cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Agricultural history drives structure and tree species composition of second growth forest over 100 years in southeastern Ohio, USA

Questions Most modern forest in eastern North America has recolonized after abandonment from agriculture. Cultivation and pasturing, historically the dominant forms of agriculture, differ in their environmental legacies and potentially influence stand development following abandonment. We ask how the legacy of agriculture plays out in development of second-growth stands, and whether tree community composition and structure differ between sites with contrasting land-use histories. Methods Thirty-five second growth stands were sorted into a replicated chronosequence of formerly cultivated and pastured sites spanning 80 years. Stand age and land-use history were determined from historical aerial photographs and from site characteristics including microtopography and soil profiles. In addition, a control group was selected consisting of long-established forest stands showing no signs of agricultural disturbance. At each site stand composition and structure were described using the point-centered quarter method. Results Stand density declined and basal area increased through the chronosequence but neither pastured nor cultivated sites reached levels observed in the control group. Density decreased most dramatically between the 41-60 and 61-80 year age classes, consistant with competitive stand thinning. Tree community composition changed through time, reflecting a shift away from light-demanding successional species and toward long lived, shade-tolerant species characteristic of long-established forests. Composition and structure did not differ significantly between cultivated and pastured sites, but individual species did show significant differences with the greatest contrast evident shortly after abandonment. Conclusions Stand development following agriculture appears to be a process of convergence in species composition and density. Because most deciduous forest in eastern North America is less than 80 years old, these results suggest that most forest is still accruing biomass and has yet to reach a stable density and composition. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Ferris wheels and filling bottles: a case of a student’s transfer of covariational reasoning across tasks with different backgrounds and features

Using an actor-oriented perspective on transfer, we report a case of a student’s transfer of covariational reasoning across tasks involving different backgrounds and features. In this study, we investigated the research question: How might a student’s covariational reasoning on Ferris wheel tasks, involving attributes of distance, width, and height, influence a student’s covariational reasoning on filling bottle tasks, involving attributes of volume and height? The student transferred covariational reasoning that she employed on Ferris wheel tasks to filling bottle tasks; yet, her covariational reasoning on filling bottle tasks was less advanced. When designing a sequence of tasks intended to engender students’ covariational reasoning, we recommend that researchers begin by using situations consisting of “simpler” attributes, such as height and distance, which students may more readily conceive of as being possible to measure. By taking into account students’ conceptions of task features, researchers can promote transfer of complex forms of mathematical reasoning, such as covariational reasoning.
Einstein and the art of coarse mathematics

It is now widely accepted that the first or “kinematic” part of Einstein’s 1905 paper on Relativity [1] can be made accessible to interested non-specialist students. This part is mathematically straightforward, although its first readers found it conceptually puzzling. “From this”, remarks Einstein, as he follows one of the simpler results of applying the Lorentz transformation to our measures of space and time, “there ensues the following peculiar consequence…” It was these “peculiar consequences” that repelled many physicists of his own day. Later, the challenge to intuition caught public imagination and led to the many popular and semi-popular introductions to the Special Theory. Today there are also several accounts available at a mathematical level appropriate to sixth form or college students.
Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Hurricane Hazards

This chapter summarizes recent work to examine whether there be any effect of postulated climate change scenarios on the hurricane (joint wind and rain) hazard. Considering a worst-case climate change scenario from the most recent IPCC report and region along the US coastline that saw the largest increase in sea surface temperature under that scenario, results show conclusively that there is an effect on the hurricane hazard. The results of event-based simulation can be used to statistically characterize the hurricane hazard (wind-only, or wind and rain). This information can inform decision-makers, planners, emergency managers, electric power or other utilities, transportation and other public works departments, insurers or other risk portfolio managers. Results from such analyses also can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of possible mitigation strategies to ameliorate expected impacts and moderate risks (or consequent losses) to an acceptable level.
Lumbar Degenerative Spondylolisthesis

Spondylolisthesis is the anterior slippage of one vertebra on top of another. This chapter focuses on the degenerative, lumbar subtype of this condition. Risk factors include age, female gender, and African American descent. Disk degeneration leads to a series of changes culminating in spondylolisthesis. Most commonly, patients present with neurogenic claudication, which must be differentiated from vascular claudication. Imaging includes plain x-rays and MRI in most cases. Most patients improve with nonoperative treatment including activity modification, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, and physical therapy. Epidural steroid injections are commonly used but their long-term efficacy has yet to be shown. Recent investigations into operative vs. nonoperative treatment show improved outcomes with operative treatment, which most commonly involves laminectomy and posterolateral fusion with instrumentation.
Mixing Processes in the Extra Tropical Stratosphere

The general problem of trace gas mixing in the stratosphere is considered. Mixing is divided into two parts: mixing which occurs as part of the tracer realignment with the flow streamlines, and mixing which occurs as part of the evolution of the fluid flow. The mixing process is fundamentally driven by fluid strain or wind shear. The straining produces trace gas filaments which thin until the molecular viscosity scale is reached. At this point the trace gas comes into a dynamical (and chemical) balance with the ambient flow. The further evolution of the trace gas is highly correlated with dynamical tracers, such as potential vorticity, or with other long lived trace gases. Subsequent mixing of the trace gas follows the mixing of the dynamical tracers. Estimates the time required for the trace gas to reach dynamical equilibrium show that linear shear or even shear variation associated with the observed stratospheric energy spectrum cannot bring the trace gas to the dynamical balance as rapidly as is observed. Nonlinear phenomena producing random strain probably accelerate the collapse of trace gas filaments to viscous scales. This suggests that random strain models may be appropriate at meso and synoptic scales under appropriate conditions.
Abstract B27: Analysis of the immune infiltrate in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the extremity and trunk in response to radiotherapy

Introduction: Undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the extremity and trunk (ET UPS) presents a unique diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. Recently, immunotherapy has been employed in the treatment of patients with advanced UPS with preliminary evidence of benefit in 40% of a small initial cohort (SARC028). However, there is currently a paucity of data characterizing the immune infiltrate population in ET UPS. Radiotherapy (RT) is associated with improved locoregional control in combination with surgery. Localized RT has been shown in other tumor types to promote tumor antigen release and enhance tumor-specific targeting by the adaptive immune system. The aim of this study was two-fold: 1) to characterize the immune infiltrate in ET UPS and 2) to evaluate the effect of preoperative RT on immune cell infiltrates in ET UPS. Methods: We identified 17 matched ET UPS tumor samples before and after RT. Immunohistochemistry for CD8, CD4, PD-L1, PD1, CD3, CD163, and FOXP3 was performed on the matched pairs. Changes in immune infiltrate over time between the pairs were compared with a paired t-test. Results: CD8, CD4, PD-L1, PD1, CD3, CD163, and FoxP3 positive cells were identified in all samples. The effects were variable, but there was an overall trend towards an increase in the density of tumor-infiltrating immune cells of all assayed types in ET UPS following completion of RT, with increases in the median number of CD8 (55 vs. 111 cells/mm2, p=0.17), CD4 (3 vs. 13 cells/mm2, p=0.01), CD3 (158 vs. 219 cells/mm2, p=0.06), CD163 (1363 vs. 2001 cells/mm2, p=0.76), and FOXP3 (14 vs. 25 cells/mm2, p=0.23) positive cells in RT-treated tumor sections. Interestingly, although PD-L1 was not expressed in any pre-RT ET UPS tumors, positive PD-L1 expression was observed in 21% (3/14) of tumors after RT treatment (p=0.07). Conclusion: An immune infiltrate is present in ET UPS at the time of diagnosis, with a trend towards increased density of immune infiltrate and PD-L1 expression after completion of RT. These data support evaluating immune checkpoint inhibitors with standard of care RT in the treatment of ET UPS. Citation Format: Emily Z. Keung, Jen-Wei Tsai, Ali M. Ali, Janice N. Cormier, Andrew J. Bishop, B. Ashleigh Guadagnolo, Kelly K. Hunt, Keila E. Torres, Neeta Somaiah, Jennifer A. Wargo, Alexander Lazar, Wei-Lien Wang, Cristina L. Roland. Analysis of the immune infiltrate in undifferentiated pleomorphic sarcoma of the extremity and trunk in response to radiotherapy [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Conference on Advances in Sarcomas: From Basic Science to Clinical Translation; May 16-19, 2017; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2018;24(2_Suppl):Abstract nr B27.
Association of Nausea and Vomiting in Pregnancy With Prenatal Marijuana Use.

This observational study of a health care system population assessed whether prenatal marijuana use is elevated among women with nausea and vomiting in pregnancy who underwent universal screening for marijuana use.
The Color Cameras on the InSight Lander

The NASA Mars InSight lander was successfully launched from Earth in May 2018 and is scheduled to land on Mars in November 2018. The key objective of the InSight mission is to investigate the interior structure and processes of Mars using a seismometer and heat flow probe that must first be placed onto the Martian surface by a robotic arm. The lander is equipped with two cameras to assist in this instrument deployment task. The Instrument Deployment Camera (IDC) is mounted to the lander robotic arm and will acquire images of the lander and surrounding terrain before, during, and after the instrument deployment activities. The IDC has a field of view (FOV) of $45^{\circ} \times45^{\circ}$ and an angular resolution of 0.82 mrad/pixel at the center of the image. The Instrument Context Camera (ICC) is mounted to the lander and will acquire wide-angle views of the instrument deployment activities. The ICC has a FOV of $124^{\circ} \times124^{\circ}$ and an angular FOV of 2.1 mrad/pixel at the center of the image. The IDC and ICC cameras are flight spare engineering cameras from the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission. The InSight project upgraded the inherited cameras from single-channel greyscale to red/green/blue (RGB) color by replacing the detector with a Bayer-pattern version of the same $1024~\mbox{pixel} \times1024~\mbox{pixel}$ detector. Stereo IDC image pairs, acquired by moving the arm between images, are critical for characterizing the topography of the instrument deployment workspace, a $4~\mbox{meter} \times 6~\mbox{meter}$ area located in front of the lander. Images from the cameras are processed using software from previous Mars surface missions, with several new image products developed for InSight to support instrument placement activities. This paper provides a brief description of the IDC/ICC hardware and related image processing.
Structured polarized light microscopy for collagen fiber structure and orientation quantification in thick ocular tissues

Collagen is a major constituent of the eye and understanding its architecture and biomechanics is critical to preserve and restore vision. We, recently, demonstrated polarized light microscopy (PLM) as a powerful technique for measuring properties of the collagen fibers of the eye, such as spatial distribution and orientation. Our implementation of PLM, however, required sectioning the tissues for imaging using transmitted light. This is problematic because it limits analysis to thin sections. This is not only slow, but precludes study of dynamic events such as pressure-induced deformations, which are central to the role of collagen. We introduce structured polarized light microscopy (SPLM), an imaging technique that combines structured light illumination with PLM to allow imaging and measurement of collagen fiber properties in thick ocular tissues. Using pig and sheep eyes, we show that SPLM rejects diffuse background light effectively in thick tissues, significantly enhancing visualization of optic nerve head (ONH) structures, such as the lamina cribrosa, and improving the accuracy of the collagen fiber orientation measurements. Further, we demonstrate the integration of SPLM with an inflation device to enable direct visualization, deformation tracking, and quantification of collagen fibers in ONHs while under controlled pressure.
Descubriendo secretos de la guerra en los Andes peruanos

Tan importante como los hechos mismos del pasado reciente es la manera en que una determinada sociedad o grupo humano los rememora, les da sentido y los incorpora a su cotidianeidad. Es alli donde operan estrategias de recuerdo y olvido colectivo que, en conjunto, hablan mas de la subjetividad y experiencia comun de determinados eventos -particularmente de los episodios de violencia politica inscritos en la ola contrarrevolucionaria de America Latina
Single- versus multiple-stage catheter-directed thrombolysis for acute iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis does not have an impact on iliac vein stent length or patency rates.

Abstract Background Incomplete venous thrombolysis and residual nonstented iliac vein disease are known predictors of recurrent deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Controversy exists as to whether the number of thrombolysis sessions affects total stent treatment length or stent patency. The goal of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of patients who underwent single vs multiple catheter-directed lysis sessions with regard to stent extent and patency. Methods Consecutive patients who underwent thrombolysis and stenting for acute iliofemoral DVT between 2007 and 2018 were identified and divided into two groups on the basis of the number of treatments performed (one vs multiple sessions). Operative notes and venograms were reviewed to determine the number of lytic sessions performed and stent information, including size, location, total number, and length treated. End points included total stent length, 30-day and long-term patency, and post-thrombotic syndrome (Villalta score ≥5). The χ2 comparisons, logistic regression, and survival analysis were used to determine outcomes. Results There were 79 patients who underwent lysis and stenting (6 bilateral interventions; mean age, 45.9 ± 17 years; 48 female). Ten patients (12 limbs) underwent single-stage treatment with pharmacomechanical thrombolysis, and the remaining 69 (73 limbs) had two to four operating room sessions combining pharmacomechanical and catheter-directed thrombolysis. Patients who underwent a single-stage procedure were older and more likely to have a malignant disease. These patients received less tissue plasminogen activator compared with the multiple-stage group (17.2 ± 2.2 mg vs 27.6 ± 11.6 mg; P = .008). Average stent length was 8.8 ± 5.2 cm for the single-stage group vs 9.2 ± 4.6 cm for the multiple-stage group (P = .764). Patients who underwent a single-stage procedure had no difference in average length of stay from that of patients who underwent multiple sessions (8.5 days vs 5.9 days; P = .269). The overall 30-day rethrombosis rate was 7.3%. Two-year patency was 72.2% and 74.7% for the single and multiple stages, respectively (P = .909). The major predictors for loss of primary patency were previous DVT (hazard ratio [HR], 5.99; P = .020) and incomplete lysis (HR, 5.39; P = .014) but not number of procedures (HR, 0.957; P = .966). The overall post-thrombotic syndrome rate was 28.4% at 5 years and was also not associated with the number of treatment sessions. Conclusions Single- vs multiple-stage thrombolysis for DVT is not associated with a difference in extent of stent coverage. Patency rates remain high for iliac stenting irrespective of the number of lytic sessions, provided lysis is complete and the diseased segments are appropriately stented.
Smoking Is Associated with Pain in All Body Regions, with Greatest Influence on Spinal Pain.

Objective Examine the interrelationship between smoking and pain in the US population. Design A cross-sectional population-based study. Setting Nationwide survey. Methods Comprehensive pain reports categorically defined as head, spine, trunk, and limb pain; smoking history; demographics; medical history from a total of 2,307 subjects from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey obtained from the Centers for Disease Control were analyzed. Unpaired t tests were used to analyze independent continuous variables, and chi-square tests were used to analyze categorical variables between smoker and nonsmoker groups. Weighted multivariate logistic regression analyses determined the association of current smoking with the presence of pain in various body regions. Results Smoking is most strongly associated with spine pain (odds ratio [OR] = 2.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.21-3.77), followed by headache (OR = 2.47, 95% CI = 1.73-3.53), trunk pain (OR = 2.17, 95% CI = 1.45-2.74), and limb pain (OR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.45-2.73). Conclusions Current smoking is associated with pain in every region of the body. This association is strongest for spine and head pain. Given that pain is a strong motivator and that current smoking was associated with pain in all body regions, we recommend that these results be used to further raise public awareness about the potential harms of smoking.
Superelectrophilic Fe(III)-Ion Pairs as Stronger Lewis Acid Catalysts for (E)-Selective Intermolecular Carbonyl-Olefin Metathesis.

An intermolecular carbonyl–olefin metathesis reaction is described that relies on superelectrophilic Fe(III)-based ion pairs as stronger Lewis acid catalysts. This new catalytic system enables sele...
Outcomes after Fertility-sparing Surgery for Women with Ovarian Cancer: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

ABSTRACT Objective To compare reproductive and oncologic outcomes of patients diagnosed with early-stage epithelial ovarian carcinoma, borderline ovarian tumors, or nonepithelial ovarian carcinoma according to receipt of fertility-sparing surgery or conventional surgery. Data Sources PubMed was searched from January 1, 1995, to May 29, 2020. Methods of Study Selection Studies were included if they (1) enrolled women of childbearing age diagnosed with ovarian cancer between the ages of 18 years and 50 years, (2) reported on oncologic and/or reproductive outcomes after fertility-sparing surgery for ovarian cancer, and (3) included at least 20 patients. Tabulation, Integration, and Results The initial search identified 995 studies. After duplicates were removed, we abstracted 980 unique citations. Of those screened, 167 publications were identified as potentially relevant, and evaluated for inclusion and exclusion criteria. The final review included 44 studies in epithelial ovarian cancer, 42 in borderline ovarian tumors, and 31 in nonepithelial ovarian carcinoma. The narrative synthesis demonstrated that overall survival does not seem to be compromised in patients undergoing fertility-sparing surgery compared with those undergoing conventional surgery, although long-term data are limited. Areas of controversy include safety of fertility-sparing surgery in the setting of high-risk factors (stage IC, grade 3, and clear cell histology), as well as type of surgery (salpingo-oophorectomy vs cystectomy). It seems that although there may be some fertility compromise after surgery, pregnancy and live-birth rates are encouraging. Conclusion Fertility-sparing surgery is safe and feasible in women with early-stage low-risk ovarian cancer. Pregnancy outcomes for these patients also seem to be similar to those of the general population.
Estimating heterogeneous effects of a policy intervention across organizations when organization affiliation is missing for the control group: application to the evaluation of accountable care organizations

First introduced in early 2000s, the accountable care organization (ACO) is designed to lower health care costs while improving quality of care and has become one of the most important coordinated care technologies in the United States. In this research, we use the Medicare fee-for-service claims data from 2009-2014 to estimate the heterogeneous effects of Medicare ACO programs on hospital admissions across hospital referral regions (HRRs) and provider groups. To conduct our analysis, a model for a difference-in-difference (DID) study is embellished in multiple ways to account for intricacies and complexity with the data not able to be accounted for using existing models. Of particular note, we propose a Gaussian mixture model to account for the inability to observe the practice group affiliation of physicians if the organization they worked for did not become an ACO, which is needed to ensure appropriate partitioning of variation across the different units. The results suggest that the ACO programs reduced the rate of readmission to hospital, that the ACO program may have reduced heterogeneity in readmission rates, and that the effect of joining an ACO varied considerably across medical groups.
Developmental disability vs. neurodiverse identity: how cognitive lens affects the general public’s perceptions of autism

Participants read a very brief educational message describing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as a developmental disability or neurodiverse identity. Participants who read the neurodiverse identity ...
Drug Repurposing of the Alcohol Abuse Medication Disulfiram as an Anti-Parasitic Agent

Parasitic infections contribute significantly to worldwide morbidity and mortality. Antibiotic treatment is essential for managing patients infected with these parasites since control is otherwise challenging and there are no vaccines available for prevention. However, new antimicrobial therapies are urgently needed as significant problems exist with current treatments such as drug resistance, limited options, poor efficacy, as well as toxicity. This situation is made worse by the challenges of drug discovery and development which is costly especially for non-profitable infectious diseases, time-consuming, and risky with a high failure rate. Drug repurposing which involves finding new use for existing drugs may help to more rapidly identify therapeutic candidates while drastically cutting costs of drug research and development. In this perspective article, we discuss the importance of drug repurposing, review disulfiram pharmacology, and highlight emerging data that supports repurposing disulfiram as an anti-parasitic, exemplified by the major diarrhea-causing parasite Entamoeba histolytica.
Might a Single Neuron Solve Interesting Machine Learning Problems Through Successive Computations on Its Dendritic Tree

Physiological experiments have highlighted how the dendrites of biological neurons can nonlinearly process distributed synaptic inputs. However, it is unclear how aspects of a dendritic tree, such as its branched morphology or its repetition of presynaptic inputs, determine neural computation beyond this apparent nonlinearity. Here we use a simple model where the dendrite is implemented as a sequence of thresholded linear units. We manipulate the architecture of this model to investigate the impacts of binary branching constraints and repetition of synaptic inputs on neural computation. We find that models with such manipulations can perform well on machine learning tasks, such as Fashion MNIST or Extended MNIST. We find that model performance on these tasks is limited by binary tree branching and dendritic asymmetry and is improved by the repetition of synaptic inputs to different dendritic branches. These computational experiments further neuroscience theory on how different dendritic properties might determine neural computation of clearly defined tasks.
Evaluating resident involvement and the 'July effect' in parotidectomy.

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the effect of resident involvement and the ‘July effect’ on peri-operative complications after parotidectomy. Method The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database was queried for parotidectomy procedures with resident involvement between 2005 and 2014. Results There were 11 733 cases were identified, of which 932 involved resident participation (7.9 per cent). Resident involvement resulted in a significantly lower reoperation rate (adjusted odds ratio, 0.18; 95 per cent confidence interval, 0.05–0.73; p = 0.02) and readmission rate (adjusted odds ratios 0.30; 95 per cent confidence interval, 0.11–0.80; p = 0.02). However, resident involvement was associated with a mean 24 minutes longer adjusted operative time and 23.5 per cent longer adjusted total hospital length of stay (respective p < 0.01). No significant difference in surgical or medical complication rates or mortality was found when comparing cases among academic quarters. Conclusion Resident participation is associated with significantly decreased reoperation and readmission rates as well as longer mean operative times and total length of stay. Resident transitions during July are not associated with increased risk of adverse peri-operative outcomes after parotidectomy.
Compilation of selenium metabolite data in selenized yeasts

Selenium-enriched yeast has long been recognized as an important nutritional source of selenium and studies have suggested that supplementation with this material provides chemo-preventative benefits beyond those observed for selenomethionine supplementation, despite the fact that selenomethionine accounts for 60-84% of the total selenium in selenized yeasts. There is much ongoing research into the characterization of the species comprising the remaining 16-40% of the selenium, with nearly 100 unique selenium-containing metabolites identified in aqueous extracts of selenized yeasts (Saccharomyces cerevisiae). Herein, we discuss the analytical approaches involved in the identification and quantification of these metabolites, and present a recently created online database (DOI: 10.4224/40001921) of reported selenium species along with chemical structures and unique mass spectral features.
Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury: Down-regulation and Redistribution of Rab3D Results in Atypical Protein Trafficking

Previous work from our laboratories has identified multiple defects in endocytosis, protein trafficking, and secretion, along with altered Golgi function after alcohol administration. Manifestation of alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is associated with an aberrant function of several hepatic proteins, including asialoglycoprotein receptor (ASGP-R), their atypical distribution at the plasma membrane (PM), and secretion of their abnormally glycosylated forms into the bloodstream, but trafficking mechanism is unknown. Here we report that a small GTPase, Rab3D, known to be involved in exocytosis, secretion, and vesicle trafficking, shows ethanol (EtOH)-impaired function, which plays an important role in Golgi disorganization. We used multiple approaches and cellular/animal models of ALD, along with Rab3D knockout (KO) mice and human tissue from patients with ALD. We found that Rab3D resides primarily in trans- and cis-faces of Golgi; however, EtOH treatment results in Rab3D redistribution from trans-Golgi to cis-medial-Golgi. Cells lacking Rab3D demonstrate enlargement of Golgi, especially its distal compartments. We identified that Rab3D is required for coat protein I (COPI) vesiculation in Golgi, and conversely, COPI is critical for intra-Golgi distribution of Rab3D. Rab3D/COPI association was altered not only in the liver of patients with ALD but also in the donors consuming alcohol without steatosis. In Rab3D KO mice, hepatocytes experience endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and EtOH administration activates apoptosis. Notably, in these cells, ASGP-R, despite incomplete glycosylation, can still reach cell surface through ER-PM junctions. This mimics the effects seen with EtOH-induced liver injury. Conclusion: We revealed that down-regulation of Rab3D contributes significantly to EtOH-induced Golgi disorganization, and abnormally glycosylated ASGP-R is excreted through ER-PM connections, bypassing canonical (ER→Golgi→PM) anterograde transportation. This suggests that ER-PM sites may be a therapeutic target for ALD.
Change in Overall Ohmic Resistance Due To Migration/Diffusion of Electrolytes

For dilute binary electrolytes, solution of the coupled continuity and Poisson’s equation reveals a novel phenomenon. If only the cation reacts at both electrodes, being produced at the anode and consumed at the cathode, and if the cation is more mobile than the anion, then the potential difference at fixed current decreases with time. This decrease is equivalent to the current increasing with time at fixed potential difference. Both are equivalent to the overall ohmic resistance (△V/I) decreasing with time. Such decrease was observed with an aqueous solution of 1.5 mM sodium di-(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate and zinc electrodes. If, now, both ions react at the electrodes, the potential difference should increase with time in most cases. When it decreases, the decrease is not pronounced. Moreover, then the potential difference decreases only up to a certain time after which it increases with time.
Gross chromosomal rearrangements in Saccharomyces cerevisiae replication and recombination defective mutants.

Cancer progression is often associated with the accumulation of gross chromosomal rearrangements (GCRs), such as translocations, deletion of a chromosome arm, interstitial deletions or inversions1,2,3. In many instances, GCRs inactivate tumour-suppressor genes or generate novel fusion proteins that initiate carcinogenesis3,4. The mechanism underlying GCR formation appears to involve interactions between DNA sequences of little or no homology5,6,7,8. We previously demonstrated that mutations in the gene encoding the largest subunit of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae single-stranded DNA binding protein (RFA1) increase microhomology-mediated GCR formation8. To further our understanding of GCR formation, we have developed a novel mutator assay in S. cerevisiae that allows specific detection of such events. In this assay, the rate of GCR formation was increased 600–5,000-fold by mutations in RFA1, RAD27, MRE11, XRS2 and RAD50, but was minimally affected by mutations in RAD51, RAD54, RAD57, YKU70, YKU80, LIG4 and POL30. Genetic analysis of these mutants suggested that at least three distinct pathways can suppress GCRs: two that suppress microhomology-mediated GCRs (RFA1 and RAD27) and one that suppresses non-homology–mediated GCRs (RAD50/MRE11/XRS2).
Jewish Midrash in Jesuit Classrooms

Storytelling is of paramount importance in the Jewish tradition. The retelling of ancient stories by rabbinical sages is known is as Midrash. This article examines Midrash on multiple levels. Topics include an analysis of how Midrash can serve as a case study for cultural change within higher education; how Midrash can assist with the process of creating a vision and mission statement for an institution; how stories from Midrash exemplify that components of the Jewish tradition of Midrash can serve as a fundamental component of the Jesuit classroom; and how to apply them in a Jesuit classroom setting.
'How Do You Take Your Multi-State Class-Action Litigation? One Lump or Two?' Infusing State Class-Action Jurisprudence into Federal Multi-State Class-Certification Analyses in a 'CAFA-Nated' World

The Class Action Fairness Act of 2005, which essentially federalizes all multi-state class-action cases, has introduced the class-action bar, and necessarily the judiciary, to myriad substantive and procedural issues never before envisioned in class-action litigation’s history. While some of these issues have already surfaced, many others haven’t but will as newly federalized multi-state, class-action lawsuits move through litigation to the class-certification stage. One major and unavoidable issue involves whether federal judges, when deciding multi-state claims’ class certification under Federal Rule 23, may consider well-developed state class-action jurisprudence or whether doing so violates the U.S. Supreme Court’s Erie Doctrine. After analyzing federal choice-of-law jurisprudence and Erie and its progeny, this article concludes that federal courts may consider state class-action jurisprudence when deciding class certification under Federal Rule 23 and that doing so actually honors Erie’s mandate, albeit in a never-anticipated manner. This article provides guidance to the class-action bar and the judiciary, as they will undoubtedly recognize this issue and its significance when briefing, arguing, and deciding class certification of multi-state class-action lawsuits.
Problems associated with the measurement of coherence parameters: Superelastic electron scattering by laser-excited 138Ba(.6s6p 1P1) atoms.

Measurements of superelastic scattering of electrons by laser-excited Ba-138(...6s6p1P1) atoms were carried out. An asymmetry observed has been explained using a model of scattering from a target with finite dimensions. This model employed coherence parameters which were calculated in the distorted-wave approximation. The results indicated that the interpretation of coherence experiments in terms of scattering from a pointlike target can lead to serious errors in the deduction of coherence parameters at low scattering angles.
Catchability of a moving object by a robot

Catching a moving object by a robot is studied in the framework of a pursuer-evader problem. The models of the robot and the moving object in the world coordinate system are assumed to be linear, after feedback linearization, and discrete in time. A performance criterion for the system is quadratic and contains a measure of the distance between the robot and the object. The problem is then to minimize the performance criterion with respect to the robot control and maximize it with respect to the object control subject to the dynamics of the robot and the moving object. The definition of the catchability of the moving object by the robot is then introduced. It is based on the existence of the inverse matrix obtained as the solution to the discrete-time Riccati equation. The catchability condition thus established can be viewed as the difference of the reduced controllability matrices of the robot and the moving object.
Dynamical mean-field theory within the full-potential methods: Electronic structure of CeIrIn 5 , CeCoIn 5 , and CeRhIn 5

We implemented the charge self-consistent combination of density-functional theory and dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) in two full-potential methods, the augmented plane-wave and the linear muffin-tin orbital methods. We categorize the commonly used projection methods in terms of the causality of the resulting DMFT equations and the amount of partial spectral weight retained. The detailed flow of the dynamical mean-field algorithm is described, including the computation of response functions such as transport coefficients. We discuss the implementation of the impurity solvers based on hybridization expansion and an analytic continuation method for self-energy. We also derive the formalism for the bold continuous time quantum Monte Carlo method. We test our method on a classic problem in strongly correlated physics, the isostructural transition in Ce metal. We apply our method to the class of heavy-fermion materials ${\text{CeIrIn}}_{5}$, ${\text{CeCoIn}}_{5}$, and ${\text{CeRhIn}}_{5}$ and show that the $\text{Ce}\text{ }4f$ electrons are more localized in ${\text{CeRhIn}}_{5}$ than in the other two, a result corroborated by experiment. We show that ${\text{CeIrIn}}_{5}$ is the most itinerant and has a very anisotropic hybridization, pointing mostly toward the out-of-plane In atoms. In ${\text{CeRhIn}}_{5}$ we stabilized the antiferromagnetic DMFT solution below 3 K, in close agreement with the experimental Neel temperature.
Pathways of Peptide Ion Fragmentation Induced by Vacuum Ultraviolet Light

One Hundred Fifty-Seven nm photodissociation of singly protonated peptides generates unusual distributions of fragment ions. When the charge is localized at the C-terminus of the peptide, spectra are dominated by x-, v-, and w-type fragments. When it is sequestered at the N-terminus, a- and d-type ions are overwhelmingly abundant. Evidence is presented suggesting that the fragmentation occurs via photolytic radical cleavage of the peptide backbone at the bond between the α- and carbonyl-carbons followed by radical elimination to form the observed daughter ions.
Phosphorus implantation of 304L stainless steel

Abstract Electropolished 304L stainless steel specimens were implanted near room temperature with 175 keV phosphorus ions to fluences from 4.0 × 10 17 to 4.0 × 10 17 P + cm −2 . Microstructural characterization of the samples with an analytical electron microscope revealed an f.c.c.-b.c.c. transformation at fluences near 1.0 × 10 17 P + cm −2 , followed by amorphous phase formation at 3.5 × 10 17 P + cm −2 . Precipitation of a hexagonal phase, indexed as Fe 2 P, from the amorphous matrix occurred at fluences of 3.75 × 10 17 P + cm −2 . Anodic polarization measurements performed on specimens implanted to 3.5 × 10 17 P + cm −2 to generate an amorphous phase showed no significant decrease in the critical anodic current density as compared with that in unimplanted 304L stainless on implanted specimens, whereas unimplanted specimens showed extensive pitting attack.
A Primer to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry (Sykes, Peter)

Peter Sykes. Longman Scientific and Technical: Essex, England, 1995; xii + 177 pp. 15.9 x 23.3 cm.Most organic chemists will be familiar with A Guidebook to Mechanism in Organic Chemistry by Peter ...
A performance and scalability analysis framework for parallel discrete event simulators

Abstract The development of efficient parallel discrete event simulators is hampered by the large number of interrelated factors affecting performance. This problem is made more difficult by the lack of scalable representative models that can be used to analyze optimizations and isolate bottlenecks. This paper proposes a performance and scalability analysis framework (PSAF) for parallel discrete event simulators. PSAF is built on a platform-independent Workload Specification Language (WSL). WSL is a language that represents simulation models using a set of fundamental performance-critical parameters. For each simulator under study, a WSL translator generates synthetic platform-specific simulation models that conform to the performance and scalability characteristics specified by the WSL description. Moreover, sets of portable simulation models that explore the effects of the different parameters, individually or collectively, on the execution performance can easily be constructed using the Synthetic Workload Generator (SWG). The SWG automatically generates simulation workloads with different performance properties. In addition, PSAF supports the seamless integration of real simulation models into the workload specification. Thus, a benchmark with both real and synthetically generated models can be built allowing for realistic and thorough exploration of the performance space. The utility of PSAF in determining the boundaries of performance and scalability of simulation environments and models is demonstrated.
Application of non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II technique for optimal FACTS-based controller design

Design of an optimal controller requires optimization of multiple performance measures that are often noncommensurable and competing with each other. Design of such a controller is indeed a multi-objective optimization problem. Non-dominated sorting in genetic algorithms-II (NSGA-II) is a popular non-domination based genetic algorithm for solving multi-objective optimization problems. This paper investigates the application of NSGA-II technique for the design of a flexible AC transmission system (FACTS)-based controller. The design objective is to improve the stability of the power system with minimum control effort. The proposed technique is applied to generate Pareto set of global optimal solutions to the given multi-objective optimization problem. Further, a fuzzy-based membership value assignment method is employed to choose the best compromise solution from the obtained Pareto solution set. Further, a detailed analysis on the selection of control signals (both local and remote signals) on the effectiveness of the proposed controller is carried out and simulation results are presented under various loading conditions and disturbances to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed approach.
Sound induced vertigo: superior canal dehiscence resulting from blast exposure.

Abstract Mehlenbacher A, Capehart B, Bass D, Burke JR. Sound induced vertigo: superior canal dehiscence resulting from blast exposure. Barotrauma is common in modern warfare. We present the first description of sound induced vertigo caused by superior canal dehiscence (SCD) precipitated by blast exposure. Patients who complain of balance or visual changes after military or terrorist blast exposure should be evaluated for SCD.
Classroom Advocacy? A Christian Pacifist's Dilemma

Christian professors and professors generally, whether teaching at religiously affiliated or secular institutions, face an age-old question: Can one safely use the classroom to advocate one's personal position with regard to controversial issues or not? Positions examined include that of “value-free” science, “value-full” advocacy, and an intermediate Weberian position of “ethical neutrality.” While the author writes from his position as a committed Christian pacifist and sociologist, the key question and choices listed will be equally relevant for Christian professors in all disciplines and with varying personal commitments on controversial issues of the day.
Medication adherence: A key factor in effective management of rosacea

Rosacea is a chronic condition associated with relapses. Unsuccessful treatment is predicated, in part, on suboptimal adherence with the medication regimen. Motivating long-term compliance remains a challenge. The literature on adherence with rosacea medication is scant, but data from other diseases suggest that a multifactorial approach combining nonpharmacologic and adherence-enhancing pharmacologic interventions appears to offer the greatest success. The variety of topical metronidazole formulations that are relatively well tolerated and convenient to administer has been a notable advance in rosacea management. The dermatologist, by emphasizing the importance of adherence with therapy, can do much to facilitate this most critical behavior.
Binding and electron transfer to cytochrome c in artificial phospholipid membranes

Abstract The binding characteristics of cytochrome c to mixed cardiolipin lecithin membrane systems are described. This binding is reduced by increasing the ionic strength or by omitting cardiolipin. Only some 10 to 20% of the cytochrome c is reduced by ascorbate, and dithionite gives only a small further increase. The remaining cytochrome c is, however, rapidly reduced if TMPD or PMS is added. The relationship of these findings to work on mitochondrial systems is discussed, and an interpretation based on the permeability characteristics of the membrane is proposed.
Collaborative partitioning with maximum user satisfaction

Our collaborative partitioning model posits a bicriteria objective in which we seek the best item clustering that satisfies the most users at the highest level of satisfaction. We consider two basic methods for determining user satisfaction. The first method is based on how well each user's preferences match a given partition, and the second method is based on average correlation scores taken over sufficiently large subpopulations of users. We show these problems are NP-Hard and develop a set of heuristic approaches for solving them. We provide lower bounds on the satisfaction level on random data, and error bounds in the planted partition model, which provide confidence levels for our heuristic methods. Finally, we present experiments on several real examples that demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework.
Cerebral Autoregulation in the Microvasculature Measured with Near-Infrared Spectroscopy

Cerebral autoregulation (CA) is the mechanism that allows the brain to maintain a stable blood flow despite changes in blood pressure. Dynamic CA can be quantified based on continuous measurements of systemic mean arterial pressure (MAP) and global cerebral blood flow. Here, we show that dynamic CA can be quantified also from local measurements that are sensitive to the microvasculature. We used near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) to measure temporal changes in oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin concentrations in the prefrontal cortex of 11 human subjects. A novel hemodynamic model translates those changes into changes of cerebral blood volume and blood flow. The interplay between them is described by transfer function analysis, specifically by a high-pass filter whose cutoff frequency describes the autoregulation efficiency. We have used pneumatic thigh cuffs to induce MAP perturbation by a fast release during rest and during hyperventilation, which is known to enhance autoregulation. Based on our model, we found that the autoregulation cutoff frequency increased during hyperventilation in comparison to normal breathing in 10 out of 11 subjects, indicating a greater autoregulation efficiency. We have shown that autoregulation can reliably be measured noninvasively in the microvasculature, opening up the possibility of localized CA monitoring with NIRS.
Mechanism of concrete deterioration due to salt crystallization

Abstract Surface scaling of concrete is observed due to salt crystallization. The salts present on concrete as efflorescence or subflorescence are usually highly soluble in water. The most common efflorescent material is anhydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4, thenardite) and hydrous sodium sulfate (Na2SO4·10H2O, mirabilite). Various mechanisms have been proposed concerning the cause of this form of deterioration: (a) the solid volume change from the thenardite to mirabilite; (b) salt hydration pressure; and (c) the salt crystallization pressure. All three mechanisms are reviewed and discussed in the present paper.