cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Introduction to the GTD Edge Diffraction via Equivalent Currents [Education Corner]

The geometrical theory of diffraction (GTD) is a popular method for the analysis of diffraction from edges of electrically large conducting surfaces. It is also easy to use, as it involves only algebraic expressions and geometrical considerations. However, GTD is awkward to teach because a rigorous derivation of the diffraction coefficients requires mathematical skills that are beyond the reach of most students and many practitioners. This article presents an alternative derivation of the GTD edge diffraction equations. This approach begins with a relatively simple stationary-phase analysis of a radiation integral formed from equivalent currents postulated to flow along the edge. This analysis yields expressions in GTD form but with unspecified diffraction coefficients. Diffraction coefficients in the original GTD (Keller) form or the uniform GTD (UTD) (Kouyoumjian and Pathak) form can then be introduced as an alternative to the equivalent currents in the final expressions. This approach is suitable for a concise introduction to GTD edge diffraction for students with no previous experience in asymptotic high-frequency methods.
Globalizing manufacturing but not invention: automotive transplants in the United States

ABSTRACTProduction by foreign-owned automotive firms in the United States provides an opportunity to investigate the co-location of technological advance and manufacturing. While some scholars report that certain foreign firms are transplanting both of these activities to the United States, others are more circumspect. We first identify automotive patents across American metropolitan areas to develop a new taxonomy of automotive invention. Patent ownership is then traced, showing a clear gap between foreign-owned firms’ production in the United States and formation of invention capital. The findings support a hypothesis that globalization of manufacturing noticeably outpaces the spread of invention assets.
Routine use of Day 6 and Day 7 platelets with rapid testing: two hospitals assess impact 1 year after implementation.

BACKGROUND In March 2016 the US Food and Drug Administration published a draft guidance to enhance the safety of platelets (PLTs) for transfusion. Options for hospital transfusion services include the use of rapid testing to extend apheresis PLT dating for up to 7 days. This report describes the impact of routine use of Day 6 and Day 7 PLTs at two hospital transfusion services 1 year after implementation of rapid testing for outdate extension. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS PLT transfusion and inventory data were obtained from two hospital-based transfusion services for 12 months before and 12 months after implementation of rapid testing to extend the outdate of apheresis PLTs to 7 days. RESULTS The outdate rate decreased from 5% to 2% (p < 0.0001) at Hospital 1 and 28% to 14% (p < 0.001) at Hospital 2 after implementation of routine use of Day 6 and Day 7 PLTs. The proportion of apheresis PLT units that underwent secondary screening for bacterial contamination before transfusion in the postimplementation period increased from 33% to 54% at Hospital 1 and from 0% to 31% at Hospital 2. CONCLUSION A significant decrease in outdate rate was observed after routine use of Day 6 and Day 7 PLTs. Use of rapid testing to extend PLT outdate also resulted in a larger proportion of PLTs that underwent secondary testing for bacterial contamination before transfusion. These observations demonstrate that use of rapid testing to extend apheresis PLT dating up to 7 days enhances the safety of PLTs for transfusion and decreases wastage of a limited resource.
Natural Alternatives to Natural Number: The Case of Ratio

The overwhelming majority of efforts to cultivate early mathematical thinking rely primarily on counting and associated natural number concepts. Unfortunately, natural numbers and discretized thinking do not align well with a large swath of the mathematical concepts we wish for children to learn. This misalignment presents an important impediment to teaching and learning. We suggest that one way to circumvent these pitfalls is to leverage students’ non-numerical experiences that can provide intuitive access to foundational mathematical concepts. Specifically, we advocate for explicitly leveraging a) students’ perceptually based intuitions about quantity and b) students’ reasoning about change and variation, and we address the affordances offered by this approach. We argue that it can support ways of thinking that may at times align better with to-be-learned mathematical ideas, and thus may serve as a productive alternative for particular mathematical concepts when compared to number. We illustrate this argument using the domain of ratio, and we do so from the distinct disciplinary lenses we employ respectively as a cognitive psychologist and as a mathematics education researcher. Finally, we discuss the potential for productive synthesis given the substantial differences in our preferred methods and general epistemologies.
Automatic Parallel Library Generation for General-Size Modular FFT Algorithms

This paper presents the automatic library generation for modular FFT algorithms with arbitrary input sizes. We show how to represent the transform and its algorithms at a high abstraction level. Symbolic manipulations and code optimizations that use rewriting systems can then be systematically applied to generate a library with recursive function closure. The generated library is automatically optimized for the target computing platforms, and is intended to support modular algorithms for multivariate polynomial computations in the modpn library used by modpn . The resulting scalar and vector codes provide comparable speedup to the fixed-size code presented in [LJF10], which is an order of magnitude faster over the hand-tuned modpn library. Thread-level parallelism has also been utilized by the generated library and delivers additional speedup.
Welcome Address on Behalf of the Usda Forest Service

Good morning. On behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Forest Service, I welcome each of you to this International Symposium on Scleroderris Canker of Conifers.
Cnidaria: Secreted Surface

The epithelium covering cnidarians can secrete a surface coat with an impressive variety of functions. Secreted coats of individual cnidarians or cnidarian colonies can provide support, aid in food capture, adhere to substrata and clean away debris that settles on these animals. In a fashion characteristic of cnidarians, the surface epithelium secretions of these animals shows a wide range of functions although they are produced by a tissue that displays a low level of organization. In this discussion, I review the structure and chemical composition of cnidarian secreted surfaces that serve several different functions.
NICU Culture of Care for Infants with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Focused Ethnography.

Purpose The purpose of this focused ethnography was to describe the culture of care and nonpharmacologic nursing interventions performed by NICU nurses for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Method Roper and Shapira's framework for the analysis included participant observation, individual interviews, and examination of existing documents. Sample Twelve full-time nurses were observed and interviewed. Results Results described the culture of care provided to infants with NAS by NICU nurses as evidenced by six themes: learn the baby (routine care, comfort care, environment, adequate rest and sleep, feeding), core team relationships (support, interpersonal relationships), role satisfaction (nurturer/comforter, becoming an expert), grief, making a difference (wonderful insanity, critical to them), and education and care of the mother.
A role for Gic1 and Gic2 in Cdc42 polarization at elevated temperature

The conserved Rho-family GTPase Cdc42 is a master regulator of polarity establishment in many cell types. Cdc42 becomes activated and concentrated in a region of the cell cortex, and recruits a variety of effector proteins to that site. In turn, many effectors participate in regulation of cytoskeletal elements in order to remodel the cytoskeleton in a polarized manner. The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has served as a tractable model system for studies of cell polarity. In yeast cells, Cdc42 polarization involves a positive feedback loop in which effectors called p21-activated kinases (PAKs) act to recruit a Cdc42-directed guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), generating more GTP-Cdc42 in areas that already have GTP-Cdc42. The GTPase-interacting components (GICs) Gic1 and Gic2 are also Cdc42 effectors, and have been implicated in regulation of the actin and septin cytoskeleton. However, we report that cells lacking GICs are primarily defective in polarizing Cdc42 itself, suggesting that they act upstream as well as downstream of Cdc42 in yeast. Our findings suggest that feedback pathways involving GTPase effectors may be more prevalent than had been appreciated.
Gluon Spectrum to Any Order in Opacity for Jets at the EIC

Abstract Jets produced at a future electron-ion collider (EIC) are predominantly initiated by energetic quarks, and the subsequent branching of these quarks into systems of quarks and gluons is heavily modified by multiple scattering in the nuclear medium. In cold nuclear matter and in the quark-gluon plasma, this feature allows jet cross sections and jet substructure to be used as a probe of the medium's properties. Here we present a formalism for computing the gluon substructure of a quark jet to an arbitrary order in opacity, the average number of scatterings in the medium, while maintaining the exact kinematics of the splitting. We present explicit results at second order in opacity for the first time, along with a recursion relation which can be used to construct the solution for arbitrarily high orders in opacity. The theoretical framework demonstrated here applies equally well to light and heavy quark branching, and is easily generalizable to other systems.
Prediction Model for Extended Hospital Stay Among Medicare Beneficiaries After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Objective The authors conducted a retrospective analysis to develop a predictive model consisting of factors associated with extended hospital stay among Medicare beneficiaries undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Multi-institutional. Participants Data were obtained from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample registry from 2013 to 2014 over a 2-year period. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results The primary outcome was extended hospital stay, which was defined as an inpatient stay greater than 75th percentile for the cohort (≥5 d), among Medicare beneficiaries (fee-for-service and managed care) undergoing PCI. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was built on a training set to develop the predictive model. The authors evaluated model performance with area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) and performed k-folds cross-validation to calculate the average AUC. The final analysis included 91,880 patients. Inpatient hospital length of stay ranged from 0 to 247 days, with 3 and 5 days as the median and 3rd quartile hospital stay, respectively. The final multivariable analysis suggested that sociodemographic variables, hospital-related factors, and comorbidities were associated with a greater odds of extended hospital stay (all p Conclusion The authors’ predictive model identified risk factors that have a higher probability of extended hospital stay. This model can be used to improve periprocedural optimization and improved discharge planning, which may help to decrease costs associated with PCIs. Management of Medicare beneficiaries after PCI calls for a multidisciplinary approach among healthcare teams and hospital administrators.
Singular value decomposition of noisy data: mode corruption

Although the singular value decomposition (SVD) and proper orthogonal decomposition have been widely used in fluid mechanics, Venturi (J Fluid Mech 559:215–254, 2006) and Epps and Techet (Exp Fluids 48:355–367, 2010) were among the first to consider how noise in the data affects the results of these decompositions. Herein, we extend those studies using perturbation theory to derive formulae for the 95% confidence intervals of the singular values and vectors, as well as formulae for the root mean square error (rmse) of each noisy SVD mode. Moreover, we show that the rmse is well approximated by $$\epsilon /\tilde{s}_k$$ (where $$\epsilon$$ is the rms noise and $$\tilde{s}_k$$ is the singular value), which provides a useful estimate of the overall uncertainty in each mode.
Special Topic: Reducing the Secondary Flow Losses By Endwall Contouring

The HP-turbine, in contrast to LP-turbine, has a relatively small aspect ratio which causes major secondary flow regions close to the hub and tip. As a result, the secondary flow caused by a system of hub and tip vortices that induce drag forces resulting in an increase of secondary flow losses, as extensively discussed in [1]. Focusing on the secondary flow loss mechanisms, the fluid particles within the endwall boundary layers are exposed to a pitchwise pressure gradient in the blade channel. The particles move from the pressure side to the suction side and generate a system of vortices. These vortices induce drag forces that are the cause of the secondary flow losses. In addition, their interaction with the main flow causes angle deviation inside and outside the blade channel resulting in additional losses due to angle deviation. The nature of different flow losses is comprehensively treated in Chapter 6.
Integrating adaptivity in educational games: a combined bibliometric analysis and meta-analysis review

In this synthesis, we systematically review research on educational games with adaptivity. Although an adaptive gaming experience provides personalization to learning, the complexity of design makes it difficult to evaluate its effectiveness. In this systematic review, we adopt three analytic approaches: (1) bibliometric analysis, (2) qualitative thematic analysis, and (3) meta-analysis. We identified 62 relevant publications and used bibliometric analysis to visualize the hidden conceptual structure among the articles. We then used thematic analysis to investigate the emerging themes in the research and inform the coding for meta-analysis. Twelve articles that used experimental designs were further screened to model the effect of adding adaptivity to educational games. We found that an adaptive learning condition does not produce a substantial overall effect compared to a non-adaptive condition (g = .11, p = .26). Furthermore, moderator analysis reveals that the design variability of adaptivity does not contribute as much to heterogeneity as hypothesized. However, the effect size is positive when the target outcome focuses on learning (g = .39, p < .001) and engagement (g = .41, p = .13). The effect size is negative when the target outcome focuses on game performance (g = − .27, p = .04). In addition, we find evidence for a potential publication bias based on the distribution of effect sizes.
Testing methods for isolating defects

Abstract This chapter is a bit of a summary and a discussion of issues not covered previously. It looks at mechanical and thermal issues as well as at faults due to failure to comply with regional EMI regulations.
ELAVL1 Role in Cell Fusion and Tunneling Membrane Nanotube Formations with Implication to Treat Glioma Heterogeneity

Homotypic and heterotypic cell fusions via permanent membrane fusions and temporal tunneling nanotube formations in the glioma microenvironment were recently documented in vitro and in vivo and mediate glioma survival, plasticity, and recurrence. Chronic inflammation, a hypoxic environment, aberrant mitochondrial function, and ER stress due to unfolded protein accumulation upregulate cell fusion events, which leads to tumor heterogeneity and represents an adaptive mechanism to promote tumor cell survival and plasticity in cytotoxic, nutrient-deprived, mechanically stressed, and inflammatory microenvironments. Cell fusion is a multistep process, which consists of the activation of the cellular stress response, autophagy formation, rearrangement of cytoskeletal architecture in the areas of cell-to-cell contacts, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and fusogenic proteins. The mRNA-binding protein of ELAV-family HuR is a critical node, which orchestrates the stress response, autophagy formation, cytoskeletal architecture, and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and fusogenic proteins. HuR is overexpressed in gliomas and is associated with poor prognosis and treatment resistance. Our review provides a link between the HuR role in the regulation of cell fusion and tunneling nanotube formations in the glioma microenvironment and the potential suppression of these processes by different classes of HuR inhibitors.
Identifying Actionable Causes of Potentially Avoidable Readmissions to an Oncology Service at a Safety Net Hospital.

PURPOSE:Hospital readmissions occur commonly in those receiving cancer care and result in impaired quality of life and increased costs. Causes of readmission in safety net hospitals that serve vuln...
Idiopathic chronic temporal lobe herniation with associated epilepsy.

Herniation of parahippocampal gyrus is usually caused by pressure differentials intracranially, and herniation without known risk factors is extremely rare. We describe a patient with a long history of seizures and a remote status epilepticus event. On magnetic resonance imaging, a presumed left temporal lobe tumor was observed. On neurosurgical consultation, the lesion was identified as a chronic mesial temporal lobe herniation. The patient lacked history that would suggest risk of cerebral herniation. Accurately identifying the patient’s chronic temporal lobe herniation radiographically likely saved this patient from unnecessary surgery or biopsy and allowed the patient to receive appropriate conservative care.
Machine Learning Control Charts for Monitoring Serially Correlated Data

Some control charts based on machine learning approaches have been developed recently in the statistical process control (SPC) literature. These charts are usually designed for monitoring processes with independent observations at different observation times. In practice, however, serial data correlation almost always exists in the observed data of a temporal process. It has been well demonstrated in the SPC literature that control charts designed for monitoring independent data would not be reliable to use in applications with serially correlated data. In this chapter, we suggest using certain existing machine learning control charts together with a recursive data de-correlation procedure. It is shown that the performance of these charts can be substantially improved for monitoring serially correlated processes after data de-correlation.
Psychosocial profiles and longitudinal achievement of optimal cardiovascular risk factor levels: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study

Psychosocial factors are associated with the achievement of optimal cardiovascular disease risk factor (CVDRF) levels. To date, little research has examined multiple psychosocial factors simultaneously to identify distinguishing psychosocial profiles among individuals with CVDRF. Further, it is unknown whether profiles are associated with achievement of CVDRF levels longitudinally. Therefore, we characterized psychosocial profiles of individuals with CVDRF and assessed whether they are associated with achievement of optimal CVDRF levels over 15 years. We included 1148 CARDIA participants with prevalent hypertension, hypercholesterolemia and/or diabetes mellitus in 2000–2001. Eleven psychosocial variables reflecting psychological health, personality traits, and social factors were included. Optimal levels were deemed achieved if: Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) < 7.0%, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol < 100 mg/dl, and systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 140 mm Hg. Latent profile analysis revealed three psychosocial profile groups “Healthy”, “Distressed and Disadvantaged” and “Discriminated Against”. There were no significant differences in achievement of CVDRF levels of the 3 targets combined across profiles. Participants in the “Distressed and Disadvantaged” profile were less likely to meet optimal HbA1c levels compared to individuals in the “Healthy” profile after demographic adjustment. Associations were attenuated after full covariate adjustment. Distinct psychosocial profiles exist among individuals with CVDRF, representing meaningful differences. Implications for CVDRF management are discussed.
Development and validation of a novel modeling framework integrating ion exchange and resin regeneration for water treatment.

Models have been developed to simulate the process of ion exchange for water treatment. However the modeling of resin regeneration process, which can predict regeneration efficiency and residual stream for determining technology sustainability, was not incorporated into previous models. Therefore a model integrating both ion exchange and resin regeneration considering regeneration efficiency is needed for evaluating and improving ion exchange technology. This study developed an integrated model aiming to simulate ion exchange and resin regeneration in different configurations (fixed bed, fluidized bed) for the first time. The integrated model has been validated via comparing model predictions with experimental data. The impacts of dimensionless groups (i.e. the Peclet number, the diffusion modulus, and the Biot number) on ion exchange breakthrough curve have been analyzed using this model. In addition, this integrated model has been used to optimize the regeneration frequency to improve the overall performance of ion exchange. It demonstrated this integrated model could be a useful tool for further studies in ion exchange technology.
Increased contrast enhancing lesion activity in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis migraine patients.

Background and objectives While the literature supports the idea that multiple sclerosis (MS) and migraine are related, the exact mechanism(s) of this association is not well understood. Observations of increased contrast enhancing (CE) lesion activity in individual MS patients suffering from migraine prompted us to determine a relationship between migraine and MRI outcomes in a large cohort of MS patients.
Decreased hippocampal metabolic rate in patients with SDAT assessed by positron emission tomography during olfactory memory task

Positron emission tomography with F-18 deoxyglucose was used to assess cortical metabolic rate during an olfactory memory task in six patients with senile dementia of the Alzheimer’s type and six healthy, age-matched controls. Decreases in metabolic rate were observed in the anterior portion of the medial temporal cortex, especially on the left in the patients. This region is known to receive a large olfactory input, and to have been implicated in the encoding of human memory. Our results are consistent with earlier reports of temporal lobe decreases in metabolic rate, extending them by examining areas salient to the behavioral loss.
CFD–PBE numerical simulation of CO2 capture using MgO-based sorbent

Abstract In this work a novel regenerative sorption enhanced water gas shift (SEWGS) process for high temperature and high pressure CO2 removal from Syngas in a circulating fluidized bed has been proposed. The process is based on an MgO-based solid sorbent. The major advantages of this sorbent include reducing the amount of WGS catalyst required to fully shift the Syngas to CO2 and H2 and eliminating Syngas cooling/reheating that is necessary for current CO2 separation systems. Another goal of this study was to improve the existing mono-disperse continuum models, i.e., Eulerian-Granular models that describe multiphase systems such as fluidized bed reactors, by considering the effect of poly-dispersity through a novel mathematical approach. As a result, a two-way coupled Computational Fluid Dynamics–Population Balance Model (CFD–PBM) along with an efficient numerical solution for the population balance equation has been proposed. The coupled CFD–PBM model along with the two-zone variable diffusivity shrinking core reaction model was utilized in baseline design of a bench scale high temperature, high pressure regenerative carbon capture process in the riser section of a circulation fluidized bed.
Activation of cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors suppresses neuropathic nociception evoked by the chemotherapeutic agent vincristine in rats

Background and purpose: The ability of cannabinoids to suppress mechanical hypersensitivity (mechanical allodynia) induced by treatment with the chemotherapeutic agent vincristine was evaluated in rats. Sites of action were subsequently identified. Experimental approach: Mechanical hypersensitivity developed over the course of ten daily injections of vincristine relative to groups receiving saline at the same times. Effects of the CB1/CB2 receptor agonist WIN55,212-2, the receptor-inactive enantiomer WIN55,212-3, the CB2-selective agonist (R,S)-AM1241, the opiate agonist morphine and vehicle on chemotherapy-induced neuropathy were evaluated. WIN55,212-2 was administered intrathecally (i.t.) or locally in the hindpaw to identify sites of action. Pharmacological specificity was established using competitive antagonists for CB1 (SR141716) or CB2 receptors (SR144528). Key results: Systemic administration of WIN55,212-2, but not WIN55,212-3, suppressed vincristine-evoked mechanical allodynia. A leftward shift in the dose-response curve was observed following WIN55,212-2 relative to morphine treatment. The CB1 (SR141716) and CB2 (SR144528) antagonists blocked the anti-allodynic effects of WIN55,212-2. (R,S)-AM1241 suppressed vincristine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity through a CB2 mechanism. Both cannabinoid agonists suppressed vincristine-induced mechanical hypersensitivity without inducing catalepsy. Spinal sites of action are implicated in cannabinoid modulation of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy. WIN55,212-2, but not WIN55,212-3, administered i.t. suppressed vincristine-evoked mechanical hypersensitivity at doses that were inactive following local hindpaw administration. Spinal coadministration of both the CB1 and CB2 antagonists blocked the anti-allodynic effects of WIN55,212-2. Conclusions and implications: Cannabinoids suppress the maintenance of vincristine-induced mechanical allodynia through activation of CB1 and CB2 receptors. These anti-allodynic effects are mediated, at least in part, at the level of the spinal cord. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 152, 765–777; doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0707333; published online 18 June 2007
Isolation and culture of rat seminal vesicle epithelial cells: The use of the secretory protein SVS IV as a functional probe

A method for the isolation and culture of seminal vesicle epithelial cells obtained from control and androgen-primed sexually-immature, uncastrated rats is described. This method allows the establishment of monolayer cultures from aggregates of seminal vesicle epithelial cells isolated after trypsin and collagenase digestion. Phase contrast and transmission electron microscopic methods demonstrate that cell aggregates, after attaching to the substrate, establish within 48 h a colony-like, epithelial-like growth pattern. Immunofluorescent localization studies of SVS IV, an androgen-dependent secretory protein purified from rat seminal vesicle secretion, show that cultured seminal vesicle epithelial cells are immunoreactive. An electrophoretic analysis of [35S]methionine-labeled secretory proteins immunoprecipitated with rabbit anti-SVS IV serum demonstrate that, whereas SVS IV is newly-synthesized and accumulated in the medium of cultured seminal vesicle cells established from androgen primed rats, cultured cells from control rats appear to synthesize and accumulate SVS IV in a precursor form. Results of this work show that seminal vesicle epithelial cells in culture not only retain several structural features representative of the tissue but also serve as a potential system for the study of androgen action.
Beyond the Narrative: Considering the Larger Pedagogical Toolbox for the Popular Music Survey

This essay contributes responds to David Blake’s re-envisioning of university popular music curricula. In what follows, I engage with Blake’s suggestions for a post-hip hop pedagogical toolkit and propose ways to expand the discussion to encompass a larger holistic examination of popular music curricula. More specifically, I consider external factors that affect pedagogical choices and examine how specific course objectives and assessments might look in the context of Blake’s proposed materialist discourse.
An empirical study of ensemble-based semi-supervised learning approaches for imbalanced splice site datasets

Recent biochemical advances have led to inexpensive, time-efficient production of massive volumes of raw genomic data. Traditional machine learning approaches to genome annotation typically rely on large amounts of labeled data. The process of labeling data can be expensive, as it requires domain knowledge and expert involvement. Semi-supervised learning approaches that can make use of unlabeled data, in addition to small amounts of labeled data, can help reduce the costs associated with labeling. In this context, we focus on the problem of predicting splice sites in a genome using semi-supervised learning approaches. This is a challenging problem, due to the highly imbalanced distribution of the data, i.e., small number of splice sites as compared to the number of non-splice sites. To address this challenge, we propose to use ensembles of semi-supervised classifiers, specifically self-training and co-training classifiers. Our experiments on five highly imbalanced splice site datasets, with positive to negative ratios of 1-to-99, showed that the ensemble-based semi-supervised approaches represent a good choice, even when the amount of labeled data consists of less than 1% of all training data. In particular, we found that ensembles of co-training and self-training classifiers that dynamically balance the set of labeled instances during the semi-supervised iterations show improvements over the corresponding supervised ensemble baselines. In the presence of limited amounts of labeled data, ensemble-based semi-supervised approaches can successfully leverage the unlabeled data to enhance supervised ensembles learned from highly imbalanced data distributions. Given that such distributions are common for many biological sequence classification problems, our work can be seen as a stepping stone towards more sophisticated ensemble-based approaches to biological sequence annotation in a semi-supervised framework.
A Faster and Economical Approach to Floodplain Mapping Using Soil Information

Flood inundation maps play a key role in assessment and mitigation of potential flood hazards. However, owing to high costs associated with the conventional flood mapping methods, many communities in the United States lack flood inundation maps. The objective of this study is to develop and examine an economical alternative approach to floodplain mapping using widely available soil survey geographic (SSURGO) database. In this study, floodplain maps are developed for the entire state of Indiana, and some counties in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Washington states by identifying flood-prone soil map units based on their attributes. For validation, the flood extents obtained from SSURGO database are compared with the extents from other floodplain maps such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued flood insurance rate maps (FIRMs), flood extents observed during past floods, and flood maps derived using digital elevation models. In general, SSURGO-based floodplain maps (SFMs) are largely in agreement with other flood inundation maps. Specifically, the floodplain extents from SFMs cover 78-95% area compared to FIRMs and observed flood extents. Thus, albeit with a slight loss in accuracy, the SSURGO approach offers an economical and fast alternative for floodplain mapping. In particular, it has potentially high utility in areas where no detailed flood studies have been conducted.
Enhancement of heat transfer in dielectric liquids with electrical conduction phenomenon

Pumping of a dielectric liquid can be achieved with the electrical conduction phenomenon. Conduction pumping is associated with the heterocharge layers of finite thickness in the vicinity of the electrodes. These charges are based on the process of dissociation of neutral electrolytic species and recombination of the generated ions. In this paper, the conduction pumping phenomenon is described and the experimental results pertinent to electrode designs are presented. In addition, augmentation of heat transport capacity of a mono-groove heat pipe with conduction pumping is presented.
β-AR Polymorphisms and Glycemic and Lipid Parameters in Hypertensive Individuals Receiving Carvedilol or Metoprolol

Background β-blocker therapy and β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) polymorphisms are associated with increases in glucose and lipid levels. We investigated associations of common β1 and β2- AR single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with metabolic and lipid variables, and examined interactions with β-blocker treatment assignment to affect these parameters.
Central adiposity is associated with increased risk of esophageal inflammation, metaplasia, and adenocarcinoma: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background & Aims Central adiposity has been implicated as a risk factor for Barrett's esophagus (BE) and esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), possibly promoting the progression from inflammation to metaplasia and neoplasia. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies to evaluate the association between central adiposity and erosive esophagitis (EE), BE, and EAC, specifically exploring body mass index (BMI)–independent and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD)–independent effects of central adiposity on the risk of these outcomes. Methods We performed a systematic search of multiple databases through March 2013. Studies were included if they reported effect of central adiposity (visceral adipose tissue area, waist-hip ratio, and/or waist circumference) on the risk of EE, BE, and EAC. Summary adjusted odds ratio (aOR) estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs), comparing highest category of adiposity with the lowest category of adiposity, were calculated by using random-effects model. Results Forty relevant articles were identified. Compared with patients with normal body habitus, patients with central adiposity had a higher risk of EE (19 studies; aOR, 1.87; 95% CI, 1.51–2.31) and BE (17 studies; aOR, 1.98; 95% CI, 1.52–2.57). The association between central adiposity and BE persisted after adjusting for BMI (5 studies; aOR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.20–2.95). Reflux-independent association of central adiposity and BE was observed in studies that used GERD patients as controls or adjusted for GERD symptoms (11 studies; aOR, 2.04; 95% CI, 1.44–2.90). In 6 studies, central adiposity was associated with higher risk of EAC (aOR, 2.51; 95% CI, 1.54–4.06), compared with normal body habitus. Conclusions On the basis of a meta-analysis, central adiposity, independent of BMI, is associated with esophageal inflammation (EE), metaplasia (BE), and neoplasia (EAC). Its effects are mediated by reflux-dependent and reflux-independent mechanisms.
Resource Mediated Competition of two South Texas Natives: Acacia berlandieri and Trichloris pluriflora

Acacia berlandieri, an early-successional C~3~ woody shrub legume, and Trichloris pluriflora, a late-successional/climax C~4~ mid-tall grass, reside in similar habitats and have both been documented in Texas for over 150 years. This study examines the resource mediated above and below ground competition within and between these species, which may illuminate some of the dynamics involved in the encroachment of woody shrub species into the former grasslands. These species, started from seed, were grown outdoors (5 replicates/treatment) using sandy clay loam soil in plastic lined 15 × 15 cm pots for 155 days and watered daily. Half of these pots received 12.5% Hoagland’s solution as a nutrient source. Growth measurements were taken 3 times, after a 72 day establishment period and prior to harvest. The plants were then harvested intact, dried at 60°C, and above and below ground dry mass for each individual plant was separated. The roots were ashed at 650°C and measurements were taken for the above and below ground biomass. The growth parameters of Acacia berlandieri, basal diameter, height, and number of leaves increased with density (P = 0.0024, P 0.0500), when grown alone with densities of 1, 2, and 4 plants/pot. The growth parameters of T. pluriflora, culms and height decreased with density (P = 0.0077 and P = 0.0006), when grown in competition with A. berlandieri, using densities of 1/3, 2/2. 3/1, and 4/0 Trichloris/Acacia plants/pot. The culms, tillers, and height of T. pluriflora, when grown alone with densities of 1, 2, 4, and 8 plants/pot, decreased with density (P < 0.0001, P = 0.0312, and P < 0.0001). The measurement parameters of harvested A. berlandieri, above ground biomass and ash-free root biomass increased with density (P = 0.0463 and P = 0.0389), when grown in competition with T. pluriflora. The root biomass of harvested A. berlandieri, grown alone, decreased with the interaction of density and nutrients (P = 0.0068). The total plant dry mass, above ground biomass, root dry mass, and root dry mass of harvested T. pluriflora, grown in competition with A. berlandieri, decreased with density (P < 0.0001, P < 0.0001, P = 0.0235, and P = 0.0145). These same measurement parameters of harvested T. pluriflora, grown alone, increased with density (P < 0.0001 for all four). The addition of nutrients had no effect on the growth or harvest of A. berlandieri and T. pluriflora for either intra- or interspecific competition. Instead, density appeared to be the driving force for the competition between and among these two species for both growth and harvest. Although woody shrub and grassland interactions should be mediated by resource availability, that was not the case in this study. Clearly, density is an important variable involved in the disappearance of the grasslands.
Synthesis of various chelating celluloses and their application in removing Al3+ from ATP

Neutron activation analysis of 20 commercial preparations of ATP demonstrated aluminum (a potent inhibitor of hexokinase as Al 3+ -ATP) to be both ubiquitous and the most abundant metal contaminant found. In an effort to find a convenient and effective method of removing Al 3+ from ATP we have synthesized several new chelating celluloses. Several polyvalent car☐ylic acids (EDTA, EGTA, citrate, and aluminon) were linked to aminoethylcellulose via a water-soluble carbodiimide. A chelator similar in chelating ability to ATP, cellulose polyphosphate, was prepared by reaction of excess polyphosphate with cellulose. The ability of these immobilized chelators to compete with ATP for Al 3+ was tested. Cellulose polyphosphate at pH 5 proved to be especially effective in removing Al 3+ from ATP.
Interaction of molecular hydrogen with open transition metal centers for enhanced binding in metal-organic frameworks: a computational study.

Molecular hydrogen is known to form stable, “nonclassical” sigma complexes with transition metal centers that are stabilized by donor–acceptor interactions and electrostatics. In this computational study, we establish that strong H2 sorption sites can be obtained in metal-organic frameworks by incorporating open transition metal sites on the organic linkers. Using density functional theory and energy decomposition analysis, we investigate the nature and characteristics of the H2 interaction with models of exposed open metal binding sites {half-sandwich piano-stool shaped complexes of the form (Arene)ML3−n(H2)n [M = Cr, Mo, V−, Mn+; Arene = C6H5X (X = H, F, Cl, OCH3, NH2, CH3, CF3) or C6H3Y2X (Y = COOH, X = CF3, Cl; L = CO; n = 1–3]}. The metal−H2 bond dissociation energy of the studied complexes is calculated to be between 48 and 84 kJ/mol, based on the introduction of arene substituents, changes to the metal core, and of charge-balancing ligands. Thus, design of the binding site controls the H2 binding a...
Essential functions of iron-requiring proteins in DNA replication, repair and cell cycle control

Eukaryotic cells contain numerous iron-requiring proteins such as iron-sulfur (Fe-S) cluster proteins, hemoproteins and ribonucleotide reductases (RNRs). These proteins utilize iron as a cofactor and perform key roles in DNA replication, DNA repair, metabolic catalysis, iron regulation and cell cycle progression. Disruption of iron homeostasis always impairs the functions of these iron-requiring proteins and is genetically associated with diseases characterized by DNA repair defects in mammals. Organisms have evolved multi-layered mechanisms to regulate iron balance to ensure genome stability and cell development. This review briefly provides current perspectives on iron homeostasis in yeast and mammals, and mainly summarizes the most recent understandings on iron-requiring protein functions involved in DNA stability maintenance and cell cycle control.
MÖSSBAUER STUDIES OF DILUTE ERBIUM IMPURITIES IN ZIRCONIUM HYDRIDES

Hyperfine spectra are reported for Er present as a dilute impurity in the fluorite structure compound delta-ZrH/sub 1/ /sub 5/ and the tetragonally distorted fluorite epsilon-ZrH/sub 1/ /sub 87/. In both cases, the hyperfine spectra are identical and show cubic symmetry around the Er ion regardless of the host crystal structure, showing the formation of a locally cubic Er-hydrogen cluster. Paramagnetic relaxation frequencies are also identical in the two phases, in spite of large changes in the electronic density of states. Mechanisms for the formation of such Er-hydrogen clusters are discussed.
EGO STRENGTH AND DISCREPANCY BETWEEN CONSCIOUS AND UNCONSCIOUS SELF-CONCEPTS.

It was hypothesized that (a) ego strength is inversely related to the discrepancy between conscious and unconscious self-concepts, (b) Ss with high ego strength will have greater unconscious concer...
On the limiting distribution of and critical values for an origin-invariant bivariate Cramér—von Mises-type statistic

Abstract The bivariate Cramer—von Mises statistic has been proposed as a basis for goodness-of-fit testing for continuous bivariate distributions. This statistic can be expressed as the integral, over the unit square I2, of the square of the bivariate uniform empirical process. For some time it apparently went unnoticed that this statistic's value is not ‘origin-invariant’, i.e., its value depends on which corner of I2 is identified as the origin. Zimmerman (1993) proposed a modification of the bivariate Cramer—von Mises statistic that does not suffer from this defect. In this paper this statistic's limiting null distribution is derived and tabulated using the principal component decomposition method.
The early-onset torsion dystonia-associated protein, torsinA, displays molecular chaperone activity in vitro

TorsinA is a member of the AAA+ ATPase family of proteins and, notably, is the only known ATPase localized to the ER lumen. It has been suggested to act as a molecular chaperone, while a mutant form associated with early-onset torsion dystonia, a dominantly inherited movement disorder, appears to result in a net loss of function in vivo. Thus far, no studies have examined the chaperone activity of torsinA in vitro. Here we expressed and purified both wild-type (WT) and mutant torsinA fusion proteins in bacteria and examined their ability to function as molecular chaperones by monitoring suppression of luciferase and citrate synthase (CS) aggregation. We also assessed their ability to hold proteins in an intermediate state for refolding. As measured by light scattering and SDS-PAGE, both WT and mutant torsinA effectively, and similarly, suppressed protein aggregation compared to controls. This function was not further enhanced by the presence of ATP. Further, we found that while neither form of torsinA could protect CS from heat-induced inactivation, they were both able to reactivate luciferase when ATP and rabbit reticulocyte lysate were added. This suggests that torsinA holds luciferase in an intermediate state, which can then be refolded in the presence of other chaperones. These data provide conclusive evidence that torsinA acts as a molecular chaperone in vitro and suggests that early-onset torsion dystonia is likely not a consequence of a loss in torsinA chaperone activity but might be an outcome of insufficient torsinA localization at the ER to manage protein folding or trafficking.
Considering the influence of artificial environmental noise to study cough time–frequency features

Abstract In general the study of the cough mechanism and sound in both animal and human is performed by eliciting coughing in a reproducible way by nebulization of an irritating substance. Due to ventilation the controlled evaporation-protocol causes artificial noises from a mechanical origin. The resulting environmental low-frequency noises complicate cough time–frequency features. In order to optimize the study of the cough-sound the research described in this paper attempts on the one hand to characterize and model the environmental noises and on the other hand to evaluate the influence of the noise on the time–frequency representation for the intended cough sounds by comparing different de-noising approaches. Free field acoustic sound is continuously registered during 30 min citric acid cough-challenges on individual Belgian Landrace piglets and during respiratory infection experiments, with a duration of about 10 days, where room-ventilation was present.
Opinion: Whose role is it anyway? : A library practitioner's appraisal of the digital data deluge

Marisa L. Ramirez is the digital repository librarian at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. She can be reached at mramir14 calpoly.edu. T he digital data universe is predicted to surpass 1,800 exabytes by the end of 2011, due in part to the increasing affordability of powerful devices designed to create, capture and store digital data. At this rate, the amount of digital data is predicted to eclipse Avogadro’s number by the year 2026 [1]. The identification, collection and preservation of digital data created as a result of research is an important issue, particularly because the sharing and reuse of raw research outputs offer great potential for subsequent recombination, analysis, insight and discovery. The capture and curation of these resources present many challenges to librarian practitioners. Some of the most salient include the following:
Global warming and climate change in Mexico

Abstract Climate models suggest that global warming could bring warmer, drier conditions to Mexico. Although precipitation increases are projected by some models, in most cases they do not compensate for increases in potential evaporation. Thus, soil moisture and water availability may decrease over much of Mexico with serious consequences for rainfed and irrigated agriculture, urban and industrial water supplies, hydropower and ecosystems. However, the assessment of global warming impacts in Mexico is an uncertain task because the projections of different models vary widely, particularly for precipitation, and because they perform poorly in reproducing the observed climate of Mexico.