cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-stage Stochastic Matching and Pricing with Applications to Ride Hailing

Matching and pricing are two critical levers in two-sided marketplaces to connect demand and supply. The platform can produce more efficient matching and pricing decisions by batching the demand requests. We initiate the study of the two-stage stochastic matching problem, with or without pricing, to enable the platform to make improved decisions in a batch with an eye toward the imminent future demand requests. This problem is motivated in part by applications in online marketplaces such as ride hailing platforms. We design online competitive algorithms for vertex-weighted (or unweighted) two-stage stochastic matching for maximizing supply efficiency, and two-stage joint matching and pricing for maximizing market efficiency. In the former problem, using a randomized primal-dual algorithm applied to a family of "balancing" convex programs, we obtain the optimal 3/4 competitive ratio against the optimum offline benchmark. Using a factor revealing program and connections to submodular optimization, we improve this ratio against the optimum online benchmark to (1−1/e+1/e^2) ≈ 0.767 for the unweighted and 0.761 for the weighted case. In the latter problem, we design optimal 1/2-competitive joint pricing and matching algorithm by borrowing ideas from the ex-ante prophet inequality literature. We also show an improved (1−1/e)-competitive algorithm for the special case of demand efficiency objective using the correlation gap of submodular functions. Finally, we complement our theoretical study by using DiDi’s ride-sharing dataset for Chengdu city and numerically evaluating the performance of our proposed algorithms in practical instances of this problem.
Evaluating a Specification for its Support of Mode Awareness using Discrete and Continuous Model Checking

In situations where humans and computers cooperate, mode confusion on the part of the human can be dangerous. We present a methodology to evaluate a semi-autonomous system for its support of mode awareness. The methodology uses discrete-state model checking of the specification and real-valued model checking of the system in operation. Using the ISO standard for adaptive cruise control as a case study, we exhaustively enumerate the instances of four design flaws known to contribute to mode confusion. We then build a real-valued model of eight driving scenarios to find which of those instances of possible mode confusion may lead to a dangerous situation. We find 116 property violations, and determine 62 of them to be potentially dangerous.
Geometric Constraint Solving With Solution Selectors

Current parametric CAD systems are based on solving equality type of constraints between geometric objects and parameters. This includes algebraic equations constraining the values of variables, and geometric constraints, constraining the positions of geometric objects. However, to truly represent design intent, next-generation CAD systems must also allow users to input other types of constraints such as inequality constraints. Inequality constraints are expressed as inequality expressions on variables or as geometric constraints that force geometric objects to be on specific sides or have specific orientations with respect to other objects. To solve problems involving constraints, we use a graph-based constraint solving algorithm that can be used in CAD/CAM/CAE applications. This graph-based constraint solving algorithm, called the Modified Frontier Algorithm with Solution Selection (MFASS), has been implemented at Michigan Technological University to solve equality based constraints in a CAD/CAM/CAE testbed application. The objective of this research was to investigate whether the Frontier Algorithm can be extended to solve geometry positioning problems involving systems of equality and inequality based declarations in which the inequality based declaration are used as solution selectors to choose from multiple solutions inherently arising from these systems. It is hypothesized that these systems can be decomposed by the Frontier Algorithm in a manner similar to purely equality-based constraint systems however they require tracking and iterating through solutions and in many cases may require backtracking through the solution sequence. This capitalizes on the strength of the Frontier Algorithm which solves only one small subsystem at a time with resulting short processing times compared to alternative algorithms. In this research we generate a new algorithm/DR planner for handling inequality constraints, both theoretically and through implementation in a testbed to demonstrate the working of the algorithm.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Pound and Rimbaud: The Retreat from Symbolism

Bloom is articulate of speech, inarticulate of mind; Stephen is inarticulate of speech, articulate of mind. For Molly mind and speech are the same she talks to herself to think, and thinks out loud to speak. Together they complement each other, and make a poem that speaks in three voices at once, as Hamlet when he speaks is a distraught prince of Denmark, a poet as enigmatic as Stephen Dedalus, and, ineluctably, the voice of Shakespeare. Is not Joyce in many ways more like Bloom than Stephen? Professor Ellmann has found a real Martha Clifford; Nora Barnacle's letters are as much Hke Molly's monologue as Joyce's city-dwelling habits are like Bloom's.
Integrated design of space structures using lattice plate finite elements

Lattice plate finite elements based on a continuum model of a large plate-like lattice space structure are used to examine the effect of variation of several fundamental structural parameters on the natural frequencies and mode shapes of the structure. Reduced-order controller design models are developed using modal cost analysis to rank the modes for each set of structural parameter values. The linear-quadratic-Gaussian controller design method is used to develop feedback control systems for each set of structural parameter values. The resulting system performance is then evaluated by examining the steady-state regulation cost of the structure as a function of the structural design parameters.
Likely Dominance of WIMP Annihilation to Fermion Pair + W/Z

Arguably, the most popular candidate for Dark Matter (DM) is a massive, stable, Majorana fermion. However, annihilation of Majorana DM to two fermions features a helicity-suppressed s-wave rate. The process radiating a gauge boson via electroweak (EW) and electromagnetic (EM) bremsstrahlung removes this s-wave suppression, and is likely to be the dominant modes of gauge-singlet Majorana DM annihilation. Given their enhanced annihilation rate with radiatedW and Z gauge bosons, and the subsequent dominant W/Z decays via hadronic channels, Majorana DM tends to produce more antiprotons than positrons. This result contrasts with observations, thereby presenting a challenge to model building with Majorana DM.
From PCM to KDV and Back

This is a summary of progress made [1]–[4] in understanding the occurrence and properties of local, conserved, commuting charges in non-linear sigma-models, including principal chiral models (PCMs) and WZW models.
N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-Retinamide Increases Lecithin:Retinol Acyltransferase Activity in Rat Liver

N-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-retinamide (4-HPR ; Fenretinide) is a synthetic retinoid which is undergoing investigation as a cancer chemopreventive agent. However, 4-HPR alters vitamin A kinetics and reduces the concentration of plasma retinol. We have conducted studies to examine the effects of 4-HPR on the activity of the enzyme lecithin :retinol acyltransferase (LRAT). This enzyme is implicated in the absorption and storage of vitamin A and is regulated, in liver, by vitamin A nutritional status. To determine whether 4-HPR, like retinoic acid, is able to induce liver LRAT activity, vitamin A-deficient rats having negligible liver LRAT activity were treated with single doses of 4-HPR (0.02-2.5 mg) and liver homogenates were assayed for LRAT activity using 3 H-retinol bound to the cellular-retinol binding protein, CRBP, as substrate. Treatment with 4-HPR resulted in a dose- and time-dependent increase in liver LRAT activity which reached a maximum at 24 h. The activity of LRAT assayed in vitro and of hepatic 3 H-retinyl ester content determined after an in vivo pulse of 3 H-retinol were highly correlated (r = 0.802, P < 0.0002). When vitamin A-sufficient rats were fed a 4-HPR-supplemented diet for 30 d, LRAT activity differed significantly from control values in the liver (P < 0.0001) but not the small intestines. Changes in hepatic retinol metabolism which favor the esterification of vitamin A may be related to the mechanism by which 4-HPR alters vitamin A kinetics in vivo.
Vanishing and non-vanishing of traces of Hecke operators

Using a reformulation of the Eichler-Selberg trace formula, due to Frechette, Ono and Papanikolas, we consider the problem of the vanishing (resp. non-vanishing) of traces of Hecke operators on spaces of even weight cusp forms with trivial Nebentypus character. For example, we show that for a fixed operator and weight, the set of levels for which the trace vanishes is effectively computable. Also, for a fixed operator the set of weights for which the trace vanishes (for any level) is finite. These results motivate the "generalized Lehmer conjecture", that the trace does not vanish for even weights 2k > 16 or 2k = 12.
Interplay of heterogeneous transcriptional start sites and translational selection of AUGs dictate the production of mitochondrial and cytosolic/nuclear tRNA nucleotidyltransferase from the same gene in yeast.

ATP (CTP):tRNA nucleotidyltransferase catalyzes the addition of the CCA end to tRNAs. In yeast, nucleotidyltransferase is encoded by the CCA1 gene and is localized to three cellular compartments: mitochondria, nucleus, and cytosol. There are three in-frame ATGs near the 5‘ end of the CCA1 open reading frame. Primer extension experiments show multiple transcription initiation sites upstream of ATG1 and between ATG1 and ATG2. Fractionation of cells carrying a CCA1-COXIV fusion gene demonstrates that all three in-frame AUGs are used as sites of initiation of translation. Therefore, both transcription of CCA1 mRNA with heterogeneous 5‘ ends and translation from downstream AUGs in CCA1 mRNAs play a role in the synthesis of three nucleotidyltransferase isozymes. Protein initiating from AUG1 is required for mitochondrial protein synthesis and, like many other proteins targeted to mitochondria, it is processed at the amino terminus upon import into the organelle. The shorter proteins arising from AUG2 and AUG3 provide nuclear/cytosol activity.
Queueing Networks with Finite Capacities

In this paper, we give a tutorial of queueing networks with blocking. Except for a few special cases, these networks could not be shown to have product form solutions. Although the steady state queue length distributions of these networks can, in theory, be calculated by solving the global balance equations together with the normalization equation numerically, this procedure can, in practice, be restrictive due to the time complexity of the procedure and the large storage required to store the rate matrices, particularly for large networks. Since exact values of their steady state queue length distributions are, in general, not attainable, good approximation algorithms are required to analyze queueing networks with finite queues.
The action of a human uterine protease on the estrogen receptor.

A partially purified trypsin-like protease was isolated from the human uterine cytosol that transformed the rat uterine estrogen receptor-[3H]estradiol complex from an 8S to a 4.5S sedimenting estrogen-binding protein, on sucrose gradient analysis. The transformation of the rat uterine estrogen receptor took place preferentially when the [3H]estradiol was associated with the estrogen receptor, rather than in the unassociated state. Alteration of the molecular size occurred without loss of the [3H]estradiol-binding capacity of the estrogen receptor, indicating that a limited proteolysis of the estrogen receptor-[3H]estradiol complex was occurring. The human uterine protease was inhibited by diisopropylfluorophosphate and tosyl-lysine chloromethyl ketone, and hydrolyzed benzoyl-arginine nitroanilide, indicating a trypsin-like activity. These data indicate the existence of a human uterine protease capable of altering the sedimentation form of the estrogen receptor-[3H]estradiol complex with high specificity....
Enzyme architecture: remarkably similar transition states for triosephosphate isomerase-catalyzed reactions of the whole substrate and the substrate in pieces.

Values of (kcat/Km)GAP for triosephosphate isomerase-catalyzed reactions of (R)-glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate and kcat/KHPiKGA for reactions of the substrate pieces glycolaldehyde and HPO32– have been determined for wild-type and the following TIM mutants: I172V, I172A, L232A, and P168A (TIM from Trypanosoma brucei brucei); a 208-TGAG for 208-YGGS loop 7 replacement mutant (L7RM, TIM from chicken muscle); and, Y208T, Y208S, Y208A, Y208F and S211A (yeast TIM). A superb linear logarithmic correlation, with slope of 1.04 ± 0.03, is observed between the kinetic parameters for wild-type and most mutant enzymes, with positive deviations for L232A and L7RM. The unit slope shows that most mutations result in an identical change in the activation barriers for the catalyzed reactions of whole substrate and substrate pieces, so that the two transition states are stabilized by similar interactions with the protein catalyst. This is consistent with a role for dianions as active spectators, which hold TIM in a catalytical...
Numerical Investigations of Monopole Impulse Noise

Classic theories for linear monopole noise generated by fluid injection have been established and can be found in several literature references. A simple example is the analytical expression of peak sound pressure at far field, which is shown to be proportional to the derivative of the mass flow rate history. However, in cases of high-intensity (impulsive) noise and for near-field regions, these theories become inapplicable. It was found that when the gas injection reached a certain level of intensity, a shock wave could form in the near field and the transient flow field evolved quickly with time. It is well known that a discontinuous mass flow rate history is a feature of a moving shock wave; therefore, the derivatives do not mathematically exist. With the presence of flow discontinuity, a different theory should be established or a different means of study should be used to investigate the properties of monopole impulse noise. By performing direct aeroacoustic simulations, the evolution and propagation...
The photochemical formation of cometary radicals

Abstract The present state of our knowledge of the photochemical formation of cometary free radicals is reviewed. The evidence shows that the photodissociation of water can explain the formation of O, OH, H and H2O+. Some of the other radicals such as CN and NH2 can also be explained by the photodissociation of stable compounds such as HCN, CH3CN and NH3. Other radicals such as NH, C2, and C3 do not appear to originate from the direct photolysis of any stable parent compound. The photolysis of free radicals that are formed as primary products in the photolysis of stable parent molecules has been suggested as an alternate source for these radicals. It is shown that such a process would be consistent with the currently available laboratory data and with cometary observations.
Pruning long documents for distributed information retrieval

Query-based sampling is a method of discovering the contents of a text database by submitting queries to a search engine and observing the documents returned. In prior research sampled documents were used to build resource descriptions for automatic database selection, and to build a centralized sample database for query expansion and result merging. An unstated assumption was that the associated storage costs were acceptable.When sampled documents are long, storage costs can be large. This paper investigates methods of pruning long documents to reduce storage costs. The experimental results demonstrate that building resource descriptions and centralized sample databases from the pruned contents of sampled documents can reduce storage costs by 54-93% while causing only minor losses in the accuracy of distributed information retrieval.
The Weiss-Patton debate: Illumination of the fundamental concerns

Feature articles should deal with topics applicable to the broad field of program evaluation. Implications for practicing evaluators should be clearly identified. Examples of contributions include but are not limited to reviews of new developments in evaluation; descriptions of a current evaluation effort, research problem, or technique; and discussions of theoretical, legal, or ethical issues affecting evaluation. Manuscripts should include appropriate references and not exceed 10 double-spaced typewritten pages in length.
Fasting and refeeding affect the expression of the Inhibitor of DNA Binding (ID) genes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) muscle

The Inhibitor of DNA Binding/Differentiation (ID) proteins are a family of dominant negative regulators of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factors, shown in mammals to delay cell differentiation and prolong proliferation. In the current study we used real-time PCR to investigate the effects of fasting and refeeding on the expression of ID genes in rainbow trout muscle. Fry shortly following yolk-sac absorption (approximately 250 mg) were used in a pair of experiments. In the first experiment, the treatment groups included fish fed or fasted throughout the duration of the experiment, and fish fasted for 14 days followed by feeding for the remainder of the experiment. The second experiment consisted of the same treatment groups; however the fish were only fasted for 7 days prior to refeeding. In both experiments, ID gene expression in the muscle of fasted fish was significantly lower than the fed samples after 7 days. Refeeding for 3 or 7 days returned the ID expression to levels similar to the fed fish. The reduction of ID expression during a fast and the subsequent return to fed levels with refeeding suggests the ID proteins participate in the regulation of muscle growth in the rainbow trout.
Speech Communication Training Needs in the Business Community.

Gradual changes in academic programs for career oriented instruction have produced important pedagogical questions. Researchers attempting to answer the questions have based their research on the wrong assumptions. This research asked a different audience about “trouble” instead of “importance,” and used language familiar in the business community with dramatically different results. Based on this research, tentative conclusions may be drawn about what communication skills we should teach career oriented students.
Embedding black-box regression techniques into hierarchical Bayesian models

Hierarchical models enable the encoding of a variety of parametric structures. However, when presented with a large number of covariates upon which some component of a model hierarchy depends, the modeller may be unwilling or unable to specify a form for that dependence. Data-mining methods are designed to automatically discover relationships between many covariates and a response surface, easily accommodating non-linearities and higher-order interactions. We present a method of wrapping hierarchical models around data-mining methods, preserving the best qualities of the two paradigms. We fit the resulting semi-parametric models using an approximate Gibbs sampler called HEBBRU. Using a simulated dataset, we show that HEBBRU is useful for exploratory analysis and displays excellent predictive accuracy. Finally, we apply HEBBRU to an ornithological dataset drawn from the eBird database.
Cortical reconstruction using implicit surface evolution: Accuracy and precision analysis

Two different studies were conducted to assess the accuracy and precision of an algorithm developed for automatic reconstruction of the cerebral cortex from T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) brain images. Repeated scans of three different brains were used to quantify the precision of the algorithm, and manually selected landmarks on different sulcal regions throughout the cortex were used to analyze the accuracy of the three reconstructed surfaces: inner, central, and pial. We conclude that the algorithm can find these surfaces in a robust fashion and with subvoxel accuracy, typically with an accuracy of one third of a voxel, although this varies with brain region and cortical geometry. Parameters were adjusted on the basis of this analysis in order to improve the algorithm's overall performance.
CCN5/WISP-2: A micromanager of breast cancer progression

The gain of plasticity by a subset of cancer cells is a unique but common sequence of cancer progression from epithelial phenotype to mesenchymal phenotype (EMT) that is followed by migration, invasion and metastasis to a distant organ, and drug resistance. Despite multiple studies, it is still unclear how cancer cells regulate plasticity. Recent studies from our laboratory and others’ proposed that CCN5/WISP-2, which is found intracellularly (in the nucleus and cytoplasm) and extracellularly, plays a negative regulator of plasticity. It prevents the EMT process in breast cancer cells as well as pancreatic cancer cells. Multiple genetic insults, including the gain of p53 mutations that accumulate over the time, may perturb CCN5 expression in non-invasive breast cancer cells, which ultimately helps cells to gain invasive phenotypes. Moreover, emerging evidence indicates that several oncogenic lesions such as miR-10b upregulation and activation of TGF-β-signaling can accumulate during CCN5 crisis in breast cancer cells. Collectively, these studies indicate that loss of CCN5 activity may promote breast cancer progression; application of CCN5 protein may represent a novel therapeutic intervention in breast cancer and possibly pancreatic cancer.
Investigation of the Two-state, Maximum Work Extraction Switching Rule of a State-switched Absorber for Vibration Control

A state-switched absorber (SSA) is a derivative of a classical tuned vibration absorber (TVA). An SSA is a mass-spring-damper system that is capable of instantaneously changing its stiffness, thus is capable of instantaneously changing its resonance frequency. Between instantaneous switch events, the absorber is a passive device, acting similarly to a classical TVA. When a switch event occurs, the SSA instantly changes its stiffness, effectively 'retuning' its resonance frequency. At this point, the SSA remains tuned to this new frequency until the next switch event, where it changes frequencies again. Previous research has shown that applying a maximum work extraction switching rule to a two-stiffness-state absorber results in improved performance of the SSA over classical vibration absorbers. The article at hand investigates the two-state, maximum work extraction switching rule in more detail. Specifically, the explanation of how the switching rule reduces the vibration of the base to which it is attached is considered. The article also details the stability of such a switching rule.
Improving Delirium Care: Prevention, Monitoring, and Assessment

Delirium is an acute change in awareness and attention and is common, morbid, and costly for patients and health care systems. While hyperactive delirium is easily identifiable, the hypoactive form is more common and carries a higher mortality. Hospital systems to address delirium should consist of 3 critical steps. First, hospitals must identify patients who develop or are at intermediate or high risk for delirium. Delirium risk may be assessed using known patient-based and illness-based risk factors, including preexisting cognitive impairment. Delirium diagnosis remains a clinical diagnosis that requires a clinical assessment that can be structured using diagnostic criteria. Hospital systems may be useful to efficiently allocate delirium resources to prevent and manage delirium. Second, it is crucial to develop a systematic approach to prevent delirium using multimodal nonpharmacologic delirium prevention methods and to monitor all high-risk patients for its occurrence. Tools such as the modified Richmond Agitation and Sedation Scale can aid in monitoring for changes in mental status that could indicate the development of delirium. Third, hospital systems can utilize established methods to assess and manage delirium in a standardized fashion. The key lies in addressing the underlying cause/causes of delirium, which often involve medical conditions or medications. With a sustained commitment, standardized efforts to identify and prevent delirium can mitigate the long-term morbidity associated with this acute change. In the face of changes in health care funding, delirium serves as an example of a syndrome where care coordination can improve short-term and long-term costs.
Development of Spectrally-Constrained Diffuse Optical Tomography for Imaging Exogenous Contrast Agents

Spectrally-constrained diffuse tomography is used to image endogenous and exogenous tissue chromophore concentrations with higher accuracy than when using individual wavelengths. Reconstructed images from simulated data demonstrate that concentrations of Lutetium Texaphyrin are readily recovered.
Towards an ecosystem of structured data on the web

We are in the midst of very exciting times in which structured data is having a profound impact on many aspects of our lives. In many countries, citizens take for granted the fact that governments, local authorities, and non-government organizations should make a variety of data sets available to the public. These data sets span a variety of topics such as economic indicators, crime statistics, educational data, government spending and campaign contributions. Journalists and other data aficionados are fueling this trend by turning this data into visualizations and stories that are spread by social networks and seen by millions of people [8]. These visualizations, stories and public attention, in turn, lead to new questions and hence a demand for additional data.
Extension of the Pennsylvania railroad's electrified system

THE EXISTING single-phase electrified system of The Pennsylvania Railroad, completed in the early part of 1935, extends from New York, N. Y., through Philadelphia, Pa., to Wilmington, Del., Baltimore, Md., Washington, D. C., and Potomac Yard, Va., for passenger and freight service north and south; and from New York to Philadelphia and Paoli, Pa, for service east and west. Including the trackage used for suburban service, this electrified system now covers a route of 373 miles with 1,343 miles of electrified track.
On the floor and the ceiling of a divisor

Given a divisor A of a function field, there is a unique divisor of minimum degree that defines the same vector space of rational functions as A and there is a unique divisor of maximum degree that defines the same vector space of rational differentials as A. These divisors are called the floor and the ceiling of A. A method is given for finding both the floor and the ceiling of a divisor. The floor and the ceiling of a divisor give new bounds for the minimum distance of algebraic geometry codes. The floor and the ceiling of a divisor supported by collinear places of the Hermitian function field are determined. Finally, we find the exact code parameters for a large class of algebraic geometry codes constructed from the Hermitian function field.
Numerical study of natural convection in a vertical, porous annulus with constant heat flux on the inner wall

Abstract Numerical solutions for natural convection in a vertical, porous annulus are reported for the case when the inner wall is heated by applying a constant heat flux. This results in a higher rate of heat transfer compared to the isothermal heating. The higher the aspect ratio, the larger is this difference whereas the effect of radius ratio is just the reverse. Though the heat transfer rate increases with the curvature, the exponent p in Nu = C Ra ∗m A −n K p , is a strong function of the radius ratio, k. In the boundary-layer regime, p decreases logarithmically from a peak value at k = 1. This brings the annulus results close to the cylinder solutions at large radius ratios. The peak temperature in the enclosure never exceeds twice the mean temperature.
Tunable Active Vibration Absorber: The Delayed Resonator

This paper elaborates upon a novel concept, the Delayed Resonator, a tunable active vibration absorber. This technique uses a control which has a time delayed feedback of the absorber mass displacement. The substance of this process is in that the absorber completely removes oscillations from the primary structure. Two very strong features that should be mentioned are : (a) the excitation frequency range can vary over a semi-infinite interval, and (b) the absorber can be tuned in real time. These are the unique characteristics of the technique distinguishing it from the others. Stability issues of the primary system combined with the Delayed Resonator are addressed following Nyquist and root locus methods. In particular, the absorption performance for cases with time varying excitation frequency is studied. The primary focus of this paper is on the analysis of transient absorption behavior of the Delayed Resonator during its tuning. An example case is provided which considers a step change in the excitation frequency. A well-pronounced manifestation of the tunability feature of the Delayed Resonator is observed. The superiority of the Delayed Resonator absorber over the conventional a priori tuned absorbers is also demonstrated.
Planar configurations which determine few slopes

P. R. Scott conjectured, and Peter Ungar recently proved, that n noncollinear points in the plane determine at least n−1 slopes. This paper describes and characterizes the four known infinite classes of configurations where this minimum is achieved.
Laboratory Simulation of a Hot Industrial Job to Find Effective Heat Stress and Resulting Physiologic Strain

(1960). Laboratory Simulation of a Hot Industrial Job to Find Effective Heat Stress and Resulting Physiologic Strain. American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal: Vol. 21, No. 1, pp. 25-31.
Concurrent validity and reliability of clinical evaluation of the single leg squat

This study determined reliability and concurrent validity of measurements of the single leg squat made by novice examiners. Twelve video recordings of individuals performing a single leg squat were evaluated by six student physical therapists. Students assessed movement quality on an ordinal scale and manually measured frontal plane knee movement quantity on a video monitor. Inter- and intrarater reliability of ordinal scale ratings were determined via quadratically weighted kappa. Inter- and intrarater reliability of frontal plane knee measures were determined through intraclass correlation coefficient models 2,k and 3,k (k = 3 ratings), respectively. Concurrent validity of frontal plane knee measures was examined by comparison with Vicon-Peak motion-tracking system measures via Bland-Altman scatterplots. Ordinal scale measures displayed intrarater reliability ranging from 0.38 to 0.94 and interrater reliability of 0.68 (0.46–0.87). Intrarater reliability of frontal plane knee measures ranged from 0.88 t...
Reduced renal cortical ribonucleoside triphosphate pools in three different hypophosphatemic animal models.

Abstract Renal cortical metabolite quantitation in three different models of hypophosphatemia demonstrates that ribonucleoside triphosphate depletion is a common manifestation of reduced plasma phosphate concentration. Total tissue inorganic phosphate is not necessarily altered as the result of hypophosphatemia. Compensatory increases in mono- and diphosphate pools maintain the total ribonucleotide pool but cause reductions in the energy charge for the adenine, guanine, and uridine nucleotides. The coordinate regulation of all ribonucleoside triphosphate pools suggests cellular dysfunction accompanying hypophosphatemia may be the consequence of a generalized derangement in energy and nucleotide metabolism.
Subtropical High predictability establishes a promising way for monsoon and tropical storm predictions

Monsoon rainfall and tropical storms (TSs) impose great impacts on society, yet their seasonal predictions are far from successful. The western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) is a prime circulation system affecting East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) and western North Pacific TS activities, but the sources of its variability and predictability have not been established. Here we show that the WPSH variation faithfully represents fluctuations of EASM strength (r = –0.92), the total TS days over the subtropical western North Pacific (r = –0.81), and the total number of TSs impacting East Asian coasts (r = –0.76) during 1979–2009. Our numerical experiment results establish that the WPSH variation is primarily controlled by central Pacific cooling/warming and a positive atmosphere-ocean feedback between the WPSH and the Indo-Pacific warm pool oceans. With a physically based empirical model and the state-of-the-art dynamical models, we demonstrate that the WPSH is highly predictable; this predictability creates a promising way for prediction of monsoon and TS. The predictions using the WPSH predictability not only yields substantially improved skills in prediction of the EASM rainfall, but also enables skillful prediction of the TS activities that the current dynamical models fail. Our findings reveal that positive WPSH–ocean interaction can provide a source of climate predictability and highlight the importance of subtropical dynamics in understanding monsoon and TS predictability.
Crop Type Classification by Simultaneous Use of Satellite Images of Different Resolutions

Accurate and timely identification of crop types has significant economic, agricultural, policy, and environmental applications. The existing remote sensing methods to identify crop types rely on remotely sensed images of high temporal frequency in order to utilize phenological changes in crop reflectance characteristics. However, these image sets generally have relatively low spatial resolution. This tradeoff makes it difficult to classify remotely sensed images in fragmented landscapes where field sizes are smaller than the resolution of imaging sensor. Here, we develop a method for combining high spatial resolution (high-resolution) data with images with low spatial resolution but with high time frequency to achieve a superior classification of crop types. The solution is implemented and tested on both synthetic and real data sets as a proof of concept. We show that, by incorporating high-temporal-frequency but low spatial resolution data into the classification process, up to 20% of improvement in classification accuracy can be achieved even if very few high-resolution images are available for a location. This boost in accuracy is roughly equivalent to including an additional high-resolution image to the temporal stack during the classification process. The limitations of the current algorithm include computational performance and the need for ideal crop curves. Nevertheless, the resulting boost in accuracy can help researchers create superior crop type classification maps, thereby creating the opportunity to make more informed decisions.
Radiation Pressure Efficiencies of Spheres Made of Isotropic, Achiral, Passive, Homogeneous, Negative-Phase-Velocity Materials

Abstract Electromagnetic fields exert higher radiation pressures over isotropic, achiral, homogeneous, passive spheres made of negative-phase-velocity materials than of positive-phase-velocity materials. The radiation pressure can be very high if a nanoscale sphere has negligible loss, and the real parts of its relative permittivity and/or relative permeability are in the neighborhood of –2.
Leaf Volatiles of Mycorrhizal and Nonmycorrhizal Citrus Jambhiri Lush

ABSTRACT Gas chromatography and GC/MS were used to identify terpenoids and other volatiles from leaves of rough lemon rootstock seedlings which were grown in soil of three treatments. Treatments were soil low in phosphorus (P), the same soil amended with 440 ppm P, and the low P-soil amended with the mycorrhizal fungus Glomus intraradices (G.i.). Treatments yielded 30, 78, and 81 separate components, respectively. A total of 101 different components were present among the three treatments, and of these, 48 were chemically identified. Nine to ten compounds were unique to each of the treatments. A total of eight sesquiterpenes were present, and plants in the low-P soil amended with G.i. contained the highest relative concentration of sesquiterpene hydrocarbons, 16.06%, followed by 13.82% in plants in the low-P unamended soil and 8.03% in plants in soil amended with P. No single sesquiterpene was an indicator of stress in the stunted nonmycorrhizal plants. The qualitative simplicity of extracts from plants i...
Ambient air pollution and brain cancer mortality.

Objective Growing evidence that ultrafine particles in ambient air can cause brain lesions in animals led us to investigate whether particulate components of air pollution may be associated with brain cancer risk in humans. Air pollution has been associated with respiratory disorders and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, but associations between air pollutants and brain cancer have not been investigated in adults.
Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene variants predict response to bupropion therapy for tobacco dependence.

Background Although bupropion is efficacious for smoking cessation, only a minority of smokers are able to quit. Pharmacogenetic research may improve treatment outcomes through discovery of DNA sequences predictive of successful pharmacotherapy for subgroups of smokers. We investigated variants in the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene in a smoking cessation trial of bupropion. Methods A double-blind, placebo-controlled, 10-week trial of bupropion and counseling (with a 6-month follow-up period) was conducted at two university-based smoking cessation research programs. Abstinence was biochemically verified at the end of treatment and at 6 months after the target quit date. Results At the end of the treatment phase, statistically significant interaction effects indicated that COMT haplotypes of two SNPs (rs737865 and rs165599) predicted the efficacy of bupropion compared with placebo. This interaction effect was attenuated at 6-month follow-up. Conclusions COMT haplotypes at rs737865 and rs165599 may predict a favorable outcome for bupropion treatment for smoking cessation. European-American smokers with a G allele at both SNPs may not benefit from bupropion treatment. Small numbers of some COMT haplotypes limit interpretation of response. If study findings are confirmed in additional large studies, COMT genotyping could be applied to identify likely responders to bupropion treatment for smoking cessation.
Normal and tangential compliances of interface of rough surfaces with contacts of elliptic shape

Abstract The incremental compliances, normal and tangential, of an interface between rough surfaces are considered. Contacts are assumed to be elliptic – the shape of Hertzian contacts between any two locally smooth asperities. The ellipses may have diverse eccentricities and random or non-random orientation distribution; in the latter case, the tangential compliance is anisotropic. It is found that the Hertzian contacts and “welded” zones of the same geometry produce the same incremental compliances. Microstructural characteristics ξ of the interface that controls its incremental compliances is identified. For the circular contacts, ξ is the sum ∑ A k where A k is k th contact area; in the more general case of elliptic contacts, each A k enters in product with its shape factor dependent on the ellipse aspect ratio. The mentioned in-plane tangential anisotropy is relatively mild, even for parallel strongly elongated elliptic contacts. This is due to weakness of the anisotropy for a single elliptic contact (or external elliptic crack). Comparison of the latter to the internal crack of the same elliptic geometry shows that whereas the anisotropy is mild for both crack types, it is weaker for the external crack, in which case it is also less sensitive to Poisson’s ratio.
Biological Degradation of Common Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products in Soils with High Water Content

Biological degradation rates of six pharmaceuticals and personal care products were examined in soil from a land application site and in adjacent soil with no prior history of effluent exposure. Microbial degradation rates were compared over 2 weeks under standing water or saturated conditions and draining conditions after having been saturated for 3 days. Biological degradation of 17β-estradiol exhibited rapid rates of biological degradation under both saturated and draining conditions. Half-lives for 17β-estradiol ranged from 1.5 to 4 days; 66–97% was lost from the soils. Estriol showed a pattern of biological degradation in both saturated and draining conditions though the half-lives were longer (8.7–25.9 days) than those observed for 17β-estradiol. Twenty-eight percent to 73% of estriol was lost over the 14 days treatment period. Estrone and 17α-ethinylestradiol exhibited slower rates of biological transformation under saturated and draining conditions. Half-lives for estrone ranged between 27.5 and 56.8 days with loss of at most 21%. 17α-ethinylestradiol exhibited half-lives of 22.6–207 days. Half-life data for ibuprofen ranged from 30.4 to 1,706.4 days in this experiment. Losses of up to 17% were observed in draining soils. Triclosan loss was at most 10%, and half-lives were 70.9–398.8 days. In all cases, soils that were draining from saturated conditions exhibited faster degradation rates than soils that remained saturated. Prior exposure of the soil to effluent did not always result in higher biological degradation rates.
Cost and use of conservative management of lumbar disc herniation before surgical discectomy.

Abstract Background Context Lumbar discectomy is one of the most common spine surgical procedures. With the exception of true emergencies (eg, cauda equina syndrome), lumbar discectomy is usually performed as an elective procedure after a prudent trial of nonoperative treatment. Although several studies have compared costs of definitive operative or nonoperative management of lumbar disc herniation, no information has been published regarding the cost of conservative care in patients who ultimately underwent surgical discectomy. Purpose The purpose of this study was to determine the financial costs (and relative distribution of those costs) associated with the nonoperative management of lumbar disc herniation in patients who ultimately failed conservative care and elected to undergo surgical discectomy. Study Design This is a retrospective database review. Patient Sample The sample comprises patients within the database who underwent lumbar discectomy. Outcome Measures The outcome measures were frequency of associated procedures and the costs of those procedures. Materials and Methods A search was conducted using a commercially available online database of insurance records of orthopedic patients to identify all patients within the database undergoing lumbar discectomy between 2004 and 2006. Patients were identified by American Medical Association Current Procedural Terminology code. The associated charge codes for the 90-day period before the surgery were reviewed and categorized as outpatient physician visits, imaging studies, physical therapy, injection, chiropractic manipulation, medication charges, preoperative studies, or miscellaneous charges. The frequency of each code and the percentage of patients for whom that code was submitted to the insurance companies were noted, as were the associated charges. Results In total, 30,709 patients in the database met eligibility criteria. A total of $105,799,925 was charged during the 90 days preoperatively, an average of $3,445 per patient. Average charge for discectomy procedure was $7,841. Charges for injection procedures totaled $16,211,246 or 32% of total charges, diagnostic imaging $15,648,769 (31%), outpatient visits $6,552,135 (13%), physical therapy visits $5,723,644 (11%), chiropractic manipulation $1,177,406 (2%), preoperative studies $426,976 (0.8%), medications $263,039 (0.5%), and miscellaneous charges $1,177,371 (2%). Conclusions Charges for preoperative care of patients with lumbar disc herniation are substantial and are split almost evenly between diagnostic charges (outpatient visits, imaging, laboratory studies, and miscellaneous) and therapeutic charges (injections, physical therapy, chiropractic manipulation, and medications). Although a large number of patients will ultimately require surgical intervention, given that many patients will improve with nonoperative therapy, a trial of conservative management is appropriate. Additional studies to identify patients who may ultimately fail nonoperative treatment and would benefit from early discectomy would be beneficial.
A new stable isotope record of Neogene paleoenvironments and mammalian paleoecologies in the western Great Plains during the expansion of C4 grasslands

Abstract Stable isotopes in horse teeth from the North American Great Plains show that equids began to incorporate C4 plants in their diets about 6.5 million years ago as C4 grasslands expanded. However, the ecological response of many other ungulates to this expansion is poorly documented. We use stable carbon isotopes in mammalian tooth enamel to test whether other ungulates adapted by incorporating C4 vegetation in their diets. The openness of habitats before the expansion of C4 grasslands is uncertain, with plant phytolith studies suggesting a patchy environment with open-habitat grasses and forest, and pollen and macrofloral studies suggesting more forested habitats. To address this problem we use a model that predicts carbon isotope values for tooth enamel for a variety of environments, based on values in modern plants. Carbon and oxygen isotopes were analyzed in medium to large herbivores from three late Miocene and three Pliocene local faunas comprising a total of 13 and 7 genera, respectively, and 59 and 42 individuals. Results indicate that before the expansion of C4 grasslands, taxa with high-crowned teeth were consuming predominantly C3 vegetation. In contrast, by the late Pliocene most taxa studied were consuming a component of C4 vegetation and only the peccary Platygonus sp. had a pure C3 diet. C4 consumption increased in the late Pliocene (~ 3.0 Ma) Big Springs local fauna probably in response to increased C4 biomass. Most landscapes in the late Miocene of Nebraska were open, such as woodland-savanna or C3 grassland, although low carbon values from the Pratt Slide local fauna suggest a denser, presumably forested area. This general pattern suggests an expansion of open-habitats no later than 12 Ma (early Clarendonian). Through the Miocene–Pliocene transition there was an overall shift to lower δ18O enamel values, which parallels the long-term decrease in global mean annual temperature inferred from the marine record. Our results indicate that major changes in the diets of medium and large herbivores broadly corresponded with increased C4 biomass and cooling climate from the latest Miocene to the late Pliocene.