cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of the proportion of non-ammonia-nitrogen reaching the lower gut of the ruminant derived from bacterial and protozoal nitrogen

1. A method for estimating the proportions of bacterial- and protozoal-N in the total non-ammonia-N reaching the lower gut of the ruminant under steady-state conditions was evaluated. Three trials using two different diets were conducted with a Holstein steer equipped with a rumen cannula and duodenal re-entrant cannulas. 2. An intraruminal primed infusion of (15NH4)2SO4 was administered for 68 h during each trial. Bacteria and protozoa samples were isolated from rumen fluid at approximately 6 h intervals during each infusion period. Total non-ammonia-N was isolated from duodenal digesta samples taken at approximately the same times. All of these samples were analysed for 15N enrichment. A computer program was used to fit equations to the 15N-enrichment curves of bacterial- and protozoal-N. Models of both bacterial- and protozoal-N kinetics consisted of a small pool which equilibrated rapidly with rumen NH3 and a large pool with a fractional turnover rate of 0.045-0.070/h for bacterial-N and 0.056-0.069/h for protozoal-N. 3. Abomasal fluid turnover was estimated by a single injection of polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 4000) into the rumen followed by sampling of rumen fluid and duodenal digesta. 4. Estimates of abomasal fluid turnover, bacterial-N turnover, and protozoal-N turnover were entered into an equation which was adjusted by computer iteration to fit the 15N-enrichment curve of duodenal digesta non-NH3-N generated from each (15NH4)2SO4 infusion period. The computer fit of this equation to the observed results gave estimates of 0:39-0.45 and 0.22-0.41 for the proportion of duodenal non-NH3-N derived from bacterial-N and protozoal-N respectively. 5. This method is potentially useful in estimating microbial protein passage to the lower gut in ruminants. Sampling digesta from the omasum rather than the duodenum would simplify the method and possibly increase the reliability of the estimates.
Perfusion in microfluidic cross-flow: separation of white blood cells from whole blood and exchange of medium in a continuous flow.

We describe a microfluidic technique for separation of particles and cells and a device that employs this technique to separate white blood cells (WBC) from whole human blood. The separation is performed in cross-flow in an array of microchannels with a deep main channel and large number of orthogonal, shallow side channels. As a suspension of particles advances through the main channel, a perfusion flow through the side channels gradually exchanges the medium of the suspension and washes away particles that are sufficiently small to enter the shallow side channels. The microfluidic device is tested with a suspension of polystyrene beads and is shown to efficaciously exchange the carrier medium while retaining all beads. In tests with whole human blood, the device is shown to reduce the content of red blood cells (RBC) by a factor of ∼4000 with retention of 98% of WBCs. The ratio between WBCs and RBCs reached at an outlet of the device is 2.4 on average. The device is made of a single cast of poly(dimethy...
Five hundred microsatellite loci for Peromyscus

Mice of the genus Peromyscus, including several endangered subspecies, occur throughout North America and have been important models for conservation research. We describe 526 primer pairs that amplify microsatellite DNA loci for Peromyscus maniculatus bairdii, 467 of which also amplify in Peromyscus polionotus subgriseus. For 12 of these loci, we report diversity data from a natural population. These markers will be an important resource for future genomic studies of Peromyscus evolution and mammalian conservation.
Paleomagnetic and rock magnetic results from lower crustal rocks of IODP Site U1309: Implication for thermal and accretion history of the Atlantis Massif

Abstract Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expeditions 304/305 recovered a total of 1.4 km sequence of lower crustal gabbroic and minor ultramafic rocks from the Atlantis Massif oceanic core complex on the western flank of the Mid Atlantic Ridge (MAR) at 30°N. We conducted an integrated paleomagnetic and rock magnetic study on this sequence to help address the interplay between magmatism and detachment faulting. Detailed thermal and alternating-field demagnetization results demonstrate that stable components of magnetization of mainly reversed polarity with unblocking temperatures below the Curie temperature of magnetite are retained in gabbroic rocks at IODP Site U1309. Several samples also contain multicomponent remanences of both normal and reversed polarities that were acquired over sharply defined blocking temperature intervals, providing evidence for localized reheating of some intervals during both normal and reversed polarity periods. Results from a series of rock magnetic measurements corroborate the demagnetization behavior and show that titanomagnetites are the main magnetic carrier rocks recovered at Site U1309D. The overall magnetic inclination of Hole U1309D is -35°, implying significant (up to ~ 50° counterclockwise, viewed to the north) rotation of the footwall around a horizontal axis parallel to the rift axis (010°) may have occurred. The tectonic rotations inferred by the paleomagnetic data suggest that the original fault orientation dipped relative steeply toward the spreading axis and subsequently rotated to a shallower angle. Coupled with the newly published U–Pb zircon ages for Hole U1309D rocks [Grimes, C.B., John, B.E., Wooden, J.L., 2008. Protracted construction of gabbroic crust at a slow-spreading ridge: Constraints from 206Pb/238U zircon ages from Atlantis Massif and IODP Hole 1309D, (30°N, MAR). Geochem. Geophys. Geosyst. 9, Q08012. doi:1029/2008GC002063], the new paleomagnetic data provide temporal and thermal constraints on the accretion history of the Atlantis Massif.
Learning to Lobby: Civil Society Networks in Mali

Abstract This article examines two civil society networks—CNOP and GDRN5—involved in natural resource policy advocacy and policy formulation in Mali, after the initiation of democratic reform in 1991. Focusing on their influence on Mali's forest code, pastoral charter, and agricultural law, the article shows how the networks learned to engage the policy process, particularly policy formulation and adoption. The cases illustrate how representativeness and resources shaped their strategies in policy advocacy. They also illustrate how resource dependencies can open networks to ideological and governance pressures from donors.
Faculae and the ‘25-day’ Solar Fluctuation

DICKE1 has presented evidence for a new solar fluctuation having a period of 25 d. Here we show that photospheric faculae can explain this period.
Magnetic Order in Organic Superconductors

Abstract We have undertaken an electron spin resonance study at both low and high magnetic field on the superconducting phase of the ambient pressure superconductor (BEDT-TTF>2I3, (ET)2I3, over the temperature range 1-300 K and hydrostatic pressure range from 0 to 2 kbar. At ambient pressure the ESR results are consistent with the picture of (ET)2I3 as a metal. Superconductivity is observed at 1.6 K via low field ESR. Application of modest pressures strongly suppresses the superconducting transition temperature. At pressures above about 0.3 kbar the superconductivity is suppressed in favor of an as-yet-unidentified magnetic state whose onset is at 7K. Through an analysis of the microwave ESR lineshape we find that the microwave conductivity over the temperature range 5-50 K is in agreement with dc measurements.
ENTRANCE OF NEWLY FORMED MESSENGER RNA AND RIBOSOMES INTO HELA CELL CYTOPLASM.

Newly formed ribosomal RNA is shown to appear in the HeLa cell cytoplasm first in precursor particles, then in polyribosomes and finally in free 74 s ribosomes. The implication of these findings is discussed.
Chinese Twin Children Reared Apart and Reunited: First Prospective Study of Co-Twin Reunions

China's one-child policy led to the abandonment of tens of thousands of infants. Included among these children were twins who were adopted and reared separately. Since 2006, 10 reunited twin sets participated in the first prospective study of twins reared apart. This exploratory study reports a qualitative analysis of the children's reactions to their first meeting with, and departure from, their co-twin. The majority of twins 18 months of age and older displayed strong attraction upon first meeting. Leave-taking included sadness, but responses varied across pairs. Theoretical interpretations of the findings and implications for parenting reared-apart adopted twins are provided.
748 INDICATIONS FOR AND OUTCOME OF PEDIATRIC PATIENTS ON LONG TERM HOME PARENTERAL NUTRITION (HTPN)

The records of pts on HTPN during the past decade(63,490 pt-therapy-days) were reviewed to determine frequency of diagnoses, duration of therapy, morbidity and mortality related to the technique. Diagnostic categories were: Short Bowel Syndrome in 28 pts(31%); Inflammatory Bowel Disease(20%); Malignancies(10%); Intractable Diarrhea of Infancy(10%); Idiopathic Intestinal Pseudo-obstruction(9%) and Miscellaneous Diagnoses(20%). 42% were under 1 year of age; 62% under 3 and 30% above 12 years when TPN was started. The youngest pt at time of discharge was 3 1/2 months and the lowest weight at discharge was 3.1 Kg. The mean duration of therapy was 737 days(r=23-2850). 14 pts have been on HTPN for over 4 years and 7 for over 6 years. 29 pts died during the course of HTPN; however, only 10% (9/90) of these were TPN related. Catheter related sepsis was the cause of death in 6.18 pts are still on full or partial HTPN support, with 50% at or above the 50th percentile for weight for age, and above the 25th percentile for height. Those of school age(7/8) attend regular schools. 41 no longer require TPN. They are doing well on regular diets or with oral supplements, and 75% are at or above the 25th percentile for weight and height for age. HTPN is a safe and lifesaving technique for children who cannot solely satisfy their nutritional needs via the enteral route. Although sepsis is the greatest source of mortality, long term therapy can be done safely for years, free of infection, while the patient's intestine adapts or heals, remission is obtained or until other therapies are developed for the diseases which make HTPN necessary.
A “physical” model of world politics

This article sketches a geometric model of international relations and uses it to derive an empirically testable relationship connecting dominant-dependent ties between nations to internal development within them. Nations are idealized as objects located in a continuum and as exerting forces on each other. A characteristic modern structure of pairwise behavior between nations is hypothesized and empirical evidence is offered to support it. Specific concepts and mathematical elements are used to idealize this characteristic structure in the geometric terms of the model. The concept of a dominant-dependent tie is identified with this same geometric structural abstraction. Internal national development is idealized, also, in geometric terms. Dominant and dependent nations are distinguished and an approximate estimate of the number of dimensions of the geometric continuum is inferred from the number of the former. Additional propositions of the power transition theory, including the capacity of national development to polarize the system into opposing blocs, are inferred from the resulting geometric framework. Certain novel propositions are also inferred. The ability, within the model, to plausibly infer the empirically observed structure of pairwise behavior as a consequence of internal development is taken as the deciding criterion in concluding that this model warrants attention.
A quantitative evaluation of the glomerular capillary endothelium in rat and human kidneys: Utilization of vascular perfusion, freeze-cracking of tissue, and scanning electron microscopy

Modern morphological investigation requires the use of a variety of technological approaches and the employment of rigorous morphometric analysis for an adequate evaluation of the structural and ultrastructural features of a tissue or organ. The introduction of the technique of freeze-cracking of tissue to expose new surfaces has made it possible to quantitate the normal surface characteristics of the glomerular capillaries of the mammalian kidney. This report describes the techniques used for the preparation and quantitative assessment of normal glomerular endothelial morphology. The techniques of in vivo and in vitro vascular perfusion of kidneys as a method of fixation and the freeze-cracking of tissue are outlined in detail. In addition, a morphometric analysis of the endothelial surface characteristics are described and values are reported for the control rat and human kidneys from transplant donors.
Endothelial Src kinase regulates membrane recycling from the lateral border recycling compartment during leukocyte transendothelial migration

When leukocytes cross endothelial cells during the inflammatory response, membrane from the recently described lateral border recycling compartment (LBRC) is selectively targeted around diapedesing leukocytes. This "targeted recycling" is critical for leukocyte transendothelial migration. Blocking homophilic PECAM interactions between leukocytes and endothelial cells blocks targeted recycling from the LBRC and blocks diapedesis. However, the cellular signaling pathways that trigger targeted recycling are not known. We show that targeted recycling from the LBRC is dependent on Src kinase. The selective Src kinase inhibitor PP2 blocked targeted recycling and blocked diapedesis by over 70%. However, Src kinase inhibition did not affect the structure or normal constitutive recycling of membrane from the LBRC in the absence of leukocytes. PECAM, a Src kinase substrate, traffics between the LBRC and the endothelial surface at the cell border. However, virtually all of the PECAM in the cell that was phosphorylated on tyrosine residues was found in the LBRC. These findings demonstrate that Src kinase activity is critical for the targeted recycling of membrane from the LBRC to the site of transendothelial migration and that the PECAM in the LBRC is qualitatively different from the PECAM on the surface of endothelial cells.
Satire, Surveillance, and the State: A Classified Primer.

This article explores the use of ironic performance in education, particularly around issues of human rights. I examine my own efforts to engage audiences with the history of domestic espionage and sabotage by the intelligence agencies of the United States. This is a history well known to some marginalized counterpublics (see Fraser, 1997), but little understood by the general populace. The piece's relevance has increased since I first performed it in 1997. The images and declassified government documents in my slideshow are from the Sixties era, but the civil-rights ramifications of the PATRIOT Act suggest that it is time once again to ask: Who watches the watchmen? What are the advantages or drawbacks of irony and humor in taking on such a topic? Is there a point to performing such a piece to the ‘converted’? How might such a piece serve as a provocation for active learning on the part of audience members, rather than a didactic and closed text?
The Subgrid Importance Latin Hypercube Sampler (SILHS): a multivariate subcolumn generator

Abstract. Coarse-resolution climate and weather forecast models cannot accurately parameterize small-scale, nonlinear processes without accounting for subgrid-scale variability. To do so, some models integrate over the subgrid variability analytically. Although analytic integration methods are attractive, they can be used only with physical parameterizations that have a sufficiently simple functional form. Instead, this paper introduces a method to integrate subgrid variability using a type of Monte Carlo integration. The method generates subcolumns with suitable vertical correlations and feeds them into a microphysics parameterization. The subcolumn methodology requires little change to the parameterization source code and can be used with a wide variety of physical parameterizations. Our subcolumn generator is multivariate, which is important for physical processes that involve two or more hydrometeor species, such as accretion of cloud droplets by rain drops. In order to reduce sampling noise in the integrations, our subcolumn generator employs two variance-reduction methods, namely importance and stratified (Latin hypercube) sampling. For this reason, we name the subcolumn generator the Subgrid Importance Latin Hypercube Sampler (SILHS). This paper tests SILHS in interactive, single-column simulations of a marine stratocumulus case and a shallow cumulus case. The paper then compares simulations that use SILHS with those that use analytic integration. Although the SILHS solutions exhibit considerable noise from time step to time step, the noise is greatly damped in most of the time-averaged profiles.
Cosmic-ray monopole search at IBM-BNL using superconducting induction detectors

Supermassive magnetic monopoles are an inevitable consequence of all Grand Unified Theories (GUT's). They would have originated in the very hot early universe some 10-35sec. after the Big Bang when the unified force split apart into the strong and electroweak forces. Over thirty laboratories throughout the world have constructed or are presently constructing detectors to search for such primordial monopoles in cosmic rays. This paper, partly tutorial, reviews the past monopole detector work at IBM and describes the present effort to set-up at the Brookhaven National Laboratory a large-area superconducting induction detector. Two detectors are being built based upon the high-order gradiometer, fully coincident, closed-box design previously developed at IBM. The first, utilizing an existing magnet-testing dewar at BNL, is a rectangular parallelopiped detector of 1.0 m2effective area (averaged over 4π sr for isotropie flux) being built to test the feasibility of large area schemes in preparation for construction of a much larger 4.0 m2octagonal prism detector. The latter could serve as the prototype for an array of detectors to reach the Parker bound on monopole flux set by the existence of the 3 μG galactic magnetic field in several years of operation.
Race and Media Coverage of Hurricane Katrina: Analysis, Implications, and Future Research Questions

We analyze three aspects of media depictions of Hurricane Katrina, focusing on the relationship between race and coverage of the crisis. Examination of media language use explores the debate surrounding the terms “refugees” and “evacuees”— as well as descriptions of “looting” versus “finding food”—in light of the predominantly Black demographic of the survivors in New Orleans. Assessment of the story angle indicates a disproportionate media tendency to associate Blacks with crime and violence, a propensity consistent with exaggerated and inaccurate reports regarding criminal activity in Katrina’s aftermath. A review of new media sources such as mass e-mails identifies stereotypical depictions of storm survivors that both converge and diverge from coverage found in more traditional media outlets. Psychological explanations, implications for public attitudes and behavior, and future research questions are explored. Upon seeing the first images of New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Americans began to ask why there had not been better preparation for the storm and what could be done to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. Almost as immediately, people also took note of one unmistakable aspect of these images, namely that the overwhelming majority of individuals depicted on rooftops, at the Superdome, and in front of the Convention Center was Black. Accordingly, race-related questions about Katrina began to emerge as well: Why did race seem to covary with ability and willingness to evacuate before the storm? In what ways did the race of the displaced residents of New Orleans affect public perceptions of ∗Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Samuel R. Sommers, De
Motion Imagery Segmentation Via PDE

Separating moving objects from the background in a video clip is known as the image sequence segmentation problem. In recent years, it has attracted considerable interest due to its applications in a wide range of areas. These include object-based video compression (e.g., MPEG4), video surveillance and monitoring, automatic target detection and tracking, and the analysis of medical and other scientific image sequences. Most previous work in image sequence segmentation can be classified into three approaches: 1) intra-frame segmentation, 2) motion field clustering/ segmentation, and 3) frame differencing. In the first approach (e.g., see [1]), each frame in an image sequence is segmented independently (i.e., intra-frame) into regions of homogeneous intensity or texture, using traditional image segmentation techniques. Then regions in consecutive frames are matched and tracked. This would work well if intra-frame segmentation produced a small number of regions closely related to real-world objects. However, since image segmentation using intensity or texture remains a difficult problem, this approach often encounters difficulties, as many image segmentation techniques produce over-segmentation. In the second approach, a dense motion field is used for segmentation. For example, pixels with similar motion vectors are grouped into regions (e.g., see [2]-[3]). Alternatively, small regions generated from intra-frame segmentation University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA 2 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, USA
A mechanism for detecting session hijacks in wireless networks

This paper proposes a mechanism for detecting session hijacking attacks in wireless networks. The proposed scheme is based on using a wavelet based analysis of the received signal strength. We first develop a model to describe the changes in the received signal strength of a wireless station during a session hijack, while the received signal is embedded in colored noise caused by fading wireless channels. An optimal filter is then designed for the purpose of detection. We show that using a Wavelet Transform (WT), the colored noise with complex Power Spectral Density (PSD) in our case can be approximately whitened. Since a larger Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) increases the detection rate and decreases the false alarm rate, the SNR is maximized by analyzing the signal at specific frequency ranges. The detection mechanism is validated using both simulation and experimental results. The detector is shown to be reliable, computationally inexpensive and have minimal impact on the network performance.
Design of vehicle following control systems with actuator delays

Abstract Actuator delays can substantially degrade the performance of vehicle following control. In this paper, we investigate the control design problem of vehicle following systems with actuator delay. The main requirement in designing such systems is to ensure the stability of the individual vehicle and that there are no slinky-effects in the platooning. Based on Lyapounov's method, we first construct a constant bound for the time delay to guarantee the individual vehicle stability. Next, we derive a condition for achieving no slinky-effects. Finally, we prove that the proposed control laws can achieve zero steady state errors,
Measurement and analysis of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions from a mechanically ventilated swine confinement building in North Carolina

Abstract Emissions of atmospheric ammonia–nitrogen (NH3–N, where NH3–N=( 14 17 )NH3) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S) were measured from a finishing swine confinement house at a commercial pig farm in eastern North Carolina. Continuous simultaneous NH3–N and H2S emissions were made for ∼1-week period during four different seasons. The number of pigs contained in the house varied from ∼850 to 900 with average weights ranging from ∼38 to 88 kg. Average NH3–N concentrations were highest during the winter and spring sampling periods, 8.91±4.61 and 8.44±2.40 ppm, respectively, and lower during the summer and fall, 2.45±1.14 and 4.27±0.71 ppm, respectively. Measured average H2S concentrations were 673±282, 429±223, 47±18, and 304±88 ppb during winter, spring, summer, and fall, respectively. Generally, the H2S concentrations were approximately an order of magnitude less than NH3–N during winter, spring, and fall, and two orders of magnitude smaller during the summer season. The average ambient temperature ranged from 5.5 to 22.3 °C while the average barn temperature measured at the outlet fans ranged from 19.0 to 26.0 °C in the winter and summer, respectively. The average fan ventilation rates varied from 253 m3 min−1 during the fall sampling period to 1024 m3 min−1 during summer. Calculated total emission rates for both NH3–N and H2S were highest during the spring, 4519±1639 g N day−1 and 481±142 g day−1, respectively. Emissions were lowest during the fall season for NH3–N (904±568 g N day−1) and the summer season for H2S (82±49 g day−1). Normalized NH3–N emission rates were highest in winter and spring (33.6±21.9 and 30.6±11.1 g N day−1 AU−1, where 1 AU (animal unit)=500 kg) and lowest during summer and fall (24.3±12.4 and 11.8±7.4 g N day−1 AU−1). Normalized H2S emissions were highest during the winter and spring seasons (4.2±2.1 and 3.3±1.0 g day−1 AU−1) and were lowest in summer and fall (1.2±0.7 and 1.7±0.5 g day−1 AU−1).
Semiconducting Graphene Ribbon Transistor

In this paper, the authors have demonstrated the fabrication of narrow graphene ribbons down to 20nm width, and confirmed that a semiconducting gap can be introduced to graphene by introducing boundary confinement. Boundary roughness and edge state effects have been observed in the transport properties of narrow ribbons, which remind us to be more cautious when dealing with these narrow ribbons in the context of high performance device applications.
Propagation of low frequency signals in oceanic environments; theory, simulation and experimentation

The excitation and propagation of extremely, super and ultra low frequency signals (ELF, SLF and ULF) in the range of 30 Hz to 3,000 Hz associated with ocean environments are of particular interest for applications dealing with deep-water communications or sub-surface emissions caused by power generation devices and lines. Due to the relatively long wave-lengths on the order of hundreds of meters or so in saltwater and the high-power nature of the sources, it is possible to detect these signals several kilometers from the source. In the current age in which sophisticated electromagnetic modeling tools have been developed for high frequency applications, the question has been asked whether these same tools can be applied to ELF, SLF and ULF applications (referred to as just ELF in subsequent discussions). In particular, we wish to ascertain the usefulness and robustness of the finite-difference, time-domain (FDTD) method, commercial codes (e.g. HFSS and Maxwell), and layered media modeling using Sommerfeld and quasi-electrostatic methods as applied to the ELF propagation problem. Each of these approaches has its strengths and weaknesses, as described in the ensuing sections.
Improving the representation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the MOZART-4 global chemical transport model

Abstract. The secondary organic aerosol (SOA) module in the Model for Ozone and Related Chemical Tracers, version 4 (MOZART-4) was updated by replacing existing two-product (2p) parameters with those obtained from two-product volatility basis set (2p-VBS) fits (MZ4-C1), and by treating SOA formation from the following additional volatile organic compounds (VOCs): isoprene, propene and lumped alkenes (MZ4-C2). Strong seasonal and spatial variations in global SOA distributions were demonstrated, with significant differences in the predicted concentrations between the base case and updated model simulations. Updates to the model resulted in significant increases in annual average SOA mass concentrations, particularly for the MZ4-C2 simulation in which the additional SOA precursor VOCs were treated. Annual average SOA concentrations predicted by the MZ4-C2 simulation were 1.00 ± 1.04 μg m−3 in South America, 1.57 ± 1.88 μg m−3 in Indonesia, 0.37 ± 0.27 μg m−3 in the USA, and 0.47 ± 0.29 μg m−3 in Europe with corresponding increases of 178, 406, 311 and 292% over the base-case simulation, respectively, primarily due to inclusion of isoprene. The increases in predicted SOA mass concentrations resulted in corresponding increases in SOA contributions to annual average total aerosol optical depth (AOD) by ~ 1–6%. Estimated global SOA production was 5.8, 6.6 and 19.1 Tg yr−1 with corresponding burdens of 0.22, 0.24 and 0.59 Tg for the base-case, MZ4-C1 and MZ4-C2 simulations, respectively. The predicted SOA budgets fell well within reported ranges for comparable modeling studies, 6.7 to 96 Tg yr−1, but were lower than recently reported observationally constrained values, 50 to 380 Tg yr−1. For MZ4-C2, simulated SOA concentrations at the surface also were in reasonable agreement with comparable modeling studies and observations. Total organic aerosol (OA) mass concentrations at the surface, however, were slightly over-predicted in Europe, Amazonian regions and Malaysian Borneo (Southeast Asia) during certain months of the year, and under-predicted in most sites in Asia; relative to those regions, the model performed better for sites in North America. Overall, with the inclusion of additional SOA precursors (MZ4-C2), namely isoprene, MOZART-4 showed consistently better skill (NMB (normalized mean bias) of −11 vs. −26%) in predicting total OA levels and spatial distributions of SOA as compared with unmodified MOZART-4. Treatment of SOA formation by these known precursors (isoprene, propene and lumped alkenes) may be particularly important when MOZART-4 output is used to generate boundary conditions for regional air quality simulations that require more accurate representation of SOA concentrations and distributions.
Heterogeneity and peer effects in mutual fund proxy voting

This paper studies voting in corporate director elections. We construct a comprehensive data set of 2,058,788 mutual fund votes over a two-year period. We find systematic heterogeneity in voting: some funds are consistently more management-friendly than others. We also establish the presence of peer effects: a fund is more likely to oppose management when other funds are more likely to oppose it, all else being equal. We estimate a voting model whose supermodular structure allows us to compute social multipliers due to peer effects. Heterogeneity and peer effects are as important in shaping voting outcomes as firm and director characteristics.
Feasibility and Legality of Using Peaceful Nuclear Explosions to Plug Oil Leaks Emanating from Deep Reservoirs

Soon after the April 20, 2010, explosion that collapsed BP’s oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico, the U.S. energy secretary assembled a team of eminent scientists no engineers, mind you , including an author of the design used for the first hydrogen bomb, to discuss the possibility of an underground nuclear explosion to plug the leak Quinn 2010 . Your editor is not privy to what they discussed behind closed doors, but the administration’s formal mouthpiece for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, retired admiral of the U.S. Coast Guard Thad Allen, reported that he feared a nuclear explosion would create cracks that would open flow between the reservoir and the sea floor Washington Journal 2010 . After various attempts at plugging the leak were unsuccessful—and as estimates of the amount leaking were gradually revised upward from 1,000 barrels a day to 60,000 barrels a day, with some estimates coming in at 100,000 barrels a day—your editor became suddenly alert to the gravity of the situation. This began to sound like the worst environmental disaster ever in the delicate ecology in the Gulf of Mexico, not to mention that within months the oil would be carried by currents to the coasts of Africa, then pushed across the Indian Ocean to Indonesia and Australia. The size of the Macando reservoir, which was first kept a secret what’s new! , is now estimated to be 2 billion barrels, especially given that nearby reservoirs at Tiber and Kaskida contain 4–6 billion barrels and 2–3 billion barrels, respectively “Kaskida” 2010 . You can do the math and discover that this oil could potentially leak for 110 years, if left unplugged and if pressures were to sustain themselves. But, given that the pressures ought to dissipate, it is anybody’s guess how much oil will leak. If 30% were spilled before pressures equalized—a reasonable engineering estimate—the oil would leak for 33 years. This piqued your editor’s interest, and he started to read every newspaper article on the subject, browsed through Internet pages, and watched the TV news anytime he could when there was a story on the BP oil spill. “What could be an engineering solution to this gigantic disaster, which stood to be 40 times the size of the Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989?” he wondered. A “solution” would mean 100% plugging, not simple relief, containment, and capping, as went on for four long months and did not work perfectly under any circumstance. This is not to mention the fear, trepidation, and effort that might have been endured for the next 33 years had the cement plugging not worked, or the possibility of unstable capping, dislodged capping, or failed plugging by mud and cement. Does the world deserve that type of ordeal after such an incident? Is there a simpler solution—one that could plug it all—and save us the torture forever? The cementing sounds promising for now, but it took four months to accomplish. Was is there an alternate solution? There might be.
The Theory of Value-Based Payment Incentives and Their Application to Health Care.

Objectives To present the implications of agency theory in microeconomics, augmented by behavioral economics, for different methods of value-based payment in health care; and to derive a set of future research questions and policy recommendations based on that conceptual analysis. Data Sources Original literature of agency theory, and secondarily behavioral economics, combined with applied research and empirical evidence on the application of those principles to value-based payment. Study Design Conceptual analysis and targeted review of theoretical research and empirical literature relevant to value-based payment in health care. Principal Findings Agency theory and secondarily behavioral economics have powerful implications for design of value-based payment in health care. To achieve improved value—better patient experience, clinical quality, health outcomes, and lower costs of care—high-powered incentives should directly target improved care processes, enhanced patient experience, and create achievable benchmarks for improved outcomes. Differing forms of value-based payment (e.g., shared savings and risk, reference pricing, capitation, and bundled payment), coupled with adjunct incentives for quality and efficiency, can be tailored to different market conditions and organizational settings. Conclusions Payment contracts that are “incentive compatible”—which directly encourage better care and reduced cost, mitigate gaming, and selectively induce clinically efficient providers to participate—will focus differentially on evidence-based care processes, will right-size and structure incentives to avoid crowd-out of providers’ intrinsic motivation, and will align patient incentives with value. Future research should address the details of putting these and related principles into practice; further, by deploying these insights in payment design, policy makers will improve health care value for patients and purchasers.
Assessing the Risks and Benefits of Benzodiazepines for Anxiety Disorders in Patients with a History of Substance Abuse or Dependence

In this article, the authors reevaluate the traditional position that benzodiazepines should be avoided in anxiety disorder patients with a history of substance abuse or dependence. The efficacy of benzodiazepines in each of the anxiety disorders is reviewed, as are their side effects and toxicity. The definitions of benzodiazepine abuse and dependence are discussed, and relevant animal, experimental, and clinical data are reviewed and analyzed. A manual and computerized (MEDLINE) search was performed from 1966 to the present to examine the English-language literature published on benzodiazepines, substance abuse, and each of the anxiety disorders listed in DSM-IV. The authors found that benzodiazepines have demonstrated efficacy in generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and agoraphobia; they are promising agents in the treatment of social phobia and alcohol-induced anxiety disorders. They are generally well tolerated. There is much ambiguity over appropriate definitions for benzodiazepine abuse and dependence: although most benzodiazepine abusers concurrently abuse other substances, there is little evidence to indicate that a history of substance abuse is a major risk factor for future benzodiazepine abuse or dependence. Furthermore, benzodiazepines do not appear to induce relapse of substance abuse in these patients. The authors conclude that the position that benzodiazepines are contraindicated in former substance abusers appears to lack empirical justification. Benzodiazepines may be indicated in certain patients with anxiety disorders and a history of substance abuse or dependence.
Anti-Xa Stability of Diluted Enoxaparin for Use in Pediatrics

BACKGROUNDThe use of enoxaparin in low-weight pediatric patients is becoming common practice. Anti-Xa stability of unit-dose syringes prepared after dilution beyond one day is presently unknown.OBJECTIVETo evaluate the anti-Xa stability of diluted enoxaparin stored in glass vials and tuberculin syringes.METHODSFour separate batches of enoxaparin were diluted with sterile water to a final concentration of 20 mg/mL (2000 IU/mL) and aliquoted into plastic 1-mL syringes containing 6 mg (0.3 mL) or maintained in the glass vial. Syringes were stored at room temperature or under refrigeration. The glass vial used for diluting was stored at room temperature. The anti-Xa activity was measured on the date of preparation to 4 weeks. Statistical comparisons determined whether differences in anti-Xa activity in diluted enoxaparin are affected by the storage medium or temperature. A paired t-test was used to determine any significant differences between the anti-Xa activity on date of preparation (baseline) and subsequ...
Acamprosate Calcium as Augmentation Therapy for Anxiety Disorders

Background:Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter, while γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a predominant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. This GABA-glutamate imbalance is thought to play a role in the development of anxiety. Acamprosate calcium is thought to restore this chemical imbalance in alcohol withdrawal.Objective:To examine acamprosate calcium as augmentation therapy for treatment of anxiety.Methods:This 8-week, open-label study was designed to evaluate patients with anxiety who were stable on current medications (selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine-reuptake inhibitors) but still symptomatic. Acamprosate was dosed at 1998 mg/day. Assessments included the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.Results:Thirteen patients enrolled in the study and received study medication. Acamprosate reduced anxiety symptoms (mean HAM-A score reduction to 8.87 from a baseline of 20). Sixty-two percent of...
Intelligent sensor fusion: a graphical model approach

We study the fusion of data collected by multiple heterogeneous sensors that work cooperatively to achieve a common goal. The paper presents fast algorithms to fuse the sensor data. We map the problem into a graphical model and then develop a fast message-passing scheme to fuse the data. We simulate scenarios with 150 sensors and 200 targets that are successfully fused.
A LATITUDINAL GRADIENT IN RECRUITMENT OF INTERTIDAL INVERTEBRATES IN THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC OCEAN

A latitudinal gradient in the recruitment rates of intertidal mussels and barnacles was detected in the Northeast Pacific during 1996 and 1997. This gradient was approximately a stepcline: annual recruitment, on average, was 1-2 orders of magnitude higher in central and northern Oregon than in central and northern California. In contrast to the regional differences, large-scale gradients in recruitment within California were small: correlations of recruitment with latitude were weak, and, in all but one case, statistically insignificant. Nonetheless, trends in the data suggest that recruitment within central and northern California was highest between San Francisco and Monterey Bay, where larvae may be retained more nearshore than to the north or south. If so, apparently conflicting claims about latitudinal gradients in recruitment within California can be reconciled. The large scale transition in recruitment rates supports the hypothesis that a marked shift in the intensity of upwelling near Cape Blanco in southern Oregon is a major cause of a coincident transition in community structure. Stronger upwelling (and thus offshore flow) to the south has been hypothesized to transport larvae further offshore and thereby reduce larval supply to nearshore benthic communities. This study confirms that the predicted differences in recruitment exist, and that these differences are large. Preliminary calculations indicate that regional differences in offshore flow are likely to make a larger contribution to the recruitment transitions than several other plausible causes. In addition, recruitment transitions are larger, more abrupt, and more consistent across species than corresponding shifts in percentage cover, which favor competitive dominants. This supports model predictions that competition for space is more intense where recruitment is high. However, the absence of strong, large-scale recruitment gradients within California suggests that mesoscale processes are relatively more important than latitudinal trends in upwelling as determinants of community structure patterns at smaller scales.
Cell divisions are required for L1 retrotransposition

ABSTRACT LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons comprise a large fraction of genomic DNAs of many organisms. Many L1 elements are active and may generate potentially deleterious mutations by inserting into genes, yet little is known about the control of retrotransposition by the host. Here we examined whether retrotransposition depends on the cell cycle by using a retrotransposition assay with cultured human cells. We show that in both cancer cells and primary human fibroblasts, retrotransposition was strongly inhibited in the cells arrested in the G1, S, G2, or M stage of the cell cycle. Retrotransposition was also inhibited during cellular senescence in primary human fibroblasts. The levels of L1 transcripts were strongly reduced in arrested cells, suggesting that the reduction in L1 transcript abundance limits retrotransposition in nondividing cells. We hypothesize that inhibition of retrotransposition in nondividing cells protects somatic tissues from accumulation of deleterious mutations caused by L1 elements.
Global non-linear effect of temperature on economic production

Economic productivity is shown to peak at an annual average temperature of 13 °C and decline at high temperatures, indicating that climate change is expected to lower global incomes more than 20% by 2100. Temperature, and therefore climate change, can affect a country's economic productivity, but it has not been clear if rich and poor countries, or different aspects of economic productivity, show similar relationships. These authors use economic data from 166 countries for the years 1960 to 2010 to uncover a universal nonlinear relationship that reconciles earlier results. Economic productivity peaks at an annual average temperature of 13 °C, and the authors explore the likelihood of global economic contraction under future warming scenarios. Growing evidence demonstrates that climatic conditions can have a profound impact on the functioning of modern human societies1,2, but effects on economic activity appear inconsistent. Fundamental productive elements of modern economies, such as workers and crops, exhibit highly non-linear responses to local temperature even in wealthy countries3,4. In contrast, aggregate macroeconomic productivity of entire wealthy countries is reported not to respond to temperature5, while poor countries respond only linearly5,6. Resolving this conflict between micro and macro observations is critical to understanding the role of wealth in coupled human–natural systems7,8 and to anticipating the global impact of climate change9,10. Here we unify these seemingly contradictory results by accounting for non-linearity at the macro scale. We show that overall economic productivity is non-linear in temperature for all countries, with productivity peaking at an annual average temperature of 13 °C and declining strongly at higher temperatures. The relationship is globally generalizable, unchanged since 1960, and apparent for agricultural and non-agricultural activity in both rich and poor countries. These results provide the first evidence that economic activity in all regions is coupled to the global climate and establish a new empirical foundation for modelling economic loss in response to climate change11,12, with important implications. If future adaptation mimics past adaptation, unmitigated warming is expected to reshape the global economy by reducing average global incomes roughly 23% by 2100 and widening global income inequality, relative to scenarios without climate change. In contrast to prior estimates, expected global losses are approximately linear in global mean temperature, with median losses many times larger than leading models indicate.
Influence of Passive Flow-Control Devices on the Pressure Fluctuations at Wing-Body Junction Flows

The effectiveness of passive flow-control devices in eliminating high surface rms pressure fluctuations at the junction of several idealized wing/body junction flows was studied. Wall-pressure fluctuation measurements were made using microphones along the line of symmetry at the wing/body junction of six different wing shapes. The wings were mounted on the wind tunnel floor at a zero degree angle-of-attack. The six wing shapes tested were: a 3:2 semi-elliptical-nosed NACA 0020 tailed generic body shape (Rood wing), a parallel center-body model, a tear-drop model, a Sandia 1850 model, and NACA 0015 and NACA 0012 airfoil shapes. Eight different fence configurations were tested with the Rood wing. The two double-fence configurations were found to be the most effective in reducing the pressure fluctuations. Two of the single fence types were nearly as effective and were simpler to manufacture and test. For this reason one of these single fence types was selected for testing with all of the other wing models. The best fence flow-control devices were found to reduce rms wall-pressure fluctuations by at least 61% relative to the baseline cases. DOI: 10.1115/1.2746917