cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of substrate thickness on oxide scale spallation for solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract In this paper, the effect of the ferritic interconnect thickness on the delamination/spallation of the oxide scale was investigated experimentally and numerically. At the operating environment of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs), a combination of growth stress with thermal stresses may lead to scale delamination/buckling and eventual spallation during SOFC stack cooling, even leading to serious degradation of cell performance. The experimental and numerical results show that the interfacial shear stresses increase with the growth of the oxide scale and also with the thickness of the ferritic substrate, i.e., the thick ferritic substrate can easily lead to scale delamination and spallation.
Advances in breast cancer detection and management.

Breast cancer detection and management have undergone dramatic changes over the past three decades. Women are increasingly diagnosed with early stage disease, leaving them with breast-conserving options versus mastectomy. Advances in the chemoprevention arena offer the promise of reduced overall breast cancer burden in the future. This article presents an overview of advances made in several aspects of breast cancer detection and management including screening, examination and management of the abnormal breast evaluation, breast cancer risk assessment, breast cancer risk reduction, and breast cancer treatment.
International Legal Regimes to Balance the Protection of Prairies and Grasslands with Their Agricultural Use Part One – Grasslands at Risk

Grasslands abound on Earth, but humans have damaged them profoundly. This paper – part of a book project focusing on the international legal regimes needed to strike an appropriate balance between the protection of grassland areas and their use for agricultural production – identifies where grasslands are located, what makes them distinct parts of our natural order, how they have been degraded, and why that matters.Some points that are fundamental to this discussion include these: (1) grassland ecoregions exist both in tropical and in temperate zones of the Earth, and while there are important differences both between and within each of these two categories of grasslands, their similarities warrant looking at the two together; (2) grasslands are dramatically more complex and full of life than most people realize, and indeed the subtlety of their richness probably contributes to their abuse; (3) that abuse takes many forms and springs from many causes, including urban encroachment, forest encroachment (especially through fire suppression), habitat fragmentation, agricultural conversion, inappropriate grazing practices, water mismanagement, and recreational frivolity; and (4) human abuse of the world’s grasslands incurs a huge economic and financial cost to this and future generations, in part because it squanders the benefits that grasslands can provide by way of protecting water quality, buffering drastic natural phenomena (such as storms and floods), conserving soil resources, facilitating prudent recreation, maintaining critical habitat for wildlife, protecting biodiversity more generally, and contributing to the global food supply through sustainable use in agricultural and livestock operations.The condition and use of grasslands around the world have a direct bearing on agricultural production and on the international trade in agricultural commodities that is essential for the Earth’s future. Hence this paper offers a factual foundation for legal and policy discussions; one or more later papers by the same author will contribute further to those discussions.
Using simulated historical time series to prioritize fuel treatments on landscapes across the United States: The LANDFIRE prototype project

Canopy and surface fuels in many fire-prone forests of the United States have increased over the last 70 years as a result of modern fire exclusion policies, grazing, and other land management activities. The Healthy Forest Restoration Act and National Fire Plan establish a national commitment to reduce fire hazard and restore fire-adapted ecosystems across the USA. The primary index used to prioritize treatment areas across the nation is Fire Regime Condition Class (FRCC) computed as departures of current conditions from the historical fire and landscape conditions. This paper describes a process that uses an extensive set of ecological models to map FRCC from a departure statistic computed from simulated time series of historical landscape composition. This mapping process uses a data-driven, biophysical approach where georeferenced field data, biogeochemical simulation models, and spatial data libraries are integrated using spatial statistical modeling to map environmental gradients that are then used to predict vegetation and fuels characteristics over space. These characteristics are then fed into a landscape fire and succession simulation model to simulate a time series of historical landscape compositions that are then compared to the composition of current landscapes to compute departure, and the FRCC values. Intermediate products from this process are then used to create ancillary vegetation, fuels, and fire regime layers that are useful in the eventual planning and implementation of fuel and restoration treatments at local scales. The complex integration of varied ecological models at different scales is described and problems encountered during the implementation of this process in the LANDFIRE prototype project are addressed.
The Consequences of International Comparisons for Public Support of K–12 Education Evidence From a National Survey Experiment

Candidates for public office in the United States frequently justify their positions on education policy priorities by stating the need to strengthen the nation’s economic competitiveness against new global challengers. In this article, the authors investigate the consequences of this form of policy motivation for attitudes toward and support of public schooling in the United States. Using a national survey experiment where a two-question prime on international competitiveness is randomized across respondents, the authors test for differential responses to attitude items that have been included regularly since the 1970s in the Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup Poll and the General Social Survey. The results suggest that framing educational policy with the goal of enhancing international competitiveness lowers subjective assessments of the quality of local schooling without increasing interest in additional spending to improve the nation’s education system.
Low molecular weight heparins: current use and indications

Thromboembolic complications are associated with significant morbidity and mortality in postoperative patients. For many years, unfractionated heparin has been used successfully in primary and secondary prophylaxis of these complications. In recent times, however, the usefulness of LMWHs has caught the attention of clinicians because of improved bioavailability, predictable anticoagulation, ease of administration, and the lack of need for monitoring anticoagulation. In clinical situations, LMWHs have been tested and proved to be safe and equipotent or supe rior when compared with unfractionated heparin or warfarin (Table 5). It is clear from clinical trials that LMWHs are superior in primary prophylaxis of DVT in orthopaedic surgical procedures, treatment of unstable angina, and in patients with multiple traumas. LMWHs were also tested and found to be an acceptable alternative to unfractionated heparin in both the primary prophylaxis of DVT in high risk general surgical procedures and in the treatment of patients with DVT and pulmonary embolism. However, the role of LMWHs in ischemic heart diseases, valvular heart diseases, postcoronary angioplasty, and vascular surgery remains to be proved. The major impact of LMWHs would be in allowing clinicians to treat PE and DVT in an outpatient setting, which would directly impact medical economics. LMWHs are associated with similar complications as unfractionated heparin is, but the complications occur less frequently. Currently, the main limitation in using LMWHs in place of unfractionated heparin or warfarin is its cost. However, taking into account the cost incurred by hospitalization and longterm monitoring of anticoagulation in patients treated with unfractionated heparin, certain trials have proved the cost of LMWHs to be the same or less than the cost of unfractionated heparin overall. We envision that LMWHs will be widely used in the future and will bring welcomed change in the treatment of thromboembolic diseases.
Fast frequency-sweep analysis of microstrip antennas on dispersive substrate

A fast technique that combines the method of asymptotic waveform evaluation (AWE) and the hybrid finite-element boundary-integral (FE-BI) method is introduced for the analysis of cavity-backed microstrip patch antennas residing on a dispersive substrate. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the technique.
Augmentation of cardiac sympathetic tone by percutaneous low-level stellate ganglion stimulation in humans: a feasibility study

Modulation of human cardiac mechanical and electrophysiologic function by direct stellate ganglion stimulation has not been performed. Our aim was to assess the effect of low-level left stellate ganglion (LSG) stimulation (SGS) on arrhythmias, hemodynamic, and cardiac electrophysiological indices. Patients undergoing ablation procedures for arrhythmias were recruited for SGS. A stimulating electrode was placed next to the LSG under fluoroscopy and ultrasound imaging; and SGS (5–10 Hz, 10–20 mA) was performed. We measured hemodynamic, intracardiac and ECG parameters, and activation recovery intervals (ARIs) (surrogate for action potential duration) from a duodecapolar catheter in the right ventricular outflow tract. Five patients underwent SGS (3 males, 45 ± 20 years). Stimulating catheter placement was successful, and without complication in all patients. SGS did not change heart rate, but increased mean arterial blood pressure (78 ± 3 mmHg to 98 ± 5 mmHg, P < 0.001) and dP/dt max (1148 ± 244 mmHg/sec to 1645 ± 493 mmHg/sec, P = 0.03). SGS shortened mean ARI from 304 ± 23 msec to 283 ± 17 msec (P < 0.001), although one patient required parasympathetic blockade. Dispersion of repolarization (DOR) increased in four patients and decreased in one, consistent with animal models. QT interval, T-wave duration and amplitude at baseline and with SGS were 415 ± 15 msec versus 399 ± 15 msec (P < 0.001); 201 ± 12 msec versus 230 ± 28 msec; and 0.2 ± 0.09 mV versus 0.22 ± 0.08 mV, respectively. At the level of SGS performed, no increase in arrhythmias was seen. Percutaneous low-level SGS shortens ARI in the RVOT, and increases blood pressure and LV contractility. These observations demonstrate feasibility of percutaneous SGS in humans.
Acoustic detection and recognition of fin whale and North Atlantic right whale sounds

The problem of detecting and recognizing the sounds of fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus, and North Atlantic right whales, Eubalaena glacialis, in the presence ambient noise is considered. A proposed solution is based on a multiple-stage hypothesis-testing technique. The closed form representations of the algorithms are derived, and realizable detection schemes are developed. Empirical tests were conducted using data recordings collected in 2007 off the coast of Massachusetts. Results reveal that the proposed technique is able to detect approximately 80% of the calls detected by the human operator and to produce an average of 12.0 - 33.5 false alarms per 24 h of observation.
Nitrogen Loading to Great South Bay: Land Use, Sources, Retention, and Transport from Land to Bay

Abstract Biogeochemical couplings between land and coastal waters are increasingly altered by land cover changes forced by accumulation of human uses of watersheds. In particular, human activities increase nitrogen loads to receiving waters. Definitions of forcings require estimation of external nitrogen sources and evaluation of the effects on the roles of different land covers, retention within watersheds, and net exports to the sea. One powerful example of change in N loads is the effect of urban development on the watershed and concentrations of inorganic nitrogen in the water of Great South Bay (GSB), New York. We defined land uses, delimited subwatersheds emptying into GSB, and estimated nitrogen loads to subwatersheds and from these to receiving waters. Wastewater-derived nitrogen was the dominant source to watershed surfaces (55%), with lesser amounts added by atmospheric deposition to land (31%) and fertilizer use (15%). About 77% of nitrogen entering the watershed was retained within the watersh...
Persuasion and Democracy: Strategies for Increasing Deliberative Participation and Enacting Social Change

Grassroots action can be undertaken as the result of either deliberative persuasion (a process that encourages thought, reflection, and critical analysis) or propaganda (a process that truncates thought through the use of simplistic symbols and images that play on prejudices and emotions). True democratic social change can only be accomplished by encouraging deliberative persuasion and forestalling propaganda. Effective deliberative persuasion can be accomplished when participants are both motivated and capable of issue processing and group decision making. To that end, we examine the characteristics of the persuasion landscape, identify barriers to deliberative persuasion, and describe some techniques for promoting deliberative persuasion.
The Pharmacists' Role in Improving Guideline Compliance for Thyroid Function Testing in Patients With Heart Failure:

This single-center retrospective pilot program's objective was to utilize outpatient pharmacists to improve laboratory test adherence in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients overdue for thyroid function testing, thereby demonstrating the value of the outpatient pharmacist and justifying possible clinical role expansion. Thyroid disorders may contribute to CHF development, progression, and exacerbation. Testing is the standard of care in CHF patients per American Heart Association's 2009 Guidelines. Delinquency was defined as labs not conducted within 1 year in patients with euthyroid history, within 6 months in patients with thyroid dysfunction, abnormal labs at any time without follow-up, or lab absence after thyroid medication initiation, adjustment, or discontinuation. Targeted 80 nonpregnant adult CHF patients with delinquent thyroid function tests were counseled to get thyroid labs at point of sale, via telephone, e-mail, or letter. In collaboration with physicians, pharmacists ordered thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and free T4 (FT4) labs. For patients with abnormal laboratory results, pharmacists coordinated drug therapy and follow-up labs. Data were collected from November 1, 2009 to March 30, 2010. Seventy-two patients (90%) previously delinquent for thyroid function testing received relevant thyroid labs. Ten patients (12.5%) with abnormal thyroid function tests not on prior drug therapy received treatment.
Cross-shelf distribution of Euphausia pacifica in the Oregon coastal upwelling zone: field evaluation of a differential transport hypothesis

The frequent upwelling events characteristic of Oregon’s summer may make nearshore retention challenging for early, non-migrating euphausiid life stages inhabiting the surface layer. In contrast, later, vertically migrating life stages spend more time below the strongest offshore flow and are moved offshore less rapidly. We hypothesize that population stage structure will vary in predictable ways as a result of differential transport, a function of occupied depth (and therefore life stage). MOCNESS (Multiple Opening/Closing Net and Environmental Sampling System) samples have indicated that early Euphausia pacifica calyptopes (stages 1 and 2) are non-migrators, whereas late furcilia (stages 4–7) are migrators. We develop a metric (migrator fraction, FM) of relative densities of these larval stages within a sample to examine potential differential transport with alongshore winds on short timescales (0.5–7 days), for data collected during upwelling seasons from 2000 to 2002 at two stations off Oregon. FM and northward winds had a significant negative relationship in 2002 at the inshore station, indicating differential transport. Upwelling condition-classified sampled densities at nearshore and offshore stations also suggested differential cross-shelf transport, but trends were not always consistent with the hypothesis, suggesting the cross-shelf distribution of non-migrators was not consistent throughout the study period. Several other factors, such as spawning, might also contribute to significant trends observed in FM. The results of this analysis suggest that relationships exist between E. pacifica larval distributions and wind events in the Oregon upwelling region, but that the distributions may be too complex to predict at the event scale without more sophisticated tools, such as biological-physical coupled models.
Accessing the Optical Magnetic Near-Field through Babinet’s Principle

Engineering the optical magnetic field with optical antennas or metamaterials extends the ways to control light-matter interaction. The slot antenna, as the electromagnetic dual of the linear rod antenna, provides the simplest form of a magnetic resonator tunable through its length. Using combined far- and near-field spectroscopy and imaging, and theory, we identify magnetic dipole and higher order bright and dark magnetic resonances at mid-infrared frequencies. From resonant length scaling and spatial near-field distribution, we confirm the applicability of Babinetʼs principle over the mid-infrared spectral region. Babinet's principle thus provides access to spatial and spectral magnetic field properties, leading to the targeted design of magnetic optical antennas.
Hreels Studies of KxC60 Thin Films

High resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy has been used to investigate the vibrational and electronic excitations of single-phase, crystalline AxC60 films. Substantial changes in intramolecular mode frequencies and intensities with alkali concentration arise from charge transfer effects as well as free carrier screening. For x=4, splitting of the tu band is observed, resulting in an insulating phase with an estimated gap of 0.3-0.4eV. Screening in the x=3 phase results in enhanced surface sensitivity and deviations from bulk stoichiometry at the surface of metallic films are observed.
Evaluation of a New Polarimetrically Based Z–R Relation

Abstract A new polarimetrically based (or, pol-based) Z–R relation of the form Z = aR1.5 is described and evaluated where the multiplicative coefficient a is continuously adjusted as the drop size distribution evolves in space and time. The methodology is based on previous studies involving estimation of the normalized gamma drop size distribution parameters (DSD) using radar measurements of Zh, Zdr, and Kdp. In moderate-to-intense rainfall, the retrieval of the DSD parameters are formulated to account for the effects of drop oscillations using the “effective” β concept where the axis ratio (r) versus D relation is assumed to be linear and of the form r = 1 − βD in the underlying raindrop shape model. Rayleigh scattering with analytic approximations are used to show that the β estimator in Gorgucci et al. (2000) based on Zh, Zdr, and Kdp is of the correct form. The changes in the effective β in a storm cell is studied as the cell evolves from the growth phase to the mature phase (with microburst and rain ...
The Sequential Probability Ratio Test and Binary Item Response Models

The sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) is a common method for terminating item response theory (IRT)-based adaptive classification tests. To decide whether a classification test should stop, the SPRT compares a simple log-likelihood ratio, based on the classification bound separating two categories, to prespecified critical values. As has been previously noted (Spray & Reckase, 1994), the SPRT test statistic is not necessarily monotonic with respect to the classification bound when item response functions have nonzero lower asymptotes. Because of nonmonotonicity, several researchers (including Spray & Reckase, 1994) have recommended selecting items at the classification bound rather than the current ability estimate when terminating SPRT-based classification tests. Unfortunately, this well-worn advice is a bit too simplistic. Items yielding optimal evidence for classification depend on the IRT model, item parameters, and location of an examinee with respect to the classification bound. The current s...
Measurement and characterization of RF nonuniformity over the heart at 3T using body coil transmission

Purpose: To measure and characterize variations in the transmitted radio frequency (RF) (B1) field in cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at 3 Tesla. Knowledge of the B1 field is necessary for the calibration of pulse sequences, image-based quantitation, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) optimization. Materials and Methods: A variation of the saturated double-angle method for cardiac B1 mapping is described. A total of eight healthy volunteers and two cardiac patients were scanned using six parallel short-axis slices spanning the left ventricle (LV). B1 profiles were analyzed to determine the amount of variation and dominant patterns of variation across the LV. A total of five to 10 measurements were obtained in each volunteer to determine an upper bound of measurement repeatability. Results: The amount of flip angle variation was found to be 23% to 48% over the LV in mid-short-axis slices and 32% to 63% over the entire LV volume. The standard deviation (SD) of multiple flip angle measurements was 1.4° over the LV in all subjects, indicating excellent repeatability of the proposed measurement method. The pattern of in-plane flip angle variation was found to be primarily unidirectional across the LV, with a residual variation of 3% in all subjects. Conclusion: The in-plane B1 variation over the LV at 3T with body-coil transmission is on the order of 32% to 63% and is predominantly unidirectional in short-axis slices. Reproducible B1 measurements over the whole heart can be obtained in a single breathhold of 16 heartbeats.
Sepsis From Insidious Pacemaker Infection and Unsuspected Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis: The Importance of Transesophageal Echocardiography in Guiding Explantation Strategy

m E ACEMAKER GENERATOR POUCH and lead infection occur in 1% to 7% of patients with permanent pacemaker mplants.1,2 The diagnosis of infective pacemaker endocarditis emains a challenge because strict defining criteria are lacking, lthough several small retrospective studies and case reports ave emerged in recent years.1-3 The accepted and recomended treatment for patients with an infected pacemaker ystem is removal of the generator and lead extraction. Howver, in patients in whom large intracardiac vegetations are resent, cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) ay be required to safely remove the infected pacemaker leads. A case of tricuspid valve endocarditis with intracardiac vegtations initially missed by preoperative transthoracic (TTE) nd transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is presented. onversion to cardiac surgery with CPB was required for atrial nd ventricular pacing lead removal when another TEE docuented intracardiac vegetations and a patent foramen ovale uring attempted percutaneous extraction under fluoroscopic uidance. Intraoperative TEE, a standard tool for cardiac surery, is extremely helpful in cases of suspected pacemaker ndocarditis.
Interactive hybrid simulation of large-scale traffic

We present a novel, real-time algorithm for modeling large-scale, realistic traffic using a hybrid model of both continuum and agent-based methods for traffic simulation. We simulate individual vehicles in regions of interest using state-of-the-art agent-based models of driver behavior, and use a faster continuum model of traffic flow in the remainder of the road network. Our key contributions are efficient techniques for the dynamic coupling of discrete vehicle simulation with the aggregated behavior of continuum techniques for traffic simulation. We demonstrate the flexibility and scalability of our interactive visual simulation technique on extensive road networks using both real-world traffic data and synthetic scenarios. These techniques demonstrate the applicability of hybrid techniques to the efficient simulation of large-scale flows with complex dynamics.
Artificial neural network for prediction of antigenic activity for a major conformational epitope in the hepatitis C virus NS3 protein

Motivation: Insufficient knowledge of general principles for accurate quantitative inference of biological properties from sequences is a major obstacle in the rationale design of proteins with predetermined activities. Due to this deficiency, protein engineering frequently relies on the use of computational approaches focused on the identification of quantitative structure–activity relationship (SAR) for each specific task. In the current article, a computational model was developed to define SAR for a major conformational antigenic epitope of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) non-structural protein 3 (NS3) in order to facilitate a rationale design of HCV antigens with improved diagnostically relevant properties. Results: We present an artificial neural network (ANN) model that connects changes in the antigenic properties and structure of HCV NS3 recombinant proteins representing all 6 HCV genotypes. The ANN performed quantitative predictions of the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) Signal/Cutoff (S/Co) profiles from sequence information alone with 89.8% accuracy. Amino acid positions and physicochemical factors strongly associated with the HCV NS3 antigenic properties were identified. The positions most significantly contributing to the model were mapped on the NS3 3D structure. The location of these positions validates the major associations found by the ANN model between antigenicity and structure of the HCV NS3 proteins. Availability: Matlab code is available at the following URL address: http://bio-ai.myeweb.net/box_widget.html Contact:jlara@cdc.gov; yek0@cdc.gov Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
The Role of Within-Category Variability in Category-Based Induction: A Developmental Study

The present studies tested the hypothesis that strong assumptions about within-category homogeneity impede children's recognition of the inductive value of diverse samples of evidence. In Study 1a, children (7-year-olds) and adults were randomly assigned to receive a prime emphasizing within-category variability, a prime emphasizing within-category similarities, or to not receive a prime. Only following the variability prime, children demonstrated a reliable preference for evaluating diverse over nondiverse samples to determine whether there is support for a category-wide generalization. Adults demonstrated a robust preference for diverse samples in all conditions. These effects extended beyond the specific categories included in the prime, as well as to multiple types of test questions. Study 1b demonstrated that priming variability leads children to select diverse samples only when doing so is informative for induction. Implications for conceptual development are discussed.
Health Belief Model Variables as Predictors of Progression in Stage of Mammography Adoption

Abstract Purpose Identify predictors of change in mammography stage for nonadherent women so that appropriate stage-based interventions can be developed. design Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups in a randomized clinical trial to increase mammography screening. This report focuses on predictors of stages of change of mammography behavior; intervention results are reported elsewhere.1 setting Indigent clinic and health maintenance organization. subjects Women, 50 or older, with no breast cancer diagnosis and nonadherent with mammography screening. intervention The intervention and results are described elsewhere.1 measures Previously validated belief scales. results Results showed that precontemplators and contemplators differed significantly at baseline and follow-up on all breast cancer beliefs except fear. Changes in barriers, benefits, and self-efficacy scores significantly predicted forward stage movement for women entering the study in precontemplation or contemplation (p = ....
Splenic Lymphoma Arising in a Patient With Gaucher Disease

Abstract Patients with Gaucher disease have an increased risk of malignancies, especially the lymphoreticular type. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of Gaucher disease diagnosed during the workup and diagnosis of a splenic marginal-zone lymphoma with progression to diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. There are several theories as to how Gaucher disease leads to malignancies. The accumulated glucocerebroside in the reticuloendothelial organs, histologically visible as Gaucher cells, is thought to provide chronic antigenic stimulus to the immune system. Polyclonal hypergammaglobulinemia develops, and monoclonal populations of lymphocytes and plasma cells may arise from this premalignant proliferative state. How Gaucher disease is related to nonlymphoid malignancies remains unclear.
Continuing the pursuit of heart transplant antibody-mediated rejection.

Coutance et al review 20 heart transplant recipients who have demonstrated at least 2 of 3 author-derived criteria for antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and are at least 1 year after transplant. The 3 criteria are cardiac allograft dysfunction (heart failure symptoms), evidence for the development of donor-specific antibody (DSA), and histologic signs of AMR according to 2013 International Society of Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISHLT) guidelines. The study identifies what appears to be important in the diagnosis and subsequent poor prognosis of this late, clinically severe AMR. The authors are to be congratulated on bringing this topic of great interest to the forefront. Although our field has made great strides in the identification of pathology, the mechanism of AMR remains elusive with inadequate therapies resulting in high morbidity and mortality. This high mortality was well illustrated by the current study, as heart transplant patients with late AMR demonstrated 50% mortality at 1 year (after manifestation of AMR). All 6 patients who presented in cardiogenic shock died. Of 9 patients with coronary angiograms obtained before and after late AMR, 3 had worsening cardiac allograft vasculopathy including 2 patients with fulminant cardiac allograft vasculopathy. A major finding from this study was that there was neither histologic pathology grade (pAMR 0, 1, or 2) nor levels of DSA at diagnosis that were significant markers of in-hospital mortality. This is in contrast to studies by Tible et al, who demonstrated that increasing grade of pAMR correlated with DSA production and activation of endothelial cell markers, and Everitt et al, who found in pediatric recipients of heart transplants that increasing pAMR grade correlated to poorer survival. These noted outcome reports are predicated on heart biopsy pathology findings, which are believed to be the gold standard to detect heart transplant rejection. However, our gold standard may be flawed because concordance in the reading of significant rejection (acute cellular rejection) may be only 67% among expert pathologists. Concordance may be even less in the reading of AMR. To add to the
From National Allegory to the Performance of the Joyful Subject: Reconstituting Philip Vera Cruz's Life

(1995). From National Allegory to the Performance of the Joyful Subject: Reconstituting Philip Vera Cruz's Life. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 135-154.
A national needs assessment of emergency medicine resident-as-teacher curricula

Both the Liaison Committee on Medical Education and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education require residents to be engaged in teaching to develop skills as educators. Although proposed guidelines for an emergency medicine (EM) resident-as-teachers (RAT) curriculum were published in 2006, little has been published regarding RAT curriculum implementation or outcomes since. A crucial first step in developing a formal RAT curriculum for EM educators to pilot, implement, and evaluate is an assessment of current needs and practices related to RAT curricula in EM residencies. The aim of this study was to conduct a needs assessment of EM residency programs regarding RAT curricular resources and practices. We invited all EM residency programs to participate in a web-based survey assessing their current RAT curricula and needs. 28 % responded to our needs assessment. Amongst responding programs, 60 % had a RAT curriculum. Of programs with a required medical student rotation, 59 % had a RAT curriculum. Of programs without a RAT program, 14 % had a program in development, and 18 % had a teaching resident program without a curriculum. Most RAT programs (72 %) were lecture-based and the majority (66 %) evaluated using survey data. 84 % of respondent programs demonstrated a desire for a national RAT curriculum. We find that despite national mandates, a large portion of programs do not have a RAT curriculum in place. There is wide variation in core content and curriculum evaluation techniques among available curricula. A majority of respondents report interest in a standardized web-based curriculum as one potential solution to this problem. Our results may help inform collaborative efforts to develop a national EM RAT curriculum.
Structural and Biological Identity of Recombinant EDF (Erythroid Differentiation Factor) with Natural EDF

EDF (Erythroid Differentiation Factor), which exhibits extensive differentiation inducing activity toward mouse Friend leukemia (MEL) cells, is produced by human THP-1 cells stimulated with TPA. The protein is a homo-dimer linked by disulfide bonds, the subunit of which has a molecular weight of 15.5 kd. We isolated cDNA clones encoding the 15.5 kd subunit of EDF and succeeded in the latter's expression in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells. That is, the CHO cells secreted a protein possessing differentiation inducing activity. This paper reports the identity of this protein, termed recombinant EDF (r-EDF), with the natural EDF from THP-1 cells as to molecular weight, isoelectric point, amino acid sequence of the N-terminal, amino acid composition, peptide map and the specific biological activity toward MEL cells.
Confinement and Proton Transfer in NAFION Thin Films

Steady-state fluorescence measurements of two different probe molecules were undertaken to explore the water solvation environment and molecular mobility in 70–600 nm NAFION thin films and 50 μm thick NAFION membranes. The influence of film thickness, hydration number, and polymer–substrate interaction on proton dissociation and transfer from photoexcited 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid sodium salt (HPTS) to the surrounding solvation environment and the local mobility of 9-(2-carboxy-2-cyanovinyl)julolidine (CCVJ) in the samples were investigated. Deprotonation of the photoacidic HPTS was suppressed in thinner films in both H+ and Na+ counterion-form samples. This observation revealed the presence of a solvation environment that was suitable for accepting and transporting protons in thinner films compared to a better proton accepting environment in thick films in which higher deprotonation of HPTS was observed. The results from HPTS studies indicated that smaller ionic domains formed in thinner sam...
The behavior and morphology of the X and Y chromosomes during prophase I in the Sitka deer mouse ( Peromyscus sitkensis )

Surface-spread, silver-stained primary spermatocytes from individuals of the Sitka deer mouse (Peromyscus sitkensis) were analyzed by electron microscopy. Pairing of the X and Y chromosomes is initiated at early pachynema and is complete by mid pachynema. The pattern of sex chromosome pairing is unique in that it is initiated at an interstitial position, with subsequent synapsis proceeding in a unidirectional fashion towards the telomeres of the homologous segments. One-third the length of the X and two-thirds the length of the Y are involved in the synaptonemal complex of the sex bivalent. Various morphological complexities develop in the heteropycnotic (unpaired) segments as pachynema progresses, but desynapsis is not initiated until diplonema. Analysis of C-banded diakinetic nuclei indicated that sex chromosome pairing involves the heterochromatic short arm of the X and the long arm of the heterochromatic Y. An interstitial chiasma between the X and Y was observed in the majority of the diakinetic nuclei. The observation of a substantial pairing region and chiasma formation between the sex chromosomes of these deer mice is interpreted as indicating homology between the short arm of the X and the long arm of the Y.
The Influence of Substrate Surface Chemistry on GaAs - on - Si Growth

Several surface treatment techniques have been used to study the effect of the Si surface on subsequent GaAs-on-Si epitaxy. In particular, the effect on the degree of island formation is addressed. Experiments have been carried out with GaAs film thicknesses in the range from one monolayer to around 50nm. Core level spectroscopy results for the monolayer films give information about the bonding character at the interface and suggest methods of improving the degree of two-dimensional growth. A particular Ga-prelayer technique is examined with high resolution TEM and found to give significantly different results than the standard MBE growth technique.
Gunshot wounds to the upper extremity. Evaluation and management of vascular injuries.

SUMMARY Gunshot wounds to the upper extremity are uncommonly life threatening but are associated with a high incidence of significant longterm disability. The identification of vascular injuries is dependent on careful clinical exami-nation and the liberal use of arteriography. Standard techniques of vascular repair should be followed for arterial reconstruction. The rate of successful vascular repair is in excess of 90%, but long-term function is limited by a high incidence of associated nerve injury.
Live Cell Approaches for Studying Kinetochore-Microtubule Interactions in Drosophila

Kinetochores are essential for the proper positioning, movement and segregation of chromosomes on spindle microtubules. Live cell analyses of kinetochore movements on the spindle provide an important tool for dissecting the molecular machinery underlying kinetochore-based chromosome motility. Here, we describe contemporary techniques for studying and manipulating kinetochore function in live Drosophila syncytial blastoderm-stage embryos and S2 cells.
Metastatic neurological complications in patients with cancer

INTRODUCTION The neurological complications of patients with cancer may be classified as metatatic or non-metastatic. DEVELOPMENT The development of cerebral metastases (CM) is not only one of the complications most feared by patients, but also often leads doctors to withdraw the systemic treatment of cancer, although early diagnosis and treatment usually alleviates or resolves the neurological deficits, and improves the quality of life and prolongs it. Most CM are originated by embolization of neoplastic cells to the brain. They are therefore found in the region where grey and white matter meet. The commonest symptoms of CM are headache, convulsive crises, altered mental functions, motor deficits, ataxia and speech disorders. Cerebral MR and CT are the most useful investigations in CM. The tumours most frequently involved in metastatic spinal compression are cancer of the lung, prostate, breast and kidney, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. MR is the investigation of choice, but if this cannot be done, or is contraindicated, myelography or medullary CT using subarachnoid contrast material should be used. CONCLUSION In this article we review the diagnosis and management of metastatic neurological complications, specifically cerebral metastases and spinal compression.
The Problem With Disempowering Ideology

(1994). The Problem With Disempowering Ideology. Annals of the International Communication Association: Vol. 17, Communication Yearbook 17, pp. 136-147.
Liquid Crystal Phase Transition in Epitaxial Monolayers of DNA-Functionalized Nanoparticle Superlattices.

Epitaxial growth of DNA-functionalized nanoparticles is used to grow extended superlattices with a preferred orientation for optimizing the physical properties of metamaterials for real applications. Like any solid in nature, superlattices can contain different kinds of structural defects, which significantly alter their physical properties. Further development of these materials requires a deeper understanding of, as well as precise control over, structural defect formation. Here we use Monte Carlo simulations to conduct a systematic study of the equilibrium structures of the adsorbed nanoparticle monolayers by changing the binding energies of different attachment sites. The simulations show two main results. First, the structural defects form one-dimensional clusters with an exponential length distribution. Second, these linear defects exhibit spontaneous symmetry breaking and undergo a liquid crystal phase transition. Subsequently, a mean-field approach is introduced to provide theoretical descriptions...
NGA GPS monitor station high-performance cesium frequency standard stability: from NGA Kalman filter clock estimates

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) operates a worldwide network of GPS monitoring stations that utilizes high-performance cesium frequency standards (CFS) and geodetic quality GPS receivers. The NGA monitor station network (MSN) has been in operation for almost 20 years and has recently moved to a 24/7 operation. The NGA monitor stations CFS are located in non-laboratory environments and in some instances, are logistically challenging. With the onset of the Department of Defense GPS accuracy improvement initiative (Aii), the NGA monitor station cesiums, along with the associative electronics, must be monitored more frequently for quality control Aii involves the air force operational control segment (DCS), at Schriever AFB, to incorporate a subset of the NGA monitor stations in real-time processing to improve the quality of the broadcast ephemeris and clock parameters. The addition of these stations will also expand the network coverage to allow all GPS satellites to be monitored without any gaps. This paper is a summary of the stability of the NGA MSN cesiums using one year (52 weeks) of Kalman filter clock estimate data computed daily at the NGA facility in St. Louis. The quality of the CFSs to be shown and summarized in this report is from eleven NGA monitor stations, which are to be added to the OCS estimation process under Aii. Results show that the NGA configuration of CFS has maintained the industry standards for high performance cesiums. This gives the NGA GPS program some of the most reliable monitor station clock data to support current and future GPS navigation systems
History of Cardiothoracic Surgery at New York University

This monograph outlines the rich history of cardiothoracic surgery at New York University (NYU), beginning with its origins at The Bellevue Hospital in the mid-1800's. Numerous early clinical accomplishments were significant, leading up to the arrival of Dr Frank Spencer in 1966. Under Dr Spencer's leadership, the department progressed with development of a culture of innovation, leadership and education that carries through today. The program encompasses three major hospitals and will soon graduate its 50th class of trainees, many of whom have had outstanding careers and a major impact on the field of cardiothoracic surgery. This culture continues under the direction of our current chair, Dr Aubrey Galloway, whose vision has orchestrated and refined a new period of innovation and excellence.
The Transport Equation in Optically Thick Media: Discussion of IMC and its Diffusion Limit

We discuss the limits of validity of the Implicit Monte Carlo (IMC) method for the transport of thermally emitted radiation. The weakened coupling between the radiation and material energy of the IMC method causes defects in handling problems with strong transients. We introduce an approach to asymptotic analysis for the transport equation that emphasizes the fact that the radiation and material temperatures are always different in time-dependent problems, and we use it to show that IMC does not produce the correct diffusion limit. As this is a defect of IMC in the continuous equations, no improvement to its discretization can remedy it.
Precipitation, temperature, and teleconnection signals across the combined North American, Monsoon Asia, and Old World Drought Atlases.

AbstractThe tree-ring-based North American Drought Atlas (NADA), Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas (MADA), and Old World Drought Atlas (OWDA) collectively yield a near-hemispheric gridded reconstruction of hydroclimate variability over the last millennium. To test the robustness of the large-scale representation of hydroclimate variability across the drought atlases, the joint expression of seasonal climate variability and teleconnections in the NADA, MADA, and OWDA are compared against two global, observation-based PDSI products. Predominantly positive (negative) correlations are determined between seasonal precipitation (surface air temperature) and collocated tree-ring-based PDSI, with average Pearson’s correlation coefficients increasing in magnitude from boreal winter to summer. For precipitation, these correlations tend to be stronger in the boreal winter and summer when calculated for the observed PDSI record, while remaining similar for temperature. Notwithstanding these differences, the drought atlases ...
Derivation of netput shadow prices under different levels of pest pressure

In this paper, we propose a framework to derive agricultural netput shadow prices that assign values to netputs in terms of their contribution to technical and environmental efficiency. Our modeling approach is based on the dual representation of an event-specific data envelopment model and is applied to a panel dataset of Dutch arable farms. Results show that netput shadow prices vary significantly across pest pressure events, suggesting the relevance to consider the event-specific nature of the production technology when computing them. By revealing the relative importance of pesticides in terms of their contribution to environmental efficiency, this study provides a potential framework for constructing penalties aiming to internalize some portion of the social cost of pesticide use.
Parallel, Optimized, Error Maxima-Agnostic, Pole Residue Equivalent System Solver

Fitting of sampled frequency response data to a rational function is often required for macromodeling of advanced microelectronic packages. The pole residue equivalent system solver (PRESS) method was recently proposed, as a novel fitting method that builds the global fit from local fits, computed from at most three data points at an error peak. To increase the fitting accuracy of PRESS, the error-maxima agnostic PRESS (EMPRESS) was proposed, but it is computationally intensive as the central processing unit needs to sequentially perform the local fits at all the frequency sample points before choosing the best among them. In this paper, we propose the parallel optimized EMPRESS (POEMPRESS) to reduce the computational complexity of EMPRESS while improving the fitting performance. POEMPRESS optimizes both the EMPRESS algorithm and its implementation through: 1) simplified local fit types, enabling the algorithm to rely on at most two data points only, and 2) an algorithm that can be implemented on graphics processing units for rapid parallel computation and evaluation of local fits at all the frequency points. The proposed algorithm is demonstrated on the interconnects of a microelectronic package. The results show that POEMPRESS is effective in fast macromodeling of complex interconnects for signal and power integrity simulations.