cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-range spatiotemporal motion understanding using spatiotemporal flow curves

A spatiotemporal (ST) image cube, created by stacking a temporally dense sequence of images together, is a temporally coherent data representation. Using ST surface flow, i.e., the extension of optical flow to ST surfaces, it is shown how ST flow curves can be recovered and then used to detect groups of flow curves such that each group represents a single object or surface in the scene undergoing motion. The algorithm forms clusters of similar flow curves and is based on constraints called the temporal uniqueness constraints. First, a point in an image can only move to at most one point in the next image. Second, a point in an image can come from at most one point in the previous image. When these constraints are violated, or it appears that they are violated, occlusion or disocclusion has occurred and therefore can also be detected. Successful grouping of coherent regions of the ST cube for two gray-level image sequences is shown. >
Polynomial games and sum of squares optimization

We study two-person zero-sum games, where the payoff function is a polynomial expression in the actions of the players. This class of games was introduced by Dresher, Karlin, and Shapley in 1950. We show that the value of the game, and the corresponding optimal strategies, can be obtained by solving a single semidefinite programming problem. In addition, we show how the results extend, with suitable modifications, to a general class of semialgebraic games.
Blind channel estimation by constrained optimization

A new blind channel estimation approach is proposed to exploit simultaneously the constant modulus property of the communication signal and the subspace constraints of the channel. Derived from constrained optimization, the proposed algorithm shows a considerable improvement in performance when compared with approaches using only the second-order statistics.
Does Size Matter? The Relationship Between Size and Performance by

Berk and Green (2004) have made a strong theoretical argument for why past performance should not predict future performance. There are two possible economic explanations that are consistent with their model: increasing expenses or increase in size following good performance along with diseconomies of scale. We show that expense ratios and management fees decline with size and decline with success, with the top-performing funds decreasing fees and the poor-performing funds increasing fees. The other possible way that predictability might disappear is for funds to grow with good performance and for diseconomies of scale to erode performance. If this is true, then we should see no predictability when funds get larger. We examine this in a number of ways. We find that size is not significantly related to future alpha. The relationship of future alphas and past alphas does tend to weaken over longer periods, but even for a 3-year period, the future alpha has a relationship to past alpha which is statistically significant. A one-standard-deviation increase in past alpha implies an increase in the average yearly alpha over the following 3 years of 23 basis points per year.
Parathyroid nuclear scan. A focused review on the technical and biological factors affecting its outcome.

Objective Technetium Parathyroid Scintigraphy (TS) is the most popular noninvasive localization procedure in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). Awareness of various factors involved in technetium uptake helps understand the outcome of TS. Methods We utilize a case of changing TS scans in a patient to review the literature on the various biological and technical factors involved in technetium uptake by the abnormal parathyroid tissue. A 56 year female was diagnosed with PHPT and osteopenia. An initial scan using (99m)Tc-Tetrofosmin showed no definite areas of abnormal parathyroid tissue. Patient refused surgical exploration, was started on Bisphosponates and subsequently monitored. Five years later she suffered fracture of her right wrist. A repeat TS using (99m)Tc-Sestamibi revealed hypervascular parathyroid lesion in the right lower neck. She underwent successful removal of a right lower parathyroid adenoma. Results Technical factors like the type of Tc isotope used, imaging techniques and biological factors like biochemical parameters (calcium, vitamin D levels), adenoma size, content of oxyphilic cells, vascularity can affect the outcome of the scan. Conclusion Clinicians should be aware of technical and biological factors that could result in negative scan in parathyroid nuclear scintigraphy.
The Maintenance Need for Water in Parenteral Fluid Therapy, by Malcolm A. Holliday, MD, and William E. Segar, MD,Pediatrics, 1957;19:823–832

One of the major objectives of parenteral fluid therapy is provision of water to meet physiologic losses. These losses, the insensible and urinary losses, have been extensively studied and defined for infants and adults. It is established from these studies that both insensible loss of water and urinary water loss roughly parallel energy metabolism and do not parallel body mass (weight). Therefore, any values that are applicable to all ages must be derived from some function of energy metabolism. Initially, and to a large extent even today, needs for water have been determined on the basis of weight in infants and on the basis of total amounts in adults. Although this serves well for infants and adults, the hapless individual between these two groups receives, at best, a rough estimate of his requirement for water. Crawford and his associates have referred needs for water, and a variety of drug dosages as well, to a unit of surface area (SA) because SA closely parallels basal energy metabolism. In this system SA is computed from a height-weight nomogram. It is generally agreed that the maintenance requirements for water of individuals is determined by their caloric expenditure. By means of the following formulae, the caloric expenditure of hospitalized patients can be determined from weight alone. For weights ranging from 0 to 10 kg, the caloric expenditure is 100 cal/kg/day; for weights ranging from 10 to 20 kg the caloric expenditure is 1000 cal plus 50 cal/kg for each kilogram of body weight >10; for weight >20 kg the caloric expenditure is 1500 cal plus 20 cal/kg for each kilogram >20. Maintenance requirements for water depend on insensible loss of water and renal loss. An allowance of 50 mL/100 cal/day will replace insensible loss of water, and 66.7 mL/100 cal/day will replace renal losses. As water of oxidation will supply approximately 16.7 mL/100 cal/day, the remaining 100 mL/100 cal/day must be supplied to meet the remaining water losses of patients on parenteral fluid therapy. Possible exceptions to this figure are discussed. Maintenance requirements of sodium, chloride, and potassium are 3.0, 2.0, and 2.0 mEq/100/cal/day, respectively.
Crime, criminals and guns in “natural settings”: exploring the basis for disarming federal rangers

Reports from within a larger study of crime and enforcement in forests and parks, this field study having taken place in western USA over a 24‐month period. Interviews Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers (LEOs) about their career history, the enforcement system and related issues ‐ notably weapons events. Finds that LEOs are not heavy‐handed and that the types of crime encountered give valid reasons for their carriage of firearms.
Evidence for state-dependent learning with mescaline in a passive avoidance task

Mice performed a passive avoidance task poorly when trained under mescaline or water and tested 24 h later under the opposite drug conditions. Ss showed good performance of the learned response and high retest latencies when trained and tested under identical drug conditions. These effects were observed with a 1-h pretreatment time (excitatory phase) but not with a 30-min pretreatment (inhibitory phase) or with immediate posttrial treatment. Nonshocked control animals receiving identical drug treatments showed no differences in retest latencies. Results are discussed in terms of state-dependent learning.
The Rise and Fall of Uncitedness.

Large-scale uncitedness refers to the remarkable proportion of articles that do not receive a single citation within five years of publication. Equally remarkable is the brief and troubled history of this area of inquiry, which was prone to miscalculation, misinterpretation, and politicization. This article reassesses large-scale uncitedness as both a general phenomenon in the scholarly communication system and a case study of library and information science, where its rate is 72 percent.
High-Temperature Oxidation of Alloy 617 in Helium Containing Part-Per-Million Levels of CO and CO2 as Impurities

The objective of this study was to determine the mechanisms of carburization and decarburization of alloy 617 in impure helium. To avoid the coupling of multiple gas/metal reactions that occurs in impure helium, oxidation studies were conducted in binary He + CO + CO2 gas mixtures with CO/CO2 ratios of 9 and 1272 in the temperature range 1123 K to 1273 K (850 °C to 1000 °C). The mechanisms were corroborated through measurements of oxidation kinetics, gas-phase analysis, and surface/bulk microstructure examination. A critical temperature corresponding to the equilibrium of the reaction 27Cr + 6CO ↔ 2Cr2O3 + Cr23C6 was identified to lie between 1173 K and 1223 K (900 °C and 950 °C) at CO/CO2 ratio 9, above which decarburization of the alloy occurred via a kinetic competition between two simultaneous surface reactions: chromia formation and chromia reduction. The reduction rate exceeded the formation rate, preventing the growth of a stable chromia film until carbon in the sample was depleted. Surface and bulk carburization of the samples occurred for a CO/CO2 ratio of 1272 at all temperatures. The surface carbide, Cr7C3, was metastable and nucleated due to preferential adsorption of carbon on the chromia surface. The Cr7C3 precipitates grew at the gas/scale interface via outward diffusion of Cr cations through the chromia scale until the activity of Cr at the reaction site fell below a critical value. The decrease in activity of chromium triggered a reaction between chromia and carbide: Cr2O3 + Cr7C3 → 9Cr+3CO, which resulted in a porous surface scale. The results show that the industrial application of the alloy 617 at T > 1173 K (900 °C) in impure helium will be limited by oxidation.
PCR Detection and DNA Sequence Analysis of the Regulatory Region of Lymphotropic Papovavirus in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells of an Immunocompromised Rhesus Macaque

A lymphotropic papovavirus (LPV) archetypal regulatory region was amplified from DNA from the blood of an immunocompromised rhesus monkey. We believe this is the first nonserological evidence of LPV infection in rhesus monkeys.
A model for the demise of large, glacial Lake Ojibway, Ontario and Quebec

Large glacial lakes modulated the return of meltwater to the ocean during deglaciation, and their drainage may have initiated global climate change. Yet few records of their drainage come from observations within their basins. Sediment cores from nine lakes along a 240-km transect from northwestern Quebec to northeastern Ontario cover a portion of former Lake Ojibway and provide a stratigraphy of the terminal phase of this large glacial lake. Magnetic susceptibility, density, grain size, X-ray fluorescence chemistry and X-ray diffraction data were used to characterize stratigraphic changes within the basin. The basal sequence consists of till and rhythmites, with ice-proximal debris flows overlain by varves. The varves thin up-section and become unrecognizable, which indicates decreased deposition rates. This fine-grained sediment forms the matrix of a clay-pebble conglomerate. The clay-pebbles are ice-rafted debris (IRD). The IRD flux was probably constant, whereas the sedimentation rate of the finer-grained matrix decreased. The end of IRD marks the cessation of icebergs in the lake and is the best indication for drainage of the glacial lake. The conglomerate is capped by laminated to massive gray silt deposited after lake drainage and marks the transition to organic-rich, post-glacial lakes. Such sequences place drainage into the broader context of deglaciation.
Increased Prevalence of ADHD in Turner Syndrome with No Evidence of Imprinting Effects

Background Turner syndrome (TS) results from the loss of part or all of one X chromosome in females. It can result in short stature, various dysmorphic findings, and difficulties with psychosocial adjustment. Girls with TS have previously been found to exhibit increased levels of hyperactivity and inattention. However, no studies have assessed whether individuals with TS meet strict (DSM-IV) criteria for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Objective We looked at the prevalence of ADHD in girls with TS and evaluated the contribution of imprinting on cognitive performance (IQ) and ADHD. Methods We tested 50 girls with TS for ADHD, IQ, academic performance, and parental origin of the X chromosome. Results We report an 18-fold increase in the prevalence of ADHD in girls with TS (24%) compared with girls in the general population (1.3%) (p < .01) and a 4.8 fold increase when compared with boys and girls in the general population (5%) (p < .05). In contrast to previous reports, our molecular studies in females with 45,X also showed no association between IQ scores and the parental origin of the intact X chromosome. Conclusions We find an increased prevalence of ADHD in girls with TS but no evidence for imprinting effects for cognitive performance.
Postantibiotic effect of CI-960, enoxacin and ciprofloxacin on Escherichia coli: effect on morphology and haemolysin activity

The postantibiotic effect (PAE) has been classically defined as the suppression of bacterial growth that persists after limited exposure of organisms to antimicrobial agents. Morphology and haemolysin activity during the PAE of three quinolones on Escherichia coli were examined in this study. A one hour exposure to the quinolones, CI-960, enoxacin and ciprofloxacin, produced a PAE of 0.5-2.0 h. When determinated by Coulter counter, at 0.5 x MIC of enoxacin or CI-960 after 1 h exposure, 58% or 42% cells, respectively, of the treated cells were filamentous (cell length greater than 12 microns). After drug removal, the population of the filamentous cells decreased, however, after even 4 h, 12% and 2% of the cells were still filamentous after exposure to enoxacin or CI-960. Further morphological studies during the PAE showed that the first division of the filamentous cell was asymmetrical, and both bacterial cell division and septation were delayed after exposure to 0.5 MIC of CI-960. Following quinolone removal, the treated E. coli did not exhibit normal activity of haemolysin for at least 2 h. Internal haemolysin activity was adversely affected for 1 h. The results of this study suggest that any consideration of postantibiotic effects should include the residual antibiotic effects on bacterial morphology and virulence factors, in addition to the defined suppression of bacterial regrowth.
Molecular Design Strategies for High Birefringence Liquid Crystals

Some linearly conjugated liquid crystals with birefringence greater than 0.4 are discussed. UV stability of these high birefringence liquid crystals was systematically investigated. Both electronic conjugation and molecular structure make essential contributions to the observed degradation phenomena. Guidelines for designing stable high birefringence liquid crystals for displays and optical communications are discussed.
State of the art treatments for cannabis dependence.

Among treatment providers, consensus has not been established about the value of non-abstinence goals, such as moderation and harm reduction. Notwithstanding these challenges, the high prevalence of cannabis dependence, its strong association with co-morbid mental health problems, and the difficulty of achieving cannabis cessation ensure that many psychiatrists will face patients with cannabis dependence. While no pharmacotherapy has been approved for cannabis dependence, a number of promising approaches are in development. Psychotherapy studies are establishing a number of evidence-based models and techniques in the treatment resources for patients in need.
Inventory models with cost increases

Two of the basic assumptions of economic order quantity models are an infinite horizon and static costs. In this paper, both assumptions are relaxed and results on the form of the optimal inventory policy are developed for both finite and infinite horizon models with changes in any or all costs. These results are used to develop short procedures for the computation of the optimal policy.
Heat Balance in the Pacific Warm Pool Atmosphere during TOGA COARE and CEPEX

The atmosphere above the western equatorial Pacific warm pool (WP) is an important source for the dynamic and thermodynamic forcing of the atmospheric general circulation. This study uses a high-resolution reanalysis and several observational datasets including Global Precipitation Climatology Project precipitation, Tropical Ocean Global Atmosphere (TOGA) Tropical Atmosphere Ocean moored buoys, and Earth Radiation Budget Experiment, TOGA Coupled Ocean‐Atmosphere Response Experiment (COARE), and Central Equatorial Pacific Experiment (CEPEX) radiation data to examine the details of the dynamical processes that lead to this net positive forcing. The period chosen is the period of two field experiments: TOGA COARE and CEPEX during December 1992‐March 1993. The four months used in the study were sufficient to establish that the warm pool atmosphere (WPA) was close to a state of radiative‐convective‐dynamic equilibrium. The analysis suggests that the large-scale circulation imports about 200 W m22 of sensible heat and about 140 W m22 of latent energy into the WPA mainly through the low-level mass convergence and exports about 420 W m22 potential energy mainly through the upper-level mass divergence. Thus the net effect of the large-scale dynamics is to export about 80 W m22 energy out of the WPA and cool the WPA by about 0.8 K day21. The dynamic cooling in addition to the radiative cooling of about 0.4 K day21 or 40 W m22 leads to a net radiative‐dynamic cooling of about 1.2 K day21 or 120 W m22, which should be balanced by convective heating of the same magnitude. The WPA radiative cooling is only about 0.4 K day21, which is considerably smaller than previously cited values in the Tropics. This difference is largely due to the cloud radiative forcing (CRF), about 70 W m 22, associated with the deep convective cirrus clouds in the WPA, which compensates the larger clear sky radiative cooling. Thus moist convection heats the WPA, not only through the direct convective heating, that is, the vertical eddy sensible heat and latent energy transport, but also through the indirect convective heating, that is, the CRF of deep convective clouds. The CRF of the deep convective clouds has a dipole structure, in other words, strong heating of the atmosphere through convergence of longwave radiation and a comparable cooling of the surface through the reduction of shortwave radiation at the surface. As a result, the deep convective clouds enhance the required atmospheric heat transport and reduce the required oceanic heat transport significantly in the WP. A more detailed understanding of these convective processes is required to improve our understanding of the heat transport by the large-scale circulation in the Tropics.
A survey of bovine viral diarrhea virus testing in diagnostic laboratories in the United States from 2004 to 2005.

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) has a great economic impact on the United States cattle industry. The Academy of Veterinary Consultants, the American Association of Bovine Practitioners, and the National Cattlemen's Beef Association have called for the goal of BVDV control and eventual eradication in the USA. One of the key factors in such efforts will be the detection of BVDV infections, particularly targeting persistently infected animals. To assess current BVDV detection methods in the USA, 26 veterinary diagnostic laboratories in 23 states were surveyed. Survey questions related to the types of tests currently offered, the number of tests performed, the reasons for test requests, the type of samples used, whether sample pooling was performed, and whether follow-up testing or information regarding bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) management was provided after positive tests. There was no clear consensus on an individual BVDV testing method, the pooling of samples or the retesting of positive animals. Ear-notch antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACE) was the test most frequently performed based on the absolute number of
Ethical Issues in Pediatric Global Health

Children are vulnerable to the priorities and decision-making of adults. Usually, parents/caregivers make the difficult healthcare decisions for their children based on the recommendations from the child's healthcare providers. In global health work, healthcare team members from different countries and cultures may guide healthcare decisions by parents and children, and as a result ethical assumptions may not be shared. As a result, ethical issues in pediatric global health are numerous and complex. Here we discuss critical ethical issues in global health at an individual and organizational level in hopes this supports optimized decision-making on behalf of children worldwide.
Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis, Parainfluenza-3, and Respiratory Coronavirus

A number of viruses have been proven to be primary respiratory pathogens of cattle. Viruses may play an important role in making cattle susceptible to secondary respiratory bacterial pathogens. Epidemiology, pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis, and important properties in infectious bovine rhinotracheitis (IBR), parainfluenza-3 (PI-3), and bovine respiratory coronavirus (BRCV) are described in this article.
Development and testing of a measure of depressive cognitions in older adults.

Assessment of cognitive processes that predispose or contribute to clinical depression in elders is important for planning interventions that facilitate positive cognitive appraisal and effective coping strategies. Instruments evaluating severity of depression exist; however, none measure specific depressive cognitions. This paper describes the development and pilot testing of the Depressive Cognitions Scale (DCS) for older adults. Derived from Erikson's Psychosocial Theory, the 8 items comprising the scale were selected by clinical experts from a pool of 24 items. Each item reflects a depressive cognition that may arise from less than successful resolution of one of Erikson's developmental phases. Psychometric testing of the DCS was conducted with 60 functionally independent, community dwelling older adults (age 65+). An alpha of .78 indicated acceptable internal consistency. Construct validity was demonstrated by significant correlation with measures of psychosocial development. Further psychometric study of the DCS is recommended.
Multivariate Frequency-Severity Regression Models in Insurance

In insurance and related industries including healthcare, it is common to have several outcome measures that the analyst wishes to understand using explanatory variables. For example, in automobile insurance, an accident may result in payments for damage to one’s own vehicle, damage to another party’s vehicle, or personal injury. It is also common to be interested in the frequency of accidents in addition to the severity of the claim amounts. This paper synthesizes and extends the literature on multivariate frequency-severity regression modeling with a focus on insurance industry applications. Regression models for understanding the distribution of each outcome continue to be developed yet there now exists a solid body of literature for the marginal outcomes. This paper contributes to this body of literature by focusing on the use of a copula for modeling the dependence among these outcomes; a major advantage of this tool is that it preserves the body of work established for marginal models. We illustrate this approach using data from the Wisconsin Local Government Property Insurance Fund. This fund offers insurance protection for (i) property; (ii) motor vehicle; and (iii) contractors’ equipment claims. In addition to several claim types and frequency-severity components, outcomes can be further categorized by time and space, requiring complex dependency modeling. We find significant dependencies for these data; specifically, we find that dependencies among lines are stronger than the dependencies between the frequency and average severity within each line.
Partial connectivity increases cultural accumulation within groups

Complex technologies used in most human societies are beyond the inventive capacities of individuals. Instead, they result from a cumulative process in which innovations are gradually added to existing cultural traits across many generations. Recent work suggests that a population's ability to develop complex technologies is positively affected by its size and connectedness. Here, we present a simple computer-based experiment that compares the accumulation of innovations by fully and partially connected groups of the same size in a complex fitness landscape. We find that the propensity to learn from successful individuals drastically reduces cultural diversity within fully connected groups. In comparison, partially connected groups produce more diverse solutions, and this diversity allows them to develop complex solutions that are never produced in fully connected groups. These results suggest that explanations of ancestral patterns of cultural complexity may need to consider levels of population fragmentation and interaction patterns between partially isolated groups.
Electroless Deposited Cu on the Ni/YSZ Anode for the Direct CH4-SOFC

The effect of reducing time on Cu-Ni alloy formation in a Cu electroless plated Ni/YSZ anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was investigated. Reduction of the Cu-Ni/YSZ cell in H2 allowed the diffusion of the Cu into the Ni and the formation of Cu-Ni alloy, as evidenced by XRF elemental analysis and characteristic diffraction peaks in XRD. The formation of Cu-Ni alloy is required to inhibit carbon formation on the surface of anode. The Cu-Ni anode prepared by electroless plating followed by 30 h reduction in H2 exhibited significant resistance to coking at 750oC with a CH4 /He feed compared to anode prepared by 1 h reduction in H2.
Hybrid photonic crystal and low refractive index contrast waveguide structures

Integration of limited photonic crystal (PhC) regions with conventional waveguides (CWGs) having low refractive index contrast preserves the advantages of CWGs while using PhCs to overcome their limitations. We present simulation results that demonstrate the promise of this approach to realize very compact devices.
Stephen M. Croucher and Tina M. Harris (Eds.). Religion & Communication: An Anthology of Extensions in Theory, Research, & Method: Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang, 2012, 298 pp., ISBN No. 978-1433112881 (hardcover); 978-1433112874 (paperback).

Scholarship on communication and religion has increased substantially over the last several decades. Currently, there are two journals devoted explicitly to communication and religion: the Journal ...
China's Food Security and the Agricultural“Going Out”Strategy

People's livelihood relies on food security.Agriculture overseas development is an important way to increase food supply and effectively ensure food security.By analyzing the international and domestic factors which impact China' s food security and researching overseas development enterprise,problems and challenges about"going out"strategy in guarantying food security are proposed.Accordingly,this paper comes to the conclusion that we should draw lessons from the successful practice of developed country,bring the macro-control function of government into better play and reduce the risk of the enterprises to achieve the purpose of ensuring food security.
Proliferation of Endocrine-Like (Enterochromaffin) Cells in Atrophic Gastric Mucosa

Per oral mucosal biopsies obtained from the body and pyloric antrum of normal stomachs and from the body of atrophic stomachs of pernicious anemia patients were studied by light and electron microscopy. The atrophic mucosae contained numerous endocrine-like (enterochromaffin) cells both in the islets of ectopic intestinal epithelium and in the nonintestinalized atrophic glands. The proliferation of such cells, which metabolize pharmacologically potent amines and peptides, probably plays a significant role in the physiology of these stomachs.
Impaired Leydig Cell Reserve and Altered Serum Androgen Binding in the Aging Male

The hormonal profile of the aging male reveals an associated decrease in free testosterone and 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) levels and increased luteinizing hormone levels. Later events consist of a decrease in total testosterone, stable DHT, and increased follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol levels. Although most available information supports the concept of impaired Leydig cell reserve, our study suggests some degree of hypothalamic-pituitary dysfunction. The signal for increased androgen binding with age is not clear. There is a great deal of individual variation in the time of onset of these events.
Comparison of female and male graduates of southern Appalachian family practice residencies.

PURPOSE One aim of Southern Appalachian family practice residencies is to produce graduates for surrounding physician-needy areas. Some evidence suggests that women are less likely to go to rural areas and that they practice differently than men. This study investigated the practice patterns and location of Appalachian family practice residency female and male graduates. METHODS Surveys were sent to graduates of seven family practice residencies from 1984 to 1994 in the Southern Appalachian area to determine practice patterns, locations, and reasons for choosing practices. RESULTS Women were more likely than men to be single and not to have children. More women worked part-time. Women's and men's practice patterns and characteristics were similar except that women were more likely to provide prenatal care and do vaginal deliveries. Women in similar percentages practiced in small towns, and a greater percentage of women practiced in rural areas with populations of less than 2,500. CONCLUSIONS Female family practice residency graduates from Appalachian residencies are fulfilling the purposes of their residencies as well as male graduates, although more of them are working part-time.
Embedded Passive RF Tags towards Intrinsically Locatable Buried Plastic Materials

This paper demonstrates the use of passive harmonic tags (transponder) as markers for buried plastic pipes. The tag design is based on a double slot antenna that can be buried in the plastic pipes during manufacturing. Design and measurement results are presented for two tag designs: one with a metal backing and one without. The tags are embedded in a plastic casing representing the walls of the plastic pipes. The tag operates at a fundamental frequency (fo) of 2.5 GHz with a return signal (2fo) of 5 GHz. Use of harmonic tags eliminates the clutter from the surface of the ground and thus enhances signal to noise (S/N) ratio of the return signal without the use of filters. The antenna is linearly polarized and polarization can be used as a marker for the direction of the buried pipes. The tag design is compact and can also readily be interrogated using simple hand-held radar units.
Best Clinical Practice: Current Controversies in the Evaluation of Low-Risk Chest Pain with Risk Stratification Aids. Part 2

Abstract Background Chest pain accounts for 10% of emergency department (ED) visits annually, and many of these patients are admitted because of potentially life-threatening conditions. A substantial percentage of patients with chest pain are at low risk for a major cardiac adverse event (MACE). Objective We investigated controversies in the evaluation of patients with low-risk chest pain, including clinical scores, decision pathways, and shared decision-making. Discussion ED patients with chest pain who have negative biomarker results and nonischemic electrocardiograms are at low risk for MACE. With the large number of chest pain patients evaluated in the ED, several risk scores and pathways are in use based on history, electrocardiographic results, and biomarker results. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events scores are older rules with validation; however, they do not have adequate sensitivity or are not easy to use in the ED. The Vancouver chest pain and North American chest pain rules may be used for patients with undifferentiated chest pain in the ED. The Manchester Acute Coronary Syndromes rule uses eight factors, several of which are not available in the United States. The history, electrocardiography, age, risk factors, and troponin (HEART) score and pathway are easy to use, have high sensitivity and negative predictive values, and have better discriminatory capability for categorization. The use of pathways with shared decision-making involves the patient in management, shortens the duration of stay, and decreases risk to both the patient and the provider. Conclusions Risk stratification of ED patients with chest pain has evolved, and there are many tools available. The HEART pathway, designed for ED use, has several attributes that provide safe and efficient care for patients with chest pain.
Timeliness Assurance via Hybrid Approaches during Design of Distributed Embedded Computing Systems

Techniques for systematic derivation of tight service time bounds of subsystems of distributed real-time embedded computing systems, are a key for enabling practical and highly meaningful certification of timeliness of systems, which is the most challenging part of the reliability certification process. An approach which uses a hybrid of measurement-based statistical derivation approaches and worst-case analysis approaches in deriving tight service time bounds, is proposed. The use of this hybrid approach together with a divide-and-conquer strategy in deriving the service time bounds of complex systems, is also proposed. Major research issues that need to be resolved before the hybrid approach can be practiced are mentioned.
Dynamic IGCC system simulator

A high-fidelity, real-time dynamic simulator with operator training system (OTS) and three-dimensional (3D) virtual immersive training system (ITS) for an integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC) can be a very useful tool in fostering research, education, and training for this complex, highly interactive power plant. This chapter describes the typical activities involved in developing, testing, and deploying an IGCC dynamic simulator and 3D virtual plant, and also describes the key capabilities, features, and software and hardware architecture. This chapter also highlights how the combined OTS/ITS solution can be leveraged for addressing the critical research and development (R&D), workforce training, and education challenges to achieving operational excellence for IGCC power plants.
Vegetal change on a northern Utah foothill range in the absence of livestock grazing between 1948 and 1982

Reexamination of a semiarid foothill rangeland, first evaluated in 1948, indicated that secondary succession continues to shift toward a perennial grass-forb community formerly dominated by xeric shrubs, particularly big sagebrush ( Artemisia tridentata spp. vaseyana ). The direct role in livestock grazing in establishment and maintenance of shrub-dominant plant communities appears confirmed in the decline of shrubs upon cessation of livestock grazing in summer and continued browsing by mule deer in winter. The reduction of shrub forages on mule deer winter ranges is a major factor in population declines.
Human Behavioral Ecology

Behavioral ecology is an explicitly Darwinian approach to the study of behavior. It emphasizes the adaptive value of behavior patterns of individuals as they attempt to solve social and environmental problems that affect their chances of survival and reproduction. The goal of human behavioral ecology is to explain behavioral diversity as a consequence of environmentally contingent responses made by individuals. While some studies show differential reproductive outcomes, most studies rely on proxy measures of fitness. As such, it is the application of a series of behavioral models from evolutionary biology such as optimal foraging theory, parental investment, life history theory, kin selection, reciprocal altruism, and mating strategies. Much of the research to date has focused on behavioral strategies of producing food, resource transfers, marriage, investing in offspring, and managing social interactions between offspring, mates, kin, and unrelated individuals. A large fraction of this work has been accomplished by anthropologists working among traditional peoples.
Three new species of Scythrididae from central Turkey (Lepidoptera: Scythrididae)

The scythridid fauna of Turkey is still rather poorly studied and a profound study has not yet been published, although Otto Staudinger’s publication on a trip to Amasia in 1875 embraced several new species (Staudinger 1880). Bengtsson (1997a) presented additional data. The author has collected a large number of Scythrididae during the summer 1999 in two areas that are located in central Turkey, and describes new species found during these trips. The collecting areas were in highlands above 900 m a.s.l., and in mountains up to 3917 m a.s.l. One of the localities lies at the small village of Cetince, not far from Aksehir situated on the southern side of Sultan Daglari mountain range. The habitats are xerothermic, mainly agricultural sites including spots of interesting primary slopes with calcareous soil and diverse vegetation. The second locality is located in the neighbourhood of Urgup not far from Kayseri. The habitats are dry, open, sandy areas partly with limestone but also with pastures and fruit plantations, the low vegetation being usually sparse. The type specimens of the described species can be loaned by request through the Finnish Museum of Natural History, the University of Helsinki or directly from the author. Scythris alceella sp. n.
Ta-Doped SrCoO3−δ as a promising bifunctional oxygen electrode for reversible solid oxide fuel cells: a focused study on stability

The present work reports a thorough investigation into the structural, thermal, electrical and electrochemical properties of 10 mol% Ta-doped SrCoO3−δ (denoted as SCT10) as a promising bifunctional oxygen electrode for intermediate-temperature reversible solid oxide fuel cells. The high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HT-XRD) and high-temperature neutron powder diffraction (HT-NPD) studies reveal that SCT10 exhibits a single primitive cubic phase at ≥200 °C. The thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and HT-NPD show consistent results of oxygen nonstoichiometry and the oxidation-state of Co-ions as a function of temperature. More importantly, the dependency of electronic conductivity and electrochemical activity on temperature, partial pressure of oxygen and time unequivocally suggests that SCT10 is a better and more stable bifunctional oxygen electrode than its rival, 10 mol% Nb-doped SCO (SCN10), making it more attractive for practical applications.
E-039 Comparison of predictive grading systems for procedural risk in endovascular treatment of brain arteriovenous malformations – analysis of 104 consecutive patients

Introduction Endovascular embolization of brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) is widely utilized, often used in conjunction with micro- and/or radiosurgery. Grading systems to assess procedural risks of endovascular embolization have been proposed, but none has been independently validated. We sought to validate and compare these grading systems in 104 consecutive patients with brain AVMs who underwent endovascular embolization between 2003 and 2016 at our tertiary academic referral center. Methods Clinical and demographic data were obtained from the medical records. Cerebral angiograms were reviewed and Buffalo, AVM Neuroendovascular (AVMN), and Spetzler-Martin (SM) grades determined. Clinical outcomes and complications were collected. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was performed, and areas under the curve (AUCs) for different grading systems compared with DeLong’s test. Results Forty-five (43.3%) patients were females, with an average age at presentation of 43.2±16.2 years. Forty-nine patients (47.1%) presented with hemorrhage. Fifty-five (52.9%) AVMs were located on the left side, 40 (38.5%) were in an eloquent brain region, and mean AVM size was 3.4±1.4 cm. There were 10 major and 17 minor complications in 25 patients (vessel rupture: 9; retained/fractured microcatheter: 5; off-target embolization: 4; extension of embolic cast into venous outflow: 2; artery dissection: 1; ischemic stroke presumed to be related to embolization: 6). Arterial pedicle size (p=0.002) and number of arterial pedicles (p=0.04) were predictors of complications, while AVM side, location in/near an eloquent brain region, patient age, AVM size, or venous drainage pattern were not. The Buffalo score was predictive of complications (p=0.004), but AVMN (p=0.23) and SM grades (p=0.35) were not (Table). ROC curve analysis revealed an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.68±0.05 for the Buffalo score, significantly better than AVMN (AUC 0.58±0.06, p=0.04) and SM grades (AUC 0.56±0.06, p=0.05, Figure). Conclusion Our independent analysis of 104 patients with brain AVMs treated with endovascular embolization validates the predictive capacity of the Buffalo score, but not AVMN or SM grades, for endovascular embolization procedural risk. This will allow for better stratification of brain AVM patients by procedural risk, and will ultimately result in safer care of these patients. Disclosures B. Pulli: None. C. Stapleton: None. M. Koch: None. A. Patel: 2; C; Penumbra, Medtronic.
Empowering science advice

President Trump and his administration's leaders should learn from history and embrace science advice as critical to U.S. national interests. The nascent administration has yet to identify a science and technology (S&T) adviser to the president, a central figure in fortifying American preeminence in science, technology, and innovation. But the president's science adviser is just one member of a traditionally robust effort to ensure that U.S. policies leverage the nation's signature S&T strength. In today's world, S&T issues are international in scale and scope.
Advanced DWI Methods for the Assessment of Ischemic Stroke.

OBJECTIVE. This commentary discusses recent preclinical research on the potential feasibility and benefits of applying advanced DWI methods for the assessment of acute stroke. CONCLUSION. A DWI par...
Guided Waves in Piezoelectric Plates

In recent paper [1] Nayfeh and Chimenti presented the analysis of the propagation of free waves in a general anisotropic plate. Closed form secular equations which isolate the mathematical conditions for symmetric and antisymmetric wave mode propagation in completely separate terms were obtained. By paralleling the procedure of Nayfeh and Chimenti [1], Nayfeh and Chien [2] presented exact solutions for the interaction of elastic waves with fluid-loaded piezoelectric plates. The technique used was shown to formally handle the most general anisotropy (i.e. the triclinic) case. The plate was immersed in liquid and incident waves impinged upon it from the liquid at arbitrary polar and azimuthal angles. Simple exact analytical expressions were derived for the reflection and transmission coefficients of different electric boundary conditions, namely open and shorted, from which important propagation characteristics are identified. For general discussions of piezoelectric effects we refer the reader to the standard books of Auld [3], Cady [4], and Tiersten [5].
The Laboratory Diagnosis of Plasma Cell Myeloma and Related Disorders

Plasma cell myeloma constitutes the commonest primary malignant tumor affecting the skeleton of the adult. It is also one of several forms of monoclonal gammopathy that include Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia, the heavy chain diseases, "benign" (nonprogressive, asymptomatic) monoclonal gammopathy, and primary amyloidosis. The diagnosis of classic or advanced myeloma rests on the findings of sheets of plasmacytic cells in a bone marrow biopsy sample or aspirate; a serum monoclonal immunoglobulin usually of the IgG or IgA class or Bence Jones protein in the urine; and evidence of multiple lytic lesions in x-ray views of the skeleton. Pitfalls in the diagnosis of earlier or unusual forms of myeloma require a careful application of classic diagnostic criteria or of criteria established by clinical cooperative groups.
Cultural Evolution and Human Reproductive Behavior

There is much that is “typically ape” about the way humans go about living their lives and building their babies (e.g., Chapais 2008; Smith and Tompkins 1995). Among mammals, apes and humans are characterized by low lifetime fertility, a slow pace of reproduction, and a large investment in each offspring. Many of the differences between apes and humans can be considered differences of degree and not kind. For example, like other apes, humans have a large brain in comparison to our body size. The human brain is extreme, however, being about three times the size of the chimpanzee brain. Since brain tissue is “expensive” to maintain and build (Aiello and Wheeler 1995; Isler and Van Schaik 2009a), humans have an even bigger problem providing our developing babies with sufficient nutrition. Much of what is not typically ape about humans is a consequence of the fact that human populations share a complex culture. In this chapter, I will describe the role of culture in human reproduction and suggest how the motivations and abilities that maintain culture could have coevolved with human life history and parenting behavior.