cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Deep venous thrombosis in gynecological oncology: incidence and clinical symptoms study.

Abstract Objective Cancer patients have increased risks of leg deep venous thrombosis (DVT). We studied the incidence, risk factors and most predictive symptoms of leg DVT in gynecologic oncology patients. Study designs Gynecologic oncology patients with any leg DVT symptoms were recruited and screened using Doppler sonogram. All hospitalized surgery and non-ambulating patients received thigh-high sequential compression devices (SCDs) without heparin as a prophylactic method against thrombosis. Statistical analysis was done using chi-square or Fisher's exact tests. Results Out of 1974 patients, 134 complained of lower limb symptoms. Doppler studies found 38 patients with leg DVT. Incidence of leg DVT was 36/853 (4.2%) in patients with cancer and 2/1121 (0.2%) in patients without cancer (odds ratio 2.8 with a diagnosis of cancer). Leg edema, erythema, fever, and warm leg were significant symptoms in diagnosing leg DVT ( p Conclusions Clinical exam is less accurate than Doppler sonogram in diagnosing leg DVT. The incidence of leg DVT using SCD seems to be comparable with other studies. Finally, the cost of identifying leg DVT seems reasonable.
Improved Minimum Cost and Maximum Power Two Stage Genome-Wide Association Study Designs

In a two stage genome-wide association study (2S-GWAS), a sample of cases and controls is allocated into two groups, and genetic markers are analyzed sequentially with respect to these groups. For such studies, experimental design considerations have primarily focused on minimizing study cost as a function of the allocation of cases and controls to stages, subject to a constraint on the power to detect an associated marker. However, most treatments of this problem implicitly restrict the set of feasible designs to only those that allocate the same proportions of cases and controls to each stage. In this paper, we demonstrate that removing this restriction can improve the cost advantages demonstrated by previous 2S-GWAS designs by up to 40%. Additionally, we consider designs that maximize study power with respect to a cost constraint, and show that recalculated power maximizing designs can recover a substantial amount of the planned study power that might otherwise be lost if study funding is reduced. We provide open source software for calculating cost minimizing or power maximizing 2S-GWAS designs.
Isolation and characterization of channel catfish natural resistance associated macrophage protein gene.

Abstract Natural resistance associated macrophage protein 1 (Nramp1) affects the ability of macrophages to kill pathogens. We cloned Nramp cDNA of channel catfish to identify potential molecular markers for disease resistance. Three different Nramp transcripts were identified: NrampCa-2912 nucleotides (nt), NrampCb-3245 nt, and NrampCc-3721 nt. At the 5′ end, the transcripts have a common 2263 nt sequence containing the open reading frame. The differences are in the 3′ untranslated region resulting from alternative splicing and polyadenylation. NrampCc is the predominant form expressed. The deduced 550 amino acid sequence of the channel catfish Nramp (NrampC) has high homology to Nramp from other vertebrates and a predicted conserved structure. The NrampC contains the 12 transmembrane domains, and the consensus transport motif. Post-transcriptional processing is also conserved. Phylogenetic analysis grouped NrampC with other fish Nramps and closer to Nramp2 than to Nramp1 of mammals. However, the catfish transcript does not contain an iron-responsive regulatory-protein binding site, a characteristic of Nramp2, and, like Nramp1, NrampC expression is induced in macrophage-rich tissues after exposure to lipopolysaccharide and in a macrophage cell line when stimulated. Thus NrampC is structurally closer to mammalian Nramp2 but may function similar to Nramp1.
Potential predictors for the amount of intra-operative brain shift during deep brain stimulation surgery

A number of groups have reported on the occurrence of intra-operative brain shift during deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. This has a number of implications for the procedure including an increased chance of intra-cranial bleeding and complications due to the need for more exploratory electrodes to account for the brain shift. It has been reported that the amount of pneumocephalus or air invasion into the cranial cavity due to the opening of the dura correlates with intraoperative brain shift. Therefore, pre-operatively predicting the amount of pneumocephalus expected during surgery is of interest toward accounting for brain shift. In this study, we used 64 DBS patients who received bilateral electrode implantations and had a post-operative CT scan acquired immediately after surgery (CT-PI). For each patient, the volumes of the pneumocephalus, left ventricle, right ventricle, third ventricle, white matter, grey matter, and cerebral spinal fluid were calculated. The pneumocephalus was calculated from the CT-PI utilizing a region growing technique that was initialized with an atlas-based image registration method. A multi-atlas-based image segmentation method was used to segment out the ventricles of each patient. The Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) software package was utilized to calculate the volumes of the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF), white matter and grey matter. The volume of individual structures had a moderate correlation with pneumocephalus. Utilizing a multi-linear regression between the volume of the pneumocephalus and the statistically relevant individual structures a Pearson's coefficient of r = 0.4123 (p = 0.0103) was found. This study shows preliminary results that could be used to develop a method to predict the amount of pneumocephalus ahead of the surgery.
Evaluating the impact of adding energy storage on the performance of a hybrid power system

Abstract Hybrid power systems have the capability to incorporate significant renewable energy penetration for a small autonomous system while still maintaining reliable grid stability. While there are many papers covering the optimization of component size and dispatch strategy, far fewer papers contain experimental performance data from hybrid systems. Mercy Hospital in Bo, Sierra Leone is converting their power system into a photovoltaic (PV)–diesel hybrid system, thus providing an opportunity to examine the change in system performance before, during, and after the conversion. Due to the seasonal availability of electric power in Sierra Leone, two datasets representing two distinct load profiles are analyzed: Wet Season and Dry Season. The difference in generation efficiency, cost per kW h, generator runtime, and fuel consumption are calculated between a diesel-only generation baseline and the recorded hybrid system performance. The results indicated that the hybrid system significantly reduces operation costs; approximately 37% less during Dry Season and 64% reduction in the Wet Season than a diesel-only generator serving the same load.
Optimization of conventional ellipsometric setups for determining the dielectric tensor of arbitrarily anisotropic systems

We present a general theoretical development to optimize the setup of a conventional ellipsometer to determine dielectric tensors of arbitrarily anisotropic systems. Typical conventional ellipsometers permit changing several variables: angle of incidence, azimuth angle of the sample, and the azimuth angles of the polarizer, compensator, or analyzer. We illustrate the optimization with two examples, one using a rotating analyzer ellipsometer where we show that our theory requires changing at least one less variable than required by the Jones matrix approach. In the second example, a new ellipsometric approach is proposed to determine the dielectric tensors and film thicknesses of an arbitrarily anisotropic system. With this approach, only the sample is rotated and all other parts are fixed. Numerical calculations were performed to simulate several common multi-layer structures. Potential applications for in situ quality monitoring of MBE growth or of space growth are also discussed.
Thermospheric composition changes seen during a geomagnetic storm

The largest magnitude winds observed using the instruments on board the Dynamics Explorer 2 (DE-2) satellite were measured during the large geomagnetic storm that occurred on November 24, 1982. Neutral temperatures exceeded 2000 K during this storm, and these high temperatures, combined with the very large observed winds and the very full instrumental coverage available in both hemispheres, make it a unique event to study. This paper presents results obtained using these DE-2 data and a time dependent simulation of the event made using the NCAR Thermosphere/Ionosphere General Circulation Model (NCAR-TIGCM). In general, the agreement between model calculations and the data is very good, implying that most of the important physical processes controlling the energetics and dynamics of the thermosphere are reasonably well represented in the model. The modeled summer hemisphere changes in the mass mixing ratio of N2 (Psi(N2)) are in very good agreement with the averaged data in both hemispheres. This paper describes model-experiment comparisons for the November 24, 1982 geomagnetic storm changes.
Structure of the HopA1(21-102)-ShcA Chaperone-Effector Complex of Pseudomonas syringae Reveals Conservation of a Virulence Factor Binding Motif from Animal to Plant Pathogens

Pseudomonas syringae injects numerous bacterial proteins into host plant cells through a type 3 secretion system (T3SS). One of the first such bacterial effectors discovered, HopA1, is a protein that has unknown functions in the host cell but possesses close homologs that trigger the plant hypersensitive response in resistant strains. Like the virulence factors in many bacterial pathogens of animals, HopA1 depends upon a cognate chaperone in order to be effectively translocated by the P. syringae T3SS. Herein, we report the crystal structure of a complex of HopA1(21-102) with its chaperone, ShcA, determined to 1.56-A resolution. The structure reveals that three key features of the chaperone-effector interactions found in animal pathogens are preserved in the Gram-negative pathogens of plants, namely, (i) the interaction of the chaperone with a nonglobular polypeptide of the effector, (ii) an interaction centered on the so-called β-motif, and (iii) the presence of a conserved hydrophobic patch in the chaperone that recognizes the β-motif. Structure-based mutagenesis and biochemical studies have established that the β-motif is critical for the stability of this complex. Overall, these results show that the β-motif interactions are broadly conserved in bacterial pathogens utilizing T3SSs, spanning an interkingdom host range.
Quantitative analysis of PEG-functionalized colloidal gold nanoparticles using charged aerosol detection.

Surface characteristics of a nanoparticle, such as functionalization with polyethylene glycol (PEG), are critical to understand and achieve optimal biocompatibility. Routine physicochemical characterization such as UV-vis spectroscopy (for gold nanoparticles), dynamic light scattering, and zeta potential are commonly used to assess the presence of PEG. However, these techniques are merely qualitative and are not sensitive enough to distinguish differences in PEG quantity, density, or presentation. As an alternative, two methods are described here which allow for quantitative measurement of PEG on PEGylated gold nanoparticles. The first, a displacement method, utilizes dithiothreitol to displace PEG from the gold surface. The dithiothreitol-coated gold nanoparticles are separated from the mixture via centrifugation, and the excess dithiothreitol and dissociated PEG are separated through reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The second, a dissolution method, utilizes potassium cyanide to dissolve the gold nanoparticles and liberate PEG. Excess CN−, Au(CN)2 −, and free PEG are separated using RP-HPLC. In both techniques, the free PEG can be quantified against a standard curve using charged aerosol detection. The displacement and dissolution methods are validated here using 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20-kDa PEGylated 30-nm colloidal gold nanoparticles. Further value in these techniques is demonstrated not only by quantitating the total PEG fraction but also by being able to be adapted to quantitate the free unbound PEG and the bound PEG fractions. This is an important distinction, as differences in the bound and unbound PEG fractions can affect biocompatibility, which would not be detected in techniques that only quantitate the total PEG fraction.
A Comparison of KABCO and AIS Injury Severity Metrics Using CODES Linked Data

Objective: The research objective is to compare the consistency of distributions between crash assigned (KABCO) and hospital assigned (Abbreviated Injury Scale, AIS) injury severity scoring systems for 2 states. The hypothesis is that AIS scores will be more consistent between the 2 studied states (Maryland and Utah) than KABCO.Methods: The analysis involved Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) data from 2 states, Maryland and Utah, for years 2006–2008. Crash report and hospital inpatient data were linked probabilistically and International Classification of Diseases (CMS 2013) codes from hospital records were translated into AIS codes. KABCO scores from police crash reports were compared to those AIS scores within and between the 2 study states.Results: Maryland appears to have the more severe crash report KABCO scoring for injured crash participants, with close to 50 percent of all injured persons being coded as a level B or worse, and Utah observes approximately 40 percent in this group. When a...
A nonstandard model

An elementary-particle picture developed primarily by Barut as an alternative to the standard model is re-examined. This model is formulated on the basis of strong short-range magnetic interactions among the stable particles (p, e−, v) and at present is able to account qualitatively for most of the known phenomena.
Geometric effects of scattering in microstructures

Abstract Transfer Matrix techniques are used to study elastic scattering by point defects embedded in quasi-one-dimensional microstructures. This makes possible an exact analysis of phenomena that arise from breaking of transverse translation invariance. The dependence of transmission probability on scatterer position is studied for parallel transport in quantum wells and for perpendicular transport across single and double barrier structures. It is found that in laterally confined structures, delta-function and other extremely sharp models of a single defect lead to sharp resonances when such defects are well isolated. Such features are associated with multiple reflections between the lateral confining potential and the defect potential. In single-barrier structures with a single nearby defect, an approximate scaling behavior is found that relates transmission for defects at different distances to that at a fixed distance with different energy scales. In double-barrier resonant tunneling diodes (DBRTDs), the position of the transmission peak is affected primarily by defects within the quantum well region. The height of the transmission peak is very sensitive to the positions of defects within that region, acting essentially as a probe of the resonance wave function. Defects in front of a DBRTD also affect the valley current by modifying the longitudinal component of the incident momentum.
The constraint analysis of mechanisms

Abstract A general method for the determination of the mobility of any rigid body mechanism is derived using Ball's theory of the instantaneous screw axis. The classical mobility equations are related to this method and their limitations are elucidated. A relationship between the reciprocal screw systems of the joints of a mechanism and the number of accurate operations required in the manufacture of a machine based on that mechanism is described.
132-m tunnel kiln fires firebrick

The results of developing a tunnel kiln 132 m long with mazut (oil) heating for firing chamotte products at the Bogdanovich Refractories Plant confirmed the validity of technically equipping a kiln and the ratios that were selected for the various zones.
State of the Field: Women in China's Long Twentieth Century

The study of women in twentieth-century China has expanded so quickly in the past two decades that a state-of-the-field survey becomes outdated in the time that it takes to assemble and write one. This burgeoning area of inquiry draws its inspiration and approaches from many sources outside "the China field," a realm no longer hermetically sealed within exclusive logics of sinology or area studies. Research about Chinese women has been enriched by the growth of women's studies abroad and in China; by debates about gender as a category of analysis and its uneasy relationship to sex and sexuality; by conversations inside established scholarly disciplines about gender's entanglement with politics, migration, nation building, and modernity; by discussions across the disciplines about agency, resistance, subjectivity, and voice; and by several waves of refigured Marxism in the wake of feminist activity, the demise of socialism, and the development of postcolonial scholarship. During the same period, available sources and opportunities for research and fieldwork in China have expanded for both Chinese scholars and foreigners, giving rise to scholarly conversations that sometimes intersect and sometimes trace utterly separate trajectories. To complicate a state-of-the-field project even further, writing about women routinely crosses disciplinary boundaries. For China the disciplines that investigate "women" shift with the period of time under investigation as well as with changing disciplinary norms. History, for instance, used to stop at the edge of the People's
DEFICIT OF SPECIFIC THYMUS-DEPENDENT LYMPHOCYTES IN TRANSPLANTATION TOLERANCE IN THE RAT

Recovery from adoptively terminated transplantation tolerance was studied by utilizing formerly tolerant rats as donors of lymphocytes in local renal graft-vs.-host reactions (GVHR). The origin of the proliferating lymphocytes in the GVHR was studied by means of sex chromosome markers. A deficit of specifically reactive lymphocytes, while tolerance was in effect, was revealed by the continuing absence of autochthonous specifically reactive cells after tolerance was abolished in adult thymectomized chimeras. The findings are consistent with Burnet's hypothesis of the cellular basis of tolerance, but apply only to the T lymphocytes of donor origin which normally proliferate in these GVHR.
Weight-Related Health Behaviors and Body Mass: Associations between Young Adults and Their Parents, Moderated by Parental Authority.

Abstract Background: Parents' behaviors could contribute to the development of their children's weight-related health behaviors. Purpose: Relationships of young adults' (N = 151) and their parents' weight-related behaviors were examined along with parental authority styles. Methods: Questionnaires were completed by young adults and their parents. Comparisons of BMI, energy consumption, and energy expenditure were conducted with correlation analyses and paired-samples t-tests. Multiple regression analyses were used to further explore the influence of parental authority. Results: Parents' weight statuses and dietary behaviors were positively associated with those of their young adult children (P < .001 for both). When controlling for gender, at high levels of authoritarian and permissive parental practices, young adults tended to have weight statuses that were inversely related to those of their parents (P < .001 for both); at high levels of authoritarian parenting, young adults also tended to follow dietar...
PRESUPPOSITION IN BINARY AND FUZZY LOGICS

We introduce a four‐valued logic that includes, in addition to true and false, the values unknown and non‐existent. We introduce the idea of presupposition in fuzzy logic and then use this to relate this four valued logic to the binary logic.
Valacyclovir and topical clobetasol gel for the episodic treatment of herpes labialis: a patient-initiated, double-blind, placebo-controlled pilot trial.

Background Treatment of herpes simplex labialis (HSL) has been associated with modest benefits. This difficulty results from the rapid resolution of the disease accomplished by the immune system, which narrows the window of therapeutic opportunity. The immune response is also responsible for important clinical manifestations, including oedema and pain. The dual role of immune responses (protection, pathology) is well recognized in other infectious diseases. The addition of corticosteroids to antimicrobial agents has been associated with improvement in some of these diseases. Objective We evaluated the combination of oral valacyclovir plus topical clobetasol compared to placebo for recurrent HSL. Methods Eighty-one subjects were screened, randomized, and dispensed medication (valacyclovir 2 g orally twice daily φορ 1 day and clobetasol gel 0.05% twice daily for 3 days). Forty-two patients developed a recurrence and initiated treatment. Results There were more aborted lesions in the valacyclovir–clobetasol arm compared to placebo–placebo (50% vs.15.8%, P = 0.04). Combination therapy reduced the mean maximum lesion size (9.7 vs. 54 mm2, P = 0.002) and the mean healing time of classical lesions (5.8 vs. 9.3 days, P = 0.002). We created a composite statistic, area-under-the-curve (AUC) of classical lesion size versus time. There was a reduction in the AUC in the combination arm compared with placebo (23 vs. 193 mm2, P < 0.001). Adverse events were minimal. Secondary and post-treatment recurrences were not increased by combination therapy. Conclusions This pilot study supports the addition of topical corticosteroids to an oral antiviral agent for the treatment of HSL. Larger studies need to confirm the safety and efficacy of this approach. Conflicts of interest Dr Hull has served as a consultant for GlaxoSmithKline
Computing needs time

The passage of time is essential to ensuring the repeatability and predictability of software and networks in cyber-physical systems.
M-shell ionization of rare earth elements by proton impact in the energy range 0.6–4.6 MeV

M-shell X-ray production cross sections of the rare-earth elements 57La, 60Nd, 62Sm, 63Eu, 64Gd, 66Dy, 67Ho, 66Dy, 67Ho, 68Er, 70Yb, 71Lu, and 72Hf were measured for proton bombardment in the energy range 0.6–4.6 MeV. The efficiency of the windowless Si(Li) detector for X-rays in the energy range 0.5–5.0 keV was determined by using the known atomic-field bremsstrahlung cross sections for low energy electron beams, K-shell X-ray measurements with protons, and calibrated radioactive sources. The measured X-ray production cross sections are compared to the predictions of the first Born approximation and the ECPSSR theories.
The National Aerial Photographic Data Base and Its Use in Education.

Abstract An important landmark event in the history of aerial photography in the United States occurred in the 1980s. The entire conterminous 48 state area was photographed for the first time at two uniform scales and in two emulsions. A second cycle of coverage of the same area was begun in 1987 and will be completed in 1992. These photographs are a valuable resource in all fields of geography because they are linked to the U.S. Geological Survey 7.5-minute series of quadrangles. They also will display all parts of the conterminous U.S. at two recent periods of time, thereby facilitating change detection analysis studies. Color infrared and black-and-white prints on paper are available and will be useful for stereoscopic examination as well as standard measurements and interpretation. The use of diapositives and color transparencies in readily available projection devices is described and a classroom example of their use is portrayed. Sources for these photographs and ordering procedures are indicated.
Small-tunneling-amplitude boson-Hubbard dimer: Stationary states

Analytical expressions for the energy eigenstates of the boson-Hubbard (or quantum discrete-nonlinear Schr\"odinger) dimer are obtained by applying perturbation theory in the small-tunneling-amplitude limit. The results are relevant for a Bose-Einstein condensate trapped in a double-well potential. A detailed comparison with the numerical solutions arising from the direct diagonalization of the Hamiltonian (for even or odd numbers of bosons) is presented, and the limits of validity of the perturbative results are determined. For fixed values of the tunneling amplitude, the accuracy of the perturbative calculation varies with the total number of bosons in different ways, depending on the particular energy level. Results for the fluctuations of the boson-number difference in each eigenstate are also presented.
Supplementation with 1000 IU vitamin D/d leads to parathyroid hormone suppression, but not increased fractional calcium absorption, in 4–8-y-old children: a double-blind randomized controlled trial

Background: The effects of vitamin D supplementation in healthy prepubertal children on physiologic outcomes have not been investigated. Objective: The objective was to evaluate the effects of supplementation with 1000 IU vitamin D3/d on calcium absorption. Design: In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, we randomly assigned 64 children to 1000 IU vitamin D3/d (n = 32) or placebo (n = 32) for 8 wk. Stable isotopes were used to assess calcium absorption. The main outcome measure was calcium absorption before and after supplementation. Results: All of the data are shown as means 6 SDs. At baseline, vitamin D intake was 221 6 79 IU/d and calcium intake was 830 6 197 mg/d. Baseline serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] was not significantly correlated with fractional or total calcium absorption. After 8 wk, with baseline values used as a covariate, no differences were seen in fractional or total calcium absorption based on supplementation group (P = 0.75 and 0.36, respectively). Supplemented children had a significant increase in 25(OH)D concentrations (from 27.7 6 7.4 to 36.0 6 10.3 ng/mL; P , 0.0001) and a decrease in parathyroid hormone (from 21.4 6 10.4 to 12.9 6 7.1 pg/mL; P , 0.001); no significant changes in the placebo group were observed. No adverse side effects were noted in either group. Conclusions: Vitamin D3 supplementation at 1000 IU/d increases 25(OH)D and decreases parathyroid hormone in children with average vitamin D intakes below the dietary recommendations of the Institute of Medicine. However, no significant effects of this change on calcium absorption occurred. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT 00868738. Am J Clin Nutr 2013;97:
Percolation based synthesis

A new approach called Percolation Based Synthesis for the scheduling phase of High Level Synthesis (HLS) is presented. We discuss some new techniques (which are implemented in our tools) for compaction of flow graphs beyond basic blocks limits, which can produce order of magnitude speed ups versus serial execution. Our algorithm applies to programs with conditional jumps, loops and multicycle pipelined operations. In order to schedule under resource constraints we start by first finding the optimal schedule (without constraints) and then add heuristics to map the optimal schedule onto the given system. We argue that starting from an optimal schedule is one of the most important factors in scheduling because it offers the user flexibility to tune the heuristics and gives him a good bound for the resource constrained schedule. This scheduling algorithm is integrated with synthesis tool which uses VHDL as input description and produces a structural netlist of generic register-transfer components and a unit based control table as output. We show that our algorithm obtains better results than previously published algorithms.
Assessing improvement area policy

The Inner Cities Directorate of the DoE have commissioned a number of studies to examine and evaluate the impact of economic and environmental measures adopted under the Urban Programme. This paper examines one such study, namely an evaluation of designated Industrial and Commercial Improvement Areas. It comments on the criteria of assessment adopted, the methodology used and the conclusions drawn from the evaluation. The study in question is An Evaluation of Industrial and Commercial Improvement Areas, by the Joint Unit for Research on the Urban Environment (JURUE), published in 1984.
An Inexpensive High-Precision Constant-Current System with Metering Electronics

A precision constant-current supply designed to deliver up to 600 mA at 18 V dc is described. Short-term stability (<8 h) is within ±0.002 percent of range. Long-term stability (72 h) is ±0.01 percent of range. The system is discussed in relation to its application for the control of magnetic environments using a three-axis Helmholtz coil configuration.
A RELATION, OH BLISS! UNTO OTHERS

Studying Arthur Hugh Clough's 1848 poem The Bothie of Toper-Na-Fuosich and its approach to metrical and sexual forms, in this essay I examine the ways in which heterosexuality operates as an experiment in form intimately connected with the poem's experiment in English hexameter. Both Clough's hero, Philip Hewson, and his meter strike poses of passion and disruption, but both ultimately seek out and create architectural forms that "order" and orchestrate their "liberties." In the Þrst section I present a reading of The Bothie's heterosexual and political narrative, describing the trajectory of the poem's hero through an interconnected series of lovers and philosophical arguments. In the second section I address the synergy between the poem's sexual and metrical allegories, drawing connections between the poem's methods of thematizing both metrical turbulence and heterosexual passion. Finally, I explore how The Bothie brings these two allegories together, demonstrating that Clough's meter enacts an "ordered liberty" and a structure of "relation unto others" that is integral to the poem's ultimate image of passionate but socially responsible union: the new bridge dreamed of by Philip's Þnal lover.
An \FKG equality" with applications to random environments

We consider a sequence of independent random variables, X1;X2;X3;:::;taking values in f1;2;:::;mg. We introduce a -algebra of \nonpivotal" events and prove the following 0{1 Law: P(A)=0 or 1 if and only if A is nonpivotal. All tail events are nonpivotal. The proof is based on an \FKG equality" which provides exact error terms to the FKG inequality. We give some applications for independent random variables in a random environment in the sense that the probabilities of particular outcomes are random. c 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved MSC: 60F20; 60G50
Thermal-Runaway Approximation for Ignition Times of Branched-Chain Explosions

An asymptotic analysis for high activation energy of the branching step is developed for predicting ignition times of branched-chain explosions on the basis of a criterion of thermal runaway in homogeneous, isobaric, adiabatic systems. The chemistry includes an initiation step, a branching step, and a recombination step and leads to a nonlinear second-order ordinary differential equation for the temperature as a function of time under adiabatic conditions. One or both of the branching and recombination steps must be exothermic, whereas the initiation step can be endothermic or exothermic. A two-term expansion is derived in a small parameter representing the ratio of the initiation rate to the branching rate, yielding explicit expressions for the ignition time. At leading order, the ignition time is found to be inversely proportional to the net branching rate, the proportionality constant being the logarithm of the ratio of the branching rate to the initiation rate multiplied by energetic and rate parameters associated with branching and recombination. Resulting ignition times are shown to correspond closely with those calculated by numerical integration of the full equations on the basis of a temperature-inflection criterion, except near crossover, where the branching rate equals the recombination rate. Application of the theory to fuel-rich hydrogen‐oxygen systems demonstrates good agreement.
Acceleration of an FPGA router

The authors describe their experience and progress in accelerating an FPGA router. Placement and routing is undoubtedly the most time-consuming process in automatic chip design or configuring programmable logic devices as reconfigurable computing elements. Their goal is to accelerate routing of FPGAs by 10 fold with a combination of processor clusters and hardware acceleration. Coarse-grain parallelism is exploited by having several processors route separate groups of nets in parallel. A hardware accelerator is presented which exploits the fine-grain parallelism in routing individual nets.
Epoxy-based carbon films with high electrical conductivity attached to an alumina substrate

Abstract Carbon-based films (0.8–13 μm thick) with good bonding to the substrate and high processability were produced at 650 °C on an alumina substrate, using SU 2.5 bisphenol-A type novolac epoxy (plus triethyleneteramine curing agent) as the carbon precursor. This precursor gave crack-free and scratch resistant carbon films. Interconnected filamentary nickel nanoparticles were more effective for conductivity enhancement than silver nanoparticles or multiwalled carbon nanotubes at 5 vol.% or below, in spite of the high conductivity of silver and the high aspect ratio of nanotubes. The carbon film with 2.5 vol.% nickel showed resistivity 6 × 10−3 Ω cm.
Association of Mixtures of the Two Major Forms of β-Casein from Human Milk

Abstract Human milk β-casein (CN) is unique in that it may be phosphorylated at any level from zero (β-CN-0P) to five (β-CN-5P) organic phosphates per molecule. The 2P and 4P forms are the major components, with about 30 to 35% each. Here, we present the association properties of mixtures of these two moieties of human β-CN. The aggregation patterns, as functions of temperature and ionic strength of these mixtures, generally follow those for the individual components. However, the mixtures yielded polymers with slightly different properties, which indicates extensive interaction between the two. Some properties of the mixtures were more like those for the 2P form, such as association in low salt buffer to give a peak with a sedimentation coefficient, s 20,w , of ≈11 S, in contrast to the 2P form alone with a peak of ≈13 S and 4P alone with only a small amount of material with s 20,w greater than 2 S at 27°C. The solubility and interactions in the presence of Ca 2+ ions were intermediate but more like the 4P form. A protein-concentration dependence for s 20,w was seen, and laser light scattering indicated that there was an increase in size and/or a change in shape as the protein concentration increased. From the results, it is apparent that submicellar oligomers are probably formed by rapidly established equilibrium association reactions. The presence of an equal amount of the 2P form along with the 4P form does not appear to be a disadvantage in casein micelle formation and function.
SensEye: a multi-tier camera sensor network

This paper argues that a camera sensor network containing heterogeneous elements provides numerous benefits over traditional homogeneous sensor networks. We present the design and implementation of senseye---a multi-tier network of heterogeneous wireless nodes and cameras. To demonstrate its benefits, we implement a surveillance application using senseye comprising three tasks: object detection, recognition and tracking. We propose novel mechanisms for low-power low-latency detection, low-latency wakeups, efficient recognition and tracking. Our techniques show that a multi-tier sensor network can reconcile the traditionally conflicting systems goals of latency and energy-efficiency. An experimental evaluation of our prototype shows that, when compared to a single-tier prototype, our multi-tier senseye can achieve an order of magnitude reduction in energy usage while providing comparable surveillance accuracy.
Recurrent Renal Cell Carcinoma with Synchronous Tumor Growth in Azygoesophageal Recess and Duodenum: A Rare Cause of Anemia and Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has potential to present with distant metastasis several years after complete resection. The common sites of metastases include the lungs, bones, liver, renal fossa, and brain. RCCs metastasize rarely to the duodenum, and duodenal metastasis presenting with acute gastrointestinal bleed is infrequently reported in literature. We present a case of synchronous presentation of duodenal and azygoesophageal metastasis manifesting as acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding, four years after undergoing nephrectomy for RCC. The patient underwent further workup and was treated with radiation. The synchronous presentation is rare and stresses the importance of searching for recurrence of RCC in patients presenting with acute gastrointestinal bleeding.
Book Review: Deaf Side Story: Deaf Sharks, Hearing Jets, and a Classic American Musical

Author : Mark Rigney Reviewer: Alex Lubet Publisher : Gallaudet University Press Cost: $19.95 US paperback ISBN: 1-56368-145-5
The Elder Service Partner Program

This article describes an intergenerational service learning program that was originally implemented in 2000 as a result of funding from the Corporation for National Service Intergenerational Servi...
A computational framework for temporal sharpening of stimulus input in the olfactory system

The olfactory bulb glomerulus is a dense amalgamation of many unique and interconnected cell types. The mechanisms by which these neurons transform incoming information from the sensory periphery has been extensively studied but often with conflicting findings. A recent study by Carey et al. (J Neurophysiol 113: 3112-3129, 2015) details the computational framework for parallel modes of temporal refinement of stimulus input to the olfactory system mediated by local neurons within individual glomeruli.
Impact of Corporate Governance Practices on Financial Performance of Microfinance Institutions in India

Corporate Governance practices of MFIs (Microfinance Institutions) across different economies have been known to affect the firm performance. This study explores the practices and key board features (Audit Committees, Independent Directors, International Directors, CEO-Board Chairman duality, Board Size and Director’s Skills) that may have effect on the financial performance of ‘for profit’ MFIs in India. The study identifies Board Size and presence of International Directors to have negative impact on the profitability of MFIs while the Directors’ financial skills are found to have a positive impact on the profitability. No effect of CEO-Board Chairman dual role and audit committees was found on the MFI profitability.
A synthetic chemomechanical machine driven by ligand-receptor bonding.

The ability to create synthetic chemomechanical machines with engineered functionality promises large technological rewards. However, current efforts in molecular chemistry are restrained by the fo...
Exploring Badging for Peer Review, Extended Learning and Evaluation, and Reflective/Critical Feedback within an Online Graduate Course

The use of digital badges for peer-credentialing web-shared work offers the promise of extending classroom learning beyond explicit course objectives and evaluations. This pilot study of peer-award...
Social externalism, self-knowledge, and memory

In [4], I argued that for an externalist, particularly a social externalist, slow-switching should be rather commonplace. Slow-switching (introduced by Burge [3]) occurs when an agent unknowingly moves between linguistic communities and thereby (unknowingly) adopts the linguistic norms of the new community. So, for example, an agent who is unaware of the individuating conditions of 'chicory' (save that it is a bitter leafy green vegetable) will defer to certain members of his linguistic community for those individuating conditions. The agent may, however, come to defer to new individuals, unaware that those new individuals have altogether different individuating conditions for 'chicory'. Paul Boghossian [1] has argued that the possibility of slow-switching can be used to show the incompatibility of externalism and selfknowledge. For example, it appears possible for an agent S to know his thoughts at time t, forget nothing, yet at some time later than t (having been informed of the possibility or prevalence of slow-switching) be unable to say what the contents of his thoughts were at t. As Boghossian argues,
Angular Distribution of the Al 27 ( d , α ) Mg 25 Reaction and Energy Levels in Mg 25

The energy distribution and angular dependence of the alpha-particle groups from the nuclear reaction ${\mathrm{Al}}^{27}(d,\ensuremath{\alpha}){\mathrm{Mg}}^{25}$ have been investigated. A magnetically analyzed beam of 11.1 Mev deuterons was used. Eleven alpha-particle groups were measured, corresponding to ten excited levels in ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{25}$ at 0.57, 0.96, 1.63, 1.97, 2.74, 3.36, 4.01, 4.81, 5.48, and 5.95 Mev. The ground state $Q$-value for the reaction was found to be 6.58\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03 Mev, giving a value for the mass difference ${\mathrm{Al}}^{27}$-${\mathrm{Mg}}^{25}$ of 1.99626\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.00003 mass units. The intensities of all the groups, with the exception of ${Q}_{2}$, show marked dependence on the angle of measurement. The average spacing of the levels in ${\mathrm{Mg}}^{25}$ is 0.6 Mev, and is nearly constant over the range studied.
Poly-glutamine expanded huntingtin dramatically alters the genome wide binding of HSF1

In Huntington's disease (HD), polyglutamine expansions in the huntingtin (Htt) protein cause subtle changes in cellular functions that, over-time, lead to neurodegeneration and death. Studies have indicated that activation of the heat shock response can reduce many of the effects of mutant Htt in disease models, suggesting that the heat shock response is impaired in the disease. To understand the basis for this impairment, we have used genome-wide chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-Seq) to examine the effects of mutant Htt on the master regulator of the heat shock response, HSF1. We find that, under normal conditions, HSF1 function is highly similar in cells carrying either wild-type or mutant Htt. However, polyQ-expanded Htt severely blunts the HSF1-mediated stress response. Surprisingly, we find that the HSF1 targets most affected upon stress are not directly associated with proteostasis, but with cytoskeletal binding, focal adhesion and GTPase activity. Our data raise the intriguing hypothesis that the accumulated damage from life-long impairment in these stress responses may contribute significantly to the etiology of Huntington's disease.
Rotavirus Vaccines—OK to Mix and Match

* Abbreviations: COID — : Committee on Infectious Diseases CTSA — : Clinical and Translational Science Award RV1 — : Rotarix RV5 — : RotaTeq VTEU — : Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units The US Food and Drug Administration regulates vaccines in the United States and requires vaccine manufacturers to conduct scientifically valid clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of vaccines before they can be licensed. Despite the rigorous testing required for licensure, questions about vaccine administration in clinical settings may persist, particularly when there are multiple products licensed to prevent the same infection. These products can have different components, dosing schedules, and recommendations for administration. In practice, these differences may result in children receiving a mixture of vaccine products, as individuals change providers or providers change their vaccine stocks. Physicians in practice and those who draft guidance for them, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases (COID), are faced with making decisions about the use of these products in “real-world” scenarios that may differ from the clinical trials environment in which these products were studied. The COID frequently evaluates the impact and use of vaccine product combinations to make recommendations, including recent guidelines regarding the use of rotavirus vaccines. … Address correspondence to Carrie L. Byington, MD, FAAP, University of Utah Health Sciences Center, 26 2000 East, HSEB Suite 5515, Salt Lake City, UT 84112. E-mail: carrie.byington{at}hsc.utah.edu
Discussion on Asymmetrical Short-circuit Fault Breaking Test by Circuit-breaker

This paper analyzes the factors influencing asymmetrical short-circuit breaking test by circuit breaker, and introduces the test method of asymmetrical short-circuit fault breaking in accordance with the specified criteria of asymmetrical level and current rate at current zero reflecting TRV as well as duration and amplitude of last current loop reflecting arcing energy.
Determination of lead in high salty food by GFAAS

[Objective]To establish a method for determination of lead in high salty food by GFAAS.[Methods]Palladium chloride-ammonium dihydrogen phosphate mixed matrix was used to improve ashing temperature,the matrix interference for determination of lead in food was eliminated by using mix matrix modifier and the standard addition method.The conditions were compared and optimized,the effect of NaCl,the recovery of method,the precision of method,the detection limit and the results of analyzing standard materials were checked.[Results]The matrix interference by 5% NaCl in sample solutions can be eliminated by this method.The detection limit was 0.024 mg/kg,the precision ranged from 4.5%-5.6%,and the recoveries was between 94.0%-108.0%,the results of analyzing standard material were in the certificate values.[Conclusion]The interference of high salty matrix can be well eliminated by the method which showed good precision and accuracy.
The Holdout: Why Mississippi Should Not Have a Lottery

Strong to its convictions, the Mississippi legislature has not established a state-run lottery. Mississippi is one of the six states that still holds fast to its commitment not to conduct a lottery. The other forty-four states in the United States conduct a lottery, thinking they have “hit the jackpot” to raise money. Most of these states pass the lottery legislation for the purposes of funding education. While education is a worthwhile cause, using education funding as a legitimate reason for passing a lottery is misleading. Mississippi should stand strong and not implement a lottery in the state.
Magnetic Permeability and Eddy-Current Measurements

The calculation of the impedance of a right-cylindrical air-core coil placed next to a flat plate of a uniform polycrystalline metal alloy is a canonical problem in quantitative eddy-current inspection. Cheng [1] and Dodd and Deeds [2] proposed a widely-used solution for a coil next to a semi-infinite half-space of metal, which agrees quantitatively with impedance measurements made for a wide variety of thick but nonmagnetic metal plates. Said plates were assumed to have a uniform and frequency-independent conductivity, σ. The same authors proposed a similar solution for ferromagnetic metals (such as iron, steel and nickel), characterized by both a uniform σ and a nontrivial uniform permeability ¼.