cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of High Pressure Cylinder Steam Volume Link Model Parameters on the Speed Governing System Simulation and Calibration for Reheat Condensing Turbine

The parameters of speed governing system in turbo-generator unit were tested in a thermal power plant,and the tested results were simulated and calibrated by use of Power System Analysis Software Package(PSASP),finding that the power response process in the simulation deviated greatly from on-site tested results.In-depth analysis reveals that the power response process was evidently affected by the high pressure cylinder steam volume link in the submodel of steam turbine at the initial phase.The sampling delay and its inherent characteristics affected the time constant recognition of high pressure steam volume,consequently the large deviation between simulation calculation and tested results.Therefore,the original model parameters are modified,and the optimized model can reflect the actual power response process more accurately.The improved model could meet the needs of power system stability simulation analysis.
Considerations regarding active surveillance for small renal masses

© The Canadian Journal of UrologyTM; 21(6); December 2014 Address correspondence to Dr. Jay D. Raman, Division of Urology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, 500 University Drive, c4830b, Hershey, PA 17036 USA Considerations regarding active surveillance for small renal masses Jay D. Raman, MD Division of Urology, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA Referring to the article published on pp. 7529-7535 in this issue
The Arrhythmic Blues: The Rhythm of Learning and How Humanity’s Natural Propensity for Arrhythmia May Doom Civilization

IntroductIon In this essay, I explore the imbroglios of human activity. Two concepts will be critical for this inquiry: rhythm and timing. Both concepts have broad implications for human life and demarcate the zone in which process ontologies are built and affirmed. Drawing on Henri Bergson, Martha Russell, and, to a lesser extent, John Dewey, I explore rhythm as an aspect of any educative experience, and I explore how it creates a particular duration,1 successfully timed through a series of bodily contractions (repetitions, complete circuits, or beats). The very intellectual process of recognizing rhythm, however, can lead to the arrhythmia of being(s) in process. An imbroglio happens when elan vital, in any of its manifestations, loses rhythmic timing by its overutilization or underutilization of the spatializing function of symbolic activity, which then leads to discoordination and exponential arrhythmic “build up.” Bergson reveals how the human animal (unfortunately) has a natural propensity to become arrhythmic and thus find itself in an imbroglio. Imbroglios can have disastrous consequences on the individual, cultural, and (especially) civilizational, level.
Sacred Texts Transformed

Emily Dickinson read voraciously all of her life: Among the writers of her own century, she had an intimate acquaintanceship with Keats, Byron, Wordsworth, the Brownings, the Bronte sisters, Dickens, George Eliot, Hawthorne, Emerson, Longfellow, Tennyson, Ruskin — and others. But her most passionate involvement was with the sacred texts of the Renaissance and eighteenth century: Shakespeare; the King James Version of the Bible; Isaac Watts’s vast outpouring of hymns; the devotional prose of Thomas a Kempis and Sir Thomas Browne; the devotional poetry of George Herbert and Henry Vaughan. This passionate involvement was accompanied by an equally intense determination, in her own writings, not to borrow from those she read and admired. ‘I marked a line in One Verse — [she informed Higginson] because I met it after I made it — and never consciously touch a paint, mixed by another person’ (L271). Instead, Shakespeare, the King James Bible, Watts, and some notable seventeenth-century writers of devotional prose and poetry served as catalysts to release Dickinson’s distinctive voice and vision — a voice and vision that transformed these sacred texts to serve her own religious quest and dedicated artistry.
Ground motion improvements in SPEAR3

SPEAR3 is a third-generation synchrotron light source storage ring, about 234 meters in circumference. To meet the beam stability requirement, our goal is to ultimately achieve an orbit variation (relative to the photon beam lines) of less than 10% of the beam size, which is about 1 micron in the vertical plane. Hydrostatic leveling system (HLS) measurements show that the height of the SPEAR3 tunnel floor can vary by tens of microns daily without thermal insulation improvements. We present an analysis of the HLS data that shows that adding thermal insulation to the concrete walls of the storage ring tunnel dramatically decreased diurnal tunnel floor motion.
Constructions of therapy, race, ethnicity, and gender : An anthropological metaphor

This article develops an anthropological metaphor for conducting therapy with families of a racial and/or gender identification different from that of the therapist. This metaphor is grounded in constructionism. It is suggested that when gender and/or racial issues arise in the course of therapy, the therapist must avoid both adhering too stringently to cultural/racial stereotypes, as well as ignoring such stereotypes altogether. Committing either of these errors not only does a disservice to the family, but jeopardizes the therapy. It is also suggested that such issues must be dealt with openly in order to maximize the effectiveness of the interventions.
Symmetric Nash equilibrium in a secondary spectrum market

The scarcity of spectrum resources and the desire to improve spectrum efficiency have led to extensive research and development in recent years in such concepts as dynamic spectrum access/sharing, open access, and secondary (spot or short-term) spectrum market. The secondary spectrum market allows the primary (spectrum owner) to sell/share underutilized spectrum to potential buyers so as to maximize usage of spectrum, e.g., using the auction mechanism [1], [2], [3]. In this paper, we propose a framework similar to [4] where the sellers propose contracts to the secondary spectrum buyers.
Hybrid Functional Electrical Stimulation Exercise for Improved Cardiorespiratory Fitness in SCI

Aerobic exercise in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) is greatly beneficial to health and improves quality of life. However, exercise must meet certain intensity and volume criteria to induce significant benefits across multiple systems. Additionally, more vigorous exercise results in greater benefits, but individuals with SCI can have difficulty achieving high exercise intensities because the paralyzed muscles cannot contribute to overall oxygen consumption. One solution is functional electrical stimulation (FES) exercise, especially hybrid FES exercise involving both innervated upper body and electrically stimulated lower body muscles. This chapter will focus on the acute and chronic responses to FES-cycling and hybrid FES exercise and summarize the advances in application of FES for exercise in SCI. It should be noted that there can be striking differences between the two forms of exercise and the majority of the data indicate if hybrid FES exercise is achievable, this form of exercise is ideal for gains in aerobic capacity in those with SCI.
Mean Corpuscular Volume as An Early Predictor of Malignant Evolution of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance

Abstract Abstract 1925 Introduction: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is an asymptomatic premalignant clonal plasma cell proliferative disorder. It occurs in over 3 percent of the general population over the age of 50. MGUS can progress to multiple myeloma (MM) or related cancers at a rate of about 1.0 to 1.5 percent per year. There are no findings at diagnosis of MGUS that reliably distinguish patients who will remain stable from those who will progress to a malignant disease. Size and type of serum monoclonal protein, as well as serum free light chain ratio have been suggested in some studies as independent risk factors for disease progression. In this study, we tried to analyze the relationship between Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) and the risk of progression of MGUS into a malignant lymphoproliferative condition. Methods: A total of 1744 patients, from a single institution, with a first diagnosis of MGUS from April 18th, 1995 till June 24th, 2010 were included in this study. Patients analyzed were divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 345 patients with an elevated MCV (>100fL/red cell) and group 2 consisted of 1399 patients with a normal MCV (between 80fL/red cell and 100fL/red cell). Patients with short follow up ( 1.5g/dL were excluded. The Chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of patients who progressed in group 1 relative to group 2. Results: After a median follow up of 51 and 58 months for the high MCV and normal MCV respectively, there were 78 progressions (22.6%) versus 267 non-progressions (77.4%) among the high MCV patients (Group1) and 110 progressions (7.9%) versus 1289 non-progressions (92.1%) among the normal MCV patients (Group 2). The difference in progression between the two groups was statistically significant (Chi-square test p-value Conclusion: In our single institution, retrospective study, there seems to be a higher incidence of malignant transformation in the subset of patients with MGUS having an elevated MCV. MCV is a cost effective method that might help identify, at presentation, patients with benign monoclonal gammopathies requiring stricter monitoring. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Response of sorghum stalk pathogens to brown midrib plants and soluble phenolic extracts from near isogenic lines

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] has drawn attention as potential feedstock for lignocellulosic biofuels production, and reducing lignin is one way to increase conversion efficiency. Little research has been previously conducted to assess the response of reduced lignin sorghum lines to the Fusarium stalk rot pathogens Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum and the charcoal rot pathogen, Macrophomina phaseolina. Loss of function mutations in either the Brown midrib (Bmr) 6 or 12 gene that both encode a monolignol biosynthetic enzyme in the pathway that produces subunits of the lignin polymer, results in reduced lignin content. Near-isogenic bmr6, bmr12, and bmr6 bmr12 lines had previously been developed, which were shown to have significantly reduced lignin content and increased levels of soluble phenolics. In the current study, these lines in two backgrounds were shown to not be more susceptible to F. verticillioides, F. proliferatum and M. phaseolina inoculations, and some bmr lines exhibited increased resistance to F. proliferatum and M. phaseolina, compared to wild-type lines. When the Fusarium stalk rot pathogen, Fusarium thapsinum, was grown on methanol soluble stalk extracts from bmr6 and wild-type plants, it grew significantly faster on medium with bmr6 extract than on wild-type extract or controls. This result suggested that factors other than soluble phenolics from the extract, such as cell wall bound phenolics or inducible defense compounds, contributed to increased resistance observed in bmr6 plants.
Relation of Charging Time to Blocking Performance in Football

Abstract Blocking performance was rated from game pictures by three experienced judges using methods that correlated r = .92. Objectivity coefficients ranged from r = .88 to .99. Charging time (measured in the laboratory) had a reliability of .92, but failed to correlate significantly with the ratings (r = —.28 to .34) or with game time r = —.18). A variance analysis showed no relation between position played and charging time (F = .46). Accuracy of “timing” movement is probably more important than speed of response in charging.
Data Structures and Basic Algorithms

VLSI chip design process can be viewed as transformation of data from HDL code in logic design, to schematics in circuit design, to layout data in physi-cal design. In fact, VLSI design is a significant database management prob-lem. The layout information is captured in a symbolic database or a polygon database. In order to fabricate a VLSI chip, it needs to be represented as a collection of several layers of planar geometric elements or polygons. These ele-ments are usually limited to Manhattan features (vertical and horizontal edges) and are not allowed to overlap within the same layer. Each element must be specified with great precision. This precision is necessary since this information has to be communicated to output devices such as plotters, video displays, and pattern-generating machines. Most importantly, the layout information must be specific enough so that it can be sent to the fab for fabrication. Symbolic database captures net and transistor attributes. It allows a designer to rapidly navigate throughout the database and make quick edits while working at a higher level. The symbolic database is converted into a polygon database prior to tapeout. In the polygon database, the higher level relationship between the objects is somewhat lost. This process is analogous to conversion of a higher level programming language (say FORTRAN) code to a lower level program-ming language (say Assembly) code. While it is easier to work at symbolic level, it cannot be used by the fab directly. In some cases, at late stages of the chip design process, some edits have to be made in the polygon database. The major motivation for use of the symbolic database is technology independence. Since physical dimensions in the symbolic database are only relative, the de-sign can be implemented using any process. However, in practice, complete technology independence has never be reached.
Adult Spinal Deformity

Adult spinal deformity is defined by scoliosis or abnormal coronal or sagittal balance. Sagittal imbalance can be due to an increase in thoracic kyphosis and/or loss of lumbar lordosis. Abnormal sagittal balance causes increased energy expenditure required for walking and standing upright. In patients with adult spinal deformity, correction of sagittal balance is the primary determinant of improved pain and function after surgery.
Standing and Secret Surveillance

This essay, part of a symposium on the law and policy regarding U.S. surveillance programs, seeks to provide a comprehensive assessment of the relationship between the Supreme Court's Article III standing doctrine and efforts to challenge (and/or reform) secret government surveillance programs.In light of the Supreme Court's February 2013 decision in Clapper v. Amnesty International, most have assumed that standing imposes fatal obstacles to judicial review of such programs (if not all secret government conduct) on the merits--even after Edward Snowden's disclosures of the government's bulk telephony metadata collection and PRISM surveillance programs. Indeed, Justice Scalia's opinion for the Court in Lujan v. Defenders of Wildlife appears to bar Congress from conferring standing where it would not otherwise have existed. As Part I documents, though, upon closer examination, Justice Kennedy's far narrower concurrence in Lujan leaves at least some room for Congress to "fix" Clapper by lowering the burden of proof that plaintiffs must surmount in challenges to secret surveillance. Instead, the real problem with such a "fix" is not its constitutional validity, as Part II explains, but its long-term utility and efficacy as a policy matter.With that in mind, Part III considers an alternative possibility — that, instead of empowering individuals like the Clapper plaintiffs to bring civil suits challenging secret government surveillance programs (which may very well defeat the purpose of secret surveillance), Congress might provide for greater (secret) adversarial process before the FISA Court itself. As Part III explains, such reforms would raise no new Article III concerns in the FISA Court, but would trigger difficult questions about standing to appeal — especially after the Supreme Court’s decision in the Proposition 8 case. To be sure, there may well be a workaround for the appellate standing problem. But, as the essay concludes, the standing questions underscore the extent to which an increase in quasi-adversarial litigation cannot be the sum total of efforts to “reform” the foreign intelligence surveillance activities of the U.S. government, at least for those who truly believe that such reform is warranted.
Whither Pakistan: The Ambivalence of Constitutional Road Mapping?

Over its 70 years of existence as an independent sovereign nation, Pakistan has failed to resolve the centrifugal issues that it began grappling with at independence. Significant disagreement about Islam’s role and place in the state remains, ethnic and sectarian rivalries continue to challenge its unity, and the threat of military intervention is ever present. Since 1947, Pakistan has experienced four military regimes, spanning almost half its political life. This chapter presents the case that the roots of much of the conflict Pakistan continues to confront have a constitutional connection and are grounded in its constitutional history. Starting with the failure of the first Constituent Assembly to deliver a constitution after seven years of deliberations, the chapter proceeds to look at the three constitutions that followed in terms of their ongoing ambivalence towards Islam as the marker of Pakistani identity and statehood, their inability to deliver a working relationship between the centre and the provinces, and their lack of mechanisms to check executive overreach and keep the military out of politics. Pakistan serves as an object illustration of the importance of constitutional design and constitutional politics.
Near-ultraviolet Raman and micro-Raman analysis of electronic materials

Raman and micro-Raman analysis methods have been extensively investigated for the study of materials used in electronic and photonic devices. Raman studies are used to understand fundamental phonon properties, along with effects related to the crystal structure, disorder, doping, and external factors such as temperature and stress. Micro-Raman extends these investigations to the micron scale. This article reviews diverse benefits of Raman measurements when carried out using laser excitation in the near-ultraviolet wavelength range, nominally 400 to 325 nm. Micro-Raman methods in the near ultraviolet exploit the key advantage of reduced focal spot size, achievable at shorter wavelengths when using diffraction-limited optics, for mapping with high spatial resolution. There are distinct advantages common to Raman and micro-Raman spectroscopy in the near ultraviolet when compared to the widely used visible excitation. One advantage exploits the shallower optical penetration depth in select materials for probing near-surface regions or interfaces. A second advantage is related to tuning of the excitation photon energy relative to the electronic levels of a material for investigating resonance effects. Finally, the application of Raman scattering to materials which exhibit strong fluorescence requires tuning to a wavelength range away from the potentially obscuring emission. This article overviews several examples of these key advantages to study diverse applied physics problems in electronic and photonic materials. Topics covered include stress mapping in silicon and related materials, stress and thermal effects in gallium nitride and other group-III-nitride semiconductors, and carbon materials ranging from graphite and graphene to diamond grown using chemical vapor deposition. The fundamental effects of stress- and temperature-induced shifts in phonon energies and their application to study epitaxy and device-related effects are also briefly reviewed.
Diethyl phenylene diamine (DPD) oxidation to measure low concentration permanganate in environmental systems.

Abstract Permanganate has been used traditionally in drinking water treatment for its oxidation properties and ease of use. The concentration of permanganate in treatment conditions is low and difficult to detect. A colorimetric method using diethylphenylene diamine (DPD) oxidation to measure low levels (i.e., less than 6 μM) of permanganate in water was developed and applied to quantify permanganate scavenging by dissolved organic matter (DOM). Manganese dioxide (MnO2) particles were shown to interfere with DPD oxidation; however, particles were removed effectively using 0.1 μm PVDF filters prior to reaction with DPD. DOM and complexed-Mn(III) were concluded to not interfere with the DPD reaction. The DPD method was validated by obtaining the second-order rate constant for permanganate reaction with phenol (1.7 ± 0.2 M−1 s−1), and comparing to the rate constant obtained independently by monitoring phenol degradation (i.e., UPLC-UV) (1.6 ± 0.2 M−1 s−1). Permanganate reaction with DOM isolate samples did not follow pseudo-first order kinetics. Faster reaction rates were observed with higher ionic strength (1 mM versus 5 mM carbonate). No change in reaction rates with pH was observed at lower ionic strength (1 mM); while at higher ionic strength, the reaction rate was faster at pH 7 than at pH 10. In contrast, linear kinetics were observed for permanganate reaction with DOM in filtered whole water samples. These samples showed similar trends with pH and ionic strength as for DOM isolates. The presented method is valid to quantify permanganate reaction rates with organic contaminants or with natural scavengers.
Meta-analysis utilizing public data suggests role of innate immunity in the pathogenesis of hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC).

e13048Background: Hurthle Cell Carcinoma (HCC), a variant of follicular thyroid carcinoma, is a rare form of thyroid cancer. Though it accounts for 3-10% of thyroid cancer cases, very little is kno...
I, You, We: Exploring Interactive Multimedia Performance

This paper explores the conceptual framework behind the "I, You, We" interactive multimedia performance. In doing so, it unpacks how interactivity in this performance occurs between the camera installation and audience members; between performer and audience; between sound and vision; and finally between electronic music and acoustic music.
Using Schema-Based Diagrams to Represent and Solve Word Problems: Relationship between Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Knowledge and Demonstration

The analysis of word problem types and schema-based diagrams are assumed useful for helping students and thus, important for preservice teachers to learn in their preparation programs. Drawing on p...
Drawing from justice theories to support targets of online harassment

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1763297.
Role of functional imaging for response assessment with Lu177-DOTATATE therapy for neuroendocrine tumors

358 Objectives: Since the FDA-approval of Lu177-DOTATATE, many patients with progressive neuroendocrine tumor (NET) have been treated. But, the role of functional imaging for response assessment is not well established and is the goal of this study. Methods: This is an IRB-approved, retrospective study of 12 patients (4 women, 8 men, age range: 48-81) who have completed 4 cycles of Lu177-DOTATATE therapy for NETs at our institution. All patients received a baseline Ga68-DOTATATE PET/CT within one year of starting therapy and again 3-4 months after completing all 4 cycles. All patients also received a whole-body Lu177 planar scan 4 hours after each therapy. We evaluated the relative uptake on the PET and gamma scans in comparison to each other as well as to clinical outcomes. Results: The distribution of uptake on the first whole-body planar Lu177 scans were highly concordant with the baseline Ga68-DOTATATE PET/CT scan, accounting for the differential sensitivity of the modalities. The majority (6/12) of the post-therapy Lu177 whole-body scans showed stable disease, although several (5/12) showed favorable response (example shown in figure), and only one showed worsening disease. The trend on the Lu177 scans was almost always in accord with the post-therapy Ga68-DOTATATE PET/CT scans. In only one scenario, the Lu177 planar scans demonstrated improved disease burden, while the post-therapy Ga68-DOTATATE PET/CT showed increased size of small lymph nodes which were likely below the resolution of planar imaging. However, the post-therapy PET findings were not always in accordance with patient outcomes, raising the possibility of pseudo-progression. Conclusions: The role of functional imaging for response assessment of Lu177-DOTATATE therapy was evaluated. The post-therapy Lu177 whole-body scan can be used to confirm biodistribution of the therapeutic isotope to the same sites of disease seen on the pre-therapy Ga68-DOTATATE PET/CT and as a quick assessment of disease status between cycles of therapy. The post-therapy Ga68-DOTATATE PET/CT shows variable changes in comparison to the baseline scan and does not necessarily correlate to clinical response in the same time-frame, but may to longer-term outcomes.
Role of Knowledge and Experience in Situational Judgment Test Responses of Pharmacists and Pharmacy Students

Objective. The purpose of this research was to describe the role of examinee knowledge and experience in situational judgment test (SJT) response processes. Methods. Thirty participants (15 students and 15 pharmacists) completed a 12-item empathy SJT. Each participant completed a think-aloud interview followed by a cognitive interview to elicit their understanding of the items and factors that influenced their response selections. Interviews were coded to identify references to general and job-specific knowledge and experiences. Utterances were quantified to explore differences in the occurrence based on the individual item, item setting (i.e., healthcare or non-healthcare setting), participant type (i.e., student or pharmacists), and empathy component being assessed (i.e., affective or cognitive empathy). Results. There were 480 references to knowledge and experiences: 45.2% were job-specific knowledge or experiences, 27.5% were general knowledge or experiences, 17.9% related to a lack of experience, and 9.4% were nondescript and could not be distinguished. There was a statistically significant difference in the reference to general and job-specific knowledge or experiences based on whether the item was in a healthcare or non-healthcare setting and the component of empathy being assessed. Experience references often included comments about location, actors, task, similarity, specificity, and recency; knowledge references were classified by information, strategies, and skills. Conclusion. Findings from this study suggest general and job-specific knowledge and experiences influence SJT response processes.
Engeli Yokulya Oluwombo: Social Media and the Transformation of African and Black Diasporic Forms of Communication

In this chapter, Kehbuma Langmia delves into the unsettled paradoxical relationship between Africa and the West, from a socioeconomic and political viewpoint, that is yielding much needed dividend in the communicative landscape among Africans in Africa on the one hand and African immigrants in the Diaspora on the other. He then reasons that what constitutes African and African immigrant communication in the age of media globalization is anybody’s guess. He points out that social media, the virtual public spheres for ‘trans-human’ communication, have overturned the age-old face-to-face communication between elders and young people, women and men, children and parents, dignitaries and commoners, socio-political elites and average citizens in Africa. He demonstrates that we are now breeding a generation of texters than talkers. Consequently, mediatized communication and in-person communication are now uncomfortable bedmates, a kind of double-edged sword. Communicators and communicologists on the continent and in the Diaspora are confronting communication through the lens of what W. E. B. Du Bois calls “double consciousness.” Similarly, African immigrants to the Western world are equally torn between abiding by the tenets of African forms of oral, in-person communication and embracing the individualistic, self-centered, hyper-reality infested social media interaction.
Design matters: Cross-modal correspondences between vision and taste in food advertising

Grounded in the knowledge of visual design and photography, this study examines the effects on viewers’ purchase intention of two visual design techniques used with food items in food advertising –...
Benchmarking The Accounting And Finance Functions Of Hong Kong Firms

In this article the results of a Benchmarking study sponsored by the Hong Kong Society for Accountants, Financial Management Committee are reported. The study, in the form of a survey, was sent to 633 listed Hong Kong firms. Sixty-seven firms responded to the survey crossing six different industries and a variety of capitalization levels. The survey consisted of thirty-two questions that addressed seven areas of interest related to the accounting and finance functions within the firms. The results provide benchmarks by which firms can compare their operations to those of other similar firms. Firms can identify strengths, weaknesses and best practices and utilize the information to make changes in their organizations. By doing so, firms may be able to achieve improved competitiveness and increased profitability.
Effects of the large-scale circulation on temperature and water vapor distributions in the Π Chamber

Abstract. Microphysical processes are important for the development of clouds and thus Earth's climate. For example, turbulent fluctuations in the water vapor mixing ratio, r , and temperature, T , cause fluctuations in the saturation ratio, S . Because S is the driving factor in the condensational growth of droplets, fluctuations may broaden the cloud droplet size distribution due to individual droplets experiencing different growth rates. The small-scale turbulent fluctuations in the atmosphere that are relevant to cloud droplets are difficult to quantify through field measurements. We investigate these processes in the laboratory using Michigan Tech's Π Chamber. The Π Chamber utilizes Rayleigh–Benard convection (RBC) to create the turbulent conditions inherent in clouds. In RBC it is common for a large-scale circulation (LSC) to form. As a consequence of the LSC, the temperature field of the chamber is not spatially uniform. In this paper, we characterize the LSC in the Π Chamber and show how it affects the shape of the distributions of r , T , and S . The LSC was found to follow a single roll with an updraft and downdraft along opposing walls of the chamber. Near the updraft (downdraft), the distributions of T and r were positively (negatively) skewed. At each measuring position, S consistently had a negatively skewed distribution, with the downdraft being the most negative.
Krüppel-like Factors in Cancers

Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) are zinc finger-containing transcription factors that play important roles in diverse physiological and pathophysiological processes. A major function of many KLFs is to regulate cell growth, proliferation, and differentiation. It is therefore not surprising that some of the KLFs are involved in tumorigenesis of various organs and tissues. This chapter reviews the pathobio-logical roles of KLFs in several cancers, including those of the gastrointestinal tract, breast, skin, and pancreas. Understanding the functions of KLFs in cancers may help gain insight into the pathogenesis of cancers and provide novel therapeutic approaches to their treatment.
Insect Herbivores of Ferns along the Pacific Northwest Coast of North America

Fifteen species of insect herbivores were discovered on ferns growing along the Pacific northwest coast of North America. These included insects from the orders: Diptera in the families Anthomyiidae, Cecidiomyiidae and Syrphidae: Lepidoptera in the families Erebidae, Tortricidae and Noctuidae: Hymenoptera in the family Tenthredinidae: Hemiptera in the family Aphididae and Coleoptera in the family Curculionidae. The present study illustrates these associations that provides new world and North American host records of fern herbivores. The fossil record of these families is used to determine if the most ancient of these insects (dating from the Mesozoic) are now mostly restricted to ferns and the most recent ones (dating from the Cenozoic) are mostly polyphagous, feeding on ferns as well as various angiosperms. Results indicate that the insect clades belonging to the most ancient families, such as Aneugmenuss and Strongylogaster in the Tenthredinidae and Dasineura and Mycodiplosis in the Cecidiomyiidae, appear to be monophagous on ferns.
STRATEGIC VISIBILITIES: DIGITIZING THE LATINA INFORMATION WORKER

Recent examples of virtual assistant technologies designed as Latina information service workers are noteworthy objects of study for their potential to bridge analyses of Latinas’ labor history and information technology. Latinas in the United States have traditionally worked in blue-collar information technology sectors characterized by repetitive labor and low-wages, such as electronics manufacturing and customer service. Latinas information service workers, though fundamental to technoscience, have been largely invisible in histories of computing. Latina virtual assistants mark a shift in this labor history by relying on the strategic visibility of Latina identity in/as the technology interface. Our research explores Latina virtual assistants designed by Airus Media, and installed as airport workers in airports along the southwestern border of the United States. We situate the technocultural narratives present in the design and marketing of these technologies within the broader histories of invisible Latina information labor in the United States. We find continuities between the ways Latinas have historically been positioned as “ideal” information workers, and the use of Latina identity in the design of virtual assistants. We argue that the strategic visibility of Latina virtual assistants is linked to the oppressive structures of invisibility that have traditionally organized Latina information service workers.
Book reviews in the age of social media

Despite the large quantity and wide variety of popular science books available in biology, most undergraduate biology majors seldom read full-length books outside of class. To ensure that the students in my Writing in Biology class are exposed to such books, I assign a book review essay and provide an annotated list of a few dozen books in genetics, evolution, and other areas of biology. The assignment also includes a section on the book author’s style, in which students use material discussed earlier in the class. Informal presentations of the books provide opportunities for various discussions. The assignment (including the list of books) is included in an Additional file 1.
Luminescence-Based Diagnostics of Thermal Barrier Coating Health and Performance

Thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) are typically composed of translucent ceramic oxides that provide thermal protection for metallic components exposed to high-temperature environments in both air- and land-based turbine engines. For advanced turbine engines designed for higher temperature operation, a diagnostic capability for the health and performance of TBCs will be essential to indicate when a mitigating action needs to be taken before premature TBC failure threatens engine performance or safety. In particular, it is shown that rare-earth-doped luminescent sublayers can be integrated into the TBC structure to produce luminescence emission that can be monitored to assess TBC erosion and delamination progression, and to map surface and subsurface temperatures as a measure of TBC performance. The design and implementation of these TBCs with integrated luminescent sublayers are presented.
Comparison of simulated cone beam computed tomography to conventional helical computed tomography for imaging of rhinosinusitis.

Objectives/Hypothesis Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) has emerged as a low radiation dose alternative to traditional computed tomography (CT) to evaluate the paranasal sinuses. The purpose of our study was to determine how often clinically important findings would be missed if CBCT was used routinely for sinus imaging. Study Design Retrospective review. Methods We evaluated all maxillofacial CT scans performed for sinusitis over a 1-year period. The original multidetector CT (MDCT) images were reviewed retrospectively. A theoretical CBCT was then created from the original study utilizing only the bone algorithm images and separately reviewed. We calculated the proportion of abnormal findings that were identified on the MDCT but would have been missed by the theoretical CBCT, and reviewed the medical record to determine which potentially missed findings would have changed management. Radiation dose from the MDCT scanners was calculated and compared to published dose estimates for the paranasal sinuses on CBCT. Results Maxillofacial CTs from 361 consecutive patients were included, of which 12 (3.3%) demonstrated findings that would have been missed on the theoretical CBCT. Of those, four (1.1%) would have resulted in a change in management. Effective radiation dose for our scanners ranged from 0.67 mSv to 2.15 mSv, compared to a published estimated dose of 0.2 mSV for CBCT. Conclusions In the majority of patients undergoing simulated CBCT for evaluation of sinusitis, incidental findings of soft-tissue disease were rare. With appropriate selection of patients, CBCT can offer substantial radiation dose reduction and may provide a viable alternative to standard MDCT sinus imaging protocols. Level of Evidence 4 Laryngoscope, 124:2002–2006, 2014
Flexibles, cansados y desesperanzados. Alta rotación entre los trabajadores de las maquilas rurales de Guatemala

En mis entrevistas con trabajadores de las maquilas del Altiplano central de Guatemala en los anos 1990, poco tiempo despues que se instalaran las primeras plantas orientadas hacia la exportacion en la region, los trabajadores expresaron una mezcla de sentimientos hacia los nuevos trabajos. Estos contenian una combinacion de expresiones conflictivas pero en general esperanzadas de las oportunidades potenciales de adelanto e independencia. Mis investigaciones recientes (2006-2008) reflejan el aumento de la falta de estabilidad de los trabajos, intensos periodos de horas extras forzadas y en contraposicion a “vacaciones forzadas”. El enfasis neoliberal en la flexibilidad se traduce en trabajadores que estan frustrados, cansados, enfermos, y entristecidos por lo que ahora perciben como sus unicas y muy limitadas opciones. El articulo explora las tendencias actuales documentadas durante visitas recientes y una encuesta con una amplia muestra de hogares en dos departamentos de donde provienen los trabajadores de varias fabricas de capital coreano.
Implementation of Genetic Sequence Alignment Programs on Supercomputers

We have implemented exhaustive genetic sequence alignment codes on a variety of high performance computers. In this article, we compare and contrast the implementation issues encountered on different high performance computer architecture and the approaches used to overcome these problems. In addition, we discuss advanced sequence alignment techniques, including context sensitive and multiple sequence alignments.
Supplement to a hydrologic framework for the Oak Ridge Reservation, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

The information in this report should prove useful for flow and contaminant-transport modeling of groundwater and for evaluating the alternatives for remedial action. New data on porosity and permeability have been analyzed and interpreted to produce a better understanding of the relationships between unfractured rock, low permeability intervals, and relatively permeable intervals. Specifically, the dimensions, orientations, depths, and spacings of previous fractures have been measured or calculated; the depths and directions of subsurface flow paths have been corroborated with new data; fractures near the water table have been shown to have different characteristics than those at deeper levels; and the relationships between groundwater flows in fractures and flows in the continuum have been described. This is the information needed for the numerical modeling of groundwater flows. Other information in this report should result in a better understanding of spatial and temporal differences in water chemistry, including changes in contaminant concentrations. Temporal changes in groundwater chemistry have been shown to occur mostly near the water table. These changes consist of a periodic dilution of chemical constituents by recharge and a slow increase in constituent concentrations between recharge events. At discharge locations, spatial differences in groundwater chemistry are integrated by mixing. Themore » monitoring of water chemistry in streams near contaminant sources may produce a better indication of contaminant releases and trends than do the records obtained from a few upgradient and downgradient wells.« less
Automatic Subcortical Segmentation Using a Contextual Model

Automatically segmenting subcortical structures in brain images has the potential to greatly accelerate drug trials and population studies of disease. Here we propose an automatic subcortical segmentation algorithm using the auto context model. Unlike many segmentation algorithms that separately compute a shape prior and an image appearance model, we develop a framework based on machine learning to learn a unified appearance and context model. We trained our algorithm to segment the hippocampus and tested it on 83 brain MRIs (of 35 Alzheimer's disease patients, 22 with mild cognitive impairment, and 26 normal healthy controls). Using standard distance and overlap metrics, the auto context model method significantly outperformed simpler learning-based algorithms (using AdaBoost alone) and the FreeSurfer system. In tests on a public domain dataset designed to validate segmentation [1] , our new algorithm also greatly improved upon a recently-proposed hybrid discriminative/generative approach [2], which was among the top three that performed comparably in a recent head-to-head competition.
The Synchrosqueezing transform for instantaneous spectral analysis

The Synchrosqueezing transform is a time-frequency analysis method that can decompose complex signals into time-varying oscillatory components. It is a form of time-frequency reassignment that is both sparse and invertible, allowing for the recovery of the signal. This article presents an overview of the theory and stability properties of Synchrosqueezing, as well as applications of the technique to topics in cardiology, climate science, and economics.
Crossing the (watershed) divide: satellite data and the changing politics of international river basins

Acquiring freshwater resources is a necessary component of sustainable human settlement subject to increasing pressure from population and climate changes. This sometimes scarce resource primarily comes from rivers, and international river basins (IRBs), where watersheds and watercourses cross political boundaries, are often spaces of great political tension and conflict worldwide. Such conflict potential has garnered interest from a wide range of research communities, and each emphasises public access to hydrologic data as integral to successful international management of IRBs. However; these hydrologic data, especially measurements of river flow rate, are often closely guarded state secrets. Satellites have been cited as a key technology set to challenge this data monopoly that have yet been unable to calculate river flow rate without some form of guarded ancillary data. Now, at-many-stations hydraulic geometry (AMHG) offers a means of circumventing data limitations without any a priori information, and the forthcoming NASA/CNES Surface Water and Ocean Topography (SWOT) satellite also promises to estimate flow rates solely from its novel measurements following launch. In this paper, we explore how these newly available estimates of river flow rate could reconfigure water-management and interstate relations in IRBs, and demonstrate AMHG, for two cases: the Ganges–Brahmaputra and Mekong. For these basins we find that satellite flow rate retrievals will likely reinforce and favour state-level negotiations of water resource governance. Also, satellite flow retrievals can have the direct, concrete effect of improving hydrologic understanding of the upstream Ganges–Brahmaputra, a sorely needed advance that will positively benefit millions of Bangladeshis and affect state-level interactions between India, China, and Bangladesh. Finally, we avoid offering prescriptive water management solutions for each case, as local stakeholders will ultimately determine if and how such satellite retrievals will be used.
Puerperal endometritis: a prospective microbiologic study.

Abstract This study was undertaken to determine the flora in the endometrial cavity of two groups of puerperal patients: 47 afebrile control subjects and 27 with endometritis. A transcervical culturing technique designed to avoid cervical contamination and to preserve aerobes, anaerobes, and mycoplasma was employed, and bacterial colony counts were reported semiquantitatively. No difference was found in the flora of these two groups. Furthermore, the most common pathogenic organisms (in decreasing order of frequency) were peptostreptococci, peptococci, Bacteroides sp., γ-streptococci, enterococci, β-streptococci, α-streptococci, and E. coli.
Genetic Variation in Efficiency of Thiamine Utilization by the Domestic Fowl

Abstract DIFFERENCES between breeds in nutritional requirements were first reported by Payne et al. (1932), who observed that their Rhode Island Reds were much more susceptible to perosis than were their White Leghorns. Since then considerable evidence of genetic variation in nutritional requirements has accumulated and this has been reviewed elsewhere (Hutt, 1949). With respect to thiamine, the tests of Nichita and Iftimesco (1934) with adult White Leghorns, and those of Nichita et al. (1934) with Rhode Island Reds, indicated that the latter breed is more susceptible than the former to a deficiency of vitamin B1. This was confirmed by Lamoreux and Hutt (1939), who eliminated any possible influence of the breed difference in size by testing chicks of the two breeds instead of adults. Subsequently Scrimshaw et al. (1945) found that White Leghorns put more thiamine in their eggs than hens of the heavier breeds when both kinds are maintained …
Condition and mass impact oxygen stores and dive duration in adult female northern elephant seals

Published by and copyright of The Company of Biologists. The definitive version of this article is available at: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/213/4/585.full.pdf+html