cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimal filtering for improved perfusion sensitivity

Ultrasonic perfusion imaging requires high sensitivity to slow disorganized blood-flow patterns while simultaneously rejecting clutter and noise. We achieve high sensitivity to both vascular flow and perfusion without contrast enhancement by adopting the following sampling pattern. Doppler pulses sampled at 1 kHz were acquired to form a Doppler frame. Frames were recorded at 10 Hz over 10 seconds. We organized these echo data into a 3-D array along slow-time, frame-time, and spatial axes. The 3-D echo array was decomposed using a 3-D SVD method to effectively separate blood flow signals from clutter and noise. These techniques were applied to a murine melanoma model at 24 MHz to form power Doppler tumor images. The results show the vascular perfusion of lesions without contrast enhancement.
Youth Aptitude as a Predictor of Adulthood Income

I examine the relationship between youth aptitude and adulthood income. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of the Youth 1979 cohort and OLS regression analysis, I test the hypothesis that a higher 1981 Armed Forces Qualifications Test (AFQT) score is directly related to a higher income in 2010, ceteris paribus. First, a single regression equation is run for educational attainment subgroups at the time of taking the AFQT. Second, a regression equation including total lifetime educational attainment, and one that excludes it, are run to examine potential co-linearity between AFQT score and educational attainment. The results show that AFQT is significant and positively related to adulthood income.
In the Heights at the University of Pittsburgh: Failures, Successes and Change

Over the last six years, change has happened in the Theatre Arts department at the University of Pittsburgh in relation to race, diversity, inclusivity and representation.
Biologic Therapy and Asthma

Although airway inflammation is an intrinsic and key feature of asthma, this response varies in its intensity and translation to clinical characteristics and responsiveness to treatment. The observations that clinical heterogeneity is an important aspect of asthma and a feature that likely dictates and determines responses to treatment in severe asthma, patient responsiveness to medication is incomplete, and risks for exacerbation are increased. The development of biologics, which target selected and specific components of inflammation, has been a promising advance to achieve asthma control in patients with severe disease. This article reviews the current biologics available and under development and how their use has affected asthma and which subpopulations appear to benefit the greatest.
East meets West: the influence of racial, ethnic and cultural risk factors on cardiac surgical risk model performance

Objective To explore the impact of racial and ethnic diversity on the performance of cardiac surgical risk models, the Chinese SinoSCORE was compared with the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk model in a diverse American population. Methods The SinoSCORE risk model was applied to 13 969 consecutive coronary artery bypass surgery patients from twelve American institutions. SinoSCORE risk factors were entered into a logistic regression to create a ‘derived’ SinoSCORE whose performance was compared with that of the STS risk model. Results Observed mortality was 1.51% (66% of that predicted by STS model). The SinoSCORE ‘low-risk’ group had a mortality of 0.15%±0.04%, while the medium-risk and high-risk groups had mortalities of 0.35%±0.06% and 2.13%±0.14%, respectively. The derived SinoSCORE model had a relatively good discrimination (area under of the curve (AUC)=0.785) compared with that of the STS risk score (AUC=0.811; P=0.18 comparing the two). However, specific factors that were significant in the original SinoSCORE but that lacked significance in our derived model included body mass index, preoperative atrial fibrillation and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Conclusion SinoSCORE demonstrated limited discrimination when applied to an American population. The derived SinoSCORE had a discrimination comparable with that of the STS, suggesting underlying similarities of physiological substrate undergoing surgery. However, differential influence of various risk factors suggests that there may be varying degrees of importance and interactions between risk factors. Clinicians should exercise caution when applying risk models across varying populations due to potential differences that racial, ethnic and geographic factors may play in cardiac disease and surgical outcomes.
Laser/Light Applications in Gynecology

The use of CO2 laser in the treatment of uterine cervical intraepithelial lesions is well established and indications, as well as techniques, have changed very little for over 30 years. The Cochrane Systematic Review from 2000 suggests no obviously superior technique. CO2 laser ablation of the vagina is also established as a safe treatment modality for VAIN (Vaginal Intraepithelial Neoplasia), and has been used extensively in the treatment of VIN (Vulvar Intraepithelial Neoplasia) and lower genital tract condylomata acuminata. CO2 laser permits treatment of lesions with excellent cosmetic and functional results. The treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding by destruction of the endometrial lining using various techniques, including Nd:YAG laser ablation, has been the subject of a 2002 Cochran Database Review. Among the compared treatment modalities are modified laser techniques. The conclusion by reviewers is that outcomes and complication profiles of newer techniques compare favorably with the gold standard of endometrial resection. Myoma coagulation or myolysis with Nd:YAG laser through the laparoscope or hysteroscope is a conservative treatment option for women who wish to preserve their child bearing potential.
The Prevalence of Dissociated Horizontal Deviations in Congenital Esotropia

Dissociated horizontal deviation (DHD) has recently been theorized to be an abducting component of dissociated vertical deviation (DVD).1 As DVD is most commonly associated with congenital esotropi...
Development of a Cross-Cultural Instrument to Measure the Attitudes of Consumers and Business People toward Consumerism:

Measurement of attitudes toward and evaluation of U.S. efforts in consumerism have been receiving increased attention. Most evaluation has focused on intracultural measures. An alternative would be...
Time Really Matters: Understanding the Temporal Dimension of Online Learning Using Educational Data Mining.

Learning and participation are inseparable in online environments. To improve online learning, much effort has been devoted to encouraging online participation. However, previous research has inves...
The Future of the Highway Capacity Manual

The Highway Capacity and Quality of Service Committee (HCQSC) will be preparing a major update to the 2010 HCM targeted for 2015. The primary contractor for this update is Kittelson and Associates, led by John Zegeer, a former chair of the HCQSC. It does so even though the 2010 HCM (which was only distributed in early 2011) has not been subject to extensive use, and little user feedback on it has been received. In some parts of the nation, it has not been officially adopted yet.
Basics of Ocular Genetics

The adage “like father like son” and some friend’s comment that you are a “clone” of one of your parents introduces us to the concept of genetics. Why do we have our father’s eyes or our mother’s nose? The answer lies in our chromosomes. Our 46 chromosomes are two sets of 23 chromosomes derived from each parent. One member of each 23 chromosomal pairs is inherited from the father and the other from the mother. Via this method the child has half the genetic material from each parent. The total of 46 chromosomes includes two that determine the sex of the child. An XX determines a female, and the XY pair denotes a male.
Supervised and Unsupervised Learning of Fetal Heart Rate Tracings with Deep Gaussian Processes

Cardiotocography (CTG) comprises of fetal heart rate (FHR) and uterine activity (UA) monitoring during pregnancy. It is used in hospitals on a regular basis because FHR and UA tracings contain important information about fetal well-being. Despite the CTG’s long history of use (of almost 50 years), the benefits it brings to the daily practice remain unsatisfying. The interpretation of CTG recordings by obstetricians suffer from high inter- and intra-variability, while their computerized analysis still remains difficult. In this paper, we propose both supervised and unsupervised learning by deep Gaussian processes (DGPs) for classification of FHR tracings. In working with real FHR signals, we obtained promising results which demonstrate the potential of the DGPs methodology. Further, we showed that the performance of the DGPs was improved by utilizing corresponding UA signals.
Pay for Performance in Modern Compensation Practices

Although researchers have long discussed the mixed results regarding the effectiveness of pay for performance (PFP), compensation research has not fully captured the complexity of the current PFP e...
Open-Loop Audiovisual Stimulation Induces Delta EEG Activity in Older Adults With Osteoarthritis Pain and Insomnia.

Objective:People with chronic insomnia tend to have cortical hyperarousal marked by excessive beta-/gamma-frequency brain activity during both wake and sleep. Currently, treatment options for manag...
Decoding Speech and Music Stimuli from the Frequency Following Response

The ability to differentiate complex sounds is essential for communication. Here, we propose using a machine-learning approach, called classification, to objectively evaluate auditory perception. In this study, we recorded frequency following responses (FFRs) from 13 normal-hearing adult participants to six short music and speech stimuli sharing similar fundamental frequencies but varying in overall spectral and temporal characteristics. Each participant completed a perceptual identification test using the same stimuli. We used linear discriminant analysis to classify FFRs. Results showed statistically significant FFR classification accuracies using both the full response epoch in the time domain (72.3% accuracy, p < 0.001) as well as real and imaginary Fourier coefficients up to 1 kHz (74.6%, p < 0.001). We classified decomposed versions of the responses in order to examine which response features contributed to successful decoding. Classifier accuracies using Fourier magnitude and phase alone in the same frequency range were lower but still significant (58.2% and 41.3% respectively, p < 0.001). Classification of overlapping 20-msec subsets of the FFR in the time domain similarly produced reduced but significant accuracies (42.3%-62.8%, p < 0.001). Participants' mean perceptual responses were most accurate (90.6%, p < 0.001). Confusion matrices from FFR classifications and perceptual responses were converted to distance matrices and visualized as dendrograms. FFR classifications and perceptual responses demonstrate similar patterns of confusion across the stimuli. Our results demonstrate that classification can differentiate auditory stimuli from FFR responses with high accuracy. Moreover, the reduced accuracies obtained when the FFR is decomposed in the time and frequency domains suggest that different response features contribute complementary information, similar to how the human auditory system is thought to rely on both timing and frequency information to accurately process sound. Taken together, these results suggest that FFR classification is a promising approach for objective assessment of auditory perception.
The development of verb constructions in spoken learner English: Tracing effects of usage and proficiency

Abstract Based on datasets of L1 Italian and Spanish learner language culled from the Trinity Lancaster Corpus Sample, this paper investigates how verb-argument constructions (VACs) develop in the spoken English of L2 learners across proficiency levels. In addition to proficiency and L1 effects, we focus on the potential influence of native English usage on learner VAC production. Insights into learners’ productive knowledge of five target VACs and the verbs used in those VACs are gained through (1) comparisons of normalized entropy scores for verbs in VACs; (2) correlation analyses comparing for each VAC the verbs produced by groups of learners and by native English speakers; and (3) regression analyses comparing learner verb-VAC associations against indices of VAC usage, including verb-VAC frequency, VAC-verb association strength and contingency. Results indicate that, across L1 backgrounds, more proficient learners are more productive in their VAC use and closer to patterns in L1 English usage than less proficient learners.
Sporting Exchanges between China and the United States, 1980–1984: Inevitable Politics and Excessive Political Strings

AbstractSino-US sporting exchanges between 1980 and 1984 largely paralleled the patterns of the larger bilateral relations between the two nations. The over-politicization of sports by the two gove...
$\ell_{\infty}$ Vector Contraction for Rademacher Complexity

We show that the Rademacher complexity of any $\mathbb{R}^{K}$-valued function class composed with an $\ell_{\infty}$-Lipschitz function is bounded by the maximum Rademacher complexity of the restriction of the function class along each coordinate, times a factor of $\tilde{O}(\sqrt{K})$.
How are patient-reported outcomes and symptoms being measured in adults with relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma? A systematic review

Patients with relapsed and/or refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) are living longer due in part to changing treatment patterns. It is important to understand how changing treatment patterns affect patients’ lives beyond extending survival. Research suggests that direct patient report is the best way to capture information on how patients feel and function in response to their disease and its treatment. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to summarize evidence of patients’ experience collected through patient-reported outcomes (PRO) in RRMM patients, and to explore PRO reporting quality. We conducted a systematic search to identify manuscripts reporting PROs in RRMM and summarized available evidence. We assessed PRO reporting quality using the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) PRO Extension checklist. Our search resulted in 30 manuscripts. Thirteen unique PRO measures were used to assess 18 distinct PRO domains. Pain, fatigue, and emotional function were commonly assessed domains though reporting formats limited our ability to understand prevalence and severity of PRO challenges in RRMM. Evaluation of PRO reporting quality revealed significant reporting deficiencies. Several reporting criteria were included in less than 25% of manuscripts. Existing evidence provides a limited window for understanding the patient experience of RRMM and is further limited by suboptimal reporting quality. Observational studies are needed to describe prevalence, severity and patterns of PROs in RRMM overtime. Future studies that incorporate PROs would benefit from following existing guidelines to ensure that study evidence and conclusions can be fully assessed by readers, clinicians and policy makers.
Microvascular Mimetics for the Study of Leukocyte–Endothelial Interactions

The pathophysiological increase in microvascular permeability plays a well-known role in the onset and progression of diseases like sepsis and atherosclerosis. However, how interactions between neutrophils and the endothelium alter vessel permeability is often debated. In this study, we introduce a microfluidic, silicon-membrane enabled vascular mimetic (μSiM-MVM) for investigating the role of neutrophils in inflammation-associated microvascular permeability. In utilizing optically transparent silicon nanomembrane technology, we build on previous microvascular models by enabling in situ observations of neutrophil-endothelium interactions. To evaluate the effects of neutrophil transmigration on microvascular model permeability, we established and validated electrical (transendothelial electrical resistance and impedance) and small molecule permeability assays that allow for the in situ quantification of temporal changes in endothelium junctional integrity. Analysis of neutrophil-expressed β1 integrins revealed a prominent role of neutrophil transmigration and basement membrane interactions in increased microvascular permeability. By utilizing blocking antibodies specific to the β1 subunit, we found that the observed increase in microvascular permeability due to neutrophil transmigration is constrained when neutrophil-basement membrane interactions are blocked. Having demonstrated the value of in situ measurements of small molecule permeability, we then developed and validated a quantitative framework that can be used to interpret barrier permeability for comparisons to conventional Transwell™ values. Overall, our results demonstrate the potential of the μSiM-MVM in elucidating mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disease, and provide evidence for a role for neutrophils in inflammation-associated endothelial barrier disruption.
Electric voltage predictions and correlation with density measurements in green-state powder metallurgy compacts

In this research we discuss an electrostatic measurement approach whereby electric current is injected into green-state compacts and the resulting surface voltages are recorded in an effort to determine density distributions. We present results for pure iron powder with and without lubricants compacted to various densities and their corresponding measured conductivity values, thereby clearly establishing correlation between these two entities. The electric conductivity recordings will ultimately be utilized to infer density distributions throughout the green-state P/M compact. The constant current is injected through point and aperture electrodes, and voltages are recorded along the surface of the compact. To gain confidence in the underlying physical concepts, the recorded voltages of the controlled cylindrical samples are compared with a mathematical Green's function model involving an analytical electrostatic solution of Poisson's equation.
Perceived Need and Acceptability of a Community-Based Peer Navigator Model to Engage Key Populations in HIV Care in Tijuana, Mexico.

Introduction:Prior work found <4% of key populations living with HIV (KPLWH) in Tijuana, Mexico, were on antiretroviral therapy (ART). The goal of this pilot study was to examine community stakehol...
Predictors of Alcohol Use after Bariatric Surgery.

Patients undergoing bariatric surgery are at risk for devloping an alcohol use disorder (AUD). The purpose of this study was to investigate pre-surgical psychosocial risk factors for post-surgical alcohol consumption and hazardous drinking. Participants (N = 567) who underwent bariatric surgery between 2014 and 2017 reported their post-surgical alcohol use. Information was collected from the pre-surgical evaluation including history of alcohol use, psychiatric symptoms, and maladaptive eating behaviors (i.e., binge eating, purging, and emotional eating). Younger age and pre-surgical alcohol use predicted post-surgical alcohol use and hazardous drinking. In addition, higher levels of depressive symptoms and maladaptive eating patterns predicted post-surgical binge drinking. Clinicians conducting pre-surgical psychosocial evaluations should be aware of the multiple risk factors related to post-surgical problematic alcohol use. Future research should evaluate whether preventive interventions for high-risk patients decrease risk for post-surgical alcohol misuse.
Automated survey of selected common plant species in Thai homegardens using Google Street View imagery and a deep neural network

Most previous studies of homegardens have used labor-intensive boots-on-the-ground plant surveys, owner questionnaires, and interviews, limiting them to at most a few hundred homegardens. We show that automated analysis of publicly available imagery can enable surveys of much greater scale that can augment these traditional data sources. Specifically, we demonstrate the feasibility of using the high-resolution street-level photographs in Google Street View and an object-detection network (RetinaNet) to create a large-scale high-resolution survey of the prevalence of at least six plant species widely grown in road-facing homegardens in Thailand. Our research team examined 4000 images facing perpendicular to the street and located within 10 m of a homestead, and manually outlined all perceived instances of eleven common plant species. A neural network trained on these tagged images was used to detect instances of these species in approximately 150,000 images constituting views of roughly one in every ten homesteads in five provinces of northern Thailand. The results for six of the plant species were visualized as heatmaps of both the average number of target species detected in each image and individual species prevalence, with spatial averaging performed at scales of 500 m and 2.5 km. Urban-rural contrasts in the average number of target species in each image are quantified, and large variations are observed even among neighboring villages. Spatial heterogeneity is seen to be more pronounced for banana and coconut than for other species. Star gooseberry and papaya are more frequently present immediately outside of towns while dracaena and mango persist into the cores of towns.
E. J. Lowe and Divine Causal Agency

In this essay, I apply Lowe’s theory of rational agency to God’s causal activity. I argue that Lowe’s account fits well the traditional notions that God acts in the world for reasons. In contrast to Lowe’s analysis of human causal agency, I argue that in the divine case, reasons for acting are not constituted by needs. They are constituted by God’s desires or plans. The fit between Lowe’s account of causal agency and the contours of divine causal agency motivate an argument in favor of Lowe’s theory. Any philosopher who is a theist ought to think Lowe’s account is likely to be true.
Chapter 74 – Follicular Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Follicular non-Hodgkin lymphomas are of unknown causation, but in contrast to most other forms, they tend to occur in seemingly healthy persons. They have been described to occur in excess among farmers (with the specific causal exposures unknown), among smokers, among chronic users of dark hair dye, and among persons with certain rare genetic syndromes. Follicular non-Hodgkin lymphomas occur with about equal frequency in men and women, and at about the same rate in Los Angeles County as in other populations, including San Francisco. Incidence begins to increase in young adulthood. Whites are at highest risk, followed by Latinos, and the disease occurs preferentially among those of a higher social class. Incidence in the county as a whole has been stable in men but has decreased among women. It has been stable among the residents of high-risk census tracts. The reason for the higher incidence among whites of a higher social class is unknown. Whites are at highest risk, followed by Latinos, and the disease occurs preferentially among those of a higher social class. No systematic pattern of geographical occurrence is apparent, and therefore no local source of causation is identified.
Experimental Implementation of Neural Control Architectures for a Class of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems

A novel neural network controller architecture is explored for the speed control of a DC motor-driven four bar linkage system which represents a class of time-varying nonlinear systems. Simulation and experimental implementation show the viability and effectiveness of this promising tool for nonlinear systems. Identification and control, as well as real-time implementation issues are considered. Comparative studies with two other neural network architectures are also reported. Importantly, they also perform well in real-time control studies for the system considered.
CPI-17-deficient smooth muscle of chicken.

Ca2+ sensitivity of arterial contractility is governed by regulating myosin phosphatase activity in response to agonist stimuli. CPI-17, a myosin phosphatase inhibitor phosphoprotein, is phosphorylated concomitantly with agonist-induced contractile Ca2+ sensitization in mammalian artery. CPI-17 has not been detected in chicken artery, but is readily detectable in pigeon artery. To evaluate a role of CPI-17, we compared contractility of the arteries of ‘CPI-17-deficient’ chicken with those of CPI-17-rich rabbit and pigeon, and studied the effect of CPI-17-reconstitution in chicken artery. Other major regulatory/contractile proteins for Ca2+ sensitization are expressed in both chicken and rabbit arteries. Agonists, such as an α1-agonist and endothelin-1, produced significant contraction in arteries of all species under physiological Ca2+-containing conditions. Depletion of Ca2+ abolished these contractions in chicken but partially inhibited them in rabbit and pigeon arteries. Unlike CPI-17-rich tissues, chicken arteries exerted little Ca2+ sensitization in response to α1-agonist or endothelin-1. GTPγS produced a slight Ca2+ sensitizing effect in chicken artery, but this was significantly smaller compared with CPI-17-rich tissues. A PKC activator (PDBu) did not generate but rather reduced a contraction in both intact and α-toxin-permeabilized chicken artery in contrast to a large contraction in CPI-17-rich arteries. Myosin light chain phosphorylation was reduced by PDBu in chicken but elevated in rabbit artery. Addition of recombinant CPI-17 into β-escin-permeabilized chicken artery restored PDBu-induced and enhanced GTPγS-induced Ca2+ sensitization. Thus, CPI-17 is essential for G protein/PKC-mediated Ca2+ sensitization in smooth muscle.
National Identity and Attitudes toward Immigrants in a “Multicreedal” America

This study expands the literature by examining how the relationship between ethnic/cultural, civic, and liberal conceptions of American national identity shapes attitudes toward immigrants. Using two cross-sectional datasets, an ordinal logit model, and predicted probability scenarios, I find that an unequal balance (i.e., strong favoring of one or more dimensions at the expense of the others) of these three different dimensions of national identity results in extremely negative or positive attitudes toward immigrants, while those that hold moderate levels of these three elements of identity are likely to express neutral-to-positive attitudes. I argue that it is the balance between these dimensions that is important in shaping individual attitudes toward immigrants, making it essential to determine not just individual support for each dimension of national identity but the support of each dimension vis-a-vis each other.
Muon inelasticity in underground cosmic-ray neutrino interactions

The inelasticity of the secondary muon in high-energy neutrino interactions, defined in a manner appropriate for the deep-mine cosmic-ray experiments, is computed. On the basis of the hypothesis of locality of the lepton current, =0.62±0.12.
DNA BARCODING: Barcoding corals: limited by interspecific divergence, not intraspecific variation

The expanding use of DNA barcoding as a tool to identify species and assess biodiversity has recently attracted much attention. An attractive aspect of a barcoding method to identify scleractinian species is that it can be utilized on any life stage (larva, juvenile or adult) and is not influenced by phenotypic plasticity unlike morphological methods of species identification. It has been unclear whether the standard DNA barcoding system, based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI), is suitable for species identification of scleractinian corals. Levels of intra- and interspecific genetic variation of the scleractinian COI gene were investigated to determine whether threshold values could be implemented to discriminate conspecifics from other taxa. Overlap between intraspecific variation and interspecific divergence due to low genetic divergence among species (0% in many cases), rather than high levels of intraspecific variation, resulted in the inability to establish appropriate threshold values specific for scleractinians; thus, it was impossible to discern most scleractinian species using this gene.
Tumor Lymphangiogenesis Predicts Melanoma Metastasis to Sentinel Lymph Nodes

Cutaneous melanoma is a common and frequently lethal melanocytic neoplasm that can quickly metastasize to regional lymph nodes. Currently, prognosis is determined by measuring tumor thickness but more reliable markers for metastatic spread are urgently needed. We investigated whether the extent of tumor lymphangiogenesis can predict melanoma metastasis to sentinel lymph nodes (SLN). We quantified the extent of tumor lymphangiogenesis, as well as other factors, in excised primary tumors and in SLN biopsy samples from 45 patients with primary cutaneous melanoma. Primary melanomas from patients whose tumors had metastasized to the SLN, along with their metastastic foci, contained prominent hotspots of increased lymphatic vessel density, compared to non-metastatic tumors. Multivariate risk analysis revealed that the lymphatic vascular area (LVA) of primary melanomas, an index of tumor lymphangiogenesis, was the most sensitive prognostic marker for SLN metastasis, and was even able to more accurately predict which tumors would become metastatic to SLN than measuring tumor thickness. The extent of tumor lymphangiogenesis is a highly sensitive (83%) and specific (89%) prognostic marker of lymph node metastasis. Assessment of lymphangiogenesis in primary melanomas may be a more effective approach than measuring tumor thickness in selecting patients with early metastatic disease for aggressive therapy.
Negotiation Offers and the Search for Agreement

A key component of negotiation dynamics is the search for mutually beneficial agreements, and offer exchange is a key element of that process. Rooted in the tradition of information processing psychology, we develop a theoretical model that conceives of negotiation as the collaborative search of a complex offer space. Negotiators simplify and coordinate search via information contained in offer exchanges, isolating subregions of the offer space for potential solutions. We suggest that early search is more exploratory and primarily influenced by the value of offers; later search is more focused on refinement and is influenced by the content of offers. In that, search by value is substantially more difficult than search by content, and parties seek value through communicating about content. Important information about the negotiators’ perspectives is revealed in comprehensive offers, and critical insight into this search process can be gained by examining the pattern of comprehensive offers.
CASPER - A new multidisciplinary research initiative on electromagnetic wave propagation in the marine atmosphere

An important application of air-sea interaction research is in characterizing marine atmospheric boundary layer properties in order to predict radar and radio communication conditions in the maritime environment. In this presentation, we will give an overview of a new research initiative funded under the Office of Naval Research (ONR) Multi-University Research Initiative (MURI). The project is dubbed Coupled Air-Sea Processes and EM Ducting Research (CASPER). The objective is to fully characterize the marine atmospheric boundary layer (MABL) as an electromagnetic (EM) propagation environment. The emphasis will be on spatial and temporal heterogeneities and surface wave/swell effects, both of which contravene underlying assumptions of Monin-Obukhov Similarity Theory (MOST) used in coupled environmental forecast models and evaporative duct models. Furthermore, coastal variability in the elevated trapping layer atop the MABL presents a challenge to forecast models and also causes practical issues in trapping layer interpolation in EM prediction models. These issues are the target of investigation in this project.
Brief Amici Curiae of 20 Law and Business Professors in Support of Neither Party in Bilski v. Doll

The patent statutes were wisely drafted with an expansive vision of patentable subject matter. Efforts to graft judicially created limitations onto that expansive scope in the past have proven fruitless and indeed counterproductive. In deciding Bilski v. Doll, the Supreme Court should not impose a requirement that patentable inventions require a machine or the physical transformation of some material. It should instead maintain the rule that patents are available for "anything under the sun made by man," including discoveries of ideas, laws of nature, or natural phenomena, so long as they are implemented in a practical application. In short, the test should be as it has been: where an idea is claimed as applied, it is eligible for patentability, but if it is claimed merely in the abstract it is not.
Barriers to clinical trial participation: a comparison of rural and urban communities in South Carolina.

Analyzing data from a telephone survey of rural and urban residents in South Carolina, this study attempts to understand how to better promote clinical trials (CTs) in rural areas. To explore why participation is lower among the rural population, we examine two groups of potential barriers: structural and procedural barriers (limited accessibility, lack of awareness, lack of health insurance) and cognitive and psychological barriers (lack of knowledge, misperceptions, distrust, fear). We then make a series of comparisons between rural and urban residents to see whether rural residents are significantly different from urban residents in terms of structural/procedural and cognitive/psychological barriers they are facing. Findings indicate that there are no significant differences between rural and urban residents in their willingness to participate in a CT. However, rural residents were more likely to perceive limited access to CT sites and lack of awareness of available trials. Rural residents also indicated greater lack of knowledge about CTs. Finally, we found that distrust and fear were important barriers in shaping one’s willingness to participate in a CT. Implications of the findings are discussed in detail.
Quantitative evaluation of intracellular sense: antisense RNA hybrid duplexes.

Abstract Previous studies have demonstrated that for an antisense RNA to be effective in attenuating gene expression, a large but indeterminate excess of antisense RNA is required. To quantitatively evaluate RNA hybrid duplex formation, expression vectors containing antisense dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) cDNAs were transfected into KB and KB-1BT (a DHFR overexpressing variant) cells and transfectants expressing antisense transcripts of exon 1 through intron I (ex1-I) or exons 1 through 4 (ex1-4) were analyzed for hybrid duplex formation. Stable duplexes were detectable in KB-1BT but not in KB cells. Approximately 5-9% of antisense ex1-I RNA and 20-37% of antisense ex1-4 RNA were found in duplexes. The amount of each hybrid duplex RNA was found to be a linear function of intracellular single-stranded antisense RNA levels and a hybrid index, Hs:as, was devised to describe this relationship. Based upon the value of Hs:as for each antisense RNA:mRNA duplex, it is calculated that an approximate 2,800- and 600-fold excess of ex1-I and ex1-4 antisense RNA are respectively required for 50% of DHFR mRNA to be present in duplexes. Results support the hypothesis that intracellular sense:antisense RNA hybrid duplex formation is inefficient and dependent upon the levels, lengths and possibly the structures of the RNAs involved.
Petrography and implications of continental rocks from the Agulhas Plateau, southwest Indian Ocean

Seismic-refraction and seismic-reflection profiles reported elsewhere indicate that the Agulhas Plateau is a continental fragment that was rifted from the Falkland Plateau and intruded by basaltic magmas during the early opening of the South Atlantic. Dredge hauls recovering a characteristic suite of low- to high-grade continental metamorphic rocks, indurated sedimentary rocks, and basaltic igneous samples support this origin and evolutionary history. Both the petrography of the gneiss specimens and K-Ar ages of 1,074 ± 36 m.y. and 478 ± 17 m.y. on fresh biotites from two of the rocks are compatible with petrography and ages of the formerly adjacent continental rocks of southern Africa, the Falkland Islands, Falkland Plateau, and Antarctica.
Chapter 7: The Roles of Religion in Prevention and Promotion

Summary Religion represents an important resource for efforts to prevent significant personal and social problems. Yet, far from a unitary phenomena, religions embody fundamentally different world views, interpersonal communities, and practices. This chapter describes the diverse pathways through which religions attempt to influence both the individual congregation member and the larger community and society. The varied implications of these pathways for the well-being of the individual and the social system are considered. Drawing from case studies, several distinctive roles of religion are distilled, roles which raise general questions and challenges for preventive and promotive workers in diverse disciplines. Finally, directions for more effective collaboration between religion and allied disciplines are discussed.
Land Use–Transportation Scenarios and Future Vehicle Travel and Land Consumption: A Meta-Analysis

Problem: Since the late 1980s, U.S. metropolitan regions have increasingly engaged in a style of land use–transportation scenario planning that merges techniques borrowed from military and business strategic planning with long-range transportation systems planning and project-level alternatives analysis. Aside from occasional anecdotal descriptions, the effectiveness of such approaches in generating compact growth plans has not been evaluated comprehensively. Purpose: We analyzed a wide range of scenario planning studies to determine how far compact growth scenarios are predicted to reduce vehicular travel below existing trends. Methods: Using hierarchical modeling, we developed a regional vehicle-miles-traveled (VMT) model based on 85 scenarios in 23 planning studies from 18 metropolitan areas. Results and conclusions: Using coefficients from this model, we conservatively estimate that compact growth scenarios reduce VMT in 2050 by 17% below scenarios assuming a continuation of existing trends. Takeaway ...
Fungal Allergy: from Asthma to Alveolitis

Abstract Sensitization and recurrent exposure to fungi may result in a variety of respiratory syndromes related to the allergic response of the host. Responses which are largely IgE in nature result in the typical allergic diseases of asthma and rhinitis. Fungal colonization of the sinuses may induce a disorder characterized by mucinous and eosinophilic secretions and elevated serum IgE levels known as allergic fungal sinusitis. Colonization of the airway by fungi may induce the inflammatory response of allergic bronchopulmonary mycosis, with immunologic features similar to allergic fungal sinusitis, but with characteristic proximal bronchiectasis. Repeated inhalational exposure to fungi may also induce an allergic alveolitis characterized by delayed respiratory and systemic symptoms, a lymphocytic alveolitis and progression to fibrosis with repeated exposure. Immune mechanisms other than those related to IgE appear to be involved in this disease.
Keepsakes, Promises, Exchange: Female Friendship in Harriet Beecher Stowe's The Pearl of Orr's Island

Abstract Given its sentimental trappings, readers have failed to appreciate the gynocentric plot of Harriet Beecher Stowe's The Pearl of Orr's Island. Here, empowered as agents, two women exchange a man between them-a loving, sentimental gifting that upends the “traffic in women” that underwrites traditional, patriarchal constructions of marriage.
Chalmers on the objects of credence

Chalmers (Mind 120(479): 587–636, 2011a) presents an argument against “referentialism” (and for his own view) that employs Bayesianism. He aims to make progress in a debate over the objects of belief, which seems to be at a standstill between referentialists and non-referentialists. Chalmers’ argument, in sketch, is that Bayesianism is incompatible with referentialism, and natural attempts to salvage the theory, Chalmers contends, requires giving up referentialism. Given the power and success of Bayesianism, the incompatibility is prima facie evidence against referentialism. In this paper, I review Chalmers’ arguments and give some responses on behalf of the referentialist.
Percolation threshold for electronic conduction in β-alumina-type compounds

Abstract It is found that the addition of more than a certain amount of mixed valent ions would be necessary to render mixed conducting characteristics to β-alumina-type compounds. Based on the assumption that the electronic conduction is due to the hopping of small polarons to the nearest neighboring ions on the octahedral sites in the spinel block of β-alumina similar to that in magnetite, the pair approximation of the cluster variation method indicates that the threshold composition of such a mixed valent additive must exceed at least 0.24 of the number of octahedral ions. A new method of calculating the percolation limit is shown.
Irreversible wall collisions and thermalization of a gas of inert atoms

Abstract Reflection of inert, charge-neutral, spherical atoms from a fixed solid wall with cubic symmetry at low temperature is considered. Working in the limit of classical trajectories, a condition is stated for the irreversibility of reflections, in terms of inelastic energy exchange with wall phonons, from which two classes of atomic energies are implied: I and R. It is found that a monoenergetic low-density confined gas of I-atoms thermalizes due to wall collisions. For a thermal equalibrium low-density confined gas of R-atoms, the model is found to be consistent with the thermodynamic postulate of the reversibility of an equilibrium process undergoing an adiabatic change. In the course of the analysis the notion of a purely adiabatic wall is described.
Tracking of cardiovascular disease risk factor variables in school-age children

Persistence in ranks (tracking) for cardiovascular disease risk factor variables was examined in 2236 children who were screened three times over a 5-yr period. As expected, the greatest persistence was noted for height (r = 0.47-0.99) and weight (r = 0.70-0.96). Correlation coefficients for systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure ranged from 0.38 to 0.66 and 0.22 to 0.49 respectively. Among lipids, the correlations were highest for serum beta-lipoprotein cholesterol ranging from 0.62 to 0.78. For those children who were at or above the 90th percentile on a risk factor variable during the first examination, a tendency to retain their ranks in the second and third examinations was noted. For systolic blood pressure, 35% of those initially high remained high in the second examination and 30% in the third examination. Correspondingly, for those initially high for beta-lipoprotein cholesterol, 47 and 41% remained high. A linear discriminant model was used to distinguish characteristics of children who persisted at high rankings and those who did not. The model was effective for total and beta-lipoprotein cholesterol, but only moderately so for systolic blood pressure.
The mass spectra of some phenyl pyridyl ketones

The mass spectra of phenyl 2-pyridyl, phenyl 3-methoxy-2-pyridyl, phenyl 4-methoxy-2-pyridyl, phenyl 5-methoxy-2-pyridyl, phenyl 6-methoxy-2-pyridyl ketones, phenyl 3-pyridyl and phenyl 6-methoxy-3-pyridyl ketones, and phenyl 4-pyridyl ketone were studied. The major fragmentation pathway of all the ketones results in the formation of[C6H5CO]+ and [C5H4NCO]+ type ions. Another fragmentation path is the loss of carbon monoxide with formation of an [M CO]+ ion after skeletal rearrangement.
Chronic ethanol enhances adenosine antiadrenergic actions in the isolated rat heart.

Background : Chronic alcohol consumption elicits an increase in catecholamine release, which may be detrimental to heart function. Adenosine attenuates adrenergic stimulation via an adenosine receptor–mediated antiadrenergic action. This study investigated the effect of ethanol on adenosine antiadrenergic actions and adenosine release in the rat heart. Methods: Rats were pair-fed a liquid diet with or without ethanol for 4 weeks or 8 months. Hearts were isolated for determination of contractile function, and coronary effluents were collected for adenosine content. Dose-response relationships for phenylisopropyladenosine (PIA) were determined for hearts adrenergically stimulated by isoproterenol. Experiments were also conducted with normal hearts with or without ethanol (25 mM) administered acutely. The effect of PIA on adenylyl cyclase activities of adrenergic-stimulated crude membrane preparations obtained from alcoholic and nonalcoholic hearts was determined. Results: Acute ethanol reduced basal adenosine release by 39%, but it did not significantly decrease adenosine release during adrenergic stimulation. In hearts chronically treated with ethanol for 4 weeks, adenosine release values before and during adrenergic stimulation were significantly reduced from control values. After 8 months of ethanol, adenosine release was similar with or without adrenergic stimulation. PIA 50% inhibiting concentration (IC50) values for contractile function were reduced from pair-fed control values. Acute ethanol did not significantly change the PIA IC50 value. Chronic ethanol reduced the PIA IC50 for adenylyl cyclase by 96%. Conclusions: Chronic ethanol treatment increases the antiadrenergic action of adenosine by mechanisms that seem independent of changes in adenosine concentration. Therefore, adenosine-induced cardioprotection against increased catecholamine stimulation is enhanced by ethanol.
Linking numbers in contact form geometry, with an application to the computation of the intersection operator for the first contact form of J. Gonzalo and F. Varela

We establish in what follows the fact that the linking number between two periodic orbits does not decrease along the decreasing flow-lines of a suitable pseudo-gradient for the action functional of the variational problem (J, Cβ) and its extension ( J ∞ , ∪ Γ 2 k ) , [2, 3, 4]. This is used to compute almost explicitly the value of the intersection operator for periodic orbits for the case of the first exotic contact form of J. Gonzalo and F. Varela [8] on S3. Open image in new window
Catalytic Functionalities of Supported Sulfides III. Correlation of activities at Elevated Pressure with Oxygen Chemisorption

A number of different supported CoMo catalysts, that had been characterized by O2 chemisorption measurements, were evaluated for hydrodesulfurization of dibenzothiophene, hydrogenation of naphthalene, and C-N-bond hydrogenolysis of indole at elevated pressure. Only rough correlations between the different catalyst functionalities, and between the functionalities and O2 chemisorption, were obtained. It is concluded that different active sites are involved for the different reactions, and that O2 chemisorption is generally related to the dispersion of the active MoS2 phase rather than to any specific reaction site.
Migration to near-metropolitan areas: characteristics and motives

An analysis of migration to nonmetropolitan areas adjacent to metropolitan regions is presented using the example of the Windham Planning Region adjoining Hartford Connecticut. The characteristics of in-migrants to the region are examined and the various types of migration involved are identified. (ANNOTATION)