cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Global drought and flood-watch from NOAA polar-orbitting satellites

Abstract Drought and flood are the most damaging environmental phenomenon. In a quarter of the century since 1967, droughts affected sixty and floods thirty percent of 2.8 billion people who suffered from weather-related disasters. Moreover, they were a cause of 1.6 million deaths from the total number of 3.5 million people killed by all disasters during 1967–1991. Since drought and flood cover large areas, it is difficult to monitor them using conventional systems. In recent years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has designed a new AVHRR-based indices that have shown to be useful for detection and monitoring large area vegetation stress resulted from drought or soil oversaturation following flooding and excessive rains. These indices are Vegetation Condition Index (VCI), Temperature Condition Index (TCI) and their combination (V/TCI). These indices showed their excellent ability to detect vegetation stress due to drought and soil oversaturation and are useful in measuring time of onset, intensity, duration, and impact on vegetation of these phenomenon. This paper shows the principals of VCI/TCI application.
Fluorescence studies of confinement in polymer films and nanocomposites: Glass transition temperature, plasticizer effects, and sensitivity to stress relaxation and local polarity

Confinement effects in polystyrene and poly(methyl methacrylate) films and nanocomposites are studied by fluorescence. The ability to employ an intensive measurable, the excited-state fluorescence lifetime, in defining the glass transition temperature, Tg, of polymers is demonstrated and compared to the use of an extensive measurable, fluorescence intensity. In addition, intrinsic fluorescence from the phenyl groups in polystyrene is used to determine the Tg-confinement effect in films as thin as ~15 nm. The decrease in Tg with decreasing film thickness (below ∼60 nm) agrees well with results obtained by extrinsic pyrene fluorescence. Dye label fluorescence is used to quantify the enhancement in Tg observed with decreasing thickness (below ~90 nm) in poly(methyl methacrylate) films; addition of 2–4 wt% dioctyl phthalate plasticizer reduces or eliminates the Tg-confinement effect in films down to 20 nm thickness. Intrinsic polystyrene fluorescence, which is sensitive to local conformation, is used to quantify the time scales (some tens of minutes) associated with stress relaxation in thin and ultrathin spin-coated films at Tg + 10 K. Finally, the shape of the fluorescence spectrum of pyrene doped at trace levels in polystyrene films and polystyrene-silica nanocomposites is used to determine effects of confinement on microenvironment polarity.
Causes of changes in wage variation among states

Abstract Borts and Stein [1] point to a shift from low wage agriculture to more diversified economies as a major reason for income convergence among states from 1880 through 1950. We find continued convergence through 1980 with some divergence from 1980 to 1985. Generalizing from a bifurcated model to a model with 50 industries, we find that shifts in the mix among low- and high-wage industries causes a change in average wage rate both directly through the weighting effect and indirectly by influencing wage rates as measured by a fixed weight index.
Taking a life course approach to studying substance use treatment among a community cohort of African American substance users

Background Life course theory emphasizes the need to examine a wide variety of distal factors along with proximal factors, longitudinally. Yet research on who obtains substance use treatment is generally cross-sectional and limited to examining developmentally proximal factors (e.g., substance use severity) and demographic factors.
Cachexia in the non-obese diabetic mouse is associated with CD4+ T-cell lymphopenia.

Summary One of the long-term consequences of Type I diabetes is weight loss with muscle atrophy, the hallmark phenotype of cachexia. A number of disorders that result in cachexia are associated with immune deficiency. However, whether immune deficiency is a cause or an effect of cachexia is not known. This study examines the non-obese diabetic mouse, the mouse model for spontaneous Type I diabetes, as a potential model to study lymphopenia in cachexia, and to determine whether lymphopenia plays a role in the development of cachexia. The muscle atrophy seen in patients with Type I diabetes involves active protein degradation by activation of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway, indicating cachexia. Evidence of cachexia in the non-obese diabetic mouse was determined by measuring skeletal muscle atrophy, activation of the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway, and apoptosis, a state also described in some models of cachexia. CD4+ T-cell subset lymphopenia was measured in wasting and non-wasting diabetic mice. Our data show that the mechanism of wasting in diabetic mice involves muscle atrophy, a significant increase in ubiquitin conjugation, and upregulation of the ubiquitin ligases, muscle RING finger 1 (MuRF1) and muscle atrophy F box/atrogin-1 (MAFbx), indicating cachexia. Moreover, fragmentation of DNA isolated from atrophied muscle tissue indicates apoptosis. While CD4+ T-cell lymphopenia is evident in all diabetic mice, CD4+ T cells that express a very low density of CD44 were significantly lost in wasting, but not non-wasting, diabetic mice. These data suggest that CD4+ T-cell subsets are not equally susceptible to cachexia-associated lymphopenia in diabetic mice.
Cough and dyspnea in a renal transplant patient.

A 38-year-old male presented with cough and dyspnea for approximately one month. He had a past medical history of hypertension, end-stage renal disease secondary to unspecified glomerulonephritis, and living-donor renal transplant 15 years ago. He had no history of exposure to tobacco or occupational toxins. His blood tests revealed increased serum creatinine (3.0 mg/dL), normal phosphate (4.0 mg/dL) and calcium levels (9.7 mg/dL), increased parathyroid hormone (95 pg/mL), and low calcidiol (10.2 ng/mL) and calcitriol (8.1 ng/mL) levels. The patient underwent bronchioalveolar lavage, which was negative for mycobacterial or fungal infection. Chest radiograph revealed fluffy densities involving the upper and mid lobes bilaterally with sparing of the subpleural region (Fig. 1). An axial computed tomographic scan of the chest showed extensive, upper lobe predominant ground glass opacities in an acinar distribution with areas of calcification. (Fig. 2, a and b) Figure 1 Chest radiograph showing fluffy densities involving the upper lobes bilaterally with sparing of the cortex (black arrow). Figure 2 Coronal computed tomographic scan of chest in a) Mediastinal window b) lung window showing extensive, upper and middle lobe predominant ground glass opacities in an acinar distribution with areas of calcification with subpleural sparing (black arrows). ... Questions What is the diagnosis? How do you treat it? To access the full article, please complete the quiz online at www.omjournal.org Articles from Oman Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of Oman Medical Specialty Board Formats: Article | PubReader | ePub (beta) | PDF (570K) | Citation Share Facebook Twitter Google+ You are here: NCBI > Literature > PubMed Central (PMC) Write to the Help Desk External link. Please review our privacy policy. NLM NIH DHHS USA.gov Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy | Browsers | Accessibility | Contact National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda MD, 20894 USA
Effects of electrical stimulation of the glossopharyngeal nerve on cells in the nucleus of the solitary tract of the rat.

Abstract Electrophysiological responses to electrical stimulation of the lingual branch of the glossopharyngeal (GP) nerve (which innervates taste buds on the caudal 1/3 of the tongue) were recorded from single cells in the rostral nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) of anesthetized rats. Electrical stimulation was delivered as single pulses ( n = 55), paired-pulses ( n = 15) and tetanic trains ( n = 11). NTS cells with GP-evoked responses were also tested for responsivity to taste stimuli (0.1 M NaCl, 0.5 M sucrose, 0.01 M HCl and 0.01 M quinine HCl). Fifty-five neurons were studied: 49 cells showed GP-evoked (mean latency ± SEM = 18.0 ± 1.32 ms); seven of these were taste-responsive. Spontaneous rate of these cells was low (mean ± SEM = 1.4 ± 0.3 spikes per second; median = 0.21 spikes per second) and many cells showed no spontaneous activity. Paired-pulse stimulation of the GP nerve in 13 rats produced both paired-pulse suppression ( n = 11) and paired-pulse enhancement ( n = 4); tetanic stimulation (25 Hz, 1.0 s) produced sustained (> 20 s) increases or decreases in firing rate in 7 of 11 cells tested. Histological data suggested that GP-evoked responses recorded in the most rostral NTS were likely the result of polysynaptic connections. Cells with GP-evoked responses formed a heterogeneous group in terms of their response properties and differed from cells with evoked responses to chorda tympani (CT; which innervates taste buds on the rostral 1/3 of the tongue) nerve stimulation. These differences may reflect the respective functional specializations of the GP and CT nerves.
Species as Explanatory Hypotheses: Refinements and Implications

The formal definition of species as explanatory hypotheses presented by Fitzhugh (Marine Biol 26:155–165, 2005a, b) is emended. A species is an explanatory account of the occurrences of the same character(s) among gonochoristic or cross-fertilizing hermaphroditic individuals by way of character origin and subsequent fixation during tokogeny. In addition to species, biological systematics also employs hypotheses that are ontogenetic, tokogenetic, intraspecific, and phylogenetic, each of which provides explanatory hypotheses for distinctly different classes of causal questions. It is suggested that species hypotheses can not be applied to organisms with obligate asexual, parthenogenetic, and self-fertilizing modes of reproduction. Hypotheses explaining shared characters among such organisms are, instead, strictly phylogenetic. Several implications of this emended definition are examined, especially the relations between species, intraspecific, and phylogenetic hypotheses, as well as the limitations of species names to be applied to temporally different characters within populations.
Coherent Combination of Semiconductor Lasers Using Optical Phase-Lock Loops

Two high power semiconductor lasers are phase-locked to a low power master laser using optical phase-lock loops. Coherent power combination and individual phase control of the SCLs with an RF phase shifter and voltage controlled oscillator are demonstrated. A stable power combination efficiency of 95% is achieved using the VCO scheme.
Successful multifold dose escalation of anti-GD2 monoclonal antibody 3F8 in patients with neuroblastoma: a phase I study.

Purpose Pain can hinder immunotherapy with anti-GD2 monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) like 3F8. Heat-modified 3F8 (HM3F8) lacks effector functions and could mask GD2 or cross-reactive epitopes on nerves, thereby preventing a subsequent dose of unmodified 3F8 from activating pain fibers. We hypothesized that 3F8 dose escalation is possible without increased analgesic requirements in patients pretreated with HM3F8. Patients and Methods Thirty patients with resistant neuroblastoma (NB) received one to two cycles of 3F8 plus granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. 3F8 dosing began at 20 mg/m2/d and increased by 20 mg/m2/d in the absence of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT). Premedication included analgesics, antihistamines, and 5-minute infusions of HM3F8. On the basis of experience with 3F8 10 mg/m2/d in prior protocols, the DLT of pain was defined as more than seven doses of opioids administered within 2 hours. Opioid use was compared with a contemporary control group treated with 3F8 20 mg/m2/d but no HM3...
An Inner Membrane Cytochrome Required Only for Reduction of High Redox Potential Extracellular Electron Acceptors

ABSTRACT Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria, such as Geobacter sulfurreducens, transfer electrons beyond their outer membranes to Fe(III) and Mn(IV) oxides, heavy metals, and electrodes in electrochemical devices. In the environment, metal acceptors exist in multiple chelated and insoluble forms that span a range of redox potentials and offer different amounts of available energy. Despite this, metal-reducing bacteria have not been shown to alter their electron transfer strategies to take advantage of these energy differences. Disruption of imcH , encoding an inner membrane c- type cytochrome, eliminated the ability of G. sulfurreducens to reduce Fe(III) citrate, Fe(III)-EDTA, and insoluble Mn(IV) oxides, electron acceptors with potentials greater than 0.1 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode (SHE), but the imcH mutant retained the ability to reduce Fe(III) oxides with potentials of ≤−0.1 V versus SHE. The imcH mutant failed to grow on electrodes poised at +0.24 V versus SHE, but switching electrodes to −0.1 V versus SHE triggered exponential growth. At potentials of ≤−0.1 V versus SHE, both the wild type and the imcH mutant doubled 60% slower than at higher potentials. Electrodes poised even 100 mV higher (0.0 V versus SHE) could not trigger imcH mutant growth. These results demonstrate that G. sulfurreducens possesses multiple respiratory pathways, that some of these pathways are in operation only after exposure to low redox potentials, and that electron flow can be coupled to generation of different amounts of energy for growth. The redox potentials that trigger these behaviors mirror those of metal acceptors common in subsurface environments where Geobacter is found. IMPORTANCE Insoluble metal oxides in the environment represent a common and vast reservoir of energy for respiratory microbes capable of transferring electrons across their insulating membranes to external acceptors, a process termed extracellular electron transfer. Despite the global biogeochemical importance of metal cycling and the ability of such organisms to produce electricity at electrodes, fundamental gaps in the understanding of extracellular electron transfer biochemistry exist. Here, we describe a conserved inner membrane redox protein in Geobacter sulfurreducens which is required only for electron transfer to high-potential compounds, and we show that G. sulfurreducens has the ability to utilize different electron transfer pathways in response to the amount of energy available in a metal or electrode distant from the cell.
Mesenteric venous thrombosis: Still a lethal disease in the 1990s

Abstract Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate progress in diagnosis, management, and clinical outcome of mesenteric venous thrombosis (MVT). Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the clinical course of 72 patients treated for mesenteric venous thrombosis between 1972 and 1993. Results: Fifty-three patients had acute and 19 had chronic mesenteric venous thrombosis. Fifty-seven patients had secondary mesenteric venous thrombosis; previous abdominal surgical procedure and hypercoagulable states were the most prevalent associated conditions. Computed tomography was abnormal in all patients who underwent this test for acute mesenteric venous thrombosis and in 93% of those who had chronic disease. Angiography diagnosed acute mesenteric venous thrombosis in five (72%) of seven patients. Acute mesenteric venous thrombosis presented most frequently as abdominal pain (83%), anorexia (53%), and diarrhea (43%). Thirty-three (75%) had symptoms longer than 48 hours. Thirty-four (64%) patients with acute mesenteric venous thrombosis underwent a surgical procedure. Bowel resection was necessary in 31 patients. One patient had unsuccessful mesenteric venous thrombectomy. Seven patients with acute mesenteric venous thrombosis underwent anticoagulation without a surgical procedure, and 12 were observed. All patients with chronic mesenteric venous thrombosis were observed; nine of the 19 underwent anticoagulation. The median delay in diagnosis for patients with acute mesenteric venous thrombosis was 48 hours and did not decrease during the last decade. Mesenteric venous thrombosis recurred in 19 (36%) patients. The 30-day mortality was 27%. Long-term survival of patients with acute mesenteric venous thrombosis was significantly worse than that of those with chronic disease (36% vs 83% survival at 3 years). The patients with acute mesenteric venous thrombosis who underwent anticoagulation with and without surgical procedure had improved survival when compared with the observed group. Conclusion: Acute mesenteric venous thrombosis remains a lethal disease. Mortality has not improved in the last 22 years. Computed tomography is the most sensitive diagnostic test. Anticoagulation and surgical procedure enhanced survival in the acute subgroup. The underlying disease determined survival in chronic disease. (J VASC SURG 1994;20:688-97.)
Ganglion cell death in glaucoma: pathology recapitulates ontogeny

I review some improvements in our knowledge about the death of retinal ganglion cells in glaucoma during the last 20 years. These include the realisation that glaucoma damage precedes its detection by perimetry, the fact that the lamina cribrosa is a major site of axonal injury to ganglion cells, and the association between regional structure of optic nerve head connective tissue and the pattern of glaucoma damage. The selective susceptibility of larger retinal ganglion cells and its functional significance are described. Apoptosis is the mode of cell death in at least some ganglion cells in experimental glaucoma. This supports a theory that retrograde axonal transport failure leads to loss of trophic factor influence on ganglion cells, causing them to initiate their own suicide. As a consequence of this theory, two therapeutic avenues are suggested for prevention of glaucoma injury and cell death: delivery of trophic factors and manipulation of ganglion cell genetic expression of controlling influences over programmed cell death.
Single Base Mutations in the Human Androgen Receptor Gene Causing Complete Androgen Insensitivity: Rapid Detection by a Modified Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis Technique

Mutations of the human androgen receptor (AR) gene impair normal sexual differentiation and development in karyotypic males, resulting in a spectrum of external genital phenotypes ranging from complete female to nearly complete male. Identification and characterization of these mutations can provide valuable information regarding the functional importance of specific amino acids of the AR. To screen for point mutations in the AR gene underlying the phenotypic abnormalities in the androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS), the eight exons of the AR gene were amplified from genomic DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and analyzed by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. A computer program, MELTMAP, was used to identify optimum sequences for denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, and mutation detection sensitivity was enhanced by forming heteroduplexes between control and subject PCR products to create base mismatches. In seven families with complete AIS, single base mutations were found in the re...
Characterizaton of Pecvd Fluorinated Silicon Oxides and Stabilization of Interaction with Metals

Fluorinated silicon oxide films were prepared in a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition reactor using TEOS, O2, and either C2F6 or NF3. Properties such as deposition rate, film refractive index, dielectric constant, density, and fluorine concentration were investigated as a function of experimental conditions. Based on nuclear reaction analysis (NRA) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) measurements, no single linear relationship was found between fluorine concentration or film density and dielectric constant. Special attention was paid to the interaction of fluorine with metals. NRA and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) depth profiles showed that fluorine diffuses rapidly through aluminum and piles up at the free surface. The effect of various plasma treatments was investigated to passivate the surface of fluorinated silicon oxide. CF4 - O2 plasma treatment of the fluorinated oxide before aluminum deposition produced significant improvement in inhibiting fluorine diffusion into aluminum without increasing the dielectric constant.
The intestine–renal connection in IgA nephropathy

It is commonly stated that mucosal immunity plays a role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN); however, the search for specific eliciting factors has been largely inconclusive. A dysregulated mucosal immune system with defective immune tolerance to commonly encountered pathogens or alimentary components is likely to be the key factor in triggering IgAN. Most of the interest, particularly in Asia, was being focussed on the possibility of modulating the mucosal immune system by tonsillectomy, a simple way of eradicating a source of pathogens, meanwhile reducing mucosal-associated immune system (mucosal-associated lymphoid tissue, MALT), but results are still inconclusive. Over the last years, a resurgence of interest has addressed the role of intestinal immunity facing dietary components, like gluten or the complex intestinal flora, the microbiota. The latter is focussing particular interest in recent reports, because it can vary according to diet and environmental factors, is modulated by the host genes and influences, in return, the MALT activity. Some data suggest a tempting new hypothesis for a strong intestine-kidney connection in IgAN. A defective immune tolerance might favour an abnormal response to microbiota with alterations of the intestinal barrier, including increased alimentary antigens and bacterial toxins absorption, triggering MALT activation and subclinical intestinal inflammation. This can produce abnormal response to alimentary antigens or commensal microbes with synthesis of aberrantly glycosylated polymeric IgA1 which eventually enter the circulation with renal deposits formation. The hypothesis is tempting also because it offers new treatment options, targeted to subclinical intestinal inflammation or microbiota modifications.
Initial comparison of a tactile aid display with and without lateral inhibition

A tactile hearing aid was modified to test the ability of lateral inhibition to sharpen the perceived tactile display. The aid was based on amplitude- and time-quantized speech. The digital frequencies in the processes signal were detected and displayed via a linear array of electrodes using biphasic constant current pulses. In the lateral inhibition scheme the active electrode inhibits other electrodes that are plus or minus three electrodes away from it. Inhibition and no-inhibition schemes were tested with the two schemes in a forced choice test. No statistically significant difference could be detected between the two display schemes for the test material. >
Encoding specificity in the cued and free recall of categorically and alphabetically organized words

Sixty Ss learned a 40-word list comprised of five words from each of eight taxonomic categories and beginning with each of eight initial letters. Words were presented for study either cued and blocked by initial letter or by taxonomic category or randomly presented without cues. Output was cued by initial letters, taxonomic categories, or neither, followed by a second uncued recall test for all groups. Consistency of input organization and output cue facilitated both cued and uncued recall, but produced a decrement in cued relative to uncued recall. With output cues inconsistent with input organization, however, uncued recall was higher than cued recall. Clustering on the uncued free recall was dependent on input organization and was positively correlated with recall if categoric, but negatively correlated if alphabetic. Results were interpreted as supportive of an encoding specificity hypothesis.
The Family and Consumer Sciences Research Center: Guiding and Advancing Research

The Family and Consumer Sciences Research Center was established in 2011 to guide and advance research in family and consumer sciences. The purpose of this article is to provide an introduction to the Research Center and to outline the virtual resources available to FCS researchers and students.
Masculinized otoacoustic emissions in female spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta)

In humans and rhesus monkeys, click-evoked otoacoustic emissions (CEOAEs) are stronger in females than in males, and there is considerable circumstantial evidence that this sex difference is attributable to the greater exposure to androgens prenatally in males. Because female spotted hyenas are highly androgenized beginning early in prenatal development, we expected an absence of sexual dimorphism in the CEOAEs of this species. The CEOAEs obtained from 9 male and 7 female spotted hyenas confirmed that expectation. The implication is that the marked androgenization to which female spotted hyenas are exposed masculinizes the cochlear mechanism responsible for CEOAEs. The CEOAEs measured in 3 male and 3 female hyenas that had been treated with anti-androgenic agents during prenatal development were stronger than the CEOAEs of the untreated animals, in accord with the implied inverse relationship between prenatal androgen exposure and the strength of the cochlear mechanisms producing CEOAEs. The CEOAEs of three ovariectomized females and two castrated males were essentially the same as those for the untreated females and males, suggesting that there is little or no activational effect of hormones on CEOAE strength in spotted hyenas. Distortion product OAEs (DPOAEs) also were measured. Those sex differences also were generally small (as they are in humans), and the effects of the anti-androgen agents were inconsistent. Thus, prenatal androgen exposure apparently does affect OAEs, but the effects appear to be greater for the reflection-based cochlear mechanism that underlies CEOAEs than for the nonlinear cochlear mechanism underlying DPOAEs.
Adjuvant brachytherapy removes survival disadvantage of local disease extension in stage IIIC endometrial cancer: a SEER registry analysis.

Purpose To assess the role of radiotherapy (RT) in women with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer. Methods and Materials The 17-registry Survival, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was searched for patients with lymph node-positive non-Stage IV epithelial endometrial cancer diagnosed and treated between 1988 and 1998. Two subgroups were identified: those with organ-confined Stage IIIC endometrial cancer and those with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer with direct extension of the primary tumor. RT was coded as external beam RT (EBRT) or brachytherapy (BT). Observed survival (OS) was reported with a minimum of 5 years of follow-up; the survival curves were compared using the log–rank test. Results The therapy data revealed 611 women with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer during this period. Of these women, 51% were treated with adjuvant EBRT, 21% with EBRT and BT, and 28% with no additional RT (NAT). Of the 611 patients, 293 had organ-confined Stage IIIC endometrial cancer and 318 patients had Stage IIIC endometrial cancer with direct extension of the primary tumor. The 5-year OS rate for all patients was 40% with NAT, 56% after EBRT, and 64% after EBRT/BT. Adjuvant RT improved survival compared with NAT ( p p = 0.02). In patients with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer and direct tumor extension, the 5-year OS rate was 34% for NAT, 47% for EBRT, and 63% for EBRT/BT. RT improved OS compared with NAT ( p p = 0.002). Conclusion Women with Stage IIIC endometrial cancer receiving adjuvant EBRT and EBRT/BT had improved OS compared with patients receiving NAT. When direct extension of the primary tumor was present, the addition of BT to EBRT was even more beneficial.
The East Asian Model of Economic Development and Developing Countries

This paper examines the debate on the East Asian model of economic development in light of the different approaches undertaken by different groups of countries (economies) in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia. The common strengths and weaknesses shared by the East Asian countries (economies) have helped to reinforce the misconception that there is a single East Asian model of economic development. There are, however, significant differences in economic structures as well as development experiences among the East Asian economies, especially between the economic development paradigms of Southeast Asia and Northeast Asia. Nonetheless, one single common thread underlies the differences in development strategies and experiences among the East Asian economies—the role of the government. The governments of East Asia have recognized the limitations of markets (or market failures) in the allocation of scarce resources in the economy, and have used government interventions to promote economic development. The recen...
Improved cathode materials for microbial electrosynthesis

Microbial electrosynthesis is a promising strategy for the microbial conversion of carbon dioxide to transportation fuels and other organic commodities, but optimization of this process is required for commercialization. Cathodes which enhance electrode–microbe electron transfer might improve rates of product formation. To evaluate this possibility, biofilms of Sporomusa ovata, which are effective in acetate electrosynthesis, were grown on a range of cathode materials and acetate production was monitored over time. Modifications of carbon cloth that resulted in a positive-charge enhanced microbial electrosynthesis. Functionalization with chitosan or cyanuric chloride increased acetate production rates 6–7 fold and modification with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane gave rates 3-fold higher than untreated controls. A 3-fold increase in electrosynthesis over untreated carbon cloth cathodes was also achieved with polyaniline cathodes. However, not all strategies to provide positively charged surfaces were successful, as treatment of carbon cloth with melamine or ammonia gas did not stimulate acetate electrosynthesis. Treating carbon cloth with metal, in particular gold, palladium, or nickel nanoparticles, also promoted electrosynthesis, yielding electrosynthesis rates that were 6-, 4.7- or 4.5-fold faster than the untreated control, respectively. Cathodes comprised of cotton or polyester fabric treated with carbon nanotubes yielded cathodes that supported acetate electrosynthesis rates that were ∼3-fold higher than carbon cloth controls. Recovery of electrons consumed in acetate was ∼80% for all materials. The results demonstrate that one approach to increase rates of carbon dioxide reduction in microbial electrosynthesis is to modify cathode surfaces to improve microbe-electrode interactions.
Wavelet-based identification of delamination defect in CMP (Cu-low k) using nonstationary acoustic emission signal

Wavelet-based multiscale analysis approaches have revolutionized the tasks of signal processing, such as image and data compression. However, the scope of wavelet-based methods in the fields of statistical applications, such as process monitoring, density estimation, and defect identification, are still in their early stages of evolution. Recent literature contains some applications of wavelet-based methods in monitoring, such as tool-life monitoring, bearing defect monitoring, and monitoring of ultra-precision processes. This paper presents a novel application of a wavelet-based multiscale method in a nanomachining process [chemical mechanical planarization (CMP)] of wafer fabrication. The application involves identification of delamination defect of low-k dielectric layers by analyzing the nonstationary acoustic emission (AE) signal and coefficient of friction (CoF) signal collected during copper damascene (Cu-low k) CMP process. An offline strategy and a moving window-based strategy for online implementation of the wavelet monitoring approach are developed. Both offline and moving window-based strategies are implemented on the data collected from two different sources. The results show that the wavelet-based approach using the AE signal offers an efficient means for real-time detection of delamination defects in CMP processes. Such an online strategy, in contrast to the existing offline approaches, offers a viable tool for CMP process control. The results also indicate that the CoF signal is insensitive to delamination defect.
Case 31: Valuable Information from an Inplanted Pacemaker

Today you are anesthetizing a 68-year-old male, 84 kg and 5 ft 9 in., for a radical prostatectomy. To your dismay, you note that the surgeon doing the case is known for creating way above average blood loss. The patient has a history of coronary artery disease and hypertension. His HR is 70 bpm regular, BP 140/85, and oxygen saturation on room air is 97%. He claims his exercise tolerance is good, as he can walk two flights of stairs without stopping. On exam you discover a bulge under the patient’s left collarbone. You ascertain that he has a pacemaker. There is no information about the pacemaker. The only thing the patient can tell you is that he has had it there for 3 years. He does not know why he got it. There is no information from the hospital records, as insertion was done at another hospital. As luck would have it, the Medtronic representative is in the preoperative holding area and you ask him to interrogate it. He tells you the battery is OK and that the pacemaker is set in a pacemaker dependent mode. Furthermore, he informs you that this is not an AICD (this is a device that delivers a direct current shock to the ventricle. The shock is in response to sensing ventricular fibrillation or ventricular tachycardia).
Hippocampal closed-loop modeling and implications for seizure stimulation design.

Objective. Traditional hippocampal modeling has focused on the series of feedforward synapses known as the trisynaptic pathway. However, feedback connections from CA1 back to the hippocampus through the entorhinal cortex (EC) actually make the hippocampus a closed-loop system. By constructing a functional closed-loop model of the hippocampus, one may learn how both physiological and epileptic oscillations emerge and design efficient neurostimulation patterns to abate such oscillations. Approach. Point process input–output models where estimated from recorded rodent hippocampal data to describe the nonlinear dynamical transformation from CA3 → CA1, via the schaffer-collateral synapse, and CA1 → CA3 via the EC. Each Volterra-like subsystem was composed of linear dynamics (principal dynamic modes) followed by static nonlinearities. The two subsystems were then wired together to produce the full closed-loop model of the hippocampus. Main results. Closed-loop connectivity was found to be necessary for the emergence of theta resonances as seen in recorded data, thus validating the model. The model was then used to identify frequency parameters for the design of neurostimulation patterns to abate seizures. Significance. Deep-brain stimulation (DBS) is a new and promising therapy for intractable seizures. Currently, there is no efficient way to determine optimal frequency parameters for DBS, or even whether periodic or broadband stimuli are optimal. Data-based computational models have the potential to be used as a testbed for designing optimal DBS patterns for individual patients. However, in order for these models to be successful they must incorporate the complex closed-loop structure of the seizure focus. This study serves as a proof-of-concept of using such models to design efficient personalized DBS patterns for epilepsy.
A Coalitional Game for Distributed Inference in Sensor Networks With Dependent Observations

We consider the problem of collaborative inference in a sensor network with heterogeneous and statistically dependent sensor observations. Each sensor aims to maximize its inference performance by forming a coalition with other sensors and sharing information within the coalition. In this paper, the formation of non-overlapping coalitions with statistically dependent sensors is investigated under a communication constraint. We apply a game theoretical approach to fully explore and utilize the information contained in the spatial dependence among sensors to maximize individual sensor performance. Before formulating the distributed inference problem as a coalition formation game, we quantify the gain and loss in forming a coalition by introducing the concepts of diversity gain and redundancy loss for both estimation and detection problems. These definitions, enabled by the statistical theory of copulas, allow us to characterize the influence of statistical dependence among sensor observations on inference performance and collaboration strategy. An iterative algorithm based on merge-and-split operations is proposed for the solution and the stability of the proposed algorithm is analyzed. Numerical results are also provided for illustration.
Judging Terror in the 'Zone of Twilight': Exigency, Institutional Equity, and Procedure after September 11th

Efforts by the political branches to deal with the threat of mass violence by transnational networks have created what Justice Jackson in the Steel Seizure case called a zone of twilight for courts. Executive assertions of power to fashion exigent procedures for the confinement and adjudication of alleged terrorists have posed a particularly nettlesome dilemma. Courts can either defer to the executive, trusting that the special circumstances of the case will seal off any lasting harm to the principles that guide the rest of the legal system, or can seek refuge in a stalwart absolutism that accepts even catastrophic harm to innocents as the price of democracy. Navigating through the zone of twilight requires a pragmatic focus on the implications of exigent procedures for both public safety and the relationships between the three branches. The history of both habeas corpus and remedies jurisprudence reveals just such a pragmatic turn, which I call institutional equity. While no road map is available, institutional equity offers a framework for analysis of issues such as the detention of alleged unlawful combatants that avoids the dangers of both deference and absolutism.
Architectural Contesting

This paper presents results showing that workload behavior tends to vary considerably at granularities of less than a thousand instructions. If it were possible to adjust the microarchitecture to suit the workload behavior at such rates, significant single-thread performance enhancement would be achievable. However, previous techniques are too sluggish to be able to effectively respond to such fine-grain change.
OBSERVATIONS OF WIND WAVE NONLINEARITY

Observations of pressure fluctuations at the sea floor in 13 m depth are compared to an existing theory for weakly nonlinear surface gravity waves (Hasselmann, 1962). In this depth, free surface waves (obeying the dispersion relation) at sea and swell frequencies (0.05 - 0.3 Hz) are weakly attenuated, but free waves at frequencies higher than about 0.4 Hz do not reach the sea floor. However, nonlinear interactions between (primary) free waves of about the same frequency, propagating in nearly opposing directions, theoretically excite long wavelength, double frequency (secondary) forced waves that are only weakly attenuated at the sea floor. Bottom pressure spectra observed in 13 m depth show an (©(lO2)) increase in high frequency (0.35 - 0.6 Hz) forced wave energy levels in only a few hours after a sudden large veering in wind direction. Estimates of the free wave frequency-directional spectrum show a correspondingly rapid change with unidirectional seas when forced wave energy levels are low before the wind veering, and two nearly directionally opposing seas (0.15-0.3 Hz) when forced wave energy levels are high, consistent with the theoretical generation mechanism. The observed forced wave energy levels are in good agreement with theoretical predictions based on the directional spectrum estimates. Estimates of average wave numbers verify that sea and swell obey the dispersion relation, and show that double sea frequency forced waves have longer wavelengths than the interacting free waves, consistent with theory. Observed third order statistics confirm that the double frequency forced waves are coupled to the directionally opposing seas with a phase relationship predicted by theory.
Functional adrenocortical homotransplants in the golden hamster.

Summary1. Adrenal glands from golden hamster fetuses, transplanted homologously into cheek pouches of adult hamsters which were adrenalectomized 22 days after transplantation, maintained the untreated hosts for at least 4 times the expected survival time of adrenalectomized and untreated hamsters without transplants. 2. When the adrenal transplants were excised from surviving hosts, after 67 to 154 days in the cheek pouch, the hosts died within 6 days. 3. Microscopic appearance of healthy cortical cells with some indication of adult arrangement in zones and cords, supported the physiological evidence for growth, differentiation and function of the adrenal transplants. This is the first known instance of successful adrenocortical transplantation in the hamster.
Convex optimization of durability testing profiles for autonomous vehicles

Durability life of an automotive product depends not just on structural characteristics of the product but also on time and frequency domain characteristics of the road load it is exposed to over its life. Accelerated durability life testing is performed in a proving ground with a well defined set of damaging road events or ‘stressors’ performed at a set of predefined speeds. A testing profile consisting of a mix of proving ground features is built. The objective of this profile is to closely match the total structural damage accumulated in test to the total damage due to ‘road load’ accumulated by the automotive product over one design life, while also minimizing the total test time. In this paper we show that the problem of selecting a mix of proving ground features given calculated relative damage and time taken, is convex and hence solvable. Also, by fitting a continuous spline function to our field calculated damage values for 5 pre set velocities, we expand our convex optimization problem to include all possible velocities based on the sampling of the continuous function generated above. In the test profile developed, we were able to reach 9 out of 12 damage targets precisely over 2 design lives of the vehicle. This new test profile also takes approximately 175th the time of a similar testing profile derived manually. We then also develop three different testing profiles each with its own unique advantages.
Reflections on the Future of the Life Course

The notion that the life course is both biologically based and also socially and culturally constructed can be traced back to a number of theoretical traditions in sociology and psychology in the early part of the last century (Mannheim, 1944; Thomas, 1937), while efforts to develop a theory of the life course began several decades later with the writings of C. Wright Mills (1959), Norman Ryder (1965), and Riley, Johnson, and Foner (1972) in sociology and Bernice Neugarten (1968) in psychology. These ideas were promoted and advanced by a variety of researchers in the 1970s and 1980s among them Glen Elder (1974, 1975), Tamara Hareven (1978), Modell, Furstenberg, and Hershberg (1976; 1989), Karl Ulrich Mayer (1991), Hagestad and Neugarten (1985), Walter Heinz (1996), and many others. With new methods and longitudinal data sets, life course research came of age in the last several decades and is now an established theoretical perspective in sociology and developmental psychology as is attested to in this volume.
Remaining Useful Lifetime Estimation for Thermally Stressed Power MOSFETs Based on on -State Resistance Variation

The research on noninvasive incipient fault diagnosis of power converters is very critical to avoid strenuous periodic check-ups and costly interruptions. Thermal cycling is one of the main techniques to accelerate the package-related failure progress. In this paper, first, a custom designed accelerated aging platform that can expose multiple discrete power MOSFETs to thermal stress simultaneously is introduced. Based on the collected experimental data, the variation of the on -state resistance is identified as the failure precursor, and an exponential degradation model that fits successfully with the experimental data are developed. The remaining useful lifetime (RUL) of degraded power MOSFETs is estimated through classical least-squares algorithm run on experimental data filtered by Kalman Filter which deals with the measurement noise and model uncertainties. The essential advantage of the proposed method is that it does not require junction temperature information. The RUL estimation with limited field data is demonstrated on a number of experimental results.
Three Steps Forward, One Step Back? Reflections on 'Google Taxes', BEPS, and the DBCT

Since the market is less subject to tax competition pressures than the location of headquarters or production facilities, reducing the PE threshold makes it easier to prevent BEPS. This has recently led some jurisdictions to enact new taxes aimed specifically at structures that seek to exploit the domestic market while avoiding a PE. This article will discuss these taxes in the UK, Australia and India, explore their relationship to the BEPS project, and then consider whether further steps can be taken toward a destination-based corporate tax (DBCT) that will be a permanent cure for BEPS.
Game-Theoretic Approach to Feedback-Driven Multi-stage Moving Target Defense

The static nature of computer networks allows malicious attackers to easily gather useful information about the network using network scanning and packet sniffing. The employment of secure perimeter firewalls and intrusion detection systems cannot fully protect the network from sophisticated attacks. As an alternative to the expensive and imperfect detection of attacks, it is possible to improve network security by manipulating the attack surface of the network in order to create a moving target defense. In this paper, we introduce a proactive defense scheme that dynamically alters the attack surface of the network to make it difficult for attackers to gather system information by increasing complexity and reducing its signatures. We use concepts from systems and control literature to design an optimal and efficient multi-stage defense mechanism based on a feedback information structure. The change of attack surface involves a reconfiguration cost and a utility gain resulting from risk reduction. We use information- and control-theoretic tools to provide closed-form optimal randomization strategies. The results are corroborated by a case study and several numerical examples.
Clinical Chemistry, Including Therapeutic Drug Monitoring and Biomarkers for Diagnosis

Clinical chemistry is the discipline within laboratory medicine concerned with measuring the concentrations of analytes in blood, body fluids, and tissues. Liquid chromatography is already commonly used in the clinical chemistry laboratory for measuring the concentrations of small molecules, such as drugs and hormones, using a variety of solid phases for separation and numerous detection modalities, most important mass spectrometry. Additional liquid chromatographic methods are now being developed for measuring the concentrations of proteins in blood and tissues, taking advantage of the rapid development of novel mass-spectrometry instruments and methodologies.