cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Telecommunications Power Plant Damage Assessment for Hurricane Katrina– Site Survey and Follow-Up Results

This paper extends knowledge of disaster impact on the telecommunications power infrastructure by discussing the effects of Hurricane Katrina based on an on-site survey conducted in October 2005 and on public sources. It includes observations about power infrastructure damage in wire-line and wireless networks. In general, the impact on centralized network elements was more severe than on the distributed portion of the grids. The main cause of outage was lack of power due to fuel supply disruptions, flooding and security issues. This work also describes the means used to restore telecommunications services and proposes ways to improve logistics, such as coordinating portable generator set deployment among different network operators and reducing genset fuel consumption by installing permanent photovoltaic systems at sites where long electric outages are likely. One long term solution is to use of distributed generation. It also discusses the consequences on telecom power technology and practices since the storm.
Directional connectivity in hydrology and ecology

Quantifying hydrologic and ecological connectivity has contributed to understanding transport and dispersal processes and assessing ecosystem degradation or restoration potential. However, there has been little synthesis across disciplines. The growing field of ecohydrology and recent recognition that loss of hydrologic connectivity is leading to a global decline in biodiversity underscore the need for a unified connectivity concept. One outstanding need is a way to quantify directional connectivity that is consistent, robust to variations in sampling, and transferable across scales or environmental settings. Understanding connectivity in a particular direction (e.g., streamwise, along or across gradient, between sources and sinks, along cardinal directions) provides critical information for predicting contaminant transport, planning conservation corridor design, and understanding how landscapes or hydroscapes respond to directional forces like wind or water flow. Here we synthesize progress on quantifyin...
Junction and dielectrically isolated lateral ESTs for power ICs

Conventional and dual-channel dielectrically isolated (DI) and junction-isolated (JI) lateral emitter switched thyristors (LESTs) have been fabricated using the reduced surface field (RESURF) principle. The breakdown voltage for then JI LEST was found to be greater than 700 V, while that for the DI LEST was up to 500 V depending on the silicon drift layer and isolating oxide layer thickness. The DI devices exhibited marginally higher forward voltage drops compared to the corresponding JI LESTs. The switching time for the DI structures was found to be an order of magnitude faster than for the JL LESTs, which 2D device simulation shows to be due to elimination of injection of carriers into the substrate. The dual-channel LESTs has a higher forward voltage drop than the conventional structures and exhibited high-voltage current saturation behavior. Dual-channel LEST structures with different anode structure, i.e., the conventional LEST, the anode shorted LEST and the hybrid Schottky LEST, were also examined. >
The accidental tutor: overlaying an intelligent tutor on an existing user interface

Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs) have been shown to have dramatic impact on student learning [9]. However, these gains have been mostly in topics in which the interface has been designed with the intelligent tutor in mind. This research investigates the HCI challenges that result from creating two model-tracing ITSs for use with existing interfaces. We describe overlaying a tutor on an image-editing program and a web-based application. We highlight three main HCI challenges: 1) integrating a problem scenario in the context of the existing application, 2) providing learners with appropriate feedback during task performance, and 3) allowing learners to explore the interface while making sure they complete the task.
Lp -Stability (1 ≤ p ≤ ∞) of multivariable non-linear time-varying feedback systems that are open-loop unstable†

This paper considers a class of multivariable, non-linear time-varying feedback systems with an unstable convolution subsystem as feedforward and a time-varying non-linear gain as feedback. The impulse response of the convolution subsystem is the sum of (i) a finite number of increasing exponentials multiplied by non-negative powers of the time t, (ii) a term that is absolutely integrable and (iii) an infinite series of delayed impulses. The main result of the paper is theorem 1. It essentially states that (i) if the unstable convolution subsystem can be stabilized by a constant feedback gain F and (ii) if the incremental gain of the difference between the nonlinear gain function and F is sufficiently small, then the non-linear system is Lp instable for any p∊[l, ∞]; furthermore, the solutions of the non-linear system depend continuously on the inputs in any Lp -norm. The fixed point theorem is crucial in deriving the above theorem.
The Association Between Eye Movements and Cerebellar Activation in a Verbal Working Memory Task

It has been argued that cerebellar activations during cognitive tasks may masquerade as cognition, while actually reflecting processes related to movement planning or motor learning. The present study investigated whether the cerebellar load effect for verbal working memory, that is, increased activations in lobule VI/Crus I and lobule VIIB/VIIIA, is related to eye movements and oculomotor processing. Fifteen participants performed an fMRI-based Sternberg verbal working memory task. Oculomotor and cognitive task demands were manipulated by using closely and widely spaced stimuli, and high and low cognitive load. Trial-based quantitative eye movement parameters were obtained from concurrent eye tracking. Conventional MRI analysis replicated the cerebellar load effect in lobules VI and VIIB/VIIIa. With quantitative eye movement parameters as regressors, analysis yielded very similar activation patterns. While load effect and eye regressor generally recruited spatially distinct neocortical and cerebellar regions, conjunction analysis showed that a small subset of prefrontal areas implicated in the load effect also responded to the eye regressor. The present results indicate that cognitive load-dependent activations in lateral superior and posteroinferior cerebellar regions in the Sternberg task are independent of eye movements occurring during stimulus encoding. This is inconsistent with the notion that cognitive load-dependent cerebellar activations merely reflect oculomotor processing.
Large-Scale, On-Site Confirmatory, and Varietal Testing of a Methyl Bromide Quarantine Treatment to Control Codling Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) in Nectarines Exported to Japan

In total, 30,491 codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.), 1-d-old eggs on May Grand nectarines in two large-scale tests, and 17,410 eggs on Royal Giant nectarines in four on-site confirmatory tests were controlled with 100% mortality after fumigation with a methyl bromide quarantine treatment (48 g3 for 2 h at > or = 21 degrees C and 50% volume chamber load) on fruit in shipping containers for export to Japan. Ranges (mean +/- SEM) were for percentage sorption 34.7 +/- 6.2 to 46.5 +/- 2.5, and for concentration multiplied by time products 54.3 +/- 0.9 to 74.5 +/- 0.6 g.h/m3 in all tests. In large-scale tests with May Grand nectarines, inorganic bromide residues 48 h after fumigation ranged from 6.8 +/- 0.7 to 6.9 +/- 0.5 ppm, which were below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency tolerance of 20 ppm; and, organic bromide residues were < 0.01 ppm after 1 d and < 0.001 ppm after 3 d in storage at 0-1 degree C. After completion of larger-scale and on-site confirmatory test requirements, fumigation of 10 nectarine cultivars in shipping containers for export to Japan was approved in 1995. Comparison of LD50s developed for methyl bromide on 1-d-old codling moth eggs on May Grand and Summer Grand nectarines in 1997 versus those developed for nine cultivars in the previous 11 yr showed no significant differences in codling moth response among the cultivars.
An efficient parallelization scheme for molecular dynamics simulations with many-body, flexible, polarizable empirical potentials: application to water

An efficient parallelization scheme for classical molecular dynamics simulations with flexible, polarizable empirical potentials is presented. It is based on the standard Ewald summation technique to handle the long-range electrostatic and induction interactions. The algorithm for this parallelization scheme is designed for systems containing several thousands of polarizable sites in the simulation box. Its performance is evaluated during molecular dynamics simulations under periodic boundary conditions with unit cell sizes ranging from 128 to 512 molecules employing two flexible polarizable water models [DC(F) and TTM2.1-F] containing 1 and 3 polarizable sites, respectively. The time-to-solution for these two polarizable models is compared with the one for a flexible, pairwise-additive water model (TIP4F). The benchmarks were performed on both shared and distributed memory platforms. As a result of the efficient calculation of the induced dipole moments, a superlinear scaling as a function of the number of the processors is observed. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported results of parallel scaling and performance for simulations of liquid water with a polarizable potential under periodic boundary conditions.
Management, Market, and Financial Factors Separating Winners and Losers in E‐Business

There have been many successful e-businesses as well as many failed e-businesses. The methods and practices that were evident in the development of both surviving e-businesses and failed ones have much to teach us. Why did some e-businesses fail while others survived? At present few guidelines exist to assist e-business owners and managers wanting to succeed in their Internet-based ventures. This study empirically investigated factors that may lead to e-business success or failure; these were categorized as management, market, and financial factors. The results of a survey were combined with one-on-one interviews of venture capitalists who funded successful and failed e-businesses. The results indicate that certain factors deemed applicable to an e-business may have contributed to the firm’s eventual success or failure.
Trait and state predictors of error detection accuracy in a simulated quality control task

This study examined whether personality traits or mood and workload states are more predictive of detection accuracy in a simulated quality control task mimicking prescription checking in a pharmacy. Ninety-one undergraduate volunteers checked 80 simulated scripts for accuracy in a basic task environment with error rates ranging from 26% to 38%. Four dimensions of perceived workload and three task-related mood factors were assessed multiple times during the task, and several theoretically relevant personality traits were measured before the simulation. Performance was measured using hit rate and false alarm ratios. Results suggested that trait factors were more predictive of hit ratios in this study than were measures of task-related mood and perceived workload. Implications and future research directions are discussed.
Bovine CD18 is necessary and sufficient to mediate Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica leukotoxin-induced cytolysis

Leukotoxin (Lkt) secreted by Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica is an RTX toxin which is specific for ruminant leukocytes. Lkt binds to beta(2) integrins on the surface of bovine leukocytes. beta(2) integrins have a common beta subunit, CD18, that associates with three distinct alpha chains, CD11a, CD11b, and CD11c, to give rise to three different beta(2) integrins, CD11a/CD18 (LFA-1), CD11b/CD18 (Mac-1), and CD11c/CD18 (CR4), respectively. Our earlier studies revealed that Lkt binds to all three beta(2) integrins, suggesting that the common beta subunit, CD18, may be the receptor for Lkt. In order to unequivocally elucidate the role of bovine CD18 as a receptor for Lkt, a murine cell line nonsusceptible to Lkt (P815) was transfected with cDNA for bovine CD18. One of the transfectants, 2B2, stably expressed bovine CD18 on the cell surface. The 2B2 transfectant was effectively lysed by Lkt in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the P815 parent cells were not. Immunoprecipitation of cell surface proteins of 2B2 with monoclonal antibodies specific for bovine CD18 or murine CD11a suggested that bovine CD18 was expressed on the cell surface of 2B2 as a heterodimer with murine CD11a. Expression of bovine CD18 and the Lkt-induced cytotoxicity of 2B2 cells were compared with those of bovine polymorphonuclear neutrophils and lymphocytes. There was a strong correlation between cell surface expression of bovine CD18 and percent cytotoxicity induced by Lkt. These results indicate that bovine CD18 is necessary and sufficient to mediate Lkt-induced cytolysis of target cells.
A segment of the Mecp2 promoter is sufficient to drive expression in neurons

Rett syndrome (RTT) is caused by mutations in the gene encoding methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2). Although MeCP2 shows widespread expression in both neuronal and non-neuronal tissues, the symptoms of RTT are largely neurological. Herein, we have identified the regulatory region of the mouse Mecp2 gene that is sufficient for its restricted expression in neurons. A segment of the Mecp2 gene (-677/+56) exhibited strong promoter activity in neuronal cell lines and cortical neurons, but was inactive in non-neuronal cells and glia. The region necessary for neuronal-specific promoter activity was located within a 19 bp region (-63/-45). Several nuclear factors were found to bind to this region and some of these factors were enriched in nuclear extracts prepared from the brain. To examine the activity of the Mecp2 promoter in vivo, we generated transgenic mice expressing the LacZ reporter driven by the -677/+56 region of the Mecp2 gene. The transgene was expressed in the mesencephalon as early as embryonic day 10 and in the hindbrain and spinal cord by E12. Interestingly, a marked induction of transgene expression was observed postnatally throughout the brain, similar to that of endogenous MeCP2. However, expression of the transgene was absent in non-neuronal tissues that are known to express Mecp2. Taken together, these data indicate that the -677/+56 region of the Mecp2 promoter partially recapitulates the native expression pattern of the Mecp2 gene, which possesses restricted expression in neurons of the central nervous system.
Measuring the Contribution of Agricultural Conservation Practices to Observed Trends and Recent Condition in Water Quality Indicators in Ohio, USA

Over the last three decades, significant investments made to upgrade wastewater infrastructure and manage pollution from diffuse sources have resulted in measurably improved water quality and biological conditions in Ohio's rivers and streams. Conservation measures to reduce soil loss appear to have contributed significantly to the improvement witnessed over the last two decades and should therefore be continued. Within the most recent timeframe examined, little difference was found in either total phosphorus or suspended sediment concentration in relation to conservation measures, indicating that the environmental benefits of measures targeting soil loss may be approaching an asymptote. Conservation measures targeting livestock and forage management, however, appear to have reduced nitrogen concentrations within the recent time frame. An examination of the interrelationships between habitat quality, conservation measures, and land use indicated that water quality was generally mediated by interactions with stream habitat quality. However, the positive effect of habitat quality was reduced in catchments draining fine-textured soils. The implication of these latter two findings suggest that proscriptively adding natural function to the large network of ditched and maintained conveyances draining agricultural lands would substantially improve water quality, but management at the field level is necessary to minimize phosphorus losses.
Hepatitis B Antigen and Antibody and Tests of Liver Function: A Prospective Study of 310 Hospital Laboratory Workers

This prospective epidemiological study of a population of hospital laboratory workers exposed to hepatitis routinely studied the prevalence of the presence of hepatitis B antigen and antibody (HBsAg and HBsAb respectively) over a 26-month period among these workers. Tests of liver functions including measurement of serum bile acids were also performed. 111 were studied once and 199 employees were measured at least 2 times. Though the prevalence of antigen for hepatitis was 1.7% and that for antibody was 23.9% the rate of hepatitis attack was only 3% per year a percentage consistent with the expected sporadic occurrence of hepatitis viral infection in such a population. Attempts were made to isolate risk factors. The following were determined: 1) exposure to body fluids 2) exposure to body tissue and 3) increasing duration of employment. Sex was not found to be a significant difference. When information on prior transfusion or attack of hepatitis was elicited from the study population those with 1 or the other showed a much higher prevalence of Hb marker; this prevalence of marker increased if both transfusion and hepatitis viral attack had occurred in the past. However the clinical significance of a positive HB marker with or without other risk factors (including alcohol ingestion and use of oral contraceptives) was negligible. It was found that the prevalence figures of hepatitis antibody underestimate the incidence of hepatitis infection. Liver function tests were routinely normal in all cases (i.e. with or without previous hepatitis infection or presence of antibody or marker) except where acute hepatitis infection was present. The spread of hepatitis among laboratory personnel is not considered a great public health hazard.
Benefits of high energy UV185 nm light to inactivate bacteria.

Inactivating and eliminating bacteria from ultra pure water (UPW) systems is always a significant problem for semiconductor and pharmaceutical industries. To alleviate the problem, ultraviolet (UV) radiation—both monochromatic UV254 light and high pressure UV185 light—is traditionally used for bacterial sterilization and in the case of the later, breakdown of trace organic molecules. The focus of this work is to understand the factors that influence the effectiveness of these UV treatments on Xanthomonas sp. bacteria typically found in UPW systems. In particular, the factors associated with the reactor condition, such as the light source and environment were investigated. It is shown that inactivation follows first order kinetics, and that the rates are comparable to others found in the literature for gram negative bacteria. Also, growth phase and harvesting conditions are shown to influence inactivation rate. Furthermore, it was determined that UV185 radiation, although limited by water absorption, significantly enhances the inactivation rate of bacteria if given suitable transmission distance. Rates of inactivation were enhanced by 40% when UV185 light is used in addition to UV254 light.
The use of mist-net capture rates to monitor annual variation in abundance : A validation study

Constant-effort mist-netting has become an increasingly popular tool in long-term monitoring of bird populations. Monitoring programs often assume that variation in the capture rates of adults reflects variation in breeding densities of the sampled population. We test this assumption by comparing annual variation in mist-net capture rates to known variation in breeding densities of four species breeding in coastal scrub habitat at Point Reyes National Seashore, California. For the period 1980 to 1992, breeding densities for each species were assessed using spot-mapping observations of color-banded individuals. These were compared to capture rates calculated from constant-effort mist-netting. Capture rates of adults correlated significantly with breeding density for Spotted Towhees (Pipilo maculatus), Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia), and Wrentits (Chamaea fasciata), but not for White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys). Analysis of covariance confirmed that the relationship of mist-net capture rates to breeding density differed among species. Independent of the effects of breeding density on capture rates, adult capture rates of the four species were higher in years with high rainfall. Among Wrentits and Song Sparrows, approximately 50% or more of adults caught were not occupying territories at the study site; the same bias may exist among other species as well. We conclude that relative changes in breeding density over time can be inferred from variation in mist-net capture rates for some, but not all, species. Additional studies are needed to validate the use of mist nets to assess spatial differences in abundance and to monitor temporal changes in abundance in habitats other than coastal scrub.
“Good Types” in Authoritarian Elections: The Selectoral Connection in Chinese Local Congresses

A new electoral design for subnational congress elections in China allows me to investigate the informational utility of authoritarian elections. Authoritarian regimes are notoriously bad at solving the moral hazard problem in the voter’s agency relationship with politicians. Borrowing from the literature on political selection, I theorize that authoritarian elections can nonetheless solve the adverse selection problem: Chinese voters can use their electoral power to select “good types,” with personal qualities that signal they will reliably represent local interests. I analyze original data from a survey of 4,071 Chinese local congressmen and women, including voter nominees and communist party nominees. I find that voters do in fact overcome coordination difficulties to nominate and elect “good types.” In contacting politicians about local problems after the elections, however, voters hedge their bets by contacting regime insiders too. At these very local levels, congressional representation by means of ...
Imaging Neural Electrical Activity with Ultrafast Fluorescent Proteins

I will present how novel genetically encoded voltage indicators enable high-fidelity monitoring of neural activity. In particular, I will show that two-photon voltage imaging in Drosophila can illuminate where and how critical neural computations take place with subcellular resolution. Article not available.
Abstract IA04: Clinical decision support in the era of genome informed cancer medicine

The emergence of high throughput genomic testing of tumors presents both an opportunity and challenge for use in clinical decision making across the continuum of cancer care. A tsunami of molecular data is now reaching the clinic with variable levels of evidence with respect to clinical validity and clinical utility. Not surprising, a large knowledge gap remains for oncologists who try to apply this new data for clinical decisions at the point of care. In order to address this knowledge gap, we have developed My Cancer Genome (MCG), a publically available website with the mission to curate and disseminate knowledge regarding the clinical significance of genomic alterations in cancer. My cancer genome contains content curated by domain experts on the prognostic and therapeutic implications of genomic alterations in cancers, including experimental therapeutics and active clinical trials. In addition to being publically available via MyCancerGenome.org, the content has also been integrated into a decision support tool for interpretation and reporting of results for tumor next generation sequencing via a commercial partner. Opportunities to scale resources like MCG continue to present opportunities and challenges to the cancer community. Data driven approaches where we learn from the experience of all cancer patients will be needed to help realize the promise of precision cancer medicine. Citation Format: Mia Levy. Clinical decision support in the era of genome informed cancer medicine. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Translation of the Cancer Genome; Feb 7-9, 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 1):Abstract nr IA04.
Failure to demonstrate resistance in goats, sheep and cattle to Fasciola hepatica after infection with Cysticercus tenuicollis

Goats, sheep and cattle given 1000-1500 eggs of Taenia hydatigena and challenged orally 12 weeks later with 400 Fasciola hepatica metacercariae, showed no evidence of resistance. The fluke burdens were not significantly different from those in control animals.
Luminal Na concentration and the electrical properties of the snake distal tubule

In previous studies of isolated perfused distal tubules of Thamnophis spp., elevation of luminal [Na] from 16 to 150 mM resulted in a transient hyperpolarization of the open-circuit voltage, VToc. To characterize further this response, studies were done to examine the concurrent changes of the transepithelial resistance, RT. After elevation of luminal [Na] from 16 to 150 mM. the VToc increased sharply from a mean of 38.5 to 61.2 mV and the RT decreased from a mean of 22.3 to 15.8 k omega x cm. Thereafter, the VToc declined slowly below control values, and the RT increased well above control values. The short-circuit current calculated as VToc/RT changed in parallel with the VToc, increasing at first (from 1.8 to 4.1 microA/cm) and then falling to about 0.2 microA/cm. Luminal addition of 10(-5) M amiloride caused th VToc leads to 0 and the RT to increase during control and all phases of the transient. On the assumption that RT during amiloride perfusion is the same as the shunt resistance, Rs, the values of the transepithelial driving force, ENa, and its series resistance, RNa, were calculated. An analysis of the data in this way indicated that the principal changes in the epithelium could be attributed to alterations of the RNa and not the ENa or Rs.
The organization of the cone photoreceptor mosaic measured in the living human retina

The cone photoreceptors represent the initial fundamental sampling step in the acquisition of visual information. While recent advances in adaptive optics have provided increasingly precise estimates of the packing density and spacing of the cone photoreceptors in the living human retina, little is known about the local cone geometric arrangement beyond a tendency towards hexagonal packing. We analyzed the cone mosaic in data from 10 normal subjects. A technique was applied to calculate the local average cone mosaic structure which allowed us to determine the hexagonality, spacing and orientation of local regions. Using cone spacing estimates, we find the expected decrease in cone density with retinal eccentricity and higher densities along the horizontal as opposed to the vertical meridians. Orientation analysis reveals an asymmetry in the local cone spacing of the hexagonal packing, with cones having a larger local spacing along the horizontal direction. This horizontal/vertical asymmetry is altered at eccentricities larger than 2 degrees in the superior meridian and 2.5 degrees in the inferior meridian. Analysis of hexagon orientations in the central 1.4° of the retina shows a tendency for orientation to be locally coherent, with orientation patches consisting of between 35 and 240 cones.
Response to AREDS supplements according to genetic factors: survival analysis approach using the eye as the unit of analysis

Background/aims The Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) reported the beneficial impact of antioxidant and zinc supplements on the risk of progression to advanced stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). We evaluated the role of genetic variants in modifying the relationship between supplementation and progression to advanced AMD. Methods Among 4124 eyes (2317 subjects with a genetic specimen), 882 progressed from no AMD, early or intermediate AMD to overall advanced disease, including geographic atrophy (GA) and neovascular disease (NV) over the course of the clinical trial. Survival analysis using individual eyes as the unit of analysis was used to assess the effect of supplementation on AMD outcomes, with adjustment for demographic, environmental, ocular and genetic covariates. Interaction effects between supplement groups and individual complement factor H (CFH) Y402H and age-related maculopathy susceptibility 2 ( ARMS2 ) genotypes, and composite genetic risk groups combining the number of risk alleles for both loci, were evaluated for their association with progression. Results Among antioxidant and zinc supplement users compared with the placebo group, subjects with a non-risk genotype for CFH (TT) had a lower risk of progression to advanced AMD (HR: 0.55, 95% CI 0.32 to 0.95, p=0.033). No significant treatment effect was apparent among subjects who were homozygous for the CFH risk allele (CC). A protective effect was observed among high-risk ARMS2 (TT) carriers (HR: 0.52, 95% CI 0.33 to 0.82, p=0.005). Similar results were seen for the NV subtype but not GA. Conclusions The effectiveness of antioxidant and zinc supplementation appears to differ by genotype. Further study is needed to determine the biological basis for this interaction. Trial registration number NCT00594672, pre-results.
Appearance Of Sidebands in Cooperative Resonance Fluorescence in Intense Laser-Pumped Three-Level System

In the previous paper1, the initiation of superfluorescence in a collection of N three-level atoms in the presence of a strong externally applied pumping field was extensity discussed. Here we are concerned with the resonance fluorescence in the longtime region of coherent pump in contrast to the short pump time evolution in the earlier work.
Medical malpractice claims and quality improvement program as viewed by a forensic pathologist.

This is a review article dealing with the half-century evolution of the quality assurance program to improve patient care in the United States. The author attempted to point out some differences in approach to solving the medical error and medical malpractice problems between Japan and the U.S. In the 1970s, an increase in the medical malpractice claims resulted in such high premiums for medical liability insurance that it threatened the healthcare system in the U.S. Urgent legislative remedy, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) was put into place in the State of California. This act was the beginning of the definitive quality improvement in our health care system. It was followed by other improvement programs, such as the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) for tracking physicians with malpractice judgments or settlements against them, or who have problems with the medical licensing Board or other impairments. By comparison, in recent years, in Japan, there has been a rash of medical malpractice claims, similar to the situation in the U.S. in the 1970's. The two pronged approach to maintaining and assuring quality health care are: (1) Set standards by inspection and accreditation of hospitals and healthcare facilities and (2) by credentialing and peer review program to assure the competency of the physicians and other healthcare personnel. Clinical medicine has made a major effort in setting up a quality assurance program and so has forensic medicine. Similar approaches have been used in both programs. The current emphasis in forensic medicine is on inspection and accreditation of the medical examiner and coroner's offices by the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) and re-certification for the medical license and specialty board and credentialing and peer review activities.
A Review of Skull Base Tumor Clinical Trials: Past Trends and Future Opportunities

Objective Tumors of the anterior and lateral skull base (TALSB) are relatively rare but can be devastating to patients. By examining trials focused on TALSB, we can characterize the studies that predominate and better understand current directions of study. This gives us a better understanding of future studies to pursue. Study Design This is a retrospective analysis. Settings We set skull base tumor clinical trials in the United States which are listed in ClinicalTrials.gov. Subjects and Methods We used the information available on ClinicalTrials.gov to identify trends in clinical trials studying sinonasal/anterior skull base (SNASB) tumors, vestibular schwannoma (VS), and pituitary tumors. The publication rate for these trials was examined using PubMed.gov. Results Of the 71 trials analyzed, 83% investigated treatments for pituitary tumors, 16% for VSs, and 1% for SNASB tumors. Drug studies comprised 90% of all trials, while 9% included radiation therapy in their treatment and 10% included and surgical component. Overall, 64% had their results published in a peer-reviewed journal. Conclusion Among TALSB clinical trials we analyzed, they are weighted heavily toward drug trials. Radiation therapy and surgery, common treatment modalities, are underrepresented in clinical trials. There is a gap between the trials conducted and the rate of reporting, with an emphasis on positive results.
Comparative study for the removal and destruction of pentachlorophenol using activated magnesium treatment systems.

Chlorophenols are highly toxic, environmentally-persistent compounds which have been classified as probable human carcinogens by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Due to the high toxicity of these compounds, it is necessary to treat water and soils with concentrations of chlorophenols above the detection limit set by regulatory agencies. The aim of this work is to demonstrate the capabilities of using ball-milled magnesium for the dechlorination of PCP. Comparison of dechlorination processes were performed in an attempt to determine the most effective system for degradation of PCP to phenol. Three systems with powerful capabilities of treatment were studied: ball-milled zero-valent magnesium (ZVMg), ball-milled zero-valent magnesium carbon (ZVMg/C), and ball-milled zero-valent magnesium with palladium (ZVMg/Pd). In addition to measuring PCP disappearance, all byproducts were identified and quantified for each degradation system. The results of these studies indicate that all three of the systems degrade PCP within 30 min. The most rapid and complete PCP dechlorination is achieved using ball-milled Mg/Pd and a matrix consisting of at least 0.02 g Mg0/mL ethanol, and 10 μL acetic acid/mL ethanol, in which case 20 ng/μL of PCP was dechlorinated to chlorophenols in approximately 15 min with complete dechlorination achieved in six days. Carbon mass balances of 90.16% for Mg, 94.76% (Mg/C) and 97.05% (Mg/Pd) verify dechlorination was responsible for declining concentrations of PCP. The reactions of PCP degradation and phenol formation were found to follow pseudo-first order kinetics for all systems. Further work will consist of optimization and development of field-scale applications.
Electronics for the post-silicon CMOS era…challenges and opportunities

As we try to extend silicon-based CMOS devices towards end of the ITRS roadmap and beyond, we are confronted with several challenges that need to be mitigated with clever design, modeling and experimentation — challenges arising from electrostatic effects such as diminishing gate control, quantum effects such as tunneling and interfering waves, atomistic effects such as dopant fluctuations, many-body effects such as strong Coulomb Blockade and temporal effects such as low frequency noise from traps and defects. I will discuss some routes towards a post-CMOS switch — the device and circuit-level possibilities arising from new materials such as organic molecules and graphene nanoribbons, as well as novel principles such as mechanical switching, non-equilibrium switching and spintronic switching.
Atmospheric nitrogen loss factor (f) used in determining nitrogen-based municipal wastewater effluent irrigation rates: design and nitrogen-balance estimated f values

Design irrigation rates for treated municipal wastewater effluent (MWE) are usually determined from nitrogen (N) mass-balances, in which the fraction (f) of the total N in the MWE that is lost to the atmosphere is commonly obtained from US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) tabulated (design) values: 0.15–0.25 for secondary-treated effluents and 0.1 for tertiary-treated effluents. In 2011 and 2012, f values from an N balance in a tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) hay field in Central Pennsylvania were quantified and compared to the USEPA design f values. The grass field was spray-irrigated with MWE (C:N ratio = 0.04–0.2; near neutral pH, and 70–87% of the MWE-TN was NO3–N) at a rate of ≤5-cm wk−1. Monthly N balances were calculated from April to September in the surface horizon of a Hagerstown soil. The f values of 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2 seemed appropriate for the months of May and June, August and September, and July, respectively. Positive fnb estimates and the logarithm of measured monthly N removal in the aboveground biomass (kg ha−1) were negatively correlated (R2 = 0.99 for monthly mean air temperatures ≥20 °C and R2 = 0.2 for monthly mean air temperatures <20 °C). The study’s results suggest that existing design f values are likely less applicable especially due to the biological N-removal processes currently present in many wastewater treatment plants needing to meet effluent N limits. Thus, more studies to determine empirical f values in effluent irrigation are needed to refine design f values.
Environmental assessment of medical nanotechnologies

Abstract Silver has been utilized since antiquity for its antimicrobial properties. These same properties are present in nanoscale silver (nAg), and are currently utilized in consumer, and more importantly medical products. While the goal of these products is to reduce transmission of infection by pathogens, there is an environmental cost to adding nAg to these products, which is explored in this work. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) is a systematic tool for evaluating the environmental impacts of a product or process throughout its lifetime. This work reviews the current LCA literature with respect to nAg synthesis and nAg-enabled medical products, and provides insight as to the current state of research and considerations for designing and evaluating these products in the future. Additionally, the case is made that to truly understand the environmental impact of these products that they must be evaluated in comparison with their conventional counterparts, which may be comprised of more than one product.
Case-Based Reasoning in Support of Intelligence Analysis.

Open source intelligence analysts routinely use the web as a source of information related to their specific taskings. Effective information gathering on the web, despite the progress of conventional search engines, is a complex activity requiring some planning, text processing, and interpretation of extracted data to find information relevant to a major intelligence task or subtask (Knoblock, 1995), (Lesser, 1998) and (Nodine, Fowler et al., 2000). This paper describes our design, architecture, and some initial results of next generation information gathering techniques to be used to support the development of tools for intelligence analysts. We are integrating several areas of AI research, especially case-based reasoning, within the Novel Intelligence from Massive Data (NIMD) research program sponsored by the Advanced Research Development Activity. The goal of our research is to develop techniques that take advantage of the vast amounts of information available today on the web so that the web can become a valuable additional resource for the intelligence community. Our solution is a set of domain specific information gathering techniques that produce multi-step plans for gathering information in support of the intelligence analytic process. These plans, when executed, extract relevant information from both unstructured and structured documents and use the extracted information to refine search and processing activities.
The Impact of Price Stabilisation on Producers’ Revenue and Consumers’ Expenditure

Despite its obvious relevance, price stabilisation with multiplicative errors has not received the attention it deserves. In this paper, the model developed in section 2 is used to assess the impact of complete price stabilisation on producer’s revenue and consumer’s expenditure. Using a theorem1 due to Turnovsky, some rather strong analytical results are presented in sections 4 and 5. In particular, it is shown that demand and supply elasticities acquire a strategic importance. The conclusions, together with the assumptions implicit in the treatment are presented in section 6.
Localization of Chromosome Regions Controlling High Photosynthetic Potential in Russian Rice Cultivars

Breeding practice defined the main ways to increase crop yield: morphotype change, exploitation of heterosis, and increase in photosynthesis effectiveness. We identified donors and sources of high photosynthetic potential genetic system and polymorphic loci controlling photosynthetic efficiency in Russian rice cultivars. Thirty-two Russian rice cultivars were used as material. The content of chlorophyll a and b and carotenoids was measured at the beginning of tillering, heading, and flowering stages by a Genesys 8 spectrophotometer. Twenty plants of each cultivar in two replications were used for measurement. SSR markers were used. DNA was extracted by the STAB method. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and visualization of amplification products were performed under the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) protocol. Donors of high contents of each pigment were found. A high level of polymorphism for the loci connected with photosynthesis effectiveness in Russian rice cultivars will allow us to create new cultivars with improved characters by hybridization. Six markers significantly divided cultivar groups with different photosynthetic rate, three of them (RM154, RM600, RM5508) were related to the content of carotenoids, two markers (RM347, RM240) were related to specific leaf weight (SLW) control, and two others (RM154, RM509) were related to the chlorophyll a content.
Emergence and re-emergence of mosquito-borne arboviruses

Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are ecologically distinct from many other pathogens because of the involvement of arthropod vectors and animal reservoirs. Several mosquito-borne arboviruses have emerged in various geographic regions during the past few decades. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the emergence of two mosquito-borne arboviruses, chikungunya and Zika, has taken place globally. Millions of infections have not only changed the epidemiology of previously obscure viruses, but also put the world's public health capability to the test. Newly recognized pathogenic mechanisms and modes of transmission demand the development of new strategies for disease control and treatment. The advancement of vaccine candidates in various phases of clinical trials and the evaluation of vector control strategies in the field provide the promise of new solutions for endemic or emerging diseases. In this review, the emergence of six medically important mosquito-borne arboviruses and new tools for disease control will be discussed.
What chasing birds can teach us about predation risk effects: past insights and future directions

Birds are the best-studied taxa with respect to our knowledge about predation risk assessment. In the past 4 years, global progress in this field has been made due to a remarkable number of synthetic reviews, meta-analyses, and comparative analyses that are based on databases containing tens of thousands of observations on how birds escape from predators. In addition, novel empirical studies, often on more than one species at a time, have provided new insights into mechanistic diversity. Birds fly, walk, and swim away from approaching threats and the distance at which they do so—quantified as flight initiation distance—reveals much about their perceptions of predation risk. The contexts that influence risk assessment and management in both ecological and evolutionary time have largely been identified by thorough study of the life history, natural history, physiology, environment, and phylogenies of birds. We have also discovered continental and latitudinal differences in risk management. A large set of applied studies now use this knowledge to both increase our understanding of the vulnerability of birds to anthropogenic disturbance, and provide insight into how best to manage it. Future advances require: (1) developing a better understanding of the sensory mechanisms involved in risk assessment, (2) studies of individuals that are sampled repeatedly, and (3) the development of decision-support tools for wildlife managers to help us better coexist with birds in an increasingly urban world.
US Emergency Department Visits for Acute Harms From Prescription Opioid Use, 2016-2017.

Objectives. To estimate the number of US emergency department visits for prescription opioid harms by patient characteristics, intent, clinical manifestations, and active ingredient.Methods. We use...
Building Medieval Worlds: A Classroom Experience in Digitally Reconstructing Ancient Buildings

This paper describes a course that I developed and co-taught with Dr. John Hopkins at Rice University in the spring of 2014, entitled “Virtual Reconstruction of Historic Cities.” In this course, student teams worked to digitally reconstruct ancient Roman and Swahili buildings. The final products followed from a semester-long engagement with research on these pasts, working with archaeological and textual sources, draft iterations of buildings, then digitally modelling the structures and building them into 3D worlds in open-source gaming software. In this paper, I describe the background to the course, how it was organized, and how the course unfolded.
Modeling the effect of blood vessel bifurcation ratio on occlusive thrombus formation

Vascular geometry is a major determinant of the hemodynamics that promote or prevent unnecessary vessel occlusion from thrombus formation. Bifurcations in the vascular geometry are repeating structures that introduce flow separation between parent and daughter vessels. We modelled the blood flow and shear rate in a bifurcation during thrombus formation and show that blood vessel bifurcation ratios determine the maximum shear rate on the surface of a growing thrombus. We built an analytical model that may aid in predicting microvascular bifurcation ratios that are prone to occlusive thrombus formation. We also observed that bifurcation ratios that adhere to Murray's law of bifurcations may be protected from occlusive thrombus formation. These results may be useful in the rational design of diagnostic microfluidic devices and microfluidic blood oxygenators.