cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Coupled exoskeleton assistance simplifies control and maintains metabolic benefits: a simulation study

Abstract Assistive exoskeletons can reduce the metabolic cost of walking, and recent advances in exoskeleton device design and control have resulted in large metabolic savings. Most exoskeleton devices provide assistance at either the ankle or hip. Exoskeletons that assist multiple joints have the potential to provide greater metabolic savings, but can require many actuators and complicated controllers, making it difficult to design effective assistance. Coupled assistance, when two or more joints are assisted using one actuator or control signal, could reduce control dimensionality while retaining metabolic benefits. However, it is unknown which combinations of assisted joints are most promising and if there are negative consequences associated with coupled assistance. Since designing assistance with human experiments is expensive and time-consuming, we used musculoskeletal simulation to evaluate metabolic savings from multi-joint assistance and identify promising joint combinations. We generated 2D muscle-driven simulations of walking while simultaneously optimizing control strategies for simulated lower-limb exoskeleton assistive devices to minimize metabolic cost. Each device provided assistance either at a single joint or at multiple joints using massless, ideal actuators. To assess if control could be simplified for multi-joint exoskeletons, we simulated different control strategies in which the torque provided at each joint was either controlled independently or coupled between joints. We compared the predicted optimal torque profiles and changes in muscle and whole-body metabolic power consumption across the single joint and multi-joint assistance strategies. We found multi-joint devices–whether independent or coupled–provided 50% greater metabolic savings than single joint devices. The coupled multi-joint devices were able to achieve most of the metabolic savings produced by independently-controlled multi-joint devices. Our results indicate that device designers could simplify multi-joint exoskeleton designs by reducing the number of torque control parameters through coupling, while still maintaining large reductions in metabolic cost.
Accurate fragment-based 51-V chemical shift predictions in molecular crystals.

Abstract Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy plays a crucial role in determining molecular structure for complex biological and pharmaceutical compounds. NMR investigations are increasingly reliant on computation for mapping spectral features to chemical structures. Here we benchmark the accuracy of fragment-based 51V chemical shielding tensor calculations using a training set comprised of 10 biologically and pharmaceutically relevant oxovanadium complexes. Using our self-consistent reproduction of the Madelung potential (SCRMP) electrostatic embedding model, we demonstrate comparable performance between fragment methods and computationally demanding cluster-based techniques. Specifically, fragment methods employing hybrid density functionals are capable of reproducing the experimental 51V isotropic chemical shifts with a training set rms error of ~ 9 ​ppm, representing a 20% improvement over traditional plane wave techniques. We provide training set-derived linear regression models for mapping the absolute shieldings obtained from computation to the experimentally determined chemical shifts using four common density functionals; PBE0, B3LYP, PBE, and BLYP. Finally, we establish the utility of fragment methods and the reported regression parameters examining four oxovanadium structures excluded from the training set including the tetracoordinate oxovanadium silicate ( P h 3 S i O ) 3 V O , VO15NGlySalbz which contains redox-active ligands, and the solid-state form of the common 51V NMR reference compound V O C l 3 .
Objectron: A Large Scale Dataset of Object-Centric Videos in the Wild with Pose Annotations

3D object detection has recently become popular due to many applications in robotics, augmented reality, autonomy, and image retrieval. We introduce the Objectron dataset to advance the state of the art in 3D object detection and foster new research and applications, such as 3D object tracking, view synthesis, and improved 3D shape representation. The dataset contains object-centric short videos with pose annotations for nine categories and includes 4 million annotated images in 14, 819 annotated videos. We also propose a new evaluation metric, 3D Intersection over Union, for 3D object detection. We demonstrate the usefulness of our dataset in 3D object detection and novel view synthesis tasks by providing baseline models trained on this dataset. Our dataset and evaluation source code are available online at Github.com/google-research-datasets/Objectron.
Risk of Dementia Differs across Lifestyle Engagement Subgroups: A Latent Class and Time to Event Analysis in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Objectives Better understanding of the lifestyle activities shared among older adult subgroups may inform further health-behavioral interventions that can be deployed at the group or community level. We applied latent class analysis to characterize qualitatively distinct lifestyle engagement groups, examined their differential risk of incident dementia, and compared their predictive utility to traditional activity frequency and variety scores. Method Participants were from the Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory Study (N=3,068, Mean age=78.5). Lifestyle activities were measured at baseline using the Lifestyle Activity Questionnaire. All-cause dementia was screened every six months and cases were clinically adjudicated. Median follow-up was 6 years. Time to dementia was assessed using discrete-time proportional hazards models, adjusted for demographic and health covariates. Results Latent classes provided slightly poorer case discrimination than the frequency scores but identified distinct qualitative subgroups. In the four-class model, the Variety (22%) and Intellectual (18%) lifestyle groups had high engagement in intellectual activities, whereas the Variety and Social groups (32%) had high engagement in formal social activities. Compared to the Least Active group (28%), the Variety (HR=.67, 95% CI:(.48,.93)) and Intellectual (HR=.65, 95% CI:(.45,.93)) groups had significantly lower risk of incident dementia, but only among those without prevalent MCI. Discussion Older adults highly engaged in intellectual activities, but not necessarily social activities, had the lowest risk of incident dementia. Activity frequency scores provided only slightly better case discrimination than activity variety scores and latent classes. Latent classes of older adults differed by their amount and types of activities, which may inform intervention design.
Complications of decorative tattoo

Decorative tattoo is a popular practice that is generally safe when performed in the professional setting but can be associated with a variety of inflammatory, infectious, and neoplastic complications, risks that may be increased with current trends in home tattooing. Modern tattoo inks contain azo dyes and are often of unknown composition and not currently regulated for content or purity. Biopsy of most (if not all) tattoo reactions presenting to the dermatologist is recommended, given recent clusters of nontuberculous mycobacterial infections occurring within tattoo, as well as associations between tattoo reactions and systemic diseases such as sarcoidosis.
Capsule Commentary on Leykum et al., the Association Between Sensemaking During Physician Team Rounds and Hospitalized Patients’ Outcomes

T oday’s inpatient providers are caring for ever-sicker patients during shorter hospitalizations, with reduced resident duty hours, while leading the charge for quality improvement and value-based care. In this changing clinical landscape, the daily routines of inpatient teams must be fine-tuned to optimize efficiency, reliability, and safety. Clinical reasoning is often used as the framework for discussions of how providers conceptualize and treat individual patients, but it can oversimplify or neglect the reality of the many competing tasks carried out by providers on busy services. This study by Leykum et al. introduces the concept of Bsensemaking^ as a tool for inpatient teams to use in organizing and carrying out their daily tasks. The authors used measures of sensemaking to assess how teams prioritized, processed, and cared for multiple sick patients simultaneously, and found that higher markers of sensemaking were associated with improved patient outcomes, including fewer complications and shorter lengths of stay. In many ways, the most surprising finding of the study was just how infrequently the low bar for sensemaking was met. The majority of observed teams never conducted rounds Bpurposefully,^ as defined by the authors, and most teams had low sensemaking scores when rated on discussions of complex patients. It is not hard to imagine the many possible differences between teams with high and low sensemaking scores; teams that are explicit, flexible, and purposeful in daily work might also communicate more effectively both with other providers and with their patients, be more responsive to feedback, and be open to outside ideas. The question that remains is whether interventions to encourage sensemaking would make a difference in patient outcomes for teams that did not naturally function this way. There is a growing body of literature on how rounding structure can affect resident education in the new duty-hours climate. As we consider how this core of our daily work affects trainees and patients alike, sensemaking may be a foundation around which we can evaluate and refine our practice. The authors can now investigate whether teams with low sensemaking scores are able to improve patient outcomes by improving these measures of sensemaking.
Migration and inbreeding: the importance of recipient population size for genetic management

Sewall Wright demonstrated 70 years ago thatthe number of migrants required to maintainspecified levels of gene flow (i.e. avoidexcessive inbreeding) is virtually independentof the size of the recipient population. According to conventional wisdom, this idea isvalid provided population size exceeds ∼20. Itis well known that this independence implicitlyassumes that a population's effective size(Ne) is equal to its census size(N). However, it is not obvious whetherindependence between the required number ofmigrants (to avoid excessive inbreeding) andpopulation size constitutes a reasonableassumption for real populations of conservationconcern. Relying on empirical data, wedemonstrate that for real populations, theassumption (i.e. Ne = N) isroutinely violated to a degree such that therequired number of migrants is stronglydependent on the size of the recipientpopulation. Because a population's effectivesize (Ne) is typically much smallerthan its census size (N), the number ofmigrants required to avoid inbreeding isactually dependent on N even when it isconsiderably greater than 20. For example,when Ne/N = 0.1, the number ofmigrants required to maintain the inbreedingcoefficient (F) at 0.2 doubles (from 4 to8) as N increases from 9 to 60. Similarly, when Ne/N = 0.05, thenumber of migrants required increases by 50%as N increases from 18 to 45, andincreases again by 50% as N increasesfrom 45 to 260. Thus, for populations muchlarger than 20, the required number of migrantsincreases asymptotically with N, anddramatically so when Ne/N≪1. Simple conventions regarding the requisitenumber of migrants may not apply to manypopulations of conservation concern. Geneticmanagement should routinely rely on models thatexplicitly account for this and other recentconsiderations. Failure to do so mayjeopardize the viability of populations thatare sensitive to altered levels of inbreeding.
Atrial tachycardia in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome: Conversion to normal sinus rhythm with lidocaine∗

Abstract Atrial tachycardia in Wolff-Parkinson-White (W.P.W.) syndrome is usually treated by the administration of digitalis, quinidine, or procainamide, separately or in combination. Some instances of refractory tachycardia have been terminated by electroshock. This report describes a case of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome in which atrial tachycardia was promptly converted to normal sinus rhythm by the use of intravenously administered lidocaine.
The Diversification Discount Puzzle: Empirical Evidence for a Transactions Cost Resolution

Prior literature on the diversification discount and the relative efficiency of internal versus external capital markets provides decidedly mixed results. We argue that transactions cost economics are useful in understanding this puzzle. According to transactions cost economics, diversified firms should outperform single-segment firms in industries with higher external transaction costs (e.g., emergent industries). Similarly, single-segment firms should outperform diversified firms in industries with low external transactions costs and high agency and other internal costs (e.g., some mature industries). This paper provides empirical evidence supporting these contentions.
Composition operators on Dirichlet-type spaces

The Dirichlet-type space DP (1 < p < 2) is the Banach space of functions analytic in the unit disc with derivatives belonging to the Bergman space AP. Let b be an analytic self-map of the disc and define C? (f) = f o 'cD for f E DP. The operator C.p: DP -DP is bounded (respectively, compact) if and only if a related measure jitp is Carleson (respectively, compact Carleson). If C.p is bounded (or compact) on DP, then the same behavior holds on Dq (1 < q < p) and on the weighted Dirichlet space D2. Compactness on DP implies that Ce? is compact on the Hardy spaces and the angular derivative exists nowhere on the unit circle. Conditions are given which, together with the angular derivative condition, imply compactness on the space DP. Inner functions which induce bounded composition operators on DP are discussed briefly.
Effect of ionophores and pH on growth of Streptococcus bovis in batch and continuous culture.

Batch cultures (pH 6.7) of Streptococcus bovis JB1 were severely inhibited by 1.25 and 5 microM lasalocid and monensin, respectively, even though large amounts of glucose remained in the medium. However, continuous cultures tolerated as much as 10 and 20 microM, respectively, and used virtually all of the glucose. Although continuous cultures grew with high concentrations of ionophore, the yield of bacterial protein decreased approximately 10-fold. When pH was decreased from 6.7 to 5.7, the potency of both ionophores increased, but lasalocid always caused a larger decrease in yield. The increased activity of lasalocid at pH 5.7 could largely be explained by an increased binding of the ionophore to the cell membrane. Because monensin did not show an increased binding at low pH, some other factor (e.g., ion turnover) must have been influencing its activity. There was a linear increase in lasalocid binding as the concentration increased, but monensin binding increased markedly at high concentrations. Based on the observations that (i) S. bovis cells bound significant amounts of ionophore (the ratio of ionophore to cell material was more important than the absolute concentration), (ii) batch cultures responded differently from continuous cultures, and (iii) pH can have a marked effect on ionophore activity, it appears that the term "minimum inhibitory concentration" may not provide an accurate assessment of microbial growth inhibition in vivo.
High-Mobility Group Box 1 (HMGB1) in Angiotensin II induced hypertension

Hypertension is the most critical predisposing factor for the development of cardiovascular diseases. While effective pharmacological control of hypertension using angiotensin receptor blockers has been implemented, the clinical course of the disease remains progressive. Consequently, new and innovative approaches for treating hypertension are needed. A growing body of evidence suggests that inflammatory cytokines play important roles in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease. Our lab has shown that blocking inflammatory molecules and their transcription factor, nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NF-kB), within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) attenuates sympathetic activity and hypertension. However, it remains unknown how inflammation is activated during the development of hypertension. We proposed that the interaction between the inflammatory cytokine protein high-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) and its toll-like receptor, TLR4, results in the up-regulation of NF-kB, thereby contributing to the...
Gradient Multilayer Films by Forced Assembly Coextrusion

Forced assembly polymer coextrusion utilizes layer multiplication to produce films with tens or thousands of micrometer to nanometer thick layers. The development of novel uneven split layer multiplying dies has produced gradient multilayer films with at least a 10 times difference between the thickest and thinnest layers. Coextrusion through a series of equal and uneven split multiplier dies allows for flexibility in the unique design of layer thickness distributions by: (1) altering the multiplier offset and (2) changing the sequence of a series of uneven split multiplying dies with different splitting ratios. This new technology has created highly reflective, multilayered photonic films with gradient layer thickness distributions exhibiting, as examples, a 600 nm wide reflection band and dual optical reflection bands within a single film. Also, gradient multilayers exhibit unique mechanical behavior. A layer thickness dependent craze to shear banding deformation mechanism was observed. In addition, gra...
Failure of oral zinc supplementation to alter hair zinc levels among healthy human males

The effect of oral zinc supplements upon hair zinc levels was studied. Thirty-one young adult males received either 50 mg Zn/d, 75 mg Zn/d, or a placebo for 12 weeks. Zinc was administered in the form of zinc gluconate. Baseline values for hair, urine, and serum zinc levels were determined. Results revealed significant differences in urine and serum zinc levels by oral zinc dosage at biweekly intervals. Hair zinc levels were sampled at wk 6 and 12 and results failed to show increased incorporation of the element. Based on serum and urine data, subjects appeared to be of adequate zinc status. These results do not support the use of hair as a tool to monitor exposure to excess dietary zinc when subjects are initially of adequate zinc status.
Global combined precursor isotopic labeling and isobaric tagging (cPILOT) approach with selective MS3 acquisition

Recently, we reported a novel proteomics quantitation scheme termed "combined precursor isotopic labeling and isobaric tagging (cPILOT)" that allows for the identification and quantitation of nitrated peptides in as many as 12-16 samples in a single experiment. cPILOT offers enhanced multiplexing and posttranslational modification specificity, however excludes global quantitation for all peptides present in a mixture and underestimates reporter ion ratios similar to other isobaric tagging methods due to precursor co-isolation. Here, we present a novel chemical workflow for cPILOT that can be used for global tagging of all peptides in a mixture. Specifically, through low pH precursor dimethylation of tryptic or LysC peptides followed by high pH tandem mass tags, the same reporter ion can be used twice in a single experiment. Also, to improve triple-stage mass spectrometry (MS(3) ) data acquisition, a selective MS(3) method that focuses on product selection of the y1 fragment of lysine-terminated peptides is incorporated into the workflow. This novel cPILOT workflow has potential for global peptide quantitation that could lead to enhanced sample multiplexing and increase the number of quantifiable spectra obtained from MS(3) acquisition methods.
Symposium on signal transmission and processing

Extensive present demands and much greater projected future needs for high-speed error-free relaying of data have provided an additional stimulus to the communications engineer's interest in efficient transmission and processing of information-bearing signals. A topically well-unified view of current work motivated by this interest was evident in the technical program of the Symposium on Signal Transmission and Processing held at Columbia University in New York City, May 13 and 14, 1965. The symposium was sponsored jointly by the IEEE Circuit Theory Group and the Department of Electrical Engineering of Columbia University. Held in conjunction with the Centennial Celebration of Columbia's School of Engineering and Applied Science, the symposium was part of a year-long series of events commemorating the founding of the Columbia School of Mines in 1864.
Creep response and deformation processes in nanocluster-strengthened ferritic steels

There is increasing demand for oxide-dispersion-strengthened ferritic alloys that possess both high-temperature strength and irradiation resistance. Improvement of the high-temperature properties requires an understanding of the operative deformation mechanisms. In this study, the microstructures and creep properties of the oxide-dispersion-strengthened alloy 14YWT have been evaluated as a function of annealing at 1000 °C for 1 hour up to 32 days. The ultra-fine initial grain size (approx. 100 nm) is stable after the shortest annealing time, and even after subsequent creep at 800 °C. Longer annealing periods lead to anomalous grain growth that is further enhanced following creep. Remarkably, the minimum creep rate is relatively insensitive to this dramatic grain-coarsening. The creep strength is attributed to highly stable, Ti-rich nanoclusters that appear to pin the initial primary grains, and present strong obstacles to dislocation motion in the large, anomalously grown grains.
Preparation and dislocation density determination of large, pure RbMnF3 and KMnF3 single crystals☆

Abstract A detailed description is given of apparatus and methods, based on Czochralski growth, for the routine preparation of RbMnF3 and KMnF3 single crystals of high optical and chemical quality. A technique for etch pit formation to reveal dislocations in these crystals is also discussed.
Effect of lipids on the expression of cell transformation.

Summary It has been demonstrated that the Kirsten sarcoma virus-transformed cell line, K3T3, when grown in media containing delipidized fetal calf serum (AES), regained many of the properties of the untransformed parent cell, BALB/3T3. Such properties include morphology, adherence, saturation density, and growth patterns. After growth for several passages in AES, return of K3T3 cells to unextracted fetal calf serum did not restore the transformed phenotype for many generations, although eventually it does return. Cholesterol and linoleic acid added in combination to the growth medium prevented the AES-induced change to the normal, untransformed phenotype. Vitamin E and linoleic acid, on the other hand, did not prevent such a change from taking place.
Confirmation of ecological and evolutionary models

In this paper I distinguish various ways in which empirical claims about evolutionary and ecological models can be supported by data. I describe three basic factors bearing on confirmation of empirical claims: fit of the model to data; independent testing of various aspects of the model, and variety of evident. A brief description of the kinds of confirmation is followed by examples of each kind, drawn from a range of evolutionary and ecological theories. I conclude that the greater complexity and precision of my approach, as compared to, for instance, a Popperian approach, can facilitate detailed analysis and comparison of empirical claims.
Demonstration of IL-1α and IL-1β secretion by the monocytic leukemia cell line, THP-1☆

This study examined the secretion of IL-1 alpha and IL-1 beta by THP-1 leukemia cells following activation with mezerein and promotion of synthesis by interferon (IFN-gamma). Interleukin-1 (IL-1) was not detected by co-mitogenic thymocyte assays of crude supernates. Isoelectrofocusing of concentrated medium showed that all biologically active IL-1 migrated at a pH of 6.8-7.2, indicating that the major secreted form was IL-1 beta. Double antibody ELISA confirmed the presence of IL-1 beta, but failed to detect IL-1 alpha in isofocused fractions. Although it appeared that THP-1 cells do not secrete IL-1 alpha; an inhibitor of thymocyte response to IL-1 was present in conditioned medium, migrated in an acidic pH range and masked the expression of biologically active rIL-1 alpha and rIL-1 beta. In contrast, IL-1 alpha was detected using a cell blotting assay. This technique permitted visualization of subpicogram levels of IL-1 when secreted by cells attached to an immunoblotting paper. Cell blotting showed that a greater proportion of attached cells incubated for 24 h in medium containing mezerein and IFN-gamma secreted IL-1 than cells in control medium. In conclusion, the amount of immunoreactive or biologically active IL-1 alpha secreted by stimulated THP-1 cells appeared to be much lower than that reported for human peripheral blood monocytes.
Blocking the apoE/Aβ binding prevents apoE-mediated intraneuronal accumulation of Aβ peptides and ameliorates synaptic degeneration

Similarly, Ab40 and Ab42 strengthened or weakened F-type transmission, respectively. D-type connections faired equal increases in failure rates and further depression regardless of Ab species or concentration. Low dose Ab40 also stimulated two forms of short term plasticity, synaptic augmentation and post-tetanic potentiation, whereas Ab42 clearly inhibited both SA (30% decline vs. control) and PTP (10% decline). Conclusions: These results, together with our previous study of electrical synaptic networks in PFC (PLoS 4 (12) e8366 2009) have implications for the biological function of Ab. Our data suggests the ‘good’ peptide, Ab40, serves to improve excitatory synaptic transmission and plasticity while the ‘toxic’ peptide, Ab42, is detrimental to PFC synapses. Pharmacological efforts to eliminate Ab should probably seek to spare physiological levels of Ab40.
Immunochemical assay applied to mycotoxin biosynthesis: ELISA comparison of sterigmatocystin production by Aspergillus versicolor and Aspergillus nidulans.

Conventional thin layer and instrumental methods for analyzing mycotoxins and their precursors are time-consuming and make the investigation of mycotoxin biosynthesis particularly difficult. As an alternative, sensitive enzyme-liked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) can be utilized to analyze for these compounds. In this report, sterigmatocystin production in test tube cultures ofAspergillus versicolor ATCC 18643 andAspergillus nidulans ATCC 32610 were compared using competitive ELISA. Polyclonal antiserum that was prepared against a sterigmatocystin hemiacetal-bovine serum albumin conjugate exhibited greatest specificity for sterigmatocystin hemiacetal and sterigmatocystin with less reactivity for O-methylsterigmatocystin. The antiserum could be used to detect as little as 50 ng/ml sterigmatocystin in ELISA. Direct ELISA could be performed on diluted culture broth and on mycelial extracts solubilized with N,N-dimethylformamide.Apergillus versicolor ATCC 18643 produced more sterigmatocystin in SLS medium than in YES medium, and showed maximal levels at between 9 to 12 days incubation. Approximately 75% of sterigmatocystin was detectable in mycelium (254μg/ml culture) compared to the extracellular fraction (87μg/ml culture).Aspergillus nidulans exhibited qualitatively similar patterns of growth and toxigenesis in SLS medium but accumulated maximal levels of only 15μg mycelial sterigmatocystin/ml culture and 5μg extracellular sterigmatocystin/ml broth, respectively.
Production, separation and purification of yeast invertase as a by-product of continuous ethanol fermentation

A strain of Saccharomyces uvarum produced extracellular invertase in a chemostat reactor using a medium containing corn steep liquor and sugars. The production of yeast invertase increased with increase in corn steep liquor concentration. The production rate of invertase was maximal at a dilution rate of 0.75 h−1. The production rate of invertase was found to be affected by the type of sugar substrate and fermentation temperature. The invertase in the crude broth could be purified by one-step DEAE chromatography. An 84% enzyme recovery with ninefold purification and 30-fold concentration could be achieved using this simple isolation procedure.
Ammonia effects in cultures of normal and transformed 3T3 cells

3T3 and SV-40 transformed 3T3 mouse fibroblasts were cultured in media with serum and antibiotics plus ammonia (NH3 z NH4+) added as NH4C1. Both cell lines cultured without added ammonia showed normal morphology and multiplication even though ammonia in the medium at the end of the culture period ranged from 35 to 48 μg/ml. Ammonia concentrations being significantly higher in media removed from cells at the end of the culture period than in media incubated identically without cells, verified that cells released substantial quantities of ammonia in addition to components of the medium which underwent spontaneous breakdown. Both cell lines showed changes in morphology and highly significant reductions in cell multiplication which increased progressively as the concentration of added ammonia on the initial day of culture was increased to 35μg/ml. Control 3T3 cultures released significantly greater quantities of ammonia per cell than control cultures of transformed cells but their multiplication was more adversely affected by added ammonia. There were downward shifts in pH of the culturing medium for both cell lines as culture age increased at all concentrations of added ammonia, However, significant reductions in cell multiplication resulted from additions of ammonia that did not produce significant changes in extracellular pH. The data show that studies upon the effects of pH of the medium on cultured cells require control of ammonia concentrations.
Evolution of the HST proposal selection process

Through Cycle 8, the process of selecting HST proposals was extremely successful, according to hundreds of scientists involved in the proposal review. Yet the system showed signs of strain, as the number of proposals doubled and the panels/TAC grew commensurately. This led to highly specialized panels, each with limited amounts of observing time to award, and an increasingly narrow scientific focus that exacerbated the natural tension between scientific expertise and conflict of interest. The TAC's role of establishing priorities among scientific disciplines became simultaneously more critical and more difficult to carry out. Furthermore, the scientific community advised us strongly, starting in Cycle 7, that more HST observing time should be devoted to larger programs (> 100 orbits). For Cycle 9 we instituted significant changes to address these issues: (1) Fewer, much broader panels, with redundancy to avoid conflicts of interest. (2) TAC role re- defined, to focus on awarding a significant fraction (1/4 - 1/3) of the available time to > 100-orbit proposals. (3) Incentives for panels to award time to 'mid-sized' proposals. We outline these changes in greater detail, and describe to what extent their implementation in the Cycle 9 review achieved the goals of more large programs, fewer conflicts of interest for reviewers, and a stronger science program for HST.
Fountains, golf courses, and music: Design projects in water resources engineering education

The following is a summary of design projects that have been included in a Junior Level Water Resources Engineering course that is required for all Civil and Environmental Engineering majors. The projects are structured to encompass the fundamentals of applied fluid mechanics, while at the same time, providing the students an opportunity to be creative and bring water resources engineering “to life.” The students (working in groups of 3) designed a water feature (fountain) and a golf course water system for the proposed resort, “Le Reve”, on the Las Vegas strip. A field trip to the Bellagio resort provided students the opportunity to see the components of a world class water feature. The students acquired information from local sources such as water requirements from the Las Vegas Valley Water District, sprinkler and nozzle capacity from manufacturers, and evaporation rates from the National Weather Service. The phasing of the project throughout the semester provided each student an opportunity to be “Lead Engineer.” The Lead Engineer responsibilities included the delegation of work on each Phase, and preparation of the progress report. The public domain software, EPANet, was the tool used for analysis of the water distribution systems and ensuring that all pressure requirements were met. Course assessments show improved student knowledge in the design of water resource systems. Lastly, the incorporation of “water themed” music into the classroom creates an active learning environment in the classroom.
Controlling for Response Biases Clarifies Sex and Age Differences in Facial Affect Recognition

Sex, age and education differences in facial affect recognition were assessed within a large sample (n = 7,320). Results indicate superior performance by females and younger individuals in the correct identification of facial emotion, with the largest advantage for low intensity expressions. Though there were no demographic differences for identification accuracy on neutral faces, controlling for response biases by males and older individuals to label faces as neutral revealed sex and age differences for these items as well. This finding suggests that inferior facial affect recognition performance by males and older individuals may be driven primarily by instances in which they fail to detect the presence of emotion in facial expressions. Older individuals also demonstrated a greater tendency to label faces with negative emotion choices, while females exhibited a response bias for sad and fear. These response biases have implications for understanding demographic differences in facial affect recognition.
Creation of an Expanded Barell Matrix to Identify Traumatic Brain Injuries of U.S. Military Members

Abstract : This paper describes the creation of a new traumatic brain injury (TBI) classification system, the Barell+ system, derived by the Center for Army Medical Department Strategic Studies, The Barell+ system is an expansion of the standard international Barell body region by nature of injury diagnosis matrix developed by the International Collaborative Effort on Injury Statistics. The expanded version (Barell+) was created as a result of a mapping effort between the original Barell matrix and the Department of Defense severity classification system used for surveillance by the Defense and Veteran Brain Injury Center (DVBIC). Starting with the Barell TBI category definitions, 19 additional TBI-related diagnosis codes from the DVBIC classification were mapped into the resulting Barell+ matrix. The new Barell+ system is compared with the original Barell matrix and the DVBIC classification system. We recommend using the TBI frequency distributions created by the Barell+ system as input data in U.S. military medical modeling and simulation efforts because it better reflects the actual distribution of TBI injuries.
Linkage of North Atlantic and Southern Ocean deep-water circulation during glacial intervals

The Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) is one of the major current systems in the world ocean, affecting circulation in all of the major ocean basins. The ACC flows eastwards around Antarctica from the surface to ∼4,000 m depth with a transport on the order of 125 Sverdrups1. Deep-sea benthic foraminifera from one piston core (E49–18) from the south-east Indian Ocean sector of the Southern Ocean were analysed to determine deep-water-mass-circulation conditions within the ACC during the late Quaternary. I report here that benthic foraminiferal faunal patterns closely match Northern Hemisphere ice-volume changes shown by planktonic foraminiferal oxygen-isotopic stratigraphy. The glacial–interglacial faunal oscillations are interpreted to reflect the presence of a deep-water mass in the ACC during glacial times which differs from modern Circumpolar Deep Water. I suggest that deep-water circulation changes within the ACC during the interval 440,000 to the present are directly linked to changes in North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) circulation.
Policing the boundaries of sex: a critical examination of gender verification and the Caster Semenya controversy.

On August 19, 2009, Caster Semenya, South African track star, won a gold medal in the women's 800-meter event. According to media reports, on the same day, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) ordered Semenya to undergo gender verification testing. This article critically assesses the main concepts and claims that undergird international sport organizations' policies regarding “gender verification” or “sex testing.” We examine the ways in which these policies operate through several highly contested assumptions, including that (a) sex exists as a binary; (b) sport is a level playing field for competitors; and (c) some intersex athletes have an unfair advantage over women who are not intersex and, as such, they should be banned from competition to ensure that sport is a level playing field. To conclude, we make three recommendations that are consistent with the attainment of sex and gender justice in sport, which include acknowledging that myriad physical advantages are accepted in...
Washington, DC: From the Founding of a Slaveholding Capital to a Center of Abolitionism

This article explores the ways in which issues of race and slavery were central dilemmas and pervasive experiences in the nation’s capital, which was established in the city of Washington in the District of Columbia in 1791. This study highlights the multifaceted dimensions of the struggle to end slavery within the nation’s capital. By 1862 the disparate movements against slavery, led by blacks and whites, at times together and at times separately, prevailed and emancipation was won in the nation’s capital nine months before the broader-scale issuance of an Emancipation Proclamation. Although the “death of slavery” occurred first in the District of Columbia, such emancipation orders were only the beginning of the end of slavery in the USA, with new fights for social and economic equality and justice ensuing in the following years.
The composition dependence of GaInAs grown by organometallic epitaxy

In this paper we describe a systematic study of the parameters affecting the composition of Ga1−xInxAs grown from trimethylgallium, triethylindium and arsine. Reactor pressure, reactant partial pressures, substrate temperature ans the susceptor slope were varied to determine the depletion of indium species as a function of these parameters. A two-step model is proposed, with the second step involving two parallel paths. In the first step, the triethylindium reacts with the arsine to form an adduct, which is transported to the hot zone of the reactor. There it dissociates to liberate triethylindium. Simultaneously, however, some adduct molecules decompose via alkyl elimination in the gass phase resulting in a loss of indium to the growth process. A bimolecular alkyl elimination reaction is proposed, consistent with the change in composition with reactor parameters. Conditions for compositionally uniform growth were determined, and uniform composition (within ±0.005) achieved over the entire 2.5 cm×1.5 cm face of the susceptor in a 50 mm ID reaction chamber.
Attenuation of the estradiol-induced surge release of luteinizing hormone by antihistamine in ovariectomized ewes

Abstract Ovariectomized ewes received intramuscular (i.m.) injections of an H1-histamine receptor antagonist, diphenhydramine, or saline during the anestrous and breeding seasons to determine if histamine may regulate the estradiol-induced surge release of LH in ewes. In addition, concentrations of histamine and GnRH in hypothalamic regions and histamine and LH in the pituitary gland were determined during the estradiol-induced surge of LH. Pretreatment mean, basal, and estradiol-induced secretion of LH did not differ (P > 0.05) among seasons. However, the quantity of LH (ng) measured during the estradiol-induced surge of LH was less (P 0.05) influence steady-state concentrations of histamine in hypothalamic or pituitary gland tissues, hypothalamic concentrations of GnRH, or anterior pituitary concentrations of LH during the estradiol-induced surge of LH. It is concluded that histamine may modulate the estradiol-induced surge release of LH in ewes by affecting the secretion of GnRH.
On the Spatial Gradient of Soil Moisture–Precipitation Feedback Strength in the April 2011 Drought in the Southern Great Plains

AbstractThe southern Great Plains (SGP) experienced a record-breaking drought in 2011, in which the excessively dry conditions established quickly in spring (i.e., April) and extended into summer. A regional climate model is used (after its evaluation) to simulate this April drought and investigate how a soil moisture anomaly could affect the development of its precipitation deficit. The authors examine how the local thermodynamic structure of the overlying atmosphere contributes to soil moisture feedbacks and how these feedbacks are connected to nonlocal mechanisms. The simulations establish a zonal gradient in the (generally positive) feedback strength [i.e., a significant (negligible) precipitation increase over the eastern (western) SGP] under an SGP-wide wet soil moisture anomaly and spatially similar evapotranspiration (ET) increments. This pattern is dominated by convective precipitation and consistent with spatial gradients in parameters relevant to moist convection, including the precipitable wat...
Social-cognitive and cognitive correlates of depression in children

The present investigation examined depression and its social-cognitive and cognitive correlates in a sample of 108 elementary school children: 36 children in each of grades 1, 4, and 8. Children were classified as depressed and nondepressed according to their scores on the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Depression appeared stable over a 3-week time interval. Depressed children reported a higher number of “masking” symptoms, were rated as more depressed by their teachers, and perceived their family environment to be more distressed. As posited, when compared to nondepressed children, depressed children have lower self-esteem, a more depressive attributional style, and more self-control deficits. Further, they have impaired performance on some cognitive tasks (block design, coding digit span) but not all (vocabulary). The prediction that depression would be manifested differently in first-, fourth-, and eighth-graders was not supported.
The Role of History in Teaching Science--A Case Study: The Popularization of Science in Nineteenth-Century France.

One of the most interesting aspects of late-nineteenth-century France was the extraordinary interest the public expressed in science. Its adulation of Pasteur was only one of the many manifestations of this interest. It was also expressed in the widespread popularity of scientists as public figures and in the increasing public and private financial support of science. While popularity of science was created in the general public by fiction and by the various international ‘world fairs’ held in Paris, it was strongest and most important in the middle classes.
Tobramycin gender-related nephrotoxicity in Fischer but not Sprague-Dawley rats.

Abstract Published reports suggest a gender-related difference in susceptibility to the nephrotoxicity of gentamicin which may also be strain-related in rats. However, certain ambiguities exist in the results obtained with the functional and morphologic determinants of nephrotoxicity used in these studies. Within the same experimental protocol we examined the potential gender-related differences in tobramycin nephrotoxicity in age-matched male and female rats of both the Sprague-Dawley (SD) and Fischer (F344) strains. Equal numbers of both genders were dosed at 30 mg/kg (F344) and 90 mg/kg (SD) twice daily for 9 days. Results of BUN, serum creatinine, whole body weight change and histologie score comparisons (P
Anomalous Andreev conductance in InAs-AlSb quantum well structures with Nb electrodes

The differential conductance of InAs-AlSb quantum wells with superconducting Nb electrodes exhibits a sharp single peak at zero bias, followed by a drop below the normal conductance at voltages an order of magnitude higher than the gap voltage, before returning to the normal value at yet higher bias. The behavior is interpreted in terms of Andreev reflections, modified by multiple normal reflections of both electrons and Andreev holes between the Nb electrodes and the bottom barrier of the quantum well, in the presence of a nonuniform potential along the well.
Relation between length of hospital stay and costs of care for patients with community-acquired pneumonia.

Abstract PURPOSE: Patients with pneumonia often remain hospitalized after becoming clinically stable, without demonstrated benefits on outcome. The purposes of this study were to assess the relation between length of hospital stay and daily medical care costs and to estimate the potential cost savings associated with a reduced length of stay for patients with pneumonia. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: As part of a prospective study of adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia at a community hospital and two university teaching hospitals, daily medical care costs were estimated by multiplying individual charges by department-specific cost-to-charge ratios obtained from each hospital's Medicare cost reports. RESULTS: The median total cost of hospitalization for all 982 inpatients was $5,942, with a median daily cost of $836, including $491 (59%) for room and $345 (41%) for non-room costs. Average daily non-room costs were 282% greater on the first hospital day, 59% greater on the second day, and 19% greater on the third day than the average daily cost throughout the hospitalization (all P Conclusions: Despite institutional differences in total costs, patterns of daily resource use throughout hospitalization were similar at all institutions. A 1-day reduction in length of stay might yield substantial cost-savings.
Assessment of environmental hazards of 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene.

The remedial investigation/feasibility studies conducted at certain Army installations showed a need to clean up contaminated sites, where high levels of ammunition chemicals such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT), 1,3,5-trinitrobenzene (TNB), 1,3-dinitrobenzene (DNB), and their degradation products/metabolites were detected in surface soil and groundwater. TNB is a photodegradation product of TNT; it is not easily degraded, and persists in the environment. The toxicity data on TNB are scanty. Hence the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1988 (U.S. EPA, 1997) developed a reference dose (RfD) for TNB (0.00005 mg/kg/d for chronic toxicity) based on the toxicity of DNB, which is structurally similar to TNB. Since then we have completed acute, subacute, sub-chronic, chronic, reproductive, and developmental toxicity studies and toxicokinetics studies. We have reviewed the mammalian toxicity data for TNB and have determined the no observed adverse effect levels (NOAEL) and low observed adverse effect levels (LOAEL) for subchronic, chronic, reproductive, and developmental toxicity. Based on the newly determined NOAEL and LOAEL values, we have now developed a new RfD for TNB (0.03 mg/kg/d), based on the chronic toxic effects on hematology and histopatho-logical changes in testes and kidney.