cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy ant clustering by centroid positioning

We present a swarm intelligence based algorithm for data clustering. The algorithm uses ant colony optimization principles to find good partitions of the data. In the first stage of the algorithm ants move the cluster centers in feature space. The cluster centers found by the ants are evaluated using a reformulated fuzzy c-means criterion. In the second stage the best cluster centers found are used as the initial cluster centers for the fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm. Results on 8 datasets show that the partitions found by FCM using the ant initialization are better optimized than those from randomly initialized FCM. Hard c-means was also used in the second stage and the partitions from the algorithm are better optimized than those from randomly initialized hard c-means.
What do users really want from computer documentation

Information is typically the lowest rated component when measuring overall satisfaction of a software product. A survey is initiated to determine what aspects of documentation are frustrating or upsetting to computer users. The objective is to have customers define the problems as they perceive them. The methodology used, i.e., how the focus group approach enhanced the development of the actual questionnaire, is described. The major findings of the study that provide developers of computer documentation with insights and practical advice on how to improve the quality of the documentation they create are summarized.
Sil1, a nucleotide exchange factor for BiP, is not required for antibody assembly or secretion

Sil1 is a nucleotide exchange factor for the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP, and mutations in this gene lead to Marinesco–Sjogren syndrome (MSS), a debilitating autosomal recessive disease characterized by multisystem defects. A mouse model for MSS was previously produced by disrupting Sil1 using gene-trap methodology. The resulting Sil1Gt mouse phenocopies several pathologies associated with MSS, although its ability to assemble and secrete antibodies, the best-characterized substrate of BiP, has not been investigated. In vivo antigen-specific immunizations and ex vivo LPS stimulation of splenic B cells revealed that the Sil1Gt mouse was indistinguishable from wild-type age-matched controls in terms of both the kinetics and magnitude of antigen-specific antibody responses. There was no significant accumulation of BiP-associated Ig assembly intermediates or evidence that another molecular chaperone system was used for antibody production in the LPS-stimulated splenic B cells from Sil1Gt mice. ER chaperones were expressed at the same level in Sil1WT and Sil1Gt mice, indicating that there was no evident compensation for the disruption of Sil1. Finally, these results were confirmed and extended in three human EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines from individuals with MSS, leading us to conclude that the BiP cofactor Sil1 is dispensable for antibody production.
Space Station design for growth

This paper reviews the current status of Space Station planning for growth as the basis of an assessment of potential Space Station evolution directions in the 21st Century to meet the challenges of the report of the U.S. National Commission on space, 'Pioneering the Space Frontier'. Thus future mission requirements are reviewed and assessed. Based on these requirements, evolution scenarios and potential configurations are developed. It is concluded that the Space Station, as a multipurpose facility, should evolve to a capability of 300 kW, crew of 18 and 5 lab modules. Beyond this capability it will be necessary to separate functions and establish two separate Space Stations, one for research and one for operational activities (e.g., transportation node, servicing, etc.). If the U.S. National Commission on space's recommendations are adopted, this separation or 'branching' could occur as early as 2005 to meet the needs of a permanent lunar base.
Effects of Temperature and Photoperiod on Voltinism of Geographical Populations of the European Corn Borer, Pyrausta nubilalis

A study was wade of the effects of temperature and photo period on the developmental patterns of European corn borer population samples from northern Wisconsin, southern Wisconsin, southern Minnesota, Iowa, southern Ontario, Massachusetts, Nebraska, northern Kansas, Pennsylvania, and southeastern Missouri. Under a series of standard laboratory conditions of temperature and photo period, the incidence of diapause and rate of larval growth differed significantly among the several populations. The incidence of diapause was positively correlated with the latitude of the population source. The characteristics of the temperature and photo periodic responses differed among the populations, indicating complex evolutionary trends. The populations differed not only in the effect of temperature and photo period on the incidence of diapause, but also in the effect of temperature on larval growth rates. The importance of these population differences in the voltinism manifested under field conditions is discussed. An empirical basis for predicting summer pupation of the borer in southern Wisconsin was developed, employing seasonal temperature accumulation up to a day length of 14.75 hours (July 25, at 43° N.).
Stress induction and developmental regulation of a rice chitinase promoter in transgenic tobacco

Summary A 1.5 kb promoter fragment from the rice (Oryza sativa L.) RCH10 gene, which encodes a basic endochitinase inducible by wounding and fungal elicitor, was translationally fused to the β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene and transferred to tobacco by Agrobacterium tumefaciens-mediated leaf disc transformation. Wounding of leaves induced GUS activity from low basal levels, and addition of fungal elicitor to the wounded tissue caused a further marked activation of the gene fusion. During vegetative development high levels of GUS activity were observed in roots and moderate levels in stems. Histochemical analysis indicated that the promoter was active in vascular and epidermal tissue, and the root apical tip. In flowers, high levels of GUS activity were observed in stigmas, ovaries and pollen-containing anthers, but only low levels in sepals and petals. The promoter 5′-deleted to −160 exhibited the same patterns of expression in floral organs, and was also strongly induced by wounding and elicitor, but GUS activity was markedly reduced in vegetative organs. More detailed 5′ deletions showed that a cis-element required for floral expression was located between −160 and −74, and a cis element sufficient for stress induction was located 3′ of −74. This proximal region 3′ of −74 was also sufficient for expression in transfected rice protoplasts derived from suspension cultured cells. These data indicate that the complex developmental and environmental regulation of RCH10 promoter activity involves several distinct cis-elements for vegetative expression, floral expression and stress induction, and that signal pathways for wound and elicitor induction are conserved between monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous plants.
Design of double C-slot microstrip patch antenna for WiMax application

A new standard known as WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave access) has been established by the IEEE 802.16 working group. WiMax theoretically can have coverage of up to 50 km radius. WiMax antennas have aroused high interest in recent years [1]-[6]. Researchers are focusing on how to design antennas for WiMax technology. WiMax has three allocated frequency bands. The low band (2. 5–2.69 GHz), the middle band (3.2–3.8 GHz) and the upper band (5.2–5.8 GHz). Due to its advantages such as low-cost, small size low weight and capability to integrate with Microwave integrated circuits, the microstrip patch antenna is a very good candidate for integrations in applications such as wireless communication systems, mobile phones and laptops. In this paper a double C-slot microstrip antenna (Figure 1) is designed and simulated for the WiMax frequency range of 2.5–2.69 GHz. This antenna presents an extension to the single C-slot antenna presented at LAPC 2009 [7]. The proposed antenna has a gain of 6.46 dBi and presents a size reduction of 37% when compared to a conventional square microstrip patch antenna. Extensive simulation results using Advanced Design Systems by Agilent (uses the MOM method) will be presented.
Political and Administrative Aspects of State High-Technology Programmes

This article is a preliminary inquiry into selected aspects of the political, administrative, and organizational characteristics of state high-technology development (HTD) programmes. State programmes have just passed through the ‘take-off’ phase in accelerated diffusion. In 1980, nine states had ‘dedicated’ programmes which promoted high-technology industrial growth; by 1983 the number had increased to 22 (US Congress, OTA, 1983). Continued, albeit obviously decelerated, adoption of these programmes by states is likely, and a broadening within each state of the number and variety of component elements can be expected.
Elementary school-based prevention of adolescent alcohol misuse.

The literature on the prevention of alcohol misuse and other substance abuse shows that most prevention program efforts to date have not been successful. Some possible reasons for this lack of success are discussed, and a recent, promising approach to the problem is outlined. An example of that approach, the Alcohol Misuse Prevention Study (AMPS), is described and early findings are presented. Conceptual and methodological issues considered in the design, implementation and evaluation of AMPS are discussed as examples of the planning which must go into a well-designed alcohol misuse prevention program. Issues now being raised in the evaluation of AMPS are presented with their implications for future prevention programs. Language: en
Simulation of resource synchronization in a dynamic real-time distributed computing environment: Research Articles

Today, more and more distributed computer applications are being modeled and constructed using real-time principles and concepts. In 1989, the Object Management Group (OMG) formed a Real-Time Special Interest Group (RT SIG) with the goal of extending the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) standard to include real-time specifications. This group's most recent efforts have focused on the requirements of dynamic distributed real-time systems.One open problem in this area is resource access synchronization for tasks employing dynamic priority scheduling. This paper presents two resource synchronization protocols that the authors have developed which meet the requirements of dynamic distributed real-time systems as specified by Dynamic Scheduling Real-Time CORBA (DSRT CORBA). The proposed protocols can be applied to both Earliest Deadline First (EDF) and Least Laxity First (LLF) dynamic scheduling algorithms, allow distributed nested critical sections, and avoid unnecessary runtime overhead. In order to evaluate the performance of the proposed protocols, we analyzed each protocol's schedulability. Since the schedulability of the system is affected by numerous system configuration parameters, we have designed simulation experiments to isolate and illustrate the impact of each individual system parameter. Simulation experiments show the proposed protocols have better performance than one would realize by applying a schema that utilizes dynamic priority ceiling update. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The synthesis and characterization of α-W2Cl4(dppp)2

To date, few quadruply bonded ditungsten compounds have been synthesized. Only four bidentate phosphine ligands (LL) have been utilized in the synthesis of compounds of the general type W2Cl4(LL)2. These phosphine ligands include: bis(diphenylphosphino)methane (dppm) [1], 1,2-bis(diphenylphosphino)ethane (dppe) [2], 1,2-bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane (dmpe) [3] and 1,3-bis(diisopropylphosphino)propane (dippp) [4]. Of particular interest is the ability of these bidentate ligands to chelate to one metal center (α form) or bridge both metal centers (β form). Results from the synthesis and characterization of α-W2Cl4(dppp)2 (dppp = 1,3bis(diphenylphosphino)propane) are discussed. Crystallographic data for this compound are as follows: P1 (No. 2) with a = 11.934(9), b = 12.315(7), c = 12.513(4) A, α = 83.82(4), β = 75.03(5), γ = 62.01(5)°, V = 1569(2) A3 and Z = 1.
Infrared Frequency-Modulation Probing of Product Formation in Alkyl + O2 Reactions: II. The Reaction of C3H7 with O2 between 296 and 683 K

The production of HO2 from the reaction of C3H7 and O2 has been investigated as a function of temperature (296−683 K) using laser photolysis/CW infrared frequency-modulation spectroscopy. The HO2 yield is derived by comparison with the Cl2/CH3OH/O2 system and is corrected to account for HO2 signal loss due to competing reactions involving HO2 radical and the adduct C3H7O2. The time behavior of the HO2 signal following propyl radical formation was observed to have two separate components. The first component is a prompt production of HO2, which increases with temperature and is the only HO2 production observed between 296 and 550 K. This prompt yield increases from less than 1% at 296 K to ∼16% at 683 K. At temperatures above 550 K, a second, slower rise in the HO2 signal is also observed. The production of HO2 on a slower time scale is attributable to propylperoxy radical decomposition. The total HO2 yield, including the contribution from the slower rise, increases rapidly with temperature from 5% at 500 ...
Selective Detection and Quantification of Modified DNA with Solid-State Nanopores

We demonstrate a solid-state nanopore assay for the unambiguous discrimination and quantification of modified DNA. Individual streptavidin proteins are employed as high-affinity tags for DNA containing a single biotin moiety. We establish that the rate of translocation events corresponds directly to relative concentration of protein–DNA complexes and use the selectivity of our approach to quantify modified oligonucleotides from among a background of unmodified DNA in solution.
Results of Occupational Health Examination on Workers Exposed to Low Concentrations of Hydrogen Fluoride

[Objective]To understand the effect of hydrogen fluoride on workers with exposure. [Methods]Occupational examination was performed on 103 hydrogen fluoride exposed workers from Tianhe Light Company Limited,and the concentrations of hydrogen fluoride in the workplace were monitored. [Results]The average concentration of hydrogen fluoride in workshop was 0.013 mg/m3 and urinary fluoride of workers was and 3.40 mmol/mol creatinine.Neither suspected occupational diseases nor occupational contraindication was found. [Conclusion]Exposure to low concentrations of hydrogen fluoride can cause accumulation.Hydrogen fluoride has not been found correlate with urinary fluoride in the low concentrations range.
Small-Molecule Fusion Inhibitors Bind the pH-Sensing Stable Signal Peptide-GP2 Subunit Interface of the Lassa Virus Envelope Glycoprotein

ABSTRACT Arenavirus species are responsible for severe life-threatening hemorrhagic fevers in western Africa and South America. Without effective antiviral therapies or vaccines, these viruses pose serious public health and biodefense concerns. Chemically distinct small-molecule inhibitors of arenavirus entry have recently been identified and shown to act on the arenavirus envelope glycoprotein (GPC) to prevent membrane fusion. In the tripartite GPC complex, pH-dependent membrane fusion is triggered through a poorly understood interaction between the stable signal peptide (SSP) and the transmembrane fusion subunit GP2, and our genetic studies have suggested that these small-molecule inhibitors act at this interface to antagonize fusion activation. Here, we have designed and synthesized photoaffinity derivatives of the 4-acyl-1,6-dialkylpiperazin-2-one class of fusion inhibitors and demonstrate specific labeling of both the SSP and GP2 subunits in a native-like Lassa virus (LASV) GPC trimer expressed in insect cells. Photoaddition is competed by the parental inhibitor and other chemically distinct compounds active against LASV, but not those specific to New World arenaviruses. These studies provide direct physical evidence that these inhibitors bind at the SSP-GP2 interface. We also find that GPC containing the uncleaved GP1-GP2 precursor is not susceptible to photo-cross-linking, suggesting that proteolytic maturation is accompanied by conformational changes at this site. Detailed mapping of residues modified by the photoaffinity adducts may provide insight to guide the further development of these promising lead compounds as potential therapeutic agents to treat Lassa hemorrhagic fever. IMPORTANCE Hemorrhagic fever arenaviruses cause lethal infections in humans and, in the absence of licensed vaccines or specific antiviral therapies, are recognized to pose significant threats to public health and biodefense. Lead small-molecule inhibitors that target the arenavirus envelope glycoprotein (GPC) have recently been identified and shown to block GPC-mediated fusion of the viral and cellular endosomal membranes, thereby preventing virus entry into the host cell. Genetic studies suggest that these inhibitors act through a unique pH-sensing intersubunit interface in GPC, but atomic-level structural information is unavailable. In this report, we utilize novel photoreactive fusion inhibitors and photoaffinity labeling to obtain direct physical evidence for inhibitor binding at this critical interface in Lassa virus GPC. Future identification of modified residues at the inhibitor-binding site will help elucidate the molecular basis for fusion activation and its inhibition and guide the development of effective therapies to treat arenaviral hemorrhagic fevers.
The Major B and T Cell Determinant on Pigeon Cytochrome c in B10.A Mice

The specificities of B10.A B and T cells responding to pigeon cytochrome c have been examined. Proliferating T cells recognize glutamine 100 and lysine 104 and can be stimulated in vitro by either native cytochrome c molecules or certain of their CNBr-cleavage fragments. In contrast only molecules with the native cytochrome c conformation were found to interact with B10.A anti-pigeon cytochrome c antibodies. Antibodies appear to recognize a determinant or determinants which overlaps with that which elicits the T cell proliferative response.
Unraveling wall conditioning effects on plasma facing components in NSTX-U with the Materials Analysis Particle Probe (MAPP).

A novel Plasma Facing Components (PFCs) diagnostic, the Materials Analysis Particle Probe (MAPP), has been recently commissioned in the National Spherical Torus Experiment Upgrade (NSTX-U). MAPP is currently monitoring the chemical evolution of the PFCs in the NSTX-U lower divertor at 107 cm from the tokamak axis on a day-to-day basis. In this work, we summarize the methodology that was adopted to obtain qualitative and quantitative descriptions of the samples chemistry. Using this methodology, we were able to describe all the features in all our spectra to within a standard deviation of ±0.22 eV in position and ±248 s−1 eV in area. Additionally, we provide an example of this methodology with data of boronized ATJ graphite exposed to NSTX-U plasmas.
NSF Advanced Training Program in Antarctica for Early Career Scientists: Biological Adaptations to Environmental Change

The U.S. National Science Foundation-sponsored course will be held in Antarctica at Palmer Station (Antarctic Peninsula) in July 2016. The course is designed to train scientists who are interested in the study of extreme environments and the biology of Antarctic organisms. Applications are invited from graduate students currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program and researchers who have an earned Ph.D. within the past five years. This is an international course, open to all nationalities. Partial scholarships are available to cover the cost of travel from home institution and full support is provided for room/board and science activities while in Antarctica. The emphasis of the Antarctic Biology Course is on integrative biology, with laboratory- and field-based projects focused on adaptations in an extreme polar environment. This program will also provide opportunities to understand and appreciate the complexities and logistical challenges of undertaking successful science in Antarctica. A diverse teaching faculty will offer students the opportunity to study a wide range of Antarctic organisms (bacteria, algae, invertebrates, and fish), using several different levels of biological analysis (molecular biology, physiological ecology, species diversity, and evolution). Deadline for receipt of completed applications is 25 January 2016. For more information and the on-line application see https://www.usfca.edu/arts-sciences/antarctic-biology-training-program and http://goo.gl/forms/aoNP63pRhF.
Modeling Emergent Complexity on the North Pacific

In this chapter, I develop a model of the processes expected to generate systemic change in the lifestyles of Kodiak hunter-gatherers, drawing from the insights, assumptions, and biases of evolutionary ecology and related theoretical frameworks. This model illustrates how Kodiak social, technological, and economic life may have moved from its initial (or at least early Ocean Bay period) character to the more complex organization observed in ethnographic contexts.
MPQA Opinion Corpus

The MPQA Opinion Corpus is a collection of documents with expression-level, multi-attribute annotations of opinions, sentiments, and other private states. This chapter describes the MPQA annotation scheme and the development of the MPQA Corpus.
An inhibitor of histone deacetylase 6 activity, ACY-1215, reduces cAMP and cyst growth in polycystic kidney disease.

Adult-onset autosomal-dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is caused by mutations in either the PKD1 or PKD2 gene, leading to malfunction of their gene products, polycystin 1 or 2. Histone de...
Increased Hazard of Myocardial Infarction With Insulin-Provision Therapy in Actively Smoking Patients With Diabetes Mellitus and Stable Ischemic Heart Disease: The BARI 2D (Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes) Trial.

BackgroundIn the BARI 2D (Bypass Angioplasty Revascularization Investigation 2 Diabetes) trial, randomization of diabetic patients with stable ischemic heart disease to insulin provision (IP) thera...
On the performance of selective adaptation in state lattices for mobile robot motion planning in cluttered environments

Autonomous mobile robots require motion planning algorithms that match limitations of on-board computing resources to safely navigate complex environments. In situations where near-optimality is preferential to runtime performance, search spaces that optimize their local connectivity to improve the global optimality of generated solutions are desirable. However, not all nodes in the search space benefit equally from optimization which can result in an inefficient use of computational resources and unnecessary increase in runtime. To address this limitation, we propose an approach called the Selectively Adaptive State Lattice which uses a heuristic based on the local environment to selectively perform optimization and obtain a balance between runtime performance and relative optimality. We present a statistical evaluation of local connectivity optimization and global search with the State Lattice, Adaptive State Lattice, and Selectively Adaptive State Lattice algorithms in randomly generated obstacle fields. We further highlight the performance of each method on a Clearpath Robotics TurtleBot2 in a qualitative physical experiment.
Functional variation in the gut microbiome of wild Drosophila populations

Most of the evidence that the gut microbiome of animals is functionally variable, with consequences for the health and fitness of the animal host, is based on laboratory studies, often using inbred animals under tightly controlled conditions. It is largely unknown whether these microbiome effects would be evident in outbred animal populations under natural conditions. In this study, we quantified the functional traits of the gut microbiota (metagenome) and host (gut transcriptome) and the taxonomic composition of the gut microorganisms (16S rRNA gene sequence) in natural populations of three mycophagous Drosophila species. Variation in microbiome function and composition was driven principally by the period of sample collection, while host function varied mostly with Drosophila species, indicating that variation in microbiome traits is determined largely by environmental factors, and not host taxonomy. Despite this, significant correlations between microbiome and host functional traits were obtained. In particular, microbiome functions dominated by metabolism were positively associated with host functions relating to gut epithelial turnover. Much of the functional variation in the microbiome could be attributed to variation in abundance of Bacteroidetes, rather than the two other abundant groups, the γ-Proteobacteria or Lactobacillales. We conclude that functional variation in the interactions between animals and their gut microbiome can be detectable in natural populations, and, in mycophagous Drosophila, this variation relates primarily to metabolism and homeostasis of the gut epithelium.
Decompositions of Partially Ordered Sets

Generalizing the proof of the theorem describing the closed cone of flag f-vectors of arbitrary graded posets, we give a description of the cone of flag f-vectors of planar graded posets. The labeling used is a special case of a “chain-edge labeling with the first atom property”, or FA-labeling, which also generalizes the notion of lexicographic shelling, or CL-labeling. The resulting analogy suggests a planar analogue of the flag h-vector. For planar Cohen–Macaulay posets the two h-vectors turn out to be equal, and the cone of flag h-vectors an orthant, whose dimension is a Fibonacci number. The use of FA-labelings also yields a simple enumeration of the facets in the order complex of an arbitrary graded poset such that the intersection of each cell with the previously attached cells is homotopic to a ball or to a sphere.
Derepression of nitrogenase in Azotobacter.

Abstract When nitrogenase in Azotobacter vinelandii 12837 is repressed by ammonia, the derepression is accelerated by endotoxin or cyclic AMP. The phenomenon appears neither to be a consequence of accelerated ammonia utilization nor altered activity of preformed enzyme. This is a unique example of an effect of endotoxin on a procaryotic system.
A Case Series of Granulomatosis With Polyangiitis Primarily Diagnosed by Otological Manifestations.

Objective:To describe a case series of previously undiagnosed granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA) patients who presented primarily with otological manifestations.Method:We report a series of pat...
Using Kindergarten Language, Dialect Variation, and Child Behavior to Predict Second Grade Reading Ability in African American Children.

Previous research has demonstrated mixed findings pertaining to the risk conferred by variation from Mainstream American English (MAE) for African American children in our education system. Based o...
Investigating the promiscuity of the chloramphenicol nitroreductase from Haemophilus influenzae towards the reduction of 4-nitrobenzene derivatives.

Abstract Chloramphenicol nitroreductase (CNR), a drug-modifying enzyme from Haemophilus influenzae, has been shown to be responsible for the conversion of the nitro group into an amine in the antibiotic chloramphenicol (CAM). Since CAM structurally bears a 4-nitrobenzene moiety, we explored the substrate promiscuity of CNR by investigating its nitroreduction of 4-nitrobenzyl derivatives. We tested twenty compounds containing a nitrobenzene core, two nitropyridines, one compound with a vinylogous nitro group, and two aliphatic nitro compounds. In addition, we also synthesized twenty-eight 4-nitrobenzyl derivatives with ether, ester, and thioether substituents and assessed the relative activity of CNR in their presence. We found several of these compounds to be modified by CNR, with the enzyme activity ranging from 1 to 150% when compared to CAM. This data provides insights into two areas: (i) chemoenzymatic reduction of select compounds to avoid harsh chemicals and heavy metals routinely used in reductions of nitro groups and (ii) functional groups that would aid CAM in overcoming the activity of this enzyme.
Topical Steroids: Perspectives and Retrospectives

Molecular manipulations have produced topical antiinflammatory agents of unprecedented potency, for example, clobetasole propionate. It is pointless, even dangerous, to create ever more powerful compounds.
Dynamic Resource Allocation During Natural Disasters Using Multi-agent Environment

Natural disasters are devastating for a country and effective allocation of critical resources can mitigate the impact. While traditional approaches usually have difficulties in making optimal critical resource allocation, in this paper we introduce a novel hierarchical multi-agent reinforcement learning framework to model optimal resource allocation for natural disasters in real-time. On the lower level a set of agents navigate with the continuous time environment using deep reinforcement algorithms. On the higher level, a lead agent takes care of the global decision-making. Our framework achieves more efficient resource allocation in response to dynamic events and is applicable to problems where disaster evolves alongside the response efforts, where delays in response can lead to increased disaster severity and thus a greater need for resources.
Abstract WP190: Excessive Daytime Sleepiness and Depression in Stroke Survivors

Introduction: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and post-stroke depression (PSD) are risk factors for stroke morbidity and mortality. EDS is commonly seen after stroke, but is not routinely assess...
Margarine and butter purchases of southern households

Margarine and butter purchases of 1,061 southern households are reported. These families purchased twelve times as much margarine as butter. Medium-income households, those headed by grammar school-educated persons, households headed by farmers, those with an unemployed homemaker, and white households bought more margarine, on the average, than those in other categories. High-income households and those headed by retired/unemployed persons, on the other hand, generally purchased more butter. In these southern households, margarine purchases would have contributed significantly to "advised" caloric and fat intakes.
The role of bacterial colonization/infection in wheezing illness in infant

Wheezing is one of the most common respiratory symptoms in infant,which caused by diseases including bronchiolitis,interstitial pneumonia,asthma,etc.The infection of virus is the main and most important factor inducing wheezing in infants,the role of bacteria is not clear yet.In recent years,some researches found that bacteria usually colony and infect in the respiratory of children with asthmatic disease that plays important role of the wheezing prognosis in the early neonatal,but this is still controversial.So this article will overview researches of the role of bacterial colonization/infection in wheezing illness in recent years. Key words: Bacteria; Wheezing illness; LPS; Inflammation
Using social and emotional learning paradigms to inform a therapeutic intervention for preschool-aged children and their parents

Early intervention for young children who struggle with emotional dysregulation can prevent future social, emotional, and behavioural problems and promote healthier trajectories. Although existing ...
Psychological tolls of COVID-19 on industry employees.

â¢Lack of social support and panic about the pandemic result in impaired well-being.â¢Unemployed and furloughed employees are more negatively impacted by the crisis.â¢Women and younger employees experience more psychological distress.
Artificial Intelligence in NASH Histology: Human Teaches a Machine for the Machine to Help Humans.

With the high prevalence of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and its related morbidity, innovate and effective treatments for the disease have been needed. Fortunately, a plethora of clinical trials have been conducted, and many more are on the way (1). Nevertheless, the clinical trials pathway has been associated with limited success and many failures (1). Although non-invasive tests have shown promise and potential to replace liver biopsy, liver histology likely will remain the primary end point for phase 2b/3 trials and a key regulatory approval criterion for NASH drugs in the next few years (1). Unfortunately, histological evaluation of liver tissue has well-known limitations -- sample variability, lack of patient acceptance, low reproducibility among readers, and variable placebo effects -- that have been troublesome in NASH trials, although measures can be taken to reduce the shortcomings of this imperfect gold standard (2).
Noise removal techniques in smartphone based near infrared imaging of tissue oxygenation changes

Near-infrared (NIR) optical imaging systems are developed in an effort to maximize signal to noise ratio (SNR). Recently, a SmartPhone Oxygenation Tool (SPOT) was developed to obtain tissue oxygenation maps from dual-wavelength NIR images. Herein, several noise removal techniques are implemented to the NIR data obtained with SPOT in an effort to improve SNR for low-cost effective imaging of tissue oxygenation maps. NIR and oxygenation changes obtained from standard occlusion studies on normal subjects are compared with and without the noise removal techniques and the improvement in SNR is assessed.
Cascaded Multicore Vapor Chambers for Intrapackage Spreading of High-Power, Heterogeneous Heat Loads

A cascaded multicore vapor chamber (CMVC) is designed for dissipating heat from high-flux hotspots simultaneously with a high-total-power background. Current thermal management strategies rely on spreading high local heat fluxes by conduction in the lid of electronics packages. Embedding vapor chambers (VCs) within the lid is an attractive option to directly address intrapackage hotspots. We investigate the design of intralid VCs, for a generic device having a total heat load of 476 W having a background heat flux of 0.75 W/mm2, with hotspots of 8 W/mm2 over a 1-mm2 area. A conventional VC design, having a single vapor core, will require a thick evaporator wick to avoid the capillary limit for large total power. The necessity for a thick wick then imposes a large thermal conduction resistance when the VC is exposed to high heat flux hotspots. The proposed CMVC architecture aims to address this limitation. The cascaded architecture comprises a bottom-tier VC having an array of multiple small vapor cores for spreading heat from the small hotspots. These small vapor cores have short paths of liquid return to the evaporator, such that they can handle their footprint heat load while using thin wicks, resulting in a low hotspot thermal resistance. Furthermore, local dampening of the hotspots by the bottom tier then reduces the thermal conduction resistance across the necessarily thick wick in the top tier. Hence, the cascaded architecture has the potential to significantly reduce the overall thermal resistance, relative to a single tier. To substantiate this design rationale, experiments are performed to illustrate that the resistance of a commercial VC can be significantly reduced by interfacing the heat source with an intermediate heat spreader. Reduced-order models are then used to understand the effect of the wick properties (porosity and particle size) and geometric parameters on the thermal performance of the CMVC for the representative power map. The optimal CMVC design offers a thermal resistance (0.66 K/W) that is significantly lower compared to a conventional single-core VC (1.76 K/W) owing to a reduction in the conduction resistances across the internal wicks. That parametric optimization results demonstrate that the thermal resistance of the CMVC is more sensitive to the wick porosity compared to the particle diameter. Furthermore, there exists a wide range of wick properties and vapor core sizes for which near-optimum thermal performance can be attained, which is particularly attractive from the standpoint of flexibility in design and manufacturing.
In the Face of Adversity: A Phenomenological Study of Spiritual Struggles among “Bible-Believing” Christians

This study explored the lived experience of adversity as spiritual struggles among fundamentalists. Ten Christian fundamentalists participated in phenomenological interviews and provided descriptio...
Dielectric and Material Properties of 5CB Nematic Dispersed with Graphene Nanoparticles

We study the effects of graphene nanoparticles on dielectric and material properties of 5CB nematic: 4-he-4ʹ-cyanobiphenyl. Using the experimental methods of dielectric measurements and polarising ...
Continuous Tensor Products

We have seen in Theorem 2.4.10 that the cocycle conjugacy class of an E0-semigroup is completely determined by the structure of its product system. Thus the classification of E0-semigroups up to cocycle conjugacy should begin with a systematic development of a general theory of continuous tensor products of Hilbert spaces that is appropriate for E0-semigroups.
The Effects of Radiation on the Mechanical Properties of Polysilicon and Polydiamond Thin Films

Due to its many excellent properties, diamond is being explored as a material for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS). However, as is true in the case of silicon, a large amount of basic material characterization issues still warrant investigation. This paper presents preliminary results from charged particle irradiation of Chemical Vapor Deposited (CVD) polycrystalline diamond films. The films were simultaneously dosed to a level of 9.4 x l0(exp 13)/sq cm using 700 keV protons and 1 MeV electrons. The samples were then subject to cross-sectional nanoindention analysis and Raman spectroscopy. Polycrystalline silicon was also investigated for comparison purposes. The diamond was unaffected by the irradiation. However, the silicon did indicate a slight decrease in the Young's Modulus.
Iodination of cells membranes: II. Characterization of HeLa cell membrane surface proteins

Abstract The molecular weights of the five iodinatable surface membrane proteins of HeLa cells were determined to be 170 000, 145 000, 130 000, 93 000 and 53 000. The proteolytic digestion of these proteins with pronase, trypsin and chymotrypsin was also studied. Metabolic studies showed that these iodinated surface proteins are released into the medium in both acid-soluble and acid-insoluble forms. Antibodies prepared towards these released membrane fragments as well as antibodies prepared towards whole membrane inhibit the growth of HeLa cells.
Combining information from two data sources with misreporting and incompleteness to assess hospice-use among cancer patients: a multiple imputation approach

Combining information from multiple data sources can enhance estimates of health-related measures by using one source to supply information that is lacking in another, assuming the former has accurate and complete data. However, there is little research conducted on combining methods when each source might be imperfect, for example, subject to measurement errors and/or missing data. In a multisite study of hospice-use by late-stage cancer patients, this variable was available from patients' abstracted medical records, which may be considerably underreported because of incomplete acquisition of these records. Therefore, data for Medicare-eligible patients were supplemented with their Medicare claims that contained information on hospice-use, which may also be subject to underreporting yet to a lesser degree. In addition, both sources suffered from missing data because of unit nonresponse from medical record abstraction and sample undercoverage for Medicare claims. We treat the true hospice-use status from these patients as a latent variable and propose to multiply impute it using information from both data sources, borrowing the strength from each. We characterize the complete-data model as a product of an 'outcome' model for the probability of hospice-use and a 'reporting' model for the probability of underreporting from both sources, adjusting for other covariates. Assuming the reports of hospice-use from both sources are missing at random and the underreporting are conditionally independent, we develop a Bayesian multiple imputation algorithm and conduct multiple imputation analyses of patient hospice-use in demographic and clinical subgroups. The proposed approach yields more sensible results than alternative methods in our example. Our model is also related to dual system estimation in population censuses and dual exposure assessment in epidemiology.
Role of Routine Imaging in Lymphoma

Patients with lymphoma commonly undergo routine imaging studies after treatment completion, yet the appropriate interval, duration, and modality of follow-up, and the overall efficacy of various approaches is unclear. Existing guidelines are vague and not evidence-based, and consequently, practice patterns are varied. Most surveillance approaches in lymphoma have focused on early detection of recurrence, with the hope of prolonged survival and potential cure. Concerns regarding the prognostic value of frequent scanning, cost-effectiveness, and long-term risks associated with prolonged radiation exposure have led many to question the role of routine imaging in this setting. Given the multiple lymphoma subtypes and the clinical heterogeneity of these entities, a single approach to follow-up may not be reasonable. Much of the available literature focuses on Hodgkin lymphoma, and may not be generalizable. Retrospective series show that most relapses are detected by signs and symptoms regardless of the imaging schedule. In summary, clinicians are still left with "expert opinion" to guide them. This article examines the available data outlining the role of surveillance imaging in lymphoma.
Rising Use Of Diagnostic Medical Imaging In A Large Integrated Health System

Little has been published characterizing specific patterns of the dramatic rise in diagnostic imaging during the past decade. In a large health plan, 377,048 patients underwent 4.9 million diagnostic tests from 1997 through 2006. Cross-sectional imaging nearly doubled over those years, rising from 260 to 478 examinations per thousand enrollees per year. Imaging with computed tomography (CT) doubled, and imaging with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tripled. Cross-sectional studies added to existing studies instead of replacing them, and the annual per enrollee cost of radiology imaging more than doubled. The dramatic rise in imaging raises both costs and radiation exposure.
Fabrication and operation of an oxygen insert for adherent cellular cultures.

Oxygen is a key modulator of many cellular pathways, but current devices permitting in vitro oxygen modulation fail to meet the needs of biomedical research. The hypoxic chamber offers a simple system to control oxygenation in standard culture vessels, but lacks precise temporal and spatial control over the oxygen concentration at the cell surface, preventing its application in studying a variety of physiological phenomena. Other systems have improved upon the hypoxic chamber, but require specialized knowledge and equipment for their operation, making them intimidating for the average researcher. A microfabricated insert for multiwell plates has been developed to more effectively control the temporal and spatial oxygen concentration to better model physiological phenomena found in vivo . The platform consists of a polydimethylsiloxane insert that nests into a standard multiwell plate and serves as a passive microfluidic gas network with a gas-permeable membrane aimed to modulate oxygen delivery to adherent cells. The device is simple to use and is connected to gas cylinders that provide the pressure to introduce the desired oxygen concentration into the platform. Fabrication involves a combination of standard SU-8 photolithography, replica molding, and defined PDMS spinning on a silicon wafer. The components of the device are bonded after surface treatment using a hand-held plasma system. Validation is accomplished with a planar fluorescent oxygen sensor. Equilibration time is on the order of minutes and a wide variety of oxygen profiles can be attained based on the device design, such as the cyclic profile achieved in this study, and even oxygen gradients to mimic those found in vivo . The device can be sterilized for cell culture using common methods without loss of function. The device's applicability to studying the in vitro wound healing response will be demonstrated.
Wigner distribution detection and analysis of FMCW and P-4 polyphase LPI waveforms

This paper examines the performance of the Wigner distribution in detection of two low-probability of intercept (LPI) emitter waveforms: a triangular Frequency Modulation Continuous Wave (FMCW) and a P-4 polyphase code CW signal. Detection performance for signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) of +10 dB, 0 dB, −10 dB, and −20 dB are examined. Results indicate that time-frequency processing can provide good detection of LPI waveforms even in the presence of a moderate amount of noise.
Potassium Effects on Partitioning, Yield, and Earliness of Contrasting Cotton Cultivars

Potassium nutrition requirements may differ in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) cultivars that contrast in maturity and growth habit. Our objectives were to determine the effects of K fertility on carbohydrate and biomass partitioning, earliness, and lint yields of two contrasting cultivars. Fertilizer rates of 56 and 112 kg K ha -1 yr -1 , representing 1× and 2x recommended K rates, were applied to long-term K fertility plots on a no-tilled Loring silt loam (thermic Oxyaquic Fragiudalf) in Jackson, TN. Plant samples were harvested at early bloom and cutout, to evaluate carbohydrate and dry matter partitioning during boll filling. Earliness was determined as the percentage of total yield at the first of two harvests. The more determinate cultivar, 'Paymaster PM1218 BG/RR', had higher aboveground dry weight, main stem starch concentrations and percentage first harvest, representing earlier maturity than the more indeterminate 'Deltapine DP555 BG/RR'. The 2× K rate delayed maturity relative to the 1× rate, reflected in biomass partitioning and lint yield distribution. Lint yields were lower at the 1× than at the 2x K in the more determinate cultivar, but K did not affect the indeterminate yields. The two cultivars had equivalent lint yields at the 2x K rate, but the indeterminate cultivar produced more vegetative biomass, further delaying its maturity. Results suggest that an earlier, more determinate cultivar may require more K fertilization for optimal yield response with no tillage.
Theory of a high-intensity gas laser

Single mode gas laser theory for arbitrary field intensities in terms of ensemble averaged form of density-matrix equations of motion