cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subseasonal Analysis of Precipitation Variability in the Blue Nile River Basin

The Ethiopian portion of the Blue Nile River basin is subject to significant interannual variability in precipitation. As this variability has implications for local food security and transboundary water resources, numerous studies have been directed at improved understanding and, potentially, predictability of the Blue Nile rainy season (June‐September) precipitation. Taken collectively, these studies present a wide range of large-scale drivers associated with precipitation variability in the Blue Nile: El Ni~ Oscillation (ENSO), the Indian summer monsoon, sea level pressure (SLP) anomalies over the Arabian Peninsula and Gulf of Guinea, the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO), and dynamics of the tropical easterly jet (TEJ) and African easterly jet (AEJ) have all been emphasized to varying degrees. This study aims to reconcile these diverse analyses by evaluating teleconnection patterns and potential mechanisms of association on the subseasonal scale. It is found that associations with the TEJ, Pacific modes of variability, and the Indian monsoon are strongest in the late rainy season. Mid‐rainy season precipitation (July and August) shows mixed associations with Pacific/Indian Ocean variability and Atlantic Ocean indices, along with connections to regional pressure patterns and the AEJ. June precipitation is negatively correlated with SLP over the equatorial Atlantic and upper-tropospheric geopotential height. June and July precipitation show little significant correlation with the sea surface temperature over the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The observed intraseasonal evolution of teleconnections across the rainy season indicates that subseasonal analysis is required to advance understanding and prediction of Blue Nile precipitation variability.
Detection Methods for Study of the Stability of Hepatitis B Antigen on Surfaces

As a prelude to epidemiologic studies on the transmission of hepatitis B by personnel in hemodialysis units, a series of experiments was designed to determine the inactivation characteristics of hepatitis B antigen (HB Ag) on stainless steel and cotton surfaces and the efficiency of the swab-rinse and other methods for recovering HB Ag from dried blood on surfaces. Exposure of HB Ag-positive blood to constant conditions (25 C and 42% relative humidity) for 14 days resulted in a loss of only 15%-20% of antigenic activity. Virtually no reduction in HB Ag occurred on cotton swabs after a seven-day shipping cycle. Recovery of HB Ag from dried blood on stainless steel surfaces by the swab-rinse technique was essentially 100% efficient. In general, the results of this study indicate that, with appropriate sampling and processing techniques, HB Ag can be detected in an environment contaminated with blood or fluid that contains significant levels of antigen.
Mechanochemical Coupling in Spin-Labeled, Active, Isometric Muscle

Observed effects of inorganic phosphate (Pi) on active isometric muscle may provide the answer to one of the fundamental questions in muscle biophysics: how are the free energies of the chemical species in the myosin-catalyzed ATP hydrolysis (ATPase) reaction coupled to muscle force? Pate and Cooke (1989. Pflugers Arch. 414:73- 81) showed that active, isometric muscle force varies logarithmically with (Pi). Here, by simultaneously measuring electron paramagnetic resonance and the force of spin-labeled muscle fibers, we show that, in active, isometric muscle, the fraction of myosin heads in any given biochemical state is independent of both (Pi) and force. These direct observations of mechanochemical coupling in muscle are immediately described by a muscle equation of state containing muscle force as a state variable. These results challenge the conventional assumption mechanochemical coupling is localized to individual myosin heads in muscle.
Protective effect of 20-HETE inhibition in a model of oxygen-glucose deprivation in hippocampal slice cultures.

Recent studies have indicated that inhibitors of the synthesis of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) may have direct neuroprotective actions since they reduce infarct volume after ischemia r...
Influence of Substrate Temperature on GaAs Epitaxial Deposition Rates

The effects of substrate temperature on the GaAs deposition rates were studied for {111}A, {112}A, {113}A, {115}, {100}, {113}B, {112}B, and {111}B substrate orientations. An open tube chloride transport system with elemental gallium and arsenic sources was employed. This apparatus allowed independent control over the gallium monochloride, arsenic, and hydrogen chloride partial pressures. The sensitivity of the deposition rate to substrate orientation is observed to be strongly temperature dependent. Experimental evidence is provided which indicates that the deposition rate is kinetically limited in the temperature range from 725° to 800 °C.
Optimality and Stability Study of Timing-Driven Placement Algorithms

This work studies the optimality and stability of timing-driven placement algorithms. The contributions of this work include two parts: 1) We develop an algorithm for generating synthetic examples with known optimal delay for timing driven placement (T-PEKO). The examples generated by our algorithm can closely match the characteristics of real circuits. 2) Using these synthetic examples with known optimal solutions, we studied the optimality of several timing-driven placement algorithms for FPGAs by comparing their solutions with the optimal solutions, and their stability by varying the number of longest paths in the examples. Our study shows that with a single longest path, the delay produced by these algorithms is from 10% to 18% longer than the optima on the average, and from 34% to 53% longer in the worst case. Furthermore, their solution quality deteriorates as the number of longest paths increases. For examples with more than 5 longest paths, their delay is from 23% to 35% longer than the optima on the average, and is from 41% to 48% longer in the worst case.
An analytical model for short-channel MOSFET capacitances

An analytical model for the intrinsic capacitances in the strong inversion regime of short-channel MOS transistors is developed. The mode is based on the computation of the charges associated with the four terminals of the device. The model has followed the charge-based approach, which consists of defining charges rather than capacitances as the state variables, thus avoiding the charge nonconservation problem associated with J.E. Meyer's (1971) approach. Major second-order effects such as carrier velocity saturation, mobility degradation, and channel length modulation are included in the model. The theoretical predictions of the model are compared to the numerically simulated data resulting from CADDETH and are found to be in good agreement over a wide range of gate and drain voltages. >
Risk, uncertainty and hidden information

People are less willing to accept bets about an event when they do not know the true probability of that event. Such “uncertainty aversion” has been used to explain certain economic phenomena. This paper considers how far standard private information explanations (with strategic decisions to accept bets) can go in explaining phenomena attributed to uncertainty aversion. This paper shows that if two individuals have different prior beliefs about some event, and two sided private information, then each individual’s willingness to bet will exhibit a bid ask spread property. Each individual is prepared to bet for the event, at sufficiently favorable odds, and against, at sufficiently favorable odds, but there is an intermediate range of odds where each individual is not prepared to bet either way. This is only true if signals are distributed continuously and sufficiently smoothly. It is not true, for example, in a finite signal model.
A computational, tissue-realistic model of pressure ulcer formation in individuals with spinal cord injury

© 2015 Ziraldo et al. People with spinal cord injury (SCI) are predisposed to pressure ulcers (PU). PU remain a significant burden in cost of care and quality of life despite improved mechanistic understanding and advanced interventions. An agent-based model (ABM) of ischemia/reperfusion-induced inflammation and PU (the PUABM) was created, calibrated to serial images of post-SCI PU, and used to investigate potential treatments in silico. Tissue-level features of the PUABM recapitulated visual patterns of ulcer formation in individuals with SCI. These morphological features, along with simulated cell counts and mediator concentrations, suggested that the influence of inflammatory dynamics caused simulations to be committed to “better” vs. “worse” outcomes by 4 days of simulated time and prior to ulcer formation. Sensitivity analysis of model parameters suggested that increasing oxygen availability would reduce PU incidence. Using the PUABM, in silico trials of anti-inflammatory treatments such as corticosteroids and a neutralizing antibody targeted at Damage-Associated Molecular Pattern molecules (DAMPs) suggested that, at best, early application at a sufficiently high dose could attenuate local inflammation and reduce pressure-associated tissue damage, but could not reduce PU incidence. The PUABM thus shows promise as an adjunct for mechanistic understanding, diagnosis, and design of therapies in the setting of PU.
Impact of DP-QPSK Pulse Shape in Nonlinear 100 G Transmission

This paper reports results of an extensive Monte Carlo simulation analysis on the impact of DP-QPSK pulse shape in high-spectral efficiency WDM transmission at 112 Gb/s per channel. The pulse shapes studied include NRZ, 50% duty cycle RZ and 67% duty cycle RZ. Both symbol-aligned and symbol-interleaved formats are investigated and compared for nonlinear transmission tolerance on common dispersion maps used in terrestrial long-haul systems. The RZ pulse shape shows the greatest improvement in nonlinear tolerance with symbol-interleaving. However, symbol-interleaving only provides significant benefit in optical line systems designed to preserve the pulse shape during transmission, such as systems based on distributed dispersion compensating fiber (DCF). The duty cycle of the RZ pulse has only a minor impact on nonlinear performance, and even systems based on the NRZ pulse shape can gain significant benefit from symbol-interleaving.
Does attentional focus during balance training in people with Parkinson’s disease affect outcome? A randomised controlled clinical trial

Objective:To compare the effects of attentional focus to augment balance outcomes in individuals with Parkinson’s disease.Design:Randomised controlled clinical trial.Setting:University gait and balance research laboratory.Participants:Forty-nine individuals with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease.Interventions:Participants were randomly assigned into one of four groups (three balance intervention groups and one control). The three intervention groups all received the same 4-week balance training program augmented with either external, internal, or no focus instructions. The control group did not receive any balance training.Main measures:Outcomes were measured at baseline, post intervention, 2-weeks post intervention, and 8-weeks post intervention and included: Sensory Organization Test, Berg Balance Scale, Self-Selected Gait Velocity, Dynamic Gait Index, Activities-Specific Balance Confidence Scale, and obstacle course completion time.Results:There were no differences among the groups in trajectory over the ...
Woodrow Wilson and Collective Security Today

W AQZ OODROW WILSON is justly famous for many things: for his great ability as a teacher, for his crusading zeal as an educational reformer at Princeton, for his outstanding success as a reform governor of New Jersey, and for his unprecedented leadership in legislation as President. Nothing like his first year in the Presidency had ever been known. A tariff bill which actually reduced tariffs; a Federal Reserve system for the control of the currency, which has enabled us to weather the gigantic financial storms of two world wars and one great depression; income and inheritance tax laws based on the ability to pay, which prevented us from becoming a plutocracy and kept us a middle-class democracy; the Clayton anti-trust law and the Federal Trade Commission, to fight monopoly and maintain competition; laws to promote agricultural education and provide low-interest loans to farmers -these and other long-needed advances were hammered out on Capitol Hill in a steady anvil chorus of debate and achievement, before World War I intervened. Behind it all was the magnificent leadership of Wilson, constantly consulting, encouraging, and stimulating Congressional leaders and committees, using his prestige and authority but also his great persuasiveness. Never had a President led the Congress so ably. Many years later, one of his biographers examined hundreds of accounts of Wilson's eight years in the White House, written by his associates, and "never found one that mentions his being cold or hard to work with," while many referred to his "courtesy," "cordiality," "great kindness," and "personal charm."I
The use of antifibrinolytic agents in spine surgery. A meta-analysis.

Background: Antifibrinolytic agents have been shown to decrease the blood loss associated with major orthopaedic surgical procedures. Spine surgery, particularly procedures performed for deformity correction and procedures involving long arthrodesis constructs, can be associated with a large amount of blood loss requiring blood transfusions. The purpose of the present study was to determine if antifibrinolytic agents reduced blood transfusions in patients managed with spine surgery and to see if one agent had a greater effect than another. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis of the available literature were performed to investigate the efficacy of aprotinin, tranexamic acid, and epsilon-aminocaproic acid in terms of reducing blood loss and blood transfusions in patients undergoing spine surgery. This meta-analysis was focused on the role of these agents in major spine operations as reported in eighteen clinical trials that included information on the drug dosage, the age of the patient, blood loss, blood transfusions, surgery complexity, and complications. Results: Compared with control groups, the treatment groups for all three antifibrinolytic agents maintained lower levels of total blood loss and transfusions associated with spine surgery. The effect size ( d) of the differences in total blood loss between the treatment and control groups ranged from −0.668 (95% confidence interval, −0.971 to −0.365) to −0.936 (95% confidence interval, −1.240 to −0.632) across all three agents. The effect size ( d) of the differences in total blood transfusions between the treatment and control groups ranged from −0.466 (95% confidence interval, −0.764 to −0.167) to −0.749 (95% confidence interval, −1.046 to −0.453) across all three agents. Conclusions: Aprotinin, tranexamic acid, and epsilon-aminocaproic acid are effective for reducing blood loss and transfusions in patients managed with spine surgery. With the exception of aprotinin, the side-effect profiles of these agents have not been shown to cause any substantial morbidity or to increase the rate of thromboembolic events. Epsilon-aminocaproic acid had a greater effect on reducing blood transfusions as the complexity of surgery increased. The surgeon and/or the anesthesiologist should consider the use of antifibrinolytic agents for patients undergoing spinal procedures in which a large amount of blood loss can be expected; however, at the present time, this is not a United States Food and Drug Administration-approved indication for these agents. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Biological effects of resveratrol.

Resveratrol (3,4′,5-trihydroxy-trans-stilbene) is a common phytoalexin that is found in a few edible materials, such as grape skins, peanuts, and red wine. It has been speculated that dietary resveratrol may act as an antioxidant, promote nitric oxide production, inhibit platelet aggregation, and increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and thereby serve as a cardioprotective agent. Based on epidemiological data, carcinogenesis and coronary heart disease are linked to dietary lifestyle and share a number of common pathways. Recently, it has been demonstrated that resveratrol can function as a cancer chemopreventive agent, and there has been a great deal of experimental effort directed toward defining this effect. Resveratrol has been reported to be estrogenic in transfected mammary cancer cells; however, there are conflicting results with respect to its actual estrogenic properties. In addition, resveratrol exhibits antiinflammatory, neuroprotective, and antiviral properties. In future work, some co...
Waiting together: translating the principles of therapeutic relationships one step further.

ISSUES AND PURPOSE Inconsistent nursing practices created nurse-patient boundary issues on a cardiac step-down unit related to confidentiality, limit setting, and professionalism with patients and families awaiting organ transplantation. CONCLUSIONS A staff work group designed and implemented a plan to translate the principles of therapeutic relationships into daily practice. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS A work plan developed for nursing staff outlined concrete solutions and resources available within the hospital. This framework can be used to empower staff in the ongoing effort to manage relationships with chronically ill patients and their families.
A novel initiation mechanism of death in Streptococcus pneumoniae induced by the human milk protein-lipid complex HAMLET and activated during physiological death

To cause colonization or infection, most bacteria grow in biofilms where differentiation and death of subpopulations is critical for optimal survival of the whole population. However, little is known about initiation of bacterial death under physiological conditions. Membrane depolarization has been suggested, but never shown to be involved, due to the difficulty of performing such studies in bacteria and the paucity of information that exists regarding ion transport mechanisms in prokaryotes. In this study, we performed the first extensive investigation of ion transport and membrane depolarization in a bacterial system. We found that HAMLET, a human milk protein-lipid complex, kills Streptococcus pneumoniae (the pneumococcus) in a manner that shares features with activation of physiological death from starvation. Addition of HAMLET to pneumococci dissipated membrane polarity, but depolarization per se was not enough to trigger death. Rather, both HAMLET- and starvation-induced death of pneumococci specifically required a sodium-dependent calcium influx, as shown using calcium and sodium transport inhibitors. This mechanism was verified under low sodium conditions, and in the presence of ionomycin or monensin, which enhanced pneumococcal sensitivity to HAMLET- and starvation-induced death. Pneumococcal death was also inhibited by kinase inhibitors, and indicated the involvement of Ser/Thr kinases in these processes. The importance of this activation mechanism was made evident, as dysregulation and manipulation of physiological death was detrimental to biofilm formation, a hallmark of bacterial colonization. Overall, our findings provide novel information on the role of ion transport during bacterial death, with the potential to uncover future antimicrobial targets.
Applying Expectancy Theory to residency training: proposing opportunities to understand resident motivation and enhance residency training.

Medical resident education in the United States has been a matter of national priority for decades, exemplified initially through the Liaison Committee for Graduate Medical Education and then superseded by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. A recent Special Report in the New England Journal of Medicine, however, has described resident educational programs to date as prescriptive, noting an absence of innovation in education. Current aims of contemporary medical resident education are thus being directed at ensuring quality in learning as well as in patient care. Achievement and work-motivation theories attempt to explain people’s choice, performance, and persistence in tasks. Expectancy Theory as one such theory was reviewed in detail, appearing particularly applicable to surgical residency training. Correlations between Expectancy Theory as a work-motivation theory and residency education were explored. Understanding achievement and work-motivation theories affords an opportunity to gain insight into resident motivation in training. The application of Expectancy Theory in particular provides an innovative perspective into residency education. Afforded are opportunities to promote the development of programmatic methods facilitating surgical resident motivation in education.
Interaction of Typhoons with the Taiwan Orography. Part II: Continuous and Discontinuous Tracks across the Island

Abstract Numerical model simulations of west-moving tropical cyclones approaching and crossing the Taiwan orography are shown to contain many of the observed surface features. Vortices tend to track continuously around the northern end of the island due to the deflection of the deep-layer mean flow, and the vortex circulation is modified less because the higher winds to the right of the center do not have a strong interaction with the barrier. Discontinuous tracks predominate for vortices approaching the central southern portions of the Taiwan orography. Severe distortions of the inner-core circulation occur, and the surface pressure and surface wind centers become decoupled and may be dissipated at different rates. Numerical sensitivity studies demonstrate that more intense and rapidly moving vortices are more like to cross directly over the barrier and thus maintain a continuous track. In one special case of a weak but fast-moving vortex approaching the southern end, the model simulates the existence of...
NAD synthesis in ADA deficient erythrocytes of the opossum Didelphis virginiana.

In the human red cell, ATP is an absolute requirement for the production of NAD. Thus, in pyruvate kinase deficient human erythrocytes NAD concentrations are significantly reduced and NAD synthesis is impaired to a degree that is dependent on ATP concentration of those cells (1). SCID is characterized by variable pancellular deficiency of adenosine deaminase (ADA). Red cells of SCID patients may have low ATP and high 2′dATP concentrations (2) but there are no reports on NAD or 2′dNAD content and synthesis in the se cells. D. virginiana is North America’s only native marsupial. Red cells of this species have low (1.5 nmoles/mg hg/h) ADA activity and high concentrations of 2′dATP resembling human SCID erythrocytes (3). In this study we have determined the concentration of NAD and investigated its synthesis in opossum red cells having variable ATP content.
Benchmarks and Tradeoffs for Minimum Hop, Minimum Edge and Maximum Lifetime per Multicast Tree in Mobile Ad hoc Networks

per source-receiver path, minimum number of edges per tree and maximum tree lifetime for multicast routing in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and explore the tradeoffs between these three metrics. Accordingly, we consider three categories of algorithms – Breadth First Search (for minimum hop trees), minimum Steiner tree heuristic (for minimum edge trees) and the recently proposed OptTreeTrans algorithm (for maximum lifetime trees). Extensive simulations of the above three algorithms on centralized snapshots of the MANET topology, sampled for every 0.25 seconds, have been conducted for 1000 seconds under two different conditions of network density and three different multicast group sizes. Simulation results illustrate that minimum edge trees have 20-160% larger lifetime than the minimum hop trees; but still, the minimum edge trees have only 6-14% of the maximum tree lifetime possible. The tradeoff is that the minimum edge trees and maximum lifetime trees respectively have 20-100% and 28-86% larger hop count per source-receiver path compared to the minimum hop trees. Similarly, the minimum hop trees and maximum lifetime trees respectively have 13-35% and 35-68% more edges than the minimum edge trees. Thus, the above three performance metrics cannot be simultaneously optimized and MANET multicast routing can be envisioned to have at least three mutually contrasting categories of protocols.
Host Small RNAs and Plant Innate Immunity

Small non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), are crucial gene expression modulators in most eukaryotes. Increasing evidence indicates that host small RNAs also play a critical role during the plant immune responses. In this chapter, we discuss the functions of these pathogen-responsive endogenous small RNAs and the silencing pathway components during pathogen–host interactions.
Glycogen-associated proteins of rat liver.

SummaryThe glycogen-metabolizing organelle of rat liver was separated by precipitation with the bean lectin concanavalin A. Attached to these particles are enzymes involved in glycogen synthesis and degradation. By activation of phosphorylase in vitro, the glycogen polymer was totally degraded leaving in solution the glycogen-associated proteins. These were separated by electrophoresis in acrylamide gels which showed the variety of protein found attached to liver glycogen in the cell.
Spinal Cord Stimulation for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating chronic pain disorder that is often resistant to traditional treatments and has long-term financial and emotional consequences. Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has gained popularity over the last few decades for treating many types of chronic pain, and has been shown to significantly improve pain and quality of life in CRPS. Different variations of SCS, including burst and high-frequency stimulation, are equally as effective at reducing pain in patients with CRPS and can achieve this result at subsensory threshold levels. A promising new approach in neuromodulation is dorsal root ganglion stimulation, which is a technique that allows for more precise pain relief in areas that were previously difficult to reach. Advancements in both research and technology have helped make SCS a mainstay in the treatment of CRPS.
Numerical Responses of Natural Enemies to Artificial Honeydew in Utah Alfalfa

Artificial honeydews were applied to alfalfa plots in field experiments during the second (1992) and third (1991 and 1992) crops in northern Utah. Individual plots received a single application of sucrose dissolved in water; protein supplement and water; sucrose, protein supplement, and water; or water alone. Sweep samples were taken for entomophagous arthropods over a period of 4 d (second crop) or 10 d (third crop) after treatment spray applications. Application of sucrose, but not of protein supplement, resulted in reduced densities of aphids (relative to those in plots sprayed with water only). Adult lacewings and lady beetles consistently responded positively to application of sucrose. Lacewings during the second and third crops in 1992 and lady beetles during the third crop in 1991 also responded positively to application of protein supplement, with greatest densities occurring in plots sprayed with both materials. Positive responses to application of sugar by adults of the alfalfa weevil parasitoid, Bathyplectes curculionis (Thomson), and adult hover flies, bigeyed bugs, and minute pirate bugs (but not spiders or adult damsel bugs) were also detected in one or more experiments. None of these groups, however, responded consistently or clearly to application of protein supplement. In the absence of rain, positive responses by particular natural enemies to sugar, protein supplement, or both, persisted for up to 7 d after application. Our experimental results add to those of previous research indicating that local populations of a variety of entomophagous insects, including parasitoids with non-aphid hosts, can be increased in crops by application of artificial honeydew.
Larval Development and Oviposition Behavior of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) as Affected by Varying Concentrations of Sodium Chloride and Calcium Nitrate in the Water

Larval development and oviposition behavior of the tree hole breeding mosquito, Aedes triseriatus (Say), in relation to the varying concentrations of 2 inorganic salts, NaC1 and Ca(NO3)2, were investigated. Calcium nitrate, at the concentrations used in this study, had no significant effect on the larval mortality. Although higher concentrations of NaC1 had significant effect on larval mortality, larvae were able to tolerate a wide range of salinity in water. Although adults laid significantly fewer eggs in containers of water with 5 g/liter of Ca(NO3)2 neither distilled water nor water containing up to 2.5 g/liter of Ca(NO3)2 were oviposition deterrents. The inorganic salt content of water may not be as important a factor in the selection of oviposition sites as has been previously speculated. A. triseriatus females will oviposit in relatively saline habitats if the other physical and chemical factors are favorable. The fact that the interaction of the salts did not significantly alter the oviposition behavior of this mosquito species suggests that there is some influential factor other than osmotic pressure involved in the discrimination between different concentrations of electrolytes by gravid females.
Organoiridium Pyridonates and Their Role in the Dehydrogenation of Alcohols

New derivatives of 2-hydroxypyridine (2-hpH) and Cp*Ir(III) are described. Under conditions for catalytic dehydrogenation of 1-phenylethanol catalyzed by Cp*IrCl(κ2-2-hp) (1), the main species observed are [Cp*2Ir2H2(2-hp)]Cl ([2]Cl) and Cp*IrHCl(κ1-2-hpH) (3). Crystallographic analysis confirms that the cation in [2]PF6 consists of a Cp*2Ir2(μ-H)x2+ core complemented by a pyridonate ligand that bridges via O and N centers. Although [2]Cl is catalytically highly active, the related salt [2]PF6 is not. Addition of chloride sources reactivates [2]PF6. Collectively, our experiments indicate that [2]Cl is a resting state that reverts to a more active species, which we propose is 1 itself. In situ NMR observations and PPh3 trapping experiments show that under catalytically relevant conditions 1 rapidly converts to 3, which can be observed spectroscopically. Compound 3 was independently generated by transfer hydrogenation of 1. In other experiments, 1 was found to ring-open upon treatment with PPh3 to give Cp*I...
Laser ablation of the endometrium.

SUMMARY In summary, the Nd:YAG laser can be used safely and successfully to help women with menorrhagia avoid a hysterectomy. This is important not only for those women who medically are poor candidates but also for those women who for personal reasons do not want to lose their uterus or whose lifestyle will not allow them the time for a hysterectomy. Two basic applications of the laser to the endometrium are the touch and nontouch techniques. Although the non touch technique appears to carry less risk of fluid overload and postoperative bleeding, it apparently does not decrease menstrual flow as much. Nevertheless, all techniques will allow most patients to avoid hysterectomy.
Biological Diversity Assessment in Glacier National Park, Montana: I. Sampling Design

One way in which the status of an ecosystem may be assessed is to document changes in its biodiversity over time. Because biodiversity can be defined at the level of species, habitats, or genes, temporal changes can be assessed at three very different levels. These changes may indicate responses to natural disturbances, human-induced changes, or long-term environmental trends.
Loos: A Toolkit for Analyzing Molecular Simulations and Making New Tools

We have developed LOOS (Lightweight Object Oriented Structure-analysis) as a tool for making new tools to analyze molecular simulations. LOOS is an object-oriented library designed to facilitate the rapid development of new methods for structural analysis. LOOS is written in C++ and is easily extensible, only requiring knowledge of 4 core classes. A Python interface is also available, further facilitating rapid development of analysis tools and broadening the LOOS community. LOOS reads the native file formats of most common simulation packages and can write NAMD formats (PDB and DCD) and Gromacs XTC. A dynamic atom selection language, based on C expression syntax, is included and is easily accessible via a single function call. LOOS includes over 140 pre-built tools for common structural analysis tasks, including analyzing simulation convergence, 3D histograms, and elastic network models. Python-based packages include the optimal membrane generator and tools for the Voronoi tesselation of membranes. In addition, tool templates for common analysis work-flows are included to facilitate the development of new tools. LOOS is available for download at http://loos.sourceforge.net and is distributed under the GPLv3 license.
Positive Feelings After Casual Sex: The Role of Gender and Traditional Gender-Role Beliefs.

The purpose of this study was to identify predictors of positive and negative affect following casual sex. Specifically, the primary goal was to investigate how traditional gender-role beliefs, peer approval of casual sex, perceptions of others, sexual assertiveness, and sexual pleasure influence affective experiences. Second, we aimed to determine the extent to which these associations were comparable for men and women. Although we expected mean differences on many of these constructs (e.g., men perceiving more peer approval), we expected the relationships between these constructs to be comparable for women and men. Participants ages 18 to 35 (N = 585) were recruited from a large university and Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) and described their most recent casual sex experience in a self-report questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses indicated that gender-role beliefs were significantly associated with less sexual assertiveness and more negative perceptions of others; for women they we...
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement for Bicuspid Aortic Stenosis: Are We Ready for the Challenge?

Bicuspid aortic valve disease is the most common congenital heart disorder in adults, affecting 1% to 2% of the population worldwide. It is most frequently complicated by isolated valvular aortic stenosis (AS) [(1,2)][1], the result of accelerated leaflet degeneration and calcification secondary to
Experimental Study of Pressure Gain Combustion with Hypergolic Rocket Propellants

This paper summarizes experimental observations of pulsed combustion occurring in a 4.5 cm diameter, nozzleless rocket combustor for pressure gain combustion applications. The combustor featured an impinging jet injector and operated on high-concentration hydrogen peroxide with a catalyst-laced hydrocarbon-based fuel. Pressure oscillations in the 200–700 Hz range were found. For a 10 bar manifold pressure, peak-pressure responses exceeding 60 bar were recorded in the feed system. Transient propellant spray destruction and formation were observed through an optically accessible combustor section. The pulse combustion frequency was tightly tied to atomization, mixing, and hydrogen peroxide decomposition processes; furthermore, frequency was well correlated with the injection velocity for a given injector design. While a precise description is still lacking, the combustion of a mixture of decomposed hydrogen peroxide and fuel appears to be best described as a constant-volume combustion event.
Inductive Energy Storage Circuits and Switches

The purpose of an opening switch is simply to stop the flow of current in the circuit branch containing the switch. Prior to this action, of course, the opening switch must first conduct the current as required--that is, operate as a closing switch. To accomplish current interruption, the opening switch must force the current to transfer from the switch to a parallel circuit branch (e.g. a load) and then withstand the voltage generated by the current flowing through the load. If there is nothing in parallel with the switch branch, then the opening switch can interrupt the current only by absorbing all of the energy stored in the circuit inductance and recovering against the open circuit voltage of the current source. The severity of the switching problem depends upon the makeup of the rest of the circuit. Therefore, opening switches must be considered in the context of the circuit in which they are used.
PHASE CONTOURS OF SCATTERING AMPLITUDES III HIGH ENERGY BEHAVIOR AT FIXED ANGLES

The method of phase contours is applied to some problems concerned with scattering at fixed angles. The crossing-symmetric generalized Regge model developed in a previous paper is used to illustrate possible characteristics of the behavior of scattering amplitudes. These characteristics are discussed both in the complex energy plane at fixed angle and in the complex $cos\ensuremath{\theta}$ plane at fixed high energy. The former leads to a procedure for studying fixed-angle behavior by means of entire functions on whose orders some limits can be established. The latter leads to a generalization of the lower bounds on high-energy behavior obtained earlier by Cerulus and Martin, and by Chiu and Tan.
Impact of Acute Kidney Injury on Mortality of Patients Hospitalized for Complications of Cirrhosis.

Background/aims The mortality of hospitalized patients for complications of cirrhosis is very high. We examined the independent predictors of mortality, particularly the impact of increments in creatinine, in 339 consecutive patients (636 admissions) who were admitted for complications of cirrhosis. Methods Clinical characteristics, biochemical parameters including serum creatinine levels at various time intervals, and mortality data were recorded for all admissions. Data were analyzed for initial as well for all repeated admissions to identify independent predictors of mortality. Results The in-hospital mortality, 30-day, 90-day, 180 days, and 365 days mortality were 6%, 15%, 23%, 30%, and 41% respectively. Those admitted with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis had the worst survival. Increase in creatinine was noted in 29% of patients and they had lower 30-day (78% vs.91%) and 90-day (73% vs. 82%) survival than those without increase in creatinine. Any increment in serum creatinine (≥0.1 mg/dL) within 48 h after admission (peak 48 h – admission) was associated with a step-wise increase in mortality, but only if peak creatinine reached above 1.2 mg/dL. If peak creatinine levels were below 1.2 mg/dL, increases in serum creatinine had no impact on survival. Cox regression analysis showed that increments in serum creatinine of 0.3 mg/dL or higher had the worst outcome (HR 2.51, CI 1.65–3.81). Etiology of cirrhosis or the use of PPI, beta blockers or rifaxamin did not predict mortality. Other independent predictors of mortality were age, reason for admission, hyponatremia, and INR. Conclusion In patients with cirrhosis, any increment in serum creatinine within 48 h from hospitalization is associated with a higher mortality provided the peak serum creatinine within 48 h is above 1.2 mg/dL.
Work–Family Conflict, Job Insecurity, and Health Outcomes Among US Workers

Previous scholarship has highlighted how work–family conflict (work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict) and job insecurity interfere with health outcomes. Little work, however, considers how these stressors jointly influence health among workers. Informed by the stress process model, the current study examines whether job insecurity moderates the relationships between work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict and two health outcomes: self-reported physical health and poor mental health. The analyses also consider whether a greater moderating role is played by work-to-family conflict or family-to-work conflict. Using data from the 2008 National Study of the Changing Workforce, we also examine if patterns diverge by gender. Our results show that work-to-family conflict and family-to-work conflict have direct effects on poor mental and physical health. Additionally, we find that the negative effect of work-to-family conflict on poor mental and physical health is stronger for those with job insecurity, while no such relationship was found for family-to-work conflict. We found no evidence of significant gender differences in how these relationships operate. Overall, we contribute to the literature by testing the combined effects of both forms of work–family conflict and job insecurity on poor mental and physical health. We also deepen the understanding of the stress process model by highlighting the salience of the anticipatory stressor of job insecurity.
A Cross-Lagged Panel Analysis of Psychometric Intelligence and Achievement in Reading and Math

A cross-lagged panel analysis of Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) intelligence test scores and reading and math achievement test scores of 337 students twice assessed for special education eligibility across a test-retest interval of 2.85 years was conducted. General intelligence (g) was loaded by the four WISC-IV factor index scores whereas reading and math were composite scores. After confirming measurement invariance, it was found that g, reading, and math were stable across time and synchronously correlated. The cross-lagged paths from g at time 1 to reading and math at time 2 (0.26 and 0.39, respectively) were both significantly greater than zero whereas the paths from reading and math at time 1 to g at time 2 (0.03 and 0.23, respectively) were not statistically significant. Given this pattern of relationships and extant research on the correlates of general intelligence, it was tentatively inferred that general intelligence was the temporal precursor to reading and math achievement.
DroidFax: A Toolkit for Systematic Characterization of Android Applications

As the Android app market keeps growing, there is a pressing need for automated tool supports to empower Android developers to produce quality apps with higher productivity. Yet existing tools for Android mostly aim at security and privacy protection, primarily targeting end users and security analysts. Towards filling this gap, we present DROIDFAX, a toolkit that targets the developers to help them comprehensively understand Android apps regarding their code structure and behavioral traits. To that end, DROIDFAX features a systematic app characterization in multiple dimensions and views, through lightweight code analysis and profiling of both ordinary method calls (including those via reflection and exceptional control flows) and inter-component communications (including those within and across apps). The toolkit also includes a statement coverage tracker that works directly on bytecode and a dedicated tracer of events occurred during app executions. Applying DROIDFAX in two use cases has resulted in important findings about app behavioral patterns and an advanced security defense technique for Android. Empirical results also showed promising efficiency and scalability of DROIDFAX for practical adoption. A demo video for DROIDFAX can be viewed here or downloaded here.
Student preparation time for traditional lecture versus team-based learning in a pharmacotherapy course.

Abstract Background and purpose Determine how much time students spent preparing for traditional lecture versus team-based learning (TBL) for a pharmacotherapy course and determine if time spent in each pedagogy was within stated expectations for the course. Educational activity and setting Instructors used a combination of traditional lecture and TBL to deliver material. Before each lecture, instructors recorded the amount of time students spent preparing for each method using a one-question clicker-response survey. Findings Instructors delivered 16 hours of TBL, 32 hours of traditional lecture, and eight hours of a mix of TBL and traditional lecture. The median of students completing the survey each week was 89. A large percentage of the class (40.9%) did not prepare for traditional lecture while only 3.4% did not prepare for TBL. About 61% of students spent between 30 min and two hours preparing for a two-hour TBL session and only 10% spent more than three hours preparing. Discussion and summary Results of this project show students spend little time preparing for traditional lectures without in-class accountability, which may give students the perception that TBL requires too much preparation time.
Young adult couples' behavioral and physiological responses to the infant simulator: A preliminary illustration of coparenting.

Abstract This exploratory application of the infant simulator with two couples is designed to illustrate individual reactivity and coparenting behaviors in young couples in serious relationships who do not yet have children. A 35-min protocol with standardized onsets and offsets of inconsolable baby cries was used to capture partner’s individual behavioral and physiological responses as well as the couple’s joint efforts to soothe the crying baby. Task feasibility was demonstrated by couples’ persistent and wide-ranging efforts to calm the baby including rocking, feeding, changing, talking to the baby, and singing. Within-person fluctuations in ongoing heart rate (HR) and electrodermal activity (EDA) through the protocol suggested evidence of heightened physiological reactivity during baby crying compared to silence. During bouts of crying, higher HR also was evidenced when participants took the lead in caregiving as contrasted with assisting or busying themselves in another task. Behavioral observations indicated that this task elicited examples of coparenting behaviors including cooperation, support, undermining, and negotiating the division of labor. These preliminary pilot data demonstrate the potential of infant simulator paradigms with couples who are not yet pregnant but envision being future parents, and set the stage for future research to identify how individual and couple characteristics might impact reactions to shared baby caregiving.
Effects of Nerve Stimulation on Blood Flow in the Urinary Bladder, Urethra and Pelvic Floor in the Dog

AbstractPelvic organs have triple innervation from the pelvic, sympathetic and pudendal nerves. Peripheral effects can be studied by neurostimulation of the nerves, whereas the topography of the spinal cord neurons can be determined by horseradish peroxidase tracing. We have evaluated the neurophysiologic effects of the nerves at their target organs by intraoperative electric stimulation and compared the effects to the anatomical innervation areas. These zonal areas were determined by blood flow alterations, measured with nine different microspheres. Pelvic nerve stimulation showed bladder contraction with no significant blood flow changes during stimulation. Sympathetic nerve stimulation caused moderate detrusor contraction and pressure increase in the bladder neck and intraprostatic area. Regional blood flow showed a four-fold increase in the bladder neck area during neurostimulation. Pudendal nerve stimulation revealed an intraurethral pressure increase with a 3.5-fold increase of blood flow in the sph...