cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How low can you go? The importance of quantifying minimum generation levels for renewable integration

Abstract One of the significant limitations of solar and wind deployment is declining value caused by the limited correlation of renewable energy supply and electricity demand as well as limited flexibility of the power system. Limited flexibility can result from thermal and hydro plants that cannot turn off or reduce output due to technical or economic limits. These limits include the operating range of conventional thermal power plants, the need for process heat from combined heat and power plants, and restrictions on hydro unit operation. To appropriately analyze regional and national energy policies related to renewable deployment, these limits must be accurately captured in grid planning models. In this work, we summarize data sources and methods for U.S. power plants that can be used to capture minimum generation levels in grid planning tools, such as production cost models. We also provide case studies for two locations in the U.S. (California and Texas) that demonstrate the sensitivity of variable generation (VG) curtailment to grid flexibility assumptions which shows the importance of analyzing (and documenting) minimum generation levels in studies of increased VG penetration.
Growing Switchgrass in the Corn Belt: Barriers and Drivers from an Iowa Survey

While agriculture has dramatically increased the production of crops for energy generation, there has been limited growing of dedicated perennial crops for liquid fuel or electricity production. Adoption of dedicated perennials can be the first step in the transformation from unsustainable, energy intensive agricultural production to a system that is resilient to climate change, environmentally sustainable and financially stable for farmers. We focus on the perennial switchgrass because it is a native species and there is evidence of its favorable agronomic and environmental profile under a wide range of growing conditions. However, since switchgrass is a novel, perennial crop, there are challenges for farmers who want to grow it. This paper examines which factors are significant predictors in the interest of farmers in producing switchgrass through the analysis of the results of a survey completed by farmers in the Clear Creek watershed in rural Iowa. Knowledge of switchgrass and production on highly erodible land are both highly correlated with interest in growing switchgrass. In addition, long-term contracts with bio-refineries would help farmers decrease adoption risk. Our results can help establish policies that could influence farmers to shift production from annual crops to perennial native biomass energy crops. Switchgrass production has the potential to move agriculture from a contributor to climate change into a sector that mitigates climate change via reduction in energy-intensive inputs, such as fertilizers, production of renewable fuels, and sequestration of carbon in the soils.
A mixed method approach to understanding the graying of Maine's lobster fleet

The American lobster, Homarus americanus H. Milne-Edwards, 1837, fishery is the most valuable commercial fishery in the state of Maine (United States), and contributes more than US$666 million to the global market. Although lobster landings are at a historically high level, scientists have identified a myriad of threats that raise concern about the future of this iconic fishery. Numerous literature focuses on the ecological threats to the American lobster fishery, but the changing demographics of lobstermen is understudied. The graying of the fleet has significant implications for the social resilience of the fishery as it can reduce human capital necessary for responding to social and ecological change. An analysis of license data revealed that the average age of lobstermen in this fishery is increasing and fewer young lobstermen are entering the fishery, a pattern that is consistent with the graying of the fleet seen elsewhere. Oral history interviews further reveal insight into drivers contributing to the graying of the fleet. They can also help aid in the resilience of the fishery by protecting the social memory needed for adaptive behavior. Limited entry, escalating costs of entry, and norms that limit exit all contribute to graying of the fleet in this fishery. Further research is needed to better understand potential impacts that graying on the fleet may have on lobstermen behavior and adaptive strategies, and how this may impact fishery performance and resilience.
Perceptions about Social Science among NWS Warning Coordination Meteorologists

AbstractNOAA has recently placed greater emphasis on implementing social science findings into its products, but perceptions of social science research among National Weather Service offices have n...
CT in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

CT enterography (CTE) is used to image the small and large bowel to detect and stage inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and alternative small bowel disorders. The principal benefits of CTE in Crohn’s patients are to identify suspected and occult mural inflammation and penetrating complications that will change medical or interventional treatment. CTE is a high spatial resolution CT exam of the abdomen and pelvis, following the administration of a large volume of oral enteric contrast agent, providing visualization of the gut lumen, wall, and peri-enteric tissues. Methods for enteric contrast delivery, intravenous contrast administration, and routine and low-dose image acquisition and reconstruction are discussed and can be tailored to the patient. Imaging findings such as mural hyperenhancement, stratification, and wall thickening that reflect small and large bowel mural inflammation are summarized and illustrated, as are penetrating complications (abscess, fistulas), low- and high-grade bowel obstruction, and other extra-enteric complications of IBD. CTE performance characteristics for detecting mural inflammation, penetrating complications, and obstruction are summarized and favorable. The relationship of IBD patient symptoms to CTE imaging findings is reviewed. Although CTE is considered as a complementary test with ileocolonoscopy in the evaluation of IBD patients, it has specific advantages, limitations, and risks compared with alternative small bowel-imaging strategies such as MR enterography, capsule endoscopy, and small bowel fluoroscopy.
Convolutions, Spherical Functions and the Mellin Transform

We shall study integral operators, but these are not independent of the differential operators. We begin by formulating a general result which applies to both. There are other relations showing that eigenvalues of certain differential operators are also eigenvalues of certain integral operators. The chapter concerns the work of Gelfand [Gel 50], Godement [God 52b], Maass [Maa 55], [Maa 56], [Maa 71], and Selberg [Sel 56], especially pp. 48–58.
FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS IN PRODUCTION THEORY

This chapter reviews the production decisions and input-output relationship when a firm uses two variable resources, such as capital and labor. The chapter also discusses the implications of the long run. The marginal rate of substitution (MRTS) measures the amount of one resource that can be substituted by one unit of the other resource, to maintain the same volume of output. It is easy to see that such a ratio, in effect, indicates the slope of an isoquant. Diminishing MRTS largely occurs due to the inefficiencies associated with the excessive use of one productive input relative to the other. When a firm uses two variable inputs, there is a possibility that the excessive use of one relative to the other may contribute to substantial losses in overall productivity of the resource. Thus, if too many laborers are employed with only a few machines, it is entirely possible that output will be less than that possible with the same number of machines and fewer laborers. As more workers produce less output than a smaller number, the additional workers yield negative marginal product.
Estimating Tree Grades for Southern Appalachian Natural Forest Stands

Log prices can vary significantly by grade: grade 1 logs are often several times the price per unit of grade 3 logs. Because tree grading rules derive from log grading rules, a model that predicts tree grades based on tree and stand-level variables might be useful for predicting stand values. The model could then assist in the modeling of timber supply and in economic optimization. Grade models are estimated for ten species groups found in the southern Appalachians, using data from several thousand trees and permanent plots in the USDA Forest Service's Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) database. The models correctly predicted grades of a majority of trees in both a test and a validation data set, and predictions of grade proportions across a sample of the population were usually within three percentage points of actual grade proportions. But success of models varied across species and diameter groups. Considering several measures of modeling success, the most accurate models were
Der krurale Bypass mit ringverstärkten PTFE-Prothesen — Indikationsgrenzen und Langzeitergebnisse

Der lange, krurale Prothesenbypass stellt in der Regel die letzte Moglichkeit dar, eine Extremitat zu erhalten. Bei entsprechender Indikation ist mit einer hohen Rate an Sofort- bzw. Fruhverschlussen zu rechnen, die dann in der Regel die Amputation notwendig machen. Fur diese Patienten stellt die vorausgegangene Operation eine zusatzliche physische und psychische Belastung dar, unter Umstanden verschlechtert sich das Ergebnis der Amputation.
Summary, Implications, and Future Work

This chapter summarizes the main results from Chaps. 2–4 and discusses what they reveal about galaxy formation and evolution. The implications on galaxy structure, merger history, and the black-hole-bulge correlation are all considered. Related future work that requires next-generation facilities like the James Webb Space Telescope, the Giant Magellan Telescope, and ALMA is discussed.
Total Body Irradiation and Risk of Diabetes Mellitus; A Meta-Analysis

Objective: Hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) has recently emerged as a cure for previously “incurable” diseases and is being explored and attempted in many other fields including congenital and acquired non-malignant diseases. However, the long-term side effect associated with HSCT especially Total Body Irradiation (TBI) is still understudied. Therefore, we attempted to establish association between TBI and risk of developing Diabetes Mellitus (DM) or impaired glucose metabolism (IGM). Methods: We searched for titles of articles in MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and Cochrane library in August 2018 that evaluated the association between TBI in the setting of HSCT and DM or IGM. We conducted a random effect meta-analysis of 11 studies involving a total of 13,191 participants and reported the pooled MD (mean difference) for the development of DM/IGM after TBI as part of the conditioning regimen for HSCT. Results: We found a significant increase in the risk of developing DM/IGM after TBI is used as part of the conditioning regimen compared to other types of conditioning regimen with the pooled MD being 5.42, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 2.51-11.71, I2=92.4%. Conclusion: TBI as a conditioning regimen in the setting of HSCT significantly increases the risk of developing DM/IGM. Therefore, we recommend close monitoring and screening for diabetes mellitus in patients who underwent TBI before HSCT.
Blind Learning of Tree Network Topologies in the Presence of Hidden Nodes

This paper considers the problem of learning the unknown structure of a network with the underlying topology given by a polyforest (a collection of directed trees with potentially multiple roots). The main result is an algorithm that consistently learns the network structure using only second-order statistics of the data. The methodology is robust with respect to the presence of unmeasured (latent) nodes: the algorithm detects the exact number and location of the latent nodes, when they satisfy specific degree conditions in the actual network graph. It is shown that the same degree conditions are also necessary for a consistent reconstruction. Thus, the proposed reconstruction algorithm achieves the fundamental limitations in learning the structure of a polyforest network of linear dynamic systems in the presence of latent nodes. This paper overcomes the limitations of previous results that only addressed single-rooted trees, tackling the problem in an efficient way since the computational complexity of the derived algorithm is proven to be polynomial in the number of observed nodes.
Framework for large-scale implementation of wholesale-retail transactive control mechanism

Abstract Transactive energy is a control technique that uses market mechanisms to achieve desired control objectives. Several simulation studies and field demonstrations were carried out in recent years, but all focused on small scale systems and purpose-built simplified models which are not always capable of pointing out all the advantages and shortcomings of transactive energy methods. This work describes a co-simulation framework built on a hierarchical control architecture that allows for conducting studies on the impacts of a very large-scale deployment of transactive energy. The hierarchical transactive control architecture adopted in this work helps with alleviating computation and communication burden to facilitate a more effective large scale real-time market operation among device level resources and the system level operators. The co-simulation framework is evaluated using off-the-shelf simulators on an integrated power system model of unprecedented scale composed of the Western Electricity Coordination Council transmission system with tens of thousands of distribution systems deployed with flexible device-level distributed energy resources.
Biology Without Borders: Need for Collective Governance?

“College students try to hack a gene – and set a science fair abuzz” (Swetlitz 2016); “Amateurs Are New Fear in Creating Mutant Virus”(Zimmer 2015); “DIY Gene Editing: Someone Is Going to Get Hurt” (Baumgaertner 2018); and “In Attics and Closets, Biohackers Discover Their Inner Frankenstein (Whalen 2009)”—these are the headlines the public reads in major publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and others about the increasing accessibility to biotechnologies. Read aloud; they sound like the opening trailers for horror movies. Have there been missteps? Stunts? Individuals that spark controversy? Of course. But pandemics? Environmental disasters? Of course not. What has occurred though, and the story that is rarely told, are the tens of thousands of students and everyday citizens that have been introduced to biology, biotechnology, and science more broadly, who might not otherwise have had the opportunity to explore it. As with any broad reaching loosely affiliated community, there will always be those pushing the boundaries and trying to steal the spotlight with hyperbole and stunts. And with the help of some in the press, have misbranded and misrepresented the entire community of citizens interested in biology. Unfortunately these stories overshadow the educational opportunities this community provides and dismisses the safety, security, ethical, and responsible innovation practices and programs they have established.
Characterization and Genome Sequence of Mycobacterium Phage XianYue.

ABSTRACT Novel mycobacteriophage XianYue was isolated in Northeast Georgia and infects Mycobacteria smegmatis mc2155. Actinobacteriophages which share at least 50% nucleotide identity are grouped into clusters, with XianYue in cluster A2. Its genome is 52,907 bp with 91 open reading frames (ORFs) and 62.9% GC content, and it shares 86.51% nucleotide identity with mycobacteriophage Trixie.
EELS and Xanes Analysis of Plutonium and Cerium Edges From Titanate Ceramics for Fissile Materials Disposal

We report x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and extended x-ray fine structure analysis (EXAFS) spectra from the plutonium Llll and cerium Lm edges in prototype titanate ceramic hosts for disposal of surplus fissile materials. These spectra were obtained using the MRCAT beamline at the Advanced Photon Source (APS). The XANES and EXAFS results are compared with electron loss spectra (EELS) determination of oxidation state from the plutonium MlV,V and cerium MlV,V edges [1,2]. The titanate ceramics studied are based upon the hafniumpyrochlore and zirconolite mineral structures and will serve as an immobilization host, containing as much as 10 weight % fissile plutonium, and 20 weight % (natural or depleted) uranium. Similar formulations were composed using cerium as a “surrogate” element, replacing both plutonium and uranium in the ceramic matrix. We find the plutonium to be present almost entirely as Pu (IV), while the cerium is clearly in a mixed III-IV oxidation state in the surrogate ceramic.
The effects of the great recession on college majors

Abstract How did the Great Recession affect the college degree fields? Utilizing the geographic variation in the severity of the recession in the US, I answer this question using the differences-in-differences and synthetic controls approaches. To explore these effects systematically, I categorize fields based on their sensitivity to the recession. The results show that there was a shift from recession-sensitive majors towards recession-resistant majors. The effects were immediate and larger for more local institutions. These findings suggest that students’ expectations about future labor market outcomes are affected by shocks to the current local labor market conditions.
Predictive Models May Complement or Provide an Alternative to Existing Strategies for Assessing the Enteric Pathogen Contamination Status of Northeastern Streams Used to Provide Water for Produce Production

While the Food Safety Modernization Act established standards for the use of surface water for produce production, water quality is known to vary over space and time. Targeted approaches for identifying hazards in water that account for this variation may improve growers' ability to address pre-harvest food safety risks. Models that utilize publicly-available data (e.g., land-use, real-time weather) may be useful for developing these approaches. The objective of this study was to use pre-existing datasets collected in 2017 (N = 181 samples) and 2018 (N = 191 samples) to train and test models that predict the likelihood of detecting Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli markers (eaeA, stx) in agricultural water. Four types of features were used to train the models: microbial, physicochemical, spatial and weather. "Full models" were built using all four features types, while "nested models" were built using between one and three types. Twenty learners were used to develop separate full models for each pathogen. Separately, to assess information gain associated with using different feature types, six learners were randomly selected and used to develop nine, nested models each. Performance measures for each model were then calculated and compared against baseline models where E. coli concentration was the sole covariate. In the methods, we outline the advantages and disadvantages of each learner. Overall, full models built using ensemble (e.g., Node Harvest) and "black-box" (e.g., SVMs) learners out-performed full models built using more interpretable learners (e.g., tree- and rule-based learners) for both outcomes. However, nested eaeA-stx models built using interpretable learners and microbial data performed almost as well as these full models. While none of the nested Salmonella models performed as well as the full models, nested models built using spatial data consistently out-performed models that excluded spatial data. These findings demonstrate that machine learning approaches can be used to predict when and where pathogens are likely to be present in agricultural water. This study serves as a proof-of-concept that can be built upon once larger datasets become available and provides guidance on the learner-data combinations that should be the foci of future efforts (e.g., tree-based microbial models for pathogenic E. coli).
Multi-body statistical shape representation of anatomy for navigation in robot-assisted laparoscopic partial nephrectomy

Image guidance for abdominal procedures requires an anatomical model capable of representing significant displacement and deformation of relevant tissues in a computationally efficient manner. This work evaluates the suitability of statistical shape modeling to represent key structures in Robot Assisted Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy (RALPN) both individually, and also as a multi-body composite model. Tomography obtained from subjects in an ongoing RALPN study was used to produce surface model representations of the kidneys, abdominal aorta, and inferior vena cava. Each structure was resliced and remeshed in a standardized fashion to allow for extraction of the principal modes of variation. Reduced parameter representations of the example structures based on the strongest eigenmodes indicate that <5mm average RMSE modeling accuracy can be achieved with four parameters for the individual models and eight parameters for the four-body composite model. The magnitude of centroid displacements observed under the principal modes of variation is consistent with literature-reported values, suggesting that this approach may be suitable for image guidance in RALPN.
Leveraging the Hyperledger Fabric for Enhancing the Efficacy of Clinical Decision Support Systems

Adopting and implementing the Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) technology is a critical element in an effort to improve national quality initiatives and evidence-based practice at the point of care. CDSS is envisioned to be a potential solution to many current challenges in the healthcare sphere, which includes information overload, practice improvement, eliminating treatment errors, and reducing medical consultation costs. However, the CDSS did not manage to achieve these goals to the desired levels and provide context-appropriate alerts, although integrated with the electronic health records (EHRs) (1). Clinical decision support alerts can save lives, but frequent ones can cause increased cognitive burden to clinicians, worsen alert fatigue, and increase the duplication of tests. This ultimately increases health care costs without refining patient outcomes. Studies show that 49–96% of clinical alerts are ignored, raising questions about the effectiveness of CDSS (1). Blockchain, a decentralized, distributed digital ledger that contains a plethora of continuously updated, time-stamped, and highly encrypted virtual record, can be a key to addressing these challenges (2). The blockchain technology if integrated with the CDSS can serve as a potential solution to eliminating current drawbacks with CDSS (3). This article addresses the most significant and chronic problems facing the successful implementation of CDSS and how leveraging the Hyperledger Fabric can alleviate the clinical alert fatigue and reduce physician’s burnout using patient-specific information. The proposed architecture framework for this study is designed to equip the CDSS with overall patient information at the point of care. This then empowers the physicians with the blockchain-integrated CDSS, which holds the potential to reduce clinician’s cognitive burden, medical errors, and costs and ultimately enhance patient outcomes. The research study broadly discusses how the blockchain technology can be a potential solution, reasons for selecting the Hyperledger Fabric, and elaborates on how the Hyperledger Fabric can be leveraged to enhance the efficacy of CDSS.
A Supersymmetric Flavor Clockwork

Clockwork models can explain the flavor hierarchies in the Standard Model quark and lepton spectrum. We construct supersymmetric versions of such flavor clockwork models. The zero modes of the clockwork are identified with the fermions and sfermions of the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. In addition to generating a hierarchical fermion spectrum, the clockwork also predicts a specific flavor structure for the soft SUSY breaking sfermion masses. We find sizeable flavor mixing among first and second generation squarks. Constraints from Kaon oscillations require the masses of either squarks or gluinos to be above a scale of $\sim 3$ PeV.
The Impact of Psychological Factors and Their Treatment on the Results of Total Knee Arthroplasty.

➤ There is a growing body of evidence implicating psychosocial factors, including anxiety, depression, kinesiophobia, central sensitization, and pain catastrophizing, as negative prognostic factors following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). ➤ Symptoms of anxiety and depression likely represent risk factors for negative outcomes in patients undergoing TKA. However, few studies have assessed the impact of preoperative interventions for these conditions on postoperative outcomes. ➤ The Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia and the Central Sensitization Inventory have demonstrated value in the diagnosis of kinesiophobia and central sensitization. Higher preoperative indices of kinesiophobia and central sensitization predict worse patient-reported outcomes postoperatively. ➤ Although evidence is limited, cognitive-behavioral therapy for kinesiophobia and duloxetine for central sensitization may help to diminish the negative impact of these preoperative comorbidities. It is important to note, however, that outside the realm of TKA, cognitive-behavioral therapy has been recognized as a more effective treatment for central sensitization than medical treatment. ➤ Awareness of these issues will allow surgeons to better prepare patients regarding postoperative expectations in the setting of a comorbid psychosocial risk factor. Further research into the role of preoperative assessment and possible treatment of these conditions in patients undergoing TKA is warranted.
Development of a Targeted Gene Disruption System in the Poly(Ethylene Terephthalate)-Degrading Bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis and Its Applications to PETase and MHETase Genes

Poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) is a commonly used synthetic plastic; however, its nonbiodegradability results in a large amount of waste accumulation that has a negative impact on the environment. Recently, a PET-degrading bacterium, Ideonella sakaiensis 201-F6 strain, was isolated, and the enzymes involved in PET digestion, PET hydrolase (PETase), and mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET) hydrolase (MHETase) were identified. Despite the great potentials of I. sakaiensis in bioremediation and biorecycling, approaches to studying this bacterium remain limited. In this study, to enable the functional analysis of PETase and MHETase genes in vivo, we have developed a gene disruption system in I. sakaiensis. The pT18mobsacB-based disruption vector harboring directly connected 5'- and 3'-flanking regions of the target gene for homologous recombination was introduced into I. sakaiensis cells via conjugation. First, we deleted the orotidine 5'-phosphate decarboxylase gene (pyrF) from the genome of the wild-type strain, producing the ΔpyrF strain with 5-fluoroorotic acid (5-FOA) resistance. Next, using the ΔpyrF strain as a parent strain and pyrF as a counterselection marker, we disrupted the genes for PETase and MHETase. The growth of both Δpetase and Δmhetase strains on terephthalic acid (TPA; one of the PET hydrolytic products) was comparable to that of the parent strain. However, these mutant strains dramatically decreased the growth level on PET to that on a no-carbon source. Moreover, the Δpetase strain completely abolished PET degradation capacity. These results demonstrate that PETase and MHETase are essential for I. sakaiensis metabolism of PET. IMPORTANCE The poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET)-degrading bacterium Ideonella sakaiensis possesses two unique enzymes able to serve in PET hydrolysis. PET hydrolase (PETase) hydrolyzes PET into mono(2-hydroxyethyl) terephthalic acid (MHET), and MHET hydrolase (MHETase) hydrolyzes MHET into terephthalic acid (TPA) and ethylene glycol (EG). These enzymes have attracted global attention, as they have potential to be used for bioconversion of PET. Compared to many in vitro studies, including biochemical and crystal structure analyses, few in vivo studies have been reported. Here, we developed a targeted gene disruption system in I. sakaiensis, which was then applied for constructing Δpetase and Δmhetase strains. Growth of these disruptants revealed that PETase is the sole enzyme responsible for PET degradation in I. sakaiensis, while PETase and MHETase play essential roles in its PET assimilation.
Book Review of Global Media and Strategic Narratives of Contested Democracy: Chinese, Russian, and Arabic Media Narratives of the US Presidential Election by Robert Hinck, Skye Cooley and Randolph Kluver.

The article reviews the book "Global Media and Strategic Narratives of Contested Democracy: Chinese, Russian, and Arabic Media Narratives of the US Presidential Election" by Robert Hinck, Skye Cooley, & Randolph Kluver.
Imprint of the Pacific Walker Circulation in Global Precipitation δ18O

*This article is now published, and freely available from Journal of Climate at https://doi.org/10.1175/JCLI-D-21-0190.1* Characterising variability in the global water cycle is fundamental to predicting impacts of future climate change; understanding the role of the Pacific Walker circulation (PWC) in the regional expression of global water cycle changes is critical to understanding this variability. Water isotopes are ideal tracers of the role of the PWC in global water cycling, because they retain information about circulation-dependent processes including moisture source, transport, and delivery. We collated publicly-available measurements of precipitation δ18O (δ18OP), and used novel data processing techniques to synthesise long (34-year), globally-distributed composite records from temporally discontinuous δ18OP measurements. We investigated relationships between global-scale δ18OP variability and PWC strength, as well as other possible drivers of global δ18OP variability—including the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and global mean temperature—and used isotope-enabled climate model simulations to assess potential biases arising from uneven geographical distribution of the observations or our data processing methodology. Co-variability underlying the δ18OP composites is more strongly correlated with the PWC (r = 0.74) than any other index of climate variability tested. We propose that the PWC imprint in global δ18OP arises from multiple complementary processes, including PWC-related changes in moisture source and transport length, and a PWC- or ENSO-driven ‘amount effect’ in tropical regions. The clear PWC imprint in global δ18OP implies a strong PWC influence on the regional expression of global water cycle variability on interannual to decadal timescales, and hence that uncertainty in the future state of the PWC translates to uncertainties in future changes in the global water cycle.
A Thrombotic Stroke Model Based On Transient Cerebral Hypoxia-ischemia

Stroke research has endured many setbacks in translating neuroprotective therapies into clinical practice. In contrast, the real-world therapy (tPA thrombolysis) rarely produces benefits in mechanical occlusion-based experimental models, which dominate preclinical stroke research. This split between the bench and bedside suggests the need to employ tPA-responsive models in preclinical stroke research. To this end, a simple and tPA-reactive thrombotic stroke model is invented and described here. This model consists of transient occlusion of the unilateral common carotid artery and delivery of 7.5% oxygen through a face mask in adult mice for 30 min, while maintaining the animal rectal temperature at 37.5 ± 0.5 °C. Although reversible ligation of the unilateral carotid artery or hypoxia each suppressed cerebral blood flow only transiently, the combination of both insults caused lasting reperfusion deficits, fibrin and platelet deposition, and large infarct in the middle cerebral artery-supplied territory. Importantly, tail-vein injection of recombinant tPA at 0.5, 1, or 4 hr post-tHI (10 mg/kg) provided time-dependent reduction of the mortality rate and infarct size. This new stroke model is simple and can be standardized across laboratories to compare experimental results. Further, it induces thrombosis without craniectomy or introducing pre-formed emboli. Given these unique merits, the tHI model is a useful addition to the repertoire of preclinical stroke research.
Determining the Corporate Meeting Planner's Role in the Convention and Meeting Site Decision

Abstract North American hotel companies that have expanded their presence into Asia have been ineffective in transferring their convention, conference, and meeting sales expertise through their existing sales training programs to their Asian sales force. The key to making the training efforts more global lies in recognizing the factors affecting the relationship between final decision makers and their corporate meeting planner. A conceptual model is presented that serves as the basis for developing additional sales training modules to more effectively assimilate the North American sales training program into Asia. The model incorporates (a) the company's degree of decentralization and formalization, (b) the executive level manager's stakeholding and participation in the decision process, and (c) the organizational culture of the company as affected by national culture.
Keynote Address: Is It Time to Abolish the Federal Circuit's Exclusive Jurisdiction in Patent Cases?

Good afternoon. Let me begin by thanking the Chicago-Kent Law School for the opportunity to share some unconventional thoughts with you about the way in which we have been handling patent appeals for more than 30 years. Whether you think that is a long time or a short time probably depends on how old you are: most of the people who are still in law school were not even born when Congress decided to assign all true patent appeals to the Federal Circuit, and so they will naturally think that we’ve had this system forever; old-timers like me can remember the previous regime, when the regional circuits handled patent appeals just as they do all other appeals (indeed, when I was a law clerk on the Fifth Circuit, my last assignment was a case concerning plant patents!). But either way, we should all be able to agree that there is nothing inevitable about the current system. And so, I’d like to spend my time this afternoon exploring the question whether it is time to abolish the Federal Circuit’s exclusive jurisdiction over patent appeals. For those of you simply interested in the bottom-line, I will spare you the suspense: I believe the answer is “Yes.” I hope that this does not cause you to think that my topic is so fanciful that you would be better off spending the next twenty minutes or so texting or checking your emails. In fact, as I propose to show you, there are better ways to solve the problems that this branch of the Federal Circuit’s exclusive jurisdiction was designed to address, and, at a broader level, our understanding of intellectual property (IP) itself has shifted and deepened since 1982 in a way that pushes us back toward the unification of judicial responsibility for the field as a whole. As I have already mentioned, the Federal Circuit came into existence in 1982, with the passage of the Federal Courts Improvement Act. That Act gave the new court exclusive jurisdiction over three types of appeals in patent cases: (1) appeals from district courts in cases “arising under” the patent laws or in which a party has asserted a compulsory counterclaim arising under the patent laws; (2) appeals from decisions of the Patent and Trademark Office’s Board of Patent Appeals and Interferences; and (3) appeals from investigations of the International Trade Commission into the importation of goods that allegedly infringe a U.S. patent. This work comprises the largest part of the court’s present docket. Yet the Federal Circuit is not a “specialized” court in the same sense as is the Complex Commercial Litigation Division of the Delaware
Family stress management

The Family Stress Reducing or Stress Producing? Definitions A Guide to Family Stress Theory Coping, Adapting... or Is It Managing? Boundary Ambiguity A Barrier to Family Stress Management Denial Another Barrier to Family Stress Management Family Values and Belief Systems Influences on Family Stress Management The Family's External Context Victimization and Family Crisis Where Did We Come From And Where Are We Now?
Metal Deposits in Relation to Collision Events

Although the Alpine-Himalayan belt provides a clear example of the consequences of Cenozoic collision tectonics, and the Caledonide-Appalachian belt an example of Paleozoic collision tectonics, the interpretation of the tectonic history of many Paleozoic and older orogenic belts is fraught with uncertainty. Wilson Cycle concepts provide a cogent explanation for the history of Iapetus, but there are many orogenic belts where the bulk of the evidence seems to militate against the former operation of a full Wilson Cycle. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that the large majority of orogenic belts provide reasonably clear evidence of an initial extensional phase followed eventually by a compressional phase, although the two events may be separated by large time intervals. It is also now recognized that many orogenic events are caused by accretional collisions that may involve just a fragment of continental-type crust or a relatively young arc system (Hoffmann 1988).
Sorbitol treatment extends lifespan and induces the osmotic stress response in Caenorhabditis elegans

The response to osmotic stress is a highly conserved process for adapting to changing environmental conditions. Prior studies have shown that hyperosmolarity by addition of sorbitol to the growth medium is sufficient to increase both chronological and replicative lifespan in the budding yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Here we report a similar phenomenon in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Addition of sorbitol to the nematode growth medium induces an adaptive osmotic response and increases C. elegans lifespan by about 35%. Lifespan extension from 5% sorbitol behaves similarly to dietary restriction in a variety of genetic backgrounds, increasing lifespan additively with mutation of daf-2(e1370) and independently of daf-16(mu86), sir-2.1(ok434), aak-2(ok524), and hif-1(ia04). Dietary restriction by bacterial deprivation or mutation of eat-2(ad1113) fails to further extend lifespan in the presence of 5% sorbitol. Two mutants with constitutive activation of the osmotic response, osm-5(p813) and osm-7(n1515), were found to be long-lived, and lifespan extension from sorbitol required the glycerol biosynthetic enzymes GPDH-1 and GPDH-2. Taken together, these observations demonstrate that exposure to sorbitol at levels sufficient to induce an adaptive osmotic response extends lifespan in worms and define the osmotic stress response pathway as a longevity pathway conserved between yeast and nematodes.
Male-male courtship behavior induced by ectopic expression of the Drosophila white gene: role of sensory function and age.

Male-male courtship behavior was recently reported to be induced in large populations of Drosophila (e.g., 600-1500 flies) by ectopic expression of the white (w) gene. Little is known about the basis of this behavior; in male-female courtship, sensory cues are believed to play an important role. Previous data are consistent with the possibility that misexpression of w causes abnormal reception or processing of sensory information. We show here that w-induced male-male courtship occurs in isolated pairs of flies. Thus the behavior does not depend on sensory cues found only among large populations of flies, or on cues produced only by a small subset of such populations. This finding enabled quantitative analysis of mechanisms that underlie the behavior. Specifically, male-male courtship does not depend on the reception of olfactory information, nor on the reception or generation of auditory cues, as determined by surgical ablation of antennae, maxillary palps, or wings. Although the rapid onset of the behavior following w induction suggested that its basis could lie in a modulation of sensory physiology, we found visual, olfactory, and gustatory function to be normal in physiological or behavioral tests. The only sensory deprivation to produce an effect on male-male courtship was testing under dim red light; the percentage of flies courting another male was reduced to one-fourth of control values. A striking age dependence of the behavior is also documented: courtship between paired male mini-w+ flies was not observed in tests of very young (1-day-old) flies, but occurs at high levels between the ages of 1 and 4 weeks.
Arenavirus entry occurs through a cholesterol-dependent, non-caveolar, clathrin-mediated endocytic mechanism

Arenaviruses are important causes of viral hemorrhagic fevers in humans. Arenavirus infection of cells occurs via a pH-dependent endocytic route, but detailed studies of entry pathways have not been done. We investigated the role of cell membrane cholesterol, caveolae, and clathrin coated pits in infection by Lassa virus (LASV), which utilizes alpha-dystroglycan (alpha-DG) as a receptor, and Pichinde virus (PICV), which does not. Depletion of cellular cholesterol by treatment with methyl betacyclodextrin (MbetaCD) or nystatin/progesterone inhibited PICV replication and transfer of packaged marker gene by LASV or PICV pseudotyped retroviral particles. In cells lacking caveolae due to silencing of the caveolin-1 gene, no inhibition of PICV infection or LASV pseudotype transduction was observed. However, PICV infection and LASV and PICV pseudotype transduction was inhibited when an Eps15 dominant negative mutant was used to inhibit clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Altogether, the results indicate that diverse arenaviruses have a common requirement for cell membrane cholesterol and clathrin mediated endocytosis in establishing infection.
Colonisation by Dreissena of Great Lakes coastal ecosystems: how suitable are wetlands?

Summary 1. Invasive zebra (Dreissena polymorpha) and quagga mussels (Dreissena bugensis) have become widespread throughout the Great Lakes basin. However, some types of Great Lakes coastal wetlands may be unsuitable for Dreissena invasion. 2. To test this observation, artificial substrata were placed in wetlands (with emergent vegetation) and in adjacent open water (without emergent vegetation) habitats in two types of Great Lakes coastal ecosystems: drowned river mouth (DRM) and coastal fringing systems. Wetlands in DRM systems generally have deep organic sediment and limited water movement, whereas coastal fringing wetlands generally have low to moderate amounts of organic sediment and intense wind and wave action. 3. We did not find a significant difference in Dreissena colonisation between wetlands and adjacent open water habitat in fringing systems. However, Dreissena colonisation was significantly lower in DRM wetlands than in the adjacent open water. We also found significantly lower survival in DRM wetlands than adjacent open water habitats, whereas survival did not differ significantly in coastal fringing wetlands and the adjacent open water. 4. Our results suggest that vulnerability to Dreissena invasion varied among wetland types with DRM wetlands being less suitable than fringing wetlands. We suggest that colonisation and survival of Dreissena is lower in wetlands with deep organic sediment and less turbulent water.
Substructures of Deformation Lamellae in Quartz

By careful correlation between the microstructures observed at optical and electron microscopic magnifications, perfectly basal deformation lamellae in an experimentally deformed quartz crystal were identified as thin layers of glass, commonly associated with arrays of dislocations. Nonrational lamellae in a naturally deformed quartzite were identified as recovered zones containing submicroscopic bubbles. Previous interpretations are considered in the light of these results.
Complementary afterimages and the unequal adapting effects of steady and flickering light

Prolonged exposure to flickering chromatic light of moderate intensity produces a much weaker complementary afterimage than that produced by exposure to steady light of the same average intensity. This difference in adapting effectiveness was investigated by determining the retinal illuminance of the steady adapting field required to produce an afterimage equal to that produced by the flickering adapting field. In a variety of conditions, the greater effectiveness of the steady adapting field was confirmed; in several instances, a steady field having an average retinal illuminance of only 0.05 times that of the flickering field gave rise to an equally saturated afterimage. The results are taken as evidence that complementary afterimages produced by extended moderate intensity exposures are primarily a consequence of neural adaptation.
Maple Syrup Phytochemicals Include Lignans, Coumarins, a Stilbene, and Other Previously Unreported Antioxidant Phenolic Compounds

Twenty-three phenolic compounds were isolated from a butanol extract of Canadian maple syrup (MS-BuOH) using chromatographic methods. The compounds were identified from their nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectral data as 7 lignans [lyoniresinol (1), secoisolariciresinol (2), dehydroconiferyl alcohol (3), 5′-methoxy-dehydroconiferyl alcohol (4), erythro-guaiacylglycerol-β-O-4′-coniferyl alcohol (5), erythro-guaiacylglycerol-β-O-4′-dihydroconiferyl alcohol (6), and [3-[4-[(6-deoxy-α-l-mannopyranosyl)oxy]-3-methoxyphenyl]methyl]-5-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)dihydro-3-hydroxy-4-(hydroxymethyl)-2(3H)-furanone (7)], 2 coumarins [scopoletin (8) and fraxetin (9)], a stilbene [(E)-3,3′-dimethoxy-4,4′-dihydroxystilbene (10)], and 13 phenolic derivatives [2-hydroxy-3′,4′-dihydroxyacetophenone (11), 1-(2,3,4-trihydroxy-5-methylphenyl)ethanone (12), 2,4,5-trihydroxyacetophenone (13), catechaldehyde (14), vanillin (15), syringaldehyde (16), gallic acid (17), trimethyl gallic acid methyl ester (18), syringic acid (19),...
Applications of non-linear filtering to the stainless-steel decarbonization process

Abstract An extended Kalman filter is applied to a stainless-steel manufacturing operation in order to estimate the molten metal composition in real time. A recently developed process model forms the basis of the filter. The performance of the estimator is tested for several levels of measurement information and for both continuous and discrete samples. The results indicate that reliable estimates of the metal bath composition can be obtained even when only bath temperature can be measured.
Biological effects of the interferons and other cytokines

There were seven workshops that primarily concerned the biological effects of the interferons and the other cytokines. These were: Workshop 6, The refractory state in the reponse to interferons (IFNs) and antibodies in treated patients; Workshop 7, IFNs, multiple sclerosis, and the nervous system; Workshop 9, Viral inhibition of the response to IFNs and other cytokines; Workshop 10, Cell growth inhibition by IFNs and other cytokines; Workshop 12, Cytokines and cell death; Workshop 13, Interactions between cytokines; and, Workshop 14, Cytokine gene therapy. Summaries of each of these sessions follow.
NOTES: What Is the Current Status and Will It Ever See the Light of Day?

Natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is an emerging field within gastroenterology and gastrointestinal surgery, in which the surgeon accesses the peritoneal cavity through a hollow viscus and performs a diagnostic or therapeutic intervention. Introduction of this new field of endolumenal surgery has proceeded in a slow and careful manner. The most common NOTES procedure currently performed worldwide is a transvaginal cholecystectomy. Because of the concerns over bacterial contamination, transanal and transcolonic NOTES procedures are rarely performed. Current research in transanal NOTES procedures are coming to fruition, with hybrid NOTES colorectal resections now in early clinical investigations.