cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early postoperative intraperitoneal Adriamycin as an adjuvant treatment for visceral and retroperitoneal sarcoma

Visceral and retroperitoneal sarcoma represents an unsolved problem in oncology with a majority of patients going on to die of their disease despite an aggressive surgical approach. This cancer fails its surgical treatment both at systemic sites and within the abdominal cavity. Local recurrence rates are extremely high with retroperitoneal and pelvic sarcoma. Approximately 8 out of 10 patients who recur are shown to have local recurrence with the resection site involved in the recurrent malignant process [1]. Also, a majority of the patients who recur have peritoneal seeding (Sarcomatosis) in addition to the resection site recurrence [2]. These local recurrences are more commonly seen in patients with retroperitoneal and pelvic sarcomas as opposed to visceral sarcoma. Peritoneal seeding plus liver metastases are the sites of treatment failure most commonly seen with visceral sarcoma.
Race and Medication Adherence and Glycemic Control: Findings from an Operational Health Information Exchange

The Central Indiana Beacon Community leads efforts for improving adherence to oral hypoglycemic agents (OHA) to achieve improvements in glycemic control for patients with type 2 diabetes. In this study, we explored how OHA adherence affected hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) level in different racial groups. OHA adherence was measured by 6-month proportion of days covered (PDC). Of 3,976 eligible subjects, 12,874 pairs of 6-month PDC and HbA1c levels were formed between 2002 and 2008. The average HbA1c levels were 7.4% for African-Americans and 6.5% for Whites. The average 6-month PDCs were 40% for African-Americans and 50% for Whites. In mixed effect generalized linear regression analyses, OHA adherence was inversely correlated with HbA1c level for both African-Americans (-0.80, p<0.0001) and Whites (-0.53, p<0.0001). The coefficient was -0.26 (p<0.0001) for the interaction of 6-month PDC and African-Americans. Significant risk factors for OHA non-adherence were race, young age, non-commercial insurance, newly-treated status, and polypharmacy.
Indigenous Research, Publishing, and Intellectual Property

As Kuhn writes, our paradigms are not all the same.1 When a Native person and an academic refer to that period of Indian history known as allotment or assimilation or urban relocation, for example, they not only discuss it from different perspectives, but also talk about it from fundamentally different worldviews. Even after years of formal learning, field research, and obtaining a terminal degree, I remain a student of the Arizona-Sonora border region (in which I have now spent more than a decade) and of Tohono O’odham history, culture, and views with which I have had contact for more than eight years. My experience in the Sonoran Desert pales in comparison to the Tohono O’odham’s “time immemorial.”2 My life experiences are different. My academic training makes me even more different. Before becoming a geographer I had a career in intercultural communication, but I still struggle with a full understanding of Native perspectives.3 I feel I have done a decent job on my dissertation, subsequent publications, and daily interactions, but the real challenge is to bring together the two worlds in which I presently stand: the academy and Native America.4 I do not call for more Native research or attempt to facilitate others’ entry into such research with this article; rather I make a case for a greater understanding of such work and how the academy can learn from it to become more sensitive to the concerns of our research constituencies.5 How we handle the intellectual property that results from our research is also critical. What we make public and what we decide is better not to publish is only a beginning step.6 Making our efforts something of benefit to research constituencies as well as academia can be self-serving as it protects our interest in future research possibilities, but it is also the right thing to do.
167-PFlops deep learning for electron microscopy: from learning physics to atomic manipulation

An artificial intelligence system called MENNDL, which used 25,200 NVIDIA Volta GPUs on Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Summit machine, automatically designed an optimal deep learning network in order to extract structural information from raw atomic-resolution microscopy data. In a few hours, MENNDL creates and evaluates millions of networks using a scalable, parallel, asynchronous genetic algorithm augmented with a support vector machine to automatically find a superior deep learning network topology and hyper-parameter set than a human expert can find in months. For the application of electron microscopy, the system furthers the goal of improving our understanding of the electron-beam-matter interactions and real-time image-based feedback, which enables a huge step beyond human capacity towards nanofabricating materials automatically. MENNDL has been scaled to the 4,200 available nodes of Summit achieving a measured 152.5 PFlops, with an estimated sustained performance of 167 PFlops when the entire machine is available.
Mapping PCIT onto the Landscape of Parent Training Programs for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parent training (PT) is generally synonymous with “evidence-based treatment for children with disruptive behavior” and it is considered to be among the most well-established treatments in child mental health. The recognized struggles parents face in raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have led to increased interest in the development of evidence-based parenting interventions for ASD. Due to the complex nature of ASD, PT program development in this population has taken a multifaceted path, targeting a wide range of behaviors including deficits in language, social reciprocity, self-help skills, and joint attention, as well as self-stimulatory and repetitive behaviors. This chapter presents the diverse and complex landscape of PT for individuals with ASD through an illustrative taxonomy of four main categories of programs: care coordination, psychoeducation, parent-mediated interventions for core symptoms, and parent-mediated interventions for maladaptive behaviors, noting that programs specifically targeting disruptive behaviors in this population represent just a small segment of available interventions. The chapter then highlights the unique contributions PCIT brings to the field of parenting interventions in ASD.
Cofactor residues lysine 165 and 166 are critical for protein substrate recognition by the tissue factor-factor VIIa protease complex.

High affinity binding of factor VIIa (VIIa) to its cellular receptor tissue factor (TF), as well as association of factor X with phospholipid are required for optimal assembly of the extrinsic activation complex. In addition to the interactions of substrate with phospholipid and enzyme, we here provide evidence that cofactor residues Lys-165 and Lys-166 specifically contribute to the recognition of macromolecular substrate. Ala for Lys replacement in TFA165A166 was compatible with high affinity binding of VIIa when analyzed on cell surfaces as well as in the absence of phospholipid. Dissociation of TFA165A166.VIIa did not occur with a faster rate compared to TF.VIIa, further supporting unaltered VIIa binding function of TFA165A166. Cleavage of chromogenic peptidyl substrate by TFA165A166.VIIa complexes was not diminished, demonstrating that TFA165A166 supported enhancement of catalytic function of the VIIa protease domain. In contrast, factor X activation was reduced in the presence and absence of phospholipid. Further, TFA165A166 effectively competed with wild-type TF in the cleavage of factor X at limited VIIa concentrations. Selective reduction in macromolecular substrate hydrolysis combined with normal VIIa binding by TFA165A166 indicates that the cofactor TF does contribute, either directly or indirectly via specific interactions with VIIa, to factor X recognition.
Oxygen-sensitive MRI assessment of tumor response to hypoxic gas breathing challenge.

Oxygen-sensitive MRI has been extensively used to investigate tumor oxygenation based on the response (R2 * and/or R1 ) to a gas breathing challenge. Most studies have reported response to hyperoxic gas indicating potential biomarkers of hypoxia. Few studies have examined hypoxic gas breathing and we have now evaluated acute dynamic changes in rat breast tumors. Rats bearing syngeneic subcutaneous (n = 15) or orthotopic (n = 7) 13762NF breast tumors were exposed to a 16% O2 gas breathing challenge and monitored using blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) R2 * and tissue oxygen level dependent (TOLD) T1 -weighted measurements at 4.7 T. As a control, we used a traditional hyperoxic gas breathing challenge with 100% O2 on a subset of the subcutaneous tumor bearing rats (n = 6). Tumor subregions identified as responsive on the basis of R2 * dynamics coincided with the viable tumor area as judged by subsequent H&E staining. As expected, R2 * decreased and T1 -weighted signal increased in response to 100% O2 breathing challenge. Meanwhile, 16% O2 breathing elicited an increase in R2 *, but divergent response (increase or decrease) in T1 -weighted signal. The T1 -weighted signal increase may signify a dominating BOLD effect triggered by 16% O2 in the relatively more hypoxic tumors, whereby the influence of increased paramagnetic deoxyhemoglobin outweighs decreased pO2 . The results emphasize the importance of combined BOLD and TOLD measurements for the correct interpretation of tumor oxygenation properties.
Roll-to-Roll Scalable Production of Ordered Microdomains through Nonvolatile Additive Solvent Annealing of Block Copolymers

A new method, “nonvolatile solvent vapor annealing” (NVASA), has been developed to anneal block copolymers during film deposition by controlling the solvent drying process. Precise amounts of high ...
Recent progress of nanomaterials for microwave absorption

Abstract Microwave absorbing materials have received considerable interest over the years for their applications in stealth, communications, and information processing technologies. These materials often require functionalization at the nanoscale so to achieve desirable dielectric and magnetic properties which induce interaction with incident electromagnetic radiation. This article presents a comprehensive review on the recent research progress of nanomaterials for microwave absorption, including the basic mechanism of microwave absorption (e.g., dielectric loss, magnetic loss, dielectric/magnetic loss coupling), measurement principle (e.g., fundamentals of analysis, performance evaluation, common interaction pathways: Debye relaxation, Eddy current loss, natural resonance, size and shape factors), and the advances and performance review in microwave absorption (e.g., absorption bandwidth, reflection loss values, absorption peak position) using various nanomaterials, such as carbon nanotubes, carbon fibers, graphenes, oxides, sulfides, phosphides, carbides, polymers and metal organic frameworks. Overall, this article not only provides an introduction on the fundamentals of microwave absorption research, but also presents a timely update on the research progress of the microwave absorption performance of various nanomaterials.
How to be a maker: Is your plant happy?

Hannah Joshua 's spider plant Marvin isn't happy. His mood may improve when he can tell her if the temperature is acceptable
Mutations in the PCNA DNA Polymerase Clamp of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Reveal Complexities of the Cell Cycle and Ploidy on Heterochromatin Assembly.

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, transcriptional silencing at HML and HMR maintains mating-type identity. The repressive chromatin structure at these loci is replicated every cell cycle and must be re-established quickly to prevent transcription of the genes at these loci. Mutations in a component of the replisome, the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), encoded by POL30, cause a loss of transcriptional silencing at HMR. We used an assay that captures transient losses of silencing at HML and HMR to perform extended genetic analyses of the pol30-6, pol30-8, and pol30-79 alleles. All three alleles destabilized silencing only transiently and only in cycling cells. Whereas pol30-8 caused loss of silencing by disrupting the function of Chromatin Assembly Factor 1, pol30-6 and pol30-79 acted through a separate genetic pathway, but one still dependent on histone chaperones. Surprisingly, the silencing-loss phenotypes of pol30-6 and pol30-79 depended on ploidy, but not on POL30 dosage or mating-type identity. Separately from silencing loss, the pol30-6 and pol30-79 alleles also displayed high levels of mitotic recombination in diploids. These results established that histone trafficking involving PCNA at replication forks is crucial to the maintenance of chromatin state and genome stability during DNA replication. They also raised the possibility that increased ploidy may protect chromatin states when the replisome is perturbed.
Fresh-cut fruits: Mangoes

Abstract Fresh-cut mango should be ripe and ready to eat, with characteristic color, texture, taste, and aroma as the whole fruit. The main causes of quality loss are oxidative browning and tissue translucency, overripening leading to fermentation and other off-odors and off-flavors, browning and desiccation of the cut surface. The use of optimum storage conditions such as temperatures below 5°C and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) help to reduce the quality changes in fresh-cut mango. Atmospheres of oxygen and carbon dioxide have been shown to reduce yeast and total mesophilic aerobic counts on fresh-cut mango thereby preventing spoilage due to microorganisms. Polysaccharide-based materials that are used as edible coatings limit gas exchange, thus creating a modified internal atmosphere in the fresh-cut fruit. Because the duration of postharvest handling for fresh-cut mango is usually short, proper ripeness selection and temperature control are probably more important than modified atmospheres for obtaining the required shelf life. The importance of surface tissue desiccation as a shelf life limiting factor for fresh-cut mango supports the use of moisture barrier packaging and hygroscopic edible coatings to maintain a moist surface.
Phase stability of U5Si4, USi, and U2Si3 in the uranium–silicon system

Abstract The intermetallic compound U3Si2 has received interest in recent years for use as accident tolerant fuels in light water reactors due to its combination of high thermal conductivity, reasonably high melting point, and high uranium density compared to UO2. Although U3Si2 is well characterized there are ucertainties about the remaining phases in the U–Si system which could be potential fission products of the silicide fuel. In an effort to better detail the U–Si binary phase diagram, the 44–60 at.% Si region of the U–Si phase diagram was investigated experimentally by analyzing samples with nominal compositions U/Si = 5/4, U/Si = 1/1 and U/Si = 2/3 using SEM-EDS, XRD, and high temperature time-of-flight neutron diffraction, supported by DFT calculations. Both the U/Si = 5/4 and the U/Si = 2/3 samples were composed of two phases, U3Si2 + USi and USi + U3Si5 for U/Si = 5/4 and U/Si = 2/3, respectively. Both U5Si4 and U2Si3 were found from DFT calculations to have imaginary phonon frequencies and an enthalpy of formation above the U–Si convex hull, and thus likely to be thermodynamically unstable compared to the other phases, consistent with the experimental results. In the literature there are three different structures that are proposed for the USi phase, and for the first time, high temperature neutron diffraction measurements were collected on the compound synthesized with the U/Si = 1/1 composition to verify the correct structure. The structure of the USi phase was confirmed to be tetragonal with the I4/mmm space group from room temperature to 1100 °C. The USin crystal structure has 6 U atom sites and 8 Si atoms sites of which two are partially occupied.
Protectionism, Competitiveness and Inequality: Cross-Country Evidence from Soccer

Using club-level data on domestic-league and international points from 73 countries, this paper achieves a policy evaluation of country-specific regulations regarding soccer success. The results show that restrictions on foreign direct investment reduce international competitiveness of clubs, whereas restrictions on international migration policies have no significant impact on it. Domestic inequality across clubs increases with restrictions on minimum number of home-grown players, while it goes down with restrictions on foreign direct investment or restrictions on maximum number of foreign players. The results are robust to the consideration of other domestic regulations, market value of clubs or number of matches played.
Bladder tumor metabolic alterations in response to IFNα gene therapy.

468Background: Intravesical interferon-alpha (IFNα) gene therapy with Nadofaragene firadenovec has shown clinical efficacy in patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) in a phase III...
Physiology of Abomasal Displacements

It seems unlikely to cite pregnancy and parturition as direct causes of displacements as displacements have occurred in adult dairy bulls, cows in the middle of lactation, and in heifers (13). Certainly the gravid uterus and parturition must be considered as predisposing factors as nearly 80% of abomasal displacements occur in the first month postpartum (14).
To Declare or Not to Declare [Bankruptcy]: That May Be the Question, A Tale of Bankruptcy in Higher Education

This case study provides the background for a discussion of the bankruptcy of a composite non-profit corporation under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, and the possible alternatives available to bankruptcy. Topics considered include: reorganizations, the selection of a bankruptcy trustee or an examiner, duties of a non-profit board, the automatic stay, aspects of the creation and confirmation of the bankruptcy plan, priority of creditors, termination of employment contracts for tenured and non-tenured faculty and those faculty represented by a union, at-will employment, and Title IX implications for any bankruptcy filing. The case study then turns to a discussion of options and perspectives available in the case that bankruptcy under Chapter 11 is not seen as a viable or practical alternative. Could the real target of restructuring and cost cutting be academic tenure?
Evaluating energy burden at the urban scale: A spatial regression approach in Cincinnati, Ohio

Abstract Energy burden, the proportion of household income spent on energy costs, is driven by numerous social, economic, and material factors which also vary spatially. Efforts to identify high energy burden households have often omitted this spatial component, resulting in an incomplete picture of energy burden dynamics. The goal of this study is to examine the predictors of energy burden at the urban scale using spatial regression. A combination of ordinary least squares regression, geographically weighted regression (GWR), and multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) were used to predict energy burden from a range of socioeconomic and physical predictors in Cincinnati, Ohio. The results indicate that socioeconomic variables, especially income-related variables, are the strongest predictors of energy burden, and that spatial models resulted in a better model fit than non-spatial models. The best fitting model showed that lower median household income, and higher proportions of households in poverty, non-white residents, gas-heated households, and two-family buildings were significant predictors of energy burden. These results highlight the need for more effective income-based targeting of energy assistance programs, and provide an example of how spatial analysis methods can be used to help cities develop data-driven policy to reduce energy burden.
The Cenozoic Uplift History of the Teton Range: Calibration and Application of Fission-Track Geothermometry

The Teton Range has experienced at least two pulses of uplift during the Cenozoic era. The earliest uplift, around 50-60 Myr. ago, was associated with the Laramide Orogeny, and it produced an unknown amount of uplift of the ancestral Teton-Gros Ventre Range. The more recent uplift is a Plio-Pleistocene phenomena, in which several thousand meters of uplift can be documented through offsets of isochronous strata. During these pulses of uplift, the range has been differentially warped, such that the center of the range has been uplifted to a greater extent than the northern and southern terminations of the range. This differential uplift can be easily delineated by tracing the Precambrian-Cambrian unconformity along the axis of the range as it ascends from either end towards its highest point in the center.
Effect of Boundary Condition Fluctuations on Smoluchowski Reaction Rates

We formulate, solve, and examine an elementary model of gated absorption, where the reactivity of a sphere fluctuates in time, in the context of Smolukowski’s diffusion-controlled rate processes. Interest in this problem was stimulated by some experiments on biomolecular rate processes in the 1970s. The model under discussion here was studied by a number of investigators in the 1980s, and interest is renewed by the discovery of resonant activation in the 1990s. We find that the simplest gated reaction process does not exhibit features characteristic of resonant activation, although some interesting nonequilibrium correlations may have a quantitative effect in some situations. We speculate on the possible appearance of resonant activation phenomena in related processes.
Ectopic Expression of p73α, but Not p73β, Suppresses Myogenic Differentiation *

The TRP73 gene, a member of the p53 family, encodes several variants through differential splicing and use of alternative promoters. At the N terminus, two different promoters generate the full-length and the DeltaN isoforms, with or without the transactivating domain. At the C terminus, seven isoforms generated through alternative splicing have been cloned. Previous studies have demonstrated that DeltaN-p73 interferes with p73-induced apoptosis. However, there has been no evidence for functional diversity of the C-terminal p73 variants. In this study, we found that p73alpha and p73beta exerted differential effect on the differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts. Although p73beta lacked any detectable effect on differentiation, p73alpha caused a substantial delay in the expression of muscle-specific genes. In co-transfection experiments p73alpha, but not p73beta, attenuated the transcriptional activity of MyoD. Microarray-based gene profiling confirmed the protraction of MyoD-dependent gene expression in C2C12 cells stably expressing p73alpha. Notwithstanding the differential effect on differentiation, p73alpha and p73beta showed similar activity in sensitizing C2C12 myoblasts to cisplatin-induced cell death. These results demonstrated a functional diversity between the two C-terminal variants of p73 and suggested that p73alpha can regulate cellular differentiation in addition to its role in stimulating cell death.
Management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations and Acute Bronchitis

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affects approximately 14 million Americans and is currently the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. It is currently the only leading cause of death with an increasing mortality rate, and healthcare costs associated with the disease are estimated at 32 billion dollars per year. Between 1980 and the year 2000, the mortality rate for women with COPD tripled whereas the rate for men increased 13%.
Viewing tobacco use in movies: does it shape attitudes that mediate adolescent smoking?

Abstract Background: Social cognitive theory posits that children develop intentions and positive expectations (utilities) about smoking prior to initiation. These attitudes and values result, in part, from observing others modeling the behavior. This study examines, for the first time, the association between viewing tobacco use in movies and attitudes toward smoking among children who have never smoked a cigarette. Design/ Setting: Cross-sectional school-based survey was used among randomly selected Vermont and New Hampshire middle schools. The sample consisted of 3766 middle school students (grades 5–8). The sample was primarily white and equally distributed by gender. The primary exposure was number of movie tobacco-use occurrences viewed. We first counted occurrences of tobacco use in each of 601 recent popular motion pictures. Each student was asked to select movies they had seen from a random subset of 50 movies. Based on movies the adolescent had seen, movie tobacco-use occurrences were summed to determine exposure.The outcome was susceptibility to smoking, positive expectations, and perceptions of smoking as normative behavior for adolescents or adults. Results: The movies in this sample contained a median of five occurrences of tobacco use (interquartile range=1, 12). The typical adolescent never-smoker had viewed 15 of the 50 movies on his/her list. From movies adolescents reported seeing, exposure to movie tobacco-use occurrences varied widely: median=80, and interquartile range 44 to 136. The prevalence of susceptibility to smoking increased with higher categories of exposure: 16% among students who viewed 0 to 50 movie tobacco occurrences; 21% (51 to 100); 28% (101 to 150); and 36% (>150). The association remained statistically significant after controlling for gender, grade in school, school performance, school, friend, sibling and parent smoking, sensation-seeking, rebelliousness, and self-esteem. Compared with adolescents exposed to ≤50 occurrences of tobacco use, the adjusted odds ratio of susceptibility to smoking for each higher category was 1.2 (95% confidence interval 0.9, 1.5), 1.4 (1.1, 1.9), and 1.6 (1.3, 2.1), respectively. Similarly, higher exposure to tobacco use in movies significantly increased the number of positive expectations endorsed by the adolescent and the perception that most adults smoke, but not the perception that most peers smoke. Conclusions: This study provides empirical evidence that viewing movie depictions of tobacco use is associated with higher receptivity to smoking prior to trying the behavior.
Implementing a writing-intensive C.S./I.T. ethics course

This article discusses the design and implementation of a writing-intensive course on ethics and professionalism for third-year undergraduate computer science and information technology students at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. The course includes a large "current events" component; this has been an effective way to improve student engagement and motivation.
The Future of Destination Marketing

For Internet marketing strategies to be successful, destination marketing organizations have to be aware of the capabilities and characteristics of the Internet and need to start developing new marketing concepts and paradigms. Destination marketing organizations have begun to recognize the opportunities that emerge from using the special features of the new medium, in particular the interactivity and multimedia capabilities it provides. However, the Internet presents a fundamentally different environment for marketing activities than traditional media, and the changes brought about by the new technologies are so fundamental that more profound adjustments to the reality of the new tourism economy are needed for tourism organizations to be able to compete in the future.
Allelopathy at the land/sea interface: microalgae and Brazilian pepper.

Microalgae are significant contributors to biodiversity and primary production in shallow coastal habitats. The invasive Brazilian pepper (Schinus terebinthifolius) can occupy former mangrove habitats in disturbed areas, and its allelopathic capability can affect growth rates of microalgae. The four microalgae tested against dilution extracts of Schinus fruits varied in their growth response, suggesting variable but unpredictable impacts on microalgal biodiversity, primary production, and community structure.
Multidimensional Assessment of Body Dissatisfaction and Disordered Eating in Korean and US College Women: A Comparative Study

Body dissatisfaction was studied in 139 Korean and 102 US college women. Because tumultuous social change has produced marked conflicts between traditional Confucian values and a modern industrial society in which women hold increasing social, political, and economic power, it was hypothesized that Korean college women would have greater body dissatisfaction and more behaviors associated with disordered eating than US college women. As hypothesized, when body size (BMI) was controlled the Korean sample exhibited greater body dissatisfaction than the US sample as measured by the discrepancy between actual and ideal BMI, discrepancies between the participants’ bodies and three ideal bodies on the Figural Rating Scale (Stunkard, Sorenson, & Schulsinger, The genetics of neurological and psychiatric disorders, Raven Press, New York, pp. 115–120, 1983), all three measures from the Body Esteem Scale (Franzoi & Shields, Journal of Personality Assessment, 48:173–178, 1984), and all three measures from the Body-Esteem Scale for Adolescents and Adults (Mendelson, Mendelson, & White, Concordia University Research Bulletin, 16:1–12, 1997). Although the Korean sample had more behaviors characteristic of disordered eating on the Eating Disorders Inventory (Garner, Olmstead, & Polivy, International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2:15–31, 1983) Bulimia Scale, no differences were found between samples on scores on the Drive for Thinness Scale.
Anomalously large Josephson switching currents in low dissipation Josephson junctions

The authors observed marked effects on the switching characteristics of a high-quality junction due to the frequency dependence of the external circuitry. This involved anomalously high values of the maximum switching current of Josephson junctions at temperatures where thermally activated switching was expected to greatly lower it. This effect was modeled by evaluating junction parameters from the measured characteristics. The junction resistance determined from the return switching current is that of a nearly ideal quasiparticle tunneling resistance, increasing exponentially fast at low temperatures. As a result, the load resistance becomes dominant over a wide range of temperatures. The frequency dependence of this load resistance then produces the anomalously large Josephson switching currents, which have not been observed previously in junctions with significant normal conductance. >
Genetic information and ecosystem health: arguments for the application of chaos theory to identify boundary conditions for ecosystem management.

To meet the demands for goods and services of an exponentially growing human population, global ecosystems will come under increasing human management. The hallmark of successful ecosystem manageme...
A prospective study of posttraumatic growth as assessed by self-report and family caregiver in the context of advanced cancer

Objective: The study of posttraumatic growth (PTG) has burgeoned over the last decade, particularly in the area of oncology. The aims of the study were to: (1) describe PTG in patients with hepatobiliary carcinoma, (2) examine agreement between the patient and caregiver measures of patient PTG, and (3) test the associations between PTG and other psychological factors and clinically relevant outcomes. Methods: Two hundred and two patients with hepatobiliary carcinoma completed a battery of standardized questionnaires that measured PTG, depressive symptoms, optimism, expressed emotion, and quality of life (QOL). A subsample of family caregivers also completed ratings of patient PTG, using the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), as well as their own PTG. Results: No significant increase in the patients' PTG was observed between diagnosis and 6-month follow-up with the exception of the Relating to Others subscale of the PTGI. PTG was not found to be associated with QOL or depressive symptoms. At diagnosis, the agreement between the patients' PTG and family caregivers' rating of patient PTG was found to be high (ICC=0.34–0.74, p=0.001–0.05). PTG was found to be significantly associated with optimism (r=0.20 p=0.02–0.05) and traumatic life events reported in the past 3 years, including recent losses (F(1, 52)=6.0, p=0.02) and severe physical injury (F(1, 52)=5.5, p=0.02). Caregivers reported PTG as a result of their loved one's diagnosis of cancer. Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest that PTG is relatively stable over the first 6 months after diagnosis and changes as a result of a diagnosis of cancer were reported, and possibly observed, by others. Family caregivers also experience PTG as a result of their loved one's diagnosis of advanced cancer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structural characteristics of low-molecular-mass displacers for cation-exchange chromatography

The relative efficacy of a variety of low-molecular-mass displacers was examined using a displacer ranking plot. This method enables an evaluation of the dynamic affinity of a variety of displacers over a range of operating conditions. Several homologous series of molecules were evaluated to provide insight into the effects of various structural features on displacer efficacy. The results indicate that linear flexible geometries may have advantages over branched or cyclic structures. Data also indicate that the spreading out of charges may increase affinity. The incorporation of aromatic moieties in these displacers, particularly near the surface of the molecules, appears to result in a dramatic increase in displacer affinity. The ability of several high-affinity low-molecular-mass displacers to displace a very strongly bound cationic protein is also examined. The results confirm the predictions of the theory and indicate that it is indeed possible to displace highly bound macromolecules with low-molecular-mass displacers. The work presented in this paper indicates that non-specific interactions can be exploited for producing high-affinity low-molecular-mass displacers.
power, resistance, and the cult of Muslim saints in a northern Egyptian town

Practice theory is employed to analyze the cult of Muslim saints. Unlike much of the previous work by anthropologists on this topic, the present study has an urban, rather than rural and tribal, ethnographic locus. A major finding is that privileged as well as nonprivileged individuals use the cult for ideological discourse and dramaturgy. This has seminal implications for understanding the relation of power to resistance. An unobtrusive form of power that does not inspire resistance appears to match Bourdieu's concept of “symbolic power.” In contrast with the Weberian and Marxist zero-sum views of power, symbolic power appears to be a positive-sum phenomenon. [power, resistance, discourse, practice theory, Muslim saint cult, urban Egypt]
Influence function for visual interpolation

We present three experiments in which observers were asked to interpolate parabolic sampled contours. In the first two experiments, observers saw only eight isolated sample points, all of which lay on or near an otherwise invisible contour. The observer adjusted the position of a ninth point until s/he judged it to be on the contour as well. We measured the effect of small perturbations in the locations of each of the visible points on the observer's setting and derived a locally linear 'receptive field' that characterizes how each of the visible points contributed to the interpolation judgement. In the third experiment, we develop a measure of segmentation performance based on the same methods and analyses.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Short Rate Dynamics and Regime Shifts

We characterize the dynamics of the US short-term interest rate using a Markov regime-switching model. Using a test developed by Garcia, we show that there are two regimes in the data: In one regime ,t he short rate behaves like a random walk with low volatility; in another regime, it exhibits strong mean reversion and high volatility. In our model, the sensitivity of interest rate volatility to the level of interest rate is much lower than what is commonly found in the literature. We �� :
Control of neutron albedo in toroidal fusion reactors

The MCNP and ANISN codes have been used to obtain basic neutron albedo data for materials of interest for fusion applications. Simple physical models are presented which explain albedo dependence on pre- and post-reflection variables. The angular distribution of reflected neutrons is found to be roughly costheta for all materials and all incident energies and angles. The energy spectra of reflected neutrons are presented, and it is shown that substantial variations in the total current at the outboard wall of a torus can be effected by changing materials behind the inboard wall. Analyses show that a maximum of four isolated incident current environments may be established simultaneously on the outboard side of a torus. With suitable inboard reflectors, global tritium breeding ratios significantly larger than unity can be produced in limited coverage breeding blankets.
Velocity oscillations and plume dispersion in a residential neighborhood during wintertime nights

Abstract Measurements of velocity and tracer plume concentrations during stable atmospheric conditions were obtained in the Boise River Valley as part of the EPA Integrated Air Cancer Project during December, 1986. Wind speed, temperature, and wind direction were measured at two levels on a 30 m tower. Spectral and autocorrelation analyses of the velocity component data clearly indicate the occurrence of wave-like oscillations in the flow and the almost complete lack of turbulent energy. The predominate wave-like motion had an oscillation period of about 1000 s. Halogenated atmospheric tracers were released from as many as four houses during the night-time drainage conditions. Hourly averaged horizontal dispersion coefficients were very large compared to the Pasquill-Gifford curves and the urban McElroy-Pooler dispersion curves. The time-averaged dispersion coefficients formed an upper bound on very short-term dispersion coefficients obtained from mobile traverses of the tracer plume with a continuous SF 6 analyzer. These results agree with the concept of a narrow instantaneous plume with a broad meander driven by the observed 1000 s oscillation. Vertical dispersion rates were slightly smaller than the Pasquill-Gifford class F curve. Results from a single tracer release from a side canyon near the neighborhood showed that drainage flow from the tributary impacted the main residential sampling site at Elm Grove Park and represented a significant fraction of the upstream air flow at Elm Grove Park. For sources with equal emission rates, a source in the tributary adds about 10% to the mean of the concentration caused by a neighborhood source.
An improved switching and reset architecture for linear phase recursive filters

A family of recursive exponential linear phase FIR filters was proposed in a previous work. The switching and reset method was subsequently used to create a stable implementation of an otherwise unstable pole-zero cancelation in those filters. In this work, we propose an improved switching and reset architecture that delivers the same results at a reduced hardware cost. The main advantage of this architecture lies in its ability to implement an exponential filter, of an arbitrary order N using only six adders, four multipliers, four multiplexers, and N +3 registers. Various order Exponential filters are synthesized on FPGA devices in both the improved and the traditional architectures. The results show that the improved architecture provides significant savings in both logic elements and register count, especially for higher values of N. Simulation results show that the impulse and step responses of the presented implementation accurately approximate the responses of a traditional, non-recursive exponential filter.
Inventing the Present: Historical Roots of the Anthropocene

In 1833, Charles Lyell proposed that the current post-glacial geological epoch be termed Recent. In the late 1860s, Paul Gervais suggested Holocene as a more appropriate name for the same epoch. In 2000, Paul Crutzen and Eugene Stoermer jointly proposed that a new epoch beginning in the late eighteenth century should be named Anthropocene to connote that the human-determined geological signature is now, and for the foreseeable future will be, the predominant physical force shaping the Earth. Such a conclusion by geoscientists will not, and perhaps should not, pass unnoticed by politicians, environmentalists and other academic disciplines. Based upon a review of the early debates over the role of a deity in geological causation, the power of classification and nomenclature, and distinctions between organic and inorganic in geological processes, this paper traces the historical transition from Recent to Holocene to Anthropocene and concludes that the conceptual space for creating the modern Anthropocene was...
Charging Free Energy Calculations Using the Generalized Solvent Boundary Potential (GSBP) and Periodic Boundary Condition: A Comparative Analysis Using Ion Solvation and Oxidation Free Energy in Proteins

Free energy simulations using a finite sphere boundary condition rather than a periodic boundary condition (PBC) are attractive in the study of very large biomolecular systems. To understand the quantitative impact of various approximations in such simulations, we compare charging free energies in both solution and protein systems calculated in a linear response framework with the Generalized Solvent Boundary Potential (GSBP) and PBC simulations. For simple ions in solution, we find good agreements between GSBP and PBC charging free energies, once the relevant correction terms are taken into consideration. For PBC simulations with the particle-mesh-Ewald for long-range electrostatics, the contribution (ΔGP–M) due to the use of a particle rather than molecule based summation scheme in real space is found to be significant, as pointed out by Hunenberger and co-workers. For GSBP, when the inner region is close to be charge neutral, the key correction is the overpolarization of water molecules at the inner/ou...
GATA2 mutations lead to MDS and AML

Several new studies report mutations in the gene GATA2 in three different familial syndromes characterized by predisposition to myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Before the onset of MDS and AML, patients with similar GATA2 mutations had distinct hematological abnormalities.
Characterization and seasonal distribution of breeding sites of stable flies and house flies (Diptera: Muscidae) on eastern Nebraska feedlots and dairies.

Sixteen different classes of breeding sites for the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.), and the house fly, Musca domestica L., were identified through weekly searches, from late May to early October, on four small feedlots, one large feedlot, and one dairy, and single searches of an additional 25 feedlots and three dairies. A total of 526 samples of ca. 100 fly pupae per sample showed fencelines, drainage ditches, and haylage to account for 26.2, 18.4 and 12.9%, respectively, of the total stable fly pupae sampled on small feedlots. Swine manure and haylage were the most frequent and consistent producers of house flies on the small feedlots, accounting for 19.9, and 18.8%, respectively, of the total population sampled. Spilled feed was a consistent breeding site on the large feedlot and accounted for 53.0 and 16.0% of the sampled stable flies and house flies, respectively; stored manure on dairies accounted for 31.7 and 25.3% of the total stable flies and house flies sampled, respectively.
Comparative hypoxic tolerance in the Sciuridae.

Abstract 1. Hypoxic tolerance as measured by heart and respiratory rate, change in body temperature, maintenance of righting ability and survival time was compared in three phylogenetically different sciurids, the red squirrel, the Eastern chipmunk, and the golden-mantled ground squirrel. 2. Heart rates were initially elevated in all three species following exposure to 8% O2. Red squirrels maintained this tachycardia throughout a 30 min exposure whereas chipmunk and golden-mantled ground squirrel heart rates returned to near normal by the end of the 30 min exposure. 3. Data on heart rate and other parameters suggest a gradation of hypoxic tolerance within the Sciuridae which is correlated with the phylogenetic location of the species within this family, a fossorial existence and the ability to hibernate.
Translational Behavioral Medicine: a pathway to better health.

HEALTH DETERMINANTS/HEALTH PRACTICES Isn’t it time to close the chasm between what we know about health determinants and what we put into practice to improve health [1]? Around the globe, 60% of all deaths are caused by chronic disease [2]. All parts of the world are affected. Eighty percent of chronic disease deaths now occur in lowand middle-income countries [2]. In the United States, nearly 50% of adults live with at least one chronic condition, and those conditions account for 75% of health care costs [3, 4]. The major causes of chronic disease — behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental influences on health— are the subject matter of behavioral medicine [1, 5]. Behavioral medicine is the interdisciplinary field concerned with integrating and applying psychosocial and biomedical knowledge to promote health, prevent disease, andmanage illness. Themission of Translational Behavioral Medicine (TBM), a new journal of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, is to advance the field’s knowledge and actualize it to improve individual and population health. TBM’s editorial board aims to accomplish this by bringing sound, actionable science to practitioners and catalyzing debate on policy issues that surround implementing the evidence. We know that people get sick because of unhealthy behaviors: a poor quality diet, physical inactivity, and tobacco use are the major risk factors for chronic disease around the globe. Eliminating those risks would make it possible to prevent at least 80% of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancers [1, 6]. Adverse psychosocial influences, including depression and work stress, have just as negative effects on health, and they act separately from the harm produced by unhealthy behaviors [7]. We know that people get sicker or fail to recover because they don’t adhere to treatments. In fact, only about 50% of prescribed medications are actually taken [8, 9]. And yet, few countries spend very much money to address behavioral or psychosocial influences on health. The U.S., for example, allocates only 5% of its health care dollars to health promotion/disease prevention [5].
A bibliography on multiprocessor Lisp systems and applications

The following is a list of references on Multiprocessor Lisp systems and applications, compiled by Benamin Zorn (zorn@hecuba.berkeley.edu) with contributions by a number of others. It is currently maintained by Benjamin Zorn and TANAKA Tomoyuki (tanakat!jpntscvm.bitnet). Since it is preliminary, suggestions and additions are welcome. They should be sent to Zorn and Tanaka.
Evidence for strong shear velocity reductions and velocity gradients in the lower mantle beneath Africa

We present data which indicate that the broad, low shear velocity anomaly beneath southern Africa is stronger and more extensive than previously thought. Recordings of earthquakes in the southwestern Atlantic Ocean at an array of broadband seismic stations in eastern Africa show anomalously large propagation time delays of the shear phases S, ScS, and SKS which vary rapidly with epicentral distance. By forward modeling, we estimate that the low velocity anomaly extends from the core-mantle boundary about 1500 km up into the mantle and that the average shear velocity within this structure is 3% lower than in standard models such as PREM. Strong velocity contrasts exist at its margins (2% over about 300 km). These seismic characteristic are consistent with recent numerical simulations of lower mantle mega-plume formation.