cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protection of telomeres 1 proteins POT1a and POT1b can repress ATR signaling by RPA exclusion, but binding to CST limits ATR repression by POT1b

Comprised of telomeric TTAGGG repeats and shelterin, telomeres ensure that the natural ends of chromosomes remain impervious to the DNA damage response. Telomeres carry a long constitutive 3' overhang that can bind replication protein A (RPA) and activate the ATR Ser/Thr kinase (ATR), which induces cell cycle arrest. A single-stranded (ss) TTAGGG repeat-binding protein in mouse shelterin, POT1a, has been proposed to repress ATR signaling by preventing RPA binding. Repression of ATR at telomeres requires tethering of POT1a to the other shelterin subunits situated on the double-stranded (ds) telomeric DNA. The simplest model of ATR repression, the "tethered exclusion model," suggests that the only critical features of POT1a are its connection to shelterin and its binding to ss telomeric DNA. In agreement with the model, we show here that a shelterin-tethered variant of RPA70 (lacking the ATR recruitment domain) can repress ATR signaling at telomeres that lack POT1a. However, arguing against the tethered exclusion model, the nearly identical POT1b subunit of shelterin has been shown to be much less proficient than POT1a in repression of ATR. We now show that POT1b has the intrinsic ability to fully repress ATR but is prevented from doing so when bound to Ctc1, Stn1, Ten1 (CST), the complex needed for telomere end processing. These results establish that shelterin represses ATR with a tethered ssDNA-binding domain that excludes RPA from the 3' overhang and also reveal an unexpected effect of CST on the ability of POT1b to repress ATR.
Peer Review in CS2: Conceptual Learning and High-Level Thinking

In computer science, students could benefit from exposure to critical programming concepts from multiple perspectives. Peer review is one method to allow students to experience authentic uses of the concepts in an activity that is not itself programming. In this work, we examine how to implement the peer review process in early, object-oriented computer science courses as a way to increase the students’ knowledge of programming concepts, specifically Abstraction, Decomposition, and Encapsulation, and to develop their higher-level thinking skills. We are exploring the peer review process, the effects of the type of review on the reviewers, and the results this has on the students’ learning.To study these ideas, we used peer review activities in CS2 classes at two universities over the course of a semester. Using three groups (one reviewing their peers, one reviewing the instructor, and one completing small design or coding assignments), we measured the students’ conceptual understanding throughout the semester with concept maps and the reviews they completed. We found that reviewing helped students learn Decomposition, especially those reviewing the instructor's programs, but we did not find that it improved the students’ level of thinking. Overall, reviews (peer or otherwise) are beneficial for teaching Decomposition to CS2 students and can be used as an alternative method for teaching other object-oriented programming concepts.
Removal of wastewater and polymer derived N-nitrosodimethylamine precursors with integrated use of chlorine and chlorine dioxide.

Abstract In this study, the effects of five different pre-oxidation scenarios (i.e., individual, simultaneous, and sequential applications of chlorine dioxide [ClO2] and chlorine [Cl2]) on the removal of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation potential (FP) from different water matrices (i.e., non-impacted natural waters, wastewater [WW]-impacted, and polymer-impacted waters) with subsequent chloramination were investigated. Practically relevant doses of ClO2 and Cl2 were applied for all scenarios to avoid the formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs) at regulatory levels. The removal efficiency of NDMA FP for all the oxidation scenarios (individual or simultaneous) was
Development of a Hot Mix Asphalt Location Cost Index for the Alabama Department of Transportation

Asphalt is one of the most critical commodities for the U.S. infrastructure. It is used as a paving material on the majority of roadways across the country. In Alabama, this material is used in app...
AN INCIDENTAL COLLISION TUMOR OF THE SELLA TURCICA.

ABSTRACT Objective: To present a case describing an incidentally discovered pituitary mass that was found to be a collision tumor containing 2 distinct histologic cell types: (1) a growth hormone (...
Oil income and the personalization of autocratic politics

Personalist regimes are more reliant on natural resource rents than other models of autocracy, but the direction of causation is unclear. Resource wealth could finance patronage and allow leaders to skip construction of institutionalized systems of rule, leading to more personalized autocracies. Conversely, personalist leaders may increase resource extraction, since diversifying the economy could increase the power of rivals. I use data on the degree of personalism and level of oil income to disentangle these interpretations. The results show that increases in oil income are associated with subsequent increases in personalism within autocracies. Since personalist regimes are less likely to successfully democratize, the results also provide important evidence as to why oil impedes democracy.
I4: incremental inference of inductive invariants for verification of distributed protocols

Designing and implementing distributed systems correctly is a very challenging task. Recently, formal verification has been successfully used to prove the correctness of distributed systems. At the heart of formal verification lies a computer-checked proof with an inductive invariant. Finding this inductive invariant, however, is the most difficult part of the proof. Alas, current proof techniques require inductive invariants to be found manually---and painstakingly---by the developer. In this paper, we present a new approach, Incremental Inference of Inductive Invariants (I4), to automatically generate inductive invariants for distributed protocols. The essence of our idea is simple: the inductive invariant of a finite instance of the protocol can be used to infer a general inductive invariant for the infinite distributed protocol. In I4, we create a finite instance of the protocol; use a model checking tool to automatically derive the inductive invariant for this finite instance; and generalize this invariant to an inductive invariant for the infinite protocol. Our experiments show that I4 can prove the correctness of several distributed protocols like Chord, 2PC and Transaction Chains with little to no human effort.
Neural Network for Solar Irradiance Modeling (NN-SIM)

An understanding of solar variability over a broad range of wavelengths and timescales is needed by scientists studying Earth’s climate. While the current understanding of solar irradiance from measurements and models is maturing, there remain notable areas of discrepancy that highlight a lack of understanding of the variability in solar spectral irradiance (SSI) on 27-day solar-rotational timescales and longer, and in total solar irradiance (TSI) at solar-cycle timescales and longer. The sources of instrumental noise and instability suspected behind differences in independent measurement records are actively debated. Furthermore, estimates from solar-irradiance empirical-proxy models and semi-empirical models also differ from each other and from the observations by varying degrees. To investigate whether models and observations can be brought into closer agreement we developed a novel, data-driven, solar-irradiance model using an ensemble of feed-forward artificial neural networks. Key features of our model architecture include a non-linear relationship between solar-activity proxy and irradiance with a high degree of freedom that comes from the incorporation of a greater number of solar-activity proxies than previous proxy models. Furthermore, we utilize a recent re-analysis of solar spectral irradiance (SSI) observations, stemming from a new degradation-correction methodology, to develop our model. Our approach, the Neural Network for Solar Irradiance Modeling (NN-SIM), reconstructs total solar irradiance and SSI from 205 nm to 2300 nm and from 1979 to the present day. We find close agreement between NN-SIM and various observational records as well as independent models. NN-SIM is available at .
TORSADES DE POINTES IN SUBSTANCE ABUSE PATIENT WITH NEGATIVE URINE TOXICITY

Drug-induced prolonged repolarization of the heart is represented by a prolonged QT interval and can predispose a patient to develop a life-threatening arrhythmia, torsades de pointes (TdP). The diagnosis and identifying the culprit agent can be challenging in young healthy patients who deny
Epidemiology of Patients with Ventricular Assist Devices Presenting to the Emergency Room from 2006-2014

Purpose Data related to the epidemiology and resource utilization of ventricular assist device (VAD) related emergency department (ED) visits are limited. However, an improved understanding of the burden of VADs on the healthcare system is critical to designing interventions that improve outcomes. We examined national estimates of VAD-related ED visits and described medical complexity, admissions, resource utilization, and mortality. Methods This study utilizes data from ED encounter-level data via the 2006-2014 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS). ICD-9 codes were used to identify patient-encounters with VADs. Demographic and clinical factors are reported via descriptive statistics. The primary outcome was death; secondary outcomes included median inflation-adjusted charge and hospital admission. Results From 2006 to 2014, over 900 million ED visits were evaluated, of which 17,356 (.002%) VAD-related ED visits were identified, for a median of 1,028 (SD 1,489) visits per year. Most VAD ED encounters were represented by patients that were male (74%), ≥ 45 years old (73%), and living in an urban environment (85%). 73% of VAD related ED visits resulted in inpatient admission and the median inflation-adjusted charge was $23,862 (IQR 7,129; 58,265) per visit. Mortality, either in the ED or during an associated admission, was 4.7%. The most common primary diagnoses were cardiac (32%) followed by bleeding (25%) and infection (18%). More than half of the encounters were with patients with ≥1 chronic medical condition, with diabetes (34%) and hypertension (31%) the most prevalent. Conclusion This is the first study to use national level data to describe the clinical characteristics and outcomes of patients with VADs who present to the ED. With nearly 1 in 20 VAD ED encounters resulting in death, strategies to reduce mortality are urgently needed.
Plant–animal interactions between carnivorous plants, sheet‐web spiders, and ground‐running spiders as guild predators in a wet meadow community

Plant-animal interactions are diverse and widespread shaping ecology, evolution, and biodiversity of most ecological communities. Carnivorous plants are unusual in that they can be simultaneously engaged with animals in multiple mutualistic and antagonistic interactions including reversed plant-animal interactions where they are the predator. Competition with animals is a potential antagonistic plant-animal interaction unique to carnivorous plants when they and animal predators consume the same prey.The goal of this field study was to test the hypothesis that under natural conditions, sundews and spiders are predators consuming the same prey thus creating an environment where interkingdom competition can occur.Over 12 months, we collected data on 15 dates in the only protected Highland Rim Wet Meadow Ecosystem in Kentucky where sundews, sheet-web spiders, and ground-running spiders co-exist. One each sampling day, we attempted to locate fifteen sites with: (a) both sheet-web spiders and sundews; (b) sundews only; and (c) where neither occurred. Sticky traps were set at each of these sites to determine prey (springtails) activity-density. Ground-running spiders were collected on sampling days. DNA extraction was performed on all spiders to determine which individuals had eaten springtails and comparing this to the density of sundews where the spiders were captured.Sundews and spiders consumed springtails. Springtail activity-densities were lower, the higher the density of sundews. Both sheet-web and ground-running spiders were found less often where sundew densities were high. Sheet-web size was smaller where sundew densities were high.The results of this study suggest that asymmetrical exploitative competition occurs between sundews and spiders. Sundews appear to have a greater negative impact on spiders, where spiders probably have little impact on sundews. In this example of interkingdom competition where the asymmetry should be most extreme, amensalism where one competitor experiences no cost of interaction may be occurring.
Ontological Foundations of Stakeholder Dignity and Well-Being – Concepts and Measurement

In this paper, I am examining the foundational assumptions of human nature (ontology) that guide current corporate governance and strategy. I question these assumptions based on the latest findings from the sciences and propose an alternative, humanistic ontology. This ontology allows us to understand human dignity and well-being based on four independent evolutionary drives that managers need to satisfy. I then report on measures we developed and tested to assess the four drive model. The measurement scales developed show high predictive validity with well-being and dignity. They also show high explanatory power for work related constructs such as employee engagement and motivation. I propose that these measurement scales can help managers assess their impact on stakeholder well-being.
Outcome of atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance in thyroid fine-needle aspirations: A six-year institutional experience.

Background Atypia of undetermined significance/follicular lesion of undetermined significance (AUS/FLUS) is one of six diagnostic categories of The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC). The goal of our study is to assess the outcome of cases classified as AUS/FLUS at our institution. Methods AUS/FLUS cases were identified by computer searching of the thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cases performed between 2010 and 2016. Outcomes were categorized as: follow-up surgery, repeat FNA or no follow-up available. Demographics, ultrasound findings and FNA diagnostic criteria were reviewed for AUS/FLUS cases with follow-up surgical pathology diagnosis. Results Our AUS/FLUS thyroid FNA rate was 6% (117 out of 1984 FNAs). Only 15% of the AUS/FLUS cases had repeat FNA, while 41% underwent surgery. The risk of malignancy (ROM) for cases with follow-up surgery was 17%. When considering all AUS/FLUS cases, the ROM was 7%. Statistically, benign neoplasms were more likely to be single lesions on ultrasound comparing to malignant neoplasms, and to exhibit architectural atypia as opposed to non-neoplastic lesions on FNA. The malignancy rates among patients that directly went to surgical resection (17%) and patients having repeat FNA after the first AUS/FLUS diagnosis followed by surgery (29%) was not significantly different. However, repeat FNA was able to reclassify the majority of cases into more definitive categories. Conclusion The outcome of the thyroid FNAs diagnosed as AUS/FLUS in our institution meets the benchmark statistics for AUS/FLUS rate and ROM. This study constitutes a valuable quality assurance measure and serves as a baseline for subsequent quality improvement.
Dharma and its Discontents: The Case of Kumārajīva

This article critically re-examines the “received wisdom” on Buddhism— its history, traditional lore, monastic institutions, and ritual practices— acknowledging the fact of violence within Buddhism while striving for a nuanced understanding by looking at the life of Kumārajīva (ca. 344–413). A legendary figure in Sino-Japanese Buddhism, Kumārajīva has long been lauded as a wondrous exemplar of the Dharma at work, making accounts of his life valuable resources for understanding Buddhism in medieval China, including the place of violence. My intention is not to condemn Buddhism as a “violent religion” but to encourage us to consider just how pervasive and complex the role of “violence” seems to be within Buddhism (both in the past and in the present), and critically trace out some of its implications.
Effects of delayed cord clamping on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in pre-gestational diabetes at term.

To evaluate the effects of delayed cord clamping on neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in infants born to patients diagnosed with pre-gestational diabetes (type I or type II).In January 2016, our institut...
Teaching I-O psychology to undergraduate students: Do we practice what we preach?

As industrial-organizational (I-O) psychologists, we have expertise in applying psychological and/or organizational science to the workplace. However, many of us haven’t taken the time to think about how our I-O psychology knowledge can apply to our teaching practice. We walk through some examples of how I-O psychology research can help us be better teachers, and the goal of our paper is to encourage readers to make evidence-based changes to their teaching based on I-O psychology research. We organize our discussion around four areas: training and development, diversity and inclusion, groups and teams, and leadership. Within each, we offer small, medium, and large changes that could be incorporated into classrooms. We hope that readers will be inspired to build on what they do in their classrooms to help students learn about (and be inspired by) our field.
Motor Cortical Network Flexibility is Associated With Biomechanical Walking Impairment in Chronic Stroke

Background: The inability to flexibly modulate motor behavior with changes in task demand or environmental context is a pervasive feature of motor impairment and dysfunctional mobility after stroke...
The month-of-birth pattern in narcolepsy is moderated by cataplexy severity and may be independent of HLA-DQB1*0602.

Objectives: A March peak and a September trough in the birth pattern of narcolepsy patients with clear-cut cataplexy was recently reported. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether the month-of-birth pattern would (a) vary with the presence and severity of cataplexy and (b) differ for patients positive and negative for HLA-DQB1*0602. Design: Cross-sectional survey with data obtained from the clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of modafinil in the treatment of narcolepsy. Setting: Sleep clinics throughout the United States. Patients: A group of 530 narcolepsy patients diagnosed based on the International Classification of Sleep Disorders using clinical histories, nocturnal polysomnography, and Multiple Sleep Latency Tests. Interventions: NA. Measurements and Results: A surplus of March births and a fall-off in September births was found in narcolepsy relative to the general population. This finding was only observed when cataplexy was moderate or severe. The month-of-birth pattern was similar for HLA-DQB1*0602 positive and negative patients. A March birth and HLA-DQB1*0602 positivity were independent risk factors in a logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: Environmental events during development may influence narcolepsy severity or the likelihood of developing the disease.
The Effect of Priority Date on Price of Temporary Water Rights Transfers

This research extends the analysis of De Mouche et al. (2011) and Colby et al. (1993) relating price differentials in per acre-foot terms to the priority date of water rights and hydrologic conditions using experimental economic data. This study investigates the effect that priority date, or the year the right was established, can have on the price of leases in the market for water rights and will expand on the existing literature by using an experimental data set to test the relationship. It is hypothesized that senior water rights, those with an older priority date, will have higher prices, while junior water rights, those that have been more recently established, will have lower prices. A cross-sectional analysis using an Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) model will be conducted to test this hypothesis. If the expected relationship is observed and found to be significant, this study may have policy implications that could impact decisions to regulate the market for temporary water rights transfers more strictly in the Western United States. Ultimately, since water scarcity and water rights are a growing economic and environmental concern in regions around the globe, extensions of this work may lead to new policies and regulations on a global level. This article is available in The Park Place Economist: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/parkplace/vol22/iss1/14
Achalasia: A Systematic Review

Importance Achalasia significantly affects patients’ quality of life and can be difficult to diagnose and treat. Objective To review the diagnosis and management of achalasia, with a focus on phenotypic classification pertinent to therapeutic outcomes. Evidence Review Literature review and MEDLINE search of articles from January 2004 to February 2015. A total of 93 articles were included in the final literature review addressing facets of achalasia epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and outcomes. Nine randomized controlled trials focusing on endoscopic or surgical therapy for achalasia were included (734 total patients). Findings A diagnosis of achalasia should be considered when patients present with dysphagia, chest pain, and refractory reflux symptoms after an endoscopy does not reveal a mechanical obstruction or an inflammatory cause of esophageal symptoms. Manometry should be performed if achalasia is suspected. Randomized controlled trials support treatments focused on disrupting the lower esophageal sphincter with pneumatic dilation (70%-90% effective) or laparoscopic myotomy (88%-95% effective). Patients with achalasia have a variable prognosis after endoscopic or surgical myotomy based on subtypes, with type II (absent peristalsis with abnormal pan-esophageal high-pressure patterns) having a very favorable outcome (96%) and type I (absent peristalsis without abnormal pressure) having an intermediate prognosis (81%) that is inversely associated with the degree of esophageal dilatation. In contrast, type III (absent peristalsis with distal esophageal spastic contractions) is a spastic variant with less favorable outcomes (66%) after treatment of the lower esophageal sphincter. Conclusions and Relevance Achalasia should be considered when dysphagia is present and not explained by an obstruction or inflammatory process. Responses to treatment vary based on which achalasia subtype is present.
Winter energy budget simulation for a latitudinal transect along the east coast of the Americas

This paper continues the application of a physically-based model, comprising a combination of a solar transmission section and a slope energy budget portion [2]. The changing energy budget components (net radiation, conduction, sensible, and latent heat fluxes) occurring at the various slope angles (0 and 90 degrees) and orientations (south-, west-, and north-facing) were systematically examined in the context of two contrasting environments along a latitudinal transect of the east coast of the Americas. As before, the response of the energy budget components were systematic and orderly on a latitudinal basis accompanied by a great diversity among the energy budgets of different slopes and orientations at any particular latitude.
TeraHertz operational reachback (THOR) a mobile free space optical network program

The DARPA teraHertz operational reachback (THOR) program developed and assessed a suite of technologies for application in a mobile ad-hoc free space optical communication system. The notional THOR system includes airborne and ground based full duplex active terminals and passive optical terminals that form the physical layer of a high speed ad hoc mobile optical network. THOR consists of airborne terminals networked to form a communications backbone transmitting and receiving data at 2.5Gbps as well as passive optical terminals connected as high speed edge devices with a data rate of 200Mbps. The operational objective is to enable high data rate communications between a combat theater command post and an edge terminal linked to the global information grid (GIG) located outside of theater. DARPA investments were made in compact electro-optic beam steering devices to decrease the size and weight of optical terminals, high-speed high sensitivity (-47dBm) detectors, and high power (50W) modulating laser sources. Passive optical terminal technology investments focused on highspeed modulating quantum well focal plane arrays for integration with wide field of view +/-15 degree cat's eye optical systems to enable high speed modulating retro reflectors. Networking technologies included protocol assessments and quality of service algorithms to maintain low latency data transfer over unreliable optical data channels while maintaining data rates in the 2.5Gbps range. Analysis and network simulation results demonstrated that with multiple redundant links an all-optical network could operate with atmospheric weather conditions consisting of 80% broken cloud cover.
An electron microscopy study of the precipitation of rhenium in the B2 nickel aluminide

Precipitation of rhenium in β–NiAl was studied by analytical and high resolution electron microscopy. Extended solid solutions were created by solidification processing, and the precipitation and hardening behavior were studied. Evidence suggests that rhenium is initially precipitated as disks parallel to {100} of β-NiAl. Subsequent growth produces either a rod morphology or a pair of twin-related rods that form the shape of a butterfly. The twin plane of the butterfly is {1011} and this plane is nearly parallel to {110} of β–NiAl. A twinning transformation given by K1 = {1011}, K2 = {1013}, η1 = 〈1012 〉, and η2 = 〈3032〉 was determined for the butterfly-shaped particles. All of the precipitates exhibited an orientation relationship consisting of parallel close-packed planes and directions, i.e., (101//(0001) and [111]//[1210]. Performing the twinning transformation on a rhenium precipitate produces a variant rather than a new orientation relationship. After elevated temperature aging, a rod morphology was observed with the rod axes aligned parallel with either 〈121〉 or 〈131〉 of the β–NiAl matrix. A total of 24 different variants are possible based upon the observed orientation relationship and the two observed growth directions.
Quadrupole-Quadrupole Interatomic Forces

Atoms the normal states of which are not $S$ states experience quadrupole-quadrupole repulsive and attractive forces which vary as the inverse fifth power of the separation distance. At large distances, exchange being negligible, the expression for the interaction energy contains as factors two atomic coefficients and a root of a secular equation determined by the molecular state of the system. For a given atom the coefficient is determined by the nature of its lowest level. If one uses the Hartree-Fock approximation, it is proportional to the average of the square of the radial atomic distance for those electrons with orbital angular momentum not in complete shells. Atomic coefficients have been calculated for most of the atoms of the periodic table having incomplete $p$ and $d$ shells and the secular equations have been solved for a number of cases. At distances of twice the sum of the atomic radii, diatomic molecules resulting from the combination of such atoms of the first row of the periodic table have quadrupole-quadrupole energies of a few tenths of a volt, such energies becoming rapidly larger for smaller distances because of the inverse fifth power dependence.
The Use of Touch-Sensitive Human-Computer Interfaces: Behavioral and Design Implications

Interest in optimized human-computer interfaces has resulted in the development of a number of interesting devices that allow the computer and human operator to interact through a common drawing surface. These devices include the lightpen, lightgun (Goodwin, 1975), and a variety of touch-sensitive display overlay devices. Although touch devices were being investigated as early as 1965 (Orr and Hopkin, circa 1966), behavioral and performance data are scarce in relation to other sources of human-machine interface data.Availability of these devices has increased in the last 10 years and it is now possible to retrofit such devices to a wide variety of video display terminals at a reasonable cost. With the possibility of increased use looming on the horizon, it would be quite useful to examine the ergonomics of such devices and the behavioral adaptation or maladaptation that occurs for each user. Performance data available at this point from previous studies suggests that some positive increments in performanc...
Airspeed estimation using servo current and aircraft model

This paper presents a model-based technology for estimating the airspeed of an aircraft. It requires a dynamic model of the aircraft and a measurement of a signal which correlates with the wind load such as the servo current. The performance of the airspeed estimator is evaluated against modeling errors such as uncertainties in aircraft weight and c.g. configuration and errors in the control surface hinge moment coefficients. Simulation experiments show that the airspeed estimation error is comparable with that of a pitot tube for low-mid wind levels (~25-50 knots) with an uncertainty in the aircraft weight up to 19% and in the c.g. location up to 16%, and with typical errors in the control hinge moment coefficients. The estimation error increases by a factor of two for high levels of wind (~100 knots).
A Model of Language Processing as Hierarchic Sequential Prediction

Computational models of memory are often expressed as hierarchic sequence models, but the hierarchies in these models are typically fairly shallow, reflecting the tendency for memories of superordinate sequence states to become increasingly conflated. This article describes a broad-coverage probabilistic sentence processing model that uses a variant of a left-corner parsing strategy to flatten sentence processing operations in parsing into a similarly shallow hierarchy of learned sequences. The main result of this article is that a broad-coverage model with constraints on hierarchy depth can process large newspaper corpora with the same accuracy as a state-of-the-art parser not defined in terms of sequential working memory operations.
Decay of the coherent spin precession of polarized positive muons in paramagnetic MnCl2 solutions

Abstract Slow depolarization of μ + in a transverse field has been used to measure relaxation effects in paramagnetic MnCl 2 solutions. T 2 −1 data show nonlinear dependence on ion concentration. Consistent explanation is achieved by assuming that the muon replaces a proton, forming μHO, and applying relaxation mechanisms as developed for Mn 2+ solutions from NMR and ESR studies. T 2 temperature dependence in a 3 M solution is compatible with concentration-dependent activation energy for rotational models of the Mn 2+ (H 2 O) 6 complex.
ABMS' Maintenance of Certification: the challenge of continuing competence.

The American Board of Medical Specialties, since its inception in 1933 as the Advisory Board for Medical Specialties, is concerned with the education, training and certification of physician specialists. Although not perfect, the initial certification process is quite good and accomplishes its intended purpose. However, initial certification is based on a primarily knowledge-based "snapshot." The newly developed Maintenance of Certification Program™ will evaluate the competencies, medical knowledge, patient care, interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, practice-based learning and improvement and systems-based practices believed to be necessary and sufficient for certified physicians to have and maintain throughout their entire professional career. Furthermore, the process will focus on education and assessment to encourage continuous quality improvement in clinical practice.
Augmentation of Stagnation Region Heat Transfer Due to Turbulence From an Advanced Dual-Annular Combustor

Heat transfer measurements have been made in the stagnation region of a flat plate with an elliptical leading edge. The radius of curvature at the stagnation point was similar to that of a first stage turbine vane airfoil used in a large commercial high-bypass turbofan engine. The airfoil was mounted downstream of an arc segment of a dual-annular combustor similar to the type used in an advanced turbine engine. Testing was done in air at atmospheric temperature and at pressures up to 376 kPa to simulate the vane leading edge Reynolds number seen in the engine. Spanwise average stagnation region heat transfer was measured with an electrically heated aluminum strip. Turbulence intensity, length scale and isotropy were measured using standard 2-wire hot wire probes. The combustor contained two annular rows of fuel-air swirlers which were aligned in the radial direction. Both heat transfer and hot wire data were taken at two circumferential positions; one directly downstream of a pair of swirlers and one half way between two pairs of swirlers. Reynolds number based on vane leading edge diameter was varied from 51000 to 160000. The maximum Reynolds number for turbulence measurements was limited to 87000. Turbulence intensity averaged over all test conditions was found to be 31.6%. Average axial, integral length scale was 1.29 cm, which gave a length scale-to-leading edge diameter ratio of 1.08. The turbulence was found to be nearly isotropic with the average ratio of axial to circumferential fluctuating components of 1.15. Heat transfer augmentation above laminar levels was found to vary from 34 to almost 59% depending on the Reynolds number. No effect of circumferential position was found. The heat transfer augmentation was found to be well predicted by a correlation derived from grid generated turbulence.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Heterogeneous OH oxidation of biomass burning organic aerosol surrogate compounds: assessment of volatilisation products and the role of OH concentration on the reactive uptake kinetics

The reactive uptake coefficients (γ) of OH by levoglucosan, abietic acid, and nitroguaiacol serving as surrogate compounds for biomass burning aerosol have been determined employing a chemical ionisation mass spectrometer coupled to a rotating-wall flow-tube reactor over a wide range of [OH] ∼107–1011 molecule cm−3. Volatilisation products of these organic substrates due to heterogeneous oxidation by OH have been determined at 1 atm using a high resolution proton transfer reaction time-of-flight mass spectrometer (HR-PTR-ToF-MS). γ range within 0.05–1 for [OH] = 2.6 × 107–3 × 109 molecule cm−3 for all investigated organic compounds, but decrease to 0.008–0.034 for [OH] = 4.1 × 1010–6.7 × 1010 molecule cm−3. γ as a function of [OH] can be described by a Langmuir–Hinshelwood model, neglecting bulk processes, suggesting that despite its strong reactivity, OH is mobile on surfaces prior to reaction. The best fit Langmuir–Hinshelwood parameters on average are KOH = 3.81 × 10−10 cm3 molecule−1 and ks = 9.71 × 10−17 cm2 molecule−1 s−1 for all of the investigated organic compounds. Volatilised products have been identified indicating enhancements over background of 50% up to a factor of 15. Amongst the common volatile organic compounds (VOCs) identified between levoglucosan, abietic acid, and nitroguaiacol were methanol, acetaldehyde, formic acid, and acetic acid. VOCs having the greatest enhancement over background were glucic acid from levoglucosan, glycolic acid from abietic acid, and methanol and nitric acid from nitroguaiacol. Reaction mechanisms leading to the formation of glucic acid, glycolic acid, methanol, and nitric acid are proposed. Estimated lower limits of atmospheric lifetimes of biomass burning aerosol particles, 200 nm in diameter, by heterogeneous OH oxidation under fresh biomass burning plume conditions are ∼2 days and up to ∼2 weeks for atmospheric background conditions. However, estimated lifetimes depend crucially on [OH] and corresponding γ, emphasising the need to determine γ under relevant conditions.
The Scientific Potential Of The 15M National New Technology Telescope (NNTT)

The proposed 15m NNTT offers a gain in collecting area over a 4m telescope of 14 and a gain in speed of up to 200. In this paper the types of problem where the gain in limiting flux is inversely proportional to area (D2-problems) and those in which the gain goes only as the diameter (D-problems) are identified. The performance of the NNTT is compared to a 4m telescope and to the Space Telescope in three configurations. The NNTT is shown to have a small advantage over the Space Telescope for spectroscopy of point sources even at low resolutions. For work on sources of diameter one arcsecond or greater the gains are ≈ a factor of 15. Even for the direct imaging of point sources the NNTT is only a little slower than the Space Telescope when there is no confusion. Three areas of astronomical investigation, studies of star formation, the Galactic halo and high redshift galaxies, are used to illustrate the impact a 15m telescope would make scientifically. These astronomical problems make substantial demands on the telescope performance and instrumentation. If these can be met the NNTT will lead to considerable advancement in the understanding of current problems and, given the order of magnitude improvement in infrared performance and spectroscopic capability, is likely to lead to the discovery of new phenomena.
Bleaching, disease and recovery in the threatened scleractinian coral Acropora palmata in St. John, US Virgin Islands: 2003–2010

A long-term study of the scleractinian coral Acropora palmata in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) showed that diseases, particularly white pox, are limiting the recovery of this threatened species. Colonies of A. palmata in Haulover Bay, within Virgin Islands National Park, St. John, were examined monthly in situ for signs of disease and other stressors from January 2003 through December 2009. During the study, 89.9 % of the colonies (n = 69) exhibited disease, including white pox (87 %), white band (13 %), and unknown (9 %). Monthly disease prevalence ranged from 0 to 57 %, and disease was the most significant cause of complete colony mortality (n = 17). A positive correlation was found between water temperature and disease prevalence, but not incidence. Annual average disease prevalence and incidence remained constant during the study. Colonies generally showed an increase in the estimated amount of total living tissue from growth, but 25 (36.2 %) of the colonies died. Acropora palmata bleached in the USVI for the first time during the 2005 Caribbean bleaching event. Only one of the 23 colonies that bleached appeared to die directly from bleaching. In 2005, corals that bleached had greater disease prevalence than those that did not bleach. Just over half (52 %) of the colonies incurred some physical damage. Monitoring of fragments (broken branches) that were generated by physical damage through June 2007 showed that 46.1 % died and 28.4 % remained alive; the fragments that attached to the substrate survived longer than those that did not. Recent surveys showed an increase in the total number of colonies within the reef area, formed from both asexual and sexual reproduction. Genotype analysis of 48 of the originally monitored corals indicated that 43 grew from sexual recruits supporting the conclusion that both asexual and sexual reproduction are contributing to an increase in colony density at this site.
Assessing the Numerical Accuracy of the Impedance Method

The impedance method has been used extensively to calculate induced electric ﬁelds and currents intissue as a result of applied electromagnetic ﬁelds. However, there has previously been no knownmethodforanaprioriassessmentofthenumericalaccuracyoftheresultsfoundbythismethod.Here,wepresentamethodwhichpermitsanaprioriassessmentofthenumericalaccuracyoftheimpedancemethod applied to physiologically meaningful problems in bioengineering. The assessment methodrelies on estimating the condition number associated with the impedance matrix for problemswith varying shapes, sizes, conductivities, anisotropies, and implementation strategies. Equationshave been provided which predict the number of signiﬁcant ﬁgures lost due to poor matrixconditioningasafunctionofthesevariables.Theresultsshowthat,forproblemsofmoderatesizeanduncomplicatedgeometry,appliedﬁeldsshouldbemeasuredorcalculatedaccuratelytoatleastﬁveorsix signiﬁcant ﬁgures. As resolutions are increased and material properties are more widelydivergent even more signiﬁcant ﬁgures are needed. The equations provided here should ensure thatsolutions found from the impedance method are calculated accurately. Bioelectromagnetics 28:454–462, 2007.
Lyotropic liquid crystalline main-chain viologen polymers : Homopolymer of 4,4'-bipyridyl with the ditosylate of trans-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and its copolymers with the ditosylate of 1,8-octanediol

A series of viologen polymers based on 4,4'-bipyridyl and the ditosylates of trans-1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and 1,8-octanediol was prepared by the quaternization reaction in acetonitrile. Their polyelectrolyte behavior in a common organic solvent was studied by viscosity measurements, and their chemical structures were determined by FTIR and 1D and 2D NMR spectroscopies. They were characterized for their lyotropic properties in a number of polar organic solvents by polarizing light microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry and for their photochromic properties by UV-vis spectroscopy. As expected, their inherent viscosity in methanol decreased dramatically with the increase in concentration in the absence of an added electrolyte. Although each of these polymers contained the ionic group along the backbone of the polymer chain, there was an array of weak ion-pair dipoles between the tosylate ion and the 4,4'-bipyridinium ion in each of them, which was indicated by the appearance of symmetric stretching band of S=O at a lower frequency (1034 cm -1 ) when compared with that of -SO 3 Na (1064 cm -1 ) in its IR spectrum. The aromatic protons of 4,4'-bipyridinium ion in each of these polymers exhibited three pairs of signals as opposed to a pair of doublets that generally occurs in small molecules containing this ion. These three pairs of signals were related to the structure and dynamics of these ionic polymers in a polar solvent such as methanol, which were studied by DEPT, 1 H- 1 H COSY, and NOESY spectroscopies. Each of them showed a lyotropic lamellar phase in methanol, ethanol, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, glycerine, and benzyl alcohol. Their critical concentrations (C * values) were as low as 5 wt % and as high as 20-40 wt %, and their concentrations for the development of fully grown lyotropic phase were as low as 10-20 wt % and as high as 40-50 wt % in various alcohols depending on the polarity of the solvents, the hydrophilicity and hydrophobicity of the solvents, and the microstructures of these polymers. Additionally, their lyotropic solutions in either glycerine or benzyl alcohol, on irradiation with UV light, produced a deep blue color in the presence of air, but in absence of both a photosensitizer and a sacrificial donor. This deep blue solution had two absorption bands at 390 and 608 nm, which are the characteristic absorption bands of the viologen cation radical. The generation of this blue color occurred due to the photoreduction of the 4,4'-bipyridinium moiety via the electron transfer from the tosylate counterion.
Complete bronchial stricture and airway management challenges.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this report is to demonstrate a unique case of severe bronchial stricture and discuss the associated diagnostic and airway management challenges. Study design The design was that of a case report. Methods A review of the literature was made. Results A 15-year-old adolescent boy with a history of renal transplantation 1 year prior presented with a 10-day history of progressive cough and shortness of breath necessitating ventilator support. Chest radiograph and computed tomography showed complete whiteout of the left lung with some areas of hyperinflation of the left upper lobe. Subsequent flexible and rigid bronchoscopy noted a narrowed left mainstem bronchus with no evidence of an intact lumen. After failed attempts at medical treatment and dilation, the patient underwent a left pneumonectomy. He was ultimately discharged home in good condition. Discussion Bronchial strictures are rare phenomenon with oftentimes unclear etiologies. Atresia of bronchi is even rarer, usually occurring in young males, and may go undiagnosed for 30 years until clinical symptoms occur. Treatment of narrowed segments may involve medical treatment of infectious agents, stent placement, dilation, and sleeve resection. Treatment of atresia or severe stricture may necessitate resection of the lung distal to the affected region. Conclusion Bronchial strictures and atresias may go undiagnosed for years before pulmonary symptoms occur. Computed tomography and bronchoscopy with biopsies represent the mainstays of diagnosis. Regional lung hyperinflation and peribronchial translucency may hint at bronchial atresia. Treatment paradigms vary from dilation and stent placement to resection of the affected areas. In the absence of a clear etiology for lung whiteout, severe bronchial stricture or atresia should be considered as a possibility.
Origami Folding and Bar Frameworks

One of the more computationally demanding tasks in a process of synthesizing “from scratch” origami crease patterns designed for a given purpose involve a simulation capability to track the progression of the folding process as the pattern folds. This work presents an approach to simulate origami folding based on bar frameworks. The work is related to joint frameworks and projected polyhedral, as they apply to folding. The analysis starts from a representation of a crease pattern as an undirected graph G(E,V) formed by edges E and vertices V. A framework G(p) is an instance of G where the vertex locations are assigned positions according to a vector valued function p(t), where t marks the folding progression and t=0 represents the initial, flat configuration. The strategy presented is based on finding a sequence of instances {p(1), p(2), …} corresponding to an analytic flex p, i.e., functions such that edges in all G(p(t)) have the same length. The method is based on using a finite element description of a bar framework corresponding to a truss-like structure congruent with G(p). Solutions to an eigenvalue problem associated with this structure provide the means to update from p(t) to p(t+1). Two simple (purely geometric) optimization problems adjust the update to compensate for higher order effects, guaranteeing that the length of the edges remain constant. The methodology can be used to achieve configurations close to “flat folding”, provided that no interference of the faces occurs along the way. We expected that physically-motivated constraints (stresses, deformations, etc.) and sensitivity analysis computations will be more easily represented in this framework and therefore this formulation will have an advantage over more standard “origami mathematics” approaches. The approach is illustrated with an example of folding a simple 10-crease pattern.Copyright © 2014 by ASME