cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Controlled Etching as a Route to High Quality Silver Nanospheres for Optical Studies

We present a new method based on wet etching for the production of high quality, single-crystal Ag nanospheres. By rapidly mixing a suspension of uniform Ag nanocubes with a small amount of ferric nitrate or ferricyanide-based etching solution, we could either truncate the sharp corners and edges to form rounded nanocubes or etch further to obtain nanospheres without sharp features but with roughly the same diameter as the original cubes. Notably, this technique could be used to produce uniform Ag nanospheres with a broad range of sizes, opening up new possibilities for fundamental studies on surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), as previous synthetic methods were unable to produce uniform spheres larger than ∼35 nm. In this paper, we demonstrate the synthesis of Ag spheres as small as 25 nm and as large as 142 nm and investigate their SERS properties, finding the 142 nm spheres to have an order of magnitude larger enhancement factor. We also used these nanocrystals to study the effect of sharp corner...
17.1 A 0.6V 1.5GHz 84Mb SRAM design in 14nm FinFET CMOS technology

The growth of battery-powered mobile and wearable devices has increased the importance of low-power operation and cost in system-on-a-chip (SoC) design. Supply-voltage scaling is the predominant approach to active power reduction for SoC design, including voltage scaling for on-die memory given increasing levels of memory integration. SRAM can limit the minimum operating voltage (V MIN ) of a design, often leading to the introduction of separate voltage supplies for on-die memory. Additional supplies increase platform cost, and operating memory at higher voltage leads to increased power consumption. The introduction of trigate devices at the 22nm technology node delivered superior short channel effects and subthreshold slope relative to existing bulk planar device technology enabling reduction in threshold voltage within a fixed leakage constraint. Lower transistor V th , improvements to random device variability, and assist circuits to overcome device-size quantization enabled a >150mV reduction in SRAM V MIN [1]. At the 14nm technology node, FinFET device-size quantization remains a challenge for compact 6T SRAM bitcells with minimum-size transistors. Careful co-optimization between technology and design of memory-assist circuits is required in order to deliver dense, low-power memory operation at low voltages. In this paper, we present an 84Mb SRAM array design with wide-voltage-range operation in a 14nm logic technology featuring 2nd-generation FinFET transistors.
Particle number and random phases

This paper focuses on the particle content of some scalar field as defined with respect to two sets of modes connected via a well-behaved (and unitarily implementable) Bogoliubov transformation. The principal conclusion impacts on the special role of ``random phase'' states, for which the relative phases associated with the projection of the quantum state into two different numbers eigenstates are treated as ``random'' and averaged over in a density matrix. Specifically, it is demonstrated that if, with respect to one set of modes, the field is in a ``random phase'' state, then any other mode decomposition related via a nontrivial Bogoliubov transformation will yield a larger expectation value for the total particle number. This special role of ``random phase'' states is also related to a recently discussed measure of entropy ${S}_{N}$ which assesses the ``spread'' or ``uncertainty'' in particle number. One specific example of all this is the relative particle content in Minkowski space as defined with respect to the modes natural for inertial and uniformly accelerated observers. Another is the initial and final particle numbers detected by two observers in a ``statically bounded'' universe of the form examined by Parker and Zel'dovich.
Quark-moment contributions to baryon magnetic moments

Recent baryon magnetic moment measurements are used to isolate individual quark magnetic moment contributions, including nonstatic effects. The pattern of symmetry breaking observed is that quarks in spin-triplet states preserve SU(3), while quarks in spin-singlet states break SU(3). Relativistic effects are suggested as the dominant symmetry breaking mechanism. The present ..sigma../sup -/ moment determination is incompatible with this analysis.
Effects of a paracyclophane linker on the charge-transfer transition of 4-(dimethylamino)-4'-nitrostilbene

Resonance Raman intensities of the push-pull chromophore 4-(dimethylamino)-4′-nitrostilbene (DANS) have been measured in dichloromethane, acetonitrile, and methanol at excitation wavelengths spanning its strong visible charge-transfer absorption band. The effects of inserting a paracyclophane moiety between the donor and the acceptor are investigated by performing similar measurements on a second molecule, PCP-DANS, which consists of p-dihexylaminostilbene and p-nitrostilbene moieties attached through their unsubstituted rings by a paracyclophane linker. The Raman excitation profiles and absorption spectra are simulated using time-dependent wave packet propagation techniques to determine reorganization energies along the Ramanactive normal coordinates. Excitation to the nominal charge-transfer state generates a much greater change in geometry in the vicinity of the nitro acceptor group in DANS than in PCP-DANS, while the geometry changes around the dialkylamino donor end are similar. Comparison with other push-pull chromophores coupled with the results of ZINDO electronic structure calculations both suggest that the transition in DANS is well-described as an intramolecular charge-transfer transition, whereas the transition in PCP -DANS has less charge-transfer character.
Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer Liver Metastases

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a highly prevalent malignant disease in industrialized nations. The annual incidence of invasive CRC in the U.S. is among the highest in the world, and the liver is the only metastatic site in approximately one third of patients. Without treatment, patients with metastatic disease have a poor prognosis; however, long-term survival benefits and even cure have been reported in patients undergoing surgical resection of metastases. In addition, advances in chemotherapy, imaging, and surgical techniques have increased the proportion of patients who are eligible for resection. Combination therapy with fluorouracil and leucovorin has been the mainstay of treatment for metastatic CRC; however, the introduction of newer agents, such as oxaliplatin and irinotecan, and targeted agents, such as cetuximab and bevacizumab, has yielded improvements in response rates (RRs) and survival. Maximizing the exposure of hepatic metastases to high target concentrations of cytotoxic drugs using hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) increases RRs further than with systemic chemotherapy; however, the impact of HAI on survival is unclear. As the goals of chemotherapeutic treatment for metastatic CRC increasingly shift from palliation to prolongation of survival, improvement in RRs, and downsizing of tumors in order to enable or optimize resection, treatment in a multidisciplinary environment involving a medical oncologist, radiologist, and surgical oncologist with hepatobiliary expertise will become central to deciding the best course of therapy and timing of surgery.
Implantable devices for chemotherapy: Access and delivery

S INCE the initial access to the vascular system was introduced in 1943 and the first electronic control of infusion rate was used in 1969, vascular access devices and infusion pumps have continued to become more convenient and efficient. lv2 Having an entirely closed system between infusions is highly desirable when an indwelling catheter is present. For this reason, innovations of implantable systems are ongoing. So far, four implantable types of drug delivery systems have been devised. 3 These include implantable pellets and capsules, rate-specified pharmaceuticals, and passive and active implantable infusion devices. This paper will address the last two types of systems. Passive implantable infusion systems are devices that lack an intrinsic power source.3 They provide access but need some type of pump for infusion. Two systems used for chemotherapy are the Ommaya reservoir, which provides access to the cerebrospinal fluid, and vascular access ports, which provide access to the circulation and body cavities. In contrast, active implantable infusion devices contain an intrinsic power source that permits long-term in vivo operation, and they have a reservoir with some means of replacing the infusate.3 There are two pumps currently in clinical use with widely divergent modes of operation. Each of these types of devices are described in reference to placement, care, possible complications, and nursing responsibilities. Guidelines for evaluating the systems and areas for research concerning their use are identified.
Cutting Edge: LFA-1 Integrin-Dependent T Cell Adhesion Is Regulated by Both Ag Specificity and Sensitivity

Ab stimulation of the TCR rapidly enhances the functional activity of the LFA-1 integrin. Although TCR-mediated changes in LFA-1 activity are thought to promote T cell-APC interactions, the Ag specificity and sensitivity of TCR-mediated triggering of LFA-1 is not clear. We demonstrate that peptide/MHC (pMHC) tetramers rapidly enhance LFA-1-dependent adhesion of OT-I TCR transgenic CD8+ T cells to purified ICAM-1. Inhibition of src family tyrosine kinase or PI3K activity blocked pMHC tetramer- and anti-CD3-stimulated adhesion. These effects are highly specific because partial agonist and antagonist pMHC tetramers are unable to stimulate OT-I T cell adhesion to ICAM-1. The Ag thresholds required for T cell adhesion to ICAM-1 resemble those of early T cell activation events, because optimal LFA-1 activation occurs at tetramer concentrations that fail to induce maximal T cell proliferation. Thus, TCR signaling to LFA-1 is highly Ag specific and sensitive to low concentrations of Ag.
Tube array heat transfer in fluidized beds a study of particle size effects

Experiments were performed with an array of horizontal tubes, arranged in a regular equilateral triangular pattern, immersed in a fluidized bed operating at 812 {Kappa}. Data are reported for heat transfer between the bed and a centrally-located tube in the array. Both total and radiative heat transfer rates were measured for superficial velocities spanning the range from packed bed conditions to over twice the minimum fluidization velocity. Results are presented for five different-size particles. Local heat transfer values, measured around the tube periphery, and integrated averages are reported for all test conditions. Comparisons are also made between the heat transfer behavior of a tube in an array and that for a single tube in a hot fluidized bed under the same overall operating conditions. The results of this comparison suggests that the two mechanisms, gas convection and radiation, are competing effects.
Development and assessment of floor and ceiling items for the PROMIS physical function item bank

Disability and Physical Function (PF) outcome assessment has had limited ability to measure functional status at the floor (very poor functional abilities) or the ceiling (very high functional abilities). We sought to identify, develop and evaluate new floor and ceiling items to enable broader and more precise assessment of PF outcomes for the NIH Patient-Reported-Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS). We conducted two cross-sectional studies using NIH PROMIS item improvement protocols with expert review, participant survey and focus group methods. In Study 1, respondents with low PF abilities evaluated new floor items, and those with high PF abilities evaluated new ceiling items for clarity, importance and relevance. In Study 2, we compared difficulty ratings of new floor items by low functioning respondents and ceiling items by high functioning respondents to reference PROMIS PF-10 items. We used frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviations to analyze the data. In Study 1, low (n = 84) and high (n = 90) functioning respondents were mostly White, women, 70 years old, with some college, and disability scores of 0.62 and 0.30. More than 90% of the 31 new floor and 31 new ceiling items were rated as clear, important and relevant, leaving 26 ceiling and 30 floor items for Study 2. Low (n = 246) and high (n = 637) functioning Study 2 respondents were mostly White, women, 70 years old, with some college, and Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) scores of 1.62 and 0.003. Compared to difficulty ratings of reference items, ceiling items were rated to be 10% more to greater than 40% more difficult to do, and floor items were rated to be about 12% to nearly 90% less difficult to do. These new floor and ceiling items considerably extend the measurable range of physical function at either extreme. They will help improve instrument performance in populations with broad functional ranges and those concentrated at one or the other extreme ends of functioning. Optimal use of these new items will be assisted by computerized adaptive testing (CAT), reducing questionnaire burden and insuring item administration to appropriate individuals.
Limits on communications in a cognitive radio channel

In this article we review FCC secondary markets initiatives and how smart wireless devices could be used to increase spectral efficiency. We survey the current proposals for cognitive radio deployment, and present a new, potentially more spectrally efficient model for a wireless channel employing cognitive radios; the cognitive radio channel. This channel models the simplest scenario in which a cognitive radio could be used and consists of a 2 Tx, 2 Rx wireless channel in which one transmitter knows the message of the other. We obtain fundamental limits on the communication possible over such a channel, and discuss future engineering and regulatory issues
Statistical issues and methods for meta-analysis of microarray data: a case study in prostate cancer

With the proliferation of related microarray studies by independent groups, a natural step in the analysis of these gene expression data is to combine the results across these studies. However, this raises a variety of issues in the analysis of such data. In this article, we discuss the statistical issues of combining data from multiple gene expression studies. This leads to more complications than those in standard meta-analyses, including different experimental platforms, duplicate spots and complex data structures. We illustrate these ideas using data from four prostate cancer profiling studies. In addition, we develop a simple approach for assessing differential expression using the LASSO method. A combination of the results and the pathway databases are then used to generate candidate biological pathways for cancer.
Probabilistic risk analysis and fault trees: Initial discussion of application to identification of risk at a wellhead

Abstract Wellhead protection is of critical importance for managing groundwater resources. While a number of previous authors have addressed questions related to uncertainties in advective capture zones, methods for addressing wellhead protection in the presence of uncertainty in the chemistry of groundwater contaminants, the relationship between land-use and contaminant sources, and the impact on health of the receiving population are limited. It is herein suggested that probabilistic risk analysis (PRA) combined with fault trees (FT) provides a structure whereby chemical transport can be combined with uncertainties in source, chemistry, and health impact to assess the probability of negative health outcomes in the population. As such, PRA-FT provides a new strategy for the identification of areas of probabilistically high human health risk. Application of this approach is demonstrated through a simplified case study involving flow to a well in an unconfined aquifer with heterogeneity in aquifer properties and contaminant sources.
Sympathetic ophthalmia: to the twenty-first century and beyond

Sympathetic ophthalmia is a rare bilateral granulomatous inflammation that follows accidental or surgical insult to the uvea of one eye. Onset of sympathetic ophthalmia can be insidious or acute, with recurrent periods of exacerbation. Clinical presentation shows mutton-fat keratic precipitates, choroidal infiltrations, and Dalen-Fuchs nodules. Histopathology reveals diffuse or nodular granulomatous inflammation of the uvea. Prevention and treatment strategies for sympathetic ophthalmia are currently limited to two modalities, enucleation of the injured eye and immunosuppressive therapy, aimed at controlling inflammation. The etiology and pathophysiology of the disease is still unclear but is largely thought to be autoimmune in nature. Recent insight on the molecular pathology of the disease as well as developments in imaging technology have furthered both the understanding on the autoimmune process in sympathetic ophthalmia and the targeting of prevention and treatment strategies for the future.
Metasomatic Augen Gneiss in Greenschist Facies, Western Turkey

A roughly circular 8-sq km exposure of coarse orthoclase augen gneiss occurs with steeply dipping, narrowly gradational contacts in phyllites and schists of greenschist facies metamorphic grade near Odemis, western Turkey. Structural, stratigraphic, or intrusive explanations of this occurrence of augen gneiss, a rock type typically associated with only the highest grade metamorphic rocks, in such a low-grade environment seem unsatisfactory. Petrographic evidence of the replacement of sodic plagioclase by potassium feldspar at the borders of the body points to a metasomatic origin in which the phyllites and schists have been converted to augen gneiss locally through the effect of steeply ascending fluids. Compositional and structural state determination of the potassium feldspar augen by optical and X-ray diffraction techniques, employing a least-squares cell refinement computer method, indicates that all the potassium feldspar specimens investigated lie in the orthoclase range, but range in structural state from barely monoclinic to just below the low sanidine limit, and have compositions which fall within 5 percent of 85 mole percent Or. Implications are drawn from the structural state of the potassium feldspar augen and the mineral paragenesis of gneiss and associated phyllites and schists as to the temperature environment extent during the metasomatic event. A temperature of 500° C ± 50° is estimated. This lies within the 400° C to 550° C range suggested by Winkler (1967, p. 174) for the greenschist facies. Thus the augen gneiss appears to have been produced in the environment encompassed by that facies.
Development of a multifunctional tool for drug screening against Plasmodial protein-protein interactions via Surface Plasmon Resonance

We have developed an expression system capable of producing large quantities of low cost, specific peptides that are either His12 -tagged, biotinylated, or unlabeled. The flexibility of this peptide system is suitable for interaction studies via surface plasmon resonance (SPR), co-crystallization, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Gene blocks containing peptide sequences of interest in addition to a 15 amino acid AviTag™, were cloned into a vector expressing an N-terminal maltose binding protein. The constructs were expressed and purified, and the molecular weights of the recombinant proteins were estimated by analytical size exclusion chromatography. Successful in situ biotinylation of the AviTag was confirmed by anti-biotin western blot and was used for coupling to the surface plasmon resonance chip. We were able to validate, as a proof of concept study, the specific protein-protein interaction of Plasmodium falciparum aldolase (PfAldolase) with three different cytoplasmic adhesin tail peptides from the family of thrombospondin-related anonymous proteins (TRAPs), and to determine their affinities. This method of peptide production enables high yield production of peptides in a two-day, cost effective manner. This tool will allow us to screen for protein-protein interaction inhibitors directed toward the liver stage and blood stage complexes of the glideosome in Plasmodium species. Adaptation of this tool will allow researchers to pursue their own studies of protein-protein interactions.
GeneVetter: a web tool for quantitative monogenic assessment of rare diseases.

UNLABELLED When performing DNA sequencing to diagnose affected individuals with monogenic forms of rare diseases, accurate attribution of causality to detected variants is imperative but imperfect. Even if a gene has variants already known to cause a disease, rare disruptive variants predicted to be causal are not always so, mainly due to imperfect ability to predict the pathogenicity of variants. Existing population-scale sequence resources such as 1000 Genomes are useful to quantify the 'background prevalence' of an unaffected individual being falsely predicted to carry causal variants. We developed GeneVetter to allow users to quantify the 'background prevalence' of subjects with predicted causal variants within specific genes under user-specified filtering parameters. GeneVetter helps quantify uncertainty in monogenic diagnosis and design genetic studies with support for power and sample size calculations for specific genes with specific filtering criteria. GeneVetter also allows users to analyze their own sequence data without sending genotype information over the Internet. Overall, GeneVetter is an interactive web tool that facilitates quantifying and accounting for the background prevalence of predicted pathogenic variants in a population. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION GeneVetter is available at http://genevetter.org/ CONTACT mgsamps@med.umich.edu or hmkang@umich.edu SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Development and Disorders of Neurocognitive Systems for Oral Language and Reading

There are four goals of this article. First, a tentative neurocognitive model of oral language and reading is outlined. Second, our recent functional magnetic resonance imaging studies (fMRI) on th...
Single-file nanochannel persistence lengths from NMR.

Crystalline solids composed of one-dimensional channels with cross-sectional dimensions below 1 nm represent an intriguing class of materials with important potential applications. A key characteristic for certain applications is the average open channel persistence length, i.e., the ensemble average distance from a channel opening to the first obstruction. This paper introduces an NMR-based methodology to measure this quantity. The protocol is applied to polycrystalline specimens of two different dipeptide nanotubes: l-Ala-l-Val and its retro-analog l-Val-l-Ala. Persistence lengths derived from the NMR measurements are found to be comparable to the typical crystallite dimensions seen in scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images, indicating that the crystals of these AV and VA specimens are essentially hollow with practically no blockages. Applications of the method to an AV sample that has been pulverized in a mortar and pestle showed that the open channel persistence length was reduced from 50 to 6.6 μm...
Latest NASA Instrument Cost Model (NICM): Version VI

The NASA Instrument Cost Model, NICM, is a suite of tools which allow for probabilistic cost estimation of NASA's space-flight instruments at both the system and subsystem level. NICM also includes the ability to perform cost by analogy as well as joint confidence level (JCL) analysis. The latest version of NICM, Version VI, was released in Spring 2014. This paper will focus on the new features released with NICM VI, which include: 1) The NICM-E cost estimating relationship, which is applicable for instruments flying on Explorer-like class missions; 2) The new cluster analysis ability which, alongside the results of the parametric cost estimation for the user's instrument, also provides a visualization of the user's instrument's similarity to previously flown instruments; and 3) includes new cost estimating relationships for in-situ instruments.
Antioxidant and anti-tumor effects of four kinds of combined fungus polysaccharides

Aim:To observe the antioxidation and anti-tumor effects of four kinds of polysaccharides,the Agaricus blazei,Grifola frondosa,Coriolus versicolor and mushrooms polysaccharides combined used.Methods:Ⅰ:A total of 48 mice were allocated into 8 groups(n=6) and treated with low,medium,and high dose combined polysaccharides,4 kinds of polysaccharides alone and ultrapure water for 7 days.The level of total superoxide dismutase(T-SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde(MDA) were determined.Ⅱ:SMMC-7721 cells were allocated into 9 groups and treated with low,medium,and high dose combined polysaccharides,4 kinds of polysaccharides alone,5-Fu,and culture solution.After 72 h culture,the inhibition rate was calculated.Results:Combined polysaccharides and polysaccharides alone all could inhibit the levels of T-SOD and MDA and the growth of SMMC-7721 cells,among which,medium and high dose combined polysaccharides had better inhibitive effects(P0.05).Conclusion:The compound use of these four polysaccharides has better inhibition effects on tumor cell growth and antioxidative effect.
Metabolic studies with an alpha-nucleoside, 9-alpha-D-arabinofuranosyl-8-azaadenine

α-Arabinosyl-8-azaadenine (α-ara-8-azaA) and α-arabinosyladenine (α-araA) were toxic to H.Ep.2 cells in culture, whereas the corresponding β anomers were not toxic at the highest concentrations (375 µM) assayed. α-Ara-8-azaA was more cytotoxic than α-araA and therefore was selected for more detailed study. Cell lines deficient in adenosine kinase (EC 2.7.1.20) were resistant to inhibition by α-ara-8-azaA. Cultured H.Ep.2 cells grown in the presence of [2- 14 C]α-ara-8-azaA contained compounds migrating on paper chromatograms like mono-, and di-, and triphosphates. Characterization of these compounds by paper chromatography and by high-pressure liquid chromatography showed them to be phosphates of α-ara-8-azaA; there were no detectable amounts of ribonucleotides and thus, presumably, no cleavage of α-ara-8-azaA to 8-azaA. There was also no detectable radioactivity in polynucleotides isolated by extraction with hot NaCl solution. α-Ara-8-azaA was a substrate for adenosine kinase partially purified from H.Ep.2 cells; the K m was 110 µM and the V max was about 15% of that of adenosine. α-Ara-8-azaA was not a substrate for adenosine deaminase; several other α-nucleosides assayed also had little or no activity as substrates for this enzyme. These results, which show that an analogue of adenosine in the "unnatural" α configuration has biological activity and differs markedly from the β anomer in biological activity and in activity as a substrate for the principal enzymes acting on adenosine, are of importance for understanding the modes of action of adenosine analogues and should also find application in the design of new nucleoside analogues with biological activity. In the course of characterizing the metabolites, a rapid and convenient method was developed for the separation, by high-pressure liquid chromatography, of the α and β anomers of ara-8-azaA; this method should also be applicable to the separation of anomers of other nucleosides.
Risk management for extrapyramidal symptoms.

Extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS), the side effects of antipsychotic medications, have become the focus of much attention from clinical researchers, the courts, consumer groups, and even the U.S. Congress. The major clinical manifestations of EPS, the etiology, symptoms, and treatments are reviewed. The literature identified risk factors for EPS--those specific to the patient, to the particular antipsychotic agent used, and to the nature of the ongoing treatment for EPS. By quantifying these factors, weighting them according to the known risks, a risk management tool is developed for use in predicting which patients are at higher risks for EPS, in evaluating treatment, and in assessing the responses of patients to changes in their condition and to the subsequent adjustments in treatment. The risk management tool provides guidelines for the continual evaluation of these changes, with the goal of minimizing the risks for EPS.
Conceptions of and early childhood educators’ experiences in early childhood professional development programs: A qualitative metasynthesis

ABSTRACTPolicy makers and early childhood stakeholders across the United States continue to seek policy solutions that improve early educators’ instruction of young children. A primary vehicle for attaining this goal is professional development. This has led to an influx of empirical studies that seek to develop a set of best practices for professional development. While this deductive work is important and informative, it provides limited insight into how professional development is being conceptualized, and how teachers experience, respond to, or learn from these programs. This article begins to address these issues by presenting findings from a qualitative metasynthesis of published peer-reviewed qualitative studies of professional development programs for in-service early educators in the United States. By analyzing, synthesizing, and interpreting these studies, it appears that while such programs may have a positive impact on teachers’ conceptions of practice, there is a need to expand the research l...
Scanner dependent noise properties of the Q. Clear PET image reconstruction tool

In this paper we compare the noise properties of the newly introduced Q.Clear image reconstruction algorithm and conventional OSEM using the ACR phantom measured on the GE Discovery 600 and 690 PET/CT scanners with various count statistics. In the D600 measurement the SNR decreases from 31.5±1.3 and 26.9±1.6 to 5.3±0.4 and 5.5±0.3 for the Q.Clear (with regularization strength parameter beta=350) and the OSEM images, respectively as the statistics decreases from 100% to 5%. The average mean hot concentration recovery values of the three biggest rods over all time slices are 0.57±0.01, 0.66±0.04 and 0.8±0.02 for Q.Clear (with beta=350) and 0.63±0.03, 0.71±0.05 and 0.83±0.03 for OSEM, respectively. The SUV max related maximum hot activity concentration recovery calculated from the maximum concentration averaged for these 3 rods increased from 0.78 and 0.88 to 1.1 and 1.5, respectively for the two algorithms. In the D690 measurement the SNR decreases from 26.6±1.4 and 31.0±1.3 to 3.8±0.4 and 6.3±0.5 for Q.Clear and the OSEM, respectively. The mean hot concentration recovery values are 0.66±0.04, 0.8±0.02 and 0.92±0.01 for Q.Clear and 0.65±0.04, 0.78±0.02 and 0.9±0.02 for OSEM, respectively. The maximum hot activity concentration recovery increased from 0.98 and 0.93 to 2.3 and 1.4, respectively for the two algorithms. In summary for the two scanners the SNR of Q.Clear matches the SNR of OSEM with different regularization strength applied. Although the mean concentration recovery values were not significantly different in either measurement (with beta=350) the maximum recovery was affected by noise and was closer to one with Q.Clear in the case of D600 and with OSEM for the D690. Q.Clear resulted in significantly better cold contrast in bone for both scanners (0.053±0.004 vs. 0.106±0.01 and 0.0±0 vs. 0.144±0.004) and in air for the D690 (0.305±0.004 vs. 0.380±0.005).
Evolution of object-relational database technology in DB2

The paper defines the object-relational approach to database management and examines its advantages. It summarizes the features that are expected in an object-relational system, and discusses how these features are influencing the ANSI/ISO SQL Standard. Using DB2 as an example, it describes how object-relational features can be used to meet the needs of advanced database applications.
A modified regimen of biweekly gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer is both tolerable and effective: a retrospective analysis.

Background:Treatment with nab-paclitaxel with gemcitabine demonstrates a survival advantage when compared with single-agent gemcitabine. However, the combination is associated with significant toxi...
An overview of sustainable bioenergy potential in Algeria

Abstract Owing to its important potential, bioenergy has been integrated in the recent ambitious renewable energy program of Algeria. As biomass sources are tremendous and so diversified, bioenergy production can take many and varied forms. Assessment of national biomass potential is essential for the development of bioenergy sector in Algeria. This paper focuses on identifying domestic sustainable biomass resources with emphasis on energy production. The energy potential of waste generated by different sectors (urban, industrial …) is investigated. The resulted outcome showed that urban waste are the prominent fermentable resource and can produce as much as 1685 GWh through the anaerobic digestion process. Other agribusiness resources, although at lower extent, can also contribute to the global bioenergy potential in Algeria. The estimated energy capable to be generated from the investigated biomass resources can cover the annual consumption of more than one million inhabitants.
Bag-lady Storytelling: The Carrier-bag Theory of Fiction as Research Praxis

“Bag-lady Storytelling” is a performative methodology, a creative (re)twist of Ursula Le Guin’s “Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction” into a new materialist methodology. Using the figuration of Trudy, the chatty Times Square bag-lady character in the one-woman Broadway play, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe, the author conducts a feminist critique of traditional research methodologies and draws together theories of research that inform, instead, the practice of research as Bag-lady storytelling, a performative research praxis of gathering stories/ideas/theories and creating habitual nomadic research patterns. Such a praxis requires a different logic, an attunement and attentiveness to what gets gathered up, used, shared; an attentiveness to which seeds should be saved for future reseeding, for future reworlding.
Pd-Catalyzed Regioselective 1,2-Dicarbofunctionalization of Unactivated Olefins by a Heck Reaction/Enolate Cyclization Cascade

We disclose a Pd-catalyzed reaction protocol that regioselectively difunctionalizes unactivated olefins with aryl iodides and tethered enolates. The current method allows the rapid synthesis of a variety of 1,3,4-trisubstituted pyrrolidinones from simple and readily available amides. We further demonstrate this new method’s application by postsynthetically modifying the arylacetic acid side chains of two commercial nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, indomethacin and tolmetin, to highly decorated 4-benzylpyrrolidinone frameworks. Mechanistic studies reveal that the reaction proceeds via a Heck reaction/enolate cyclization cascade, a process that exploits β-H elimination in a constructive mode for regioselective 1,2-difunctionalization of unactivated olefins.
THE INFLUENCE OF SELF CONCEPT, ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION, AND LEARNING STYLE TOWARD MATHEMATICS DISPOSITION AND MATHEMATICS LEARNING RESULTS OF GRADE XI STUDENTS AT SMAN IN MAKALE CITY

High learning result in Mathematics is a benchmark of students’ success in Mathematics learning. The students need positive characters and attractiveness to achieve high learning results in Mathematics. Moreover, the students need self concept, achievement motivation, and learning style as well. The research aims at examining the extent of the influence of self concept, achievement motivation, and learning style toward mathematics disposition and the students mathematics learning results in Mathematics of grade XI students at SMAN (public senior high schools) in Makale city. The research is ex-post facto. The populations of the research were the students of grade XI at SMAN in Makale city. The samples were obtained by using cluster proportional random sampling with the total of 171 students. The data collection technique employed self concept questionnaire, achievement motivation questionnaire, learning style questionnaire, mathematics disposition questionnaire, and mathematics learning results test. The data of the research was analyzed by using descriptive and multiple regression analysis. The results of the research reveal that: (1) most students of grade XI at SMAN in Makale city have self concept, achievement motivation, mathematics disposition and mathematics learning results, which is in medium category and visual learning style; (2) self concept has positive influence toward mathematics disposition with contribution 28.9% and give no positive influence toward mathematics learning results with contribution 2.5%. Achievement motivation has positive influence toward mathematics disposition with contribution 47.2% and give no positive influence toward mathematics learning results with contribution 14.9%. There is no influence of learning style both toward mathematics disposition and mathematics learning results. Self concept, achievement motivation, and learning style collaboratively explain approximately 51% of mathematics disposition variation and 2% of mathematics learning results variation. After the development of discussion, self concept gives contribution 15% toward mathematics learning results through mathematics disposition
ON INTERSECTIONS OF CONJUGATE SUBGROUPS

We define a new invariant of a conjugacy class of subgroups which we call the breadth and prove that a quasiconvex subgroup of a negatively curved group has finite breadth in the ambient group. Utilizing the coset graph and the geodesic core of a subgroup we give an explicit algorithm for constructing a finite generating set for an intersection of a quasiconvex subgroup of a negatively curved group with its conjugate. Using that algorithm we construct algorithms for computing the breadth, the width, and the height of a quasiconvex subgroup of a negatively curved group. These algorithms decide if a quasiconvex subgroup of a negatively curved group is almost malnormal in the ambient group. We also explicitly compute a quasiconvexity constant of the intersection of two quasiconvex subgroups and give examples demonstrating that height, width, and breadth are different invariants of a subgroup.
Inhibition of B Cell Receptor Signaling by Ibrutinib in Primary CNS Lymphoma

Primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) harbors mutations that reinforce B cell receptor (BCR) signaling. Ibrutinib, a Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, targets BCR signaling and is particularly active in lymphomas with mutations altering the BCR subunit CD79B and MYD88. We performed a proof-of-concept phase Ib study of ibrutinib monotherapy followed by ibrutinib plus chemotherapy (DA-TEDDi-R). In 18 PCNSL patients, 94% showed tumor reductions with ibrutinib alone, including patients having PCNSL with CD79B and/or MYD88 mutations, and 86% of evaluable patients achieved complete remission with DA-TEDDi-R. Increased aspergillosis was observed with ibrutinib monotherapy and DA-TEDDi-R. Aspergillosis was linked to BTK-dependent fungal immunity in a murine model. PCNSL is highly dependent on BCR signaling, and ibrutinib appears to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy.
Abstract P153: Role of Nonreceptor Tyrosine Kinases in Cardiac Fibrosis in a Mouse Model of Pressure Overload Hypertrophy

During prolonged hypertrophic insult to the myocardium, while the function of cardiomyocytes needs to be protected, the hyperactivation of cardiac fibroblasts has to be curbed to prevent fibrosis. Previously, we showed that integrin-mediated non-receptor tyrosine kinase (NRTK) activation is required for normal functioning of both cardiac fibroblasts and cardiomyocytes. We hypothesized that inhibition of NRTKs in cardiac fibroblasts without affecting cardiomyocytes would be beneficial to the stressed myocardium. Our initial studies using kinase inactive forms of Src, Pyk2 and FAK expressed adenovirally in isolated primary cardiac fibroblasts showed that the pro-fibrotic signaling events as studied by fibronectin and collagen deposition are downregulated. Our in vivo studies in mouse transverse aortic constriction (TAC) model suggest that dasatinib, a multikinase NRTK inhibitor administration via a peritoneally implanted mini-osmotic pump is able to preserve ventricular geometry and function and reduce the accumulation of fibrotic extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins upon 4 wk pressure overload. Data obtained from cell culture experiments with kinase inactive NRTKs and dasatinib suggest that NRTK inhibition is able to reduce the proliferation, migration and mitogenic signaling in cardiac fibroblasts without affecting the cell survival pathways in cardiomyocytes. These data indicate that NRTKs play a significant pro-fibrotic role in cardiac fibroblasts and curbing the activity of NRTKs could be a potential therapeutic approach to treat fibrosis in hypertrophic heart diseases.
Up on The 606: Understanding the Use of a New Elevated Pedestrian and Bicycle Trail in Chicago, Illinois

The 606 is the world’s first multiuse elevated trail, extending for 2.7 mi (4.35 km) through diverse neighborhoods whose per capita of open space is one of the lowest in Chicago. The trail connects six ground-level parks and is managed for recreation, but it also serves as a cross-town transportation connector and was funded partially with transportation dollars. Managers sought information about trail use to maintain a safe and harmonious experience for users, to plan operations and maintenance, and to document the benefits of trail development. The use of The 606 was examined during the first 6 months of 2016, and on the basis of those results, its use for the entire year was projected. Automated traffic monitoring with active infrared counters followed procedures in the FHWA Traffic Monitoring Guide. Screenline calibration tests revealed relatively high rates of occlusion owing to user type and traffic volume, yielding an adjustment factor of 1.239. Most users were pedestrians, but proportions varied b...
Healthcare Organizational Learning and Changes in Network Relationships (WITHDRAWN)

Existing empirical literature noted the interconnections between organizational and inter-organizational learning, but have not systematically examined their linkage. With explosive growth in medic...
Effects of numbers of repetitions, repetition rate, frequency separation, and frequency range on auditory streaming in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus)

Auditory streaming has been widely investigated behaviorally and physiologically in animals. The paradigm used in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) by MacDougall-Shackleton and colleagues (1998, J. Acoust. Soc. Amer.) was used here in budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) to measure the effects of different numbers of repetitions of HLH- (high and low tones) triplets, repetition rates, tone frequencies, and frequency separations between the two tones on auditory streaming. Similar to humans, budgerigars subjectively experienced the auditory streaming phenomenon; more repetitions of HLH- triplets, faster repetition rates, and larger frequency separations enhanced the streaming perception. Further, these results were consistent across the two frequency ranges used in this study. When increasing the numbers of HLH- repetitions, it took longer to establish the streaming perception in budgerigars, similar to the buildup phenomenon in humans. These results indicate, for the first time using a behavioral paradigm, that budgerigars experience auditory streaming in a manner similar to humans.
Fostering Critical, Relational Visionaries: Autoethnographic Practices in Teacher Preparation

Scholars suggest that through visioning preservice teachers can imagine their ideal classroom and construct instructional practices aligned with their knowledge of effective pedagogy. However, less...
Queer Migration and Critical Trafficking Studies: Notes on and Beyond Containment

If there were no borders, there would be no migrants—only mobility.—Nicholas De GenovaIn the fall of 2017, a group of invited scholars working on critical trafficking and queer migration studies ca...
Cluttering symptoms in school-age children by communicative context: A preliminary investigation

Purpose: The objective of this study was to compare the symptoms of cluttering among school-age children who do and do not clutter in the contexts of monologue, conversation and expository discourse.Method: A matched pairs design was used to compare cluttering symptoms according to the Lowest Common Denominator (LCD) definition of cluttering, a definition representing the core speech and fluency characteristics of cluttering agreed upon among experts. Cluttering symptoms (over-coarticulated words, normal disfluencies, abnormal pauses) in eight school-aged males with cluttering were compared to eight controls matched by sex and grade level in school. Symptoms were compared in the speech contexts of conversation, monologue and expository discourse.Result: Regardless of the speaking context, significantly more over-coarticulated words were found in children with cluttering (CWC) as compared to controls. Significantly more normal disfluencies were produced by CWC during monologue only.Conclusion: Study findings confirm increased over-coarticulation and normal disfluencies in specific speaking contexts in CWC when compared to controls. These findings provide the premise for clinical implications for cluttering assessment and diagnosis. Findings also provide the basis for further investigation of the validity of the LCD's symptom of abnormal pausing for accurate diagnosis of people who clutter.
Combining Archival Data and Program-Generated Electronic Records to Improve the Usefulness of Efficacy Trials in Education: General Considerations and an Empirical Example

AbstractThere is growing pressure to make efficacy experiments more useful. This requires attending to the twin goals of generalizing experimental results to those schools that will use the results...
Hand-use norms for Dutch and English manual action verbs: Implicit measures from a pantomime task

Many studies use manual action verbs to test whether people use neural systems for controlling manual actions to understand language about those actions. Yet, few of these studies empirically establish how people use their hands to perform the actions described by those verbs, relying instead on explicit self-report measures. Here, participants pantomimed the manual actions described by a large set of Dutch (N = 251) and English (N = 250) verbs, allowing us to approximate the extent to which people use each of their hands to perform these actions. After the pantomime task, participants also provided explicit ratings of each of these actions. The results from the pantomime task showed that most manual actions cannot be described accurately as either “unimanual” or “bimanual.” With a few exceptions, unimanual action verbs do not describe actions that are performed with only one hand, and bimanual verbs do not describe actions that are performed by using both hands equally. Instead, individual actions vary continuously in the extent to which people use their non-dominant hand to perform them, and in the extent to which people consistently prefer one hand or the other to perform them. Finally, by comparing participants’ implicit behavior to their explicit ratings, we found that participants’ self-report showed only limited correspondence with their observed motor behavior. We provide all of our measures in both raw and summary format, offering researchers a precision tool for constructing stimulus sets for experiments on embodied cognition.
B-spline R-matrix-with-pseudostates calculations for electron-impact excitation and ionization of oxygen

A systematic study of angle-integrated cross sections for electron scattering from neutral oxygen is presented. The calculations cover ionization, elastic scattering and excitation of the first 21 states of oxygen with configurations 2s12p4 and 2s22p1nl (n=3-5, l=0-3). The sensitivity of the results is checked by comparing data obtained in different approximations, including a large-scale model with over 1100 continuum pseudostates.