cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Advanced photon source upgrade benefits all.

In the News & Analysis story “Leading U.S. x-ray source goes after bigger upgrade” (3 January, p. [12][1]), A. Cho suggests that the Advanced Photon Source (APS) upgrade will only benefit a fraction of those who use the facility. I disagree. A remarkable scientific opportunity has emerged to boost the brightness of the x-ray sources at APS by amazing factors of 100 or more by incorporating a multi-bend achromat (MBA) lattice technology into the storage ring ([ 1 ][2]). This will provide a new generation of capabilities such as x-ray analysis with nanometer-scale resolution and sensitivities approaching individual atoms. The higher brightness will benefit researchers across the full range of science. Biological researchers will benefit from microfocus crystallography, which will allow them to obtain protein structures not possible now, and from sensitive imaging of the molecular mechanisms inside cells. The greatly enhanced brightness is primarily due to much higher x-ray coherence, with only moderate increase in x-ray intensity. The x-ray sources are thus much more useful for research without introducing deleterious effects such as damage to samples or heat load problems for optics. All of the APS's existing beamlines will be able to benefit from the enhanced brightness. Of course, we fully expect improvements to beamline capabilities to continue to be proposed as user needs evolve. The MBA technology has been developing for several years and recently reached maturity. The new APS storage ring would be the best way to enable new science and strengthen the nation's complementary suite of light sources to keep them providing world-leading capabilities for many decades to come. We at Argonne will continue to work with the Department of Energy Office of Science to deliver the upgrade that maintains the U.S. leadership in light sources and serves the broad user community. 1. [↵][3] “A MBA lattice at the APS: A new generation: A preliminary report on the October 2013 workshop on new science opportunities provided by a multi-bend achromat lattice at the APS” ([www.aps.anl.gov/Upgrade/Workshops/2013/MBA-Technology/includes/aps%20workshop%20report.pdf][4]). [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.343.6166.12 [2]: #ref-1 [3]: #xref-ref-1-1 "View reference 1 in text" [4]: http://www.aps.anl.gov/Upgrade/Workshops/2013/MBA-Technology/includes/aps%20workshop%20report.pdf
Some comparative observations on l-nicotine and myosmine.

Summary1. The acute toxicity of myosmine was about one-tenth that of l-nicotine after oral administration. Intraperitoneally myosmine was about one-sixth as toxic as l-nicotine. 2. On isolated intestinal strips of guinea pigs, contraction by myosmine required about 200 times the concentration necessary in the case of l-nicotine. 3. Sulfa-thiazole inhibited the action of both myosmine and l-nicotine on isolated intestinal strips.
Asymmetric Light Absorption and Reflection in Freestanding Nanostructured Metallic Membranes

Resonant light absorption in metallic nanostructures results from highly localized electric fields that are crucial for many processes such as Raman scattering, photoluminescence, hot-carrier creation, and photovoltaics. In recent years, there have been a substantial amount of studies related to the design and realization of resonant optical absorbers from microwave to optical frequencies. However, there has been little thought that went into investigation of direction-dependent absorption and reflection characteristics of optical materials. In this study, we introduce and realize an absorber that is capable of absorbing light asymmetrically depending on the illumination direction. By designing an asymmetrical dielectric permittivity profile along the propagation direction, we have been able to control the optical resonance strength of the absorber, resulting in asymmetric light absorption and reflection at resonance wavelengths. The proposed structure consists of a square hole lattice etched into a free-...
Targeting methanogenesis with a nitrooxypropanol bullet

There is no substitute for dramatic reductions in the emissions of CO2 and other greenhouse gases to mitigate the negative consequences of climate change and, concurrently, to reduce ocean acidification. Mitigation, although technologically feasible, has been difficult to achieve for political, economic, and social reasons that may persist well into the future.National Research Council (1)Climate change is a global problem with grave implications: environmental, social, economic, political and for the distribution of goods. It represents one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day. … There is an urgent need to develop policies so that, in the next few years, the emission of carbon dioxide and other highly polluting gases can be drastically reduced, for example, substituting for fossil fuels and developing sources of renewable energy.Pope Francis (2) Our planet is sustained by a web of interconnected and interdependent cycles (Fig. 1). Methane, an important component of the global carbon cycle, is widely used as a fuel by humans and as a carbon and energy source by microbes. Although invisible to our eyes, methane casts a dark specter through its proficiency to trap infrared radiation from the sun. As greenhouse gases, methane and carbon dioxide are recognized to be the … [↵][1]1Email: sragsdal{at}umich.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
A Thr359Met mutation in factor VII of a patient with a hereditary deficiency causes defective secretion of the molecule.

We elucidated the genetic basis responsible for factor VII deficiency in an Italian woman with a severe bleeding diathesis. In the allele inherited from the patient's father, we identified a G to A mutation at nucleotide 6070 at the 5′ splice site of intron 4 and a G to A substitution at nucleotide 10976 resulting in the Arg353Gln polymorphism. The maternal allele demonstrated a C to T substitution at nucleotide 10994 resulting in Thr359Met. The mutation at nucleotide 6070 alters an invariant GT dinucleotide and disrupts normal mRNA processing. To investigate the mechanism by which Thr359Met reduces factor VIl levels, we expressed wild type factor VII cDNA (FVIIwt) and a mutant factor VII cDNA containing the base substitution resulting in Met359 (FVII359M) in Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO). In cells transfected with the mutant factor VII cDNA, FVII359M accumulated intracellularly, and no factor VII was detected in the media after 3 hours of chase. The carbohydrate side chains associated with FVII359M were sensitive to Endo H digestion, which indicates that the protein is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum. Analysis of cell lysates also showed that FVII359M was associated with the 78 kD protein corresponding to GRP78/BiP. We conclude that a Thr359Met mutation in factor VII results in a severe secretion defect that probably results from abnormal folding of the molecule.
Purification of Antigen-Specific B Cells by Adherence to Whole-Cell Antigens

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the purification of antigen-specific B cells by adherence to whole-cell antigens. Screening large numbers of antibody-producing clones to obtain cell surface-specific monoclonal antibody (mAb) has been impractical, and refining the technique to increase the frequency of specific antibodies to cell surface antigens has proved to be useful. The chapter also discusses the methods adapted for the production of antibodies to neuronal cell surface antigens. To increase the numbers of hybridoma cells that produced antibodies specific for neuronal subpopulations, such as those found in the embryonic chick ciliary ganglion (CG), the spleen cells from immunized mice, which adhered strongly to lawns of CG neuronal cells and which could be removed only after trypsin treatment, was isolated. Ethidium bromide and acridine orange were used to determine the viability of spleen cells, myeloma cells, and hybridomas during and after fusions. There are other methods to enhance the frequency of antigen-specific hybridomas, including transferring the spleen cells from immunized animals to X-irradiated syngeneic recipients followed by in vivo antigen boosting and fluorescence-activated cell sorting techniques used to isolate antibody-producing spleen cells prior to fusion.
Interim analysis of a phase I study of INCB040093, a PI3Kδ inhibitor, alone or in combination with INCB039110, a selective JAK1 inhibitor, in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory (r/r) B-cell malignancies.

8520 Background: Inhibiting the PI3K or JAK-STAT pathways may be therapeutic in B-cell malignancies due to their contribution to tumor growth and survival and effects on the tumor microenvironment....
Perils of pluralism: Electoral violence and incumbency in sub-Saharan Africa:

Why do some multiparty elections lead to political violence while others do not? Despite extensive literatures on democratization, civil war, and violence against civilians in civil war, the topic of electoral violence has received less attention. We develop a set of theoretical propositions to explain this variation, testing them on an original dataset on African elections from 1990 to 2008. We find that elections in which an incumbent presidential candidate is running for re-election are significantly more likely to experience electoral violence, both prior to the election and after voting has taken place. We argue that clientelism is behind this pattern, and that clients often resort to electoral violence to protect a reliable incumbent patron. On the other hand, when an incumbent candidate is not running for office, we argue that clients are less willing to assume the risks of participating in electoral violence because candidates in the election have not established a record of delivering patronage a...
Predictable invasion dynamics in North American populations of the Eurasian collared dove Streptopelia decaocto.

Species invasions represent a significant dimension of global change yet the dynamics of invasions remain poorly understood and are considered rather unpredictable. We explored interannual dynamics of the invasion process in the Eurasian collared dove ( Streptopelia decaocto ) and tested whether the advance of the invasion front of the species in North America relates to centrality (versus peripherality) within its estimated fundamental ecological niche. We used ecological niche modelling approaches to estimate the dimensions of the fundamental ecological niche on the Old World distribution of the species, and then transferred that model to the New World as measures of centrality versus peripherality within the niche for the species. Although our hypothesis was that the invasion front would advance faster over more favourable (i.e. more central) conditions, the reverse was the case: the invasion expanded faster in areas presenting less favourable (i.e. more peripheral) conditions for the species as it advanced across North America. This result offers a first view of a predictive approach to the dynamics of species9 invasions, and thereby has relevant implications for the management of invasive species, as such a predictive understanding would allow better anticipation of coming steps and advances in the progress of invasions, important to designing and guiding effective remediation and mitigation efforts.
Prostaglandin D2 Uses Components of ROS Signaling to Enhance Testosterone Production in Keratinocytes

Elevated levels of prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) have been shown to be present in the bald scalp of androgenic alopecia (AGA) patients and to functionally inhibit hair growth. However, its precise mechanism in AGA has yet to be clearly defined. Although testosterone plays a critical role in the initiation and progression of AGA, the existence of a possible link between PGD2 and testosterone in skin has not been investigated. Here we show that human keratinocytes treated with PGD2 show enhanced capacity to convert the weak androgen, androstenedione, to testosterone. At the same time, treatment with PGD2 induced reactive oxygen species as indicated by generation of the lipid peroxidation product, 4-hydroxynonenal. To determine whether these two events are linked, we used the reactive oxygen species scavenger N-acetyl-cysteine, which blocked the enhanced testosterone production from PGD2-treated keratinocytes. Our study suggests the existence of a possible crosstalk between the PGD2-reactive oxygen species axis and testosterone metabolism in keratinocytes. Thus, we propose that AGA patients might benefit from the use of N-acetyl-cysteine or other antioxidants as a supplement to currently available or emerging AGA therapies such as finasteride, minoxidil, and PGD2 receptor blockers.
Investigation of the presence of HPV on KTP laser fibers following KTP laser treatment of papilloma.

Objectives Recurrent respiratory papillomatosis is often treated with in-office laser procedures using a potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) laser transmitted through a laser fiber. Although effective, this procedure has notable downsides, including the possibility of transmitting human papillomavirus (HPV) in the smoke plume and the high cost of these single-use fibers. The objective of this study is to determine if HPV can be detected on a laser fiber after use, with or without sterilization. Methods Twelve patients with laryngeal papillomas were treated with KTP laser energy transmitted via a KTP fiber. Ten fibers were sterilized in CIDEX (ASP, Irvine, California), a glutaraldehyde disinfectant, for 12 minutes, whereas two fibers were left unsterilized. Human papillomavirus DNA amplification was done on all 12 fiber samples with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using general primer mediated 5+ and 6+. Human papillomavirus genotyping detection was done using type specific probes and/or Sanger sequencing. Results Over 27 strains of HPV were not detected on KTP fibers after use, with or without sterilization. Conclusion Human papillomavirus was undetectable by PCR on KTP laser fibers that were sterilized or unsterilized after use. Further studies are needed utilizing a transmission model to determine if HPV can be incubated from this fiber after sterilization. Level of evidence NA. Laryngoscope, 128:926-928, 2018.
The new Careers Movement and Social Change

New careers programs, along with offering expansion of services, need to be recognized as having the potential to curtail social action and deflect social reform
Relativistic Scalar Fields

It is easiest to start our study of field theory with relativistic systems. Lorentz invariance provides many simplifications and guiding principles, as well as the allure of a compact notation.
THE PRACTICE OF CLINICAL RESEARCH

In this piece, Gordon Donaldson, who has been conducting field-based research for nearly four decades at Harvard Business School, discusses the practice of clinical research. He draws upon his long experience in carrying out this type of work and discusses * the role of clinical research, * the challenges of conducting clinical research, * how to maintain integrity of the research process, * how to mix subjective and objective evidence, * the role of peer review, * public and private companies as research subjects, and * the mechanics of carrying out a field research project (selecting the sites, making contact, and working through interviews.)
Metabolism of Phosphatidic Acid

In the first edition of the Handbook of Neurochemistry, Rossiter and Strickland1 reviewed the metabolism of phosphatidic acid in relation to the overall metabolism of phosphoglycerides, and Hawthorne and Kai2 described the metabolic relationship between phosphatidic acid and phosphoinositides. The past 12 years have seen many advances in the area of phosphatidic acid biochemistry. A review of the existing information, therefore, is desirable. This chapter focuses primarily on work carried out in the nervous system, although background information obtained in nonneural tissues is also presented when relevant to the overall picture. Several aspects of phosphatidic acid composition and metabolism in the neural tissue remain unexplained because of the methodological difficulties of isolating this minor lipid from neural tissue.
Plasma Carotenoids and Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Patients with prior Head and Neck Cancer

Diets high in fruits and vegetables are generally believed protective against several chronic diseases. One suggested mechanism is a reduction in oxidative stress. The carotenoids, nutrients found in colored fruits and vegetables, possess antioxidant properties in vitro, but their role in humans is less well documented. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationships between the most abundant plasma carotenoids (alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, zeaxanthin and beta-cryptoxanthin), as well as grouped carotenoids (total xanthophylls, carotenes and carotenoids), and urinary excretion of the F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs), stable and specific biomarkers of oxidative damage to lipids. Two F2-IsoP measures were utilized: total F2-IsoPs and 8-iso-PGF2α. The study population (N = 52) was drawn from a study among patients curatively treated for early-stage head and neck cancer. Unadjusted linear regression analyses revealed significant inverse associations between plasma lutein, total xanthophylls and both F2-IsoP measures at baseline. After control for potential confounders, all individual and grouped xanthophylls remained inversely associated with the F2-IsoP measures, but none of these associations achieved significance. The carotenes were not inversely associated with total F2-IsoPs or 8-iso-PGF2a concentrations. The finding of consistent inverse associations between individual and grouped xanthophylls, but not individual and grouped carotenes, and F2-IsoPs is intriguing and warrants further investigation.
Epidemiology of anophthalmia and microphthalmia: Prevalence and patterns in Texas, 1999–2009

Anophthalmia and microphthalmia are a set of rare, yet severe, birth defects considered to be part of a spectrum of developmental ocular malformations ranging from smaller than average to completely absent eyes. Despite their clinical significance, little is known about the etiologies of these conditions. The goal of this study was to expand our understanding of the epidemiology of anophthalmia and microphthalmia. Data for this population-based assessment were obtained from the Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR) and Center for Health Statistics for the period 1999-2009. Descriptive analyses and estimates of birth prevalence and prevalence ratios (PR) were determined for this defect. There were 1,262 definite anophthalmia and microphthalmia patients identified in the TBDR, with an overall combined prevalence of 3.0 per 10,000 live births. More than half (55.7%) of the patients had at least one chromosome abnormality or syndrome. In addition, 92.4% of nonsyndromic patients (i.e., have no recorded chromosome abnormalities or syndromes) had at least one additional birth defect. After adjustment for multiple factors, the prevalence of nonsyndromic anophthalmia and microphthalmia was higher among mothers who had ≥2 previous fetal deaths (PR = 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.03-1.97) and among mothers with any reported diabetes (PR = 2.08, 95% CI: 1.49-2.90). Our results confirm that children with anophthalmia and microphthalmia frequently have genetic syndromes or are born with other major birth defects. Our findings add to the limited body of literature on anophthalmia and microphthalmia as well as help define subgroups of women who are more likely to have children with this malformation.
Diagnostic de l’allergie au sésame en pédiatrie : analyse des tests diagnostiques actuels et exploration du recombinant Ses i 1

Introduction L’allergie au sesame est une allergie en augmentation et potentiellement severe. Cependant les seuils des outils diagnostics actuels n’ont pas ete clairement definis. Notre objectif etait de definir la validite des tests diagnostiques de l’allergie au sesame actuels selon les resultats de tests de provocation orale (TPO) a cet aliment en pediatrie. Methodes Les TPO au sesame realises dans le service d’allergologie pediatrique de l’hopital Mount Sinai (New York, Etats-Unis), ont ete recueilli de janvier 2010 a avril 2018. L’aire sous la courbe (AUC) des courbes ROC a ete calcule afin d’evaluer les tests diagnostiques [prick test (extrait laboratoire Greer), IgE specifique au sesame (ImmunoCAP) et Ses i 1 (puce ISAC®) de ThermoFisher Scientific]. L’association entre le resultat du TPO et les differentes mesures des tests a ete analysee utilisant une regression logistique dont les resultats ont permis de modeliser une courbe predictive de reaction. Resultats Nous avons identifie 341 patients (69 % garcons, âge moyen 7,7 ans) ayant eu un TPO au sesame. Parmi les 106 (31 %) TPO positifs, la dose cumulee mediane etait de 500 mg de proteine de sesame. Une papule au prick test > 6 mm avait une sensibilite de 54,1 % et une specificite de 87,8 % ; AUC 0,756 (IC95 % [0,699–0,814]). Une papule > 14 mm avait une valeur predictive positive (VPP) estimee a 95 %. Le taux d’IgE au sesame n’etait pas correle au resultat du TPO ; AUC 0,497 (IC 95 % [0,429–0,564]). Ses i 1 a ete mesure chez 30 patients et etait significativement associe au resultat du TPO ; AUC : 0,715 (IC 95 %[0,541–0,890]). Un taux d’IgE Ses i 1 > 0,3 ISU avait une sensibilite de 58,3 % et une specificite de 83,3 %. Discussion Les tests actuels necessitent un processus de fabrication en milieu aqueux, qui ne conserve probablement pas certains allergenes lipidiques (oleosines) expliquant une faible performance diagnostique des IgE source et dans une moindre mesure des extraits commerciaux pour les tests cutanes. Conclusion Nous presentons les resultats de la plus large etude a ce jour sur l’allergie au sesame. Le prick test au sesame et les IgE Ses i 1 semblent etre de meilleurs predicteurs d’allergie au sesame compare aux IgE sesame source.
A screening method to identify efficient sgRNAs in Arabidopsis, used in conjunction with cell-specific lignin reduction

Single guide RNA (sgRNA) selection is important for the efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing. However, in plants, the rules governing selection are not well established. We developed a facile transient assay to screen sgRNA efficiency. We then used it to test top-performing bioinformatically predicted sgRNAs for two different Arabidopsis genes. In our assay, these sgRNAs had vastly different editing efficiencies, and these efficiencies were replicated in stably transformed Arabidopsis lines. One of the genes, hydroxycinnamoyl-CoA shikimate/quinate hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT), is an essential gene, required for lignin biosynthesis. Previously, HCT function has been studied using gene silencing. Here, to avoid the negative growth effects that are due to the loss of HCT activity in xylem vessels, we used a fiber-specific promoter to drive CAS9 expression. Two independent transgenic lines showed the expected lignin decrease. Successful editing was confirmed via the observation of mutations at the HCT target loci, as well as an approximately 90% decrease in HCT activity. Histochemical analysis and a normal growth phenotype support the fiber-specific knockout of HCT. For the targeting of the second gene, Golgi-localized nucleotide sugar transporter2 (GONST2), a highly efficient sgRNA drastically increased the rate of germline editing in T1 generation. This screening method is widely applicable, and the selection and use of efficient sgRNAs will accelerate the process of expanding germplasm for both molecular breeding and research. In addition, this, to the best of our knowledge, is the first application of constrained genome editing to obtain chimeric plants of essential genes, thereby providing a dominant method to avoid lethal growth phenotypes.
Chat Reference Referral Strategies: Making a Connection, or Dropping the Ball?

The study analyzes how chat reference providers refer patrons to subject specialists in 467 interactions from two years at a university library. Qualitative analysis showed variation in how referrals are presented: as an option versus a recommendation, putting follow-up in the hands of patrons versus librarians, and apologizing versus promoting benefits. Professional librarians referred more questions to specialists, framed more referrals as benefits, and sent more transcripts (“tickets”) than graduate assistants or paraprofessionals did. Findings show correlations between patrons’ positive responses to referrals and the extent of the reference interview and positive framing of the referral, but not the attempt to assist before referring.
Large Acoustoelectric Effect in Wafer Bonded Indium Gallium Arsenide / Lithium Niobate Heterostructure Augmented by Novel Gate Control

This paper demonstrates a monolithic surface acoustic wave amplifier fabricated by state-of-the-art heterogenous integration of a IH-V InGaAs-based epitaxial material stack and LiNb03. Due to the superior properties of the materials employed, we observe electron gain and also non-reciprocal gain in excess of 30dB with reduced power consumption. Additionally, we present a framework for performance optimization as a function of material parameters for a targeted gain. This platform enables further advances in active and non-reciprocal piezoelectric acoustic devices.
Robotics in the Gut

Since the advent of ingestible temperature sensors and capsule endoscopes, rapid advances in electronics, robotics, nanotechnology, and material sciences have opened the door for the development of novel medical ingestible robots. The untethered robots provide direct, non‐invasive access to the entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Furthermore, the tissues, gases, and fluids of the gastrointestinal lumen contain a multitude of biomarkers indicative of gut diseases and health. Ingestible medical robots equipped with advanced imaging and sensing techniques can enable the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases, while providing a better pathophysiological understanding of gastrointestinal disorders. In addition, various robotic actuation mechanisms in the macro‐ and microscale can realize enhanced drug delivery and surgical interventions for the treatment of diseases. In this paper, an overview of recent advances in ingestible robots toward imaging, sensing, drug delivery, and surgical applications in the GI tract is provided. Key challenges and strategies for the development of novel ingestible robots and future directions of ingestible robots toward precision medicine are also discussed.
Beyond the Nation State: Europe as Communicative Space

The present work represents a benchmark in the ongoing intellectual debate concerning the current status and future of the European Union following the 2008 financial crisis in all its destabilizin...
Mining Biomedical Data for Hidden Relationship Discovery

With an ever-growing number of publications in the biomedical domain, it becomes likely that important implicit connections between individual concepts of biomedical knowledge are overlooked. Literature based discovery (LBD) is in practice for many years to identify plausible associations between previously unrelated concepts. In this paper, we present a new, completely automatic and interactive system that creates a graph-based knowledge base to capture multifaceted complex associations among biomedical concepts. For a given pair of input concepts, our system auto-generates a list of ranked subgraphs uncovering possible previously unnoticed associations based on context information. To rank these subgraphs, we implement a novel ranking method using the context information obtained by performing random walks on the graph. In addition, we enhance the system by training a Neural Network Classifier to output the likelihood of the two concepts being likely related, which provides better insights to the end user.
Understanding air-tight case environments at the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institution) by SPME-GC-MS analysis

Abstract Some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), generated and accumulated in exhibition cases, are capable of inducing degradation in historical artifacts. In this context, it is of special importance to distinguish between VOCs emitted by the construction materials and/or the historical objects, with the ultimate goal of proposing an appropriate mitigation strategy. To pursue this goal, a comprehensive analysis based on solid phase microextraction (SPME) coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) has been optimized. The sampling setup used in this study does not require any modification of the exhibition design, and the testing remained nearly invisible and unobtrusive to museum visitors. This methodology has been applied to an issue encountered at the National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian Institution), where an unpleasant smell was detected in airtight exhibition cases already on display containing sensitive historical objects. The analysis of the volatiles emitted by construction materials allowed for identification of characteristic markers emitted by each material, and the ability to identify their overall contribution in the exhibition case. Via this method, SPME-GC-MS confirmed via the detection of some specific markers that the unpleasant smell was released by one of the construction materials and had accumulated in the exhibition case. In addition, due to the measurements taken in different positions around the exhibition cases, results were useful to point out the range of efficiency of the sorbent material placed in some of the exhibition cases as a first attempt of mitigation technique.
Critical transitions in the hydrological system: Early-warning signals and network analysis

Abstract. In this study, we identified the critical transitions of hydrological processes including precipitation and potential evapotranspiration by analysing their early-warning signals and system-based network structures. The statistical early-warning signals are manifest in increasing trends of autocorrelation and variance in the hydrology system ranging from regional to global scales, prior to climate shifts in the 1970s and 1990s in agreement with observations. We further extended the conventional statistics-based measures of early-warning signals to system-based network analysis in urban areas across the contiguous United States. The topology of urban precipitation network features hub-periphery (clustering) and modular organization, with strong intra-regional connectivity and inter-regional gateways (teleconnection). We found that several network parameters (mean correlation coefficient, density, and clustering coefficient) gradually increased prior to the critical transition in the 1990s, signifying the enhanced synchronization among urban precipitation pattern. These topological parameters not only can serve as novel system-based early-warning signals to critical transitions in hydrological processes, but also shed new lights on structure-dynamic interactions in the complex hydrological system.
Attending to Quantities Through the Modelling Space

Understanding students’ modelling processes is critical for informing facilitator interventions. More specifically, it is important for facilitators to understand the situation-specific attributes students find relevant in modelling tasks, if and how these are manifested in their inscriptions, and when students’ situation-specific meanings for inscriptions change while engaged in modelling. In this chapter, we present a theoretically coherent methodological approach for attending to the aforementioned features. Our approach foregrounds the quantities projected by students when engaged in modelling, as well as attends to the situation-specific quantitative referents for their mathematical inscriptions. We illustrate the utility of this approach by analysing the modelling activities of a purposefully selected undergraduate student and consider implications for future research.
Do Pharmaceutical Prices Respond to Potential Patient Out-of-Pocket Expenses?

Despite the importance of patient insurance in the market for prescription pharmaceuticals, little is known about the impact of patient reimbursement on the pricing behavior of pharmaceutical firms. I examine the link between potential patient out-of-pocket expenses and pharmaceutical pricing using a unique policy experiment from Germany. Starting in 1989, a maximum reimbursement for a given medicine replaced a flat prescription fee. This change in reimbursement exposes the patient to the price of a prescribed product. Using a product-level panel dataset covering several therapeutic categories before and after the policy change, I find that producers significantly decrease prices after the change in potential patient out-of-pocket expenses. Price declines are most pronounced for brand-name products. Moreover, branded products that face more generic competitors reduce prices more.
Metropolitan City Finances in India: Options for A New Fiscal Architecture

India will face great problems in finding a way to finance public services in its large cities in the next two decades. Backlogs in service levels and infrastructure are already great, and migration to urban areas will put even more pressure on state and local government budgets. Metropolitan cities have an economic base of significant size, but have not been empowered to tap this revenue potential. State governments have more ability to reach a buoyant tax base, and to borrow, but must also use these resources to provide statewide services and to tend to the servicing needs of poorer local governments. The Indian Constitution poses significant constraints on the financing options, and neither the Central Finance Commission nor the State Finance Commissions have shown the way out of this problem. One could correctly say that India has not successfully implemented a strategy to address the fiscal problems of metropolitan areas.
Universal Jurisdiction in Sierra Leone: Reform of the Law

The concept of law reform in common-law jurisdictions has always been predicated upon the need for lawyers to break out of their traditional mould of commitment to and contentment with “lawyers law” or technical legalistic justice. Evidently, changing the law for the sake of change is not a good thing. Any reform must be beneficial to the diverse needs of the community or society. In the context of Sierra Leone, as a member of the international community, the needs of the nation after the widespread and systematic commission of grave violations of international humanitarian law during the decade-long armed conflict demand conformity between the country’s municipal law and the norms and values of international law. That is the focus of this chapter.
Using an Operational Planning Support System to Evaluate Farmland Preservation Policies

This chapter describes the use ofa fully operational, commercially available, planning support system, What if?™, to evaluate alternative policies for preserving farmland in a rapidly urbanizing area in the midwestern United States. The chapter describes the study area, Medina County, Ohio, and the What if? model. It then describes the procedures that were used to obtain the required data and to apply the model to Medina County. The chapter concludes by considering the implications which the study has for efforts to preserve farmland and accommodate growth in the County.
Incest Prohibition, Origin and Evolution of

Why do people avoid sexual relations with close relatives? And why do they punish and condemn as inhuman the few exceptions? The many theorists who have addressed these questions fall naturally into one of two mutually hostile camps – constitutionalists and conventionalists. The former include, most notably, the Finnish scholar Edward Westermarck who argued that the proximate cause of incest avoidance is early association and the ultimate cause, the dangers of inbreeding. The latter include E.B. Tylor, Leslie White, Claude Levi-Strauss, and a motley collection of Marxists. They attribute incest avoidance to the incest taboos and argue that the taboos were instituted to secure various social advantages. They follow Freud in assuming that human beings are naturally inclined to mate and marry in the family. After more than a 100 years of intense debate most scholars now agree that Westermarck was right in attributing incest avoidance to the dangers of inbreeding, but there is still no generally accepted explanation of the incest taboos. The conventionalist view has been eroded by a flow of evidence indicating that the taboos are not necessary to achieve whatever social advantages exogamy may entail, but constitutionalists have failed to provide a convincing alternative. All they have to offer is the suggestion that the taboos are by-products of incest avoidance.
Discrete Hidden Markov Model Bayesian Processors

This chapter introduces the concept of discrete hidden Markov model (HMM) and illustrates their internal characteristics through a state‐space representation. It develops the concepts of Markov and hidden Markov chains and shows how they were related. Next, the chapter investigates properties of the HMM illustrating how the Bayesian concepts easily transfer over to this discrete representation. It investigates the three fundamental problems along with some variations: (1) the evaluation (simulation) problem; (2) the state estimation problem; and (3) the parameter estimation problem. A careful analysis of each led us to the popular Viterbi decoding technique and the specialized expectation‐maximization (EM) algorithm popularly called the Baum‐Welch technique. The chapter concludes with a case study to decode a transmitted coded sequence from data enhanced by a time‐reversal (T/R) processor and also considers applying the Viterbi algorithm to decode a message transmitted through a hostile environment with reverberations along with the processor and decoding algorithm.
Approximate TSP in Graphs with Forbidden Minors

Given as input an edge-weighted graph, we analyze two algorithms for finding subgraphs with low total edge weight. The first algorithm finds a separator subgraph with a small number of components, and is analyzed for graphs with an arbitrary excluded minor. The second algorithm finds a spanner with small stretch factor, and is analyzed for graphs in a hereditary family G(k). These results imply (i) a QPTAS (quasi-polynomial time approximation scheme) for the TSP (traveling salesperson problem) in unweighted graphs with an excluded minor, and (ii) a QPTAS for the TSP in weighted graphs with bounded genus.
Gestational weight gain and the risk of offspring obesity at 10 and 16 years: a prospective cohort study in low-income women.

Objective To study the association between gestational weight gain (GWG) and offspring obesity risk at ages chosen to approximate prepuberty (10 years) and postpuberty (16 years). Design Prospective pregnancy cohort. Setting Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Sample Low-income pregnant women (n = 514) receiving prenatal care at an obstetric residency clinic and their singleton offspring. Methods Gestational weight gain was classified based on maternal GWG-for-gestational-age Z-score charts and was modelled using flexible spline terms in modified multivariable Poisson regression models. Main outcome measures Obesity at 10 or 16 years, defined as body mass index (BMI) Z-scores ≥95th centile of the 2000 CDC references, based on measured height and weight. Results The prevalence of offspring obesity was 20% at 10 years and 22% at 16 years. In the overall sample, the risk of offspring obesity at 10 and 16 years increased when GWG exceeded a GWG Z-score of 0 SD (equivalent to 30 kg at 40 weeks); but for gains below a Z-score of 0 SD there was no relationship with child obesity risk. The association between GWG and offspring obesity varied by prepregnancy BMI. Among mothers with a pregravid BMI <25 kg/m2, the risk of offspring obesity increased when GWG Z-score exceeded 0 SD, yet among overweight women (BMI ≥25 kg/m2), there was no association between GWG Z-scores and offspring obesity risk. Conclusions Among lean women, higher GWG may have lasting effects on offspring obesity risk. Tweetable abstract Maternal weight gain is associated with offspring obesity at 10 and 16 years in a prospective study.
Comparison of nasal pressure transducer and thermistor for detection of respiratory events during polysomnography in children

STUDY OBJECTIVES The results of small studies have suggested that a nasal-cannula pressure transducer has a higher sensitivity than a thermistor in detecting hypopneas and diagnosing sleep-disordered breathing in both adults and children. We compared a thermistor alone, and in conjunction with a pressure transducer, for detection of sleep-disordered breathing in children during in-home polysomnography. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of a subsample of a prospective cohort study. SETTING Students attending elementary school in the Tucson Unified School District. PARTICIPANTS A subsample of the Tucson Children's Assessment of Sleep Apnea study population. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Polysomnographic recordings of 40 children (24 girls and 16 boys, mean age 9.2 +/- 1.7 years; range 6-11 years) were analyzed to compare the detection of sleep-disordered breathing events by 2 different methods of measuring airflow: thermistor alone and thermistor with nasal-cannula pressure transducer (transducer) used simultaneously. The transducer detected all the respiratory events detected by the thermistor, but the thermistor detected only 84% of the transducer-defined events. Consequently, the transducer-derived mean respiratory disturbance index was higher than that detected by the thermistor (7.0 +/- 3.8 vs 5.9 +/- 3.4, P < .001). The bias error between transducer respiratory disturbance index and thermistor respiratory disturbance index on a Bland-Altman plot was 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 0.8 - 1.4). There was good agreement between the thermistor and the transducer for making the diagnosis of sleep apnea using a cutoff of a respiratory disturbance index greater than 5 (kappa = 0.69). The quality of the tracings with the transducer was comparable to that of the thermistor, but the transducer dislodged more frequently. CONCLUSION The use of a nasal transducer in conjunction with a thermistor was more sensitive than the thermistor alone in detecting sleep-disordered breathing in children during unattended polysomnography.
Primary epidermoid carcinoma of the vulva complicating pregnancy

Abstract Six cases of primary epidermoid carcinoma of the external genitalia complicating pregnancy, including the present report, have been recorded in the literature. Four had their primary site of origin in the vagina. Three of these ended fatally in a remarkably short time, the fourth patient was alive six weeks post partum. The final course is not known since the follow-up is incomplete. Two cases were primary squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva and were treated in a similar, though quite independent, manner. Both patients at the present writing are alive and well, one after a period of five years, the other after seventeen months. The treatment of all operable carcinomas of the vulva is vulvectomy with complete bilateral inguinal dissection. This procedure must be tempered to fit the individual case when accompanied by pregnancy. The results of surgery for this condition are highly favorable. Taussig 9 reported 20.4 per cent and Stoeckel 10 a 31.2 per cent five-year cure rate. However, it is important to remember that these cases were not complicated by co-existing pregnancy. According to Cutler 11 the effect of radiation therapy alone is difficult to evaluate. Variations in the character of the disease and the small number of cases studied constitute the chief difficulties. The difficulties surrounding radiation treatment of carcinoma of the vulva are due chiefly to the fact that the normal tissues of this region are so delicate and so sensitive to irradiation that it is exceedingly difficult to effect the sterilization of the carcinoma without serious damage to the normal tissues. In the treatment of carcinoma of the vagina complicating pregnancy, surgery is not practicable. The therapy, therefore, is irradiation alone. Early diagnosis followed by the same thorough irradiation as is given for cervical carcinoma is important. The prognosis at best is poor.
Long-term adaptation of breast tumor cell lines to high concentrations of nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO), a free radical, has been implicated in the biology of human cancers, including breast cancer, yet it is still unclear how NO affects tumor development and propagation. We herein gradually adapted four human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines (BT-20, Hs578T, T-47D, and MCF-7) to increasing concentrations of the NO donor DETA-NONOate up to 600 muM. The resulting model system consisted of a set of fully adapted high nitric oxide ("HNO") cell lines that are biologically different from the "parent" cell lines from which they originated. Although each of the four parent and HNO cell lines had identical morphologic appearance, the HNO cells grew faster than their corresponding parent cells and were resistant to both nitrogen- and oxygen-based free radicals. These cell lines serve as a novel tool to study the role of NO in breast cancer progression and potentially can be used to predict the therapeutic response leading to more efficient therapeutic regimens.
Estimating the potential for submergence for two wetlands in the Mississippi River Delta

We used a combined field and modeling approach to estimate the potential for submergence for one rapidly deteriorating (Bayou Chitigue Marsh) and one apparently stable (Old Oyster Bayou Marsh) saltmarsh wetland in coastal Louisiana, given two eustatic sea level rise scenarios: the current rate (0.15 cm year−1); and the central value predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (48 cm by the year 2100). We also used the model to determine what processes were most critical for maintaining and influencing salt marsh elevation including, mineral matter deposition, organic matter production, shallow subsidence (organic matter decomposition + primary sediment compaction), deep subsidence, and sediment pulsing events (e.g., hurricanes). Eight years of field measurements from feldspar marker horizons and surface elevation tables revealed that the rates of vertical accretion at the Bayou Chitigue Marsh were high (2.26 (0.09) cm yr−1 (mean ± SE)) because the marsh exists at the lower end of the tidal range. The rate of shallow subsidence was also high (2.04 (0.1) cm yr−1), resulting in little net elevation gain (0.22 (0.06) cm yr−1). In contrast, vertical accretion at the Old Oyster Bayou Marsh, which is 10 cm higher in elevation, was 0.48 (0.09) cm yr−1. However, there was a net elevation gain of 0.36 (0.08) cm yr−1 because there was no significant shallow subsidence. When these rates of elevation gain were compared to rates of relative sea level rise (deep subsidence plus eustatic sea level rise), both sites showed a net elevation deficit although the Bayou Chitigue site was subsiding at approximately twice the rate of the Old Oyster Bayou site (1.1 cm yr−1 versus 0.49 cm yr−1 respectively). These field data were used to modify, initialize, and calibrate a previously published wetland soil development model that simulates primary production and mineral matter deposition as, feedback functions of elevation. Sensitivity analyses revealed that wetland elevation was most sensitive to changes in the rates of deep subsidence, a model forcing function that is difficult to measure in the field and for which estimates in the literature vary widely. The model also revealed that, given both the current rate of sea level rise and the central value estimate, surface elevation at both sites would fall below mean sea level over the next 100 years. Although these results were in agreement with the field study, they contradicted long term observations that the Old Oyster Bayou site has been in equilibrium with sea level for at least the past 50 years. Further simulations showed that the elevation at the Old Oyster Bayou site could keep pace with current rates of sea level rise if either a lower rate for deep subsidence was used as a forcing function, or if a periodic sediment pulsing function (e.g., from hurricanes) was programmed into the model.