cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adsorption and diffusion of Pt and Au on the stoichiometric and reduced Ti O 2 rutile (110) surfaces

A comparative ab initio pseudopotential study of the adsorption and migration profiles of single neutral Pt and Au atoms on the stoichiometric and reduced $\mathrm{Ti}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ rutile (110) surfaces is presented. Pt and Au behave similarly with respect to (i) most favorable adsorption sites, (ii) the large increase in their binding energy when the surface is reduced, and (iii) their low migration barrier on the stoichiometric surface. Pt, on the other hand, binds more strongly (by $\ensuremath{\sim}2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{eV}$) to both surfaces. On the stoichiometric surface, Pt migration pattern is expected to be one dimensional, which is primarily influenced by interactions with O atoms. Au migration is expected to be two dimensional, with $\mathrm{Au}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{Ti}$ interactions playing a more important role. On the reduced surface, the migration barrier of Pt trapped at an O vacancy site is significantly larger compared to that of Au.
Health effects of persistent organic pollutants: the challenge for the Pacific Basin and for the world.

Persistent organic pollutants include some organo-metals, such as methylmercury; lipophilic halogenated organics, such as dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated pesticides, and polybrominated fl ame retardants; and perfl uorinated compounds used as repellants. These compounds are resistant to degradation both in the environment and in the human body and tend to bioaccumulate within the food chain. Persistent organic pollutants cause a variety of adverse health effects, including cancer, immune system suppression, decrements in cognitive and neurobehavioral function, disruption of sex steroid and thyroid function, and at least some of them increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Some compounds are byproducts of industry and combustion. Although the manufacture and use of most man-made chemicals has been reduced in recent years, the levels currently present in the population are still associated with an elevated risk of human disease. Others are still manufactured and used. These are dangerous chemicals that have contaminated even areas remote from the industrialized world, such as the polar regions.
MotionMontage: a system to annotate and combine motion takes for 3D animations

We present MotionMontage, a system for recording multiple motion takes of a rigid virtual object and compositing them together into a montage. Our system incorporates a Kinect-based performance capture setup that allows animators to create 3D animations by tracking the motion of a rigid physical object and mapping it in realtime onto a virtual object. The animator then temporally annotates the best parts of each take. MotionMontage merges the annotated motions into a single composite montage using a combination of dynamic time warping and optimization of a Semi-Markov Conditional Random Field. Our system also supports the creation of layered animations in which multiple objects are moving at the same time. To aid the animator in coordinating the motions of the objects we provide spatial markers which indicate the positions of previously recorded objects at user-specified points in time. We perform a user study to evaluate the perceived quality of the montages created with our system and find that viewers (including both the original animators and new viewers) generally prefer the animation montage to any individual take.
A Technique for Analyzing Environmental Issues.

Abstract Teaching students to deal with issues appears to be a major component of environmental education. However, complex environmental issues are often confusing for students. The issue analysis technique presented here allows learners to organize information about an issue in a sound conceptual framework.
Effects of three-body and backflow correlations in the two-dimensional electron gas.

We investigate the effects of three-body and backflow correlations on ground-state properties of the two-dimensional electron gas by both variational and fixed-node Green's function Monte Carlo methods. It is found that the backflow effect is dominant over the three-body effect at high density (${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$\ensuremath{\sim}1) while they are of equal importance at the lowest density considered (${\mathit{r}}_{\mathit{s}}$\ensuremath{\sim}20). With these correlations, we find significant improvements in both variational and fixed-node energies over the Slater-Jastrow results which consider only two-body correlation. The effects are comparable to those in bulk $^{3}\mathrm{He}$. We present an analytic expression for the correlation energy of the two-dimensional electron gas as a function of the density.
Fatigue Crack Propagation in Metals and Polymers with a Unified Formulation

Abstract As the traditional ΔK‐based fatigue crack propagation (FCP) law has recently been elucidated by Chow and his group [1–7] to be inadequate for a complete description of fatigue cracking, we examine in this investigation the applicability of a unified formulation for characterizing FCP of both metals and nonmetals. We start by defining a new cyclic J‐integral, ΔJ, which, under the confines of linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM), is equivalent to the range of elastic strain energy release rate, ΔG. ΔJ (or ΔG) is used as a proper criterion for FCP so long as the crack does not extend during the unloading portion of one load reversal. ΔJ (or ΔG) as such is also interpreted as the source supplier for the energy flow rate dissipated on crack‐tip cyclic plastic deformations. It is then assumed that, under fixed test conditions, the minimum specific work of fracture required for fatigue crack initiation, ΔJth, is a material property independent of the load ratio R. Fatigue threshold values thus predi...
Dissecting the Total Transition State Stabilization Provided by Amino Acid Side Chains at Orotidine 5′-Monophosphate Decarboxylase: A Two-Part Substrate Approach†

Kinetic analysis of decarboxylation catalyzed by S154A, Q215A, and S154A/Q215A mutant yeast orotidine 5′-monophosphate decarboxylases with orotidine 5′-monophosphate (OMP) and with a truncated nucleoside substrate (EO) activated by phosphite dianion shows (1) the side chain of Ser-154 stabilizes the transition state through interactions with the pyrimidine rings of OMP or EO, (2) the side chain of Gln-215 interacts with the phosphodianion group of OMP or with phosphite dianion, and (3) the interloop hydrogen bond between the side chains of Ser-154 and Gln-215 orients the amide side chain of Gln-215 to interact with the phosphodianion group of OMP or with phosphite dianion.
Molecular Fluorescence accompanying the Twilight Injection of Triethylborane into the Upper Atmosphere

A RECENT note1 described the yellow–green fluorescence which resulted from the injection of triethylborane into the upper atmosphere. At that time, the radiating species which produced this fluorescence was not identified, and a spectrum has since been obtained from a similar release of triethylborane.
Photovoltaic Effects In II-VI Heterojunctions

Photovoltaic effects have been investigated in II-VI heterojunctions prepared by close-space vapor transport, vacuum evaporation, spray pyrolysis and sputtering. Solar efficiencies of about 8% have been measured for the following systems: (a) n-CdS film deposited on single crystal p-CdTe by vacuum evaporation, (b) n-ZnCdS film deposited on single crystal p-CdTe by spray pyrolysis, and (c) n-Indium-Tin Oxide film deposited on single crystal p-CdTe by sputtering in an inert atmosphere. Open-circuit voltages greater than 0.8 V have been measured in heterojunctions of type (b) and (c), as well as in CdTe p-n homojunctions produced by ion implantation.
I won’t let you down… or will I? Core self-evaluations, other-orientation, anticipated guilt and gratitude, and job performance.

Although core self-evaluations have been linked to higher job performance, research has shown variability in the strength of this relationship. We propose that high core self-evaluations are more likely to increase job performance for other-oriented employees, who tend to anticipate feelings of guilt and gratitude. We tested these hypotheses across 3 field studies using different operationalizations of both performance and other-orientation (prosocial motivation, agreeableness, and duty). In Study 1, prosocial motivation strengthened the association between core self-evaluations and the performance of professional university fundraisers. In Study 2, agreeableness strengthened the association between core self-evaluations and supervisor ratings of initiative among public service employees. In Study 3, duty strengthened the association between core self-evaluations and the objective productivity of call center employees, and this moderating relationship was mediated by feelings of anticipated guilt and gratitude. We discuss implications for theory and research on personality and job performance.
Obliquity factor for radiation from solid-state laser

The radiated field consists of forward radiation at an angle ? and backward radiation at ? ? ? reflected from the dielectric-air interface into an additional component of field at angle ?. The total radiation contains a factor that simplifies into an expression recently obtained by more sophisticated methods, and which is here interpreted as the Huygens obliquity factor for the arrangement. A small correction to the expression is also obtained.
Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a lymph node of the parotid sheath simulating condylar tumor

Abstract A case of rnucoepidermoid carcinoma arising in a lymph node adjacent to the parotid sheath and clinically simulating a eondylar tumor is described in a 14-year-old boy. The tumor appears to have arisen from an ectopic salivary gland inclusion present in a lymph node of the parotid sheath. The patient is the youngest recorded patient with this type of tumor.
Hoplonemertine worms—a new source of pyridine neurotoxins

Two pyridine bases were isolated from the marine hoplonemertineAmphiporus angulatus (Fabricius) and identified by mass and PMR-spectroscopy as 2,3′-bipyridyl and 3,2′; 3′,2″; 4″,3′''-tetrapyridyl (Nemertelline). Nemertelline, the first tetrapyridyl natural product to be reported, shows a structural resemblance to the tobacco constituent nicotelline. The crustacean toxicity of 2,3′-bipyridyl is very similar to that of nicotine, but its mammalian toxicity is negligible.
A Normal Capillary Refill Time of ≤ 2 Seconds is Associated with Superior Vena Cava Oxygen Saturations of ≥ 70%

Objective To test the hypothesis that a normal capillary refill time (CRT) ≤ 2 seconds is associated with superior vena cava oxygen saturation (ScvO 2 ) ≥ 70% in critically ill children. Study design Two-year, prospective study in a tertiary-level pediatric intensive care unit. Whenever ScvO 2 measurements were obtained, central (forehead/sternum) and peripheral (finger/toe) CRTs were concomitantly assessed. Results Central and peripheral CRTs ≤ 2 seconds were both associated with ScvO 2 ≥ 70% ( P 2 ≥ 70%. Peripheral CRT ≤ 2 seconds had a sensitivity of 71.9%, specificity of 85.7%, positive predictive value of 95.8%, and negative predictive value of 40.0% in predicting ScvO 2 ≥ 70%. Conclusions A normal CRT ≤ 2 seconds can be predictive of ScvO 2 ≥ 70%. Our study corroborates the recommendations of the Pediatric Advanced Life Support curricula targeting a normal CRT ≤ 2 seconds as a therapeutic endpoint for goal-directed shock resuscitation. This clinical target remains particularly relevant in community hospitals when the ability to obtain central venous catheter access may be limited and ScvO 2 data unavailable.
Existence and regularity for solutions of the Korteweg-de Vries equation

The construction suggested by an inverse-scattering analysis establishes the existence of solutions u(x, t) of the Korteweg-de Vries equation subject to an initial condition u(x, 0)=U(x), where U has certain regularity and decay properties. It is assumed that UeC3(ℝ), that U is piecewise of class C 4, and that U (j) decays at an algebraic rate for j≦4. The faster the decay of U (j) the smoother the solution will be for t≠0. If U and its first four derivatives decay faster than ¦x¦−n for all n, then the solution will be infinitely differentiable for t≠0. For t>0, the decay rate of u(x, t) as x→ + ∞ increases with the decay rate of U; but the decay rate as x→ -∞ depends on the regularity of U. A solution u 1 of the Korteweg-de Vries equation such that u 1(·, 0)eC∞(ℝ) may fail to remain in class C ∞ for all time if u 1(x, 0) does not decay fast enough as ¦x¦→∞.
PHARMACOKINETICS OF DICLOXACILLIN IN PATIENTS WITH CYSTIC FIBROSIS

The frequent episodes of peribronchial pneumonia seen in patients with cystic fibrosis require antibiotic administration often with anti-staphylococcal agents. Until now the data upon which to base dosage regimens have not been available. Serum dicloxacillin concentrations and urinary excretion rates were measured in 10 patients ranging in age from 9 to 22 years and in 5 normal adult subjects at various times after oral administration of a single dose (6.25 mg/kg) of antibiotic suspension in order to investigate absorption and disposition kinetics. The disease did not appear to cause impaired absorption of the antibiotic since the total urinary recovery of the drug in the patients usually exceeded that of normal subjects. However, the peak plasma levels and areas under the concentration versus time curves of dicloxacillin were much lower and more variable in the patients than in the normal subjects. Less antibiotic is therefore available for therapeutic effect. This was the result of unusually high renal clearances of dicloxacillin (3x normal). It was significant that the dicloxacillin:creatinine clearance ratios (1.55 versus 0.87, respectively) were larger in the patients than in normal subjects. Because of this rapid renal excretion, treatment of cystic fibrosis patients with dicloxacillin warrants use of increased doses. Measurements of the serum concentration of the antibiotic may be needed to assure adequacy of therapy.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis KatG is a peroxynitritase.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides within the highly oxidative environment of the human macrophage and previous reports have indicated that these mycobacteria are susceptible to reactive nitrogen intermediates including peroxynitrite. This work provides evidence that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis hemoprotein KatG acts as an efficient peroxynitritase exhibiting a kapp of 1.4 x 10(5) M-1s-1 for peroxynitrite decomposition at pH 7.4 and 37 degrees C. The ability of KatG to act as a peroxynitritase adds to its growing list of enzymatic activities and may in part explain the ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to persist in macrophages.
Dynamic reprogramming of chromatin: paradigmatic palimpsests and HES factors.

Temporal and spatial control of transcription in development is dictated to a great extent by transcriptional repressors. Some repressor complexes, such as Polycomp-group proteins, induce relatively long-term non-permissive states, whereas others such as Hairy/Enhancer of Split (HES) family repressors are linked to dynamically modulated chromatin states associated with cycling expression of target genes. The mode of action and specificity of repressors involved in mediating this latter form of epigenetic control are unknown. Oscillating expression of HES repressors controlled by signaling pathways such as Notch suggests that the entire ensemble of HES–associated co-repressors and histone modifying complexes readily cycle on and off genes. Dynamic interactions between these factors and chromatin seem to be crucial in maintaining multipotency of progenitor cells, but the significance of such interactions in more differentiated cells is less well understood. We discuss here how genome-wide analyses and real-time gene expression measurements of HES regulated genes can help decipher the detailed mechanisms and biological importance of highly dynamic transcriptional switching mediated by epigenetic changes.
Polaron transport in the paramagnetic phase of electron-doped manganites

The electrical resistivity, Hall coefficient, and thermopower as functions of temperature are reported for lightly electron-doped ${\mathrm{Ca}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{La}}_{x}\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ $(0\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.10)$. Unlike the case of hole-doped ferromagnetic manganites, the magnitude and temperature dependence of the Hall mobility $({\ensuremath{\mu}}_{H})$ for these compounds is found to be inconsistent with small-polaron theory. The transport data are better described by the Feynman polaron theory and imply intermediate coupling $(\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\simeq}5.4)$ with a band effective mass ${m}^{*}\ensuremath{\sim}4.3{m}_{0}$ and a polaron mass ${m}_{p}\ensuremath{\sim}10{m}_{0}$.
Tenured faculty on soft money.

The vulnerability of nontenured faculty whose salary comes from “soft money” is examined by Marcia Barinaga in her News Focus article “Soft money's hard realities” (22 Sept., p. [2024][1]). This situation is wide-spread in the academic community, but there is another group of faculty who is vulnerable that Barinaga does not mention: Ph.D. scientists (full-time, nonclinical faculty) in clinical departments of medical schools. These faculty are tenured, yet they receive all or most of their salary from their grants (that is, soft money). A case in point is the situation at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. Academic advancement and the award of tenure for such faculty are subject to the same rigor as for faculty elsewhere in the university, and in all various degrees participate in the teaching programs at Case Western. The university has taken the position that it will not be beholden for the salary of faculty whose support comes from soft money such as grants in the event that such ceases, tenure status notwithstanding. Thus, obtaining tenure does not always solve the problems associated with soft money. The “security” held implicit in the concept of tenure is not universal. [1]: /lookup/doi/10.1126/science.289.5487.2024
Sulfotransferase gene expression in primary cultures of rat hepatocytes

Abstract Hepatocyte cultures have been used in pharmacotoxicological studies, and sulfotransferases (ST) are important drug-metabolizing enzymes in liver. The expression of sulfotransferases in hepatocyte cultures has not been examined systematically. In the present study, the mRNA levels of different sulfotransferases in male and female rat hepatocytes were examined by northern-blot analyses. Various culture conditions such as different matrices (collagen, matrigel, collagen sandwich, or co-culture with epithelial cells), medium (Waymouth's MB 752/1 and Modified Chee's Medium) and glucocorticoid supplementation (dexamethasone, 0.1 μM) were compared. Phenol ST (ST1A1) mRNA levels decreased to about 50% of initial mRNA levels within 10 hr of culture. At 96 hr, ST1 Al mRNA levels were approximately 20% of initial values when cultured on collagen, matrigel or co-culture. The two media did not differ in ability to maintain ST1A1 mRNA levels in the absence of dexamethasone (DEX); however, DEX addition to either medium resulted in ST1A1 mRNA levels greater than 100% of the initial mRNA levels at 96 hr, with the greatest increase observed using the matrigel substratum and Chee's medium. In the absence of DEX, the mRNA levels of N-hydroxy-2acetylaminofluorene Sulfotransferase (ST1C1), estrogen sulfotransferase (ST1E2) and hydroxysteroid sulfotransferase (ST-20/21, ST-40/41, ST-60) fell to approximately 20% of their initial levels within 24 hr, and to less than 5% at 96 hr. The loss of expression of these sulfotransferases was observed with all culture conditions. Addition of DEX to the media resulted in ST-40/41 and ST-60 mRNA expression at 20 and 35% of their initial values, respectively, in cultures maintained on matrigel and Chee's medium at 96 hr. These data suggest that sulfotransferases lose their constitutive expression in hepatocyte culture, but retain their inducibility.
Effect of Ceria on the Storage and Regeneration Behavior of a Model Lean NOx Trap Catalyst

In this study the effect of ceria addition on the performance of a model Ba-based lean NOx trap (LNT) catalyst was examined. The presence of ceria improved NOx storage capacity in the temperature range 200–400 °C under both continuous lean and lean-rich cycling conditions. Temperature-programmed experiments showed that NOx stored in the ceria-containing catalyst was thermally less stable and more reactive to reduction with both H2 and CO as reductants, albeit at the expense of additional reductant consumed by reduction of the ceria. These findings demonstrate that the incorporation of ceria in LNTs not only improves NOx storage efficiency but also positively impacts LNT regeneration behavior.
Framing Non-Whites and Producing Second-Class Citizens in France and Portugal

The quality of contemporary democracies hinges on the breadth and depth of the citizenship regimes on which democracy ultimately rests. This article argues that, to assess citizenship, two important dimensions are of crucial interest, namely to what extent formal citizens are able to live and practice substantive citizenship roles and, secondly, how access to citizenship rights is used by different societal groups in order to defend privilege. Having conducted a comparative case study of Portugal and France, I then argue that political elites are contributing to a framing of non-whites as foreigners and immigrants because it serves their purpose and that of the majority of their electorate. I also demonstrate how academia contributes to this framing, as many scholars seem unable to free themselves from biased academic traditions, some of which are clearly racist.
Fitting in to the French Resistance: Marie-Madeleine Fourcade and Georges Loustaunau-Lacau at the Intersection of Politics and Gender

This article explores the political and gendered representations of Georges Loustaunau-Lacau and Marie-Madeleine Meric (later Fourcade), leaders of a French Resistance network during the Second World War. Both leaders came from the extreme-right and their commitment to the Resistance was questioned both during and after the war by critics who could not reconcile their rightist politics with the nature of resistance to the German occupation. Meric’s role as a female Resistance leader, moreover, was also highlighted in wartime reports and not always positively. In the postwar period, the representations of both resisters changed alongside the changing narrative about the French Resistance more generally. Loustaunau-Lacau continued to be a target for politically motivated accusations that questioned his Resistance record right up until his death, as he did not fit into the dominant Gaullist narrative. While Meric’s political capital improved, thanks to her conversion to Gaullism, she gets nudged out of many ...
Data fusion for Canadian army applications

We describe data fusion technology relevant to two applications of potential benefit to the Canadian army. The first application is a local situational awareness system (LSAS) while the second is a versatile surveillance platform. The LSAS improves an armored vehicle crew's ability to recognize and locate threats and hazards without leaving the relative safety of their vehicle. It is designed primarily to protect the soldiers involved. The surveillance application augments an operator's ability to detect and track objects of interest. This is desirable in modern environments where there are large numbers of closely spaced potential targets.
A New Combination for the Indian Progenitor of Sesame, Sesamum indicum (Pedaliaceae)

The new combination Sesamum indicum L. subsp. malabaricum (Burm.) Bedigian (Pedaliaceae) is provided for the progenitor of sesame. Both lectotype and epitype for S. malabaricum Burm., the basionym of the new combination, are designated herein. A plate (van Rheede tot Draakestein, 1689: tab. 55) mentioned in the original protologue (Burman, 1769) is designated here as the lectotype for S. indicum L. subsp. malabaricum (Burm.) Bedigian. Previously published evidence about the relationship of S. indicum and S. malabaricum summarized here and shared morphological traits described here provide a foundation for the recognition of this taxon at the changed rank of subspecies.
Optimal DAC Design in Finite-State Controller Architectures

The design of a finite-state controller entails not just the design of the finite-state Compensator itself, but of the analog-to-digital and digital-to-analog converters that interface the plant with the compensator. This paper deals with the optimal design of the digital-to-analog converter (DAC). Algorithms for optimal converter design are described and examples are given to illustrate the methodology.
Changes in catecholamine levels in the gut and frass of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea induced by dietary ?-azetidine-2-carboxylic acid

Abstract Several studies have shown that a plant-derived lower homologue of proline, l -azetidine-2-carboxylic acid (AZC), fed to larvae of the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea , induces toxicity leading to an array of developmental defects including incomplete pupal cuticular sclerotization or tanning. Destabilized cuticular tanning has recently been shown to be correlated with a deficiency in a hemolymph catecholamine, N-β-alanyldopamine (NBAD) (Okot-Kotber and Adeyeye, 1995). Analysis of gut and frass catecholamine contents has revealed that an AZC-supplemented diet induces a two-fold increase in the excretion of dopamine (DA) and β-alanine. Also, more 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) was excreted in this group than in the controls, although overall, less DOPA was detected than DA in both cases. Four catechols of unknown structure, designated FC1, FC2, FC3 and FC4 according to their relative chromatographic retention times, were found in frass extracts with relatively higher levels in the AZC-treated larvae than in the controls. Three of these, FC1, FC2 and FC3 were also found in the diet, but FC4 was detected only in frass. Gut tissue catecholamines were much higher (by approximately 100-fold) than found in the frass. Approximately two-fold higher DOPA and seven-fold higher DA concentrations were detected in the guts of pupae with incomplete tanning, that had developed from AZC-treated larvae, compared to the controls. It appears, therefore, that the deficiency in NBAD observed in the hemolymph of AZC-fed larvae is largely caused by a slower rate of acylation of DA into NBAD, which results in the accumulation of DA in the gut. The data suggests that there is a defective β-alanyldopamine synthetase in the AZC-treated insects rather than an increased catabolism of NBAD.
Channel fade modeling for free-space optical links

A recent series of experimental measurements over atmospheric channels using an optical receiver with tilt-tip control revealed that the first order statistics were well described by a log-normal probability density function under some conditions. The second order statistics in the form of the covariance function for the natural logarithm of the normalized optical intensity were observed to be well described by a double exponential decay. This paper presents a model for the channel in terms of a pair of stochastic differential equations which can be numerically evolved in time to produce time records of faded normalized optical intensities. The first and second order statistics of the faded intensity can be matched to those actually observed in the real channel. These simulated records can then be used to design free-space optical receivers that employ packet retransmission and or forward error corrective coding architectures.
Cerebrospinal Fluid Peptides as Potential Parkinson Disease Biomarkers: A Staged Pipeline for Discovery and Validation

Finding robust biomarkers for Parkinson disease (PD) is currently hampered by inherent technical limitations associated with imaging or antibody-based protein assays. To circumvent the challenges, we adapted a staged pipeline, starting from our previous proteomic profiling followed by high-throughput targeted mass spectrometry (MS), to identify peptides in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) for PD diagnosis and disease severity correlation. In this multicenter study consisting of training and validation sets, a total of 178 subjects were randomly selected from a retrospective cohort, matching age and sex between PD patients, healthy controls, and neurological controls with Alzheimer disease (AD). From ∼14,000 unique peptides displaying differences between PD and healthy control in proteomic investigations, 126 peptides were selected based on relevance and observability in CSF using bioinformatic analysis and MS screening, and then quantified by highly accurate and sensitive selected reaction monitoring (SRM) in the CSF of 30 PD patients versus 30 healthy controls (training set), followed by diagnostic (receiver operating characteristics) and disease severity correlation analyses. The most promising candidates were further tested in an independent cohort of 40 PD patients, 38 AD patients, and 40 healthy controls (validation set). A panel of five peptides (derived from SPP1, LRP1, CSF1R, EPHA4, and TIMP1) was identified to provide an area under curve (AUC) of 0.873 (sensitivity = 76.7%, specificity = 80.0%) for PD versus healthy controls in the training set. The performance was essentially confirmed in the validation set (AUC = 0.853, sensitivity = 82.5%, specificity = 82.5%). Additionally, this panel could also differentiate the PD and AD groups (AUC = 0.990, sensitivity = 95.0%, specificity = 97.4%). Furthermore, a combination of two peptides belonging to proteins TIMP1 and APLP1 significantly correlated with disease severity as determined by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale motor scores in both the training (r = 0.381, p = 0.038)j and the validation (r = 0.339, p = 0.032) sets. The novel panel of CSF peptides, if validated in independent cohorts, could be used to assist in clinical diagnosis of PD and has the potential to help monitoring or predicting disease progression.
Digital Domain Measurement and Cancellation of Residue Amplifier Nonlinearity in Pipelined ADCs

Digital correction and calibration techniques have been extensively used to cancel linear circuit imperfections in pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs). The self-calibration technique proposed in this paper provides a means of measuring and canceling nonlinear errors of interstage amplifiers in the digital domain. The calibration of nonlinearity coefficients is based on pseudorandom signal modulation and evaluation of digital code histograms. The scheme does not introduce additional precision hardware or test signals and operates in the background without interrupting normal converter operation. The simulation results of a 12-bit ADC show that the calibration is capable of improving the effective number of bits from 7 to 11.8 while achieving parameter adaptation time constants on the order of 100 ms at a sampling rate of 100 MS/s.
An Adaptive Internal Model Controller

A modified internal model control scheme is introduced, which can significantly improve response to disturbance changes. It is applicable to open loop unstable systems, but not to systems with zeroes outside the unit circle. An adaptive controller is then designed, which uses a "standard" internal model control law when the parameter estimates are poor, but switches to the new control scheme when the estimates improve. Simulations show that this adaptive controller handles well both set point and disturbance changes.
Construction of a physical map on mouse and human chromosome 1: comparison of 13 Mb of mouse and 11 Mb of human DNA

Long range restriction site maps of 13 Mb of mouse chromosome 1 and 11 Mb of human chromosome 1 were constructed using a framework provided by a detailed mouse genetic map. Where an unambiguous gene order could be determined in both species (14 genes), the human and mouse orders were identical. In addition, the distances between markers in the mouse and human were similar except for one region of the conserved linkage group where we could detect a larger distance in the mouse compared to the human. These data support the use of comparative mapping in physical map construction and further suggest the value of using mouse genetics to help define human disease loci.
Associations of non‐melanoma skin cancer and melanoma, extra‐cutaneous cancers and smoking in adults: a US population‐based study

Background Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and melanoma are common malignancies in the US and may be associated with other types of cancer. Objectives We sought to determine whether NMSC and melanoma are associated with extra-cutaneous cancers and identify modifiable risk factors for such an association. Methods We analysed data from 447 801 adult participants in the 1997–2011 National Health Interview Surveys. Survey logistic regression models were constructed that accounted for the complex sample weights. History of NMSC, melanoma and 27 primary extra-cutaneous cancers was assessed. Results NMSC was associated with increased odds of one (multinomial survey logistic regression, unadjusted odds ratio [95% CI]: 2.43 [2.20–2.68]) or multiple (2.94 [2.21–3.92]) extra-cutaneous malignancies. Melanoma was also associated with increased odds of one (3.25 [2.70–3.90]) or multiple (6.11 [4.34–8.61]) extra-cutaneous malignancies. Extra-cutaneous cancers were more common in younger patients (ages 18–39 and 40–49 years) and Caucasians with NMSC or melanoma (P < 0.0001). Smokers with a history of NMSC or melanoma had even higher odds of extra-cutaneous malignancy at ages 18–39 and 40–49 years compared to smokers without NMSC or melanoma (P < 0.0001). History of NMSC was associated with higher odds of malignancies of the bladder, brain, breast, colon, oesophagus, kidney, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, prostate, soft tissue, throat/pharynx, thyroid and uterus. Melanoma was associated with malignancies of the bladder, breast, colon, kidney, lung, pancreas, prostate, soft tissue, throat/pharynx, thyroid and uterus. The prevalence of extra-cutaneous cancers increased between 1997 and 2011 in all subjects (4.51% and 5.73%, P < 0.0001), with even higher rates of increase in those with history of NMSC or melanoma. Conclusions Patients with history of NMSC and melanoma have increased odds of developing extra-cutaneous cancers, especially those with younger age and smoking history.
Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography A 25-Year Retrospective

Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goals. — –Anonymous In 1997, I wrote an invited review on myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) entitled “Myocardial Contrast Echocardiography: 15 Years of Research and Development” in the From-Bench-to-Bedside section of Circulation .1 Then, in 2003, Hiroshi Ito and I wrote a 2-piece invited review entitled “Microvasculature in Acute Myocardial Ischemia: Evolving Concepts in Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment” in the Clinical Cardiology: New Frontiers section of Circulation .2,3 In this review for the New Drugs and Technology section of Circulation , I will provide a 25-year retrospective on MCE but with emphasis on more recent developments and remaining challenges for the field. I will limit myself to myocardial imaging and will not discuss imaging of other organs or the vascular system. Likewise, I will not address the therapeutic applications of microbubble-ultrasound interactions such as drug and gene delivery or sonothrombolysis. I have organized this review into 7 sections. I begin by briefly describing some historical and technical elements so that the reader unfamiliar with MCE will be able to follow the rest of the review. I then describe the more recent studies relating to the role of MCE in the diagnosis and prognostication in acute coronary syndromes and chronic coronary artery disease (CAD), followed by assessment of myocardial viability in chronic CAD. After that, I describe advances in site-targeted or molecular imaging and certain miscellaneous findings. Finally, I discuss the remaining challenges of MCE from a clinical adoption point of view. Initial MCE studies were performed in dogs to define in vivo the area at risk during acute coronary occlusion with the use of hand-agitated solutions.4–9 Shortly thereafter, the technique of sonication was described, which allowed the production of smaller microbubbles,10 and was …
A Balancing Act: Microbe versus Muscle

Treatment of serious drug-resistant grampositive infections remains a challenge despite the development of several new antibiotics over the past 10 years. Clinical trials have consistently failed to demonstrate superiority of these new antibiotics despite promising antimicrobial profiles, and clinicians have begun searching for creative ways to improve their effectiveness. One of these agents, daptomycin, has potential to improve outcomes, especially in the treatment of bloodstream infec-
Importance resampling for global illumination

This paper develops importance resampling into a variance reduction technique for Monte Carlo integration. Importance resampling is a sample generation technique that can be used to generate more equally weighted samples for importance sampling. This can lead to significant variance reduction over standard importance sampling for common rendering problems. We show how to select the importance resampling parameters for near optimal variance reduction. We demonstrate the robustness of this technique on common global illumination problems and achieve a 10%-70% variance reduction over standard importance sampling for direct lighting. We conclude that further variance reduction could be achieved with cheaper sampling methods.
The Budget Process as Complex Civic Space Wildavsky and Radical Incrementalism

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the late Aaron Wildavsky's pluralist cultural and political theory. Wildavsky, who is an icon in the policy literature of American public administration, has often been at odds with the rational/linear paradigm that dominated the field of public policy. His work, which has found a new home in complexity theory, spans several disciplines. Yet, the greatest value of Wildavsky's early systems thinking, including his theory of radical incrementalism, may be that it provides both a theoretical base and ethical reasoning with which to meaningfully discuss the possibilities of complexity theory as a new paradigm for governing.
Say Cheese! The Revolution in the Aesthetics of Smiles

L'A. tente de determiner historiquement l'apparition de l'esthetique du sourire a pleines et belles dents tel qu'il apparait notamment dans les representations publicitaires. Il soutient l'hypothese qu'il s'agit d'un phenomene recent (deuxieme moitie du 20 eme siecle), et qui a constitue une transformation revolutionnaire de l'ideal de beaute du visage. Apres un apercu sur la physiologie et l'anthropologie du sourire, il explore les differents aspects du sourire dans les beaux-arts, en politique, ainsi que dans la culture populaire americaine (illustration populaire, publicite, photographie instantanee) et la dentisterie.
Novel multi-sided, microelectrode arrays for implantable neural applications.

A new parylene-based microfabrication process is presented for neural recording and drug delivery applications. We introduce a large design space for electrode placement and structural flexibility with a six mask process. By using chemical mechanical polishing, electrode sites may be created top-side, back-side, or on the edge of the device having three exposed sides. Added surface area was achieved on the exposed edge through electroplating. Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) modified edge electrodes having an 85-μm2 footprint resulted in an impedance of 200 kΩ at 1 kHz. Edge electrodes were able to successfully record single unit activity in acute animal studies. A finite element model of planar and edge electrodes relative to neuron position reveals that edge electrodes should be beneficial for increasing the volume of tissue being sampled in recording applications.
Effect of CPOE on medication errors.

Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) is a structural improvement in health care that has been proposed to enhance patient safety.[1][1] According to one estimate, CPOE can reduce medication errors by as much as 80%.[2][2] We attempted to demonstrate the potential , realistic benefits of a
The process of setting appliance standards

Abstract The California Energy Commission was the first government agency in the United States to develop Appliance Efficiency Standards. This article describes the origin of that agency and gives details of the successes and shortcomings of its twenty-year history in this field. Many of the California Energy Commission's standards have been copied in legislation and regulations of numerous other states, Canadian provinces, and the United States government. It is the author's hope that by sharing details of some of the good things and some of the not-so-good things that have happened, those who follow may be more successful than the author. The article concludes with a ‘report card’ that identifies several successful programs that the author would like copied, and a few pitfalls that he hopes will be avoided.
Calibrating Freely Moving Cameras

We present a novel practical method for self-calibrating a camera which may move freely in space while changing it internal parameters by zooming. We show that point correspondences between a pair of images, and the fundamental matrix computed from these point correspondences, are sufficient to recover the internal parameters of a camera. Unlike other methods, no calibration object with known 3-D shape is required and no limitation are put on the unknown motion, as long as the camera is projective. The main contribution of this paper is development of a global linear solution which is based on the well-known Kruppa equations. We introduce a formulation different from the Huang and Faugeras constraints. The method has been extensively tested on synthetic and real data and promising results are reported.
Recent and historic sediment dynamics along Difficult Run, a suburban Virginia Piedmont stream

Abstract Suspended sediment is one of the major concerns regarding the quality of water entering the Chesapeake Bay. Some of the highest suspended-sediment concentrations occur on Piedmont streams, including Difficult Run, a tributary of the Potomac River draining urban and suburban parts of northern Virginia. Accurate information on catchment level sediment budgets is rare and difficult to determine. Further, the sediment trapping portion of sediment budget represents an important ecosystem service that profoundly affects downstream water quality. Our objectives, with special reference to human alterations to the landscape, include the documentation and estimation of floodplain sediment trapping (present and historic) and bank erosion along an urbanized Piedmont stream, the construction of a preliminary sediment balance, and the estimation of legacy sediment and recent development impacts. We used white feldspar markers to measure floodplain sedimentation rates and steel pins to measure erosion rates on floodplains and banks, respectively. Additional data were collected for/from legacy sediment thickness and characteristics, mill pond impacts, stream gaging station records, topographic surveying, and sediment density, texture, and organic content. Data were analyzed using GIS and various statistical programs. Results are interpreted relative to stream equilibrium affected by both post-colonial bottomland sedimentation (legacy) and modern watershed hardening associated with urbanization. Six floodplain/channel sites, from high to low in the watershed, were selected for intensive study. Bank erosion ranges from 0 to 470 kg/m/y and floodplain sedimentation ranges from 18 to 1369 kg/m/y (m refers to meters of stream reach). Upstream reaches are net erosional, while downstream reaches have a distinctly net depositional flux providing a watershed sediment balance of 2184 kg/m/y trapped within the system. The amounts of both deposition and erosion are large and suggest nonequilibrium channel conditions. Both peak discharge and number of peaks above base have substantially increased since the mid-1960s when urbanization of the watershed began. Deposition patterns are most closely correlated with channel gradient, sinuosity, and channel width/floodplain width for recent and historic periods. The substantial amounts of fine grained sediment deposited on the floodplain over the past two centuries or so do not appear to be closely related to historic mill pond presence or location. The floodplain continues to provide the critical ecosystem service of sediment trapping in the face of multiple human alterations. Trends in sediment deposition/erosion may react rapidly to land use practices within the watershed and offer a valuable barometer of the effects of management actions.
CAD of single-loop and SISO systems via optimization

The authors present a computer-aided control-system design environment for use with single-loop and single-input single-output (SISO) linear plants to form a stable closed-loop feedback system that would satisfy a set of user-defined performance measures in a near-optimum fashion. The technique of the CAD (computer-aided design) system is based on the factorization approach. The authors present an example problem to demonstrate the CAD environment, and compare the results with those of another technique previously reported in the literature. A primary disadvantage of the proposed technique is that controllers with high orders are designed; this is the inherent feature of the factorization approach, but it is believed that the present technique results in lower-order controllers than if other factorization algorithms were used. >
The effects of trust‐destroying communication on verbal fluency in the small group

This study examined the extent to which the destruction of trust of one group member by another, influenced the quality of communication in a small group discussion. A nonfluency category system was applied to verbal data. Under trust‐destroying conditions, results indicated substantial decreases in verbal fluency of a naive subject, as well as the remaining group members.