cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Uppermost Campanian–Maestrichtian strontium isotopic, biostratigraphic, and sequence stratigraphic framework of the New Jersey Coastal Plain

Firm stratigraphic correlations are needed to evaluate the global significance of unconformity bounded units (sequences). We correlate the well-developed uppermost Campanian and Maestrichtian sequences of the New Jersey Coastal Plain to the geomagnetic polarity time scale (GPTS) by integrating Sr-isotopic stratigraphy and biostratigraphy. To do this, we developed a Maestrichtian (ca. 73–65 Ma) Sr-isotopic reference section at Deep Sea Drilling Project Hole 525A in the southeastern Atlantic Ocean. Maestrichtian strata can then be dated by measuring their 87 Sr/ 86 Sr composition, calibrating to the GPTS of S. C. Cande and D. V. Kent (1993, personal commun.), and using the equation Age (Ma) = 37 326.894–52 639.89 ( 87 Sr/ 86 Sr). Sr-stratigraphic resolution for the Maestrichtian is estimated as ±1.2 to ±2 m.y. At least two unconformity-bounded units comprise the uppermost Campanian to Maestrichtian strata in New Jersey. The lower one, the Marshalltown sequence, is assigned to calcareous nannofossil Zones CC20/21 (∼NC19) and CC22b (∼NC20). It ranges in age from ∼74.1 to 69.9 Ma based on Sr-isotope age estimates. The overlying Navesink sequence is assigned to calcareous nannoplankton Zones CC25–26 (∼NC21–23); it ranges in age from 69.3 to 65 Ma based on Sr-isotope age estimates. The upper part of this sequence, the Tinton Formation, has no calcareous planktonic control; Sr-isotopes provide an age estimate of 66 ± 1.2 Ma (latest Maestrichtian). Sequence boundaries at the base and the top of the Marshalltown sequence match boundaries elsewhere in the Atlantic Coastal Plain (Owens and Gohn, 1985) and the inferred global sea-level record of Haq et al. (1987); they support eustatic changes as the mechanism controlling depositional history of this sequence. However, the latest Maestrichtian record in New Jersey does not agree with Haq et al. (1987); we attribute this to correlation and time-scale differences near the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary. High sedimentation rates in the latest Maestrichtian of New Jersey (Shrewsbury Member of the Red Bank Formation and the Tinton Formation) suggest tectonic uplift and/or rapid progradation during deposition of the highstand systems tract.
Spatial computations over terabyte-sized images on hadoop platforms

Our objective is to lower the barrier of executing spatial image computations in a computer cluster/cloud environment instead of in a desktop/laptop computing environment. We research two related problems encountered during an execution of spatial computations over terabyte-sized images using Apache Hadoop running on distributed computing resources. The two problems address (a) detection of spatial computations and their parameter estimation from a library of image processing functions, and (b) partitioning of image data for spatial image computations on Hadoop cluster/cloud computing platforms in order to minimize network data transfer. The first problem is solved by designing an iterative estimation methodology. The second problem is formulated as an optimization over three partitioning schemas (physical, logical without overlap and logical with overlap), and evaluated over several system configuration parameters. Our experimental results for the two problems demonstrate 100% accuracy in detecting spatial computations in the Java Advanced Imaging and ImageJ libraries, a speed-up of 5.36 between the default Hadoop physical partitioning and developed logical image partitioning with overlap, and 3.14 times faster execution of logical partitioning with overlap than the one without overlap. The novelty of our work is in designing an extension to Apache Hadoop to run a class of spatial image processing operations efficiently on a distributed computing resource.
Self-Testing with Correlated Faults

Accurate prediction of the number of self-test random patterns that will provide low defect levels is crucial. This prediction is complicated by fault-to-fault correlating effects. This paper presents a technique to assess the number of random patterns required to test to a given defect level in the presence of fault correlation. This paper will also develop approximation algorithms that enable test engineers to readily compute defect levels as a function of test coverage with correlated faults present. This paper thus enhances previous work which assumed fault-to-fault independence in determining random pattern sufficiency and defect levels.
Chess: A Cover-Up

Example Suppose our diagonal measurements are x = 36 inches and y = 37 inches. Then d(36, 37) = tt = 36.503424 and L(36, 37) = 36.5. The reader may wish to estimate the error in this linear approximation using Taylor's theorem in two variables [1]. If y is the longer diagonal and x the shorter, and if both Ix x0I and Iy x0I are known to be less than h, the error can be seen to be less than y2h2/(2x3).
Correlation between measured creatinine clearance and calculated creatinine clearance in ovarian cancer patients

In 84 patients with advanced ovarian cancer, the measured 24-hr urinary creatinine clearance and a calculated creatinine clearance were compared prior to cis-platinum-based chemotherapy. The overall correlation between the two methods was excellent, using Pearson's coefficient of correlation test, r = 0.508 and P less than 0.000001. In a subset of 59 patients with adequate 24-hr urine collections, analysis showed a correlation of r = 0.526 and P = 0.000018. Furthermore, in this group of patients using a creatinine clearance of 45 ml/min as a threshold for dose adjustment, there was only a 3.3% error in accepting the calculated creatinine clearance for the measured creatinine clearance. In summary, in patients with advanced ovarian cancer, even in the postoperative state, an evaluation of renal function with a calculated creatinine clearance prior to chemotherapy is sufficient.
Clinton's Military Strikes in 1998: Diversionary Uses of Force?:

Much research addresses the possibility of "diversionary uses of force" by American presidents. Nearly all of it employs aggreated time-series data sets, testing for the relevance of factors such as the domestic economy's strength, public approaval ratings for the president, perceptions of the levels of "international tension," or the partisan makeup of Congress when a president uses force. Many believed that President Bill Clinton used force on Usama Bin Laden and on Iraq in 1998 to distract the public from his personal problems. In a new case study approach, this article explores four propositions regarding diversionary uses of force to examine these two Clinton military strikes. Analysis of them suggests that it is unlikely, especially in the strikes on Usama Bin Laden, that force was used for diversionary purposes.
Effect of insurance and racial disparities on outcomes in traumatic brain injury.

Introduction We evaluated outcome and resource utilization disparities between commercially insured, Medicaid, and Medicare patients. We further analyzed racial disparities in a subset cohort. Methods We reviewed the MarketScan database (2000–2009) for adult traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients. Analyses were performed to evaluate outcome differences by insurance type and race. Outpatient service utilization disparities by insurance and race were also evaluated. Results Our study included 92,159 TBI patients, 44,108 (47.9%) of whom utilized commercial insurance, 19,743 (21.4%) utilized Medicaid, and 28,308 (30.7%) utilized Medicare. In-hospital mortality was lowest for commercially insured (5.0%) versus 7.6% and 8.5% for Medicaid and Medicare patients, respectively (p Conclusions Insurance and racial disparities continue to exist for TBI patients. Insurance status appears to have an impact on short- and long-term outcomes to a greater degree than patient race.
Imbalance in Random Digital Trees

The imbalance factor of the nodes containing keys in a trie (a sort of digital trees) is investigated. Accurate asymptotics for the mean are derived for a randomly chosen key in the trie via poissonization and the Mellin transform, and the inverse of the two operations. It is also shown from an analysis of the moving poles of the Mellin transform of the poissonized moment generating function that the imbalance factor (under appropriate centering and scaling) follows a Gaussian limit law.
Overview of Fatigue Crack Initiation in Carbon and Low-Alloy Steels in Light Water Reactor Environments

Recent test data illustrate potentially significant effects of light water reactor (LWR) coolant environments on the fatigue resistance of carbon and low-alloy steels. The crack initiation and crack growth characteristics of carbon and low-alloy steels in LWR environments are presented. Decreases in fatigue lives of these steels in high-dissolved-oxygen water are caused primarily by the effect of environment on growth of short cracks <100 μm in depth. The material and loading parameters that influence fatigue life in LWR environments are defined. Statistical models have been developed to estimate the fatigue lives of these steels in LWR environments, and design fatigue curves have been developed for carbon and low-alloy steel components in LWR environments. The significance of environmental effect on the current Code design curve is evaluated.
Diversity of Heterotrophic Nitrogen Fixation Genes in a Marine Cyanobacterial Mat

The diversity of nitrogenase genes in a marine cyanobacterial mat was investigated through amplification of a fragment of nifH, which encodes the Fe protein of the nitrogenase complex. The amplified nifH products were characterized by DNA sequencing and were compared with the sequences of nitrogenase genes from cultivated organisms. Phylogenetic analysis showed that similar organisms clustered together, with the exception that anaerobic bacteria clustered together, even though they represented firmicutes, (delta)-proteobacteria, and (gamma)-proteobacteria. Mat nifH sequences were most closely related to those of the anaerobes, with a few being most closely related to the cluster of (gamma)-proteobacteria containing Klebsiella and Azotobacter species. No cyanobacterial nifH sequences were found from the mat collected in November when Microcoleus chthonoplastes was the dominant cyanobacterium, but sequences closely related to the cyanobacterium Lyngbya lagerheimeii were found during summer, when a Lyngbya strain was dominant. The results indicate that there is a high diversity of heterotrophic nitrogen-fixing organisms in marine cyanobacterial mats.
Structural Modifications to Polystyrene via Self‐Assembling Molecules

We have previously reported that small quantities of self-assembling molecules known as dendron rodcoils (DRCs) can be used as supramolecular additives to modify the properties of polystyrene (PS). These molecules spontaneously assemble into supramolecular nanoribbons that can be incorporated into bulk PS in such a way that the orientation of the polymer is significantly enhanced when mechanically drawn above the glass-transition temperature. In the current study, we more closely evaluate the structural role of the DRC nanoribbons in PS by investigating the mechanical properties and deformation microstructures of polymers modified by self-assembly. In comparision to PS homopolymer, PS containing small amounts (≤ 1.0 wt.-%) of self-assembling DRC molecules exhibit greater Charpy impact strengths in double-notch four-point bending and significantly greater elongations to failure in uniaxial tension at 250 % prestrain. Although the DRC-modified polymer shows significantly smaller elongations to failure at 1000 % prestrain, both low- and high-prestrain specimens maintain tensile strengths that are comparable to those of the homopolymer. The improved toughness and ductility of DRC-modified PS appears to be related to the increased stress whitening and craze density that was observed near fracture surfaces. However, the mechanism by which the self-assembling DRC molecules toughen PS is different from that of conventional additives. These molecules assemble into supramolecular nanoribbons that enhance polymer orientation, which in turn modifies crazing patterns and improves impact strength and ductility.
Connectivity Aware Routing in Vehicular Networks

Multi-hop car to car communications are useful for supporting many vehicular applications that provide drivers with safety and convenience ranging from office on the wheel to real traffic query, vehicle safety, parking space searching and on-road advertisement. Developing multi-hop communication in vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET) is a challenging problem due to the rapidly changing topology and frequent network disconnections, which cause failure or inefficiency in traditional ad hoc routing protocols. The problem of frequent network disconnections can be partially addressed using a carry-and- forward mechanism which may incur higher delay. However, our connectivity aware routing (CAR) protocol addresses this problem by selecting an optimal route with the least probability of network disconnection and avoids carry-and-forward delay. This can be achieved using our new probabilistic model of network connectivity which takes into account a more realistic clustering phenomenon of vehicle traffic in city scenarios that is caused by traffic lights. Our simulation results show that the proposed CAR protocol outperforms existing VANET routing protocols in terms of data delivery ratio, data packet delay and network throughput. In addition, CAR improves performance for both sparse and dense networks.
Seismological study of Lau back arc crust: Mantle water, magmatic differentiation, and a compositionally zoned basin

Abstract On the basis of seismic tomography analyses, a structural model of crust formed along the Eastern Lau Spreading Center (ELSC) is presented as evidence for a transition from a “hydrous” type of oceanic crust to a more typical oceanic crust. The seismic data indicate that as the spreading center moved away from the active arc, the crust thinned from 8–9 km to ∼7 km, the lower crust changed from high P wave velocity values (7.2–7.4 km/s) to typical values for oceanic crust (7.0–7.2 km/s), and the upper-crustal volcanic layer changed from a thick low-velocity layer to a thinner layer with more typical wave speeds. The seismic results, in combination with other geophysical and geochemical data, suggest that crustal formation along the ELSC is strongly controlled by the influence of slab water. When a spreading center is near the active arc, water from the downgoing slab is entrained in the melting zone beneath the ridges where it enhances melting. Thereafter, the water enhances crustal differentiation within sub-ridge magma chambers. This creates an anomalous “hydrous” form of oceanic crust with a thick felsic volcanic layer and a mafic/ultramafic lower crust – features that are not typically observed in crust formed at mid-ocean ridges. The Lau basin has a zoned structure with an abrupt transition from this type of oceanic crust to more typical oceanic crust, which resulted from a rapid change in the influence of slab water as the ridge moved away from the arc. The abundance and high rate of production of the “hydrous” crust suggests that such crust may make up a significant proportion of the arc-like crust that forms continents.
Effects of the newer nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents, ibuprofen, fenoprofen, and sulindac, on neutrophil adherence

Administration of corticosteroids, aspirin, or indomethacin induces marked inhibition of adherence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) in vitro. The effects of three newer nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents on PMNL adherence were defined. Adherence of PMNLs after passage through a nylon-wool column was measured in normal volunteers who had ingested a single tablet of 300 mg of ibuprofen, 300 mg of fenoprofen, or 200 mg of sulindac. Adherence was significantly decreased from baseline at 4 hr after ibuprofen or fenoprofen was taken, remained suppressed at 24 hr, and returned to normal at 48 hr. Sulindac mildly inhibited PMNL adherence 48 hr after drug ingestion. Inhibition of adherence with ibuprofen and fenoprofen also occurred after incubation of control PMNLs with plasma specimens from volunteers 4 and 24 hr after drug administration, a result suggesting a partially plasma-mediated factor. Zymosan-induced augmented adherence was also inhibited by pretreatment in vitro with ibuprofen at a concentration of 25 micrograms/ml and fenoprofen at 50 micrograms/ml.
A transposase strategy for creating libraries of circularly permuted proteins

A simple approach for creating libraries of circularly permuted proteins is described that is called PERMutation Using Transposase Engineering (PERMUTE). In PERMUTE, the transposase MuA is used to randomly insert a minitransposon that can function as a protein expression vector into a plasmid that contains the open reading frame (ORF) being permuted. A library of vectors that express different permuted variants of the ORF-encoded protein is created by: (i) using bacteria to select for target vectors that acquire an integrated minitransposon; (ii) excising the ensemble of ORFs that contain an integrated minitransposon from the selected vectors; and (iii) circularizing the ensemble of ORFs containing integrated minitransposons using intramolecular ligation. Construction of a Thermotoga neapolitana adenylate kinase (AK) library using PERMUTE revealed that this approach produces vectors that express circularly permuted proteins with distinct sequence diversity from existing methods. In addition, selection of this library for variants that complement the growth of Escherichia coli with a temperature-sensitive AK identified functional proteins with novel architectures, suggesting that PERMUTE will be useful for the directed evolution of proteins with new functions.
Experiences with the use of OSI management infrastructures

In massive data communication networks, it is common to find many thousands of nodes with a wide mix of hardware, software, and communication protocol architectures. It is shown that the most promising approach to managing these networks is being standardized by ISO/IEC for open systems management. The technical feasibility, economic provisioning, and usability of OSI systems management are discussed. Two alternatives for usable network management infrastructures are presented, and their characteristics are described. >
Fault tolerance and reliable routing in augmented hypercube architectures

Two schemes for augmenting hypercubes with spare nodes are presented. In both schemes, fault coverage is local in the sense that only the neighbors of the faulty nodes need to know about the faults. Routing in the presence of faults is accomplished by distributed algorithms that deliver messages reliably to their destination nodes. A message destined to a faulty node will be delivered to the spare node that replaces the faulty node. Both node and link failures may be accommodated in both schemes, and because no switches are used for reconfiguration, there is no assumptions about fault-free switches. The two schemes differ in complexity of interconnections between the spare nodes and the original cube nodes. More complex interconnections result in more flexible coverage algorithms and thus, more reliable systems. However, increased flexibility increases the complexity of the routing algorithm because more care has to be given to the possibility of messages looping in cycles and never reaching their destinations. The reliability of the fault coverage schemes and the efficiency of the routing algorithms are evaluated from simulation results. >
Environmental factors acting during development to influence MS risk: insights from animal studies

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating disease of the central nervous system with an increasing incidence in females. Epidemiological data strongly implicate environmental factors acting at the population level during gestation, childhood and adulthood in the increasing incidence of MS. Several such factors are implicated in disease risk, but their causality remains unproven, while other factors remain unknown. An understanding of the risk factors acting during development is particularly limited. Animal studies could potentially bridge the gap between observational epidemiology and clinical intervention, providing not only direct evidence of causality for a given environmental agent, but also an opportunity to dissect the underlying molecular mechanisms. Given a rodent’s short gestational and developmental period, the effects of developmental exposure can also be readily addressed. Nonetheless, studies in this area so far are few. In this review, we summarize the insights gleaned from studies that test environmental influences in animal models of MS, with a particular focus on gestational and early life exposures.
Association of amino acids with common complications of prematurity

BACKGROUND Tandem mass spectrometry has been proposed as a method of diagnosing or predicting the development of common complex neonatal diseases. Our objective was to identify metabolites associated with common complications of prematurity. METHODS We performed a retrospective analysis of medical data and metabolite measurements from routine neonatal screening on 689 preterm (<37 wk of gestational age) neonates. RESULTS We observed higher levels of phenylalanine (PHE) in infants with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS; P = 1.7 × 10(-5)), the only association that was significant after correction for multiple testing. We found suggestive significance (P < 0.001) of higher essential amino acids in infants with patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Functionality of these findings was explored in the ductus arteriosus (DA) isolated from term and preterm mouse pups. None of the amino acids had a direct vasodilatory effect on the isolated DA. CONCLUSION We found that newborns with RDS had higher levels of PHE that may be a result of impaired PHE hydroxylase activity. We also detected marginally higher levels of all measured essential amino acids in infants with PDA. We did not find dilation of the mouse ductus for these metabolites, indicating that instead of potentially causing PDA, they are probably serving as markers of catabolism.
The Play of Imagination Extending the Literary Mind

As games, particularly virtual worlds, become increasingly popular and as they begin to approximate large scale social systems in size and nature, they have also become spaces where play and learni...
You don't say: Figurative language and thought

Carruthers has proposed a novel and quite interesting hypothesis for the role of language in conceptual integration, but his treatment does not acknowledge work in cognitive science on metaphor and analogy that reveals how diverse knowledge structures are integrated. We claim that this body of research provides clear evidence that cross-domain conceptual connections cannot be driven by syntactic processes alone.
Novel Quorum-Quenching Agents Promote Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Wound Healing and Sensitize MRSA to β-Lactam Antibiotics

The dwindling repertoire of antibiotics to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) calls for novel treatment options. Quorum-quenching agents offer an alternative or an adjuvant to antibiotic therapy. Three biaryl hydroxyketone compounds discovered previously (F1, F12, and F19; G. Yu, D. Kuo, M. Shoham, and R. Viswanathan, ACS Comb Sci 16:85–91, 2014) were tested for efficacy in MRSA-infected animal models. Topical therapy of compounds F1 and F12 in a MRSA murine wound infection model promotes wound healing compared to the untreated control. Compounds F1, F12, and F19 afford significant survival benefits in a MRSA insect larva model. Combination therapy of these quorum-quenching agents with cephalothin or nafcillin, antibiotics to which MRSA is resistant in monotherapy, revealed additional survival benefits. The quorum-quenching agents sensitize MRSA to the antibiotic by a synergistic mode of action that also is observed in vitro. An adjuvant of 1 μg/ml F1, F12, or F19 reduces the MIC of nafcillin and cephalothin about 50-fold to values comparable to those for vancomycin, the antibiotic often prescribed for MRSA infections. These findings suggest that it is possible to resurrect obsolete antibiotic therapies in combination with these novel quorum-quenching agents.
Cognitive Impairment in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Associated Hypoxemia

Twenty-six patients with sleep apnea had neuropsychologic testing prior to nocturnal sleep study in a sleep disorders clinic. The cognitive functioning of patients who had sleep apnea with associated hypoxemia was compared to nonhypoxemic patients with sleep apnea. The patients who had sleep apnea with hypoxemia had more severe cognitive impairment than those with sleep apnea without hypoxemia. The hypoxemic patients with sleep apnea had significantly poorer cognitive functioning on four of eight tests (p
Economic contraction and birth outcomes: an integrative review

BACKGROUND Previous research has demonstrated an association between economic contraction at both the individual and aggregate level, and adverse health outcomes. Proposed mechanisms include increased psychosocial stress and loss of resources. The aim of this review is to assess the quantity, validity and consistency of empirical evidence examining economic contraction and birth outcomes. METHODS Empirical, English-language articles examining the effects of economic change at either the aggregate or individual level on birthweight, length of gestation, neonatal mortality and the secondary sex ratio were identified using PubMed and ISI Web of Knowledge. Studies were organized by level of analysis and birth outcome and evaluated for internal and external validity. RESULTS One individual-level study reported a strong association between individual shift to inadequate employment and decreased birthweight. Of seven aggregate-level studies on birthweight, five exhibited moderate to strong validity but reported inconsistent findings. Similarly, findings from five studies (four with moderate to strong validity) examining rates of neonatal mortality reported inconsistent findings. Three of four moderate to strong studies reported a reduced secondary sex ratio following economic contraction. CONCLUSIONS Associations between economic contraction and birthweight, neonatal mortality and the secondary sex ratio remain speculative. Consensus on methodology is needed to compare findings across studies. Further research on economic contraction and the secondary sex ratio, as well as individual-level birthweight and length of gestation, is warranted.
Wind vibration mitigation of long-span bridges in hurricanes

Despite the massive population growth in the south and southeast along the hurricane coast of the United States, the transportation infrastructure has not increased its capacity accordingly. Long-span bridges are usually the backbones of transportation lines along the coastal areas. When a hurricane is approaching, these long-span bridges sometimes have to be closed in order to ensure the safety of the bridge as well as the transportation on them due to excessive wind-induced vibrations, which however greatly reduces the capability of hurricane evacuation through the bridges. To date, bridge vibration controls in high wind speeds have not been adequately addressed. Most previous control work dealt with the bridge buffeting under moderate wind speeds, along with some cases of flutter controls in high wind speeds. While active control devices may provide satisfactory multi-objective control performance in a full range of wind speeds, their dependence on external energy supply has hindered their applications to the disaster evacuations. Recently, some aerodynamic controls using flaps were proposed to control flutter instability. However, their applicability to buffeting control has not been reported and established. Vehicles on bridges act as a sort of Spring-Damper-Subsystems (SDSs) to the bridge. The SDS is used here as a general terminology to differentiate with Tuned Mass Dampers (TMDs). The former may or may not be pre-tuned, while the latter is pre-tuned to the "optimal" value (usually the fundamental frequency of the structural system) for efficient vibration control. The objective of the present study is to investigate the effects of different SDSs (with different vibration frequencies) on the bridge performance during hurricane evacuations and develop a truck-type of movable passive SDS. The passive nature makes the control approach more reliable than the active one, considering the reality that power may not be available during the hurricane disasters. The temporary/movable SDS can be conveniently driven on the existing bridges when necessary, and be removed when it is not needed. It has been reported that the gust wind speed during hurricanes could be up to 60-80 m/s or more in the United States and other areas. Though the duration may be short, the consequence of such strong winds may be catastrophic for both the safety of the bridge and the safety of traffic on the bridge.
Moment-driven coupling-aware routing methodology

An underdamped signal response with a number of overshoots and undershoots may lead to false switching and increased settling time delay. This 'ringing' effect adversely affects the signal quality at the output and becomes a source of major concern at multi-GHz frequencies, as the self and mutual inductance of interconnects start playing a crucial role in the performance of a circuit. Reduction in wire length or minimization of coupling capacitance, the stronghold in many earlier routing techniques, may produce a routing solution suitable only at sub-GHz frequencies. In this paper, we propose a routing methodology that accounts for inductive and capacitive parasitics (self and mutual) of the interconnects in its cost function through a combination of second and third order central moments. A trade-off between signal delay and amount of ringing, quantified by second and third order central moments respectively, has been made, which generates a routing solution with the best compromise between ringing and delay for each net under a monotone signal response.
On a class of controlled invariant sets

We introduce a new class of controlled invariant sets, called controllable invariant sets. Intuitively, a controllable invariant set has the property that from any "large enough" connected region of the set it is possible to reach any such other region of the set, regardless of disturbances. Disturbances are assumed to be bounded. The range of the control inputs is assumed to be given and is allowed to be bounded. The main result of the paper is a nonrecursive approach for the computation of controllable invariants. The other results of the paper deal with properties of the proposed method and of controllable invariance. The results of the paper assume hybrid system modes with linear discrete-time dynamics.
A brief history of the study of fish osmoregulation: the central role of the Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory.

The Mt. Desert Island Biological Laboratory has played a central role in the study of fish osmoregulation for the past 80 years. In particular, scientists at the MDIBL have made significant discoveries in the basic pattern of fish osmoregulation, the function of aglomerular kidneys and proximal tubular secretion, the roles of NaCl cotransporters in intestinal uptake and gill and rectal gland secretion, the role of the shark rectal gland in osmoregulation, the mechanisms of salt secretion by the teleost fish gill epithelium, and the evolution of the ionic uptake mechanisms in fish gills. This short review presents the history of these discoveries and their relationships to the study of epithelial transport in general.
Neuregulin Autocrine Signaling Promotes Self-Renewal of Breast Tumor-Initiating Cells by Triggering HER2/HER3 Activation

Currently only patients with HER2-positive tumors are candidates for HER2-targeted therapies. However, recent clinical observations suggest that the survival of patients with HER2-low breast cancers, who lack HER2 amplification, may benefit from adjuvant therapy that targets HER2. In this study, we explored a mechanism through which these benefits may be obtained. Prompted by the hypothesis that HER2/HER3 signaling in breast tumor-initiating cells (TICs) promotes self-renewal and survival, we obtained evidence that neuregulin 1 (NRG1) produced by TICs promotes their proliferation and self-renewal in HER2-low tumors, including in triple-negative breast tumors. Pharmacologic inhibition of EGFR, HER2 or both receptors reduced breast TIC survival and self-renewal in vitro and in vivo and increased TIC sensitivity to ionizing radiation. Through a tissue microarray analysis, we found that NRG1 expression and associated HER2 activation occurred in a subset of HER2-low breast cancers. Our results offer an explanation for why HER2 inhibition blocks the growth of HER2-low breast tumors. Moreover, they argue that dual inhibition of EGFR and HER2 may offer a useful therapeutic strategy to target TICs in these tumors. In generating a mechanistic rationale to apply HER2 targeting therapies in patients with HER2-low tumors, this work shows why these therapies could benefit a considerably larger number of breast cancer patients than they currently reach.
Preoperative motor strength and time to surgery are the most important predictors of improvement in foot drop due to degenerative lumbar disease.

Abstract Objective Palsy of dorsiflexion, or foot drop, may be due to degenerative lumbar disease and amenable to posterior spinal decompression. The objective of this study is to measure prognostic factors of and time to foot drop improvement after posterior lumbar decompression. Methods We retrospectively reviewed 71 patients undergoing first-time, posterior lumbar decompression for foot drop due to degenerative spinal disease. Patient sex, age, comorbidities (Charlson Comorbidity Index), preoperative anterior tibialis strength (manual muscle testing, MMT), and duration of foot drop were ascertained from clinical notes. Prognostic factors affecting foot drop improvement were calculated with a discrete time proportional hazards model, in which follow-up times and outcome measures were binned into six time intervals: 1 week, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, and ≥ 1 year. Results Of the 71 patients, the mean age was 54.6 ± 16.0 years, and 66.2% (n = 47) were males. The mean Charlson Comorbidity Index was 2.42. During a mean follow-up of 30.4 months, dorsiflexion function improved postoperatively in 73.2% (n = 52) of patients. The median time to surgery from onset of foot drop was within 6 weeks, and the median preoperative MMT strength of patients with foot drop improvement was 3. Following a discrete-time proportional hazards model, duration of anterior tibialis palsy (HR = 0.67, P = 0.004) and preoperative muscle strength (HR = 1.10, P = 0.010) were significant predictors of foot drop improvement. Following an adjusted Kaplan–Meier analysis, the median time to foot drop improvement was within 6 weeks of surgical intervention. Conclusions Preoperative muscle strength and palsy duration were statistically significant predictors of foot drop improvement. Furthermore, the median time to improvement was 6 weeks.
Late Recurrence of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans in a Previously Skin Grafted Forearm

Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP) is an extremely rare low-grade sarcoma of fibroblast origin, with an incidence in the Unites States estimated at less than five cases per million persons per year [1, 2]. Though metastasis of DFSP is rare, local recurrence rates as high as 60 % have been reported [1, 2]. This is most likely a result of the tumor’s highly irregular three-dimensional shape with “finger-like” extensions, which allow for extensive involvement of subcutaneous tissue, muscle, fascia, and bone [1, 2]. Majority of local recurrences occur within the first 3 years of resection, with recurrences at greater than 10 years from index resected very rarely reported [3].
Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Presenting with Coronary Artery and Pericardial Involvement

Granulomatosis with polyangiitis is a systemic disease resulting in necrotizing vasculitis of small- and medium-sized vessels. Cardiac involvement is rare and when present usually manifests with pericarditis and coronary artery vasculitis. We report here a case of granulomatosis with polyangiitis involving the native coronary arteries, bypass graft, and pericardium with interesting imaging findings on contrast-enhanced CT and MRI. A 57-year-old man with a history of chronic headaches presented to the emergency room with syncope. Contrast-enhanced CT demonstrated extensive soft tissue attenuation around the native coronary arteries and bypass graft. Contrast-enhanced MRI demonstrated enhancing nodular soft tissue surrounding the coronary arteries, bypass graft, and pericardium. Pericardial biopsy revealed a necrotizing granulomatous pericarditis with vasculitis concerning for granulomatosis with polyangiitis. The patient demonstrated MPO-positive and PR-3 negative serologies. After being discharged on rituximab and prednisone, follow-up CT 3 years later showed significant improvement of the soft tissue thickening surrounding the coronary arteries, bypass graft, and pericardium.
Child behavioral inhibition, parental overcontrol, and parental anxiety as predictors of adolescent anxiety.

CHILD BEHAVIORAL INHIBITION, PARENTAL OVERCONTROL, AND PARENT AL ANXIETY AS PREDICTORS OF ADOLESCENT ANXIETY Benjamin Keizer June 15,2011 This dissertation examined the prediction of anxiety symptoms over time during developmentally significant periods the transition to middle school (12 years old) and the transition to high school (15 years old). Specifically, relationships between child behavioral inhibition, paternal anxiety, maternal anxiety, and parental control and concurrent levels of adolescent anxiety at each time point were analyzed. Despite a strong research base supporting individual connections between child behavioral inhibition, levels of parental control, parental anxiety symptoms and adolescent anxiety, the joint longitudinal associations have received scant attention in the literature. The current study also compared two different models of adolescent anxiety, a mediated model of adolescent anxiety and a moderated model of adolescent anxiety, to determine which better fit the data. Data for the study was part of the Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD), a study funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Participants initially enrolled in the study were 1,364 children (659 girls and 705 boys) and their caregivers and were recruited from 10 different geographic locations in the United States.
Deciphering the Structure and Function of Nuclear Pores Using Single-Molecule Fluorescence Approaches

Due to its central role in macromolecular trafficking and nucleocytoplasmic information transfer, the nuclear pore complex (NPC) has been studied in great detail using a wide spectrum of methods. Consequently, many aspects of its architecture, general function, and role in the life cycle of a cell are well understood. Over the last decade, fluorescence microscopy methods have enabled the real-time visualization of single molecules interacting with and transiting through the NPC, allowing novel questions to be examined with nanometer precision. While initial single-molecule studies focused primarily on import pathways using permeabilized cells, it has recently proven feasible to investigate the export of mRNAs in living cells. Single-molecule assays can address questions that are difficult or impossible to answer by other means, yet the complexity of nucleocytoplasmic transport requires that interpretation be based on a firm genetic, biochemical, and structural foundation. Moreover, conceptually simple single-molecule experiments remain technically challenging, particularly with regard to signal intensity, signal-to-noise ratio, and the analysis of noise, stochasticity, and precision. We discuss nuclear transport issues recently addressed by single-molecule microscopy, evaluate the limits of existing assays and data, and identify open questions for future studies. We expect that single-molecule fluorescence approaches will continue to be applied to outstanding nucleocytoplasmic transport questions, and that the approaches developed for NPC studies are extendable to additional complex systems and pathways within cells.
La modélisation industrielle du comportement thermomécanique du combustible REP

Apres avoir rappele les enjeux et les principes generaux de la modelisation industrielle du comportement thermomecanique du crayon de combustible nucleaire REP, un panorama general des nombreux phenomenes physiques qui prennent place dans le crayon est presente. Au-dela de l’apparente simplicite du crayon, ce panorama illustre la complexite et l’interdependance des phenomenes physiques que doivent apprehender les outils industriels de modelisation thermomecanique. Ces elements expliquent l’ampleur des efforts deployes dans le domaine depuis plusieurs decennies et qui ont conduit aux generations successives de codes thermomecanique crayon AREVA.L’historique de l’evolution de ces codes est succinctement rappele, puis les avancees de modelisation thermomecanique les plus recentes ou significatives sont detaillees. Certaines de ces avancees proviennent de travaux issus de la R&D tripartite (CEA, EDF, AREVA) qui contribue donc ainsi directement a la performance des outils industriels.
Structures of Binary C60−C84 Fullerene Clusters†

A systematic study of the potential energy global minimum (GM) structures of model binary fullerene clusters of compositions (C60)n(C84)N-n, N ≤ 24 has been carried out using the basin-hopping meth...
Type I Dyserythropoietic Anemia: A 30-year Follow-ups

Dyserythropoietic anemias are extremely rare disorders which often are misdiagnosed as megaloblastic anemia, DiGuglielmo's syndrome, refractory sideroblastic anemia, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, or other hemolytic anemias. Dyserythropoietic anemia is now subclassified into four types, designated Types I through IV, depending upon light and ultrastructural morphology, erythrocyte immunology, and the course of the disease. This report details the findings in a case of Type I dyserythropoietic anemia that represented a puzzling case of anemia for over 30 years. Many modes of drug therapy, as well as splenectomy, were not helpful. Interestingly, the family history was non-contributory. A brief review of the literature dealing with dyserythropoietic anemia is included.
Deep desulfurization of hydrofining diesel oil by oxidation

Hydrofining diesel oil from Daqing Refining Petrochemical Company was oxidated with KMnO4/HCl system.Effects of reaction temperation,time,pH and oxidant amount on removal of sulfur were investigated.Removal sulfur efficiency is 92.3% on optimal condition.Reaction time decreased from 30min to 20min by exposing oxidation reaction to infrared radiation.Removal sulfur efficiency could be over 90% with washing directly oxidation product with water.Compared with oxidation-extraction without radiation,solvent and cost of solvent recycle were saved.Process was simplified.The production cost of diesel oil with super low sulfur content was reduced.
Electrolyte Studies in Heart Failure

Muscle analyses for water, potassium, and chloride were made in 10 cardiac patients during and after congestive heart failure. The potassium content per unit of wet tissue during failure was 30.1 per cent less than that during compensation. The concentration of potassium in the intracellular water increased from 116 mEq. per liter to 151 mEq. per liter with compensation. Calculated extracellular water decreased, but no change in intracellular water per unit of tissue solids was found.
Stimulated reactive oxygen species generation in the spermatozoa of infertile men.

AbstractTo investigate the possible similarities between the reactive oxygen generating systems of the leukocyte and the spermatozoa, and to identify possible biochemical differences between fertile and infertile patients, the effect of various stimulants on the production of reactive oxygen in fertile, fertile with varicocele and infertile patients was examined. Generation of reactive oxygen species by human spermatozoa was examined in 2 patient groups: a fertile group (14), which included 7 patients with a palpable varicocele, and an infertile group (16) composed of 7 patients with a palpable varicocele and 9 who remained infertile 6 months to 3 years (mean 20 months) after internal spermatic vein ligation.Various known stimulants of reactive oxygen generation in leukocytes were used to assess spermatozoal reactive oxygen production. Reactive oxygen species generation was measured by the technique of chemiluminescence. In the infertile group reactive oxygen generation was markedly increased by the calci...
EEG feature selection for thought driven robots using evolutionary Algorithms

Machine control using electroencephalography (EEG) based brain computer interfaces (BCI) has been extensively researched in the past decade. However, research is often based on event bound methods such as motor imagery. Despite being useful in medical applications, even bound methods limit users' operational capability while performing BCI control. To alleviate the said limitation, we explore a robot control framework based on abstract thought. Abstract thought in this context is defined as conscious mental tasks that are not bound with any particular event or bodily movement. This paper presents an initial step in the framework, which is a methodology for optimal feature selection for abstract thought EEG data classification. The presented method contains 2 steps: 1) generational Genetic Algorithm (GA) based feature selection, and, 2) EEG data classification using selected features. The presented method was implemented on an EEG dataset acquired from a consumer grade EEG device. Abstract thought EEG data were collected for three actions pertaining to robot control; 1) “rest”, 2) “move forward”, and, 3) “turn left”. The presented method was compared to EEG classification without any feature selection. Experimental results showed that the presented method outperformed the method without feature selection for all the tested classifiers with a 10% or higher improvement in classification accuracy.
Cognitive Workload Using Interactive Voice Messaging Systems

The current research sought to understand the sources of cognitive distraction stemming from voice-based in-vehicle infotainment systems (IVIS) to send and receive textual information. Three experi...
Suicide and Suicide Prevention among Inuit in Canada

Inuit in Canada have among the highest suicide rates in the world, and it is primarily among their youth. Risk factors include known ones such as depression, substance use, a history of abuse, and knowing others who have made attempts or have killed themselves, however of importance are the negative effects of colonialism. This took place for Inuit primarily during the government era starting in the 1950s, when Inuit were moved from their family-based land camps to crowded settlements run by white men, and children were removed from their parents and placed into residential or day schools. This caused more disorganization than reorganization. The most negative effect of this colonialism/imperialism for Inuit has been on their family and sexual relationships. Many Inuit youth feel alone and rejected. Suicide prevention has been taking place, the most successful being community-driven programs developed and run by Inuit. Mental health factors for Indigenous peoples are often cultural. It is recommended that practitioners work with the community and with Inuit organizations. Empowered communities can be healing.