cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography using a single-balloon enteroscope in patients with altered Roux-en-Y anatomy.

Background and study aims Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is challenging to perform in patients with postsurgical gastrointestinal anatomy. We assessed the diagnostic and therapeutic success rates using single-balloon enteroscopy in patients with Roux-en-Y anastomosis. Patients and methods Patients who underwent single-balloon ERCP between April 2008 and February 2010 were retrospectively identified using a computerized endoscopy database. Diagnostic success was defined as successful duct cannulation or securing the diagnosis, and therapeutic success was defined as the ability to successfully carry out endoscopic therapy. Complications of ERCP were defined according to standard criteria. Results A total of 50 patients (34-male, mean age 57 years, range 19 - 85 years) with Roux-en-Y anastomosis underwent ERCP using a single-balloon enteroscope on 56 occasions. Indications for ERCP were cholestasis, acute cholangitis, recurrent primary sclerosing cholangitis with strictures, and choledocholithiasis. Overall diagnostic success was achieved in 39 / 56 cases (70 %). Therapeutic success was achieved in 21/23 cases (91 %). In 16 cases therapeutic intervention was not required. Therapeutic interventions included balloon dilation of strictures (n = 14), retrieval of retained biliopancreatic stents (n = 5), biliary stone extraction (n = 2), insertion of biliopancreatic stents (n = 4), and biliary and pancreatic sphincterotomy (n = 5). No major complications occurred. Importantly, in 22 / 56 procedures (39 %) a prior attempt at ERCP failed using conventional colonoscopes; single-balloon ERCP was successful in 15 / 22 (68 %) of these cases. Conclusions Single-balloon ERCP is feasible in patients with complex postsurgical Roux-en-Y anastomosis, allows diagnostic evaluation and therapeutic intervention in patients with pancreaticobiliary disease, and is a useful salvage technique in the majority of patients in whom ERCP using colonoscopies has failed.
Direct controls and incentives systems of regulation

Abstract The focus of this paper is regulatory enforcement when regulators do not have absolute power—as is the case when procedures of due process and the right of appeal allow regulated enterprises to challenge decisions of regulatory agencies. Instead of passively submitting to regulatory enforcement, the regulated enterprise can contest the regulator's decisions. Given this contestable view of regulatory enforcement, two regulatory models are compared: regulation with direct controls where the regulator issues directives and commands to directly regulate behavior and incentives-based regulation where fines or corrective taxes are used. In both types of regulation the regulated enterprise can contest the regulator's decisions. In the first the firm may challenge the regulator's directives, while in the second the firm can contest fines levied by the regulator. The question is, which regulatory regime can obtain higher compliance? The results suggest that when the regulator's enforcement powers are limited, regulation with direct controls can obtain higher levels of compliance than an incentives-based system.
Mutant sequences as probes of protein folding mechanisms.

Mutagenesis makes it possible to examine the effect of amino acid replacements on the folding and stability of proteins. The evaluation of kinetic and equilibrium folding data using reaction coordinate diagrams allows one to determine the roles that single amino acids play in the folding mechanism.
Compatibility between GFCI breakers and household adjustable speed drives

As manufacturers find more applications for adjustable speed drives (ASDs) in household appliances, ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) compatibility becomes crucial. As compared to industrial applications, the GFCI thresholds for residential applications are much lower. This work explores the compatibility issues that arise for a 1.5 hp (1.1 kW) ASD intended for use in a hot tub or spa. The experimental frequency response of a commonly-used GFCI breaker is compared to the common-mode current of a commercially-available ASD. To enhance compatibility, the input filter needs to be changed to reduce capacitance to earth.
Arcing Faults in Power Systems

IT has for many years been recognized that voltage surges of considerable magnitude could be produced under certain system conditions by switching operations or by arcing faults. Such voltage surges have been studied in some detail in the past, and various theories have been developed to explain their occurrence and to predict their magnitude. The theories were in most cases sound, but the prediction of surge magnitude was on a rather insecure basis.
Shared buffering in nonblocking copy networks

This paper investigates the performance of nonblocking copy networks employing the shared buffering scheme. We use the technique of tagged Markov chains to derive the stationary distributions for the occupancy of the buffers. Based on these stationary distributions, the delay, throughput, and packet loss probability are calculated as critical performance measures of the copy network. We also carry out analyses for variations in the copying policy such as fanout splitting wherein a copy request from a single packet may be completed over two time slots, and feed channel priority wherein there exists a certain priority among input channels. >
Refinement of an Orthotopic Lung Cancer Model in the Nude Rat

Over 85% of people with lung cancer eventually succumb to this disease, largely because current chemotherapies are ineffective. The testing and validation of promising new approaches generally rely on achieving responses with cell lines in vitro or in tumor xenografts in nude mice. However, quite often the results seen with these models are not recapitulated in the clinic, thus necessitating the need for better animal models of lung cancer for preclinical testing of new therapies. One promising model is that of orthotopic lung cancer, where xenografts of human lung cancer are established in lungs of immunodeficient rodents. The prob- lems associated with this model include poor rates of engraftment, limited tumor multiplicity, and a heightened risk for surgical trauma. The purpose of our study was to develop an efficient approach to engraftment of orthotopic tumors throughout the lungs of the Rowett nude rat. Initially, we augmented immunosuppression in the rats with whole-body X-irradiation and then used orotracheal cannulas to intratracheally instill human cancer cells from the Calu-6 cell line. This protocol produced a low rate of engraftment and low tumor multiplicity. The hypothesis that slight disruption of the pulmonary epithelium or the surfactant layer would allow better tumor engraftment was tested by coadministration of either pancreatic elastase or ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) along with the cell instillations. Lung tumor engraftment was evaluated 8 weeks after instillation. The inclusion of elastase or EDTA with the Calu-6 cells resulted in an 80-100% engraftment rate, respectively. Coadministration of EDTA resulted in significantly larger and greater numbers of tumors/lung than those in elastase-treated animals. Temporal studies demonstrated that small nodules were scattered throughout the lung parenchyma 5 weeks after instilling Calu-6 cells and EDTA. These nodules grew to coalesce and form large masses that effaced 75% of the parenchyma at 9 weeks postinstillation. The refinements made through our studies have led to the development of an orthotopic lung cancer model that should facilitate the evaluation of novel therapies designed to treat or impede lung cancer development.
Replisome-Mediated DNA Replication

▪ Abstract The elaborate process of genomic replication requires a large collection of proteins properly assembled at a DNA replication fork. Several decades of research on the bacterium Escherichia coli and its bacteriophages T4 and T7 have defined the roles of many proteins central to DNA replication. These three different prokaryotic replication systems use the same fundamental components for synthesis at a moving DNA replication fork even though the number and nature of some individual proteins are different and many lack extensive sequence homology. The components of the replication complex can be grouped into functional categories as follows: DNA polymerase, helix destabilizing protein, polymerase accessory factors, and primosome (DNA helicase and DNA primase activities). The replication of DNA derives from a multistep enzymatic pathway that features the assembly of accessory factors and polymerases into a functional holoenzyme; the separation of the double-stranded template DNA by helicase activity...
Is there a home advantage in school readiness for young children? Trends in parent engagement in cognitive activities with young children, 1991–2001

The desire to understand the home advantage has spurred a large body of research describing the contribution of differences in family background and parenting styles to school readiness and the achievement gap. Using the National Household Education Survey at two time points provides a fuller picture of the trends in parenting and cognitive activities with young children before the onset of formal schooling. The results presented here show that although more educated parents participate more in cognitive activities with their young children in 1991 and 2001, participation is increasing for all parents. This is true for a widely expected parental activity, reading to your child, and for a direct instruction activity, teaching letters, words, and numbers. It is also true for the more creative activities of music, arts and crafts, and telling stories. Contrary to images of some families as deficient and others as overly exuberant, all families in this sample are increasing engagement with their young childre...
Effect of disease and recovery on functional anatomy in brain tumor patients: insights from functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging

Patients with brain tumors provide a unique opportunity to understand functional brain plasticity. Using advanced imaging techniques, such as functional MRI and diffusion tensor imaging, we have gained tremendous knowledge of brain tumor behavior, transformation, infiltration and destruction of nearby structures. Using these advanced techniques as an adjunct with more proven techniques, such as direct cortical stimulation, intraoperative navigation and advanced microsurgical techniques, we now are able to better formulate safer resection trajectories, perform larger resections at reduced risk and better counsel patients and their families about possible complications. Brain mapping in patients with brain tumors and other lesions has shown us that the old idea of fixed function of the adult cerebral cortex is not entirely true. Improving care for patients with brain lesions in the future will depend on better understanding of the functional organization and plasticity of the adult brain. Advanced noninvasive brain imaging will undoubtedly play a role in advancing this understanding.
Crisis Governance in the Administrative State: 9/11 and the Financial Meltdown of 2008

This essay compares crisis governance and emergency lawmaking after 9/11 and the financial meltdown of 2008. We argue that the two episodes were broadly similar in outline, but importantly different in detail, and we attempt to explain both the similarities and differences. First, broad political processes and constraints operated in both episodes to create a similar pattern of crisis governance, in which Congress delegated large new powers to the executive. We argue that this pattern is best explained by reference to the account of lawmaking in the administrative state offered by Carl Schmitt, as opposed to the standard Madisonian view. Second, within the broad constraints of crisis politics, the Bush administration asserted its authority more aggressively after 9/11 than in the financial crisis. Rejecting competing explanations based on legal differences, the nature of the threat, or other factors, we attribute the difference to the Bush administration's loss of popularity and credibility over the period between 2001 and 2008 and to the more salient and divisive distributive effects of financial management.
Moist Teleconnection Mechanisms for the Tropical South American and Atlantic Sector

Abstract Teleconnections have traditionally been studied for the case of dry dynamical response to a given diabatic heat source. Important anomalies often occur within convective zones, for instance, in the observed remote response to El Nino. The reduction of rainfall and teleconnection propagation in deep convective regions poses theoretical challenges because feedbacks involving convective heating and cloud radiative effects come into play. Land surface feedbacks, including variations of land surface temperature, and ocean surface layer temperature response must be taken into account. During El Nino, descent and negative precipitation anomalies often extend across equatorial South America and the Atlantic intertropical convergence zone. Analysis of simulated mechanisms in a case study of the 1997/98 El Nino is used to illustrate the general principals of teleconnections occurring in deep convective zones, contrasting land and ocean regions. Comparison to other simulated events shows similar behavior. T...
Assessment of thermal transitions by dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) using a novel disposable powder holder

Foods and pharmaceuticals materials are exposed to various environmental conditions during processing and while in storage; therefore, stability and quality are key attributes of concern. The properties of foods and pharmaceutical materials that define their quality are affected by conditions such as temperature, humidity and time. Glass transition is considered a key material property to understand how these external conditions affect the stability and quality of foods and pharmaceuticals. Thus, investigating the thermo-mechanical properties of these materials as well as characterizing the glass transition temperature have a great interest not only in the food industry, but also extend to the pharmaceutical and polymer industries. The aim of this study was to design and test a new disposable powder holder that allows the use of a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) instrument to test and characterize loose powder samples. The disposable aluminum powder holder was designed and constructed to be used in the single cantilever configuration on a TA Instruments RSA III DMA. Three different powder samples – Felodipine, polyethylene-oxide (MW 900 kDa) and HPMC (E4M) – were used for validation. The use of this powder holder allows the detection of different thermal changes of powder samples without compacting and when large sample size is necessary for detection and/or interpretation.
Cultural competence in the assessment of poor Mexican families in the rural southeastern United States

Increasing numbers of poor Mexican immigrant families are settling in the rural southeastern United States. Most of these families are from isolated agrarian communities in Mexico and are headed by unskilled laborers or displaced farm workers with little education. Child welfare workers and other service providers in rural communities may be poorly prepared to address the needs of this population. This article provides an overview of the cultural, social, and family dynamics of first generation, working class Mexicans to promote cultural competency among helping professionals. An ecological perspective is used to examine the strengths that poor Mexicans bring from their culture of origin, stresses of the migratory experience and ongoing adaptation, shifts that may occur in family structure and functioning, disruptions in the family life cycle, the role of social supports in family adaptation, and effect of institutional discrimination on family well-being. Suggestions also are made for essential components of adequate in-service education.
Alkali Ion Conductivity in Fused Silica

The alkali ion conductivity of fused silica was measured between 350°C and 500°C using fused nitrate salts for electrodes. Within this temperature range the conductivities of these ions are linear with reciprocal temperature and the activation energies for sodium, lithium, and potassium conduction are 28.1, 34.7, and 32.0 Kcal/mole respectively. Chemical analyses have shown that sodium and lithium can be electrolyzed from silica in this temperature range but potassium cannot. The measurements have suggested that when the mole fractions of sodium and lithium are almost equal and the ions are homogeneously distributed, the conductivity exhibits a behavior similar to the mixed alkali effect.
The Importance of Being Interpreted: Grounded Words and Children's Relational Reasoning.

Although young children typically have trouble reasoning relationally, they are aided by the presence of relational words (e.g., Gentner & Rattermann, 1991). They also reason well about commonly experienced event structures (e.g., Fivush, 1984). Relational words may benefit relational reasoning because they activate well-understood event structures. Two candidate hypotheses were tested: (1) the Schema hypothesis, according to which words help relational reasoning because they are grounded in schematized experiences and (2) the Optimal Vagueness hypothesis, by which words benefit relational reasoning because the activated schema is open enough (without too much specificity) so that it can be applied analogically to novel problems. Four experiments examine these two hypotheses by examining how training with a label influences schematic interpretations of a scene, the kinds of scenes that are conducive to schematic interpretations, and whether children must figure out the interpretation themselves to benefit from the act of interpreting a scene as an event. Experiment 1 shows the superiority of schema-evoking words over words that do not connect to schematized experiences. Experiments 2 and 3 further reveal that these words must be applied to vaguely related perceptual instances rather than unrelated or concretely related instances in order to draw attention to relational structure. Experiment 4 provides evidence that even when children do not work out an interpretation for themselves, just the act of interpreting an ambiguous scene is potent for relational generalization. The present results suggest that relational words (and in particular their meanings) are created from the act of interpreting a perceptual situation in the context of a word grounded in meaningful experiences.
Studying rigorously defined health care processes using a formal process modeling language, clinical simulation, observation, and eye tracking

Motivation - The complex nature of health care processes requires new methods for describing, capturing and improving these processes. Research approach - We deployed a novel combination of methods - formal process modeling using a language called Little-JIL, simulations with embedded errors, observations, and eye tracking technology - to gauge how health care providers complete one complex process, patient identification. Findings/Design - These methods allowed us to thoroughly analyze how health care providers completed the patient identification process with and without embedded errors, and to record exactly what participants looked at during the simulations. Research limitations/Implications - We have used this set of methods to analyze only one type of health care process to-date. Originality/Value - We can use these approaches to inform health care provider training, process redesign, and the design of technologies to support health care providers as they verify patients' identities.
Sol-Gel Film Formation by Dip Coating

The physical aspects of sol-gel film formation are discussed, including the steady state film profile during dip coating, evaporation, and capillary phenomena. It is argued that, since the evaporation rate increases singularly near a sharp boundary (analogous to an electric field singularity near a sharp conductor), the film profile near the drying line falls off precipitously, following the inverse form of the evaporation singularity. Finally, the large tensile pressures in the solvent during the final stage of drying of a porous film are discussed from the point of view of controlling the degree of capillary collapse.
Speaker Independent Urdu speech recognition using HMM

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) is one of the advanced fields of Natural Language Processing (NLP). Recent past has witnessed valuable research activities in ASR in English, European and East Asian languages. But unfortunately South Asian Languages in general and “Urdu” in particular have received very less attention. In this paper we present an approach to develop an ASR system for Urdu language. The proposed system is based on an open source speech recognition framework called Sphinx4 which uses statistical based approach (Hidden Markov Model) for developing ASR system. We present a Speaker Independent ASR system for small sized vocabulary, i.e. fifty two isolated most spoken Urdu words and suggest that this research work will form the basis to develop medium and large size vocabulary Urdu speech recognition system.
Environmental degradation in Brazilian Amazonia: perspectives in US news media

While news media play a major role in shaping public opinion and government policy, existing literature suggests that coverage of both the third world and environmental issues is superficial and crisis-oriented. This study uses the example of Amazonian deforestation to explore the quantity and content of coverage in influential American newspapers. We found that coverage included a wide range of (sometimes) contradictory theories regarding the causes of deforestation, and that the amount, but not the nature, of the coverage changed in response to a “crisis.”
Location and Survival of Leaf-Associated Bacteria in Relation to Pathogenicity and Potential for Growth within the Leaf

The growth and survival of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Pseudomonas syringae strains and of the nonpathogenic species Pantoea agglomerans, Stenotrophomonas maltophilia, and Methylobacterium organophilum were compared in the phyllosphere of bean. In general, the plant pathogens survived better than the nonpathogens on leaves under environmental stress. The sizes of the total leaf-associated populations of the pathogenic P. syringae strains were greater than the sizes of the total leaf-associated populations of the nonpathogens under dry conditions but not under moist conditions. In these studies the surface sterilants hydrogen peroxide and UV irradiation were used to differentiate cells that were fully exposed on the surface from nonexposed cells that were in “protected sites” that were inaccessible to these agents. In general, the population sizes in protected sites increased with time after inoculation of plants. The proportion of bacteria on leaves that were in protected sites was generally greater for pathogens than for nonpathogens and was greater under dry conditions than under moist conditions. When organisms were vacuum infiltrated into leaves, the sizes of the nonexposed “internal” populations were greater for pathogenic P. syringae strains than for nonpathogenic P. syringae strains. The sizes of the populations of the nonpathogenic species failed to increase or even decreased. The sizes of nonexposed populations following spray inoculation were correlated with the sizes of nonexposed, internal populations which developed after vacuum infiltration and incubation. While the sizes of the populations of the pathogenic P. syringae strains increased on leaves under dry conditions, the sizes of the populations of the nonpathogenic strains of P. syringae, P. agglomerans, and S. maltophilia decreased when the organisms were applied to plants. The sizes of the populations on dry leaves were also correlated with the sizes of the nonexposed populations that developed following vacuum infiltration. Although pathogenicity was not required for growth in the phyllosphere under high-relative-humidity conditions, pathogenicity apparently was involved in the ability to access and/or multiply in certain protected sites in the phyllosphere and in growth on dry leaves.
Energy-Based Feature Extraction for Defect Diagnosis in Rotary Machines

This paper presents an energy-based approach to defect diagnosis in rotary machines and machine components, which enhances the ability of the continuous wavelet transform in feature extraction from vibration signals. Specifically, the energy content of the wavelet coefficients of vibration signal measured on rolling bearings has been evaluated for selecting appropriate base wavelet and decomposition scale such that identification of defect-induced signal features is significantly improved. Through subsequent envelope spectral analysis of the extracted signal features, the location of structural defect in the bearing being monitored can be identified. An experimental study performed on two ball bearings has shown that the developed approach is more effective in diagnosing bearing defects than using the traditional techniques.
Information Technology and the Related Services Industry: Evaluating India's Success Factors

At present, India is the world leader in the global outsourcing services market with 28% of the market share. In this article, I explore Indias journey to the position of prominence in the IT and related services market, and discuss both the collaborative efforts and individual efforts of government, private sector firms and independent trade body, NASSCOM, in the development of this industry. The competition is fierce in the global outsourcing services market so for India to maintain its leadership position, the Indian government and IT firms need to work in tandem with one another. The Indian government needs to provide efficient solutions to the problems related to infrastructure and higher education, and private firms need to adopt innovative strategies and effectively use their experience to maintain Indias leadership position in the global market.
Effect of laser transfer mechanism on damage to organic semiconducting molecules during laser direct-write printing

By employing different laser forward-transfer techniques, we probe the effects of transfer mechanism on the damage of sensitive organic molecules. Thick-film polymer absorbing layers provide the maximum optical and thermal protection for the molecules.
Compatibility testing procedures and results for plastics and elastomers used with alternative cleaning agents

Low-ozone-depleting cleaning agents are being developed to replace chlorofluorocarbon (CFC)-based solvents for electronics cleaning. In general, the alternative cleaning agents are chemically more aggressive than the conventional CFC-113 blends. Manufacturers of electronic components should therefore be concerned about the compatibility of the polymeric construction materials they choose to use in their parts. The author presents the compatibility testing procedures used by a cleaning-agent supplier to screen alternative candidates, and the effects of different types of alternative cleaning agents on various classes of plastics and elastomers. It is noted that the alternative cleaning agents are less forgiving toward various plastics and elastomers, especially the optical plastics (polycarbonate and acrylic) and the traditional sealing elastomers (Buna N, polychloroprene, and Viton A). Compatibility testing is easy to perform, and component manufacturers are encouraged to carry out similar tests to evaluate the potential impact of alternative cleaning agents on their particular products. >
BEHAVIORAL AND ECOLOGIC EFFECTS OF DIFFERENTIAL PREDATION PRESSURE ON MOOSE IN ALASKA

We studied behavioral and ecologic effects of differential predation pressure on moose (Alces alces gigas) in the eastern Talkeetna Mountains, Alaska, during 1996‐1998. Annual mortality from grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) and wolf (Canis lupus) predation was higher for solitary yearling moose than for dependent yearlings (those with adults) and solitary adults. We tested hypotheses that solitary yearlings have heightened levels of vigilance and greater variation in vigilance responses and spend more time near protective cover than do dependent yearlings or adults. Proportion of time spent vigilant did not differ between solitary and dependent yearlings, and no differences were found between solitary yearlings and adults. However, variation in vigilance increased with distance to protective cover for yearlings but not for adults. Only at distances $20 m from protective cover did variation in vigilance differ between solitary yearlings and adults. Increased variation in vigilance at distances far from protective cover, locations where putative vulnerability to predators is greatest, may account for increased mortality among solitary yearlings. Mean distance to protective cover was not different between solitary and dependent yearlings or between solitary yearlings and adults. Because hypotheses regarding differences in vigilance and use of protective cover between age and social status categories generally were not supported, other factors may be involved in promoting high vulnerability of independent yearlings to predation. Smaller body size and maternal defense are unexplored alternatives for explaining differential mortality between yearlings with and without mothers.
Engineering Coexposed {001} and {101} Facets in Oxygen-Deficient TiO2 Nanocrystals for Enhanced CO2 Photoreduction under Visible Light

This work for the first time reports engineered oxygen-deficient, blue TiO2 nanocrystals with coexposed {101}-{001} facets (TiO2–x{001}-{101}) to enhance CO2 photoreduction under visible light. The TiO2–x{001}-{101} material demonstrated a relatively high quantum yield (0.31% under UV–vis light and 0.134% under visible light) for CO2 reduction to CO by water vapor and more than 4 times higher visible light activity in comparison with TiO2 with a single {001} plane or {101} plane and TiO2(P25). Possible reasons are the exposure of more active sites (e.g., undercoordinated Ti atoms and oxygen vacancies), the facilitated electron transfer between {001} and {101} planes, and the formation of a new energy state (Ti3+) within the TiO2 band gap to extend the visible light response. An in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) study was applied to understand the roles of coexposed {001}-{101} facets and Ti3+ sites in activating surface intermediates. The in situ DRIFTS analysis ...
Sympathetic control of adrenal secretion of enkephalins after hemorrhage in awake dogs

Adrenomedullary secretion of methionine (Met)-enkephalin and of leucine (Leu)-enkephalin was measured in awake trained dogs subjected to 10 or 20% hemorrhage. Enkephalin secretory rates increased in proportion to the magnitude of hemorrhage with the ratio of Met-enkephalin to Leu-enkephalin being approximately 4:1. Arterial concentrations of enkephalins reflected adrenal secretion only in dogs exhibiting the largest secretory responses to hemorrhage. Cross-correlation analysis of 12 individual experiments showed that Met-enkephalin and epinephrine secretory rates were maximally correlated at 0-min delay, suggesting that enkephalins are cosecreted with catecholamines. The molar ratio in adrenal venous blood of epinephrine to Met-enkephalin ranges from 480 +/- 50 to 570 +/- 60. Chronic denervation of the adrenal by removing thoracic and lumbar splanchnic nerves prevented the Met-enkephalin and catecholamine secretory responses to hemorrhage. These data show that the adrenal medulla secretes enkephalins in response to stimuli activated by hemorrhage. These findings suggest that secretion of opiate-like peptides into the peripheral circulation may be a component of the sympathetic response to trauma.
Sectoral Fallowing Systems in the Central Andes

Sectoral fallowing systems from 51 communities in highland Peru and Bolivia have been examined, focusing on altitudinal and latitudinal variation in these systems. In these instances of communal management of cropping patterns and fallowing, a significant proportion of lands is left fallow. This practice has been studied for implications related to maintenance of soil quality and reduction of pathogen impacts. Recent changes in several systems are noted. Comparison with other Andean patterns of culture and social organization reveal similarities with the present study area.
Four-wave mixing in a Λ system

The four-wave mixing (4WM) signal is calculated for a three-level quantum system in a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration (upper level 2, lower levels 1 and 3) that is driven by three fields. Pump fields $E$ and ${E}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ drive the 1-2 and 3-2 transitions, respectively. The probe field is detuned from field $E$ by an amount $\ensuremath{\Delta}$. If the detuning of field $E$ from the 1-2 transition frequency is equal to that of field ${E}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ from the 3-2 transition frequency (dark state pumping), there is a dark state in the absence of the probe field. Rather surprisingly, even though the probe field destroys the dark state for $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\ne}0$, the 4WM mixing vanishes for all $\ensuremath{\Delta}$ in the limit of dark-state pumping. The 4WM spectra are explained within the context of a semiclassical, dressed-state picture that involves the sequential emission of a probe and signal photon.
Origin and Identity of Fejervarya (Anura: Dicroglossidae) on Guam

Abstract: We used morphological and molecular data to infer the identity and origin of frogs in the genus Fejervarya that have been introduced to the island of Guam. Mensural and meristic data were collected from 96 specimens from throughout their range on the island and a principal component analysis was used to investigate the distribution of these data in morphological space. We also amplified a fragment of the 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid mitochondrial gene from 27 of these specimens and compared it to 63 published sequences of Fejervarya and the morphologically similar Zakerana. All examined Fejervarya from Guam are morphologically indistinguishable and share an identical haplotype. The molecular data identify them as Fejervarya cancrivora with a haplotype identical to F. cancrivora from Taiwan.
Molts of the Rock Shag and New Interpretations of the Plumage Sequence

The Rock Shag (Phalacrocorax magellanicus) was found to be similar in molt patterns to other cormorants studied. It was previously thought that two predefinitive plumages occur in this species; this study shows there is only one predefinitive plumage, which is polymorphic and geographically variable. In addition, although the alternate and basic plumages were thought to be very distinct in aspect, I found that these plumages are similar, and specimens previously thought intermediate between alternate and basic plumage combine individual and geographical variation. Differences in frequencies of juvenal plumage phases and adult plumage variants between Chilean and Argentinian coastal populations suggest evolution in isolation by populations separated by a vicariance event such as the Llanquihue Glaciation (20,000 to 10,000 ybp).
Learning Environmental Contexts in a Goal-Seeking Neural Network

An important function of many organisms is the ability to learn contextual information in order to increase the probability of achieving goals. For example, a cat may watch a particular mouse hole where she has experienced success in catching mice in preference to other similar holes. Or a person will improve his chances of getting back into his house by taking his keys with him. In this paper, predisposing conditions that affect future outcomes are referred to as environmental contexts. These conditional probabilities are learned by a goal-seeking neural network. Environmental contexts of varying complexities are generated that contain conditional statetransition probabilities such that the probability of some transitions is affected by the completion of others. The neural network is capable of expressing responses that allow it to navigate the environment in order to reach a goal. The goal-seeking effectiveness of the neural network in a variety of environmental complexities is measured.
SOLUTION OF COMPOSITE RESERVOIR PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION MODEL

To meet the need of composite reservoir performance analysis, a formation pressure distribution model is developed, which takes into consideration the effect of wellbore storage, skin factor and three kinds of outer boundary conditions—constant pressure outer boundary, closed outer boundary, infinite boundary. The exact solution of the model in Laplace space is obtained by using Laplace transformation and Bessel function, and the application of the solution is discussed in detail. The method of well testing directly in the Laplace space is particularly described, and the specific procedures of its application are presented.
Congenital mesoblastic nephroma metastatic to the brain : a report of two cases

Congenital mesoblastic nephroma was originally believed to be a universally benign neoplasm. More recently, aggressive congenital mesoblastic nephromas have been described with local recurrence and/or metastases. We report two patients with documented congenital mesoblastic nephroma which later metastasized to the brain.
Statistical Modeling of Wavelet-Transform-Based Features in Structural Health Monitoring

In this paper, a probabilistic model is established in quantifying the uncertainty of wavelet-transform-based features in structural health monitoring (SHM), thus the decision-making in regard to damage occurrence will be conducted under a quantified confidence. Wavelet transform has been adopted in processing online-acquired data for decades, and the adaptability of wavelet transform in handling time and scale resolutions make it a powerful tool to interpret the time-variant data series. For the complexity of real SHM problems, uncertainty from both the operational/environmental variability and the inaccuracy of data acquisition hardware degrades the SHM performance. This paper aims to derive a probabilistic uncertainty quantification model to describe the distribution of wavelet-transform-based features, to facilitate more reliable SHM decision-makings, and uncertainty-induced false-positive (Type-I error) and true damage detection rate will be traded-off in a confidence-quantified sense. The distribution derived in this paper is validated via Monte Carlo simulation.
Targeting hedgehog in T-ALL.

Leukemia is a developmental disease of the hematopoietic system. In this issue of Blood, Dagklis et al1 identified hyperactivation of the hedgehog developmental pathway in a subgroup of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALLs). Given the availability of US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)–approved hedgehog-inhibiting drugs and the extremely poor prognosis of relapsed T-ALL, this discovery may present a new therapeutic opportunity.
STRONG AND WEAK POINTS OF MEMBRANE SYSTEMS APPLIED TO GAS SEPARATION

Membrane operations are being asserted as a tangible option to conventional technologies in gas separation due to an advanced flexibility to tolerate fluctuations in feed composition and flow rate, operational simplicity and reliability, absence of moving parts, particularly when weight and space requirements are important. Most of the commercial synthetic membranes are made of polymers, characterised by specific transport properties according to their physical state. However, in order to keep the economic competitiveness also in aggressive environments and severe operating conditions, it is necessary to manufacture membranes starting from robust materials with intrinsic high permselective properties. Nanoporous inorganic molecular sieves are potential interesting materials for their peculiar transport, mechanical and physical properties significantly higher than polymers. Processing difficulties, reproducibility problems during the preparation step and high costs still hinder their direct application as membranes at an industrial level. Although the development of new permselective materials is fundamental to meet the purification request, the correct combination of multiple membrane stages in integrated systems can improve significantly the performance. Therefore, according to the specific separation requests, it is possible to select the appropriate membrane material arranging a sequence of membrane units that maximises the purity and the recovery of a component with a right share of the separation load on each stage.
Mobile Phonocardiogram Diagnosis in Newborns Using Support Vector Machine

Phonocardiogram (PCG) monitoring on newborns is one of the most important and challenging tasks in the heart assessment in the early ages of life. In this paper, we present a novel approach for cardiac monitoring applied in PCG data. This basic system coupled with denoising, segmentation, cardiac cycle selection and classification of heart sound can be used widely for a large number of the data. This paper describes the problems and additional advantages of the PCG method including the possibility of recording heart sound at home, removing unwanted noises and data reduction on a mobile device, and an intelligent system to diagnose heart diseases on the cloud server. A wide range of physiological features from various analysis domains, including modeling, time/frequency domain analysis, an algorithm, etc., is proposed in order to extract features which will be considered as inputs for the classifier. In order to record the PCG data set from multiple subjects over one year, an electronic stethoscope was used for collecting data that was connected to a mobile device. In this study, we used different types of classifiers in order to distinguish between healthy and pathological heart sounds, and a comparison on the performances revealed that support vector machine (SVM) provides 92.2% accuracy and AUC = 0.98 in a time of 1.14 seconds for training, on a dataset of 116 samples.
Emerging opportunities and challenges for HIV prevention, treatment and care for MSM in the former Soviet Union and other post-communist states in Eastern Europe.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and other communist regimes in Eastern Europe, political liberalisation resulted in the emergence of free market economies, freedom of speech, travel opportunities and the public appearance of previously hidden communities throughout the region, including most post-Soviet states. The political trends, however, were not uniform across countries, nor were the HIV epidemics that unfolded. Men who have sex with men (MSM) gained an opportunity to ‘come out of closet’ and become more visible through meeting venues and community-based organisations (CBOs), participate in gay-oriented events and enhance their presence in public spaces. However, effective and sustained HIV prevention programmes and services for MSM were absent in much of the region, while stigma and homophobia were widespread. In the past two decades, HIV rates significantly increased in the former Soviet Union and other parts of Eastern Europe, much later than in the West. (Countries included in this commentary are those categorised by European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control/WHO as belonging to Central and Eastern Europe.1) HIV incidence among MSM in Eastern Europe was generally low until 2010.1 However, an overall 57% increase in HIV incidence occurred in the region between just 2010 and 2015, with Russia accounting for over 80% of the region's infections recorded in 2015 alone.2 A large body of research indicates that high-risk sexual practices among MSM are common.3 Large proportions of MSM in the region exchange sex for money or valuables and use alcohol and other substances.4 Although overall HIV incidence rates vary across the region, there have been sharp increases in the number of MSM among recorded HIV cases diagnosed in many counties including Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia as well as the post-Soviet republics of Belarus, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan …
Analytical analysis of gas diffusion into non-circular pores of shale organic matter

The total of the gas in shale gas reservoirs is sourced from a combination of free, adsorbed and dissolved/diffused gas. The mechanisms of production of free and adsorbed gas have been studied by numerous researchers. In contrast, the evolution of the dissolved gas and its contribution to the total gas production is not well understood. In this study we model the effect of pore micro-structure in organic matter (OM) on the rate of gas production in shale reservoirs. In this regard, first, we solve the gas-in-solid diffusion equation over a general doubly connected spatial domain with external Neumann and internal Dirichlet boundary conditions. The obtained solution is applied systematically to multi-pore porous OM domains and then the effect of pore morphology on the rate of gas production is studied. Our model results show that pore geometry has a slight effect on the gas diffusion process, while total organic carbon, and OM porosity, pore size distribution and specific surface area, are dominant parameters. An abundance of very small pores in OM tremendously increases the diffuse gas contribution in the total gas reserve and production.
Investigation into Corrosion Pit-to-Fatigue Crack Transition in 7075-T6 Aluminum Alloy

Transition of corrosion pit to crack under fatigue condition was investigated in high-strength 7075-T6 aluminum alloy. The pit was formed at the edge of a hole in a specimen. Specimen was subjected to a constant stress during the pit formation. Two types of corrosion pit were considered: corner-pit and through-pit. Two sizes were tested for each pit type. Also, the baseline data of cycles to initiate a 250-µm-long crack were established when the corrosion pit was created without any applied stress on the specimen, i.e., S appl = 0. The cycles to initiate a 250-µm-long crack initially decreased with increasing S appl relative to the baseline value and then increased with increasing S appl such that this increase was significant with higher value of S appl. The transition between this increase and decrease occurred when the S appl was greater or less than a value which caused the onset of plastic deformation at the root of the pit, respectively. Microstructural analysis showed that this decrease in cycles to initiate the crack was due to microcracks at the pit front which developed at the lower level of S appl, and the increase was due to plastic deformation at the higher levels of S appl.