cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evidence for a petroleum subsystem in the Frontier Formation of the Uinta–Piceance Basin petroleum province

Anomalous carbonate horizons with intercrystalline hydrocarbon residue, cone-in-cone structures, and calcite “beef” veins in adjacent sandstone beds record potential evidence for hydrocarbon generation and seepage in the middle to upper Turonian Frontier Formation from the Uinta Basin, Utah and Colorado. Eight carbonate occurrences, all encountered within distal delta-front facies (thin-bedded sandstones and siltstones), were sampled at outcrop locations from the southern and eastern margins of Dinosaur National Monument. Seven petrographic facies (PF1–PF7) were identified using standard petrographic and cathodoluminescence microscopy: PF1, large and small botryoids and fans; PF2, yellow-brown spherules; PF3, microcrystalline spar cement; PF4, blocky spar; PF5, prismatic spar; PF6, drusy mosaic spar; and PF7, dolomite. Facies PF1–PF3 are synsedimentary phases comprising a large percentage of carbonate horizon volume, whereas PF4–PF7 are late-stage fabrics. The δ13C values of PF1–PF3 (−9.9‰ to −20.0‰) are consistent with contributions from biogenic methane seepage during deposition and early diagenesis. Brecciated PF1 fabrics and blowout depressions within sandstone horizons further indicate significant methane generation during deposition and early burial. Late-stage fabrics contain δ13C (−8.0‰ to −17.3‰) and δ18O (−6.5‰ to −13.5‰) values consistent with progressive burial, during which intercrystalline hydrocarbon residue, cone-in-cone structures, and calcite beef veins were formed by the thermal maturation of organic matter from enclosing distal delta-front facies. Together, these features reveal the potential for the thin-bedded facies of the Frontier Formation distal delta front to serve as a potentially viable petroleum subsystem previously unrecognized in the Uinta–Piceance petroleum province.
Design of 500 kV Direct Current Transformer Insulated by SF_6

There are a great deal of direct current transmission lines and in China.There exist many problems in DC current transformers,such as high failure rate.This paper introduces a kind of SF6 gas insulated,500 kV direct current transformer,which is based on the principle of transductor.In design of the transformer,the reasonable distribution of inner DC electric field intensity and transient electric field distribution are ensured.By nearly two years of tentative operation in HVDC transmission network,the electric property is steady and credible.
Design of Intelligent Electric Meter Based on CAN Bus and 3DCentralized Meter Reading

This paper introduces a kind of intelligent electric energy meter,it constitutes a local network with CAN bus protocol,all the network users can realize prepayment system by bankcard and centralized meter reading.Electro-data may transfer to electric management department via 3Gwireless network.Compared with common meter it works more reliable and has lower cost.
Is There Still a Role for Irrigation and Debridement With Liner Exchange in Acute Periprosthetic Total Knee Infection

Abstract Background Periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is an important cause of failure in total knee arthroplasty. Irrigation and debridement including liner exchange (ID irrigation with 3 L each of betadine, Dakin's, bacitracin, and normal saline solutions; and exchange of the polyethylene component. Postoperatively, all patients were treated with intravenous antibiotics. Infection was considered eradicated if the wound healed without persistent drainage, there was no residual pain or evidence of infection. Results Forty-six patients (68.66%) had successful infection eradication regardless of bacterial strain. Those with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) had an 80% failure rate and those with Pseudomonas aeruginosa had a 66.67% failure rate. The success rate for bacteria other than MRSA and Pseudomonas was 85.25%. Conclusion Our protocol for I&D/L was successful in the majority of patients who met strict criteria. We recommend that PJI patients with MRSA or P aeruginosa not undergo I&D/L and be treated with 2-stage revision. For nearly all other patients, our protocol avoids the cost and patient morbidity of a 2-stage revision.
Comparison of Carotid Plaque Score and Coronary Artery Calcium Score for Predicting Cardiovascular Disease Events: The Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BackgroundCoronary artery calcium (CAC) predicts coronary heart disease (CHD) events better than carotid wall plaque presence; however, differences in the utility of CAC burden and carotid plaque b...
Magnetics design and optimization for tapped-series-capacitor (TSC) power converters

High voltage conversion ratio dc-dc converters are needed in a wide range of applications including power supplies for data centers and robotics. Hybrid switched-capacitor-magnetics power converters can leverage the advantages of capacitor-based circuits and inductor-based circuits to achieve high efficiency and high power density. This paper investigates the design method for an emerging family of hybrid switched-capacitor-magnetics circuits — tapped-series-capacitor (TSC) power converters — that can benefit high voltage conversion ratio applications. By resonating switched-capacitor circuits with coupled-magnetics and applying frequency modulation, zero-voltage-switching (ZVS) can be achieved across a wide input voltage range and load range. Coupled magnetics with low coupling coefficients are key elements in this family of power converters. Methodologies for designing high-frequency printed-circuit-board (PCB) magnetics with sophisticated winding patterns are also presented and experimentally verified.
A new Interconnected Modular Multilevel Converter (IMMC) with sinusoidal voltage output suitable for high performance AC drives

This paper presents a new DC-AC Interconnected Modular Multilevel Converter (IMMC). The proposed converter produces a sinusoidal output with adjustable voltage and frequency (v/f) suitable for powering AC motor drives. The output voltage/frequency can be varied over a wider range. The proposed converter is a promising candidate for high performance ac motor drives and has the following advantages: sinusoidal output voltage with v/f control; no acoustic noise; low EMI; absence of dv/dt related issues due to long motor leads; compact size/weight/volume. The proposed converter is modular in construction, employs high frequency L-C components and can be stacked for voltage sharing. The paper details the operating modes, control aspects along with an illustrative design example for a three and eleven module converter. Experimental results on a laboratory prototype converter employing 600V GaN devices are discussed.
Cardiac Magnetic Resonance for Lesion Assessment in the Electrophysiology Laboratory.

See Article by Ghafoori et al Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is of growing importance in cardiac electrophysiology. This imaging modality is clinically used for the diagnosis of arrhythmogenic substrates, prognosis of sudden cardiac death, preprocedural planning, and procedural image integration.1–3 Because of the increasing use of CMR in the electrophysiology environment, interest in the use of real-time CMR for electrophysiology procedural guidance has amplified in recent years. This is an attractive option for many reasons. Currently, there is considerable radiation exposure to both patients and providers during electrophysiology procedures, and CMR offers a welcome radiation-free alternative to fluoroscopy.4 The other fundamental advantage of CMR over other imaging techniques is enhanced visualization of soft tissue structures with excellent spatial and temporal resolution. The enhanced soft tissue resolution with CMR promises not only to enhance the identification of arrhythmogenic substrates during the procedure but also to augment lesion assessment to distinguish acute edema in the setting of an ablation from the chronic lesion that ultimately results.5 This distinction may be critical because a significant proportion of long-term arrhythmia recurrences after acutely successful pulmonary vein isolation or other substrate or trigger ablations are likely attributable to resolution of acute edema that does not persist …
How to Enhance Student Motivations by Borrowing from Ancient Tradition: Babylonian Method of Computing the Square Root

In the previous chapter, we showed how to use ideas from Mayan and Babylonian arithmetic when teaching math. In this chapter, we consider Babylonian mathematical ideas beyond simple arithmetic, namely, the ideas of computing the square root. When computing a square root, computers still, in effect, use an iterative algorithm developed by the Babylonians millennia ago. This is a very unusual phenomenon, because for most other computations, better algorithms have been invented – even division is performed, in the computer, by an algorithm which is much more efficient that division methods that we have all learned in school. What is the explanation for the success of the Babylonians’ method? One explanation is that this is, in effect, Newton’s method, based on the best ideas from calculus. This explanations works well from the mathematical viewpoint – it explains why this method is so efficient, but since the Babylonians were very far from calculus, it does not explain why this method was invented in the first place. In this chapter, we provide two possible explanations for this method’s origin. We show that this method naturally emerges from fuzzy techniques, and we also show that it can be explained as (in some reasonable sense) the computationally simplest technique.
The Child with Splenomegaly

The spleen should not be palpable under normal circumstances and therefore splenomegaly is an important clinical sign requiring further investigation.
A Multiscale Methodology to Approach Nanoscale Thermal Transport

The contact resistance problem between dissimilar or bonded substrates is particularly important at the nanoscale, since the length scales associated with the structures and energy carriers become comparable. We provide a basic understanding of nanoscale thermal properties, focusing on nanoscale composition and surface structure effects on local and bulk thermal properties, and discuss how surface modifications can create novel materials and structures that have tunable thermal properties. Since nanoscale flows are typically part of larger scale systems and we are confronted with an inherently multiscale problem, a multiscale approach is required to integrate atomistic simulations with computational methods suitable for flow phenomena at larger scales. We begin by describing how nanoscale thermal transport can be investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations for ideal (defect-free) materials, with defects, and with simpler (solid-solid, solid-liquid, solid-vapor, etc.) and more complex (solid-liquid-solid, solid-liquid-vapor, liquid-vapor-liquid) material contacts. Next, we describe how the mesoscale lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) can be used to model thermal transport. Then, we describe a hybrid model that couples MD with LBM. Finally, we provide examples of several problems suitable for the multiscale modeling of thermal transport
Abstract LB-284: Engineering a hypermutant mouse model of NSCLC to modulate immune response

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are an exciting new class of cancer therapy with unprecedented response rates, and have shed light on the importance of understanding the immune context of tumors. Despite achieving durable clinical responses for a subset of patients, immune checkpoint therapies produce variable response rates, even within tumor type, suggesting a need for improved understanding of the tumor-immune cell axis. Recent clinical trials using checkpoint blockade against CTLA-4 and PD-1 have underscored the relevance of tumor mutational landscapes in predicting these response rates. For example, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with high mutational burden and PD-L1 expression respond better to anti-PD-1 treatment than those with high PD-L1 expression alone. While genetically engineered mouse models (GEMMs) of cancer are powerful platforms for testing new therapies, existing models fail to recapitulate the mutational burden and signatures of human cancers, limiting their ability to model relevant immune responses. We have therefore used CRISPR-Cas9 to knockout the DNA mismatch repair (MMR) gene Msh2 in the widely-used Kras and P53 mutant (KP) GEMM of NSCLC. Specifically, lentivirus expressing a short guide RNA (sgRNA) targeting Msh2, and Cre-recombinase, is delivered intra-tracheally into KP mice carrying a Cas9 allele. Whole-exome sequencing reveals elevated mutational burdens in Msh2KO tumors, as compared to non-targeted controls, and mutational signatures characteristic of MMR deficient human tumors. Histological characterization indicates elevated T cell infiltration of Msh2KO tumors at early time points, while tumors at later stages show minimal infiltration and appear like immune “cold” human tumors. Our future efforts will test checkpoint blockade therapies combined with immunogenic chemotherapy to facilitate neo-antigen presentation in late stage tumors. Development and characterization of this “hypermutant” model should prove valuable for future preclinical development of immunotherapies in NSCLC. Citation Format: Olivia C. Smith, Peter M. Westcott, David A. Canner, William M. Rideout, Arjun Bhutkar, Mary C. Beytagh, Tuomas Tammela, Tyler E. Jacks. Engineering a hypermutant mouse model of NSCLC to modulate immune response [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-284.
Robot-Assisted Simple Prostatectomy

In the growing number of options in the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia, robotic-assisted simple prostatectomy has gained significant momentum in recent years. Since the first report in 2008, confirming the feasibility and safety of this treatment modality, several other techniques and modifications have been described. In this chapter, we mainly focus on our institution’s current operative technique of robotic simple prostatectomy and provide a brief review of a few alternative approaches within the literature.
Final results of a phase 1 trial of sorafenib, pemetrexed, and cisplatin in patients with advanced solid tumors.

e14582Background: To investigate the tolerability, safety, and pharmacokinetics of sorafenib administered in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin in advanced solid tumors patients. Methods: Pa...
Distinguishing Diversity from Inclusion in the Workplace: Legal Necessity or Common Sense Conclusion?

This article examines the intertwined development of voluntary “diversity” and “inclusion” practices in business from their origins in mandated affirmative action legislation and provides separate and distinct definitions for both concepts. Through analysis of a series of reverse employment discrimination cases concerning non-inclusive “diversity” policies, and empirical workplace studies, this article argues that a transition away from “diversity” practices toward “inclusion” strategies is not necessarily a legal requirement but instead a business imperative in a perpetually changing society. The article concludes by providing guidance on creating and implementing effective “inclusion” practices.
Golf course superintendents’ knowledge of variability within fairways: a tool for precision turfgrass management

Golf course superintendent’s knowledge of variability may be an overlooked and underutilized tool for precision turfgrass management (PTM). This case study used a qualitative GIS approach to explore 12 Minnesota golf course superintendent’s knowledge of soil moisture (percent volumetric water content) and turfgrass quality (normalized difference vegetation index) variability within fairways. Verbal responses and sketch maps from on-site initial interviews were used to gain understanding of participants’ spatial knowledge of both properties. Soil moisture and turfgrass quality were objectively measured from all fairways after initial interviews to generate interpolated maps via ordinary kriging, which were used later in follow-up interviews for each participant to verbally compare to their sketch maps. Questions about interpolated map value and barriers to adopting mapping technologies were also asked at that time. Follow-up interview transcripts underwent thematic analysis to identify reoccurring themes, and sketch maps were digitized into GIS for statistical comparison to interpolated maps. Golf course superintendents did have general knowledge of variability within their fairways that could be used for simplified PTM practices. Interpolated maps were valuable for identifying and quantifying small-scale variability for more exact PTM practices, confirming spatial knowledge, and providing detailed spatial information to new golf course superintendents or staff. Areas displaying variability in interpolated maps were not always important to golf course superintendents, so their spatial knowledge should be used with interpolated maps for further refinement of PTM practices. Barriers to adopting mapping technologies for PTM were mentioned, and several suggestions to increase adoption are provided.
Deep functional synthesis: a machine learning approach to gene functional enrichment

Gene functional enrichment is a mainstay of genomics, but it relies on manually curated databases of gene functions that are incomplete and unaware of the biological context. Here we present an alternative machine learning approach, Deep Functional Synthesis (DeepSyn), which moves beyond gene function databases to dynamically infer the functions of a gene set from its associated network of literature and data, conditioned on the disease and drug context of the current experiment. Using a knowledge graph with 3,048,803 associations between genes, diseases, drugs, and functions, DeepSyn obtained accurate performance (range 0.74 AUC to 0.96 AUC) on a variety of biological applications including drug target identification, gene set functional enrichment, and disease gene prediction.
Simulation of Shrinkage Porosity Formation During Alloy Solidification

Porosity due to solidification shrinkage is a troublesome defect in metal casting. It results in low yields and increased costs in production and limits the performance of cast components in service. By reliably predicting porosity in casting process simulation, porosity can be minimized or eliminated. Here, a new model for simulating the formation of shrinkage porosity during solidification is presented. The model is based on the recent discovery that shrinkage porosity nucleates and grows in regions of a casting where the solid fraction is the lowest. It calculates the feeding flows and pressure distribution in the liquid while accounting for the density variation during cooling and solidification. It predicts the location, extent and amount of all types of shrinkage porosity in a casting, including riser pipes and large internal holes, surface sinks, and distributed micro-shrinkage. Porosity predictions are presented for simple casting geometries and for a more complex Mn-steel experimental casting. The comparisons to the observations made in the experimental casting demonstrate the capability of the model to accurately predict the various types of shrinkage porosity. Numerical studies are performed to investigate the sensitivity of the predictions to various model parameters.
Unappropriated Dollars: The Fed's Ad Hoc Lending Facilities and the Rules That Govern Them

This Article provides a comprehensive legal analysis of the Federal Reserve’s response to the 2020 economic and financial crisis. First, it examines sixteen ad hoc lending facilities established by the Fed to fight the crisis and sorts them into two categories. Six advance the Fed’s monetary mission and were designed to halt a run on financial institutions. Ten go beyond the Fed’s traditional role and are designed to directly support financial markets and the real economy. Second, it maps these programs onto the statutory framework for money and banking. It shows that Congress’s signature crisis legislation, the CARES Act, suspended several existing restrictions on Fed lending sub silentio. And it reveals how the Fed’s lending to securities dealers and foreign central banks, a practice dating back more than fifty years, has never been expressly authorized by Congress. Third, it argues that these tensions reflect deficiencies in our contemporary economic and financial architecture. Finally, it suggests statutory reforms targeted at improving the government’s response to future economic and financial emergencies.
Analysis of Partitioning of Salt through Doping of Polyelectrolyte Complex Coacervates

Doping of salt ions within stoichiometric polyelectrolyte complex coacervates (PECs) is modeled with a theory that includes polymer ion pairing and counterion adsorption as equilibrium reactions al...
Moms know best?: Children's evaluations of mothers' unfair responses to peer conflicts

Abstract Research on children’s evaluations of parental discipline or parental responses to peer conflicts has focused on parents’ responses to hypothetical or actual child behavior. These parent behaviors are typically depicted as fair, reasonable, and appropriate, but what if they are not? In daily life, parents do sometimes act unfairly, or children evaluate parents’ responses as such. This study examined 90 4.5- to 10-year-old U.S. middle-class children’s (Mage = 7.42 years, SD = 1.70) evaluations of four scenarios describing hypothetical mothers’ unfair responses to peer conflicts (unjustified stealing; intentional harm; accidental harm; ambiguous harm). Across ages, children overwhelmingly judged mothers’ directives, particularly regarding a straightforwardly immoral demand (unjustified stealing), as wrong and very unfair, based primarily on moral justifications or coordinated justifications involving recognition of different competing moral (or moral and nonmoral) concerns. With age, children increasingly viewed directives to retaliate for intended harm as more fair and those regarding ambiguous harm as more unfair; justifications recognizing different concerns also increased with age, although more for retaliation for accidental and intended harm than for other situations. Children largely endorsed disobedience and attributed negative emotions to actors who were described as complying. Thus, children prioritized moral concerns over obedience to authority when mothers asserted authority unfairly, although their responses showed variability with age and the situational context.
Steady-State Fluorescence Signatures of Intramolecular Singlet Fission from Stochastic Predictions

The advent of new multichromophoric systems capable of undergoing efficient intramolecular singlet fission (iSF) has greatly expanded the range of possible motifs for multiexciton generation approaches for organic light energy harvesting materials. Transient absorption (TA) spectroscopic probes are typically used to characterize singlet fission processes that may place limitations on sensitivity and time resolution on scales comparable to the full lifespan of spin-forbidden triplets and interactions. Here, we investigate the ability of fluorescence-based spectroscopic probes to detect iSF activity in isolated dyads based on large substituted conjugated acenes (e.g., tetracene and pentacene derivatives). Photophysical models are simulated from several iSF-active dyad systems reported in the literature using a stochastic approach to assess the sensitivity of steady-state fluorescence to the presence of triplet excitons. The results demonstrate large fluctuations in expected fluorescence yields with varying excitation rate constants for systems with ΦiSF > 0.5 (assuming weak interchromophore coupling). Exciton-exciton interactions are also investigated, and we further demonstrate how treating iSF dyads stochastically (i.e., finite number of chromophores) accentuates dependences of photophysical yields with excitation rates. Last, our approach reveals the potential ability of single molecule level fluorescence spectroscopy to detect iSF activity that can aid efforts to design and optimize candidate iSF systems.
The Gestare Art Collective: With Nané Jordan and Medwyn McConachy

This chapter is an exploratory conversation with core founding members of the Gestare Art Collective, Nane Jordan, Medwyn McConachy and Barbara Bickel. Through dialogue, they connect threads of experience spanning a ten-year period of collaboratively exploring art, ritual and trance-based inquiry practices together. The chapter includes two Gestare-based art and trance practices, Making and Walking a Labyrinth, and Tree-Friending.
Bictegravir Plus Tenofovir Alafenamide Nanoformulation as a Long-Acting Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Regimen: Application of Modeling to Design Non-Human Primate Pharmacokinetic Experiments

Bictegravir (BIC) and tenofovir alafenamide fumarate (TAF), two potent anti-HIV drugs, had been nanoformulated (nBIC-TAF) to achieve once-a-month PrEP coverage. In-vivo mouse experiments for nBIC-TAF exhibited favorable subcutaneous (SC) pharmacokinetics. To probe the clinical suitability of the nBIC-TAF, as the next step, we intend to study nBIC-TAF in non-human primates (NHP), as the best preclinical model to foster clinical trials. Before entering an expensive NHP study, however, we seek to improve our a priori understanding about nBIC-TAF in higher species, having just mouse data. The mechanism-based pharmacokinetic modeling (MBPK) has been used as an appropriate method for pharmacokinetic modeling and interspecies scaling for nanoformulations. Via the use of MBPK, in this work, we created a model for nBIC-TAF able to predict plasma concentration-time curves in NHP. BIKTARVY is a daily oral combination of BIC, TAF, and emtricitabine (Gilead Science, CA), approved for HIV therapy. Using BIKTARVY equivalent dosages (from their NHP studies), we predicted that, following just one SC dose of nBIC-TAF in NHP, both BIC and tenofovir will have detectable and above in vitro efficacy levels for 28 days. Furthermore, the MBPK was able to provide a mechanistic explanation regarding the long-acting mechanism characterizing nBIC-TAF: nanoparticles stores in the SC space from which drugs slowly dissociate. Dissociated drugs in the SC space then buffer the plasma pool over time, yielding an extended-release effect in the plasma. Overall, we predicted for nBIC-TAF a promising long-acting pharmacokinetic in NHP, potentially usable as monthly PrEP. These results will help investigators to gain confidence for facing regulatory submissions at early stages.
Encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis Averts Stroke in Atherosclerotic Patients With Border-Zone Infarct: Post Hoc Analysis From a Performance Criterion Phase II Trial.

Background Intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD) is one of the leading causes of stroke worldwide. Patients with ICAD who initially present with ischemia in border-zone areas and undergo intensive medical management (IMM) have the highest recurrence rates (37% at 1 yr) because of association with hemodynamic failure and poor collaterals. Objective To evaluate the effect of encephaloduroarteriosynagiosis (EDAS) on stroke recurrence in patients with ICAD and border-zone stroke (BDZS) at presentation. Methods A phase II clinical trial of EDAS revascularization for symptomatic ICAD failing medical management (EDAS Revascularization for Symptomatic Intracranial Atherosclerosis Steno-occlusive [ERSIAS]) was recently concluded. We analyze the outcomes of the subgroup of patients with BDZS at presentation treated with EDAS vs the previously reported Stenting versus Aggressive Medical Management for Preventing Recurrent stroke in Intracranial Stenosis (SAMMPRIS) IMM subgroup with BDZS at presentation. Results Of 52 patients included in the ERSIAS trial, 35 presented with strokes at baseline, and 28 had a BDZ pattern, including 15 (54%) with exclusive BDZS and 13 (46%) with mixed patterns (BDZ plus other distribution). Three of the 28 (10.7%) had recurrent strokes up to a median follow-up of 24 months. The rate of recurrent stroke in ICAD patients with BDZS at presentation after EDAS was significantly lower than the rate reported in the SAMMPRIS IMM subgroup with BDZS at presentation (10.7% vs 37% P = .004, 95% CI = 0.037-0.27). Conclusion ICAD patients with BDZS at presentation have lower rates of recurrent stroke after EDAS surgery than those reported with medical management in the SAMMPRIS trial. These results support further investigation of EDAS in a randomized clinical trial.
Seismic erratic noise attenuation using unsupervised anomaly detection

ABSTRACT This study introduces a new attribute to identify seismic erratic noise, i.e. outlier, in the context of unsupervised anomaly detection and is defined as local outlier probabilities. The local outlier probabilities calculate scores of degrees of isolation, i.e. outlier‐ness, for each object in a data set, which represents how far an object is deviated from its surrounding objects. Since the local outlier probabilities combines a density‐based outlier detection method with a statistically oriented scheme, its scoring system provides regularized outlier‐ness, which is an outlier probability, to be used for making a binary decision to do inclusion or exclusion of an object; such a decision only requires a simple and straightforward threshold on a probability. Based on the binary decision that flags outliers versus non‐outliers, local outlier probabilities‐denoising workflows are developed by combining multiple steps to complete an application of the local outlier probabilities to attenuate seismic erratic noise. Higher stability and improved robustness in the detection and rejection of seismic erratic noise have been achieved by implementing moving windows and decision tree‐based processes. To avoid loss of useful signal energy, signal enhancement applications are additionally suggested. Numerical experiments on synthetic data investigate the applicability of the proposed algorithms to seismic erratic noise attenuation. Field data examples demonstrate the feasibility of a local outlier probabilities‐denoising application as an effective tool in seismic denoising portfolio.
Efficient Inverse Aerodynamic Design Method for Subsonic Flows

Computational fluid dynamics based design methods are maturing to the point that they are beginning to be used in the aircraft design process. Many design methods, however, have demonstrated deficiencies in the leading-edge region of airfoil sections. The objective of the present research is to develop an efficient inverse design method that is valid in the leading-edge region. The new design method is a streamline curvature method, and a new technique is presented for modeling the variation of the streamline curvature normal to the surface. The new design method allows the surface coordinates to move normal to the surface and has been incorporated into the constrained direct iterative surface curvature design method. The accuracy and efficiency of the design method is demonstrated using both two-dimensional and three-dimensional design cases
Combining the biomarkers macrophage inhibitory factor, osteopontin and prolactin with CA-125 improves early detection of ovarian cancer

Objectives: To determine the combined efficacy of MIF, OPN, PROL and CA-125 in distinguishing ovarian cancer from healthy compared to CA-125 alone as a single biomarker. Methods: Serum samples from 153 ovarian cancer patients (37 Stage I/II and 116 Stage III/IV) and 279 healthy age-matched controls were utilized in this study. The ovarian cancer group (n=153, average age = 57.1 yr) was composed of women with newly diagnosed ovarian cancer following discovery of pelvic mass. Mean concentration of MIF, OPN, PROL and CA-125 was measured using a novel, fully automated, multi-analyte immunoassay platform, Ella. The serum samples were randomly divided into two different cohorts (n=153 and n=279) to be interchangeably used as training and testing sets for statistical analysis. Four statistical classification models, k-nearest neighbors, logistic regression, random forest, and support vector machines were used to calculate accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive-predictive value (PPV), and negative-predictive value (NPV) of the four protein biomarker panel and CA-125 alone. Download : Download high-res image (163KB) Download : Download full-size image Results: In distinguishing serum of ovarian cancer patients from healthy controls, the four-protein biomarker panel yielded an average accuracy of 91% compared to 85% when using CA-125 alone across the four classification models (p=3.224e-09). Further, the four-protein biomarker produced statistically significantly higher sensitivity (median of 76%), specificity (median of 98%), PPV (median of 91.5%), and NPV (median of 92%), compared to CA-125 alone in distinguishing ovarian cancer from healthy controls (Wilcoxon p-values: 2.22e-07, 0.02, 1.27e-2, and 3.629e-07, respectively; Figure 1). Importantly, the improved performance of the four-protein biomarker over CA-125 alone is maintained in the detection of early-stage ovarian cancer (Stage I/II) from health controls. Conclusions: Combining MIF, OPN, and PROL to CA-125 resulted in improved detection of ovarian cancer compared to CA-125 alone. This study is another step forward towards developing a useful serologic biomarker panel for early detection of ovarian cancer that is both highly accurate and specific. The multi-analyte platform, Ella, is fully automated, highly reproducible and a useful tool in future ovarian cancer biomarker discoveries.
Socioeconomics of coronary artery calcium: Is it scored or ignored?

Abstract Importance Chicago is one of the most racially segregated cities in the US, with the largest mortality gap between neighborhoods. Computed tomographic coronary artery calcium scoring (CACS) is an excellent risk stratification tool, but costs about $200 out-of-pocket, making it inaccessible to some. Objective To determine whether this ACC/AHA guideline-recommended screening tool is accessible to all populations and neighborhoods, we evaluated the price and availability of CACS in Chicago area hospitals. Design We used the Illinois Department of Public Health list of area hospitals to inquire about CACS availability and price. We compared these results to US Census Bureau data for each hospital's service area's demographic, ethnic and socioeconomic population characteristics. Results Out of the 40 hospitals in Chicagoland, 30 offered CACS. The 10 hospitals without CACS were smaller hospitals in zip codes with a higher population density (p ​ Even in areas with CACS, there was wide price variation, with higher prices in poorer areas (r ​= ​0.57, p ​ Conclusions and relevance CACS is a powerful, evidenced-based clinical tool, but the availability and price vary widely in Chicagoland, and directly correlate with the socioeconomic and health care disparities that are known to exist. Removing these barriers to coronary artery disease screening may be one method to improve the poor cardiovascular outcomes in these areas.
Chapter 13 Fusion of Bacterial Protoplasts

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the procedure for fusion of bacterial protoplasts. Bacterial protoplasts, being in some respects comparable to animal cells, have been recently investigated in regard to their ability to undergo fusion. This process has in fact been observed in the light microscope, and followed by time-lapse photography by Stahelin, working with protoplasts of Bacillus anthracis. This chapter presents an overview of the searches undertaken with protoplasts from Bacillus species, submitted to a fusogenic treatment. The chapter presents the rationale for a fusion experiment. Successful protoplast fusion with genetically marked bacteria is reported only with polyauxotrophic mutants derived from Bacillus subtilis strain 168, or from an asporogenous subline of Bacillus megaterium strain KM. In the former species, a mutation for rifamycin resistance introduced into both parental strains has made it possible practically to eliminate any risk of contamination. There are presently no contraindications to the use of any other grampositive bacterial species.
Critical Social Network Analysis in Community Colleges: Peer Effects and Credit Attainment

This chapter discusses the importance of conducting critical social network analysis (CSNA) in higher education. To illustrate the benefits of CSNA, the authors use existing institutional data to examine peer effects in community colleges. The chapter ends with a discussion of the implications of using a CSNA approach to measure inequities in higher education.
Phenotypes of trpl Mutants and Interactions between the Transient Receptor Potential (TRP) and TRP-Like Channels inDrosophila

The trp and trpl genes are thought to encode two classes of light-activated ion channels in Drosophila . A previous report indicated that a null trpl mutant does not display any mutant phenotype. This lack of detectable mutant phenotypes made it difficult to suggest functions for the transient receptor potential-like (TRPL) channel in photoreceptor responses. Here, the properties of trpl photoreceptor responses were studied by using electroretinogram (ERG) and intracellular recording techniques in combination with light stimuli of relatively long durations. Distinct mutant phenotypes were detectable under these conditions. These consisted of a reduced sustained component, oscillations superimposed on the response, a poststimulus hyperpolarization, and altered adaptation properties to dim background light. Comparison of photoreceptor responses obtained from wild type, trp , and trpl showed that the responses obtained from the trp and trpl null mutants did not sum up to that of the wild-type response. To explain the nonlinear summation at the peak of the response, [Reuss et al. (1997)][1] proposed that Ca2+ions entering through the TRP channel modulate TRP and TRPL channel activities differentially. However, nonlinear summation was present not only at the peak but throughout the duration of response. Two lines of evidence are presented to suggest that, in addition to the interaction proposed by [Reuss et al. (1997)][1], there are other forms of interactions between TRP and TRPL channels, probably involving the channel proteins themselves. [1]: #ref-18
Corporate Innovation Engines: Tools and Processes

Inventiveness is one of the most important human traits present in the history of human race. Companies and their respective legal entities have created the context in which several individual acts of invention should be streamlined into common purpose, individual, group, and company benefit. Therefore, in modern terms, we talk about innovation as a process which follows an IP lifecycle. Corporations rely upon IP artifacts (patents, copyrights, trade & service marks, trade secrets) to protect and restrict competition relative to their investments in products, services, processes, and facilities. In this paper we introduce: 1. the subject of corporate innovation and describe the organization 2. processes behind corporate innovation activities and 3. the conceptual architecture of the corporate innovation management system. Then, we will briefly describe the practical aspects of IP exploitation and discuss overall benefits in section four and close with our outlook and future challenges for IP management.
Africans and the Industrial Revolution in England: A Historiography of the First Industrial Revolution

THE COURSE AND NATURE of the almost 800-year-long development process in England, which produced the structural and technological transformation controversially referred to as the Industrial Revolution, have been carefully laid out in the preceding chapter. The task now is to show how historians have explained the causes of this major historical event. Since the first systematic study by Arnold Toynbee in the 1880s, economic historians have periodically taken stock of the state of knowledge in the field. One of the earliest such exercise was by T. S. Ashton in 1937, in which we are informed that those who taught economic history before World War I “had but a meagre shelf from which to make up our story of the Industrial Revolution.” Between the wars the literature grew quickly. Ashton was, therefore, able to report excitedly, just before World War II, that the problem for students of the Industrial Revolution was “no longer a question of finding raiment to cover intellectual nakedness, but of which many garments to assume.” The literature on the subject has grown continuously since then. In 1965, Max Hartwell published the first “reasonably comprehensive and critical survey” of the various attempts by economic historians to explain the causes of the Industrial Revolution. The latter work presents a critical discussion of the different explanations favored by scholars. Since that publication, similar critical surveys of the literature on the causes of the Industrial Revolution have been published, the most recent and probably the most comprehensive being the one by Joel Mokyr.
Maser Emission as a Tool to Study Mass Loss from Evolved Stars

The properties of circumstellar OH, H2O, and SiO masers which can be used to examine the mass loss process in red giant stars are discussed from an empiricist’s point of view. Two aspects of mass loss are considered: namely, the mass loss mechanism and the mass loss rate.
Witching Culture: Folklore and Neo-Paganism in America

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Sabina Magliocco Year: 2004 Pages: 280 Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN: 0812218795 Prices: $55.00(hard cover).
Flood-Hazard Effects on Residential Property Values

Inasmuch as the potential for flooding can reduce property values, individuals will be encouraged to promote government policies that reduce the damages of flooding, such as dams or subsidized flood insurance. On the other hand, policies that limit the use of flood-prone land may reduce the value of such land even beyond the reduction due to flooding potential. Thus, political choice may be biased toward structural or property enhancing measures as opposed to measures which reduce property values regardless of what the socially “best” set of measures might be. To empirically investigate the validity of the preceding arguments, the influence of flood hazard on residential property values was estimated. In order to accomplish this task, two case study areas were examined. Using multiple regression analysis to analyze actual sale prices of land parcels indicated that: (1) The existence of flood risk lowers land value; (2) structural flood-control measures increase land prices; and (3) the influence of flood-plain zoning can not be easily identified.
Further understanding human disease genes by comparing with housekeeping genes and other genes

Several studies have compared various features of heritable disease genes with other so called non-disease genes, but they have yielded some conflicting results. A potential problem in those studies is that the non-disease genes contained a large number of essential genes – genes which are indispensable for humans to survive and reproduce. Since a functional disruption of an essential gene has fatal consequences, it's more reasonable to regard essential genes as extremely severe "disease" genes. Here we perform a comparative study on the features of human essential, disease, and other genes. In the absence of a set of well defined human essential genes, we consider a set of 1,789 ubiquitously expressed human genes (UEHGs), also known as housekeeping genes, as an approximation. We demonstrate that UEHGs are very likely to contain a large proportion of essential genes. We show that the UEHGs, disease genes and other genes are different in their evolutionary conservation rates, DNA coding lengths, gene functions, etc. Our findings systematically confirm that disease genes have an intermediate essentiality which is less than housekeeping genes but greater than other human genes. The human genome may contain thousands of essential genes having features which differ significantly from disease and other genes. We propose to classify them as a unique group for comparisons of disease genes with non-disease genes. This new way of classification and comparison enables us to have a clearer understanding of disease genes.
Automated Physiological-Based Detection of Mind Wandering during Learning

Unintentional lapses of attention, or mind wandering, are ubiquitous and detrimental during learning. Hence, automated methods that detect and combat mind wandering might be beneficial to learning. As an initial step in this direction, we propose to detect mind wandering by monitoring physiological measures of skin conductance and skin temperature. We conducted a study in which student's physiology signals were measured while they learned topics in research methods from instructional texts. Momentary self-reports of mind wandering were collected with standard probe-based methods. We computed features from the physiological signals in windows leading up to the probes and trained supervised classification models to detect mind wandering. We obtained a kappa, a measurement of accuracy corrected for random guessing, of .22, signaling feasibility of detecting MW in a student-independent manner. Though modest, we consider this result to be an important step towards fully-automated unobtrusive detection of mind wandering during learning.
Determination of metal stoichiometry in LaSrCu-oxide, YBaCu-oxide, BiCaSrCu-oxide superconducting films and bulk samples.

Abstract Metal stoichiometry in superconducting bulk materials and thin films made of LaSrCu-oxides, YBaCu-oxides, and BiCaSrCu-oxides were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic-emission spectrometry (ICP—AES) after dissolution in a 1:1 mixture of 20% v/v hydrochloric and nitric acids. The method provides reliable results, with which a variety of manufacturing processes can be optimized. The precision of the metal determinations ranges from 3 to 9%.
A RFLP linkage map of Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench

A RFLP linkage map of sorghum composed principally of markers detected with sorghum low-copy-number nuclear DNA clones has been constructed. The map spans 1789 cMs and consists of 190 loci grouped into 14 linkage groups. The 10 largest linkage groups consist of from 10 to 24 markers and from 103 to 237 cMs, and the other 4 linkage groups consist of from 2 to 5 markers and from 7 to 62 cMs. The map was derived in Sorghum bicolor ssp. bicolor by analysis of a F2 population composed of 50 plants derived from a cross of IS 3620C, a guinea line, and BTx 623, an agronomically important inbred line derived from a cross between a zera zera (a caudatum-like sorghum) and an established kafir line. The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) frequency detected in this population using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-amplifiable low-copy-number sorghum clones and five restriction enzymes was 51%. A minimal estimate of the number of clones that detect duplicate sequences is 11 %. Null alleles occurred at 13% of the mapped RFLP loci.
Organic geochemistry of particulate matter in the ocean: the role of particles in oceanic sedimentary cycles

Abstract Organic geochemists often use the occurrence of specific organic compounds in marine sediments as biomarkers to relate sedimentary organic matter to biological processes in the overlying water column. However, organic matter undergoes many diagenetic changes during transport through the water column. Only a small fraction of the organic matter produced in surface waters reaches the sea floor to be incorporated into the sediments. This material is subject to considerable transformation by heterotrophic organisms. The initial structures of individual compounds can be altered and the proportion of various compounds and compound classes can change as a result of varying stabilities. We summarize here the results of our studies of the organic geochemistry of suspended and sinking particles collected as part of the PARFLUX and VERTEX programs and present new results for amino acids, fatty acids, sterols and steroidal ketones from the VERTEX project site north of Hawaii.