cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Late Quaternary sea-level position: Evidence from Bahamian carbonate deposition and dissolution cycles

Abstract The Bahama Islands offer a unique opportunity to examine Late Quaternary sea-level position, as the island group places significant constraints on the time and space boundary conditions for climatic events recorded there. The Bahamian Archipelago extends as a series of large and small islands on shallow carbonate banks of various sizes for 1400 km, across a climatic gradient wet in the northwest to dry in the southeast. The entire island group is tectonically stable, and consists solely of Quaternary carbonate sediments with interspersed paleosols. The islands reflect glacioeustatic sea-level highstand positions in their eolian and subtidal suite of limestones, a depositional record of platform flooding and carbonate sediment production. A coeval record of phreatic cave development in the island's fresh-water lenses also documents sea-level highstand positions. Absolute dating of late Pleistocene fossil corals and cave stalagmites by U/Th methods has produced an excellent record of the last interglacial (marine isotope substage (MIS) 5e). Holocene eolianites have been dated by 14 C to reveal platform flooding at ∼5000 ybp, and sea-level stabilization at ∼3000 ybp. Pleistocene eolianites have been dated by amino acid racemization analysis, but subdivisons of the eolianites into separate MIS 5a, 5c and 5e deposits are controversial. Paleosols, representing integrated aerosol dust deposition of ∼100 ka-long platform exposure events during glaciations, have been differentiated by paleomagnetic secular variation measurements. Previous interpretations of a beach unit to indicate a +20 m MIS stage 11 sea-level highstand, and of large boulders to represent a mega-tsunami, appear to be incorrect. Phreatic caves in today's subaerial environment have been ascribed to MIS 5e, but some may have formed earlier. Carbonate deposition and dissolution cycles create a mass flux of CO 2 sufficient to explain the atmospheric CO 2 excursions of the Quaternary.
Patterning of Cells on Bioresist for Tissue Engineering Applications

Engineering functional tissues and organs successfully depends on the ability to control cell orientation and distribution. Materials used for such purposes therefore have to be designed to facilitate cell distribution and eventually guide tissue regeneration in 3D. The field of tissue engineering hinges on developing degradable polymeric scaffolds that promote cell proliferation and expression of desired physiological behaviors through careful control of the polymer surface. The development of materials for tissue engineering and guided tissue regeneration has accelerated over the last decade.[1] It has been demonstrated that non-patterned cells are effectively not tissue. “Tissues require that cells be placed and hold precise places often with precise orientations” [2–3]. Cell patterning is therefore very important for tissue engineering. We have developed a biocompatible, biostable chemically amplified bioresist, with which patterns are generated without involving harsh chemical treatment.
Design and Implementation of Kepler Workflows for BioEarth

Abstract BioEarth is an ongoing research initiative for the development of a regional-scale Ea rth S ystem M odel (EaSM) for the U.S. Pacific Northwest. Our project seeks to couple and integrate multiple stand-alone EaSMs developed through independent efforts for capturing natural and human processes in various realms of the biosphere: atmosphere (weather and air quality), terrestrial biota (crop, rangeland, and forest agro-ecosystems) and aquatic (river flows, water quality, and reservoirs); hydrology links all these realms. Due to the need to manage numerous complex simulations,an application of automated workflows was essential. In this paper, we present a case study of workflow design for the BioEarth project using the Kepler system to manage applications of the R egional H ydro- E cologic S imulation Sys tem (RHESSys) model. In particular, we report on the design of Kepler workflows to support: 1) standalone executions of the RHESSys model under serial and parallel applications, and 2) a more complex case of performing calibration runs involving multiple preprocessing modules, iterative exploration of parameters and parallel RHESSys executions. We exploited various Kepler features including a user-friendly design interface and support for parallel execution on a cluster. Our experiments show a performance speedup between 7–12x, using 16 cores of a Linux cluster, and demonstrate the general effectiveness of our Kepler workflows in managing RHESSys runs. This study shows the potential of Kepler to serve as the primary integration platform for the BioEarth project, with implications for other data- and compute-intensive Earth systems modeling projects.
Naltrexone effects on ethanol consumption and response to ethanol conditioned cues in C57BL/6 mice

Rationale: The conditions under which naltrexone reduces ethanol consumption and its effect on behavior controlled by ethanol conditioned stimuli remain unclear. Objectives: The objectives were to determine the effects of naltrexone on ethanol consumption by C57BL/6 (B6) mice when injected subcutaneously (expt 1) or delivered by osmotic minipump (expt 2), and on ethanol conditioned cues (expt 3). Methods: Naltrexone effects on ethanol consumption and preference were measured in a continuous access two-bottle choice paradigm in groups of mice implanted with osmotic minipumps delivering 0–3.0 mg/kg per day or injected subcutaneously with 0–6.0 mg/kg doses. Naltrexone's (0–3.0 mg/kg) effect on ethanol-conditioned cues was indexed by its effect on the expression of ethanol place conditioning (expt 3). Results: Naltrexone produced a transient reduction in ethanol consumption and a consistent reduction in preference when injected; however, it had no effect on ethanol consumption or preference when delivered continuously by osmotic minipump. Naltrexone attenuated the expression of ethanol place conditioning in a U-shaped dose-response function. Conclusions: The transient reduction in ethanol consumption produced by injected naltrexone and the absence of an effect when continuously delivered confirms a report that maintaining naltrexone at steady state levels may antagonize its attenuation of ethanol consumption. The reduced expression of ethanol place conditioning in naltrexone-injected mice suggests that the drug can attenuate the reinforcing effects of ethanol conditioned stimuli as was recently reported for lever responding maintained by ethanol conditioned stimuli in rats. These effects were observed at naltrexone doses with no readily apparent adverse side-effects, supporting its usefulness for treating alcoholism.
Does combining antiretroviral agents in a single dosage form enhance quality of life of HIV/AIDS patients? A cost-utility study.

Abstract Background Combining various antiretroviral agents into one single dosage form has been a strategy to reduce pill burden and enhance medication adherence among human immunodeficiency virus /AIDS (HIV/AIDS) patients. Objectives This is a cost-utility study from a health care system’s perspective comparing coformulated fixed dose (FXD) strategy versus multiple free dose combination (FRC) in antiretroviral therapy. Method The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) was used to identify HIV/AIDS patients with ≥2 active antiretroviral medications. Patients on FXD were matched in 1:1 ratio with the FRC group using propensity scores. All medical costs excluding those paid by patients and families were included. Utility was measured using SF-6D scores from the SF-12 questionnaire. Incremental cost-utility ratios (ICURs) were calculated using the mean annual estimates. A cost-effectiveness acceptability curve was determined using a Monte Carlo probabilistic simulation technique. Results Nine FXD antiretroviral formulations approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by 2005 was included in this study. One hundred seventy HIV/AIDS patients with ≥2 antiretroviral agents were identified from the MEPS database, of which 53% (n = 92) were on FXD formulation. On matching, 70 patients from FXD had a match from the FRC group. No differences in sociodemographic and health status variables were observed between the matched groups. The mean annual cost was $15,766.15 for FXD patients and $11,875.21 for FRC patients. The mean utility gained by using FXD over FRC was 0.085; however, this difference was not statistically significant. The ICUR for the FXD treatment over FRC treatment was $45,540.49/quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Probabilistic sensitivity analysis showed FXD to dominate FRC (>50% probability of being cost-effective) above the $40,000 threshold. Conclusion Although the cost-effectiveness of a single-pill strategy was within the acceptable willingness-to-pay threshold, the QALY difference were minimal. Further research is recommended to explore the long-term impact of the strategy.
Brief announcement: on enhancing concurrency in distributed transactional memory

Distributed transactional memory (TM) models based on globally-consistent contention management policies may abort many transactions that could potentially commit without violating correctness. To reduce unnecessary aborts and increase concurrency, we propose the distributed dependency-aware (or DDA) model for distributed TM, which manages dependencies between conflicting and uncommitted transactions so that they can commit safely. We present a distributed algorithm to decide whether to abort a transaction based on local precedence graphs that model the established dependency relationships. We analyze the performance of our algorithm and illustrate the inherent tradeoff of the DDA model between communication cost and concurrency.
Dipole-Forbidden energy transfer process in solution

Abstract The transfer of electronic excitation energy to or from d-d excited states of transition metal compounds is formally dipole forbidden and is allowed by an electron exchange mechanism. In this limit, the quenching rate constant may be factored into contributions of an electronic term and a Franck-Condon, or nuclear term. A formalism based on non-radiative relaxation of electronic excited states is used to identify important features of the Franck-Condon term in the strong coupling and the weak coupling limits. Many of the systematic studies so far reported in fluid solution have involved the 4A2 ↔ 2E electronic transition of Cr(III) in either the donor or acceptor and such system often correspond to the weak coupling limit. The behavior observed in this limit has been thought to deviate from expectation, but the proper accounting for the vibrational modes available to accommodate the excess energy in a weak coupling formalism accounts for the observed gap dependencies. When (2E)Cr(III) excited states are employed with (1A1 → 3T1)Co(III) acceptor, a strong coupling formalism may be employed to extract information about the electronic factor from variations in the quenching rates. The strong coupling and weak coupling formalisms, based on unimolecular radiationless transitions, have successfully described many aspects of bimolecular reactions, but several issues remain. Some of these issues will require observations on metal-to-metal energy transfer in multimetal molecules. A few pertinent studies are becoming available.
Gastroesophageal intussusception: a new cause of acute esophageal obstruction in children

Gastrointestinal intussusception with obstruction is common in the small bowel and colon; however, such a process is not known to cause esophageal obstruction. Recent experience with gastroesophageal intussusception permits discussion of diagnosis and consideration of treatment options. A 3-year-old child presented with acute esophageal obstruction. Physical examination was significant for epigastric tenderness and excessive salivation. Chest x-ray showed a posterior mediastinal fullness. Esophagram documented a smooth crescent-filling defect, which caused obstruction of the esophagus at the level of the carina with proximal esophageal dilatation. Chest computed tomography of the thorax showed a soft tissue mass of the distal esophagus. Esophagoscopy confirmed occlusion of the midesophagus with the mucosa intact. A right thoracotomy permitted visualization of dilated proximal esophagus and a palpation of an intraluminal mass in the distal esophagus. Mobilization of the distal esophagus and gentle manual pressure cleared the obstruction to a point below the diaphragm. After a normal intraoperative esophagram, final treatment consisted of a longitudinal esophagomyotomy. The child recovered without complication and continues without recurrence for 18 months. This is the first report of gastroesophageal intussusception in children. Management by thoracotomy, manual reduction, and esophageal myotomy reestablished intestinal continuity and appears to eliminate recurrence; fundoplication or gastropexy may be alternative options. Preoperative recognition of gastroesophageal intussusception may allow nonoperative reduction or treatment by minimally invasive surgery.
Apparent Ionic Charges and Vibrational Eigenmodes of BaTi O 3 and Other Perovskites

The polarization associated with the vibrations of a complex lattice can be discussed by assigning apparent charges to the individual ions. These apparent charges can be calculated for a lattice of electrically polarizable ions by a consideration of the local dipole fields if polarization due to short-range forces is neglected, and such calculations are made for several cubic perovskites. Using these calculations as criteria for reasonable values of apparent charges results in the severe restriction of the range of the displacements permissible for the polar vibrational modes compatible with the experimentally observed mode dipole strengths. The apparent ionic charges and polar eigenmodes of SrTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, BaTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, KTa${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, and KCo${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$ are discussed in this manner. For BaTi${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, the magnitude of the spontaneous polarization is correctly predicted, and the displacements predicted for the very low-frequency mode in the cubic phase are closely similar to those which occur at the cubic-tetragonal phase transformation.
Chemical Vapor Deposition of Metallic Thin Films Using Homonuclear and Heteronuclear Metal Carbonyls

The purpose of this work has been to demonstrate a simple chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique that employs easily handled solid metal carbonyls as precursors for the formation of metallic thin films. Co, Fe, Ru, and Os metallic thin films were deposited in a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) apparatus under a vacuum of 10-5 Torr using Co2(CO)8, Fe3(CO)12, Ru3(CO)12, and Os3(CO)12 at 150, 200, 175, and 225 °C, respectively. FeCo3 and FeRu3 metal alloy films were deposited from HFeCo3(CO)12 and H2FeRu3(CO)13 at 150 and 200 °C, respectively. A Co/Ru/Co multilayer film was prepared by consecutively depositing each layer from the respective carbonyls at the aforementioned temperatures. The method employed differs from previously reported procedures in that a carrier gas is not used, but a dynamic vacuum of 10-5 Torr is found sufficient to transport the precursor metal carbonyls to the heated substrate. The precursor carbonyls Co2(CO)8, Fe3(CO)12, and H2FeRu3(CO)13, were sufficiently volatile that they coul...
A model for extreme stacking of data at endpoints of a distribution: Illustration with W-shaped data

Abstract Analyses will only provide correct inferences when certain assumptions are met. Regrettably, researchers do not always assess the validity of their assumptions. One scenario requiring such consideration is when data is stacked at one or both ends of a distribution. When data are stacked at zero, regression models are not appropriate but zero-altered regression models (e.g., zero-inflated Poisson or negative binomial, and hurdle models), can be valid and effective models. When data are stacked at two known extremes, a different modeling structure must be used. In this paper, we propose a model in which the complete distribution of the outcome is modeled by three component distributions: the two extreme responses and a distribution for responses in between. We illustrate this modeling structure in an educational data application, where the data exhibited two extreme responses with a near normal distribution in between, resulting in a bimodal W-shape distribution. We compare our results to standard modeling approaches with respect to goodness of fit, protection against bias in parameter estimation, statistical power, and interpretation.
ELECTRON DENSITY MAXIMIZATION IN A PENNING GAS MIXTURE IONIZED BY FISSION FRAGMENTS

Abstract The note gives both theoretical cause and experimental verification for the manner in which electron densities ≈1012 cm−3 vary with total gas pressure and the percentage of trace gas in a Penning mixture ionized by fission fragments.
Assessment of the relationship between distal occluded pressure and angiographically evident collateral flow during coronary angioplasty

Abstract The relationship between the presence of collateral filling on the baseline coronary angiogram and the distal occluded coronary pressure obtained during balloon inflation was examined in 83 patients undergoing coronary angioplasty. The patients were divided into three groups: Group I (n = 40) had conventional stenoses (80% to 95% luminal diameter narrowing) without angiographically evident collaterals, group II (n = 22) had conventional stenoses with angiographically present collaterals, and group III (n = 21) had total or functional total occlusions (99% to 100% diameter narrowing) with angiographically evident collateral flow. There was no significant difference in age, sex, vessel distribution, clinical class, residual gradient, or residual percent stenosis following successful angioplasty among the three groups. The distal occluded pressure in group I (18 ± 5 mm Hg) was, however, significantly lower than the distal occluded pressure in either group II (34 ± 7 mm Hg) or group III (36 ± 9 mm Hg) ( p p
Orthogonal $E$ -Wall and $H$ -Wall Tuning of Distributed Resonators: Using Concurrency for Continuous Ultra-Wideband Frequency Generation

A technique to achieve ultra-wideband continuous frequency generation is introduced. It is based on orthogonal E-wall and H-wall tuning of distributed resonators, in standing-wave-mode configurations. The tuning scheme in fact serves dual purposes for generating concurrent tones, as well as wideband tuning operation. It is scalable and could be applied to any frequency band, but since it is designed around distributed resonators, it is more desirable for higher frequencies. In comparison with alternative methods, the technique requires less silicon space, lower power consumption, better phase noise, as well as a wider tuning range. A V-band voltage-controlled oscillator, with a continuous tuning range from 58 to 76.2 GHz, designed and validated in 65-nm CMOS technology, in accordance with this technique is illustrated, and a new figure of merit is reported.
Low‐ and high‐molecular‐weight polyacetylenes: Synthesis, characterization, and thermal isomerization

Procedures for the synthesis of polyacetylene ([CH]x) with Mn (number average molecular weight) from 400 to about 106 have been developed. This probably represents the largest range of molecular weight (MW) obtainable for a given monomer by a single initiator system. The catalyst residue level in [CH]x can be significantly reduced by acidic-methanol purification. The very low MW polymer L-[CH]x (polyacetylenes with Mn 400–500), has the same cis crystal structure as the higher MW polymers but is less ordered along the c-axis. It is isomerized to the trans material with apparently a more compact unit cell than high MW polymers. There is annealing of crystallite which increases the longitudinal order during thermal isomerization. This process occurs more readily and with lower activation energy in L-[CH]x than for polymers with higher MW. Isomerization of high MW polymers tends to trap cis units which can result in degradation as evidenced by the formation of sp3 carbon vibrations in IR spectra. This is true even for L-[CH]x after prolonged heating. The results render credence to the proposal based on anamalous resonance Raman scattering profile that there can be very short trans segments in thermally isomerized trans-[CH]x.
Quantifying the Life-Cycle Environmental Profile of Photovoltaics and Comparisons with Other Electricity-Generating Technologies

The various detrimental environmental and health effects of conventional electricity generation have long been recognized. Renewable technologies offer the opportunity for reducing such impacts, but, during their entire life cycle, their use is not without effects. Indeed, some major European and Australian studies portrayed photovoltaic systems as causing significant life-cycle environmental and health impacts, due to the fossil energy used in the production of cell and module materials. However, the most recent studies on the life-cycle impacts of c-Si and thin film photovoltaics show that they are drastically lower than the ones earlier reported. Such improvements reflect the more effective use of material, thinner layers, improvements in the balance-of-systems components and installation, frameless modules, and higher conversion efficiencies. This paper summarizes a comparison of the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) from the life-cycle of PV, nuclear, fossil and biomass electricity generation in the U.S.
Nonlinear adaptive inverse control

Adaptive control is seen as a two part problem: 1) control of plant dynamics, and 2) control of plant disturbance. The method proposed here, based on inverse control, treats the two problems separately without compromise. The method applies to SISO and MIMO linear plants, and to nonlinear plants. An unknown linear plant will track an input command signal if the plant is driven by a controller whose transfer function approximates the inverse of the plant transfer function. An adaptive inverse identification process can be used to obtain a stable controller, even if the plant is nonminimum phase. A model-reference version of this idea allows system dynamics to closely approximate desired reference-model dynamics. No direct feedback is used, except that the plant output is monitored and utilized by an adaptive algorithm to adjust the parameters of the controller. Control of internal plant disturbance is accomplished with an adaptive disturbance canceller. This approach is optimal for linear plants, and works well with nonlinear plants.
Trace elements in the elderly

Trace elements are inorganic micronutrients present in the organism in concentrations of parts per million (μg/g) or parts per billion (ng/g). Such concentrations were not quantifiable by the methods available during the early years of analysis, hence the name trace elements. That expression is now widely accepted, even though modern methods allow adequate quantification even of concentrations as low as fractions of a nanogram per gram.
SURGERY VERSUS OBSERVATION FOR MANAGING OBSTRUCTIVE GRADE 3 TO 4 UNILATERAL HYDRONEPHROSIS: A REPORT FROM THE SOCIETY FOR FETAL UROLOGY

AbstractPurpose: The Society for Fetal Urology has undertaken the first multicenter prospective randomized study of high grade obstructive unilateral hydronephrosis to evaluate the natural history of untreated obstruction and compare it to the benefits of pyeloplasty.Materials and Methods: Since 1991, infants with isolated unilateral Society for Fetal Urology grade 3 hydronephrosis and ipsilateral obstruction with greater than 40% differential renal function on well tempered renography were studied. Patients were randomly assigned to observation or pyeloplasty groups. Renal ultrasound and well tempered renography were performed biannually for 1 year and yearly thereafter. Crossover criteria for surgery included concurrent worsening of isotope washout and increasing grade of hydronephrosis or a greater than 10% point loss in percent differential renal function that was noted between studies. The end point of the study was the 3-year anniversary of randomization.Results: A total of 32 infants from 10 center...
A novel model for antigen-dependent activation of normal human T cells. Transmembrane signaling by crosslinkage of the CD3/T cell receptor-alpha/beta complex with the cluster determinant 2 antigen.

Transmembrane signaling of normal human T cells was explored with mAbs directed at TCR, CD2, CD4, CD5, or CD8 antigens and highly purified CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. Our experiments explicitly show that: (a) crosslinkage of TCR with the CD2 antigen, and not independent crosslinking of TCR and of CD2 antigen or crosslinking of either protein with the CD4 or CD8 antigen induces significant proliferation independent of co-stimulatory signals (e.g., accessory cells, recombinant lymphokines, or tumor promoter), (b) F(ab')2 fragments of mAb directed at the TCR and F(ab')2 anti-CD2, crosslinked with F(ab')2 fragments of rabbit anti-mouse IgG, promote the proliferation of highly purified T cells, (c) a prompt and sustained increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration results from crosslinkage of TCR with the CD2 antigen, (d) T cell proliferation induced by this novel approach is curtailed by EGTA and by direct or competitive inhibitors of PKC, (e) crosslinkage of TCR with the CD2 antigen results in the transcriptional activation and translation of the gene for IL-2 and in the expression of IL-2 receptor alpha (CD25), (f) anti-CD25 mAbs inhibit T cell proliferation initiated by crosslinkage of TCR with the CD2 antigen, and recombinant IL-2 restores the proliferative response. Our first demonstration that crosslinkage of TCR with the CD2 antigen induces proliferation of normal human CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells, in addition to revealing a novel activation mechanism utilizable by the two major subsets of T cells, suggest that the CD2 antigen might be targeted for the regulation of antigen-specific T cell immunity (e.g., organ transplantation).
The spinal cord in lightning injury: A report of two cases

We present 2 patients in whom the predominant neurological complication following lightning strike was spinal cord injury. One patient, who was followed for 5 years, showed clinical, electrophysiologic and MRI evidence of cervical spinal cord injury. This patient had significant recovery, which in part, may be related to early and intense rehabilitation. The second patient presented with the symptoms and signs of spinal shock which then evolved into a myelopathy. Follow-up several months later showed almost complete resolution of symptoms. These patients demonstrate that the prognosis of spinal cord injury complicating a lightning strike may not be uniformly poor.
Computational fluid–structure interaction: methods and application to a total cavopulmonary connection

The Fontan procedure is a surgery that is performed on single-ventricle heart patients, and, due to the wide range of anatomies and variations among patients, lends itself nicely to study by advanced numerical methods. We focus on a patient-specific Fontan configuration, and per- form a fully coupled fluid-structure interaction (FSI) anal- ysis of hemodynamics and vessel wall motion. To enable physiologically realistic simulations, a simple approach to constructing a variable-thickness blood vessel wall descrip- tion is proposed. Rest and exercise conditions are simulated and rigid versus flexible vessel wall simulation results are compared. We conclude that flexible wall modeling plays an important role in predicting quantities of hemodynamic interest in the Fontan connection. To the best of our knowl- edge, this paper presents the first three-dimensional patient- specific fully coupled FSI analysis of a total cavopulmonary connection that also includes large portions of the pulmonary circulation.
Impact-driven pressure management via targeted brine extraction Conceptual studies of CO2 storage in saline formations

Impact-Driven Pressure Management Via Targeted Brine Extraction – Conceptual Studies of CO 2 Storage in Saline Formations Jens T. Birkholzer, Abdullah Cihan, Quanlin Zhou Earth Sciences Division Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Abstract: Large-scale pressure buildup in response to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) injection in the subsurface may limit the dynamic storage capacity of suitable formations, because elevated pressure can impact caprock integrity, induce reactivation of critically stressed faults, drive CO 2 and/or brine through conductive features into shallow groundwater resources, or may affect existing subsurface activities such as oil and gas production. It has been suggested that pressure management involving the extraction of native fluids from storage formations can be used to control subsurface pressure increases caused by CO 2 injection and storage, thereby limiting the possibility of unwanted effects. In this study, we introduce the concept of “impact-driven pressure management (IDPM)”, which involves optimization of fluid extraction to meet local (not global) performance criteria (i.e., the goal is to limit pressure increases primarily where environmental impact is a concern). We evaluate the feasibility of IDPM for a hypothetical CO 2 storage operation in an idealized multi-formation system containing a critically stressed fault zone. Using a newly developed analytical solution, we assess alternative fluid extraction schemes and test whether a predefined performance criterion can be achieved, in this case the maximum allowable pressure near the fault zone. Alternative strategies for well placement are evaluated, comparing near-injection arrays of extraction wells with near-impact arrays. Extraction options include active extraction wells and (passive) pressure relief wells, as well as combinations of both, with and without reinjection into the subsurface. Our results suggest that strategic well placement and optimization of extraction may allow for a significant reduction in the brine extraction volumes. Additional work is required in the future to test the general concept of IDPM for more complex and realistic CO 2 storage scenarios. Page 1
Mapping quantitative traits in unselected families: algorithms and examples.

Linkage analysis has been widely used to identify from family data genetic variants influencing quantitative traits. Common approaches have both strengths and limitations. Likelihood ratio tests typically computed in variance component analysis can accommodate large families but are highly sensitive to departure from normality assumptions. Regression-based approaches are more robust but their use has primarily been restricted to nuclear families. In this paper, we develop methods for mapping quantitative traits in moderately large pedigrees. Our methods are based on the score statistic which in contrast to the likelihood ratio statistic, can use nonparametric estimators of variability to achieve robustness of the false positive rate against departures from the hypothesized phenotypic model. Because the score statistic is easier to calculate than the likelihood ratio statistic, our basic mapping methods utilize relatively simple computer code that performs statistical analysis on output from any program that computes estimates of identity-by-descent. This simplicity also permits development and evaluation of methods to deal with multivariate and ordinal phenotypes, and with gene-gene and gene-environment interaction. We demonstrate our methods on simulated data and on fasting insulin, a quantitative trait measured in the Framingham Heart Study.
Extracellular matrix-mimetic adhesive biomaterials for bone repair

Limited osseointegration of current orthopedic biomaterials contributes to the failure of implants such as arthroplasties, bone screws, and bone grafts, which present a large socioeconomic cost within the United States. These implant failures underscore the need for biomimetic approaches that modulate host cell-implant material responses to enhance implant osseointegration and bone formation. Bioinspired strategies have included functionalizing implants with extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins or ECM-derived peptides or protein fragments, which engage integrins and direct osteoblast adhesion and differentiation. This review discusses (1) bone ECM composition and key integrins implicated in osteogenic differentiation, (2) the use of implants functionalized with ECM-mimetic peptides/protein fragments, and (3) growth factor-derived peptides to promote the mechanical fixation of implants to bone and to enhance bone healing within large defects.
Young children's weight trajectories and associated risk factors: results from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Birth Cohort.

Abstract Purpose. To estimate the prevalence of U.S. children's overweight risk and obesity at age 9 months and at age 2 years, to assess weight changes between the two periods, and to examine relationships between weight status (i.e., normal, at risk, or obese) changes and demographic variables. Design. Analyses of children's early weight trajectories and related demographic characteristics from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study–Birth Cohort (ECLS-B) are presented. Setting. United States. Subjects. The 9-month-old (n = 8900) and 2-year-old (n = 7500) ECLS-B waves were used to generate nationally representative estimates of obese and at-risk children born in 2001. Measures. Measures included child's sex, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, community locale, geographic region, and weight status. Analysis. Logistic and multinomial logistic regression models were used to determine the odds of children's demographic characteristics being related to weight persistence, loss, or gain. Results. Approximat...
Using Stationary-Dynamic Camera Assemblies for Wide-area Video Surveillance and Selective Attention

In this paper, we present a prototype video surveillance system that uses stationary-dynamic (or master-slave) camera assemblies to achieve wide-area surveillance and selective focus-of-attention. We address two critical issues in deploying such camera assemblies in real-world applications: off-line camera calibration and on-line selective focus-ofattention. Our contributions over existing techniques are twofold: (1) in terms of camera calibration, our technique calibrates all degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) of both stationary and dynamic cameras, using a closed-form solution that is both efficient and accurate, and (2) in terms of selective focus-of-attention, our technique correctly handles dynamic changes in the scene and varying object depths. This is a significant improvement over existing techniques that use an expensive and non-adaptable table-look-up process.
Senescent changes in parafoveal color appearance: saturation as a function of stimulus area.

The chromatic content (saturation) of monochromatic stimuli (480, 505, 577, and 650 nm) was scaled as a function of field size at three different retinal locations by 58 observers ranging from 18 to 83 yr of age. The different retinal locations (6 deg nasal, 2.5 deg inferior and 6 deg temporal eccentricity) were chosen according to anatomical studies demonstrating different degrees of senescent losses of cones or ganglion cells. Nine field sizes were tested, ranging from 0.0096 to 0.96 deg in diameter. The subjects used a percentage scale to judge the saturation of the flashed stimulus presentations (2 s on, 5 s off). The data analysis demonstrated that older observers require larger field sizes than younger observers to perceive hue as well as larger field sizes to reach the same level of scaled saturation. The spatial dependency of color appearance for younger and older observers was not correlated with senescent losses in retinal cells reported for the different retinal locations. The data were modeled by using an impulse-response function (i.e., Naka–Rushton equation) so that perceptive fields could be compared to electrophysiological measures of receptive fields or dendritic fields of retinal and cortical cells.
The ABC'S of Disaster Response:

The readiness of our healthcare facilities to respond to terrorist acts or naturally occurring epidemics and disasters has been at the center of public attention since September 11, 2001. The many other tragic events that have occurred throughout the world since then further reinforce the need for all healthcare facilities and medical personnel to increase their level of preparedness if they wish to optimize outcomes. Maximizing survival rates and minimizing disability during any MCI hinges on rapid, seamless, and coordinated response between first responders and first receivers. The Incident Command System and the HEICS are organizational tools that form the foundation for such a rapid and coordinated response. The ICS provides a simple and adaptable management structure that is capable of being expanded or contracted to meet the needs of a specific situation. The HEICS adapts the ICS into the hospital setting and, in addition to the benefits stated above; its use of the ICS nomenclature and terminology facilitates the communication and the sharing of resources between all agencies and health care institutions involved. A basic knowledge and understanding of the ICS principles and structure is essential for all individuals participating in a disaster response. Previous efforts at disaster preparedness have focused predominantly on the pre-hospital and rescue phase of the disaster response, but a complete and coordinated community response requires creation of integrated disaster plans. True readiness can only be achieved by testing and modifying these plans through integrated simulation drills and table top exercises. Hospital-wide drills are essential to educate all staff members as to their institutional plan and serve as the only substitute at present to first hand experience. At present, there is no evidence-based literature to define what constitutes the best medical response by medical personnel within a disaster setting. This information will likely evolve over the next several decades as we now recognize Disaster Medicine as a separate scientific and medical entity. In the interim, we can develop and modify our response plans based on the "lessons learned" from past experience. Prior events have demonstrated that general surgeons and surgical subspecialists are critical components to a successful hospital response for the vast majority of all mass casualty incidents. Thus, surgeons must take responsibility for increasing their knowledge and understanding of basic disaster management principles and must play an active role in developing their institutional disaster plans.
Subjective correlates of cigarette-smoking-induced elevations of peripheral beta-endorphin and cortisol

Two experiments assessed subjective and hormonal effects of smoking cigarettes with three different nicotine deliveries. In experiment 1, 12 males smoked two cigarettes on three different occasions: (1) nicotine-free; (2) their own brand (1.0 mg FTC-estimated nicotine delivery); or (3) 2.4 mg FTC nicotine cigarettes. In experiment 2, 12 males smoked cigarettes of comparable nicotine yield using a quantified smoke delivery system (QSDS). Blood was sampled 2 min after each cigarette completion. Relative to nicotine-free smoking, plasma beta-endorphin (BE) and serum cortisol concentrations increased after quasi-ad libitum smoking of 2.4 mg, but not after 1.0 mg nicotine cigarettes. Self-reported malaise (nausea, sickness, and unpleasantness) also increased after smoking 2.4 mg nicotine cigarettes; subjective distress was correlated with changes in blood BE and cortisol, Smoking 1.0 mg cigarettes did not increase BE or cortisol, or subjective distress. QSDS smoking produced hormonal and subjective effects similar to quasi-ad libitum smoking; however, correlations between neuromodulator concentrations and mood were non-significant. These findings suggest that the elevated levels of plasma BE and cortisol reported in some smoking studies may not be characteristic effects of normal smoking.
Multiple Roles of Epstein-Barr Virus SM Protein in Lytic Replication

The effect of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) SM protein on EBV gene expression was examined using a recombinant EBV strain with the SM gene deleted and DNA microarrays representing all known EBV coding regions. Induction of lytic EBV replication in the absence of SM led to expression of approximately 40% of EBV genes, but a block in expression of over 50% of EBV genes. Contrary to previous findings, several early genes were SM dependent, and lytic EBV DNA replication did not occur in the absence of SM. Notably, two genes essential for lytic EBV DNA replication, BSLF1 and BALF5, encoding EBV DNA primase and polymerase, respectively, were SM dependent. Lytic DNA replication was partially rescued by ectopic expression of EBV primase and polymerase, but virion production was not. Rescue of DNA replication only enhanced expression of a subset of late genes, consistent with a direct requirement for SM for late gene expression in addition to its contribution to DNA replication. Therefore, while SM is essential for most late gene expression, the proximate block to virion production by the EBV SM deletion strain is an inability to replicate linear DNA. The block to DNA replication combined with the direct effect of SM on late gene expression leads to a global deficiency of late gene expression. SM also inhibited BHRF1 expression during productive replication in comparison to that of cells induced into lytic replication in the absence of SM. Thus, SM plays a role in multiple steps of lytic cycle EBV gene expression and that it is transcript-specific in both activation and repression functions.
Delay-time bounds for on-chip and off-chip interconnection networks

A lower bound on the delay time is established for interconnection networks with meshes having (in addition to series resistances and shunting capacitances) inductances, floating capacitances, leakage resistances, and a quite general distribution of parameters. The bound is very readily computed once the input-to-output paths are picked out and the DC gain of the network is determined. >
Observation of μs time-scale protein dynamics in the presence of Ln3+ ions: application to the N-terminal domain of cardiac troponin C

The microsecond time-scale motions in the N-terminal domain of cardiac troponin C (NcTnC) loaded with lanthanide ions have been investigated by means of a $${^{1}\hbox{H}^{\rm N}}$$ off-resonance spin-lock experiment. The observed relaxation dispersion effects strongly increase along the series of NcTnC samples containing La3+, Ce3+, and Pr3+ ions. This rise in dispersion effects is due to modulation of long-range pseudocontact shifts by µs time-scale dynamics. Specifically, the motion in the coordination sphere of the lanthanide ion (i.e. in the NcTnC EF-hand motif) causes modulation of the paramagnetic susceptibility tensor which, in turn, causes modulation of pseudocontact shifts. It is also probable that opening/closing dynamics, previously identified in Ca2+–NcTnC, contributes to some of the observed dispersions. On the other hand, it is unlikely that monomer–dimer exchange in the solution of NcTnC is directly responsible for the dispersion effects. Finally, on–off exchange of the lanthanide ion does not seem to play any significant role. The amplification of dispersion effects by Ln3+ ions is a potentially useful tool for studies of µs–ms motions in proteins. This approach makes it possible to observe the dispersions even when the local environment of the reporting spin does not change. This happens, for example, when the motion involves a ‘rigid’ structural unit such as individual α-helix. Even more significantly, the dispersions based on pseudocontact shifts offer better chances for structural characterization of the dynamic species. This method can be generalized for a large class of applications via the use of specially designed lanthanide-binding tags.
The role of neighborhood context in youth co-offending

Despite co-offending being a core criminological fact, locating suitable peers has many challenges. Chief among these, given the risky nature of co-offending, is finding trustworthy accomplices. We propose that neighborhoods serve as youths’ most ready source of accomplices, and as such, their composition affects the likelihood of identifying suitable co-offenders. In particular, youth are more likely to co-offend in contexts with more peers of their race/ethnicity, less disadvantage, and greater residential stability—all of which promote trust among neighbors. We test our hypotheses using multilevel models applied to census data and official court records for 7,484 delinquent youth in a large metropolitan area. The results offer support for our hypotheses and provide greater insight into how individual and contextual factors combine to affect co-offending behavior. An implication of these findings is that many of the same neighborhood characteristics that reduce crime lead to a greater proportion of co-offending.
Towards a more realistic representation of uncertainty: An approach motivated by info-gap decision theory

In the traditional statistical approach, we assume that we know the exact cumulative distribution function (CDF) F(x). In practice, we often only know the envelopes [F(x), F(x)] bounding this CDF, i.e., we know the interval-valued "p-box" which contains F(x). P-boxes have been successfully applied to many practical applications. In the p-box approach, we assume that the actual CDF can be any CDF F(x) isin [F(x),F(x)]. In many practical situations, however, we know that the actual distribution is smooth. In such situations, we may wish our model to further restrict the set of CDFs by requiring them to share smoothness (and similar) properties with the bounding envelopes F(x) and F(x). In previous work we used ideas from Info- Gap Decision Theory to propose heuristic methods for selecting such distributions. In this paper, we provide justifications for this heuristic approach.
Localization and Identification of Populations of Phosphatase-Active Bacterial Cells Associated with Activated Sludge Flocs

Abstract The majority of phosphatase (PO(4)ase) activity detected in fresh aerobic activated sludge from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was associated with suspended floc material. PO(4)ase activity appeared to be localized in discrete bacteria-containing areas of the floc matrix based on the distribution of nucleic acid-stained cells and precipitated fluorescent crystals produced as a result of reaction of the enzyme(s) with the artificial substrate ELFtrade mark-PO(4). Of the total floc-associated bacterial cells that stained positive with the nucleic acid-binding fluorochrome acridine orange (AO), 8.8 +/- 1.2% displayed PO(4)ase activity based on the proximity of AO-stained cells to precipitated ELF crystals. Using a 16S rRNA oligonucleotide probe specific for the cytophaga-flavobacteria group, it was determined that 17-20% of the floc-associated bacteria that probed positive also displayed PO(4)ase activity. Furthermore, 35-45% of the ELF fluorescence was associated with bacterial cells that probed positive for the cytophaga-flavobacteria group. The results suggest that the cytophaga-flavobacteria, as a group, is important in mediating the liberation of inorganic orthophosphate (P(i)) from phosphomonoesters of detrital organic phosphate (organic-P) in the aerobic activated sludge process of wastewater treatment.http://link.springer-ny.com/link/service/journals/00248/bibs/38n3p201.html</hea
DNA Repair Defects and DNA-PK in Neurodegeneration

Mammalian brain consists of two major types of cells, the neurons and glia. Mature neurons are essentially post-mitotic and do not proliferate whereas some glial cells can undergo replication especially as a response to stress or damage [1,2]. Nervous system is one of the earliest systems to develop and differentiate in almost all the species. Therefore, literally, neurons in the brain are one of the oldest cell populations in the organism. Neurons are also one of the most metabolically active cells and gene expression is two- to threefold higher in neurons than in any other cell [3]. These non-dividing, metabolically hyperactive cells are, therefore, vulnerable to risks that involve DNA damage.