cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Seeing the forest for the fuel: Integrating ecological values and fuels management

Management of dry forests often involves trade-offs between ecological values, particularly those associated with closed-canopy forests, and reduction of severe wildlife risk. We review principles and our ecological research that can be used to design stand- and landscape-level fuel treatments in dry coniferous forests of western North America. The focus of ecological values is on the ecological web that includes the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), its two primary prey species the northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus) and bushy-tailed woodrat (Neotoma cinerea), and the vegetation (live and dead), mycorrhizal fungi, and arboreal lichens that support those prey species. For the landscape level, we describe an ongoing project to develop the FuelSolve computer tool that optimizes the area and location of a fuel treatment by minimizing potential fire behavior and minimizing loss of spotted owl habitat from treatment and potential fire. Some species will gain and some species will lose habitat when stand structure or composition is changed during fuel reduction treatments. Stand-level prescriptions might be altered to maintain or create patchiness of closed-canopy habitat elements, such as snags, down wood, mistletoe-infected trees, and large old trees, and open-canopy habitats can be tailored to ensure creation of suitable composition and structure for wildlife. Allocation of treatments across the landscape might be managed to minimize cumulative effects and impacts on target species populations. General approaches to landscape-level planning of ecologically sound fuel treatments include coarse- and fine-filter approaches. A coarse-filter approach would use some definition of the historical or natural range of variability to define the composition and pattern that might reasonably be expected to sustain the forest ecosystem. Three general approaches can inform fine-filter analysis and development of fuel reduction treatments at the landscape level. Population viability analysis provides sound principles based on attributes of the species population structure, life history and behavior, and environment (habitat) for guiding fine-filter analysis. Fine-filter analysis can be informed by operational modeling of treatment alternatives. Research publications can guide dry forest landscape management. Our FuelSolve optimization model described in this paper differs from other fuel planning models in this class by equally considering multiple optimization objectives for fuel treatment and ecologically important resources. We describe the results of FuelSolve prototype development, an evaluation of outputs for field use, and future development efforts.
Remarkably Little Variation in Proteins Encoded by the Y Chromosome's Single-Copy Genes, Implying Effective Purifying Selection

Y-linked single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have served as powerful tools for reconstructing the worldwide genealogy of human Y chromosomes and for illuminating patrilineal relationships among modern human populations. However, there has been no systematic, worldwide survey of sequence variation within the protein-coding genes of the Y chromosome. Here we report and analyze coding sequence variation among the 16 single-copy "X-degenerate" genes of the Y chromosome. We examined variation in these genes in 105 men representing worldwide diversity, resequencing in each man an average of 27 kb of coding DNA, 40 kb of intronic DNA, and, for comparison, 15 kb of DNA in single-copy Y-chromosomal pseudogenes. There is remarkably little variation in X-degenerate protein sequences: two chromosomes drawn at random differ on average by a single amino acid, with half of these differences arising from a single, conservative Asp-->Glu mutation that occurred approximately 50,000 years ago. Further analysis showed that nucleotide diversity and the proportion of variant sites are significantly lower for nonsynonymous sites than for synonymous sites, introns, or pseudogenes. These differences imply that natural selection has operated effectively in preserving the amino acid sequences of the Y chromosome's X-degenerate proteins during the last approximately 100,000 years of human history. Thus our findings are at odds with prominent accounts of the human Y chromosome's imminent demise.
Cytotoxic CD4 T Cells in Antiviral Immunity

CD4 T cells that acquire cytotoxic phenotype and function have been repeatedly identified in humans, mice, and other species in response to many diverse pathogens. Since CD4 cytotoxic T cells are able to recognize antigenic determinants unique from those recognized by the parallel CD8 cytotoxic T cells, they can potentially contribute additional immune surveillance and direct effector function by lysing infected or malignant cells. Here, we briefly review much of what is known about the generation of cytotoxic CD4 T cells and describe our current understanding of their role in antiviral immunity. Furthering our understanding of the many roles of CD4 T cells during an anti-viral response is important for developing effective vaccine strategies that promote long-lasting protective immunity.
An Equilibrium Based Mean-Field Model for Diffusion in Solids With a Distributed Density of States

Determination of transport mechanisms and energetics in amorphous silicon presents an interesting modeling challenge. Transport in amorphous silicon films is likely to involve energetically distributed traps and mobile species, as in the case of hydrogen and electron diffusion. Detailed kinetic models using discrete energy levels have been developed, however, the density of states of the diffusing species in amorphous silicon is likely to be continuous and distributed, due to the amorphous nature of the films. We have developed a mean-field, equilibrium based model which utilizes a continuous density of states for the diffusing species. The transport in amorphous silicon is modeled as a function of a gradient in the quasi-chemical potential, rather than concentration, of the diffusing species. The model is applicable when the local equilibration processes are fast relative to the transport process. This approach is extremely numerically efficient, as well as flexible, allowing for modeling of tracer experiments, such as deuterium diffusion in a-Si:H films, and possible changes in density of states with time, temperature, and diffusing species concentration. We demonstrate the utility of the model by simulating hydrogen evolution from a-Si:H films.
Seasonal and Spatial Distribution of Ambient Ammonia Concentrations Measured at a Large Open-Lot Dairy

The volatilization of NH3 from dairy production facilities is not only a loss of valuable N, but also an air quality concern because NH3 plays a role in the formation of airborne particulate matter, which can be a health hazard. The ambient NH3 concentrations over several seasons at 3 locations (open lots, compost yard, lagoon) throughout a large open-lot dairy were determined, as well as the spatial distribution of NH3 over the open-lot area. There was a significant main effect of location (P lagoon = compost > background, with averages of 0.58, 0.33, 0.30, and 0.04 mg NH3/m3, respectively. The effect of weather and lot conditions on the spatial distribution of NH3 across the lots was evident, with lower concentrations and less spatial variability in winter months when the lots were frozen compared with wetter warmer months. Lower NH3 concentrations and less spatial variability were also measured when manure stockpiles were removed from the open lots and the lots were dry. Significantly greater NH3 concentrations were generated in the lot area versus the compost and lagoon areas, which were not significantly different. Because the lots are greater in size by a factor of approximately 6, it is evident that NH3 emissions from this sector of the dairy contribute the greatest amount of NH3 to the atmosphere.
Evaluation of Class A Pan Coefficients for Estimating Reference Evapotranspiration in Humid Location

Evaporation pans Class A pan, U.S. Weather Bureau (USWB) are used extensively throughout the world to measure free-water evaporation and to estimate reference evapotranspiration (ET0). However, rel...
Cathodoluminescence of meteoritic and synthetic forsterite at 296 and 77 K using TEM

Cathodoluminescence (CL) emission spectra of forsterite from the Allende (CV3) and Murchison (C2) meteorites and from Cr-doped and pure synthetic forsterite samples have been obtained at room (296 K) and liquid nitrogen (77 K) temperatures using a transmission electron microscope. At room temperature, three broad CL emissions centered near 420, 640, and 800 nm occur in the meteoritic forsterite, and one peak at 800 nm occurs in one Cr (super 3+) -doped forsterite sample. Only the 420 nm peak is present in pure synthetic forsterite. Relative to room temperature, at liquid-nitrogen temperature there is a general increase in overall CL intensity, whereas a broad peak located between 700 and 800 nm changes to a series of sharp emissions centered near 700 nm and a narrower but still broad peak centered near 800 nm. The portion of the broad peak near 700 nm at room temperature and equivalent sharp peaks at low temperature are assigned to Cr (super 3+) in octahedral coordination, whereas the broad peak near 800 nm is attributed to Cr associated with structural defects. The peak at 640 nm is consistent with a similar peak in Mn (super 2+) -doped forsterite. The peak at 420 nm results from an unknown structural effect that can be eliminated in synthetic forsterite by mechanical deformation. The variation of relative intensities at room temperature for the two broad peaks at 700 and 800 nm in meteoritic forsterite can be correlated with meteorite type and may reflect different processes in forsterite formation or subsequent processing.
4D PET image reconstruction from list mode data

We describe a method for computing a continuous time estimate of tracer density using list mode PET data. The rate function in each voxel is modeled as an inhomogeneous Poisson process whose rate function can be represented using a cubic B-spline basis. The rate functions are estimated by maximizing the likelihood of the arrival times of detected photon pairs over the control vertices of the spline, modified by quadratic spatial and temporal smoothness penalties and a penalty term to enforce non-negativity. Random rate functions are estimated by assuming independence between the spatial and temporal randoms distributions. Similarly, scatter rate functions are estimated by assuming spatiotemporal independence and that the temporal distribution of the scatter is proportional to the temporal distribution of the trues. A quantitative evaluation was performed using simulated data and the method was also demonstrated in human studies using O-15 water and C-11 raclopride.
Rapid acidification of endocytic vesicles containing α2-macroglobulin

Abstract We have used fluorescein-labeled α 2 -macroglobulin (F- α 2 M) to measure pH changes in the microenvironment of internalized ligands following receptor-mediated endocytosis. Fluorescence intensities of single BALB/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts were measured by using a microscope spectrofluorometer with narrow bandpass excitation filters. The pH was determined from the ratio of fluorescein fluorescence intensities with 450 nm and 490 nm excitation. A standard pH curve was obtained by incubating cells with F- α 2 M for 30 min at 37°C followed by fixation and incubation in buffers of varying pH. To measure the pH of endocytic vesicles, cells were incubated with F- α 2 M for 15 min at 37°C. Fluorescence intensities were measured on living cells within 5 min of rinsing. Under these conditions, the pH of the F- α 2 M microenvironment was 5.0 ± 0.2. Using colloidal gold- α 2 M for electron microscopic localizations we have verified that, under these conditions, α 2 M is predominantly in uncoated vesicles that are negative for acid phosphatase activity. With further incubation for 12 hr, we obtained a pH of 5.0 ± 0.2 for the F- α 2 M. Using fluorescein dextran, we obtained a lysosomal pH of 4.6 ± 0.2. These results indicate that endocytic vesicles become acidic prior to fusion with lysosomes.
A graphic graphics card catalog and computer index

The development of a low-cost library control system for visual aids based on punch cards is described. Miniature pictures of the visual aids are printed on the cards with a Xerox 914 Office Copier, identifying information is keypunched, and additional information is entered by typewriter An inventory of other forms of the visual aid, such as glossy photographs, slides, and VuGraphs, is indicated by check marks on a small form printed on the card. The cards are designed to permit updating by additional punching as well as by overpunching previously punched symbols. The punched data is used by a computer to prepare indexes to the visual aid collection, and the cards themselves are used as a manual card catalog for everyday retrieval of visual aids.
Application Portability in Cloud Computing: An Abstraction-Driven Perspective

Cloud computing has changed the way organizations create, manage, and evolve their applications. While the abundance of computing resources at low cost opens up many possibilities for migrating applications to the cloud, this migration also comes at a price. Cloud applications, in many cases, depend on certain provider specific features or services. In moving applications to the cloud, application developers face the challenge of balancing these dependencies to avoid vendor lock-in. We present an abstraction-driven approach to address the application portability issues and focus on the application development process. We also present our theoretical basis and experience in two practical projects where we have applied the abstraction-driven approach.
Neurotrophin Modulation of the Monosynaptic Reflex after Peripheral Nerve Transection

The effects of neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and NT-4/5 on the function of axotomized group Ia afferents and motoneurons comprising the monosynaptic reflex pathway were investigated. The axotomized medial gastrocnemius (MG) nerve was provided with NT-3 or NT-4/5 for 8-35 d via an osmotic minipump attached to its central end at the time of axotomy. After this treatment, monosynaptic EPSPs were recorded intracellularly from MG or lateral gastrocnemius soleus (LGS) motoneurons in response to stimulation of the heteronymous nerve under pentobarbital anesthesia. Controls were preparations with axotomized nerves treated directly with vehicle; other axotomized controls were administered subcutaneous NT-3. Direct NT-3 administration (60 microgram/d) not only prevented the decline in EPSP amplitude from axotomized afferents (stimulate MG, record LGS) observed in axotomy controls but, after 5 weeks, led to EPSPs larger than those from intact afferents. These central changes were paralleled by recovery of group I afferent conduction velocity. Removal of NT-3 4-5 weeks after beginning treatment resulted in a decline of conduction velocity and EPSP amplitude within 1 week to values characteristic of axotomy. The increased synaptic efficacy after NT-3 treatment was associated with enhanced connectivity of single afferents to motoneurons. NT-4/5 induced modest recovery in group I afferent conduction velocity but not of the EPSPs they elicited. NT-3 or NT-4/5 had no effect on the properties of treated motoneurons or their monosynaptic EPSPs. We conclude that NT-3, and to a limited extent NT-4/5, promotes recovery of axotomized group Ia afferents but not axotomized motoneurons or the synapses on them.
Hybrid intervention for treatment of the nutcracker syndrome

Nutcracker syndrome is a rare anomaly resulting from compression of the left renal vein between the aorta and the superior mesenteric artery. Open and endovascular interventions have both been performed to relieve the compression. Each of these interventions has strengths and weaknesses. We report two patients in whom a hybrid approach was adopted in the process combining the strengths of each intervention while reducing potential complications.
STUDIES OF SODIUM, MAGNESIUM AND LITHIUM IN PATIENTS WITH AFFECTIVE ILLNESS

Alterations in cation concentration, transport or distribution play an important role in the regulation of neuronal function and may contribute to the production of abnormal mood states such as depression or mania. The effectiveness of the cation, lithium, in the treatment of affective disorders has spurred increased interest in and investigation into cation metabolism in these illnesses. The findings from investigations of sodium, magnesium and lithium are reviewed and the idea is advanced that the erythrocyte can be used as a model for the neuronal transport and concentration of these cations. Evidence is presented that the intraerythrocyte lithium concentration, as expressed by the Lithium Ratio, is significantly different between unipolar and bipolar groups of patients. Intraerythrocyte sodium and magnesium do not appear to differ between diagnostic groups or between manic and depressed patients and controls. However, sex is an important variable affecting the concentrations of all three of these cations and this factor must be taken into account in future studies of cation metabolism in affective disorders.
On the new value for the electron asymmetry in Σ→neν and hyperon semileptonic decays

Using the new value for ..cap alpha../sub e//sup Sigmaarrow-rightn/, fits of the hyperon-decay data are presented. They show that there is excellent agreement between the predictions of the Cabibbo model and the experimental data, except for perhaps two indications of minor corrections.
Development and the World Trade Organization: Proposal for the Agreement on Development Facilitation and the Council for Trade and Development in the WTO

Facilitating economic development of developing countries has become an important agenda in the world trading system today. The growing gaps and disagreements between developed and developing countries on the issues of trade and development has been an important cause of the suspension of the Doha Round negotiations. The success of the current trading system, currently represented by the World Trade Organization, will depend on bridging these gaps between developed and developing countries and balancing and protecting the development interests of developing countries. However, the current trade rules impede the development interests significantly by depriving developing countries of the ability to adopt effective development policies. This paper, built on the author's previous works in the area of trade and development, discusses the inadequacy of the current regulatory framework for trade with respect to development facilitation and suggest a comprehensive regulatory reform to promote development in the current system. The paper also proposes organizational reform in the World Trade Organizations to protect development interests in the world trading system.
Alternative performances of race and gender in hip-hop music : nerdcore counterculture.

ALTERNATIVE PERFORMANCES OF RACE AND GENDER IN HIP-HOP MUSIC: NERDCORECOUNTERCULTURE Jessica E. Ronald April 18,2012 In his documentary entitled, Nerdcore For Life, director Dan Lamoureux described Nerdcore as a "powerful social collision between hip hop and geek culture". Born on the Internet, Nerdcore Hip-Hop is rap music made by geeks, for geeks and covers such traditionally "nerdy" topics such as comic books, video games, science fiction, anime, technology, etc. Though it has existed online for almost a decade, only recently has Nerdcore gone from being an Internet fad to an underground cultural phenomenon. This paper investigated how hegemonic constructions of race and gender within both the dominant public sphere and hip-hop culture are subverted and reinvented within Nerdcore counterculture. The "birth" narrative of the Nerdcore movement, as depicted in film documentaries Nerdcore For Life and Nerdcore Rising, provides a public platform for self-proclaimed nerds to assert cultural power and agency through hip hop music--even while the performance of white, nerdy masculinity, made all the more nerdy by contrast with mainstream hip hop's machismo, subverts that power. The Nerdcore genre has created a transgressive space within the underground hip-hop movement in which marginalized geek culture can claim ownership of an identity alternative to mainstream
Amino Acids Rather than Glucose Account for the Majority of Cell Mass in Proliferating Mammalian Cells

Cells must duplicate their mass in order to proliferate. Glucose and glutamine are the major nutrients consumed by proliferating mammalian cells, but the extent to which these and other nutrients contribute to cell mass is unknown. We quantified the fraction of cell mass derived from different nutrients and found that the majority of carbon mass in cells is derived from other amino acids, which are consumed at much lower rates than glucose and glutamine. While glucose carbon has diverse fates, glutamine contributes most to protein, suggesting that glutamine's ability to replenish tricarboxylic acid cycle intermediates (anaplerosis) is primarily used for amino acid biosynthesis. These findings demonstrate that rates of nutrient consumption are indirectly associated with mass accumulation and suggest that high rates of glucose and glutamine consumption support rapid cell proliferation beyond providing carbon for biosynthesis.
Correspondence regarding chronic traumatic encephalopathy in athletes: progressive tauopathy following repetitive concussion. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 2009;68: 709-35.

“Chronic traumatic encephalopathy is a disorder you can see and hear.” This letter is in reference to the article by McKee et al in July 2009 on chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) (1). I recently read an earlier article by Gareth Roberts and colleagues that discusses the clinical features of CTE (2). At the bottom of the first column and page of the Roberts article, beginning with “Three stages of clinical deterioration…” and ending in the next column with “…pyramidal tract disease,” is …
Screening and Application Benefit of Wild Vigna angularis Line JH01

JH01with red seed color,4mof height,high resistance to plant diseases and insect pests,and high yield potential(1.58kg/plant),aV.angularis line with certain economic value and good cultivation performance in forestland was successfully selected from the wild V.angularis community according to seed color,resistance to plant diseases and insect pests,height and yield.
Constructing traffic-aware overlay topologies: a machine learning approach

Recent game-theoretic approaches to constructing overlay network topologies have not been scalable. This paper introduces a machine learning approach to constructing overlay networks. The machine learning approach learns characteristics from small networks constructed using a game-theoretic approach. The knowledge learned is then used to construct larger networks. The results show that the machine learning approach closely approximates the game-theoretic networks for a wide range of network parameters, while being scalable.
A cloned CCK-A receptor transduces multiple signals in response to full and partial agonists

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, stably transfected with the cloned rat CCK-A receptor, were used to study signal transduction events initiated by cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) and the part...
Treatment of Hyperlipidemia Changes With Level of Kidney Function—Rationale

Lipoprotein abnormalities such as low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and high triglycerides (TGs), associated with the metabolic syndrome, are also associated with subsequent decline in kidney function. Patients with end-stage kidney disease also exhibit low HDL and high TGs and a modest reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), although the mechanisms responsible for these changes differ when patients with end-stage kidney disease are compared with those having metabolic syndrome with normal kidney function, as do lipoprotein structures. Among dialysis patients, oxidized LDL, levels of TG-rich intermediate-density lipoprotein, and low HDL are associated with aortic pulsewave velocity and other markers of atherosclerosis. Statins are effective in reducing LDL and do decrease risk of cardiovascular events in patients with CKD not requiring dialysis but have no significant effect on outcomes, including all-cause mortality among dialysis patients. Similarly gemfibrozil and other fibrates lower TGs, increase HDL, and reduce cardiovascular events, but not mortality, among patients with CKD not requiring dialysis but have no significant effect on cardiovascular outcomes in dialysis patients. There is potential clinical benefit in treating elevated LDL, TGs, and low HDL in patients with CKD using statins or fibrates in those not yet requiring dialysis.
Integrating the Home Management Plan of Care for Children with Asthma into an Electronic Medical Record

Article-at-a-Glance Background Asthma exacerbation is one of the most common causes for pediatric hospitalization. One of the three Joint Commission quality measures—which has proven the most challenging—addresses the provision of a home management plan of care (HMPC) for discharge of pediatric inpatients with a primary diagnosis of asthma. A user-friendly electronic medical record (EMR)–generated HMPC was developed and implemented at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital (LPCH) Palo Alto, California, an HPMC needed to be completed before entry of an inpatient discharge order. Methods A cohort study using historical controls was conducted in 2010–2011. Patients were eligible to receive an HMPC if they were between the ages of 2 and 17 years old at discharge, had a length of stay Results Compliance with the HMPC increased from 65.3% for the 39 months (April 1, 2007–June 30, 2010) before integration of the HMPC into EMR to 93.7% for the 18 months after integration (July 1, 2010, through December 31, 2011); p Conclusion Lessons learned at LPCH included the need for a continuous surveillance and improvement model, which resulted in several iterations of the HMPC; the importance of soliciting user input, which resulted in improvements in work flow; and consistent support from the quality management and information technology departments, which are crucial to eliminating barriers and facilitating improvement.
Cooperative River Basin Management

As states in Himalayan Asia struggle to devise strategies for utilizing the watercourses flowing through the region, they confront a myriad of factors affecting the prospects for effective collaboration — factors as diverse as domestic economic and political constraints, competing strategic interests among riparian states, environmental challenges, and rapidly expanding populations. In addition, questions arise about the role that international law can play in encouraging such collaboration. Is it possible, for example, to create basin-wide agreements that regulate the use of international watercourses, or is it more realistic to pursue sub-basin initiatives that avoid the “grand bargain” but target more modest (and possibly achievable) results?
The heat capacity of4He under rotation nearT λ

The heat capacity of4He in a small rotating cylinder near the lambda transition is computed using the Ψ theory of Ginzburg and Sobyanin. We obtained a phase diagram for vortex formation which agrees with the computation of Kiknadze and Mamaladze.
Plane wave perfusion ultrasound imaging without contrast

Perfusion imaging with conventional Doppler ultrasound is difficult due to frame rate and tissue clutter limitations. Consequently, conventional methods are only sensitive to velocities above 5–10mm/s for typical clinical imaging frequencies. To overcome this limitation and simultaneously address the frame rate and tissue clutter problems, we propose a technique that uses plane wave sequencing and an adaptive tissue clutter frequency and amplitude demodulation scheme. Suppression of tissue clutter due to sonographer hand motion was tested using phantoms and showed potential for increased Doppler sensitivity to at least as low as 1.17mm/s. Additionally, feasibility of the method is demonstrated in vivo using muscle contractions of a human calf, which resulted in 2.54dB and 0.12dB dynamic ranges of blood flow through slow-time for the proposed and conventional methods, respectively.
Structure and electronics in dimeric boron π expanded azine and salphen complexes

Although boron-based fluorophores incorporating nitrogenous chelating ligands have received much attention, there has been little work on examples of boron–salphen and azine derivatives. In this report, we present several π expanded boron salphen type complexes, incorporating both bis(2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde)azine as well as ortho, meta and para variants of the analogous 2-hydroxynaphthaldehyde salphen compounds. For the azine, we observed only the formation of a single BF2 adduct, while for the naphth-phen compounds dimeric BF2 binding was observed. All new compounds were fully characterized via X-ray diffraction, and both DFT and TDDFT studies were carried out to probe the electronic structures of these fluorophores.
Hypodense artery sign in cerebral fat embolism

A female patient in her mid 70s underwent aortic valve replacement and single-vessel coronary artery bypass grafting, but after awakening from anaesthesia was found to have left-sided weakness. She had a history of severe aortic stenosis, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidaemia. On examination, there was right gaze deviation and a dense left hemiplegia. Non-contrasted CT scan of head and cerebral angiography showed a 1.5 cm hypodense filling defect in the distal M1 segment of the right middle cerebral artery, measuring –80 Hounsfield units, consistent with fat density (figure 1A,B). There were also early ischaemic changes in the right middle cerebral artery territory. The patient …
Ultra-wide-band EMI sensing for subsurface deplete uranium detection and classification

Depleted uranium (DU) is a byproduct of the uranium enrichment process and contains less than 0.3 % of the radioactive U-235 isotope. Since, the natural uranium has about 0.72 % of the uranium U-235 isotope, the enrichment produces large quantities of low-level radioactive DU. The non-fissile uranium U-238 isotope constitutes the main component of DU and makes it very dense. With 19.1 g/cm 3 density, the DU is about 68.4 % denser than lead. Because of its high density, the DU has been used for as armor-piercing penetrators by the U.S. army. There are at least 30 facilities where munitions containing DU have been evaluated or used for training. These evaluation studies have been conducted with and without catch-boxes and have left a legacy of DU contamination. Thus, there are needs for rapid and cost-effective approaches to detect and locate subsurface DU munitions and to assess large contaminated areas. In this paper, a new ultra-wideband (from 10s of Hertz up to 15 Megahertz) geophysical instrument is evaluated for sensing subsurface DU munitions and DU materials related to contaminations in soil. Namely, full electromagnetic induction (EMI) responses are investigated using computational and experimental data for a DU rod, dart, and three samples of Yuma Proving Ground (YPG) soils. Numerical data are obtained via the full 3D EMI solver based on the method of auxiliary sources. The EMI signals sensitivity with respect to DU size, orientations, and material composition are illustrated and analyzed. Comparisons between computational and experimental studies are demonstrated. The studies show that the new ultra-wideband EMI sensor measures the complete polarization relaxation response from the DU rod and dart, and is able to sense relative DU contamination levels in soil.
Spectrum Matching in Unlicensed Band with User Mobility

By integrating the unlicensed spectrum with the licensed spectrum, users of U-LTE can experience enhanced transmission, while maintaining the seamless mobility management and predictable performance. However, due to different transmission regulations, the coordination between LTE and Wi-Fi systems requires careful design. Especially, it’s important to understand how to guarantee the transmission quality for LTE users and reduce Wi-Fi users’ performance degradation, under the impact of the co-channel interference. In this chapter, we propose a matching theory framework to tackle this problem. Specifically, the coexistence between LTE and Wi-Fi systems, i.e., the interaction between LTE and Wi-Fi users, is modeled as the stable marriage (SM) game. The coexistence constraints are interpreted as the preference lists. Two semi-distributed solutions, namely the Gale-Shapley (GS) and the Random Path to Stability (RPTS) algorithms are proposed. What’s more, to address the external effect in matching, the Inter-Channel Cooperation algorithm is introduced. Last but not least, the resource allocation problem is studied with network dynamics, and the proposed mechanisms are evaluated under two typical user mobility models.
Spontaneous rectus sheath haematoma due to cough on apixaban.

A 69-year-old woman on apixaban for 4 years due to her atrial fibrillation presented with severe left lower abdominal pain. She was discharged from the hospital 4 days prior after treatment for influenza and had finished a course of oseltamivir. She did not receive any heparin products and was continued on apixaban during that admission. A few hours before presentation, she reported coughing severely with sudden onset of excruciating abdominal pain. She denied trauma or injury to the abdomen. On exam, she was alert, normotensive and tachycardic, with significant left lower quadrant tenderness in the abdomen. Laboratory results were significant for decreased haemoglobin from 15.2 to 12.9 g/dL. CT of the abdomen showed acute left inferior rectus abdominis muscle haematoma (7.5 cm), along with stable and unchanged left adnexal cystic lesion (figure 1). Apixaban was discontinued, and the patient was closely monitored in the hospital …
Canonical Soap Film Problem

In this chapter, the canonical Plateau problem of determining the shape of the soap film formed between two concentric circular wire rings of possibly different radii, as a function of the axial distance between the rings, is considered. Since that shape is a catenoid of revolution, which is a minimal surface determined by a calculus of variations approach, the concepts of a catenary curve, surface area integrals, and the initial treatment of the Calculus of Variations are all introduced as pastoral interludes. Then the behavior of the soap film as the distance of separation slowly increases is examined until that surface ruptures and occupies the two concentric circular rings alone. Given that this critical distance requires a determination of the envelope of a one-parameter family of curves, that concept is presented as a pastoral interlude as well. The problem deals with the closely related Calculus of Variations brachistochrone example of determining the shape for the curve which provides the shortest time of descent of a bead sliding along it acted upon by gravitational force alone.
IUD embedment in the fallopian tube: An unexpected location for a translocated IUD.

Abstract Intrauterine devices (IUDs) are the most common form of contraceptive used worldwide. The imaging features of IUDs and their potential complications are crucial to recognize in order to determine adequate positioning and ultimately function of the IUD. Herein, we report a rare case of a copper IUD embedded in the left fallopian tube that required surgical removal. Only a few such cases have been reported in the literature to date.
Real-Time Image Recognition Using Collaborative IoT Devices

Internet of things (IoT) devices capture and create various forms of sensor data such as images and videos. However, such resource-constrained devices lack the capability to efficiently process data in a timely and real-time manner. Therefore, IoT systems strongly rely on a powerful server (either local or on the cloud) to extract useful information from data. In addition, during communication with servers, unprocessed, sensitive, and private data is transmitted throughout the Internet, a serious vulnerability. What if we were able to harvest the aggregated computational power of already existing IoT devices in our system to locally process this data? In this artifact, we utilize Musical Chair, which enables efficient, localized, and dynamic real-time recognition by harvesting the aggregated computational power of these resource-constrained IoT devices. We apply Musical chair to two well-known image recognition models, AlexNet and VGG16, and implement them on a network of Raspberry PIs (up to 11). We compare inference per second and energy per inference of our systems with Tegra TX2, an embedded low-power platform with a six-core CPU and a GPU. We demonstrate that the collaboration of IoT devices, enabled by Musical Chair, achieves similar real-time performance without the extra costs of maintaining a server.
Analytic Sets and the Separation Theorem

(14.1) Definition. Let X be a Polish space. A set A ⊆ X is called analytic if there is a Polish space Y and a continuous function f: Y → X with f (Y) = A. (The empty set is analytic, by taking Y = O.)
Improper Implementation: House Bill 585’S Missed Opportunity for Fundamental Fairness and Open Door for Litigation

The State of Mississippi recently passed reforms to the prison and probation system in an attempt to decrease the prison population. These reforms, while a step in the right direction, potentially violate the civil rights of every probationer under the control of the Mississippi Department of Corrections. The new system calls for classifying probationers based on risk levels and then sanctioning probationers based on the classification. These sanctions can lead to one hundred and eighty days in a technical violation center. To further the problem, many probation officers were not properly trained in how to classify the probationers. If the initial classification is wrong, the probationer would have a civil rights case under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 against the probation officer and the State of Mississippi. In order for Mississippi to prevent violations of civil rights House Bill 585 the bill should be overhauled to include safeguards. These safeguards include proper training of probation officers and random audits of classifications. Additionally, for the bill to achieve its true purpose of reducing the prison population, the bill should be applied retroactively to probationers currently serving time for revoked probation. Finally, some of the money that is saved by reducing the prison population should be reinvested in the probation system. This would allow the Mississippi Department of Corrections to hire more, and better qualified probation officers. By implementing the changes in a new version of House Bill 585, the bill can achieve true reform in the prison system.
Preoperative Right Ventricular Dysfunction Indicates High Vasoactive Support Needed After Cardiac Surgery

Objective The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between preoperative right ventricular (RV) function and high vasoactive-inotropic score (VIS) after cardiac surgery. Design Prospective observational study. Setting A single medical center setting. Participants One hundred three patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery. Interventions None. Measurements and Main Results Consecutive patients referred for cardiac surgery were enrolled prospectively. Comprehensive transesophageal echocardiography was performed before sternal incision. Specific RV indices, encompassing RV fractional area change, tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion, and RV global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), were measured offline. High VIS was defined as a maximum VIS of ≥20 in 24 hours postoperatively. Postoperative adverse events were recorded. One hundred three patients (mean age 61.2 ± 11.0, 72 men) were included in this study, where 17 patients (16.5%) achieved high VIS with a mean maximum VIS of 39 in 24 hours postoperatively. Patients with high VIS encountered increased occurrence of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation placement, acute kidney injury, and mortality. Risk factors for high VIS included operation type, cardiopulmonary bypass duration, left atrium size, and pre-incisional RV indices. After adjustment for age, left ventricular ejection fraction, and the covariates, only RVGLS (odds ratio 1.19, p = 0.011) showed an independent association with high VIS. The optimal cutoff of RVGLS was −16.7% (sensitivity of 88.2%, specificity of 75.6%). Conclusion Preoperative RV dysfunction is an independent risk factor for postoperative high VIS. Pre-incisional RVGLS is a reliable tool to predict high VIS after cardiac surgery. Patients with high VIS had increased adverse events postoperatively.
Abstract 408: ApoE Regulation of Hematopoiesis Suppresses Atherosclerosis by Reducing Adaptive Immunity in Hyperlipidemic Mice

Background and Purpose: Apolipoprotein (apo) E suppresses atherosclerosis by exerting a profound control over cells of the innate immune system including monocytes and macrophages. In mice with hyp...
A Novel and Efficient Vector Quantization Based CPRI Compression Algorithm

The future wireless network, such as the Centralized Radio Access Network (C-RAN), will need to deliver data rate about 100–1000 times the current fourth-generation (4G) technology. For the C-RAN-based network architecture, there is a pressing need for tremendous enhancement of the effective data rate of the common public radio interface (CPRI). Compression of CPRI data is one of the potential enhancements. In this paper, we introduce a vector quantization based compression algorithm for CPRI links, utilizing the Lloyd algorithm. Methods to vectorize the I/Q samples and enhanced initialization of the Lloyd algorithm for codebook training are investigated for improved performance. Multistage vector quantization and unequally protected multigroup quantization are considered to reduce codebook search complexity and codebook size. Simulation results show that our solution can achieve compression of four times for uplink and 4.5 times for downlink, within $2\%$ error vector magnitude (EVM) distortion. Remarkably, vector quantization codebook proves to be quite robust against data modulation mismatch, fading, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and Doppler spread.
G-Corks and Heegaard Floer homology

In [D. Auckly, H. J. Kim, P. Melvin and D. Ruberman, Equivariant corks, Algebr. Geom. Topol. 17(3) (2017) 1771–1783], Auckly–Kim–Melvin–Ruberman showed that for any finite subgroup G of SO(4) there...
A Wharton's Jelly Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Derived 3D Osteogenic Niche Allows for Cord Blood Stem Cell Attachment

Abstract Abstract 4813 Background: Most of umbilical cord blood (UCB) stem cell ex vivo expansion methods have led to UCB stem cell differentiation instead of their self-renewal. Evidence suggests that bone osteoblastic cells are responsible, through physical contact with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), for the maintenance of long-term HSCs. Aims: To develop a 3 dimensional (3D) osteogenic structure that provides a niche for UCB stem cells and secondarily, assess the ability of this structure, in addition, to a cocktail of cytokines to expand UCB stem cells.> Methods: Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) isolated form Wharton's Jelly (WJ) were seeded into biodegradable scaffolds followed by osteogenic differentiation induction using osteogenic differentiation media for up to 4 and 6 weeks to develop a 4-week and a 6-week osteogenic scaffolds, respectively. CD34+ selected UCB stem cells were expanded on a monolayer of WJMSCs using a cocktail of cytokines for one week, following which the monolayer and expanded CD34+ UCB stem cells were trypsinized and added to the 4-week and 6-week 3D osteogenic scaffolds (3D conditions), or plated again in culture flask (2D conditions). Pre- and post-expansion total nucleated cell counts were determined and flow cytometry was used to assess the phenotype of the expanded population. Results: Osteogenic differentiation was successfully induced in 3D scaffolds as evident by Alizarin-red staining, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular testing. UCB stem cell attachment to the osteogenic scaffold was verified by SEM. TNCs were expanded 10X in 2D and 200X in 3D conditions. However, the percentage of CD34+ cells was 5.31% and 4.91% in 2D, and 2.98% and 1.14% in 4-week and 6-week 3D conditions, respectively. Conclusion: Attachment of CD34+ UCB stem cells to 3D osteogenic scaffold allowed for their expansion, though the majority of the expanded cells lost their CD34 expression possibly secondary to their differentiation. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Automated and statistically corrected identification of flexible multivalent IDP-bound assemblies in electron micrographs

Multivalent intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) bound to multiple protein ligands are found in numerous cellular systems. The 9beads-on-a-string9 architecture that is common amongst such multivalent IDPs, consists of a highly flexible IDP "string" bound to multiple regulatory or scaffold protein "beads". The inherent conformational flexibility of the IDP, coupled with the potential compositional heterogeneity of ligand assemblies due to low binding affinities has made these systems difficult to characterize structurally. Electron microscopy (EM) has emerged as a powerful tool for structural characterization of heterogeneous protein complexes; however, in cases of continuum dynamics traditional "class averaging" effectively washes out the heterogeneity of primary interest. Furthermore, recently deployed methods in EM for characterizing such highly dynamic systems are not suitable for small proteins (e.g.,
Detecting behavioural change in conversation: procedures and preliminary data

Improvement in daily life activities such as conversation has been prioritized by people with aphasia, which has led to an increased interest in developing and evaluating therapies that target conv...
Mixed traffic flow of human driven vehicles and automated vehicles on dynamic transportation networks

Abstract Improving the system performance of a traffic network by dynamically controlling the routes of connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) is an appealing profit that CAVs can bring to our society. Considering that there may be a long way to achieve 100% CAV penetration, we discuss in this paper the mixed traffic flow of human driven vehicles (HDVs) and CAVs on a transportation network. We first propose a double queue (DQ) based mixed traffic flow model to describe the link dynamics as well as the flow transitions at junctions. Based on this mixed flow model, we develop a dynamic bi-level framework to capture the behavior and interaction of HDVs and CAVs. This results in an optimal control problem with equilibrium constraints (OCPEC), where HDVs’ route choice behavior is modeled at the lower level by the instantaneous dynamic user equilibrium (IDUE) principle and the CAVs’ route choice is modelled by the dynamic system optimal (DSO) principle at the upper level. We show how to discretize the OCPEC to a mathematical programming with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) and discuss its properties and solution techniques. The non-convex and non-smooth properties of the MPEC make it hard to be efficiently solved. To overcome this disadvantage, we develop a decomposition based heuristic model predictive control (HMPC) method by decomposing the original MPEC problem into two separate problems: one IDUE problem for HDVs and one DSO problem for CAVs. The experiment results show that, compared with the scenario that all vehicles are HDVs, the proposed methods can significantly improve the network performance under the mixed traffic flow of HDVs and CAVs.