cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of mechanical abrasion on the viability, disruption and germination of spores of Bacillus subtilis.

Aims: To elucidate the factors influencing the sensitivity of Bacillus subtilis spores in killing and disrupting by mechanical abrasion, and the mechanism of stimulation of spore germination by abrasion. Methods and Results: Spores of B. subtilis strains were abraded by shaking with glass beads in liquid or the dry state, and spore killing, disruption and germination were determined. Dormant spores were more resistant to killing and disruption by abrasion than were growing cells or germinated spores. However, dormant spores of the wild-type strain with or without most coat proteins removed, spores of strains with mutations causing spore coat defects, spores lacking their large depot of dipicolinic acid (DPA) and spores with defects in the germination process exhibited essentially identical rates of killing and disruption by abrasion. When spores lacking all nutrient germinant receptors were enumerated by plating directly on nutrient medium, abrasion increased the plating efficiency of these spores before killing them. Spores lacking all nutrient receptors and either of the two redundant cortex-lytic enzymes behaved similarly in this regard, but the plating efficiency of spores lacking both cortex-lytic enzymes was not stimulated by abrasion. Conclusions: Dormant spores are more resistant to killing and disruption by abrasion than are growing cells or germinated spores, and neither the complete coats nor DPA are important in spore resistance to such treatments. Germination is not essential for spore killing by abrasion, although abrasion can trigger spore germination by activation of either of the spore's cortex-lytic enzymes. Significance and Impact of the Study: This work provides new insight into the mechanisms of the killing, disruption and germination of spores by abrasion and makes the surprising finding that at least much of the spore coat is not important in spore resistance to abrasion.
Molecular Dynamics and Normal Mode Analysis of Biomolecular Rigidity

Normal modes analyses continue to occupy an important niche in dynamical analyses of biomolecules by providing a compact and analytical representation of an important limiting case. The directions of the low-frequency modes often provide useful quantities for description of correlated motion even in the presence of significant anharmonicity. Extensions to disordered or significantly anharmonic systems provide interesting insights into protein dynamics, and suggest new approaches to the analysis of experiments and molecular dynamics simulations.
Politics on the Pitch: The Impact Political Regimes Have on FIFA World Cup Success at Younger and Senior Levels*

Objective This study explores the impact that regime type has on the success of men's national teams in the FIFA World Cup. Methods The article uses data for all World Cups between 1930 and 2010, as well as data for all qualification campaigns between 1970 and 2010. It employs an ordinary least squares (OLS) model to ascertain statistical correlations. Results I find that democracies have higher winning percentages at senior levels both during the actual World Cup and during the respective qualification campaigns. The opposite trend is found at the younger levels where authoritarian regimes are more likely to find success on the pitch during and after qualification. Conclusions Regime type seems to play a role in the success of national teams. The article argues that this is because while authoritarian regimes can cobble together enough raw talent at the younger levels, this advantage disappears at later stages because democracies are more likely to develop the necessary additional ingredients that can allow professional soccer to thrive—competitive leagues, innovative tactics, and further development of natural abilities.
Comparative survey of outdoor, residential and workplace radon concentrations.

This study investigated radon concentrations in above-ground (i.e. first floor) workplace in Missouri and compared them with above-ground radon concentrations in nearby homes and outdoor locations. This study also examined the potential utility of using home and outdoor radon concentrations to predict the radon concentration at a nearby workplace (e.g. county agencies and schools). Even though workplace radon concentrations were not statistically different from home radon concentrations, the radon concentration at a particular home, or outdoor location, was a poor predictor of the radon concentration at a nearby workplace. Overall, 9.6 and 9.9 % of homes and workplace, respectively, exhibited radon concentrations of ≥148 Bq m−3. Because of the percentage of workplace with elevated radon concentrations, the results suggest that additional surveys of workplace radon concentrations are needed, especially in areas of high radon potential, to assess the contribution of workplace radon exposure to an individual's overall radon exposure.
Atypical presentations of neurological illness in the elderly.

The vicissitudes of aging make diagnosis of neurological disorders in the elderly especially challenging. The manifestations of neurological disease are often varied and confusing, and also may be misleading, since they may indicate a non-neurological condition. The atypical clinical manifestations of several age-prevalent neurological disorders are reviewed, along with appropriate diagnostic strategies. Language: en
Educating Young Women to be Global Leaders: A Model

The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimates that over 40 million girls worldwide are not being given the same opportunity to attend primary schools as boys. The World Academy for the Future of Women (WAFW) leadership preparation program for young women is working to change that statistic and many others regarding the inclusion of women in global society. A survey was conducted to ascertain the knowledge, perceptions, and opinions of the participants who are university students from various schools of study at the university who demonstrate leadership qualities and the facilitators who deliver the leadership content, concerning the WAFW. A key component of the Academy is the eight modules of study which seeks to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG). The intent of our study was to gather initial data on the value of the Academy. The majority (93 % of respondents) of the responses indicate knowledge of the vision, mission, and goals of the WAFW. The responses overall indicate value in continuing the WAFW; 93 % of the respondents knew and believed in the oath they had taken; after completing the modules, almost 88 % of the young women believed that they had inner strength would allow them to be global leaders and that WAFW was critical to being successful women. Similarly, 88 % of the WAFW members understood how to utilize the problem solving skills they learned to generate new strategies and approaches to solve global problems. We believe this research to be significant as it is supported by World Bank research (2016) that says “Empowering women and girls is not only the right thing to do: It’s also smart economics and vital to ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity”—women cannot be empowered if they lack the opportunity for education and leadership knowledge and skills. Without a seat at the global decision making table, gender inequality will remain a global issue.
Research on Information Security Technology of Smart Substation

Smart substation with the characteristics of networking, digitalization and standardization is more easily attacked by external and internal than conventional substation, so we must strengthen the information security of smart substation. In this paper, the main security threats of smart substation system are analyzed, and the corresponding security technical solutions are presented. Simulation results show that these security technologies can effectively resist these security threats.
Effect of inhaled triamcinolone on bronchial hyperreactivity and airways obstruction in asthma.

We measured changes in methacholine bronchial hyperreactivity and airways obstruction in 37 asthmatics treated with inhaled triamcinolone for 6 weeks. All received regular bronchodilator therapy but not steroids or cromolyn. Initial studies included spirometry and the provocative concentration of methacholine required to decrease the FEV1 by 20% (PC20). Patients were randomized into two groups: those given inhaled triamcinolone, 200 micrograms four times daily (T) by metered dose inhaler, and those given a placebo inhaler (P). Daily AM and PM peak flow measurements were recorded, while PC20 and pulmonary function tests were obtained at 3 and 6 weeks. Change in canister weight was used to determine treatment compliance. The PC20 of T increased from a baseline 1.00 mg/mL to 2.90 mg/mL at 6 weeks, whereas in P it decreased from 1.15 mg/mL to 1.05 mg/mL. Percent change in PC20 (delta PC20) for each patient was defined as: [(PC20(week 6)--PC20(baseline]/PC20 (baseline)] X 100. At 6 weeks, this was 290% in T versus 65% in P (P less than .05). Likewise, at 6 weeks T was significantly greater than P with respect to: delta FEV1 (4.1% versus -3.8%, P less than .05) and delta FEF25-75% (20.3% versus -5.6%, P less than .01). Patients were further separated into higher and lower complier subgroups. In T, higher compliers showed more improvement at 6 weeks than lower compliers in: delta PC20 (533.3 versus 67.8%, P less than .05), delta FEV1 (8.7 versus -1.7%, P less than .01), and delta FEF25-75% (31.9 versus 1.1%, P less than .01). These data suggest that triamcinolone improves bronchial hyperreactivity as well as airways obstruction.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Academic Advancement and Gender: A Comparative Analysis

Academic advancement and in particular female academic advancement appears to be shaped by the institutional culture of academies. Some systems have more positions relative to the size of the population—Finland, S. Korea, Norway, and the U.S. are the most expanded. Some systems have a greater proportion of senior positions than others—Japan, Canada, and Mexico are notable. Some systems may be more gender biased than others—Mexico and possibly some of the Western European systems. Women have made impressive advances in the academies of most of the countries for which chronological data is available both overall and at the professorial rank. While overall female academics are not as advanced as male academics, the difference can be explained away by the liabilities women face in academe (as seen in interactions).
Pharmacists' perceptions of advancing public health priorities through medication therapy management

Background: Public health priorities can be addressed by pharmacists through channels such as medication therapy management (MTM) to optimize patient and population outcomes. However, no studies have specifically assessed pharmacists’ perceptions of addressing public health priorities through MTM.Objective: The objective of this study was to assess pharmacists’ opinions regarding the feasibility and appropriateness of addressing seven areas of public health priority through MTM services to impact public health in direct patient care settings.Methods: An anonymous 37-question electronic survey was conducted to evaluate Ohio pharmacists’ opinions of advancing seven public health priorities identified from Healthy People 2020 (family planning, preconception care, smoking cessation, immunizations, nutrition/biometric wellness assessments, point-of-care testing, fall prevention) through MTM activities; to identify potential barriers; and to collect demographic information. The cross-sectional survey was sent to a random sample of 500 pharmacists registered with the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy.Results: Seventy-six pharmacists responded to the survey, resulting in a 16% response rate. On average, it took respondents 5-10 minutes to complete the survey. The majority of respondents thought that each of the seven public health priorities were “important” or “very important” to patient health; the most commonly identified areas included smoking cessation, immunizations, and fall prevention (97.5%). When asked to indicate which of the seven areas they thought they could potentially have a role to provide services through MTM, on average pharmacists picked 4 of the priority areas. Only 6.6% indicated there was no role for pharmacists to provide MTM services for any of the listed categories. Staffing, time, and reimbursement represented the most commonly perceived barriers for pharmacists in providing MTM services. Fifty-seven percent indicated an interest in learning more about MTM, with 98% of responders selecting continuing education as the preferred source.Conclusion: The majority of pharmacists indicated they could make an impact on public health priorities through MTM services.
Mechanical properties of the aorta: a review.

Measurement and calculation of the mechanical properties of the aorta depend on a number of factors, including the degree of surgical invasion, vasomotor tone, tissue hydration, physical contact (i.e., the presence of a strain gauge), and the use of inside or outside diameter. Measurements on the aorta using angiography, transit-time determination, and echocardiographic techniques yield the most consistent values for parameters, including PVD, Ep, and Eo. Values of these parameters are listed in Table 7 and range from about 8 to 12.0% (PVD), 337 to 741 g/cm2 (Ep), and 0.33 to 3.6 x 10(6) dyn/cm2 (Eo) for human ascending aorta. Measurements made with invasive techniques tend to result in lower values of PVD and higher values of elastic moduli. Modeling studies focus on predicting the mechanical properties of a viscoelastic, anisotropic tube. Difficulty arises in modeling aorta because of hysteresis and the large deformations that are associated with physiologic loading patterns. Various forms of the strain-energy density function have been used to model relationships between stress and strain in three dimensions; however, they have limited value in understanding the mechanism of time-dependent stress transfer between fibrous and nonfibrous components found in aortic tissue. The ultimate utility of these models will include improved understanding of the physical basis of deformation of this important tissue and the mechanisms of premature failure associated with different disease processes.
Medical Marijuana and Marijuana Legalization

State-level marijuana liberalization policies have been evolving for the past five decades, and yet the overall scientific evidence of the impact of these policies is widely believed to be inconclusive. In this review we summarize some of the key limitations of the studies evaluating the effects of decriminalization and medical marijuana laws on marijuana use, highlighting their inconsistencies in terms of the heterogeneity of policies, the timing of the evaluations, and the measures of use being considered. We suggest that the heterogeneity in the responsiveness of different populations to particular laws is important for interpreting the mixed findings from the literature, and we highlight the limitations of the existing literature in providing clear insights into the probable effects of marijuana legalization.
PB&J: The Rise and Fall of an Iconic American Dish

The rise of the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and its potential decline illustrate major themes in recent U.S. history. The growing popularity of the PB&J in the twentieth century reflected changing family structures and child-rearing practices as well as the evolution of food production and consumption. From the 1950s to the 1990s, the PB&J symbolized how much parents (particularly mothers) cared about their children. However, health concerns eventually tarnished the sandwich9s iconic image. This article argues that the PB&J became an iconic dish by bridging social divisions based on age, gender, and income levels in the United States.
A Cost Comparison for Telehealth Utilization in the Kidney Transplant Waitlist Evaluation Process.

BACKGROUND There have been limited publications on telehealth utilization in transplantation with no prior reports of telehealth-related costs for pretransplant evaluations. The aim of this study is to compare costs throughout the evaluation process for those patients assessed initially by telehealth with those seen in-person. METHODS All patients approved for kidney transplant waitlist evaluation at our center from March 2013 thru May 2016 with decisions were included in this study. Patients approved for evaluation were scheduled for either an initial telehealth or in-person visit, partly based on patient factors. Clinically related and travel-related costs were calculated. Time estimates for patient time needed to complete visit, time from application approval to initial visit, and time from application approval to decision were obtained. Comparisons were made using t tests. RESULTS Thirty-nine months were included for 302 patients. All categories of clinically or travel-related costs were significantly less for the telehealth cohort (P < 0.0001). Total mean cost per patient was US $656.11 versus US $1108.91 for the cohort initially evaluated by telehealth versus in-person (P < 0.001). The time needed to complete an evaluation (1.7 vs 2.4 days, P < 0.001) and the time to initial evaluation (51.4 vs 87.9.0 days, P < 0.001) were significantly less in the telehealth cohort. The cohort seen by telehealth was older with increased comorbidities (<0.001). CONCLUSIONS As telemedicine applications continue to proliferate, we present our experience with telehealth for initial kidney transplant waitlist evaluations with associated reductions in cost and time which may also improve access to transplantation.
Simple Culture-Informed Cognitive Models of the Adversary

Simple cognitive models of the adversary are useful in a variety of domains, including national security analysis. Having alternative models can temper the tendency to base strategy on the best-estimate understanding of the adversary, and can encourage building a strategy that is better hedged and more adaptive. Best estimates of adversary thinking have often been wrong historically. Good cognitive models must avoid mirror-imaging, which implies recognizing ways in which the adversary’s reasoning may be affected by history, culture, personalities, and imperfect information, as well as by objective circumstances. This paper describes a series of research efforts over three decades to build such cognitive models, some as complex computer programs and some exceptionally simple. These have been used to represent Cold-War Soviet leaders, Saddam Hussein, Kim Jong Il, and modern-day leaders of al Qaeda. Building such models has been a mixture of art and science, but has yielded useful insights, including insights about the sometimes-subtle influence of leaders’ decision-making culture.
STINGel: Controlled release of a cyclic dinucleotide for enhanced cancer immunotherapy

Recent advancements in the field of immunotherapy have yielded encouraging results for the treatment of advanced cancers. Cyclic dinucleotides (CDNs) are a powerful new class of immunotherapy drugs known as STING (Stimulator of Interferon Genes) agonists, currently in clinical trials. However, previous studies of CDNs in murine cancer models have required multiple injections, and improve survival only in relatively nonaggressive tumor models. Therefore, we sought to improve the efficacy of CDN immunotherapy by developing a novel biomaterial we call "STINGel." STINGel is an injectable peptide hydrogel that localizes and provides controlled release of CDN delivery, showing an 8-fold slower release rate compared to a standard collagen hydrogel. The carrier hydrogel is a positively charged, MultiDomain Peptide (MDP) which self-assembles to form a nanofibrous matrix and is easily delivered by syringe. The highly localized delivery of CDN from this nanostructured biomaterial affects the local histological response in a subcutaneous model, and dramatically improves overall survival in a challenging murine model of head and neck cancer compared to CDN alone or CDN delivered from a collagen hydrogel. This study demonstrates the feasibility of biomaterial-based immunotherapy platforms like STINGel as strategies for increasing the efficacy of CDN immunotherapies.
Impact of military type footwear and workload on heel contact dynamics during slip events

Abstract Introduction Slips, trips and falls due to an induced loss balance have been identified as the leading cause of occupational injuries. This study aimed to analyze the impact of two military boots, standard boot (STD) and minimalist boot (MIN) on slip events, before (PRE) and after (POST) a military type load carrying task. Methods Sixteen male participants (age: 27 ± 3.9 years; height: 178 ± 6.2 cm, mass: 87 ± 12.4 kg) were tested for heel kinematics using motion capture, during unexpected (US) and expected slips (ES) both before and after the task. Slip parameters of heel slip distance (HSD) and mean heel slip velocity (MHSV) were analyzed with a 2 (STD × MIN) × 2 (PRE × POST) × 2 (US × ES) repeated measures ANOVA. Results Significantly greater HSD (p = 0.002) and MHSV (p = 0.001) were demonstrated in STD compared to MIN, regardless of the load carrying workload and the type of slip. No significant interactions between boots, workload and slip type were found. MIN exhibited a greater percent of non-hazardous slips compared to STD. Conclusions Greater HSD and MHSV seen in STD, suggests that MIN performed better under slippery conditions. The military type workload and the type of slip did not appear to influence slip parameters, with boot differences seen as the major influence on these slip outcomes. MIN boot's better performance could be attributed to the minimalist sole, tread and groove pattern, lighter mass and flexible shaft aiding in better maneuvering under slippery conditions. Relevance to industry Slip outcomes in two different military boots, before and after a military type load carrying workload are addressed. The lighter minimalist tactical boot outperformed the standard tactical boot, under slippery conditions. Findings from this study will help offer suggestions for footwear design in the military, especially for maneuvering slippery environment.
Swelling Transitions in Layer-by-Layer Assemblies of UCST Block Copolymer Micelles

An upper critical solution temperature (UCST) block copolymer, poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile)-b-polyvinylpyrrolidone (P(AAm-co-AN)-b-PVP), was synthesized by reversible addition–fragmentation ch...
Understanding Drug Allergies and Drug Toxicities

Clinicians are often confronted with choosing an antibiotic to treat an infection in a patient whose medical record carries an allergy warning. On one hand, allergic reactions are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and increased health care costs. On the other hand, using substitute antibiotics for patients without evidence of true allergies contributes to inappropriate use of broad-spectrum agents, increased costs, and resistance. Discrepancies between medical records and reviews based on patient interviews have questioned the validity of allergy information obtained from medical records. The term antibiotic “allergy” is often inappropriately used to characterize any adverse drug reaction.
Exploring Student Perceptions of Involvement in Professional Recreation Organizations.

This study examines the professional organizational involvement and perceptions of undergraduate students. An important educational objective for any profession is to encourage student professional...
Integrated Potential-Field and Seismic Reflection Studies of the Midcontinent Rift in Eastern Lake Superior

Potential-field studies have historically played a major role in delineating the 2000 km extent of the Midcontinent Rift (MCR) that occurs beneath the overlying Phanerozoic strata of the craton. Recently, the acquisition of high resolution aeromagnetic data in addition to deep crustal seismic reflection surveys has provided investigators the opportunity to perform integrated geophysical studies that result in more quantitative, less ambiguous interpretations. Magnetic modeling algorithms have been developed to take advantage of the magnetic data in an attempt to gain a more detailed perspective of the structural and stratigraphic aspects of the Keweenawan volcanic rocks associated with the MCR in eastern lake Superior. In addition, gravity data modeled in conjunction with seismic reflection and refraction constraints provide further information on the distribution of rift-filling sedimentary rocks as well as rift-related lower crustal modification.
Predictive Modeling of Longitudinal Data for Alzheimer’s Disease Diagnosis Using RNNs

In this paper, we study the application of Recurrent Neural Networks (RNNs) to discriminate Alzheimer’s disease patients from healthy control individuals using longitudinal neuroimaging data. Distinctions between Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and healthy subjects in a multi-modal heterogeneous longitudinal dataset is a challenging problem due to high similarity between brain patterns, high portions of missing data from different modalities and time points, and inconsistent number of test intervals between different subjects. Due to these challenges, to distinguish AD patients from healthy subjects, conventionally researchers use cross-sectional data when applying deep learning methods in neuroimaging applications. Whereas we propose a method based on RNNS to analyze the longitudinal data. After carefully preprocessing the data to alleviate the inconsistency due to different data sources and various protocols of capturing modalities, we arrange the data and feed it into variations of RNNs, i.e., vanilla Long Short Term Memory (LSTM) and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The accuracy, F-score, sensitivity, and specificity of our models are reported and are compared with the most immediate baseline method, multi-layer perceptron (MLP).
Limitations of Using Pediatric Respiratory Illness Readmissions to Compare Hospital Performance.

BACKGROUNDAdult hospital readmission rates can reliably identify meaningful variation in hospital performance; however, pediatric condition-specific readmission rates are limited by low patient volumes.OBJECTIVETo determine if a National Quality Forum (NQF)-endorsed measure for pediatric lower respi
Natural History of Cervical Degenerative Disorders

Cervical spondylosis is a naturally occurring, age-related phenomenon that can be seen radiologically in 95% of males and 70% of females over the age of 70. It is characterized by degenerative changes affecting the vertebrae, intervertebral discs, facets, and associated ligaments. Starting in the third decade of life, there is a progressive loss of water content of the intervertebral disc that continues with age. This is due to a loss of glycosaminoglycan proteins, which attract molecules of water due to their high molecular weight and overall negative charge, located in the nucleus pulposus. As water molecules leave the nucleus pulposus, this results in a less elastic and more compressible disc that bulges into the spinal canal. At the same time, the vertebral bodies drift toward each other, and the ligamentum flavum and the facet joint capsule fold in dorsally. The combination of these events ultimately decreases the dimensions of the neural foramen and spinal canal. The approximation of the vertebral bodies leads to a reactive process that produces osteophytes around the margins of the disc and at the uncovertebral and facet joints. Radiculopathy in cervical spondylosis is the result of compression either by a hypertrophied facet joint or uncovertebral joints, disc protrusion, spondylotic spurring of the vertebral body, or any combination of these processes. Subacute radiculopathy occurs in patients with pre-existing cervical spondylosis, and these patients often develop symptoms which are polyradicular in nature.
Ipscs - A Platform To Study Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract Recent genetic studies have demonstrated that a significant amount of the liability to develop autism traces to rare mutations at a single locus, some of which are de novo, and CNVs. Genetic variations in hundreds of genes have been implicated. However, no individual cause accounts for more than 1% of ASD cases. Few, if any, of the variants are specific to the core ASD phenotype. Many are associated with other disorders, most often epilepsy and intellectual handicap, suggesting significant overlap in the etiology of these disorders. In addition to rare alleles of major effect, association studies suggested involvement of numerous common variants with smaller effects. Together, these studies underscore that ASD risk likely involves many different genes and distinct modes of inheritance among individuals. Developing animal models of autism will be extremely difficult. Core symptoms of ASD, including deficits in social communication, imagination and curiosity are difficult to model well in other organisms. Mechanisms underlying ASDs need to be studied in human patients and in cells that share the genetic background of these patients. Currently, studying neurons derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is the only viable method of studying live developing neurons from ASD patients, with their genetic background maintained. In the last decade, our group has identified cellular and molecular phenotypes for rare but highly penetrant forms of ASD such as Timothy Syndrome. Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, and 22q11 deletion syndrome. Our results and those from other laboratories suggest that on a transcriptomic level ASD associated genes have some overlapping functions and converge on downstream regulatory pathways and are involved in altered synaptic structure and disrupted neuronal differentiation. Due to the cost, labor, and expertise needed to derive and functionally characterize neurons from hiPSCs, to date, very few have examined idiopathic forms of ASD, and the number of cell lines investigated has been very small. As part of an effort funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) our group at Stanford recruited 300 individuals with ‘idiopathic’ ASD including matched controls into a hiPSC biobank. This effort provides unique opportunities to compare results obtained by studying neurons derived from patients with rare but highly penetrant forms of ASD to those derived from patients with ‘idiopathic’ ASD.
Outer radiation belt losses by magnetopause incursions and outward radial transport: new insight and outstanding questions from the Van Allen Probes era

Abstract Here, we review the results from the Van Allen Probes era (2012 to present) concerning the loss of outer radiation belt electrons via magnetopause incursions and outward radial transport. Magnetopause incursions involve the sudden inward motion of the magnetopause in response to enhanced solar wind dynamics and/or magnetic pressure; such incursions can result in sudden losses of electrons through the magnetopause. Any nonadiabatic outward radial transport also results in outer radiation belt losses, and such losses can be enhanced owing to sharp gradients in radial distributions following magnetopause incursions, enhanced wave activity that can resonate with drifting electrons, or bifurcated drift orbits. The most recent observational and modeling results present evidence supporting the importance of these loss processes for relativistic electrons in Earth’s outer radiation belt, particularly during strong, sudden loss events known as flux “dropouts.” However, there is an ongoing debate concerning the relative importance of magnetopause and outward transport losses as compared with those from wave scattering into Earth’s atmosphere. We finish with a discussion of outstanding questions and suggestions for future studies.
Chapter 11.1 – Desertification

Desertification, an intentionally foreboding term, is at its core land degradation in dryland environments. After nearly 40 years of international attention, the analysis of the causes and consequences of land degradation in dryland systems remains shrouded in the nuanced complexities of multiple interwoven variables (biophysical, anthropogenic, and climatic) working simultaneously to bring about change in these ecologically and socially vulnerable areas. In order to fully grasp the complexities of desertification, this chapter follows a fivefold approach. First, it provides a synthesis of the history and politicization of the term. Second, it establishes desertification's geospatial context. Third, it identifies the interrelated drivers of land degradation and their impacts, with special focus placed on North Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Fourth, it outlines the current approaches to studying land degradation and desertification. Finally, it concludes by situating the desertification dynamic in the context of sustainability and poverty eradication.
Posthypoxic Myoclonus and Its Management

Posthypoxic myoclonus (PHM) is a possible sequela of acute hypoxic events. An acute form and a chronic form (the latter also referred to as Lance-Adams syndrome, LAS) have been described. Acute PHM is usually associated with a poor prognosis. LAS, instead, is characterized by myoclonus presenting or persisting as patients regain consciousness. It can improve over time, and when additional neurological symptoms are present those are usually mild. Differentiating these two phenotypes based on clinical and neurophysiological assessments (such as electroencephalogram recordings and somatosensory evoked potentials) is not always straightforward, although very important because of the different prognostic implications. There are differences in therapeutic approaches for acute and chronic PHM because of the different nature of the myoclonus (cortical vs. subcortical or a combination of the two) and concurrent events. Multidrug approaches are usually required in both settings, mostly leveraging antiepileptic medications. In patients with persistent and debilitating LAS, multistep and even surgical approaches, such as deep brain stimulation, can be attempted to maximize functional recovery.
Motor neuronal control of tail-directed and head-directed siphon responses in Aplysia californica.

1. Cutaneous stimulation of opposite ends of the body causes qualitatively different siphon responses: tail stimulation causes flaring and backward bending (the siphon T response), whereas head sti...
Incorporating Longitudinal Aspects into Mortality Research Using Social Security Administrative Record Data

This paper describes the resources available in the [U.S.] Social Security administrative record system that can be utilized for the study of health and mortality determination. Studies that have used the administrative record data for mortality research are discussed. Particular attention is given to the Continuous Work History Sample and its usefulness for mortality research. (EXCERPT)
Coupled thermohydroelasticity phenomena in variably saturated fractured porous rocks ‐‐ formulation and numerical solution

Abstract The physicochemical environment of geologic systems is host to various coupled thermal, hydraulic, mechanical and chemical processes that take place continually at varying rates, dependent on the nature and strength of the sources of these processes in the systems. Scientific interest in these coupled physicochemical processes in the earth's crust, in general, and economic and environmental concerns related to waste geologic disposal, in particular, have resulted in many research efforts aimed at understanding the coupled thermal, hydrologic, chemical, and mechanical (THMC) behavior of geologic systems subject to complex natural or man-made perturbations. In this chapter, the physical aspects of the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical behavior (THM) are investigated. The work begins with a presentation of background development in the theoretical aspects of the THM phenomena followed by a search in the literature for the THM solution methodologies developed up to the present time. After this review of the state of the art, we first derive the (macroscopic) governing equations for simultaneous occurrences of coupled processes in fully saturated fractured porous media.Next, we propose general field equations for the coupled thermohydroelastic response of variably saturated rocks. This section is complemented by the development of an alternative formulation for the specific cases of weakly non-isothermal conditions. Following these fundamental developments, we offer a finite-element solution methodology and the related algorithms for the solution of the coupled THM problems in variably saturated porous fractured rocks subject to the condition of weak nonisothermal conditions. Finally, solutions of a number of THM sample problems addressing thermoelastic consolidation, flow to a heater test hole, thermohydraulic fracturing, post closure far-field effect in a hypothetical High Level Nuclear Waste Repository (HNLW) and the effects of placement of a HNLW canister and bentonite overpack, are discussed. The solutions to these problems were obtained using the ROCMAS code developed at the Berkeley National Laboratory, which embodies the formulation for low-temperature, coupled thermohydroelasticity phenomena.
Measures of Solution Accuracy in Case-Based Reasoning Systems

The case-based reasoning (CBR) methodology can be augmented with the ability to determine the confidence in the correctness of individual solutions. A confidence calculation can be added to the REUSE portion of the CBR methodology. The confidence calculation takes confidence indicators, like “number of cases retrieved with best solution” and “average similarity of cases which suggest an alternative solution,” and generates a confidence value. The information gain algorithm C4.5 can be used to select the best confidence indicators by evaluating their usefulness in historical cases. A genetic algorithm can be used to optimize and maintain the confidence calculation.
Perspective on prostate cancer screening.

Cancer screening has become an obligatory appendix to all periodic and continuity care of adults. It is ritualistic and seldom questioned. It is discrete and modular and so easily audited for 'quality'. Its impact on actual health ranges from slightly helpful to slightly harmful, and even these conclusions are usually more than slightly speculative. While, in some cases, the existing data includes the probability of an occasional life saved, all screening programmes increase many-fold the lifetime chance of confronting a false alarm and thus becoming, for a time, a cancer patient.
Deterministic w Automata vis-a-vis Deterministic Buchi Automata

ω-automata are finite state automata that accept infinite strings. The class of ω-regular languages is exactly the set accepted by nondeterministic Buchi and L- automata, and deterministic Muller, Rabin, and Streett automata. The languages accepted by deterministic Buchi automata (DBA) form a strict subset of the class of ω-regular languages. Landweber characterized deterministic Ω-automata whose languages are realizable by DBA. We provide an alternative proof of Landweber's theorem and give polynomial time algorithms to check if a language ℒ specified as a deterministic Muller, L-, Streett, or Rabin automaton can be realized as a DBA. We identify a sub-class of deterministic Muller, L-, Streett, and Rabin automata, called Buchi-type automata, which can be converted to an equivalent DBA on the same transition structure in polynomial time. For this subset of Ω-automata, our transformation yields the most efficient algorithms for checking language inclusion-important for computer verification of reactive systems. We prove that a deterministic L- (DLA) or Rabin automaton (DRA), unlike deterministic Muller or Streett automata, is Buchi-type if and only if its language is realizable as a DBA. Therefore, for languages that are realizable as DBA, DBA are as compact as DRA or DLA.
An L^p definition of interpolating Blaschke products

We give a new characterization of interpolating Blaschke products in terms of LP-norms of their reciprocals. We also obtain a characterization of finite unions of interpolating sequences.
New and improved determinations of velocity of Ice Streams B and C, West Antarctica

Measurements of velocity have been made on and next to Ice Streams B and C, West Antarctica. The results are more precise than previous work and constitute a 93% increase in the number of values. These velocities are used to describe the confluence of flow into the ice streams and the development of fast ice- stream flow. The onset of fast-streaming flow occurs in many separate tributaries that coalesce down-glacier into the major ice streams. For those inter-stream ridges that have been studied, the flow is consistent with steady state. Along Ice Stream B, gradients in longitudinal stress offer little resistance to the ice flow. The transition from basal-drag control to ice-shelf flow is achieved through reduced drag at the glacier base and increased resistance associated with lateral drag. Velocities in the trunk of Ice Stream C are nearly zero but those at the up-glacial head are similar to those at the head of Ice Stream B.
POLYTYPOID STRUCTURES IN ANNEALED IN2O3-ZNO FILMS

Atomic-resolution Z-contrast images demonstrate unambiguously that the annealed, metalorganic chemical vapor deposition derived transparent In2O3–ZnO films have a polytypoid microstructure, consisting of ZnO slabs of variable width separated by single In–O octahedral layers. These In–O layers induce a polarity inversion in the two adjacent ZnO layers, which is reversed again by a mirror domain boundary inside each ZnO slab.
“Birds of a Feather Flock Together”: Strategic Implications for Advertising Agencies

ABSTRACT Advertisers who perceived high similarity between themselves and those within their advertising agency rated their agency as superior to those who felt they had less in common with agency contacts. Outcome measures examined included communication, performance, intention to remain with the agency, and defection following the departure of agency personnel. Differences based on the organizational level of the respondent emerged. Lifestyle factors of similarity were found to play an important role in perceived agency performance, lending support for deeper exploration of client traits and personality prior to the agency9s assignment of personnel to a client account.
Prostaglandin prevents aspirin injury in the canine stomach under in vivo but not in vitro conditions.

Abstract This study compared the ability of topical 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 in a dose range of 0.3–3.0 μg/ml to prevent aspirin-induced injury in the canine stomach under both in vivo and in vitro conditions. For in vitro studies, isolated strips of oxyntic mucosa were exposed to 10 or 20 mM aspirin (ASA) at pH 1–4, with and without treatment with 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 . For in vivo experiments, a portion of the oxyntic stomach was mounted between the rings of a Lucite chamber, with splenic vessels intact, such that the mucosa was divided into halves. Both sides were exposed to 20 mM ASA at pH 1 or 2, and one side also received concomitant treatment with 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 . After ASA exposure, tissue samples were prepared for quantitative microscopic analysis of the degree of injury. Under both experimental conditions, the magnitude of gastric injury by ASA was pH-related, being most pronounced at pH 1; this damage was worse under in vitro conditions, and both concentrations of ASA were equally damaging in this setting. 16,16-Dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 failed to prevent ASA injury in vitro at any pH and ASA concentration tested, but markedly reduced the magnitude of injury in vivo. The most effective protective dose of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 under in vivo conditions was 1.0 μg/ml. The diminished tolerance to ASA damage in vitro when compared with in vivo, and the inability of 16,16-dimethyl prostaglandin E 2 to prevent these damaging effects in vitro, underscores the probable crucial role for blood flow, and possibly neural innervation, in mediating the protective effects of prostaglandins.
Evidence for Participation of Granulocytes in the Pathogenesis of the Generalized Shwartzman Reaction: A Review

Evidence is reviewed that indicates that granulocytes are involved in the syndrome of intravascular clotting produced by sequential injections of endotoxin, i.e., the generalized Shwartzman reaction (GSR). Animals are not susceptible to the GSR during the phase of granulocytopenia induced by treatment with nitrogen mustard. Transfusion of granulocytes, infusion of polymorphonuclear-leukocyte granules, or infusion of a granule-supernatant fraction induces an immediate state of preparation for the GSR; in this state, one injection of endotoxin will trigger massive clotting. There is substantial evidence suggesting that acid mucosubstance and/or lysosomal cationic proteins from granulocytes may interact with endotoxin-induced soluble fibrin-monomer complexes or related fibrinogen derivatives, leading to formation of the fibrinous or fibrinlike coagulum that characterizes the GSR.
Apparent Weight of Photons

The effect of gravitational potential on the apparent frequency of electro-magnetic radiation was measured by using the sharply defined energy of recoil-free 14.4kev gamma rays emitted by Co/sup 57/ and absorbed in Fe/sup 57/. The mean gravitational shift in frequency was measured to be (-17.6 plus or minus 0.6) x l0/sup 15/. (C.J.G.)
MAGNETIC ORDERING OF THE POLAR AIRGLOW

The visible airglow experiment on the Atmosphere Explorer-C satellite has gathered sufficient data over the earth's polar regions to allow one to map the geographic distribution of particle precipitation using emissions at 3371 and 5200 A. Both of these features exhibit large variations in space and time. The 3371 A emission of N2(C cubed pi), excited by low energy electrons, indicates substantial energy inputs on the dayside in the vicinity of the polar cusp. More precipitation occurs in the morning than evening for the sample reported here, while the entire night sector between magnetic latitudes 65 and 77.5 deg is subjected to particle fluxes. Regions of enhanced 5200 A emission from N(D-2) are larger in horizontal extent than those at 3371 A. This smearing effect is due to ionospheric motions induced by magnetospheric convection.
OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF BIVALVE PREY AND THEIR ATTRACTIVENESS TO THE GASTROPOD, UROSALPINX CINEREA1

Relative attractiveness of Crassostrea virginica and Modiolus demissus to Urosalpinx was studied to determine whether oxygen consumption of prey is correlated with selection by the predator. Comparisons between individuals of one prey species and both species demonstrated a direct correlation between oxygen consumption (used as an index of respiratory metabolism) and number of Urosalpinx attracted. Four factors affecting metabolic rate of prey were studied: species, age, growth rate, and feeding. In each case the more attractive animals had a proportionately higher respiratory rate. Urosalpinx responded in equal numbers to groups of prey of different individual, but equal group, respiratory rates. Thus this work supports the hypothesis that a metabolic product mediates the predator’s choice of a particular individual within a group of prey. Selection is independent of concentration of dissolved oxygen or carbon dioxide.