cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Video coding using motion classification

In this paper we present a video coding approach similar to texture- based methods but based on motion models. We consider motion perception properties instead of spatial texture properties of the video sequence. We integrate a motion classification algorithm to separate foreground objects containing noticeable motion from the background. These background areas are labeled as skipped areas that are not encoded. After decoding, frame reconstruction is performed by inserting the skipped background into the decoded frames. We are able to show as much as 15% an improvement over previous texture- based implementations in terms of video compression efficiency.
REad/access-preferred (REAP) SRAM - architecture-aware bit cell design for improved yield and lower V MIN

We present an architecture-aware SRAM design that decouples the conflicting requirements between read stability and writeability. Read and hold failures are reduced by preferentially sizing the cell to have better read stability at the expense of write failures (at iso-area). The increased write failures are handled by stretching the write cycle. Measurement results on a 90nm 2kb test chip show 80mV higher weak-write test voltage, 61%, 25% and 500X reduction in hold, read and write failures, respectively, without any increase in access failures. This results in improved yield relative to an iso-area nominal 6T cell, with only 3% loss in performance (based on architecture level simulation) on average.
The feasibility and safety of using sublaminar polyester bands in hybrid spinal constructs in children and transitional adults for neuromuscular scoliosis.

OBJECT The authors have previously reported on their early experience with sublaminar polyester bands in spine surgery. In this paper, the authors describe the use of sublaminar polyester bands in long-segment posterior instrumented spinal fusions from the upper thoracic spine to the ilium in 21 children and transitional adults with progressive neuromuscular scoliosis. Transitional adults were patients older than 18 years of age with a spinal disorder of pediatric onset, such as spina bifida. This dedicated study represents the first reported use of polyester bands in spine surgery for neuromuscular scoliosis in this patient population in the US. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed the demographics and procedural data of patients who underwent posterior instrumented fusion using sublaminar polyester bands for neuromuscular scoliosis. RESULTS Twenty-one pediatric and adult transitional patients, ranging in age from 10 to 20 years (mean 14 years), underwent posterior instrumented fusion for progres...
NK Cell Maturation and Function in C57BL/6 Mice Are Altered by Caloric Restriction

NK cells are a heterogenous population of innate lymphocytes with diverse functional attributes critical for early protection from viral infections. We have previously reported a decrease in influenza-induced NK cell cytotoxicity in 6-mo-old C57BL/6 calorically restricted (CR) mice. In the current study, we extend our findings on the influence of CR on NK cell phenotype and function in the absence of infection. We demonstrate that reduced mature NK cell subsets result in increased frequencies of CD127+ NK cells in CR mice, skewing the function of the total NK cell pool. NK cells from CR mice produced TNF-α and GM-CSF at a higher level, whereas IFN-γ production was impaired following IL-2 plus IL-12 or anti-NK1.1 stimulation. NK cells from CR mice were highly responsive to stimulation with YAC-1 cells such that CD27−CD11b+ NK cells from CR mice produced granzyme B and degranulated at a higher frequency than CD27−CD11b+ NK cells from ad libitum fed mice. CR has been shown to be a potent dietary intervention, yet the mechanisms by which the CR increases life span have yet to be fully understood. To our knowledge, these findings are the first in-depth analysis of the effects of caloric intake on NK cell phenotype and function and provide important implications regarding potential ways in which CR alters NK cell function prior to infection or cancer.
Global patent protection: channels of north and south welfare gain

Abstract The literature on dynamic intellectual property protection (IPP) often assumes a single margin of innovation, implying that the innovator cannot reassign research efforts among multiple sectors. This leads to special results. With two dimensions of innovation, previously unavailable avenues of cooperation and mutual interest arise: The South may benefit from higher standards of IPP than in the North, and the North may gain from differentially weaker Southern IPP. Channels are traced. Key features not previously found include the ability of lower Southern IPP to spur innovation of Northern goods and make available greater resources for Northern production of current consumption.
Maternal vasculopathy and histologic diagnosis of preeclampsia: poor correlation of histologic changes and clinical manifestation

Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the frequency of maternal vasculopathy and to determine the usefulness of placental examination in correlation with clinical manifestation of pregnancy-induced hypertension. Study design We investigated 350 pregnancy-induced hypertension placentas over a 2.5-year period (January 2002-June 2004) to identify the potential usefulness of the maternal vasculopathy in histologic diagnosis and corroboration of clinical preeclampsia. This study was carried out at West Virginia University Ruby Memorial Hospital, where 1271 placentas were examined macroscopically and microscopically for the period. The presence or absence of vascular changes, infarctions, thrombosis, abruption, chorangiosis, and chorioamnionitis were investigated for each placenta with the clinical diagnosis of preeclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension. Results Two types of vascular changes that are characteristic of pregnancy-induced hypertension, namely maternal atherosis and fibrinoid medial necrosis, were found in 21.4% of the placentas (75/350 placentas). These vascular changes were found mainly in the decidua capsularis of the membrane rolls, not on the decidua basalis of the maternal floor. There were more placental infarctions within these placentas (32.3%; 113/350 placentas). Intervillous thrombosis was 18.9% (66/350 placentas); microscopic abruption was 6.3% (22/350 placentas); chorangiosis was 10.9% (38/350 placentas), and chorioamnionitis was 8.6% (30/350 placentas). Conclusion These findings demonstrate that the maternal vascular changes that are characteristic of pregnancy-induced hypertension are found in approximately 1 of 5 pregnancy-induced hypertension placentas. Examination of pregnancy-induced hypertension placentas should be based on a combination of a number of histologic changes. Furthermore, the decidua capsularis of the fetal membrane roll, rather than the decidua basalis of the maternal floor, of the placenta should be examined for these maternal vascular changes.
Restriction of neural crest cell fate in the trunk of the embryonic zebrafish

To learn when cell fate differences first arise in the zebrafish trunk neural crest, individual premigratory crest cells were labeled intracellularly with fluorescent vital dyes, followed in living embryos and complete lineages recorded. Although some of the earliest cells to migrate produced derivatives of multiple phenotypes, most zebrafish trunk neural crest cells appear to be lineage-restricted, generating type-restricted precursors that produce single kinds of derivatives. Further, cells that produce derivatives of multiple phenotypes appear to do so by first generating type-restricted precursors. Among the various types of derivatives, sensory and sympathetic cells arise only from early migrating crest cells. Some type-restricted precursors display cell-type-specific characteristics while still migrating. Taken together, these observations suggest that some trunk neural crest cells are specified before reaching their final locations.
The K2-TESS Stellar Properties Catalog

We introduce a catalog of stellar properties for stars observed by the Kepler follow-on mission, K2. We base the catalog on a cross-match between the K2 Campaign target lists and the current working version of the NASA TESS target catalog. The resulting K2-TESS Stellar Properties Catalog includes value-added information from the TESS Target Catalog, including stellar colors, proper motions, effective temperatures, an estimated luminosity class (dwarf/subgiant versus giant) for each star based on reduced-proper-motion, and many other properties via cross-matching to other all-sky catalogs. Also included is the Guest Observer program identification number(s) associated with each K2 target. The K2-TESS Stellar Properties Catalog is available to the community as a freely accessible data portal on the Filtergraph system at: this http URL .
Effect of Orthogalumna terebrantis [Acari: Galumnidae] on Neochetina Eichhorniae [Col. Curculionidae] eggs and oviposition.

Adult waterhyacinth mites,Orthogalumna terebrantisWallwork, did not consume eggs of the mottled waterhyacinth weevil,Neochetina eichhorniaeWarner, under 4 temperature regimes (viz. 5°–25°, 10°–30°, 15°–35° and 20°–40° C). Microscopic examination showed that mites did not feed or attempt to feed on weevil eggs and they starved when weevil eggs were the only source of food.
New Gadgets Worth Exploring

Purpose – Aims to review some new technology “gadgets” and personal electronics that may address work‐related functions and entertainment interests of library service providers and library users.Design/methodology/approach – A review with descriptions of new technologies which might impact library services.Findings –Computer technology expanding into everyday life has ensured that gadgets play a significant role in our daily routines. We use them at work, home, and during leisure time. The gadgets range from smartphones, keyboards, headphones, media storage devices, and more. The range of materials, functionality, and application increases every quarter and changes can be seen in many different products. This list of new gadgets is, just that, a demonstration of creative invention at work to make life and work simpler, and more fun.Originality/value – Provides descriptions of some gadgets of value to information seekers.
Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells to Spinal Motor Neurons

Controlled differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into clinically relevant cell types is a fundamental goal of stem cell research. This unit describes one of the most efficient protocols for conversion of mouse ES cells into a defined type of nerve cells, the spinal motor neurons. ES cells are separated from feeder mouse embryonic fibroblasts and aggregated to form embryoid bodies (EBs). Two days after the withdrawal of growth factors, EBs reach a stage at which they are responsive to patterning signals and can be effectively induced with retinoic acid (RA) to differentiate into spinal nerve cells. Nascent neural cells become responsive to the ventralizing signal sonic hedgehog (Hh) that controls expression of ventral spinal progenitor markers and initiates the genetic program of motor neuron differentiation. Curr. Protoc. Stem Cell Biol. 5:1H.1.1-1H.1.9. © 2008 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Keywords: controlled differentiation; mouse; embryonic stem cells; neural differentiation; spinal motor neurons; retinoic acid; sonic hedgehog
THE CATALYTIC EFFECT OF DYES ON THE OXYGEN CONSUMPTION OF LIVING CELLS

From the experiments described in this paper and in those previously published it can be concluded that dyes which can be reversibly oxidized and reduced, act as catalysts for some oxidative processes taking place in the living cells, as is manifested by an increase in their oxygen consumption. It has been found that the catalytic power of the dyes on the oxygen consumption of starfish eggs (mature, unfertilized) is conditioned by two factors: the reduction potential of the dye and the permeability of the cell surface. Dyes whose E'o is towards the positive side of the aerobic reduction potential of the starfish eggs have a maximum catalytic effect. This catalytic power decreases as the E'o becomes more negative than the reduction potential of the cell and becomes nil beyond certain limits. When a dye cannot penetrate into the cell, its effect is greatly diminished as in this case only those oxidative processes taking place at the outer surface of the cell can be activated. Whether a dye can act as a catalyst or not is dependent on whether the normal consumption of oxygen by the cell is slower or quicker than the oxidation activated by the dye. The speed of this activation is correlated to (1) the speed at which the dye is reduced by the cell, and (2) the speed at which the leuco-dye is oxidized by the atmospheric oxygen. If one of these two processes is slower than the normal respiration, the dye cannot increase the rate of oxygen consumption (phenol indophenol at low concentrations which is kept reduced by the cell is very slowly reoxidized by atmospheric oxygen, on the other hand safranin and neutral red which are not reduced by the cell or at least too slowly reduced, though rapidly reoxidized by air). It will depend on these two reactions velocities whether a dye will act as catalyst (methylene blue and dyes with similar E'o which are quickly reduced by the cell and the leuco-dyes of which are relatively quickly reoxidized). Though this relationship between the reduction potential of the dyes and its catalytic power would seem in contradiction with the well known thermodynamic assumption that there is in general no distinct relationship between the potential and velocity of the reaction, we have pointed out from the literature some of the various experiments where one does recognize this connection.
Online Pre-laboratory Modules Enhance Introductory Biology Students’ Preparedness and Performance in the Laboratory

Introductory biology students are typically overwhelmed in the laboratory. Many of the students are unsure of how to prepare for each session. Two online pre-laboratory modules were developed to introduce the students to the concepts required for laboratory. The students studied the information in the modules and took an online quiz prior to each lab session. Of the 49 students who reviewed the first module and took the online quiz, the average quiz grade was 83.7% ± 12.8. A control group that did not review the online module had an average quiz grade of 53.6% ± 17.5. Of the 20 students who reviewed the second module and took the online quiz, the average quiz grade was 76% ± 15.0. The average quiz grade of the control group was 47.2% ± 16.5. The students were required to prepare laboratory reports for each session. Students who were required to review the modules received slightly higher grades on their laboratory reports compared to the control group. The students and faculty took a survey to determine their perceived impact of the modules on laboratory preparedness and performance. Both the faculty and students agreed that students are typically underprepared for lab (100% and 62%, respectively). Eighty-five percent of the students and all faculty felt that the modules did help them with preparation for the lab. Eighty-eight percent of the students and 76% of the faculty reported that the modules helped them to prepare their laboratory reports. These data clearly indicate that the pre-laboratory modules do enhance student preparedness and performance in the laboratory.
Recursive SVM biomarker selection for early detection of breast cancer in peripheral blood

Breast cancer is worldwide the second most common type of cancer after lung cancer. Traditional mammography and Tissue Microarray has been studied for early cancer detection and cancer prediction. However, there is a need for more reliable diagnostic tools for early detection of breast cancer. This can be a challenge due to a number of factors and logistics. First, obtaining tissue biopsies can be difficult. Second, mammography may not detect small tumors, and is often unsatisfactory for younger women who typically have dense breast tissue. Lastly, breast cancer is not a single homogeneous disease but consists of multiple disease states, each arising from a distinct molecular mechanism and having a distinct clinical progression path which makes the disease difficult to detect and predict in early stages. In the paper, we present a Support Vector Machine based on Recursive Feature Elimination and Cross Validation (SVM-RFE-CV) algorithm for early detection of breast cancer in peripheral blood and show how to use SVM-RFE-CV to model the classification and prediction problem of early detection of breast cancer in peripheral blood. The training set which consists of 32 health and 33 cancer samples and the testing set consisting of 31 health and 34 cancer samples were randomly separated from a dataset of peripheral blood of breast cancer that is downloaded from Gene Express Omnibus. First, we identified the 42 differentially expressed biomarkers between "normal" and "cancer". Then, with the SVM-RFE-CV we extracted 15 biomarkers that yield zero cross validation score. Lastly, we compared the classification and prediction performance of SVM-RFE-CV with that of SVM and SVM Recursive Feature Elimination (SVM-RFE). We found that 1) the SVM-RFE-CV is suitable for analyzing noisy high-throughput microarray data, 2) it outperforms SVM-RFE in the robustness to noise and in the ability to recover informative features, and 3) it can improve the prediction performance (Area Under Curve) in the testing data set from 0.5826 to 0.7879. Further pathway analysis showed that the biomarkers are associated with Signaling, Hemostasis, Hormones, and Immune System, which are consistent with previous findings. Our prediction model can serve as a general model for biomarker discovery in early detection of other cancers. In the future, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) is planned for validation of the ability of these potential biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer.
Novel uses of neural networks

Neural networks are proving to be an effective alternative algorithmic tool which can either be modeled in a computer program or hardwired in an aging simulation. The beauty of being able to use very simple functional units in a collective manner makes neural nets a very attractive technology to students as well as those wishing to become aware of the state-of-the-art in computer science. A number of applications of neural networks are described. >
Fast settling frequency synthesizer with two-point channel control paths

A frequency synthesizer with low-power and very short settling time is introduced, which utilizes two-point channel control paths. While the main-path is the same as normal channel controls, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) with tunable gain is used for the compensation-path to form a feed-forward direct voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) control path. When the two paths are ideally matched, the two-point control can show zero settling time regardless of the amount of frequency change. However, the settling time performance can be significantly degraded if there exists any mismatch between the two paths. In order to remove the mismatch, a simple compensation method combining a linearized VCO with a resistor-loaded tunable DAC is presented. We show that the overall mismatch can be effectively tuned out by controlling the DAC load resistor, since the mismatch caused by process–voltage–temperature variations is dominated by the resistor variation. We have achieved near-zero settling time for 75thinspaceMHz frequency jumping from 2.4 GHz even with the use of narrow phase-locked loop (PLL) bandwidth of 20 kHz. When the phase noise at 1 MHz offset from 2.4 GHz is − 116.6dBc/ Hz, the total PLL power consumption using 0.18 µm CMOS technology is only 4.2 mW. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. (A frequency synthesizer with two-point channel control composed of main-and compensation-paths is introduced for fast settling time performance. Any mismatch between the two paths is effectively tuned out by controlling the combined gain of a linearized VCO and a resistor loaded tunable DAC. Even for a narrow 20 kHz PLL bandwidth, the synthesizer achieved near zero settling time at 2.4 GHz, with phase noise of −116.6 dBc/Hz at 1 MHz offset and total power consumption of 4.2 mW.)
Substrate Specificities of Hybrid Naphthalene and 2,4-Dinitrotoluene Dioxygenase Enzyme Systems

Bacterial three-component dioxygenase systems consist of reductase and ferredoxin components which transfer electrons from NAD(P)H to a terminal oxygenase. In most cases, the oxygenase consists of two different subunits (alpha and beta). To assess the contributions of the alpha and beta subunits of the oxygenase to substrate specificity, hybrid dioxygenase enzymes were formed by coexpressing genes from two compatible plasmids in Escherichia coli. The activities of hybrid naphthalene and 2,4-dinitrotoluene dioxygenases containing four different beta subunits were tested with four substrates (indole, naphthalene, 2,4-dinitrotoluene, and 2-nitrotoluene). In the active hybrids, replacement of small subunits affected the rate of product formation but had no effect on the substrate range, regiospecificity, or enantiomeric purity of oxidation products with the substrates tested. These studies indicate that the small subunit of the oxygenase is essential for activity but does not play a major role in determining the specificity of these enzymes.
The Persistence of Stereotypes in the Context of Familiarity

Landy (2008) claims that biases in general, and stereotypes in particular, play a more limited role in personnel decision making than the research literature might lead one to believe. According to Landy, this is because of the artificiality of most stereotyping research, which involves strangers evaluating strangers. In most real-world decisions, he argues, the evaluator is familiar with the target and thus has individuating information about the target at his or her disposal, which prevents simple demographic categories from influencing personnel decisions. Although we do not believe that low-familiarity work situations are as rare as Landy suggests, we agree that people in organizations do often operate in a high-familiarity context and that much of the existing research designed to inform our understanding of stereotyping in the workplace is conducted in a low-familiarity context. We contend, however, that stereotypes affect
Measuring the Effect of Attention on Simple Visual Search

Set-size in visual search may be due to 1 or more of 3 factors: sensory processes such as lateral masking between stimuli, attentional processes limiting the perception of individual stimuli, or attentional processes affecting the decision rules for combining information from multiple stimuli. These possibilities were evaluated in tasks such as searching for a longer line among shorter lines. To evaluate sensory contributions, display set-size effects were compared with cuing conditions that held sensory phenomena constant. Similar effects for the display and cue manipulations suggested that sensory processes contributed little under the conditions of this experiment. To evaluate the contribution of decision processes, the set-size effects were modeled with signal detection theory. In these models, a decision effect alone was sufficient to predict the set-size effects without any attentional limitation due to perception.
Educating for Transformation in Interprofessional Practice

This paper uses a praxis methodology to explore the possibility of student transformation through participation in an interprofessional university-community partnership. The experiences of participants in one partnership provided a focal point for questioning assumptions about the nature of the professional role and the relationship of university and community. In an earlier study (Caldwell et al. 2000) on ethical dilemmas, we found that participants need a safe place to discuss ethical dilemmas and work out constructive responses. Reconsidered in an educational framework, this need is part of a context that promotes participants’ development by providing a balance between challenge and support. The developmental framework of Robert Kegan (1994) is used to reflect on the nature of this balance and the challenges of interprofessional work in the community and to suggest action.
A statistical model for the obstructed factory radio channel

A statistical model based on experimental data is presented to characterize the multipath propagation medium in typical manufacturing environments. The statistical behavior of the medium is described by a time-varying impulse response which includes the distribution of the parameter of the channel such as the gain, the interarrival time, and the number of paths. The experimentally measured pulse responses of indoor factory radio channels were used to estimate the channel statistics. The interarrival times of the signals were modeled by the Weibull distribution. A model for the distribution of the number of signals was presented using the modified Beta distribution. Finally, for the data with no threshold at the receiver, a suitable model for the distribution of the gain coefficients is found to be the log-normal distribution. It is concluded that the proposed approach can be used to analyze the manufacturing environments. >
Radiation-induced phase transformations in MgAl2O4 spinel

Ion-irradiation was observed to transform MgAl2O4 spinel first to a metastable crystalline phase and then to an amorphous phase at cryogenic temperatures. Elastic stiffening of 15% occurred upon formation of the metastable crystalline phase. A second transformation from the metastable crystalline spinel to an amorphous state was accompanied by elastic softening of 25% relative to unirradiated spinel. This phase transformation behavior in spinel appears to be different from that in intermetallic compounds where only elastic softening associated with radiation damage accumulation is observed. A two-stage radiation damage model is proposed to explain the observed phase transformations.
Deceived by metaphor

The views of self-deception that Mele attacks are thoroughly metaphorical, and should never have purported to imply the existence of real internal acts of deception. Research on self-deception, including Mele's appealing account, could be enriched and constrained by a broader investigation of the prevalent use of metaphor in thinking and talking about the mind.
Synthesis, biological activity, and X-ray crystal structural analysis of diaryl ether inhibitors of malarial enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase. Part 1: 4'-Substituted triclosan derivatives.

Abstract A structure-based approach has been taken to develop 4′-substituted analogs of triclosan that target the key malarial enzyme Plasmodium falciparum enoyl acyl carrier protein reductase (PfENR). Many of these compounds exhibit nanomolar potency against purified PfENR enzyme and modest (2–10 μM) potency against in vitro cultures of drug-resistant and drug-sensitive strains of the P. falciparum parasite. X-ray crystal structures of nitro 29, aniline 30, methylamide 37, and urea 46 demonstrate the presence of hydrogen-bonding interactions with residues in the active site and point to future rounds of optimization to improve compound potency against purified enzyme and intracellular parasites.
Effects of diethylstilbestrol and cyclophosphamide on the pathogenesis of experimental Cryptococcus neoformans infections.

Treatment of mice with a single dose of cyclophosphamide 24 h before challenge with Cryptococcus neoformans increased host survival, whereas treatment with 10 daily exposures of cyclophosphamide, starting 2 days before challenge, markedly reduced survival in mice challenged on the second day of drug treatment. Treatment with 14 daily exposures of diethylstilbestrol before challenge with C. neoformans did not markedly affect host survival. A correlation was sought between the distribution of radiolabeled C. neoformans and host survival. Radiolabeled C. neoformans administered intravenously was cleared rapidly from the blood of naive mice and accumulated in the lungs, liver and kidney within 1 h. The radiolabeled yeasts were subsequently cleared from the lungs. The distribution of radiolabeled C. neoformans among organs was generally the same in control mice and mice treated with diethylstilbestrol or various cyclophosphamide regimens after 3 or 24 h. The distribution of C. neoformans measured as colony for...
Chemically induced hypotension increases PGE2 release and depresses macrophage antigen presentation

Hemorrhagic shock causes severe depression of macrophage functions and is associated with increased susceptibility to sepsis. Because hemorrhagic shock and resuscitation encompasses several pathophysiological conditions, such as hypotension, low-flow conditions, hypoxia, and reperfusion injury, it remains unknown whether severe hypotension in the absence of blood loss has any adverse effects on macrophage functions. To study this, systemic arterial hypotension was induced in C3H/HeN mice for 15 min by intravenous infusion of sodium nitroprusside or ATP-MgCl2. Peritoneal macrophages (PM) was harvested 20 h later with lavage. Antigen presentation was measured by coculturing PM with the D10.G4.1 Th cell clone. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1, and prostaglandin (PG) E2 levels in supernatants of PM stimulated with lipopolysaccharide were measured with bioassays or radioimmunoassay. Systemic arterial hypotension resulted in a significant decrease of PM capacity to present antigen. Although the release of TNF, IL-6, and IL-1 by PM was unaltered after hypotension, PGE2 release by PM was significantly elevated compared with the control group. These data indicate that chemically induced systemic arterial hypotension without blood loss leads to a depression of antigen presentation, which may be caused by elevated release of the immunosuppressive eicosanoid PGE2.
The role of magnetic topology change in development of ablation streams in wire arrays

This paper investigates the influence of the magnetic field topology and the global field penetration time on the ablation dynamics of cylindrical wire array Z-pinches. 3D resistive MHD simulation results with the GORGON code suggest that a change in the global magnetic field topology is critical in initiating wire array ablation. The simulations show a characteristic evolution in the development of streams of ablated material ejected from the wires toward the array axis. In simulations of tungsten arrays, the fundamental behavior occurs in two steps. The first is the development of coronal plasma that is trapped around the wire core in closed "local" magnetic flux. This coronal mass, together with the closed flux, is then accelerated inward after a certain "dwell" time, leaving behind a radially distributed current density with entirely open "global" magnetic field lines, producing smooth, distributed acceleration of ablated plasma inward from the wire core until the onset of the final implosion.These simulation results are investigated experimentally by using B-dot probes to track the evolution of the field over time and space in wire arrays on the Cornell COBRA accelerator.The field radially inward from a wire initially grows in the "local" direction, then after a dwell time reverses and grows in the global direction. The time of reversal is retarded at further inward radial positions. Thus the local field is advected inward, with an inferred velocity typical of ablation streams.
Literacy and education, by James Paul Gee

James Paul Gee's Literacy and Education is part of Routledge's Key Ideas in Education series. One of the most effective features of the book is Gee's explanation of complex concepts in accessible l...
The Role of Collectivism among Latino American College Students.

ABSTRACTIn an attempt to explain the lower Latino college graduation rate, the current study focuses on collectivism in kin and nonkin helping situations. The sample comprised 60 students at a 4-year college in the southwestern United States. Results revealed significance between ethnicity and nonkin collectivism: Latino American college students were significantly more collectivistic toward nonkin groups compared to their non–Latino American counterparts. The use of various support systems may shed some light on the necessary remedy for Latinos’ lower college graduation rate. Implications are discussed for cultural sensitivity training and program development to foster the experience and success of Latino American college students.
La Convención Internacional Para La Protección De Todas Las Personas Contra Las Desapariciones Forzadas. Un Gran Paso Hacia Una Mayor Protección En La Lucha Contra Este Fenómeno (The International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances. An Important Step Forward in the Fight Against this Phenomenon.)

Spanish Abstract: El 31 de octubre de 2006 la Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas adopto por consenso la Convencion Internacional para la proteccion de todas las personas contra las desapariciones forzadas. Es el primer instrumento juridicamente vinculante de alcance universal en la materia y ha venido a colmar un vacio legal en la materia. A su vez, implica un reconocimiento de que las desapariciones forzadas no son un fenomeno del pasado ni exclusivo de las antiguas dictaduras latinoamericanas. La Convencion Internacional ha recogido los desarrollos doctrinarios y jurisprudenciales mas progresistas que la sociedad civil venia reclamando desde hace tiempo. Por lo tanto, desde un punto de vista teorico estamos en presencia de un instrumento internacional que posee las herramientas adecuadas para hacer frente al fenomeno desapariciones forzadas o involuntarias.English Abstract: On October 31, 2006 the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus the International Convention for the protection of all persons against enforced disappearances. The Convention is the first universal binding treaty and has come to fill the legal vacuum surrounding this issue. At the same time, it means recognition that enforced disappearances are neither a phenomenon of the past nor an exclusive tool of the former Latin America military juntas. The International Convention has included in its text high standards of human rights protection recognised by the doctrine and international tribunals and claimed for long time by the civil society. Thus, from a theoretical point of view we are in presence of an international treaty with the proper tools to face the phenomenon of enforced disappearances in the world.
Examining perceived barriers to healthcare access for Hispanics in a southern urban community

Background: Disparities in healthcare access among Hispanics in the U.S. continue to rise as a result of contextually based social determinants of health. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived barriers to primary healthcare access among Hispanics residing in an underserved, urban region of Louisville, Kentucky. Methods: Guided by critical ethnographic methods, twenty participants were interviewed using a descriptive survey and semistructured interview guide to assess perceived access barriers. Descriptive and analytic coding, and content analysis techniques were used to identify emerging categories, concepts and themes. Results: Persistent barriers to healthcare access were related to time and availability, healthcare personnel and patient-provider communication; documentation; limited income and health insurance coverage; and, discrimination and cultural barriers. Conclusions: Findings inform healthcare systems by identifying the subjective and socially constructed barriers to healthcare access and promoting programs and policies to eliminate access barriers for Hispanics.
A Self-Determination Perspective of Leadership Development

The leadership development literature is theoretically and empirically thin compared to other leadership topics. In this paper, leadership development is immersed in the motivation literature with ...
Effect of Electrolyte on the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2

Electrochemical experiments were carried out in a laboratory-made, divided H-type cell to study the electrochemical reduction of CO2. A copper wire, Ag/AgCl electrode and Pt wire were used as the working, reference and counter electrode, respectively. A potential ramp between 0 and -1.2 V was applied to the cell and the current was monitored as a function of potential. The effect of the electrolyte on the electrochemical reduction of CO2 was investigated by using NaHCO3 and KHCO3. It was observed that the latter electrolyte favored higher currents. This may be related to the cation size and electro negativity. The role of the electrolyte in this reaction may be explained by assuming that CO2 bonds to HCO3- and K+, generating intermediate specie prior to its electrochemical reduction. This would explain that the current increased as a function of KHCO3 concentration. The insertion of CO2 between the anion and the cation is a very important step in the electrochemical reaction. The formation of a new HCO3-C bond results in the weaking of C-O bond and the activation of CO2 occurs. The electron transfer from the electrode to the CO2 is facilitated.
AC-130H DRAG DEFINITION FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM

Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) and the AC-13 OH System Program Office (SPO) at Warner Robbins Air Logistics Center (WRALC) have initiated a flight test program to evaluate a modified configuration of the AC-130H. The aircraft configuration for this flight test program will incorporate the following modifications: two sets of Rosemount pitot-static probes will be added (1 set each underneath the pilot's and copilot's windows on the fuselage of the aircraft), and the following external protuberances will be removed from the fuselage of the aircraft: the ASD-5 (Black Crow), the 20mm Spoilers, and the Spotlight Spoiler. The purpose of this flight test program is to determine the suitability of the new pitot-static system, to quantify the effects of the external modifications in terms of aircraft drag reduction and performance improvement, and to update the flight manual accordingly. This program is a combined effort by the United States Air Force Academy Department of Aeronautics (USAFA/DFAN), Detachment 1 of the 46th Operations Group at Hurlburt Field, the AC130H SPO, Support Systems Associates, Inc. (SSAI), and the Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC) at Edwards AFB. This paper focuses on the drag definition effort and identifies low cost flight test methods along with a flight test plan that has the potential to meet the desired outcomes.
Is routine screening for colorectal cancer justifiable? This gastroenterologist says NO!

In this era of resource limitations, use of healthcare dollars should be directed to diagnostic and therapeutic programs that can be supported by scientifically valid information. Screening for colorectal cancer has to overcome two limitations before its routine use can be justified. First, the disease is largely a problem in elderly patients, who are likely to have comorbid conditions. Second, any cancer screening identifies mainly slower-growing lesions (i.e., length-time bias), which may be less of a mortal threat in older patients. Data available in 1997 cannot justify implementation of colorectal cancer screening as a public health policy. My advice to individual patients is not to have it done, and we have not instituted the practice at the public hospital where I work. I myself have declined it for each of the past 5 years when my personal physician has offered it to me.
Realistic inversion of diffraction data for an amorphous solid: The case of amorphous silicon

We apply a method called ``force-enhanced atomic refinement'' (FEAR) to create a computer model of amorphous silicon $(a\text{-Si})$ based upon the highly precise x-ray diffraction experiments of Laaziri et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 82, 3460 (1999)]. The logic underlying our calculation is to estimate the structure of a real sample $a\text{-Si}$ using experimental data and chemical information included in a nonbiased way, starting from random coordinates. The model is in close agreement with experiment and also sits at a suitable energy minimum according to density-functional calculations. In agreement with experiments, we find a small concentration of coordination defects that we discuss, including their electronic consequences. The gap states in the FEAR model are delocalized compared to a continuous random network model. The method is more efficient and accurate, in the sense of fitting the diffraction data, than conventional melt-quench methods. We compute the vibrational density of states and the specific heat, and we find that both compare favorably to experiments.
What Makes Everyday Scientific Reasoning So Challenging

Abstract Informed citizens are expected to use science-based evidence to make decisions about health, behavior and public policy. To do so, they must judge whether the evidence is consistent with the claims presented (theory-evidence coordination). Unfortunately, most individuals make numerous errors in theory-evidence coordination. In this chapter, we provide an overview of research on science evidence evaluation, drawing from research in cognitive and developmental psychology, science and statistics education, decision sciences, political science and science communication. Given the breadth of this research area, we highlight some influential studies and reviews across these different topics. This body of research provides several clues about: (1) why science evidence evaluation is challenging, (2) the influence of the content and context of the evidence and (3) how the characteristics of the individual examining the evidence impact the quality of the evaluations. Finally, we suggest some possible directions for empirical research on improving evidence evaluation and point to the responsibility of scientists, especially social and behavioral scientists, in communicating their findings to the public. Overall, our goal is to give readers an interdisciplinary view of science evidence evaluation research and to integrate research from different scientific communities that address similar questions.
Empirical Analysis of the Subjective Impressions and Objective Measures of Domain Scientists' Visual Analytic Judgments

Scientists often use specific data analysis and presentation methods familiar within their domain. But does high familiarity drive better analytical judgment? This question is especially relevant when familiar methods themselves can have shortcomings: many visualizations used conventionally for scientific data analysis and presentation do not follow established best practices. This necessitates new methods that might be unfamiliar yet prove to be more effective. But there is little empirical understanding of the relationships between scientists' subjective impressions about familiar and unfamiliar visualizations and objective measures of their visual analytic judgments. To address this gap and to study these factors, we focus on visualizations used for comparison of climate model performance. We report on a comprehensive survey-based user study with 47 climate scientists and present an analysis of: i) relationships among scientists' familiarity, their perceived levels of comfort, confidence, accuracy, and objective measures of accuracy, and ii) relationships among domain experience, visualization familiarity, and post-study preference.
Varsimlab: A Docker-based Pipeline to Automatically Synthesize Short Reads with Genomic Aberrations

Individuals of a species have similar characteristics but they are rarely identical because of the genomic variations. One of the important genomic variations is structural variation (SV), including copy number variation (CNV), which is a result of amplifications or deletions of genomic regions. It has been shown that SV plays an important role in phenotypic diversity and evolution. A Genome encompasses other aberrations such as Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and small insertions and deletions (Indels). Although genetic variations contribute to our uniqueness, they can comprise critical developmental genes leading to gene dosage imbalances, new genes creation, and gene structures reshaping that ultimately may result in disease. Understanding the mechanisms of structural variation formation helps us better understand human phenotypic diversity, evolution and diseases susceptibility. Computational tools have been developed for genomic variation detection using next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. However, with no prior knowledge about variants in real samples, the tools that are used for detection and analysis have been hindered by the lack of a gold standard benchmark. Some multi-variant simulators have been developed for whole genome sequencing (WGS) data such as SInC and SCNVSim. However, they are not easy to use and technical skills are required to run them. Moreover, those simulators only apply genomic variations to a reference file; and other software tools, such as ART simulator, need to be used to generate the sequenced short reads. We have developed a user-friendly automated pipeline, VarSimLab, which offers an integrated web-based suite to simulate structural variations and also to generate WGS and WES short reads. It utilizes some of the existing tools and packages them into a standard Docker image; an open source technology used to package applications and their dependencies into a standardized software container. VarSimLab automates the process of simulating tumor genotypes such as SNPs, Indels, CNVs, transition/transversion, ploidy and tumor sub-clone and generating short reads. Thanks to the Docker technology, the pipeline is platform-independent and super easy for non-technical scientists to use from a web browser. VarSimLab is designed to grow as a full suite of integrated tools to analyze genomic aberrations.
One-Dimensional Particle Tracking with Streamline Preserving Junctions for Flows in Channel Networks

AbstractA pseudo-three-dimensional particle tracking model of drifter paths has been developed to study the movement of scalars through a complex network of tidal channels and junctions. To better ...
Clostridial diseases of small ruminants

Members of the genus Clostridium are extraordinarily diverse in their natural habitats, and, when introduced to animal hosts, a few produce acute and often fatal disease. In sheep and goats, as in many other species of domestic animals, pathogenesis is often mediated by one or more of the many toxic proteins produced by these organisms. Prevention and control strategies are frequently based upon amelioration, by immunoprophylaxis, of the effects of these molecules. In spite of their recognition for many years, clostridial diseases still present challenges to veterinary practitioners, diagnosticians and animal producers worldwide.