cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Differentiated reactions to Payment for Ecosystem Service Programs in the Columbia River Basin: A qualitative study exploring irrigation district characteristics as local common-pool resource management institutions in Oregon, USA

Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) programs are increasingly employed to encourage individual actors to preserve and/or restore environmentally beneficial instream flows in freshwater ecosystems. However, the success of these PES programs has been mixed across geographic locations and the influence of local resource management institutions remains unclear. In the western U.S.A. little is known about the role of irrigation districts regarding these water transactions. This study addresses that deficit by using existing knowledge about common-pool resource management characteristics to explore the role of irrigation districts in PES programs that incentivize water transactions in the state of Oregon. We conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with irrigation district managers and water transaction experts across the state in order to identify characteristics that influenced differential adoption of market-based PES programs for water. Our results reveal three groups of districts based on: rule formation, physical infrastructure, and user homogeneity. These groupings provide a means of categorizing institutional interactions and outcomes that correspond with district adaptability to water transactions. Specifically, we identify congruence between local conditions and rules as well as investment in infrastructure as design principles that shape how irrigation district managers responded to market-based PES.
Definition of fluctuant hearing loss

In summary, fluctuant hearing loss is defined as a disorder of the inner ear characterized by fullness, roaring tinnitus, and fluctuations in hearing. It is believed to be caused by an inadequate absorption of endolymph from the endolymphatic sac, with or without one or more metabolic disorders, that interferes with the delicate balance between the production and absorption of endolymph and thus produces cochlear hydrops. This triad of fullness, roaring tinnitus, and fluctuant hearing loss resulting from cochlear hydrops is much more common than the quadrad of true turning vertigo, fullness, roaring tinnitus, and fluctuant hearing loss due to vestibular and cochlear hydrops known as Meniere's disease. Although patients with fluctuant hearing loss only may eventually develop vertigo as the chief complaint and then be said to have Meniere's disease, it is remarkable how many patients continue to suffer mainly from cochlear symptoms at all times. It would appear, because of the greater frequency of fluctuant hearing loss than in Meniere's disease, that the cochlear labyrinth is more susceptible to hydrops than the vestibular labyrinth. For the purposes of diagnosis and treatment it is very useful to separate patients into those with fluctuant hearing loss and those with Meniere's disease.
Nutrient limitation of plant productivity in scrubby flatwoods: does fire shift nitrogen versus phosphorus limitation?

Differences in the biogeochemistry of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) lead to differential losses and inputs during and over time after fire such that fire may affect nutrient limitation of primary productivity. We conducted a nutrient addition experiment in scrubby flatwoods, a Florida scrub community type, to test the hypothesis that nutrient limitation of primary productivity shifts from N limitation in recently burned sites to P limitation in longer unburned sites. We added three levels of N, P, and N and P together to sites 6 weeks, 8 years, and 20 years postfire and assessed the effects of nutrient addition on above- and belowground productivity and nutrient concentrations. At the community level, nutrient addition did not affect aboveground biomass, but root productivity increased with high N + P addition in sites 8 and 20 years after fire. At the species level, N addition increased leaf biomass of saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) in sites 6 weeks and 20 years postfire, while P addition increased foliar %P and apical shoot growth of scrub oak (Quercus inopina) in sites 8 and 20 years postfire, respectively. Contrary to our hypothesis, nutrient limitation does not appear to shift with time after fire; recently burned sites show little evidence of nutrient limitation, while increased belowground productivity indicates that scrubby flatwoods are co-limited by N and P at intermediate and longer times after fire.
Solid-organ Transplants From Living Donors: Cumulative United States Experience on 140,156 Living Donor Transplants Over 28 Years

Abstract Background Transplantation of organs from living donors helps to decrease the organ shortage and shortens waiting times. Living donor (LD) transplantation is also generally associated with better outcomes. Unfortunately, there has been no comprehensive analysis and comparison of all types of solid-organ transplantation from living donors since the inception of the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). Methods Using the UNOS/Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) database, all LD transplants from October 1, 1987, to December 31, 2015, were studied with univariate and multivariate analyses. Results A total of 140,090 organs were transplanted from LDs, accounting for 21% of all transplants in the United States. Over 95% were kidney; 4% were liver; and Conclusion Further efforts are needed to educate the public, health professionals, and transplant candidates on the advantages of living vs deceased donor organ transplantation. Compared with other countries, LD transplantation has yet to reach its full potential in the United States.
Rate of positive depression screenings among Marshallese patients with diabetes in Northwest Arkansas.

Abstract Introduction The lifetime risk of developing depression is 16.6%, however the risk is 2-fold in patients with diabetes. The rate of diabetes is much higher for the Marshallese than the general US population, with a prevalence ranging from 25% to 50%, however the prevalence of depression is not well defined among this minority group. The primary objective of this study was to obtain the rate of positive depression screenings, using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2), among adult Marshallese patients with diabetes. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed for Marshallese adults receiving care in a student-led clinic in Northwest Arkansas. Marshallese adults with a documented PHQ-2 score and a diagnosis of type 1 or 2 diabetes, as outlined by the American Diabetes Association, were included. Demographic information was obtained from the medical records. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The study included 96 patients. Ten patients scored a 3 or higher on ...
Untangling operational failures of the Status Epilepticus Severity Score (STESS)

Objective To uncover clinical characteristics leading to false outcome prediction of the Status Epilepticus Severity Score (STESS), a validated and broadly used clinical scoring system for outcome prediction in status epilepticus (SE). Methods From 2005 to 2016, adult patients with SE treated at the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, were included. To assess independent associations of variables differing between patients with false and correct prediction of death (STESS ≥ 3), multivariable logistic regression models were computed using automated selection. Results Among 467 patients, 12% died. The median STESS was 3 (interquartile range 2–4). Regarding prediction of death, the STESS was false-positive in 51% and false-negative in 1%. Patients surviving despite having a STESS ≥3 had less fatal etiologies, less nonconvulsive SE with coma, and lower Charlson Comorbidity Index, Simplified Acute Physiology Score II, and Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II scores. In multivariable analyses, odds for survival were high with SE types other than nonconvulsive status with coma and low with an increasing Charlson Comorbidity Index in patients with a STESS ≥ 3 (odds ratio [OR]for survival 4.23, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.33–9.60; and ORfor survival 0.86, 95% CI 0.75–0.98). In patients with SE types other than nonconvulsive with coma, the STESS was mainly increased because they were frequently older than 65 years and had no seizure history. Conclusions The STESS frequently and inadequately predicts death especially in patients with SE other than nonconvulsive with coma and few comorbidities. Clinicians are urged to interpret a STESS ≥3 with caution in such patients.
MODELING OF EXCITATORY AMINO ACID TRANSPORTERS AND CLEARANCE OF SYNAPTIC CLEFT ON MILLISECOND TIME SCALE

Excitatory Amino Acid Transporters (EAATs) operate over wide time scales in the brain. They maintain low ambient concentrations of the primary excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter glutamate, but they also seem to play a significant role in clearing glutamate from the synaptic cleft in the millisecond time-scale process of chemical communication that occurs between neurons. The detailed kinetic mechanisms underlying glutamate uptake and clearance remain incompletely understood. In this work we used a combination of methods to model EAAT kinetics and gain insight into the impact of transport on glutamate dynamics in a general sense. We derive reliable estimates of the turnover rates of the three major EAAT subtypes expressed in the mammalian cerebral cortex. Previous studies have provided transporter kinetic estimates that vary over an order of magnitude. The values obtained in this study are consistent with estimates that suggest the unitary transporter rates are approximately 20-fold slower than the time course of glutamate in the synapse. A combined diffusion/transport model provides a possible mechanism for the apparent discrepancy.
The "New Science" of Abusive Head Trauma

Claims that new science is changing accepted medical opinion about abusive head injury have been made frequently in the media, legal publications and in legal cases involving abusive head trauma (AHT). This review analyzes recently published scientific articles about AHT to determine whether this new information has led to significant changes in the understanding, evaluation and management of children with suspected AHT. Several specific topics are examined: serious or fatal injuries from short falls; specificity of subdural hematoma for severe trauma; biomechanical explanations for findings; the specificity of retinal hemorrhages; the possibility of cerebral sinus thrombosis presenting with signs similar to AHT; and whether vaccines can produce such findings. We conclude: a) that the overwhelming weight of recent data does not change the fundamental consensus b) that abusive head trauma is a significant source of morbidity and mortality in children c) that subdural hematomas and severe retinal hemorrhages are commonly the result of severe trauma d) that these injuries should prompt an evaluation for abuse when identified in young children without a history of such severe trauma and e) that short falls, cerebral sinus thrombosis and vaccinations are not plausible explanations for findings that raise concern for abusive head trauma.
Spanet: Spatial Pyramid Attention Network for Enhanced Image Recognition

Attention mechanism has shown great success in computer vision. In this paper, we introduce Spatial Pyramid Attention Network (SPANet) to investigate the role of attention block for image recognition. Our SPANet is conceptually simple but practically powerful. It enhances the base network by adding Spatial Pyramid Attention (SPA) Blocks laterally. In contrast to other attention based networks that leverage global average pooling, our proposed SPANet considers both structural regularization and structural information. Furthermore, we investigate the topology structure of attention path connection and present three SPANet structures. SPA block is flexible to be deployed to various convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. The experimental results show that our SPANet significantly improves the recognition accuracy without introducing much computation overhead compared with other CNN models. Codes are made publicly available11https://github.com/13952522076/SPANet
The Potential for Preserved Cochleovestibular Function in the Setting of Prolonged Pneumolabyrinth.

Objective To discuss the natural history and management of pneumolabyrinth, with particular attention to illustrative cases where hearing improved after a fluid-filled vestibule was restored. Patients Adults at two academic medical centers with documented pneumolabyrinth on computed tomography (CT) imaging. Intervention Middle ear surgery or observation. Main outcome measures Cochlear and vestibular symptoms are reported. Inner ear function was documented with audiometry and vestibular testing. Resolution of pneumolabyrinth was documented on imaging for a subset of patients. Results All patients presented with severe hearing loss following temporal bone fracture (three cases), penetrating trauma (one case), or stapedectomy (three cases). The radiographic finding was typically seen when imaging was obtained in the first few days after the injury. In two cases, vestibular symptoms resolved and partial recovery of hearing was seen despite a relatively long time interval between the inciting event and repair. Conclusion Management of pneumolabyrinth is individualized based on the mechanism of injury, severity of symptoms, and timing of the imaging study. In most cases, the barrier between the middle ear and inner ear is expected to heal with rapid resolution of pneumolabyrinth. Late repair is demonstrated to result in favorable recovery in selected cases. The presence of air in the vestibule cannot be assumed to be indicative of irreversible inner ear damage.
Towards an AI-driven framework for multi-scale urban flood resilience planning and design

Climate vulnerability is higher in coastal regions. Communities can largely reduce their hazard vulnerabilities and increase their social resilience through design and planning, which could put cities on a trajectory for long-term stability. However, the silos within the design and planning communities and the gap between research and practice have made it difficult to achieve the goal for a flood resilient environment. Therefore, this paper suggests an AI (Artificial Intelligence)-driven platform to facilitate the flood resilience design and planning. This platform, with the active engagement of local residents, experts, policy makers, and practitioners, will break the aforementioned silos and close the knowledge gaps, which ultimately increases public awareness, improves collaboration effectiveness, and achieves the best design and planning outcomes. We suggest a holistic and integrated approach, bringing multiple disciplines (architectural design, landscape architecture, urban planning, geography, and computer science), and examining the pressing resilient issues at the macro, meso, and micro scales.
Share and share unlike: Reciprocity, corporate power, and the open source ethos:

The “open source” model initially emerged as a way for programmers to collaborate on efforts to build and share code, but has since evolved to embody an ethos of sharing and cooperation that pervad...
Enhancing Cysteine Chemoproteomic Coverage Through Systematic Assessment of Click Chemistry Product Fragmentation

Mass spectrometry-based chemoproteomics has enabled functional analysis and small molecule screening at thousands of cysteine residues in parallel. Widely adopted chemoproteomic sample preparation workflows rely on the use of pan-cysteine reactive probes such as iodoacetamide alkyne combined with biotinylation via copper-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC) or ‘click chemistry’ for cysteine capture. Despite considerable advances in both sample preparation and analytical platforms, current techniques only sample a small fraction of all cysteines encoded in the human proteome. Extending the recently introduced labile mode of the MSFragger search engine, here we report an in-depth analysis of cysteine biotinylation via click chemistry (CBCC) reagent gas-phase fragmentation during MS/MS analysis. We find that CBCC conjugates produce both known and novel diagnostic fragments and peptide remainder ions. Among these species, we identified a candidate signature ion for CBCC peptides, the oxonium-biotin fragment ion that is generated upon fragmentation of the N(triazole)–C(alkyl) bond together with cyclization. Guided by our empirical comparison of the fragmentation patterns of five CBCC reagent combinations, we achieved enhanced coverage of cysteine labeled peptides. For larger, fragmentation-prone biotinylation reagents, implementation of labile search afforded unique PSMs and provides a roadmap for the utility of such searches in enhancing chemoproteomic peptide coverage.
Secure Low-power IoT Uplink Communication via Unsupervised Signal Alignment

This paper considers the problem of unsupervised detection in IoT uplink communication over fading channels with multiple antennas at the access point (AP). Instead of requiring long training sequences and coordination between the sensor nodes for training or power control, this work proposes using a simple transmission scheme consisting of repetition coding followed by random interleaving together with a signal alignment strategy at the AP. The key innovation is that pseudo-random (de-)interleaving is used here to simultaneously align the signal of interest, misalign (scramble) the interfering signals, and provide physical layer security. The combination allows reliable detection of the signal of interest at the AP via canonical correlation analysis, even under low-power / high interference conditions. The end-to-end approach provides rigorous recovery guarantees, allows for secure communication between the sensor nodes and the AP, and is computationally cheap. Simulations demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach compared to widely used multiplexing methods.
linioj-maition Systems Service Quality Measurement: The Evolution of The SERVQUAL Instrument

Due to the increasing service component of information technology, service quality measurement has become increasingly important as IS practitioners attempt to increase service quality to customers. The measurement of service quality in IS evolved from the research done in the marketing literature. The SERVQUAL instrument has evolved to become the most commonly used measurement instrument in both IS and marketing. Although commonly used, the SERVQUAL instrument is not without criticism. This paper describes the SERVQUAL instrument, its criticisms and support, and finally the SERVPERF instrument, a variation of the SERVQUAL instrument which is an attempt at improving upon the SERVQUAL instrument.
Synthesis and Characterization of a Dual Kappa-Delta Opioid Receptor Agonist Analgesic Blocking Cocaine Reward Behavior

3-Iodobenzoyl naltrexamine (IBNtxA) is a potent analgesic belonging to the pharmacologically diverse 6β-amidoepoxymorphinan group of opioids. We present the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of five analogs of IBNtxA. The scaffold of IBNtxA was modified by removing the 14-hydroxy group, incorporating a 7,8 double bond and various N-17 alkyl substituents. The structural modifications resulted in analogs with picomolar affinities for opioid receptors. The lead compound (MP1104) was found to exhibit approximately 15-fold greater antinociceptive potency (ED50 = 0.33 mg/kg) compared with morphine, mediated through the activation of kappa- and delta-opioid receptors. Despite its kappa agonism, this lead derivative did not cause place aversion or preference in mice in a place-conditioning assay, even at doses 3 times the analgesic ED50. However, pretreatment with the lead compound prevented the reward behavior associated with cocaine in a conditioned place preference assay. Together, these results suggest the promise of dual acting kappa- and delta-opioid receptor agonists as analgesics and treatments for cocaine addiction.
Strategies for Combating Fear of AIDS in the Hospitality Industry

(1994). Strategies for Combating Fear of AIDS in the Hospitality Industry. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 6, No. 1, pp. 75-77.
On the drag of model dendrite fragments at low Reynolds number

An experimental study of low Reynolds number drag on laboratory models of dendrite fragments has been conducted. The terminal velocities of the dendrites undergoing free fall along their axis of symmetry were measured in a large Stokes flow facility. Corrections for wall interference give nearly linear drag vs Reynolds number curves. Corrections for both wall interference and inertia effects show that the dendrite Stokes settling velocities are always less than that of a sphere of equal mass and volume. In the Stokes limit, the settling speed ratio is found to correlate well with primary dendrite arm aspect ratio and a second dimensionless shape paremeter which serves as a measure of the fractal-like nature of the dendrite models. These results can be used to estimate equiaxed grain velocities and distance of travel in metal castings. The drag measurements may be used in numerical codes to calculate the movement of grains in a convecting melt in an effort to determine macrosegregation patterns caused by the sink/float mechanism.
The Use of Biologically-Inspired Rules to Control a Collective Robotic Arm

Robotic arms are generally not adaptable in unknown, dynamic environments. This research tested whether a robotic arm using a collective control architecture could exhibit adaptive behavior without centralized control. To simulate the physical properties of a collective robotic arm, we used a puppet arm with six identical elbow-shaped segments, each of which rotated orthogonally with respect to its adjacent neighbors. A control strategy of sensor-driven, distal leadership was applied to the collection of autonomous segments, each encapsulated with identical movement rules and without any central control or explicit communication. A goal of pointing to a target was chosen to assess the possible emergent behaviors of the system. The results indicated that the simple movement rules in a collective control architecture lead to coordinated pointing behavior.
Usage of cancer associated autoantibodies in the detection of disease

Efforts toward deciphering the complexity of the tumor specific proteome by profiling immune responses generated against tumor associated antigens (TAAs) holds great promise for predicting the presence of cancer long before the development of clinical symptoms. The immune system is capable of sensing aberrant expression of certain cellular components involved in tumorigenesis and the resultant autoantibody response provides insights to the targets that are responsible for eliciting immunogenicity to these cellular components. Analysis of the cancer-specific humoral immune response has led to panels of biomarkers that are specific and sensitive biomarkers of disease. Using multianalyte-based in vitro analytical discovery platforms which can be easily adapted into clinical diagnostic screening tests, body fluids such as serum, plasma saliva, or urine can be interrogated to detect autoantibodies against natural or recombinant antigens, which may possess etiologic significance to cancer. Non-invasive screening tests exhibiting high specificity and sensitivity to detect early stage cancer in the heterogeneous population of cancer patients potentially have the greatest impact in decreasing mortality rates. Overall, this review summarizes different experimental approaches in the development of diagnostic screening tests for the early detection of cancer and their implementation in the development of clinical multianalyte biomarker assays.
Active memory techniques for ccNUMA multiprocessors

Our recent work on uniprocessor and single-node multiprocessor (SMP) active memory systems uses address remapping techniques in conjunction with extended cache coherence protocols to improve access locality in processor caches. We extend our previous work in this paper and introduce the novel concept of multi-node active memory systems. We present the design of multi-node active memory cache coherence protocols to help reduce remote memory latency and improve scalability of matrix transpose and parallel reduction on distributed shared memory (DSM) multiprocessors. We evaluate our design on seven applications through execution-driven simulation on small and medium-scale multiprocessors. On a 32-processor system, an active-memory optimized matrix transpose attains speedup from 1.53 to 2.01 while parallel reduction achieves speedup from 1.19 to 2.81 over normal parallel executions.
The Interrelationships among Folate, Vitamin B12, and Methionine Metabolism

The interrelationship between vitamin B12 and folate metabolism in man is best illustrated by the hematologically indistinguishable, macrocytic megaloblastic anemia resulting from a deficiency of either vitamin. Large pharmacological doses of either vitamin will elicit a hematological response in patients suffering from a deficiency of either or even both vitamins (Marshall and Jandl, 1960; Zalusky et al., 1962). For instance, large doses of folate cause a temporary or partial hematological remission in pernicious anemia patients but fail to correct the neurological lesions that arise from prolonged vitamin B12 deprivation.
Short-term patient reported health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC).

Objective To determine short-term health-related quality of life (HRQL) outcomes after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) using the Bladder Cancer Index (BCI) and European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Body Image Scale (BIS). Patients and Methods All patients undergoing RARC were enrolled in a quality assurance database. The patients completed two validated questionnaires, BCI and BIS, preoperatively and at standardised postoperative intervals. The primary outcome measure was difference in interval and baseline BCI and BIS scores. Complications were identified and classified by Clavien grade. Results In all, 43 patients completed pre- and postoperative questionnaires There was a decline in the urinary domain at 0–1 month after RARC (P = 0.006), but this returned to baseline by 1–2 months. There was a decline in the bowel domain at 0–1 month (P < 0.001) and 1–2 months (P = 0.024) after RARC, but this returned to baseline by 2–4 months. The decline in BCI scores was greatest for the sexual function domain, but this returned to baseline by 16–24 months after RARC. Body image perception using BIS showed no significant change after RARC except at the 4–10 months period (P = 0.018). Conclusions Based on BCI and BIS scores HRQL outcomes after RARC show recovery of urinary and bowel domains ≤6 months. Longer follow-up with a larger cohort of patients will help refine HRQL outcomes.
Inpatient falls in adult acute care settings: influence of patients’ mental status

tzeng h.-m. (2010) Inpatient falls in adult acute care settings: influence of patients' mental status. Journal of Advanced Nursing. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a study of fallers' mental status as one of the patient-related intrinsic risk factors for falls. Background. Whether confusion is one of the most important risk factors associated with risk of falling in hospital settings is unclear. Literature reviews have not identified consistent evidence for effective preventive interventions for patients with mental status deficits. Methods. This retrospective research was conducted in six adult acute care units in a community hospital in the United States of America. The data source was the 1017 fall incidents occurring between 1 July 2005 and 30 April 2009. Descriptive statistics and Pearson chi-square tests were used to analyse the data. Results. The presence of mental status deficits was identified as the dominant issue in 346 (34%) falls. The group of fallers with mental status deficits (32.1%, n = 111) seemed to have fewer toileting-related falls than those without mental status deficits (46.7%, n = 314). Fallers with mental status deficits tended to have more severe fall injuries than those without mental status deficits (chi(2) = 10.08, d.f. = 3, P = 0.018). Conclusion. Risk assessment and targeted surveillance should be used as part of falls prevention policy. Involving nursing staff and family members in assessing a patient's mental status may help to prevent falls caused by mental status deficits. Language: en
Antibody specificity for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 in serum and cerebrospinal fluid from patients with AIDS and AIDS-related complex

Since little information has been reported about the specificity of antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) found in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), 21 CSF and serum specimens were examined from 19 patients with clinical AIDS, AIDS-related complex, or asymptomatic HIV-1 infection. The predominant specificity of antibodies using Western blot analysis in both serum (100 %) and CSF (100 %) was directed towardenv gene products. The next most common antibody specificities were to thepol gene products (serum 95 %; CSF 62 %). Less commonly found was antibody to thegag-encoded proteins (serum 71 %; CSF 38 %). The level of antibody to HIV-1 in CSF could not be predicted from the level found in serum. Also, the spectrum of antibodies seen did not correlate with disease stage or with the quantity of antibody present. The serum/CSF pairs were also examined for the presence of HIV-1 antigen by commercial enzyme immunoassay. HIV-1 antigen was present in eight of 19 (43 %) of the serum samples and five of 20 (25 %) of the CSF samples tested.
Further insights into cortactin conformational regulation.

The actin regulatory protein cortactin is involved in multiple signaling pathways impinging on the cortical actin cytoskeleton. Cortactin is phosphorylated by ERK1/2 and Src family tyrosine kinases, resulting in neuronal Wiskott Aldrich Syndrome protein (N-WASp) activation and enhanced actin related protein (Arp)2/3-mediated actin nucleation. Cortactin migrates as an 80/85kDa doublet when analyzed by SDS-PAGE. Phosphorylation by ERK1/2 is associated with conversion of the 80kDa to the 85kDa form, postulated to occur by inducing a conformational alteration that releases the carboxyl-terminal SH3 domain from autoinhibition. Our recent analysis of the 80-85kDa cortactin “shift” in tumor cells indicates that while ERK1/2 phosphorylation is associated with the 85kDa shift, this phosphorylation event is not required for the shift to occur, nor does ERK1/2 phosphorylation appreciably alter global cortactin confirmation. These data indicate that additional factors besides ERK1/2 phosphorylation contribute to gene...
Plasma diagnostics with a Fabry-Perot resonator

The diagnostics of anisotropic plasma with the help of a Fabry-Perot resonator are discussed for an arbitrary orientation of the static magnetic field. It is noted that the choice between the plane wave and the beam mode approximations for use in the perturbation analysis is not crucial to the experiment and can be avoided by resorting to an additional calibrating measurement.
Variation in Trichome-Based Resistance to Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Oviposition on Tomato

Twenty commercial tomato cultivars and 7 wild relatives of tomato were screened in the laboratory for resistance to the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring. In addition, we examined morphological and genetic mechanisms associated with the whitefly and tomato plant that may explain observed variations in resistance patterns. Leaf trichome and position relative to the stem terminus were the best predictors of whitefly oviposition rates on tomato cultivars and their wild relatives. Higher oviposition rates occurred on leaves with dense trichomes positioned close to the stem terminus. Leaf trichome density also explained a significant portion of the variance in whitefly oviposition rates among commercial cultivars. Cultivars with low trichome densities sustained less whitefly oviposition than did cultivars with high trichome densities. There was no relationship between leaf trichome densities and whitefly oviposition rates on wild tomatoes. High levels of resistance were observed on Lycopersicon hirsutum Humb. and Bonpl. and L. pennellii (Corr.) D'Arcy. The patterns of trichome-based resistance among the commercial cultivars were validated in field choice tests and greenhouse population studies. Six genetically distinct tomato lines were generated by introgression of a single L. pennellii chromosome into L. esculentum Miller. The genetic information that confers resistance in L. pennellii is spread across at least 5 different chromosomes, but a substantial portion likely resides on a single chromosome.
Calculation of fluence-dependent dissociation probabilities in infrared multiple-photon photolysis.

Exact analytical expressions are derived for the expected dissociation yield in bulk infrared photolysis experiments; these results are based on a power-law fluence-dependent model of infrared multiple-photon dissociation as applied to the interaction of a focused, Gaussian-profiled pulsed laser with a medium.
Long-term dual perfusion of isolated human placental lobules with improved oxygenation for infectious diseases research.

An improved method for long-term perfusion of the isolated human term placental lobule has been developed to investigate the maternofetal transfer of infectious agents, in particular the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The purpose of this paper is to describe those modifications that allow for substantiallyprolonged perfusions in a biohazard environment. The method described has been adapted from previous models. The perfusion apparatus has been modified for use within a biohazard hood, and, intravenous bags contain the medium for circulation of perfusates in closed circuits. A Mera Silox-S 0.3 membrane oxygenator delivers more oxygen to the tissue, and, Electromedic Cardioplegia heat exchangers warm the perfusate prior to oxygenation. Viability criteria (glucose consumption, lactate production, de novo production of human placental lactogen (hPL), volume loss, flow, temperature, pressure, oxygen transfer, carbon dioxide production, absence of IgM transfer and light and electron microscopy) demonstrate that the placental tissue remains in a functional state throughout the perfusion. Oxygen and glucose consumption are both stable over time; lactate levels remain constant; and hPL continues to be produced. These significant modifications of the perfusion system have permitted the investigators to increase the duration of perfusion to 48 h while preserving normal metabolic function of ultrastructurally intact tissue as demonstrated by ultra structural observations. This perfusion model device provides biohazard precautions and may be applied to other studies of placental physiology.
Identifying functional clusters in the brain using phase synchrony

One particular challenge in the study of the brain as a complex system is the identification of dynamic functional networks underlying observed neural activity. In this study, we focus on inferring the functional connectivity of the brain and the underlying network patterns from electroencephalography (EEG) data. The interactions between the different neuronal populations are quantified through a dynamic measure of phase synchrony. These interactions are then analyzed by applying a graph clustering algorithm known as the Cluster-Overlap Newman Girvan Algorithm (CONGA) and generating a three dimensional model relating modularity, degree, and number of clusters. The importance of each electrode in forming clusters is quantified using a ‘participation score’ and an optimal clustering arrangement is found with respect to the degree, number of clusters and the ‘participation score’. The proposed measures are applied to an EEG study containing the error-related negativity (ERN) to determine the organization of the brain during a decision making task.
Fabrication of metal matrix composites by a high-pressure centrifugal infiltration process

Abstract A new centrifugal casting process capable of achieving high pressures was developed for fabrication of metal matrix composites. In this process, a mold containing a packed ceramic preform located at an end of an elongated runner was rotated. By controlling the metal level above the preform in the runner to be long and constant throughout the infiltration process, significantly higher pressures were obtained. Infiltration of several packed ceramic preforms was performed to demonstrate the feasibility of the process. Full infiltration was obtained in all the packed ceramic preforms with powder sizes as small as 300 nm. Infiltration pressure studies show high pressures as high as 15 MPa were achieved using a laboratory-scale apparatus. The resulting structure of the infiltrated composites was also studied. The particle distribution, microsegregation in the matrix, and the soundness were reported and discussed. Preliminary results show this technique to have the potential to become a practical fabrication process for metal matrix composites.
Congenital malformations in Utah.

The rate of malformed children in Utah of 11.7 per 1,000 live births, derived from 128,857 birth certificates, was not high compared with other non-Utah studies. Rates of selected malformations also were not high. The rate of malformed children varied by county of residence. San Juan County reported the highest percentage of mothers receiving late or infrequent prenatal care, the lowest mean level of public education, and the highest rate of malformed children in the state. The rate was not significantly associated with the large population of Indians residing in that county since by controlling for residence, the variation by race was eliminated. The overall rate was positively associated with maternal age primarily due to an increased frequency of Down's syndrome. The impact of the “maternal age effect” on the state malformation rate, however, was not large. By controlling for maternal age, the slight association between increased rate of malformed children and increasing birth order was eliminated. The rate of malformed children was higher for parents having a low level of education, infrequent prenatal care, or who were not married. There was also a strong negative association of birth weight with the rate of malformation. Analysis of rates of selected malformations suggested that the low birth weight was a sequela to intrauterine growth retardation caused by severe congenital malformation. The validity and etiologic implications of these results await further investigation.
Predicting Mixed Mode Crack Initiation Angles in Anisotropic Materials Using the Shape of the Crack Tip Core Region

Accurate simulation of crack propagation paths in engineering materials is what designers and engineers are always looking for. An important element of any simulation package is to define a criterion for crack initiation angles. Many criteria have been proposed to predict crack initiation angles under mixed mode loading. Most of them assume either a constant radius or a Mises type variable radius for the core region at the crack tip. In a recent study, we presented a detailed analysis of the core region and showed strong dependence of mixed mode crack initiation angles on the shape of the core region. In addition, we proposed a criterion based on the shape of the crack tip core region for isotropic materials. Since most engineering materials are anisotropic, it is necessary to modify the criterion developed for isotropic materials. In this study, we investigate the shape of the core region at the crack tip in mixed mode loading for anisotropic materials under different loading conditions. We employ isotropic linear elastic stress field along with Hill’s anisotropic yield criterion at the crack tip and examine the effect of anisotropy on the shape of the core region and its relation to crack initiation angles.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
From Data to Insights @ Bare Metal Speed

Data analytics platforms today largely employ data processing kernels (e.g. implementation of selection and join operator algorithms) that were developed for a now bygone hardware era. Hardware has made fundamental shifts in recent years, driven by the need to consider energy as a first-class design parameter. Consequently, across the processor-IO hierarchy, the hardware paradigm today looks very different than it did just a few years ago. I argue that because of this shift, we are now building a 'deficit' between the pace at which the hardware is evolving and the pace that is demanded of data processing kernels to keep up with the growth of big data. This deficit is unsustainable in the long run. One way to 'pay off' this deficit is to have hardware and software co-evolve to exploit the full potential of the hardware. I will provide some examples of recent work from our Wisconsin Quickstep project that demonstrates the merit of this line of thinking. I'll focus on analytical data processing environments, and argue that our new way of storing data, called BitWeaving, and flattening databases into BitWeaved de-normalized tables, which we call WideTables, provides a dramatic new way to build 'sustainable' analytical data processing systems. I will also discuss the implications of our approach on future hardware-software co-design for data analytics platforms.
Household Activity Patterns in Nineteenth‐Century Suburbs: A Time‐Geographic Exploration

Abstract A residential move to a new suburban location in the mid- to late-nineteenth century affected the access of all family members to necessary and enriching activities. Conventional analyses of household location decisions have focused on the development of cheap mass transit for the journey to work of the head of household. In this paper the access of wives in five hypothetical middle-class households is examined. Their ability to complete five hypothetical activity programs from three suburban locations in Philadelphia, before and after the development of the horsecar, is analyzed from a time-geographic perspective. The amount of discretionary time available to each woman, dependent on household structure and socioeconomic status, explains differences in access better than more traditional explanations such as transportation availability or relative location within the urban environment.
Federalism in Eastern Europe: Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem?

Recent changes in eastern Europe have spawned recommendations on political structures, with considerable attention given tofederalism as a means ofpromoting democracy in multi-ethnic societies. This article explores (1) the concept offederalism; (2) the roleplayed byfederalism in thefragmentation that has occurred in Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet Union; and (3) some general problems ofprescriptive social science. An important distinction in the concept offederalism-structure versus process--must be carefully drawn and considered before a prescriptive recommendation can be meaningful. Moreover, events in eastern Europe suggest thatfederal structures, when not accompanied by federal processes, have contributed to the fragmentation of these countries.
Diffusion-Controlled Evaporating Completely Wetting Meniscus in a Channel

We study the evaporating meniscus of a perfectly wetting liquid formed in the gap between two horizontal flat plates. The plates are at the same temperature as the surroundings, and the pure liquid evaporates into a binary mixture of its own vapor and an inert component. Though the identical problem for a capillary has been studied since the work of Stefan, except for the work by Derjaguin et al. (1965), the interface has been treated as a plane surface having a known contact angle of 90°. Here, by contrast, the interface location is determined as part of the solution to a free boundary problem coupling viscous flow in the liquid to diffusive transport in the gas. We make the following simplifying assumptions: (a) liquid and vapor at the interface are in local thermodynamic equilibrium, and (b) the system is effectively isothermal. Given (a) and (b), the vapor partial pressure is related to the liquid pressure by the Kelvin equation. Though the hydrostatic contact angle is zero for a completely wetting sy...
Gentrification in Latin America: Overview and Critical Analysis

This paper offers a critical review and interpretation of gentrification in Latin American cities. Applying a flexible methodology, it examines enabling conditions associated with societal regime change and local contingencies to determine its presence, nature, extent, and possibilities. Questioning the uncritical transfer of constructs such as gentrification from the Global North to the Global South, the paper advocates analyses of mediating structures and local conditions to determine their applicability and possible variations. Overall, the review questions the feasibility of self-sustained, large scale gentrification in central areas of the region’s cities today tying it to each city’s level of incorporation into global circuits and the role of local governments. Rather than an orthodox hypothesis testing, this is an exercise in interpretation that calls for nuanced approaches to the study of urban restructuring in cities of the global South.
TURBULENCE IN AN ALMOND ORCHARD: SPATIAL VARIATIONS IN SPECTRA AND COHERENCE

The spatial variability of turbulence in a fully-leafed almond orchard was studied. Two three-dimensional sonic anemometers were used to measure turbulence spectra and coherence at different vertical and lateral separations inside the canopy. Peak frequencies of the horizontal velocity components, normalized by local horizontal wind speed, are greater in the canopy crown than in the trunkspace. Peak-normalized frequencies for the vertical velocity power spectra are similar in the canopy crown and in the subcanopy trunkspace. Spectral slopes in the inertial subrange are more negative than those predicted with Kolmogorov's -2/3 theory. It is thought that the foliage elements act to short-circuit the eddy cascade. Lateral separation of the instruments in the subcanopy trunkspace has little effect on the shape of the velocity spectra. On the other hand, lateral and vertical velocity coherences between spatially separated sensors are low inside the canopy. These low coherences are due to the Eulerian length scales being of the same order of magnitude as the separation distances of the anemometers. Phase angles between velocity components are about zero for small separation distances. When the two instruments are separated by 9 m and one instrument is positioned in a row while the other is between two rows, vertical velocities are about 180 deg out of phase and the streamwise velocities are about 40 to 60 deg out of phase. These data support the contention that preferred differences occur between within- and between-row wind flow regimes.
The p-median polytope of Y-free graphs: An application of the matching theory

Recently, Baiou and Barahona [M. Baiou, F. Barahona, On the p-median polytope of Y-free graphs. Discrete Optimization (in press, available online October 2007)] gave a characterization of the p-median polytope for Y-free graphs. In this paper, we give an alternative proof of this result by reducing the p-median problem in those graphs to a matching problem and then by building upon powerful results from the matching theory.
Removing local irregularities of NURBS surfaces by modifying highlight lines

The highlight line model is a powerful tool in assessing the quality of a surface. A method to remove local irregularities of NURBS surface by modifying its highlight lines is presented. The method is intuitive and suitable for real-time interactive design. It allows a designer to remove local irregularities of a NURBS surface by a simple operation to smooth the highlight lines. Modification of the control points of the surface is achieved by solving a system of linear equations. Test results are included.