cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Clinically Integrated mHealth App and Practice Model for Collecting Patient-Reported Outcomes between Visits for Asthma Patients: Implementation and Feasibility

Objective Mobile health (mHealth) apps may prove to be useful tools for supporting chronic disease management. We assessed the feasibility of implementing a clinically integrated mHealth app and practice model to facilitate between-visit asthma symptom monitoring as per guidelines and with the help of patient-reported outcomes (PRO). Methods We implemented the intervention at two pulmonary clinics and conducted a mixed-methods analysis of app usage data and semi-structured interview of patients and clinician participants over a 25-week study period. Results Five physicians, 1 physician's assistant, 1 nurse, and 26 patients participated. Twenty-four patients (92%) were still participating in the intervention at the end of the 25-week study period. On average, each patient participant completed 21 of 25 questionnaires (84% completion rate). Weekly completion rates were higher for participants who were female (88 vs. 73%, p = 0.02) and obtained a bachelor's degree level or higher (94 vs. 74%, p = 0.04). On average, of all questionnaires, including both completed and not completed (25 weekly questionnaires times 26 patient participants), 25% had results severe enough to qualify for a callback from a nurse; however, patients declined this option in roughly half of the cases in which they were offered the option. We identified 6 key themes from an analysis of 21 patients and 5 clinician interviews. From the patient's perspective, these include more awareness of asthma, more connected with provider, and app simplicity. From the clinician's perspective, these include minimal additional work required, facilitating triage, and informing conversations during visits. Conclusion Implementation of a clinically integrated mHealth app and practice model can achieve high patient retention and adherence to guideline-recommended asthma symptom monitoring, while minimally burdening clinicians. The intervention has the potential for scaling to primary care and reducing utilization of urgent and emergency care.
Use of cholinesterase activity to monitor exposure of Chironomus riparius (Diptera: Chironomidae) to a pesticide mixture in hypoxic wetland mesocosms

Cholinesterase (ChE) inhibition has been demonstrated to be useful as a biomarker for exposure to organophosphorus (OP) and carbamate insecticides in many environments; however, there are questions about whether ChE activity may be affected by common environmental conditions such as low oxygen concentrations or by concurrent exposure to multiple chemicals. This article describes experiments in which larvae of Chironomus riparius were exposed to hypoxia (dissolved oxygen concentrations of 0.1 mg L-1; <1% saturation) in wetland mesocosms and in the laboratory (1.90 mg l-1; 19% saturation), and in which C. riparius larvae were exposed to mixtures of the OP, chlorpyrifos and the herbicides, atrazine and metolachlor, in hypoxic wetland mesocosms and in normoxic conditions in the laboratory. Larvae exposed to hypoxia for up to 35 h had no change in ChE activity, nor did atrazine or metolachlor cause ChE inhibition. There was no significant difference in ChE inhibition between larvae exposed to a mixture of chlorpyrifos (0.5 μg l-1), atrazine and metolachlor and larvae exposed to chlorpyrifos (0.5 μg l-1) alone. Larval chironomids are good candidates for monitoring of ChE inhibitors in shallow aquatic systems. Chironomid larvae are easy to handle and can be caged in areas where pesticide inflow is a concern. Chironomids can be placed in hypoxic aquatic systems as they are able to tolerate hypoxia for several hours up to a few days. Finally, in this study, larval ChE activities were significantly depressed following a range of exposures to chlorpyrifos, indicating that chironomid ChE activities are a sensitive indicator of exposure to OPs.
Two-Scale Network Dynamic Model for Energy Commodity Processes

In this work, we examine the relationship between different energy commodity spot prices. To do this, multivariate stochastic models with and without external random interventions describing the price of energy commodities are developed. Random intervention process is described by a continuous jump process. The developed mathematical model is utilized to examine the relationship between energy commodity prices. The time-varying parameters in the stochastic model are estimated using the recently developed parameter identification technique called local lagged adapted generalized method of moment (LLGMM). The LLGMM method provides an iterative scheme for updating statistic coefficients in a system of generalized method of moment/observation equations. The usefulness of the LLGMM approach is illustrated by applying to energy commodity data sets for state and parameter estimation problems. Moreover, the forecasting and confidence interval problems are also investigated (U.S. Patent Pending for the LLGMM method described in this manuscript).
A computational approach to design moisture-resistant wood polymer composites

Abstract This work computationally predicts the onset of moisture-induced damage for different wood polymer composite (WPC) formulations using an experimentally validated micromechanical model. For model validation, the flexural mechanical properties of a commercially available WPC were experimentally obtained after exposure to either moisture or combined moisture and freezing conditions. As expected, exposure caused a loss in mechanical properties, which was primarily attributed moisture-induced damage and not further exacerbated by freezing. Once validated, the model was used to predict that the WPC would incur damage when placed in a commonplace 40–45 % relative humidity environment. This work demonstrates that computational simulations can be used to design moisture-resistant WPC formulations given specific environmental conditions (i.e., relative humidity, temperature) of the intended target application.
Experimental and Computational Studies of Phosphine Ligand Displacement in Iridium–Pincer Complexes Employing Pyridine or Acetonitrile

This report describes the synthesis, characterization, and ligand exchange studies of iridium-based, pincer complexes. (tBuPOCOP)Ir(PPh3) (tBuPOCOP = 2,6-bis(di-tert-butylphosphonito)benzene) serve...
Modulation Schemes for Balanced Inverter under Single Upper/Lower Switch Fault Conditions

The electromagnetic interference (EMI) has become an increasingly important issue in power electronics systems with the adoption of the wide bandgap power semiconductor devices (WBGs). The balanced inverter-based drive system has superior EMI performance since the machine side common-mode voltage (CMV) can be cancelled out. The nine-switch inverter topology for the balanced inverter offers more achievable switching states for active control and compensation. Those redundant switching states also support the fault-tolerant operation of the drive system. Novel modulation schemes are proposed under the condition that one of the upper/lower side WBG switches encounters a short failure. These schemes can complete the energy conversion task, meanwhile maintaining the common-mode voltage cancellation capability. Simulation results are provided for the verification of the proposed modulation schemes.
Global transcriptome profile of the developmental principles of in vitro iPSC-to-motor neuron differentiation.

Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) have opened new avenues for regenerative medicine. Consequently, iPSC-derived motor neurons have emerged as potentially viable therapies for spinal cord injuries and neurodegenerative disorders including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. However, direct clinical application of iPSC bears in itself the risk of tumorigenesis and other unforeseeable genetic or epigenetic abnormalities. Employing RNA-seq technology, we identified and characterized gene regulatory networks triggered by in vitro chemical reprogramming of iPSC into cells with the molecular features of motor neurons (MNs) whose function in vivo is to innervate effector organs. We present meta-transcriptome signatures of 5 cell types: iPSCs, neural stem cells, motor neuron progenitors, early motor neurons, and mature motor neurons. In strict response to the chemical stimuli, along the MN differentiation axis we observed temporal downregulation of tumor growth factor-β signaling pathway and consistent activation of sonic hedgehog, Wnt/β-catenin, and Notch signaling. Together with gene networks defining neuronal differentiation (neurogenin 2, microtubule-associated protein 2, Pax6, and neuropilin-1), we observed steady accumulation of motor neuron-specific regulatory genes, including Islet-1 and homeobox protein HB9. Interestingly, transcriptome profiling of the differentiation process showed that Ca2+ signaling through cAMP and LPC was downregulated during the conversion of the iPSC to neural stem cells and key regulatory gene activity of the pathway remained inhibited until later stages of motor neuron formation. Pathways shaping the neuronal development and function were well-represented in the early motor neuron cells including, neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, axon guidance, and the cholinergic synapse formation. A notable hallmark of our in vitro motor neuron maturation in monoculture was the activation of genes encoding G-coupled muscarinic acetylcholine receptors and downregulation of the ionotropic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expression. We observed the formation of functional neuronal networks as spontaneous oscillations in the extracellular action potentials recorded on multi-electrode array chip after 20 days of differentiation. Detailed transcriptome profile of each developmental step from iPSC to motor neuron driven by chemical induction provides the guidelines to novel therapeutic approaches in the re-construction efforts of muscle innervation.
Occurrence of male-specific and somatic coliphages and relationship with rainfall in privately-owned wells from peri‑urban and rural households.

Abstract Privately-owned drinking water wells serving fewer than 25 people (private wells) are prevalent and understudied across most of the US. Private wells primarily serve rural households located outside of municipal drinking water and sewerage service coverage areas. These wells are not regulated by United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act, are not regularly monitored by any public agency or utility, and generally do not undergo disinfection treatment. Coliphages are a group of viruses that infect coliform bacteria and are useful viral surrogates for fecal contamination in water systems in much the same way that fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), such as E. coli and to a lesser extent total coliforms, are used to quantify fecal contamination. Coliphages are approved by the EPA for regulatory monitoring in groundwater wells in the USA, but are not routinely used for this purpose. The present study characterizes the occurrence of male-specific and somatic coliphages, along with FIB, in private wells (n = 122) across two different counties in North Carolina. While occurrences of E. coli were rare and frequency of total coliform was generally low (~20%), male-specific and somatic coliphages were detectable in 66% and 54% of samples, respectively. Concentrations of male-specific coliphages were higher than somatics at each county and on a monthly basis. Rainfall appears to be partly influencing higher coliphage concentrations in December, January and February. This research underscores the need for increased surveillance in private wells and consideration of using coliphages in order to better characterize occurrence of fecal contamination at the time of sampling, especially during rainier months.
Epigenetic regulation of mechanotransduction

The DNA methylation of the promoter region of the oncogenic Yes-associated protein is reversibly regulated by the stiffness of the extracellular matrix.
Levelized cost of energy of hybrid concentrating photovoltaic-thermal systems based on nanofluid spectral filtering

Abstract The field of concentrating photovoltaic-thermal (CPV-T) systems based on nanofluid spectral filtering has advanced significantly in the past decade. However, there is still a need to perform economic feasibility analyses for these systems. In this work, an assessment of the cost of implementation of CPV-T power plants using the spectral-splitting technique was performed. Three types of solar power plant were analyzed, including a purely thermal parabolic trough, a hybrid Si-based, and a hybrid GaAs-based power plant. The levelized cost of energy (LCOE) algorithm included inputs obtained from random variables to obtain LCOE values and energy generation for each type of power plant as a probability distribution. The results show that a purely thermal parabolic trough system has a minimum LCOE of 13.29 ¢/kWh at a solar multiple of 1.75, while the hybrid Si and hybrid GaAs power plants had a minimum LCOE of 17.83 ¢/kWh at a solar multiple of 2.5, and 14.50 ¢/kWh at a solar multiple of 3. The results in this work demonstrate that spectral-splitting CPV-T power plants can achieve energy costs comparable to conventional parabolic power plants depending on the solar multiple, solar cell material, and technical and financial variables.
Disclosure-Driven Social Engagement in Supply Chains

Problem definition: We empirically examine the effect of buying firms' disclosures of their efforts to mitigate forced labor and human trafficking in their supply chains on their supplier's actual labor outcomes. Triggered by several scandals involving well-known firms in 2020, major regulatory actions are ongoing in addressing forced labor in supply chains through increased buyer disclosures. However, many question whether disclosure alone would be effective in generating real outcomes, and there is little empirical research on whether buyer disclosure could translate into supplier-size net improvements. Methodology and Results: We use the passage of the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act (CTSCA) as a regime shift in the intensity of disclosures and compare negative forced-labor incidents in (1) suppliers of the disclosing buyers and (2) otherwise-identical suppliers of matched control firms not subject to the CTSCA. We find that 64% of firms subject to CTSCA make the requisite disclosures, and suppliers of these firms realize a substantial reduction---up to 56%---in actual negative incidents post-CTSCA, despite having nearly identical pre-CTSCA incident levels and trends to suppliers of control firms. We provide countervailing evidence against firms' improving their supply chain profiles irrespective of CTSCA, and evidence consistent with disclosing firms' undertaking more aggressive supply-chain-focused investments to mitigate the increasing reputational risks of inaction. We further find that consumer proximity and institutional equity ownership is predictive of both the disclosure decision itself and the level of detail in the disclosures. Managerial implications: Although disclosure mandates do not automatically result in full compliance, they could serve as an effective way of encouraging firms to more actively shape their supply chains' ESG profiles. Further regulations should be designed with the goal of increasing consumer and investor awareness---and thus the reputational risks of inaction---in mind.
Geometric calibration of the Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA)

The Multi-Angle Imager for Aerosols (MAIA) instrument is currently scheduled for launch into polar Earth orbit in 2023. MAIA uses a single camera on a 2-axis gimbal for multi-angle viewing of Earth scenes, with the objective of making radiometric and polarimetric measurements. The data will then be used to determine aerosol size, type, and density. Health records will be collected in parallel as part of the MAIA investigation to enable correlation of adverse health effects with the aerosol data. The MAIA camera includes one visible and one SWIR detector, comprising a total of 14 wavelength bands from the UV to SWIR. Three of the bands are polarimetric. The MAIA telescope is a four-mirror anastigmat and has significant distortion of the field-of-view. Each channel in the camera comprises one or two rows of pixels, and each row has a total of 1216 pixels dedicated to imaging. Different channels must be co-registered to each other and each pixel must be geolocated to a fraction of the pixel size prior to determination of polarimetry and subsequent derivation of aerosol data. This requires, among other items, an accurate model of the camera internal geometry. This paper summarizes the geometric calibration performed during pre-flight testing to measure the transformation from pixel positions in the focal plane to angles in object space, i.e., the pointing angle of each pixel, and vice-versa.
Bubbles formation on the photovoltaic cells fingers: Visual inspection of 30-year-old modules

Abstract Understanding photovoltaic modules degradation is one of the keys utilized to develop and design new high-performance materials. This work focuses on analyzing the bubbles formation on the front of the PV module, particularly on the fingers of the PV cells. The paper investigated several PV modules operating in Algeria under two different weather conditions (warm and dry climate, moderate and humid climate) for almost 30 years. A visual inspection was carried out on 60 modules, and the findings obtained in terms of degradation defects were discussed. During the visual inspection, the formation of bubbles was observed only in the encapsulant above the PV cells within the PV module. However, these bubbles position is consistent with other defects, such as chalking, browning, and bleaching, indicating that these bubbles are distinct from those usually observed.
The Community Adjustment Program (Cap) for Visually Impaired Adolescents

The Community Adjustment Program (CAP) was a collaborative effort between a residential school and a public school intermediate unit to instruct visually impaired mainstreamed adolescents in adapti...
Paper chromatographic separation of amino acids: A solvent to replace phenol

Abstract The solvent n-butanol—methyl ethyl ketone—water (2:2:1) with an atmosphere saturated with cyclohexylamine yields excellent separation of mixtures of all the common acids, is readily reproducible, lacks the capriciousness of phenolic systems, and furthermore, imparts distinctive colors to many of the amino acids after ninhydrin treatment. These characteristics colors serve to confirm identification based on control runs for these amino acids and also serve as valuable “landmarks” facilitating the identification of adjacent amino acids that have the customary purple ninhydrin color.
Materialized View Selection for Multi-Cube Data Models

OLAP applications use precomputation of aggregate data to improve query response time. While this problem has been well-studied in the recent database literature, to our knowledge all previous work has focussed on the special case in which all aggregates are computed from a single cube (in a star schema, this corresponds to there being a single fact table). This is unfortunate, because many real world applications require aggregates over multiple fact tables. In this paper, we attempt to fill this lack of discussion about the issues arising in multi-cube data models by analyzing these issues. Then we examine performance issues by studying the precomputation problem for multi-cube systems. We show that this problem is significantly more complex than the single cube precomputation problem, and that algorithms and cost models developed for single cube precomputation must be extended to deal well with the multi-cube case. Our results from a prototype implementation show that for multicube workloads substantial performance improvements can be realized by using the multi-cube algorithms.
Arithmetically improved algorithmic performance

An augmented set of floating-point arithmetic operations which includes the accurate inner product can be routinely employed with benefit in some standard iterative numerical algorithms. Benefits include the requirement of fewer iterations for achieving computational convergence criteria and more accurate results for a given number of iterations. Not all algorithms are benefited, but favorable results have been obtained for the QR algorithm, the conjugate gradient algorithm and the separating hyperplane algorithm.
Prosecutorial discretion for domestic violence cases: an examination of the effects of offender race, ethnicity, gender, and age

Much of the existing literature on courts and sentencing has focused on judicial decision-making. Prior research on prosecutorial decision-making is more limited, with even less attention paid to the prosecution of domestic violence cases. The research that has been conducted has produced inconsistent results regarding the effects of legal and extralegal variables. The current study focuses on the effects of extralegal suspect characteristics on the decision to dismiss domestic violence cases in a large Midwestern county from June 2009 to December 2009. The findings demonstrate that gender and race have a strong influence on prosecutors’ decisions to dismiss charges in domestic violence cases. Contrary to the focal concerns perspective, however, the results indicate that males and Black and Hispanic offenders are more likely to have their cases dismissed. Implications for future research are discussed.
Programs for complex epidemiologic procedures. I. Computation of adjusted rates

In epidemiological cohort studies one measure of association based directly on incidence or mortality rates is the excess rate. This measure is defined as the excess in these rates between two groups with different exposure experience. At times the computation of these excess rates separately for each of the categories of a risk factor is crucial, as with these rates we can then determine whether the factor exerts a dose-response effect that may implicate a causal relation. Recently an indirect method of standardization has been reported, which computes the excess rates for a factor that are adjusted for the confounding effects of several other factors. The method involves a complex iterative procedure that cannot be carried out easily without the aid of a computer. The objective of this communication is to make available a microcomputer program that has been written to implement this laborious computation. In this pedagogic note the adjustment method is described and the application of the microcomputer program is illustrated.
The Architecture of Why2-Atlas: A Coach for Qualitative Physics Essay Writing

The Why2-Atlas system teaches qualitative physics by having students write paragraph-long explanations of simple mechanical phenomena. The tutor uses deep syntactic analysis and abductive theorem proving to convert the student's essay to a proof. The proof formalizes not only what was said, but the likely beliefs behind what was said. This allows the tutor to uncover misconceptions as well as to detect missing correct parts of the explanation. If the tutor finds such a flaw in the essay, it conducts a dialogue intended to remedy the missing or misconceived beliefs, then asks the student to correct the essay. It often takes several iterations of essay correction and dialogue to get the student to produce an acceptable explanation. Pilot subjects have been run, and an evaluation is in progress. After explaining the research questions that the system addresses, the bulk of the paper describes the system's architecture and operation.
A new coarse-to-fine framework for 3d brain MR image registration

Registration, that is, the alignment of multiple images, has been one of the most challenging problems in the field of computer vision. It also serves as an important role in biomedical image analysis and its applications. Although various methods have been proposed for solving different kinds of registration problems in computer vision, the results are still far from ideal when it comes to real world biomedical image applications. For instance, in order to register 3D brain MR images, current state of the art registration methods use a multi-resolution coarse-to-fine algorithm, which typically involves starting with low resolution images and working progressively through to higher resolutions, with the aim to avoid the local maximum "traps". However, these methods do not always successfully avoid the local maximum. Consequently, various rather sophisticated optimization methods are developed to attack this problem. In this paper, we propose a novel viewpoint on the coarse-to-fine registration, in which coarse and fine images are distinguished by different scales of the objects instead of different resolutions of the images. Based on this new perspective, we develop a new image registration framework by combining the multi-resolution method with novel multi-scale algorithm, which could achieve higher accuracy and robustness on 3D brain MR images. We believe this work has great contribution to biomedical image analysis and related applications.
A numerical analysis of nonlinear pulse propagation using a novel full adaptive wavelet transform

We describe a numerical solution to the problem of nonlinear pulse and beam propagation, including self-steepening and self-focusing, using a novel full adaptive wavelet transform (FAWT).
Mobile computational thinking with APP inventor 2

Computational Thinking Through Mobile Computing is an NSF-funded project for introducing students to computational thinking through creating mobile apps. In this hands-on workshop, which is targeted at undergraduate and secondary school computer science teachers, participants will develop Android apps using MIT App Inventor 2. This is a new version of the visual blocks-based programming environment with additional language features (local variables, improved handling of procedure and event parameters) and browser-based blocks editing. The workshop will focus on computational concepts relevant to mobile apps: event-based programming, location awareness, social computing, persistence and sharing, and leveraging the sensors and actuators of mobile devices. The workshop will also present pedagogical materials (lessons, tutorials, assignments), evaluation materials (blocks-based quizzes, surveys, project rubrics), and student projects. A laptop and gmail account are required for this workshop. Participants can borrow an Android device to use during the workshop, or they may use their own Android device if they have one.
Humanized mouse models of infectious diseases

Many pathogens that infect humans are highly adapted to their host and are unable to infect other organisms. Similarly, the interaction between the human immune system and pathogens frequently differs from animal models. Hence, novel in vivo models are required to characterize these pathogens and evaluate novel drugs and vaccines. Genetic modification of mice as well as transplantation of human cells and tissues in immunodeficient mice has allowed the generation of models that enable in vivo studies with pathogens such as HIV, HCV and Salmonella typhi. In this review, we will highlight recent developments in the field and discuss their utility for drug development and vaccine development.
Long-term monitoring of natural radionuclides in Uzhgorod city, Ukraine

The goal of the present work is to determine the specific activity of terrestrial thorium, uranium and potassium in Uzhgorod city and to predict the values of specific activity over the whole area of Uzhgorod city. The following values for the average specific activity in 2006–2012 were found for different radioisotopes from the surface soils (in Bq kg−1): 40K = 304.0 ± 12.3; 232Th = 24.2 ± 2.1; 238U = 19.2 ± 1.2. The average value of the absorbed dose was equal to 36.3 ± 2.3 nGy h−1. The average value of the external hazard index was equal to 0.22. The average annual effective dose of natural radionuclides was equal to 4.5 ± 0.3 10−5 Sv.
Multi-site kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of thermal desorption spectroscopy data

Abstract Presented is a kinetic Monte Carlo simulation (KMCS) algorithm for simulating experimental thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) data. The KMCS is based on the Master equation approach and applies a first-passage-time analysis, i.e., the time dependence of the kinetics is matched correctly. The KMCS–TDS scheme used here includes multiple kinetically distinct adsorption sites and the effect of lateral interactions as required for fitting experimental data. After the results of extensive tests of the algorithm by means of synthetic data are discussed, experimental TDS curves are reproduced by the KMCS. Two applications are demonstrated: iso-butane adsorption on ZnO(0 0 0 1)–Zn and n-pentane adsorption on carbon nanotubes.
Beauty and the Bets

In the Sleeping Beauty problem, Beauty is uncertain whether the outcome of a certain coin toss was heads or tails. One argument suggests that her degree of belief in heads should be 1/3, while a second suggests that it should be 1/2. Prima facie, the argument for 1/2 appears to be stronger. I offer a diachronic Dutch Book argument in favor of 1/3. Even for those who are not routinely persuaded by diachronic Dutch Book arguments, this one has some important morals.
Bacteriologic and therapeutic considerations in intra-abdominal surgical infections.

Abstract The most important factor in the treatment of intra-abdominal infections are early diagnosis and prompt surgical intervention while antibiotics play a secondary role. The goals of surgical procedures should be to stop peritoneal contamination, to debride necrotic tissue, to remove debris and foreign bodies and to drain any pus collection. Antibiotics should be initiated before surgery and they must encompass both colonic aerobes and anaerobes includingBacteroides fragilisgroup but not necessaryEnterococcussp. Antibacterial agents with pure activity against anaerobes include chloramphenicol, clindamycin and the nitroimidazoles while ampicillin/sulbactam, amoxicillin/clavulanate, ticarcillin/clavulanate, cefoxitin, cefotetan, ceftizoxime imipenem/cilastatin, meropenem and some advanced quinolones like sparfloxacin, represent a single drug to cover both aerobic and anaerobic microflora. Although almost all clinical trials usually result in a 90% efficacy rate, the final outcome is dependant on the stage of the infection (early versus late), sepsis score, underlying diseases and the applied surgical procedures. On the other hand the choice of antibiotic(s) must be influenced by its toxicity, profiles local nosocomial susceptibility patterns, resistance inducing ability and price.
A variational coupled-mode theory including radiation loss for grating-assisted couplers

We calculate higher order effects such as frequency shifts and radiation loss in grating waveguides and grating couplers. The approach follows a vector variational principle which incorporates the Floquet components correct to first order. It is unnecessary to bring radiation modes into the formalism. This yields a simple coupled-mode formulation which includes attenuation due to radiation loss, and is correct to third order in the index contrast of the grating. Numerous examples are given which show excellent agreement with rigorous numerical simulations.
Triazole Plant Growth Regulator Binding to Native and Detergent-Solubilized Plant Microsomal Cytochrome P450

Abstract BAS 111..W, a triazole which retards plant growth, is an inhibitor of cytochrome P450 monooxygenase enzymes in the gibberellic acid biosynthetic pathway. Microsomal membranes isolated from endosperm of immature pumpkin ( Cucurbita maxima L. cv. Big Max) seeds at a developmental stage corresponding to 15-45% cotyledon fill were found to be enriched in cytochrome P450 and exhibited spectral characteristics that indicate binding of BAS 111..W to cytochrome P450. Magnesium-dependent density shifts on equilibrium sucrose gradients demonstrated that NADPH:cytochrome c reductase, total dithionite-reducible cytochrome P450, and BAS 111..W-binding cytochrome P450 were localized exclusively in the endoplasmic reticulum in endosperm cells of developing C. maxima seed. Binding competition experiments between ent -kaurene and BAS 111..W were not conclusive, but suggested that the substrate and inhibitor compete for binding at the same site on the ent -kaurene oxidase cytochrome P450. We used the detergent (3-[(3-cholamidopropyl) dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate) to solubilize the BAS 111..W-binding cytochrome P450 from seed endosperm microsomes. Detergent-solubilized C. maxima microsomal cytochrome P450 retained high-affinity triazole-binding characteristics observed with microsomes, but had reduced affinity for ent -kaurene.
Social niches and sex assortment: uncovering the developmental ecology of brown-headed cowbirds, Molothrus ater

Variation in individual interaction patterns creates different social niches. Social niches afford differential exposure to social information that individuals utilize to develop species-typical behaviours. Brown-headed cowbirds depend on social interaction to develop competent reproductive behaviour. We used a fission–fusion paradigm to perturb two flocks of birds: one adult flock (N = 38) and one juvenile flock (N = 24). We split the two flocks, then recombined them while recording the frequency of individual approaches. Both adult and juvenile females maintained stable social niches, but males did not. Females maintained equivalent levels of gregariousness and attractiveness across perturbations. Juvenile females maintained the highest levels of sex assortment. The consistency of female niche construction may be explained by females’ reliance on interaction with other females to assess males. Early sex assortment may also foster the development of social preferences and influence reproductive choices.
Identification, Biopsy, and Treatment of Poorly Understood Premalignant, in Situ, and Indolent Low-Grade Cancers: Are We Becoming Victims of Our Own Success?

Imagers are increasingly detecting and performing percutaneous biopsies on borderline, preinvasive, or low-grade cancers that were heretofore rarely identified and that may never progress to meaningful disease.
The contribution of ionizing radiation to cancer mortality in the United States.

Abstract Although ionizing radiation has been well known as a carcinogen for more than 70 years, only a small part of the total cancer mortality burden in the United States can be attributed to radiation effects—less than 3%. Little can be done about much of the exposure to radiation that exists—about half of the total results from natural background radiation. More than 40% derives from medical and dental practice—mostly as diagnostic X-rays. Something less than 5% comes from nuclear weapons fallout from atmospheric tests and well under 1% from the use of nuclear energy for generating electric power. Substantial reduction of the total radiation burden on the population can be achieved only by reduction of X-rays used in medicine and dentistry. This will, however, involve careful consideration of the balance between radiation benefits and risks, as well as requiring that such X-ray exposures be reduced to the minimum required to achieve the necessary medical purpose.
Plasma levels of imipramine and metabolites in 68 hospitalized children.

Abstract Steady-state plasma imipramine levels were measured in 68 hospitalized children. Interindividual variability (imipramine 12-fold; desipramine 72-fold; 2 hydroxyimipramine 33-fold; 2 hydroxydesipramine 3-fold) was not correlated with clinical or demographic variables. However, intraindividual levels were reproducible and were linearly correlated with dose (r = 0.76; p
Engineering job stability and economic conversion

There are two classes of reasons that compel attention to the idea of conversion from a military to a civilian economy — not as a moral speculation, but as a realistic prospect.
Strongly localized electrons in a magnetic field: Exact results on quantum interference and magnetoconductance.

We study quantum interference effects on the transition strength for strongly localized electrons hopping on 2D square and 3D cubic lattices in a magnetic field $\mathbf{B}$. In 2D, we obtain closed-form expressions for the tunneling probability between two arbitrary sites by exactly summing the corresponding phase factors of all directed paths connecting them. An analytic expression for the magnetoconductance, as an explicit function of the magnetic flux, is derived. In the experimentally important 3D case, we show how the interference patterns and the small- $\mathbf{B}$ behavior of the magnetoconductance vary according to the orientation of $\mathbf{B}$.
Synthesis and accumulation of polyamines and S-adenosylmethionine in Chinese cabbage infected by turnip yellow mosaic virus

Summary Infection of Chinese cabbage with turnip yellow mosaic virus caused a significant increase in the levels of S-adenosylmethionine and the polyamines, spermidine, spermine and putrescine in the leaves. A significant portion of the spermidine and spermine in the juice of infected plants is precipitated by anti-serum to the virus. The rate of incorporation of radioactivity from [2 14 C]methionine into spermidine, spermine, S-adenosylmethionine and protein appeared to be very similar in leaf discs derived from both healthy and infected leaves, suggesting that enzymes for biosynthesis of spermidine and spermine from methionine are not elevated in the infected leaves.
Spironolactone improves diastolic function in the elderly

Background: Diastolic dysfunction is common in the elderly. Increased myocardial fibrosis, a major determinant of diastolic function, has been observed with advancing age. Spironolactone prevents age-related increases in myocardial fibrosis in old normotensive rats. Hypothesis: Spironolactone, via its antifibrotic activity, can improve diastolic function in the elderly with isolated diastolic dysfunction. Methods: The study was a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Thirty elderly subjects between 60 and 85 years of age with isolated diastolic dysfunction and no contraindications for spironolactone were randomized to 25 mg/day of spironolactone or placebo for 4 months. Mitral E/A and deceleration time, plasma levels of carboxy-terminal of procollagen type I (PICP), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) were measured at baseline and at the end of 4 months. Plasma level of potassium was also monitored to prevent clinically significant hyperkalemia. Results: There was no serious adverse event or clinically significant hyperkalemia in the spironolactone group. Compared with baseline values, spironolactone significantly improved mitral E/A ratio (0.71 ± 0.08 vs. 0.84 ± 0.19, p=0.025) and deceleration time (285.5 ± 73.1 vs. 230.0 ± 54.7, p = 0.035). There were no significant differences in the magnitude of change in the levels of PICP and BNP between the two treatment groups. Conclusion: Spironolactone may improve diastolic function in the elderly.
Understanding what's critical in protecting our society: Can satellite observations help? (Invited paper)

There are many vital issues which are impacting our daily lives and will continue to haunt us as long as we live on this planet of ours. These issues range from food supply availability, drought, coastal zone erosion, volcanoes, hurricanes, terrorism, global warming, earthquakes, water resources, air quality, public health, and agriculture production. Such societal needs are directly linked to our geometric population growth, and abundance of automobiles, industrial emissions, industrial waste and extensive fishing of our oceans and elimination of our ecology. The questions which require serious thoughts, research, coordination, and resources to understand, plan and strike a sensible balance in our daily lives and the above issues are tough to deal with. However, with the advent of remote sensing technologies, tremendous progress has been made in applying space-based and airborne data and products in solving real societal problems. Several of these problems, such as coastal zone erosion, air quality, severe weather, water availability and quality, public health, fires, land slides and others are intricately related; and in the long run can have serious consequences if not properly addressed by scientists, regulatory bodies and policy makers. Although it is a much involved and tangled web to unravel, nevertheless we have an excellent start in understanding some of the phenomena and hopefully can mitigate some of the severe effects by advancing our scientific knowledge. This paper briefly discusses the applications of remote sensing data from Terra, Aqua, and other NASA satellites how to deal with such complex problems; it provides an excellent start.
BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH MEETING WATER QUALITY STANDARDS AT LAKE TANEYCOMO, MISSOURI

ABSTRACT Lake Taneycomo, a 700-ha hydropower impoundment in southwestern Missouri, supports an excellent put-grow-and-take trout fishery with a benefit:cost ratio of 22:1. However, seasonal dissolved oxygen fluctuations resulting from the hypolimnetic discharge from upstream Table Rock Lake have been a concern since 1970. The biological and socioeconomic effects of low levels of dissolved oxygen on the fishery were recently documented. When dissolved oxygen drops below 6 mg/L, fishing success declines. This change in fishing quality affects visitation to the area and the economic benefits generated by the fishery. The net economic benefit of the fishery to the local economy is $9.9 million, and the current estimated loss of benefits is $358,000 per year because of low dissolved oxygen. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has proposed a structural modification of Table Rock Dam to solve the problem.
Exercise training mode affects the hemodynamic responses to lower body negative pressure in women.

To determine if different exercise modes used to improve cardiovascular fitness result in differing cardiovascular responses to lower body negative pressure (LBNP) in exercise-trained women, seven chronically exercising female runners (RUN) and 11 swimmers (SWIM) of similar fitness levels maximal oxygen uptake, [\(\left( {\dot V{\text{O}}_{{\text{2max}}} } \right)\), mean (SEM) = 50 (2) and 45 (2) ml·kg−1·min−1, respectively; P > 0.05] underwent serial exposures to LBNP at pressures of 0, −1.3, −2.7 and −5.3 kPa (referenced to ambient barometric pressure). Forearm vascular resistance (venous occlusion plethysmography) increased with LBNP but did not differ between groups at any level of LBNP. At 0 and −1.3 kPa, the total peripheral resistance index (TPRI; impedance cardiography) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in RUN than SWIM [1.118 (0.028) vs 0.787 (0.040) at 0 kPa and 1.245 (0.100) vs 0.840 (0.040) kPa·1·min−1 m−2 at −1.3 kPa]. At an LBNP of −2.7 kPa, stroke index (SI) was significantly higher in SWIM than RUN [57.8 (4.6) vs 41.9 (4.0) ml·beat−1 · m−2] while TPRI remained greater in RUN than SWIM. At −5.3 kPa, SWIM exhibited a higher cardiac index [3.232 (0.209) vs 2.447 (0.189) 1·min−1·m−2] and SI [49.4 (4.4) vs 31.0 (4.5) ml·beat−1·m−2] but reduced heart rate [71 (3) vs 83 (5)beats·min−1] and TPRI [0.968 (0.043) vs 1.655 (0.128) kPa·1·min−1 · m−2]. Mean arterial pressure declined significantly at an LBNP of −5.3 kPa in both groups; pulse pressure was lower (P < 0.05) in RUN than SWIM at LBNP values of −2.7 and −5.3 kPa. These data suggest that: (1) female runners experience a greater increase in systemic vasoconstriction even though female swimmers can better maintain their cardiac index at high levels of LBNP, and (2) training mode appears to affect the pulse pressure responses to LBNP in exercise-trained women.
The Proof is in the Nanopacking

Nanotechnologies are becoming ubiquitous as they spawn new products and are incorporated as enhancements of the familiar, so it should come as no surprise that nanotechnologies are being vigorously researched for applications in microelectronics packaging. High CNT thermal conductivity may be exploited for chip cooling in conductive and convective cooling systems. CNT alignment is critical for conductive systems, since the conductivities of random CNT arrays show no advantage over conventional materials. Packaging issues with nanoelectronics technologies are exacerbated by the scales of decreasing interconnect dimensions, increasing current densities, and especially increasing power dissipation.
Degree-sequenced matching algorithms for input-queued switches

This paper presents a class of algorithms for scheduling packets in input-queued switches. As opposed to previously known algorithms that focus only on achieving high throughput, these algorithms seek to achieve low average delay without compromising the throughput achieved. Packet scheduling in input-queued switches based on the virtual-output-queued architecture is a bipartite graph matching problem wherein ports are represented by vertices and the traffic flows by the edges. The set of matched edges determine the packets that are to be transferred from the input ports to the output ports. Current matching algorithms implicitly prioritize high-degree vertices, i.e., ports with a large number of flows, causing longer delays at ports with a smaller number of flows. Motivated by this observation, we present three matching algorithms based on explicitly prioritizing low-degree vertices and the edges through them. Using both real gateway traffic traces as well as synthetically generated traffic, we present simulation results showing that this class of algorithms achieves a low average delay as compared to other scheduling algorithms of equivalent complexity while still achieving similar throughput. We also show that these algorithms determine the maximum size matching in almost all cases.
Operational performance of a large liquid argon photon calorimeter

Abstract We describe the performance of a large (0.9 × 1.4 m 2 ) liquid argon photon calorimeter in high energy experiments at Fermilab. Resolutions for π 0 and electron showers, obtained under data-taking conditions, are compared with electron-beam calibration results. Exceptional spatial and time resolutions have been achieved for isolated showers ( σ x , y σ t ∼6 ns). Electron data up to energies of 80 GeV and π 0 data up to 180 GeV are presented.
Informal Federalism: Self-Governance and Power Sharing in Afghanistan

Although the 2004 Constitution of Afghanistan establishes a highly centralized political system, this article suggests Afghanistan is an informal federation in which customary organizations comprise a legitimate level of government capable of providing many public goods and services at the village level. Despite the absence of formal village government, governance in practice involves extensive power sharing between district government officials and customary representatives appointed by villagers themselves. The effectiveness of such self-governing customary arrangements is anticipated by the work of Elinor Ostrom, while the finding that day-to-day relations between levels of government are based in local norms rather than parchment institutions of the state demonstrate the continued insight of Vincent Ostrom into intergovernmental relations.
COMPUTING PERSISTENT HOMOLOGY UNDER RANDOM PROJECTION

Random projection is a tried-and-true technique in signal processing for reducing sensing complexity while maintaining acceptable performance of downstream processing tasks. In this paper, we investigate random linear projection of point clouds followed by topological data analysis for computing persistence diagrams and Betti numbers. In this first empirical study of its kind in the literature, we find that Betti numbers can be recovered accurately with high probability after random projection up to a certain reduced dimension but then the probability of recovery decreases to zero. We further investigate how the mean of the persistence diagrams from several random projections can be used favorably in Betti number recovery. Our empirical study includes both synthetic data as well as real-world range image and respiratory audio data.