cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Complex interactions between the zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, and the harmful phytoplankter, Microcystis aeruginosa

We report a reversal in the sign of the herbivore‐phytoplankton interaction between the zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) and Microcystis aeruginosa,a harmful planktonic cyanobacterium. A pair of large-scale manipulations of mussel density in the same lake in consecutive years showed that when phosphorus concentrations were very low (mean total phosphorus [TP] ; 3 m gL 21 ), the effect of Dreissena on the biomass of M. aeruginosa was monotonically negative across the full range of sustainable mussel densities. When the enclosures were fertilized with phosphorus (mean TP ; 9 m gL 21 ), there was a monotonically positive effect of Dreissena on M. aeruginosa across the same mussel gradient. These contrasting results indicate that D. polymorpha feeds on M. aeruginosa, as shown in previous laboratory feeding experiments, but that the positive effects of D. polymorpha on M. aeruginosa can be larger than the negative effects of consumption. A sign reversal in the interaction between these two species is congruent with highly variable patterns in the response of M. aeruginosa to D. polymorpha invasion across lake and river systems in North America.
Natural killer cell lymphoma of the small intestine: diagnosis by flow cytometric immunophenotyping of paracentesis fluid.

Natural killer (NK) cell lymphoma is a mass-forming neoplasm of putative NK cell lineage that typically appears in extranodal locations and has the following immunophenotype: CD2 positive, surface CD3 negative, cytoplasmic CD3 positive, and CD56 positive. We report a case of small-intestinal NK cell lymphoma that was originally diagnosed as an enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma based on paraffin immunohistochemistry. However, subsequent flow cytometric immunophenotyping of paracentesis fluid resulted in the correct diagnosis. We describe the case to illustrate the usefulness of this technique, which has not previously been described in such a case. Diagn Cytopathol 1999;20:246–248. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Scirus topic pages: New publication possibilities for MOTI researchers

Elsevier's Scirus is a moderated wiki for encyclopedia-style summaries of scientific topics. The presentation will outline Scirus' possibilities as a scholarly publication outlet. It will compare Scirus with Google's Knol. It will also describe the publisher's efforts to position Scirus as a peer-reviewed outlet that deserves consideration in e.g. university rank promotion decisions. The author is Consulting Editor to Elsevier for the “Management of Technology and Innovation” Scirus Topic Pages.
Nondestructive detection of glass vial inner surface morphology with differential interference contrast microscopy

ABSTRACT: Glass particles generated by glass dissolution and delamination of the glass container for pharmaceutical products have become a major issue in the pharmaceutical industry. The observation of glass particles in certain injectable drugs, including several protein therapeutics, has recently resulted in a number of product recalls. Glass vial surface properties have been suggested to play a critical role in glass dissolution and delamination. Surface characterization of glass container, therefore, is important to evaluate the quality of the glass container. In this work, we demonstrate that differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is a powerful, effective, and convenient technique to examine the inner surface morphology of glass vials nondestructively. DIC microscopy does not require the cutting of the glass vial for scanning the inner surface and has sufficient spatial resolution to reveal glass pitting, phase separation, delamination scars, and other defects. Typical surface morphology of pharmaceutical glass vials with different alkalinity are compared and discussed.
Outcome of acute ischemic lesions evaluated by diffusion and perfusion MR imaging.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Diffusion and perfusion MR imaging have been reported to be valuable in the diagnosis of acute ischemia. Our purpose was to ascertain the value of these techniques in the prediction of ischemic injury and estimation of infarction size, as determined on follow-up examinations. METHODS: We studied 18 patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent echo-planar perfusion and diffusion imaging within 72 hours of symptom onset. Quantitative volume measurements of ischemic lesions were derived from relative mean transit time (rMTT) maps, relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) maps, and/or apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps. Follow-up examinations were performed to verify clinical suspicion of infarction and to calculate the true infarction size. RESULTS: Twenty-five ischemic lesions were detected during the acute phase, and 14 of these were confirmed as infarcts on follow-up images. Both ADC and rMTT maps had a higher sensitivity (86%) than the rCBV map (79%), and the rCBV map had the highest specificity (91%) for detection of infarction as judged on follow-up images. The rMTT and ADC maps tended to overestimate infarction size (by 282% and 182%, respectively), whereas the rCBV map appeared to be more precise (117%). Significant differences were found between ADC and rMTT maps, and between rCBV and rMTT maps. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that all three techniques are sensitive in detecting early ischemic injury within 72 hours of symptom onset but tend to overestimate the true infarction size. The best methods for detecting ischemic injury and for estimating infarction size appear to be the ADC map and the rCBV map, respectively, and the diffusion abnormality may indicate early changes of both reversible and irreversible ischemia.
Soluble oligomers of amyloid-β cause changes in redox state, DNA methylation, and gene transcription by inhibiting EAAT3 mediated cysteine uptake.

Abstract Oxidative stress, hyperhomocysteinemia, altered DNA methylation, and insulin resistance in the brain are associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the role of amyloid-β (Aβ) in these events remains unclear. Intracellular cysteine is rate-limiting for synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione (GSH), and factors regulating cysteine uptake exert a powerful influence over cellular redox status, especially in mature neurons where cysteine synthesis via transsulfuration of homocysteine (HCY) is restricted. We investigated the effect of soluble Aβ oligomers (oAβ) on basal and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)-induced cysteine uptake mediated by the excitatory amino acid transporter 3 (EAAT3) in cultured human neuronal cells. We also examined the effect of oAβ on intracellular thiol metabolite levels, DNA methylation, and the transcription status of redox and methylation-associated genes. oAβ inhibited EAAT3-mediated cysteine uptake, causing a decrease in intracellular cysteine and GSH levels. The ratio of the methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine to the methylation inhibitor S-adenosylhomocysteine was decreased, in association with an increase in HCY and a global decrease in DNA methylation, indicative of decreased activity of the redox-sensitive enzyme methionine synthase. These metabolic effects of oAβ coincided with changes in the expression of redox and methylation pathway genes. The ability of oAβ to modulate gene expression via their redox and methylation-dependent epigenetic effects may contribute to the pathology of AD and recognition of this mechanism may lead to novel treatment approaches. We describe a role of IGF-1 signaling in regulating redox and methylation homeostasis, and propose this to be a pathogenic target of oAβ.
Companding Digital Signal Processors

We discuss a technique whereby internal signals in a DSP can be controlled externally without causing output disturbances. This is used to extend the technique of companding (compressing and expanding), widely used in transmission and sound recording, to digital signal processors. It is shown that this technique allows all signals involved, including those at the input of an analog-to-digital converter and those internal to a fixed-point DSP, to be close to full scale, thus spanning most of the available bits and making possible a large signal-to-noise-plus-distortion ratio over a large input range.
Effects of Exhaustive Exercise on the Sleep of Men and Women

The effects of exhaustive exercise on sleep were examined in 5 women and 4 men who performed an acute bout of submaximal exercise (50–70% Vo2max) to the point of volitional exhaustion. Significant changes were observed in the quantity and temporal distribution of slow-wave sleep (SWS) on the exercise night. The duration of SWS prior to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep onset increased markedly, along with a moderate increase in stage 4 and total SWS. REM sleep variables were affected in the early portion of the night, with an increased latency to first REM onset and a decrease in the duration of the first REM period. Initial REM cycle length (from first to second REM period onset) decreased as well. The magnitude of the SWS increase prior to REM onset was sex-related, averaging 24 min for women and 5.7 min for men. A correlation of .85 was observed between this increase and total caloric expenditure during exercise for the women. Cardiovascular measures indicated significant elevations of heart rate and cardiac output during sleep on the exercise night. Analysis of urine samples revealed a significant drop in nocturnal cortisol excretion rates after exercise. The results suggest that exhaustive exercise affects sleep primarily in the early portion of the night, inducing an increase in SWS pressure at the expense of REM sleep.
Murder, Lies, and Storytelling: The Manipulation of Justice(s) in the Parliaments of 1397 and 1399

In the parliament that opened at Westminster on 17 September 1397, King Richard II of England was quite literally at the height of his power. With the parliamentary estates gathered in the yard outside Westminster and surrounded by his own personal retinue of over three hundred archers, Richard gazed down from a specially constructed throne raised above the assembly. From this perch the king presided over the parliament as the chief of a judicial tribunal exacting revenge against the primary movers of the Merciless Parliament of 1388. In this Revenge Parliament of 1397, all of the proceedings of 1388 were voided; the pardons to the Lords Appellant of 1388 were revoked; Richard Fitzalan, the earl of Arundel, was appealed of treason, tried, and summarily beheaded; his brother Thomas, the archbishop of Canterbury, was condemned to perpetual exile; and the king's own uncle, Thomas of Woodstock, the duke of Gloucester, who had been imprisoned across the English Channel in Calais, was accused of treason and, having died in captivity, was posthumously condemned. Shortly thereafter, on 28 September, the third principal appellant of 1388, Thomas Beauchamp, the earl of Warwick, was similarly accused of treason and condemned; but his death sentence was commuted to banishment after he confessed and pleaded for his life before the assembly. Triumphant over his former suppressors, Richard dismissed the parliament after having the judgments declared perpetually irrevocable.' Certainly the ascendant Richard of 1397 would never have predicted that within exactly two years he would be stripped of his power. In an uncanny example of that most medieval of commonplaces, the turn of Fortune's wheel, Richard's own fortunes were completely reversed. Following the Hereford-Norfolk dispute of 1398, the banished and disinherited Henry Bolingbroke, the duke of Hereford, reentered England from the east in early July of 1399 while Richard was on campaign in Ireland. When Hereford finally encountered Richard in north Wales at Conway and at Flint in mid-August, he managed to capture the king without struggle. He took Richard back to London, imprisoned him in the Tower, and
Trap type, lure placement, and habitat effects on Cerambycidae and Scolytinae (Coleoptera) catches in the Northeastern United States.

Semiochemical-based exotic species surveys targeting forest Coleoptera have gradually expanded in North America and elsewhere. Determining how various factors affect trap catches and increase species richness in traps is important for maximizing the efficacy of survey efforts. Studies were conducted in southern Maine and New Hampshire by using ethanol and α-pinene as lures to determine the influence of trap type, lure placement and size, and habitat type on catches of Scolytinae and Cerambycidae in coniferous forests. Three trap types (canopy malaise, intercept panel, and multiple-funnel), three lure placements/sizes (standard placement, above trap, and enlarged), and two habitat types (margins of clearcuts and shelterwood) were tested in three experiments. The three trap types performed equally well in terms of average number of species captured, but the canopy malaise caught more unique species than the other traps. In most cases, traps with lures placed above traps caught fewer beetles than lures hanging from the side of traps or with an expanded surface area. Generally, more insects were captured in shelterwood treatments versus the margins of clearcuts.
Initial Plant Growth in Sand Mine Spoil Amended with Organic Materials

Sand dunes in the Great Lakes Basin are ecologically and economically important. One economic value of sand dunes is sand mining. However, sand mining activities reduce soil quality which represents an impediment to reclamation efforts. Soil quality improvements followed by revegetation may be necessary for successful reclamation. This study evaluates the germination and initial growth of two legume species, wild lupine ( Lupinus perennis ) and Illinois bundleflower ( Desmanthus illinoensis ), and two warm-season grass species, Indian grass ( Sorghastrum nutans ) and little bluestem ( Schizachyrium scoparium ), in the presence of three soil amendments (coco peat, municipal sewage sludge, and sphagnum peat moss) added to spoil from a local sand mine. Species were grown in pots and propagated under greenhouse conditions. Our results indicate that lupine and Illinois bundleflower exhibited the greatest germination and growth and are recommended as potential candidates for the reclamation of sand mines. Indian grass and little bluestem exhibited low rates of germination and growth. Among spoil amendments, we recommend coco peat based on germination and root, shoot, and total biomass results. Peat moss also exhibited increased rates of germination and growth. We did not observe any germination success for seeds sown in sewage sludge amended spoil. The lack of germination in the sewage sludge amendment may be due to a combination of unfavorable abiotic and biotic soil conditions such as electrical conductivity, pH, or soil microbial activity. Our results are helpful in determining which species and amendment combinations are useful candidates for revegetating former sand mines or similar habitats.
Lossless Compression of Hexahedral Meshes

Many science and engineering applications use high-resolution unstructured hexahedral meshes to model solid 3D shapes for finite element simulations. These simulations frequently dump the mesh and associated fields to disk for subsequent analysis, which involves the transfer of huge volumes of data. To reduce requirements on disk space and bandwidth, we propose efficient schemes for lossless online compression of hexahedral mesh geometry and connectivity. Our approach is to use hash-based value predictors to transform the mesh connectivity list into a more compact byte-aligned stream of symbols that can then be efficiently compressed using conventional text compressors such as gzip. Our scheme is memory efficient, fast, and simple to implement, and yields 1-3 orders of magnitude reduction on a set of benchmark meshes. For geometry and field coding, we derive a set of local spectral predictors optimized for each possible configuration of previously encoded and thus available vertices within a hexahedron. Combined with lossless floating-point residual coding, this approach improves considerably upon prior predictive geometry coding schemes.
Age-specific fluoride exposure in drinking water and osteosarcoma (United States).

Objective We explored age-specific and gender-specific effects of fluoride level in drinking water and the incidence of osteosarcoma. Methods We used data from a matched case‐control study conducted through 11 hospitals in the United States that included a complete residential history for each patient and type of drinking water (public, private well, bottled) used at each address. Our analysis was limited to cases less than 20 years old. We standardized fluoride exposure estimates based on CDC-recommended target levels that take climate into account. We categorized exposure into three groups ( 99% of target) and used conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios. Results Analysis is based on 103 cases under the age of 20 and 215 matched controls. For males, the unadjusted odds ratios for higher exposures were greater than 1.0 at each exposure age, reaching a peak of 4.07 (95% CI 1.43, 11.56) at age 7 years for the highest exposure. Adjusting for potential confounders produced similar results with an adjusted odds ratio for males of 5.46 (95% CI 1.50, 19.90) at age 7 years. This association was not apparent among females. Conclusions Our exploratory analysis found an association between fluoride exposure in drinking water during childhood and the incidence of osteosarcoma among males but not consistently among females. Further research is required to confirm or refute this observation.
The potential of parsimonious models for understanding large scale transportation systems and answering big picture questions

A model with few variables is said to be parsimonious. If it is also analytically tractable, physically realistic, and conceptually insightful, it is said to be effective. Effective parsimonious models have long been used in fields such as economics and applied physics to describe the aggregate behavior of systems as opposed to the behavior of their individual parts. In transportation, these models are particularly well suited to address big picture questions because they provide insights that might be lost when focusing on details. This paper presents an abbreviated history of effective parsimonious models in the transportation field, classified by sub-area: regional and urban economics, traffic flow, queuing theory, network dynamics, town planning, public transportation, logistics, and infrastructure management. The paper also discusses the benefits of these models—fewer data requirements, reduced computational complexity, improved system representation, insightfulness—and ways of constructing them. Two examples, one from logistics and one from urban transportation, are used to illustrate these points. Finally, the paper discusses ways of expanding the application of effective parsimonious models in the transportation field.
Adenosine type 1 receptor antagonists in fluid retaining disorders

Adenosine is a vasoactive hormone whose action is mediated through at least four receptors. The most prevalent receptors are type 1, which promote vasoconstriction, and type 2, comprised of 2 subtypes (a,b) that promote vasodilation. In the kidney, type 1 receptors located on preglomerular vessels and in the tubule are involved in the regulation of glomerular filtration. Whole body fluid balance is strongly dependent on the ability of the kidney to maintain stable glomerular filtration. Several antagonists to adenosine type 1 receptors have been developed. These agents generate excess fluid (diuresis) and sodium (natriuresis) excretion in control animals and animal models of fluid retention, as well as in normal and oedematous humans. In both animals and humans, these effects are generally achieved without major changes in glomerular filtration. Animal studies have confirmed the location of adenosine type 1 receptors in relevant tissue sites in the kidney. More highly selective antagonists for adenosine type 1 receptors are regularly developed, improving their use in fluid retaining disorders. Clinical trials with these agents have commenced for the treatment of hypertension, renal failure and congestive heart failure, all disorders that include varying levels of fluid retention. The clinical trial results have been mixed. The early results with congestive heart failure suggest great promise for these agents, whereas trials in hypertension and renal failure have been equivocal.
Emerging Image Game CAPTCHAs for Resisting Automated and Human-Solver Relay Attacks

CAPTCHAs represent an important pillar in the web security domain. Yet, current CAPTCHAs do not fully meet the web security requirements. Many existing CAPTCHAs can be broken using automated attacks based on image processing and machine learning techniques. Moreover, most existing CAPTCHAs are completely vulnerable to human-solver relay attacks, whereby CAPTCHA challenges are simply outsourced to a remote human solver. In this paper, we introduce a new class of CAPTCHAs that can not only resist automated attacks but can also make relay attacks hard and detectable. These CAPTCHAs are carefully built on the notions of dynamic cognitive games (DCG) and emerging images (EI), present in the literature. While existing CAPTCHAs based on the DCG notion alone (e.g., an object matching game embedded in a clear background) are prone to automated attacks and those based on the EI notion alone (e.g., moving text embedded in emerging images) are prone to relay attacks, we show that a careful amalgamation of the two notions can resist both forms of attacks. Specifically, we formalize, design and implement a concrete instantiation of EI-DCG CAPTCHAs, and demonstrate its security with respect to image processing and object tracking techniques as well as their resistance to and detectability of relay attacks.
Energy Alarmism: The Myths that Make Americans Worry about Oil (PA 589)

Many Americans have lost confidence in their country's energy security over the past several years. Because the United States is a net oil importer, and a substantial one at that, concerns about energy security naturally raise foreign policy questions. Some foreign policy analysts fear that dwindling global oil reserves are increasingly concentrated in politically unstable regions, while others allege that China is pursuing a strategy to lock up the world's remaining oil supplies through long-term purchase agreements and aggressive diplomacy. Many analysts suggest that even the normal political disruptions that occasionally occur in oil-producing regions (e.g., occasional wars and revolutions) hurt Americans by disrupting supply and creating price spikes. We argue that each of those fears about oil supplies is exaggerated, and none should be a focus of U.S. foreign or military policy. Our overarching message is simply that market forces, modified by the cartel behavior of OPEC, determine most of the key factors that affect oil supply and prices. The United States does not need to be militarily active or confrontational to allow the oil market to function, to allow oil to get to consumers, or to ensure access in coming decades.
A Narrow Window for Superconductivity in Organic Conductors

There are at present only two known varieties of organic superconductors, the (TMTSeF)2X family which has been extensively studied (1,2) since its discovery in 1980 (3) and the more recently discovered compound (BEDT-TTF)2ReO4 (4)†, a member of a group of materials based on the BEDT-TTF molecule. These two organic molecules are somewhat different: whereas BEDT-TTF contains sulphur atoms, TMTSeF contains selenium atoms which are considerably larger. The BEDT-TTF molecule is also much longer than TMTSeF because of the additional six membered rings at either end of the TTF backbone. The structure of (BEDT-TTF)2ReO4 (5) is shown in figure 1: the same arrangement of molecules and anions is found in the (TMTSeF)2X series. The physical properties of the BEDT-TTF based group of compounds differ markedly from those of the TMTSeF family and are described elsewhere (6): later in the paper we present a brief description of the behaviour of (BEDT-TTF)2ReO4.
Right sourcing in Nebraska: Growing government or private industry?

This study focuses government sourcing decisions in Nebraska, including the benefits and costs of government performance (insourcing) versus contracting with the private sector (outsourcing). The study generally concludes that government insourcing is likely to increase taxpayer costs and produce lower quality outcomes as compared to outsourcing to a competitive private sector provider. It also recommends changes in the assessment and evaluation of government activities to increase transparency and critical evaluation of potential savings from outsourcing whenever the government competes with the private sector.
Timing of First Postdischarge Follow-up and Medication Adherence After Acute Myocardial Infarction

Importance The use of evidence-based medication therapy in patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) improves long-term prognosis, yet the current rates of adherence are poor. Objective To determine whether earlier outpatient follow-up after AMI is associated with higher rates of medication adherence. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective analysis was conducted of 20 976 Medicare patients older than 65 years discharged alive after an AMI between January 2, 2007, and October 1, 2010, from 461 Acute Coronary Treatment and Intervention Outcomes Network Registry–Get With the Guidelines hospitals in the United States. Patients were grouped based on the timing of first follow-up clinic visit within 1 week, 1 to 2 weeks, 2 to 6 weeks, or more than 6 weeks after hospital discharge. Data analysis was conducted from September 26, 2014, to April 22, 2015. Main Outcomes and Measures Medication adherence was defined as the proportion of days with more than 80% coverage using Medicare Part D prescription fill records and was examined at 90 days and 1 year after discharge for β-blockers, platelet P2Y 12 receptor inhibitors, statins, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers. Results Among 20 976 Medicare-insured patients discharged alive after acute MI, 10 381 (49.5%) were men; mean (SD) age was 75.8 (7.5) years. The median time to the first outpatient follow-up visit after hospital discharge was 14 days (interquartile range, 7-28 days). Overall, the first follow-up clinic visit occurred 1 week or less after discharge in 5542 (26.4%) patients, 1 to 2 weeks in 5246 (25.0%), 2 to 6 weeks in 6830 (32.6%), and more than 6 weeks in 3358 (16.0%) individuals. Rates of medication adherence for secondary prevention therapies ranged from 63.4% to 68.7% at 90 days and 54.4% to 63.5% at 1 year. Compared with patients with follow-up visits within 1 week, those with follow-up in 1 to 2 weeks and 2 to 6 weeks had no significant difference in medication adherence; however, patients with follow-up more than 6 weeks after discharge had lower adherence at both 90 days (56.8%-61.3% vs 64.7%-69.3%; P P P Conclusions and Relevance Delayed outpatient follow-up beyond the first 6 weeks after AMI is associated with worse short-term and long-term patient medication adherence. These data support the concept that medication adherence is modifiable via improved care transitions.
The Limits to Globalization: Technology Districts and International Trade

AbstractThe proportion of traded goods in world output has been rising steadily over the past several decades. When we look at specific products exported by the advanced industrial nations, increasing export specialization is evident. Such specialization cannot be explained by conventional notions of comparative advantage, nor entirely by the new trade theory based on economies of scale. Rather, a significant proportion must be due to technological or “absolute” advantages on the part of the specialized exporter, and a significant dimension of technological advantage is product-based and renewed through learning, giving rise to dynamic economies of variety as a source of export specialization. Industries characterized by such product-based learning and absolute advantage tend to have important developmental effects on their host economies because they earn quasi-rents. Such industries also tend to be organized into production networks combining the advantages of specialization and flexibility, which are k...
Chiral Electronic Transitions in Fluorescent Silver Clusters Stabilized by DNA

Fluorescent, DNA-stabilized silver clusters are receiving much attention for sequence-selected colors and high quantum yields. However, limited knowledge of cluster structure is constraining further development of these “AgN-DNA” nanomaterials. We report the structurally sensitive, chiroptical activity of four pure AgN-DNA with wide ranging colors. Ubiquitous features in circular dichroism (CD) spectra include a positive dichroic peak overlying the lowest energy absorbance peak and highly anisotropic, negative dichroic peaks at energies well below DNA transitions. Quantum chemical calculations for bare chains of silver atoms with nonplanar curvature also exhibit these striking features, indicating electron flow along a chiral, filamentary metallic path as the origin for low-energy AgN-DNA transitions. Relative to the bare DNA, marked UV changes in CD spectra of AgN-DNA and silver cation–DNA solutions indicate that ionic silver content constrains nucleobase conformation. Changes in solvent composition alon...
The Stochastic Process of Alliance Formation Behavior

This article attempts to examine alliance formation behavior as a stochastic process amenable to systems interpretation. We test two hypotheses linking the systems characteristics of bipolar distribution/tightly knit bloc structure to serial dependence and stability of alliance formation behavior and multipolar distribution/loosely knit bloc structure to randomness and process instability. For testing these hypotheses, we have introduced a modeling strategy whereby identification of serial dependence and parameter estimation are accomplished by means of stochastic difference equations and time series autocorrelation and partial autocorrelation functions, and systems interpretation is facilitated by employing its continuous analogue in differential equation form. We analyze data on three sets of observations corresponding to three distinct periods of international relations: 1815–1914, 1919–1939, 1945–1965. The results do confirm the proposed hypotheses revealing randomness and instability of alliance formation behavior in the multipolar/loosely knit periods of 1815–1914 and 1919–1939 and serial dependence and stability in the bipolar/tightly knit 1945–1965 period. Finally, we consider the implications of these results for the earlier findings, the balance of power model, and the probability of war.
Development of a rat Model of Paratendinitis and Experimental Study on Effects of Acupuncture Intervention

Objective:To explore the control mechanism of acupuncture revealed paratendinitis,a rat pathological model of paratendinitis was developed.Methods:24 Wistar rats were randomly divided into control group,model group and the acupuncture treatment group.A"jumping movement"approach was used to make a rat model of paratendinitis.Six weeks after operation,rat tissue were stained by routine HE.HIF-1α and VEGF expression were detected by Immunohistochemical method.Results:(1)rat tendon and surrounding tissue showed obvious pathological features in Model group.HIF-1α and VEGF expression in Tendon,muscle and cartilage tissue in Model group were significantly higher than in control group(P0.01).(2)HIF-1α and VEGF expression of tendon and muscle in Acupuncture intervention group were higher than in control group(P0.05 or P0.01).There was no significant difference in cartilaginous tissue.But HIF-1α and VEGF expression levels of tendon,muscle and cartilage tissue in acupuncture intervention group were significantly decreased,compared with that of in model group(P0.05 or P0.01).Conclusion:"Jumping movement"is a feasible way to built a rat pathological model of paratendinitis.Improving Hypoxic environment within the organization may be one of important ways that acupuncture revealed paratendinitis.
Detection and genotyping of Francisella tularensis in ticks from northwestern China

Objective To investigate Francisella tularensis infection in ticks from northwestern China and to identify genotypes of detected F.tularensis.Methods Ticks were collected by dragging a cloth over vegetation.After species identification,F.tularensis DNA was isolated from tick samples by boiling and detected by nested PCR targeting the F.tularensis fopA gene.Positive samples were further amplified to determine species.Two short-sequence tandem repeat regions(SSTR) were amplified to identify genotypes.Results A total of 11 species was identified in 2 460 ticks.Seven tick species were positive for the fopA gene;the overall prevalence of F.tularensis was 3.05%.Positivity for the fopA gene differed significantly among different tick species,with Haemaphysalis japonica most often testing positive for the fopA gene.The subspecies of F.tularensis detected in ticks was type B.There were 9 genotypes of SSTR9 loci and one genotype seemed dominant in positive tick samples(30/75).There was no correlation between geographical distribution and genotypes of the SSTR9 locus among the 75 positive samples from different regions.All positive samples had the same genotype of the SSTR16 locus.Conclusion Natural infection of ticks with F.tularensis still occurs in northwestern China,and the genotypes of F.tularensis are diverse.
Stellar populations of BCGs, close companions and intracluster light in Abell 85, Abell 2457 and IIZw108

We present the first results from an integral field (IFU) spectroscopic survey of a 75kpc region around three Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs), combining over 100 IFU fibres to study the intracluster light (ICL). We fit population synthesis models to estimate age and metallicity. For Abell 85 and Abell 2457, the ICL is best-fit with a fraction of old, metal-rich stars like in the BCG, but requires 30-50% young and metal-poor stars, a component not found in the BCGs. This is consistent with the ICL having been formed by a combination of interactions with less massive, younger, more metal-poor cluster members in addition to stars that form the BCG. We find that the three galaxies are in different stages of evolution and may be the result of different formation mechanisms. The BCG in Abell 85 is near a relatively young, metal-poor galaxy, but the dynamical friction timescale is long and the two are unlikely to be undergoing a merger. The outer regions of Abell 2457 show a higher relative fraction of metal-poor stars, and we find one companion, with a higher fraction of young, metal-poor stars than the BCG, which is likely to merge within a gigayear. Several luminous red galaxies are found at the centre of the cluster IIZw108, with short merger timescales, suggesting the system is about to embark on a series of major mergers to build up a dominant BCG. The young, metal-poor component found in the ICL is not found in the merging galaxies.
Valproate was more effective than lamotrigine and better tolerated than topiramate in generalized or unclassified epilepsy.

Source Citation Marson AG, Al-Kharusi AM, Alwaidh M, et al. The SANAD study of effectiveness of carbamazepine, gabapentin, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, or topiramate for treatment of partial epileps...
Projected gains and losses of wildlife habitat from bioenergy-induced landscape change

Domestic and foreign renewable energy targets and financial incentives have increased demand for woody biomass and bioenergy in the southeastern United States. This demand is expected to be met through purpose-grown agricultural bioenergy crops, short-rotation tree plantations, thinning and harvest of planted and natural forests, and forest harvest residues. With results from a forest economics model, spatially explicit state-and-transition simulation models, and species–habitat models, we projected change in habitat amount for 16 wildlife species caused by meeting a renewable fuel target and expected demand for wood pellets in North Carolina, USA. We projected changes over 40 years under a baseline ‘business-as-usual’ scenario without bioenergy production and five scenarios with unique feedstock portfolios. Bioenergy demand had potential to influence trends in habitat availability for some species in our study area. We found variation in impacts among species, and no scenario was the ‘best’ or ‘worst’ across all species. Our models projected that shrub-associated species would gain habitat under some scenarios because of increases in the amount of regenerating forests on the landscape, while species restricted to mature forests would lose habitat. Some forest species could also lose habitat from the conversion of forests on marginal soils to purpose-grown feedstocks. The conversion of agricultural lands on marginal soils to purpose-grown feedstocks increased habitat losses for one species with strong associations with pasture, which is being lost to urbanization in our study region. Our results indicate that landscape-scale impacts on wildlife habitat will vary among species and depend upon the bioenergy feedstock portfolio. Therefore, decisions about bioenergy and wildlife will likely involve trade-offs among wildlife species, and the choice of focal species is likely to affect the results of landscape-scale assessments. We offer general principals to consider when crafting lists of focal species for bioenergy impact assessments at the landscape scale.
Executive Information Systems Research: Status and Future Directions

This study reports on a comprehensive review of the Executive Information System (EIS) literature. In compiling the sources for EIS it was useful to categorize them in three groups: academic, practitioner, and mixed in the cases where appropriate. The purpose of this research was to assess the state of research in an important, emerging category of information systems applications. Because the topic of EIS is relatively new, there is not a great deal of reported research. The characteristics of EIS make the topic of great interest and importance for researchers, but a topic that currently lacks a research framework. Consequently, an important purpose of the present research was to help provide suggested research designs and methodologies within a research framework.
Use of a step-response approximation for thermal transient modeling in power MOSFETs

In a previous ARFTG paper, we presented the measurement of the thermally-induced transient drain voltage response of a power Si MOSFET to a step excitation in gate voltage. The data was fit by assuming the drain voltage takes an exponential shape. This relies on the assumption that the drain current is a step function, which is actually only approximate due to the dependence of the drain current on temperature. In this work, we show that the exponential approximation actually possesses the same asymptotic behavior of a more accurate, model-based solution we have obtained that incorporates thermal feedback. We show that the more theoretically accurate solution and exponential approximation of the solution both provide excellent fits to measured data for the Si MOSFET.
Trading and Fat Tails

Sudden, large price changes periodically occur in speculative markets. Many of these large price moves simply reflect the market’s reaction to new fundamental economic information-- as financial theory would predict. However, some of the most extreme price moves—often characterized (albeit incorrectly) as “Black Swans” in popular parlance--reflect more the predictable behavior of traders in certain situations or poorly designed market microstructures than the arrival of new fundamental information. These trading-induced price moves have important implications for practitioners, policymakers and academics alike.
Halotolerant extremophile bacteria from the Great Salt Lake for recycling pollutants in microbial fuel cells

Abstract The treatment of hypersaline wastewater (approximately 5% of the wastewater worldwide) cannot be performed by classical biological techniques. Herein the halotolerant extremophile bacteria obtained from the Great Salt Lake (Utah) were explored in single chamber microbial fuel cells with Pt-free cathodes for more than 18 days. The bacteria samples collected in two different locations of the lake (Stansbury Bay and Antelope Island) showed different electrochemical performances. The maximum achieved power output of 36 mW m −2 was from the microbial fuel cell based on the sample originated from Stansbury Bay, at a current density of 820 mA m −2 . The performances throughout the long-term operation are discussed and a bioelectrochemical mechanism is proposed.
Engagement of young adult cancer survivors within a Facebook-based physical activity intervention

Few studies have examined how young adult cancer survivors use online social media. The objective of this study was to characterize Facebook engagement by young adult cancer survivors in the context of a physical activity (PA) intervention program. Young adult cancer survivors participated in one of two Facebook groups as part of a 12-week randomized trial of a PA intervention (FITNET) compared to a self-help comparison (SC) condition. A moderator actively prompted group discussions in the FITNET Facebook group, while social interaction was unprompted in the SC group. We examined factors related to engagement, differences in engagement by group format and types of Facebook posts, and the relationship between Facebook engagement and PA outcomes. There were no group differences in the number of Facebook comments posted over 12 weeks (FITNET, 153 vs. SC, 188 p = 0.85) or the proportion of participants that reported engaging within Facebook group discussions at least 1-2 days/week. The proportion of participants that made any posts decreased over time in both groups. SC participants were more likely than FITNET participants to agree that group discussions caused them to become physically active (p = 0.040) and that group members were supportive (p = 0.028). Participant-initiated posts elicited significantly more comments and likes than moderator-initiated posts. Responses posted on Facebook were significantly associated with light PA at 12 weeks (β = 11.77, t(85) = 1.996, p = 0.049) across groups. Engagement within Facebook groups was variable and may be associated with PA among young adult cancer survivors. Future research should explore how to promote sustained engagement in online social networks. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01349153.
Out-of-Hospital Evaluation and Treatment of Accidental Hypothermia

Accidental hypothermia is an unintentional drop in core temperature to 35°C or below. Core temperature is best measured by esophageal probe. If core temperature cannot be measured, the degree should be estimated using clinical signs. Treatment is to protect from further heat loss, minimize afterdrop, and prevent cardiovascular collapse during rescue and resuscitation. The patient should be handled gently, kept horizontal, insulated, and actively rewarmed. Active rewarming is also beneficial in mild hypothermia but passive rewarming usually suffices. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation should be performed if there are no contraindications to resuscitation. CPR may be delayed or intermittent.
Optimizing commonality and performance in platform-based earth observing smallsat architectures

This paper presents a methodology and tool for designing a portfolio of Earth observing missions using small satellites with commonality of components across missions. The methodology is based on the theory of product platforms, which has been extensively used in mature industries such as automotive and consumer electronics, but has not been as fruitful in the space industry, mostly due to the small market and number of units. In order to determine the optimal level of commonality for a portfolio of space missions, the trade-off between cost and performance is considered. High commonality leads to large cost and risk reductions, but also reduces the range of performance that can be achieved by the portfolio of missions. Low commonality enables a wider range of performance at the expense of higher cost and risk. The methodology presented here takes this trade-off into account and allows a decision maker to determine the preferred level of commonality and a specific set of modules to reuse for a given portfolio of missions. The methodology formulates this problem as a dual-stage mixed-integer bi-objective optimization problem and uses a graph-based heuristic and a multi-objective evolutionary algorithm to solve it. This paper describes the methodology and illustrates its application to a portfolio of CubeSat missions based on existing and plausible mission requirements.
Constructing Time Decompositions for Analyzing Time-Stamped Documents.

Extraction of sequences of events from news and other documents based on the publication times of these documents has been shown to be extremely effective in tracking past events. This paper addresses the issue of constructing an optimal decomposition of the time period associated with a given document set, i.e., a decomposition with the smallest number of subintervals, subject to no or limited loss of information. We introduce the notion of the compressed interval decomposition, where each subinterval consists of consecutive time points having identical information content. We define optimality, and show that any optimal information preserving decomposition of the time period is a refinement of the compressed interval decomposition. We define several special classes of measure functions (functions that compute the significant information from document sets), based on their effect on the information computed as document sets are combined. These classes are used in developing algorithms for computing an optimal information preserving decomposition of the time period of a given document set. We also define the notion of information loss of a time decomposition of a given document set and give an efficient algorithm for computing an optimal lossy decomposition. We discuss the effectiveness of our algorithms on the Reuters–21578, Distribution 1.0 data set and a subset of Medline abstracts.
VIRTUAL TEACHING CASES?AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

This research, when complete, will represent a prototype of the development of a virtual teaching case and the use and assessment of the initial versions of research instruments whose aim is the assessment of this new form of teaching case, or any type of teaching case, with regards to learning efficacy, gains, satisfaction, and environment. The purpose of this virtual teaching case (that is, a teaching case, embedded within a virtual world) is to leverage the rich heritage of casebased teaching while helping today’s students to learn by providing a more engaging environment where these students (experienced with multiplayer computer games and the Internet) can collaboratively practice project management skills such as planning scopes of work, schedules, and budgets—skills they have already learnt in class. In a virtual teaching case, students can experience the challenges of discovering problems; collaboratively creating, judging, and transforming resolutions; and reacting to changing circumstances.