cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mutation of the zebrafish glass onion locus causes early cell-nonautonomous loss of neuroepithelial integrity followed by severe neuronal patterning defects in the retina.

Abstract Mutation of the glass onion locus causes drastic neuronal patterning defects in the zebrafish retina and brain. The precise stratified appearance of the wild-type retina is absent in the mutants. The glass onion phenotype is first visible shortly after the formation of optic primordia and is characterized by the rounding of cells and disruption of the ventricular surface in the eye and brain neuroepithelia. With exception of the dorsal- and ventral-most regions of the brain, neuroepithelial cells lose their integrity and begin to distribute ectopically. At later stages, the laminar patterning of retinal neurons is severely disrupted. Despite the lack of lamination, individual retinal cell classes differentiate in the glass onion retina. Mosaic analysis reveals that the glass onion mutation acts cell nonautonomously within the retina and brain, as neuroepithelial cell morphology and polarity in these tissues are normal when mutant cells develop in wild-type hosts. We conclude that the glass onion mutation affects cell–cell signaling event(s) involved in the maintenance of the neuroepithelial cell layer shortly after its formation. The disruption of neuroepithelial integrity may be the cause of the neuronal patterning defects following neurogenesis. In addition, the expression of the glass onion phenotype in a subset of neuroepithelial cells as well as its onset following the initial formation of the neuroepithelial sheets indicate the presence of genetically distinct temporal and spatial subdivisions in the development of this histologically uniform tissue.
Effect of a Centralizing Device on Cement Mantle Deficiencies and Initial Prosthetic Alignment in Total Hip Arthroplasty

Sixty consecutive patients undergoing a primary hybrid total hip arthroplasty were randomized to receive a femoral component either with or without a distal centralizing device. The group with a centralizer had significantly fewer patients with cement mantle deficiencies (excessively thin areas of cement) than the group without a centralizer (P < .001). Furthermore, the centralizer group was, on average, in a neutral alignment, whereas the group without a centralizer was in a varus alignment (P < .001). It was concluded that the distal centralizing device significantly decreases the incidence of cement mantle deficiencies and reproducibly aids in achieving a more neutral prosthetic alignment.
Transition of kidney tubule cells to a senescent phenotype in early experimental diabetes

Diabetic nephropathy is the commonest cause of end-stage renal disease. Inordinate kidney growth and glomerular hyperfiltration at the very early stages of diabetes are putative antecedents to this disease. The kidney is the only organ that grows larger with the onset of diabetes mellitus, yet there remains confusion about the mechanism and significance of this growth. Here we show that kidney proximal tubule cells in culture transition to senescence in response to oxidative stress. We further determine the temporal expression of G1 phase cell cycle components in rat kidney cortex at days 4 and 10 of streptozotocin diabetes to evaluate changes in this growth response. In diabetic rats we observe increases in kidney weight-to-body weight ratios correlating with increases in expression of the growth-related proteins in the kidney at day 4 after induction of diabetes. However, at day 10 we find a decrease in this profile in diabetic animals coincident with increased cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor expressions. We observe no change in caspase-3 expression in the diabetic kidneys at these early time points; however, diabetic animals demonstrate reduced kidney connexin 43 and increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expressions and increased senescence-associated β-galactosidase activity in cortical tubules. In summary, diabetic kidneys exhibit an early temporal induction of growth phase components followed by their suppression concurrent with the induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors and markers of senescence. These data delineate a phenotypic change in cortical tubules early in the pathogenesis of diabetes that may contribute to further downstream complications of the disease.
No-till drill planting of texas bluegrass on the southern plains

Combining the use of a flail-vac harvester, a hammer mill, and the Woodward WW2000 cleaner, Texas bluegrass ( Poa arachnifera Torr. [Poaceae]) seeds were successfully harvested, cleaned, and planted with a no-till drill at Woodward, Oklahoma. Texas bluegrass is one of only a few native, cool-season perennial grasses that withstand the region’s heat, droughts, and grazing. It produces nutritious and palatable forage during the late fall, winter, and early spring when most warm-season rangeland forages are low in nutrients and least preferred by livestock. The use of Texas bluegrass has been severely limited because the extremely cottony seed head makes it difficult to harvest and clean the seeds so they will flow through a drill. Seeds were no-till drilled into clear ground or into herbicide-killed wheat stubble and Texas bluegrass stands were established on 22 March 2007 and 15 September 2008 when soil moisture was available on the drilling date and for 6 to 8 wk after planting. The cleaning and planting method presented here could enable more widespread use of Texas bluegrass for pasture establishment, inclusion in native mixed seedlots for rangeland restoration, or inclusion in warm-season native pastures lacking a cool-season component.
Representations of the nation and cultural diversity in discourses on World Heritage

This article presents the main values for which 106 sites have been nominated for inclusion on the World Heritage List. The article then analyses how these values have been used for the representation of the nation, the past and cultural diversity and the construction of national collective identities. The exclusions of specific themes and groups of the population as well as their histories and values from these representations are highlighted. Finally, international efforts that aim to relocate these themes and subjects from a marginal to a more central position within official discourses on World Heritage are detailed.
Metadata for Special Collections in CONTENTdm: How to Improve Interoperability of Unique Fields Through OAI-PMH

Collection curators develop locally defined unique fields to support local requirements. As per the guidelines of the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting (OAI-PMH), Simple Dublin Core is the minimum requirement for exposing metadata to aggregators. Oftentimes the level of specificity of unique local fields is not translated well to Dublin Core, which may hinder the interoperability of the item metadata record. This paper researched 21 digital collections that were hosted in CONTENTdm. The objective was to explore the use and issues of unique fields in local context and recommend best practices that will increase the interoperability of metadata for special collections.
Intracellular transport and sorting of mutant human proinsulins that fail to form hexamers

Human proinsulin and insulin oligomerize to form dimers and hexamers. It has been suggested that the ability of prohormones to self associate and form aggregates may be responsible for the sorting process at the trans-Golgi. To examine whether insulin oligomerization is required for proper sorting into regulated storage granules, we have constructed point mutations in human insulin B chain that have been previously shown to prevent formation of insulin hexamers (Brange, J., U. Ribel, J. F. Hansen, G. Dodson, M. T. Hansen, S. Havelund, S. G. Melberg, F. Norris, K. Norris, L. Snel, A. R. Sorensen, and H. O. Voight. 1988. Nature [Lond.]. 333:679-682). One mutant (B10His----Asp) allows formation of dimers but not hexamers and the other (B9Ser----Asp) prevents formation of both dimers and hexamers. The mutants were transfected into the mouse pituitary AtT-20 cells, and their ability to be sorted into regulated secretory granules was compared to wild-type insulin. We found that while B10His----Asp is sorted somewhat less efficiently than wild-type insulin as reported previously (Carroll, R. J., R. E. Hammer, S. J. Chan, H. H. Swift, A. H. Rubenstein, and D. F. Steiner. 1988. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 85:8943-8947; Gross, D. J., P. A. Halban, C. R. Kahn, G. C. Weir, and L. Villa-Kumaroff. 1989. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 86:4107-4111). B9Ser----Asp is targeted to granules as efficiently as wild-type insulin. These results indicate that self association of proinsulin into hexamers is not required for its targeting to the regulated secretory pathway.
Climate change and the invasion of California by grasses

Over the next century, changes in the global climate are expected to have major consequences for plant communities, possibly including the exacerbation of species invasions. We evaluated this possibility in the grass flora of California, which is economically and ecologically important and heavily invaded. We used a novel, trait-based approach involving two components: identifying differences in trait composition between native and exotic components of the grass flora and evaluating contemporary trait–climate relationships across the state. The combination of trait–climate relationships and trait differences between groups allows us to predict changes in the exotic-native balance under climate change scenarios. Exotic species are more likely to be annual, taller, with larger leaves, larger seeds, higher specific leaf area, and higher leaf N percentage than native species. Across the state, all these traits are associated with regions with higher temperature. Therefore, we predict that increasing temperatures will favor trait states that tend to be possessed by exotic species, increasing the dominance of exotic species. This prediction is corroborated by the current distribution of exotic species richness relative to native richness in California; warmer areas contain higher proportions of exotic species. This pattern was very well captured by a simple model that predicts invasion severity given only the trait–climate relationship for native species and trait differences between native and exotic species. This study provides some of the first evidence for an important interaction between climate change and species invasions across very broad geographic and taxonomic scales.
Testing the effect of time pressure on asymmetric dominance and compromise decoys in choice

Dynamic, connectionist models of decision making, such as decision field theory (Roe, Busemeyer, & Townsend, 2001), propose that the effect of context on choice arises from a series of pairwise comparisons between attributes of alternatives across time. As such, they predict that limiting the amount of time to make a decision should decrease rather than increase the size of contextual effects. This prediction was tested across four levels of time pressure on both the asymmetric dominance (Huber, Payne, & Puto, 1982) and compromise (Simonson, 1989) decoy effects in choice. Overall, results supported this prediction, with both types of decoy effects found to be larger as time pressure decreased.
Polarization of water molecules at a charged interface. Second harmonic studies of charged monolayers at the air/water interface

Abstract The second harmonic generation from charged monolayers at air/water interfaces is shown to be linearly related to the interface electric potential. This dependence is due to the polarization of water molecules in the electrostatic field of the charged monolayer. The observed linear dependence of the second harmonic field on the interface electric potential serves as the basis of a proposed method for obtaining the interface potential, which it should be noted is a nonintrusive optical method. The work presented here also indicates that the Gouy—Chapman model is valid at the air/water charged interface up to at least a 1 M total electrolyte concentration.
A molecular phylogenetic study of the subtribe Glycininae (Leguminosae) derived from the chloroplast DNA rps16 intron sequences

Phylogenetic relationships among 13 genera of the subtribe Glycininae, two genera of the allied subtribe Diocleinae that were included within Glycininae by Polhill, and two genera of the subtribe Erythrininae as outgroups were inferred from chloroplast DNA rps16 intron sequence variation. Pairwise sequence divergence values ranged from identity between Teramnus mollis and T. micans and between T. flexilis and T. labialis to 7.89% between Pueraria wallichii and Pseudeminia comosaacross all accessions. Phylogenies estimated using parsimony and neighbor-joining methods revealed that (1) Glycininae is monophyletic if Pachyrhizus and Calopogonium (both Diocleinae) are included within Glycininae; (2) the genus Teramnus is closely related to Glycine, and Amphicarpaeashowed a sister relationship to the clade comprising Teramnus and Glycine; (3) the expanded Glycininae including two genera of Diocleinae is divided into three branches, temporarily named I (comprising the rest of the examined taxa), II ( Pueraria wallichii), and III (Mastersia), but their relationships are equivocal; and (4) the genus Pueraria, regarded as a closely related genus to Glycine, is not monophyletic and should be divided into at least four genera (a hypothesis supported previously by Lackey).
Constructing Accountability Performance for English Language Learner Students An Unfinished Journey Toward Language Minority Rights

In this article, I examine the assimilationist assumptions embedded in the development and implementation of the Texas Reading Proficiency Test in English (RPTE). The RPTE was designed as a develop...
Energizing epithelial transport with the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase.

The Ussing model has long provided the conceptual foundation for understanding epithelial transport mechanisms energized by the Na+-K+-ATPase. Plasma membranes may also use the vacuolar (V-type) H+-ATPase as the primary energy source of membrane and epithelial transport. A pure electrogenic pump, the V-type H+-ATPase energizes not only membranes it inhabits but also other transport pathways via electrical coupling.
Tone and the Moral Imagination: An Anthropological Look at Chinese Literary Essay Battles

This essay examines the function of "tone," an organizing metaphor that captures "expressions of mood" in a particular genre of cultural criticism, through the lens of a literary debate over tone between two newspaper editors. Over the span of 50 years, this debate concerns a specific type of essays called zawen, which are frequently published in Chinese media, and which operate as moral commentary upon the times. The two positions on tone display a classic division between spontaneous communitas, a revolutionary force, and the recapture of that force for normative communitas, a conservative force.
Ferumoxytol for treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Background: Iron deficiency anemia (IDA) is a common problem in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Use of intravenous (i.v.) iron effectively treats the resultant anemia, but available iron products have side effects or dosing regimens that limit safety and convenience. Objective: Ferumoxytol (Feraheme™) is a new i.v. iron product recently approved for use in treatment of IDA in CKD patients. This article reviews the structure, pharmacokinetics, and clinical trial results on ferumoxytol. The author also offers his opinions on the role of this product in clinical practice. Methods: This review encompasses important information contained in clinical and preclinical studies of ferumoxytol and is supplemented with information from the US Food and Drug Administration. Results/conclusion: Ferumoxytol offers substantial safety and superior efficacy compared with oral iron therapy. As ferumoxytol can be administered as 510 mg in < 1 min, it is substantially more convenient than other iron products in non...
A graph compaction approach to fault simulation

The authors describe a graph-compaction-based algorithm for fault simulation in combination circuits. The algorithm consists of reducing the circuit graph by repeatedly removing nonreconvergent vertices. The algorithm has been implemented in Smalltalk and preliminary experimental results are presented. A version of the algorithm outperforms all known fault simulation algorithms on a family of hard circuits. >
The evolution of campus networks towards multimedia

The authors consider the problem of providing bandwidth for multimedia services in a campus network. The campus network is composed of a number of subnetworks, interconnected by a backbone. The authors study each subnetwork in isolation, indicating what kinds of topologies should be used as a function of the bandwidth requirement, and then discuss the connection of the subnetwork to the backbone. They also touch upon issues other than the network infrastructure, commenting on the effect of providing multimedia communications on the other layers of the OSI model. Finally, they consider the Stanford Campus Network (SUNET), presenting measurements to characterize its current performance. >
Thermobarometric constraints on the tectonothermal evolution of the East Humboldt Range metamorphic core complex, Nevada

The East Humboldt Range of Nevada provides a record of deep-crustal tectonic processes in a classic Cordilleran metamorphic core complex located in the hinterland of the Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary Sevier orogenic belt. New constraints reported here on the metamorphic history of this terrane suggest an overall clockwise pressure-temperature-time ( P-T-t ) path that began with deep tectonic burial and metamorphism at kyanite + staurolite + garnet grade before Late Cretaceous time (possibly in Late Jurassic time?). Subsequently, higher-temperature Late Cretaceous peak metamorphism overprinted this event, resulting in widespread partial melting and leucogranite injection contemporaneous with emplacement of a large-scale recumbent fold (the Winchell Lake nappe). A new 207Pb*/206Pb* date of 84.8 ± 2.8 Ma on syntectonic leucogranite from the hinge zone of this fold constrains the age of this major phase of tectonism. Metamorphism at this time probably reached the second sillimanite isograd, at least at deep structural levels, with peak P-T conditions of 800 °C and >9 kbar. High-grade conditions persisted during extensional tectonic denudation throughout much of Tertiary time. In conjunction with previously published work, the petrologic and thermobarometric results reported here for the northern East Humboldt Range delineate a steeply decompressional P-T trend that extends from ∼9 kbar and 800 °C to 5 kbar and 630 °C. In the light of decompressional reaction textures, microstructural evidence, and previously published thermochronometric results, we interpret this trend as a P-T-t path for Late Cretaceous to Oligocene time. At least 2 kbar of this decompression (equivalent to at least 7 km of denudation) occurred in Late Cretaceous to early Tertiary time. This interpretation supports the idea that tectonic exhumation of deep-crustal rocks in northeastern Nevada began during or immediately after the closing stages of the Sevier orogeny. Finally, the steepness of the proposed P-T-t path implies a thermal evolution from a colder to a much hotter geotherm, a circumstance that probably requires plastic thinning of the lower plate in addition to brittle attenuation and removal of the upper plate during Tertiary extension.
Pediatric Pedestrian Trauma Study: A Pilot Project

Objective: To evaluate the implementation of the WalkSafe Program, a school based educational injury prevention program for children grades Kindergarten through 5. Methods: A randomized comparative design was used for this study. The study was conducted in two high-risk urban school districts, which were chosen based on the geographic areas with the highest pedestrian injury and fatality rates. Four elementary schools (two in each district) were identified as potential study sites. Two intervention schools, one in each school district, were randomly chosen to receive the WalkSafe program; the other two schools served as controls, and received no intervention. The data was collected within the classroom setting for both the intervention and control schools. All elementary school children were administered the same pedestrian safety questionnaire as a pre-test, post-test and at three months following the intervention. Results: A total of 2300 children participated in the WalkSafe program. The intervention (...
Automatic generation of diagnostic expert systems from fault trees

When a fault tolerant computer-based system fails, diagnosis and repair must be performed to bring the system back to an operational state. The use of fault tolerance design implies that several components or subsystems may have failed, and that perhaps many of these faults have been tolerated before the system actually succumbed to failure. Diagnosis procedures are then needed to determine the most likely source of failure and to guide repair actions. Expert systems are often used to guide diagnostics, but the derivation of an expert system requires knowledge (i.e., a conceptual model) of failure symptoms. In this paper, we consider the problem of diagnosing a system for which there may be little experience, given that it might be a one-of-a-kind system or because access to the system may be limited. We conjecture that the same fault tree model used to help aid in the design and analysis of the system can provide the conceptual model of system component interactions needed in order to define a diagnostic process. We explore the use of a fault tree model (along with the probabilities of failure for the basic events) along with partial knowledge of the state of the system (i.e., the system has failed, and perhaps some components are known to be operational or failed) to produce a diagnostic aid.
Changes in Parent Involvement across the Transition from Public School Prekindergarten to First Grade and Children's Academic Outcomes.

AbstractBetween- and within-family changes in 4 dimensions of parent involvement in children's learning were examined from prekindergarten to kindergarten and from kindergarten to first grade. Children's literacy, language, and mathematics skills were individually assessed at prekindergarten entry and end of first grade. Parents' provision of cognitive stimulation decreased overall from prekindergarten to kindergarten (d = −.26) and from kindergarten to first grade (d = −.53), and variety of out-of-home experiences increased from kindergarten to first grade (d = .30). A substantial percentage of the sample increased or decreased their participation in home-based or school-based activities. The degree of change in parent provision of cognitive stimulation from kindergarten to first grade and variety of out-of-home experiences from prekindergarten to kindergarten predicted children's first-grade mathematics skills. Increases in home learning resources from prekindergarten to kindergarten were associated wit...
The mechanism of water‐stress‐induced embolism in two species of chaparral shrubs

The mechanism of water-stress-induced embolism of xylem was investigated in Malosma laurina and Heterome- les arbutifolia, two chaparral shrub species of southern California. We tested the hypothesis that the primary cause of xylem dysfunction in these species during dehy- dration was the pulling of air through the pores in the cell walls of vessels (pores in pit membranes) as a result of high tensions on xylem water. First, we constructed vul- nerability-to-embolism curves for (i) excised branches that were increasingly dehydrated in the laboratory and (ii) hydrated branches exposed to increasing levels of external air pressure. Branches of M. taurina that were dehydrated became 50% embolized at a xylem pressure potential of —1*6 MPa, which is equal in magnitude but opposite in sign to the +1-6 MPa of external air pressure that caused 50% embolism in hydrated stems. Dehydrated and pressurized branches of//, arbutifotia reached a 50% level of embolism at -6-0 and +6-4 MPa, respectively. Sec- ondly, polystyrene spheres ranging in diameter from 20 to 149 nm were perfused through hydrated stem segments to estimate the pore size in the vessel cell walls (pit mem- branes) of the two species. A 50% or greater reduction in hydraulic conductivity occurred in M. laurina at perfu- sions of 30,42, 64 and 82 nm spheres and in H. arbutifolia at perfusions of 20 and 30 nm spheres. Application of the capillary equation to these pore diameters predicted 50% embolism at xylem tensions of -2-2 MPa for M. taurina and -6-7 MPa for H. arbutifotia, which are within 0-7 MPa of the actual values. Our results suggest that the size of pores in pit membranes may be a factor in determining both xylem efficiency and vulnerability to embolism in some chaparral species. H. arbutifolia, with smaller pores and narrower vessels, withstands lower water potentials but has lower transport efficiency. M. taurina, with wider pores and wider vessels, has a greater transport efficiency but requires a deeper root system to help avoid catastro- phically low water potentials.
Thermally induced aggregation of rigid spheres on a liquid surface

Abstract Fluids provide the optimal setting to explore natural patterns far from thermodynamic equilibrium. Experiments suggest that randomly dispersed particles on a liquid surface tend to aggregate on the surface of liquid over time, and the process is enhanced by an increase in the temperature of the liquid. We show that the agglomeration radii increases monotonically with temperature up until the point where all particles in the system form a single, large aggregate. The aggregation dynamics is related to changes in the material properties of the liquid including its viscosity and surface tension as well as the convection driven flow generated on the fluid surface. In this article we compare our experimental observations with analytical asymptotic results. The analytical arguments are seen to agree well with the experimental observations.
Reinforced Concrete Material - A Remarkable Heritage

Although reinforced concrete as known today was introduced in the middle of the nineteenth century, the materials from which it is made were developed over a period of several centuries. Most of the significant improvements in concrete and its reinforcement that relate to modern use in this country have occurred within the past 200 yr. Concrete, the one major construction material formulated by the civil engineer, has undergone great improvement in durability and steady improvement in strength. Many of the changes in concrete are related to its most critical constituent, portland cement. Concrete has been reinforced with many materials. But steel has always dominated and has been used in various sizes and shapes ranging from structural shaped sections to fibers. Current developments in the energy, ecological, and environmental areas indicate that reinforced concrete will be an important construction material in the future.
Defense without aggression

In introducing this group of articles the author notes that the prospect of nuclear disarmament in Europe is boosting “nonoffensive defense” ideas, which have been around for a decade, from theory to politics.
ERM 593 Applied Project_Guidance for Reviewing and Approving a Waste Stream Profile in the Waste Compliance and Tracking System_Final_05-05-15

My ERM 593 applied project will provide guidance for the Los Alamos National Laboratory Waste Stream Profile reviewer (i.e. RCRA reviewer) in regards to Reviewing and Approving a Waste Stream Profile in the Waste Compliance and Tracking System. The Waste Compliance and Tracking system is called WCATS. WCATS is a web-based application that “supports the generation, characterization, processing and shipment of LANL radioactive, hazardous, and industrial waste.” The LANL generator must characterize their waste via electronically by filling out a waste stream profile (WSP) in WCATS. Once this process is completed, the designated waste management coordinator (WMC) will perform a review of the waste stream profile to ensure the generator has completed their waste stream characterization in accordance with applicable state, federal and LANL directives particularly P930-1, “LANL Waste Acceptance Criteria,” and the “Waste Compliance and Tracking System User's Manual, MAN-5004, R2,” as applicable. My guidance/applied project will describe the purpose, scope, acronyms, definitions, responsibilities, assumptions and guidance for the WSP reviewer as it pertains to each panel and subpanel of a waste stream profile.
A General Theory of Reconstruction from Projections and Other Mathematical Considerations Related to this Problem

The last chapter presented a particular estimate which can be used as long as certain choices are made, i. e., L2 (I2) and etc. However, the theoretical background of that estimate does not depend on the particular choices made in Chapter VIII. A more general formulation is given below
New Semi-Empirical Method for Alloys

We introduce a new semi-empirical method for calculating alloy properties. The method Is based on the concepts of equivalent crystal theory of defect formation energies in elemental solids. With this new method we predict heats of formation, lattice parameters, surface energies, segregation senergies and other properties of several binary alloys of fcc (Cu, NI, Ag, Au, Al, Fe, Pd and Pt) and bcc (Cr, Mo, Fe, V) elements. The method is characterized for its extreme computational simplicity and good agreement with experimental results. Several applications of the method are discussed.
Food Plants of the Coreoidea (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

Food plant records are tabulated for five coreoid families, and feeding preferences are analyzed within the Coreinae (Coreidae). With the exception of the Coreinae, food plant associations are characteristic at the subfamily or tribal level. Within the Coreinae, no clear pattern of food plant preference can be discerned. Angiosperms are preferred over gymnosperms, dicots over monocots; but members of all six dicot subclasses are used as food plants. Comparison among the dicot subclasses, weighted to equalize plant group size, shows Caryophyllidae to be the most preferred group, with Magnoliidae and Asteridae least preferred. A dichotomy in use of plant parts is apparent; reproductive organs are preferred by some groups, whereas vascular feeding on vegetative parts is characteristic of others. Breadth of diet, however, is highly variable, ranging from extreme polyphagy to restricted feeding on a single plant species.
The Principle of Sand Pile Model and Its Application in Power System

The power system blackout has the self-organized critical characteristics,and the power system overload has the same features as revealed by the synergetic theory which is based on the self-organized critical theory.A sand pile model is proposed in this paper that can vividly describe the synergetic theory.The corresponding program flow chart and programs are developed and the computation examples are provided.The distribution characteristics of sand particles are obtained by analyzing the calculation results of different computation examples.It is proved through computation that the sand pile model can well simulate the rules revealed by the synergetic theory.The computation results can provides a basis for further application of sand pile model in power system.
Perception evidence for the proportional increase theory of weight

Lunden 2006 gave evidence from a production study with Norwegian speakers that shows there is a proportional relationship between V, the canonical light rhyme, and heavy syllable rhymes. The average proportional increase of a heavy rhyme over a light V rhyme was notably consistent across all positions. Crucially, a final VC rhyme did not reach the same proportional increase in a duration that a non-final VC or VXC did, as final lengthening disproportionally affected V-final rhymes. This poster presents an MFC experiment with Norwegian speakers that finds evidence from the perceptual side for the proportional increase theory of weight.
Absence of a direct effect of recombinant tumor necrosis factor-alpha on human sperm function and murine preimplantation development.

Objective This study was designed to test the in vitro effects of human recombinant tumor necrosis factor (rTNF) on sperm motility, fertilization, and preimplantation development. Design A sensitive enzyme immunoassay was used to determine half-lives of rTNF and confirm concentrations of cytokine throughout experimental conditions. Effect of rTNF on human sperm survival was measured by computer-assisted methodology, and effect on human sperm penetration was assessed by hamster ova penetration. Cytokine effect on murine gamete interaction was determined by in vitro fertilization (IVF). Murine preimplantation development was assessed by in vitro development of cryopreserved-thawed one-cell zygotes. Results The half-life of rTNF was reduced by the addition of sperm to culture media ( P P =0.245) and hamster ova penetration ( P =0.62) were not altered by incubations in the presence of concentrations of rTNF up to 10,000 U/mL. Mouse IVF ( P =0.60) and preimplantation development ( P =0.56) were not altered by rTNF in concentrations up to 5,000 U/mL. Conclusions These results demonstrate rTNF by itself does not interfere with gamete function or early embryo development.
Reduced Hessian Successive Quadratic Programming for Realtime Optimization

Abstract Reduced Hessian Successive Quadratic Programming (SQP) is well suited for the solution of large-scale process optimization problem with many variable, and constraints but few degrees of freedom. The reduced space method involves four major steps: an initial preprocessing phase followed by an iterative procedure which requires the solution of set of a non-linear equations a QP subproblem and a line search. The overall performance of the algorithm depends directly on the robustness and computational efficiency of the techniques used to handle each of these sub-tasks. Here, we discuss improvements to all of these steps in order to specialize this approach to realtime optimization. A numerical comparison of reduced Hessian SQP with MINOS (Murtash and S unden, 1982, 1987) is provided for the optimization of the Sunoco Hydrocracker Fractionation Plant (Bailey et al., 1992). The case study consists of about 3000 variables and constraints and includes several scenarios related to parameter estimation and on-line process-wide optimization. A study of the effect of optimizing the DIB distillation column which constitutes subproblem of the Sunoco example is also included. The results indicate that our algorithm ia at least as robust and an order of magnitude faster than MINOS for this set of problems.
Establishing quantum advantage

What are quantum computers good for? This essay reviews the progress toward proving a quantum advantage over classical computing.
Preparedness of pediatric residents for fellowship: a survey of US neonatal-perinatal fellowship program directors.

Preparedness of pediatric residents for fellowship: a survey of US neonatal–perinatal fellowship program directors
Newman’s Objection and the No Miracles Argument

Structural realists claim that we should endorse only what our scientific theories say about the structure of the unobservable world. But according to Newman’s Objection, the structural realist’s claims about unobservables are trivially true. In recent years, several theorists have offered responses to Newman’s Objection. But a common complaint is that these responses “give up the spirit” of the structural realist position. In this paper, I will argue that the simplest way to respond to Newman’s Objection is to return to one of the standard motivations for adopting structural realism in the first place: the No Miracles Argument. Far from betraying the spirit of structural realism, the solution I present is available to any theorist who endorses this argument.
Facilitation of Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy Progression in Natalizumab-Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients by Suppression of Viral Clearance wth Corticosteroids (P01.180)

OBJECTIVE: To describe possible risks of inadvertently facilitating progression of natalizumab-associated PML (progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy) due to vigorous use of corticosteroids for treatment of IRIS (immune reconstitution inflammation syndrome), and the need to rekindle IRIS. BACKGROUND: IRIS that follows PML in natalizumab-treated multiple sclerosis (NTMS) is typically treated with IV corticosteroids upon its appearance by clinical or radiographic signs. The proper duration and dose of corticosteroids have not been investigated. DESIGN/METHODS: Case reports. RESULTS: Two NTMS patients with PML were treated with a previously described protocol of PLEX, granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), and maraviroc. Upon developing clinical worsening or contrast enhancements on cranial MRI indicative of IRIS, both patients received intravenous methylprednisolone followed by prolonged oral prednisone taper (4-8 weeks). Within 2-4 weeks, the patients stabilized clinically and on MRI. Over the ensuing 4-8 weeks, they began to worsen clinically. Repeat brain MRI studies revealed increasing lesions without contrast enhancements. Suspecting poor viral clearance secondary to immunosuppression, corticosteroids were discontinued in both patients. One patient received a second course of G-CSF, which rekindled IRIS by MRI in 3 days. The other patient developed IRIS by MRI in 2 weeks without additional G-CSF. Recurring IRIS was allowed to evolve for about 1 week while monitoring clinically and by MRI for signs of intracranial hypertension. Shorter courses of lower dose IV methylprednisolone were followed by faster oral corticosteroids tapers, halting worsening. Persistent though diminishing IRIS on follow-up brain MRIs over the ensuing 6-8 weeks was not aggressively treated with corticosteroids as patients remained stable. Both patients have since stabilized radiographically and improved clinically. CONCLUSIONS: Early and aggressive use of corticosteroids prophylactically or after IRIS could result in facilitating progression of PML by suppressing viral clearance. In such cases, rekindling IRIS (with G-CSF or withdrawing corticosteroids) can increase viral clearance and stabilize patients clinically and radiographically. Disclosure: Dr. Ko has received personal compensation from Biogen Idec, EMD Serono, and Acorda. Dr. Balabanov has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec and Teva Neuroscience. Dr. Balabanov has received research support from National Institutes of Health and National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Dr. Stefoski has received personal compensation for activities with Biogen Idec, Acorda Therapeutics, Serono, Teva Neuroscience, EMD Serono, and Elan Corporation. Dr. Stefoski has received royalty payments from Acorda Therapeutics. Dr. Stefoski has received research support from Biogen Idec, Novartis, Serono, and Pfizer Inc.
Analysis on isolated power system oscillation mode and verification of generator speed governor parameters

Focused on a non-electromechanical oscillation issue in Gansu province under islanding operation condition, this study investigated the possible reasons about the occurrence of oscillation by simulating the actually fault proceed and analyzing the corresponding recorded curves. It could be confirmed that unsuitable speed governor parameters of major generators were a significant reason to cause unstable swings in tested isolated system. The analyses of PSASP Small Signal Stability and PSASP-GOV were performed to investigate the possible instabilities of speed governors and exiters for Gansu province. The optimized parameters for islanding mode were generated and the feasibility was verified in field experiments. Finally, the recommended interventions were further produced for improving the stability of islanding operation conditions‥
The Need to Help Journalists with Data and Information Visualization

As news migrates to mobile phones, media companies are turning to data visualization to wet readers' appetites for stories they can read at length on their home or work computers. Journalists are trained to write stories, not in statistics or coding, however. The big news organizations have the funds to hire computer graphics experts, but local news organizations need help.
Are whooping cranes destined for extinction? Climate change imperils recruitment and population growth.

Summary Identifying climatic drivers of an animal population's vital rates and locating where they operate steers conservation efforts to optimize species recovery. The population growth of endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) hinges on juvenile recruitment. Therefore, we identify climatic drivers (solar activity [sunspots] and weather) of whooping crane recruitment throughout the species’ life cycle (breeding, migration, wintering). Our method uses a repeated cross-validated absolute shrinkage and selection operator approach to identify drivers of recruitment. We model effects of climate change on those drivers to predict whooping crane population growth given alternative scenarios of climate change and solar activity. Years with fewer sunspots indicated greater recruitment. Increased precipitation during autumn migration signified less recruitment. On the breeding grounds, fewer days below freezing during winter and more precipitation during breeding suggested less recruitment. We predicted whooping crane recruitment and population growth may fall below long-term averages during all solar cycles when atmospheric CO2 concentration increases, as expected, to 500 ppm by 2050. Species recovery during a typical solar cycle with 500 ppm may require eight times longer than conditions without climate change and the chance of population decline increases to 31%. Although this whooping crane population is growing and may appear secure, long-term threats imposed by climate change and increased solar activity may jeopardize its persistence. Weather on the breeding grounds likely affects recruitment through hydrological processes and predation risk, whereas precipitation during autumn migration may influence juvenile mortality. Mitigating threats or abating climate change should occur within ≈30 years or this wild population of whooping cranes may begin declining.
Target K-shell ionization accompanied by single and double capture in F9++Ar collisions

Abstract Cross sections for target Ar K-shell X-ray emission accompanied by single and double electron capture, as well as the total cross sections for single and double electron capture, have been measured for incident 1.8–2.4 MeV/u F9+ ions colliding with Ar. Coincidences between the detected X-rays and the charge-changed projectile ions were recorded. Preliminary analysis indicates total cross sections for single electron capture on the order 10 - 17 cm 2 , with those for double capture being about an order of magnitude smaller. The corresponding cross sections for target K-shell X-ray emission accompanied by single and double electron capture, despite being about 10 3 times smaller, are nearly flat and approximately equal, a result that was not expected.
Invasive Listeria monocytogenes Gastroenteritis Leading to Stupor, Bacteremia, Fever, and Diarrhea: A Rare Life-Threatening Condition.

Listeria monocytogenes is a gram-positive, rod-shaped organism that can cause serious infections such as meningitis, invasive gastroenteritis, and endocarditis. Every year 1600 people in the United...
Complementarity of Fringe Visibilities in Three-Particle Quantum Mechanics

In an n-particle quantum system there are, in general, distinct and independent types of interference fringes. While ignoring all except one of the particles, one may subject the chosen particle to some adjustable apparatus and thereby cause the count rate at a detector to oscillate, i.e. single-particle fringes. While totally ignoring all but two of the particles, one may make apparatus adjustments that cause oscillations in the coincident count rate at two detectors, i.e. two-particle fringes. Similarly, if the system contains enough particles, one may cause oscillations in the coincident count rates at three, four, or more detectors, thereby creating three-particle and four-particle fringes, etc. In general, since a portion of the n-particle fringing may be simply due to products of lower order fringes, the “raw” n-particle fringes may not be independent of these lower order fringes. However, after subtracting off all contamination due to lower order products, some n-particle oscillations may remain. These are the “true” n-particle fringes and they are always associated with the presence of entanglement at the n-particle level. For two-particle systems there is a striking complementarity1,2,3 in the visibility, v 1, of the single-particle fringes and the visibility, v 12, of the true two-particle fringes: $$v_1^2 + v_{12}^2 \leqslant 1$$ (1) .
A Review of the Genus Chorus Gray, 1847 (Gastropoda: Muricidae) from Western South America

The muricid genus Chorus Gray, 1847, is represented by a single extant species, C. giganteus (Lesson, 1830), which lives along the coast of central and southern Chile. New fossils from southern Peru extend the temporal range of Chorus from the Pliocene to the Late Miocene (C. frassinettii, n. sp.) and the geographic range of three Chilean species [(C. doliaris (Philippi, 1887), C. grandis (Philippi, 1887), and C. giganteus)] into Peru. Chorus covacevichi, n. sp., is described from the Pliocene of Chile. Consistent morphological criteria are established for distinguishing all known species of Chorus. The genus has been endemic to the Peruvian Province and/or Pacific portion of the Magellanic Province since at least 9 Ma. Extinctions and range contractions of Chorus species near the end of the Pliocene may be due to a loss of habitat related to contemporaneous tectonic and oceanographic events.