cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A web-based collaboration environment for k-12 math and science teachers

Student performance in middle school math and science is in a perilous state. This crisis is reflected in results on key national assessments such as NAEP that indicate that less than one-third of students in the 8th grade perform at a proficient or higher level in math or science. To address this issue, an innovative Instructional Model, the 4E x 2 Model, was recently proposed by us to improve the achievement of students via rigorous and authentic inquiry-based learning experiences. This Model aims to help K-12 teachers facilitate learning that includes explicitly addressing formative assessment, inquiry instruction, and reflective practice at each step of the pedagogical process. This paper focuses on the design and implementation of a Web-based community to provide collaborative support for the 4E x 2 Model. This Web-based community includes a set of on-line tools that allow math and science teachers to create, refine, and disseminate their inquiry-based lesson plans.
Microindentation of a Zr57Ti5Cu20Ni8Al10 Bulk Metallic Glass

Using microindentation technique, the indentation behavior of a Zr57Ti5Cu20Ni8Al10 bulk-metallic glass is studied over a range of the indentation load from 200 mN to 5000 mN. For the indentation load larger than 1000 mN, the indentation load-depth curves during unloading display three regions, a) a fast unloading phase at the onset of unloading, b) a linear phase at which the indentation load is proportional to the indentation depth, and c) a slow unloading phase after the linear phase. The size of the linear region increases with the increase in the indentation load, and the slope is independent of the indentation load. The indentation hardness decreases slightly with the increase in the indentation load. The plastic energy dissipated in an indentation cycle is proportional to the 3/2 power of the indentation load. The effect of the indentation loading rate on the indentation behavior is discussed. [doi:10.2320/matertrans.MJ200733]
Racial differences in performance of invasive cardiac procedures in a Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

Racial differences have recently been described in hospital practice, most notably with regard to cardiac procedure utilization. To evaluate the possible reasons behind these differences, we analyzed statistics generated from a surgical referral conference at a large, tertiary care Veterans Affairs hospital between the years 1988 and 1996. In this setting, there is no financial incentive for physicians to recommend or perform invasive procedures, as all physicians are salaried employees of the Veterans Administration. Furthermore, all patients presented at conference have already had cardiac catheterization and are felt to be potential candidates for surgery or angioplasty. Cardiac therapeutic procedures (surgery or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) were recommended for 1075 of 1474 (72.9%) Caucasian patients and 207 of 322 (64.3%) African-American patients (odds ratio 1.497, 95% confidence interval 1.160 to 1.932, p = 0.0022). Of those patients presented with the option of an invasive procedure, 32 of 207 (15.4%) African-American patients and 89 of 1075 (8.3%) Caucasian patients refused any invasive procedure (odds ratio 2.026, 95% confidence interval 1.311 to 3.130, p = 0.0025). We conclude that reluctance by African-American patients to undergo invasive cardiac procedures may help explain observed disparities in race-related cardiac care.
Transaminitis after pancreatic islet transplantation.

Background An asymptomatic, self-limited transaminitis uniformly follows pancreatic islet transplantation (PIT) performed through portal vein (PV) infusion. The underlying cause and significance of this transaminitis is unclear. Study design Records of all patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus who had undergone PIT at our institution were reviewed. All PITs were performed in conjunction with a remote pancreatic islet isolation center and done through percutaneous transhepatic PV infusion. Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, serum glucose concentrations, insulin requirements, and color-flow Doppler ultrasonography examinations of the right upper quadrant were assessed before and after PIT. Results Eleven patients have undergone a total of 26 PITs. An elevated ALT level occurred in all 11 patients (100%) after the first PIT, with the median post-PIT peak ALT level reaching 187 IU/L. Transaminitis was less frequent and less marked after the second PIT. A negative correlation between viability of the pancreatic islets transplanted (r = −0.44, p = 0.03) and a positive correlation between the ratio of maximum to initial PV pressure (r = 0.41, p = 0.04) were seen with the subsequent ALT peak. Color-flow Doppler ultrasonography examinations showed no occurrences of PV thrombosis or intrahepatic hematoma. Finally, the degree of transaminitis did not correlate with post-PIT insulin requirements, indicating that post-PIT transaminitis cannot be used to measure allograft rejection or function. Conclusions Transaminitis after PIT is common and self-limited. Post-PIT transaminitis does not signal acute rejection or serious procedure-related complications such as PV thrombosis or intrahepatic hematoma.
Impact of group psychological interventions on pregnancy rates in infertile women.

Abstract Objective: To determine the efficacy of two different group psychological interventions on viable pregnancy rates in women experiencing infertility of less than 2 years' duration. Design: Prospective, controlled, single-blind, randomized study. Setting: Large tertiary-care teaching hospital. Patient(s): One hundred eighty-four women who had been trying to get pregnant for 1 to 2 years. Intervention(s): Participants were randomized into a 10-session cognitive-behavioral group, a standard support group, or a routine care control group. They were followed for 1 year. Main Outcome Measure(s): Viable pregnancy. Result(s): Seventy-three women discontinued participation in the study within the first year. There were a total of 47 in the cognitive-behavioral group, 48 in the support group, and 25 in the control group. There were statistically significant differences between participants in the two intervention groups versus the control group. Conclusion(s): Group psychological interventions appear to lead to increased pregnancy rates in infertile women.
Thoughts About Interprofessional Education

This essay is about two views of interprofessional education. One view emphasizes the coming together of students of various healthcare areas to learn about each other’s roles and role activities. The other view focuses on the meaning of “inter” as the blurring of boundaries among healthcare areas with the potential of loss of distinct roles and role activities and evolution to a single healthcare profession.
Pancreas after Kidney Transplantation

After three decades of controversy surrounding the therapeutic validity of pancreas transplantation, the procedure has become accepted as the preferred treatment for patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and advanced diabetic nephropathy with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and for
The plasminogen system and cell surfaces: evidence for plasminogen and urokinase receptors on the same cell type

The capacity of cells to interact with the plasminogen activator, urokinase, and the zymogen, plasminogen, was assessed using the promyeloid leukemic U937 cell line and the diploid fetal lung GM1380 fibroblast cell line. Urokinase bound to both cell lines in a time-dependent, specific, and saturable manner (Kd = 0.8-2.0 nM). An active catalytic site was not required for urokinase binding to the cells, and 55,000-mol-wt urokinase was selectively recognized. Plasminogen also bound to the two cell lines in a specific and saturable manner. This interaction occurred with a Kd of 0.8-0.9 microM and was of very high capacity (1.6-3.1 X 10(7) molecules bound/cell). The interaction of plasminogen with both cell types was partially sensitive to trypsinization of the cells and required an unoccupied high affinity lysine-binding site in the ligand. When plasminogen was added to the GM1380 cells, a line with high intrinsic plasminogen activator activity, the bound ligand was comprised of both plasminogen and plasmin. Urokinase, in catalytically active or inactive form, enhanced plasminogen binding to the two cell lines by 1.4-3.3-fold. Plasmin was the predominant form of the bound ligand when active urokinase was added, and preformed plasmin can also bind directly to the cells. Plasmin on the cell surface was also protected from its primary inhibitor, alpha 2-antiplasmin. These results indicate that the two cell lines possess specific binding sites for plasminogen and urokinase, and a family of widely distributed cellular receptors for these components may be considered. Endogenous or exogenous plasminogen activators can generate plasmin on cell surfaces, and such activation may provide a mechanism for arming cell surfaces with the broad proteolytic activity of this enzyme.
Gene expression analysis suggests that 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 reverses experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis by stimulating inflammatory cell apoptosis.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a debilitating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) that develops in genetically susceptible individuals who are exposed to undefined environmental risk...
A deterministic single-photon source

We are developing an experimental setup to deterministically create single photons using spontaneous downconversion. We expect our source to output a single photon with a probability of 70%, and two photons with less than 3%.
From Causes to Events Notes on Narrative Positivism

This article reviews new and rigorous methods for analyzing narrative data and over-time data more generally. It locates these new methods within a general turn away from the “variables paradigm.”
Finite-difference time-domain analysis of pulse propagation in multichip module interconnects

The application of the finite-difference-time-domain (FDTD) method to the electromagnetic characterization of multichip-module (MCM) interconnects with perforated (mesh) reference planes is demonstrated. The limitations of the method in finding transmission line propagation characteristics (i.e., characteristic impedance Z/sub 0/ and phase constant beta ) are investigated. An alternative approach for the characterization of MCM interconnects which exploits the capabilities of the FDTD method is suggested. This alternative approach uses the results from the FDTD method to extract the per unit length delay and approximate impulse response of the system. These results can be used to identify the effects of the perforated reference plane on signal propagation. The validity of the TEM approximation for signal propagation in realistic MCM structures is also examined. >
Temperature Effect on Frictional Properties of HMA at Different Polishing Stages

Both short-term and long-term variations have been observed in measured friction on pavement surface. These variations have been attributed to different factors, such as traffic, rainfall and temperature. Due to the fact that Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pavement surface and rubber tires are viscoelastic materials, it is believed that temperature may affect the measured frictional properties. Some researchers have found this effect to be significant; whereas, others have not. Therefore, the effect of temperature on the measured pavement friction remains to be further studied. This paper provides the results of a laboratory study aimed at evaluating the effect of temperature on the measured frictional properties of the HMA surface. The British Pendulum Tester (BPT) was used to measure friction of HMA surfaces at different polishing stages and different temperatures. Statistical analyses were performed to quantify the effect of temperature on the measured friction numbers. The main conclusion of this paper is that temperature is statistically significant in affecting the measured friction values. However, for agencies who desire to record skid number (SN) at a reference temperature for a long-term monitoring purpose, this paper provides a method for converting SN at a given temperature to the SN at the reference temperature.
Cardiac Submembrane [Na+] Transients Sensed by Na+-Ca2+ Exchange Current

Na + influx via I Na during cardiac action potentials can raise bulk [Na + ] i by 10 to 15 μmol/L. However, larger rises in submembrane [Na + ] ([Na + ] sm ) local to Na + -Ca 2+ exchangers (NCX) could enhance Ca 2+ influx via NCX (and Ca 2+ -induced Ca 2+ release). We tested whether I Na could increase [Na + ] sm , using NCX current ( I NCX ) as a biosensor in rabbit ventricular myocytes (with [Ca 2+ ] i buffered, [Na + ] i =10 mmol/L, and other currents blocked). We measured I NCX as early as 5 ms after I Na . Prior I Na activation did not affect I NCX at physiological membrane potentials (E m =−100 to +50 mV), but for E m >+50 mV (where I NCX is especially sensitive to [Na + ] i ), I NCX shifted outward. At 5 ms and +100 mV, I Na shifted I NCX outward by 0.23 A/F (corresponding to Δ[Na + ] sm =0.24 mmol/L). The effect of I Na dissipated with a time constant of ≈15 ms. Thus, the impact of I Na on NCX is almost undetectable at physiological E m and short lived. This suggests that I Na effects on excitation-contraction coupling (via outward I NCX ) are minimal and limited to early during the action potential. However, local Δ[Na + ] sm during I Na may be 60 times higher than bulk Δ[Na + ] i .
Consequences of frugivore-mediated seed dispersal for the spatial and genetic structures of a neotropical palm.

The idiosyncratic behaviours of seed dispersers are important contributors to plant spatial associations and genetic structures. In this study, we used a combination of field, molecular and spatial studies to examine the connections between seed dispersal and the spatial and genetic structures of a dominant neotropical palm Attalea phalerata. Field observation and genetic parentage analysis both indicated that the majority of A. phalerata seeds were dispersed locally over short distances ( 10 m) from maternal palms. Seedlings were also spatially aggregated with juveniles. These patterns are probably associated with the dispersal of seeds by rodents and the survival of recruits at specific microsites or neighbourhoods over successive fruiting periods. Our cross-cohort analyses found palms in older cohorts and cohort pairs were associated with a lower proportion of offspring and sibling neighbours and exhibited weaker spatial and genetic structures. Such patterns are consistent with increased distance- and density-dependent mortality over time among palms dispersed near maternal palms or siblings. The integrative approaches used for this study allowed us to infer the importance of seed dispersal activities in maintaining the aggregated distribution and significant genetic structures among A. phalerata palms. We further conclude that distance- and density-dependent mortality is a key postdispersal process regulating this palm population.
An approximate maximum likelihood ARMA estimator based on the power cepstrum

An approximate maximum-likelihood estimator is derived for ARMA (autoregressive moving-average) processes and is shown to correspond to least-squares fitting of the estimated cepstrum of the process by the model cepstrum. Experiments with several simple ARMA
Sulfate reduction in a New England salt marsh1

Sulfate reduction rates were measured for 2 years in the peat of a salt mars by a radiotracer technique. Rates are high throughout the peat, from the surface to more than 20 cm deep. The integrated annual rate is about 75 mol SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/.m/sup -2/.yr/sup -1/, the highest yet reported for any natural ecosystem. Sulfate reduction accounts for the consumption of 1800 g org-C.m/sup -2/.yr/sup -1/, about equal to net primary production in the marsh. Respiration using other electron acceptors (such as oxygen or nitrate) is much less important. Sulfate reduction rates in the peat of the salt marsh are probably high for at least three reasons: the belowground production of Spartina alterniflora provides a large, annual input of organic substrates over a depth of some 20 cm; sulfate is rapidly resupplied to the peat in infiltrating tidal waters, so that sulfate depletion never limits the rate of reduction; and sulfide concentrations remain below toxic levels. The stable pyrite (FeS/sub 2/) is a major end product of sulfate reduction in the marsh peat while iron monosulfide (FeS) is not. If the incorporation of /sup 35/S into pyrite were not measured, the (/sup 35/S)SO/sub 4//sup 2 -/ reduction measurements more » would greatly underestimate the true rate of sulfate reduction. Pyrite acts largely as a temporary store of reduced sulfur, with seasonal changes in its concentration. « less
How sensitive is the synovial fluid white blood cell count in diagnosing septic arthritis

Abstract Objective This study was conducted to determine the sensitivity of the current standard for synovial fluid leukocytosis analysis in diagnosing infectious arthritis or a septic joint. How accurate is the standard synovial fluid white blood cell (WBC) cutoff of 50000 WBC/mm 3 to rule out septic arthritis? Methods We conducted a retrospective study at an urban tertiary care medical center with 50000 adult emergency department visits per year. The study population consisted of patients with infectious arthritis confirmed by synovial fluid culture growth of a pathogenic organism. The study period lasted from January 1996 to December 2002. Extracted data included synovial fluid leukocyte count, Gram's stain, culture, past medical history, and discharge diagnosis. Fisher exact test was used to compare proportions. Sensitivity and means were calculated with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results There were 49 culture-positive synovial fluid aspirates in the 6-year study period. Nineteen (39%) of 49 patients (95% CI, 25%-52%) had a synovial WBC of less than 50000/mm 3 and 30 (61%) of 49 patients (95% CI, 48%-75%) had a synovial WBC of more than 50000/mm 3 . The sensitivity of the 50000 synovial WBC/mm 3 cutoff was 61% (95% CI, 48%-75%). Twenty-seven (55%) of 49 patients had a negative Gram's stain (95% CI, 41%-69%) and 15 (56%) of 27 patients (95% CI, 37%-74%) with negative Gram's stain had a synovial WBC of less than 50000/mm 3 . Conclusion A synovial fluid WBC cutoff of 50000/mm 3 lacks the sensitivity required to be clinically useful in ruling out infectious arthritis.
Offline count-limited certificates

In this paper, we present the idea of offline count-limited certificates (or clics for short), and show how these can be implemented using minimal trusted hardware functionality already widely available today. Offline count-limited certificates are digital certificates that: (1) specify usage conditions that depend on irreversible counters, and (2) are used in a protocol that guarantees that any attempt to use them in violation of these usage conditions will be detected even if the user of the certificate and the verifying party have no contact at all with the outside world at the time of the transaction. Such certificates enable many interesting applications not possible with traditional (unlimited use) certificates, including count-limited delegation and access, offline commerce and trading using cashlike migratable certificates, and others. We show how all these applications can be made possible by using only a simple trusted timestamping device (TTD), which can in turn be implemented using existing trusted hardware devices such as smartcards, and the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) chips embedded in PCs available today. Significantly, our solutions do not require trust in any other components in the host machines aside from the TTD itself; they remain tamper-evident as long as the TTD is not compromised, even if the entire host system, including the BIOS, CPU, OS and memory, is compromised. This not only provides better security by minimizing the required trusted computing base, but also makes implementation possible on present-day machines without requiring a particular kind of OS. We demonstrate all these ideas by implementing a prototype application that runs under both Linux and Windows, and presenting experimental performance results.
A TECHNIQUE FOR INDIVIDUALLY IDENTIFYING TARANTULAS USING PASSIVE INTEGRATED TRANSPONDERS

Abstract A surgical technique for implanting passive integrated transponders into theraphosid spiders is described. An effecitve procedure for anesthesia was developed. Transponders were implanted in the opisthosomas of 12 spiders. No mortality occurred, and all spiders regained normal behavior. In simulated burrows, tarantulas could be identified to a depth of 16 cm.
Prospective cohort study of ultrasound-ultrasound and ultrasound-MR enterography agreement in the evaluation of pediatric small bowel Crohn disease

There is a paucity of published literature describing ultrasound (US)-US and US-MR enterography (MRE) inter-radiologist agreement in pediatric small bowel Crohn disease. To prospectively assess US-US and US-MRE inter-radiologist agreement in pediatric small bowel Crohn disease. Institutional Review Board approval and informed consent/assent were obtained for this HIPAA-compliant prospective cohort study of children with newly diagnosed distal small bowel Crohn disease (July 2012 to December 2014). Enrolled subjects (n = 29) underwent two small bowel US examinations performed by blinded independent radiologists both before and at multiple time points after initiation of medical therapy (231 unique US examinations, in total); 134 US examinations were associated with concurrent MRE. The MRE examination was interpreted by a third blinded radiologist. The following was documented on each examination: involved length of ileum (cm); maximum bowel wall thickness (mm); amount of bowel wall and mesenteric Doppler signal, and presence of stricture, penetrating disease and/or abscess. Inter-radiologist agreement was assessed with single-measure, three-way, mixed-model intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) and prevalence-adjusted, bias-adjusted kappa statistics (κ). Numbers in brackets are 95% confidence intervals. Ultrasound-US agreement was moderate for involved length (ICC: 0.41 [0.35-0.49]); substantial for maximum bowel wall thickness (ICC: 0.67 [0.64-0.70]); moderate for bowel wall Doppler signal (ICC: 0.53 [0.48-0.59]); slight for mesenteric Doppler signal (ICC: 0.25 [0.18-0.42]), and moderate to almost perfect for stricture (κ: 0.54), penetrating disease (κ: 0.80), and abscess (κ: 0.96). US-MRE agreement was moderate for involved length (ICC: 0.42 [0.37-0.49]); substantial for maximum bowel wall thickness (ICC: 0.66 [0.65-0.69]), and substantial to almost perfect for stricture (κ: 0.61), penetrating disease (κ: 0.72) and abscess (κ: 0.88). Ultrasound-US agreement was similar to US-MRE agreement for assessing pediatric small bowel Crohn disease. Discrepancies in US-US and US-MRE reporting question the utility of US as an accurate, reproducible radiologic biomarker for assessing response to medical therapy and disease-related complications.
Hospital admissions from a pediatric HIV care and treatment program in Malawi.

The scale up of pediatric antiretroviral treatment programs across Sub-Saharan Africa over the last decade has brought increasing numbers of children into HIV care. This patient population requiring life-long care presents new challenges in the outpatient and inpatient settings. We sought to describe hospitalizations from a large pediatric HIV treatment facility to better understand the scope of the situation and identify areas for improved care delivery. We conducted a retrospective case series of all HIV-infected and exposed patients <18 years enrolled at Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation Malawi, from October 2004-October 2010. Patients admitted to the hospital on or after the day of enrollment were included. Data were extracted from electronic clinic records. Analysis was done at the patient and admission level, as some patients had multiple admissions. Of 5062 patients enrolled in care, 877 (17.3 %) had 1137 admissions at median age 24 months (IQR: 12–62). 191 (21.8 %) patients had multiple admissions. A high proportion of admissions occurred in patients under two years (49.4 %), those within one month of clinic enrollment (32.9 %), those with severe immune suppression (44.0 %), and those not on ART (48.5 %). The frequency of primary admission diagnoses varied across these same variables, with malnutrition, pneumonia, and malaria being the most common. Illness requiring hospitalization is common in HIV-infected and exposed children and these results reinforce the need for a comprehensive care package with special attention to nutrition. Strengthened programs for malaria prevention and expanded access to pneumococcal vaccine are also needed. The high burden of admissions in children under 24 months and those newly enrolled in care suggests a need for continued improvement of early infant diagnosis and provider-initiated testing programs to link patients to care before they are symptomatic. Similarly, the high proportion of admissions in those not yet started on ART emphasizes the importance of rapid initiation of ART for eligible pediatric patients.
Analysis of Milk Production Costs Using Cross-Section Data: The Problem of Converting Observed Quantities of Milk to a Standard Butterfat Content

A NALYSIS of milk production costsusing crosssection data is complicated by the need to convert observed quantities of milk to a standard butterfat content. This need arises because the market price per hundredweight of milk is a function of its butterfat content. In other words, the market treats milks of different butterfat levels as if they are different products. Meaningful analysis of costs can be developed only for standardized units. Calculation of average production costs per hundredweight of milk using unadjusted quantities is not unlike estimating the average cost of producing a unit of automobiles and horses. This problem has been widely recognized by economists. Few, if any, analyses have failed to convert observed quantities to standard units. The fat corrected milk (FCM) procedure developed by Gaines [2] is widely used by economists for this purpose. This procedure, however, compounds the problem it is intended to solve and introduces a bias into the cost analysis. The purpose of this note is to demonstrate the nature of this bias and to suggest a more appropriate standardization procedure for use in economic analysis. The butterfat level selected as the base is
Local Coproduction of Services and the Analysis of Municipal Productivity

This article examines local coproduction of services as an approach to enhancement of municipal productivity. Coproduction programs are analyzed with respect to three models of productivity: (1) co...
Dynamic interfeed substitution: implications for incorporating ethanol byproducts into feedlot rations

ABSTRACTThis study examines interfeed substitution with a focus on the relationship between distiller’s dried grain with solubles (DDGS) and traditional feed grains. The dynamic linear logit model is used for the empirical analysis of interfeed substitution. The estimation results reveal that an increase in livestock and poultry outputs reduces the relative shares of corn and soybean meal to DDGS. The estimated adjustment rate indicates that the demand for feed grains is responsive in the short run with about 37% of the long-run response. This study also finds that the demand for corn and soybean meal remains inelastic even in the long run, showing the possibilities that livestock and poultry producers face high feed costs in response to an increase in the prices of corn and soybean meal. The pressures on feed costs can be alleviated by the substitutable relationship between DDGS and corn, but the substitution of DDGS for corn has a potential to provide livestock and poultry with different nutritional con...
Promises to keep: Pension provision in the Russian Federation

In this chapter we examine the ways in which the legacy of Soviet pension policies and post-1991 economic and social trends have constrained policy options concerning pension reform in the Russian Federation and have prevented serious reevaluation of pension provision or pension equity. While the Russian government inherited a pension system beset with difficulties and ill equipped for Russia’s aging population, the Soviet pension system represented, in symbolic and financial terms, a widely valued social guarantee. We contend that the structural legacy and embedded expectations associated with the Soviet pension system thwart attempts to provide a unified and equitable pension system in the post-Soviet period. While making numerous changes to the pension system in the post-Soviet period, the federation government remains severely constrained in either fulfilling the promises of the previous Soviet system, or instituting the type of large-scale structural reforms that might contribute to the long-term solvency of the system.
Three-dimensional analysis of a faulted CO2 reservoir using an Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach to rock elastic properties and fault permeability

Abstract This work develops a three-dimensional (3D) multiscale model to analyze a complex carbon dioxide (CO2) faulted reservoir that includes some key geologic features of the San Andreas and nearby faults southwest of the Kimberlina site. The model uses the STOMP-CO2 code for flow modeling that is coupled to the ABAQUS® finite element package for geomechanical analysis. A 3D ABAQUS® finite element model is developed that contains a large number of 3D solid elements with two nearly parallel faults whose damage zones and cores are discretized using the same continuum elements. Five zones with different mineral compositions are considered: shale, sandstone, fault damaged sandstone, fault damaged shale, and fault core. Rocks' elastic properties that govern their poroelastic behavior are modeled by an Eshelby–Mori–Tanaka approach (EMTA), which can account for up to 15 mineral phases. The permeability of fault damage zones affected by crack density and orientations is also predicted by an EMTA formulation. A STOMP-CO2 grid that exactly maps the ABAQUS® finite element model is built for coupled hydro-mechanical analyses. Simulations of the reservoir assuming three different crack pattern situations (including crack volume fraction and orientation) for the fault damage zones are performed to predict the potential leakage of CO2 due to cracks that enhance the permeability of the fault damage zones. The results illustrate the important effect of the crack orientation on fault permeability that can lead to substantial leakage along the fault attained by the expansion of the CO2 plume. Potential hydraulic fracture and tendency for the faults to slip are also examined and discussed in terms of stress distributions and geomechanical properties.
Confronting the uses of anthropology

Comment on Price, David. 2016. Cold War anthropology: The CIA, the Pentagon, and the growth of dual use anthropology . Durham, NC: Duke University Press.
Comparing and integrating solar forecasting techniques

The SunCast Solar Power Forecasting System is comprised of various models to predict the short term solar resource from 15 min through 168 hours. It leverages surface and satellite observations in building both physically-based as well as artificial intelligence nowcasting models. It also employs numerical weather prediction models, including an enhanced version of the Weather Research and Forecasting model, WRF-Solar. This paper compares the various techniques and describes how they are integrated to provide a seamless probabilistic power forecast.
Abstract 5352: Mesenchymal stem cell as delivery carrier for prodrug gene therapy against colorectal cancer cell

Gene-directed enzyme prodrug therapy (GDEPT) is an approach that delivers a suicidal gene to cancer cells for the expression of prodrug-activating enzyme which converts prodrug into cytotoxic drug. One of the major impediments of GDEPT is to have the therapeutic gene specifically target on cancer cells prior to the administration of prodrug. Among various gene delivery methods, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have emerged as potential carriers for gene delivery. They exhibit remarkable tumor-tropic and low immunogenic capacities. In this study, MSCs was engineered to express thymidine phosphorylase (TP) which has the capability of converting the prodrug doxifluridine into toxic 5-fluorouracil. TP expression in the MSCs post-transfection of TP cDNA was confirmed by immunoblotting analysis and its activity was determined by spectrophotometric assay. Our results showed the anticancer effectiveness of human HT29 colorectal adenocarcinoma cells co-cultured with TP-expressing MSCs was enhanced with the addition of various dosages of doxifluridine. Citation Format: Nasrin Salehi, Ching-An Peng. Mesenchymal stem cell as delivery carrier for prodrug gene therapy against colorectal cancer cell. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5352. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5352
Damage evolution of ion irradiated defected-fluorite La2Zr2O7 epitaxial thin films

Abstract Pyrochlore-structure oxides, A2B2O7, may exhibit remarkable radiation tolerance due to the ease with which they can accommodate disorder by transitioning to a defected fluorite structure. The mechanism of defect formation was explored by evaluating the radiation damage behavior of high quality epitaxial La2Zr2O7 thin films with the defected fluorite structure, irradiated with 1 MeV Zr+ at doses up to 10 displacements per atom (dpa). The level of film damage was evaluated as a function of dose by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in the channeling geometry (RBS/c) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). At lower doses, the surface of the La2Zr2O7 film amorphized, and the amorphous fraction as a function of dose fit well to a stimulated amorphization model. As the dose increased, the surface amorphization slowed, and amorphization appeared at the interface. Even at a dose of 10 dpa, the core of the film remained crystalline, despite the prediction of amorphization from the model. To inform future ab initio simulations of La2Zr2O7, the bandgap of a thick La2Zr2O7 film was measured to be indirect at 4.96 eV, with a direct transition at 5.60 eV.
Integration of Social Behavioral Modeling for Energy Optimization in Smart Environments

A key requirement for success of smart home energy management systems is understanding the user's psychological perception of a smart environments, and the design of control strategies that specifically take into account such dimensions in system operation. We discuss how our research develops psychological models and integrates them with optimization and machine learning techniques to realize social and behavioral aware energy optimization methodologies for smart homes.
Point-of-care guides - Syncope: Initial evaluation and prognosis

Evidence Summary Although syncope often is benign, it may have a serious underlying cause. An important question for primary care or emergency department physicians is whether the patient can be evaluated safely in the outpatient setting. Two clinical risk scores that can assist physicians in making this decision have been developed and validated. Both require electrocardiography (ECG) and a focused patient history and physical examination (see accompanying patient encounter form).
The Effectiveness of “Pencasts” in Physics Courses

Pencasts are videos of problem solving with narration by the problem solver. Pedagogically, students can create pencasts to illustrate their own problem solving to the instructor or to their peers. Pencasts have implications for teaching at multiple levels from elementary grades through university courses. In this article, we describe the use of pencasts in a university-level upper-division electromagnetic fields course usually taken by junior and senior physics majors. For each homework assignment, students created and submitted pencasts of ordinary problems several days before the problem set was due. We compare students’ performance in the class (grades for pencast submission excluded) with the pencast submission rate. Students who submitted more pencasts tend to do better in the course. We conclude with some practical suggestions for implementing pencasts in other courses.
Mapping the Drude polarizable force field onto a multipole and induced dipole model

The induced dipole and the classical Drude oscillator represent two major approaches for the explicit inclusion of electronic polarizability into force field-based molecular modeling and simulations. In this work, we explore the equivalency of these two models by comparing condensed phase properties computed using the Drude force field and a multipole and induced dipole (MPID) model. Presented is an approach to map the electrostatic model optimized in the context of the Drude force field onto the MPID model. Condensed phase simulations on water and 15 small model compounds show that without any reparametrization, the MPID model yields properties similar to the Drude force field with both models yielding satisfactory reproduction of a range of experimental values and quantum mechanical data. Our results illustrate that the Drude oscillator model and the point induced dipole model are different representations of essentially the same physical model. However, results indicate the presence of small differences between the use of atomic multipoles and off-center charge sites. Additionally, results on the use of dispersion particle mesh Ewald further support its utility for treating long-range Lennard Jones dispersion contributions in the context of polarizable force fields. The main motivation in demonstrating the transferability of parameters between the Drude and MPID models is that the more than 15 years of development of the Drude polarizable force field can now be used with MPID formalism without the need for dual-thermostat integrators nor self-consistent iterations. This opens up a wide range of new methodological opportunities for polarizable models.
ERβ inhibits cyclin dependent kinases 1 and 7 in triple negative breast cancer

// Jordan M. Reese 1 , Elizabeth S. Bruinsma 2 , David G. Monroe 2 , Vivian Negron 3 , Vera J. Suman 4 , James N. Ingle 5 , Matthew P. Goetz 1,5 and John R. Hawse 2 1 Department of Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 2 Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 3 Department of Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 4 Department of Biomedical Statistics and Informatics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA 5 Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA Correspondence to: John R. Hawse, email: // Keywords : TNBC, ERβ, cell cycle, CDK, estrogen Received : March 21, 2017 Accepted : September 16, 2017 Published : October 11, 2017 Abstract Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), which comprises approximately 15% of all primary breast cancer diagnoses, lacks estrogen receptor alpha, progesterone receptor and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 expression. However, we, and others, have demonstrated that approximately 30% of TNBCs express estrogen receptor beta (ERβ), a nuclear hormone receptor and potential drug target. Treatment of ERβ expressing MDA-MB-231 cells with estrogen or the ERβ selective agonist, LY500307, was shown to result in suppression of cell proliferation. This inhibitory effect was due to blockade of cell cycle progression. In vivo , estrogen treatment significantly repressed the growth of ERβ expressing MDA-MB-231 cell line xenografts . Gene expression studies and ingenuity pathway analysis identified a network of ERβ down-regulated genes involved in cell cycle progression including CDK1, cyclin B and cyclin H. siRNA mediated knockdown or drug inhibition of CDK1 and CDK7 in TNBC cells resulted in substantial decreases in proliferation regardless of ERβ expression. These data suggest that the tumor suppressive effects of ERβ in TNBC result from inhibition of cell cycle progression, effects that are in part mediated by suppression of CDK1/7. Furthermore, these data indicate that blockade of CDK1/7 activity in TNBC may be of therapeutic benefit, an area of study that has yet to be explored.
Do engineering creativity/innovation courses impact engineering innovativeness?

Through five years of previous NSF-sponsored research working with engineering education programs and major U.S. Corporations, we have identified the most important characteristics of engineering innovators (across and in each phase of the innovation process) and validated a new instrument (ABAKAS = Assessment of Behaviors, Attitudes, Knowledge, Attributes, and Skills) to assess them. In our context, an innovation is a product, process, or concept that has been discovered, developed, and implemented in a sustainable manner in a community. The innovation process is therefore defined to have a beginning (discovery), a middle (development) and a completion phase (implementation). Claims on how to create innovations or be more innovative are as popular as diet plans, but these claims are not connected by evidence to engineering student learning experiences and outcomes. Courses with titles like ‘Innovation and Creativity for Engineers’ have not provided assessment evidence that these courses positively impact or enable the characteristics that we now know comprise engineering innovativeness. Our key research question is: What is the impact of Creativity/Innovation courses and their ilk (individually or as a sequence) on the engineering innovativeness characteristics of engineering students?
Development of CNS metastases and survival in patients with inflammatory breast cancer.

Background Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is associated with a poor prognosis and high risk of central nervous system (CNS) metastases. Methods We retrospectively reviewed stage III-IBC patients compared with noninflammatory invasive ductal carcinoma (NI-IDC) patients treated between January 1, 1984, and December 31, 2011, who began primary treatment within 1 year of diagnosis and had been followed up for at least 1 year before the development of CNS metastasis or death. Cumulative CNS metastasis incidence and post-CNS metastasis overall survival (OS) estimates were computed. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard models explored factors for post-CNS metastasis survival. Results A total of 2323 patients were identified (589-IBC/1734-NI-IDC). Eighty-one IBC patients developed CNS metastasis, versus 154 NI-IDC patients. The 2-, 5-, and 10-year cumulative CNS metastasis incidence rates in IBC and NI-IDC were 9.8%, 15.8%, 17.4% and 6.5%, 10.1%, and 12.7%, respectively. This was significantly different between IBC and NI-IDC patients (P = .0037). Multicovariate competing risk regression models in IBC and NI-IDC patients showed no statistically significant associations with the risk of developing CNS metastasis, except neoadjuvant taxane use in NI-IDC patients (hazard ratio, 0.45; 95% confidence interval, 0.24-0.83; P = .011). The median follow-up was 7.2 years, and the median post-CNS metastasis OS was not significantly different between IBC (7.6 months) and NI-IDC (5.6 months) patients. One hundred ninety patients with CNS metastasis died. HER2-positive patients had better OS, with a median 14.1 versus 4.3 months (P 50 years (P = .012) but not IBC status was a significant predictor of post-CNS metastasis survival. Conclusion IBC patients demonstrated higher CNS metastasis incidence rates but OS following CNS metastases is similar in both groups. HER2 status and age may play prognostic roles. Cancer 2018;124:2299-305. © 2018 American Cancer Society.
Investigation of precipitation kinetics of FeCO3 by EQCM

Abstract Iron carbonate (FeCO3) is the most common corrosion product in aqueous CO2 corrosion of mild steel. When it forms, the FeCO3 corrosion product layer may be protective, by serving as a diffusion barrier and by affecting the rate of electrochemical reactions at the surface. In the present study, an Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance (EQCM) was used to investigate the kinetics of precipitation of FeCO3 from an aqueous CO2 corrosion environment. EQCM is a technique providing very accurate in-situ measurement of surface mass change, enabling also simultaneous electrochemical measurements. Three different substrates were used to conduct the FeCO3 precipitation experiments: a cathodically polarized gold-coated quartz crystal, a freely corroding iron-coated quartz crystal and a cathodically polarized iron-coated quartz crystal, at varied temperatures (50–80 °C). Precipitation rates of FeCO3 obtained by using EQCM were repeatable and consistent across different substrates. The obtained precipitation rates were used to determine the theoretical kinetic constant and the activation energy, which was then compared with those reported in the Sun and Nesic model (2008). Discrepancies between the predicted and experimental values were noticed at lower saturation levels and improvements in the model are proposed.
Eigen and fisher-fourier spectra for shift invariant pose-tolerant face recognition

In this paper we propose a novel method for performing pose-tolerant face recognition. We propose to use Fourier Magnitude Spectra of face images as signatures and then perform principal component analysis (PCA) and Fisher-faces (LDA) leading to new representations that we call Eigen and Fisher-Fourier Magnitudes. We show that performing PCA and Fisherfaces on the Fourier magnitude spectra provides significant improvement over traditional PCA and Fisherfaces on original spatial-domain image data. Furthermore, we show analytically and experimentally that our proposed approach is shift-invariant, i.e., we obtain the same Fourier-Magnitude Spectra regardless of the shift of the input image. We report recognition results on the ORL face database showing the significant improvement of our method under many different experimental configurations including the presence of noise.
Occupational employment projections to 2006

This article compares the 1996-2006 projected changes in the structure of employment [in the United States] at the major occupational group level with the changes that occurred in the previous 10-year period 1986-1996. It also identifies the detailed occupations that are projected to grow at the fastest rate as well as those with the largest numerical increases displaying the current educational requirements and earnings of the occupations in each of these growth categories. A discussion of the detailed occupations projected to have the largest employment declines follows. Also discussed are the total number of job openings projected to occur due to growth in the economy and the net replacement needs resulting from workers who leave the labor force or transfer to other occupations. The article concludes with a discussion of the distribution of employment in the base year (1996) and projected job openings by levels of education and earnings. (EXCERPT)
Antibiotic treatment of mycoplasma-infected cell cultures

This chapter evaluates some of the earlier approaches to mycoplasma eradication from cells and outlines a technique that has successfully performed under a wide range of circumstances. A variety of novel techniques to cure mycoplasma-infected cell cultures have been used with variable success. Cells have been treated by passage in nude mice; exposed to 5-bromouracil, bisbenzimide H33258 fluorochrome, and light; treated with serum or antiserum; and exposed to heat or detergents. Antibiotic treatment is the most conventional and probably the most common method, but this too has met with variable success. Some procedures in the literature involve the use of antibiotics long available to the cell culturists, whereas others describe the use of a new series of antibiotics either recently evaluated for or specifically designed for the treatment of mycoplasma-infected cell cultures. Some of the newer additions include ciprofloxacin, mycoplasma removal agent (MRA), and enrofloxacin.