cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Spatial Coherence Beamformer Design for Power Doppler Imaging

Acoustic clutter is a primary source of image degradation in ultrasound imaging. In the context of flow imaging, tissue and acoustic clutter signals are often much larger in magnitude than the blood signal, which limits the sensitivity of conventional power Doppler in SNR-limited environments. This has motivated the development of coherence-based beamformers, including Coherent Flow Power Doppler (CFPD), which have demonstrated efficacy in mitigating sources of diffuse clutter. However, CFPD uses a measure of normalized coherence, which incurs a non-linear relationship between image intensity and the magnitude of the blood echo. As a result, CFPD is not a robust approach to study gradation of blood signal energy, which depicts the fractional moving blood volume. We propose the application of mutual intensity, rather than normalized coherence, to retain the clutter suppression capability inherent in coherence beamforming, while preserving the underlying signal energy. Feasibility of this approach was shown via Field II simulations, phantoms, and in vivo human liver data. In addition, we derive an adaptive statistical threshold for the suppression of residual noise signals. Overall, this beamformer design shows promise as an alternative technique to depict flow volume gradation in cluttered imaging environments.
Electron Microscopy of Biological Materials

Electron microscopy (EM) employs beams of electrons instead of light to probe the structure of a sample. The nature of electrons, in combination with current lens technology, gives this kind of microscopy a resolution almost 1000 × better than light microscopy. There are, however, costs in getting this improvement, due to the ways electrons interact with matter and the impact of these ways on how a specimen must be prepared. Specimens must be solidified, either by freezing or by dehydration. To accomplish this, while still preserving native cell or molecular structure, modern methods for EM of biological materials rely heavily on rapid freezing, which provides a snapshot of the living state. Small frozen samples can be either viewed directly in the EM or freeze-dried and stabilized by a metal coat. Larger samples, like cells or tissue, can be cut into slices while still frozen-hydrated, but they are often fixed in the cold by dissolving away cellular water with an organic solvent at low temperature and then embedded in plastic, which simplifies the cutting of the thin sections required for viewing by transmission EM. All these methods provide reliable views of cells and biological molecules. Samples that are still frozen-hydrated reveal structures that are as close as possible to the living state, and with appropriate methods, one can get information about frozen viruses and protein complexes at resolutions better than 1 nm. Samples that are chemically fixed and stained while very cold are more easily imaged, but there is now the concern that the preparative treatment has modified them. Nonetheless, this kind of EM too is providing valuable information about cells and protein complexes in the context of the cell. All these methods are useful for geneticists because they elucidate the structures that carry out many biological processes, and because they can help to characterize phenotypes.
Childhood obesity and the associated rise in cardiometabolic complications

Childhood obesity is one of the most serious global public-health challenges of the twenty-first century. Over the past four decades, the number of children and adolescents with obesity has risen more than tenfold. Worldwide, an increasing number of youth are facing greater exposure to obesity throughout their lives, and this increase will contribute to the early development of type 2 diabetes, fatty liver and cardiovascular complications. Herein, we provide a brief overview of trends in the global shifts in, and environmental and genetic determinants of, childhood obesity. We then discuss recent progress in the elucidation of the central role of insulin resistance, the key element linking obesity and cardiovascular-risk-factor clustering, and the potential mechanisms through which ectopic lipid accumulation leads to insulin resistance and its associated cardiometabolic complications in obese adolescents. In the absence of effective prevention and intervention programs, childhood obesity will have severe public-health consequences for decades to come.
6G and Beyond: The Future of Wireless Communications Systems

6G and beyond will fulfill the requirements of a fully connected world and provide ubiquitous wireless connectivity for all. Transformative solutions are expected to drive the surge for accommodating a rapidly growing number of intelligent devices and services. Major technological breakthroughs to achieve connectivity goals within 6G include: (i) a network operating at the THz band with much wider spectrum resources, (ii) intelligent communication environments that enable a wireless propagation environment with active signal transmission and reception, (iii) pervasive artificial intelligence, (iv) large-scale network automation, (v) an all-spectrum reconfigurable front-end for dynamic spectrum access, (vi) ambient backscatter communications for energy savings, (vii) the Internet of Space Things enabled by CubeSats and UAVs, and (viii) cell-free massive MIMO communication networks. In this roadmap paper, use cases for these enabling techniques as well as recent advancements on related topics are highlighted, and open problems with possible solutions are discussed, followed by a development timeline outlining the worldwide efforts in the realization of 6G. Going beyond 6G, promising early-stage technologies such as the Internet of NanoThings, the Internet of BioNanoThings, and quantum communications, which are expected to have a far-reaching impact on wireless communications, have also been discussed at length in this paper.
Decision to Incision and Risk for Fetal Acidemia, Low Apgar Scores, and Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy

Objective This study aimed to assess risk for fetal acidemia, low Apgar scores, and hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy based on decision-to-incision time interval in the setting of emergency cesarean delivery. Study Design This unplanned secondary analysis of the Maternal–Fetal Medicine Units prospective observational cesarean registry dataset evaluated risk for hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, umbilical cord pH ≤7.0, and Apgar score ≤4 at 5 minutes based on decision-to-incision time for emergency cesarean deliveries. Cesarean occurring for nonreassuring fetal heart rate monitoring, bleeding previa, nonreassuring antepartum testing, placental abruption, or cord prolapse was classified as emergent. Decision-to-incision time was categorized as Results Of 5,784 women included in the primary analysis, 12.4% had a decision-to-incision interval ≤10 minutes, 20.2% 11 to 20 minutes, 14.9% 21 to 30 minutes, 18.2% 31 to 50 minutes, and 16.5% >50 minutes. Risk for umbilical cord pH ≤7.0 was highest at ≤10 and 11 to 20 minutes (10.2 and 7.9%, respectively), and lowest at 21 to 30 minutes (3.9%), 31 to 50 minutes (3.9%), and >50 minutes (3.5%) (p 50 minutes (2.0%) (p Conclusion Shorter decision-to-incision times were associated with increased risk for adverse outcomes in the setting of emergency cesarean. Key Points
Voice Switching in Voice-Enabled Digital Assistants (VDAs).

Voice-enabled digital assistants (VDAs) provide users with options to switch the “out-of-the-box” or default voice interface. Numerous studies have investigated digital assistants. However, no studies have examined factors influencing user decisions to switch the default voice interface in VDAs. Informed by the similarity-attraction behavioral theory, we investigated whether perceived age, accent, gendered voice, and personality of the voice interface influence user decisions to switch the voice in VDAs. Guided by the status quo behavioral theory, we examined factors influencing user decisions to keep the default voice unchanged (status quo). We recruited thirty-one participants who took an online survey consisting of 42 questions, including 27 closed and 15 open-ended, collecting participants’ demographic information, experience in and knowledge of how to switch the voice, voice switching behavior, and preferences, among others. We employed the Big Five Personality Traits to assess the participants’ personality traits and the perceived personality of the voice in VDAs. We found that nearly 39% of the participants switched the voice interface in VDAs. Another finding is that the majority of male participants and all female participants (switchers and non-switchers) had a female-gendered voice in the VDAs. We detected a high correlation between the participants’ own personality traits and the perceived personality traits of their VDAs. Factors such as perceived age, accent, and gender did not influence the decision of the majority of the participants to switch the voice interface. The findings have implications for designing VDAs with personalities that leverage the user experience (UX).
Global urban population exposure to extreme heat.

Increased exposure to extreme heat from both climate change and the urban heat island effect—total urban warming—threatens the sustainability of rapidly growing urban settlements worldwide. Extreme heat exposure is highly unequal and severely impacts the urban poor. While previous studies have quantified global exposure to extreme heat, the lack of a globally accurate, fine-resolution temporal analysis of urban exposure crucially limits our ability to deploy adaptations. Here, we estimate daily urban population exposure to extreme heat for 13,115 urban settlements from 1983 to 2016. We harmonize global, fine-resolution (0.05°), daily temperature maxima and relative humidity estimates with geolocated and longitudinal global urban population data. We measure the average annual rate of increase in exposure (person-days/year−1) at the global, regional, national, and municipality levels, separating the contribution to exposure trajectories from urban population growth versus total urban warming. Using a daily maximum wet bulb globe temperature threshold of 30 °C, global exposure increased nearly 200% from 1983 to 2016. Total urban warming elevated the annual increase in exposure by 52% compared to urban population growth alone. Exposure trajectories increased for 46% of urban settlements, which together in 2016 comprised 23% of the planet’s population (1.7 billion people). However, how total urban warming and population growth drove exposure trajectories is spatially heterogeneous. This study reinforces the importance of employing multiple extreme heat exposure metrics to identify local patterns and compare exposure trends across geographies. Our results suggest that previous research underestimates extreme heat exposure, highlighting the urgency for targeted adaptations and early warning systems to reduce harm from urban extreme heat exposure.
The Optical Rotatory Dispersion of the β-Lactoglobulins

Abstract An optical rotatory dispersion study of the three genetic variants of β-lactoglobulin has been carried out in the wave length region of 195 to 300 mµ. The results allow several conclusions. (a) The native secondary structures of all three genetic variants are close to being identical. (b) The structure of the native β-lactoglobulins is predominantly not α-helical. This is shown by the profile of the optical rotatory dispersion curve between 228 and 240 mµ which displays a small maximum instead of a minimum at 233 mµ. (c) The optical rotatory dispersion data is consistent with a native structure composed of 10 to 15% α-helix, with the remainder being essentially equal amounts of random and (probably) β structures. (d) In the native protein, some aromatic residues are present in an ordered, optically active conformation, which is destroyed by denaturation leading either to unfolding or to α-helix formation. (e) Addition of methanol (to more than 30% by volume) causes a sharp transition of the β-structured regions to α-helices; this is followed by a similar slow transformation of the randomly folded regions.
Uses of the Mössbauer Effect in Radiation-Damage Studies

A review is presented of contributions which Mossbauer spectroscopy can make to studies of radiation-damage effects. Special emphasis is placed on the unique aspects of this technique, including the following examples: in all Coulomb excitation, as well as in some radioactive decay processes, every Mossbauer gamma ray has its origin in a radiation-damage event, leading to high sensitivity; all chemical charge states of a Mossbauer ion can be simultaneously observed and identified through the isomer shift; the Mossbauer effect is particularly sensitive to the local details of the damage effects; and radiation-damage processes with recovery times as short as the nuclear lifetimes can be studied. Some of the more significant contributions of the Mossbauer effect to a variety of radiation-damage questions are illustrated by reviewing experiments from the existing literature.
TravelRole: A carpooling / physical social network creator

This paper describes a system that extends concepts of social networking application to create a physical social network (with the extra advantage of also working to save energy). TravelRole is a system that helps people choose to use their commute time to fulfill work, educational and recreational goals. The system matches people to rides that allow them to link carpooling with a personal goal such as practicing their French, talking about rebuilding an engine, discussing religion, and so on. TravelRole's interface encourages people to focus on reasons they would like to get together with other people to see how these connections could happen in their otherwise solitary commute time. Commitment is designed to be progressive, starting with exploring and finding suitable rides, before actually registering and committing to the systems. The scenario was tested with a group of people that work in the same place but have very different schedules. People made more selections when they were given a chance to define reasons to ride as well as times and places to go. We expect that in addition to personal value, the energy savings will improve peoples' perceptions of carpooling and their willingness to participate.
Transitioning loyalty programs: A commentary on “the relationship between customer loyalty and customer satisfaction”

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to reflect on Bowen and Chen’s study and provide insight for researchers to help them build loyalty models that will fit the consumer behavior of Millennials and managers as they build customer loyalty with Millennials. In 2001, Bowen and Chen developed and implemented a research framework for hotel managers to identify attributes that will increase customer loyalty. Since 2001, a major shift has taken place: demographically, as Baby Boomers retire and pass on, Millennials will become the dominant generational segment. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a review of literature to accomplish its purpose. Findings – The authors argue that the loyalty models developed for Boomers will not be a good fit for Millennials. Three propositions are presented in the paper to help researchers develop models that will explain the customer loyalty of Millennials. Research limitations/implications – Implications are presented for researchers wishing to investigate the ant...
A novel boundary handling scheme for arbitrary object shape in video and image compression

This paper presents a novel scheme for handling image boundary for a class of biorthogonal multidimensional (MD) perfect reconstruction (PR) filter banks (FB) using lifting scheme which finds important applications in image and video compression applications. An intuitive example is given to demonstrate our proposed for obtaining a nonexpansive transformation using nonseparable FB on arbitrary image shape.
Uniqueness of the general mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// optimal controller

A convex analysis approach to the general mixed H/sub 2//H/sub /spl infin// optimal control design with single and multiple H/sub /spl infin// constraints is developed. The system consists of a plant and stable weights on the H/sub 2/ and H/sub /spl infin// transfer functions, and is linear-time-invariant. The controller order is relaxed to an unknown but optimal order and the nature of the solution is examined. It is shown that the optimal controller is unique through the use of a Youla parametrization and convex analysis. Uniqueness is combined with the Kuhn-Tucker conditions to characterise the solution to the mixed problem with a finite set of H/sub /spl infin// constraints. Finally, the nature of a fixed order controller is examined.
Dynamic Radiation Environment Assimilation Model: DREAM

The Dynamic Radiation Environment Assimilation Model (DREAM) was developed to provide accurate, global specification of the Earth's radiation belts and to better understand the physical processes that control radiation belt structure and dynamics. DREAM is designed using a modular software approach in order to provide a computational framework that makes it easy to change components such as the global magnetic field model, radiation belt dynamics model, boundary conditions, etc. This paper provides a broad overview of the DREAM model and a summary of some of the principal results to date. We describe the structure of the DREAM model, describe the five major components, and illustrate the various options that are available for each component. We discuss how the data assimilation is performed and the data preprocessing and postprocessing that are required for producing the final DREAM outputs. We describe how we apply global magnetic field models for conversion between flux and phase space density and, in particular, the benefits of using a self-consistent, coupled ring current–magnetic field model. We discuss some of the results from DREAM including testing of boundary condition assumptions and effects of adding a source term to radial diffusion models. We also describe some of the testing and validation of DREAM and prospects for future development.
Encoding attentional states during visuomotor adaptation.

We recently showed that visuomotor adaptation acquired under attentional distraction is better recalled under a similar level of distraction compared to no distraction. This paradoxical effect suggests that attentional state (e.g., divided or undivided) is encoded as an internal context during visuomotor learning and should be reinstated for successful recall (Song & Bedard, 2015). To investigate if there is a critical temporal window for encoding attentional state in visuomotor memory, we manipulated whether participants performed the secondary attention-demanding task concurrently in the early or late phase of visuomotor learning. Recall performance was enhanced when the attentional states between recall and the early phase of visuomotor learning were consistent. However, it reverted to untrained levels when tested under the attentional state of the late-phase learning. This suggests that attentional state is primarily encoded during the early phase of learning before motor errors decrease and reach an asymptote. Furthermore, we demonstrate that when divided and undivided attentional states were mixed during visuomotor adaptation, only divided attention was encoded as an internal cue for memory retrieval. Therefore, a single attentional state appears to be primarily integrated with visuomotor memory while motor error reduction is in progress during learning.
Hard, Soft & Uncertain: The Guarani Aquifer and the Challenges of International Groundwater

This Article begins with an overview of the ecology of the Guarani Aquifer region before turning to the legal and ecological problems it faces. Because the majority of the Guarani Aquifer underlies Brazil (with the rest residing below Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay), the laws and policies of Brazil have a significant managerial impact. Consequently, the Brazilian legal regime forms the focus of the first Part of the Article. The Article then analyzes the international transboundary framework before turning to the recently enacted Agreement on the Guarani Aquifer. This Agreement, signed but not yet ratified by four countries, represents a major step forward in transnational cooperation. However, its language is so broad that it elides some of the principal management challenges facing this and all transboundary aquifers. This Article reviews the endogenous and exogenous challenges facing the Guarani Aquifer System, looking particularly at those within and arising from Brazil. It then offers an international dispute resolution framework, drawn from the United States’ doctrine of equitable apportionment, and offers some proposed amendments to the multilateral agreement for managing the Guarani. The complexity and environmental importance of the region, as well as the looming threats presented by climate change, make the need for accurate and detailed scientific and technical information urgent and crucial. Yet, relying on such information to manage a complex natural resource also presents risks. Too often, the role of uncertainty in risk assessment and in legal and managerial decisions gets reduced or ignored. Lessening uncertainty requires reducing asymmetric information. The Agreement represents a significant (albeit preliminary) step forward. This Article argues that increasing knowledge over the regulated resource demands categorizing “hard” and “soft” uncertainties. In addition, the regulatory framework must acknowledge the unitary nature of the aquifer while remaining sensitive to differing national and local priorities.
The Nutrition Academic Award: brief history, overview, and legacy

The Nutrition Academic Award (NAA) was developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute with additional support from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The purpose of the NAA was to formally integrate nutrition education within the medical school curriculum. Twenty-one medical schools were funded by the NAA in 2 waves of 5 y each, beginning in 1998 for the 10 vanguard schools and ending in 2005 for the second wave. The organizational structure, goals, objectives, and results of the NAA are summarized. The overall strengths, challenges, and recommendations for future medical nutrition education efforts are also provided.
Development and Validation of a Work Mattering Scale (WMS)

Many people desire work that matters to others and society. This study reports the development and validation of the Work Mattering Scale (WMS), which measures work mattering with two dimensions, t...
Randomized SVD methods in hyperspectral imaging

We present a randomized singular value decomposition (rSVD) method for the purposes of lossless compression, reconstruction, classification, and target detection with hyperspectral (HSI) data. Recent work in low-rank matrix approximations obtained from random projections suggests that these approximations are well suited for randomized dimensionality reduction. Approximation errors for the rSVD are evaluated on HSI, and comparisons aremade to deterministic techniques and as well as to other randomized low-rank matrix approximation methods involving compressive principal component analysis. Numerical tests on real HSI data suggest that the method is promising and is particularly effective for HSI data interrogation.
Regulation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase Gene Expression in the Rat Carotid Body by Hypoxia

: The activity (Vmax) of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH; EC 1.14.16.2), the rate limiting enzyme in the synthesis of catecholamines, is increased in carotid body, superior cervical ganglion, and the adrenal medulla during hypoxia (i.e., reduced Pao2). The present study was undertaken to determine if the increase in TH activity in these tissues during hypoxia is regulated at the level of TH mRNA. Adult rats were exposed to hypoxia (10% O2) or room air for periods lasting from 1 to 48 h. The carotid bodies, superior cervical ganglia, and adrenals were removed and processed for in situ hybridization using 35S-labeled oligonucleotide probes. The concentration of TH mRNA was increased by hypoxia at all time points in carotid body type I cells, but not in cells of either superior cervical ganglion or adrenal medulla. The increase in TH mRNA in carotid body during hypoxia did not require innervation of the carotid body or intact adrenal glands. In addition, hypercapnia, another physiological stimulus of carotid body activity, failed to induce an increase in TH mRNA in type I cells. Our findings suggest that hypoxia stimulates TH gene expression in the carotid body by a mechanism that is intrinsic to type I cells.
Mixed-basis cluster expansion for thermodynamics of bcc alloys

To predict the ground-state structures and finite-temperature properties of an alloy, the total energies of many different atomic configurations $\mathbf{\ensuremath{\sigma}}\ensuremath{\equiv}{{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i};i=1,\dots{},N}$, with $N$ sites $i$ occupied by atom A $({\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i}=\ensuremath{-}1)$, or B $({\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i}=+1)$, must be calculated accurately and rapidly. Direct local-density approximation (LDA) calculations provide the required accuracy, but are not practical because they are limited to small cells and only a few of the ${2}^{N}$ possible configurations. The ``mixed-basis cluster expansion'' (MBCE) method allows to parametrize LDA configurational energetics ${E}_{\mathrm{LDA}}[{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i};i=1,\dots{},N]$ by an analytic functional ${E}_{\mathrm{MBCE}}[{\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{i};i=1,\dots{},N]$. We extend the method to bcc alloys, describing how to select ${N}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}$ ordered structures (for which LDA total energies are calculated explicitly) and ${N}_{F}$ pair and multibody interactions, which are fit to the ${N}_{\ensuremath{\sigma}}$ energies to obtain a deterministic MBCE mapping of LDA. We apply the method to bcc Mo-Ta. This system reveals an unexpectedly rich ground-state line, pitting Mo-rich (100) superlattices against Ta-rich complex structures. Predicted finite-$T$ properties such as order-disorder temperatures, solid-solution short-range order and the random alloy enthalpy of mixing are consistent with experiment.
Identifying functional single nucleotide polymorphisms in the human CArGome

Regulatory SNPs (rSNPs) reside primarily within the nonprotein coding genome and are thought to disturb normal patterns of gene expression by altering DNA binding of transcription factors. Nevertheless, despite the explosive rise in SNP association studies, there is little information as to the function of rSNPs in human disease. Serum response factor (SRF) is a widely expressed DNA-binding transcription factor that has variable affinity to at least 1,216 permutations of a 10 bp transcription factor binding site (TFBS) known as the CArG box. We developed a robust in silico bioinformatics screening method to evaluate sequences around RefSeq genes for conserved CArG boxes. Utilizing a predetermined phastCons threshold score, we identified 8,252 strand-specific CArGs within an 8 kb window around the transcription start site of 5,213 genes, including all previously defined SRF target genes. We then interrogated this CArG dataset for the presence of previously annotated common polymorphisms. We found a total of 118 unique CArG boxes harboring a SNP within the 10 bp CArG sequence and 1,130 CArG boxes with SNPs located just outside the CArG element. Gel shift and luciferase reporter assays validated SRF binding and functional activity of several new CArG boxes. Importantly, SNPs within or just outside the CArG box often resulted in altered SRF binding and activity. Collectively, these findings demonstrate a powerful approach to computationally define rSNPs in the human CArGome and provide a foundation for similar analyses of other TFBS. Such information may find utility in genetic association studies of human disease where little insight is known regarding the functionality of rSNPs.
Spouses' family work participation and its relation to wives' occupational level

Past statistical and conceptual limitations may mistakenly overstate women's and men's unequal participation in family work. The present study used log-linear models to examine spouses' participation in household work and parenting and their perceptions of equity regarding this participation. Wives' occupational level, an important but often overlooked source of variation, was used to classify couples according to three family types—single-wage traditional (TR)—and two types of dual-wage families—dual-earner (DE) in which wives held jobs while husbands held jobs or careers, and dual-career (DC). Data were taken from a study of 81 couples of comparable socioeconomic status and age who had an adolescent child living at home. As hypothesized, results indicated more sharing of household work in dual-wage families than typically reported, particularly for DC families. Husbands and wives in all family types were largely in agreement regarding the distribution of responsibility for household and parenting tasks, but perceptions of equity varied by family type. Spouses with comparable perceptions of fairness reported higher marital satisfaction.
Structure, stratigraphy, and eruption dynamics of a young tuff ring: Hanauma Bay, O’ahu, Hawai’i

The Hanauma Bay–Koko Head complex is one of several young volcanic landforms along the Koko fissure, in southeastern O’ahu. The Hanauma Bay region of the complex comprises two nested tuff rings, inner and outer Hanauma Bay, and multiple smaller vents. The internal structure of the inner tuff ring, well exposed due to subsequent breaching by the ocean and wave erosion, indicates that it formed during a minimum of five distinct phases of deposition that produced five mappable units. Significant inward collapses generated major unconformities that separate the units exposed in the inner wall. The planes of failure are cut by narrow steep-walled, locally overhung channels and gullies, suggesting that the collapse events were each followed by short time breaks during which the deposits were eroded by rainfall runoff. Within each pyroclastic unit, there are many local slump scars and unconformities, suggesting that minor instability of the inner wall was a near-constant feature. From bedding sags and surge bed forms, it is apparent that the vent shifted at least twice during tuff ring growth. Ballistic blocks in the youngest unit indicate that the eruption overlapped in time with a separate eruption to the north, most likely to be that of the Kahauloa tuff ring 880 m away.
Measuring the Enacted Curriculum for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: A Preliminary Investigation.

Based on recent federal legislation, alternate assessments for students with disabilities may now be based on alternate achievement standards, modified achievement standards, or grade-level achieve...
Quantifying root water extraction by rangeland plants through soil water modeling

We used soil water modeling as a tool to quantify water use of non-cultivated plant communities based on easily measured field data of soil water contents, soil hydraulic properties, and leaf area index. The model was applied in the mixed-grass prairie, considering a dynamic and non-uniform root distribution, the effect of soil water stress on plant water uptake, as well as the compensation effect of root water uptake. The simulation was conducted for the 111 days from mid May to early September of 2009. A good agreement between the model simulated and field measured soil water contents was obtained, with a maximum rooting depth estimated within the depth range of 1.3–1.6 m. The results suggest that a reasonable estimate of soil water retention parameters, and especially the use of the root uptake compensation significantly improved both numerical accuracy in predicted soil water dynamics, and the biological importance in the predicted seasonal root water extraction. In particular, the model gave a reasonable simulation of the seasonal progression of the drying zone in the soil profile in the summer of 2009. The method and analyses used in this paper may be useful in a wider context of soil-plant relationships.
Predictors that influence contralateral prophylactic mastectomy election among women with ductal carcinoma in situ who were evaluated for BRCA genetic testing.

Patients with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) are at increased risk for developing contralateral breast cancer (CBC). Consequently, more women with DCIS are electing to undergo contralateral prophylactic mastectomy (CPM). We evaluated factors associated with CPM in patients with DCIS who underwent genetic counseling for BRCA testing. This retrospective study involved 165 women with DCIS referred for genetic counseling between 2003 and 2011. Patient characteristics were age, marital and educational status, tumor markers, nuclear grade, family history of breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC), race, Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and BRCA results. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine predictive factors associated with CPM election. Of 165 patients, 44 (27 %) underwent CPM. Patients <45 years of age were more likely to elect CPM (p = 0.0098). A BRCA+ mutation was found in 17 patients (10.3 %), and BRCA+ women were more likely to elect CPM than BRCA or untested women (p = 0.0001). Patients who had a family history of OC (57.7 %) were more likely to choose CPM than those with no family history (p = 0.0004). Younger age, BRCA+, and an OC family history remained significant in the multivariate model (p < 0.008). The CPM rate among patients with DCIS who undergo genetic counseling is high. Factors associated with increased likelihood of CPM among this group were age, BRCA+, and a family history of OC. Further studies are needed to evaluate patients’ perceptions of CBC risk and their role in the likelihood of CPM choice.
Reprint of “Systems ecology and environmentalism: Getting the science right”

Abstract Problems of environmentalism—environmental protection, conservation, and preservation—are now widely appreciated as important to human enterprise and destiny. Called to attention by advances in descriptive empirical ecology, the new problems are too complex for this same ecology to solve without further expansion of basic knowledge. Environmentalism needs an ecological science of complex systems, but its development is hindered by over-commitment of attention and resources to the applied problems. Certain aspects of environmentalism may run against the grain of how nature works; it is important to get the science right. A selection of ecological and environmental topics is reviewed from a systems ecology perspective. The ecological topics include system dynamics (linearity vs. nonlinearity, steady vs. non-steady state behavior) and indirect effects. The environmental topics are global change, overpopulation, biodiversity, and sustainability. A comprehensive hypothesis is formulated to emphasize that two kinds of science are needed, one empirical focusing on what is immediate and tangible, and the other theoretical dealing with what is indirect and intangible. Empirically based environmentalism is attentive to only the first. The hypothesis has the following elements: (1) Living processes degrade their immediate and nearby environments. (2) A maximum power principle holds that this degradation should be as quick and complete as possible. (3) By direct harnessing of maximum power, biota perform work to maximize their fitness (Type I, biological), at the cost of degraded environments. The life-environment relationship therefore becomes win-lose. (4) Maximum power also contributes to a network property, dominant indirect effects, giving rise to (5) network synergism that converts proximate interactions, mainly (+, −), and negative ones (−,−) to predominantly positive (+, +) relations, which become quantitatively dominant. (6) In following the indirect line from maximum power to network synergism, biota do work that maximizes both their own and their environment's fitness (Type II, biological and ecological). By this, the life-environment relationship becomes win-win. (7) This hypothesis has a built-in paradox: the invisible positive benefits deriving from the network synergism → Fitness-II line are (i) proportional to, and (ii) greater in magnitude than, the negative costs generated by the tangible, immediate, maximum power → Fitness-I line. (8) Therefore, environmental programs designed to power down to reduce environmental degradation will reduce not only Fitness-I, but also Fitness-II by foregoing the network synergism benefits that exceed the maximum power costs. (9) Misguided environmentalism could then produce the worst case of a lose-lose life-environment relationship. (10) Environmentalism must resolve and manage this apparent conflict, and ecology as its foundational science must expand to provide the knowledge to do so.
Measuring The Energetic Cost Of Burying An Arginine Sidechain Into A Lipid Bilayer Using A Transmembrane Protein

Arginine is not a hydrophobic amino acid. On its own, an arginine sidechain would face a large energetic barrier to entry into the apolar core of a lipid bilayer. But, would a similarly high barrier also exist for an arginine if it were part of a whole transmembrane protein? Whether or not that barrier is high, how would such an arginine interact with a lipid bilayer? The answers to these questions will likely have implications on the normal functioning of some ion channels and also on the abnormal mis-folding of some other membrane proteins. Here we attempt to experimentally measure the free energy cost of burying an arginine into the apolar core of a lipid bilayer when that arginine is on the otherwise hydrophobic surface of a transmembrane protein. We also attempt to uncover some molecular details about how the misplaced arginine and its neighboring lipids behave. The transmembrane protein we use is the Outer Membrane Pospholipase A (OmpLa) of E. Coli. We engineered OmpLa to have an arginine at each of several positions that, in the crystal structure of the wild-type protein, face the apolar environment of the lipid bilayer. We then measured the thermodynamic stability of the wild-type protein and of each of the sequence variants by chemical denaturation. We only made these measurements when the proteins appeared to be at reversible equilibrium between folded and denatured states. We also characterized the folded states of each protein by fluorescence spectroscopy and by a functional assay. Those characterizations revealed additional information about how the lipid bilayers may accommodate an arginine.
An observational H-R diagram for early-type stars

An observational H-R diagram for the O and B stars is discussed and compared with the predicted positions of massive model stars for the case of no mass loss and the case of mass loss. It is shown that the flux effective temperatures of O and B supergiants and of early O stars are less than the effective temperatures which might be inferred from the relative intensities of lines from two stages of ionization of an element.
Plasmid and chromosomal DNA replication and partitioning during the Caulobacter crescentus cell cycle.

Abstract Cell division in Caulobacter crescentus yields a swarmer and a stalked cell. Only the stalked cell progeny is able to replicate its chromosome, and the swarmer cell progeny must differentiate into a stalked cell before it too can replicate its chromosome. In an effort to understand the mechanisms that limit chromosomal replication to the stalked cell, plasmid DNA synthesis was analyzed during the developmental cell cycle of C. crescentus, and the partitioning of both the plasmids and the chromosomes to the progeny cells was examined. Unlike the chromosome, plasmids from the incompatibility groups Q and P replicated in all C. crescentus cell types. However, all plasmids tested showed a ten- to 20-fold higher replication rate in the stalked cells than the swarmer cells. We observed that all plasmids replicated during the C. crescentus cell cycle with comparable kinetics of DNA synthesis, even though we tested plasmids that encode very different known (and putative) replication proteins. We determined the plasmid copy number in both progeny cell types, and determined that plasmids partitioned equally to the stalked and swarmer cells. We also re-examined chromosome partitioning in a recombination-deficient strain of C. crescentus, and confirmed an earlier report that chromosomes partition to the progeny stalked and swarmer cells in a random manner that does not discriminate between old and new DNA strands.
Older Men's Social Participation: The Importance of Masculinity Ideology

The central question was, independent of marital status and health, is the satisfaction that older men derive from their social networks linked to gender ideology? Based on the 135 older men within...
Seasonal affective disorder: is there light at the end of the tunnel?

ABSTRACTSeasonal affective disorder, which is underdiagnosed in the primary care setting, is a mood disorder subtype characterized by episodic major depression that typically develops in winter when daylight hours are short. Patients with SAD experience increased morbidity and decreased quality of l
Serotonin alters an inwardly rectifying current (Ih) in rat cerebellar Purkinje cells under voltage clamp

The effects of serotonin (5-HT) on the hyperpolarization-activated sodium-potassium inward current (H-current: Ih) were examined in cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) under current- and voltage-clamp conditions. Quasi-steady state current versus voltage relationships under voltage clamp conditions showed that 5-HT decreased the inward rectification at potentials negative to -70 mV with a corresponding decrease in the slope conductance. In 70% of PCs, 5-HT produced dose-related attenuations of the Ih current with corresponding decreases in slope conductances across a range of hyperpolarized potentials. A negative shift in the Ih activation curve was elicited by 5-HT so that the amplitude of Ih current active near rest and at more hyperpolarized ranges was decreased. Serotonin-induced inhibition of Ih shows some receptor subtype selectivity in that DOI, the 5-HT2/IC receptor agonist, most closely mimicked the actions of 5-HT. This study reveals a novel inhibitory action of 5-HT on Ih in cerebellar Purkinje cells which may contribute to direct inhibitory effects of 5-HT on spontaneous firing and modulatory actions on gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-mediated responses to PCs.
Neutron diffraction studies of Pr2C3, Nd2C3, and Dy2C3 at 300 to 1.6°K

Abstract Neutron diffraction measurements have shown that the body-centered cubic Pr2C3, Nd2C3, and Dy2C3 become antiferromagnetic below 8, 24, and 22°K, respectively, all exhibiting the Tb2C3-type magnetic structure. In the uniaxial moment model having two antiferromagnetic and two paramagnetic body diagonals, the saturation order moments per metal atom are 1.3, 3.0, and 9.5 Bohr magnetons, respectively, being 41, 92, and 95% of the respective free ion values. Pr2C3 shows an exceptionally large crystal field effect. The antiferromagnetic alignment is uninfluenced by the applied field of up to 21 kOe. The crystal structure data at 300 to 1.6°K are also given. A brief review is presented on the physical properties of the rare earth sesquicarbides.
Exploring convergence for SCADA Networks

This paper describes the design and implementation of the CONES (COnverged NEtworks for SCADA) realtime middleware toolkit aimed at supporting convered SCADA networks. CONES provides 1) host based process management, 2) network resource management and 3) host based network resource management. These capabilities collectively provide a basis for convergence of SCADA networks while ensuring that isolation and timeliness properties of all SCADA applications (e.g., protection, monitoring and maintenance) are supported as per the requirements of those applications. We provide an architecture, an advanced prototype implementation and extensive experimentation results to demonstrate the feasibility of CONES.
Properties of Heusler-type materials Fe2TSi and FeCo2Si☆

Abstract A number of 3d, 4d and 5d elements are substituted into Fe3Si in an attempt to form Heusler-like alloys. It is found that with the heat treatment followed, only the 3d elements V, Mn and Co form Heusler alloys. Substitution of the other elements produces polyphase materials. For such elements the limits of solubility in Fe3Si are determined. For the Heusler alloys the data on degrees of disorder, hyperfine fields and magnetization are presented. These studies, in addition, test the already known site preferences of the transition metal impurities in Fe3Si at high impurity concentrations.
Adsorption/Desorption of Copper by a Sandy Soil Amended with Various Rates of Manure, Sewage Sludge, and Incinerated Sewage Sludge

Organic amendments are sometimes applied to agricultural soils to improve the physical, chemical, and microbiological properties of the soils. The organic fractions in these soil amendments also influence metal reaction, particularly the adsorption and desorption of metals, which, in turn, determine the bioavailability of the metals and hence their phytotoxicities. In this study, a Quincy fine sandy (mixed, mesic, Xeric Torripsamments) soil was treated with 0 to 160 g kg−1 rates of either manure, sewage sludge (SS), or incinerated sewage sludge (ISS) and equilibrated in a greenhouse at near field capacity moisture content for 100 days. Following the incubation period, the soil was dried and adsorption of copper (Cu) was evaluated in a batch equilibration study at either 0, 100, 200, or 400 mg L−1 Cu concentrations in a 0.01M CaCl2 solution. The desorption of adsorbed Cu was evaluated by three successive elutions in 0.01M CaCl2. Copper adsorption increased with an increase in manure rates. At the highest r...
Effects of lovastatin and pravastatin on sleep efficiency and sleep stages.

The effects on sleep of two 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (40 mg lovastatin and 40 mg pravastatin) were evaluated in 12 normal subjects in a double-blind placebo-controlled sleep laboratory study. Subjects were randomly assigned to each of two parallel groups (lovastatin and pravastatin). Each parallel-group protocol consisted of 22 consecutive nights including 4 placebo-baseline nights, 2 weeks of drug administration, and 4 placebo-withdrawal nights. Lovastatin did not disturb sleep initially (nights 5 through 7) but, with continued administration (nights 16 through 18), it significantly and markedly increased wake time after sleep onset and stage 1 sleep compared with baseline. By contrast, pravastatin was not associated with sleep disturbance either initially or with continued use. Neither drug caused any sleep disturbance after withdrawal. Lovastatin's sleep disturbing effects with continued administration are attributed to its high degree of lipophilicity in contrast with the hydrophilicity of pravastatin. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1991) 50, 730–737; doi:10.1038/clpt.1991.213
Efficacy of the bulbourethral autologous sling in treating male stress urinary incontinence: a three-year experience from a single center.

Aim To evaluate the efficacy of the bulbourethral rectus autologous sling in treating male stress urinary incontinence.
Overview of Search Engine Spamming

Summary form only given. Web spamming refers to actions intended to mislead search engines into ranking some pages higher than they deserve. The amount of Web spam has increased dramatically, leading to a degradation of search results. In this paper the author presents a taxonomy of spamming techniques, which he believes can help in developing appropriate countermeasures. He also describes some of spam detection techniques they have developed at Stanford