cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulling the purse strings: Are there sectoral differences in political preferencing of Chinese aid to Africa?

Objective China is emerging as an increasingly important player in the global development space, but may be less bound to compacts that aim to curb political preferencing and therefore may produce less yield in terms of impact toward Sustainable Development Goals. This research tests the hypothesis that the disproportionate aid allocation to the birth regions of the current African political leaders that applies to some sectors more than others. Design We applied a two-part model to first estimate the probability that a region receives an aid project. Then when at least one aid project is present in a leader’s birth region, we estimated the mean amount of aid the region received. Setting This analysis covers 699 subnational units (first administrative level) across 44 African countries over 2000–2014. These administrative units were compiled into a region year panel resulting in 10,485 observations. Results Birth regions of the current political leader are significantly more likely than the average of all of the regions to receive education (1.3 percentage points), social infrastructure and services (1.2 percentage points), and energy aid (1.7 percentage points). No significant association was found between aid flows to the birth region of the current political leader in the agriculture, communication, education, government, health or transportation sectors. Within the education sector, the coefficients for birth region are positive in both parts and statistically significant. Both the probability of aid allocation and the amount of aid conditional on any projects increase in the birth region of the current political leader. Conclusions This sector-specific analysis provides a more nuanced picture of Chinese aid than previous analyses that determine the presence of political preference according to aggregate aid flows. The sectors where political preferencing exists are also those sectors that are typically associated with limited counterfactual-based program evaluation. We present evidence that demonstrates the importance of disaggregating aid flows in order to support a new policy framework designed to target the Sustainable Development Goals.
Automated Segmentation and Morphological Analyses of Stockpile Aggregate Images using Deep Convolutional Neural Networks

Particle size and morphological/shape properties ensure the reliable and sustainable use of all aggregate skeleton materials placed as constructed layers in transportation applications. The composi...
VECSEL-based virtually imaged phased array spectrometer for rapid gas phase detection in the mid-infrared

We present a novel, to the best of our knowledge, system for high-resolution, time-resolved spectroscopy in the mid-wave infrared based on a modelocked vertical external cavity surface emitting laser (VECSEL) frequency comb coupled to a virtually imaged phased array (VIPA) spectrometer. The GHz level repetition rate of VECSEL-based systems coupled to VIPA spectrometers enables comb tooth resolved spectra without the use of additional filter cavities often required to increase comb tooth spacing. We demonstrate absorption spectroscopy on a methane (CH4) gas mixture at 2900cm-1 (3.4 µm) with over 35cm-1 spectral bandwidth in a single image. Rapid time-resolved measurements were made using a 300 µs exposure time with an acquisition rate limited to 125 Hz by the available camera. High-resolution absolute frequency measurements were performed by scanning the repetition rate of the VECSEL frequency comb.
Technological Advancements in Ultrasound

Recent technological advancements have driven the development of several promising new ultrasound modalities. Improvements in image reconstruction algorithms, computational and system hardware, contrast agent biochemistry, and laser technology have enabled anatomical, functional, and molecular imaging with unprecedented levels of detail. In this chapter, we survey the principles and applications of ultrafast imaging and motion tracking, vector flow imaging, super-resolution imaging with ultrasound localization microscopy, ultrasound molecular imaging, and noncontact laser ultrasound imaging.
Ground states of duality-twisted sigma-models with K 3 target space

We analyze the ground states of a two-dimensional sigma-model whose target space is an elliptically fibered K 3, with the sigma-model compactified on S 1 with boundary conditions twisted by a duality symmetry. We show that the Witten index receives contributions from two kinds of states: (i) those that can be mapped to cohomology with coefficients in a certain line bundle over the target space, and (ii) states whose wavefunctions are localized at singular fibers. We also discuss the orbifold limit and possible connections with geometric quantization of the target space.
Vascular and pulmonary comorbidities in children with congenital EA/TEF.

Background Esophageal atresia with tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) is associated with many congenital and vascular malformations, however reports utilizing computed tomography (CT) and CT angiography (CTA) are limited. The objective of this study was to review CT scans of the chest from patients with EA/TEF and report their pulmonary and vascular findings. Methods We completed a retrospective chart review of children with congenital EA/TEF evaluated in the aerodigestive clinic at Children's Hospital Colorado. Results of the most recent CTA or CT of the chest were investigated. Demographics, medical conditions, and bronchoscopy findings were also recorded. Ratio of tracheal lumen area between inspiratory and expiratory CTA images was measured. Results Of the patients with congenital EA/TEF seen in the program, 47 patients had a chest CT available for review. Eight patients (17%) had bronchiectasis. Of the contrast CT scans, 15 (58%) had a vascular abnormality and 16 (62%) demonstrated tracheal compression (38% at the level of the innominate artery, 35% from other structures). Nineteen of the CTAs had volumetric expiratory images of the trachea to evaluate tracheomalacia. The mean expiratory:inspiratory area was 0.57 (SD +/- 0.23) at the level of the innominate. Conclusion Patients with EA/TEF frequently have vascular abnormalities that may alter airway mechanics as well as pulmonary comorbidities that may affect long term management. For patients experiencing persistent respiratory symptoms, CTA of the chest should be considered adjunct to bronchoscopy to help with medical and surgical management of these children. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Rare Specimens Yield DNA to Confirm Additional Members of Tribe Stifftieae (Stifftioideae, Asteraceae) on the Guiana Highlands Tepuis

Eight of the ten genera of the Guiana Highlands shrubby Mutisieae were sequenced for the ITS and ETS of the nuclear ribosomal DNA. Results from phylogenetic analyses of the sequence data are congruent with earlier reports that support two independent introductions from different lineages of the basal Asteraceae resulting in the diversification of these taxa in the Guiana Highlands. The two clades segregated according to corolla symmetry. The five genera with bilabiate corollas, Achnopogon, Duidaea, Eurydochus, Gongylolepis and Neblinaea, were supported with members of subfamily Stifftioideae whereas those with actinomorphic corollas, Chimantaea, Stenopadus and Stomatochaeta, constitute a monophyletic group sister to Wunderlichia and strongly supported in the Wunderlichioideae. Resolution, but not statistical support, was found for relationships within the Guiana Highlands shrubby Mutisieae.
Municipal Corporations, Economic Calculation, and Political Pricing: Exploring a Theoretical Antimony

This paper explores a possible path toward dissolving an antinomy within political economy: market order is treated as emergent and spontaneous while political order is treated as planned. This paper pursues a path that seeks to locate the entire social order as emergent and spontaneous. Where a market is a congeries of business corporations, a polity is a congeries of municipal corporations. Like business corporations, municipal corporations operate within a setting wherein those who manage those corporations are largely separate from those who supply the capital with which those corporations operate. A system of municipal corporations, however, cannot generate the market prices necessary for economic calculation because ownership is inalienable. What arises is a system of political prices that arise parasitically within a system of market prices. This paper explores some features pertinent to the articulation of a theory of political economy grounded in spontaneous ordering throughout the ecology of enterprises that constitutes a society.
Expanding Daily Report Card Intervention to the Preschool Setting: Evaluation of Effectiveness and Usability for Teachers and Parents

Daily report card (DRC) intervention provides a structured method for increasing communication between teachers and parents regarding student behavior; however, limited research has investigated the effectiveness and acceptability of DRC intervention with preschool students. Additionally, effectiveness of DRC intervention is enhanced when parents provide consistent reinforcement for students’ goal attainment. The purposes of the study were to (a) extend DRC intervention to examine effectiveness and acceptability with preschool students and (b) evaluate the impact of proactive antecedent e-mail prompts on home intervention integrity (i.e., parents’ provision of contingent reinforcement). DRC intervention was implemented in a multiple-baseline-across-subjects design for 3 preschool students to evaluate impacts of (a) the intervention on classroom engagement and disruptive behavior measured via systematic direct observation and (b) proactive antecedent e-mail prompts on parents’ home intervention integrity. Although DRC intervention resulted in negligible level changes in student engagement and disruptive behavior, variability of disruptive behavior reduced following intervention. Antecedent e-mail prompts did not improve home intervention integrity due to high baseline levels (i.e., ceiling effects). Finally, parents and teachers found DRC intervention to be feasible and appropriate for preschool. Limitations of the study and implications for expanding DRC intervention to preschool are discussed.
A Practical Guide to Motion Magnification

Numerous algorithms and software packages have been developed to detect and magnify small motions in video recordings with applications to structural vibration analysis. While some techniques follow naturally from intuition or mathematical duality, others seem overly complex at face value. Due to this, it can be difficult to assess the best tool for analysis, especially in terms of an intuitive understanding of how the results came to be. To facilitate the development of this intuition, input videos with different test articles and vibration characteristics were processed through selected magnification schemes. For each input, the outputs of the different methods were compared in order to assess their differences, amplification potentials, and limitations. Beginning with single regions of interest, the investigation then moved into more complicated scenarios involving multiple areas of localized motion. Variations such as coherence and scale for objects in the frame were also examined. Unlike previous review papers, these magnification tools are introduced in a framework that is more geared toward the working acoustician; in particular, intensity-, Fourier-, multi-resolution-, and Hilbert-based methods are evaluated in a structural-acoustic context to garner a better understanding of the underlying principles and idiosyncrasies. The main result is a thorough evaluation of each method’s performance in order to develop a guide for choosing the best algorithm in a given scenario.
The Psychosocial Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS) Prospectively Predicts Inferior Overall Survival Outcome for High Risk Scoring Patients Undergoing Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Several studies have begun to examine the relationship between psychosocial variables and outcome in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Previous studies have also looked at the relationship between the Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Comorbidity Index (HCT-CI) and disease risk on overall survival in HSCT. Research has shown that disease risk and HCT-CI may have a negative relationship with outcome in HSCT. In this study, psychosocial data was collected prospectively on 437 patients undergoing related and unrelated allogeneic HSCT. All patients were assessed using the Transplant Evaluation Rating Scale (TERS). Based on the patient’s TERS score, each patient was stratified into one of two groups (low/moderate risk (n=371) vs. high risk (n=66)) based on their predicted psychosocial risk for problems during transplant. The 1-year overall survival (OS) for the low/mod risk TERS group versus the high TERS risk group was 78% and 61%, respectively (p=.005). Stratification by CIBMTR disease risk identified 261 patients with low and intermediate risk disease of which 228 had low/mod risk TERS score and 33 had high risk TERS score. The is a significant survival advantage for Low/Mod Risk TERS patients vs. High Risk TERS patients at 100 day, 1 year and overall survival being 97% vs 79% (P=.01), 85% vs 58% (P=.002) and 68% vs 42% (P=.002) with a median follow up of 48 months (graph attached). An adjusted logistic regression analysis showed that psychosocial factors have a significant impact on overall survival despite all patients being required to have 24 hour caregiver support, a pre-transplant psychosocial evaluation and post-transplant psychosocial intervention. The analysis controlled for other variables such as age, gender, performance status, disease risk and transplant type. These results highlight the impact of psychosocial factors on HSCT outcome, as those patients who are expected to do well based on their low/intermediate disease risk may not perform as expected due to psychosocial risk factors. These results suggest the need to perform careful psychosocial assessments on all HSCT patients in order to predict mortality risks for the individual patient and to help the transplant team strategize how to better manage the high risk psychosocial patient. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Epigenetic variation: amount, causes, and consequences

Epigenetic variation is the result of biochemical and spatial modifications that affect the function of chromosomes. The diversity of phenotypes that we observe in all organisms is the result of both genetic and epigenetic variation. Unveiling the “epigenetic code” is challenging because of the diversity of mechanisms and the vast scale of epigenetic variation. Nevertheless, an increasing number of studies indicate that epigenetic variation has an important influence on many phenotypes, especially in human disorders. Keywords: epigenetic variation; DNA methylation; phenotypic variation; X-chromosome inactivation; mosaicism; allelic variation in gene expression; epigenetic inheritance; epialleles; chromatin modifications
The Impact of Peer Instruction Pedagogy on Student Learning, Attitudes Toward Learning and Student Engagement: Evidence from a Large Enrollment Political Science Course

The impact of Peer Instruction (PI) pedagogy on student learning gains is well documented in the natural and physical science disciplines, but it has been less studied in the social sciences and humanities. For this reason, we know relatively little about whether this pedagogy might be effective in political science courses. This study proposes to address this gap in the academic literature by examining the impact of PI on student engagement, motivation to learn, and learning outcomes in a large enrollment political science course at UC San Diego during fall quarter 2012. It finds that Peer Instruction not only improves student academic achievement at statistically significant levels, but that it also positively promotes student engagement in the course, motivation to learn, and attitudes toward learning.
Peripheral Nerves, Ganglia and Nerve Terminals

Most peripheral nerves are comprised of nerve fibers which are either afferent (sensory) in function of alternatively efferent (motor), and these fibers may be either well myelinated or poorly myelinated.
Adenoma, Adrenal Cortex, Rat

The smallest and earliest lesions are not seen with the naked eye. Large hyperplasias and adenomas, indistinguishable grossly, occur as discrete nodular swellings within the cortex of the adrenal gland. The enlarged cortex may be the same color, paler yellow, or darker than the surrounding cortex.
Comparative analysis of asteroid-deflection approaches

Five potential methods of preventing an asteroid from colliding with Earth—Kinetic Impactor (KI), Ion Beam Deflection (IBD), Gravity Tractor (GT), Enhanced Gravity Tractor (EGT), and Laser Ablation (LA)—are compared, with the objective of helping to inform a NASA decision regarding which technology or technologies could be demonstrated in space on the proposed 2019 Asteroid Robotic Redirect Mission (ARRM). Three design blocks are considered, which differ in the power available to the deflection technology and the mass at low-Earth orbit. We plot the required warning time (up to 30 years between discovery of the hazard and potential collision with Earth) vs. asteroid diameter for each of four technologies (gravity tractor without enhancement is considered only as a trim/verification candidate) under each design block, and illustrate sensitivities of results to important parameters.
Immunodominant antigens of Streptococcus mutans in dental caries-resistant subjects.

Previously, we reported that dental caries-resistant subjects, who have significantly fewer Streptococ­ cus mutans in whole saliva than caries-susceptible patients, have significantly higher levels of naturally occurring binding and neutralizing parotid salivary immunoglobulin A and serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to native S. mutans antigens than caries-susceptible patients. Recent animal studies indi­ cated that the immunogenicity of swallowed S. mutans may be altered by either saliva-coating or stomach acid-denaturation. These results suggest a difference not only in the quantity of antibody to S. mutans, but also in the antigenic epitopes that caries-resistant subjects synthesize antibody to as compared with caries-susceptible patients. In the present report, sodium dodecyl sulfate­ polyacrylamide gel electrophoresislimmunoblotting studies indicate that caries-resistant subjects pro­ duce salivary immunoglobulin A and serum immunoglobulin G antibodies to several different (molecu­ lar weight: 94, 80,40, and 35 kilodaltons) as well as several similar (molecular weight: 67,55, and 30 kilodaltons) S. mutans epitopes as compared to caries-susceptible patients. This provides additional confirmation for our previous binding and functional antibody studies, indicating that caries-resistant subjects synthesize antibodies of different specificities than caries-susceptible patients. This study supports the concept of immune regulation of dental caries by naturally occurring antibodies induced by swallowing S. mutans antigens in saliva.
Predictive monitoring for sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis to prevent shock

Despite vigilant clinical assessment of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), diagnosis of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis often does not occur until an infant has significant hemodynamic compromise. Predictive monitoring involves analysis of vital signs and other clinical data to identify infants at highest risk and to detect early-stage illness, leading to timelier treatment and improved outcomes. The first vital-sign predictive monitoring device developed for sepsis detection in babies in the NICU is the heart rate characteristics index (HeRO) monitor, which continuously analyzes the electrocardiogram signal for low heart rate variability and transient decelerations. Use of this monitor in very low birth weight infants (<1500 g) was shown in a large multicenter randomized clinical trial to significantly reduce mortality. The purpose of this review is (1) to summarize the physiologic changes in neonatal sepsis and progression to shock, (2) to review efforts toward risk stratification for sepsis shortly after birth based on demographic and physiologic scoring systems, (3) to describe development and implementation of heart rate characteristics monitoring and other important aspects of sepsis early warning systems, and (4) to provide an overview of current research analyzing multiple vital signs and other clinical variables in an attempt to develop even more effective predictive monitoring devices and systems.
Direct measurement of char-particle temperatures in fluidized-bed combustors

A new technique is described, allowing direct in situ measurement of temperatures of burning coal-char particles in the interior of fluidized-bed combustors. A prerequisite of the technique was the development of uncooled optic probes capable of withstanding the harsh environment of fluidized combustor, and the demonstration of their capability to transmit continuous, quantitatively measureable optical information to the outside for analysis by a two-channel recording system. Radiometric records, obtained from the interior of a fluidized-bed reactor containing a low concentration of coal particles, consist of d.c. signals, corresponding to temperatures of inert bed particles, with transient excursions due to burning particles. The records, not tractable by simple ratio pyrometry, were analyzed on the assumption that thermal radiation is emitted simultaneously by sources having two different temperatures. Measured char-particle temperatures for a lignite and an anthractte are presented as functions of bed temperatures (1060 to 1150 K) and oxygen mass fractions (0.124 to 0.230) in bubbling beds. These data are used to calculate heat transfer coefficients in the beds. A comparison is made with results reported in the literature.
Early Childhood Teacher Education: Historical Themes and Contemporary Issues

Over the past decade, many states have increased their investment in prekindergarten (pre-K) school programs that serve 3- and 4-year-old children. This increase has raised questions about what constitutes a well-qualified early childhood teacher. Similar questions were raised in the late part of the nineteenth century when states began investing in kindergarten, then a new and unique idea on the educational landscape. This article situates contemporary issues in early childhood teacher education within the historical context of the kindergarten movement in the U.S. Focus is given to the following themes: (a) the relationship between legitimization via degree program and maintaining a unique early childhood identity, and (b) the relationship between evolving “best practices” discourses and the nature of early childhood teaching. The ways in which heightened awareness of historical themes in early childhood teacher education can inform contemporary early childhood teacher education are explored.
In vivo neurotrophic effects of GDNF on neonatal and adult facial motor neurons

MOTOR neurons require neurotrophic factor(s) for their survival during development and for maintenance of function in adulthood1–3. In vivo studies have shown that motor neurons respond to a variety of molecules, including ciliary neurotrophic factor, members of the neurotrophin family, and the insulin growth factor IGF-1 (refs 3–13). Here we investigate the potential motor neuron neurotrophic effects of glial-cell-line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), initially identified as a neurotrophic factor for substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons14. We find that GDNF is retrogradely transported, in a receptor-mediated fashion, by spinal cord motor neurons in neonatal rats. Local application of GDNF to the transected facial nerve prevents the massive motor neuron cell death and atrophy that normally follows axotomy in the neonatal period. In adult rats, GDNF administered locally or systemically can markedly attenuate the lesion-induced decrease of choline acetyl-transferase immunoreactivity in the facial nucleus. Our data indicate that GDNF has very profound neurotrophic effects in vivo on developing as well as on adult motor neurons, and is the most potent motor neuron trophic factor found so far.
Implicit interpretation biases affect emotional vulnerability: A training study

Cognitive theories of emotion propose that the interpretation of emotion-eliciting situations crucially shapes affective responses. Implicit or automatic biases in these interpretations may hinder emotion regulation and thereby increase risk for the onset and maintenance of psychological disorders. In this study, participants were randomly assigned to a positive or negative interpretation bias training using ambiguous social scenarios. After the completion of the training, a stress task was administered and changes in positive and negative affect and self-esteem were assessed. The results demonstrate that the interpretation bias training was successful in that participants exhibited a tendency to interpret novel scenarios in accordance with their training condition. Importantly, the positive training condition also had a protective effect on self-esteem. Participants in this condition did not exhibit a decrease in self-esteem after the stress task, whereas participants in the negative condition did. These results demonstrate that implicit cognitive biases can be trained and that this training affects self-esteem. Implications of these findings for research on psychopathology and emotion regulation are discussed.
Review of harmful gastrointestinal effects of carrageenan in animal experiments.

In this article I review the association between exposure to carrageenan and the occurrence of colonic ulcerations and gastrointestinal neoplasms in animal models. Although the International Agency for Research on Cancer in 1982 identified sufficient evidence for the carcinogenicity of degraded carrageenan in animals to regard it as posing a carcinogenic risk to humans, carrageenan is still used widely as a thickener, stabilizer, and texturizer in a variety of processed foods prevalent in the Western diet. I reviewed experimental data pertaining to carrageenan's effects with particular attention to the occurrence of ulcerations and neoplasms in association with exposure to carrageenan. In addition, I reviewed from established sources mechanisms for production of degraded carrageenan from undegraded or native carrageenan and data with regard to carrageenan intake. Review of these data demonstrated that exposure to undegraded as well as to degraded carrageenan was associated with the occurrence of intestinal ulcerations and neoplasms. This association may be attributed to contamination of undegraded carrageenan by components of low molecular weight, spontaneous metabolism of undegraded carrageenan by acid hydrolysis under conditions of normal digestion, or the interactions with intestinal bacteria. Although in 1972, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration considered restricting dietary carrageenan to an average molecular weight > 100,000, this resolution did not prevail, and no subsequent regulation has restricted use. Because of the acknowledged carcinogenic properties of degraded carrageenan in animal models and the cancer-promoting effects of undegraded carrageenan in experimental models, the widespread use of carrageenan in the Western diet should be reconsidered.
Assessing performance of conservation-based Best Management Practices: Coarse vs. fine-scale analysis

Animal agriculture in the Spring Creek watershed of central Pennsylvania contributes sediment to the stream and ultimately to the Chesapeake Bay. Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as stream bank buffers are intended to intercept sediment moving from heavy-use areas toward the stream. The placement of BMPs on a farm is generally based on untested assumptions about flow paths. Most often, a straight-line distance from the heavy-use area to the stream is assumed to be correct. Our objective was to compare the straight-line path to hydrologic flow paths calculated from fine-, medium- and coarse-grained Digital Elevation Models (DEMs; 1m, 10m, 30m) for 471 mapped heavy-use points within 100m of the stream. The 30m DEMs are the most widely available and require the least processing time. We anticipated that the flow path distance would be longer than the straight-line distance in all cases, that the finest resolution would lead to the most accurate measurement, but that the difference might not be great enough to justify the increased costs. Understanding the changes in path length and direction calculated using more complex methods and higher-resolution source data will enable us to make recommendations on methods to be used in developing conservation management plans. The medium-(10m DEM) and fine-resolution data (1m DEM) had the smallest differences between the hydrologic flow path and straight-line path: median differences in path length of 20 m for both the 1m and 10m DEMs, and 51m for the 30m DEM. Hydrologic flow paths were significantly longer than straight-line paths for all three scales; BMP placement based on straight-line distances may not be the most effective. Although the overall difference was significantly positive, calculations on the 30m DEMs sometimes produced straight-line paths that were longer than the hydrologic flow paths, apparently due to inaccuracies in the data. Where fine-scale DEMs are available, BMPs might be more effectively situated by considering the corresponding drainage pathways. The very different results produced at the three scales demonstrate that using the finest-grained elevation data may substantially improve placement of BMPs intended to mitigate for heavy animal use areas. The use of 30m DEMs for this purpose should be avoided. Fine-grained data such as 1m-resolution LiDAR-derived DEMs are available for Pennsylvania through PAMAP, and can be incorporated in the planning stages of BMP placement ultimately resulting in reducing agricultural sediment and nutrient loadings into local watersheds and the Chesapeake Bay.
NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) observatory

The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission, one of the first-tier missions recommended by the 2007 U.S. National Research Council Committee on Earth Science and Applications from Space, was confirmed in May 2012 by NASA to proceed into Implementation Phase (Phase C) with a planned launch in October 2014. SMAP will produce high-resolution and accurate global maps of soil moisture and its freeze/thaw state using data from a non-imaging synthetic aperture radar and a radiometer, both operating at L-band. Major challenges addressed by the observatory design include: (1) achieving global coverage every 2–3 days with a single observatory; (2) producing both high resolution and high accuracy soil moisture data, including through moderate vegetation; (3) using a mesh reflector antenna for L-band radiometry; (4) minimizing science data loss from terrestrial L-band radio frequency interference; (5) designing fault protection that also minimizes science data loss; (6) adapting planetary heritage avionics to meet SMAP's unique application and data volume needs; (7) ensuring observatory electromagnetic compatibility to avoid degrading science; (8) controlling a large spinning instrument with a small spacecraft; and (9) accommodating launch vehicle selection late in the observatory's development lifecycle.
The impact of physiological loading on immune cell infiltration and myocardial function evaluated by cardiac MRI: a comparison between non-working heart and working heart transplant models

Summary Rodent models of heterotopic cardiac transplantation are important for gaining a better understanding of heart allograft rejection. This study compared a working heart (WkHt) transplant model, which have developed by our laboratory, with the traditional non-working heart (Non-WkHt) model using cardiac MRI (CMRI) and pathological evaluation. Our results indicate that the physiological hemodynamic loading significantly impacts graft immune cell infiltration and myocardial function. Our WkHt transplant model with intact pulmonary circulation, retains hemodynamic loading close to that of native heart, and is thus more appropriate for both functional and immunological studies, especially for developing the clinically relevant CMRI techniques for comprehensive evaluation of the heart graft. Background The traditional heterotopic heart transplantation rodent model [1,2] lacks blood flow toward left ventricle (LV) and the graft does not pump blood, and therefore is a non-working heart (Non-WkHt). We have developed a new heterotopic working heart (WkHt) transplant model with intact pulmonary circulation to study cardiac allograft rejection.[3] In this study, we used combinations of pathology and multi-parameter CMRI, such as cine, Tagging, and T1/T2, to comprehensively evaluate the impact of physiological loading on the myocardial function, immune cell infiltration and graft pathophysiological condition of these 2 models.
Return to theatre in secondary post-tonsillectomy haemorrhage: a comparison of coblation and dissection techniques

The aim of this study is to examine the incidence of return to theatre (RTT) for post-operative haemorrhage following coblation and dissection tonsillectomy and to investigate those that required RTT more than 10 days post-surgery. Retrospective review of post-tonsillectomy haemorrhages requiring RTT from April 2005 to March 2009 was conducted. Of 2,541 tonsillectomies performed, 81% were by coblation and 19% by dissection methods. The overall RTT rate was 1.7%. No difference was found in the overall RTT rates for primary and secondary haemorrhage between the two techniques. However, the overall RTT rates for primary and secondary haemorrhage were higher in adults than children (P = 0.0456 and P = 0.0215, respectively). RTT for secondary haemorrhage during the first ten post-operative days occurred in both coblation and dissection tonsillectomy with no significant difference. After the first post-operative week, late secondary bleeding requiring RTT occurred only in the coblation group (P = 0.0676). Four patients required blood transfusion; all were in the coblation group, three of which were required during RTT in the late secondary haemorrhage (after 10 days). The post-operative RTT rates for coblation tonsillectomy did not reveal a change of trend over the 4-year study period. Our RTT rate for secondary haemorrhage is higher than earlier published results. A learning curve could not be identified in RTT for coblation tonsillectomy haemorrhage. Late secondary haemorrhages requiring surgical intervention have only been identified in cases performed by coblation and could potentially be life threatening as 33% (3/9) required blood transfusion. This phenomenon may be explained by a particular physiological healing process associated with coblation.
Histiocytoid Sweet syndrome may indicate leukemia cutis: a novel application of fluorescence in situ hybridization.

Background In patients with malignancy-associated Sweet syndrome, a thorough evaluation for leukemia cutis should be considered. Objective We sought to describe the clinicopathologic characteristics of histiocytoid Sweet syndrome. Methods We retrospectively identified patients with histiocytoid Sweet syndrome at our institution from January 1992 through December 2010. We evaluated the underlying cutaneous infiltrate using immunohistochemistry and fluorescence in situ hybridization. Results We re-evaluated all 22 patients with hematologic malignancy–associated Sweet syndrome. Six patients had a monocytoid infiltrate that was consistent with histiocytoid Sweet syndrome; subsequent evaluation of these patients demonstrated cytogenetic abnormalities on prior bone-marrow biopsy specimens. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis was feasible in cutaneous specimens from 5 of the 6 patients and demonstrated the same cytogenetic abnormalities that were identified on prior bone-marrow biopsy specimens in 4 patients. Therefore, these 4 patients may have had a form of leukemia cutis. Limitations This was a retrospective study. Conclusion For patients with histiocytoid Sweet syndrome, an underlying hematologic malignancy, and a monocytoid infiltrate on biopsy specimen, fluorescence in situ hybridization of the cutaneous infiltrate may be beneficial to identify cytogenetic abnormalities that may indicate leukemia cutis.
Efficient Detector Adaptation for Object Detection in a Video

In this work, we present a novel and efficient detector adaptation method which improves the performance of an offline trained classifier (baseline classifier) by adapting it to new test datasets. We address two critical aspects of adaptation methods: generalizability and computational efficiency. We propose an adaptation method, which can be applied to various baseline classifiers and is computationally efficient also. For a given test video, we collect online samples in an unsupervised manner and train a random fern adaptive classifier. The adaptive classifier improves precision of the baseline classifier by validating the obtained detection responses from baseline classifier as correct detections or false alarms. Experiments demonstrate generalizability, computational efficiency and effectiveness of our method, as we compare our method with state of the art approaches for the problem of human detection and show good performance with high computational efficiency on two different baseline classifiers.
Charge-driven flocculation of poly(L-lysine): Gold nanoparticle assemblies leading to hollow microspheres

An unusual aggregation phenomenon that involves positively charged poly(L-lysine) (PLL) and negatively charged gold nanoparticles (Au NPs) is reported. Discrete, submicrometer-sized spherical aggregates are found to form immediately upon combining a PLL solution with gold sol (diameter approximately 14 nm). These PLL-Au NP assemblies grow in size with time, according to light scattering experiments, which indicates a dynamic flocculation process. Water-filled, silica hollow microspheres (outer diameter approximately microns) are obtained upon the addition of negatively charged SiO2 NPs (diameter approximately 13 nm) to a suspension of the PLL-Au NP assemblies, around which the SiO2 NPs form a shell. Structural analysis through confocal microscopy indicates the PLL (tagged with a fluorescent dye) is located in the interior of the hollow sphere, and mostly within the silica shell wall. The hollow spheres are theorized to form through flocculation, in which the charge-driven aggregation of Au NPs by PLL provides the critical first step in the two-step synthesis process ("flocculation assembly"). The SiO2 shell can be removed and re-formed by decreasing and increasing the suspension pH about the point-of-zero charge of SiO2, respectively.
Hepatic erythropoietin (Ep) production following double partial hepatectomy in the rat

Double partial hepatectomy (hepx) evokes an elevation in serum erythropoietin (Ep) levels in anephric hypoxic animals when compared to non-hypoxic or sham hepx controls. But this Ep response is significantly lower than that found in singly hepx, anephric hypoxic rats. Double hepx also induces numerous cytological changes in the liver. Extravascular accumulation of fat, fibrous scarring, localized necroses, and multiple abscesses, as well as decreased vascularity, occur following the second hepx. A humoral factor was detected in the serum of these animals that is capable of inducing hepatic Ep production when injected into normal rats 18 hours before nephrectomy and hypoxia. This factor, termed hepatopoietin (Hp), was previously demonstrated in the venous serum of singly hepx rats. The serum from animals subjected to double partial hepx is not as potent in inducing Ep production as the serum from singly hepx animals. The discrepancies noted between the single and double hepx groups is attributed to the necrotic cytological changes described above.
On-column refolding of bone morphogenetic protein-2 using cation exchange resin

Refolding is often the bottle-neck step in producing recombinant proteins from inclusion bodies of Escherichia coli, especially for dimer proteins. The refolding process is protein specific, engaging a lot of time and cost to optimize conditions so that the thermodynamics favor protein refolding over competitive aggregation. Bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) is a potent osteogenic agent having significant applications in bone regeneration therapy. In this study, we present a novel solid-phase refolding method for rapid and efficient refolding of recombinant BMP-2 dimer from E. coli. We employed a weak cation exchange resin as the adsorbing support, with decreasing gradient of denaturing agent and exposure to oxidizing conditions for adequate disulfide bond formation. Refolded BMP-2 was further purified using size exclusion chromatography and analyzed for its secondary structure and biological activity. The purified BMP-2 dimer showed dose-dependent induction of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity in MC3T3 pre-osteoblast cells, thus translating the success of our refolding method. This simple and rapid method can also be applied in refolding and purification of other BMP-2 like dimer proteins.
Scaling of the Specific-Heat Singularity of He 4 Near Its Critical Point

We have measured the specific heat at constant volume (${C}_{v}$) of ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ near its critical temperature (${T}_{c}$) and critical density (${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}$). Tabulated data are given along seven isochores with densities in the range $\ensuremath{-}0.10l\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}l+0.15$, where $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}=\frac{(\ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{-}{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c})}{{\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}}$, at temperatures in the range $\ensuremath{-}0.06ltl+0.13$, where $t=\frac{(T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{c})}{{T}_{c}}$. Density resolution was 0.001 ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}$ and the resolution of ${C}_{v}$ measurements was $0.0003{T}_{c}$. in temperature. Resulting values for the critical constants are ${T}_{c}=5.1891\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0007$ K and ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}=0.06958\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.00007$ g/${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$. The data in the one-phase region may be expressed as the sum of a nonsingular function of $t$ and $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}$ and a function of the form ${|\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}|}^{\ensuremath{-}\frac{\ensuremath{\alpha}}{\ensuremath{\beta}}}f(x)$, where $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ is the exponent describing the singularity in ${C}_{v}$ at density ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}$ in the one-phase region, $\ensuremath{\beta}$ is the exponent describing the coexistence curve, and $x$ is the variable suggested in Griffith's discussion of homogeneous functions, $t|{\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\rho}|}^{\frac{\ensuremath{-}1}{\ensuremath{\beta}}}$ In the two-phase region ${C}_{v}$ diverges with an exponent ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ with ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}^{\ensuremath{'}}\ensuremath{\approx}\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\approx}0.15$. In the two-phase region the singularity in ${C}_{v}$ seems to be dominated by $\frac{{d}^{2}P}{d{T}^{2}}$ where $P$ is the vapor pressure. If $\ensuremath{\mu}$ is the chemical potential $\frac{{d}^{2}\ensuremath{\mu}}{d{T}^{2}}$ is less singular than $\frac{{d}^{2}P}{d{T}^{2}}$ and may even be constant in this temperature range. The singularity in $\frac{{d}^{2}P}{d{T}^{2}}$ implies the ${T}_{58}$ helium vapor-pressure temperature scale is slightly in error. If ${T}_{58}$ and its first derivative are assumed correct at 4.85 K, then ${T}_{58}$ assigns a temperature 0.0007 K too high to pressures near the critical pressure. Where our ${C}_{v}$ data may be compared to $P\ensuremath{-}V\ensuremath{-}T$ data on ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ the agreement is generally good. The possibility now exists of making a complete model of the free energy near the critical point.
Photocurrent enhancement by surface plasmon resonance of silver nanoparticles in highly porous dye-sensitized solar cells.

Localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) by silver nanoparticles that are photochemically incorporated into an electrode-supported TiO2 nanoparticulate framework enhances the extinction of a subsequently adsorbed dye (the ruthenium-containing molecule, N719). The enhancement arises from both an increase in the dye’s effective absorption cross section and a modest increase in the framework surface area. Deployment of the silver-modified assembly as a photoanode in dye-sensitized solar cells leads to light-to-electrical energy conversion with an overall efficiency of 8.9%. This represents a 25% improvement over the performance of otherwise identical solar cells lacking corrosion-protected silver nanoparticles. As one would expect based on increased dye loading and electromagnetic field enhanced (LSPR-enhanced) absorption, the improvement is manifested chiefly as an increase in photocurrent density ascribable to improved light harvesting.
Reactivity of Methyl Groups in Actinide Metallocene Amidinate and Triazenido Complexes with Silver and Copper Salts

The effect of the heteroleptic ligand sets {(C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr]}3− and {(C5Me5)2[(Me)NNN(Ad)]}3− on actinide−carbon bond reactivity has been evaluated by examining the monomethyl actinide metallocene amidinate complexes (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]AnMe (An = U, 1; Th, 2) and the triazenido complex (C5Me5)2[(Me)NNN(Ad)-κ2N1,3]UMe, 3. This has led to a facile method to convert methyl groups in U4+ and Th4+ complexes to halide and pseudo-halide ligands. Complexes 1 and 3 react with AgOSO2CF3 (AgOTf) to produce (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]U(OTf), 4, and (C5Me5)2[(Me)NNN(Ad)-κ2N1,3]U(OTf), 5, respectively. The methyl complexes are also reactive with copper reagents, as demonstrated by the reactions of CuI with 1 and 2 to make (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]UI, 6, and (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]ThI, 7, respectively. Similarly, reactions of CuBr with 1 and 3 generate (C5Me5)2[iPrNC(Me)NiPr-κ2N,N′]UBr, 8, and (C5Me5)2[(Me)NNN(Ad)-κ2N1,3]UBr, 9, respectively. These triflate and halide complexes are good ...
Complex Gaussian Scale Mixtures of Complex Wavelet Coefficients

In this paper, we propose the complex Gaussian scale mixture (CGSM) to model the complex wavelet coefficients as an extension of the Gaussian scale mixture (GSM), which is for real-valued random variables to the complex case. Along with some related propositions and miscellaneous results, we present the probability density functions of the magnitude and phase of the complex random variable. Specifically, we present the closed forms of the probability density function (pdf) of the magnitude for the case of complex generalized Gaussian distribution and the phase pdf for the general case. Subsequently, the pdf of the relative phase is derived. The CGSM is then applied to image denoising using the Bayes least-square estimator in several complex transform domains. The experimental results show that using the CGSM of complex wavelet coefficients visually improves the quality of denoised images from the real case.