cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enlarged gauge symmetry of gravitation theory

The gauge group of the general theory of relativity is extended to local $\mathrm{GL}(4,R)$. The purpose of this extension is to provide the freedom for regularizing the operators which occur upon quantizing the theory. Under certain natural requirements the extension is shown to be essentially unique.
Earthquake source mechanisms and transform fault tectonics in the Gulf of California

The source parameters of 19 large earthquakes in the Gulf of California were determined from inversions of long-period P and SH waveforms. The goal was to understand the recent slip history of this dominantly transform boundary between the Pacific and North American plates as well as the effect on earthquake characteristics of the transition from young oceanic to continental lithosphere. For the better recorded transform events, the fault strike is resolved to + or - 4 deg at 90 percent confidence. The slip vectors thus provide important constraints on the direction of relative plate motion. Most centroid depths are poorly resolved because of tradeoffs between depth and source time function. On the basis of waveform modeling, historical seismicity, and other factors, it is appropriate to divide the Gulf into three distinct zones. The difference in seismic character among the three zones is likely the result of differing levels of maturity of the processes of rifting, generation of oceanic crust, and formation of stable oceanic transform faults. The mechanism of an earthquake on the Tres Marias Escarpment is characterized by thrust faulting and likely indicates the direction of relative motion between the Rivera and North American plates. This mechanism requires revision in plate velocity models which predict strike slip motion at this location.
PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF CALCIUM ALGINATE GEL AS A BIOCOMPATIBLE MATERIAL FOR ENDOVASCULAR ANEURYSM EMBOLIZATION IN VIVO

Objective We sought to expand our assessment of calcium alginate as an embolic agent in an aneurysm model in swine that survived from 30 to 90 days. The objective of this study was to assess the biocompatibility and stability of calcium alginate in aneurysms in vivo. Methods Ten models were created from a venous pouch sutured to the carotid artery, simulating flow to a side-wall aneurysm. Eight swine received complete embolizations, and two were less than 50% embolized to be used as controls. Alginate and calcium chloride were injected from concentric-tube microcatheters to form a mass that filled the aneurysm pouch. Results Angiography and histology verified complete aneurysm occlusion and neck healing up to 90 days in eight swine. Both control animal aneurysms ruptured within 8 days. No animals showed evidence of downstream calcium alginate gel propagation. A minor bioactive response to the alginate gel was noted at 30 days, and fibrous tissue grew over the aneurysm orifice, sealing off the defect. No degenerative or inflammatory response was observed. At 90 days, moderate fibrous tissue surrounded the alginate. Tissue growth across the aneurysm neck remained complete and stable with no signs of neointimal growth into the parent vessel. Conclusion Calcium alginate was an effective endovascular occlusion material that filled the aneurysm and provided an effective template for tissue growth across the aneurysm neck after 30 days and up to 90 days. Complete filling of the aneurysm with calcium alginate ensures stability, biocompatibility, and optimal healing for up to 90 days in swine.
Effect of acute and chronic Cd exposure on lindane metabolism.

This study reports the effects of acute and chronic Cd treatment on the metabolism of lindane by rats 3 days, 1, 2, 3, and 5 weeks after exposure to the heavy metal. Eighty adult male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to one of four exposure groups. One group was injected sc, three times a week throughout the study, with 0.75 mg of Cd/kg body weight. The other three groups received one se injection of either 0, 1.04, or 3.20 mg of Cd/kg body weight. Twenty-four hours prior to sacrifice four rats from each group received a po dose of 1.83 mg of lindane (containing 2.5 μCi of [ 14 C]lindane). Results of this study indicate that Cd pretreatment causes inhibition of lindane metabolism which is of long duration and which is not appreciably relieved by chronic exposure to the metal.
On the Blow-up of Certain Solutions of the “Good” Boussinesq Equation

The assertion of Kalantarov and Ludyzhenskaya concerning the “blow-up” of solutions of the “good” Boussinesq equation is established with one additional hypothesis. For a large set of initial values, solutions can only exist for a finite time
Revisiting Anomalous Diffusion Due To Molecular Crowding

Molecular diffusion is called anomalous when the mean-squared displacement of a moving particle does not increase linearly with time. Several simulation works demonstrated anomalous diffusion, as opposed to normal (i.e., Brownian) diffusion, in crowded environments with fixed and/or mobile obstacles. Experimental measurements often report a reduction of molecular diffusion but not necessarily anomalous diffusion in the cytoplasm. Here we propose two possible reasons for the discrepancy between simulations and experiments on diffusion in crowded environments.First, some of the previously developed algorithms might not accurately simulate three-body or higher order molecular collisions in the crowded environment. To this end, we have developed an event-driven, exact collision detection algorithmic scheme and systematically studied the impact of crowding on molecular diffusion. When these higher-order collisions are explicitly taken into account, the anomalous diffusion in 3D seen with the previously developed algorithms becomes less prominent or disappears.Second, experimental analyses that suggested anomalous diffusion might have been problematic. This is particularly relevant to fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FSC). Unlike single-particle tracking (SPT), FCS does not provide direct information about trajectories of individual molecules. It relies on the analysis of fluctuations in the number of fluorescent particles in a focused laser spot. The diffusion of molecule is inferred from the shape of the autocorrelated fluorescent signals fitted to a mathematical formula purportedly representing anomalous diffusion. However, the latter formula was derived from a modified diffusion equation, which may not have physical basis, thus leading to potentially erroneous data analysis. We propose a new FCS autocorrelation formula based on continuous time random walk theory and fractional diffusion equation.Finally, we use this new FCS formula and the novel event-driven algorithm to simulate diffusion in crowded environments and discuss possible reconciliation of discrepancies between previous simulations and experimental data.
Intimate Partner Violence and Homelessness as Mediators of the Effects of Cumulative Childhood Victimization Clusters on Adolescent Mothers’ Depression Symptoms

This study examines the relationships between cumulative victimization that began during childhood (witnessing intimate partner violence [IPV], physical abuse by a caregiver, and sexual victimization), adolescent IPV victimization, homelessness, and depression symptoms within a sample of 206 urban adolescent mothers. We used cluster analysis to identify five profiles of cumulative childhood victimization, and explored the extent to which adolescent IPV victimization and homelessness mediated the relationships between these clusters and participants’ current depression symptoms. Overall, we found that a significant portion of the effect of cumulative childhood victimization on current depression was explained by IPV victimization and homelessness, indicating that both are important mediators of childhood violence exposure within this high-risk sample of young women.
Is bladder biopsy necessary at three or six months post BCG therapy

The standard of practice set by the SWOG investigation of BCG therapy for superficial bladder cancer has been to evaluate response at 3 months with cystoscopy and bladder biopsy. This study is to determine if all patients require a biopsy post therapy at 3 or 6 months. We reviewed the charts of 43 patients who had received a 6-weekly course of BCG (Connaught strain) for high grade or recurrent Ta, T1, or Tis transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder. The patients with Ta recurrent, T1 or Tis disease received maintenance therapy. All patients were followed through 6 months. At 3 months, 32/43 patients had negative cystoscopies. All 32 patients had corresponding negative biopsies. Eight patients had visible papillary tumors, while three patients had erythematous lesions, which were biopsy negative. At 6 months, eight different patients had visible lesions on cystoscopy that were biopsy proven superficial bladder cancer. The positive predictive value at 3 and 6 months post BCG therapy was 72.6% and 100%, respectively. The false positive rate was 7% at the 3-month checkpoint. Bladder biopsy is not necessary at the 3 or 6 month period following BCG therapy in the face of negative cystoscopic findings.
Pion production via isobar giant resonance formation and decay

A spin, isotopic-spin formalism for the production of pions due to decays of isobar giant resonances formed in peripheral heavy-ion collisions is presented. The projectile nucleus isobar giant resonance state is assumed to coherently form and then incoherently decay to produce the pions. Total spin and isotopic spin for the system are conserved through the concomitant excitation of the target nucleus to an isobaric analog giant resonance state. Comparisons of the predicted total pion cross sections, over a range of energies, are made with heavy-ion pion data.
Optimal fixation conditions for immunocytochemical analysis of estrogen receptor in cytologic specimens of breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND The techniques for immunostaining estrogen receptor (ER) in cytologic specimens have varied, as have the detection rates. The authors compared various fixation methods for their effect on ER detection in cytologic smears of breast carcinoma. METHODS Smears were prepared by gently scraping the cut surfaces of 47 resected breast carcinoma specimens and placing immediately in 1of the following conditions: 1) a sequence of 10% formalin-methanol-acetone fixatives at −20 °C (Abbott method); 2) 10% formalin at room temperature; and 3) Carnoy's fixative at room temperature and then Papanicolaou stained (Carnoy's-Pap). Destaining of Carnoy's-Pap smears (Carnoy's-dPap) was initially attempted before ER staining. One set of smears was also air-dried for 3 minutes before using the Abbott method. Smears and corresponding tissue sections were immunostained with anti-ER antibody 6F11 using a similar protocol except for antigen retrieval, which was not initially applied on cytologic slides. All the ER-negative smears that had been fixed with 10% formalin or Carnoy's-Pap were restained after antigen retrieval. Agreement between cytologic and histologic findings was expressed by both concordance and the kappa coefficient. RESULTS ER detection in smears processed with the Abbott method correlated best with findings from tissue samples, with an overall correlation of 91.5% (κ = 0.80). Findings from air-dried smears were less optimal (concordance, 84.4%; κ = 0.65), followed by Carnoy's-Pap (concordance, 71.4%; κ = 0.45), formalin (concordance, 31%; κ = 0.05), and Carnoy's-dPap (concordance, 29.4%; κ = 0.04). Antigen retrieval converted most of the ER-negative smears to positive (18 of 20 smears in formalin and 6 of 8 smears in Carnoy's-Pap), leading to a final concordance of 93% and κ = 0.83 for both conditions. Antigen retrieval also led to stronger staining intensity without causing false positivity. CONCLUSIONS Antigen retrieval was found to greatly improve ER immunodetectability and staining intensity in formalin-fixed and Carnoy's-Pap smears. The former may offer an alternative to the Abbott method because of its easiness and the latter can be reliably used in archival Pap-stained smears for retrospective analysis of ER. Air-drying, destaining Pap smear, and fixation in formalin or Carnoy's-Pap without antigen retrieval are not recommended. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 2004;102:34–40. © 2003 American Cancer Society.
Towards an optical concentrator for nanoparticles

Photonic crystal (PC) biosensing platforms have the potential to achieve single-pathogen detection using nanoscale optical resonant cavities. Real-time sample analysis requires the PC sensor to be interfaced with a fluidic environment, but current practical fluidic structures typically have dimensions much larger than the PC sensing cavities. To enhance sensing probability, an on-chip optofluidic structure is being developed to concentrate target material within a narrow sensing region of the microfluidic channel. The device relies on fluid drag forces to propel material along the microfluidic channel. Dielectric material is guided transversely within the microfluidic channel by optical gradient forces due to the evanescent field surrounding a ridge waveguide within the channel. Results of computational modeling are presented.
'The best defence...' or optimal offence/defence spending ratios in the NFL.

An original data set built from all 32 National Football League (NFL) teams, covering 2000–2009, is used to produce a production function for professional football. We use spending on salaries, divided between offensive and defensive players, as inputs to produce season wins. Our data suggest that the optimal strategy is simply to have a strategy, meaning teams with balanced spending tend to do worse than those with a more strategic allocation towards either offence or defence.
On the degree of piecewise shape-preserving approximation by polynomials

We show that the degree of piecewise q -coconvex approximation E n ( q ) ( f , Y s ) of a q -convex function by algebraic polynomials of degree < n asymptotically depends only on α , Y s and q , n α E n ( q ) ( f , Y s ) ? c ( α , s , q ) , n ? N ? ( α , Y s , q ) , assuming this inequality holds for an N ? dependent on f and that the degree of unconstrained approximation has the same decrease rate: n α E n ( f ) ? 1 , n ? N with N ? s + q + 1 . In particular, cases α 1 , N = s + 2 , q = 1 , and α 2 , N = s + 3 , q = 2 complement earlier results on comonotone and coconvex approximation by polynomials respectively.
Thermophilic and mesophilic methane production from anaerobic degradation of the cyanobacterium Spirulina maxima

Abstract Methane production from fermentation of the cyanobacterium, Spirulina maxima, as the sole substrate was investigated in 200 mL working-volume anaerobic digesters maintained at 35 and 55°C. Digesters were fed once-per-day with a feed concentration (St0) of 22.5 g volatile solids (VS) per liter, at retention times (θ) of 8, 12, and 16 days. Digester contents were mixed for one min before and after feeding. After 3 volume turnovers, effluent samples were obtained on four consecutive days. Methane production rate (L CH4/L-day) and methane yield (B) (L/g of COD fed) at 35°C were 0.47 and 0.09, 0.41 and 0.15, and 0.31 and 0.15 at the respective θ of 8, 12, and 16 days; at 55°C they were 0.20 and 0.05, 0.31 and 0.11, and 0.19 and 0.09, respectively. The ultimate methane yield (B0) after 105 days of batch fermentation was 0.22 L CH4 per g COD fed (0.33 L CH4/g VS fed). COD degradation at these retention times and temperatures was between 23 and 40%, ammonia nitrogen between 1.12 and 1.86 g/L, and alkalinity between 7.0 and 7.8 g CaCO3/L. The concentration of total volatile acids at 35°C was 4.07, 2.58 and 3.13 at θ = 8, 12, and 16 days, respectively; at 55°C they were 6.78, 4.18, and 4.07, respectively. These results indicate that the biomass of S. maxima can be used as a sole nutrient for methane production at mesophilic and thermophilic temperatures. However, the methane production rates at these retention times are higher at the mesophilic temperature. These rates are significantly lower than those obtainable with cattle or swine wastes because greater maximum loading rates can be obtained with these wastes before digester failure occurs.
Estimating and Identifying Unspecified Correlation Structure for Longitudinal Data.

Identifying correlation structure is important to achieving estimation efficiency in analyzing longitudinal data, and is also crucial for drawing valid statistical inference for large-size clustered data. In this article, we propose a nonparametric method to estimate the correlation structure, which is applicable for discrete longitudinal data. We use eigenvector-based basis matrices to approximate the inverse of the empirical correlation matrix and determine the number of basis matrices via model selection. A penalized objective function based on the difference between the empirical and model approximation of the correlation matrices is adopted to select an informative structure for the correlation matrix. The eigenvector representation of the correlation estimation is capable of reducing the risk of model misspecification, and also provides useful information on the specific within-cluster correlation pattern of the data. We show that the proposed method possesses the oracle property and selects the tru...
Degradation of the bond between old and new mortar under cyclic shear loading, monitored by contact electrical resistance measurement

Degradation of the bond between old and new mortar under cyclic shear loading was observed nondestructively by measuring the contact electrical resistance of the joint. Degradation, which was due to fatigue and caused a decrease in bond strength but no visual damage, was indicated by an abrupt increase in the resistance at a small fraction of the fatigue life.
Cerium Migration through Hydrogen Fuel Cells during Accelerated Stress Testing

Component durability of polymer-electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells can be improved by adding cerium cations, which serve to scavenge harmful free radicals and selectively decompose hydrogen peroxide, which are formed during the oxidation reduction reaction (ORR). We have investigated the change in distribution of cerium cations in a hydrogen fuel cell as a function of operating time, considering both cerium containing membranes (commercial XL by DuPont) as well as fuel cells with CeO2 in the cathode catalyst layer. Our results show cerium cations are very mobile in Nafion, and migrate into both the anode and cathode catalyst
Transient versus persistent fear of falling in community-dwelling older adults: incidence and risk factors.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the incidence of fear of falling (FOF) and the risk factors associated with transient versus persistent FOF in community‐dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Bronx County, New York. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred eighty participants without FOF at baseline in the Einstein Aging Study aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: FOF was assessed at baseline and during follow‐up interviews at 2‐ to 3‐month intervals for a minimum 2 years. Incident FOF was classified as transient or persistent FOF. Transient FOF was defined as new‐onset FOF reported at only one interview, and persistent FOF was FOF reported at two or more interviews over a 2‐year period. RESULTS: Twenty‐four‐month cumulative incidence of incident FOF was 45.4%, with 60.0% of FOF being persistent. Predictors of incident FOF included female sex (adjusted hazard ratio (aHR)=1.55, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.08-2.23), depressive symptoms (aHR=1.16, 95% CI=1.07-1.26), falls (aHR=1.50, 95% CI=1.01-2.21), and clinical gait abnormality (aHR=2.07, 95% CI=1.42-3.01). The proportion of participants with incident FOF increased linearly with increasing number of risk factors. Predictors for transient and persistent FOF were depressive symptoms and clinical gait abnormality. Female sex and previous falls were predictors of persistent but not transient FOF. CONCLUSION: FOF status in older adults may change over time, with shared and distinct risk factors for persistent and transient FOF. Understanding the dynamic nature of FOF and these risk factors will help identify high‐risk groups and design future intervention studies.
Delirium detection and improved delirium management in older patients hospitalized for hip fracture

Delirium is a common and potentially devastating problem for older patients following hip fracture. Although early detection is recommended, description and evaluation of standardized approaches are scarce. The aims of this quality improvement project were to: (1) implement a clinical algorithm for improving delirium detection and management and (2) assess the impact of the clinical algorithm on length of stay, discharge disposition and patient satisfaction. The pilot study was implemented on an orthopedic unit to evaluate the effectiveness of a clinical protocol for delirium detection and management to improve outcomes. Outcomes of 33 elderly post-operative hip fracture patients were compared to historical controls from the same unit. Delirium was detected in 18% of patients. Length of stay was reduced by 22% (P < .001), discharge disposition showed a 13% improvement (P = .17) and patient satisfaction scores showed a 15% (P = .15) improvement post-intervention. Implementation of a clinical algorithm to promote early detection and treatment of delirium in post-operative hip fracture patients is feasible and associated with improved outcomes.
Distribution of CCR5Δ32 in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Children and Its Relationship to Disease Course

Homozygosity for a 32-bp deletion in the CCR5 gene (CCR5delta32) has been shown to confer resistance to infection with the macrophage-tropic strain of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1. We examined the distribution of CCR5delta32 in 47 children (age range, 1.5 to 19 years), of whom 43 were infected with HIV, by the perinatal route (n = 41) or by the intravenous route (n = 2). The infected patients were classified as rapid progressors (RP) (n = 7) (CDC category C3 or death by 2 years of age), non-rapid progressors (NRP) (n = 17) (survival for > or =8 years after infection), or intermediate (n = 19). CCR5delta32 heterozygosity was found in two HIV-infected children, both NRP. None of the subjects were homozygous for CCR5delta32, and the remaining children had no evidence of CCR5delta32. The presence of CCR5delta32 heterozygosity in 4.8% of this, predominantly non-Caucasian population is consistent with the published distribution of the mutation. The finding that CCR5delta32 was present only in NRP and not in any RP is in agreement with previous reports suggesting that heterozygosity for CCR5delta32 may confer limited protection from disease progression.
A Low Power, Low Voltage Current Read-Out Circuit for Implantable Electro-Chemical Sensors

A low power, low voltage current read-out circuit suitable for implantable electro-chemical sensors has been designed, fabricated and tested. The circuit converts a very low level current signal from a generic sensor into an ASK signal where the modulating signal frequency is proportional to the sensor output current, usually in the range of 0.2 muA to 2 muA. An on-chip potentiostat is also incorporated in the design to bias the sensor electrodes. A programmable frequency divider is integrated into the chip to set the ASK envelope frequency within the audio frequency range for ease of testing. This chip can operate with a supply voltage as low as 1.5 V and consumes only about 400 muW power. A second generation of the chip has been designed with FSK modulation scheme. FSK modulated signals offer better noise performance and higher power efficiency compare to ASK modulated signals.
Physical Modeling and Electrodynamic Characterization of Dielectric Slurries by Impedance Spectroscopy (Part II)

Electrical characterization of dielectric slurries, as 0–3 composite systems, can provide valuable information on the dielectric properties of suspended particles. A new approach developed in our laboratory is based on impedance spectroscopy measurements of the slurries containing dispersed dielectric powders. Dielectric constants of the particles are determined through analysis of the low-frequency section of the impedance spectra. It was shown previously that this approach allows accurate and reliable measurement of dielectric constant of particles (ɛ: ∼100–2000) using host liquids (ɛ: ∼10–65). This study addresses the validation of this new method with physical model experiments using millimeter-sized sintered BaTiO3 model samples suspended in the liquid. Impedance spectra of barium titanate powder slurries were compared with the spectra of the model samples containing macroscopic cubes prepared by sintering of the same starting powder. This comparison shows a good agreement between the impedance spectra of powder and bulk BaTiO3 and validates the reliability of the new method to determine the dielectric constant of particulate materials.
Improved Linear Optic Bell-State Measurement Using Ancillary Photons

It is not possible to construct a linear optic device that unambiguously discriminates all four Bell states. However, the Bell-state measurement efficiency can be made arbitrarily close to unity by introducing additional entangled photons.
An acoustic multiple target tracker

We propose a particle filter acoustic tracker to track multiple maneuvering targets using a state space formulation with a locally linear motion model. The observations are a batch of direction-of-arrival (DOA) estimates at various frequencies. The data likelihood incorporates the possibility of missing data as well as spurious DOA observations. By imposing smoothness constraints on the target motion, the particle filter is able to avoid data association problems. To make the filter computationally efficient, a proposal strategy based on approximating the full posterior with Newton's method is employed. Computer simulations show the algorithm's performance
Sinus Venosus Atrial Septal Defect Long-Term Postoperative Outcome for 115 Patients

Background— Sinus venosus atrial septal defect (SVASD) differs from secundum atrial septal defect by its atrial septal location and its association with anomalous pulmonary venous connection (APVC). Data on long-term outcome after surgical repair are limited. Methods and Results— We reviewed outcomes of 115 patients (mean age±SD 34±23 years) with SVASD who had repair from 1972 through 1996. APVC was present in 112 patients (97%). Early mortality was 0.9%. Complete follow-up was obtained for 108 patients (95%) at 144±99 months. Symptomatic improvement was noted in 83 patients (77%), and deterioration was noted in 17 patients (16%). At follow-up, 7 (6%) of 108 patients had sinus node dysfunction, a permanent pacemaker, or both, and 15 (14%) of 108 patients had atrial fibrillation. Older age at repair was predictive of postoperative atrial fibrillation (P=0.033). No reoperations were required during follow-up. Survival was not different from expected for an age- and sex-matched population. Clinical improveme...
CMOS transistor scaling past 32nm and implications on variation

This paper explores CMOS transistor scaling past the 32nm generation and its implications on variation. Front-end variation sources are reviewed, with detailed discussion on lithography and polish variation sources past 32nm. New transistor architectures are discussed, with emphasis on benefits and challenges relative to variation. Detailed variation measurement techniques are reviewed, with supporting multi-generational trend results, including data from the 32nm node.
Minimal deviation adenocarcinoma ("adenoma malignum") of the cervix: a reappraisal.

Abstract Five cases of so-called “adenoma malignum” of the cervix are presented. This term has been used to describe an extremely well-differentiated adenocarcinoma characterized histologically by distorted and architecturally irregular endocervical glands which penetrate deeply into the wall of the cervix, but without more than minimal and focal evidence of gland cell stratification, anaplasia, or mitotic activity. Despite this innocuous histologic appearance, these tumors have classically been thought to be clinically highly malignant, with an almost invariably rapid lethal outcome. This discrepancy between the histology and behavior has been presented as justification for the otherwise paradoxical name, “adenoma malignum”. In the present series, all patients were treated with modern radiotherapeutic techniques, and four of the five are long-term survivors. Of the patients in the literature who died after rapid dissemination, none received treatment with acceptable radiotherapeutic techniques. Thus, we believe that with proper therapy this tumor is no more malignant than one would expect for a highly differentiated adenocarcinoma, and we suggest that the name, “adenoma malignum”, be replaced by “minimal deviation adenocarcinoma of the cervix”.
Conservation and Functional Element Discovery in 20 Angiosperm Plant Genomes

Here, we describe the construction of a phylogenetically deep, whole-genome alignment of 20 flowering plants, along with an analysis of plant genome conservation. Each included angiosperm genome was aligned to a reference genome, Arabidopsis thaliana, using the LASTZ/MULTIZ paradigm and tools from the University of California‐Santa Cruz Genome Browser source code. In addition to the multiple alignment, we created a local genome browser displaying multiple tracks of newly generated genome annotation, as well as annotation sourced from published data of other research groups. An investigation into A. thaliana gene features present in the aligned A. lyrata genome revealed better conservation of start codons, stop codons, and splice sites within our alignments (51% of features from A. thaliana conserved without interruption in A. lyrata) when compared with previous publicly available plant pairwise alignments (34% of features conserved). The detailed view of conservation across angiosperms revealed not only high coding-sequence conservation but also a large set of previously uncharacterized intergenic conservation. From this, we annotated the collection of conserved features, revealing dozens of putative noncoding RNAs, including some with recorded small RNA expression. Comparing conservation between kingdoms revealed a faster decay of vertebrate genome features when compared with angiosperm genomes. Finally, conserved sequences were searched for folding RNA features, including but not limited to noncoding RNA (ncRNA) genes. Among these, we highlight a double hairpin in the 5 0 -untranslated region (5 0 -UTR) of the PRIN2 gene and a putative ncRNA with homology targeting the LAF3 protein.
Studies on the Organic Components of Shell Gland Fluid and the Hen’s Egg Shell

Abstract Shell gland fluid was collected from laying hens during the plumping stage of egg shell formation. Disc-gel electrophoresis of this fluid demonstrated the existence of seven to nine components which stained for protein. Chemical analysis of fluid indicated that this material differed considerably from the organic portions of egg shell with respect to carbohydrate and amino acid composition. This suggests that the proteins present in shell gland fluid do not serve as direct precursors of the organic components of egg shell. The proteins present in shell gland fluid were found to exhibit carbonic anhydrase, acid phosphatase, and several types of esterase activity. Alkaline phosphatase activity was present in very low amounts. On the basis of inhibitor studies, uterine fluid acid phosphatase activity was found to differ from blood acid phosphatase and exhibited properties similar to prostatic acid phosphatase. Carbonic anhydrase activity of shell gland fluid did not vary with the stage of egg shell formation nor were there differences in the activity of fluid taken from hens selected for differences in egg shell thickness.
Main factors influencing the effect of suppressing multipactor by periodic surface profiles and resonant magnetic field

Breakdown at the vacuum/dielectric interface is triggered by multipactor and finally realized by plasma avalanche in the ambient desorbed or evaporated gas layer above the dielectric1–4. We have theoretically and experimentally demonstrated that the periodic surface profiles5–8 and external resonant magnetic field9–11 can prominently increase the HPM breakdown thresholds. The main factors determining the effect of suppressing multipactor are analyzed and emphasized in this talk, including the slope angle, periodic size, rf frequency, rf field amplitude, dc magnetic amplitude, pressure and dielectric constant. These factors play significant important role on improving breakdown thresholds.
Autonomic innervation of the rat vagina, cervix, and uterus and its cyclic variation

Specific histochemical methods for norepinephrine and for acetylcholinesterase have been used to delineate the pattern of autonomic innervation of the rat vagina, cervix, and uterus. A dual innervation is present in the adventitia, muscularis, and mucosa of these structures, and plexuses of varying complexity are associated with smooth muscle, blood vessels, and glands. Cholinergic fibers are seen in the surface epithelium. Adrenergic and cholinergic ganglion cells are present within ganglia and as isolated cells. The density of the adrenergic and cholinergic innervation has been found to be most prominent during estrus and least so during diestrus.
Addressing Negative Racial and Gendered Experiences That Discourage Academic Careers in Engineering

Engineering faculty members play a multifaceted role in the profession in that they help discover, promote, and disseminate advancements in technology, and they engage in capacity-building by training a future workforce of engineers. However, many potential faculty members are dissuaded from academia. A study of Black engineering PhD students and postdoctoral scholars investigates their career decision-making processes concerning the professoriate. The racial and gendered experiences of these students and scholars have impacted their desires and choices to pursue an academic career. Programmatic innovation is needed within graduate mentoring programs to address racial, gender, and other identity-based biases within engineering and academia, in addition to traditional content that focuses on presentation skills, networking, and other professional development areas. A new approach develops a mentoring curriculum that raises racial and gender consciousness by utilizing the expertise of scholars from various social science disciplines.
Modeling techniques

The computerized frequency assignment program developed by the FCC Spectrum Management Task Force utilizes monitoring van1/ measured occupancy data and models for propagation, interference, and noise. The propagation model was constructed by the Technical Division of the FCC Office of the Chief Engineer from measured FM and television data2/ and National Bureau of Standards measurements in the UHF/VHF range.3/ The co-channel interference model uses commonly accepted signal ratios between desired and interfering signals. The adjacent channel interference model is based on performance characteristics furnished by the major Land Mobile (LM) equipment manufacturers. The receiver and transmitter intermodulation interference models and the noise model were taken from the Report of the Advisory Committee for the Land Mobile Services.4/ None of the models is considered immutable. All will be continuously updated.
Search Strategies Used for Meta-Analyses Published on Cardiovascular Drug Therapy.

Purpose:Meta-analyses are routinely shaping patient care decisions. However, it is unknown whether meta-analyses are increasing in cardiology or whether complete search strategies are used. The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of search strategies of meta-analyses.Methods:Meta-analyses assessing cardiovascular drug therapy published from 2006 to 2011 were identified through PubMed/Medline with the terms “cardiovascular agents” and “drug therapy.”Results:A total of 130 meta-analyses were identified. There was a 100% increase with the largest growth from 2008 to 2009. Only half of the analyses used 3 databases to identify studies for inclusion, which was predictive of using search terms (P < .01; odds ratio, 3.05, 95% confidence interval, 1.341-6.952) and using a quality assessment tool (P < .001; odds ratio, 3.05; 95% confidence interval, 2.038-8.066).Conclusions:Meta-analyses evaluating cardiovascular drug therapy increased in 2011. Meta-analyses should exhaust all resources to identify tri...
Changes in Temperature of the Lower Extremities Following the Induction of Spinal Anesthesia.

SummaryDirect observations by accurate technique show that skin and deep tissue temperatures of the feet rise markedly following the induction of spinal anesthesia and begin to fall again as sensation in the feet returns. This may be interpreted as a result of vasodilatation in the feet following chemical blocking in the spinal canal of the significant nerves controlling vascular tone in the lower extremities.
Computer-aided design of the Gray-Markel filter

The Gray-Markel filter has enjoyed a degree of popularity due to some special attributes it possesses. In the letter, a two-and one-multiplier Gray-Markel filter is derived in state-variable form. Using computer-aided techniques, a state variable model is computed and the finite word-length effects of the filter automatically quantified.
Integration of Acute Care CNS and Case Manager Roles

To be effective in the new environment of managed health care, APNs must have a transformed outlook on providing nursing care. Accountability for day to day care that leads to shorter hospital stays and at the same time improves the quality of care is essential. The nurse's focus can no longer be on each small piece of care, but rather on a broad perspective of the entire continuum of care. The expert skills of the critical care CNS are still needed to manage the complex care required of patients in this setting. However, their focus needs to be broadened so that the larger picture remains in sight. Coordination of the activities of multiple care providers to achieve the ultimate goal of providing cost effective, quality care will be a primary responsibility of the CNS-NCM. This transition requires new thinking. Educational programs that include perspective transformation are needed for CNS role transition to become expert in the NCM role.
Anti-Infective Drugs in the Prevention and Treatment of Sepsis Syndrome

Anti-infective drugs may be used to prevent or treat infectious diseases. Preventing serious infections using aerosolized drugs, selective decontamination of the intestinal tract, or devices impregnated with anti-infective materials generally has been unsuccessful. Treatment of serious infections arising from the community or hospital setting requires knowledge of the most likely pathogens responsible for the illness, the antimicrobial susceptibility of those organisms, and the proper dosing of antimicrobial therapy.
Automatically Providing Action Plans Helps People Complete Tasks

People complete tasks more quickly when they have concrete plans, especially for open-ended, creative tasks. However, people often fail to create such action plans. (How) can systems provide people with these concrete steps automatically? To scalably provide personalized action plans, this paper introduces and evaluates crowdsourcing and peer approaches for creating plans, and NLP techniques for reusing them. We evaluated the effects of action plans on different types of tasks. A between-subjects experiment found that people who received crowd-created plans completed more tasks than people asked to self-create plans and than a control group without action plans. We found that crowd-created action plans are especially effective for lingering and high-level tasks. A second experiment found that peer-provided plans led to more completed tasks than no plans. A third experiment found that participants who received reused action plans also completed more tasks than a control group without action plans. We have incorporated these principles into TaskGenies: a crowd-powered task management system.
Madame Victorica Arrives in New York

This article, number IV in his sequence, is the first of four Manly articles on the German spy Madame Marie de Victorica. It includes background material on Madame Victorica and a several page discussion on secret inks and scientific methods of cryptology and steganography. The rest of the article is a chronological description of Madame Victorica’s first few days in New York City in early 1917 in which she is making contacts with the German community in New York and with other German agents already in the city. The article ends abruptly after page 9; possibly a page is missing. Herbert Yardley has an entire chapter in The American Black Chamber on Madame Victorica that contains some of the same details as these four articles.
Efficient method for calculations of ro-vibrational states in triatomic molecules near dissociation threshold: Application to ozone

A method for calculations of rotational-vibrational states of triatomic molecules up to dissociation threshold (and scattering resonances above it) is devised, that combines hyper-spherical coordinates, sequential diagonalization-truncation procedure, optimized grid DVR, and complex absorbing potential. Efficiency and accuracy of the method and new code are tested by computing the spectrum of ozone up to dissociation threshold, using two different potential energy surfaces. In both cases good agreement with results of previous studies is obtained for the lower energy states localized in the deep (∼10 000 cm−1) covalent well. Upper part of the bound state spectrum, within 600 cm−1 below dissociation threshold, is also computed and is analyzed in detail. It is found that long progressions of symmetric-stretching and bending states (up to 8 and 11 quanta, respectively) survive up to dissociation threshold and even above it, whereas excitations of the asymmetric-stretching overtones couple to the local vibration modes, making assignments difficult. Within 140 cm−1 below dissociation threshold, large-amplitude vibrational states of a floppy complex O⋯O2 are formed over the shallow van der Waals plateau. These are assigned using two local modes: the rocking-motion and the dissociative-motion progressions, up to 6 quanta in each, both with frequency ∼20 cm−1. Many of these plateau states are mixed with states of the covalent well. Interestingly, excitation of the rocking-motion helps keeping these states localized within the plateau region, by raising the effective barrier.
Simulated Online Adaptive Magnetic Resonance-Guided Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy for the Treatment of Oligometastatic Disease of the Abdomen and Central Thorax: Characterization of Potential Advantages.

Purpose To characterize potential advantages of online-adaptive magnetic resonance (MR)-guided stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to treat oligometastatic disease of the non-liver abdomen and central thorax. Methods and Materials Ten patients treated with RT for unresectable primary or oligometastatic disease of the non-liver abdomen (n=5) or central thorax (n=5) underwent imaging throughout treatment on a clinical MR image guided RT system. The SBRT plans were created on the basis of tumor/organ at risk (OAR) anatomy at initial computed tomography simulation (P I ), and simulated adaptive plans were created on the basis of observed MR image set tumor/OAR "anatomy of the day" (P A ). Each P A was planned under workflow constraints to simulate online-adaptive RT. Prescribed dose was 50 Gy/5 fractions, with goal coverage of 95% planning target volume (PTV) by 95% of the prescription, subject to hard OAR constraints. The P I was applied to each MR dataset and compared with P A to evaluate changes in dose delivered to tumor/OARs, with dose escalation when possible. Results Hard OAR constraints were met for all P Is based on anatomy from initial computed tomography simulation, and all P As based on anatomy from each daily MR image set. Application of the P I to anatomy of the day caused OAR constraint violation in 19 of 30 cases. Adaptive planning increased PTV coverage in 21 of 30 cases, including 14 cases in which hard OAR constraints were violated by the nonadaptive plan. For 9 P A cases, decreased PTV coverage was required to meet hard OAR constraints that would have been violated in a nonadaptive setting. Conclusions Online-adaptive MRI-guided SBRT may allow PTV dose escalation and/or simultaneous OAR sparing compared with nonadaptive SBRT. A prospective clinical trial is underway at our institution to evaluate clinical outcomes of this technique.
Expression of Histophilus somni IbpA DR2 protective antigen in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana

Increasing demand for the low-cost production of valuable proteins has stimulated development of novel expression systems. Many challenges faced by existing technology may be overcome by using unicellular microalgae as an expression platform due to their ability to be cultivated rapidly, inexpensively, and in large scale. Diatoms are a particularly productive type of unicellular algae showing promise as production organisms. Here, we report the development of an expression system in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana by expressing the protective IbpA DR2 antigen from Histophilus somni for the production of a vaccine against bovine respiratory disease. The utilization of diatoms with their typically silicified cell walls permitted development of silicon-responsive transcription elements to induce protein expression. Specifically, we demonstrate that transcription elements from the silicon transporter gene SIT1 are sufficient to drive high levels of IbpA DR2 expression during silicon limitation and growth arrest. These culture conditions eliminate the flux of cellular resources into cell division processes, yet do not limit protein expression. In addition to improving protein expression levels by molecular manipulations, yield was dramatically increased through cultivation enhancement including elevated light and CO2 supplementation. We substantially increased recombinant protein production over starting levels to 1.2% of the total sodium dodecyl sulfate-extractable protein in T. pseudonana, which was sufficient to conduct preliminary immunization trials in mice. Mice exposed to 5 μg of diatom-expressed DR2 in whole or sonicated cells (without protein purification) exhibited a modest immune response without the addition of adjuvant.