cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Integration of imaging informatics-based multiple sclerosis eFolder system for multi-site clinical trials utilizing IHE workflow profiles

At last year’s SPIE, we presented a multiple sclerosis (MS) eFolder as an integrated imaging-informatics based system to provide several functionalities to both clinical and research environments. The eFolder system combines patients’ clinical data, radiological images and computer-aided lesion detection and quantification results to aid in longitudinal tracking, data mining, decision support, and other clinical and research needs. To demonstrate how this system can be integrated in an existing imaging environment such as a large-scale multi-site MS clinical trial, we present a system infrastructure to streamline imaging and clinical data flow with postprocessing (CAD) steps. The system stores clinical and imaging data, provides CAD postprocessing algorithm and data storage, and a web-based graphical user interface (GUI) to view clinical trial data and monitor workflow. To evaluate the system infrastructure, the MS eFolder is set up in a simulated environment with workflow scenarios, including DICOM store, query, and retrieve, automatic CAD steps, and data mining based on CAD results. This project aims to discuss the methodology of setting up eFolder system simulation with a connection to a CAD server component, simulation performance and test results, and discussion of eFolder system deployment results.
Crowdsourcing and service delivery

Today, service delivery organizations operate in a highly dynamic, complex, competitive, and globally distributed environment. There is constant pressure to reduce costs and improve performance and quality. Success demands the ability to continuously learn and adapt. Standardization is recognized as essential to reducing variation and, therefore, costs, as well as managing quality. Public frameworks and standards, such as ITIL® (Information Technology Infrastructure Library), provide best-practice guidance and a common vocabulary for managing IT (information technology) services. In this paper, we explore the role that social networking and "crowdsourcing" can play in socializing and developing best practices for a service delivery organization. We draw on our experience developing and deploying a social networking application, called Cyano, which is being used by approximately 13,000 IT professionals to capture and maintain day-to-day activities, processes, and artifacts used for problem and change management of several hundred outsourced infrastructures. Cyano is a new breed of social networking enterprise applications, in which crowdsourcing is leveraged to enrich and maintain IT processes and social networks are not created by explicit membership, but rather are implicitly discovered by the type of activities and infrastructure elements that various users support. In this paper, we focus on 1) the architecture of Cyano for supporting social tagging and linkage across different layers of management applications, 2) process customization and governance, and 3) an automated recommendation system that has been well received by thousands of IT professionals. We also highlight research challenges in this space.
Spectral method for the simultaneous determination of uncorrelated and correlated amplitude and timing jitter

We present a technique for simultaneous determination of the uncorrelated and correlated timing and amplitude jitter of a pulse train from its radio-frequency spectrum. First, we present a robust analysis that separately identifies both correlated and uncorrelated jitter. Second, we show that all four noise components can be uniquely determined by combining the traditional integrating calculation with a nonintegrating computation. We present simulation results that confirm the accuracy of this technique.
Extension of the Statistical Proof of the Minimum Entropy Production Theorem

Klein and Meijer gave a proof of the minimum entropy production in the steady state based on the principles of statistical mechanics, making use of a simple model of a nonequilibrium system. In the first part of this paper it is shown how such a proof has to be modified in case we are dealing with particles that obey Fermi-Dirac or Bose-Einstein statistics. It is found that the constraint that the total number of particles has to be constant does not have to be made. The second part of the paper describes a different generalization, viz. to systems in which the total number of particles is variable. Both results will serve as a description for models less restrictive than that used in the paper mentioned above.
RELATION BETWEEN PHYLLOTAXIS AND PRIMARY VASCULAR ORGANIZATION IN LINUM

THE PURPOSE of this investigation was to provide a background for a comparative study of the anatomical effects induced by two phloem limited viruses, the curly-top and the aster-yellows viruses, upon the flax plant (Linum usitatissimum L. var. punjab). Since these viruses induce growth abnormalities within the phloem, an ontogenetic study of the vascular system in healthy plants was undertaken. In keeping with the modern approach in studies of vascularization, procambial development was related to the activity of the shoot apex as expressed in the initiation of leaf primordia. Furthermore, the relation between the various leaf arrangements encountered in different flax shoots and the vascular organization of these shoots was explored. The present paper is a report on this latter aspect of vascular organization. Extensive treatises and critiques of theories on leaf arrangement are found in the literature (Church, 1904, 1920; Hirmer, 1922; Plantefol, 1947, 1948; Richards, 1948, 1951; Snow and Snow, 1934; and others). There are also a few studies that attempt to correlate vascular organization and differentiation with leaf arrangement (e.g., Esau, 1943a, b; Priestley and Scott, 1936, 1937; Scott and Priestley, 1925; Smith, 1941; Sterling, 1945). These investigations present evidence that a close relationship exists between phyllotaxis and vascularization. The present study substantiates this relationship by showing that shoots possessing different phyllotaxes differ in vascular organization. MATERIALS AND METHODS.-Material for study consisted of flax plants grown in gallon cans in g"reenhouse. After the plants were a month old, periodic collections were made of the vegetative shoots. The material was killed and fixed in chromeacetic-formalin combinations. After dehydration, according to the tertiary butvl alcohol method (Johansen, 1940), the material was embedded in 56?58?C. Fisher's tissuemat. Transverse and longitudinal sections were cut 7 or 10, in thickness. Foster's (1934) tannic acid-ferric chloride and safranin method was employed in staining. As an aid in determining the relationship between the arrangement of leaves and the organization of the vascular system, the following method was adopted. Using a microprojector, diagrams of serial transverse sections of the shoot apex were
(A GROUP OF FATTY ACIDS WITH "TETRAMETHYLENE INTERRUPTION" IN THE DOUBLE BOND SYSTEM.)

In Blattern und Nussen vonGinkgo biloba wurde eine Gruppe ungesattigter Fettsauren gefunden, die in ihrer Struktur von der ublichen Anordnung der Doppelbindungen in Fettsauren abweichen. Jede der ungewohnlichen Sauren hat die «isolierte» Doppelbindung in Δ5-Position, was auf eine neuartige Biosynthese dieser Dien-, Trien- und Tetraensauren hinweist.
Importance of epidemiology and biostatistics in deciding clinical strategies for using diagnostic tests: a simplified approach using examples from coronary artery disease.

The explosion of costly new medical diagnostic technologies demands a common sense approach to help physicians decide appropriate indications and strategies for use of these tests. This simple, nonmathematical review focuses on the assessment of coronary artery disease, but the approach can be generalized to other medical problems. This clinical approach to diagnostic testing strategies is based on seven sequential questions: 1. What is the clinical probability that this patient has a specific disease characteristic based on clinical data? 2. What is the overall objective for management of this patient based on the overall status of the patient? 3. Most importantly, what specific questions need to be answered about the patient's condition before the physician can recommend the most appropriate management (e.g., whether the patient has coronary disease, whether an anatomic lesion is functionally significant, whether a myocardial region is reversibly ischemic or irreversibly infarcted, whether a particular therapy has had good or bad effects or what is the patient's prognosis)? The key point is for the physician to formulate a specific clinical question about the patient before the test. 4. The physician must then ask how well does the test answer the particular clinical question about the patient. Here the physician needs to understand the sensitivity and specificity of the test, especially because they are influenced by various clinical biases. 5. Next, the physician must ask how to interpret the reliability of a positive or negative test result in the individual patient. This requires understanding predictive value and predictive error of a given result and how they are influenced by the clinical data as described by Bayes' theorem. 6. Next, the physician must ask what further tests or therapies will be recommended for the patient. The physician can estimate in advance how different test results would alter management plans and he can then allow this estimate to help determine indications for the test. There is some controversy concerning whether to use Bayes' theorem or multivariate analysis to estimate the final probability of a disease characteristic. 7. Finally, in this era of quality assurance, professional review and cost containment, it behooves each physician to ask whether the data provided by the particular tests were worth the cost, inconvenience and risk for that particular patient.
Qualitative pharmacology in a quantitative world: diminishing value in the drug discovery process

Preclinical characterization of new chemical entities (NCEs) in terms of efficacy, safety and their pharmacokinetic (PK), pharmacodynamic and pharmaceutical properties, is key to advancing appropriate compounds to clinical trials. The use of high throughput synthetic and screening methodologies has frequently led to NCE characterization becoming highly reductionistic, to the extent that compounds are often selected without adequate characterization. Classical, null hypothesis-based approaches involving the use of concentration/dose response curves and antagonists have been replaced by more qualitative approaches that limit NCE characterization. The return to a more integrated, hierarchical and pharmacologically driven approach will aid in ensuring that the NCEs advanced to clinical status are better understood, strengthening the process and predictivity of the translational approach in drug discovery.
The Continuity of Mandibular Form in Mandibulofacial Dysostosis

It is reported in studies of patients with Mandibulofacial Dysostosis (Treacher Collins Syndrome, MFD) that the lower border of the mandible exhibits a consistent form. The mandible of a 15-week-old fetus was described demonstrating the distinctive typical broad concave curvature of the lower border of the mandible. It appears that the basic mandibular form in MFD is established in utero, is maintained throughout postnatal growth and development, and is unique in shape.
Quantum logic synthesis by symbolic reachability analysis

Reversible quantum logic plays an important role in quantum computing. In this paper, we propose an approach to optimally synthesize quantum circuits by symbolic reachability analysis where the primary inputs are purely binary. we use symbolic reachability analysis, a technique most commonly used in model checking (a way of formal verification), to synthesize the optimum quantum circuits. We present an exact synthesis method with optimal quantum cost and a speedup method with non-optimal quantum cost. Both our methods guarantee the synthesizeability of all reversible circuits. Unlike previous works which use permutative reversible gates, we use a lower level library which includes non-permutative quantum gates. For the first time, problems in quantum logic synthesis have been reduced to those of multiple-valued logic synthesis thus reducing the search space and algorithm complexity. We synthesized quantum circuits for gate, half-adder, full-adder, etc. with the smallest cost.. Our approach obtains the minimum cost quantum circuits for Miller's gate, half-adder, and full-adder, which are better than previous results. In addition, we prove the minimum quantum cost (using our elementary quantum gates) for Fredkin, Peres, and Toffoli gates. Our work constitutes the first successful experience of applying satisfiability with formal methods to quantum logic synthesis.
"just let the cane hit it": how the blind and sighted see navigation differently

Sighted people often have the best of intentions when they want to help a blind person navigate, but their well meaning is also often coupled with a lack of knowledge and understanding about how a person navigates without vision. As a result what sighted people think is the right feedback is too often the wrong feedback to give to a person with a visual impairment. Understanding how to provide feedback to blind navigators is crucial to the design of assistive technologies for navigation. In our research investigating the design of a personal pedestrian navigation device, we observed firsthand the ways that sighted people seemingly misunderstand how many blind people navigate when using a white cane mobility aid. Throughout our qualitative end user studies that included focus groups and observations (including couple-based observations with a close companion) we gathered data that explicitly shows how the language and understanding of sighted vs. blind pedestrians differs greatly and even how it can be dangerous when people interfere in the wrong way. From our findings we discuss why it is difficult for a blind person to navigate like a sighted person to ensure designers are aware of the difficulties and designing with new training in mind, not simply designing from their own point of view. We also want to encourage advocacy and empathy amongst the sighted community towards this activity of walking around independently.
Epr and optical studies on the nature of ionic species in solutions of radical ions

Abstract Epr and optical spectroscopic evidence for the presence of several structurally different ion clusters are given in fluorenone ketyl systems. It is also proposed that both paramagnetic and diamagnetic ion clusters coexist in solution.
Six-day randomized safety trial of intravaginal lime juice.

Objectives: Nigerian women reportedly apply lime juice intravaginally to protect themselves against HIV. In vitro data suggest that lime juice is virucidal but only at cytotoxic concentrations. This is the first controlled randomized safety trial of lime juice applied to the human vagina. Methods: Forty-seven women were randomized to apply water or lime juice (25% 50% or undiluted) intravaginally twice daily for two 6-day intervals separated by a 3-week washout period. Product application also was randomized: during 1 interval product was applied using a saturated tampon and in the other by douche. Vaginal pH symptoms signs of irritation observed via naked eye examination and colposcopy microflora and markers of inflammation in cervicovaginal lavages were evaluated after 1 hour and on days 3 and 7. Results: The largest reduction in pH was about one-half a pH unit seen 1 hour after douching with 100% lime juice. We observed a dose-dependent pattern of symptoms and clinical and laboratory findings that were consistent with a compromised vaginal barrier function. Conclusions: The brief reduction in pH after vaginal lime juice application is unlikely to be virucidal in the presence of semen. Lime juice is unlikely to protect against HIV and may actually be harmful. (authors)
Nutrient addition affects AM fungal performance and expression of plant/fungal feedback in three serpentine grasses

Plant/soil microbial community feedback can have important consequences for species composition of both the plant and soil microbial communities, however, changes in nutrient availability may alter plant reliance on mycorrhizal fungi. In this research, we tested whether plant/soil community feedback occurs and if increased soil fertility altered the plant/soil community interactions. In two greenhouse experiments we assessed plant and AM fungal performance in response to different soils (and their microbial communities), collected from under three co-occurring plants in serpentine grasslands, and nutrient treatments. The first experiment consisted of two plant species (Andropogon gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans), their soil communities, and three nutrient treatments (control, calcium, N-P-K), while the second experiment used three plant species (first two and Schizachyrium scoparium), their soil communities collected from a different site, and two nutrient treatments (control, N-P-K). Plant/soil community feedback was observed with two of the three species and was significantly affected by nutrient enrichment. Negative Sorghastrum/soil feedback was removed with the addition of N-P-K fertilizer at both sites. Andropogon/soil feedback varied between sites and nutrient treatments, while no differential Schizachyrium growth relative to soil community was observed. Addition of N-P-K fertilizer to the nutrient poor serpentine soils increased plant biomass production and affected plant/soil community interactions. Calcium addition did not affect plant biomass, but was associated with significant increases in fungal colonization regardless of plant species or soil community. Our results indicate that nutrient enrichment affected plant/soil community feedback, which has the potential to affect plant and soil community structure.
Assessment of Individual Differences in Regulatory Focus among Cigarette Smokers

Smoking cessation programs might benefit from tailoring messages to individual differences in regulatory focus (see Higgins, American Psychologist, 52:1280–1300, 1997), but there is little evidence on the stability or convergent validity of regulatory focus measures. In two studies, smokers completed four measures of regulatory focus: (a) Regulatory Focus Questionnaire (RFQ); (b) actual–ideal and actual–ought self-discrepancies; (c) response duration in naming ideal or ought self-guides; and (d) reaction time for lexical decisions about one’s ideal or ought self-guides. Study 1 included a 1-month retest. Retest reliability was adequate, but convergent validity was poor. Questionnaire and self-discrepancy measures were unrelated to each other or to the reaction time measures. To facilitate future studies of tailored health behavior change interventions, research is needed to determine whether weak convergent validity resulted from (a) invalidity of some or all of the regulatory focus measures or (b) validity of each for measuring a different aspect of the construct.
Natural convection near a small protrusion on a vertical plate

Abstract Natural convection in the vicinity of a small protrusion embedded in the boundary layer on a vertical flat plate is considered. Protrusions of height ~ Le 9 7 and length ~ Le 6 7 , where e = Gr − 1 4 , are analyzed in the context of double-deck theory. The lower deck equations are solved numerically by a hybrid spectral finite difference method. The heat transfer rates are determined for two thermal boundary conditions. In the first case, the protrusion is maintained at the same temperature as the plate, while in the second case, the protrusion is held at a temperature higher than the plate temperature. The effect of boundary layer separation on the heat transfer rate is investigated.
The Border, Performed in Films: Produced in both Mexico and the US to “Bring Out the Worst in a Country”

AbstractBorder scholars have long understood borders as social constructions around territories and identities. Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives, my objective is to analyze the cultural production and “othering” processes of the multiple US–Mexico borderlands via good-quality films emanating from both Mexico City and the US, particularly Hollywood, in two periods: historical background on the 1930s–1980s and the contemporary period of the last two decades. I compare differences across multiple border sites along the near 2,000 mile line—west coast Pacific, central El Paso-Ciudad Juarez, and east coast Gulf of Mexico—as well as those sites inbetween. My overarching argument is that the film industry itself brings out the worst of countries in the US–Mexico borderlands. By “worst,” I mean lawlessness, sexual violence, deaths, and drugs, with “othering” processes alive and well on both sides of the border. As such, in both historical and contemporary films, everyday lives in the borderlands are not ...
Optimal monetary growth with accommodating fiscal policy in a small open economy

Abstract This paper emphasizes how the choice of the optimal monetary growth rate in a small open economy under perfect capital mobility depends upon the accommodating policy chosen to maintain the overall budget constraint in the economy. When this occurs through lump sum taxation, the optimal monetary growth rate is shown to be the ‘distorted’ Friedman monetary rule. If the adjustment occurs through the income tax rate, the optimal monetary growth rate involves a Phelps-type tradeoff between the income tax rate and the inflation tax rate. The framework is suited for analyzing optimal macroeconomic policy in general and the latter part of the paper considers an optimal monetary-fiscal package.
Day-of-the-Week Effect Revisited: International Evidence

The aim of this study is to determine whether the DOW effect still exists, and to evaluate empirically the explanations of the DOW effect for international equity markets. Evaluating 51 markets in 33 countries for the period between January, 2000 and December, 2007, reveals that the DOW effect persists for a significant proportion of equity markets. Evaluating open-to-close returns, liquidity, size effect and possible spill-over effects, the DOW effect can be explained for almost of all the exchanges. Individual stock analysis, covering 37,631 stocks traded in 51 equity markets shows that a DOW effect in returns exists for a statistically significant proportion of individual stocks in almost all of the markets in the study. Even markets without a market-level DOW effect contain a surprisingly large proportion of stocks with individual-level DOW effects. Interestingly, this proportion is only marginally lower than that which is found in markets with a market-level DOW effect.
Distribution of substrate cycle enzymes in the small intestine of adult and neonatal hamsters

Abstract 1. 1. The early postnatal period of development is identified as a possible critical stage of intestinal growth. 2. 2. This period of rapid intestinal growth relative to general body growth allows the animal to generate sufficient metabolic energy to meet the postpartum demands for nutrient transport, synthesis and body growth. 3. 3. The uniqueness of this postnatal period is observed biochemically by comparing intestinal segments from adult male and neonatal hamsters. 4. 4. Of particular interest is the distribution of the enzymes of the l -glycerol-3-phosphate and the l -malate/ l -aspartate substrate cycles for the transport of cytosolic reducing equivalents into the mitochondria.
A clinical examination of chronic LSD use in the community

Abstract In the past decade there has been rising concern among physicians, lawmakers, clergy and others about the extra-medical use of LSD. Descriptions of heightened creativity due to frequent LSD use at one extreme contrast with warnings of personality deterioration at the other. A multitude of publications have dealt with LSD metabolism, physiology, mechanism of action, behavioral effects, uses in psychotherapy and, more and more, with its adverse effects. 1–11 Most of the evidence so far has been from acute studies or from patients with clinical illness related to LSD. We were interested in studying the long-term effects on behavior and mental function in a population that has not had a frank psychiatric disturbance related to LSD. We also wanted to learn more about the actual characteristics of the users themselves, and about the sociological matrix in which this LSD use takes place. We were interested, then, in filling in some of the gaps.
Separation Of Benzo(F)Quimoline And Phenanthridine From Shale Oil And Characterization By Room Temperature Phosphorescence

Abstract A method for the separation of benzo(f)quinoline (BfQ) and phenan-thridine (PH) in shale oil employing a combination of column and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) is described. Room temperature phosphorescence (RTP), excitation and emission spectra, fluorescence emission spectra, and chromatographic data were used for identification of the compounds.
Molecular dynamics and quasidynamics simulations of low-energy ion/surface interactions leading to decreased epitaxial temperatures and increased dopant incorporation probabilities during Si MBE

Abstract Molecular dynamics and quasidynamics simulations, utilizing the Tersoff many-body potential, have been used to investigate ion/surface interaction kinetics and mechanisms, including defect formation and annihilation, associated with the use of low-energy ion irradiation during Si film growth by MBE to decrease epitaxial temperatures and increase dopant incorporation probabilities. The irradiation events were initiated at an array of points in the primitive unit cell of 2 × 1 terminated Si(001) lattice.
Fifty-Five Years of Fish Kills in Coastal Texas

The designation of Texas as a “hotspot” for fish mortalities relative to the other 22 coastal US states is of serious concern for scientists, resource managers, and the public alike. We investigated the major sources and causes of fish kills in coastal Texas from 1951 to 2006. During this 55-year period, more than 383 million fish were killed, 72% of which were Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia spp.). We examined the relationships between climate and the physical features of Texas bays and estuaries as well as the consequences of high-density industrialization and urbanization along several coastal centers on fish kills, including the impact of eutrophication, algal blooms (toxic and nontoxic), and hypoxia. Galveston and Matagorda Bays had the highest number of fish kill events and total number of fish killed. The largest number of fish kill events and the highest number of fish killed occurred during the warmest months, particularly in August. The leading cause of fish kills was found to be low dissolved oxygen concentrations caused by both physical and biological factors. From 1958 to 1997, about two thirds of the mortalities from low oxygen concentrations were caused by human activities. With the population predicted to double in Texas by 2050, mostly along the coastal areas, natural resources will require additional protection. Further increases in nutrient loading are expected in areas unable to keep up with construction of sewage treatment facilities. Defining the sources and causes of fish kill events in Texas will allow better management and conservation efforts.
Competition between nondissociative and dissociative electron attachment to halogenated cyclic alkenes in the gas phase

Abstract A flowing-afterglow Langmuir probe apparatus with mass spectral analysis was used to measure rate constants, identify reaction products, and measure branching fractions for electron attachment to 1,2-dichlorohexafluorocyclopentene ( c -C 5 F 6 Cl 2 ) and 1,2-dichlorooctafluorocyclohexene ( c -C 6 F 8 Cl 2 ) over the temperature range 295–555 K and buffer gas density range of 1.3–2.1 × 10 16 cm −3 . Electron attachment to both of these compounds is efficient over this temperature range and the rate coefficient for attachment is relatively independent of temperature. At 295 K the electron attachment rate coefficient for c -C 5 F 6 Cl 2 is 2.5 ± 0.6 × 10 −7 cm 3 s −1 and for c -C 6 F 8 Cl 2 is 3.5 ± 0.9 × 10 −7 cm 3 s −1 . At 300 K, electron attachment to both neutral reactants is predominantly nondissociative. At higher temperatures, a dissociative reaction channel forming Cl − is observed for both reaction systems. Significant branching fractions for Cl − (≥0.05) are observed at temperatures greater than 425 K for c -C 5 F 6 Cl 2 and at temperatures greater than 375 K for c -C 6 F 8 Cl 2 . Over the temperature range of 300–550 K the branching fractions for formation of the nondissociative and dissociative products were not dependent on buffer gas density in the range of 1.3–2.1 × 10 16 cm −3 .
Genome mining for human cancer genes: whereforeartthou?

In an initial data-mining effort, the draft human genome was searched to find paralogs of known tumor suppressor genes, and for gene arrangements, which are typical of oncogenes, in cancer cells. The results were disappointing, indicating that although knowledge of the human genome will undoubtedly be of great help, other approaches to identify new oncogenes are needed.
Sensitivity analysis and validation plans for the retrieval of surface reflectance from ASTER

A look-up table approach is planned for the atmospheric correction of ASTER data in the solar reflective region. As part of the work to develop this atmospheric correction a sensitivity analysis of top-of-the-atmosphere radiances to changes in aerosol properties has been done. The results presented here use a Gauss-Seidel iteration radiative transfer code to examine effects of changes in aerosol parameters on retrieved surface reflectance. For reflectances greater than 0.1, the surface reflectance retrieval is most sensitive to changes in the aerosol complex index of refraction. At low reflectances, the retrieval is most sensitive to the aerosol scattering optical depth and size distribution. The impact of these results in determining a validation method is discussed.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Design and implementation of a high-performance CCA event service

Event services based on publish–subscribe architectures are well-established components of distributed computing applications. Recently, an event service has been proposed as part of the common component architecture (CCA) for high-performance computing (HPC) applications. In this paper we describe our implementation, experimental evaluation, and initial experience with a high-performance CCA event service that exploits efficient communications mechanisms commonly used on HPC platforms. We describe the CCA event service model and briefly discuss the possible implementation strategies of the model. We then present the design and implementation of the event service using the aggregate remote memory copy interface as an underlying communication layer for this mechanism. Two alternative implementations are presented and evaluated on a Cray XD-1 platform. The performance results demonstrate that event delivery latencies are low and that the event service is able to achieve high-throughput levels. Finally, we describe the use of the event service in an application for high-speed processing of data from a mass spectrometer and conclude by discussing some possible extensions to the event service for other HPC applications. Published in 2009 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the U.S.A.
Climate change, water resources, and the politics of adaptation in the Middle East and North Africa

Through an examination of global climate change models combined with hydrological data on deteriorating water quality in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), we elucidate the ways in which the MENA countries are vulnerable to climate-induced impacts on water resources. Adaptive governance strategies, however, remain a low priority for political leaderships in the MENA region. To date, most MENA governments have concentrated the bulk of their resources on large- scale supply side projects such as desalination, dam construction, inter-basin water transfers, tapping fossil groundwater aquifers, and importing virtual water. Because managing water demand, improving the efficiency of water use, and promoting conservation will be key ingredients in responding to climate-induced impacts on the water sector, we analyze the political, economic, and institutional drivers that have shaped governance responses. While the scholarly literature emphasizes the importance of social capital to adaptive governance, we find that many political leaders and water experts in the MENA rarely engage societal actors in considering water risks. We conclude that the key capacities for adaptive governance to water scarcity in MENA are underdeveloped.
XIX.—The Structure and Behaviour of Hiatella gallicana (Lamarck) and H. arctica (L.), with special reference to the Boring Habit

Of the genera of rock-boring lamellibranchs which occur in British waters, Hiatella (= Saxicava ) is the commonest. But the method of boring remains obscure, and for this reason the present research was suggested by Professor C. M. Yonge, under whose direction it was conducted. Observations were made during 1945 and 1946 in the Clyde Sea Area and at the Millport Laboratory, while other work on living and preserved material from both the Clyde and Plymouth areas was carried out at the Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow. Acknowledgments are due for assistance in technical problems to Dr H. F. Steedman of the University of Glasgow, for help with the nomenclature of the genus to Mr R. Winckworth, and for much kindness and help to the late Mr R. Elmhirst, Director of the Millport Laboratory.
Hybrid Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes/Large-Eddy Simulations of Supersonic Turbulent Mixing

Aturbulentmixinglayerformedfromtwosupersonicstreamsinitially separatedbyasplitterplateisinvestigated withahybridcomputationalmethodusingaReynolds-averagedNavier ‐Stokes(RANS)approachforwall-bounded regions and a large-eddy simulation (LES) approach for the turbulent mixing region. Simulations of the mixing layer predict a vortex shedding originating from the splitter base and then a rapid transition to turbulence, which is in agreement with experimental observations. As a result, the potential of the hybrid method is demonstrated for e ows in which a geometric feature, such as the blunt splitter plate considered here, provides the dominant unsteady feature leading to turbulence, without imposing additional ine ow disturbances. Parametric studies of LES subgrid modeling settings, variations in the spanwise computational domain, and wall temperature settings in the RANS region were conducted. The subgrid model cases, using a baseline computational grid with small spanwise computational domain, overpredicted the mixing layer turbulencelevels but only showed small variation in the mixing layer predictions with large changes in the model parameters. The cases examining wider spanwise domains enabled more turbulent energy to be released in the spanwise direction, which in turn reduced axial and vertical turbulence levels. Finally, prescribing the wall temperatures in the RANS regions instead of using the more traditional adiabatic wall boundary conditions further reduced turbulence levels and enabled reasonable agreement with experimental data.
A Case Study on the Determination of Lost Profits for the Forensic Accountant

ABSTRACT: This paper illustrates a teaching case study for use in a forensic accounting course. The case study requires students to prepare and/or present their findings for the valuation of lost profits in the framework of a business interruption. Readers obtain requisite financial and qualitative information to complete a valuation of lost profits due to a business interruption.
Are Temperate Land Snails Susceptible to Climate Change Through Reduced Altitudinal Ranges? A Pennsylvania Example.

Distributions of some plants and animals have already shifted in recent years due to climate warming, and climate warming has potential to extirpate populations of taxa that cannot easily move or adapt to changes in temperatures and/or moisture. This study in Pennsylvania, U.S.A. focuses on whether snail populations currently confined to cooler habitats at higher elevations (elevations 700–978 m comprise only 2% of Pennsylvania's area) might decline or be eliminated if their ranges are reduced upward by climate warming. We examined whether some land snail species are limited to upper elevations in order to assess whether climate warming poses a threat to them. Sampling included 108 sites across Pennsylvania, comprising 12 localities at each of nine elevations from 100 to 900 m elev. Overall numbers of snail species and abundances decreased at greater elevations. Most individual species tended to occur throughout sampled elevations or occurred primarily at lower elevations, so the reduced altitudinal range aspect of climate warming might not threaten them. However, five species occurred significantly more often at greater elevations suggesting that their populations might decline if climate warming were to reduce their ranges upward. Four additional species including three native slugs showed non-significant trends to occur at higher elevations. These species might be monitored into the future.
TGF-β–induced Phosphorylation of Smad3 Regulates Its Interaction with Coactivator p300/CREB-binding Protein

Smads are intermediate effector proteins that transduce the TGF-b signal from the plasma membrane to the nucleus, where they participate in transactivation of downstream target genes. We have shown previously that coactivators p300/CREB-binding protein are involved in TGF-b‐mediated transactivation of two Cdk inhibitor genes, p21 and p15. Here we examined the possibility that Smads function to regulate transcription by directly interacting with p300/CREB-binding protein. We show that Smad3 can interact with a C-terminal fragment of p300 in a temporal and phosphorylation-dependent manner. TGF-b‐mediated phosphorylation of Smad3 potentiates the association between Smad3 and p300, likely because of an induced conformational change that removes the autoinhibitory interaction between the N- and C-terminal domains of Smad3. Consistent with a role for p300 in the transcription regulation of multiple genes, overexpression of a Smad3 C-terminal fragment causes a general squelching effect on multiple TGF-b‐ responsive reporter constructs. The adenoviral oncoprotein E1A can partially block Smad-dependent transcriptional activation by directly competing for binding to p300. Taken together, these findings define a new role for phosphorylation of Smad3: in addition to facilitating complex formation with Smad4 and promoting nuclear translocation, the phosphorylation-induced conformational change of Smad3 modulates its interaction with coactivators, leading to transcriptional regulation.
An Assessment of Statin Safety by Hepatologists

The purpose of the Liver Expert Panel was to provide advice to the National Lipid Association's (NLA) Safety Task Force in response to specific questions concerning liver-associated risks of statin therapy. The panel was composed of academic hepatologists with clinical and research interests in nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, lipid metabolic disorders, and drug hepatotoxicity.
An Enhanced Dynamic Battery Model of Lead-Acid Batteries Using Manufacturers' Data

Modeling and simulation of lead acid batteries is of utmost importance for transportation systems such as hybrid and electric vehicles, golf carts, electric scooters, and wheelchairs; and for battery backup systems such as UPS for computers and telecommunication systems. Considerable effort is put into the selection of the appropriate battery with specific regard to the battery's State of Charge (SOC) and battery reserve time during the discharge profile for the various loading conditions expected. A previous technical paper presented a dynamic battery model by the same authors [1]. The new enhanced model has increased accuracy; it includes voltage, current, and power monitoring functions and further permits modeling of the cycle-by-cycle charge/discharge characteristics which is imperative for regenerative applications. Furthermore, the operating features of this enhanced battery model are demonstrated for two regenerative simulations. The new battery model is interfaced to a full-bridge, bi-directional, PWM controller with bi-polar voltage switching. The load is a dc motor model with motor parameters such as load torque, viscous torque and inertia. The power converter/dc motor system presents bi-directional power flow to the battery model. The purpose of the first simulation is to demonstrate real-world operation of the battery model including regeneration. A second simulation has an ultra-capacitor bank connected across the battery terminals to compare the battery model charge/discharge parameters such as voltage, current and power when the ultra-capacitor bank is absent and when present in the system.
Limitations of Radionuclide Flow Studies in Bilateral Carotid Thrombosis

Radionuclide angiography as a noninvasive procedure has become an important tool in the evaluation of cerebrovascular diseases. Determinations of arm-to-brain circulation times complemented by the transit times of the radionuclide bolus through the brain afford insight into the functional status of the vascular system of the brain. Delays in perfusion, asymmetries in appearance, and washout of the radionuclide material can be correlated with disease entities. However, as with many procedures elevated to the status of a screening test, the possibility of false-positive and false-negative results exists. Two cases of bilateral carotid occlusion are presented, showing normal or only delayed, fairly symmetrical brain perfusion. The appearance of the radionuclide flow in the neck in AP and lateral views gave no suggestion of the involved deficits. Even multiple-projection imaging might fail to demonstrate major vascular obstructions. However, attentive study of these projections might yield interesting evidence of unexpected collateral flow systems.
Subacute Exposure to N-Ethyl Perfluorooctanesulfonamidoethanol Results in the Formation of Perfluorooctanesulfonate and Alters Superoxide Dismutase Activity in Female Rats

Perfluorooctanesulfonamides, such as N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoethanol (N-EtFOSE), are large scale industrial chemicals but their disposition and toxicity are poorly understood despite significant human exposure. The hypothesis that subacute exposure to N-EtFOSE, a weak peroxisome proliferator, causes a redox imbalance in vivo was tested using the known peroxisome proliferator, ciprofibrate, as a positive control. Female Sprague–Dawley rats were treated orally with N-EtFOSE, ciprofibrate or corn oil (vehicle) for 21 days, and levels of N-EtFOSE and its metabolites as well as markers of peroxisome proliferation and oxidative stress were assessed in serum, liver and/or uterus. The N-EtFOSE metabolite profile in liver and serum was in good agreement with reported in vitro biotransformation pathways in rats and the metabolite levels decreasing in the order perfluorooctanesulfonate ≫ perfluorooctanesulfonamide ~ N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamidoacetate ≫ perfluorooctanesulfonamidoethanol ~ N-EtFOSE. Although N-EtFOSE treatment significantly decreased the growth rate, increased relative liver weight and activity of superoxide dismutases (SOD) in liver and uterus (total SOD, CuZnSOD and MnSOD), a metabolic study revealed no differences in the metabolome in serum from N-EtFOSE-treated and control animals. Ciprofibrate treatment increased liver weight and peroxisomal acyl Co-A oxidase activity in the liver and altered antioxidant enzyme activities in the uterus and liver. According to NMR metabolomic studies, ciprofibrate treated animals had altered serum lipid profiles compared to N-EtFOSE-treated and control animals, whereas putative markers of peroxisome proliferation in serum were not affected. Overall, this study demonstrates the biotransformation of N-EtFOSE to PFOS in rats that is accompanied by N-EtFOSE-induced alterations in antioxidant enzyme activity.
Analysis of Association Constant for Ground-State Dye-Electron Acceptor Complex of Photoinitiator Systems and the Association Constant Effect on the Kinetics of Visible-Light-Induced Polymerizations

We investigated the formation of ground state donor/acceptor complexes between xanthene dyes (rose Bengal (RB) and fluorescein (FL)) and a diphenyl iodonium salt (DPI) which is dissolved in 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) monomer. To characterize the association constant of the complex, we have suggested a new analysis model based upon the Benesi-Hildebrand model. Because the assumption of the original Benesi-Hildebrand model is that the absorption bands are due only to the presence of the complex and that the absorption by the free component is negligible; the model cannot be applied to our systems, which is a dye-based initiator system. For each dye, the molar absorptivity of the ground state complex was evaluated as a function of wavelength and this analysis confirmed the validity of the modified Benesi-Hildebrand model. In addition, we observed the RB/DPI photoinitiator system failed to produce a perceptible polymerization rate but the FL/DPI photoinitiator system provided very high rates of polymerization. Based upon the association constant for these complexes, we concluded that the observed kinetic differences arise from the different association constant values of the ground state dye-acceptor complex, resulting in back electron transfer reaction.
Prostaglandin E2 synthases in neurologic homeostasis and disease

Prostaglandin E2 synthases (PGES) currently comprise a group of three structurally and biologically distinct molecules. These enzymes are part of an important and complex paracrine signaling system involved in a wide range of biological processes. This review focuses on the normal physiological and pathological roles of these enzymes in the nervous system. Specific topics include the role of PGES(s) in fever and sickness behavior, inflammatory pain, and neural disease. Although the field is in its early stages, ongoing development of selective PGES inhibitors for possible use in people creates a significant need to more fully understand the biological roles of these important enzymes.
The future of successful aging in Alaska

Background. There is a paucity of research on Alaska Natives and their views on whether or not they believe they will age successfully in their home and community. There is limited understanding of aging experiences across generations. Objective. This research explores the concept of successful aging from an urban Alaska Native perspective and explores whether or not they believe they will achieve a healthy older age. Design . A cultural consensus model (CCM) approach was used to gain a sense of the cultural understandings of aging among young Alaska Natives aged 50 years and younger. Results. Research findings indicate that aging successfully is making the conscious decision to live a clean and healthy life, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, but some of Alaska Natives do not feel they will age well due to lifestyle factors. Alaska Natives see the inability to age well as primarily due to the decrease in physical activity, lack of availability of subsistence foods and activities, and the difficulty of living a balanced life in urban settings. Conclusions. This research seeks to inform future studies on successful aging that incorporates the experiences and wisdom of Alaska Natives in hopes of developing an awareness of the importance of practicing a healthy lifestyle and developing guidelines to assist others to age well. Keywords: Alaska Native; older adults; successful aging; intergenerational; rural (Published: 5 August 2013) This paper is part of Supplement 1, 2013, ICCH15 Proceedings . More papers from this Supplement can be found here . Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2013, 72 : 21186 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v72i0.21186