cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flood Estimation for an Ungaged Floodplain

Many rivers in south Louisiana flow into coastal embayments and terminate in broad, low-lying marsh systems with various branching distributaries and extensive floodplains. The western Terrebonne Parish marsh study area, located in south-central Louisiana, is a riverine and tidally dominated floodplain. Flooding in the region is driven mainly by astronomical tides, river discharge, and meteorological winds. There is no long-term discharge gaging station existing in the area.
Are adverse outcome rates higher in multiple sclerosis patients after total hip arthroplasty

Aims This study compared multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who underwent primary total hip arthroplasty (THA) with a matched cohort. Specifically, we evaluated: 1) implant survivorship; 2) functiona...
Assessment and Management of Cancer Pain in Older Adults: Strategies for Success

Pain is a significant problem in older adults with cancer as older adults often receive suboptimal pain management. While overmedication can lead to adverse effects, under management of pain can lead to physiological and psychological problems such as functional decline and depression. This manuscript will discuss the assessment and management of pain in older adults, in consideration of the pharmacodynamic changes related to aging and other individual considerations. Current evidence from filtered and unfiltered sources, PubMed, current guidelines. Unrelieved pain can have a detrimental impact on older adults. A team approach is essential to assess patients at each encounter, consider the social environment in which the patient resides, and employ pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic strategies that are evidence-based and are tailored to the specific cancer pain syndrome.
Papillomavirus Cloning Vectors

The papillomaviruses are proving to be valuable tools for transferring genes into living mammalian cells because the viral DNA can be used to establish permanent cell lines containing the transferred genes as unrearranged, extrachromosomal DNA molecules. This use of these viruses may help elucidate the function and regulation of eukaryotic genes and may enable the production of gene products that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. Bovine papillomavirus type 1 is the only papillomavirus to be exploited so far as a cloning vector, but it is likely that similar vectors will also be derived from DNA of other papillomaviruses.
Color and Appearance

Abstract This chapter covers the topic of color and appearance measurements. These measurements essentially constitute a specific example of the measurements described in previous chapters; except that they are performed in the specific wavelength range sensed by the human eye and is convolved with the tristimulus functions. Oddly, while most technical measurements far outperform human senses, the human eye is amazingly sensitive to color differences and, coupled with color's commercial impact, makes this class of spectrophotometric measurement extremely important. Many modern commercial products are emblazoned with materials that change their appearance depending upon illumination and viewing conditions, making measurements of these materials particularly challenging. This chapter presents an overview of the difficulties and the approaches that are taken to obtain accurate color measurements. Other aspects of appearance, quantified by gloss, haze, distinctness of image, and orange peel will be discussed and their measurements described.
Simultaneous fetal pulse oximetry and echocardiography

What we call an intrauterine baby is a fetus. And to look at such a baby’s health has become increasingly important with soaring C-section rates and little or no improvement on fetal/neonatal morbidity. How can we look at and examine a fetus during labor?
Crime Forecasting Using Spatio-temporal Pattern with Ensemble Learning

Crime forecasting is notoriously difficult. A crime incident is a multi-dimensional complex phenomenon that is closely associated with temporal, spatial, societal, and ecological factors. In an attempt to utilize all these factors in crime pattern formulation, we propose a new feature construction and feature selection framework for crime forecasting. A new concept of multi-dimensional feature denoted as spatio-temporal pattern, is constructed from local crime cluster distributions in different time periods at different granularity levels. We design and develop the Cluster-Confidence-Rate-Boosting (CCRBoost) algorithm to efficiently select relevant local spatio-temporal patterns to construct a global crime pattern from a training set. This global crime pattern is then used for future crime prediction. Using data from January 2006 to December 2009 from a police department in a northeastern city in the US, we evaluate the proposed framework on residential burglary prediction. The results show that the proposed CCRBoost algorithm has achieved about 80% on accuracy in predicting residential burglary using the grid cell of 800-meter by 800-meter in size as one single location.
Induction of Secretory Antibodies in Humans Following Ingestion of Streptococcus Mutans

The finding that ingestion of bacterial antigen in animals and in man induces the appearance of s-IgA antibodies in colostrum and milk (1–5) strongly suggests that local stimulation of secretory glands is not required for this induction. This conclusion is reinforced by the observation of naturally-occurring antibody to such bacteria as Escherichia coli, Streptococcus pneumoniae and S. mutans in saliva, colostrum and milk. This study offers data which suggests that ingestion of S. mutans antigen by human volunteers induces the selective appearance of s-IgA antibody in salivary and lacrimal secretions in the absence of a detectable serum response.
FUSED REASONING UNDER UNCERTAINTY FOR SOLDIER CENTRIC HUMAN-AGENT DECISION MAKING

As agents (devices and software) are increasingly incorporated into every aspect of our lives, the research area of human-agent teaming has seen an increase in attention. This is particularly true considering the varied, dynamic, and fast pace operations Soldiers are currently facing and will be facing in the future. There is a common idea that, in the future, the speed of machines will far exceed a Soldiers’ ability to react or even comprehend the complex activities of their digital teammates, which is a concern. Uncertainty in this accelerated environment will present unique and unforeseen challenges that may potentially inhibit a Soldier’s ability to make decisions effectively and to efficiently decide fast enough to support the future battlefield optempo. To accelerate decision making in Army operations the military is relying on agents and enabling technologies such as complex systems that integrate intelligent sensor networks and autonomous devices. These systems-of- systems will be driven by machine learning enabled artificial intelligence algorithms and will form teams with human warfighters, where both must act as one unit to accomplish their mission. Explanations can provide key information about the data or behavior of complex systems to the human to aide human agent teaming.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Infantile Idiopathic Scoliosis: Is Universal Screening Necessary?

Abstract Study Design Retrospective chart review. Objective Determine if there is a subset of presumed infantile idiopathic scoliosis (IIS) patients who have a low incidence of neural axis abnormalities (NAAs) such that screening magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be delayed. Summary of Background Data Individuals with presumed IIS have an increased incidence of NAA. Because of the increased incidence, screening MRI is recommended for all patients. We follow these guidelines at our institution. However, MRI screening in this age group is not without cost or risk. Methods This is a retrospective study of 53 presumed IIS (onset ≤3 years) patients who had screening MRIs. Demographic and radiographic characteristics were collected. A binary regression using continuous and categorical variables was used to determine if a model could be created to accurately predict MRI necessity. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to determine if a threshold Cobb angle exists that is associated with an increased likelihood of NAA. Results Of the 53 patients, 13 had NAA findings, resulting in a 24.5% incidence of NAAs. Significantly fewer abnormal MRIs were found in patients with Cobb angles 29.5° (13/33 [39%] vs. 0/20 [0%], p = .0008). Patients with Cobb angles >29.5° were 27 times more likely to have NAAs than those with angles .05). Conclusion This is the first study in IIS patients to identify a radiographic parameter that helps select out a subgroup for MRI screening. Additionally, we report an incidence of 24.5% NAAs in these patients, which is higher than previously reported.
Creative Placemaking: Leading Social Change with the Arts

Creative placemaking uses the imaginative power of artists to solve community issues, bringing together partners from different sectors of the community. This chapter begins with an overview of placelessness, which describes the aseptic way of designing place in the modern era, and the consequent proliferation of theories of placemaking that aim to bring back the human connection. A brief history situates creative placemaking as a predominantly American policy concept. The main themes that emerge from the international literature are the variety of roles played by the artists in the community, the different kinds of art projects, and the way events can shape places. The section on the United States develops the argument that creative placemaking is part of an American approach to national policymaking that is based not only on mandates but also policy tools such as research, grants, and partnerships. This is followed by an overview of how cultural plans incorporate the concept of creative placemaking and a few examples of projects funded by the NEA and ArtPlace. The final case study demonstrates that we can use the lens of thirdspace to articulate better the way the arts connect with the city on Portland, Oregon.
Quantitative assessment of diabetic amyotrophy using magnetic resonance neurography—a case-control analysis

To quantitatively characterize diabetic amyotrophy (DA), or diabetic lumbosacral radiculoplexopathy, and compare with controls using magnetic resonance neurography (MRN). Forty controls and 23 DA cases were analyzed qualitatively and quantitatively. Cross-sectional areas (CSAs) of bilateral L3 through S2 lumbosacral nerve roots, femoral nerves, and sciatic nerves (proximal and distal measurements) were measured. A linear model was used to assess the nerve location and case/control effect on angle-corrected CSAs. Intra- and inter-reader analysis was performed using intraclass correlation (ICC). In DA cases, abnormalities of the lumbosacral nerve roots, sciatic, femoral, and obturator nerves were seen in 21/23, 16/23, 21/23, and 9/23, respectively. Denervation abnormalities of multiple abdominopelvic muscles were seen. Quantitatively, the CSA of all measured LS plexus nerve roots and bilateral femoral nerves were significantly larger in DA cases vs. controls by 45% (95% CI, (30%, 49%); p < 0.001). The ICC was moderate for inter-rater analysis = 0.547 (95% CI, 0.456–0.626) and excellent for intra-rater analysis = 0.90 (95% CI, 0.89–92). Multifocal neuromuscular lesions related to diabetic amyotrophy were qualitatively and quantitatively detected on MRN. Qualitative abnormalities distinguished cases from controls, and nerve CSAs of cases were significantly larger than those of controls. Therefore, MRN may be employed as a non-invasive diagnostic tool for the evaluation of diabetic amyotrophy. • Qualitative abnormalities of lumbosacral nerve roots, their peripheral branches, and muscles are seen in DA. • The lumbosacral nerve roots and their peripheral branches in diabetic amyotrophy cases are significantly larger in cross-sectional area than non-diabetic subjects by 45% (95 CI, 30%, 49%; p < 0.001). • The ICC was moderate for inter-rater analysis = 0.547 (95% CI, 0.456–0.626) and excellent for intra-rater analysis = 0.90 (95% CI, 0.89–92).
Lithography-Free Hybrid Ag-Au Super Absorbing Metasurfaces for Addictive Drug Sensing

We demonstrate a lithography-free super absorbing metasurface consisting of hybrid Ag-Au nanoantennas with sub-20-nm nanogaps for surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensing to tackle the emerging drug-abuse challenge. © 2019 The Author(s)
Resource Utilization in Non-Academic Emergency Departments with Advanced Practice Providers.

Author(s): Aledhaim, Ali; Walker, Anne; Vesselinov, Roumen; Hirshon, Jon Mark; Pimentel, Laura | Abstract: Introduction: Advanced practice providers (APP), including physicians’ assistants and nurse practitioners, have been increasingly incorporated into emergency department (ED) staffing over the past decade. There is scant literature examining resource utilization and the cost benefit of having APPs in the ED. The objectives of this study were to compare resource utilization in EDs that use APPs in their staffing model with those that do not and to estimate costs associated with the utilized resources.Methods: In this five-year retrospective secondary data analysis of the Emergency Department Benchmarking Alliance (EDBA), we compared resource utilization rates in EDs with and without APPs in non-academic EDs. Primary outcomes were hospital admission and use of computed tomography (CT), radiography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Costs were estimated using the 2014 physician fee schedule and inpatient payments from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. We measured outcomes as rates per 100 visits. Data were analyzed using a mixed linear model with repeated measures, adjusted for annual volume, patient acuity, and attending hours. We used the adjusted net difference to project utilization costs between the two groups per 1000 visits.Results: Of the 1054 EDs included in this study, 79% employed APPs. Relative to EDs without APPs, EDs staffing APPs had higher resource utilization rates (use per 100 visits): 3.0 more admissions (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0–4.1), 1.7 more CTs (95% CI, 0.2–3.1), 4.5 more radiographs (95% CI, 2.2–6.9), and 1.0 more ultrasound (95% CI, 0.3–1.7) but comparable MRI use 0.1 (95% CI, -0.2–0.3). Projected costs of these differences varied among the resource utilized. Compared to EDs without APPs, EDs with APPs were estimated to have 30.4 more admissions per 1000 visits, which could accrue $414,717 in utilization costs.Conclusion: EDs staffing APPs were associated with modest increases in resource utilization as measured by admissions and imaging studies.
Tinfoil Hats and Powdered Wigs: Thoughts on Pseudolaw

This article describes “pseudolaw,” the phenomenon of individuals who use elaborate, fictional rules in real-world courts and legal disputes. I explain why "pseudolaw" is a better label for this phenomenon than more common but less accurate terms like "sovereign citizen," and describe several real-world examples (such as the pseudolegal guru who claimed to have developed a quantum legal language that would defeat any lawyer, and to be the King of Hawaii). I then discuss the harms pseudolaw does to the legal system, the general public, and pseudolawyers themselves, as well as several likely causes of pseudolegal ideation. Finally, I propose solutions that judges, court staff, practitioners, and the public can use to help stem the growth of pseudolaw.
Global Political Economy and Finance: Four Paradigmatic Views

Any explanation of finance is based on a worldview. The premise of this book is that any worldview can be associated with one of the four broad paradigms: functionalist, interpretive, radical humanist, and radical structuralist. This chapter takes the case of finance and discusses it from the four different viewpoints. It emphasizes that the four views expressed are equally scientific and informative; they look at the phenomenon from their certain paradigmatic viewpoint; and together they provide a more balanced understanding of the phenomenon under consideration.
Regulation of LC3B levels by ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation

Like other biological processes, macroautophagy/autophagy must be tightly controlled for maintenance of cellular homeostasis and for proper response to changing cellular conditions. To gain insights into the regulation of autophagy, we recently conducted a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 knockout screen using cells expressing endogenous LC3B tagged with GFP-mCherry as a reporter. This approach allowed us to identify the ubiquitin-activating enzyme UBA6 and the hybrid ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme/ubiquitin ligase BIRC6 as novel autophagy regulators. We found that these enzymes cooperate to mediate monoubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of LC3B, thus limiting the pool of LC3B available for autophagy. Depletion of UBA6 or BIRC6 increased the level of cytosolic LC3B, enhancing the degradation of autophagy adaptors and the clearance of intracellular proteins aggregates. This finding could be the basis for the development of pharmacological inhibitors of UBA6 or BIRC6 for the treatment of protein aggregation disorders. Recent work by another group showed that BIRC6 itself is subject to ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation, highlighting the existence of a complex regulatory network for the control of LC3B levels.
Characterization of the N6-etheno-bridge method to assess extracellular metabolism of adenine nucleotides: detection of a possible role for purine nucleoside phosphorylase in adenosine metabolism.

The goal of this study was to determine the validity of using N6-etheno-bridged adenine nucleotides to evaluate ecto-nucleotidase activity. We observed that the metabolism of N6-etheno-ATP versus ATP was quantitatively similar when incubated with recombinant CD39, ENTPD2, ENTPD3, or ENPP-1, and the quantitative metabolism of N6-etheno-AMP versus AMP was similar when incubated with recombinant CD73. This suggests that ecto-nucleotidases process N6-etheno-bridged adenine nucleotides similarly to endogenous adenine nucleotides. Four cell types rapidly (t1/2, 0.21 to 0.66 h) metabolized N6-etheno-ATP. Applied N6-etheno-ATP was recovered in the medium as N6-etheno-ADP, N6-etheno-AMP, N6-etheno-adenosine, and surprisingly N6-etheno-adenine; intracellular N6-etheno compounds were undetectable. This suggests minimal cellular uptake, intracellular metabolism, or deamination of these compounds. N6-etheno-ATP, N6-etheno-ADP, N6-etheno-AMP, N6-etheno-adenosine, and N6-etheno-adenine had little affinity for recombinant A1, A2A, or A2B receptors, for a subset of P2X receptors (3H-α,β-methylene-ATP binding to rat bladder membranes), or for a subset of P2Y receptors (35S-ATP-αS binding to rat brain membranes), suggesting minimal pharmacological activity. N6-etheno-adenosine was partially converted to N6-etheno-adenine in four different cell types; this was blocked by purine nucleoside phosphorylase (PNPase) inhibition. Intravenous N6-etheno-ATP was quickly metabolized, with N6-etheno-adenine being the main product in naive rats, but not in rats pretreated with a PNPase inhibitor. PNPase inhibition reduced the urinary excretion of endogenous adenine and attenuated the conversion of exogenous adenosine to adenine in the renal cortex. The N6-etheno-bridge method is a valid technique to assess extracellular metabolism of adenine nucleotides by ecto-nucleotidases. Also, rats express an enzyme with PNPase-like activity that metabolizes N6-etheno-adenosine to N6-etheno-adenine.
Bradycardia induced by mivazerol, a selective α2-Adrenoceptor agonist, is amplified during mild hypothermia in the pentobarbital-anesthetized rat

Mivazerol, 3-[1(H-imidazol-4-yl)methyl]-2-hydroxybenzamidehydrochloride, is a selective α2-adrenoceptor agonistdesigned for the prevention of myocardial infarction in perioperative patients. Because unintended hypothermia occurs frequently during surgery,we were interested, in this study, to examine the relationship between bodytemperature and the bradycardic response induced by mivazerol. Experimentswere carried out in pentobarbital-anesthetized and artificially ventilatedrats. The femoral artery and vein were cannulated for the measurement ofblood pressure and heart rate, and for intravenous infusion. Rectaltemperature was maintained at 37.5 ± 0.3°C for normothermicgroups or at 35.5 ± 0.3°C for hypothermic groups. Intravenousinfusion of vehicle had no significant effect on mean arterial pressure andheart rate between the normothermic and hypothermic rats. Mivazeroldose-dependently produced a decrease in heart rate in normothermic rats,which became more pronounced in mildly hypothermic rats, but did not induceany significant change in mean arterial pressure in either thermiccondition. These results show that the bradycardic effect of mivazerol, anα2-adrenoceptor agonist, is amplified during mildhypothermia, a condition that occurs frequently in perioperativepatients.
NCSA Internship Program for Cyberinfrastructure Professionals

In 2017, National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) established a pilot internship program for cyberinfrastructure (CI) professionals. The program, funded by NSF’s Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) (award 1730519), was designed to address the shortage of a workforce with the specialized skills needed to support advanced CI operations. The program was envisioned to provide internship opportunities for individuals who want to gain first-hand experience in the CI operations at a supercomputing center, and develop and refine instructional materials to serve as a template that is openly distributed for use by other centers and institutions to train CI professionals. Program interns are selected from a pool of applicants with the main selection criteria of having a completed classwork equivalent to an associate degree and a demonstrated interest in a career in CI operations. Interns work directly with a group of NCSA engineers in one of the areas of CI focus to gain hands-on experience in the deployment and operation of high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure at a leading HPC center. The expectation is that interns will enter a workforce that will develop, deploy, manage and support advanced CI at other universities, centers, and industry to meet the needs of the national computational science research community across academia and industry.
Issues and solutions in meta-analysis of single-case design with multiple dependent variables using multilevel modeling

It is common to include multiple dependent variables (DVs) in single-case experimental design (SCED) meta-analyses. However, statistical issues associated with multiple DVs in the multilevel modeli...
Timing of Complication and Failure to Rescue after Hepatectomy: Single-Institution Analysis of 28 Years of Hepatic Surgery

Background Morbidity after hepatectomy remains a significant, potentially preventable, outcome. Understanding the pattern of complications and rescue pathways is critical for the development of targeted initiatives intended to salvage patients after operative morbidity. Study Design Patients undergoing liver resection from 1991 to 2018 at a single institution were analyzed. Failure to rescue (FTR) was defined as percentage of deaths in patients with a complication within 30 days. Generalized estimating equations with log-link function assessed associations between clinical characteristics and major complications and between complications at fewer than 30 days and 30 to 90 days. Logistic regression assessed associations between complications and FTR. Results A total of 6,191 patients and 6,668 operations were identified, of which 55.6% were performed for management of metastatic colorectal cancer. Major complications (grade ≥3) occurred in 20.2% of operations (1,346 of 6,668). Ninety-day mortality was 2.2%. The most common complication was intra-abdominal abscess at 9.0% (95% CI, 8.3% to 9.7%). Ten percent of patients with a complication at 30 days had another complication between 30 and 90 days compared with 2% without an early complication (odds ratio [OR] 5.09; 95% CI, 3.97 to 6.54; p Conclusions Morbidity after hepatectomy is frequent despite low mortality. This study identifies targets for improvement in morbidity and failure to rescue after hepatectomy. Efforts to improve recognition and intervention for infections and early complications are needed to improve outcomes.
Rigorous pion-pion scattering lengths from threshold πN → ππN data

Abstract A new evaluation of the universal ππ scattering length relation is used to extract the ππ s -wave scattering lengths from threshold pion production data. Previous work has shown that the chiral perturbation series relating threshold pion production to ππ scattering lengths appears to converge well only for the isospin-2 case, giving a 2 = −0.031 ± 0.007 m π −1 . A model-independent and data-insensitive universal curve then implies a 0 = 0.235 ± 0.03 m π −1 for the isospin-0 scattering length.
Violence, coercion, and settler colonialism:

Previous game-theoretic analyses of the settlement of the United States assume that Indigenous peoples and settler colonizers either engaged in free exchange or total war for land. We reframe the m...
Young Adult Perspectives on COVID-19 Vaccinations.

Abstract Purpose Young adults have the highest cumulative incidence of COVID-19 infection in the country. Using March 2021 Household Pulse Survey data, an ongoing, cross-sectional nationally representative survey, we examined U.S. young adult intention to accept COVID-19 vaccines. Methods Young adult (ages 18–25 years) Household Pulse Survey participants were queried on intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and related perspectives (N = 5,082). Results Most unvaccinated respondents (76%) indicated an intention to become vaccinated. The most frequently cited reasons for potentially rejecting vaccination included desire to wait and see if the vaccine is safe (56%); concerns over side effects (53%); and believing others are in greater need of the vaccine (44%). Conclusions With 24% of young adults hesitant to accept a COVID-19 vaccine, public health interventions should target reasons for hesitancy, address concerns about safety and side effects, and underscore the importance of vaccinations for this population.
High-Resolution Phenotyping of Early Acute Rejection Reveals a Conserved Alloimmune Signature

Alloimmune responses in acute rejection are complex, involving multiple interacting cell types and pathways. Deep profiling of these cell types has been limited by technology that lack the capacity to resolve this high dimensionality. Single-cell mass cytometry was used to characterize the alloimmune response in early acute rejection, measuring 37 parameters simultaneously, across multiple time-points in two models; a well-established murine cardiac and a novel murine vascularized composite allotransplant (VCA). Unsupervised hierarchical clustering was used to group related cell types defined by combinatorial expression of surface and intracellular proteins, along with markers of effector function and activation. This expression profile was mapped to visualize structural changes in antigen composition across cell types, revealing unique phenotypic signatures in alloimmune T cells, NK cells, and myeloid subsets that were conserved and that firmly distinguished rejecting from non-rejecting grafts.
Damage Effects in High-Peak-Power Nd : Glass Laser Systems

We now turn our attention to a subject that is interesting from a fundamental-physics standpoint as well as extremely important in the design of large Nd: glass laser systems, namely optically induced damage to dielectric materials. The subject has attained considerable importance because, if permanent irreversible damage occurs in such systems, it is expensive to replace the damaged component and may lead to (if not replaced) a gradual degradation of performance. Furthermore, certain staging schemes, particularly for long pulses, are intended to run at as large a flux as possible, which is limited by the damage threshold of the component in question. The aperture or diameter of a stage is often determined by the damage threshold of the limiting component in the stage; because the cost of a component is a strong function of the diameter it is obviously of interest to obtain the maximum damage threshold to minimize the diameter. Although the general subject of optically induced damage has matured considerably in recent years, progress has been slow owing to the experimental and theoretical complexities. At the present time, workers in the field cannot even agree on the basic physical cause of optical damage; it is likely that a number of separate mechanisms are involved. Such disagreements have not impeded progress, however; much of the work in this area is experimental and empirical and has yielded a number of practical results of immediate importance, particularly in the inertial-confinement fusion community.
A Comparison of the United States and European Fee-Shifting Standards and the Impact of the Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership FTA on National Fee Shifting Law

Fee shifting laws are designed to decrease the number of weak, nuisance lawsuits. However, patent-specific fee-shifting laws dramatically differ between countries and even jurisdictions within the U.S. This paper first analyzes the statutory foundations of patent fee shifting laws in the U.S. against select European jurisdictions that practice the "loser pays all" model. It then provides an empirical comparison of the decision signals such laws send to patent holders, and the affect these signals have in terms of the frequency of nuisance suits, especially those brought by non-practicing entities (NPEs). Finally, this paper evaluates how the proposed TPP, in its currently available version, would affect the proposed compulsory fee-shifting SHIELD Act (Saving High-tech Innovators from Egregious Legal Disputes) in the U.S. and the equivalent free shifting laws in Europe.
Theory of rapid-update line-by-line pulse shaping

Pulse shaping theory is extended to include rapid waveform update for line-by-line pulse shaping. The fundamental trade-off between response speed and waveform fidelity is illustrated through simulation.
Soil moisture and rainfall intensity thresholds for runoff generation in southwestern Wisconsin agricultural watersheds

The goal of this study was to improve understanding of the factors that influence runoff generation during non-frozen ground periods in small agricultural watersheds in southwestern Wisconsin where the landscapes are controlled by dolostone bedrock in order to provide agricultural producers with a manure management tool. Six small watersheds (ranging from 6 to 17 ha) within two southwestern Wisconsin farm sites (Discovery Farms Program (DFP) and Pioneer Farm (PF)) were instrumented, and surface runoff was continuously monitored from 2004 to 2007. The soils in all watersheds were formed in deep (~1 m) loessial sites. A direct-plant management strategy and corn-soybean crop rotation were utilized within watersheds at DFP. A conventional tillage system (chisel plow in the fall followed by soil finisher in the spring) and a corn-oat-alfalfa crop rotation were utilized within watersheds at PF. At PF, the amount of precipitation leaving the landscape as surface runoff (1.8%) was two times greater compared to DFP (0.9%), indicating that the direct-plant management system was better at retaining precipitation than the chisel plow/soil finisher system. Using breakpoint regression analysis, a non-linear response in runoff generation with antecedent soil moisture (ASM) was observed with a threshold ASM of 0.39 cm3cm−3 (approximately 80% of total porosity) for all six watersheds. Below this threshold, runoff coefficients were near zero. Above this threshold, runoff coefficients increased with ASM. A non-linear response in runoff generation with maximum 30 min rainfall intensity (I30) was also observed, and threshold I30 values increased as ASM decreased and as crop cover increased. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reachability analysis of shipboard power systems with uncertain pulsed loads

This paper presents a computational technique to analyze the impact of uncertain pulsed loads on shipboard power systems. The method is suitable for conducting studies at the design stage, when modeling details can be sparse. The capability of the system to remain within operational specifications when subjected to unknown-but-bounded pulsed loads is investigated. The analysis yields bounds that are guaranteed to contain the trajectories of all possible disturbance scenarios.
Identification of heritage chicken breeds with diminished susceptibility to intestinal colonization by multiple antibiotic-resistant Salmonella spp.

Abstract Salmonella are commensal bacteria frequently present in the intestinal tracts of commercial poultry. Unfortunately, these microbes will contaminate the flesh of the bird during slaughter, thus creating one of the most important food safety hazards. It is clear that commercial broilers are susceptible to intestinal colonization by Salmonella, but it is unclear if this susceptibility is related to selective breeding for rapid growth and increased feed efficiency. Since non-commercial heritage breeds have genetic profiles diverging from the commercial broiler, we hypothesized that some heritage breeds may exhibit diminished susceptibility to Salmonella colonization of the intestine. To test this hypothesis, we experimentally infected 38 heritage breeds and one commercial breed (Cobb 500) with Salmonella enterica. One week after infection, we enumerated the Salmonella present in the intestinal tracts of the birds.Four breeds (Dark Cornish, New Hampshire Red, Red Ranger, and Sicilian Buttercup) exhibited diminished susceptibility while four other breeds (Anacona, Black Australorpe, Blue Andalusian, and Cuckoo Maran) demonstrated elevated susceptibility. Thirty-one breeds (including the commercial chicken breed) demonstrated a moderate susceptibility to Salmonella colonization. It thus appears that a few heritage breeds are hypo-susceptible to colonization by Salmonella while most of the tested heritage breeds exhibited susceptibility that is similar to or greater than that observed in a commercial breed of chicken.
Effects of Slash, Machine Passes, and Soil Moisture on Penetration Resistance in a Cut-to-length Harvesting

Abstract Multiple entries into forest stands are often needed for fire hazard reduction and ecosystem restoration treatments in the Inland-Northwest U.S.A. region. However, soil compaction occurring from mechanized harvesting operations often remains for many years and may contribute to a decline in long-term site productivity. A controlled experiment on a silt loam soil was conducted to determine (a) the effectiveness of logging slash to buffer compaction, (b) the influence of the number of machine passes, and (c) the contribution of soil moisture to changes in penetration resistance during a cut-to-length harvest in northern Idaho. Penetration resistance was measured at three soil depths (10, 20, and 30 cm) for three different moisture contents (low, medium, and high) and slash amounts (none, light, and heavy) after each of 12 machine passes (one pass each with a harvester and an empty forwarder, and 10 passes with a fully-loaded forwarder). At all three soil depths the main effect of moisture content a...
Base station anonymity distributed self-assessment in Wireless Sensor Networks

In recent years, Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have become valuable assets to both the commercial and military communities with applications ranging from industrial control on a factory floor to reconnaissance of a hostile border. In most applications, the sensors act as data sources and forward information generated by event triggers to a central sink or base station (BS). The unique role of the BS makes it a natural target for an adversary that desires to achieve the most impactful attack possible against a WSN with the least amount of effort. Even if a WSN employs conventional security mechanisms such as encryption and authentication, an adversary may apply traffic analysis techniques to identify the BS. This motivates a significant need for improved BS anonymity to protect the identity, role, and location of the BS. Previous work has proposed anonymity-boosting techniques to improve the BS's anonymity posture, but all require some amount of overhead such as increased energy consumption, increased latency, or decreased throughput. If the BS understood its own anonymity posture, then it could evaluate whether the benefits of employing an anti-traffic analysis technique are worth the associated overhead. In this paper we propose two distributed approaches to allow a BS to assess its own anonymity and correspondingly employ anonymity-boosting techniques only when needed. Our approaches allow a WSN to increase its anonymity on demand, based on real-time measurements, and therefore conserve resources. The simulation results confirm the effectiveness of our approaches.
Teaching custom integrated circuit design and verification

Custom design of integrated circuits is required for the development of digital standard-cell and bit-slice libraries, analog circuits, and other specialized circuits that are not commercially available. Teaching students the design and verification flow at this physical level is valuable in that it provides the understanding and skills they will need to perform these functions in their subsequent employment. Moreover, experiencing custom design provides an appreciation of the tasks involved for those whose primary job functions will involve synthesis using vendor-supplied libraries. This paper describes the goals, content and experiences of a semester graduate course in which projects are verified not only with simulations but also with measurements on prototypes fabricated via MOSIS. A standard-cell library and test circuitry that are compatible with the Cadence toolset and AMIS-0.6 micron process are described. These are available at no charge to anyone via the world-wide web.
Detecting changes in aerial views of man-made structures

Many applications require detecting structural changes in a scene over a period of time. Comparing intensity values of successive images is not effective as such changes don't necessarily reflect actual changes at a site but might be caused by changes in the view point, illumination and seasons. We take the approach of comparing a 3-D model of the site, prepared from previous images, with new images to infer significant changes. This task is difficult as the images and the models have very different levels of abstract representations. Our approach consists of several steps: registering a site model to a new image, model validation to confirm the presence of model objects in the image; structural change detection seeks to resolve matching problems and indicate possibly changed structures; and finally updating models to reflect the changes. Our system is able to detect missing (or mis-modeled) buildings, changes in model dimensions, and new buildings under some conditions.
Experimental study of the reaction of methane with petroleum hydrocarbons in geological conditions

In order to assess the possible role of methane in petroleum formation, we studied the reaction of methane with liquid hydrocarbons representing the three main classes of compounds dominant in crude oil. The experimental reaction conditions simulated those of a geological setting for petroleum formations, at 1000 atm and 150–250°C in the presence of montmorillonite, a natural clay catalyst. Since we expected very slow reaction rates and thus low yields, we used 14C labeled methane to trace the reaction products. We report here the detection of ethylbenzene and ethyltoluene formed by the interaction of methane with benzene and toluene, respectively. Instead of methylation of benzene, predominantly C2 addition occurred, although very small amounts of products corresponding to C1 addition were also detected. We propose that catalytic dissociation of methane occurred, forming ethylene which participated in a Friedel-Crafts type alkylation process of the aromatic ring on the catalyst surface. In addition to ring alkylation, side reactions such as polymerization of unsaturates (ethylene, acetylene) appeared to have occurred on the catalyst surface. The nature of these polymers is yet to be determined.
Ventilation during resuscitation efforts for out-of-hospital primary cardiac arrest

Purpose of review To discuss recent findings surrounding the role of ventilation during cardiopulmonary resuscitation for individuals with out-of-hospital primary cardiac arrest. Recent findings Active assisted ventilation during primary cardiac arrest may not always be beneficial and, in some circumstances, may lead to worse outcomes. By interrupting chest compressions and thereby decreasing vital organ perfusion, rescue breathing may be deleterious. In addition to the time required to administer breaths, the delay due to the insertion of advanced airways, even by well trained individuals, is often extensive. Furthermore, once intubation is completed, excessive hyperventilation occurs frequently, even by recently trained medical providers. Although most experts agree that excessive ventilation is harmful during out-of-hospital cardiac resuscitation, the optimal rate, tidal volume, timing, and technique of ventilation is still unknown. There is increasing evidence that, in patients with witnessed arrests and a shockable rhythm, the optimal form of ventilation is passive oxygen insufflation. Summary Assisted ventilation during the initial provision of cardiopulmonary resuscitation is less important than previously believed. It is hypothesized that, by training prehospital medical providers to utilize passive oxygen insufflation for individuals with primary cardiac arrest, critical organ perfusion will increase and, therefore, survival after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest will improve.
Phylogenetics and temporal diversification of the earliest true flies (Insecta: Diptera) based on multiple nuclear genes

Relationships among families of the lower Diptera (formerly suborder 'Nematocera') have been exceptionally difficult to resolve. Multiple hypotheses based on morphology have been proposed to identify the earliest lineages of flies and place the phylogenetic origin of the higher flies (Brachycera), but convincing support is limited. Here we resolve relationships among the major groups of lower Diptera using sequence data from four nuclear markers, including both ribosomal (28S rDNA) and protein-coding (CAD, TPI and PGD) genes. Our results support both novel and traditional arrangements. Most unexpectedly, the small, highly-specialized family Deuterophlebiidae appears to be sister to all remaining Diptera. Other results include the resolution of the traditional infra-orders Culicomorpha (including a novel superfamily Simulioidea ¼ Thaumaleidae þ Simuliidae), Tipulomorpha (Tipulidae sensu lato þ Trichoceridae) and Bibionomorpha sensu lato. We find support for a limited Psychodomorpha (Blephariceridae, Tanyderidae and Psycho- didae) and Ptychopteromorpha (Ptychopteridae), whereas the placement of several enigmatic families (Nymphomyiidae, Axymyiidae and Perissommatidae) remains ambiguous. According to genetic data, the infra-order Bibionomorpha is sister to the Brachycera. Much of the phylogenetic signal for major lineages was found in the 28S rDNA gene, whereas protein-coding genes performed variably at different levels. In addition to elucidating relationships, we also estimate the age of major lower dipteran clades, based on molecular divergence time estimates using relaxed-clock Bayesian methods and fossil calibration points.
The Free Energy of Formation of Palladium Oxide

The equilibrium oxygen pressure for the reaction was accurately measured over the temperature range 910°–1145°K. The following working equation for the oxygen pressure is valid over the experimental range. The following expressions, valid from 298°–1200°K, apply to the formation of one mole of The heat of formation and entropy of at 298.15°K were found to be −28,345 ± 400 cal/mole and 8.60 ± 0.3 eu, respectively.
Stimulation of HCO3- secretion by the prostaglandin E2 analog enprostil: studies in human stomach and rat duodenum.

This study investigated the action of enprostil, a synthetic analog of PGE2, on gastric HCO3− secretion in humans and on duodenal HCO3− secretion in the anesthetized rat. A previously validated 2-component model was used to calculate gastric HCO3− and H+ secretion in 10 human subjects. Compared to placebo, a single 70 μg oral dose of enprostil increased basal gastric HCO3− secretion from 1810 +- 340 to 3190 ± 890 μmol/hr (P < 0.05). In addition, enprostil reduced basal gastric H+ secretion from 5240 ± 1140 to 1680 ± 530 μmol/hr (P < 0.02). Enprostil also increased HCO3− and reduced H+ secretion during intravenous pentagastrin infusion. In the rat, duodenal HCO3− secretion was measured by direct titration in situ using perfused segments of duodenum just distal to the Brunner gland area dn devoid of pancreatic and biliary secretions. Addition of enprostil(10 μg/ml) to the duodenal bathing solution increased duodenal HOC3− secretion from 6.3 ± 1.3 to 15.1 ± 2.0 μmol/cm·hr (P < 0.01, n = 6). The stimulatory action of enprostil on duodenal HCO3− secretion at 10 μg/ml was comparable in magnitude and duration to that of 10 μg/ml natural PGE2. In summary, the PGE2 analog enprostil stimulated gastroduodenal HCO3− secretion, effects which may be beneficial in protection of the gastroduodenal mucosa against luminal acid.
Short Communication: The Effect of Water Temperature on the Viability of Silage Inoculants

The objective of this study was to determine if exposure to high temperatures in water affects the viability of various silage inoculants. Inoculants were enumerated on De Man, Rogosa, Sharpe agar to standardize a final count (colony-forming units) in water such that about 500 mL added to 1 tonne of wet forage would achieve a recommended application rate of about 100,000 cfu of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) per gram of wet forage. Testing was done in 4 sequences (SEQ). For each SEQ, inoculants were mixed in deionized water for 45 min at 30 degrees C followed by incubation for 6 h at 30 degrees C (SEQ 1), 35 degrees C (SEQ 2), 40 degrees C (SEQ 3), or 45 degrees C (SEQ 4) in duplicate 125-mL flasks rotating at 125 rpm. After 6 h, rotation was stopped and the temperature was lowered to 30 degrees C for the next 18 h for all SEQ. Numbers of LAB were enumerated at 0, 3, 6, and 24 h. Each sequence was repeated twice. Incubation at a moderate temperature (SEQ 1) did not affect the viability of the microbial inoculants. The viability of the inoculants declined with increasing temperature (SEQ 2 to 4) but the effect varied by inoculant. For some inoculants exposure to 35 degrees C resulted in substantial decreases in viable cells (loss of 0.5 to 1 log cfu/mL). Incubation at higher temperatures resulted in even greater losses in viability for some inoculants. Losses of more than 0.5 log cfu/mL would most likely make the application of these inoculants ineffective in the field. Lactobacillus plantarum MTD/1 was the most thermotolerant organism tested, because it was unaffected by all temperatures (30 to 45 degrees C) after 3 h of incubation. Lactobacillus plantarum MTD/1 and Lactobacillus buchneri 40788 also appeared to have better thermotolerance as their numbers substantially increased between 6 and 24 h in SEQ 4. These data show that some silage inoculants are more thermotolerant than others and that precautions should be taken to ensure that microbial inoculants that are applied to forage do not reach elevated temperatures during use.