cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A high-pressure infrared and X-ray study of FeCO3 and MnCO3: comparison with CaMg(CO3)2-dolomite

Abstract We have measured the infrared spectra of two carbonates, FeCO 3 -siderite and MnCO 3 -rhodochrosite to pressures of 50 GPa at 300 K, and taken X-ray diffraction patterns of these phases before and after in-situ laser heating at pressures to 47 GPa. Our infrared measurements primarily sample the vibrations of the CO 3 −2 carbonate unit, particularly its asymmetric stretching vibration and out-of-plane and in-plane bends. In particular, we wish to determine whether any high-pressure polymorphism (metastable or otherwise) is present in these phases. Our X-ray results for FeCO 3 and MnCO 3 demonstrate that the calcite structure is stable for each of these materials to 50 GPa at 300 K, and following heating to 2000 K at pressures to 47 GPa; similarly, within the infrared spectra, all vibrations are observed to shift monotonically with pressure, with no splitting observed. This behavior is in marked contrast to that of dolomite, in which splitting of the infrared vibrations is observed above ∼20–30 GPa. Our results demonstrate that carbonates are stable in the calcite structure at lower mantle pressures if the carbonates’ divalent cations have zero pressure radii of less than 1 A. Accordingly, the crystal structure of carbonates within the lower mantle will critically depend on the amount of calcium that enters into carbonates within lower mantle assemblages.
Voiding in anesthetized spinal dogs induced by stimulating sacral and coccygeal roots with the “volume conduction” method

A new method of stimulating the sacral and coccygeal roots was used to induce voiding in spinal dogs. The method consisted of inserting platinum stimulating electrodes through drilled holes in the dorsal surface of sacrum into the sacral canal in the vicinity of the spinal roots. Stimulation with this method was previously shown effective in inducing strong detrusor contraction and in completely emptying the bladder in anesthetized spinal dogs. In the present study, stimulation with this method was effective in completely emptying the bladder in both male and female conscious spinal dogs. This method appears to be safe as the two long-termed spinal dogs were maintained healthy by emptying the bladder twice daily, the male for more than two years and the female for more than three years, until they were killed at the conclusion of the project. Unlike the conventional method, the electrodes in this method are replaceable. The safety and electrode replaceability of this method makes its future clinical use very attractive. The maximum urine output following a single stimulation increased several folds from an initial volume of 20 to 25 ml in three to four weeks.
Immune Destruction of Larval Taenia crassiceps in Mice

Immune destruction of larval Taenia crassiceps was examined by first injecting BALB/cJ mice subcutaneously with larval buds and 30 to 60 days later challenging the mice with larvae injected into the peritoneal cavity. The larvae injected intraperitoneally (i.p.) secondarily are killed by host cells that completely encase the larvae in a thick sheath. The peritoneal exudate cells and the cytokines they produced were characterized by flow cytometry, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), and reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). No changes in percentage of CD4(+) T cells, CD8(+) T cells, B1 cells, or macrophages were detected in the peritoneal cavities of mice that were killing larvae compared to mice with a primary 7-day infection i.p. Both RT-PCR and ELISA demonstrated a decrease in cytokines including gamma interferon (IFN-gamma), interleukin-4 (IL-4), and IL-10 in mice that were killing the larvae compared to control mice infected for 30 to 60 days i.p. alone, although there was little difference compared to mice infected for 7 days i.p. alone. Serum cytokine levels in mice that were killing the larvae showed a decrease in IFN-gamma and IL-4, an increase in IL-10 when compared to mice infected for 30 to 60 days i.p. alone, and increases in all cytokines compared to mice infected for 7 days i.p. alone. Inhibition of nitric oxide production did not significantly affect the number or the viability of larvae in the peritoneal cavity of mice that were killing larvae during secondary infection.
Secure and practical outsourcing of linear programming in cloud computing

Cloud computing enables customers with limited computational resources to outsource large-scale computational tasks to the cloud, where massive computational power can be easily utilized in a pay-per-use manner. However, security is the major concern that prevents the wide adoption of computation outsourcing in the cloud, especially when end-user's confidential data are processed and produced during the computation. Thus, secure outsourcing mechanisms are in great need to not only protect sensitive information by enabling computations with encrypted data, but also protect customers from malicious behaviors by validating the computation result. Such a mechanism of general secure computation outsourcing was recently shown to be feasible in theory, but to design mechanisms that are practically efficient remains a very challenging problem. Focusing on engineering computing and optimization tasks, this paper investigates secure outsourcing of widely applicable linear programming (LP) computations. In order to achieve practical efficiency, our mechanism design explicitly decomposes the LP computation outsourcing into public LP solvers running on the cloud and private LP parameters owned by the customer. The resulting flexibility allows us to explore appropriate security/efficiency tradeoff via higher-level abstraction of LP computations than the general circuit representation. In particular, by formulating private data owned by the customer for LP problem as a set of matrices and vectors, we are able to develop a set of efficient privacy-preserving problem transformation techniques, which allow customers to transform original LP problem into some random one while protecting sensitive input/output information. To validate the computation result, we further explore the fundamental duality theorem of LP computation and derive the necessary and sufficient conditions that correct result must satisfy. Such result verification mechanism is extremely efficient and incurs close-to-zero additional cost on both cloud server and customers. Extensive security analysis and experiment results show the immediate practicability of our mechanism design.
Supporting problem based learning by a collaborative virtual environment: a cooperative hypermedia approach

Problem based learning (PBL) promotes engagement in meaningful learning and cooperation among students. When applying PBL in distributed groups distance has to be bridged by means of technology. Collaborative virtual environments (CVE) can help to overcome two crucial problems of PBL, if used in a distributed learning situation: Firstly, learners have problems to understand, interact with, and tailor shared learning environments, so that they match their needs. Secondly, groups of learners have problems to construct shared knowledge in a shared learning environment. Our approach is to provide a CVE designed to support PBL. We use the metaphor of a virtual institute to organize the learning environment and to facilitate orientation in and tailoring of the CVE. In addition, we provide a graphical cooperative knowledge representation tool to help groups to construct shared knowledge in a PBL process. We use cooperative hypermedia technology to represent both shared learning spaces and shared information spaces as shared hyperdocuments.
Role of grain size in the strength and R-curve properties of alumina

An investigation of the interrelationships between strength, crack-resistance (R-curve) characteristics, and grain size for alumina ceramics has been carried out. Results of identation-strength measurements on high-density aluminas with uniform grain structures in the size range 2 to 80 μm are presented. A theoretical fit to the data, obtained by adjusting parameters of a constitutive frictional-pullout relation in a grain-bridging model, allows determination of the critical microstructural parameters controlling the R-curve behavior of these aluminas. The primary role of grain size in the toughness characteristic is to determine the scale of grain pullout at the bridged interface. It is shown that the strength properties are a complex function of the bridged microstructure, governed at all but the finest grain sizes by the stabilizing effect of the R-curve. The analysis confirms the usual negative dependence of strength on grain size for natural flaws that are small relative to the grain size, but the dependence does not conform exactly to the −1/2 power predicted on the basis of classical “Griffith-Orowan” flaws. The analysis provides a self-consistent account of the well-documented transition from “Orowan” to “Petch” behavior.
The Filtering of Households and Housing Units

The concept of filtering is about one hundred years old, yet much remains to be done to solidify a common understanding of the process and its policy implications-not the least of which is to clear...
Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcal Urinary Tract Infections

Enterococci are a common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) among hospitalized patients. The rising prevalence of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) is of particular concern within many institutions because of its association with increased mortality and health care costs, as well as limited treatment options. Clinicians need to differentiate between VRE-associated urinary colonization, asymptomatic bacteriuria, and UTIs in order to determine the need for treatment, optimal therapeutic options, and length of therapy. Unnecessary use of antibiotics in patients simply colonized and not infected with VRE in the urine has become a large problem in both hospitals and long-term care facilities. A PubMed-MEDLINE search was conducted to identify all English-language literature published between January 1975 and March 2010 in order to summarize diagnostic criteria and treatment options for VRE UTIs. Several antimicrobials are discussed, with the specific focus on those with the potential to treat VRE UTIs and susceptibility patterns of VRE from urinary sources: ampicillin, amoxicillin, daptomycin, doxycycline, fosfomycin, imipenem-cilastatin, linezolid, nitrofurantoin, penicillin, piperacillin, quinupristin-dalfopristin, tetracycline, and tigecycline. Recommendations for empiric treatment of enterococcal UTIs and definitive treatment of VRE UTIs, including an evidence-based treatment algorithm, are proposed. Ampicillin generally is considered the drug of choice for ampicillin-susceptible enterococcal UTIs, including VRE. Nitrofurantoin, fosfomycin, and doxycycline have intrinsic activity against enterococci, including VRE, and are possible oral options for VRE cystitis. Linezolid and daptomycin should be reserved for confirmed or suspected upper and/or bacteremic VRE UTIs among ampicillin-resistant strains. Use of other antimicrobials, such as quinupristin-dalfopristin and tigecycline, should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis due to concerns of toxicity, resistance, and insufficient supportive data. Additional clinical data are needed to determine the optimal management and duration of therapy for VRE UTIs.
Theoretical and experimental investigation of stratified robotic finger gaiting

This paper presents the development and experimental verification of a general control framework for robotic grasping and manipulation problems where "fingers" manipulate a grasped object. The method is general in that it is independent of object and finger geometries. Application of the method in simulation and to a real experimental platform are presented.
Too Late Now: Libraries’ Intertwined Challenges of Newspaper Morgues, Microfilm, and Digitization

Many major newspapers once produced and distributed different editions of a newspaper for different markets on the same day. This publication arrangement lasted for about a century, from the Gilded Age of the 1880s until business consolidation happened in the news industry during the 1970s and 1980s. 1 The contents of the editions of the same newspaper could vary widely. The existence (and disappearance) of simultaneous newspaper editions represents one of the greatest documentary challenges facing present and coming generations of genealogists, local communities, and social historians. This article provides an argument to pay attention to three interrelated issues facing librarians . . .
Persistent Activation by and Receptor Reserve for an Irreversible A1-Adenosine Receptor Agonist in DDT1 MF-2 Cells and in Guinea Pig Heart

The p - and m -isothiocyanate adenosine derivatives N 6 -[4-[[[4-[[[[2-[[[( p -( m )-isothiocyanatophenyl)amino]thiocarbonyl]amino]ethyl]amino]carbonyl]methyl]anilino]carbonyl]methyl]phenyl]adenosine ( p - and m -DITC-ADAC) were examined for irreversible agonist effects at the A 1 -adenosine receptor (A 1 -AdoR) in DDT 1 MF-2 (DDT) cells and a functional A 1 -AdoR response in the guinea pig isolated heart. The p - and m -DITC-ADAC inhibited (−)-isoproterenol stimulated cAMP accumulation in DDT cells in the low nanomolar range, and the maximal responses elicited by both compounds were similar to that for N 6 -cyclopentyladenosine. Once established, the p -DITC-ADAC-mediated inhibition of cAMP accumulation in DDT cells was not affected by the addition of the AdoR antagonist 8-cyclopentyl-1,3-dipropylxanthine (CPX). Pretreatment of DDT cells with p -DITC-ADAC (1 μm), followed by washing, reduced [ 3 H]CPX binding to the A 1 -AdoR by 44% without altering the K d value for the radioligand to the remaining receptors. The relationship between irreversible A 1 -AdoR occupancy by p -DITC-ADAC and inhibition of cAMP accumulation revealed a relatively large receptor reserve (64%) for the maximal response. In guinea pig isolated hearts, m -DITC-ADAC (5 μm) prolonged the stimulus to His bundle (SH) interval by 2.1-fold; this response could be prevented by the antagonist 8-cyclopentyltheophylline (5 μm). However, after the SH interval prolongation was established, extensive washout or the addition of 8-cyclopentyltheophylline had little reversal effect on the m -DITC-ADAC response. Binding of [ 3 H]CPX to the guinea pig ventricular membranes after m -DITC-ADAC treatment and washing was reduced by 35%. The A 1 -AdoR occupancy response relationship for m -DITC-ADAC to prolong the SH interval indicated a small (10–20%) receptor reserve. Both p -and m -DITC-ADAC seem to be irreversible full agonists at the A 1 -AdoR and may prove to be useful probes to further investigate A 1 -AdoR structure-function relationships.
Case 1 From the Diary of a Thirteen-Year-Old (Asthma)

Breath. Everyone takes breath for granted. But you, you’re an asthmatic person suffering one of your worst attacks. A slight drizzle earlier in the evening was all you needed for a start. The extremely warm September night doesn’t help either. The people around see you sitting there nervous and shaking, and the perspiration rolling down your face and neck.
Storage of water in various parts of the earthworm at different stages of exsiccation.

SummaryLumbricus terrestris, under the conditions stated, survived a loss of 43 per cent in body weight during 5 hours of exsiccation but did not survive longer periods with losses of 50 to 60 per cent. Nevertheless, the curves of body weight during exsiccation and after replacement in water appear similar in all cases (up to 24 hours). Measurernetits of cross-sectional areas indicate that during exsiccation in the earlier stages the epidermis, body muscles, celomic cavity intestinal wall and lumen lose roughly in proportion to their size. But in extreme exsiccation a relatively larger proportion is contributed by the celomic cavity and the intestinal lumen. The loss in the tissues appears chiefly from the intercellular spaces, as the cells (excepting the epidermis) show but slight changes in size and structure.
Fairbanks, Robert B. For the City as a Whole: Planning, Politics, and the Public Interest in Dallas, Texas, 1900–1965. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1998. Pp. xiii, 318. Maps, bibliography, index. US$47.95 (hardcover) / Wilson, William H. Hamilton Park: A Planned Black Community in Dallas. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Pp. x, 256. Maps, black-and-white illustrations, appendices, index. US$39.95 (hardcover)

Fairbanks, Robert B. For the City as a Whole: Planning, Politics, and the Public Interest in Dallas, Texas, 1900–1965. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1998. Pp. xiii, 318. Maps, bibliography, index. US$47.95 (hardcover) Wilson, William H. Hamilton Park: A Planned Black Community in Dallas. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. Pp. x, 256. Maps, black-and-white illustrations, appendices, index. US$39.95 (hardcover)
Investigation and Analysis on Yunnan Unexpected Sudden Death in Tengchong County of Yunnan Province in 2004

ObjectiveTo explore the epidemiological and clinical features and etiopathogenisis of unexpected sudden cardiac deaths(USCD) in Yunnan to provide basis for formulating effective control measures of USCD.MethodsThe epidemiological and clinical data were collected in the field.The pathology and clinical manifestation of USCD were studied.ResultsThe USCD event occurred in Tengchong County of Yunnan Province in July 2004.There were 4 death cases,who were farmers.The clinical manifestation of the 4 death cases were different.Out of them,there were 2 cases with flu symptom 10 days before,1 case showing tired,giddy,short of breath and so on,and 1 case without any symptoms before death.A new strain of enteric virus was isolated from the faececs of a healthy grandchild of 1 case.The pathological examination on cadavers of 2 cases was different.ConclusionsThe extreme time-space clustering of USCD in families and in villages is observed.Its incidence rate is low,but the fatality rate is high.The clinical manifestation of USCD is very complicated.The most death is the sudden cardiac death.It is difficult to diagnose and rescue.
Pulsed laser deposition and characterization of ZrO2Al2O3 films

Abstract Thin films of ZrO 2 Al 2 O 3 have been produced by pulsed laser deposition from targets that were mixtures of ZrO 2 and Al 2 O 3 with a pre-selected composition. The chemical composition of the film was the same as that of the target as determined by Rutherford back scattering (RBS). As deposited, the films were amorphous. Annealing the films at 1000°C for 24 h in air resulted in the formation of a tetragonal phase of zirconia as determined by X-ray diffraction.
Economic Analysis of Hybridized Solar Energy Technology/Design

SSA countries are blessed with enormous resources that can lead to sustainable economic growth. However, mismanagement of these resources has led to over 600 million citizens living without access to electricity. A successful defeat of energy poverty in Sub Saharan Africa is replacing conventional electricity with eco-civilization; one, in which citizens are consumers and energy farmers that uses energy in a smart manner that will strike a good balance between economic development, job creation and a sustainable economic growth. That eco-energy, is adding solar PV to generation mix to augment the existing shortfall in electricity generation. Solar PV is climate friendly and reduces climate change conditions that have significantly change SSA countries rain patterns. SSA has the awesome chance to leapfrog into 21st century eco-civilization, by not investing and retrofitting her aging ineffective utility grid systems. Ideally, SSA countries can gain economies of scale by investing into Solar PV energy with distributed grid architecture/micro-grid at the community level that will catapult the region on future energy generation, distribution and utilization in balancing the relationship with economic growth and nature.
Railroad caller districting with reliability, contiguity, balance, and compactness considerations ☆

Abstract Railroad companies rely on good call centers to reliably handle incoming crew/resource call demands so as to maintain efficient operations and customer services in their networks. This paper formulates a reliable caller districting problem which aims at partitioning an undirected network into a fixed number of districts. The demand of each district is assigned to crew caller desks (one primary desk, multiple backups) under possible desk disruption scenarios. We simultaneously take into account several operational criteria, such as district contiguity and compactness, workload balance, and caller desk service reliability. The resulted districting problem is modeled in the form of a challenging mixed-integer program, and we develop a customized heuristic algorithm (based on constructive heuristic and neighborhood search) to provide near-optimum solutions in a reasonable amount of time. Hypothetical and empirical numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance and effectiveness of our methodology for different network sizes and parameter settings. Managerial insights are also drawn.
Immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome in HIV infection: taking the bad with the good

In this review, we will describe the immunopathogies of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome, IRIS. IRIS occurs in a small subset of HIV patient, initiating combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), where immune reconstitution becomes dysregulated, resulting in an overly robust antigen-specific inflammatory reaction. We will discuss IRIS in terms of the associated coinfections: mycobacteria, cryptococci, and viruses.
The quasi-legal challenge: Assessing and governing the environmental impacts of cannabis cultivation in the North Coastal Basin of California

The liberalization of cannabis policies is rapidly changing the cannabis industry. Though cannabis cultivation has environmental effects, little is known about how drug policy shapes knowledge about and efforts to mitigate those effects. We use a study of cannabis in the North Coastal Basin of California to examine how the legal status of cannabis shapes efforts to study and govern the environmental effects of cultivation. Drawing on interviews, a review of relevant rules and regulations, and existing literature, we review the state of the knowledge regarding the environmental effects of outdoor cannabis cultivation, document the range of governance tools that aim to mitigate those effects, and discuss the unique challenges to researching and governing cannabis cultivation. We argue that the quasi-legal status of cannabis and the mixing of black and medical markets create substantial barriers to the assessment and mitigation of the environmental effects of cannabis cultivation. We discuss the policy implications of these findings and highlight the importance of understanding the linkages between other semi-legal and illicit practices, governance, and the environment. The research shows the broad importance of examining ways that legal status and enforcement regimes surrounding semi-legal activities shape particular human-environment interactions.
Repeat Episcleral Plaque Brachytherapy: Clinical Outcomes in Patients Treated for Locally Recurrent Posterior Uveal Melanoma

Purpose To report the outcomes of survival, local control, visual acuity, and eye retention in patients treated with repeat episcleral plaque brachytherapy (EPBT) for locally recurrent posterior uveal melanoma (PUM). Design Retrospective, interventional case series. Methods Setting : Institutional. Patient Population : A total of 1201 patients that underwent iodine-125 (I-125) EPBT as primary treatment for PUM between 1985 and 2015. Inclusion Criteria : Development of locally recurrent disease and retreatment with I-125 EPBT. Observation Procedures : Clinical records review. Main Outcome Measures : Visual acuity, Kaplan-Meier estimates of survival, local control, metastasis, and loss of the eye over the duration of follow-up. Results Twenty-seven patients (13 men) met our inclusion criteria. Median (range) follow-up from initial treatment was 100 months (14–365 months), while median time to local recurrence was 43 months (9–185 months). Median (range) follow-up after retreatment was 47 months (3–120 months). Kaplan-Meier estimate for local control at 5 years was 77.2% (95% confidence interval [CI], 53.29%–89.91%). All marginal recurrences were successfully retreated whereas 6 of 15 patients with central recurrence developed subsequent re-recurrence following salvage EPBT. Median (range) visual acuity was 20/70 (20/20 to counting fingers at 1 foot) at time of recurrence and declined to counting fingers (20/25 to hand motion) at the most recent follow-up examination. Kaplan-Meier estimate for absence of metastatic disease at 5 years was 78.5% (95% CI, 54.77%–90.70%). Conclusions Repeat I-125 EPBT offers a viable alternative to enucleation in patients with local recurrence of PUM, yielding high rates of local control with predictable decline in visual acuity.
Serum Parathyroid Hormone Responses to Vitamin D Supplementation in Overweight/Obese Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Obesity is often associated with vitamin D deficiency and secondary hyperparathyroidism. Vitamin D supplementation typically leads to the reductions in serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels, as shown in normal weight individuals. Meanwhile, the dose of vitamin D supplementation for the suppression of PTH may differ in overweight and obese adults. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to determine the dose of vitamin D supplementation required to suppress PTH levels in overweight/obese individuals. We identified 18 studies that examined overweight or obese healthy adults who were supplemented with varying doses of vitamin D3. The primary outcomes examined were changes in PTH and serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) levels from baseline to post-treatment. The results of the meta-analysis showed that there was a significant treatment effect of vitamin D supplementation on PTH, total standardized mean difference (SMD) (random effects) = −0.38 (95% CI = −0.56 to −0.20), t = −4.08, p < 0.001. A significant treatment effect of vitamin D supplementation was also found on 25OHD, total SMD (random effects) = 2.27 (95% CI = 1.48 to 3.06) t = 5.62, p < 0.001. Data from available clinical trials that supplemented adults with D3 ranging from 400 IU to 5714 IU, showed that 1000 IU of vitamin D supplementation best suppressed serum PTH levels, total SMD = −0.58, while vitamin D supplementation with 4000 IU showed the greatest increase in serum 25OH levels. Vitamin D and calcium supplementation of 700 IU and 500 mg, respectively, also showed a significant treatment effect on the suppression of PTH with a total SMD = −5.30 (95% CI = −9.72 to −0.88). In conclusion, the meta analysis of available clinical trials indicates that 1000 IU vitamin D supplementation can suppress serum PTH levels, while 4000 IU of vitamin D was associated with the largest increase in serum 25OHD levels in the overweight and obese population.
Revising the Body Esteem Scale with a U.S. College Student Sample: Evaluation, Validation, and Uses for the BES-R

The Body Esteem Scale (BES; Franzoi and Shields 1984) has been a primary research tool for over 30 years, yet its factor structure has not been fully assessed since its creation, so a two-study design examined whether the BES needed revision. In Study 1, a series of principal components analyses (PCAs) was conducted using the BES responses of 798 undergraduate students, with results indicating that changes were necessary to improve the scale’s accuracy. In Study 2, 1237 undergraduate students evaluated each BES item, along with a select set of new body items, while also rating each item’s importance to their own body esteem. Body items meeting minimum importance criteria were then utilized in a series of PCAs to develop a revised scale that has strong internal consistency and good convergent and discriminant validity. As with the original BES, the revised BES (BES-R) conceives of body esteem as both gender-specific and multidimensional. Given that the accurate assessment of body esteem is essential in better understanding the link between this construct and mental health, the BES-R can now be used in research to illuminate this link, as well as in prevention and treatment programs for body-image issues. Further implications are discussed.
First-Principles Simulations of Liquid Water Using a Dielectric-Dependent Hybrid Functional.

We carried out first-principles simulations of liquid water under ambient conditions using a dielectric-dependent hybrid functional, where the fraction of exact exchange is set equal to the inverse of the high-frequency dielectric constant of the liquid. We found excellent agreement with experiment for the oxygen–oxygen partial correlation function at the experimental equilibrium density and 311 ± 3 K. Other structural and dynamical properties, such as the diffusion coefficient, molecular dipole moments, and vibrational spectra, are also in good agreement with experiment. Our results, together with previous findings on electronic properties of the liquid with the same functional, show that the dielectric-dependent hybrid functional accurately describes both the structural and electronic properties of liquid water.
Conflict between Flood and Drought Preparedness in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado river dominates water resource development in the seven states of the southwestern US. It also is one of the most carefully managed river systems in the world. The basin has been arbitrarily divided by the Colorado River Compact into the Upper Colorado Basin and the Lower Colorado Basin for purposes of interstate administration. A wide range of climate occurs throughout the basin because of differences in altitude, latitude, and topographic features. Considered here are current and projected scenarios of management use. Examined are the combined legal, institutional, hydrologic and water demand constraints, and how they are managed under circumstances of increasingly competitive uses. As a case study, the current analysis examines the 1983 spring and summer flooding in the Lower Basin and whether the US Bureau of Reclamation adequately managed the heavy spring runoff from the Upper Basin. This analysis stresses that the reasons for the flooding go beyond the climatic events of the year and the Bureau of Reclamation’s response to them. Rather, the flooding was the result of the convergence of three factors: (1) the 17-year period of filling Lake Powell behind Glen Canyon Dam ended and the system of water storage reservoirs on the river basin considered full; (2) during the filling period, physical encroachment into the Lower Basin flood plain accelerated; (3) the streamflow forecast procedures were not suitable for the extreme climate variability of the Colorado river basin, as exhibited in 1983.
The TIMI 9b and GUSTO IIb Trials and the “Thrombin Hypothesis”

The "thrombin hypothesis" proposes that the clinical outcome of patients with unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction (MI) is related to the degree of thrombin inhibition, with greater inhibition resulting in improved outcome. Two recent trials (TIMI 9b and GUSTO IIb) tried to test this hypothesis by randomizing 15,000 patients with MI or unstable angina to a 3-to-5 day intravenous administration of either the powerful thrombin inhibitor hirudin, or standard heparin. In both studies, after 30 days, there was no significant difference in the rates of death or nonfatal infarction between the 2 treatment arms. More than one reason may explain these findings. In both trials the anticoagulant regimens were carefully tailored to prevent excessive bleeding complications and to achieve a predetermined level of efficacy, as measure by aPTT. It is possible that similar aPTTs and similar bleeding rates will result in similar clinical outcomes, regardless of the anticoagulant agent used. It is also possible that patients already receiving fibrinolytic drugs and aspirin did not derive such additional thrombolytic benefit from anticoagulants to compensate for the increased bleeding risk associated with their use. Finally, thrombin may not always play the crucial role that has been attibuted to it: marked thrombin generation may occur only in subgroups of patients, or as a secondary response to a primary trigger that fails to be antagonized by antithrombin therapy or that re-emerges after stopping treatment. The true role played by anticoagulants in the management of acute coronary syndromes is not clear from TIMI 9b or GUSTO IIb because neither study included a control group not receiving anticoagulants. These trials, however, raise important issues that deserve further investigation: for example, the definition of what drives thrombin generation in patients with acute coronary syndromes and the identification of possible subgroups of patients deriving true clinical benefit from anticoagulant therapy.
Clinical utilization of the Myeloid Malignancies Mutation Panel.

e18523Background: The scientific community has made tremendous progress in discovering genetic changes that drive myeloid malignancies and elucidating the effect of these mutations on prognosis. St...
Precise control of ion and radical production using electron beam generated plasmas

Precise control over both the relative and absolute flux of plasma species as well as their energy deposition at surfaces is critical to enabling the plasma processing of materials with atomic layer precision. In addition to the need for low damage, the complex device structures proposed for next generation nanoelectronics will also require control over radical to ion ratio. Electron beam generated plasmas are capable of generating a wide range of charged particle densities (109–1012 cm−3), while maintaining low electron temperatures (0.1–1.0 eV) and in reactive gas backgrounds, a relatively low radical production rate compared to discharges. These characteristics provide the ability to precisely control both the ion energy at adjacent surfaces and the ion to radical flux ratio. The latter capability is realized by coupling an electron beam generated plasma with an auxiliary plasma source designed to promote radical production. In this work, optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe measurements are combined to measure the positive ion and fluorine atom densities in electron beam generated Ar/SF6 plasmas coupled to a remote, inductively coupled plasma source operating in the same environment. The results indicate that the approach can be used to independently control the positive ion and F radical densities such that the ion to radical density ratio can be varied over a range of 2–3 orders of magnitude.Precise control over both the relative and absolute flux of plasma species as well as their energy deposition at surfaces is critical to enabling the plasma processing of materials with atomic layer precision. In addition to the need for low damage, the complex device structures proposed for next generation nanoelectronics will also require control over radical to ion ratio. Electron beam generated plasmas are capable of generating a wide range of charged particle densities (109–1012 cm−3), while maintaining low electron temperatures (0.1–1.0 eV) and in reactive gas backgrounds, a relatively low radical production rate compared to discharges. These characteristics provide the ability to precisely control both the ion energy at adjacent surfaces and the ion to radical flux ratio. The latter capability is realized by coupling an electron beam generated plasma with an auxiliary plasma source designed to promote radical production. In this work, optical emission spectroscopy and Langmuir probe measurements ar...
Postoperative lower limb compensation in patient with adult spinal deformity

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine whether inadequate decompensation of spine and pelvis would lead to persistent compensatory action of lower extremity. Patients who underwent adult spinal deformity from January 2014 to December 2016 were included. Postoperatively, patients who showed persistent lower extremity compensation (femur obliquity angle/FOA ≥ 5°) were classified into compensated lower extremity (CLE) group and decompensated lower extremity (DLE) group with FOA
Comparison of NODDI and spherical mean signal for measuring intra-neurite volume fraction.

Abstract Purpose Neurite orientation dispersion and density imaging (NODDI) is a clinically feasible approach to measure intra-neurite volume fraction (fin). However, the sophisticated fitting procedure takes several hours. And the NODDI model relied on several questionable assumptions. Recent analytical work demonstrated that fin could be simply calculated from the spherical mean signal (MEANS) averaged over all gradient directions with a more solid theoretical foundation. The current study aims to compare NODDI and MEANS for measuring fin in human brain and investigate the potential of MEANS as a fast approach in clinics. Methods NODDI fin and MEANS fin were measured and compared on the same dataset. NODDI fin was obtained using the NODDI MATLAB Toolbox. MEANS fin is the product of the spherical mean signal and 2 bD / π , where D is the intra-neurite intrinsic diffusivity. Results NODDI fin and MEANS fin maps are similar. The voxel-by-voxel correlation suggests that NODDI fin and MEANS fin are approximately equivalent to each other. Conclusion MEANS may have potential to serve a fast and simple approach to estimate fin in clinics.
A phase I trial of palbociclib in combination with dexamethasone in relapsed or refractory adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

TPS7065Background: c-Myb is a DNA-binding transcription factor that is highly expressed in immature hematopoietic cells. c-Myb and its products are essential in regulating normal hematopoiesis and ...
Knowledge-enhanced deep learning for simulation of tropical cyclone boundary layer winds

Abstract Accurate and efficient modeling of the wind field is critical to effective mitigation of losses due to the tropical cyclone-related hazards. To this end, a knowledge-enhanced deep learning algorithm was developed in this study to simulate the wind field inside tropical cyclone boundary-layer. More specifically, the machine-readable knowledge in terms of both physics-based equations and/or semi-empirical formulas was leveraged to enhance the regularization mechanism during the training of deep networks for dynamics of tropical cyclone boundary-layer winds. To comprehensively appreciate the high effectiveness of knowledge-enhanced deep learning to capture the complex dynamics using small datasets, two nonlinear flow systems governed respectively by 1D and 2D Navier-Stokes equations were first revisited. Then, a knowledge-enhanced deep network was developed to simulate tropical cyclone boundary-layer winds using the storm parameters (e.g., spatial coordinates, storm size and intensity) as inputs. The reduced 3D Navier-Stokes equations based on several state-of-the-art semi-empirical formulas were employed in the construction of deep networks. Due to the effective utilization of the prior knowledge on the tropical cyclone boundary-layer winds, only a relatively small number of training datasets (either from field measurements or high-fidelity numerical simulations) are needed. With the trained knowledge-enhanced deep network, it has been demonstrated that the boundary-layer winds associated with various tropical cyclones can be accurately and efficiently predicted.
Meaningful Play, Meaningful Pain: Learning the Purpose of Injury in Sport

Despite public campaigns to inform the general public about the risk of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), research into what factors affect athletes’ decision to risk TBIs has found that increased knowledge about the biomedical consequences of TBIs does not necessarily alter “risky” behavior. Using ethnographic insights from boxing and recreational college gyms in the Midwest, I propose that, rather than an outcome of risky behavior, pain in TBIs is better understood as part of a broader process of socially meaningful play. Specifically, we should consider how play serves a psychosocial benefit for youth who understand the severity of TBIs but recognize the significance of sporting practices in their lives. This psychosocial benefit, however, varies between socially marginalized youth in boxing gyms and students engaged in recreational sports, and pain is differently experienced (cognitively and non-cognitively) in relation to socially meaningful play. I conclude with an examination of how gender, race, and sport-specific practices affect the different cultural experiences of TBIs, and place the practice of pugilism in bioarchaeological context, particularly related to lower status individuals.
Druggable exosites of the human kino-pocketome

Small molecules binding at any of the multiple regulatory sites on the molecular surface of a protein kinase may stabilize or disrupt the corresponding interaction, leading to consequent modulation of the kinase cellular activity. As such, each of these sites represents a potential drug target. Even targeting sites outside the immediate ATP site, the so-called exosites, may cause desirable biological effects through an allosteric mechanism. Targeting exosites can alleviate adverse effects and toxicity that is common when ATP-site compounds bind promiscuously to many other types of kinases. In this study we have identified, catalogued, and annotated all potentially druggable exosites on the protein kinase domains within the existing structural human kinome. We then priority-ranked these exosites by those most amenable to drug design. In order to identify pockets that are either consistent across the kinome, or unique and specific to a particular structure, we have also implemented a normalized representation of all pockets, and displayed these graphically. Finally, we have built a database and designed a web-based interface for users interested in accessing the 3-dimensional representations of these pockets. We envision this information will assist drug discovery efforts searching for untargeted binding pockets in the human kinome.
Toll‐like receptor 4 differentially regulates adult hippocampal neurogenesis in an age‐ and sex‐dependent manner

Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is primarily responsible for initiating an immune response following pathogen recognition. However, TLR4 is also expressed on neural progenitor cells and has been reported to regulate hippocampal neurogenesis as young male TLR4 knockout mice show increases in cell proliferation and doublecortin positive cells. Whether these effects occur in both sexes and are sustained with normal aging is currently unknown. The present study evaluated whether TLR4 deficiency alters adult hippocampal neurogenesis in young (3-4 months) and aged (18-20 months), male and female, TLR4 deficient (TLR4-/-; B6.B10ScN-Tlr4lps-del/JthJ) and wild type (WT) mice. Additionally, neurogenesis within the dorsal and the ventral hippocampal subdivisions was evaluated to determine if TLR4 has differential effects across the hippocampus. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was administered to quantify new cell survival as well as cell differentiation. Ki-67 was measured to evaluate cell proliferation. Results show that young TLR4-/- females had higher rates of proliferation and neuronal differentiation in both the dorsal and ventral hippocampus relative to WT females. Young TLR4-/- males show elevated proliferation and neuronal differentiation mainly in the ventral hippocampus. While young TLR4-/- mice show enhanced neurogenesis compared to young WT mice, the increase was not apparent in the aged TLR4-/- mice. Both aged WT and TLR4-/- mice showed a decrease in proliferation, new cell survival, and neuronal differentiation compared to young WT and TLR4-/- mice. The data collectively indicate that TLR4 regulates hippocampal neurogenesis in young adults, but that these effects are region-specific in males and that females show broader changes in neurogenesis throughout the hippocampus.
Flow of carbon dioxide in micro and nano pores and its interaction with crude oil to induce asphaltene instability

This study presents an investigation of the flow mechanism of carbon dioxide (CO2) through nano and micro pores and the impact of this flow on oil mobilization and asphaltene instability in the crude oil. The flow mechanism of CO2 is determined using numerical modeling through the Knudsen number to determine the flow regimes under different thermodynamic conditions. Following this, the oil production and asphaltene stability are studied using a filtration vessel supplemented with nano and micron sized filter membranes. The effect of varying CO2 injection pressure, oil viscosity, porous media pore size, and porous media thickness on oil mobilization and asphaltene stability are studied. Regarding the flow regimes, it is found that four distinct flows are observed during CO2 injection in the nano and micro pores. These flow regimes included diffusion, transition, slippage, and viscous flow. As the pore size increases, the flow becomes viscous dominated. Crude oil flow through the nano pores required higher pressure and also resulted in more severe asphaltene damage and plugging compared to the micro pores. Increasing the CO2 injection pressure increased oil production and decreased the asphaltene concentration in the bypassed crude oil, which is the oil remaining in the filtration vessel and could not be produced. The lower oil viscosity is associated with a lower asphaltene concentration and thus yields an overall higher oil viscosity as well. By undergoing this research, a better understanding of how the CO2 flows through nano and micro pores can be achieved, and oil mobilization and asphaltene instability with time can also be understood.
What Gives the Answer Away? Question Answering Bias Analysis on Video QA Datasets.

Question answering biases in video QA datasets can mislead multimodal model to overfit to QA artifacts and jeopardize the model's ability to generalize. Understanding how strong these QA biases are and where they come from helps the community measure progress more accurately and provide researchers insights to debug their models. In this paper, we analyze QA biases in popular video question answering datasets and discover pretrained language models can answer 37-48% questions correctly without using any multimodal context information, far exceeding the 20% random guess baseline for 5-choose-1 multiple-choice questions. Our ablation study shows biases can come from annotators and type of questions. Specifically, annotators that have been seen during training are better predicted by the model and reasoning, abstract questions incur more biases than factual, direct questions. We also show empirically that using annotator-non-overlapping train-test splits can reduce QA biases for video QA datasets.
Did Marketplace coverage really offer financial protection? Financial gains from the Affordable Care Act's private insurance policies among the previously uninsured

While the Affordable Care Act successfully expanded health insurance access, the law's private insurance component drew far fewer participants than projected. This study investigates the attractiveness of Marketplace insurance relative to uncompensated care provisions for those who remain uninsured. Using restricted‐access Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data, I find that for one in four previously uninsured consumers, bankruptcy costs less than meeting the deductible of the subsidized benchmark policy. Marketplace insurance reduces spending in only the top 3% most catastrophic potential scenarios these consumers face, on average. Net financial gain is more common among individuals in poor health (11% vs. 1%) or with assets to protect (3% vs.