cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Antiviral responses following L-leucyl-L-leucine methyl esther (LLME)-treated lymphocyte infusions: graft-versus-infection without graft-versus-host disease.

Although allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplant (HPCT) is curative therapy for many disorders, it is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, which can be related to graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and the immunosuppressive measures required for its prevention and/or treatment. Whether the immunosuppression is pharmacologic or secondary to graft manipulation, the graft recipient is left at increased risk of the threatening opportunistic infection. Refractory viral diseases in the immunocompromised host have been treated by infusion of virus-specific lymphotyces and by unmanipulated donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) therapy. L-leucyl-L-leucine methyl ester (LLME) is a compound that induces programmed cell death of natural killer (NK) cells, monocytes, granulocytes, most CD8+ T cells, and a small fraction of CD4+ T cells. We have undertaken a study of the use of LLME-treated DLI following T cell-depleted allogeneic HPCT, specifically to aid with immune reconstitution. In this ongoing clinical trial, we have demonstrated the rapid emergence of virus-specific responses following LLME DLI with minimal associated GVHD. This paper examines the pace of immune recovery and the rapid development of antiviral responses in 6 patients who developed viral infections during the time period immediately preceding or coincident with the administration of the LLME DLI.
Modified small group ACLS instructor/provider course

We describe a modification of an instructor/provider advanced cardiac life support course which allows not only the teaching of large numbers of ACLS providers but also the concurrent development of enough instructors to ensure an adequate number of trained faculty for teaching the increasing number of ACLS courses. In addition, the method described allows those with small numbers of ACLS providers to develop a core faculty.
Rover Mobility on Granular Soil: Marrying Multi-Scale Modeling and High Fidelity Experiments to Infer Soil Stresses under the Moving Wheel

In this work, we show how high resolution imaging coupled with a novel physics-based computational framework can provide a rich description of regolithstructure interactions, using the rover mobility in soft soil as a challenging canonical problem. The images of soil deformation under a rolling wheel were collected at 7 Hz resolution in time and 0.19 mm per pixel in space, with the camera approximately following the wheel motion. The soil under the wheel is a lunar simulant GRC-1. Image correlation (optical flow) was used to infer material velocities, i.e. regolith kinematics, at near-grain scale. From this data, strains can be calculated during postprocessing, but stresses are beyond the reach of experimental measurements. Here we present a method to infer material stresses under the rolling wheel using a multiscale framework with a simple Drucker-Prager material description. From a purely computational standpoint, this mobility problem is extremely challenging involving wheel-regolith contact and interacting localization bands on the material scale, as indicated by the experiments. Capturing these features with the correct constitutive description is at the very cutting edge of computational research today. We bypass some of the aforementioned difficulties by inferring from experimental images a key plastic internal variable, the dilatancy, which is known to control strength and softening in dilative granular materials, and use its evolution directly in multi-scale computations. The method successfully marries experiments and computations in order to quantify material stresses under the wheel, which at present are beyond the reach of either method alone. From a practical standpoint, an understanding of the material stress state is helpful for several reasons, perhaps the chief of which is that stress distributions serve as input into reduced-order mobility models, e.g. Bekker-Wong terramechanics expressions. EXPERIMENTAL BACKGROUND Many problems in engineering design require a thorough understanding of interactions between some type of structure or a structural element, and the ground or soil. From a computational perspective, among the most challenging problems are the soil-structure interaction problems involving granular soils, owing to this material’s
Explorative Umbrella Sampling

Computer simulation can contribute significantly to our understanding of biomolecules, particularly by elucidating the free energy landscape in which they exist. A major challenge in this type of application is achieving sufficient sampling. Here we highlight a recent improved sampling method which both limits sampling to energetically relevant regions of phase space and reduces resampling of the same regions. This approach reduces the computational burden of studying complex and multidimensional free energy landscapes, extending the type and size of systems that can be simulated.
Parental Management of Fear in Chronically Ill and Healthy Children

This study was undertaken to determine the impact of children's health status on parental management of fear and avoidance, as well as the relationship between parenting strategies and children's fear and anxiety levels. Thirty-one children with a chronic life-threatening illness, 30 children with chronic non-life-threatening conditions, and 28 healthy children, and their mothers, were studied. Children's health status, by diagnosis, was not a significant determinant of maternal fear-management strategies. For chronically ill children, clinical health status, in terms of illness course, prognosis, physical impairment, and time since diagnosis were related to maternal parenting strategies and to children's levels of medically related fears. For the sample as a whole, maternal fear-management strategies were related to child sex, socioeconomic status, and mothers' trait anxiety. These results are discussed in terms the interactive effects of child characteristics, health status, fear/anxiety, and parenting strategies.
A Cognitive-Style Approach to Cross-Cultural Research

Abstract Styles cognitifs et recherches interctilturelles. -L'utilisation, dans les recherches interculturelles, des donnees, concepts et methodes relevant du “style cognitif” (mode de fonctionnement caracterisant un individu dans ses activites perceptives et intellectuelles) presente un grand nombre d'avantages methodologiques. Comme le demontrent les nombreuses ětudes qui ont ete consacrees a un style cognitif privilegie qui correspond a la dimension “global-articule”, les styles cognitifs sont fondamentaux dans l'etude du developpement; ils peuvent ětre mesures par des techniques objectives; les tests utilisables peuvent ětre appliques avec validite et ils ont un sens pour des populations qui sont de niveau mental tout a fait different; ils ont ete concus en relation avec des manieres particulieres d'elever les enfants, de telle sorte qu'ils peuvent servir a identifier les resultats de ces methodes dans l'etude comparative des schemes de socialisation. Les měmes relations entre les premieres experience...
The role of dissolved organic matter bioavailability in promoting phytoplankton blooms in Florida Bay

The clear, shallow, oligotrophic waters of Florida Bay are characterized by low phytoplankton biomass, yet periodic cyanobacteria and diatom blooms do occur. We hypothesized that allochthonous dissolved organic matter (DOM) was providing a subsidy to the system in the form of bound nutrients. Water from four bay sites was incubated under natural light and dark conditions with enrichments of either DOM ( > 1 kD, 2×DOM) or inorganic nutrients (N+P). Samples were analyzed for bacterial numbers, bacterial production, phytoplankton biomass, phytoplankton community structure, and production, nutrients, and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity. The influence of 2×DOM enrichment on phytoplankton biomass developed slowly during the incubations and was relatively small compared to nutrient additions. Inorganic nutrient additions resulted in an ephemeral bloom characterized initially as cyanobacterial and brown algae but which changed to dinoflagellate and/or brown algae by day six. The DIN:TP ratio decreased 10-fold in the N+P treatments as the system progressed towards N limitation. This ratio did not change significantly for 2×DOM treatments. In addition, these experiments indicated that both autotrophic and heterotrophic microbial populations in Florida Bay may fluctuate in their limitation by organic and inorganic nutrient availability. Both N+P and 2×DOM enrichments revealed significant and positive response in bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon (BDOC). Potential BDOC ranged from 1.1 to 35.5%, with the most labile forms occurring in Whipray Basin. BDOC at all sites was stimulated by the 2×DOM addition. Except for Duck Key, BDOC at all sites was also stimulated by the addition of N+P. BDOC was lower in the dry season than in the wet season (5.56% vs. 16.86%). This may be explained by the distinct chemical characteristics of the DOM produced at different times of year. Thus, both the heterotrophic and autotrophic microbial communities in Florida Bay are modulated by bioavailability of DOM. This has ramifications for the fate of DOM from the Everglades inputs, implicating DOM bioavailability as a contributing factor in regulating the onset, persistence, and composition of phytoplankton blooms.
Effects of Blood Meal Source on the Reproduction of Culex Pipiens Quinquefasciatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus were fed blood meals from a live chicken (LC), chicken blood in Alsever's (AC) solution, defibrinated bovine blood (DB), or bovine blood in citrate (CB) and incubated at 28° C. The effects of different blood meal sources were evaluated with respect to rates of blood feeding and reproduction (i.e., fecundity and fertility) over two gonotrophic cycles. Mosquitoes that fed on the first blood meal were subjected to a second blood meal as follows (first blood meal / second blood meal): LC/LC, LC/DB, DB/DB, CB/CB, AC/AC. Fecundity and fertility of Cx. p. quinquefasciatus were significantly (P < 0.05) greater in mosquitoes fed LC blood; however, fecundity and fertility in different treatment groups varied by gonotrophic cycle. These results contribute to our understanding of the impact of blood meal source on feeding and reproduction in Cx. p. quinquefasciatus. The potential impacts of blood meal source on virus transmission experiments are discussed.
Sturm–liouville eigenvalue problems in which the squares of the eigenfunctions are linearly dependent

We consider the eigenvalue problem u″ + λϕ = 0, u(0)=u(1) = 0, where ϕein C[0, 1] is positive. It is well known that the eigenfunctions corresponding to distinct eigenvalues are linearly independent. It is shown in this paper that the squares of the eigenfunctions may be linearly dependent on nontrivial subintervals of [0,1]. This result has relevance in the variational analysis of eigenvalue problems.
A Rapid Modification of the Cephalin Cholesterol Flocculation Test

A modification of the Hanger (1) cephalin cholesterol flocculation test is described in which the degree of flocculation is determined by instrumental turbidimetric analysis following 4 hr. of cold incubation, centrifugation, and resuspension of sedimented particles. Results of this procedure and the Hanger test are compared.
Principal curves with bounded turn

Principal curves, like principal components, are a tool used in multivariate analysis for ends like feature extraction. Defined in their original form, principal curves need not exist for general distributions. The existence of principal curves with bounded length for any distribution that satisfies some minimal regularity conditions has been shown. We define principal curves with bounded turn, show that they exist, and present a learning algorithm for them. Principal components are a special case of such curves when the turn is zero.
Update on Iron Chelators in Thalassemia

Over the past four decades, there have been dramatic improvements in survival for patients with thalassemia major due in large measure to improved iron chelators. Two chelators are approved for use in the United States and Canada, parenteral deferoxamine and oral deferasirox. Three are available in much of the rest of the world, where oral deferiprone is also approved (in the United States, deferiprone is only available in studies, for emergency use, or on a “compassionate-use” basis). Many trials and worldwide clinical experience demonstrate that each of the three drugs can chelate and remove iron, and thereby prevent or improve transfusional hemosiderosis in thalassemia patients. However, the chelators differ strikingly in side-effect profile, cost, tolerability and ease of adherence, and (to some degree) efficacy for any specific patient. The entire field of chelator clinical trials suffers from the fact that each drug (as monotherapy or in combination) has not been tested directly against all of the other possibilities. Acknowledging the challenges of assessing chelators with diverse properties and imperfect comparative data, the purpose of this review is to summarize the last 4 years of studies that have improved our understanding of the applications and limitations of iron chelators in various settings for thalassemia patients, and to point out areas for much-needed future research.
When States Break the Rules: Membership Suspension in International Organizations

Paper prepared for the Annual Convention of the American Political Science Association, Washington, D.C., August 28-31, 2014
Feature Comment: U.S. Contractor Compliance Rules are Likely to Expand

In response to recommendations and developments in the U.S. procurement community, the U.S. Government is expected soon to issue revised standards for contractor compliance systems. Those standards will likely require more contractors - including contractors working abroad, and perhaps commercial-item contractors - to establish more comprehensive compliance systems to ensure their adherence to the many laws and rules that govern federal procurement. In this brief essay, Christopher Yukins reviews the history of contractor compliance systems, assesses the likely elements of the revised standards, and suggests ways to weigh some of the costs and benefits of new compliance requirements.
Managerial Effectiveness II: Performance At The Graduate Student Level

This study reports the design of and data generated by the second phase of a continuing study of managerial effectiveness. A predictor battery and criterion measures are developed and interrelated ...
Does Culture Matter in Economic Behavior

In this article we address the following question: does culture play a role in economic behavior? We conclude that culture influences economic behavior in all three areas of economic activity: work, consumption, and leisure. Our proof lies not so much in replicating certain experimental results, but in documenting in real-world circumstances how culture influences economic behavior. Attention to the role of culture in economic affairs acknowledges that humans are more than the one-dimensional, autonomous, individuals, as premised in mainstream economics, whose very existence is temporal, whose role in economic affairs is strictly instrumental, and whose behavior is virtually the same across cultures. We have argued that humans are two-dimensional twice over. First, humans are individual beings and social beings: solitary and communal, self-made and culture-bound, autonomous and dependent, rational and emotional, self-centered and other-centered. Second, humans are both matter and spirit. The duality of the human person, rooted in individuality and sociality, affords an opportunity to unify economic theory wherein individuality is the focus of microeconomics and sociality is the center of macroeconomics. Putting the isolated individual at the very heart of economics closes down that opportunity and assures that mainstream economic theory will remain truncated indefinitely. The makeover of mainstream economics will take place once neo-classical economists accept that the ultimate end of economic systems relates not to maximum personal net advantage but to integral human development.
On the E-audio Production of Sichuan Opera Face Off

Sichuan opera Face Off is popular all over the country, which has become a classic opera. The combination of image and sound has become a new form of film music. Face off, as a product of audio-visual combination based on culture, the E-audio production of it includes human voice recording, audio volume, balance, delay, reverb, pan, dynamics, dynamic mixing techniques, etc., as well as the selection of theme song, which have laid a solid foundation to the success of audio effects.
Nosocomial Infection in 81 Children with Acute Leukemia Treated with Chemotherapy

Objective To analyze the clinical characteristics of nosocomial infection in children with acute leukemia treated with chemotherapy,and to provide a basis for its prevention and treatment.Methods Data of 81 children with acute leukemia treated in children's hospital of Jiangxi province between January 2009 and January 2011 were statistically analyzed.Results The prevalence of nosocomial infection was 40.9%.As an important cause of death,nosocomial infection occurred frequently in respiratory tract and digestive tract and was correlated with the degree of neutropenia.The incidence of nosocomial infection in induced remission stage was higher than that in consolidation stage.Gram-negative bacteria were the main pathogens and the incidence of fungal infection was high in nosocomial infection.Conclusion The prevalence of nosocomial infection is high among children with acute leukemia treated with chemotherapy.Therefore,the prevention and control of nosocomial infection were the important methods to improve treatment levels and prolong survival in children with acute leukemia.
Epidemic of Conversion Disorder in Janaozen, The Northern Kazakhstan

Janaozen, a small city in the Northern Kazakhstan is an oil town, where 8% of all Kazakh oil has been extracted since 1950s. Due to the harsh climate and uncomfortable living conditions on the one hand, and relatively high salaries on the other, the city became a “Mecca” for ethnic Kazakhs (oralmans), who migrated from the other countries of the former USSR. The strict division between “ours” and “oralmans” created a variety of predispositions for the existence of a recurrent intro-city conflict, which served as a background for the tragic events of December 2011. The strike of oil workers ended in a bloody carnage with long-lasting consequences. The high level of traumatic stress, secondary gain of traumatization, and relative isolation of oralmans created plausible conditions for explosion of mass conversion disorder, which in social consciousness was associated with measles vaccination. On 16th of February, 20 teenagers were hospitalized with seizures of unknown aetiology, 60 girls got sick during the next three days, and 195 were hospitalized during the next three weeks. More than 100 were receiving an outpatient treatment. Foggy diagnosis of “post-vaccine reaction” led to panic among citizens, and a small city hospital became overcrowded by relatives of patients. The diagnosis of conversion disorder had been supported according to the criteria of ICD-10. The results of numerous focus groups, archival research and individual interviews showed up the precise connections between oil workers’ strike in 2011 and mass conversion disorder in 2015.
The Dynamic Process of Drug–GPCR Binding at Either Orthosteric or Allosteric Sites Evaluated by Metadynamics

Major advances in G Protein-Coupled Receptor (GPCR) structural biology over the past few years have yielded a significant number of high-resolution crystal structures for several different receptor subtypes. This dramatic increase in GPCR structural information has underscored the use of automated docking algorithms for the discovery of novel ligands that can eventually be developed into improved therapeutics. However, these algorithms are often unable to discriminate between different, yet energetically similar, poses because of their relatively simple scoring functions. Here, we describe a metadynamics-based approach to study the dynamic process of ligand binding to/unbinding from GPCRs with a higher level of accuracy and yet satisfying efficiency.
Long-Term Effect of the Type of Carotid Endarterectomy on Blood Pressure.

Background The dissection of the carotid sinus nerve in eversion carotid endarterectomy (eCEA) has been hypothesized to cause an increase in postoperative blood pressure (BP). The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of eCEA on BP and changes in BP medications over the course of year-long follow-up after eCEA compared with longitudinal incision carotid endarterectomy patch angioplasty (pCEA). Methods A retrospective review of patients who underwent CEA between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2014 in the Vascular Surgery Department at The University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics was conducted. Demographics, comorbidities, BP, and number, dosage, and type of antihypertensive medications were collected preoperatively, at 30 days, and at 12 months. The differences in BP and medications between pCEA and eCEA patients were compared. Demographic data and comorbidities were compared using t-tests and chi-squared analysis. Differences in BP and medication dosages were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance. Results In total, 363 CEA procedures were performed during the study period, of which 275 procedures were included in the final analysis. Thirty percent of the patients underwent eCEA. Fifty-four percent of the patients who underwent eCEA and 60% of the patients who underwent pCEA were symptomatic. Thirty-day mortality was 1.4% and 12-month mortality was 6.4% for the entire population. No postoperative neurologic deficits, including stroke, were observed. Analysis of BP did not yield a significant difference among preoperative, 30-day, and 12-month follow-up measurements (P = 0.893). There was no significant change to the number and total daily dose of BP medications preoperatively, at 30 days, or at 12 months. Conclusions There is no statistical difference in mortality, morbidity, and patency rates at 30 days and 12 months between pCEA and eCEA. eCEA is also not associated with long-term BP changes compared with pCEA.
A novel adaptation of a parent–child observational assessment tool for appraisals and coping in children exposed to acute trauma

Abstract Background : Millions of children worldwide are exposed to acute potentially traumatic events (PTEs) annually. Many children and their families experience significant emotional distress and/or functional impairment following PTEs. While current research has begun to highlight a role for early appraisals and coping in promoting or preventing full recovery from PTEs, the exact nature of the relationships among appraisals, coping, and traumatic stress reactions as well as how appraisals and coping behaviors are influenced by the child’s environment (e.g., parents) remains unclear; assessment tools that reach beyond self-report are needed to improve this understanding. Objective : The objective of the current study is to describe the newly created Trauma Ambiguous Situations Tool (TAST; i.e., an observational child–parent interview and discussion task that allows assessment of appraisals, coping, and parent–child processes) and to report on initial feasibility and validation of TAST implemented with child–parent dyads in which children were exposed to a PTE. Method : As part of a larger study on the role of biopsychosocial factors in posttraumatic stress reactions, children (aged 8–13) and parents ( n =25 child–parent dyads) completed the TAST during the child’s hospitalization for injury. Results : Children and parents engaged well with the TAST. The time to administer the TAST was feasible, even in a peri-trauma context. The TAST solicited a wide array of appraisals (threat and neutral) and coping solutions (proactive and avoidant). Forced-choice and open-ended appraisal assessments provided unique information. The parent–child discussion portion of the TAST allowed for direct observation of parent–child processes and demonstrated parental influence on children’s appraisals and coping solutions. Conclusions : The TAST is a promising new research tool, which may help to explicate how parents influence their child’s developing appraisals and coping solutions following a PTE. More research should examine the relationships of appraisals, coping, and parent–child processes assessed by the TAST with traumatic stress outcomes. Keywords: Parent–child interaction; trauma; PTSD; coping; appraisals; assessment; recovery (Published: 20 September 2016) Responsible Editor: Julian Ford For the abstract or full text in other languages, please see Supplementary files in the column to the right (under ‘Article Tools’). Citation: European Journal of Psychotraumatology 2016, 7 : 31879 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ejpt.v7.31879
Soil pH and Exchangeable Cation Responses to Tillage and Fertilizer in Dryland Cropping Systems

ABSTRACTLong-term use of nitrogen (N) fertilizers can lead to fertility-lowering soil chemical changes. To examine this in geologically young soils in the northern Great Plains of North America, we present near-surface (0–7.6 cm) soil chemistry data from 16 years of two crop rotations: continuous crop (CC; spring wheat [Triticum aestivum L.]—winter wheat [T. aestivum]—sunflower [Helianthus annuus L.]) and crop-fallow (C-F; spring wheat—fallow) that underwent factorial tillage (none, minimum, conventional) and N rate (low, medium, high) treatments. For CC, the N rate (but not tillage) had a significant effect on pH, with the high N rate leading to the largest pH decline (−0.76). The nitrogen rate also had a significant effect on cation exchange capacity (CEC) for CC, whereby CEC increased with the N rate. Managers utilizing high N rates should be aware of the potential for soil acidification, even in the northern Great Plains of North America.
Charge-to-mass dependence of heavy ion spectral breaks in large gradual solar energetic particle events

We fit the ~0.1-500 MeV/nucleon H-Fe spectra in 46 large SEP events surveyed by [1] with the double power-law Band function to obtain a normalization constant, low- and high-energy parameters γa and γb ; and break energy E_B . We also calculate the low-energy power-law spectral slope γ1. We find that: 1) γa , γ1, and γb are species-independent within a given SEP event, and the spectra steepen with increasing energy; 2) E_B 's are well ordered by Q/M ratio, and decrease systematically with decreasing Q/M, scaling as (Q/M)^α with α varying between ~0.2-3; 3) α is well correlated with Fe/O at ~0.16-0.23 MeV/nucleon and CME speed; 4) In most events: α 3; and 5) Seven out of nine extreme SEP events (associated with faster CMEs and GLEs) are Fe-rich and have α >1.4 with flat spectra at low and high energies yielding γb -γa <3. The species-independence of γa , γ1, and γb and the systematic Q/M dependence of EB within an event, as well as the range of values for α suggest that the formation of double power-laws in SEP events occurs primarily due to diffusive acceleration at near-Sun CME shocks and not due to scattering in the interplanetary turbulence. In most events, the Q/M-dependence of EB is consistent with the equal diffusion coefficient condition while the event-to-event variations in a are probably driven by differences in the near-shock wave intensity spectra, which are flatter than the Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum but still weaker compared to that inferred for the extreme events. The weaker turbulence allows SEPs to escape more easily, resulting in weaker Q/M-dependence of E_B , (lower a values) and spectral steepening at higher energies. In extreme events, the flatter spectra at high- and low-energy and stronger Q/M-dependence of E_B (larger α values) occur due to enhanced wave power, which also enables the faster CME shocks to accelerate flare suprathermals more efficiently than ambient coronal ions.
Stereochemistry of Endogenous Palmitic Acid Ester of 9-Hydroxystearic Acid and Relevance of Absolute Configuration to Regulation

Lipids have fundamental roles in the structure, energetics, and signaling of cells and organisms. The recent discovery of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFAs), lipids with potent antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory activities, indicates that our understanding of the composition of lipidome and the function of lipids is incomplete. The ability to synthesize and test FAHFAs was critical in elucidating the roles of these lipids, but these studies were performed with racemic mixtures, and the role of stereochemistry remains unexplored. Here, we synthesized the R- and S- palmitic acid ester of 9-hydroxystearic acid (R-9-PAHSA, S-9-PAHSA). Access to highly enantioenriched PAHSAs enabled the development of a liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) method to separate and quantify R- and S-9-PAHSA, and this approach identified R-9-PAHSA as the predominant stereoisomer that accumulates in adipose tissues from transgenic mice where FAHFAs were first discovered. Furthermore, biochemical analysis o...
Prefetching for cloud workloads: An analysis based on address patterns

Cloud computing is gaining popularity due to its ability to provide infrastructure, platform and software services to clients on a global scale. Using cloud services, clients reduce the cost and complexity of buying and managing the underlying hardware and software layers. Popular services like web search, data analytics and data mining typically work with big data sets that do not fit into top level caches. Thus performance efficiency of last-level caches and the off-chip memory becomes a crucial determinant of cloud application performance. In this paper we use CloudSuite as an example and we study how prefetching schemes affect cloud workloads. We conduct detailed analysis on address patterns to explore the correlation between prefetching performance and intrinsic workload characteristics. Our work focuses particularly on the behavior of memory accesses at the last-level cache and beyond. We observe that cloud workloads in general do not have dominant strides. State-of-the-art prefetching schemes are only able to improve performance for some cloud applications such as web search. Our analysis shows that cloud workloads with long temporal reuse patterns often get negatively impacted by prefetching, especially if their working set is larger than the cache size.
A review of the contemporary management of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma

Upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is relatively rare and accounts for approximately 5% of all urothelial carcinomas. The estimated annual incidence of UTUC in Western countries is about two new cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The management of patients with upper tract urothelial carcinomas has changed significantly over the last decade with improved diagnostic techniques and treatment options. The gold-standard treatment used to be open radical nephroureterectomy with removal of the ipsilateral bladder cuff. The use of minimally invasive techniques for the diagnosis and management of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma is however expanding and has led to a paradigm shift in treatment strategies of upper tract urothelial carcinomas. In this article, we review the current diagnostic modalities and various endoscopic techniques being currently used in the management of this relatively rare tumour.
What We Know about Maʿrūf

Conventionally, Qurʾānic ethics is derived from the Qurʾān and Prophetic ḥadīth , (along with certain rules of application) to form norms of moral conduct— sharīʿah . This paper argues that a study of the term maʿrūf , (meaning literally, “known”) which occurs in three contexts in the Qurʾān, suggests that the Qurʾān itself assumes that revelational knowledge is to be supplemented with conventional moral understandings of what is right and wrong.Aside from one set of usages that seem to mean “candor” in the making of commitments, the emphatic summons to “do the maʿrūf ” does not stipulate what that “known” thing is. The implication is that one knows, from social conventions and moral intuitions extrinsic to revelation, what to do. It follows then that “Islamic ethics” ought to be composed of revelational sources, supplemented by the moral knowledge of Muslims at any given time and in any given place.
A Customer Scorned: Effects of Employee Reprimands in Frontline Service Encounters

This research examines the implications of manager reprimands of frontline employees following a service failure incident. Drawing upon social exchange theory and looking at both customer and emplo...
Intensive Care Unit Rotations and Predictors of Career Choice in Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine: A Survey of Internal Medicine Residency Directors

Background. The United States (US) is experiencing a growing shortage of critical care medicine (CCM) trained physicians. Little is known about the exposures to CCM experienced by internal medicine (IM) residents or factors that may influence their decision to pursue a career in pulmonary/critical care medicine (PCCM). Methods. We conducted a survey of US IM residency program directors (PDs) and then used multivariable logistic regression to identify factors that were predictive of residency programs with a higher percentage of graduates pursuing careers in PCCM. Results. Of the 249 PDs contacted, 107 (43%) completed our survey. University-sponsored programs more commonly had large ICUs (62.3% versus 42.2%, ), primary medical ICUs (63.9% versus 41.3%, ), and closed staffing models (88.5% versus 41.3%, ). Residents from university-sponsored programs were more likely to pursue specialty fellowship training ( ) overall but equally likely to pursue careers in PCCM as those from community-sponsored programs. Factors predictive of residencies with a higher percentage of graduates pursuing training in PCCM included larger ICUs (>20 beds), residents serving as code leaders, and greater proportion of graduates pursuing specialization. Conclusions. While numerous differences exist between the ICU rotations at community- and university-sponsored IM residencies, the percentage of graduates specializing in PCCM was similar. Exposure to larger ICUs, serving as code leaders, and higher rates of specialization were predictive of a career choice in PCCM.
Impact of contractor's optimized financing cost on project bid price

Abstract The financing cost depends on the incoming and outgoing cash flow throughout the project, and can differ greatly from project to project. This study proposes a model that calculates the expected financing cost based on the cash flow forecast. This approach is more realistic than assuming an approximate percentage of the total cost. The proposed model calculates the bid price using an optimized financing cost that is obtained by selecting an optimum combination of available financing alternatives offered by different lenders. The proposed model minimizes financing cost, reduces the bid price, enhances the competitiveness of the bidder, increases the contractor`s negotiating power with a lender by providing an optimum financing schedule, and eliminates the risk of financing surprises during construction. This study investigates the impact of different financing considerations on bid price in three cases to prove the effectiveness of the proposed model.
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between Educational Mobility and Crime

Increases in postsecondary enrollment among minorities, decreases among Whites, and the growing concern of downward intergenerational mobility in the United States suggest potentially meaningful va...
Replication of the Mere Presence Hypothesis: The Effects of Cell Phones on Face-to-Face Conversations

Research on the mere presence hypothesis shows mixed findings for the effects of cell phone presence on various conversation outcomes. The current study performed a partial replication of Przybylsk...
Aspekte der internationalen Handelspolitik

Kapitel 4 nimmt die zuvor herausgearbeiteten Anreize fur handelspolitisches Eingreifen als Ausgangspunkt. Das Spannungsverhaltnis zwischen einzelstaatlicher und internationaler Rationalitat wird fur verschiedene Masnahmen verdeutlicht. Es erfolgt eine Analyse von Ansatzen internationaler Handelspolitik in der Form stillschweigender Koordination nationaler Politiken zur Erreichung international rationaler Ergebnisse. Im Mittelpunkt der Uberlegungen steht die Interaktion zwischen Regierungen als eine weitere Dimension strategischer Handelspolitik.
Overview of Technical Aspects and Chemistries of Next-Generation Sequencing

Clinical genomic testing has been made possible by the development of “next-generation” sequencing (NGS) technologies that allow large quantities of nucleic acid sequence to be obtained in a clinically meaningful time frame. This chapter reviews the sequencing platforms that are currently in most common use, including Illumina, Ion Torrent, SOLiD, and Roche 454. Sanger sequencing is discussed as a “first-generation” technology that retains an important place in clinical genomics for orthogonal validation of NGS findings and for coverage of areas not amenable to NGS.
The Territoriality Referendum

Many Internet users have encountered geoblocking tools – tools that prevent users from accessing certain content on the Internet based on the location from which the users are connecting to the Internet. Because at least some users want to access such content, they turn to tools that enable them to evade geoblocking, to appear on the Internet as if they were located in another location, and to access the content that is available in this other location. So far these activities appear to be under the radar of intellectual property (“IP”) owners, perhaps because geoblocking evasion by users for the purposes of accessing IP-protected content can be viewed much like non-infringing de minimis importation in small numbers for non-commercial use (TRIPS, Art. 60).This article points out that there are signs of substantial user desire to access content that is not available in the user’s location; this desire is evidenced, for example, by the recent proliferation of the numbers of and commercial success of space-shifting services that have advertised and/or have been used to access territorially-restricted television content from any place in the world (e.g., ManekiTV, Slingbox). It is possible that with more territorial restrictions imposed on content on the Internet and with courts finding at least some of the space-shifting services infringing (e.g., TVCatchup, Aereo) users will turn to geoblocking evasion even more than they have already. The article discusses the effects that such increased geoblocking evasion might have on the territoriality of IP rights – or the effects on at least some of the implications of the territoriality.
Carbohydrate Mimetic Peptide Vaccines

Post-translational modifications of lipids and proteins are important determinants in defining function in both normal- and disease-state biology (Apweiler et al. 1999; Bertozzi and Kiessling 2001; Shental-Bechor and Levy 2009; Varki 1993). In particular, the addition of glycan residues synthesized by the repertoire of glycosyltransferases and glycosidases provide the mammalian glycome a large array of glycan structures that add to the diversity already created by the proteome (Cattaruzza and Perris 2006). At the same time, many glycan structures are ubiquitous in nature (van Die and Cummings 2009). Pathogen glycans can mimic host mammalian glycosphingolipids, lending to their pathophysiology. This mimicry provides insight into the processes contributing to their pathophysiology, including elements of recognition, signaling, and evasion of the immune system by glycan processing (Tsai 2001).
Quantum Computing and the Importance of Interconnects

Quantum computing is an emerging compute technology that holds the promise of exponential speedup compared to classical computing for certain applications. Relatively small numbers of logical quantum bits, or qubits, could outperform the largest of supercomputers. For many universities, companies, and governments, this is akin to a modern space race or moon shot. Applications in the areas of chemistry, medicine, machine learning, and cryptography may be enabled with quantum computers where a classical computer could not accomplish the task on any realistic timescale.
Wireless Power Transfer by Beamspace Large-Scale MIMO With Lens Antenna Array

In this paper, we study wireless power transfer (WPT) using the discrete lens array-based beamspace large-scale multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system. The channel matrix of beamspace MIMO exhibits sparse property, which enables the transmitter to employ only a small number of active antennas while maintaining the full MIMO performance. Hence, the number of radio frequency (RF) chains can be significantly reduced, cutting the cost of hardware implementation and circuit power consumption. We consider two WPT design problems in the beamspace MIMO system with constraints on the number of RF chains: the sum power transfer and the max–min power transfer problems; and for each problem, we consider both multi-stream and uni-stream transmissions. For the sum power transfer problem, we show that the uni-stream power transfer achieves the same performance as the multi-stream case, and we propose two algorithms for the uni-stream transmission, namely, an eigendecomposition-based greedy algorithm and a truncated power iteration algorithm. For the max–min power transfer problem, we propose a semidefinite relaxation-based greedy algorithm for the multi-stream power transfer and a Riemannian conjugate gradient algorithm for the uni-stream case. The simulation results show that with a small number of RF chains, the beamspace MIMO system significantly outperforms the conventional MIMO system in terms of WPT efficiency.
California Groundwater Management, Science-Policy Interfaces, and the Legacies of Artificial Legal Distinctions

California water law has traditionally treated groundwater and surface water as separate resources. The 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) broke with this tradition by requiring groundwater managers to avoid significant and unreasonable adverse impacts to beneficial uses of surface water. This paper considers the trajectory of this partial integration of science, law, and resource management policy. Drawing on legal analysis and participatory workshops with subject area experts, we describe the challenges of reconciling the separate legal systems that grew out of an artificial legal distinction between different aspects of the same resource. Our analysis offers two main contributions. First, it demonstrates that laws that subdivide an interconnected resource can have legacy effects that linger long after lawmakers begin dismantling the artificial divides. Using SGMA as a case study, the article illustrates the complexities of reconciling law with science, showing that reconciliation is a process that does not end with updating statutes, or with any other single intervention. Second, we introduce a framework for evaluating the elements of an effort to reconcile law with scientific understanding, whether that reform effort involves groundwater or some other resource. Applying that framework helps reveal where lingering legacy effects still need to be addressed. More generally, it reveals the need for literature addressing science-policy interactions to devote more attention to the multifaceted nature of law and policy reform. Much of that literature describes policy-making in broad and undifferentiated terms, often referring simply to 'the science-policy interface.' But as the SGMA case study illustrates, the complex and multi-layered nature of policy-making means that a successful reform effort may need to address many science-policy interfaces.
Parahydrophobicity and stick-slip wetting dynamics of vertically aligned carbon nanotube forests

Abstract We report for the first time on the parahydrophobicity and stick-slip wetting dynamics of vertically aligned carbon-nanotube (CNT) forests and compare it with previously observed droplet infiltration characteristics. CNT surfaces have generally been reported to be superhydrophobic, but unstable, as the water rapidly infiltrates the forest. In this paper, we demonstrate the first observation of parahydrophobicity of CNT forests, where the surface exhibits an apparent static water contact angle close to 150° but may be turned upside down without the droplet rolling off. Evaporation plays a critical role in the dynamic wetting behavior of these high-density samples as water droplets are stable in moisture-saturated environments. The wetting dynamics in the ambient is driven by evaporation as opposed to infiltration and characterized by contact line pinning from the strong adhesive forces in the CNTs. The pinning force at the contact line gradually increases as the droplet evaporates until a critical force is reached, where the contact line suddenly jumps radially inward with a concomitant deflection of CNTs inward. We observe that taller CNT forests have a higher critical force for deflection and coalesce into cellular patterns with larger cell size, which both suggest that taller CNTs have stronger mechanical interactions with each other.
Not in My Backyard: How States and Localities use Civil Resistance Tactics to Protect Immigrant Communities

Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel told federal authorities that his city “is and will remain a sanctuary city.” Denver Mayor Michael Hancock said, “Local law enforcement is not going to do the job of the federal immigration agency.” A federal judge upheld two California laws that set out to restrict cooperation with federal immigration authorities. A different federal judge struck down an Arizona law mandating state and local cooperation with a federal law. The United States is a federal republic and follows republican principles in its governance. This necessarily means that there is a clear line between federal and state authorities. The Guarantee Clause of Article IV of the U.S. Constitution highlights the independence of states in making most governance decisions. Likewise, the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution reiterates the point that most powers of governance are managed by the states and not the federal government. And of course, the balance is struck with the Supremacy Clause found in Article VI, which ensures that federal authority is given relevant enforcement power by preempting any state laws that interfere with lawful federal legislation. The balance of power between states and the federal government — federalism — has created its fair share of controversies over the years. Yet recently, a substantial portion of these controversies involve immigration law and, more specifically, immigration law enforcement. The growing body of law and controversies surrounding immigration federalism has begun to highlight the limits of republican governance. Whereas little doubt remains about the lawfulness of federal immigration enforcement, states have pushed back in highly visible ways against federal intrusion into their communities to enforce federal immigration laws. In this paper, I will provide a brief explanation of federal immigration law enforcement and how those enforcement authorities work with (or without) the states to carry out their duties. I will then contextualize state efforts to ward off federal incursion into their affairs by providing historic examples ranging from civil rights to marijuana laws. Finally, I will draw attention to recent state efforts to hinder, and in a minority of cases to enhance, federal immigration enforcement efforts. I conclude with policy prescriptions for states and local jurisdictions looking for legal cover to support their efforts.
Why Some ‘Third-Wave’ Democracies Fail

Aside from being a classic, impressive example of empirical, political science research, Stephen Haggard and Robert Kaufman’s Dictators and Democrats: Masses, Elites and Regime Change is important ...