cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Burns in Older Patients

An increasing percentage of the burn victims admitted to the Western Pennsylvania Hospital and Burn Care Center are aged 65 or older. Among 108 such elderly patients admitted during the past six years, 68 died and 40 survived--a mortality rate of 63 percent. Those who died of burns (average age 76.4) had burns over 44.8 percent of the mean body surface, whereas the survivors (average age 73.5) had burns over a smaller area (16.7 percent). Survival also was related to the presence of significant heart and lung disease which antedated the thermal injury. Treatment of the burns was in keeping with standard recommendations for intravenous fluid resuscitation, wound care, and skin grafting. Cimetadine and antacids proved effective in the prevention of significant gastrointestinal bleeding. Ninety percent of the survivors returned to their homes after treatment. Although the mortality for elderly burn patients remains high, the favorable results in rehabilitation of the survivors are encouraging. Increased attention should be paid to safety programs for the elderly and those who care for them to prevent such serious accidental injuries.
Ameliorating culture shock in Japanese expatriate children in the US

Abstract This study identifies the variables that may predict the level of culture shock, grades in school, and anxiety level over returning to Japan among 240 Japanese expatriate students living in southern California. The students attended an American school on the weekdays, and a Japanese supplementary school on Saturdays. The study showed that the most effective predictors for the mitigation of culture shock, higher grades in American school, higher grades in Japanese school and anxiety over returning to Japan were, respectively, the perceived favorableness of the relationship with American teachers and friends, high self-rating of their English language proficiency, perceived favorable relationship with their Japanese teacher, and a favorable perception of their father's English language proficiency. These findings may be useful to parents, and to Japanese and American teachers, in assisting students to make a less-stressful transition between home and host cultures. Also, this study indicates the possibility of a new phase in the study of culture shock which focuses on the role of family members and others routinely encountered outside the home in the reduction of culture shock.
Mechanisms of Cloud-Radiation Interaction in the Tropics and Midlatitudes

Abstract Radiative forcing and latent heat associated with precipitation are the two most important diabatic processes that drive the circulation of the atmosphere. Clouds can affect radiation and vice versa. It is known that longwave radiative processes can enhance precipitation in cloud systems. This paper concentrates on determining the relative importance of three specific longwave radiative mechanisms by comparing cloud-resolving models with and without one or more of these processes. Three of the ways that longwave radiation is thought to interact with clouds are as follows: 1) cloud-top cooling and cloud-base warming may alter the thermal stratification of cloud layers, 2) differential cooling between clear and cloudy regions might enhance convergence into the cloud system, and 3) large-scale cooling could change the environment. A two-dimensional version of the Goddard Cumulus Ensemble model has been used to perform a series of sensitivity tests to identify which is the dominant cloud-radiative fo...
THE SEX CYCLE OF A NORMAL WOMAN1

HE IMPORTANCE of determining the hormonal output of normal women hardly needs to be emphasised. To the clinician attempting to diagnose abnormalities of sexual functions on this basis, the establishment of normal values is essential. Insofar as this approach may contribute to our knowl-edge of reproductive physiology, especially to the much-debated question of the time of ovulation, it is of practical concern to many. No doubt other meth-ods, uterine motility tests, biopsies and laparotomy findings will provide needed information; nevertheless, the method of urine assays is a promising one. The three types of hormones primarily involved, gonadotropin, estrogens and progestin (as pregnan-diol), are excreted in the urine and their concentrations may be followed. Further, long-time studies on the same subject are possible only by this method. As is true in so many studies of this sort, the establishment of the ‘normal’ presents difficulties. The fact of individual variation in all functions, plus the admitte...
Phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis in castor bean endosperm. Mechanisms of regulation during the immediate postgermination period

Abstract Changes in phosphatidylcholine content, lipid precursor incorporation and lipid biosynthetic enzyme activities were observed in castor bean endosperms during a six day postgermination period. The metabolism of phosphatidylcholine was regulated independently of other phospholipids, as evidenced by the ratio of phosphatidylcholine to total phospholipid not being constant during development. The main pathway for phosphatidylcholine biosynthesis was the nucleotide pathway, although studies with labelled glycerol-3-phosphate suggested that the diacylglycerol for this pathway was not synthesized de novo, but probably obtained by degradation of pre-existing lipids. The control of the nucleotide pathway appears to reside in choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase and choline phosphotransferase, the activities of which were coordinated, but not in choline kinase. The cytidylyltransferase is regulated in part by translocation of the soluble form of the enzyme to the endoplasmic reticulum, but this regulation could not account for all of the observed changes in phosphatidylcholine synthesis.
Polarized Infrared Absorption Spectrum of Matrix-Isolated Methylperoxyl Radicals, CH3OO X∼2A` `†

We have used a tandem pair of supersonic nozzles to produce clean samples of CH3OO radicals in cryogenic matrices. One hyperthermal nozzle decomposes azomethane (CH3NNCH3) to generate intense pulses of CH3 radicals, While the second nozzle alternately fires a burst Of O-2/Ar at the 20 K matrix. The CH3/O-2/20 K argon radical sandwich acts to produce target methylperoxyl radicals: CH3 + O-2 --> CH3OO. The absorption spectra of the radicals are monitored with a Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. We report 10 of the 12 fundamental infrared bands of the methylperoxyl radical CH3OO, (X) over tilde (2)A", in an argon matrix at 20 K. The experimental frequencies (cm(-1)) and polarizations follow: the a' modes are 3032, 2957, 1448, 1410, 1180, 1109, 90, 492, while the a" modes are 3024 and 1434. We cannot detect the asymmetric CH3 rocking mode, nu(11), nor the torsion, nu(12). The infrared spectra of (CH3OO)-O-18-O-18, (CH3OO)-C-13, and CD3OO have been measured as well in order to determine the isotopic shifts. The experimental frequencies, {nu}, for the methylperoxyl radicals are compared to harmonic frequencies, {omega}, resulting from a UB3LYP/6-311G(d,p) electronic structure calculation. Linear dichroism spectra were measured with photooriented radical samples in order to establish the experimental polarizations of most vibrational bands. The methylperoxyl radical matrix frequencies listed above are within +/-2% of the gas-phase vibrational frequencies. A final set of vibrational frequencies for the H radical, are recommended. See also http://ellison.colorado.edu/methylperoxyl.
FlowChecker: Detecting Bugs in MPI Libraries via Message Flow Checking

Many MPI libraries have suffered from software bugs, which severely impact the productivity of a large number of users. This paper presents a new method called FlowChecker for detecting communication-related bugs inMPI libraries. The main idea is to extract program intentions of message passing (MPintentions), and to check whether theseMP-intentions are fulfilled correctly by the underlying MPI libraries, i.e., whether messages are delivered correctly from specified sources to specified destinations. If not, FlowChecker reports the bugs and provides diagnostic information. We have built a FlowChecker prototype on Linux and evaluated it with five real-world bug cases in three widely-used MPI libraries, including Open MPI, MPICH2, and MVAPICH2. Our experimental results show that FlowChecker effectively detects all five evaluated bug cases and provides useful diagnostic information. Additionally, our experiments with HPL and NPB show that FlowChecker incurs low runtime overhead (0.9-9.7% on three MPI libraries).
Why Kill the Golden Goose? A Political-Economy Model of Export Taxation

Why do governments tax exports at rates that are ultimately self-defeating? An answer may lie in the time-inconsistent nature of a low-tax policy. Using a dynamic model of export taxation, I show that the sustainability of a low-tax policy depends on three variables: the ratio of sunk costs to total costs, how heavily future export revenue is discounted, and expected future export earnings. Using data on taxation, leadership duration, and profitability, I test this theory for 32 countries and six crops from Sub-Saharan Africa. These three variables are statistically and economically relevant predictors of tax regime.
Inhibition of pituitary tumors in Rb mutant chimeras through E2f4 loss reveals a key suppressive role for the pRB/E2F pathway in urothelium and ganglionic carcinogenesis.

The retinoblastoma protein pRB suppresses tumorigenesis largely through regulation of the E2F transcription factors. E2F4, the most abundant E2F protein, is thought to act in cooperation with pRB to restrain cell proliferation. In this study, we analyse how loss of E2f4 affects the tumorigenicity of pRB-deficient tissues. As Rb−/−;E2f4−/− germline mice die in utero, we generated Rb−/−;E2f4−/− chimeric animals to allow examination of adult tumor phenotypes. We found that loss of E2f4 had a differential effect on known Rb-associated neuroendocrine tumors. It did not affect thyroid and adrenal glands tumors but partially suppressed lung neuroendocrine hyperplasia. The most striking effect was in the pituitary where E2F4 loss delayed the development, and reduced the incidence, of Rb mutant tumors. This tumor suppression increased the longevity of the Rb−/−;E2f4−/− chimeric animals allowing us to identify novel tumor types. We observed ganglionic neuroendocrine neoplasms, lesions not associated earlier with mutation of either Rb or E2f4. Moreover, a subset of the Rb−/−;E2f4−/− chimeras developed either low- or high-grade carcinomas in the urothelium transitional epithelium supporting a key role for Rb in bladder cancer.
Current status of gene therapy for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains a widespread and difficult disease to treat. Surgical resection offers the possibility of cure in a select few. However, most patients are not eligible, and conventional chemotherapy and radiation remain largely ineffective. Despite this, our understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease has advanced considerably over the past few decades. These findings provide the basis for the development of much needed new therapeutic modalities. Specifically, the application of new recombinant DNA technology and techniques to pancreatic cancer has yielded promising results. This paper reviews our current understanding of the molecular biology of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and its applications to the field of gene therapy.
Some recent developments in “integrated electronics”

Integrated electronics is the new frontier in the development of the electronics industry. It characterizes microsystems in which the number of parts are considerably less than the number of equivalent components. Some of the steps in the development of microsystems leading to the process of integrated electronics are briefly described and illustrated by several working devices.
The relationship of the major murine histocompatibility region associated IA antigens to mitogen responses.

Abstract Genes located in the I region of the H-2 complex control a system of lymphocyte alloantigens (Ia) which are expressed on subpopulations of T and B cells. Specific anti-Ia serum plus rabbit complement removed the B-lymphocyte population responsive to the mitogen LPS and the subpopulation of T cells responsive to Con-A. Lymphocytes sensitive to PHA or leucoagglutinin were not removed by anti-Ia serum and complement. Significant inhibition of the proliferative response to LPS was also obtained by brief periods of cell pretreatment with anti-Ia antibodies without complement. This inhibition was specific with the appropriate anti-Ia serum and did not occur with anti-H-2K sera or when cells of a different I region were pretreated.
Stereotypes and Prejudice Their Overt and Subtle Influence in the Classroom

The authors examine overt and subtle forms of stereotyping and prejudice. Two theories that explain overt prejudice are reviewed: realistic conflict theory and social identity theory. Although overt prejudice seems to have declined, subtle stereotyping is still pervasive. The authors review one theory, aversive racism theory, that explains this phenomenon. They also discuss two perspectives, attributional ambiguity and stereotype threat, which provide accounts of the impact of subtle racism. Both overt and subtle prejudice present challenges for the classroom. The authors describe one intervention called the jigsaw classroom that encourages work toward common goals and helps reduce the expression and impact of overt discrimination. A second intervention program, wise schooling, is presented, which aims to reduce the impact of subtle stereotypes by reducing stereotype threat.
Self-consistent Hartree-Fock approach for interacting bosons in optical lattices

A theoretical study of interacting bosons in a periodic optical lattice is presented. Instead of the commonly used tight-binding approach (applicable near the Mott-insulating regime of the phase diagram), the present work starts from the exact single-particle states of bosons in a cubic optical lattice, satisfying the Mathieu equation, an approach that can be particularly useful at large boson fillings. The effects of short-range interactions are incorporated using a self-consistent Hartree-Fock approximation, and predictions for experimental observables such as the superfluid transition temperature, condensate fraction, and boson momentum distribution are presented.
ADICIONES A LOS ALGORITMOS DE ARBOLES DE DECISION PARA CLASIFICACION Y MINERIA DE DATOS EN BASES DE DATOSGRANDES Y DISTRIBUIDAS

Este articulo describe algoritmos clasicos y eficientes para construir arboles de decision para muestras de datos, ya sea directamente o incrementalmente, y como mejorarlos con extensiones algoritmicas para hacerlos escalables y utiles para su aplicacion en conjuntos grandes de datos. Asi, nos hacemos utiles para mineria de datos en grandes bases de datos. Primero, mostramos los algoritmos basicos y sus problemas principales. Despues, presentamos nuevas modificaciones que los hacen adecuados para grandes conjuntos de datos. Segundo, mostramos algoritmos distribuidos para tratar con grandes y distribuidas bases de datos.
Design of self-compensating power-flow controller for energy storage system to enhance frequency stability in islanded power systems

In this paper, a self-compensating power-flow controller for energy storage system (ESS) is designed to enhance frequency stability in islanded power systems (IPS). With this novel controller for ESS, the transient frequency oscillation can be grandly limited in IPS. It helps to greatly improve power system stability, including the frequency oscillation caused by step loads in a power system with finite power capacity. The errors from preset control parameters and measurements in the controller can be automatically self-compensated to avoid energy leakage from ESS and thus save lifetime of ESS. The principle, architecture, and parameterization of the proposed controller are investigated and analyzed. The effectiveness of the designed self-compensating power-flow controller has been verified by simulations in a system model of a multisource IPS. Also, the reliability and implementation issues about this controller's application in ESS are discussed.
Upper Extremity Compartment Syndrome in the Setting of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Phlegmasia Cerulea Dolens: Case Report

Forearm compartment syndrome is an uncommon but emergent condition that can threaten limb and life. An uncommon cause of compartment syndrome is deep venous thrombosis, usually in the setting of phlegmasia cerulea dolens of the lower extremity. We present a case of compartment syndrome secondary to venous occlusion of the upper extremity due to phlegmasia cerulea dolens in a patient with metastatic lung cancer.
Ultrasonic determination of hepatomegaly

Retrospective evaluation of abdominal ultrasound examinations were made in 36 patients who came to autopsy within 1 month after the ultrasound study. Without knowledge of clinical or autopsy data, two observers made independent determinations of the midhepatic line measurement of the liver on the ultrasound study using supine and left lateral decubitus longitudinal scans. Autopsy determination of hepatomegaly was made using hepatic weight, patient's total body weight, and patient age correlated with pertinent clinical history. Results of the autopsy/ultrasound correlation demonstrated that those livers measuring 13.0 cm or less in the midhepatic line (both supine and left lateral decubitus positions) were normal in 93% of the cases. Similarly, it was demonstrated that when the liver measured 15.5 cm or greater, it was enlarged in 75% of the cases. Used together, these two criteria result in an 87% accuracy rate in determining the presence or absence of hepatomegaly. Approximately 25% of the cases in our study fell into the borderline category of 13.0-15.5 cm.
A Rational System of Design Patent Remedies

A design patent owner who wins her suit is entitled to the defendant's entire profit from the sale of the product, whether or not the design was the basis for buying the product. No other IP regime has this rule, and it makes no sense in the modern world, where a design may cover only a small component of a valuable product. The culprit is section 289 of the Patent Act, a provision added in the nineteenth century, when design patents were very different than they are today. We should abolish section 289 and bring rationality to design patent remedies.
Preparation of Cooked Egg White, Egg Yolk, and Whole Egg Gels for Scanning Electron Microscopy

Cooked egg white, egg yolk, and whole egg gels, fixed with glutaraldehyde or unfixed, were frozen at - 35°C or at - 95°C and freeze-dried. Alternatively, unfrozen gels fixed with glutaraldehyde, os-mium-thiocarbohydrazide-osmium, or osmium-tannic acid-uranyl acetate were dehydrated in ethanol and critical point-dried from carbon dioxide. Egg yolk and whole egg gels were defatted. Freeze-dried and critical point-dried gels were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Freezing and freeze-drying introduced artifacts due to ice crystal damage, with egg white gels distorted most, and egg yolk gels distorted least. Gels fixed only by glutaraldehyde shrank by 50% during critical point drying. Further fixation by osmium tetroxide and uranyl acetate stabilized gels against shrinkage. Removal of fat from egg yolk and whole egg was essential for observation of protein matrices.
Prescriptions for efficiency in nonprofit firms

(1979). Prescriptions for efficiency in nonprofit firms. Applied Economics: Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 321-332.
Effects of stochastic traffic flow model on expected system performance

In 2010 Naval Surface Warfare Center - Panama City Division (NSWC-PCD) developed a System Performance and Layered Analysis Tool (SPLAT) that evaluates candidate threat detection systems. Given a sensor deployment pattern, SPLAT combines sensor performances, scenario data, and pedestrian flow to analytically compute expected probability of detection (pd) and false alarm (pfa). Because the 2010 pedestrian flow model describes all possible trips through the detection area as straight-line paths, SPLAT can enumerate all possible trips and explicitly determine the maximum pd along each trip. NSWC-PCD's new 2011 flow model now accommodates stochastic pedestrian motion defined as a Markov process. However, stochastic flow modeling has created a combinatorial explosion; there are now too many paths to explicitly enumerate. Addressing this problem, NSWC-PCD has developed a unique expected maximum probability technique which approximates results obtained by enumerating all possible paths while still preserving spatial correlations created by sensor deployment patterns.
Picosecond Photon-Solid Interaction

Some of the fundamental aspects of pulsed laser interactions with semiconductors are reviewed within the frame of recent experimental work with picosecond laser pulses. Main emphasis is placed on data obtained in space-time resolved measurements of transmission and reflectivity of picosecond pulse irradiated silicon at different probing wavelengths. Four distinct interaction regimes can be defined, depending on the fluence of the laser pulse. Special attention is devoted to the phase transition from solid to liquid state at the surface. The optical heating model is found to be valid even on a time scale of picoseconds. Firm data of the electron-hole plasma density and lattice temperature are derived. The thermal nature of the phase transition is confirmed.
Subchronic exposure of BALB/c and C57BL/6 strains of Mus musculus to the radioactive environment of the Chornobyl, Ukraine exclusion zone

2x3 initial frequencies. In BALB/c mice, an increase in MN was also evident at day 30 ( 5 10.38, p 5 0.006). The experimental 2 x2 design employed here allows for the incorporation of traditional laboratory strains, as well as transgenic strains of Mus, as sentinels of environmental radiation contamination.
Silicon microring filters

Detailed performance of silicon microring filters is analyzed, including amplitude, phase, bandwidth and free spectral range. With experiments and simulations, we show that unavoidable trade-off must be taken among these parameters.
Home, Work and the Shifting Geographies of Care

“The current crisis in home care suggests we must meet immediately to discuss how Ontario can best meet its commitment to all those who require home care services and to the workers who provide the...
Cognitive Deficits in Huntington's Disease: Insights from Animal Models

Although Huntington’s disease (HD) is commonly recognized as a movement disorder, cognitive dysfunction is an intrinsic feature of the disease that often manifests before the onset of chorea. Neuronal loss has been demonstrated in anatomical regions known to be substrates of learning and memory, but cell loss is presaged by functional alterations. Changes in long-term synaptic plasticity, a substrate of memory processes, emerge in cognitive domains such as the hippocampus, the cortex, and the striatum. Insights from animal models provide mechanistic explanations of how long-term synaptic plasticity is altered in these regions. Glutamate and dopamine receptors play a crucial role in such changes and progress in this area of investigation has made significant strides in recent years. Based on these discoveries, novel therapies are being developed to improve clinical outcomes and ameliorate cognitive symptoms of HD.
Molecular Mechanisms of Male Sex Determination

The human testis-determining gene Sry, a single-copy gene on the short arm of the Y chromosome, encodes a high-mobility-group (HMG) box, a DNA-bending motif conserved among architectural transcription factors. The SRY-DNA complex exhibits a dramatic reorganization of the double helix. Although Sry-related Sox genes are of broad interest in relation to development, the mechanistic role of SRY in gene regulation has remained enigmatic. It is not known whether the HMG box is the sole functional domain of the protein. Additional unresolved issues include identification of target genes and interacting proteins. Although sex-reversal mutations commonly impair DNA binding, this correlation is not rigorous and does not exclude alternative regulatory mechanisms, such as possible SRY-directed RNA splicing. New studies of transgenic XX mice expressing chimeric SRY proteins suggest a powerful methodology to investigate structure-function relationships. Progress may benefit from genetic, genomic- and proteomic-based technologies to delineate the downstream pathway of SRY.
Toxic Equine Parkinsonism: An Immunohistochemical Study of 10 Horses With Nigropallidal Encephalomalacia

Chronic ingestion of yellow star thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) or Russian knapweed (Acroptilon repens) causes nigropallidal encephalomalacia (NPE) in horses with an abrupt onset of neurologic signs characterized by dystonia of lips and tongue, inability to prehend food, depression, and locomotor deficits. The objectives of this study were to reexamine the pathologic alterations of NPE and to conduct an immunohistochemistry study using antibodies to tyrosine hydroxylase and α-synuclein, to determine whether NPE brains show histopathologic features resembling those in human Parkinson disease. Results confirm that the NPE lesions are located within the substantia nigra pars reticulata, sparing the cell bodies of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, and in the rostral portion of the globus pallidus, with partial disruption of dopaminergic (tyrosine hydroxylase-positive) fibers passing through the globus pallidus. No abnormal cytoplasmic inclusions like the Lewy bodies of human Parkinson disease were seen in these NPE brains. These findings indicate that equine NPE may serve as a large animal model of environmentally acquired toxic parkinsonism, with clinical phenotype directly attributable to lesions in globus pallidus and substantia nigra pars reticulata rather than to the destruction of dopaminergic neurons.
Intentions to quit smoking: causal attribution, perceived illness severity, and event-related fear during an acute health event.

Background Experiencing a serious consequence related to one’s health behavior may motivate behavior change.
P-N junction lasers

A review of p-n junction injection lasers is presented. The literature published up to November, 1963, is fairly completely covered as well as a number of preprints. Also, included in the end is a section covering "recent work."
Wavelets: a general overview

Summary form only given, as follows. The Heisenberg group and its representation theory plays an important role in the theory of Gabor expansions, ambiguity functions and Wigner distributions and wavelets built from translations in time and frequency. A multiplicative Heisenberg group whose representation theory can be used to study affine group wavelets and wideband ambiguity functions is defined. The standard Zac transform can be interpreted as an intertwining operator between two unitary representations of the Heisenberg group. A multiplicative Zac transform that plays an analogous role for the multiplicative Heisenberg group is constructed. >
Social Benefits of Education: Feedback Effects and Environmental Resources

This paper considers the ways that education might influence the environmental quality that people experience. Education could accomplish these effects by promoting private behavior that enhances environmental quality for everyone, or by increasing people's effectiveness in protecting themselves from environmental externalities. An important reason for addressing these questions is to consider complementarities between different public sector activities that create public or mixed public-private goods. After reviewing the conceptual issues associated with modeling these types of relationships, the paper reviews the available empirical literature to determine if there is support for this type of linkage and reports some new findings of a link between risk information programs and education. The paper closes with a discussion of the policy implications of these types of relationships.
Re-resection for recurrent high-grade glioma in the setting of re-irradiation: more is not always better

The optimal treatment for patients with recurrent high grade glioma (HGG) remains controversial. Available therapies include surgery, re-irradiation, alternating electric fields or systemic therapy. Here we investigate whether re-resection will improve survival in patients receiving repeat radiotherapy for tumor recurrence. 231 consecutive patients with recurrent HGG treated with re-irradiation between 1994 and 2012 were analyzed. 105 patients underwent re-resection. Re-irradiation was delivered using daily fractions of 3.5 Gy to a median total dose of 35 Gy. Survival was then analyzed comparing patients with and without re-resection. Overall survival (OS) and survival from the first recurrence are reported. Univariate and cox-proportional hazard modeling was performed in a step-wise multivariate analysis using known prognostic factors. The median follow-up time from initial diagnosis was 25.7 months. The median OS from initial diagnosis of the entire group was 22.5 months. There was no significant difference in median overall survival between patients who received re-resection versus no re-resection, 23 versus 21.9 months respectively (p = 0.6). Additionally, there was no difference in median survival from the time of first recurrence 10.5 months without re-resection versus 11.1 months with re-resection (p = 0.09). After adjusting for known prognostic variables, only age remained significant. Re-irradiation is an effective salvage therapy for patients with localized, progressive high grade glioma, achieving a median survival of 10–11 months from re-irradiation. Our data reveals no significant improvement in survival with the addition of re-resection to re-irradiated patients with HGG.
Review and status of remote sensing of sea ice

The status of obtaining geophysical observations through the interpretation of satellite data over sea ice is discussed. It is pointed out that the community working in this area has grown in size and sophistication over the last decade, that the connection between microscopic properties of ice and its microwave behavior is now being understood, and that a good deal of accurate satellite-derived information on sea ice can now be obtained. Areas of ongoing, as well as needed, work are outlined, especially in the understanding of first-year and old-ice microwave properties, and it is pointed out that the efficient advance of remote sensing will require more active participation of scientists focused on in situ studies. >
Understanding PLD parameter specifications

Discusses issues of current PLD parameter specification. It covers two specific areas; standardization of PLD specifications and data that could be provided to enhance designers knowledge. >
Compression and Aggregation for Logistic Regression Analysis in Data Cubes

Logistic regression is an important technique for analyzing and predicting data with categorical attributes. In this paper, We consider supporting online analytical processing (OLAP) of logistic regression analysis for multi-dimensional data in a data cube where it is expensive in time and space to build logistic regression models for each cell from the raw data. We propose a novel scheme to compress the data in such a way that we can reconstruct logistic regression models to answer any OLAP query without accessing the raw data. Based on a first-order approximation to the maximum likelihood estimating equations, we develop a compression scheme that compresses each base cell into a small compressed data block with essential information to support the aggregation of logistic regression models. Aggregation formulae for deriving high-level logistic regression models from lower level component cells are given. We prove that the compression is nearly lossless in the sense that the aggregated estimator deviates from the true model by an error that is bounded and approaches to zero when the data size increases. The results show that the proposed compression and aggregation scheme can make feasible OLAP of logistic regression in a data cube. Further, it supports real-time logistic regression analysis of stream data, which can only be scanned once and cannot be permanently retained. Experimental results validate our theoretical analysis and demonstrate that our method can dramatically save time and space costs with almost no degradation of the modeling accuracy.
Classroom Writing Tasks and Students' Analytic Text-Based Writing

The Common Core State Standards emphasize students writing analytically in response to texts. Questions remain about the nature of instruction that develops students' text- based writing skills. In the present study, we examined the role that writing task quality plays in students' mastery of analytic text- based writing. Text- based writing tasks (N = 149) were collected from 27 fifth- grade teachers in an urban district, and teachers completed daily surveys (i.e., instructional logs) to assess the frequency of their reading and writing instruction (30-45 days total). Students (N = 793) completed a performance assessment of their text- based writing skills. Results showed that the large majority of writing tasks guided students to retrieve isolated facts or engage with surface- level features of texts in their writing (i.e., were of a low level of cognitive demand). The cognitive demand of text- based writing assignments predicted multiple features of students' writing performance, including students' ability to reason analytically about texts (effect size [ES] = .46), use evidence to support their claims (ES = .46), and organize their writing (ES = .35), even after controlling for other dimensions of literacy instruction. The quality (grist) of text to which students responded predicted one dimension of students' writing performance, use of evidence to support their claims (ES = .37). Designing cognitively demanding text- based tasks should be considered an essential part of writing instruction reform and professional development programs for teachers that aim to increase students writing skills aligned to the Common Core.
A Framework for Identification and Resolution of Interoperability Mismatches in COTS-Based Systems

Software systems today are frequently composed from prefabricated commercial components that provide complex functionality and engage in complex interactions. Such projects that utilize multiple commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products often confront interoperability conflicts resulting in budget and schedule overruns. These conflicts occur because of the incompatible assumptions made by developers of these products. Identification of such conflicts and planning strategies to resolve them is critical for developing such systems under budget and schedule constraints. In this paper we present an attribute-based framework that can be used to perform automated interoperability assessment to filter out COTS product combinations whose integration will not be feasible within the project constraints. Our framework is built upon standard definitions of both COTS components and connectors and is intended for use by architects and developers during the design phase of a software system. Our preliminary experience in using the framework indicates an increase in interoperability assessment productivity by 50% and accuracy by 20%.
Comparing networks with capacity-fixed and spectrally-fixed line modules implementing multiple coherent modulations

Capacity-fixed and spectrally-fixed implementations are two different line module solutions supporting multiple modulation formats. We compare both designs and show that a Capacity-fixed solution offers reduction in line module and chassis counts leading to lower network cost.
Areal Coordinates: The Basis of a Mathematical Model for Geometric Tolerances

A mathematical model is presented for representing the tolerances of planar surfaces. The model is compatible with the ASME/ISO Standards for geometric tolerances. Central to the new model is a Tolerance-Map® 1, a hypothetical volume of points which corresponds to all possible locations and variations of a segment of a plane which can arise from tolerances on size, form, and orientation. This model is one part of a bi-level model that we are developing for geometric tolerances. The new model makes stackup relations apparent in an assembly, and these can be used both to allocate size and orientational tolerances and to identify sensitivities. All stackup relations can be met for 100% interchangeability or for a specified probability.
A Method for Determining Taxonomical Contributions to Group Differences in Microbiomic Investigations.

Abstract Here we show how one can decompose the contribution of different levels of taxonomic classification in terms of their impact on differences in the microbiota when comparing two groups. First we demonstrate a difficulty in trying to estimate taxonomic effects at multiple levels simultaneously and demonstrate an approach to determining which taxa have differences in means that are identified. We then develop a model based on an approach that is popular in the RNA-Seq analysis literature and apply it to the problem of determining which taxa differ between two patient groups. This model provides a more powerful method than simpler alternatives. A Bayesian computational strategy is used to obtain exact inference. Simulation studies indicate that the procedure works as intended, and an application to the study of COPD demonstrates the method's practical utility. Software is provided for implementing the method.
Still Life with Rhetoric: A New Materialist Approach for Visual Rhetorics. Laurie E. Gries

Look: a Painted Stick, a Spoon, a Conch Shell, a Dirty Sock, and a Can o’ Beans were traveling in an Airstream turkey to Jerusalem. This is not the gambit to a joke. Instead, it is a basis for appr...
Immunization attempts with lipopolysaccharides (LS) of gram negative microorganisms against lethal action of LS on rat fetus in utero

SummaryGroups of rats immunized with doses of LS of E. coli or S. marcescens from g.d. 1 to 7 or 7 to 13, and then injected with a single dosis of LS otherwise lethal to the litters, showed 15% to 43% of fetuses surviving. The serum protein of the experimental animals showed the presence of a globulin antibody which was much reduced within 6 hours after the challenging dosis of LS. Sufficient circulating antibodies against the LS, however, were present 6 hours after the challenging dosis was given, demonstrated by agglutinated and hemolyzed sensitized red cells in dilutions of 1:8500.
Distortion-free 1.55-µm optical AM-VSB transmission over 1.3-µm-optimized fiber using dispersion-compensating fiber

In 1.55-µm optical AM-VSB transmission over 1.3-µm-optimized fiber (1.3SMF) the composite second-order distortion (CSO) is significantly degraded over a transmission distance because of the positive chromatic dispersion of 1.3SMF at 1.55 µm.1 Using the transmitter with low-chirping or electrical-compensation circuits2 has been proposed for overcoming this problem. A dispersion-compensating fiber (DCF) having a large negative dispersion in the 1.55-µm band is a strong candidate for improving this CSO degradation.3 In this paper we demonstrate distortion-free 1.55-pm optical AM-VSB transmission over 1.3SMF by using a DCF. We also show an improvement in the intrinsic CSO of a transmitter by giving a negative dispersion.
Technology won't solve verification problems

(1985). Technology won't solve verification problems. Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Vol. 41, No. 2, pp. 3-4.
Abstract 820: Molecular markers for head and neck cancer detection

Introduction: Fifty thousand new cases of HNSCC are diagnosed in the United States each year. Unfortunately, most of these cases are advanced and only cured about 40% of the time. Cure rates could reach over 80% if diagnosed in earlier stages. We are developing a simple and inexpensive molecular screening test for the early detection of HNSCC. The markers under investigation are detectable in oral rinses and include soluble CD44 (solCD44), hyaluronic acid (HA) and total protein. Materials and Methods: To study the population most likely to benefit from this early detection test, high-risk controls were identified by their smoking and/or drinking behavior from primary care clinics. They received a complete head and neck exam and had no clinical evidence of malignancy or premalignancy. Low-risk controls were normal volunteers. All subjects completed a detailed questionnaire including demographic, socioeconomic, risk factor and general health information. Oral samples were collected using a previously described swish and gargle method. We performed the solCD44, HA and protein assays in blinded fashion on oral rinses from 18 HNSCC cases, 18 frequency-matched high-risk controls and 21 low-risk controls using previously reported ELISA and ELISA-like assays. Results: We statistically assessed the adequacy of matching between the cases and high-risk controls with respect to age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, tobacco and alcohol exposure and oral health. There were no significant differences between cases and controls for any of these variables except for a borderline significant difference in race. Log2solCD44 levels were significantly higher in cancer cases (2.42 ng/ml) and high-risk controls (2.12 ng/ml) compared to low risk controls (0.64 ng/ml, p Conclusions: In this preliminary data set, the solCD44 and protein test appear to effectively distinguish HNSCC cases from high and low-risk controls. Race may have an impact on results. Further work including more subjects with longer follow-up must be done to confirm or refute these findings. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 820.
A closer look at recent Chinese and US patent law reform: Will the America Invents Act and China’s Third Amendment reduce the Sino-American Patent Divide?

Differences between Chinese and US patent law has led to growing conflict between the two nations over the past several decades. However, both countries have recently undergone major legislative patent reform, bringing them closer into alignment in some respects while also creating new differences. In 2008, China implemented its latest patent reform, The Third Amendment, which aims to enhance enforcement mechanisms and increase infringement penalties. Additionally, in 2011 President Barack Obama implemented the America Invents Act, which is most well-known for altering the US patent scheme from ‘first-to-invent’ to ‘first-to-file’. This article will explore the current Chinese and US patent regimes. The first section will analyse the significant differences and similarities between Chinese and, US patent law after the America Invents Act and China’s Third Amendment. The second section will discuss two prominent patent cases between the USA and China that resulted from differences in national patent law: Pfizer’s Viagra patent and Apple’s iPhone patent.
To See or Not To See: Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Color Blindness

This study examined the perspectives of 85 undergraduate preservice teacher candidates engaged in a required survey course on diversity at a midsized Midwestern university. Candidates completed the Common Beliefs Survey at both the beginning and end of the 16-week semester. Quantitative analysis of the pre- and postcourse Likert ratings of candidates indicated a significant negative shift relative to the statement, “I don't think of my students in terms of their race or ethnicity; I am color-blind when it comes to my teaching.” Further qualitative analysis of candidates who provided written rationale for their numeric response indicated prevailing themes of conscious bias, intentional color-blindness, and movement toward appreciation of racial difference as a critical cognizance. Implications for teacher education include experiences beyond the scope of a survey course if significant schematic shift leading to the potential for educational equity is to be realized.
La Celestina y el Lazarillo en El manuscrito de piedra y El manuscrito de nieve de Luis García Jambrina

Modeled after Umberto Eco´s The Name of the Rose, Luis Garcia Jambrina novels El manuscrito de piedra and El manuscrito de nieve reconstruct Salamanca at the times of the Catholic Monarchs with a detective fiction that narrates the activities of a young Fernando de Rojas, the presumed author of La Celestina, in order to clarify a number of crimes and deaths, including that of Prince John of Trastamara. While in El manuscrito de piedra the murders are the work of heterodox Spaniards who live hidden in a subterraneous cave of Salamanca, in El manuscrito de nieve the murders are part of the longstanding rivalry between the Salamanca clans of Saint Tome and Saint Benito. Apart from the oddity of making Fernando de Rojas, Celestina, and Lazaro de Tormes protagonists and interlocutors, Garcia Jambrina also gives unusual responses to literary enigmas as the genesis of La Celestina and Lazarillo´s case, whose intertextualities we find here and there throughout the novels.
Long-term climate impacts on breeding bird phenology in Pennsylvania, USA

Climate change is influencing bird phenology worldwide, but we still lack information on how many species are responding over long temporal periods. We assessed how climate affected passerine reproductive timing and productivity at a constant effort mist-netting station in western Pennsylvania using a model comparison approach. Several lines of evidence point to the sensitivity of 21 breeding passerines to climate change over five decades. The trends for temperature and precipitation over 53 years were slightly positive due to intraseasonal variation, with the greatest temperature increases and precipitation declines in early spring. Regardless of broodedness, migration distance, or breeding season, 13 species hatched young earlier over time with most advancing >3 days per decade. Warm springs were associated with earlier captures of juveniles for 14 species, ranging from 1- to 3-day advancement for every 1 °C increase. This timing was less likely to be influenced by spring precipitation; nevertheless, higher rainfall was usually associated with later appearance of juveniles and breeding condition in females. Temperature and precipitation were positively related to productivity for seven and eleven species, respectively, with negative relations evident for six and eight species. We found that birds fledged young earlier with increasing spring temperatures, potentially benefiting some multibrooded species. Indeed, some extended the duration of breeding in these warm years. Yet, a few species fledged fewer juveniles in warmer and wetter seasons, indicating that expected future increases could be detrimental to locally breeding populations. Although there were no clear relationships between life history traits and breeding phenology, species-specific responses to climate found in our study provide novel insights into phenological flexibility in songbirds. Our research underscores the value of long-term monitoring studies and the importance of continuing constant effort sampling in the face of climate change.
Colorectal carcinoma: causes, diagnosis, and prevention.

Colorectal carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. The risk for colon carcinoma increases after the age of 40 years. Because there is a very significant familial incidence of colorectal carcinoma, this is a major group of individuals who should be screened. The vast majority of colorectal carcinomas are associated with adenomatous polyps of the large intestine. Colonoscopy is the best procedure available to evaluate those at risk; the double-contrast barium enema and flexible sigmoidoscopy also play a significant role in diagnosis. Screening for occult blood in the stool is presently the best tool to evaluate groups for potential colorectal lesions. Although there are still significant problems with occult blood testing, it can account for a definite decrease in morbidity and mortality from colorectal carcinoma.