cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PLANETARY WAVES IN THE ATMOSPHERE

Abstract A numerical method is presented for solving the non-linear barotropic vorticity equation in spherical coordinates. It is shown that, when the stream function is expressed as a sum of surface spherical harmonics, the barotropic vorticity equation gives rise to harmonic tendency equations which express the time rate of change of the harmonic coefficients as functions of all the harmonic coefficients. The harmonic tendency equations may be used in an iterative process to find the flow pattern at a future time from a knowledge of the harmonic coefficients at an initial time. The amount of computation is reduced greatly if the planetary waves are regarded as composed of perturbations superimposed on a steady zonal flow in which the angular velocity varies with colatitude. An example based on an actual synoptic situation is given. The effect of large scale lateral mixing is to curb the development of harmonics of large degree.
Post-anoxic recovery of myocardial performance in senescent mice.

Abstract In studies with intact open-chested male mice, the ability of the myocardium to maintain left ventricular pressure (LVP) during and subsequent to 3 min of anaerobic respiration has been studied. The hearts of young (6 months) and old (24 months) animals revealed dissimilar pressure profiles throughout the anoxic and recovery periods. Uppon re-establishment of aerobic respiration, only old animals were able to restore LVP to pre-anoxic levels. Indices of external myocardial work were similar in young and old hearts prior to anoxia and declined significantly more in young animals during anoxia and recovery. In order to localize the energy source for the recovery of myocardial performance by old animals myocardial and hepatic levels of glycogen and phosphorylase were assessed. Cardiac glycogen and phosphorylase levels were similar in both young and old animals prior to the recovery period. Upon recovery from anoxia, old animals were able to restore myocardial glycogen content and phosphorylase activity towards pre-anoxic levels while the hearts of young animals failed to do so. Pre-anoxic hepatic glycogen content in old animals was significantly greater than young animals while phosphorylase levels were similar in both groups prior to anaerobic respiration. Hepatic glycogen utilization and phosphorylase activation throughout the respiratory period were similar to that seen in the myocardium from both young and old animals with old animals displaying a greater utilization of glycogen and a greater activation of phosphorylase during anoxia and a greater tendency to return to pre-anoxic levels during the recovery period. In addition, blood glucose levels during anoxia were significantly lower in young animals when compared to values obtained from old animals. Under these conditions, increases in liver glycogen may be responsible for the maintenance of myocardial performance during and after anoxia by old mice.
Burning characteristics of a spherical particle reacting with ambient oxidizing gas at its surface

Abstract An analytical model is presented to describe the quasi-steady burning and spontaneous extinction of a spherical particle in a quiescent oxidizing gas. In the special case of an exothermic Arrhenius first-order reaction of the oxidant with the surface of the particle, the model yields burning and extinction domains in terms of four dimensionless numbers. For a high activation energy of this reaction an approximation to the heat release rate is made, and this results in a transcendental algebraic equation having the four dimensionless numbers as the parameters. The analytical results are illustrated by choosing the burning of a carbon particle as an example.
Attitudes toward Electoral College Reform: Understanding Opinion Formation on Complicated Public Policy Issues

This article examines opinion dynamics on the complicated public policy issue of Electoral College reform. The study shows how partisan perceptions and political sophistication affect opinion on Electoral College reform. Taking advantage of an experiment and of an analysis of polls after the 2000 election, this study finds that those with higher levels of political sophistication were more likely to oppose reform. Proponents of reform often rely on simple majoritarian arguments while those opposed to reform are forced to justify the Electoral College based on more complicated arguments involving federalism and support for the two-party system. Those with higher levels of political sophistication were more likely to understand, and hence accept, difficult arguments made by opponents of reform. Partisanship also played an important influence in shaping attitudes toward the Electoral College.
Centaurus: an infrastructure for service management in ubiquitous computing environments

In the near future, we will see dramatic changes in computing and networking hardware. A large number of devices (e.g., phones, PDAs, even small household appliances) will become computationally enabled. Micro/nano sensors will be widely embedded in most engineered artifacts, from the clothes we wear to the roads we drive on. All of these devices will be (wirelessly) networked using Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15 or IEEE 802.11 for short range connectivity creating pervasive environments. In this age where a large number of wirelessly networked appliances and devices are becoming commonplace, there is a necessity for providing a standard interface to them that is easily accessible by any user. This paper outlines the design of Centaurus, an infrastructure for presenting services to heterogeneous mobile clients in a physical space via some short range wireless links. The infrastructure is communication medium independent; we have implemented the system over Bluetooth, CDPD and Infrared, three well-known wireless technologies. All the components in our model use a language based on Extensible Markup Language (XML) for communication, giving the system a uniform and easily adaptable interface. Centaurus defines a uniform infrastructure for heterogeneous services, both hardware and software, to be made available to diverse mobile users within a confined space.
Racial prejudice and support by whites for police use of force: A research note

The use of force by police in a democratic society continues to be controversial. Despite the theoretical and practical importance of police use of force, little is known about the sources of public attitudes toward it. Recent research suggests that whites' approval of police use of force may derive partly from racial prejudice against African Americans. In this paper we test this possibility with data from the 1990 General Social Survey and find that negative stereotypes of African Americans contribute to whites' support for police use of excessive force. We also address the theoretical and pragmatic significance of our findings.
PL-detective: A system for teaching programming language concepts

The educational literature recognizes that people go through a number of stages in their intellectual development. During the first stage, called received knowledge or dualism, people expect knowledge to be handed to them by authority figures (thus “received”) and think in terms of black and white (thus “dualism”). Our experience indicates that many computer science students are at this first stage of learning. To help students move beyond this stage, we describe a system and strategy, the PL-Detective, to be used in a Concepts of Programming Languages course. Assignments using this system directly confront students with the notion that they can create knowledge via interactions with the PL-Detective and that discussion with students (rather than asking the instructor) is an effective way of learning how to reason. We present experimental results that show that the PL-Detective is effective in helping students move beyond the stage of received knowledge.
Dissociation of perceptual and motor inhibition processes through the use of novel computerized conflict tasks

Efficient behavioral functioning requires early perceptual inhibition of irrelevant stimuli and later motor inhibition of inappropriate responses. The Perceptual and Motor Conflict Tasks were developed to differentially assess perceptual and motor inhibition, and to determine whether these processes utilize separate or shared cognitive resources. The computerized tasks include six subtests involving a box or an arrow appearing in various locations. Subjects respond by pressing a key on the left or right side of a keyboard. In different subtests, arrow direction or stimulus location determines correct responses. Perceptual inhibition assessment requires the subject to respond to a conflicting arrow direction while ignoring stimulus location. Motor inhibition assessment involves the subject responding in the direction opposite to that indicated by a centrally located arrow. In a neurologically normal sample (N = 44), reaction time analyses yielded significant Perceptual and Motor Conflict main effects, with slower performance under conflict conditions, but no significant Perceptual x Motor interaction. The lack of a significant Perceptual x Motor interaction, according to the additive factor model, indicates that these two processes utilize distinct cognitive resources. Nevertheless, performance on the two conflict tasks was significantly correlated with each other, and Perceptual Conflict performance was significantly correlated with Stroop interference.
Modeling regional-scale habitat of forest birds when land management guidelines are needed but information is limited

Conservation planning at broad spatial scales facilitates coherence between local land management and objectives set at the state or provincial level. Habitat suitability models are commonly used to identify key areas for conservation planning. The challenge is that habitat suitability models are data hungry, which limits their applicability to species for which detailed information exists, but managers need to address the needs of all at-risk species. We propose a modeling approach useful for regional-scale conservation planning that accommodates limited species knowledge, and identifies what managers should aim for at the local scale. For twenty at-risk bird species, we built models to identify potential habitat using both literature information and empirical data. Species occupancy within potential habitat depends on the presence of intrinsic elements, which we identified for each species so that managers can enhance these elements as appropriate. For most species, the estimated amount of habitat needed to meet population targets was <10% of the mapped potential habitat, with notable exceptions for Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis; 100%), Brown Thrasher (Toxostoma rufum; 63.7%), and Veery (Catharus fuscescens; 17.9%). Model validation showed that interior forest species models performed best. Our modeling framework allowed us to build potential habitat models to various endpoints for different species, depending on the information available, and revealed a number of species for which basic natural history data are missing. Our potential habitat models provide regional perspective and guide local habitat management, and assist in identifying research priorities.
Sanctions as Coercive Diploimacy: The U.S. President's Decision to Initiate Economic Sanctions

While economic sanctions are widely believed to be ineffective policy instruments, their use has increased in recent years. Scholars have analyzed the question of sanction effectiveness, but few have approached the conditions that lead to their employment. This article addresses that question: what conditions lead a country to initiate economic sanctions? Focusing on the U.S., both the relations with the target country and the domestic political and economic conditions in America are considered as factors leading to the imposition of economic sanctions. Time-seriescross-section data from 50 countries between 1966-1992 show that the president considers both the relations with the target and American domestic factors when deciding to initiate economic sanctions. However, the relationship with the target is the largest stimulus to sanction use, while the domestic factors only marginally influence the decision. The analysis highlights the importance of economic sanctions as a form of coercive diplomacy aimed ...
Worm versus alert: who wins in a battle for control of a large-scale network?

Consider the following game between a worm and an alert1 over a network of n nodes. Initially, no nodes are infected or alerted and each node in the network is a special detector node independently with small but constant probability. The game starts with a single node becoming infected. In every round thereafter, every infected node sends out a constant number of worms to other nodes in the population, and every alerted node sends out a constant number of alerts. Nodes in the network change state according to the following four rules: 1) If a worm is received by a node that is not a detector and is not alerted, that node becomes infected; 2) If a worm is received by a node that is a detector, that node becomes alerted; 3) If an alert is received by a node that is not infected, that node becomes alerted; 4) If a worm or an alert is received by a node that is already infected or already alerted, then there is no change in the state of that node. We make two assumptions about this game. First, that an infected node can send worm messages to any other node in the network but, in contrast, an alerted node can send alert messages only through a previously determined, constant degree overlay network. Second, we assume that the infected nodes are intelligent, coordinated and essentially omniscient. In other words, the infected nodes know everything except for which nodes are detectors and the alerted nodes' random coin flips i.e. they know the topology of the overlay network used by the alerts; which nodes are alerted and which are infected at any time; where alerts and worms are being sent; the overall strategy used by the alerted nodes; etc. The alerted nodes are assumed to know nothing about which other nodes are infected or alerted, where alerts or worms are being sent, or the strategy used by the infected nodes. Is there a strategy for the alerted nodes that ensures only a vanishingly small fraction of the nodes become infected, no matter what strategy is used by the infected nodes? Surprisingly, the answer is yes. In particular, we prove that a simple strategy achieves this result with probability approaching 1 provided that the overlay network has good node expansion. Specifically, this result holds if d ≥ α and α/β)1-γ > 2d/c, where α and β represent the rate of the spread of the alert and worm respectively; γ is the probability that a node is a detector node; d is the degree of the overlay network; and c is the node expansion of the overlay network. Next, we give empirical results that suggest that our algorithms for the alert may be useful in current large-scale networks. Finally, we show that if the overlay network has poor expansion, in particular if (1-γ)β > d, then the worm will likely infect almost all of the non-detector nodes.
Hydrothermal Synthesis of a Microporous Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Framework (Fe0.28V0.72OH0.8(NH4)0.2(C8H4O4)) · 0.53(C8H6O4)

Single crystals of a novel organic-inorganic framework [Fe0.28V0.72OH0.8(NH4)0.2(C8H4O4)] · 0.53(C8H6O4), 1, have been prepared by hydrothermal synthesis in the presence of an oxidizing agent. The structure was solved by single crystal X-ray diffraction: space group Pnma, a = 17.6956 (19) A, b = 6.8745 (7) A, c = 11.9303(12) A. The three dimensional framework is constructed from Fe/V-O chains that are cross-linked by 1,4-benzene dicarboxylate (BDC) anions forming large one-dimensional channels. As synthesized, the compound contains additional dicarboxylate groups occupying disordered positions in the channels that can be removed by heating. The chemical reactivity of 1 and its magnetic properties are reported. The new phase is closely related to analogous Cr (III) and V(III) phases recently reported by Ferey and co-workers.
Linopirdine modulates calcium signaling and stimulus-secretion coupling in adrenal chromaffin cells by targeting M-type K+ channels and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Adrenal chromaffin cells synthesize and release catecholamines and several other transmitters that play important physiological roles in the coordinated response to stress or danger. The main trigger for secretion is acetylcholine (ACh) released from splanchnic nerve terminals that activates nicotinic ACh receptors (nAChRs) on the chromaffin cells, causing membrane depolarization and Ca2+ entry primarily through voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (Ca-channels). G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) can also trigger secretion, and it has been suggested that closure of M-type K+ channels might contribute to this process. However, GPCRs have multiple effects on calcium signaling and secretion, including release of intracellular Ca2+ stores, activation of second messenger pathways and kinases, and Ca2+ entry through store/receptor-operated channels. Hence, the effects of M-channel closure on [Ca2+]i signaling and transmitter release remain unclear. We have investigated the effects of linopirdine, a relatively selective blocker of M-channels, on stimulus-secretion coupling in chromaffin cells. Linopirdine produced a small increase in [Ca2+]i in ∼63% of cells because of influx through Ca-channels. However, this was not sufficient to promote catecholamine release. We also show that linopirdine reduced cholinergic-stimulated increases in [Ca2+]i and secretion, primarily through potent block of nAChRs and a subtle effect on Ca2+ entry via Ca-channels. Hence, our data support the hypothesis that M-channels help control the excitability of chromaffin cells, but additional pathways need to be recruited by GPCRs to trigger catecholamine release. Furthermore, linopirdine potently targets nAChRs to modulate stimulus-secretion coupling in adrenal chromaffin cells.
An interdepartmental Ph.D. program in computational biology and bioinformatics: The Yale perspective

Computational biology and bioinformatics (CBB), the terms often used interchangeably, represent a rapidly evolving biological discipline. With the clear potential for discovery and innovation, and the need to deal with the deluge of biological data, many academic institutions are committing significant resources to develop CBB research and training programs. Yale formally established an interdepartmental Ph.D. program in CBB in May 2003. This paper describes Yale's program, discussing the scope of the field, the program's goals and curriculum, as well as a number of issues that arose in implementing the program. (Further updated information is available from the program's website, www.cbb.yale.edu.)
Initiation and assembly of the plasma in a plasma flow switch

A series of fast opening switch experiments was carried out on the Pegasus pulsed power facility. The first series of experiments characterized the assembly and run down of a 50 mg plasma flow switch operating in the 6 MA regime. The switch plasma arises from the vaporization of a wire array and a barrier foil. Arrays with different numbers of wires were examined. Two-dimensional (2-D) radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the initial vaporization stage of the array plasma and its assembly on the barrier foil are presented, which include the effects of initial perturbations on the evolution of the switch plasma as it moves down a coaxial gun barrel. Sparse wire arrays were observed to perform poorly. A change in the experimental design, motivated by 2-D simulations, led to improved performance. Computational results which lead to these changes are discussed, and the results are compared with experimental data.
Reterritorializing Locations of Home: Examining the Psychopolitical Dimensions of Race Talk in the Classroom

In this paper I theorize how notions of psychoanalytic grief and its connections with sociopolitical characteristics of oppression shape students’ and teachers’ emotional responses to having conversations about race. I posit that in order to have generative exchanges about race in the classroom, curricular approaches should take into account the inherently unsafe and traumatic discourses created by the United States’ violent racial past and, subsequently, institute procedures that enable students to grapple with the difficult emotions that are tethered to it. Ultimately, reconceptualizing the idea of safety in race talk to account for the presence of racial suffering can lead to productive discussions about race in the classroom. I conceive of a curricular device that enables students to safely experience unsafe learning through the concept of “home” as a location for cross-racial cooperation, healing, and resistance. This notion of home can assist students, as well as teachers, in grappling with the racial trauma conjured from talking about race in the classroom.
Retroperitoneal Dissection in Patients with Borderline Resectable Pancreatic Cancer: Operative Principles and Techniques

Pancreatectomy with aggressive vascular resection is increasingly being recognized as an appropriate treatment strategy for patients with borderline resectable PDAC after administration of chemotherapy and/or chemoradiation. Because tumor downstaging is an uncommon event, both venous and hepatic arterial resection and reconstruction might be necessary to achieve negative surgical margins and the favorable short-term and long-term outcomes we have reported previously. The technical approaches we have described here can be used as a basic foundation for operative safety and efficiency during these challenging operations.
Non-normality of distribution of Glasgow Coma Scores and Revised Trauma Scores

Study objective: Inferential and descriptive statistics continue to be used incorrectly when analyzing biomedical data. Glasgow Coma Score (GCS) and Revised Trauma Score (RTS) data have recently been described and analyzed using parametric statistical methods in several studies despite the ordinal nature of these data scales. The objective of this study was to determine whether GCS and RTS data are normally distributed, despite their ordinal nature. Hypothesis: Neither GCS nor RTS data are normally distributed. Design: A retrospective review of GCS and RTS data obtained at a medical school teaching and county hospital that is a Level I trauma center. Participants: Patients who met criteria for trauma team activation at the hospital. Methods: GCS and RTS data distributions were compared to a standard normal distribution using the χ 2 goodness of fit test. Results: GCS and RTS data distributions differed significantly from the normal distribution for all data sets examined. Conclusion: Parametric statistical descriptors and inferential methods are inappropriate for use with GCS and RTS data. Ordinal data should be tested for normality before statistical analysis with parametric statistical methods.
The Impact of Experience and Heuristics on Everyday Decisions to Use Mobility Devices: The Need for Control in Nine African-American Older Adults

Nine African-American older adults participated in this ualitative research study to examine decision making and problem-solving related to current and potential mobility device use. Focus group and individual narrative interviews were conducted. Results indicated that older adults use their own past experiences, observation of others using or considering use of mobility devices, and rules as heuristics for making decisions about device use. The desire to maintain control of one's physical and social environments guided decisions about using mobility devices. Participants in the study sought ways to manage decreasing capacities for mobility that preserved self-image while altering the environment as little as possible. Therefore, mobility device use was considered a last alternative because it represented a more permanent and drastic environmental alteration than these community-dwelling older adults were prepared to accept. Suggested guidelines for using the results in practice are provided.
Performance of Direct-Detection Mode-Group-Division Multiplexing Using Fused Fiber Couplers

We present an end-to-end performance evaluation of a mode-group-division multiplexing system that uses direct detection instead of coherent detection, avoiding complex digital signal processing. The system transmits four data channels through a step-index fiber supporting six spatial modes comprising four mode groups, considering the twofold degeneracy of the LP $_{\it lm}$ modes for $l \neq 0$ . Multiplexing and demultiplexing is performed using two- and three-core fused fiber couplers, each one phase-matched to a group of degenerate modes. These devices are analyzed through a field-based model that describes, for the first time to our knowledge, crosstalk between all the fiber modes. Propagation through the few-mode fiber is modeled considering differential modal attenuation, intermodal dispersion, chromatic dispersion, and both intergroup and intragroup modal coupling. The end-to-end link is described by a concatenation of matrix operators describing the optical field transfer functions for the multiplexer, fiber, and demultiplexer. Error-free transmission of four 32-Gb/s OOK-modulated data channels through a 1-km link proves the feasibility of the proposed direct-detection mode-group-division multiplexing approach.
Interaction between COMT rs5993883 and second generation antipsychotics is linked to decreases in verbal cognition and cognitive control in bipolar disorder

Second generation antipsychotics (SGAs) are increasingly utilized in Bipolar Disorder (BD) but are potentially associated with cognitive side effects. Also linked to cognitive deficits associated with SGA-treatment are catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene variants. In this study, we examine the relationship between cognition in SGA use and COMT rs5993883 in cohort sample of subjects with BD. Interactions between SGA-treatment and COMT rs5993883 genotype on cognition was tested using a battery of neuropsychological tests performed in cross-sectional study of 246 bipolar subjects. The mean age of our sample was 40.15 years and was comprised of 70 % female subjects. Significant demographic differences included gender, hospitalizations, benzodiazepine/antidepressant use and BD-type diagnosis. Linear regressions showed that the COMT rs5993883 GG genotype predicted lower verbal learning (p = 0.0006) and memory (p = 0.0026) scores, and lower scores on a cognitive control task (p = 0.004) in SGA-treated subjects. Interestingly, COMT GT- or TT-variants showed no intergroup cognitive differences. Further analysis revealed an interaction between SGA-COMT GG-genotype for verbal learning (p = 0.028), verbal memory (p = 0.026) and cognitive control (p = 0.0005). This investigation contributes to previous work demonstrating links between cognition, SGA-treatment and COMT rs5993883 in BD subjects. Our analysis shows significant associations between cognitive domains such as verbal-cognition and cognitive control in SGA-treated subjects carrying the COMT rs5993883 GG-genotype. Prospective studies are needed to evaluate the clinical significance of these findings.
ANT-EATING SPIDER IS MEAL FOR PREDATORY WASP

![][1] A common predatory method among spiders is aggressive mimicry. The ant-eating Zodarion spider species performs this trick too: anatomically disguised as an ant, they are able to stealthily hunt and capture their preferred prey. However, this crafty technique by no means puts
Dispersion engineering of silicon microdisk resonators by thermal oxidation

We demonstrate a convenient approach for precise dispersion engineering of silicon microdisk resonators via thermal oxidation. This technique potentially enables efficient correlated photon-pair generation for quantum photonics.
Role of nuclear medicine in cancer.

Nuclear medical procedures are very useful in certain types of cancer. The procedures are simple and not hazardous to the patient; they provide both structural and physiologic information that can be quantified readily, and they aid in determining therapy and assessing its value. Better imaging devices, improved radiopharmaceutical preparations, and new diagnostic technics will bring expansion of this field.
Implementation and Effect Evaluation on Supplementary Immunization of Measles Vaccine in Heping District of Tianjin in 2008

[Objective]To summarize and evaluate the effect of the supplementary immunization of measles vaccine in Heping District of Tianjin.[Methods]Based on the incidence data of measles which were reported through monitoring system of infectious disease during 2008-2009 and the special report data from the street blocks,the effect of the supplementary immunization was summarized and evaluated.[Results]The reported coverage rate of the supplementary immunization was 96.97%,the evaluation coverage rate was 95.75%,which reached the standard of the coverage rate of the supplementary immunization over 95%.Compared with the incidence of measles in 2008 before the supplementary immunization,that in 2009 decreased significantly.[Conclusion]The supplementary immunization of measles vaccine in Heping District reached the expected goal.
Promote College Students' Career Planning Education by EQ Training

Since the new century, China's college career planning education has made remarkable achievements. However, the EQ has not received due attention, so many problems are faced by the development of college students' EQ,such as emotional management capacity is weak, heart adaptability is inadequate and social adaptability is not strong.Therefore, we must firmly establish the concept of emotional intelligence training students, efforts to build new carriers EQ of college students, college students' EQ training focused on building long-term mechanism to help them achieve a happy and harmonious life.
Comparison between transthoracic echocardiography and cardiac catheterization in measuring diameter of patent ductus arteriosus and accessing pulmonary artery pressure

Objectives To evaluate the relevance between transthoracic echocardiography(TTE)and cardiac catheterization in measuring diameter of patent ductus arteriosus(PDA)and assessing pulmonary artery pressure. Methods The diameter of PDA and the pulmonary artery pressure in 61 patients were observed by TTE and cardiac catheterization. Results These diameters of PDA and pulmonary artery pressure measurements by TTE and cardiac catheterization showed excellent correlation (P 0.05). The narrowest diameters of PDA measured by TTE were significantly longer than that measured by aortic angiography in cardiac catheterization(P 0.05). But the pulmonary artery pressure assessed by TTE were significantly lower than that measured by cardiac catheterization(P 0.05). Conclusions TTE and cardiac catheterization for measuring diameter of PDA and pulmonary artery pressure show excellent correlation, but they are some different. TTE plays an important role in selecting patients and evaluating efficiency of PDA occlusion.
Bioengineering of Inflammation and Cell Activation: Autodigestion in Shock

Increasing evidence suggests that most acute and chronic cardiovascular diseases and tumors are associated with an inflammatory cascade. The inflammation is accompanied by activation of cells in the circulation and fundamental changes in the mechanics of the microcirculation, expression of pro-inflammatory genes and downregulation of anti-inflammatory genes, attachment of leukocytes to the endothelium, elevated permeability of the endothelium, thrombosis, mast cell degranulation, apoptosis, macrophage infiltration and growth factor release. Eventually there is resolution of the inflammation with formation of new tissue. But in disease, the inflammatory cascade does not come to a complete resolution, indicating that a basic mechanism persists which triggers the inflammation. The trigger mechanism(s) that may stimulate the inflammatory cascade is currently unknown and the target of our research.
Conclusion: Joan Didion's Style

Was there ever a writer as heedless of the limits of genre, with so roving an “I”|eye and possessing a style so recognizably iconic as Joan Didion? Didion, the globe traveler, migraine sufferer, an...
Interference alignment via random codes and he capacity of a class of deterministic interference channels

We study the capacity of a class of deterministic discrete memoryless interference channels. Recent studies show that, in general, interference alignment is required to achieve capacity in interference channels. While interference alignment in general needs structured coding, we identify two scenarios where random coding achieves capacity and leads to single-letter capacity characterizations in deterministic interference channels. The first scenario is a noisy interference regime, where we show that interference can be aligned with random codes, obviating the need of structured codes. The second scenario is over the many-to-one interference channels where alignment is precluded because the multiple interferers are resolvable at the receiver which faces interference.
BindML/BindML+: Detecting Protein-Protein Interaction Interface Propensity from Amino Acid Substitution Patterns

Prediction of protein-protein interaction sites in a protein structure provides important information for elucidating the mechanism of protein function and can also be useful in guiding a modeling or design procedures of protein complex structures. Since prediction methods essentially assess the propensity of amino acids that are likely to be part of a protein docking interface, they can help in designing protein-protein interactions. Here, we introduce BindML and BindML+ protein-protein interaction sites prediction methods. BindML predicts protein-protein interaction sites by identifying mutation patterns found in known protein-protein complexes using phylogenetic substitution models. BindML+ is an extension of BindML for distinguishing permanent and transient types of protein-protein interaction sites. We developed an interactive web-server that provides a convenient interface to assist in structural visualization of protein-protein interactions site predictions. The input data for the web-server are a tertiary structure of interest. BindML and BindML+ are available at http://kiharalab.org/bindml/ and http://kiharalab.org/bindml/plus/ .
Transparent Window Vibrational Probes for the Characterization of Proteins With High Structural and Temporal Resolution.

Vibrational spectroscopy provides a direct route to the physicochemical characterization of molecules. While both IR and Raman spectroscopy have been used for decades to provide detailed characterizations of small molecules, similar studies with proteins are largely precluded due to spectral congestion. However, the vibrational spectra of proteins do include a “transparent window”, between ∼1800 and ∼2500 cm–1, and progress is now being made to develop site-specifically incorporated carbon–deuterium (C–D), cyano (CN), thiocyanate (SCN), and azide (N3) “transparent window vibrational probes” that absorb within this window and report on their environment to facilitate the characterization of proteins with small molecule-like detail. This Review opens with a brief discussion of the advantages and limitations of conventional vibrational spectroscopy and then discusses the strengths and weaknesses of the different transparent window vibrational probes, methods by which they may be site-specifically incorporate...
Water quality before and after watershed-scale implementation of stormwater wet ponds in the coastal plain

Abstract Wet ponds have been used extensively for stormwater control throughout the US, including coastal areas. Despite the widespread application of these water control structures, few studies have investigated how watershed-scale implementation of wet ponds affects downstream water quality or how the pollutant removal efficacy of wet ponds changes over time in a coastal setting. This study utilizes a seven year data set of nutrient, total suspended solid, and chlorophyll-a concentration data collected during baseflow and stormflow from two coastal headwater streams draining a developed (28% impervious) and an undeveloped (1.2% impervious) watershed. The seven year record encompasses before, during, and after a large construction project and concurrent implementation of wet ponds in the developed watershed that drain 97% of the watershed area. Additional nutrient, total suspended solid, and chlorophyll-a concentration data were collected from within a wet pond in the developed watershed during baseflow over a single spring and summer. A comparison of stream water quality before and after the construction project and wet pond implementation in the developed watershed showed that mean chlorophyll-a, nitrate-nitrite (NOx−), organic nitrogen, and total suspended solid concentrations significantly increased, the mean orthophosphate (PO43−) concentration significantly decreased, and the mean ammonium (NH4+) concentration did not change. Over a three year time period after construction and pond implementation, developed stream chlorophyll-a, ammonium, and organic nitrogen concentrations decreased, and nitrate-nitrite, orthophosphate, and total suspended solid concentrations increased compared to the reference stream during the same period, indicating changes in pollutant removal capacity. A comparison of baseflow and stormflow samples during the Post period and samples from a wet pond in the developed watershed indicated that ponds were functioning as sources of chlorophyll-a and total suspended solids to the stream and sinks for nitrate-nitrite. Overall, watershed-scale implementation of wet ponds in the developed watershed failed to mitigate many negative water quality impacts caused by increased development. This study suggests that centralized stormwater management may not be optimal for maintaining water quality in coastal environments, and that pond retrofits combined with frequent excavation could improve pollutant removal by wet ponds. Further research on the effects of nutrient cycling in coastal wet ponds and wet pond maintenance is needed.
Association analysis of cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) resistance in the USDA cowpea germplasm collection

Cowpea [Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.] is an important legume crop, widely grown in Africa, South America, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the southern United States. Cowpea is consumed as both fresh vegetable and dry grain, and as an animal feed and fodder, and it is a major dietary protein source that complements cereal-based diet. Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) causes a severe yield loss of cowpea in many areas worldwide notably in the Africa. Utilization of host genetic resistance is the most effective control method for the viral disease. The objective of this research is to conduct genome-wide association analysis and identify single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers associated with CPMV resistance in cowpea. Three hundred and thirty-three cowpea germplasm accessions, originally collected from 39 different countries and 1033 SNPs identified from genotyping by sequencing approach were used in this study. Single marker regression, general linear model, and mixed linear model in Tassel 5 were used for association analysis of CPMV resistance. Six SNP markers (C35069548_1883, scaffold65342_6794, scaffold66293_6549, scaffold95805_2175, C35081948_540, and scaffold17319_4417) were strongly associated with the CPMV resistance, of which the first three were associated for immune and the remaining three were associated with hypersensitive response. SNP markers identified in this research will be a potential tool to use in cowpea molecular breeding to develop CPMV resistant cultivars through marker-assisted selection.
Fossil Skulls and Hominid Vocal Tracts: New Approaches to Charting the Evolution of Human Speech

The upper respiratory, or vocal, tract is the intersection of our breathing, swallowing and vocalizing pathways. The structure of the region thus has a key role in determining the physical ability for vocal production. How this region changed during human evolution is of particular importance in charting the origins of speech. Until recently, the obvious lack of preserved non-bony structures, such as the larynx, in fossil remains has precluded our ability to reconstruct this region in our ancestors. Advances in understanding both the basic biology and comparative anatomy of the relationship between the skull base and vocal tract has, however, provided a mechanism by which reconstructions can be made. These reconstructions, in turn, can offer insight into the overall processes involved in the evolution of speech and language.
Atrial Substrate Modification for Atrial Fibrillation: Striving to Get Smarter.

See Article by Yang et al Catheter ablation is increasingly recommended for the management of all forms of atrial fibrillation. Rates of freedom from atrial fibrillation have remained suboptimal, however, and the search for the best procedural strategy remains an active area of research. Elimination of pulmonary vein triggers by circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) is an integral part of any catheter-based ablation procedure for atrial fibrillation. Ablation beyond CPVI is more problematic. Multiple lesion patterns have been proposed, usually with some evidence of benefit, but at this point, operators need to be cognizant of the risks and benefits associated with them, as well as the relative paucity of comparative data between approaches. Disadvantages of extensive left atrial ablation include 1. Linear ablation aimed at compartmentalizing the left atrium is fraught with inability to achieve a durable and complete line connecting 2 electrically inactive anatomic or electrophysiological landmarks. Incomplete lines provide iatrogenic milieu for macro-reentrant tachycardia.1,2 2. Collateral damage of the surrounding organs, most significantly the esophagus, always provides a rationale for limiting the amount of tissue ablated. 3. More extensive ablation increases the chance of complications, including thromboembolism and bleeding. Moreover, extensive ablation of atrial tissue may lead to compromised atrial function. The clinical decision to proceed with additional ablation beyond CPVI is driven by multiple factors. The chronicity of persistent atrial fibrillation, a high left atrial volume, and the presence of scar assessed either by magnetic resonance imaging or intraprocedural voltage mapping certainly increases the likelihood of extrapulmonary vein ablation. A common clinical practice has been to perform a stepwise ablation procedure in which initial wide area pulmonary vein isolation is followed by additional linear ablation lesions or focal ablation guided by complex fractionated atrial electrograms, ganglionated plexuses or rotors to achieve either termination of atrial fibrillation, organization …
Abstract 475: Novel Gene Therapy Facilitates Critical Limb Ischemia Reperfusion in Mouse Hindlimb Gangrene Model

Lack of a reliable animal hindlimb gangrene model limits molecular investigation of critical limb ischemia. We sought to develop a mouse hindlimb gangrene model, used to assess the efficacy of nove...
Life Cycle Assessment and Costing Methods for Device Procurement: Comparing Reusable and Single-Use Disposable Laryngoscopes.

BACKGROUND:Traditional medical device procurement criteria include efficacy and safety, ease of use and handling, and procurement costs. However, little information is available about life cycle environmental impacts of the production, use, and disposal of medical devices, or about costs incurred af
Acute, fulminating amebiasis with multiple complications: report of a survival.

A case has been presented in which the patient had acute fulminating amebiasis, complicated by hemorrhage, perforation of the colon, obstruction of the small bowel, pleuropulmonary disease and hepatic involvement. Treatment is discussed in the light of known therapeutic types of management which were altered to meet the demands of a combination of complications.
Teaching Criminal Law: Buzzgroups, Short Writings, and Hypotheticals

For most of my teaching career, I have used small in-class discussion groups, short written assignments, and a wider-than-usual variety of hypotheticals, both in-class and out, in the first-year course in Criminal Law. This short article argues that these exercises can significantly enhance student learning. It also provides examples of each.
Democratisation and the evolution of the foreign policy content of North African constitutions

The unprecedented wave of constitutional reforms in North Africa in the wake of the Arab Spring provides a unique opportunity to study the evolution of the foreign policy content of constitutions i...
Urban and overland flow modeling with dynamic adaptive mesh and implicit diffusive wave equation solver

Abstract A riverine and overland flow model based on the dynamically adapting Galerkin Least-Squares finite element method is developed and presented. The method utilizes the diffusive wave equations within a dynamically adaptive mesh and second-order accurate implicit time stepping scheme to efficiently and accurately simulate problems involving flows such as those that occur during overland flooding and urban inundation. The developed method and the utility of dynamic mesh adaption is presented through the simulation of common problems that occur in urban and overland flow conditions, these are shallow flooding, rapid flooding and flow propagation in an urban area. The application of the method to the flooding of the Morganza floodway illustrates the capabilities of the model in simulating large scale flooding and the application to a large dam break illustrates the limitations of the diffusive wave equations and the flow regimes where the numerical assumptions for the method break down. To the author's knowledge, the unique combination of FEM, wet-dry scheme and dynamic mesh adaption for the solution of diffusive wave equation (DWE) has not been presented in literature prior to this study.
Structure-preserving model reduction for nonlinear port-Hamiltonian systems

Port-Hamiltonian systems result from port-based network modeling of physical systems and constitute an important class of passive nonlinear state-space systems. In this paper, we develop a framework for model reduction of large-scale multi-input/multi-output nonlinear port-Hamiltonian systems that retains the port-Hamiltonian structure in the reduced order models. Within this framework, reduced order models are determined by the selection of two families of approximating subspaces. We consider two approaches deriving from a) a POD-based selection of subspaces, and b) an an ℋ 2 -based quasi-optimal selection of subspaces. We compare performance of the reduced order models on a nonlinear lossy LC ladder network.
Ethical and Legal Controversies Concerning Consolidation of Congenital Heart Programs in the United States of America

Consolidating congenital heart surgery programs by collapsing low volume centers into higher volume centers has been proposed to improve outcomes. Recent large database reviews advocate that a minimum volume of 200–300 cases/year reduces mortality. Supporters of consolidation argue that national outcomes could be improved with regional high-volume centers. Opponents point to outstanding clinical outcomes achieved at select lower volume centers. Others note unintended consequences of limiting local access to care and imposing travel burdens for patients and families. This chapter examines the data and ethical issues influencing these opinions.