cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Initial Outbreak Period (December 2013–May 22, 2014)

The 2013–2016 Ebola outbreak began in a small Guinean village. A 2-year-old boy contacted Ebola, most likely after coming into contact with free-tailed bats, possibly by playing with them. The epidemiology of the outbreak initially followed the course of previous Ebola outbreaks. A small number of people were infected and local officials and international aid agencies worked to identify and isolate patients. Significant concern was raised when Ebola cases began to appear in Guinea’s capital, Conakry, and in the neighboring country of Liberia. The disease was also thought to have spread to Sierra Leone, although no positive samples were collected from that country. By the middle of May 2014, it appeared that the outbreak had run its course. No new cases had been seen for some time, and all known patients had either recovered or died. What was not known was that undetected transmission chains remained. Ebola continued to spread, helped by local customs such as traditional burial practices where the body of the deceased is washed and touched. The stage was set for the rapid expansion of Ebola that would occur in the late spring and early summer of 2014.
Evaluation of Skeletal Maturity Using the Distal Femoral Physeal Central Peak Is Not Significantly Affected by Radiographic Projection.

BACKGROUND Accurate estimation of skeletal maturity is important in several pediatric orthopaedic conditions. The current gold standard for estimating skeletal maturity using the Greulich and Pyle Bone Atlas is complex and shown to have significant interobserver variability. Recent data have shown peak height velocity to occur on average at 90% of final adult height, providing an improved gold standard to quantify skeletal maturity, facilitating the investigation of different skeletal maturity systems. Measurement of topographical changes to the developing distal femoral physis on anteroposterior (AP) radiographs allow for calculation of the central peak value (CPV), a quantitative method shown to provide accurate prediction of 90% of final adult height. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical tolerance of the CPV method to varying beam angles by comparing measurement reliability between AP radiographs of the knee versus standing hip-to-ankle leg-length radiographs. METHODS We searched our institution's pediatric orthopaedic clinical database for skeletally immature patients evaluated with both standard AP radiographs of the knee as well as standing hip-to-ankle radiographs. Patients included female individuals aged 7 to 16 years and male individuals aged 7 to 18 years with both radiographs within 6 months. CPV was measured using a previously published method. Intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated to determine the level of agreement between observers in all available radiographs. CPVs between AP radiographs of the knee and standing hip-to-ankle radiographs were compared using a paired t test to determine if there is a significant difference between radiographic projection and sex. RESULTS A total of 78 subjects meeting appropriate inclusion and exclusion criteria were identified. intraclass correlation coefficient value was 0.873, indicating excellent interobserver reliability for CPV measurements. The mean time between radiographs was 0.30 years for male and 0.27 years for female patients. CPV values between the 2 radiographic projections were not significantly different in male (P=0.37), female (P=0.22) or male+female patients (P=0.17). CPV values were significantly higher in male patients on both AP radiographs (P<0.001) and standing hip-to-ankle radiographs (P<0.001) when compared with female patients. CONCLUSIONS The CPV is a quick, quantitative method for estimating skeletal maturity. CPVs are not significantly different between standard AP radiographs of the knee versus standing hip-to-ankle leg-length radiographs, expanding the potential to utilize this method without the need for additional expense or radiation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Level III-retrospective comparative study.
Sex and deception: a rare case of cheating in a lekking tropical bird

Many classic examples of sexually selected traits result from females making informed mate choices. Behaviors by males that increase their own reproductive success at the expense of female choice can undermine such mating systems. We documented an apparently rare example of such a behavior involving “cheating” in a facultatively cooperatively-displaying manakin species (White-ruffed manakin, Corapipo altera). After the cheating event, we observed a dramatic change in the behavior and activity of males displaying at the site and no subsequent female visits. We hypothesize that the infrequency of facultative cooperative behavior may in part result from cheating risks inherent in such systems. A digital video image relating to the article is available at http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo190323ca01a.
Geospatial Approaches to Measuring Personal Heat Exposure and Related Health Effects in Urban Settings

Recent and projected changes in temperature extremes, including the intensification of heat waves, present a persistent health threat for urban residents. Due to limitations in data availability and the spatial representativeness of fixed-site temperature observations, there exists a notable gap in the geospatial sciences on the multi-scale characterization of geographic patterns of extreme heat and the associated correlation with individual vulnerability in urban settings. Studies employing individual-level exposure assessment methodologies are sparse. Yet rapid advancements in low-cost wearable sensors and other mobile technologies can be leveraged to capture geo-referenced environmental exposure (e.g., temperature) and health data (e.g., physiologic strain) to better understand and quantify the impacts of variations in individual microclimates. The emergence of new technologies and rich spatial datasets requires multi-disciplinary collaboration to advance the science on place-based exposure to thermal extremes and the associated health impacts for at-risk populations in urban environments.
Frequency of perigraft hygroma after open aortic reconstruction.

Abstract Objective The incidence of perigraft hygroma (PGH) development after aortic reconstruction remains poorly defined and its clinical relevance is questionable. This study was designed to establish the incidence of and determine the risk factors associated with PGH formation and its outcomes. Methods Patients who underwent open aortic reconstruction for either aneurysmal or occlusive disease with an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) or polyester graft from 2004 to 2018 were retrospectively reviewed (n = 262). Only those who had follow-up imaging 3 or more months after repair were included. Patients with mixed graft types were excluded. PGH was defined as a perigraft fluid collection of 30 mm or greater in diameter with a radiodensity of 30 or fewer Hounsfield units on computed tomography at a minimum of 3 postoperative months. Analysis was conducted between patients with and without PGH. Results One hundred forty patients met the inclusion criteria: 88 were treated with ePTFE and 52 with polyester grafts. Twenty-three patients (16.4%) were found to have radiologic evidence of PGH. PGH developed more frequently in patients with ePTFE (21/88 [23.9%]) compared with those with polyester grafts (2/52 [3.8%]) (P = .002). Mean PGH size was 63.5 ± 36.4 mm (range, 33-153 mm) and the average time to PGH detection 27.7 months (range, 3-112 months). Baseline characteristics were similar between the groups. Patients who developed PGH had larger aneurysms, more often received ePTFE grafts, had larger graft diameters, and had bifurcated grafts. The overall mortality was 32.1% at a mean follow-up of 5.2 years. The 5-year mortality rates were similar between patients with and without PGH (26.1% vs 18.8%; P = .41). Of the 23 patients with PGH, 4 (all with ePTFE) presented with symptoms related to the PGH. The average size of symptomatic and asymptomatic PGH were 11.5 and 4.8 cm, respectively. Mortality rates overall were similar between those with and without symptoms (50.0% vs 36.8%; P = .99). Conclusions Nearly one-quarter of aortic reconstructions with ePTFE are associated with PGH formation compared with 4% with polyester. Clinically significant PGH-related symptom development occurs in 20%. Patient education and close surveillance are warranted. Manufacturer's device modification is needed.
Dosimetric consequences of image guidance techniques on robust optimized intensity-modulated proton therapy for treatment of breast Cancer.

To investigate the consequences of residual setup error on target dose distribution using various image registration strategies for breast cancer treated with intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT). Among 11 post-lumpectomy patients who received IMPT, 44 dose distributions were computed. For each patient, the original plan (Plan-O) and three verification plans were calculated using different alignments: bony anatomy (VPlan-B), breast tissue (VPlan-T), and skin (VPlan-S). The target coverage were evaluated for each alignment technique. Additionally, 2 subvolumes—BreastNearSkin (1-cm rim of anterior CTV) and BreastNearCW (1-cm rim of posterior CTV)—were created to help localize CTV underdosing. Furthermore, we divided the setup error into the posture error and breast error. Patients with a large posture error and those with good posture setup but a large breast error were identified to evaluate the effect of posture error and breast error. For Plan-O, VPlan-B, VPlan-T, and VPlan-S, respectively, the median (interquartile range) breast CTV D95 was 95.7%(94.7–96.3%), 95.1% (93.9–95.7%), 95.2% (94.8–95.6%), and 95.2% (94.9–95.7%); BreastNearCW D95 was 96.9% (95.6–97.3%), 94.8% (93.5–97.0%), 95.6% (94.8–97.0%), 95.6% (94.8–97.1%); and BreastNearSkin D95 was 94.1% (92.7–94.4%), 93.6% (92.2–94.5%), 93.5% (92.4–94.5%), and 94.4% (92.2–94.5%) of the prescription dose. 4/11 patients had ≥1% decrease in breast CTV D95, 1 of whom developed breast edema while the other 3 all had a > 2o posture error. The CTV D95 variation was within 1% for the patients with good posture setup but >2o breast error. Acceptable target coverage was achieved with all three alignment strategies. Breast tissue and skin alignment maintained the breast target coverage marginally better than bony alignment, with which the posterior CTV along the chest wall is the predominant area affected by under-dosing. For target dose distribution, posture error appears more influential than breast error.
One road to the TH17 pathway: how TH1 led to TH17 (and vice versa), and first came last.

Casey Weaver recounts how his group’s discovery of the TH17 pathway resolved several conundrums that had arisen in the wake of the original TH1–TH2 hypothesis.
Gas-phase pyrolysis of trans 3-pentenenitrile: competition between direct and isomerization-mediated dissociation

The flash pyrolysis of trans 3-pentenenitrile (3-PN, CH3–CHCH–CH2–CN) was studied by combining the results of VUV photoionization mass spectra with broadband microwave spectra recorded as a function of the temperature of the pyrolysis tube. The two separated functional groups (vinyl and nitrile) open up isomerization as an initial step in competition with unimolecular dissociation. Primary products were detected by keeping the 3-PN concentration low and limiting reaction times to the traversal time of the gas in the pyrolysis tube (∼100 μs). The reaction is quenched and products are cooled by expansion into vacuum before interrogation over the 8–18 GHz region using chirped-pulse broadband methods. 118 nm VUV photoionization of the same reaction mixture provides a means of detecting all products with ionization potentials below 10.5 eV with minimal fragmentation. These results are combined with a detailed computational investigation of the C5H7N and related potential energy surfaces, leading to a consistent picture of the unimolecular decomposition of 3-PN. Loss of two H-atoms to form a 79 amu product is proven from its microwave transitions to contain trans-Z-2,4-pentadienenitrile, while no pyridine is observed. Methyl loss, HCN loss, and breaking the central C(2)–C(3) bond all occur following isomerization of the position of the double bond, thereby opening up low-energy pathways to these decomposition channels.
Using Machine Learning to Classify Schizophrenia Based on Retinal Images

VII. Abstract Objectives Thinning of retinal layers has been documented in patients with chronic schizophrenia using standard metrics of optical coherence tomography (OCT) devices. We demonstrate the effectiveness of machine learning (ML) techniques to differentiate between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls using OCT images. Methods Features extracted from a convolutional neural network (CNN) designed to segment retinal layers from OCT images represented abstracted data from the OCT images of 14 first episode (FEP) and 18 chronic schizophrenia patients, and their respective 20 and 18 age-matched controls. The abstracted data and OCT machine metrics were used separately to train support vector classification (SVC) models to differentiate between control and schizophrenia samples and test them. Results SVCs operating on OCT machine metrics did not classify unseen samples of FEP schizophrenia patients and controls with performance better than chance, while those looking at chronic schizophrenia did, paralleling results obtained using parametric statistics. In contrast, SVCs operating on OCT image data extracted from the CNN classified unseen samples from both populations with performance greater than chance. Conclusion These results suggest that ML techniques can detect patterns in patients with FEP schizophrenia with greater performance using features extracted from OCT images than metrics provided by OCT machines.
Community overdose surveillance: Comparing substances collected from the death scene investigation to toxicology results.

Abstract Background Recent overdose trends are characterized by increased toxicological detection of stimulants with opioids, yet it is unclear whether these substances are mixed prior to consumption or purposefully used simultaneously. Methods Postmortem toxicology data were collected in Marion County, Indiana, from 45 fatal overdose cases involving heroin, fentanyl, methamphetamine, or cocaine. Substances found by death scene investigators at the scene of the fatal overdose (57 samples) were tested using high-pressure liquid chromatography mass-spectrometry (LC–MS) technology. We compared toxicology and LC–MS results to understand whether substances contributing to overdose were found in combination or separately at the scene of the overdose. Results Comparing toxicology reports with LC–MS results from substances found at the scene of overdose deaths involving opioids and stimulants reveal that deaths are largely the result of the co-use of opioids and stimulants, rather than use of stimulants combined with opioids. Conclusions Collecting and testing physical samples from fatal overdose scenes and comparing these to post-mortem toxicology results is a new way to examine polydrug use patterns. This community overdose surveillance method can be used to improve overdose prevention and response efforts.
Secure Connected Vehicle-based Traffic Signal Systems Against Data Spoofing Attacks

The emerging Connected Vehicle (CV) technology is widely expected to greatly enhance traffic safety and efficiency by enabling vehicles, pedestrians, and infrastructures to communicate with one another. As a promising CV application, CV-based traffic signal control aims to improve the traffic efficiency at intersections by dynamically optimizing traffic signal control plans based on the mobility information submitted by surrounding CVs. Effective CV-based traffic control relies on accurate estimation of the queue length i.e., the number of vehicles waiting at intersections, to determine the optimal traffic signal control plans. Despite significant efforts on accurate queue length estimation, the robustness of queue length estimation has so far received very limited attention. A recent study has demonstrated that it is possible for malicious CVs to significantly manipulate the queue length estimation by reporting false mobility data, which can cause severe traffic congestion. To tackle this challenge, we introduce a robust queue length estimation mechanism that first utilizes the mobility data reported by all the CVs waiting in the queue to calculate multiple preliminary queue length estimates. Then, the robust statistical methods are adopted to derive a resulting estimated queue length whose accuracy is kept at an acceptable level even though there exist multiple malicious CVs in the queue. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed mechanism.
Interplay of Antibody and Cytokine Production Reveals CXCL13 as a Potential Novel Biomarker of Lethal SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

ABSTRACT The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is impacting the global population. This study was designed to assess the interplay of antibodies with the cytokine response in SARS-CoV-2 patients. We demonstrate that significant levels of anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody to receptor binding domain (RBD), nucleocapsid, and spike S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 develop over the first 10 to 20 days of infection. The majority of patients produced antibodies against all three antigens (219/255 SARS-CoV-2+ patient specimens, 86%), suggesting a broad response to viral proteins. Antibody levels to SARS-CoV-2 antigens were different based on patient mortality, sex, blood type, and age. Analyses of these findings may help explain variation in immunity between these populations. To better understand the systemic immune response, we analyzed the levels of 20 cytokines by SARS-CoV-2 patients throughout infection. Cytokine analysis of SARS-CoV-2+ patients exhibited increases in proinflammatory markers (interleukin 6 [IL-6], IL-8, IL-18, and gamma interferon [IFN-γ]) and chemotactic markers (IP-10 and eotaxin) relative to healthy individuals. Patients who succumbed to infection produced decreased IL-2, IL-4, IL-12, RANTES, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), GRO-α, and MIP-1α relative to patients who survived infection. We also observed that the chemokine CXCL13 was particularly elevated in patients who succumbed to infection. CXCL13 is involved in B cell activation, germinal center development, and antibody maturation, and we observed that CXCL13 levels in blood trended with anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody levels. Furthermore, patients who succumbed to infection produced high CXCL13 and had a higher ratio of nucleocapsid to RBD antibodies. This study provides insights into SARS-CoV-2 immunity implicating the magnitude and specificity of response in relation to patient outcomes. IMPORTANCE The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is continuing to impact the global population, and knowledge of the immune response to COVID-19 is still developing. This study assesses the interplay of different parts of the immune system during COVID-19 disease. We demonstrate that COVID-19 patients produce antibodies to three proteins of the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) and identify many other immunological proteins that are involved during infection. The data suggest that one of these proteins (CXCL13) may be a novel biomarker for severe COVID-19 that can be readily measured in blood. This information combined with our broad-scale analysis of immune activity during COVID-19 provides new information on the immunological response throughout the course of disease and identifies a novel potential marker for assessing disease severity.
Preliminary Investigation into Liquid-Cooled PEBBs

This paper describes the design and analysis of a system for removing up to 10 kW of heat from each Power Electronics Building Block (PEBB) in a stack of four PEBB units, using liquid cooling via a dry interface. This is achieved by hard-mounting cold plates in the electronics cabinet, placing the heat-transfer surface of each PEBB adjacent to a cold plate, and improving heat transfer across the interface through the use of a thermal pad. The paper presents initial thermal analysis using analytical models. These analyses indicate that this is a viable solution to the PEBB cooling problem.
Reducing Unhealthy Normative Behavior: The Case of Sports and Energy Drinks:

American adolescents consume more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) than any other age group. Sports and energy drinks consumption among adolescents is higher than other SSBs. For sports drinks, there is uncertainty about their "healthiness" and also beliefs that these drinks may provide health benefits such as hydration, enhanced athletic performance, heightened mental alertness, and rapid recovery after exercise. Confusion about relative healthiness and expectations of health benefits suggest that factors that may encourage youth to avoid drinking sports and energy drinks, such as athletic status, psychological reactance, and SSB media literacy, may necessitate different approaches to promoting avoidance of sports drinks compared with avoidance of energy drinks. Using a nationally representative U.S. probability-based web panel augmented by a volunteer nonprobability-based web panel of 500 adolescent participants aged 14 to 18 years, we used the reasoned action approach to model intention to avoid sports and to avoid energy drinks. The result show there are similarities and differences in the determinants associated with adolescents' avoidance of sports and energy drinks: attitudes and descriptive normative pressure are both related to increased avoidance for both types of drinks and perceived control over the avoidance behavior is positively associated for with intention to avoid for energy drinks. Sport identification, psychological reactance, and SSB media literacy also play a different role in the sports and energy drink models. Based on our results, the content of prevention messages in interventions to limit sports drinks will need to be quite different from those targeted at reducing energy drink consumption.
Estimating Heterogeneous Intra-class Correlation Coefficients in Dyadic Ecological Momentary Assessment

Introduction Human emotions and behaviors are difficult to measure and can vary greatly with time, company and context. Testing hypotheses about variable relationship dynamics often requires collecting data in a manner that accounts for this variability and records information about the many factors that can influence it, such as, social context, individual-level and dyad-level characteristics. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is a technique that permits data to be collected in-the-moment on emotion, behavior and other related factors at several points over the time during which the measured emotion or behavior is expected to vary. When studying people in close relationships, such as romantic partnerships, one of the factors that has the most potential to influence an individual’s emotion is that of the
Use of Extended Criteria Deceased Donors in Adult Liver Transplantation

Reflective of the gross national shortage of organs available for transplantation, utilization of extended criteria donor livers has gained momentum, arguing the merits of transplantation with higher risk organs outweighs the risks associated with staying on the waiting list. As a result, high-risk extended criteria allografts, previously referred to as marginal or compromised organs, have become an important part of the donor organ supply. Unfortunately, the use of “expanded” criteria liver allografts remains undefined. Therefore, due to regional heterogeneity in the landscape of national scarcity, allocation policies for extended criteria allografts have largely been transplant center specific and calibrated based on predicted recipient benefit, projected reduction in waitlist mortality, and parity. The utility, selection, and performance of “extended criteria” donor allograft livers are examined in this review.
The segmentation potential of non‐standard employment: A four‐country comparison of mobility patterns

Purpose – While forms of non‐standard employment (which include part‐time work and temporary employment) have received active promotion in recent years, possible negative effects emerging from these forms of employment have not been high on the agenda. This paper, accordingly, aims to compare workers with non‐standard contracts and those with standard contracts in relation to transitions out of employment into unemployment, inactivity, household/care activities and education/training. Country differences in outcome are expected due to varying regulations of standard and non‐standard employment and different reasons for resorting to forms of non‐standard employment.Design/methodology/approach – The comparison covers four countries, namely Denmark, Germany, the UK and Spain. The segmentation theory is tested by analysing mobility patterns on the basis of the European Community Household Panel data. Event history analysis methods are used. Maximum likelihood multinomial regression models are calculated on th...
Performance and reliability of a 1-kW amorphous silicon photovoltaic roofing system

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been monitoring the performance of a 1- kW/sub AC/ United Solar Systems Corporation (USSC) roofing system over the 6-year period from October 1998 to September 2004. This paper investigates the performance and reliability of this system. The annual degradation and seasonal fluctuation of the system's power output are calculated using the PVUSA power rating regression model. The system performance is also examined using the additional performance parameters of yield, reference yield, and performance ratio, which allow for a somewhat less complicated data collection and analysis. The data indicate that the system has exhibited stable performance over time, with an overall degradation rate comparable to that found in crystalline silicon systems.
Comparison of Large-Scale Three-Dimensional Features in Zero- and Adverse-Pressure-Gradient Turbulent Boundary Layers

Large-scale features in a zero-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layer are compared with those in two adverse-pressure-gradient turbulent boundary layers using a scanning three-dimensional flow-visualization technique. The boundary-layer flow was formed on the wall of a wind tunnel and seeded with smoke introduced through a slit. A ramp was mounted on the opposite wall to create an adverse pressure gradient (β=8.1 and 9.7). A high-repetition-rate laser formed into a light sheet was scanned in the wall-normal direction, and the two-dimensional images were reconstructed into a nearly instantaneous three-dimensional flow-visualization volume. Observations about the boundary-layer structures for Reynolds numbers Reθ between 7400 and 8400 are made by investigating the instantaneous flow-visualization volumes, the features from binary-image slices, and conditional averaged volumes around a structure. In general, structures in a zero-pressure-gradient boundary layer are larger and spaced farther apart compare...
A note on the stability of local zeta functions

Nous demontrons l'existence d'un intervalle de stabilite pour la fonction zeta associee a une equation uniformement elliptique du second ordre a coefficients lipschitziens.
Biological Mechanisms Involved in the Formation of Deoxy Sugars V. ISOLATION AND CRYSTALLIZATION OF THYMIDINE DIPHOSPHATE-d-GLUCOSE OXIDOREDUCTASE FROM ESCHERICHIA COLI B

Abstract TDP-Glucose oxidoreductase has been purified to the stage of homogeneity. Crystallization of the purified enzyme-protein was achieved without change of its catalytic activity. The molecular weight, as determined by sedimentation equilibrium, was found to be 88,000. Kinetic data for the assessment of Km, competitive and noncompetitive inhibitors, and activation energy are presented. The homogeneous protein had 1 mole of NAD+ tightly bound per mole of enzyme; addition of NAD+ to incubation mixtures did not increase enzymatic activity. With sufficient amounts of purified enzyme, substrate-dependent appearance of fluorescence was shown. The fluorescence spectrum was typical for protein-bound NADH, suggesting the possibility of participation in the hydrogen transfer at one stage of the enzymatic reaction.
A Comparative Analysis of Selection Schemes Used in Genetic Algorithms

Abstract This paper considers a number of selection schemes commonly used in modern genetic algorithms. Specifically, proportionate reproduction, ranking selection, tournament selection, and Genitor (or “steady state”) selection are compared on the basis of solutions to deterministic difference or differential equations, which are verified through computer simulations. The analysis provides convenient approximate or exact solutions as well as useful convergence time and growth ratio estimates. The paper recommends practical application of the analyses and suggests a number of paths for more detailed analytical investigation of selection techniques.
What should these rivers look like? Historical range of variability and human impacts in the Colorado Front Range, USA

Historical range of variability (HRV) describes the range of temporal and spatial variations in river variables such as flow regime or channel planform prior to intensive human alteration of the ecosystem. In mountainous river networks, HRV is most usefully applied to spatially differentiated geomorphic process domains with distinctive form and process. Using the Colorado Front Range as an example, three examples of how knowledge of HRV can assist river management and restoration are discussed. The examples involve instream wood load and channel morphology, beaver colonies and valley-bottom form and process, and flow thresholds in regulated rivers. The question of what a river should look like – that is, what range of process and form the river included prior to intensive human alteration – can be addressed by (i) placing the river within a process domain, (ii) establishing correlations between form parameters that can be remotely sensed and reach-scale process and form, so that the spatial extent, connectivity, and rarity of process domains within a river network or a region can be quickly assessed, (iii) inferring characteristics of the river prior to intensive alteration by documenting characteristics of the least altered reference rivers and by using proxy indicators of pre-alteration conditions, and (iv) establishing process thresholds that must be exceeded to maintain form (e.g. flow thresholds to mobilize bed sediment). Once this context has been established, resource managers can better evaluate the options for restoring altered riverine form and function. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
ASYNC Loop Constructs for Relaxed Synchronization

Conventional iterative solvers for partial differential equations impose strict data dependencies between each solution point and its neighbors. When implemented in OpenMP, they repeatedly execute barrier synchronization in each iterative step to ensure that data dependencies are strictly satisfied. We propose new parallel annotations to support an asynchronous computation model for iterative solvers. At the outermost level, the ASYNC_REDUCTION keyword is used to annotate the iterative loop as a candidate for asynchronous execution. The ASYNC_REGION contains inner loops which may be annotated by ASYNC_DO or ASYNC_REDUCTION. If the compiler accepts the ASYNC_REGION designation, it converts the iterative loop into a parallel section executed by multiple threads which divide the iterations of each ASYNC_DO or ASYNC_REDUCTION loop and execute them without having to synchronize through a conventional barrier. We present experimental results to show the benefit of using ASYNC loop constructs in multigrid methods and an SOR-preconditioned CG solver.
Perception of changes in loudness

Neuhoff replies — Canevet and his colleagues suggest that their findings address dynamic loudness change and are inconsistent with my recent discovery of a bias for rising intensity tones1. However, the two sets of experiments address fundamentally different questions. Canevet et al. 's listeners were asked to make judgements about loudness, whereas my listeners were asked to make judgements about the amount of dynamic change. Essentially, their listeners answered the question “How loud is it now?” by assigning a number to the loudness of a changing intensity sound at various times throughout the stimulus duration. This provided a discrete measure of loudness at various snapshots in time. Listeners in my experiments were specifically asked to ignore the overall loudness of the sounds and to make summary judgements about the amount of loudness change, essentially answering the question “How much did it change in loudness?”.
Preferential reduction of synaptic efficacy in the dentate gyrus of hippocampal slices from aged rats during reduced glucose availability

Glutamatergic synaptic activity entails a high energetic cost. During aging, a variety of neural metabolic changes have been reported that could compromise the capacity of neural circuits to maintain synaptic transmission during periods of reduced extracellular glucose. Indeed, a preferential compromise in evoked synaptic activity has been observed in hippocampal CA1 with age during exposure to low-glucose solutions. Whether this aging-related compromise in synaptic activity is regionally specific is unclear, however. Data suggest that the dentate gyrus (DG) preferentially exhibits hypometabolism with age and this region plays a critical role in spatial pattern separation, which is compromised with age. Therefore, we assessed whether synaptic activity is also preferentially affected in the DG with age. In vitro extracellular field potential recordings were used to monitor orthodromic and antidromic evoked activity in the DG granule cell layer in hippocampal slices from adult (8-12 months) and aged (22-27 months) rats in aCSF containing 10mM glucose, followed by a reduced glucose aCSF containing 1mM glucose. In 10mM glucose-aCSF, orthodromic- and antidromic-evoked field potential activity was comparable between age groups. However, orthodromic-evoked population spike amplitude and field excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP) slope were preferentially decreased in slices from aged rats during exposure to 1mM glucose-aCSF. Antidromic population spike amplitude was not differentially affected in slices from aged versus adult rats, however. These data suggest that synaptic efficacy is preferentially compromised with age under reduced glucose availability and, combined with a decreased capacity of the periphery to provide glucose to the central nervous system (CNS) during metabolically challenging conditions, could contribute to aging-related hippocampal dysfunction and cognitive decline.
Maximum Likelihood Analysis of Spike Trains of Interacting Nerve Cells

Suppose that a neuron is firing spontaneously or that it is firing under the influence of other neurons. Suppose that the data available are the firing times of the neurons present. An "integrate several inputs and fire" model is developed and studied empirically. For the model a neuron's firing occurs when an internal state variable crosses a random threshold. This conceptual model leads to maximum likelihood estimates of internal quantities, such as the postsynaptic potentials of the measured influencing neurons, the membrane potential, the absolute threshold and also estimates of derived quantities such as the strength-duration curve and the recovery process of the threshold. The model's validity is examined via an estimate of the conditional firing probability. The approach appears useful for estimating biologically meaningful parameters, for examining hypotheses re these parameters, for understanding the connections present in neural networks and for aiding description and classification of neurons and synapses. Analyses are presented for a number of data sets collected for the sea hare, Aplysia californica, by J. P. Segundo. Both excitatory and inhibitory examples are provided. The computations were carried out via the Glim statistical package. An example of a Glim program realizing the work is presented in the Appendix.
SU-GG-T-206: Phantom Study of Evaluating the Geometrical Accuracy of Stereotactic Radiosurgery Sysetm Using CBCT and AlignRTTM

Purpose:CBCT and AlignRT are used as secondary imaging devices to setup a phantom with a couch‐mount stereotactic system. The geometrical accuracy of the radiosurgery system is investigated with EPID and house‐made phantom. Method and Materials: Leksell frame with a couch‐mounted setup devices are used to setup a house‐made phantom with 3 unknown targets. Philipse largebore CT scanner and ADAC Pinnacle planning computer are used to delineate the target and isocenters are determined. The phantom with water is initially setup by using the laser and then, CBCT is applied to apply table correction. Its movemenst are monitored with AlignRT system. The differences between the table correction from Elekta CBCT system and independent AlignRT are reviewed and found to be +/− 0.02mm. The tertiary cone is attached and portal images are taken for various Gantry/Table angles (according to AAPM 54 Reports). The water is removed without changing its position in order to get higher contrastimages of the targets in EPID.. Tertiary cones are attached and portal images are taken to determine the geometrical uncertainties. The image are exported to house‐made software to analyze the setup uncertainties with ½ pixel accuracy (one pixel = 0.25mm). Results: The geometrical uncertainties of the a couch‐mount radiosurgery system was estimated by determine the offset between two centers of circles (from cone and target). A house‐made software deterrines its offset over different gantry and table angles (according to AAPM 54 Report). The maximum offset was found to be 0.8mm and average offsets are 0.5mm +/− 0.25mm. The dosimetric effects due to the geometrical uncertainties are +/− 0.5mm +/− 0.5mm in three major axis. Conclusion: The phantom is very effective to estimate the geometrical uncertainty of the radiosurgery system and it will be used as monthly QA as well as before‐treatment QA devices.
Experimental Investigation of Corona Wind Heat Transfer Enhancement With a Heated Horizontal Flat Plate

Corona wind enhancement of free convection was investigated with the needle-plate geometry in air. High voltage was applied to a needle suspended above a heated plate, and heat transfer coefficients were computed by measuring the plate surface temperature distribution with an infrared camera. Local heat transfer coefficients greater than 65 W/m 2 K were measured, an enhancement of more than 25 :1 over natural convection. The enhancement extended over a significant area, often reaching beyond the 30 cm measurement radius. At high power levels, Joule heating significantly reduced the effective impingement point heat transfer coefficient. The corona wind was found to be more efficient with positive potential than with negative. The heat transfer efficiency was optimized with respect to electrode height and applied voltage. The needle-plate heat transfer effectiveness improved rapidly with increasing height, and became relatively insensitive to height above a threshold value of about 5 cm.
The Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Organized Convective Structures over the Northeast and Their Ambient Conditions

Abstract Organized convective structures over the northeastern United States were classified for two warm seasons (May–August) using 2-km composite radar [i.e., the National Operational Weather Radar (NOWrad)] data. Nine structures were identified: three types of cellular convection (clusters of cells, isolated cells, and broken lines), five types of linear convection (lines with no stratiform precipitation, lines with trailing stratiform precipitation, lines with parallel stratiform precipitation, lines with leading stratiform precipitation, and bow echoes), and one nonlinear system. The occurrence of all structures decreases from the western Appalachian slopes eastward to the Atlantic coast. Isolated cellular convection forms primarily during the morning to late afternoon (1200–2100 UTC) mainly over the high terrain. Clusters of cells form primarily over the Appalachians and the Atlantic coastal plain during the daytime (1200–0000 UTC). Linear convection is favored from midafternoon to early evening (18...
Bilateral osteochondral flaps of the wrists.

Abstract A case of bilateral osteochondral flaps of the wrists in a competitive weight lifter is presented. Diagnosis and treatment were both provided by wrist arthroscopy. Osteochondral flaps should be considered in the differential diagnosis of chronic wrist pain.
Corrections to Lodder's “exact” electromigration theory

Abstract Lodder's so-called “exact” result in electromigration theory is shown to be based on a number of approximations and on a subtle error in the evaluation of a response function. In consequence, his theory, like that of Bosvieux and Friedel, leads to the perfect screening of the direct force and to an unphysical result for the local transport field. A corrected evaluation of the response function is given in the weak-scattering limit, and is found to lead to an unscreened direct force.
The role of factor substitution in the theory of economic growth and income distribution: Two examples

Abstract While much empirical evidence suggests that the Cobb–Douglas production function may be a reasonable benchmark for aggregate analysis, we argue that the practice, particularly prevalent in contemporary growth theory, of adopting the Cobb–Douglas technology, may lead to misleading implications. Using two examples, we show that key implications of the models are highly sensitive to small deviations of the elasticity of substitution from unity. The first employs the standard neoclassical model and emphasizes the sensitivity of the speed of convergence to small changes in the elasticity of substitution. This in turn has profound consequences for wealth and income distribution. The second deals with foreign aid and highlights how the relative merits of “tied” versus “untied” aid are also very sensitive to the elasticity of substitution.
Irradiation-enhanced mass flux and dislocation interactions☆

The phenomenon of irradiation-enhanced mass flux depends on the interactions of vacancies and interstitials with sinks such as dislocations. At steady-state these interactions, along with the geometry of the body, determine the enhancement contribution. The situation may change somewhat with transient behavior because a difference in diffusivity can give rise to enhancement. Motivated by the importance of dislocation-sink interactions in various enhancement effects, a new method is given which permits the distortions and their derivatives to be numerically calculated for curvilinear dislocations in elastically anisotropic media. The method is based on a new, extended derivation of the geometric-theorem approach to dislocation field quentities. The distortion derivatives allow the interaction energy gradients required in the dislocation-sink diffusion boundary-value problem to be calculated, and it is hoped that the influence of dislocation geometry (curvilinear versus straight) and elastic anisotropy will be properly assessed using these results, and taken into account where required.
John Wesley and Conyers Middleton on Divine Intervention in History

In early January of 1749 John Wesley canceled a previously scheduled trip to Rotterdam in order to write a seventy-nine-page open letter to the Reverend Dr. Conyers Middleton on the subject of miracles in the early, post-apostolic church. The letter is one of Wesley's longest original writings, but it has never been studied critically. In it, Wesley's relationship to intellectual currents of his age become particularly clear, both because of the subject with which it is concerned (God's intervention in history) and because of the interlocutor to whom it is addressed (Conyers Middleton of Cambridge University).
Rethinking universities as innovation factories

In the process of developing new technologies from basic research, there is a critical link or leverage point that has the potential to transform the process of innovation and holds the promise to advance the world’s economies. That link is between universities and industry. Many have addressed this issue with a measure of success, and some have made outstanding progress. In most universities, however, there is an uneasy truce between faculties that are performing basic research and education, and those in and outside the campus that may be interested in applying and gaining economic benefit from the results of that research. Significantly different motivations and cultures have often created barriers (sometimes not realized) to effective cooperation and synergy. This paper addresses those cultural issues and barriers to effective collaborations and gives examples of successful university-wide implementations built around research clusters and open laboratories; business and engineering collaboration; and integrative and immersive learning. These tools have been applied effectively in several environments to create the basis for substantive partnerships and to establish entrepreneurial settings that foster a shared culture of innovation to the benefit of faculty members, students, and industry. The uniqueness of this approach is that it has been designed to be transformative and integrative across the traditional university setting without starting anew or creating a separate applied research environment.
Book Allocations in a University Library: An Evaluation of Multiple Formulas

This article describes an academic library's process of running multiple allocation models in order to find one that best suits the needs of the institution. The authors employed four methods: percentage-based, factor analysis, weighted multiple-variable, and circulation-based in order to inform the redistribution of book (print and electronic) funds. A comparison of the models revealed very different results. The final consensus of Hofstra University's Reference and Collection Development Department was to employ a circulation-based allocation model to redistribute funds, while also using subject specialist experience to adjust this redistribution.
Horizontal line bisections in upper and lower body space.

Whereas the ventral cortical visual stream is important in object recognition, the dorsal stream is specialized for spatial localization. In humans there are also right and left hemisphere asymmetries in visual processing: the left hemisphere being more important in object recognition and the right in specifying spatial locations. Based on these dorsal–ventral and right–left where–what dichotomies, one would expect that the dorsal right hemisphere systems would be most activated during spatial localization tasks, and this activation may induce a leftward spatial bias in lower space. To determine if visual stimuli in upper and lower body space evoke different hemispheric activation, we had 12 normal participants bisect horizontal lines above and below eye level. Participants erred leftward in lower body space relative to upper body space ( M = 1.3345 mm and 0.4225 mm, respectively; p = .011). In upper body space, bisection errors did not differ from zero, but in lower body space, errors tended to deviate leftward ( M = 1.3345 mm, differs from null hypotheses at p = .0755). Our results are consistent with dorsal stream/right hemisphere activation when performing a spatial localization task in lower versus upper body space. ( JINS , 2000, 6 , 455–459.)
Wheelchair propulsion demands during outdoor community ambulation.

Objective Quantify manual wheelchair propulsion effort during outdoor community ambulation.