cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Karl May Westerns and the Conquest of the American West

Less than a century ago, the Far West was still a land which was unknown. It attracted all kinds of men; pioneers, seeking a new home; adventurers seeking excitement and gold. But the West also attracted the outcasts of society; criminals, chased by the forces of law and order; bandits; killers; tramps. And then, there were those who fought for the cause of justice. Such a man was Charles Vaillant, known as Old Shatterhand, a hunter and trapper. His friend and blood brother was Winnetou, chief of the Apaches. We shall follow them through the valleys and drags of the mountains. We shall live with them the adventure of a desperate struggle for the possession of fabulous wealth.1 So starts the first West German Western, The Treasure of Silver Lake, released in 1962. The two main characters, Old Shatterhand and Winnetou, discover the site of the ambush of a stagecoach. Following the trails, they enter a nearby town, where they promise a young man to help avenge the death of his father. It turns out that Engel, the murdered man, had half of the map that was to lead him, his son Fred, his business partner Patterson, and Patterson’s daughter Ellen, to the treasure buried in the Silver Lake area. Led by Winnetou and Old Shatterhand, Engel’s son Fred and two other frontiersmen know they need to leave immediately to find the bandits.
Redistribution of pyrogenic carbon from hillslopes to stream corridors following a large montane wildfire

Pyrogenic carbon (PyC) constitutes a significant fraction of organic carbon in most soils. However PyC soil stocks are generally smaller than what is expected from estimates of PyC produced from fire and decomposition losses, implying that other processes cause PyC loss from soils. Surface erosion has been previously suggested as one such process. To address this, following a large wildfire in the Rocky Mountains (CO, USA), we tracked PyC from the litter layer and soil, through eroded, suspended, and dissolved solids to alluvial deposits along river sides. We separated deposited sediment into high- and low-density fractions to identify preferential forms of PyC transport, and quantified PyC in all samples and density fractions using benzene polycarboxylic acid markers. A few months after the fire, PyC had yet to move vertically into the mineral soil and remained in the organic layer or had been transported off site by rainfall driven overland flow. During major storm events PyC was associated with suspended sediments in river water, and later identified in low-density riverbank deposits. Flows from an unusually long-duration and high magnitude rain storm either removed or buried the riverbank sediments approximately one year after their deposition. We conclude that PyC redistributes after wildfire in patterns that are consistent with erosion and deposition of low-density sediments. A more complete understanding of PyC dynamics requires attention to the interaction of post-fire precipitation patterns and geomorphological features that control surface erosion and deposition throughout the watershed. Index Terms: Carbon Cycling, Soils, Biogeochemistry.
Building a palliative radiation oncology program: From bedside to B.E.D.

Abstract A growing body of evidence supports the integration of palliative care with standard cancer treatments. In these situations, patients often experience a better quality of life, better quality of care, decreased cost, and, in some cases, improved survival with the addition of palliative care services to traditional treatment pathways. In this manuscript, we explore the integration of radiation oncology at palliative care. First, we discuss the impetus for change at Vanderbilt University and the inception of Vanderbilt's inpatient Palliative Radiation Oncology Service at Vanderbilt. Second, we discuss the growth of palliative care and how this invites innovative collaborative care delivery models. As you will see, this mutually beneficial relationship expands new service lines, brings radiation oncology interventions and expertise to more patients seen by palliative care specialists, and improves overall care for some of the sickest, most vulnerable patients in the health care system. As we move away from fee-for-service and toward bundled and global-based strategies, there will be further emphasis on supportive and palliative care services at the end of life. Understanding how radiation oncology can evolve is ever more relevant.
A survey on GaN- based devices for terahertz photonics

With fast growing of the photonics and power electronic systems, the need for high power- high frequency semiconductor devices is sensed tremendously. GaN provides the highest electron saturation velocity, breakdown voltage and operation temperature, and thus combined frequency-power performance among commonly used semiconductors. With achieving the first THz image in just two decades ago, generation and detection of terahertz (THz) radiation is one of the most emerging photonic areas. The industrial needs for compact, economical, high resolution and high power THz imaging and spectroscopy systems are fueling the utilization of GaN for the realizing of the next generation of THz systems. As it is reviewed in this paper, the mentioned characteristics of GaN together with its capabilities of providing high 2-dimentional election densities and large longitudinal-optical phonon of ~90 meV, make it one of the most promising semiconductor materials for the future of the THz generation, detection, mixing, and frequency multiplication. GaN- based devices have shown capabilities of operating in the upper THz frequency band of 5- 12 THz with relatively high photon densities and in room temperature. As a result, THz imaging and spectroscopy systems with high resolutions and depths of penetrations can be realized via utilizing GaN- based devices. In this paper, a comprehensive review on the history and state of the art of the GaN- based electronic devices, including plasma HFETs, NDRs, HDSDs, IMPATTs, QCLs, HEMTs, Gunn diodes and TeraFETs together with their impact on the future of THz imaging and spectroscopy systems is provided.
The Potential Role of Combined Highly Sensitive Troponin and Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography in the Evaluation of Patients with Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Emergency Department

The evaluation and triage of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains to be challenging despite available guidelines and clinical evidence. The current guidelines in the USA recommend clinical risk assessment based on cardiovascular risk factors followed by serial electrocardiograms and conventional cardiac troponin measurements, which are supplemented by advanced non-invasive cardiac testing in the majority of patients. This approach is safe, but leads to a lengthy work-up and high cost of care. There is clinical need for diagnostic strategies that will lead to rapid and reliable triage of patients with suspected ACS. In this review, we will summarize the experience and evidence for the use of highly sensitive troponin (hsTn) in the rapid and efficient evaluation of patients with suspected ACS. We will also review the available literature on the use of coronary computed tomography angiography (CTA) in the rapid evaluation of patients with suspected ACS. We will discuss the opportunities for the combined use of hsTn and coronary CTA in this population. Finally, we will outline the possible implementation of combined use of hsTn and coronary CTA in the evaluation of patients with suspected ACS in the ED.
Imprinting of Bobwhite Quail to a Hawk

An attempt was made to imprint 18 Bobwhite Quail chicks 8–20 hours old to a Sparrow Hawk, using a Hess-type circular runway. Seven quail were strongly imprinted to this avian predator.
Financial Aid and College Persistence: Do Student Loans Help or Hurt?

Using data from two freshmen cohorts at a public research university (N = 3730), this study examines the relationship between loan aid and second-year enrollment persistence. Applying a counterfactual analytical framework that relies on propensity score (PS) weighting and matching to address selection bias associated with treatment status, the study estimates that loan aid exerts a significant negative effect on persistence for students from low-income background (i.e., Pell eligible), and those taking up high amounts of loans in order to meet total cost of attendance, including students who exhausted the available amount of subsidized loan aid. However, no significant incremental effect associated with unsubsidized loan aid, net of subsidized loan aid, could be detected. The estimated effect of loan aid on persistence controls for first-year academic experience and takes into account 26 factors related to loan selection and persistence in order to match students with loan aid to a counterfactual case in covariate adjusted regression. Comparison with results from non-matched-sample analysis suggests selection bias may mask the negative effect of loans detected with matched-sample estimation. Validity of covariates determining the loan selection process and criteria for acceptable balance in the matched data are discussed, and implications for future research are addressed.
Flagellar motility, extracellular proteases and Vibrio cholerae detachment from abiotic and biotic surfaces

Vibrio cholerae of serogroups O1 and O139, the causative agent of Asiatic cholera, continues to be a major global health threat. This pathogen utilizes substratum-specific pili to attach to distinct surfaces in the aquatic environment and the human small intestine and detaches when conditions become unfavorable. Both attachment and detachment are critical to bacterial environmental survival, pathogenesis and disease transmission. However, the factors that promote detachment are less understood. In this study, we examine the role of flagellar motility and hemagglutinin/protease (HapA) in vibrio detachment from a non-degradable abiotic surface and from the suckling mouse intestine. Flagellar motility facilitated V. cholerae detachment from abiotic surfaces. HapA had no effect on the stability of biofilms formed on abiotic surfaces despite representing >50% of the proteolytic activity present in the extracellular matrix. We developed a balanced lethal plasmid system to increase the bacterial cyclic diguanylate (c-di-GMP) pool late in infection, a condition that represses motility and HapA expression. Increasing the c-di-GMP pool enhanced V. cholerae colonization of the suckling mouse intestine. The c-di-GMP effect was fully abolished in hapA isogenic mutants. These results suggest that motility facilitates detachment in a substratum-independent manner. Instead, HapA appears to function as a substratum-specific detachment factor.
Euplotid: A quantized geometric model of life

Life as we know it has continued to shock and amaze us, consistently reminding us that truth is far stranger than fiction. Euplotid is a quantized geometric model of life, a first attempt at quantifying, using planck9s constant geometric shape as its base, the incredibly combinatorial complexity that defines a living cell. By beginning from the very bottom we are able to build the pieces, which when hierarchically and combinatorially combined, can produce the emergent complex behavior that even a single celled organism can show. Euplotid is composed of a set of quantized geometric 3D building blocks and constantly evolving bioinformatic pipelines encapsulated and running in Docker containers enabling a user to build and annotate the local regulatory structure of every gene starting from raw sequencing reads of DNA-interactions, chromatin accessibility, and RNA-sequencing. Reads are quantified using the latest computational tools and the results are normalized, quality-checked, and stored. The local regulatory neighborhood of each gene is built using a Louvain based graph partitioning algorithm parameterized by the chromatin extrusion model and CTCF-CTCF interactions. Cis-Regulatory Elements are defined using chromatin accessibility peaks which are then mapped to Transcription Start Sites based on inclusion within the same neighborhood. Deep Neural Networks are trained in order to provide a statistical model mimicking transcription factor binding, giving the ability to identify all TFs within a given chromatin accessibility peak. By in-silico mutating and re-applying the neural network we are able to gauge the impact of a transition mutation on the binding of any human transcription factor. The annotated output can be visualized in a variety of 1D, 2D, 3D and 4D ways overlaid with existing bodies of knowledge, such as GWAS results or PDB structures. Once a particular CRE of interest has been identified by a biologist the difficulty of a Base Editor mediated transition mutation can be quantitatively observed and induced in a model organism.
Beauty is the Beast: Suzuki Sumiko and Prewar Japanese Horror Cinema

The 1930s were crucial years in the development of the horror film as an international genre of popular cinema. At the same time Hollywood hits like Dracula and Frankenstein made global icons of th...
Effects of Shallowness

The most important geometrical approximation in geophysical fluid dynamics stems from the effective shallowness of the fluid layers relative to global horizontal scales of atmospheric and oceanic flow. In the present chapter we shall study this approximation in the simplest setting of an incompressible inviscid fluid of constant density, with uniform body force (gravitation) acting vertically downwards. The resulting approximate description of motion in a frame which rotates about a vertical axis is usually referred to as rotating shallow-water theory.
Characterizing the influence of resource-energy-exergy factors on the environmental performance of additive manufacturing systems

Abstract Additive manufacturing is rapidly emerging as an alternative to conventional manufacturing, including subtractive processes, often attributed to its claim for sustainable product development, e.g., reduced cost, reduced energy and material use, and the distributed production of tailored consumer products. However, many of these benefits remain unsubstantiated for large-scale production. The aim of the research herein is to identify and characterize the factors influencing the systemic environmental performance of additive manufacturing as an end use of energy, using exergy analysis and life cycle assessment. These methods have been previously applied to evaluate the environmental performance of conventional and non-conventional manufacturing processes, and offer a validated approach to explore the environmental impacts of additive manufacturing with respect to systemic material and energy losses. In this study, the environmental impacts of direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) of iron metal powder and fused deposition modeling (FDM) of acrylonitrile styrene acrylate polymer filament are characterized by performing a thermodynamic (exergy) analysis of the resources and energy utilized and lost from cradle to gate. It is found that only 10% of total DMLS process inputs contribute to material processing, while 90% of the inputs are lost as bulk waste, heat, and work. For FDM, it is found that only 7% of total process inputs contribute to material processing, while 93% are lost. Following the exergy analysis, life cycle assessment is performed to characterize the environmental impacts of the exergy losses using single-issue indicator (Global Warming Potential, GWP) and aggregate indicator (ReCiPe 2008) methods. The results show that electricity consumption is a key contributor to both focal processes and their related upstream processes. The systemic GWP for DMLS is 69 kg CO2 equivalent, while for FDM it is 89 kg CO2 equivalent, per kilogram of material processed. Using the ReCiPe 2008 method, damage to human health is predicted to outweigh damage to ecosystem quality and resource availability for the DMLS process. For the FDM process, damage to human health and resource availability are predicted to outweigh damage to ecosystems quality. This work concludes that electrical energy use is the key contributor to systemic environmental impacts of additive manufacturing. Thus, it is imperative that we identify solutions to generate clean electrical energy, reduce electricity transmission losses, reduce material processing energy use, and design products that enable efficient additive manufacturing.
Evolution of the Freshwater Coastal Current at the Southern Tip of Greenland

AbstractShipboard hydrographic and velocity measurements collected in summer 2014 are used to study the evolution of the freshwater coastal current in southern Greenland as it encounters Cape Farew...
In the Heat of the Summer: The New York Riots of 1964 and the War on Crime. By Michael W. Flamm. (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2016. Pp. 368. $34.95.)

In this book, the author tells readers that the purpose for his study is to challenge the generalized belief that “the long hot summer” of the 1960s began with the 1965 Los Angeles Watts Riot. Mich...
Mmse-Based Autocorrelation Sampling for Comprime Arrays

Sampling the physical-array autocorrelations is the initial processing step in standard direction-of-arrival (DoA) estimation with coprime arrays. These samples are then organized into an autocorrelation matrix estimate of a uniform-linear virtual coarray, which in turn is used for DoA estimation. Existing autocorrelation-sampling approaches provide the exact coarray autocorrelation matrix for asymptotically large sample support; however, they attain arbi-trary/suboptimal mean-squared estimation error (MSE) for lim-ited/low sample support. In this work, we present a minimum- MSE (MMSE) approach for autocorrelation sampling. The proposed method offers a superior autocorrelation-matrix estimate that can attain higher DoA estimation accuracy than the standard counterparts.
Abstract TMP45: An Intensive Multidisciplinary Protocol for Improving Adherence to CPAP Therapy During Inpatient Rehabilitation May Improve Recovery in Stroke Patients

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with worse outcome after stroke. Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may improve recovery after stroke but has been limited by poor adherence. Methods: In a single-arm ongoing study, adults with stroke underwent an intensive CPAP adherence protocol during inpatient rehabilitation, including motivational interviewing and help with CPAP by nurses and respiratory therapists. A 3-night run-in period of auto-titrating CPAP was used to test for tolerance and to diagnose OSA, based upon the apnea-hypopnea index and flow resistance. Qualifying patients were asked to continue CPAP for 3 months. The outcomes included CPAP adherence, defined as ≥ 4 hours of use on ≥ 70% of nights, and stroke recovery, measured by change in NIH Stroke scale (NIHSS) and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) over 3 months. Results: During the run-in, 39 of 60 (65%) patients had presumed OSA, 5 (8%) had no evidence of OSA, 4 (7%) had evidence of central slee...
Response and Recovery of Low-Salinity Marsh Plant Communities to Presses and Pulses of Elevated Salinity

In estuaries, future variation in sea level and river discharge will lead to saline intrusion into low-salinity tidal marshes. To investigate the processes that control the differential response and recovery of tidal freshwater marsh plant communities to saline pulses, a 3 × 5 factorial greenhouse experiment was conducted to examine the effects of a range of salinity levels (3, 5, and 10 practical salinity units (PSU)) and pulse durations (5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 days per month) on community composition of tidal freshwater marsh vegetation. Recovery of perturbed communities was also examined after 10 months. The results showed that community composition was increasingly affected by the more-saline and longer-duration treatments. The increasing suppression of salt-sensitive species resulted in species reordering, decreased species richness, and decreased aboveground biomass. Most of the plant species were able to recover from low-salinity, short-duration saline pulses in less than 1 year. However, because not all species recovered in the heavily salinized treatments, species richness at the end of the recovery period remained low for treatments that were heavily salinized during the treatment period. In contrast, plant aboveground biomass fully recovered in the heavily salinized treatments. Although the magnitude and duration of pulsed environmental changes had strong effects on community composition, shifts in community composition prevented long-term reductions in productivity. Thus, in this study system, environmental change affected species composition more strongly than it did ecosystem processes.
Modeling and optimization of a supply chain of renewable biomass and biogas: Processing plant location

Abstract Because of its sustainability, less environmental pollution and high profitability, rapidly growing number of the bio-methane gas (BMG) production systems implies successful commercialization in the new economic venture for renewable bioenergy. Covering from the collection and storage of feedstock (crops, grass, wood residue, and livestock waste) to the distribution of end product, this paper concerns with the optimization of supply chain cost for a BMG production system. The BMG production process is divided into four stages (collecting feedstock to the hubs, transporting feedstock from hubs to reactor(s), then transporting BMG from reactor(s) to condenser(s) and finally shipping the liquefied BMG from condensers to demand points. A mixed-integer mathematical model is proposed to optimally locate the hubs (to collect feedstock) and the BMG plants (reactors and condensers) so as to minimize the total cost of operating this supply chain system for renewable energy. The optimal solutions for the model cannot be readily obtained through convex optimization due to the complexity of the constrained objective function involving with mixed-integer variables. A genetic algorithm is devised to find the optimal solution and several numerical experiments are conducted to verify its performances. Large instances of the representative problems are solved with better quality solutions efficiently and the solution quality overpowers the existing solutions obtained by traditional Lingo and other comparable software. The impact of the model and solution approaches have both technological advancement in solving such problems and economic value to the biogas energy generation.
Design and implementation of Sonic based fire extinguisher system

It is known that the technological advancements are increasing at a faster pace. But the utilization of technologies in various sectors are very low. People have witnessed various accidents caused by fire. The Common system consists of a water based automated fire extinguisher system. This might cause water shortage if the water level is very low. This cannot reduce the fire in critical situations. The system is only partly efficient.So we propose a system where we can efficiently control the fire using Sound based Fire extinguisher. The sound waves are utilized to reduce the fire by performing various processes.The proposed system overcomes the drawback in the existing system. The system here consists of a Frequency generator. The frequency generator is used to generate a signal of particular frequency. Based on the user input a particular frequency is provided to the PWM driver. The PWM driver is controlled by the Arduino controller. Now the PWM driver provides the frequency to the amplifier circuit. The amplifier amplifies the frequency and provides the output to the FET transistor. The output generated is efficient to clear the fire present in an area. If fire occurs in office it will be detected using temperature sensor and sonic fire extinguisher will be activated. Using camera located in that place also the fire will be detected and fire extinguisher will be activated.
Fraud Risk Management Over Financial Reporting: A Contingency Theory Perspective

Fraud risk management an integral part of managing modern organizations. We examine the role that contingency variables play in fraud risk management. We consider environmental uncertainties, organization strategy, and organization size and note negative effects on fraud risk management. We argue that the prospector strategy is more likely to result in stronger controls and hence reduce the likelihood that fraud will be reported in the financial statements. On the other hand, when organizations choose a defender strategy, they are less likely to have strong controls, and there is an increased likelihood of fraud.
Silicon Photonics and Integrated Photonic Switches

Silicon photonics has emerged as a promising solution to address the interconnect bottleneck in high performance computing (HPC) systems and data centers. Silicon photonics provides unprecedented I/O bandwidth, enabling ultrahigh aggregated bandwidth (~ 10 Tbps), high bandwidth density (~ Tbps/mm), and high energy efficiency (~ pJ/bit). In addition, silicon photonics also enable optical switching with large radix and short switching time. This talk will provide an overview of the state of the art of silicon photonic switches, with emphasis on new micro-electromechanical-system (MEMS)-actuated switching mechanism. Large scale switches with 64x64 and 128x128 port counts have been demonstrated, as well as wavelength-selective switches with 8x8 ports and 8 wavelengths. Future scaling to even larger port count will be discussed.
5-Formylcytosine-induced DNA–peptide cross-links reduce transcription efficiency, but do not cause transcription errors in human cells

5-Formylcytosine (5fC) is an endogenous epigenetic DNA mark introduced via enzymatic oxidation of 5-methyl-dC in DNA. We and others recently reported that 5fC can form reversible DNA–protein conjugates with histone proteins, likely contributing to regulation of nucleosomal organization and gene expression. The protein component of DNA–protein cross-links can be proteolytically degraded, resulting in smaller DNA–peptide cross-links. Unlike full-size DNA–protein cross-links that completely block replication and transcription, DNA–peptide cross-links can be bypassed by DNA and RNA polymerases and can potentially be repaired via the nucleotide excision repair (NER) pathway. In the present work, we constructed plasmid molecules containing reductively stabilized, site-specific 5fC–polypeptide lesions and employed a quantitative MS-based assay to assess their effects on transcription in cells. Our results revealed that the presence of DNA–peptide cross-link significantly inhibits transcription in human HEK293T cells but does not induce transcription errors. Furthermore, transcription efficiency was similar in WT and NER-deficient human cell lines, suggesting that the 5fC–polypeptide lesion is a weak substrate for NER. This finding was confirmed by in vitro NER assays in cell-free extracts from human HeLa cells, suggesting that another mechanism is required for 5fC–polypeptide lesion removal. In summary, our findings indicate that 5fC-mediated DNA–peptide cross-links dramatically reduce transcription efficiency, are poor NER substrates, and do not cause transcription errors.
Gamma-Radiations from Zr 95 and Nb 95

By employing lead absorption coincidence counting techniques, and scintillation spectrometry, it has been shown that each beta-ray of ${\mathrm{Nb}}^{95}$ is followed by a gamma-ray of energy 0.76\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02 Mev and that most of the beta-rays of the parent element ${\mathrm{Zr}}^{95}$ are followed by a single gamma-ray at 0.73\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02 Mev. A disintegration scheme is proposed.
Investigation and analysis of occupational exposure factors in an enterprise processing waste electronic products

Objective: To identify and to analyze occupational exposure factors generating from production process in an enterprise processing waste electronic products, to provide scientific evidences for protection measures. Methods: From June to October 2017, seven waste electrical and electronic product processing enterprises in a province were selected as the research objects. These seven enterprises all include refrigerator dismantling line, washing machine dismantling line, air conditioning dismantling line, TV/computer dismantling line, CRT cutting line. Some enterprises also have circuit board line, wet precious metal recycling line, plastic crushing line, plastic granulating line and other deep processing operations such as precious metal recycling of waste circuit board, waste plastic crushing and recycling. The data were collected by the methods of occupational health field investigation and occupational health testing, and the exposure level of occupational hazard factors was evaluated by combining the effect of the protective facilities of occupational health engineering. Results: the main occupational hazard factors of waste electrical and electronic products treatment enterprises were dust, noise, heavy metal, flame retardant, mercury, fluoride, cyanide, sodium hydroxide, hydrochloric acid and nitric acid. 145 effective samples were obtained from heavy metal sampling, including 102 individual samples and 43 fixed-point long-term samples. Among them, 8 samples lead exceeded the standard, all occurred in the TV dismantling line. In addition to flame retardants, plasticizers, insecticides and other components can be detected by high-throughput qualitative analysis using liquid chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Finally, 123 effective 8-h equivalent sound level values were obtained by individual noise detection, 86 of which exceeded the standard, with a rate of 69.9%. Conclusion: there are potential occupational hazards in the process of dismantling waste electrical and electronic products.
Influence of teleconnections on night-time minimum temperature variability in the Southwestern U.S.

Night-time minimum temperatures are increasing, faster than day-time maximum temperatures. They are also strongly connected to key outcomes such as health, vegetation, and crop productivity, and therefore changes in the distributions of night-time minimum temperatures have strong impacts on living systems. Night-time minimum temperatures are also related to teleconnections, which are indices that capture climate phenomenon occurring on a large spatial and temporal scale. As autocorrelated sequences, teleconnections are predictable and therefore inform distributions of weather in the near future. In this paper, we link four well-known teleconnections to night-time minimum temperatures in the American Southwest. These teleconnections are covariates for the mean process, but also for the variance, which is modelled as an exponential generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedastic process (AR-EGARCH). The resulting models are used to estimate the probability of a low temperature event across the phases of each teleconnection, demonstrating the impact each teleconnection has on variability of night-time minimum temperatures.
Rethinking “Disinvestment”: Historical geographies of predatory property relations on Chicago’s South Side:

As vacancy in Rust Belt cities becomes a focal point of planning and policy efforts, Chicago planners and private institutions attribute it to “disinvestment” and seek to remove barriers to real es...
Common genetic variants associated with obesity in an African-American and Hispanic/Latino population.

Introduction Over 35% of all adults in the world are currently obese and risk of obesity in racial or ethnic minority groups exist in the US, but the causes of these differences are not all known. As obesity is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, an improved understanding of risk factors across racial and ethnic groups may improve outcomes. Objective The objective of this study was to determine if susceptibility to obesity is associated with genetic variation in candidate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos. Materials and methods We examined data from 534 African Americans and 557 Hispanic/Latinos participants from the UIC Cohort of Patients, Family and Friends. Participants were genotyped for the top 26 obesity-associated SNPs within FTO, MC4R, TUB, APOA2, APOA5, ADIPOQ, ARL15, CDH13, KNG1, LEPR, leptin, and SCG3 genes. Results The mean (SD) age of participants was 49±13 years, 55% were female, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 31±7.5 kg/m2. After adjusting for age and sex, we found that rs8050136 in FTO (odds ratio [OR] 1.40, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-1.8; P = 0.01) among African Americans and rs2272383 in TUB (OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.04-1.71; P = 0.02) among Hispanic/Latinos were associated with obesity. However, none of the SNPs in multivariable analysis of either AA or H/L cohorts were significant when adjusted for multiple correction. Conclusions We show that candidate SNPs in the FTO and TUB genes are associated with obesity in African Americans and Hispanic/Latinos individuals respectively. While the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms by which common genetic variants cause obesity remain unclear, we have identified novel therapeutic targets across racial and ethnic groups.
The History of Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen as a Theranostic Target in Prostate Cancer: The Foundational Role of the Prostate Cancer Foundation

Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) is a credentialed imaging and therapy (theranostic) target for the detection and treatment of prostate cancer. PSMA-targeted positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and molecular radiotherapy (MRT) are promising evolving technologies that will improve the outcomes of prostate cancer patients. In anticipation of this new era in prostate cancer theranostics, this article will review the history of PSMA from discovery, through early and late stage clinical trials. Since 1993, the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) has funded critical and foundational PSMA research that established this theranostic revolution. The history and role of PCF funding in this field will be discussed.
On the Equality of Modal Damping Power and the Average Rate of Transient Energy Dissipation in a Multimachine Power System

This letter establishes a relationship between the concepts of damping torque and the dissipation of transient energy in a multimachine power system with constant power loads. To that end, we present a mathematical proof showing that, for a poorly-damped mode, the total damping power stemming from the interaction of electromagnetic torques and rotor speeds is approximately equal to the average rate of transient energy dissipation in the system corresponding to the modal oscillation. This is verified with numerical studies on the IEEE 2-area 4-machine and 5-area 16-machine test systems.
Forest managers’ response to climate change science: Evaluating the constructs of boundary objects and organizations ☆

Abstract Land managers lack locally relevant climate change science and are urgently calling for research to inform management. We conducted four climate change workshops in the U.S. northern Rocky Mountains and applied multiple methods of inquiry to understand whether the boundary organization (workshops) and objects (climate change science products) were perceived as credible and useful. Perceived credibility and usefulness increased overall, and regional-scale hydrologic information was deemed most useful. Regression models found that intention to use climate change science was predicted by usefulness, credibility, and organizational barriers. We discuss the importance of uncertainty, visualization, and best practices for effective climate change deliberation using boundary objects and organizations at the research–management interface.
Panel: program portability across parallel architectures SIMD/MIMD/SPMD/shared/distributedspl hellip/

How can a user write a program to be portable and efficient across widely different parallel architectures, such as SIMD, MIMD, shared-memory, distributed memory, workstation clusters, etc.? The following issues are considered: what language should be used; how appropriate is one language for different applications; how efficient can a portable program be; and how will efficiency be achieved. >
CDS Auctions and Recovery Rates: An Appraisal

Among the most important types of derivatives to appear in recent years are credit default swaps. The ability of CDS to separate credit risk exposure from ownership of the debt securities issued by a risky borrower is a major step in risk management. But the mechanics of the CDS market have been problematical, including the fact that there can easily be more protection purchased and sold through CDS than there are bonds subject to that risk in existence. Originally, in the case of a credit event the protection buyer would deliver bonds issued by the defaulting borrower to the protection seller, who was obligated to buy them at par value. This physical settlement process has recently been replaced by cash settlement, in which the payoff is based on bond prices established in an auction of the deliverable bonds. But as Sundaram explains, this is not a simple auction. In this article, he describes its complexities and comments on its potential problems.
Model theory and the content of OT constraints

We develop an extensible description logic for stating the content of optimalitytheoretic constraints in phonology, and specify a class of structures for interpreting it. The aim is a transparent formalisation of OT. We show how to state a wide range of constraints, including markedness, input–output faithfulness and base–reduplicant faithfulness. However, output–output correspondence and ‘ intercandidate ’ sympathy are revealed to be problematic : it is unclear that any reasonable class of structures can reconstruct their proponents’ intentions. But our contribution is positive. Proponents of both output–output correspondence and sympathy have offered alternatives that fit into the general OT picture. We show how to state these in a reasonable extension of our formalism. The problematic constraint types were developed to deal with opaque phenomena. We hope to shed new light on the debate about how to handle opacity, by subjecting some common responses to it within OT to critical investigation.
Influence of surface-area estimation on rates of plagioclase weathering determined from naturally weathered 3400 y old Hawaiian basalt

Dimensions of plagioclase (An65) crystals in a polished thin section of naturally weathered 3400 y old Hawaiian basalt were measured by scanning electron microscopy (in backscattered electron imaging mode). The three-dimensional shape, size, volume and surface area of the plagioclase crystals were then estimated using the method of Morgan and Jerram (2006). The weathering rate of plagioclase (mass loss divided by initial geometric surface area during 3400 y) is − 12.116 log10 mol m−2 s−1. This weathering rate represents a time span (3.4 ka) intermediate between laboratory experimental timescales and the ages of regoliths in field studies of natural weathering rates. Weathering rates of the same plagioclase are recalculated using different assumptions concerning the method of estimating surface area, including simple geometric surface area and geometric surface area adjusted for surface roughness. Varying assumptions about surface area result in variations of up to two orders of magnitude in rates estimated from the same basic crystal geometry. The slowest rate estimated here approaches but does not fall within the range of previously determined field rates of plagioclase weathering.
Developmental expression of a turgor-responsive gene that encodes an intrinsic membrane protein

We previously reported that the pea (Pisum sativum) gene, Trg31, shows increased transcription and elevated mRNA levels in plant tissues which are dehydrated and lose turgor. The protein encoded by Trg31 is homologous to members of the MIP intrinsic membrane protein superfamily. Expression of Trg31 was characterized during pea seedling development and in transgenic tobacco using Trg31 promoter::Gus fusions. In pea, Trg31 mRNA abundance was highest in roots followed by flowers, stems and leaves. In roots, Trg31 mRNA levels were highest in non-elongating regions and low in root tips. In dark-grown seedlings, Trg31 mRNA levels were high in stems and illumination caused mRNA abundance in stems to decrease. Histochemical analysis of transgenic tobacco expressing Trg31 promoter::Gus constructs showed high GUS activity in root to shoot and hypocotyl to cotyledon junctions and cotyledons in germinating seedlings. High activity was also observed in the leaf marginal meristem and trichomes. In more mature seedlings, Trg31 promoter activity was observed in the non-elongating portion of the root and in stems especially in the vascular tissue. A gradient of expression was noted in leaf to stem junction zones with highest expression in the younger tissues. Very high expression was observed in stems of flowers and other floral tissues including the calyx, corolla, style, ovules, pods and pollen. This expression pattern suggests that the Trg31 gene product may facilitate transport from sources, through transmitting tissues to sinks.
Hysteroscopic sterilization in women with severe cardiac disease: experience at a tertiary center.

OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility and effectiveness of hysteroscopic sterilization as a minimally invasive sterilization method for women with high-risk cardiac disease. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS In a retrospective cohort study, 18 women with high-risk cardiac conditions that strictly contraindicated pregnancy were compared with a reference cohort of 157 women without cardiac disease. All underwent microinsert hysteroscopic sterilization at Mayo Clinic from January 2003 through February 2007. End points included successful placement, fallopian tube patency determined by hysterosalpingogram 3 months after the procedure, and pregnancy status. RESULTS Women in the cardiac cohort were younger than those in the reference cohort (median age, 25 vs 39 years; P P P P =.41), successful bilateral device placement (100% vs 95%; P >.99), postoperative pain score (median, 0 for both groups; P =.87), or length of hospitalization (median, 6 vs 6 hours; P =.63). No intraoperative complications occurred. Follow-up hysterosalpingography showed high tubal occlusion rates in both cohorts (100% cardiac; 98% reference; P >.99). No pregnancies occurred during a median follow-up period of 20 months (interquartile range, 8-33 months). CONCLUSION For women with cardiac disease and strict contraindications for pregnancy, microinsert hysteroscopic sterilization provided minimally invasive, permanent, and reliable contraception.
Dosimetric effects of the prone and supine positions on image guided localized prostate cancer radiotherapy.

Abstract Purpose To compare target coverage and doses to rectum and bladder in IMRT of localized prostate cancer in the supine versus prone position, with the inclusion of image guidance. Materials and methods Twenty patients with early stage localized prostate carcinoma who received external beam radiotherapy in the supine and prone positions underwent approximately 10 serial CT examinations in their respective treatment position in non-consecutive days, except for one patient who was treated prone but serially imaged supine. The prostate, bladder and rectum were contoured on all CT scans. A PTV was generated on the first scan of each patient's CT series by expanding the prostate with a 5mm margin and an IMRT plan was created. The resultant IMRT plan was then applied to that patient's remaining serial CT scans by aligning the initial CT image set with the subsequent serial CT image sets using (1) skin marks, (2) bony anatomy and (3) center of mass of the prostate. The dosimetric results from these three alignments were compared between the supine and prone groups. To account for the uncertainties associated with prostate delineation and intra-fractional geometric changes, a fictional "daily PTV" was generated by expanding the prostate with a 3mm margin on each serial CT scan. Thus, a more realistic target coverage index, V95, was quantified as the fraction of the daily PTV receiving at least 95% of the prescription dose. Dose–volume measures of the organs at risk were also compared. The fraction of the daily PTV contained by the initial PTV after each alignment method was quantified on each patient's serial CT scan, and is defined as PTV overlap index. Results As expected, alignment based on skin marks yielded unacceptable dose coverage for both groups of patients. Under bony alignment, the target coverage index, V95, was 97.3% and 93.6% for prone and supine patients ( p p p p Conclusions Soft-tissue alignment combined with 5mm planning margins is appropriate in minimizing treatment planning and delivery uncertainties in both the supine and prone positions. Alignment based on bony structures showed improved results over the use of skin marks for both supine and prone setups. Under bony alignment, the dose coverage and PTV overlap index for prone setup were statistically better than for supine setup, illustrating a more consistent geometric relationship between the prostate and the pelvic bony structures when patients were treated in the prone position.
Experimental alteration of the oncogenicity of frog tumor cell-viral fractions. 1.

SummaryRenal adenocarcinomas can be induced in Rana pipiens with equal success after injection of virus containing cell fractions derived from either the cytoplasmic or nuclear portion of renal tumor cells with intranuclear inclusions. The latter result supports the contention that a nuclear herpes-type virus (HTV) is implicated in tumor induction. Brief periods of sonication do not alter the oncogenicity of either cell fraction. Pretreatment of the viral cell fractions with a proteolytic enzyme or lyophilization of the fractions prior to injection destroys all oncogenic action. Postinjection heat shock of the injected embryos also prevent the formation of renal tumors. Postinjection cold treatment of induced tumors results in formation of intranculear inclusions, an index of viral replication.
LoGPC: modeling network contention in message-passing programs

In many real applications, for example those with frequent and irregular communication patterns or those using large messages, network contention and contention for message processing resources can be a significant part of the total execution time. This paper presents a new cost model, called LoGPC, that extends the LogP [9] and LogGP [4] models to account for the impact of network contention and network interface DMA behavior on the performance of message-passing programs.We validate LoGPC by analyzing three applications implemented with Active Messages [11, 18] on the MIT Alewife multiprocessor. Our analysis shows that network contention accounts for up to 50% of the total execution time. In addition, we show that the impact of communication locality on the communication costs is at most a factor of two on Alewife. Finally, we use the model to identify tradeoffs between synchronous and asynchronous message passing styles.