cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A model for Brewster angle damping and multipath effects on the microwave radar sea echo at low grazing angles

Brewster angle damping and local multipath effects are considered as sources of polarization differences in low grazing angle sea scatter characteristics. The authors show that at least five observed polarization differences can be explained by local multipath interference effects that occur due to the illumination of discrete nonlinear ocean surface features, such as bores and small scale breaking waves. The illumination gain factor (IGF) is defined at a point in space, as the total power at that point relative to the power in the incident plane wave. The IGF resulting from local multipath from the sea surface forward of a discrete scatterer produces strong interference patterns that can vary both with grazing angle and scatterer height. As a result, IGF values up to a factor of 16 (12 dB) can occur for horizontal polarization (HH) when the interference is constructive; a corresponding strong cancellation occurs for destructive interference. These extreme variations can cause strong HH NRCS amplitude modulations due either to a change of local wave slope or a change of scatterer shape with time. However, Brewster angle damping of the forward scatter path for grazing angles below 20/spl deg/ occurs for vertical (VV) polarization, and reduces the VV IGF in magnitude and dynamic range, eliminating such strong modulations. This effect scales with radar wavelength, and higher wave features are required to produce equivalent effects for radar frequencies far below 10 GHz. As an illustration, six radar bands are compared: L (1.4 GHz), S (3.5 GHz), C (5 GHz), X (10 GHz), K/sub u/ (15 GHz), and K/sub a/ (35 GHz), for a sea water dielectric. X-band results indicate that 12-dB IGFs can occur for water surface features just a centimeter above the mean surface. As an application of these results, the influence of these HH and VV IGF patterns is modeled for discrete scatterers distributed uniformly along an ocean gravity wave. The dynamic range of the HH IGF for a distribution of bore scatterers up to 5 cm high is found to he significantly larger than for VV at all locations on the long wave. Moreover, the IGF HHVV polarization ratio forward of the crest, where the largest number of small scale breaking wave scatterers occurs, is larger than at all other regions of the long wave, of the order of 20 dB. These results suggest that HH polarization may be sensitive to small scale breaking features on the ocean surface at low grazing angles, and thus may be a sensitive measure of air-sea fluxes.
Tip60 functions as a potential corepressor of KLF4 in regulation of HDC promoter activity

KLF4 is a transcription factor that is highly expressed in the gastrointestinal tract. Previously we have demonstrated that KLF4 represses HDC promoter activity in a gastric cell line through both an upstream Sp1 binding GC box and downstream gastrin responsive elements. However, the mechanism by which KLF4 inhibits HDC promoter is not well defined. In the current study, by using yeast two-hybrid screening, Tip60 was identified as a KLF4 interacting protein. Further coimmunoprecipitation and functional reporter assays support the interaction between these two proteins. In addition, Tip60 and HDAC7, previously shown to interact with each other and repress transcription, inhibited HDC promoter activity in a dose-dependent fashion. Consistently, knock down of Tip60 or HDAC7 gene expression by specific shRNA increased endogenous HDC mRNA level. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that HDAC7 was pulled down by KLF4 and Tip60, suggesting that these three proteins form a repressive complex. Further chromatin immuno-precipitation indicated that all three proteins associated with HDC promoter. Two-hour gastrin treatment, known to activate HDC gene expression, significantly decreased the association of KLF4, Tip60 and HDAC7 with HDC promoter, suggesting that gastrin activates HDC gene expression at least partly by decreasing the formation of KLF4/Tip60/HDAC7 repressive complexes at the HDC promoter.
Analysis of right heart flow patterns in repaired Tetralogy of Fallot with 4D flow-sensitive MRI

Cardiac MRI (CMR) is used to follow patients after TOF repair to assess pulmonary regurgitation (PR), pulmonary stenosis (PS) and right ventricular (RV) function. 4D flow-sensitive MRI techniques enable visualization of complex flow patterns [1],[2]. With the ability to simultaneously acquire morphology and hemodynamics for visualization and quantification, they may improve evaluation of functional outcomes following surgery for complex CHD.
On the Applicability of an Unsteady Aerodynamic ROM to the Transonic Flight Regime

Accurate prediction of aerodynamic loads throughout multiple ight regimes is vital for the development of control algorithms for vehicles which pass through di erent regimes during the course of a ight. As such, a reducedorder modeling methodology based on linear convolution combined with a nonlinear correction factor initially developed for hypersonic ight has been extended to the transonic ight regime. Errors mostly remained small when the unsteady lift, drag and moment coe cient results were compared with direct CFD simulations over a range of oscillation frequencies and amplitudes, though the drag coe cient did show larger errors at higher oscillation frequencies. A methodology to determine the optimal number and location in the parameter space of the ROM construction sampling points has also been developed. Results showed good agreement between the coe cients calculated by this method and those calculated by direct CFD simulation.
A thirty year diet record of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) from a small north temperate lake

Abstract. We report on the diet dynamics of a population of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) over a 30 year period (1980-2010) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, USA. Paul Lake is a small, unexploited, north temperate lake. We used seven functional diet groupings to assess inter-annual diet dynamics: zooplankton, Chaoborus spp., benthic invertebrates, pelagic invertebrates, terrestrial insects, fish prey and terrestrial vertebrates. To measure annual diet fluctuations an annual composite Index of Relative Importance, IRI (based on Σ of % number, % mass and frequency of occurrence of each diet grouping) was employed. We chronicled diets of 5098 largemouth bass. Significant inter-annual variation (Z ± 1.96, p < 0.05) occurred in each of the seven functional diet categories (variance ranged from 24-59%, 7/30 years and 17/30 years, respectively, of the entire data set). Those diet categories which had the fewest significant differences in annual IRIs as compared with the 30 year composite IRI value were zo...
Undoped SiGe heterostructure field effect transistors

Summary form only given. Undoped SiGe heterostructure MISFETs which are an analog of III-V HIGFETs and use a biaxially strained Si channel with a SiGe gate insulator are reported. The devices were grown on a buffer layer of relaxed SiGe, as were previously reported SiGe modulation-doped heterostructure FETs, but here no doping is used; instead, a gate field is used to form the electron channel. Undoped Si/SiGe heterostructure MISFETs show good FET characteristics with low gate leakage at 77 K. FETs with 1.5- mu m-gate-length and SiGe insulator thickness of 100 nm have a maximum transconductance greater than 100 mS/mm at 77 K. By reducing the insulator thickness to 50 nm, a maximum transconductance greater than 150 mS/mm was obtained for a 2. 5- mu m-gate-length device. A field effect mobility at 77 K of 16500 cm/sup 2//V-s, extracted from long gate-length device data, is comparable to that of modulation-doped high-mobility samples. >
Forever young: educating today's youth about the nature and uses of records of enduring value

iv Acknowledgments v INTRODUCTION: A PROFESSIONAL MANDATE FOR ARCHIVAL OUTREACH PROGRAMS 1 CHAPTER ONE: THE FAILURE OF TRADITIONAL OUTREACH TO IMPACT TODAY’S YOUTH 10 CHAPTER TWO: INNOVATIVE OUTREACH PROGRAMS THAT TARGET YOUNGER AUDIENCES 20 CHAPTER THREE: A FRAMEWORK FOR NEW PROGRAMS 40 CONCLUSION: THE FUTURE OF ARCHIVAL OUTREACH 58 REFERENCES 63
Is it All Connected? A Testing Ground for Unified Theories of Behavioral Economics Phenomena

We estimate 11 well-studied behavioral phenomena in a group of 190 laboratory subjects (short-term discount rates, small stakes risk aversion, present bias, loss aversion, the endowment effect, aversion to ambiguity and compound lotteries, the common ratio and common consequence effects and sender/receiver behavior in trust games). We study the joint distribution of these behaviors and compare it to the predictions of existing models as a step in the development of a parsimonious, general model of economic choice. We find strong correlations between loss aversion and the endowment effect, and between probability weighting (as measured by the common ratio and common consequence effects) and risk aversion, in line with Cumulative Prospect Theory (CPT). We also find risk aversion to be related to ambiguity aversion, compound lottery aversion and discounting, consistent with the curvature of the utility function being an important determinant of all three behaviors. However, we do not find evidence that probability weighting in the risk domain is related to ambiguity and compound lottery aversion or present bias (as implied by recent extensions to CPT). Behavior in the trust game is unrelated to attitudes to risk or uncertainty. We find little relation between intelligence or personality measures and economic behavior, although we do find overconfidence to be negatively related to many behaviors (particularly ambiguity aversion) and women to be much more loss averse than men.
Factors influencing demand for dental services: population, demographics, disease, insurance.

Ensuring an adequately sized dental workforce with the skills necessary to meet the needs of current and future patient populations is difficult. Educators, professional associations, policymakers, commissions, foundations, and others strive to balance these needs against the projected workforce
Oral Advocacy in 90 Seconds: Turning Fear into Fun

Oral Advocacy in 90 Seconds: Turning Fear into Fun: This article discusses a technique for teaching oral advocacy to beginning law students using topics that typically are not related to the law. Because oral arguments can be among the most intimidating experiences of the first year of law school, giving students as much practice as possible is helpful. This practice can begin on the first day of class: students choose a topic, pick a side, and make their case.
Distribution and Repopulation of Terrestrial Insects in Sprayed Areas

Six study plots were selected to provide a variety of habitat conditions within a 132,800-acre block of forest sprayed for spruce budworm control. Changes in populations of insects were studied for 2 years following the spray application. Tests for significant differences in relative frequency of orders of insects present before spray showed a nonrandom distribution in the six sample areas. No numerical relationship could be found between the pre- and postspray populations and there was a complete lack of uniformity in the patterns of repopulation between the areas sampled. The family composition of some of the various orders of insects was found to be altered over the period of study. The most significant changes in numbers was found in the Coleoptera. No evidence was obtained to suggest any interaction between like groups in adjacent populations. They behaved differently in each sample area.
Morphologic features of mammary carcinomas in women taking hormonal contraceptives.

Carcinomas of the breast in three women taking hormonal contraceptives had both lobular and ductal components, secretory activity, and conspicuous mucopolysaccharides in the stroma of the involved lobules and around the neoplastic ducts. The lesions were pleomorphic and diffuse and contained abundant lymphocytic infiltration. As several million women are using hormonal contraceptives, the coincidental occurrence of carcinomas of the breast should not be surprising. Our observations, however, suggest a variable target organ responsiveness to hormonal stimulation. It is of interest to determine whether a distinctive or even suggestive pattern of mammary carcinoma is associated with hormonal contraceptive use, and more importantly, whether this therapy may, in some instances, alter the evolution of the disease. In view of the possible stimulating effect of estrogens and progestins on the growth of some mammary neoplasms, caution would appear indicated when prescribing such therapy, particularly for patients who may be especially susceptible to developing mammary carcinomas.
URBAN RECLAIMED WATER REUSED IN CIRCULATING COOLING WATER SYSTEM IN POWER STATION FOR THE APPLIED RESEARCH

Circulating cooling water system of heat-engine plant utilize middle-water resource to actualize city middle-water reuse in larger-scale,have great meaning to alleviate water re-source shortage and relieve water pollution.This article expounded the current situation of reusing circulating cooling water system of heat-engine plant by city middle-water system and the task of the middle-water depth of processing;brought forward ABFT + Mechanical Clari-fier Process,and introduced its principle,characteristics,succeed examples and it's more ad-vanced than traditional advanced treatment process.
Periostin (POSTN) regulates tumor resistance to antiangiogenic therapy in glioma models

Periostin (POSTN) interacts with multiple integrins to coordinate a variety of cellular processes, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cell migration. In our previous study, anti-VEGF-A therapy was associated with resistance and EMT. This study sought to determine the role of POSTN in the resistance of glioma stem cells (GSC) to antiangiogenic therapy. In mouse xenograft models of human glioma, POSTN expression was associated with acquired resistance to anti-VEGF-A therapy and had a synergistic effect with bevacizumab in prolonging survival and decreasing tumor volume. Resistance to anti-VEGF-A therapy regulated by POSTN was associated with increased expression of TGFβ1 and hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF1α) in GSCs. At the molecular level, POSTN regulated invasion and expression of EMT (caveolin-1) and angiogenesis-related genes (HIF1α and VEGF-A) through activation of STAT3. Moreover, recombinant POSTN increased GSC invasion. Collectively, our findings suggest that POSTN plays an important role in glioma invasion and resistance to antiangiogenic therapy. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(9); 2187-97. ©2016 AACR.
Dealing with Cultural Differences

Cultural differences between the military and civilians can result in a wide range of problems ranging from minor issues causing daily friction to life threatening problems. Cultural challenges not only affect interactions with the local population, however, but also cause problems in working with international civilian partners in the area. This chapter provides the soldier with concrete guidance on how to recognize and respond appropriately to cultural differences before they become detrimental to the mission. Combining anthropological research on culture with practical experience in planning, teaching and training for cultural aspects in military operations, the author identifies five key dimensions of culture that must be considered in conducting successful operations: people’s interaction with their environment, their economic relationships, their social and political structures, and their belief systems.
A shift in coronary care unit patient population: Ten year experience from an urban tertiary care center

The need for cardiovascular expertise in the treatment of advanced heart failure (AHF), malignant arrhythmias, and structural heart disease has shifted the role of the CCU to a more diverse and medically complex patient population. This study's purpose was to analyze the temporal trends in the principal diagnosis leading to admission to the CCU in a tertiary referral hospital. Over the last 15 years, the CCU has evolved from a medical unit strictly focusing on the care of patients with ACS to an advanced cardiac intensive care unit. The trends observed at our center provide further evidence that today's CCU contains a broader, more complex, critically-ill patient population.
Establishing a Scale for Assessing the Social Validity of Skill Building Interventions for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Scale of Treatment Perceptions (STP), a measure of treatment acceptability targeting skill-building interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This scale utilizes a strength-based approach to intervention assessment, and was established by modifying the Behavior Intervention Rating Scale (Elliott and Von Brock Treuting in J School Psychol 29(1):43-51, 1991. doi: 10.1016/0022-4405(91)90014-I ) and the Treatment Evaluation Inventory (Kazdin in J Appl Behav Anal 13(2):259-273, 1980. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1980.13-259 ) to be appropriate for assessing multiple dimensions of acceptability across skill-building ASD treatments. Overall, the STP demonstrated good psychometric properties: the scale had appropriate internal consistency, demonstrated a stable three-factor structure that was invariant across samples, and discriminated among different skill-building treatments for ASD. This has important implications for dissemination, as perceived acceptability of a treatment relates to treatment utilization and adherence.
A Parameterized Schema for Representing Complex Gesture Forms

Gestures can take on complex forms that convey both pragmatic and expressive information. When creating virtual agents, it is necessary to make fine grained manipulations of these forms to precisely adjust the gesture’s meaning to reflect the communicative content an agent is trying to deliver, character mood and spatial arrangement of the characters and objects. This paper describes a gesture schema that affords the required, rich description of gesture form. Novel features include the representation of multiphase gestures consisting of several segments, repetitions of gesture form, a map of referential locations and a rich set of spatial and orientation constraints. In our prototype implementation, gestures are generated from this representation by editing and combining small snippets of motion captured data to meet the specification. This allows a very diverse set of gestures to be generated from a small set of input data. Gestures can be refined by simply adjusting the parameters of the schema.
Adenoma miss rates associated with a 3-minute versus 6-minute colonoscopy withdrawal time: a prospective, randomized trial

Background and Aims The 6-minute withdrawal time for colonoscopy, widely considered the standard of care, is controversial. The skill and technique of endoscopists may be as important as, or more important than, withdrawal time for adenoma detection. It is unclear whether a shorter withdrawal time with good technique yields an acceptable lesion detection rate. Our objective was to evaluate a 3-minute versus a 6-minute withdrawal time by using segmental tandem colonoscopy. Methods We performed a prospective, randomized trial by using 4 expert endoscopists. Patients were randomized to a 3-minute or a 6-minute initial withdrawal, each followed by a tandem second 6-minute withdrawal. All polyps were removed. The primary outcomes were adenoma miss rates (AMRs), adenomas per colonoscopy (APC) rates, and adenoma detection rates (ADRs). Results A total of 99 and 101 patients were enrolled in the 3-minute and 6-minute withdrawal groups, respectively. The AMR was significantly higher in the 3-minute withdrawal group (48.0% vs 22.9%; P = .0001). After controlling for endoscopist, patient age and/or sex, Boston Bowel Preparation Scale score, and size and/or location and/or morphology of adenoma, the AMR remained significantly higher in the 3-minute withdrawal group (odds ratio, 2.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-5.15; P = .0001). The ADR was similar between both groups (39.2% vs 40.6%; P = .84). However, the mean APC rate was significantly lower in the 3-minute withdrawal group (0.55 vs 0.80; P = .0001). Conclusions The AMR was significantly higher, and the APC rate was significantly lower in the 3-minute withdrawal group versus the 6-minute withdrawal group. Despite expert technique, a shorter withdrawal time is associated with an unacceptably high AMR and low APC rate. (Clinical trial registration number: NCT01802008.)
Rotationally Grazed Pastures as Bird Habitat

Introduction Little is known about the use of rotationally grazed pastures by wild bird species, particularly in Midwestern landscapes. What is known is that continuously grazed pastures tend to have low bird production and use due to the lack of sufficient vegetative structure and to trampling of ground nests by cattle. Long-term rotational grazing (where livestock are shifted between several pastures every few days or weeks, as opposed to intensive rotational grazing where they are shifted every day) has the potential to produce high-quality cattle grazing and grasslands for wildlife. Early in the grazing season, farmers could use cool-season grass and forb (CSG) pastures for rotational grazing, leaving warm-season grass and forb (WSG) pastures to produce wildlife, especially birds. At the end of June or early July, cattle could be shifted to the WSG pastures for rotational grazing. Not only does this allow the WSG to grow to excellent grazing height, it also allows ground-nesting birds to potentially complete a nesting cycle. Further, as CSG are left to grow (although slowly) until fall, latenesting birds and re-nesters may utilize the CSG, as well. Depending on the length of time between rotations, early nesters may also use the CSG early in the nesting season.
Burst inflation test for measuring biomechanical properties of rat abdominal walls

Evaluation of potential grafts to improve upon current strategies for abdominal wall (AW) repair in small animal models typically involves mechanical testing using methods that currently are inadequate to assess physiologically relevant parameters. This study introduces burst inflation testing as a more relevant assessment of the mechanical integrity of the AW compared to traditional tensile testing. AWs were excised from 14 healthy adult Fischer 344 rats and tested using either a custom burst inflation device or an Instron tensile testing system. Modulus outcomes from both testing methods were compared. Mechanical analyses of native AW using burst and tensile testing methods resulted in similar average tissue moduli, but with the burst test, there was significantly less variability among specimens. The burst test had greater repeatability compared to tensile testing and has the ability to test repaired AWs without compromising the integrity of the repair site, making it a useful tool for assessing graft repairs.
Studies on Virulence. V. The Effect of Oxygen, Nitrogen, and Carbon Dioxide on the Virulence of Growing Pneumococci.

The growth of a virulent Type I pneumococcus in an automatic transfer device on a medium which aerobically maintains virulence results in a decrease in the presence of pure oxygen or pure carbon dioxide, but in no change in the presence of nitrogen. Whereas partial pressures of oxygen, that is 5 parts with 95 parts nitrogen by volume, and 10 parts with 90 parts nitrogen, resulted in a decrease in virulence, with 20 parts oxygen and 80 parts nitrogen, the decrease was almost negligible. Media which under aerobic conditions failed to furnish suitable constituents for maintenance of virulence, that is spleen, aminoid peptone, powdered milk, beef infusion, whole rabbit, and rabbit muscle, also failed under nitrogen. Media from whole guinea pig kept the organism virulent for 246 transfers under nitrogen, but with some decrease. Media made from discard mice, survivors of pneumococcus infection, furnished conditions under nitrogen, which caused first a decrease of virulence, but later after 246 transfers, a restoration to a more virulent state. Gradual increase in temperature over a period of 10 days from 36.5 degrees C. to 42 degrees C. in a sample of medium, which was otherwise suitable for maintenance of virulence under aerobic conditions, resulted in a decrease in virulence.
Beyond Power and Control: Towards an Understanding of Partner Abusive Men

It is well known that children exposed to interparental aggression have serious adverse consequences both in childhood and in their adult intimate relationships. These include a host of emotional a...
Boston Community Capital and the Solar Energy Advantage: Let There Be Light

Dick Jones had just received a voice mail from Jigar Shah at SunEdison, a solar energy services firm, informing him that his venture-financed firm would not be able to partner on the solar project they had been discussing the last few months—a plan to bring the benefits of clean, renewable energy to low-income families in Boston. A third-party solar power purchase agreement would have allowed low-income housing developments to lock in their electricity rates far into the future, making budgeting and cash management much easier. Now Jones wondered how to go forward. Excerpt UVA-ENT-0175 Rev. Jan. 16, 2013 Boston Community Capital and the Solar Energy Advantage: Let there be light DeWitt (Dick) Jones, president of Managed Assets at Boston Community Capital (BCC), sighed heavily as he struggled to find adequate cell phone service outside his rented Cape Cod cottage. He had just received a voice mail from Jigar Shah at SunEdison, a solar energy services firm, informing Jones that his venture-financed firm would not be able to partner on the solar project they had been discussing the last few months—a plan to bring the benefits of clean, renewable energy to low-income families in Boston. A third-party solar power purchase agreement (PPA) would have allowed low-income housing developments to lock in their electricity rates far into the future, making budgeting and cash management much easier. Jones wondered how BCC would go forward. Installing solar panels required a certain level of expertise—particularly when one considered the retrofitting measures that might be necessary on older housing units. Any installation would also have to account for Boston's particular climate: Winter meant several months of limited sunlight in addition to harsh nor'easters that could damage equipment. Though hard to imagine in the late August sunshine, heavy snowfall would block sunlight from reaching the panels and would require timely and potentially labor-intensive removal. Furthermore, BCC would have to raise tax equity that would have been covered by SunEdison's investors. BCC's expertise, networks, and reputation were well developed among Boston's financial and political community, but the firm had precious little experience with solar energy projects and few contacts in the tax equity world, at least until that point. Simply put, BCC was not a solar installation and construction firm. They were affordable housing and community development professionals. . . .
Limits on the efficiency of event-based algorithms for Monte Carlo neutron transport

Abstract The traditional form of parallelism in Monte Carlo particle transport simulations, wherein each individual particle history is considered a unit of work, does not lend itself well to data-level parallelism. Event-based algorithms, which were originally used for simulations on vector processors, may offer a path toward better utilizing data-level parallelism in modern computer architectures. In this study, a simple model is developed for estimating the efficiency of the event-based particle transport algorithm under two sets of assumptions. Data collected from simulations of four reactor problems using OpenMC was then used in conjunction with the models to calculate the speedup due to vectorization as a function of the size of the particle bank and the vector width. When each event type is assumed to have constant execution time, the achievable speedup is directly related to the particle bank size. We observed that the bank size generally needs to be at least 20 times greater than vector size to achieve vector efficiency greater than 90%. When the execution times for events are allowed to vary, the vector speedup is also limited by differences in the execution time for events being carried out in a single event-iteration.
Treatment Patterns over 2 Years among Patients Initiating Disease-Modifying Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis in the United States (P01.210)

OBJECTIVE: To describe treatment patterns in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who were followed for 2 years after initiating a disease-modifying therapy (DMT). BACKGROUND: Observational data suggest that when response to a platform therapy (interferon beta or glatiramer acetate [GA]) is inadequate, switching to natalizumab may be more effective than switching to another platform therapy. DESIGN/METHODS: Medical and prescription drug claims from a large US commercial and Medicare supplemental database were evaluated. The study population included patients diagnosed with MS who initiated treatment with an interferon beta, GA, or natalizumab on or after January 1, 2007, had ≥30 months of continuous data (6 months before and 24 months after treatment initiation [index date]), and had not used any MS therapy 6 months prior to the index date. Baseline demographic and clinical characteristics and treatment switching patterns were analyzed. RESULTS: Analyses included data from 6181 patients: 92.8% initiated treatment with a platform therapy (n=5735; 76.7% female; mean age 44.5 years); 7.2% initiated treatment with natalizumab (n=446; 74.4% female; mean age 45.4 years). Of 5735 patients starting on a platform therapy, 1095 (19.1%) switched therapies after a mean (standard deviation) of 330.7 (203.8) days. Among these patients, 861 (78.6%) switched to another platform therapy, while 209 (19.1%) switched to natalizumab. A third DMT was used by 130 patients who started on platform therapies. Of these patients, 86 (66.2%) switched to a platform therapy, while 34 (26.2%) switched to natalizumab. CONCLUSIONS: Switching between platform therapies is common despite evidence that some MS patients on platform therapy may benefit from switching to natalizumab. Data from an ongoing study of natalizumab in early relapsing-remitting MS in anti-JCV antibody negative patients (STRIVE; NCT01485003) may provide additional information on benefits of earlier natalizumab use. Supported by: Biogen Idec Inc. and Elan Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Disclosure: Dr. Bonafede has nothing to disclose. Dr. Johnson has nothing to disclose. Mr. Wenten as received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as an employee. Mr. Wenten holds stock and/or stock options in Biogen Idec. Ms. Watson has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec as an employee. Ms. Watson holds stock and/or stock options in Biogen Idec.
The Promise of Payne: How Overlapping Contexts Support One Superintendent’s Adherence to Ruby Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty

This article contributes to conversations of the widespread interest in Ruby Payne’s understandings of poverty and K-12 schooling in the United States. The author apply a conceptual framework of ov...
SoC FPAA Hardware Implementation of a VMM+WTA Embedded Learning Classifier

This paper focuses on the circuit aspects required for an on-chip, on-line system on chip large-scale field-programmable analog array learning for vector-matrix multiplier (VMM) + winner-take-all (WTA) classifier structure. We start by describing the VMM+WTA classifier structure, and then show techniques required to handle device mismatch. The approach is initially explained using a VMM+WTA as a two-input XOR classifier structure. The approach requires considering the entire mixed-mode system, including the analog classifier data path, control circuitry for weight updates, and digital algorithm for computing digital weight updates and resulting floating-gate programming during the algorithm.
The Role of the Immune System and Bone Cells in Acute and Chronic Osteomyelitis

Publisher Summary This chapter provides an update on the mechanisms of microbial pathogenesis and the host response to bone infections, with a focus on immune and bone cell interactions during this process. Although humans have been combating microbial pathogens since prehistoric times, infectious disease remains one of our greatest public health challenges. As testimony to the importance of this issue, antibiotic drugs and prophylactic vaccines are considered the first and third greatest scientific achievements of the twentieth century. Despite these major medical advances, one needs to look no further than the recent worldwide pandemic of H1N1 influenza virus infection to understand how vulnerable we remain to pathogenic organisms. Despite the development of superior orthopedic surgical techniques, newer diagnostic tools, and innovative treatments, new problems including multidrug resistance and evolving bacterial virulence allow osteomyelitis to remain a significant challenge in orthopedics. Furthermore, the outcome after currently available treatment is often unsatisfactory, with a therapy failure rate greater than 20%. Recent data suggesting that osteoclastic cells play important roles in immune responses in bone have spawned the new field of osteoimmunology. Thus, a new emphasis has been placed on osteoimmunology to better explain the pathogenesis of bone infections and to derive novel interventions for osteomyelitis.
LFSR-Based Test Generation for Path Delay Faults

Two challenges are combined when compressed tests are computed for path delay faults: 1) path delay faults that are important to detect are associated with long paths, and many of these faults are undetectable and 2) it may not be possible to compress a given test for a path delay fault. This paper addresses these challenges in the context of test data compression methods that are based on a linear-feedback shift-register (LFSR). The basic approach that this paper uses modifies initially random seeds for the LFSR into seeds that produce tests for detecting target faults. This approach can find seeds even if the available tests cannot be compressed into seeds. In addition, the procedure described in this paper also selects detectable path delay faults to address the presence of undetectable path delay faults in the set of target faults. For this purpose it uses a metric that measures the similarity between target and detected path delay faults, and attempts to compute seeds that increase the values of this metric. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate the ability of the procedure to detect path delay faults in benchmark circuits.
Genetics of colorectal cancer.

Approximately 6% of colorectal cancers can be attributed to recognizable heritable germline mutations. Familial adenomatous polyposis is an autosomal dominant syndrome classically presenting with hundreds to thousands of adenomatous colorectal polyps that are caused by mutations in the APC gene.
DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CEREBROSPINAL FLUID ANALYSIS FOR SECONDARY MENIGITIS IN HIV-INFECTED ADULTS

BACKGROUND When human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients present with neurologic problems, lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis are often performed, usually to rule-out the presence of meningitis. However, the test characteristics of CSF analyses in this population are unknown. METHODS To examine the diagnostic characteristics of CSF analyses for secondary causes of meningitis in HIV-infected adults, we performed a case-control study of 322 HIV-infected adults who received diagnostic lumbar puncture in an urban academic hospital from 1989 to 1992. Using multivariable logistic regression analyses, we determined the independent CSF correlates of cryptococcal and other types of secondary meningitis. RESULTS Eighty percent were men who had sex with men, 89% were white, and 85% had AIDS. Thirty-seven case-subjects had a secondary cause of meningitis though none had bacterial or tuberculous meningitis. Excluding the india ink as a candidate variable, logistic regression analysis identified 2 independent CSF correlates of secondary meningitis: the leukocyte count (odds ratio [OR] per 10 cells, 1.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 1.3), and the CSF-to-serum glucose ratio (OR per 0.10 units, 0.61; CI, 0.43 to 0.88). The areas (+/- SD) under the receiver operating characteristic curves were 0.76 +/- 0.05 and 0.72 +/- 0.05, respectively. CONCLUSIONS In similar clinical settings, these findings may help clinicians assess the probability of secondary meningitis in HIV-infected patients when initial CSF results first become available.
Systematic validation of a relational control program for the bay area rapid transit system

The failure of safety-critical systems, such as aircraft control systems, railway control systems, and nuclear power plant control systems, can cause catastrophic losses of life and property. Hence, it is imperative to assure the reliability and safety of these systems to a very high degree of confidence. It is infeasible to perform this type of ultrahigh reliability analysis by treating the entire system as one unit. This paper develops an approach that combines relational programs with iterative enhancement. It allows a complex system to be divided into a series of increments such that each increment is decomposed into subsystems taht can be independently assessed. An increment is related to the previous increment via transformations or clearly delineated enhancements that can be assessed independently. The subsystems are then automatically composed together to obtain the system. The approach guarantees that the reliability and safety of the system can be inferred from the corresponding properties of the individual subsystems. It is illustrated using a case study drawn from the Bay Area Rapid Transit system project.
The R Statistical Computing Environment

R is a computing environment for data analysis and graphics. R is designed as a high-level programming language that supports complex forms of data analysis as well as the development of new data analysis methodology. In recent years R has become the major framework for providing access to new statistical methodology, and thousands of extension packages are now available. This paper provides a brief introduction to R with examples drawn from astronomical data.
Recombination Hot Spots, Mouse

The mechanisms that dictate site selection and resolution control of meiotic recombinogenic regions of mammalian genomes still remain to be fully defined. Studies in a variety of model systems have demonstrated that recombination occurs in distinct regions coined hotspots during meiosis I. It has been estimated that only 1–2% of the genomes of higher eukaryotes are recombinogenic, while the remainder is ‘cold’ for recombination. Recent studies from many research groups are providing the potential layers of control that may direct and initiate double-strand break (DSB) formation at recombination hotspots. These include primary DNA sequence, chromatin accessibility, epigenetic marks, and the repair machinery.
Lessons Learned from STEM Entrepreneurship Academy

This article describes the STEM Entrepreneurship Academy, a week-long summer camp that exposes students from the Black Belt region of Alabama to a college campus and opportunities in the STEM disciplines. A unique feature of this program is the entrepreneurial focus on STEM. Students interact with university faculty, staff, and students while participating in a variety of hands-on activities. They are also charged with designing a final project that integrates the content they have learned over the course of the week. A descriptive analysis of the students who participated reveals several things. Students who participate exhibit a high interest in STEM careers, with females showing a significantly stronger interest in medical-oriented fields. Lessons learned include the importance of exposing students to college campuses, offering more STEM opportunities, and strengthening partnerships with high school educators in rural communities.
Spectacles against the Swastika: Informal Education through Meyer Weisgal’s 1930s Theatrical Productions

Despite increased attention among geographers to the diversity of spaces that can constitute informal sites of education, theater in general and spectacles more specifically have garnered relativel...
Opioid Use and the Risk of Falls, Fall Injuries and Fractures among Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background There is increasing concern about opioid use as a pain treatment option among older adults. Existing literature implies an association between opioid use and fracture, increasing the risk of death and disabilities; yet, this relationship with other fall-related outcomes has not been fully explored. We performed a meta-analysis to evaluate the associations between opioid use and adverse health outcomes of falls, fall injuries, and fractures among older adults. Methods A systematic literature search was conducted using nine databases: Medline, Embase, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Global Health, Northern Light Sciences Conference Abstracts, Cochrane CENTRAL, WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, and ClinicalTrials.gov. We log-transformed effect sizes (relative risk [RR], odds ratio [OR], and hazard ratio [HR]) to compute pooled risk estimates comparable across the studies. The random-effects model was applied to calculate the pooled risk estimates due to heterogeneity. Meta-regressions explored differences in risk estimates by analysis method, study design, setting, and study quality. Results Thirty studies, providing 34 relevant effect sizes, met the inclusion criteria for this meta-analysis. Overall, opioid use was significantly associated with falls, fall injuries, and fractures, with effect sizes ranging from 0.15 to 0.71. In meta-regressions, no selected factors explained heterogeneity. Conclusion While heterogeneity is present, results suggest an increased risk of falls, fall injuries, and fractures among older adults who used opioids. Findings highlight the need for opioid education and nonopioid-related pain management interventions among older adults to decrease fall-related risk.
Hands across the water: climate change and binational cooperation in the Great Lakes Basin

In examining the impact of climate change on binational governance of the Great Lakes between 2012 and 2019, this article evaluates the extent to which Canada and the U.S. have implemented the objectives in the climate change impacts annex—Annex 9—to the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (GLWQA), in cooperation with diverse networks of governmental and nongovernmental actors. It also examines whether action taken thus far to implement Annex 9 indicate a marked improvement in adaptive capacity in addressing climate problems in the Great Lakes Basin. The author argues that the effectiveness of climate action in the Great Lakes Basin depends not only on the domestic efforts of the U.S. and Canadian governments, the responsible parties in implementing binational water agreements. It also hinges on whether they have the institutional capacity and the political will required to help fund and coordinate the actions of the several heterogeneous networks. Between 2012 and 2019, significant progress was made in the areas of information-sharing, network-building, and capacity-building for more effective measurement, monitoring, and analysis of climate change impacts in the Great Lakes Basin. However, the Parties have not yet developed a long-term binational framework for action supporting climate change adaptation and resilience. In the meantime, First Nations and municipal and other networks are implementing their own community-level resilience plans, but these actors cannot fully compensate for weak federal leadership and inadequate human and financial resources.
16 – CONSUMPTION EMOTIONS

Publisher Summary Consumption emotions add color and texture to humans’ daily lives. Consumption emotions are clearly important to consumers, who purchase products to meet their needs and achieve goals. These emotions constitute a signaling system that tells consumers whether they’ve achieved their goals. In addition, certain kinds of emotions, particularly positive ones such as joy and excitement, are inherently satisfying, and the experience of such emotions is itself a goal for much consumption behavior. Because consumption emotions are so powerful in regulating consumer behavior, they are also important to marketers. Positive consumption emotions generate brand loyalty and commitment, and both positive and negative emotions influence consumers’ word of mouth. This chapter explores the emotions elicited by products as consumers own and uses them. The extant literature includes a considerable body of research designed to help marketers understand and elicit the kinds of emotions that will encourage product purchase. However, much less attention has been paid to the emotions consumers experience after purchase as they possess and consume the product. These post-acquisition emotions are the focus of this chapter. It deals primarily with tangible products and for the most part excludes emotions elicited by the shopping experience or the consumption of services. It briefly discusses the conceptualization of consumption emotions and examines how the nature of products themselves influences their potential to elicit affective reactions. The chapter also discusses how prepurchase processes set the stage for consumption emotions, identifies the conditions that elicit consumption emotions, and reviews the methods that are used to assess them.
RUSSIA’S NEW SOFT POWER: THE MIR CARD SYSTEM

After the onset of Western sanctions in 2014, the Russian National Card Payment System (NSPK) and its corresponding Mir bank cards launched the following year. Five years later, estimates show that 56 million people are using Mir cards, more than 20 percent of Russia’s bank card market and will be operational in twelve foreign countries. Traditionally, scholars have examined Russian soft power as aiming to integrate post-Soviet countries with Russia and Central Asian countries through promoting beneficial economic and cultural relationships. With the Mir card system, Russia is seeking primarily to become less dependent on a dollar-dominated financial system, as well as to avoid potentially increasing US sanctions and to overarchingly seek to build a multipolar system. This research will investigate the Mir card system.
Transient and Steady-State Kinetic Studies of Formaldehyde Alkylation of Benzene to Form Diphenylmethane on HZSM-5 Catalysts

A combined steady-state and transient kinetic study on the mechanism of diphenylmethane (DPM) formation in HZSM-5 from HCHO and benzene revealed two kinetically relevant steps—the alkylation of ben...
Ablation Casting: Solidification Characteristics, Microstructure Formation, and Mechanical Properties

Ablation casting is an emerging sand casting technology that achieves high cooling rates in a casting during its solidification, especially its eutectic solidification of the metal, resulting in an extremely fine eutectic microstructure, reduced levels of defect, and enhanced mechanical properties of the casting. The technology is creating extensive interest in the industry for its capability in producing castings with high mechanical properties and internal integrity. However, scientific research lags behind the industrial applications of this new technology. There is a lack of scientific understanding on the solidification features of the castings made using ablation casting. Experimental data on the microstructural length scales seem inconsistent. This article aims at interpreting the experimental data available in the literature by considering the solidification characteristics of ablation casting. The paper also discusses certain research needs to further exploring the potential of the ablation casting process.