cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Concerning suppression and facilitation of motion perception in humans

Here we consider some topics from a commentary by Tzvetanov (2018) on our article entitled Suppression and facilitation of human neural responses (Schallmo et al., 2018). The author raises two main points of criticism, which we will summarize thus: 1) psychophysical response bias is not adequately modeled, and 2) other computational models may be better suited to describe the psychophysical motion discrimination data. Both of these points are reasonable in principle, but we disagree with the author in a few areas. We provide some discussion of both issues in order to further elevate the scientific dialogue.
Chapter 4.1 - Five-Membered Ring Systems: Thiophenes and Se/Te Derivatives

This review covers 2012 literature on the synthesis chalcogens, namely, thiophenes, selenophenes, and tellurophenes. Accordingly, the synthesis of the parent rings of these chalcogens was prepared by catalyzed electrocyclic cyclization, Dieckmann-type cyclization, Gewald reaction, organic cascade, and domino cyclization reactions. Elaboration of the chalcogens involved: direct CH arylation, cyanation, and borylation without metallic reagents, cross-coupling reactions with Pd catalysis, direct carboxylation, and enantioselective organocatalyzed cross-aldol reactions. Further modification of the chalcogens rings includes decarbonylation, differential oxidation, and hydrodesulfurazation. Several syntheses of important polymeric and conjugated material are discussed and their possible importance in material science is highlighted. New syntheses and applications of various novel chalcogens to medicinal chemistry are emphasized.
An exploration of linear and curvilinear relationships between community participation and neurocognition among those with serious mental illnesses.

OBJECTIVE Longitudinal research supports an effect of participation in aspects of community life (e.g., leisure activity, employment) on neurocognition in the general population. This study examined the extent and nature of the relationship between community participation and neurocognition among people with serious mental illnesses. METHOD Participants included 168 adults with schizophrenia spectrum or affective disorder diagnoses who completed the Temple University Community Participation Measure and Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses explored linear and curvilinear effects of the amount and breadth of community participation on neurocognition. RESULTS Significant linear relationships existed between amount of community participation and overall neurocognitive functioning, motor speed, verbal fluency, and attention/processing speed, and between breadth of participation and verbal fluency. Significant curvilinear effects were noted between amount of community participation and verbal memory, and between breadth of community participation and overall neurocognitive functioning and motor speed. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Findings suggest that enhanced community participation may contribute to improved neurocognitive functioning, further supporting the importance of this rehabilitation target. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
Negligible Utility of Postnatal Renal Ultrasound in Infants with Congenital Anomalies

Background: There is a high incidence of renal anomalies associated with congenital heart disease (CHD). In infants with CHD, 12.2% have urogenital anomalies[i]. In one study from 1990-2002, 3.4% of infants with CHD had missed renal anomalies on prenatal ultrasound, although there was significant improvement in prenatal diagnoses after 2000[i]. Objective: Given improvements in antenatal ultrasounds, we aimed to assess whether there is utility in postnatal renal ultrasounds in infants with congenital …
Sleep Deprivation by Exposure to Novel Objects Increases Synapse Density and Axon-Spine Interface in the Hippocampal CA1 Region of Adolescent Mice.

Sleep has been hypothesized to rebalance overall synaptic strength after ongoing learning during waking leads to net synaptic potentiation. If so, because synaptic strength and size are correlated, synapses on average should be larger after wake and smaller after sleep. This prediction was recently confirmed in mouse cerebral cortex using serial block-face electron microscopy (SBEM). However, whether these findings extend to other brain regions is unknown. Moreover, sleep deprivation by gentle handling was reported to produce hippocampal spine loss, raising the question of whether synapse size and number are differentially affected by sleep and waking. Here we applied SBEM to measure axon–spine interface (ASI), the contact area between pre-synapse and post-synapse, and synapse density in CA1 stratum radiatum. Adolescent YFP-H mice were studied after 6–8 h of sleep (S = 6), spontaneous wake at night (W = 4) or wake enforced during the day by novelty exposure (EW = 4; males/females balanced). In each animal ≥425 ASIs were measured and synaptic vesicles were counted in ~100 synapses/mouse. Reconstructed dendrites included many small, nonperforated synapses and fewer large, perforated synapses. Relative to S, ASI sizes in perforated synapses shifted toward higher values after W and more so after EW. ASI sizes in nonperforated synapses grew after EW relative to S and W, and so did their density. ASI size correlated with presynaptic vesicle number but the proportion of readily available vesicles decreased after EW, suggesting presynaptic fatigue. Thus, CA1 synapses undergo changes consistent with sleep-dependent synaptic renormalization and their number increases after extended wake. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Sleep benefits learning, memory consolidation, and the integration of new with old memories, but the underlying mechanisms remain highly debated. One hypothesis suggests that sleep9s cognitive benefits stem from its ability to renormalize total synaptic strength, after ongoing learning during wake leads to net synaptic potentiation. Supporting evidence for this hypothesis mainly comes from the cerebral cortex, including the observation that cortical synapses are larger after wake and smaller after sleep. Using serial electron microscopy, we find here that sleep/wake synaptic changes consistent with sleep-dependent synaptic renormalization also occur in the CA1 region. Thus, the role of sleep in maintaining synaptic homeostasis may extend to the hippocampus, a key area for learning and synaptic plasticity.
Highlights from the 2007 ACG.

At the 2007 annual meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), important data were reported regarding a number of novel strategies to manage patients with a wide variety of motility disorders. Here, we summarize the most important, and Dr. Lembo comments on their clinical significance.
Association Between HIV-Related Tweets and HIV Incidence in the United States: Infodemiology Study.

Background: Adolescents and young adults in the age range of 13-24 years are at the highest risk of developing HIV infections. As social media platforms are extremely popular among youths, researchers can utilize these platforms to curb the HIV epidemic by investigating the associations between the discourses on HIV infections and the epidemiological data of HIV infections. Objective: The goal of this study was to examine how Twitter activity among young men is related to the incidence of HIV infection in the population. Methods: We used integrated human-computer techniques to characterize the HIV-related tweets by male adolescents and young male adults (age range: 13-24 years). We identified tweets related to HIV risk and prevention by using natural language processing (NLP). Our NLP algorithm identified 89.1% (2243/2517) relevant tweets, which were manually coded by expert coders. We coded 1577 HIV-prevention tweets and 17.5% (940/5372) of general sex-related tweets (including emojis, gifs, and images), and we achieved reliability with intraclass correlation at 0.80 or higher on key constructs. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify the spatial patterns in posting HIV-related tweets as well as the relationships between the tweets and local HIV infection rates. Results: We analyzed 2517 tweets that were identified as relevant to HIV risk and prevention tags; these tweets were geolocated in 109 counties throughout the United States. After adjusting for region, HIV prevalence, and social disadvantage index, our findings indicated that every 100-tweet increase in HIV-specific tweets per capita from noninstitutional accounts was associated with a multiplicative effect of 0.97 (95% CI [0.94-1.00]; P=.04) on the incidence of HIV infections in the following year in a given county. Conclusions: Twitter may serve as a proxy of public behavior related to HIV infections, and the association between the number of HIV-related tweets and HIV infection rates further supports the use of social media for HIV disease prevention.
Estimation Procedure for Determination of Fatigue Crack Propagation in Metal Alloys

Estimation of closure-corrected fatigue crack propagation (FCP) data in monolithic metal alloys was reported recently by the author, using a simple computational method. The quantity E√b, where E = the modulus of elasticity, and b, the dislocation Burgers vector, is used to define a stress intensity factor, corresponding to an FCP rate of b/cyc. The remainder of the FCP curve at higher FCP rates (where daldN > b) is found to follow a relation of the form: da/dN = (ΔK/E) 3 (1/√b). Good agreement is found between computed FCP data and recently reported experimental test results for various aluminum, titanium, and steel alloys. Such computations allow for a rapid and inexpensive way to estimate the FCP response of metals under both long and short crack growth conditions.
Current Status and Potential of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccines

Knowledge of the structure of the virus at the molecular level has provided us with the opportunity to identify those regions of the particle which elicit a protective immune response. These regions can be synthesized chemically or biochemically, thus avoiding the use of the infectious virus particle and consequently any chance of causing infection. Moreover, an understanding of the structural basis for antigenic variation is being reached which should enable us to design more efficient vaccines.
Fourier transform sparse inverse regression estimators for sufficient variable selection

Abstract Sufficient dimension reduction aims to reduce the dimension of predictors while maintaining the regression information. Recently, researchers have studied an impressive range of sparse inverse regression estimators. Nonetheless, conspicuously less attention has been given to the multivariate response with high-dimensional covariates settings. To fill the gap, a Fourier transform inverse regression approach via regularized quadratic discrepancy functions is investigated. Theoretically, consistency and oracle properties for the proposed estimators are established. An iterated alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM) algorithm is employed to estimate two target parameters simultaneously. Each step of the ADMM algorithm has an explicit solution yielding computational efficiency gain. Numerical studies and real data analysis confirm the theoretical properties and yield superior performance of our proposed methods. In specific, the proposal has higher support recovery rates compared to the state-of-the-art approach. An open-source Python package called ADMMFTIRE accompanying this paper is available online. 1
Agroforestry for Ecosystem Services: An Introduction

Research over the past two decades has provided solid evidence for many of the ecosystem services (ES) of agroforestry (AF). The main objective of this book is to synthesize the relevant literature from around the globe. The book not only covers the ES related to soil, air, water, food security, biodiversity conservation, and pollination, but also discusses allied topics such as agroforestry design, cultural values, and economic valuation of ES services. In addition, we also have included two country-specific case studies. These include carbon sequestration potential in India and ES services of AF in Australia. Major findings and suggestions from each chapter will also be presented in this introduction chapter to explain how AF can mitigate and lessen impacts on critical global issues. These chapters have confirmed that adoption of AF can help reduce soil and land degradation, water pollution, flooding, food insecurity, and biodiversity decline. These chapters have described how AF improves provisional, regulating, supporting, and cultural ES. Chapters on soil services indicated that soil carbon addition of AF was the main factor for increasing resiliency of ecosystems to climate change threats. The perennial components of AF help improve water quality due to its direct influence on nutrient cycling and also its indirect influence through the modification of soil properties. Chapters on silvopasture clearly demonstrate that properly managed silvopastoral systems improve the environment, not only animal welfare, but land productivity and resource-use efficiency as well while providing better economic returns. Another review showed that pollination can be enhanced by agroforestry by creating new and enhancing existing habitat. Agroforestry can reduce flooding and improve air quality due to the presence of trees. Chapters on cultural services, designing AF, and economics showed the importance of these concepts to improve AF adoption although the literature is still limited on these topics. Although AF is not the sole solution for every current issue like climate change, food insecurity, biodiversity decline, and environmental degradation, its broader adoption as part of a multifunctional working landscape can definitely offer much-needed help.
A Diagnostic Platform for Rapid, Simultaneous Quantification of Procalcitonin and C-Reactive Protein in Human Serum

Background: Early and accurate determination of bacterial infections as a potential cause for a patient’s systemic inflammatory response is required for timely administration of appropriate treatment and antibiotic stewardship. Procalcitonin (PCT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) have both been used as biomarkers to differentiate bacterial infections from other causes in multiple studies, particularly in the context of sepsis. There is an urgent need to develop a platform for simultaneous quantification of PCT and CRP, to enable the potential use of these biomarkers at the point-of-care.: Methods: A multiplexed lateral flow assay (LFA) and a fluorescence optical reader were developed. Assay performance was validated by testing spiked antigens in the buffer, followed by a validation study comparing results with conventional assays (Roche Cobas e411 Elecsys PCT and Siemens ADVIA XPT CRP) in 25 archived remnant human serum samples. Findings: A correlation of 0·97 (P < 0·0001) was observed for PCT, and a correlation of 0·95 (P < 0·0001) was observed for CRP using direct patient samples. We also validated our platform’s ability to predict concentrations beyond the hook effect range for CRP accurately. Interpretation: A fluorescence reader-based duplex LFA for simultaneous quantification of PCT and CRP was developed and successfully validated with clinical samples. The rapid, portable, and low-cost nature of the platform offers potential for differentiation of bacterial and viral infections in emergency and low-resource settings at the point-of-care. Funding Information: NIH/NIBIB Award 1R01EB021331, and Academic Venture Fund from the Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future at Cornell University. Declaration of Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose related to this work. In the interest of full disclosure, David Erickson and Saurabh Mehta are founders and board members for a diagnostic start-up focused on measuring nutritional biomarkers at the point-of-care. Ethics Approval Statement: We acquired 25 remnant patient serum samples with known PCT and CRP concentrations from Weill Cornell Medicine (New York, NY, USA). These samples were approved for use by the Cornell Institutional Review Board (IRB 1706018345) used for assay validation.
Microphase assisted "autocatalysis"

The mathematical model developed in this study considered reaction, crystallization, and microphase processes simultaneously to describe "autocatalytic" microphase action more effectively. Simulations were performed to determine the effect of crystal growth rates, nucleation rates and the initial crystal size distribution on the overall reaction rate enhancement produced by the microphase. The growth kinetics and the crystal size distribution were found to have a significant influence on the heterogeneous reaction rate. These results call into question previous models developed to describe "autocatalytic" microphases, as none of them include appropriate crystallization kinetic models. In the reaction system of solid calcium citrate and Hquid sulfuric acid, the solid reaction product, calcium sulfate, functions as an "autocatals^tic" microphase to enhance the rate of reaction and crystallization. Significant reaction rate enhancement was observed experimentally at the onset of calcium sulfate nucleation creating an "autocatal5^c" effect. Indeed, enhancements approaching a factor of 3 were observed under different initial conditions. The previously proposed microphase mechanism attributes the multiphase reaction rate enhancement to the increase in mass transfer of the sparingly soluble solute from the interface to the bulk reaction phase. This mechanism was e:q)erimentally verified, when increased mass transfer rates without reaction occurring were found to mirror the reaction rate enhancement. Reaction and mass transfer rate enhancement increased with increasing microphase loading until 1.87 g/L microphase (2.5 g/L CaS04 crystals), when the effect of new nuclei is negligible. These experimental results were used to validate the theoretical model.
Forensic Assessment of Violence Risk: A Guide for Risk Assessment and Risk Management

Preface vii Acknowledgments xi 1 Historical Overview of Risk Assessment 1 2 Introducing a Broad Model for Risk Assessment 16 3 Risk of What? Defining the Referral Question 34 4 What Do We Know Overall? Consider Normative Data and Population Base Rates 45 5 What Do We Know about Individuals Like This One? Empirically Supported Risk and Protective Factors 67 6 What Do We Know about This Individual? Idiographic Factors and the Need for Individualized Assessment 83 7 What Can We Say about the Results of a Risk Assessment? Risk Communication 99 8 From Risk Assessment to Risk Management 135 9 Risk Assessment of Patients with Serious Mental Illness 153 10 Risk Assessment with Sexual Offenders 179 11 Risk Assessment with Juvenile Offenders 202 12 Risk Assessment of Death Penalty Defendants 235 Epilogue 255 Appendix A Risk Assessment Instruments 259 Appendix B Sample Risk Assessment Reports 269 References 309 Index 353
Application of Diffraction Corrections to the Absolute Measurement of Scattering Amplitudes

Ultrasonic scattering measurements are influenced both by the measurement geometry and the properties of the flaw. This paper discusses a set of correction factors which account for the measurement geometry effects and allow the scattering properties of the flaw to be directly related to the measured data. As shown in the inset of Fig. 1, theories for ultrasonic scattering often assume plane wave illumination and predict the scattering amplitude, A, which defines the far field radiation that would be observed in an unbounded elastic medium. This scattering amplitude is a function of frequency and the angles and polarizations of the incident and scattered fields. The diffraction corrections are designed to allow results of measurements in complex geometries to be related to these unbounded medium scattering amplitudes.
Successful treatment of recurrent hyperhemolysis syndrome with immunosuppression and plasma‐to‐red blood cell exchange transfusion

Background Hyperhemolysis syndrome is a serious transfusion reaction mostly reported in association with sickle cell disease, characterized by destruction of both donor and host red blood cells (RBCs) by an unknown mechanism. Case Report A 21-year-old man with sickle cell disease and multiple prior transfusions received two phenotype-matched, compatible RBC units during a brief admission for pain crisis. He developed rapid-onset progressive anemia and hemoglobinuria. Methylprednisolone, erythropoietin, and rituximab were administered. Fifteen days posttransfusion the hemoglobin (Hb) concentration decreased to 3.1 g/dL, with evidence of severe congestive heart failure. No new antibodies were identified. It was felt that his heart failure would not improve without increasing oxygen-carrying capacity. A combination of volume overload, anemia, and hemolysis prompted a novel isovolemic procedure to increase Hb level without removing his own RBCs or causing fluid overload. A cell separator was used operating on the plasma-exchange program, with three cross-match–compatible, washed RBC units as the replacement fluid. After the procedure, there was no evidence of hemolysis. Over the following 6 days, the congestive heart failure resolved, the Hb concentration increased to 7.5 g/dL, and the patient fully recovered. He had a similar event 3 years previously. Conclusions Plasma-to-RBC replacement may be beneficial for selected patients with life-threatening anemia. This intervention provides immediate improvement in oxygen-carrying capacity, conserving the patient's own RBCs, while avoiding fluid overload. Although blood transfusion may precipitate further hemolysis, this case report describes successful plasma-to-RBC exchange transfusion with concurrent supportive care to offset hemolysis, including corticosteroid, intravenous immunoglobulin, and rituximab.
Spatial-temporal constraint for segmentation of serial infant brain MR images

Longitudinal infant studies offer a unique opportunity for revealing the dynamics of rapid human brain development in the first year of life. To this end, it is important to develop tissue segmentation and registration techniques for facilitating the detection of global and local morphological changes of brain structures in an infant population. However, there are two inherent challenges involved in development of such techniques. First, the MR images of the isointense stage - the duration between infantile and early adult stages in the first year of life - have low gray-white matter contrast. Second, temporal consistency cannot be preserved if segmentation and registration are performed separately for different time-points. In this paper, we proposed a 4D joint registration and segmentation framework for serial infant brain MR images. Specifically, a spatial-temporal constraint is formulated to make optimal use of T1 and T2 images, as well as adaptively propagate prior probability maps among time-points. In this process, 4D registration is employed to determine anatomical correspondence across time-points, and also a multi-channel segmentation algorithm, guided by spatial-temporally constrained prior tissue probability maps, is applied to segment the T1 and T2 images simultaneously at each time-point. Registration and segmentation are iterated as an Expectation-Maximization (EM) process until convergence. The infant segmentations yielded by the proposed method show high agreement with the results given by a manual rater and outperform the results when no temporal information is considered.
Systemic lupus erythematosus is characterized by faulty B-cell tolerance in the germinal centers

Studies of human B-cell tolerance have been hampered by the low frequency of antigen-specific autoreactive B cells in healthy subjects as well as by lack of access to secondary lymphoid tissue in autoimmune patients. We have resolved the first problem by studying the fate of a population of human B cells endowed with intrinsic autoreactivity owing to the expression of antibodies encoded by the VH4.34 gene segment (VH4.34 B-cells and VH4.34 antibodies, respectively) [1]. These pathogenic autoantibodies are very abundant in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), where they represent 10–40% of serum IgG, correlate with disease activity, renal and central nervous system involvement, and contribute substantially to the anti-dsDNA and anti-lymphocyte antibody repertoire [2-5]. Of note, increased production of VH4.34 antibodies is highly specific for SLE and has not been observed in other autoimmune diseases. Taking advantage of the abundance of VH4.34 B cells in healthy individuals and of the ability of the anti-idiotypic monoclonal antibody 9G4 to specifically recognize VH4.34 B cells, we previously proposed that healthy VH4.34 B cells are negatively selected during the germinal center (GC) reaction [1]. Herein, we have expanded our initial studies to further dissect this observation using tonsil biopsies obtained from patients with SLE (n = 8) and rheumatoid arthritis (n = 3) as a source of secondary lymphoid tissue. Using both flow cytometry, intracellular calcium analysis and immunocytochemistry, our studies demonstrate that in normal subjects 9G4+ autoreactive VH4.34 B cells display an anergic phenotype and undergo strong counter selection in the early phase of the GC reaction, as indicated by their decline in the transition from the GC founder stage to the centroblast stage and by their absence from proliferative GCs. In contrast, SLE 9G4+ B cells participate in approximately 20% of all productive GC reactions, as substantiated by flow cytometry and histological analyses and as reflected by a 10-fold to 20-fold expansion into the post-GC IgG memory and plasma cell compartments. Remarkably, in patients with RA, 9G4+ B cells behave like healthy 9G4+ B cells and are also strongly counter-selected in the GC. Overall, our results strongly indicate that a critical checkpoint in the maintenance of B-cell tolerance depends on effective negative selection of autoreactive B cells in the GCs and that this checkpoint is specifically defective in SLE. Detailed comparisons of the cellular, biochemical and genetic profiles of the cells targeted at this checkpoint (GC founders) between healthy control and SLE patients should shed considerable light into the mechanisms responsible for disease development, thereby suggesting new therapeutic approaches.
Real-Time Inversion and Response Planning in Large-Scale Networks

Abstract In this paper we present a mixed-integer linear programming formulation for performing source inversion in drinking water systems using discrete (yes/no) measurements available from manual grab samples. Given the large size of a typical water distribution system, standard water quality models are inappropriate for use in the mixed-integer framework. In this research, we demonstrate the use of an origin-tracking approach to develop the water quality model, and show how this model can be efficiently and exactly reduced prior to the formulation of the MILP, giving rise to a much smaller MILP. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this formulation can be efficiently solved in a real-time setting on large networks with over 10,000 nodes while considering over 100 time discretizations.
Asymptotics of delay differential equations via polynomials

In this paper, we introduce an innovative and systematic technique to study delay differential equations via polyno- mials. First, we review an intrinsic relation between delay differential equations and polynomials. From this relation, we obtain long time behaviors of the solutions to delay differential equations via asymptotic analysis of the corresponding polynomials. Moreover, we derive asymptotic formulas and upper bounds for the intrinsic growth rate of delay differential equations, as well as a Gronwall-type inequality for delay differential inequalities.
Most Promising Concept of Hail Suppression

Two popularly attempted approaches to hail suppression by seeding clouds with Agl nuclei are (1) over-seeding to achieve full glaciation and (2) embryo competition. However, most hail suppression projects based on these concepts were inconclusive: hailfall increased, decreased, or there was no noticeable effect. Such inconsistent results cause one to question the validity of these concepts. This paper suggests a new concept: freezing a large number of accumulated, millimeter-size supercooled drops by contact nucleation by the timely introduction of Agl nuclei into the heart of the potential hail cloud. The large amount of latent heat of fusion liberated in a short time would increase rapidly the buoyancy and accelerate the updraft. The ice embryos would be carried to higher cloud levels, colder than -30 C. The supercooled droplets from the lower part of the cloud would freeze before reaching such embryos. This, in effect, kills accretional growth of the embryos, eliminating the formation of medium and large size hailstones. Numerical calculations show the effectiveness of this hail suppression concept.
Environmental conditions impacting juvenile Chinook salmon growth off central California: An ecosystem model analysis

A fully coupled ecosystem model is used to identify the effects of environmental conditions and upwelling variability on growth of juvenile Chinook salmon in central California coastal waters. The ecosystem model framework consists of an ocean circulation submodel, a biogeochemical submodel, and an individual-based submodel for salmon. Simulation results indicate that years favorable for juvenile salmon growth off central California are characterized by particularly intense early season upwelling (i.e., March through May), leading to enhanced krill concentrations during summer near the location of ocean entry (i.e., Gulf of the Farallones). Seasonally averaged growth rates in the model are generally consistent with observed values and suggest that juvenile salmon emigrating later in the season (i.e., late May and June) achieve higher weight gains during their first 90 days of ocean residency.
Optimal sequential sampling from two populations.

Abstract Given two statistical populations with unknown means, we consider the problem of sampling chi 1, chi 2, ... sequentially from these populations so as to achieve the greatest possible expected value of the sum Sn = chi 1 + ... + chi n. In particular, for normal populations, we obtain the optimal rule and study its properties when the average of the two population means is assumed known, and exhibit an asymptotically optimal rule without assuming any prior knowledge about the population means.
Competing phases in the extended U − V − J Hubbard model near the Van Hove fillings

The phase diagram of the two-dimensional extended one-band $U\ensuremath{-}V\ensuremath{-}J$ Hubbard model is considered within a mean-field approximation and two- and many-patch renormalization-group (RG) approaches near the Van Hove band fillings. At small ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ and $Jg0,$ mean-field and many-patch RG approaches give similar results for the leading spin-density-wave (SDW) instability, while the two-patch RG approach that predicts a wide region of charge-flux (CF) phase becomes unreliable due to nesting effect. There is a complex competition between SDW, CF phases, and d-wave superconductivity at small ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ in two- and many-patch RG approaches. The spin-flux phase, which is not stable at the mean-field level, is identified as a possible ground state at $Jl0$ in both RG approaches. With increasing ${t}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ the results of all three approaches merge: d-wave superconductivity at $Jg0$ and ferromagnetism at $Jl0$ become the leading instabilities. For large enough V, the charge-density-wave state occurs.
THE SOCIAL WORKER AS PART OF A METABOLIC RESEARCH TEAM.

Abstract This paper has presented a description of the role of a social worker on a metabolic research unit at the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. It was motivated by the writer's observations of the unique demands made upon metabolic patients and the wish to share these observations with professional groups who are working with similar problems. The most striking observations are that metabolic procedures make stressful demands on the patient in terms of confinement, restriction of activity, monotony of diet, length of stay, and oftentimes distance from home. The patient's usual modes of reducing stress, such as overeating, walking, or talking to a comforting family member, are reduced. Moreover, the patient's cooperation in these studies is absolutely essential if the regimen is to be followed, since a mistake can delay the study or distort results. The social work method is uniquely geared to the identification and treatment of individual problems in social functioning which can be associated with the stress created by such a metabolic regimen.
Extraordinary improvement in scintillation detectors via post-processing with ASEDRA-solution to a 50-year-old problem

We have developed a ground-breaking algorithm, ASEDRA, to post-process scintillator detector spectra to render photopeaks with high accuracy. The post-processed spectrum is comparable with resolved full energy peaks rendered by high resolution HPGe semiconductor detectors. ASEDRA, or "Advanced Synthetically Enhanced Detector Resolution Algorithm," is currently applied to NaI(Tl) detectors, which are robust, but suffer from poor energy resolution. ASEDRA rapidly post-processes a NaI(Tl) detector spectrum over a few seconds on a standard laptop without prior knowledge of sources or spectrum features. ASEDRA incorporates a novel denoising algorithm based on an adaptive Chi-square methodology called ACHIP, or "Adaptive Chi-quare Processed denoising." Application of ACHIP is necessary to remove stochastic noise, yet preserve fine detail, and can be used as an independent tool for general noise reduction. Following noise removal, ASEDRA sequentially employs an adaptive detector response algorithm to remove the spectrum attributed to specific gammas. Tests conducted using a 2"×2" NaI(Tl) detector, along with a HPGe detector demonstrate the accuracy of ASEDRA; in this paper, we present results using a 152Eu source. Analysis of ASEDRA results show correct identification of at least 15 photopeaks from 152 Eu, with relative yield ratios of major lines to better than a factor of two for most cases (referencing the 152 Eu 344 keV photopeak), enabling better than a factor of four improvement in resolving peaks compared with unprocessed NaI(Tl). Moreover, denoising and synthetic resolution enhancement algorithms can be adapted to any detector. ACHIP and ASEDRA are covered under a Provisional Patent, Registration Number #60/971,770, 9/12/2007, USPTO.
Conscientious objection the morning after.

Robert F. Card (2007) argues that pharmacists who conscientiously object to filling prescriptions for emergency contraception (EC) should, despite their personal views, always fill them. His view, ...
Isotopic effect in transport and the ubiquitous mode

Abstract The linear stability of the collisionless trapped electron mode (“ubiquitous mode”) is investigated for the case of multispecies plasmas in low-β toroidal magnetic confinement experiments (JET and TFTR). A moderate reduction in the growth rate of fluctuations with given poloidal wavelength is observed when a heavier ion than the fuelling species, e.g. deuterium, is introduced. The quasilinear energy and particle fluxes are computed for the saturated state, and a model for the observed “isotopic scaling” of transport with the mass of the fuelling ion is presented.
Consensus and Crisis: Representing the Poor in the Post-Civil Rights Era

The recent financial crisis in the US has stemmed, in part, from the persistent failure of political elites to effectively represent the poor. This article examines this failure, casting it as a matter of discourse. During the post-civil rights era, political elites have directed their efforts on behalf of the poor through a series of consensual discourses. The consensus they enact is, more specifically, between two ascendant traditions: advanced liberalism, focused on achieving the full incorporation of marginalized groups; and colorblind racism, focused on mobilizing formally race-neutral policies and practices. The first part shows how this dominant consensus legitimated the turn to a racially biased neoliberal regime of poverty management. The second part links its influence to the recent financial crisis, focusing especially on how it has, somewhat paradoxically, taken root in the efforts of antipoverty activists. The article concludes by clarifying the importance of imagining and pursuing representa...
Tensile testing of U/5.3 wt% Nb and U/6.8 wt% Nb alloys

Abstract Induction-melted and rolled uranium-niobium alloys of two compositions were investigated by tensile testing. One composition (U/5.3 wt% Nb) was quenched to form the α ′ b phase at room temperature; the other (U/6.8 wt% Nb) was quenched to form the γ° phase. Specimens of both alloys were fabricated into tensile bars from as-quenched material and from quenched material aged at 200°C for 4 h. Duplicate sets of these tensile bars were prepared bare and electroplated with nickel. All tensile bars (except the controls) were submitted to accelerated environmental exposure in moist hydrogen, moist nitrogen, dry nitrogen, or vacuum by holding them in the respective atmosphere at 70°C for 37 weeks. Tensile testing was done in a vacuum. The shapes of the tensile curves showed large differences caused by differences in composition, aging at 200°C, and, in the case of the γ° material only, the 70° environmental exposure, which also caused age hardening. Some indication of premature fracture resulting from hydrogen exposure was observed in U/5.3 wt% Nb but not in U/6.8 wt% Nb. We currently attribute the unusual shape of the tensile curves in these alloys to twin interface migrations.
Estimating cancer risks from low doses of ionizing radiation

Disagreements about the somatic risks from low doses of ionizing radiation stem from two difficulties fundamental to the logic of inference from observational data. First, precise direct estimation of small risks requires impracticably large samples. Second, precise estimates of low-dose risks based largely on high-dose data, for which the sample size requirements are more easily satisfied, must depend heavily on assumptions about the shape of the dose-response curve, even when only a few of the parameters of the theoretical form of the curve are unknown.
Kinetics of Defect Formation in Alkali Halides at Helium Temperatures

The kinetics of defect formation in alkali halides at low temperature was investigated based on the following sequential steps: production of electrons and holes by ionizing radiation, self-trapping of holes to form VK-centers, recombination of VK-centers and electrons followed by a collision sequence to form F- and H-centers ionization of F-centers to form F+-centers, and capture of electrons by the H-centers to form I-centers. The kinetic equations were solved by computer techniques for steady irradiation and for pulse irradiation. Analytic solutions were found for the steady state approximation, valid after the decay of initial transients. During steady irradiation, once the transients have decayed, the total vacancy concentration (and the concentration of the other centers) increases linearly with irradiation time, in agreement with the available meager experimental data. A specific prediction of the kinetic scheme is the flux (dose rate) dependence of the above growth rate-linear in flux at low flux and gradually approaching flux independence at high flux. When the unstable nature of the close F-H pairs is explicitly taken into account, the response of the system to pulse irradiation simulates the experimental data, at least qualitatively.
CHARMM Additive All-Atom Force Field for Phosphate and Sulfate Linked to Carbohydrates.

Presented is an extension of the CHARMM additive all-atom carbohydrate force field to enable the modeling of phosphate and sulfate linked to carbohydrates. The parameters are developed in a hierarchical fashion using model compounds containing the key atoms in the full carbohydrates. Target data for parameter optimization included full two-dimensional energy surfaces defined by the glycosidic dihedral angle pairs in the phosphate/sulfate model compound analogs of hexopyranose monosaccharide phosphates and sulfates, as determined by quantum mechanical (QM) MP2/cc-pVTZ single point energies on MP2/6-31+G(d) optimized structures. In order to achieve balanced, transferable dihedral parameters for the dihedral angles, surfaces for all possible anomeric and conformational states were included during the parametrization process. In addition, to model physiologically relevant systems, both the mono- and dianionic charged states were studied for the phosphates. This resulted in over 7000 MP2/cc-pVTZ//MP2/6-31G+(d)...
Aircraft Loss-of-Control Accident Analysis

Loss of control remains one of the largest contributors to fatal aircraft accidents worldwide. Aircraft loss-of-control accidents are complex in that they can result from numerous causal and contributing factors acting alone or (more often) in combination. Hence, there is no single intervention strategy to prevent these accidents. To gain a better understanding into aircraft loss-of-control events and possible intervention strategies, this paper presents a detailed analysis of loss-of-control accident data (predominantly from Part 121), including worst case combinations of causal and contributing factors and their sequencing. Future potential risks are also considered.
Snapshots of transition states

Time-resolved X-ray absorption has been used to investigate the structure of the Zn active site in alcohol dehydrogenase during catalysis. The results support a new mechanistic model for catalysis.
Organic solar cells with sensitivity extending into the near infrared

We describe an organic photovoltaic cell based on a tin(II) phthalocyanine (SnPc)∕C60 donor/acceptor heterojunction with sensitivity at wavelengths of λ>900nm. We find that the low hole mobility in polycrystalline thin films of SnPc, μh=(2±1)×10−10cm2∕Vs, prevents the use of thick layers, leading to low fill factors and therefore low-power conversion efficiencies. However, owing to its large absorption coefficient, a 50-A-thick layer of SnPC yields solar cell external quantum efficiencies of up to 21% at λ=750nm. With the double heterostructure of indium-tin oxide/100A copper phthalocyanine/50A SnPc∕540A C60∕75A bathocuproine/Ag, we obtain a power conversion efficiency of (1.0±0.1)% under 1 sun standard AM1.5G solar illumination and efficiencies of (1.3±0.1)% under intense (10 suns) standard AM1.5G solar illumination.
The effect of freeze‐drying on chlorophyll in the leaves of some selected drug plants

A comparative study of the effect of freeze-drying and oven-drying at 45-50° on chlorophyll in the leaves of some selected drug plants was undertaken. The results indicated that more total chlorophyll was obtained from the freeze-dried leaves. The major difference was in the amount of chlorophyll a. Freeze-drying facilitated total chlorophyll extraction.
Hybridthreads Compiler: Generation of Application Specific Hardware Thread Cores from C

The hthreads group is developing the hybridthreads compiler (HTC) to satisfy the need for a C compiler that can generate hardware threads. Compiling C-like languages to hardware has been studied a number of times. The goal of past projects is different than the goal of HTC because past projects focused on creating and optimizing hardware based co-processors that interleave execution of a single thread with the CPU. Our goal is to compile unmodified C into hardware threads that can run without depending on the CPU, gaining our speedup from physical thread-level parallelism (TLP). We are not attempting to use C as a general-purpose hardware description language. Instead, we use the FPGA with hthreads as just another compiler target architecture.
Promotion of renewable energies in Algeria: Strategies and perspectives

Abstract During the last few years, political support for renewable energies has been growing continuously both at the national and international level and most scientists now agree that the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are perfectly placed to play a leading role in the lucrative future solar and wind power industries. The interest for the development of renewable energies was perceived very early in Algeria with the creation of the solar energy institute as soon as 1962. Algeria plays a very important role in world energy markets, both as a significant hydrocarbons producer and exporter, as well as a key participant in the renewable energy market. Due to its geographical location, Algeria holds one of the highest solar reservoirs in the world. This paper deals with a review of the present renewable energy (RE) situation and assessed present and future potential of RE sources in Algeria. It also discusses the trends and expectation in solar and wind systems applications and the aspects of future implementation of renewable energies making emphasis on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region status. The problem related to the use of RES and polices to enhance the use of these sources are also analysed in this paper. In addition the available capacity building, the technical know-how for each RE sources technology and localising manufacturing of RE equipments have been defined.
Transients in pneumatic transmission lines subjected to large pressure changes

Abstract One-dimensional equations describing the flow and pressure in a pneumatic transmission line are formulated and solved numerically without neglecting the nonlinear terms in the continuity and momentum equations. The viscous effects are handled in a quasi-steady manner in the determination of the wall shear stress for a flow that is considered to be either isothermal or quasi-steady isentropic. The partial differential equations for the line are reduced to a set of ordinary nonlinear differential difference equations for integration by standard numerical methods. A step change in pressure is applied to the inlet end of a line that is terminated with a constant volume; however, the techniques presented may be directly applied to pneumatic lines coupled to nonlinear end elements. Solutions are presented for cases of large inlet pressure changes where the flow in the line reaches high, but subsonic, velocities and high Reynolds numbers. In addition, cases are treated for small pressure changes where linearizing approximations are valid. The results are compared with experimental data for both the large and small pressure changes.