cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Isotopic evidence for the diet of an early hominid, Australopithecus africanus

Current consensus holds that the 3-million-year-old hominid Australopithecus africanus subsisted on fruits and leaves, much as the modern chimpanzee does. Stable carbon isotope analysis of A. africanus from Makapansgat Limeworks, South Africa, demonstrates that this early hominid ate not only fruits and leaves but also large quantities of carbon-13-enriched foods such as grasses and sedges or animals that ate these plants, or both. The results suggest that early hominids regularly exploited relatively open environments such as woodlands or grasslands for food. They may also suggest that hominids consumed high-quality animal foods before the development of stone tools and the origin of the genus Homo.
Convergence to equilibria for fluid models of FIFO queueing networks

The qualitative behavior of open multiclass queueing networks is currently a topic of considerable activity. An important goal is to formulate general criteria for when such networks possess equilibria, and to characterize these equilibria when possible. Fluid models have recently become an important tool for such purposes. We are interested here in a family of such models, FIFO fluid models of Kelly type. That is, the discipline is first-in, first-out, and the service rate depends only on the station. To study such models, we introduce an entropy function associated with the state of the system. The corresponding estimates show that if the traffic intensity function is at most 1, then such fluid models converge exponentially fast to equilibria with fixed concentrations of customer types throughout each queue. When the traffic intensity function is strictly less than 1, the limit is always the empty state and occurs after a finite time. A consequence is that generalized Kelly networks with traffic intensity strictly less than 1 are positive Harris recurrent, and hence possess unique equilibria.
The Linguistic Subversion of Mental Representation

Embedded and embodied approaches to cognition urge that (1) complicated internal representations may be avoided by letting features of the environment drive behavior, and (2) environmental structures can play an enabling role in cognition, allowing prior cognitive processes to solve novel tasks. Such approaches are thus in a natural position to oppose the `thesis of linguistic structuring': The claim that the ability to use language results in a wholesale recapitulation of linguistic structure in onboard mental representation. Prominent examples of researchers adopting this critical stance include Andy Clark, Michael Wheeler, and Mark Rowlands. But is such opposition warranted? Since each of these authors advocate accounts of mental representation that are broadly connectionist, I survey research on formal language computation in artificial neural networks, and argue that results indicate a strong form of the linguistic structuring thesis is true: Internal representational systems recapitulate significant linguistic structure, even on a connectionist account of mental representation. I conclude by sketching how my conclusion can nonetheless be viewed as consistent with and complimentary to an embedded/embodied account of the role of linguistic structure in cognition.
Observed Solar Pressure Perturbations of Echo I

During the period 13 August to 22 August, day-to-day determinaitions of the average orbital elements of the 100-foot Echo I balloon, based on observations taken at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Goldstone tracking station, indicated a decrease in perigee height of 3.0 km/day and an increase in the eccentricity of 0.00038 per day.
Sedimentology of a fine-grained aggrading floodplain

Abstract Historical land use changes accelerated both soil erosion and subsequent floodplain alluviation within the Galena River basin, Wisconsin. A cross-valley transect in a low-gradient, downstream section of this watershed permitted documentation of the lateral and vertical sedimentological properties occurring during this aggradational phase. Mechanical and statistical analyses of 97 sediment samples reveal two dominant controls determining the resulting floodplain sedimentology. Firstly, the initial fine-grained loessial texture dominated the particle size of the early post-settlement alluvium, generally yielding fine-textured sediments across the valley bottom. Further landscape de-stabilization promoted upland gullying into coarser-textured residuum below the loess, with a concomitant particle size increase in the foodplain alluvium. Thus, the resulting foodplain stratigraphy exhibits a coarsening upward sequence. Secondly, distance from the stream channel exerts a strong control on overall sedimentological properties. Distal settings possess massive, high clay-content sediments usually with less than 1% sand. Samples become coarser and more stratified near the modern stream channel, with channel fill facies containing approximately 20% sand in the upper sections. The fine-grained loessial sediment source affected numerous sedimentological properties of the deposited alluvium. Sorting correlates negatively with particle size because all particle sizes were entrained during large overbank floods. Dominance of silt in this loess-mantled basin maintains the maintains the median of the particle size distribution within a fairly narrow range. Only the tails of the distribution vary, and they are primarily controlled by the distance to the stream channel. In distal settings the fine tail emerges, whereas the coarse tail appears in the channel fill and proximal settings. Although all sediments were deposited in an overbank floodplain environment, Passega's CM diagrams erroneously indicate a pelagic depositional environment.
Central configurations of four bodies with one inferior mass

The number of equivalence classes of central configurations (abbr. c.c.) in the planar 4-body problem with three arbitrary and a fourth small mass is investigated. These c.c. are derived according to their generic origin in the 3-body problem. It is shown that each 3-body collinear c.c. generates exactly 2 non-collinear c.c. (besides 4 collinear ones) of 4 bodies with smallm 4≥0; and that any 3-body equilateral triangle c.c. generates exactly 8 or 9 or 10 (depending onm 1,m 2,m 3) planar 4-body c.c. withm 4=0. Further, every one of these c.c. can be continued uniquely to sufficiently smallm 4>0 except when there are just 9; then exactly one of them is degenerate, and we conjecture that it is not continuable tom 4>0.
UNIVERSAL TRANSITION IN A DYNAMICAL SYSTEM FORCED AT TWO INCOMMENSURATE FREQUENCIES

Abstract The various routes to chaos are explored for a nonlinear mechanical system mode locked to one of two incommensurate external frequencies. Two types of transitions are seen in our model system. A saddle-node transition with its associated intermittency can occur when the mode locking is lost while the attracting two-torus remains smooth. A less trivial transition can occur in which the attracting torus roughens and the power spectrum of the time series develops singular low frequency components; after the breakdown mode locking persists with noisy small-scale motions about the former torus. At the multicritical point where these two transition lines meet scaling and universal low-frequency power spectra are observed. A renormalization group treatment is proposed. The analysis might also be applicable to transitions in rotationally invariant systems.
Effect of promethazine on lumbar vertebral bone mass in postmenopausal women

. Objectives. Work in mice suggests that the age-related loss of bone mineral noted in that species is caused by an intrinsic defect in a haematopoietic cell population which results directly or indirectly in increased bone resorption. This age-related loss of bone mineral is prevented or reversed by well-tolerated doses of promethazine HCL. The present study was undertaken to determine if promethazine would retard or reverse bone loss in postmenopausal women. Design. Postmenopausal women whose spine (L2 to L4) bone mineral content (BMC) was two standard deviations below young normal values were assigned randomly to receive calcium or promethazine and calcium daily. Subjects who had been taking oral oestrogen for more than 4 years also were assigned randomly but independently to the calcium or promethazine groups. Setting. All subjects were seen in the out-patient clinic of the Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. Subjects. Healthy, ambulatory postmenopausal females were recruited by word of mouth and by advertisement from the local community. Fifty-four subjects completed the first 6 months of the study and 43 completed 30 months. Interventions. The subjects were assigned randomly to receive 1000 mg calcium daily or promethazine 50 mg and calcium 1000 mg daily throughout the period of the study. Main outcome measures. Bone mineral content of the lumbar vertebrae (L2 to L4) was determined by dual photon densitometry every 6 months. Dorsolumbar spine X-rays were obtained yearly and at the completion of the study to detect new compression fractures. Results. In the groups not taking oestrogen, BMC decreased at the rate of 1.53% year−1 in the group given only calcium; in contrast, BMC increased at 3.22% year−1 in the group given promethazine and calcium (P < 0.001). Among the women taking oestrogen, increases in mean BMC were noted in both groups, but those taking promethazine and calcium had a greater rate of increase than observed in the group taking only calcium (5.62% vs. 1.97% per year−1, P < 0.001). Conclusions. These results suggest that promethazine can induce a modest increase in vertebral BMC in postmenopausal women who are not taking oestrogen and greater increases in those who are.
Wetland Vegetation in Manzala Lagoon, Nile Delta Coast, Egypt: Rapid Responses of Pollen to Altered Nile Hydrology and Land Use

BERNHARDT, C.E.; STANLEY, J.-D., and HORTON, B.P., 2011. Wetland vegetation in Manzala lagoon, Nile delta coast, Egypt: rapid responses of pollen to altered Nile hydrology and land use. Journal of Coastal Research, 27(4), 731– 737. West Palm Beach (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. The pollen record in a sediment core from Manzala lagoon on the Nile delta coastal margin of Egypt, deposited from ca. AD 1860 to 1990, indicates rapid coastal wetland vegetation responses to two primary periods of human activity. These are associated with artificially altered Nile hydrologic regimes in proximal areas and distal sectors located to ,1200 km south of Manzala. Freshwater wetland plants that were dominant, such as Typha and Phragmites, decreased rapidly, whereas in the early 1900s, brackish water wetland species (e.g., Amaranthaceae) increased. This change occurred after closure of the Aswan Low Dam in 1902. The second major modification in the pollen record occurred in the early 1970s, after Aswan High Dam closure from 1965 to 1970, when Typha pollen abundance increased rapidly. Massive population growth occurred along the Nile during the 130 years represented by the core section. During this time, the total volume of lagoon water decreased because of conversion of wetland areas to agricultural land, and input of organic-rich sediment, sewage (municipal, agricultural, industrial), and fertilizer in Manzala lagoon increased markedly. Although the wetland plant community has continued to respond to increasingly intensified and varied human-induced pressures in proximal sectors, the two most marked changes in Manzala pollen best correlate with distal events (i.e., closure of the two dams at Aswan). The study also shows that the two major vegetation changes in Manzala lagoon each occurred less than 10 years after closure upriver of the Low and High dams that markedly altered the Nile regime from Upper Egypt to the coast.
Modeling transport and deposition of the Mekong River sediment

A Coupled Wave–Ocean–Sediment Transport Model was used to hindcast coastal circulation and fine sediment transport on the Mekong shelf in southeastern Asian in 2005. Comparisons with limited observations showed that the model simulation captured the regional patterns and temporal variability of surface wave, sea level, and suspended sediment concentration reasonably well. Significant seasonality in sediment transport was revealed. In summer, a large amount of fluvial sediments was delivered and deposited near the Mekong River mouth. In the following winter, strong ocean mixing, and coastal current lead to resuspension and southwestward dispersal of a small fraction of previously deposited sediments. Model sensitivity experiments (with reduced physics) were performed to investigate the impact of tides, waves, and remotely forced ambient currents on the transport and dispersal of the fluvial sediment. Strong wave mixing and downwelling-favorable coastal current associated with the more energetic northeast monsoon in the winter season are the main factors controlling the southwestward along-shelf transport.
Feeding ecology and its influence on social organization in Brown hyenas (Hyaena brunnea, Thunberg) of the Central Kalahari Desert

Summary (1) Observations are presented on the diet, feeding habits, hunting and foraging behaviour of Brown hyaenas of the Central Kalahari. (2) The remains of kills left by other predators are the single most important food item in the Brown hyaena's diet. The diet also consists of small scavenged items, small prey such as rodents which the hyaena itself kills, and wild fruits. (3) Brown hyaenas hunt and scavenge small items solitarily, but congregate for communal scavenging of the large kills left by other predators. (4) Individual hyaenas are not territorial and there is great overlap in home ranges. They use common pathways and frequently meet to socialize while foraging. (5) Resident adults form a group with a social hierarchy maintained through neck-biting, muzzle-wrestling, chasing, and other social interactions. Subadult hyaenas often leave the group when approximately 22 months old. (6) Brown hyaenas have a complex system of communication including visual displays, social interactions, vocalizations, and extensive pasting. These are described. (7) Since carrion is an important source of food, Brown hyaenas have developed distinct relationships with other predators and these are described. (8) In conclusion, the Brown hyaena exhibits a highly flexible social system, foraging and hunting small items solitarily and congregating for the common utilization of a large carcass. The social organization is therefore influenced by the feeding ecology.
BEAMing sheds light on drug resistance.

Targeted therapies against somatically altered genes are currently used for the treatment of many human cancers. The nascent technology, BEAMing, has potential to increase the clinical utility of these agents as it allows for the detection of cancer mutations in peripheral blood, providing a rapid assessment of tumor mutation status.
Blood Oxygen Level–Dependent Magnetic Resonance Imaging Identifies Cortical Hypoxia in Severe Renovascular Disease

Atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis has a range of manifestations depending on the severity of vascular occlusion. The aim of this study was to examine whether exceeding the limits of adaptation to reduced blood flow ultimately leads to tissue hypoxia, as determined by blood oxygen level dependent MRI. We compared 3 groups of hypertensive patients, 24 with essential hypertension, 13 with "moderate" (Doppler velocities 200-384 cm/s), and 17 with "severe" atherosclerotic renal artery stenosis (ARAS; velocities >384 cm/s and loss of functional renal tissue). Cortical and medullary blood flows and volumes were determined by multidetector computed tomography. Poststenotic kidney size and blood flow were reduced with ARAS, and tissue perfusion fell in the most severe lesions. Tissue medullary deoxyhemoglobin, as reflected by R2* values, was higher as compared with the cortex for all of the groups and did not differ between subjects with renal artery lesions and essential hypertension. By contrast, cortical R2* levels were elevated for severe ARAS (21.6±9.4 per second) as compared with either essential hypertension (17.8±2.3 per second; P<0.01) or moderate ARAS (15.7±2.1 per second; P<0.01). Changes in medullary R2* after furosemide administration tended to be blunted in severe ARAS as compared with unaffected (contralateral) kidneys. These results demonstrate that severe vascular occlusion overwhelms the capacity of the kidney to adapt to reduced blood flow, manifest as overt cortical hypoxia as measured by blood oxygen level-dependent MRI. The level of cortical hypoxia is out of proportion to the medulla and may provide a marker to identify irreversible parenchymal injury.
Artificial neural network as a predictive instrument in patients with acute nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage.

Background & Aims: Triage of patients with acute upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage (UGIH) has traditionally required urgent upper endoscopy. The aim of this study is to evaluate the use of artificial neural network for nonendoscopic triage. Methods: A cohort of 387 patients was used to train (n = 194) and internally validate (n = 193) the neural network, which was then externally validated in 200 patients and compared with the clinical and complete Rockall score. Two outcome variables were assessed: major stigmata of recent hemorrhage and need for endoscopic therapy. Patient cohort data from 2 independent tertiary-care medical centers were prospectively collected. Adult patients hospitalized at both sites during the same time period with a primary diagnosis of acute nonvariceal UGIH. Results: In predicting the 2 measured outcomes, sensitivity of neural network was >80%, with high negative predictive values (92–96%) in both cohorts but with lower specificity in the external cohort. Both Rockall scores had adequate sensitivity (>80%) but poor specificity ( Conclusions: In acute nonvariceal UGIH, artificial neural network (nonendoscopic triage) performed as well as the complete Rockall score (endoscopic triage) at predicting stigmata of recent hemorrhage and need for endoscopic therapy, even when tested in an external patient population.
Transient electromagnetic field propagation through infinite sheets, into spherical shells, and into hollow cylinders

Gaussian electromagnetic field pulses of several durations are propagated through infinite sheets into the interior of hollow cylinders and into the interior of spherical shells. The plates, spheres and cylinders are made of aluminum and contain no slots. The time history of the propagated pulses is computed. Finally, the time sequence of the electric field is calculated in the interior of a cylinder of finite length when connected at its ends by wires to a generator delivering a current pulse of Gaussian shape. The dimensions of the cavities are assumed to be sufficiently small so that resonances are not excited by the highest significant frequency contained in the shortest pulse considered. The numerical study is restricted to thin-walled aluminum shields 1/32 inch, 1/16 inch, 1/8 inch and 1/4 inch thick. The half-amplitude widths of the pulses employed lie in the range 14 \mu sec to 2400 \mu sec. It is shown that the resultant Gaussian pulse electric fields defined on the surface of the plates and cylinders are propagated with little diminution in amplitude. This is understandable due to the requirement that the tangential fields are continuous across the interfaces, and to the fact that skin effect is almost nonexistent at low frequencies. The incident (as contrasted to resultant) field pulse undergoes reflection at the boundary surface. Hence, the attenuation sustained by the incident field is great, since reflection is the chief mechanism of attenuation of fields at low frequencies. Thin spherical shells form effective magnetic shields. The electric field is small in the interior of thin-walled cylinders carrying extremely large transient currents.
Incentives versus Transaction Costs: A Theory of Procurement Contracts

Inspired by facts from the private sector construction industry, we develop a model that explains many stylized facts of procurement contracts. The buyer in our model incurs a cost of providing a comprehensive design, and is faced with a trade-off between providing incentives and reducing ex post transaction costs due to costly renegotiation. We show that cost plus contracts are preferred to fixed price contracts when a project is more complex. We briefly discuss how fixed-price or cost-plus contracts might be preferred to other incentive contracts. Finally, our model provides some micro-foundations for ideas from Transaction Cost Economics.
Delay analysis and design exploration for 3D SRAM

The emerging three-dimension (3D) integration technology provides a solution to reduce delay in SRAM. In this paper, we present a physical based delay analysis approach to explore 3D SRAM design options. Our analysis can be used to optimize the 3D SRAM timing performance at both sub-array and system level. Design examples based on the MITLL 3D process are constructed to demonstrate the trade-offs. As the analysis results show, the optimized 3D sub-array provides up to 20% extra improvement for SRAM access time reduction.
A dynamic programming model of fishing strategy choice in a multispecies trawl fishery with trip limits

Dynamic programming was used to model targeting decisions made by bottom trawling vessels in the U.S. west coast groundfish fishery, under management-imposed limits on landings of each target speci...
Physical examination versus normalized pressure ratio for predicting outcomes of hemodialysis access interventions.

PURPOSE The ratio of intragraft venous limb pressure (VLP) to systemic pressure (S) has been proposed to help determine the endpoint of hemodialysis access interventions. It was hypothesized that physical examination of the access could be used in the same way and these techniques were compared as predictors of outcome. PATIENTS AND METHODS With use of a quality-assurance database, records from 117 hemodialysis access interventions were retrospectively reviewed. Only interventions in grafts were included. The database included physical examination (to establish thrill, thrill with slight pulsatility [TSP], pulse with slight thrill [PST], and pulse) at three locations along the graft (proximal, midportion, and distal), normalized pressure ratio calculated with S from a blood pressure cuff (S cuff ) and S within the graft with outflow occluded (S direct ), graft configuration and location, indication, operator, and time to next intervention (outcome of primary patency). Only procedures with complete follow-up data were included in the analysis ( n = 97; declotting, n = 51; prophylactic percutaneous transluminal angioplasty [PTA], n = 46). Statistical analysis was performed with use of Cox proportional-hazards regression. RESULTS Graft configuration, location, side, VLP, Sdirect, and S cuff did not affect outcomes. An operator effect was noted for two physicians and was adjusted for in all analyses. Pressure ratios were weak predictors of outcome (VLP/Sdirect, P = .07; VLP/S cuff , P = .08) and suggested that patency increased with increasing pressure ratio, contrary to earlier studies. Procedure type predicted outcome (declotting, median patency of 50 days; PTA, median patency of 105 days; P = .01). Thrill at distal physical examination was predictive of outcome ( P = .04) and even more so when thrill and TSP combined were compared with PST and pulse combined ( P = .03). Similar but less-pronounced effects were seen at midportion and proximal physical examinations. CONCLUSIONS The presence of a thrill or slightly pulsatile thrill at the distal (venous) end of a dialysis graft is the best predictor of outcome after percutaneous intervention. Based on the present study, the authors believe that physical examination of dialysis access should supplant pressure measurements as an endpoint of intervention and should serve as an essential component of quality assurance of access interventions.
Relationship between gluteal muscle strength, corticospinal excitability, and jump-landing biomechanics in healthy women

Context: Components of gluteal neuromuscular function, such as strength and corticospinal excitability, could potentially influence alterations in lower extremity biomechanics during jump landing. Objective: To determine the relationship between gluteal muscle strength, gluteal corticospinal excitability, and jump-landing biomechanics in healthy women. Setting: University laboratory. Design: Descriptive laboratory study. Participants: 37 healthy women (21.08 ± 2.15 y, 164.8 ± 5.9 cm, 65.4 ± 12.0 kg). Interventions: Bilateral gluteal strength was assessed through maximal voluntary isometric contractions (MVIC) using an isokinetic dynamometer. Strength was tested in the open chain in prone and side-lying positions for the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles, respectively. Transcranial magnetic stimulation was used to elicit measures of corticospinal excitability. Participants then performed 3 trials of jump landing from a 30-cm box to a distance of 50% of their height, with an immediate rebound to a ...
The artery of von Haller: a constant anterior radiculomedullary artery at the upper thoracic level

BACKGROUND: Although recognized since the 18th century, radiculomedullary arteries(RMAs) originating from upper thoracic intersegmental arteries are generally consideredto be inconstant branches of little clinical importance. Yet, such vessels are commonlyobserved during spinal angiography.OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the angiographic prevalence of upper thoracic RMAs, inparticular, branches supplying the anterior spinal artery (ASA).METHODS: Fifty spinal angiograms were reviewed. Anterior and posterior RMAs orig-inating in the upper thoracic region (T3 to T7) were recorded. The level of origin of theartery of Adamkiewicz (T8 to L3) was also noted.RESULTS: Forty-three patients (86%) had at least 1 ASA contributor between T3 and T7.Of the other 7 patients, 4 had one at an immediately adjacent level (T2 or T8). The mostfrequent origin of upper thoracic anterior RMAs was left T5 (n = 10). Only left T9 (n = 12)andleftT8(n=11)weremorecommon.Whencombiningtheleftandrightsides,anASAcontributor wasmore frequentatT5(n=16)thanatany otherlevel(n =15forT9,n=14for T8). The sum of ASA contributors at T4 and T5 (n = 27) represented 54% of all upperthoracic anterior RMAs, and 23% of all anterior RMAs between T3 and L3.CONCLUSION: A significant upper thoracic anterior RMA distinct from the artery ofAdamkiewicz appears to be a constant anatomic feature, which undermines the classicconcept of an arterial watershed zone in the thoracic region. We propose to name thisartery after Albrecht von Haller, who documented its existence in 1754.
Changes in Self-Definition Impede Recovery From Rejection

Previous research highlights how adept people are at emotional recovery after rejection, but less research has examined factors that can prevent full recovery. In five studies, we investigate how changing one's self-definition in response to rejection causes more lasting damage. We demonstrate that people who endorse an entity theory of personality (i.e., personality cannot be changed) report alterations in their self-definitions when reflecting on past rejections (Studies 1, 2, and 3) or imagining novel rejection experiences (Studies 4 and 5). Further, these changes in self-definition hinder post-rejection recovery, causing individuals to feel haunted by their past, that is, to fear the recurrence of rejection and to experience lingering negative affect from the rejection. Thus, beliefs that prompt people to tie experiences of rejection to self-definition cause rejection's impact to linger.
Iron Insufficiency and Febrile Seizures

The significance of iron status as a possible risk factor for a first febrile seizure (FFS) was investigated at Jordan University and King Hussain Medical Center, Irbid, Jordan.
Establishing trends in ion adsorption on the aqueous aluminium hydroxide nanoparticle Al30

The fact that chemical reactions at environmental interfaces are becoming accessible to quantum mechanical computational studies provides geochemical researchers with a new means to predict propert...
Perovskite-type La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3, Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3, and Sm0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 cathode materials and their chromium poisoning for solid oxide fuel cells

Abstract In the pursuit for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode materials that can operate over a wide temperature range, especially at low temperatures such as 600 °C, perovskite structure materials La0.6Sr0.4Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (LSCF), Ba0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (BSCF), and Sm0.5Sr0.5Co0.2Fe0.8O3 (SSCF) are studied. Their electrochemical performance is compared by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) at 600 °C, 700 °C and 800 °C for 100 hrs through an AISI 441 interconnect/cathode/yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) electrolyte half-cell structure. The BSCF cathode has the smallest polarization resistance at 600 °C, closely followed by the SSCF cathode; the LSCF cathode has the smallest polarization resistance working at 700 °C; the SSCF cathode has the smallest polarization resistance working at 800 °C, closely followed by the LSCF cathode. From 600–800 °C, SrCrO4 phase forms on the SSCF cathodes near the interconnect while BaCrO4 phase forms on the BSCF cathodes near the interconnect. For the LSCF cathodes, however, SrCrO4 phase is only detected at 700 °C and 800 °C. Cr species diffusion to and poisoning of the cathodes do not directly correlate with the half-cell performance. Lattice constant, stoichiometry, particle size, Cr deposition, and working temperature are important factors to consider.
Jane Addams: The first humanist sociologist

Les AA. se penchent ici sur l'oeuvre de Jane Addams, dont le pragmatisme critique et l'influence qu'elle a exercee sur l'Ecole de sociologie de Chicago, lui valent d'etre consideree comme precurseur de la sociologie humaniste. Guidee par un imperatif moral, elle estimait que le role de la sociologie est d'aider les gens a mener une vie meilleure, et sa vie a ete un temoignage vivant de l'application de ce principe, notamment a travers sa participation au Mouvement de l'evangile social et sa defense du droit de vote des femmes
Proclaiming Sovereignty: Some Reflections from the Eighteenth-Century Philippines

In the late eighteenth century, in the northern province of Ilocos of the Philippine island of Luzon, an uprising of locals seized power from the Spanish colonial authorities, exiling and imprisoning them in the name of preserving the sovereignty of the Spanish crown and Catholic Church. How could this seemingly contradictory move be made? This chapter seeks to provide an answer to this and related questions about the dialectical relationship between political actions and the meanings ascribed to them. I use the British occupation of Manila (1762–1764) and this related provincial revolt to understand better how sovereignty is enacted via performance and representation. Further, I highlight how radical change is often authorized by its claims to be not revolution, but instead restoration. In these cases, radical revolution is figured as restoring an order that already exists—whether historically or morally—but has been wrongfully displaced. The rightful displaced order is restored on one level, by radical change on another. Finally, and more specifically, I explore how a claim to sovereignty may be used later to support competing claims. This becomes possible precisely because claims to sovereignty are often ambiguous and multifaceted, making them available to creative reappropriation. This is well illustrated in the Philippines around 1763, when several different parties claimed to be the rightful sovereign agent, each using certain features of the others’ accounts, but also contesting their conclusions.
Clinical Outcomes of Patients with T Cell NHL Undergoing Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant.

Background: T cell NHL represent approximately 10–15% of all lymphomas. Pts with T cell NHL are often treated similarly to patient with B cell NHL, although the clinical outcomes of most patients with T- NHL tend to be worse with the exception of ALK positive anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL). Updated classifications in recent years have recognized specific clinical and pathologic T cell entities with distinct clinical courses and this poses a challenge to the systemic study of these diseases. The exact role of allogenic transplant in T- cell NHL is unknown. Methods: We looked at 45 pts who underwent an allogeneic HSCT for T cell lymphomas between Jan 2000 to Dec 2005. There were 18 males, 27 females. Median age at transplant was 32 (7–74). Histology was Mycosis fungoides /Sezary syndrome (SS/MF) n=10, T cell lymphobalstic leukemia (PTLL) n=16, PTCL including AILD and ALCL n=14, NKT cell n=5. Syngeneic donor 1, Sibs 31, MUD 13. Median time from diagnosis to transplant was 12.5 (3.6–88.3) mo. Source of stem cells BM 9, PBSCT 35, cord blood 1. Conditioning, fully ablative 29, reduced intensity 16. Median number of prior regimens MF/SS 5, PTLL 2, PTCL 3, NKTL 2 with only 2 pts with prior auto transplants. 18 pts were in remission at the time of transplant and 12 pts had induction failure. Results: Median follow up from transplant was 45.3 mo(0.7–64.7) with a 55.6%OS. Incidence of GVHD was Acute n= 27 extensive chronic n=20. Cause of death was transplant related in 16 pts with only 3 pts dying of disease progression. The overall survival is 61.2 % at 1 year,55.4% at 2 years and 48.5% at 5 years with a 5 year progression free survival at 48.5%. Based on different histologies, the results are 50.0% overall survival at 1 year and 40.0% at 2 and 5 years for SS/MF, 55.6% at 1 and 2 years for PTLL, 70.1% at 1 and 2 years and 52.6% at 5 years for PTCL and 80% at 1 year for NKT shown in fig 1 and 2. Conclusion: Allogenic transplant can result in long term survival for some patients with T cell NHL suggesting a graft vs lymphoma effect. Timing of transplant needs to be better defined. Most patients are heavily pretreated which may have resulted in more transplant related mortality with 11/20 pts dying of infection. Most patients did not have a prior auto transplant indicating early progression of disease after standard therapies defined for B cell malignancies.
Preparation of Silver Nanoparticles in Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone)/Ethanol Solutions

Silver nanoparticles have been synthesized from Poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)/ethanol solutions, and six different PVP to silver nitrate weight ratios (PVP:AgNO3) are studied in reduction of silver nitrate in ethanol with the presence of PVP as a stabilizer. The produced silver nanoparticles showed strong plasmon resonance peak centered at around 405nm in UV-Vis spectra. The particle morphologies were also examined and compared under secondary electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Energy dispersion X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) was utilized to determine the formation of silver nanoparticles. We found that the particle size and morphology were strongly dependent on the PVP:AgNO3 weight ratio. The average size of silver particles decreased from 19.25nm to 10.03nm as the weight ratio of PVP:AgNO3 increased from 1:1 to 20:1.
Beta-Pompilidotoxin Adopts a Distinct 3D Structure when Bound to Nav1.2 DIV S3-S4 Paddle Motif

Beta-pompilidotoxin (β-PMTX) is a spider wasp toxin which binds on neurotoxin receptor site 3 of neuronal sodium channels. Even though it lacks disulfide bonds and has no structural homology to the α-scorpion toxins and sea anemone toxins that bind at the same site, β-PMTX not only slows inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels, it also has a high affinity for Nav1.2, but does not affect Nav1.5. Due to its high specificity for Nav1.2 DIV, structural analysis of this 13 amino acid peptide may prove vital in understanding gating mechanism of the channel, because it potentially allows for the channel protein to be “locked” into a specific gating state, thus enabling future studies of the various Nav1.2 channel conformations involved in the gating mechanism. Structural analysis of β-PMTX may also provide valuable insight for the development of future pharmaceutical agents. β-PMTX was synthesized and structures were elucidated using solution state 2D homonuclear NMR. Interestingly, β-PMTX appears to be unfolded in an aqueous environment, but in the presence of a membrane mimetic and a membrane mimetic containing a Nav1.2 fragment, β-PMTX adopted two distinct 3D conformations. Characterization and elucidation of β-PMTX structure were performed in both detergent micelles and lipid bicelles, and interacting residues were identified.
Sociodemographic Disparities in Cure-Intended Treatment in Localized Prostate Cancer.

Disparities in prostate cancer (PCa) morbidity and mortality occur across various populations. We investigated the sociodemographic correlates of treatment and disparities in the application of cure-intended (i.e., radical prostatectomy [RP], radiation therapy [RT]) treatment strategies in localized PCa among Texas residents diagnosed with PCa. We analyzed data from the Texas Cancer Registry on men diagnosed with stage T1 or T2 PCa between 2004 and 2009. Multinomial logistic regression analysis was used to explore independent associations between cure-intended treatment modalities and sociodemographic characteristics (age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status [SES], and geographic location (rural versus urban)) using patients who did not receive definitive treatment as comparison group. Of 46,971 patients with available treatment data, age-adjusted treatment rates were 39.1% RP, 30.7% RT, and 30.2% for all other non-curative modalities. Compared to patients under 60 years, those ≥60 were less likely to receive RP, patients between 60 and 80 years were more likely to undergo RT, while those 80 years or older were less likely. Non-Hispanic blacks (OR =0.55, 95% CI, 0.50–0.59) and Hispanics (OR = 0.68, 95%CI, 0.62–0.74) were less likely to receive RP compared with whites. Hispanics were significantly less likely to receive RT (OR = 0.78, 95%CI, 0.72–0.85) than blacks and whites. People of low SES were 35% (OR = 0.65, 95%CI, 0.60–0.69) and 15% (OR = 0.85, 95%CI, 0.79–0.90) less likely to receive RP and RT, respectively, compared with those of high SES. Rural-urban status was not associated with cure-intended treatment. Potential sociodemographic disparities exist in the application of cure-intended treatment in localized prostate cancer in Texas particularly in race/ethnicity and SES.
Acceptance of the Mineralogical Society of America’s Public Service Medal for 2001

Mr. President, friends, and colleagues, I am very grateful and proud to be this year’s recipient of the Mineralogical Society of America’s Public Service Medal. When learning of the award I could not help but think back to 1984 when I was contemplating a job offer from the Smithsonian, only hesitating even slightly because I had always pictured myself in an academic position. I really wanted to teach and it wasn’t obvious to me then that there was much opportunity to do that at the Smithsonian. During a phone conversation, however, with Tom Simkin and Dan Appleman, both in the Smithsonian’s Department of Mineral Sciences, I was explaining my quandary, when they finally said: if teaching is what you want to do, where else but here can you teach …
At the Cross-Roads of a Reform Era: The Impact of Health Care and Immigration Reform on Latino Support for President Obama and Congress

The Obama administration has pledged to reform two failing policy systems in the United States; immigration and health care. The Obama administration is faced with the rapid growth of the immigrant population, and a lack of uniform set of policies and programs to aid in the social, economic, and political incorporation of this rapidly growing immigration population, including a lack of consensus about a path of citizenship for immigrants (Singer 2009). Furthermore, the contemporary health care system is plagued with escalating costs, economic and disparities related to access and quality, and there is also a rapidly growing uninsured population in the United States (OECD 2008). The Latino populations’ attitudes toward these two critical policy areas are particularly relevant for several reasons. First, 39.8% of the Latino community is foreign-born (Pew Hispanic Center 2009) and 28% of Latinos have at least one foreign-born parent (Suro and Passel 2003), making immigration policy a salient issue for many Latinos. Second, Latinos have the highest uninsured rates, and the lowest percentage of people with employer coverage health insurance when compared to other racial and ethnic groups in the United States (James, Thomas, Lillie-Blanton, and Garfield 2007). While researchers recognize the significance of these two policies for the Latino community, studies have yet to examine current public opinion toward these two policies, and more importantly whether these attitudes affect Latino support of the current administration. In order to fill this gap in the literature we use the 2009 Latino Decisions survey of Latinos to examine how Latino public opinion regarding health care and immigration reform affects Latino support of President Obama and Congress. We find that these two policies are significant in Latino support of President Obama and Congress. This shows that Latinos support is political in nature with policies driving their support of the current administration. Given the vital role the Latino electorate played during the 2008 election, the success of these two policy reform efforts may have major implications for the 2010 and 2012 elections.
Subclinical hypothyroidism and metabolic risk factors association: A health examination-based study in northern Taiwan.

Abstract Background Subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH) is defined as elevation in serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels despite normal serum levels of free thyroxine. It remains controversial whether people with SCH have higher total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared to normal-thyroid subjects. The aim of this study was to assess the metabolic risk factors for SCH. Methods Subjects were recruited from the health examination center of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Linkou, from January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2011. This was a cross-sectional review of medical records. The subjects were ethnic Taiwanese residents without known thyroid disease at baseline. Results A total of 22,324 subjects received annual health examination at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital from 2010 to 2011. Among them, 15,943 subjects were included as the normal thyroid group (NG), and 203 subjects (101 men and 102 women) met the criteria for SCH. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in the NG was 26.2% in men and 18.7% in women, whereas that in the SCH group was 39.6% in men and 29.4% in women. Women in the SCH group showed significantly higher cholesterol, triglyceride, non-high density lipoprotein (HDL) and cholesterol/HDL levels than those in the NG (p Conclusion Because SCH is more prevalent in women and the risk increases with age, greater attention to the risk of MetS development is warranted. As for men, regardless of thyroid function, the risk of MetS development with age still warrants attention. Thus, our data suggest that national guidelines for screening for thyroid disease using serum TSH levels in the elderly are mandatory.
Predictors of recurrence in patients with surgically resected pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

408Background: Current surveillance guidelines regarding follow up of patients with resected pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) are based on limited data, and there have been few studies eval...
Communication Challenges in Requirements Elicitation and the Use of the Repertory Grid Technique

Requirements elicitation is a central and critical activity in the systems analysis and design process. This paper explores the nature of the challenges that confront analysts and their clients during requirements elicitation. A review of the literature highlights communication as a persistent locus of concern among systems analysts, users and procurers. The paper presents a classification of communication challenges that arise during the requirements elicitation process.Empirical evidence from a brief case study is used to illustrate the scope and impact of these communication challenges and to present a complementary approach to requirements elicitation. The paper introduces the Repertory Grid technique as a means to ameliorate some of the communication issues that persist, particularly in projects where information systems support specialized work.The paper is written in the form of a case tutorial, providing insight into the contribution of the Repertory Grid technique to requirements elicitation.
Minimum sustainable drag for constant volume-flux pipe flows

Comparisons are made between laminar and turbulent flows in pipes with and without flow control, and a formula is derived that shows just how much the discrepancy between the volume flux of laminar and turbulent flow at the same pressure gradient increases as the pressure gradient is increased. Related to this, we investigate the lowest bound for skin-friction drag in pipes for flow control schemes that use surface blowing and suction with zero-net volume-flux addition.
Uncertainty Quantification and Integration in Multi-level Problems

Calibration of model parameters is an essential step to in predicting the output of a complicated system, but the lack of experimental data at the system level makes it impossible to conduct this quantification directly. This situation drives the analyst to obtain information on model parameters from test data at lower levels of complexity which share the same model parameters with the system of interest. However, the validity and relevance of lower level models and experiments for the calibration of system model parameters need to be examined. This chapter integrates calibration and validation for models with multivariate outputs, using a stochastic representation of model reliability. The investigation of physical relevance is done through sensitivity analysis, thus measuring the extent to which a lower level test represents the physical characteristics of the actual system of interest so that the calibration results can be extrapolated to the system level. Finally all the information from calibration, validation and relevance analysis is integrated to quantify the uncertainty in the system-level prediction.
Intermediate cell states in epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition

The transition of epithelial cells into a mesenchymal state (epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition or EMT) is a highly dynamic process implicated in various biological processes. During EMT, cells do not necessarily exist in 'pure' epithelial or mesenchymal states. There are cells with mixed (or hybrid) features of the two, which are termed as the intermediate cell states (ICSs). While the exact functions of ICS remain elusive, together with EMT it appears to play important roles in embryogenesis, tissue development, and pathological processes such as cancer metastasis. Recent single cell experiments and advanced mathematical modeling have improved our capability in identifying ICS and provided a better understanding of ICS in development and disease. Here, we review the recent findings related to the ICS in/or EMT and highlight the challenges in the identification and functional characterization of ICS.