cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Roof-integrated radiative air-cooling system to achieve cooler attic for building energy saving

Abstract The building attic usually subjects to substantial solar heat gain and has much higher temperature compared to the conditioned living space during the day, especially in summer and in hot areas. Reducing attic temperature can reduce cooling energy consumption in buildings. However, conventional techniques such as cool roof or attic ventilation, suffer from either heating penalty in winter or limited attic temperature reduction. In this work, a new roof-integrated radiative air-cooling system is introduced, which couples radiative sky cooling with attic ventilation to reduce attic temperature. A radiative air cooler with 1.08 m2 surface area is constructed using a recently developed daytime radiative sky cooling metamaterial [Zhai et al., Science 355, pp. 1062–1066, 2017]. Experimental tests show that sub-ambient air cooling is achieved throughout 24-h day-and-night cycle in a summer day with clear sky conditions. Depending on air flow rates, measured sub-ambient temperature reductions of air are 5–8 °C at night and 3–5 °C at noon under direct sunlight, respectively. An in-house model is first developed for the radiative air-cooling system, the model is then coupled with EnergyPlus to study annual energy saving of buildings. The performance of the radiative air-cooling system is compared with three reference systems: shingle roof, attic ventilation, and cool roof. Results show that for a single-family house, attic temperature can be substantially reduced by 15.5–21.0 °C, varying with attic insulation level, compared to shingle roof on typical summer days. Compared to a shingle roof (solar reflectance 0.25, thermal emittance 0.9) residential building with attic insulations of R-30 (RSI-5.28), R-10 (RSI-1.76), and R-0.8 (RSI-0.14), the roof-integrated radiative air-cooling system can achieve annual cooling energy savings of 0.4–1.5 kWh/m2 (4.6–18.8%), 1.2–3.6 kWh/m2 (10.2–41.4%), and 3.7–11.8 kWh/m2 (26.5–76.1%) respectively.
Sustainable blockchain technology in the maritime shipping industry

Abstract With the advent of blockchain-facilitated transactions, it is anticipated that major structural changes will occur in the maritime field. The impact of these changes is global; however, major transaction issues and standards still must be agreed upon and enacted. This chapter investigates the use of blockchain technology, its limitations, and the potential impact of blockchain on the maritime industry. We suggest that sustainability issues in the form of transaction attributes will need to be defined and accepted worldwide before blockchain can be fully realized as a significant step in development of the future shipping industry.
Learning accurate personal protective equipment detection from virtual worlds

Deep learning has achieved impressive results in many machine learning tasks such as image recognition and computer vision. Its applicability to supervised problems is however constrained by the availability of high-quality training data consisting of large numbers of humans annotated examples (e.g. millions). To overcome this problem, recently, the AI world is increasingly exploiting artificially generated images or video sequences using realistic photo rendering engines such as those used in entertainment applications. In this way, large sets of training images can be easily created to train deep learning algorithms. In this paper, we generated photo-realistic synthetic image sets to train deep learning models to recognize the correct use of personal safety equipment (e.g., worker safety helmets, high visibility vests, ear protection devices) during at-risk work activities. Then, we performed the adaptation of the domain to real-world images using a very small set of real-world images. We demonstrated that training with the synthetic training set generated and the use of the domain adaptation phase is an effective solution for applications where no training set is available.
Interstitial Lung Disease and Myositis in a Patient With Antisynthetase Syndrome and PL12 and Ro52 Co-positivity in a Retired Medical Officer.

Antisynthetase syndrome (ASS) is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy characterized by myositis, arthritis, interstitial lung disease (ILD), Raynaud's phenomenon, and distinctive cutaneous manifestations. Anti-PL12 is a rare myositis-specific autoantibody classically associated with an amyopathic presentation and rapidly progressive ILD. Anti-Ro52 is a myositis-associated antibody that has been postulated to be directly pathogenic in inflammatory myopathy patients. The disease phenotype, course, and response to treatment associated with anti-PL12 and anti-Ro52 co-positivity is not well described. A 58-year-old man with anti-PL12 and anti-Ro52 ASS presented with rapidly progressive ILD and myositis refractory to high-dose prednisone. He ultimately required a dexamethasone burst with intravenous immunoglobulin and mycophenolate mofetil for disease control. Severe and rapidly progressive myositis is infrequently reported in anti-PL12 ASS. This case suggests that concurrent anti-Ro52 positivity predicts a more aggressive disease phenotype and may require more initial immunosuppression. If rapid progression of this disease were to occur in an active duty service member, it would have significant implications for readiness and potentially catastrophic outcomes in the deployed setting. Early identification and treatment of the disease are imperative. The question must also be raised of an occupational exposure from military service.
Benin's Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective

Between 2000 and 2005 infrastructure made an important contribution of 1.6 percentage points to Benin's improved per capita growth performance, which was the highest among West African countries during the period. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to that of the region's middle-income countries could boost annual growth by about 3.2 percentage points. Benin has made significant progress in some areas of its infrastructure, including roads, air transport, water, and telecommunications. But the country still faces important infrastructure challenges, including improving road conditions and port performance and upgrading deteriorating electrical infrastructure. The nation must also improve the quality and efficiency of its water and sanitation systems. Benin currently spends about $452 million a year on infrastructure, with almost $101 million lost to inefficiencies. Comparing spending needs with existing spending and potential efficiency gains leaves an annual funding gap of $210 million per year. Benin has the potential to close that gap by adopting alternative technologies in water supply, transport, and power, which could save as much as $227 million a year. The nation would also benefit from raising tariffs to cost-recovery levels and reducing inefficiencies, which could substantially boost financial flows to the infrastructure sectors.
The Flexible Care Model: Transformative Practices for University Counseling Centers

College and university counseling centers have maintained core practices of advanced scheduling, thorough psychosocial assessment before treatment, and traditional 50-minute psychotherapy sessions ...
Lactose: Use, measurement, and expression of results.

ABSTRACT Lactose has different uses in the dairy, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Being aware of the different forms of lactose and their concentrations can be very helpful in managing dairy product quality, properties, and manufacturing efficiency. Correct measurement and reporting of lactose concentration in milk and other dairy products will be of increased importance in the future as more value-added uses of lactose are developed and as milk lactose data are used in farm management decision making. Lactose should be reported as anhydrous lactose because lactose data will be used to make increasingly important decisions in dairy processing, dairy product labeling, and milk production in the future. Lactose also plays an important role in milk synthesis within a cow. Milk production factors and dairy cattle breed selection influence the amount of high value fat and protein produced per unit of lactose. If the off-farm value of lactose remains low, more attention may be focused on using ultrafiltration to process milk and leave 50 to 60% of the lactose and water from milk at the farm to recover the energy value of the lactose as feed and reduce the hauling cost of the high value components of milk to a dairy product manufacturing factory. Many methods exist to determine lactose concentration, but the most important methods are enzymatic assays, HPLC, and mid-infrared analysis. New, value-added uses for lactose need to be developed. Consistent and accurate methods of lactose measurement and consistent expression of lactose results will support this development process. Starting in January 2017, the USDA Federal Milk Market Laboratories began reporting lactose content of milk as anhydrous lactose and discontinued the reporting of lactose by difference.
Occupational exposure to high-level disinfectants and risk of miscarriage among nurses.

Objectives To examine the association of occupational exposure to high-level disinfectants (HLDs) with risk of miscarriage among nurses. Methods Our study included women who enrolled in the Nurses’ Health Study 3 (2010–2020) and had at least one pregnancy during follow-up. Occupational exposure to HLDs was self-reported at baseline. Every 6 months, a follow-up questionnaire was sent to participants asking for detailed information on pregnancies. We used a discrete-time Cox model to calculate the HRs and 95% CIs of miscarriage according to exposure to HLDs. Results Our study included 2579 nurses with a median of 5.6 years of follow-up (range: 1–9 years), and we documented 768 (19%) cases of miscarriage among 3974 pregnancies. Compared with women with no HLD exposure, the HRs of miscarriage were 1.08 (95% CI: 0.87 to 1.34) for past users and 0.84 (95% CI: 0.68 to 1.04) for HLD users. Compared with women with no HLD exposure, duration, frequency, and type of HLD and use of exposure controls were not associated with risk of miscarriage. When restricting to pregnancies that occurred within 12 months of HLD use, occupational exposure to unspecified types of HLD was significantly associated with higher risk of miscarriage (HR=1.78; 95% CI: 1.08 to 2.93). Conclusions We observed no associations between occupational use of HLDs and miscarriage, except when we restricted to pregnancies occurring within 12 months of assessed baseline exposure. Given the observational design and limited sample size, results should be interpreted cautiously.
Finding the Path Toward Design of Synergistic Human-Centric Complex Systems

Modern decision support systems are becoming increasingly sophisticated due to the unprecedented volume of data that must be processed through their underlying information architectures. As advances are made in artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML), a natural expectation would be to assume that the complexity and sophistication of these systems will become daunting in terms of comprehending their design complexity, effective operations, and managing total lifecycle costs. Considering the fact that such systems operate holistically with humans, the interdependencies created between the information architectures, AI/ML processes and humans begs that a fundamental question be asked –“how do we design complex systems such as to yield and exploit effective and efficient human-machine interdependencies and synergies?” A simple example of these interdependencies may include the effects of human actions changing the behavior of algorithms and vice-versa. The algorithms may serve in the extraction and fusion of heterogeneous data, employ a variety of AI/ML algorithms that range from hand crafted, supervised and unsupervised approaches coupled with federated models and simulations to reason and infer about future outcomes.
Structure vs. Appearance and 3D vs. 2D? A Numeric Answer

This paper introduces an information projection framework to provide a numerical criteria for evaluating the information contribution of competing image representations. Such representations include structure vs. appearance, and 3D vs. 3D representations. The framework allows a heterogeneous model of mixed representations, and sequentially selects representation elements according to their information gains. Optimal representations for a given set of images can be learned automatically in this manner. Experiments on these two competing representation pairs show that the optimal representation is data dependent, and forms a spectrum across multiple images. This shows the necessity of having numerical solutions to these problems.
Inducible System for the Utilization of β-Glucosides in Escherichia coli I. Active Transport and Utilization of β-Glucosides

Wild-type Escherichia coli strains (β-gl−) do not split β-glucosides, but inducible mutants (β-gl+) can be isolated which do so. This inducible system consists of a β-glucoside permease and an aryl β-glucoside splitting enzyme. Both can be induced by aryl and alkyl β-glucosides. In β-gl− and noninduced β-gl+ cells, C14-labeled thioethyl β-glucoside (TEG) is taken up by a constitutive permease, apparently identical with a glucose permease (GP). This permease has a high affinity for α-methyl glucoside and a low affinity for aryl β-glucosides. No accumulation of TEG occurs in a β-gl− strain lacking glucose permease (GP−). In induced β-gl+ strains, there appears a second β-glucoside permease with low affinity for α-methyl glucoside and high affinity for aryl β-glucosides. Autoradiography shows that TEG is accumulated by the β-glucoside permease and glucose permease in two different forms (one being identical with TEG, the other probably phosphorylated TEG). In GP+ β-gl+ strains with high GP activity, alkyl β-glucosides induce the enzyme and the β-glucoside permease after a prolonged induction lag, and they competitively inhibit the induction by aryl β-glucosides. The induction lag and competition do not exist in GP− β-gl+ strains. It is assumed that phosphorylated alkyl and thioalkyl β-glucosides inhibit the induction, and that this inhibition is responsible for the induction lag.
Simulating ecological and evolutionary systems in C

Computer simulations provide a powerful tool for understanding ecological and evolutionary systems. Simulating Ecological and Evolutionary Systems in C models a diverse range of biological processes and systems, including competition, foraging, predation, mating systems, and life-history optimization, by simulating large collections of interacting individuals. Using the widely available computer programming language C, the book starts with elementary programs modeling stochastic birth-death processes, slowly increasing programming complexity as the chapters progress. All the important features of C are covered, including arrays, files, pointers, and structures, within biologically motivated simulations. Although computer simulations of extremely complicated biological processes are released from rigid mathematical constraints, each of the simulations is also placed in the context of a mathematical formulation examined either analytically or numerically. Procedures covered include testing random number generators, producing PostScript files, root-finding, numerical integration and using the genetic algorithm.
Paleoethnobotany and Ancient Alcohol Production: A Mini -Review

The production and consumption of alcoholic beverages in the past is an important consideration when addressing issues involving ancient food. However, successfully demonstrating that alcoholic beverages were produced in prehistoric contexts is problematic. As a result, archaeobotanists have developed a multi-scalar approach, incorporating multiple lines of evidence, to argue for the production of fermented beverages in the past.
Analysis of carotenoid biosynthetic gene expression during marigold petal development.

Marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) flower petals synthesize and accumulate carotenoids at levels greater than 20 times that in leaves and provide an excellent model system to investigate the molecular biology and biochemistry of carotenoid biosynthesis in plants. In addition, marigold cultivars exist with flower colors ranging from white to dark orange due to ?100-fold differences in carotenoid levels, and presumably similar changes in carbon flux through the pathway. To examine the expression of carotenoid genes in marigold petals, we have cloned the majority of the genes in this pathway and used these to assess their steady-state mRNA levels in four marigold cultivars with extreme differences in carotenoid content. We have also cloned genes encoding early steps in the biosynthesis of isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP), the precursor of all isoprenoids, including carotenoids, as well as two genes required for plastid division. Differences among the marigold varieties in the expression of these genes suggest that differences in mRNA transcription or stability underlie the vast differences in carotenoid synthesis and accumulation in the different marigold varieties.
A Descriptive Study of Telementoring among Students, Subject Matter Experts, and Teachers: Message Flow and Function Patterns

AbstractThis descriptive study of the online communications of 10 teams of SMEs, classroom teachers, and K–12 students focused on the functions, frequency, and flow of e-mail messages exchanged in the context of curriculum-based projects. All correspondence among team members was automatically logged and then analyzed over time. Categories for message function were based on a previously published taxonomy but emerged as data analysis progressed into 21 specific classifications. Results indicated that: (1) SMEs and teachers “talked” more online, respectively, than students, even though students’ inquiry was the focus of each online project; (2) participants’ roles as expert, teacher, or student were associated with greater and lesser frequencies of certain message function types; (3) requests or reports directly related to curriculum content comprised a surprisingly small portion of total message functions identified; and (4) when viewed longitudinally, “reporting” and “requesting” functions followed very ...
Engineering a visual system for seeing through fog

We examine the requirements for on-board aircraft sensor systems that would allow pilots to 'see through' poor weather, especially fog, and land and rollout aircraft under conditions that currently cause flight cancellations and airport closures. Three visual aspects of landing and rollout are distinguished: guidance, hazard detection and hazard recognition. The visual features which support the tasks are discussed. Three broad categories of sensor technology are examined: passive millimeter wave (PMMW), imaging radar, and passive infrared (IR). PMMW and imaging radar exhibit good weather penetration, but poor spatial and temporal resolution. Imaging radar exhibits good weather penetration, but typically relies on a flat-earth assumption which can lead to interpretive errors. PMMW systems have a narrow field of view. IR has poorer weather penetration but good spatial resolution. We recommend using both millimeter-wave and infrared sensor systems, blending the images using multiresolution digital-image pyramid-processing technology, and fusing the resulting real-time images with stored database imagery of the same scene.
Abstract B97: A phase II trial of low-dose multiagent chemotherapy with gemcitabine, taxotere, xeloda, and cisplatin (GTX-C) in subjects with metastatic pancreatic cancer

Background: Triplet chemotherapy has been shown to delay the emergence of resistance and extend survival in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Four drug regimens, even at low doses, may further improve survival by simultaneously targeting multiple oncogenic pathways. Methods: A phase II study of GTX-C (capecitabine 500 mg bid on days 1-14, and the combination of gemcitabine 500 mg/m2 (10 mg/m2/min), taxotere 20 mg/m2 and cisplatin 20 mg/m2 on days 4 and 11) was initiated in newly diagnosed untreated metastatic pancreatic cancer patients. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival rate at 6 months and designed such that the regimen would be considered active if the 6-month PFS rate was >75% and inactive if Results: Twenty-eight patients were enrolled. All patients were ECOG 0-1. Eighty-six percent of patients had evidence of liver metastases and 25% had biliary stents in place at time of study initiation. Median CA19-9 was 6,159 U/mL (37-154,323 U/mL). Median length of follow-up was 10.1 months. Grade 3/4 related adverse events included: nausea/vomiting (7%), transaminitis (10%), anemia (14%), thrombocytopenia (24%), and neutropenia (55%). However, febrile neutropenia occurred in only 3 patients (10%) and not until cycles 6, 14, and 15. PFS rate at 6 months was 74.2% (95% CI: 53.3% - 86.8%). The partial response (PR) rate was 50%, stable disease (SD) rate was 39% and the disease control rate (DCR) was 89%. CA19-9 declines of >80% occurred in 77% of patients with measurable levels. Estimated median PFS was 8.4 months (95% CI: 6.1-10.6 months) and OS was 12.9 months (95% CI: 10.0-NA months) as of 11/14/2013. Ten additional patients have been enrolled onto an expansion cohort in which the period off between cycles has been changed from 7 to 14 days. Conclusions: GTX-C is highly active and well-tolerated in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer and should be tested in a larger, comparative study. Clinical trial information: NCT01459614. Citation Format: Dung Le, Daniel Laheru, Luis A. Diaz, Jr. A phase II trial of low-dose multiagent chemotherapy with gemcitabine, taxotere, xeloda, and cisplatin (GTX-C) in subjects with metastatic pancreatic cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr B97.
Involvement of reactive nitrogen species production in diazoxide-induced preconditioning in cultured cortical neurons of rats (841.1)

Diazoxide (DZ), a mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mito K-ATP) channel opener, has been shown to be protective in models of brain ischemia. We have previously shown that reactive oxygen species production and mitochondrial depolarization are major initiating steps in DZ preconditioning, but the signaling pathway is incomplete. We hypothesized that other signaling pathways, like those involved in RNS production, may participate in the protective effects of DZ. Confluent rat primary neuronal cultures were pre-treated with DZ (500µM) alone or co-treated with DZ+ Nω-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME, 100µM or 150µM) for 3 days to block nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Additionally, NO was exogenously supplied by co-applying SNP (5µM) with DZ and L-NAME to potentially rescue protection by DZ. After the 3 day treatment period, neurons were subjected to 3 h oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by re-oxygenation, an in vitro model of stroke. Neuronal viability was assessed using the MTS co...
A different kind of association between socio-histories and health.

In the last 15 years, genetics researchers have developed new molecular genomic technologies for analysing human differences at the level of DNA. This was soon followed by an explosion of studies that aimed to find genetic explanations for the differential health outcomes between individuals and groups by examining association between DNA and disease. Meanwhile, other geneticists have used the new molecular technologies to examine DNA differences between individuals and groups to build theories about migration, language, and ancestry in human history. Many of these studies have organized DNA differences into groups that oftentimes correspond to institutionallyestablished racial categories as they currently exist in the USA. Some of this new research has rekindled debates about the relationship between biology and race in many fields, including sociology. In tandem with this new research on DNA differences is an explosion of social scientific research critiquing the revitalization of research on biological differences by race.Troy Duster is the originator of and inspiration for much of this critical research (Duster 2003, originally published in 1990). More significantly, Duster has in this BJS article assembled the findings of the research referred to below to show how these different fragments come together to make a coherent story about the ‘creeping molecularization’ (personal communication) of race in very different realms. Many have critiqued what Duster calls the creeping molecularization of race in genetics research because it threatens to reinvigorate the belief that human social classification systems like race have a biological, ‘natural’ basis. Some of these social scientific studies described the new genetic classificatory research as examples of a ‘genetic reinscription of race’ (Abu El-Haj 2007) and the ‘molecularization’ (Fullwiley 2007), ‘biologization’ and ‘geneticization’ of race (Gannett 2001; Ossorio and Duster 2005, Duster 2005, 2006; Montoya 2007; Bolnick 2008; Fullwiley 2008; Roberts 2011; TallBear 2013; Rajagopalan and Fujimura 2012; Kahn 2013; Toom 2014), or as ‘genome geography’ (Fujimura and Rajagopalan 2011). Others have argued that interpretations of DNA clusters as signifying a biological basis for US institutionalized race categories is
Loss of primary cilia correlates with cytologic severity in dysplastic melanocytic nevi.

Background Primary cilia are ubiquitously present in cell surface organelles with essential functions in cellular proliferation, differentiation and development. We have previously shown that cilia in melanoma in situ, invasive melanoma and metastatic melanoma are nearly completely lost, whereas benign nevi are ciliated. Dysplastic nevi (DN) have a wide range of histopathologic features from mild (low-grade) to severe (high-grade) cytologic atypia and represent a key clinical and histopathologic marker for melanomagenesis. We sought to identify whether cilia are retained in these melanocytic lesions and whether increasing degree of dysplasia correlates with loss of ciliation. Methods We measured the percentage of ciliated melanocytes (ciliation index) in DN with mild (n = 9) and severe dysplasia (n = 10). We identified the primary cilium and basal bodies by immunofluorescence staining of sections with acetylated alpha-tubulin and gamma-tubulin, respectively. Results Our results showed a significant decrease in the ciliation index from mild dysplastic (55%) to severe DN (14%) (p = 0.005). Conclusions These data support the hypothesis that primary cilium loss may play a role in the underlying biology of severe DN. The ciliation index is a novel quantitative tool that may increase the reproducibility in grading severity of dysplasia for diagnostic and clinical management of melanocytic neoplasms.
From self-regulation to regulation – An analysis of gambling policy reform in Finland

AbstractResponsible gambling is a form of gambling industry self-regulation, covering the multiple ways of gambling operator’s promises to prevent and reduce gambling addiction. In Finland, where the gambling operators consider themselves to be among the most responsible operators in the world, the amendment of the Lotteries Act aimed to shift the balance from industry self-regulation to more stringent state regulation. Our study data consisted of operators’ annual reports, government documents related to the approval and addiction-potential assessment of new gambling products, and government documents related to the supervision of the marketing of gambling products. Theoretically, the paper draws most notably on Michel Foucault’s analytics of liberal forms of government and political rationality. Discourse analysis and quantitative content analysis were used to analyse the data. The analysis focused on the interaction between the regulators and gambling operators, with special importance given to self-re...
The effects of focusing and refraction on Gaussian ultrasonic beams

A scalar theory of the propagation of Gaussian ultrasonic beams through lenses and interfaces is presented. For radiation into a fluid, the Fresnel approximation is employed to derive the laws of propagation of Guassian beams (previously employed in the analysis of coherent optical systems). These are then generalized to situations commonly found in nondestructive evaluation by treating the effects of propagation through lenses and through curved interfaces at oblique incidence. A numerical example illustrates the ease with which insight into diffraction phenomena for complex geometries can be gained by this approach. The limitations imposed on the theory by aberrations and the scalar assumption are discussed, and the relationship of the Gaussian theory to the radiation of piston transducers is explored.
Evaluation of femur length during the second and third trimesters in fetuses with myelomeningocele

Objectives To determine if the femur length of fetuses with myelomeningocele is shorter in the second and third trimesters compared with that of normal fetuses. Methods We retrospectively collected measurements of femur length, head circumference, biparietal diameter and abdominal circumference from detailed obstetric ultrasound studies performed during the second and third trimesters in 31 fetuses with myelomeningocele and 43 fetuses with no detectable anomaly. The gestational age predicted by each parameter (based on Hadlock's tables) was compared with the true gestational age (based on last menstrual period), using the ANCOVA test to determine if there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups of fetuses. Results There was no significant difference in femur length (P = 0.60) or in abdominal circumference (P = 0.85) between fetuses with myelomeningocele and normal fetuses. Fetuses with myelomeningocele did have a significantly lower biparietal diameter and head circumference (P ≤ 0.001). Conclusions Myelomeningocele is not associated with reduced femur length in the second and third trimesters, suggesting that the known postnatal lower extremity foreshortening in patients with myelomeningocele develops late in gestation or after birth. Copyright © 2004 ISUOG. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quenching of the beam-plasma instability by large-scale density fluctuations in 3 dimensions

The highly variable, yet low, level of Langmuir waves measured in situ by spacecraft when electron beams associated with type III solar bursts are passing by are addressed by a model based on the existence of large scale density fluctuations capable of sufficiently diffusing small-k beam-unstable Langmuir waves in phase space. The model is also informed by the presence of a significant isotropic nonthermal tail in the distribution function of the background electron population, which is capable of stabilizing larger k modes. The model is able to predict various levels of Langmuir waves, depending on the parameters; calculations indicate that, for realistic parameters, the most unstable small k modes are fully stabilized, while some oblique mode with higher k and lower growth rate may remain unstable.
Heart Homotransplantation in Puppies Long Survival Without Immunosuppressive Therapy

A satisfactory technique for orthotopic homotransplantation of the heart, under profound hypothermia without a pump-oxygenator, has been presented. Of the 40 puppies in our series, 24 lived more than one day; 13 lived more than seven days. One is well and active on the 112th day. The rhythm of the transplanted hearts was often somewhat irregular shortly after surgery, but usually became fairly regular on the following day and maintained a constant rate even after exercise. Long survivors steadily gained weight and showed a proportional increase in heart size. The fate of the transplant could be forecast in some instances from the follow-up electrocardiograms. Although the histological findings were not uniform, acceptance of the homogous heart greatly exceeded our expectations. Unpredictable histocompatibility may possibly explain the long survivors.
Branching ratio of 242mAm decay

Abstract The branching ratio, β − / EC = 5·1 ± 0·1, for 242 m Am decay has been measured by determining the relative amounts of the decay products, 242 Cm and 242 Pu formed. The 16 hour 242 m Am was produced by neutron irradiation of 241 Am in the Materials Testing Reactor. A pile neutron cross-section of 620 ± 65 barns for the reaction 241 Am(n, γ) 242m Am was measured.
Assessment and treatment of impaired awareness after brain injury: Implications for community re-integration

Impaired self-awareness of deficits is a common finding in patients who have suffered traumatic brain injury. Impaired awareness can limit motivation for treatment and contribute to poor outcome. Consequently, it is important for brain injury rehabilitation professionals to understand this phenomenon and utilize treatment approaches that may improve patient awareness. The present article reviews the existing literature on measurement of impaired awareness, characteristics of impaired awareness, the relationship of impaired awareness to functional outcome, possible treatment approaches for impaired awareness and empirical investigations of interventions to improve awareness. The treatment strategies we use to address impaired awareness in our community re-integration program for brain injury survivors are described in detail. These approaches include: establishment of the therapeutic alliance, family interventions, peer feedback, education, roleplaying, videotape feedback, real world experiences, therapeutic milieu and psychotherapy.
Review of Sorting Out Sand and Gravel: Sediment Transport and Deposition in Sand-Gravel Bed Rivers by Maarten Kleinhans

Bedload transport in sand and gravel mixtures is difficult to describe because two media, sand and gravel, are interacting in a complex set of processes. Both materials can enhance as well as delay each other’s entrainment and transport. As a results, equations commonly employed to compute entrainment and transport of either sand or gravel alone are not applicable to sand-gravel mixtures. In his book, Maarten Kleinhans observes, measures, and analyzes processes of sand-gravel interactions in subaqueous dunes; he offers a modified Meyer-Peter and Muller transport equation and develops a model for predicting sediment stratification and bedload transport caused by dune development and decay during flow events. Given the title of the book, one might expect a wide-ranging, general treatment of rivers with sand-gravel beds. However, the book addresses only large rivers where sand content is high and gravel particles are small, and focuses on how both interact in the formation and propagation of subaqueous dunes. The interaction
Use of Accelerating Clinical Improvement in Reorganization of Care: The Dartmouth‐Hitchcock Medical Center Experience

Accelerating clinical improvement is a unique strategic method for accelerating the rate and effectiveness of improvements in strategically important clinical services. It promotes real reduction in the cost of service while preserving the quality and value within the system. Based on the components of process, value, benchmarking, change, and learning, the method can be used in any system or setting to produce value-driven change. Accelerating clinical improvement is being used within the Obstetrical Department of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to decrease postpartum length of stay for families with spontaneous vaginal delivery. Familiarity with the method led to additional and ongoing improvements in the system. This method is important for nurses because it is continuous, multidisciplinary, addresses values of concern to families and providers, and is easily incorporated by nurse providers in any clinical setting.
Junior faculty of color in the corporate university: implications of neoliberalism and neoconservatism on research, teaching and service

In higher education today, an overwhelming acceptance of neoliberal and neoconservative ideologies that advance corporate logics of efficiency, competition and profit maximization is commonplace. Market-driven logics and neoconservative ideals shape decision-making about what is taught, how material is taught, who teaches, who does research, who belongs, what counts as valid research and, ultimately, the purposes of higher education. Against this backdrop, in this essay, I provide a critical analysis of the ways in which market-driven and neoconservative values shape the experiences of junior faculty of color in American research universities. That is to say, I am concerned with the ways in which neoliberal racialization structures the lives of junior faculty of color in the US academy. In my analysis, I reason that in order to substantively improve conditions for junior faculty of color, there is a need for those concerned with change to fine-tune understandings of the US academy – its history and new re...
Interdigitated PVDF transducer for flaw detection

Since the recognition of the advantages of using Lamb Waves in nondestructive testing (NDT), Lamb Waves and other guided waves have attracted more and more attention nowadays. Unlike waves used in conventional ultrasonic inspection, such as bulk longitudinal and shear waves, which propagate in the region of structure immediately around the transmitting transducer, Lamb Waves can propagate over a long distance. Previously in our work, monolithic interdigitated PVDF transducers for generating surface acoustic waves have been built by using photolithography technology. These sensors have been tested to be able to successfully excite and receive Lamb Waves. As an extension of previous work, this paper focuses on the implementation of interdigitated PVDF sensors on some laminated structures made of carbon fiber composite materials with flaws of different sizes. Experiments have been conducted, and results from PVDF IDTs have been compared with those from PZTs. Efforts have been spent on identifying the components of Lamb waves propagated in these sample structures and evaluating the differences in the received signals.
Asset‐based policy in rural China: an innovation in the retirement social insurance programme1

In response to growing rural–urban inequality, China is undertaking a series of policy initiatives to promote rural development. In addition to redistributive policy aiming at social protection, asset‐based policy, which integrates social protection and social investment, are a viable option for progressive rural development. In 1998, the Hutubi local government in Xinjiang, China, implemented an innovative retirement programme that allows account holders to use accounts as legal collateral to borrow small loans and invest in productive assets, education, and small businesses. Using the data gathered by the programme organizers and in‐depth interviews with programme participants, this case study closely examines the Hutubi programme. We examine the programme's key features, which have effectively encouraged asset building in a rural community, and identify the programme's strengths and weaknesses. The success of the Hutubi programme has implications for asset‐based policy development in rural China. 为了回应城...
A new curriculum for hardware-based network intrusion detection

We describe a new curriculum for hardware based network intrusion detection taught at college and graduate levels in a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Program (CAE/IAE). The curriculum focuses the fundamental concepts of network intrusion detection mechanisms, network traffic analysis, rule-based detection logic, system configuration, and basic hardware design and experiments. This new course cultivates students with the latest development in computer security and hands-on projects for better prepared in information assurance careers.
Structure of the Escherichia coli Leucine-responsive Regulatory Protein Lrp Reveals a Novel Octameric Assembly

The structure of Escherichia coli leucine-responsive regulatory protein (Lrp) co-crystallized with a short duplex oligodeoxynucleotide reveals a novel quaternary assembly in which the protein octamer forms an open, linear array of four dimers. In contrast, structures of the Lrp homologs LrpA, LrpC and AsnC crystallized in the absence of DNA show that these proteins instead form highly symmetrical octamers in which the four dimers form a closed ring. Although the DNA is disordered within the Lrp crystal, comparative analyses suggest that the observed differences in quaternary state may arise from DNA interactions during crystallization. Interconversion of these conformations, possibly in response to DNA or leucine binding, provides an underlying mechanism to alter the relative spatial orientation of the DNA-binding domains. Breaking of the closed octamer symmetry may be a common essential step in the formation of active DNA complexes by all members of the Lrp/AsnC family of transcriptional regulatory proteins.
Scenario-Based Performance Evaluation of Proactive, Reactive and Hybrid Routing Protocols in MANET Using Random Waypoint Model

A Mobile Ad-Hoc Network is a set of wireless mobile nodes that communes with each other without using any dynamic infrastructure, access point or centralized supervision. In Mobile Ad-hoc network, due to mobility of nodes network topology commutes repeatedly and thus, routing process becomes a challenging task. A selection of routing protocols with varying network circumstances are analyzed and presents performance analysis of AODV, OLSR, ZRP, RAODV, AOMDV, DYMO and DSR Routing protocols in different mobility scenarios based on Random Waypoint mobility model in MANET with pause time. In this paper, an effort has been made to compare seven well known routing protocols AODV, RAODV, AOMDV, OLSR, DSR, DYMO and ZRP by using different performance metrics Packet Delivery Ratio, Average Jitter, Normalized Routing Load, First Packet Receive, Last Packet Receive, Total Packet Receive, Total Bytes Receive and Average End to End delay. The comparison has been done by using simulation tool NS-2.34 which is the main simulator, NAM (Network Animator) and MATLAB which is used for preparing the graphs from the trace files.
Reactive Oxygen Species and DNA Oxidation in Fetal Rat Tissues

It is well recognized that reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed during the reperfusion of ischemic tissues and ROS may be pathogenic in adult tissues. Although there is little information on the formation and toxicity of ROS during prenatal life, a strong association has been made between limb and possibly brain malformations and uteroplacental ischemia during fetal stages of gestation. It has been proposed that these malformations result from attack by ROS formed during the resumption of placental perfusion. Studies reported here examined formation of ROS in teratogenically sensitive limb and brain and insensitive heart before and during the period of teratogenic sensitivity. Also examined was the formation of ROS following hypoxia and reoxygenation in fetal culture and DNA hydroxylation in sensitive and insensitive fetal tissues during uteroplacental ischemia and reperfusion in vivo. Rates of formation of superoxide anion radical and hydrogen peroxide declined with increasing gestational age whereas those for hydroxyl radical increased. Hydrogen peroxide generation was greatest in insensitive heart whereas hydroxyl radical formation was significantly lower in brain than in limb or heart, which had comparable rates. Hydrogen peroxide generation, which declined significantly in fetuses, but not in membranes with gestation, failed to respond to reoxygenation in vitro. Finally, there were significant increases in DNA hydroxylation in fetal hearts and limbs, but not in brains during uteroplacental ischemia but no further significant change could be detected after reperfusion.
Arm Position During Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring: A Review of the Evidence and Clinical Guidelines

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) offers advantages over clinic blood pressure measurement. Supporting the arm at the level of the right atrium has long been standard in clinic blood pressure measurement. In contrast, there is no consensus regarding arm position in the guidelines addressing ABPM. Research studies have used a variety of arm positions during ABPM. Discussed in this review are the merits of ABPM and a review of the several arm positions recommended in ABPM guidelines, suggested by cuff manufacturers, and used in research studies. To address this lack of standardization, a rationale for a clinically reasonable arm position during ABPM is offered. Specifically, the authors recommend advising the patient to keep the arm still and relaxed straight down at the side of the body when the cuff is going to inflate, when safe to do so.
Exercise-Induced Urticaria and Anaphylaxis

Exercise-induced urticaria and anaphylaxis have become increasingly recognized during the past 2 decades as more people participate in physical activities. These syndromes can be categorized as cholinergic urticaria or exercise-induced anaphylaxis based on the clinical manifestation. Newer subsets such as food-dependent and familial exercise-induced anaphylaxis have also been recognized. Further studies are needed to characterize the variables involved in mast cell activation and mast cell mediator release in these syndromes. The management strategy for patients who have exercise-induced syndromes with skin manifestations only differs from the management for those with systemic symptoms. Currently, antihistamines, as a single agent or in combination with other agents, may be helpful prophylactically in both groups. Avoidance of precipitating factors, modification of exercise, and use of a self-injectable epinephrine kit are recommended for patients with anaphylaxis.
Improving the pulse shape in dye laser amplifiers: A new technique

In this paper we describe a new technique to improve the performance of Nd:YAG laser-pumped dye laser amplifiers. Such amplifiers exist in many laboratories worldwide and use the commercially available Nd:YAG lasers as pump sources. The technique uses a few beam splitters and mirrors external to the Nd:YAG laser cavity. No modification to the Nd:YAG laser itself is required. Amplified pulses obtained in this way are transform-limited to within a factor of 2.
The Bipolarity Index: a clinician-rated measure of diagnostic confidence.

Background: The Bipolarity Index is a clinician-rated scale that rates cardinal features of the disorder across five domains: signs and symptoms, age of onset, course of illness, response to treatment, and family history. We tested the Index in routine clinical practice to identify the optimal cut-off for distinguishing bipolar from non-bipolar disorders. Method: Sequential patients in a private practice were rated with the Bipolarity Index (n¼1903) at intake. Diagnoses were made with the MINI-6.0.0 International Neuropsychiatric Interview according to DSM-IV-TR criteria, except that cases of antidepressant-induced mania and hypomania were included in the bipolar group. A subset completed the self-rated Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) (n¼1620) or Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS) (n¼1179). The primary analysis compared Bipolarity Index scores for bipolar vs. non-bipolar patients using receiver operator curves (ROC) to determine the optimal cut-off score. Secondary outcomes repeated this analysis with the MDQ, MDQ-7 (using only the symptomatic items of the MDQ) and BSDS. Results: At a cut-off of Z50, the Bipolarity Index had a high sensitivity (0.91) and specificity (0.90). Optimal cut-offs for self-rated scales were: MDQ: Z7 (sensitivity 0.74, specificity 0.71); MDQ-7: Z6 (sensitivity 0.77, specificity 0.77); BSDS: Z12 (sensitivity 0.71, specificity 0.77). Limitations: The study utilized one rater at a single practice site; the rater was not blinded to the results of the MINI. Conclusion: The Bipolarity Index can enhance the clinical assessment of mood disorders and, at a score Z50 has good sensitivity and specificity for identifying bipolar disorders.