cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multiplicative partial integration and the Trotter Product Formula

Abstract For a long time it has been apparent that the Trotter Product Formula, a simple version of which reads exp {(A + B)t} = lim n→∞ exp {( At n ) · ( Bt n )} n , where A, B are (non-commuting) operators and t is real, is related to the formula for the multipicative integral of the sum of two functions. But the precise connection between the two has not been exposed in the literature. Our purpose is to fill this lacuna. The theory of the multiplicative integral is outlined in Section 1, and the formula for the integral of the sum of two functions and the Trotter Product Formula are discussed in Section 2. Possible extensions are alluded to in Section 3.
Using System Dynamics to Illustrate Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge

This article presents a systems dynamics model to illustrate some of the aspects of Deming’s System of Profound Knowledge. As a pedagogical tool, it would serve as a useful introduction for those new to Deming’s ideas. It not only introduces the main parts of his system, but also highlights their interconnectedness. The model environment, an interactive management flight simulator, and the model content combine to provide several learning opportunities. The model uses the assumptions of regression to the mean, the 80:20 Rule, random walks, and learned helplessness to present a theory of how managers learn to reduce quality in organizations. Those interested in exploring or teaching Deming’s System can use the model as a launching point from which to explore the system further. Running the simulation provides an opportunity to identify and challenge assumptions, explore the harmful effects of tampering, examine the fundamental attribution error, develop control charts, and challenge the application of beha...
Eggs and larvae of the ophichthid eel,Pisodonophis cruentifer, from the Chesapeake Bight, Western North Atlantic

Eggs and early larvae (5.8–34.2 mm SL) of the snake eel,Pisodonophis cruentifer (Ophichthidae) are illustrated and described for the first time. The eggs are distinguished by their large size (>2 mm), large perivitelline space, segmented yolk, one to many oil globules, and pigmentation on late stage embryos. The larvae are distinguished most readily by myomere counts (145–153) and the number (8–9) and location of gut pigment patches.Leptocephalus mucronatus Eigenmann and Kennedy (1902) is synonymized withP. cruentifer.
Urinary tract infection in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation and urinary bladder dysfunction managed by manual expression, indwelling catheterization or intermittent catheterization

Objective— To evaluate risk factors for lower urinary tract infection (UTI) in dogs with intervertebral disc disease (IVDD) that had manual expression (ME), indwelling catheterization (IDC) or intermittent catheterization (ITC) for urinary bladder management. Study Design— Randomized-clinical trial. Animals— Dogs (n=62) treated with urinary bladder dysfunction requiring surgery for IVDD and control dogs (n=30) that had surgery for reasons other than IVDD. Methods— Treated dogs were randomly assigned to ME, IDC, or ITC. Urine was collected for culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing before and after treatment. Incidence and risk factors for UTI were evaluated. Bacterial isolates and antimicrobial resistance patterns were described. Results— Mean (±SD) time to urination was significantly longer for IDC dogs (7.4±2.75 days) than ME dogs (4.2±2.63) and ITC dogs (4.9±3.12). Thirteen treated dogs (21%) and no control dogs developed UTI: 4/25 (16%) ME, 8/25 (32%) IDC, and 1/12 (8%) ITC. Enterobacter sp. was most frequently isolated (4/13; 31%). Duration of treatment was the only risk factor for UTI and each additional day of treatment increased the risk of UTI 1.5 times. Conclusion— For dogs with acute IVDD, the duration of required urinary bladder management establishes the risk of UTI, not the urinary bladder management technique. Clinical Relevance— Duration of treatment for urinary bladder dysfunction is a risk factor for UTI in dogs recovering from acute IVDD. Treatment for urinary bladder management should be limited where possible and no method of treatment is preferred. For dogs managed by IDC, voluntary urination might occur before clinically suspected.
On the natural frequencies and modes of beams loaded by sloshing liquids

Abstract Equations of motion for a beam carrying a channel of free surface liquid of rectangular cross section have been formulated and solved analytically in closed form for the case where the beam is simply supported and the liquid is connected at both ends to large reservoirs. Various special situations are discussed and effects that govern the interaction are pointed out.
Measuring antibiotic timing for pneumonia in the emergency department: another nail in the coffin.

In this issue of Annals, Fee et al 1 present data suggesting tha the goal of antibiotics within 4 hours (PN-5b) for greater than or equal to 90% of emergency department (ED) patients admitted with pneumonia may not be attainable. The authors found that in 53 patients who received antibiotics after 4 hours (ie, PN-5b failures) and had a final presumptive diagnosis of pneumonia in the ED, 60% did not have radiographic evidence of a pulmonary infiltrate. These patients without a radiographic diagnosis of pneumonia represented 20% of the 153 patients eligible for PN-5b in their sample. According to performance standards, all should have received antibiotics within 4 hours of hospital arrival. Patients who received antibiotics after 4 hours were counted as quality failures by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Hospitals and Organizations (JCAHO) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). This study shows that even in ideal circumstances in which patients are rapidly evaluated and treated, attaining 90% performance on PN-5b as recommended by the University Health Consortium may not be feasible. The authors concluded that JCAHO and CMS should consider changing the inclusion criteria for PN-5b to include only patients with clinical and radiographic findings that support the diagnosis of pneumonia, which would eliminate the troublesome criterion of “consideration of pneumonia” in the ED differential diagnosis. The ED differential diagnosis for patients with dyspnea or fever can often be quite broad, depending on when it is documented in the medical record. There have been 2 large retrospective studies demonstrating an association between antibiotic timing and severity-adjusted outcomes in pneumonia. 2,3 Issues have been raised about the validity of these studies, specifically with using associations in large retrospective data sets to make definitive conclusions or policies about quality of care. Although the 2 retrospective studies certainly suggest an association between antibiotic timing and mortality, neither was prospective, nor was either one a randomized trial. In these studies, attempts were made to adjust for other variables that may be associated with antibiotic timing and mortality, such as patient-level factors. However, as in all retrospective studies, the potential for unmeasured
FROM INDIVIDUALS TO ECOSYSTEM FUNCTION: TOWARD AN INTEGRATION OF EVOLUTIONARY AND ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY

An important goal in ecology is developing general theory on how the species composition of ecosystems is related to ecosystem properties and functions. Progress on this front is limited partly because of the need to identify mechanisms controlling functions that are common to a wide range of ecosystem types. We propose that one general mechanism, rooted in the evolutionary ecology of all species, is adaptive foraging behavior in response to predation risk. To support our claim, we present two kinds of empirical evidence from plant-based and detritus-based food chains of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. The first kind comes from experiments that explicitly trace how adaptive foraging influences ecosystem properties and functions. The second kind comes from a synthesis of studies that individually examine complementary components of particular ecosystems that together provide an integrated perspective on the link between adaptive foraging and ecosystem function. We show that the indirect effects of predators on plant diversity, plant productivity, nutrient cycling, trophic transfer efficiencies, and energy flux caused by consumer foraging shifts in response to risk are qualitatively different from effects caused by reductions in prey density due to direct predation. We argue that a perspective of ecosystem function that considers effects of consumer behavior in response to predation risk will broaden our capacity to explain the range of outcomes and contingencies in trophic control of ecosystems. This perspective also provides an operational way to integrate evolutionary and ecosystem ecology, which is an important challenge in ecology.
SU-FF-T-191: Dual Window Gated Beam Delivery for Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy

Purpose: It is crucial to have a small margin for stereotactic body radiotherapy(SBRT). Gated delivery is one of the methods to reduce intra‐treatment organ motion. Total treatment time increases 3 or 5 times due to low duty cycle (20 – 30 %) when gated therapy. We have designed and tested the dual window gated therapy (DWGT) to increase duty cycle while to keep the residual motion unchanged. Method and Materials: The DWGT turns beam on when breathing phase reaches the end of exhale (EE) or the end of inhale (EI), which will increase duty cycle up to 2 time than conventional gating. In order to make DWGT possible, a dynamic MLC file that has two static apertures to irradiate each gating position is generated. Dose rate is modulated to compensate the difference between gating MLC sequence and the breathing phase caused from breathing frequency variation during treatment. DWGT was tested with three breathing functions, the sinusoidal, the 4th order cosine and a patient's breathing signal (RPM, Varian). All the breathing signals used in this study have ± 20% breathing frequency variations during treatment. Results: Duty cycles which are to keep the residual motion less than 20% of the amplitude for the sinusoidal, the 4th order cosine and a patient's breathing signal were 20.7%, 46.8% and 38.3%, respectively for conventional gating. Duty cycles increased to 67.2%, 18.6% and 52.0%, respectively, which is 85%, 44% and 36% increasing effect from conventional gating when with DWGT. Little residual motion increase (less than 0.8 mm) for a patient's breathing signal, have been found between conventional gating and DWGT. Conclusions: DWGT increased the duty cycle to 1.36–1.85 times while to keep minimal residual motion increasing effect. Since the duty cycle increase effect is breathing pattern dependent, the DWTG is useful for the selected SBRT cases.
Observer Perception of Dominance and Mirroring Behavior in Human-Robot Relationships

How people view relationships between humans and robots is an important consideration for the design and acceptance of social robots. Two studies investigated the effect of relational behavior in a human-robot dyad. In Study 1, participants watched videos of a human confederate discussing the Desert Survival Task with either another human confederate or a humanoid robot. Participants were less trusting of both the robot and the person in a human-robot relationship where the robot was dominant toward the person than when the person was dominant toward the robot; these differences were not found for a human pair. In Study 2, participants watched videos of a human confederate having an everyday conversation with either another human confederate or a humanoid robot. Participants who saw a confederate mirror the gestures of a robot found the robot less attractive than when the robot mirrored the confederate; the opposite effect was found for a human pair. Exploratory findings suggest that human-robot relationships are viewed differently than human dyads. Categories and Subject Descriptors H.1.2 [Models and Principles]: User/Machine Systems - human factors, software psychology General Terms Design, Human Factors
Management and outcomes of ST-elevation myocardial infarction in nursing home versus community-dwelling older patients: a propensity matched study.

Abstract Objectives The influence of admission source (nursing home [NH] versus community-dwelling) on treatment strategies and outcomes among elderly patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) has not been investigated. Participants Nationwide Inpatient Sample databases from 2003 to 2010 were used to identify 270,117 community-dwelling and 4082 NH patients 75 years of age or older with STEMI. Design Retrospective observational study. Measurements Propensity scores for admission source were used to assemble a matched cohort of 3081 community-dwelling and 3132 NH patients, who were balanced on baseline demographic and clinical characteristics. Bivariate logistic regression models were then used to determine the associations of NH with in-hospital outcomes among matched patients. Results In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in patients with STEMI presenting from a NH as compared with community-dwelling patients (30.5% versus 27.6%; odds ratio [OR] 1.15, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.29; P = .012). Overall, NH patients were less likely to receive reperfusion (thrombolysis, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass grafting) (11.5% versus 13.4%; OR 0.84, 95% CI 0.72–0.98; P = .022). However, rates of percutaneous coronary intervention alone were similar in both groups (9.9% in NH versus 9.1% in community-dwelling; OR 1.10, 95% CI 0.93–1.30; P = .276). Mean length of stay was also similar in both groups (5.68 ± 5.40 days in NH versus 5.69 ± 4.98 days in community-dwelling, P = .974). Conclusion Compared with their community-dwelling counterparts, older NH patients are less likely to receive reperfusion therapy for STEMI and have higher in-hospital mortality.
SGST: an open source semantic geostreaming toolkit

Geo-referenced data streams (geostreams) have created major challenges on streaming data management, query, and integration. Semantically managing geostream data has the potential to provide better data integration and reasoning. We develop an open source Semantic GeoStreaming Toolkit (SGST) that aims to provide an integrated sensor data management solution. In particular, this paper uses the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) GeoSPARQL recommendation and a time-annotated RDF streaming data management service. The toolkit offers geostreaming data management, fetching, and RESTful web services. We demonstrate SGST with two real-world use cases including USGS earthquake GeoRSS feeds and geo-referenced Twitter feeds for citizen sensing. Issues related to interoperability, performance, and full support of GeoSPARQL are discussed.
Linear Systems and Conservation Laws in $d=10$, $N=1$ Supergravity

Abstract Starting with the set of light-like integrability conditions in curved d = 10, N = 1 superspace we derive the corresponding linear system. The vielbeins and connections that satisfy the constraints are parametrized using a linear spinor subspace defined as the kernel of the light-cone projection operator. They fulfill an infinite set of conservation laws.
Mechanism of repair of 5′-topoisomerase II–DNA adducts by mammalian tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 2

Tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 2 (Tdp2) processes DNA termini with a 5′-phosphotyrosyl–linked topoisomerase II adduct, such as those stabilized by chemotherapeutic drugs anthracyclines and etoposides, by direct reversal of the 5′-phosphotyrosyl linkage. Now crystal structures of mouse Tdp2–DNA complexes, along with mutagenesis and functional analyses, reveal how Tdp2 recognizes and reverses such adduction.
Specific heat of high Tc, A-15 Nb0.75Ga0.25

Abstract The specific heat from 1.4 to 27 K has been measured on a NbGa sample that was approximately 85% A-15 Nb 0.76 Ga 0.24 with a T c of 19.8 K and a transition width of 1 K. The data imply that the density of states for A-15 Nb 0.75 Ga 0.25 is 1.7 ± 0.25 states/eV-atom, in good agreement with recent band structure calculations. The Debye temperature is found to increase approximately 1 K per degree from T c down to 4 K, with θ D (0) = 280 K.
Macroprogramming heterogeneous sensor networks using cosmos

In this paper, we present COSMOS, a novel architecture for macroprogramming heterogeneous sensor network systems. Macroprogramming specifies aggregate system behavior, as opposed to device-specific programs that code distributed behavior using explicit messaging. COSMOS is comprised of a macroprogramming language, mPL, and an operating system, mOS. mPL macroprograms are statically verifiable compositions of reusable user-specified, or system supported functional components. The mOS node/network operating system provides component management and a lean execution environment for mPL programs in heterogeneous resource-constrained sensor networks. It provides runtime application instantiation, with over-the-air reprogramming of the network. COSMOS facilitates composition of complex real-world applications that are robust, scalable and adaptive in dynamic data-driven sensor network environments. An important and novel aspect of COSMOS is the ability to easily extend its component basis library to add rich macroprogramming abstractions to mPL, tailored to domain and resource constraints, without modifications to the OS. Applications built on COSMOS are currently in use at the Bowen Labs for Structural Engineering, in Purdue University, for high-fidelity structural monitoring. We present a detailed description of the COSMOS architecture, its various components, and a comprehensive experimental evaluation using macro- and micro- benchmarks to demonstrate performance characteristics of COSMOS.
Co-Learning Bayesian Model Fusion: Efficient Performance Modeling of Analog and Mixed-Signal Circuits Using Side Information

Efficient performance modeling of today's analog and mixed-signal (AMS) circuits is an important yet challenging task. In this paper, we propose a novel performance modeling algorithm that is referred to as Co-Learning Bayesian Model Fusion (CL-BMF). The key idea of CL-BMF is to take advantage of the additional information collected from simulation and/or measurement to reduce the performance modeling cost. Different from the traditional performance modeling approaches which focus on the prior information of model coefficients (i.e. the coefficient side information) only, CL-BMF takes advantage of another new form of prior knowledge: the performance side information. In particular, CL-BMF combines the coefficient side information, the performance side information and a small number of training samples through Bayesian inference based on a graphical model. Two circuit examples designed in a commercial 32nm SOI CMOS process demonstrate that CL-BMF achieves up to 5× speed-up over other state-of-the-art performance modeling techniques without surrendering any accuracy.
Error free code: is it attainable?

Much has been written about error free code; what it is, and how to attain it. Given that error free code is desirable and worth striving for, can it ever be realized in the majority of our code? I believe that the answer regrettably, is no. If one were to disregard the every day simple applications; like our 50th update program, or simple reports, error free code in large systems is not attainable. There are a number of reasons for that pessimistic statement, such as the following: multiplicity of design methodologies, non use of reusable code, time constraints, user misunderstanding, and testing. The following is an examination of each of the previous reasons.
Update on the SKA offset optics design for the U.S. Technology Development Project

The U.S. design concept for the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) program is based on utilizing a large number of small-diameter dish antennas in the 12 to 15 meter diameter range. 12The Technology Development Project (TDP) is planning to design and build the first of these antennas to provide a demonstration of the technology and a solid base on which to estimate costs. The latest considerations for selecting both the optics and feed design are presented.
The School Engagement Project: Academic Engagement Enhancement.

The Academic Engagement Enhancement (AEE) model provides a framework for improving skills of older students who struggle with the acquisition and development of reading. This model was developed as part of a broader intervention program aimed at promoting academic and social competence of youth who were at risk of school failure. The strategies are based on best practice and are designed to actively engage students in the development of reading skills. The AEE model requires no special materials, is highly flexible, and can be adapted to any content area curriculum.
The distributed-energy chain model for rapid coal devolatilization kinetics. Part II: Transient weight loss correlations

Abstract The Distributed-Energy Chain Model (DISCHAIN) is formulated in a companion paper [1]. In this paper, numerical predictions are compared to the transient weight loss from a bituminous coal in vacuum during heatup and throughout isothermal pyrolysis for two heating rates (10 2 , 10 3 K/s) at temperatures between 700 and 1300K. Based on seven independent reaction rate parameters, the model predicts transient yields for unreacted coal, gas, tar, and char. Except during heatup at the lower heating rate, the model correlations are in good quantitative agreement with the measured weight loss, and agree with the observed yield enhancement for greater heating rates within the experimental error. This study also includes data correlations from the Distributed Activation Energy Model, to identify the most important model parameters, and model predictions from DISCHAIN for typical pulverized coal combustion conditions, to further illustrate the extent that transient devolatilization on short time scales is determined by transient thermal histories.
The BMP Inhibitor Coco Reactivates Breast Cancer Cells at Lung Metastatic sites

The mechanistic underpinnings of metastatic dormancy and reactivation are poorly understood. A gain-of-function cDNA screen reveals that Coco, a secreted antagonist of TGF-β ligands, induces dormant breast cancer cells to undergo reactivation in the lung. Mechanistic studies indicate that Coco exerts this effect by blocking lung-derived BMP ligands. Whereas Coco enhances the manifestation of traits associated with cancer stem cells, BMP signaling suppresses it. Coco induces a discrete gene expression signature, which is strongly associated with metastatic relapse to the lung, but not to the bone or brain in patients. Experiments in mouse models suggest that these latter organs contain niches devoid of bioactive BMP. These findings reveal that metastasis-initiating cells need to overcome organ-specific antimetastatic signals in order to undergo reactivation.
Variation and Inheritance in Size in Trypanosoma Lewisi II. The Effects of Growing “Pure Lines” in Different Vertebrate and Invertebrate Hosts and a Study of Size and Variation in Infections Occurring in Nature

In our first report2 we demonstrated that Trypanosoma lewisi reaches an adult stage in the course of the infection in the rat in about 25 days, and once this stage is reached there is practically no division or growth. In consequence of the elimination of growth factors from the computations it was found that the coefficient of variation in the "pure line" was very low if it was computed during this adult period. The questions which now.arise are: (1) Does growing the same "pure line" in different vertebrate hosts cause significant differences in the mean or the coefficient of variation? (2) Does passage of the "pure line" through the invertebrate host cause any significant differences in these constants? Our attention will be directed especially toward the coefficient of variation as this will give us an opportunity to ascertain whether or not there is a splitting up of the "pure line" into heritably diverse lines following such passage through the invertebrate host. With this background our final question is: (3) Does an infection occurring in nature consist of a large number of "pure lines" such as have been described in free-living protozoa, which differ among themselves but are per se constant in size? It is to be emphasized at this point that in all of the following work the measurements and computations were made on or after the 30th day of the blood infection. As the adult stage is always reached by the 25th day this is well into the adult period and effectually eliminates growth factors. The six measurements of size used in this work have already been given in our first report (see figure 1). They consist of the following distances: (1) Posterior end to parabasal body, (2) parabasal body to nucleus, (3) nucleus to anterior end, (4) anterior end to end of flagellum, (5) total length which includes measurements 1-4, and (6) width. Effect of Grouing the Same "pure line" in Different Vertebrate Hosts.The twoconstants in' which we are interested in this connection are the size as indicated by the mean and the variability as indicated by the coefficient of variation. In all of the experiments the constants were worked out for all six measurements but in this brief report we will only deal with those for total length. Let us first consider the mean. The questions are: Does growing the same pure line in different individuals of the same
The fate of circulating methylcholanthrene tumor cells in mice with tumor-specific immunity.

Syngeneic mice were immunized to a methylcholanthrene-induced tumor, and immunity was demonstrated by the failure of cell suspensions of the tumor to grow when inoculated intramuscularly. Identical cell suspensions inoculated intravenously, however, produced pulmonary tumors in all immunized animals. Intravenous inoculations of blood containing circulating tumor cells obtained from donor mice bearing the same tumor produced identical numbers of pulmonary tumors in immunized and unimmunized animals. Thus, in this well-studied experimental model, specific immune inhibition of tumor growth as conventionally assessed was not reflected in destruction of cell suspensions of the tumor or circulating tumor cells shed from the tumor when these cells are injected into the circulatory system.
Barriers to accepting e‐prescribing in the USA

Purpose – With the number of prescriptions rising nationally each year, it is surprising that web‐based technology is not fully embraced in the pharmacy industry as an aid to quality‐assuring prescribing processes. Traditional prescription handling is done in a manual fashion with physicians hand‐writing prescriptions for the patients during an office visit, giving the patient the responsibility of taking the prescription to a pharmacy or mailing the prescription to a mail order company for fulfillment. Electronic prescribing (e‐prescribing) has the ability not only to streamline the prescription writing process, but also to reduce the number of errors that may be incurred with hand‐written prescriptions. The purpose of this paper is to investigate these phenomena in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – A number of hypotheses were tested using principal‐components analysis (PCA) and factor analyses. As a result, a total of 55 fully employed, professional and semi‐professional service management and inte...
The Sprue Syndromes

The sprue syndromes, tropical and nontropical sprue, were both described as disease entities in the 1880s and share similar morphological features with varying degrees of villus atrophy of the small intestinal mucosa, and both present clinically with malabsorption. Recent cell kinetic studies of the turnover of the intestinal epithelium in sprue have convincingly demonstrated that the flat mucosa is caused by increased efflux (cell death) with compensatory crypt hyperplasia. The pathogenetic insult in tropical sprue appears to be a persistent overgrowth of the small intestine by enteric pathogens after a bout of turista. The pathogenesis of nontropical sprue is determined by both genetic factors, demonstrated with a strong association with certain HLA haplotypes (B8, DR3, DR7 and DC3) and presumably also environmental events (virus infection?), which render the mucosa susceptible to gluten. The cause of the malabsorption syndrome is multifactorial and results from both intraluminal and cellular events. The digestion of proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids is compromised due to decreased pancreatic and biliary secretion. The absorption of the digestive products is also severely affected due to decreased activity of microvillus enzymes (dipeptidases and disaccharidases) and a presumed reduction in the number of transport carriers. The clinical presentation is identical and the distinction between tropical and nontropical sprue is based on the history (ie, exposure to a tropical environment) and the response to treatment. Tropical sprue is cured by treatment with tetracycline and folic acid, whereas nontropical sprue responds to a gluten-free diet. Nontropical sprue is associated with dermatitis herpetiformis by common genetic and morphological features, and the skin lesions in dermatitis herpetiformis are also responsive to a gluten-free diet. Finally, there appears to be an increased incidence of intestinal malignancies (lymphoma, adenocarcinoma) in nontropical sprue.
The relationship of age and gender to prevalence and pattern of radiographic changes of osteoarthritis of the knee: Data from Caucasian participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence and pattern of radiographic changes of osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee by age and gender in Caucasian participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Bilateral standing weight-bearing radiographs of the knee in 547 male and 351 female subjects (aged 20 and above) were read for changes of knee OA using Kellgren-Lawrence and individual features scales. Prevalence of definite (Kellgren-Lawrence grade > or = 2 changes) knee OA increased with advancing age in both sexes. Approximately 50 percent in both sexes showed bilateral involvement. Men aged 59 and below were more likely to have unilateral impairment than men aged 60 and above; no such differences were found in females. These data demonstrate that age and gender influence both the prevalence and pattern of radiographic changes of knee OA.
Designing External Aids That Support Older Pilots' Communication

Voice communication with air traffic control (ATC) taxes pilots' cognitive abilities, contributing to errors that reduce safety. External aids such as note-taking help pilots manage communication demands, and may especially benefit older pilots. Emerging technologies provide new opportunities for external aids that are integrated with other systems. We compared an electronic notepad (epad) positioned next to the instrument panel of a flight simulator to conventional note-taking (kneepad) on a read-back task. In Experiment 1, 6 older and 6 younger instrument-rated pilots listened to and read back ATC messages while using the epad, kneepad, or no aid. Epad use in this communication-only condition was compared to a condition in which pilots used the epad to support communication while flying the simulator. Read-back accuracy was higher when pilots used either aid compared to no aid, and the pattern of results suggested a smaller age difference with either aid than in the no-aid condition. Accuracy supported by the epad was not reduced in the multitask condition, suggesting the epad would support communication during flight. In Experiment 2, 12 younger and 12 older pilots performed the same tasks, with a modified epad interface. Further evidence was found for smaller age differences when communication was supported by either aid. The results replicate note-taking benefits for older pilots' communication (Morrow et al., 2003) and extend this finding to the novel epad.
Multiphase magmatic flows at Yucca Mountain, Nevada

[1] The proposed Yucca Mountain radioactive waste repository is sited in southern Nevada in a region that has experienced sporadic basaltic volcanism since the late Miocene. Volcanic risk assessment for the proposed repository requires estimating the consequences of a new monogenetic volcano intersecting the underground facility during its 104–106 year performance period. We report numerical studies aimed at understanding the range of processes and dynamic parameter values that could accompany intersection of an open repository drift by a volatile-rich trachybasaltic magma as it ascends in a dike. We focus on one end-member type of magmatic behavior, namely, a fragmented magmatic mixture under pressure interacting with an underground cavity. Initial and boundary conditions are based upon field data and previous modeling studies of the interaction between vertically propagating dikes and a repository opening. The calculations are two-dimensional and time-dependent and are conducted with the multiphase hydrodynamics code GMFIX. Calculations indicate that gas-particle mixtures, as they rise from below and interact with horizontal openings, form complex flow patterns involving varying degrees of recirculation and deposition of pyroclasts. Dynamic pressures are up to 106 Pa but are more typically on the order of 103 to 104 Pa. The geometry and number of outlets play a key role in determining the types of flow patterns, as do volatile contents and the degree of fragmentation. The detailed numerical simulations provide information that will be used to confirm the adequacy of simplified probabilistic consequence models used in risk assessments.
Simulation of Electron Transport in High-Mobility MOSFETs: Density of States Bottleneck and Source Starvation

20 nm InGaAs-based MOSFETs are studied using dc and transient Monte Carlo simulations and self-consistent Schrodinger-Poisson solutions accounting for nonparabolic corrections. The latter simulations show that nonparabolicity can boost the carrier concentration in the InGaAs channel by up to 35% with respect to calculations based on parabolic models, while Monte Carlo simulations show that an optimization of the source, channel, and source/channel regions can significantly improve the performance of the devices. This optimization overcomes a problem that results from the low density- of-states (DOS) in materials with low effective mass, which appears in the quasi-ballistic limit: The inability of the source region to sustain a large flow of carriers in 'longitudinal' velocity states in the channel ('source starvation'), unless the momentum relaxation rate and/or the doping density in the source are sufficiently large.
The lack of inorganic removal of dissolved silica during river-ocean mixing

Abstract The significance of the inorganic removal of dissolved silica from estuarine zones was investigated at three river mouths: the Orinoco, the Savannah and the Mississippi. Particular attention was given to the Mississippi river plume, where extensive inorganic silica uptake had been reported. Mixing curves and laboratory dilution experiments provided little evidence that the phenomenon was widespread. Because of an uncertain fresh water tie point, some inorganic uptake could not be completely ruled out for the Orinoco, but, in the plumes of the Savannah and Mississippi rivers, no inorganic silica removal was indicated. In contrast to published experiments on river sediments, laboratory dilution studies on suspended matter from the Mississippi river showed release of dissolved silica instead of uptake.
Loss of protein tyrosine phosphatase N2 potentiates epidermal growth factor suppression of intestinal epithelial chloride secretion

The Crohn's disease candidate gene, protein tyrosine phosphatase nonreceptor type 2 (PTPN2), has been shown to regulate epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) ac...
A note on nonprofessional judgments of mental health.

Ninety Ss who had either not received or not completed formal diagnostic training made mental health judgments about 60 hypothetical persons, each of whom was represented on a 7-cue behavior profile. A comparison of these judgments with those made by 24 clinical psychologists and psychiatrists failed to reveal a significant difference between groups in terms of scope of cue utilization, magnitude of judgments, or confidence. Differences between groups were obtained, however, in terms of judgment reliability and profile cue utilization. Notable in regard to the latter was the finding that nonprofessional Ss usually ignored information of a “positive” nature (“enthusiasm”), and tended to weight heavily information about violations of legal norms.
Energetic salts of substituted 1,2,4-triazolium and tetrazolium 3,5-dinitro-1,2,4-triazolates

Energetic salts comprised of substituted 1,2,4-triazolium and tetrazolium cations and 3,5-dinitro-1,2,4-triazolate anion were synthesized and characterized. The structure of 4,5-dimethyl-1-aminotetrazolium 3,5-dinitro-1,2,4-triazolate (16) was confirmed by X-ray analysis. Based on experimentally obtained heats of combustion, these materials have calculated heats of formation ranging from ΔHf° = 118 (2) to 778 kJ mol−1 (10) with densities >1.5 g cm−3. Salts, 2, 4, 7, 9 and 10, fall into the ionic liquid class (mp < 100 °C).
Versatility of Fear-Potentiated Startle Paradigms for Assessing Human Conditioned Fear Extinction and Return of Fear

Fear conditioning methodologies have often been employed as testable models for assessing learned fear responses in individuals with anxiety disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and specific phobia. One frequently used paradigm is measurement of the acoustic startle reflex under conditions that mimic anxiogenic and fear-related conditions. For example, fear-potentiated startle is the relative increase in the frequency or magnitude of the acoustic startle reflex in the presence of a previously neutral cue (e.g., colored shape; termed the conditioned stimulus or CS+) that has been repeatedly paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus (e.g., airblast to the larynx). Our group has recently used fear-potentiated startle paradigms to demonstrate impaired fear extinction in civilian and combat populations with PTSD. In the current study, we examined the use of either visual or auditory CSs in a fear extinction protocol that we have validated and applied to human clinical conditions. This represents an important translational bridge in that numerous animal studies of fear extinction, upon which much of the human work is based, have employed the use of auditory CSs as opposed to visual CSs. Participants in both the visual and auditory groups displayed robust fear-potentiated startle to the CS+, clear discrimination between the reinforced CS+ and non-reinforced CS-, significant extinction to the previously reinforced CS+, and marked spontaneous recovery. We discuss the current results as they relate to future investigations of PTSD-related impairments in fear processing in populations with diverse medical and psychiatric histories.
Network Intrusion Detection System Using Neural Networks

This paper presents a neural network-based intrusion detection method for the internet-based attacks on a computer network. Intrusion detection systems (IDS) have been created to predict and thwart current and future attacks. Neural networks are used to identify and predict unusual activities in the system. In particular, feedforward neural networks with the back propagation training algorithm were employed in this study. Training and testing data were obtained from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) intrusion detection evaluation data sets. The experimental results on real-data showed promising results on detection intrusion systems using neural networks.
SLC26A6 and NaDC-1 transporters interact to regulate oxalate and citrate homeostasis

The combination of hyperoxaluria and hypocitraturia can trigger Ca(2+)-oxalate stone formation, even in the absence of hypercalciuria, but the molecular mechanisms that control urinary oxalate and citrate levels are not understood completely. Here, we examined the relationship between the oxalate transporter SLC26A6 and the citrate transporter NaDC-1 in citrate and oxalate homeostasis. Compared with wild-type mice, Slc26a6-null mice exhibited increased renal and intestinal sodium-dependent succinate uptake, as well as urinary hyperoxaluria and hypocitraturia, but no change in urinary pH, indicating enhanced transport activity of NaDC-1. When co-expressed in Xenopus oocytes, NaDC-1 enhanced Slc26a6 transport activity. In contrast, Slc26a6 inhibited NaDC-1 transport activity in an activity dependent manner to restricted tubular citrate absorption. Biochemical and physiologic analysis revealed that the STAS domain of Slc26a6 and the first intracellular loop of NaDC-1 mediated both the physical and functional interactions of these transporters. These findings reveal a molecular pathway that senses and tightly regulates oxalate and citrate levels and may control Ca(2+)-oxalate stone formation.
Altered inhibition in tuberous sclerosis and type IIb cortical dysplasia

Objective: The most common neurological symptom of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) and focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) is early life refractory epilepsy. As previous studies have shown enhanced excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission in TSC and FCD brains, we hypothesized that neurons associated with these lesions may also express altered γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptor (GABAAR)-mediated inhibition. Methods: Expression of the GABAAR subunits α1 and α4, and the Na+-K+-2Cl− (NKCC1) and the K+-Cl− (KCC2) transporters, in human TSC and FCD type II specimens were analyzed by Western blot and double label immunocytochemistry. GABAAR responses in dysplastic neurons from a single case of TSC were measured by perforated patch recording and compared to normal-appearing cortical neurons from a non-TSC epilepsy case. Results: TSC and FCD type IIb lesions demonstrated decreased expression of GABAAR α1, and increased NKCC1 and decreased KCC2 levels. In contrast, FCD type IIa lesions showed decreased α4, and increased expression of both NKCC1 and KCC2 transporters. Patch clamp recordings from dysplastic neurons in acute slices from TSC tubers demonstrated excitatory GABAAR responses that were significantly attenuated by the NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide, in contrast to hyperpolarizing GABAAR-mediated currents in normal neurons from non-TSC cortical slices. Interpretation: Expression and function of GABAARs in TSC and FCD type IIb suggest the relative benzodiazepine insensitivity and more excitatory action of GABA compared to FCD type IIa. These factors may contribute to resistance of seizure activity to anticonvulsants that increase GABAergic function, and may justify add-on trials of the NKCC1 inhibitor bumetanide for the treatment of TSC and FCD type IIb-related epilepsy. ANN NEUROL 2012
Optical Arbitrary Pulse Train Generation via Spectral Line-by-Line Pulse Shaping

We demonstrate optical arbitrary pulse generation using spectral line-by-line shaping on a mode-locked fiber laser. The pulse train within each period can be independently controlled as specified.
Proangiogenic scaffolds as functional templates for cardiac tissue engineering.

We demonstrate here a cardiac tissue-engineering strategy addressing multicellular organization, integration into host myocardium, and directional cues to reconstruct the functional architecture of heart muscle. Microtemplating is used to shape poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) hydrogel into a tissue-engineering scaffold with architectures driving heart tissue integration. The construct contains parallel channels to organize cardiomyocyte bundles, supported by micrometer-sized, spherical, interconnected pores that enhance angiogenesis while reducing scarring. Surface-modified scaffolds were seeded with human ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes and cultured in vitro. Cardiomyocytes survived and proliferated for 2 wk in scaffolds, reaching adult heart densities. Cardiac implantation of acellular scaffolds with pore diameters of 30–40 μm showed angiogenesis and reduced fibrotic response, coinciding with a shift in macrophage phenotype toward the M2 state. This work establishes a foundation for spatially controlled cardiac tissue engineering by providing discrete compartments for cardiomyocytes and stroma in a scaffold that enhances vascularization and integration while controlling the inflammatory response.
To tune or not to tune?: a lightweight physical design alerter

In recent years there has been considerable research on automating the physical design in database systems. Current techniques provide good recommendations, but are resource intensive. This makes DBAs somewhat conservative when deciding to launch a resource-intensive tuning session. In this paper, we introduce an alerter that helps determining when a physical design tool should be invoked. The alerter is a lightweight mechanism that provides guaranteed lower (and upper bounds) on the improvement that a DBA could expect by invoking a comprehensive physical design tool. Moreover, it produces an accompanying recommendation that serves as a "proof" for the lower bound. We show experimentally that the alerter handles large workloads with little overhead, and help judiciously decide on launching subsequent tuning sessions.
Dynamic light scattering of biopolymers and biocolloids.

AbstractOf the physical techniques available for the study of biopolymers and other macromolecular and colloidal systems, dynamic light scattering is, perhaps, the most fascinating. The very idea of extracting useful dynamical and structural information from random fluctuations in the intensity of light scattered from otherwise unperturbed equilibrium solutions1-3 seems, at first glance, almost too good to be true. Indeed, for fragile preparations that are prone to suffer undesirable fates at the slightest change in solution conditions, dynamic light scattering may be the perfect technique. It is nondestructive, relatively rapid, and typically requires only modest amounts of material. In routine applications, even on unfamiliar samples, the dust-removal procedure (either gravity flow Millipore ® filtration or low-speed centrifugation) requires 10 to 20 min, and determination of the translational diffusion coefficient to an accuracy of a few percent, or less, requires 5 min. Verification that the dynamical...
Exclusion-Based Capture and Enumeration of CD4+ T Cells from Whole Blood for Low-Resource Settings

In developing countries, demand exists for a cost-effective method to evaluate human immunodeficiency virus patients' CD4(+) T-helper cell count. The TH (CD4) cell count is the current marker used to identify when an HIV patient has progressed to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, which results when the immune system can no longer prevent certain opportunistic infections. A system to perform TH count that obviates the use of costly flow cytometry will enable physicians to more closely follow patients' disease progression and response to therapy in areas where such advanced equipment is unavailable. Our system of two serially-operated immiscible phase exclusion-based cell isolations coupled with a rapid fluorescent readout enables exclusion-based isolation and accurate counting of T-helper cells at lower cost and from a smaller volume of blood than previous methods. TH cell isolation via immiscible filtration assisted by surface tension (IFAST) compares well against the established Dynal T4 Quant Kit and is sensitive at CD4 counts representative of immunocompromised patients (less than 200 TH cells per microliter of blood). Our technique retains use of open, simple-to-operate devices that enable IFAST as a high-throughput, automatable sample preparation method, improving throughput over previous low-resource methods.