cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Semi-Markov Phrase-Based Monolingual Alignment

We introduce a novel discriminative model for phrase-based monolingual alignment using a semi-Markov CRF. Our model achieves stateof-the-art alignment accuracy on two phrasebased alignment datasets (RTE and paraphrase), while doing significantly better than other strong baselines in both non-identical alignment and phrase-only alignment. Additional experiments highlight the potential benefit of our alignment model to RTE, paraphrase identification and question answering, where even a naive application of our model’s alignment score approaches the state of the art.
Computer self-administered screening for substance use in a university health center: a feasibility pilot

Background Unhealthy use of alcohol and drugs poses a significant health problem on college campuses, [1] and student health centers are an under-utilized resource for offering substance use screening and interventions. [2,3] As a strategy for increasing screening rates, we tested the feasibility of incorporating tablet computer self-administered screening into routine care at one university health clinic.
The Dual Impact of Movie Piracy on Box-Office Revenue: Cannibalization and Promotion

There are two main hypothesized effects from movie piracy: a cannibalization effect which reduces legitimate sales, and a promotional effect which increases word-of-mouth and stimulates sales. While these two effects are commonly discussed, there has been no research to measure their relative impact on motion picture sales. In this paper we use a hidden Markov model adapted from MOVIEMOD to decompose, and separately measure, the cannibalization and promotional impacts of piracy.Using data from all wide release movies in the US from 2006 to 2008 we show that if piracy could be eliminated from the theatrical window then box-office revenues would increase by 15% or $1.3b per year. An analysis for the time period from 2011 to 2013 shows a similar increase of 14%. Our decomposition of piracy into separate cannibalization and promotional effects shows that the negative effects from piracy due to cannibalization dwarf any positive, promotional benefits: if piracy did not generate promotional effects through word-of-mouth communication then box-office revenues would drop by another 1.5%. We also find that, in rare instances (less than 3% of movies) promotional effects from pre-release piracy could increase revenue compared to piracy that occurs at release. Nonetheless, all of the movies in our counterfactual analysis would experience increased box-office revenue if piracy were eliminated altogether.
Proton-coupled electron transfer in molecular electrocatalysis: theoretical methods and design principles.

Molecular electrocatalysts play an essential role in a wide range of energy conversion processes. The objective of electrocatalyst design is to maximize the turnover frequency and minimize the overpotential for the overall catalytic cycle. Typically, the catalytic cycle is dominated by key proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) processes comprised of sequential or concerted electron and proton transfer steps. Theoretical methods have been developed to investigate the mechanisms, thermodynamics, and kinetics of PCET processes in electrocatalytic cycles. Electronic structure methods can be used to calculate the reduction potentials and pKa’s and to generate thermodynamic schemes, free energy reaction pathways, and Pourbaix diagrams, which indicate the most stable species under certain conditions. These types of calculations have assisted in identifying the thermodynamically favorable mechanisms under specified experimental conditions, such as acid strength and overpotential. Such calculations have also rev...
Endotoxin-induced kinin production in man.

SummaryElevations of bradykinin levels in blood were regularly induced in normal subjects by intravenously administered bacterial endotoxin. Bradykinin was detected as early as 30 min after injection, was maximal by 1 hr and thereafter declined. The magnitude and timing of kinin formation coincided with granulocytopenia and preceded fever and granulocytosis. No increase in blood bradykinin levels were observed after the administration of a steroid pyrogen, etiocholanolone. The data are consistent with the contention that kinin may contribute to the biologic events accompanying endotoxemia in man.The authors thank Drs. D. Alling and M. Webster for valuable assistance and advice.
Discrete Data Processing in Low Voltage Apparatus Short-Circuit Tests

In allusion to discrete data of data collection system in low voltage short-circuit tests,three data pro-cessing methods were put forward and advantage and disadvantage of three methods were analyzed.Also,computa-tion examples were put forward.At the same time,data computation and processing methods were summarized in low voltage short-circuit tests.It was of significance to the personnels who dealed with short-circuit signal collection and analysis.
Simulation on Temperature Field of Gradient Wear-resistant Material in Solidification Based on ProCAST

The temperature field of gradient wear-resistant material in solidification process was simulate using finite element simulation software ProCAST,and the temperature nephogram and the temperature-time characteristic curve of some specific representatives points within the mold were analyzed.The temperature changes in the alloy rod and the surrounding metal were determined,which provided accurate temperature data for further studying the diffusion of alloy elements.
Antimicrobial prophylaxis of infection

Antimicrobial agents are used to prevent infections in a variety of clinical circumstances. In certain instances, the precise indications for prophylaxis remain controversial, and the preferred regimens undergo alterations based upon evolving clinical experience, changing patterns of microbial susceptibility, and innovations in medical and surgical practice. This article outlines the general principles underlying the use of antimicrobial prophylaxis and presents recommendations for the use of such prophylaxis in three areas: (1) surgery involving contaminated, clean-contaminated, and clean procedures; (2) prevention of infections due to specific pathogens, including Neisseria meningitidis, Hemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pyogenes; and (3) prevention of infective endocarditis.
Arguments about the Existence of God

Historically many people (religious and non-religious) have believed in the existence of God. Or, if not God, they have believed in an Ultimate Reality of some sort that transcends the material universe. Even with the incredible advances of science and technology over the past few hundred years, there is still widespread belief in the existence of a transcendent reality. In fact, recent advances in science—most notably in physics and cosmology—have infused new life into this ancient topic. Traditional arguments for the existence of God have been rethought, and some of them have evolved from antiquated relics to contemporary defenses of the rationality of belief in God. In this chapter, two of these arguments will be explored. But it is not only arguments for the existence of God that have experienced revival; arguments against the reasonableness of belief in a transcendent reality, in particular the God of theism, are also on the rise. To one of these arguments—the argument from evil—an entire chapter in this book has been devoted. Two additional arguments will be examined in this chapter.
The Validity and Accuracy of Commonly Used Ideology Measures: A Consumer's Guide

Are measures of legislator ideology derived from behavior accurate and valid? Past research says yes. However, the benchmarks used to reach these conclusions are often also based on legislators’ public actions. Non-ideological factors that cause legislators to take specific issue positions may be highly related across measures and mistakenly lead scholars to believe that action-based estimates are valid. This question is important because scholars frequently wish to use action-based ideology estimates as explanatory variables. Without independent validation, it is unclear whether the results of these studies are valid or the product of measurement error. Applying an ideological benchmark that is not based on legislators actions, I evaluate the validity of several commonly used ideology measures. The results show that action-based ideology measures produce valid estimates of legislator ideology.
Some Tips on Tritium Technology

This collection of practical suggestions should prove useful to workers at tritium installations where gloveboxes and cleanup systems are used, or where upgrades to such systems are anticipated. These tips are effective approaches to meeting today's stringent containment requirements, and include many applications and extensions of accepted tritium practice, plus a few innovations of our own. The subjects covered are tritium piping systion, tritium monitoring, and contamination control. Some specific problems arising out of recent experience are also discussed, along with some tentative solutions.
How Will Public Health Fare in a Trump Administration

The author reflects on U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and the potential impact that his presidency might have on public health in America, and it mentions President Trump's Administration and Trump's campaign-related discussions about tax cuts and a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Exit polling is examined in relation to America's economy and health care. The U.S. Congress' budget reconciliation rules are assessed, as well as the repeal of the nation's Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
Crime in context: utilizing risk terrain modeling and conjunctive analysis of case configurations to explore the dynamics of criminogenic behavior settings

Risk terrain modeling (RTM) is a geospatial crime analysis tool designed to diagnose environmental risk factors for crime and identify the places where their spatial influence is collocated to produce vulnerability for illegal behavior. However, the collocation of certain risk factors’ spatial influences may result in more crimes than the collocation of a different set of risk factors’ spatial influences. Absent from existing RTM outputs and methods is a straightforward method to compare these relative interactions and their effects on crime. However, as a multivariate method for the analysis of discrete categorical data, conjunctive analysis of case configurations (CACC) can enable exploration of the interrelationships between risk factors’ spatial influences and their varying effects on crime occurrence. In this study, we incorporate RTM outputs into a CACC to explore the dynamics among certain risk factors’ spatial influences and how they create unique environmental contexts, or behavior settings, for ...
Resuscitating bodies: On deadness, trauma, and intersubjectivity

Abstract In this clinical paper, the author considers the phenomenon of deadness as it applies to disruptions in both artistic and clinical processes. Deadness is examined as a byproduct of traumatic experiences that leads to breaks in intersubjectivity in the form of dissociative enactments that cause impasse within therapy. Enactments are defined using relational psychodynamic theory and clinical vignettes. The process through which therapists work through these enactments is described and is linked to treatment effectiveness. Implications for creative arts therapy practices with trauma are provided.
Transbronchial biopsies safely diagnose amyloid lung disease

AbstractBackground: Autopsy identifies lung involvement in 58–92% of patients with the most prevalent forms of systemic amyloidoses. In the absence of lung biopsies, amyloid lung disease often goes unrecognized. Report of a death following transbronchial biopsies in a patient with systemic amyloidosis cautioned against the procedure in this patient cohort. We reviewed our experience with transbronchial biopsies in patients with amyloidosis to determine the safety and utility of bronchoscopic lung biopsies.Methods: We identified patients referred to the Amyloidosis Center at Boston Medical Center with lung amyloidosis diagnosed by transbronchial lung biopsies (TBBX). Amyloid typing was determined by immunohistochemistry or mass spectrometry. Standard end organ assessments, including pulmonary function test (PFT) and chest tomography (CT) imaging, and extra-thoracic biopsies established the extent of disease.Results: Twenty-five (21.7%) of 115 patients with lung amyloidosis were diagnosed by TBBX. PFT class...
Endocrinologic Management of Skull Base Paraganglioma

Although not common, the risk of associated catecholamine hypersecretion in the clinical setting of skull base paragangliomas is clinically significant. Reviewed in this chapter are the clinical presentation of patients with catecholamine-secreting tumors, case-detection testing for catecholamine hypersecretion, the role for obtaining imaging studies outside of the neck, and preoperative preparation for patients with catecholamine-secreting skull base paragangliomas.
Shifting sands could bring invasive species

In their Letter “Greenland: Build an economy on sand” (17 November 2017, p. [879][1]), M. Bendixen et al. suggest that Greenland develop a sand export industry. Bendixen et al. caution that implementation of sand extraction methods must minimize adverse impacts on local environments, but they do
Improving the Precision of NDVI Estimates in Upland Cotton Field Trials

Controlling for experimental error attributable to field heterogeneity is important in high-throughput phenotyping studies that enable large numbers of genotypes to be evaluated across time and space. In the current study, we compared the efficacy of different experimental designs and spatial models in the analysis of canopy spectral reflectance data collected on upland cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.). Canopy spectral reflectance, as measured by normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), was measured at first bloom on three upland cotton performance trials conducted in Florence, SC, during 2014 and 2015. The relative efficiency and estimates of genotype effects were compared among randomized complete block, an α-lattice incomplete block, row–column incomplete block, nearest neighbor adjusted, and spatially correlated error models. The row–column model provided the greatest improvement in the precision of genotype effect estimates compared with the randomized complete block model. Genotype rankings based on NDVI varied substantially between the randomized complete block and alternative models, particularly at 5 and 10% selection intensities. These results suggest that the use of more complex experimental designs and spatial analyses should be routinely considered to minimize experimental error due to field heterogeneity and improve the precision and reliability of traits measured using high-throughput phenotyping systems. These findings also indicate that further research into the effects of field heterogeneity on the relationship between NDVI and lint yield in upland cotton is warranted.
Fludarabine: a new agent with major activity against chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Fludarabine was used to treat 68 patients with previously treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Nine (13%) patients achieved a complete remission and 30 (44%) a partial remission. The response rates for Rai stages 0 to 2, 3, and 4 were 64%, 58%, and 50% respectively. Seventeen (43%) of the 40 Rai stage 1 to 3 patients and four (19%) of the Rai stage 4 patients returned to Rai stage 0. Survival was strongly correlated with the final Rai stage achieved. The survival of the 11 partial responders with residual disease consisting only of residual bone-marrow nodules was similar to the complete responders (36+ months) and superior to the other partial response patients (16 months). The response to fludarabine was rapid, with 36 (92%) of the 39 responders having achieved at least a partial response following the first three courses. Complete responses occurred in the blood, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes in 48% to 69% of the patients. Eradication of all disease in the bone marrow occurred in only 13% of the cases. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia occurred in 56% and 25% of evaluable courses. Major infections occurred in 9% of evaluable courses and fevers of unknown origin or minor infections in 12% of courses respectively. Myelosuppression and infection were more common in patients with initial Rai stages 3 and 4 and in nonresponding patients. Other toxicity was mild. No CNS toxicity was noted.
6 – Sperm Limitation, Gamete Competition, and Sexual Selection in External Fertilizers

The chapter focuses on the possibility that an externally fertilizing organism's sexual selection is intense but approximately symmetrical across sexes. The result of sperm limitation leads to increased variation in the proportion of a female's eggs that are fertilized. Hence, the increased variation in female reproductive success relative to taxa with internal fertilization results in a selection for enhanced fertilization success for both males and females. As a consequence, sexual dimorphism in both primary and secondary sexual characteristics is reduced or absent. This hypothesis leads to the notion that anisogamy and copulation evolved because of sperm limitation rather than sperm competition. However, an adaptation, in this scenario, benefits both males and females. Males benefit because the average success of males increases, and males who are the best at copulation gain greatly. Females also benefit greatly because fertilization ceases to be a limiting factor, and choice becomes an option. The sperm-limitation hypothesis implies not that sperm competition is absent among broadcast spawners but that it has reduced importance and may be balanced by egg competition.
A Data Base for Scaling up from the Leaf to the Canopy

A data base was generated for quantifying effects of thermal time (degree-days) on the appearance of new leaves, the expansion of such leaves to maximum area, their death, the appearance of new internodes below the node associated with such leaves, and the extension of these internodes to maximum length. The data base for a list of crop (agronomic and horticultural), weed, and native Tallgrass Prairie plants has been summarized, with equations for the above events as a function of degree days, with appropriate base temperatures and maximum cut-off temperatures, in a Java applet which is available at a website with the URL . Associated graphical plots such as shown in this paper are also given. Branching behavior was accounted for. These events predict the effect of thermal time on leaf age and its height in the plant canopy, both important factors needed for upscaling functions for leaf behavior to those for behavior of the plant canopy. The data base is evolving to include coefficients for other species. Coefficients are used to predict the leaf area index of the canopy, which is important for predicting evapotranspiration from the crop and the protection of the soil from erosion.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Pop-Cultural Artifacts for Exploring Bioethical Issues

For the past several decades, popular culture, especially feature films and television, has been utilized with increasing frequency in bioethics teaching and reflection. This seems quite fitting, for, in the words of cultural historian and film critic Leo Braudy, even more than standard newspaper articles and other analytical texts, popular culture constitutes a “sounding board or lightning rod for deep-rooted audience concerns” (Braudy L. The genre of nature. In: Browne N (ed) Refiguring American film genres. University of California Press, Berkeley, pp 278–309, 1998). Further, many audience concerns in advanced-capitalist societies relate to the promises and perils of science and technology in general and biomedicine in particular. In this essay, I offer an overview of the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing popular culture for bioethical reflection and pedagogy, and provide a framework for thinking through the promises and pitfalls of popular culture for researchers, teachers and practitioners of bioethics and biomedicine.
Prospective Memory of Death in Old Norse and Icelandic Sources

This article borrows from the field of cognitive psychology to add nuance to Jan Assmann’s notion of a prospective cultural memory of death. Whereas Assmann’s view accounts primarily for those cultures that tend to rely upon external honor and social status to formulate a sense of prospective memory of death, those cultures that tend to rely upon internal conceptions of righteousness or culpability have little representation in Assmann’s theory. For more than two decades, the field of cognitive psychology has been developing its own theory of prospective memory. There, prospective memory is the memory of (typically mundane, everyday) tasks an individual must accomplish at some point in the future (e.g., buying milk, meeting someone, or running an errand). Certain memory aids (e.g., a note in a calendar or a string tied around a finger) might assist individuals in the retrieval of prospective memories. So too might material, literary, or folkloric aids be culturally employed to assist a culture in remembering its prospects for death, dying, and the afterlife. This article explores ways that cognitive prospective memory might be useful in understanding how prospective cultural memories of death and the afterlife might have changes in Old Norse-Icelandic sources as the region’s religious landscape developed during the transitions from pre-Christian to Christian, and then from Catholic to post-Reformation, worldviews.
Challenges and benefits of being an ethnic minority student

My first day of medical school reminded me of the day I arrived as an immigrant to the US. Being one of the first people of my community to enter medical school carried tremendous pressure. Ethnic minority students face several challenges that hinder them from pursuing higher education, such as lack of mentorships and organised educational support, cultural differences, and financial burden. Despite the obstacles, foreign born students provided with the necessary resources can outperform native born students in the academic arena.1 Medical school demands a strong mental …
Experiences with approximating queries in Microsoft's production big-data clusters

With the rapidly growing volume of data, it is more attractive than ever to leverage approximations to answer analytic queries. Sampling is a powerful technique which has been studied extensively from the point of view of facilitating approximation. Yet, there has been no large-scale study of effectiveness of sampling techniques in big data systems. In this paper, we describe an in-depth study of the sampling-based approximation techniques that we have deployed in Microsoft's big data clusters. We explain the choices we made to implement approximation, identify the usage cases, and study detailed data that sheds insight on the usefulness of doing sampling based approximation.
Consumption from the Avant-Garde to the Silver Screen: Cannibalism, Fetish, and Profanation

In Oswald de Andrade’s ‘Manifesto Antropofago’ of 1928, he explicitly calls for Brazilian and Latin American artists to resist the vestiges of colonial cultural politics by appropriating the cannibal trope and unabashedly plundering and consuming the European cultural tradition to radically rewrite cultural discourse. While Andrade’s Manifesto has been used as a critical lens to examine the Latin American avant-gardes, as well as other modes of post-colonial cultural production, it has not been as widely used as a theoretical apparatus for examining the question of commodity production and consumption. In this paper, I revisit the Manifesto by focusing on its critical dialogue with Marx’s concept of the fetish of the commodity. Linking this fetish with Apparadurai’s recent thinking on the fetishism of the consumer, I trace how cannibalism can be reworked as a mode of ‘profanation,’ to use Agamben’s terms, of the power apparatuses of consumption itself. Then I test the concept of the profanation of consumption with two film case studies - Nelson Perreira dos Santos’ Como era gostoso o meu frances (dos Santos,1971) and Ruggero Deodato’s Cannibal Holocausto (Deodato, 1980). My readings situate these films in their cultural and political contexts and read them as texts which profane the apparatuses of the construction of historical and spectacular images for global consumption.
Utility of erector spinae plane block in thoracic surgery

Thoracic surgeons have been incorporating enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols into their practices, not only to reduce narcotic usage but also to improve complication rates and decrease lengths of stay. Here, we describe the utility of a regional block technique that can be used for patients undergoing urgent or elective thoracic surgical procedures or suffering from rib fractures. We report our initial one-year experience with these erector spinae plane (ESP) blocks. ESP blocks were placed in 42 patients. The procedure was performed by a trained team of anesthesiologists and certified nurse practitioners. It included placement of a catheter on the ipsilateral chest, followed by a 20 ml of 0.2% ropivacaine bolus and continuous infusion. Patients were then followed by the regional team, as long as the catheter was in place. While it had some technical challenges, the block was effective in 83.3% of patients with no reported mortality or major complications. However, given the confounding factors of the study (such as simultaneous implementation of ERAS protocol) and heterogeneity of the patient population, a control group was difficult to ascertain and meaningful opioid consumption analysis was difficult to perform. Regional blocks, such as the ESP block, complement fundamental ERAS principles and serve as an adjunct to the available armamentarium for non-narcotic ways to control pain in thoracic surgical and chest trauma patients. Continued collaboration between the thoracic surgeons and anesthesiologists is needed for its success.
Tribe-state collaboration and the future of arctic cooperation: Moderating Inter-State Competition through Collaborative Multilevel Governance, from Yesterday’s Trading Posts to Today’s Arctic Council, ‘Arctic Exceptionalism’ is Here to Stay

A long history of collaboration between the indigenous peoples and the sovereign states of Arctic North America has helped the Arctic region become one of the world’s most stable and cooperative re...
How the America Invents Act Hurts American Inventors and Weakens Incentives to Innovate

Years of effort and lobbying by coalitions of large corporations to reform U.S. patent law culminated in the enactment of the Leahy-Smith America Invents Act (“AIA”). Among other things, the AIA converts the United States’ current first-to-invent (“FTI”) system into a first-to-file (“FTF”) paradigm. The AIA awards a patent — and all of its commercial protection — to the first person to apply for the patent. The AIA also redefines the terms of the patent system’s grace period. Under the AIA, inventors must choose between filing for a patent before their idea is perfected or hoping that no one discloses their idea while they continue to develop their product.This Article outlines the fundamental ways in which the AIA changes how inventors’ rights are protected. Specifically, this Article focuses on how the new FTF system and its weakened grace period undermine new product development and hurt inventors. It emphasizes how the re-designed patent system negatively impacts individual inventors, startups, and small businesses.
SYMPOSIUM: Immobilized Enzymes in Food Systems

Economics of immobilization and characteristics of immobilized enzymes and substrates which are important in treatment of foods are discussed. Methods of immobilizing enzymes and activity and stability of enzymes which may be used in food processing and analyses are controlled and limited by the properties of foods. Specific immobilized enzymes which have been used or show promise for use in food processing and analysis are described.
Transforming Youth Justice Inside and Out

Young people are fundamentally different from adults, and their brains are still developing into their mid-20s. In the justice system, we have learned that this means that they need to be treated differently from adults and that incarcerating them only makes matters worse. We argue that in order to best serve young people, make communities safer, and reduce both crime and mass incarceration, there will need to be system change led collaboratively by advocates, elected officials, philanthropy, and crucially, the administrators of the systems themselves. We can learn from the reforms going on around the United States, in places where systems are moving from paradigms of punishment to continuums of care within communities and where outdated youth prisons are being closed in favor of serving young people close to their homes. This chapter examines why we see this need for change, how a few systems have begun to reform, and how that reform is being led in part through a collaboration of people working both inside and outside of these systems.
The Realization of Clinker-Reduced, Performance-Based Sustainable Concrete by the Micro-Filler, Eco-Filler Concept.

In times of climate change, the reduction in embodied greenhouse gas emissions is a premise for sustainable concrete infrastructure. As Portland cement clinker is mainly responsible for the high CO2 emissions of concrete, its reduction is necessary. In order to be sustainable, the concrete must meet processing, mechanical and durability properties while taking cost aspects into account. The paper presents (i) the “micro-filler/eco-filler concept” for achieving a clinker reduced, optimised binder and (ii) a performance-based approach to put sustainable “Eco-concrete” into practice. Clinker is substituted by locally available inert fillers by at least two different particle size fractions and supplementary cementitious materials. The method is based on particle packing optimisation, reduction in water demand and optimisation of the mix ratio of the binder blend, which allows the performance requirements to be met. The new Eco-concretes deliver the desired performance in terms of processability, strength and durability (water penetration, frost, carbonation and chloride resistance) while lowering the environmental impact in comparison to standard concrete. One of the new mixes was used for a small animal passage tunnel. The direct comparison of the developed Eco-concrete and standard concrete showed a 24% reduction in CO2, while achieving satisfactory workability, stripping strength and durability performance.
Anterior pituitary, sex hormones, and keratoconus: Beyond traditional targets.

Abstract "The Diseases of the Horny-coat of The Eye", known today as keratoconus, is a progressive, multifactorial, non-inflammatory ectatic corneal disorder that is characterized by steepening (bulging) and thinning of the cornea, irregular astigmatism, myopia, and scarring that can cause devastating vision loss. The significant socioeconomic impact of the disease is immeasurable, as patients with keratoconus can have difficulties securing certain jobs or even joining the military. Despite the introduction of corneal crosslinking and improvements in scleral contact lens designs, corneal transplants remain the main surgical intervention for treating keratoconus refractory to medical therapy and visual rehabilitation. To-date, the etiology and pathogenesis of keratoconus remains unclear. Research studies have increased exponentially over the years, highlighting the clinical significance and international interest in this disease. Hormonal imbalances have been linked to keratoconus, both clinically and experimentally, with both sexes affected. However, it is unclear how (molecular/cellular signaling) or when (age/disease stage(s)) those hormones affect the keratoconic cornea. Previous studies have categorized the human cornea as an extragonadal tissue, showing modulation of the gonadotropins, specifically luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). Studies herein provide new data (both in vitro and in vivo) to further delineate the role of hormones/gonadotropins in the keratoconus pathobiology, and propose the existence of a new axis named the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Corneal (HPAC) axis.
Titanium Alloys: Processing, Properties, and Applications

This chapter describes the history of titanium alloy development and production. It also summarizes the current range of applications for aerospace applications. The production of titanium alloys including processing to impart desired, application-specific properties also is described. The ability to tailor the properties of titanium alloys by processing makes them attractive for a wide range of applications. The matching of properties to requirements is also discussed. Examples of applications are also described including the rationale for selecting titanium alloys even though the initial cost is higher. Keywords: alloying behavior; cost; melting technology; processing; forging; mechanical properties (strength, toughness, fatigue, creep, stress corrosion cracking); jet engines; aircraft
Control of a dual boost power factor corrector for high power applications

The paper presents a power factor correction (PFC) method for a dual boost converter based on one cycle control. The topology features one combined rectification and PFC stage for reduced conduction losses and two separate switches for the positive and negative half line cycles operation for reduced junction heating. This topology is very suitable for higher power (1 kW or above) applications. The controller uses the one cycle control core, an integrator with reset along with a few digital and analog components, to realize PFC modulation, thus it is simple and reliable. Stability analysis and steady state design are detailed in the paper. A 1 kW PFC rectifier prototype was built and some experimental results are provided in the paper.
A Computer-Aided Nondestructive Inspection System

A Computer-Aided NonDestructive Inspection System (CANDIS) has been designed and built for improving the speed and quality of the ultrasonic evaluation of diffusion-bonded parts of the B-1B aircraft. The system comprises a host computer, a Data Acquisition and Multi-Axis Control (DAMAC) system, and a custom mechanical scanning system.
Globus Data Publication as a Service: Lowering Barriers to Reproducible Science

Broad access to the data on which scientific results are based is essential for verification, reproducibility, and extension. Scholarly publication has long been the means to this end. But as data volumes grow, new methods beyond traditional publications are needed for communicating, discovering, and accessing scientific data. We describe data publication capabilities within the Globus research data management service, which supports publication of large datasets, with customizable policies for different institutions and researchers, the ability to publish data directly from both locally owned storage and cloud storage, extensible metadata that can be customized to describe specific attributes of different research domains, flexible publication and curation workflows that can be easily tailored to meet institutional requirements, and public and restricted collections that give complete control over who may access published data. We describe the architecture and implementation of these new capabilities and review early results from pilot projects involving nine research communities that span a range of data sizes, data types, disciplines, and publication policies.
Mapping of RFID tag readability in relation to the food content in a refrigerated sea container at 915 MHz.

Abstract Perishable foods are extremely sensitive to temperature abuse often observed during sea transportation, which regularly involves long transit times. The goal of this study was to compare the effects of the cargo on RFID (radio frequency identification) tag readability to achieve real-time temperature monitoring. A 12 m long refrigerated sea container (68 m 3 ) and a 915 MHz RFID system were used. The container was loaded three times with different food products: canned vegetables, fresh meat and frozen bread. Each load was instrumented with 42 RFID tags evenly distributed throughout the volume. Results showed that canned vegetables provide the best readings (97.6% of tags read), followed by fresh meat (61.9%) and frozen bread (57.1%) respectively. These results validated that radio waves at 915 MHz are absorbed by high water as well as ice contents. However, spacing between metal surfaces and tags can allow excellent RFID readability even if RF reflects on metallic surfaces. Industrial relevance The food industry is facing great challenges when it comes to food transportation and distribution. Marine transportation is a slow operation that can expose shipments to a significant range of non-ideal temperatures. Refrigeration units may experience failure during shipment, which inevitably causes losses in quality. The implementation of a real-time temperature monitoring system within a container can provide a good tool to address this issue. Radio frequency technology definitely offers additional benefits such as real-time monitoring as well as tracking and tracing.
The effect of hypoxia and hypercapnia on canine pancreatic blood flow.

Abstract The effect upon pancreatic blood flow of systemic hypoxia and hypercapnia was examined in 15 anesthetized puppies. Blood flow was measured by the 86 RbCl distribution technique. Reduction in arterial P O 2 and elevation of arterial P CO 2 were each found to effect significant mean reductions in pancreatic blood flow of 47 and 50%, respectively. Simultaneous measurements of duodenal blood flow showed no change from control levels.
Biot Number Analogy for Design of Experiments in Turbine Cooling

Cooling of turbine components that come in contact with the hot gases strongly affects the turbine’s efficiency and service life. Designing effective and efficient cooling configurations requires detailed understanding on how geometry and operating conditions affect the way coolant cools the turbine materials. Experimental measurements that can reveal such information are difficult and costly to obtain because gas turbines operate at high temperatures (up to 2,000 K), high pressures (30+ bar), and the dimensions of many key features in the cooling configurations are small (millimeters or smaller). This paper presents a method that enables experiments to be conducted at near room temperatures, near atmospheric pressures, and using scaled-up geometries to reveal the temperature and heat-flux distributions within turbine materials as if the experiments were conducted under engine operating conditions. The method is demonstrated by performing conjugate CFD analyses on two test problems. Both problems involve a TBC-coated flat plate exposed to a hot-gas environment on one side and coolant flow on the other. In one problem, the heat transfer on the coolant side is enhanced by inclined ribs. In the other, it is enhanced by an array of pin fins.This conjugate CFD study is based on 3-D steady RANS closed by the shear-stress-transport turbulence model for the fluid phase and the Fourier law for the solid phase. Results obtained show that, of the dimensionless parameters that are important to this problem, it is the Biot number that dominates. This study also shows that for two geometrically similar configurations, if the Biot number distributions on the corresponding hot-gas and coolant sides are nearly matched, then the magnitude and contours of the non-dimensional temperature and heat-flux distributions in the material will be nearly the same for the two configurations — even though the operating temperatures and pressures differ considerably. Thus, experimental measurements of temperature and heat-flux distributions within turbine materials that are obtained under ‘laboratory’ conditions could be scaled up to provide meaningful results under ‘engine’ relevant conditions.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Chlorosis of sequentially older leaves of Poa pratensis induced by biologically active products of Bipolaris sorokiniana

Research was initiated to develop a rapid assay for determining the ability of biologically active products of Bipolaris sorokiniana to induced chlorosis in intact (not detached) leaf blades of Poa pratensis, and to determine if the active products interact with leaf senescence. The presence of membrane disrupting substances in the extract was confirmed by the leakage of betacyanin from red beet root cells. The non-diluted extract induced severe leaf chlorosis in leaves of all ages. At dilutions of 10 -1 and 10 -2 , the youngest leaf blade remained visibly green, and the second leaf blade showed mild chlorosis. The third and fourth (oldest) leaf blades showed severe chlorosis in response to the 10 -1 dilution, and chlorosis occurred on about one-half the length of the leaf blades in response to the 10 -2 dilution. Chlorosis of treated leaf blades developed slowly and toward the tip end of the leaf. Severely chlorotic leaves often developed necrotic flecks and/or necrotic midvein streaks. It was concluded that the extract from B. sorokiniana induces chlorosis, interacts with leaf senescence, and contains substances active in pathogenesis.
Expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin in surface epithelial-stromal tumors of the ovary distinguishes mucinous from serous and endometrioid tumors

Abstract This study examines the expression of E-cadherin and N-cadherin in the most common epithelial tumors of the ovary. The homotypic interactions of distinctive members of the cadherin family of cell-cell adhesion molecules segregate cells into tissues during embryonic development, and their expression in tumors can be used to trace the histogenesis of tumor cells. Because the surface epithelium of the ovary is a modified mesothelium, we speculated that the expression of E (epithelial)-cadherin and N (neural, mesodermal) -cadherin may provide clues about the controversial origin of common epithelial ovarian tumors. Immunohistochemistry was performed in paraffin sections using well-characterized monoclonal antibodies to E- and N-cadherin and heat-induced antigen-retrieval methods. We found that serous and endometrioid tumors express both E- and N-cadherin. In contrast, mucinous tumors strongly express E-cadherin, but no N-cadherin. The presence of N-cadherin in serous and endometrioid tumors traces their origin to the mesoderm-derived ovarian surface epithelium. The absence of N-cadherin in mucinous tumors clearly distinguishes them from the former, suggesting histogenesis from a cell lineage other than the ovarian surface epithelium or aberrant differentiation mechanisms associated with neoplastic transformation.
Treatment of pituitary gigantism with the growth hormone receptor antagonist pegvisomant.

Context: Treatment of pituitary gigantism is complex and the results are usually unsatisfactory. Objective: The objective of the study was to describe the results of therapy of three children with pituitary gigantism by a GH receptor antagonist, pegvisomant. Design: This was a descriptive case series of up to 3.5 yr duration. Setting: The study was conducted at a university hospital. Patients: Patients included three children (one female, two males) with pituitary gigantism whose GH hypersecretion was incompletely controlled by surgery, somatostatin analog, and dopamine agonist. Intervention: The intervention was administration of pegvisomant. Main Outcome Measures: Plasma IGF-I and growth velocity were measured. Results: In all three children, pegvisomant rapidly decreased plasma IGF-I concentrations. Growth velocity declined to subnormal or normal values. Statural growth fell into lower growth percentiles and acromegalic features resolved. Pituitary tumor size did not change in two children but increased in one boy despite concomitant therapy with a somatostatin analog. Conclusions: Pegvisomant may be an effective modality for the therapy of pituitary gigantism in children. Titration of the dose is necessary for optimal efficacy, and regular surveillance of tumor size is mandatory.
In-office surgical treatment of sinus disease: Office-based surgical procedures in rhinology

Endoscopic techniques have allowed a variety of sinonasal surgical procedures to be performed in a minimally invasive manner. Many procedures that have traditionally been performed in the operating room may be well suited to the office setting. A review of our experience in performing endoscopic surgical procedures in an ambulatory office setting reveals that the office setting is safe and offers more convenience for both surgeons and patients.
Venus—a contribution to the greenhouse-ionosphere debate

Abstract The thesis that surface temperatures of 600–1000°K can be maintained by a greenhouse effect is questioned. Ionospheric models appear to have been rejected on the basis of a single measurement. It is suggested that ionospheric and microdischarge models be re-examined and that attempts to monitor the various physical phenomena on Earth be made. In particular the possibility of a radio aurora on Venus that emits microwaves has not yet been eliminated by terrestrial measurements. If such a phenomenon were demonstrated then Venus could be undergoing an Ice Age if the albedo is close to 0.76 or could have similar temperatures to Earth if the albedo is lower.
Communications: Effects of Tetracycline Marking, Transport Density, and Transport Time on Short-Term Survival of Walleye Fry

Abstract Pennsylvania hatcheries annually produce nearly 100 million walleyes Stizostedion vitreum for the stocking of inland lakes and reservoirs. Because fry can be produced in greater numbers and at less expense than fingerlings, the vast majority of walleyes reared in Pennsylvania are stocked as fry. Despite extensive stocking efforts, survival of hatchery-reared walleye fry has been poor in most impoundments. The objective of this study was to evaluate several prestocking variables that may affect short-term survival of walleye fry. In a 24-h simulated stocking bioassay, we evaluated survival of hatchery-reared walleye fry subjected to several different production variables including tetracycline marking, hauling time, and hauling density. Mean fry survival ranged from 87.0% to 97.3% among all treatment groups, indicating that high poststocking mortality is not a result of these production variables within the ranges tested.
Impact of board composition on renewable energy alliance formation and environment responsibility

This paper explores whether board of directors composition—gender ratio and independent business expertise—affects a firm’s probability to engage in sustainability-themed business initiatives and thereby enhance its environmental responsibility profile. Since data from the US oil and gas industry are used for the analysis, renewable energy strategic alliances are treated as a key sustainability-themed initiative. The paper examines whether sustainability-themed alliances mediate the relationship between board composition and corporate environment responsibility. Analyses using lagged data for independent and control variables statistically support the research model.