cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrical Load Modeling and Simulation

Electricity consumer demand response and load control are playing an increasingly important role in the development of a smart grid. Smart grid load management technologies such as Grid FriendlyTM controls and real-time pricing are making their way into the conventional model of grid planning and operations. However, the behavior of load both affects, and is affected by load control strategies that are designed to support electric grid planning and operations. This chapter discussed the natural behavior of electric loads, how it interacts with various load control and demand response strategies, what the consequences are for new grid operation concepts and the computing issues these new technologies raise.
Scheduling virtual wifi interfaces for high bandwidth video upstreaming using multipath TCP

Live video upstreaming refers to the flow of live data in the upstream direction from mobile devices to other entities across the Internet and has found use in many modern applications such as remote driving, the recent social media trend of live video broadcasting along with the traditional applications of video calling/conferencing. Combined with the high definition video capturing capabilities of modern mobile devices, live video upstreaming is creating more upstream data traffic then what present day cellular networks are equipped to support, often resulting in sub-optimal video experience, especially in remote or crowded areas with low cellular connectivity and no WiFi. We propose that instead of using its single cellular connection, a mobile device connects to multiple nearby mobile devices and splits the live video data over the cellular bandwidth of these devices using Multipath TCP protocol. The use of MPTCP, for upstreaming live video data, has largely remained unexplored especially for scenarios where WiFi connectivity is not available. We use wireless interface virtualization, offered by Linux, to enable Multipath TCP to scale and connect to a large number of cellular devices. We design and build a system that is able to assess the instantaneous bandwidth of all the connected cellular devices/hotspots and uses the set of the most capable cellular devices for splitting and forwarding the live video data. We test our system in various settings and our experiments show that our system greatly increases the bandwidth and reliability of TCP connections in most cases and in cases where there is a significant difference in the throughput across cellular hotspots, our solution is able to recognize and isolate the better performing cellular hotspots to provide a stable throughput.
Paragons of failure: fallen celebrity and the crisis of social mobility

ABSTRACTWidely associated with upward mobility, celebrity is typically used to affirm the possibilities for transcendence in economically polarized capitalist societies. Relationships between celeb...
Percutaneous Transhepatic Cholangiography and the Role of Interventional Radiology in Biliary Obstructions

The interventional radiologist has an important role in the decompression of the obstructed biliary tree. In general, their skills are used for patients who cannot tolerate anesthesia due to frailty or hemodynamic collapse or in those where ERCP was unsuccessful due to the nature of the obstruction. A percutaneous hepaticogastrostomy can be employed to decompress the biliary tree. The technique of percutaneous transhepatic cholangiography can also clear common bile duct stones and biopsy masses that may be causing the obstruction, define the biliary tree anatomy, and provide temporary drainage of the biliary tree.
Comparison of Multiple Large Fluid-Structure Interaction Simulations in Virtual Reality

Scientific visualization tools are rapidly embracing the necessary challenge of simultaneously visualizing multiple parameterized simulation data sets [8]. In the new paradigm, scientists hope to understand parameter relationships and stochastic trends that exist in a parameter space [6], [7]. At the same time, virtual reality (VR) environments have enabled exciting possible opportunities for exploring and comparing time varying spatial data sets [3]. Although VR offers a unique perspective to view 3D and 4D data, it requires high framerates for interactivity and optimized use of precious GPU memory. Accurate simulations, on the other hand, are often very large due to dynamic unstructured mesh resolutions and small timesteps, making it difficult to simply render even one data set. To solve this, large data visualization frameworks often use data sampling and efficient rendering techniques to engage the GPU [1], [8]. Even then, VR is mostly used to add a stereoscopic view, and is rarely an integral part of interactive data instance comparison [3].
Breeding rice for nitrogen use efficiency

The aim of present investigation was to study the gross morphology and incidence of canine mammary tumors (CMTs) based on age, sex, breed, reproductive status and location along with histopathological classification and immunohistochemical characteristics. A total of 56 CMTs samples were collected from 49 cases of dogs. Gross morphology was studied in 26 cases of canine mammary tumors. For histopathological classification, samples were fixed in 10% formalin, embedded in paraffin and sections (5 μm thick) obtained from each was stained with HandE stain. Immuno-histochemistry was carried out by using p63 antibody to confirm the histopathological types of CMTs. Malignant tumors and benign tumors were mostly observed in older dogs. Among 9 breeds affected, the highest incidence was recorded in a German shepherd. Caudal abdominal pair was most commonly affected. Most of the cases were observed in intact female dogs, except for one male dog. The tumors were oval and round in shape with 30–2000 g weight, soft to hard in consistency and grayish white cut surface. Out of 56 CMTs, the highest incidence was found of malignant neoplasms (36/56, 64.28%), followed by benign neoplasms (10/56, 17.85%) and non-neoplastic proliferation hyperplasia/dysplasia (10/56, 17.85%). Complex carcinoma, carcinoma, and malignant myoepithelioma and malignant myoepithelioma were confirmed by p63 antibody. In these neoplasms, myoepithelial cells showed strong immunoreactivity with p63.Development of nitrogen use efficient (NUE) rice varieties is inevitable for sustainability of environmental friendly and economical agricultural practices. Several management practices are being studied for increasing efficiency of spatial and temporal inputs of N under National Innovations for Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA). Attempts are being made to develop NUE rice varieties with multidisciplinary approach and conventional selection along with mapping and next generation sequencing strategies. Around 800 rice genotypes were characterized under low and recommended nitrogen for two consecutive seasons and the promising donors further evaluated to identify consistent NUE rice genotypes. Several mapping populations were developed using the NUE donors and popular rice varieties. QTL/genomic regions were identified for yield under low N using biparental and association mapping. Using minimum marker set of 50 rice SSR markers, 12 genomic regions were identified for yield and yield associated traits under low nitrogen. Several promising recombinants of yield and NUE were identified and these breeding lines were evaluated under multi-locations and stable performers were identified under AICRIP Trial - Evaluation of Radiation and Nitrogen use efficient promising rice genotypes -Plant Physiology during Kharif 2016, 2017 and 2018. As nitrogen is the building block of biomass, an optimum N is required for realizing the yield. The strategy should be to maximise uptake and improve utilization, so that remobilization of N to yield is achieved under low N.
Reaching the Hardest to Tax: Consequences and Possibilities

Abstract Public finance economists have been concerned with the HTT sector for a long time, but the research on this subject has not generally taken a comprehensive view. Most analysts have concentrated on a particular piece of the story. This contribution is attempted to pull many of these pieces together. In this summary paper, I draw on research in this area, and from the papers in this volume, to expand the discussion of four questions: (a) Who are the hard-to-tax? (b) What are the implications of not taxing this sector? (c) Can we measure the impact of the HTT sector tax on revenue performance? and (d) Is the tax administration system in the typical developing economy capable of reaching this segment of the population? The focus in this paper is mostly on the developing and transition economies.
Method for the experimental measurement of bulk and shear loss angles in amorphous thin films

Brownian thermal noise is a limiting factor for the sensitivity of many high precision metrology applications, among other gravitational-wave detectors. The origin of Brownian noise can be traced down to internal friction in the amorphous materials that are used for the high reflection coatings. To properly characterize the internal friction in an amorphous material, one needs to consider separately the bulk and shear losses. In most of previous works the two loss angles were considered equal, although without any first principle motivation. In this work we present a method that can be used to extract the material bulk and shear loss angles, based on current state-of-the-art coating ring-down measurement systems. We also show that for titania-doped tantala, a material commonly used in gravitational-wave detector coatings, the experimental data strongly favor a model with two different and distinct loss angles, over the simpler case of one single loss angle.
Hankel transform, Langlands functoriality and functional equation of automorphic L-functions

This is a survey on recent works of Langlands’s work on functoriality conjectures and related works including the works of Braverman and Kazhdan on the functional equation of automorphic L-functions. Efforts have been made to carry out in complete generality the construction of the L-monoid, and certain a kernel which is, we believe, related to the elusive Hankel kernel.
Measuring angular N-point correlations of binary black hole merger gravitational-wave events with hierarchical Bayesian inference

Advanced LIGO and Virgo have detected ten binary black hole mergers by the end of their second observing run. These mergers have already allowed constraints to be placed on the population distribution of black holes in the Universe, which will only improve with more detections and increasing sensitivity of the detectors. In this paper we develop techniques to measure the angular distribution of black hole mergers by measuring their statistical $N$-point correlations through hierarchical Bayesian inference. We apply it to the special case of two-point angular correlations using a Legendre polynomial basis on the sky. Building on the mixture model formalism introduced by Smith and Thrane [Phys. Rev. X 8, 021019 (2018)], we show how one can measure two-point correlations with no threshold on significance, allowing us to target the ensemble of subthreshold binary black hole mergers not resolvable with the current generation of ground based detectors. We also show how one can use these methods to correlate gravitational waves with other probes of large scale angular structure like galaxy counts, and validate both techniques through simulations.
ESG Standards: Looming Challenges and Pathways Forward:

We are pleased to serve as guest editors of this special issue of the journal Organization & Environment on the State of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) Standards. Calls for standardiza...
Can ‘floating’ predict treatment response to ketamine? Data from three randomized trials of individuals with treatment-resistant depression

Abstract Ketamine has rapid-acting antidepressant properties but also potentially concerning transient dissociative side effects (SEs). Recent studies noted a positive correlation between treatment response to ketamine and general dissociative SEs, as well as “floating”, a depersonalization SE (a subtype of the dissociative SEs). This analysis sought to determine whether floating mediates treatment response to ketamine. Data were pooled from three double-blind, crossover, placebo-controlled ketamine clinical trials across which 82 participants with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) (44 with bipolar depression and 38 with major depressive disorder) received placebo and ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) infusions. SEs were actively solicited in a standardized fashion before and after ketamine infusion. The hypothesis that a post-infusion experience of floating would mediate antidepressant response to ketamine was assessed at 230 min post-infusion and at Day 1. Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) total score was the dependent variable in a linear mixed effects model. Ketamine significantly decreased MADRS scores (p
Giant visceral artery pseudoaneurysm treated with endovascular transradial coil embolization.

Abstract Visceral artery pseudoaneurysms (PSAs) are relatively rare, and cases associated with distal vasculature of the superior mesenteric artery are largely unreported. Visceral artery PSAs, without intervention, can lead to morbidity or mortality from rupture or mesenteric ischemia. Historically, open aneurysmectomy is the gold standard; however, endovascular modalities have emerged as the first-line treatment in patients who are poor surgical candidates and/or have unfavorable anatomy. Herein, we describe a case of a symptomatic PSA of the distal superior mesenteric artery treated via the transradial approach with endovascular coil embolization, showing successful aneurysmal exclusion and preservation of enteric collateral flow.
Public Health Significance

Chapter 2 sets the stage for why occupational exposure to infectious diseases in health care is an important public health issue. Since there are hundreds of microorganisms that can cause illness or infection in humans (pathogenic organisms), this chapter describes the highest prevalence organisms that affect healthcare personnel. It provides a list and discussion for what microorganisms are most likely to cause occupational illness or infection in the working population. It also exposes the reader to provocative information about the healthcare environment, and vectors including contaminated hands, patient care items (e.g., blood pressure cuffs, stethoscopes), medical devices (e.g., IV infusion connectors, endoscopes, surgical instruments), and contaminated surfaces or textiles (e.g., uniforms, lab coats, sinks, toilets, bedrails, etc.).
Dreaming About Travel: A Pinterest Netnography

Ongoing travel information search remains under-examined in general, and specifically in terms of social media use. Understanding how visual social media platforms inspire travel dreams is increasingly pertinent as visual contents gain in importance. This is especially relevant when travel is restricted, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pinterest seems to be ideally suited for supporting ongoing search but has been rarely used as a data source in e-tourism research. This paper uses a netnographic approach to explore travel-related Pinterest data. From a methodological perspective, it finds that the platform is suitable for informing ongoing travel information search research but points to potential methodological challenges. As a theoretical contribution, it highlights the popularity of capturing travel dreams through Pinterest boards and illustrates the affective labor users put into their collections of travel dreams. The paper concludes with implications for tourism marketing and recommender system design.
Electrochemistry in Cancer: Applications to Pharmacological Studies of Quinone-Containing Antitumor Agents

Electrochemistry has been used in cancer pharmacology in a variety of ways. Practical applications include pharmacokinetics where drug concentrations in plasma are measured as a function of time. More fundamental studies deal with drug synthesis and mechanism(s) of drug action. Perhaps the great impetus to apply electrochemistry to cancer pharmacology stems from the fact that a family of relatively good anticarcinogens contain the quinone moiety. Adriamycin (doxorubicin) and daunorubicin are antibiotics which have been widely studied by electrochemical methods because of their clinical activity against a wide variety of malignancies and because they are quinones.
The Primate in Cataract/IOL Surgery

Publisher Summary Rhesus monkeys are the best animal study model on accommodation and potentially accommodating intraocular lenses (IOLs) or injectable polymers. The amplitude and mechanism of accommodation in all other animal species are different from those of humans, making data obtained using any of these other animals irrelevant. If an alternate study model must be used for feasibility assessment of a potentially accommodating IOL, the rabbit is the best choice due to its small size, low cost, and ready availability. The best animal model for assessing efficacy of any accommodating IOL is the nonhuman primate. Additionally, the iris has been shown to play a significant role in pharmacologically stimulated accommodation in the Rhesus monkey. The amplitude of accommodation was found to be 40% less after total iridectomy, as well as a decrease in anterior chamber shallowing and lens thickening. This difference was not seen with submaximal accommodation induced by intramuscular pilocarpine infusion or maximum accommodation induced by midbrain stimulation. It is believed that the iris sphincter muscle pulls the ciliary body farther forward and inward than does maximum ciliary muscle contraction alone, allowing additional lens rounding and additional accommodation power. The role of the iris in accommodation in the human has not been investigated.
Art on the 'Net : Enhanced research for art and architecture

Researchers in the fields of art and architecture can now find a wealth of information to complement traditional print resources in the humanities. The evolution of visual imagery technology on the Internet and the gradual development of a controlled vocabulary, namely the Art and Architecture Thesaurus, have made this possible. This article highlights some of the best resources for art and architecture, from subject directories and periodical indexes to image sites and auction information. Scholars researching art and architecture on the Internet will find these resources useful.
Cytotoxic effector CD4 T cells express NKG2C/E and are defined by a unique program dependent on Blimp-1. (IRC8P.482)

CD4 T cells with cytotoxic activity can be generated during many immune responses to acute viral infections and they can contribute to CD4-mediated viral control. During the peak of the CD4 T cell response to an acute infection of influenza A/PR8 [IAV], cytotoxic CD4 T cells [ThCTL] are found in the lung. The cytotoxicity they mediate is MHC II-restricted and perforin-dependent. We find the lung ThCTL express NKG2C and E that are members of the killer cell lectin-like receptor family [KLR]. Although the ThCTL cytotoxicity is strictly antigen dependent, we show that NKG2C/E can costimulate the cytotoxic activity of ThCTL in vivo, since target cells lacking the ability to present peptide on Qa-1b, which binds to NKG2C/E, are significantly protected from lysis by ThCTL during IAV infection. The ThCTL express a unique pattern of molecules including high levels of granzyme B, PSGL-1, PD-1 and CD27 as well as transcription factors Eomes and Blimp-1. We find that Blimp-1 is critical for the generation and differentiation of this subset, since a CD4 T cell intrinsic defect in Blimp-1 leads to a broad reduction of most of the ThCTL program including cytotoxic activity and migration to the lungs as well as expression of NKG2C/E, granzyme B, PSGL-1 and CD27. These features help to define a distinct ThCTL cell subset generated under distinct conditions during an acute viral infection that has novel target specificity and thus likely occupies a unique functional niche.
Action, verbal response and spatial reasoning

Abstract Studies have shown that perception of distance, orientation and size can be dissociated from action tasks. The action system seems to possess more veridical, unbiased information than the perceptual/verbal system. The current study examines the nature of the distinction between action and verbal responses in a spatial reasoning task. Participants imagined themselves facing different orientations and either pointed to where other objects would be, or verbally reported their egocentric directions (e.g., “50 degrees to my left”). When using pointing responses, RT and error increased as a function of the angular disparity between the imagined heading and their actual heading. However, when using verbal responses, performance was not affected by angular disparity, suggesting that participants knew the direction of the targets from the imagined perspective but could not point to them directly. The verbal and action systems have fundamentally different information or processes rather than quantitatively different ones.
Uncertainty in MR tracer kinetic parameters and water exchange rates estimated from T1‐weighted dynamic contrast enhanced MRI

Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the uncertainty in estimation of MR tracer kinetic parameters and water exchange rates in T1-weighted dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE) MRI. Methods Simulated DCE-MRI data were used to assess four kinetic models; general kinetic model with a vascular compartment (GKM2), GKM2 combined with water exchange (SSM2), adiabatic approximation of the tissue homogeneity model (ATH), and ATH combined with water exchange (ATHX). Results In GKM2 and SSM2, increase in transfer constant (Ktrans) led to underestimation of vascular volume fraction (vb), and increase in vb led to overestimation of Ktrans. Such coupling between Ktrans and vb was not observed in ATH and ATHX. The precision of estimated intracellular water lifetime (τi) was substantially improved in both SSM2 and ATHX when Ktrans > 0.3 min−1. Ktrans and vb from ATHX model had significantly smaller errors than those from ATH model (P < 0.05). Conclusion The results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of measuring τi from DCE-MRI data albeit low precision. While the inclusion of water exchange improved the accuracy of Ktrans, vb, and the interstitial volume fraction estimation (ve), it lowered the precision of other kinetic model parameters within the conditions investigated in this study. Magn Reson Med 72:534–545, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Autosomal dominant transmission of nevus sebaceous of Jadassohn.

Background Nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn is a complex congenital hamartoma that has a predominant sebaceous component. It presents as waxy, well-circumscribed, yellow plaques localized to the head and neck. Its genetic etiology has more often been described as sporadic, with scattered cases featuring autosomal dominant transmission also reported. The development of benign tumors within the lesions is a well-known phenomenon and requires clinical surveillance for new growths suggesting malignant transformation. Main observations We report three cases of nevus sebaceus of Jadassohn localized to the scalp in a mother and her two daughters. Conclusions This case further supports the underlying genetic association in familial cases of NSJ, specifically autosomal dominant transmission.
Polarimetric Characterization of Unresolved Space Objects

This paper introduces a new remote sensing technique based on polarimetric detection principles, aimed at enhancing the identification, characterization, and discrimination of unresolved space objects like amorphous silicon, polysilicon, Mylar, and Kapton. Some of the polarimetric measurements performed at different angles of incidence (object angular rotations) such as diattenuation, depolarization and retardance matrices of these space objects are presented using backscattered polarimetric signals obtained with a polarimetric system (test bed). The depolarization index profile with changing angle of incidence for these samples is approximated by an inverted Gaussian function. Depolarization is minimum for specular reflection and increases asymptotically in a Gaussian fashion as the angles of incidence and scatter increase. Parameters of the Gaussian profiles fitted to the depolarization data are used to compare samples. The results show that the shape of depolarization profile for one object (Mylar) is ...
Complete Genome Sequence of an Evolved Thermotoga maritima Isolate

Thermotoga maritima is a hyperthermophilic bacterium with a small genome (1.86 Mbp). Genome resequencing of Tma200, a derivative produced by experimental microbial evolution, revealed the occurrence of deletions and substitution mutations. Their identification contributes to a better understanding of genome instability in this organism.
Comparison of shape reconstruction strategies in a complex flexible structure

Current control and performance requirements for large- aperture deployable structures call for precise displacement control, with some tolerances approaching micron levels. Given that strain gages are one of the most economically-deployed sensor architectures, we explored two methods for reconstructing displacement from a distributed strain sensing array. One method linearly maps displacement fields to local strains in a supervised learning mode. After loading the system with sufficient cases, a matrix can be established to approach the approximate displacement-strain relationship. The other method is based on linear regression of generalized basis function projections, typically mode shapes. Results of these two approaches are compared for accuracy, robustness, training time, and real-time feasibility. The second method has higher accuracy due to natural modal behaviors, while the first method is feasible if large amount of training cases and measuring points are available
Genome-wide association study identifies variants associated with histologic features of nonalcoholic Fatty liver disease.

Background & Aims Little data are available from genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of liver histology in patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We conducted a pilot GWAS in patients with NAFLD, characterized by histology, who were enrolled in the NASH Clinical Research Network (CRN) Database Study. Methods We studied clinical, laboratory, and histologic data from 236 non-Hispanic white women with NAFLD. We analyzed 324,623 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from the 22 autosomal chromosomes. Multivariate-adjusted logistic regression analyses were conducted for binary outcomes, and linear regression analysis was applied for quantitative traits. A P value Results In multivariate models adjusted for age, body mass index, diabetes, waist/hip ratios, and levels of glycated hemoglobin, the NAFLD activity score was associated with the SNP rs2645424 on chromosome 8 in farnesyl diphosphate farnesyl transferase 1 (FDFT1) (P = 6.8 × 10−7). The degree of fibrosis was associated with the SNP rs343062 on chromosome 7 (P = 2.7 × 10−8). SNPs associated with lobular inflammation included SNP rs1227756 on chromosome 10 in COL13A1 (P = 2.0 × 10−7), rs6591182 on chromosome 11 (P = 8.6 × 10−7), and rs887304 on chromosome 12 in EFCAB4B (P = 7.7 × 10−7). SNPs associated with serum levels of alanine aminotransferase included rs2499604 on chromosome 1 (P = 2.2 × 10−6), rs6487679 on chromosome 12 in PZP (P = 1.3 × 10−6), rs1421201 on chromosome 18 (P = 1.0 × 10−5), and rs2710833 on chromosome 4 (P = 6.3 × 10−7). No significant associations were observed between genotypes and steatosis, ballooning degeneration, portal inflammation, or other features of NAFLD. Conclusions A GWAS significantly associated genetic variants with features of hepatic histology in patients with NAFLD. These findings should be validated in larger and more diverse cohorts.
Weak field limit and tests of a relativistic theory of gravity

Static spherically-symmetric solutions to the linearized field equations of a generalized scalartensor theory of gravity are derived. The gravitational potential outside such a source is determined; it is found that this potential can have an intermediate range variation. The question of whether such an intermediate range variation would manifest itself in two experiments is addressed.
Editorial Focus: role for neural growth factor in autonomically driven arrhythmogenesis? Focus on: “Structural neuroplasticity following T5 spinal cord transection: increased cardiac sympathetic innervation density and SPN arborization”

the autonomic nervous system has long been known to exert powerful influence on the genesis of and vulnerability to cardiac arrhythmias. With regard to ventricular arrhythmias, increased sympathetic outflow is generally thought to be proarrhythmic, while parasympathetic drive is thought to be
A generalized homology correlation for various hormones and proteins.

La calcitonine, la cholecystokinine, la motilin, la pancreozymine, le peptide inhibiteur gastrique, le peptide vasoactif, la gastrine, le glucagon, et la secretine sont comparables par leur composition en amino acides a l'hormone de croissance, a l'hormone luteinigene, la gonadotropine, au facteur de croissance nerveux, a l'hormone parathyroidienne, au lactogene du placenta, a la proinsuline, a la renine et a la thyrotropine. Ces peptides proviennent probablement d'un genotype dont l'origine se trouve dans le systeme digestif.
Resonant interactions of phonons with donor continuum states in silicon

Abstract A study of the extrinsic photoconductivity spectra of phosphorus and antimony donors in silicon at 1.5°K has revealed anti-resonances (dips) in the continuum photo response. These dips occur at 380, 437, 479, and 504 cm −1 for both donors. We interpret these dips as due to a resonant interaction of the donor continuum states with the discrete phonon states. Analogous interaction of the zone center optical phonon at 520 cm −1 with the acceptor continuum state of boron as observed by Watkins et al . is not present in our spectra. This is attributed to the mismatch of the wave vector and the energy of the 520 cm −1 phonon with the conduction band minima along 〈1 0 0〉 directions. The specific phonons giving rise to anti-resonances in our data are identified.
The Utility of Intraluminal Impedance in Patients With Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease–Like Symptoms But Normal Endoscopy and 24-Hour pH Testing

Background & Aims: Fifty percent of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease–like symptoms and negative endoscopy have negative 24-hour pH testing, suggesting that symptoms are not caused by abnormal esophageal acid exposure. Multichannel intraluminal impedance (MII)–24-hour pH allows the recognition of major acid, minor acid, nonacid, and gas reflux. Recorded symptoms can be correlated with all reflux events (eg, acid, minor acid, nonacid, and gas) and a symptom score can be generated. We aimed to determine whether the Symptom Index (SI) obtained using MII-pH identified an association of symptoms with reflux events in nonclassic acid-reflux disease. Methods: Thirty–seven patients with heartburn or regurgitation, negative endoscopy, and 24-hour pH were enlisted. Acid suppression was stopped, a 24-hour MII-pH test was performed, and an SI was calculated for major acid reflux alone and for all reflux episodes including major, minor, and nonacid. On this basis patients were divided into 4 groups: (1) standard acid reflux: positive standard pH test; (2) acid sensitive: positive SI for major acid but normal pH test; (3) general reflux: positive SI for major, minor, and nonacid combined, but not for major acid alone; and (4) no reflux: negative SI. Results: Six patients (16%) had standard reflux, 10 patients (27%) had acid-sensitive esophagus, 14 patients (38%) had general reflux, and 7 patients (19%) had a negative SI. Conclusions: Fifty-seven percent of patients received a diagnosis unachievable with standard pH testing (38% had symptoms associated with general reflux and 19% had no reflux symptom associations). These findings support a potential role for MII-pH testing in this difficult group.
Nature of the insulating state in LaH 3

This paper reports a combined first-principles and many-body study of the nature of the insulating state in LaH{sub 3}, focusing on the role of the electron correlation, which has been suggested as the mechanism responsible for the observed insulating behavior. The first-principles local-density-approximation (LDA) calculation produces a correct lattice constant but results in a semimetallic ground state, contrary to a recent optical experiment that showed that LaH{sub 3} is an insulator with a gap of 1.8 eV. An extended Hubbard model is constructed for LaH{sub 3} with its parameters extracted from the results of LDA total energy calculations. An exact-diagonalization study is then carried out to study the effect of the many-body correlation. The results show that the model produces an insignificant reduction of band overlap, thus demonstrating that the insulating ground state of LaH{sub 3} is not a Hubbard-type correlation-driven insulator. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}
Radiology's role in enhanced international health care.

Inherent inourhumannature is a sense of common identity with mankind. When we perceive severe disparities in that common identity, human nature, at leastamongcharitablepeople,directs us to address those disparities and provide whatever effort is possible to eliminate them.There clearly are significant disparities in the ability of individuals throughout the world to have access to excellent, or in many cases even adequate, health care. There currently are myriad individuals and organizations providing variable levels of effort to eliminate thosedisparities.Sinceradiology and medical imaging now play such a central and indispensible role in health care delivery, it behooves us to know what efforts are being made, coordinate those efforts, and create new efforts by which radiologists can play their appropriate role in the enhancement of international health care. Under the leadershipof JamesBorgstede, MD, the ACR Foundation International Outreach Committee has been providing aid to people in need for more than six years. The most recent efforts are centered in Haiti, and are focused on helping the radiologists in that devastated country to rebuild their infrastructure. Embedded in the commitment to Haiti is an effort to enhance radiological and imaging capacity once the infrastructure is rebuilt. Included in this effort was facilitation of the donation of a portable x-ray unit to Grace Children’s Hospital and collaboration with the hospital to design and plan the radiology suite of its new facility, scheduled toopen in2014or2015. The ACR Foundation is also planning an educational program focused on radiology for late winter 2012. The
PC-based two-dimensional discrete Fourier transform programs for terrain analysis

Abstract A two-dimensional Fast Fourier Transform (2D-FFT) program written in C language was developed for the personal computer with the specific purpose of extracting periodicities from digital elevation model (DEM) data. The program generates the individual frequency pairs, the coefficients representing the amplitudes of the cosine and sine waves, the angle the wavefront makes in the terrain, the wavelength, the power of the wave, the percent contribution the wave makes to the overall landscape, and finally the overall percentage of variance accounted for by the model. The landscape can be reconstructed based on the number of significant waveforms extracted. Generalizations on the spatial trends of the terrain therefore can be made. The Fourier analysis provides insight to the nature and complexity of the terrain. An application of the program to the karst landscape of Manati, Puerto Rico is illustrated.
Mixing the waters : environment, politics, and the building of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway

The Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was one of the most expensive and controversial public works ventures of the last twenty-five years. In this monumental history of the nation's largest navigation project, Jeffrey K Stine records the struggle between the interests determined to build the waterway and the forces pitted against its completion, a drama played out within congress and the federal courts, on the front pages of newspapers, and through the hilly countryside separating the Tennessee and the Tombigbee rivers. First authorised in the 1940's, the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway was championed by local boosters along its proposed route and by their supporters in Congress, despite its questionable economic benefits and its substantial environmental consequences. The Waterway, built between 1972 and 1985, was the most extensive domestic project ever undertaken by the Army Corps of Engineers, its 234 miles, five dams and ten locks entailing the movement of more earth than was required to dig the Panama Canal. Arrayed against the Waterway were scientists, politicians, and civic leaders disturbed by the social, environmental, and economic effects of this massive construction project. The fight over the Tenn-Tom helped to set the terms of the environmental debate reflected today in American society: the tension between development and preservation, between special interests and the national interest, between the advances of technology and the retreat of the natural world. Based on extensive research, "Mixing the Waters" pulls together for the first time the complete story of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, a period of profound changes in American life, with increased scrutiny of governmental policies and actions, greater accountability of federal agencies and corporate offices, and a critical shift in public attitudes and values concerning quality of life issues. By exploring the intersection of U.S. politics, technological progress, and the environmental movement, Jeffrey K Stine has shown how this controversy over a public works project still influences the way America argues about its future.
Effects of organic ligands on supercritical CO2-induced phlogopite dissolution and secondary mineral formation

Abstract To evaluate the long-term and short-term risks associated with geologic CO 2 sequestration (GCS), we need to understand both the reactions at supercritical CO 2 (scCO 2 )–saline water–rock interfaces, and the environmental factors affecting these interactions. This research investigated the effects of four organic ligands—oxalate, malonate, acetate, and propionate—on the dissolution and surface morphological changes of phlogopite [KMg 2.87 Si 3.07 Al 1.23 O 10 (F,OH) 2 ] under GCS conditions (95 °C and 102 atm). Phlogopite was chosen as a model clay mineral in potential GCS sites. After CO 2 injection, the dissolution of CO 2 should cause a decrease in saline water pH, increasing phlogopite dissolution. This effect can be lessened by the buffering capacity of organic ligands. However, in this study, the ligands that formed strong complexes with surface metals (i.e., oxalate) caused phlogopite dissolution rates to increase via ligand-promoted dissolution, although the pH increased. The experimentally observed dissolution rates of phlogopite were in the order of: oxalate > malonate > acetate ≈ propionate. In addition, based on results from ion chromatography, oxalate and malonate concentrations were stable in our reaction systems; however, aqueous acetate and propionate concentrations continuously decreased due to solvent extraction of acetic acid and propionic acid by scCO 2 at 95 °C and 102 atm. After 159 h, all of the acetate and propionate were removed from aqueous solutions. Although the aqueous species in the bulk solution were not supersaturated with respect to potential secondary mineral phases, interestingly, in the presence of oxalate, nanoscale precipitation of amorphous silica and fibrous illite was observed at the phlogopite surface only 3 h after CO 2 injection. At this early reaction time, illite fibers formed a connected, hexagonal framework on phlogopite basal surfaces, but at a later reaction time, these structures detached from the surface and triggered the formation of dissolution channels. In addition, kaolinite, boehmite, diaspore, and gibbsite were identified as secondary mineral phases. These results provide new information towards understanding organic species' interactions at scCO 2 –saline water–rock interfaces in deep saline aquifers.
Competence, Self-esteem, and Coping Efficacy as Mediators of Ecological Risk and Depressive Symptoms in Urban African American and European American Youth

Structural equation modeling was used to test [Sandler, American Journal of Community Psychology 29: 19–61.] a theoretical model of risk and resilience in an urban sample of African American and European American adolescents. The aims of the present study were to examine whether self-system processes (i.e., competence, self-esteem, and coping efficacy) mediated the relations between ecological risk and depressive symptoms and to determine if pathways varied across ethnic/racial groups. Results implicate self-esteem as a putative mediator of the impact of ecological risk on depressive symptoms for both African American and European American youth. In addition, coping efficacy was a mediator of the link between ecological risk and depressive symptoms for African American youth, but not for European American youth. The evidence supporting competence as a significant mediator of the relation between ecological risk and depressive symptoms was less compelling. Findings suggest substantial similarities in the pathways between ecological risk and depressive symptoms across African American and European American youth.
Integrated Optimization for Automated Design of Dynamic Systems

This paper introduces research leading to a computer-aided design tool in which engineering designers can test various concepts in an environment equipped to automatically model the dynamics and then optimize the specified components to best meet the specifications of the design problem. The input to the system is a graph of components where the components' design variables are to be determined by a subsequent optimization process. Design goals are often as clearly defined as possible prior to any design effort, which suggests that the objective function can be automatically generated if a system dynamics model is available and the transformation from the system model to objective function can be automated. In this research, automated objective function derivation is demonstrated through automated bond graph modeling and model transformation according to the goals defined by designers. A component (or sub-system) repository is being developed to store not only the component dynamics models, but also various information including typical component design constraints and physical constitutive laws. The paper discusses a systematic approach to automatically prepare a mechatronic design problem for optimization, which can decode and encode proper genotypes of intended design variables, which account for the existing of design constraints and physical constitutive laws. An example of a weighing machine design is used to showcase the approach.© 2006 ASME
Climate and ephemeral-stream processes: Twentieth-century geomorphology and alluvial stratigraphy of the Little Colorado River, Arizona

During the first 40 years of the twentieth century, erosion was the dominant geomorphic process affecting the morphology of the Little Colorado River channel. The discharge regimen was one of frequent large floods and high annual discharge that created a wide sandy channel free of vegetation. In the 1940s and early 1950s, average annual precipitation declined, reducing annual discharge to about 57% of that of the preceding period as well as reducing the frequency of large floods. The channel adjusted to the new hydrologic regimen by reducing its width. Parts of the channel were frequently dry, and riparian vegetation, primarily nonnative salt cedar, became established on the higher channel surfaces. Precipitation and discharge thereafter increased and aggradation by overbank deposition was the primary geomorphic process, as indicated by accretion of 2 to 5 m of flood-plain alluvium between 1952 and 1978. Events of 1980, however, suggest that the flood plain has ceased to accrete, although climate has not fluctuated. The flood plain has probably reached a critical height above the channel, beyond which further accretion is unlikely under the existing discharge regimen. The recent history of the Little Colorado broadly suggests that flood-plain development was initiated by climatically induced hydrologic fluctuations. Flood-plain deposits in the stratigraphic column of such ephemeral streams may record repeated adjustments to altered hydrologic conditions.
Quality variations of poultry litter biochar generated at different pyrolysis temperatures

Abstract Producing biochar and biofuels from poultry litter (PL) through slow pyrolysis is a farm-based, value-added approach to recycle the organic waste. Experiments were conducted to examine the effect of pyrolysis temperature on the quality PL biochar and to identify the optimal pyrolysis temperature for converting PL to agricultural-use biochar. As peak pyrolysis temperature increased incrementally from 300 to 600 °C, biochar yield, total N content, organic carbon (OC) content, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) decreased while pH, ash content, OC stability, and BET surface area increased. The generated biochars showed yields 45.7–60.1% of feed mass, OC 325–380 g kg −1 , pH 9.5–11.5, BET surface area 2.0–3.2 m 2 g −1 , and CEC 21.6–36.3 cmol c kg −1 . The maximal transformation of feed OC into biochar recalcitrant OC occurred at 500 °C, yet 81.2% of the feed N was lost in volatiles at this temperature. To produce agricultural-use PL biochar, 300 °C should be selected in pyrolysis; for carbon sequestration and other environmental applications, 500 °C is recommended.
BACTERIAL POLYSACCHARIDE IMMUNE GLOBULIN (BPIG) DOES NOT PROTECT INFANT RATS FROM NASAL COLONIZATION WITH STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE (SP). • 1055

BACTERIAL POLYSACCHARIDE IMMUNE GLOBULIN (BPIG) DOES NOT PROTECT INFANT RATS FROM NASAL COLONIZATION WITH STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE (SP). • 1055
A c- erb-A binding site in rat growth hormone gene mediates trans -activation by thyroid hormone

The substance 3,5,3-triiodothyronine (T3) stimulates growth hormone gene transcription in rat pituitary tumour cells1–4. This stimulation is thought to be mediated by the binding of nuclear T3 receptors to regulatory elements 5' to the transcriptional start site5–8. Understanding of the mechanism by which thyroid hormone activates gene transcription has been limited by failure to purify nuclear T3 receptors because of their low abundance, and by the absence of defined T3 receptor-DNA binding sites affecting T3 regulation. Recently, human and avian c-erb-A gene products have been shown to bind thyroid hormone with high affinity9,10 and to have a molecular weight and nuclear association characteristic of the thyroid hormone receptor. In the present report, we describe the development of an avidin–biotin complex DNA-binding assay which can detect specific, high-affinity binding of rat pituitary cell T3 receptors to the sequence 5'CAGGGACGTGACCGCA3', located 164 base pairs 5' to the transcriptional start site of the rat growth hormone gene. An oligonucleotide containing this sequence transferred T3 regulation to the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase promoter in transfected rat pituitary GC2 cells, and specifically bound an in vitro translation product of the human placental c-erb-A gene. The data provide supporting evidence that the human c-erb-A gene product mediates the transcriptional effects of T3 and also that GC2 cell nuclear extracts contain additional factors that modify the binding of pituitary T3 receptors to the rat growth hormone gene T3 response element.