cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genomic and physiological responses to strong selective pressure during late organogenesis: few gene expression changes found despite striking morphological differences

Adaptations to a new environment, such as a polluted one, often involve large modifications of the existing phenotypes. Changes in gene expression and regulation during critical developmental stages may explain these phenotypic changes. Embryos from a population of the teleost fish, Fundulus heteroclitus, inhabiting a clean estuary do not survive when exposed to sediment extract from a site highly contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) while embryos derived from a population inhabiting a PAH polluted estuary are remarkably resistant to the polluted sediment extract. We exposed embryos from these two populations to surrogate model PAHs and analyzed changes in gene expression, morphology, and cardiac physiology in order to better understand sensitivity and adaptive resistance mechanisms mediating PAH exposure during development. The synergistic effects of two model PAHs, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) agonist (β-naphthoflavone) and a cytochrome P4501A (CYP1A) inhibitor (α-naphthoflavone), caused significant developmental delays, impaired cardiac function, severe morphological alterations and failure to hatch, leading to the deaths of reference embryos; resistant embryos were mostly unaffected. Unexpectedly, patterns of gene expression among normal and moderately deformed embryos were similar, and only severely deformed embryos showed a contrasting pattern of gene expression. Given the drastic morphological differences between reference and resistant embryos, a surprisingly low percentage of genes, 2.24% of 6,754 analyzed, show statistically significant differences in transcript levels during late organogenesis between the two embryo populations. Our study demonstrates important contrasts in responses between reference and resistant natural embryo populations to synergistic effects of surrogate model PAHs that may be important in adaptive mechanisms mediating PAH effects during fish embryo development. These results suggest that statistically significant changes in gene expression of relatively few genes contribute to the phenotypic changes and large morphological differences exhibited by reference and resistant populations upon exposure to PAH pollutants. By correlating cardiac physiology and morphology with changes in gene expression patterns of reference and resistant embryos, we provide additional evidence for acquired resistance among embryos whose parents live at heavily contaminated sites.
Alveolar surface tension, lung inflation, and hydration affect interstitial pressure [Px(f)]

Peribronchoarterial interstitial fluid pressure [Px(f)] was measured by wicks inserted between bronchus and artery of dog lobes filled with air, saline, 6% dextran in saline, or mineral oil. Five inflations were made to total lung capacity, with one min stops at eight selected volume levels in each cycle. Deflation recoil (measured as transpulmonary pressure, Ptp) was largest for air and least for saline and dextran, and it fell between these extremes for mineral oil. Correspondingly, Px(f) was most negative for air, slightly less negative for mineral oil, and least for saline and dextran. On the first cycle, the Px(f) for saline and dextran were nearly equal, but in later cycles Px(f) with saline drifted fairly rapidly toward alveolar pressure. By plotting Px(f) vs. Ptp, all first-cycle curves were brought toward a single line. During later cycles, Ptp and Px(f) always changed together along this line, except for saline. We conclude that 1) at fixed vascular pressure, Px(f) depends mainly on Ptp and less on lung volume; 2) large changes in Px(f) with saline suggest that at least some fluid can enter this interstitial space quite rapidly; and 3) peripheral tissue swelling with saline causes some reduction in Ptp, and both swelling and lower recoil contribute to increased trapping of saline.
Gene expression in human fungal pathogen Coccidioides immitis changes as arthroconidia differentiate into spherules and mature

Background: Coccidioides immitis is a dimorphic fungus that causes disease in mammals, including human beings. It grows as a mycelium containing arthroconidia in the soil and in the host arthroconidia differentiates into a unique structure called a spherule. We used a custom open reading frame oligonucleotide microarray to compare the transcriptome of C. immitis mycelia with early (day 2) and late stage (day 8) spherules grown in vitro. All hybridizations were done in quadruplicate and stringent criteria were used to identify significantly differentially expressed genes. Results: 22% of C. immitis genes were differentially expressed in either day 2 or day 8 spherules compared to mycelia, and about 12% of genes were differentially expressed comparing the two spherule time points. Oxireductases, including an extracellular superoxide dismutase, were upregulated in spherules and they may be important for defense against oxidative stress. Many signal transduction molecules, including pleckstrin domain proteins, protein kinases and transcription factors were downregulated in day 2 spherules. Several genes involved in sulfur metabolism were downregulated in day 8 spherules compared to day 2 spherules. Transcription of amylase and α (1,3) glucan synthase was upregulated in spherules; these genes have been found to be important for differentiation to yeast in Histoplasma. There were two homologs of 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (4-HPPD); transcription of one was up- and the other downregulated. We tested the effect of a 4-HPPD inhibitor, nitisinone, on mycelial and spherule growth and found that it inhibited mycelial but not spherule growth. Conclusions: Transcription of many genes was differentially expressed in the process of arthroconidia to spherule conversion and spherule maturation, as would be expected given the magnitude of the morphologic change. The transcription profile of early stage (day 2) spherules was different than late stage (day 8) endosporulating spherules. In addition, very few genes that are important for spore to yeast conversion in other dimorphic fungi are differentially expressed in C. immitis mycelia and spherules suggesting that dimorphic fungi may have evolved different mechanisms to differentiate from mycelia to tissue invasive forms.
Contribution to the Taxonomy of Callibaetis (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) in Southwestern North America and Middle America

Callibaetis distinctus sp. n., is described from female adults from Sonora, Mexico. The larvae of C. montanus Eaton and C. pictus (Eaton) are described, and the range of C. pictus extended to include Costa Rica. Callibaetis completa Banks is shown to be a junior synonym of C. floridanus Banks, and new records of this species are provided from Cuba and St. Croix.
CyberKnife with Tumor Tracking: An Effective Treatment for High-Risk Surgical Patients with Single Peripheral Lung Metastases

Standard treatment for operable patients with single peripheral lung metastases is metastectomy. We report mature CyberKnife outcomes for high-risk surgical patients with biopsy proven single peripheral lung metastases. Twenty-four patients (median age 73 years) with a mean maximum tumor diameter of 2.5 cm (range, 0.8-4.5 cm) were treated over a 6-year period extending from September 2004 to September 2010 and followed for a minimum of 1 year or until death. A mean dose of 52 Gy was delivered to the prescription isodose line in 3 fractions over a 3 to 11 day period (mean, 7 days). At a median follow-up of 20 months, the 2-year Kaplan-Meier local control and overall survival rates were 87% and 50%, respectively. CyberKnife is an effective treatment for high-risk surgical patients with single small peripheral lung metastases. Trials comparing CyberKnife with metastectomy for operable patients are necessary to confirm equivalence.
GFP-tagged pollen to monitor pollen flow of transgenic plants

In this study, the pollen-active LAT59 promoter from tomato was used to express a green fluorescent protein (GFP) encoding gene in Nicotiana tabacum (tobacco) pollen. This promoter is preferentially expressed in anthers and pollen. Pollen in transgenic plants segregated in a 1 : 1 Mendelian ratio, and the plants were polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-positive. GFP-tagged pollen was developed as a tool for tracking the movement of transgenic plant pollen in the environment. Specifically, it should be a useful tool for characterizing the spatial distribution patterns of transgenic pollen, to determine pollination mechanisms, to monitor the effects on nontarget organisms, and to monitor gene flow in field conditions.
Slosh suppression by robust input shaping

The majority of slosh-control techniques have required feedback control to suppress liquid oscillations induced by container motion. However, input shaping is an alternative method for generating motion commands that reduce residual oscillations without the need for sensors. In addition, input shaping can accommodate two concerns associated with slosh: peak transient slosh and changes in slosh frequency. Past work has demonstrated that input shaping can be useful for suppressing slosh, but none have experimentally verified robust input shapers. This paper describes simulation and experimental results that verify robust input shaping can effectively reduce peak transient slosh and limit residual oscillations over a range of parameters.
Thiazolidinediones, cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular mortality: translating research into action for diabetes (TRIAD).

SUMMARY Background Studies have associated thiazolidinedione (TZD) treatment with cardiovascular disease (CVD) and questioned whether the two available TZDs, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, have different CVD risks. We compared CVD incidence, cardiovascular (CV), and allcause mortality in type 2 diabetic patients treated with rosiglitazone or pioglitazone as their only TZD. Methods We analyzed survey, medical record, administrative, and National Death Index (NDI) data from 1999 through 2003 from Translating Research Into Action for Diabetes (TRIAD), a prospective observational study of diabetes care in managed care. Medications, CV procedures, and CVD were determined from health plan (HP) administrative data, and mortality was from NDI. Adjusted hazard rates (AHR) were derived from Cox proportional hazard models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, income, history of diabetic nephropathy, history of CVD, insulin use, and HP. Results Across TRIAD’s 10 HPs, 1,815 patients (24%) filled prescriptions for a TZD, 773 (10%) for only rosiglitazone, 711 (10%) for only pioglitazone, and 331 (4%) for multiple TZDs. In the seven HPs using both TZDs, 1,159 patients (33%) filled a prescription for a TZD, 564 (16%) for only rosiglitazone, 334 (10%) for only pioglitazone, and 261 (7%) for multiple TZDs. For all CVevents, CV, and all-cause mortality, we found no significant difference between rosiglitazone and pioglitazone. Conclusions In this relatively small, prospective, observational study, we found no statistically significant differences in CV outcomes for rosiglitazone- compared to pioglitazone-treated patients. There does not appear to be a pattern of clinically meaningful differences in CV outcomes for rosiglitazone- versus pioglitazone-treated patients. Copyright # 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sub-optimal throughput maximization schemes for Gaussian vector broadcast channels

This paper considers two sub-optimal transmission schemes for a family of parallel Gaussian vector broadcast channels. One of the schemes is based on the QR precoding of Ginis et al. (2000). In QR precoding, the maximum achievable throughput depends on the order in which users are encoded. This scheme is a new algorithm for obtaining the best user ordering and channel-input covariance matrix that maximizes the total channel throughput. The proposed algorithm has linear complexity in the number of multi-carrier frequencies. The simplicity of a linear transmitter-and-receiver architecture is attractive for a transmission scheme. The design of a linear transmitter and multiple linear receivers that maximize the total throughput is studied. It is shown that under discrete bit loading assumption for each user, this problem reduces to solving a series of second order cone programming problems.
Engendering the Company:Corporate Personhood and the “Face” of an Oil Company in Metropolitan Buenos Aires

This article analyzes the meanings and practices of corporate personhood through ethnographic examination of the changing relationship between the Shell oil company and residents of the neighborhood surrounding the company's refineries in Argentina. The article scrutinizes the Shell public relations staff's work to remake the company into a good corporate citizen and caring neighbor with a benevolent public “face.” It argues that Shell's shift from corporate philanthropy to corporate social responsibility (CSR) reconfigured the “legal fiction” of corporate personhood and the historical relations of patronage and paternalism. This reconfiguration was achieved through the regendering of the public face of the company.
Architecture of the Scalable Communications Core's Network on Chip

The SCC is a flexible and energy-and area-efficient baseband processor for concurrent multiple wireless protocols. Its architecture consists of coarse grained, heterogeneous, programmable accelerators connected via a packet-based, 3-ary 2-cube network on chip. The NOC supports goals of flexibility, scalability, and extensibility, and it meets stringent latency and throughput requirements.
A statistical method for inverting the Born ratio

We examine a statistical solution to the problem of fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT) using the Born ratio. Experimentally verified noise models for the fluorescence and excitation signals are combined to generate a stochastic model for the Born ratio. This model is then utilized within a maximum likelihood (ML) framework to obtain a fixed point iteration about a linear least squares problem. Results for experimental data are shown, including phantoms implanted within a small animal, and in-vivo data using an exogenous probe.
LIQUIDITY RATIOS AND RECENT BRITISH MONETARY EXPERIENCE

THE INFLATIONARY PRESSURES which have been present in the British economy since late 1954 have stimulated considerable discussion in the financial and economic literature of the appropriate techniques necessary to reduce these pressures.' Of particular interest to the American student of monetary policy has been the attention devoted to mandatory prescription of commercial bank liquid-asset-deposit ratios-the "secondary liquidity rule"-as a possible deflationary device. The purpose of this paper is (a) to investigate the behavior of the liquid-asset ratios of British banks since the end of World War II and (b) to analyze the possible efficacy of prescribed liquidity ratios as a weapon of monetary policy. In order to provide the reader unfamiliar with British bank practices with the necessary background, the first section of this paper is devoted to a brief presentation of the liquidity conventions of commercial banks in the United Kingdom and some discussion of the origins of the liquidassets-deposits ratio.
Contexts of cigarette and e-cigarette use among dual users: a qualitative study

Not much is currently understood regarding the contexts of cigarette and e-cigarette use among dual users. Proper application of e-cigarettes to smoking cessation or tobacco harm reduction would require an understanding of when and why dual users use cigarettes versus e-cigarettes. This study sought to elucidate the contexts of cigarette versus e-cigarette use among dual users. Twelve focus group discussions were conducted with 62 young adult current daily e-cigarette users [63 % men; mean age = 25.1 (Standard Deviation = 5.5)]. Almost all participants either concurrently smoked cigarettes or had been recent dual users. Data were analyzed following principles of inductive deduction. Results indicated that dual users’ use of cigarettes is influenced by particular activities (e.g., before/after eating), strong craving or need for stimulation (e.g., in response to stress), places/situations (e.g., when cigarette smokers are nearby; outdoors), use of other substances (alcohol, coffee), and unavailability of an e-cigarette when needed. In addition to particular activities and places/situations that are conducive to e-cigarette use, use of e-cigarette when cigarette is not available or where cigarette smoking is not permitted emerged as contexts specific to e-cigarette use. For habitual cigarette smokers wanting to quit tobacco smoking, switching over completely to e-cigarettes may require skills of cognitive-behavioral management. Future research needs to ascertain the characteristics of dual users who use e-cigarettes as cessation aids versus as cigarette alternative when cigarette is unavailable or smoking is not permitted.
QUESTIONING ECO-THEOLOGICAL PANENTHEISMS: THE PROMISE OF KATHRYN TANNER'S THEOLOGY OF GOD'S RADICAL TRANSCENDENCE FOR ECOLOGICAL THEOLOGY

Christian eco-theologians have generally preferred a form of panentheism that plays up divine immanence at the expense of divine transcendence. Yet while their respective theological models have contributed to a more earthly theology, eco-theological panentheists tend to identify God with aspects of creation that are presumably ‘more like’ God. The latter is problematic in light of their own claim that God is radically present in and to all that is. Drawing on the theology of Kathryn Tanner, this article argues in favour of a different route for maximizing God’s immanence, namely by strengthening rather than weakening divine transcendence.
Critical Perceptions of Organisational Change

The literature on change management and organisation development contains several established typologies of change. These categories are primarily important to change theorists to understand change processes and to explain various types of change. This paper describes two dimensions of change that are major concerns to change participants: Appeal and Likelihood. These dimensions shape conditions and four scenarios under which change managers must operate. Each of these scenarios is described along with their theoretical and practical implications.
Sensory Properties of Naturally Occurring Capsaicinoids

Sensory evaluation of isolated natural capsaicinoids showed that there was a significant linear relationship between pungency and concentration. Detection thresholds were evaluated using an ASTM method. Pungency thresholds were calculated using the established relationships between pungency and concentration of individual compounds. Total pungency of a mixture of capsaicinoids was highly correlated with the sum of pungencies of individual capsaicinoids. Determination of the total pungency of Capsicum extracts can be accomplished by adding the pungencies of individual capsaicinoids upon multiplication of their pungency threshold values by their respective concentrations.
Genetic evaluation of short stature.

Context: Genetics plays a major role in determining an individual's height. Although there are many monogenic disorders that lead to perturbations in growth and result in short stature, there is still no consensus as to the role that genetic diagnostics should play in the evaluation of a child with short stature. Evidence Acquisition: A search of PubMed was performed, focusing on the genetic diagnosis of short stature as well as on specific diagnostic subgroups included in this article. Consensus guidelines were reviewed. Evidence Synthesis: There are a multitude of rare genetic causes of severe short stature. There is no high-quality evidence to define the optimal approach to the genetic evaluation of short stature. We review genetic etiologies of a number of diagnostic subgroups and propose an algorithm for genetic testing based on these subgroups. Conclusion: Advances in genomic technologies are revolutionizing the diagnostic approach to short stature. Endocrinologists must become facile with the use o...
Transient calnexin interaction confers long-term stability on folded K+ channel protein in the ER

We recently showed that an unglycosylated form of the Shaker potassium channel protein is retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and degraded by proteasomes in mammalian cells despite apparently normal folding and assembly. These results suggest that channel proteins with a native structure can be substrates for ER-associated degradation. We have now tested this hypothesis using the wild-type Shaker protein. Wild-type Shaker is degraded by cytoplasmic proteasomes when it is trapped in the ER and prevented from interacting with calnexin. Neither condition alone is sufficient to destabilize the protein. Proteasomal degradation of the wild-type protein is abolished when ER mannosidase I trimming of the core glycan is inhibited. Our results indicate that transient interaction with calnexin provides long-term protection from ER-associated degradation.
New parallel programming techniques for hardware design

We present some recent advances in concurrent and parallel programming which are promising condidates for the design and specific of hardware and in particular reconfigurable systems. We explore the relationship between parallel programming and hardware design and ask the question “are these two activities the same thing at an important level of abstraction”? In particular, we consider join patterns from join calculus, software transactional memory, futures and nested data parallel programming.
Predictors of duodenal bulb biopsy performance in the evaluation of coeliac disease in children.

Aims Studies on the role of duodenal bulb biopsy (DBB) in coeliac disease (CD) evaluation have increased in recent years; growing evidence suggests that the disease can present solely in the duodenal bulb. Moreover, recent CD guidelines recommend obtaining a DBB. The study aim was to examine DBB performance in children undergoing CD evaluation and to identify independent predictors of DBB performance. Methods The authors performed a structured chart review of children aged Results Among 616 children who underwent endoscopy, DBB was performed in 103 children (17%, 95% CI 14% to 20%) with an increasing trend in the more recent years (2008–2010, 25%; 2004–2007, 16%; and 2000–2003, 5%, p Conclusions The authors found a significant increase in DBB performance over time, but the overall performance remains suboptimal. Improving education on obtaining a DBB for CD evaluation is crucial, especially among those children in whom DBB is more likely to be omitted.
FROM THEOLOGICAL TO CINEMATIC CRITICISM: EXTRICATING THE STUDY OF RELIGION AND FILM FROM THEOLOGY

Book reviewed in this article: RELIGION IN FILM Edited by John R. May and Michael S. Bird Knoxville NEW IMAGE OF RELIGIOUS FILM Edited by John R. May SCREENING THE SACRED: RELIGION, MYTH, AND IDEOLOGY IN POPULAR AMERICAN FILM Edited by Joel W. Martin and Conrad Eugene Ostwalt, Jr. SEEING AND BELIEVING: RELIGION AND VALUES IN THE MOVIES By Margaret Miles REEL SPIRITUALITY: THEOLOGY AND FILM IN DIALOGUE By Robert K. Johnston Grand SCREENING SCRIPTURE: INTERTEXTUAL CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SCRIPTURE AND FILM Edited by George Aichele and Richard G. Walsh Harrisburg HOW HYSTERICAL: IDENTIFICATION AND RESISTANCE IN THE BIBLE AND FILM By Erin Runions FILM AS RELIGION: MYTHS, MORALS, AND RITUALS By John C. Lyden
Glomerular filtration rate in children: validation and longitudinal use of determination from the 99mTc DTPA renogram.

The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) was estimated from the technetium diethylenetriaminepentacetic ( 99m Tc DTPA) renogram by empirically correlating the renogram and clearance of the tracer as measured by plasma disappearance kinetics. To expand the potential application of this technique from its original description, minor changes in methodology were made; a new regression was generated with 30 subjects, and that formula was then validated prospectively. For the 50 children and adolescents in the prospective series whose GFR normalized for surface area (NGFR = GFR × 1.73 m 2 /SA; SA, surface area) was 2 ; renal function was estimated with a mean residual error of 8.0 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , and a mean relative error of 11%. These results are at least as good as those in the initial report, thus validating this method in a prospective series. To examine the use of this method longitudinally, 129 examinations were reviewed in 55 subjects who had NGFR estimated from the renogram (estimated) on at least two occasions. For 28 sets of serial examinations, NGFR was also measured by the plasma disappearance of 99m Tc DTPA (measured). The true change in function for each set of serial examinations was defined as the increment for whichever method (estimation or measurement) was more stable. The mean longitudinal errors were 2.1 and 4.8 mL/min/1.73 m 2 for measured and estimated NGFR, respectively. The increments in NGFR for these methods were correlated with a regression line near identity and r = .852. This indicates that a change in estimated NGFR reflects a change in measured NGFR of similar magnitude. This method can accurately estimate GFR from the 99M Tc DTPA renogram, and it can be used longitudinally to follow children with renal disorders.
Hodgkin's lymphoma of T-cell type: Clonal association with a CD30+ cutaneous lymphoma

The derivation of Reed-Sternberg cells in Hodgkin's lymphoma has been a subject of great interest. In most cases, Reed-Sternberg cells seem to be derived from germinal center B cells. In few sporadic cases, a T-cell origin has been shown. This article supports the concept of a T-cell derivation for rare cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma and provides evidence of a novel mechanism of pathogenesis from chronic inflammation in the skin.
Modeling and direct simulation of near-field granular flows

A wide range of modern applications have emerged where a successful analysis requires the simulation of flowing granular media which simultaneously incorporates near-field interaction between charged particles and intergranular contact. Such systems naturally arise in powder processing, micro- and nanotechnology, as well as in applications arising from the study of aerosols, epitaxy and astro- and geophysics. The focus of this communication is to develop models and physically-based high-performance solution strategies for the direct rapid simulation of such flowing granular media.
The hydroxypropionate pathway of CO2 fixation: Fait accompli

It has long been appreciated that plants, algae, phototrophic and chemoautotrophic bacteria, and archaea are able to grow by using carbon dioxide (or bicarbonate) as their sole source of carbon. This feat enables such organisms to function as the ultimate synthetic machines as they are able to synthesize all of the needed building blocks of life via the bioconversion of the most oxidized form of carbon found in the biosphere to the reduced organic carbon compounds required for cell metabolism. Studies over the years, primarily with various microbes, have indicated that some organisms may accomplish this autotrophic existence by means distinct from the usual and well-studied paradigms. In this issue of PNAS (1), the finishing touches for the completion of a previously proposed novel route of carbon assimilation are presented for the model organism Chloroflexus aurantiacus. This pathway enables synthesis of necessary metabolic intermediates from CO2/HCO3− and involves unique enzymatic steps (1).
Energy requirements of the switchable polarity solvent forward osmosis (SPS-FO) water purification process

Abstract A model was developed to estimate the process energy requirements of a switchable polarity solvent forward osmosis (SPS FO) system for water purification from aqueous NaCl feed solution concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 4.0 molal at an operational scale of 480 m3/day (feed stream). The model indicates recovering approximately 90% of the water from a feed solution with NaCl concentration similar to seawater using SPS FO would have total equivalent energy requirements between 2.4 and 4.3 kWh per m3 of purified water product. The process is predicted to be competitive with current costs for disposal/treatment of produced water from oil and gas drilling operations. Once scaled up the SPS FO process may be a thermally driven desalination process that can compete with the cost of seawater reverse osmosis.
Building knowledge bases from the web

The web is a vast repository of human knowledge. Extracting structured data from web pages can enable applications like comparison shopping, and lead to improved ranking and rendering of search results. In this talk, I will describe two efforts to extract records from pages at web scale. The first is a wrapper induction system that handles end-to-end extraction tasks from clustering web pages to learning XPath extraction rules to relearning rules when sites change. The system has been deployed in production within Yahoo! to extract more than 500 million records from ~200 web sites. The second effort exploits machine learning models to automatically extract records without human supervision. Specifically, we use Markov Logic Networks (MLNs) to capture content and structural features in a single unified framework, and devise a fast graph-based approach for MLN inference.
Implications for the cryogenic fielding of leaking beryllium capsules

In this paper we show that the ambient temperature measured leakage time constant, {tau}{sub RT}, is related to the leakage at cryogenic temperature, R{sub C}, by R{sub C}= 0.23{rho}{sub DT}V{sub sh}/ {tau}{sub RT} where {rho}{sub DT} is the density of cryogenic DT vapor, and V{sub sh} is the internal volume of the shell. We then calculate the size of voids that may result from leakage at the Be/DT interface, depending upon the number of leakage sites and {tau}{sub RT}. Even for the slowest leakers the potential void growth is excessive. Reasons that voids have not been seen in DT layering experiments to date include the lack of a technique to see isolated micronish bubbles, however possible mechanisms preventing void formation are also discussed.
Choline Acetyltransferase-Expressing T cells are rare in young mice (122.7)

Neural circuits regulate cytokine production to prevent potentially damaging inflammation. A prototypical vagus nerve circuit, the inflammatory reflex, inhibits tumor necrosis factor production in spleen by a mechanism requiring acetylcholine signaling through the α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor on macrophages. Nerve fibers in spleen lack the machinery necessary for acetylcholine production. Instead, an acetylcholine-producing, memory phenotype T cell relays the neural signal. These choline acetyltransferase+ (ChAT+) T cells are required for inhibition of cytokine production by vagus nerve stimulation. Thus, action potentials originating in the vagus nerve regulate T cells, which in turn produce the acetylcholine required to control innate immune responses. The understanding of the phenotype of ChAT+ T cells is incomplete. Using flow cytometry, we detected TCRβ+ but no TCRγδ+ ChAT+ T cells. Since acetylcholine-producing T cells are memory cells, we hypothesized that this relay function is acquired, and investigated the splenic ChAT+ T cell population early in life. Indeed, splenic ChAT+ T cells were rare in 2 to 25 days old mice (2%±0.3 of ChAT+ cells) while B cells constituted the majority of the ChAT+ splenocytes (86±5%). In contrast, frequencies of ChAT+ T cells varied considerably in adults and could constitute 1/4 of the ChAT+ population. The infrequency of ChAT+ T cells early in life suggests that the inflammatory reflex may be impaired in young mice.
On sweatshop jobs and decent work

Abstract This paper argues that while rooting out sweatshop conditions raises unemployment, the potential gains include an increase in decent work employment, a pro-worker shift in distribution, and an improvement in overall efficiency. In a search model of employment inspired by firm- and household-level evidence about the harm that sweatshop conditions pose to workers' capability to be productive at work and to be vertically mobile, this paper unpacks the irony of job losses and efficiency gains by examining equilibria where, unless regulations are in place, employers tolerate unproductive sweatshop conditions, and where workers accept insufficiently compensating sweatshop wages.
The human iliotibial band is specialized for elastic energy storage compared with the chimp fascia lata

This study examines whether the human iliotibial band (ITB) is specialized for elastic energy storage relative to the chimpanzee fascia lata (FL). To quantify the energy storage potential of these structures, we created computer models of human and chimpanzee lower limbs based on detailed anatomical dissections. We characterized the geometry and force-length properties of the FL, tensor fascia lata (TFL) and gluteus maximus (GMax) in four chimpanzee cadavers based on measurements of muscle architecture and moment arms about the hip and knee. We used the chimp model to estimate the forces and corresponding strains in the chimp FL during bipedal walking, and compared these data with analogous estimates from a model of the human ITB, accounting for differences in body mass and lower extremity posture. We estimate that the human ITB stores 15- to 20-times more elastic energy per unit body mass and stride than the chimp FL during bipedal walking. Because chimps walk with persistent hip flexion, the TFL and portions of GMax that insert on the FL undergo smaller excursions (origin to insertion) than muscles that insert on the human ITB. Also, because a smaller fraction of GMax inserts on the chimp FL than on the human ITB, and thus its mass-normalized physiological cross-sectional area is about three times less in chimps, the chimp FL probably transmits smaller muscle forces. These data provide new evidence that the human ITB is anatomically derived compared with the chimp FL and potentially contributes to locomotor economy during bipedal locomotion.
Dielectric, Conducting, and Photonic Polymers for Devices in Multichip Packaging

Polymeric materials have traditionally enjoyed widespread use in the electronics industry. Recent advances in the identification and synthesis of polymers with unusual electrical and optical properties have opened new opportunities for technological applications. Some of these novel properties are summarized in this paper with an emphasis on how these properties may be usefully exploited in the area of multichip packaging.
Distributional Tests for Regression Discontinuity: Theory and Empirical Examples

Abstract This paper proposes consistent testing methods for examining the effect of a policy treatment on the whole distribution of a response outcome within the setting of a regression discontinuity design. These methods are particularly useful when a policy is expected to produce treatment effects that are heterogeneous along some unobserved characteristics. The test statistics are Kolmogorov-Smirnov-type and are asymptotically distribution free when the data are i.i.d. The proposed tests are applied to three seminal RD studies (Pop-Eleches & Urquiola, 2013; Abdulkadiroglu, Angrist, & Pathak, 2014; and Battistin et al., 2009).
Comparison of scores on the revised Stanford-Binet (L), Columbia Mental Maturity Scale (CMMS) and Goodenough Draw-A-Man Test of children with neurological disorders.

IQs from three intelligence tests, individually administered to 15 neurologically impaired children, were analyzed for differences between tests requiring speech and non-verbal examinations. All correlations were significantly different from zero, but the Binet gave IQs unlike those from the CMMS and the DAMT. The CMMS and the DAMT yielded similar IQ estimates, suggesting that non-verbal tests of intelligence are more helpful in the examination of children with neurological disorders.
Study on radiation induced performance degradation of BLDC motor in robot servo systems

Humanoid robots have great potential in applications in organically dangerous environments, for example, in the radiation environments. However, the radiation damage on robot components except for electronic circuits has not been well studied. Our study in this paper is the first on the radiation induced performance degradation of the brushless DC (BLDC) motor in the robot servo systems. Based on the fact that radiation causes NdFeB magnet demagnetisation, we analyse how this demagnetisation would affect the BLDC motor performance by establishing a model introducing the demagnetisation factor into the electromagnetic model of the BLDC motor, and simulated the motor operation under open loop PWM control in MATLAB. The result shows that the radiation demagnetised BLDC motor will decrease in power, lose controllability, and even quit working by a 'magnetic-trap' jerking effect.
The Current Situation of Conservation and Exploitation of Ancient Cultural Complex in Hubu Hill

This paper is mainly on the analysis of current situation of conservation and exploitation of ancient cultural sites in Hubu Hill of Xuzhou.The major problems are the building density and the loopholes in city management,which reflect that the historical block conservation is by no means a simple sense of protection,it also needs to be brought into the modern life through the improvement of public service facilities,environmental landscape and single building's internal space facilities conditions.The emphasis is put not only on the protection of historical elements and information,but also on the role that it plays in the economic growth.
Industrial Engineer Awareness of Industrial Microwave Power

AbstractA questionnaire was administered to a group of industrial engineers in order to assess their awareness of selected aspects of industrial microwave power. Several awareness aspects are reported in this paper. Recommendations are made concerning the desirability of conducting short courses on the use of industrial microwave power.
Putting ScTGa5 (T = Fe, Co, Ni) on the Map: How Electron Counts and Chemical Pressure Shape the Stability Range of the HoCoGa5 Type

We explore the factors stabilizing one member of the diverse structures encountered in Ln–T–E systems (Ln = lanthanide or similar early d-block element, T = transition metal, E = p-block element): the HoCoGa5 type, an arrangement of atoms associated with unconventional superconductivity. We first probe the boundaries of its stability range through the growth and characterization of ScTGa5 crystals (T = Fe, Co, Ni). After confirming that these compounds adopt the HoCoGa5 type, we analyze their electronic structure using density functional theory (DFT) and DFT-calibrated Huckel calculations. The observed valence electron count range of the HoCoGa5 type is explained in terms of the 18-n rule, with n = 6 for the Ln atoms and n = 2 for the T sites. The role of atomic sizes is investigated with DFT-chemical pressure (DFT-CP) analysis of ScNiGa5, which reveals negative pressures within the Ga sublattice as it stretches to accommodate the Sc and T atoms. This CP scheme is consistent with HoCoGa5-type gallides onl...
What Socialism and Capitalism Are

Introduction The place to begin any systematic discussion of capitalism and socialism is by specifying what we mean by the terms. Each has meant different things to different people, and each of them has considerable baggage—mostly negative. Today, the term “capitalist” is usually meant as a pejorative epithet, carrying with it the connotation that someone is greedy and selfish, uncaring toward others, and probably indifferent (or worse) toward values such as fairness and equality. Similarly, being a “socialist” means allying oneself with unrealistic utopian schemes and failed or dictatorial political experiments. Yet two recent events have thrust both terms back into public discussion: the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States in 2008 and the global economic recession that began around the same time. President Obama’s election has brought with it numerous claims not only that he himself is a (perhaps closet) socialist, but also that his policies, while nominally liberal, are really socialist at heart. Those who claim this do not mean it as a compliment. And the global recession is seen by many as a failure—and thus an indictment—of capitalism, perhaps even its death knell. Both sets of claims, as well as responses and counterclaims, are easy to find. They are often unproductive, however, in part because people mean so many different things by the terms they use. Yet there can be little hope of fruitful discussion, much less unity, if people cannot agree on the definitions of the central terms they use.
Quantification of Nanopore Networks: Application to Amorphous Polymers

We present numerical recipes to quantify the properties of pore networks in nanoporous materials, to be used as a postprocessing tool for Molecular Dynamics. The method we demonstrate allows determination of the total porosity, the porosity accessible to the solvent, the pore size distribution, and both pore network conductivity and tortuosity, by using atom type and coordinates. The pore diameter distribution is obtained from the chord distribution and demonstrated to be more accurate. The tortuosity of pore system is estimated based on Nernst–Einstein equation and does not require diffusion calculation. In the case study we investigate the impact of water adsorption on pore structure of two different amorphous polymers. We find out, quantitatively, that as the polymer absorb water, its porosity and average pore size increase, followed by an increase in conductivity and a decrease in tortuosity, which finds validation in experimental studies.
Law and Equity in a Medieval English Manor Court

Through a close textual reading and contextual analysis of a short series of early fourteenth-century manorial court roll entries, this paper draws larger conclusions about the interplay between law and equity in a medieval English manor court. It follows a narrative thread focused on a single tenement, which was forfeited by a villein in 1317 due to his fugitive status. The forfeiture was described as permanent in the Great Horwood court roll, and the tenement was transferred by the lord to a new tenant immediately. However, over a decade later the villein’s widow successfully claimed dower in the tenement, and shortly thereafter her son succeeded in regaining the family’s possession of the purportedly forfeited land. The paper reveals the presence of competing interests among various members of the Great Horwood community; the selective marshaling of written evidence, manorial custom, and common law rules; and the exercise of equitable discretion in selecting the “rightful” tenant, possibly guided by extra-legal factors, such as the exigencies of famine. The paper also makes a methodological claim, arguing that a combined textual and contextual analysis of fragmentary evidence can reveal insights that might not come to light through other analytical approaches.
School burnout and intimate partner violence: The role of self-control

Abstract The deleterious effects of school burnout (academic-related stress) on academic, physiological, and cognitive outcomes have been previously established. However, school burnout's relationship to emotional and relationship outcomes as well as underlying factors contributing to their potential relationship are less understood. Therefore, three studies were conducted to fill this gap by examining the relationship between school burnout, self-control, emotional dysregulation, and intimate partner violence. In emerging adult samples, results demonstrate that school burnout is positively associated with emotional dysregulation, independent of anxiety and depression (Study 1), and that self-control moderates this relationship (Study 2) as well as the relationship between school burnout and intimate partner violence perpetration and victimization (Study 3). Specifically, the relationship between school burnout and emotional dysregulation (Study 2), as well as with both victimization and perpetration (Study 3), are stronger under lower levels of dispositional self-control. Findings from these studies identify school burnout as an important phenomenon of inquiry in relation to psychosocial outcomes among emerging adults. More importantly, findings suggest that self-control may serve as a potential point of intervention for ameliorating school burnout's damaging effects. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Evaluating and improving count-based population inference: A case study from 31 years of monitoring Sandhill Cranes

ABSTRACT Monitoring animal populations can be difficult. Limited resources often force monitoring programs to rely on unadjusted or smoothed counts as an index of abundance. Smoothing counts is commonly done using a moving-average estimator to dampen sampling variation. These indices are commonly used to inform management decisions, although their reliability is often unknown. We outline a process to evaluate the biological plausibility of annual changes in population counts and indices from a typical monitoring scenario and compare results with a hierarchical Bayesian time series (HBTS) model. We evaluated spring and fall counts, fall indices, and model-based predictions for the Rocky Mountain population (RMP) of Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) by integrating juvenile recruitment, harvest, and survival into a stochastic stage-based population model. We used simulation to evaluate population indices from the HBTS model and the commonly used 3-yr moving average estimator. We found counts of the RMP t...
Adverse Effect of Post-Discharge Care Fragmentation on Outcomes after Readmissions after Liver Transplantation

Background Post-discharge surgical care fragmentation is defined as readmission to any hospital other than the hospital at which surgery was performed. The objective of this study was to assess the impact of fragmented readmissions within the first year after orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Study Design The Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases for Florida and California from 2006 to 2011 were used to identify OLT patients. Post-discharge fragmentation was defined as any readmission to a non-index hospital, including readmitted patients transferred to the index hospital after 24 hours. Outcomes included adverse events, defined as 30-day mortality and 30-day readmission after a fragmented readmission. All statistical analyses considered a hierarchical data structure and were performed with multilevel, mixed-effects models. Results We analyzed 2,996 patients with 7,485 readmission encounters at 299 hospitals; 1,236 (16.5%) readmissions were fragmented. After adjustment for age, sex, readmission reason, index liver transplantation cost, readmission length of stay, number of previous readmissions, and time from transplantation, post-discharge fragmentation increased the odds of both 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] = 1.75; 95% CI 1.16 to 2.65) and 30-day readmission (OR = 2.14; 95% CI 1.83 to 2.49). Predictors of adverse events after a fragmented readmission included increased number of previous readmissions (OR = 1.07; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.14) and readmission within 90 days of OLT (OR = 2.19; 95% CI 1.61 to 2.98). Conclusions Post-discharge fragmentation significantly increases the risk of both 30-day mortality and subsequent readmission after a readmission in the first year after OLT. More inpatient visits before a readmission and less time elapsed from index surgery increase the odds of an adverse event after discharge from a fragmented readmission. These parameters could guide transfer decisions for patients with post-discharge fragmentation.