cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Consistent initial conditions for the Saint-Venant equations in river network modeling

Abstract. Initial conditions for flows and depths (cross-sectional areas) throughout a river network are required for any time-marching (unsteady) solution of the one-dimensional (1-D) hydrodynamic Saint-Venant equations. For a river network modeled with several Strahler orders of tributaries, comprehensive and consistent synoptic data are typically lacking and synthetic starting conditions are needed. Because of underlying nonlinearity, poorly defined or inconsistent initial conditions can lead to convergence problems and long spin-up times in an unsteady solver. Two new approaches are defined and demonstrated herein for computing flows and cross-sectional areas (or depths). These methods can produce an initial condition data set that is consistent with modeled landscape runoff and river geometry boundary conditions at the initial time. These new methods are (1) the pseudo time-marching method (PTM) that iterates toward a steady-state initial condition using an unsteady Saint-Venant solver and (2) the steady-solution method (SSM) that makes use of graph theory for initial flow rates and solution of a steady-state 1-D momentum equation for the channel cross-sectional areas. The PTM is shown to be adequate for short river reaches but is significantly slower and has occasional non-convergent behavior for large river networks. The SSM approach is shown to provide a rapid solution of consistent initial conditions for both small and large networks, albeit with the requirement that additional code must be written rather than applying an existing unsteady Saint-Venant solver.
Queen presence mediates the relationship between collective behaviour and disease susceptibility in ant colonies

The success of social living can be explained, in part, by a group's ability to execute collective behaviours unachievable by solitary individuals. However, groups vary in their ability to execute these complex behaviours, often because they vary in their phenotypic composition. Group membership changes over time due to mortality or emigration, potentially leaving groups vulnerable to ecological challenges in times of flux. In some societies, the loss of important individuals (e.g. leaders, elites and queens) may have an especially detrimental effect on groups' ability to deal with these challenges. Here, we test whether the removal of queens in colonies of the acorn ant Temnothorax curvispinosus alters their ability to execute important collective behaviours and survive outbreaks of a generalist entomopathogen. We employed a split-colony design where one half of a colony was maintained with its queen, while the other half was separated from the queen. We then tested these subcolonies' performance in a series of collective behaviour assays and finally exposed colonies to the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium robertsii by exposing two individuals from the colony and then sealing them back into the nest. We found that queenright subcolonies outperformed their queenless counterparts in nearly all collective behaviours. Queenless subcolonies were also more vulnerable to mortality from disease. However, queenless groups that displayed more interactions with brood experienced greater survivorship, a trend not present in queenright subcolonies. Queenless subcolonies that engage in more brood interactions may have had more resources available to cope with two physiological challenges (ovarian development after queen loss and immune activation after pathogen exposure). Our results indicate that queen presence can play an integral role in colony behaviour, survivorship and their relationship. They also suggest that interactions between workers and brood are integral to colonies survival. Overall, a social group's history of social reorganization may have strong consequences on their collective behaviours and their vulnerability to disease outbreaks.
"Think aloud" and "Near live" usability testing of two complex clinical decision support tools.

Objectives Low provider adoption continues to be a significant barrier to realizing the potential of clinical decision support. “Think Aloud” and “Near Live” usability testing were conducted on two clinical decision support tools. Each was composed of an alert, a clinical prediction rule which estimated risk of either group A Streptococcus pharyngitis or pneumonia and an automatic order set based on risk. The objective of this study was to further understanding of the facilitators of usability and to evaluate the types of additional information gained from proceeding to “Near Live” testing after completing “Think Aloud”.
A fast computation and optimization algorithm for smart grid energy system

Increasing penetration of intermittent and variable renewable energy sources (RESs) has significantly complicated smart grid operations. The uncertain nature of RESs may cause increased operating costs for committing costly reserve units or penalty costs for curtailing load demands. In addition, it is often desired to control and coordinate a battery energy storage system (BESS) in an efficient and economical way, especially for islanded microgrid. To address these issues, an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) approach is proposed to investigate the optimal operation of energy systems in islanded microgrid considering stochastic wind energy and load demands. A battery control strategy is also presented to maintain the battery state of charge in a certain range which will help to increase the battery lifetime in the future. The traditional dynamic programming (DP) approach is also implemented to validate the percentage of optimality of the proposed ADP approach for stochastic case studies. The simulation results show that the proposed ADP approach can obtain competitive percentages of optimality with around 50% less computational time compared to the traditional DP approach. Again, the proposed ADP approach is also validated on a large data sample case and achieved 18.77 times faster response than the traditional DP approach.
Craft Beer Enthusiasts’ Support for Neolocalism and Environmental Causes

This study examines Pennsylvania craft beer consumers’ perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors in relation to neolocalism and the environment. More specifically, this study examines connections between individuals’ commitment to craft beer drinking, their support for breweries that promote neolocalism and environmental activism, and their own environmental worldviews and behaviors. Results of a path analysis suggest that committed consumers who report craft beer as an important part of their identities and social worlds are more likely to favor brewery neolocalism and brewery activism, which in turn influence environmental attitudes and behaviors.
Investigation of Ultrasound Attenuation in Impurity-Helium Solids Containing Liquid Helium

The attenuation of ultrasound in Impurity-Helium (Im-He) solids created upon introduction of impurity atoms or molecules (D 2 , N 2 , Kr) into a volume of superfluid helium has been investigated. The observed features of attenuation show that a porous substance consisting of a loosely interconnected continuous network is created in superfluid helium. This network is formed by impurity particles encapsulated in solidified helium. Analysis of attenuation allows us to conclude that Im-He solid samples have a wide distribution of pores from 8 nm to 800 nm. It was established that the character of attenuation in D 2 -He samples is considerably different from that in heavier Im-He solids, for which two maxima of attenuation were sometimes observed. A sharp peak was observed at Tc0 very close to the bulk helium lambda transition temperature and a second broad peak occurred at Tc<Tc0 . This behavior is similar to that predicted theoretically for liquid helium in restricted fractal porous media.
The cellular pathobiology of atherosclerosis in 1983

Atherosclerosis is a dynamic process in which a number of stimuli to arterial lipid deposition, cell proliferation and cell death, and the synthesis of fiber and matrix proteins by modulated smooth muscle cells are the major factors which can vary to control to process. The circulating levels and interaction of lipoproteins, the integrity of the endothelium, the heart rate and the height of the blood pressure and many incompletely understood arterial wall factors all appear to affect these components. Although there are many unanswered questions, it is clear that immense progress has been made in the past 25 years in developing a reasonable understanding of the cellular pathobiology of the atherosclerotic process. The momentum of this progress is such as to project a very promising future in which the molecular pathology of atherogenesis will be understood well enough to permit prevention, retardation and more effective regression of the dangerous advanced plaque.
Vitrimeric Silicone Elastomers Enabled by Dynamic Meldrum’s Acid-Derived Cross-Links

Current vitrimer technology uses only a handful of distinct reactions for cross-linking. New dynamic reactions can diversify vitrimer functionality and properties. In this paper, reversible cross-links formed by conjugate addition–elimination of thiols with a Meldrum’s acid derivative enable compression–remolding of silicone elastomers. After 10 remolding cycles, there is no discernible deterioration of mechanical properties (Young’s modulus, Tg, rubbery plateau E’), nor is there a change in stress relaxation activation energy. This robust new cross-linker could be implemented in any number of systems that currently use permanent thiol–ene cross-linking, expanding the scope of recyclable materials.
2507: Towards a scalable informatics platform for enhancing accrual into clinical research studies

OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: Issues with recruiting the targeted number of participants in a timely manner often results in underpowered studies, with more than 60% of clinical studies failing to complete or requiring extensions due to enrollment issues. The objective of this study is to develop and implement a scalable, organization wide platform to enhance accrual into clinical research studies. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We are developing and evaluating an informatics platform called Utah Utility for Research Recruitment (U2R2). U2R2 consists of 2 components: (i) Semantic Matcher: an automated trial criterion to patient matching component that also reports uncertainty associated with the match, and (ii) Match Delivery: mechanisms to deliver the list of matched patients for different research and clinical settings. As a first step, we limited the Semantic Matcher to utilize only structured data elements from the patient record and trial criteria. We are now including distributional semantic methods to match complete patient records and trial criteria as documents. We evaluated the first phase of U2R2 based on a randomized trial with a target enrollment of 220 participants that compares 2 treatment strategies for managing back pain (physical therapy and usual care) for individuals consulting a nonsurgical provider and symptomatic <90 days. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: U2R2 identified 9370 patients from the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics as potential matches. Of these 9370, 1145 responded to the Back Pain study research team’s email or phone communications, and were further screened by phone. In total, 250 participants completed a screening visit, resulting in the current study enrollment of 130 participants. Forty-three of 1145 patients refused to participate, and 50 participants no-showed their screening visit. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: A recruitment platform can enhance potential participant identification, but requires attention to multiple issues involved with clinical research studies. Clinical eligibility criteria are usually unstructured and require human mediation and abstraction into discrete data elements for matching against patient records. In addition, key eligibility data are often embedded within text in the patient record. Distributional semantic approaches, by leveraging this content, can identify potential participants for screening with more specificity. The delivery of the list of matched patient results should consider characteristics of the research study, population, and targeted enrollment (eg, back pain being a common disorder and the possibility of the patient visiting different types of clinics), as well as organizational and socio-technical issues surrounding clinical practice and research. Embedding the delivery of match results into the clinical workflow by utilizing user-centered design approaches and involving the clinician, the clinic, and the patient in the recruitment process, could yield higher accrual indices.
Taiwan’s General Elections of 2016

The 2016 general elections were a milestone in Taiwan’s political history. The ruling Kuomintang (KMT) was defeated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) which was not only able to win the presidency but also, for the first time in history, an outright majority in the Legislative Yuan (Parliament). Potentially, the 2016 elections might portend a partisan realignment between the two major political parties (or the two major political groupings—the Pan-KMT camp and the Pan-DPP camp) for many years to come. The purpose of this chapter is to examine the events leading to the elections and the factors that may have affected the turnout and voters’ vote choices in these crucial elections in this young democracy.
Una oda nerudiana del canto general

Analisis y comentario del poema de Neruda “Oda de Invierno al Rio Mapocho”, perteneciente a su Canto General (1950). La “Oda” —advierte Jaime Concha— fue escrita en 1938 en un clima politico y social muy diverso del actual y guarda relaciones estrechas tanto con la seccion en que se publica (la seccion VII, Canto General de Chile) y con la red de motivos fluviales que discurre por el conjunto de la obra. En este articulo se estudian los aspectos metricos, semanticos y formales del poema, en especial la estructura poetica en sus imagenes y simbolos principales. Se concluye con algunas observaciones sobre el comentario como experiencia docente y las dificultades de su trasmision por escrito
Micro and nanopatterned biodegradable polymer films for peripheral nerve regeneration

Annually over 200,000 surgeries are attempted to repair peripheral nerve damage (Med. Dev., 1985). Without these surgeries, peripheral nerve transections have little hope of reinnervating the effector organ and becoming fully functional if the nerve endings are separated by a centimeter or more. Currently, transections are repaired with nerve autografts removed from one part of the body to repair the injured site. Autografting causes deinnervation of the donor site and tissue availability is limited. An alternative nerve repair method to grafting is an entubulization method where a conduit is used to connect the nerve endings. The conduit allows for chemical communications between the nerve stumps and also provides physical guidance for the regenerating neurites. By using a conduit to engineer an artificial environment that mimics the physical and chemical stimulus that promotes peripheral nerve regeneration, faster and more direct regeneration may be possible. The purpose of this project was to investigate cellular activities that direct and guide peripheral nerve outgrowth in vitro. Micro and nanopattemed biodegradable polymer films of poly(DL-lactide) and poly(lactide-co-glycolide) were fabricated to provide physical guidance. The patterned surface was chemically modified with laminin to contribute neurotrophic factors and then seeded Schwann cells, which furnish biological cues. The results show that Schwann cells and dissociated dorsal root ganglia (DRG) seeded separately on laminin coated micropattemed films of 10 |im groove width by 10 pm or 20 |im groove spacing align well due to the effects of the physical and chemical guidance mechanisms. The Schwann cells experienced 100% alignment on substrates with groove
New Principles in Condensed Phase Chemistry

Today I will discuss new theoretical methods (1) for describing and simulating, via classical trajectories, condensed phase vibrational energy transfer and chemical reaction processes. These methods are based on a new exact formulation of irreversible dynamics(2) which I call the molecular timescale generalized Langevin equation (MTGLE) theory. The MTGLE theory provides a natural framework for many-body dynamics on ultrashort timescales, e.g. the timescale of a chemically effective molecular encounter. The MTGLE theory is thus naturally suited as a framework for condensed phase chemical reaction dynamics.
Tracking Kinematic and Kinetic Measures of Sit to Stand using an Instrumented Spine Orthosis

Age related spinal deformity is becoming an increasingly prevalent problem, resulting in decreased quality of life. While spinal deformity can be corrected via surgical intervention, a large number of people with spinal fusions require follow-up surgery due to further degeneration. The identification of changes to a subjects kinematics and kinetics post-surgery are limited by a lack of methods to collect patient specific motion data over the course of surgical recovery. This paper introduces an Instrumented Spine Orthosis (ISO) that can capture the motions of the subjects torso without requiring the use of a control computer or other dedicated motion capture equipment. This system is used to collect the peak torso angles and velocities for a single subject performing sit-to-stand actions. The accuracy of the ISO is evaluated using motion capture, during different sit-to-stand protocols designed to highlight motion changes that have been seen in subjects with reduced mobility. This system was found to provide reliable measurements of these kinematic and kinetic torso measures across all tested motions, demonstrating the potential for the use of Instrumented Spine Orthotics to provide quantitative measures during the surgical recovery process.
A comparison of air sampling methods for Clostridium difficile endospore aerosol

The airborne dissemination of Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) endospores (spores) in healthcare environments is documented in multiple studies. Once airborne, spores have the potential for transport on air currents to other areas. This study compared the methods in the collection of C. difficile spore aerosol. This study determined the relative efficiency of commonly used bioaerosol air sampling methods when characterizing airborne C. difficile spore concentrations. Air samplers evaluated in this study were the AirTrace slit-to-agar impactor, AGI-30 impinger, SKC BioSampler impinger, and a 47-mm mixed cellulose ester (MCE) filter cassette. Non-toxigenic C. difficile spores were nebulized into an enclosure contained in a biological safety cabinet. Side-by-side air samples were drawn from the enclosure. The slit-to-agar impactor, successfully used in previous studies to collect airborne spores, served as the reference method. Relative efficiency for the 47-mm MCE filter cartridge was higher than the slit-to-agar impactor (mean 136.6%, 95% CI 124.7–148.5%). Efficiencies of the impingers were similar and were low (mean 4.13%, 95% CI 2.27–5.99%). Impingers failed to maintain culturability of C. difficile spores during sampling. This study is the first to compare the efficiencies of commonly used bioaerosol sampling methods to collect airborne C. difficile spores. Filter air sampling provided the greatest collection of airborne spores. Slit-to-agar air sampling may underestimate the number of airborne spores present. Impinger air sampling could significantly underestimate the actual number of airborne C. difficile spores present or fail to detect airborne spores.
Does functional specialization of ribosomes really exist

It has recently become clear that ribosomes are much more heterogeneous than previously thought, with diversity arising from rRNA sequence and modifications, ribosomal protein (RP) content and posttranslational modifications (PTMs), as well as bound nonribosomal proteins. In some cases, the existence of these diverse ribosome populations has been verified by biochemical or structural methods. Furthermore, knockout or knockdown of RPs can diversify ribosome populations, while also affecting the translation of some mRNAs (but not others) with biological consequences. However, the effects on translation arising from depletion of diverse proteins can be highly similar, suggesting that there may be a more general defect in ribosome function or stability, perhaps arising from reduced ribosome numbers. Consistently, overall reduced ribosome numbers can differentially affect subclasses of mRNAs, necessitating controls for specificity. Moreover, in order to study the functional consequences of ribosome diversity, perturbations including affinity tags and knockouts are introduced, which can also affect the outcome of the experiment. Here we review the available literature to carefully evaluate whether the published data support functional diversification, defined as diverse ribosome populations differentially affecting translation of distinct mRNA (classes). Based on these observations and the commonly observed cellular responses to perturbations in the system, we suggest a set of important controls to validate functional diversity, which should include gain-of-function assays and the demonstration of inducibility under physiological conditions.
The impact of tobacco control program expenditures on aggregate cigarette sales: 1981–2000

Since the 1998 Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) between states and the tobacco industry, states have unprecedented resources for programs to reduce tobacco use. Decisions concerning the use of these funds will, in part, be based on the experiences of states with existing programs. We examine the experiences of several states that have adopted comprehensive tobacco control programs. We also report estimates from econometric analyses of the impact of tobacco control expenditures on aggregate tobacco use in all states and in selected states with comprehensive programs for the period from 1981 through 2000. Our analyses clearly show that increases in funding for state tobacco control programs reduce tobacco use.
Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD): A biomarker for first-line (1L) platinum in advanced pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

4132Background: HRD is an emerging biomarker for platinum therapy in PDAC. The clinical implications regarding differences in outcome between germline and somatic HRD in advanced PDAC treated with ...
Curvature distribution and autocorrelations in elliptic cylinders and cones

Not all micro-vessels (MV) are traditionally circular and there are examples of elliptic cylindrical MVs in life sciences, particularly if projected with a slant. Similarly, certain biological structures, ferroelectric liquid crystals, aluminum oxide clusters and witherite crystallites’ cross-section appear to be elliptical cones. We studied the mean curvature (H) distribution of these elliptic morphological structures with geometric parameter such as eccentricity; e (ratio of semi-minor to semi-major axes) and a measure of how much diagonal section deviates from circularity and height (h) in case of cones. By means of topographical cues, we defined the curvature-curvature autocorrelation function (gk) and applied this notion to mean curvature (H) of circular and elliptical cylinders and cones. The Fourier transform of correlation function, i.e. “curvature factor” is analogous to “structure factor (or Patterson function)” in X-ray and neutron scattering intensity. It elucidates critically important information related to surface curvature fluctuation relevant to shape (geometry), network and phase transformation. The latter is induced by cells under mechanical stress, occurring in many soft systems (polymeric liquid crystals, foams, bubbles) and biological tissues, particularly cell walls of primary and branched vessels bed in microvasculature that distributes blood within tissue during hypertension and migraines. This perspective is useful in a sustained release of angiogenic/vasculogenic factors and relevant for precision medicine and engineered microvessels and tissues in vitro and in vivo extended cellular processes. The quantitative analysis carried out in this work facilitates our understanding of the mechanical mechanisms associated with thrombosis during surgery that typically occur in bent or stretched MVs due to microenvironment such as localized shear stresses and biochemical factors.Not all micro-vessels (MV) are traditionally circular and there are examples of elliptic cylindrical MVs in life sciences, particularly if projected with a slant. Similarly, certain biological structures, ferroelectric liquid crystals, aluminum oxide clusters and witherite crystallites’ cross-section appear to be elliptical cones. We studied the mean curvature (H) distribution of these elliptic morphological structures with geometric parameter such as eccentricity; e (ratio of semi-minor to semi-major axes) and a measure of how much diagonal section deviates from circularity and height (h) in case of cones. By means of topographical cues, we defined the curvature-curvature autocorrelation function (gk) and applied this notion to mean curvature (H) of circular and elliptical cylinders and cones. The Fourier transform of correlation function, i.e. “curvature factor” is analogous to “structure factor (or Patterson function)” in X-ray and neutron scattering intensity. It elucidates critically important inform...
Endovascular Treatment of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

Since its inception in the 1990s, endovascular aortic repair has quickly replaced traditional open aortic repair (OAR) as the most common method for elective treatment of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). After numerous iterations and failures of different endografts, the technology has undergone dramatic improvements with evidence pointing to this technology serving as a safe and durable modality, albeit with the requirement of routine surveillance. Not surprisingly, the ability to treat patients with AAAs with minimally invasive technology that could theoretically mitigate some of the risks associated with OAR, such as aortic cross clamping and significant blood loss, was also adopted in patients with ruptured AAAs and is now the preferred treatment method if anatomically feasible.
Enrichment for Cases of African-American Patients with Pathogenic TTR V142I Variant in the TOPCAT Trial

Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) is a treatable cause of heart failure with a hereditary form that disproportionally affects patients of West African ancestry. The clinical management of ATTR-CA has dramatically changed in the past five years, with rapidly evolving diagnostic approaches and life-prolonging therapies. The TTR variant c.424G>A, p.V142I (aka V122I) is pathogenic and occurs in 3-4% of individuals of West African ancestry. Despite its high frequency, V142I ATTR-CA is often unrecognized due to variable clinical penetrance, limited knowledge, and lack of inexpensive non-invasive diagnostic tests. Currently unknown is which TTR V142I carriers will progress to heart failure and at what age. Here we studied the prevalence of TTR V142I among a random cohort of African-American patients enrolled in the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure With an Aldosterone Antagonist Trial (TOPCAT). Three of the 26 HFpEF patients (11.5%) studied carried the pathogenic TTR V142I variant. While we cannot conclude at this point that TTR V142I was the underlying cause of the clinical phenotype in these patients, our results suggest that rapid TTR V142I genotyping, in combination with heart imaging, could have immediate clinical utility for identifying under-/mis-diagnosed HFpEF patients.
Reproductive and obstetric outcomes in mildly and significantly underweight women undergoing IVF.

Abstract Research question What is the impact of low body mass index (BMI) on live birth rates and obstetric outcomes in infertile women treated with IVF and fresh embryo transfer? Design This was a retrospective cohort study of infertile patients in an academic hospital setting who underwent their first oocyte retrieval with planned autologous fresh embryo transfer between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2018. The primary study outcome was live birth rate. Secondary outcomes were IVF treatment and delivery outcomes. Underweight patients were stratified into a significantly underweight group (body mass index [BMI] Results A total of 5229 patients were included (significantly underweight, 76; mildly underweight, 231; normal weight, 4922), resulting in 4798 embryo transfers. After oocyte retrieval, there were no significant differences between groups for total oocytes, mature oocyte yield and number of supernumerary blastocysts cryopreserved. Among women who had an embryo transfer, there were no significant differences in the live birth rates in significantly (31.0%, odds ratio [OR] 0.67, confidence interval [0.95, CI] 0.40–1.13) and mildly (37.7%, OR 0.95, CI 0.73–1.33) underweight patients compared with normal-weight patients (35.9%). Additionally, there were no statistically significant increased risks of preterm delivery, Caesarean delivery or a low birthweight ( Conclusions Mildly and significantly underweight infertile women have similar pregnancy and live birth rates to normal-weight patients after IVF treatment. In addition, underweight patients do not have an increased risk of preterm delivery (
Multimodality cardiac imaging for management of a cardiac mass in the era of COVID-19: a case report

Background Atrial myxomas are the most common benign cardiac tumours. This case highlights an unusual presentation and complex management of a patient who was incidentally found to have a left atrial tumour concerning for a myxoma. Case summary A 54-year-old-woman presented with symptoms of nausea and vomiting and was found to have a left atrial mass incidentally in addition to a renal infarct. She was also found to have COVID-19 and the mass was initially thought to be a thrombus. With the help of multimodality imaging, it was determined that the mass was an atrial myxoma and she was started on short-term anticoagulation to prevent recurrent embolization. After 6 weeks of anticoagulation, she successfully underwent elective resection of the mass which was confirmed to be myxoma with superimposed thrombus. Discussion It is difficult to differentiate cardiac tumours from intracardiac thrombus and multimodality cardiac imaging is crucial to make an accurate diagnosis. While the treatment of atrial myxomas involves early surgical resection, it becomes more complicated with concurrent COVID-19 infection.
Variability in image quality and radiation dose within and across 97 medical facilities.

Purpose: To characterize variability in image quality and radiation dose across a large cohort of computed tomography (CT) examinations and identify the scan factors with the highest influence on the observed variabilities. Approach: This retrospective institutional-review-board-exempt investigation was performed on 87,629 chest and abdomen-pelvis CT scans acquired for 97 facilities from 2018 to 2019. Images were assessed in terms of noise, resolution, and dose metrics (global noise, frequency in which modulation transfer function is at 0.50, and volumetric CT dose index, respectively). The results were fit to linear mixed-effects models to quantify the variabilities as affected by scan parameters and settings and patient characteristics. A list of factors, ranked by t-value with p < 0.05, was ascertained for each of the six mixed effects models. A type III p-value test was used to assess the influence of facility. Results: Across different facilities, image quality and dose were significantly different (p < 0.05), with little correlation between their mean magnitudes and consistency (Pearson’s correlation coefficient < 0.34). Scanner model, slice thickness, recon field-of-view and kernel, mAs, kVp, patient size, and centering were the most influential factors. The two body regions exhibited similar rankings of these factors for noise (Spearman’s correlation coefficient = 0.76) and dose (Spearman’s correlation coefficient = 0.86) but not for resolution (Spearman’s correlation coefficient = 0.52). Conclusions: Clinical CT scans can vary in image quality and dose with broad implications for diagnostic utility and radiation burden. Average scan quality was not correlated with interpatient scan-quality consistency. For a given facility, this variability can be quite large, with magnitude differences across facilities. The knowledge of the most influential factors per body region may be used to better manage these variabilities within and across facilities.
The Form of the Firm: A Normative Political Theory of the Corporation (Book Review)

Writing as a political theorist, Abraham Singer begins his book, The Form of the Firm on the premise that despite public and political fixation on corporations, historically, there has been a dearth of literature on the subject from the disciplines of political theory and philosophy. Singer attempts to fill this void with an interdisciplinary overview on how modern corporations ought to be governed. Readers like myself, who come from outside the field of political theory will appreciate this contemplative contribution to corporate law and business ethics scholarship.
A New View of Slave Exportation from Nicaragua in the 16th Century

Standard view is that Nicaragua´s Indian population severely decreased after the Conquest because of massive slave exportation. A review of existing ship departures, zarpes, for the period of 1539-1542, when slave exportation was occurring large scale, demonstrated that 601 Indians were exported from Nicaragua, that data compiled by a judge of residencia who was looking for violation of laws to prosecute the slave exporters. This studied applied an interplay between the historical data and the archaeological data that offered greater potential for innovative insights than does either discipline individually; as an academic discipline these studies are referred to as “ethnohistory”. Utilizing this approach, the review of the number of ships needed for massive slave exportation disclosed that the required number of vessels was not available at any time during the Colonial period. Finally, the Nicaraguan encomenderos had small encomiendas, which were needed to generate income for the encomenderos, and were unlikely to export their own encomendero Indians when it would severely affect their own incomes.
Using direct and indirect assessments of student learning to refine a science library internship for undergraduates: A case study

Science library internships at academic libraries serving diverse student populations may increase the visibility of science librarianship as a career path for undergraduates in the sciences and ma...
How are different sources of distraction associated with at-fault crashes among drivers of different age gender groups?

Abstract Introduction Distracted driving has been well researched, however the comparison between different age-gender groups on the impact of distracted driving has not been explored. Most crash analysis research does not distinguish driver responsibility, so the role that distractions has in at-fault crashes is unknown. Without distinguishing at-fault crashes from all-cause crashes, distracted driving's detrimental effects could be underestimated. Objective This study aims to systematically assess the risk of at-fault crashes associated with different sources of distraction among six groups by driver age (Teens 16–19, Adults 20–64, Seniors 65+) and gender. Methods Crashes where a study participant was deemed at fault were identified using human expert annotated variables from the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 (SHRP2) Naturalistic Driving Study dataset. Generalized linear mixed models were performed to assess the adjusted odds ratios of 10 distraction types associated with the at-fault crashes while controlling for environmental factors. Results The main findings are (1) The highest contributing distraction types in at-fault crashes were In-Cabin Objects, Mobile Device, External Scenes, and In-Vehicle Information Systems (IVIS) as indicated by their influence on multiple age-gender groups and the magnitude of odds ratios; (2) Teens and adults were more distraction-prone than seniors, although seniors had the greatest at-fault crash risks associated with In-Cabin Objects, Mobile Device, and IVIS; (3) Distractions impacted females and males similarly; (4) At-fault crashes were more likely to have the significant distraction types present than all-cause crashes. Conclusion This study adds to the limited literature on at-fault crashes particularly as it explores the role of driver demographics and distracted driving. Analyzing the risks of distracted driving by age-gender group shows that specific activities can be riskier for a certain population. The effects of distractions may be overlooked without fault determination. Distractions by external scenes, in-vehicle technologies, and in-cabin objects should not be overlooked, in addition to mobile device use.
Preserving privacy in data mining via importance weighting

This paper presents a fundamentally new approach to allowing learning algorithms to be applied to a dataset, while still keeping the records in the dataset confidential. Let D be the set of records to be kept private, and let E be a fixed set of records from a similar domain that is already public. The idea is to compute and publish a weight w(x) for each record x in E that measures how representative it is of the records in D. Data mining on E using these importance weights is then approximately equivalent to data mining directly on D. The dataset D is used by its owner to compute the weights, but not revealed in any other way.
Electric Fields in Cosmic Plasma

Electric fields play a crucial role in cosmic plasmas. Electric fields can accelerate charged particles to high energies and cause currents to flow, generate and “unfreeze” magnetic fields in plasmas, cause plasma to pinch into filaments, separate chemical elements, and initiate the collapse of plasma to the condensate and neutral state of matter.
Towards an optimal file allocation strategy for SPECweb99

This chapter studies the file caching characteristics of the industry-standard webserving benchmark SPECweb99 and develops an optimal cost model for balancing performance and disk and RAM costs, where "cost" can be very broadly defined. The model is applied to a realistic 32-bit address hardware configuration to demonstrate a solution that eliminates file accesses as a potential webserving bottleneck for very high workload levels.
Illusion and Reality: A Study of the Sources of Poetry

ILLUSION AND REALITY A STUDY OF THE SOURCES OF POETRY By CHRISTOPHER CAUDWELL CONTENTS BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE INTRODUCTION THE BIRTH OF POETRY THE DEATH OF MYTHOLOGY THE INVOLVMENT OF MODERN POETRY ENGLISH POETS: I PRIMITIVE ACCUMULATION II THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION III DECLINE OF CAPITALISM THE WORLD THE PHANTASY POETRYS DREAMWORK THE ARTS THE FUTURE OF POETRY..... BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE THIS is one of the great books of our time. It is not easy reading. It is a book to be studied and annotated and returned to again and again. The reader will then find that, however often he takes it up, it will always give him fresh food for thought. The author, Christopher St. John Sprigg, was born in Putney on October 20, 1907. He was educated at the Benedictine school at Ealing. He left school at sixteen and a half and worked for three years as a reporter on the Yorkshire Observer. Then he returned to London and joined a firm of aeronautical publishers, first as editor and later as a director. He invented an infinitely variable gear, the designs for which were published in the Automobile Engineer. They attracted a good deal of attention from experts. He published five textbooks on aero nautics, seven detective novels, and some poems and short stories. All this before he was twentyfive. In May, 1935, under the name of Christopher Caudwell, he published his first serious novel, This My Hand. It shows that lie had made a close study of psychology, but he had not yet succeeded in relating his knowledge to life. At the end of 1934 he had come across some of the Marxist classics, and the following summer he spent in Cornwall immersed in the works of Marx, Engcls, and Lenin, Shortly after hisreturn to London he finished the first draft of Illusion and Reality. Then, in December, he took lodgings in Poplar and later joined the Poplar Branch of the Communist Party. Many of his Poplar comrades were dockers, almost aggressively proletarian, and a little suspicious at first of the, quiet, well spoken young man who wrote books for a living out before long he was accepted as one of themselves, doing his share of whatever had to be done. A few months after joining the Party he went over to Paris to get a firsthand experience of the Popular Front and he came back with renewed energy and enthusiasm. Besides continuing to write novels for a living, he rewrote Illusion and Reality, completed . the essays published subsequently as Studies in a Dying Culture, and began The. Crisis in Physics. He worked to the clock. After spending the day at his typewriter, he would leave the house at five and go out to the Branch to speak at an openair meeting, or sell the Daily Worker at the corner of Crisp Street Market. . Meanwhile, the Spanish Civil War had broken out. The Poplar Branch threw itself into the campaign, with Caudwell as one of the leading spirits. By November they had raised enough money to buy an ambulance, and Caudwell was chosen to drive it across France.
Investigation of Combustion Phasing Control Strategy During Reactivity Controlled Compression Ignition (RCCI) Multicylinder Engine Load Transitions

The dual fuel reactivity controlled compression ignition (RCCI) concept has been successfully demonstrated to be a promising, more controllable, high efficiency and cleaner combustion mode. A multi-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code coupled with detailed chemistry, KIVA-CHEMKIN, was applied to develop a strategy for phasing control during load transitions. Steady-state operating points at 1500 rev/min were calibrated from 0 to 5 bar brake mean effective pressure (BMEP). The load transitions considered in this study included a load-up and a load-down load change transient between 1 bar and 4 bar BMEP at 1500 rev/min. The experimental results showed that during the load transitions, the diesel injection timing responded in 2 cycles while around 5 cycles were needed for the diesel common-rail pressure to reach the target value. However, the intake manifold pressure lagged behind the pedal change for about 50 cycles due to the slower response of the turbocharger.The effect of these transients on RCCI engine combustion phasing was studied. The CFD model was first validated against steady-state experimental data at 1 bar and 4 bar BMEP. Then the model was used to develop strategies for phasing control by changing the direct port fuel injection (PFI) amount during load transitions. Specific engine operating cycles during the load transitions (6 cycles for the load-up transition and 7 cycles for the load-down transition) were selected based on the change of intake manifold pressure to represent the transition processes. Each cycle was studied separately to find the correct PFI to diesel fuel ratio for the desired CA50 (the crank angle at which 50 % of total heat release occurs). The simulation results showed that CA50 was delayed by 7 to 15 degrees for the load-up transition and advanced by around 5 degrees during the load-down transition if the pre-calibrated steady-state PFI table was used. By decreasing the PFI ratio by 10 % to 15 % during the load-up transition and increasing the PFI ratio by around 40 % during the load-down transition, the CA50 could be controlled at a reasonable value during transitions. The control strategy can be used for closed-loop control during engine transient operating conditions. Combustion and emission results during load transitions are also discussed.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Original article: Plane-wave solutions of a dissipative generalization of the vector nonlinear Schrödinger equation

Abstract: The modulational instability of perturbed plane-wave solutions of the vector nonlinear Schrodinger (VNLS) equation is examined in the presence of multiple forms of dissipation. We establish that all constant-magnitude solutions of the dissipative VNLS equation are less unstable than their counterparts in the conservative VNLS equation. We also present three families of decreasing-in-magnitude plane-wave solutions to this dissipative VNLS equation. We establish that if certain forms of dissipation are present, then all exponentially-decaying plane-wave solutions with spatial dependence are linearly unstable while those without spatial dependence are linearly stable.
Abstract 4984: Contribution of MMP13 to tumor development in the steatotic liver microenvironment

Proceedings: AACR Annual Meeting 2014; April 5-9, 2014; San Diego, CA With the rising prevalence of obesity there has been a marked increase in the incidence of non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Epidemiologically, NAFLD has been linked to an increased risk for development of primary liver cancer (HCC), however the mechanisms involved are not known. The liver is also a frequent site of metastasis for several types of cancers. To determine the effect of steatosis (fatty liver) on tumor metastasis to the liver, we used a mouse model of diet induced steatosis coupled with the splenic injection model of metastasis to the liver and found a significant increase in the number of tumors in the steatotic livers. To evaluate what molecular changes distinguish the steatotic liver from normal liver, microarray analysis was performed and demonstrated that MMP13, a member of the Matrix Metalloproteinase family recognized to be involved in liver disease and cancer progression, is significantly upregulated in the steatotic liver compared to normal livers of mice. We evaluated MMP13 expression in human patients with NAFLD and found that MMP13 is elevated with the progression of NAFLD. We hypothesize that increased MMP13 levels in the steatotic liver contribute to a more permissive microenvironment for the establishment of liver tumors. To test this hypothesis, mice genetically deficient in MMP13 or control wildtype mice, with and without steatosis, were injected with syngeneic MC38 colon cancer cells. Examination of the two groups demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of tumors in the MMP13 null mice (P <0.01). Additionally, since the tumor cells themselves express MMP13, wildtype mice were injected with either shRNA control or MMP13 knockdown MC38 colon cancer cells to determine the role of tumor cell derived MMP13. Using transwell migration assay and the platypus invasion system with parental and MMP13 shRNA knockdown MC38 cells we found that loss of MMP13 decreases the invasive and migratory properties of the metastatic cancer cells in vitro. In conclusion, we found that MMP13 is elevated in the setting of steatosis and that loss of both stromal and tumor derived MMP13 lead to decreased number of metastatic foci in the liver. Tumor derived MMP13 effects tumor cell migration and invasion invitro. MMP13 may thus be a potential target to control initiation and growth of metastatic cancer of the liver. Citation Format: Alisha Maria Mendonsa, Michael N. VanSaun, Lee Gorden. Contribution of MMP13 to tumor development in the steatotic liver microenvironment. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 4984. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-4984
The Kemmer β-formalism for particles of spin one-half

A linearization of the two-component second order spinor equation of Feynman and Gell-Mann for spin one-half particles leads to a ten component equation of the Kemmer type. Up to now such equations were only known for integral spin particles.