cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Non-reciprocal propagation of magnetostatic volume waves

The general case of backward travelling magnetostatic volume waves propagating within a tangentially magnetised dielectric layered structure is considered. It is theoretically shown that the structure, which consists of an epitaxial YIG film separated from a ground plane by means of a dielectric layer, allows no-reciprocal propagation of magnetostatic volume waves. Supporting experimental evidence is provided. Der allgemeine Fall ruckwarts laufender magnetostatischer Volumenwellen wird betrachtet, die sich in einer tangential magnetisierten dielektrischen Schichtstruktur ausbreiten. Es wird theoretisch gezeigt, das die Struktur, die aus einem epitaxialen YIG-Film besteht, der von einer leitenden Ebene durch eine dielektrische Schicht getrennt ist, die Ausbreitung nicht reziproker magnetostatischer Volumenwellen erlaubt. Die Theorie wird durch experimentelle Ergebnisse erganzt.
Androgens and environmental antiandrogens affect reproductive development and play behavior in the Sprague-Dawley rat.

In mammals, exposure to androgens early in development is essential for masculinization of the male reproductive phenotype. Male fetuses exposed to antiandrogens during perinatal life are permanently demasculinized in their morphology and physiology, whereas exposure to exogenous androgens permanently masculinizes females. In some litter-bearing species, proximity(italic) in utero(/italic) of females to males can partially masculinize female siblings and alter their responsiveness to endocrine-disrupting compounds. However, in our strain of rat (CD-SD Charles River), intrauterine position does not significantly influence testosterone concentrations and anogenital distance of fetuses. In comparison, administration of testosterone propionate to pregnant females, at doses that doubled fetal female testosterone levels, did masculinize the reproductive system. Discovery of androgen-active chemicals in the environment has placed increased emphasis on describing the reproductive and behavioral effects of both natural and environmental androgens and antiandrogens. Recently, the effects of an antiandrogen, vinclozolin, on the brain and behavior were cited as a special concern by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in its risk assessment of this pesticide. In rats, one such behavior that is perinatally organized by androgens is social play. Males play more than females, and administration of exogenous androgens during the neonatal period alters the juvenile expression of this sexually dimorphic behavior. Vinclozolin is an androgen receptor antagonist that inhibits androgen-dependent tissue growth in vivo. We were interested in whether developmental exposure to vinclozolin could also alter androgen-dependent behaviors such as play. Neonatal male rats were injected on postnatal days (PNDs) 2 and 3 with corn oil, the pharmacologic antiandrogen flutamide (50 mg/kg), or vinclozolin (200 mg/kg). On PNDs 36-37 animals were observed for social play. Behaviors associated with general social activity such as sniffing and dorsal contact were unaffected by treatment. However, play behavior in males treated with flutamide or vinclozolin was significantly reduced, resembling levels of play characteristic of females rather than untreated males. Therefore, this study demonstrates that perinatal exposure to vinclozolin, an environmental antiandrogen, can alter androgen-dependent play behavior in the male rat.
Brittle structures and their role in controlling porosity and permeability in a complex Precambrian crystalline-rock aquifer system in the Colorado Rocky Mountain Front Range

Expansion of the Denver metropolitan area has resulted in substantial residential development in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain Front Range. This type of suburban growth, characteristic of much of the semiarid intermountain west, often relies on groundwater from individual domestic wells and is exemplified in the Turkey Creek watershed. The watershed is underlain by complexly deformed and fractured crystalline bedrock in which groundwater resources are poorly understood, and concerns regarding groundwater mining and degradation have arisen. As part of a pilot project to establish quantitative bounds on the groundwater resource, an outcrop-based geologic characterization and numerical modeling study of the brittle structures and their controls on the flow system was initiated. Existing data suggest that groundwater storage, flow, and contaminant transport are primarily controlled by a heterogeneous array of fracture networks. Inspections of well-permit data and field observations led to a conceptual model in which three dominant lithologic groups underlying sparse surface deposits form the aquifer system—metamorphic rocks, a complex array of granitic intrusive rocks, and major brittle fault zones. Pervasive but variable jointing of each lithologic group forms the “background” permeability structure and is an important component of the bulk storage capacity. This “background” is cut by brittle fault zones of varying structural styles and by pegmatite dikes, both with much higher fracture intensities relative to “background” that likely make them spatially complex conduits. Probabilistic, discrete-fracture-network and finite-element modeling was used to estimate porosity and permeability at the outcrop scale using fracture network data collected in the field. The models were conditioned to limited aquifer test and borehole geophysical data and give insight into the relative hydraulic properties between locations and geologic controls on storage and flow. Results from this study reveal a complex aquifer system in which the upper limits on estimated hydraulic properties suggest limited storage capacity and permeability as compared with many sedimentary-rock and surficial-deposit aquifers.
Emergence timing affects root-collar diameter and mortality in loblolly pine seedbeds

Eight half-sib families of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) were sown in a nursery. Total germination, speed and uniformity of germination, root-collar diameters, mortality, and percent cull were recorded by family. Families which germinated quickest attained the greatest average diameters at the end of the growing season. Low variability in date of emergence led to correspondingly low variability in seedling diameter. When data for all families were combined, seedlings which emerged earliest experienced the lowest mortality, had the largest diameters, and produced the fewest culls.
A result in balanced incomplete block designs

Abstract Hall and Connor proved that non-existence of a symmetric BIBD with parameters ( v, k, λ ) implies non-existence of a BIBD with parameters ( v′, b′, k′, r′, λ′ )=( v−k, v−1, k−λ, k, λ ) if λ=1 or 2. Examples are given for which the preceding is false if the condition on λ is dropped.
The effect of barley straw on the survival ofVerticillium albo-atrum in naturally infested field soil

In greenhouse and field experiments amendment ofVerticillium infested field soil with chopped barley straw at rates of 0.4–1.6% by weight reduced theVerticillium population and the amount of infection of potato plants grown in the amended soil. The addition of nitrate or ammonium nitrogen did not alter the effectiveness of the straw amendment.
Enhanced confinement in tokamaks

The physics of enhanced confinement regimes in tokamaks is reviewed and some directions for further enhancements are assessed. The H‐mode confinement regime is examined. A number of other observations of enhanced confinement, having in common peaked density profiles, are compared to the theory of ion temperature gradient modes. Two schemes of promise in enhancing confinement, second stability and control of electric fields, are discussed. The contributions of alternate concepts to understanding tokamak transport are described.
Blood flow during cardiopulmonary resuscitation with simultaneous compression and ventilation in infant pigs.

ABSTRACT: We determined whether the simultaneous chest compression and ventilation (SCV) technique of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) enhances cerebral (CBF) and myocardial (MBF) blood flows and cerebral O2 uptake in an infant swine model of CPR as it does in most adult animal CPR models. We also tested whether SCVCPR sustains CBF and MBF for prolonged periods of CPR when these flows ordinarily deteriorate. CPR was performed in two groups (n=8) of pentobarbital anesthetized piglets (3.5-5.5 kg) with continuous epinephrine infusion (10µg/kg/min). Conventional CPR was performed at 100 compressions/min, 60% duty cycle, 1:5 breath to compression ratio and 25-30 mm Hg peak airway pressure. SCVCPR was performed at 60 compressions/min, 60% duty cycle and 60 mm Hg peak airway pressure applied during each chest compression. Peak right atrial and aortic pressures in excess of 80 mm Hg were generated during CPR in both groups. At 5 min of conventional and SCV-CPR, MBF was 38 ± 7 and 46 ± 7 mL· min-1· l00 g-1 (±SE), respectively, and CBF was 15 ± 3 and 13 ± 2 mL· min-1· 100 g-1respectively. However, as CPR was prolonged to 50 min, the sternum progressively lost its recoil and the chest became more deformed. Lung inflation at high airway pressure with SCV-CPR did not prevent this chest deformation. Aortic pressure gradually declined, whereas right atrial and intracranial pressure remained constant in both groups. Consequently, MBF and CBF fell less than 10 mL· min-1· 100 g-1 and cerebral O2 uptake was markedly impaired during prolonged conventional and SCV-CPR. Therefore, SCV-CPR in an infant swine model does not enhance MBF and CBF during early CPR because intrathoracic pressure generation is already high with conventional CPR as reflected by the high right atrial pressure. In addition, SCV-CPR does not prevent the progressive chest deformation and the subsequent decline in CBF and MBF when CPR is prolonged, as is often required in pediatric resuscitation.
Cooperative polar ordering of acentric guest molecules in topologically controlled host frameworks

Acentric organic guest molecules exhibit polar ordering in a crystalline “brick-like” orthorhombic host framework constructed from guanidinium (G) ions and 4,4‘-biphenyldisulfonate ions, the latter connecting hydrogen-bonded sheets of the G ions and sulfonate (S) residues to create lamellar porous host galleries occupied by the guests. The single-crystal structures of the inclusion compounds suggest that polar ordering is governed by cooperative host−guest interactions during assembly of the pillared lamellae, resulting in guest dipole alignment orthogonal to the GS sheets.
Quotients of infinite reflection groups

Let W be the Weyl group of a finite dimensional complex simple Lie algebra. The structure of W is quite well-known ; see [2, 3] for instance. In particular, W is finite and W/O2(W) is isomorphic to a symmetric group or an orthogonal or symplectic group over the field of two elements. It is natural to consider certain infinite analogues W(p,q,r) of such Weyl groups and inquire about their structure. These are reflection groups defined by diagrams T(p, q, r) of the form
Experimental and analytical studies of innovative prestressed concrete box-girder bridges

This paper presents experimental and analytical results of four scaled prestressed concrete box-girder bridges with corrugated steel webs. The location of prestressing strands at both ends of the specimens and the thickness of end diaphragms are the two major parameters. Based on the experimental results of all four specimens, their seismic behavior is critically examined, including hysteretic loops, ductility factor, dissipated energy, and failure mode, etc. It was found that both the thickness of end diaphragms and the location of prestressing strands at both ends of the specimens are insignificant when the specimens failed at the mid-span due to concrete crushing, and the proposed analytical model can be used to predict the load-displacement relationship of such bridges.
Optical Head-Tracking for fMRI Using Structured Light

A novel, non-intrusive approach to patient motion correction in fMRI is discussed. A pattern of structured light is used to measure spatial transformations with 0.1 mm translational and 1 degree rotational precisions.
Investigation of Steady-State Drawing Force and Heat Transfer in Polymer Optical Fiber Manufacturing

The force required to draw a polymer preform into optical fiber is predicted and measured, along with the resultant free surface shape of the polymer, as it is heated in an enclosed cylindrical furnace. The draw force is a function of the highly temperature dependent polymer viscosity. Therefore accurate prediction of the draw force relies critically on the predicted heat transfer within the furnace. In this investigation, FIDAP was used to solve the full axi-symmetric conjugate problem, including natural convection, thermal radiation, and prediction of the polymer free surface. Measured and predicted shapes of the polymer free surface compared well for a range of preform diameters, draw speeds, and furnace temperatures. The predicted draw forces were typically within 20% of the experimentally measured values, with the draw force being very sensitive to both the furnace wall temperature and to the feed rate of the polymer.
Effect of sympathectomy level on the incidence of compensatory hyperhidrosis after sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis.

Objective Palmar hyperhidrosis can be psychosocially devastating. Sympathectomy provides effective treatment. The most common side effect after sympathectomy is compensatory hyperhidrosis, which can be debilitating. Controversy exists as to which and how many levels treated carry the lowest incidence of compensatory hyperhidrosis after sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis. Methods Retrospective review was conducted on a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical database including all patients who underwent video-assisted thoracoscopic surgical sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis. Results Video-assisted sympathectomy was performed in 282 patients for palmar hyperhidrosis from May 2002 through July 2005; in all, 179 patients (64%) underwent division at T2 level only and 103 at levels T2, T3, and T4. The groups were similar in age and sex distribution. The rate of compensatory hyperhidrosis was significantly less in the T2 group (23 patients, 13%) than in the T2 through T4 group (35 patients, 34%)( P = .011). The most common site of compensatory hyperhidrosis in both groups was the lower back. Patients with compensatory hyperhidrosis were older (median 31 years vs 23 years, P = .037), had body mass index greater than 28 ( P = .048), and underwent multiple level sympathectomy ( P = .004). Conclusion Compensatory hyperhidrosis continues to occur after sympathectomy for palmar hyperhidrosis; however, a significant reduction in incidence can be achieved by dividing the sympathetic chain at a single level (T2). Patients who are older and/or have increased body mass index should be warned of their increased risk of compensatory hyperhidrosis after sympathectomy.
Synthesis of biologically active dihydrodiol metabolites of 16,17-dihydro-15H-cyclopenta[a]phenanthrene and its carcinogenic 11-methyl and 17-keto derivatives

Abstract Syntheses are described of the trans-3,4-dihydrodiol metabolites of the title compounds implicated by biological studies as proximate carcinogenic forms that give rise to the corresponding diol epoxide metabolites that bind covalently to DNA in vivo.
Dataflow plan execution for software agents

Recent research has made it possible to build information agents that retrieve and integrate information from the World Wide Web. Although there now exist solutions for modeling Web sources, query planning, and information extraction, less attention has been given to the problem of optimizing agent execution. In this paper, we describe Theseus, an efficient agent plan execution system. Through its pipelined, dataflow-based architecture, Theseus offers a high degree of parallelism and asynchronous information routing, features that can substantially improve performance. Theseus differs from prior work in reactive planning systems and parallel databases because it gathers information from the Web, a domain where information retrieval is a problem that is network-bound and is often based on interleaved data gathering and navigation. The Theseus plan language and architecture directly address these issues, resulting in a highperformance execution system.
Analysis of dichotomized factorial data.

Abstract This communication presents a method of analyzing frequency data with each of the risk factors at two levels in such a way that the results are consistent with the general linear model analysis for groups of unequal size. The essential feature of the method is to make use of orthogonal contrasts which result in an orthogonal subdivision of the sum of squares between groups and thus an orthogonal subdivision of the total chi-square. Explicit expressions for the comparison coefficients have been given for the two-factor (2 × 2) and the three-factor (2 × 2 × 2) cases. Numerical examples with coronary heart disease data are given, with calculation procedures fully illustrated. The method remains applicable even when one of the frequencies is zero. The comparison coefficients and the subsequent analysis are also applicable to measurement data as far as the subdivision of the sum of squares is concerned.
Intermediate Structure in Photon Induced Reactions

We will discuss, in this report, the sequence of events that follow the absorption of a photon by a nucleus. We are interested in the distribution of the absorption strength as a function of the excitation energy and in the dependence of the strength, total or localized, on the particle number of the nuclear system.1 Some features of the transition densities, the functions whose moments determine the intensity of a radiative transition, will also be considered.
Semi-discretization of stochastic partial differential equations on R 1 by a finite-difference method

The paper concerns finite-difference scheme for the approximation of partial differential equations in R 1 , with additional stochastic noise. By replacing the space derivatives in the original stochastic partial differential equation (SPDE, for short) with difference quotients, we obtain a system of stochastic ordinary differential equations. We study the difference between the solution of the original SPDE and the solution to the corresponding equation obtained by discretizing the space variable. The need to approximate the solution in R 1 with functions of compact support requires us to introduce a scale of weighted Sobolev spaces. Employing the weighted Lp-theory of SPDE, a sup-norm error estimate is derived and the rate of convergence is given.
Detection of atmospheric conditions in images

Applications such as Unmanned Air or Land Vehicles (UAVs) depend on good quality image data to assist in navigation and other tasks or decisions. In the real world environments, atmospheric conditions can lead to degradation of images and the occlusion or distortion of objects of interest in images. This work will look at techniques that can be used to both determine the type and amount of atmospheric conditions present in image data. This information could then be used by our previously developed system to assist in the reduction of atmospheric effects.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Skyrme-Landau parameterization of effective interactions (I). Hartree-Fock ground states

Abstract An extended Skyrme-Landau interaction - SL1, which includes velocity-dependent three-body forces and a tensor force is developed. Unlike the effective interactions with density-dependent two-body forces, this form of the interaction yields, in finite nuclei, an anti-symmetric particle-particle interaction from the particle-hole interaction with the phonon-induced interaction included. The interaction parameters are determined by the better known Landau-Migdal parameters in nuclear matter and other physical quantities like the surface energy and the dipole sum rule. Due to the fact that sufficient degrees of freedom are introduced, previous problems with the high compression modulus K ∞ and spin instability, which plagued the earlier Skyrme interactions are thus removed. We present results on the Hartree-Fock ground states of spherical nuclei : 16 O, 40 Ca, 48 Ca, 90 Zr and 208 Pb. The fitted binding energies, the radii and the single-particle energies are all comparable to those of the earlier Skyrme interactions. Comparison with experiments is also made. The self-consistent RPA calculation of the electric and magnetic resonances, Fermi and Gamow-Teller transitions will be presented in the sequel of the present paper.
China's Fear of Contagion: Tiananmen Square and the Power of the European Example

The Tiananmen Square massacre of June 1989 remains a taboo topic in the People's Republic of China (PRC); the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) still detains participants and suppresses online, popular, and scholarly discussions of it. The twentieth anniversary of the end of the transatlantic Cold War, however, saw the release of new sources from high-level contacts between the CCP and foreign leaders. These new sources, combined with older ones, show the extent to which Chinese political leaders were obsessed with the democratic changes in Eastern Europe and were willing to take violent action to prevent similar events on their territory. This obsession has received mention from a few scholars, but until now it has played too small a role in the current understanding of Tiananmen. New evidence documents that one of the main motivations for the CCP in deploying the army in June 1989—on the same day as semi-free elections in Poland—was its desire to combat possible contagion from the events in Europe. T...
Listening to Brain Microcircuits for Interfacing With External World—Progress in Wireless Implantable Microelectronic Neuroengineering Devices

Acquiring neural signals at high spatial and temporal resolution directly from brain microcircuits and decoding their activity to interpret commands and/or prior planning activity, such as motion of an arm or a leg, is a prime goal of modern neurotechnology. Its practical aims include assistive devices for subjects whose normal neural information pathways are not functioning due to physical damage or disease. On the fundamental side, researchers are striving to decipher the code of multiple neural microcircuits which collectively make up nature's amazing computing machine, the brain. By implanting biocompatible neural sensor probes directly into the brain, in the form of microelectrode arrays, it is now possible to extract information from interacting populations of neural cells with spatial and temporal resolution at the single cell level. With parallel advances in application of statistical and mathematical techniques tools for deciphering the neural code, extracted populations or correlated neurons, significant understanding has been achieved of those brain commands that control, e.g., the motion of an arm in a primate (monkey or a human subject). These developments are accelerating the work on neural prosthetics where brain derived signals may be employed to bypass, e.g., an injured spinal cord. One key element in achieving the goals for practical and versatile neural prostheses is the development of fully implantable wireless microelectronic ?brain-interfaces? within the body, a point of special emphasis of this paper.
Shear moduli of CDW conductors

Abstract The voltage dependences of the shear modulus and its associated internal friction of NbSe 3 and TaS 3 are compared with each other, and with that of the Young's moduli. Much smaller and sharper anomalies are observed at the threshold field for NbSe 3 than for TaS 3 , with considerable changes below threshold in the former. The magnitude of the anomalies in NbSe 3 vary with the threshold field. Considerable variation in the behavior of the internal friction, depending on mode and CDW state, is observed.
Application of mixed spin iMQCs for temperature and chemical-selective imaging.

Abstract The development of accurate and non-invasive temperature imaging techniques has a wide variety of applications in fields such as medicine, chemistry and materials science. Accurate detection of temperature both in phantoms and in vivo can be obtained using iMQCs (intermolecular multiple quantum coherences), as demonstrated in a recent paper [1] . This paper describes the underlying theory of iMQC temperature detection, as well as extensions of that work allowing not only for imaging of absolute temperature but also for imaging of analyte concentrations through chemically-selective spin density imaging.
Direct methods for synthesis of self-monitoring state machines

The authors consider synthesis methods that yield state assignments with checking invariants amenable to signature monitoring. They describe an automated synthesis approach based on a novel, generalized monitor architecture and prove that, for any given finite-state machine (FSM), a special, methodology-consistent state assignment exists. The state assignment permits each state's reference signature to be extracted directly from the state code. This eliminates the need for explicit reference-signature storage and yields continuous monitoring with near zero error-detection latency at each state. A practical tool that implements these synthesis algorithms can, in 37 seconds, generate state assignments for all 41 MCNC synthesis benchmark FSMs. Layout overhead comparisons obtained with an FSM macro-cell CAD system show that this technique can require as little as 52.3% of traditional duplication's layout area. >
Mentoring: the unexamined link in strategic human capital management

Although some of the largest US federal organisations sponsor mentoring programmes, including the Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Health and Human Services, mentoring has received comparatively little attention as an approach to address strategic human capital management goals. Drawing upon mentoring programme documents, government reports, scholarly literature, and interviews with senior executives and mentoring professionals, this article examines mentoring from this larger context. We find that mentoring programmes have traditionally focused on transferring knowledge from senior to junior levels. The continued development of senior executives through mentoring has largely been ignored in public administration research. This article not only considers the potential impact of traditional forms of mentoring on achieving strategic human capital goals, but also presents a 'life cycle' or continuum of mentoring and elaborates its implications for senior level executives in the federal service.
Archiving Memory after Mass Atrocities

This working paper explores legal and policy issues that arise when collections of documents pertaining to past atrocities are discovered in societies emerging from civil war, state collapse, or dire misrule. Although national and international laws provide some guidance on the archival steps to be taken, that guidance is often quite limited in transitional periods. In addition, limited institutional capacity and high political stakes often magnify questions about the state’s ability to carry out such functions justly. This working paper argues for a “foundational approach” to documentation that focuses on the constructive roles that applicable legal and ethical principles allow international actors to play. A foundational approach implies taking steps to bolster the transitional state’s capacity to protect, organize, preserve, and disseminate records detailing past abuses—crucial steps in setting a strong base for justice and memory initiatives and thereby upholding the individual and collective “right to the truth” about grave human rights violations.
A note on p-selective sets and on adaptive versus nonadaptive queries to NP

We study two properties of a complexity class C-whether there exists a truth-table hard p-selective language for C, and whether polynomially-many nonadaptive queries to C can be answered by making O(log n)-many adaptive queries to C (in symbols, is PF/sub tt//sup C//spl sube/PF/sup C/[O(log n)]). We show that if there exists an NP-hard p-selective set under truth-table reductions, then PF/sub tt//sup NP//spl sube/PF/sup NP/[O(log n)]. We observe that if C/spl supe/P/sup NP/, then these two properties are equivalent. Also, we show that if there exists a truth-table complete standard-left cut in NP, then the polynomial hierarchy collapses to P/sup NP/. We prove that P=NP follows if for some k>0, the class PF/sub tt//sup NP/ is "effectively included" in PF/sup NP/[k[log n]-1].
The P-SV inverse problem for a layered elastic medium: what data are required?

Summary In an earlier paper we described a method whereby the elastic parameters of a horizontally layered medium could be determined from a matrix of P-SV reflection seismograms for obliquely incident plane waves. We suggested that in order to obtain the required matrix, it would be necessary to measure the response, at many locations along a line, due both to a compressional source and to a source generating shear waves. By slant stacking such data, we could simulate the plane wave response at some slowness, and hence obtain the plane wave reflection seismograms for the structure, enabling us to use the algorithm described by Clarke to retrieve the wave speeds, density and thickness for each layer. In this paper we consider the precise nature of the seismic sources required, and the data to be collected, in order to construct the P-SV reflection matrix. We show that it is possible to retrieve this information from three sets of data, each consisting of measurements, along a line, of the vertical or radial component of the response to a source possessing an appropriate degree of cylindrical symmetry. A certain amount of care is required, however, in choosing the three source/receiver combinations, since certain such pairs of data sets are not independent, and must be counted as a single set. As an example of three data sets which are independent, and hence sufficient, we show that measurements of the vertical and radial displacements caused by an explosive source, as well as the vertical component of the response to a vertical force, enable us to deduce the P-SV reflection seismograms, and hence to perform the structural inversion.
Adverse allergic reactions to linear ionic gadolinium-based contrast agents: experience with 194, 400 injections.

Aim To report the authors' experience with the administration of four gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCA; gadopentetate dimeglumine, gadofosveset trisodium, gadoxetate disodium and gadobenate dimeglumine) in a large study population at a single, large academic medical centre. Materials and methods The institutional review board approved this retrospective study in which data in the electronic incident reporting system were searched. A total of 194, 400 intravenous administrations of linear ionic GBCAs were assessed for the incidence of adverse reactions and risk factors from 1 January 2007 to 14 January 2014. The severity of reactions (mild, moderate, and severe), patient type (outpatients, inpatients, and emergency), examination type, and treatment options were also investigated. Results In total, 204/194400 (0.1%) patients (mean age 45.7 ± 14.9) showed adverse reactions, consisting of 6/746 (0.80%), 10/3200 (0.31%), 14/6236 (0.22%) and 174/184218 (0.09%), for gadofosveset trisodium, gadoxetate disodium, gadobenate dimeglumine, and gadopentetate dimeglumine, respectively. An overall significant difference was found between different GBCAs regarding the total number of reactions (p Conclusion The overall rate of adverse reaction to GBCAs was 0.1%. The rates of reactions were highest in gadofosveset trisodium with (0.80%), followed by gadoxetate disodium (0.31%), gadobenate dimeglumine (0.22%) and gadopentetate dimeglumine (0.09%).
Cats, "Rats," and Bats: The comparative biology of aging in the 21st century

Laboratory models have suggested a link between metabolism and life span in vertebrates, and it is well known that the evolution of specific life histories can be driven by metabolic factors. However, little is known regarding how the adoption of specific life-history strategies can shape aging and life span in populations facing different energetic demands from either a theoretical or a mechanistic viewpoint but significant insight can be gained by using a comparative approach. Comparative biology plays several roles in our understanding of the virtually ubiquitous phenomenon of aging in animals. First, it provides a critical evaluation of broad hypotheses concerning the evolutionary forces underlying the modulation of aging rate. Second, it suggests mechanistic hypotheses about processes of aging. Third, it illuminates particularly informative species because of their exceptionally slow or rapid aging rates to be interrogated about potentially novel mechanisms of aging. Although comparative biology has played a significant role in research on aging for more than a century, the new comparative biology of aging is poised to dwarf those earlier contributions, because: (1) new cellular and molecular techniques for investigating novel species are in place and more are being continually generated, (2) molecular systematics has resolved the phylogenetic relationships among a wide range of species, which allow for the implementation of analytic tools specialized for comparative biology, and (3) in addition to facilitating the construction of accurate phylogenies, the dramatic acceleration in DNA-sequencing technology is providing us with new tools for a comparative genomic approach to understanding aging.
On the Distributed Bellman-Ford Algorithm and the Looping Problem

The classic Bellman-Ford algorithm for calculating shortest paths can be easily adapted to a distributed environment in which the computations are performed locally by identical processors at each network node. A distributed shortest-path algorithm is particularly appropriate for use in communication networks to capitalize on local information rather than rely on a central controller. This paper discusses the behavior of a synchronous version of the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm in a dynamic environment in which communication link costs can undergo change. Several algorithms are described that mitigate or eliminate the occurrence of looping, which is responsible for degrading the performance of distributed shortest-path algorithms. We provide theoretical and computational evidence to show that two proposed algorithms offer improvements upon the original and modified Bellman-Ford algorithms.
Factors Affecting the Differential Capture of Male and Female Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Traps Baited with Ethyl (E, Z)-2,4-Decadienoate

Studies were conducted in apple to evaluate factors that differentially affect the catch of male and female codling moth, Cydia pomonella L., in traps baited with ethyl (E, Z)-2,4-decadi- enoate (pear ester). We examined the time of moth capture in the diel cycle and the recapture rates of marked moths in sex pheromone mating disruption (MD) and untreated orchards. The attrac- tiveness of pear esterÐ baited traps was compared among Þve apple cultivars. Experiments also assessed the insuence of trap height, the distance of the trap from sex pheromone dispensers, proximity of foliage surrounding the trap, trap size, and proximity of adjacent clean and codling mothÐinjured fruit on moth captures. The responses of male and female moths signiÞcantly differed in response to many of these factors. For example, the time of peak female capture occurred earlier than for males. A higher proportion of recaptured, marked moths were females in MD versus untreated orchard plots. Sig- niÞcantly more male but not female moths were caught in traps placed high versus low in the tree canopy. Traps placed on the perimeter of the canopy caught signiÞcantly more female moths than traps placed within the canopy and surrounded by foliage. Smaller trap surfaces caught signiÞcantly more males than females. Traps placed adjacent to uninjured fruit caught signiÞcantly more females than traps placed away from fruit. No differences occurred between sexes in response to other factors: signiÞcantly higher counts of both sexes occurred in blocks of OGranny SmithO versus four other apple cultivars; recapture rates of marked moths were not different at release points ranging from 10 to 50 m for either sex; and trap placement relative to MD dispensers or injured versus uninjured fruits was not a signiÞcant factor affecting moth catches or their sex ratio. Effective monitoring for either or both sexes of codling moth should consider standardizing these factors. Lure and kill strategies should include factors that optimize the captures of female moths.
KIF3a promotes proliferation and invasion via Wnt signaling in advanced prostate cancer.

Aberrant activation of the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway is a critical event in advanced prostate cancer, but the genetic alterations that activate the Wnt signaling pathway in many other cancers are rarely observed in prostate cancer. Other molecular mechanisms that regulate the Wnt signaling pathway in prostate cancer remain to be identified. Here, it is demonstrated that KIF3a, a subunit of kinesin-II motor protein, functions as an agonist of the Wnt signaling pathway in prostate cancer. KIF3a is upregulated in the majority of human prostate cancer cell lines and primary tumor biopsies. The expression levels of KIF3a correlate with a higher Gleason score, tumor–node–metastasis stage, and metastatic status of prostate cancer. Moreover, exogenous expression of KIF3a promoted cell growth in the benign prostate cells, whereas silencing KIF3a in cancer cells decreased cell proliferation, anchorage-independent cell growth, and cell migration/invasion. Mechanistically, KIF3a increases CK1-dependent DVL2 phosphorylation and β-catenin activation in prostate cancer cells, leading to transactivation of the Wnt-signaling target genes such as cyclin D1, HEF1, and MMP9. These findings support the notion that upregulation of KIF3a is causal of aberrant activation of Wnt signaling in advanced prostate cancer through the KIF3a–DVL2–β-catenin axis. Implications: Inactivation of KIF3a may improve survival of patients with advanced prostate cancer in which Wnt signaling is activated. Mol Cancer Res; 12(4); 491–503. ©2014 AACR.
Supporting Digital Scholarship in Research Libraries: Scalability and Sustainability

ABSTRACT New York University Libraries and our partners in Information Technology Services offer effective enterprise-wide technology solutions for many academic practices, but we are still working to solve the “faculty Web site problem”—providing services for digital scholarship and publishing in a way that is both scalable and sustainable. This article describes our study of NYU scholars’ needs and digital scholarship support at other research institutions, and then introduces a service model we developed for supporting such services (which may include digitization, hosting of research data, digital publishing, the development of software for scholarly practices, and more). We then discuss the challenges to research libraries of implementing our service model in a scalable, sustainable way, by addressing project and tool selection, staffing, and organizational change.
Silicon-processed microneedles

A combination of surface- and bulk-micromachining techniques is used to demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating microhypodermic needles. These microneedles, which may be built with on-board fluid pumps, have potential applications in the chemical and biomedical fields for localized chemical analysis, programmable drug-delivery systems, and very small, precise sampling of fluids. The microneedles are fabricated in 1, 3, and 6 mm lengths with fully enclosed channels formed of silicon nitride. The channels are 9 /spl mu/m in height and have one of two widths, 30 or 50 /spl mu/m. Access to the channels is provided at their shank and distal ends through 40-/spl mu/m square apertures in the overlying silicon nitride layer. The microneedles are found to be intact and undamaged following repetitive insertion into and removal from animal-muscle tissue (porterhouse steak).
Distributed Detection of Replica Cluster Attacks in Sensor Networks Using Sequential Analysis

Due to the unattended nature of wireless sensor networks, an adversary can capture and compromise sensor nodes, generate replicas of those compromised nodes, and mount a variety of attacks with the replicas he injects into the network. This is a severe type of attack in the sense that the attacker can leverage the compromise of a single node to create widespread effects on the network. In particular, we are interested in replica cluster attacks, in which many replicas with the same identity form a cluster in a small region. This is also a dangerous attack because attacker can leverage a replica cluster to harmfully impact on the much of the network. To defend against replica cluster attacks, we propose an efficient and effective replica cluster detection scheme using the sequential probability ratio test. We show analytically that our scheme achieves a high replica cluster detection capability.
The use of learning in fast adaptation algorithms

SUMMARY Recently, an adaptive control algorithm was proposed to handle time-varying parameters with transient characterization. Using fast and robust adaptation, the unknown time-varying parameters are no longer restricted to having slow change rates. As unknown nonlinear functions can be simply expressed by a few time-varying parameters, they can be handled by the adaptive framework easily without resorting to learning techniques such as artificial neural networks. This motivates a fundamental question about whether learning is still useful in algorithms using fast adaptation. This paper provides an answer to this question. An adaptive controller is presented that uses a radial basis function neural network in addition to the currently used piecewise constant adaptive law of the algorithm to approximate uncertainties. Even though the fast and robust adaptation of control can handle unknown nonlinear functions, there is still an advantage to using neural networks. This advantage is that certain design parameters related to the adaptation rate can be relaxed while still achieving good performance. It is shown that performance improves with better function approximation, and the inclusion of the neural network in the control architecture cannot degrade performance but only improve it. Fast adaptation requires a small integration step size. In the presence of artificial neural network learning, the same performance can be achieved at a lower adaptation rate or enlarged integration step size. This benefit is important for practical implementation of fast adaptation algorithms by relaxing the often stringent constraints on hardware CPU speed. Theoretical results are supported by simulations. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A novel computational framework for structural classification of proteins using local geometric parameter matching

The objective of this study was to develop a novel and fast computational framework for classification of proteins using a series of secondary structure geometric parameter represented by an unexplored dihedral angle of a protein sequence. A dihedral angle is calculated between two planes represented by atomtuplets [N(i), C(i), N(i+1)] and [(C(i), N(i+1), C(ii+1)], of adjacent (i and i+1) amino acids of a protein structure. The comparison of two such series of dihedral angles, each representing a different protein structure, is based on subsequence matching which not only gives the extent of match but also provides with the approximate demographic information of the match which then is used in classification of proteins. The technique is tested over 25 proteins belonging to 5 different families randomly selected from Alpha, Beta, Alpha and Beta (alpha/beta) and multi-domain proteins (alpha and beta) classes. The classification rate is achieved with an accuracy of 88%.
Effect of Citric Acid, Rhizosphere Bacteria, and Plant Age on Metal Uptake in Reeds Cultured in Acid Mine Drainage

Acid mine drainage (AMD) poses serious environmental problems. This study assessed the effect of plant age, rhizosphere bacteria, and citric acid (CA) on the metal plaque formation and metal uptake in Phragmites australis cultured in a synthetic AMD solution. Iron-oxidizing bacteria (Fe(II)OB) enhanced the formation of Fe plaque, which slightly decreased Fe and Mn uptake. CA reduced the growth of Fe(II)OB and formation of Fe plaque, thereby increasing the Fe and Mn accumulations in reeds. Adult reeds had developed more Fe plaque on the root surface than seedlings. However, the adult reeds still accumulated higher concentrations of metals due to their higher tolerance to toxic environments and bigger biomass. With 9.02 g/L CA, adult reeds accumulated 0.51 ± 0.00 mg Mn, 109.38 ± 1.37 mg Fe, and 1.77 ± 0.04 mg Al. More investigation may be needed to further study the effect of CA when applied to AMD-contaminated field.
Multi-modal intervention and prospective implementation of standardized sickle cell pain admission orders reduces 30-day readmission rate.

Introduction The National Association of Children’s Hospitals (NACHRI) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently introduced 30-day hospital readmission rate as a quality care indicator in children with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Based on previous research identifying risk factors for 30-day readmission in our patient population, we designed and implemented a multi-modal intervention to reduce 30-day readmission rate in children with SCD and pain.
Role of ubiquitin-proteasome degradation pathway in biogenesis efficiency of β-cell ATP-sensitive potassium channels

ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels of pancreatic β-cells mediate glucose-induced insulin secretion by linking glucose metabolism to membrane excitability. The number of plasma membrane KATP ch...