cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of materials informatics to vapor-grown carbon nanofiber/vinyl ester nanocomposites through self-organizing maps and clustering techniques

Abstract Data mining and knowledge discovery techniques were employed herein to acquire new information on the viscoelastic, flexural, compressive, and tensile properties of vapor-grown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF)/vinyl ester (VE) nanocomposites. Formulation and processing factors (curing environment, presence or absence of dispersing agent, mixing method, VGCNF weight fraction, VGCNF type, high-shear mixing time, and sonication time) and testing temperature were utilized as inputs and the true ultimate strength, true yield strength, engineering elastic modulus, engineering ultimate strength, flexural modulus, flexural strength, storage modulus, loss modulus, and tan delta were selected as outputs. The data mining and knowledge discovery algorithms used in this study include self-organizing maps (SOMs) and clustering techniques. SOMs demonstrated that temperature and tan delta had the most significant effects on the output responses followed by the VGCNF high-shear mixing time, and sonication time. SOMs were also used to produce optimal responses using certain combination(s) of inputs. Fuzzy C-means algorithm (FCM) was also applied to discover patterns in the nanocomposite behavior subsequent to a principal component analysis (PCA), which is a dimensionality reduction technique. Utilizing these techniques, the nanocomposite specimens were separated into different clusters based on the testing temperature (30 °C and 120 °C being the most dominant responses), tan delta, high-shear mixing time, and sonication time. Furthermore, the VGCNF/VE specimens were separated into a cluster based on their viscoelastic responses (storage and loss moduli) at the same temperature. The FCM results indicate that, while all nanocomposite properties in the new framework are essential, the viscoelastic responses of the VGCNF/VE specimens are the most significant. This work highlights the utility of data mining and knowledge discovery techniques in the context of materials informatics for the discovery of patterns and trends in the material behavior that are not immediately known.
Engineering Nucleation Kinetics of Graphite Nodules in Inoculated Cast Iron for Reducing Porosity

Inoculation of cast iron with spherical graphite (SGI) controls nucleation kinetics of graphite nodules and is used for improving casting performance and eliminating solidification micro-porosity. In this study, thermodynamic simulations were used to design inoculants. Thermal and chemical stability of different potential heterogeneous nuclei formed in the melt above the liquidus temperature and in the mushy zone during solidification was predicted. Several inoculation treatments of SGI were performed in laboratory heats. An automated SEM/EDX analysis was applied to examine the graphite nodule size distribution and the family of the non-metallic inclusions in the experimental castings. The data were used to reconstruct a relative graphite nodule nucleation rate in the castings. It was shown that the graphite nodule nucleation kinetics in the castings were significantly different from those predicted by classical nucleation models. In inoculated SGI, the observed bi-modal distribution of graphite nodules was related to a continuous nucleation that occurred towards the end of solidification. The origin of the continuous nucleation and the possibility of engineering graphite nodules nucleation kinetics to control SGI casting soundness by inoculation are discussed.
Opróżnić muzeum, zdekolonizować sylabus, otworzyć teorię

The essay addresses the question of possible space for appearance in the nationalist authoritarian system introduced as a result of Brexit and the presidency of Donald Trump. For those working in higher education and related areas, the author suggests the following steps: decolonization of curricula, emptying museums and opening of theories. Each of these categories is rooted in historical resistance and liberation movements, on the one hand, and still alive in the contemporary movements mentioned in the article, such as the South African Rhodes Must Fall, Occupy Wall Street and the Free University and Anti-University.
Surgical complications associated with congestive heart failure in elderly patients following primary hip hemiarthroplasty for femoral neck fractures.

Although there are reports of the impact of congestive heart failure (CHF) on total knee arthroplasty and total hip arthroplasty, there is a lack of literature analyzing CHF in hip hemiarthroplasty (HHA) procedures. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of CHF on risks for complications following HHA for the treatment of FNF. The ACS-NSQIP database was queried for all patients who had undergone HHA from 2005 to 2016. Patients were propensity-matched without replacement in a 1:1 manner based on age and gender. Pearson’s Chi squared tests and Fischer’s exact tests were utilized to compare differences in demographics, comorbidities, and complication rates. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the impact of CHF as an independent risk factor for postoperative complications. A propensity-matched cohort of 537 (4.24%) non-CHF patients was generated in order to analyze differences between the two cohorts. CHF was found to be a significant independent risk factor for pneumonia (p = 0.003), progressive renal insufficiency (p = 0.040), myocardial infarctions (p = 0.050), extended length of stay (≥ 5 days) (p < 0.001), and mortality (p < 0.001). This study has established CHF as an independent risk factor for various postoperative complications following HHA for the treatment of FNF. Although orthopedic surgeons may decline to perform elective procedures on CHF patients, FNFs require urgent surgical intervention. Therefore, it is important to be aware of various increased risks of certain complications in this subset patient population.
Prototype Coil Evaluation for NSTX-U Replacement Inner Poloidal Field Coils

AbstractThe National Spherical Torus eXperiment Upgrade (NSTX-U) is an innovative magnetic fusion device constructed at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). In 2016, because of the failu...
Femoral Line Placement with Ultrasound

This chapter discusses technical aspects of femoral line placement including instrumentation and equipment, patient positioning, cannulation of the femoral, dilation of the vein, introduction of guidewire, skin incision and dilator, insertion of central venous catheter and line check, securing the central venous catheter, antibiotic disk, and occlusive dressing application. The authors also offer pearls and pitfalls.
Extracting Electronic Transition Bands of Adsorbates from Molecule-Plasmon Excitation Coupling.

The coupling between molecular electronic and particle plasmon excitations can result in various intriguing outcomes depending on how strongly or weakly the excitations couple to compete with their...
A preliminary investigation of cognitive intolerance and neuroimaging among adolescents returning to school after concussion

To introduce the concept of cognitive intolerance. A test is proposed to measure this concept and pilot data are presented to support this measure and future research to develop this concept into a...
LRRK2 regulates AP2M1 phosphorylation cycles to mediate endocytosis and dopaminergic neurodegeneration

Abstract Recent genetic evidence revealed endocytic pathway plays a major role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here we report that LRRK2, the most genetic cause of PD, binds to and phosphorylates AP2M1, the core component of endocytosis recently implicated in PD risk. Both knockout and overexpression of LRRK2 cause abnormal AP2M1 phosphorylation cycle and in turn endocytic defects. Mechanistically, knockout of LRRK2 decreases AP2M1 phosphorylation required for the initial clathrin coated vesicle (CCV) formation while LRRK2 overexpression inhibits AP2M1 uncoating for entering into a new cycle of CCV formation. Our study also uncovered a novel tissue-specific regulation of AP2M1 phosphorylation by LRRK2. Further, we found LRRK2 phosphorylation on AP2M1 mediates LRRK2-induced neuronal toxicity both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, AP2M1 phosphorylation levels are elevated in PD patient fibroblasts. Together, our study provides a direct mechanistic link between LRRK2, AP2 and endocytosis in PD pathogenesis.
Research on Fault Diagnosis Method of High Voltage Circuit Breaker Based on gray Relational Analysis and D-S Evidence Theory

In this paper, a high-voltage circuit breaker diagnosis method based on gray correlation analysis and DS evidence theory is proposed for the fault diagnosis of high-voltage circuit breakers. The fault diagnosis calculation results of a high voltage circuit breaks using this method are compared with those using only gray correlation analysis. The comparison result shows that the proposed method has higher accuracy and reliability, and can accurately determine the type of faults occurring in the high-voltage circuit breaker through the monitored characteristic parameters, avoiding more subjective judgments and improving the reliability of the results.
Young healthy adults with a family history of hypertension have increased microvascular reactivity but decreased macrovascular function.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether, like hypertensives, normotensive adults with a family history of hypertension (+FHH) display lower microvascular reactivity and conduit artery function than normotensive adults without a family history of hypertension (-FHH). METHODS A forearm vascular occlusion test was performed on healthy normotensive adults while resting in the supine position. A near-infrared spectroscopy sensor placed on the forearm measured skeletal muscle oxygen saturation kinetics to determine microvascular reactivity. Simultaneously, an ultrasound probe placed on the brachial artery above the occlusion cuff was used to assess flow-mediated dilation; a test of macrovascular function. RESULTS Twenty-two participants were included in this investigation (-FHH n = 13, +FHH n = 9). Following cuff release, the resaturation slope (1st 10 s median ± SD, -FHH 2.76 ± 2.10, +FHH 5.59 ± 2.47%/s; p = .036) was greater in +FHH when accounting for the magnitude and rate of the decrease in skeletal muscle oxygen saturation during occlusion. Conversely, flow-mediated dilation (median ± SD, -FHH 5.96 ± 5.22, +FHH 4.10 ± 3.17%∆; p = .031) was lower in +FHH when accounting for baseline artery diameter and shear rate. CONCLUSIONS Young +FHH adults have altered microvascular and macrovascular reactivity compared with young -FHH adults.
Adipsic diabetes insipidus.

Abstract Adipsic diabetes insipidus (ADI) is a rare but devastating disorder of water balance with significant associated morbidity and mortality. Most patients develop the disease as a result of hypothalamic destruction from a variety of underlying etiologies. Damage to osmolar-responsive neuroreceptors, primarily within the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, results in impaired production and release of arginine vasopressin (AVP). Important regulating circuits of thirst sense and drive are regionally colocalized with AVP centers and therefore are also injured. Patients with central diabetes insipidus with impaired thirst response, defined as ADI, suffer from wide swings of plasma osmolality resulting in repeated hospitalization, numerous associated comorbidities, and significant mortality. Treatment recommendations are based largely on expert advice from case series owing to the rarity of disease prevalence. Acute disease management focuses on fixed dosing of antidiuretic hormone analogues and calculated prescriptions of obligate daily water intake. Long-term care requires patient/family education, frequent reassessment of clinical and biochemical parameters, as well as screening and treatment of comorbidities.
The Increased Toxicity of the U.S. Treasury Security Market

This short research paper documents the fact that exclusively watching for rising yields on conventional U.S. Treasury securities to reflect increased inflationary fears in the U.S. is no longer appropriate. With the Federal Reserve seeking to keep short-term nominal yields near zero for an extended period, conventional Treasury yields have not shown the full extent of rising fears of inflation in financial markets. In this monetary environment, the yields on Treasury Inflation Protected Securities (TIPS) have been more reflective of rising inflation fears. TIPS yields have become increasingly negative in absolute terms during the latter part of 2020. The negative yields on TIPS further suggests that all Treasury investors should be expecting lost purchasing power when they hold onto such securities.
Temperature-Dependent Dielectric Properties of Polyimide (PI) and Polyamide (PA) Nanocomposites

Cryogenic dielectrics are a crucial component for applied superconducting systems such as high-temperature superconductor (HTS) cables. Here two types of polymer nanocomposites were investigated as dielectrics for cryogenic applications. Both polyimide (PI) and polyamide (PA) nanocomposites showed exceptional performance as dielectrics, with PI as the stronger material. Significant dielectric strength improvement was observed for samples tested in the cryogenic environment when compared to those tested at the room temperature. The PI exhibited a high dielectric strength of 347 ± 67 kV/mm at 92 K, while its nanocomposites were in the range of 261-280 kV/mm. The performance change of these dielectrics was influenced by a number of factors including the density of free charge carriers, localized heat generation and material degradation, thermal contraction of polymers, and polymer-nanoparticle interfacial changes at cryogenic temperatures. The findings from this research can help advance the understanding of breakdown failures in cryogenic dielectrics.
Teachers' Perceptions of Principals' Attributes.

(1996). Teachers' Perceptions of Principals' Attributes. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 69, No. 5, pp. 290-292.
Triple Bottomline Many‐Objective‐Based Decision Making for a Land Use Management Problem

A land use many-objective optimization problem for a 1500-ha farm with 315 paddocks was formulated with 14 objectives (maximizing sawlog production, pulpwood production, milksolids, beef, sheep meat, wool, carbon sequestration, water production, income and Earnings Before Interest and Tax; and minimizing costs, nitrate leaching, phosphorus loss and sedimentation). This was solved using a modified Reference-point-based Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II augmented by simulated epigenetic operations. The search space had complex variable interactions and was based on economic data and several interoperating simulation models. The solution was an approximation of a Hyperspace Pareto Frontier (HPF), where each non-dominated trade-off point represented a set of land-use management actions taken within a 10-year period and their related management options, spanning a planning period of 50 years. A trade-off analysis was achieved using Hyper-Radial Visualization (HRV) by collapsing the HPF into a 2-D visualization capability through an interactive virtual reality (VR)-based method, thereby facilitating intuitive selection of a sound compromise solution dictated by the decision makers' preferences under uncertainty conditions. Four scenarios of the HRV were considered emphasizing economic, sedimentation and nitrate leaching aspects—giving rise to a triple bottomline (i.e. the economic, environmental and social complex, where the social aspect is represented by the preferences of the various stakeholders). Highlights of the proposed approach are the development of an innovative epigenetics-based multi-objective optimizer, uncertainty incorporation in the search space data and decision making on a multi-dimensional space through a VR-simulation-based visual steering process controlled at its core by a multi-criterion decision making-based process. This approach has widespread applicability to many other ‘wicked’ societal problem-solving tasks. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
AAP1 transports uncharged amino acids into roots of Arabidopsis

Summary Amino acids are available to plants in some soils in significant amounts, and plants frequently make use of these nitrogen sources. The goal of this study was to identify transporters involved in the uptake of amino acids into root cells. Based on the fact that high concentrations of amino acids inhibit plant growth, we hypothesized that mutants tolerating toxic levels of amino acids might be deficient in the uptake of amino acids from the environment. To test this hypothesis, we employed a forward genetic screen for Arabidopsis thaliana mutants tolerating toxic concentrations of amino acids in the media. We identified an Arabidopsis mutant that is deficient in the amino acid permease 1 (AAP1, At1g58360) and resistant to 10 mm phenylalanine and a range of other amino acids. The transporter was localized to the plasma membrane of root epidermal cells, root hairs, and throughout the root tip of Arabidopsis. Feeding experiments with [14C]-labeled neutral, acidic and basic amino acids showed significantly reduced uptake of amino acids in the mutant, underscoring that increased tolerance of aap1 to high levels of amino acids is coupled with reduced uptake by the root. The growth and uptake studies identified glutamate, histidine and neutral amino acids, including phenylalanine, as physiological substrates for AAP1, whereas aspartate, lysine and arginine are not. We also demonstrate that AAP1 imports amino acids into root cells when these are supplied at ecologically relevant concentrations. Together, our data indicate an important role of AAP1 for efficient use of nitrogen sources present in the rhizosphere.
Filter indexing: a scalable solution to large subscription based systems

Filtering is a popular approach to reduce information traffic in subscription-based systems, especially if most subscribers are located on mobile devices. The filters are placed between the subscribers and the subscription server. With increasing number of filters from subscribers, filtering may become a bottleneck and challenge the scalability of such systems. In this paper, we propose to use filter indexing to solve this problem. We propose and study four filter-indexing schemes: Ad-Hoc Indexing Scheme (AIS), Group Indexing Scheme (GIS), Group-Sort Indexing Scheme (GSIS) and B' Tree Indexing Scheme (BTIS). We evaluate the performance of these four indexing schemes with respect to scalability and other factors. Among the proposed schemes, we find that GSIS is the most efficient indexing scheme for searching and BTIS has the best performance for updating and inserting filters.
FERMENTATIVE PRODUCTION OF BUTANOL FROM SORGHUM MOLASSES

A strain, Clostridium acetobutylicum ATCC 4259, suitable for butanol-acetone fermentation of sorghum molasses was selected from several strains of the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). It was cultivated in the composition-optimized sorghum molasses medium. The microbial growth and sugar consumption pattern in the sorghum molasses medium exhibited a typical diauxie phenomenon. The results strongly suggest that the difficulty encountered by the Weizmann type of organisms in butanol-acetone fermentation of molasses is due to the diauxie phenomenon causing a significant decrease in the solvent production rate. Acid hydrolysis of sorghum molasses minimizes the occurrence of the phenomenon, thereby remarkably increasing the solvent yield. The final solvent concentrations in the inverted molasses medium were butanol, 1.0% (w/v); acetone, 0.37% (w/v); ethanol, 0.18% (w/v); and total solvent, 1.55% (w/v). The total solvent yield in the inverted sorghum molasses medium was 30.3% based on the weight of sugar consumed. Effects of the temperature, agitation and heat-shocking were also investigate
Comparing Mortgage Credit Risk Policies: An Options Based Approach

Buckley, Karaguishiyeva,Van Order, and Vecvagare analyze the structure of approaches to mortgage credit risk that are now being used in a number of OECD and transition economies. The authors' basic approach is to show how option pricing models can help measure and evaluate the risks of various schemes. They find that mortgage default insurance can be a cost-effective tool for both improving housing affordability and efficiently addressing some of the rationing that characterizes this market. When correctly structured, as it is in a number of transition and market countries, this kind of program can be expected to reduce nonprice rationing at an actuarially fair price. At the same time, considerable care must be exercised in the development of such instruments. Geographical risk diversification, particularly across borders, can play a major role in the success of these programs. Such diversification could be important not only in smaller transition economies but in EU countries as well.
Uniquely satisfiable k -SAT instances with almost minimal occurrences of each variable

Let (k,s)-SAT refer the family of satisfiability problems restricted to CNF formulas with exactly k distinct literals per clause and at most s occurrences of each variable. Kratochvil, Savický and Tuza [6] show that there exists a function f(k) such that for all s≤f(k), all (k,s)-SAT instances are satisfiable whereas for k≥3 and s>f(k), (k,s)-SAT is NP-complete. We define a new function u(k) as the minimum s such that uniquely satisfiable (k,s)-SAT formulas exist. We show that for k≥3, unique solutions and NP-hardness occur at almost the same value of s: f(k)≤u(k)≤f(k)+2. We also give a parsimonious reduction from SAT to (k,s)-SAT for any k≥3 and s≥f(k)+2. When combined with the Valiant–Vazirani Theorem [8], this gives a randomized polynomial time reduction from SAT to UNIQUE-(k,s)-SAT.
A new dual-vector approach to enhance recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated gene expression through intermolecular cis activation.

A new dual-vector approach to enhance recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated gene expression through intermolecular cis activation
Abstract T P327: The Association of Neighborhood and Transcranial Doppler Screening Among Children with Sickle Cell Disease

Background: Although Transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening is recommended to assess the need for stroke prevention efforts among children with sickle cell disease (SCD), screening rates are low. Few individual level factors that impact screening have been identified, and little is known regarding the degree to which neighborhoods may influence screening. We sought to identify neighborhoods with low TCD screening rates and neighborhood-level factors related to screening among children with SCD to inform the utility of community level interventions to improve TCD screening. Methods: Children ages 2-16 years with SCD (HbSS, HbBeta-Thalessemia) were identified in Michigan Medicaid (2007-2011) through newborn screening records and were continuously enrolled for ≥1 year; each child could contribute multiple years. We determined receipt of ≥1TCD screening (y/n) each year from claims. Neighborhood of residence was defined by census tract on January 1 of each year and proportion of children receiving TCD in the tra...
Integrated Tradespace Analysis of Space Network Architectures

Methods to design space communication networks at the link level are well understood and abound in the literature. Nevertheless, models that analyze the performance and cost of the entire network are scarce, and they typically rely on computationally expensive simulations that can only be applied to specific network designs. This paper presents an architectural model to quantitatively optimize space communication networks given future customer demands, communication technology, and contract modalities to deploy the network. The model is implemented and validated against NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It is then used to evaluate new architectures for the fourth-generation Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System given the capabilities of new optical and Ka-band technologies, as well as the possibility to deploy network assets as hosted payloads. Results indicate that optical technology can provide a significant improvement in the network capabilities and lifecycle cost, especially when pl...
Compact Wide Bandwidth Balun Based on Modified Asymmetric Broadside Coupled Lines

We present the design and fabrication of a compact, wide bandwidth balun on a multilayer organic substrate. The balun is designed using asymmetrical broadside coupled lines on a patterned ground structure. The experimental results show that the balun has a measured insertion loss less than 1 dB from 0.5–9 GHz and better than 2.7 dB up to above 20 GHz. The measured phase and amplitude imbalances are less than 8 degree and 1 dB respectively from 1 GHz to above 20 GHz. The balun has a compact size of 5.5 mm $\,\times\,$ 3.5 mm $\,\times\,$ 0.3 mm.
High accuracy determination of235U in nondestructive assay standards by gamma spectrometry

High precision gamma spectrometry measurements have been made on five sets of uranium isotope abundance reference materials for nondestructive assay (NDA). These sets are intended for international safeguards use as primary reference materials for the determination of the235U abundance in homogeneous uranium bulk material by gamma spectrometry. The measurements were made to determine the count rate uniformity of the235U 185.7 keV gamma-ray as well as the235U isotope abundance for each sample. Since the samples were packaged such that the U3O8 is infinitely thick for the 185.7 keV gamma-ray, the measured count rate was not dependent on the material density. In addition, the activity observed by the detector was collimated to simulate calibration conditions used to measure bulk material in the field. The sample-to-sample variations observed within the 5 sets of samples ranged between 0.005–0.11% (1s) with standard deviations of the mean ranging from 0.01–0.02%. This observed variation appears to be due predominantly to counting statistics and not to material inhomogeneity and/or packaging. The results of this study indicate that accuracy of235U determinations via gamma spectrometry, in the range of few hundredths of a percent (2σ), is achievable. The main requirement for achieving this level of accuracy is a set of standards whose235U isotope abundances are known to within 0.01% (2σ).
MDMA increases glutamate release and reduces parvalbumin-positive GABAergic cells in the dorsal hippocampus of the rat: role of cyclooxygenase

3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; Ecstasy) is a popular drug of abuse with well-documented acute effects on serotonergic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic transmitter systems, as well as evidence of long-term disruption of serotoninergic systems in the rat brain. Recently, it was demonstrated that MDMA evokes a delayed and sustained increase in glutamate release in the hippocampus. The purpose of the present study was to determine the role of inflammatory mediators in the MDMA-induced increase in glutamate release, as well as the contribution of inflammatory pathways in the persistent neurochemical toxicity associated with repeated MDMA treatment. Treatment with the non-selective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor ketoprofen and the COX-2 selective inhibitor nimesulide attenuated the increase in extracellular glutamate in the hippocampus evoked by repeated MDMA exposure (10 mg/kg, i.p., every 2 h); no attenuation was observed in rats treated with the COX-1 selective inhibitor piroxicam. Reverse dialysis of a major product of COX activity, prostaglandin E2, also resulted in a significant increase in extracellular glutamate in the hippocampus . Repeated exposure to MDMA diminished the number of parvalbumin-positive GABA interneurons in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus, an effect that was attenuated by ketoprofen treatment. However, COX inhibition with ketoprofen did not prevent the long-term depletion of 5-HT in the hippocampus evoked by MDMA treatment. These data are supportive of the view that cyclooxygenase activity contributes to the mechanism underlying both the increased release of glutamate and decreased number of GABA interneurons in the rat hippocampus produced by repeated MDMA exposure.
Extremal correlation matrices

Abstract Let R n denote the convex, compact set of all real n -by- n positive semidefinite matrices with main-diagonal entries equal to 1. We examine the extreme points of R n focusing mainly on their rank. the principal result is that R n contains extreme points of rank k if and only if k ( k +1)⩽2 n .
Electronic Structure of the Centers in ZnS

A model of the common sulfide luminescent centers is proposed. The mutual perturbation of crystal eigenstates and transition-metal (activator) d eigenstates is assumed to give rise to the excited and unexcited eigenstates of the center. For substitutional Cu/sup +/(d/sup 10/) in zincblende, zeroth order crystal field theory predicts that two sets of occupied center ground-state levels (T/sub 2/ and E) originating from di/sup 10/ will exist. Additional level splittings result from (a) the spin-orbit effect, and (b) axial crystal field splittings in wurtzite. Experiments on visible and infrared, excitation and emission, are used to make tentative assignments of magnitude of level splittings. (auth)
The Menace of Mouth Infections.

There is no more impressive sequence than the presence in a patient of a disease or abnormal condition, such as infected teeth or gums, and the later surgical eradication of the focus of infection; or, to make the sequence terse and logical, let us put it thus: patient; ailment; crowned, bridged or decayed teeth, inflamed gums, or pyorrhea, or all of these things; roentgenograms of these suspected areas demonstrating pus and degenerated bone; operative demonstration of pus sinuses and cheesy, broken-down bone; and lastly, but unfortunately not always, the cure of the patient. In this age, in which the laity has acquired from periodicals a smattering of medical science, and therefore thinks it has a perfect right to criticize medical men and to ridicule what they term "medical fads," let me urge that the nearest relative of the patient be present at the dental operation, and be placed in close
A New Automatic Stratification Method for U.S. Agricultural Area Sampling Frame Construction Based on the Cropland Data Layer

This paper, for the first time, proposes to apply USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) Cropland Data Layer (CDL) geospatial data for stratifying U.S. agricultural land. A new automated method is proposed to stratify the NASS state level area sampling frames (ASFs) by automatically calculating percent cultivation at the primary sampling unit (PSU) level based on the CDL data. The NASS CDLs are 30–56.0 m raster-formatted, georeferenced, cropland cover classifications derived from satellite data. The CDL stratification experiment was successfully conducted for Oklahoma, Ohio, Virginia, Georgia, and Arizona. The stratification accuracies of the traditional (visual interpretation) and new automated CDL stratification methods were compared based on 2010 June Area Survey data. Experimental results indicated that the CDL stratification method achieved higher accuracies in the intensively cropped areas, while the traditional method achieved higher accuracies in low or nonagricultural areas. The differences in the accuracies were statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. It was found that using multiyear composite, CDL-based cultivated layers did not improve stratification accuracies as compared to the results of single-year CDL data. Two applications of the CDL-automated stratification method in official USDA NASS operations are described. The novelty of the proposed method was using geospatial CDL data to objectively and automatically compute percent cultivation of the ASF PSUs as compared to the traditional method that subjectively determines percent cultivation using visual interpretation of satellite data. This proposed new CDL-based process improved efficiency, objectivity, and accuracy as compared to the traditional stratification method.
Using Ecologically Relevant Hydrologic Indices to Examine Temporal Changes in Unregulated Streams in Kansas

Irrigation water demand in the Great Plains region is lowering groundwater levels, reducing base flow and dewatering vulnerable streams. In western Kansas, groundwater has ceased to supply dependable baseflow to previously perennial streams. The change in baseflow has altered both the natural flow regime of streams and the level of in stream connectivity among pools at low flow. Previous studies have shown that changes occurring in streams have adverse impacts on freshwater ecosystem and fish species distribution. The objective of this study was to document stream flow regime changes for unregulated streams in four geographically distinct regions across Kansas using 60 or more years of daily discharge data. The analysis focused on spatial differences and temporal changes in hydrologic indices relevant to the lotic ecosystem for fourteen unregulated streams. Log Pearson III method was used for computing flow probabilities. The Mann-Kendall test in conjunction with Sen’s slope estimator was used for trend analysis. Indicators of Hydrologic Alterations software was used to generate hydrologic indices. Results show a substantial difference in streamflow characteristics between western and eastern regions. Temporally variable indices include median, zero and 1 cfs flow, and timing of low flow. Most streams in western Kansas now have longer and more frequent dry periods. Moreover, the timing of these dry periods could adversely impact essential ecological services and functions. Results of this study are intended to guide decision makers, watershed stakeholders, and environmental conservation advocates in addressing problems and concerns related to stream and river management.
A Physicist's Approach to Statistical Analyses of Biological Data

The ongoing transformation of biology to a quantitative discipline has drastically increased our opportunities to unravel the mechanisms that relate the dynamics of biological systems to their functions as it allows for the investigation of such systems at spatial and temporal scales never observed before. The biggest challenge today is to assimilate the wealth of information generated in this process into a conceptual framework. We face issues with the volume of data generated (a Big Data challenge) as well as with the complexity of the systems they represent. In this talk I will show examples for which a combination of mathematics, physics, and biology provides solutions to these challenges. I will focus specifically on the concept of networks in biology, their morphologies and dynamic behaviors.
TECTONIC AND MAGMATIC RIDGES IN THE ELTANIN FAULT SYSTEM, SOUTH PACIFIC

A Seabeam reconnaissance of the 400 km-long fast-slipping (88 mm yr-1) Heezen transform fault zone and the 55 km-long spreading center that links it to Tharp transform defined and bathymetrically described several types of ridges built by tectonic uplift and volcanic construction. Most prominent is an asymmetric transverse ridge, at which abyssal hills adjacent to the fault zone have been raised 2–3 km above normal rise-flank depths. Topographic and petrologic evidence suggests that this uplift, which has produced a 5400 m scarp from the crest of the ridge to the floor of a 10 km-wide transform valley, is caused by rapid serpentinization of upper mantle which has been exposed to hydrothermal circulation by fault-zone fracturing of an unusually thin crust. Transverse ridges have been thought atypical of fast-slipping transforms. One class of volcanic ridge more common at these sites is the overshot ridge, formed by prolongation of spreading-center rift zones obliquely across the transform. Overshot ridges are well developed at Heezen transform, especially at the eastern end where an eruptive rift zone extending 60 km from the southern tip of the East Pacific Rise has built a transform-parallel ridge that fills the eastern transform valley. Obliteration of fault-zone structure by ridges overshooting from the spreading center intersections means that the topography of the aseismic fracture zones is not just inherited from that of the active transform fault zone. The latter has several en echelon and overlapping fault traces, linked by short oblique spreading axes that generally form pull-apart basins rather than volcanic ridges. Interpretation of the origin and pattern of the fault zone's tectonic and volcanic relief requires refinement of the plate geography and history of this part of the Pacific-Antarctic boundary, using new Seabeam and magnetic traverses to supplement and adjust the existing geophysical data base.
The role of ion induced mass spectrometry in modern biochemical problems

Abstract The role of ion induced mass spectrometry in the structural analysis of a variety of biological molecules is discussed. Due to the low volatility, high molecular weight and/or chemical instability these molecules are intractable by most other methods. The effect of sample impurities is also addressed.
Keyword++: a framework to improve keyword search over entity databases

Keyword search over entity databases (e.g., product, movie databases) is an important problem. Current techniques for keyword search on databases may often return incomplete and imprecise results. On the one hand, they either require that relevant entities contain all (or most) of the query keywords, or that relevant entities and the query keywords occur together in several documents from a known collection. Neither of these requirements may be satisfied for a number of user queries. Hence results for such queries are likely to be incomplete in that highly relevant entities may not be returned. On the other hand, although some returned entities contain all (or most) of the query keywords, the intention of the keywords in the query could be different from that in the entities. Therefore, the results could also be imprecise.To remedy this problem, in this paper, we propose a general framework that can improve an existing search interface by translating a keyword query to a structured query. Specifically, we leverage the keyword to attribute value associations discovered in the results returned by the original search interface. We show empirically that the translated structured queries alleviate the above problems.
Quantum Theory of Coincidence Counting: Gaussian States and Quantum Interference

Quantum interference experiments based on coincidence counting are routinely employed -- for both diagnostic and application purposes -- on the signal and idler outputs of parametric downconverters. This paper uses the complete, Gaussian-state characterization of the downconversion process and quantum photodetection theory to provide an analytical framework for such measurements.
Effects of intertrial nonreinforcement (ITN) in instrumental escape conditioning

Two experiments investigated the effects of intertriai nonreinforcement (ITN) in a discrete-trials instrumental escape conditioning paradigm. In Experiment 1 an ITN group was more resistant to extinction than a continuously reinforced group but less resistant than a partially reinforced group. This ITN effect was replicated in Experiment 2. The performance of an additional control group in Experiment 2 suggests that this effect, in the present escape learning paradigm, may be due to a stimulus generalization decrement mechanism rather than to the operation of sequential variables.
A neighborhood graph based approach to regional co-location pattern discovery: a summary of results

Regional co-location patterns (RCPs) represent collections of feature types frequently located together in certain localities. For example, RCP suggests that a co-location pattern involving alcohol-related crimes and bars is often localized to downtown regions. Given a set of Boolean feature types, their geo-located instances, a spatial neighbor relation, and a prevalence threshold, the RCP discovery problem finds all prevalent RCPs (pairs of co-locations and their prevalence localities). RCP discovery is important in many societal applications, including public safety, public health, climate science and ecology. The RCP discovery problem involves three major challenges: (a) an exponential number of subsets of feature types, (b) an exponential number of candidate localities and (c) a tradeoff between accurately modeling pattern locality and achieving computational efficiency. Related work does not provide computationally efficient methods to discover all interesting RCPs with their natural prevalence localities. To address these limitations, this paper proposes a neighborhood graph based approach that discovers all interesting RCPs and is aware of a pattern's prevalence localities. We identify partitions based on the pattern instances and neighbor graph. We introduce two new interest measures, a regional participation ratio and a regional participation index to quantify the strength of RCPs. We present two new algorithms, Pattern Space (PS) enumeration and Maximal Locality (ML) enumeration and show that they are correct and complete. Experiments using real crime datasets show that ML pruning outperforms PS enumeration.
Effects of multiple cracking on the residual strength behavior of thermally shocked functionally graded ceramics

Abstract When subjected to severe thermal shocks a functionally graded ceramic (FGC) suffers strength degradation due to the thermally-induced damages in the material. Multiple surface cracking has been observed as one of the dominant defects/damages affecting the thermal shock behavior of ceramics. This paper presents a thermo-fracture mechanics model to investigate the thermal shock residual strength behavior of elastically homogeneous but thermally graded FGCs undergoing multiple surface cracking. We consider an FGC plate with an array of parallel edge cracks at the thermally shocked surface. A Fourier transform/superposition method is used to derive the singular integral equation of the thermal shock crack problem. The critical thermal shock that causes crack propagation and thermal shock damage are determined using linear elastic fracture mechanics. The thermal shock residual strength of the FGC as a function of thermal shock severity and crack density (crack spacing) is subsequently evaluated. Numerical calculations are carried out for two FGC materials, i.e., Al2O3/Si3N4 and TiC/SiC FGCs, to illustrate the effects of crack density (crack spacing) and material gradation on the thermal shock strength behavior of FGCs. It is found that a higher crack density (lower crack spacing) together with appropriately graded material properties significantly enhances the residual strength of the thermally shocked FGCs.
Phenylephrine and norepinephrine increase dopamine transporter ligand binding in striatum.

Abstract PURPOSE: 8-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-chlorophenyl)nortropane ([18F]FECNT) is a radiotracer for positron emission tomography (PET) used to trace the location and binding potential (BP) of the dopamine transporter (DAT). We tested the hypothesis that adrenergic receptor agonists increase the BP of [18F]FECNT for the DAT. PROCEDURES: Anesthetized monkeys were scanned twice to determine the ligand BP at baseline and during administration of phenylephrine (3–6 μg/kg/min) or norepinephrine (0.5–1 μg/kg/min). Standard immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analyses were performed in rats to determine if the quantity of DAT changed with phenylephrine. [18F]FECNT uptake in human embryonic kidney (HEK) cells, stably transfected with DAT cDNA, was measured by gamma scintillation counting during phenylephrine. RESULTS: The PET measured BP of [18F]FECNT increased by 50% and 45% during the phenylephrine and norepinephrine infusion, respectively. The immunohistochemistry and immunoblot analyses did not show a difference in total DAT. CONCLUSION: Adrenergic agonists increase the BP of [18F]FECNT in monkey striatum.
Printing in today's academic labs: not exactly what Gutenberg had in mind

At the Ringling School of Art and Design, we have watched printing costs spiral out of control and beyond budgetary models. Yearly expenditures for both printer consumables and the labor required to maintain our printers have been substantial. With approximately 25 black and white and 11 color network laser printers in our academic labs, we required a user friendly, flexible, and stable method of print accounting.Over the past two semesters we examined and tested many print accounting solutions. Our first iteration of testing used a Macintosh OS X Server and subsequent tests included various Open Source alternatives. We ultimately deployed an off-the-shelf solution called Print Manager Plus installed on a Windows 2000 server with minor modifications to the reporting feature. Advantages of this solution include, but are not limited to, straightforward incorporation of our Active Directory Domain users and groups, maintaining a level of transparency to the users, and multi-platform support.Our quota system is based on academic year and major and all students are given a number of free prints based on these criteria. Students may also purchase additional prints via a web interface if necessary.Print Manager Plus was not our first choice, or even our second, but proved to be the best choice overall. This paper will share our mistakes as well as our successes and will hopefully help our peers control their rising printing costs.
Progesterone modulation of gonadotropin secretion by dispersed rat pituitary cells in culture. III. A23187, cAMP, phorbol ester and DiC8-stimulated luteinizing hormone release.

Dispersed estradiol-treated rat pituitary cells were used to characterize progesterone (P) modulation of luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion in response to a variety of pharmacologie secretagogues which influence cell biochemistry. Acute (< 3 h) and chronic (24 h) exposures to P prior to secretagogue challenge respectively enhanced and inhibited Ca2+ iontophore (A23187)-stimulated and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-stimulated LH release in similar quantitative fashion without any effect on concurrent prolactin release. Similar responses were also noted with cholera toxin-stimulated secretion. However, when protein kinase C activators such as phorbol esters and dioctanoylglycerol were used to trigger LH release, chronic exposure to P did not inhibit, but rather enhanced, LH release. Again, P had no effect on prolactin release. ‘Washout’ studies indicated that chronic treatments with P would suppress LH secretion stimulated by these compounds, but only when the steroid was cleared from the cells 4 h beforehand. These studies provide further evidence that P specifically modulates gonadotroph secretory function via mechanisms which bypass GnRH receptors. Moreover, they suggest that P exerts many different actions within the gonadotroph and question the role of protein kinase C in GnRH action.