cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Onsite Wastewater System Nitrogen Loading to Groundwater in the Newport River Watershed, North Carolina

The objectives of this research were to calculate the on-site wastewater system (OWS) nitrogen loading to groundwater in the Newport River watershed, North Carolina and determine if these loads were large enough to be included in watershed nutrient management plans along with other nutrient sources such as row-crop agriculture. Nitrogen loadings were calculated using hydrological and groundwater quality data beneath 16 OWS installed in three different soil groups, and watershed demographic and soil data. Over 30,000 people use OWS in the watershed with 76% of the systems installed in group I soils (sands), 11% in group II soils (sandy loams), and 13% in group III soils (sandy clay loams). OWS in group III soils had lower total dissolved nitrogen loading rates (0.04 kg/person/yr) to groundwater than systems in group I (1.41 kg/person/yr) and II soils (0.33 kg/person/yr). The total dissolved nitrogen loading rates from OWS to groundwater, assuming 20 people/ha in group II and I soils (6.5 to 28.1 kg/ha/yr), were significant, but less than potential agricultural contributions to groundwater (37.5 kg/ha/yr) for the area. OWS are significant sources of shallow groundwater nitrogen loading in coastal watersheds with sandy soils, and these contributions should be considered in regulatory efforts to reduce nutrient pollution.
Treatment and Outcome of Invasive Bladder Cancer in Patients After Renal Transplantation

ABSTRACTPurpose: Optimal management and clinical outcome of bladder cancer in renal transplant recipients are not well-defined. We analyzed single institution treatment strategies and outcomes of these patients.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the University of California, San Francisco transplant database which contains information on 6,288 renal transplants performed between 1964 and 2002. The United Network for Organ Sharing database and Israel Penn International Transplant Tumor Registry were also queried to characterize the global nature of bladder cancer in renal transplant recipients.Results: The United Network for Organ Sharing database (1986 to 2001) contained information on 31 patients who were found to have bladder cancer (0.024% prevalence) and the Israel Penn International Transplant Tumor Registry (1967 to 2001) contained information on 135 patients representing 0.84% of all reported malignancies. We identified 7 renal transplant recipients with bladder cancer at our instit...
Learning a Discriminative Weighted Finite-State Transducer for Speech Recognition

Weighted finite-state transducers (WFSTs) have been widely adopted as efficient representations of a general speech recognition model. The WFST for speech recognizer is typically assembled or composed from the several components-the language model, the pronunciation mapping and the acoustic model-which are estimated separately without any end-to-end optimization. This paper examines how the weights of such transducers can be learned in a manner that captures the interaction between the components. The paths in the transducer are represented as n -grams defined over the input and output sequences whose linear weights are learned using a discriminative criterion. The resulting linear model factors into two weighted finite-state acceptors (WFSAs) which can be applied as corrections to the input and the output side of the initial WFST. This formulation allows duration cues to be incorporated seamlessly. Empirical results on a large vocabulary Arabic GALE task demonstrate that the proposed model improves word error rate substantially, with a gain of 1.5%-1.7% absolute. Through a series of experiments, we analyze the contributions from and interactions between acoustic, duration, and language components to find that duration cues play an important role in a large-vocabulary Arabic speech recognition task. Although this paper focuses on speech recognition, the proposed framework for learning the weights of a finite transducer is more general in nature and can be applied to other tasks such as utterance classification.
Micromachined probes for deep-brain stimulation

Although deep-brain stimulation (DBS) can be used to eliminate the severe side effects of Parkinson's disease (e.g., muscle tremors), it does not prevent neurodegeneration that leads to dementia or death. A combination of DBS and drug treatment might be capable of halting these degenerative processes by altering the response of neural tissue to drugs. In order to fully investigate this hypothesis, a comprehensive long-term stimulation study in an animal model is needed. We have designed, fabricated, and tested a novel micromachined probe that is able to accurately stimulate the subthalamic nucleus (STN) while minimizing damage to the surrounding tissue. The probe is coated with gold and insulated with silicon nitride for biocompatibility, has four platinum electrodes to provide a variety of stimulus patterns, and is formed in a novel 3-D plating process that results in a microwire-like geometry (i.e., smoothly tapering diameter) with a corresponding mechanically stable shank.
Reversal of cell fate determination in Caenorhabditis elegans vulval development

In Caenorhabditis elegans, the fates of the multipotent vulval precursor cells (VPCs) are specified by intercellular signals. The VPCs divide in the third larval stage (L3) of the wild type, producing progeny of determined cell types. In lin-28 mutants, vulva development is similar to wild-type vulva development except that it occurs precociously, in the second larval stage (L2). Consequently, when lin-28 hermaphrodites temporarily arrest development at the end of L2 in the dauer larva stage, they have partially developed vulvae consisting of VPC progeny. During post-dauer development, these otherwise determined VPC progeny become reprogrammed back to the multipotent, signal-sensitive state of VPCs. Our results indicate that VPC fate determination by intercellular signals is reversible by dauer larva developmental arrest and post-dauer development.
Involvement of cytochrome P-450 1B1 in renal dysfunction, injury, and inflammation associated with angiotensin II-induced hypertension in rats

We investigated the contribution of cytochrome P-450 1B1 (CYP1B1) to renal dysfunction and organ damage associated with ANG II-induced hypertension in rats. ANG II (300 ng·kg−1·min−1) or vehicle we...
Effect of potassium and boron upon yield and nutrient concentration of alfalfa

Abstract An alfalfa experiment was conducted to determine the effect of rates of K applied in the fall and rates of K applied, one‐half in the fall and one‐half after first harvest, upon yield and chemical composition. Three rates of B applied in the fall and also one‐half in the fall and one‐half after first harvest at the highest K rate (560 kg/ha) were also included. Herbage samples were taken from each plot at each harvest and analyzed for N, P, K, Ca, Mg, B, Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn. Significant effects of fertility upon yield and nutrient content were observed. Harvest x fertility interactions also affected many parameters. The Cu concentration of herbage was relatively uniform and not significantly affected by any factors studied.
Analysis of Tungstates and Sesquioxides, Two of the Best Yb3+-Doped Laser Crystals According to Different Evaluations.

The development of reliable InGaAs laser diode pump sources emitting in the 900-980 nm spectral range is stongly influencing the field of lasers based on Yb3+-doped solid state crystals. Ca5(PO4)3F (C-FAP) and S-FAP (Sr5(PO4)3F) were soon recognized to be favourable hosts for Yb3+ lasing in the nanosecond pulse regime. This fact was supported by an evaluation of the spectroscopic properties of several Yb3+-doped crystals useful for laser action. This evaluation is based on two parameters known from spectroscopy, the emission cross-section at the laser wavelength and the minimum pump intensity required to achieve transparency at the laser wavelength.We think there is a need of a new evaluation of Yb3+-doped crystals in order to predict the laser efficiency in a more realistic manner in different kinds of regimes. We present here the main spectroscopic properties of two Yb3+-doped laser crystals which are grown in our Group: (i) KY(WO4)2 double tungstates by the Floating Crystal method and (ii) Y2O3sesquioxides by the Laser Heated Pedestal Growth method. The approach, based on a quasi-three level laser model, leads to compare all known Yb3+-doped crystals in a two-dimensional diagram considering the laser extracted power and the slope efficiency. We shall show that tungstates and sesquioxides belong to the highest laser crystal potential in CW-end pumping configuration.
A parallel adaptive fast multipole method

Parallel versions of a representative N-body application that uses L. Greengard and V. Rokhlin's (1987) adaptive fast multipole method (FMM) are presented. While parallel implementations of the uniform FMM are straightforward and have been developed on different architectures, the adaptive version complicates the task of obtaining effective parallel performance owing to the nonuniform and dynamically changing nature of the problem domains to which it is applied. The authors propose and evaluate two techniques for providing load balancing and data locality, both of which take advantage of key insights into the method and its typical applications. Using the better of these techniques, they demonstrate 45-fold speedups on galactic simulations on a 48-processor Stanford DASH machine, a state-of-the-art shared address space multiprocessor, even for relatively small problems. They also show good speedups on a two-ring Kendall Square Research KSR-1. Finally, they summarize some key architectural implications of this important computational method.
Attachment, Stress, Dyadic Coping, and Marital Satisfaction of Counseling Graduate Students

A sample of 191 married students from 23 Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs-accredited programs participated in a survey designed to examine factors that affect the marital satisfaction of counseling graduate students. Results indicated that attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, and dyadic coping accounted for 67% of the variance in marital satisfaction. Additionally, dyadic coping partially mediated the relationships between both attachment dimensions and marital satisfaction. Findings provide direction for future research and practical implications for counselors, educators, and graduate students.
Binding of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 Gag polyprotein to cyclophilin A is mediated by the central region of capsid and requires Gag dimerization

The cellular peptidyl-prolyl isomerase cyclophilin A (CyPA) is incorporated into human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virions via direct contacts with the HIV-1 Gag polyprotein. Disruption of the Gag-CyPA interaction leads to the production of HIV-1 particles lacking CyPA; these virions are noninfectious, indicating that contacts between CyPA and Gag are necessary for HIV-1 replication. Here, we have used the yeast two-hybrid system in conjunction with an in vitro binding assay to identify the minimal domain of Gag required for binding to CyPA. Analysis of a panel of gag deletion mutants in the two-hybrid system indicated that a region spanning the central portion of the capsid (CA) domain was sufficient for interactions with CyPA, but discrepancies between results obtained in different fusion protein contexts suggested that multimerization of Gag might also be necessary for binding to CyPA. Consistent with a requirement for multimerization, the binding of Gag to CyPA in vitro required a region within the nucleocapsid (NC) domain shown previously to be important for Gag self-association. Substitution of a heterologous dimerization motif for the region from NC also promoted specific binding to CyPA, confirming that interactions with CyPA are dependent on Gag multimerization. Fusion of the heterologous dimerization motif to a 100-amino-acid domain from CA was sufficient for binding to CyPA in vitro. These results define the minimal CyPA-binding domain within Gag and provide insight into the mechanism by which CyPA is incorporated into HIV-1 virions.
Collaborative Care Model to Improve Outcomes in Major Depression

OBJECTIVE:To develop a pharmacist intervention to improve depression care and outcomes within a primary care setting.METHODS:Pragmatic, randomized trial of a clinical pharmacist collaborative care intervention versus usual care in a busy, academic family practice clinic.RESULTS:Seventy-four patients diagnosed with a new episode of major depression and started on antidepressant medications were randomized to enhanced care (EC) or usual care (UC) groups. EC consists of a clinical pharmacist collaborating with primary care providers (PCPs) to facilitate education, initiation, and titration of acute-phase antidepressant treatment to monitor treatment adherence and to prevent relapse. Control patients receive UC by their PCP. The main end point is reduction of depression symptoms over time as measured by the Hopkins Symptom Checklist (SCL-20). Other outcomes include the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, (DSM-IV) criteria for major depression, health-related quality of life measured by the ...
Uncovering misconceptions about the resting membrane potential.

Resting membrane potential is one of the most difficult physiological concepts that students must master. Although the upper-division undergraduates in my physiology course have completed a semester of neurophysiology in which they worked problems using the Nernst and Goldman equations, they often
Propensity of alcohol establishments to sell to obviously intoxicated patrons.

Background: Although it is illegal to sell alcohol to an individual who appears obviously intoxicated, several recent studies show that the propensity of these types of sales is high. Our study further assesses the propensity of alcohol establishments to sell alcohol to obviously intoxicated patrons. In addition to providing more recent data (2001) on pseudo-intoxicated purchase attempts at Midwestern on-premise establishments, our study examines the association between establishment policies/ practices and the likelihood of sales to intoxicated patrons. Method: We hired professional actors to feign intoxication while attempting to purchase alcohol (pseudo-intoxicated patrons) at 231 bars and restaurants, and we conducted a phone survey of owners/managers of each establishment. Our dependent variable was purchase attempt outcome (alcohol sold vs not sold). Our independent variables included policies/practices of establishments and characteristics of buyers/servers, establishments, and neighborhoods. Results: Pseudo-intoxicated patrons were able to purchase alcohol in 65% of their attempts. Multivariate analyses showed the following: (1) compared with establishments with beer- and/or wine-only licenses, establishments with full liquor licenses were less likely to sell to intoxicated patrons; (2) establishments with average length of employment among managers of at least 1 year were more likely to sell to obviously intoxicated patrons; and (3) establishments that held staff meetings at least once a month were less likely to sell to obviously intoxicated patrons. Neighborhood characteristics were not associated with our outcome in multivariate analyses. Conclusions: Our findings provide increased evidence of the need to address the illegal sale of alcohol to intoxicated patrons, particularly given that increased intoxication levels among patrons resulting from these types of sales can lead to alcohol-related problems.
Maille authorization - a distributed, redundant authorization protocol

The maille authorization protocol provides flexible and reliable authorization in large distributed and pervasive computing systems. Service owners distribute their access control lists across the network using threshold cryptography. Instances of the distributed service need only verify that requestors have knowledge of a specific secret provided by the Maille authorization system. Requestors use the Maille protocol to find and retrieve individual parts of the scattered key. Once a sufficient quorum of nodes holding the key is found, the requestor can reassemble the key and is authorized. Unlike extant systems, the Maille authorization protocol has no single administrative point of failure and tolerates multiple simultaneous Byzantine failures.
Differentiated Instruction for Students with Disabilities: Using DI in the Music Classroom.

Students come to the music classroom with different educational readiness, learning styles, abilities, and preferences. In addition to these learner differences, classrooms in the United States are becoming more linguistically and culturally diverse each year. Differentiated instruction is an approach to teaching and learning that allows for these individual differences. Differentiated instruction involves working with groups of students and individualizing the curriculum for those within the group. It shares many of the Universal Design for Learning goals for teaching and promoting student learning, with both initiatives established to embrace student differences and ensure that students have every opportunity to learn in ways that best suit their individual needs.
Evaluation of control strategies for fixed-bed coal gasifiers using MGAS

The MGAS (METC Gasifier Advanced Simulation) model is used to simulate a moving-bed gasifier. The MGAS code is written in FORTRAN and takes into account details in specifying the reactor geometry, reaction kinetics, etc. Steady-state control analysis tools that use MGAS to uncover the optimal control strategies are demonstrated. These strategies are compared with those that are known to be suitable in the actual gasifier.
Molecular targeting: PI3 kinase pathway.

In recent years, cancer therapeutics development has emphasized the identification and evaluation of ‘targeted’ drugs directed at specific molecular aspects in signaling pathways of cancer cells. Targets of particular interest for therapeutics development are those involved in signaling pathways controlling cell cycle progression, gene transcription, motility, apoptosis and cell metabolism [1, 2]. Among these pathways, the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)–Akt pathway is considered highly relevant. Activation of this pathway plays a pivotal role in essential cellular functions such as survival, proliferation, migration and differentiation that underlie the biology of human cancer. Aberrant activation contributes to tumorigenesis, tumor metastasis and resistance to standard cancer therapy. Non-clinical studies suggest that specific inhibitors may impede tumor cell growth or induce apoptosis, and combining inhibitors of the PI3K–Akt pathway with standard chemotherapy can attenuate chemotherapeutic resistance. Because the PI3K pathway has been implicated in a wide array of biological and pathophysiological responses and inhibition of the pathway induces antitumor effects in non-clinical models, small molecules designed to specifically target components of the pathway are now being developed for clinical use as single agents and in combination with standard cytotoxic drugs and radiation to overcome therapeutic resistance. In this review, the biology of the pathway and clinically relevant strategies to inhibit it will be described.
Synchronized Targeting of Notch and ERBB Signaling Suppresses Melanoma Tumor Growth through Inhibition of Notch1 and ERBB3.

Despite significant advances in melanoma therapy, melanoma remains the deadliest form of skin cancer, with a 5-year survival rate of only 15%. Thus, novel treatments are required to address this disease. Notch and ERBB are evolutionarily conserved signaling cascades required for the maintenance of melanocyte precursors. We show that active Notch1 (Notch1 NIC ) and active (phosphorylated) ERBB3 and ERBB2 correlate significantly and are similarly expressed in both mutated and wild-type BRAF melanomas, suggesting these receptors are co-reactivated in melanoma to promote survival. Whereas blocking either pathway triggers modest effects, combining a γ-secretase inhibitor to block Notch activation and a tyrosine kinase inhibitor to inhibit ERBB3/2 elicits synergistic effects, reducing cell viability by 90% and hampering melanoma tumor growth. Specific inhibition of Notch1 and ERBB3 mimics these results, suggesting these are the critical factors triggering melanoma tumor expansion. Notch and ERBB inhibition blunts AKT and NFκB signaling. Constitutive expression of NFκB partially rescues cell death. Blockade of both Notch and ERBB signaling inhibits the slow cycling JARID1B-positive cell population, which is critical for long-term maintenance of melanoma growth. We propose that blocking these pathways is an effective approach to treatment of melanoma patients regardless of whether they carry mutated or wild-type BRAF.
Evidence for the UPSILON'' and a search for new narrow resonances

The production of the $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$ family in proton-nucleus collisions is clarified by a sixfold increase in statistics. Constraining $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$,${\ensuremath{\Upsilon}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ masses to those observed at DORIS we find the statistical significance of the ${\ensuremath{\Upsilon}}^{\ensuremath{'}\ensuremath{'}}$ to be 11 standard deviations. The dependence of $\ensuremath{\Upsilon}$ production on ${p}_{t}$, $y$, and $s$ is presented. Limits for other resonance production in the mass range 4-18 GeV are determined.
Multiscale Method for Hazard Map Construction

This work describes a multiscale approach for creating a fast surrogate of physics based simulators, to improve the speed of applications that require large ensembles like hazard map creation. The novel framework is applied in determining the probability of the presence airborne ash at a specific height when an explosive volcanic eruption occurs. The procedure involves representing both the parameter space (sample points at which the numerical model is evaluated) and physical space (ash concentration at a certain height covered well delimited parcel) by a weighted graph. The combination of graph representation and low rank approximation gives a good approximation of the original graph (allows us to identify a well-conditioned basis of the adjacency matrix for its numerical range) that is less computationally intensive and more accurate when out-of-sample extension is performed at re-sample points as higher resolution parcels.
Optical Signal Processing and Ultrabroadband Microwave Photonics using Microresonators

Selected applications of optical microresonators are reviewed, with an emphasis on examples from Purdue University, including radio-frequency and optical arbitrary waveform generation, optical nonreciprocity, and generation of optical frequency combs. Article not available.
Filling the D.C. Circuit Vacancies

INTRODUCTION 121 I. A SKETCH OF THE D.C. CIRCUIT 122 II. OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SELECTION 123 A. DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS 123 B. CRITICAL ANALYSIS 134 C. SUMMARY 135 III. CONSEQUENCES 137 IV. SUGGESTIONS 139 CONCLUSION 141
Communications. Some Personal And Situational Correlates Of Reactions To Management Development Training: Comment

The article reports the author's opinions regarding the article “Some Personal and Situational Correlates of Reactions to Management Development Training,” by Stephen J. Carroll and Allan N. Nash, ...
Growth Charts for Prader-Willi Syndrome During Growth Hormone Treatment:

The purpose of the current study was to develop syndrome-specific standardized growth curves for growth hormone-treated Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) individuals aged 0 to 18 years. Anthropometric growth-related measures were obtained on 171 subjects with PWS who were treated with growth hormone for at least 40% of their lifespan. They had no history of scoliosis. PWS standardized growth curves were developed for 7 percentile ranges using the LMS method for weight, height, head circumference, weight/length, and BMI along with normative 3rd, 50th, and 97th percentiles plotted using control data from the literature and growth databases. Percentiles were plotted on growth charts for comparison purposes. Growth hormone treatment appears to normalize stature and markedly improves weight in PWS compared with standardized curves for non-growth hormone-treated PWS individuals. Growth chart implications and recommended usage are discussed.
Discussion on Experimental Condition of Measuring Mercury by Cold Atomic Fluorescence Method

By means of discussion on experimental conditions of measuring mercury in water by cold atomic fluorescence method. We shall pay attention to collection and conservation of water samples, selection of experimental container and reagent, experimental pretreatment, utilization of apparatus. which guarantee the realiability and accurancy of experimental results.
Noise Pollution: Do We Need a Solution? An Analysis of Noise in a Cardiac Care Unit

Introduction Hospitals are meant to be places for respite and healing; however, technological advances and reliance on monitoring alarms has led to the environment becoming increasingly noisy. The coronary care unit (CCU), like the emergency department, provides care to ill patients while being vulnerable to noise pollution. The World Health Organization (WHO; Geneva, Switzerland) recommends that for optimum rest and healing, sound levels should average approximately 30 decibels (dB) with maximum readings less than 40 dB. Problem The purpose of this study was to measure and analyze sound levels in three different locations in the CCU, and to review alarm reports in relation to sound levels. Methods Over a one-month period, sound recorders (Extech SDL600; Extech Instruments; Nashua, New Hampshire USA) were placed in three separate locations in the CCU at the West Roxbury Veterans’ Administration (VA) Hospital (Roxbury, Massachusetts USA). Sound samples were recorded once per second, stored in Comma Separated Values format for Excel (Microsoft Corporation; Redmond, Washington USA), and then exported to Microsoft Excel. Averages were determined, plotted per hour, and alarm histories were reviewed to determine alarm noise effect on total noise for each location, as well as common alarm occurrences. Results Patient Room 1 consistently had the lowest average recordings, though all averages were >40 dB, despite decreases between 10:00 pm and 7:00 am. During daytime hours, recordings maintained levels >50 dB. Overnight noise remained above recommended levels 55.25% of the period in Patient Room 1 and 99.61% of the same time period in Patient Room 7. The nurses’ station remained the loudest location of all three. Alarms per hour ranged from 20-26 during the day. Alarms per day averaged: Patient Room 1-57.17, Patient Room 7-122.03, and the nurses’ station - 562.26. Oxygen saturation alarms accounted for 33.59% of activity, and heart-related (including ST segment and pacemaker) accounted for 49.24% of alarms. Conclusion The CCU cares for ill patients requiring constant monitoring. Despite advances in technology, measured noise levels for the hospital studied exceeded WHO standards of 40 dB and peaks of 45 dB, even during night hours when patients require rest. Further work is required to reduce noise levels and examine effects on patient satisfaction, clinical outcomes, and length of stay. Ryan KM , Gagnon M , Hanna T , Mello B , Fofana M , Ciottone G , Molloy M . Noise Pollution: Do We Need a Solution? An Analysis of Noise in a Cardiac Care Unit. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(4):432–435.
Contemporary transcatheter interventions in adult congenital heart disease.

in 1966, William rashkind performed the first balloon atrial septostomy on a patient with transposition of the great arteries,1 and on that fateful day, the field of congenital and pediatric interventional cardiology was born. since then, the complexity and capability of the discipline has grown explosively with the advent of balloon aortic and pulmonary valvuloplasty,2 device closure of atrial and ventricular septal defects and patent ductus arteriosus, and the Melody® transcatheter pulmonary valve solution3 (Medtronic, inc., Minneapolis, Mn). the successes of rashkind’s cardiac surgical colleagues over the last 50 years has given rise to a population of nearly 1.3 million adult congenital heart patients in the united states.4 since this population is expected to grow by 5% annually, the sustained cardiovascular care of such a heterogeneous and complex group of patients will require ongoing evolution as physicians continue to learn how best to treat them. likewise, the role of transcatheter intervention continues to evolve and grow as an adjunct to cardiac surgery in managing mechanical issues—especially in patients who conceivably live well into their 70s or 80s when just 50 years ago they may not have survived their first year. Because each patient is unique in pathophysiology, surgical repair, comorbidities, and postsurgical pathophysiology, there are few medical devices that have been approved specifically for the treatment of congenital heart disease. as such, the practice of transcatheter congenital intervention is characterized by continuous on-the-fly innovation—adapting catheters, wires, and devices from other disciplines and applications and building new devices. in this issue of the Methodist deBakey Cardiovascular Journal, we focus on the depth and breadth of transcatheter interventions in congenital heart disease. drs. Balzer, forbes, holoshitz, kenny, tarui, and colleagues present a number of unique innovations that characterize the field’s rapid evolution. the use of novel 3-dimensional imaging techniques both before and during catheter intervention is described by fagan and colleagues to optimize complex interventions. finally, Bergersen and colleagues discuss the unfathomably complex task of defining standards of quality in the heterogeneous field of congenital interventions. While few of our readers likely care for adult patients with congenital heart disease on a regular basis, we hope that this issue will serve to stimulate curiosity, innovation, collaboration, and awareness of this rapidly growing medical need. C.H. Lin, M.D., Ph.D. D.T. Balzer, M.D.
A Novel Computer-Aided Surgical Simulation (CASS) System to Streamline Orthognathic Surgical Planning

Orthognathic surgery is a surgical procedure to correct jaw deformities. It requires extensive presurgical planning. We developed a novel computer-aided surgical simulation (CASS) system, the AnatomicAligner, for doctors planning the entire orthognathic surgical procedure in computer following our streamlined clinical protocol. The computerized plan can be transferred to the patient at the time of surgery using digitally designed surgical splints. The system includes six modules: image segmentation and three-dimensional (3D) model reconstruction; registration and reorientation of the models to neutral head posture (NHP) space, 3D cephalometric analysis, virtual osteotomy, surgical simulation, and surgical splint designing. The system has been validated using the 5 sets of patient’s datasets. The AnatomicAligner system will be soon available freely to the broader clinical and research communities.
Traveling Teacher Professional Development Model

Lesson study is a process of instructional improvement in which a group of teachers collaborate to set a goal, study, observe, and discuss teaching and student learning (Lewis & Hurd, 2011). Lesson study originates in Japan and has been practiced by Japanese teachers for over a century (Fernandez & Yoshida, 2004; Makinae, 2010).
Mesoscale and high-frequency variability of macroscopic particles (> 100 μm) in the Ross Sea and its relevance for late-season particulate carbon export

The Ross Sea plays a major role in the transfer of organic carbon from the surface into the deep sea due to the combination of high seasonal productivity and Antarctic bottom water formation. Here we present a particle inventory of the Ross Sea based on a combined deployment of a video particle profiler (VPP) and a high-resolution digital holographic microscope (DIHM). Long-distance (100 s of kilometers) and short-distance (10 s of kilometers) sections showed high variability of particle distributions that co-varied with the density structure of the water column. Particle export was apparent at sites of locally weakened pycnoclines, likely an indirect effect of nutrient mixing into the surface layer and local blooms that lead to export. Particle volume abundances at 200–300 m depth were highly correlated with particle volume abundances in the upper mixed layer (< 60 m), consistent with particles at depth primarily the result of export rather than lateral advection. Phaeocystis antarctica (Haptophyta) colonies that were initially retained in the mixed layer sank below the euphotic zone within a period of two weeks. Fine-scale analysis at a resolution < 1 m revealed a significantly overdispersed (i.e., highly patchy) environment in all casts. Patchiness, as determined by the Lloyd index of patchiness and the Index of Aggregation, increased in and below the pycnocline presumably due to aggregation of particles while accumulating on density gradients. In contrast, particles in the upper mixed layer and in the nepheloid layers were more randomly distributed. In 40 of the 84 VPP depth profiles, a periodicity of particle peaks ranged from 10 to 90 m with a mode of 30 m, which can be regarded as the “relevant scale” or “characteristic patch size” of the vertical distribution of particles. While chlorophyll fluorescence and particle mass determined by VPP were significantly correlated at higher particle abundances, the relationship changed from cast to cast, reflecting changes in the relative contribution of fresh phytoplankton to total particle mass. Particles that sank below the main pycnocline were composed of phytoplankton, marine snow with and without embedded phytoplankton, crustacean plankton, and a surprisingly high percentage of heterotrophic (and perhaps mixotrophic) protists, such as acantharians and tintinnids.
Clinical evaluation of thrombotic microangiopathy: identification of patients with suspected atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome

Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by defective complement regulation resulting in thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Patients can present as children or adults. The syndrome consists of hemolytic anemia with schistocytosis, thrombocytopenia, significant renal damage, and/or other organ system dysfunction(s). Patients with aHUS may succumb to the complications of the disease with the very first manifestation; surviving patients often suffer from progressive organ dysfunction with significant morbidity and mortality despite plasma infusion or plasma exchange. Eculizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody to C5, was approved for treatment of aHUS in 2011. This is an expensive but highly effective therapy changing the lives and improving the outcome of patients with aHUS. Making timely and accurate diagnosis of aHUS can be life-saving if eculizumab treatment is begun promptly. Finding a genetic mutation in a complement regulatory protein is diagnostic with the appropriate clinical syndrome, but at least 30 % of patients do not have defined or reported mutations. Thus the diagnosis rests on the clinical acumen of the physician. However, the clinical manifestations of aHUS are shared by other etiologies of thrombotic microangiopathy. While laboratory finding of undetectable ADAMTS13 activity defines TTP, distinguishing aHUS from the other causes of TMA remains an art. In addition, aHUS can be unmasked by conditions with enhanced complement activation, such as systemic lupus erythematosus, pregnancy, malignant hypertension, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Thus if TMA occurs in the setting of enhanced complement activation, one must consider aHUS as an underlying etiology, especially if treatment of the condition does not resolve the TMA.
The Basis of Magnetized Target Fusion - A Fusion Primer

A growing number of researchers worldwide are recognizing that the technology of the Megagauss Conferences has opened the possibility of achieving controlled thermonuclear fusion in a relatively unexplored fusion fuel density regime. Magnetized Target Fusion (MTF) operates at a density intermediate between the fuel density of the two conventional fusion approaches, magnetic confinement fusion (MCF) and inertial confinement fusion (ICF). In this paper, we review the fuel conditions (e. g., confinement time, density, temperature) that must be met to achieve significant fusion energy release. We show that the constraint of steady-state operation forces MCF to operate at the low end of the density spectrum and that the constraint of unmagnetized fuel forces ICF to operate at the high end. Our analysis shows that operation at an intermediate density (1018-1022/cm3) has many attractive features and potentially overcomes some of the obstacles, particularly cost, faced by the more conventional approaches.
The East in the West: Bulgarian Culture in the United States of America during the Global 1970s:

This article explores the ambitious Bulgarian cultural program in the United States of America to interrogate the importance of culture in the Cold War dynamics of the 1970s. The case study is examined at two levels; first, in the framework of the expanding contacts between East and West, exploring the importance of cultural diplomacy in the context of detente, and second, at the level of the actual cultural interactions, analyzing the meaning of cultural contacts across national borders and ideological divides. This analysis integrates insights from diverse literatures: international history, transnational history, postcolonial studies, and anthropology. The goal is to showcase the role of a small state on the periphery during the Cold War, to engage the softer side of East–West interactions in a global context, and to emphasize how local communities and individuals creatively shaped the Cold War realities through their own actions. The article also engages contemporary debates about the meaning of these...
ATR Dependent Phosphorylation of FANCM Is Required for the Fanconi Anemia Pathway.

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare, recessive disorder characterized by progressive bone marrow failure, developmental abnormalities, chromosome instability, cellular hypersensitivity to DNA cross-linking agents, and predisposition to cancer, mainly leukemias and squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck. We have shown that FANCM which is one of the FA core complex proteins is hyperphosphorylated in response to DNA damage suggesting that it may serve as a signal transducer through which the activity of the FA-core complex is regulated. The cell cycle checkpoint kinase, ATR has been shown to act upstream of the FA pathway, however, its substrate within the FA-core complex has not been identified yet. FANCM contains multiple predicted ATR phosphorylation sites suggesting that FANCM could be a direct ATR target. In this study, we examined the roles of ATR in regulating FANCM phosphorylation in response to DNA damage: by kinetics study we found that phosphorylation of FANCM is concurrent with FANCD2 monoubiquitination; siRNA mediated suppression of ATR activity abrogates both phosphorylation of FANCM and monoubiquitination of FANCD2; and ATR knock out HCT116 cells display defective phosphorylation of FANCM as well as defective monoubiquitination of FANCD2 indicating that DNA damage induced phosphorylation of FANCM is ATR dependant. Furthermore, we used mass spectrometry to identify the in vivo phosphorylation sites of FANCM and found a novel DNA damage-inducible phosphorylation site (S-1045; one of the potential ATR phosphorylation sites) within FANCM protein. Using ATR knock out HCT116 cells and the anti-p-S1045 antibody, we show that phosphorylation of FANCM at S-1045 is ATR dependant. The biological relevance of phosphorylation of FANCM at S1045 in FA pathway will be investigated by functional complementation analysis with non phosphorylatable FANCM mutants in FANCM deficient cells.
Differences between Proxy and Patient Assessments of Cancer Care Experiences and Quality Ratings.

Objective. To assess the impact of proxy survey responses on cancer care experience reports and quality ratings. Data Sources/Study Setting. Secondary analysis of data from Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance (CanCORS). Recruitment occurred from 2003 to 2005. Study Design. The study was a cross-sectional observational study. The respondents were patients with incident colorectal or lung cancer or their proxies. Data Collection/Extraction Methods. Analyses used linear regression models with an independent variable for proxy versus patient responses as well as study site and clinical covariates. The outcomes were experiences with medical care, nursing care, care coordination, and care quality rating. Multiple imputation was used for missing data. Principal Findings. Among 6,471 respondents, 1,011 (16 percent) were proxies. The proportion of proxy respondents varied from 6 percent to 28 percent across study sites. Adjusted proxy scores were modestly higher for medical care experiences (+1.28 points [95 percent CI:+ 0.05 to +2.51]), but lower for nursing care (-2.81 [95 percent CI: -4.11 to -1.50]) and care coordination experiences (-2.98 [95 percent CI: -4.15 to -1.81]). There were no significant differences between adjusted patient and proxy ratings of quality. Conclusions. Proxy responses have small but statistically significant differences from patient responses. However, if ratings of care are used for financial incentives, such differences could be exaggerated across practices or areas if proxy use varies.
A probabilistic approach to remote compositional analysis of planetary surfaces

Reflected light from planetary surfaces provides information, including mineral/ice compositions and grain sizes, by study of albedo and absorption features as a function of wavelength. However, deconvolving the compositional signal in spectra is complicated by the nonuniqueness of the inverse problem. Trade-offs between mineral abundances and grain sizes in setting reflectance, instrument noise, and systematic errors in the forward model are potential sources of uncertainty, which are often unquantified. Here we adopt a Bayesian implementation of the Hapke model to determine sets of acceptable-fit mineral assemblages, as opposed to single best fit solutions. We quantify errors and uncertainties in mineral abundances and grain sizes that arise from instrument noise, compositional end members, optical constants, and systematic forward model errors for two suites of ternary mixtures (olivine-enstatite-anorthite and olivine-nontronite-basaltic glass) in a series of six experiments in the visible-shortwave infrared (VSWIR) wavelength range. We show that grain sizes are generally poorly constrained from VSWIR spectroscopy. Abundance and grain size trade-offs lead to typical abundance errors of ≤1 wt % (occasionally up to ~5 wt %), while ~3% noise in the data increases errors by up to ~2 wt %. Systematic errors further increase inaccuracies by a factor of 4. Finally, phases with low spectral contrast or inaccurate optical constants can further increase errors. Overall, typical errors in abundance are <10%, but sometimes significantly increase for specific mixtures, prone to abundance/grain-size trade-offs that lead to high unmixing uncertainties. These results highlight the need for probabilistic approaches to remote determination of planetary surface composition.
Control of locomotor stability in stabilizing and destabilizing environments

To develop effective interventions targeting locomotor stability, it is crucial to understand how people control and modify gait in response to changes in stabilization requirements. Our purpose was to examine how individuals with and without incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) control lateral stability in haptic walking environments that increase or decrease stabilization demands. We hypothesized that people would adapt to walking in a predictable, stabilizing viscous force field and unpredictable destabilizing force field by increasing and decreasing feedforward control of lateral stability, respectively. Adaptations in feedforward control were measured using after-effects when fields were removed. Both groups significantly (p 0.05). When the destabilizing field was removed, increases in movement variability persisted (p<0.05), suggesting that non-impaired subjects made feedforward decreases in resistance to perturbations.
A history of sexual violence: on rape and assault as Cronenberg tropes

AbstractThis essay argues that rape and sexual assault, while seldom central to the overt plots of David Cronenberg’s movies, recur often as story points in films across every period of his career. The oblique or ambiguous ways in which films like Stereo (1969), A History of Violence (2005), and A Dangerous Method (2011) confront sexual violence as theme or event do not render it a marginal concern. In fact, the quandaries of what ‘counts’ as sexual violence in Cronenberg’s cinema, whether the body or the mind is the primary site of such violence, and how specific dynamics of gender and power inflect each instance are precisely what make his work distinctive and valuable on this topic. His films remind viewers of how, in images as in the law, rape and assault can prove difficult to define or to recognize, and therefore to protest or prosecute.
Performing on a Wider Stage: Developing Inner-City Youth Through Play and Performance

ABSTRACTThis article reports on an ethnographic study of a youth leadership program that utilizes play and performance to support the development of inner-city youth. Participant observation and focus groups were used to learn about young people’s experience participating in the program and how they perceive its effect on their lives. The findings demonstrated that approaching the activities in the program as performances provided participants a way to practice being who they are not, a language for understanding their own development, and a way to become creators of developmental environments for themselves and others.
Evaluating the effectiveness of agricultural mulches for reducing post-wildfire wind erosion

Abstract Post-wildfire soil erosion can be caused by water or aeolian processes, yet most erosion research has focused on predominantly water-driven erosion. This study investigates the effectiveness of three agricultural mulches, with and without a tackifier, on aeolian sediment transport processes. A wind tunnel was used to simulate post-wildfire wind erosion at three wind speeds (6, 11 and 18 m s−1). Shallow trays containing soil collected after a wildfire were treated with chopped rice, wheat or chopped wheat mulch; mulch treatments were also compounded with liquid treatments, tackifier to water ratios of 1:6, 1:3 and water. The mulch treatments were generally easily moved at all wind speeds with cover reductions greater than 90% at the highest wind speed. As expected, sediment loss was greatest for the bare soil treatment, ranging from 6.5 g m−2 at the lowest wind speed which increases to 6258 g m−2 at the highest wind speed. Adding wheat or chopped wheat mulch significantly reduced sediment loss by an order or magnitude (698 and 298 g m−2, respectively) at the highest wind speed. Adding chopped rice straw reduced sediment loss by a half to 3573 g m−2 at the highest wind speed, but the effect was not significant due to mobilization of the mulch. The most effective sediment loss mitigation was achieved with liquid tackifier treatments when applied to bare soil and when compounded with various mulch treatments, particularly at the highest wind speed. These results may aid management decisions when mitigating aeolian sediment transport after wildfires.