cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Absolute Pitch in Naturalistic Singing: A Commentary On Olthof et al.

The parent article looks at pitch stability in an archive of folksongs recorded over several decades. Some evidence for pitch stability was found. Here, I consider some additional aspects of the archive that could be examined, offers some extensions to relevant laboratory studies, and considers some inherent strengths and limitations of the naturalistic, archival approach.
The Academy and the Crisis of African Governance

Richard A. Joseph's article "Facing Africa's Predicament: Academe Needs to Play a Stronger Role" (Chronicle of Higher Education, March 7, 2003) poses a thought-provoking question. He asks, "How can a revolution in African governance be effected that would build complexes of institutions that operate efficiently and synergistically?" The revolution is needed, he says, because "entrenched political corruption throughout Africa has become just one element of a broader phenomenon that I call 'catastrophic governance."' He defines the catastrophe as "endemic practices that steadily undermine a country's capacity to increase the supply of public goods to serve the basic needs of its population, including the security of life itself." The practices he has in mind include repressive regimes, absence of democratic institutions, pervasive corruption, theft, mismanagement, and inefficient utilization of public resources. It is true that there is a severe crisis of governance in Africa, and equally true that revolutionary measures are needed to address it. Joseph highlights the role that the African Studies Program at Northwestern University has played in bringing attention to Africa, and he calls on other disciplines in academia to contribute to the ending of this crisis. But what reason is there to believe that American colleges and universities have the will or determination to play such a role? Although Northwestern University--an institution with which Joseph is associated-has been a leader in promoting African studies in this country, it cannot to be assumed that the primary objective of African studies at Northwestern or anywhere else in the United States is to address the crisis he has in mind. It stretches the imagination to believe that Northwest-
Dirichlet $L$-functions, elliptic curves, hypergeometric functions, and rational approximation with partial sums of power series

Abstract. We consider the diophantine approximation of exponential generating functions at rational arguments by their partial sums and by convergents of their (simple) continued fractions. We establish quantitative results showing that these two sets of approximations coincide very seldom. Moreover, we offer many conjectures about the frequency of their coalescence. In particular, we consider exponential generating functions with real Dirichlet characters and with coefficients of L-functions of elliptic curves, where calculational data provide striking examples showing agreement for certain partial quotients of high index and gargantuan heights. Lastly, we similarly examine hypergeometric functions; note that e is a special case of the latter.
The CU 2-D-MAX-DOAS instrument – Part 2: Raman scattering probability measurements and retrieval of aerosol optical properties

Abstract. The multiannual global mean of aerosol optical depth at 550 nm (AOD550) over land is ∼ 0.19, and that over oceans is ∼ 0.13. About 45 % of the Earth surface shows AOD550 smaller than 0.1. There is a need for measurement techniques that are optimized to measure aerosol optical properties under low AOD conditions. We present an inherently calibrated retrieval (i.e., no need for radiance calibration) to simultaneously measure AOD and the aerosol phase function parameter, g, based on measurements of azimuth distributions of the Raman scattering probability (RSP), the near-absolute rotational Raman scattering (RRS) intensity. We employ radiative transfer model simulations to show that for solar azimuth RSP measurements at solar elevation and solar zenith angle (SZA) smaller than 80°, RSP is insensitive to the vertical distribution of aerosols and maximally sensitive to changes in AOD and g under near-molecular scattering conditions. The University of Colorado two-dimensional Multi-AXis Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (CU 2-D-MAX-DOAS) instrument was deployed as part of the Two Column Aerosol Project (TCAP) at Cape Cod, MA, during the summer of 2012 to measure direct sun spectra and RSP from scattered light spectra at solar relative azimuth angles (SRAAs) between 5 and 170°. During two case study days with (1) high aerosol load (17 July, 0.3
A CHARACTERIZATION OF CURVES OF CONSTANT WIDTH

This contradicts the assumption k = 27r, since the quantity on the left of (11) is no larger that k2/4 = 7r2 (square formula 5). Hence equalities (6), (7), and (8) hold. These equalities are true of any selection xo, x1, *., x,, (as described). We conclude from (8) that the diameters of C have the same midpoint M; from (7) that they have the same length (which must be 2); hence the points of C are all on the sphere of radius 1 about M. The only path on this sphere, from xo to its antipode A(xo), having length ir, is half of a great circle; so formula (6) shows C must consist of two great semi-circles, which in fact form a single great circle because the diameters all pass through M. This verifies the second conjecture.
Physiological Development of Cockerels as Influenced by Selected Wavelengths of Environmental Light

Abstract The effects of narrow-band light at equal energy levels on the development of cockerels were investigated. A total of 216 chicks were raised in conventional electrically heated starting batteries until 6 weeks of age. They were then allotted to environmental chambers and exposed to one of the following light treatments for 35 days: blue (450 nm.), green (545 nm.), red (650 nm.), far-red (750 nm.), dark or white. Feed and water were supplied ad libitum. Chick growth was significantly (P The wavelength of light environment affected the reproductive development of the chick. Larger pituitary glands, containing significantly (P
Aerodynamic flow vectoring of 2-D, co-flowing jets

A methodology for the aerodynamic thrust vectoring of a two-dimensional jet in a co-flowing stream is described. The sole control input to stimulate thrust vectoring is suction applied at the base region of blunt-faced lips forming the exit of the jet. Once the suction volume flux applied at the jet lips exceeds a critical value needed to suppress any global instability arising in the wake-shear layer formed behind either lip, local directional control of the streaming flow of the jet can be realized. Local directional control of the jet can be achieved by selectively varying the distribution of suction at the base of the jet lip on each side of the jet. The directional control of the flow is intimately linked to the symmetry properties of the nominal streaming flow and the applied suction distribution. (Author)
Ocular Uptake and Kinetics of Orally Administered Isosorbide in Rabbits

SummaryIsosorbide is an oral osmotic agent which lowers intraocular pressure in rabbits and man. To determine its possible accumulation in the eye after repeated administration, male rabbits were orally dosed with isosorbide, 2 g/kg, daily for from 1 to 7 days. Plasma and ocular components were removed from 1 to 24 hr after the last dose. After single or multiple doses of isosorbide, times to peak level and excretion half-lives (T1/2) were similar for all tissues except the lens. Times to peak drug levels were: plasma, 1.1 hr; aqueous, vitreous, iris, and cornea, 1.3–1.5 hr; lens, 3.5 hr. Plasma T1/2 (5.0 hr) was not different from that for lens (5.4 hr) but was significantly longer than T1/2 for other ocular tissues. Further, average drug levels in plasma and all ocular tissues declined to the same low levels (< 0.20 mg/ml or mg/g) 24 hr after either a single dose or the last of several doses; thus, indicating no accumulation with 24-hr dose intervals. There were no differences in drug kinetics between n...
Study of permeability of sandstone reservoirs based on fractal theory

Based on fractal theory fractal pore space geometry of rocks was discussed. At the same time the methods were given to determine the fractal dimension of pore space. Then the Kozeny-Carmon equation was developed. The newly developed fractal model adjusts the measure of the effective pore radius and of the grain radius to the resolution length appropriate for the hydraulic process. The fractal model was applied in Daqing oil field. The permeability calculated with the model coincides very well with that measured on core samples. The estimated permeability of sandstone reservoirs is accurate, so the fractal model developed for permeability is valid and feasible.
Research on Network Reconfiguration Based on Improved Binary Particle Swarm Optimization

The paper reports a new method for network reconfiguration based on improved binary particle swarm optimization.On the basis of the binary particle swarm optimization and in combination with the breaking circle method,the process of the particle's update is controlled,and the updated particles are made to meet the requirement of the radial network by 100 percent,so that the judgment for the radial network in the previous network reconfiguration is removed.In addition,the taboo search idea is introduced into this method and the defect of PSO,i.e.the tendency of falling into the local optimum,is therefore overcome.Finally,calculations based on the example of IEEE 33-node unit feeder power system are conducted to verify effective eness of the algorithm.Compared with those in other literatures,the algorithm described in this paper has higher searching efficiency and stronger global optimization ability.
Enumeration of Ordered Sets

In any discrete setting, one of the most natural questions to ask is “How many of these objects are there?” The automorphism problem (Open Question 2.14) and Dedekind’s problem (Open Question 2.30) are questions like that. A counting question can be motivated by pure curiosity or, as the Kelly Lemma (see Proposition 1.40) in reconstruction shows, it can be a useful lemma for proving further results. The two most natural counting questions for ordered sets are still unanswered and it appears that both are quite hard.
Type of Encouragement Influences Peak Muscle Force in College-Age Women

To investigate if the type of encouragement during a maximal voluntary isometric contraction (MVIC) had an influence on peak muscle force in strength-trained versus untrained collegiate women. Eleven strength-trained (20±1 y) and twelve untrained (21±1 y) women participated in three, five-second MVICs of seated knee extension. The three trials consisted of verbal only encouragement, verbal + visual encouragement, and verbal + pain avoidance encouragement. In all three trials, the participants received the same verbal encouragement. Trials were counterbalanced to minimize any possible order effects. A repeated measure ANOVA was used to analyze data. Any significant main effects were further analyzed using Tukey post hoc tests. There was no interaction between training status and encouragement type for all subjects F(2,42) = 1.5474, p = 0.22). For all subjects, a main effect for encouragement type was detected (F(2,42) = 6.616, p <0.05) with significant differences found in MVIC between the verbal encouragement and verbal + visual feedback (99.5±29 ft-lbs and 115.6±29 ft-lbs, p<0.01). No significant differences were found between the verbal only and the addition of pain avoidance (99.5±29 ft-lbs and 109.9±26.3 ft-lbs, p=0.069) or the visual and pain avoidance trials (115.6±29 ft-lbs and 109.9±26 ft-lbs, p=0.43). In this study, training status did not significantly influence the response to type of encouragement. Individuals produced the most force during a MVIC with verbal and visual encouragement. The incorporation of verbal encouragement and visual feedback is an important factor in eliciting peak force in college-aged women. This may have important implications in training and rehabilitation models that incorporate resistive loading of the skeletal muscles.
Blue-enhanced and bandwidth-extended photodiode in standard 0.35-pm CMOS

In this paper, a photodiode structure based on N×N junctions is presented to enhance responsivity in the blue region and provide optical-bandwidth extension. The use of subsections or multiple junctions increases the number of generated blue photo-carriers as well as the collection speed of photo-carriers at the depletion regions edges. An NWell/Psub photodiode formed of 5×5 subsections is designed and fabricated in standard AMS 0.35 pm CMOS technology with the OPTO process option. The photodiode is compared to a solid structure with a single section having the same optical window area of 100 pm × 100 pm. A responsivity improvement of around 10% ∼ 15% is measured between 400 nm to 550 nm wavelength. The normalized AC-responsivity shows a 2× increase in bandwidth and at least 2 dB improvement around the cut-off frequency of the reference PD at 1 V reverse bias voltage.
Cost–Benefit Analysis of Rural and Small Urban Transit in the United States

The true value of transit systems in rural and small urban areas in the United States has been largely unmeasured, and there are often effects that go unidentified. Many studies have documented the benefits of urban transit systems with benefit–cost analysis. However, not many have looked into the benefits of transit in rural and small urban areas, where there is a great need for public transit, especially for transportation-disadvantaged individuals. This study focused on evaluating the qualitative and quantitative benefits of rural and small urban public transit systems and analyzed the benefit–cost ratio for rural and small urban transit areas for fixed-route and demand-response services in the United States. Data for rural and small urban transit systems from the national transit database (NTD) and rural NTD were used for calibrating the transit benefits and costs. Results were presented at a national level to show the effects of transit investments in rural and small urban areas nationally. Transit b...
The Confirmation Machine

It is customary to draw a distinction between statements unconformable in practice and statements unconfirmable in principle.1 It may be impossible, for example, to confirm the statement “The star most distant from us in the universe has recently doubled in size,” but this impossibility is not of a logical kind. We could conceive of tests which would either confirm or disconfirm the statement, even if in fact we cannot carry them out. In contrast, the statement ‘Everything has recently doubled in size’ cannot be confirmed for logical reasons, or so some philosophers have claimed. If everything were to double in size, including the very measuring rods used to detect expansions, it would be logically impossible, so the argument runs, to either confirm or disconfirm the above statement.2
The Effect of Human Activity on the Movement of the Idaho Gaint Salamander in the Lochsa Drainage of Central Idaho

Movement influences fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes including population persistence and gene flow. It is, however, relatively unknown how fragmentation of habitats by anthropogenic disturbances influences movement of stream organisms. We examined the relationship between presence of road culverts and movement patterns of a large stream salamander (Dicamptogon aterrimus), along two streams in the Lochsa River watershed of central Idaho. With this research, we tested whether road culverts affect frequency of movement. To determine movement patterns, we conducted a mark-recapture survey of 30-m reaches above and below road culverts and in reaches away from culverts during the summers of 2008 and 2009. Using a multi-strata model and Akaike’s information criterion for model selection, we estimated survival and transition probabilities within and among stream reaches. We found that presence of road culverts does not effectively halt movement along the stream channel and, therefore, should not stop gene flow among local populations. It may, however, hinder important demographic contributions, but this is in need of further study. Additionally, frequency of movement between reaches separated by culverts varied significantly between the two streams indicating that D. aterrimus populations may each react differently to presence of road culverts. This research shows the need to understand variations in response of distinct populations of stream organisms to human disturbance for effective amphibian conservation practices to be implemented.
A Systematic Review of Current Surgical Interventions for Charcot Neuroarthropathy of the Midfoot

Charcot neuroarthropathy of the foot, or Charcot foot, is a pathologic entity of the foot, associated with diabetes mellitus. Owing to the increase of diabetes mellitus in developed nations worldwide, the prevalence of Charcot foot has been increasing. The initial treatment of Charcot foot is often conservative, with methods including bracing, casting, and the use of customized orthopedic shoes. However, many cases of Charcot foot eventually require surgery, because the consequent destabilization of the foot associated with bone, joint, and nerve injury due to the pathology eventually leave patients unable to walk independently. The present systematic review analyzed the published data regarding surgical interventions for midfoot Charcot deformities and estimated the rates of common complications occurring with the surgical modalities studied. The main outcomes of interest analyzed in the present study were postoperative amputation and bony fusion. The included cohort of patients with Charcot foot was very heterogeneous in terms of the demographic and comorbid characteristics. However, even with this heterogeneity, the present study should provide useful information to surgeons in terms of the outcomes after some of the common surgical procedures for midfoot Charcot.
Confronting Breast Cancer: Hopes for Health

Publisher Summary The chapter focuses on psychological correlates of breast cancer for women. It emphasizes breast cancer in women for a number of reasons. First, breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women. Second, the overwhelming majority of research on the psychological impacts of cancer and on the efforts to cope with the disease is conducted with women. The chapter examines the role of hopeful thinking in understanding women's beliefs about, goals regarding, and reactions to cancer. The hope theory is fundamentally cognitive in nature, with an emphasis on goal attainment strategies in addition to positive expectancies for goal attainment. The chapter hypothesizes that hopeful thought and cancer are related in two ways. First, high-hope individuals are active, problem-focused copers who are more likely to engage in cancer screening behaviors such as breast self-exam and mammography. Additionally, individuals who think hopefully and cope actively should demonstrate decreased distress and increased adjustment subsequent to a cancer diagnosis and throughout cancer treatment. Second, based on the research findings about seemingly paradoxical psychological reactions to threatening events, it is suggested that a cancer diagnosis actually may help some women increase their hopeful thinking.
Conservatively Managed Peyronie's Disease—Long-term Survey Results From Patients Undergoing Nonsurgical and Noninjection Therapies

Objective To evaluate patient-reported temporal changes in penile curvature, pain, shortening, sexual function, and quality of life in men undergoing conservative treatment for PD. Materials and Methods Of 3840 patients who underwent evaluation at our institution between 1990 and 2012, 719 were randomly selected to receive a mail-in questionnaire with topics including penile curvature, pain, shortening, sexual function, and quality of life. Men endorsing prior intralesional or surgical therapy were excluded. Results A total of 125 patients completed the survey and met the inclusion criteria. The median duration between onset of PD symptoms and survey completion was 8.4 years. Overall, 38% felt that their condition had overall improved and 26% felt that their condition had worsened since onset. Penile curvature resolved in 43%, remained stable in 37%, and worsened in 20%. Twelve percent of the men developed a second de novo curvature. Penile pain occurred in 42%, among whom the pain worsened in 18% and completely resolved in 64%. Sixty-five percent reported penile shortening. Subjective erectile function decreased in 60%, and >40% experienced difficulties with penetrative intercourse. Sexual frequency decreased in 68% of the patients and 59% reported decreased relationship satisfaction. Approximately 50% described negative psychological impacts on self-esteem and image. Conclusion The current report provides the most comprehensive and longest-term data on patient-reported outcomes in men undergoing nonsurgical and noninjection therapies. Although approximately 40% of the men reported overall and curvature improvement at a median 8.4-year follow-up, penile length loss, worsening sexual function, relationship dissatisfaction, and psychosocial distress occurred in the majority of PD men.
Conceptualizing similarities and differences between purpose in life and self‐affirmation

Individuals contend with a variety of threats in daily life and may attempt to deal with them using various cognitive strategies. Two constructs borne from different literatures, purpose in life and self-affirmation, serve to promote well-being and to protect individuals from such threats. While self-affirmation has often been examined as a manipulation, purpose has, until recently, been considered a dispositional resource. However, both self-affirmation and purpose seem to confer similar advantages in response to threat. This paper reviews the evidence for the protective benefits of both purpose in life and self-affirmation, describes the mechanisms by which each confers these advantages, and considers the boundary conditions of each. Key similarities and differences are discussed, and we argue that there are broad gaps in the literature regarding where and when these constructs might operate differentially, or why these differences exist. We conclude with a call to researchers to explore empirically how and when these important interventions might be differentially beneficial to those who cultivate them.
Pelvic Congestion Syndrome

Pelvic congestion syndrome is caused by pelvic or vulvar varicosities that may lead to chronic pelvic pain in women. Symptoms are typically described as dull pelvic pain which worsens with prolonged standing. Ovarian vein embolization can provide a minimally invasive means of relieving pain and improving quality of life.
High Density Lipoprotein Structure–Function and Role in Reverse Cholesterol Transport

High density lipoprotein (HDL) possesses important anti-atherogenic properties and this review addresses the molecular mechanisms underlying these functions. The structures and cholesterol transport abilities of HDL particles are determined by the properties of their exchangeable apolipoprotein (apo) components. ApoA-I and apoE, which are the best characterized in structural terms, contain a series of amphipathic α-helical repeats. The helices located in the amino-terminal two-thirds of the molecule adopt a helix bundle structure while the carboxy-terminal segment forms a separately folded, relatively disorganized, domain. The latter domain initiates lipid binding and this interaction induces changes in conformation; the α-helix content increases and the amino-terminal helix bundle can open subsequently. These conformational changes alter the abilities of apoA-I and apoE to function as ligands for their receptors. The apoA-I and apoE molecules possess detergent-like properties and they can solubilize vesicular phospholipid to create discoidal HDL particles with hydrodynamic diameters of ~10 nm. In the case of apoA-I, such a particle is stabilized by two protein molecules arranged in an anti-parallel, double-belt, conformation around the edge of the disc. The abilities of apoA-I and apoE to solubilize phospholipid and stabilize HDL particles enable these proteins to be partners with ABCA1 in mediating efflux of cellular phospholipid and cholesterol, and the biogenesis of HDL particles. ApoA-I-containing nascent HDL particles play a critical role in cholesterol transport in the circulation whereas apoE-containing HDL particles mediate cholesterol transport in the brain. The mechanisms by which HDL particles are remodeled by lipases and lipid transfer proteins, and interact with SR-BI to deliver cholesterol to cells, are reviewed.
BCL6 inhibition: a chronic GVHD twofer

In this issue of Blood, Paz and colleagues demonstrate that the small molecule 79-6 is able to treat and even reverse lung injury attributable to experimental chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) by targeting B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6), a transcriptional regulator of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and germinal center B cells.
Efficacy of Telepsychiatry in Refugee Populations: A Systematic Review of the Evidence.

Introduction Telepsychiatry is becoming an increasingly appealing option for mental health treatment due to its ability to overcome barriers which prevent certain demographics from having access to mental health services. There is a surprising lack of research being done on this promising mode of health care delivery. The aim of this study is to evaluate the existing literature in order to determine the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of telepsychiatry in resource-constrained environments. Methods Literature searches were performed in PsychINFO, PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, and the Cochrane Library Controlled Trial Registry databases (2000 - May 2017). A search of the following terms was used: telemedicine; telemedical; telepsychiatry; telepsychiatric; teleconsultation; e-health; video conference; and telecare. Type of mental disorder and intervention, along with the clinical outcome or patient satisfaction, were all identified. Exclusion criteria included studies with a sample size of fewer than 10 cases, as well as studies which failed to analyze intervention outcomes. Results Of the 1,477 identified articles, 14 randomized controlled trials were included for review. Despite the methodological limitations and the small number of existing studies, there appears to be limited evidence pointing towards the efficacy of telepsychiatry in resource-constrained environments, although patients and providers tend to prefer face-to-face treatment over video conferencing. Two of the studies included in this paper found video conferencing to be more effective than face-to-face treatment, while none reported the opposite. At the very least, we hypothesize that psychotherapeutic treatment delivered via video conferencing is just as effective as a traditional treatment, albeit less desirable. Conclusion More research is required in order to further evaluate the efficacy of telepsychiatry in the management of mental illness, as there is a current lack of scientific evidence to draw any conclusions. However, there exists a strong hypothesis that telepsychiatric treatment yields the same results as the traditional, in-person therapy and that telepsychiatry is a useful alternative when traditional therapy is not possible. Countries with substantial numbers of refugees living in resource-constrained areas, such as camps, should be encouraged to develop telepsychiatry programs.
Gastric H+,K+-ATPase

Originally published in: Handbook of ATPase. Edited by Masamitsu Futai, Yoh Wada and Jack H. Kaplan. Copyright © 2004 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA Weinheim. Print ISBN: 3-527-30689-3 The sections in this article are Gastric H+,K+-ATPase α Subunit of Gastric H+,K+-ATPase β Subunit of Gastric H+,K+-ATPase Regions of Association Between the α and β Subunits Regions of Association of the α Subunits Kinetics of the H+,K+-ATPase Conformations of the H+,K+-ATPase Functional Residues of the H+,K+-ATPase Structural Model of the H+,K+-ATPase Crystal Structure of the H+,K+-ATPase Molecular Modeling of the Gastric H+,K+-ATPase Acid Secretion and the H+,K+-ATPase Inhibitors of the H+,K+-ATPase Substituted Benzimidazoles Substituted Imidazo[1,2α]pyridines and other K+-competitive Antagonists Trafficking of the H+,K+-ATPase Keywords: ATPases; P-type ATPases; gastric H+,K+-ATPase; α subunit of gastric H+,K+-ATPase; β subunit of gastric H+,K+-ATPase; kinetics of H+,K+-ATPase; conformations of the H+,K+-ATPase; functional residues of the H+,K+-ATPase; structural model of the H+,K+-ATPase; acid secretion and H+,K+-ATPase; inhibitors of the H+,K+-ATPase
Residual oil saturation following gas injection in sandstones: Microfluidic quantification of the impact of pore-scale surface roughness

Abstract Micro- and nanoscale surface roughness within subsurface rocks is ubiquitous due to weathering and diagenesis. To assess the impacts of surface roughness on non-wetting gas flooding operations, we conducted immiscible drainage experiments in glass micromodels representing single-scale rock matrices with identical pore topology but varying degrees of surface roughness. The experiments were performed in capillary-dominated regimes where air was the non-wetting phase and crude oil was the wetting phase, emulating an enhanced oil recovery or non-aqueous phase liquid phase remediation process. We find that, for approximately constant pore-space topology, surface roughness (quantified with the average hillock height to pore depth ratio, Ω) has minor impact on sweep efficiency when Ω 12.5% is reached, recovery becomes consistently 10% higher and gas breakthrough occurs at later times. In addition, the roughest micromodel displays the highest repeatability of dendrite pathways validating diagenetic controls on gas flood sweep efficiency. We also find that surface roughness does not considerably affect the morphology of non-wetting phase dendrites and phase topology versus air saturation curves. Sub-pore scale visualizations in the micromodels indicate that contact-line pinning, the phenomenon responsible for higher sweep and greater dendrite tortuosity, only occurs in the roughest micromodel with Ω > 12.5%, whereas pendular rings and grain-lining thin films occur in all of the micromodels. Non-local snap-off occurs in micromodels regardless of roughness. The effects of isolated fracture surface roughness on capillary trapping saturations is found to be negligible for both drainage and imbibition saturation cycles. However, the presence of an isolated fracture diverts gas dendrites from sweeping the matrix and therefore increases oil trapping by approximately 10–30% compared to the micromodels without fractures. The workflow and experimental results in this paper provide benchmarking opportunities for direct numerical simulation algorithms for porous geomaterials. In addition, the paper aims to highlight the nontrivial implications of surface roughness for reservoir quality assessment and various subsurface operations.
Improving laboratory test utilisation at the multihospital Yale New Haven Health System.

Background Waste persists in healthcare and negatively impacts patients. Clinicians have direct control over test ordering and ongoing international efforts to improve test utilisation have identified multifaceted approaches as critical to the success of interventions. Prior to 2015, Yale New Haven Health lacked a coherent strategy for laboratory test utilisation management. Methods In 2015, a system-wide laboratory formulary committee was formed at Yale New Haven Health to manage multiple interventions designed to improve test utilisation. We report here on specific interventions conducted between 2015 and 2017 including reduction of (1) obsolete or misused testing, (2) duplicate orders, and (3) daily routine lab testing. These interventions were driven by a combination of modifications to computerised physician order entry, test utilisation dashboards and physician education. Measurements included test order volume, blood savings and cost savings. Results Testing for a number of obsolete/misused analytes was eliminated or significantly decreased depending on alert rule at order entry. Hard stops significantly decreased duplicate testing and educational sessions significantly decreased daily orders of routine labs and increased blood savings but the impact waned over time for select groups. In total, we realised approximately $100 000 of cost savings during the study period. Conclusion Through a multifaceted approach to utilisation management, we show significant reductions in low-value clinical testing that have led to modest but significant savings in both costs and patients’ blood.
Crop identification using superpixels and supervised classification of multispectral CBERS-4 wide-field imagery

Remote sensing has been increasingly used in monitoring and analyzing agricultural activities. Crop identification based on analysis of individual pixel response, without considering neighboring pixels, may lead to poor results. In this paper, we investigate the use of superpixels generated by the Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) algorithm to delineate homogeneous regions in images to help crop identification. The proposed classification strategy consists of combining pixel-level classification probabilities, estimated using the pixel spectral response, with pooled probability values of the pixels located inside superpixels. Weighting both probability contributions produce a hybrid classification. We test this idea to map the interim-harvest of corn and cotton in an agricultural area in Mato Grosso State, Brazil, characterized by the presence of large farms. For this, we use a cloudfree multispectral image captured by the wide-field imaging camera onboard the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite 4 (CBERS-4), that acquires four bands in the visible and near-infrared with a pixel spatial resolution of 64 m/pixel. The two main crops in our study area where identified with an overall accuracy of about 85%. Encouraging results suggest that the proposed method may be used as part of a remote sensing-based crop identification system.
Mobile Element Insertions and Associated Structural Variants in Longitudinal Breast Cancer Samples

Abstract While mobile elements are largely inactive in healthy somatic tissues, increased activity has been found in cancer tissues, with significant variation among different cancer types. In addition to insertion events, mobile elements have also been found to mediate many structural variation events in the genome. Here, to better understand the timing and impact of mobile element insertions and mobile element-mediated structural variants in cancer, we examined their activity in longitudinal samples of four metastatic breast cancer patients. With whole-genome sequencing data from multiple timepoints through tumor treatment and progression, we used mobile element detection software followed by visual confirmation of the insertions. From this analysis we identified 11 mobile element insertions or mobile element-mediated structural variants, and found that the majority (nine of the eleven) of these occurred early in tumor progression. Two of the identified insertions were SVA elements, which have not been examined in previous cancer studies. Most of the variants appear to impact intergenic regions; however, we identified a mobile element-mediated translocation in MAP2K4 and a mobile element-mediated deletion in YTHDF2 that likely inactivate reported tumor suppressor genes. MAP2K4 is part of the JNK signaling pathway, influencing cell growth and proliferation. The high variant allele frequency of this translocation and the important function of MAP2K4 indicate that this mobile element-mediated translocation is likely a driver mutation. Overall, using a unique longitudinal dataset, we find that most variants are likely passenger mutations in the four patients we examined, but some variants impact tumor progression.
Crystal structure of bis(η5-methylcyclopentadienyl)-bis(4-methylbenzenesulfonato-O)-molybdenum(IV)

The compound bis(η5-methylcyclopentadienyl)-bis(4-methylbenzenesulfonato-O)-molybdenum (IV) crystallizes in space-group P21/c, a = 8.2956(5), b = 26.896(3), c = 11.4196(11) A, β = 96.101(7)°, Z = 4. The sulfonate ligands are monodentate and the molybdenum atom has pseudotetrahedral coordination geometry, with angles O–Mo–O 72.0(1)° and Cp–Mo–Cp 134.9(1)° (Cp = ring centroid).
The eyes reflect an internal cognitive state embedded in the population activity of cortical neurons

Decades of research have shown that global brain states such as arousal can be indexed by measuring the properties of the eyes. Neural signals from individual neurons, populations of neurons, and field potentials measured throughout much of the brain have been associated with the size of the pupil, small fixational eye movements, and vigor in saccadic eye movements. However, precisely because the eyes have been associated with modulation of neural activity across the brain, and many different kinds of measurements of the eyes have been made across studies, it has been difficult to clearly isolate how internal states affect the behavior of the eyes, and vice versa. Recent work in our laboratory identified a latent dimension of neural activity in macaque visual cortex on the timescale of minutes to tens of minutes. This 9slow drift9 was associated with perceptual performance on an orientation-change detection task, as well as neural activity in visual and prefrontal cortex (PFC), suggesting it might reflect a shift in a global brain state. This motivated us to ask if the neural signature of this internal state is correlated with the action of the eyes in different behavioral tasks. We recorded from visual cortex (V4) while monkeys performed a change detection task, and the prefrontal cortex, while they performed a memory-guided saccade task. On both tasks, slow drift was associated with a pattern that is indicative of changes in arousal level over time. When pupil size was large, and the subjects were in a heighted state of arousal, microsaccade rate and reaction time decreased while saccade velocity increased. These results show that the action of the eyes is associated with a dominant mode of neural activity that is pervasive and task-independent, and can be accessed in the population activity of neurons across the cortex.
Ballot Cues, Business Candidates, and Voter Choices in Local Elections:

American voters commonly express abstract support for candidates with a business background, yet there is minimal systematic evidence about whether it advantages candidates in actual electoral cont...
The Economic Model

An accessible economic model is set out in which to frame historical sequences in intrastate and interstate conflicts. The key determinant of a demand for secession by a sub-nation of people is whether the expected increase in its welfare (economic rents) is greater than the expected costs of making that secession occur. The state of which the sub-nation is a part makes similar calculations, namely, is the expected benefit of retaining the sub-nation as a member of the country worth the expected cost of doing so? Costs may only take the form of financial subsidies to a sub-nation, but they can range all the way up to military expenditures.
Mid-frequency propagation and reverberation time series ina deep ice-covered ocean: Modeling and data analysis

Mid-frequency (3.5 kHz) pulses (5 pings, 5 s-long, one per minute) were radiated by an omnidirectional source of opportunity in a deep (3 km) Arctic ocean at 30m depth under ice during the ICEX14 experiment, ALAS component [Williams et al., IEEE-JOE 43, 145–159 (2018)]. Data analysis and modeling results are presented for normalized (re source level) acoustic intensityreceived by an omnidirectional hydrophone located at a 719 m distance from and the same depth as the source. Received time series showed a clear direct blast signal followed by an about 30 s-long reverberation coda. Modeling of the under-ice propagation shows that magnitude of the direct signal is strongly affected by presence of a weak near-surface (within 50 m depths) acoustic channel and by reflectivity of the ice, controlled by its physical properties and acoustical parameters, particularly the ice layer thickness. Analysis of the reverberation coda shows effects of reflections and scattering from rough and/or heterogeneous bottom, as well as reflectivity of the ice layer. Some other effects that may be caused by variability of the sound speed profile and absorption in water are considered as well. Possibilities of inversions for water column, bottom and ice parameters based on this and similar experiments are discussed. [Work supported by ONR.]
3D Graphene Materials from the Reduction of CO2

ConspectusThe content of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere has been continuously growing and threatens the global environment by contributing to the greenhouse effect. The conversion of CO2 di...
A split GFP system to enhance spatial and temporal sensitivity of translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP)

Translating ribosome affinity purification (TRAP) utilizes transgenic plants expressing a ribosomal protein fused to a tag for affinity purification of ribosomes and the mRNAs that they are translating. These actively translated mRNAs (translatome) can be interrogated by qPCR or RNAseq. Condition- or cell-specific promoters can be utilized to isolate the translatome of specific cell types, at different growth stages and/or in response to environmental variables. While advantageous for revealing differential expression, this approach may not provide sufficient sensitivity when activity of the condition/cell-specific promoter is weak, when ribosome turnover is low in the cells of interest, or when the targeted cells are ephemeral. In these situations, expressing tagged ribosomes under the control of these specific promoters may not yield sufficient polysomes for downstream analysis. Here, we describe a new TRAP system that employs two transgenes: one is constitutively expressed and encodes a ribosomal protein fused to one fragment of a split GFP; the second is controlled by a stimulus-specific promoter and encodes the second GFP fragment fused to an affinity purification tag. In cells where both transgenes are active, the purification tag is attached to ribosomes by bi-molecular folding and assembly of the split GFP fragments. This approach provides increased sensitivity and better temporal resolution because it labels pre-existing ribosomes and does not depend on rapid ribosome turnover. We describe the optimization and key parameters of this system, and then apply it to a plant-pathogen interaction in which spatial and temporal resolution are difficult to achieve with current technologies.
A Framework for Ethical AI at the United Nations.

This paper aims to provide an overview of the ethical concerns in artificial intelligence (AI) and the framework that is needed to mitigate those risks, and to suggest a practical path to ensure the development and use of AI at the United Nations (UN) aligns with our ethical values. The overview discusses how AI is an increasingly powerful tool with potential for good, albeit one with a high risk of negative side-effects that go against fundamental human rights and UN values. It explains the need for ethical principles for AI aligned with principles for data governance, as data and AI are tightly interwoven. It explores different ethical frameworks that exist and tools such as assessment lists. It recommends that the UN develop a framework consisting of ethical principles, architectural standards, assessment methods, tools and methodologies, and a policy to govern the implementation and adherence to this framework, accompanied by an education program for staff.
Multiyear defoliations in southern New England increases oak mortality

After decades of multiyear defoliation episodes in southern New England, Lymantria dispar dispar (previously gypsy moth) populations diminished with the appearance of the L. dispar fungus in 1989. ...
Needs for achievement: Differences between honors and non-honors students.

Measures of needs for achievement and variety seeking were obtained from students who chose an honors program of independent research during their junior and senior college years and from students with equivalent high grades who chose not to be in honors. The measures of need for achievement from the California Personality Inventory (CPI) and the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) both correlated significantly with choice of an honors curriculum. Scores on the Zukerman Sensation-Seeking scale (SS-scale) and grade point average (GPA) did not correlate with choice of an honors curriculum.
A spacecraft for ion thrustor flight tests

Spacecraft designed to provide flight test measurement of ion thrustor electrical parameters and thrust
The Fishbowl TM : degrees of engagement in global teamwork

The challenge addressed in this study is to improve project based learning in cross-disciplinary, global teamwork that prepares the next generation of professionals for the global AEC market place. The paper presents the FishbowlTM learning interaction experience as a pedagogical intervention method designed to support effective knowledge transfer from professionals to students. An innovative information and communication technology augmented (ICT) workspace mediates the communicative event among professionals and global learners and allows capture, transfer, and reuse of knowledge created during the FishbowlTM pedagogical intervention. The assessment of the intervention and ICT workspace affordances, their impact on learning and team performance lead to the formalization of specific interaction zones and participants' degrees of engagement. The paper leverages this unique AEC global teamwork course as a testbed and tech transfer conduit. The paper concludes with examples of pilot projects in support of tech transfer of both the interaction experience and ICT workspace into industry practice.
Physical basis of evolution laws for rate and state friction

The well-known formalism of rate and state dependent friction represents the transition between starting friction and sliding friction. It expresses the instantaneous coefficient of friction in macroscopic quantities as μ = μ0 + a ln (V/V0) + b ln (ψ/ψnorm), where μ0 is the first-order coefficient of friction, a and b are small (∼0.01) dimensionless constants, V is sliding velocity, V0 is a reference sliding velocity, and the inverse of the state variable 1/ψ represents damage. The normalizing state variable ψnorm ≡ (P/P0)α/b represents the effect of the normal traction P on stress concentrations, where P0 is a constant with dimensions of pressure and α ≫ b is another dimensionless constant. Evolution equations represent the combined effect of damage from sliding and healing on the state variable. The Ruina (1983) evolution equation implies that the state variable does not change (no healing) during holds when sliding is stopped. It arises from exponential creep within gouge when the concentrated stress at asperities scales with the macroscopic quantities. The parameter b − a being positive is a necessary condition for a spring-slider system becoming unstable. Microscopically, this parameter represents the tendency of asperities accommodating shear creep to persist longer than asperities of compaction creep at high sliding velocities. In the Dieterich (1979) evolution law, healing occurs when the sample is at rest. It is a special case where creep that produces shear and creep that produces compaction occur at different microscopic locations at a subgrain scale. It also applies qualitatively for compaction at a shear traction well below that needed for frictional sliding. Chemically, it may apply when shear sliding occurs within weak microscopic regions of hydrated silica while compaction creep occurs within comparatively anhydrous grains.