cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Super-KAVE: An immersive visualization tool for neutrino physics

Located under Japan's Mount Ikenoyama, the Super-Kamiokande (or “Super-K”) neutrino detector is used to study neutrino particle physics. The Super-K detector consists of a cylindrical stainless steel tank (41.4m tall and 39.3m in diameter) holding 50,000 tons of water and 13,031 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). To view the data captured by these sensors, many physicists use 2D visualization tools which present the data color-coded on a deconstructed representation of the cylinder. Unfortunately, this deconstructed visualization makes it difficult for physicists to fully visualize patterns of neutrino interactions. To address this, we have developed a novel virtual reality (VR) application called “Super-KAVE”, which uses a CAVE to immerse users in a lifesize representation of the Super-K detector. Super-KAVE displays the collocation of photon sensors and their color-coded data, provides a new visualization technique for neutrino-interaction patterns, and supports transitioning between data events. In this paper, we describe the Super-K detector and its data, discuss the design and implementation of our Super-KAVE application, and report on its expected uses.
Dialogue in a discourse context: Scenes of talk in fictional narrative

Building on recent studies of speech and thought representation in narrative fiction (Fludernik 1993; Herman 2002; Palmer 2004; Thomas 2002), this essay outlines the advantages of forging interconnections between narrative theory and a range of disciplinary frameworks concerned with talk — including literary theory, linguistic pragmatics, discourse analysis, gender studies, and research on socially distributed cognition. Using Virginia Woolf’s 1927 novel To the Lighthouse as a case study, the essay first explores general theoretical and interpretive issues raised by scenes of talk portrayed in the novel. Then it zooms in on one chapter that centers around a communicative encounter between two characters. This scene both illuminates and is illuminated by research on socio-communicative practices in general. Further, the scene requires a rethinking of modernist narrative construed as a privileging of characters’ interiority over the concrete social and material environments in which they think, act, and communicate. Hence an interdisciplinary approach to scenes of talk like Woolf’s not only necessitates a reconsideration of key ideas in literary studies, but also suggests new directions for narrative theory after the second cognitive revolution.
Heavy atom isotope effects on the reaction catalyzed by the oxalate decarboxylase from Bacillus subtilis.

Oxalate decarboxylase (OxDC) catalyzes a remarkable transformation in which the C−C bond in oxalate is cleaved to give carbon dioxide and formate. Like the native OxDC isolated from Aspergillus niger, the recombinant, bacterial OxDC from Bacillus subtilis contains Mn(II) in its resting state and requires catalytic dioxygen for activity. The most likely mechanism for OxDC-catalyzed C−C bond cleavage involves the participation of free radical intermediates, although this hypothesis remains to be unequivocally demonstrated. Efforts to delineate the catalytic mechanism have been placed on a firm foundation by the high-resolution crystal structure of recombinant, wild type B. subtilis OxDC (Anand et al., Biochemistry 2002, 41, 7659−7669). We now report the results of heavy-atom kinetic isotope effect measurements for the OxDC-catalyzed decarboxylation of oxalate, in what appear to be the first detailed studies of the mechanism employed by OxDC. At pH 4.2, the OxDC-catalyzed formation of formate and CO2 have no...
A Natural History of Time – By Pascal Richet

Anyone who has paid attention to nonfiction in the last decade cannot help but have noticed a subgenre characterized by works that view history through a lens provided by a commodity (say, codfish)...
Nucleotide sequence of a transcriptional enhancer located 2.2 kb 3' of a human placental lactogenencoding gene

The nucleotide sequence of the human placental lactogen-encoding gene enhancer was determined. This tissue-specific enhancer is contained in a region flanked by a 284-bp Alu repeat.
Thermodynamics of strongly disordered spin ladders

We study antiferromagnetic two-leg spin-1/2 ladders with strong bond randomness, using the real-space renormalization-group method. We find the low-temperature spin susceptibility of the system follows nonuniversal power laws, and that the ground-state spin-spin correlation is short ranged. Our results suggest that there is no phase transition when the bond randomness increases from zero; for strong enough randomness the system is in a Griffith region with divergent spin susceptibility and short-range spin-spin correlation.
High resolution subsurface thermal imaging using a numerical aperture increasing lens

We investigate the experimental limitations of the maximum resolution that can be achieved in far-field subsurface thermal imaging with a numerical aperture increasing lens- High-resolution thermal imaging has applications in failure analysis of Si integrated circuits.
Contrasting OLS and Quantile Regression Approaches to Student “Growth” Percentiles:

Regression methods can locate student test scores in a conditional distribution, given past scores. This article contrasts and clarifies two approaches to describing these locations in terms of rea...
Failure of proteasome inhibitor administration to provide a model of Parkinson's disease in rats and monkeys.

McNaught and colleagues1 reported recently that systemic administration of proteasome inhibitors PSI (Z-Ileu-Glu(OtBu)-Ala-Leu-CHO) or epoxomicin recapitulated many of the degenerative changes seen in Parkinson's disease including loss of striatal dopamine and cell loss in the substantia nigra, locus ceruleus, dorsal motor nucleus of the X cranial nerve, and nucleus basalis of Meynert. Intracytoplasmic inclusions resembling Lewy bodies were also described. All experiments administering PSI to rats using identical procedures and multiple attempts failed to induce any of the previously described changes. Furthermore, administration of PSI or epoxomicin to monkeys in an attempt to extend the model to a primate species failed. Currently, systemic proteasome inhibition is not a reliable model for Parkinson's disease. Ann Neurol 2006;60:264–268
Marketed Drugs Can Inhibit Cytochrome P450 27A1, a Potential New Target for Breast Cancer Adjuvant Therapy

Cytochrome P450 CYP27A1 is the only enzyme in humans converting cholesterol to 27-hydroxycholesterol, an oxysterol of multiple functions, including tissue-specific modulation of estrogen and liver X receptors. Both receptors seem to mediate adverse effects of 27-hydroxycholesterol in breast cancer when the levels of this oxysterol are elevated. The present work assessed druggability of CYP27A1 as a potential antibreast cancer target. We selected 26 anticancer and noncancer medications, most approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and evaluated them first in vitro for inhibition of purified recombinant CYP27A1 and binding to the enzyme active site. Six strong CYP27A1 inhibitors/binders were identified. These were the two antibreast cancer pharmaceuticals anastrozole and fadrozole, antiprostate cancer drug bicalutamide, sedative dexmedetomidine, and two antifungals ravuconazole and posaconazole. Anastrozole was then tested in vivo on mice, which received subcutaneous drug injections for 1 week. Mouse plasma and hepatic 27-hydroxycholesterol levels were decreased 2.6- and 1.6-fold, respectively, whereas plasma and hepatic cholesterol content remained unchanged. Thus, pharmacologic CYP27A1 inhibition is possible in the whole body and individual organs, but does not negatively affect cholesterol elimination. Our results enhance the potential of CYP27A1 as an antibreast cancer target, could be of importance for the interpretation of Femara versus Anastrozole Clinical Evaluation Trial, and bring attention to posaconazole as a potential complementary anti-breast cancer medication. More medications on the US market may have unanticipated off-target inhibition of CYP27A1, and we propose strategies for their identification.
Neuroimaging weighs in: humans meet macaques in "primate" visual cortex.

It has been only a decade since functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was introduced, but approximately four fMRI papers are now published every working day. Here we review this progress in a well studied system: primate visual cortex.
Effects of mild cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders on serial reaction time performance

Abstract Medical examinations were used to classify 271 adults aged 18–77 into 6 groups: normotensive, treated and untreated hypertensive, coronary heart disease (CHD), transient ischemic attack (TIA), and recovered stroke. They were also divided by age into 3 groups: 18–36, 37–55, and over 55 years. Each subject completed 12 reaction time (RT) tasks which, involved making 16 consecutive responses without interruption. Serial RT increased with age throughout the lifespan. RT was also increased in treated hypertensive patients; this slowing was unrelated to type of drug treatment. Patients with cerebrovascular disorders showed greater slowing and also made more errors; TIA patients showed greatest impairment. No significant performance deficits were observed hi untreated hypertensive of CHD groups. However, a trend slowing among untreated hypertensive patients with high plasma renin activity was observed. Behavioral deficits associated with both aging and diagnosed vascular disorders were interpreted as ev...
Clinical and Pathologic Features of Secondary Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia

Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is a relatively common form of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) that has an excellent prognosis. In contrast, secondary acute myeloid leukemias, including therapy-related AML and AML with myelodysplasia-related changes, have a relatively poor prognosis. We identified 9 cases of APL at our institution in which there was a history of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chronic immunosuppression, or antecedent myelodysplastic syndrome. The clinical and pathologic findings in these cases of secondary APL were compared with the clinical and pathologic findings in cases of de novo APL. We found that secondary and de novo APL had abnormal promyelocytes with similar morphologic and immunophenotypic features, comparable cytogenetic findings, comparable rates of FMS-like tyrosine kinase mutations, and similar rates of recurrent disease and death. These data suggest that secondary APL is similar to de novo APL and, thus, should be considered distinct from other secondary acute myeloid neoplasms.
Dynamic Quantization: Two Adaptive Data Structures for Multidimensional Spaces

Two new data structures are defined for use in multidimensional histogramming. Their purpose is to cover a parameter space with a limited number of histogram bins so that fine precision is maintained where it is needed. The original motivation for these data structures was to implement Hough-like transforms in high-dimensional parameter spaces. The two data structures share the ability to adapt to distributions that change with time.
Genotypic transitions among bluetongue viral isolates from domestic ruminants in Colorado during 1981-1984.

Two predominant electropherotypes of bluetongue virus (BTV) serotype 11 isolates from cattle during a 198l-l984 field study in eastern Colorado were characterized. The genomes of strains isolated from the first 2 years of the study had 1 predominant electropherotype (CO81), with the exception of 1 isolate that differed only in the migration of segment 3. A second electropherotype (CO83), with differences in the migration of 4 segments, coexisted in the same region during 1983 and 1984 with strains having the CO81 RNA profile. The genomes of CO81 and CO83 were also distinguishable from those of the US prototype of BTV 11. Analysis of the polypeptides of representative strains of each electropherotype by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis indicated that the proteins were very similar. The occurrence of the CO81 electropherotype was apparently the result of multiple viral infections since the positions of 7 segments had faint second bands and single-banded variants were isolated after serial plaque purifications. In addition, protein 7 of 1 of the CO81 isolates and protein 7 of the single-banded variant differed as shown by reverse phase-high performance liquid chromatography of 35 S-methionine-labeled tryptic peptides. Bluetongue virus (BTV), an arthropod-borne virus replicating in both Culicoides vectors and ruminant hosts, causes a disease characterized by fever, inflam- mation, and congestion of oral and nasal mucous mem- branes. Sheep, in particular, may suffer from a severe, fatal form of the disease; in cattle and goats, bluetongue is generally subclinical, and virus can frequently be isolated from apparently healthy animals. 2
Suppression of narrowband jammers in a spread-spectrum receiver using transform-domain adaptive filtering

The author investigates the use of transform-domain adaptive filtering for the suppression of narrowband jammers in a direct-sequence (DS) spread-spectrum receiver. An input signal consisting of the DS signal, white Gaussian noise, and a narrowband jammer is transformed into the frequency domain where adaptive filtering acts to suppress the jammer. Weight leakage is used to allow jammer suppression while preserving the desired DS signal. Bit error rate (BER) results obtained by computer simulation are presented to illustrate performance for a single-tone jammer and for a jammer consisting of a second DS signal with a lower chip rate. These results are compared to those for a transform-domain exciser. Expressions for the converged tap weights are derived and the results are verified via the simulation. Finally, the convergence properties of the adaptive suppressor are illustrated. >
The Role of Pharmacotherapy in Perioperative Management of Patients with Acromegaly

The major complications of acromegaly, including cardioand cerebrovascular disease and respiratory and metabolic dysfunction, are associated with a significant increase in morbidity and mortality (1–3). These complications are well known to be major risk factors in perioperative patients, especially the elderly (4–8). Therefore, controlling cardioand cerebrovascular disease, pulmonary dysfunction, and hyperglycemia is important in patients undergoing anesthesia and surgery. This review evaluates the rationale for administering somatostatin analog treatment before either transsphenoidal resection of a GH-secreting pituitary adenoma or any other surgical procedure requiring general anesthesia in the patient with uncontrolled acromegaly.
Roger Williams and the Historians

The journey is long from the Massachusetts theocracy that banished Roger Williams in 1635 to the predominantly Roman Catholic Massachusetts of the twentieth century that finally in 1936 lifted that ancient ban against the original Rhode Islander. The tale of this remarkable transition is the story of how the heretic became the hero. In his own time, Williams had days of agony and glory—mostly the former. Likewise, in the running currents of our national history, his reputation has had days of agony and glory—mostly the latter. This is not to say, however, that he always properly deserved the precise glory given him, or, rather, that he has been invariably lauded for his true contribution.
Dynamic response of a print belt system

The dynamic response of a print belt system, when the print belt is subjected to impulsive print forces, is analyzed in this paper. The system consists of a flat steel print belt tightly wrapped around pulleys with one of the pulleys driven by a motor. Analytical modeling allows the prediction and analysis of belt motion and thus the prediction of print misregistration. Discrete parameters used in the analysis permit simulation of the belt motion as affected by variations in belt tension, stiffness, pulley inertias, and motor-operating parameters. Conditions of belt slippage are examined, as well as the effect of dynamic loading upon the drive motor.
Analysis of the UL36 open reading frame encoding the large tegument protein (ICP1/2) of herpes simplex virus type 1.

Abstract Using peptide antisera specific for regions within the N terminus and C terminus of the predicted UL36 gene product, immunoblotting experiments were performed to demonstrate definitively that ICP1/2 is encoded by the UL36 gene. These data also suggest that both the cell- and the virion-associated forms of ICP1/2 are colinear with the complete predicted amino acid sequence of the UL36 gene. Computer-assisted analyses of the predicted amino acid sequence of the UL36 gene revealed the presence of two putative leucine zipper-type motifs and a potential ATP-binding domain. The possible functions of these consensus domains will also be discussed.
1,3,5‐Trimethyl‐1,3,5‐triazacyclohexane

[108-74-7] C6H15N3 (MW 129.20) InChI = 1S/C6H15N3/c1-7-4-8(2)6-9(3)5-7/h4-6H2,1-3H3 InChIKey = DPMZXMBOYHBELT-UHFFFAOYSA-N (formyl anion equivalent) Alternate Names: TMTAC, 1,3,5-trimethyl-[1,3,5]-triazinane. Physical Data: bp 83–84 °C/55 Torr. Preparative Method: the compound is commercially available and the synthesis is reported in the literature.1, 2
The Effect of Mouth Motion on the Attenuation Correction in Neurological PET Studies

In each new generation of PET scanners, the axial field-of-view (FOV) has been increased as a way to improve their sensitivity and obtain better images, faster and with lower injected doses. Nevertheless, in neurological studies, the use of larger axial FOV can introduce errors in the PET attenuation correction (AC), as possible movements of the patient’s mouth are not currently considered. This effect happens when oblique PET sinograms containing both the jaw and the brain are used. In this work we have studied the bias that mouth motion can introduce in the PET AC, for two different scanners. The average effect over large regions in the brain is around 1 % for a moderate mouth motion, although some voxels show differences of up to 18 %. These results indicate that if scanners with large axial FOV and acceptance angles are going to be used in the future, possible movements of patient’s mouth should be considered in the AC procedure.
Carbon emissions from a temperate peat fire and its relevance to interannual variability of trace atmospheric greenhouse gases

[1] The contribution of wildfire in peatlands outside of boreal and tropical regions to interannual variability of global carbon emissions has been relatively little studied. There are 0.19 to 0.88 million km2 of localized peat deposits in the temperate zone (30–50° latitude) where drainage and climate change may affect the status of this potentially large carbon pool. For example, in the coastal plain of North Carolina, USA, where wildfire is common, over 325 teragrams of carbon (Tg C) are stored in peat deposits up to 5 m deep. We estimated carbon emissions for a temperate peatland fire in North Carolina using remote sensing to reconstruct burn severity and topographic lidar to constrain peat burn depths. Total carbon emissions for the fire ranged from 1 to 3.8 Tg, with spatially heterogeneous patterns of carbon fluxes (0.2 to 11 kg C m−2) responding to variation in vegetation type, peat burn depth, soil substrate (mineral or organic), and fire severity. To maintain a carbon sink in this region at the current rates of carbon sequestration (0.109 to 0.127 kg C m−2 yr−1) we estimated a fire return interval of greater than 20–80 years. Continued drainage and future drought could decrease the fire return interval to less than 20 years or increase peat burn depths thereby converting these peatlands into a net carbon source. On a global scale, this study suggests that temperate peatland fires may emit up to 0.32 petagrams of carbon during drought years, a significant contribution to interannual greenhouse gas variability.
Seismic interaction at separation joints of an instrumented concrete bridge

A multi-span, curved, concrete box-girder bridge has been extensively instrumented by the California Strong Motion Instrumentation Program (CSMIP) in cooperation with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). On 28 June 1992, the bridge was shaken by the magnitude 7–5 Landers and magnitude 6–6 Big Bear earthquakes in southern California. The epicentres of these earthquakes were 50 and 29 miles (81 and 46 km) from the bridge, respectively. All 34 strong-motion sensors installed on the bridge recorded the response to these earthquakes and provided an insightful set of data. A striking aspect of the response is the presence of intermittent sharp spikes in nearly all of the acceleration records from sensors at the deck of the bridge. Among these the highest spike was 0.8g for the Landers and 1.0g for the Big Bear earthquake. The peak ground acceleration at the bridge site was only about 0.1g for both these earthquakes. With the aid of visual examination and simple analysis it is deduced that (1) the spikes were caused by forces generated at separation joints by impacts and stretching of the cable restrainers between adjacent bridge segments; (2) the forces of impacts and cable stretching are directly proportional to the size of the spikes and can be estimated by the use of a simple formula; and (3) the spikes travelled from their source to other locations on the bridge with the velocity of a compression wave propagating through concrete.
On Fertile Ground: A Natural History of Human Reproduction

On Fertile Ground:. Natural History of Human Reproduction. Peter T. Ellison. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2001. 358 pp.
Which Concepts Should We Use?: Metalinguistic Negotiations and The Methodology of Philosophy

AbstractThis paper is about philosophical disputes where the literal content of what speakers communicate concerns such object-level issues as ground, supervenience, or real definition. It is tempting to think that such disputes straightforwardly express disagreements about these topics. In contrast to this, I suggest that, in many such cases, the disagreement that is expressed is actually one about which concepts should be employed. I make this case as follows. First, I look at non-philosophical, everyday disputes where a speaker employs (often without awareness of doing so) a metalinguistic usage of a term. This is where a speaker uses a term (rather than mentions it) to express a view about the meaning of that term, or, relatedly, how to correctly use that term. A metalinguistic negotiation is a metalinguistic dispute that concerns a normative issue about what a word should mean, or, similarly, about how it should be used, rather than the descriptive issue about what it does mean. I argue that the same...
The 9p21 locus and coronary heart disease: initiator, promoter, or precipitator?

Coronary heart disease (CHD), a major cause of worldwide morbidity/mortality ([1][1]), is a multifactorial, multistage disorder to which both environmental and genetic factors contribute ([Fig. 1][2])([2][3]). Despite methodologic advances, including genomewide association studies, progress in
Defining Male and Female: Intersexuality and the Collision between Law and Biology

This article explores how the law has defined and should define the terms male, female, and sex. It provides a detailed description of the sexual differentiation process and the medical conditions leading to ambiguous sexual features that affect millions of people. In addition, it describes how these terms have been used in varying disciplines and by Western society and other cultures and provides insight into how legal institutions could define these terms. Finally, it uses the lens of therapeutic jurisprudence to critique the cases that have established a person's legal sex based upon inappropriate criteria. It proposes that legal institutions adopt a more flexible approach to determining a person's legal sex that emphasizes the importance of gender self-identification.
MUD: Exploring Tradeoffs in Urban Design

The design of cities and neighborhoods involves multiple stakeholders with various agendas, each comprising multiple criteria. Any design proposal will rank differently against each stakeholder’s agenda, and effective participatory design requires that stakeholder interests are mutually understood and negotiated. We describe a program to promote this understanding and negotiation among stakeholders, called MUD, that enables each stakeholder to articulate their criteria for judging designs, to make design proposals, and to score designs against the criteria. By enabling stakeholders with different values and different areas of expertise to exchange design proposals and agendas we hope to foster understanding and stimulate negotiation.
The state of lumbar fusion extenders.

Study design Review of literature. Objective To evaluate the available literature supporting the use of lumbar fusion extenders in clinical practice. Summary of background data Because of the morbidity associated with the harvest of autologous iliac crest bone grafts, the search for lumber fusion extenders and replacements has accelerated. Many formulations of lumbar fusion extenders have been developed, and it is essential to evaluate clinical literature and available outcome metrics of these extenders. Methods A review of English-language literature was performed between 1990 and January of 2010 for all literature presenting clinical outcomes of lumbar fusion extenders. After controlling for inclusion and exclusion criteria and assigning levels of evidence, 19 clinical studies were fully reviewed including those for demineralized bone matrix, recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2), β-tricalcium phosphate, and calcium sulfate. Results The most extensively studied of the lumbar fusion extenders is β-tricalcium phosphate, especially with regard to its use in adolescent scoliosis correction. The use of rhBMP-2 and demineralized bone matrix is supported only by two and three clinical studies, respectively. Calcium sulfate and other miscellaneous extenders are not conclusively or consistently supported by available clinical studies. Conclusion Calcium phosphate is the most supported of the lumbar fusion extenders. rhBMP-2 and demineralized bone matrix are supported by smaller bodies of evidence. These formulations are supported by these initial studies but in some cases need to be better examined with regard to side effect profiles.
Photoelectric Study of Liebermann-Burchard Reaction and Its Significance in Determination of Cholesterol:

The common colorimetric method for the determination of cholesterol is based upon the Liebermann-Burchard1 reaction, in which acetic anhydride and concentrated H2SO4 are added to a dilute solution of cholesterol in chloroform. The color produced is at first blue, then becomes green and finally, on long standing, a yellow-brown. This reaction, in spite of its apparent simplicity, has proved difficult to control, for the intensity as well as the shade of the color is markedly influenced by small differences in the concentrations of the reagents, the presence of traces of water or other impurities, time, and temperature. The many previous efforts to control these factors by modification of the technique of Autenrieth and Funk2 and of Bloor3 have been for the most part empirical. A study of the reaction, however, with the aid of the photoelectric colorimeter and varying filters gives a clue to the nature of the reaction and the principles that must be followed for exact, duplicable, colorimetric analysis of c...
Small Things Considered

By now, many of us are aware that ∼8% of the human genome is retroviral, compared to only ∼1.5% that codes for human proteins. These sequences are the result of ancient infections of germ cells by retroviruses, which insert into DNA as part of their life cycle. Upon insertion into the genome, such endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) evolve neutrally and are eventually inactivated by mutations and by host repression of their expression. Therefore, these viruses are no longer viruses but a collection of broken parts. Considering that we carry out ∼10,000 billion cell divisions in a lifetime, the maintenance of this viral junk heap requires considerable resources. So why do we keep it around? Probably because of weak purifying selection combined with the hunch that “this stuff might come in handy someday.” In fact, it appears that an important evolutionary innovation—the placenta—has depended on parts pulled from this “genomic junk drawer.”
Prediction of Magnesium Alloy Formability: The Role of Texture

Control of crystallographic texture is critical for the development of wrought magnesium sheet product with sufficient levels of ductility and formability. However, it is not feasible to systematically study mechanical behavior as a function of texture experimentally because texture cannot be varied independent of other parameters important for formability. A protocol for generating synthetic textures in conjunction with a viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) polycrystalline plasticity model to predict deformation behavior and formability has been developed. The ability to isolate and systematically vary a single texture characteristic is demonstrated for the strength of the basal peak. The changes in slip system activity, texture stability, and predicted formability are presented.
Chapter 63 Development Aid and Agriculture

This chapter is motivated by the question of whether development assistance directed at agriculture (“agricultural aid”) is effective. It argues that development assistance is continually changing as the ascendant visions of strong global leaders interact with theories of economic growth and evidence on the impact of past aid, and that agricultural aid has reflected similar continual changes in its composition and mode of delivery. The chapter briefly summarizes evidence on the contribution of aid to overall economic growth, then reviews the evidence of whether agricultural aid accelerates agricultural or economic development. It reviews evaluations of projects and sets of projects related to agricultural credit, integrated rural development, irrigation, research, extension, and higher education. However, except for the World Bank's Operations Evaluation Department (OED) work, most studies of agricultural aid fail to estimate economic rates of return or contributions to incomes of farmers or national economies. It is impossible to conclude, from the evaluation literature, whether agricultural aid accelerates economic development or not. The chapter shows that donors change the object of their assistance with great frequency. Economic growth takes time, and donors have not stayed committed to key activities for a sufficiently long time to achieve results. Aid to agriculture from nearly all donors fell precipitously beginning in the mid-1980s despite clear evidence that there was a continuing need for broad, long-term support for agriculture in sub-Sahara Africa. This review suggests that those with responsibility for allocating assistance across sectors do not understand the crucial importance of agriculture at the early stages of development, because the urge to fund new approaches dominates decisions rather than judgment of what is needed and what is likely to be effective. However, one may also understand the unwillingness of aid decision makers to place too much credence in the results of impact evaluation studies because there are few consistent results, whether on national economic growth or agricultural growth, and most studies stress the difficulty of attributing agricultural production growth to development assistance. JEL classifications: O130, O190, O220, O470, Q000
Characterization and in vivo performance of nitric oxide-releasing extracorporeal circuits in a feline model of thrombogenicity.

Infection and thrombosis are the two leading complications associated with blood contacting medical devices, and have led to the development of active materials that can delivery antibiotics or antithrombotic agents. Two key characteristics of these materials are the ability to produce controlled delivery, as well as minimal systemic delivery of the agent outside of the device site. Nitric oxide (NO) releasing materials are attractive as NO plays pivotal roles in the body's natural defense against bacterial infection, as well as regulation of platelet adhesion and activation. This work characterizes an NO-releasing extracorporeal circuit (ECC) under flow conditions for the first time, examining the effect of incubation and application of the top coating on leaching of NO donor and NO-release kinetics. Top coated ECCs with incubation delivered ca. 1% of the total NO potential over the 4-h period, whereas uncoated ECCs delivered over 4.5% of the total NO. Incubated ECC loops maintained a flux of 1.83 ± 0.50 × 10-10 mol min-1 cm-2 for the full 4 h duration. The NO-releasing ECC loops significantly increased the time-to-clot as compared to the corresponding control (11 ± 3.6 min control, 132 ± 93.0 min NO-releasing) when evaluated in vivo in a feline animal model. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 539-546, 2017.
High Throughput Computing for Massive Scenario Analysis and Optimization to Minimize Cascading Blackout Risk

We describe a simulation-based optimization method that allocates additional capacity to transmission lines in order to minimize the expected value of the load shed due to a cascading blackout. Estimation of the load-shed distribution is accomplished via the ORNL-PSerc-Alaska simulation model, which solves a sequence of linear programs. Key to achieving an effective algorithm is the use of a high-throughput computing environment that allocates computational resources on a platform of more than 14 000 cores simultaneously among several users. We discuss also important implementation details necessary to achieve effective implementation in this massive-scale computing environment. In the end, we demonstrate a prototype computation that reduces the expected load shed by 76% allocating only 1.1% of the installed capacity. The massive-scale computation is made possible using the computational platform provided through HTCondor, effectively obtaining over five months of CPU time in just over one day.
Evaluating workloads using comparative functional coverage

We introduce comparative functional coverage—a technique for comparing the coverage of multiple workloads—and the tool in which it was implemented, FoCuS. The need to compare workloads and the use of functional coverage as a technique to explore data are not new. However, the use of functional coverage for comparing workloads has not been addressed as a method that responds to this long unanswered need. We describe our work in augmenting a functional coverage tool so it can handle multiple data sources. We present the data and include an experiment that shows the usefulness of this method.
Symptom distress, quality of life and challenges of illness according to race and income in women with metastatic breast cancer

8609 Background: Response to a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) may vary according to race and income. The aims of this study were: 1) to identify quality of life, symptom distress and c...
Evidence for Dyakonov-Perel-like Spin Relaxation in Pt

We utilize nanoscale spin valves with Pt spacer layers to characterize spin relaxation in Pt. Analysis of the spin lifetime indicates that Elliott-Yafet spin scattering is dominant at room temperature, but an unexpected intrinsic Dyakonov-Perel-like spin relaxation becomes dominant at cryogenic temperatures. We also observe suppression of spin relaxation in a Pt layer interfaced with a ferromagnet, likely caused by the competition between the effective exchange and spin-orbit fields.
Stability Properties II

One of natural questions about Kothe-Bochner function spaces is the following: Problem. Let E be a Kothe function space and X a Banach space. When does the space E(X) contain a copy (or a complemented copy) of c 0, l 1, or l ∞?
Magnetic relaxation in YBa2Cu3Ox

We measured the magnetic relaxation in the high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ superconductor ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathit{x}}$ at a wide range of temperatures and applied fields. The relaxation measurements were performed on single-crystal, melt-textured, and sintered samples. We found that magnetic relaxation depends strongly on the microstructure and crystal orientation. By combining Bean's critical-state model and the Anderson-Kim flux-creep theory, we used a previously developed expression to interpret the magnetic relaxation behavior and the dependence of the field penetration on the sample size. We also investigated the relationship between the flux-creep-activation pinning energy and the decay of the persistent current in the single-crystal sample of ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{\mathit{x}}$.
An IEEE 1149.1 Compliant Test Control Architecture

This paper deals with a design methodology and associated architecture to support the control of on-chip DFT and BIST hardware. The work is general in that it supports numerous test methods, such as partial and full scan, multiple and reconfigurable scan chains, and both test per clock BIST and scan BIST. The results presented here are compatible with the IEEE 1149.1 boundary scan architecture. The work is based on a hierarchical control methodology that includes systems, PCBs and MCMs. Various options for assigning control functions to be on-chip or off-chip are described. A new, partially distributed test control architecture is introduced that includes an internal test bus and distributed local controllers. There are three main modes of control of test resources, namely local static control, dynamic control and global static control. We show how the control mechanism can be implemented together with the IEEE 1149.1 test protocol. The synthesis of the on-chip test control hardware has been automated in a system called CONSYST.
TFmeta: A Machine Learning Approach to Uncover Transcription Factors Governing Metabolic Reprogramming

Metabolic reprogramming is a hallmark of cancer. In cancer cells, transcription factors (TFs) govern metabolic reprogramming through abnormally increasing or decreasing the transcription rate of metabolic enzymes, which provides cancer cells growth advantages and concurrently leads to the altered metabolic phenotypes observed in many cancers. Consequently, targeting TFs that govern metabolic reprogramming can be highly effective for novel cancer therapeutics. In this work, we present TFmeta, a machine learning approach to uncover TFs that govern reprogramming of cancer metabolism. Our approach achieves state-of-the-art performance in reconstructing interactions between TFs and their target genes on public benchmark data sets. Leveraging TF binding profiles inferred from genome-wide ChIP-Seq experiments and 150 RNA-Seq samples from 75 paired cancerous (CA) and non-cancerous (NC) human lung tissues, our approach predicted 19 key TFs that may be the major regulators of the gene expression changes of metabolic enzymes of the central metabolic pathway glycolysis, which may underlie the dysregulation of glycolysis in non-small-cell lung cancer patients.
Pitfalls and Opportunities in the Development and Evaluation of Artificial Intelligence Systems

Abstract We provide a somewhat whimsical and copiously illustrated overview of what we have learned from laboring to curb the enthusiasm of artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm developers with the cold reality of AI systems evaluation. This has become all the more necessary in view of the incredible progress being made in the computational intelligence community using deep learning methods to address real-world problems. Good development practices and reliable evaluation methodology ensure good applications. We stress the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) paradigm, but note the broad range of performance metrics that go beyond the simple calculation of success rate or accuracy on a limited test set. Both parametric and nonparametric uncertainty calculation techniques will be mentioned, with emphasis on bootstrap methodology. We discuss the gamut of conflicting problems that contribute to error and overestimation of validity of modern computational intelligence algorithms and suggest potential solutions to encourage their successful implementation.
Using the Boston Syncope Observation Management Pathway to Reduce Hospital Admission and Adverse Outcomes.

Author(s): Mechanic, Oren J.; Pascheles, Celine Y.; Lopez, Gregory J.; Winans, Alina M.; Shapiro, Nathan I.; Tibbles, Carrie; Wolfe, Richard E.; Grossman, Shamai A. | Abstract: Introduction: In an age of increasing scrutiny of each hospital admission, emergency department (ED) observation has been identified as a low-cost alternative. Prior studies have shown admission rates for syncope in the United States to be as high as 70%. However, the safety and utility of substituting ED observation unit (EDOU) syncope management has not been well studied. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety of EDOU for the management of patients presenting to the ED with syncope and its efficacy in reducing hospital admissions.Methods: This was a prospective before-and-after cohort study of consecutive patients presenting with syncope who were seen in an urban ED and were either admitted to the hospital, discharged, or placed in the EDOU. We first performed an observation study of syncope management and then implemented an ED observation-based management pathway. We identified critical interventions and 30-day outcomes. We compared proportions of admissions and adverse events rates with a chi- squared or Fisher’s exact test.Results: In the “before” phase, 570 patients were enrolled, with 334 (59%) admitted and 27 (5%) placed in the EDOU; 3% of patients discharged from the ED had critical interventions within 30 days and 10% returned. After the management pathway was introduced, 489 patients were enrolled; 34% (pl0.001) of pathway patients were admitted while 20% were placed in the EDOU; 3% (p=0.99) of discharged patients had critical interventions at 30 days and 3% returned (p=0.001). Conclusion: A focused syncope management pathway effectively reduces hospital admissions and adverse events following discharge and returns to the ED.
Scattering of focused beams by spheres: Understanding the high-frequency angular structure

Previous work on scattering of Bessel beams by spheres [P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 122, 247–252 (2007)] and recent work expanding linear focused beams in terms of a Bessel beam superposition [T. D. Daniel et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 144, 3076–3083 (2018)] provide a framework for exploring the scattering of focused beams by spheres. In analogy with the work done on the scattering of Gaussian beams by spheres [P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 1773–1782 (2011)], the angular scattering pattern of a sphere in a focused beam is calculated from a partial wave series with appropriate weighting factors (also known as beam shape coefficients). The high-frequency pattern for rigid spheres is found to have distinctive shadow boundaries in both the forward and backward scattering hemispheres. The sphere is centered on the beam axis. A physical optics model of the scattering reproduces the location and general shape of the shadow boundaries in both scattering hemispheres, confirming the calculated beam shape coefficients for a spherical cap focused source. [Work supported by ONR.] Previous work on scattering of Bessel beams by spheres [P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 122, 247–252 (2007)] and recent work expanding linear focused beams in terms of a Bessel beam superposition [T. D. Daniel et al., J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 144, 3076–3083 (2018)] provide a framework for exploring the scattering of focused beams by spheres. In analogy with the work done on the scattering of Gaussian beams by spheres [P. L. Marston, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 129, 1773–1782 (2011)], the angular scattering pattern of a sphere in a focused beam is calculated from a partial wave series with appropriate weighting factors (also known as beam shape coefficients). The high-frequency pattern for rigid spheres is found to have distinctive shadow boundaries in both the forward and backward scattering hemispheres. The sphere is centered on the beam axis. A physical optics model of the scattering reproduces the location and general shape of the shadow boundaries in both scattering hemispheres, confirming the calculated beam s...
Nickel powder blended activated carbon cathodes for hydrogen production in microbial electrolysis cells

Abstract Although pure Ni catalysts can achieve a hydrogen production rate similar to Pt in microbial electrolysis cells (MECs), a reduction in the amount of Ni used is needed to reduce the cost. In this study, nickel powder (pNi) was blended with activated carbon (AC) to reduce the mass of Ni used, while improving catalytic activity for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by increasing the active surface area. Ni powder blended AC cathodes (AC-pNi) were fabricated at different nickel powder loadings (4.8, 19, 46 mg/cm2 with AC and 77 mg/cm2 without AC as control). AC-pNi4.8 (Ni loading: 4.8 mg/cm2) produced higher hydrogen production rates (0.38 ± 0.04 L-H2/L-d) than pNi77 (0.28 ± 0.02 L-H2/L-d) with a 16 times less Ni loading. Cathodic hydrogen recovery of using the AC-pNi4.8 (98 ± 5%) was also higher than pNi77 (82 ± 4%), indicating catalytic activities were improved by AC blending. Nickel dissolution into the catholyte after completion of each cycle was negligible for AC-pNi4.8 (
Dynamic enlargement of a hole in a sheet: Crater formation and propagation of cylindrical shock waves

Abstract Predicting the shape of a crater formed by high velocity impact is of interest in several fields. It can aid in design of more efficient protective structures, in forensic analysis of bullet holes, and in understanding the effects of meteorite impact in both space systems and in extreme geological events. In this paper we present, for the first time, a complete theoretical solution of the dynamic plane-stress problem. We consider the steady-state expansion of a cylindrical hole in a strain hardening elastoplastic sheet and find that a self-similar field emerges if the ‘specific cavitation energy’ is constant. It is shown that at the quasistatic limit this solution reduces to available classical solutions, while at high expansion velocities shock waves can appear. Investigation of the constitutive sensitivities of the expansion field is conducted and compared with available results for the spherical field which is commonly applied to predict resistance to high velocity penetration. It is shown that shock waves appear at significantly lower expansion velocities, in the plane-stress deformation pattern, for which material compressibility is found to have a negligible effect. This insensitivity can be taken advantage of in the future for design of light weight protective layers by incorporating porosity.