cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
40Ar/39Ar geochronology of submarine Mauna Loa volcano, Hawaii

[1] New geochronologic constraints refine the growth history of Mauna Loa volcano and enhance interpretations of the petrologic, geochemical, and isotopic evolution of Hawaiian magmatism. We report results of 40Ar/39Ar incremental heating experiments on low-K, tholeiitic lavas from the 1.6 km high Kahuku landslide scarp cutting Mauna Loa's submarine southwest rift zone, and from lavas in a deeper section of the rift. Obtaining precise40Ar/39Ar ages from young, tholeiitic lavas containing only 0.2–0.3 wt.% K2O is challenging due to their extremely low radiogenic 40Ar contents. Analyses of groundmass from 45 lavas yield 14 new age determinations (31% success rate) with plateau and isochron ages that agree with stratigraphic constraints. Lavas collected from a 1250 m thick section in the landslide scarp headwall were all erupted around 470 ± 10 ka, implying an extraordinary period of accumulation of ∼25 mm/yr, possibly correlating with the peak of the shield-building stage. This rate is three times higher than the estimated vertical lava accumulation rate for shield-building at Mauna Kea (8.6 ± 3.1 mm/yr) based on results from the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project. Between ∼470 and 273 ka, the lava accumulation rate along the southwest rift zone decreased dramatically to ∼1 mm/yr. We propose that the marked reduction in lava accumulation rate does not mark the onset of post-shield volcanism as previously suggested, but rather indicates the upward migration of the magma system as Mauna Loa evolved from a submarine stage of growth to one that is predominantly subaerial, thereby cutting off supply to the distal rift zone. Prior to ∼250 ka, lavas with Loihi-like isotopic signatures were erupted along with lavas having typical Mauna Loa values, implying greater heterogeneity in the plume source earlier in Mauna Loa's growth. In addition to refining accumulation rates and the isotopic evolution of the lavas erupted along the southwest rift zone, our new40Ar/39Ar results constrain the eruption of the Ninole Basalts from 227 to 108 ka and provide maximum estimates on the timing of the Ka Lae and South Kona landslides.
P2D-8 An I/Q Demodulator with Phase Shifter for Beamforming Applications

The I/Q (quadrature) demodulator and phase shifter described in this paper allow a smaller, simpler and cheaper implementation of a continuous wave (CW) Doppler beamformer for ultrasound compared to existing delay line based solutions. It could also be used in radar or other beamforming applications like "smart or adaptive" antennas. The primary challenge in this design was the realization of the phase shift function and how to maintain a dynamic range of 160 dB/Hz with a power consumption of less than 200 mW per channel. A key architectural change allowed the desired performance to be achieved. The design described has a patent pending
Differentiation of surficial glacial drift in southeastern Michigan from 7-Å/10-Å X-ray diffraction ratios of clays

Woodfordian till deposited by the juxtaposed Saginaw and Huron-Erie glacial lobes in southeastern Michigan appears similar in many respects but may be differentiated on the basis of certain mineralogical characteristics of clay-sized particles. This is apparent from X-ray diffractograms of basally oriented, magnesium-saturated, and glycerol-solvated specimens. Thirty-five till samples from the converging Kalamazoo (Saginaw lobe) and Mississinewa (Huron-Erie lobe) moraines and their interlobate tract have 7-A/10-A peak height ratios that differ significantly according to provenance. Every sample from locations within and proximal to the Kalamazoo moraine has a ratio of 0.91 or more. All but one of the samples from the Mississinewa moraine and areas to the east have ratios less than 0.91. Data from several other sources indicate that the same relationships also exist on a larger scale in southeastern Michigan. The findings are consistent with previous interpretations of the area9s geology and may provide a reliable basis for the placement of the surficial boundary between drifts deposited in a complex interlobate area.
Step-down management of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Background & Aims: As the economic burden of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is largely weighted to maintenance as opposed to initial therapy, switching from more potent to less expensive medication once symptoms are alleviated (step-down therapy) may prove to be most cost-effective. This study aimed to prospectively evaluate the feasibility of step-down therapy in a cohort of patients with symptoms of uncomplicated GERD. Methods: Patients whose GERD symptoms were alleviated by proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) were recruited from outpatient general medicine clinics. After baseline demographic and quality of life information were obtained, PPIs were withdrawn from subjects in a stepwise fashion. Primary outcome was recurrence of symptoms during follow-up that required reinstitution of PPIs. Secondary outcomes included changes in quality of life and overall cost of management. Predictors of nonresponse to step-down were assessed. Results: Seventy-one of 73 enrolled subjects completed the study. Forty-one of 71 (58%) were asymptomatic off PPI therapy after 1 year of follow-up. Twenty-four of 71 (34%) required histamine 2-receptor antagonists, 5/71 (7%) prokinetic agents, 1/71 (1%) both, and 11/71 (15%) remained asymptomatic without medication. Quality of life did not significantly change, whereas management costs decreased by 37%. Multivariable analysis revealed younger age and a dominant symptom of heartburn to predict PPI requirement. Conclusions: Step-down therapy is successful in the majority of patients and can decrease costs without adversely affecting quality of life.
Rough set and CART approaches to mining incomplete data

Many data sets are incomplete, i.e., are affected by missing attribute values. In this paper, we report results of experiments on two approaches to missing attribute values. The first one is based on rough set theory and rule induction, the second one is the CART method that uses surrogate splits for handling missing attribute values and that generates decision trees. As follows from our experiments, both approaches are comparable in terms of an error rate. Thus, for a specific data set the best method of handling missing attribute values should be selected individually.
LODS: locality-oriented dynamic scheduling for on-chip multiprocessors

Current multiprocessor SoC applications like network protocol codes, multimedia processing and base-band telecom circuits have tight time-to-market and performance constraints, which require an efficient design cycle. Consequently, automated techniques such as those oriented towards exploiting data locality are critical. In this paper, we demonstrate that existing loop scheduling techniques provide performance improvements even on on-chip multiprocessors, but they fall short of generating the best results since they do not take data locality into account as an explicit optimization parameter. Based on this observation, we propose a data locality-oriented loop-scheduling algorithm. The idea is to assign loop iterations to processors in such a fashion that each processor makes maximum reuse of the data it accesses.
Link Energy Minimization in IR-UWB Based Wireless Networks

Impulse Radio Ultra WideBand (IR-UWB) communication has proven to be an important technique for supporting high-rate, short-range, and low-power communication. In this paper, using detailed models of typical IR-UWB transmitter and receiver structures, we model the energy consumption per information bit in a single link of an IR-UWB system, considering packet overhead, retransmissions, and a Nakagami-m fading channel. Using this model, we minimize the energy consumption per information bit by finding the optimum packet length and the optimum number of RAKE fingers at the receiver for different transmission distances, using Differential Phase-shift keying (DBPSK), Differential Pulse-position Modulation (DPPM) and On-off Keying (OOK), with coherent and non-coherent detection. Symbol repetition schemes with hard decision (HD) combining and soft decision (SD) combining are also compared in this paper. Our results show that at very short distances, it is optimum to use large packets, OOK with non-coherent detection, and HD combining, while at longer distances, it is optimum to use small packets, DBPSK with coherent detection, and SD combining. The optimum number of RAKE fingers are also found for given transmission schemes.
γ-Aminobutyric acid and benzodiazepine receptor changes induced by unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial forebrain bundle

: Quantitative autoradiography was used to ascertain alterations in [3H]muscimol, [3H]flunitrazepam (FLU), [3H]naloxone, [3H]d-alanine-d-leucine-enkephalin (DADL), and [3H]spiroperidol binding in basal ganglia 1 week, 4 weeks, and 5 months after unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine lesions of the medial forebrain bundle (MFB) in the rat. At 1 and 4 weeks following lesions, [3H]spiroperidol binding increased 33% in striatum. At 5 months, [3H]spiroperidol was only nonsignificantly increased above control. At 1 week, [3H]muscimol binding decreased 39% in ipsilateral globus pallidus (GP), but increased 41% and 11% in entopeduncular nucleus (EPN) and substantia nigra pars reticulata (SNr), respectively. At 4 weeks, [3H]muscimol binding was reduced 19% in striatum and 44% in GP and remained enhanced by 32% in both EPN and SNr. These changes in [3H]muscimol binding persisted at 5 months. [3H]FLU binding was altered in the same direction as [3H]muscimol binding; however, changes were slower in onset and became significant (and remained so) only at 4 weeks after lesions. Decreases in [3H]naloxone and [3H]DADL binding were seen in striatum, GP, EPN, and SNr. Scatchard analyses revealed that only receptor numbers were altered. This study provides biochemical evidence for differential regulation of striatal GABAergic output to GP and EPN/SNr.
Genome annotation and protein structure

Summary form only given. Structural genomics aims to provide a good experimental structure or computational model of every tractable protein in a complete genome. Underlying this goal is the immense value of protein structure, especially in permitting recognition of distant evolutionary relationships for proteins whose sequence analysis has failed to find any significant homologue. A considerable fraction of the genes in all sequenced genomes have no known function, and structure determination provides a direct means of revealing homology that may be used to infer their putative molecular function. The solved structures is similarly useful for elucidating the biochemical or biophysical role of proteins that have been previously ascribed only phenotypic functions. More generally, knowledge of an increasingly complete repertoire of protein structures will aid structure prediction methods, improve understanding of protein structure, and ultimately lend insight into molecular interactions and pathways.
Yield Analysis Modeling

The traditional use of a design rule checker (DRC) ensures that the layout of an integrated circuit conforms to a set of tolerances known as design rules. Integrated circuit manufacturing yields are enhanced if these tolerances are not violated. In contrast to tolerance checking, yield analysis concerns itself with “yield sensitive elements” such as number of devices, total areas and total length of lines. The cumulative distributions of the elements can be used in yield analysis modeling. In addition, the value distribution of each element can be used to model the processing effort required for yielding a design. A software system known as YIELD is essential for extracting the required statistical data from the graphical data base.
Enhancement of Xen's scheduler for MapReduce workloads

As the trends move towards data outsourcing and cloud computing, the efficiency of distributed data centers increases in importance. Cloud-based services such as Amazon's EC2 rely on virtual machines (VMs) to host MapReduce clusters for large data processing. However, current VM scheduling does not provide adequate support for MapReduce workloads, resulting in degraded overall performance. For example, when multiple MapReduce clusters run on a single physical machine, the existing VMMscheduler does not guarantee fairness across clusters.In this work, we present theMapReduce Group Scheduler (MRG). The MRG scheduler implements three mechanisms to improve the efficiency and fairness of the existing VMM scheduler. First, the characteristics of MapReduce workloads facilitate batching of I/O requests from VMs working on the same job, which reduces the number of context switches and brings other benefits. Second, because most MapReduce workloads incur a significant amount of I/O blocking events and the completion of a job depends on the progress of all nodes, we propose a two-level scheduling policy to achieve proportional fair sharing across both MapReduce clusters and individual VMs. Finally, the proposed MRG scheduler also operates on symmetric multi-processor (SMP) enabled platforms. The key to these improvements is to group the scheduling of VMs belonging to the same MapReduce cluster.We have implemented the proposed scheduler by modifying the existing Xen hypervisor and evaluated the performance on Hadoop, an open source implementation of MapReduce. Our evaluations, using four representative MapReduce benchmarks, show that the proposed scheduler reduces context switch overhead and achieves increased proportional fairness across multiple MapReduce clusters, without penalizing the completion time of MapReduce jobs.
Our Agnostic Constitution

According to an argument heard a good deal lately, the fact that the Constitution says nothing about God means that we have a "godless Constitution," and that fact in turn entails that government and politics in the United States must be godless or, in the more usual locution, secular. The commitment to secular government in turn precludes governmental sponsorship of religious expressions (such as the national motto - "In God We Trust") or of religious symbols (such as Ten Commandments monuments). In this article, I argue that this interpretation of our "godless" Constitution is importantly correct - but even more importantly mistaken. The Constitution is godless or, more precisely, agnostic. And the fact that the Constitution is agnostic tells us something crucially important about our constitutional order. But the agnosticism of the Constitution does not entail that governments operating under the Constitution must be agnostic, or must refrain from religious expression. On the contrary, paradoxical though this may initially seem, it is precisely the Constitution's agnosticism that permits governments to engage in such expression.
Crystal structure of tris­(trans-1,2-di­amino­cyclo­hexane-κ2N,N′)cobalt(III) trichloride monohydrate

The synthesis of the title hydrated complex salt, [Co(C6H14N2)3]Cl3·H2O, from racemic trans-1,2-di­amino­cyclo­hexane and [CoCl(NH3)5]Cl2 and its structural characterization are presented in this paper. The product was synthesized in the inter­est of understanding the hydrogen-bonding patterns of coordination complexes. Previous characterizations of the product in the I-42d space group have not yielded coordinates; thus, this paper provides the first coordinates for this complex in this space group. The octahedrally coordinated cation adopts twofold rotation symmetry, with outer-sphere chloride counter-ions and solvent water mol­ecules forming a hydrogen-bonded network with amine H atoms.
Effects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on hypocretin neurons and sleep of mice

Disorders of sleep and wakefulness have been reported in up to 73% individuals who have experienced traumatic brain injury (TBI). Specifically, increased sleep need and excessive daytime sleepiness are often reported post-TBI. The etiology of post-TBI sleep disturbances is not well understood, and current pharmacological therapies have limited efficacy. Here, we investigate the effects of TBI on sleep-wake behavior and on hypocretin (Hcrt) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), two neuropeptides important for regulating sleep and wakefulness. Adult male C57BL/6J mice ( n = 6–10/group) were implanted with EEG recording electrodes and baseline recordings were obtained. TBI was then induced using controlled cortical impact (CCI). EEG recordings were obtained from the same animals at 7 and 15 days post-surgery. Another group of animals ( n = 6–8/group) underwent sham or TBI surgery and was sacrificed 7 or 15 days later. Brains from these animals were used for immunohistochemistry to determine the number of Hcrt- or MCH-producing neurons in the hypothalamus. At 15 days post-surgery, wakefulness was decreased and NREM sleep was increased during the dark period in moderately injured animals. Moderate injury resulted in significantly fewer Hcrt-producing neurons. There were no significant differences among groups in MCH-producing neurons. Because Hcrt is an important promoter of wakefulness, the decrease in number of Hcrt-producing neurons may be one mechanism underlying the observed decrease in wakefulness and increase in NREM sleep after TBI.
Ultrastructure of the termite-associated fungus Laboulbeniopsis termitarius.

SUMMARY Ultrastructural features of Laboulbeniopsis termitarius suggest that this termite-associated fungus may belong to the ascomycetes. Spores are formed without cleavage vesicles typical of sporangial fungi, abundant epiplasm remains, and septal walls between cells of the simple thallus bear a single pore. A single ascus forms from the base of the terminal "sporogeneous cell," but deliquesces by the time of spore maturation. Haustoria are not present, although secretory vesicles were noted in two areas of the foot cell suggesting the mode of attachment. Although many aspects of this fungus suggest relationships with the Laboulbeniales, the uniascal thallus, one-celled spores, and lack of haustoria exclude Laboulbeniopsis from this taxon. Thaxter (1914, 1920) described a number of fungi from insects which could not be clearly assigned to existing taxonomic groups. He pointed out their unclear taxonomic position and the lack of knowledge of their nutritional relationships with the insects on which they occur. Two of these monotypic genera, Laboulbeniopsis and Coreomycetopsis, were described and placed by Thaxter (1920) in "the limbo genera incertae sedis," and in the same paper he suggested with reservation that Laboulbeniopsis might be accommodated in the "Thaxteriolae" with Thaxteriola Speg., Endosporella Thaxt., and possibly Entomocosma Speg. Laboulbeniopsis termitarius and Coreomycetopsis oedipus were not mentioned again for fifty years until Kimbrough and Gouger (1970) reported them from Florida on species of the termite genus Reticulitermes. Their light microscopy study added little to what was known about the mature thallus. However, many aspects of thallus development, spore formation, and spore liberation and attachment were discussed. Since many morphological details of L. termitarius cannot be discerned with certainty at the light microscopic level, we undertook
Are Students Really Poor Substitutes for Businessmen in Behavioral Research

Using students as subjects in behavioral research has been questioned recently [1, 2]. Levitt and Alpert reported on studies which indicate that students' behavior as subjects is not an accurate predictor of businessmen's behavior under similar circumstances. Levitt measured the post-communication attitudes of students, professional engineers, and purchasing agents toward a sales presentation and concluded that [2, p. 179]:
The α,n Cross Section of Boron

The differential cross section for the ${\mathrm{B}}^{10,11}(\ensuremath{\alpha},n){\mathrm{N}}^{13,14}$ reactions was measured as a function of the alphaparticle energy up to an energy of 5.3 Mev. To determine this cross section, the number of neutrons emitted by boron under alpha-particle bombardment was measured by comparison with a calibrated $\mathrm{Ra}\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Be}$ source in a graphite column.Resonances were observed at alpha-particle energies of 1.8, 2.5, 4.2, 4.9 Mev. Poor resolution may explain why other resonances found by Maurer and by F\"unfer were not observed.
The Use of Artificial Heat to Induce Mosquitoes to Feed on Cold-Blooded Animals

During 10-minute tests, females of Aedes aegypti and Anopheles quadrimaculatus accepted an artificially warmed frog (Rana pipiens) as a host, whereas they had ignored the frog when it was at room temperature; the difference in response was significant. Aedes aegypti fed in significantly greater numbers on a warmed toad (Bufo terrestris americanus) than on the same animal when it was cold. Anopheles quadrimaculatus did not feed on the warmed toad. Neither species fed in significant numbers on a warmed lizard (Phrynosoma cornutum), although Aedes aegypti was attracted by the warm animal.
American Trust Law in a Chinese Mirror

Comparative law scholars have produced a vast literature documenting and analyzing legal transplants. Thus far, however, comparative law scholars have focused principally on legal transplants’ impact on the “recipient” country. In so doing, those scholars have missed an equally important phenomenon — the impact of the process on the “donor” country. This article seeks to fill this gap in the literature. It argues that legal transplants can provide a mirror for donor countries to see flaws in their own systems and new directions for reform. The article uses one example — China’s 2001 import of the classic “Anglo-American” concept of trust — to illustrate the advantages of a more balanced study of legal transplants. China has produced a voluminous and impressive comparative trust law literature. This literature is important for understanding the trust law model China transplanted as well as the legislative product of that transplant. Yet, because nearly all texts are available only in Chinese, these publications and the lessons they provide have been inaccessible to those who could most profit from them — trust law scholars and reformers in the United States. This article thus presents the first study of China’s critique of American trust law. It shows that close analysis of Chinese commentary, legislative history, and statutory text exposes a systemic flaw that U.S. scholars and reformers should address: inadequate checks and balances on trustees. The article concludes that this finding raises serious questions about the current direction of American trust law. Rather than strengthening the traditional legal and moral constraints on trustees, reformers are actually weakening those constraints. Thus, the mirror China provides should inspire reformers to see our trust system as it really is and to abandon their ill-advised reform agenda.
Self-Reported Employment Status and Social Participation After Successful Kidney Transplantation.

Introduction:Kidney transplantation (KTX) is considered the treatment of choice for most individuals with end-stage kidney disease. The purpose of this study was to assess the employment status and social participation after successful KTX.Methods:This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. Eligible participants were patients who received a transplant ≥1 year ago and who were previously on hemodialysis (HD) for ≥1 year. Two hundred individuals participated in this study.Results:A significant number (93.5%) of patients reported they were working prior to HD versus 35% while on HD. Only 14% reported receiving disability benefits prior to HD versus 75% receiving disability while on HD. Comparing transplant recipients with pre-HD patients, 35.5% versus 93.5% reported working, and 74.5% versus 14% reported receiving disability benefits, respectively. After transplant, patients were more likely to join recreational clubs, travel frequently, and participate in recreational/religious activities and social eve...
359 PREDICTING OUTCOMES OF ADULT TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY BY IMAGING MODALITY AND BRAIN REGION.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common cause of death and disability. Predicting prognosis for these patients is often difficult. We studied injuries detected by different radiological modalities and organized by brain regions in a group of adult TBI patients. These findings were correlated with patient Glasgow Outcome Scores (GOS) at 6 to 12 months after injury. The three modalities studied were computed tomography (CT), T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (T2), and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI. Injuries in 16 brain regions (organized into three zones) were analyzed to determine whether geographic distribution of damage was predictive of outcome. The purpose of this study was to identify which modality and region(s) of injury best predict long-term outcome. The patient population consisted of 39 adults (mean age 35.3 yrs; range 18-68 yrs) who were admitted to Loma Linda University Medical Center between February 2001 and May 2003. CT, T2, and FLAIR images were obtained for each patient as well as their GOS score at 6 to 12 months post-TBI. Intraparenchymal lesions were traced, counted, and measured using a semi-automated computer software program ( Image Pro Plus ) and confirmed by a board-certified neuroradiologist (K.A.T.). The traced lesions were converted to lesion volumes based on slice thickness and pixel size. The brain was artificially divided into 16 anatomical regions, which were additionally grouped into three zones (superficial, deep, and posterior fossa). The GOS results were dichotomized into good outcomes (GOS = 4-5) and poor outcomes (GOS = 1-3). Statistical analysis was performed using parametric tests, including one- and two-way ANOVA tests with Scheffe post hoc comparisons. The extent of injuries detected by T2 and FLAIR images were significantly different between good and poor groups while injuries on CT did not differ. Injuries on FLAIR were most correlated with outcome among the three modalities. No single brain zone injury was a stronger predictor of outcome among the three. However, injuries in the brain stem (BS), frontal white matter (FWM), and thalamus (THAL) were the strongest predictors of outcome among the individual brain regions. The study results conclude that FLAIR is superior to CT and T2-weighted MRI for prognostic determination and injuries in the BS, FWM, and THAL are most predictive of outcome in adults with TBI.
Print Narrative, Interactivity, and Collaboration

Stories are a way to share ideas and create meaning. Today, the intellectual involvement with content is often mediated by physical engagement with the narrative artifact, sometimes the printed pages of a book, sometimes the pixilated screen of a personal computer. There is a difference between engaging with a story through a material artifact as we do today, and engaging with it orally, as was done for millennia before written stories became common. This difference is our starting point for discussing interactivity and collaboration in narrative as it has evolved since the first days of the codex.
Ab Initio Investigation of Ionic Hydration With the Polarizable Continuum Model

The formulation of an ab initio method for the quantification of the energetics of ionic hydration is reviewed from the viewpoint of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The numerical approach, termed as the Polarizable Continuum Model, solves the exact quantum mechanical problem for the solute coupled with the electrostatic problem of the solvent, the latter being described as an effective continuous medium. The results show that the method can reproduce the experimental values of solvation energy for 3 cations and 3 anions by using only one adjustable parameter (scaled ionic radius) and can therefore be used in the furthter study of energetics and structure of hydrated ions.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Sensor Based Robots and Machine Tools for Flexible Manufacturing Cells

The near-term improvement in the efficiency of automated assembly and manufacturing cells depends on the successful development of sensor based robots and machine tools. Examples of such technology are described in this review. These examples cover robotic wrists and hands for parts handling, flexible clamping systems for parts holding, machine tool sensor developments for tool monitoring and adaptive control, and robotic vision systems for parts inspection. Such technologies have been identified as being key in the replacement of human operations in flexible manufacturing systems, and they form part of on-going research projects in this area. In addition, reference is made to a new programming language that has been developed for the control of such multi-sensor environments. The economic aspects of these technologies are also discussed.
Digits Backward and the Mercer-Kamin Law

Jensen (e.g., 1980a) has grouped the various criteria for detecting bias in ability tests under two broad headings: internal and external. Studies under the first heading concern themselves with relations among the components of a test; those under the second are concerned with predictive relations between the test as a whole and outside variables. Mercer organized her chapter in this book to parallel Jensen’s distinction, and my chapter parallels hers, but, because of space limitations, only the half of her chapter concerned with internal validity.
Obesity in total hip arthroplasty: does it make a difference?

Aims The purpose of our study is to summarise the current scientific findings regarding the impact of obesity on total hip arthroplasty (THA); specifically the influence of obesity on the timing of THA, incidence of complications, and effect on clinical and functional outcomes. Materials and Methods We performed a systematic review that was compliant with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines to identify prospective studies from the PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases that evaluated primary THA in obese (body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ) patients. Results There were 17 articles included in the review, which encompassed 13 722 THA patients. Analysis of the included studies showed that, when compared with non-obese patients, obesity was associated with younger age at time of primary THA, and an increased incidence of complications (up to four-fold). Results were mixed on the influence of obesity on the outcomes of primary THA, with three studies showing a detrimental effect on outcomes of a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 , while eight studies showed no effect. Conclusion Obesity is associated with significantly younger age at time of primary THA and obese patients are likely to experience a higher rate of peri-operative complications. More investigation is needed into the effect of obesity on clinical outcomes, as the current literature is mixed. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2017;99-B(1 Supple A):31–6.
Durable resistance to rice blast

The blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae ( Pyricularia oryzae ) destroys rice crops worldwide (see the photo) ( 1 ) and now threatens global wheat production as well. Wheat blast disease has been spreading in South America since 1985, and last year it devastated wheat crops in Bangladesh ( 2 , 3 ). Incorporation of resistance (R) genes into rice presents an effective, economical, and environmentally sound way to control blast ( 4 ). However, it takes years to move an R gene into a rice variety, whereas the highly variable fungus can overcome the R gene effects within 2 or 3 years after planting. Also, many R genes are associated with yield losses, so farmers often prefer rice varieties without R genes. On page 962 of this issue, Deng et al. ( 5 ) report a new R gene that comes with a homologous partner to counteract the yield penalty.
A Brief Analysis of Agricultural Development in Maharashtra

This study examines the level of agricultural development in Maharashtra state for the period of 20 years, i.e. 1990-91 to 2009-10. In Analytical techniques, tabular analysis and functional analysis such as linear and compound growth rate has been applied to analyze the data. In general, positive growth rate was observed in terms of area, production and productivity of majority of important crops. This indicated that agricultural development was taking place in desired direction. It was also observed that the inequalities existed among the districts in Maharashtra. It can be suggested from the study that there is a lot of prospectus for horticultural development in the state, which can be possibly done by bringing cultivable waste land under horticultural crops. Government should undertake social forestry programme on large scale in order to increase the forest in Maharashtra state.
Role of glucocorticoid receptor-mediated mechanisms in cocaine memory enhancement.

The basolateral amygdala (BLA) is a critical site for the reconsolidation of labile contextual cocaine memories following retrieval-induced reactivation/destabilization. Here, we examined whether glucocorticoid receptors (GR), which are abundant in the BLA, mediate this phenomenon. Rats were trained to lever press for cocaine reinforcement in a distinct environmental context, followed by extinction training in a different context. Rats were then briefly exposed to the cocaine-paired context (to elicit memory reactivation and reconsolidation) or their home cages (no reactivation control). Exposure to the cocaine-paired context elicited greater serum corticosterone concentrations than home cage stay. Interestingly, the GR antagonist, mifepristone (3–10 ng/hemisphere), administered into the BLA after memory reactivation produced a further, dose-dependent increase in serum corticosterone concentrations during the putative time of cocaine-memory reconsolidation but produced an inverted U-shaped dose-effect curve on subsequent cocaine-seeking behavior 72 h later. This effect was anatomically selective, dependent on memory reactivation (i.e., not observed after home cage exposure), and did not reflect protracted hyperactivity. However, the effect was also observed when mifepristone was administered after novelty stress that mimics drug context-induced hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis activation without explicit memory reactivation. Together, these findings suggest that, similar to explicit memory retrieval, a stressful event is sufficient to destabilize cocaine memories and permit their manipulation. Furthermore, BLA GR stimulation exerts inhibitory feedback upon HPA axis activation and thus suppresses cocaine-memory reconsolidation.
Assessing Clinical Microbiology Practice Guidelines: American Society for Microbiology Ad Hoc Committee on Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines Assessment

As part of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Evidence-Based Laboratory Medicine Practice Guidelines Committee of the Professional Practice Committee, an ad hoc committee was formed in 2014 to assess guidelines published by the committee using an assessment tool, Appraisal of Guidelines for Research Evaluation II (AGREE II). The AGREE II assessment helps reviewers determine whether published guidelines are robust, transparent, and clear in presenting practice recommendations in a standardized manner. Identifying strengths and weaknesses of practice guidelines by ad hoc assessments helps with improving future guidelines through the participation of key stakeholders. This minireview describes the development of the ad hoc committee and results from their review of several ASM best practices guidelines and a non-ASM practice guideline from the Emergency Nurses Association.
Photoconductance Decay Characterization of 3D Multi-Fin Silicon on SOI Substrates

This letter is concerned with the electrical characterization of 3D fin-shaped silicon used as a channel in novel transistor architectures. This approach adapts photoconductance decay minority carrier measurement methodology to the needs of electrical characterization of fin-shaped semiconductor materials systems. The results obtained indicate as high as threefold decrease in the minority carrier lifetime in the fin-shaped Si as compared with the same active planar Si prior to fins definition (from $\tau \sim {45}~\mu \text{s}$ to $\tau \sim {15}~\mu \text{s}$ ). A cause of this decrease is significant expansion of the effective surface area of the finned samples and the resulting increase in recombination sites related to the structurally disordered sidewalls of the fins formed via etching. Hydrogen termination of the finned surfaces did not provide long-term passivation of the surfaces, which was accomplished only by atomic layer deposition of 3-nm-thick layer of Al2O3.
BUILDING A BILLION SPATIO-TEMPORAL OBJECT SEARCH AND VISUALIZATIONPLATFORM

Abstract. With funding from the Sloan Foundation and Harvard Dataverse, the Harvard Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) has developed a prototype spatio-temporal visualization platform called the Billion Object Platform or BOP. The goal of the project is to lower barriers for scholars who wish to access large, streaming, spatio-temporal datasets. The BOP is now loaded with the latest billion geo-tweets, and is fed a real-time stream of about 1 million tweets per day. The geo-tweets are enriched with sentiment and census/admin boundary codes when they enter the system. The system is open source and is currently hosted on Massachusetts Open Cloud (MOC), an OpenStack environment with all components deployed in Docker orchestrated by Kontena. This paper will provide an overview of the BOP architecture, which is built on an open source stack consisting of Apache Lucene, Solr, Kafka, Zookeeper, Swagger, scikit-learn, OpenLayers, and AngularJS. The paper will further discuss the approach used for harvesting, enriching, streaming, storing, indexing, visualizing and querying a billion streaming geo-tweets.
Using the Sales Process as an Instructional Tool to Improve Student Perceptions of Instructor Responsiveness, Pedagogical Affect, and Likelihood to Enroll: An Abstract

This research explores the communication-centered commonalities of selling and teaching. A conceptual model positing professor used selling activities of prospecting and follow-up positively impact student perceptions of instructor responsiveness, pedagogical affect, and likelihood to enroll is empirically tested. Modality type, professor communication style, and timing of appeal are shown to have moderating effects, indicating that selling activities can be beneficial across course formats, before or during a class, and virtually or in person. Using a scenario methodology with a sample of 274 online and ground students, results show promise for educators using selling activities as a communication tool in any subject.
Short communication: Comparison of a palmitic acid-enriched triglyceride supplement and calcium salts of palm fatty acids supplement on production responses of dairy cows

The objective of our study was to evaluate the effects of feeding a palmitic acid-enriched triglyceride supplement or a calcium salts of palm fatty acid (FA) supplement on nutrient digestibility and production responses of mid-lactation dairy cows. Fifteen Holstein cows (139 ± 39 d in milk) were randomly assigned to treatment sequence in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Treatments were a control diet (CON; no fat supplement) and 1.5% of FA added either as a palmitic acid-enriched triglyceride supplement (PA-TG) or as calcium salts of palm FA supplement (Ca-FA). Fat-supplemented treatments did not affect dry matter intake (DMI) compared with CON, but Ca-FA reduced DMI compared with PA-TG. Compared with CON, fat-supplemented treatments increased 18-carbon FA digestibility by 2.0 percentage units but did not affect digestibility of total FA or 16-carbon FA. Compared with Ca-FA, PA-TG reduced total FA digestibility by 8.7 percentage units due to a decrease in 16-carbon FA digestibility (21.7 percentage units). Both fat supplements increased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility compared with CON (3.90 percentage units), and PA-TG tended to increase NDF digestibility by 1.60 percentage units compared with Ca-FA. Compared with CON, fat-supplemented treatments increased milk yield (1.05 kg/d), 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield (2.20 kg/d), and energy-corrected milk yield (1.80 kg/d). Also, PA-TG increased milk fat yield (50 g/d) and milk energy output (1.0 Mcal/d) and tended to increase milk fat content (0.07 percentage units) and energy-corrected milk yield (1.0 kg/d) compared with Ca-FA. Fat-supplemented treatments reduced the yield of de novo milk FA (23 g/d) and increased the yields of mixed (43 g/d) and preformed (52 g/d) milk FA compared with CON. The PA-TG treatment increased the yield of 16-carbon (66 g/d) milk FA compared with Ca-FA, whereas Ca-FA increased the yield of preformed (60 g/d) milk FA. Fat-supplemented treatments increased intake of net energy for lactation by 1.80 Mcal/d, milk energy output by 1.30 Mcal/d, and energy in body reserves by 0.30 Mcal/d compared with CON. The Ca-FA treatment increased energy allocated to body reserves (0.60 Mcal/d), energy partitioning toward body reserves (1.20 percentage units), and body condition score change (0.06 units), and tended to increase body weight change (0.16 kg/d) and body condition score (0.08 units) compared with PA-TG. In conclusion, feeding a palmitic acid-enriched triglyceride supplement increased milk energy output due to increased yields of milk and milk fat, whereas feeding a calcium salts of palm FA supplement increased FA digestibility and energy partitioned to body reserves.
Prostate Gland Development and Estrogenic Imprinting

The prostate gland receives a great deal of research interest not because of its physiologic role as a secretory gland for seminal plasma components but rather due to the high incidence of abnormal growth and tumor formation with aging in humans. Currently, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. Additionally, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the most common benign neoplasia, occurring in ≈50% of men by the age of 60. Despite extensive research, the basis for these high rates of abnormal growth is not understood. It is recognized, however, that steroid hormones play a role in the initiation and progression of prostate cancer and BPH which is the basis for hormonal treatment strategies (Huggins and Hodges, 1941). It is also speculated that early developmental events which are regulated by steroids in the prostate gland may be linked to its predisposition to high rates of disease in adult men (Price, 1963). This review will focus on the potential role of estrogens in imprinting or programming of prostate gland development.
Reconstruction of Phase Space

Chaos comprises a class of signals intermediate between regular sinusoidal or quasiperiodic motions and unpredictable, truly stochastic behavior. It has long been seen as a form of “noise” because the tools for its analysis were couched in a language tuned to linear processes. The main such tool is Fourier analysis which is precisely designed to extract the composition of sines and cosines found in an observation s(t). Indeed, to a Fourier analyst, chaos is little more than “noise”. It is broadband spectrally, but continuous broadband rather than just occupying a broad band of frequency space with a lot of sharp narrowband lines.
Removal of particles using dual media filtration: modeling and experimental studies

The performance of packed beds using dual media for removing particles is examined using both predictive mathematical modeling and experimental column studies. Models for the effectiveness of clean filter beds were used to simulate the effects of chemical pretreatment and filtration rate on particle removal at the onset of filtration runs. Experimental studies were conducted over complete filtration runs and were evaluated using measurements of head loss development and removals of turbidity, UV 254 absorbance, and particles. The results indicate that dual media beds have significant advantages over monomedia beds during both filter ripening and filter breakthrough; they are particularly helpful at high filtration rates and during periods of inadequate chemical pretreatment. Finally, particle counts provide an earlier indicator of deteriorating filter performance than turbidity measurements at the end of a run.
Hypoplastic left heart syndrome [HLHS] : treatment options in present era

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is the most severe form of congenital heart defect (CHD). The first successful intervention for it was undertaken by Norwood in 1983. Since then, there have been much development in the pre, intra, and postoperative treatment option in staged palliative surgical procedures. Early diagnostic management, prenatal interventions, innovative diagnostic methods, constantly modified surgical techniques, and hybridization contribute to a significant progress in treatment options. This will allow for defining an optimal strategy of improving survival and quality of life in HLHS patients. The development of intervention cardiology makes possible the stepwise treatment of the defect with one operation only. The first and third stage may be done by hybrid or interventional methods, then only the second stage of treatment needs to be done surgically. The world experience and all the available literature says that the 1st-stage procedure could be done now safely either directly or with a bridge to Norwood followed by the stage 2 with a Glen or Hemi-Fontan and followed by a Fontan down the lane surgically.
Frequency Stabilization in a MEMS Oscillator with 1:2 Internal Resonance

One of the most important functionalities of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) oscillators is to provide a reference frequency with a minimal frequency fluctuation. This paper reports the design and experimental characterization of 1:2 internal resonances (IR) in two distinct (stepped and uniform) doubly clamped micromechanical beam resonators. We have intentionally imposed an IR condition in the initial design of a geometrically nonlinear stepped beam, optimized the geometry using a reliability-based design optimization (RDO), fabricated and characterized the resonance behaviors and modal energy transfer in the response. Strong intermodal coupling through the mechanism of IR in the dynamic response provides the basis to design MEMS oscillators with highly stable reference frequencies. We report that the frequency stabilization can be achieved over a much broader range of operation because of the strong coupling between the two flexural modes.
An imprecise path to precision medicine.

Xiling Shen is the Hawkins Family Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and director of the Woo Center for Big Data and Precision Health at Duke University. He is a National Science Foundation early-career awardee, chair of the National Cancer Institute’s Patient-Derived Models of Cancer consortium and an Israeli faculty fellow.
Ex Vivo Analysis of a Porcine Bicuspid Aortic Valve and Aneurysm Disease Model.

We identified an extremely rare congenital porcine type 0 lateral bicuspid aortic valve from a fresh porcine heart. Using a 3-dimensionally printed ex vivo left heart simulator, we analyzed valvular hemodynamics at baseline, in an aortic aneurysm disease model, and after valve-sparing root replacement. We showed that bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation due to aortic aneurysm can be successfully repaired without significant hemodynamic impairment using the valve-sparing root replacement technique in an individualized approach. Our results provide direct hemodynamic evidence supporting the use of valve-sparing root replacement for patients with bicuspid aortic valve regurgitation.