cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Investigation of Composite Dropsonde Profiles for Developing and Nondeveloping Tropical Waves during the 2010 PREDICT Field Campaign

Composite dropsonde profiles are analyzed for developing and nondeveloping tropical waves in an attempt to improve the understanding of tropical cyclogenesis. These tropical waves were sampled by 25 reconnaissance missions during the 2010 Pre-Depression Investigation of Cloud-Systems in the Tropics (PREDICT) field campaign. Comparisons are made between mean profiles of temperature, mixing ratio, relative humidity, radial and tangential winds, relative vorticity, and virtual convective available potential energy (CAPE) for genesis and nongenesis cases. Genesis soundings are further analyzed in temporal progression to investigate whether significant changes in the thermodynamic or wind fields occur during the transition from tropical wave to tropical cyclone. Significant results include the development of positive temperature anomalies from 500 to 200 hPa 2 days prior to genesis in developing waves. This is not observed in the nongenesis mean. Progressive mesoscale moistening of the column is observed within 150 km of the center of circulation prior to genesis. The genesis composite is found to be significantly moister than the nongenesis composite at the middle levels, while comparatively drier at low levels, suggesting that dry air is more detrimental to genesis when located at the middle levels. Time-varying tangential wind profiles reveal an initial delay in intensification, followed by an increase in organization 24 h pregenesis. The vertical evolution of relative vorticity, in addition to a warmover-cold thermal structure, is more consistent with a top-down than a bottom-up genesis mechanism. Last, CAPEvaluesaremuchgreaterfornongenesis thangenesisprofiles,indicatingthatgreaterinstabilitydoesnot necessarily favor genesis.
Implementation of a carrier frequency recovery loop for MIMO-CDMA systems

This paper presents simulation and implementation results of a fine frequency tracking loop optimized for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), code division multiple access (CDMA) receivers. The proposed tracking loop exploits spatial diversity and multi-threshold recovery schemes to improve the loop's robustness, convergence time and accuracy. Comprehensive simulation results in a frequency-selective Rayleigh fading channel are presented, as well as implementation results using a 0.18 um CMOS technology
Disruption of NHE8 expression impairs Leydig cell function in the testes.

Multiple sodium/hydrogen exchanger (NHE) isoforms are expressed in the testes, and they play various roles in cell volume regulation, intracellular pH regulation, and fluid absorption. NHE8, the mo...
Water use characteristics of black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) communities along an ecotone with marsh at a northern geographical limit

Mangroves are expanding into warm temperate-zone salt marsh communities in several locations globally. Although scientists have discovered that expansion might have modest effects on ecosystem functioning, water use characteristics have not been assessed relative to this transition. We measured early growing season sapflow (Js) and leaf transpiration (Tr )i nAvicennia germinans at a latitudinal limit along the northern Gulf of Mexico (Louisiana, United States) under both flooded and drained states and used these data to scale vegetation water use responses in comparison with Spartina alterniflora. We discovered strong convergence when using either Js or Tr for determining individual tree water use, indicating tight connection between transpiration and xylem water movement in small Avicennia trees. When Tr data were combined with leaf area indices for the region with the use of three separate approaches, we determined that Avicennia stands use approximately 10–13mmd –1 less water than Spartina marsh. Differences were only significant with the use of two of the three approaches, but are suggestive of net conservation of water as Avicennia expands into Spartina marshes at this location. Average Js for Avicennia trees was not influenced by flooding, but maximum Js was greater when sites were flooded. Avicennia and Spartina closest to open water (shoreline) used more water than interior locations of the same assemblages by an average of 13mmd 1 . Lower water use by Avicennia may indicate a greater overall resilience to drought relative to Spartina, such that aperiodic drought may interact with warmer winter temperatures to facilitate expansion of Avicennia in some years. Published 2012. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Estimating the motion of a maneuvering target with time-sequentially sampled imagery

We describe an approach to motion estimation that enables the trajectory of a target undergoing substantial changes in motion between frames to be reconstructed from a single frame of data. The approach is based on the fact that time-sequentially obtained samples from a moving object form a set of noisy measurements of the trajectory. Approximation methods are used to construct a smooth estimate of the trajectory based on these samples. The methods considered here are least squares and smoothing splines. The order in which the spatial points in the field of view are sampled is shown to have a significant effect on how reliably motion is detected and estimated. The effect of object size and velocity on the motion estimate is also considered.
ClinSeK: A targeted variant characterization framework for clinical sequencing

Applying genomics to patient care demands sensitive, unambiguous and rapid characterization of a known set of clinically relevant variants in patients’ samples, an objective substantially different from the standard discovery process, in which every base in every sequenced read must be examined. Further, the approach must be sufficiently robust as to be able to detect multiple and potentially rare variants from heterogeneous samples. To meet this critical objective, we developed a novel variant characterization framework, ClinSeK, which performs targeted analysis of relevant reads from high-throughput sequencing data. ClinSeK is designed for efficient targeted short read alignment and is capable of characterizing a wide spectrum of genetic variants from single nucleotide variation to large-scale genomic rearrangement breakpoints. Applying ClinSeK to over a thousand cancer patients demonstrated substantively better performance, in terms of accuracy, runtime and disk storage, for clinical applications than existing variant discovery tools. ClinSeK is freely available for academic use at http://bioinformatics.mdanderson.org/main/clinsek.
APPLICATION OF PHYSICAL METHODS TO THE STUDY OF SERUM LIPOPROTEINS

(1974). Application of Physical Methods to the Study of Serum Lipoprotein. CRC Critical Reviews in Biochemistry: Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 175-196.
Major Salivary Glands

The gross appearance of some salivary gland neoplasms is so characteristic that one can come close to establishing the diagnosis on the gross findings alone. Yet, all too often, salivary glands are simply inked, bread-loafed, and thrown into tissue cassettes. Take time to describe the appearance of any lesions encountered.
Stacking Beliefs and Participation in Alternative Food Systems

A movement toward relocalizing communities’ sources of food has been sparked in part by an urge to mitigate the adverse social, economic, and health impacts associated with a globalized food system. One example of an approach designed to mitigate these effects is the development of, and consumer participation in, alternative food systems (AFS). Factors that drive participation in AFS are largely unexplored. This article uses consumer interviews in Vermont to deepen our understanding of participation in AFS. We find that stacked beliefs about AFS drive participation, suggesting that barriers such as price and convenience may be overcome when these beliefs are more numerous. Implications focus on strategies for better promoting values and decreasing barriers in order to increase participation in and concomitant benefits of AFS.
Effects of norepinephrine infusion on in vivo insulin sensitivity and responsiveness.

The effect of a continuous infusion of norepinephrine (NE) on glucose disposal in vivo was examined in conscious restrained rats using the euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp technique. NE, 1,000 mic...
Major Factors Causing Construction Delays in Mecca

Delays are a major cause for concern in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. This paper identifies the main causes of delay in infrastructure projects in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and compares these with projects around the country and other Gulf countries. Data was obtained from 49 infrastructure projects undertaken by the owner and were analyzed quantitatively to understand the causes and severity of delay. 10 risk factors were identified and were grouped into four categories. Average delay in infrastructure projects in Mecca was found to be 39% of the estimated projects schedules. The most severe cause of delay was found to be the land acquisition factor. This highlights the critical land ownership and acquisition issues that are prevailing in the city. Additionally, other factors that contribute to delay include contractors’ lack of expertise, haphazard underground utilities (line services), and re-designing. It is concluded that the majority of project delays were caused from the owner’s side as compared to contractors, consultants, and other project’s stakeholders. This finding matched with the research findings of the Gulf Countries Construction (GCC) industry’s literature. This study fills an important practice and research gap for improving the efficiency in delivering infrastructure projects in the holy city of Mecca and Gulf countries at large.
Assessment of the effect of aircraft technological advancement on aviation environmental impacts

This paper studies the evolution of fleet-level emi ssions from aviation under different scenarios of aircraft technology availability and f uel price variation. The aim is to assess the efficacy of introducing advanced technology aircraf t as a means to reduce total emissions while still serving increasing passenger travel dem and. Particularly, this paper explores the potential existence of an effect in the aviation in dustry similar to the so-called the Jevons’ Paradox, in which the profit-seeking airline modele d here uses a larger number of more fuelefficient aircraft so that the increasing number of flights overwhelms the fuel efficiency gains of the individual aircraft. Simulation results conf irm that, while advanced technology aircraft would improve the emissions efficiency of the airline fleet, the advance technology alone would not be sufficient to reduce total fleet -wide CO 2 emissions. This finding implies the need for other initiatives (e.g., operations ch anges, alternate fuels, and carbon policies) to provide incentives to airlines to reduce CO 2 emissions.
Energy technologies evaluated against climate targets using a cost and carbon trade-off curve.

Over the next few decades, severe cuts in emissions from energy will be required to meet global climate-change mitigation goals. These emission reductions imply a major shift toward low-carbon energy technologies, and the economic cost and technical feasibility of mitigation are therefore highly dependent upon the future performance of energy technologies. However, existing models do not readily translate into quantitative targets against which we can judge the dynamic performance of technologies. Here, we present a simple, new model for evaluating energy-supply technologies and their improvement trajectories against climate-change mitigation goals. We define a target for technology performance in terms of the carbon intensity of energy, consistent with emission reduction goals, and show how the target depends upon energy demand levels. Because the cost of energy determines the level of adoption, we then compare supply technologies to one another and to this target based on their position on a cost and ca...
Serum gastrin in the rat: cholinergic and adrenergic effects.

SummaryEffects of vagotomy, acetyl-choline and various adrenergic drugs on serum immunoreactive gastrin levels were studied in the rat. In rats fasted 24 hr or longer serum gastrin concentrations generally were 100 pg/ml. In rats fasted overnight, injections of epinephrine, isoproterenol and phenoxybenzamine all raised the serum gastrin level. Pretreatment with propranolol, a β-adrenergic blocking agent, abolished the hypergastrinemic affect of iso-proterenol. Administration of propranolol also lowered basal serum gastrin levels and reduced the increase in serum gastrin produced by feeding. In vagotomized rats, iso-proterenol futher increased the already elevated serum gastrin levels while propranolol alone slightly reduced the elevated basal gastrin levels in four or five vagotomized rats. Bathing the antral mucosa by gavage with isoproterenol (even in 0.01 N HC1) also increased serum gastrin levels, indicating tha...
How the public views hospital advertising: An empirical analysis

This article represents the responses of 430 individuals to a mail survey examining views concerning advertising by hospitals. Historically, most professions prohibited licensed members from engagi...
Perceptions of Intuition among Campus Recreation Outdoor Program Professional Staff: An Exploratory Study:

Authors have pointed to the role that intuition plays in organizational and managerial decision making. The primary purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of intuitive experiences and intuition in general among campus and university recreation outdoor program professional staff particularly in light of their positions of authority and influence on program direction and service. An online survey was administered to campus recreation outdoor program professionals in 2011/2012 with results indicating females are more likely to use intuitive experiences than males in the workplace. Work experience with a college outdoor program, how one believes intuition is acquired, and whether one has ignored their intuition did not differentiate respondents concerning their use of intuitive experiences. While further research is warranted findings from this study should provide useful information for campus recreation outdoor program professionals interested in more closely examining how gut feelings and instinc...
Popular Culture and Public Health A Fresh Approach to Transdisciplinary Public Health Education

The key to living a longer, healthier life lies in one’s ability to maintain a healthy lifestyle and make health behavior changes. Public health professionals face the difficult task of developing ...
Alkalosis- and ATP-induced increases in the diacyglycerol pool in alveolar type II cells are derived from phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylinositol.

Alkalosis and ATP increase surfactant secretion in alveolar type II cells, possibly via non-receptor- and receptor-mediated mechanisms respectively. We compared the effects of these two agonists on phosphatidylinositol (PI) and 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) pools and on phosphatidylcholine (PC) hydrolysis in alveolar type II cells. Alkalosis, caused by transfer of cells from 5% (control) to 0% CO2 in air, and ATP increased the secretion of surfactant compared with the controls. The stimulated secretion was inhibited by staurosporine, a protein kinase C inhibitor. DAG and PI contents of control cells were 50 +/- 1.1 (mean +/- S.E.M., n = 8) and 14 +/-0.8 nmol/mg phospholipid (n = 7) respectively. The DAG content increased by approximately 50 nmol (100%) within 5 s of treatment with both alkalosis and ATP, returned to control levels by 1 min, and increased again at 5 min by approximately 20 nmol. The PI content decreased maximally by approximately 6 nmol (40%) at 5 s and returned to control levels by 30 s with both alkalosis and ATP, but was unchanged thereafter. Mass-balance analysis of net changes in DAG and PI pools suggests that additional sources, possibly PC, must also contribute to the DAG increase. ATP or alkalosis also increased the hydrolysis of PC. The labelling of phosphocholine was increased (approximately 60%) at as early as 5 s and remained elevated at subsequent time points, whereas labelling of choline was higher only with ATP at 50 s and later, suggesting activation of phospholipase C by both agonists, and of phospholipase D by only ATP. Our studies demonstrate that ATP and alkalosis stimulate rapid hydrolysis of inositol and choline phospholipids to increase the DAG mass in type II cells, and that phospholipase C-stimulated PC hydrolysis is the major pathway for DAG formation.
CHAPTER 42 – Overview of Cytokine Receptors

Cytokine, and cell adhesion receptors are generally single-crossing receptors that are activated by binding a ligand on one side of the membrane that initiates a response on the other side. The ligands associate with binding sites that may lie within one single receptor molecule or may involve bridging interactions between multiple receptors. The relative disposition of transmembrane segments and their associated domains induces a signal transduction cascade on the other side of the membrane. In all cases, this is mediated by changing lateral associations of receptors by horizontal signaling.
Digital Multimedia and the Teaching of Cross-Cultural Business Practices

In this study of 108 university students the impact of an instructor-developed digital multimedia program on student retention and satisfaction in the teaching of cross-cultural business practices was conducted. Results found that while test scores were statistically significantly higher in the group with which the multimedia program was used, satisfaction was not significantly higher. Financial and human production costs of producing the multimedia program utilized are reviewed and the cost-benefit is discussed. The overall results are discussed in terms of today’s technology exposure of the students, especially to digital multimedia programs.
Mass Transfer in High-Temperature Laser Confocal Microscopy

High-temperature laser confocal microscopy allows in situ observation of the sample surface while the temperature and gas atmosphere are controlled. Because of the relatively small sample size (diameter around 5 mm) mass transfer between the sample and the furnace atmosphere can be rapid. When studying liquid steel samples, evaporation from the steel surface can be sufficiently rapid to influence observations. In previous work, magnesium oxide inclusions (at the surface of liquid steel) were shown to shrink by dissolution, during observation by laser confocal microscopy. Inclusion dissolution was driven by evaporation of magnesium from the steel surface. In the work presented here, the rate of sample-gas mass transfer in a high-temperature confocal microscope was measured based on evaporation of manganese. The mass transfer rate can be estimated by simple static diffusion from the sample surface.
Generation and Proteome Profiling of PBMC-Originated, iPSC-Derived Corneal Endothelial Cells.

Purpose Corneal endothelial cells (CECs) are critical in maintaining clarity of the cornea. This study was initiated to develop peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC)-originated, induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived CECs. Methods We isolated PBMCs and programmed the mononuclear cells to generate iPSCs, which were differentiated to CECs through the neural crest cells (NCCs). The morphology of differentiating iPSCs was examined at regular intervals by phase contrast microscopy. In parallel, the expression of pluripotent and corneal endothelium (CE)-associated markers was investigated by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). The molecular architecture of the iPSC-derived CECs and human corneal endothelium (hCE) was examined by mass spectrometry-based proteome sequencing. Results The PBMC-originated, iPSC-derived CECs were tightly adherent, exhibiting a hexagonal-like shape, one of the cardinal characteristics of CECs. The CE-associated markers expressed at significantly higher levels in iPSC-derived CECs at days 13, 20, and 30 compared with their respective levels in iPSCs. It is of importance that only residual expression levels of pluripotency markers were detected in iPSC-derived CECs. Cryopreservation of iPSC-derived CECs did not affect the tight adherence of CECs and their hexagonal-like shape while expressing high levels of CE-associated markers. Mass spectrometry-based proteome sequencing identified 10,575 proteins in the iPSC-derived CEC proteome. In parallel, we completed proteome profiling of the hCE identifying 6345 proteins. Of these, 5763 proteins were identified in the iPSC-derived CECs, suggesting that 90.82% of the hCE proteome overlaps with the iPSC-derived CEC proteome. Conclusions We have successfully developed a personalized approach to generate CECs that closely mimic the molecular architecture of the hCE. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the development of PBMC-originated, iPSC-derived CECs.
Integrating Technology in a Biostatistics Course at Florida International University

A special undergraduate program for selected biology majors at Florida International University (FIU) was inaugurated in the fall of 2007. This program identified as QBIC, an acronym for “Quantifying Biology in the Classroom”, emphasizes the use of mathematics and statistics for analyses of biological/biomedical data. The present author was the designated instructor for the Statistics I course. This first-level Biostatistics course was implemented by integrating PowerPoint, statistical software (SPSS), and data from biological/biomedical studies. The course started in August 2008 during QBIC students’ sophomore year. The most common approach to teaching Statistics consists of using a board for lectures, a textbook as a reference, and supplementary material posted on a website. Two technology additions to this traditional approach were incorporated in this course: the daily use of PowerPoint presentations for lectures, and SPSS for data computations and analyses. PowerPoint presentations and SPSS assignments were developed by the instructor for this course. Each student had access to a desktop personal computer and real data from the current health sciences were included in numerous examples and exercises. While using this teaching-learning model QBIC students were able to learn more quickly and effectively. This was evidenced by the number of extra topics covered, the acquired knowledge of statistical software, and the overall students’ performance. The discussion included in this paper suggests that the addition of technology resources and real data from biological/biomedical studies provides a more effective teaching-learning model for a first-level Biostatistics course at college.
Cytokines and anti-fungal immunity.

Candida albicans is classified as an opportunistic pathogen because of its relatively low virulence in normal hosts without underlying disease (1). Indeed, it forms part of the normal flora of man. Superficial and oral infections by this organism, however, is commonplace in immunocompromised individuals and systemic infection oftens leads to an unfavorable prognosis, particularly in AIDS patients and other patients undergoing cytoreductive therapy (2–5). There is therefore a need to clarify both the infectious mechanisms of the organism and the host defense mechanism against it.
IMAGING | Physiologic Correlates of Metabolic Imaging in Human Epilepsy

Metabolic imaging is the strength of in vivo MR spectroscopy, providing insight into those compounds in human brain that are key for metabolism and neurotransmission. Given extensive evidence that metabolic dysfunction occurs within the seizure focus in epilepsy, it is not surprising that in vivo MR spectroscopic measurements have been sensitive to the injury seen in epilepsy. This article reviews some of the pathophysiologic correlates of the MR spectroscopic data – including microdialysis, electrophysiologic, and neuropsychologic data – in human epilepsy. Microdialysis measures of extracellular glutamate are significantly correlated with both MR spectroscopic imaging measurements of bioenergetics (ratio of phosphocreatine/ATP, PCr/ATP) and EEG measures of Teager energy. Ex vivo studies of resected epileptic hippocampi have shown that the PCr/ATP ratio is significantly associated with some intracellularly recorded measures of electrophysiological function. Clinically, neuropsychologic indices of memory function are well correlated with the 1H NMR spectroscopic measures of mitochondrial function that give rise to the NAA/Cr ratio. MR spectroscopic studies have the potential for both clinical and scientific implementation, for localization/lateralization and evaluation of the metabolic pathophysiology of epilepsy.
Influence of Phosphorus on Gas Exchange and Plant Growth of Two Morphologically Distinct Types of Capsicum Annuum

Tolerance to phosphorus stress was studied in Capsicum annuum L. Chile ancho cv. San Luis and bell pepper cv. Jupiter plants. Plants were fertilized weekly with Long-Ashton nutrient solution (LANS) modified to supply 0, 11, 22, 44, 66, or 88 g(P) m-3 (P0, P11, P22, P44, P66, P88). Phosphorus stress occurred in both cultivars at P0 and P11, with reduced plant growth and development. At P0, the lowest percentage of total biomass was directed toward reproductive growth. The root/shoot ratio was greatest at P0, reflecting greater dry matter partitioning to the root system. Growth of ‘San Luis’ was more sensitive to phosphorus stress than ‘Jupiter’. A greater percentage of total biomass was directed towards reproductive growth in ‘Jupiter’ than ‘San Luis’. Increasing P nutrition elevated leaf tissue P in both cultivars with highest leaf tissue P at P88. There were no differences in tissue P between P0 and P11 ‘San Luis’ plants, whereas P0 ‘Jupiter’ plants had the lowest tissue P. Low P-plants generally had the highest tissue N and lowest S, Mn, and B. In both cultivars, gas exchange was lowest at P0, as indicated by reduced stomatal conductance (gs) and net photosynthetic rate (PN). Internal CO2 concentration and leaf-to-air vapor pressure difference (VPD) were generally highest with P-stressed plants. Phosphorus use efficiency, as indicated by PN per unit of leaf tissue P concentration (PN/P), was highest at P11. Generally, no P treatments exceeded the gas exchange levels obtained by P44 (full strength LANS) plants. Both PN and gs declined during reproductive growth in ‘San Luis’, which fruits more rapidly than ‘Jupiter’, whereas no reduction in gas exchange occurred with ‘Jupiter’.
Space Seal Study

This study was undertaken to evaluate present methods for sealing electronic packages intended for space environment for 1 year or more. Temperatures of −34° to 150°C and a typical package, 12 by 8 by 6 in., were used. Containers should be fabricated from wrought metals drawn to shape or machined from a solid wrought block. If joints are welded, the materials should be carefully selected to minimize porosity and the development of residual stresses. Welds should be stress-relieved after welding. Covers are best sealed by soft-soldering. Welding is next recommended. The elastomer Gasko-Seal is best for package maintainability but least reliable when compared with soldering or welding because of the difficulty in obtaining reliable leak data. Sealed connectors can be obtained with permissible leakage rates but should be leak-tested before package installation.
Spectral Hole Burning: Methods and Applications to Photosynthesis

Spectral hole burning Spectroscopy (SHB) is a high resolution technique that has been fruitfully applied to the study of photosynthetic protein complexes as well as electronic transitions in amorphous systems. It overcomes the limitations from inhomogeneous broadening and provides an improvement in spectral resolution of 2–3 orders of magnitude. The experimental aspects of SHB, including an apparatus for the hole burning studies at high pressures are discussed inconsiderable detail. For several reaction center and antenna complexes, the dependence of hole profiles on the burn wavelength has been used to identify the site inhomogeneous and homogeneous contributions to the Qy-region absorption profiles. It has also been used to determine the excited state linear electron-phonon coupling parameters. Such data is crucial for understanding the energy and electron transfer dynamics. For example, the invariance of zero phonon hole width of P870* on burn wavelength strongly suggests that the recently observed non-single exponential decay kinetics in primary charge separation are not due to a distribution of values for electronic coupling matrix elements. The observation of nonphotochemical hole burning (NPHB) for reaction center of Rhodopseudomonos viridis has led to the identification for the first time, of all six Qy − states (including the special pair upper dimer component) of a bacterial RC. Recent results of hole burning in FMO antenna complex at high pressures have identified the need for modifying existing theories of pressure dependence of hole burned spectra. Absorption spectra for reaction center of Rhodopseudomonas viridis at high pressures are also presented. Novel constant fluence hole burning Spectroscopy used in the identification of BChl 870 and BChl 896 bands in the antenna complex of Rhodobacter sphaeroides as wellas the lowest energy state of LHC II complex of Photosystem II is dismissed.
Transcutaneous lumbar diskectomy for internal disk derangement: a new indication.

Background Percutaneous diskectomy has been used effectively to treat lumbar disk herniation. The purpose of this review was to determine whether transcutaneous diskectomy is an effective surgical option for treating lumbar internal disk derangement. Methods Comprehensive retrospective review via personal interview included 103 consecutive patients available for long-term follow-up. For determining results as excellent, good, fair, or poor, the criteria included subjective relief of back and/or leg pain, ability to perform preinjury job functions, residual physical restrictions, use of medications, and need for subsequent surgery. Factors affecting results were statistically analyzed. Results The overall success rate was 83%, with no statistically significant differences in results based on sex, workers' compensation status, or levels of diskectomy. Conclusions The favorable results from this series illustrate the high success rate of transcutaneous lumbar diskectomy in a heterogeneous patient population. Coupling the rate of success with a low rate of complications, transcutaneous lumbar diskectomy appears to be an effective, minimally invasive treatment for internal disk derangement.
Accurate Rate-Aware Flow-level Traffic Splitting

This paper aims to accurately realize given traffic split ratios in switches with small performance degradation. For given traffic split ratios calculated mathematically by TE algorithms in the control plane, the load distribution mechanisms in the data plane implement such splits without breaking flows. Treating all flows equally, the state-of-the-art approaches deployed in switches do not provide enough accuracy especially when facing non-uniform flow size distribution. We instead propose a dynamic load distribution scheme based on the collected load sharing statistics. It finds the most accurate traffic splits with minimum route changes. We implement our solution in Open vSwitch (OVS). Trace-driven and end-to-end experiments demonstrate that 1) our approach effectively adjusts load distribution in real time to mitigate the inaccuracy of splits caused by the variation of flow size distribution, 2) it outperforms the existing approaches with respect to both higher accuracy and lower level of route changes, and 3) it requires path changes for less flows when routing strategies are reconfigured, hence leads to better flow experience such as higher goodput.
Research Participant Communication Via Social Media Platforms Remains Risky

The authors of “Ethical and Regulatory Considerations for Using Social Media Platforms to Locate and Track Research Participants” propose a comprehensive rubric to aid researchers using Facebook (a...
Analysis of heat transfer on turbulence-generating ribs using dynamic mode decomposition

Abstract Ducts with turbulence-promoting ribs are common in heat transfer applications and can often found in the form of serpentine channels in gas turbine blades. This study uses a recent modal extraction technique called Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) to determine mode shapes of the spatially and temporally complex flowfield inside a square ribbed (45 degree) duct at Reynolds number 32,400. One subject missing from current literature is a method of directly linking a mode to a certain engineering quantity of interest. Presented is a generalized methodology for producing such a link utilizing the data from the DMD analysis. Exciting the modes which are identified may cause the flow to change in such a way to promote the quantity of interest, in this case, heat transfer. This theory is tested by contouring the walls of the duct using the extracted mode shapes. An initial, unmodified geometry provides a baseline for comparison to later contoured models. The initial case is run as a steady-state RANS model. LES generates the necessary data for the DMD analysis. Several mode shapes extracted from the flow are applied to the duct walls and run again in the RANS model, then compared to the baseline, and their relative performance examined.
Surgical versus Medical Castration for Metastatic Prostate Cancer: Use and Overall Survival in a National Cohort.

Purpose:Surgical castration for metastatic prostate cancer is used less frequently than medical castration yet costs less, requires less followup and may be associated with fewer adverse effects. W...
Energy optimization in extrasolar planetary systems: the transition from peas-in-a-pod to runaway growth

Motivated by the trends found in the observed sample of extrasolar planets, this paper determines tidal equilibrium states for forming planetary systems – subject to conservation of angular momentum, constant total mass, and fixed orbital spacing. In the low mass limit, valid for super-Earth-class planets with masses of order m_p ∼ 10 M⊕, previous work showed that energy optimization leads to nearly equal mass planets, with circular orbits confined to a plane. The present treatment generalizes previous results by including the self-gravity of the planetary bodies. For systems with a sufficiently large total mass m_T in planets, the optimized energy state switches over from the case of nearly equal mass planets to a configuration where one planet contains most of the material. This transition occurs for a critical mass threshold of approximately m_T≳m_C∼40M⊕ (where the value depends on the semimajor axes of the planetary orbits, the stellar mass, and other system properties). These considerations of energy optimization apply over a wide range of mass scales, from binary stars to planetary systems to the collection of moons orbiting the giant planets in our Solar system.
Electrochemical Interfaces for Chemical and Biomolecular Separations

Abstract The design of molecularly selective interfaces can lead to efficient electrochemically-mediated separation processes. The fast growing development of electroactive materials has resulted in new electroresponsive adsorbents and membranes, with enhanced selectivity, higher uptake capacities, and improved energy performance. Here, we review progress on the interfacial design for electrochemical separations, with a focus on chemical and biological applications. We discuss the development of new electrode materials and the underlying mechanisms for selective molecular binding, highlighting areas of growing interest such as metal recovery, waste recycling, gas purification, and protein separations. Finally, we emphasize the need for integration between molecular level interface design and electrochemical engineering for the development of more efficient separation processes. We envision that electrochemical separations can play a key role towards the electrification of the chemical industry and contribute towards new approaches for process intensification.
A Pounding Problem: A Case of Recurrent Headache Caused by Anti-NMDA Receptor Encephalitis

Abstract Background Anti-N-methyl- d -aspartate receptor (Anti-NMDAR) encephalitis is a serious autoimmune disease in which antibody production against the NMDA receptor results in profound neurotransmitter dysregulation. Patients may present with a wide variety of symptoms, including psychosis, orofacial dyskinesias, dysautonomia, hallucinations, mental status changes, seizures, and headaches. Case Report A previously healthy 25-year-old woman presented on several occasions to the Emergency Department with a severe pounding headache that initially responded well to treatment. She later developed signs consistent with meningoencephalitis along with altered mental status and neuropsychiatric changes. She was diagnosed with anti-NMDAR encephalitis after hospitalization. Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This? Anti-NMDAR encephalitis is an under-recognized condition with diverse presentations. Recurrent headaches that improve with treatment may be an early sign of this disorder. Anti-NMDAR encephalitis should be considered in patients with recurrent undifferentiated headaches, and an appropriate work-up should be performed. Early recognition and diagnosis of this condition is critical to optimize favorable patient outcomes, as delays to diagnosis may lead to fatalities and long-term neurologic sequelae.
Christianity in Anglo-America and Australasia

The religious traditions originally shaping Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand are Protestant Christian, and share a common trajectory of encounters with modernity, individualism, and a voluntary religious principle. Historically, there have been three major Protestant movements: Calvinism, the Methodist revivals, and, most recently, Pentecostalism. In the twentieth century the dominant Protestant bodies in all these settings have suffered institutional declines and threats to cultural hegemony. Within the United States Protestantism enjoys high levels of church membership and involvement but is deeply divided in its liberal and conservative camps. Canada's Protestant population is declining, and its churches have moderate to low levels of participation. In Australia and New Zealand, Anglican dominance has eroded particularly in the past several decades. These historically Protestant countries today all face a growing presence of non-Christian religions, conservative Protestant religious and political activism, and greater spiritual eclecticism on the part of younger generations.
12-Lipoxygenase products increase monocyte:endothelial interactions.

Diabetes is strongly associated with an accelerated rate of development of atherosclerosis1. Evidence suggests that elevated serum glucose levels may contribute to atherogenesis in diabetic patients by promoting oxidation of lipoproteins, propagation of free radicals, and production of advanced glycation end-products (AGE)2 3 4. However, the exact mechanisms of how hyperglycemia accelerates atherogenesis are not understood.
Perspective: Basic understanding of condensed phases of matter via packing models.

Packing problems have been a source of fascination for millennia and their study has produced a rich literature that spans numerous disciplines. Investigations of hard-particle packing models have provided basic insights into the structure and bulk properties of condensed phases of matter, including low-temperature states (e.g., molecular and colloidal liquids, crystals, and glasses), multiphase heterogeneous media, granular media, and biological systems. The densest packings are of great interest in pure mathematics, including discrete geometry and number theory. This perspective reviews pertinent theoretical and computational literature concerning the equilibrium, metastable, and nonequilibrium packings of hard-particle packings in various Euclidean space dimensions. In the case of jammed packings, emphasis will be placed on the “geometric-structure” approach, which provides a powerful and unified means to quantitatively characterize individual packings via jamming categories and “order” maps. It incorporates extremal jammed states, including the densest packings, maximally random jammed states, and lowest-density jammed structures. Packings of identical spheres, spheres with a size distribution, and nonspherical particles are also surveyed. We close this review by identifying challenges and open questions for future research.
Hybrid Open/Closed-Loop Attitude Control Method for Imaging Satellites

AbstractIn this work, we focus on the attitude control problem of an imaging satellite required to acquire and accurately track a target area on the Earth’s surface. The proposed hybrid methodology...
Challenges to Reintegration: A Qualitative Intrinsic Case-Study of Convicted Female Sex Traffickers:

Limited research focuses on the nature of the lived experiences of women engaged in sex trafficking. This study employed qualitative methods of in-depth structured interviews with 10 convicted sex ...
Optimum Control Logic for Manual Transmission

A control logic for manual transmission has successfully been developed which can automatically determine optimum gear position for fuel economy based on the data obtained from driving force, vehicle speed and acceleration. Using this logic, a "Shift Advisory System" for heavy duty commercial vehicles with diesel engine has been developed and its excellent effects have been confirmed by evaluating running performance and fuel consumption performance of the vehicle operated in accordance with the instructions of the "Shift Advisory System".
Comparison of START triage categories to emergency department triage levels to determine need for urgent care and to predict hospitalization.

Objective: To compare Emergency Severity Index (ESI) triage levels and Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) triage colors for urgent care and hospitalization. Design: Cross sectional. Setting: Inner city emergency department (ED). Participants: Patients years transported by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) participating in the state triage tag exercise, October 9-15, 2011. Interventions: EMS assigned each patient a START triage tag. ED staff recorded tag number and color. Demographics, vital signs, 22 emergent interventions, and disposition were obtained via chart review. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Main outcome measures: Presence of more than two abnormal vital sign on arrival and need for more than one emergent intervention in ED were considered indicators of acuity and severity. START triage colors were recategorized as urgent (Red, Yellow) and less acute (Green, White), and ESI was recategorized as urgent (1, 2, 3) and less acute (4, 5). Results: Both ED and EMS staff were blinded to the study, and 95% confidence intervals were presented for statistical significance. Of 233 participants, START triage colors were Black = 0, Red = 12 percent, Yellow = 26 percent, Green = 53 percent, and White = 9 percent. ESI triage levels were level 1 = 1 percent, level 2 = 34 percent, level 3 = 51 percent, level 4 = 14 percent, and level 5 = 1 percent. ESI (1, 2, 3) identified 88 percent (75-95 percent) of 49 patients with abnormal vital signs; START (Red, Yellow) only identified 51 percent (35-64 percent). Twenty-one patients needed emergent intervention. ESI (1, 2, 3) identified 95 percent (76-99 percent) of these patients; START (Red, Yellow) identified 33 percent (17-55 percent). ESI (1, 2, 3) identified 98 percent of the 96(92-100 percent) admitted patients; only 48 percent (38-58 percent) were tagged START (Red, Yellow). Conclusion: ESI better identified patients with abnormal vital signs, those who needed emergent interventions, and those admitted than START.
Introduction to Algebraic Geometry

Algebraic geometry, central to pure mathematics, has important applications in such fields as engineering, computer science, statistics and computational biology, which exploit the computational algorithms that the theory provides. Users get the full benefit, however, when they know something of the underlying theory, as well as basic procedures and facts. This book is a systematic introduction to the central concepts of algebraic geometry most useful for computation. Written for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in mathematics and researchers in application areas, it focuses on specific examples and restricts development of formalism to what is needed to address these examples. In particular, it introduces the notion of Grobner bases early on and develops algorithms for almost everything covered. It is based on courses given over the past five years in a large interdisciplinary programme in computational algebraic geometry at Rice University, spanning mathematics, computer science, biomathematics and bioinformatics.
Effect of Structural Perturbations on the Ligand-binding Properties of Human Methemoglobin A

Abstract Dilution of human methemoglobin A causes dissociation of the tetramer as detected by gel exclusion chromatography. Over a similar concentration range the apparent formation constant for the heme iron-imidazole complex increases with protein dilution, while the apparent constant for formation of the thiocyanate complex decreases. Relative to the α2β2 tetramer, the affinity of the isolated α chain is greater for imidazole and bromide, but less for cyanate and thiocyanate. Addition of tetrapropylammonium bromide up to a concentration of approximately 0.5 m enhances imidazole binding, and depresses cyanate binding. These observations are interpreted in terms of protein structural perturbations which cause a shift of the iron spin equilibrium toward the low spin electronic configuration, resulting in stronger binding of those ligands which form low spin complexes, and weaker binding of those ligands which form high spin complexes. Reaction of the cysteine β-93 sulfhydryl groups with p-mercuribenzoate induces dimer formation at high protein concentrations, but does not alter imidazole binding. Upon dilution of the dimer, monomer is formed, and the apparent affinity for imidazole increases. These results suggest that the methemoglobin dimer and tetramer have similar ligand-binding properties.
Superdiffusive and subdiffusive exceptional times in the dynamical discrete web

Abstract The dynamical discrete web (DyDW) is a system of one-dimensional coalescing random walks that evolves in an extra dynamical time parameter, τ . At any deterministic τ the paths behave as coalescing simple symmetric random walks. It has been shown in Fontes et al. (2009) that there exist exceptional dynamical times, τ , at which the path from the origin, S 0 τ , is K -subdiffusive, meaning S 0 τ ( t ) ≤ j + K t for all t , where t is the random walk time, and j is some constant. In this paper we consider for the first time the existence of superdiffusive exceptional times. To be specific, we consider τ such that lim sup t → ∞ S 0 τ ( t ) / t log ( t ) ≥ C . We show that such exceptional times exist for small values of C , but they do not exist for large C . The other goal of this paper is to establish the existence of exceptional times for which the path from the origin is K -subdiffusive in both directions, i.e. τ such that | S 0 τ ( t ) | ≤ j + K t for all t . We also obtain upper and lower bounds for the Hausdorff dimensions of these two-sided subdiffusive exceptional times. For the superdiffusive exceptional times we are able to get a lower bound on Hausdorff dimension but not an upper bound.