cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structural and magnetic behavior of a quasi-1D antiferromagnetic chain compound Cu(NCS)2(pyz)

Abstract Synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD) and neutron powder diffraction (NPD) were used to determine the structure of Cu(NCS)2(pyz) (pyz=pyrazine=C4N2H4), which consists of a stacking of Cu pyz Cu chains. While NPD measurements showed no evidence of long-range magnetic ordering, the temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility and magnetization suggests that the system can be adequately described on the local scale as a spin-1/2 antiferromagnet (AFM) chain with an intrachain exchange interaction J/kB=−8 K (∼0.7 meV). Comparison of isothermal magnetization data acquired up to 30 T at 1.6 K to a linear chain model shows excellent agreement, making this material a nearly ideal example of an isotropic Heisenberg AFM chain.
The theory of d-sequences and powers of ideals

In this paper we study the question of finding depth R/I” given an ideal I in a commutative ring. This problem is difficult in general; even for simple examples depth R/Z* can be difficult to compute. Brodmann has shown that for any commutative Noetherian ring depth R/Z” become stable for large n; finding this value, however, is quite hard. This problem originally arose through consideration of the following example: suppose k is a field and X= (xij) is an n
From organizational to community creativity: paragon leadership & creativity stories at etsy

With the rise of massive scale, globally distributed creative communities, such as Deviant Art, Etsy, and Minecraft, the role of creative leadership in sociotechnical systems is worth investigating. This paper presents a case study of one strategy Etsy, one such online creative community, uses to articulate the creative dispositions of the community's exemplar members: Featured Seller interviews. For this study, we report on a combined content analysis and close reading of Featured Seller interviews on Etsy.com, followed up with member check interviews. Our analysis highlights the demographics of featured sellers, the ways in they express their identities and creative processes, and how they position themselves within the broader Etsy community. Our findings demonstrate that Etsy's administrators provide both a platform and scaffolding for community leaders to co-articulate with them the creative ideals they believe will strengthen the bonds of the Etsy community.
Analysis and synthesis of on-chip spiral inductors

This paper presents a physically based compact model for estimating high-frequency performance of spiral inductors. The model accurately accounts for skin and proximity effects in the metal conductors as well as eddy current losses in the substrate. The model shows excellent agreement with measured data mostly within 10% across a variety of inductor geometries and substrate dopings up to 20 GHz. A web-based spiral inductor synthesis and analysis tool COILS, which makes use of the compact models, is presented. An optimization algorithm using binary searches speeds up the synthesis of inductor designs.
Theoretical Vibration and Flutter Studies of Point Supported Panels

Theoretical structural models are developed for point supported panels typical of proposed space shuttle construction which are suitable for vibration and flutter analyses. Representative results for panel natural frequencies and flutter boundaries are presented. These are obtained using quasi-steady aerodynamics which ignore the aerodynamic boundary layer. It is shown for a proposed space shuttle design that the supports must be modeled as points rather than as continuous supports in order to obtain accurate results and that simply increasing the number of supports may not be beneficial as far as flutter is concerned.
Chemotherapy for Advanced Stage Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is a common, often fatal malignancy, and is most frequently diagnosed in the advanced stage. Systemic chemotherapy for advanced (Stage IIIB and IV), inoperable NSCLC has evolved over the course of the last few decades. Survival advantage was first noted with platinum chemotherapy, with ultimate development of platinum-containing doublet combinations, which have now become standard of care in the treatment of advanced NSCLC. Over the course of the last few years, multiple nonplatinum combinations have also been demonstrated to be efficacious, and the addition of bevacizumab to existing doublet regimens has improved outcomes in this population of patients. Maintenance regimens for advanced stage NSCLC are currently under extensive investigation. Clinical trials have also recently demonstrated increased efficacy for agents such as docetaxel and pemetrexed in the second line setting for refractory disease.
Statistical methods for gene set co-expression analysis

Motivation: The power of a microarray experiment derives from the identification of genes differentially regulated across biological conditions. To date, differential regulation is most often taken to mean differential expression, and a number of useful methods for identifying differentially expressed (DE) genes or gene sets are available. However, such methods are not able to identify many relevant classes of differentially regulated genes. One important example concerns differentially co-expressed (DC) genes. Results: We propose an approach, gene set co-expression analysis (GSCA), to identify DC gene sets. The GSCA approach provides a false discovery rate controlled list of interesting gene sets, does not require that genes be highly correlated in at least one biological condition and is readily applied to data from individual or multiple experiments, as we demonstrate using data from studies of lung cancer and diabetes. Availability: The GSCA approach is implemented in R and available at www.biostat.wisc.edu/~kendzior/GSCA/. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Formation of sperm entry holes in the vitelline membrane of Hydroides hexagonus (Annelida) and evidence of their lytic origin.

Electron micrographs of inseminated eggs of Hydroides hexagonus previously had shown that in the immediate vicinity of the penetrating spermatozoon a small portion of the vitelline membrane regularly was absent, and it had been suggested that this area was a hole made by lytic activity of the individual spermatozoon during the course of its passage through the membrane. This deduction would receive support if it could be established that a sperm entry hole does form in living material. During the present study a hole repeatedly observed and photographed in the membrane of living eggs was found to arise as the spermatozoon penetrated the membrane. Gently compressed eggs formed exovates only through this hole. The holes, and exovates, were not found except at sperm entry sites. It was concluded that this hole is the counterpart of the area from which the membrane is absent in the electron micrographs cited above, and that the spermatozoon makes this hole. In an electron micrograph two spermatozoa which had penetrated the membrane at separate but closely neighboring points now occupy a single hole. It is argued that if each spermatozoon had displaced the membrane mechanically to make its hole, then there should be two holes, with a partition of membrane between them, but if each had eroded the membrane by applying lysin, a single hole should have formed as the eroded areas expanded and finally merged into one. The latter view agrees with the facts of the electron micrograph. It is concluded that lysis is the most probable means by which the individual spermatozoon makes its hole.
Coding of stimulus strength via analog calcium signals in Purkinje cell dendrites of awake mice

The climbing fiber input to Purkinje cells acts as a teaching signal by triggering a massive influx of dendritic calcium that marks the occurrence of instructive stimuli during cerebellar learning. Here, we challenge the view that these calcium spikes are all-or-none and only signal whether the instructive stimulus has occurred, without providing parametric information about its features. We imaged ensembles of Purkinje cell dendrites in awake mice and measured their calcium responses to periocular airpuffs that serve as instructive stimuli during cerebellar-dependent eyeblink conditioning. Information about airpuff duration and pressure was encoded probabilistically across repeated trials, and in two additional signals in single trials: the synchrony of calcium spikes in the Purkinje cell population, and the amplitude of the calcium spikes, which was modulated by a non-climbing fiber pathway. These results indicate that calcium-based teaching signals in Purkinje cells contain analog information that encodes the strength of instructive stimuli trial-by-trial.
Paradoxical Reduction of Fatty Streak Formation in Mice Lacking Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase

Background— The endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) has been considered to exert an antiatherosclerotic role through synthesis of NO. However, eNOS has been shown to generate superoxide, which could oxidize LDL and promote atherosclerosis. We sought to determine the role of eNOS in diet-induced fatty streak formation through the use of eNOS-deficient mice. Methods and Results— Mice were fed an atherogenic diet containing 15% fat, 1.25% cholesterol, and 0.5% sodium cholate for 12 weeks, and atherosclerotic lesions at the aortic root were measured after oil-red O staining. Unexpectedly, eNOS-deficient mice developed much smaller aortic lesions than did wild-type control mice (2544±1107 versus 7023±1569 μm2/section; P=0.03). This reduction in lesion formation could not be explained by changes in plasma levels of lipids and susceptibility of lipoproteins to oxidation. To examine whether eNOS contributed to the oxidation of LDL within the arterial wall, endothelial cells were isolated from the ...
Sliding filament model of muscular contraction: V. Isometric force and interfilament spacing

Abstract As is well known, the mean isometric force per cross-bridge is observed experimentally to be essentially independent of interfilament spacing over a considerable range in this spacing. In an attempt to understand this result from a theoretical point of view, several possible models are studied analytically: (1) a “peeling” cross-bridge; (2) a “swinging” cross-bridge (H. E. Huxley); and (3) a modified “swinging” cross-bridge in which S 2 is somewhat extensible. Results: (1) Although a peeling cross-bridge would have a force independent of interfilament spacing, as required, there are serious kinetic problems with this model which appear to rule it out. (2) If S 1 attaches to the actin filament at an angle of approximately 90 ° (say ±7 °) and then generates force (after binding or splitting ATP) in an attempt to reach a new equilibrium angle, say 45 °, it is found that the force exerted on the actin filament is independent of interfilament spacing. However, if the attachment angle is much less than 90 °, say 75 ° or 60 °, then the force is not constant. (3) If the attachment angle is significantly less than 90 °, then an essentially constant force may still be obtained provided S 2 is considered to be somewhat extensible (rather than rigid). This is illustrated in the case of 60 ° (with a final equilibrium angle of 30 °).
Tracking of two targets in clutter with possibly unresolved measurements

We present a (suboptimal) filtering algorithm for tracking highly maneuvering targets in a cluttered environment using multiple sensors. We concentrate on two targets which temporarily move in close formation, giving rise to a single detection due to the resolution limitations of the sensor. The filtering algorithm is developed by applying the basic interacting multiple model (IMM) approach and a joint probabilistic data association with merged measurements (JPDAM) technique and coupled target state estimation to a Markovian switching system. The algorithm is illustrated via two simulation examples. Compared with an existing IMM/JPDA (joint probabilistic data association) filtering algorithm developed without accounting for merged measurements, the proposed algorithm achieves significant improvement in both the accuracy of track estimation during target merging period and the number of lost tracks.
Thermal management and concurrent system design of a wearable multicomputer

This paper describes the concurrent system design and thermal management of the Navigator2 which is used as a computerized maintenance manual for aircraft inspection with speech recognition capabilities. The Navigator2 is a wearable computer that includes a novel dual architecture, spread spectrum radio, and variable gain amplifier (VGA) head-mounted display. The semi-custom electronic design includes two electronic boards-a custom designed system board and a 486-based processor board. The system board captures glue logic functions and provides support for two PCMCIA slots, a power management microcontroller, memory backup batteries, and a power supply. The thermal design of the Navigator2 develops concurrently with the overall design in a series of stages. A framework of concurrent thermal engineering consisting of three basic stages is used to maintain interdisciplinary interaction while satisfying thermal design goals. In the first stage of the thermal design, a cooling arrangement that meets the needs of other disciplines is proposed, and an enhanced-conduction thermal design with aluminum heat spreaders and active power-saving is explored. In the second stage, the thermal contact between heat spreaders and electronic components is optimized, and physical experimentation is performed with liquid heat sinks and conductive elastomers as thermal contact interfaces. In the third stage, numerical simulations are performed to ascertain the effectiveness of the thermal design, giving the thermal designer flexibility to change critical parameters and perform sensitivity analyses. A simplified computational model is used to investigate the performance of thermal interface devices and the effect of the heat spreader design on the maximum electronic component temperatures. Although the simplified model proves adequate for thermal design purposes, a detailed geometrically-accurate computational model assesses the adequacy of the exposed heat spreader surface area and predicts temperature distributions with better agreement to the experimental measurements on the Navigator2.
Incorporation of Nitric Oxide-Releasing Crosslinked Polyethyleneimine Microspheres into Vascular Grafts

Over the years, many attempts have been made to increase the patency of small- to medium-sized prosthetic vascular grafts. However, none of them has greatly affected long-term rates. Recently, nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to inhibit thrombus formation in such grafts, suggesting that local delivery of NO may help to increase graft patency. This study describes the site-specific delivery of NO by entrapping NO-releasing microspheres in the pores of a vascular graft. NO-releasing polyethyleneimine microspheres (PEIX) were developed using a novel water-in-oil emulsion technique involving chemical crosslinking with a bis-epoxide. The PEIX microspheres were then derivatized with NO forming the [N(O)NO]− moiety of the diazeniumdiolates formerly known as NONOates. These polymeric NO-releasing particles were found to spontaneously release 194 nmol NO/mg with a half-life of over 66 h under physiologic conditions. Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled microspheres were then embedded into the pores of a 60-μm nonreinforced Gore-tex vascular graft using a simple evacuation technique and evaluated for microsphere placement and NO release. Scanning electron microscopic analysis showed the microspheres entrapped in the pores of the vascular graft releasing 10 nmol NO/mg with a half-life of 51 h. The microspheres remained entrapped in the graft even after immersion and NO release, as confirmed by fluorescence of the medium. These results suggest that NO-releasing particles can be incorporated into the pores of a vascular graft to deliver therapeutic amounts of NO for the prevention of thrombosis in small-diameter prosthetic grafts. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 37, 182–189, 1997.
Full Recovery of Fracture Toughness Using a Nontoxic Solvent‐Based Self‐Healing System

Two significant advances are reported for solvent-based self-healing of epoxy materials. First, an autonomic system yielding complete recovery of fracture toughness after crack propagation was achieved by embedding microcapsules containing a mixture of epoxy monomer and solvent into an epoxy matrix. Healing with epoxy-solvent microcapsules is superior to capsules that contain solvent alone, and multiple healing events are reported for this system. Second, efficient healing is reported for new solvents, including aromatic esters, which are significantly less toxic than the previously employed solvent, chlorobenzene. Preliminary aging studies using either chlorobenzene or ethyl phenylacetate as the solvent demonstrate the stability of the epoxy-solvent system under ambient conditions for at least one month.
A potential interaction of p75 and trkA NGF receptors revealed by affinity crosslinking and immunoprecipitation

Nerve growth factor binds independently to two transmembrane receptors, the p75 neurotrophin receptor and the p140trk(trkA) tyrosine kinase receptor, which are both co-expressed in the majority of neuronal cells that respond to NGF. Previous findings have suggested that appropriate co-expression of the two receptors gives rise to high affinity NGF binding sites and increased neurotrophin responsiveness; however, evidence demonstrating a direct interaction between the two receptors in cell lines has been lacking. Here we have utilized affinity crosslinking agents with 125I-NGF to detect an association of trkA and p75 receptors in embryonic spinal cord and brain tissues enriched in the two receptors. Although multimeric complexes of trkA and p75 were not detected by affinity crosslinking, immunoprecipitation of cross-linked NGF-receptor complexes with trk-specific antibodies resulted in selective immunoprecipitation of crosslinked p75. Our results indicate that the trkA and p75 receptors can potentially interact, and that such an association may be responsible for the generation of high affinity NGF binding sites. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Developing a Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection and Quantification of Pratylenchus neglectus in Soil

Yan, G. P., Smiley, R. W., Okubara, P. A., Skantar, A. M., and Reardon, C. L. 2013. Developing a real-time PCR assay for detection and quantification of Pratylenchus neglectus in soil. Plant Dis. 97:757-764. Pratylenchus neglectus is one of the most widespread and economically important nematodes that invades plant roots and restricts wheat productivity in the Pacific Northwest. It is challenging to quantify P. neglectus using microscopic methods for studies that require largescale sampling, such as assessment of rotation crops, wheat cultivars, and other management practices. A real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay was developed to detect and quantify P. neglectus from DNA extracts of soil. The primers, designed from the internal transcribed spacer region of rDNA, showed high specificity with a single melt curve peak to DNA from eight isolates of P. neglectus but did not amplify DNA from 28 isolates of other plant-parasitic and non-plant-parasitic nematodes. A standard curve (R2 = 0.96; P < 0.001) was generated by amplifying DNA extracted from soil to which nematodes were added. The soil standard curve was validated using sterilized soil inoculated with lower numbers of P. neglectus. A significant positive relationship (R2 = 0.66; P < 0.001) was observed for nematode numbers quantified from 15 field soils using qPCR and the Whitehead tray and microscopic method but the qPCR generally tended to provide higher estimates. Real-time PCR potentially provides a useful platform for efficient detection and quantification of P. neglectus directly from field soils.
Wheel slip phenomena

In this paper, an attempt is made to study the physical nature of what is known as a tyre slip phenomenon and to explain unknown mechanics based on the four different physical phenomena. These phenomena are referred to as the slips of the first, second, third, and fourth types.
Optimizing Dielectric Strips Over a Metallic Substrate for Subwavelength Light Confinement

In this letter, we develop an efficient method for optimizing the geometry of a dielectric strip over a metallic substrate for subwavelength waveguide applications. We investigate the effect of the design parameters on the light propagation and find the optimum design for both loss and light confinement. The proposed design technique generates optimal waveguide geometries that can support single-mode propagation while simultaneously achieving low loss and small modal sizes
Coming next month: CME online

T The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS), through its publication, The Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, is instituting a program that will allow subscribers to acquire Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits by taking an examination online that is linked to articles appearing in the Journal. This new service to subscribers will begin with the December issue. The AATS is taking this step after discussions with The American Board of Thoracic Surgery, which has confirmed that it will allow Category 1 credits for such CME activity to count toward recertification. Look for further details in the December issue of the Journal, where the mechanisms for taking the courses and obtaining CME credits are reviewed in greater detail.
Syntheses and properties of films from polymer gels based on polymer‐metal complexes

Films of poly(2-vinylpyridine) (1), poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (2), poly(5-methyl-2-vinylpyridine) (3) and poly(ethyleneimine) (4) with Ag + , Cu 2+ , Li + and Ca 2+ salts as well as complex transition metal ions [Fe(Cn) 6 ] 3- are prepared at the interface boundaries of immiscible solvents. The polymer/metal salt complexes exhibit highly ordered structures and high thermal stabilities as revealed by reduced viscosity, X-ray diffraction, infrared spectrometry, thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis as well as measurements of swelling coefficients and electroconductivity. Mole ratios of complex formation of the neat polymers as well as the polymer gels with these salts were found at [polymer] :[salt] = 1, 2, 3 and 4 referring to the repeating units of the polymers. It is suggested that the properties of the films are due to ionic bonds, ion-coordination bonding, coordination bonds and ion-dipole interactions between the functional groups of the polymeric hydro- and organic gels and the metal ions.
Temporal patterns of inorganic nitrogen uptake by mature sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) trees using two common approaches

Background: Plant uptake of nitrogen influences many ecosystem processes, yet uptake by trees in northern forests of the United States has not been quantified throughout the growing season. Aims: To measure NH4 + and NO3 − uptake by mature sugar maple (Acer saccharum) and red spruce (Picea rubens) trees during the early, mid and late growing season. Methods: At Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, New Hampshire, we used two approaches to measure nitrogen uptake capacity by mature trees: an in situ depletion method using intact roots and an ex situ 15N tracer method using excised roots. Results: NH4 + uptake was greater than NO3 − for both methods and tree species (P < 0.05). NH4 + uptake was lowest during the early growing season, while NO3 − uptake was lowest during the late growing season. Measured rates of NH4 + uptake were 2–3 orders of magnitude greater using the in situ depletion method compared with the ex situ 15N tracer method. Conclusions: These results demonstrate seasonal differences in nitrogen...
Analyzing and recognizing walking figures in XYT

We describe a novel algorithm for gait analysis. A person walking frontoparallel to the image plane generates a characteristic "braided" pattern in a spatiotemporal (XYT) volume. Our algorithm detects this pattern, and fits it with a set of spatiotemporal snakes. The snakes can be used to find the bounding contours of the walker. The contours vary over time in a manner characteristic of each walker. Individual gaits can be recognized by applying standard pattern recognition techniques to the contour signals. >
Content Based Recommendation and Summarization in the Blogosphere.

This paper presents a stochastic graph based method for recommending or selecting a small subset of blogs that best represents a much larger set. within a certain topic. Each blog is assigned a score that reflects how representative it is. Blog scores are calculated recursively in terms of the scores of their neighbors in a lexical similarity graph. A random walk is performed on a graph where nodes represent blogs and edges link lexically similar blogs. Lexical similarity is measured using either the cosine similarity measure, or the KullbackLeibler (KL) divergence. In addition, the presented method combines lexical centrality with information novelty to reduce redundancy in ranked blogs. Blogs similar to highly ranked blogs are discounted to make sure that diversity is maintained in the final rank. The presented method also allows to include additional initial quality priors to assess the quality of the blogs, such as frequency of new posts per day and the text fluency measured by n-gram model probabilities, etc. We evaluate our approach using data from two large blog datasets. We measure the selection quality by the number of blogs covered in the network as calculated by an information diffusion model. We compare our method to other heuristic and greedy selection methods and show that it significantly outperforms them.
Contextualizing Experiences: Tracing the Relationships Between People and Technologies in the Social Web

This article uses both actor network theory (ANT) and activity theory to trace and analyze the ways in which both Twitter and third-party applications support the development and maintenance of mea...
Enhanced Shrinkage of Lanthanum Strontium Manganite (La0.90Sr0.10MnO3+δ) Resulting from Thermal and Oxygen Partial Pressure Cycling

Exposure of (La0.90Sr0.10)0.98MnO3+δ (LSM-10) to repeated oxygen partial pressure cycles (air/10 ppm O2) resulted in enhanced densification rates, similar to behavior shown previously due to thermal cycling. Shrinkage rates in the temperature range 700°–1000°C were orders of magnitude higher than Makipirtti–Meng model estimations based on stepwise isothermal dilatometry results at a high temperature. A maximum in enhanced shrinkage due to oxygen partial pressure cycling occurred at 900°C. Shrinkage was the greatest when LSM-10 bars that were first equilibrated in air were exposed to gas flows of lower oxygen fugacity than in the reverse direction. The former creates transient cation and oxygen vacancies well above the equilibrium concentration, resulting in enhanced mobility. These vacancies annihilate as Schottky equilibria are reestablished, whereas the latter condition does not lead to excess vacancy concentrations.
Phosphoinositide Metabolism in the Retina: Localization to Horizontal Cells and Regulation by Light and Divalent Cations

: Isolated retinas from Xenopus laevis incorporated greater amounts of [3H]inositol and 32Pi into phosphoinositides when incubated in light than did control retinas incubated in the dark. Inositol was primarily incorporated into phosphatidylinositol (83–86%), while phosphate labeled the polyphosphoinositides (72–79%). The incorporation of radioactive glycerol, serine, choline, or ethanolarnine into retinal lipids was unaffected by light. Following incubation with [3H]inositol, the cell type involved in the light response was identified by light and electron microscope autoradiography to be the horizontal cell. These results are consistent with a classic phosphatidylinositol effect in the retina. An interesting feature of this response is that the stimulus (light) is received in the photoreceptor cell and the effect is manifest in the horizontal cell.
Comparisons of soil nitrogen mass balances for an ombrotrophic bog and a minerotrophic fen in northern Minnesota

We compared nitrogen (N) storage and flux in soils from an ombrotrophic bog with that of a minerotrophic fen to quantify the differences in N cycling between these two peatlands types in northern Minnesota (USA). Precipitation, atmospheric deposition, and bog and fen outflows were analyzed for nitrogen species. Upland and peatland soil samples were analyzed for N content, and for ambient (DN) and potential (DEA) denitrification rates. Annual atmospheric deposition was: 0.88-3.07kg NH4(+)ha(-1)y(-1); 1.37-1.42kg NO3(-)ha(-1)y(-1); 2.79-4.69kg TNha(-1)y(-1). Annual N outflows were: bog-0.01-0.04kg NH4(+)ha(-1)y(-1), NO3(-) 0.01-0.06kgha(-1)y(-1), and TN 0.11-0.69kgha(-1)y(-1); fen-NH4(+) 0.01-0.16kgha(-1)y(-1), NO3(-) 0.29-0.48kgha(-1)y(-1), and TN 1.14-1.61kgha(-1)y(-1). Soil N content depended on location within the bog or fen, and on soil depth. DN and DEA rates were low throughout the uplands and peatlands, and were correlated with atmospheric N deposition, soil N storage, and N outflow. DEA was significantly greater than DN indicating C or N limitation of the denitrification process. We highlight differences between the bog and fen, between the upland mineral soils and peat, and the importance of biogeochemical hotspots within the peatlands. We point out the importance of organic N storage, as a source of N for denitrification, and propose a plausible link between organic N storage, denitrification and N export from peatlands. Finally, we considered the interactions of microbial metabolism with nutrient availability and stoichiometry, and how N dynamics might be affected by climate change in peatland ecosystems.
The Death Penalty - An Obstacle to the 'War against Terrorism'?

September 11 seared our collective memory perhaps even more vividly than December 7, 1941, and has evoked a natural demand both for retribution and for measures to keep us safe. Given the existing statutory and judicial authority for capital punishment, the U.S. Government has to confront the issue whether to seek the death penalty against those who are linked to the suicide attacks or to the organization that sponsored them or both. Meting out the death penalty to international terrorists involves difficult moral, legal, and policy questions. The September 11 crimes were not only domestic crimes, but also international ones. The magnitude of these crimes, the killing of over 3,000 innocent people, cries out for redress. Yet most countries in the world, including nearly all our closest allies, have abolished capital punishment. None of the four currently operating international criminal tribunals is authorized to give a death sentence. In addition, the advent of the suicide bomber turns the deterrence justification for the death penalty inside out. Might the death penalty help create martyrs rather than discourage similar attacks? Could our imposing the death penalty increase support in the Islamic world for al Qaeda and other extremist groups? Furthermore, to what extent as a matter of constitutional law and policy, should a secondary actor, one who did not kill, but who was a member of a terrorist conspiracy, be subject to the death penalty? This Article examines these questions in the context of the Zacarias Moussaoui case, the supposed twentieth hijacker, who, on September 11, 2001, had been held in custody for twenty-six days. Note: This article was published just before the Iraq prison scandal broke. The article, however, does discuss torture and the consequences of mistreating captured individuals suspected of committing acts of terrorism.
Pregnancy following hysteroscopic sterilization at an Urban Abortion Clinic- A case series: Are We looking in the wrong places?

Abstract Objective Hysteroscopic sterilization (HS) has become one of the most common permanent contraception methods in the U.S. However, recent evidence suggests that the failure rate may be higher than previously reported. We describe women with a history of HS presenting for abortion at a 3-site urban abortion clinic. Study design Retrospective case series of patients with previous HS who presented to a 3-site urban abortion clinic for pregnancy termination from October 2012 to February 2015. Results In 28 months, 9 patients with prior HS had failure of the method and then an abortion. Conclusions This study identifies a number of failures from a setting previously unaccounted. It suggests that perhaps the failure rate is higher than previously reported. The cases here presented, from a 3-site urban abortion clinic over 28 months, almost match and sometimes surpass the number of failures reported in multicenter case series in the literature. Surveys of other abortion clinics in the U.S. and elsewhere might also discover other patients whose HS had failed. Implications We identified a number of hysteroscopic sterilization failures at termination of pregnancy at a 3-site urban abortion clinic. We hypothesize that the HS failure rate underestimates the true method failure because previous analysis have excluded cases such as these.
Salmonella Transfer Potential during Hand Harvesting of Tomatoes under Laboratory Conditions

Tomato good agricultural practices, mandatory guidelines in Florida, do not have specific regulations for glove use during tomato harvesting. The objective of the research reported here was to evaluate Salmonella transfer from contaminated gloves to tomatoes and vice versa upon single and subsequent touches. Experiments were performed using mature, green, round tomatoes with two types of gloves (reusable and single use) and two hygienic conditions of reusable glove (clean and dirty [fouled with tomato leaves]). The transfer scenarios used during experiments were glove to tomato, tomato to glove, and glove to up to 25 subsequently touched tomatoes. The inoculated surface (6 log CFU per surface), after drying for 24 h, touched the uninoculated surface for 5 s. Salmonella populations from gloves and tomatoes were enumerated on nonselective and selective agar supplemented with 80 μg/ml rifampin. Enrichments were performed when counts fell below the detection limit. The rates of Salmonella transfer to tomatoes...
Implementation and effect evaluation of national expanded program on immunization in Putuo District of Shanghai

[Objective]To evaluate the effectiveness of the national expanded program on immunization(EPI) among pre-school children in Putuo District.[Methods]Vaccination rates,adverse reactions and vaccine-related infectious diseases were analyzed among pre-school children before and after EPI implementation.[Results]A total of 526 children were surveyed after EPI implementation.Vaccination rate reached 95%,adverse reactions rate was 81.44 per 100,000 caes,and the incidence rate of EPI vaccine-related infectious diseases decreased.[Conclusion]Close cooperation among different departments,full preparation and effective support are the basis of expanded program on immunization.Management should be strengthened of floating children.Surveillance sensitivity of AEFI should be strengthened.And the surveillance of epidemic characteristics of EPI vaccine-related infectious diseases should be strengthened.
Somatostatin and muscarinic inhibition of canine enteric endocrine cells: cellular mechanisms.

Using a recently developed canine primary enteric endocrine cell culture system, we have investigated the role of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) in mediating the release of neurotensin...
Can Dynamic Knowledge-Sharing Activities Be Mirrored From the Static Online Social Network in Yahoo! Answers and How to Improve Its Quality of Service?

Yahoo! Answers is an online platform where users can post questions and answer other users’ questions. Our previous work studied the online social network (OSN) of Yahoo! Answers by analyzing information from the profiles (including fans, contacts, and interests) of top contributors and their related users. Rather than using the static profile information from the top-contributor-centered dataset, in this paper, we particularly analyze the actual questioning and answering (Q/A) behaviors of normal users. We build a Q/A network that unidirectionally connects each asker to his/her answerers. We analyze the structural characteristics of the Q/A network, user Q/A activities, and knowledge base of all users. In addition to the observations similar to our previous study, which indicates that the OSN of Yahoo! Answers can reflect user Q/A activities to a certain extent, we additionally observe that: 1) a large portion of users only ask questions without answering others’ questions; 2) users are active in more knowledge categories than those indicated in their profiles; and 3) the knowledge categories of the top-contributor-related users cannot represent those of normal users. Finally, we analyze the characteristics of questions and answers in different knowledge categories. This paper not only provides an understanding of actual Q/A activities of users but also showcases the aspects of Q/A activities that the OSN of Yahoo! Answers can and cannot accurately reflect. Based on the insights gained from this paper, we propose a few methods to help improve the quality of service of Yahoo! Answers.
The role of climate change and increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide on weed management: Herbicide efficacy

Rising concentrations of carbon dioxide [CO2] and a changing climate will almost certainly affect weed biology and demographics with consequences for crop productivity. The extent of such consequences could be minimal if weed management, particularly the widespread and effective use of herbicides, minimizes any future risk; but, such an outcome assumes that [CO2] or climate change will not affect herbicide efficacy per se. Is this a fair assumption? While additional data are greatly desired, there is sufficient information currently available to begin an initial assessment of both the physical and biological constraints likely to occur before, during and following herbicide application. The assessment provided here, while preliminary, reviews a number of physical and biological interactions that are likely, overall, to significantly reduce herbicide efficacy. These interactions can range from climatic extremes that influence spray coverage and field access to direct effects of [CO2] or temperature on plant biochemistry and morphology. Identification of these mechanisms will be essential to both understand and strengthen weed management strategies associated with rising levels of [CO2] in the context of an uncertain and rapidly changing climate.
The Essential Role of Neutrophils during Infection with the Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Listeria monocytogenes

Neutrophils have historically been characterized as first responder cells vital to host survival because of their ability to contain and eliminate bacterial and fungal pathogens. However, recent studies have shown that neutrophils participate in both protective and detrimental responses to a diverse array of inflammatory and infectious diseases. Although the contribution of neutrophils to extracellular infections has been investigated for decades, their specific role during intracellular bacterial infections has only recently been appreciated. During infection with the Gram-positive intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, neutrophils are recruited from the bone marrow to sites of infection where they use novel bacterial-sensing pathways leading to phagocytosis and production of bactericidal factors. This review summarizes the requirement of neutrophils during L. monocytogenes infection by examining both neutrophil trafficking and function during primary and secondary infection.
Seasonal variation in incidence of sarcoidosis: a population-based study, 1976–2013

Studies of seasonal patterns of incidence of sarcoidosis may provide a better understanding of potential environmental triggers of the disease. In this study, Olmsted County, Minnesota residents who were diagnosed with sarcoidosis between 1976 and 2013 were identified based on individual medical record review. The seasonal variation of incident sarcoidosis was then calculated. The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted incidence rate of sarcoidosis was lower in autumn (2.0/100 000; 95% CI 1.5 to 2.5) compared with winter (3.2/100 000; 95% CI 2.6 to 3.8), spring (2.8/100 000; 95% CI 2.2 to 3.4) and summer (2.9/100 000; 95% CI 2.2 to 3.5, p=0.024). Subgroup analysis per decade consistently showed lower incidence of sarcoidosis in autumn.
A rapid and efficient isogeometric design space exploration framework with application to structural mechanics

Abstract In this paper, we present an isogeometric analysis framework for design space exploration. While the methodology is presented in the setting of structural mechanics, it is applicable to any system of parametric partial differential equations. The design space exploration framework elucidates design parameter sensitivities used to inform initial and early-stage design. Moreover, this framework enables the visualization of a full system response, including the displacement and stress fields throughout the domain, by providing an approximation to the system solution vector. This is accomplished through a collocation-like approach where various geometries throughout the design space under consideration are sampled. The sampling scheme follows a quadrature rule while the physical solutions to these sampled geometries are obtained through an isogeometric method. A surrogate model to the design space solution manifold is constructed through either an interpolating polynomial or pseudospectral expansion. Examples of this framework are presented with applications to the Scordelis–Lo roof, a Flat L-Bracket, and an NREL 5 MW wind turbine blade.
Overdose education and naloxone distribution for veterans with opioid use disorder: Results from a pilot initiative.

ABSTRACTPatients with opioid use disorder are at a high risk of overdose. To minimize that risk, a program offering intranasal naloxone rescue kits was piloted at a Veterans Administration Hospital. The purpose of this study was to characterize veterans who accepted these potentially lifesaving kits. Retrospective medical chart review of 158 veterans with opioid use disorder receiving treatment on either the inpatient psychiatry detoxification units or outpatient methadone maintenance setting who were offered overdose education and naloxone rescue kits. One hundred and ten of 158 veterans (70%) accepted overdose education and naloxone rescue. Overall, they had a mean age of 39.1 years and averaged 12.7 years of opioid use. In the prior month, they averaged 14.3 days of heroin use; they used alone 48.5% of the time. They estimated an average of 2.8 accidental overdoses over their lifetimes. There were few significant differences between those who accepted and those who declined with regard to demographic a...
Flexible, all-solid-state, high-cell potential supercapacitors based on holey reduced graphene oxide/manganese dioxide nanosheets

Abstract 2D ultrathin nanomaterials have attracted a significant interest for their application in flexible and lightweight energy storage devices. In this work, we report the fabrication, by electrophoretic deposition (EPD), of flexible all-solid-state symmetric high cell potential supercapacitors, comprised of holey reduced graphene oxide – manganese dioxide nanosheets (HGM). HGM films were electrophoretically deposited in a layer-by-layer fashion onto targeted substrates, with net thicknesses ranging from 0.2 to 2.5 μm. The assembled HGM films were highly compact with the density of ∼2.2 g cm−3. The resulting symmetric HGM supercapacitors, using PVA-LiClO4 gel as an electrolyte, exhibited excellent electrochemical capacitive performance over a wide cell potential window of 0.0–1.6 V. Operating at ultra-high charge-discharge rates, up to 5000 mV s−1, the HGM supercapacitors delivered excellent areal specific capacitances of 12–46 mF cm−2, corresponding to volumetric specific capacitances of 557–182 F cm−3 at thickness of 0.2–2.5 μm, respectively. Furthermore, the HGM supercapacitors exhibited long-term cycling stability with a retention over 80% of its initial capacitance after 2000 cycles. Considering the facile scale-up capability of the EPD process, our approach paves a promising route for the manufacture of next-generation flexible all-solid-state supercapacitors with high energy and high power density.
Effects of health information technology and health information exchanges on readmissions and length of stay

Abstract Introduction This study explored the effects of HIT/HIE on the outcomes and quality of care for diabetes, asthma, acute myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, and hip and knee fracture. 30 day readmissions and average length of stay were used as measures of quality of care. Methods This study used the HIMSS IT database, coupled with the American Hospital Association (AHA) Hospital survey data and the CMS outpatient and skilled nursing facility Medicare claims data from 2006–2012, along with the standard Medicare file of patient claims for 2006–2012 as the control cohort. Using heirarchical clustering analysis methods, we construct HIT scores for measures of HIT and HIE implementation and penetration across 32 measures of HIT adoption. The scores are then used as the coefficient of interest using fixed effects methods and multinomial regressions, controlling for hospital and patient characteristics, as well as time-invariant factors. Results This study finds that those institutions with the highest HIT scores for specific measures of clinical decision support, continuity of care documentation and clinical discharge and summary care documentation showed modest and statistically significant reduction in 30 day readmissions, with no effects on length of stay. Discussion This study has major implications for the future of HIT/HIE in coordinating care across disparate entities. Initiatives aimed at improving care coordination, fostering health ecosystems, and reducing costs associated with unnecessary readmissions and length of stay and stand to benefit from this research in that it highlights tangible areas where HIT/HIE participation may be beneficial to achieving improved health.
Mitral Valves: A Computational Framework

The mitral valve (MV) is one of the four heart valves which locates in between the left atrium and left ventricle and regulates the unidirectional blood flow and normal functioning of the heart during cardiac cycles. Alternation of any component of the MV apparatus will typically lead to abnormal MV function. Currently, 40,000 patients in the United States receive MV repair or replacement annually according to the American Heart Association. Clinically, this can be achieved iteratively by surgical repair that reinstates normal annular geometry (size and shape) and restores mobile leaflet tissue, resulting in reduced annular and chordae force distribution. High-fidelity computer simulations provide a means to connect the cellular function with the organ-level MV tissue mechanical responses, and to help the design of optimal MV repair strategies. As in many physiological systems, one can approach heart valve biomechanics from using multiscale modeling (MSM) methodologies, since mechanical stimuli occur and have biological impact at the organ, tissue, and cellular levels. Yet, MSM approaches of heart valves are scarce, largely due to the major difficulties in adapting conventional methods to the areas where we simply do not have requisite data. There also remains both theoretical and computational challenges to applying traditional MSM techniques to heart valves. Moreover, existing physiologically realistic computational models of heart valve function make many assumptions, such as a simplified microstructural and anatomical representation of the MV apparatus, and thorough validations with in-vitro or in-vivo data are still limited. In the following, we present the details of the state of the art of mitral valve modeling techniques, with an emphasis on what is known and investigated at various length scales.