cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Random channel coding and blind deconvolution

Blind deconvolution arises naturally when dealing with finite multipath interference on a signal. In this paper we present a new method to protect the signals from the effects of sparse multipath channels — we modulate/encode the signal using random waveforms before transmission and estimate the channel and signal from the observations, without any prior knowledge of the channel other than that it is sparse. The problem can be articulated as follows. The original message x is encoded with an overdetermined m × n (m > n) matrix A whose entries are randomly chosen; the encoded message is given by Ax. The received signal is the convolution of the encoded message with h, the S-sparse impulse response of the channel. We explore three different schemes to recover the message x and the channel h simultaneously. The first scheme recasts the problem as a block l 1 optimization program. The second scheme imposes a rank-1 structure on the estimated signal. The third scheme uses nuclear norm as a proxy for rank, to recover the x and h. The simulation results are presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the random coding and proposed recovery schemes.
Methodological framework for evaluating clinical processes: A cognitive informatics perspective

Abstract We propose a methodological framework for evaluating clinical cognitive activities in complex real-world environments that provides a guiding framework for characterizing the patterns of activities. This approach, which we refer to as a process-based approach, is particularly relevant to cognitive informatics (CI) research—an interdisciplinary domain utilizing cognitive approaches in the study of computing systems and applications—as it provides new ways for understanding human information processing, interactions, and behaviors. Using this approach involves the identification of a process of interest (e.g., a clinical workflow), and the contributing sequences of activities in that process (e.g., medication ordering). A variety of analytical approaches can then be used to characterize the inherent dependencies and relations within the contributing activities within the considered process. Using examples drawn from our own research and the extant research literature, we describe the theoretical foundations of the process-based approach, relevant practical and pragmatic considerations for using such an approach, and a generic framework for applying this approach for evaluation studies in clinical settings. We also discuss the potential for this approach in future evaluations of interactive clinical systems, given the need for new approaches for evaluation, and significant opportunities for automated, unobtrusive data collection.
QUALITY, SAFETY, TEAMWORK AND PROFESSIONALISM IN GME: VALIDATION OF THE ACGME RESIDENT SURVEY

Background The ACGME Resident Survey includes questions on patient safety, teamwork, professionalism, and healthcare quality. These ACGME survey questions have not been validated. Objectives To assess the validity of the ACGME annual survey in quality, safety, teamwork and professionalism domains by comparing ACGME to non-ACGME data, including the validated AHRQ Survey on Patient Safety Culture (AHRQCPS) and our institution9s data on resident incident reporting, professionalism breaches, and quality improvement activity. Methods 443 residents completed the ACGME Resident Survey and AHRQCPS surveys. Error/incident reports entered contemporaneously by housestaff were compared to matched ACGME items and AHRQCPS dimensions in three areas: teamwork, safety, and quality (figure 1). Results Several ACGME Survey questions correlated, with statistical significance, with resident incident reporting (figure 2) and with the AHRQCPS (figure 3) in the Overall perception of Patient Safety dimension. The ACGME Survey item “Work in Inter-professional Teams” also correlated with the AHRQCPS teamwork dimension (figure 4). Comparisons in the areas of safety (figures 5/6) and quality (figure 7) did not produce correlations of statistical significance. Conclusions Given the IOM findings related to healthcare quality and patient safety, the ACGME CLER program, and a national focus on teaching quality/safety in the context of GME, the ACGME has expanded its annual Resident Survey to include program assessment in the areas of quality and safety. This study is the first to demonstrate validity for several ACGME survey items in these important areas.
Whole body bone resorption in the growing pig.

UNLABELLED Our knowledge of total body bone resorption during growth is limited. The primary purpose of this study was to determine if a commercially available bone resorption assay, developed for measuring human bone resorption, could be used to measure whole body bone resorption in young, growing pigs. A secondary purpose was to evaluate if this method could detect changes in bone resorption in response to certain dental appliances which have been shown to change mandibular and maxillary growth. Five growing 4-month-old male Hanford minipigs (Sus scrofa) were housed in metabolic cages for 24 h, every other day, over a period of 1 month. Three of the animals were fitted with a mandibular protrusive orthodontic appliance. Total 24 h urines were collected in which the concentration of creatinine and collagen type I N-telopeptide crosslinks (NTx, a marker of bone resorption) were measured. The NTx immunoassay was originally developed for the analysis of human urine. Pig bone was powdered, defatted, and decalcified, and the resulting powder digested with bacterial collagenase. The digest was screened for NTx content, in the same fashion as the pig urines. Bone extract and pig urines were cross-calibrated to a standard of adolescent human urine. This allowed calculation of the daily quantity of pig bone resorbed. Daily metabolite excretion was quite variable in these growing animals; for NTx the CV was 31%, for creatinine the CV was 25%. The mean daily quantities of bone resorption ranged between 26 and 46 grams of bone which amounted to 1.2-1.7% of estimated total skeletal mass. The protrusive appliances increased bone resorption significantly during the first two weeks of the trial. IN CONCLUSION the NTx assay can be used to measure bone resorption in pigs; the assay is sensitive enough to indicate changes in bone resorption, such as those caused by an orthodontic mandibular protrusive appliance. During growth, bone resorption varies greatly from day to day. On average, every 24 h, 1.4% of the skeletal mass is resorbed.
Cognitive radar experiments at The Ohio State University

This paper presents the results of experiments to demonstrate the radar processing can be controlled by cognitive processes. A fully adaptive radar framework is introduced that emulates concepts from neuropsychology to describe cognition. The framework is implemented on an experimental test bed and used to adapt radar parameters during a single target tracking situation such that performance objects, that cannot be met with fixed parameters, are obtained.
The Labor‐Market Effects of Occupational Licensing Laws in Nursing

We study the labor-market impacts of occupational licensing laws on nursing, an economically important occupation. States adopted licensing of registered and practical nurses at different times, which allows us to estimate the effects of licensing on wages and participation for each nursing profession. We find that licensure raised wages by 5 to 10 percent but there is no evidence that it reduced overall participation. Additionally, we show that licensure equalizes wages within the occupation with minority wages rising faster than nonminority wages; however, licensing had a negative but not statistically significant impact on the participation of minorities in nursing.
Changing the Dominant Narrative: A Call for Using Storytelling as Language and Literacy Theory, Research Methodology, and Practice:

This special themed issue illuminates the pivotal role the STAR (Scholars of Color Transitioning Into Academic Research Institutions) program has played in our trajectories as early career scholars...
Student attitudes toward group discussions

Student attitudes toward active learning techniques, such as group discussion, are often negative. The purpose of this study was to determine if an intervention informing students of the usefulness...
On the reset threshold voltage of ReRAM devices and its impact on the implication logic operation

ReRAM devices show potential for in memory computing systems due to their capability to both store and process data via implication logic. This type of logic, which is typically implemented using the set transition, could offer reliability and performance advantage if implemented with reset switching of the device. However, the gradual transition of the reset makes it impractical. This paper presents the experimental observation of the reset transition sharpening as the initial ON state of the device is made more conductive and a simple explanatory model for this behavior.
Effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy on blood pressure in patients undergoing treatment.

Introduction Hyperbaric oxygen (HBO₂) therapy is generally safe and well tolerated. However, known side effects do exist. Elevation in the blood pressure of patients undergoing HBO₂ therapy is a less defined potential side effect. We sought to better quantify effects of HBO₂ on blood pressure (BP) in patients undergoing HBO₂. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed on quality assurance data captured on all patients undergoing HBO₂ between March 2012 and October 2015 at a large tertiary referral university hospital hyperbaric center. Results We identified 155 patients who received 3,147 hyperbaric oxygen treatments. For all treatments there was an overall increase in the median systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) following treatment. No statistically significant difference was found when comparing patients with and without hypertension. Calcium channel blockers (CCB) and beta-blockers (BB) were found to have an agonizing effect while ACE inhibitors (ACEI) were found to have a protective effect. The change in SBP was less with each additional treatment in patients undergoing more than one treatment. Discussion The current study demonstrates that absolute rises in blood pressure do occur as a result of HBO₂ therapy. However, the extent of this effect is not large. BB and CCB had agonizing effects while ACEI had a protective effect. Finally, there was a protective effect with more treatments.
Assessment and Management of Pulmonary Vein Occlusion After Atrial Fibrillation Ablation

AbstractObjectives: This study sought to evaluate the sensitivity of noninvasive imaging in the assessment of severely stenosed and occluded pulmonary veins, and examine clinical outcomes following...
Dialysis: Medical and Psychological Considerations

Currently, 500,000 people in the United States are treated for stage 5 chronic kidney disease (CKD) or end-stage renal disease (ESRD) with dialysis, with this number increasing by 30,000 each year. In addition to in-center hemodialysis, in-home dialysis and peritoneal dialysis are gaining popularity. While the mortality rates for patients on dialysis have been improving with a 30% decline since 1999, it is still severalfold higher than age-matched cohorts in the general population. Adapting to the demands of dialysis can be difficult both physically and psychologically, further burdening patients with poorer quality of life and worse outcomes. Patients on dialysis suffer from increased rates of depression, anxiety, sleep disorders, and cognitive challenges. They are also at increased risk for suicide. Finally, there are important decisions to be made regarding initiation and discontinuation of dialysis.
Phonocardiography Data Compression Using Discrete Wavelet Transform

Telemedicine and other remote early intervention techniques play a vital role to improve the cardiac patient survival rate and decrease their hospitalized rate. Phonocardiography (PCG) is a widely used diagnostic tool to quickly identify the heart condition. It provides supplement diagnostic information to Electrocardiogram (ECG) as it can detect the structural defects of the heart that ECG cannot identify. Therefore, continuous PCG monitoring is of great interests for remote patient monitoring [1] [2]. However, 24 hours online monitoring generates a large amount of data to be transferred and stored at healthcare facilities. Moreover, end-to-end encryption is also required to share the data without compromising privacy or security. So, the data compression and encryption are necessary for the continuous monitoring of the PCG signal. But, very little research has been done on the compression of the PCG signal and the compression of the ECG signal is widely studied. This paper describes a PCG signal compression and encryption method which is suitable for the wireless cardiac patient monitoring applications.
Microwave heating characteristics of selected minerals and compounds

Naturally occurring minerals and reagent-grade compounds were tested to determine their receptivity to microwave heating. The maximum temperature achieved for the samples and the time required to reach temperature are reported. A description of the microwave oven and a thermocouple technique that accurately measures and continuously records the temperature of samples during irradiation are reported. Extractive applications using the generated microwave data were investigated. Stress fracturing at mineral grain boundaries in a gangue matrix was shown. This should significantly affect grinding energy requirements and liberation properties. A method to produce a magnetic phase on pyrite surfaces, a method of using microwave heating to retort cinnabar concentrate, and a roast-leaching microwave treatment of chalcopyrite ore are described.
Arrhenoblastoma of the ovary

Abstract Before operation on February 27, 1943: 1. 1. Abrupt cessation of menses at 15. 2. 2. Onset of masculinizing traits at this time (deepening of voice, appearance of hair, a beard, masculine physique, atrophy of breast. Progressive increase in sex desire, hypertrophy of clitoris (all progressive from 15 to time of admission at 24). 3. 3. Had pain in lower abdomen, headaches. 4. 4. Right abdominal mass found. 5. 5. Marked hypertrophy of muscles of shoulders and upper extremities. Since leaving hospital: 1. 1. Hot flushes 3 to 6 daily. 2. 2. Night sweats. 3. 3. Decrease in number and intensity of headaches. 4. 4. Marked increase in size of breasts. 5. 5. Loss of much hair on abdomen, back, arms and legs. Still has beard, shaves twice a week, not so thick, and does not grow as fast. 6. 6. Decreased libido. 7. 7. No change in voice. 8. 8. Gain of 22 pounds. 9. 9. Some decrease of clitoris enlargement. 10. 10. Muscles of upper extremity almost same. 11. 11. Chest plate negative for metastatic lesion. She was again put on stilbestrol in dosages of one mg., three times daily, and advised to continue this drug until seen again. Her general health was excellent, and she seemed quite satisfied with the results obtained following the removal of the pelvic organs.
A Future for Federal Regulatory Budgeting

For decades, a strong case has been made for comprehensive reform of the U.S. federal government’s regulatory processes (for early contributions, see Weidenbaum & DeFina, 1978; Lave, 1981; Breyer, 1982; Harrison & Portney, 1983; Litan & Nordhaus, 1983; Viscusi, 1992; Breyer, 1993; Sunstein, 1996; Graham, 1996, 1997). Establishment of centralized Office of Management and Budget (OMB) oversight through the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) was an important achievement, but Congress has not yet passed comprehensive regulatory reform legislation.
Pectoralis major tear in a 23-year-old woman while performing high-intensity interval training: a rare presentation.

Pectoralis major (PM) tears are a rare injury, that commonly occurs at the sternocostal head and has a greater incidence in men, with only two previously reported cases in young and middle-aged women. The authors report a complete PM tear that occurred in a 23-year-old woman, that presented after performing a ‘muscle-up’. MRI revealed PM rupture at the humeral insertion. Surgical management was performed, and patient returned to high-intensity interval training at 11 months postoperatively and reported great satisfaction. This is the first case in literature that reports a complete tear of the PM in a young woman through an atraumatic mechanism of injury with no previous alteration to the PM. With a cultural increase in wellness, atraumatic PM tear in young women should be expected and remain on the differential for any athlete that participates in high-intensity interval training.
Functional regression for densely observed data with novel regularization

Smoothness penalty is an efficient regularization method in functional data analysis. However, for a spiky coefficient function which may arise when densely observed spiky functional data are invol...
Is Excisional Biopsy Needed for Pure FEA Diagnosed on a Core Biopsy

BackgroundThe management of flat epithelial atypia (FEA) on core needle biopsy remains controversial. The upstaging rates after surgical excision are variable. In this study, we seek to determine t...
Investor-State Dispute Settlement in EU Trade Agreements in the Light of EU Policy and Law

The Investment Court System (ICS) gives foreign investors the possibility to bring complaints about measures adopted by the EU and its Member States to arbitrators, and receive compensation accordingly. At the ICS, under certain conditions foreign investors will be able to challenge public policy measures aimed at, for instance, protection of the environment or public health, if these measures decrease the value of their investments. This chapter focuses on what the right to regulate public welfare objectives means in the light of potential claims by investors under CETA’s provisions, and examines the reasoning of the CJEU in Opinion 1/17 on this particular point. Furthermore, it is investigated whether the need for ICS in the relationship between the EU, the USA and Canada has been demonstrated, in line with the evidence based approach that the Commission underlines as the basis for its own action. Finally, the chapter will assess whether the Commission followed its own guidelines on Trade Sustainability Impact Assessments, i.e. the ex-ante assessment process of treaties under negotiation that includes public participation in order to assist the EU negotiators.
Abstract SP161: Context-dependent functions and inter-tumoral heterogeneity of tumor-associated myeloid cells.

Tumor-associated myeloid cells, including macrophages (TAMs) and neutrophils (TANs) have been extensively studied. Their pleotropic roles were observed in multiple steps of tumor progression and metastasis, and sometimes appeared to be inconsistent across different studies. In this talk, we will discuss evidence supporting the mutual influence between cancer cells and TAMs/TANs. We will review the immunosuppressive roles of these myeloid cells as well as their direct interactions with cancer cells. We will stress an emerging theme in recent studies: the precise myeloid functions may be determined by multiple factors including plasticity of these cells, mutual cooperation/competition among different cell types, and co-evolution between immune microenvironment and cancer traits. These factors together contribute to the heterogeneity of immune cells across tumors, an additional layer of heterogeneity beyond tumor-intrinsic characteristics. Citation Format: X Zhang. Context-dependent functions and inter-tumoral heterogeneity of tumor-associated myeloid cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2020 San Antonio Breast Cancer Virtual Symposium; 2020 Dec 8-11; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(4 Suppl):Abstract nr SP161.
Joseph Murray: Pioneering Plastic Surgeon and Father of the First Organ Transplant.

Dr. Joseph Murray was a plastic surgeon who is best known for performing the first successful human organ transplant. After graduating from Harvard Medical School and completing a surgical internsh...
Regulation of Leukocyte Responses to Chemoattractants: Role of Receptors, Guanine Nucleotide Regulatory (N) Proteins and Phospholipase C

Guanine nucleotides regulate the the affinity of formylpeptide chemoattractant receptors on leukocytes suggesting that these receptors might be coupled to an N protein. Chemoattractant receptors, however do not regulate the activity of adenylate cyclase. Since Ca2+ mobilization is vital for polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) activation, the possibility that chemoattractant receptors might utilize an N protein to activate the hydrolysis of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP­2), thereby releasing the Ca2+ mobilizer, inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), and the protein kinase C activator 1,2-diacylglycerol was explored. Bordetella pertussis toxin (PT), an agent which specifically ADP-ribosylates and inhibits the activity of certain N proteins, ribosylates a 40 kDA protein in human PMNs and monocytes. PT blocks the ability of chemoattractants to induce Chemotaxis, O2 - production and lysosomal enzyme secretion. PT, moreover, prevents chemoattractants from mobilizing intracellular Ca2+ and hydrolyzing PIP2.
Extreme snowfall events linked to atmospheric rivers and surface air temperature via satellite measurements

[1] Narrow bands of strong atmospheric water vapor transport, referred to as “atmospheric rivers” (ARs), are responsible for the majority of wintertime extreme precipitation events with important contributions to the seasonal water balance. We investigate relationships between snow water equivalent (SWE), precipitation, and surface air temperature (SAT) across the Sierra Nevada for 45 wintertime AR events. Analysis of assimilated and in situ data for water years 2004–2010 indicates that ARs on average generate ∼4 times daily SWE accumulation of non-AR storms. In addition, AR events contributed ∼30–40% of total seasonal SWE accumulation in most years, with the contribution dominated by just 1–2 extreme events in some cases. In situ and remotely sensed observations show that SWE changes associated with ARs are closely related to SAT. These results reveal the previously unexplored significance of ARs with regard to the snowpack and associated sensitivities of AR precipitation to SAT.
An adaptive probabilistic trust model and its evaluation

In open settings, the participants are autonomous and there is no central authority to ensure the felicity of their interactions. When agents interact in such settings, each relies upon being able to model the trustworthiness of the agents with whom it interacts. Fundamentally, such models must consider the past behavior of the other parties in order to predict their future behavior. Further, it is sensible for the agents to share information via referrals to trustworthy agents. Much progress has recently been made on probabilistic trust models including those that support the aggregation of information from multiple sources. However, current models do not support trust updates, leaving updates to be handled in an ad hoc manner.This paper proposes a trust representation that combines probabilities and certainty (defined as a function of a probability-certainty density function). Further, it offers a trust update mechanism to estimate the trustworthiness of referrers. This paper describes a testbed that goes beyond existing testbeds to enable the evaluation of a composite probability-certainty model. It then evaluates the proposed trust model showing that the trust model can (a) estimate trustworthiness of damping and capricious agents correctly, (b) update trust values of referrers accurately, and (c) resolve the conflicts in referral networks by certainty discounting.
The M1 Muscarinic Agonist CI-1017 Facilitates Trace Eyeblink Conditioning in Aging Rabbits and Increases the Excitability of CA1 Pyramidal Neurons

The M1 muscarinic agonist CI-1017 was administered intravenously to aging rabbits on a daily basis before and during hippocampally dependent trace eyeblink conditioning sessions. Circulating levels of CI-1017 were significantly related to the drug dose. The drug was found to significantly increase the rate and amount of learning in a dose-dependent manner with no significant effects on the amplitude, area, or latency of conditioned responses. There was no evidence of pseudoconditioning at the highest drug concentration, and the minimally effective dose produced only mild and temporary hypersalivation as a side effect. CI-1017 (10 microM) was also found to increase the excitability of CA1 pyramidal neurons recorded from hippocampal slices from young and aging naive rabbits as measured by changes in spike-frequency adaptation and the postburst afterhyperpolarization. These biophysical changes were reversed with either atropine (1 microM) or pirenzepine (1 microM). These results suggest that M1 agonists ameliorate age-related learning and memory impairments at least in part by reducing the afterhyperpolarization and spike-frequency adaptation of hippocampal pyramidal neurons and that M1 agonists may be an effective therapy for reducing the cognitive deficits that accompany normal aging and/or Alzheimer's disease.
Civil society and government

Civil Society and Government brings together an unprecedented array of political, ethical, and religious perspectives to shed light on the complex and much-debated relationship between civil society and the state. Some argue that civil society is a bulwark against government; others see it as an indispensable support for government. Civil society has been portrayed both as a independent of the state and as dependent upon it. This book reveals the extraordinary diversity of views on the subject by examining how civil society has been treated in classical liberalism, liberal egalitarianism, critical theory, feminism, natural law, Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Confucianism. The volume draws on the work of eminent scholars to address six questions: In terms of function and consequences, does it matter where the line is drawn between civil society and the state? What is the relationship of civil society to the state? In what contexts and under what conditions should government interact with individuals directly or instead indirectly through communal associations? What are the prerogatives and duties of citizenship, and what is the role of civil society in forming good citizens? How should a society handle the conflicts that sometimes arise between the demands of citizenship and those of membership in the non-governmental associations of civil society? A theoretical introduction by the editors--political theorist Nancy Rosenblum and legal scholar Robert Post--and a conclusion by religious ethicist Richard Miller, tie the book together. In addition to Rosenblum, the contributors are Kenneth Baynes, David Biale, John Coleman, Farhad Kazemi, John Kelsay, William Galston, Will Kymlicka, Tom Palmer, Fred Miller, Susan Moller Okin, Peter Nosco, Henry Rosemont, Steven Scalet, David Schmidtz, William Sullivan, Max Stackhouse, Stephen White, and Noam Zohar.
63 – Gender Differences in Hereditary Cancer Syndromes: Risks, Management, and Testing for Inherited Predisposition to Cancer

Publisher Summary Most individuals who develop cancer do not carry mutations in the inherited cancer genes. Individuals with mutations in highly penetrant genes can be clinically distinguished on the basis of their strong family history with multiple individuals in multiple generations affected with cancer, early age of onset of cancer, multiple primary cancers in a single individual, and clustering of particular types of cancer within either the individual or the family. In some cases, ethnicity also may be a predisposing factor. Although all ethnic groups have been found to carry mutations in these genes, certain ethnic groups may carry particular founder mutations at higher frequency. In addition to rare but highly penetrant monogenic (single gene) cancer susceptibility syndromes, another 5–30% of cancer is familial and likely represents the interaction of a small number of cancer susceptibility genes that in combination with each other and the environment increase the susceptibility to cancer. In families with familial rather than monogenic cancer susceptibility, the age of onset is often older and the number of affected family members is often fewer. Most highly penetrant inherited cancer susceptibility genes are autosomal dominantly inherited. Autosomal dominant conditions are characterized by a 50% chance for both males and females to inherit a mutated gene from a carrier parent; they may pass it on to their children if and only if they are carriers. Although both males and females may carry a genetic mutation, this mutation may have different disease manifestations or expression in the two genders largely because of anatomic or hormonal differences between the sexes.
Image understanding for robotic applications

Current generation robots work in a constrained environment. In most robotic applications, the environment is known and several aspects of it may be controlled. The knowledge about the environment may be used by image understanding algorithms to facilitate the recovery of information from images. Some difficult problems faced by general image understanding systems are simplified by developing techniques that exploit the available knowledge about the environment. We demonstrate the role of such knowledge in robotic applications for recovering information in dynamic scenes. In the first application, the knowledge of ego-motion parameters of a mobile robot is used for segmentation of a scene and recovery of depth information. In the second application, a hypothesize and test approach is used to find road edges in real scenes for an autonomous vehicle.
Effects of karst features on circulation of water in carbonate rocks in coastal areas

Abstract The normal balance between fresh water in coastal aquifers and sea water applies also to carbonate-rock aquifers that have been karstified, but there are local modifications in the balance that need to be considered. Uneven distribution of permeability, expressed by a network of solution channels bounded by relatively impermeabler rock, causes an uneven distribution of head of the environmental water along the seacoast. Where sinkholes and (or) vertical solution shafts below sea level penetrate the aquifer, the fresh ground water may discharge through these karst features if the fresh-water head is greater than that of the salt water. However, under some conditions the salt-water head may exceed that of the fresh water, and the direction of movement is reversed as sea water flows into the aquifer. This sea-water flow into the aquifer occurs (1) where sinkholes, acting as “cased wells,” penetrate less permeable rock before reaching a lateral solution channel and (2) where (or when) the fresh-water head is less than that required to balance the salt water. On Andros Island, Bahamas, the range in tide (as much as 5 feet) from low tide to high tide is sufficient to cause such a reversal locally. During low tide the salt-water head becomes sufficiently low that the ground-water head exceeds that of the sea water, and the ground water flows through the sinkholes to the ocean floor; during high tide sea water flows in the sinkholes. In the Adriatic Sea along the coast of Yugoslavia, apparently the fresh-water head is sufficient to produce perennial springs in some localities, but in other areas, as in the Bay of Kastela near Split, the fresh-water head becomes low enough during some seasons that the flow is reversed and salt water enters the aquifer through the karst features. The development of sinkholes and other karst features near the present coast and extending below sea level occurred generally during a low stand of the Pleistocene sea when the top of the saturated zone stood lower than the bottom of the deepest sinkholes or natural wells. Integrated evaluations of (1) the distribution of permeability in coastal karst regions and (2) the principles relating to the dynamic balance between fresh aquifer water and sea water are leading to better knowledge of methods that may salvage much karst water which is lost to the sea.
Enhanced photorefractive performance from 45°-cut BaTiO 3

We have characterized the photorefractive performance of a special 45°-cut crystal of BaTiO3 and compared it with the conventional 0°-cut material. An increased peak gain coefficient of 26 cm−1 was measured using near normal beam incidence. Response times measured were ∼1 order of magnitude faster than similar 0° -cut crystals. The effects of an externally applied electric field parallel to the grating wave vector on the gain and response time were investigated. As an application example, the crystal was used to produce efficient and stable self-pumped image phase conjugation.
Raja and Rank in North Bihar

The Maithil Brahmans of Bihar and the Bengali Brahmans of Bengal, two of the five great North Indian Brahman castes, had, as of the early nineteenth century, closely similar systems of ranked grades and hypergamously marrying lineages. In addition, fundamental concepts—of purity and pollution, of coded substance, of sattva, rajas, and tamas (Dumont 1970; Inden 1976; Davis 1983)—form a shared construction of reality for both groups of Hindus. Yet despite a common ideation and similar patterns of organization up to that point, the ‘Kulin system’ of Bengal virtually disappeared in the middle of the last century, while among the Brahmans to the east in Bihar, the system faltered during the same period, then corrected itself, grew more complex with greater refinements of rank than at any time in the past, and has survived into the present.
The Effect of Matrix Constitutive Model on Residual Thermal Stresses in MMC

A thermomechanical analysis of advanced composites in a wide temperature range is presented. This analysis is based on the micromechanics method of cells. An incremental formulation of the micromechanics model is developed to facilitate the use of various inelastic constitutive theories. These theories incorporate time-dependent and temperature-dependent features for modeling different types of metal matrices. The constitutive models include the Bodner-Parton unified theory of viscoplasticity, the incremental plasticity model, and a power-law creep model. The effect of the cooling rate, taking into account temperature-dependent matrix properties, on residual thermal stresses is subsequently investigated for a SiC/Ti composite using the different models for the matrix phases. Predictions generated using the micromechanics method are compared with available results of finite-element analysis.
Neuronal interaction determines the expression of the α-2 isoform of Na, K-ATPase in oligodendrocytes

Abstract Na,K-ATPase is an integral membrane enzyme responsible for maintenance of the transmembrane Na+/K+ gradient which generates membrane excitability. Previous studies showed that oligodendrocytes within the CNS robustly expressed the α2 isoform of the Na,K-ATPase while oligodendrocytes in isolated cultures did not. We tested whether the levels of this isoform might be modulated by interactions with neurons. Western blots showed α2 protein expression was very low in rat optic nerve immediately after birth, but that expression was greatly increased by days 5 and 14. In adult optic nerves, levels were barely detectable. Since the first myelinated axons are observed in rat optic nerve at day 5, and the next 2 weeks are considered the period of peak myelination, this timing suggested a relationship between oligodendrocyte–neuron contact, myelination onset and the upregulation of the α2 isoform. In further experiments we plated oligodendrocytes in isolation or in co-culture with neurons dissociated from cerebral cortex at the day of birth. After 6 days in vitro, 45% of oligodendrocytes co-cultured with neurons expressed abundant α2 protein which was detected by immunohistochemistry, a six-fold increase over cells expressing α2 protein in isolated cultures. Conditioned medium from neuronal cultures did not affect α2 levels in oligodendrocytes. These results suggest that neurons may play a role in upregulating glial expression of the α2 isoform during peak periods of myelination, and that the effect is likely to be dependent on contact.
Future Teachers Recover the Past Through Oral History Theme

Lauderdale argues for using oral history to provide insight into the dynamics of being a professional teacher educator. His position is that oral history, as a pedagogical technique, is appropriate to teacher education and can be used in many subject matter disciplines by his torians and non-historians alike.
Cohomology of split group extensions, II☆

They introduced a spectral sequence relating the cohomology of G (with a suitable filtration) to the cohomologies of G/K and K. In later developments, Charlap and Vasquez [5, 61 showed that, under suitable restrictions, d, of the Hochschild-Serre spectral sequence can be described as the cup product with certain “characteristic” cohomology classes. In the special case where K is a free abelian group L of finite rank N and when G splits over K by r = G/K, these characteristic classes v 2t lie in H2(r, fP1(L, H,(L, Z))). Through straightforward, though formidable, procedures, Charlap and Vasquez found a number of interesting results concerning these characteristic classes. However, these characteristic classes still appeared mysterious and difficult to handle. The purpose of the present paper is to present a procedure to determine the most important one of these characteristic classes. To be precise, Charlap and Vasquez showed that vZt E H2(F, fPl(L, H,(L, Z))) have orders dividing 2; vsl = 0 and vpt = 0 holds for all t if and only if v22 = 0. They also showed that vZt are functorial in r so that vZt are universal when .F = GL(N, Z). We show that H2(GL(N, Z), HI(L, H,(L, Z))) is a group of order 2 for N > 2, and when N > 2, its generator is the universal characteristic class. Along the way, we calculate a number of cohomology groups similar to the one described. Our results and procedures can be applied to study the torsion of the total space of certain fibered varieties over symmetric space with abelian varieties for fibers (cf. Kuga [14]). Th ese applications will appear in a subsequent paper. Some of the cohomology group calculations are also useful in the study of finite simple groups. Indeed, one of the phenomena that persists throughout
SU-D-BRA-01: Accurate Real-Time Tumor Motion Estimation from Respiratory Surrogates via Memory-Based Learning.

Purpose: Respiratory tumor motion is a major challenge in radiation therapy. Effective beam gating or tracking approaches necessitate an accurate knowledge of the real‐time tumor motion. Fluoroscopic tracking with implanted fiducial markers is invasive and exposes the patient to additional imagingdose. Respiratory surrogate signal measured by external noninvasive and non‐ionizing devices provides an attractive approach, in which estimating the tumor motion from respiratory surrogates is crucial. Methods: We utilize a powerful memory‐based learning approach to find the complex relations between tumor motion and respiratory surrogates. The learning method uses locally weighted functions to interpolate between and extrapolate from training data. Due to the local nature of the learning functions, it is inherently robust to outliers. Moreover, both training and adapting to new data is highly efficient and almost free, making it suitable for dynamically following possibly variable internal/external relations. We evaluated the method using respiratory motion data (3D tumor motion plus 1D surrogate) from six patients (three lung and three pancreas patients). Results: Given only 5‐sec (roughly one breath) pretreatment training data, the method achieved an average 3D error of 0.37 mm (range: 0.10 mm – 1.06 mm) and 95th percentile error of 0.86 mm (range: 0.24 mm – 2.47 mm) on 120‐sec unseen test data. These errors are well below the average peak‐ to‐peak amplitude (—10 mm). The errors decrease monotonically with an increasing amount of training data. Compared with the best linear model, the learning approach achieved a 21% reduction in error for an average patient (range: 10% – 42%). Conclusions: The memory‐based learning technique is able to accurately capture the highly nonlinear and complex relations between tumor and surrogate motion in an efficient manner (∼1 ms per prediction). These desirable properties make it an ideal candidate for accurate and robust tumor gating/tracking using respiratory surrogates.
Effect of CO Pressure Gradients on the Photochemistry and Thermal Chemistry of Fe(CO)5 Physisorbed into Porous Vycor Glass

Photolysis of Fe(CO)5 physisorbed into porous Vycor glass creates CO pressure gradients within the nanoporous matrix that promote Fe(CO)5 diffusion within the matrix and change the distribution of the complex within the matrix. Occurring on a time scale of the lifetimes of the sub-carbonyl photoproducts, pressure induced diffusion influences both the chemistry of the sub-carbonyl photoproducts and the subsequent oxidation of the elemental iron. High-resolution X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and Mossbauer spectra reveal photolysis creates an asymmetric distribution of Fe(III) and elemental iron, Fe0. The distribution of oxidation states within the matrix and the effect of temperature on the distribution indicate two oxidation pathways. Both pathways are complementary with respect to Fe(II), yet in contrast to that found in other silica matrices, neither process leads to the net formation of Fe(II) within this silica matrix.
Coupling hemodynamics with vascular wall mechanics and mechanobiology to understand intracranial aneurysms.

Arteries exhibit a remarkable ability to adapt in response to sustained alterations in haemodynamic loading, to heal in response to injuries, and to compensate in response to diverse disease conditions. Nevertheless, such compensatory adaptations are limited and many vascular disorders, if untreated, lead to significant morbidity or mortality. Parallel advances in vascular biology, medical imaging, biomechanics and computational methods promise to provide increased insight into many arterial diseases, including intracranial aneurysms. In particular, although it may be possible to identify useful clinical correlations between either the blood flow patterns within or the shape of aneurysms and their rupture-potential, our ultimate goal should be to couple studies of haemodynamics with those of wall mechanics and the underlying mechanobiology so that we can understand better the mechanisms by which aneurysms develop, enlarge, and rupture and thereby identify better methods of treatment. This article presents...
Dispersal and neighborhood effects in an annual plant competition model

Abstract A spatial simulation model of annual plant interference which employs dispersal and neighborhood effects is developed and implemented with a computer program. The following hypotheses are observed to be consistent with the behavior of the model: 1. (1) Dispersal rates are extremely important in determining the rate at which a species can colonize or eleminate an inferior competitor from an area. 2. (2) Dispersal rates and local competition result in spatial patterns in plant populations which retard or prevent competitive elimination under conditions where it would be expected from non-spatial models. If interspecific competition is more intense than intraspecific competition, a mosaic of patches each dominated by one species will develop, but these patches may be in equilibrium. The inclusion of space in a plant competition model, even in a crude way, results in behavior which is significantly different from that of non-spatial models.
Grafting fruiting vegetables to manage soilborne pathogens, foliar pathogens, arthropods and weeds

Grafting is an important integrated pest management strategy to manage soilborne pathogens and other pests of solanaceous and cucurbitaceous crops. Important diseases managed by grafting are caused by fungal pathogens such as Verticillium, Fusarium, Pyrenochaeta and Monosporascus; oomycete pathogens like Phytophthora; bacterial pathogens, particularly Ralstonia; root knot nematodes and several soil-borne virus pathogens. Rootstocks can include intraspecific selections that utilize specific major resistance genes and interspecific and intergeneric selections that exploit non-host resistance mechanisms or multigenic resistance. Rootstock selection has also been documented to impact foliar pests including pathogens, arthropods and viruses. Over-reliance on specific rootstocks in production systems has led to the emergence of new pathogens or shifts in the host specificity of the pathogen population, emphasizing the need for multi-tactic approaches to manage soilborne pathogens. One advantage and associated challenge of grafting is that rootstock selection for disease management is site specific depending on the presence, population structure and dynamics of the pathogen, as well as edaphic, environmental and anthropogenic factors. The use of grafting as an Integrated pest management tool to manage biotic stress will be most successful when carried out with increasing knowledge about the biology, diversity, and population dynamics of the pathogen or other pests and when complemented with sustainable farming system practices. This review highlights major uses of grafting to manage soilborne pathogens, provides some novel information on managing foliar or other soilborne pests (insects, mites, weeds) and offers discussion on future research and applications.
The effects of contig length and depth on the estimation of SNP frequencies, and the relative abundance of SNPs in protein-coding and non-coding transcripts of tiger salamanders (Ambystoma tigrinum).

Next-generation sequencing methods have contributed to rapid progress in the fields of genomics and population genetics. Using this high-throughput and cost-effective technology, a number of studies have estimated single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) frequency by calculating the mean number of SNPs per unit sequence length (e.g., mean SNPs/kb). However, both read length and contig depth are highly variable and thus raise doubt about simple methods of SNP frequency estimation. We used 454 pyrosequencing to identify 2,980 putative SNPs in the eastern tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum tigrinum) transcriptome, then constructed analytical models to estimate SNP frequency. The model which considered only contig length (i.e., the method employed in most published papers) was evaluated with very poor likelihood. Our most robust model considered read depth as well as contig length, and was 7.5 × 1055 times more likely than the length-only model. Using this novel modeling approach, we estimated SNP frequency in protein-coding (mRNA) and non-coding transcripts (e.g., small RNAs). We found little difference in SNP frequency in the contigs, but we found a trend of a higher frequency of SNPs in long contigs representing non-coding transcripts relative to protein-coding transcripts. These results support the hypothesis that long non-coding transcripts are less conserved than long protein-coding transcripts. A modeling approach (i.e., using multiple model construction and model selection approaches) can be a powerful tool for identifying selection on specific functional sequence groups by comparing the frequency and distribution of polymorphisms.