cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SU-F-R-53: CT-Based Radiomics Analysis of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients Treated with Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy

Purpose: Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is the standard of care for medically inoperable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients and has demonstrated excellent local control and survival. However, some patients still develop distant metastases and local recurrence, and therefore, there is a clinical need to identify patients at high-risk of disease recurrence. The aim of the current study is to use a radiomics approach to identify imaging biomarkers, based on tumor phenotype, for clinical outcomes in SBRT patients. Methods: Radiomic features were extracted from free breathing computed tomography (CT) images of 113 Stage I-II NSCLC patients treated with SBRT. Their association to and prognostic performance for distant metastasis (DM), locoregional recurrence (LRR) and survival was assessed and compared with conventional features (tumor volume and diameter) and clinical parameters (e.g. performance status, overall stage). The prognostic performance was evaluated using the concordance index (CI). Multivariate model performance was evaluated using cross validation. All p-values were corrected for multiple testing using the false discovery rate. Results: Radiomic features were associated with DM (one feature), LRR (one feature) and survival (four features). Conventional features were only associated with survival and one clinical parameter was associated with LRR and survival. One radiomic feature was significantly prognostic for DM (CI=0.670, p<0.1 from random), while none of the conventional and clinical parameters were significant for DM. The multivariate radiomic model had a higher median CI (0.671) for DM than the conventional (0.618) and clinical models (0.617). Conclusion: Radiomic features have potential to be imaging biomarkers for clinical outcomes that conventional imaging metrics and clinical parameters cannot predict in SBRT patients, such as distant metastasis. Development of a radiomics biomarker that can identify patients at high-risk of recurrence could facilitate personalization of their treatment regimen for an optimized clinical outcome. R.M. had consulting interest with Amgen (ended in 2015).
The Viking Age settlement pattern of Langholt, North Iceland: Results of the Skagafjörður Archaeological Settlement Survey

An archaeological survey of the Viking Age settlement pattern in the Langholt region of North Iceland suggests that being early in this sequence conferred tremendous advantages to the settlers of this previously uninhabited landscape. Many of the farms established during the settlement of Iceland (which began about a.d. 870) are in use today. However, accessing the Viking Age landscape is difficult. In Langholt the earliest layers of most farmsteads are buried under a thousand years of occupational debris, while the abandoned sites have been covered by extensive soil deposition. Here we report on our coring and test excavation results that outline Viking Age farmstead location, establishment date, and maximum size by the end of the Viking Age. There is a strong correlation between farmstead size and establishment date. This correlation suggests that during the rapid settlement of Iceland, the farmsteads established by earlier settlers were wealthier and that wealth endured.
Echo Guided Pericardiocentesis

In this chapter we discuss the indications, as well as the echocardiographic/Doppler diagnosis of pericardial tamponade. We provide an in depth description of how to perform an echocardiographic guided pericardiocentesis. A detailed description is given on how to prepare for performing pericardiocentesis, equipment needed, use of local analgesia, exclusion criteria, and the optimal site for pericardial puncture as dictated by echocardiographic guidance. We explain different approaches for pericardial access, how to identify the angle for needle insertion and to determine the depth of needle penetration that is both safe and required. We describe the use of pericardial catheter drainage, laboratory studies that should be performed on the pericardial fluid and management of pericardial drain, as well as when the drain should be removed. We outline our use of medications before (local analgesia), and after the procedure (anti-staphlococcal coverage while the pericardial catheter is in place and the use of colchicine and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents). Detailed imaging is provided for the echocardiographic findings as well as step-by-step photo demonstration of the pericardiocentesis procedure.
A Comparison of Pedagogy and Androgogy in the Development of an Undergraduate HRM Course

In this research, principles of pedagogy and andragogy were applied to the design of an undergraduate-level human resource management (HRM) course. I designed two sections of the same course based on information regarding students’ needs and preferences that they provided at the beginning of the semester, resulting in activities that were markedly different between classes. Overall, a summary of survey data indicated students practiced the skills in the class they desired, while pre- and post-training exam scores demonstrated consistency between the classes in HRM knowledge acquired. Furthermore, positive attitudes toward the design of the class were positively related to student effort and course performance. Findings also showed that andragogy-oriented activities positively impacted skill-specific self-efficacy.
Continuing Education in Critical Care Medicine

New knowledge and technology are being added to healthcare at a rapid rate. In order for physicians to incorporate new knowledge to their practice, a process of lifelong learning must occur. In order to teach adults, one must understand how they learn. Andragogy is the study of how adults learn. There are several learning theories based on the principles andragogy and many of them are used in lifelong learning and improvement (LLI) of physicians. There are several approaches to instructing adult in LLI. The most frequently used are lectures, group discussion, simulation, and self-instruction. LLI that base their educational strategizes on multiple learning theories and use multiple instructional design methods are most effective and are associated with improved knowledge, skills, and patient outcomes.
Quasi-square wave converters-modeling and performance benefits of GaN over Silicon

This paper presents an accurate loss model of a Quasi-Square Wave (QSW) buck converter and analyzes the efficiency benefits of GaN FETs over Silicon super-junction FETs. A design methodology and optimization strategy is presented while accounting for the FET Figures-of-Merit (FoM). The model uses computational techniques to account for non-linear device capacitances and precisely predicts the FET on times, resonant intervals and switching frequency required for ZVS operation. Analyses show the FET R DS , ON -QOss FoM has the maximum impact in the efficiency affecting both FET and inductor losses and a FoM dependent optimal R DS , ON exists for which the FET conduction losses balance the inductor losses. The loss model is validated by two QSW buck converters designs operating at 36W using GaN and Silicon FETs, each optimized to maximize their end-to-end efficiencies.
Vibration Of Simple-Span Highway Bridges

Development of analytical method by which magnitude and character of bridge vibration due to passage of heavy vehicles can be predicted; method of analysis based upon certain simplifying assumptions; accuracy of method investigated by comparison with laboratory tests on model bridges; tests of actual structures used to prove applicability of method to field conditions.
Transgender Rights and Politics: Groups, Issue Framing, and Policy Adoption

In Transgender Rights and Politics: Groups, Issue Framing, and Policy Adoption (doi:10.3998/mpub.4883502), editors Jami K. Taylor and Donald P. Haider-Markel provide a timely and relevant body of t...
Towards new horizons in the study of identities in Ukraine

These five trailblazing studies make important advances in the study of identity dynamics, sources of conflict and challenges of nation-building in pre- and post-Euromaidan Ukraine. They challenge ...
Sensor response mechanism and characterization of co-based phosphate nanosensors

Phosphate is widely used as a nutrient in fertilizers for maximizing crop yield, which can unintentionally cause serious water contamination problems. Thus, accurate and robust phosphate sensors applicable to complex water body conditions are in great demand. In order to better understand the sensor behavior and improve the performance, we analyzed the cobalt's interaction with phosphate in aqueous solution and proposed a sensor response mechanism of Co-based nanostructured electrochemical sensors for phosphate measurements. The increased surface area obtained from the nanoscale features could contribute to the improved detection range (10−6 to 10−3 M) when operated in a stable measurement condition, which was identified by the proposed mechanism. It was also observed that the inclusion of nanoscale features could enhance a specific charge transfer process more prominent over the others.
Urban daemons of early Shang: Urbanism in ancient China

Abstract Two early Shang (ca.1600–1200 BCE) works of art are critical in demonstrating the thesis that Shang ritual imagery was meaningful as a royal symbol of metamorphosis, in the context of urbanization from its earliest manifestation during the Early Shang era and throughout the heyday of Shang culture. Due to the abundance of newly excavated artifacts and art and of paleographic data in the form of oracle bone inscriptions, it is possible to begin to explain Shang (ca.1600–1046 BCE) religion and its artistic symbolism. As I identified in my recent book, The Meaning of the Graph Yi 異 and Its Implications for Shang Belief and Art (2008), the belief in metamorphosis yi 異 was basic to the socioreligious practice of Shang and remained key throughout Sinitic history. This belief in metamorphic power, and the artistic program to which it gave rise is recorded in two kinds of primary sources, written inscriptions and a vocabulary of standardized visual elements, both of which are analyzed in the present manuscript.
Flexible colloidal nanocrystal electronics

Nanometer-scale crystals of bulk group IV, III–V, II–VI, IV–VI, I–III–VI2, and metal–halide perovskite semiconductors, dispersed in solvents, are known as colloidal nanocrystals and form an excellent, solution-processable materials class for thin film and flexible electronics. This review surveys the size, composition, and surface chemistry-dependent properties of semiconductor NCs and thin films derived therefrom and provides physico-chemical insight into the recent leaps forward in the performance of NC field-effect transistors. Device design and fabrication methods are described that have enabled the demonstration and scaling up in complexity and area and scaling down in device size of flexible, colloidal nanocrystal integrated circuits. Finally, taking stock of the advances made in the science and engineering of NC systems, challenges and opportunities are presented to develop next-generation, colloidal NC electronic materials and devices, important to their potential in future computational and in Internet of Things applications.
Serverless OpenHealth at data commons scale - traversing the 20 million patient records of New York's SPARCS dataset in real-time

In a previous report, we explored the serverless OpenHealth approach to the Web as a Global Compute space. That approach relies on the modern browser full stack, and, in particular, its configuration for application assembly by code injection. The opportunity, and need, to expand this approach has since increased markedly, reflecting a wider adoption of Open Data policies by Public Health Agencies. Here, we describe how the serverless scaling challenge can be achieved by the isomorphic mapping between the remote data layer API and a local (client-side, in-browser) operator. This solution is validated with an accompanying interactive web application (bit.ly/loadsparcs) capable of real-time traversal of New York's 20 million patient records of the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS), and is compared with alternative approaches. The results obtained strengthen the argument that the FAIR reproducibility needed for Population Science applications in the age of P4 Medicine is particularly well served by the Web platform.
From Conversion to Ritual Murder: Re-Contextualizing the Circumcision Charge

In the 1230s, Christian authorities prosecuted Norwich Jews on charges of having seized and circumcised a five-year-old boy in an effort to convert him to Judaism. In the same decade, English chroniclers began to depict this case as an attempted ritual murder. According to Roger Wendover and Matthew Paris, Jews circumcised the boy with the intention of crucifying him at Easter. This article explores what the near simultaneous development of these two intriguing and seemingly disparate narratives suggests about thirteenth-century Christian perceptions and portrayals of circumcision. In so doing, it ushers research on medieval Christian attitudes toward circumcision into new spheres, deepens understandings of thirteenth-century Christian anxieties about conversion to Judaism, and brings to light a marginal note in the autograph copy of Matthew Paris’ Chronica majora that may constitute evidence of evolving Christian views of the relationship between the bodies of Jews’ alleged victims and the body of Christ.
The status of research on the mammals of Sulawesi, Indonesia

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi is widely considered a mammal conservation hotspot, mainly due to the high number of threatened endemic species with limited geographical ranges that are found there, and also due to the biogeographical importance of Sulawesi as the largest island in the Wallacea region. To date, there has been no comprehensive review to evaluate the status of what we know about mammals in Sulawesi. The overarching goal of our review is to contribute towards identifying knowledge gaps in the biology and ecology of mammals in Sulawesi. Our specific aims were to: 1) identify taxonomic and geographic bias in published research; 2) identify biases within existing ecological knowledge; and 3) identify key research priorities for the future. Our review covers a total of 280 articles (published between 1921 and 2017) on 144 species of mammal from Sulawesi. Through our review we found: 1) a strong taxonomic bias, with the majority of studies being conducted on primates (59% of published articles); 2) a geographic bias, where significantly fewer studies took place in the provinces of West Sulawesi and Gorontalo; and 3) a bias in research topics, with most studies (50% of published research) focusing on taxonomy and behaviour. As an outcome of this review, we provide specific recommendations for future researchers, including: 1) a checklist of understudied species, with particular emphasis on understudied species of conservation concern; 2) a checklist of understudied research topics, with an emphasis on the need to conduct detailed auto‐ecological studies; and 3) suggestions on how to adjust research methods on population and habitat studies.
What Explains Latin America's Low Share of Industrial Employment ?

This paper investigates the relative importance of different channels in explaining the low share of industrial employment in Latin America relative to the economies that employ a large share of the workforce in industry. Differences in domestic final consumption shares play a pivotal role and can account for 50-70 percent of the industrial share gap. The paper finds limited support for the comparative advantage hypothesis, as differences in trading patterns account for less than 15 percent of the gap. More important are the differences in sectoral linkages and wage gaps which account for more than 30 percent of the industrial employment gap individually.
Cardiac Memory-induced T-wave Inversions.

Author(s): Polito, Sara C.; Giordano, Jonathan A.; Cooper, Benjamin L. | Abstract: Introduction: Cardiac memory refers to T-wave inversions that result when normal ventricular activation resumes following a period of abnormal ventricular activation.Case Report: We present a case of a 29-year-old man with a pacemaker who presented with new, deep symmetric T-wave inversions caused by cardiac memory.Discussion: Abnormal ventricular activation is most commonly induced by ventricular pacing but can also occur in the setting of transient left bundle branch blocks, ventricular tachycardia, and intermittent ventricular pre-excitation.Conclusion: Recognition of this phenomenon may help to reduce unnecessary admissions, cardiac testing, and cardiac catheterizations.
The Infectious Disease Ontology in the age of COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Effective response to public health emergencies, such as we are now experiencing with COVID-19, requires data sharing across multiple disciplines and data systems. Ontologies offer a powerful data sharing tool, and this holds especially for those ontologies built on the design principles of the Open Biomedical Ontologies Foundry. These principles are exemplified by the Infectious Disease Ontology (IDO), a suite of interoperable ontology modules aiming to provide coverage of all aspects of the infectious disease domain. At its center is IDO Core, a disease- and pathogen-neutral ontology covering just those types of entities and relations that are relevant to infectious diseases generally. IDO Core is extended by disease and pathogen-specific ontology modules. RESULTS: To assist the integration and analysis of COVID-19 data, and viral infectious disease data more generally, we have recently developed three new IDO extensions: IDO Virus (VIDO); the Coronavirus Infectious Disease Ontology (CIDO); and an extension of CIDO focusing on COVID-19 (IDO-COVID-19). Reflecting the fact that viruses lack cellular parts, we have introduced into IDO Core the term acellular structure to cover viruses and other acellular entities studied by virologists. We now distinguish between infectious agents - organisms with an infectious disposition - and infectious structures - acellular structures with an infectious disposition. This in turn has led to various updates and refinements of IDO Core's content. We believe that our work on VIDO, CIDO, and IDO-COVID-19 can serve as a model for yielding greater conformance with ontology building best practices. CONCLUSIONS: IDO provides a simple recipe for building new pathogen-specific ontologies in a way that allows data about novel diseases to be easily compared, along multiple dimensions, with data represented by existing disease ontologies. The IDO strategy, moreover, supports ontology coordination, providing a powerful method of data integration and sharing that allows physicians, researchers, and public health organizations to respond rapidly and efficiently to current and future public health crises.
Interlayer coupling induced quasiparticles

A principle challenge in the rational design of new emergent physics in complex multilayer systems is describing how the various layers interact with one another. This paper addresses the definition of interlayer coupling and its consequences within an exact many-body treatment. A variety of charge and spin quasiparticles, residing within a layer and traversing between layers, naturally emerge. Additionally, a new class of interfacial plasmons, magnons, and excitons constrained to propagate along the boundary between the various layers is predicted. These new boundary modes are visualized within a simple bilayer system, where key features are directly accessible to light scattering. This approach to layered systems paves the way for rigorous material-specific theoretical studies in this emerging research field.
Broadening the scope of biocatalytic C-C bond formation.

Enzymes exercise impeccable control over chemoselectivity, site selectivity and stereoselectivity in reactions they mediate, such that we have witnessed a surge in the development of new biocatalytic methods. Although carbon–carbon (C–C) bonds are the central framework of organic molecules, biocatalytic methods for their formation have largely been limited to a select few lyase enzymes. Thus, despite several decades of research, there are not many biocatalytic C–C-bond-forming transformations at our disposal. This Review describes the suite of enzymes available for highly selective, biocatalytic C–C bond formation. We discuss each class of enzyme in terms of native activity, alteration of this activity through protein or substrate engineering, and its utility in abiotic synthesis. Discovery and application of enzymes that catalyse new reactions is essential for broad implementation of biocatalysts in organic synthesis. This Review describes recent developments in biocatalytic carbon–carbon bond formation.
Effects of chronic hyperinsulinemia on metabolic pathways and insulin signaling in the fetal liver

The effect of chronic of hyperinsulinemia in the fetal liver is poorly understood. Here, we produced hyperinsulinemia with euglycemia for ∼8 days in fetal sheep [hyperinsulinemic (INS)] at 0.9 gestation. INS fetuses had increased insulin and decreased oxygen and amino acid (AA) concentrations compared with saline-infused fetuses [control (CON)]. Glucose (whole body) utilization rates were increased, as expected, in INS fetuses. In the liver, however, there were few differences in genes and metabolites related to glucose and lipid metabolism and no activation of insulin signaling proteins (Akt and mTOR). There was increased p-AMPK activation and decreased mitochondrial mass (PGC1A expression, mitochondrial DNA content) in INS livers. Using an unbiased multivariate analysis with 162 metabolites, we identified effects on AA and one-carbon metabolism in the INS liver. Expression of the transaminase BCAT2 and glutaminase genes GLS1 and GLS2 was decreased, supporting decreased AA utilization. We further evaluated the roles of hyperinsulinemia and hypoxemia, both present in INS fetuses, on outcomes in the liver. Expression of PGC1A correlated only with hyperinsulinemia, p-AMPK correlated only with hypoxemia, and other genes and metabolites correlated with both hyperinsulinemia and hypoxemia. In fetal hepatocytes, acute treatment with insulin activated p-Akt and decreased PGC1A, whereas hypoxia activated p-AMPK. Overall, chronic hyperinsulinemia produced greater effects on amino acid metabolism compared with glucose and lipid metabolism and a novel effect on one-carbon metabolism in the fetal liver. These hepatic metabolic responses may result from the downregulation of insulin signaling and antagonistic effects of hypoxemia-induced AMPK activation that develop with chronic hyperinsulinemia.
A Handbook for Designing, Implementing, and Evaluating Successful Electric Utility Pilots

Author(s): Cappers, Peter; Spurlock, C Anna | Abstract: Since at least the late 1970s, electric utilities and their regulators have recognized the value of experimentation to motivate innovation. The industry has a long history of using pilots to help inform future decision making about electric utility rates, customer technology adoption and integration, and even changes to the utility’s regulatory or business model. Although utility pilots have become almost ubiquitous proving grounds for new rates, technologies, and alterations to the traditional utility regulatory and business model, some regulators are beginning to raise questions about what constitutes a “good” pilot. Much has been written about utility pilots over the years; however, what is missing from the literature is the identification of a comprehensive process for not only designing and evaluating a pilot, but also implementing, successful utility pilots that provide actionable outcomes upon which more informed decisions can be made. This report provides a step-by-step process that regulators, policymakers, and utilities can follow to help promote more successful pilots. It is worth noting that this report is not intended to serve as a technical resource for those designing, implementing, and evaluating pilots. However, there are myriad references provided for those wishing to delve deeper into the technical details.
The impact of concomitant mid-urethral sling surgery on patients undergoing vaginal prolapse repair.

The aim of this study was to assess whether mid-urethral sling (MUS) placement at the time of vaginal prolapse repair compared to vaginal prolapse repair alone is associated with an increase in 30-day postoperative complications. Using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Database, Current Procedural Terminology codes were used to identify cases of vaginal prolapse repair with and without concomitant MUS from 2012 to 2017. Student’s t-test and chi-square test were used to compare differences between the groups. A total of 1469 cases of vaginal prolapse repair with sling were compared to 4566 cases without sling. There was no difference between prolapse repair with sling compared to without sling in mean hospital length of stay (LOS) (1.42 versus 1.32 days, p = 0.65), postoperative urinary tract infection (UTI) (6.1% versus 5.8%, p = 0.670), perioperative blood transfusion (1.1% versus 1.2%, p = 0.673), readmission (2.7% versus 2.6%, p = 0.884) and postoperative wound infection (0.5% versus 0.7%, p = 0.51). There was a higher rate of reoperation (2.2% versus 1.5%, p = 0.049) and venous thromboembolism (VTE) (0.4% versus 0.1%, p = 0.030) in patients undergoing concomitant MUS compared to those undergoing prolapse repair alone. Compared to prolapse repair alone, the addition of a sling did not increase hospital LOS, UTI, perioperative blood transfusions, readmission or postoperative wound infections. However, concomitant sling was found to be associated with a higher risk of reoperation and VTE.
A Bootstrapping Assessment on A U.S. Education Indicator Construction Through Multiple Imputation

Under a matrix sampling design, no students complete all test booklets in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). To construct an education indicator on what students know and can do, multiple imputation (MI) is conducted to compute plausible values (PV) from student responses to a subset of the questions. Since 2013, NAEP increased the number of imputed PV from five to 20. A purpose of this investigation is to examine the impact of this NAEP change on indicator reporting. R algorithm is created to compute bootstrap standard errors of the PV distribution. The results show that the 20-imputation setting has reduced the standard error and improved normality in comparison to the five-imputation setting. While the bootstrap technique is typically set to generate 1000 resamples, the findings from this study further indicate that an increase of the resampling number is unlikely to reduce the standard error estimate.
Ultrasonic imaging of microscale processes in quartz gouge during compression and shearing

Abstract Active ultrasonic monitoring in rock joints and gouge materials has the potential to detect the signatures of shear failure for a wide range of sliding modes, from slow and stable movements to fast and unstable sliding. While these collected measurements currently are being used to identify the seismic precursors to shear failure in rock joints and gouge materials, the underlying physical processes and contact scale mechanisms that control the changes in ultrasonic wave attributes are still poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, this paper aims to investigate the relationship between the variations in ultrasonic wave attributes and the underlying particle scale mechanisms during both compression and shearing. Our double direct shear experiments were coupled with ultrasonic wave propagation measurements on granular quartz gouges, in which the gouge layers were sheared under different sliding velocities and constant normal stress conditions. Simultaneously, ultrasonic waveforms were continuously recorded during shearing with a fast data acquisition system and three pairs of ultrasonic wave transducers embedded at the two sides of the gouge layers. Different particle comminution mechanisms were observed from the non-uniform distribution of normal and shear stresses through the changes in ultrasonic transmissivity and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images. Our results show that the signatures of the geometry- and time-dependent variations of the inter-particle contact quality and pore volume changes with sliding velocity and slip accumulation were clearly captured from the variations in the transmitted wave amplitude and the dominant frequency, respectively. In addition, we found that variations in dominant frequency corresponded to dilation and compaction of the granular gouge layer during compression as well as stable and unstable sliding. Our results therefore confirmed that non-destructive acoustic techniques are capable of capturing a variety of micromechanical processes during fault gouge deformation and may prove useful in natural settings.
Analysis of Inpatient Hospital Falls with Serious Injury.

Fall-related serious injuries pose risks to patients and healthcare organizations. This retrospective, single-hospital study used a 38 variable instrument to understand characteristics of those who...
Assessing spatial and temporal dynamics of a spruce budworm outbreak across the complex forested landscape of Maine, USA

Simulated spruce budworm (SBW; Choristoneura fumiferana (Clem.)) defoliation generally becomes ubiquitous in 3 years after its initiation in agreement with historical observations despite varying environmental and stand conditions over large ranges. Current-year defoliation has almost no correlation with defoliation more than 1 year ago at the same location, which may be related to the role of SBW dispersal in sustaining defoliation across space and time. Mitigation practices like insecticide spraying may be more efficient if applied early to initial spots (epicenters) of defoliation, while management probably should focus on improving forests’ resilience to withstand repeated defoliation by altering species composition. SBW defoliation during its periodic and extensive outbreaks greatly affects forest productivity at large spatial and temporal scales. A generalized modeling framework that simultaneously accounts for both highly variable spatial and temporal dynamics of SBW outbreaks has not been developed. To develop a flexible parametric spatiotemporal model to explicitly predict defoliation in continuous space and time in order to evaluate the dynamics of SBW outbreaks across a complex forested landscape. A novel model was developed on extensive defoliation data covering approximately 50,000 km2 and 10 years of the last SBW outbreak during the 1970s and 1980s in Maine, USA. Simulations of various outbreak scenarios were performed using this model. The developed model provided a sufficient fit of the data (R2 of 0.63 and mean bias of +0.3%) and was relatively consistent with expectations. Simulations show that defoliation generally becomes ubiquitous in 3 years despite varying environmental and stand conditions. Current-year defoliation has almost no correlation with defoliation more than 1 year ago at the same location, which may be related to the role of SBW dispersal in sustaining defoliation across space and time. Mitigation practices like insecticide spraying may be more efficient if applied early to initial spots (epicenters) of defoliation, while management probably should focus on improving forests’ resilience to withstand repeated defoliation by altering species composition. Our model provides quantitative information flexible in spatial and temporal scales yet directly usable in existing forest growth and yield modeling frameworks and management decision support systems. This generalized spatiotemporal model is readily extendable for evaluating spatial and temporal dynamics of other forms of defoliation across complex forest landscapes.
Fibrinogen, Factor VII, and Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1

Classic risk factors for the development of coronary heart disease include age, male gender, tobacco smoking, hypertension, abnormal lipid metabolism, diabetes mellitus and family history. However, it is well recognized that, frequently, these factors do not correctly predict the development of coronary disease in some individuals, indicating that other elements are also involved in this process. In this chapter, the potential roles of the blood coagulation and fibrinolytic systems in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease will be reviewed. These protein systems are clearly active in acute myocardial infarction and unstable angina pectoris, conditions in which coronary thrombosis is common. In addition, abnormal blood coagulation and fibrinolysis may play critical roles in the development of the chronic component of coronary heart disease, i.e. atherosclerosis. In particular, coagulation factor VII, fibrinogen and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), a major regulator of the fibrinolytic system, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ischaemic heart disease. Following a brief overview of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, the genetic determinants of these factors, and their potential roles in the development of coronary heart disease, will be reviewed.
Purposeful Repurposing: Unexpected but Not Necessarily Unwelcome Effects of Dexmedetomidine.

Severe liver disease doesn’t only affect the way the liver functions but can also cause more systemic problems. Patients in liver failure, whether from alcohol-related, viral-related, or drug-induced liver damage, will often also present with multiple-organ damage and failure. This includes damage to the brain (encephalopathy), kidneys (hepatorenal syndrome) and lungs (hepatopulmonary syndrome[HPS]). Up to 47% of patients with severe chronic liver disease may have HPS, and these patients have a bad overall prognosis with few specific treatments available to help them (1). More acute liver injury also often goes hand-in-hand with signs of pulmonary damage, with patients having reduced lung function that can develop into full-blown respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The clinical features of pulmonary failure are mirrored on a cellular level with damage to (and death of) alveolar epithelial cells, as well as signs of inflammation with increased numbers of infiltrating immune cells and damage to the endothelial lining of small blood vessels. What causes all these cellular changes and damage isn’t really clear, and this makes it hard to determine what might be a good treatment strategy to help lungs heal or prevent the damage from occurring in the first place.
Understanding the Radio Variability of Sagittarius A

We determine the characteristics of the 7 mm to 20 cm wavelength radio variability in Sgr A* on timescales from days to three decades. The amplitude of the intensity modulation is between 30% and 39% at all wavelengths. Analysis of uniformly sampled data with proper accounting of the sampling errors associated with the light curves shows that Sgr A* exhibits no 57 day or 106 day quasi-periodic oscillations, contrary to previous claims. The cause of the variability is investigated by examining a number of plausible scintillation models, enabling those variations that could be attributed to interstellar scintillation to be isolated from those that must be intrinsic to the source. Thin-screen scattering models do not account for the variability amplitude on most timescales. However, models in which the scattering region is extended out to a radius of 50-500 pc from the Galactic center account well for the broad characteristics of the variability on >4 day timescales. The ~10% variability on <4 day timescales at 0.7-3 cm appears to be intrinsic to the source. The degree of scintillation variability expected at millimeter wavelengths depends sensitively on the intrinsic source size; the variations, if due to scintillation, would require an intrinsic source size smaller than that expected.
Performance of Pile Driving Hammers

Using results from both theory and measurements the action and behavior of hammer-pile systems are considered. Three types of models are used to describe the behavior of a hammer-pile system. One is the wave solution of St. Venant for a pile struck by a rigid body. The two other models use a mass and a spring to describe the effects of blocks and cushions, respectively. The interpretation of measured quantities using such models allows conclusions to be drawn regarding the driving ability of a hammer, situations involving pile damage, energy losses and transfer and characteristics of certain measured quantities. As a result it is shown that the Michigan records were meaningful within the particular measuring system used and recommendations are given for a transducer design that allows the measurement of more meaningful quantities. Diesel hammer performance and energy output is analyzed and it is shown that these hammers perform adequately.
Rain Forest Conservation in a Tribal World: Why Forest Dwellers Prefer Loggers to Conservationists

In Papua New Guinea, the fate of forests is governed by forest-dwelling tribal societies. A rapidly increasing pace of logging compels us to ask why tribal communities prefer logging to conservation. In the absence of feasible development opportunities, remote communities become quickly enthusiastic about conservation projects, but once an area is opened up to logging few such projects survive. Direct payments to forest owners to cover the costs of missed opportunities for economic development are advocated here to make conservation competitive. A conservation royalty scheme would deliver a higher proportion of the conservation funds to the resource owners than the management-intensive community development projects currently favored. Such an approach requires a profound cultural change within conservation organizations from a ‘development aid’ approach to one more oriented toward business.
Adaptive multiple description mode selection for error resilient video communications

Streaming video applications must be able to withstand the potentially harsh conditions present on best-effort networks like the Internet, including variations in available bandwidth, packet losses, and delay. Multiple description (MD) video coding is one approach that can be used to reduce the detrimental effects caused by transmission over best-effort networks. In a multiple description system, a video sequence is coded into two or more complementary streams in such a way that each stream is independently decodable. The quality of the received video improves with each received description, and the loss of any one of these descriptions does not cause complete failure. A number of approaches have been proposed for MD coding, where each provides a different tradeoff between compression efficiency and error resilience. How effectively each method achieves this tradeoff depends on network conditions as well as on the characteristics of the video itself. This thesis proposes an adaptive MD coding approach that adapts to changing conditions through the use of MD mode selection. The encoder in this system is able to accurately estimate the expected end-to-end distortion, accounting for both compression and packet-loss-induced distortions, as well as for the bursty nature of channel losses and the effective use of multiple transmission paths. With this model of the expected end-to-end distortion, the encoder selects between MD coding modes in a rate-distortion (R-D) optimized manner to most effectively trade-off compression efficiency for error resilience. We show how this approach adapts to both the local characteristics of the video and to network conditions and demonstrate the resulting gains in performance using an H.264-based adaptive MD video coder. We also analyze the sensitivity of this system to imperfect knowledge of channel conditions and explore the benefits of using such a system with both single and multiple paths. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Regulation of Glycogen Metabolism in Insect Flight Muscle PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF PHOSPHORYLASES IN VITRO AND IN VIVO

Abstract The mechanism for controlling the rapid rate of glycogenolysis in flight muscle of the blowfly, Phormia regina, was studied by isolating phosphorylase a and b from the muscle and determining the physical and kinetic properties of the purified enzymes and the relative amounts of the two forms of the enzymes in the muscle of the insect at rest and during flight. A method is described for the purification of phosphorylase a and b from flight muscle. Sedimentation velocity and disc gel electrophoresis studies indicate homogeneous preparations. The molecular weights of both phosphorylase b and a are about 100,000. p-Chloromercuribenzoate has no effect on the sedimentation coefficient. Amino acid analyses of the insect muscle enzyme show high contents of half-cystine and lysine and a low content of arginine, relative to the amounts of these residues found previously in mammalian muscle preparations. Other properties of the flight muscle enzyme, including pH optimum, stability, and pyridoxal phosphate content are described. The apparent Km of phosphorylase a and b for glycogen, Pi, or AMP has been determined at various concentrations of cosubstrate and activator. From these kinetic data, plus previously determined concentrations of metabolites in flight muscle, conditions in vivo were simulated. The level of glycogen in the muscle is sufficient to saturate the enzymes. The apparent Km of phosphorylase b for Pi, at 0.1 mm AMP, is about 100 mm, well above the concentration found in the muscle. The apparent Km for AMP, at 8 mm Pi, is about 1.0 mm, approximately 10-fold that in the muscle, at rest. ATP strongly inhibits phosphorylase b at low concentrations of AMP. The concentration of AMP in the muscle is 100-fold its apparent Km for phosphorylase a. The apparent Km for Pi at simulated conditions in vivo is 8 mm, approximately the concentration found in the muscle. ATP does not inhibit the a form of the enzyme. Thus, at the levels in vivo of substrates, activators, and inhibitors, phosphorylase a retains about 50% of its potential activity. The activity of phosphorylase b is too low to account for the rate of glycogenolysis during flight. The activity of phosphorylase a is adequate, if at least 50% of the total enzyme is in the a form. Measurements of the relative amounts of phosphorylase a and b at rest and during flight show that the conversion of the b to the a form is of this order of magnitude. It is concluded that in blowfly flight muscle the mechanism for controlling the intense rate of glycogenolysis concomitant with the initiation of flight is the conversion of phosphorylase b to phosphorylase a.
Writing Women's Bodies: A Study of Alifa Rifaat's Short Fiction

A caption under a picture of Alifa Rifaat (Alifah Rif'at) in a 1993 Middle East Times (Egypt) captures Rifaat's intentions for writing about women's lives and sexuality: she is inspired, the caption reads, "by a woman's Islamic right to a fulfilled emotional and sexual life." Although Rifaat is not as widely known in Western countries as is Nawal Sadaawi, to whom she is sometimes compared, Rifaat has had at least a modest impact in Egypt, where her fiction has met with a range of responses, from conservative efforts to keep her fiction out of bookstores, to encouragements from her literary acquaintances to write even more boldly about the lives of women, a familiar topic of her fiction.
Nicotine in breast milk

Abstract The elimination of nicotine by lactating breasts, confirmed by biologic tests, has again been demonstrated. From a review of available literature and from personal observation, it would appear that smoking in moderation probably is a minor factor in influencing lactation. While excessive smoking and adequate lactation usually are not noted in the same individual, as yet there is insufficient evidence to conclude that the one is the cause, the other the effect. Due to possible, unproved effects upon the digestive processes of the infant, excessive smoking should be forbidden the nursing mother. The impression, frequently recorded, that women who smoke usually do so to excess would seem to be as inaccurate as impressions generally are.
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and sleep disordered breathing in children

Children and adolescents suffering from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or sleep disordered breathing (SDB) may present with similar symptoms, including inattention, irritability, and hyperactivity. SDB is under-diagnosed in young people and is not often recognized in patients with ADHD; we hypothesize that treating sleep disordered breathing in ADHD patients may diminish symptoms and reduce ADHD-focused pharmacotherapy. A Medline search was performed using the criteria for ADHD and SDB. English language publications through January, 2012 were surveyed. Correlation between these two disorders is confounded due to methodological errors in research. The investigations lack consistency due to studies with small sample size, a dearth of diagnostic polysomnography (PSG) to detect SDB, varying definitions for the apnea/hypopnea index, and lack of uniform evaluations to diagnose ADHD. Despite methodological inconsistencies, the data suggests that treating SDB may have a productive impact on treatment outcomes in children with mild ADHD. Patients with ADHD symptomatology should receive SDB screening. In those with comorbid SDB and ADHD, an adenotonsillectomy (AT) may improve the prognosis. Treatment of SDB coexisting with ADHD aims to decrease clinical symptoms, reduce pharmacotherapy, and promote better health.
Dynamics of Intervention in the War on Drugs: The Build-Up to the Harrison Act of 1914

The economics literature cites the Harrison Narcotics Tax Act of 1914 as the start of the War on Drugs. With few exceptions, the literature fails to explain the dynamic nature of interventionism. This paper uses a dynamic model of interventionism to show that state and federal legislation passed in the late 19th century produced unintended consequences that ultimately led to the passage of the Harrison Act.
Complexity of 3-D optical interconnection-based residue addition processors

The complexity of residue addition processors that are implemented by 3-D optical interconnections has been investigated. The complexity is measured as the number of switching elements required to perform the operation. The complexity of these processors has been determined for moduli 2 through 17 that are prime or powers of prime numbers. The results are compared with the complexity of the 2-D architecture. >
Computational Design of the β-Sheet Surface of a Red Fluorescent Protein Allows Control of Protein Oligomerization

Computational design has been used with mixed success for the design of protein surfaces, with directed evolution heretofore providing better practical solutions than explicit design. Directed evolution, however, requires a tractable high-throughput screen because the random nature of mutation does not enrich for desired traits. Here we demonstrate the successful design of the β-sheet surface of a red fluorescent protein (RFP), enabling control over its oligomerization. To isolate the problem of surface design, we created a hybrid RFP from DsRed and mCherry with a stabilized protein core that allows for monomerization without loss of fluorescence. We designed an explicit library for which 93 of 96 (97%) of the protein variants are soluble, stably fluorescent, and monomeric. RFPs are heavily used in biology, but are natively tetrameric, and creating RFP monomers has proven extremely difficult. We show that surface design and core engineering are separate problems in RFP development and that the next generation of RFP markers will depend on improved methods for core design.