cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Indicators of vehicular emission inputs into semi-arid roadside ecosystems

The relative importance of pollution from non-point sources, such as vehicular emissions, is not well understood in sensitive semi-arid protected areas, such as Grand Canyon National Park (GCNP). Roadside N deposition could be substantial in areas with high visitation and traffic volume such as GCNP, although inputs of roadside pollution have not been quantified in GCNP. We used three potential indicators of N enrichment to evaluate impacts of vehicle emissions on roadside ecosystems in GCNP: 1) concentration of nitrogen oxides (NOx) captured by passive air samplers, 2) natural δ15N abundance in the foliage of mature Pinon pine trees and soil N, and 3) concentrations of available inorganic N (NO3− and NH4+) in soil. Over an eight-month period, N enrichment was assessed at ten sites located across hypothesized gradients of vehicular N deposition based on distance from primary roadways and traffic levels in GCNP. Ogawa passive air samplers indicated that NOx levels were on average 52% higher at roadside locations compared to 30 m away, and were highest at the most heavily trafficked sites in the park. Natural abundance δ15N of foliage was significantly higher (F = 16.04, p = 0.007, n = 237) at roadside locations than at 15, and 30 m distances: a pattern that is consistent with local N inputs from vehicle emissions. Available inorganic soil N was significantly higher (F = 3.46, p = 0.013, n = 8) at the South Entrance roadside compared to areas with lower traffic densities. The direct measurement of atmospheric NOx using Ogawa samplers and δ15N of Pinon pine needle tissues were the best indicators of roadside N deposition. Our results also suggest that vehicular emissions on the South Rim of GCNP were incorporated in the plant nutrient pools near roadside environments. Although N emissions in GCNP comply with current annual air quality standards as specified by the Clean Air Act, it remains unclear whether the standards are low enough to sustain ecological integrity of native ecological communities along roadsides. Coupled with information on N-pollution tipping points and other ecological indicators, the metrics used here may prove to be a cost effective approach for monitoring roadside N-deposition and informing management decisions.
Reinventing circuit boards with high density optical interconnects

We propose a photonic interconnect platform consisting of silicon photonic optical interposers and multiple layers of optical waveguides in a circuit board form factor which provides unprecedented communications density. With increase interconnect density, large distributed systems can be miniaturized to single board scales.
Weather, climate, politics, or God? Determinants of American public opinions toward global warming

ABSTRACT2012 American National Election Study data supplemented with monthly temperature data from the United States Historical Climatology Network are used to examine how religion, politics, and weather and climate affect views of global warming. Evangelical fundamentalism is the most consistent factor among all religion-related variables in determining perceptions of global warming, those more oriented toward evangelical fundamentalism being less likely than others to believe in the existence, anthropogenic cause, and adverse impact of global warming. Controlling for the effects of traditional political predisposition variables, including party identification and political ideology, support for the Tea Party plays a dominant role in determining views of global warming; support for the Tea Party leading to higher likelihood of disbelief in the existence, anthropogenic cause, and negative impact of global warming. Warming winters coupled with cooling springs of the past decade are positively related with ...
Quantum 1/f and classical phase noise in resonant bio-chemical MEMS sensors

While classical physics provides no universal 1/f spectrum, quantum mechanics and electrodynamics require the presence of fundamental quantum fluctuations of physical currents, cross sections, and process rates, because of the infrared quasi-divergence and radiative corrections. The present paper calculates these quantum fluctuations, shows that they have a simple universal 1/f spectrum, and shows how they invariably come to the foreground, being dominant at low frequencies in high-technology applications. This happens because in them all other fluctuations and sources of instability have been either eliminated, or otherwise discounted and put under control. BAW SAW and MEMS resonators are no exception. This defines detection limits and optimization rules for biological and chemical sensors based on them
What predicts first date success? A longitudinal study of modality switching in online dating

This study uses a longitudinal design to investigate the effects of online dating sites on first date success. Participants were surveyed before their first date with someone from an online dating site (N = 186) and again after meeting their partner in person (N = 94). As part of the survey, they also supplied the e-mails they had sent to their partner through the dating site so their actual communication could be examined. Findings indicated that first date success was predictable from features of participants' online impressions and relational dynamics. The results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and methodological contributions to the literature on relationship development, as well as their practical implications for online dating sites and users.
Design of a Low-Power Non-Volatile Programmable Inverter Cell for COGRE-based Circuits

This paper proposes a low-power non-volatile programmable inverter cell (NVPINV) that can be used with a COGRE (i.e. a compactly organized generic reconfigurable element) circuit to store the correct information for programming when establishing the desired logic function. The programmable data in the cell is read from a non-volatile SRAM (NVSRAM); two RMs (racetrack memories) are utilized as non-volatile elements. The RM is selected as non-volatile memory element due to its capability for independent operations (read and write), thus making possible a parallel execution of the programming process. The NVSRAM operates as a programmable circuit, i.e. a programmable circuit under control as either a buffer, or an inverter. The cell is extensively analyzed in terms of its operations with respect to different figures of merit, such as delay, power dissipation and power delay product (PDP). Simulation results show that in addition to low-power operation, the proposed NVPINV cell provides significant advantages (such as low delay and non-volatile storage) compared to an SRAM based Look-Up-Table (LUT) implementation.
'Completely Instructing the Jury on the Law': Lesser-Included Offenses in Hawai‘i

The lesser-included offense doctrine involves different ways to determine what constitutes a lesser-included offense and the doctrine implicates important constitutional issues. After an overview of the history of the doctrine, the piece attempts to explain the varying approaches, how the lesser-included offenses are handled in Hawai‘i, and the constitutional issues implicated in Hawai‘i's approach.
Exurban housing development, onsite wastewater disposal, and groundwater vulnerability within a changing policy context

Abstract On-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS) are designed to collect, filter, and release treated wastewater effluent back into the natural environment. If these decentralized systems are not properly installed or regularly maintained, or are spatially distributed at densities that exceed the landscape’s ability to safely treat wastewater effluent, groundwater can become contaminated. We examine in this paper the evolution of state-level policies regulating on-site wastewater management in the State of Wisconsin (USA). We also present a spatiotemporal analysis of on-site wastewater systems installed in a metropolitan county within southeastern Wisconsin. Findings show: 1) advances in OWTS technologies, coupled with regulatory policy changes, have reduced the influence of physiographic constraints on exurban housing development, 2) over 7,000 on-site wastewater systems are unevenly distributed across the county’s landscapes, and 3) several OWTS clusters are at high enough densities to threaten groundwater quality, potentially posing public health risks from polluted private well-water. Groundwater contamination risk was assessed, county-wide, by using GIS overlay analysis to compare septic system density (greater than 2.0 systems per acre) with groundwater vulnerability. Our spatial analysis identified several “hot spots” that may warrant groundwater monitoring and OWTS inspections to limit potential health impacts. This method of analysis can help public sector planners design context-sensitive policies to manage unsewered housing development within the rural landscape.
Emergency Department Use across 88 Small Areas after Affordable Care Act Implementation in Illinois.

Introduction: This study analyzes changes in hospital emergency department (ED) visit ratesbefore and after the 2014 Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance expansions in Illinois. We comparethe association between population insurance status change and ED visit rate change between a24-month (2012-2013) pre-ACA period and a 24-month post-ACA (2014-2015) period across 88socioeconomically diverse areas of Illinois. Methods: We used annual American Community Survey estimates for 2012-2015 to obtain insurancestatus changes for uninsured, private, Medicaid, and Medicare (disability) populations of 88 IllinoisPublic Use Micro Areas (PUMAs), areas with a mean of about 90,000 age 18-64 residents. Over 12million ED visits to 201 non-federal Illinois hospitals were used to calculate visit rates by residents ofeach PUMA, using population-based mapping weights to allocate visits from zip codes to PUMAs. Wethen estimated n=88 correlations between population insurance-status changes and changes in EDvisit rates per 1,000 residents comparing the two years before and after ACA implementation. Results: The baseline PUMA uninsurance rate ranged from 6.7% to 41.1% and there was 4.6-fold variation in baseline PUMA ED visit rates. The top quartile of PUMAs had >21,000 reductionsin uninsured residents; 16 PUMAs had at least a 15,000 person increase in Medicaid enrollment.Compared to 2012-2013, 2014-2015 average monthly ED visits by the uninsured dropped 42%,but increased 42% for Medicaid and 10% for the privately insured. Areas with the largest increasesin Medicaid enrollment experienced the largest growth in ED use; change in Medicaid enrollmentwas the only significant correlate of area change in total ED visits and explained a third of variationacross the 88 PUMAs. Conclusion: ACA implementation in Illinois accelerated existing trends towards greater use of hospitalED care. It remains to be seen whether providing better access to primary and preventive care tothe formerly uninsured will reduce ED use over time, or whether ACA insurance expansion is a partof continued, long-term growth. Monitoring ED use at the local level is critical to the success of newhome- and community-based care coordination initiatives. [West J Emerg Med. 2017;18(5)811-820.]
Recruitment of African American adults as research participants for a language in aging study: example of a principled, creative, and culture-based approach.

Recruitment of African Americans as research participants continues as a major challenge for researchers studying health and human behavior. Numerous reasons for low participation by African Americans have been cited, most of which evolve around four primary factors: social injustice, education, economics, and cultural differences. To ensure adequate representation of the diversity within the U.S. population in research, the federal government mandates the inclusion of individuals from underrepresented groups as study participants. For African Americans, this number is approximately 12%. Controversy exists, however, as to whether published research studies reflect adequate representation of African Americans as study participants. This article reports a successful approach to the recruitment and retention of 80 African American adults who participated in a study investigating language comprehension in aging.
Carbon deposition mechanisms governing template-based synthesis of carbon nanotubes

Abstract Traditionally reaction kinetics are required when simulating species decomposition and deposition related processes. Template based chemical vapor deposition (TB-CVD) is a reaction based process to manufacture carbon nanotubes (CNTs), therefore, requiring intensive reaction kinematics modeling. In this process, ethylene and helium mixture (30%/70%), flows into the furnace which is filled with argon. Here, a novel method based on species consumption over the boundaries (deposition targets) has been proposed to replace the general reaction equations in ethylene decomposition and carbon deposition. Carbon deposition as a function of flow rate, and ethylene mass fraction as a function of time are compared against previous experimental results. A peak inlet gas flow rate for maximum carbon deposition is shown, after which the deposition rate decreases by further increasing the inlet gas flow rate, thus explaining the dependence of manufactured CNT thickness on inlet gas flow rate and residence time of the ethylene molecules around the deposition sites observed experimentally. This method, for the first time, combines flow field and reaction mechanisms into a simple numerical model that can be utilized for CVD furnaces of various dimensions in order to predict carbon deposition and, more specifically, the thickness of CNTs manufactured by TB-CVD processes.
In~situ leaching recovery of copper: what's next?

The recovery of mineral and metal values by solution mining has been practiced for centuries. What appears at first glance to be a simple, empirical technique, is in actuality a very complicated process involving a large number of critical parameters that encompass several scientific and engineering disciplines. Hydrometallurgy, hydrology, geology and geochemistry, rock mechanics, chemistry, and environmental engineering and management are a few of the specialties utilized by modern operators.
The Neighborhood Effects of Federal Historic Tax Credits in Six Legacy Cities

Since the program’s inception in 1976, the Federal Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credit (RTC) has supported more than 42,000 projects and $84 billion of rehabilitation work. Through 2016, this tax in...
UPSARA: A Model-Driven Approach for Performance Analysis of Cloud-Hosted Applications

Accurately analyzing the sources of performance anomalies in cloud-based applications is a hard problem due both to the multi tenant nature of cloud deployment and changing application workloads. To that end many different resource instrumentation and application performance modeling frameworks have been developed in recent years to help in the effective deployment and resource management decisions. Yet, the significant differences among these frameworks in terms of their APIs, their ability to instrument resources at different levels of granularity, and making sense of the collected information make it extremely hard to effectively use these frameworks. Not addressing these complexities can result in operators providing incompatible and incorrect configurations leading to inaccurate diagnosis of performance issues and hence incorrect resource management. To address these challenges, we present UPSARA, a model-driven generative framework that provides an extensible, lightweight and scalable performance monitoring, analysis and testing framework for cloud-hosted applications. UPSARA helps alleviate the accidental complexities in configuring the right resource monitoring and performance testing strategies for the underlying instrumentation frameworks used. We evaluate the effectiveness of UPSARA in the context of representative use cases highlighting its features and benefits.
Anxiety sensitivity treatment for children and adolescents

Abstract This chapter aims to provide clinicians with resources to effectively incorporate anxiety-sensitivity-related goals into effective treatment approaches for youth populations. First, we discuss the conceptualization of anxiety sensitivity as a construct in children and adolescents. Then, we review the application of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for panic disorder in youth to target anxiety sensitivity, following the model designed by authors of Mastery of Anxiety and Panic for Adolescents, Riding the Wave (MAP-A; Pincus, Ehrenreich, & Mattis, 2008 ). Finally, we present an alternative approach for treating anxiety sensitivity in youth by implementing transdiagnostic CBT treatment packages like the Unified Protocols for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in Children and Adolescents (UP-A and UP-C; Ehrenreich-May et al., 2018 ) to simultaneously target anxiety sensitivity in youth while also treating other problems common among youth with heightened anxiety sensitivity.
Reconciliation Between the Refined Consensus Model of PCK and Extant PCK Models for Advancing PCK Research in Science

In this chapter, I discuss how two pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) models known as the pentagon model of PCK and the indispensable and idiosyncratic PCK model can be situated within the Refined Consensus Model (RCM) of PCK as I reflect on examples of my earlier research in science teacher education. To guide my previous research, I used the pentagon model of PCK to capture and portray PCK and the indispensable and idiosyncratic PCK model to measure and assess PCK. I also illustrate how research methods drawn from these two existing models, including approaches such as PCK mapping, in-depth analysis of PCK, PCK surveys, and PCK rubrics, align with the RCM and what insights the RCM provides for improving these methods and advancing PCK research. The body of this chapter is structured around four distinctive features of the RCM, compared to the earlier Consensus Model (CM), that emerged through a critical comparison of the new model with the two extant PCK models, i.e. the RCM’s (1) emphasis on learning context for capturing PCK, (2) explicit visual representation of the link between PCK and the enactment of PCK, (3) distinction between personal PCK and collective PCK, and (4) shift in focus towards PCK development. Major methodological suggestions emerging from this critique for future research into science teacher education using the RCM include data collection encompassing the entire pedagogical cycle and greater attention to contextual factors, student learning, and pedagogical reasoning.
Limited developmental neurotoxicity from neonatal inhalation exposure to diesel exhaust particles in C57BL/6 mice

Recent epidemiological studies indicate early-life exposure to pollution particulate is associated with adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes. The need is arising to evaluate the risks conferred by individual components and sources of air pollution to provide a framework for the regulation of the most relevant components for public health protection. Previous studies in rodent models have shown diesel particulate matter has neurotoxic potential and could be a health concern for neurodevelopment. The present study shows an evaluation of pathological and protracted behavioral alterations following neonatal exposure to aerosolized diesel exhaust particles (NIST SRM 1650b). The particular behavioral focus was on temporal control learning, a broad and fundamental cognitive domain in which reward delivery is contingent on a fixed interval schedule. For this purpose, C57BL/6 J mice were exposed to aerosolized NIST SRM 1650b, a well-characterized diesel particulate material, from postnatal days 4–7 and 10–13, for four hours per day. Pathological features, including glial fibrillary-acidic protein, myelin basic protein expression in the corpus callosum, and ventriculomegaly, as well as learning alterations were measured to determine the extent to which NIST SRM 1650b would induce developmental neurotoxicity. Twenty-four hours following exposure significant increases in glial-fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the corpus callosum and cortex of exposed male mice were present. Additionally, the body weights of juvenile and early adult diesel particle exposed males were lower than controls, although the difference was not statistically significant. No treatment-related differences in males or females on overall locomotor activity or temporal learning during adulthood were observed in response to diesel particulate exposure. While some sex and regional-specific pathological alterations in GFAP immunoreactivity suggestive of an inflammatory reaction to SRM 1650b were observed, the lack of protracted behavioral and pathological deficits suggests further clarity is needed on the developmental effects of diesel emissions prior to enacting regulatory guidelines.
Management of Severe Proximal Femur Bone Loss With a Modular Articulating Antibiotic Spacer.

Introduction:Management of periprosthetic infection in total hip arthroplasties is challenging, especially when there is severe loss of proximal femoral bone stock. When a 2-stage approach is used,...
De novo malignancy in recipients of solid organ transplant from donors with intracranial cancer.

e13507Background: In 2016, 33,610 organ transplants were performed in the US. Nevertheless, there is a critical deficiency of available organs. Currently, malignant neoplasms in the donor preclude ...
The Evolving Notion and Role of Kuhn’s Incommensurability Thesis

The incommensurability thesis played a central role in Kuhn’s philosophy of science. In 1962, he introduced it in the Structure of Scientific Revolutions to make sense of nonsensical statements in antiquated scientific texts. The philosophy of science community was critical of the thesis, arguing it made science both irrational and relativistic. In response, Kuhn proposed several versions of the incommensurability thesis to clarify and defend it. He also shifted from a historical to an evolutionary philosophy of science; and, with the shift came a change in both the notion and role for incommensurability. Kuhn defined it now with respect to changes in the lexical taxonomy of a scientific specialty. He also ascribed to it the function of isolating one scientific specialty’s lexicon from another’s, and he used it to underpin a notion of scientific progress as the proliferation of scientific specialties. In this chapter, I reconstruct Kuhn’s evolving notion of incommensurability and its role, and critically analyze how he employed its mature version to address scientific truth and reality.
Dearomatization of Electron-Deficient Phenols to ortho-Quinones: Bidentate Nitrogen-Ligated Iodine(V) Reagents

Despite their broad utility, the synthesis of ortho-quinones remains a significant challenge, in particular, access to electron-deficient derivatives remains an unsolved problem. Reported here is the first general method for the synthesis of electron-deficient ortho-quinones by direct oxidation of phenols. The reaction is enabled by a novel bidentate nitrogen-ligated iodine(V) reagent, a previously unexplored class of compounds which we have termed Bi(N)-HVIs. The reaction is extremely general and proceeds with excellent regioselectivity for the ortho over para isomer. Functionalization of the ortho-quinone products was examined, resulting in a facile one-pot synthesis of catechols, as well as the incorporation of a variety of heteroatom nucleophiles. This method represents the first synthetic application of Bi(N)-HVIs and demonstrates their potential as a platform for the further development of highly reactive, but also highly tunable, I(V) reagents.
Submodular Matroid Secretary Problem with Shortlists

In the matroid secretary problem, the elements of a matroid $\mathcal{M}$ arrive in random order. Once we observe an item we need to irrevocably decide whether or not to accept it. The set of selected elements should form an independent set of the matroid. The goal is to maximize the total sum of the values assigned to these elements. We introduce a version of this problem motivated by the shortlist model in [Agrawal et al.]. In this setting, the algorithm is allowed to choose a subset of items as part of a shortlist, possibly more than $k=rk(\mathcal{M})$ items. Then, after seeing the entire input, the algorithm can choose an independent subset from the shortlist. Furthermore we generalize the objective function to any monotone submodular function. Is there an online algorithm achieve a constant competitive ratio using a shortlist of size $O(k)$? We design an algorithm that achieves a $\frac{1}{2}(1-1/e^2-\epsilon-O(1/k))$ competitive ratio for any constant $\epsilon>0$, using a shortlist of size $O(k)$. This is especially surprising considering that the best known competitive ratio for the matroid secretary problem is $O(\log \log k)$. An important application of our algorithm is for the random order streaming of submodular functions. We show that our algorithm can be implemented in the streaming setting using $O(k)$ memory. It achieves a $\frac{1}{2}(1-1/e^2-\epsilon-O(1/k))$ approximation. The previously best known approximation ratio for streaming submodular maximization under matroid constraint is 0.25 (adversarial order) due to [Feldman et al.], [Chekuri et al.], and [Chakrabarti et al.]. Moreover, we generalize our results to the case of p-matchoid constraints and give a $\frac{1}{p+1}(1-1/e^{p+1}-\epsilon-O(1/k))$ approximation using $O(k)$ memory, which asymptotically approaches the best known offline guarantee $\frac{1}{p+1}$ [Nemhauser et al.]
Modulating action through minimization: Syntax in the service of offering and requesting

This study uses data from a shoe-repair shop, supplemented by data from medical and mundane contexts, to analyze three progressively minimal grammatical formats used to implement offers and requests in interaction (i.e. do you want…?, you want…?, and want…?). We argue that this cline of minimality reflects a cline of the action-initiator's stance, from relatively weak to strong (respectively), regarding their expectation that the action will be accepted or complied with. In doing so, we illustrate that, as part of the design of requests and offers, participants rely on more granular distinctions than a simple binary between interrogative and declarative morphosyntax. We conclude with a discussion of the interactional logic that undergirds the normative use of these grammatical formats, and of our findings’ implications for action formation and preference organization. (Conversation analysis, interactional linguistics, offer, request, stance, grammar, morphosyntax)*
Consumption of potatoes and incidence rate of coronary artery disease: The Million Veteran Program.

Summary Background Potato consumption is highly prevalent around the world. Previous studies have reported a positive association of potato intake with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. However, data are scarce on potato consumption and risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Objective We hypothesized that potato consumption is positively associated with the incidence of CAD among US veterans. Design We prospectively studied 148,671 participants from Million Veteran Program (MVP). We used a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess consumption of baked, boiled, and mashed potatoes. The incidence of CAD was assessed through electronic health record. We used Cox Proportional hazard model to compute hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for CAD events across categories of potato intake. Result The average age of participants was 64 years at the time of potato assessment. A total of 6309 new cases of CAD occurred during a mean follow up of 2.7 ± 1.4 y. Median potato consumption was 1 cup/week. The crude incidence of CAD from lowest to highest category of potato consumption was 14.5, 15.0, 15.2, 16.1, and 18.9 per 1000 person-years, respectively. Hazard ratios (95% CI) of CAD were 1.00 (reference), 1.02 (0.93–1.11), 1.02 (0.93–1.12), 1.04 (0.95–1.15), and 1.21 (1.07–1.37) for potato intake of Conclusion Frequent (5+ cups/week) but not infrequent potato consumption was associated with a higher risk of CAD among MVP participants.
Design ductile and work-hardenable composites with all brittle constituents

Abstract Metallic glasses, like many other glasses and ceramics, generally have zero tensile ductility. Distinct from common wisdom which seeks to toughen brittle glasses with ductile phases, we show that composites made from two brittle glasses can be ductile, strong and even harden under tension as a result of microstructure and stiffness contrast. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we designed and tested composites consisting of alternating wavy nanofilaments of two brittle glasses with different stiffness. The composites exhibit failure strain over 40% and strain hardening modulus over 2 GPa. The tensile ductility is determined by both the flexibility of nanofilaments and the propensity of crack deflection, with which a ductile composite design map can be constructed. The strain hardening is due to filament alignment analogous to linear polymer. The brittle-brittle composite design strategy proposed here is not material-specific and should be applicable to, for instance, ultra-hard materials as constituents in achieving new damage-resistance composites.
Artificial Urinary Sphincters: Reoperative Techniques and Management of Complications

Male stress incontinence is a relatively common and treatable condition which significantly impacts quality of life. For over 40 years, the artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) has remained the gold standard therapy for moderate to large volume male stress urinary incontinence. Patients being considered for AUS placement should undergo a full preoperative history and physical examination with further studies, as clinically indicated. Despite excellent first-time success rates, a percentage of men managed with AUS will experience complications including urinary retention, urethral atrophy, erosion, and device malfunction, among others. Available surgical options for patients with either recurrent incontinence following initial AUS placement or those with prior AUS complications include placement of a tandem cuff, transcorporal cuff, cuff downsizing, reservoir upsizing, or tissue interposition with AUS. Here-in is a review of the available literature, as well as a clinical guide to management of AUS complications, and a visual and descriptive overview of reoperative techniques. In addition to technical advancements with the AUS, ongoing research with salvage therapies will continue to improve outcomes for patients experiencing stress incontinence.
SU-E-J-262: Variability in Texture Analysis of Gynecological Tumors in the Context of An 18F-FDG PET Adaptive Protocol

Purpose: This study examines the effect on texture analysis due to variable reconstruction of PET images in the context of an adaptive FDG PET protocol for node positive gynecologic cancer patients. By measuring variability in texture features from baseline and intra-treatment PET-CT, we can isolate unreliable texture features due to large variation. Methods: A subset of seven patients with node positive gynecological cancers visible on PET was selected for this study. Prescribed dose varied between 45–50.4Gy, with a 55–70Gy boost to the PET positive nodes. A baseline and intratreatment (between 30–36Gy) PET-CT were obtained on a Siemens Biograph mCT. Each clinical PET image set was reconstructed 6 times using a TrueX+TOF algorithm with varying iterations and Gaussian filter. Baseline and intra-treatment primary GTVs were segmented using PET Edge (MIM Software Inc., Cleveland, OH), a semi-automatic gradient-based algorithm, on the clinical PET and transferred to the other reconstructed sets. Using an in-house MATLAB program, four 3D texture matrices describing relationships between voxel intensities in the GTV were generated: co-occurrence, run length, size zone, and neighborhood difference. From these, 39 textural features characterizing texture were calculated in addition to SUV histogram features. The percent variability among parameters was first calculated. Each reconstructed texture feature from baseline and intra-treatment per patient was normalized to the clinical baseline scan and compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test in order to isolate variations due to reconstruction parameters. Results: For the baseline scans, 13 texture features showed a mean range greater than 10%. For the intra scans, 28 texture features showed a mean range greater than 10%. Comparing baseline to intra scans, 25 texture features showed p <0.05. Conclusion: Variability due to different reconstruction parameters increased with treatment, however, the majority of texture features showed significant changes during treatment independent of reconstruction effects.
Representative simple reaction and movement time scores.

(1976). Representative Simple Reaction and Movement Time Scores. Research Quarterly. American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 47, No. 4, pp. 855-856.
Participation by Women in ISA Annual Meetings, 2005–2009

This study investigates how well women are represented at the International Studies Association’s (ISA) annual meetings. It tracks women’s participation in the roles of chairpersons, paper presenters, and discussants on the panels, roundtables, and poster sessions at five consecutive annual meetings. Additionally, the study investigates women’s relative presence in the sessions sponsored by the various sections of the ISA and whether it makes a difference if women or men are the section’s program organizers. The findings demonstrate that women are steadily increasing their presence at the ISA’s annual meetings. The conclusion interprets this finding within the larger context of the field of international studies.
Revisiting Offspring Maxima in Branching Processes

We present a progress report for studies on maxima related to offspring in branching processes. We summarize and discuss the findings on the subject that appeared in the last ten years. Some of the results are refined and illustrated with new examples.
Seasonal variation in total water storage in California inferred from GPS observations of vertical land motion

GPS is accurately recording vertical motion of Earth's surface in elastic response to seasonal changes in surface water storage in California. California's mountains subside up to 12 mm in the fall and winter due to the load of snow and rain and then rise an identical amount in the spring and summer when the snow melts, the rain runs off, and soil moisture evaporates. We invert the GPS observations of seasonal vertical motions to infer changes in equivalent water thickness. GPS resolves the distribution of change in total water across California's physiographic provinces at a resolution of 50 km, compared to 200 km resolution from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment. The seasonal surface water thickness change is 0.6 m in the Sierra Nevada, Klamath, and southern Cascade Mountains and decreases sharply to about 0.1 m east into the Great Basin and west toward the Pacific coast. GPS provides an independent inference of change in total surface water, indicating water storage to be on average 50% larger than in the NLDAS-Noah hydrology model, likely due to larger changes in snow and reservoir water than in the model.
Bedside-to-Bench Conference: Research Agenda for Idiopathic Fatigue and Aging

The American Geriatrics Society, with support from the National Institute on Aging and the John A. Hartford Foundation, held its fifth Bedside-to-Bench research conference, “Idiopathic Fatigue and Aging,” to provide participants with opportunities to learn about cutting-edge research developments, draft recommendations for future research, and network with colleagues and leaders in the field. Fatigue is a symptom that older persons, especially by those with chronic diseases, frequently experience. Definitions and prevalence of fatigue may vary across studies, across diseases, and even between investigators and patients. The focus of this review is on physical fatigue, recognizing that there are other related domains of fatigue (such as cognitive fatigue). Many definitions of fatigue involve a sensation of “low” energy, suggesting that fatigue could be a disorder of energy balance. Poor energy utilization efficiency has not been considered in previous studies but is likely to be one of the most important determinants of fatigue in older individuals. Relationships between activity level, capacity for activity, a tolerable rate of activity, and a tolerable fatigue threshold or ceiling underlie a notion of fatiguability. Mechanisms probably contributing to fatigue in older adults include decline in mitochondrial function, alterations in brain neurotransmitters, oxidative stress, and inflammation. The relationships between muscle function and fatigue are complex. A number of diseases (such as cancer) are known to cause fatigue and may serve as models for how underlying impaired physiological processes contribute to fatigue, particularly those in which energy utilization may be an important factor. A further understanding of fatigue will require two key strategies: to develop and refine fatigue definitions and measurement tools and to explore underlying mechanisms using animal and human models.
A 0.13 /spl mu/m 6 GHz 256/spl times/32b leakage-tolerant register file

This paper describes a 256/spl times/32b 4-read, 4-write ported register file for 6 GHz operation in 1.2 V, 0.13 /spl mu/m technology. The local bitline uses a pseudo-static leakage tolerant scheme to achieve 8% faster read performance and 36% higher DC noise robustness (with 6/spl times/ active leakage reduction) compared to dual-Vt scheme optimized for high-performance.
An equivalence relation that is not freely generated

In this paper it is shown that there exists a Borel equivalence relation with countable equivalence classes that is not generated by a free Borel action of a countable discrete group. In Feldman and Moore [1, Theorem 1, p. 291], the authors prove that any countable standard equivalence relation on a Borel space comes by taking the orbits of some Borel group acton. They then ask two questions, both relating to whether the action can be chosen to be free. (In groupoid terms, they are asking if the groupoid of such an equivalence relation is isomorphic to the groupoid coming from a group action.) The first question is Borel-theoretic, which is entirely apposite, as the theorem is of a Borel-theoretic nature. The second question is more measuretheoretic. We find a counterexample which definitively answers the first question. We show that our techniques also answer the second question in the absence of an ergodicity assumption. One comment before starting: We prefer the terminology "Borel" to refer to an equivalence relation on a Borel space B whose graph is a Borel subset of B x B, as opposed to "standard" used in [1]. As in [1], an equivalence relation is called countable if all of its equivalence classes are countable. We develop some terminology. Say (B, R) is a standard countable equivalence space if B is a standard Borel space and R is a countable Borel equivalence relation on B; cf. [1, p. 291]. If B is a standard Borel space and G is a countable group of Borel automorphisms of B, then let RG denote the equivalence relation on B defined by the orbits of the G-action. We then have the aforementioned theorem of Feldman and Moore [1]: THEOREM 1. If (B, R) is a standard countable equivalence space, then there exists a countable group G of Borel automorphisms of B such that R = RG. PROOF. Feldman and Moore [1, Theorem 1, p. 291]. Q.E.D. We now refer to Zimmer [2, Definition 4.1.1, p. 59] for the definition of amenability of groups. We define amenability of equivalence relations on measure spaces as in Zimmer [3, p. 24, above Theorem 2.1]. We define R-invariance of a measure ,u on a Borel space B as in Feldman and Moore [1, p. 293]. We say that a standard countable equivalence space (B, R) is ,u-amenable where ,u is a finite, R-invariant measure on B, if R is amenable on (B, ,t). Received by the editors May 12, 1987. 1980 Mathematics Subject Classification (1985 Revision). Primary 28D15.
Effects of layer thickness on impact toughness of Al/AlSiCp laminates

Abstract MB 85Al/SiCp (15%) composite was coextruded with unreinforced aluminum producing strongly bonded bilayer laminates. The toughness of the laminates as well as of MB 85Al/SiCp (15%), MB 85Al/SiCp (20%), MB 85Al and 3003 Al were evaluated by pendulum impact testing of both notched and unnotched specimens. The discontinuously reinforced aluminum (DRA) composites demonstrated an order-of-magnitude reduction in notched impact energies as compared to the MB 85 Al matrix material, with a lesser reduction in impact energies in the unnotched case. Impact testing of laminates where the thickness of the ductile layer below the notch ranged from 1 to 2 mm showed that the toughness of the composite is enhanced by over an order of magnitude via incorporation of the ductile layer. This is accomplished in the laminate by maintaining the load-carrying capacity of the composite while increasing the ductility. Increasing the ductile layer thickness increased the impact energy albeit at a decreasing rate. Failure of the laminates proceeds by crack initiation in the composite beneath the intact ductile layer followed by necking and failure of the unreinforced aluminum layer.
Prostaglandin F2α increases responsiveness of pulmonary airways in dogs

We studied the effect of prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) on the responsiveness of pulmonary airways in dogs. Airway responsiveness was assessed by determining the bronchoconstrictor response to increasing concentrations of acetylcholine aerosol delivered to the airways. In each of five dogs, we determined responsiveness during treatment with physiologic saline, histamine, or PGF2 alpha aerosols. The doses of histamine and PGF2 alpha were determined by establishing the largest dose of each which could be given to the dog without causing bronchoconstriction (subthreshold doses). We found that airway responsiveness was not significantly different during histamine treatment than after saline, however, responsiveness increased during treatment with PGF2 alpha. In addition, the hyperresponsiveness induced by PGF2 alpha was prevented by pretreatment with the ganglion blocking drug hexamethonium (5 mg/kg given intravenously). The results show that PGF2 alpha specifically increases the responsiveness of pulmonary airways in doses that do not cause bronchoconstriction, and suggest that the hyperresponsiveness involves a neural mechanism such as increased responsiveness of airway sensory nerves.
Structures of NO−3 formed via glow discharge in atmospheric gases

Tandem mass spectrometry experiments using both ion-molecule reactions and collision-induced dissociation (CID) in an ion trap mass spectrometer have been performed to characterize the structures of the NO3− ions that issue from an atmospheric sampling glow discharge ionization source. The experimental evidence suggests that significant abundances of at least two stable forms of NO3− can be obtained from an air-sustained glow discharge. Ab initio calculations have been performed to identify the structures of the likely isomers. Rate constants have been measured for the reaction of the less thermodynamically stable isomer(s) with carbon dioxide, and evidence is given for a new reaction, (OO−NO)− + NO2• → NO2− + O2 + NO•. The combination of em with a kinetic study is shown to be a useful approach for obtaining rate constant information when a mixture of reactive and unreactive isomers is present in the reactant population.
Identification of a mutation in Escherichia coli F1-ATPase β-subunit conferring resistance to aurovertin

A mutation conferring aurovertin resistance on Escherichia coli F1-ATPase was identified as R398 → in the F1 β-subunit. β-subunit from the mutant doe not bind aurovertin; therefore our results suggest the region of sequence around residue β-398 is involved in aurovertin binding. Since nucleotide and aurovertin binding to isolated β-subunit are not mutually exclusive, the data further suggest that the β-subunit catalytic nucleotide-binding domain does not include residue 398. The mutation prevented aurovertin inhibition of ATPase at pH 6 and 8.5, implying charge on the arginine side-chain is not a major determinant of aurovertin binding or that the pK of R398 is shifted due to a peculiar environment. The equivalent residue is usually arginine in F1 β-subunits of different species; notably in the aurovertin-insensitive thermophilic bacterium PS3 F1-ATPase, this residue is phenylalanine.
Age lability of normal and variant methemoglobin reductase

The concentration of methemoglobin increases as red cells age in normals and in patients with congenital methemoglobinemia (CMHb), yet the activity of NADH diaphorase (ND) (Scott assay) does not decrease with age. A specific assay for methemoglobin reductase (MHR) (J. Lab. Clin. Med. 72.339, 1968) permits reassessment of this phenomenon. Red cells were separated by centrifugation at 100,000 g for 1 hour. The top and bottom 10% were harvested and mean ages determined by glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activity. The age stability of ND activity was confirmed. The MHR activity of old cells (bottom layer) was 15% lower than that of younger (top layer) cells in normal individuals. In one family with CMHb and two fast migrating isoenzyme variant of ND, the activity was only slightly reduced (12%) whereas MHR activity was markedly reduced (40 to 90%) in the old cells compared to young cells. An unrelated female with CMHb and a slow migrating variant of ND was previously reported to have “pseudo-mosaicism” on the basis of heterogeneous distribution of methemoglobin between her younger and older cells (NEJM 275:397, 1966). Her older cells actually had greater activity of ND than did her younger cells. In contrast, the MHR activity of her older cells was only 10% of her younger cells. Thus, the normal age-lability of MHR can account for the accumulation of methemoglobin as erythrocytes mature. Exaggeration of this tendency due to structural modifications in the enzyme molecules may account for methemoglobinemia in patients carrying variant isoenzymes.
Development and Implementation of Effective Individualized Education Programs (IEPs): Evaluation of Two Team Approaches.

Abstract Development and implementation of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) occurs following determination of a child's eligibility for special education and by means of a multidisciplinary team approach. Although discussion has occured about various team approaches to the IEP development and implementation, no empirical evidence has been reported about the effectiveness of these alternatives for enhancing IEP goal attainment of handicapped pupils. In this paper, results of a study are reported that compared the relative effectiveness of two team approaches to IEP development and implementation in four elementary schools in an urban public school district. The COMPASS approach, an explicit 5-step problem-solving procedure, was evaluated relative to the district's traditional approach. Results indicated the COMPASS approach allowed for a greater degree of pupil goal attainment and IEP completeness than the traditional approach, and also was judged as a socially valid team approach by classroom teachers and by team members from other school districts.