cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring the cultural impact of zoos and aquariums

Zoos and aquariums claim to accomplish their conservation mission, in part, through the learning experiences they create for visitors to their institutions. In this paper, the authors explore the disconnect that exists between mission, the experiences provided, assessments of success by zoos and aquariums, and the perspectives of the visitors, funders and social influencers who intersect with these institutions. Public perceptions of zoos are key and greatly under-examined in the effort to advance a conservation mission effectively and efficiently within communities. Based on their research in the United States, the authors propose a new framework for studying and measuring how zoos and aquariums are valued in society in order to provide zoo and aquarium professionals with the tools for more targeted assessment of the greatest opportunities for social impact. They offer suggestions on how community perspectives can be leveraged in programme design to promote environmental sustainability, and what further research may be required to engage fully with the question of how zoos and aquariums can contribute to a culture of sustainability. The authors conclude that by thinking about how the social value of zoos is perceived from a community lens, the zoo and aquarium community will be better equipped to align programmes with community need without compromising their core conservation mission.
Hydrogen storage property of sandwiched magnesium hydride nanoparticle thin film

Abstract Hydrogen sorption property of magnesium (Mg) in the form of sandwiched Pd/Mg/Pd films is investigated. Pulsed laser deposition method was applied to deposit the samples consisting of films of nanoparticles. The enthalpy of formation of MgH2 was found to be −68 kJ/mol H2 for films with nanoparticle size on the order of 50 nm, which is smaller than the value for bulk MgH2 and may be explained by the concept of excess volume.
Learning about and learning from expert teachers

Abstract Studies of expertise in teaching have been informative, despite problems. One problem is determining the relative roles of talent vs. deliberate practice in the acquisition of expertise. When studying teachers, however, a third factor must be considered, that of context. The working conditions of teachers exert a powerful influence on the development of expertise. A second problem is that of definition because expertise in teaching takes different forms in different cultures, and its characteristics change by decade. A distinction is drawn between the good teacher and the successful teacher, characteristics of expertise that are often confused. A prototypical model of expertise is described and found to identify teachers who were both good and successful. Discussed also is the importance of understanding adaptive or fluid expertise, automaticity and flexibility. Finally, the development of teacher expertise is seen as an increase in agency over time.
Radioactive implant induced X-ray emission

Abstract Two approaches with X-ray excitation sources directly inside a sample have been examined: mixing a sample in solution with a radioisotope or bombardment of a solid specimen with a radioactive ion beam. The radioisotopes used weere 3 H, 35 S, 125 I, with detection limits of, for example, 20 μg/g for Ag excited by a 125 I implant of ∼75 kBq; 100 μg/g for Ti excited by a 3 H implant of ∼7 MBq. For comparable detection limits, the source strengths required are ∼10 3 less than that needed with external sources. The elemental coverage and the capabilities for simultaneous multielement detection are similar to “conventional” XES. In the beam implant mode, the spot size and energy of the beam provide for spatially resolved in situ X-ray excitation at a desired location inside a solid.
Nazis on the run: how Hitler's henchmen fled justice

Perhaps the greatest fog of war is in its aftermath. Gerald Steinacher characterises post-war Europe as a chaotic place complete with competing provisional authorities, untold numbers of stateless ...
Commodity conditioning to reduce impact bruising

This paper proposes tools for managing bruise threshold in apples, pears, and potatoes by controlling temperature, relative turgor, and strain rate. It includes information on the effects of these three factors on tissue failure stress and failure strain; and an equation for estimating bruise threshold based on these failure properties, Poisson's ratio, and specimen mass and radius of curvature. In general, higher temperature and/or lower relative turgor (within limits) in potato tubers and some pear cultivars resulted in improved bruise threshold, while in apples, lower relative turgor improved bruise threshold but temperature had little effect. While some of this information has been available qualitatively or quantitatively for quasi-static loading, this work quantifies the relationships among these variables for impact loading. The theory of elasticity-based equation predicts that impact bruise threshold is directly proportional to tissue failure stress, to the 4th power of tissue failure strain, the 3rd power of radius of curvature, and inversely proportional to specimen mass. Preliminary validation work predicted apple and potato bruise thresholds within 23% of experimental values or better for assumed values of Poisson's ratio. The relationship is already proving valuable in screening of new cultivars.
Monolayer cuprous chloride dispersed on pillared clays for olefin-paraffin separations by π-complexation

New adsorbents containing cuprous chloride dispersed on pillared interlayered clays (PILC) have been prepared and studied for olefin-paraffin separations. High surface-area PILC's were synthesized with different metal oxide (Al2O3, Fe2O3, TiO2 and ZrO2) as the intercalating pillars. Cuprous chloride was dispersed in a submonolayer form on these PILC's. Pure-component isotherms were measured for C2H4, C2H6, C3H6 and C3H8 at 25°C and 60°C. All sorbents exhibited high C2H4/C2H6 and C3H6/C3H8 ratios with significantly high amounts of olefins adsorbed. The best sorbent was CuCl/TiO2-PILC which showed a C2H4/C2H6 ratio of 5.3 and C3H6/C3H8=2.9 at 25°C. In all cases, olefins adsorbed by π-complexation with Cu(I) ion, reflected by heats of adsorption in the range 10.7–13.7 kcal/mol, as compared to 4.8–6.9 kcal/mol for the physical adsorption of the paraffins. The π-complexation was fully reversible, limited only by the rates of pore diffusion. Diffusion of C2's was rapid while for C3's the diffusion reached 60% completion in approximately 6 min. Comparing these results with those of CuCl/γ-Al2O3, the olefin/paraffin adsorption ratios were not as high as those of the later. However, the olefin isotherms on the PILC-supported CuCl displayed the desirable feature of having a steeper portion above the knee of the isotherm (the knee occurred at below 0.1 atm). This was a useful feature for separation because it yielded a larger working capacity. The steeper isotherm was attributed to a higher degree of energy heterogeneity as the PILC contained both surfaces of pillars and clay layers as opposed to only γ-Al2O3.
Aggregation in oil-in-water emulsions. Effects of dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate concentration.

A procedure was developed which is suitable for the study of aggregation in oil-in-water emulsions. It involves the preparation of a relatively monodispersed emulsion (droplet sizes around 1 diameter) by the electrical dispersion technique and the determination of the distribution of sizes of the aggregates with the Coulter counter. The method was applied to the study of aggregation in hexadecane-in-water emulsions containing dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate1 (AOT) at varying concentrations. It was found that at low AOT concentrations (≲ 0.1%) the emulsions were completely deaggregated. As the AOT concentration increased beyond this value, aggregation set in and progressively increased over the entire range of AOT concentration studied (up to 1.5%). In this system, aggregation was found to be completely reversible, the equilibrium being reached in all cases in a few days.
Reinvestigating the Effects of Promised Reward on Creativity

In a pivotal study, Eisenberger and Rhoades (2001) recently put forth evidence that promised reward enhances creativity when the reward is clearly contingent upon creative, as opposed to conventional performance. The present study reinvestigated this finding, additionally examining the role of reward framing (i.e., gain vs. non-gain) as well as that of expected competence information and self-determination. In both experiments, only non-gain framed rewards reliably enhanced creativity, suggesting that that the mental construal of a reward (as either a potential gain or non-gain) is an important moderator of its effects on creative generation. Results also indicated that the facilitative influence of promised reward on creativity is due to the offering of an incentive per se and not the concomitant prospect of receiving normative competence feedback. Finally, although it was influenced by reward framing, perceived self-determination did not mediate the effect of promised reward on creativity.
Predicting mortality after intracerebral hemorrhage: comparison of scoring systems and influence of withdrawal of care.

Objective: The Broderick system and the intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) score are two systems for predicting 30-day mortality in patients with spontaneous ICH. No previous study has compared two ICH scoring systems in an independent patient cohort. Our purpose was to externally validate and directly compare these two systems and evaluate the effect of withdrawal of care on system performance. Methods: In all, 307 consecutive patients admitted with ICH between 1998 and 2002 were evaluated. Broderick exclusion criteria were used, resulting in a cohort of 241 patients. Admission Glasgow Coma Scale score, ICH volume, 30-day mortality, and day-30 location were collected. The sensitivity, specificity, receiver operator characteristic curves, and model explained variance ( R 2 ) of the two systems were directly compared. The statistical performances of both systems were then compared in subsets that included or excluded patients from whom care was withdrawn. Results: Overall mortality was 76 of 241 (31.5%). The ICH score had significantly higher sensitivity (66% v 45%, P = .001) and higher receiver operator characteristic curves (0.814 v 0.773, P R 2 and specificity were not significantly different between systems. Both systems were significantly associated with 30-day location stratified as home, acute rehabilitation, skilled nursing facility, or death (ICH score Chi square=79.28, P P Conclusions: The ICH score performed significantly better than the Broderick system. Overall statistical performance of both systems was not influenced by withdrawal of care.
Biomimetic synthesis of the neolignans kadsurenone, denudatin B, O-methyl-liliflodione, and liliflol B

Synthesis of (±)-kadsurenone (1), (±)-denudatin B (2), (±)-O-methyl-liliflodione (3a), and (±)-liliflol B (14) is described. The key synthetic step is a biomimetic cationic cycloaddition between E- or Z-1,2-dimethoxy-4-propenylbenzene (11) and ortho-quinone monoketal 10.
Early Cretaceous sarraceniacean-like pitcher plants from China

Abstract This paper reports fossil plants of Archaeamphora longicervia gen. et sp. nov. Li from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation, northeastern China. The plants are herbaceous and similar to modern sarraceniaceans in having spirally arranged developed/underdeveloped pitchers and phyllodia-like leaves that have parallel major veins and reticulate meshes, distinctive honey-spoon-like structures and porous glands. The intimately associated seeds are reticulate-tuberculate and winged, resembling sarraceniacean seeds. The unique pitcher and characteristic seed suggest a relationship to Sarraceniaceae. The relationship to Angiosperms is also supported with fossil molecule oleanane found from Archaeamphora, using GC-MS. Archaeamphora demonstrates the earliest carnivorous plant and the only fossil record of pitcher plants. Also, as the third genus of the oldest Angiosperms, the existence of such a derived taxon suggests that flowering plants should have originated much earlier.
173 ELECTROCARDIOGRAPHIC-ECHOCARDIOGRAPHIC CORRELATION OF ATRIAL ENLARGEMENT DURING CHILDHOOD

Electrocardiographic(ECG) criteria for left atrial enlargement (LAE) are considered to accurately reflect left atrial dimensions. No data are available correlating left atrial size (LAS) and ECG criteria for LAE in children. ECG and echocardiograms (Echo) of ninety-five patients(pts) (age-1 day to 18y, median 7mos.)were studied to determine if LAE as manifested by four different ECG criteria accurately reflect LAE as determined by LAS and LA/AO ratio on echo, clinical and catheterization data. Four cardiac defects known to cause LAE were selected for study. There were 27 pts with ventricular septal defect(Group 1); 15 pts with mitral insufficiency(Group 2); 25 pts with patent ductus arteriosus(Group 3); and 28 pts with cardiomyopathy(Group 4). Our results show that 1)in pts with no ECG criteria for LAE 67% and 96% had increased LAS and LA/AO ratio on echo respectively. 2)in pts with LAE on ECG 67% and 73% had increased LAS and LA/AO ratio on echo. 3)66% and 57% of pts with increased LAS and LA/AO ratio by echo showed LAE by ECG. 4)with increasing magnitude of LAS by echo, LAE by ECG became more predictive. Overall sensitivity, and predictive value of LAE by ECG criteria were 66% and 67% and for the groups, Gr 1: 100%, 33%, Gr 2: 75%, 90%, Gr 3: 21%, 100%, Gr 4: 81%, and 81% respectively. We conclude that current ECG criteria for LAE in children are not as sensitive or predictive as previously suggested.
On the deep circulation in the Arctic Ocean

Abstract New measurements show that the deep water of the Arctic Ocean is not simply a uniform body of water but has an internal structure in its hydrography, mixing history and motion. A primary distinction can be made between the upper deep water, less saline than 34.92 to 34.93, which may derive rather directly from the Greenland or Norwegian Sea, and the lower deep water, which has had its salinity augmented within the Arctic Ocean. The relatively sharp interface between the two is centered near 1500 m, but its depth varies considerably. Both the upper and lower deep waters cross the Lomonosov Ridge. In the vicinity of the Pole, the deep overflow moves diagonally up the ridge in a pulsating manner, with peak speeds exceeding 12 cm s−1. There are indications that oscillations with periods exceeding about two days are bottom-trapped. Flow in the abyss is generally less than 1 cm s−1, but more energetic episodes with speeds of 2 to 4 cm s−1 occur, typically 5 to 10 days apart. Below the upper few hundred meters, the circulation in both the Eurasian and Canadian basins appears to be cyclonic, and in most areas it is counter to the upper flow regime.
Effects of all‐trans retinoic acid or chemotherapy on the molecular regulation of systemic blood coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia

We studied the pathogenesis of the bleeding disorder in acute promyelocytic leukemia by measuring procoagulant, profibrinolytic, and proinflammatory mediators in peripheral blood and bone marrow cells from 25 previously untreated patients. Patients were induced with either all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) or chemotherapy. Plasma levels of fibrinopeptide A (FPA), fibrin d-dimer, thrombin antithrombin (TAT) complex, prothrombin fragment 1.2 (F1.2), urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator-inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) were measured before and after therapy, as was the cellular expression of the genes for tissue factor (TF) and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). The mean plasma levels of fibrin d-dimer, F1.2, TAT and FPA were markedly elevated prior to therapy and declined during the first 30 days of treatment with either ATRA or chemotherapy, but more rapidly and to a greater extent in patients treated with ATRA. ATRA treatment was associated with a significant decrease in TF gene expression in bone marrow cells during the first 30 days of treatment, whereas IL-1 beta gene expression, which decreased in the cells of six patients treated with either chemotherapy or ATRA, actually increased in the remaining six patients treated with either chemotherapy or ATRA. In patients with APL, treatment with either chemotherapy or ATRA rapidly ameliorates the coagulopathy, as indicated by an abrupt decline in markers of clotting activation. An increase in cytokine gene expression (e.g. IL-1 beta) may provide an explanation for the persistent hypercoagulability observed in some patients with APL, regardless of therapeutic approach. Our data confirms and extends earlier observations by others that ATRA is more effective than chemotherapy alone in rapidly reducing the procoagulant burden of APL tumor cells. However, our data also suggests that cytokine expression in some patients may be accelerated by either chemotherapy or ATRA. The implications of this observation for understanding the retinoic acid syndrome will require further studies.
Transformation of Rhodococcus rhodnii, a symbiont of the Chagas disease vector Rhodnius prolixus, with integrative elements of the L1 mycobacteriophage.

Elimination of vector populations through the use of insecticides is the principal means of controlling Chagas disease. Because of the limitations of insecticide use, we have been developing a new potential method of control, to be used in conjunction with insecticide programs, a method which utilizes genetically modified symbiotic bacteria. These transformed bacteria can express anti-parasitic agents in the gut of the bug where the trypanosomes also are found. Previous studies have shown that it is possible to transform Rhodococcus rhodnii with a shuttle plasmid that contains the gene for cecropin A, an insect anti-microbial peptide. The bacteria expressed this peptide and reduced or eliminated the number of trypanosomes in the bug Rhodnius prolixus [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 94 (1997) 3274]. In an effort to improve efficacy and transformation stability, we have begun using plasmids that contain integrative elements from the L1 mycobacteriophage to insert DNA into the genome of the bacterium. The integrative plasmid pBP5 contains the attachment site (attP) and integrase gene (int) of the L1 mycobacteriophage, an antibiotic resistance gene and the lacZ gene. After transforming R. rhodnii with pBP5, nine positive clones were obtained and six different insertions sites were identified. In each clone, the integrative plasmid is inserted only once, the lacZ gene is expressed intensely and, all clones but one, remained stable for 100 generations of culture in the absence of antibiotic selection. In addition, the construct remains stable throughout the life cycle of the bug. These data demonstrate that L1 mycobacteriophage integrative plasmids are significantly more stable than episomally located plasmids used in previous studies and will be greatly beneficial for use in the transformation of symbiotic bacteria of Chagas disease vectors.
A performance analysis of the spring protocol through simulation

Many of today's organizations have set up wireless networks for company use, some merely for the convenience of not having wires everywhere. In addition, many of these networks are using a hardware implementation of the IEEE 802.11 Wired Equivalent Privacy protocol (WEP) for security. With the known vulnerabilities in WEP, these organizations are faced with either a costly hardware upgrade or just ignoring the vulnerabilities. However, the Synchronized Pseudo Random Number Generation protocol (SPRiNG) is a proposed solution to securing wireless communication designed to work with existing WEP enabled hardware devices. Replacing networking components with hardware that implements other security measures such as the Wi-Fi Protected Access protocol (WPA) can be very costly. Therefore, a solution such as SPRiNG that can be implemented with a software or a firmware upgrade on existing WEP enabled hardware is desirable. Using simulation, this paper provides a performance analysis of the SPRiNG protocol's increased overhead. We determine that SPRiNG will perform acceptably with up to 20% more than normal network loss.
Unknown Element of Owning Costs — Impact of Residual Value

Residual value is a largely unknown element within the cost calculations for construction equipment that equipment managers are preparing. Traditional estimation methods fall short of capturing its actual nature over time in detail. In this paper we consider the current state of knowledge on residual value and on other cost elements for used heavy construction equipment as implemented in a spreadsheet tool for owning and operating cost calculation. The potential influence of the factor residual value on the total owning costs, and ultimately on total hourly rates, is examined for several different types of heavy equipment. Representative examples of cost calculations are used to perform a sensitivity analysis. Intuitive contour diagrams of the total hourly cost are introduced. The need for an extended examination of residual value of construction equipment is demonstrated using statistical tests. Residual value is found to have a statistically significant contribution to the total hourly cost.
Complications of pericardiocentesis: A clinical synopsis

Pericardiocentesis (PC) is both a diagnostic and a potentially life-saving therapeutic procedure. Currently echocardiography-guided pericardiocentesis is considered the standard clinical practice in the treatment of large pericardial effusions and cardiac tamponade. Although considered relatively safe, this invasive procedure may be associated with certain risks and potentially serious complications. This review provides a summary of pericardiocentesis and a focused overview of the potential complications of this procedure.
Counselor Competence, Performance Assessment, and Program Evaluation Using Psychometric Instruments

Psychometric instruments have been underutilized by counselor educators in performance assessment and program evaluation efforts. As such, we conducted a review of the literature that revealed 41 instruments fit for such efforts. We described and critiqued these instruments along four dimensions—Target Domain, Format, Psychometrics, and Frequency of Use.
Automating open educational resources assessments: a machine learning generalization study

Assessing the quality of online educational resources in a cost effective manner is a critical issue for educational digital libraries. This study reports on the approach for extending the Open Educational Resource Assessments (OPERA) algorithm from assessing vetted to peer-produced content. This article reports details of changes to the algorithm, comparisons between human raters and the algorithm, and the extent the algorithm can automate the review process.
Ostrovsky and Hunter's generic wave equation for weakly dispersive waves: matched asymptotic and pseudospectral study of the paraboloidal travelling waves (corner and near-corner waves)

The wave equation $(u_{t} + u u_{x})_{x} - u = 0$ is a model for shallow water waves with Coriolis force, sound waves in a bubbly liquid and more generally “is the canonical asymptotic equation for genuinely nonlinear waves that are nondispersive as their wavelength tends to zero” in the words of Hunter [13]. This Ostrovsky–Hunter equation has steadily-translating, spatially periodic solutions which exist only when $c \leq c_{limit}$ . The limiting wave (‘parabolic wave’) is exactly given by a piecewise quadratic polynomial in $x$ with a discontinuous slope at the crest. We show that near the limit, the travelling waves (‘paraboloidal waves’) can be approximated by matched asymptotic expansions: the inner solution rounds off the point while the outer solution, valid over most of the spatial domain, is to lowest order just the parabolic wave. In the opposite limit of small amplitude, we derive a Fourier-and-powers-of-amplitude expansion (‘Stokes' series’). We show that this is remarkably accurate even very close to the limiting wave and converges to the limiting wave for unit amplitude. We demonstrate also that the Fourier pseudospectral method gives first order convergence even for the slope-discontinuous parabolic wave.
A parallel householder tridiagonalization stratagem using scattered row decomposition

Householder's method for tridiagonalizing a real symmetric matrix, a major step in evaluating eigenvalues of the matrix, is modified into a parallel algorithm for a concurrent machine of message passing type. Each processor of the concurrent machine has its own CPU, communications control and local memory. Messages are passed through connections between processors. Although the basic algorithm is inherently serial, the computations can be spread over all processors by scattering different rows of the matrix into processors, hence the term 'Scattered Row Decomposition'. The steps in the serial and the parallel algorithms are identified. Expressions for efficiency and speedup are given in terms of problem and machine parameters. For a concurrent machine of ring type interconnection, a selected representative problem of large order exhibits efficiency approaching 66 per cent.
BMP, Wnt and FGF signals are integrated through evolutionarily conserved enhancers to achieve robust expression of Pax3 and Zic genes at the zebrafish neural plate border

Neural crest cells generate a range of cells and tissues in the vertebrate head and trunk, including peripheral neurons, pigment cells, and cartilage. Neural crest cells arise from the edges of the nascent central nervous system, a domain called the neural plate border (NPB). NPB induction is known to involve the BMP, Wnt and FGF signaling pathways. However, little is known about how these signals are integrated to achieve temporally and spatially specific expression of genes in NPB cells. Furthermore, the timing and relative importance of these signals in NPB formation appears to differ between vertebrate species. Here, we use heat-shock overexpression and chemical inhibitors to determine whether, and when, BMP, Wnt and FGF signaling are needed for expression of the NPB specifiers pax3a and zic3 in zebrafish. We then identify four evolutionarily conserved enhancers from the pax3a and zic3 loci and test their response to BMP, Wnt and FGF perturbations. We find that all three signaling pathways are required during gastrulation for the proper expression of pax3a and zic3 in the zebrafish NPB. We also find that, although the expression patterns driven by the pax3a and zic3 enhancers largely overlap, they respond to different combinations of BMP, Wnt and FGF signals. Finally, we show that the combination of the two pax3a enhancers is less susceptible to signaling perturbations than either enhancer alone. Taken together, our results reveal how BMPs, FGFs and Wnts act cooperatively and redundantly through partially redundant enhancers to achieve robust, specific gene expression in the zebrafish NPB.
Human Centered Multimedia Computing: A New Paradigm for the Design of Assistive and Rehabilitative Environments

In this paper, we describe a human centered multimedia computing (HCMC) approach to the design and development of assistive and rehabilitative environments for people with disabilities. Unlike human computer interaction (HO), which was targeted at improving the usability of computing devices, HCMC addresses a higher level of functionality where machines adapt to the users resulting in elegant interactions. At the Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing (CUbiC), we are engaged in a project for individuals who are blind and visually impaired, called iCARE (information technology centric assistive and rehabilitative environment). An overview of the iCARE project components is first presented followed by a detailed discussion of one example of our research effort, namely pose angle estimation of faces towards enhancing social interactions.
Breast cancer surgery: an historical narrative. Part I. From prehistoric times to Renaissance.

Cancer was known as a disease since prehistoric times. Management of breast cancer evolved slowly through centuries in the ancient world up to the Renaissance. This period is marked by the absence of any scientifically verifiable understanding of the true nature of cancer and its natural history and consequently by a lack of effective treatment. Breast has been considered as a symbol of femininity, fertility and beauty. Hippocrates proposed that breast cancer, among other neoplasms, was a 'systemic disease' caused by an excess of black bile. The humoral theory was further supported by Galen and dominated for centuries in medicine. Fulguration and breast amputation by using various instruments to achieve a rapid operation were widely used up to the 18th century. The Renaissance was a revolutionary period, since it stimulated medical practice; at that time physicians started to scientifically study medicine. Vesalius greatly contributed in the advancement of surgery, and he vigorously opposed Galen's doctrines. Many great surgeons of that time (including Pare, Cabrol, Servetto, Scultetus, Tulp, Fabry von Hilded, etc.) advanced the science of surgery. Interestingly, Bartoleny Gabrol (1590) in Montpellier advocated radical mastectomy, which was popularised by Halsted, 300 years later. However, the lack of anaesthesia and the problem of wound infections (due to the lack of the aseptic techniques) generated significance and often problems for the surgeons of that time. Surgery was often 'heroic' but primitive and even inhumane by current standards. Therapeutic nihilism was the prevailing altitude regarding breast cancer, at least among the vast majority of surgeons.
Radiotherapy for cancer of the head and neck: altered fractionation regimens.

Summary A greater understanding of radiobiology led to the development of two classes of radiation fractionation schedules for the treatment of head and neck cancers. The aim of accelerated fractionation is to reduce tumour proliferation, which is a major cause of relapse, by shortening the total duration of radiotherapy. By contrast, hyperfractionation exploits the differential sensitivity of tumour cells and normal tissues to radiation, to increase the therapeutic gain. The results of clinical trials of various types of altered fractionation schedules in head and neck carcinomas are examined in this review. Acceleration of radiation by 1 week without dose reduction and hyperfractionation are consistently better than standard fractionation for locoregional control of intermediate to advanced carcinomas without an increase in late toxic effects. However, improvement in survival of patients has not been consistent. Clinical investigations show that improvement in locoregional disease control and consistent gain in survival have been achieved with combinations of radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy in patients with mostly stage IV carcinomas. However, these benefits have been at the expense of increased late morbidity. Consequently, concurrent radiochemotherapy is now preferred for non-surgical treatment of patients with locally advanced carcinomas, whereas altered fractionation is generally selected for patients with intermediate-stage tumours or who are medically unfit to receive chemotherapy. Further data is needed before the combination of altered fractionation with chemotherapy can be recommended outside of a study setting.
Thinking Outside the Triangle: Replication Fidelity of the Largest RNA Viruses

When judged by ubiquity, adaptation, and emergence of new diseases, RNA viruses are arguably the most successful biological organisms. This success has been attributed to a defect of sorts: high mutation rates (low fidelity) resulting in mutant swarms that allow rapid selection for fitness in new environments. Studies of viruses with small RNA genomes have identified fidelity determinants in viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerases and have shown that RNA viruses likely replicate within a limited fidelity range to maintain fitness. In this review we compare the fidelity of small RNA viruses with that of the largest RNA viruses, the coronaviruses. Coronaviruses encode the first known viral RNA proofreading exoribonuclease, a function that likely allowed expansion of the coronavirus genome and that dramatically increases replication fidelity and the range of tolerated variation. We propose models for regulation of coronavirus fidelity and discuss the implications of altered fidelity for RNA virus replication, pathogenesis, and evolution.
Animating Sand, Mud, and Snow

Computer animations often lack the subtle environmental changes that should occur due to the actions of the characters. Squealing car tires usually leave no skid marks, airplanes rarely leave jet trails in the sky, and most runners leave no footprints. In this paper, we describe a simulation model of ground surfaces that can be deformed by the impact of rigid body models of animated characters. To demonstrate the algorithms, we show footprints made by a runner in sand, mud, and snow as well as bicycle tire tracks, a bicycle crash, and a falling runner. The shapes of the footprints in the three surfaces are quite dierent, but the eects were controlled through only ve essentially independent parameters. To assess the realism of the resulting motion, we compare the simulated footprints to human footprints in sand.
Functional alterations in the social organization of bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata) induced by ovariectomy: an experimental analysis

Abstract A group of seven ovariectomized female and three intact male Macaca radiata was compared to a matched control group of intact females and males during a breeding season. A second, replicate, experiment was conducted after the males had been switched between groups to partially control for seasonal effects and differences in the age of males. In the first experiment, 161 hr of quantitative data were collected and in the second, 93 hr. Differences in the social organization of the experimental and control groups were anticipated by five a priori evolutionary predictions focused on aspects of intersexual and intrasexual selection: (1) less affiliative and sexual behavior between males and ovariectomized females; (2) less intrasexual competition between them; (3) more intrasexual affiliation among males and ovariectomized females; (4) more intersexual competition between them and (5) more homogeneous patterns of use of resources. Sixty of 90 applications of these predictions to behavioral measures were confirmed. These admittedly exploratory a priori predictions thus significantly increased the ability to anticipate social consequences of female castration. Contrary to Predictions 2 and 4, ovariectomized females engaged in more intrasexual agonistic behavior and less frequently showed aggression toward males.
Design of a new PumaPaint interface and its use in one year of operation

The PumaPaint project is an online robot that allows World Wide Web users to remotely create original artwork. The original site located at Wilkes University operated from June of 1998 to March of 2000 with approximately 25,000 unique-addressed machines downloading the interface to produce about 500 canvases. The new site at Roger Williams University opened to the public in August of 2002. After noticing that over fifty-percent of the machines downloading the interface were located outside of the United States we decided to create a more elegant and intuitive interface aimed at users from varied countries and varied ages. This work addresses issues, concerns, and resolutions developed to provide this updated interface. The current site was updated integrating this new interface in November of 2002 and evaluation of the interface is currently underway.
An extensive test of 14 scoring functions using the PDBbind refined set of 800 protein-ligand complexes.

Fourteen popular scoring functions, i.e., X-Score, DrugScore, five scoring functions in the Sybyl software (D-Score, PMF-Score, G-Score, ChemScore, and F-Score), four scoring functions in the Cerius2 software (LigScore, PLP, PMF, and LUDI), two scoring functions in the GOLD program (GoldScore and ChemScore), and HINT, were tested on the refined set of the PDBbind database, a set of 800 diverse protein−ligand complexes with high-resolution crystal structures and experimentally determined Ki or Kd values. The focus of our study was to assess the ability of these scoring functions to predict binding affinities based on the experimentally determined high-resolution crystal structures of proteins in complex with their ligands. The quantitative correlation between the binding scores produced by each scoring function and the known binding constants of the 800 complexes was computed. X-Score, DrugScore, Sybyl::ChemScore, and Cerius2::PLP provided better correlations than the other scoring functions with standard ...
Function and stability of human transcobalamin II: role of intramolecular disulfide bonds C98-C291 and C147-C187

The current studies have investigated the role of three disulfide bonds of human transcobalamin II (TC II), a plasma transporter of cobalamin (Cbl; vitamin B12), in its function and stability. When...
On two approaches to analyzing consensus in complex networks

Recently there is a great interest in studying consensus and flocking problems by analyzing dynamics of linear interacting systems coupled via a complex network. Two approaches have emerged to study this problem. In one approach the system is analyzed via the theory of inhomogeneous Markov chains and consensus is related to weak ergodicity of Markov chains. More recently, consensus problems are studied with communication delays between the coupled systems and the approach used is based on paracontracting and pseudocontracting operators. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate the connections between these two approaches and show that under certain conditions they are in fact equivalent.
Selective imaging strategies for the diagnosis of appendicitis in children.

Background. We previously reported an appendiceal imaging protocol in which children with equivocal clinical presentations for acute appendicitis undergo ultrasonography (US) followed by computed tomography (CT). However, risk groups of children who would benefit most from imaging studies have not been established. Objective. To define and test selective imaging guidelines to increase diagnostic accuracy and reduce unnecessary testing for children with suspected appen- dicitis. Methods. We modeled outcomes under 3 different management guidelines. Patients were risk-stratified by a recursive partitioning analysis of a retrospective cohort. Subjects included children with equivocal presentations of acute appendicitis evaluated between January 1996 and December 1999. By using recursive partitioning, 3 risk groups were identified: low, medium, and high risk for acute appendicitis. Three imaging guidelines were defined. Under the first guideline, representing standard clinical practice at Children's Hospital Boston at the time of the study, all children with equivocal signs and symp- toms for acute appendicitis undergo US first. If the US is positive, the child proceeds to appendectomy. If the US is negative, the child undergoes CT. Under guideline 2, low-risk children undergo US and, if negative, are dis- charged from the hospital. High-risk children undergo CT, and medium-risk children undergo US followed by CT. Under the third guideline, low-risk children undergo no imaging and are admitted for observation. High-risk children proceed directly to appendectomy without im- aging studies. Medium-risk children undergo US fol- lowed by CT. Clinical outcomes and the number of im- aging studies performed were modeled under current practice and under each guideline. Results. Identified were 1401 cases of equivocal ap- pendicitis; 958 (68.4%) with complete data. The mean age was 11 4.3 years. Of 958 children, 588 (61.4%) had acute appendicitis. One hundred forty-three patients were in the low-risk group, defined as neutrophils 67%, white blood cell count >10 000/mm 3 , guarding, and abdominal pain >13 hours. Of these, 202 (90%) had appendicitis. Under guideline 1, there were 22 negative appendectomies, 35 missed or delayed diag- noses, and 958 USs and 673 CT scans performed. Under guideline 2, there would have been 23 negative appen- dectomies, 36 missed or delayed diagnoses, and 733 USs and 637 CT scans performed. Under guideline 3, there would have been 36 negative appendectomies, 37 missed or delayed diagnoses, and 590 USs and 412 CT scans performed. Conclusions. Selective imaging guidelines can reduce the number of radiographic studies performed with min- imal diminution in accuracy of diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis. Pediatrics 2004;113:24 -28; appendicitis, computed tomography, ultrasonography, selective imag- ing guidelines.
Treatment of acute carbon monoxide poisoning with hyperbaric oxygen: A review of 115 cases

From January 1978 through March 1984, 115 cases of acute carbon monoxide poisoning were treated with hyperbaric oxygen. Exposure resulted from accidental sources (n = 39), attempted suicide (n = 47), and smoke inhalation (n = 29). Forty-one victims were never unconscious, 30 victims were unconscious at the scene but awoke before arriving at the hospital, and 44 victims were unconscious in the ED. Eleven patients (9.6%) died, and two victims (1.9% of the survivors) experienced major sequelae. All these patients were comatose on arrival. The remaining 102 patients recovered fully. Carboxyhemoglobin levels did not correlate with clinical findings, thereby demonstrating the variability between carbon monoxide exposure and impairment of the cellular cytochrome system. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy facilitates the rapid removal of carbon monoxide from the hemoglobin and cytochrome systems while reoxygenating compromised tissues, and it can be an effective treatment in reducing mortality and morbidity.
Operant Reward Learning in Aplysia

Anticipating the future has a decided evolutionary advantage, and researchers have found many evolutionarily conserved mechanisms by which humans and animals learn to predict future events. Researchers often study such learned behavior using conditioning experiments. The marine snail Aplysia has been at the forefront of research into the cellular and molecular mechanisms of classical conditioning. Recently, Aplysia has also gained a reputation as a valuable model system for operant reward learning. Its feeding behavior can be operantly conditioned in the intact animal as well as in reduced preparations of the nervous system. The reward signal relies on dopamine transmission and acts in conjunction with activity in an identified neuron (B51) to bring about operant memory.
A method to determine the amounts of cloud-top radiative and evaporative cooling in a stratocumulus-topped boundary layer

SUMMARY The turbulent processes of a stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer are not yet fully understood. Among the issues is the relative importance of the effects of cloud-top radiative and evaporative cooling in driving the stratocumulus-topped marine boundary layer turbulence, and in producing cloud break-up. A better way to analyse the relevant observations is needed. Based on the concepts of mixing fraction and mixing-line analysis, a new method to quantitatively determine the radiative and evaporative cooling of the entrained air parcels near cloud top is proposed. Quantities 6(s,)~, which includes evaporative cooling and entrainment mixing warming, and ~(s,)R. which includes both radiative cooling and the condensation warming due to radiative cooling, are defined to measure the relative importance of entrainment and radiation effects on parcel buoyancy. Provided that radiative cooling does not depend on mixing fraction for a solid cloud, slopes of the mixing lines from the linear regression of aircraft data, rather than the jumps from soundings, can be used to determine S(S,)E and S(S,)R. In this way, the information from an extra level above cloud is not needed to determine 6(.s,)~ and B(s,)R. and thus the ambiguities associated with the jumps are by-passed. The applications of the method to a large-eddy simulation case and an aircraft data set suggest that radiative cooling is the dominant contributor to the negative buoyancy of the entrained parcels for both cases. They also raise the question as to how much a single sounding can be trusted quantitatively to determine the jumps across the inversion.
AGU's 2010 annual report now available online

AGU president Michael McPhaden, in a letter introducing the Union's recently released 2010 annual report, said that “2010 was a historic year for Earth and space science, and for AGU as an organization.” He went on to say, “It is my honor to report on how our organization addressed challenges and created opportunities for growth and advancement throughout 2010, building on our core strengths of scientific excellence and groundbreaking research.” The report tells the story of AGU's science and its commitment to promoting discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity through a series of profiles of individual members. The profiles focus on the impact these scientists' work is having on the world around them and how it relates to the goals outlined in AGU's new strategic plan.
The role of oxidized LDL in atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is a complex disease involving a variety of circulating blood components, lipoproteins, and their interactions with the cells and proteins of the extracellular matrix of the artery wall. The end stage lesion, which results in the occlusion of a vessel and/or provides a thrombogenic surface which leads to intravas cular thrombosis is frequently an acellular, fibrotic section of tissue reflecting the end stage of a complicated inflammatory process. The atherosclerotic plaque contains the cellular debris of dead and decaying cells and a variety of substances trapped amidst this debris, including cholesterol, chiefly in the form of precipitated crystals1. While many pathogenic mechanisms must be involved in transforming normal arterial tissue, which contains only a one-or two-layer thick intimal layer, into this highly thickened intima, it is nevertheless clear that deposition of cholesterol within the intima plays a central role in the pathogenesis of the atherosclerotic plaque. Because arterial wall cholesterol is derived almost exclusively from circulating lipoproteins, chiefly in the form of low density lipoproteins (LDL), research must focus on trying to understand the sequence of events by which the plaque develops and by which LDL accumulates2–5. There are many lines of evidence that support the hypothesis that circulating cholesterol, principally in the form of LDL, is central to the atherogenic process and that without “sufficient” plasma LDL levels, the atherogenic process cannot proceed4,6.
Application of the Surge Model to Radial Compressor System Cycle Optimization

Surge avoidance and minimization of power consumption in the design of a radial compressor cycle requires a solution to the complex, time-dependent problem of implicit variable coupling. To solve this problem, a modified lumped parameter surge model was developed and tested using experimental data. The model was expanded to include open-loop, time-dependent (periodic) boundary conditions with added equations representing the effects of heat transfer and flow compressibility. Comparison with experimental data showed good agreement with model-predicted behavior. The developed model of the compressor system was analyzed with respect to the main compressor design parameters. Sensitivity of the compressor system to the valve timing and resistance, wheel diameter, and inertia was also examined. It was demonstrated that the mass flow rate-averaged, or power-averaged compressor efficiency was improved by over 3 percent using the optimum impeller diameter.© 2013 ASME