cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Perilesional edema in brain metastases: potential causes and implications for treatment with immune therapy

Little is known about tumor-associated vasogenic edema in brain metastasis, yet it causes significant morbidity and mortality. Our purpose was to characterize edema in patients treated with anti-PD-1 and to study potential causes of vessel leakage in humans and in pre-clinical models. We analyzed tumor and edema volume in 18 non-small cell lung (NSCLC) and 18 melanoma patients with untreated brain metastases treated with pembrolizumab on a phase II clinical trial. Melanoma brain metastases were stained with anti-CD34 to assess vessel density and its association with edema. We employed an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier using short-term cultures from melanoma brain and extracranial metastases to determine tight junction resistance as a measure of vessel leakiness. Edema volumes are similar in NSCLC and melanoma brain metastases. While larger tumors tended to have more edema, the correlation was weak (R2 = 0.30). Patients responding to pembrolizumab had concurrent shrinkage of edema volume and vice versa (R2 = 0.81). Vessel density was independent of the degree of edema (R2 = 0.037). Melanoma brain metastasis cells in culture caused loss of tight junction resistance in an in vitro blood-brain barrier model system in some cases, whereas extracerebral cell cultures did not. Edema itself should not preclude using anti-PD-1 with caution, as sensitive tumors have resultant decreases in edema, and anti-PD-1 itself does not exacerbate edema in sensitive tumors. Additional factors aside from tumor mass effect and vessel density cause perilesional edema. Melanoma cells themselves can cause decline in tight junction resistance in a system void of immune cells, suggesting they secrete factors that cause leakiness, which might be harnessed for pharmacologic targeting in patients with significant perilesional edema.
Facing East: Orientalism and Antisemitism in Heine’s Hebräische Melodien

The oriental imaginary of Heinrich Heine’s cycle, Hebraische Melodien (1851), borrows and diverges from European orientalism and its German Jewish counterpart, sephardism. In departing from these t...
Researching With Our Hair on Fire: Three Frameworks for Rethinking News in a Postnormative World:

This article urges a jolt in journalism theory commensurate with the urgent state of planetary affairs—including catastrophic climate change and spreading authoritarianism—that journalism’s weaknes...
The Economic Consequences of GASB Financial Statement Disclosure

We examine whether Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) financial statement disclosure influences local governments’ economic decision-making. To do so, we exploit a recent GASB standard that differentially changed the disclosure requirements for pension obligations for county governments. The standard, GASB 68, had no effect on pension economics nor on the annual budget—it only affected whether and how information was presented on GASB financial statements and did so differently depending on the type of pension plan sponsored by the county. Using a broad hand-collected dataset, we document that newly disclosing counties reduced public welfare expenditures, employment, and salary expenses relative to those that had disclosed such information prior to GASB 68. We conduct extensive field research and employ several cross-sectional analyses to conclude that the effects we document are likely driven by increased awareness of the financial costs of pension obligations by newly disclosing counties. More specifically, we find that GASB 68 changed these counties’ perspective of their pension arrangement from a bill (i.e., the county only has to make an annual pension contribution) to a liability (i.e., the county is ultimately responsible for funding the pension deficit), and that this new perspective generated the documented fiscal response.
Bypassing the Ambient Dimension: Private SGD with Gradient Subspace Identification

Differentially private SGD (DP-SGD) is one of the most popular methods for solving differentially private empirical risk minimization (ERM). Due to its noisy perturbation on each gradient update, the error rate of DP-SGD scales with the ambient dimension $p$, the number of parameters in the model. Such dependence can be problematic for over-parameterized models where $p \gg n$, the number of training samples. Existing lower bounds on private ERM show that such dependence on $p$ is inevitable in the worst case. In this paper, we circumvent the dependence on the ambient dimension by leveraging a low-dimensional structure of gradient space in deep networks---that is, the stochastic gradients for deep nets usually stay in a low dimensional subspace in the training process. We propose Projected DP-SGD that performs noise reduction by projecting the noisy gradients to a low-dimensional subspace, which is given by the top gradient eigenspace on a small public dataset. We provide a general sample complexity analysis on the public dataset for the gradient subspace identification problem and demonstrate that under certain low-dimensional assumptions the public sample complexity only grows logarithmically in $p$. Finally, we provide a theoretical analysis and empirical evaluations to show that our method can substantially improve the accuracy of DP-SGD.
Spectroscopic study of structural alterations in gut tissues at the nanoscale level due to total body irradiation (TBI)

We developed finer focusing partial wave spectroscopy (PWS) that can probe precise scattering volume in tissues and has a wide range of applications. This state-of-the-art report PWS application to distinguish TBI effects on gut tissue.
Social Connections and Liquidity Hoarding

This paper aims to quantify liquidity hoarding - the over-accumulation of cash by a firm in expectation of a supply side credit reduction. Changes in expectations on future credit supply are identified using credit shocks to distant social connections. I believe this novel identification is able to isolate the effects of change in expectations not driven by changes in own credit supply. I find evidence of liquidity hoarding by counties not affected by financial crisis themselves but whose distant friends were affected by credit supply cuts. This effect appears to be large and multiplicative. The results seem to be confirmed in the time series and also consistent with spread of fin-tech lending for small businesses. The results are not explained by spillover, productivity shift, bank supply shift or homophily based explanations. I believe I am able to add to a long line of literature on liquidity hoarding and its potential negative externalities including credit runs. The paper also shows that social connections may matter in firm credit decisions.
The End of Accidents

In the next decade, humans will increasingly share the roads with autonomous vehicles (AVs). The deployment of AVs has the potential to dramatically reduce the frequency and severity of motor vehicle crashes. Existing liability rules give companies developing AVs insufficient incentives to develop that potential. Data from real-world autonomous driving indicates that today’s most advanced AVs rarely cause crashes, but often fail to avoid preventable crashes caused by other road users’ errors. A growing number of scholars have proposed reforms that would make it easier for plaintiffs injured in crashes with AVs to hold AV companies liable. These reform proposals either ignore the issue of comparative negligence or would preserve some form of the defense. If AV companies avoid liability for crashes in which a human road user was negligent, they will not invest in developing technology that could prevent those crashes. This Article proposes a solution: AV companies should be held responsible for all crashes in which their AVs come into contact with other vehicles, persons, or property—regardless of fault, cause, or comparative negligence. Contact responsibility would cause AV companies to internalize the costs of all preventable crashes and lead them to make all cost-justified investments in developing safer technology. Crashes would no longer be treated as regrettable but inevitable accidents, but as engineering problems to be solved.
Thermal pleasure inside solar screened spaces: an experimental study to explore alliesthesia in architecture

Controlled non-uniform indoor thermal environments have the potential to evoke thermal pleasure in occupants as explained by the psychophysiological framework of alliesthesia. In this study, the au...
Predictors of negative psychosocial and health behavior impact of COVID-19 among young adults.

Given the global impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on mental and physical health, we examined young adults' changes in mental health, intimate relationship quality, alcohol use and weight-related behaviors during COVID-19 and their correlates (depressive symptoms, resilience, social context and COVID-19-related factors). We analyzed data from a longitudinal study of 1082 young adults across six metropolitan areas (Mage = 24.76 ± 4.70; 51.8% female; 73.6% White and 12.5% Hispanic), using multivariate linear regressions for continuous outcomes (magnitude of mental health impact) and logistic regressions for categorical outcomes (decreased relationship quality, physical activity and nutrition and increased alcohol use and sedentary behavior). Of five negative mental health impacts assessed, participants reported experiencing an average of 3.54 (SD = 5.46), experiencing more correlated with increased childcare responsibilities and lower resilience. Additionally, 23.6% of those in relationships experienced negative relationship impact, 41.3% increased alcohol use, 47.2% decreased physical activity, 74.0% were more sedentary and 34.7% experienced poorer nutrition, all of which was predicted by greater depressive symptoms. Additionally, lower resilience predicted negative relationship impact and poorer nutrition and social context/roles correlated with various outcomes (e.g. relationships and alcohol use). Interventions to reduce negative health behaviors given societal stressors should address key psychosocial and situational factors, including depressive symptoms and resilience.
Safety Considerations for Evaluating Medium-Voltage Power Electronics

Silicon carbide (SiC) technology continues to improve, which has led to SiC MOSFETs capable of operating at medium voltage (MV) levels greater than 1.7 kV. These devices are currently being evaluated for use in next-generation MV power electronics. However, evaluation of prototype power electronic systems at MV incurs additional operator risks compared to evaluation of low voltage (LV) systems below 1.7 kV. Due to these inherent risks, the power electronics community needs to apply precautions similar to those used as standard practice in the power distribution industry. This paper presents a test environment that is designed to support high-fidelity measurements of MV power electronics while ensuring operator safety. This environment features an enclosed safety cage with interlocks and fault detection circuitry that interfaces to the equipment under test (EUT). This paper provides guidance for designing and deploying testing infrastructure for MV power electronics, including analysis of arc flash risk for MVDC power electronics. Current arc flash safety standards, which are geared towards power distribution systems, offer limited instruction for MVDC power electronics.
Robotic Revisional Single Anastomosis Duodenoileal Bypass After Sleeve Gastrectomy

Introduction: Single anastomosis duodenoileal bypass with sleeve gastrectomy (SADI-S) is a metabolic operation emerging as an option for patients with morbid obesity. It is a promising revisional p...
A Social Anthropology of Logistics Research: Exploring Productivity and Collaboration in an Emerging Science

For more than forty years, professionals and academics have undertaken scholarly research in the field of logistics, attempting to expand the knowledge base of the discipline, and thereby improve logistics practice. This study represents an initial investigation of logistics researchers who have participated in the development of the field. Using a comprehensive database of published logistics articles from four leading journals, social network theory is applied for analysis of logistics researcher productivity and collaboration. Results of the exploratory study indicate that high levels of researcher productivity are present in logistics; however, the results also show that the discipline would benefit significantly from more collaborative effort blending researcher backgrounds and perspectives across major research groups, which are currently somewhat isolated. Implications for future logistics research are discussed, advocating more collaborative research production within the field.
Algorithms for Automatically Computing the Causal Paths of Failures

We have proposed an automated debugging technique that explains a failure by computing its causal path leading from the root cause to the failure. Given a failing execution, the technique first searches for a dynamic patch. Fine-grained execution comparison between the failing run and the patched run is performed to isolate the causal path. The comparison is enabled by precisely aligning the two executions. We herein propose and study two algorithms aiming at efficiency. We also evaluate the effectiveness and cost of our technique on a set of real bugs, including requirement bugs in which no a single or small set of statements can be blamed as the root cause. In such cases, understanding a failure is more important.
Effects of surface ocean conditions on deep‐sea calcite dissolution proxies in the tropical Pacific

Finding the ideal deep-sea CaCO3 dissolution proxy is essential for quantifying the role of the marine carbonate system in regulating atmospheric pCO2 over millennia. We explore the potential of using the Globorotalia menardii fragmentation index (MFI) and size-normalized foraminifer shell weight (SNSW) as complementary indicators of deep-sea CaCO3 dissolution. MFI has strong correlations with bottom water [CO32−], modeled estimates of percent CaCO3 dissolved, and Mg/Ca in Pulleniatina obliquiloculata in core top samples along a depth transect on the Ontong Java Plateau (OJP) where surface ocean temperature variation is minimal. SNSW of P. obliquiloculata and Neogloboquadrina dutertrei have weak correlations with MFI-based percent dissolved, Mg/Ca in P. obliquiloculata shells and bottom water [CO32−] on the OJP. In core top samples from the eastern equatorial Pacific (EEP), SNSW of P. obliquiloculata has moderate to strong correlations with both MFI-based percent CaCO3 dissolved estimates and surface ocean environmental parameters. SNSW of N. dutertrei shells shows a latitudinal distribution in the EEP and a moderately strong correlation with MFI-based percent dissolved estimates when samples from the equatorial part of the region are excluded. Our results suggest that there may potentially be multiple genotypes of N. dutertrei in the EEP which may be reflected in their shell weight. MFI-based percent CaCO3 dissolved estimates have no quantifiable relationship with any surface ocean environmental parameter in the EEP. Thus MFI acts as a reliable quantitative CaCO3 dissolution proxy insensitive to environmental biases within calcification waters of foraminifers.
Characterization of an insertion sequence (IS891) of novel structure from the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain M-131.

When recombinant plasmids that were transferred to the cyanobacterium Anabaena sp. strain M-131 were transferred back to Escherichia coli, some of the transformants contained inserts. One of the insertion sequences (ISs) was characterized by sequencing. This 1,351-base-pair IS contained an open reading frame that was capable of encoding a peptide of 310 amino acids and had terminal sequences with distinctive structures, but it lacked terminal inverted repeats and did not duplicate target DNA upon insertion. The element bore no significant sequence homology to any sequence stored in the GenBank data base. Restriction analysis of the genomes of Anabaena sp. strain M-131 and Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 showed those strains to be closely related. Sequences homologous to the IS element were also present in the DNA of Anabaena strain PCC 7120, but the copy numbers and chromosomal locations of such sequences differed in the two strains. The largest visualized plasmid was 425 kilobases (kb) in M-131 and 410 kb in PCC 7120; at least the former plasmid contained multiple copies of the element, as did a 115-kb plasmid in M-131. Images
Residential photovoltaic power conditioning technology for grid connected applications

Major advances in photovoltaic (PV) Power Conditioning (PC) with respect to performance and low-cost potential have been made. Solutions have been obtained to interface and control problems related to adapting available inverter designs to the grid-connected, residential photovoltaic experiments. A description is presented to contributing research and development activities. Attention is given to aspects of residential systems experience, conceptual design studies, questions of optimum topology development, and promising advanced designs for residential PV provided by development efforts of the private sector.
Invited Article: A compact optically coherent fiber frequency comb

We describe the design, fabrication, and performance of a self-referenced, optically coherent frequency comb. The system robustness is derived from a combination of an optics package based on polarization-maintaining fiber, saturable absorbers for mode-locking, high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) detection of the control signals, and digital feedback control for frequency stabilization. The output is phase-coherent over a 1-2 μm octave-spanning spectrum with a pulse repetition rate of ∼200 MHz and a residual pulse-to-pulse timing jitter <3 fs well within the requirements of most frequency-comb applications. Digital control enables phase coherent operation for over 90 h, critical for phase-sensitive applications such as timekeeping. We show that this phase-slip free operation follows the fundamental limit set by the SNR of the control signals. Performance metrics from three nearly identical combs are presented. This laptop-sized comb should enable a wide-range of applications beyond the laboratory.
Constitutive Expression of Rice MicroRNA528 Alters Plant Development and Enhances Tolerance to Salinity Stress and Nitrogen Starvation in Creeping Bentgrass

MicroRNA528 (miR528) is a conserved monocot-specific small RNA that has the potential of mediating multiple stress responses. So far, however, experimental functional studies of miR528 are lacking. Here, we report that overexpression of a rice (Oryza sativa) miR528 (Osa-miR528) in transgenic creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) alters plant development and improves plant salt stress and nitrogen (N) deficiency tolerance. Morphologically, miR528-overexpressing transgenic plants display shortened internodes, increased tiller number, and upright growth. Improved salt stress resistance is associated with increased water retention, cell membrane integrity, chlorophyll content, capacity for maintaining potassium homeostasis, CATALASE activity, and reduced ASCORBIC ACID OXIDASE (AAO) activity; while enhanced tolerance to N deficiency is associated with increased biomass, total N accumulation and chlorophyll synthesis, nitrite reductase activity, and reduced AAO activity. In addition, AsAAO and COPPER ION BINDING PROTEIN1 are identified as two putative targets of miR528 in creeping bentgrass. Both of them respond to salinity and N starvation and are significantly down-regulated in miR528-overexpressing transgenics. Our data establish a key role that miR528 plays in modulating plant growth and development and in the plant response to salinity and N deficiency and indicate the potential of manipulating miR528 in improving plant abiotic stress resistance.
Energy transfer between defects and rare-earth ions in garnet crystals

In crystalline solid-state laser materials, defects in the host lattice can act as energy sinks, draining energy from the dopant ions which would otherwise have contributed to the lasing transition. Conversely, in some fluorescent materials, the transfer of energy from defects to dopants can cause an undesirable persistence of luminescence to occur. Understanding and controlling these defects can be critical to the development of a laser or phosphor source.
Effects of Dietary Citrinin and Aflatoxin on Leg Problems of Broilers Grown on Wire Floors

Abstract Dietary levels of citrinin of 62.5, 125, 250 and 500 μg./g. diet or aflatoxin at a dietary level of 2.5 μg./g. of diet fed from 1–21 days of age did not increase the incidence of leg problems compared to control groups receiving no dietary mycotoxins. These data indicate that dietary contamination with these toxins does not account for the incidence of occasionally observed leg problems in young broiler chicks.
Predicting Exercise in Late Midlife from Young Adult Personality Characteristics.

This study explored the relationship between personality and exercise over the life span by using young adult personality characteristics to predict current exercise behavior in late middle-aged male graduates from the Harvard University classes of 1942 to 1944. After controlling for prior exercise behavior, body build, and fitness in young adulthood, we found that personality variables improved classification accuracy in discriminant analysis, and especially improved identification of frequent exercisers. Personality variables positively associated with frequent exercise include affective vitality, integration, lack of anxiety, and lack of shyness. Results are interpreted as supporting a psychobiological account of exercise behavior. Caution is suggested in generalizing the results to other populations, such as less privileged socio-economic classes or females.
Survey in the emergency department of parents' understanding of cough and cold medication use in children younger than 2 years.

Abstract : Objectives: In August 2007, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a public health advisory recommending that over-the-counter cough and cold medications (CCMs) not be used in children younger than 2 years. Our objective was to assess parents awareness and understanding of the guidelines. Methods: We surveyed caregivers of children younger than 2 years in the emergency department of an urban tertiary care military hospital where civilian patients are also treated. After completing the survey, caregivers received a handout explaining the FDA s recommendations. Results: Our response rate was 99% (264/265). First-time parents constituted 45% (114/251) of responders. Education level was high school, 21%; some college, 36%; and college graduate, 40%. Thirty-one percent (77/247) were aware of the FDA guidelines. Of these 77, 44 (57%) reported the guidelines indicated CCMs were not safe in children younger than 2 years, and 18 (23%) saidCCMs have caused death. Twenty-six percent (68/264) did not give CCMs to their children younger than 2 years, and 40% of these reported it was because of learning about the guidelines; 63% (165/264) reported CCMs were effective, 11% ineffective, and 27% did not know. Fifty-seven percent (151/263) reported CCMs were safe, 12% unsafe, and 31% unsure. Twenty-two percent (31/143) planned to use or continue to use CCMs in their children, 34% did not, 23% not sure, and 21% only if their doctor advised it. Conclusions: The majority of caregivers were not aware of the FDA guidelines on CCM use in children younger than 2 years. Most thought CCMs were safe and effective.
Dietary Supplements Commonly Used for Prevention

The use of complimentary and alternative medicine is on the rise. This article reviews some of the commonly used herbal supplements and others focusing mainly on disease prevention. A summary table of medical conditions is provided, and when possible, a summary of efficacy and safety is provided to facilitate decision making.
Differential expression of a novel seven transmembrane domain protein in epididymal fat from aged and diabetic mice.

To identify novel seven transmembrane domain proteins from 3T3-L1 adipocytes, we used PCR to amplify 3T3-L1 adipocyte complementary DNA (cDNA) with primers homologous to the N- and C-termini of pancreatic glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor. We screened a cDNA library prepared from fully differentiated 3T3-L1 adipocytes using a 500-bp cDNA PCR product probe. Herein describes the isolation and characterization of a 1.6-kb cDNA clone that encodes a novel 298-amino acid protein that we termed TPRA40 (transmembrane domain protein of 40 kDa regulated in adipocytes). TPRA40 has seven putative transmembrane domains and shows little homology with the known GLP-1 receptor or with other G protein-coupled receptors. The levels of TPRA40 mRNA and protein were higher in 3T3-L1 adipocytes than in 3T3-L1 fibroblasts. TPRA40 is present in a number of mouse and human tissues. Interestingly, TPRA40 mRNA levels were significantly increased by 2- to 3-fold in epididymal fat of 24-month-old mice vs. young controls as wel...
Application of a Wavelength Modulation Inductively Coupled Plasma-Echelle Spectrometer to Cd and Pb Determinations in Marine Samples

The installation and performance of a wavelength modulation system in a custom-built inductively coupled plasma-echelle spectrometer is described. The system, based on a computer-controlled rotatable quartz plate mounted just behind the entrance slit, permits extremely reproducible short (∼0.1 nm) wavelength scans in the vicinity of any chosen wavelength, as well as automatic two-point background subtraction during analyses. Its effectiveness, both in facilitating the characterization of spectroscopic interferences and in enabling accurate background correction, is demonstrated by determinations of trace quantities of cadmium and lead in biological tissues and sediments. Its potential use for wavelength modulation plasma emission spectrometry is discussed.
Transforming growth factor-β in breast cancer: A working hypothesis

Transforming Growth Factor-beta (TGF beta) is the most potent known inhibitor of the progression of normal mammary epithelial cells through the cell cycle. During the early stages of breast cancer development, the transformed epithelial cells appear to still be sensitive to TGF beta-mediated growth arrest, and TGF beta can act as an anti-tumor promoter. In contrast, advanced breast cancers are mostly refractory to TGF beta-mediated growth inhibition and produce large amounts of TGF beta, which may enhance tumor cell invasion and metastasis by its effects on extracellular matrix. We postulate that this seemingly paradoxical switch in the responsiveness of tumor cells to TGF beta during progression is the consequence of the activation of the latent TGF beta that is produced and deposited into the tumor microenvironment, thereby driving the clonal expansion of TGF beta-resistant tumor cells. While tumor cells themselves may activate TGF beta, recent observations suggest that environmental tumor promoters or carcinogens, such as ionizing radiation, can cause stromal fibroblasts to activate TGF beta by epigenetic mechanisms. As the biological effects of the anti-estrogen tamoxifen may well be mediated by TGF beta, this model has a number of important implications for the clinical uses of tamoxifen in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer. In addition, it suggests a number of novel approaches to the treatment of advanced breast cancer.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations of DNA Solvation Dynamics

Time-dependent Stokes shift experiments of fluorescent probe molecules incorporated into DNA have uncovered a broad range of time scales from femtoseconds to tens of nanoseconds. A series of recent molecular dynamics simulations have investigated the longest solvation dynamics time scales with sometimes conflicting interpretations. The conclusions of these computational studies are reviewed along with the theoretical methodologies that are utilized to decompose calculated solvation responses in terms of the components present in the system: water, DNA, and ions. Extensive validation of one such decomposition procedure for the dye molecule Hoechst 33258 bound to DNA reveals that the long time scale measured experimentally, 19 ps, is due to DNA. Future opportunities and challenges from both a theoretical and experimental perspective are also briefly highlighted.
Cessation of Burning Dries Soils Long Term in a Tallgrass Prairie

Soil moisture is a critical variable in grassland function, yet how fire regimes influence ecohydrology is poorly understood. By altering productivity, species composition, and litter accumulation, fire can indirectly increase or decrease soil water depletion on a range of time scales and depths in the soil profile. To better understand how fire influences soil moisture in grasslands, we analyzed 28 years of soil moisture data from two watersheds in a central North American grassland which differ in their long-term fire frequency. Across 28 years, cessation of prescribed burning initially led to wetter soils, likely as litter accumulated and both transpiration and evaporation were suppressed. Long-term, cessation of burning led to soils drying more, especially at depths greater than 75 cm. The long-term drying of deep soils is consistent with the increase in woody species in the infrequently burned grassland as woody species likely have a greater reliance on soil water from deeper soil layers compared to co-occurring herbaceous species. Despite the ecohydrological changes associated with the cessation of prescribed burning, watersheds with different burn regimes responded similarly to short-term variation in climate variation. In both watersheds, low precipitation and high temperatures led to drier soils with greater responses in soil moisture to climate variation later in the season than earlier. There is no current evidence that the cessation of burning in this ecosystem will qualitatively alter how evapotranspiration responds to climate variation, but the use of deeper soil water by woody plants has the potential for greater transpiration during dry times. In all, modeling the depth-specific responses of soil moisture and associated ecosystem processes to changes in burn regimes will likely require including responses of plant community composition over short and long time scales.
Wave-driven porewater and solute circulation through rippled elastic sediment under highly transient forcing

Waves induce porewater flow and solute transport through permeable marine sediment. However, past studies have ignored high-frequency pressure pulses, under the assumption that the porewater flow field is adequately represented by a time-averaged one or that the saturated sediment is incompressible. We modeled porewater flow and solute transport inside ripples, forced by instantaneous pressure profiles along the sediment-water interface (SWI) with 0.1-s temporal resolution. The transient pressure profiles were taken from a field data–driven large-eddy simulation model of wave-driven oscillatory flow. The simulations suggest that in elastic, permeable, and saturated sediment, a time-averaged representation of the flow field may be inadequate and that this also leads to shortcomings in how transport is modeled. Bursts in fluid flushing occur when high-frequency pressure fluctuations were considered, leading to larger long-term average fluid fluxes compared to a steady flow field driven by a time-averaged pressure profile. The pressure perturbations along the SWI propagate within a few milliseconds to meter depths within the sediment leading to strongly transient porewater velocity fields. This leads to enhanced dispersion of solutes and larger time-averaged solute fluxes. However, enhanced solute flux across the SWI diminished through time with increasing permeability. The high-frequency transient pressures and sediment elastic properties we considered have been largely ignored and unrecognized. Future observational and modeling studies should consider these processes, especially since they mediate timing-sensitive biogeochemical reactions.
Between ethnopolitics and liberal centrism: the Movement for Rights and Freedoms in the mainstream of Bulgarian party politics

This paper examines a less researched aspect of East European party politics: change within ethnic parties, which are conventionally regarded as stable or intransigent political actors. The main argument of the paper is that the decreasing relevance of a bipolar model of political competition has affected the relative positioning of ethnic parties. Their programmatic outlook, role in the party system, and mobilization strategies are being mainstreamed. Ethnic parties are no longer regarded as inevitable participants in power sharing and informal elite accommodation. They are increasingly treated by voters and the party system alike as national-level parties and national-level competitors. The paper applies the concept of mainstreaming to explain the long-term evolution of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms in Bulgarian party politics as a critical case study of ethnic party repositioning from proximity to government to parliamentary opposition. It builds an argument about the MRF's continued relevance t...
'How the Anticipation Can Be as Great as the Experience: Explaining Event Sponsorship Exhibit Outcomes Via Affective Forecasting'

Via field surveys of attendees at a sporting event (n=1,739), the authors contribute a model showing that event attendees’ participation in the title sponsors’ main exhibit area at the event favorably influences their future intentions to purchase from the sponsor. Yet, there is an important difference between those attendees who already experienced the title sponsor’s exhibit area versus attendees who planned to visit the exhibit areas later. Interestingly, attendees who have yet to attend the exhibit area feel more strongly that the event sponsorship enhanced their perceptions of the title sponsor. This finding may be explained by attendees’ affective forecasting; that planned experiences will be more positive than perhaps the actual experience itself.
Calculus for functions of noncommuting operators and general phase-space methods in quantum mechanics. II. Quantum mechanics in phase space

In Paper I of this investigation a new calculus for functions of noncommuting operators was developed, based on the notion of mapping of operators onto $c$-number functions. With the help of this calculus, a general theory is formulated, in the present paper, of phase-space representation of quantum-mechanical systems. It is shown that there is a whole class of such representations, one associated with each type of mapping, the simplest one being the well-known representation due to Weyl. For each representation, the quantum-mechanical expectation value of an operator is found to be expressible in the form of a phase-space average of classical statistical mechanics. The phase-space distribution functions are, however, not true probabilities, in general. The phase-space forms of the main quantum-mechanical equations of motion are obtained and are found to have the form of a generalized Liouville equation. The phase-space form of the Bloch equation for the density operator of a quantum system in thermal equilibrium is also derived. The generalized characteristic functions of boson systems are defined and their main properties are studied. The equations of motion for the characteristic functions are also derived. As an illustration of the theory, a generalized stochastic description of a quantized electromagnetic field is obtained.
Stability and lattice pressure in complex perovskite superconductors

Abstract Spatial and electronic criteria for stability of complex perovskite superconductors are analyzed. We describe rules according to which complex perovskite materials are not likely to be obtained when simple perovskites can be built from some of the elements in question. For materials such as YBa 2 Cu 3 O x , one finds two qualitatively different Cu stackings, namely a symmetric one ( s Cu between Ba planes) and an asymmetric one ( a Cu stacked between Ba and Y). a CuO adjusts to the available space by buckling, while s CuO is planar. This results in increased lattice pressure on s Cu , leading to oxidation beyond Cu 2+ , i.e., to hole creation, with increasing x , which is initially localized on s Cu . We suggest that this is the origin of an independent modification with T s ∼ 60 K. When holes can penetrate to a Cu , T s ∼ 90 K. These arguments can be generalized to include materials such as Bi 2 Sr 2 Ca n −1 Cu n O x . Strategies for searching for new materials are outlined.
Oxygen and relative humidity monitoring with films tailored for enhanced photoluminescence

Abstract Approaches to generate porous or doped sensing films, which significantly enhance the photoluminescence (PL) of oxygen optical sensors, and thus improve the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio, are presented. Tailored films, which enable monitoring the relative humidity (RH) as well, are also presented. Effective porous structures, in which the O2-sensitive dye Pt octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) or the Pd analog PdOEP was embedded, were realized by first generating blend films of polyethylene glycol (PEG) with polystyrene (PS) or with ethyl cellulose (EC), and then immersing the dried films in water to remove the water-soluble PEG. This approach creates pores (voids) in the sensing films. The dielectric contrast between the films’ constituents and the voids increases photon scattering, which in turn increases the optical path of the excitation light within the film, and hence light absorption by the dye, and its PL. Optimized sensing films with a PEG:PS ratio of 1:4 (PEG’s molecular weight Mw ∼8000) led to ∼4.4× enhancement in the PL (in comparison to PS films). Lower Mw ∼200 PEG with a PEG:EC ratio of 1:1 led to a PL enhancement of ∼4.7×. Film-dependent PL enhancements were observed at all oxygen concentrations. The strong PL enhancement enables (i) using lower dye (luminophore) concentrations, (ii) reducing power consumption and enhancing the sensor’s operational lifetime when using organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) as excitation sources, (iii) improving performance when using compact photodetectors with no internal gain, and (iv) reliably extending the dynamic range. The effect of RH on O2 sensing is also presented. Dye:EC films are sensitive to the RH, as shown by the change of the dye’s PL decay time with RH at a given O2 concentration. Surprisingly, this RH sensitivity vanishes by adding PEG to EC, including by washing PEG off. In contrast, doping EC with TiO2 nanoparticles maintains the RH effect with the advantage of significant PL enhancement. This enhancement enables differentiation of
Sulfur Adsorption and Reaction with a TiO2(110) Surface: O↔S Exchange and Sulfide Formation

Upon sulfur adsorption on TiO2(110) at 600 K, all surface oxygen is replaced by sulfur. High-resolution photoemission data show a complete loss of oxygen from the surface layer, a large binding energy shift and attenuation of Ti core levels, and the presence of three different S species. The bonding of sulfur is examined using first-principles density-functional calculations and the periodic supercell approach. At saturation the top layer of the oxide surface is converted to sulfide, with the majority of sulfur buckled above the Ti lattice plane and the remaining sulfur bonded in bridging sites. A mechanism for this self-limiting thermodynamically unlikely surface reaction is proposed.
Two classes of alamethicin transmembrane channels: molecular models from single-channel properties

Molecular structures of transmembrane channels formed by alamethicin polypeptide aggregates were analyzed by measuring open-channel conductances and state-transition kinetics using voltage-clamp technique with artificial phospholipid bilayers isolated onto micropipettes by a novel solvent-free tip-dip method. Two distinct classes of alamethicin channels, each with a unique set of conductance states and kinetic properties, were identified. Alamethicin Rf50 at low temperatures forms mostly nonpersistent channels with lifetimes of
NUMERICAL INVERSION OF LAPLACE TRANSFORMS AND SOME INVERSE PROBLEMS IN RADIATIVE TRANSFER

Abstract Consider a semi-infinite homogeneous slab atmosphere which absorbs radiation and scatters it isotropically. A basic inverse problem is the determination of the source function, given the angular dependence of the emergent radiation. We show how to solve this problem, making use of our previous work on the numerical inversion of Laplace transforms.
The optical behaviour of slightly ferroelectric BaTiO3

A fluctuating field is produced by the oscillations of dislocations relative to the small ferroelectric domains at their sides. Through the quadratic Kerr effect this field a T(T-T 0 ) deviation of the refractive index from its linear variation at high temperature and T/(T-T 0 ) 2 anomalies of the electrooptic and photoelastic coefficients Un champ fluctuant est produit par des oscillations des dislocations relatives aux petits domaines ferroelectriques, sur leurs cotes. Par effet Kerr quadratique, ce champ produit un ecart en T/(T-T 0 ) de l'indice de refraction par rapport a sa variation lineaire a haute temperature et des anomalies en T/(T-T 0 ) 2 des coefficients photoelastiques et electrooptiques
A minimum expected response model: Formulation, heuristic solution, and application

Abstract Responding to true emergencies in the shortest possible time saves lives, prevents permanent injuries and reduces suffering. Most covering models consider an emergency cover if an ambulance is available within a given time or distance threshold. From a modeling perspective, shorter or longer responses within this threshold are all tallied as covered; conversely, the emergencies immediately outside the threshold are considered uncovered. However, if the shorter responses are given more weight along with the volume of such incidents, while still meeting system-wide coverage requirements, both customers and providers can benefit from reduced response times. We formulate a model to determine the locations for a given set of ambulances to minimize the system-wide expected response distances while meeting coverage requirements. We solve the model with a heuristic search algorithm and present computational and comparative statistics using data from an existing Emergency Medical Services agency.
MicroRNAs and benign biliary tract diseases.

Cholangiocytes, the epithelial cells lining the biliary tree, represent only a small portion of the total liver cell population (3–5%), but they are responsible for the secretion of up to 40% of total daily bile volume. In addition, cholangiocytes are the target of a diverse group of liver diseases affecting the biliary tract, the cholangiopathies; for most of these conditions, the pathological mechanisms are unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small, noncoding RNAs that posttranscriptionally regulate gene expression. Thus, it is not surprising that altered miRNA profiles underlie the dysregulation of several proteins involved in the pathobiology of the cholangiopathies, as well as showing promise as diagnostic and prognostic tools. Here the authors review recent work relevant to the role of miRNAs in the etiopathogenesis of several of the cholangiopathies (i.e., fibroinflammatory cholangiopathies and polycystic liver diseases), discuss their value as prognostic and diagnostic tools, and provide suggestions for further research.
SEM performance evaluation using the sharpness criterion

Fully automated or semi-automated scanning electron microscopes (SEM) are now commonly used in semiconductor production and other forms of manufacturing. The industry requires that an automated instrument must be routinely capable of 5 nm resolution (or better) at 1.0 kV accelerating voltage for the measurement of nominal 0.25 - 0.35 micrometer semiconductor critical dimensions. Testing and proving that the instrument is performing at this level on a day-by-day basis is an industry need and concern and is addressed in this paper. Furthermore, with the introduction of fully automated inspection and metrology instrumentation, not only does an appropriate, easy to obtain or manufacture measurement sample have to exist, but also an objective and automated algorithm developed for its analysis. Both of these have been the objects of a study at NIST and the fundamentals are discussed in this paper. In scanning electron microscopy, two of the most important instrument parameters are the size and shape of the primary electron beam and any image taken in a scanning electron microscope is the result of the sample and electron probe interaction. The low frequency changes in the video signal, collected from the sample, contains information about the larger features and the high frequency ones carry information of finer details. In principle, if the sample geometry is known, the geometric parameters of the primary electron beam are mathematically determinable from an acquired image. The method described in this paper is based on the frequency domain representation of a scanning electron microscope image and can also be used to check and optimize two basic parameters of the primary electron beam, the focus and the astigmatism. The application of this technique to regularly check the resolution of the SEM in quantitative form also is discussed.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Chromosome aberrations in lymphocytes from women irradiated for benign and malignant gynecological disease

Excess leukemias have occurred after partial-body radiotherapy for cervical cancer and benign gynecological disease (BGD). However, the level of risk is nearly the same in both groups, about twofol...
Development of an Ab-initio Model of the Lattice Thermal Conductivity in Semiconductor Thin Films and Nanowires

A model for calculating the lattice thermal conductivity in semiconductor thin films and nanowires is developed. It is based on the solution of phonon Boltzmann equation and takes into account phonon dispersion modification due to confinement effects and non-equilibrium phonon redistribution. Phonon spatial confinement at the structure boundaries leads to modification of the acoustic phonon dispersion and corresponding drop in the mode-averaged group velocity. Scattering from rough boundaries and interfaces introduces a change in the non-equilibrium phonon distribution as compared to bulk. These effects lead to a reduction in the in-plane lattice thermal conductivity in both thin films and nanowires. The predicted values for the lattice thermal conductivity and their temperature and interface roughness dependence are in good agreement with available experimental data.
Metadata from Data: Identifying Holidays from Anesthesia Data

The increasingly large databases available to researchers necessitate high-quality metadata that is not always available. We describe a method for generating this metadata independently. Cluster analysis and expectation-maximization were used to separate days into holidays/weekends and regular workdays using anesthesia data from Vanderbilt University Medical Center from 2004 to 2014. This classification was then used to describe differences between the two sets of days over time. We evaluated 3802 days and correctly categorized 3797 based on anesthesia case time (representing an error rate of 0.13 %). Use of other metrics for categorization, such as billed anesthesia hours and number of anesthesia cases per day, led to similar results. Analysis of the two categories showed that surgical volume increased more quickly with time for non-holidays than holidays (p?<?0.001). We were able to successfully generate metadata from data by distinguishing holidays based on anesthesia data. This data can then be used for economic analysis and scheduling purposes. It is possible that the method can be expanded to similar bimodal and multimodal variables.