cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Global Ultraviolet Imager limb and disk observations of column O/N2 during a geomagnetic storm

[1] We compare column O/N2 values obtained from the analysis of limb profiles of oxygen 135.6 nm and N2 Lyman-Birge-Hopfield emissions with those obtained from nadir disk images of these same FUV dayglow features. This study represents the first direct comparison of the same metric using these two different techniques and thus is a means to compare the fidelity of each. Both data sets were measured by the Global Ultraviolet Imager (GUVI) on the NASA Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics satellite during a series of geomagnetic storm events in late July 2004. We present daily maps obtained during the geomagnetically quiet time prior to the storm onset as well as similar maps obtained during the peak storm activity. These images show a strong reduction in column O/N2 at high latitudes and a corresponding lower-latitude enhancement during the peak of the storm. Although the general morphology of these observations is expected and reflected in the NRLMSISE-00 neutral atmosphere model, the strength of the storm-induced changes is underrepresented. The similarity of the GUVI results obtained from both the limb- and disk-imaging techniques and their dissimilarities from current model outputs is strong confirmation of the quantitative results of each. The airglow data show a 40% increase in O/N2 compared to NRLMSISE-00 near the geomagnetic equator near 1200 UT on 27 July. The peak impact of the storm at these latitudes also occurs at an earlier time than predicted by the model.
Regulation of collagen production in fibroblasts cultured from normal and phenytoin-induced hyperplastic human gingiva.

We have studied how collagen production is regulated in fibroblasts obtained from normal and phenytoin-induced hyperplastic human gingiva. Collagen production was determined as collagenase digestible radioactivity and degradation was examined by adding labelled procollagen to the cultures and by pulselabelling in the presence of lysosomal inhibitors. Collagen mRNA levels were measured using a [35S]-UTP labelled proα[1] probe. The normal and phenytoininduced fibroblasts did not degrade collagen extracellularly and lysosomal inhibitors did not enhance collagen production in either culture. Collagen production by the cultures correlated with mRNA levels, and in 2 of 3 phenytoin-induced fibroblasts, which produced more collagen than other cells. collagen mRNA levels were higher. We conclude that collagen production in gingival fibroblasts is primarily regulated by the mRNA levels and that overproduction of collagen by cells from phenytoin-induced hyperplastic gingiva results from an increased steady state level of collagen mRNA and not decreased collagen degradation.
Thermoelectric properties of small diameter Bi nanowires: Evidence for surface charges

The thermoelectric properties of quasi-one-dimensional systems attract considerable attention. Semimetallic bismuth, aside from being a good thermoelectric material, has charge carriers with very low effective masses, and, as a result, electronic quantum confinement effects induce a semimetal-to-semiconductor transformation (SMSC) for wires with diameters below roughly 50 nm. Theoretical work based on one-dimensional models indicate that fine Bi wires may exhibit superior thermoelectric properties since the density of states at the Fermi level can be tuned to very high values in this case. However, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies of Bi surfaces have shown that Bi nanowires support surface states, with high carrier densities of around 5 times 1012 cm-2 and large effective mass, that have not been considered in current models of the SMSC. Our studies of Shubnikov-de Haas oscillations for 30-nm diameter Bi nanowires support this model. According to our estimates, the thermopower of this two dimensional sheet of charge should be observable and we carried out an experimental study of the thermopower of arrays of small diameter Bi nanowires to test these conflicting models of fine Bi nanowires
Recurrence of primary biliary cirrhosis after liver transplantation: Histologic estimate of incidence and natural history

The goals of this study were to determine the rate of recurrent primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) based on strict morphologic criteria and to evaluate histologic progression of recurrent PBC over time. Strict criteria for PBC recurrence were established as the presence of a florid duct lesion or destructive lymphocytic cholangitis within a dense portal infiltrate. Of the 784 OLTs performed at the Mayo Clinic during the first 12 years of the program, 100 met criteria for the PBC study group, and 35 met criteria for the control group. Strict histologic criteria for recurrent PBC were observed in 17 of 100 (17%) study patients (14 with florid duct lesion, 3 with destructive lymphocytic cholangitis within dense portal infiltrate). Mean follow-up for the PBC group was 4.7 years (range, 1.0 to 13.8). Mean time to recurrence was 3.7 years (median, 3.1; range, 0.3 to 7.9). In those who met strict criteria for recurrent PBC, 2 of 17 progressed to septal fibrosis (stage 3). No florid duct lesions, destructive lymphocytic cholangitis, or septal fibrosis were observed in the control group. Other less specific morphologic features of PBC (portal infiltrates, plasma cells, dense lymphoplasmacytic infiltrates, and lymphocytic cholangitis) were also evaluated in the course of this study. Based on strict criteria, a conservative histologic estimate of the rate of recurrent PBC is 17% with a mean of 4.7 years of follow-up. When criteria for histologic recurrence are expanded to include moderate lymphocytic cholangitis with lymphoplasmacytic portal infiltrate, the recurrence rate of PBC is estimated as 26%.
Effects of chlorpromazine on serotonin uptake in blood platelets

Abstract Platelet serotonin (5-HT) uptake was studied in schizophrenic patients before and after treatment with chlorpromazine (CPZ) for 2–3 weeks. No difference was noted in the affinity of 5-HT ( K m ) or maximum velocity of 5-HT uptake ( V max ) of unmedicated schizophrenic patients and normal controls. Administration of CPZ was associated with a significant increase in K m and V max . Specific uptake of 5-HT, at 0.5 μ M , was significantly decreased in most subjects. Chlorpromazine inhibited 5-HT uptake into platelets from normal controls in vitro (IC 50 , 1.8 ± 0.1 μ M ) in a competitive manner.
Linear Stark Splitting of Nuclear Spin Levels in GaAs

A quadrupole splitting of the fourfold-degenerate nuclear spin levels of ${\mathrm{Ga}}^{69}$, ${\mathrm{Ga}}^{71}$, and ${\mathrm{As}}^{75}$ in a single crystal of GaAs has been induced by the application of a dc electric field along the [111] direction. The splitting of the nuclear magnetic resonance has been observed and the coupling constants ${R}_{14}$ between the induced gradient tensor and the applied homogeneous electric field have been determined. The results are ${R}_{14}({\mathrm{Ga}}^{69})=1.05\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{10}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, ${R}_{14}({\mathrm{Ga}}^{71})=0.9\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{10}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, and ${R}_{14}({\mathrm{As}}^{75})=1.55\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{10}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. A simple theoretical model explains the physical origin of this effect quite well.
Non-linear cardiac output dynamics during ramp-incremental cycle ergometry.

Published literature asserts that cardiac output (Q=VO2×1/C(a-v)O2) increases as a linear function of oxygen uptake with a slope of approximately 5–6 during constant work rate exercise. However, we have previously demonstrated that C(a-v)O2 has a linear relationship as a function of VO2 during progressively increasing work rate incremental exercise. Therefore, we hypothesized that Q may indeed have a non-linear relationship with respect to VO2 during incremental, non-steady state exercise. To investigate this hypothesis, we performed five maximal progressive work rate exercise studies in healthy human subjects. Q was determined every minute during exercise using measured breath-by-breath VO2, and arterial and pulmonary artery measurements of PO2, hemoglobin saturation, and content. Q was plotted as a function of VO2 and the linear and non-linear (first order exponential and hyperbolic) fits determined for each subject. Tests for linearity were performed by assessing the significance of the quadratic terms added to the linear relation using least squares estimation in linear regression. Linearity was inadequate in all cases (group P<0.0001). We conclude that cardiac output is a non-linear function of VO2 during ramp-incremental exercise; the pattern of non-linearity suggests that while the kinetics of Q are faster than those of VO2 they progressively slow as work rate (and VO2) increases.
Synthesis and characterization of a cationic tin(IV) complex : relevance to nuclear medicine

Abstract An attempted reduction of ammonium pertechnetate with tin(II) tartrate in the presence of the N,N′,N″-tris[2-methyl-(2-mercaptopropyl)]-1,4,7-triazacyclononane (N3C18S3) ligand resulted in the isolation of an SnN3S3 complex, as shown by single-crystal X-ray structural analysis, IR and FAB mass spectroscopy. The tin atom was found to possess highly distorted octahedral geometry. The oxidation of tin(II) to tin(IV) occurs during the complexation process and pertechnetate is found as the counter-anion.
Gender differences in the motivational processing of babies are determined by their facial attractiveness.

Background: This study sought to determine how esthetic appearance of babies may affect their motivational processing by the adults. Methodology and Principal Findings: Healthy men and women were administered two laboratory-based tasks: a) key pressing to change the viewing time of normal-looking babies and of those with abnormal facial features (e.g., cleft palate, strabismus, skin disorders, Down’s syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome) and b) attractiveness ratings of these images. Exposure to the babies’ images produced two different response patterns: for normal babies, there was a similar effort by the two groups to extend the visual processing with lower attractiveness ratings by men; for abnormal babies, women exerted greater effort to shorten the viewing time despite attractiveness ratings comparable to the men. Conclusions: These results indicate that gender differences in the motivational processing of babies include excessive (relative to the esthetic valuation) motivation to extend the viewing time of normal babies by men vs. shortening the exposure to the abnormal babies by women. Such gender-specific incentive sensitization phenomenon may reflect an evolutionary-derived need for diversion of limited resources to the nurturance of healthy offspring.
Optimizing the Design of Tunable Spiral Inductors for On-Chip Wireless Applications

In this paper, we develop an optimization methodology for tunable spiral inductors in fully integrated wireless systems. The methodology simultaneously maximizes the inductor's performance for multiple inductance values and operating frequencies. We utilize multi-level optimization techniques to efficiently design the geometry of the tunable inductor structure. The methodology can produce designs with significantly better quality factors than those obtained by optimizing the inductor design for a single inductance value and operating frequency. The methodology will enable the realization of high quality tunable inductors for fully integrated multi-band and wideband wireless systems.
Are Carry Trade Risks Systematic Risks Now? An Analysis of the Dynamics of Carry Trade Risks

In this paper, I study individual currency pairs and examine the behavior of the cross section of their carry returns with the USD. Developed and emerging market carry trades yield high Sharpe ratios even after adjusting for transaction costs. I show that carry trade risks carry trade risks are dynamic and have become more systematic in recent years. From 1999 onwards, the high carry return currencies have significant coefficients in a time series regression of returns on the US stock market returns, implied volatility innovations of the US stock market options (VIX), TED spreads. In addition to the time series factor loadings, I find that the cross section of carry trade returns can be sorted by betas on the any of these variables - US stock market, VIX innovations and TED spreads. I also document the increasing role of inflation growth in the cross section of currency returns and the increase in carry returns due to the presence of differentially inflation targeting central banks. I find that in both periods, the more negatively a central banks Taylor rule beta with respect to the US central bank is, the higher the return that currency pair achieves. I analyze how this observation may help make hedge funds and investors investing in other countries endogenous in theoretical models.
A Model for Research into Course Management Systems: Bridging Technology and Learning Theory

Course management systems (CMSs), such as Blackboard, Desire2Learn, or WebCT, have become a common resource at universities, colleges, and distance learning organizations. Research into how these systems are used for learning is in an early state. Currently, this research focuses on technical features in a CMS more than research about how people learn. This article recommends a model for CMS research that equally considers technical features and research about how people learn. Technical features and learning research are diverse topics. The model was developed by reviewing literature from each topic and should provide a conceptual middle ground. Findings from current CMS research are presented using the model, to show its relevance and adaptability. This model should also ease the process of synthesizing research in CMSs created by different vendors, which contain similar features but label them differently. Implications for developing learning activities in a CMS are also described.
Mixed-signal data interface for maskless lithography

A future maskless lithography system that replaces traditional masks with an array of electro-mechanical mirrors relies on a very high rate data interface to achieve the wafer throughputs comparable to today's optical lithography systems. In order to write one layer per minute in 45nm technology node, a throughput of 12Tb/s using 5-bit grayscale data is needed. With EUV light source flash rates limite to below 10kHz, 240 million 1μm x 1μm micromirrors have to be integrated on the writer chip, each driven with 32 possible voltage levels. This paper explores the system design for various wafer throughputs, with or without data compression. In particular, the design tradeoffs for the mirror interface datapath, implemented on the same silicon die with the writers are discussed. The design of the digita-to-analog converters (DACs) that compensate for the nonlinearity of the mirror transfer function and fit into the required datapath pitch is presented. Extrapolated data from the designs in 0.13μm CMOS technology indicate that DACs will likely limit the throughput to about 30 wafers per hour in 45nm node.
Oogenesis in Fundulus heteroclitus. VI. Establishment and verification of conditions for vitellogenin incorporation by oocytes in vitro

A procedure was developed for studying vitellogenin (VTG) incorporation by vitellogenic oocytes of Fundulus heteroclitus in vitro. Since homologous VTG can be obtained from this animal only with great difficulty, the use of [32P]VTG from Xenopus laevis was explored as an alternative. Vitellogenic as well as maturational-stage oocytes were found to sequester X. laevis [32P]VTG from the medium, and incorporation was found to be linear with time for at least up to 12 hr. Once incorporated into the oocyte, [32P]VTG did not appear to undergo turnover. The effect of different [32P]VTG concentrations on incorporation indicated that the uptake mechanism was saturable. Unlabeled F. heteroclitus VTG and X. laevis VTG were also found to compete effectively with X. laevis [32P]VTG, whereas bovine serum albumin did not. These results represent the first documentation of a successful culture system for receptor-mediated VTG incorporation by teleost oocytes.
Particle-in-cell simulations of start-up dynamics in a grounded cathode magnetron

Simulations results of a relativistic magnetron using the MAGIC particle-In-cell (PIC) code are reported. The time evolution of the buildup process for different magnetron azimuthal modes is studied for a variety of initial voltages, with and without a second, oscillatory small voltage in addition to the drive. The self-field is seen to evolve so that the anode-cathode voltage nears the Buneman-Hartree voltage of a particular mode. Simulations show that the output power is larger in the case where the voltage dynamically approaches the Buneman-Hartree value from above than when it is approached from below. The time evolution of a pure mode (without mode competition) resembles the time evolution of some autoresonant systems. An oscillatory voltage, of relatively small amplitude, fixed or chirped in frequency is seen to modify mode competition. The frequency of the first occurring mode is shown to follow the external drive with small phase deviations. This appears to be the beginning of an autoresonance process driven by the external drive, which stops abruptly at the mode transition. Small changes in the azimuthal structure are seen to lead to different mode dynamics; when the pi-mode symmetry is enforced other competing modes are suppressed to some extent
A Perspective on the Prediction of Drug Pharmacokinetics and Disposition in Drug Research and Development

Prediction of human pharmacokinetics of new drugs, as well as other disposition attributes, has become a routine practice in drug research and development. Prior to the 1990s, drug disposition science was used in a mostly descriptive manner in the drug development phase. With the advent of in vitro methods and availability of human-derived reagents for in vitro studies, drug-disposition scientists became engaged in the compound design phase of drug discovery to optimize and predict human disposition properties prior to nomination of candidate compounds into the drug development phase. This has reaped benefits in that the attrition rate of new drug candidates in drug development for reasons of unacceptable pharmacokinetics has greatly decreased. Attributes that are predicted include clearance, volume of distribution, half-life, absorption, and drug-drug interactions. In this article, we offer our experience-based perspectives on the tools and methods of predicting human drug disposition using in vitro and animal data.
Moving towards solutions to some enduring controversies in visual search.

Abstract How do we find a target item in a visual world filled with distractors? A quarter of a century ago, in her influential ‘Feature Integration Theory (FIT)', Treisman proposed a two-stage solution to the problem of visual search: a preattentive stage that could process a limited number of basic features in parallel and an attentive stage that could perform more complex acts of recognition, one object at a time. The theory posed a series of problems. What is the nature of that preattentive stage? How do serial and parallel processes interact? How does a search unfold over time? Recent work has shed new light on these issues.
Electrical Rectification by a Monolayer of Hexadecylquinolinium Tricyanoquinodimethanide Measured between Macroscopic Gold Electrodes

Unimolecular rectification was detected between oxide-free Au electrodes for a Langmuir−Blodgett (LB) monolayer of the zwitterionic D+-π-A- molecule hexadecylquinolinium tricyanoquinodimethanide, C16H33Q−3CNQ. The top gold pad was deposited by a process that cools the metal vapor before deposition. The maximum rectification ratio is 27.5 at 2.2 V (the average rectification ratio is 7.55). The currents are as large as 9.04 × 104 electrons molecule-1 s-1. The result reinforces previous work with oxide-bearing Al electrodes, but the currents with Au electrodes are larger by 3−5 orders of magnitude. Rectification was also seen for a nine-monolayer Z-type LB film between similar Au electrodes but not for a monolayer of arachidic acid. The direction of enhanced electron current is from the negatively charged dicyanomethylene end of C16H33Q−3CNQ to the quinolinium ring, as predicted by the Aviram−Ratner analysis. However, there is a good fit to the behavior expected for quantum conduction dominated by a single m...
Reliability modeling of soldered interconnections

The authors describe the results of work to determine the minimum solder height that would produce a satisfactory joint in an electronic assembly used in IBM disk drives. Solder pads with heights ranging from 18 to 160 mu m were produced by varying the solder deposition process. After joints were made using the standard soldering process, the joint strengths were measured by pulling the wire at an angle of 45 degrees and measuring the force required to either break the wire (wire breaks) or pull the wire out of the solder (wire peels). A figure of merit for the solder process is defined as the fraction of wire peels. A key element in this work is the use of a generalized regression model to correlate this figure of merit to solder height. This allows interpolation of the data, calculation of confidence intervals, and a check of the validity of process control plans. The model is used to determine the minimum solder height, and to establish a sampling plan to monitor production. >
Testing Moffitt’s Account of Delinquency Abstention

An established finding in criminology is that most adolescents engage in delinquency. Still, studies continue to identify a small group of individuals who refrain from delinquency even when it is normative for their same-age peers. Moffitt’s developmental taxonomy provides some reasons for delinquency abstention, but research has been slow to assess these hypotheses. Herein, the authors use data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 to examine one of Moffitt’s unexplored abstention hypotheses: that some individuals abstain because individual characteristics block their access to delinquent peer networks and, hence, opportunities to mimic antisocial behavior. In addition, the authors also present the first empirical examination of gender differences in abstention. The results support some aspects of Moffitt’s hypotheses concerning the importance of peer networks, but provide mixed evidence regarding the personal characteristics associated with delinquency abstention and involvement in deviant...
Corrosion Fatigue Failure of a Gray Cast Iron Water Main

AbstractA failure investigation was conducted on a 30.5-cm diameter gray cast iron water main that failed in Anchorage, Alaska, due to a longitudinal fracture. Nearby pressure transducers recorded very modest system pressures at the time of the failure and the pipe did not show signs of advanced graphitization or significant mechanical damage. Mechanical testing and microanalysis were performed on the pipe material. The cause of the failure was determined to be brittle fracture which initiated at a subcritical corrosion fatigue (CF) crack approximately 40.6 cm in length. The corrosion fatigue crack nucleated from a casting defect on the inside surface of the pipe. The findings of the research reported in this paper suggest that subcritical CF crack growth may be a threat to gray cast iron water pipes. Corrosion fatigue mechanisms in gray cast iron have not been documented previously and may be a contributing factor for anomalous fractures showing evidence of multistage failure.
Rates and controls on denitrification in an agricultural soil fertilized with liquid lagoonal swine waste

Under laboratory conditions, we studied rates and controls on denitrification and denitrification potential (denitrifying enzyme activity, DEA) in agricultural soils in the southeastern United States that had been repeatedly fertilized with liquid lagoonal swine effluent. This is a waste management practice commonly employed by large-scale swine production facilities that have proliferated regionally in the past 10 years. The microbial community was rapidly responsive to the added waste, as denitrification N flux (N2 + N2O) from intact soil cores increased from about 200 to as high as 2850 μg N m−2 h−1, usually within 1 day of application. Elevated rates of denitrification were short-lived (≤3 days), as the combination of coarse soil texture (rapid drainage) and low mineralization potential (low organic content) of the waste rapidly restored aerobic conditions. Although <2% of the fertilizer-N was lost to denitrification by the time rates had returned to pre-fertilization values after 8–12 days, soil NO3−–N levels increased from ≤5 μg N gdw soil−1 to as high as 43 μg N gdw soil−1, providing not only substrate for additional denitrification following rainfall, but also a mobile N source for both offsite transport by surface and groundwater and assimilation by plants. Both N2O and N2 production from denitrification were unresponsive to changes in soil moisture until field capacity was approached or exceeded. Temperature coefficients (Q10) for DEA varied from 1.6 to 2.8 between 7 and 30 °C, depending on the temperature interval, while high DEA between 20 and 40 °C pointed to a denitrifying community well-adapted to regional summer soil temperatures. Glucose-C or NO3−–N amendments proved equally stimulatory to DEA in homogenized soils relative to water-only controls. However, addition of the combined substrates gave the best response, indicating that these chemical factors were equally important controls on potential denitrification in these soils once anaerobic conditions had become established.
Prion protein biology.

We thank G. Carlson, N. Nathanson, and J. Safar for carefully reviewing sections of this manuscript. This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Aging and the National Institute of Neurologic Diseases and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health, International Human Frontiers of Science Program, and American Health Assistance Foundation, as well as by gifts from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation, Keck Foundation, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Foundation, Bernard Osher Foundation, John D. French Foundation, and Centeon.
Impact of Coupling on Multiple-Antenna Capacity in Correlated Fast-Fading Environments

Recent work has demonstrated that for a multiple-antenna system operating in a rapidly fading environment where the transmitter and receiver know the channel covariance information, the capacity increases as the transmit signal spatial correlation increases. This finding means that the performance improves as the transmit antenna element spacing decreases, an implication that is physically nonintuitive. This correspondence applies electromagnetic considerations to show that this gain stems from increased radiated power when the array spacing is reduced. It further shows that when the radiated power is explicitly limited and impractical supergain solutions are properly constrained, a more physically intuitive result emerges.
Retained left atrial catheter after coronary artery bypass operation

A 60-year-old woman underwent elective coronary artery bypass grafting. Weaning from bypass was marked by transient pulmonary hypertension, so a LA pressure catheter was placed by the right superior pulmonary vein to help with early postoperative treatment. This was removed apparently uneventfully at the bedside on the first postoperative day. The rest of her recovery was unremarkable. Discharge chest radiograph was normal, as was her follow-up radiograph 3 weeks later. Six months after operation, transthoracic echocardiography was performed to evaluate left ventricular function. A linear echodensity was seen in the LA (Figure 1). Transesophageal echocardiography was then performed and showed a mobile catheter in the LA originating outside the heart at the level of the right upper pulmonary vein (Figure 2). No clot was seen on the visible (intracardiac) portion of the catheter. Fluoroscopy confirmed the presence of the radiopaque-striped catheter curving around the right pericardium and stopping near the lower sternal wires (Figure 3), where it had apparently broken during removal. This could not be seen on a repeated chest radiograph. The patient underwent uneventful removal of the catheter under general anesthetic, using a subxiphoid approach with retraction of the lower right sternum.
Early change in proteinuria as a surrogate outcome in kidney disease progression: a systematic review of previous analyses and creation of a patient-level pooled dataset

Background. Proteinuria is a candidate surrogate end point for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in chronic kidney disease (CKD). There is a reasonably sound biological basis for this hypothesis, but only preliminary empirical evidence currently exists. Methods. A systematic review and creation of a patient-level dataset of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in CKD that reported changes in proteinuria and assessed progression of kidney disease as defined by dialysis, transplantation, death, or changes in GFR or creatinine were performed. Results. Systematic review. Seventy RCTs met the eligibility criteria; 17 eligible RCTs contained analyses of proteinuria as a predictor of outcomes; 15 RCTs concluded that greater proteinuria was associated with adverse outcomes. A majority were studies of diabetic or hypertensive kidney disease and tested renin–angiotensin system blockade. Definitions of predictor and outcome variables were too variable to conduct a meta-analysis of group data. Database creation. Over 4y ears was required to create the patient-level dataset. The final dataset included 34 studies and >9000 patients with a variety of CKD types and interventions. Conclusions. There are a relatively small number of RCTs designed to rigorously test therapies for kidney disease progression. Current analyses of change in proteinuria as a predictor of CKD progression are heterogeneous and incomplete, indicating further evaluation in a pooled individual patient-level database is necessary to advance knowledge in this field.
The effects of on-demand behavior in routing protocols for multihop wireless ad hoc networks

A number of different routing protocols proposed for use in multihop wireless ad hoc networks are based in whole or in part on what can be described as on-demand behavior. By on-demand behavior, we mean approaches based only on reaction to the offered traffic being handled by the routing protocol. In this paper, we analyze the use of on-demand behavior in such protocols, focusing on its effect on the routing protocol's forwarding latency, overhead cost, and route caching correctness, drawing examples from detailed simulation of the dynamic source routing (DSR) protocol. We study the protocol's behavior and the changes introduced by variations on some of the mechanisms that make up the protocol, examining which mechanisms have the greatest impact and exploring the tradeoffs that exist between them.
A non-reference measure for objective edge map evaluation

Edge detection has been used extensively as a preprocessing step for many computer vision tasks. Due to its importance in image processing and the highly subjective nature of human evaluation and visual comparison of edge detectors, it is desirable to formulate objective edge map evaluation measures. One would like to use such a measure to make comparisons of results using the same edge detector with different parameters as well as to make comparisons of results using different edge detectors. Reconstruction-based measures have the clear advantage that they effectively incorporate original image data. In this paper, a general model for reconstruction-based measures is established in order to alleviate the shortcomings of the reconstruction-based measures, followed by the formulation of a new non-reference measure for objective edge map evaluation. Experimental results illustrate the effectiveness of the new measure both as a means of selecting optimal edge detector parameters and as a means of determining the relative performance of edge detectors for a given image.
ISOLATED WETLANDS AND THEIR FUNCTIONS: AN ECOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

The recent U.S. Supreme Court case of Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (SWANCC) has had profound implications on the legal status of isolated wetlands. As a result, policymakers need ecological information on the definition and functions of isolated wetlands to respond to this decision. The term “isolated wetlands” is of fairly recent usage and has been poorly defined. In response, I recommend Tiner’s (2003b) definition as wetlands “that are completely surrounded by upland.” Isolation needs to be considered with respect to specific processes and functions. I suggest that isolation not be viewed discretely but be considered within an isolation-connectivity continuum. Isolation has a fundamental influence on the way water enters and leaves a wetland. This consequently affects any wetland function that depends on water as a vector (e.g., pollutant transport and certain types of dispersal). These wetlands can also have a high level of endemism, extensive plant zonation, and high biodiversity. Isolated wetlands, however, do not represent ecologically isolated habitat for many organisms. I conclude that the effect of isolation may not be as significant as the term “isolated wetlands” suggests: many of the biological features of isolated wetlands may result from environmental conditions that also occur in nonisolated wetlands. As a result of SWANCC, assessment methods are needed that can help regulators distinguish between jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional isolated wetlands. I propose that the merger of simple, source-sink-transport vector concepts with landscape-level assessment methods could be useful in this regard. I point to the need for documented examples of organisms that spend most of their lives in waters of the U.S. but also require isolated wetlands. I conclude that wetland science would benefit from the development of a comprehensive view of isolation as a formative process across different regional wetland types.
Exact sampling of the unobserved covariates in Bayesian spline models for measurement error problems

In truncated polynomial spline or B-spline models where the covariates are measured with error, a fully Bayesian approach to model fitting requires the covariates and model parameters to be sampled at every Markov chain Monte Carlo iteration. Sampling the unobserved covariates poses a major computational problem and usually Gibbs sampling is not possible. This forces the practitioner to use a Metropolis---Hastings step which might suffer from unacceptable performance due to poor mixing and might require careful tuning. In this article we show for the cases of truncated polynomial spline or B-spline models of degree equal to one, the complete conditional distribution of the covariates measured with error is available explicitly as a mixture of double-truncated normals, thereby enabling a Gibbs sampling scheme. We demonstrate via a simulation study that our technique performs favorably in terms of computational efficiency and statistical performance. Our results indicate up to 62 and 54 % increase in mean integrated squared error efficiency when compared to existing alternatives while using truncated polynomial splines and B-splines respectively. Furthermore, there is evidence that the gain in efficiency increases with the measurement error variance, indicating the proposed method is a particularly valuable tool for challenging applications that present high measurement error. We conclude with a demonstration on a nutritional epidemiology data set from the NIH-AARP study and by pointing out some possible extensions of the current work.
The role of intramaze stimuli in spatial problem solving

O’Keefe and Nadel (1978) proposed a neuropsychological mechanism by which environmental stimuli could be encoded into an “information structure” (p.78) such that the distance and direction between those stimuli were specified. They referred to this mechanism and its ensuing cognitive representation as a cognitive map (O’Keefe and Nadel, 1978, see p. 2). According to this hypothesis, organisms establish cognitive representations that locate stimuli in space relative to each other and to the total environment. This hypothesis stressed the importance of topographical relationships among environmental stimuli in defining places (Suzuki, Augerinos, and Black, 1980) and ultimately guiding spatial behavior (i.e., behavior which requires that an animal move through space to achieve a goal). The role of distal stimuli in spatial behavior has been shown in a number of studies (Hebb, 1949. Stahl and Ellen, 1974; Sutherland and Dyck, 1984). Presumably distal stimuli allow animals to use mapping strategies as opposed to egocentric or other non-mapping mechanisms in solving spatial problems because perceptually, distal stimuli do not change their relative positions as the organism moves. O’Keefe and Nadel (1978, p. 73) note, however, that this property of distal stimuli precludes their use in distinguishing among places in the environment and have cautioned investigators not to disregard the role of proximal stimuli in spatial behavior. Indeed, O’Keefe argued that “spatially separated intramaze cues can also serve as place cues” (1979, p340).
Scheduling workforce for retail stores with employee preferences

Traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are facing increasing pressures due to the rapid growth of E-commerce and high employee turnover inherent to the retail industry. To drive continuous growth and profits, brick-and mortar retailers need effective store workforce scheduling methods that cope with employee preferences in order to simultaneously cut cost and improve employee satisfaction. In this paper, a mixed integer programming model is proposed for this purpose. Employee's satisfaction is maximized by satisfying employee's preferences for leave and working partners to the largest extent, and balancing working hours among employees. The proposed model is tested on an apparel retail store in China. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Comment on “Breakdown of the expansion of finite-size corrections to the hydrogen Lamb shift in moments of charge distribution”

Author(s): Arrington, J | Abstract: In a recent paper, Hagelstein and Pascalutsa [F. Hagelstein and V. Pascalutsa, Phys. Rev. A 91, 040502 (2015)PLRAAN1050-294710.1103/PhysRevA.91.040502] examine the error associated with an expansion of proton structure corrections to the Lamb shift in terms of moments of the charge distribution. They propose a small modification to a conventional parametrization of the proton's charge form factor and show that this can resolve the proton radius puzzle. However, while the size of the bump they add to the form factor is small, it is large compared to the total proton structure effects in the initial parametrization, yielding a final form factor that is unphysical. Reducing their modification to the point where the resulting form factor is physical does not allow for a resolution of the radius puzzle.
The first years under Polish Administration

Silesia, depopulated, mined, and ravaged during the last furious days of the war and the first months of Russian occupation, has been restored and populated in a relatively short time. The Polish Government has been aware from the beginning that the only chance to counter successfully the anticipated demands for restoration of the “Recovered Territories” to Germany, was the rapid settlement of this area by the Poles and its economic integration with the rest of Poland.1
Direct contact between human primitive hematopoietic progenitors and bone marrow stroma is not required for long-term in vitro hematopoiesis

Long-term bone marrow cultures support both differentiation and conservation of primitive human hematopoietic progenitors in the absence of exogenous cytokines. It is believed that hematopoiesis in such cultures requires direct contact between hematopoietic progenitors and stroma. In the present study, we demonstrate that primitive progenitors physically separated from the stromal layer by a 0.45- microns microporous membrane continue to generate differentiated progenitors for at least 8 weeks. Moreover, primitive progenitors are conserved to a greater extent under these conditions, as when cultured in direct contact with the stroma. However, excessive production of granulocyte-macrophage progenitors occurs when primitive progenitors are not allowed to interact directly with the stroma. Thus, direct contact between hematopoietic and stromal cells is not required for either differentiation or conservation of primitive hematopoietic progenitors but is essential for the regulated production of mature blood elements. These findings can now be used to define the role of diffusible factors and cell-cell or cell-extracellular matrix adhesion events in the regulation of conservation, proliferation, and differentiation of primitive human hematopoietic progenitors in vitro.
Rebeldia e oportunismo: Uma história do diabo queirosiano - doi: 10.4025/imagenseduc.v2i1.15809

Eca de Queiros, conhecido como o mais representativo escritor do Realismo portugues, – estilo que tem por postulado a analise do presente em recusa ao romântico olhar para o passado – diversas vezes revisitou a Idade Media em sua producao, tanto no tratamento de tematicas quanto no uso de generos literarios medievais, como, por exemplo, as Vidas de Santos , hagiografias publicadas na ultima decada de vida do autor e chamada por ele de neoflos-santorismo. Dentro desse amplo espectro de possibilidades, neste trabalho buscaremos focalizar o diabo caracterizado na obra A Reliquia , objetivando discutir como essa figura, prenhe de simbolismo e presente em diferentes obras do escritor, funciona como pedra angular das criticas empreendidas por Eca a Igreja catolica, a religiao institucionalizada e suas consequencias perniciosas na conformacao da sociedade portuguesa. O Satanas queirosiano constitui uma reinterpretacao da figura diabolica medieval que funciona como um meio de enfatizar as criticas aos costumes,a arrogância e a hipocrisia da sociedade portuguesa de oitocentos.
Pseudoconvex Mizohata Structures on Compact Manifolds

The main result of this paper establishes the rigidity of pseudoconvex Mizohata structures on compact manifolds with abelian fundamental groups. Any simply connected \((n+1)\)-dimensional compact manifold with a pseudoconvex Mizohata structure is equivalent the standard Mizohata structure on the sphere \(\mathbb {S}^{n+1}\). If an \((n+1)\)-dimensional connected compact manifold with a nontrivial abelian fundamental group carries a pseudoconvex Mizohata structure, then it is equivalent to a structure on \(\mathbb {S}^1\times \mathbb {S}^n\).
The research of self-cognition and health behavior of the patients with chronic

Objective:To research the condition of self-cognition and health behavior of the patient with chronic,and understand their relation,in order to provide intervention basis for promoting the rehabilitation of the patients.Methods:100 patients with chronic and 100 healthy crowds were researched by TSCS and HPLP,all data were input SPSS16.0 and handled.Results:The total score of TSCS in the patient with chronic was(247.34±18.41)points,it was lower than that in the healthy crowds[(263.62±19.72)points,t=6.03,P0.01].The total score of HPLP in the patient with chronic was(140.27±15.34)points,it was lower than that in the healthy crowds[(174.65±14.29)points,t=16.40,P0.01].There was correlation between the score of HPLP and TSCS.Conclusion:The condition of self-cognition and health behavior of the patient with chronic was worse,self-cognition can affect health behavior,improving cognition level is conductive to enhance their health behavior.
Characterization of Botrytis cinerea Isolates from Strawberry with Reduced Sensitivity to Polyoxin D Zinc Salt.

Polyoxin D is a Fungicide Resistance Action Committee (FRAC) code 19 fungicide that was recently registered for gray mold control of strawberry in the United States. In this study, we determined the sensitivity to polyoxin D zinc salt (hereafter, polyoxin D) of Botrytis cinerea isolates from 41 commercial strawberry farms in South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, and Ohio and investigated the fitness of sensitive (S) and reduced sensitive (RS) isolates. Relative mycelial growth ranged between 0 and over 100% on malt extract agar amended with a discriminatory dose of polyoxin D at 5 μg/ml. Isolates that grew more than 70% at that dose were designated RS and were found in three of the five states. The 50% effective dose (EC50) values of three S and three RS isolates ranged from 0.59 to 2.27 and 4.6 to 5.8 μg/ml, respectively. The three RS isolates grew faster on detached tomato fruit treated with Ph-D WDG at recommended label dosage than S isolates (P < 0.008). In all, 25 randomly selected RS i...
Proteorhodopsin Activation Captured by Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Proteorhodopsin, a light-activated proton pump, is widely distributed among marine bacteria and has promising applications in areas such as optogenetics. Proteorhodopsin activation and proton pumping is triggered by the photoisomerization of the covalently bond ligand retinal. Similar to other retinal proteins, protein structural changes along with the rearrangement of internal water molecules are expected to take place during the proton pumping photocycle. However, little experimental information regarding the structures of the photointermediates is known and the underpinning mechanism of proton pumping remains largely elusive. We have conducted molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the initial stages of proteorhodopsin activation at the atomistic level of detail. A series of µs-long simulations of the K state of proteorhodopsin were performed with in silico isomerization of all-trans to 13-cis retinal and were compared with simulations of the inactive state starting from the X-ray crystal structure of blue proteorhodopsin. Each of the amino acid residues known to be implicated in proton pumping were found to be well-hydrated. Our simulations revealed formation of a hydrogen bond between the color tuning switch Q105 and the protonated Schiff base after retinal isomerization, supporting a previous FTIR difference spectrum study of K state structural changes [1]. Another significant phenomenon in the K state was that an increase in water flux occurred connecting the proton release group, a conserved arginine residue, and the retinal binding pocket. Transient water channel formation in the interior of the protein was also discovered, potentially facilitating distal proton transfer among active sites. Altogether these results provide suggestions for the molecular mechanism of protonation switches and proton relay which are key to our understanding of proton pumping in PR and activation of retinal proteins in general. [1] Amdsden, J.J. (2008) Biochemistry 47:11490.