cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Borrelia sp. in Ticks Recovered from White-tailed Deer in Alabama

Six hundred sixty-five hunter-killed white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from 18 counties in Alabama (USA) were examined for ticks. Most of the collections were made at state-operated wildlife management areas. Four species of ticks (n = 4,527) were recovered: the lone star tick Amblyomma americanum (n = 482); the Gulf Coast tick A. maculatum (n = 11); the winter tick Dermacentor albipictus (n = 1,242); and the black-legged tick Ixodes scapularis (n = 2,792). Fifty-six percent of the ticks (n = 2,555) were examined for Borrelia sp. spirochetes using an immunofluorescent, polyclonal antibody assay. Spirochetes were detected in I. scapularis (five females, seven males) from Barbour, Butler, Coosa, and Lee counties and A. americanum (four males, four nymphs) from Hale, Lee, and Wilcox counties. Area-specific prevalences in ticks were as high as 3.3% for I. scapularis and 3.8% for A. americanum.
Childhood Henoch-Schonlein Nephritis A Multivariate Analysis of Clinical Features and Renal Morphology at Disease Onset

Introduction. Risk factors of renal involvement in Henoch-Schonlein nephritis (HSN) have been extensively studied, but their relations with the severity of glomerular lesions at the disease onset are much less known. Materials and Methods. Data were collected retrospectively on 45 patients (age range, 2 to 15 years) with HSN to identify the initial clinical and laboratory features that most accurately correlate with histological findings. Nephritic syndrome was defined as hypertension, proteinuria, hematuria, and a creatinine clearance of 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 or less. Kidney biopsy findings were graded according to the International Study of Kidney Disease in Children classification for HSN. Results. Purpura was present in all the 45 children, arthritis in 73.3%, abdominal symptoms with or without bleeding in 68.6%, and a high serum IgA level in 24.4%. Hematuria was present in 88.6% of the patients, hematuria and proteinuria (not in nephrotic range) in 66.7%, nephrotic syndrome in 17.8%, acute nephritic syndrome in 8.9%, and nephritic-nephrotic syndrome in 13.3%. Grades II (33.3%) and III (22.2%) lesions were the most common pathologic findings on kidney biopsy followed by grades IV (17.8%), V (15.6%), and I (11.1%) lesions. Univariate analysis demonstrated that nephrotic syndrome, acute nephritic syndrome and a creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min/1.73 m 2 were all associated with a significantly increased risk of developing grades IV and/or V lesions. multivariate analysis showed nephritic-nephrotic syndrome as significant independent predictors of severity of glomerular disease at onset. Conclusions. The severity of renal symptoms at onset determines the intensity of glomerular lesions.
Changes in Maladaptive Behaviors From Midchildhood to Young Adulthood in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The current study prospectively examined trajectories of change in symptoms of irritability, hyperactivity, and social withdrawal, as well as predictors of such behaviors, for ages 9-18 years for youths with autism spectrum disorder and a comparison group with nonspectrum developmental delays. Children with more severe core features of autism had consistently higher irritability and hyperactivity scores over time than those with broader autism spectrum disorder and nonspectrum delays. Across all diagnoses, behaviors related to hyperactivity showed the greatest improvement. Social withdrawal worsened with age for a substantial proportion of youths with autism spectrum disorder but not for the nonspectrum comparison group. Compared with youths without autism spectrum disorder, children with the disorder showed greater heterogeneity in trajectories for maladaptive behaviors.
The Locus Amoenus : On the Literary Evolution of the Relationship between the Human Being and Nature

In this article I want to draw attention to an elemental passion that seems to have undergone substantial change over a long time in the history of our Western tradition. As you know very well, we have pursued the subject of elemental passions under the leadership of Professor Tymieniecka for many years; and, I feel, in defining its scope, as if we were at this time descending downward from the Paradiso of Dante’s Divine Comedy toward the Inferno, we find an increasing measure of cultural shift that has moved from an initial and exclusive concept of serene happiness toward the dark dungeons of depression. Clearly, light is defined on its elemental level by virtue of the existence of darkness and vice versa. But as soon as we are investigating the subject before us, for example, from a perspective of historical development, the apparently assumed balance between light and darkness is upset and strenuous efforts must be exerted to set the balance right again. These rectifying efforts are based necessarily on a value system that must be shared by those who live as a human community under these values representing the ideal that captures the elemental passion.
Evaluation of the masked node problem in ad hoc wireless LANs

IEEE 802.11 wireless networks employ the so-called RTS/CTS mechanism in order to avoid data packet collisions. The main design assumption is that all the nodes in the vicinity of a sender and a receiver will hear the RTS or CTS packets, and defer their transmission appropriately. This assumption happens to not hold, in general, even under perfect operating conditions. Often, neighboring nodes are "masked" by other ongoing transmissions nearby and, hence, are unable to receive the RTS or CTS packets correctly. We refer to such nodes as masked nodes. In this paper, we describe the masked node problem and show scenarios leading to data packet collisions. We evaluate the impact of masked nodes through mathematical analysis and real experiments on a small IEEE 802.11 ad hoc network. The analytical and experimental data closely match and reveal that the presence of a masked node in a network can result in an order of magnitude increase in data packet loss compared to a network without masked nodes. These results are further validated by extensive simulations on a large-scale network, which show that masked nodes also significantly affect delay and throughput performance. Therefore, masked nodes severely limit the effectiveness of the RTS/CTS mechanism in preventing performance degradation in wireless LANs.
Semantics-Aware, Timely Prefetching of Linked Data Structure

Traversal through a Linked Data Structure (LDS) in applications encounters heavy cache misses and severe performance degradation. Due to tight load-load dependences in LDS traversal, the chance of overlapping the cache misses in exploiting the memory-level parallelism is slim. Furthermore, the irregularity of the missing block addresses makes it difficult for accurate data prefetching without recording a huge miss history. In this paper, we present a semantics-aware approach to dynamically identify pointer links in each node for traversal to the next node. Accurate LDS prefetching based on the node semantics can be accomplished with minimum history information. In addition, we evaluate three hardware-based leap prefetching methods to timely fetch the nodes further ahead in the traversal path for overcoming the lateness in LDS prefetching. Performance evaluations based on LDS intensive applications show that with an integrated stream/stride prefetcher, semantics-aware prefetcher improves performance over without prefetching by 45%. In comparison with the stream prefetcher, a dependence-based prefetcher, and a content-directed prefetcher, the average improvement is 20%, 16%, and 23% respectively.
Brownian motion and polymer statistics on certain curved manifolds

We have calculated the probability distribution function G(R,L|R',0) of the end-to-end vector R-R' and the mean-square end-to-end distance (R-R')^2 of a Gaussian polymer chain embedded on a sphere S^(D-1) in D dimensions and on a cylinder, a cone and a curved torus in 3-D. We showed that: surface curvature induces a geometrical localization area; at short length the polymer is locally "flat" and (R-R')^2 = L l in all cases; at large scales, (R-R')^2 is constant for the sphere, it is linear in L for the cylinder and reaches different constant values for the torus. The cone vertex induces (function of opening angle and R') contraction of the chain for all lengths. Explicit crossover formulas are derived.
Effectively Training the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician Workforce for Improved End-of-Life Health Care in the United States

The widening gap between the demand for palliative care services and the supply of trained palliative care professionals has resulted in considerable end-of-life distress for patients. Without formal training in palliative medicine and end-of-life symptom management, physicians in the United States are less equipped to competently address seriously ill and dying patients' medical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Recent attempts within graduate medical education training deliberately seek to prepare a critical mass of physicians as the new hospice and palliative medicine workforce in the United States. In addition, healthcare reform proposals may re-define the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) post-graduate training over the next five years and the Hospice Medicare Benefit altogether. Healthcare policy options include steady changes at multiple levels of medical training -namely, medical school curriculum mandates, requiring all graduate physician residency training to foster patient-centered communication skills and discussions about advanced directives, and instituting palliative medicine proficiency Continuing Medical Education (CME) requirements for all states' medical licensing boards. Attracting qualified physicians to serve patients at the end of life, innovative medical school loan repayment programs and scholarships will also foster excellence in the field of hospice and palliative medicine. Correcting our current paucity of formal training in palliative medicine better utilizes hospice and restores patients' dignity at the end of life.
Effects of density and ontogeny on size and growth ranks of three competing tree species

Summary 1. Rank reversals in species performance are theoretically important for structuring communities, maintaining diversity and determining the course of forest succession. Species growth ranks can change with ontogeny or in different microenvironments, but interactions between ontogeny and the environment are not well-understood because of the lack of long-term forest competition studies. While early differences in growth among species may reflect intrinsic differences in shade-tolerance and physiology, ontogenetic trends in growth and variation in neighbourhood density and composition may change or even reverse early patterns of growth rankings. 2. We experimentally studied spatial and temporal patterns of species interactions and growth for three northern tree species: Larix laricina , Picea mariana and Pinus strobus . We compared species size and growth rankings over an 11-year period, for different species mixtures planted at four density levels in north-eastern Minnesota, USA. 3. The benefits of different growth strategies changed with ontogeny and density leading to reversals in the size rank of competing species over time and space. High-density stands promoted dominance and resource pre-emption by L. laricina , whereas lower-density stands favoured gradual accumulation of biomass and eventual dominance by P. strobus . In the absence of strong neighbour competition, ontogenetic trends in growth had greater influence on growth patterns. 4. Species interactions affected the productivity of mixed stands vs. monocultures. Species generally grew more in monoculture than when planted with P. strobus at low density, or with L. laricina at high density. Only L. laricina and P. mariana showed potential for greater overall productivity, or over-yielding, when planted together than alone, probably because of improved resource uptake by the highly stratified canopy. 5. Synthesis . Density predictably determined whether size-asymmetric growth or ontogenetic growth trends would drive early establishment and growth patterns. Variation in vertical and horizontal structure that results from early competitive dynamics can influence the successional trajectory or character of the mature forest. This study extends previous efforts to identify the causes of rank reversals in communities and understand the importance of temporal changes beyond the early years of seedling establishment.
Extrinsic analysis on manifolds is computationally faster than intrinsic analysis with applications to quality control by machine vision

In our technological era, non-Euclidean data abound, especially because of advances in digital imaging. Patrangenaru (‘Asymptotic statistics on manifolds’, PhD Dissertation, 1998) introduced extrinsic and intrinsic means on manifolds, as location parameters for non-Euclidean data. A large sample nonparametric theory of inference on manifolds was developed by Bhattacharya and Patrangenaru (J. Stat. Plann. Inferr., 108, 23–35, 2002; Ann. Statist., 31, 1–29, 2003; Ann. Statist., 33, 1211–1245, 2005). A flurry of papers in computer vision, statistical learning, pattern recognition, medical imaging, and other computational intensive applied areas using these concepts followed. While pursuing such location parameters in various instances of data analysis on manifolds, scientists are using intrinsic means, almost without exception. In this paper, we point out that there is no unique intrinsic analysis because the latter depends on the choice of the Riemannian metric on the manifold, and in dimension two or higher, there are infinitely such nonisometric choices. Also, using John Nash's celebrated isometric embedding theorem and an equivariant version, we show that for each intrinsic analysis there is an extrinsic counterpart that is computationally faster and give some concrete examples in shape and image analysis. The computational speed is important, especially in automated industrial processes. In this paper, we mention two potential applications in the industry and give a detailed presentation of one such application, for quality control in a manufacturing process via 3D projective shape analysis from multiple digital camera images. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
STUDIES OF THE ROLE OF THE COAT PROTEIN IN THE U.V. PHOTOINACTIVATION OF U(1) AND U(2) STRAINS OF TMV.

— Two properties of the u.v. inactivation process in the u.v. sensitive U(2) strain have been investigated: (1) The increased binding of protein to RNA induced by irradiation of the virus at 254 nm; (2) The action spectrum for u.v. inactivation of U(2) between 250 nm and 285 nm. The extent of the u.v. induced binding of protein to RNA is similar to that previously found in the resistant U(1) strain, thereby eliminating the possibility that the capacity for this binding phenomenon bears any correlation to the difference in u.v. sensitivities of these two viruses at 254 nm. The results indicate that the radiation induced interaction of protein and RNA in U(1) and U(2) are probably similar. The action spectrum for U(2) resembles the absorption spectrum of the RNA between 250 nm and 285 nm implicating the RNA as the primary absorber leading to inactivation of the virus in this region of the spectrum. Quantum yields calculated for U(2) virus and free TMV-RNA irradiated at 254 nm reveal that the irradiated free RNA may be as much as 1–4 times more sensitive to inactivation at this wavelength than RNA in the intact virus. It is concluded that the coat protein of U(2) probably offers some protection to the enclosed RNA against u.v. damage at 254 nm, therefore, the difference in u.v. sensitivity between U(1) and U(2) TMV at this wavelength is a consequence of a difference in the degree of protection offered by the respective coat proteins to the enclosed RNA.
Nonlinear electro-mechanical modeling of MEMS switches

We present an accurate model of the switching mechanism of MEMS switches. The model is based on a electro-mechanical analysis which takes into account the varying force and damping versus position (time). The model also calculates the switching current taking into account both the capacitance change and the voltage change versus time. The model accurately predicts the switching time, the switching current, the velocity versus position (and time) of the MEMS bridge, and the energy consumed in the switching process. It is found that the current can be very large and the total switching energy is larger than predicted by simple models due to the damping underneath the MEMS bridge.
Carbachol infusion into the dentate gyrus disrupts sensorimotor gating of startle in the rat

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is the decrease in a startle response that occurs when the startling stimulus is preceded by a weaker stimulus or “prepulse”. Schizophrenic patients exhibit abnormally low levels of PPI when the prepulse precedes the startle stimulus by less than 500 ms. A similar deficit in sensorimotor gating can be demonstrated in rats after stimulation of D2 dopamine (DA) receptors by systemic administration of DA agonists or by infusion of DA directly into the nucleus accumbens. We now demonstrate that carbachol infusion into the dentate gyrus of the hippocampal formation disrupts PPI in the rat. This disruption of sensorimotor gating occurs when the startling stimulus is either acoustic or tactile. Carbachol infusion into the neocortex has no effect on PPI. While pretreatment with the D2 DA receptor antagonist spiperone reverses the disruption of PPI caused by systemic administration of apomorphine, this pretreatment fails to reverse the disruption of PPI induced by carbachol infusion into the hippocampus. These results demonstrate that pharmacologic stimulation of the hippocampus disrupts sensorimotor gating in the rat by a mechanism distinct from that of DA agonists. Prepulse inhibition of the startle reflex is an animal model in which pharmacologic stimulation of the hippocampus mimics the deficits in sensorimotor gating observed in schizophrenic patients.
Algebra and Proof in High School: The Case of Algebraic Proof as Discovery

In the United States, students’ learning experiences around proof is generally concentrated in the domain of high school geometry with a focus on its verification function. Thus, providing students with a limited conception of what proof entails and the role that it plays in performing mathematics. Moreover, there is a lack of U.S.-based studies addressing how to integrate proof into other mathematical domains within the high school curriculum. In this paper, the author reports results from an interview at the end of a teaching experiment which was designed to integrate algebra and proof into the high school curriculum. Algebraic proof was envisioned as the vehicle that would provide high school students the opportunity to learn about proof in a context other than geometry. Results indicate that most students were able to produce an algebraic proof involving variables and a parameter and its multiples. In doing so, students experienced the discovery function of proof.
Thoracic surgery practice surveys.

rofessional workforce surveys performed periodically Pprovide a series of snapshots to follow broad demographic and practice trends as well as attitudes of the physician workforce. National concern about the physician workforce has resulted in studies and projections by several professional societies and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) as well as the federal government. The changing demographics and the disease burden of the United States population have resulted in predicted shortages in many specialties over the next few decades [1–19]. In the early 1970s, long before other specialty societies began to survey their members, The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) established a joint ad hoc committee to survey their respective memberships. Chairs of the Manpower Committee (now the Thoracic Surgery Practice and Access Task Force) have included Lyman A. Brewer, III, MD, Paul C. Adkins, MD, Richard J. Cleveland, MD, Floyd D. Loop, MD, Lawrence H. Cohn, MD, Richard J. Shemin, MD, and John S. Ikonomidis, MD, PhD. Survey snapshots were to be repeated from time to time (every 5 to 10 years) to better understand demographics, practice patterns, caseloads, and other trends in cardiothoracic surgery practice. Surveys of the combined STS and AATS membership began in the early 1970s, with the first results published in 1974, followed by periodic surveys using similar questions and analytical methodology [20–27]. As the survey instrument became more standardized, important trends were documented.
Visual mechanisms that signal the direction of color changes

Evidence is presented for a visual capacity specialized to sense the chromatic direction of change in colors over time. Discrimination thresholds were measured between pairs of suprathreshold color changes presented in consecutive intervals. In one interval, the color of a spatially uniform disk was changed at a constant speed along the circumference of a circle in an equiluminant color plane. In the other, an instantaneous change, which can be described as a vector in the equiluminant plane, was added to the circular color modulation. Averaging across conditions showed that the threshold for discriminating between a pair of purely temporal color changes was approximately proportional to the cosine of the color angle between them. The model that is presented to account for these results is based on parallel directional-color mechanisms that are tuned to different directions in color-space and are responsive to change in one color direction but not its opposite.
Applying six classifiers to airborne hyperspectral imagery for detecting giant reed

This study evaluated and compared six image classifiers, including minimum distance (MD), Mahalanobis distance (MAHD), maximum likelihood (ML), spectral angle mapper (SAM), mixture tuned matched filtering (MTMF) and support vector machine (SVM), for detecting and mapping giant reed (Arundo donax L.), an invasive weed that presents a severe threat to agroecosystems throughout the southern US and northern Mexico. Airborne hyperspectral imagery was collected from a giant reed-infested site along the US-Mexican portion of the Rio Grande in 2009 and 2010. The imagery was transformed with minimum noise fraction (MFN) and the six classifiers were applied to the 30-band MNF imagery for each year. Accuracy assessment showed that SVM and ML generally performed better than the other four classifiers for overall classification and for distinguishing giant reed in both years. These results indicate that airborne hyperspectral imagery in conjunction with SVM and ML classification techniques is effective for detecting g...
User-interactive knowledge-based speech enhancement

Presents the details of a system which combines symbolic and numerical (signal processing) processing in a unified, interactive environment for the purpose of enhancing distorted speech and audio signals. The system is intended to allow the user to effectively and efficiently combine many different signal and symbolic processing techniques in order to interactively create an enhancement solution which is tailored to the specific distorted signal of interest. The primary goal is to allow the use of many different classes of available information (signal, noise, derived constituent structure, phonemic content, talker characteristics, segment boundaries, etc.) in the enhancement process, and to make the combination of the enhancement procedures easy for an experienced and expert user. >
Group Categorization and Distributive Justice Decisions

This chapter explores how group categorization processes can mediate the perceived applicability of one’s sense of justice to reward distribution decisions. Group categorization—that is, the tendency in people to categorize themselves and others into social aggregates, whereby the aggregates to which they belong are perceived as ingroups and those to which they do not belong are perceived as outgroups—has been shown to be relevant to a wide range of social psychological phenomena (Tajfel, 1978; Wilder, 1981). Empirical studies of group categorization, for the most part, have demonstrated ingroup-favorability; persons tend to react more positively to others whom they see as members of their ingroup than to those whom they see as belonging to outgroups (Brewer, 1979). Within this research tradition, there is a body of work (summarized in Tajfel, 1978; Tajfel & Turner, 1979; as well as elsewhere, e.g., Allen, 1982; Caddick, 1980) that has investigated the extent to which group categorization processes can affect reward allocation. Consistent with the notion of ingroup favorability bias, these studies have generated evidence that persons, when distributing rewards among persons in different group categories, will be more generous to in ingroup members, even though such allocations violate accepted norms of fairness.
PL2AP: fast parallel cosine similarity search

Solving the AllPairs similarity search problem entails finding all pairs of vectors in a high dimensional sparse dataset that have a similarity value higher than a given threshold. The output form this problem is a crucial component in many real-world applications, such as clustering, online advertising, recommender systems, near-duplicate document detection, and query refinement. A number of serial algorithms have been proposed that solve the problem by pruning many of the possible similarity candidates for each query object, after accessing only a few of their non-zero values. The pruning process results in unpredictable memory access patterns that can reduce search efficiency. In this context, we introduce pL2AP, which efficiently solves the AllPairs cosine similarity search problem in a multi-core environment. Our method uses a number of cache-tiling optimizations, combined with fine-grained dynamically balanced parallel tasks, to solve the problem 1.5x-238x faster than existing parallel baselines on datasets with hundreds of millions of non-zeros.
EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF SEVERE TRAUMA

It appears that combined radiation injury is more than the simple sum of trauma and radiation injury: it is a new condition to be considered in determining the course, management, and eventual outcome of trauma. Burns compounded by whole-body irradiation result in increased mortality, with the most marked increase in mortality in the first forty-eight hours if strenuous resuscitation is not effected. Clinically, soft-tissue wounds are relatively unaffected by radiation if wound infection is not a problem, that is, in the closed wound. However, secondary closure of an open wound will be a problem. It will either have to be carried out before the response to radiation, as indicated by bone-marrow depression, or deferred until after recovery. Any surgical procedure carried out during the period of response to radiation will only add to the patient's morbidity. Radiation does not appear to alter the effectiveness of antibiotics against sensitive wound organisms. Closed fractures heal uneventfully when complicated by whole-body irradiation. However, with the response to radiation, the fracture callus softens and fragment fixation requires external support. With recovery from radiation, the bone fragments should unite. The problem of the compound fracture is the problem of the soft-tissue wound. Laboratory studies indicate that postirradiation anesthesia may modify immediate survival in either direction. Certainly in the mid-lethal dose ranges the anesthetic problems are secondary to the problems of the wound and of resuscitative effort. Time beneficial effect of penicillin applied topically appears real and consistent, and it seems quite definitely to surpass that of bacitracin-neomycin. The drugs consistently result in prolonged mean survival time. In the case of the wounded soldier, this could mean significant lengthening of the golden period the time between wounding and the need for definitive surgical treatment of the soft-tissue wound before the onset of irreversibility. Thus perhaps the prolonged recovery and evacuation which new military tactics seem to dictate can be countered.
Survey of the (. cap alpha. ,/sup 2/He) reaction on 1p- and 2s1d-shell nuclei

A $^{2}\mathrm{He}$ detection system has been developed and used to investigate the ($\ensuremath{\alpha}$, $^{2}\mathrm{He}$) reaction at bombarding energies of 55 and 65 MeV on targets of $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{13}\mathrm{C}$, $^{14}\mathrm{N}$, $^{15}\mathrm{N}$, $^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{18}\mathrm{O}$, $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$, $^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$, $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$, $^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$, $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$, $^{29}\mathrm{Si}$, $^{32}\mathrm{S}$, $^{36}\mathrm{Ar}$, $^{38}\mathrm{Ar}$, and $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}$. Preferential population of two-neutron states with dominant ${{({d}_{\frac{5}{2}})}^{2}}_{4}$, ${({d}_{\frac{3}{2}}{f}_{\frac{7}{2}})}_{5}$, and ${{({f}_{\frac{7}{2}})}^{2}}_{6}$ character was observed. A linear $A$ dependence of the binding energies of the ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}={5}^{\ensuremath{-}} \mathrm{and} {6}^{+}$ states was obtained. This systematic behavior is well described by the Bansal-French model, using the parameters $a=\ensuremath{-}0.30$ MeV and $b=2.6$ MeV. Simple shell-model calculations for the $2n$ configurations are in good agreement with the experimental data.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{12}\mathrm{C}$, $^{13}\mathrm{C}$, $^{14}\mathrm{N}$, $^{15}\mathrm{N}$, $^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $^{18}\mathrm{O}$, $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$, $^{22}\mathrm{Ne}$, $^{26}\mathrm{Mg}$, $^{28}\mathrm{Si}$, $^{29}\mathrm{Si}$, $^{32}\mathrm{S}$, $^{36}\mathrm{Ar}$, $^{38}\mathrm{Ar}(\ensuremath{\alpha}, ^{2}\mathrm{He})$, $E=65$ MeV and $^{24}\mathrm{Mg}$, $^{40}\mathrm{Ca}(\ensuremath{\alpha}, ^{2}\mathrm{He})$, $E=55$ MeV. Measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}({E}_{f}, \ensuremath{\theta})$, deduced ${E}_{x}$ and ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}$ systematics.
Significance of meniscus extrusion in chondrocalcinosis: a sonographic and arthroscopic perspective.

A 72-year-old woman with chondrocalcinosis underwent arthroscopy for lavage and release of loose bodies. A severe loss of cartilage on femorotibial joint with massive degeneration and autolysis of medial meniscus were observed by arthroscopy (Figure 1). The ultrasound confirmed advanced osteoarthritis and showed an extrusion of medial meniscus. It appeared as rounded hyperechoic structure that projected out of tibial plateau and femoral condyle. A luxated meniscus more than 3 mm from tibial plateau is called meniscal extrusion, well known in arthritic knees1,2. The key point in this case is that chondrocalcinosis can explain a severe loss of hyaline cartilage leading…
An Ocean Island Geological Repository—A Second-Generation Option for Disposal of Spent Fuel and High-Level Waste

The concept of an ocean subseabed geological high-level waste repository with access via an ocean island is discussed. The technical advantages include, in addition to geologic waste isolation, geographical isolation, near-zero groundwater flow through the disposal site, and near-infinite ocean dilution as a backup in the event of a failure of the repository geological waste isolation system. The institutional advantages may include reduced siting problems and the potential of creating an international waste repository. Establishment of a repository accepting wastes from many countries would allow cost sharing, aid international nonproliferation goals, and ensure proper disposal of spent fuel from developing countries. Major uncertainties that are identified in this concept are the uncertainties in rock conditions at waste disposal depths, costs, and ill-defined institutional issues.
Rest in place: Understanding traumatic death along the roadsides of the Southwestern United States

Numerous discrete ritual sites called descansos, or “resting places” are located along edges of highways and streets across the Southwest United States (U.S.). These roadside memorials identify the place where a person or people experienced the final moments of life, and often, subsequent tragic death. During October-November 2013, I visited 57 descansos in southern Arizona and New Mexico to explore the hypothesis that descansos serve multiple integrated personal and social purposes. These roadside shrines connect personal and social aspects of grief and mourning on political landscapes and work as material coping mechanisms for experiencing the sudden traumatic death of a loved one. In the Southwest U.S., a region fraught with historical experiences of trauma, these small easily recognized ritual places are one way of expressing continued ties to the landscape. Descansos allow people to release intense personal emotion socially through the acts of building, visiting, altering, and dismantling (or abandoning) these memorials. As social meaning of roadside memorials is elucidated they are increasingly becoming the focus of discourse surrounding their control and regulation.
Experimental Study on the International Competition Power of China's Peanut Industry

This article analysed the present situation of peanut industry around China and the world and calculated the international competition power of China's peanut by the trade indexes,which made us believe China's peanut comparative.However,the competition power of China's peanut has declined in recent years,especially the indexes of RCA declined obviously.The Article also analysed the factors which affect and restrict China's peanut industry.Finally,it put forword some countermeasures to improve the development of China's peanut industry.
Contribution of Auditory Cortex to Acoustical Orientation in Cats Under Conditions of Discordant Auditory Reafference

Beitel, Ralph E. Contribution of auditory cortex to acoustical orientation in cats under conditions of discordant auditory reafference. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3468–3474, 1997. Head-orienting response...
America’s Longest War

America’s war in Vietnam is the textbook example of great-power arrogance and self-deception, of the abuse and dissipation of wealth and power. American leaders knew and cared little about the people of Vietnam, their history, their culture, their aspirations. Vietnam was of no intrinsic importance to the United States. In the years when the French controlled Indochina, they pursued a mercantilist policy, allowing minimal foreign involvement in the region’s economy. American business developed no stake there, and although the area was potentially rich in natural resources, there was nothing there that could not be obtained elsewhere, or that the locals could afford to deny to the world market. Similarly, the region was of minimal strategic importance. A case could certainly be made for keeping Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam from being controlled by a presumed adversary, whether Japan in 1941 or China or the Soviet Union in the context of the Cold War. But, of course, a case for containing the influence of an antagonist could be made for every corner of the earth – and outer space as well. Friendly control of what had once been French Indochina was unquestionably desirable. But if Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam were all hostile to the United States, the shift in the world balance of power would be imperceptible. No vital American interest would be threatened. Nonetheless, more than fifty thousand Americans gave their lives in a war in Indochina, as did hundreds of thousands of, Cambodians, Laotians, and Vietnamese.
Human Blood Antigens and Antibodies: Diagnostic and Therapeutic Implications

Many patients with nonmalignant hematological disorders rely on blood transfusion at some point in the course of their treatment. Additionally, these patients may require modifications to blood products to prevent alloimmunization or complications from iatrogenic immunosuppression. Occasionally, these patients may become transfusion dependent for a period of time, if not indefinitely, and thus are at increased risk for experiencing complications from this therapy. The case scenarios in this chapter will help the reader develop a better understanding on how to select platelet (PLT) products, manage transfusions in patients with sickle cell disease, and discuss some of the newest literature from randomized controlled trials on the red blood cell (RBC) storage lesion (Table 1).
Characteristics Associated with In-Hospital Death among Commercially Insured Decedents with Cancer.

Abstract Background: A majority of patients with poor-prognosis cancer express a preference for in-home death; however, in-hospital deaths are common. Objective: We sought to identify characteristics associated with in-hospital death. Design: Case series. Setting/Subjects: Commercially insured patients with cancer who died between July 2010 and December 2013 and who had at least two outpatient visits at a tertiary cancer center during the last six months of life. Measurements: Patient characteristics, healthcare utilization, and in-hospital death (primary outcome) were ascertained from institutional records and healthcare claims. Bivariate and multivariable analyses were used to evaluate the association of in-hospital death with patient characteristics and end-of-life outcome measures. Results: We identified 904 decedents, with a median age of 59 years at death. In-hospital death was observed in 254 patients (28%), including 110 (12%) who died in an intensive care unit. Hematologic malignancy was associat...
Modified Frailty Index Predicts Morbidity and Mortality After Pancreaticoduodenectomy

Pancreatic cancer is a disease of older adults, who may present with limited physiologic reserve. The authors hypothesized that a frailty index can predict postoperative outcomes after pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD). All patients who underwent PD were identified in the 2005–2012 NSQIP Participant Use File. Patients undergoing emergency procedures, those with an American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) classification of five, and those with a diagnosis of preoperative sepsis were excluded from the study. A modified frailty index (mFI) was defined by 11 variables within the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) previously used for the Canadian Study of Health and Aging-Frailty Index. An mFI score of 0.27 or higher was defined as a high mFI. Uni- and multivariate analyses were performed to evaluate postoperative outcomes. This study enrolled 9986 patients (age 65 ± 12 years, 48.8% female) who underwent PD. Of these patients, 6.4% (n = 637) had a high mFI (>0.27). Increasing mFI was associated with higher prevalence of postoperative morbidity (p < 0.001) and 30-days mortality (p < 0.001). In the univariate analysis, high mFI was associated with increased morbidity (odds ratio [OR] 1.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–1.97; p < 0.001) and 30-days mortality (OR 2.45; 95% CI 1.74–3.45; p < 0.001). After adjustment for age, sex, ASA classification, albumin level, and body mass index (BMI), high mFI remained an independent preoperative predictor of postoperative morbidity (OR 1.544; 95% CI 1.289–1.850; p < 0.0001) and 30-days mortality (OR 1.536; 95% CI 1.049–2.248; p = 0.027). High mFI is associated with postoperative morbidity and mortality after PD and can aid in preoperative risk stratification.
IgVH Mutational Status Is Prognostic In 13q Deletion (del) Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

Abstract Abstract 2419 While the del (13q) is generally considered to portend an indolent course in CLL, there remains a subset of these patients who exhibit an aggressive clinical course. Although there is little published data on the clinical course of del (13q) CLL patients who also harbor unmutated IgVH, based on preliminary observations we hypothesized that IgVH mutational status may be prognostic in these patients. We screened 196 CLL patients seen at Johns Hopkins between January 2004 and June 2010 and identified 94 patients whose initial FISH evaluation revealed a del (13q); 79 of these also had an IgVH sequence analysis. Unmutated IgVH was found in 38/79 (48%) of the del (13q) CLL patients; baseline characteristics of age, stage of disease, prior therapy and time to first evaluation at Johns Hopkins were similar in these patients when compared to those with mutated IgVH. Accordingly, a Rai stage ≤2 was documented in 35 (92%) of the unmutated and 35 (85%) of the mutated patients at the time of their first evaluation at Johns Hopkins, and >75% in each group were treatment naive at that time. Unmutated patients were more likely to have additional chromosomal aberrations as compared to mutated patients (66% versus 17%, p Download : Download high-res image (130KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures: Swinnen: Genentech: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding.
Effect of thiacloprid on early life stages of common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Abstract Toxicity of the neonicotinoid pesticide thiacloprid to embryos and larvae of common carp Cyprinus carpio was assessed under laboratory conditions. Carp embryos and larvae were exposed to thiacloprid at four concentrations: 4.5 (environmental concentration), 45, 225, and 450 μg/L for 35 days and compared to a non-treated control group. The effects on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant enzyme levels (superoxide dismutase, glutathione reductase, catalase, glutathione S-transferase, and reduced glutathione), mortality, growth, development, and histopathogenesis were assessed. Thiacloprid at tested concentrations were not associated with negative effects on hatching, behaviour, embryo viability, or Fulton's condition factor. Carp exposed to 45 μg/L thiacloprid showed lower weight and length compared to controls. Thiacloprid at 225 and 450 μg/L delayed development and led to lower weight and length of carp. Significantly lower superoxide dismutase and glutathione reductase activity was observed at all tested concentrations of thiacloprid compared with the control group. Chronic thiacloprid exposure of early-life stages of carp affected ontogeny and growth rate, and inhibited antioxidant capacity.
Estimating Age at Death

The estimation of age at death based on anatomical information from the lower extremity involves an assessment of physiological age and an attempt to correlate it with chronological age. Specific techniques employed in this process vary with the sample available for analysis as well as the general age of the individual (1,2). Some techniques are specific to particular bones or even parts of bones. Techniques that would be ideal to use to estimate age at death in fetal remains are irrelevant in adults. Some consideration also must be given to sex and population differences and their impact on age indicators. In this chapter, the relevant literature will be reviewed and recommendations for appropriate procedures will be provided. In recognition of the focus of this volume, this discussion will be limited to the lower extremity, although workers should be aware that additional and perhaps more accurate techniques may be available when other anatomical areas are present. General reviews of techniques for estimating age at death based on all parts of the body have been published by Bass (3), Krogman and Iscan (4), Scheuer and Black (5), Steele and Bramblett (6), Stewart (7), Sundick (8), Ubelaker (9), White (10), and the Workshop of European Anthropologists (11).
A two pore size distribution model for transcapillary exchange of substances

Net transcapillary fluid exchange results from an imbalance between the hydrostatic and osmotic forces acting across the microvascular exchange barrier. Net solute exchange results primarily as a passive phenomena in response to a concentration gradient across the microvasculature. Morphological (12)(13) as well as physiological (3)(4) measurements support the notion that the endothelial barrier of the microvasculature, through which such exchange must occur, is structurally heterogeneous. Several pathways for fluid and solute exchange have been proposed which include; direct passage through the endothelial plasma membranes (and intervening cytosol), a “pore” which is formed by the fusion of vesicles which creates a large channel through the endothelial cell; and, the pathway between the endothelial cells at the endothelial cell junctions. The latter have generally been considered the morphological counterpart of the “small-pore” and “large-pore” systems, while the first two pathways are considered to contribute minimally (10–15%) to overall blood to tissue transport of fluid and solutes. The initial attempt, made by Pappenheimer, Renkin and Borrero (11), was to characterize the movement of fluid and solute with a single, small-pore pathway model.
Luminescence-dating zeroing tests in Lake Hoare, Taylor Valley, Antarctica

In two of the perennially ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, lakes Hoare and Bonney in the Taylor Valley, bottom water has 14C ages of ∼2.7 ka and ∼10 ka (respectively), rendering 14C ages of bottom sediments highly problematic. Consequently, we tested the effectiveness of thermoluminescence (TL) zeroing in polymineral fine silt material from several depositional environments around and on the lake (stream suspensions, ice-surface sand dune, and silty sand from near the top of the more-than-3m-thick ice). We also conducted TL and infrared-stimulated-luminescence (IRSL) dating tests on material from three box cores recovered from the bottom of Lake Hoare, in a transect away from the abutting Canada Glacier. We observed effective zeroing of light-sensitive TL in suspended silt from one input stream and less effective zeroing from another stream. We observed effective zeroing of light-sensitive TL also in silt from a glacier-proximal eolian ice-surface dune and from sand from within the upper 5 cm of ice. In contrast, in box-core 1, the bottom sediment yielded minimum TL apparent ages of 1500-2600 yrs, with no discernable stratigraphic depth trend. IRSL dating applied to the same box-core samples produced significantly lower age estimates, ranging from ~600 ± 200 yrs to 1440 ± 270 yrs top-to-bottom, an improvement over the depth-constant ~2200 yrs TL ages. In two other cores closer to the Canada Glacier, IRSL ages from ~600 ± 200 yrs (top) to ~ 2900± 300 yrs (at depth) were measured. Not only are the IRSL ages a significant improvement over the TL results, but the near-core-top IRSL ages are also a dramatic improvement over the 14C results (~2.7 ka). IRSL dating has a demonstrated potential to supplant 14C dating for such antarctic lacustrine deposits.
Kinetics of Neuraminidase Action on Glycoproteins by One- and Two-Dimensional NMR.

The surfaces of mammalian cells are coated with complex carbohydrates, many terminated with a negatively charged N-acetylneuraminic acid residue. This motif is specifically targeted by pathogens, including influenza viruses and many pathogenic bacteria, to gain entry into the cell. A necessary step in the influenza virus life cycle is the release of viral particles from the cell surface; this is achieved by cleaving N-acetylneuraminic acid from cell surface glycans with a virally produced neuraminidase. We present a laboratory exercise to model this process using a glycoprotein as a glycan carrier and using real-time nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor N-acetylneuraminic acid release as catalyzed by neuraminidase. A time-resolved two-dimensional data-processing technique, statistical total correlation spectroscopy, enhances the resolution of the complicated one-dimensional glycoprotein spectrum and isolates characteristic peaks corresponding to substrates and products. This exercise is relatively straightforward and leads students through a wide range of biologically and chemically relevant procedures, including use of NMR spectroscopy, enzymology, and data-processing techniques.
End-of-life care for the dying child: what matters most to parents.

Objective: To identify and define the dimensions of pediatric end-of-life (EOL) care that are important to parents. Population: Parents of children who died as a result of an illness, chronic condi...