cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compatibility of the Zr-Al alloy with a tokamak plasma environment

We have investigated the compatibility of the Zr-Al alloy bulk getter with a tokamak plasma environment, where the hydrogenic fluxes are sufficient to cause embrittlement in relatively short times. Under normal operating conditions with the getters activated, it is necessary to regenerate the absorbed hydrogenic species before the embrittlement limit is reached. We present a method for determining the loading under tokamak conditions where the Zr-Al surface characteristics can change. During glow discharge cleaning and pulse discharge cleaning, it is not convenient to regenerate. We find, however, that during the cleaning operations the getter self-inerts, thus limiting the loading. We present data and a model which accounts for this behavior in terms of impurity adsorption on the room temperature getter surface during the cleaning operations.
Millimeter-Wave Observations of CO in Planetary Nebulae

We present NRAO 12 m observations of CO (J = 1-0 and J = 2-1) in six planetary nebulae, including the FIrst conFIrmed detection of a molecular outflow in K3-35 and the FIrst observations of J = 1-0 emission from NGC 2440. The J = 2-1 spectrum toward K3-35 shows a strong peak at ~10 km s–1 (Vlsr) and a ~40 km s–1 wide, lower excitation, high-velocity component. The strong peak is narrow (<5 lsr km s–1) and is probably associated with a Galactic molecular cloud; the high-velocity emission feature indicates an outflow velocity of about 17 km s–1. The CO lines toward NGC 2440 are broad and double peaked, and indicate an expansion velocity of ~29 km s–1. The emission lines from IC 5117 are bright and "two-horned", and suggest an expansion velocity of 17 km s–1. Observations toward AFGL 915 show narrow and single-peaked emission lines that have ~20 km s–1 wide wings. The 115 GHz observation toward IC 418 shows a broad emission line, which we believe is the H38α recombination line. To confirm this, we also observed the H38α recombination line at 106.7 GHz. A comparison of the two lines suggests that there is no signiFIcant molecular emission at 115 GHz. We estimate the contribution from the H38α recombination line in each of our sources, to avoid overestimating the molecular emission. Using estimates of the distance (from the literature), we calculate or obtain limits to the total amount of molecular gas in our sources.
Hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies: an emerging dilemma

The surge in consumption of herbal remedies has been stimulated by several factors, including the notion that all herbal products are safe and effective, consumers becoming more proactive in self-treating, and lack of regulation by the Food and Drug Administration. Although herbal remedies are generally perceived as harmless, reports of hepatotoxicity associated with herbal use are accumulating, suggesting they are not completely innocuous. On the basis of various case reports, the liver injury from herbal remedies has ranged from mild elevations of liver enzymes to fulminant liver failure requiring liver transplantation. Although regulation by the Food and Drug Administration may be part of the solution, increasing public awareness and educating healthcare professionals about the potential dangers of herbal preparations will need to be implemented. This article reviews the hepatotoxicity of herbal remedies as reported in the literature and discusses issues related to regulation of herbal preparations.
An application-based agenda for incorporating OR into an AI design environment for facility design

Abstract As part of our study of expert human problem solving in design, we devised and implemented the core of a workstation-based, graphics-intensive, intellegent support system for facility planning and layout. Our experience, in that endeavor, is that neither traditional AI nor current OR/MS approaches are adequate to provide a complete design support system, but that a hybrid system might be. In this paper, we describe how such a hybridation could occur. We identify points in the problem-solving process at which appropriate AI mechanisms can be brought to bear to assist in the selection, formulation, and interpretation of existing numeric (OR/MS) methods. We conclude that it will be necessary to relax traditionalm OR/MS assumptions about the nature of the facility planning problem leg., that the problem is sequential, with facility specification followed by facility layout) and about the proper relationship between the designer/planner and the design tool. The non-sequential nature of facility design suggests that (a) a design support system will need to work in an interactive, as opposed to a batch, mode, (b) the design support system must be capable of formulating the problem to be solved as part of the solution process, as is done by the human expert, and (c) the burden of solving the problem should not be shifted to the system. Building and testing the hybrid system remains to be done.
Current status of the CBCT project at Varian Medical Systems

Tracking and targeting the tumors are simultaneous processes in the image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT); this is expected to boost the efficiency, the reliability, and the safety in the treatment. Varian Medical Systems (VMS) has already produced and installed the first IGRT machine; the device comprises the VMS Clinac equipped with the On-Board Imager (OBI) component. Cone-beam CT (CBCT) imaging, one of the options of the OBI machine, aims at high-quality volumetric reconstruction. A number of calibrations are needed in order to operate our CT-imaging machines properly; they ensure that the machine components are properly aligned, the mechanical distortions are small, and yield important output that is used in the reconstruction of the actual scan data. The geometrical calibration is achieved by using a needle phantom. In order to increase the dynamic range of our imager (hence, to obtain reliable information simultaneously in the high- and the low-attenuation areas of the irradiated object), VMS has developed a dual-gain mode. Next on our agenda is the suppression of (ring, streak, and beam-hardening) artefacts in our reconstructed images and the further development of our detectors in order to remove patterns relating to lag and ghosting effects.
Quasilinearization technique for solution of boundary layer equations

Owing to the split boundary conditions, there arise many difficulties in solving numerically the nonlinear equations describing the boundary-layer flow. It is shown in this paper that the quasilinearization technique is a useful tool for solving the ordinary differential equations, which are obtained from the boundary layer equations through a similarity transformation. With very approximate initial guesses, only four to six iterations are needed to obtain a five digit accuracy. A cause de la division des limites, il se presente nombre de difficultes dans la solution numerique des equations non lineaires ou l'on decrit l'ecoulement des couches-limites. On demontre dans ce travail que la methode dite de “quasi-linearisation” est utile pour resoudre les equations differentielles ordinaires qu'on obtient a partir des equations des couches-limites par une transformation de similitude. En faisant des approximations initiates et tres grossieres, il ne faut que quatre iterations pour obtenir une precision a cing chiffres.
Occurrence of methylated mercury in a terrestrial food chain.

Abstract The presence and transfer of methylated mercury (MeHg) in a terrestrial food chain were determined by radiotracer laboratory experiments and chemical analyses of field-collected organisms. [203Hg]MeHg-tagged fescue grass (Festuca sp.) at 0.65 μg MeHg/g grass (wet wt) was fed to cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus). The rats had an assimilation efficiency (Ae) for MeHg of 99% and a biological half-life (tb) of 9.5 days. Control S. hispidus and Festuca collected from the same populations as the experimental organisms were analyzed for MeHg and found to have, for the S. hispidus, 1.4 ± 0.2 ng/g, 1 SE, and 1.3 ± 0.3 ng/g, 1 SE, in skeletal muscle and liver, respectively; and, for Festuca (composite sample) 0.6 ng/g. Total mercury (ΣHg) for the same tissues was 119.4 ± 39 ng/g, 1 SE, 34.6 ± 8.9 ng/g, 1 SE; and 71 ng/g (composite sample), respectively. Calculations with the experimental and analytical MeHg values indicated that the feral S. hispidus would, at equilibrium, have a whole-body MeHg concentration of 1.89 ng/g. These results, compared with literature reports, indicate that feral rodents have concentration ranges of ∼50 to ∼160 ng/g for ΣHg, and ∼1 to ∼7 ng/g for MeHg. Environmental levels of mercury are likely to increase significantly; further environmental measurements and especially appropriate toxicity tests are warranted to assess the importance of MeHg in terrestrial ecosystems.
Chronic monocytic leukemia in childhood.

Summary Two cases of chronic monocytic leukemia in childhood are described. The first patient, an infant, had a prolonged spontaneous remission before succumbing to the disease. The second child was especially baffling because of chronic skin infections and severe pancytopenia. Megaloblastic changes were noted in the cells of the erythrocytic series. No response was obtained by treatment with several hematinics, especially vitamin B 12 and folic acid. Evidence of hemolytic anemia and shortened platelet survival suggested a "hypersplenic" mechanism. Splenectomy did not ameliorate the pancytopenia. On the contrary, the previously aleukemic process became overt after the operation. The long remission without specific antileukemic therapy in Case 1 suggests the necessity for caution in interpreting as specific the occasional responses to chemical agents in chronic monocytic leukemia. Case 2 re-emphasizes the dictum that leukemia may be the underlying diagnosis in bizzare and obscure hematologic pictures.
Poverty and Mortality in Hemodialysis Patients

A vexing observation among individuals with ESRD is the decreased mortality associated with attributes that, in healthy populations, confer increased risk of death. Examples include the apparent protective benefit of obesity, higher levels of LDL cholesterol, elevated systolic and diastolic BP, and
Current and Constituent Quarks in the Light-Cone Quantization

Using the light cone quantization of the free quark model, a wide class of unitary transformations which relate the “current1 to “constituent” quark models is constructed. The Melosh transformation is obtained as a special case. The construction clearly ‘exhibits the kinematical aspects of the transformation. Phenomenological applications are discussed. A method for determining acceptable transformations in potential models is formulated.
Catalytic domain of restriction endonuclease BmrI as a cleavage module for engineering endonucleases with novel substrate specificities

Creating endonucleases with novel sequence specificities provides more possibilities to manipulate DNA. We have created a chimeric endonuclease (CH-endonuclease) consisting of the DNA cleavage domain of BmrI restriction endonuclease and C.BclI, a controller protein of the BclI restrictionmodification system. The purified chimeric endonuclease, BmrI198-C.BclI, cleaves DNA at specific sites in the vicinity of the recognition sequence of C.BclI. Double-strand (ds) breaks were observed at two sites: 8bp upstream and 18bp within the C-box sequence. Using DNA substrates with deletions of C-box sequence, we show that the chimeric endonuclease requires the 5 0 half of the C box only for specific cleavage. A schematic model is proposed for the mode of protein–DNA binding and DNA cleavage. The present study demonstrates that the BmrI cleavage domain can be used to create combinatorial endonucleases that cleave DNA at specific sequences dictated by the DNA-binding partner. The resulting endonucleases will be useful in vitro and in vivo to create ds breaks at specific sites and generate deletions.
New kernels for protein structural motif discovery and function classification

We present new, general-purpose kernels for protein structure analysis, and describe how to apply them to structural motif discovery and function classification. Experiments show that our new methods are faster than conventional techniques, are capable of finding structural motifs, and are very effective in function classification. In addition to strong cross-validation results, we found possible new oxidoreductases and cytochrome P450 reductases and a possible new structural motif in cytochrome P450 reductases.
Comparison of an IgG-Specific Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Cutoff of 0.4 Versus 0.8 and 1.0 Optical Density Units for Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia.

Background:Previous studies have demonstrated optimized diagnostic accuracy in utilizing higher antiheparin–platelet factor 4 (PF4) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) optical density (OD) th...
Transfer of sustainable technology in dryland agriculture: lessons from the Sahel in the 1980's.

Abstract Dryland agriculture in the Sahel must become more productive if human conditions in the region are to improve. Constraints impeding increased productivity are examined. The harsh natural environment of the Sahel means that technologies, institutions and economic policies must be tailored to meet the special challenges of that environment.
Therapeutic potential of CRF receptor antagonists: a gut-brain perspective

Activation of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) family of neuropeptide receptors in the brain and periphery appears to mediate stress-related changes in a variety of physiological and functional domains. Comparative pharmacology of CRF receptor agonists suggests that CRF, urocortin, sauvagine and urotensin consistently mimic, and conversely peptide CRF receptor antagonists lessen, the functional consequences of stressor exposure. Together with the development of novel non-peptide CRF receptor antagonists, a growing number of CRF receptor selective ligands are available to elucidate the neurobiology and physiological role of CRF systems. The present review considers available preclinical evidence as well as results from one Phase II clinical trial which address the hypothesis that CRF receptor antagonists may represent a new option for pharmacotherapy of stress-related disorders.
Nasal glioma and encephalocele: diagnosis and management.

Objective: To review the biology of nasal glioma and encephalocele and to present an algorithm for preoperative evaluation and surgical management. Design: Retrospective review and analysis. Setting: Tertiary care medical center: 1970 to 2002. Patient: Sixteen patients with glioma (n = 10) and encephalocele (n = 6). Outcome: Age at the time of presentation, sex, signs and symptoms, imaging findings, surgical approach, pathology, complications, rate of recurrence, and follow-up were recorded. Results: Ten patients presented with nasal glioma with a mean age of 9 months. All patients underwent surgical excision. No complication was encountered with a mean follow-up of 3.5 years. Six patients presented with encephaloceles with a mean age of 15.5 months. All patients underwent surgical excision. Complications included cerebrospinal fluid leak (n = 1) and epiphora (n = 1). Follow-up was 1 to 14 years (mean, 4 years). Conclusion: Nasal glioma and encephalocele are rare, benign, congenital lesions with a potential for intracranial extension. Evaluation should include a complete rhinologic and neurologic examination. Preoperative imaging with a thin-cut axial and coronal computed tomography scan andlor multiplanar magnetic resonance imaging is essential. Surgical intervention should be performed soon after diagnosis to alleviate the increased risk of meningitis. A frontal craniotomy approach is recommended if intracranial extension is identified based on preoperative evaluation, followed by an extracranial resection. If there is no evidence of intracranial extension, a conservative extracranial approach is recommended.
QUALITY EVALUATION OF FROZEN STORED CHANNEL CATFISH GROWN BY TANK CULTURE: EFFECTS OF DIETARY FAT, FREEZING METHOD AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE

Channel cattish (Ictalurus punctatus) were grown in tank culture on diets containing either tallow or menhaden oil as 10% of diet. Processed fish were frozen in air at -18°C or in nitrogen spray at -77°C, sealed in polyethylene and stored at either -18 or -35°C. Sensory evaluations of fresh fish revealed no differences in flavor, texture, or aroma. Fish reared on tallow were rated slightly superior for flavor after 94 days storage and for aroma and flavor after 312 days. Fish frozen in air were rated slightly superior for aroma after 94 days and for texture and flavor after 312 days. Fish stored at -18°C were rated slightly superior in texture after 312 days. Initial microbial counts were approx 900 per 10 cm2 of flesh surface; these values decreased by 65% after storage for 102 days and by 95% or more after storage for 365 days.
Use of markers of bone turnover for monitoring bone metastases and the response to therapy

Metastatic bone disease is a frequent complication of breast and other cancers, resulting in skeletal complications that are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality. Bone metastases can be difficult to diagnose radiologically and it can also be difficult to evaluate patients' response to treatment by using the methods that are currently available (radiography, bone scans, and computed axial tomography scans). These are relatively insensitive procedures, thus, there is a requirement for new methods for assessing bone response to ensure patients benefit from the optimum type and duration of treatment. Biochemical markers of bone turnover, such as N-telopeptide and the pyridinium cross-links pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline, may provide information on bone dynamics that in turn may reflect disease activity in bone. Several studies have shown bone markers to be elevated in cancer patients who have documented evidence of metastatic bone disease. Increased levels are also observed in some patients without clinical evidence of bone metastases, when compared with normal subjects. Rises in such markers may be the first indication of bone involvement and therefore may potentially be useful in early diagnosis of progression. Preliminary data suggest bone marker level correlates with the extent of metastatic disease and the number of skeletal sites involved. Markers of bone turnover may be helpful in identifying those patients likely to respond to bisphosphonate treatment. Such markers are also potentially useful in monitoring the effectiveness of bisphosphonate therapy in the management of bone metastases, in both patients with metastatic breast disease and multiple myeloma.
Branchings in rooted graphs and the diameter of greedoids

LetG be a 2-connected rooted graph of rankr andA, B two (rooted) spanning trees ofG We show that the maximum number of exchanges of leaves that can be required to transformA intoB isr2−r+1 (r>0). This answers a question by L. Lovasz.
Internal granular dynamics, shear-induced crystallization, and compaction steps.

Internal imaging using index matching, and sensitive volume measurement, are used to investigate the spatial order and dynamics of a deep disordered layer of spheres sheared under a fixed load. Shearing triggers a crystallization transition accompanied by a step compaction event. The delay preceding the transition depends strongly on the layer thickness and can require a translation of about ${10}^{5}$ particle diameters. The mean velocity varies with depth by more than five decades, and its profile is qualitatively altered by the transition.
Dementia, Personhood, and Nursing: Learning from a Nursing Situation

Appreciation of the personhood of people with dementia calls for care that looks beyond the disease to the person within. In this column the author discusses the concept of personhood for people with dementia and presents a method of teaching person-centered care developed within the theoretical framework of nursing as caring. The study of an aesthetic expression of a nursing situation, written by a nurse who cares for people with Alzheimer's disease in a nursing home, is presented to assist nurses to learn to see beyond the disease to the person and to develop relationships that nurture personhood.
Principles and Practices for Building Academic Self-Efficacy in Middle Grades Language Arts Classrooms

Abstract Academic self-efficacy contributes to students' motivation and persistence for learning. However, motivation for reading and learning, and students' self-efficacy in school often declines in adolescence. This manuscript presents research-based strategies for facilitating students' motivations within the context of language arts classes.
Surgical management of bilateral vocal fold paralysis

Bilateral vocal fold immobility presents a challenging problem for the otolaryngologist. Although some patients may be managed without intervention, most patients with bilateral true vocal fold immobility require airway management. The goals of such management are usually aimed at producing a safe tracheotomy-free airway, with preservation of deglutition and phonation. Two surgical treatment methods for bilateral true vocal fold immobility are presented: endoscopic submucosal arytenoidectomy with suture lateralization and endoscopic cordotomy with anterolateral arytenoidectomy. The two techniques with their indications, advantages, and complications are illustrated. These modified techniques have resulted in significantly lower rates of the troublesome complication of granuloma formation. Both methods yield a satisfactory glottic airway while maintaining both speech and swallowing.
True Colors White Conservative Support for Minority Republican Candidates

Although the vast majority of minority candidates run under the Democratic label and minority voters are more supportive of the Democratic Party, in recent years a nontrivial number of minority candidates have won Republican Party nominations in high-profile elections (i.e., governor and US Senate). In this study, we assess the level of support that white conservative voters give to minority Republican candidates. We are interested in seeing whether these voters are less supportive of the Grand Old Party (GOP) standard-bearer when the candidate is not white, since the vast majority of Republican candidates and Republican identifiers are non-Hispanic whites. Our data come from the 2006, 2010, and 2012 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES) surveys—election years with minority Republican nominees for governor and US Senate. Controlling for various factors, we consistently find that white conservatives are either more supportive of minority Republicans or just as likely to vote for a minority as they are a white Republican (a null result). Although we hesitate to dismiss the presence of racial prejudice in voting behavior, in the case of white conservatives our analyses suggest that the base of the GOP does not discriminate against minority nominees in high-profile contemporary general elections. At a minimum, the level of ideological polarization in American politics masks racially prejudiced voting behavior, and at a maximum, it renders it inoperable, because white conservatives view recent minority Republican nominees as at least as conservative as white GOP nominees and their level of support reflects this.
The macroecology of rapid evolutionary radiation.

A long-standing debate in ecology addresses whether community composition is the result of stochastic factors or assembly rules. Non-random, over-dispersed patterns of species co-occurrence have commonly been attributed to competition—a particularly important force in adaptive radiation. We thus examined the macroecology of the recently radiated cichlid rock-fish assemblage in Lake Malawi, Africa at a spectrum of increasingly fine spatial scales (entire lake to depth within rock-reef sites). Along this range of spatial scales, we observed a signal of community structure (decreased co-occurrence of species) at the largest and smallest scales, but not in between. Evidence suggests that the lakewide signature of structure is driven by extreme endemism and micro-allopatric speciation, while patterns of reduced co-occurrence with depth are indicative of species interactions. We identified a ‘core’ set of rock-reef species, found in combination throughout the lake, whose depth profiles exhibited replicated positive and negative correlation. Our results provide insight into how ecological communities may be structured differently at distinct spatial scales, re-emphasize the importance of local species interactions in community assembly, and further elucidate the processes shaping speciation in this model adaptive radiation.
Current Status of the Gasdynamic Mirror Fusion Propulsion Experiment

Nuclear fusion appears to be the most promising concept for producing extremely high specific impulse rocket engines. One particular fusion concept which seems to be particularly well suited for fusion propulsion applications is the gasdynamic mirror (GDM). An experimental GDM device has been constructed at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center to provide an initial assessment of the feasibility of this type of propulsion system. An initial shakedown of the device is currently underway with initial experiments slated to occur in late 2001. This device would operate at much higher plasma densities and with much larger L/D ratios than previous mirror machines. The high L/D ratio minimizes to a large extent certain magnetic curvature effects which lead to plasma instabilities causing a loss of plasma confinement. The high plasma density results in the plasma behaving much more like a conventional fluid with a mean free path shorter than the length of the device. This characteristic helps reduce problems associated with 'loss cone' microinstabilities. The device has been constructed to allow a considerable degree of flexibility in its configuration thus permitting the experiment to grow over time without necessitating a great deal of additional fabrication.
Synthesis, Antimalarial Activity, Biomimetic Iron(II) Chemistry, and in Vivo Metabolism of Novel, Potent C-10-Phenoxy Derivatives of Dihydroartemisinin

The combination of TMSOTf and AgClO4 promotes the efficient C-10-phenoxylation of dihydroartemisinin (3) in good chemical yield and excellent stereoselectivity. All of the new phenoxy derivatives have potent in vitro antimalarial activity. On the basis of the excellent yield and stereoselectivity obtained for the p-trifluoromethyl derivative 7b, this compound and the parent phenyl-substituted derivative 5b were selected for in vivo biological evaluation against Plasmodium berghei in the mouse model and for metabolism studies in rats. Compound 7b demonstrated excellent in vivo antimalarial potency with an ED50 of 2.12 mg/kg (cf. artemether = 6 mg/kg) versus P. berghei. Furthermore, from preliminary metabolism studies, this compound was not metabolized to dihydroartemisinin; suggesting it should have a longer half-life and potentially lower toxicity than the first-generation derivatives artemether and arteether. From biomimetic Fe(II)-catalyzed decomposition studies and ESR spectroscopy, the mechanism of ac...
A Memory-Efficient and Modular Approach for String Matching on FPGAs

In Network Intrusion Detection Systems (NIDSs), string matching demands exceptionally high performance to match the content of network traffic against a predefined database of malicious patterns. Much work has been done in this field; however, they result in low memory efficiency. Due to the available on-chip memory and the number of I/O pins of Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), state-of-the-art designs cannot support large dictionaries without using high-latency external DRAM. We propose a novel Memory efficient Architecture for large-scale String Matching (MASM), based on pipelined binary search tree. With memory efficiency close to 1 byte/char, MASM can support a dictionary of over 4 MBytes, using a single FPGA device. The architecture can also be easily partitioned, so as to use external SRAM to handle even larger dictionaries of over 8 MBytes. Our implementation results show a sustained throughput of 3.5 Gbps, even when external SRAM is used. The MASM module can be simply duplicated to accept multiple characters per cycle, leading to scalable throughput with respect to the number of characters processed in each cycle. Dictionary update involves only rewriting the memory content, which can be done quickly without reconfiguring the chip.
Resilience in Large Scale Distributed Systems

Distributed systems are comprised of multiple subsystems that interact in two distinct ways: (1) physical interactions and (2) cyber interactions; i.e. sensors, actuators and computers controlling these subsystems, and the network over which they communicate. A broad class of cyber-physical systems (CPS) are described by such interactions, such as the smart grid, platoons of autonomous vehicles and the sensorimotor system. This paper will survey recent progress in developing a coherent mathematical framework that describes the rich CPS “design space” of fundamental limits and tradeoffs between efficiency, robustness, adaptation, verification and scalability. Whereas most research treats at most one of these issues, we attempt a holistic approach in examining these metrics. In particular, we will argue that a control architecture that emphasizes scalability leads to improvements in robustness, adaptation, and verification, all the while having only minor effects on efficiency – i.e. through the choice of a new architecture, we believe that we are able to bring a system closer to the true fundamental hard limits of this complex design space.
A differentially private estimator for the stochastic Kronecker graph model

We consider the problem of making graph databases such as social networks available to researchers for knowledge discovery while providing privacy to the participating entities. We use a parametric graph model, the stochastic Kronecker graph model, to model the observed graph and construct an estimator of the "true parameter" in a way that both satisfies the rigorous requirements of differential privacy and demonstrates experimental utility on several important graph statistics. The estimator, which may then be published, defines a probability distribution on graphs. Sampling such a distribution yields a synthetic graph that mimics important properties of the original sensitive graph and consequently, could be useful for knowledge discovery.
Optimization of optical add-drop multiplexers based on grating-assisted null couplers

Optical add-drop multiplexers OADMs based on grating- assisted null couplers are excellent candidates for low-cost wavelength division multiplexed WDM systems. These devices potentially offer ex- ceptional operating characteristics in a compact layout that does not require circulators. Optimization analysis has been already presented. However, inherent fabrication errors either in the null coupler or in the grating increase the crosstalk at the drop port. In this paper, a simple model that relates the optical signal-to-noise ratio OSNR of the OADM to the null-coupler and grating parameters is presented. Based on that model, we propose two new approaches to increase the OSNR at the drop at output ports, when fabrication errors are present. One approach optimizes the grating angle to minimize the noise produced by spurious reflection without mode conversion. The other shifts these reflections out of the bandwidth used by the WDM system. The advantages and limita- tions of these approaches are analyzed. © 2005 Society of Photo-Optical Instru-
Effects of intermittent fasting on body composition and clinical health markers in humans

Intermittent fasting is a broad term that encompasses a variety of programs that manipulate the timing of eating occasions by utilizing short-term fasts in order to improve body composition and overall health. This review examines studies conducted on intermittent fasting programs to determine if they are effective at improving body composition and clinical health markers associated with disease. Intermittent fasting protocols can be grouped into alternate-day fasting, whole-day fasting, and time-restricted feeding. Alternate-day fasting trials of 3 to 12 weeks in duration appear to be effective at reducing body weight (≈3%–7%), body fat (≈3–5.5 kg), total cholesterol (≈10%–21%), and triglycerides (≈14%–42%) in normal-weight, overweight, and obese humans. Whole-day fasting trials lasting 12 to 24 weeks also reduce body weight (≈3%–9%) and body fat, and favorably improve blood lipids (≈5%–20% reduction in total cholesterol and ≈17%–50% reduction in triglycerides). Research on time-restricted feeding is limited, and clear conclusions cannot be made at present. Future studies should examine long-term effects of intermittent fasting and the potential synergistic effects of combining intermittent fasting with exercise.
Spectroscopic studies of the type 2 and type 3 copper centres in the mercury derivative of laccase.

U.v.-visible-absorption and e.p.r. spectroscopy were used to study the type 2 and type 3 copper centres in the mercury derivative of laccase. After treatment with peroxide the mercury derivative of laccase exhibits a fully developed absorption band at 330 nm (delta epsilon = 2900 +/- 100 M-1.cm-1, which is characteristic of type 3 copper in the oxidized state. In addition, there is a weak ligand-field absorption at 740 nm (epsilon = 380 +/- 30 M-1.cm-1), which can be assigned to the type 3 pair. Because the e.p.r. spectrum of the type 2 copper is well resolved in the case of the mercury derivative of laccase, for the first time we have been able to observe spectroscopic evidence for a pH-dependent structural transition that has been invoked to explain the kinetics of enzyme reduction [Andreasson & Reinhammar (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 568, 145-156]. According to the e.p.r. data the pKa lies in the range 6-7, and comparisons with a model compound show that the spectral changes can plausibly be interpreted in terms of the deprotonation of a water molecule in the co-ordination sphere of the type 2 copper.
Precedence based speech segregation in bilateral cochlear implant users

The precedence effect (PE) enables the perceptual dominance by a source (lead) over an echo (lag) in reverberant environments. In addition to facilitating sound localization, the PE can play an important role in spatial unmasking of speech. Listeners attending to binaural vocoder simulations with identical channel center frequencies and phase demonstrated PE-based benefits in a closed-set speech segregation task. When presented with the same stimuli, bilateral cochlear implant users did not derive such benefits. These findings suggest that envelope extraction in itself may not lead to a breakdown of the PE benefits, and that other factors may play a role.
Comparison of Self-Reported and Accelerometer-Assessed Physical Activity in Older Women.

Background Self-reported physical activity measures continue to be validated against accelerometers; however, the absence of standardized, accelerometer moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) definitions has made comparisons across studies difficult. Furthermore, recent accelerometer models assess accelerations in three axes, instead of only the vertical axis, but validation studies have yet to take incorporate triaxial data. Methods Participants (n = 10 115) from the Women’s Health Study wore a hip-worn accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+) for seven days during waking hours (2011–2014). Women then completed a physical activity questionnaire. We compared self-reported with accelerometer-assessed MVPA, using four established cutpoints for MVPA: three using only vertical axis data (760, 1041 and 1952 counts per minute (cpm)) and one using triaxial data (2690 cpm). Results According to self-reported physical activity, 66.6% of women met the US federal physical activity guidelines, engaging in ≥150 minutes per week of MVPA. The percent of women who met guidelines varied widely depending on the accelerometer MVPA definition (760 cpm: 50.0%, 1041 cpm: 33.0%, 1952 cpm: 13.4%, and 2690 cpm: 19.3%). Conclusions Triaxial count data do not substantially reduce the difference between self-reported and accelerometer-assessed MVPA.
Computational aerothermodynamics

Aerothermodynamics is defined1 as “the study of the relationship of heat and mechanical energy in gases, especially air”. To those familiar with fluid dynamics (the study of the flow properties of liquids and gases) this means that we must consider thermodynamic and chemical processes as they are coupled to the fluid motion. Computational fluid dynamics involves the numerical simulation of the equations of motion for an ideal gas; these equations are the conservation of mass, momentum and energy, and in their most general form are the compressible Navier-Stokes equations. Computational aerothermodynamics concerns the coupling of real gas effects with these equations of motion to include thermochemical rate process for chemical and energy exchange phenomena. These processes concern the creation and destruction of gas species by chemical reactions and the transfer of energy between the various species and between the various energy modes (e.g. translation, rotation, vibration, ionization, dissociation/recombination, etc.) of the species. To gain some insight into when such phenomena occur for current and future aerospace flight vehicles Fig. 1 shows the flight regimes of some typical vehicles (e.g. Concord, aerospace plane, Space Shuttle, aeroassisted space transfer vehicles, Apollo entry vehicle, etc.) in terms of flight altitude and flight speed. Also indicated in the figure are regimes where chemical reactions such as dissociation and ionization are important and where nonequilibrium thermochemical phenomena are important. To account for chemical reactions equations for the conservation of each chemical species must be added to the flow field equation set. There are 5 flow field equations; one continuity, three momentum and one energy equation. For a simple model of dissociating and ionizing air there are typically 11 major species (N2, 2, N, , NO, N+2, +2, +, N+, NO+, e-). The inclusion of conservation equations for each of these species nearly triples the number of equations to be solved. When there are combustion processes or gas/surface interactions or ablation products, the number of species increases dramatically. To account for thermal non-equilibrium there are additional energy conservation equations to describe the energy exchange between the various energy modes (translational, rotational, vibrational, electronic, etc.). The full set of these conservation equations have been derived by Lee2. Under the following assumptions, namely: continuum and no slip at solid boundaries (Kn≪≪1)the thermal state of the gas can be described by separate, independent temperaturesthe rotational state of the gas is in equilibrium with the translational stateweak ionization (≪1%) the governing equations are written in Cartesian coordinates as3: n mass conservation equations where s is the chemical species
Abstract B113: High Fat Diet Accelerates Development of Precancerous Lesions and Fibrosis in Mice Expressing mutant K-Ras in Pancreatic Acinar Cells

Background: Obesity is postulated to be a major risk factor for pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC), which is the fourth deadliest cancer in the US. Although the association between obesity and pancreatic cancer has been reported, the molecular mechanisms are not yet known. Since K-Ras mutations are almost universal in PDAC, and we have recently shown that endogenous levels of oncogenic K-Ras make cells susceptible to otherwise benign levels of inflammation, we hypothesize that high fat intake can act as a persistent low level inflammatory mechanism capable of inducing PDAC in cells expressing a single copy of oncogenic K-Ras. In the current study, we examined the effects of high dietary fat on the development of precancerous lesions and fibrosis, as well as the activation of K-Ras signaling pathways in mice expressing mutant K-Ras in pancreatic acinar cells. Methods: Transgenic mice LSL-K-Ras were cross with Ela-CreER (Pancreatic-Ras) and treated with tamoxifen to “knock-in” oncogenic K-Ras in adult pancreatic acinar cells. Pancreatic-Ras and littermate control mice were administered a low fat diet with 10.2% kcal fat or a high fat diet with 61.6% kcal fat for 30 days starting at 50 days of age. Mice were then sacrificed and analyzed histologically for fibrosis development, presence of precancerous lesions, and activation of K-Ras signaling pathways. Results: Mice expressing endogenous levels of oncogenic K-Ras and fed a high fat diet developed abundant fibrosis, low grade precancerous lesions throughout the pancreas and had higher levels of phospho-ERK when compared to littermate controls and mice fed a low fat diet. Conclusions: These findings suggest that consumption of high dietary fat acts as an inflammatory stimulus that enhances the activation of oncogenic K-Ras downstream signaling pathways, leading to the early development of precancerous lesions and fibrosis in the pancreas. Therefore, efforts aimed at inhibiting inflammation and K-Ras activation would be expected to prevent cancer development. Citation Format: Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, Bincy Philips, Baoan Ji, Jaroslaw Daniluk, Craig D. Logsdon. High-fat diet accelerates development of precancerous lesions and fibrosis in mice expressing mutant K-Ras in pancreatic acinar cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Eleventh Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research; 2012 Oct 16-19; Anaheim, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Prev Res 2012;5(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B113.
Materials Education and the National Laboratories

The U.S. Department of Energy is one of the principal government sponsors of materials Raamp;amp;D, both at universities and at the DOE National Laboratories. The National Laboratories are a major employer of graduates with materials education. I will discuss some of the Laboratories’ specific needs as well as some of the special opportunities offered at the laboratories for materials education.
Empirical Bayes confidence intervals for a series of related experiments

When data from different studies are analyzed, often one objective of the analysis is to obtain improved parameter estimates and confidence intervals for each individual study. James-Stein or empirical Bayes estimation is well suited to producing estimates. This paper applies recent results on the construction of confidence intervals for the parameters of the individual studies. A naive empirical Bayes approach to confidence intervals assumes that the estimated posterior for each study can be used directly for inferences. The naive approach generally leads to confidence intervals with less than the desired coverage. Morris (1983, Journal of the American Statistical Association 78, 47-59) suggested one approach to the construction of empirical Bayes confidence intervals based on the use of a Bayes hyperprior distribution. Laird and Louis (1987, Journal of the American Statistical Association 82, 739-757) define the empirical Bayes bootstrap for drawing bootstrap samples from the compound (empirical Bayes) model and present a procedure for obtaining empirical Bayes confidence intervals which uses the bootstrap samples to adjust for uncertainty in the estimate of the prior. This paper compares the empirical performance of classical, Morris's, and bootstrap intervals on a random sample of bioassays from the National Cancer Institute data base on potential chemical carcinogens.
Evaluating the Use of Second Life ™ for Virtual Team-Based Learning in an Online Undergraduate Anatomy Course

Team-based learning (TBL) is one strategy for improving team-work and critical thinking skills. It has proven to be an engaging teaching pedagogy in face-to-face classes; however, to our knowledge, it has never been implemented online in a 3-D virtual world. We implemented virtual TBLs in an online undergraduate anatomy course using Second Life™, and evaluated whether it engaged students. This study was conducted over two semesters with 39 total students. Surveys and content analysis of transcripts were used to evaluate student engagement. Our results indicate virtual TBLs were engaging for most students. The average engagement score was 7.8 out of 10 with 89.2% of students reporting a score of 6 or above. Students exhibited high levels of cognitive engagement during the clinical application portion of the TBL process. Males felt more emotionally engaged than females; however, most measures of engagement indicated no differences between groups of students (mode of communication, previous technology experience, gender, and performance); therefore, virtual TBLs may be engaging for a broad range of students. Ninety-five percent of students agreed that this was a worthwhile experience. In light of this evidence, we feel that virtual TBL sessions are valuable, and could be implemented in other online courses.
Prevalence of below-criterion Reliable Digit Span scores in a clinical sample of older adults.

Objective The Reliable Digit Span (RDS) is a well-validated embedded indicator of performance validity. An RDS score of ≤7 is commonly referenced as indicative of invalid performance; however, few studies have examined the classification accuracy of the RDS among individuals suspected for dementia. The current study evaluated performance of the RDS in a clinical sample of 934 non-litigating individuals presenting to an outpatient memory disorders clinic for assessment of dementia. Method The RDS was calculated for each participant in the context of a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment completed as part of routine clinical care. Score distributions were examined to establish the base rate of below criterion performance for RDS cutoffs of ≤7, ≤6, and ≤5. One-way ANOVA was used to compare performance on a cognitive screening measure and informant reports of functional independence of those falling below and above cutoffs. Results A cutoff score of ≤7 resulted in a high prevalence of below-criterion performance (29.7%), though an RDS of ≤6 was associated with fewer below-criterion scores (12.8%) and prevalence of an RDS of ≤5 was infrequent (4.3%). Those scoring below cutoffs performed worse on cognitive measures compared with those falling above cutoffs. Conclusions Using the RDS as a measure of performance validity among individuals presenting with a possibility of dementia increases the risk of misinterpreting genuine cognitive impairment as invalid performance when higher cutoffs are used; lower cutoffs may be useful when interpreted in conjunction with other measures of performance validity.
Analysis of human resources current situation in nationwide centers for disease control and prevention

Objective:To analyze the current status of human resources in the centers for disease control and prevention in the whole country,so as to provide foundation for making scientific human resource plans.Methods:The data,such as the number,age,years of working,education background,title of technical post,and profession of personnel in the centers for disease control and prevention at the levels of province,city and county,were collected from the basic information system of China centers for disease control and prevention and analyzed with Excel.Results:Those at the age from 35 to 44 accounted for the largest proportion in the personnel of centers for disease control and prevention.Their years of working were mainly between 20 and 29 years with the education background of technical secondary school,just second to junior college and university.Their titles of posts are mainly at middle and primary level and their scope of practice is mainly in five health items,communicable disease control,planned immunization and health inspection.Conclusion:The governments at all levels should strengthen the personnel construction of centers for disease control and prevention,improve the quality of professional personnel and make appropriate human resource plans for centers for disease control and prevention.