cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compressing the incompressible with ISABELA: in-situ reduction of spatio-temporal data

Modern large-scale scientific simulations running on HPC systems generate data in the order of terabytes during a single run. To lessen the I/O load during a simulation run, scientists are forced to capture data infrequently, thereby making data collection an inherently lossy process. Yet, lossless compression techniques are hardly suitable for scientific data due to its inherently random nature; for the applications used here, they offer less than 10% compression rate. They also impose significant overhead during decompression, making them unsuitable for data analysis and visualization that require repeated data access. To address this problem, we propose an effective method for In-situ Sort-And-B-spline Error-bounded Lossy Abatement (ISABELA) of scientific data that is widely regarded as effectively incompressible. With ISABELA, we apply a preconditioner to seemingly random and noisy data along spatial resolution to achieve an accurate fitting model that guarantees a ≥ 0.99 correlation with the original data. We further take advantage of temporal patterns in scientific data to compress data by ≈ 85%, while introducing only a negligible overhead on simulations in terms of runtime. ISABELA significantly outperforms existing lossy compression methods, such as Wavelet compression. Moreover, besides being a communication-free and scalable compression technique, ISABELA is an inherently local decompression method, namely it does not decode the entire data, making it attractive for random access.
Microtubule–Actin Interactions During Neuronal Development

Neuronal development involves many morphological changes and events that are intimately dependent upon microtubules. These include neuronal migration, axonal and dendritic differentiation, growth, and branching, the navigation of the axon to its target, and the retraction of overgrown axons. Within the various compartments of developing neurons, microtubules take on a variety of different lengths and configurations, and undergo behaviors such as dynamic assembly and disassembly, stabilization, and transport. A growing body of evidence suggests that the microtubule behaviors that underlie neuronal morphogenesis may be regulated in part by interactions of the microtubules with the actin cytoskeleton. The purpose of this chapter is to provide an overview of some of these microtubule–actin interactions and to discuss how these interactions may be important during the development of the neuron. The chapter includes discussions on signaling pathways, molecular motor proteins, classical and non-classical microtubule-associated proteins, and +TIPS.
Efficient Markets in Crisis

A belief that markets are efficient is blamed for instigating the crisis we are in and lulling us into complacency as the crisis was approaching. But the debate about the role of such belief in the crisis is unfocused for two reasons. First, a lack of a common definition of market efficiency precludes a common language. Second, efficient markets are conflated with free markets.The ambitious definition of efficient markets is their definition as rational markets, where security prices always equal intrinsic values. The modest definition of efficient markets is their definition as unbeatable markets. Bubbles cannot occur in rational markets but they can occur in unbeatable markets. I argue that a belief in market efficiency cannot bear responsibility for our crisis since most investors do not believe that markets are either rational or unbeatable. Free markets are markets where government puts little or no imprint on the financial behavior of individuals and organizations and on markets through regulations and direct intervention. Many advocates of free markets believe that such markets are also more efficient than markets which are not as free. But free markets are distinct from efficient markets. Highly regulated markets can be no less efficient in the sense of rational markets or unbeatable markets than lightly regulated markets. I argue that a belief that free markets are always superior to regulated markets and lightly regulated markets are always superior to heavily regulated markets does bear some responsibility for our crisis. Regulations that would have limited the types of mortgages offered to homeowners would have helped stem the crisis or mitigate it. So would have limits on the degree of leverage employed by banks and homeowners alike.Yet not all regulations and government interventions bring unmitigated benefits. We have no precise measures by which we might distinguish real bubbles from illusory ones. Governments which aim to pop real bubbles run the risk of plunging us into recessions by popping illusory ones. While high P/E ratios and similar measures might alert us to the presence of real bubbles, they are far from precise. The challenge we face is the challenge of seeing an opaque future as clearly as possible, knowing not only that foresight is not as clear as hindsight but also that we would be judged in the future as if it is.
Values, Behaviors, and Economic Outcomes: Sustainability in the Teaching of Economics

Increasing global awareness of natural resource depletion, heightened weather-related volatility attributable to climate change, and the subsequent emergence of multi-disciplinary sustainability programs in higher education has pronounced the void in the behavioral explanatory science of economics to address the values that have yielded the economic and environmental outcomes observable in prevailing sustainability discussions. Economic theory, models, and analysis are central to a discussion of how individuals interact not only with one another but also with the environment. Further, the implicit inclusion of economics in the daily behavior of individuals and nations strongly influences the observations of global sustainability, including economic equity and social and environmental justice issues. This paper addresses an unmet need specific to introductory economics course curriculum, bridging the gap between consumption dependent growth and sustainability and explicitly addressing the creation of rational economic agent thinking as an outcome of introductory economics. Following a discussion of the present state of introductory economics instruction, the paper provides a replicable and novel starting point for the introduction of sustainability in the introductory economics curriculum, inspiring the development of students as “sustainable” rational economic agents.
A Generic Model to Solve Tactical Planning Problems in Flexible Manufacturing Systems

This paper is an attempt to develop a generic modeling framework that addresses tactical planning problems of flexible manufacturing systems in a coherent manner. We propose a generic 0-1 mixed integer programming formulation, that integrates batching, loading, and routing problems with their critical aspects related to a system's performance. For this purpose, a thorough analysis is made to determine and relate system components, their attributes, and alternatives together with performance measures specific to tactical planning. This provided the justification to support our argument about generality of the model. A linear programming formulation is provided to approximate the mixed integer formulation proposed so as to overcome the problem's combinatorial complexity. The potential capability of the linear approximation proposed also is demonstrated via a small set of test problems.
Perfectly Alternating Segmented Polyimide Siloxane Copolymers

Perfectly alternating segmented, fully cyclized, polyimide siloxane copolymers were synthesized and characterized as new materials. The reaction utilized the transimidization of aminopropyl terminated polydimethyl siloxane oligomers with aminopyridine capped polyimide oligomers based on oxydiphthalic anhydride and bisaniline P. The reaction was conducted in refluxing chlorobenzene at about 130°C. Transimidization processes with the aliphatic amine end group appear to be quite rapid under these conditions, and high molecular weight copolymers were achieved in times as short as 10 minutes. The resulting copolymers could be cast or melt pressed into transparent films whose thermal and mechanical properties reflected the composition and block molecular weights. In general, the reactions proceeded smoothly under homogeneous conditions in chlorobenzene and produced materials with glass transition temperatures somewhat depressed from the glass transition temperatures of the starting polyimide oligomers. The method allows excellent control of the microphase morphology, which is a function of block size and interaction parameters. The synthesis and characterization of these materials will be discussed.
An Investigation into the Role of Gas Turbines in Supporting Renewable Energy Integration

The integration of renewable energy sources is becoming a growing trend in power systems recently. With advantages of unlimited supply, no fuel cost, and reduced environmental impact, renewable energy resources are the promising candidates for replacing fossil fuels. However, the presence of renewable energy resources in the system brings some challenges to system stability and reliability. To support the system against the inherent intermittent and non-dispatchable features of renewable energy, gas turbines with relatively short commissioning time and quick response capabilities are increasingly integrated into grid. This paper closely examines the impacts of gas turbines on system frequency stability. The effects of gas turbines with different ramping capabilities are also investigated. The mathematical model and simulation model will be developed and implemented to show the impact of gas turbine on system load frequency control.
How Patients Use a Patient Portal: An Institutional Case Study of Demographics and Usage Patterns.

Background Given the widespread electronic health record adoption, there is increasing interest to leverage patient portals to improve care. Objective To determine characteristics of patient portal users and the activities they accessed in the patient portal. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of patient portal usage at University of California, Los Angeles, Health from July 2014 to May 2015. A total dataset of 505,503 patients was compiled with 396,303 patients who did not register for the patient portal and 109,200 patients who registered for a patient portal account. We compared patients who did not register for the online portal to the top 75th percentile of users based on number of logins, which was done to exclude those who only logged in to register. Finally, to avoid doing statistical analysis on too large of a sample and overpower the analysis, we performed statistical tests on a random sample of 300 patients in each of the two groups. Results Patient portal users tended to be older (49.45 vs. 46.22 years in the entire sample, p = 0.008 in the random sample) and more likely female (62.59 vs. 54.91% in the entire sample, p = 0.035 in the random sample). Nonusers had more monthly emergency room (ER) visits on average (0.047 vs. 0.014, p Conclusion There are differences between patient portal users and nonusers, and further understanding of these differences can serve as foundation for further investigation and possible interventions to drive patient engagement and health outcomes.
A usage-based alternative to “lexicalization” in sign language linguistics

The usage-based framework considers linguistic structure to be emergent from how human languages are used, and shaped by domain-general cognitive processes. This paper appeals to the cognitive processes of chunking, entrenchment, and routinization to explore a usage-based alternative to the structuralist notion of lexicalization, as it has traditionally been used in sign language linguistics. This exploration shows that chunking, entrenchment, and routinization are useful for re-contextualizing three “lexicalization” phenomena sign language linguistics: multiword expressions, fingerspelled words, and morphologically complex signs. An advantage of the usage-based approach for linguistic theory and description is that it anticipates the existence of linguistic constructions that exhibit analyzable internal structure and holistic properties simultaneously. This alternate framing alleviates the burden for sign language linguists to determine whether or not linguistic constructions have become “lexicalized”, and instead directs analysts to focus on the degree to which linguistic constructs are established in any language user’s mental representation of their language.
A Novel Curb Detection Method for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems

Curb detection is an important research topic in environment perception, which is an essential part of Autonomous Land Vehicles (ALV) and Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) operations. Also, curb detection is specifically a component in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that is assisting drivers in parking their cars without hitting the concrete curbs/parking blocks. In this paper a novel curb detection algorithm is developed by using Canny edge detection along with Hough transform. A CMOS camera fixed at the bottom part of the mesh grill, which is at the center of the front bumper, is used to acquire images. The camera is interfaced with a computer running an algorithm based on the Canny edge detector and Hough Transform to detect the edges of the curb. The developed program is also capable of measuring the distance from the car front end to the curb. Distance calculations are established based on a calibration technique, where rows within the camera image frame are mapped to corresponding distances in front of the vehicle, assuming a flat terrain. The method is able to detect curbs robustly in typical static and dynamic environments in real vehicle experiments.
Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Behavior of Natural and Engineered Clay Barriers

Abstract Over the past thirty years, substantial progress has been made in the understanding of coupled thermo-hydromechanical (THM) behavior of clay barriers from laboratory and field experiments as well as through numerical modeling. In context of geologic nuclear waste disposal, coupled THM processes are relatively short-lived from safety assessment perspective, but could potentially give rise to permanent changes, such as the formation of a damaged zone around excavations that could provide a path for transport of radionuclides if released from a waste package. For a repository hosted in clay-rock, the mechanical evolution and swelling of the protective buffer are imperative to its functions, such as to provide long-term mechanical support to seal the excavation damage zone. At the same time, the mechanical evolution of the buffer is governed by complex-coupled interactions with temperature and hydraulics, between micro- and macroclay structures, as well as with the host rock. Currently, more advanced constitutive mechanical models are being applied, but those require a large number of input parameters for describing processes at the different structural levels. Finally, the effect of chemistry on the long-term mechanical evolution is an area of research deserving further attention, especially when considering higher temperature conditions.
Deconfined quantum critical point in one dimension

We perform a numerical study of a spin-1/2 model with ${\mathbb{Z}}_{2}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}$ symmetry in one dimension which demonstrates an interesting similarity to the physics of two-dimensional deconfined quantum critical points (DQCP). Specifically, we investigate the quantum phase transition between Ising ferromagnetic and valence bond solid (VBS) symmetry-breaking phases. Working directly in the thermodynamic limit using uniform matrix product states, we find evidence for a direct continuous phase transition that lies outside of the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson paradigm. In our model, the continuous transition is found everywhere on the phase boundary. We find that the magnetic and VBS correlations show very close power-law exponents, which is expected from the self-duality of the parton description of this DQCP. Critical exponents vary continuously along the phase boundary in a manner consistent with the predictions of the field theory for this transition. We also find a regime where the phase boundary splits, as suggested by the theory, introducing an intermediate phase of coexisting ferromagnetic and VBS order parameters. Interestingly, we discover a transition involving this coexistence phase which is similar to the DQCP, being also disallowed by the Landau-Ginzburg-Wilson symmetry-breaking theory.
The Elbow UCL Injury Prognosis Score

Objectives:No model exists to predict which patients with elbow ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) injuries will successfully return to play (RTP) with non-operative treatment. The reported rates for ...
Impact of Insurance Status on Time to Evaluation and Treatment of Meniscal Tears in Children, Adolescents, and College-Aged Patients in the United States.

Background:The meniscus is vital for load bearing, knee stabilization, and shock absorption, making a meniscal tear a well-recognized sport-related injury in children and young adults. An inverse r...
Surgical Reconstruction of Penile Urethral Strictures: Staged Procedures

Staged buccal mucosa graft urethroplasty has emerged as a reliable procedure for difficult penile urethral strictures not amenable to one-stage graft or flap reconstruction. It has primarily been used for strictures and/or fistulas associated with lichen sclerosis, obliterated urethra, or those occurring after previous surgery for hypospadias. Success rates in these patient populations have improved when compared to earlier techniques. It has nevertheless become clear that some patients will require more than two procedures to complete the reconstruction. However, based on recent experience there may be an opportunity to complete a higher percentage of these repairs in two operations using additional oral mucosa at the time of urethral tubularization. In addition, there are patients who will be content with their voiding pattern after the first operation and elect to forego second stage tubularization. Thorough preoperative evaluation and patient counseling are therefore critical in order to achieve successful surgical outcomes and avoid unnecessary graft harvest. In this chapter we review the surgical technique of contemporary staged urethroplasty for penile urethral stricture, and summarize previously published work.
Caveolin Elastin-Like Polypeptide Fusions Mediate Temperature-Dependent Assembly of Caveolar Microdomains

Caveolae are membrane organelles formed by submicron invaginations in the plasma membrane, and are involved in mechanosensing, cell signaling, and endocytosis. Although implicated broadly in physiology and pathophysiology, better tools are required to elucidate the precise role of caveolar processes through selective activation and inactivation of their trafficking. Our group recently reported that thermally-responsive elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) can trigger formation of 'genetically engineered protein microdomains (GEPMs)' functionalized with either Clathrin-light chain or the epidermal growth factor receptor. This manuscript is the first report of this strategy to modulate caveolin-1 (CAV1). By attaching different ELP sequences to CAV1, mild heating can be used to self-assemble CAV1-ELP microdomains inside of cells. The temperature of self-assembly can be controlled by tuning the ELP sequence. The formation of CAV1-ELP microdomains internalizes Cholera Toxin Subunit B, a commonly used marker of caveolae mediated endocytosis. CAV1-ELPs also colocalize with Cavin 1, an essential component of functional caveolae biogenesis. With the emerging significance of caveolae in health and disease and the lack of specific probes to rapidly and reversibly affect caveolar function, CAV1-ELP microdomains are a new tool to rapidly probe caveolae associated processes in endocytosis, cell signaling, and mechanosensing.
Combined use of metagenomic sequencing and host response profiling for the diagnosis of suspected sepsis

Background: Current diagnostic techniques are inadequate for rapid microbial diagnosis and optimal management of patients with suspected sepsis. We assessed the impact of metagenomic sequencing and host response profiling individually and in combination on microbiological diagnosis in these patients. Methods: In this cohort study of 200 consecutive patients with suspected sepsis we evaluated three molecular diagnostic methods with blood specimens: 1) direct bacterial DNA detection and characterization with metagenomic shotgun next generation sequencing and contaminant sequence removal using Bayesian inference; 2) direct viral DNA and RNA enrichment and detection with viral capture sequencing; and 3) transcript-based host response profiling with a previously-defined 18-gene qRT-PCR assay. We then evaluated changes in diagnostic decision-making among three expert physicians in a chart review by unblinding our three molecular test results in a staged fashion. Findings: Metagenomic shotgun sequencing confirmed positive blood culture results in 14 of 26 patients. In 17 of 200 patients, metagenomic sequencing and viral capture sequencing revealed organisms that were 1) not detected by conventional hospital tests within 5 days after presentation, and 2) classified as of probable clinical relevance by physician consensus. Host response profiling led at least two of three physicians to change their diagnostic decisions in 46 of 100 patients. Finally, we report on potential bacterial DNA translocation in 8 patients who were originally classified by physicians as noninfected and show how host response profiling can guide interpretation of metagenomic shotgun sequencing results. Interpretation: The integration of host response profiling, metagenomic shotgun sequencing, and viral capture sequencing synergistically enhances the utility of each of these approaches, and may improve the diagnosis of infections in patients with suspected sepsis.
The Differential Role of Stress on Police Officers’ Perceptions of Misconduct

This study examines the influence of stress, by way of subdimensions of anxiety, and depression, on police officers’ perceptions of the seriousness of various forms of misconduct in the context of China. Findings show that different dimensions of stress have differing effects on the level of seriousness ascribed, and those influences vary based on the type of unethical behavior. While depression reduces officers’ perceived seriousness of misconduct, the effects of anxiety on perceptions are more nuanced. The study suggests the development of related policies to curb unethical behavior should consider stress, and its related subdimensions, while also considering how subgroups of officers may respond to stress in different ways. The realization of these efforts may contribute to the development of targeted interventions for improving ethical thinking and decision-making among police officers.
Turbulent Flows Impinging on High Power Multi-Chip Bare Die Package

Micro scale jet flows impinging turbulently on a hot silicon Al package wall has been systematically investigated to characterize heat transfer distributions in axisymmetric confined channels under submerged conditions by issuing processed chilled water as impingement fluid at the main inlet by varying Reynolds number 24000 ≤Re≤ 72000 (based on the main inlet nozzle jet diameter and bulk velocity). The spacings between the tapered nozzle jets and the package bare die multi-chip package silicon wall (z/d) is adjusted to be 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 jet nozzle diameters away from impinging influence. In this research, a total of 50 distinct CFD RANS simulations of turbulently impinging jets issued from a single primary circular nozzle and accelerated under an orifice plate comprising twenty tapered micro-scaled nozzles in confined channels are characterized for heat transfer distributions. And five distinct cases of Large Eddy Simulations are used to predict the flow-field turbulent characteristics of multiple tapered nozzles impinging directly on the silicon wall at high Reynolds (Re) of 72000 issued from primary nozzle. There exists a variation of secondary re-circulation zone downstream the stagnation point that is conspicuously visible in LES simulations in high Reynolds numbers and is being investigated. A distinct quad ring vortex pattern between impinging jets is observed at the shortest z/d spacing - the region where the target silicon wall is within the sphere of influence of the potential core of the jet. A demarcation boundary region connecting all the micro-vortices driving entrainment to exits is established in visualizations.
Discussion: “The Waiting Room as an Extension of the Treatment: Transference and Countertransference across the Consulting and Waiting Rooms”

Drawing on theoretical contributions of Ogden, Goldberg, Bleger, and others, this discussion looks at how the frame is used and misused in clinical work. Imagining the psychic, conscious and uncons...
Unexpected False-Positive Rates in Pediatric SARS-CoV-2 Serology Using the EUROIMMUN Anti-SARS-CoV-2 ELISA IgG Assay.

OBJECTIVES: Serologic assay performance studies for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-â2) in pediatric populations are lacking, and few seroprevalence studies have routinely incorporated orthogonal testing to improve accuracy. METHODS: Remnant serum samples for routine bloodwork from 2,338 pediatric patients at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh were assessed using the EUROIMMUN Anti-SARS-CoV-2 ELISA IgG (EuroIGG) assay. Reactive cases with sufficient volume were also tested using 3 additional commercial assays. RESULTS: Eighty-five specimens were reactive according to the EuroIGG, yielding 3.64% (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.91%-4.48%) seropositivity, of which 73 specimens had sufficient remaining volume for confirmation by orthogonal testing. Overall, 19.18% (95% CI, 10.18%-28.18%) of samples were positive on a second and/or third orthogonal assay. This 80.82% false positivity rate is disproportionate to the expected false positivity rate of 50% given our pediatric population prevalence and assay performance. CONCLUSIONS: In pediatric populations, false-positive SARS-CoV-2 serology may be more common than assay and prevalence parameters would predict, and further studies are needed to establish the performance of SARS-CoV-2 serology in children.
Ih from synapses to networks: HCN channel functions and modulation in neurons.

Abstract Hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide gated (HCN) channels and the current they carry, Ih, are widely and diversely distributed in the central nervous system (CNS). The distribution of the four subunits of HCN channels is variable within the CNS, within brain regions, and often within subcellular compartments. The precise function of Ih can depend heavily on what other channels are co-expressed. In this review, we give an overview of HCN channel structure, distribution, and modulation by cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP). We then discuss HCN channel and Ih functions, where we have parsed the roles into two main effects: a steady effect on maintaining the resting membrane potential at relatively depolarized values, and slow channel dynamics. Within this framework, we discuss Ih involvement in resonance, synaptic integration, transmitter release, plasticity, and point out a special case, where the effects of Ih on the membrane potential and its slow channel dynamics have dual roles in thalamic neurons.
The Use of Rasa ‘To Feel’ as a Hedge in Appraisaltheory: A Corpus Study

The word rasa 'to feel' or 'to taste' in Indonesian was usually used to show a feeling or taste. It concerned as a hedge or a word whose function was to make things fuzzier or less fuzzy. Through this study, the writers aimed at describing the use of ‘rasa’ as a hedge through corpus study derived from Indonesian novels. To analyze the data, the write applied appraisal theory that classified the assessment of language into three categories, that were affect, judgment, and appreciation by using descriptive qualitative method. The result of the study showed that rasa 'to feel' was used as a hedge for judgment, affects, and appreciations. The result indicated that Indonesian were more careful when they gave comments on whether someone was good or bad or whether what they met or violated some social standards and did not need to when they talked about someone's feeling or gave appreciation.
Maturity-Onset Diabetes of Young Type 5: Diabetes with Extrapancreatic Features.

Objective This case involves a new-onset diabetes patient diagnosed during pregnancy with the congenital dysplastic right kidney. Case Report. Clinical presentation, biochemical features, imaging in a patient with diabetes diagnosed during pregnancy, and congenital dysplastic right kidney. Discussion. We present a case of a 22-year-old female with the congenital dysplastic right kidney diagnosed with gestational diabetes mellitus after failing a 1-hour oral glucose tolerance test, requiring insulin during pregnancy. Because of the family history of diabetes and morphologic renal abnormalities at young ages on the maternal side of the family, our patient was evaluated for maturity-onset diabetes of adult and was found to have HNF-1β mutation. Conclusion This case highlights the importance of considering the diagnosis of maturity-onset diabetes of young and particularly MODY-5 in individuals with extrapancreatic features. MODY-5 should also be considered in a patient undergoing renal transplant at young ages with a family history of morphologic renal abnormalities.
Red blood cell distribution width as a pragmatic marker for outcome in pediatric critical illness

Background Red cell distribution width (RDW) is a routine laboratory measure associated with poor outcomes in adult critical illness.
Antarctica as a Martian model.

Results of a survey of a variety of environments in the dry valleys of Antarctica, ranging from mountain crests to valley floors. The main purpose of the investigation was the determination of active microbial multiplication in the soil. A series of techniques was employed which permitted the detection of bacterial growth in situ. All evidence points to an active growth of micro-organisms in the Antarctic soil in all locations examined. The measurements were supported by electron micrographs of soil films which showed colonial growth covering soil particles. These findings suggest that Antarctica does not serve as a useful model for the Martian environment in evaluating quarantine standards.
Plant Uptake of Soil Moisture

The release of water vapor by plants to the atmosphere, a process called transpiration, is a passive response to the atmospheric environment. This chapter focuses on the facts related to the efficiency of the soil as a water reservoir for plants. It explains the phenomenon through which plants draw water from the soil, and the limit to which they thrive while soil moisture diminishes. To characterize the soil–plant–atmosphere continuum physically, the pertinent components of the energy potential of water and the effective potential gradients as they vary from one segment to another along the entire path of water movement must be evaluated. The soil-moisture content and potential, the density, or hydraulic resistance of roots are not uniform throughout the root zone. The phenomenon by which the root system of a plant senses the root zone as a whole and integrates its response to utilize soil moisture to its best advantage is still not resolved completely. The classical view is that the root system adjusts its water withdrawal pattern to maintain the total soil moisture potential constant throughout the root zone. On the other hand, an often-observed pattern of water withdrawal is such that the top layer is depleted first and the zone of maximal extraction moves gradually into the deeper layers.
Selling and Sales Management in Action—Sales Management Students vs. Business Practitioners: Ethical Dilemmas and Perceptual Differences

Although there is much controversy regarding the teaching of ethics in our universities today, ethical dilemmas are a part of the reality of the sales force. This study examines the differences in the perceptions of sales management students and practitioners in an ethical situation. The results suggest that gender does have an impact on the severity of the consequences and that there are significant differences between the perceptions of practitioners and sales management students.
Ventriculocardiac shunts: Identification and control of practical problems in 143 cases

The more troublesome problems encountered in the care of 143 hydrocephalic children with ventriculocardiac shunts are reviewed to determine the nature of these shunts and to suggest methods for improvement. Ninety-four patients had mechanical shunt difficulties requiring about 350 operations; 41 developed postoperative meningitis or sepsis, 10 had serious cardiopulmonary complications, and 42 are dead. Although 38 have significant mental retardation, paraplegia, or similar serious defects and are “noncompetitive”, 49 have progressed well, are bright, and appear normal or nearly so. About 10 of these are no longer shunt dependent. Difficulties were fewer and results better in the latter half of the 15 year span covered by this study. It seems clear that improved results can be obtained in shunt patients by careful selection and meticulous diagnostic and surgical techniques, but long-range surveillance will continue to ge essential.
Ligand inhibition of the platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex function as a calcium channel in liposomes.

Abstract Platelet glycoproteins IIb and IIIa function as a fibrinogen receptor on the activated platelet. We have shown that these glycoproteins can be incorporated onto the surface of phosphatidylcholine vesicles with retention of fibrinogen and antibody binding properties and can permit Ca2+ transit across the phospholipid bilayer. In the current study we demonstrate that this apparent Ca2+ channel function is specifically inhibited by the synthetic analogue of the fibrinogen gamma COOH-terminal peptide, His-His-Leu-Gly-Gly-Ala-Lys-Gln-Ala-Gly-Asp-Val (His-12-Val), but not by the adhesive protein sequence Arg-Gly-Asp-Ser (RGDS). Prior incubation of IIb-IIIa liposomes with RGDS prevented Ca2+ transit inhibition by 25 microM His-12-Val, analogous to RGDS inhibition of His-12-Val binding to platelets. His-12-Val inhibited a minor component of transmembrane Ca2+ influx into ADP and thrombin-activated human platelets but had no effect on steady-state platelet 45Ca flux. These data indicate that ligand binding may exert a regulatory influence on transmembrane Ca2+ influx into activated platelets. The difference in inhibitory potency of the peptides studied may be related to differences in conformational changes in the glycoprotein IIb-IIIa complex induced by His-12-Val and RGDS, steric considerations, or differences in interactions with glycoprotein IIb Ca2+ binding domains.
Modeling Compressibility Effects on Turbulence

The goal of this lecture is to present a cohesive overview of compressible turbulence research that is related to the numerical simulation and the predictive modeling of such flows.
Victim Impact Laws and the Parole Process in the United States: Balancing Victim and Inmate Rights and Interests:

In recent years, many states have amended their parole laws to enable victim impact statements to be used in the parole process. Few state laws provide clear guidelines detailing the nature and scope of victim statements, how and when victims are to be notified of their rights, and how parole authorities are to utilize such information. This paper analyzes state parole laws and the procedural and substantive inadequacies which can result from the failure of legislatures to articulate complete rules on victim statements in the parole process.
Scale Dependencies of Vegetation and Topography in a Mountainous Environment of Montana

This research examines the effects of spatial scale on estimating the relationship between vegetation biomass and topography within a portion of Glacier National Park, Montana. The Reflectance/Absorptance vegetation index, developed from processed Landsat Thematic Mapper digital data, is related to three topographic variables obtained through processed Digital Elevation Models: elevation, slope angle, and slope aspect. R2 values between the vegetation index and the topographic variables are obtained from regression analyses at a series of aggregated spatial scales. The effective range of spatial scales within which the two sets of variables are spatially dependent and the degree of the spatial dependencies are characterized through semivariance and fractal analyses.
Bonded fatalities: Relational and ecological dimensions of a fire evacuation

I build on previous findings in disaster research with a quantitative examination of individual-level fatality risk in a fire evacuation. Using data concerning people who were present at the Beverl...
Effects of octreotide on lipoproteins and endothelial function in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients

Hypersecretion of growth hormone (GH) is a characteristic feature of Type 1 diabetic patients. In healthy subjects growth hormone is able to induce an increase in endothelial cell proteins such as fibrinogen and von Willebrand factor. Plasma concentrations of such proteins, which are markers of cardiovascular risk, are elevated in diabetic patients with microalbuminuria, suggesting endothelial cell dysfunction. In a randomized prospective study we therefore evaluated the possible effects of 1 year's treatment with a somatostatin analogue, octreotide, on lipoproteins and on endothelial function in Type 1 diabetes mellitus. Seven patients were allocated to treatment with a continuous subcutaneous infusion of 400 micrograms octreotide per day. Seven patients served as a control group. During treatment a decrease in plasma LDL-cholesterol (2.62 (2.17-3.11) (median (range] vs 2.00 (1.89-2.96) mmol l-1, p less than 0.05) and serum apolipoprotein A-I (1.47 (1.25-1.60) vs 1.23 (1.13-1.90) g l-1, p less than 0.05) was observed in the treated group. Furthermore a probable reduction during treatment in plasma concentrations of von Willebrand factor (1.72 (0.84-3.04) vs 1.24 (0.94-1.82) U ml-1, p = 0.08) and fibrinogen (11.3 (7.3-25.3) vs 8.1 (7.5-11.8) mumol l-1, p = 0.06) was found, and after withdrawal of treatment an increase towards the initial levels was seen. The platelet count declined (326 (301-612) vs 217 (206-400) x 10(9) l-1, p less than 0.01) during octreotide treatment and remained depressed 2 months after withdrawal.
Ideals containing the squares of the variables

We study the Betti numbers of graded ideals containing the squares of the variables, in a polynomial ring. We prove the lex-plus-powers conjecture for such ideals.
Y-doped SrTiO3 based sulfur tolerant anode for solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anode with high sulfur tolerance was developed starting from a Y-doped SrTiO3 (SYTO)-yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) porous electrode backbone, and infiltrated with nano-sized catalytic ceria and Ru. The size of the infiltrated particles on the SYTO-YSZ pore walls was 30–200 nm, and both infiltrated materials improved the performance of the SYTO-YSZ anode significantly. The infiltrated ceria covered most of the surface of the SYTO-YSZ pore walls, while Ru was dispersed as individual nano-particles. The performance and sulfur tolerance of a cathode supported cell with ceria- and Ru-infiltrated SYTO-YSZ anode was examined in humidified H2 mixed with H2S. The anode showed high sulfur tolerance in 10–40 ppm H2S, and the cell exhibited a constant maximum power density 470 mW cm−2 at 10 ppm H2S, at 1073 K. At an applied current density 0.5 A cm−2, the addition of 10 ppm H2S to the H2 fuel dropped the cell voltage slightly, from 0.79 to 0.78 V, but completely recovered quickly after the H2S was stopped. The ceria- and Ru-infiltrated SYTO-YSZ anode showed much higher sulfur tolerance than conventional Ni-YSZ anodes.
Organ culture stability of the intervertebral disc: rat versus rabbit.

There is a need to develop mechanically active culture systems to better understand the role of mechanical stresses in intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. Motion segment cultures that preserve the native IVD structure and adjacent vertebral bodies are preferred as model systems, but rapid ex vivo tissue degeneration limits their usefulness. The stability of rat and rabbit IVDs is of particular interest, as their small size makes them otherwise suitable for motion segment culture. The goal of this study was to determine if there are substantial differences in the susceptibility of rat and rabbit IVDs to culture-induced degeneration. Lumbar IVD motion segments were harvested from young adult male Sprague–Dawley rats and New Zealand White rabbits and cultured under standard conditions for 14 days. Biochemical assays and safranin-O histology showed that while glycosaminoglycan (GAG) loss was minimal in rabbit IVDs, it was progressive and severe in rat IVDs. In the rat IVD, GAG loss was concomitant with the loss of notochordal cells and the migration of endplate (EP) cells into the nucleus pulposus (NP). None of these changes were evident in the rabbit IVDs. Compared to rabbit IVDs, rat IVDs also showed increased matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3) and sharply decreased collagen type I and II collagen expression. Together these data indicated that the rabbit IVD was dramatically more stable than the rat IVD, which showed culture-related degenerative changes. Based on these findings we conclude that the rabbit motion segments are a superior model for mechanobiologic studies. © 2013 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 31: 838–846, 2013
Functional expression of sodium channel mutations identified in families with periodic paralysis

Two mutations in the sodium channel alpha subunit that have been implicated as the cause of periodic paralysis were studied by functional expression in a mammalian cell line. Both mutations disrupted inactivation without affecting the time course of the onset of the sodium current or the single-channel conductance. This is the same functional defect that was observed in myotubes cultured from affected patients and proves that these mutations are not benign polymorphisms. Unlike the currents in the myotubes, however, there was no consistent potassium dependence for the noninactivating component. These mutations also define new regions of the sodium channel alpha subunit that are involved in the process of inactivation.
Heart rate variability, cytokine, and brain responses to infection: insights from a mouse model

Continuous heart rate variability (HRV) monitoring can detect early sepsis in certain high-risk patient populations, but the mechanisms by which sepsis depresses HRV are not well understood. Our prior studies in rodents have shown that endo-toxin causes cytokine-related depression of HRV and activation of specific neuronal networks. The aim of the current studies was to identify pathogen-specific patterns of cytokine expression, HRV changes, and activation of central autonomic pathways in mice.
Balancing reliability, cost, and performance tradeoffs with FreeFault

Memory errors have been a major source of system failures and fault rates may rise even further as memory continues to scale. This increasing fault rate, especially when combined with advent of integrated on-package memories, may exceed the capabilities of traditional fault tolerance mechanisms or significantly increase their overhead. In this paper, we present FreeFault as a hardware-only, transparent, and nearly-free resilience mechanism that is implemented entirely within a processor and can tolerate the majority of DRAM faults. FreeFault repurposes portions of the last-level cache for storing retired memory regions and augments a hardware memory scrubber to monitor memory health and aid retirement decisions. Because it relies on existing structures (cache associativity) for retirement/remapping type repair, FreeFault has essentially no hardware overhead. Because it requires a very modest portion of the cache (as small as 8KB) to cover a large fraction of DRAM faults, FreeFault has almost no impact on performance. We explain how FreeFault adds an attractive layer in an overall resilience scheme of highly-reliable and highly-available systems by delaying, and even entirely avoiding, calling upon software to make tradeoff decisions between memory capacity, performance, and reliability.
Wigner function simulation of quantum tunneling

Abstract The quantum mechanical phenomenon of tunneling time has been the subject of much debate. We use a Wigner function description of a Guassian wave packet to study the tunneling process. By adjusting the parameters of the barrier and wave packet, a variety of cases can be studied. For the multiple barrier case, the tunneling time shows peaks at energies corresponding to resonant states of the system. This charge storage within the well is also found to be significant in studying the resonant tunneling diode, giving rise to kinks in the negative differential conductivity region of the I–V characteristic.
Evolution of Sex-Specific Traits through Changes in HOX-Dependent doublesex Expression

Almost every animal lineage is characterized by unique sex-specific traits, implying that such traits are gained and lost frequently in evolution. However, the genetic mechanisms responsible for these changes are not understood. In Drosophila, the activity of the sex determination pathway is restricted to sexually dimorphic tissues, suggesting that spatial regulation of this pathway may contribute to the evolution of sex-specific traits. We examine the regulation and function of doublesex (dsx), the main transcriptional effector of the sex determination pathway, in the development and evolution of Drosophila sex combs. Sex combs are a recent evolutionary innovation and show dramatic diversity in the relatively few Drosophila species that have them. We show that dsx expression in the presumptive sex comb region is activated by the HOX gene Sex combs reduced (Scr), and that the male isoform of dsx up-regulates Scr so that both genes become expressed at high levels in this region in males but not in females. Precise spatial regulation of dsx is essential for defining sex comb position and morphology. Comparative analysis of Scr and dsx expression reveals a tight correlation between sex comb morphology and the expression patterns of both genes. In species that primitively lack sex combs, no dsx expression is observed in the homologous region, suggesting that the origin and diversification of this structure were linked to the gain of a new dsx expression domain. Two other, distantly related fly lineages that independently evolved novel male-specific structures show evolutionary gains of dsx expression in the corresponding tissues, where dsx may also be controlled by Scr. These findings suggest that changes in the spatial regulation of sex-determining genes are a key mechanism that enables the evolution of new sex-specific traits, contributing to some of the most dramatic examples of phenotypic diversification in nature.
The challenges of making evaluation useful

The evaluation profession has been studying ways of increasing the use of evaluations. Here are some of the things we've learned are important for evaluations to be useful: being clear about intended uses by primary intended users; creating and nurturing a results-oriented, reality-testing culture that supports evaluation use; collaboration in deciding what outcomes to commit to and hold yourselves accountable for; making measurement of outcomes and program processes thoughtful, meaningful, timely, and credible - and integrated into the program; using the results in a visible and transparent way, and modeling for others serious use of results.