cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decomposition of the smooth cutoff model angular distribution

We discuss and display the pole contributions to the smooth cutoff angular distribution with the aid of the far-side, near-side decomposition of the scattering amplitude. We further show, and illustrate by explicit calculation, that the nuclear amplitude f/sub N/(theta) is pole dominated in and somewhat beyond the angular region where sigma/sigma/sub Ruth/ oscillates. (AIP)
Simulation of hot electron quantum well photovoltaic devices

The effects of carrier escape from quantum well ( QW ) and the interaction of hot electrons with crystal lattice are of importance to the physical understanding of QW hot carrier solar cells where the cooling dynamics in photo-excited structures affect the cell efficiency. The absorption of high-energy photons produces electron hole pairs with excess kinetic energy, which are dissipated to the lattice thru phonon scattering. These hot electrons alter the conversion efficiency in photovoltaic solar cells. We have studied the hot electron effect in an Al x Ga 1-x As / GaAs structure with quantum wells placed in the intrinsic region similar to the device described in reference . Our results show that hot electrons lead to an increase in short circuit current. The increase in short circuit current is due to carriers escaping from the well without any significant recombination, which may also lead to a higher cell efficiency. These results support the experimental data recently published by others.
Smoking and the Five-Factor Model of personality

Aims Investigating the association between personality traits and smoking status using a comprehensive model of personality, the Five-Factor Model (FFM).
Radio-over-fiber systems for multi-Gbps wireless communication

The paper discusses the challenges of using radio-over-fiber systems to distribute multi-gigabit-per-second wireless signals at mm-wave frequencies. We propose possible solutions to the challenges, and demonstrate the potential of simple radio-over-fiber system architectures to support multi-standard wireless communication at data speeds exceeding 14Gbps using the 60 GHz band.
National Histories: Prospects for Critique and Narrative

The classic national history narrates the formation and progress of a nation-state as a reflection of principles such as a national character, liberty, progress, and statehood. Today there appears to be a growing nostalgia for them, and with it for the role that history once played in the life of the nation. This paper argues that such nostalgia is justified insofar as it expresses skepticism about the philosophical assumptions of much social science history. In doing so, it defends the use of concepts such as narrative and tradition. Yet this paper argues that such nostalgia is not justified insofar as it sides with an analysis of these concepts in terms of given principles of nationhood and statehood. Rather, the paper argues for a shift from developmental historicism to radical historicism. Radical historicism would treat traditions as pragmatically constructed and narratives as contingent. It would thus lead to denaturalizing accounts of the nations as dispersed, discontinuous, and disrupted, and arguably to histories of networks of peoples rather than nations.
Sulfonylurea-resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana

Chlorsulfuron-resistant mutants of Arabidopsis thaliana were isolated by screening for growth of seedlings in the presence of the herbicide. Both whole plants and derived tissue cultures were resistant to concentrations of the herbicide approximately 300-fold higher than that required to prevent growth of the wild-type. The resistance is due to a single dominant nuclear mutation at a locus designated csr which has been genetically mapped to chromosome-3. Acetohydroxy acid synthase activity in extracts from chlorsulfuron-resistant plants was much less-susceptible to inhibition by chlorsulfuron and a structurally related inhibitor than the activity in wild-type extracts. This suggests that the csr locus is the structural gene for acetohydroxy acid synthase.
The simple health system rules that create value.

In 1991, Plsek sought to improve the quality of health care by challenging the readers of Crossing the Quality Chasm to find the few simple rules that might guide the local development of the 21st century health system. We have analyzed our health system’s activities in the context of systems science as it seeks to create value (improve population health and patient experience, and reduce costs) for its stakeholders. We have concluded that 5 rules are simultaneously necessary and sufficient for success: 1) The stakeholders agree on a set of mutual, measurable goals for the health system; 2) the extent to which the goals are being achieved is reported to the public; 3) resources are available to achieve the goals; 4) stakeholder incentives, imperatives, and sanctions are aligned with the agreed-on health system goals; and 5) leaders among all stakeholders endorse and promote the agreed-on health system goals.
Impact of Limited Memory Resources

Since early variable mnemonics were limited to as few as six to eight characters, many early programmers abbreviated concepts in their variable names. The past thirty years has seen a steady increase in permitted name length and, slowly, an increase in the actual length of identifiers. However, in theory names can be too long. Most obviously, in object-oriented programs, names often involve chaining of method calls and field selectors (e.g., class.firstAssignment().name.trim()). While longer names bring the potential for easier comprehension through more embedded sub-words, there are practical limits to length given limited human memory resources. The central hypothesis studied herein is that names used in modern programs have reached this limit. Statistical models derived from an experiment involving 158 programmers of varying degrees of experience show that longer names extracted from production code take more time to process and reduce correctness in a simple recall activity. This has clear negative implications for any attempt to read, and hence comprehend or manipulate, the source code of modern software. The experiment also evaluates the advantage of identifiers having ties to a programmer's persistent memory. Combined these results reinforce past proposals advocating the use of limited, consistent, and regular vocabulary in identifier names. In particular, good naming limits length and reduces the need for specialized vocabulary.
Hopfield model with complementary binary representations

A Hopfield neural network model with complementary binary representations is proposed. Advantages of this approach are improvement in memory capacity and error-correction capability when compared with conventional binary models. Some requirements of the Hopfield model necessary to obtain perfect recall can also be relaxed.
Excitation of aircraft resonances using onboard HF antennas

The effectiveness of exciting the dominant symmetric and antisymmetric resonances on a testbed aircraft using the on-board HF antennas is investigated by using a numerical model. The external resonances of the aircraft are computed for various excitation geometries with the aircraft in the in-flight and ground-alert modes. The ground plane beneath the aircraft is assumed to be perfectly conducting. The surface currents induced on the aircraft are computed for four different HF antenna excitation configurations: (1) fin-cap antenna only, (2) fin-cap and nose antenna, (3) one wing-tip probe, and (4) two wing-tip probes. A method-of-moments solution for the skin current is obtained by modeling the aircraft as intersecting conductive bodies of revolution. The natural modes of the aircraft are obtained numerically, and the excitations of these natural modes by using various configurations of the HF antennas are investigated. >
NEUROECONOMICS, NEUROPHYSIOLOGY AND THE COMMON CURRENCY HYPOTHESIS

We briefly describe ways in which neuroeconomics has made contributions to its contributing disciplines, especially neuroscience, and a specific way in which it could make future contributions to both. The contributions of a scientific research programme can be categorized in terms of (1) description and classification of phenomena, (2) the discovery of causal relationships among those phenomena, and (3) the development of tools to facilitate (1) and (2). We consider ways in which neuroeconomics has advanced neuroscience and economics along each line. Then, focusing on electrophysiological methods, we consider a puzzle within neuroeconomics whose solution we believe could facilitate contributions to both neuroscience and economics, in line with category (2). This puzzle concerns how the brain assigns reward values to otherwise incomparable stimuli. According to the common currency hypothesis, dopamine release is a component of a neural mechanism that solves comparability problems. We review two versions of the common currency hypothesis, one proposed by Read Montague and colleagues, the other by William Newsome and colleagues, and fit these hypotheses into considerations of rational choice.
Low-Impedance VHF and UHF Capacitive Silicon Bulk Acoustic Wave Resonators—Part I: Concept and Fabrication

This paper presents high-performance high-frequency single-crystal silicon (SCS) capacitive resonators. Long and thick bulk-micromachined resonating block structures, which are referred to as ldquosilicon bulk acoustic wave resonatorrdquo (SiBAR), are fabricated using the high-aspect-ratio poly and single crystalline siliconrdquo (HARPSS) fabrication process on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates. Such resonators operate in their horizontal width extensional modes with quality factors in the range of 10000-100000. With their comparatively large electrode area and deep-submicrometer capacitive transduction gaps, such resonators have demonstrated comparatively low impedances for capacitive resonators that are well within the desired range for high-frequency electronic applications. Sub-kilo-Ohm total electrical resistances and extracted motional resistance as low as 200 are demonstrated for the fundamental width extensional modes of SiBARs in the very-high-frequency range. Resonant frequencies up to 1.55 GHz are demonstrated for the higher resonance modes of the capacitive SiBARs with comparatively low impedances. Part I of this paper presents the basic operation concepts and fabrication methodology for the HARPSS-on-SOI SiBARs. Extensive resonator measurement data, including temperature characteristics, are presented in Part II of this paper, and different frequency tuning approaches for temperature compensation of such resonators are discussed and investigated.
The Professional Worldview of the Effendi Historian

This paper is part of a History Compass conference cluster tracing the formation of national culture in Egypt. Guest edited by Walter Armbrust, this cluster of articles was originally part of a conference in Oxford on January 12–13, 2007, organized by Walter Armbrust, Ronald Nettler, and Lucie Ryzova, and funded by the Middle East Centre (St. Antony's), The Faculty of Oriental Studies, The Khalid bin ‘Abdullah Al-Sa’ud Professorship (Professor Clive Holes), and The Centre for Political Ideologies. The cluster is made up of the following articles: Guest Editor: Walter Armbrust ‘The Formation of National Culture in Egypt in the Interwar Period: Cultural Trajectories’, Walter Armbrust, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00571.x‘Repackaging the Egyptian Monarchy: Faruq in the Public Spotlight, 1936–1939’, Matthew Ellis, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00572.x‘How Zaynab Became the First Arabic Novel’, Elliott Colla, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00573.x‘Women in the Singing Business, Women in Songs’, Frederic Lagrange, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00574.x‘Long Live Patriarchy: Love in the Time of ‘Abd al-Wahhab’, Walter Armbrust, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00575.x‘Football as National Allegory: Al-Ahram and the Olympics in 1920s Egypt’, Shaun Lopez, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00576.x‘The Professional Worldview of the Effendi Historian’, Yoav Di-Capua, History Compass 6 (2008), DOI: 10.1111/j.1478-0542.2008.00577.x
Success for the Physician-Scientist in a Resource-Limited Environment

Dedicated physician-scientistsinvestigatingthe diseases of childhood are critical to advances in diagnosis and treatment. To sustain the momentum of discovery, pediatric departments must focus on a relatively small number of committed candidates, provide them with the training and resources essential for National Institutes of Health (NIH)support,andbepreparedtocontributebridgefunding between the conclusion of a mentoring award and the inception of independent funding.
Neuraminidase-induced thrombocytopenia in rats.

Summary. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the effect of neuraminidase on circulating platelets in rats and the pathogenesis of this effect. Injection of bacterial, purified bacterial and viral neuraminidase caused thrombocytopenia of various degrees. Thrombocytopenia was less pronounced in rats given viral neuraminidase and in splenectomized animals. A dose-response effect was seen only with purified bacterial neuraminidase injected intravenously. Ultrastructural studies of blood platelets were performed after injection of neuraminidase. Fifteen minutes after injecting neuraminidase, before a definite fall in the count, platelets showed evidence of structural damage such as irregular shapes, centripetal migration and fusion of granules and bleb formation. The structural alterations were progressive, reaching a maximum at about 2–4 hr. At no time were large platelet aggregates observed in the circulating blood. Four hours after injection of neuraminidase, when the platelet count dropped significantly, many platelets had normal ultrastructurc. By 24 hr, the majority of circulating platelets appeared normal; however, the splenic sinusoids and macrophages contained platelets with the same structural abnormalities seen in the circulation 15 min to 2 hr after injection of neuraminidase. We conclude that neuraminidase alters the platelet membrane resulting in its rapid and permanent removal by the reticuloendothelial system.
Integrated salinity reduction and water recovery in an osmotic microbial desalination cell

The concept of a novel osmotic microbial desalination cell (OsMDC) was presented and experimentally demonstrated. The OsMDC reduced salinity better than forward osmosis because of the combined water flux and electricity generation, and it recovered more water than a conventional microbial desalination cell. The integrated functions of wastewater treatment, water desalination, and water recovery in an OsMDC will create environmental, energy, and economical benefits.
3D human action recognition using spatio-temporal motion templates

Our goal is automatic recognition of basic human actions, such as stand, sit and wave hands, to aid in natural communication between a human and a computer. Human actions are inferred from human body joint motions, but such data has high dimensionality and large spatial and temporal variations may occur in executing the same action. We present a learning-based approach for the representation and recognition of 3D human action. Each action is represented by a template consisting of a set of channels with weights. Each channel corresponds to the evolution of one 3D joint coordinate and its weight is learned according to the Neyman-Pearson criterion. We use the learned templates to recognize actions based on χ2 error measurement. Results of recognizing 22 actions on a large set of motion capture sequences as well as several annotated and automatically tracked sequences show the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Contraction- and hypoxia-stimulated glucose transport is mediated by a Ca2+-dependent mechanism in slow-twitch rat soleus muscle

Increases in contraction-stimulated glucose transport in fast-twitch rat epitrochlearis muscle are mediated by AMPK- and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase (CAMK)-dependent signaling pathways...
Textural variations in B-mode ultrasonography: A stochastic model

Analysis of textural patterns in gray-scale ultrasonography is frequently the basis for clinical diagnosis. It has been found, however, that texture is shaped not only by tissue microstructure but by characteristics of the imaging system as well. This paper describes computer and analytic models which give insight into the role of the imager in texture formation. It is shown that spatial resolution and texture granularity are not simply related, and that axial and lateral texture are determined by unrelated phenomena. Experimental results are given which confirm the modeling.
Pulmonary vasculopathy in idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax in young subjects.

Abstract Background.—We have encountered instances where young subjects with idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax have been needlessly referred for investigation of pulmonary hypertension because surgical pathologists have misinterpreted the significance of medial hypertrophy and intimal fibrosis of muscular pulmonary arteries in lung resection specimens. Methods.—We reviewed 20 cases of idiopathic spontaneous pneumothorax and determined the prevalence and severity of medial and intimal lesions in the pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins. We correlated the vascular changes with inflammation and fibrosis in the lung. Results.—Pulmonary artery medial hypertrophy was seen in 15% of cases, pulmonary artery intimal fibrosis in 90% of cases, and pulmonary vein intimal fibrosis in 80% of cases. In 95% of cases, the lung showed some fibrosis and chronic inflammation. There was a significant positive correlation between pulmonary artery medial thickness and lung fibrosis and inflammation scores. Conclusions.—Pulm...
Prey selection in Octopus rubescens: possible roles of energy budgeting and prey nutritional composition

This study explores the relationship between energy budgeting and prey choice of Octopus rubescens. Seventeen male Octopus rubescens were collected between June 2006 and August 2007 from Admiralty Bay, Washington. Prey choices made by individuals in the laboratory deviated widely from those expected from a simple optimal foraging model. O. rubescens chose the crab Hemigrapsus nudus over the clam Nuttallia obscurata as prey by a ratio of 3:1, even though prey energy content and handling times suggested that this octopus could obtain 10 times more energy intake per unit time when choosing the latter compared to the former prey species. Octopus energy budgets were similar when consuming either of the prey species except for lipid extraction efficiency that was significantly higher in octopuses consuming H. nudus. This suggests that lipid digestibility may play an important role in the prey choice of O. rubescens.
Impact of Contact on the Operation and Performance of Back-Gated Monolayer MoS2 Field-Effect-Transistors.

Metal contacts to atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) crystal based FETs play a decisive role in determining their operation and performance. However, the effects of contacts on the switching behavior, field-effect mobility, and current saturation of monolayer MoS2 FETs have not been well explored and, hence, is the focus of this work. The dependence of contact resistance on the drain current is revealed by four-terminal-measurements. Without high-κ dielectric boosting, an electron mobility of 44 cm2/(V·s) has been achieved in a monolayer MoS2 FET on SiO2 substrate at room temperature. Velocity saturation is identified as the main mechanism responsible for the current saturation in back-gated monolayer MoS2 FETs at relatively higher carrier densities. Furthermore, for the first time, electron saturation velocity of monolayer MoS2 is extracted at high-field condition.
Release of intact endothelium-derived relaxing factor depends on endothelial superoxide dismutase activity

Endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) is rapidly inactivated by radicals. Endothelial cells possess several antioxidant defense mechanisms. It is not clear which intrinsic antioxidant defense systems are important to preserve the release of biologically active EDRF. We impaired antioxidant defense in normal vascular tissue by inhibiting catalase activity with 3-amino-1,2,4-triazole (AT), superoxide dismutase with diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC), and by reducing glutathione content via inhibiting glutathione synthesis with L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO). Pretreatment of rabbit aorta in vitro with DETC markedly reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation in response to acetylcholine and calcium ionophore A23187 and, to a lesser extent, reduced endothelium-independent relaxation in response to nitroprusside. Pretreatment of cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC) with DETC did not alter release of nitrogen oxides (measured by chemiluminescence), but, the effluent of pretreated cells showed marked depression in vasodilator activity (measured by bioassay). Pretreatment of rabbit aorta in vitro with AT did not alter endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxations. Pretreatment of BAEC with BSO did not alter the release of nitrogen oxides or the vasodilator activity. These results suggest that endothelial superoxide dismutase activity, but not catalase or glutathione, is necessary for the release of biologically active EDRF. An imbalance of the intrinsic superoxide dismutase and the production of superoxide anions may therefore predispose to impaired endothelium-dependent relaxations and alter vascular reactivity.
Abstract 4804: Glycoproteomic analysis of lung cancer malignant pleural effusions identify glycosylated proteins being produced by metastatic tumor cells

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL Malignant pleural effusions are produced in late stage metastatic lung cancer. We have obtained malignant pleural effusions from lung cancer patients. The specimens are separated into fluid and cells and the cells are grown in culture in a non-adherent manner. The original pleural effusion fluid and the conditioned media harvested from the tumor cells growing in culture are analyzed by glycoproteomic methods to identify glycosylated proteins being produced by the tumor cells. The cells are grown in culture with defined media in a non-adherent manner for an extended period of time to enrich for the tumor cell populations. These cells are phenotypically characterized for lung, epithelial and tumor markers by immunohistochemistry and/or flow cytometry. Conditioned media is collected from the growing cells and along with the original pleural effusion fluid and the tumor cells analyzed for glycosylated proteins using lectin chromatography followed by the use of glycomic and proteomic methods to analyze N- and O-linked glycans and proteins present in these samples. Our early results indicate that cancer glycosylated proteins CA125 (MUC16), MUC1 and fibronectin are present in the conditioned media samples obtained from the different pleural effusion tumor cell cultures that can also be measured in the original pleural effusion fluids. Not all pleural effusion tumor cells produce the same cancer biomolecules. Interestingly if the tumor cells produced CA125 (MUC16) in their culture media, CA125 was also detected in the original pleural effusion fluid confirming that the biomolecules in the fluid originated from the tumor cells. Another patient sample produced mostly MUC1, but much CA125. Fibronectin was also produced by these cells. Glycomic analysis of the samples shows an enrichment of certain glycan groups (high mannose, fucosylated and sialytic acid) in the conditioned media samples when compared with the original pleural effusion fluid samples showing that these glycan groups and the proteins to which they are attached originate from the tumor cells present in the malignant pleural effusions. The use of malignant pleural effusions from lung cancer patients provides us with an excellent opportunity to study metastatic tumor cells and their local environment without the need for scarce tissue specimens. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 4804. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-4804
Single vs dual (en bloc) kidney transplants from donors ≤ 5 years of age: A single center experience.

Single vs dual (en bloc) kidney transplants from donors ≤ 5 years of age: A single center experience
Aripiprazole for the Treatment of Antipsychotic-Induced Hyperprolactinemia in an Adolescent Boy.

[Author Affiliation]Rebecca L. Curran. 1 Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.Ismail A. Badran. 2 Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.Virginia Peppers. 2 Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio.Ernest V. Pedapati. 3 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio.Christoph U. Correll. 4 Department of Psychiatry and Molecular Medicine, Hofstra North Shore LIJ School of Medicine, Hempstead, New York.Melissa P. DelBello. 5 Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio.Funding: This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) under Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award F30 AI 109893-02 from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, an NIH Medical Scientist Training Program (Grant No. T32 GM063483).Address correspondence to: Ismail Badran, MD, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Ave, MLC 6015, Cincinnati, OH 45229, E-mail: ismail.badran@cchmc.orgIntroductionSecond-generation antipsychotics (SGA) have numerous metabolic and hormonal side effects (Li et al. 2013). However, there is no standard treatment approach to SGA-induced hyperprolactinemia in adolescents. We present the report of a potential strategy for this condition.CaseD.S. is a 17-year-old boy with bipolar disorder with psychotic features who was evaluated for short stature of more than two standard deviations below mean. D.S. had stable mood for over 1 year while taking paliperidone 6 mg twice daily and lithium 600 mg each morning and 900 mg at bedtime.Laboratories revealed elevated prolactin (185.2 ng/mL, normal: 1.9-14.5 ng/mL) and low total testosterone (34 ng/dL, normal: 158-826 ng/dL), with normal cortisol and thyroid stimulating hormone. The endocrinologist's recommendation was to rapidly decrease D.S.'s prolactin levels and begin exogenous growth hormone to increase height before growth plate fusion (Table 1). [Table omitted; see PDF] Paliperidone was cross-tapered with aripiprazole over 1 month. Three weeks after discontinuation, his prolactin was 124 ng/mL (-33%), but he had an exacerbation of mood and psychotic symptoms. Psychomotor agitation and akathisia prompted a switch to valproic acid. Over the following weeks, D.S. developed constant head and tongue movements suggestive of withdrawal of dyskinesia, along with grandiose delusions with command visual and auditory hallucinations. Although his prolactin level normalized to 5.2 ng/mL, the patient as well as his family and treating clinicians decided to restart his original regimen. Head and tongue movements completely resolved within 5 days, and psychotic symptoms resolved over the next 2 weeks.D.S. was then started on concomitant aripiprazole 2. …
Monitoring result of drinking water quality in urban Jiangmen from 2010-2011

[Objective]To investigate the quality of drinking water in urban Jiangmen from 2010-2011,and provide scientific basis for improving drinking water quality.[Methods]In accordance with the relevant regulations of "Hygienic Standards of Drinking Water"(GB/5749-2006) and "Standard Test Methods of Drinking Water"(GB/5750-2006),the water samples were collected,preserved and tested.[Results] The qualified rate of the drinking water of urban Jiangmen was 79.76% in average of 2 years.Among 8 kinds of drinking water,the qualified rate of the water from centralized water supply was the highest(96.05%),followed by the water supply pipes(93.78%),secondary supply water(92.98%),bottled water(73.72%),direct drinking water(70.90%),other water(58.67%),source water(42.44%)and well water(22.56%).The health indicator with the lowest qualified rate was the total bacterial count(84.15%),followed by the thermotolerant coliform bacteria(92.49%),the qualified rates of other health indicators were relatively high.[Conclusion]The health indicators of drinking water of Jiangmen City exceeds the standard seriously,especially well water,source water,other water,direct drinking water,bottled water,which should attract more attention from concerned leaders and departments.
Tunable Transition-Metal-Doped Solid State Lasers

Transition-metal-doped solid state lasers appear to be quite useful as broadly tunable and powerful sources of coherent infrared radiation. The electronic energy levels of transition ions such as Ni, Co, V, and Fe in such hosts as MgF2, MgO, ZnF2, MnF2 and KMnF3 are strongly coupled to the lattice and have broad vibronic sidebands in both the absorption and emission spectra. The first demonstration of laser action on the vibronic sidebands of the electronic levels of divalent Ni impurity ions in MgF2 was by L. F. JOHNSON [1] and coworkers in 1963. In the initial studies [2] of the Ni:MgF2 laser, tuning over discontinuous segments in the range 1.62 to 1.84 μm was demonstrated using a lamp-pumped crystal cooled by flowing liquid oxygen. The output of this laser consisted of short spikes, the result of undamped relaxation oscillations.
Two-Dimensional Material-Based Mode Confinement Engineering in Electro-Optic Modulators

The ability to modulate light using 2-dimensional (2D) materials is fundamentally challenged by their small optical cross-section leading to miniscule modal confinements in diffraction-limited photonics despite intrinsically high electro-optic absorption modulation (EAM) potential given by their strong exciton binding energies. However the inherent polarization anisotropy in 2D materials and device tradeoffs lead to additional requirements with respect to electric field directions and modal confinement. A detailed relationship between modal confinement factor and obtainable modulation strength including definitions on bounding limits are outstanding. Here, we show that the modal confinement factor is a key parameter determining both the modulation strength and the modulator extinction ratio-to-insertion loss metric. We show that the modal confinement and hence the modulation strength of a single-layer modulated 2D material in a plasmonically confined mode is able to improve by more than 10× compared to diffraction-limited modes. Combined with the strong-index modulation of graphene, the modulation strength can be more than 2-orders of magnitude higher compared to Silicon-based EAMs. Furthermore, modal confinement was found to be synergistic with performance optimization via enhanced light-matter-interactions. These results show that there is room for scaling 2D-material EAMs with respect to modal engineering toward realizing synergistic designs leading to high-performance modulators.
America's water: Agricultural water demands and the response of groundwater

Agricultural, industrial, and urban water use in the conterminous United States (CONUS) is highly dependent on groundwater that is largely drawn from nonsurficial wells (>30 m). We use a Demand-Sensitive Drought Index to examine the impacts of agricultural water needs, driven by low precipitation, high agricultural water demand, or a combination of both, on the temporal variability of depth to groundwater across the CONUS. We characterize the relationship between changes in groundwater levels, agricultural water deficits relative to precipitation during the growing season, and winter precipitation. We find that declines in groundwater levels in the High Plains aquifer and around the Mississippi River Valley are driven by groundwater withdrawals used to supplement agricultural water demands. Reductions in agricultural water demands for crops do not, however, lead to immediate recovery of groundwater levels due to the demand for groundwater in other sectors in regions such as Utah, Maryland, and Texas.
Characterization of an Immunologically Distinct Population of Simian Virus 40 Large Tumor Antigen

We have previously described experiments suggesting that an immunologically distinct form of simian virus 40 (SV40) large tumor (T) antigen is involved in binding specifically to viral DNA. A unique monoclonal antibody, PAb 100, was shown to immunoprecipitate 10% of T antigen from infected cells, but greater than 60% of the T antigen DNA binding activity using an in vitro immunobinding assay. Moreover, in contrast to other T-antigen monoclonal antibodies, PAb 100 failed to recognize a mutant T antigen, C6, that cannot bind specifically to viral DNA. Experiments were performed to further understand the nature of the PAb 100 determinant on T antigen. We compared PAb 100 to another monoclonal antibody, PAb 416, which recognizes the vast majority of the immunoreactive T antigen in extracts of infected or transformed cells. Experiments were carried out to examine whether PAb 100 has a relatively weaker affinity for T antigen which may be stabilized either by binding of the protein to viral DNA or by the formation of T-antigen oligomers. It was found that different oligomeric forms of T antigen were recognized to similar extents by both PAb 100 and PAb 416 antibodies. Additionally, the relative quantities of T antigen, bound or not bound to DNA, that were immunoprecipitated by PAb 100 and PAb 416, were found not to differ significantly for either antibody under the conditions tested. These experiments suggest that the PAb 100 determinant is not necessarily stabilized by either oligomerization or by DNA binding. To further characterize the PAb 100 epitope various treatments of T antigen were compared for their effects upon recognition by both monoclonal antibodies. Concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate that did not significantly affect the binding of PAb 416 to T antigen completely abolished the recognition of T antigen by PAb 100. However heating cell extracts to 30°C diminished recognition of T antigen by PAb 416 but not by PAb 100. Thus the PAb 100 class of T antigen, while denaturation sensitive, is more heat stable than the majority of T antigen, and therefore represents a unique subpopulation of this protein.
Messages to Motivate Human Papillomavirus Vaccination: National Studies of Parents and Physicians.

Background: Physician communication about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is a key determinant of uptake. To support physician communication, we sought to identify messages that would motivate HPV vaccination. Methods: From 2014 to 2015, we surveyed national samples of parents of adolescents ages 11 to 17 ( n = 1,504) and primary care physicians ( n = 776). Parents read motivational messages, selected from nine longer messages developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and six brief messages developed by the study team. Parents indicated whether each message would persuade them to get HPV vaccine for their adolescents. Physicians read the brief messages and indicated whether they would use them to persuade parents to get HPV vaccine for 11- to 12-year-old children. Results: The highest proportion of parents (65%) and physicians (69%) found this brief message to be persuasive: “I strongly believe in the importance of this cancer-preventing vaccine for [child's name].” Parents disinclined to vaccinate were most receptive to messages with information about HPV infection being common, cancers caused by HPV, and HPV vaccine effectiveness. Parents' endorsement did not vary by race/ethnicity, education, child age, or child sex (all P > 0.05). Conclusions: Our national surveys of parents and physicians identified messages that could motivate HPV vaccination, even among parents disinclined to vaccinate their children. The lack of difference across demographic subgroups in parental endorsement may suggest that these messages can be used across these subgroups. Impact: Our findings support physicians' use of these messages with parents to help motivate uptake of this important cancer-preventing vaccine. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(10); 1383–91. ©2016 AACR . This article is featured in Highlights of This Issue, [p. 1367][1] [1]: /lookup/volpage/25/1367?iss=10
Inferior lead discordance in ventricular arrhythmias: A specific marker for certain arrhythmia locations.

Background Most idiopathic ventricular arrhythmias (VAs) originate from the outflow tracts and are characterized by an inferior axis on the 12-lead ECG. A group of patients will exhibit inferior lead discordance (ILD), demonstrating a positive QRS in lead II with negative QRS in III or the opposite finding. Methods and results We identified patients undergoing ablation of idiopathic premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) or ventricular tachycardia (VT) between 2013 and 2015. The site of earliest activation was determined using electroanatomic mapping and intracardiac echocardiography. Out of 281 patients, 25 (8.9%) exhibited ILD. In patients with positive/negative discordance (n = 18) the source was mapped to the parahisian region in 14 cases and to the right ventricular (RV) moderator band (MB) or papillary muscles (PMs) in 4, while all those with negative/positive discordance (n = 7) were mapped to the anterolateral PM (ALPM). In the group with positive/negative discordance, a later precordial transition (>V4), wider QRS duration and the presence of notch in the inferior leads pointed towards a RV MB/PM origin. Complete PVC/VT suppression was achieved in 72%. In 2 patients with parahisian PVCs, ablation was not attempted due to risk of heart block. Conclusions The presence of ILD is associated with particular anatomical locations, namely the parahisian region, RV MB/PM and ALPM. The outcomes of ablation are more modest compared to other idiopathic VAs, reflecting the technical difficulties associated with these anatomical locations, such as the proximity to the conduction system in parahisian VAs or stability issues when ablating the PMs or MB. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Different places, different stories: A study of the spatial heterogeneity of county-level fertility in China

Background China has been characterized by persistently low fertility rates since the 1990s. Existing literature has examined the relationships of fertility levels with social, economic, and policy-related determinants. However, the possible spatial variations in these relationships have not been investigated. Objective The purpose of this study is to examine the potential spatially varying relationships between county-level fertility rates and policy and socioeconomic factors in China. Methods Using geocoded 2010 county-level census data, this study adopts the geographically weighted regression (GWR) method to identify place-specific relationships between county-level total fertility rate (TFR) and socioeconomics and policy-related factors. Conclusions We find relationships between TFR and widely used social, economic, and policy-related factors (rural Hukou, ethnic minority, female education, net migration rate, poor living standard, sex ratio at birth, and fertility policy compliance ratio) vary spatially in terms of the direction, strength, and magnitude. The spatial variation is largely due to the difference in local characteristics. The differences and the complexities of localities cannot be told by a single story of either government intervention or socioeconomic development. Contribution This study extends the existing fertility research in China by explicitly recognizing the spatial heterogeneity in the impacts of policy and socioeconomic factors on the local fertility rate. This study sets the stage for future research that will contextually analyze varying fertility rates at the sub-national level in China and other countries.
Optimization of an In silico Cardiac Cell Model for Proarrhythmia Risk Assessment.

Drug-induced Torsade-de-Pointes (TdP) has been responsible for the withdrawal of many drugs from the market and is therefore of major concern to global regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry. The Comprehensive in vitro Proarrhythmia Assay (CiPA) was proposed to improve prediction of TdP risk, using in silico models and in vitro multi-channel pharmacology data as integral parts of this initiative. Previously, we reported that combining dynamic interactions between drugs and the rapid delayed rectifier potassium current (IKr) with multi-channel pharmacology is important for TdP risk classification, and we modified the original O’Hara Rudy ventricular cell mathematical model to include a Markov model of IKr to represent dynamic drug-IKr interactions (IKr-dynamic ORd model). We also developed a novel metric that could separate drugs with different TdP liabilities at high concentrations based on total electronic charge carried by the major inward ionic currents during the action potential. In this study, we further optimized the IKr-dynamic ORd model by refining model parameters using published human cardiomyocyte experimental data under control and drug block conditions. Using this optimized model and manual patch clamp data, we developed an updated version of the metric that quantifies the net electronic charge carried by major inward and outward ionic currents during the steady state action potential, which could classify the level of drug-induced TdP risk across a wide range of concentrations and pacing rates. We also established a framework to quantitatively evaluate a system’s robustness against the induction of early afterdepolarizations (EADs), and demonstrated that the new metric is correlated with the cell’s robustness to the pro-EAD perturbation of IKr conductance reduction. In summary, in this work we present an optimized model that is more consistent with experimental data, an improved metric that can classify drugs at concentrations both near and higher than clinical exposure, and a physiological framework to check the relationship between a metric and EAD. These findings provide a solid foundation for using in silico models for the regulatory assessment of TdP risk under the CiPA paradigm.
Performance-Based Focus Groups

Performance-based focus groups (PBFGs) in many ways resemble other types of focus groups in that the researcher-facilitator assembles a group of people with some connection to the topic to be explored. The difference, however, is how PBFGs include performance, or the active engagement of participants’ bodies, as a mode of exploration. Such physical engagement may include activities resembling games, sculpting images with the body, and/or theatrical role-playing (Boal, Games for Actors and Non-Actors, London/New York, Routledge, 2002). I employed PBFG to study how non-native teachers of Spanish in US schools enacted and reacted to the conflicting and contradictory ways they related to the performance of their second language identities. Through theatrical exercises, contradictions and ambivalence became visible – and dealt with – as participants performed their goals and desires for learning and teaching Spanish, the strategies they employed to become as ‘native-like’ as possible, and their feelings upon being revealed as non-native speakers. In this chapter, I use data from that study to illustrate how PBFGs based on Boal’s work function in theory and in practice and to critically consider what the incorporation of the body in PBFGs allowed in the study.
Deformed Wing virus absence/presence data across three genera on two Hawaiian Islands.

Abstract The data presented in this article relates to the research article, “Evidence of Varroa -mediated Deformed Wing virus spillover in Hawaii” (Santamaria et al., 2017) [3]. The article presents data collected throughout August 2014 to November 2015, on the two Hawaiian Islands of Oahu and Maui. Apis and non- Apis specimens – a total of four species – were collected and tested for Deformed Wing virus (DWV) absence or presence, only. Specific island locations are noted. This data is made publicly available to be analyzed or used in future relevant research.
Hormonal correlates of development and natal dispersal in wild female owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) of Argentina.

Abstract Pair-living and socially monogamous primates typically do not reproduce before dispersing. It is currently unclear whether this reproductive suppression is due to endocrine or behavioral mechanisms. Cooperatively breeding taxa, like callitrichids, may forego reproduction in natal groups because they reap inclusive fitness benefits and/or they are avoiding inbreeding. However, neither of these benefits of delayed reproduction appear to adequately explain the lack of reproduction prior to leaving the natal group in pair-living monogamous species. In this study, we determined whether wild Azara's owl monkeys (Aotus azarae) in the Argentinean Chaco establish reproductive maturity prior to dispersing. We utilized 635 fecal extracts to characterize reproductive hormone profiles of 11 wild juvenile and subadult females using enzyme immunoassays. Subadult females showed hormone profiles indicative of ovulatory cycling and had mean PdG and E1G concentrations approximately five times higher than juveniles. Contrary to expectations from the inbreeding avoidance hypothesis, female owl monkeys do not delay puberty, but rather commence ovarian cycling while residing in their natal group. Still, subadults appear to have a period during which they experience irregular, non-conceptive cycles prior to reproducing. Commencing these irregular cycles in the natal group may allow them to develop a state of suspended readiness, which could be essential to securing a mate, while avoiding costs of ranging solitarily. Our results indicate that reproductive suppression in female owl monkeys is not due to endocrine suppression. We suggest that adults likely use behavioral mechanisms to prevent subadults from reproducing with unrelated adult males in their natal group.
A Caspase-3 Reporter for Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Single-Cell Apoptosis

Fluorescence lifetime imaging (FLIM) is a powerful imaging modality used to gather fluorescent reporter data independent of intracellular reporter intensity or imaging depth. We applied this technique to image real-time activation of a reporter for the proteolytic enzyme, caspase-3, in response to apoptotic cell death. This caspase-3 reporter activity provides valuable insight into cancer cell responsiveness to therapy and overall viability at a single-cell scale. Cleavage of a aspartate-glutamate-valine-aspartate (DEVD) linkage sequence alters Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) within the reporter, affecting its lifetime. Cellular apoptosis was quantified in multiple environments ranging from 2D flat and 3D spheroid cell culture systems to in vivo murine mammary tumor xenografts. We evaluated cell-by-cell apoptotic responses to multiple pharmacological and genetic methods of interest involved in cancer cell death. Within this article, we describe methods for measuring caspase-3 activation at single-cell resolution in various complex environments using FLIM.