cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimizing I/O Performance of HPC Applications with Autotuning

Parallel Input output is an essential component of modern high-performance computing (HPC). Obtaining good I/O performance for a broad range of applications on diverse HPC platforms is a major challenge, in part, because of complex inter dependencies between I/O middleware and hardware. The parallel file system and I/O middleware layers all offer optimization parameters that can, in theory, result in better I/O performance. Unfortunately, the right combination of parameters is highly dependent on the application, HPC platform, problem size, and concurrency. Scientific application developers do not have the time or expertise to take on the substantial burden of identifying good parameters for each problem configuration. They resort to using system defaults, a choice that frequently results in poor I/O performance. We expect this problem to be compounded on exascale-class machines, which will likely have a deeper software stack with hierarchically arranged hardware resources.We present as a solution to this problem an autotuning system for optimizing I/O performance, I/O performance modeling, I/O tuning, and I/O patterns. We demonstrate the value of this framework across several HPC platforms and applications at scale.
Multilateral parametric climate risk insurance: a tool to facilitate agreement about deployment of solar geoengineering?

States will disagree about deployment of solar geoengineering, technologies that would reflect a small portion of incoming sunlight to reduce risks of climate change, and most disagreements will be...
MAP image reconstruction for landmine and IED detection using ground penetrating radar

ABSTRACTIn this article, we develop an iterative maximum a posteriori (MAP) estimation algorithm for reconstructing sub-surface images from ground penetrating radar (GPR) data. Note, the larger goa...
Calculation of thermal inertia from day-night measurements separated by days or weeks

The calculation of the thermal inertia of an area from remotely sensed data involves the measurement of the surface albedo and the determination of the diurnal temperature range of the surface in image format. The temperature-range image is calculated from surface thermal radiance measured as near as possible to the time of maximum surface temperature and (predawn) surface minimum temperature. Ordinarily, both surface-temperature images are measured within the same 12-hour period. If this is impossible, then the measurement of the predawn surface radiance within a 36-hour period has been considered to be adequate, although less satisfactory. The problems arising in connection with the impossibility to conduct measurements within the same 12-hour period are studied, and suggestions are made for cases in which only relative thermal inertia across an area is required. In such cases investigators should consider using the best day-night temperature pairs available, even if not acquired within a 12 to 36 hour period.
Noninteractive Zero Knowledge for NP from (Plain) Learning with Errors

We finally close the long-standing problem of constructing a noninteractive zero-knowledge (NIZK) proof system for any NP language with security based on the plain Learning With Errors (LWE) problem, and thereby on worst-case lattice problems. Our proof system instantiates the framework recently developed by Canetti et al. [EUROCRYPT’18], Holmgren and Lombardi [FOCS’18], and Canetti et al. [STOC’19] for soundly applying the Fiat–Shamir transform using a hash function family that is correlation intractable for a suitable class of relations. Previously, such hash families were based either on “exotic” assumptions (e.g., indistinguishability obfuscation or optimal hardness of certain LWE variants) or, more recently, on the existence of circularly secure fully homomorphic encryption (FHE). However, none of these assumptions are known to be implied by plain LWE or worst-case hardness.
Identifying Core Operons in Metagenomic Data

An operon is a functional unit of DNA whose genes are co-transcribed on polycistronic mRNA, in a co-regulated fashion. Operons are a powerful mechanism of introducing functional complexity in bacteria, and are therefore of interest in microbial genetics, physiology, biochemistry, and evolution. While several methods have been developed to identify operons in whole genomes, there are few that can identify them in metagenomes. Here we present a Pipeline for Operon Exploration in Metagenomes or POEM.At the heart of POEM lies a neural network that classifies genes as intra-or extra-operonic. POEM then looks for proximity associations between identified intra-operonic genes, to identify core operons in the metagenome. Core operons are operons that may exist in more than one species in the metagenome, and being evolutionarily conserved increases the probability of accurate prediction. We tested POEM using several different assemblers on a simulated metagenome, and we show it to be highly accurate. We also demonstrate its use on a human gut metagenome sample, and discover a putative new operon. We conclude that POEM is a useful tool for analyzing metagenomes beyond the genomic level, and for identifying multi-gene functionalities and possible neofunctionalization in metagenomes
Microsatellite instability (MSI-H) in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC): A biomarker of divergent responses to systemic therapy.

566Background: MSI frequently arises from deficiencies in mismatch repair mechanisms (dMMR) and are associated with higher response rates to anti-PD1/PDL1 checkpoint inhibitors (CPI) in different c...
Mechanical, Chemical, Hydraulic, and Microstructural Properties of Buckshot Clay Amended with Gasification Biochar

AbstractThis study investigated the effect of gasification biochar amendment on mechanical, chemical, hydraulic, and microstructural properties of Buckshot clay, a high-plasticity clay with poor en...
Estimating Surface Water Presence and Infiltration in Ephemeral to Intermittent Streams in the Southwestern US

Streamflow in arid and semi-arid regions is predominantly temporary, an integral part of mountain block hydrology and of significant importance for groundwater recharge and biogeochemical processes. However, temporary streamflow regimes remain poorly quantified. We use electrical resistance sensors and USGS stream gauge data to quantify streamflow intermittency as streamflow presence and water presence, which includes streamflow, ponding and soil moisture, in 15 southern Arizona streams spanning a climate gradient (mean annual precipitation from 160 to 750 mm). We use stream channel sediment data to estimate saturated hydraulic conductivity and potential annual infiltration. Annual streamflow ranged 0.6 to 82.4% or 2 to 301 days; while water presence ranged from 2.6 to 82.4% or 10 to over 301 days, or 4 to 33 times longer than streamflow. We identified 5 statistically distinct flow regimes based on the annual percent streamflow and water presence: 1) dry-ephemeral, 2) wet-ephemeral, 3) dry-intermittent, 4) wet-intermittent and 5) seasonally-intermittent. In contrast to our expectations, stream channel density was a better predictor of streamflow and water presence than rainfall alone. Whereas the dry-ephemeral and wet-ephemeral flow regimes varied with seasonal precipitation, the dry-intermittent, wet intermittent and seasonally-intermittent flow regimes did not. These results coupled with the potential infiltration estimates indicate that streamflow at the driest sites occurs in response to rainfall and overland flow while groundwater discharge and vadose zone contributions enhance streamflow at the wetter sites. We suggest that on a short temporal scale, and with respect to water presence, wetter sites might be buffered better against shifts in the timing and distribution of precipitation in response to climate change. Flow regime classifications that include both stream flow and water presence, rather than on stream flow alone, may be important for predicting thresholds in ecological functions and refugia in these dryland systems.
Imaging Mass Cytometry Reveals Tumor and Immune Spatial and Phenotypic Clusters Associated with Clinical Outcomes in Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma

Multiplexed immune profiling of the tumor microenvironment (TME) in cancer has improved our understanding of cancer immunology, but complex spatial analyses of tumor immune interactions are lacking. Here we used imaging mass cytometry (IMC) to characterize the immunophenotypes and the spatial architecture in the TME of 33 cases of DLBCL. We develop the M-score, for identifying complex cellular phenotypes, and use this to identify a CCR4+Tim3+PDL1+ tumor phenotype that predicts outcomes better than the lymphoma international prognostic index (IPI). To characterize spatial interaction in the TME, we constructed spatial meta-clusters based on distances from CD8 T cells to other cells in the microenvironment. These clusters corresponded to micro-regions of immuno-suppression or immuno-activation, whose relative abundance correlated with clinical responses to chemotherapy. Finally, the CD8 spatial network alone could predict overall survival in lymphoma and point to a broader application of complex spatial analysis to gain functional insights into cancer immunology.
‘Relive my life from scratch’: Learning through transition for women exiting the sex trade

Abstract Transitions can be an important learning opportunity. Learning is particularly relevant to marginalized populations' transition experiences, such as women exiting the sex trade. In this qualitative study, we investigated the learning of 10 women who transitioned out of the sex trade in Texas between 3 and 20 years ago with a support organization's help. We found that learning in transitions was deeply connected to the women's identities, spheres of experience, and their surrounding social interactions and supports. One indicator of a successful transition was how effectively an individual moved from one sphere of experience, when it no longer served them, to another. Second, participants' prior identities receded over time as it was no longer rewarded in their new sphere of experience. Third, the adoption of a new identity required considerable learning to fit into mainstream society. Finally, support organizations play a critical role in women's transition out of the sex trade. This study contributes to our understanding of learning transitions and the experiences of marginalized groups.
Mass SARS-CoV-2 Testing in a Dormitory-Style Correctional Facility in Arkansas.

Objectives. To assess SARS-CoV-2 transmission within a correctional facility and recommend mitigation strategies.Methods. From April 29 to May 15, 2020, we established the point prevalence of COVID...
Nkx2-2 expressing taste cells in endoderm-derived taste papillae are committed to the type III lineage.

Abstract In mammals, multiple cell-signaling pathways and transcription factors regulate development of the embryonic taste system and turnover of taste cells in the adult stage. Using single-cell RNA-Seq of mouse taste cells, we found that the homeobox-containing transcription factor Nkx2-2, a target of the Sonic Hedgehog pathway and a key regulator of the development and regeneration of multiple cell types in the body, is highly expressed in type III taste cells but not in type II or taste stem cells. Using in situ hybridization and immunostaining, we confirmed that Nkx2-2 is expressed specifically in type III taste cells in the endoderm-derived circumvallate and foliate taste papillae but not in the ectoderm-derived fungiform papillae. Lineage tracing revealed that Nkx2-2-expressing cells differentiate into type III, but not type II or type I cells in circumvallate and foliate papillae. Neonatal Nkx2-2-knockout mice did not express key type III taste cell marker genes, while the expression of type II and type I taste cell marker genes were unaffected in these mice. Our findings indicate that Nkx2-2-expressing cells are committed to the type III lineage and that Nkx2-2 may be critical for the development of type III taste cells in the posterior tongue, thus illustrating a key difference in the mechanism of type III cell lineage specification between ectoderm- and endoderm-derived taste fields.
Neurobiological Implications of Parent–Child Emotional Availability: A Review

Parental influences are important for a child’s behavior, overall adjustment, as well as cognitive/language development. New research is exploring how relationships with parents can influence a child’s neurobiological functioning and development. In this systematic review, our first aim is to describe how the caregiving environment influences these aspects of child development. The second and main aim is to review and recommend that the concept (and measurement) of “emotional availability” may provide a new window in this continued exploration. Emotional availability (EA) refers to the capacity of a dyad to share an emotionally healthy relationship. The EA Scales assess this construct using a multi-dimensional framework, with a method to measure the affect and behavior of both the child and adult partner (caregiver). In this review, we first provide an overview of child development research, with regards to stress physiology, neuroendocrine system, genetics and epigenetics, and brain mechanisms. We then summarize the results of specific EA research in these areas, and propose a theoretical model integrating these constructs. Finally, we offer areas for future research in this area.
Goal attainment scaling for patients with low back pain in rehabilitation: A systematic review

Background and aims Goal attainment scaling (GAS) has been widely applied to chronic conditions; however, only recently has it been used for patients with low back pain (LBP). The objectives of this systematic review were to (a) examine the characteristics and rigor of published studies of GAS in the rehabilitation of patients with LBP, (b) describe how GAS has been applied in patients with LBP, and (c) evaluate the responsiveness and validity of GAS as an outcome measure in patients with LBP. Methods A systematic search of the CINAHL, PubMed, and MEDLINE databases was performed (1968 and 1 September 2020) in addition to hand searching. Studies including GAS procedures in patients with LBP during rehabilitation were included in the review. Two authors independently selected studies for inclusion and determined levels of evidence using the Oxford Levels of Evidence and rated each study for quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale and reporting transparency using the STROBE statement checklist. Results Six Level IV and one Level III/IV study were included in this review (search produced 248 studies for review). These studies assessed GAS feasibility, validity, sensitivity, and association with other outcome measures in patients with LBP. Findings suggest that patients with LBP are able to identify and set individualized goals during GAS, while GAS may be more sensitive to change and may measure different aspects of the patient experience as compared with fixed-item patient-reported measures. Additionally, GAS may have a therapeutic effect while improving patient outcomes and may be associated with patient satisfaction. Conclusion Based on this review, GAS shows promise as a feasible patient-centered measure that may be more responsive to change than traditional outcome measures. However, GAS has been inadequately developed and validated for use during rehabilitation in patients with LBP.
Integrating SMS Text Messages Into a Preventive Intervention for Postpartum Depression Delivered via In-Home Visitation Programs: Feasibility and Acceptability Study.

Background: The Mothers and Babies (MB) Course is recognized by the US Preventive Services Task Force as an evidence-based preventive intervention for postpartum depression (PPD) that should be recommended to pregnant women at risk for PPD. Objective: This report examines the feasibility and acceptability of enhancing the MB 1-on-1 intervention by adding 36 SMS text messages that target 3 areas: reinforcement of skills, between-session homework reminders, and responding to self-monitoring texts (ie, MB Plus Text Messaging [MB-TXT]). Methods: In partnership with 9 home visiting programs, 28 ethnically and racially diverse pregnant women (mean 25.6, SD 9.0 weeks) received MB-TXT. Feasibility was defined by home visitors’ adherence to logging into the HealthySMS platform to enter session data and trigger SMS text messages within 7 days of the in-person session. The acceptability of MB-TXT was measured by participants’ usefulness and understanding ratings of the SMS text messages and responses to the self-monitoring SMS text messages. Results: On average, home visitors followed the study protocol and entered session-specific data between 5.50 and 61.17 days following the MB 1-on-1 sessions. A high proportion of participants responded to self-monitoring texts (25/28, 89%) and rated the text message content as very useful and understandable. Conclusions: This report contributes to a growing body of research focusing on digital adaptations of the MB course. SMS is a low-cost, accessible digital tool that can be integrated into existing interventions. With appropriate resources to support staff, it can be implemented in community-based organizations and health care systems that serve women at risk for PPD. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03420755; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03420755
Improvement of wind power prediction from meteorological characterization with machine learning models

Abstract To mitigate uncertainties in wind resource assessments and to improve the estimation of energy production of a wind project, this work uses a decision tree machine learning model to assess the effectiveness of hub-height wind speed, rotor-equivalent wind speed, and lapse rate as variables in power prediction. Atmospheric data is used to train regression trees and correlate the power outputs to wind profiles and meteorological characteristics to be able to predict power responses according to physical patterns. The decision tree model was trained for four vertical wind profile classifications to showcase the need for multiple calculations of wind speed at various levels of the rotor layer. Results indicate that when compared to traditional power curve methods, the decision tree combining rotor-equivalent wind speed and lapse rate improves prediction accuracy by 22% for the given data-set, while also proving to be the most effective method in power prediction for all classified vertical wind profile types. Models incorporating lapse rate into predictions performed better than those without it, showing the importance of considering atmospheric criteria in wind power prediction analyses.
Gaining Clinical Experience in and After Graduate School

Clinical psychologists in training have many career paths open to them, and pursuing them requires timely decision-making. These decisions can be challenging ones, as the implications for career options are far-reaching. Many also need to be made early in the doctoral training sequence. Selecting among these opportunities and making the necessary decisions are thus crucial steps requiring both current information and a decision-making model. This chapter will identify important sources for such information, and provide a developmental framework for integrating them. Key points for consideration include (1) academic program’s training model, (2) specialty training, (3) choosing among assessment and intervention models, (4) practicum training and supervision, (5) internship training, and (6) postdoctoral training and specialization.
Identification of Receptors Using Direct Radioligand Binding Techniques

The availability of radioactively labeled hormones and drugs that retain their biological activity has allowed the direct identification of binding sites for these radiolabeled agents in target tissues where they elicit a physiological effect. This chapter will describe methods for the identification of radioligand binding sites and for obtaining data to establish whether or not the observed binding sites represent the physiological “receptor” for a particular hormone, neurotransmitter, or drug.
Effects of elastic relaxation on aspect ratios during island growth of isotropic films

The effect of misfit strain on the equilibrium aspect ratio of isotropic islands has been investigated by using numerical calculations of the elastic strain energy of spherical caps on a substrate. The effects of three dimensionless quantities were investigated: the ratio of the surface energy to strain energy, the modulus mismatch and the ratio of the interfacial energy to the surface energy of the island. It was shown that values of these parameters that tended to increase the strain energy dominance resulted in larger equilibrium aspect ratios (height-to-width ratio). The effect of modulus mismatch was also studied. It has been shown that as the modulus of the substrate increases relative to the island (keeping all other parameters constant), the aspect ratio increases. Furthermore, it has also been shown that island-to-island interactions occur over very short ranges, becoming negligible when the midpoint of the islands are separated by more than two diameters.
Educating future chip designers

The evolution of analog and digital integrated circuits from small elements to complex systems is clearly documented in the past issues of the DIGEST. Improvements in technology and CAD, raise some vital questions about the areas that future chip designers need to understand and the venue for this training. The answers depend strongly on the techniques and tools available for the chip designer: whether CAD will provide powerful compilers, freeing the designer to focus on system issues, or whether the demands of performance tuning debugging and normal design will force the designer to understand circuits. To discuss these issues, panelists will review opinions on the relative importance of the spectrum from device physics to system architecture.
Protein structure prediction using residue‐ and fragment‐environment potentials in CASP11

An accurate scoring function that can select near-native structure models from a pool of alternative models is key for successful protein structure prediction. For the critical assessment of techniques for protein structure prediction (CASP) 11, we have built a protocol of protein structure prediction that has novel coarse-grained scoring functions for selecting decoys as the heart of its pipeline. The score named PRESCO (Protein Residue Environment SCOre) developed recently by our group evaluates the native-likeness of local structural environment of residues in a structure decoy considering positions and the depth of side-chains of spatially neighboring residues. We also introduced a helix interaction potential as an additional scoring function for selecting decoys. The best models selected by PRESCO and the helix interaction potential underwent structure refinement, which includes side-chain modeling and relaxation with a short molecular dynamics simulation. Our protocol was successful, achieving the top rank in the free modeling category with a significant margin of the accumulated Z-score to the subsequent groups when the top 1 models were considered. Proteins 2016; 84(Suppl 1):105-117. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Effects of open-loop nonlinearity on linearity of feedback amplifiers

A quantitative analysis of the effects of nonlinearity in an open loop amplifier on the linearity of negative feedback amplifiers is presented. Results show that the ratio of the open-loop nonlinearity (OLN) to the closed-loop nonlinearity (CLN) in the presence of varying amounts of secondand third-order nonlinearities in the open loop amplifier is quantified. Results show that for the same amount of nonlinearities in the open loop amplifier, the second-order nonlinearity is suppressed more through feedback than the third-order nonlinearity. The effect of high open loop gain on reducing the nonlinearities through negative feedback is limited.
Thresholds, Injury, and Loss Relationships for Thrips in Phleum pratense (Poales: Poaceae)

Timothy (Phleum pratense L.) is an important forage crop in many Western U.S. states. Marketing of timothy hay is primarily based on esthetics, and green color is an important attribute. The objective of these studies was to determine a relationship between arthropod populations, yield, and esthetic injury in timothy. Economic injury levels (EILs) and economic thresholds were calculated based on these relationships. Thrips (Thripidae) numbers were manipulated with insecticides in small plot studies in 2006, 2007, and 2008, although tetranychid mite levels were incidentally flared by cyfluthrin in some experiments. Arthropod population densities were determined weekly, and yield and esthetic injury were measured at each harvest. Effects of arthropods on timothy were assessed using multilinear regression. Producers were also surveyed to relate economic loss from leaf color to the injury ratings for use in establishing EILs. Thrips population levels were significantly related to yield loss in only one of nine experiments. Thrips population levels were significantly related to injury once before the first annual harvest and twice before the second. Thrips were the most important pest in these experiments, and they were more often related to esthetic injury rather than yield loss. EILs and economic thresholds for thrips population levels were established using esthetic injury data. These results document the first example of a significant relationship between arthropod pest population levels and economic yield and quality losses in timothy.
A COLORIMETRIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF CHYMOTRYPSIN ACTIVITY

The L isomers of esters, amides, and hydrazides of the general formula RCONHCHR1COR2 where R = CH3-, C6H5-, etc., R1 = C6H6CH2-, p-HO-C6H4CH2-, etc., and R2 = -OCH3, -NH2, or -NHNH2, are known to be hydrolyzed by chymotrypsin (l-6). It has now been found that the corresponding hydroxamides, RCONHCHR1CONHOH, where R1 = C6H5CH2-, are also hydrolyzed by this enzyme (Table I). Aside from the obvious usefulness of the above hydroxamides in the further definition of chymotrypsin activity we wish to point out that these latter substrates provide the basis for a simple, sensitive, and rapid calorimetric method for the determination of chymotrypsin activity which can be extended to a number of other proteolytic enzymes.
Proximal Upstream Flanking Sequences Direct Calcium Regulation of the Rat Prolactin Gene

Previous investigations have shown that Ca2+ strongly and specifically stimulates endogenous PRL gene expression by GH3 cells. In this study, addition of Ca2+ to Ca2+-deprived GH3 cells yielded a large (ca. 8-fold) stimulation of transient expression of a transfected PRL-chloramphenical acetyltransferase (CAT) construct containing ca. 1 kilobase-pair of the PRL promoter region, but only a slight (≤2-fold) nonspecific stimulation of CAT activity directed by any of three control promoters: dihydrofolate reductase, Rous sarcoma virus, or thymidine kinase. In GH3 cells never deprived of Ca2+, expression of a PRL-CAT construct was specifically stimulated and inhibited, respectively, by the dihydropyridine voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel modulators Bay K8644 and nimodipine; Ca2+ can thus regulate expression of an exogenous PRL promoter in cells incubated under physiological Ca2+ conditions. By employing a combined protocol, in which Ca2+-deprived cells are exposed to Ca2+ in the presence of Bay K8644, a very lar...
Chemical, Physical, and Risk Characterization of Natural Gas Storage Produced Waters

Natural gas storage produced waters (NGSPWs) are brought to the surface when natural gas is reclaimed from underground storage. These waters may have a variety of constituents of concern that need to be treated before the water can be reused or discharged to receiving aquatic systems. The objective of this study was to characterize NGSPWs to discern potential constituents of concern that may limit surface discharge or beneficial reuse of these waters. We conducted a strategic review of literature, analyses of produced water composition records, and analyses of produced water samples provided by natural gas storage companies. Although NGSPWs varied widely in composition, primary constituents of concern included: chlorides (salinity), metals, metalloids, and organic compounds (e.g. oil and grease). Chlorides are the predominant constituent of concern in most NGSPWs. Strategies for risk mitigation of NGSPWs will need to be both robust and site specific to deal with the diverse composition of these waters.
Bone structure and turnover in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Summary We compared skeletal parameters in type 2 diabetic (T2DM) and non-diabetic postmenopausal women. Bone structure by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and HR-pQCT was not different, although procollagen type 1 amino-terminal propeptide (P1NP) and osteocalcin levels were lower in T2DM.
TU‐C‐210A‐05: Enhancement Characteristics of Cancer On MRI of the Breast and Biopsy Techniques

MRI of the breast is a highly sensitive technique for finding breast cancer. Suspicious findings include masses with an early rapid enhancement and a late plateau or washout. When suspicious findings are found on MRI, breast biopsy is done with vacuum‐assisted core devices or preoperative needle localization. This presentation will review state‐of‐the‐art findings diagnostic of cancer and review MRI‐guided biopsy techniques. Learning Objectives: 1. To learn MRI features of cancer. 2. To identify methods of MRI‐guided biopsy. 3. To learn limitations of MRI for finding cancer.
Alcohol-preferring (P) rats are more sensitive than Wistar rats to the reinforcing effects of cocaine self-administered directly into the nucleus accumbens shell.

Wistar rats will self-administer cocaine directly into the nucleus accumbens shell (AcbSh), but not into the nucleus accumbens core. In human and animal literature, there is a genetic association between alcoholism and cocaine dependency. The current experiment examined whether selective breeding for high alcohol preference is also associated with greater sensitivity of the AcbSh to the reinforcing properties of cocaine. P and Wistar rats were given cocaine (0, 100, 200, 400, or 800 pmol/100 nl) to self-infuse into the AcbSh. Rats were given cocaine for the first 4 sessions (acquisition), artificial CSF for sessions 5 and 6 (extinction), and cocaine again in session 7 (reinstatement). During acquisition, P rats self-infused 200–800 pmol cocaine (59 infusions/session), whereas Wistar rats only reliably self-infused 800 pmol cocaine (38 infusions/session). Furthermore, P rats received a greater number of cocaine infusions in the 200, 400 and 800 pmol cocaine groups compared to respective Wistar groups during acquisition. Both P and Wistar rats reduced responding on the active lever when aCSF was substituted for cocaine, and reinstated responding in session 7 when cocaine was restored. However, P rats had significantly greater infusions during session 7 compared to session 4 at all concentrations of cocaine tested, whereas Wistar rats only displayed greater infusions during session 7 compared to session 4 at the 400 and 800 pmol cocaine concentrations. The present results suggest that, compared to Wistar rats, the AcbSh of P rats was more sensitive to the reinforcing effects of cocaine. The reinstatement data suggest that the AcbSh of P rats may have become sensitized to the reinforcing effects of cocaine. Overall, the findings from this study support a genetic association between high alcohol preference and greater sensitivity to the reinforcing effects of cocaine.
Neurologic disease with pregnancy and considerations for the obstetric anesthesiologist

Women with neurologic conditions present a challenge during pregnancy and in the peripartum period. Given the low prevalence of these diseases during pregnancy, most management decisions are guided by retrospective reviews and case reports. This article reviews current literature for some of the more common or complex neurologic conditions affecting pregnancy with special consideration for anesthetic management. In particular, epilepsy; multiple sclerosis; primary intracranial hypertension; secondary intracranial hypertension-Arnold-Chiari malformations and intracranial neoplasms; spinal cord injury; neuromuscular junction disorders-myasthenia gravis; and hereditary neuromuscular disorders-myotonic dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy will be discussed. By increasing understanding of anesthetic issues for parturients with neurologic disease, providers may more effectively anticipate anesthetic considerations, thereby optimizing care plans.
Risks and costs of a treatment litigation: Focus on the family

Decision-making in special educational settings is always based on an implicit process of assessing risks, costs, and benefits of proposed alternative program options. We urge decision-makers to make the process explicit. The hidden costs of IEP decisions are discussed in the context of the question of using aversive procedures to treat severe destructive behavior. Some agency decisions result in significant cost transfer to or generation of risks and costs for families. The experiences of one family involved in a due process proceeding with a school system are examined for evidence of burdensome psychological, social and financial consequences.
Work in progress — Hands-on learning of fundamental concepts in electromagnetic fields

A pedagogical approach of hands-on learning that has formed the foundation of the nontraditional circuits and electronics laboratory courses at Virginia Tech (VT) is now being applied to enhance the learning in what has been a series of highly mathematical courses on abstract theory on electromagnetic fields. A set of experiments that demonstrate basic concepts in electromagnetic (EM) fields has been developed for a two-semester course sequence that is offered in the junior year of the Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering at VT. The experiments are designed to reinforce concepts on electric and magnetic fields and propagation of electromagnetic waves to promote student comprehension, depth of learning, and application of the fundamental concepts in electromagnetic fields. The experiments were introduced into the curriculum during the 2010/2011 academic year. An initial assessment of the experiments has been conducted, which indicates that students value the learning opportunity to translate the abstract concepts into practice.
The Social Virtues: Two Accounts

Social (epistemic) virtues are the virtues bound up with those forms of inquiry involved in social routes to knowledge. A thoroughly individualistic account of the social virtues endorses two claims: (1) we can fully characterize the nature of the social virtues independent of the social factors that are typically in play when these virtues are exemplified, and (2) even when a subject’s route to knowledge is social, the only epistemic virtues that are relevant to her acquisition of knowledge are those she herself possesses. A social (or anti-individualistic) account of the social virtues, by contrast, denies one or both of these claims. I will offer some reasons for thinking that the individualistic account is not acceptable, and that one or the other social account provides a better understanding of the social virtues. The argument is not decisive, but it does suggest that the social dimension of social epistemic virtues is not fully characterizable in individualistic terms.
Erratum: Radiative corrections to neutrino-induced neutral-current phenomena in the SU(2)L x U(1) theory

Weak corrections of order $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ to $\ensuremath{\nu}$-induced neutral-current phenomena are studied in the $\mathrm{SU}{(2)}_{L}\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}\mathrm{U}(1)$ theory. Calculations are carried out using a simple renormalization framework in which ${cos\ensuremath{\theta}}_{W}=\frac{{m}_{W}}{{m}_{z}}$ exactly and amplitudes are expressed in terms of ${G}_{\ensuremath{\mu}}$, the universal constant of the weak interactions obtained from muon decay. To rigorously evaluate corrections to hadronic vertices, we employ the current-algebra formulation of radiative corrections. Our main emphasis is on large-momentum-transfer processes such as deep-inelastic scattering; however, we also discuss low-momentum transfers and $\ensuremath{\nu}$-lepton interactions. We find that the weak radiative corrections to $\ensuremath{\nu}$-hadron neutral-current scattering give rise to a universal renormalization factor ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\mathrm{Nc}}^{(\ensuremath{\nu};h)}$ multiplying the overall amplitude, a correction factor ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{(\ensuremath{\nu};h)}({q}^{2})$ multiplying ${{sin}^{2}\ensuremath{\theta}}_{W}$, and two new induced currents not present at the tree level. For nonexotic values of ${m}_{{\ensuremath{\varphi}}_{1}}$ (Higgs-scalar mass) and ${m}_{t}$ $t$-quark mass), the corrections ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\mathrm{Nc}}^{(\ensuremath{\nu};h)}$- 1 and ${\ensuremath{\kappa}}^{(\ensuremath{\nu};h)}({q}^{2})$- 1 turn out to be small over a wide range of momentum transfers. The smallness of these corrections is mainly due to the renormalization framework employed; but it is helped by a subtle partial cancellation between hadronic and bosonic contributions. Photonic corrections to the hadronic vertices are also briefly discussed in the leading-logarithm approximation of the quark-parton model. Detailed expressions for the $\mathrm{ZZ}$, $\mathrm{WW}$, $\ensuremath{\gamma}Z$, and $\ensuremath{\gamma}\ensuremath{\gamma}$ self-energies along with a discussion of the effect of large ${m}_{t}$ on these quantities are given. They play an important role in our renormalization scheme and are useful in the study of radiative corrections to many other processes of physical interest.
Heterodimer requirement for gene regulation by Vitamin D in variant OK cells

Abstract OK cells are a transformed cell line derived from opossum kidney proximal tubule cells. Prior studies have utilized this cell line to study both positive and negative transcriptional responses to Vitamin D. However, there was a noticeable decrease in sensitivity on the part of these cells to respond to Vitamin D treatment in transfection assays, particularly when assessing transcriptional activity from a heterologous promoter construct that used the chicken parathyroid hormone (cPTH) repressor Vitamin D response element (VDRE). Western blotting revealed the apparently diminished expression of both the Vitamin D receptor (VDR) together with its heterodimeric DNA-binding partner, the retinoid X receptor (RXR), in these cellular extracts. Co-transfection of either a VDR or RXR expression vector alone had little effect on hormone-dependent enhancer transcriptional activity from the human osteocalcin (hOC) reporter construct, or the degree of repression from the cPTH construct. Indeed, significant effects on repressor or enhancer activity were only observed in these cells when expression vectors for both the VDR and RXR were simultaneously introduced into the cells via transfection experiments. Analogous results were obtained irrespective of the identity of RXR isoform; co-transfection of either RXRα or RXRβ expression vectors together with the VDR-produced similar improvements in repressor activity. Titration of Vitamin D hormone under conditions of co-expression of the two receptors indicated that half-maximal responses were comparable for both VDREs and occurred at
Tilt modulus and angle-dependent flux lattice melting in the lowest Landau level approximation

For a clean $\mathrm{high}{\ensuremath{-}T}_{c}$ superconductor, we analyze the Lawrence-Doniach free energy in a tilted magnetic field within the lowest Landau level approximation. The free energy maps onto that of a strictly c-axis field, but with a reduced interlayer coupling. We use this result to calculate the tilt modulus ${C}_{44}$ of a vortex lattice and vortex liquid. The vortex contribution to ${C}_{44}$ can be expressed in terms of the squared c-axis Josephson plasmon frequency ${\ensuremath{\omega}}_{\mathrm{pl}}^{2}.$ The transverse component of the field has very little effect on the position of the melting curve.
The valuation significance of exit values: A contingent-claim analysis*

. The owner of an asset can abandon its use for resale value provided that a secondary market exists for the asset. The abandonment alternative adds a standby value to the asset. This paper studies the implications of the abandonment alternative for asset valuation. The basic idea is that a real asset can be likened to a call option on the larger of the asset's use value or its exit value. It is shown that a real asset can be valued as the sum of its discounted operating cash flows (or savings) and a put option on the operating cash flows, with an exercise price equal to the asset's exit value. This makes asset exit values relevant to the valuation of the firm's assets and liabilities. The valuation relevance of exit values in four settings, loan guarantees, mergers, spinoffs, and asset substitutions, is illustrated. Resume. Le proprietaire d'un bien peut en ceder l'utilisation en contrepartie de sa valeur de revente, a condition qu'il existe un marche secondaire pour le bien en question. Cette possibilite de cession ajoute au bien une valeur d'usage. L'auteur etudie les consequences de cette possibilite de cession sur l'evaluation du bien. Fondamentalement, un bien reel peut etre assimile a une option d'achat sur la plus elevee de deux valeurs: la valeur d'usage du bien ou sa valeur de sortie. L'auteur demontre qu'un bien reel peut etre evalue comme etant la somme des flux monetaires (ou des economies) actualises tires de son exploitation et d'une option de vente sur les flux monetaires tires de l'exploitation, avec un prix de levee egal a la valeur de sortie du bien. Ainsi les valeurs de sortie des biens sont-elles pertinentes a l'evaluation des elements d'actif et de passif de l'entreprise. Cette pertinence des valeurs de sortie est illustree dans quatre cas: les garanties d'emprunt, les fusions, les dedoublements et les substitutions de biens.
A new building block for electroactive organic materials? Synthesis, cyclic voltammetry, single crystal X-ray structure, and DFT treatment of a unique boron-based viologen

A boronium-based paraquat analog undergoes reductions at more negative potentials than paraquat itself, making it a promising building block for electroactive materials.
MANAGEMENT OF LARGE CITY REGIONS: DESIGNING EFFICIENT METROPOLITAN FISCAL POLICIES*

Metropolitan areas (MSAs) are the location of the great majority of economic activity in the United States, and the largest produce a disproportionate share of output. It is thus critical for the economy's long-term growth that large cities operate efficiently. In this paper, we briefly review the sources of productivity growth in cities. We then discuss the costs and benefits of political decentralization in large MSAs. After documenting the interdependence of the suburbs and central cities in large MSA, we develop a model that embodies many of the empirically verified aspects, including agglomeration economies and public goods. After calibrating the model to actual outcomes in a representative city, we simulate the effects of various kinds of fiscal redistributions. We conclude that, under the model, some kinds of fiscal redistributions can provide benefits in both cities and suburbs.
Effect of ischemic postconditioning on left ventricular function and infarct size

Study objectives: Intermittent brief preconditioning ischemia has been shown to partially protect myocardium from future ischemic injury. Recently, several investigators have proposed that intermittent brief regional ischemia after a prolonged ischemic event, so-called ischemic postconditioning, may also reduce myocardial damage. We determine whether ischemic postconditioning reduces injury in an isolated rabbit heart model of global cardiac ischemia. Methods: Rabbit hearts were excised and placed on a modified Langendorff apparatus. After a 30-minute period of stabilization, baseline hemodynamics were recorded. All hearts then underwent a 30-minute period of global ischemia. On completion of the 30-minute period of test ischemia, hearts received either ischemic postconditioning (15 to 60 seconds of normal flow followed by 15 to 60 seconds of no flow, for a total of 9 episodes) or standard continuous reperfusion without postconditioning (controls). All hearts were reperfused for a total of 3 hours. Postreperfusion infarct size was determined by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining. Results: At the end of reperfusion, baseline left ventricular developed pressure returned to 51%±11% of its baseline value in control hearts, which was not significantly different than seen in postconditioned hearts (60%±9%, P >.05 by Student's t test). The left ventricular functional data mimicked that obtained from TTC staining, in which control and postconditioning left ventricular infarct sizes were not significantly different (21%±9% and 28%±14% respectively). Conclusion: In contrast to the findings of others, this investigation does not support the hypothesis that postconditioning reduces myocardial injury after a prolonged ischemic event.
KNπ final states in K+p interactions at 7.3 GeV/c☆

Abstract Data are presented on the production of the KN π final states in K + p interactions at 7.3 GeV/ c . The energy dependence of the KN π final state cross sections, the effective-mass distributions, and the spectra of c.m. longitudinal momenta are given, and features of these data are compared with predictions of the generalized Veneziano (GV) model. Furthermore, we present the momentum transfer and decay angular distributions for K ∗ (890), K ∗ (1420) and Δ (1236) production within the KN π final states and discuss these quasi-two-body reactions in terms of the GV model.
Parallel Algorithms for Counting and Randomly Generating Integer Partitions

This paper presents parallel algorithms for determining the number of partitions of a given integerN, where the partitions may be subject to restrictions, such as being composed of distinct parts, of a given number of parts, and/or of parts belonging to a specified set. We present a series of adaptive algorithms suitable for varying numbers of processors. The fastest of these algorithms computes the number of partitions ofnwith largest part equal tok, for 1 ?k?n?N, in timeO(log2(N)) usingO(N2/logN) processors. Parallel logarithmic time algorithms that generate partitions uniformly at random, using these quantities, are also presented.
Prevalence and Significance of Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children With Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a common disease of childhood with a current prevalence of almost 2 cases per 1000 adolescents, according to the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Modern insulin treatment has resulted in improved quality of life for children with this chronic disorder. However, T1D continues to carry a long-term burden of increased microvascular and macrovascular complications and mortality risk. Compared to the nondiabetic population, patients with T1D are more likely to have >or=1 cardiovascular risk factor and often at an earlier age. Since the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors increases with age in young persons with T1D, there is a clear need for early screening and counseling to prevent their occurrence and manage long-term health ramifications. The purpose of this review is to describe how traditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease such as an abnormal lipid profile, hypertension, obesity, and insulin resistance contribute to the accelerated atherosclerosis seen in young persons with T1D. A summary is given of the guidelines and recommendations published for clinical care for these patients.
The Heisenberg Relation { Mathematical Formulations ?

We study some of the possibilities for formulating the Heisenberg relation of quantum mechanics in mathematical terms. In particular, we examine the framework dis- cussed by Murray and von Neumann, the family (algebra) of operators affiliated with a finite factor (of infinite linear dimension).