cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Error Estimation for the Determination of Entropy and Information Rate from Relative Frequencies

Experimental determination of the entropy H and information rate T of experiments or information sources rely on measurements of the relative frequencies of events and thus furnish only approximations to the exact values of H and T, defined by probabilities rather than relative frequencies. We derive an error estimate for the measured entropy and information rate, which depends only upon the number of possible events and not upon the numerical values of their probabilities, and thereby answer the question of how often experiments should be repeated independently in order that the measured entropy and information rate come sufficiently close to the exact values of H and T with probability sufficiently close to 1.
Solution Diversity and the Quality of Groups Decisions

In this article the authors discuss research they conducted that examined the relationship between solution diversity and the quality of group decision making. They note that if a positive link can be identified between the two then further research can be conducted to examine what managerial methods best stimulate diversity in solutions. The authors also wanted to examine if solution diversity was at all linked to group composition, a subject area that has been more extensively studied than their main focus. Some of their suggestions for increasing solution diversity include incorporating a devil's advocate, inviting outsiders into groups and holding second chance meetings.
Field Tests of Artificial and Natural Sex Pheromones for the Codling Moth

Simple epoxides that were previously reported to elicit excellent response from male Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) in a laboratory bioassay for mating stimulation were completely unattractive in field tests. Also, neither trans -nor cis -9,10-epoxy-l-hexadecanol, each of which elicited responses in the laboratory bioassay at a concentration as low as 10-11g/ml, was attractive in field tests. Further, when either compound was placed in field traps containing virgin female codling moths, they neither increased nor decreased the attractiveness of the females. In contrast, a pure substance, isolated from females by using the laboratory bioassay as the guide, was attractive in field tests. Also, when all fractions isolated from the females were individually tested in the field, only those that elicited a positive response in the laboratory were attractive in the field. Thus, although the laboratory bioassay correctly revealed the presence of a natural sex attractant, it was not a generally reliable indicator of field attractants.
Effect of Organic Matter on Regulations of Physical Properties of Soil Bulk Density

In this paper,taken tillage brown soils as experimental materials,the effects of the content of soil organic matter on basic physical properties of different soil bulk density were studied by using pot experiments. The results showed that organic matter treatment significantly improved soil porosity and water holding capacity,reduced the soil bulk density and significantly increased soil regulations of the water,fertilizer,gas and heat capacity. To use high soil bulk density,organic matter regulation to 4 %-5 % could get ideal results. Organic matter control limit of low soil bulk density remained to be further studied,but it was sure that organic matter content to 1. 5 % restricted the maize growth,the organic matter content at least set to more than 3 %.
Parallel computing in the teaching of electromagnetic computational methods for analyzing EMC problems

Parallel computational algorithms are introduced during the final part of a graduate level EMC course in which computational electromagnetic (CEM) methods are taught as useful tools for solving EMI problems. Examples on the use of CEM are discussed with the students. Students are first taught the history, theory, and methodologies used in parallel computing with mathematical examples. Then, parallel computational methods and approaches are addressed for two popular CEM techniques, the method of moments (MOM) and the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method. The paper emphasizes simple conceptual algorithms for parallelization of an FDTD code as taught to students. Parallel algorithms for MOM are also covered. Subsequent work deals with solving practical but complex EMI problems using parallel algorithms in CEM tools.
Conformational and Thermodynamic Landscape of GPCR Activation from Theory and Computation.

We present a hybrid computational methodology to predict multiple energetically accessible conformations for G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that might play a role in binding to ligands and different signaling partners. To our knowledge, this method, termed ActiveGEnSeMBLE, enables the first quantitative energy profile for GPCR activation that is consistent with the qualitative profile deduced from experiments. ActiveGEnSeMBLE starts with a systematic coarse grid sampling of helix tilts/rotations (∼13 trillion transmembrane-domain conformations) and selects the conformational landscape based on energy. This profile identifies multiple potential active-state energy wells, with the TM3–TM6 intracellular distance as an approximate activation coordinate. These energy wells are then sampled locally using a finer grid to find locally minimized conformation in each energy well. We validate this strategy using the inactive and active experimental structures of β_2 adrenergic receptor (hβ_2AR) and M2 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor. Structures of membrane-embedded hβ_2AR along its activation coordinate are subjected to molecular-dynamics simulations for relaxation and interaction energy analysis to generate a quantitative energy landscape for hβ_2AR activation. This landscape reveals several metastable states along this coordinate, indicating that for hβ_2AR, the agonist alone is not enough to stabilize the active state and that the G protein is necessary, consistent with experimental observations. The method’s application to somatostatin receptor SSTR5 (no experimental structure available) shows that to predict an active conformation it is better to start from an inactive structure template based on a close homolog than to start from an active template based on a distant homolog. The energy landscape for hSSTR5 activation is consistent with hβ_2AR in the role of the G protein. These results demonstrate the utility of the ActiveGEnSeMBLE method for predicting multiple conformations along the pathways for activating GPCRs and the corresponding energy landscapes, thereby providing detailed structural insights into the initial molecular events of GPCR function that are not easily accessible by experiments.
Applications in Nano-Photonics

Visible light is electromagnetic waves with submicron wavelengths—between \(\sim \)400 nm (blue light) and \(\sim \)700–750 nm (red light) in free space. Therefore, propagation of light through materials is affected greatly by their submicron features and structures. Moreover, the ability to create and control such small features has led to peculiar physical effects, technologies and devices, as discussed later in this chapter.
Large format HgCdTe focal plane arrays for dual-band long-wavelength infrared detection

Raytheon Visions Systems (RVS) is furthering its capability to deliver state-of-the-art high performance large format HgCdTe focal plane arrays (FPAs) for dual-band long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) detection.
A magnetic resonance imaging-based approach to quantify radiation-induced normal tissue injuries applied to trismus in head and neck cancer

Abstract Background and purpose In this study we investigated the ability of textures from T1-weighted MRI scans post-contrast (T1w post ) to identify the critical muscle(s) for radiation-induced trismus. Materials and methods The study included ten cases (Trismus: ≥Grade 1), and ten age-sex-tumor-location-and-stage-matched controls treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy to 70Gy@2.12Gy in 2005–2009. Trismus status and T1w Post were conducted within one year post-radiotherapy. For the masseter, lateral and medial pterygoids, and temporalis ( M/LP/MP/T ), 24 textures were extracted (Grey Level Co-Occurrence ( GLCM), Histogram , and Shape ). Univariate logistic regression with Bootstrapping (1000 populations) was applied to compare the muscle mean dose (Dmean) and textures between cases and controls (ipsilateral muscles); candidate predictors were suggested by an average p≤0.20 across all Bootstrap populations. Results Dmean to M / LP / MP (p=0.03/0.14/0.09), one MP/T (p=0.12/0.17), and three M (p=0.14–0.19) textures were candidate predictors. Three of these textures were GLCM- and two Histogram textures with the former being generally higher and the latter lower for cases compared to controls. The Dmean to M and MP , and Haralick Correlation ( GLCM ) of MP presented with the best discriminative ability (area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve: 0.85, 0.77, and 0.78), and the correlation between Dmean and this texture was weak (Spearman's rank correlation coefficient: 0.26–0.27). Conclusions Our exploratory study points towards an interplay between the dose to the masseter, and the medial pterygoid together with the local relationship between the mean MRI intensity relative to its variance of the medial pterygoid for radiation-induced trismus. This opens up for exploration of this interplay within the radiation-induced trismus etiology in the larger multi-institutional setting.
The Good-Enough Family:

Donald W. Winnicott coined the phrase “good-enough” to describe the infant's relation to its environment The term is here extended to a discussion of the “good-enough” family in which the existenti...
Internet of Things: Vehicle collision detection and avoidance in a VANET environment

In robotics, manufacturing and computer-simulation; accurate and fast collision detection between general geometric models is a fundamental problem. The elucidation of this problem will gravely improve driver safety and traffic efficiency. This paper develops a system for vehicle communication that addresses this problem. Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network (VANET) technology is utilized to create a distributed network allowing the exchange between automobiles on a large scale for the implementation of Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), or Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication protocols. The goal of the research is to create a VANET environment and algorithm for collision detection. Collision avoidance emanates from the detection algorithm. A computer model involves running a simulation through a network simulation (NS3). To better understand the behavior of communicating vehicles and infrastructures, nodal representation of the road system will be generated to mimic real road topography. The physical experiment involves constructing a VANET implemented with microcontrollers, sensor systems and radio controlled cars. Integrating all these will generate a collision detecting system which helps improve traffic efficiency on a minute scale. This physical model was executed using an Arduino UNO, RGB LCD Shield, GPS Logger Shield, SR04 Ping Distance Sensor, RF 433 MHz Transmitter Module, RF 433 MHz Receiver Module and a DC motor (from the Car).
Inter-area Synchronization in Macaque Neocortex During a Visual Pattern Discrimination Task

Synchronization among cortical sites was investigated in a macaque monkey performing a visual pattern discrimination task. Single-site power and between-site coherence were computed from transcortical field potentials. At the time of the behavioral response, power and coherence increased for a select set of cortical sites widely distributed in one hemisphere. The increase was not specific to any narrow frequency band, but occurred over the entire observable range between 0 and 100 Hz.
The Wittig Reaction

Triphenylphosphine reacts with alkyl halides to form alkyltriphenylphosphonium salts. Upon reaction with strong bases, the salts release a proton to form an ylide, alkylidenetfiphenylphosphorane, which is capable of reacting with aldehydes or ketones providing an unambiguous route to olefins. As there are virtually no limitations on the character of the alkyl groups, the Wittig reaction has become widely employed in the synthesis of unsaturated compounds. The procedures given in the chapter illustrate the number of substrate that may be used. Phosphonium salts containing a benzyl group may be converted into ylides by the use of only moderately strong bases such as sodium ethoxide. The preparation of benzylidene derivatives of aldehydes and ketones is therefore easily done. However, alkyltriphenylphosphonium salts normally require extremely strong bases for the generation of the ylide. Treatment of dimethylsulfoxide with sodium hydride generates methylsulfinyl carbanion, which acts as an efficient base in the production of ylides. The reaction of cyclopropyl bromide with triphenylphosphine gives the expected phosphonium salt in less than 1% yield. An alternate route to the salt by the thermal decomposition of 2-oxo-3-tetrahydrofuranyltriphenylphosphonium bromide gives a virtual quantitative yield. Once obtained, the salt reacts normally under Wittig conditions to give cyclopropylidene derivatives in acceptable yields.
Epigenetic Enhancer Marks and Transcription Factor Binding Influence Vκ Gene Rearrangement in Pre-B Cells and Pro-B Cells.

To date there has not been a study directly comparing relative Igk rearrangement frequencies obtained from genomic DNA (gDNA) and cDNA and since each approach has potential biases, this is an important issue to clarify. Here we used deep sequencing to compare the unbiased gDNA and RNA Igk repertoire from the same pre-B cell pool. We find that ~20% of Vk genes have rearrangement frequencies ³2-fold up or down in RNA vs DNA libraries, including many members of the Vk3, Vk4, and Vk6 families. Regression analysis indicates Ikaros and E2A binding are associated with strong promoters. Within the pre-B cell repertoire, we observed that individual Vk genes rearranged at very different frequencies, and also displayed very different Jk usage. Regression analysis revealed that the greatly unequal Vk gene rearrangement frequencies are best predicted by epigenetic marks of enhancers. In particular, the levels of newly arising H3K4me1 peaks associated with many Vk genes in pre-B cells are most predictive of rearrangement levels. Since H3K4me1 is associated with long range chromatin interactions which are created during locus contraction, our data provides mechanistic insight into unequal rearrangement levels. Comparison of Igk rearrangements occurring in pro-B cells and pre-B cells from the same mice reveal a pro-B cell bias towards usage of Jk-distal Vk genes, particularly Vk10-96 and Vk1-135. Regression analysis indicates that PU.1 binding is the highest predictor of Vk gene rearrangement frequency in pro-B cells. Lastly, the repertoires of iEk-/- pre-B cells reveal that iEk actively influences Vk gene usage, particularly Vk3 family genes, overlapping with a zone of iEk regulated germline transcription. These represent new roles for iEk in addition to its critical function in promoting overall Igk rearrangement. Together, this study provides insight into many aspects of Igk repertoire formation.
Appraisals of dependent stressor controllability and severity are associated with depression and anxiety symptoms in youth

Background and objectives: Stress is well established as a strong risk factor for internalizing psychopathology. Learned helplessness research demonstrates that perceived controllability of stresso...
Heart rate variability as a biomarker of anxious depression response to antidepressant medication

Background There is a need to identify biomarkers of treatment outcomes for major depressive disorder (MDD) that can be disseminated. We investigated the predictive utility of pretreatment heart rate variability (HRV) for outcomes of antidepressant medication in MDD, with pretreatment anxious depression as a hypothesized moderator of HRV effects. Methods A large, randomized, multicenter practical trial (International Study to Predict Optimized Treatment in Depression) in patients with current nonpsychotic MDD (N = 1,008; 722 completers) had three arms: escitalopram, sertraline, and venlafaxine-extended release. At pretreatment, patients were defined as having anxious (N = 309) versus nonanxious (N = 413) depression and their resting high-frequency HRV (root mean square of successive differences) was assessed. Patients' usual treating clinicians managed medication. At 8 weeks, primary outcomes were clinician-rated depressive symptom response and remission; secondary outcomes were self-reported response and remission. Results Pretreatment HRV predicted antidepressant outcomes as a function of anxious versus nonanxious depression. In anxious depression, patients with higher HRV had better outcomes, whereas patients with lower HRV had poorer outcomes. In nonanxious depression, patients with lower HRV had better outcomes, whereas patients with higher HRV had poorer outcomes. Some simple effects were not significant. Results did not differ by treatment arm and remained significant when controlling for important covariates. Conclusions These findings inform a precision medicine approach in which clinical and biological assessments may be integrated to facilitate treatment outcome prediction. Knowing about HRV may help determine which patients with anxious depression could benefit from antidepressants and which patients may require a different treatment approach.
Mesodermal Competence of the Presumptive Ecto-Neuroderm at Various Developmental Stages, in Xenopus laevis (Daudin)

Abstract. A comparative study on the reactive capacity of the presumptive ecto-neuroderm on mesoderm formation with increase of age has been done in Xenopus Laevis. It was proved that before gastrulation, mesoderm induction mainly produces dorsal mesodermal structures. During the gastrulation process the product of differentiation tends to shift from dorsaL to ventral mesodermal structures. The presumptive ecto-neuroderm has has already a competence for mesoderm formation at the early blastula stage and this competence starts to fade out at the horse-shoe-shaped blastopore stage. Ringkasan. Suatu studi perbandingan mengenai kapasitas berreaksi dalam membentuk mesoderm dari presumptive ekto-neuroderm dengan bertambahnya umur, telah dilakukan pada Xenopus laevis. Telah dibuktikan, bahwa sebelum gastrulasi induksi mesoderm terutama menghasilkan struktur-struktur mesoderm dorsal. Selama proses gastrulasi berlangsung, hasil differensiasi cenderung untuk menggeser dari struktur-struktur mesoderm dorsal ke struktur-struktur mesoderm ventral. Presumptif ekto-neuroderm telah mempunyai kompetensi untuk membentuk mesoderm pada stadium blastula muda dan kompetensi tersebut mulai menghilang pada stadium blastoporus berbentuk sepatu kuda.
ENVIRONMENTAL LANGUAGES AND THE FUNCTIONAL BASES OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOR

Abstract: Traditional methods of analyzing behavioral sequences are reviewed and found to be less adequate to deal with a number of important aspects of animal behavior than are linguistic models. Linguistic models form both a biologically interesting and mathematically tractable basis for describing animal-environment systems. Therefore, following an overview of Chomsky's (1956, 1959) phrase-structure grammars, automata are introduced and their relation to languages discussed; this leads to a basic linguistic model of animals.
Long-term outcomes after low power, slower movement versus high power, faster movement irrigated-tip catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation.

Background High power, shorter duration (HPSD) ablation strategies have been advocated to increase efficacy and minimize posterior wall deep tissue thermal injury during atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation. Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the long-term outcomes of arrhythmia-free survival from AF and atrial flutter (AFL) between HPSD and low power, longer duration (LPLD) ablation strategies. Methods Of a total of 1333 first time AF ablation procedures with 3 years of follow-up, propensity-matched populations for baseline risk factors were created, comprising 402 patients treated with LPLD ablation (30 W for 5 seconds: posterior wall; 30 W for 10–20 seconds: anterior wall) and 402 patients treated with HPSD ablation (50 W for 2–3 seconds: posterior wall; 50 W for 5–15 seconds: anterior wall). AF/AFL outcomes after a 90-day blanking period were assessed. Results HPSD ablation was associated with shorter procedure and fluoroscopy times (P Conclusion Long-term freedom from AF rates were not significantly different between both approaches. An HPSD ablation strategy compared with an LPLD approach was associated with an increased risk of AFL and need for repeat ablation but with lowered procedure times.
Thoracic Outlet Syndromes

The diagnosis and management of thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) can present a certain amount of difficulties for the clinician. This has been mainly due to the disparate views and definitions used to define TOS. More recent and practical classifications have provided a more definable entity. Investigations have characterized the condition of TOS as either being vascular or neurogenic. Vascular TOS can be further subdivided into arterial or venous types. Neurogenic TOS is either true or disputed. Diagnosing TOS can be challenging as the symptoms vary greatly among patients. A careful history and thorough clinical examination are important in establishing the diagnosis of TOS, along with specific test that can be utilized to support the diagnosis of TOS.
Domestic violence in Appalachian newspaper coverage: minimizing a problem or mobilizing for a solution?

Social and physical isolation, gender roles, cultural values, and poverty associated with the Appalachian region of the United States may shape how domestic violence is identified, discussed and ad...
Radio via mobile phones: the intersecting logics of media technologies in Ghana:

This article argues that the material history of mobile phones as they took shape in Ghana reveals them to be essential parts of radio’s infrastructure; one that is social, informal, and transnatio...
Risk of nasal colonization of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus during preparation of contaminated retail pork meat

Abstract Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has been found in raw retail meat products, including pork. A concern has emerged that MRSA-containing meat products might lead to nasal colonization, a risk factor for infection, in individuals that handle and prepare these foods. A quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was developed to characterize the risk of becoming nasally colonized with MRSA resulting from preparation of contaminated pork product. An exposure assessment model estimated the MRSA dose delivered to the nose via contaminated fingers. A beta-Poisson dose-response curve (with colonization as the health outcome) was fit to available human data for a methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus strain (clonal complex 30). The median risk of nasal colonization per preparation event was 7.2 × 10−3 for auto-inoculation during food preparation; this represents a non-negligible risk. The median predicted risk decreased to 8.7 × 10−5 when auto-inoculation occurred post-preparation. Data gaps for MRSA risk assessment remain, mainly MRSA-specific dose-response data, the concentration of MRSA on retail pork meat, and the fraction of MRSA transferred from fingers to surfaces.
Modeling Business Student Satisfaction: Utilitarian Value and Hedonic Value as Drivers of Satisfaction.

With changing demographics and the potential impact of COVID-19 on enrollment, understanding student satisfaction, student retention, and willingness to recommend a university to prospective studen...
Intrinsic integration in learning games and virtual instruction

This paper responds to a 2016 systematic literature review of the research on learning games by Ke (Educ Technol Res Dev 64(2):219–244, 2016). The review paper unpacked the idea of intrinsic integration in learning games, analyzing important emergent themes. The key ideas and the value of this review are discussed in the context of the recent shift to virtual instruction. The limitations, impact, and future implications are also described, with the perspective of this response focused on education theory. Intrinsic integration is an important consideration when designers create the next generation of digital games, and as researchers try to untangle the affordances of different educational games for student learning.
Decrease in Enteroviral Meningitis: An Unexpected Benefit of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Mitigation?

Enteroviral meningitis is seasonal, typically exhibiting a rise in prevalence in late summer/early fall. Based on clinical microbiology laboratory testing data of cerebrospinal fluid, the expected August/September/October peak in enteroviral meningitis did not occur in 2020, possibly related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mitigation strategies.
Hemorrhage Following Complete Arteriovenous Malformation Resection With No Detectable Recurrence: Insights From a 27-Year Registry.

Background Although recurrence and de novo formation of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) have been reported following complete resection, the occurrence of hemorrhage in the same location of an AVM with no detectable lesion (lesion-negative hemorrhage) has not been described after microsurgery. Objective To characterize the incidence and properties of lesion-negative hemorrhage following complete microsurgical resection. Methods A prospectively maintained registry of AVM patients seen at our institution between 1990 and 2017 was used. Microsurgically treated patients were selected, and the incidence of a lesion-negative hemorrhage was calculated and described with a Kaplan-Meier curve. Baseline characteristics as well as functional outcome at last follow-up were compared between patients with and without a lesion-negative hemorrhage. Results From a total of 789 AVM patients, 619 (79%) were treated, and 210 out of 619 patients (34%) underwent microsurgery with or without preoperative embolization or radiosurgery. The microsurgically treated cohort was followed up for a mean of 6.1 ± 3.0 yr after surgery with 5 (2.4%) patients experiencing postresection lesion-negative hemorrhage (3.9 per 1000 person-years) at an average of 8.6 ± 9.0 yr following surgery. Follow-up angiograms after hemorrhage (up to 2 mo posthemorrhage) confirmed the absence of a recurrent or de novo AVM in all cases. All patients with a lesion-negative hemorrhage initially presented with rupture before resection (Fisher P = .066; log-rank P = .057). The occurrence of a lesion-negative hemorrhage was significantly associated with worse modified Rankin scale scores at last follow-up (P = .031). Conclusion A lesion-negative hemorrhage can occur following complete microsurgical resection in up to 2.4% of patients. Exploration of possible underlying causes is warranted.
Targeted overexpression of glutamate transporter-1 reduces seizures and attenuates pathological changes in a mouse model of epilepsy

Astrocytic glutamate transporters are crucial for glutamate homeostasis in the brain, and dysregulation of these transporters can contribute to the development of epilepsy. Glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) is responsible for the majority of glutamate uptake in the dorsal forebrain and has been shown to be reduced at epileptic foci in patients and preclinical models of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Current antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) work primarily by targeting neurons directly through suppression of excitatory neurotransmission or enhancement of inhibitory neurotransmission, which can lead to both behavioral and psychiatric side effects. This study investigates the therapeutic capacity of astrocyte-specific AAV-mediated GLT-1 expression in the intrahippocampal kainic acid (IHKA) model of TLE. In this study, we used Western blot analysis, immunohistochemistry, and long-term-video EEG monitoring to demonstrate that cell-type-specific upregulation of GLT-1 in astrocytes is neuroprotective at early time points during epileptogenesis, reduces seizure frequency and total time spent in seizures, and eliminates large behavioral seizures in the IHKA model of epilepsy. Our findings suggest that targeting glutamate uptake is a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of epilepsy.
Impact of primary and secondary organic sources on the oxidative potential of quasi-ultrafine particles (PM0.25) at three contrasting locations in the Los Angeles Basin

Abstract To investigate the changing contribution of primary and secondary sources on the oxidative potential of particulate matter (PM) in a real-world urban atmosphere, 7 sets of quasi-ultrafine particles (PM0.25) were collected at three contrasting locations in the Los Angeles Basin, California, USA. Samples were collected in the coastal area of Long Beach during the morning rush hour period, representing fresh primary emissions from nearby freeways and the LA port; in central Los Angeles during midday, representing a mixture of fresh primary emissions and early products of photochemical secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation; and at a downwind site (Upland) during afternoon, when the impacts of photochemically aged secondary PM are significant. Chemical composition showed distinctive trends, with the lowest fraction of water soluble organic carbon (WSOC) and other organic tracers of SOA formation (e.g. organic acids) at Long Beach, and the lowest abundance of organic tracers of primary vehicular emissions (such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and hopanes) at Upland. A molecular marker-based chemical mass balance (MM-CMB) model indicated that 72% of the total organic carbon at Long Beach was comprised of primary vehicular sources (combined heavy duty and light duty vehicles), while the vehicular fraction was found to be 50% and 39% at Los Angeles and Upland, respectively. Regression analysis suggested that at Long Beach, the variation in oxidative potential of PM0.25 (quantified using a macrophage-based reactive oxygen species (ROS) assay) was mainly driven by mobile vehicular emissions and the water-insoluble fraction of the organic carbon. In contrast, at Upland, where photochemical processing and secondary aerosol formation was the highest, WSOC and secondary organics were the major drivers of the oxidative potential variation. The multivariate regression analysis also indicated that as much as 58% of the overall spatial and temporal variation in the oxidative potential of PM0.25 at these three locations can be explained by mobile emissions and SOA.
Short-chain fatty acids stimulate active sodium and chloride absorption in vitro in the rat distal colon

Studies were performed to determine the mechanism by which short-chain fatty acids increase colonic Na and Cl absorption by determining unidirectional 22Na and 36Cl fluxes across isolated stripped mucosa from the rat distal colon under voltage clamp conditions. Mucosal butyrate (25 mM, in the absence of bicarbonate) significantly enhanced both net Na and net Cl absorption by 7.0 +/- 1.3 and 6.9 +/- 1.0 microEq/h.cm2, respectively, without increasing the short-circuit current. Net Na and Cl absorption in butyrate-Ringer's solution and HCO3-Ringer's solution were identical. Butyrate stimulation of Na (and Cl) absorption was Cl-dependent and prevented by 1 mM mucosal amiloride, an inhibitor of Na-H exchange, but was HCO3-independent and not inhibited by acetazolamide, a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. In contrast, bicarbonate-stimulated Na (and Cl) absorption was also Cl-dependent and amiloride-sensitive, but was significantly inhibited by acetazolamide. The effect of mucosal butyrate on net Na and Cl absorption was substantially greater than serosal butyrate, which in the presence of bicarbonate did not alter ion transport. The stimulation of Na and Cl absorption by mucosal butyrate was significantly greater than by propionate and acetate, whereas mucosal formate did not alter Na transport. The results of this study permit the following model: short-chain fatty acid stimulation of active Na and Cl absorption involves uptake of the nonionized form of butyrate and the coupling of Na-H and Cl-butyrate exchanges.
Knowledge Transfer across Breast Cancer Screening Modalities: A Pilot Study Using an Information-Theoretic CADe System for Mass Detection

We have performed a series of experiments to assess whether a featureless, knowledge-based CADe system that relies on information theoretic principles is capable of transferring knowledge across cases acquired with different imaging modalities. Typical feature-based CADe systems are developed and carefully optimized for a specific imaging modality and platform, namely for screen-film mammograms (SFMs) digitized with a specific digitizer, or for full-field digital mammograms (FFDMs), or for the newly introduced digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) modality. Multiplatform application of such CADe systems is often limited due to image processing steps that are tailored to the imaging modality and acquisition protocol. It is desirable however to develop CADe systems with the ability to adapt to a dynamically changing environment (i.e., imaging modality) and provide an accurate decision while capitalizing on knowledge acquired at different, yet related environments. Working towards this goal, we present a pilot study using a knowledge-based CADe system for mass detection that uses information theory to assess the similarity between a query and a knowledge case. We evaluate the system's ability to transfer knowledge across three imaging modalities (SFMs digitized with two different digitizers, FFDMs, and DBTs) when performing the detection task. Overall our study showed that although blind translation of the system in a new modality for which no prior knowledge exists results in reduced performance, the system is still able to operate at a very decent level. When the system operated with a knowledge database of mixed cases, its performance was robust and comparable to what observed independently.
Inversion for the driving forces of plate tectonics

Inverse modeling techniques have been applied to the problem of determining the roles of various forces that may drive and resist plate tectonic motions. Separate linear inverse problems have been solved to find the best fitting pole of rotation for finite element grid point velocities and to find the best combination of force models to fit the observed relative plate velocities for the earth's twelve major plates using the generalized inverse operator. Variance-covariance data on plate motion have also been included. Results emphasize the relative importance of ridge push forces in the driving mechanism. Convergent margin forces are smaller by at least a factor of two, and perhaps by as much as a factor of twenty. Slab pull, apparently, is poorly transmitted to the surface plate as a driving force. Drag forces at the base of the plate are smaller than ridge push forces, although the sign of the force remains in question.
On the subjective evaluation of the interference protection ratios' measurements for co-channel FM-TV signals

Results of subjective measurements made to determine the relationship between the image impairment grade and the wanted-signal to interference power ratios (C/I) for co-channel FM television signals are presented. The variation of C/I ratio with picture impairment grade is investigated for three different noise levels. The assessment of impairment grade due to thermal noise only and to picture content is also investigated. A statistical analysis for performed experiments is presented. The results presented here may be used by communication system designers to determine the required system characteristics.
Transporting neonates with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy utilizing active hypothermia.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this report was to evaluate a servo-controlled active hypothermia device used during the transport of neonates with HIE. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of all cases of therapeutic hypothermia, both passive and active, using a servo-controlled device in a single regional referral neonatal intensive care unit from 2009-2013 RESULTS: An ambulance (43%), fixed wing aircraft (25%), or helicopter (32%) transported 28 neonates with active hypothermia. The servo-controlled device captured core temperatures in all 28 neonates, resulting in 2,985 minutes of data. All neonates attained a core temperature between 33-34 °C by 33 minutes of the transport. Once the neonates attained a core temperature, the average temperature for the remainder of the transport was 33 ± 0.2 °C. The neonates maintained the core temperature regardless of the type of transport vehicle. CONCLUSION Servo-controlled hypothermia enables rapid attainment of targeted temperatures and maintains the temperature throughout the transport process in both ground and air transport.
Speckle statistics of Anderson-localized light in disordered waveguide arrays

We show that coherent light travelling through a 1-D lattice of waveguides with off-diagonal disorder exhibits super-thermal statistics (g(2) > 2), a manifestation of constrained disorder with underlying symmetries. Sub-thermal statistics may be exhibited for diagonal disorder.
Immigration can destabilize tri-trophic interactions: implications for conservation of top predators

Top predators often have large home ranges and thus are especially vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation. Increasing connectance among habitat patches is therefore a common conservation strategy, based in part on models showing that increased migration between subpopulations can reduce vulnerability arising from population isolation. Although three-dimensional models are appropriate for exploring consequences to top predators, the effects of immigration on tri-trophic interactions have rarely been considered. To explore the effects of immigration on the equilibrium abundances of top predators, we studied the effects of immigration in the three-dimensional Rosenzweig-MacArthur model. To investigate the stability of the top predator equilibrium, we used MATCONT to perform a bifurcation analysis. For some combinations of model parameters with low rates of top predator immigration, population trajectories spiral towards a stable focus. Holding other parameters constant, as immigration rate is increased, a supercritical Hopf bifurcation results in a stable limit cycle and thus top predator populations that cycle between high and low abundances. Furthermore, bistability arises as immigration of the intermediate predator is increased. In this case, top predators may exist at relatively low abundances while prey become extinct, or for other initial conditions, the relatively higher top predator abundance controls intermediate predators allowing for non-zero prey population abundance and increased diversity. Thus, our results reveal one of two outcomes when immigration is added to the model. First, over some range of top predator immigration rates, population abundance cycles between high and low values, making extinction from the trough of such cycles more likely than otherwise. Second, for relatively higher intermediate predator migration rates, top predators may exist at low values in a truncated system with impoverished diversity, again with extinction more likely.
Kardiomyozytentransplantation : eine Frischzellenkur zur Gewebsreparatur in infarzierten Herzen ?

Kardiomyozyten konnen sich im Gegensatz zur quergestreiften Skelettmuskulatur nicht teilen und regenerieren, so das ein irreversibles Zelltrauma automatisch irreversiblen Zell- und Funktionsverlust zur Folge hat. Im Falle eines Myokardinfarktes bedeutet dies Ersatz differenzierter Herzmuskulatur durch funktionsloses Bindegewebe mit Bildung einer Narbe. Ein theoretisch vielversprechender Therapieansatz ist die Transplantation fotaler oder genetisch manipulierter Kardiomyozyten in geschadigtes, dysfunktionierendes oder abgestorbenes Myokard.Durch Transplantation von Myoblasten, Skelettmuskel-Satellitenzellen und fotaler Kardiomyozyten ist die technische Durchfuhrbarkeit einer zellularen Transplantation in syngene und xenogene Versuchstiere wie Maus, Ratte und Hund durch relativ einfache Injektionstechnik in gesundes und geschadigtes Myokard gezeigt worden. Histologisch-morphologische Studien zeigen, das sowohl Myoblasten als auch fotale Kardiomyozyten myokardiale Transplantate mit interzellularen Konnektionen wie gap junctions und Desmosomen ausbilden und bis zu Beobachtungszeitraumen von 8 bis 10 Wochen uberleben. Erfolgreich transplantierte und uberlebende Zellen konnen theoretisch drei Funktionen ausuben: 1. eine Stabilitatsfunktion zur Verhinderung struktureller Umbauvorgange, 2. eine Carrierfunktion zur lokalen Applikation rekombinanter Proteine und Wachstumsfaktoren, zum Beispiel zur Induktion molekularer Veranderungen des Empfangermyokards und 3. eine Unterstutzung regionaler oder globaler Kontraktilitat durch mit dem Empfangermyokard koordinierter Eigenkontraktionen. Inwieweit allerdings diese Funktionen und vor allem eine funktionelle Unterstutzung des Myokards durch transplantierte Zellen moglich und therapeutisch anwendbar sind, ist zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt ungeklart.
A study of an educational intervention to decrease inappropriate preoperative autologous blood donation: its effectiveness and the effect on subsequent transfusion rates in elective hysterectomy.

BACKGROUND: Decreasing the overcollection of preoperative autologous blood is difficult to achieve. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an educational intervention designed to outline the risks of preoperative autologous collection can decrease such donations and, if so, to determine how this decrease will affect subsequent transfusion rates. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: An educational intervention consisting of a didactic presentation to the Department of Gynecology staff about the risks and benefits of autologous blood was implemented. Written material with similar information was given to patients. Subsequently, the percentage of patients donating autologous blood, the number of autologous units donated, and the rates of transfusion in patients eligible for autologous donation who were admitted for elective abdominal or vaginal hysterectomy were measured. These rates were compared to those in similar patients admitted in the 2 years before the educational intervention. RESULTS: After an educational intervention, the proportion of patients donating autologous blood decreased from 53 percent to 26 percent (p<0.01), and the number of units collected per patient decreased from 0.86 to 0.31 (p<0.01); this resulted in a savings of 80 autologous donations per year. Despite no difference in estimated blood loss (p = 0.46), the overall transfusion rate decreased from 10 percent to 3.7 percent (p = 0.03), while the allogeneic transfusion rate demonstrated no significant change (1.1% vs. 2.2%; p = 0.40). CONCLUSIONS: Unnecessary preoperative autologous donations by elective hysterectomy patients can be decreased by educating physicians and patients about the risks of preoperative autologous blood donation. Decreasing such unnecessary donations can decrease the subsequent autologous transfusion rate, with its attendant risks, without increasing the risk of allogeneic transfusion.
Optimal Ranking Regime Analysis of Intra- to Multidecadal U.S. Climate Variability. Part I: Temperature*

AbstractThe optimal ranking regime (ORR) method was used to identify intradecadal to multidecadal (IMD) time windows containing significant ranking sequences in U.S. climate division temperature data. The simplicity of the ORR procedure’s output—a time series’ most significant nonoverlapping periods of high or low rankings—makes it possible to graphically identify common temporal breakpoints and spatial patterns of IMD variability in the analyses of 102 climate division temperature series. This approach is also applied to annual Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO) and Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) climate indices, a Northern Hemisphere annual temperature (NHT) series, and divisional annual and seasonal temperature data during 1896–2012. In addition, Pearson correlations are calculated between PDO, AMO, and NHT series and the divisional temperature series. Although PDO phase seems to be an important influence on spring temperatures in the northwestern United States, eastern temperature regimes in a...
The molecular basis of thyroid hormone-dependent central nervous system remodeling during amphibian metamorphosis.

Tadpole metamorphosis involves a coordinated series of changes in virtually every tissue of the body. This developmental process is induced by the single morphogen, thyroid hormone (TH). The amphibian central nervous system (CNS) is a primary target for TH, and it undergoes dramatic morphological and cytoarchitectural changes in response to the hormone. TH acts by regulating gene expression and its actions in metamorphosis are thought to result from its ability to induce tissue-specific genetic programs. Receptors for TH are ligand-dependent transcription factors whose mRNA expression is upregulated by TH during metamorphosis (receptor autoinduction). Studies on the tadpole CNS have identified four general classes of early TH response genes. These genes code for: (1) transcription factors, that are likely to be required for the expression of downstream genes (i.e. secondary response genes), (2) cellular enzymes, which carry out hormone conversions, energy transformations and may possibly mediate extranuclear effects of TH on neural cells, (3) cytoskeletal elements required for axonal development, and (4) secreted signaling molecules that control the production of TH. Recent studies suggest a critical, evolutionarily conserved role for the TH-induced transcription factor genes in controling neural cell proliferation and differentiation.
The ACTive Intervention in Hospice Interdisciplinary Team Meetings: Exploring family caregiver and hospice team communication

Article describing family caregiver and hospice team communication and the ACTive intervention in hospice interdisciplinary team meetings.
Token ring local area networks: A comparison of experimental and theoretical performance

Abstract Many existing performance models for local area networks are based on the assumptions of random traffic patterns and infinite buffer capacity. All real network implementations violate the infinite capacity assumption, while an increasingly popular class of local area network applications violates the randomness assumption. This paper describes the experimental measurements of the characteristics of a commercially available token ring network. It is shown that the violation of both assumptions invalidates model predictions, and that the utility of all access control mechanisms for such applications must be re-evaluated. Finally, it is shown that congestion is a very real problem even in small “simple” local area networks. Schemes for controlling interface congestion may require rather novel approaches to the problem.
Probing the function, conformational plasticity, and dimer-dimer contacts of the GluR2 ligand-binding core: studies of 5-substituted willardiines and GluR2 S1S2 in the crystal.

Numerous naturally occurring and synthetic α-amino acids act as agonists on (S)-2-amino-3-(3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole) propionic acid (AMPA) receptors but nevertheless display significant diffe...