cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Targeted Expression of Heme Oxygenase-1 and Pulmonary Responses to Hypoxia

Acute hypoxia in the lung causes arteriolar vasoconstriction whereas prolonged hypoxia promotes proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and extracellular matrix deposition in the arterial wall, a process known as vascular remodeling.1 These abnormalities are characteristic of pulmonary hypertension.2 Several clinical conditions characterized by lung inflammation have been linked to the development of chronic pulmonary hypertension.3 Interestingly, perivascular inflammatory cell infiltration as well as increased serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin (IL)-lβ and IL-6, have been reported in clinical cases of primary pulmonary hypertension.4-5 However, little attention has been given up to now to the role of pulmonary inflammation in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension induced by hypoxia.
The Use of Color for Teaching Mathematics

Do children prefer bright colors to dull ones? The vast majority of us have probably never heard of any research on this question, let alone done any, but we would intuitively say, yes. Certainly the designers of toys, nursery equipment, and teaching devices seem to work on this assumption. The only research the writer knows came from Munich, Germany, and was reported in Report on Education Research, September 26, 1973. A random sample of 473 children who played in "pretty" colored rooms (light blue, yellow, yellow-green, orange) showed an average increase of twelve IQ points, while children who played in "ugly" colored rooms (white, black, brown) showed an average drop of fourteen IQ points. The period of time over which these changes occurred was not stated. The designers of mathematics laboratory apparatus and manipulatives have followed the trend to make things colorful, as a glance at any of the gailycolored catalogs would show. But not many people seem to have introduced color into mathematics learning in any structured way. The purpose of this ar-
The dependence of planetary tectonics on mantle thermal state: applications to early Earth evolution.

For plate tectonics to operate on a planet, mantle convective forces must be capable of forming weak, localized shear zones in the lithosphere that act as plate boundaries. Otherwise, a planet9s mantle will convect in a stagnant lid regime, where subduction and plate motions are absent. Thus, when and how plate tectonics initiated on the Earth is intrinsically tied to the ability of mantle convection to form plate boundaries; however, the physics behind this process are still uncertain. Most mantle convection models have employed a simple pseudoplastic model of the lithosphere, where the lithosphere ‘fails’ and develops a mobile lid when stresses in the lithosphere reach the prescribed yield stress. With pseudoplasticity high mantle temperatures and high rates of internal heating, conditions relevant for the early Earth, impede plate boundary formation by decreasing lithospheric stresses, and hence favour a stagnant lid for the early Earth. However, when a model for shear zone formation based on grain size reduction is used, early Earth thermal conditions do not favour a stagnant lid. While lithosphere stress drops with increasing mantle temperature or heat production rate, the deformational work, which drives grain size reduction, increases. Thus, the ability of convection to form weak plate boundaries is not impeded by early Earth thermal conditions. However, mantle thermal state does change the style of subduction and lithosphere mobility; high mantle temperatures lead to a more sluggish, drip-like style of subduction. This ‘sluggish lid’ convection may be able to explain many of the key observations of early Earth crust formation processes preserved in the geologic record. Moreover, this work highlights the importance of understanding the microphysics of plate boundary formation for assessing early Earth tectonics, as different plate boundary formation mechanisms are influenced by mantle thermal state in fundamentally different ways. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘Earth dynamics and the development of plate tectonics’.
Hospital Charge Variability across New York State: Sociodemographic Factors in Pituitary Surgery.

Introduction Significant charge disparities exist across New York State (NYS). Race and income are associated with increased charges. To determine risk factor, we correlate hospital charges for pituitary surgery with socioeconomic factors. Additionally, we identify patients at risk for increased hospital charges and provide insight into cost-effective practices. Methods Retrospective cohort study of the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) database from the NYS Department of Health was conducted. The SPARCS database was reviewed. Patients who underwent transsphenoidal pituitary surgery from 1995 to 2015 were identified. Income and urban status were referenced from U.S. census data. Linear regression was performed to analyze the effect of sociodemographic factors, comorbidities, and complications on hospital charges while controlling for length of stay. Results A total of 9,373 patients were identified. Black (10.8%, p Conclusion Patients incurring higher chargers were more likely to have a smoking history, hypertension, hypothyroidism, and comorbidities. The determinants of this analysis may provide insight into barriers to patient access and cost improvement strategies. In addition, this emphasizes the need for future studies to create a risk stratification model, similar to those in other fields.
Proceedings of the 2013 Winter Simulation Conference: Simulation: Making Decisions in a Complex World

The conference theme for WSC '13 is Simulation: Making Decisions in a Complex World. Technology is making the world a smaller place. The instant information and fast-paced changes of today challenge the best decision makers. Systems, processes and companies are highly interconnected and interactive. Collectively, these changes make decision making difficult and fraught with uncertainty and risk. Simulation represents the modeling and analysis methodology well suited to help meet the decision-making challenges of today and tomorrow, making this year's theme highly relevant.
The Impact of Workplace Harassment on Health in a Working Cohort

Background: Workplace abuse, including sexual harassment, is frequently experienced worldwide and is related to adverse mental health outcomes, and injuries. Flight attendants are an understudied occupational group and are susceptible to harassment due to working in a feminized, client-facing occupation with few protections or sanctioned responses against aggressive behaviors. Objective: We investigated the relationship between workplace abuse and health in a cohort of cabin crew. We also aimed to characterize perpetrator profiles. Methods: We conducted our study among 4,459U.S. and Canada-based participants from the Harvard Flight Attendant Health Study using multivariate logistic regression. Our exposures of interest were episodes of workplace abuse in the past year. We evaluated several mental and physical health outcomes, including depression, fatigue, musculoskeletal injuries, and general workplace injuries. Results: We report that exposures to verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual assault are common among cabin crew, with 63, 26, and 2% of respondents, respectively, reporting harassment in the past year alone. Workplace abuse was associated with depression, sleep disturbances, and musculoskeletal injuries among male and female crew, with a trend toward increasing odds ratios (ORs) given a higher frequency of events. For example, sexual harassment was related to an increased odds for depression (OR = 1.91, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.51-2.30), which increased in a dose response-like manner among women reporting harassment once (OR = 1.44, 95% CI: 0.93-1.95), 2-3 times (OR = 1.83, 95% CI: 1.29-2.38), and 4 or more times (OR = 4.12, 95% CI: 3.18-5.06). We found that passengers were the primary perpetrators of abuse. Conclusions: Our study is the first to comprehensively characterize workplace abuse and harassment and its relation to health in a largely female customer-facing workforce. The strong associations with health outcomes observed in our study highlights the question of how workplace policies can be altered to mitigate prevalent abuses. Clinicians could also consider how jobs with high emotional labor demands may predispose people to adverse health outcomes, educate patients regarding their psychological/physical responses and coping strategies, and be aware of signs of distress in patients working in such occupations in order to direct them to the appropriate treatments and therapies.
Genome projects in invasion biology

Advances in sequencing and informatics and rapidly falling costs have made genome sequencing projects far more accessible to researchers in all of the life sciences, including invasion biology. A complete genome is now the most efficient first step towards identifying and characterizing candidate genes that control invasiveness. At the genomic level, fundamental problems in invasion science can be pursued with great precision and rigor. This includes reconstruction of the history of invasions, analysis of demographic dynamics within colonizing populations, and study of the rapid, adaptive evolution of invasiveness. This update documents new developments in the emerging field of invasion genomics. Our review found that of 100 of the world’s most damaging invasive species, assembled genomes are available for 27—a minority but still a considerable resource. This calls for a larger investment in genomics, but also highlights publicly available genomic resources for invasive species that remain underutilized. We examine the value of reference genomes. We conclude that while some technologies (e.g. genotyping by Next Generation Sequencing) can be applied without reference genomes or with fragmented ones, investments in high quality genome assemblies will provide considerable long-term benefits in invasion and conservation genomics research programs.
Short Sellers and Managerial Equity Market Timing

Managers tend to issue equity when a firm is overvalued. Short selling is generally frequent among overvalued firms. By conditioning short selling on firm overvaluation, we show that short selling reduces managerial equity market timing and increases leverage. This moderating impact of short selling on market timing is more pronounced in firms with independent boards and with an increased likelihood of misvaluation, is primarily driven by overvaluation relative to long-run value, and occurs mainly through changes in equity issuances. The analyses that utilize the exogenous shock to the short selling environment from the SEC’s Reg SHO pilot program suggest that these results are causal.
Liver Transplantation in Patients With Pretransplant Aspergillus Colonization: Is It Safe to Proceed?

BACKGROUND Patients with end-stage liver disease and pretransplant Aspergillus colonization are problematic for determining liver transplant candidacy and timing of transplantation because of concerns for posttransplant invasive aspergillosis. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of the medical and laboratory records of all adult patients (aged ≥18 y) who underwent liver transplantation with pretransplant Aspergillus colonization at the Ronald Reagan University of California, Los Angeles, Medical Center from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2015. RESULTS A total of 27 patients who had Aspergillus colonization (respiratory tract 26, biliary tract 1) before liver transplantation were identified. Pretransplant characteristics included previous liver transplant (11 of 27, 40.7%), dialysis (22 of 27, 81.5%), corticosteroid therapy (12 of 27, 44.4%), intensive care unit stay (27 of 27, 100%), and median model for end-stage liver disease score of 39. Only 22.2% (6 of 27) received pretransplant antifungal agents (median duration, 5 d), whereas 100% (27 of 27) received posttransplant antifungal prophylaxis (voriconazole 81.4%, 22 of 27; echinocandin 14.8%, 4 of 27; voriconazole plus echinocandin 3.7%, 1 of 27) for median duration of 85 d. Posttransplant invasive fungal infection occurred in 14.8% (4 of 27; aspergillosis 3, mucormycosis 1). Both 6-month and 12-month survival were 66.7% (18 of 27), but only 1 death was due to fungal infection. Other causes of death were liver graft failure, intraabdominal complications, and malignancy. CONCLUSIONS A substantial number of patients with pretransplant Aspergillus colonization can still undergo successful liver transplantation if they are otherwise suitable candidates and receive appropriate antifungal prophylaxis. Posttransplant outcome in these patients is determined mostly by noninfectious complications and not fungal infection. Pretransplant Aspergillus colonization alone should not necessarily preclude or delay liver transplantation.
805-P: The Joint Association of Diabetes Distress and Depressive Symptoms with All-Cause Mortality in Japanese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Cohort Study

Aims/Hypothesis: The independent association of depressive symptoms and diabetes distress (DD) with the mortality risk in patients with diabetes has not been evaluated. We examined the temporal joint association of DD and depression at baseline and the subsequent risk of all-cause mortality. Methods: The longitudinal data of 3118 patients with type 2 diabetes were obtained from a large Japanese diabetes registry. To assess the joint association of DD and depression at baseline with the subsequent risk of all-cause mortality, the Cox proportional hazards model was used with adjustment for potential confounders. Results: The mean age, body mass index, and HbA1c level were 64.7 years, 24.6 kg/m2, and 58.6 mmol/mol (7.5%), respectively, and 38.1% of the participants were women. We observed 238 of any death cases during the median follow-up of 7.1 years (incidence ratio = 12.3 per 1000 person-years). In the multivariable-adjusted models evaluating the DD and depression separately, the hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause mortality were 1.67 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-2.43; p = 0.008) and 1.40 (95%CI, 1.05-1.85; p = 0.020), respectively. In such models evaluating the joint association of DD and depression, compared with DD (−)/depression (−), the HRs of all-cause mortality for DD (−)/depression (+), DD (+)/depression (−), and DD (+)/depression (+) were 1.34 (95%CI, 0.99-1.86; p = 0.056), 1.96 (95%CI, 1.10-3.50; p = 0.023), and 1.71 (95%CI, 1.06-2.77; p = 0.029), respectively. In the stratified analysis by gender, the aforementioned significant association was observed only in men. Conclusions: We observed a significant independent association of DD and depression with all-cause mortality in male patients with type 2 diabetes, and this finding was only observed in men, not in women. Further research is needed to determine the mechanism of the association between DD or depression and mortality. Disclosure Y. Hayashino: None. S. Okamura: None. Funding Manpei Suzuki Diabetes Foundation; Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (25460641)
Connecting the medieval and the mobile: The case of Crusader Acre

The city of Acre functioned as a medieval hub city under Crusader rule from 1104 to 1291 CE. Using the records of both pilgrims and merchants, I argue that medieval networks of mobility running thr...
Guest Editorial Message From Editor-in-Chief

This volume of the IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing (J-STARS) marks a new milestone as J-STARS has become a gold fully open-access (OA) journal since January 1, 2020. The IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society made the decision of this OA flip following the requirement of IEEE that each society should have at least one fully OA journal. J-STARS is one of the first conventional journals to flip to OA, and the lessons we learned from this experience can be shared with other conventional journals that are prepared to flip. The flipped J-STARS is more appealing than a brand-new OA journal thanks to its existing journal impact factor accumulated since its original establishment in 2008.
Avaliação da aprendizagem: uma reflexão teórica mediante as práticas encontradas numa escola capixaba

It is increasingly necessary to reflect on the assessment of learning since it is an important part of the teaching-learning process. Therefore, in this study, we deal with the evaluative practices that took place in the Portuguese language discipline of a state school in Espirito Santo. The school was chosen because the score in the evaluation of Basic Education Evaluation Program of Espirito Santo was above the grade of the entire state network. Besides that experience of the author of the article in having been a student at that school. The data interpretation was based on the studies by Carminatti and Borges (2012), Fidalgo (2006), Hoffman (2011), and Luckesi (2000). Key-words: evaluation; learning; teaching.
Biflavonoid-Induced Disruption of Hydrogen Bonds Leads to Amyloid-β Disaggregation

Deposition of amyloid β (Aβ) fibrils in the brain is a key pathologic hallmark of Alzheimer's disease. A class of polyphenolic biflavonoids is known to have anti-amyloidogenic effects by inhibiting aggregation of Aβ and promoting disaggregation of Aβ fibrils. In the present study, we further sought to investigate the structural basis of the Aβ disaggregating activity of biflavonoids and their interactions at the atomic level. A thioflavin T (ThT) fluorescence assay revealed that amentoflavone-type biflavonoids promote disaggregation of Aβ fibrils with varying potency due to specific structural differences. The computational analysis herein provides the first atomistic details for the mechanism of Aβ disaggregation by biflavonoids. Molecular docking analysis showed that biflavonoids preferentially bind to the aromatic-rich, partially ordered N-termini of Aβ fibril via the π-π interactions. Moreover, docking scores correlate well with the ThT EC50 values. Molecular dynamic simulations revealed that biflavonoids decrease the content of β-sheet in Aβ fibril in a structure-dependent manner. Hydrogen bond analysis further supported that the substitution of hydroxyl groups capable of hydrogen bond formation at two positions on the biflavonoid scaffold leads to significantly disaggregation of Aβ fibrils. Taken together, our data indicate that biflavonoids promote disaggregation of Aβ fibrils due to their ability to disrupt the fibril structure, suggesting biflavonoids as a lead class of compounds to develop a therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease.
The Oldroyd-B fluid in elastic instabilities, turbulence and particle suspensions

Abstract The Oldroyd-B fluid has become the starting point for almost all complex flow calculations and analysis involving the behavior of dilute polymer solutions. The reasons for this are clear: based on the kinetic theory of high molecular weight “phantom” chains near equilibrium, the resulting model, in its simplest form, produces a single mode description of the solution constitutive equation in terms of a single symmetric dyad order parameter. The physical connection to the individual chains is therefore unambiguous through the end-to-end configuration tensor. The flow of the fluid resulting from the mathematical solution of the constitutive equation coupled to Cauchy’s equation of motion and continuity has been examined for decades and its strengths and weaknesses in predicting the features of non-linear viscometric and non-viscometric polymer solution flows are well known. Moreover, “simple” extensions (e.g. the FENE-P model) can ameliorate the most serious of these shortcomings. For example, the multi-mode Oldroyd-B model can provide quantitative predictions of the linear viscoelasticity of a wide range of polymer solutions. Remarkably, even with all its shortcomings, the Oldroyd-B fluid has been invaluable in predicting at least qualitatively, features as complex as purely elastic instabilities, turbulent drag modification, and even the effective rheology of particles suspended in polymer solutions. While remaining mindful of the model’s shortcomings, any student of these diverse fields may find the Oldroyd-B fluid an important starting point.
Persistence versus extinction for a class of discrete-time structured population models

We provide sharp conditions distinguishing persistence and extinction for a class of discrete-time dynamical systems on the positive cone of an ordered Banach space generated by a map which is the sum of a positive linear contraction A and a nonlinear perturbation G that is compact and differentiable at zero in the direction of the cone. Such maps arise as year-to-year projections of population age, stage, or size-structure distributions in population biology where typically A has to do with survival and individual development and G captures the effects of reproduction. The threshold distinguishing persistence and extinction is the principal eigenvalue of $$({\mathbb {I}}-A)^{-1}G'(0)$$ provided by the Krein-Rutman Theorem, and persistence is described in terms of associated eigenfunctionals. Our results significantly extend earlier persistence results of the last two authors which required more restrictive conditions on G. They are illustrated by application of the results to a plant model with a seed bank.
Video Analysis of Vehicles and Persons for Surveillance

This chapter presents a multi-perspective vision-based analysis of the activities of vehicles and persons for the enhancement of situational awareness in surveillance. Multiple perspectives provide a useful invariant feature of the object in the image, i.e., the footage area on the ground. Moving objects are detected in the image domain, and the tracking results of the objects are represented in the projection domain using planar homography. Spatio-temporal relationships between human and vehicle tracks are categorized as safe or unsafe situation depending on the site context such as walkway and driveway locations. Semantic-level information of the situation is achieved with the anticipation of possible directions of near-future tracks using piecewise velocity history. Crowd density is estimated from the footage on the homography plane. Experimental data show promising results. Our framework can be applied to broad range of situational awareness for emergency response, disaster prevention, human interactions in structured environments, and crowd movement analysis in a wide field of view.
How Predictable is Local Erosion Rate in Eroding Landscapes

The current suite of numerical landscape models suggest that, under steady forcing, erosional landscapes evolve to a static steady state in which erosion everywhere balances uplift. Among other things, this implies that the only limitation on our ability to predict the future configuration of a landscape is imperfect knowledge of initial conditions and stochastic forcing events (e.g. storms, earthquakes). These are formidable obstacles to prediction, but they are apparently not the only ones. We have constructed a physical model of a drainage basin which erodes through several units of relief. We conducted several constantly forced runs at various base level fall and rainfall rates. The landscapes develop 3 rd to 5 th order stream networks, and erode by surface runoff, hillslope failures, and upstream migrating knickpoints. Within the constraints of an overall balance between uplift and erosion, interactions between streams and hillslopes result in spatially and temporally variable erosion rates. These results suggest that eroding drainage basins at steady forcing are intrinsically dynamic structures. Current numerical models do not exhibit the same level of erosional variability at steady forcing, suggesting that some feedback mechanisms may be missing from model formulations. The presence of inherent dynamism in eroding landscapes could seriously complicate predictions of local erosion rate, even if an average balance between uplift and erosion rate has been attained for a given drainage basin.
Effect of a protein-free diet and fasting on RNA polymerase activity in mice

The objective of this study was to measure the effect of diet on the distribution of RNA polymerase activity in mice kidney. Bound RNA polymerase activity was decreased in kidneys of fasted mice. During a short fast (16 hours), this decrease in bound RNA polymerase I activity was accompanied by an increase in free activity and suggested a possible interference in binding as the reason for decreased bound activity. Bound RNA polymerase II also decreased but with no increase in free activity. During longer fast times (40 hours), the bound RNA polymerase activity (RNA polymerase I and II) remain depressed and the free activity returns to control levels. Fasting decreased bound RNA polymerase I in liver by 41% after 40 hours but had little effect on the free activity. Liver of mice, fed a protein-free diet, were found to have an increased RNA polymerase activity due to a large increase in free RNA polymerase I activity. All other liver RNA polymerase activities were unchanged. In contrast, kidney's of mice fed a protein-free diet, have decreased RNA polymerase activity due to a decrease both in bound RNA polymerase I and II; free RNA polymerase is unchanged. These results demonstrate that diet has a very selective effect on RNA polymerase activity.
Fat metabolism in higher plants. Production of short- and medium-chain acyl-acyl carrier protein by spinach stroma preparations treated with cerulenin.

Abstract Incubation of stroma preparations from spinach chloroplasts with low concentrations of cerulenin (10 μM) resulted in severe inhibition of fatty acid synthesis but stimulated the release of medium-chain acids in very high proportions (60–70%). Preincubation of these preparations with cerulenin in the absence of substrate exerted no additional effect on subsequent fatty acid synthesis (as measured by incorporation of [14C] acetate into fatty acids) or the pattern of radioactive acids obtained. Acyl-protein, acyl-CoA, free fatty acids and lipids were resolved from each other and analysed for their distribution of 14C-labelled fatty acids. Acyl-protein derived from cerulenin-treated preparations was the only fraction which contained short- and medium-chain acids (C6–C12). The other fractions from both control and cerulenin-treated groups consisted exclusively of C16 and C18 acids. Acyl-protein was purified by gel filtration chromatography and was characterized as acyl-acyl carrier protein.
Schizophrenia: Instability in Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and γ-Aminobutyric Acid Systems

Publisher Summary Although dopamine (DA) has long been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, it has been clear for some time that malfunction in this neurotransmitter system is not sufficient of itself to account for all the clinical pathology. One of the major problems in schizophrenia research is the episodic nature of the illness. One must distinguish between findings present at all times in the schizophrenic individual (trait dependent) and those that are characteristic only of more symptomatic periods and may disappear interepisodically (state dependent). Most evidence supports a state-dependent disorder of DA dysregulation. There is also evidence for norepinephrine (NE)-related state-dependent changes. State dependency is not established as clearly for the serotonin (5HT) and GABA system but could be present; both of these interact with the DA and NE systems. This chapter discusses the evidence linking the nondopaminergic NE, 5HT, and GABA systems with schizophrenia and emphasizes those findings that have been replicated most frequently. It indicates the relationships with other systems, especially DA, and with clinical syndromes whenever possible. It also advances some concepts that may facilitate the understanding of these diverse and conflicting data, such as their relation to state dependency, clinical instability, stress sensitivity, relapse, and genetic vulnerability. The concept of a one-neurotransmitter system disorder in schizophrenia can no longer be sustained.
A simple self-powered AM-demodulator for wireless power/data transmission

This paper presents a simple design of self-powered demodulator for wireless power and data transmission. An AM-modulated signal with the carrier frequency at 5.96GHz and modulating signal at 100MHz is received by the demodulator. The carrier component of the signal is utilized to be converted to DC level to power up the baseband amplifier that amplifies the demodulated signal. Therefore the external battery can be eliminated. In addition, a composite right/left-handed (CRLH) metamaterial based substrate-integrated-waveguide (SIW) antenna is used to make the whole circuit more compact.
SCHIP expansion and parental coverage: An evaluation of Wisconsin's BadgerCare

The Wisconsin BadgerCare program, which became operational in July 1999, expanded public health insurance eligibility to both parents and children in families with incomes below 185% of the U.S. poverty line (200% for those already enrolled). This eligibility expansion was part of a federal initiative known as the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Wisconsin was one of only four states that initially expanded coverage to parents of eligible children. In this paper, we attempt to answer the following question: To what extent does a public program with the characteristics of Wisconsin's BadgerCare program reduce the proportion of the low-income adult population without health care coverage? Using a coordinated set of administrative databases, we track three cohorts of mother-only families: those who were receiving cash assistance under the Wisconsin AFDC and TANF programs in September 1995, 1997, and 1999, and who subsequently left welfare. We follow these 19,201 "welfare leaver" families on a quarterly basis for up to 25 quarters, from 2 years before they left welfare through the end of 2001, making it possible to use the labor market information and welfare history of the women in analyzing outcomes. We apply multiple methods to address the policy evaluation question, including probit, random effects, and two difference-in-difference strategies, and compare the results across methods. All of our estimates indicate that BadgerCare substantially increased public health care coverage for mother-only families leaving welfare. Our best estimate is that BadgerCare increased the public health care coverage of all adult leavers by about 17-25% points.
Reassessment of classic recombination mechanisms in silicon point contact concentrator solar cell

Three dimensional numerical model of silicon point contact concentrator solar cell was built based on the recently established set of accurate empirical models and parameters, The model was applied to reassess the loss mechanisms acting in point contact cells as previously described in a classic paper by Sinton and Swanson. The main difference was found due to injection dependence of surface recombination velocity, which wasn't considered previously. Mostly because of this fact, surface recombination was shown to dominate recombination losses at up to 30 W/cm2 light intensities. Although a good fit to the measured open circuit voltages, the built model is missing actual diffusion profiles and exact measured surface recombination properties, which is critical to improve the accuracy.
Forage choice in pasturelands: Influence on cattle foraging behavior and performance.

We determined if combinations of adjacent pastures of 3 forage species led to complementary relationships that influenced animal behavior and performance over monocultures. Grazing bouts, behavioral levels of activity, blood urea N (BUN), chemical composition of feces, BW, and herbage biomass before and after grazing were monitored when beef calves strip-grazed 3 replications of 4 treatments from June 14 through August 23, 2013 (9 animals/treatment). Animals grazed monocultures of: 1) tall fescue (TF), 2) alfalfa (ALF), 3) sainfoin (SAN), or 4) a choice of strips of forages TF, ALF, and SAN (CHOICE). The lowest and greatest incidence of foraging bouts occurred for cattle in CHOICE and SAN, respectively (P ALF > TF (P < 0.01). Animals on TF and CHOICE took greater number of steps than animals grazing a monocultures of either legume (P = 0.01). Calves in TF had lower BUN (P < 0.01) and fecal CP concentration (P < 0.01) than calves grazing the remaining treatments, whereas animals in SAN showed the greatest concentrations of fecal CP (P < 0.01). Fecal NDF concentration was the greatest for animals grazing TF and the lowest for animals grazing SAN (P < 0.01), whereas fecal ADF concentration was greater for animals grazing TF and SAN than for animals grazing CHOICE and ALF (P = 0.02). Calcium, Mg, and Zn concentrations were the lowest in feces from calves grazing TF and the greatest for calves grazing a monoculture of either legume (P < 0.05). When averaging both periods, animals grazing SAN, ALF, or CHOICE gained more BW than animals grazing TF (P < 0.01). Thus, calves in CHOICE incorporated tall fescue into their diets, were more active, and displayed a lower number of grazing bouts than calves grazing monoculture of either legume. Herbage diversity may lead to levels of ADG comparable to legume monocultures with the potential benefit of maintaining plant species diversity in pasturelands.
Physical Modeling For Hydrocarbon Exploration

The imaging of salt and the geology beneath salt is a major problem of reflection seismology. If the salt is a layer with nearly parallel top and bottom, the attendant problem is velocity analysis and depth conversion. If the salt geometry is a simple dome, the problem is attacked with migration and other seismic tools to determine the sides of the dome. However, if the salt geometry is complex like a greatly overhung dome or an isolated salt body in a sedimentary section the imaging problem becomes formidable. The raypaths or wavefronts are greatly distorted and conventional seismic processing and possibly data acquisition maybe inadequate for the imaging of the sub-salt structures. The effect of large velocity contrasts, out-of-plane events, and complex geometry makes the 2D seismic profile interpretation problem almost intractable.
Feedback gain for distributed frequency regulation in small-footprint power systems via parameter estimation

This paper discusses a method for determining the feedback gain for a distributed control algorithm suitable for regulating the frequency in small-footprint power systems. In particular, utilizing a model of the generators in the system, we formulate a relation between changes in load and the electrical frequency which is a function of the model parameters. Using this relation, we develop a method for estimating these parameters and thus the feedback gain. Parameter estimation results for a single machine is presented followed by results for a specific small-footprint power system.
New Types of E-books, E-book Issues, and Implications for the Future

ABSTRACT This article describes examples of new types of e-books, discusses issues involved in these new creations, and incorporates materials from interviews with authors/creators, editors, publishers, vendors, and librarians, leading to a consideration of the role of librarians and libraries in this evolving content and the potential for the future.
Follow the money

What was the impact of the nanotechnology funding boom of the past ten years? Philip Shapira and Jue Wang have scrutinized the literature to find out.
The Gorilla's Foot

SIR RAY LANKESTER, in his recent book, “ Great and Small Things,” makes the following statement in the chapter on “ The Gorilla of Sloane Street”:
Highly stable symbioses among western Atlantic brooding corals

The reproductive mode of corals largely determines how zooxanthellae (Symbiodinium spp.) are acquired. Typically, broadcast spawning corals obtain symbionts from the surrounding environment, whereas most brooders transfer symbionts from maternal parent to offspring. Brooding corals are therefore predicted to harbor stable communities of Symbiodinium. This study documents the associations between Symbiodinium spp. and brooding corals in response to seasonal environmental fluctuations. Between March 2002 and December 2005, endosymbiont identity was determined seasonally from replicate colonies (n = 6) of three brooding species, Agaricia agaricites, Porites astreoides and Siderastrea radians, from shallow environments (1–4 m) of the Florida Keys and Bahamas. Symbionts were identified via denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) region. No change was detected in the Symbiodinium communities harbored within these brooding colonies. Additionally, no change in symbiosis was observed through a moderate bleaching event, thereby demonstrating that some bleached corals recover without changing symbionts.
Head Start Impact on Children’s Obesity Moderation Effects of Family Risk Factors

Objectives: The purpose of the current study is to examine whether the duration of Head Start participation is associated with a child’s weight and height. Method: The study employs a secondary analysis of 2,690 Head Start participants, 891 who entered at age 3 and enrolled for 1 year, 1,125 who entered at age 4 and stayed for 1 year, and 674 who entered at age 3 and stayed for 2 years. A logistic regression correctly classified the obesity probability (82.8%). Results: Early entry age and a longer duration in Head Start is associated with a lower obesity rate. Conclusion: Head Start should accept younger children and have them stay for a longer duration, particularly for children in high risk families.
Allocation of clearance assets in IED warfare

This article deals with the optimal allocation of mine clearance resources to a network of roads that is continually being mined by an opponent. The motivating application is IED warfare as practiced in Iraq and Afghanistan. The situation differs from most mine warfare analyses in being protracted indefinitely in time, with the processes of mine placement by Red and mine clearance by Blue being intermixed. Each incident involving a Blue convoy and a Red mine removes the mine and possibly causes some damage to the convoy. Blue's object is to minimize the total damage rate by optimally deploying mine clearance forces to road segments. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics 58: 180–187, 2011
Thanatophoric dysplasia (types I and II) caused by distinct mutations in fibroblast growth factor receptor 3

Thanatophoric dysplasia (TD), the most common neonatal lethal skeletal dysplasia, affects one out of 20,000 live births. Affected individuals display features similar to those seen in homozygous achondroplasia. Mutations causing achondroplasia are in FGFR3, suggesting that mutations in this gene may cause TD. A sporadic mutation causing a Lys650Glu change in the tyrosine kinase domain of FGFR3 was found in 16 of 16 individuals with one type of TD. Of 39 individuals with a second type of TD, 22 had a mutation causing an Arg248Cys change and one had a Ser371Cys substitution, both in the extracellular region of the protein. None of these mutations were found in 50 controls showing that mutations affecting different functional domains of FGFR3 cause different forms of this lethal disorder.
Relative tibia long bone growth in the Libben and Bt-5 prehistoric skeletal populations

Patterns of tibia long bone growth were examined for the Libben Late Woodland and Bt-5 Late Archaic hunter-gatherer skeletal groups. Subadults included in the analyses ranged in age from birth to 10 years. The primary goals were to identify potential differences in relative tibia growth and evaluate the extent to which such differences were concordant with demographic and epidemiological characteristics of the two groups. Methods used were designed to minimize the shortcomings of unknown age and sex of the skeleton, small sample sizes, and population differences in adult size attained. Results showed that Bt-5 preadolescent growth performance and health status in general were superior to those of the Libben group. Modifications in the rate and timing of Libben tibia growth occurred early and were primarily restricted to the weaning period. It is suggested that high levels of infectious disease experienced in the first years of life at Libben played a substantial role in the etiology of early long bone growth retardation, a greater prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in the childhood years, and elevated levels of subadult morbidity and mortality compared to Bt-5. Paleodemographic, paleoepidemiological, and modern comparative population data that support these inferences are discussed. No evidence of chronic malnutrition owing to dietary inadequacy was observed for either group. Alternatively, higher population density and greater degree of sedentism alone may have been responsible for elevated disease loads at Libben compared to low levels that were observed for the seasonally mobile semisedentary Bt-5 hunter-gatherers.
Applications of molecular biology and biotechnology: antibody therapy of sepsis☆

The use of antibody therapy for the treatment of infections and inflammatory disease is well established. Unfortunately, clinical studies of antiendotoxin and anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies have failed to show clear physiological or survival benefit. Little information is available regarding the effect of antibodies to cytokines other than TNF in human sepsis. Limited pre-clinical data indicate that IL-6 antibodies may abrogate the effects of endotoxin infusion, but no human studies have been performed. Although both monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies have the potential to protect septic humans, at this time it is the polyclonal antibodies that have shown the greatest promise. Each type of antibody possesses specific advantages and limitations, the ultimate effectiveness of which will need to be proven in large randomized clinical trials.
Active and passive movement are encoded equally by head direction cells in the anterodorsal thalamus

The head direction (HD) system is composed of cells that represent the direction in which the animal's head is facing. Each HD cell responds optimally when the head is pointing in a particular, or ...
Diallel analysis of aflatoxin accumulation in maize

Since its discovery in numerous feedstuffs, aflatoxin, a carcinogenic compound produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus Link ex Fries, has caused much concern among consumers and producers alike. This toxin poses a serious economic threat to maize (Zea mays L.) producers of the southeastern and midwestern regions of the United States. Efforts to identify maize germplasm that is resistant to aflatoxin accumulation and to investigate the genetic basis of this resistance have been undertaken at numerous research institutions. The objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate aflatoxin accumulation in grain harvested from maize inbred lines and a diallel cross among these lines, (2) determine the importance of general and specific combining abilities in inheritance of resistance to aflatoxin accumulation, and (3) estimate general and specific combining ability effects associated with resistance to aflatoxin accumulation in the inbred lines and crosses among them. Eight inbred lines and a diallel cross of the maize lines were inoculated with an A. flavus spore suspension 12–14 d after silk emergence. Following harvest, aflatoxin content was determined from samples of grain. Statistical analyses performed using SAS general linear models (GLM) and DIALLEL-SAS indicated that general and specific combining ability were significant sources of variation in the inheritance of resistance to aflatoxin accumulation. The inbred line Mp313E, which was developed and released as a source of resistance to aflatoxin contamination, had significantly lower aflatoxin accumulation than other lines. Mo18W exhibited excellent general combining ability for reduced aflatoxin accumulation when crossed with the other lines. Both Mp313E and Mo18W could be useful in breeding programs to develop aflatoxin-resistant maize hybrids. Mp339, SC212M, and Ab24E demonstrated aflatoxin susceptibility as both inbreds and in single crosses.
A lattice model for the simulation of diffusion in heterogeneous polymer systems. simulation of apparent diffusion constants as determined by pulse-field-gradient nuclear magnetic resonance

The diffusion of molecules through heterogeneous media is not simple Fickian diffusion on the length scale of the heterogeneities. Pulse-field-gradient (PFG) NMR measurements of diffusion reflect this by yielding apparentdiffusion constants that are dependent on the time over which diffusion is observed. Equations for simple cases of tortuous diffusion and restricted diffusion are available where some fraction of the medium is assumed to be permeable and some fraction is impermeable. In many polymer systems, the medium has domains that are more permeable and less permeable. In the limit of long times and above the percolation threshold, diffusion in such systems can be characterized with effective medium theory (EMT). To characterize diffusion as a function of time in heterogeneous media and at all compositions, a lattice model is presented based on an approach developed by Ediger. The lattice model gives results that match EMT at long times and produces tortuous and restricted diffusion above and below the percolation limit when one domain is made impenetrable. It also shows a wide range of behavior of the apparent diffusion constant, relative to observation time, which is intermediate between tortuous diffusion and restricted diffusion. The intermediate behavior arises for various ratios of the diffusion constant in the more- and less-permeable domains and for various ratios of solubility between the more- and less-permeable domains. Brief comparisons are made with PFG NMR data on a heterogeneous, high-permeability copolymer and on a polymer blend composed of more- and less-permeable constituents. The model demonstrates that apparent diffusion data from PFG NMR provide a new structural view of the heterogeneities in systems with more- and less-permeable domains.
Thermal production of superheavy magnetic monopoles in the new inflationary-Universe scenario

In the new inflationary-Universe scenario monopoles are created in rare, very energetic particle collisions, and their predicted abundance, which is $\ensuremath{\propto} \mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}\frac{2{m}_{0}}{{T}_{\mathrm{RH}}})$, is tiny, where ${m}_{0}=\mathrm{monopole}\mathrm{mass}$, ${T}_{\mathrm{RH}}=\mathrm{reheat}\mathrm{temperature}$. During the reheating process the effective monopole mass oscillates about ${m}_{0}$ as the vacuum expectation value of the scalar field oscillates about the symmetry-breaking minimum of the scalar potential. We find that owing to this effect monopole production is greatly increased, with $\frac{2{m}_{0}}{{T}_{\mathrm{RH}}}$ being replaced by $\frac{2{f}_{*}{m}_{0}}{{T}_{\mathrm{RH}}}$, where $0l{f}_{*}l1$ depends upon the form of the scalar potential and the details of reheating.