cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Standardized Donor Acceptance Criteria: Impact on Pediatric Waitlist and Heart Transplant Outcomes

Purpose Lack of standardization in organ donation acceptance can contribute to an increased donor refusal rate, which may impact waitlist (WL) time, morbidity, mortality and transplant rates. After a review of relevant data, in 9/2017, our center developed and implemented a standardized donor acceptance criteria. We hypothesized that standardization would result in a decrease in WL time and improved WL outcomes. Methods We performed a single center, retrospective analysis of all pediatric ( Results Of 78 listed, 54 were transplanted, 8 removed due to death/clinical deterioration, 16 removed to due clinical improvement. Patient characteristics were similar between the groups (Table 1). Difference in removal from the WL for death or deterioration in Group 2 vs. 1 (n=2, 7% vs. n=6, 17%, p=0.28) did not reach statistical significance. WL time was significantly shorter in Group 2 (17 days, IQR 6-55) vs. Group 1 (90, IQR 13-167; p=0.006). The median DOR was lower in Group 2 (2, IQR 0-3) vs. Group 1 (4, IQR 2-20; p=0.001). The percentage of DOR with LVEF > 55% was lower in Group 2 vs. Group 1 (53% vs. 84%, p=0.001). Post-transplant outcomes were similar between groups (table 1). Conclusion DOR and WL time significantly decreased after a standardized donor acceptance criteria. This analysis supports the need for a standardized approach to donor organ acceptance within a pediatric transplant center.
Perceived Stress and Sleep Quality in Midlife and Later: Controlling for Genetic and Environmental Influences.

Stress is a strong predictor for poor sleep quality. However, little is known about the mechanism of this association or the respective contribution of genetic and environmental factors. This study...
Association Between Reduced Brain Glucose Metabolism and Cortical Thickness in Alcoholics: Evidence of Neurotoxicity

Background Excessive alcohol consumption is associated with reduced cortical thickness (CT) and lower cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (CMRGlu), but the correlation between these 2 measures has not been investigated. Methods We tested the association between CT and cerebral CMRGlu in 19 participants with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and 20 healthy controls. Participants underwent 2-Deoxy-2-[18F]fluoroglucose positron emission tomography to map CMRGlu and magnetic resonance imaging to assess CT. Results Although performance accuracy on a broad range of cognitive domains did not differ significantly between AUD and HC, AUD had widespread decreases in CT and CMRGlu. CMRGlu, normalized to cerebellum (rCMRGlu), showed significant correlation with CT across participants. Although there were large group differences in CMRGlu (>17%) and CT (>6%) in medial orbitofrontal and BA 47, the superior parietal cortex showed large reductions in CMRGlu (~17%) and minimal CT differences (~2.2%). Though total lifetime alcohol (TLA) was associated with CT and rCMRGlu, the causal mediation analysis revealed significant direct effects of TLA on rCMRGlu but not on CT, and there were no significant mediation effects of TLA, CT, and rCMRGlu. Conclusions The significant correlation between decrements in CT and CMRGlu across AUD participants is suggestive of alcohol-induced neurotoxicity, whereas the findings that the most metabolically affected regions in AUD had minimal atrophy and vice versa indicates that changes in CT and CMRGlu reflect distinct responses to alcohol across brain regions.
A review of aviation turbine fuel chemical composition-property relations

Abstract The fuel certification process is a necessary step for all aviation fuels before deployment. This approval process is composed of multiple fuel physiochemical properties (e.g., density, viscosity, flash point, freezing point, etc.) testing. Measuring fuel properties is a very time consuming and cost-intensive process. Thus, having a tool capable of predicting fuel properties based on a small amount of fuel, utilizing fuel chemical composition, would be of essential value for an increased incentive towards a long-lasting renewable jet fuel production. The first step in achieving this is discovering the detailed chemical composition. The consecutive step is the development of predictive models that correlate the fuel chemical composition to the fuel physiochemical properties. This review provides an overview of correlation techniques and methods (from 1955 to 2019) organized according to four main categories: NMR spectroscopy (alone and in combination with chromatographic techniques), IR spectroscopy (NIR and FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, and gas chromatography (one-dimensional and two-dimensional). These techniques and their predictive capability were compared according to several criteria, specifically: the coefficient of determination (R2) and the measure of the uncertainty of future predictions, which includes standard deviation of residuals, root-mean-square-error (RMSE), root-mean-square-error of prediction (RMSEP), standard error of prediction (SEP), root-mean-square-error of cross-validation (RMSECV), mean absolute error (MAE), and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE). In conclusion, this work summarizes an in-depth review of all the accomplishments as well as the challenges required to be overcome in the field of accurately correlating chemistry to fuel properties.
Frank-Read source operation in six body-centered cubic refractory metals

Abstract The Frank-Read (FR) source is a well-known intragranular dislocation source that plays an important role in size-dependent dislocation multiplication in metallic crystals. In this work, we extend a phase-field dislocation dynamics (PFDD) technique to study FR source operation on the {110}, {112}, and {123} slip planes in body-centered cubic (BCC) crystals. Here, the periodic lattice potentials for shearing across these planes used in PFDD simulations are provided by density functional theory (DFT) calculations for six BCC refractory metals, Cr, Mo, Nb, Ta, V, and W. The DFT calculations show that the group 6 elements (Cr, Mo, and W) have higher generalized stacking fault energies than the group 5 elements (Nb, Ta, and V). With PFDD, we focus on the effects of the GSFE curve shape, initial character angle, slip plane crystallography, and elastic anisotropy (measured by the Zener ratio, Ac) on the critical stresses to activate the FR source. For the same FR source of any character angle in the same metal, the critical stress on the {123} plane is lower than those on the {110} and {112} planes. It is also shown that elastic anisotropy decreases the critical stress when Ac 1. We also find that in both Cr and Nb, which possess the lowest values of Ac among the six metals, elastic anisotropy causes the critical stress on {110} planes to achieve a local maximum for the mixed 45∘ oriented FR source.
Renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system inhibitors and mortality in patients with hypertension hospitalized for COVID-19: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Objective The association between renin-angiotensin-aldosterone (RAAS) inhibitors and Coronavirus diseases 2019 (COVID-19) mortality is unclear. We aimed to explore the association of RAAS inhibitors, including angiotensin-converting inhibitors (ACEi) and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) with COVID-19 mortality in patients with hypertension. Methods MEDLINE, SCOPUS, OVID, and Cochrane Library were searched for the period of January 1, 2020 to May 20, 2020. Studies reporting the association of RAAS inhibitors (ACEi and ARBs) and mortality in patients with hypertension, hospitalized for COVID-19 were extracted. Two reviewers independently extracted appropriate data of interest and assessed the risk of bias. All analyses were performed using random-effects models on log-transformed risk ratio estimates, and heterogeneity was quantified. Results Data were collected on 2,065,805 individuals (mean age, 58.73 years; 53.4% male). Patients with hypertension taking RAAS inhibitors were 35% less likely to die from COVID-19 compared to patients with hypertension not taking RAAS inhibitors (pooled RR= 0.65, 95% Confidence Intervals (CI): 0.45-0.94). To explore the association of COVID-19 and specific classes of RAAS inhibitors, we conducted a subgroup analysis of ARBs and ACEi separately from studies that provided them. Pooled risk ratio estimates from ARBs and ACEi showed a lower but not significant risk of death from COVID-19 (RR=0.93, 95% CI: 0.70-1.22) and ACEi (RR=0.65, 95% CI: 0.32-1.30). Conclusions In this meta-analysis, it was discovered that taking RAAS inhibitors, significantly decreased the risk of COVID-19 mortality in patients with hypertension. This indicates a potential protective role that RAAS-inhibitors may have in COVID-19 patients with hypertension. Key Questions What is already known about this subject? Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, interfaces with the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) through angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). Recent studies have questioned whether RAAS inhibitors are safe in patients with COVID-19. However, observational studies involving patients hospitalized with COVID-19 that report the association of RAAS-inhibitors and COVID-19 severity or death have yielded conflicting findings. What does this study add? This systematic review and meta-analysis discovered that RAAS inhibitors reduced the risk of mortality by 35% in patients with hypertension hospitalized for COVID-19 (RR= 0.65, 95% CI 0.45-0.94). How might this impact clinical practice? Patients taking RAAS-inhibitors to manage their hypertension should continue to do as per current treatment guidelines.
Update to Drugs, Devices, and the FDA: How Recent Legislative Changes Have Impacted Approval of New Therapies

Two major legislative actions since 2015, the 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Reauthorization Act of 2017, contain significant provisions that potentially streamline drug development times, and by extension, may reduce costs. Evidence suggests, however, that development times have already been significantly affected by previous legislation and FDA programs, through accelerated approval pathways and adoption of more flexible definitions of clinical evidence of efficacy. The COVID-19 pandemic is pushing researchers and commercial entities to further test the limits of drug and vaccine development times and approvals, at an as yet unknown level of risk to patients. COVID-19 drug and vaccine trials are even now making use of accelerated drug approval programs, blended trials, and adaptive trial design to accelerate approval of therapeutics in the pandemic.
Peer Mentors in the Emergency Department

These paragraphs begin an account of what would arguably prove the most impactful peer-mentoring intervention of the twentieth century: Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). Bill Wilson, the narrator of the story above, is recounting a meeting he had with his friend Ebby Thacher. Wilson had endured numerous unsuccessful hospitalizations for alcoholism and had nearly given up hope that his condition could ever be treated when Thacher visited with the news that he had managed to remain abstinent from alcohol for a sustained period of time:
Detection of False Data Injection of PV Production

Due to cyber attack threats to the cyber physical systems which compose modern smart grids additional layers of security could be valuable. The potential of data tampering in the smart grid spurs the research of data integrity attacks and additional security means to detect such tampering. This paper conducts a study of photovoltaic based production data tampering as a detection problem and shows a set of machine learning models and highlights the best performing of the set at the detection task. The signal is observed daily and data tampering by increasing to 110%-150% of original signal is detected with over 80% accuracy and under 10% false alarm. This paper finds that the artificial neural network (ANN) slightly out performs the support vector machine (SVM) at the detection task, however the SVM is a much faster algorithm to fit the data with.
Personal Utility and Early Intervention in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in its most common form results in cognitive changes in memory function leading to dementia due to underlying neurodegenerative disease. Recent research advancements in AD ...
Order in the Reals

You’ve seen numbers ever since you’ve been in school, and you know a lot about them. It is possible to give them a careful mathematical foundation. In fact, it’s possible to construct the natural numbers (and you can do so in Project 29.3). Then, if you try to introduce operations like addition and subtraction, you’ll find that you are missing something: the negative numbers. So you look at the integers, and try again. Now, trying to introduce multiplication and division, you’ll find you are missing something again: multiplicative inverses. So you look at the rational numbers, and you’ll find you are missing something yet again. That brings you to the real numbers. Our ultimate goal will be to discuss what’s missing in ℚ, and to show you why ℝ has what’s missing. This is known as completeness of ℝ. In this and the next chapter, we’ll show you some wonderful applications of completeness.
Equipping Academic Librarians to Integrate the Framework into Instructional Practices: A Theoretical Application

Abstract Academic librarians are increasingly charged with providing instruction in conducting research and using library resources to students, faculty, and staff in higher education. In early 2015, the Association of College and Research Libraries released the Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education and this new set of guidelines significantly impacts how academic libraries and librarians approach library instruction. However, little meaningful research has been done on how to equip this particular group of educational professionals through job-situated or job-related learning to reframe their instructional practices to fit this new mold. In seeking to best address these changing instructional needs, the author proposes that those involved in designing professional learning for academic librarians – such as conference planning committees, instructional designers, and library leaders charged with providing and supporting professional learning on information literacy instruction – design and deliver learning experiences that incorporate transformational learning theory, use principles of social learning theory, and consider learners' goal orientation and motivation. By incorporating these theories into professional learning practice, academic librarians can more effectively and meaningfully integrate the ACRL Framework into their instruction.
The Eminent Genius in History: the Critical Role of Creative Development:

Why do creative geniuses appear in some periods of history but not in others? A review of recent research suggests that various external events--including formal education, role-model availability, zeitgeist, political fragmentation, war, civil disturbances, and political instability-- tend to have a critical impact on the development of creative potential in the young genius. Once that potential is established, however, and the genius enters adulthood, creative productivity tends to proceed with little interference from outside events.
Burnout in Psychotherapists: Incidence, Types, and Trends.

Approximately 2-6% of psychotherapists can be considered burned out, a condition most often attributed by therapists themselves to the nonreciprocated attentiveness, giving, and responsibility demanded by the therapeutic relationship. Institutionally based and inexperienced therapists seem most at risk for burnout. What prevents most therapists from experiencing burnout is the satisfaction of being in a position of helpful intimacy. Three types of therapist burnout can be delineated: those who in response to frustration work increasingly harder; those who in response to frustration give up entirely; and those who perform their work perfunctorily, having lost interest in work they now find unchallenging.
Conjugal Deoxyribonucleic Acid Replication by Escherichia coli K-12: Stimulation in dnaB(ts) Donors by Minicells

R64-11(+) donor cells that are thermosensitive for vegetative DNA replication will synthesize DNA at the restrictive temperature when recipient minicells are present. This is conjugal DNA replication because it is R64-11 DNA that is being synthesized and there is no DNA synthesis if minicells that cannot be recipients of R64-11 DNA are used. The plasmid DNA present in the donor cells before mating is transferred to recipient minicells within the first 20 min of mating, but additional copies of plasmid DNA synthesized during the mating continue to be transferred for at least 90 min. However, the transfer of R64-11 DNA to minicells is not continuous because the plasmid DNA in minicells is the size of one R64-11 molecule or smaller, and there are delays between the rounds of plasmid transfer. DNA is synthesized in minicells during conjugation, but this DNA has a molecular weight much smaller than that of R64-11. Thus, recipient minicells are defective and are not able to complete the synthesis of a DNA strand complementary to the single-stranded R64-11 DNA received from the donor cell.
Talk that Isn't Cheap: Does the First Amendment Protect Credit Rating Agencies' Faulty Methodologies from Regulation?

The Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 enacted unprecedented regulation of rating agencies’ methodologies and created a new standard governing agencies’ private liability. Less than a year before the passage of that Act, however, Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank v. Morgan Stanley & Co. reaffirmed that rating agencies receive robust First Amendment protection under “typical circumstances,” even as it denied such protection where agencies “disseminated their ratings to a select group of investors.” How do these actions by coordinate branches of government fit together? Specifically, what bounds does the First Amendment place on Congress’s ability to regulate rating agencies, and how do those bounds affect the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010? These questions are especially relevant given rating agencies’ roles in precipitating the financial crisis of 2008.This Note argues that, given developments in the rating industry and the regulation that has applied to it, courts should reject the test outlined in Abu Dhabi and instead analyze certain, problematic ratings as commercial speech. Such analysis offers rating agencies limited protection that accommodates the First Amendment’s concern for the free flow of information, yet still allows Congress to both regulate agencies’ methodologies and impose a liability standard that deters misconduct. Analyzed under the commercial speech framework, the Restoring American Financial Stability Act of 2010 is consistent with the First Amendment.
Decomposition of Hadamard matrices

Abstract The decomposition is defined. The components are each as an orthogonal matrix with elements 0, ±1. In pairs they satisfy XY T + YX T = 0. It is conjectured that every Hadamard matrix of order mn is decomposable into m components for m = 4 or 8.
The DRD4 exon 3 VNTR polymorphism and addiction-related phenotypes: A review ☆

In addition to the large literatures on associations of the DRD4 VNTR polymorphism with ADHD and personality traits, there is an emerging literature linking this variant to addiction and addiction-related phenotypes. When only diagnosis-based studies are considered, an inconsistent picture emerges raising doubts as to the relevance of this polymorphism to addiction. However the use of multiple levels of analysis in examining the importance of this polymorphism has raised the possibility of an urge-related “intermediate phenotype” that puts one at risk for developing addiction but may not be found in all persons with an addiction diagnosis. From cellular assays through neuroimaging and behavioral phenotypes, these studies highlight the power of the “intermediate phenotype” approach and suggest a possible explanation of the mixed findings when diagnosis is used as the phenotype. Strengths and weaknesses of alternative DRD4 VNTR genotype grouping strategies are discussed. In sum, converging evidence across multiple methodologies supports the possibility of a robust relationship between the DRD4 exon 3 VNTR polymorphism and urge for addictive substances.
A Fresh Look at The Systems Approach and an Agenda for Action: Peeking Through the Lens of Churchman's Aphorisms

This paper critically examines some important topics of systemic thinking to understand how our perception of problems can be enhanced and how the chances of deception can be mitigated while dealing with real-world problems. To achieve this objective, an attempt is first made to scrutinize some of the key issues of systemic thinking by looking through the lens of Churchman's aphorisms at: (1) the illusion of completeness and closure, (2) the meaning of holism, and (3) the concept of ‘Interbeing’. A preliminary ‘agenda for action’ is then laid out suggesting ways for increasing our perception and for minimizing the chances of being deceived in dealing with systems problems in practice.
Cytomegalovirus disease in lung transplantation: impact of recipient seropositivity and duration of antiviral prophylaxis.

Background A recent randomized trial demonstrated that 1 year of antiviral prophylaxis for cytomegalovirus (CMV) after lung transplantation is superior to 3 months of treatment for prevention of CMV disease. However, it is uncertain if a shorter duration of prophylaxis might result in a similar rate of CMV disease among select lung transplant (LT) recipients who are at lower risk for CMV disease, based on baseline donor (D) and recipient (R) CMV serologies. Methods We retrospectively assessed incidence, cumulative probability, and predictors of CMV disease and viremia in LT recipients transplanted between July 2004 and December 2009 at our center, where antiviral CMV prophylaxis for 6–12 months is standard. Results Of 129 LT recipients, 94 were at risk for CMV infection based on donor CMV seropositivity (D+) or recipient seropositivity (R+); 14 developed CMV disease (14.9%): 11 with CMV syndrome, 2 with pneumonitis, and 1 with gastrointestinal disease by the end of follow-up (October 2010); 17 developed asymptomatic CMV viremia (18.1%). The cumulative probability of CMV disease was 17.4% 18 months after transplantation. CMV D+/R− recipients who routinely received 1 year of prophylaxis were more likely to develop CMV disease compared with D+/R+ or D−/R+ recipients, who routinely received 6 months of prophylaxis (12/45 vs. 2/25 vs. 0/24, P = 0.005). Recipients who stopped CMV prophylaxis before 12 months (in D+/R− recipients) and 6 months (in R+ recipients) tended to develop CMV disease more than those who did not (9/39 vs. 3/41, P = 0.06). Conclusions On a 6-month CMV prophylaxis protocol, few R+ recipients developed CMV disease in this cohort. In contrast, despite a 12-month prophylaxis protocol, D+/R− LT recipients remained at highest risk for CMV disease.
Experimental biot periodic breathing in cats: Effects of changes in PiO2 and PiCO2

Periodic breathing of the Biot or cluster type was induced in spontaneously breathing, pentobarbital anesthetized cats by placing bilateral lesions within the pneumotaxic system of the rostral pons. Control lesions positioned outside of the critical nuclei never resulted in Biot breathing. The periodic pattern was characterized by clusters of breaths which were separated by distinct periods of apnea and was clearly not of Cheyne-Stokes quality. Test gas challenges inducing hypoxia and hypercapnia tended to diminish the apneic breatholds, whereas hyperoxia potentiated the periodic breathing by increasing the duration of the non-ventilatory phase. Only hypercapnia significantly altered the tidal volume of Biot breaths by increasing the depth of breathing. No conclusions can be drawn as to whether the Biot pattern arises from an inherent central respiratory controller periodicity, or from oscillations in arterial blood gas tensions and peripheral chemoreceptor (and mechanoreceptor) inputs. It is suggested that the experimental model for Biot breathing may be of unique importance for studying the control of expiratory duration, particularly apnea. Also, it is of interest that similar breathing patterns and gas responses occur in the neonate and adult.
Application of Real-Time Data Systems to the Forecasting of Water Level and Circulation

The forecasting of water levels and currents has generally been limited to tide and tidal current prediction, which can be done quite accurately because of the well known astronomical periodicities involved. Forecasting nontidal changes in water levels and currents, i.e., those due to changes in wind, atmospheric pressure, and river discharge, presents more of a problem, depending as it does on the forecasting of meteorological phenomena. The use of real-time data acquisition systems improves the accuracy of such forecasts, providing both the point of departure for the forecast as well as the means by which to assess the performance of the forecast (in real time). Possible real-time systems range from a single instrument providing data for a statistical forecasting model to a large numerical hydrodynamic model driven by real-time/forecast data; the choice depends upon the needs of the user for which they are designed. Generally, nontidal water level forecasting has been limited to storm surge forecasting (based on expected winds from a particular storm system) and has been done primarily for the timely issuance of coastal flood warnings. There are, however, other applications for forecast water levels and currents, during less extreme meteorological conditions, that require enough accuracy that tide and tidal current predictions alone are not adequate. Such forecasts enable large cargo vessels and tankers to make maximum use of available channel depths, leading to safer and more economical commerce; forecast circulation allows for safer maneuvering of these vessels in harbor entrances and turning basins. Forecast circulation is critical to successful search and rescue operations and oil spill cleanup. Other potential applications include optimum track ship routing, water quality forecasts, and military applications.
Cation inhibition of DNA synthesis in mammary epithelial cells in vitro.

Lithium- und Ammoniumionen verhindern den Anfang der DNA-Synthese im Milchdrusenepithel in vitro. Die Replikation von DNA, nach dem Anfang derS-Periode, wird jedoch nicht verhindert. Diese spezifische Verhinderung der Dauer derG 1-Periode durch die ionale Umgebung zeigt, dass Mechanismen, die fur die Regulierung der Zellproduktion wichtig sind, wahrend derG 1-Periode intervenieren.
Verapamil improves rat hepatic preservation with UW solution

Abstract Verapamil, a calcium channel blocker, improves myocardial preservation during cold cardioplegia and protects against renal damage during periods of warm and cold ischemia. To determine if verapamil could prevent ischemic damage to livers during and after cold storage, harvested rat livers were flushed with either University of Wisconsin (UW) solution or UW solution with 25 mg/liter verapamil. Twenty rats were used in each group. After 24 hr of storage at 4°C, livers were perfused with oxygenated blood through the portal veins for 2 hr at 37°C and pH 7.4. Liver enzymes, electrolytes, and perfusate flow rate were determined at 30-min intervals. At 90 min of perfusion, the verapamil group of livers had less elevation of AST (110 ± 17 IU/liter vs 172 ± 25 IU/liter, P
Impact of Nanoscale Elemental Distribution in High-Performance Kesterite Solar Cells

The effort to develop earth-abundant kesterite solar cells has led to an approximate doubling of the power conversion efficiency over the past five years to 12.6%, primarily due to increases in short-circuit current and fill factor; open-circuit voltage has resisted similar change, limiting further efficiency improvement. In the present investigation, Auger nanoprobe spectroscopy, X-ray/ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, and device characterization are used to provide a comprehensive understanding of the role of grain boundaries and interfaces in limiting performance in kesterite-based devices. High photovoltaic performance is found to correlate with grain boundaries that are Cu-depleted and enriched with SnOx. The formation of this bulk-like oxide at grain boundaries with type I band offset provides a unique effective passivation that limits electron-hole recombination. Building on these new insights, photovoltaic device simulations are performed that show optimized electrostatic designs can compensate for bulk defects, allowing efficiencies closer to the theoretical limit.
An iterated graph laplacian approach for ranking on manifolds

Ranking is one of the key problems in information retrieval. Recently, there has been significant interest in a class of ranking algorithms based on the assumption that data is sampled from a low dimensional manifold embedded in a higher dimensional Euclidean space.In this paper, we study a popular graph Laplacian based ranking algorithm [23] using an analytical method, which provides theoretical insights into the ranking algorithm going beyond the intuitive idea of "diffusion." Our analysis shows that the algorithm is sensitive to a commonly used parameter due to the use of symmetric normalized graph Laplacian. We also show that the ranking function may diverge to infinity at the query point in the limit of infinite samples. To address these issues, we propose an improved ranking algorithm on manifolds using Green's function of an iterated unnormalized graph Laplacian, which is more robust and density adaptive, as well as pointwise continuous in the limit of infinite samples.We also for the first time in the ranking literature empirically explore two variants from a family of twice normalized graph Laplacians. Experimental results on text and image data support our analysis, which also suggest the potential value of twice normalized graph Laplacians in practice.
Insights into the Hadean Earth from experimental studies of zircon

Geologists investigate the evolution of the atmosphere, crust, and mantle through time by direct study of the rock record. However, the Hadean eon (>3.85 Ga) has been traditionally viewed as inaccessible due to the absence of preserved rocks. The discovery of >4.0 Ga detrital zircons from Western Australia in the 1980s — coupled with the development of new micro-analytical capabilities — made possible new avenues of early Earth research. The prevailing view that emerged is that the early Earth may have contained a stable hydrosphere, water-saturated or (near watersaturated) granitic magmas, and volcanic emanations dominated by neutral gas species (e.g., CO2, H2O, and SO2). The Hadean Earth may have been capable of supporting life ∼200 Ma after accretion and perhaps earlier. Many of these models are formulated — or have been subsequently supported — by laboratory experiments of zircon. Important petrological variables such as temperature, pressure, oxygen fugacity, and component activities (e.g., SiO2/TiO2-activities) can be controlled. These experiments are fundamental for extrapolation to ‘deep time’ because they provide a means to understand primary chemistry preserved in ancient zircons. This review paper specifically focuses on zircon experimental studies (oxygen isotope fractionations, Ti-thermometry, and redox sensitive element incorporation into zircon), which have influenced our view of the very early Earth.
QCD inequalities beyond the two-point functions

Abstract We describe meson wave function by a QCD euclidean four-point function. We prove that this function is maximal at the origin and then get the stronger result that it has a positive Fourier transform. We also discuss the monotonicity of the function, which might probe more specific features of QCD, than just positivity of the integration measure over the gauge configurations.
Stability of Medium-Bridged Twisted Amides in Aqueous Solutions

“Twisted” amides containing nonstandard dihedral angles are typically hypersensitive to hydrolysis, a feature that has stringently limited their utility in water. We have synthesized a series of bridged lactams that contain a twisted amide linkage but exhibit enhanced stability in aqueous environments. Many of these compounds were extracted unchanged from aqueous mixtures ranging from the strongly basic to the strongly acidic. NMR experiments showed that tricyclic lactams undergo reversible hydrolysis at extreme pH ranges but that a number of compounds in this structure class are indefinitely stable under physiologically relevant pH conditions; one bicyclic example was additionally water-soluble. We examined the effect of structure on the reversibility of amide bond hydrolysis, which we attributed to the transannular nature of the amino acid analogs. These data suggest that medium-bridged lactams of these types should provide useful platforms for studying the behavior of twisted amides in aqueous systems.
Optical investigation of the electronic structure of bulk Rh and Ir

Optical-reflectivity data are presented for Rh and Ir for a photon energy range between 0.2 and 40 eV. Strong interband structures are observed in the calculated dielectric functions and optical conductivities, and these are discussed in terms of recent energy-band calculations. The dielectric functions are used to calculate the electron-energy-loss functions. Both metals are shown to possess the characteristic double pair of surface and volume plasmons, though the higher-energy pair is strongly distorted by interband absorption occurring near $\ensuremath{\hbar}{\ensuremath{\omega}}_{p}$.
Estimation of the departure from absolute continuity of a distribution

Abstract In the paper entitled “Estimation of jumps, reliability and hazard rate” [V. K. Murthy, in Ann. Math. Stat . 36 , 1032–1040 (1968)], the author has treated the problem of estimating the jumps of the probability distribution function. In this paper, the author proposes the sum of the squares of the jumps as a criterion of departure from absolute continuity of the distribution function and then solves the problem of estimation based on a random sample. More specifically, let F(x) be a probability distribution function. Assuming the singular part to be identically zero, F(x) can be decomposed into F ( x ) = F 1 ( x ) + F 2 ( x ), where f 1 ( x ) is an everywhere continuous function and F 2 ( x ) is a pure step function with steps of magnitude, say, S ζ j at the points x = ζ j , j = 1, 2,…, ∞ and that finally both F 1 ( x ) and F 2 (x) are nondecreasing and are uniquely determined. Based on a random sample X 1 , X 2 ,…, X N of size N , a consistent, and asymptotically normal class of estimators are obtained for the distance Δ = S ζ j 2 . If the singular part is not identically zero, the results are good almost everywhere.
A core collection strategy for protecting undergraduate education at a comprehensive university

Inflation of serials costs, particularly in the sciences, compromises the ability of a library to provide quality information resources for undergraduate education in a master's-granting institution. A core collection strategy protects information resources for undergraduate education
Earthquakes, September to December, 1948

An earthquake, recorded at the Institute Geofisico de los Andes Colombianos on October 9, 1946 (iP 19h56m54s U.T., Sn - Pn distance 120 km), was felt in Bogota as a weak tremor, reports J. E. Ramirez. The government of the U.S.S.R. reported that the destruction of the earthquake of November 2 (18h28m U.T., see Tables 1 and 2) was centered in the industrial districts of Namangan, Andizhan, and Fergana in Uzbek, and in the Dzhala Abad region of Kirghiz. Official sources said the earthquake caused civilian deaths and building destruction. According to B. Gutenberg the Panadena records showed a magnitude of about 7-¾. On November 10 slight tremors were felt in the vicinity of Yankton in southeastern South Dakota at about 09h00m U.T. No damage was reported. On November 10 a very destructive earthquake occurred in northern Peru (see Tables 1 and 2). The areas of greatest destruction were in the Andean departments of La Libertad and Ancachs. The mountainous country adjacent to and west of the Rio Marenon was especially affected. Preliminary estimates of the casualties were as high as 800 killed and 500 injured, with an untotaled number homeless as a result of the many structures destroyed. The following towns reported severe damage; Sihuas, Pomabama, Mollepata, Mollebama, Conehucos, Pampas, and Palta Bueno. The recorded magnitude at Pasadena was reported by B. Gutenberg as 7-½. This earthquake was followed by a series of aftershocks. The Central Meteorological Observatory of Japan reported that a mild earthquake was felt in Tokyo on November 15 (probably local date). The Observatory placed the epicenter in northeastern Tokyo Bay and assigned a depth of foeutt of 80 km. In a press dispatch released on November 16 the station recalled that “disturbancee originating deep in Tokyo Bay preceded the great Tokyo earthquake of 1923 and warned ‘the latest tremblor bears watching.’” A shock reported as “violent” but nondestructive was felt in Lima, Peru, on November 19. No detailed information was available as of January 1, 1947. A slight tremor which rattled dishes and windows was felt in Massena, Now York, on November 24, W. A. Lynch writes that the vertical seismograph of the Fordham station recorded a slight tremor at 10h22m52s U.T. An earthquake was “felt strongly” at Eureka, California, on December 18. Light fixtures swayed and dishes rattled. B. Gutenberg reported the following readings from Pasadena: P! 14h22m25s; SI 14h24m00s U.T.
Reconstruction of Escherichia coli transcriptional regulatory networks via regulon-based associations

Background Network reconstruction methods that rely on covariance of expression of transcription regulators and their targets ignore the fact that transcription of regulators and their targets can be controlled differently and/or independently. Such oversight would result in many erroneous predictions. However, accurate prediction of gene regulatory interactions can be made possible through modeling and estimation of transcriptional activity of groups of co-regulated genes.
The effects of short term balance training on the postural control of older adults

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine and contrast the effect of five weeks of balance training on the postural stability of elderly adults with a history of falls (F) and those who have not previously fallen (NF). Twelve F subjects, 12 NF subjects, and 14 control subjects participated. Balance training consisted of exercises designed to stress balance and coordination performed three times per week for five weeks. Postural stability was evaluated with an ADL test resembling activities of daily living and force-platform-based postural sway measurements. In general F and NF reflected similar improvements in postural stability following training. F and NF demonstrated small improvements (5–10%) on the ADL tests with respect to the control group. The postural sway measures provided only moderate support for the effectiveness of training, with the control subjects exhibiting improvements similar to those of the training groups (approximately 15–30%). Overall the data provide moderate support for the effectiveness of short term balance training for functionally independent elderly adults.
Strontium-90 in beagle hair.

IN 1963, Hopkins et al.1 reported the accumulation of significant amounts of strontium-90 in the hair of rats which had acquired known body burdens of the radio-nuclide either by injection or in utero. They further suggested that the analysis of hair could provide a non-destructive method of measuring bone seeking radio-elements. The Davis Beagle Project offered a unique opportunity to test this hypothesis as the diet and the gut-kidney discrimination factors are well controlled and known. Accordingly, we assayed the concentration of strontium-90 in the hair of beagles while the animals were on a chronic ingestion regimen of the radionuclide, at constant ratios of strontium-90 : calcium, as well as afterwards. The concentration of strontium-90 in the hair was followed up to 1 year after we stopped feeding the diet containing strontium-90, and was correlated with the ratios of strontium-90 : calcium for plasma during the same periods.
Meta-analysis of Ecopath models reveals secondary productivity patterns across the Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico large marine ecosystem (LME) is ecologically and economically important, yet faces numerous anthropogenic stressors. Common metrics driving ecosystem assessment and management, particularly at the LME scale, include fisheries harvest and primary productivity. However, neither is adequate in revealing a complete picture of ecosystem health. Secondary production is an important functional component of marine ecosystems. Yet, inherent difficulties in measuring higher productivity limit its use as an ecosystem indicator. The goals of this study were to: 1) use existing ecosystem models to estimate secondary production within the Gulf of Mexico, 2) identify productivity hotspots based on spatial patterns of secondary productivity across the Gulf LME, 3) compare trophic structure, function, efficiency, and productivity among ecosystem types within the Gulf, and 4) determine effectiveness of primary productivity as an indicator of secondary productivity. A meta-analysis of 18 Ecopath models describing Gulf of Mexico subsystems was conducted. Representative systems included temperate estuaries, tropical lagoons, continental shelves, and coral reefs. Annual secondary production ranged from 128 tonnes (t) wet weight (ww) km−2 in Tampamachoco Lagoon to 15 466 t ww km−2 in the Florida Keys. Spatial patterns of secondary productivity across the Gulf of Mexico LME demonstrate higher values in coastal regions, especially coral reefs. Secondary production is largely supported by benthic food webs across all ecosystems. Benthic food webs are also more efficient with regards to transfer of production than pelagic food webs. No significant relationships between primary and secondary production were observed via linear regression for any ecosystem type, indicating that primary production is not a strong indicator of secondary production. Comparative analyses of ecosystems across the Gulf of Mexico, such as the one presented here, identify critical areas at the LME scale, and support ecosystem-based management initiatives.
Assessment of stress and self-efficacy for the NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Function

Background and Objectives: The NIH Toolbox for Neurological and Behavioral Function assessment battery contains measures in the domains of cognitive function, motor function, sensory function, and emotional health. It was designed for use in epidemiological and clinical trials health-related research. Design: This paper describes the first phase of instrument development for the stress and self-efficacy subdomain of emotional health. Based on an extensive literature review and expert consultation, 127 measures were initially considered for inclusion in this subdomain, including measures of stress, self-efficacy, emotion regulation, and coping. Results: Several measures, including emotion regulation and measures of coping strategies, did not meet criteria that were a priori established for inclusion. Psychometric properties of the remaining candidate measures were evaluated using data from five independent samples (combined N = 3175). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses indicated the Perceived Str...
Preparation of Polymer Coated Gold Nanoparticles by Surface-Confined Living Radical Polymerization at Ambient Temperature

Nanometer sized core−shell particles containing a gold core and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) shells were prepared by surface-confined living radical polymerization on gold nanoparticles. Gold nanoparticles were prepared in the presence of 11-mercaptoundecanol (MUD) and subsequently esterified with 2-bromoisobutyryl bromide (BIB). Atom transfer living radical polymerization was conducted on the Br-terminated gold nanoparticles using copper(I) bromide/1,4,8,11-tetramethyl-1,4,8,11-tetraazacyclotetradecane (Me4Cyclam) as a room-temperature catalyst. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the presence of polymer on the nanoparticle surfaces. The resulting gold/polymer nanocomposite particles are stable in suspension. Transmission electron microscopy and UV−vis spectroscopy were performed to characterize the gold nanoparticles (GNPs).
Transparency, liberalization, and banking crisis

The authors investigate how transparency affects the probability of a financial crisis. They construct a model in which banks cannot distinguish between aggregate shocks and government policy, on the one hand, and firm' quality, on the other. Banks may therefore overestimate firms' returns and increase credit above the level that would be optimal given the firms' returns. Once banks discover their large exposure, they are likely to roll over loans rather than declare their losses. This delays the crisis but increases its magnitude. The empirical evidence, based on data for 56 countries in 1977-97, supports this theoretical model. The authors find that lack of transparency increases the probability of a crisis following financial liberalization. This implies that countries should focus on increasing transparency of economic activity and government policy, as well as increasing transparency n the financial sector, particularly during a period of transition such as financial liberalization.
Substituent Effects on Thermal Decolorization Rates of Bisbenzospiropyrans

A novel application of photochromic molecules is to mimic physiological oscillatory calcium signals by reversibly binding and releasing calcium ions in response to light. Substituent changes on the largely unexplored photochromic bisbenzospiropyran scaffold led to significant changes in thermal fading rates in several organic solvents. Excellent correlations have been found between fading rates and empirical Hammett constants as well as calculated ground-state energies. These correlations can be used to improve scaffold design.
Antagonism of polymyxin B and kanamycin sulfate by Liquoid (sodium polyanetholsulfonate) in vitro

Polyanetholsulfosaures Natrium (Liquoid), in einer Konzentration von 0,05-0,0125%, hemmt die Aktivitat von Kanamycinsulfat wie auch von Polymyxin B in vitro. Die Verwendung von Liquoid in menschlichen Blutkulturen wird weiter unterstrichen, speziell bei kanamycin- und polymyxinbehandelten Patienten. Liquoid war unwirksam gegen Ampicillin, Tetracyclin, Chloramphenicol und Cephalothin.
Sex attractant of the alfalfa looperAutographa californica and the celery looperAnagrapha falcifera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

In field tests, traps baited with a combination of (Z)-7-dodecen-1-ol acetate (previously proposed to be the sex pheromone ofA. californica) and (Z)-7-dodecen-1-ol formate caught about 100 times as many males as (Z)-7-dodecen-1-ol acetate did alone. Highest catches of males were obtained with traps baited with 0.5 mg of (Z)-7-dodecen-1-ol acetate and 0.1 mg of (Z)-7-dodecen-1-ol formate impregnated on red rubber sleeve stoppers. The celery looper,Anagrapha falcifera, was also caught in traps baited with a combination of these two chemicals.