cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review of air kerma-area product, effective dose and dose conversion coefficients for non-cardiac interventional fluoroscopy procedures

Purpose To provide current data on average air kerma-area product (PKA ) and effective dose (E) for noncardiac interventional fluoroscopy procedures and suggested values of dose coefficients (DCE ) for conversion of PKA to estimates of effective dose. Methods A PubMed literature search covering the time period from 2006 to August 2019 was performed to obtain recent data on PKA , E and DCE for interventional fluoroscopy procedures. Results There is very wide variation in the reported values of PKA , E, and DCE in the literature. A number of factors are involved in this variability and the resultant uncertainty in average values of these dose quantities. Conclusions The values of PKA , average E and suggested DCE presented here can be of use for comparison of the radiation detriment from different procedures and may be useful for categorizing detriment within an order of magnitude or so. They do not represent actual or expected radiation dose or detriment from any specific procedure or for a specific patient and should be not be used as such.
Maximizing Single Target Resolution and Signal to Noise Ratios in Fisheries Acoustic Data

In a perfect acoustic world, acoustic backscatter energy would only be received from targeted animals in experimental measurements or surveys. Backscatter from unwanted targets is considered noise. To increase backscatter from targets of interest the amount of energy in the transmit pulse can be increased but this will also increase all backscatter, and it reduces the ability to resolve individual targets. To balance the tradeoff between high signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and single target resolution, John Ehrenberg and colleagues advocated the use of broadband signals and matched filters in scientific echosounders. Broadband signals have center frequency to bandwidth ratios less than 3. Matched filter signal processing compresses received echoes in time and increases echo amplitude, with a resulting SNR amplitude ratio gains. Increased SNR increases target resolution and maximizes accuracy of echo counting, individual backscatter measurements, and echo integration. Broadband transmit signals and matched filters have not been widely used in scientific echosounders. The first commercial scientific echosounder with a broadband transmit signal and matched filter was the HTI model 240 in 1995. Over the last four years, Kongsberg-Simrad has released the EK80 echosounder product line that includes broadband FM transmit pulse options and matched signal filter processing. This represents the latest transfer of technology developed for radar and first transitioned to fisheries acoustics by Ehrenberg. Data acquisition, comparison measurements, and data processing routines are now being developed to provide best practices to the fisheries acoustics community for mapping, counting, and classifying aquatic organisms.
The Role of the Innate Immune System in Interstitial Lung Disease

Abstract Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is the most frequently diagnosed idiopathic interstitial pneumonia and hence the most studied of the interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). Dating back to the 1970s, the consensus was that the unrelenting fibrosis in IPF/ILD was triggered by an “alveolitis” that involved key innate immune or inflammatory mechanisms. With the observation that classic immunosuppressive therapies failed to alter the disease course in IPF, focus shifted toward the pathogenesis paradigm in which alveolar/bronchiolar epithelial cells were the key drivers of fibrosis in the absence of innate immune activation in this disease. However, with the advent of more sophisticated research tools (i.e., single-cell RNA sequencing) and a more complete understanding of the complexity of the innate immune system, active investigation of strategies that modulate the activity of keys cells in the innate immune system including monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC), innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), and dendritic cells (DCs) in IPF is now widespread. Thus, while the precise role of the innate immune system in IPF still remains unknown, a growing consensus from both basic and clinical research studies highlights the fact that this arm of the immune system is not an innocent bystander in IPF.
Dementia Treatment and Health Disparities Among Puerto Ricans: The Impact of Cultural and Political Histories

This chapter provides specific recommendations to health-care providers regarding how to work with Puerto Ricans who have dementia, including how to work with their family members and caregivers. The recommendations, however, do not take place in a vacuum as they draw on Puerto Rico’s sociopolitical history. The continuous colonization of Puerto Rico, first by Spain in 1493 and since 1898 by the United States of America (USA), is a predominant factor impacting health-care practices for Puerto Ricans and a constitutive force on the cultural identity of island-based and USA mainland Puerto Ricans. Although USA citizenship allows Puerto Ricans to migrate to the USA without restrictions, the sociopolitical association between the USA and Puerto Rico has not translated into equal humanitarian treatment or advancement for Puerto Ricans on the island or on the USA mainland. On the contrary, colonialism in Puerto Rico has caused significant economic and social disruption. In turn, this disruption is associated with health disparities across Puerto Rican populations and the deterioration of the island’s health system. Hence, understanding the experiences of island-based and mainland Puerto Ricans requires an examination of how colonialism affects the lived experiences and health of this population including those impacted by dementia. To this end, this chapter describes dementia and health disparities among island-based and USA mainland Puerto Ricans and summarizes how Puerto Rico’s cultural contact with Spain and the USA has important implications for the delivery of health services to Puerto Ricans. This chapter also provides a description of USA mainland Puerto Ricans’ sociodemographic and health profiles and a discussion of historical and contemporary colonialism in Puerto Rico.
Protein labeling for FRET with methoxycoumarin and acridonylalanine

Site-specific protein labeling can be used to monitor protein motions and interactions in real time using Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET). While there are many fluorophores available for protein labeling, few FRET pairs are suitable for monitoring intramolecular protein motions without being disruptive to protein folding and function. Here, we describe the synthesis and use of a minimally perturbing FRET pair comprised of methoxycoumarin maleimide (Mcm-Mal) and acridonylalanine (Acd). Acd can be incorporated into a protein through unnatural amino acid mutagenesis. Mcm-Mal is fluorogenic when reacted with cysteine and can label cysteine/Acd double mutant proteins. This labeling strategy provides an easy to install FRET pair with a working range or 15-40A, making it ideal for monitoring most intramolecular motions. Additionally, Mcm/Acd FRET can be combined with tryptophan fluorescence for monitoring multiple protein motions via three color FRET.
Efficacy of Allopurinol in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: Given current evidence, the use of allopurinol for the prevention of major cardiovascular events (acute cardiovascular syndrome (ACS) or cardiovascular mortality) in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), after index ACS or heart failure remains unknown. Methods: Multiple databases were queried to identify studies comparing the efficacy of allopurinol in patients undergoing CABG, after ACS or heart failure. The unadjusted odds ratio (OR) was calculated using a random effect model. Results: A total of nine studies comprising 850 patients (allopurinol 480, control 370) were identified. The pooled OR of periprocedural ACS (OR: 0.25, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.06 - 0.96, P = 0.05) and cardiovascular mortality (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.07 - 0.71, P = 0.01) was significantly lower in patients receiving allopurinol during CABG compared to patients in the control group. The overall number needed to treat (NNT) to prevent one ACS event was 11 (95% CI: 7 - 28), while the NNT to prevent one death was 24 (95% CI: 13 - 247). By contrast, the odds of cardiovascular mortality in the allopurinol group were not significantly different from the control group in patients on long-term allopurinol after ACS or heart failure (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.01 - 8.21, P = 0.50) and (OR: 1.12, 95% CI: 0.39 - 3.20, P = 0.83), respectively. Similarly, the use of allopurinol did not reduce the odds of recurrent ACS events at 2 years (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.03 - 3.18, P = 0.33). Conclusions: Periprocedural use of allopurinol might be associated with a significant reduction in the odds of ACS and cardiovascular mortality in patients undergoing CABG. Allopurinol, however, offers no long-term benefits in terms of secondary prevention of ACS or mortality. Larger scale studies are needed to validate our findings. Cardiol Res. 2020;11(4):226-232 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/cr1066
Regulation of breast cancer metastasis signaling by miRNAs

Despite the decline in death rate from breast cancer and recent advances in targeted therapies and combinations for the treatment of metastatic disease, metastatic breast cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-associated death in U.S. women. The invasion–metastasis cascade involves a number of steps and multitudes of proteins and signaling molecules. The pathways include invasion, intravasation, circulation, extravasation, infiltration into a distant site to form a metastatic niche, and micrometastasis formation in a new environment. Each of these processes is regulated by changes in gene expression. Noncoding RNAs including microRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in breast cancer tumorigenesis, progression, and metastasis by post-transcriptional regulation of target gene expression. miRNAs can stimulate oncogenesis (oncomiRs), inhibit tumor growth (tumor suppressors or miRsupps), and regulate gene targets in metastasis (metastamiRs). The goal of this review is to summarize some of the key miRNAs that regulate genes and pathways involved in metastatic breast cancer with an emphasis on estrogen receptor α (ERα+) breast cancer. We reviewed the identity, regulation, human breast tumor expression, and reported prognostic significance of miRNAs that have been documented to directly target key genes in pathways, including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) contributing to the metastatic cascade. We critically evaluated the evidence for metastamiRs and their targets and miRNA regulation of metastasis suppressor genes in breast cancer progression and metastasis. It is clear that our understanding of miRNA regulation of targets in metastasis is incomplete.
Activation of kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism after infant cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass: a prospective cohort study

Serum kynurenic acid is associated with poor outcomes after infant cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), but comprehensive mapping of the kynurenine pathway (KP) after CPB has yet to be performed. To map changes in the KP induced by infant CPB. Compared changes in serum KP metabolites through 48hrs post-op with liquid-chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Infant CPB results in marked increase in proximal, but not distal metabolites of the KP. Infant CPB leads to accumulation of circulating KP metabolites, which have important neurologic and immunologic activities. Thus, further exploration of the KP is warranted in these high-risk infants.
Delusions of Control

This chapter discusses several ideas and explanations provided by economists and political scientists for economic growth, distribution, and consumer choice, but that ignore the important biophysical constraints discussed in the previous chapters in the book. These are consumer confidence, political will, decoupling (of economic growth from material consumption via a service economy), and better finance. Thus, while these narrative statements do have merit, they typically ignore critical physical principles. These supposed explanations of economic fundamentals and drivers are often associated with either energy narrative, per the needs of the author, with the implication that with a little tweak of policies and energy system design, the economic system can continue to grow in a similar manner as the past century, but these are largely delusions that must be grounded in physical principles. While exploring these ideas, the chapter briefly introduces the contrasts between several of the “-isms” about which people pundits debate: capitalism, socialism, and communism, as well as concepts such as neoliberalism, lobbying, and economic cost-benefit analysis. The chapter discusses how these ”-isms” might philosophically link to the concept of the economy as an evolving superorganism. The chapter also discusses how we can interpret our social options, hierarchies, and choices in the context of our ability to extract energy from the environment.
Folylpolyglutamate Synthesis and Role in the Regulation of One-Carbon Metabolism

The physiological importance of folylpolyglutamates is now well established. These derivatives are the intracellular substrates and regulators of one-carbon metabolism, and their synthesis is required for normal folate retention by tissues. Over the last few years, a considerable amount of information has been obtained on the mechanism by which these compounds are synthesized, on how this synthesis is regulated, and on the effects of the polyglutamate chain on the interaction of folate substrates and inhibitors with folate-dependent enzymes. Many regulatory implications have been suggested by these studies, but the physiological relevance of some of these observations remains to be explored. Folates in mammalian tissues are metabolized to polyglutamates of chain lengths considerably longer than that required for folate retention, but the metabolic advantages of this are not entirely clear. Several in vivo model systems have been developed to explore the functioning of specific folylpolyglutamate chain lengths in metabolic cycles of one-carbon metabolism, and these are likely to shed further light on this point. The role of folate-binding proteins in folate transport, the metabolic role of glutamylhydrolases, and the role of folylpolyglutamates in putative multifunctional protein complexes are also areas that are being actively pursued at present and are likely to produce new insights in the future. Recent studies on the retention of antifolates by cells and on their substrate efficacy for folylpolyglutamate synthetases have also suggested mechanisms for the differential cytotoxicity of these agents for different tissues.
Higher Rates of Twinning Among Repeat Vs First-Time Teenage and Young Adult Mothers in the United States, 2009-2018.

ABSTRACT Study Objective Few studies examining predictors of twinning consider younger mothers who do not use assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Higher parity is associated with greater odds of having a twin birth, but it is unclear whether this association is present among young women. We tested the hypothesis that the rates and odds of twinning would increase with parity among teenage and young adult mothers who did not use ART. Design, Setting, and Participants We conducted a retrospective, population-based cohort study using 2009–2018 United States National Vital Statistics data on 11,383,370 (58.94% first, 41.06% repeat) births to adolescent and adult women aged 15-24 years. Interventions None. Main Outcome Measures Rates and odds of twinning by parity among teenage (15-19 years) and young adult (20-24 years) mothers. Results The adjusted twin birth rate among first-time teenage mothers was 13.28 per 1000 births compared to 16.62 twins per 1,000 births among repeat teenage mothers. This difference by parity was present but smaller among mothers aged 20-24 (18.31 vs 21.44 twins per 1000 births for first-time and repeat young adult mothers, respectively). Conclusion Repeat young mothers, particularly teenage mothers, are a high-risk group in terms of infant and maternal health outcomes; their higher rate of twinning puts them at an additional risk for adverse birth outcomes. Practitioners may counsel young mothers at risk for subsequent unintended pregnancy on elevated risk of twinning.
“This Isn’t Who We Are”: A Critical Discourse Analysis of School and District Leaders’ Responses to Racial Violence:

Media reports have detailed the growing prevalence of incidents of racism and racial violence in K-12 schools and districts throughout the United States. The public nature of these incidents often ...
Examining the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale at the Item Level With Rasch Measurement Model:

The purpose of this study is to examine the psychometric quality of the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) with data collected from 554 teachers in a U.S. Midwestern state. The many-facet Rasch model was used to examine several potential contextual influences (years of teaching experience, school context, and levels of emotional exhaustion) on item functioning within the TSES. Results suggest that although TSES items are rather easy for teachers to endorse, sufficient variance in the item endorsement hierarchy of the scale exists to support the validity of score interpretations. The items are invariant across years of teaching experience or school locations, but not invariant across levels of emotional exhaustion.
The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic Retinopathy: IV. Diabetic Macular Edema

Abstract The prevalence of macular edema and its relationship to a number of risk factors were examined in a population-based study in southern Wisconsin. Macular edema was determined from its presence on stereoscopic fundus photographs or from past history as recorded and documented in clinic records and photographs. For participants whose age at diagnosis of diabetes was less than 30 years and who were taking insulin (n = 919), prevalence rates of macular edema varied from 0% in those who had diabetes less than 5 years to 29% in those whose duration of diabetes was 20 or more years. In these persons, macular edema was associated with longer duration of diabetes, presence of proteinuria, diuretic use, male gender and higher glycosylated hemoglobin. For those whose age at diagnosis was 30 years or older (n = 1121), prevalence rates of macular edema varied from 3% in those who had diabetes less than 5 years to 28% in those whose duration of diabetes was 20 or more years. In these persons, presence of macular edema was associated with longer duration of diabetes, higher systolic blood pressure, insulin use, higher glycosylated hemoglobin, and presence of proteinuria.
Mind-body holism, paradigm shifts, and education

In this essay, I examine claims made for the significance of mind-body holism. I look for the promised earthquake-like impact of holism on sport pedagogy by reviewing concepts of special education, curriculum development, and assessment. By relying on holistic insights generated by Husserl, Merleau- Ponty, Polanyi, Sheets-Johnstone and others, I attempt to show how traditional pedagogies are turned, as it were, upside down by holism. I discuss play handicaps, the reciprocal process of growing players and playgrounds, and the need for ambiguous, meaning-inclusive play assessments. I conclude by underlining pedagogical ironies generated by an earthquake of holism that many have never experienced.
Penicillin Binding Components in Bacillius subtilis During Sporulation

The penicillin binding components of sporulating Bacillus subtilis 3610 were compared with those of the vegetative organism. No qualitative difference in binding components was observed. The total binding, however, varied with the phase of sporulation.
Dentistry and the Laser

An understanding of laser effects on dental structures would be difficult without first briefly describing dental hard and soft tissues.
Are We Really Doing What We Think We Are Doing? A Note on Finite-Sample Estimates of Two-Way Cluster-Robust Standard Errors

Archival researchers heavily rely on statistics software to deliver large sample analyses. To provide valid empirical analyses, an author needs to know the best statistical solution to the research issue and also the correct computer language that exactly carries out such statistical tests. However, unfortunately, researchers rarely explain what they exactly do in empirical analyses. Consequently, it is difficult for a reader to figure out the validity of the empirical results. This note uses two-way cluster-robust standard errors as an example to explain these points. Two-way cluster-robust standard errors are getting widely used in the accounting and finance literature. There are multiple different alternative specifications of two-way cluster-robust standard errors, which could result in very different significance levels than unadjusted asymptotic estimates. However, researchers rarely explain which estimate of two-way cluster-robust standard errors they use, though they may all call their standard errors “two-way cluster-robust standard errors”. Specifically, I first provide a short-discussion on alternative estimates of two-way cluster-robust standard errors. Second, I discuss two common mistakes in calculating two-way cluster-robust standard errors. Third, I show that popular statistics software (SAS and STATA) have options that could generate several alternative estimates of two-way cluster-robust standard errors. Therefore, if not explained, no reader would know which estimate is used. Finally, I suggest that future empirical research should carefully explain how it implements estimates of two-way cluster-robust standard errors in finite samples. In addition, a SAS macro code for two-way clustered standard errors is available at my website. If you use this code, please add the following footnote “To obtain unbiased estimates, the clustered standard errors are adjusted by (N-1)/ (N-P) × G/(G-1), where N is the sample size, P is the number of independent variables, and G is the number of clusters.”
Laboratory Tests with Gamma-Irradiated Phormia regina

Female black blow flies, Phormia regina (Meigen); secondary screw-worm flies, Cochliomyia macellaria (F.); and Cynomyopsis cadaverina (Robineau-Desvoidy) did not remate after mating with males sterilized by a dose of 7500 rad of gamma irradiation. Of the 3 species, P. regina lived and reproduced best in the laboratory; therefore, those blow flies were studied more intensively. When pupae of P. regina were treated, a dose of 2500 rad of gamma irradiation caused about 99% dominant lethality in sperm and greatly reduced fecundity and fertility of female flies. Pupae within 2 days of completing development tolerated 20,000 rad; pupae a day older survived 30,000 rad about as well as they withstood 5000 rad. Males sterilized with 7500 rad showed only a slight reduction in length of life and mating competitiveness.
Laser photodissociation of benzene radical cations. Evidence for a two photon process involving a long lived intermediate

Abstract A novel two photon process is reported in which benzene radical cation, C6H6+, photodissociates upon irradiation from an intense argon ion laser to produce predominantly C6H5+ and H at photon energies significantly below thermodynamic threshold. The partial photoexcitation spectrum for this process, as well as the photoexcitation spectrum for the direct single photon process occurring at higher energies, are compared to the photoelectron spectrum of benzene and to calculations on the spectrum of benzene radical cation to elucidate the nature of the transitions involved.
Wave-like properties of solar supergranulation

Supergranulation on the surface of the Sun is a pattern of horizontal outflows, outlined by a network of small magnetic features, with a distinct scale of 30 million metres and an apparent lifetime of one day. It is generally believed that supergranulation corresponds to a preferred 'cellular' scale of thermal convection; rising magnetic fields are dragged by the outflows and concentrated into 'ropes' at the 'cell' boundaries. But as the convection zone is highly turbulent and stratified, numerical modelling has proved to be difficult and the dynamics remain poorly understood. Moreover, there is as yet no explanation for the observation that the pattern appears to rotate faster around the Sun than the magnetic features. Here we report observations showing that supergranulation undergoes oscillations and supports waves with periods of 6-9 days. The waves are predominantly prograde, which explains the apparent super-rotation of the pattern. The rotation of the plasma through which the pattern propagates is consistent with the motion of the magnetic network.
Standards and reliability in evaluation: when rules of thumb don't apply.

The purpose of this paper is to identify situations in which two rules of thumb in evaluation do not apply. The first rule is that all standards should be absolute. When selection decisions are being made or when classroom tests are given, however, relative standards may be better. The second rule o
Quantification of cardiac function by conventional and cine magnetic resonance imaging.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been effective for depicting cardiac anatomy and is already established as a technique for the evaluation of some structural abnormalities of the heart and pericardium. With recent advances, MRI can now be used to quantitate cardiac function. Multiphasic ECG-gated spin-echo imaging has been used to quantitate right and left ventricular volumes and ejection fraction. left ventricular mass, and regional myocardial wall thickening. The new technique of cine MRI acquires frames during the cardiac cycle with a time resolution corresponding to 20 msec up to approximately 40 frames for an average cardiac cycle. This technique uses narrow flip angle (30°) and gradient refocused echoes. Cine MRI has been used to measure ventricular volumes and ejection fraction and regional myocardial wall thickening. It is also sensitive to the detection of valvular regurgitation and can provide quantitation of regurgitant volume. This article reviews the current status of MRI for quantitating cardiac function.
Fruit ripening in Vitis vinifera L.: possible relation of veraison to turgor and berry softening

Background and Aims: Vitis vinifera L. berries exhibit dynamic changes in water relations during development, but the possible connections between water relations, particularly cell turgor pressure (P), and ripening have received little attention, and the water relations have been studied by mostly indirect methods. Methods and Results: The cell pressure probe was utilized to examine directly the in situ P of cells in the mesocarp. Mesocarp cell P demonstrated a consistent pattern of a high value early in development, followed by a decrease to less than 1.0 bar that was maintained during ripening. Sugar accumulation did not increase significantly until P had declined to less than 1.0 bar. Fruit ‘elasticity’ was used to evaluate fruit firmness during development. Fruit elasticity changed dynamically and synchronously with P. When growth was prevented with plastic boxes, the decline in cell P was delayed over 14 days, and the onset of skin colour and sugar accumulation was similarly delayed. Conclusions: The results show that when the decrease in P was delayed, the onset of ripening was delayed, and, therefore, are consistent with a central role of P in the onset of ripening. Significance of the Study: This study showed that boxing preveraison berries similarly delayed P decrease and colour increase in Cabernet Sauvignon berries. Thus, this system may be useful to study the relationship between P and gene expression in developing berries.
Metaconceptual Frameworks and the Study of Human Infant Category Construction

Dellantonio, Innamoratia, & Pastore (2012) consider different interpretations of the notion of a boundary, comparing specifically the metaconceptual frameworks of exclusive and inclusive separation. I elaborate the target article by considering what a shift to the strategy of inclusive separation entails. Specifically, it is suggested that this shift introduces a greater focus on the process of development, as well as a consideration of the ambivalence and emergence involved in boundary processes. Poetry is used as an example to illustrate these qualities of these boundary processes. It is suggested that when reading a poem, within the boundary of the literal and imagined senses of words productive tensions are created, and often in overcoming those tensions the person can arrive at overgeneralized, affectively laden meanings which guide future thought, action and behavior. It is suggested that in everyday life, the cultural construction of feeling follows a similar process, taking on a poetic form.
Extensive dual innervation and mutual inhibition by forelimb and hindlimb inputs to ventroposterolateral nucleus projection neurons in the rat.

The stimulation of brachial plexus and sciatic nerve resulted in a precisely timed, synchronous volley of inputs to ventroposterolateral (VPL) neurons from either forelimb or hindlimb. Such stimulation activated sensory fibers of all modalities and was therefore modality-nonspecific. Extracellular recordings of modality-nonspecific single-unit evoked responses from VPL showed that 13% of VPL projection neurons responded to both forelimb and hindlimb inputs. We also demonstrated mutually inhibitory interactions between inputs from forelimb and hindlimb in 45% of VPL units. Unlike the somatotopic map produced by others using modality-specific inputs, the modality-nonspecific evoked response map of VPL had a broadly overlapping distribution of evoked responses. This was especially true for the more caudal aspects of VPL. When the delivery of stimuli was appropriately timed, forelimb inputs caused the inhibition of responses to hindlimb stimulation; similarly, hindlimb inputs inhibited responses to forelimb s...
Exploiting double opportunities for deadline based content propagation in wireless networks

In this paper, we focus on mobile wireless networks comprising of a powerful communication center and a multitude of mobile users. We investigate the propagation of deadline-based content in the wireless network characterized by heterogeneous (time-varying and user-dependent) wireless channel conditions, heterogeneous user mobility, and where communication could occur in a hybrid format (e.g., directly from the central controller or by exchange with other mobiles in a peer-to-peer manner). We show that exploiting double opportunities, i.e., both time-varying channel conditions and mobility, can result in substantial performance gains. We develop a class of double opportunistic multicast schedulers and prove their optimality in terms of both utility and fairness under heterogeneous channel conditions and user mobility. Extensive simulation results are provided to demonstrate that these algorithms can not only substantially boost the throughput of all users (e.g., by 50% to 150%), but also achieve different consideration of fairness among individual users and groups of users.
Electrical characteristics of palladium silicide

Resistivity and Hall mobility measurements were performed on Pd2Si films grown on <100〉 and <111〉 oriented silicon substrates as a function of temperature and thickness of the films. The results show that Pd2Si has metallic character. The Debye temperature of Pd2Si was found to be 120±20°K and the concentration of the charge carriers, which are electrons, is 4 × 1021 cm−3. The bulk value of the resistivity at room temperature is 25–30 ωΩcm and the Hall mobility is 50–60 cm2 V−1 sec−1, both depending on the structure of Pd2Si which is known to be epitaxial on <111〉 substrate but not on <100〉 substrate. This structural difference is clearly reflected by the electrical characteristics.
Thermal and ionic factors in the ultraviolet photolysis of plant cell membranes

The exposure of red beet root tissue to ultraviolet (254 nm) at 2 × 106 erg × cm−2× min−1 (0.2 J × cm−2× min−1) causes release of betacyanin after a 20 minute induction period. Ultraviolet-photolysis is temperature-sensitive having a thermal threshold at about 10°C. Reduction in pigment release was effected by chlorides of Mg, Ca and Sr, but not by Li, Na or K. This effect was marked but not complete, even at 40 mM concentration. It is concluded that photolysis is indirect, and involves a lytic factor, possibly an oxidant, derived from an original photochemical product.
Transcriptional commitment of mitochondrial RNA polymerase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The transcriptional commitment of mitochondrial RNA (mtRNA) polymerase and the conditions required for the formation of a stable ternary complex have been determined by in vitro transcription study. Four different transcription complexes were made in vitro by incubating purified mtRNA polymerase, cloned synthetic mitochondrial promoters and selective ribonucleotides. The responses of these complexes to heparin, an inhibitor of unbound mtRNA polymerase, have been examined to determine their involvement in transcription. This study leads to the following observations. (1) Under normal reaction conditions, 40 nm-heparin completely inhibited mitochondrial transcription. (2) A preinitiation mitochondrial DNA-RNA polymerase complex (complex 0) showed partial resistance to heparin (~25% resistant to 40 nm-heparin) when heparin and ribonucleoside triphosphates (rNTPs) were added together to the preformed complex. This complex was rapidly inactivated when preincubated with heparin before the addition of rNTPs. (3) The early initiation (complexes 2 and 4) containing DNA template, RNA polymerase and a short RNA product showed more resistance (approx. 40 to 50%) to 40 nm-heparin but destabilized upon further incubation with heparin before addition of the rest of the rNTPs. (4) After generation of ten or more phosphodiester bonds (complex 11), the early transcription complex is converted into a stable initiation complex, leading to the polymerase consignment to elongation. On the basis of stability and heparin sensitivity, three initial steps of mitochondrial transcription have been defined: polymerase-promoter interaction, initiation, and the transition from initiation to elongation. The formation of preinitiation complex is the rate-limiting step (t12 approx. 50 s), whereas the initiation and elongation reactions are very fast processes (t12 > 5 s) in mitochondrial transcription.
Relative compatibility in conventional quantum mechanics

The notion of relative compability is introduced, according to which compatibility is construed as relative to individual quantum states. The compatibility domain of two observablesA, B is defined to be the set com(A, B) of states relative to whichA andB are compatible. Three basic categories of relative compatibility are then defined according to the character of com(A, B): absolute compatibility (ordinary compatibility), absolute incompatibility, and partial compatibility. Then com(A, B) is seen to be a subspace of Hilbert space invariant underA andB; being a subspace, it corresponds to a quantum binary observable (projection), denotedc(A, B). IfA andB are themselves binary observables, thenc(A, B) is expressible as a quantum logical compound ofA andB using the lattice operations meet, join, and orthocomplement. This suggests extending the notion of relative compatibility to the theory of orthomodular lattices, as well as to more general lattice-theoretic formulations of quantum mechanics.
Lung transplantation for pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis.

Since the first description of pulmonary alveolar microlithiasis (PAM) by Puhr in 1933, nearly 500 related cases have been reported worldwide. No effective treatment for PAM currently exists, with the exception of lung transplantation. Herein, we present the case of a 63-year-old woman with PAM who, to the best of our knowledge, is the oldest successful lung transplant recipient with end-stage PAM reported. In addition, the present work reviews the outcomes of other cases of PAM after lung transplantation.
Undergraduate Teaching of Religious Education: Laying the Foundations.

(1990). UNDERGRADUATE TEACHING OF RELIGIOUS EDUCATION: LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS. Religious Education: Vol. 85, No. 1, pp. 105-108.
A weighted-graph-based approach for diversifying search results

Despite the explosive growth of internet usage, satisfying users' experience in web search while understanding the dynamic nature of search engine ranking remains a challenge. The main reason is that user queries and web documents may belong to different categories given a taxonomy of information. In this study, we attempt to detangle the ambiguity in web search by using a systematic approach. A weighted graph model is utilised to represent the complicated documents network from web search results. In this model, document topics are explicitly defined from the weighted document graph with an unsupervised learning method. On weighing each topic, both the size of the topic and the intra-topic document importance distribution are considered. In order to achieve web search results diversity, the reranking method proposed in this work leverages on the relevance of the documents to the query and related topics. Evaluation results on synthetic data and realistic web pages show the efficacy of a proposed system.
Treatment of Lake Inflows with Alum for Phosphorus Removal

Abstract Alum is being used on an experimental basis to remove phosphorus (P) from the inflows of Fish and Tanners Lakes in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota. Jar test studies and experiments with settling columns demonstrated the usefulness of these methods for proper design of inflow alum treatment systems. Mixing conditions in treatment facilities at both lakes promote good floc development. The degree of alum and water mixing, defined by the velocity gradient (G, s−1) and mixing time (t, in s), or Gt, was 7,700–35,000 for Tanners Lake and the maximum potential Gt for Fish Lake was 42,000. The concentration of TP entering Fish Lake was greatly reduced at an alum dose of 8 mg Al L−1 but was largely unaffected at 1 mg Al L−1. Average annual TP removal from 1998 to 2003 with alum doses of 1.9 to 10.5 mg Al L−1 ranged from 61 to 84% at Tanners Lake. Surface TP declined rapidly with alum treatment in both lakes. Average annual Secchi disk depth (SD) for the west bay of Fish Lake im...
Characterizing Energy Consumption of Real-Time and Media Benchmarks on Hybrid SPM-Caches

In this paper, we comparatively evaluate the energy consumption of real-time and media benchmarks on three different hybrid on-chip memory architectures. Our evaluation indicates that while pure SPMs can lead to less on-chip memory energy consumption than pure caches of the same size, the pure caches can reduce total energy consumption than pure SPMs by improving the performance. The hybrid SPM-caches can further reduce the total energy consumption for both real-time and media benchmarks. In particular, we find using the hybrid SPM-caches for both instructions and data can maximally reduce the total energy dissipation.
Single-Particle Colloid Tracking in Four Dimensions

Coating a close-packed fluorescent colloid monolayer with a nanometer-thick metal film followed by sonication in liquid produces modulated optical nanoprobes. The metal coating modulates the fluorescence as these structures rotate in suspension, enabling the use of these particles as probes to monitor both rotational and center-of-mass (translational) dynamics in complex environments. Here, we demonstrate methods to simultaneously measure two translational and two rotational degrees of freedom, with excellent agreement to theory. The capability to determine two angles of rotation opens several new avenues of future research.
Trophic ecology of massive shrimp aggregations at a Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vent site

The source of nutrition of shrimp that form giant aggregations at Mid-Atlantic Ridge hydrothermal vents was explored by a combination of different molecular techniques. These animals have been hypothesized either to graze on the free-living, surface microbial community or to feed off epibiotic bacteria growing on their exoskeleton. Stable isotope compositions of potential food sources, consumer tissues, and gut contents suggest that the shrimp derive most of their carbon and nitrogen from the epibionts. However, probing of nucleic acids extracted from shrimp guts points to the existence of a gut microflora that is isotopically similar but genetically distinct from the epibionts. Carbon dioxide fixation experiments were carried out to compare the magnitude of potential primary productivity of the different nutritional sources of the shrimp. Relatively low and comparable rates were observed for both the free-living community and the epibionts but activity associated with gut preparations was surprisingly high. These high CO2 fixation rates in the gut may be indicative of a nutritional relationship between the shrimp and their gut microflora. Overall, the data indicate a nutritional symbiosis of the shrimp with their epibionts and possibly also with a separate gut microflora.
Intervention and Policy Issues Related to Children's Exposure to Environmental Tobacco Smoke

Abstract Background. Children's exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) is unacceptably high; almost 40% of children in the United States are regularly exposed to ETS. Methods. This paper presents a review of the literature that evaluates interventions designed to reduce ETS exposure among young children. In addition, it presents the study design for Project KISS (Keeping Infants Safe from Smoke), an intervention designed to utilize exposure-related feedback to increase parents' motivation for ETS reduction and to reduce household ETS levels. Baseline data are presented to illustrate factors that should be addressed in ETS interventions. Results. The literature review demonstrates the dearth of studies in the literature targeting ETS reduction among children. Participants in Project KISS believed that smoking had affected their children's health and were in later stages of motivational readiness to quit smoking than is typically observed. However, they face a number of challenges to smoking , such as high prevalence of nicotine dependence , high prevalence of living with other smokers, and socioeconomic and stress-related barriers. Conclusions. The policy implications of this research are discussed, and recommendations are made for future research.
Plant foods and early hominids at site FxJj 50, Koobi Fora, Kenya

Plant foods are often assumed to have been important to the diets of Plio-Pleistocene hominids, and yet little paleobotanical evidence exists to help reconstruct early hominid plant food foraging behavior. Evidence for the paleoenvironmental context of one well-studied early Pleistocene site, FxJj 50, Koobi Fora, is compared with data from field studies of the abundance of plant foods in selected modern habitats in Kenya. Examples of the spatial distribution and seasonal availability of some edible fruits near two channels in arid parts of Kenya illustrate ways in which plant food foraging opportunities vary in arid riparian habitats today. This comparison suggests that even the best paleobotanical evidence available for an early hominid archaeological site cannot resolve vegetation reconstructions at a level of detail effective for evaluating site specific alternative models of early hominid foraging behavior.
The adolescence of AI in Medicine: Will the field come of age in the '90s?

Artificial intelligence in medicine (AIM) has reached a period of adolescence in which interactions with the outside world are not only natural but mandatory. Although the basic research topics in AIM may be those of artificial intelligence, the applied issues touch more generally on the broad field of medical informatics. To the extent that AIM research is driven by performance goals for biomedicine, AIM is simply one component within a wide range of research and development activities. Furthermore, an adequate appraisal of AIM research requires an understanding of the research motivations, the complexity of the problems, and a suitable definition of the criteria for judging the field's success. Effective fielding of AIM systems will be dependent on the development of integrated environments for communication and computing that allow merging of knowledge-based tools with other patient data-management and information-retrieval applications. The creation of this kind of infrastructure will require vision and resources from leaders who realize that the practice of medicine is inherently an information-management task and that biomedicine must make the same kind of coordinated commitment to computing technologies as have other segments of our society in which the importance of information management is well understood.
{Mo24Fe12} Macrocycles: Anion Templation with Large Polyoxometalate Guests†

POM and circumstance: Nanometer-sized polyoxometalates (POMs) bring a new direction to anion-templated supramolecular chemistry. The Keggin (left) and Dawson-type (right) polyoxoanions direct the assembly of giant metallomacrocycles through an array of weak hydrogen-bonding interactions. The concerted action of multiple hydrogen bonds keeps the templating guests embedded within the hosts, even in the solution state.
Above the cloud computing orbital services distributed data model

Technology miniaturization and system architecture advancements have created an opportunity to significantly lower the cost of many types of space missions by sharing capabilities between multiple spacecraft. Historically, most spacecraft have been atomic entities that (aside from their communications with and tasking by ground controllers) operate in isolation. Several notable example exist; however, these are purpose-designed systems that collaborate to perform a single goal. The above the cloud computing (ATCC) concept aims to create ad-hoc collaboration between service provider and consumer craft. Consumer craft can procure processing, data transmission, storage, imaging and other capabilities from provider craft. Because of onboard storage limitations, communications link capability limitations and limited windows of communication, data relevant to or required for various operations may span multiple craft. This paper presents a model for the identification, storage and accessing of this data. This model includes appropriate identification features for this highly distributed environment. It also deals with business model constraints such as data ownership, retention and the rights of the storing craft to access, resell, transmit or discard the data in its possession. The model ensures data integrity and confidentiality (to the extent applicable to a given data item), deals with unique constraints of the orbital environment and tags data with business model (contractual) obligation data.
Reservoir Management Optimization for Basin-Wide Ecological Restoration in the Connecticut River

AbstractEvidence from ecological studies suggests that the alteration of river flows downstream of reservoirs can threaten native aquatic ecosystems and the services they offer. Innovative revisions to water management practices are required to improve the health of aquatic species while maintaining the benefits from current infrastructure projects. The impacts of individual reservoir operations on ecosystem vitality are often masked by the uncoordinated and compounding influences of several impoundments upstream, undermining the examination of environmental impacts from particular reservoirs in a large watershed system. This paper presents a large-scale optimization model that investigates the value of coordinated reservoir management practices for ecological benefits in a large watershed with several major reservoir systems operating for a range of management objectives. An application of the model is presented for the Connecticut River watershed, the largest river basin in New England and one of the mo...