cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Skylab Near-Infrared Observations of Clouds Indicating Supercooled Liquid Water Droplets

Orographically-induced lee-wave clouds were observed over New Mexico by a multichannel scanning radiometer on Skylab during December 1973. Channels centered at 0.83, 1.61 and 2.125 microns were used to determine the cloud optical thickness, thermodynamic phase and effective particle size. An additional channel centered at 11.4 microns was used to determine cloud-top temperature, which was corroborated through comparison with the stereographically determined cloud top altitudes and conventional temperature soundings. Analysis of the measured near-infrared reflection functions at 1.61 and 2.125 microns are most easily interpreted as indicating the presence of liquid-phase water droplets. This interpretation is not conclusive even after considerable effort to understand possible sources for misinterpretation. However, if accepted the resulting phase determination is considered anomalous due to the inferred cloud-top temperatures being in the -32 to -47 C range. Theory for the homogeneous nucleation of pure supercooled liquid water droplets predicts very short lifetimes for the liquid phase at these cold temperatures. A possible explanation for the observations is that the wave-clouds are composed of solution droplets. Impurities in the cloud droplets could decrease the homogeneous freezing rate for these droplets, permitting them to exist for a longer time in the liquid phase, at the cold temperatures found.
Coping styles and factors in male/female social integration

As part of a larger research undertaking which explores the overall life-experience of former mental hospital patients living in community-based sheltered-care facilities in California, predictors of resident social involvement - both within the facility and outside in the community at large - were delineated. In our sample of 499 residents, we found that the types of variables indicating higher levels of social integration differed between male and female residents. The predictors that were most significant for men tended to indicate a coping style based upon access to community resources and feasibility of becoming socially involved. Thus, the opportunities made available to men in sheltered-care facilities tended to be taken advantage of provided the residents' psychological handicap was not too debilitating. Predictors of higher levels of social involvement for women residents on the other hand, involved the acceptability of such behavior as appropriate by the community and the facility operator. Women residents thus appeared to be more sensitive to social, rather than environmental contingencies.
Mapping spatial variations of health insurance coverage in the Coastal Bend, Texas

A 2010 Health Needs Assessment for 15 counties of the Coastal Bend in the state of Texas indicates limited access to health care services and health insurance coverage is a main potential barrier to health care for some segments of the Coastal Bend population. The purpose of this paper is to obtain geographical sight of the health insurance coverage. The hypothesis is that the health insurance coverage by racial and ethnic groups would vary spatially. Data came from the local hospital systems and included 145,669 patient visits from 1 September 2007 through 31 August 2009. A series of maps were produced showing financial class categories for both Hispanics and Whites adults by combining the cross-tabulations of patient data and estimated population both at the zip code level. The maps show that the health insurance coverage disparities vary spatially within zip codes in the Coastal Bend. Moreover, Hispanic and White adult patients do not follow the same pattern of spatial distribution.
Rhenium bipyridine complexes for the recognition of glucose.

Bipyridine ligands containing pendant methyl, amino, and amino-boronic acid groups were synthesized. Coordination complexes of these ligands with rhenium were prepared straightforwardly and in good yield. The fluorescence behavior of the Re complexes was studied as a function of pH and exposure to various concentrations of glucose. The methyl bipyridine complex showed no change in fluorescence with pH, the amino derivative showed a rapid decrease from low pH to neutral, and the amino-boronate derivative showed little change from pH 4 to 10. Fluorescence quenching was observed at high pH as expected on the basis of a photoinduced electron transfer (PET) signaling mechanism. This behavior can be explained on the basis of the first oxidation and reduction potentials of these complexes. Glucose testing showed a significant dependence on the solvent system used. In pure methanol, the rhenium boronate complex exhibited a 55% fluorescence intensity increase upon increasing glucose concentration from 0 to 400 mg/...
Light induces programmed cell death by activating multiple independent proteases in a cone photoreceptor cell line.

Purpose Although the apoptotic death of photoreceptor cells in retinal degenerative disorders is well documented, the molecular mechanism is not understood. The objective of this study was to determine the molecular events leading to the death of photoreceptor cells. Methods An assay was developed wherein 661W cells, a cone photoreceptor cell line, were stressed with light and percentage of surviving cells was determined. The degree of cell death was established using the MTT assay. Western blot analysis was used to confirm the activation of multiple proteases. Amounts of retinaldehydes were determined by extraction and HPLC. Results 661W cells were more susceptible to light stress only in the presence of the chromophore 9-cis retinal for 4 hours. On exposure to light, 9-cis retinal was converted to all-trans retinal, which was found to be toxic to cells in the presence of light. However, all-trans retinol, which is the product of action by the enzyme retinol dehydrogenase on all-trans retinal, was not toxic. The sensitivity to light increased with serum deprivation. Light stress activated caspases, calpain 2, and cathepsin D independently and led to the demise of the cell. The mitochondria-dependent apoptotic pathway was also activated after the truncation of Bid, the pre-proapoptotic protein. Truncation of Bid led to the release of cytochrome c from the mitochondria and the activation of caspase 9. Conclusions The activation of multiple proteases by light-induced stress is a relevant finding for studies conducted to investigate the use of pharmaceutical agents to retard or cure the loss of cone photoreceptors observed in age-related macular degeneration and other degenerative retinal diseases.
Alzheimer's disease risk alleles in TREM2 illuminate innate immunity in Alzheimer's disease

Genetic studies have provided the best evidence for cause and effect relationships in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Indeed, the identification of deterministic mutations in the APP, PSEN1 and PSEN2 genes and subsequent preclinical studies linking these mutations to alterations in Aβ production and aggregation have provided pivotal support for the amyloid cascade hypothesis. In addition, genetic, pathologic and biological studies of APOE have also indicated that the genetic risk for AD associated with APOE4 can be attributed, at least in part, to its pro-amyloidogenic effect on Aβ. In recent years a number of SNPs that show unequivocal genome-wide association with AD risk have implicated novel genetic loci as modifiers of AD risk. However, the functional implications of these genetic associations are largely unknown. For almost all of these associations, the functional variants have not been identified. Very recently, two large consortiums demonstrated that rare variants in the triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) gene confer significant risk for AD. TREM2 is a type 1 membrane receptor protein primarily expressed on microglia in the central nervous system that has been shown to regulate phagocytosis and activation of monocytes. Previously it had been shown that homozygous loss of function mutations in TREM2 cause polycystic lipomembranous osteodysplasia with sclerosing leukoencephalopathy (PLOSL, Nasu Hakola disease) and also a pure form of early-onset dementia. The association of TREM2 variants with AD brings innate immune signaling into the light, affirming innate immunity's role as a significant factor in AD pathogenesis.
When Adaptation Is Not an Option: An Application of Multilingual Standard Setting.

As an alternative to adaptation, tests may also be developed simultaneously in multiple languages. Although the items on such tests could vary substantially, scores from these tests may be used to make the same types of decisions about different groups of examinees. The ability to make such decisions is contingent upon setting performance standards for each exam that allow for comparable interpretations of test results. This article describes a standard setting process used for a multilingual high school literacy assessment constructed under these conditions. This methodology was designed to address the specific challenges presented by this testing program including maintaining equivalent expectations for performance across different student populations. The validity evidence collected to support the methodology and results is discussed along with recommendations for future practice.
Student Perceptions Of Peer Credibility Based On Email Addresses

The purpose of this study was to evaluate students’ perceptions of their peer’s credibility based on email addresses. The survey was conducted at a community college in Michigan where all students were registered and actively taking at least one course. The survey results show that a student’s selection of an email address does influence other students’ perception of their credibility. An email address that consists of a nickname reduces the student’s perception of peer credibility.
Evaluation and optimization of package processing and design through solder joint profile prediction

Solder joints are generated using a variety of methods to provide both mechanical and electrical connection for applications such as flip-chip, wafer level packaging, fine pitch, ball-grid array, and chip scale packages. Solder joint shape prediction has been incorporated as a key tool to aid in process development, wafer level and package level design and development, assembly, and reliability enhancement. This work demonstrates the application of an analytical model and the Surface Evolver software in analyzing a variety of solder processing methods and package types. Bump and joint shape prediction was conducted for the design of wafer level bumping, flip-chip assembly, and wafer level packaging. The results from the prediction methodologies are validated with experimentally measured geometries at each level of design.
Energy characterization and optimization of image sensing toward continuous mobile vision

A major hurdle to frequently performing mobile computer vision tasks is the high power consumption of image sensing. In this work, we report the first publicly known experimental and analytical characterization of CMOS image sensors. We find that modern image sensors are not energy-proportional: energy per pixel is in fact inversely proportional to frame rate and resolution of image capture, and thus image sensor systems fail to provide an important principle of energy-aware system design: trading quality for energy efficiency. We reveal two energy-proportional mechanisms, supported by current image sensors but unused by mobile systems: (i) using an optimal clock frequency reduces the power up to 50% or 30% for low-quality single frame (photo) and sequential frame (video) capturing, respectively; (ii) by entering low-power standby mode between frames, an image sensor achieves almost constant energy per pixel for video capture at low frame rates, resulting in an additional 40% power reduction. We also propose architectural modifications to the image sensor that would further improve operational efficiency. Finally, we use computer vision benchmarks to show the performance and efficiency tradeoffs that can be achieved with existing image sensors. For image registration, a key primitive for image mosaicking and depth estimation, we can achieve a 96% success rate at 3 FPS and 0.1 MP resolution. At these quality metrics, an optimal clock frequency reduces image sensor power consumption by 36% and aggressive standby mode reduces power consumption by 95%.
Physiological Modulations in Arterial Spin Labeling Perfusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging

The purpose of this study is to evaluate cardiac and respiratory modulations in the signals of arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using RETROICOR, an image domain based retrospective correction method. Systematic comparisons were conducted for tagging schemes, pulsed (PASL) versus frequency-modulated continuous (CASL) methods, and the use of background suppression (BGS). Results showed that cardiac pulsation accounted for more signal fluctuation in PASL than in CASL (two-tailed paired student's t-test, p<10-3), whereas no significant difference was found in the effect of respiratory motion (p=0.55) on the two tagging schemes studied. For PASL, significantly more improvement was achieved by the inclusion of cardiac pulsation than respiratory motion in (p<0.01). On the contrary, the inclusion of respiratory motion offers more improvement for CASL (p<0.02). BGS effectively improved the temporal signal-to-noise ratio (tSNR) as previous studies reported, but no significant difference was measured in the spectral power of physiological modulations relative to the entire spectrum of PASL signals before and after the superimposition of BGS (p=0.63 for cardiac component, p=0.67 for respiratory component). Thus, we conclude that BGS reduces noise without spectral selectivity, and the improvements of tSNR from RETROICOR and BGS are additive. CASL with a labeling duration at a multiple of an R-R interval can be used to minimize signal fluctuation originating from cardiac pulsation.
Transition to Adult Services among Behaviorally Infected Adolescents with HIV—A Qualitative Study

Objectives The present study aimed to describe the experiences of youth with behaviorally acquired HIV who transitioned to adult care, to identify difficulties encountered, and to explore areas for improvement. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 10 young adults ranging from 24 to 29 years old. Themes were derived from coding participant interviews. Results Participants experienced adolescent care providers as an important source of support, felt anxiety about transition, provided recommendations for improving the process, and described significant changes associated with adult HIV care. Conclusions Findings support the development of a clear and structured transition process to address patients’ fears and worries through early communication, planning, and coordination for adult healthcare, highlighting the need for future research in this area.
In vitro studies of cerebral cortical RNA and nucleotide metabolism in hypothyroidism.

—Thyroid hormone deficiency induced during the neonatal period in the rat, resulted in an enhanced incorporation of [2-14C]uridine and [8-14C]adenosine in vitro into cerebral cortical RNA at 25 days of age. An examination of the acid-soluble pool constituents separated by polyethyleneiminecellulose TLC, revealed that all phosphorylated derivatives were more highly labelled compared to controls. These differences were not apparent at a lower incubation temperature (4°C). When the average specific activity of precursor pool ATP labelled from adenosine was utilized for the calculation of the rate of RNA synthesis, no change was observed in hypothyroidism. The results are compatible with a maturational-dependent increase in nucleoside transport and rate of phosphorylation in hypothyroidism which is reflected in the stimulated incorporation into cerebral RNA. The apparent normal rate of RNA synthesis coupled with a diminished cellular RNA concentration in thyroid hormone deficiency, suggests an increased RNA turnover. Experiments with actinomycin D revealed no apparent difference in the rate of decay of rapidly-labelled (nuclear) RNA. The possibility is discussed that the processing of nuclear RNA, the formation of stable ribosomal complexes and events at the translational level are subject to modification in developing hypothyroid rats.
Neurochemical Pathogenesis of Fibromyalgia Syndrome

SUMMARYObjective: To present what is known, and to project what is likely to be found regarding pain amplification by abnormal levels of neurotransmitters in fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS].Methods: The main sources of information have been the published medical literature, but some unpublished data from the laboratories of the world will aslo be highlighted. The mechanisms to be proposed have been based on current knowledge about nociception and on the roles which neurotransmitters are believed to play in abonormal pain states, such as allodynia. Considered will be excesses of nociceptive agonists and complementary deficiencies of antinociceptive mediators.Results: Widespread body pain in FMS had prompted the hypothesis that central systemic processes might be responsible. The most dramatic and consistent finding to date has been elevated levels of substance P [SP] in FMS cerebrospinal fluid [CSF]. Statistical correlations of pain measures with CSF SP or time delta CSF SP in FMS both support the hypothesis t...
Adolescent Resilience in Northern Uganda: The Role of Social Support and Prosocial Behavior in Reducing Mental Health Problems

We investigated relations between prosocial behavior, perceived social support, and improvement in depression and anxiety symptoms over 6 months among 102 Acholi adolescent (14–17 years, 58% female adolescents) survivors of war and displacement in Northern Uganda. Adolescents were assessed using a locally developed screener. Regression analyses measured the association between resilience factors and mental health outcomes. Findings indicated that high levels of baseline prosocial behaviors were associated with improvement in anxiety symptoms among adolescents with high symptom improvement. This same trend was seen for depression symptoms (p = .06). Experiencing caregiver loss modified this association for depression symptoms. Baseline social support was not associated with improvement in depression or anxiety. Results suggest that prosocial behavior is associated with increased resilience.
EnerJ: approximate data types for safe and general low-power computation

Energy is increasingly a first-order concern in computer systems. Exploiting energy-accuracy trade-offs is an attractive choice in applications that can tolerate inaccuracies. Recent work has explored exposing this trade-off in programming models. A key challenge, though, is how to isolate parts of the program that must be precise from those that can be approximated so that a program functions correctly even as quality of service degrades.We propose using type qualifiers to declare data that may be subject to approximate computation. Using these types, the system automatically maps approximate variables to low-power storage, uses low-power operations, and even applies more energy-efficient algorithms provided by the programmer. In addition, the system can statically guarantee isolation of the precise program component from the approximate component. This allows a programmer to control explicitly how information flows from approximate data to precise data. Importantly, employing static analysis eliminates the need for dynamic checks, further improving energy savings. As a proof of concept, we develop EnerJ, an extension to Java that adds approximate data types. We also propose a hardware architecture that offers explicit approximate storage and computation. We port several applications to EnerJ and show that our extensions are expressive and effective; a small number of annotations lead to significant potential energy savings (10%-50%) at very little accuracy cost.
A Closer Look at the English Article System: Internal and External Sources of Difficulty Revisited

This paper aims to provide a short overview of the English article system along with a detailed account of the sources of difficulty that makes such a complicated system uneasily attainable for ESL learners. According to Hewson (1972), “the definite and the indefinite articles are among the ten most frequent words of English discourse” (p.131). As such, learners of English are likely to be heavily exposed to hundreds of instances that contain a wide range of uses of English articles, which will, presumably, provide non-native speakers with a perceptibly increased level of accuracy. However, the English article system has been reported to be one of the most difficult features of the English language, causing some students enormous difficulties; particularly, of course, those whose native languages do not use articles (Master, 1990; Mizuno, 1999; Park, 2006; inter alia ). In this paper, I will discuss the factors that make the English article system difficult for speakers of other languages to use appropriately. The paper will be divided into three sections: (1) a short overview of the article system, (2) internal factors: those that pertain to the internal structure of English such as lexico-syntactic and discoursal factors, and (3) external factors: those that pertain to other languages such as presence or absence of the article system. Possibly unlike previously published research, this paper combines both factors and further works to the advantage of new instructors as it provides them with the rationale behind ESL learners’ inappropriate usage of the article system.
Immortalized human keratinocytes: A model system to study the efficacy of therapeutic drugs in response to the chemical warfare agent sulfur mustard (HD)

Cytokines have been established as biomarkers to detect exposure of cells to chemical warfare agents such as sulfur mustard (2,2'-dichlorodiethyl sulfide, HD). In this study cultured normal and SV40 immortalized human epidermal keratinocyte (NHEK/IHEK) cells were compared as potential model systems to measure the efficacy of therapeutic drugs against HD. Immortalized human epidermal keratinocytes resemble their primary cell counterparts but have the advantage of being carried through long-term culture. Immortalized cells also provide consistency and durability and are less costly than primary keratinocytes. Immunoassay studies were performed to examine the response of these two cell lines to HD. We found that both normal and immortalized NHEKs secreted the pro-inflammatory mediator interleukin-8 (IL-8) when exposed to HD. However, a major difference was observed between the NHEK cell line 6207 and IHEK cell line 425. IHEK cell line 425 produced higher levels of Interleuken-8 then those of its normal counterpart cell line 6207. This observation is significant since therapeutic drugs such as ibuprofen, which depress cytokine production, may not allow these biomarkers to be detected efficiently in experimental analysis of certain NHEK cell lines. The fact that Il-8 production higher in cell line 425 cell makes this in vitro model a potential screening tool to study the efficacy of drugs that suppress production of cytokine markers.
Synthesis of Tile Sets for DNA Self-Assembly

This paper addresses the issues revolving around the synthesis of tile sets for DNA self-assembly as a promising approach for IC manufacturing in the nanoscale. As for a finite pattern, synthesis for minimizing tile or bond types is equivalent to a minimum graph coloring problem, two greedy algorithms that reduce the number of tiles (PATS_Tile) or bonds (PATS_Bond) in synthesized tile sets are proposed and evaluated. Both algorithms are O(l4) for a square pattern of dimension l. It is shown by simulation that PATS_Tile has a better average performance if both types of reduction must be accomplished.
The Method and Tool of Cost Analysis for Cloud Computing

Proposal of Cloud Computing is tightly coupled withlow cost. Reduction of cost is considered as an importantadvantage of Cloud. However, there are no availabletools proper for cost calculation and analysis in Cloudenvironment. This paper presents our efforts towardsfilling in the gap. We format suits of metrics and formulasfor the calculation of Cloud Total Cost of Ownership(TCO) and Utilization Cost, considering the elasticfeature of Cloud infrastructure and widely adoptedvirtualization technology in Cloud. This provides afoundation for evaluating economic efficiency of Cloudand provides indications for cost optimization of Cloud.We have developed our calculation and analysisapproach into a web tool which is used in the internalCloud environment and demonstrate initially its analysiscapability on the cost distribution and utilizationimbalance factor.
Skeletal Muscle Adaptation to Exercise Training: AMP-Activated Protein Kinase Mediates Muscle Fiber Type Shift

Regular endurance exercise has profound benefits on overall health, including the prevention of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. The objective of this study was to determine whether AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediates commonly observed adaptive responses to exercise training in skeletal muscle. Six weeks of voluntary wheel running induced a significant (P < 0.05) fiber type IIb to IIa/x shift in triceps muscle of wild-type mice. Despite similar wheel running capacities, this training-induced shift was reduced by approximately 40% in transgenic mice expressing a muscle-specific AMPKalpha2 inactive subunit. Sedentary mice carrying an AMPK-activating mutation (gamma1TG) showed a 2.6-fold increase in type IIa/x fibers but no further increase with training. To determine whether AMPK is involved in concomitant metabolic adaptations to training, we measured markers of mitochondria (citrate synthase and succinate dehydrogenase) and glucose uptake capacity (GLUT4 and hexokinase II). Mitochondrial markers increased similarly in wild-type and AMPKalpha2-inactive mice. Sedentary gamma1TG mice showed a approximately 25% increase in citrate synthase activity but no further increase with training. GLUT4 protein expression was not different in either line of transgenic mice compared with wild-type mice and tended to increase with training, although this increase was not statistically significant. Training induced a approximately 65% increase in hexokinase II protein in wild-type mice but not in AMPKalpha2-inactive mice. Hexokinase II was significantly elevated in sedentary gamma1TG mice, without an additional increase with training. AMPK is not necessary for exercise training-induced increases in mitochondrial markers, but it is essential for fiber type IIb to IIa/x transformation and increases in hexokinase II protein.
The Impact Of A Collegiate Course In Bargaining And Negotiation On Students Perceptions Of Their Own And Others Attitudes And Behaviors: An Exploratory Study

This article presents a discussion of the importance of a course in bargaining and negotiation to university-level students in an accredited business school environment. In addition to discussing recommended content, pedagogy, and assessment methods, the results of a study that examines the impact of the course on students perceptions of skills, attitudes, and behaviors associated with effective negotiation is presented. The results of the study clearly demonstrate significant shifts in students perceptions regarding power, constructive dialogue, and the appropriate role and definition of winning in such bargaining and negotiation encounters.
Helping patients articulate end-of-life wishes: a target for interprofessional participation

A recent publication in the Journal of Clinical Oncology by researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital described the effect of timely e-mail prompts to improve documentation of outpatient code status in adult patients with advanced lung cancer (1). This work builds on a 2009 paper describing the initial design and implementation of the code status module within the electronic ambulatory medical record (2). The code status module is a feature in the hospital’s outpatient record that allows clinicians to document a patient’s preferences for end of life care (e.g., full code, DNR/DNI, or other resuscitation options). In the report describing that initial implementation, researchers assessed impact by extracting information from hospital’s clinical database to determine rates of documentation of electronic code status using the new module. In the 22-month period following introduction of the code status module, they found only 20% of patients with a documented outpatient code status (2).
The Utility of B-cell Receptor Gene Rearrangement Studies in Diagnosing Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma with Plasmacytic Differentiation

We present the case of a 50-year-old man with nodal diffuse large B-cell lymphoma characterized by CD10, BCL-6, and BCL-2 expression and a complex karyotype, including t(14;18)(q32;q21) and del6q, suggesting transformation from an antecedent follicular lymphoma. Following rituximab-based chemotherapy, residual nodal disease was characterized by a proliferation of plasmacytoid cells positive for CD138, MUM-1, and cytoplasmic kappa light chain. Immunoglobulin heavy chain and kappa light chain gene rearrangement studies detected the same clone in the diagnostic and post-therapy lymph node specimens. This case illustrates the diagnostic utility of B-cell receptor gene rearrangement studies in detecting a clonal relationship in lymphoma cases with extensive morphologic and immunophenotypic variation following chemotherapy.
Teaching the Politics of Health Reform: History, Context, Resources

Purpose of Today’s Workshop • It’s not to tell you how to teach health reform – I wouldn’t presume! • It is to try to give you a handy context and set of perspectives, along with a lot of useful resources – for what might be one of the more complex policy areas - and to which you can continue to add your own. • to help you help your students understand how health reform emerged from and is critically shaped by the political system and the path dependencies of health politics and policy. • And I hope in our discussion also to suggest several different ways to use health politics and policy as an illustration of significant political phenomena.
Variable Temperature Spectroscopy of As-Grown and Passivated CdS Nanowire Optical Waveguide Cavities

Semiconductor nanowire waveguide cavities hold promise for nanophotonic applications such as lasers, waveguides, switches, and sensors due to the tight optical confinement in these structures. However, to realize their full potential, high quality nanowires, whose emission at low temperatures is dominated by free exciton emission, need to be synthesized. In addition, a proper understanding of their complex optical properties, including light-matter coupling in these subwavelength structures, is required. We have synthesized very high-quality wurztite CdS nanowires capped with a 5 nm SiO2 conformal coating with diameters spanning 100−300 nm using physical vapor and atomic layer deposition techniques and characterized their spatially resolved photoluminescence over the 77−298 K temperature range. In addition to the Fabry−Perot resonator modulated emission from the ends of the wires, the low temperature emission from the center of the wire shows clear free excitonic peaks and LO phonon replicas, persisting u...
Functions Satisfying a Mean Value Property at their Zeros

(1973). Functions Satisfying a Mean Value Property at their Zeros. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 80, No. 6, pp. 665-667.
Monitoring results of urinary iodine of 5 277 children aged 8-10 years in Changping District of Beijing City

[Objective]To understand the iodine nutrition status of children aged 8-10 years in Changping District of Beijing City,and provide basis for prevention and cure of iodine deficiency disease(IDD).[Methods]A total of 5 277 children aged 8-10 year old were randomly selected from the town located in the directions of east,west,south,north and the center of Changping District,;Urinary iodine was measured by acid digested arsenic-cerium contact assay.[Results] The median of urinary iodine was 208.8 μg / L of 5 284 children aged 8-10 years.[Conclusion]The iodine nutrition status of school children has reached ideal level in Changping District.The goal of eliminating IDD has been accomplished in Changping District.
Technical Summary of the System Commissioning of Yunnan-Guangdong ± 800 kV DC Project

Having been in bipolar operation since Jun 18,2010,Yunnan-Guangdong ±800 kV DC project is the first one across the globe at so high voltage level,and thus full of great challenge and involved in technology problems facing the world.The task of the system commissioning of the DC project consists of 104 items of station test and 195 items of system test,which examined all of the primary and secondary equipments of the system.This paper does a summary of the commissioning,including the technical management of commissioning,design of test plan and matrix,key commissioning technology,main results,optimum combination of testing items,and evaluations of the design parameters and main equipments developed firstly worldwide for the DC project.
Thermodynamic Properties of Supercritical CO2/CH4 Mixtures from the Virial Equation of State

Mixture virial coefficients to seventh order are presented for the system CO2/CH4 at four supercritical temperatures: 323.15, 373.15, 473.15, and 573.15 K. Values are evaluated via the Mayer sampling Monte Carlo method using a three-site TraPPE model for CO2 and a one-site model for CH4. The coefficients are used to compute seven thermodynamic properties (viz., compressibility factor, isothermal compressibility, volume expansivity, isochoric and isobaric heat capacities, Joule–Thomson coefficient, and speed of sound) as a function of mole fraction and density for these temperatures. Comparison is made with corresponding data in the literature as obtained by molecular dynamics simulation, covering densities up to about twice the critical density. Key conclusions are as follows, noting that some exceptions are observed in each case: (a) The virial equation of state (VEOS) to fourth or fifth order describes all properties to within the simulation uncertainty for densities up to at least the critical density,...
Homosexual Sex and the One-Flesh Union

I critically examine Alexander Pruss’s conception of the one-body union described in Genesis 2:24. Pruss appeals to his conception of the one-body union to advance two arguments for the conclusion that homosexual sex is morally wrong. I propose an alternative conception of the one-body union that implies that heterosexual and homosexual couples alike can participate in the one-body union; I take that implication of my account to be a significant advantage over Pruss’s account.
Pectoral girdle morphology of Mesozoic birds and the evolution of the avian supracoracoideus muscle

The evolution of the avian flight musculature is poorly understood and most studies focused on Archaeopteryx. However, important evolutionary changes occurred within Aves, and here the morphology of the pectoral girdle of Mesozoic birds is interpreted in relation to the evolution of the supracoracoideus muscle, which elevates the wing in the upstroke. In the course of avian evolution, the main origin of this muscle shifted from the coracoid onto the sternum. It is hypothesized that resulting space constraints in the cranial portion of the sternum, which also served as the attachment site for the large pectoralis muscle, led to the evolution of a sternal keel. The cranial portion of the sternum of Early Cretaceous Enantiornithes—one of the major clades of Mesozoic birds—lacks a well-developed keel, and the development of the supracoracoideus muscle must have differed from extant birds. This assumption is in concordance with the fact that a triosseal canal, which forms a pulley for the tendon of this muscle in extant birds, appears not to have been developed in Enantiornithes.
Revisiting Adolescents’ Narcissism in the Age of Cyberspace

ABSTRACTAdolescence narcissistic regressions are described as manifested in the contemporary reliance on technology. The multiple developmental tasks of this stage are linked to the need to mourn the idealized objects, and the body of childhood. Clinical vignettes will illustrate the ways virtual reality is mobilized at the service of maturation.
Testing Numerical Modeling of Phase Coarsening by Microgravity Experiments

Quantitative understanding of the morphological evolution that occurs during phase coarsening is crucial for optimization of processing procedures to control the final structure and properties of multiphase materials. Generally, ground-based experimental studies of phase coarsening in solids are limited to model alloy systems. Data from microgravity experiments on phase coarsening in Sn-Pb solid–liquid mixtures, executed on the International Space Station, are archived in NASA’s Physical Sciences Informatics (PSI) system. In such microgravity experiments, it is expected that the rate of sedimentation will be greatly reduced compared with terrestrial conditions, allowing the kinetics of phase coarsening to be followed more carefully and accurately. In this work we tested existing numerical models of phase coarsening using NASA’s PSI microgravity data. Specially, we compared the microstructures derived from phase-field and multiparticle diffusion simulations with those observed in microgravity experiments.
Practical driving analytics with smartphone sensors

Sensing various driving behaviors, such as accelerations, brakes, turns, and change lanes — is of great interest to many applications, e.g., understanding drive quality, detecting road conditions, and more. Many such applications rely on using smartphone placed in a vehicle to collect such data for ease of deployment and use. However, several driving analytics techniques in the recent past, including our own, make simplifying assumptions that the smartphone is stably fixed with certain orientation and the car is driving on flat roads. Our deployment experience reveals that existing approaches may cause orientation misalignment and acceleration over/under estimation due to road slopes and human interactions, which lead to significant sensing errors for driving analytics applications. In this paper, we present several innovative techniques to improve the overall accuracy and usability of smartphone sensors. First, we use machine learning techniques to detect smartphone's relative orientation changes caused by human interactions. Second, we design a slope-aware alignment algorithm to improve alignment accuracy. Third, we track the linear acceleration of the vehicle to address acceleration over/under estimation problems. Fourth, we evaluate the tradeoffs between GPS and inertial sensors, and fuse inertial sensors with GPS to improve the overall accuracy and usability. We develop a smartphone application called XSense that adopts the novel techniques to improve the overall accuracy on driving analytics. Our evaluation of XSense is conducted through measurements of more than 2,000 trips (more than 13,000 miles) from 16 drivers in the past three years, and shows that XSense improves the 75-percentile accuracy by 5x comparing with well-tuned inertial sensors in traditional approach.
Current Trends in Foodborne Human Listeriosis

Human listeriosis results from the ingestion of foods contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes (Lm). About 1600 listeriosis cases are reported every year in the USA with >95% hospitalization and 15-20% death. The proportions of persons with listeriosis hospitalized and who die are very similar in Europe with slightly higher rates in Scandinavian countries. The occurrence of disease requires adaptation, survival, and usually growth of Lm in foods before consumption by members of the susceptible population. Despite concerted efforts by the food safety community, the disease incidence has not changed significantly since 2001 and remains higher than the Healthy People 2020 target of 0.2 cases per 100,000 individuals. In recent years, human listeriosis cases have been reported to involve non-typical foods, e.g. celery, cantaloupe, caramel apple, frozen vegetables and ice cream. In some outbreaks, a few infected individuals were considered outside the realm of the standard vulnerable population group. Our recent work with the outbreak associated with ice cream samples, indicated that a low-level contamination in a food that does not support growth can cause listeriosis in highly susceptible populations. Separately, using a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based serotyping and whole genome sequencing (WGS)-based analyses; we have discovered that a genetic variant of the serotype 4b strain, called 4bV, was responsible for 3-4 recent outbreaks in the USA. Three of the four products associated with these outbreaks were grown in a small geographical region of the USA while the fourth was never linked to a specific grower, but rather a processing facility. These 4bV strains contain a 6.3kb DNA fragment normally associated with lineage II Lm strains. The significance of this DNA fragment in the serotype 4b background is currently being investigated. This article reviews current listeriosis outbreaks with an emphasis on the expansions in food niche, case demography and genotypes of Lm. The discussion raises important questions about Lm adaptation in different foods and environments and the role of certain genotypes in such adaptation and disease outcome.
Qualitative Assessment of Clerkship Students' Perspectives of the Topics of Pain and Addiction in their Preclinical Curriculum.

A majority of physicians feel poorly trained in the treatment of chronic pain and addiction. As such, it is critical that medical students receive appropriate education in both pain management and addiction. The purpose of this study was to assess the pre-clinical curriculum in pain medicine and addiction from the perspective of students after they had completed their pre-clinical training and to assess what they perceived as the strengths and weaknesses of their training. The authors conducted focused interviews among clinical medical students who had completed at least 6 months of clerkships. The interviews targeted the students’ retrospective opinions about the pre-clinical curriculum and their preparedness for clinical encounters with either pain or addiction-related issues during their rotations. Coders thematically analyzed the de-identified interview transcripts, with consensus reached through discussion and code modification. Themes that emerged through the focused interviews included: fragmented curricular structure (and insufficient time) for pain and addiction medicine, not enough specific treatment strategies for pain or addiction, especially for complex clinical scenarios, and lack of a trained work-force to provide guidance in the management of pain and addiction. This study demonstrated the feasibility of gathering student perspectives to inform changes to improve the pre-clinical curriculum in pain and addiction medicine. Students identified multiple areas for improvement at the pre-clerkship level, which have informed updates to the curriculum. More research is needed to determine if curricular changes based on student feedback lead to improved learning outcomes.
Why You Should Participate in HHS (Health and Human Services) Regional Epi Groups

Objective: Within the BioSense Platform, users have the ability to view HHS Region level data that can provide insight into what may be happening around the country. Epidemiologists can examine this information for changes in trends of subsyndromes or other potential issues of public health concern and compare it to their local data. However, the insight that regional data can provide is limited without better understanding of what is happening in the jurisdictions that make up the region. This round table will discuss the benefits of engaging with other jurisdictions within regions and attempt to define rules of engagement that can be used to facilitate interactions. Introduction: One of the early successes for the National Syndromic Surveillance Program’s (NSSP’s) BioSense Platform was community agreement on what should make up national and regional picture of the data. For NSSP to meet program objectives, National level surveillance and situational awareness had to be made available – not just to CDC, but to the entire community. To make this possible, the community had to agree on a limited dataset that would be sufficient to produce national and regional picture. Currently when NSSP staff at CDC or a particular program review HHS Regional data, they can only see trends at high levels. Although, this information is proving useful, when very unusual data spikes occur there is insufficient information to determine its public health significance. CDC would like to set up HHS Regional Epi groups made up of syndromic surveillance practitioners within regions in order to communicate about potentially unusual findings and discuss implications for local jurisdictions. Description: This round table will use case examples of data spikes for sub-syndromes in HHS Regions and discuss the following: - What observations might warrant communications with local sites and potentially even warrant further investigation - How the information should be communicated - Ideas for ways that jurisdictions could collaborate on an investigation - Any challenges to the current concept of operations. How the Moderator Intends to Engage the Audience in Discussions on the Topic: The moderator will lay out two or three real world examples that might have benefited from having an HHS Regional Epi group to address the issue. Then the audience will be asked to comment on the following questions: - What are the potential pros of such HHS regional epi groups? - What are the potential cons of such HHS regional epi groups? - What are best practices for communicating with HHS Regional epi groups (i.e. through list serve, forum, Event Communications System within ESSENCE, etc.)? - What are the best ways to keep these HHS Regional Epi groups properly engaged and responsive without overwhelming them with requests? - How can these HHS Regional Epi groups be used by other HHS Regions that are looking to collaborate?
A multiscale microstructural approach to ductile-phase toughened tungsten for plasma-facing materials

Abstract Increasing fracture toughness and modifying the ductile-brittle transition temperature of a tungsten-alloy relative to pure tungsten has been shown to be feasible by ductile-phase toughening (DPT) of tungsten for future plasma-facing materials for fusion energy. In DPT, a ductile phase is included in a brittle tungsten matrix to increase the overall work of fracture for the material. This research models the deformation behavior of DPT tungsten materials, such as tungsten-copper composites, using a multiscale modeling approach that involves a microstructural dual-phase (copper-tungsten) region of interest where the constituent phases are finely discretized and are described by a continuum damage mechanics model. Large deformation, damage, and fracture are allowed to occur and are modeled in this region that is connected to adjacent homogenized elastic regions to form a macroscopic structure, such as a test specimen. The present paper illustrates this multiscale modeling approach to analyze unnotched and single-edge notched (SENB) tungsten-copper composite specimens subjected to three-point bending. The predicted load-displacement responses and crack propagation patterns are compared to the corresponding experimental results to validate the model. Such models may help design future DPT composite configurations for fusion materials, including volume fractions of ductile phase and microstructural optimization.