cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
It's Easier to Decapitate a Snake than It Is a Hydra: An Analysis of Colombia's Targeted Killing Program

While the use of targeted killings by the United States and Israel has received the most press coverage, Colombia has also utilized targeted killings in its conflict with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Utilizing an original dataset, this study quantitatively gauges the effectiveness of Colombia's targeted killing program, by examining the influence of FARC leadership deaths upon the number and severity of FARC attacks during the years 2004 to 2011. The results suggest that the Colombian government's killing of FARC leaders has been effective in decreasing the number of attacks, but not the severity of attacks
Experimental Investigation of a Supersonic Shear Layer with Slot Injection of Helium

We focuse on mixing in a shear layer developed from helium slot injection into a parallel supersonic airstream and compare the results to those of previous slot-injection tests. In addition to short-duration schlieren and shadowgraph photography, concentration, pitot, cone-static, and stagnation temperature measurements are presented to document the development of the mixing layer.
Two-Dimensional Order in β-Sheet Peptide Monolayers

Amphiphilic peptides comprising alternating hydrophilic and hydrophobic amino acid residues were designed to form super-secondary structures composed of self-assembled β-strands as monolayers at the air−water interface. Insights provided by in situ grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), surface pressure vs area isotherms, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy allow structural characterization of the assembled nanostructures and rational correlation with the peptide sequence. Peptides seven to seventeen amino acids in length were found to form crystalline arrays with coherence lengths in the range of 100 to 1000 A. Two-dimensional registry of the self-assembled peptides was induced by placement of proline residues at the peptide termini. The films were found to intercalate ordered arrays of ions between juxtaposed β-sheet ribbons to generate peptide−ion composite phases.
Incidence of intracranial germ cell tumors by race in the United States, 1992–2010

Little is known about the etiology of intracranial germ cell tumors (iGCTs), although international incidence data suggest that the highest incidence rates occur in Asian countries. In this analysis, we used 1992–2010 data from the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) Program to determine whether rates of iGCT were also high in Asian/Pacific Islanders living in the United States. Frequencies, incidence rates and survival rates were evaluated for the entire cohort and for demographic subgroups based on sex, age category (0–9 and 10–29 years), race (white, black, and Asian/Pacific Islander), and tumor location (pineal gland vs. other) as sample size permitted. Analyses were conducted using SEER*Stat 8.1.2. We observed a significantly higher incidence rate of iGCT in Asian/Pacific Islanders compared with whites (RR = 2.05, 95 % CI 1.57–2.64, RR = 3.04, 95 % CI 1.75–5.12 for males and females, respectively) in the 10–29 year age group. This difference was observed for tumors located both in the pineal gland and for tumors in other locations. Five-year relative survival differed by demographic and tumor characteristics, although these differences were not observed in comparisons limited to cases treated with radiation. Increased incidence rates of iGCT in individuals of Asian descent in the SEER registry are in agreement with data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, where Japan and Singapore were among the countries with highest incidence. The increased incidence in individuals of Asian ancestry in the United States suggests that underlying genetic susceptibility may play a role in the etiology of iGCT.
Cerebellar gliosarcoma: report of a probable radiation-induced neoplasm.

This report describes a cerebellar gliosarcoma in a patient who had undergone radiation treatment for parotid carcinoma
Liquid Crystal Thermography Using Light Transmission

This paper presents results from our study to develop a novel thermochromic liquid crystal (TLC) temperature measurement system that uses light transmission instead of light reflection to measure surface temperature fields. In previous work, we showed that the effect of temperature on light transmission through TLCs could be measured with a spectrophotometer. Here we report on results obtained using a CCD camera and polychromatic light source. We tested three different light sources: a white electroluminescent light, a green electroluminescent light and a halogen fiber optic light. We found that the green signal (as detected by the CCD camera) of the green electroluminescent light makes the best temperature sensor, because it showed a 500% linear signal increase as the temperature of the R25C10W TLCs was raised from 30 to 48 o C. Focusing on the green signal from the green light, we further found that the angle of the CCD camera relative to the light, did not significantly affect the results for angles up to 10 degrees. The effect of light intensity was also not significant for intensities up to 40% of the original level, when normalized on the intensity at 24 o C (a temperature outside the active range of the TLCs). The use of light transmission results in a larger range of temperature over which the TLCs can be calibrated and offers opportunities for more uniform lighting conditions which may help to overcome some of the problems associated with light reflection.
XCVIII. Groove-form and energy distribution of diffraction gratings

(1910). XCVIII. Groove-form and energy distribution of diffraction gratings. The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: Vol. 20, No. 119, pp. 886-898.
Probing Hot Carrier Phenomena in npn and pnp SiGe HBTs

A new method for analyzing breakdown phenomena and differentiating between damage created by hot electrons and hot holes under impact ionization induced stress within SiGe HBTs is presented. Measurements demonstrate that electrons are more effective than holes for creating impact ionization induced damage under mixed-mode stress. Lucky electrons and lucky holes can be directly observed using this approach, and the induced hot carrier current yields important insight into understanding reliability of SiGe HBTs under aggressive stress.
Corrective feedback and persistent learning for information extraction

To successfully embed statistical machine learning models in real world applications, two post-deployment capabilities must be provided: (1) the ability to solicit user corrections and (2) the ability to update the model from these corrections. We refer to the former capability as corrective feedback and the latter as persistent learning. While these capabilities have a natural implementation for simple classification tasks such as spam filtering, we argue that a more careful design is required for structured classification tasks. One example of a structured classification task is information extraction, in which raw text is analyzed to automatically populate a database. In this work, we augment a probabilistic information extraction system with corrective feedback and persistent learning components to assist the user in building, correcting, and updating the extraction model. We describe methods of guiding the user to incorrect predictions, suggesting the most informative fields to correct, and incorporating corrections into the inference algorithm. We also present an active learning framework that minimizes not only how many examples a user must label, but also how difficult each example is to label. We empirically validate each of the technical components in simulation and quantify the user effort saved. We conclude that more efficient corrective feedback mechanisms lead to more effective persistent learning.
Circuit for Simulation of Multiple-Dosing Kinetics

An electronic circuit is described which simulates the theoretical curves associated with multiple-dosing kinetics. The output is an analog voltage which generates plasma concentration versus time curves consistent with the assumptions in a one-compartment open model with rapid intravenous injection. Potentiometer settings offer wide variations in dosing schedules, distribution volumes, and elimination rate constants. Also, once steady-state levels are achieved, a second circuit can be used to produce sudden changes in the elimination rate constant. Both circuits use commercially available electronic components and have been used in student lecture/demonstrations to display multiple-dosing kinetics graphically.
Promoting Evaluation through Collaboration Findings from Community-based Programs for Young Children and their Families

Collaborative evaluation engages key program stakeholders actively in the evaluation process. Distance between external evaluators and program staff is often minimal, based on the assumption that a collaborative stance will strengthen evaluation results and increase utilization of evaluation findings. Convincing empirical evidence to support these assumptions is scarce. This study uses evaluation findings from a county-wide, comprehensive, early childhood education initiative to support the contention that a collaborative approach can substantively improve evaluation findings.
Analysis, design, and optimization of structures with integral compliant mechanisms for mid‐frequency response

A multi-scale paradigm is proposed that utilizes periodic, small-scale, integral compliant mechanisms within larger-scale structures for the attenuation of vibro-acoustic response. Amplification principles serve as the basis for the design of these mechanisms in achieving reduced energy transmission. The spectral finite element method is exploited for a force–velocity and energy flow analysis of the resultant truss-like structures. A genetic algorithm is employed to optimize structure size for greatest effectiveness in the frequency range of interest. This study demonstrates that a significant decrease in structural vibration is achievable and suggests promising applications including the design of acoustic isolation panels for broadband vehicle noise reduction. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fine-Grained Information Flow Analysis and Enforcement in a Java Virtual Machine

We have implemented an information flow framework for the Java virtual machine that combines static and dynamic techniques to capture not only explicit flows, but also implicit ones resulting from control flow. Unlike other approaches that freeze policies at time of compilation, our system truly separates policy and enforcement mechanism and thereby permits policy changes even while a program is running. Ahead of execution, we run a static analysis that annotates an executable with information-flow information. During execution, we then use the annotations to safely update the labels of variables that lie in alternative paths of execution while enforcing the policy currently in place. Our framework doesn't require access to source code and is fully backward-compatible with existing Java class files. Preliminary benchmark results suggest that the run-time overhead of information flow techniques such as ours is well within acceptable range for many application domains.
Nonlinear properties of traveling-wave electroabsorption modulator

We report the nonlinear properties of traveling-wave electroabsorption modulators experimentally and theoretically. The saturation characteristics of the dc transfer curve give rise to the superlinear, linear, and sublinear properties of output signal levels against the input signal levels. The dynamic behavior of the transmission curves for a wide range of the input radio-frequency signal levels can be described using the dc transfer curve and the fast Fourier transform algorithm.
Utility of the Concept of Brain Damage for the School Psychologist.

Abstract This paper attempts to show that the concept of brain damage has little utility for the school psychologist or educator. This argument is based on three major points: (a) the definition of brain damage, particularly minimal brain damage, is unclear and confusing; (b) diagnosis of brain damage is often difficult and results of psychological testing often equivocal; and (c) differential treatment programs and educational procedures suggested for the brain injured child appear to be of only questionable value. Extreme caution is urged to prevent hasty, uncritical adoption of many inadequately tested teaching and management techniques advocated for brain damaged children.
Organization of Enzyme Concentration across the Metabolic Network in Cancer Cells

Rapid advances in mass spectrometry have allowed for estimates of absolute concentrations across entire proteomes, permitting the interrogation of many important biological questions. Here, we focus on a quantitative aspect of human cancer cell metabolism that has been limited by a paucity of available data on the abundance of metabolic enzymes. We integrate data from recent measurements of absolute protein concentration to analyze the statistics of protein abundance across the human metabolic network. At a global level, we find that the enzymes in glycolysis comprise approximately half of the total amount of metabolic proteins and can constitute up to 10% of the entire proteome. We then use this analysis to investigate several outstanding problems in cancer metabolism, including the diversion of glycolytic flux for biosynthesis, the relative contribution of nitrogen assimilating pathways, and the origin of cellular redox potential. We find many consistencies with current models, identify several inconsistencies, and find generalities that extend beyond current understanding. Together our results demonstrate that a relatively simple analysis of the abundance of metabolic enzymes was able to reveal many insights into the organization of the human cancer cell metabolic network.
Object oriented programming (OOP) and its relevance to designing intelligent software systems

The development of large software packages requires not only modularity but also the capability to experiment and change. Such a capability is akin to self-organization characteristics of adaptive systems. It is suggested that computer-aided software engineering (CASE) can benefit from the development retrainable software modules, where both the data structures and the algorithms performing on them are subject to evolutionary change. Such an approach is modeled after the AI (artificial-intelligence) methodology of reasoning by analogy, and it can be naturally implemented through the paradigm of object-oriented programming languages, which provide an exploratory software environment in which changes resulting from feedback to the system are easy to track and implement. The benefits of OOP to major software development areas involved with resource allocation, computer vision, and the service industry are discussed. >
Beating Classical Computing Without a Quantum Computer

Quantum computers are expected to be able to solve mathematical problems that are not feasible on a classical computer. Although considerable progress has already been made, building a full-scale quantum computer would require controlled interactions between the quantum bits, or qubits, in order to implement the logic operations required for addition, subtraction, and multiplication. On pages 798 and 794 of this issue, Spring et al. ( 1 ) and Broome et al. ( 2 ), as well as Tillmann et al. ( 3 ), have shown that quantum systems—in this case, photons interacting along waveguides—could outperform a classical computer for certain kinds of matrix calculations without the need for logic operations.
CAN THE NEW COMMANDER IN CHIEF SUSTAIN HIS ALL-VOLUNTEER STANDING ARMY?

During his campaign, Barack Obama inspired record numbers of Americans to donate their time and money to his electoral efforts. Now that the campaign is over, can Obama sustain this civic engagement as he begins to govern? This paper examines the possibilities for sustaining Obama's electoral mobilization, introducing new data from fieldwork conducted from September 2008 to Election Day 2008 in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Charlotte, North Carolina. The data include staff interviews and observations of canvassing, rallies, and other get-out-the-vote efforts of the local Obama and McCain campaigns, the local Democratic and Republican Parties, and various nonprofit groups in each city. Based on these data it is clear that each city was characterized by excitement and heightened activity; however, the number of activities and the strength of the grassroots organization varied across the cities according to national electoral imperatives in ways that should affect the potential for future mobilization. As such, sustaining the mobilization of Obama's supporters faces several hurdles: campaign staff and volunteers in many cities were drawn from outside the community, tensions arose between local grassroots organizations and the campaign over resources and issue focus, and the extremely large amounts of money needed to finance the mobilization were not distributed evenly across cities and states.
Resolution Enhancement Technique Using Range Oversampling

Abstract A novel resolution enhancement technique using range oversampling (RETRO) is presented. Oversampled signals are radar returns from shifted and overlapped resolution volumes in range. It has been recently shown that these signals can be whitened and averaged to optimally reduce the statistical error of weather spectral moment estimations for the case of uniform reflectivity and velocity. Using the same oversampled data, when the resolution is of interest, RETRO can reveal the variation of reflectivity and velocity in range at finescale. The idea is to utilize the redundant information contained in oversampled signals, which come from common regions, to improve the resolution defined by the range weighting function. As a result, oversampled data are optimally combined to produce high-resolution signals for spectral moment estimations. RETRO is demonstrated and verified using numerical simulations for two cases. In the first case, range variation of a tornadic vortex with a diameter of 120 m can be ...
Teacher questioning: Is there an answer?

Abstract Question‐answer instructional segments from second‐grade small group reading lessons were analyzed according to both Barrett's (1976) and Pearson and Johnson's (1978) taxonomies. Analysis of the questions according to Barrett's taxonomy revealed that a majority of lower‐level questions were asked. When analyzed according to Pearson and Johnson's taxonomy, however, the greatest percentage of question‐answer relationships fell in the scriptally implicit category. Results are discussed in relation to previous research in this area.
Regression of Some High-risk Features of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) in Patients Receiving Intensive Statin Treatment.

Abstract Importance Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) remains the leading cause of blindness in developed countries, and affects more than 150 million worldwide. Despite effective anti-angiogenic therapies for the less prevalent neovascular form of AMD, treatments are lacking for the more prevalent dry form. Similarities in risk factors and pathogenesis between AMD and atherosclerosis have led investigators to study the effects of statins on AMD incidence and progression with mixed results. A limitation of these studies has been the heterogeneity of AMD disease and the lack of standardization in statin dosage. Objective We were interested in studying the effects of high-dose statins, similar to those showing regression of atherosclerotic plaques, in AMD. Design Pilot multicenter open-label prospective clinical study of 26 patients with diagnosis of AMD and the presence of many large, soft drusenoid deposits. Patients received 80mg of atorvastatin daily and were monitored at baseline and every 3months with complete ophthalmologic exam, best corrected visual acuity (VA), fundus photographs, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and blood work (AST, ALT, CPK, total cholesterol, TSH, creatinine, as well as a pregnancy test for premenopausal women). Results Twenty-three subjects completed a minimum follow-up of 12months. High-dose atorvastatin resulted in regression of drusen deposits associated with vision gain (+3.3 letters, p=0.06) in 10 patients. No subjects progressed to advanced neovascular AMD. Conclusions High-dose statins may result in resolution of drusenoid pigment epithelial detachments (PEDs) and improvement in VA, without atrophy or neovascularization in a high-risk subgroup of AMD patients. Confirmation from larger studies is warranted.
Cushing's syndrome. IV. Urinary 17-ketosteroids in patients with adrenal cortical tumors.

SummaryIn 5 patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal cortical tumors, urinary 17-ketosteroids were fractionated by column chromatography and identified by infrared spectroscopy. The findings were: 1. One patient with benign adrenal cortical adenoma had a low value of total urinary 17-ketosteroids. The only steroids identified were 11-oxygenated 17-ketosteroids. 2. Four patients with adrenal cortical carcinoma showed elevated urine 17-ketosteroid levels. All 4 had absolute increases in the quantity of 11-oxy-17-ketosteroids. All showed increases in ratio of etiocholanolone to androsterone. Only one showed a marked increase in amount of dehydroisoandrosterone. 3. Certain similarities to and differences from the 17-ketosteroid pattern of patients with Cushing's syndrome due to bilateral adrenal hyperplasia are pointed out. It is suggested that the urinary 17-ketosteroid excretion pattern in patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal carcinoma may not always be sufficiently characteristic to point...
Entomology at Washington State University Moves to New Quarters

A $4,000,000 building has just been completed for the use of the departments of entomology, agronomy, horticulture, plant pathology and forestry at Washington State University at Pullman. The new facility will house all of the entomological activities on campus including cooperating USDA personnel and extension service as well as the teaching and experiment station entomologists. The move will increase the floor space of the insect collection threefold. We will have one of the largest insect museums on the West Coast. Well equipped laboratory facilities will be adequate for handling a considerably number of staff members as well as graduate and undergraduate students interested in economic entomology, medical entomology physiology, ecology, toxicology, taxonomy, bio-assays and related disciplines. Other special features include controlled environment rooms, a fumitorium for experimental commodity treatments, a combined lecture-laboratory classroom, a workshop, and a large spray laboratory on the ground floor for demonstrating small to medium size sprayers and for work on the improvement of spray equipment. We extend a very hearty welcome to all of our professional colleagues to visit us.
The limits of cost/benefit analysis when disasters loom

Advances in estimating the costs and benefits of climate change policies are a welcome development, but a full-scale cost/benefit analysis that seeks to reduce complex value trade-offs to a single metric of net benefit maximization hides many important public policy issues, especially for disasters and catastrophes that are large, discontinuous, irreversible and uncertain. States should obtain public input on such policies. These policies involve value trade-offs that can be informed by technocratic estimates of costs, benefits and risk. However, such analyses cannot, in principle, be reduced to a single recommendation that ‘maximizes net benefits’. Politicians must make value trade-offs informed both by technocrats and by public input.
Microbiome-Mediated Multitrophic Interactions in an Age of Microbial Extinction

Microbiome is a major driver of multitrophic species interactions across local, regional, and global scales. Below- and above-ground microbial interactions largely determine the expression of functional traits in plants. These traits determine plants interactions with pathogens, herbivores, predators, and parasites. In broader contexts, host (plant or animal)-associated microbiome determines host interactions with other species, trophic levels, and improves host fitness under biotic and abiotic environmental stressors. However, the relative magnitude and importance of microbiome in structuring complex trophic and nontrophic interactions, and their subsequent role in global ecosystem functioning is not thoroughly investigated. It is anticipated that global land-use and climate changes could disturb, alter, and/or lead to extinctions of microbiome-mediated multitrophic interactions, which may resultantly, adversely affect ecosystem functioning and stability.
Large Scale Generation of Complex and Faulty PHP Test Cases

Developing good test cases is an intellectually demanding and critical task, and it has a strong impact on the effectiveness and efficiency of the whole testing process. This paper presents an automated generator of test cases, which are designed to evaluate source code security analyzers. The generator produces PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) programs with most common vulnerabilities embedded in various code complexities. It also produces programs without vulnerabilities to test for false positives. The generator is modular and extensible. We describe its internal design and how it works. The generated PHP test cases were added to the Software Assurance Reference Dataset (SARD) and will be used to assess the effectiveness of static analyzers. We conclude with the current state of the tool, its benefits and future work.
The Participant-Observer Reviewed

This paper examines the role of the participant-observer in large scale system design, analysis and evaluation. A study of future tele-communication switching systems is used as the basis of discussion. However, the problems encountered and concepts discussed are also encountered and relevant to societal systems.
CP Violation in the Decays of the Neutral Kaon

These lectures will cover some topics of current interest in the study of CP violation, primarily in Kaon decays. We will be concerned with the 2π decay modes as well as with some much rarer ones.
Sustainable transportation at the ballot box: a disaggregate analysis of the relative importance of user travel mode, attitudes and self-interest

Transportation agencies’ increased reliance on voter approved financing requires planners to better understand and address voters’ motivations to support ballot initiatives. These initiatives, which can mimic or subvert traditional planning processes, are also opportunities for voters to register backlash against planning initiatives. We examine the role of voters’ self-interest, as measured by personal travel patterns and their attitudes towards the impacts of various transportation policies, in predicting residents’ votes on two concurrent transport ballot measures in San Francisco, CA. Voters were asked to evaluate each initiative in terms of their personal, direct interest versus the interest of the city of San Francisco generally. We find that that drivers will vote against policies marketed to the public as benefiting drivers or defending “drivers’ rights” if they believe strongly in the benefits of alternative policies for non-users. Those who identified their interests as divergent from the city’s were more likely to vote against their perceived interest and for the city’s than to cast a vote consistent with their own interest. Among mode use patterns, only cycling significantly predicted votes: Frequent cycles voted as a cohesive and potentially decisive block in favor of transportation initiatives promoting non-automobile modes.
Effects of Japanese Knotweed on avian diversity and function in riparian habitats

The impacts of the invasive plant Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica) on native plant and invertebrate communities in its introduced range have been relatively well studied, and studies have revealed predominantly negative impacts. However, little research has focused on the impact of knotweed on higher trophic levels. This study investigated how riparian bird communities respond to different levels of knotweed invasion. Birds were counted in 21 fixed-width transects located along ten streams in Pennsylvania, a prime avian breeding area, winter roosting site, and migratory staging area located along the Atlantic Migratory Flyway. Species richness and overall abundances did not significantly differ between levels of knotweed coverage. However, three species exhibited significant positive correlations with knotweed cover, and one species exhibited a significant negative correlation. Species and foraging guild composition differed between survey locations with and without knotweed. Species frequently found around human habitation and in degraded habitats were associated with knotweed, while more sensitive species were associated with native vegetation. Locations with knotweed were also associated with fewer foraging guilds and lacked an association with shoreline gleaners, water ambushers, and ground foragers, indicating a potential loss of ecological function. Given the widespread distribution of Japanese Knotweed, management actions to reduce or eliminate knotweed from riparian corridors are necessary in order to preserve avian diversity and function.
Relation between dielectric and thermal-mechanical properties of polymeric insulations

Earlier studies of the intrinsic dielectric properties of wire enamels have established that polymeric insulating materials exhibit characteristic 60-Hz dissipation factor-temperature curves. The temperature above which losses rapidly increase was designated as t max , and the curve from which t max is established is highly reproducible for a given insulating material at optimum cure.1,2 On the basis of studies in a variety of atmospheres, it has been suggested that t max is related to a transition temperature for the polymer.3,4
Architectural-level prediction of interconnect wirelength and fanout

This paper proposes accurate architectural-level interconnect wirelength and fan-out models. Existing models are based on Rent's rule and fail to capture the impact of microarchitectural and implementation parameters. Hence, significant deviation is observed when validated against implementation data, i.e., up to 79% (22%) in total wirelength (average fanout). Our proposed models both enable architectural-level prediction of interconnect wirelength and fanout, and show significant accuracy improvement vs. existing models with respect to layout data.
A Characterization of Aggregation

Most popular object-oriented modeling techniques (OOMTs) provide good support for the creation of structured conceptual models of system behavior and structure. A serious drawback of these techniques is that the concepts and notations used are loosely defined. This can lead to the creation of ambiguous models, and to disagreements over the proper use and interpretation of modeling constructs. An important modeling construct that is often loosely defined is aggregation. In this paper we present a characterization of aggregation that can help developers identify appropriate applications of the concept.
Tea Party women: mama grizzlies, grassroots leaders, and the changing face of the American right

In February 2009, during a highly charged broadcast, CNBC reporter Rick Santelli raged against US economic policies and suggested to his audience that they form a Tea Party movement to rebel agains...
Review: Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol is effective in alleviating cancer chemotherapy-induced nausea

Source Citation Voth EA, Schwartz RH. Medicinal applications of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol and marijuana. Ann Intern Med. 1997 May 15;126:791-8.
An Apps-Based Information Economy in Healthcare

Traditionally, most healthcare organizations have limited the technology platforms that clinicians use—often to a single, electronic health record (EHR)—largely because integration with the EHR after purchase is an expensive, slow process that must be repeated for each new product. This walled-off market has posed insurmountable barriers to entry for start-ups and larger firms alike. Further, it has limited clinicians’ ability to customize EHRs in ways that improve care or workflows. Through a uniform, standards-based, public application programming interface, it is becoming possible to add connected apps to EHRs. We describe the SMART Health IT project which has an audacious goal that an app written once can run anywhere at the point of care or for the patient at home.
A role for IL-13 in the progression of prostate tumors (TUM10P.1046)

IL-13 is predominantly a Th2-derived cytokine that displays a variety of effects on inflammatory and stromal cells. Receptors for IL-13 are expressed by several cancers including prostate carcinoma. Although expression of IL-13 was previously positively correlated with human prostate cancer, there are no studies that validate the functional contribution of IL-13 during prostate cancer progression. In this study, we examined the importance of IL-13 during prostate tumor progression using Transgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate [TRAMP] model of prostate cancer. Il13 -deficient [ Il13 -/- ] mice were bred onto the TRAMP background to generate TRAMP+Il13 +/+ , TRAMP+Il13 +/- and TRAMP+Il13 -/- genotypes. Mice were euthanized at 25, 30, 40 and 45 weeks of age and tumors were characterized for weight, leukocyte infiltration, and tumor histopathology. Preliminary data suggests IL-13 is important for prostate tumorigenesis, as tumors obtained from TRAMP+Il13 -/- mice were smaller than those obtained from TRAMP+Il13 +/- or TRAMP+Il13 +/+ mice. On-going studies continue to examine differences in histopathology, nature and function of immune infiltrates. Future studies are aimed at understanding distinct cellular sources of IL-13, as well as precise targets of IL-13 that contribute to tumor progression, focusing on both cells of hematopoietic lineage as well as epithelial and stromal cells. Findings from these studies may identify IL-13 as a novel target for treating prostate cancer.
Color Phase—Specific Ion Regulation of the European Green Crab Carcinus maenas in an Oscillating Salinity Environment

The physiology of ion regulation in the highly invasive European green crab Carcinus maenas has been widely studied, but mostly in constant salinity conditions, and not in context of their molt cycle-dependent sternite coloration. The ventral sternites are typically green after molting, and turn red through prolonged intermolt, with a concurrent decrease in stress tolerance. In this study, whole animal and molecular physiology was evaluated at constant low salinity (12), and oscillating salinity (12–32 every 6 h). Performance in three whole animal measures revealed that the green phase is more tolerant than the red phase, and that females are more tolerant than the respective males under both salinity conditions. These differences result from larger increases in expression of the drivers behind ion transport (Na /K -ATPase, cytoplasmic carbonic anhydrase) in green phase and female crabs. Low salinity exposure resulted in increased expression of these markers compared with oscillating salinity, demonstrating that low salinity is more strenuous, as more cellular regulation is required. This agrees with the crabs' natural environmental conditions where prolonged low salinity is rarely experienced. These findings are presented in context of a crab population survey conducted from May 2012 through November 2016 in southern Maine, USA. Female and red phase crabs were found at higher proportions in the intertidal than previously reported. In addition, gravid females were found year round, which is indicative of continuous reproduction. The data demonstrate the necessity to evaluate C. maenas in an ecologically relevant context with respect to color phase within each invasive population to truly understand the invasive capabilities of this species and to better inform management strategies.
The effect of the MJO on the energetics of El Niño

The energy budget of the Pacific Ocean is evaluated in the Super-Parameterized Community Climate Model version 4 (SP-CCSM4) on intraseasonal time scales. The budget terms are decomposed to isolate the MJO influence and the ocean current associated with Kelvin waves. Using this decomposition, one can distinguish between El Nino events with strong and weak MJO influence. Composites of El Nino events based on the wind power component associated with the MJO induced wind stress and oceanic Kelvin waves ( $${{\text{W}}_{{\text{MJO}},{\text{K}}}}$$ ) are compared with composites based only on the atmospheric variability and based only on the oceanic variability. It was found that the composite of events when $${{\text{W}}_{{\text{MJO}},{\text{K}}}}$$ is near maximum (+ NMJO,K) shows a greater magnitude of mean perturbation wind power, buoyancy power, and available potential energy than any other case, which is consistent with the greater amplitude Kelvin wave perturbations on the thermocline, as well as the greater amplitude of SST anomalies at the peak of the event. For + NMJO,K, latent heat flux anomalies out of the ocean along the coast of New Guinea are seen coincident with deepening of the mixed layer depth there, suggesting that this is an important region for the thermodynamic influence of the MJO on the ocean. Latent heat flux anomalies into the ocean are seen across the ITCZ in the spring, suggesting a basin wide influence by the MJO on the ocean surface radiation budget in + NMJO,K.
Calculator to Estimate Annual Infiltration Performance of Roadside Swales

AbstractRoadside swales or drainage ditches are low-impact development (LID) practices for stormwater treatment and control, and there is a need to quantify their infiltration performance for desig...
Induced negative regulation decodes PAMP quality and quantity to generate bacteria-specific inflammatory responses

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) expressed on macrophages are ligated in various combinations by diverse pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), but how mixtures of signals through these receptors are integrated to mediate distinct biological responses to different pathogens remains unknown. By stimulating macrophages using a wide matrix of TLR2/TLR4 concentration combinations, we identified conditions resulting in non-linear responses. Transcriptomic and RNAi analyses identified negative regulators induced in a TLR-specific manner that regulated cytokine production dynamics and chemokine milieus across the combinatorial matrix. TLR4 ligand concentration explained much of the variation in production of many chemokines. However, combinations of sub-maximal amounts of either single ligand produced a zone of non-linear responses with sustained production of select inflammatory mediators, due to lack of negative regulation induced only at higher individual ligand concentrations. A similar sustained response was observed for Gram-positive bacteria, as compared to a panel of Gram-negative species, which express high amounts of the TLR4 ligand LPS. The novel TLR4-specific negative regulators we describe thus aid the innate immune system in discriminating Gram-negative from Gram-positive species, supporting qualitatively distinct inflammatory responses to these classes of bacteria. This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, NIAID
Diving into Data: Analyzing Information Requests to Understand Information Needs at a Pediatric Hospital

Libraries collect usage statistics every day, yet have difficulty illustrating how the library supports users’ information needs and exactly what those needs are. Using daily statistics collected i...
A METHODOLOGICAL COMPARISON AMONG DNA SOURCE TYPES FOR MOOSE GENOTYPING

Population genetic analyses for moose have been based on DNA extracted from blood and other body tissues. Non-invasive sampling of fecal pellets is another potential source of DNA. We compared DNA extraction from blood, liver tissue, and fecal pellet samples from moose in Minnesota and Yellowstone National Park, USA. Extracted DNA from all source types was sufficient for genotyping using 15 microsatellites. DNA extracted from fecal pellets was of lower quality and quantity than DNA extracted from blood and tissue. We provide comparisons of efficiency and effectiveness of DNA extraction protocols for blood, tissue, and fecal pellets, and demonstrate the suitability of using DNA extracted from non-invasively sampled material in moose.
NREM Sleep Regulation From Neuronal Assembly to Ion

Abstract Compared with the two other vigilance stages, wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, non-REM (NREM) neuronal circuitry is less well understood, even though its role in neurophysiological functions and its involvement in diseases appear to be critical. In this chapter, we review NREM sleep features, the history of NREM sleep studies, and challenges and recent advances in understanding NREM sleep control.
Leachate Nutrient Content and Growth of Two Hollies As Influenced by Controlled Release Fertilizers

Abstract An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of fertilizer source, rate of application, and method of application on the release of nutrients over time using the pour-through method...
Effect of well shut-in after fracturing operations on near wellbore permeability

Abstract After hydraulically fracturing of shale gas wells, theoretical and experimental studies showed that over 75% of the injected water-based fracture fluids left unrecovered. The trapped water causes permeability damage and productivity impairment. The flowback water also tends to be highly saline, often with TDS contents of as much as 200,000 ppm. This study aims to investigate the effect of well shut-in before flowback stage (the soaking process) on the production of shale and tight sandstone formations. Shale and sandstone samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Marcellus shale and Kentucky sandstone cores were used. A modified core flood setup was used to allow porosity measurements by gas expansion method, then pulse decay permeability measurements, and fluid injection during the leak-off process. Nitrogen was used for gas expansion and permeability measurements, while 5 wt% KCl brine was used as representative of the leak-off fracturing fluid. The fracturing fluid was injected under a constant pressure gradient (300 in the case of sandstone cores and 1500 psi in the case of shale cores. After removing the pressure gradient, gas permeability was measured at different soaking times. Computed tomography (CT) was used to scan the cores during the experiment to observe the propagation of fracturing fluid in the core with time. The results show that the regained permeability for sandstone formation was 60% of its initial value directly after the leak-off stage. Then, the regained permeability decreased with increasing the soaking time 38% of its initial value after the core completely invaded with leak-off fluid. The propagation rate of water saturation front from CT-scan data decreased with time until reaching the core outlet. The regained permeability on shale cores was 15% of its initial value and decreased with soaking time, due to depressed relative permeability curve on this tight pore-space cores. This study addresses the mechanism of production enhancement or reduction as a result of the soaking process for shale and tight sandstone formations.
Reading for Psyche:: Numinosity

Because of imaginative literature’s extensive renderings of numinous experiences in symbolic forms, a focus on numinous moments in a text can yield an ever-unfolding understanding of the complexity of the factors affecting both positive and negative transformation. Flannery O’Connor’s “Revelation” illustrates typical optimism of religious treatments of numinous experiences with regard to transformation; E. M. Forster’s “The Road from Colonus” exemplifies non-integration of a numinous experience; and Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle offers a vision of integration of numinous experiences as shared in the realm of psyche. These three works are analyzed to demonstrate that each literary treatment of numinous experiences potentially offers specific understanding of the complexities of integrating or failing to integrate numinous experiences; therefore reading literature with a focus on its renderings of numinous experiences is a revelatory approach to reading literature for psyche.
A novel method for the extrinsic calibration of a 2-D laser-rangefinder & a camera

We present a novel method for extrinsically calibrating a camera and a 2-D Laser Rangefinder (LRF) whose beams are invisible from the camera image. We show that point-to-plane constraints from a single observation of a V-shaped calibration pattern composed of two non-coplanar triangles suffice to uniquely constrain the relative pose between two sensors. Next, we present an approach to obtain solutions using point-to-plane constraints from single or multiple observations. Along the way, we also show that previous solutions, in contrast to our method, have inherent ambiguities and therefore must rely on a good initial estimate. Real and synthetic experiments validate our method and show that it achieves better accuracy than previous methods.
Bootstrap Model-Based Constrained Optimization Tests of Indirect Effects.

In mediation analysis, conditions necessary for commonly recommended tests, including the confidence interval (CI)-based tests, to produce an accurate Type I error, do not generally hold for finite sample sizes and non-normally distributed model residuals. This is typically the case because of the complexity of testing a null hypothesis about indirect effects. To remedy these issues, we propose two extensions of the recently developed asymptotic Model-based Constrained Optimization (MBCO) likelihood ratio test (LRT), a promising new model comparison method for testing a general function of indirect effects. The proposed tests, semi-parametric and parametric bootstrap MBCO LRT are shown to yield a more accurate Type I error rate in smaller sample sizes and under various degrees of non-normality of the model residuals compared to the asymptotic MBCO LRT and the CI-based methods. We provide R script in the supplemental materials to perform all three MBCO LRTs.
Cognitive Reserve and Its Implications in Cognitive and Behavioral Testing

Cognitive reserve (CR) may mask brain pathology until late in certain brain disease processes. People with similar cognitive impairment may have markedly different pathology of Alzheimer’s disease, for example, depending on their degree of brain and cognitive reserve. Because of the cognitive reserve hypothesis, clinical examination alone cannot discern cognitive impairment. The cognitive reserve hypothesis proposes that people with similar cognitive impairments or even no impairment at all may nevertheless have rampant Alzheimer pathology. Hence, clinical psychometric testing is unlikely to reliably diagnose many people that may benefit from specific disease therapies. Metabolic testing with positron emission tomography (PET) brain scanning is known to improve diagnosis and extend the window of AD diagnosis into the mild clinical and even preclinical phase. Another facet of complexity concerns the increasing number of classic dementia presentations being encountered that are caused by other treatable and at times completely reversible medical and neurological diseases. Most of these can be identified by the proposed cognitive and behavioral evaluations. CR is regarded as interceding between pathology and the degree and timing of clinical presentations of cognitive and behavioral impairment (Fig. 4.1). The discrepancy between brain pathology and cognitive status can be attributed to adequate CR.