cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Raman Spectrum of Calcium Bromapatite

Both the infrared and Raman spectra have been observed for halogen-containing apatites such as calcium fluorapatite and chlorapatite. However, only the infrared spectrum has been observed and interpreted for calcium bromapatite. In this study, its Raman spectrum was observed and analyzed in terms of the spectra obtained earlier for calcium fluorapatite and chlorapatite.
Evaluating Scratch Programs to Assess Computational Thinking in a Science Lesson (Abstract Only)

In this poster, we describe efforts to assess computational thinking activities that can be easily implemented in any science classroom. Studies have shown that a set of conditions must be met for computational thinking tools to be used in K-12 education and that when they are used, there is a wide spectrum in the level of computational thinking that the tool enables. This study extends this work by examining how middle school students translated their science fair projects into Scratch and what evidence of computational thinking is present. Scrape, a tool designed to analyze Scratch projects was used. Overall, it was found that most students simply created a presentation of their project without much complexity. Eight students created interactive projects that required user participation and used more advanced computational concepts. Finally, recommendations are given for next steps in the creation of a series of activities that would scaffold student learning as they apply to computational thinking concepts of a science concept.
An output-capacitorless linear regulator for integrated portable power solutions

This paper proposes a linear regulator that offers a very fast transient response of less than 150ns for a load step with a 100ns rise time. The voltage regulator is designed so that no output capacitor is needed to save die area and system cost. Total on-chip capacitance is a mere 3pF for this design. It also operates at very high power efficiency with only a 39µA quiescent current. This design can be ideal for portable applications powered by a Li-ion battery with a small to moderate digital core, such as a power management IC for cellular phones. The process used in this work is a mature 0.35µm BiCMOS process commonly employed for power management devices by Texas Instruments.
Agile, tunable, chirped laser with low background emission

A compact tunable laser based on an acousto-optic filter is described. Rapid (< 10 ms) wavelength scans across a 124 nm band centred at 1536 nm are achieved with a signal peak to background noise ratio exceeding 60 dB.
The velocity field of ionized gas near Sgr A

Several distinct kinematic patterns are superposed in the ionized gas seen nearest Sgr A$^{\ast}$, the compact radio source at the center of the Milky Way. This has led to confusion over the morphology and motions of the gas; the recent dispersion-ring model of Sanders (1998) inadvertantly elides parts of two separate features and reproduces a description of the gas flow which does not actually occur. We demonstrate the gas kinematics via an analysis of the high-resolution H92 α radio recombination line data of Roberts & Goss (1993) and Roberts et al. (1996). The characteristic kinematic pattern of the “Bar” is reproduced by rotation in near-polar orbits seen edge-on at distances of 0.3–0.8 pc from Sgr A$^{\ast}$, with larger radii seen to the east. The mass of ionized material in the Bar is ~$27~{ M}_{\odot}$. The Bar and Eastern Arm together probably represent a single stream of gas falling on to the galactic center, crossing from east to west.
Pregnancy modifies the large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel and cGMP-dependent signaling pathway in uterine vascular smooth muscle.

Regulation of uteroplacental blood flow (UPBF) during pregnancy remains unclear. Large conductance, Ca2+-activated K+ channels (BKCa), consisting of α- and regulatory β-subunits, are expressed in u...
Spectral reflectance characteristics of citrus canker and other peel conditions of grapefruit.

Abstract The presence of one fruit infected with citrus canker in a shipment may render the whole shipment unmarketable. Therefore it is important to classify fruit infected with citrus canker in the packinghouse before shipping the produce. The purpose of this research was to determine the significant wavelengths that could be used to classify canker among other peel conditions using grapefruit, a variety susceptible to canker. A spectrophotometer, with a wavelength range of 200–2500 nm, was used to measure the spectral reflectance data of peels from market quality fruit and fruits that were infected with cake melanose, wind scar, copper burn, greasy spot and canker. Statistical data analysis was performed on the spectral reflectance data to identify the wavelengths that had maximum discriminatory potential among the different peel conditions and to derive a discriminant function from the identified wavelengths. The discriminatory wavelengths were identified in the visible and the visible near infrared range. In addition, the classification based on the derived discriminant function resulted in 100% classification of canker. These results provide fundamental and practical use in the development of an automatic fruit sorter for canker classification based on spectral reflectance. Future research would involve the development of a vision-based classification system using the significant wavelengths identified in this study.
The Value of Student Ratings: Perceptions of Students, Teachers, and Administrators

Colleges and universities invest time, personnel, and money into the process of student evaluations of faculty. These data provide only one measure of evaluating the quality and effectiveness of instruction. This research responded to the lack of emphasis on more effective use of the data for the purpose of improving teaching effectiveness by questioning the opinions and practices of students, faculty, and administrators. More importantly, this research questioned the value of student ratings of teaching: Is the effort of doing student evaluations worth the institutional investment or is it simply a routine process which has little or no effect on improving teaching?
A graph-theoretic approach for minimizing the number of wrapper cells for pre-bond testing of 3D-stacked ICs

Three-dimensional (3D) stacking of ICs using through-silicon-vias (TSVs) is a promising integration platform for next-generation ICs. Since TSVs are not fully accessible prior to bonding, it is difficult to test the combinational logic between scan flip-flops and TSVs at a pre-bond stage. In order to increase testability, it has been advocated that wrapper cells be added at both ends of a TSV. However, a drawback of wrapper cells is that they incur area overhead and lead to higher latency and performance degradation on functional paths. Prior work proposed the reuse of scan cells to achieve high testability, thereby reducing the number of wrapper cells that need to be inserted; however, practical timing considerations were overlooked and the number of inserted wrapper cells was still high. We show that the general problem of minimizing the wrapper cells is equivalent to the graph-theoretic minimum clique-partitioning problem, and is therefore NP-hard. We adopt efficient heuristic methods to solve the problem and describe a timing-guided and layout-aware solution. We also evaluate the heuristic methods using an exact solution technique based on integer linear programming. Results are presented for 3D-stack implementations of the ITC'99 and the OpenCore benchmark circuits.
NF-κB Inhibition Protects against Tumor-Induced Cardiac Atrophy in Vivo

Cancer cachexia is a severe wasting syndrome characterized by the progressive loss of lean body mass and systemic inflammation. It occurs in approximately 80% of patients with advanced malignancy and is the cause of 20% to 30% of all cancer-related deaths. The mechanism by which striated muscle loss occurs is the tumor release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1, IL-6, and TNF-α. These cytokines interact with their cognate receptors on muscle cells to enhance NF-κB signaling, which then mediates muscle loss and significant cardiac dysfunction. Genetic inhibition of NF-κB signaling has demonstrated its predominant role in skeletal muscle loss. Therefore, we tested two novel drugs designed to specifically inhibit NF-κB by targeting the IκB kinase (IKK) complex: Compound A and NEMO binding domain (NBD) peptide. Using an established mouse model of cancer cachexia (C26 adenocarcinoma), we determined how these drugs affected the development of tumor-induced cardiac atrophy and function. Echocardiographic and histological analysis revealed that both Compound A and NBD inhibit cardiac NF-κB activity and prevent the development of tumor-induced systolic dysfunction and atrophy. This protection was independent of any effects of the tumor itself (Compound A) or tumor-secreted cytokines (NBD). This study identifies for the first time, to our knowledge, that drugs targeting the IKK complex are cardioprotective against cancer cachexia–induced cardiac atrophy and systolic dysfunction, suggesting therapies that may help reduce cardiac-associated morbidities found in patients with advanced malignancies.
Continuous Wavelength Conversion of 40-Gb/s Data Over 100 nm Using a Dispersion-Engineered Silicon Waveguide

We demonstrate broadband continuous wavelength conversion based on four-wave mixing in silicon waveguides, operating with data rates up to 40 Gb/s, validating signal integrity using bit-error-rate measurements. The dispersion-engineered silicon waveguide provides broad phase-matching bandwidth, enabling complete wavelength-conversion coverage of the S -, C-, and L-bands of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) grid. We experimentally show this with wavelength conversion of high-speed data exceeding 100 nm, and characterize the resulting power penalty induced by the wavelength conversion process. We then validate the bit-rate transparency of the all-optical process by scaling the data rate from 5 Gb/s up to 40 Gb/s at the 100-nm wavelength conversion configuration, showing consistent low power penalties, validating the robustness of the four-wave mixing process in the silicon platform for all-optical processing.
Trace element abundances in mantle-derived minerals which bear on compositional complexities in the lithosphere of the Colorado Plateau

Abstract Proterozoic crust of the Colorado Plateau, southwestern USA, was intruded in the mid-Tertiary by hypabyssal minettes and ultramafic breccias which contain mantle-derived xenoliths and xenocrysts. Pyrope-rich garnets and Cr-rich diopsides from these fragments collected at Red Mesa, Garnet Ridge and The Thumb diatremes were analyzed by secondary ion mass spectrometry for the rare earth elements (REE), Sr, Ti, Zr, Y, V, and Cr. Typical garnet xenocrysts derived from shallow, low temperature peridotites are light REE (LREE) depleted with convex-upward REE patterns, and have relatively high Y abundances and low Zr and Ti abundances. These xenocrysts are characterized by relatively low Zr/Y and high Al/Cr ratios consistent with a lherzolitic source. Uncommon garnet xenocrysts have “sinusoidal” REE patterns and low Y abundances and are Cr-rich but not subcalcic. Sinusoidal REE patterns also characterize some garnets from deeper, high-temperature garnet peridotites; a zoned garnet from one of these xenoliths preserves a core with a sinusoidal pattern overgrown by a rim with a convex-upward REE pattern. The rim of this garnet is also relatively rich in Ti, Zr and Y. Garnet xenocrysts with sinusoidal REE patterns have relatively low Al/Cr, Ti and Y abundances and some contain chlorite inclusions and probably have relatively refractory, and in some instances, hydrous source rocks. Our data further document the occurrence of these garnets outside Archean cratons and although their petrogenesis remains controversial, the garnets examined here could plausibly have formed by subsolidus processes in refractory peridotite. Garnets from more fertile, high temperature lherzolites have convex upward REE patterns and relatively high abundances of Ti, Y and Zr. Compared to the garnet xenocrysts, garnets from the higher temperature garnet peridotites tend to have lower Al/Cr and higher Zr/Y ratios indicating that the xenocrysts are derived from relatively fertile source rocks. Hence the mantle in this region may be stratified with more refractory rocks at greater depths. The mantle beneath the Colorado Plateau lacks pronounced, widespread silica enrichment and subcalcic garnets and is only rarely enriched in incompatible elements at shallow levels. At the time of minette magmatism, the Colorado Plateau was characterized by a cool root analogous to those beneath Archean cratons but compositionally more akin to modern abyssal peridotites.
A Public Sphere in Decline: The State of Localism in Talk Radio

Consolidation of the radio industry has led to massive layoffs and a decrease in localism. This prevents the public from having the access to interact with an important medium for disseminating information about issues of interest. For this study, the trend was viewed through the public sphere model (Habermas, 1998; 1962/1996). A content analysis of radio station Web sites was conducted, focusing on the amount of local or syndicated content in the station's on-air lineup. Local programming was found to be less prevalent on smaller-market stations. However, the link between large corporate ownership and diminished local programming was not supported.
Effects of Abscisic Acid on Ribonucleic Acid Synthesis in Phaseolus vulgaris L. Embryo Axes Cultured in vitro

Summary Abscisic acid was found to inhibit RNA synthesis in Phaseolus vulgaris L. embryo axes growing under cultural conditions. The inhibition of RNA synthesis (as measured by the incorporation of 3 H-uridine into trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material) was found maximal at 96 h of incubation and it was 53%. The control embryo axes showed two distinct peaks of RNA synthesis at 56 and 80 h of incubation, whereas, in ABA-treated tissue the peak of RNA synthesis was found to be at 80 h. It has been suggested that the inhibitory effect of ABA on RNA synthesis may be due to the degradation of various species of RNA.
Towards Using Cached Data Mining for Large Scale Recommender Systems

Recommender systems are becoming increasingly popular. As these systems become commonplace and the number of users increases, it will become important for these systems to be able to cope with a large and diverse set of users whose recommendation needs may be very different from each other. In particular, large scale recommender systems will need to ensure that users’ requests for recommendations can be answered with low response times and high throughput. In this paper, we explore how to use caches and cached data mining to improve the performance of recommender systems by improving throughput and reducing response time for providing recommendations. We describe the structure of our cache, which can be viewed as a prefetch cache that prefetches all types of supported recommendations, and how it is used in our recommender system.We also describe the results of our empirical study to measure the efficacy of our cache.
Esophageal atresia repair with thoracotomy: the Cincinnati contemporary experience

Esophageal atresia/tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) repair using an open muscle-sparing thoracotomy has been the standard approach used in our institution. Whereas perioperative mortality is now very uncommon, short- and long-term morbidity is very common in these patients. However, the complexity of the esophageal anatomy and significant comorbidities appear to be important contributors to significant complications in these patients. At least 30% of the EA/TEF patients required esophageal dilatations for anastomotic stricture; this increased to 50% for patients with pure EA. Gastroesophageal reflux requiring an antireflux procedure was performed 23% of the time for EA/TEF and 30% for EA patients. In addition, there were a few complications, such as winging of the scapula and scoliosis, that were attributed in part to the utilization of a nonmuscle-sparing thoracotomy. The standard muscle-sparing thoracotomy remains a very versatile and useful approach to repairing esophageal atresia, and it is the standard for repairing more complex anatomical variants. The self-reported long-term quality of life in these patients is very good, except for a few individuals with protracted feeding disorders and severe dysphagia.
Rex: A toolset for reproducing software experiments

Software experiments such as BLAST are hard to reproduce even if identical hardware is available because external data sets could have changed, software used in the original experiment may be unavailable, or the input parameters for the experiment may not be documented. This paper presents Rex, a toolset that allows one to record an experiment and archive its apparatus, replay an experiment, conduct new experiments on a recorded apparatus, and compare differences between experiments. The execution time overhead of recording experiments is on average about 2%; the space overhead of an archive ranges from 8 MB to 5 GB.
Military Tribunals and Legal Culture: What a Difference Sixty Years Makes

President Bush's Military Order establishing Military Commissions was greeted with impassioned criticism in the press, the legal academy, and Congress. Sixty years earlier, in the midst of World War II, President Roosevelt established a Military Commission to try eight Nazi agents who had covertly entered the United States to commit acts of sabotage and terrorism. Although the Nazis failed in their mission, their aims were similar to those of the 9/11 terrorists. And yet Roosevelt's creation of the Commission, and the subsequent secret trial of the Nazi saboteurs, received widespread praise from the same institutions that protested Bush's action. Our purpose in this paper is not to investigate, except in passing, issues of law and policy. We instead explore three other questions: What explains the dramatically different reactions? What lessons do the different reactions offer about changes, over time, in the legal culture and in culture in general? What lessons do they offer about the evolution of protections for civil liberties in general and during wartime in particular? The most tempting, and common, explanation for the different reactions is that there is a significant difference in law - that President Roosevelt's Order stands on much firmer legal ground than President Bush's order. We show that this and related explanations are weak. The different reactions are best explained in terms of two large differences between the United States of 1942 and the United States of 2001. In 1942, the nation perceived a far greater threat to its own survival; for this reason Americans were far less solicitous of the interests of defendants thought to have participated in a war effort against the United States. But this explanation is inadequate by itself. It must be supplemented with an understanding of the large-scale, post-1960s shift in American attitudes, involving decreased trust of executive authority and military authority. Our general claim is that with respect to these issues, the legal culture is fundamentally different from what it was before, so much so that many previous practices are barely recognizable. We use the different reactions to the Bush and Roosevelt Military Orders as a way of obtaining a window on this shift. After making out these claims, we conclude with some general reflections on the evolution of civil liberties protections during wartime. In particular, we identify a mechanism behind the trend toward greater protection for civil liberties during wartime, namely: A judgment, in hindsight, that past civil liberty intrusions were unnecessary or excessive. We also suggest that this trend is, in a way, an accident of America's distinctive history.
Role of BvgA phosphorylation and DNA binding affinity in control of Bvg-mediated phenotypic phase transition in Bordetella pertussis.

Summary To investigate the mechanism by which the Bordetella BvgAS phosphorelay controls expression of at least three distinct phenotypic phases, we isolated and characterized two B. pertussis mutants that were able to express Bvg - and Bvg i phase phenotypes but not Bvg + phase phenotypes. In both cases, the mutant phenotype was due to a single nucleotide change in bvgA resulting in a single amino acid substitution in BvgA. In vitro phosphorylation assays showed that BvgA containing the T194M substitution was signifi- cantly impaired in its ability to use either BvgS or acetyl phosphate as a substrate for phosphorylation. Binding studies indicated that this mutant protein was able to bind an oligonucleotide containing a high- affinity BvgA binding site in a manner similar to wild- type BvgA, but was defective for binding the fhaB promoter in the absence of RNA polymerase (RNAP). By contrast, BvgA containing the R152H substitution had wild-type phosphorylation properties but was severely defective in its ability to bind either the high- affinity BvgA binding site-containing oligonucleotide or the fhaB promoter by itself. Both mutant BvgA proteins were able to bind the fhaB promoter in the presence of RNAP however, demonstrating the pro- found effect that RNAP has on stabilizing the ternary complexes between promoter DNA, BvgA and RNAP. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that BvgAS controls expression of multiple phenotypic phases by adjusting the intracellular concentration of BvgA ∼ ∼ ∼ P and they demonstrate the additive nature of BvgA binding site affinity and protein-protein interac- tions at different Bvg-regulated promoters.
Disposition and metabolism of p-nitroaniline in the male F-344 rat.

Abstract The disposition of p -[ 14 C]nitroaniline (PNA) was studied in male F-344 rats following oral and/or intravenous (iv) administration. The gastrointestinal absorption of PNA was near complete and was not affected by dose in the range studied (2–100 μmol/kg). Following either oral or iv administration, PNA was rapidly distributed throughout the tissues and showed no marked affinity for any particular tissue. The clearance of [ 14 C]PNA-derived radioactivity from various tissues was rapid and followed a two-component decay curve. The whole body half-life of PNA was approximately 1 hr. Within 3 days clearance of PNA-derived radioactivity from the body was almost complete. [ 14 C]PNA was rapidly cleared by metabolism to nine metabolites which were excreted primarily in the urine and to a lesser extent in feces. Most (56%) of the urinary radioactivity was in the form of sulfate conjugates of two metabolites of PNA; the excretion of unmetabolized PNA was minimal (less than 3%). Biliary excretion of [ 14 C]PNA was significant, however, much of this PNA-derived radioactivity underwent enterohepatic circulation and was subsequently excreted in urine. The results of this study indicate that, if metabolism is a detoxification process, the rapid metabolism and excretion of this compound minimize the likelihood of significant toxicity from repeated exposure to PNA beyond that predicted by data from acute or short-term exposures.
Improving Performance through Knowledge Translation in the Veterans Health Administration.

The Veterans Health Administration (VA) provides a case study for linking performance measurement, information technology, and aligned research efforts to facilitate quality improvement in a large, complex health system. Dialogue between clinical researchers and VA leaders occurs through structured activities (e.g., the Quality Enhancement Research Initiative); engagement with formal policymaking bodies (e.g., development of clinical guidelines and performance measures); and informally through local, regional, and national work groups responsible for implementing evidence-based clinical initiatives. Important lessons for knowledge translation from the VA experience include the following: research needs to generate clinical evidence relevant to the needs of patients served by the health system; researchers need to systematically study the process of evidence implementation itself to increase the capability of the health system to improve performance; although print and Web-based dissemination structures are important, direct accessibility of researchers to policymakers and clinical leaders through formal and informal mechanisms is key; and both top-down and bottom-up activities are needed to integrate evidence-based practice across a large health system. As VA care moves from hospital and clinic into community-based settings and faces a new veteran population with different needs and expectations, knowledge-translation activities must develop new forms of evidence and more direct interaction with veterans and their caregivers.
Identification of Caused Motion Construction

This research describes the development of a supervised classifier of English Caused Motion Constructions (CMCs) (e.g. The goalie kicked the ball into the field). Consistent identification of CMCs is a necessary step to a correct interpretation of semantics for sentences where the verb does not conform to the expected semantics of the verb (e.g. The crowd laughed the clown off the stage). We expand on a previous study on the classification CMCs (Hwang et al., 2010) to show that CMCs can be successfully identified in the corpus data. In this paper, we present the classifier and the series of experiments carried out to improve its performance.
In vitro and in vivo assay systems for study of influenza virus inhibitors

Evaluation of potential influenza virus inhibitors may utilize multiple steps. First would be to determine if the viral target (e.g. influenza virus neuraminidase) being focused upon will be inhibited in the appropriate assay. Standard in vitro antiviral assays, used next in antiviral evaluations, may utilize inhibition of viral plaques, viral cytopathic effect (CPE), and viral hemagglutinin or other protein, with inhibition of viral yield used in follow-up evaluations. The CPE can be determined visually and by dye uptake. Animal models used for study of potential influenza virus inhibitors include the ferret, the laboratory mouse, and the chicken, with a variety of parameters used to indicate the severity of the infection and its inhibition by therapy. Multiple parameters are recommended in any in vivo antiviral evaluation. The ferret and the mouse infection models have been useful in studying the development of drug resistance and the relative virulence of drug-resistant viruses. The influenza mouse model has also been of value for the evaluation of immunomodulating effects of test compounds and for the study of the utility of antiviral drugs for use against influenza virus infections in the immunocompromised host. In considering the use of any animal model, species differences in drug pharmacology and metabolism must be taken into account. This review has described the systems which have been used most frequently by antiviral investigators, using, as examples, recent studies with the clinically approved influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir.
Detecting Spatial Clusters of Cancer Mortality in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana

According to the Louisiana State Center for Health Statistics (1998), overall age-adjusted mortality rates for Louisiana’s major causes of death over the past five years indicate an increase in cancer-related deaths. This has generated great concern from the citizens in the state. In East Baton Rouge Parish, questions were raised on whether the heavy petrochemical industry, increased air pollution, increased population growth, and increased need for transportation were related to the increase in cancer-related deaths. Before an intense epidemiological study is launched, a key question will need to be answered: do these cancer deaths tend to concentrate spatially? If so, where are the clusters and what characterize them? If significant spatial clusters are identified, then further in-depth epidemiological studies can be conducted to investigate what causes these clusters. On the contrary, if no significant clusters are found, further in-depth investigation may be useless. Therefore, spatial techniques that measure the spatial structure of cancer patterns and detect clusters can be a useful surveillance or hypothesis-generating tool for environmental and public health investigations.
Roman Infantry Helmets and Commemoration among Soldiers

It has long been recognized that perceptions of individual posthumous memory and the commemorative devices harnessed to maintain it differ greatly through time. In pre-Christian Rome, the belief that an individual enjoyed an afterlife through the perpetuation of their memory before and after death was central to Roman social identity and encompassed not only the act of reproducing or recalling anindividual or an event, but reflected an individual’s character and virtues. Recent studies demonstrate that the material correlates of commemorative behavior pervaded the Roman visual landscape. Although the majority of evidence bespeaking commemoration represents the elite, the importance of memory was widely recognized. It would, therefore, be difficult to assume that only the upper classes engaged in such rituals. Roman soldiers, as individuals in a profession that took them far from their native land, also practicedsuch behavior. Without the means to engage in traditional commemorative practices, Roman legionaries devised unique methods to fulfill their commemorative needs. This investigation argues that the personalization of infantry helmets did more than denote personal property. It also became a tool created by soldiers to safeguard their memory. As objects that pervaded the visual landscape of the military realm, legionary helmets became an ideal medium for commemorative behavior.
Update on antimicrobial agents: new indications of older agents.

The discovery of newly recognised pathogens and the emergence of antimicrobial resistance have led to the development of new antimicrobial agents or to new indications for older agents. The indications have continued to increase because of new discoveries on the older agents’ antimicrobial and non-antimicrobial activities. Macrolides and tetracyclines have received attention for their non-antimicrobial properties and potential use in chronic inflammatory disorders. Doxycycline, minocycline and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole regained interest for their activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, whereas colistin has regained interest for its activity against multiple drug-resistant, Gram-negative pathogens (i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa). Despite the recent development of new antimicrobial agents, older and less costly agents maintain an important role today in the treatment of infectious diseases.
WiFlock: Collaborative group discovery and maintenance in mobile sensor networks

Low energy neighbor discovery, group formation, and group maintenance is a fundamental service in mobile sensor networks. Traditional solutions consider these protocols separately. In this paper, we introduce WiFlock, an energy-efficient protocol that combines discovery and maintenance using a collaborative beaconing mechanism. WiFlock combines a coordinated synchronized listening and evenly-spaced transmission (SLEST) schedule effectively with oneway discovery beacons to fulfill both purposes. We show that shorter listening duration implies smaller discovery latency and faster group information propagation. Using a novel carrier sensing technique, we achieve a fast wakeup and listen duration of 80μs on a low-power radio. With this listening duration, we evaluate WiFlock on a 50-node test bed with nodes running at 0.2% duty cycles. We show that WiFlock has shorter discovery latency and better scalability than previous approaches.
Bactericidal Activity of Human Lactoferrin: Differentiation from the Stasis of Iron Deprivation

Previous studies have demonstrated a direct iron-irreversible inhibition of a variety of microorganisms by human apolactoferrin. The present study compared the bactericidal effects of lactoferrin on Streptococcus mutans with the bacteriostatic effects of iron deprivation. Growth (as determined by change in optical density) and macromolecular synthesis, as determined by incorporation of 14C-labeled uracil, thymidine, and lysine, were inhibited by incubation of washed exponential-phase S. mutans NCTC 10449 with purified human apolactoferrin. Similarly, apolactoferrin inhibited glucose uptake and metabolism. Iron-saturated lactoferrin had no effect on bacterial growth or metabolism and was capable of serving as a source of iron in iron-depleted medium. S. mutans failed to grow, and there was no indication of macromolecular synthesis in iron-depleted partially defined medium; however, glucose metabolism continued, though at a reduced rate, and viability was retained for 72 h. There was no detectable metabolism of glucose by cells maintained for 18 h in iron-free medium. Metabolism was restored by transfer of iron-depleted S. mutans to iron-complete medium. This was in contrast to the irreversible inhibition by lactoferrin after 1 h of incubation. Inhibition could not be reversed by removal of cell surface-associated lactoferrin as detected by rhodamine isothiocyanate-labeled antilactoferrin. This inhibition of metabolism and rapid loss in viability observed with lactoferrin treatment suggest that lactoferrin has a direct bactericidal effect on S. mutans that cannot be attributed to simple iron deprivation.
'Symbiocracy': The Structuring of New Societies in Space Based on the Principles of Mutualism and Symbiotization

In the absence of any pre-existing social infrastructures in Space—as well as inhabiting an environment from which we did not evolve—the crucial role of any proposed social institution will be above all the survival of the first Space settlers. Therefore all factors critical to survival must be exhaustively identified and considered, as any oversights could result in extinction of the settlement. The social institutions that currently exist on Earth will not be viable for Space societies, as there is no existing social infrastructure to build upon, and physical conditions are not like anything we have evolved from or have experienced before. Unlike on Earth, the model for life in Space must be developed as a seminal one. This initial pioneer community will be in effect the Noah’s Ark to the solar system. The purpose of this paper is to argue that prevailing social structures based on hierarchy, competition, and conquest must be cast aside in favour of models based exclusively on a cooperative and collaborative system of networks. No longer can we think in terms of conquering Space, but instead co-habitating with it. The notion of symbiocracy, derived from a combination of the biological processes of symbiosis and the socio-political principles of democracy, will be central to this model. It is a form of governance which acknowledges not the right to happiness, but the necessity of all living things to seek fulfillment; it doesn’t promote survival but robustness. And unlike current models of democracy which are based on the assumption of equality, symbiocracy is founded instead on the premise of vitality. Venturing into Space will instead give humanity the extraordinary opportunity to design new ways of living which could never have been feasible on Earth.
Tumoral Bing-Neel Syndrome presenting as a cerebellar mass.

Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia (WM) is a low-grade alignant monoclonal proliferation of immunoglobulin M (IgM)roducing lymphocytes capable of exhibiting plasmacytoid or lasma cell differentiation [1]. According to the World Health Orgaization’s classification of neoplastic diseases of hematopoietic and ymphoid tissues, WM is classified as lymphoplasmacytic lymhoma. Clinical features of WM may include cytopenia, bleeding, ymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and, most commonly, a hyperiscosity syndrome related to high serum levels of monoclonal IgM. entral nervous system (CNS) complications arise in approximately 5% of WM cases, usually as a result of the hyperviscosity syndrome r an immune-related neuropathy [1,2]. Rare cases of WM involvng direct CNS infiltration by malignant cells have been referred to s Bing-Neel Syndrome (BNS). To date, limited data exist regardng BNS. The authors describe a rare case of BNS presenting as a erebellar mass with associated brainstem infiltration and subacute eurologic deterioration.
Effect of thermal cycling ramp rate on CSP assembly reliability

A JPL-led chip scale package (CSP) Consortium of enterprises, composed of team members representing government agencies and private companies, recently joined together to pool in-kind resources for developing the quality and reliability of CSPs for a variety of projects. The experience of the Consortium in building more than 150 test vehicle assemblies, single- and double-sided multilayer PWBs, and the environmental test results has now been published as a CSP guidelines document. The Consortium assembled fifteen different packages with I/Os from 48 to 784 and pitches from 0.5 to 1.27 mm on multilayer FR-4 printed wiring board (PWB). Another test vehicle was designed and assembled by a team member using their internal resources and was identified as TV-H. The TV-H assemblies were subjected to numerous thermal cycling conditions including -55/spl deg/C to 125/spl deg/C with two ramp rates, one thermal cycle with 2/spl deg/ to 5/spl deg/C/min and the other near thermal shock. Cycles-to-failure (CTF) test results to 1,000 cycles and 400 cycles under these conditions are presented for fine pitch ball grid arrays (FPBGAs), CSPs, and wafer level CSPs (WLCSPs). Decrease in CTFs due to ramp rate and die size increase for different I/O FPBGAs with 0.8 mm pitch are compared and analyzed.
Fibrotic content of LV myocardium quantified by CMR characterizes left atrial sizes and total left atrial emptying function incremental to LV functional parameters and LV myocardial mass index in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Fibrotic burden of LV myocardium quantified by CMR provides additional information about LA size and mechanics than morphological severity of LV hypertrophy measured by LV mass index alone.
Exiles in a Foreign Land: A Comparative Analysis of the Historical Role of Religion for African Americans and Irish Immigrants

Despite documentation of intergroup conflict between African Americans and Irish immigrants during the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, few studies have comparatively considered the beneficence of religion as an adaptive, conciliatory mechanism for the two ethnic groups. Yet, literature supports the historic centrality of the Black Church for the former group and the indelible influence of Catholicism for the latter. This research examines common religious themes and organized efforts associated with these faith traditions for the two historically oppressed groups. Informed by Cultural Theory, this study compares and contrasts religious cultural dynamics to illumine adaptive features and activism. Exilic themes based on nationality, race, and/or ethnicity tied to biblical symbolism; social programs and self-help; as well as appropriation of Liberation Theology are common group patterns. Yet, findings also illustrate the inability of religion to foster substantial intergroup cooperation in light of other prevailing systemic forces.
Chronic Fatigue and Personality: A Twin Study of Causal Pathways and Shared Liabilities

Background The etiology of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) remains unknown. Personality traits influence well-being and may play a role in CFS and unexplained chronic fatigue.
Pachamama, an uncommon and distinctive new genus of Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from tropical America

The new genus Pachamama Owen and Pinto is described from Central and South America. The genus is represented by one new species, P. speciosa. Hosts are unknown.
What's So Hard about the Salty Dog Rag?

(1980). What's So Hard about the Salty Dog Rag? Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 86-87.
Sensitivity of flexible pavement design to Michigan’s climatic inputs using pavement ME design

AbstractClimate condition is an important factor that affects the performance of pavements and distress predictions using mechanistic-empirical analyses. This study aims to analyse the sensitivity of flexible pavement distress predictions to climatic inputs using the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design software in the state of Michigan. Typical traffic parameters, pavement structures and material properties for the state of Michigan were used as inputs for the analysis of flexible pavement performance. Six representative sites geographically distributed throughout Michigan and two typical traffic levels (high and medium) were incorporated in a comprehensive analysis of the effects of climate on flexible pavement performance predictions. A normalised sensitivity index was adopted to quantitatively evaluate the sensitivity of distress predictions to the five individual climatic variables: temperature, wind speed, precipitation, percent sunshine and relative humidity. The results of this study showed that the pred...
Professional Degree Education Leading to Master of Software Engineering——Reflections on Professional Degree Education in Northeastern University

Despite the adjustments by the Ministry of Education in professional degree education,there are still problems in universities due to limitations in their conditions and willingness to make changes.Therefore,a reform must be carried out in professional degree education.The experience in the master-of-software-engineering program at Northeastern University is presented along with some reflections on the reform and development in the future.
How to handle the stress of litigation.

This article describes the psychological repercussions of being sued for malpractice. Although most physicians experience at least some emotional disruption during the process, they usually cope effectively. Factors that contribute to stress vulnerability as well as preventive measures are described. The influence of commonly shared personality features and the fact that tort law is fault based are explored in order to provide a psychological understanding of the litigation experience. General and specific approaches toward coping, including the importance of social support during the process, are offered.
Calcined Nanocrystaline Layered Double Hydroxides for the Removal of Arsenate and Arsenite

This work studies the removal of arsenic (V), arsenate, and arsenic (III), arsenite, from aqueous solution using calcined Quintinite-3T. The two adsorbents Quintinite-3T was prepared, calcined at different temperatures, and characterized by XRD, BET, and SEM. The surface area of the calcined Quintinite-3T was 193.4 m2/g. The particles size ranged from 12 to 56 nm for the uncalcined Quintinite-3T and from 24 to 42 nm for the calcined Quintinite-3T. Kinetic analysis, adsorption isotherm, and factors affecting the adsorption were investigated. Calcined Quintinite-3T retained As(v) and did not release it back to water even after an entire month.
Application of Tomo-PIV in a large-scale supersonic jet flow facility

Particle imaging velocimetry (PIV) has been used extensively at NASA GRC over the last 15 years to build a benchmark data set of hot and cold jet flow measurements in an effort to understand acoustic noise sources in high-speed jets. Identifying the noise sources in high-speed jets is critical for ultimately modifying the nozzle hardware design/operation and therefore reducing the jet noise. Tomographic PIV (Tomo-PIV) is an innovative approach for acquiring and extracting velocity information across extended volumes of a flow field, enabling the computation of additional fluid mechanical properties not typically available using traditional PIV techniques. The objective of this work was to develop and implement the Tomo-PIV measurement capability and apply it in a large-scale outdoor test facility, where seeding multiple flow streams and operating in the presence of daylight presents formidable challenges. The newly developed Tomo-PIV measurement capability was applied in both a subsonic M 0.9 flow and an under-expanded M 1.4 heated jet flow field. Measurements were also obtained using traditional two-component (2C) PIV and stereo PIV in the M 0.9 flow field for comparison and validation of the Tomo-PIV results. In the case of the M 1.4 flow, only the 2C PIV was applied to allow a comparison with the Tomo-PIV measurement. The Tomo-PIV fields-of-view covered 180 × 180 × 10 mm, and the reconstruction domains were 3500 × 3500 × 200 voxels. These Tomo-PIV measurements yielded all three components of vorticity across entire planes for the first time in heated supersonic jet flows and provided the first full 3D reconstruction of the Mach disk and oblique shock intersections inside of the barrel shocks. Measuring all three components of vorticity across multiple planes in the flow, potentially reduces the number of measurement configurations (streamwise and cross-stream PIV) required to fully characterize the mixing-enhanced nozzle flows routinely studied in aeroacoustics research.
Hexadehydro-Diels–Alder (HDDA)-Enabled Carbazolyne Chemistry: Single Step, de Novo Construction of the Pyranocarbazole Core of Alkaloids of the Murraya koenigii (Curry Tree) Family

Here we report the use of the hexadehydro-Diels–Alder (HDDA) reaction for the de novo construction of a benzenoid ring in fused polycyclic heteroaromatic carbazole (i.e., [2,3]-benzoindole) skeletons. The strategy allows creation of highly substituted benzenoids. We also describe the HDDA-enabled chemical synthesis of the natural product alkaloids mahanimbine and koenidine. Trapping of the intermediate carbazolyne with a conjugated enal, proceeding through formal [2+2] cycloaddition, 4π-electrocyclic ring opening, and 6π-electrocyclic ring-closing events, constitutes a robust method for producing pyranocarbazoles.
AUTOANTIBODIES TO MUCOCUTANEOUS ANTIGENS

ABSTRACT The autoantibodies in type I mucocutaneous autoimmune disease target ubiquitous autoantigens, whereas the autoantibodies in type II disease target epidermal and dermal autoantigens. In type II disease, autoimmunity against epidermal antigens is classically represented by the pemphigus and pemphigoid groups of immunoblistering dermatoses, wherein the autoantigens involve keratinocyte cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesion molecules, respectively. Epidermal antigens are also targeted in a fraction of patients with erythema multiforme major who possess antibodies to desmoplakins and a fraction of patients with the depigmenting disorder vitiligo who produce antibodies to melanin pigment and pigment-producing cells. Type II disease with autoimmunity directed primarily toward dermal antigens includes epidermolysis bullosa acquisita and bullous systemic lupus erythematosus, wherein antibodies are targeted to collagen VII, and dermatitis herpetiformis associated with gluten sensitivity. Although the evidence that autoantibodies directed toward the structural components of desmosomes (e.g., desmogleins 1 and 3) and hemidesmosomes (e.g., collagen XVII) are serologic markers of a specific disease phenotype is extremely strong, the mechanistic implications of these findings remain uncertain. Recent research shows that in most mucocutaneous autoimmune diseases, autoantibodies play a role of “witnesses” rather than “mediators” of an autoimmune process. Thus, autoantibodies to intracellular antigens may be produced because of the damage of target cells, which then reveals hidden antigens. Similarly, an adhesion molecule may be shed from the keratinocyte plasma membrane because of an initial insult and may evoke a secondary autoimmune response mediated by “scavenging” antibodies. The synergistic action of autoantibodies to the cell–surface receptors for soluble ligands (cytotransmitters) and to adhesion molecules provides a novel paradigm that helps to explain variations in the disease activity and severity for patients with similar autoantibody titers and similar profiles of phenotype-specific antibodies to adhesion molecules.