent Affordable Care Act (ACA) includes physician training provisions to address the US primary care workforce shortage and maldistribution. Policymakers require current graduate medical education (GME) residency finance data to design and implement programs that increase primary care physicians. The University of Washington Family Medicine Network residencies have collaborated for 10 years in collecting and comparing data regarding the revenues and expenses of their training programs. Based on biennial survey results from 2000 to 2010, this study examines changes in the finances of residency training over a decade using a standardized methodology. METHODS Data were systematically collected by standardized questionnaire, evaluated for quality and verified, and then analyzed. RESULTS The per-resident expense of residency education for these programs increased an average of 63%, and overall residency revenues increased 75%. GME funding per resident increased 47% but decreased as proportionate contribution to overall program revenue. CONCLUSIONS The mean cost per resident remained relatively stable over the 10-year period, with a 3.1% overall increase to $27,260 per resident per year. Programs that successfully obtained federally qualified health center (FQHC) status, increased their residency graduate medical education (GME) slots or received other new significant funding, such as state grants, were the most financially stable. Policy solutions would stabilize both federal GME and state Medicaid GME funding and increase reimbursement of primary care practice to maintain the viability of primary care training programs. Conclusions: The mean cost per resident remained relatively stable over the 10-year period, with a 3.1% overall increase to $27,260 per resident per year. Programs that successfully obtained federally qualified health center (FQHC) status, increased their residency graduate medical education (GME) slots or received other new significant funding, such as state grants, were the most financially stable. Policy solutions would stabilize both federal GME and state Medicaid GME funding and increase reimbursement of primary care practice to maintain the viability of primary care training programs.
Amitriptyline plasma levels and clinical response in primary depression

Sixteen patients with primary depression were treated for 4 wk with amitriptyline. After clinical diagnoses were determined, patients entered a double-blind protocol (amitriptyline or placebo) and their clinical status was determined with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale by raters blind to the drug type, its dosage and plasma levels. Amitriptyline (AT) and nortriptyline (NT) plasma levels were assayed twice weekly by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In the 16 patients, a negative correlation between the Hamilton Score and the mean total tricyclic level (p less than 0.01), as well as with individual plasma levels, was found at the end of the treatment period. When the group was divided into clinical responders and nonresponders, the mean total tricyclic (AT + NT) levels discriminated the two groups by day 12 (p less than 0.001) as well as at the end of the protocol (day 26, 88% of the patients were classified correctly if an arbitrary level of 200 ng/ml total tricyclic plasma level was chosen). These results strongly suggest the presence of a positive correlation between plasma levels and clinical improvement in patients with primary depression.
Enhancing Environmental Quality and Sustainability through Negotiation and Conflict Management: Research into Systems, Dynamics, and Practices

In a world of rapid population growth, urbanization, and climate change, sustainability and environmental integrity are increasingly central concerns. The frequent recurrence of conflict within these arenas, coupled to the difficulty in determining their impact on social–ecological systems, challenges governance at all levels of society. Negotiation‐based conflict management provides a promising response to these challenges. This guest editor's article examines: (a) the emergence and conduct of environmental and public policy (EPP) conflict management as a distinctive practice over the past 40 years; (b) the interplay between theories of environmental decision‐making and practices of EPP conflict management; (c) trends in research into EPP conflict management systems, the dynamics of interventions into these systems to resolve conflict, and the efficacy and impact of EPP conflict management practices; and (d) the contributions of the articles contained in this special issue to this literature and future directions in the field.
Muscle spindle function during normal and perturbed locomotion in cats

The available evidence about the behaviour of muscle spindle afferents during normal movements obtained in this and other laboratories is reviewed.
Dense plasma focus for D-/sup 3/He burning

Studies have been performed to determine the feasibility of D-/sup 3/He burning in dense plasma focus (DPF) device as a possible propulsion system for space. A large potential difference between the DPF electrodes ionizes the gaseous fusion fuel and forms on annular plasma sheath. The "run-down" phase and the subsequent stability are analyzed by solving the momentum equation using the snowplow model and the cylindrical m=0 mode. It is found that the results of the pinch equilibrium profiles agree with the assumed current-squared scaling of energy density, and that the total fusion power released from the pinch scales as plasma current, I/sub p//sup 5.4/. This is found to correlate well with the reaction rate parameter data for the utilized fuel of D-/sup 3/He.
Role of Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Diagnosis of Paradoxical Low Flow, Low Gradient Severe Aortic Stenosis

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Prior studies indicate that up to 35% of cases of severe aortic stenosis (AS) have paradoxical low flow, low gradient despite preserved left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). However, error in left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) diameter may lead to misclassification. Herein, we determined whether measurement of LVOT diameter by transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) results in reclassification of cases to non-severe AS. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Patients with severe AS with aortic valve area (AVA) <1 cm2 by transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) within 6 months were studied. Paradoxical low flow, low gradient was defined as mean Doppler gradient (MG) <40 mm Hg and stroke volume index (SVI) ≤35 mL/m2. Preserved LVEF was defined as ≥0.50. RESULTS Among 108 patients, 12 (15%) had paradoxical low flow, low gradient severe AS despite preserved LVEF based on TTE measurement. When LVOT diameter by TEE in 2D was used, only 5 (6.3%) patients had low flow, low gradient severe AS (p<0.001). Coefficients of variability for intraobserver and interobserver measurement of LVOT were <10%. However, the limits of agreement between TTE and TEE measurement of LVOT ranged from 0.43 cm (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.36 to 0.5) to -0.31 cm (95% CI: -0.38 to -0.23). CONCLUSION TEE measured LVOT diameter may result in reclassification to moderate AS in some patients due to low prevalence of true paradoxical low flow, low gradient (PLFLG) severe AS.
A Volumetric Conformal Mapping Approach for Clustering White Matter Fibers in the Brain

The human brain may be considered as a genus-0 shape, topologically equivalent to a sphere. Various methods have been used in the past to transform the brain surface to that of a sphere using harmonic energy minimization methods used for cortical surface matching. However, very few methods have studied volumetric parameterization of the brain using a spherical embedding. Volumetric parameterization is typically used for complicated geometric problems like shape matching, morphing and isogeometric analysis. Using conformal mapping techniques, we can establish a bijective mapping between the brain and the topologically equivalent sphere. Our hypothesis is that shape analysis problems are simplified when the shape is defined in an intrinsic coordinate system. Our goal is to establish such a coordinate system for the brain. The efficacy of the method is demonstrated with a white matter clustering problem. Initial results show promise for future investigation in these parameterization technique and its application to other problems related to computational anatomy like registration and segmentation.
Accuracy of 18-F FDG PET/CT to detect bone marrow clearance in patients with peripheral T-cell lymphoma–tissue remains the issue

Staging of peripheral T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PTCL) is determined by 18-F FDG PET scan and bone marrow biopsy. This study addressed the accuracy of PET at detecting bone marrow (BM) involvement at restaging in patients with known involvement pretreatment. We identified patients with biopsy proven BM PTCL at diagnosis and concomitant BM and PET at the end of therapy. Pre-treatment PET demonstrated 50% (8/16) had a false-negative PET scan of the BM. After induction, repeat biopsy revealed 62.5% (10/16) with BM involvement. Of these 10, two had a positive PET; eight were false negative by PET. Of the six patients with a negative posttherapy BM biopsy, four were PET negative and two false positive. The sensitivity of PET at end of treatment was 20% (2/10) with a specificity of 66.7% (4/6). PET/CT is not an accurate predictor of BM involvement in patients with known PTCL in the marrow.