cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Characterization of synthesized titanium oxide nanoclusters by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry.

Titania represents an important material that has wide applications. The bactericidal efficiency of TiO2 has been shown to be dependent on the size of the nanoparticles, so it is important to be able to reliably estimate their dimensions. In this study, a stable TiO2 cluster suspension is produced by the thermal solvent process, and ultrasmall clusters (<1 nm) with different sizes are obtained by size-selection treatment. MALDI-TOF-MS and LDI-TOF-MS are shown to be useful for characterization of these ultrasmall nanoparticles. Peak maxima are found to correlate with nanoparticle size, and the possibility of using these mass spectrometry—based approaches to estimate nanoparticle size is affirmed. The size distributions of TiO2 nanoparticles obtained from MALDI- and LDI-TOF-MS are in good agreement with parallel TEM observations. Finally, PSD analysis of inorganic nanomaterials is performed and valuable information about the structure of analytes has been obtained.
The physical structure of concurrent problems and concurrent computers

We introduce a physical analogy to describe problems and high-performance concurrent computers on which they are run. We show that the spatial characteristics of problems lead to their parallelism and review the lessons from use of the early hypercubes and a natural particle-process analogy. We generalize this picture to include the temporal structure of problems and show how this allows us to unify distributed, shared and hierarchical memories as well as SIMD (single instruction multiple data) architectures. We also show how neural network methods can be used to analyse a general formalism based on interacting strings and these lead to possible real-time schedulers and decomposers for massively parallel machines.
Nondenaturing purification of co-transcriptionally folded RNA avoids common folding heterogeneity.

Due to the energetic frustration of RNA folding, tertiary structured RNA is typically characterized by a rugged folding free energy landscape where deep kinetic barriers separate numerous misfolded states from one or more native states. While most in vitro studies of RNA rely on (re)folding chemically and/or enzymatically synthesized RNA in its entirety, which frequently leads into kinetic traps, nature reduces the complexity of the RNA folding problem by segmental, co-transcriptional folding starting from the 5′ end. We here have developed a simplified, general, nondenaturing purification protocol for RNA to ask whether avoiding denaturation of a co-transcriptionally folded RNA can reduce commonly observed in vitro folding heterogeneity. Our protocol bypasses the need for large-scale auxiliary protein purification and expensive chromatographic equipment and involves rapid affinity capture with magnetic beads and removal of chemical heterogeneity by cleavage of the target RNA from the beads using the ligand-induced glmS ribozyme. For two disparate model systems, the Varkud satellite (VS) and hepatitis delta virus (HDV) ribozymes, we achieve >95% conformational purity within one hour of enzymatic transcription, without the need for any folding chaperones. We further demonstrate that in vitro refolding introduces severe conformational heterogeneity into the natively-purified VS ribozyme but not into the compact, double-nested pseudoknot fold of the HDV ribozyme. We conclude that conformational heterogeneity in complex RNAs can be avoided by co-transcriptional folding followed by nondenaturing purification, providing rapid access to chemically and conformationally pure RNA for biologically relevant biochemical and biophysical studies.
“You Talking to Me?” Accountability and the Modern Public Service

My topic today is accountability of the federal public service. Democratic accountability is at the core of both public administration and political science because, inherently, democratic government is accountable government. For that reason, it is worrisome that present definitions and systems of accountability are out of date, perhaps even seriously broken.
Perceptual closure in acute paranoid schizophrenics.

The term, "perceptual closure," refers to a tendency to complete what is incompletely presented in the visual field in order that as "good" or complete a figure as possible be perceived. This tendency has been well demonstrated in normal subjects (S's) presented with geometric stimulus forms (Gibson, 4 Hempstead, 5 Tiernan, 15 and Siedenfield 10 ). More recently the term has been expanded such that Drever's definition of closure 2 refers to an all embracing function "by means of which percepts, memories, actions attain stability." Thurstone, in a factorial analysis of perception 14 distinguished 3 usages of the term: "( a ) when what appears to be unrelated and unorganized suddenly appears as a meaningfully related whole; ( b ) when a part of the presented items are suddenly perceived as a unity and the remaining parts are perceptually discarded; and ( c ) when a good configuration has to be destroyed
REMOVING MICROORGANISMS IN FRESH APPLE JUICE BY BACTERIAL CENTRIFUGATION

SUMMARY— Bactofugation, a continuous centrifugal process of removing microorganisms from liquid foods, was applied at 9.000 g force to chilled and heated apple juice at a rate of 1,600gph. A reduction 99.8% in total bacterial count and 99.9% yeast-mold count of fresh apple juice processed at 7° was obtained. Bactofugating chilled apple juice was more effective than bactofugating apple juice heated to 54°C and presented certain operational advantages. Bactofugated, chilled apple juice retained the same flavor as untreated, fresh apple juice and remained fresh 22 days at 5°C, compared to about 5 days for the untreated apple juice. The simplicity of bactofugation, its relatively high put-through capacity and its effective reduction of microbial populations in fresh apple juice suggest that the process has potential application toward improving the keeping quality of this food.
Estrogen receptors and clinical correlations with human prostatic disease.

Abstract Measurement of estrogen binding in human prostate using high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the presence of cytosolic estrogen receptors (ER) both in benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and adenocarcinoma. Receptor concentrations correlated with several histopathologic features in the specimens analyzed. Estrogen receptor levels generally were higher in BPH than in cancer specimens although there was a subgroup of patients with poorly differentiated carcinoma with levels higher than those of BPH. HPLC can be used for measuring ER in 50 μl. of cytosol, and thus needle biopsy specimens will be analyzed routinely for ER with this micromethod.
Extending a report generator written in APL

This paper describes extensions made to an interactive report generator (ADRS2) written in APL, to handle multiple files, and specifically relational data bases, while still preserving its well-tested user interface. The user interface, the implementation and the application area of this extension are discussed. The method can be adapted to other interactive report generators written in APL.
Multigenerational effects of flowering and fruiting phenology in plantago lanceolata

Phenological patterns of flowering and fruiting can be influenced by the effects of reproductive time on seed production. We propose here that these patterns are also influenced by phenological effects on offspring quality. Furthermore, we hypothesize that there are cross-generational trade-offs between parental and offspring components of parental fitness influencing the evolution of reproductive phenology. To test our hypothesis, we examined the multigenerational effects of flowering and fruiting phenology in Plantago lanceolata. Offspring of 30 families were transplanted into field plots to measure the effects of onsets of flowering and fruiting, duration of fruiting, percentage fungal infection, and damage by grasshoppers on total seed production, our measure of the within-generational component of parental fitness. To gather information about cross-generational contributions to parental fitness, we assessed the quality of off- spring produced at different times in terms of seed mass and germination. Families significantly differed in flowering and fruiting onsets. Larger plants began flowering earlier, and earlier flowering plants matured fruits earlier and produced fruits for a longer time. Significant family-mean correlations among these traits suggest that selection on any one trait will change all three traits. A negative family-mean correlation between fruiting onset and seed production suggests that we can expect an antagonistic trade-off in response to selection on these two traits. Early fruiting significantly reduced seed predation by grasshoppers and increased seed production. In contrast, late-maturing seeds were sig- nificantly heavier and germinated more rapidly than did early-maturing seeds produced by the same plants. The directions of the multigenerational effects support the hypothesis that there are cross-generational trade-offs between parental and offspring components of pa- rental fitness. The experiments indicate that multigenerational fitness effects should be considered in future studies addressing the evolution of flowering and fruiting phenology.
A recoil separator for use in radioactive ion beam experiments

The effectiveness of a recoil separator for the measurement of radiative capture reactions at radioactive ion beam facilities has been examined. A system consisting of velocity, energy, and momentum filters was tested with the ^1H(^(12)C, ^(13)N)γ reaction at the E_(cm) = 422 keV resonance; excitation functions obtained with both the ^(13)N recoils and the capture gamma rays were compared. Projectile ^(12)C fluxes were measured directly with Faraday cups and indirectly with Rutherford backscattering into silicon detectors, while the ^(13)N recoil flux was measured directly with silicon detectors and indirectly by its residual radioactivity. A suppression of the ^(12)C beam particles by a factor of 10^(−10) was observed when the system was tuned for the recoil ^(13)N's. Possible improvements of the system are discussed.
Physical Carcinogenesis: Radiation—History and Sources

More than half a century has elapsed since the carcinogenic effects of radiation were first recorded. Study of such effects has since received continuing impetus from the early and expanding uses of radiation in diagnosis and therapy, and from the far-reaching applications of nuclear technology in science, medicine, and industry. In historical perspective, the effects of radiation have received greater study than those of any other physical agent of comparable environmental significance. As such, our experience with radiation is applicable to the study and control of other environmental carcinogens.
Minimizing radiological exposure to pregnant women from invasive procedures

This review brings together some of the technology and approaches that are evolving in the care of pregnancy-associated cardiovascular disease that can be leveraged to reduce x-ray exposure. When feasible, the choice of transradial arterial access to both the heart and upper extremity venous access to the central venous system represents one advancement that can help remove the pelvic region from the primary x-ray beam and reduce exposure to the fetus. In procedures that require femoral approaches, other techniques can be used to minimize the net exposure. Few physicians and medical centers can be expected to develop the patient experience in these relatively rare disorders. Shared knowledge with otherwise well-trained operators and care providers can improve the understanding and hopefully improve the outcomes, both maternal and fetal.
An Ultrasonically Powered Implantable Micro-Oxygen Generator (IMOG)

In this paper, we present an ultrasonically powered implantable micro-oxygen generator (IMOG) that is capable of in situ tumor oxygenation through water electrolysis. Such active mode of oxygen generation is not affected by increased interstitial pressure or abnormal blood vessels that typically limit the systemic delivery of oxygen to hypoxic regions of solid tumors. Wireless ultrasonic powering (2.15 MHz) was employed to increase the penetration depth and eliminate the directional sensitivity associated with magnetic methods. In addition, ultrasonic powering allowed for further reduction in the total size of the implant by eliminating the need for a large area inductor. IMOG has an overall dimension of 1.2 mm × 1.3 mm × 8 mm, small enough to be implanted using a hypodermic needle or a trocar. In vitro and ex vivo experiments showed that IMOG is capable of generating more than 150 μA which, in turn, can create 0.525 μL/min of oxygen through electrolytic disassociation. In vivo experiments in a well-known hypoxic pancreatic tumor models (1 cm3 in size) also verified adequate in situ tumor oxygenation in less than 10 min.
Structural health monitoring using piezoelectric impedance measurements.

This paper presents an overview and recent advances in impedance-based structural health monitoring. The basic principle behind this technique is to apply high-frequency structural excitations (typically greater than 30 kHz) through surface-bonded piezoelectric transducers, and measure the impedance of structures by monitoring the current and voltage applied to the piezoelectric transducers. Changes in impedance indicate changes in the structure, which in turn can indicate that damage has occurred. An experimental study is presented to demonstrate how this technique can be used to detect structural damage in real time. Signal processing methods that address damage classifications and data compression issues associated with the use of the impedance methods are also summarized. Finally, a modified frequency-domain autoregressive model with exogenous inputs (ARX) is described. The frequency-domain ARX model, constructed by measured impedance data, is used to diagnose structural damage with levels of statistical confidence.
Basin Waves on a Seafloor Recording of the 1990 Upland, California, Earthquake: Implications for Ground Motions from a Larger Earthquake

Abstract The velocity and displacement time series from a recording on the seafloor at 74 km from the 1990 Upland earthquake ( M = 5.6) are dominated by late-arriving waves with periods of 6 to 7 sec. These waves are probably surface waves traveling across the Los Angeles basin. Response spectra for the recording are in agreement with predictions from empirical regression equations and theoretical models for periods less than about 1 sec but are significantly larger than those predictions for longer periods. The longer-period spectral amplitudes are controlled by the late-arriving waves, which are not included in the theoretical models and are underrepresented in the data used in the empirical analyses. When the motions are scaled to larger magnitude, the results are in general agreement with simulations of wave propagation in the Los Angeles basin by Graves (1998).
Using MVTA to Assess Upper-Extremity MSD Risk and Performance in a Retail Environment

The Multi-Media Video Task Analysis (MVTA) tool was utilized in a retail environment to assess upper-extremity motion of cashiers. The objective of this study was to quantify wrist motion in order to evaluate the ergonomic impact of a new piece of technology on the upper-extremities. Data were collected before installation of a magnetic-based security system and four months after cashiers had been trained and used the new system in their jobs. Both video and wrist motion, collected via electro-goniometers, were captured from six cashiers processing customer transactions in a Dutch supermarket. MVTA allowed the analysts to demarcate precise sub-tasks of the demagnetizing and scanning process and link corresponding wrist posture and acceleration which allowed for a more powerful assessment. Task and workstation design recommendations were made to reduce extreme wrist postures. In addition, task time differences between the current and new systems were assessed to ensure that the change would not negatively ...
The Price of Stochastic Anarchy

We consider the solution concept of stochastic stability, and propose the price of stochastic anarchyas an alternative to the price of (Nash) anarchyfor quantifying the cost of selfishness and lack of coordination in games. As a solution concept, the Nash equilibrium has disadvantages that the set of stochastically stable states of a game avoid: unlike Nash equilibria, stochastically stable states are the result of natural dynamics of computationally bounded and decentralized agents, and are resilient to small perturbations from ideal play. The price of stochastic anarchy can be viewed as a smoothed analysis of the price of anarchy, distinguishing equilibria that are resilient to noise from those that are not. To illustrate the utility of stochastic stability, we study the load balancing game on unrelated machines. This game has an unboundedly large price of Nash anarchy even when restricted to two players and two machines. We show that in the two player case, the price of stochastic anarchy is 2, and that even in the general case, the price of stochastic anarchy is bounded. We conjecture that the price of stochastic anarchy is O(m), matching the price of strong Nash anarchy without requiring player coordination. We expect that stochastic stability will be useful in understanding the relative stability of Nash equilibria in other games where the worst equilibria seem to be inherently brittle.
Evaluation of the Bio-Rad BioPlex Measles, Mumps, Rubella, and Varicella-Zoster Virus IgG Multiplex Bead Immunoassay

The goal of this study was to compare the BioPlex 2200 measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella-zoster virus (MMRV) IgG multiplex assays (Bio-Rad Laboratories, Hercules, CA) to routine testing by enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Serum specimens (n = 500) submitted to our reference laboratory for routine MMRV IgG testing by EIA were also tested by the BioPlex assays. Following testing, the BioPlex measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella-zoster virus assays demonstrated agreements of 91.6% (95% confidence interval [CI], 88.8% to 93.7%), 94.2% (95% CI, 91.7% to 95.7%), 94.4% (95% CI, 92.0% to 96.1%), and 91.8% (95% CI, 89.0% to 93.9%), respectively, compared to the results of EIA. Timing studies showed that the BioPlex MMRV assay could provide complete analysis of 100 serum specimens in 1.7 h, compared to 5.5 h by EIA. These data indicate that the BioPlex MMRV IgG assays exhibit comparable performance (93% overall agreement [1,860/2,000 results]; κ = 0.67) to routine testing by EIA. The BioPlex assays allow for the simultaneous detection of all four analytes, thereby eliminating potential aliquot errors and reducing turnaround time.
Polymers as Reagents in Organic Synthesis

Polymeric reagents offer a range of unique advantages. Intramolecular reactions, such as the cyclization of peptides or Dieckmann cyclizations, can be brought about by attaching the reactive molecules at remote points along a polymer chain. In contrast, if the reactive molecules are anchored in close proximity on a polymeric support then intermolecular reactions occur, as demonstrated for a ketone synthesis. Apart from such proximity effects, cooperative effects can also be exploited, e.g. in the formation of a 2:1 complex of a crown ether and an alkali metal ion. The hydrolysis of an ester with polyvinylimidazole provides a detailed illustration of hydrophobic interactions. The simple separation of polymer-bound and low-molecular compounds by filtration is another significant advantage.
Echinocytosis Associated with Rattlesnake Envenomation in Dogs

A retrospective study of 28 cases of rattlesnake bites in dogs indicated an association of envenomation with echinocytosis; 25/28 dogs (89%) had echinocytosis within 24 hours of a rattlesnake bite being reported. Eighteen of the 28 dogs had marked type III echinocytosis (95-100% of mature erythrocytes affected), and seven dogs had moderate echinocytosis (15-30% of mature erythrocytes affected). The echinocytosis was transient, resolving within 48 hours of envenomation in those for which subsequent blood films were available (13/25). Hypokalemia was noted in 14 of 18 dogs for which biochemical data were available. The hypokalemia was not consistently associated with echinocytosis. The observation of echinocytosis in dogs supports a clinical diagnosis of rattlesnake envenomation.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the effect of fluoxetine on dietary intake in overweight women with and without binge-eating disorder.

This study examined mechanisms by which flu- oxetine may reduce energy consumption and body weight. Women with binge-eating disorder (BED; n - 38) and age- and weight- matched women without BED (n = 32) monitored their dietary intake and concurrently recorded mood variables on a hand-held computer for 6 d of baseline and for 6 d after being randomly assigned to receive placebo or fluoxetine (60 mg). Fluoxetine reduced eating more than did the placebo on days 4-6 of treatment. The frequency of episodes was not affected, suggesting that flu- oxetine affects satiety, not hunger. Fluoxetine did not preferen- tially reduce carbohydrate intake, did not affect snack consumption as compared with meal consumption, and did not affect negative- mood eating more than positive-mood eating, nor did fluoxetine affect subjects' mood ratings. Benefits of fluoxetine were of ap- proximately equal magnitude for women with and without BED. However, women who reported higher energy consumption at baseline were more responsive to fluoxetine than were women who reported lower energy consumption at baseline, and binge- eating status was associated with greater energy consumption at all time points, including baseline. Fluoxetine affects dietary intake within 4 d of its consumption, and if future research shows that this remains true on repeated applications, this drug may be useful for short periods when difficulty with overeating is anticipated, such as during vacations. Am J Clin Nutr 1996;64:267-73.
Validity of overall self‐rated health as an outcome measure in small samples: a pilot study involving a case series

Objective A single-item measure of overall self-rated health (SRH) commonly is used in population surveys, but has not been used in small pilot projects. The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of SRH in small samples. Design We used data from a prospective, observational weight-loss project to compare change in SRH with change in body weight and physical activity (PA) (minutes) over 30 days (n = 34). Body mass index at baseline ranged from 25.5 to 50.4 (mean = 36.1, median = 34.6). SRH was self-assessed using the following question: How would you rate your health overall? Results An increase in weight was associated with a reduction in SRH (r = 0.37, P = 0.03). An increase in PA was associated with improved SRH (r = 0.39, P = 0.02). Conclusions A single-item SRH measure may be an efficient method for measuring programme outcomes, and may also be useful for comparing the relative effectiveness of different programmes in pilot projects and quality improvement studies.
Continuous-Spin Ising Model and λ : ϕ 4 : d Field Theory

Analysis of the high-temperature series expansions of a continuous-spin Ising model (i.e., a lattice $\ensuremath{\lambda}:{{\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}:}_{d}$ field theory) indicates that the strong-coupling limit of $\ensuremath{\lambda}:{{\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}:}_{3}$ is distinct from the critical-point theory of the continuous-spin Ising model for sufficiently Ising-like spin distributions. In four dimensions we find that the $\ensuremath{\lambda}:{\ensuremath{\phi}}^{4}:$ field theory is trivial.
Laparoskopische Chirurgie des Dünn- und Dickdarms bei Komplikationen des Morbus Crohn

Bisher beschrankte sich die Anwendung laparoskopischer Techniken beim Morbus Crohn im wesentlichen auf Enterostomien und einfache Ileocoecalresektionen. Uber 9 Monate hinweg wurden 9 Patienten mit Komplikationen wie multiplen Dunndarmstrikturen und Fisteln zu Blase, Vagina, Perineum und anderen Darmabschnitten operiert. Drei dieser komplizierten Falle hatten Ileocoecalresektionen in der Vorgeschichte. Alle Eingriffe wurden laparoskopisch beendet: drei Patienten mit Ileocoecalresektion und zusatzlicher Strikturoplastik wegen bis zu 7 Strikturen und 6 Falle von Ileocoecalresektion kombiniert mit Sigmaresektion wegen enteroenteraler Fisteln (4) oder Blasenubernahung wegen ileovesicaler Fisteln (2). Intraoperative Komplikationen traten nicht auf. Ein Patient muste konventionell am 4. Tag wegen Dunndarmileus verursacht durch eine Darmwandlasion reoperiert werden. Laparoskopische Darmresektionen bei Morbus Crohn sind damit auch bei Patienten mit mehreren Komplikationen wie Strikturen und multiplen Fisteln sicher durchfuhrbar.
The design of an exploratory learning environment to support Invention

We describe the design of the Invention Coach, an intelligent, ex- ploratory learning environment (ELE) to support Invention, an exploratory learning activity. Our design is based on a two-pronged approach. Our own study of naturalistic teacher guidance for paper-based Invention uncovered phases in the Invention process. Prior research on the mechanisms of learning with Invention activities revealed specific instructional strategies. These two sources informed the design of the guidance offered by the Invention Coach. To our knowledge, this is the first design of a guided environment for Invention ac- tivities inspired by a model of naturalistic teacher guidance. Our work offers in- sight into styles of guidance that could apply to other exploratory learning envi- ronments.
Modern Multiplier Rules

(1980). Modern Multiplier Rules. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 87, No. 6, pp. 433-452.
Impact of Mean Flow Shear on the Wake Vortical Structure behind Oscillating Airfoils

The effect of mean flow shear on the wake vortical structure behind oscillating NACA0012 airfoils is numerically studied using a 2D high-order spectral difference Navier-Stokes flow solver. A shear flow with clockwise circulation is superposed on the uniform incoming flow to dynamically enhance or suppress the vortical structures in the wake vortex street behind an oscillating airfoil. Two types of wake instability problems are investigated, namely the influence of mean flow shear on the deflective direction of the asymmetric wake and the resistance of symmetric wakes in developing asymmetry with respect to shear flow disturbances. It is found that the mean flow shear can alter the deflective direction of the asymmetric wake, and promote the transition from symmetric to asymmetric wake development. The mechanism of shearinduced asymmetric wake development is explained via several vortex models.
Practical and Empirical Knowledge of Photoillustration: What is and is Not Known:

Little empirical research has been conducted concerning the relationship of photographs to text in photoillustration. Knowledge of photoillustration has remained the informal folklore of layout artists and photographers for several reasons: the unquantifiable nature of aesthetic judgment; the differences between principles of photography and of traditional art forms; and advances in both camera and press technology. As a result of these factors, tradition, not empirical research, has dominated practice. But traditional layout principles which have been the subject of empirical testing have received both denial and reinforcement in such areas as the effectiveness of photoillustration, color versus black-and-white, placement of photographs, and the photograph and traditional layout principles. More research is needed into this vital aspect of text production; fruitful research directions are suggested and the synthesis of the knowledge of both the practitioner and the researcher advocated.
Search Result Prefetching Using Cursor Movement

Search result examination is an important part of searching. High page load latency for landing pages (clicked results) can reduce the efficiency of the search process. Proactively prefetching landing pages in advance of clickthrough can save searchers valuable time. However, prefetching consumes resources that are wasted unless the prefetched results are requested by searchers. Balancing the costs in prefetching particular results against the benefits in reduced latency to searchers represents the search result prefetching challenge. We present methods that leverage searchers' cursor movements on search result pages in real time to dynamically estimate the result that searchers will request next. We demonstrate through large-scale log analysis that our approach significantly outperforms three strong baselines that prefetch results based on (i) the search engine result ranking, (ii) past clicks from all searchers for the query, or (iii) past clicks from the current searcher for the query. Our promising findings have implications for the design of search support that makes the search process more efficient.
Reaction-diffusion systems

This chapter addresses the stochastic dynamics of interacting particle systems, specifically reaction-diffusion models that, for example, capture chemical reactions in a gel such that convective transport is inhibited. Generic reaction-diffusion models are in fact utilized to describe a multitude of phenomena in various disciplines, ranging from population dynamics in ecology, competition of bacterial colonies in microbiology, dynamics of magnetic monopoles in the early Universe in cosmology, equity trading on the stock market in economy, opinion exchange in sociology, etc. More concrete physical applications systems encompass excitons kinetics in organic semconductors, domain wall interactions in magnets, and interface dynamics in growth models. Yet most of our current knowledge in this area stems from extensive computer simulations, and actual experimental realizations allowing accurate quantitative analysis are still deplorably rare. We begin with a brief review of mean-field and scaling arguments including Smoluchowski's self-consistent treatment of diffusion-limited binary annihilation. The main goal of this chapter is to demonstrate how one may systematically proceed from a microscopic master equation for interacting particles, which perhaps represents the most straightforward description of a system far from equilibrium, to a non-Hermitean bosonic ‘quantum’ many-body Hamiltonian, and thence to a continuum field theory representation that permits subsequent perturbative expansions and renormalization group treatment. The ensuing rich physics is illustrated with simple examples that include the annihilation reactions k A → l A ( l ) and A + B ∅, their generalization to multiple particle species, as well as reversible recombination A + A ⇌ B .
A Distributed Framework for Carbon and Cost Aware Geographical Job Scheduling in a Hybrid Data Center Infrastructure

To mitigate the growing carbon footprints of data centers, many large IT organizations (e.g., Apple) have installed on-site renewables in their self-managed data centers. Meanwhile, to achieve low-cost global presence, these organizations often lease space and house their servers in geo-distributed colocation data centers, where they share the power (including renewables) with other tenants. Such sharing of renewable energy creates new challenges: how can an organization minimize its carbon footprint in colocations? While numerous studies have investigated geographic load balancing to minimize carbon emissions of data centers, these studies have primarily focused on self-managed data centers where all the renewables are solely dedicated to the data center operator. In this paper, we consider a practical hybrid data center infrastructure (including both self-managed and colocation data centers) and propose a novel resource management algorithm based on alternating direction method of multipliers, called CAGE (Carbon and cost Aware GEographical job scheduling) to reduce carbon footprints. CAGE dynamically distributes incoming workloads to geo-distributed data centers based on local renewable availability, carbon efficiency, electricity price, and also the energy usage of other tenants that share the colocation data centers. Our comprehensive simulation study and system experiment show the benefits of CAGE in terms of carbon footprint reduction: up to 36% compared to the state of the arts.
CT breast dose reduction with the use of breast positioning and organ-based tube current modulation.

Purpose This study aimed to investigate the breast dose reduction potential of a breast positioning (BP) technique for thoracic CT examinations with organ-based tube current modulation (OTCM). Methods This study included 13 female anthropomorphic computational phantoms (XCAT, age range: 27 - 65 y.o., weight range: 52 - 105.8 kg). Each phantom was modified to simulate three breast sizes in standard supine geometry. The modeled breasts were then morphed to emulate BP that constrained the majority of the breast tissue inside the 120° anterior tube current (mA) reduction zone. The OTCM mA value was modeled using a ray-tracing program, which reduced the mA to 20% in the anterior region with a corresponding increase to the posterior region. The organ doses were estimated by a validated Monte Carlo program for a typical clinical CT system (SOMATOM Definition Flash, Siemens Healthcare). The simulated organ doses and organ doses normalized by CTDIvol were used to compare three CT protocols: attenuation-based tube current modulation (ATCM), OTCM, and OTCM with BP (OTCMBP). Results On average, compared to ATCM, OTCM reduced the breast dose by 19.3 ± 4.5%, whereas OTCMBP reduced breast dose by 38.6 ± 8.1% (an additional 23.8 ± 9.4%). The dose saving of OTCMBP was more significant for larger breasts (on average 33, 38, and 44% reduction for 0.5, 1, and 2 kg breasts, respectively). Compared to ATCM, OTCMBP also reduced thymus and heart dose by 15.1 ± 7.4% and 15.9 ± 6.2%, respectively. Conclusions In thoracic CT examinations, OTCM with a breast positioning technique can markedly reduce unnecessary exposure to the radiosensitive organs in the anterior chest wall, specifically breast tissue. The breast dose reduction is more notable for women with larger breasts. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Diet high in fructose promotes liver steatosis and hepatocyte apoptosis in C57BL/6J female mice: Role of disturbed lipid homeostasis and increased oxidative stress

The effects of high (H)-fructose (FR) diet (D) (HFRD) on hepatic lipid homeostasis, oxidative stress, inflammation and hepatocyte apoptosis were investigated in 6-week old female C57BL/6J mice fed a regular chow (ContD) or HFRD (35% fructose-derived calories) for 3 weeks. HFRD-fed mice exhibited increased levels of hepatic steatosis with a significant elevation of serum levels of triglyceride, cholesterol and TNFα compared to ContD-fed mice (P<0.05). HFRD-fed mice exhibited ∼2.7- fold higher levels FAS along with significantly decreased protein levels of adiponection-R2 (∼30%), P-AMPK (∼60%), P-ACC (∼70%) and RXR-α (∼55%), suggesting decreased hepatic fat oxidation compared to controls. Interestingly, hepatic fatty acid uptake into hepatocytes and lipolysis were significantly increased in HFRD-fed mice, as shown by decreased CD36 and fatty acid transporter protein-2, and increased adipose triglyceride lipase, respectively (P<0.05). Increased hepatic levels of iNOS and GSSG/GSH suggest elevated oxidative stress with a higher number of macrophages in the adipose tissue in HFRD-fed mice (P<0.05). Significantly elevated rates of hepatocyte apoptosis (∼2.4-fold), as determined by TUNEL analysis with increased Bax/Bcl2 ratio and PARP-1 levels (∼2- and 1.5-fold, respectively), were observed in HFRD-fed mice. Thus, HFRD exposure increased hepatic steatosis accompanied by oxidative stress and inflammation, leading to hepatocyte apoptosis.
Right Versus Left Colon Cancer Biology: Integrating the Consensus Molecular Subtypes

Although clinical management of colon cancer generally has not accounted for the primary tumor site, left-sided and right-sided colon cancers harbor different clinical and biologic characteristics. Right-sided colon cancers are more likely to have genome-wide hypermethylation via the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP), hypermutated state via microsatellite instability, and BRAF mutation. There are also differential exposures to potential carcinogenic toxins and microbiota in the right and left colon. Gene expression analyses further shed light on distinct biologic subtypes of colorectal cancers (CRCs), with 4 consensus molecular subtypes (CMSs) identified. Importantly, these subtypes are differentially distributed between right- and left-sided CRCs, with greater proportions of the "microsatellite unstable/immune" CMS1 and the "metabolic" CMS3 subtypes found in right-sided colon cancers. This review summarizes important biologic distinctions between right- and left-sided CRCs that likely impact prognosis and may predict for differential responses to biologic therapy. Given the inferior prognosis of stage III-IV right-sided CRCs and emerging data suggesting that anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibody therapy is associated with worse survival in right-sided stage IV CRCs compared with left-sided cancers, these biologic differences between right- and left-sided CRCs provide critical context and may provide opportunities to personalize therapy.
Enhanced Quality Measurement Event Detection: an Application to Physician Reporting

The wide-scale adoption of electronic health records (EHR)s has increased the availability of routinely collected clinical data in electronic form that can be used to improve the reporting of quality of care. However, the bulk of information in the EHR is in unstructured form (e.g., free-text clinical notes) and not amenable to automated reporting. Traditional methods are based on structured diagnostic and billing data that provide efficient, but inaccurate or incomplete summaries of actual or relevant care processes and patient outcomes. To assess the feasibility and benefit of implementing enhanced EHR-based physician quality measurement and reporting, which includes the analysis of unstructured free-text clinical notes, we conducted a retrospective study to compare traditional and enhanced approaches for reporting ten physician quality measures from multiple National Quality Strategy domains. We found that our enhanced approach enabled the calculation of five Physician Quality and Performance System measures not measureable in billing or diagnostic codes and resulted in over a five-fold increase in event at an average precision of 88 percent (95 percent CI: 83-93 percent). Our work suggests that enhanced EHR-based quality measurement can increase event detection for establishing value-based payment arrangements and can expedite quality reporting for physician practices, which are increasingly burdened by the process of manual chart review for quality reporting.
Real-Time 3D Crane Workspace Update Using a Hybrid Visualization Approach

AbstractCrane operators often face poor visibility and collision hazards during lifting operations. Dynamic three-dimensional (3D) modeling of the crane workspace helps to alleviate this by identif...
A Cognitive Model of Feature Selection and Categorization for Autonomous Systems

We describe a computational cognitive model intended to be a generalizable classifier that can provide context-based feedback to semantic perception in robotic applications. Many classifiers (including cognitive models of categorization) perform well at the task of associating features with objects. Underlying their performance is an effective selection of the features used during classification. This Feature Selection (FS) process is usually performed outside the boundaries of the model that learns and performs the classification task, often by a human expert. In contrast, the cognitive model we describe simultaneously learns which features to use, as it learns the associations between features and classes. This integration of FS and class learning in one model makes it complementary to other Machine-Learning (ML) techniques that automate the FS process (e.g., deep learning methods). But their integration in a cognitive architecture also provides a means for creating a dynamic context that includes disparate sources of information (e.g., environmental observations, task knowledge, commands from humans); this richer context, in turn, provides a means for making semantic perception goal-directed. We demonstrate automated FS, integrated with an Instance-Based Learning (IBL) approach to classification, in an ACT-R model of categorization by labeling facial expressions of emotion (e.g., happy, sad) from a set of relevant, irrelevant, distinct, and overlapping facial action features.
'Candidatus Phytoplasma luffae', a novel taxon associated with witches' broom disease of loofah, Luffa aegyptica Mill

The phytoplasma associated with witches’ broom disease of loofah [Luffa aegyptica Mill., syn. Luffa cylindrica (L.) M.J. Roem.] in Taiwan was classified in group 16SrVIII, subgroup A (16SrVIII-A), based on results from actual and in silico RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences. Nucleotide sequencing of PCR-amplified, cloned DNA segments revealed rrn interoperon sequence heterogeneity in the loofah witches’ broom (LfWB) phytoplasma. Whereas the 16S–23S rRNA spacer region of rrnA contained a complete tRNA-Ile gene, the spacer of rrnB contained a nonfunctional remnant of a tRNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis of the rrnA and rrnB 16S rRNA genes revealed that the LfWB phytoplasma represented a distinct lineage within the phytoplasma clade, and the LfWB phytoplasma shared less than 97.5 % nucleotide sequence similarity of 16S rRNA genes with previously described ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma ’ taxa. Based on unique properties of DNA, we propose recognition of loofah witches’ broom phytoplasma strain LfWBR as representative of a novel taxon, ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma luffae’.
The value of routine screening of female serum for antisperm antibodies in assisted reproductive technology cycles

Objective To determine the effect of antisperm antibodies in the female serum on fertilization and pregnancy rates (PRs) in assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles. Design Retrospective case control study. Setting Assisted reproductive technology program at North Shore University Hospital. Patients, Participants All patients undergoing an ART cycle in 1990 whose husbands did not have significant antisperm antibodies in the semen. Thirty-four female patients had significant antisperm antibodies level in the serum (antisperm antibodies-significant); 62 patients with no antibodies or nonsignificant levels constituted the control group (antisperm antibodies-negative). Incubation media were prepared with maternal serum in 37 of the antisperm antibodies-negative and in 10 of the antisperm antibodies-positive patients, whereas donor's serum (DS) was used for 25 and 24 patients, respectively. Main Outcome Measures Fertilization rate and clinical PR, defined as an intrauterine sac by transvaginal ultrasonography, were recorded for each group. Results Analysis of variance showed a significant interaction between antisperm antibodies grouping and the type of media used, with fertilization rate in antisperm antibodies-significant patients significantly higher with maternal serum than with DS, whereas fertilization rate in antisperm antibodies-negative was quantitatively, though not statistically lower with maternal serum than with DS. When maternal serum was used, fertilization was higher in antisperm antibodies-significant than antisperm antibodies-negative. Of 29 clinical pregnancies, 11 were in antisperm antibodies-significant and 18 in antisperm antibodies-negative. In 10 of the pregnancies, maternal serum was used, whereas in 19 pregnancies DS was used. No variable was significantly predictive of pregnancy in the logistic regression analysis. Conclusions [1] Female patients with significant levels of antisperm antibodies in the serum had similar fertilization rates as patients with nonsignificant levels if DS was used. [2] The use of maternal serum in antisperm antibodies-significant patients did not result in inferior fertilization rates or the occurrence of pregnancy. [3] These findings suggest that a female antisperm antibodies may not hinder fertilization in vitro. [4] This study questions the value of routine screening of female serum for antisperm antibodies in ART.
Surface Stress and Surface Tension in Polymeric Networks

Understanding of how surface properties could change upon deformation is of paramount importance for controlling adhesion, friction, and lubrication of soft polymeric materials (i.e., networks and gels). Here, we use a combination of the theoretical calculations and coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations to study surface stress dependence on deformation in films made of soft and rigid polymeric networks. Simulations have shown that films of polymeric networks could demonstrate surface properties of both polymer melts and elastic solids depending on their deformation. In particular, at small film deformations the film surface stress ϒ is equal to the surface tension obtained at zero film strains, γ0, and surface properties of networks are similar to those of polymer melts. The surface stress begins to show a strain dependence when the film deformation ratio λ approaches its maximum possible value λmax corresponding to fully stretched network strands without bond deformations. In the entire film defo...
Konzeption einer kritikalitätsbasierten Rohstoffbewertung auf Basis ökonomischer, ökologischer und sozialer Indikatoren

Die rohstoffbasierte Verbesserung der Erfullung von Nachhaltigkeitsaspekten eines Unternehmens als ubergeordnete Problemstellung umfasst die drei herausgearbeiteten Teilfragestellungen: Die kritikalitatsbasierte Rohstoffbewertung, die vorausgehende Identifikation bewertungsrelevanter Rohstoffe und die anschliesende Ableitung rohstofforientierter Handlungsempfehlungen. Die prasentierte Forschungsfrage fokussiert hierbei auf die Rohstoffbewertung als zentrales Element und inkludiert die Schnittstellen mit den vorhergehenden und nachfolgenden Arbeitsschritten. Hierdurch werden alle im Rahmen der Problemspezifikation und Problemeingrenzung identifizierten Forschungslucken adressiert.
Performance and its Evaluation

There are many factors that determine the quality of software, but we concentrate on only three here: accuracy, speed, and memory use. Other important qualities like ease of use, reliability, portability, documentation, etc. are ignored. (The latter are much more difficult to quantify, but we hope that the ELLPACK system and its modules perform well in all these respects).
Theories of Water Sorption by Wood

The general nature of the sorption isotherm and the thermodynamics of moisture sorption by wood have been discussed in Chapters 1 and 2, respectively. In the present chapter, we will consider some of the equations, both empirical and theoretical, which have been used to quantify the sorption isotherms for wood.
The Displacement Effect of Interstate War

The displacement effect refers to the process by which governments use interstate war to increase equilibrium levels of taxation and government spending. Recent research is divided over the existence of the displacement effect among modern states, exclusively analyzes changes in tax revenue, and is largely focused on the developing world. The logic of the displacement effect, however, implies that interstate war should result in higher revenue and spending in all contemporary states. This argument is tested by analyzing patterns of tax revenue, military spending, and health care spending among interstate war participants between 1950 and 2001. My analyses strongly support the existence of the displacement effect: governments typically extract greater tax revenue and have higher levels of spending after an interstate war than before a war. These findings have implications for the relationship between interstate war and state-making in the contemporary international system and suggest several avenues for future research.