cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Distribution and Physical State of H2O on Charon

We present new 1.4- to 2.5-μm geometric albedo spectra of Charon taken with HST/NICMOS in 1998. These new data provide global coverage of the surface with four spectra at evenly spaced longitudes. The surface of Charon is seen to be globally dominated by H2O ice. The data indicate that the ice is in the crystalline phase at a temperature consistent with its heliocentric distance. The spectrum of Charon has only weak variations with longitude. There is an indication of a slightly stronger H2O ice absorption on the leading hemisphere. No variations in the spectrum are seen in response to differing solar phase angles. From model fits there is no indication of any of the volatile species that are seen on Pluto, i.e., CO, CH4, or N2. There is spectroscopic evidence for a contaminant with an absorption coefficient which increases with wavelength past ∼2 μm. This contaminant is unidentified but is similar to what is seen on other icy satellites in the outer Solar System. We also present a standard spectrophotometric model for Charon that can be used to subtract Charon light from ground-based spectra of the combined Pluto–Charon system.
Micro-sphere resonator reflector for fiber laser

We show that a glass micro-sphere resonator can be used as a wavelength-selective mirror in fiber lasers. Due to their high quality-factor (Q ~108), microsphere resonators possess a narrow reflection bandwidth. This feature enables construction of single-frequency fiber lasers even when the cavity is long. We also propose and demonstrate an active Q-switched fiber laser using a high-Q micro-sphere resonator as the Q-switching element. The laser cavity consists of an Er-doped fiber as the gain medium, a glass micro-sphere reflector (coupled through a fiber taper) at one end of the cavity, and a fiber Bragg grating reflector at the other end. The reflectivity of the micro-sphere is modulated by changing the gap between the micro-sphere and the fiber taper. Active Q-switching is realized by oscillating the micro-sphere in and out of contact with the taper. Nonlinear effects (such as stimulated Raman lasing) were also observed in our setup at relatively low pump powers.
Insulin-induced epidermal growth factor activation in vascular smooth muscle cells is ADAM-dependent

Background With the rise in metabolic syndrome, understanding the role of insulin signaling within the cells of vasculature has become more important but yet remains poorly defined. This study examines the role of insulin actions on a pivotal cross-talk receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). EGFR is transactivated by both G-protein–coupled receptors and receptor-linked tyrosine kinases and is key to many of their responses. Objective To determine the pathway of EGFR transactivation by insulin in human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). Methods VSMC were cultured in vitro. Assays of EGFR phosphorylation were examined in response to insulin in the presence and absence of the plasmin inhibitors (e-aminocaproic acid and aprotinin) matrix metalloprotease (MMP) inhibitor GM6001, the A disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain (ADAM) inhibitors tumor necrosis factor-α protease inhibitor (TAPI)-0 and TAPI-1, heparin-binding epidermal growth factor (HB-EGF) inhibitor, CRM197, HB-EGF inhibitory antibodies, EGF inhibitory antibodies, and the EGFR inhibitor AG1478. Results Insulin induced time-dependent EGFR phosphorylation, which was inhibited by AG1478 in a concentration-dependent manner. Application of the plasmin inhibitors did not block the response. EGFR phosphorylation by insulin was blocked by inhibition of MMP activity and the ligand HB-EGF. The presence of the ADAM inhibitors, TAPI-0 and TAPI-1 significantly decreased EGFR activation. EGFR phosphorylation by EGF was not interrupted by inhibition of plasmin, MMPs TAPIs, or HB-EGF. Direct blockade of the EGFR prevented activation by both insulin and EGF. Conclusion Insulin can induce transactivation of EGFR by an ADAM-mediated, HB-EGF–dependent process. This is the first description of cross-talk via ADAM between insulin and EGFR in VSMC. Targeting a pivotal cross-talk receptor such as EGFR, which can be transactivated by both G-protein–coupled receptors and receptor tyrosine kinases is an attractive molecular target.
Quantifying the Responses of Mixed Rumen Microbes to Excess Carbohydrate

The aim of this study was to determine if a mixed microbial community from the bovine rumen would respond to excess carbohydrate by accumulating reserve carbohydrate, energy spilling (dissipating excess ATP energy as heat), or both. Mixed microbes from the rumen were washed with N-free buffer and dosed with glucose. Total heat production was measured by calorimetry. Energy spilling was calculated as heat production not accounted by (i) endogenous metabolism (heat production before dosing glucose) and (ii) synthesis of reserve carbohydrate (heat from synthesis itself and reactions yielding ATP for it). For cells dosed with 5 mM glucose, synthesis of reserve carbohydrate and endogenous metabolism accounted for nearly all heat production (93.7%); no spilling was detected (P = 0.226). For cells dosed with 20 mM glucose, energy spilling was not detected immediately after dosing, but it became significant (P < 0.05) by approximately 30 min after dosing with glucose. Energy spilling accounted for as much as 38.7% of heat production in one incubation. Nearly all energy (97.9%) and carbon (99.9%) in glucose were recovered in reserve carbohydrate, fermentation acids, CO2, CH4, and heat. This full recovery indicates that products were measured completely and that spilling was not a methodological artifact. These results should aid future research aiming to mechanistically account for variation in energetic efficiency of mixed microbial communities.
Silk-on-Silk Layer-by-Layer Microcapsules

A IO N Silks are made of proteins produced naturally by silkworms and spiders and are known as biocompatible, biodegradable, and extraordinarily robust biomaterials frequently utilized in biomaterial composites. [ 1 , 2 ] The versatility of silk proteins, along with their favorable characteristics and potential for processing in aqueous solution under ambient conditions, make silk-based materials excellent candidates for biomedical applications such as drug delivery systems and scaffolds for tissue engineering. [ 3 ]
Cost‐Effectiveness of Supervised Exercise, Stenting, and Optimal Medical Care for Claudication: Results From the Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) Trial

Background Both supervised exercise (SE) and stenting (ST) improve functional status, symptoms, and quality of life compared with optimal medical care (OMC) in patients with claudication. The relative cost‐effectiveness of these strategies is not well defined. Methods and Results The Claudication: Exercise Versus Endoluminal Revascularization (CLEVER) study randomized patients with claudication due to aortoiliac stenosis to a 6‐month SE program, to ST, or to OMC. Participants who completed 6‐month follow‐up (n=98) were included in a health economic analysis through 18 months. Costs were assessed using resource‐based methods and hospital billing data. Quality‐adjusted life‐years were estimated using the EQ‐5D. Markov modeling based on the in‐trial results was used to explore the impact of assumptions about the longer term durability of observed differences in quality of life. Through 18 months, mean healthcare costs were $5178, $9804, and $14 590 per patient for OMC, SE, and ST, respectively. Measured quality‐adjusted life‐years through 18 months were 1.04, 1.16, and 1.20. In our base case analysis, which assumed that observed differences in quality of life would dissipate after 5 years, the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratios were $24 070 per quality‐adjusted life‐year gained for SE versus OMC, $41 376 for ST versus OMC, and $122 600 for ST versus SE. If the treatment effect of ST was assumed to be more durable than that of SE, the incremental cost‐effectiveness ratio for ST versus SE became more favorable. Conclusions Both SE and ST are economically attractive by US standards relative to OMC for the treatment of claudication in patients with aortoiliac disease. ST is more expensive than SE, with uncertain incremental benefit. Clinical Trial Registration URL: www.clinicaltrials.gov, Unique identifier: NCT00132743.
Estimation of Thermophysical Properties by the Spectral Method—Development and Evaluation

We report the evaluation of a spectral technique for estimating thermophysical properties. It demonstrates that one can construct a virtual quasi-steady periodic experiment from a limited but properly selected set of transient non-periodic data. In the spectral domain, the phase angles of the responses at different locations relative to a periodic input signal depend on the thermophysical properties. For the purpose of this evaluation, the transient temperature responses to a surface heat flux input are analytically obtained at pre-selected sensor locations. The transient data are converted to periodic data, phase angles are computed, and thermophysical properties are estimated. All deviations from known property values due to numerical errors are reported
Three-dimensional electromagnetic modeling of composite dielectric materials

When manufacturing composite dielectric materials with various shapes, sizes, dielectric properties, and amounts of each constituent element, it is beneficial to predict the effective dielectric constant and the distribution of electric fields within the composite. A three-dimensional electromagnetic model has recently been developed at the University of Missouri to aid in this analysis. CST EM Studio, which specializes in three-dimensional electromagnetic simulation, was chosen for the simulation environment. A custom-developed software program automates the construction and electromagnetic analysis of the composite material within CST EM Studio. The program virtually constructs a composite with up to thousands of distinct composite elements placed in a quasi-random arrangement according to user-defined input parameters. The program provides a means of efficiently and accurately modeling composite systems without manually creating the high number of individual composite elements. The program enables user specification over the simulation parameters and automated analysis of the simulation results through a user interface. The dielectric constant of each composite element, the loading percentages, and multiple physical particle parameters, including the shape, size, and density, are user-defined. The effective dielectric constant of the composite is determined by analyzing the capacitance of a parallel plate capacitor made with the virtual composite material. Additionally, the distribution of electric fields through the composite elements and at potential triple points can be analyzed for potential sites of failure. A detailed description of the modeling method and program is provided. Commonly-used equations for the effective dielectric constant of composites are introduced, and comparisons are presented between the simulated effective dielectric constant and the values calculated from those equations for various particle loading percentages. Lastly, examples of how the electric field is distributed through the composite structure are included.
Thinking through the diaspora Call centers, India, and a new politics of hybridity

This article re-examines some current theoretical trends through which concepts such as diaspora and hybridity have been theorized in cultural studies in the western academy. It argues that these c...
A Model to Use Denied Internet Traffic to Indirectly Discover Internal Network Security Problems

We propose a model for using firewall log entries of denied inbound Internet traffic for indirect discovery of local IP addresses that have security problems. This method is used successfully to discover two computers on the network of Southern Illinois University which were infected with malicious feral software, as well as two more IP addresses on the university network with other security problems.
Rhesus monkey macrophages infected with simian immunodeficiency virus cause rapid lysis of CD4-bearing lymphocytes

Inoculation of simian immunodeficiency virus into cultures of primary rhesus monkey macrophages or CD4-bearing transformed T lymphocytes resulted in persistent infection, with minimal virus replication in the macrophages and extensive replication in the lymphocytes. However, uninfected T cells added to infected macrophages underwent rapid fusion and lysis and were almost completely eliminated without the production of virus particles. Lysis required direct contact between the T cells and the infected macrophages, which enabled binding between CD4 on the former and viral gp120 on the latter to occur. This process was blocked by soluble CD4 and dextran sulphate. Neutralizing antibodies in the serum of an infected macaque prevented cell fusion by preventing infection of the macrophages. However, these antibodies did not prevent fusion when added to previously infected macrophages. Infected macrophages were incorporated into the syncytia of lymphocytes and continued incorporation of new lymphocytes into the syncytia required infected macrophages to be metabolically active. One inference from these studies is that infected macrophages in vivo could help mediate the well known depletion of T4 cells in patients with AIDS.
A systematic review of vocational interventions for young adults with autism spectrum disorders.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are approaching adolescence and young adulthood; interventions to assist these individuals with vocational skills are not well understood. This study systematically reviewed evidence regarding vocational interventions for individuals with ASD between the ages of 13 and 30 years. METHODS: The Medline, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases (1980–December 2011) and reference lists of included articles were searched. Two reviewers independently assessed each study against predetermined inclusion/exclusion criteria. Two reviewers independently extracted data regarding participant and intervention characteristics, assessment techniques, and outcomes, and assigned overall quality and strength of evidence ratings based on predetermined criteria. RESULTS: Five studies were identified; all were of poor quality and all focused on on-the-job supports as the employment/vocational intervention. Short-term studies reported that supported employment was associated with improvements in quality of life (1 study), ASD symptoms (1 study), and cognitive functioning (1 study). Three studies reported that interventions increased rates of employment for young adults with ASD. CONCLUSIONS: Few studies have been conducted to assess vocational interventions for adolescents and young adults with ASD. As such, there is very little evidence available for specific vocational treatment approaches as individuals transition to adulthood. All studies of vocational approaches were of poor quality, which may reflect the recent emergence of this area of research. Individual studies suggest that vocational programs may increase employment success for some; however, our ability to understand the overall benefit of supported employment programs is limited given the existing research.
Improving STT-MRAM density through multibit error correction

STT-MRAMs are prone to data corruption due to inadvertent bit flips. Traditional methods enhance robustness at the cost of area/energy by using larger cell sizes to improve the thermal stability of the MTJ cells. This paper employs multibit error correction with DRAM-style refreshing to mitigate errors and provides a methodology for determining the optimal level of correction. A detailed analysis demonstrates that the reduction in nonvolatility requirements afforded by strong error correction translates to significantly lower area for the memory array compared to simpler ECC schemes, even when accounting for the increased overhead of error correction.
Variations in Practice Reading Aloud: Ten Versus Twenty Minutes

In this study we compared effects of practice time reading aloud to an adult on improvement in reading rate and comprehension. Eighty-one poor readers in 2nd and 4th grade, including 38 English Learner students (ELs), served as their own controls by participating in two practice conditions, each 3 times per week for 7 weeks: (a) 10 min reading aloud one-to-one to an adult listener and (b) 20 min reading aloud one-to-one. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed that 20 min of practice was better than 10 min for 4th graders, but not for 2nd graders, and gains in rate accelerated across the 14 weeks of practice. We found no differences in rate gains across conditions between ELs and native English speakers. After controlling for pretests, reading rate at posttest, along with vocabulary, contributed significant variance to reading comprehension outcomes.
Trace Metals in Eggs and Hatchlings of Pacific Leatherback Turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) Nesting at Playa Grande, Costa Rica

Abstract Leatherback turtles in the Pacific Ocean have declined precipitously in recent decades. One issue that may be contributing to the declines of leatherbacks and impairing their recovery is low clutch viability resulting from high embryonic mortality. Here, we examine trace metal concentrations in eggs and hatchlings from leatherbacks nesting on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica to assess whether contaminant levels reflect variation in the time over which females accumulated contaminants and whether variation in egg contaminant concentrations among nests influences clutch viability and hatchling characteristics. Eggs and hatchlings of Pacific leatherbacks contained detectable concentrations of a suite of essential and nonessential metals including Cu, Cd, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Zn, but variables that likely reflect a female's degree of temporal exposure to contaminants (relative age of female, body size, and remigration interval) explained little of the variation in egg metal concentrations. Concentrations o...
Analysis of tilted-coil eccentric borehole antennas in cylindrical multilayered formations for well-logging applications

Well-logging tools employing tilted coil antennas have been proposed to provide directional (azimuth) information and improved estimates of anisotropy when compared to conventional tools that use horizontal coils. In this paper, we analyze the response of logging tools with tilted coil antennas in eccentric boreholes crossing cylindrical multilayered formations (earth formations with invasion zones) by two approaches. The first approach is based on a pseudoanalytic formulation, previously applied for concentric boreholes and extended here to include eccentric boreholes. The second approach is based on three-dimensional (3-D) numerical simulations using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm extended to cylindrical coordinates and incorporating cylindrical perfectly matched layers (PML). The results from the two formulations are compared for different formations, showing very good agreement.
Purpose or Meaning of Life

In the previous chapter, our discussion of the self was largely based on its mainstream quantitative treatment in academic psychology. A somewhat different approach to the self has come from philosophy, namely, existentialism, which actually represents several related systems.
Combination Treatment with Famciclovir and a Topical Corticosteroid Gel versus Famciclovir Alone for Experimental Ultraviolet Radiation-Induced Herpes Simplex Labialis: A Pilot Study

To investigate the efficacy of corticosteroids for the treatment of herpes labialis, we compared famciclovir (Famvir, 500 mg 33/day po [per os] for 5 days) and topical fluocinonide (0.05% Lidex Gel 33/day for 5 days) with famciclovir and topical vehicle control for experimental ultraviolet radiation‐induced herpetic recurrences. We irradiated 49 volunteers, and 29 (60%) of 48 developed signs or symptoms of a recurrence. They self-initiated treatment, and we were able to evaluate them. There was a trend in the combination group toward more aborted lesions, compared with those who received antiviral therapy alone (7 [41%] of 17 vs. 1 [8%] of 12; ). Combination therapy significantly reduced the median maximum lesion P= .09 size (48 vs. 162 mm 2 ; ) and the number of patients who experienced lesion pain (10 P= .02 [59%] of 17 vs. 12 [100%] of 12; ). Adverse events were minimal. Corticosteroids in P= .02 combination with an antiviral agent may be safe and beneficial for episodic treatment of herpes labialis. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Osteoprogenitor Cells as Targets for Ex Vivo Gene Transfer

We transduced osteoprogenitor cells with recombinant retrovirus and analyzed proviral integration patterns into chromosomal DNA to detect for the first time the clonal and cellular fate of osteoprogenitor-derived progeny cells. Metaphyseal bone cells and diaphyseal stromal cells were isolated from the distal femurs of young rats, transduced with the vM5neolacZ recombinant retrovirus, and selected in the neomycin analog, G418. Following surgical marrow ablation of a femur in one leg of mature rats, retroviral-transduced metaphyseal or diaphyseal cells were injected into the ablated site. These rats were killed 5–6 days later. Metaphyseal and diaphyseal cells were isolated from distal femurs, selected in G418, and stained for β-galactosidase (β-gal+). The number and clonal origin of transduced progenitor cells were determined. High numbers of β-galactosidase colonies with an osteoblast phenotype were obtained following metaphyseal transplants and detected in 100% of metaphyseal and none of diaphyseal specimens. In contrast, β-galactosidase colonies derived from diaphyseal transplants were detected in 50% of specimens in both the metaphysis and diaphysis, and the absolute number of progenitor cell colonies was 60-fold less than metaphyseal transplants. Provirus was only detected in the ablated bones and not in the contralateral bone or other tissues. Proviral integration fragment analysis showed a single integration site for recovered metaphyseal cell clones, consistent with their origination from a common single progenitor. This is one of the first demonstrations of successful transplantation of clonal osteoprogenitors to their site of origin in bone. It may be possible to use these cells to target genes to bone for therapeutic use in skeletal and hematopoietic diseases.
Hospital Admission Prediction Using Pre-hospital Variables

With the rapid outstripping of healthcare resourcesby the demands on hospital care, it is important to findmore effective and efficient ways for managing care.This research is aimed at developing new admissionprediction models using various pre-hospital variablesto help hospital estimate the patients to be admitted.We developed a framework of hospital admissionprediction and proposed two novel approaches tocapture semantics of chief complaints to enhanceprediction. Our experiments on a hospital datasetdemonstrated that our proposed models outperformedseveral benchmark methods.
A smart sensor system for air quality monitoring and massive data collection

Air pollution has been a global challenge for environment protection. Effectively collecting and scientifically visualizing the air quality data can better help us monitor the environment and address related issues. This article presents a smart sensor system for air quality monitoring which consists of three units: the smart sensor unit, the smartphone, and a server. The smart sensor unit utilizes sensors to sample air quality data anytime and anywhere, and sends the data to the smartphone through Bluetooth. The smartphone displays the data to user and relays the data to the server for processing, visualization, air quality monitoring, and web publishing. The air quality data the prototype system is capable of measuring PM2.5, CO, CO2, temperature and humidity, and detecting other hazard gases.
The Aglycone and Sugar Analysis of Flavonoid Glycosides

The procedures discussed in Chapters I and II were concerned with the isolation and purification of flavonoids. If the pure flavonoid is suspected to be a glycoside (e.g. from solubility and paper chromatographic properties), the standard procedure is to hydrolyze it and proceed with the identification of the aglycone and sugar (or sugars) so produced.
Specific and Cross-reacting Antibodies in ABO Heterospecific Twin Pregnancy

A "study in depth" is reported concerning the case of hemolytic disease of a group B infant born to a group O mother, whose group A twin was apparently unaffected. It was shown that the hemolytic disease of the affected infant was due to a specific anti-B antibody. The study included parallel examinations of the antibodies in the sera of the three individuals. The specificity of the B-anti-B reaction was demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The powerful anti-B antibody of the mother had no effect on the group A twin, in whose serum anti-B was present in large amounts. In vitro, studied by the usual technics of cross absorption the maternal and the fetal anti-A and anti-B serum antibodies behaved as if strictly specific. By applying successive absorption, elution and neutralization techniques, however, it was possible to demonstrate additional cross-reacting antibodies in the maternal serum which could be separated from one another and from the specific anti-A and anti-B antibodies. From the erythrocytes of the normal group A twin such cross-reacting antibody could be eluted. The cross-reacting anti-B antibody, isolated in pure form in eluates, could be shown to be loosely attached to group A erythrocytes without producing visible agglutination reactions while after elution from A cells it did visibly agglutinate group B cells. It could be eluted from A cells, absorbed by fresh A cells and reeluted while retaining its anti-B effect. It was neutralized by group B saliva only. A separate anti-A antibody with similar properties was eluted from B cells and specifically neutralized by group A saliva. A partial affinity of these antibodies for heterologous erythrocytes but not for specific soluble substances was thus demonstrated. These findings support neither the linkage hypothesis of cross reactions between anti-A and anti-B nor the C-anti-C hypothesis of hemolytic disease. They are in keeping with the view that group O sera contain variable complexes of anti-A and anti-B antibodies, composed of multiple fractions with different partial specificities. It is suggested that the occurrence or non-occurrence of cross-reacting antibodies found in sera of group O mothers whose infants develop hemolytic disease is best explained on this basis. It is further stressed that the demonstration of an antibody in mother or child in ABO hemolytic disease does not necessarily indicate its pathologic significance.
Effects of ethanol on shock-elicited fighting behavior in rats

Shock-induced fighting in male hooded rats was significantly increased after 0.25 cc of a 30% alcohol solution per 100 g of body weight, tended to increase after 0.50 cc per 100 g and decreased aft...
Which Factors Affect Daily Compliance With an Internet Headache Diary Among Youth With Migraine

Objective:To determine the specific factors that affect Internet headache diary compliance among youth with primary headaches.Materials and Methods:Patients aged 10 to 18 years completed a 90-day Internet-based headache diary with date-stamping and time-stamping features that allowed compliance moni
Medium and Message: Globalization and innovation in the production field of Indian fashion

How do unconventional innovations become accepted in creative industries? To uncover the process by which conventions changed in the field of Indian fashion, we analysed the content of all 586 articles on fashion published in India’s leading fashion magazine during a 20-year period. The results of this exploratory analysis indicate that a regulatory change triggered economic liberalization in India, and the resultant globalizing forces facilitated interdiscursivity in the fashion media. As a result, the conventions of the global fashion paradigm permeated the Indian media discourse, gained acceptance, and came to co-exist with the previous “local” model of fashion and its conventions. This process increased the visibility of innovations that were previously peripheral in the field. The findings offer initial insights into the processes of change in creative industries, which are characterized as being relatively difficult to alter. The results have implications for organizational research in the areas of ...
Periventricular-Intraventricular Hemorrhage

This article reviews the pathophysiology of PV-IVH, the clinical aspects, the means of establishing the diagnosis, and the problem of posthemorrhagic ventricular dilation. The most recent advances are emphasized.
Diagnostic Challenges of Cryptococcus neoformans in an Immunocompetent Individual Masquerading as Chronic Hydrocephalus

Cryptococcus neoformans can cause disseminated meningoencephalitis and evade immunosurveillance with expression of a major virulence factor, the polysaccharide capsule. Direct diagnostic assays often rely on the presence of the cryptococcal glucuronoxylomannan capsular antigen (CrAg) or visualization of the capsule. Strain specific phenotypic traits and environmental conditions influence differences in expression that can thereby compromise detection and timely diagnosis. Immunocompetent hosts may manifest clinical signs and symptoms indolently, often expanding the differential and delaying appropriate treatment and diagnosis. We describe a 63-year-old man who presented with a progressive four-year history of ambulatory dysfunction, headache, and communicating hydrocephalus. Serial lumbar punctures (LPs) revealed elevated protein (153–300 mg/dL), hypoglycorrhachia (19–47 mg/dL), lymphocytic pleocytosis (89–95% lymphocyte, WBC 67–303 mg/dL, and RBC 34–108 mg/dL), and normal opening pressure (13–16 cm H2O). Two different cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) CrAg assays were negative. A large volume CSF fungal culture grew unencapsulated C. neoformans. He was initiated on induction therapy with amphotericin B plus flucytosine and consolidation/maintenance therapy with flucytosine, but he died following discharge due to complications. Elevated levels of CSF Th1 cytokines and decreased IL6 may have affected the virulence and detection of the pathogen.
Predictability and Dynamics of Tropical Cyclone Rapid Intensification Deduced from High-Resolution Stochastic Ensembles

AbstractRapid intensification (RI) of tropical cyclones (TCs) remains one of the most challenging issues in TC prediction. This study investigates the predictability of RI, the uncertainty in predicting RI timing, and the dynamical processes associated with RI. To address the question of environmental versus internal control of RI, five high-resolution ensembles of Hurricane Earl (2010) were generated with scale-dependent stochastic perturbations from synoptic to convective scales. Although most members undergo RI and intensify into major hurricanes, the timing of RI is highly uncertain. While environmental conditions including SST control the maximum TC intensity and the likelihood of RI during the TC lifetime, both environmental and internal factors contribute to uncertainty in RI timing. Complex interactions among environmental vertical wind shear, the mean vortex, and internal convective processes govern the TC intensification process and lead to diverse pathways to maturity. Although the likelihood o...
Do Prior Driveline Infections Increase the Risk of Infection in Heart Transplant Patients Treated With Rabbit Antithymocyte Globulin Induction Therapy

Abstract Background The use of mechanical circulatory support devices (MCSDs) has been increasing over the past several years. Driveline infections (DLIs) are one of the most common complications seen in these patients; reportedly, up to 50% of patients with MCSDs can develop this complication. It is believed that the removal of the driveline results in treatment of the localized infection area. MCSD patients are also known to develop circulating antibodies. These circulating antibodies have been associated with poor outcomes after heart transplantation. The use of rabbit antithymocyte globulin (ATG) as induction therapy reportedly decreases the development of circulating antibodies; it is now commonly used in sensitized patients undergoing heart transplantation. It is unknown whether ATG induction therapy immediate posttransplant will increase the risk of infection of those MCSD patients with DLIs. Methods Between 2003 and 2013, we evaluated 57 MCSD patients who subsequently underwent heart transplantation and received ATG induction therapy. Patients were divided into those with previous MCSD DLI and those without, and they were assessed for 1-year freedom from infection (specifically, sternal wound infections). One-year survival and freedom from treated rejection, both cellular and antibody mediated, were also assessed. Results MCSD patients with DLIs who received ATG induction did not have a lower freedom from any treated infection and from sternal wound infection posttransplant compared with those MCSD patients without DLIs and not treated with ATG induction. There were also no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of 1-year posttransplant survival and freedom from treated rejection. Conclusions The use of ATG induction in patients with prior DLIs did not seem to increase the risk for posttransplant infection (eg, sternal wound infection). ATG induction can therefore be safely used in this population.
What's your philosophy?

In his recent book Faith, Science and Understanding, the physicist-turned-Anglican priest John Polkinghorne makes the claim that, in practice at least, "almost all scientists" are, philosophically speaking, critical realists. A reviewer in this magazine questioned that claim (Physics World April 2001 pp49–50). "Where," he wondered, "are the statistics?" The reviewer might then have added: "What does Polkinghorne mean by critical realism?" and "What difference does it make?rdquo;
Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastasis: Evolving Paradigms and Future Directions

In patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) that metastasizes to the liver, there are several key goals for improving outcomes including early detection, effective prognostic indicators of treatment response, and accurate identification of patients at high risk for recurrence. Although new therapeutic regimens developed over the past decade have increased survival, there is substantial room for improvement in selecting targeted treatment regimens for the patients who will derive the most benefit. Recently, there have been exciting developments in identifying high-risk patient cohorts, refinements in the understanding of systemic vs localized drug delivery to metastatic niches, liquid biomarker development, and dramatic advances in tumor immune therapy, all of which promise new and innovative approaches to tackling the problem of detecting and treating the metastatic spread of CRC to the liver. Our multidisciplinary group held a state-of-the-science symposium this past year to review advances in this rapidly evolving field. Herein, we present a discussion around the issues facing treatment of patients with CRC liver metastases, including the relationship of discrete gene signatures with prognosis. We also discuss the latest advances to maximize regional and systemic therapies aimed at decreasing intrahepatic recurrence, review recent insights into the tumor microenvironment, and summarize advances in noninvasive multimodal biomarkers for early detection of primary and recurrent disease. As we continue to advance clinically and technologically in the field of colorectal tumor biology, our goal should be continued refinement of predictive and prognostic studies to decrease recurrence after curative resection and minimize treatment toxicity to patients through a tailored multidisciplinary approach to cancer care.
Implementation of clinical practice changes by experienced anesthesiologists after simulation-based ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia training

BACKGROUND Anesthesiologists who have finished formal training and want to learn ultrasound-guided regional anesthesia (UGRA) commonly attend 1 day workshops. However, it is unclear whether participation actually changes clinical practice. We assessed change implementation after completion of a 1 day simulation-based UGRA workshop. METHODS Practicing anesthesiologists who participated in a 1 day UGRA course from January 2012 through May 2014 were surveyed. The course consisted of clinical observation of UGRA procedures, didactic lectures, ultrasound scanning, hands-on perineural catheter placement, and mannequin simulation. The primary outcome was the average number of UGRA blocks per month reported at follow-up versus baseline. Secondary outcomes included preference for ultrasound as the nerve localization technique, ratings of UGRA teaching methods, and obstacles to performing UGRA. RESULTS Survey data from 46 course participants (60% response rate) were included for analysis. Participants were (median [10th-90th percentile]) 50 (37-63) years old, had been in practice for 17 (5-30) years, and were surveyed 27 (10-34) months after their UGRA training. Participants reported performing 24 (4-90) blocks per month at follow-up compared to 10 (2-24) blocks at baseline (P < 0.001). Compared to baseline, more participants at follow-up preferred ultrasound for nerve localization. The major obstacle to implementing UGRA in clinical practice was time pressure. CONCLUSIONS Participation in a 1 day simulation-based UGRA course may increase UGRA procedural volume by practicing anesthesiologists.
State disinvestment, technologies of choice and ‘fitting in’: neoliberal transformations in US public education

AbstractGiven state cuts to US public education, overcrowding and underfunding in urban district schools continue to grow. Yet, how parents understand the role of state disinvestment on underfunded and overcrowded public schools remains relatively unexamined. Drawing from an ethnographic study of school choice in Arizona, I explore how a group of white parents from diverse income and educational levels, who exited their child from a district school to enroll in a charter school, articulated state disinvestment in their everyday lives. Findings show that parents blamed local schools for what were largely the effects of state disinvestment. In particular, parents connected underfunding and overcrowding with a lack of district responsiveness to individual concerns to express the view that dire conditions were a personal and not a collective problem. Concurrent with the view that they were ‘were forced to choose’ a charter school due to a lack of district responsiveness, parents developed the belief that choi...
Demand Information Sharing in a Supply Chain of Durable Goods with Pricing Decisions

Problem definition: We study a supply chain of durable good product consisted of a retailer with demand forecast information and a manufacturer. The retailer's demand information is about the popularity of the product, which can help the supply chain members to better price the product. We examine how the retailer's policy to share his forecasts with the manufacturer depends on the durability and the production cost of the product. Academic/Practical relevance: In a supply chain, the retailer usually has better demand forecasts than the manufacturer. The demand forecast of the retailer can help the supply chain in many contexts including optimal pricing of a new product. Consequently, in supply chain management, demand information sharing has received substantial attention. This paper studies how the retailer's forecast sharing decision depends on "durability" of the product. Methodology: We employ an analytical microeconomic model for our analysis. Results: We show that when there is medium dispersion in the popularity of the product, the durability of the product has a large impact on the optimal information sharing policy of the retailer. In such cases, the retailer should share his information with the manufacturer when (i) the production cost is large and the product is not very durable, or (ii) when the production cost is small and the product is very durable, or (iii) the production cost is intermediate and the durability of the product is intermediate. Managerial implications: The previous literature analyzed forecasting sharing without durability. We demonstrate the importance of durability on forecasting sharing which impacts the supply chain performance. The insights from the paper helps the retail practitioners' to decide in which context they should share their demand information with their upstream partners, and guides the upstream firms to know when to consider working with the retailers to elicit their forecast information.
Lunar volcanism produced a transient atmosphere around the ancient Moon

Abstract Studies of the lunar atmosphere have shown it to be a stable, low-density surface boundary exosphere for the last 3 billion years. However, substantial volcanic activity on the Moon prior to 3 Ga may have released sufficient volatiles to form a transient, more prominent atmosphere. Here, we calculate the volume of mare basalt emplaced as a function of time, then estimate the corresponding production of volatiles released during the mare basalt-forming eruptions. Results indicate that during peak mare emplacement and volatile release ∼3.5 Ga, the maximum atmospheric pressure at the lunar surface could have reached ∼1 kPa, or ∼1.5 times higher than Mars' current atmospheric surface pressure. This lunar atmosphere may have taken ∼70 million years to fully dissipate. Most of the volatiles released by mare basalts would have been lost to space, but some may have been sequestered in permanently shadowed regions on the lunar surface. If only 0.1% of the mare water vented during these eruptions remains in the polar regions of the Moon, volcanically-derived volatiles could account for all hydrogen deposits – suspected to be water – currently observed in the Moon's permanently shadowed regions. Future missions to such locations may encounter evidence of not only asteroidal, cometary, and solar wind-derived volatiles, but also volatiles vented from the interior of the Moon.
The Debt Crisis and the US Economy

This chapter reviews the American public debt, and shows that it has been increasing in size and in relation to gross domestic product (GDP), exceeding $20 trillion in 2017. Assuming recent growth rates will continue, the United States will accumulate more debt and pay more to service it. For the country to start repaying its debt, it has to have a budget surplus that exceeds interest payments. In view of current deficits, interest payments and rates of growth, the United States will never be able to repay its debt. Therefore, its monetary and fiscal policies need to be changed to increase revenues and reduce spending, or alternatively find a creative idea to repay its debt now—which the Ramo Plan is designed to do.
Energy based performance tuning for large scale high performance computing systems

Recognition of the importance of power in the field of High Performance Computing, whether it be as an obstacle, expense or design consideration, has never been greater and more pervasive. In response to this challenge, we exploit the unique power measurement capabilities of the Cray XT architecture to gain an understanding of the power requirements of important DOE/NNSA production scientific computing applications executing at large scale (thousands of nodes). The effect of both CPU frequency and network bandwidth scaling on power usage is characterized in a series of empirical experiments and demonstrates energy savings opportunities of up to 39% with little to no impact on run-time performance. Our results provide strong evidence that next generation large-scale platforms should not only approach CPU frequency scaling differently, but could also benefit from the ability to tune other platform components, such as the network, to achieve energy efficient performance.
Attentional and evaluative biases help people maintain relationships by avoiding infidelity.

Two longitudinal studies of 233 newlywed couples suggest that automatic attentional and evaluative biases regarding attractive relationship alternatives can help people maintain relationships by avoiding infidelity. Both studies assessed participants’ tendency to automatically disengage attention from photos of attractive, opposite sex individuals; one study assessed participants’ tendency to devalue those individuals by comparing their attractiveness evaluations to evaluations made by single people, and both studies assessed infidelity and relationship status multiple times for approximately three years. Several sources of devaluation emerged, but only participants’ history of short-term sex predicted both biases; having more short-term sexual partners was associated with being slower to disengage attention from attractive alternatives, and, among men, evaluating such individuals more positively. In turn, both processes exerted indirect effects on relationship dissolution by predicting infidelity; being 100 ms faster to disengage attention from attractive alternatives or rating them 2 scale points lower in attractiveness was associated with a decrease in the odds of infidelity of approximately 50%; the effect of devaluation on infidelity was stronger among participants who evidenced steeper declines in marital satisfaction. These associations emerged because unfaithful individuals took longer to disengage attention from attractive alternatives compared with other social targets and did not differ from singles in their evaluations of those alternatives. Among several other predictors of infidelity, partner attractiveness was associated with a decrease in the odds of infidelity among men but not women. These findings suggest a role for basic psychological processes in predicting infidelity, highlight the critical role of automatic processes in relationship functioning, and suggest novel ways to promote relationship success. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved)
Xenophobia, Belonging and Agency: Citizenship in Immigrant America

Neoliberal globalization’s promise of economic growth – along with war, famine, environmental disasters, and other social dislocating events – has led to mass migration under dire conditions. Immig...
Metabolic Syndrome Severity and Risk of CKD and Worsened GFR: The Jackson Heart Study.

Background/Aims: The metabolic syndrome (MetS), as assessed using dichotomous criteria, is associated with increased risk of future chronic kidney disease (CKD), though this relationship is unclear among African Americans, who have lower risk for MetS but higher risk for CKD. Methods: We performed logistic regression using a sex- and race-specific MetS-severity z-score to assess risk of incident CKD among 2,627 African-American participants of the Jackson Heart Study, assessed at baseline and 8 years later. Based on quartile of baseline MetS severity, we further assessed prevalence of being in the lowest quartile of baseline GFR, the lowest quartile of relative GFR at follow-up, microalbuminuria and incident CKD. Results: Higher MetS-severity was associated with higher prevalence of GFR in the lowest quartile at baseline among males and females. Among African-American females but not males, higher baseline MetS-severity was associated with a higher prevalence of baseline elevations in microabuminuria (p<0.01), steep decline in GFR (p<0.001) and a higher incidence of CKD (p<0.0001). Women in increasing quartiles of baseline MetS-severity exhibited a linear trend toward higher odds of future CKD (p<0.05), with those in the 4th quartile of MetS-severity (compared to the 1st) having an odds ratio of 2.47 (95% confidence interval 1.13, 5.37); no such relationship was seen among men (p value for trend 0.49). Conclusion: MetS-severity exhibited sex-based interactions regarding risk for future GFR deterioration and CKD, with increasing risk in women but not men. These data may have implications for triggering CKD screening among African-American women with higher degrees of MetS-severity.