cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Prenatal Detection of Congenital Mesoblastic Nephroma and Its Differentiation From Wilms Tumor: A Literature Review

Congenital mesoblastic nephroma (CMN) is the most common type of renal tumor in children younger than one year old. Prenatal diagnosis of this benign neoplasm can be achieved using sonography. New developments in sonographic technology, including color and power Doppler, and three-dimensional sonography have improved the detection and diagnosis of CMN in utero. Antenatal diagnosis will allow for optimal postpartum care of the baby. Furthermore, with experience, physicians and sonographers will be able to create a set of guidelines used to discriminate renal masses in utero. This report discusses several useful clinical tools when considering the prenatal diagnosis of congenital mesoblastic nephroma.
Modal identification of self‐adjoint distributed‐parameter systems

A new method is introduced for the identification of modal quantities of self-adjoint distributed-parameter systems. The method uses the temporal and spatial orthogonality properties of distributed-parameter systems to form a pseudo-Rayleigh quotient. The stationary values of the pseudo-Rayleigh quotient can be determined by the solution of an eigenvalue problem, where the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions provide the frequencies and natural modes of the distributed-parameter system. By way of formulation, the method is insensitive to zero mean measurement noise and is applicable to continuous as well as discrete systems. Numerical examples are presented in which the modal quantities of a simply-supported beam and a discrete model of a membrane are identified. The results are compared with another modal identification technique, namely, the Ibrahim time domain method.
Cell Cycle Dysregulation by Green Tea Polyphenol Epigallocatechin-3-Gallate

Epidemiological, in vitro cell culture, and in vivo animal studies have shown that green tea or its constituent polyphenols, particularly its major polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may protect against many cancer types. In earlier studies, we showed that green tea polyphenol EGCG causes a G0/G1-phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis of human epidermoid carcinoma (A431) cells. We also demonstrated that these effects of EGCG may be mediated through the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B that has been associated with cell cycle regulation and cancer. In this study, employing A431 cells, we provide evidence for the involvement of cyclin kinase inhibitor (cki)-cyclin-cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk) machinery during cell cycle deregulation by EGCG. As shown by immunoblot analysis, EGCG treatment of the cells resulted in significant dose- and time-dependent (i) upregulation of the protein expression of WAF1/p21, KIP1/p27, p16 and p18, (ii) downmodulation of the protein expression of cyclin D1, cdk4 and cdk6, but not of cyclin E and cdk2, (iii) inhibition of the kinase activities associated with cyclin E, cyclin D1, cdk2, cdk4 and cdk6. Taken together, our study suggests that EGCG causes an induction of G1-phase ckis, which inhibit the cyclin-cdk complexes operative in G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle thereby causing a G0/G1-phase arrest of the cell cycle, which is an irreversible process ultimately resulting in an apoptotic cell death. We suggest that the naturally occurring agents such as green tea polyphenols which may inhibit cell cycle progression could be developed as potent anticancer agents for the management of cancer.
Squatting outside the world: notes for an architecture of ethics

AbstractMind takes place in the world, and that matters. We are bodies among bodies, and, no matter what we think, what we do is a matter of where. And thinking about where is a problem for architecture. Richard Luecke's pithy summary of Aristotle's Politics was that we go to the city to live but stay to live the good life. The interplay of going and staying takes up a critical theme of Aristotle's work. To understand the world, he said, we must understand both motion and stasis – not the going alone but the staying that takes place in the middle of it. Luecke took up William James's figure of perchings in the flight of a bird and put it to work in thinking about cities. The city is a perch for the winged thing we are. To understand our flight, we must also attend to our perching. Aristotle speaks of the city as a place to go and a place to stay, but he also speaks of it as a koinonia turned toward good. That marks it as being human. Aristotle directs our attention to the necessity of the city (we go to l...
Sublattices Generated by Polars

In an algebraic frame L, the complete sublattice CP(L) generated by the polars of L is studied, in comparison with FP(L), the subframe generated by the polars. It is shown, by an example from the theory of l-groups, that these are distinct, in general. The relationship between FP(L), CP(L), and other established constructs, closely related to the boolean algebra of polars, is also studied.
A study of the in hole processes involved during the loading and stemming of angled holes

Abstract Little research has been published on stemming blast holes, particularly on what happens during the process of loading and stemming a blasthole. Previous work has concentrated on the performance of the inert material to find the best way to seal the hole and retain the explosive energy, but little has been done to determine what physically occurs during the loading and stemming process. The major problem with stemming studies is that rock is an opaque material, and the actual mechanisms involved during the stemming process cannot be viewed. For this reason, tests were performed using clear tubes to simulate a blast hole with ANFO used as the explosive. The tests incorporated different hole angles, different tube sizes, flow rates for both ANFO and stemming, and four types of stemming. A video camera was used to capture images for each test. It was found that complex interfaces developed between the ANFO and stemming depending upon the hole angle and the flow rate of the stemming. These interfaces...
Children's nurturant interactions with their infant siblings: An exploration of gender differences and maternal socialization

In this study, 20 families with two parents, an infant under the age of 1 year, and one or two older siblings between the ages of 4 and 7 years, were observed in their homes. Each family was observed four times at approximately monthly intervals. Only data from the last three observations were reported. Two issues were being studied: gender differences in the interactions of the older child with the infant, and maternal socialization of the older child's nurturant interactions with the infant. Older girls interacted more with their infant siblings, particularly in a nurturant manner. There was virtually no evidence of direct maternal socialization of this gender difference.
Stormy weather: testing “stealing thunder” as a crisis communication strategy to improve communication flow between organizations and journalists

Abstract An experiment was conducted to examine the effectiveness of a highly proactive approach to crisis communication called “stealing thunder.” Reporters and journalism students were asked to read one of two fictitious crisis scenarios: one in which the organization’s public relations practitioner stole thunder (broke the news about the crisis) by contacting the journalist, and one in which the journalist learned about the crisis from another party. When the organization stole thunder, journalists rated the practitioner as more credible, but also indicated greater interest in the story. No differences were found across the two conditions in terms of perceptions of crisis severity or framing in reporters’ news leads. Implications for crisis communication and the ongoing journalist–practitioner relationship are discussed.
Differential regulation of inhibin A and inhibin B by luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, and stage of follicle development

Inhibin B and inhibin A exhibit unique patterns of secretion across the follicular phase of the menstrual cycle. To test the hypothesis that the distinct patterns of inhibin B and inhibin A secretion result from differential regulation by LH and FSH, a series of controlled experiments was designed to dissect the specific effects of LH and FSH at distinct stages of follicle development. After GnRH agonist desensitization, women with small antral follicles were treated with recombinant human LH (rhLH), rhFSH, or rhFSH and estradiol (E(2)). rhLH or rhFSH was also administered when follicles reached the preovulatory stage in gonadotropin-stimulated or spontaneous cycles. At the small antral stage of development, rhFSH, but not rhLH, administration increased inhibin B (17.4 +/- 4.6 to 321.0 +/- 97.0 pg/mL; P < 0.05), inhibin A (0.6 +/- 0.1 to 2.6 +/- 0.6 IU/mL; P < 0.05), and E(2) [15.8 +/- 3.6 to 95.3 +/- 26.9 pg/mL (58.0 +/- 13.2 to 349.8 +/- 98.7 pmol/L); P < 0.05]. The inhibin B increase preceded inhibin A by 48 h. Addition of E(2) to FSH resulted in a greater increase in inhibin B (23.2 +/- 6.4 to 865.2 +/- 294.5 pg/mL; P < 0.05) than FSH alone (P < 0.05). At the preovulatory stage, rhLH administration increased inhibin A (15.9 +/- 10.3 to 21.5 +/- 13.7 IU/mL; P < 0.05) and E(2) [669.4 +/- 285.5 to 943.6 +/- 388.1 pg/mL (2457.4 +/- 1048.1 to 3464.0 +/- 1424.7 pmol/L); P < 0.05], but not inhibin B, as did rhFSH administration in spontaneous cycles [E(2): 226.4 +/- 102.7 to 264.7 +/- 121.0 pg/mL (831.1 +/- 377.0 to 971.7 +/- 444.2 pmol/L); P < 0.05; inhibin A: 2.6 +/- 1.3 to 3.7 +/- 1.9 IU/mL; P < 0.05; and inhibin B: 76.3 +/- 32.2 to 77.6 +/- 32.8 pg/mL; P = NS]. These findings suggest that increases in both FSH and E(2) in the early follicular phase result in increased inhibin B secretion at early stages of follicle development, whereas the selective LH rise in the late follicular phase favors inhibin A secretion from more mature follicles. Thus, both differential secretion of LH and FSH and the stage of follicle development determine the patterns of inhibin A and inhibin B secretion in the normal menstrual cycle.
A human-computer interactive method for projected clustering

Clustering is a central task in data mining applications such as customer segmentation. High-dimensional data has always been a challenge for clustering algorithms because of the inherent sparsity of the points. Therefore, techniques have recently been proposed to find clusters in hidden subspaces of the data. However, since the behavior of the data can vary considerably in different subspaces, it is often difficult to define the notion of a cluster with the use of simple mathematical formalizations. The widely used practice of treating clustering as the exact problem of optimizing an arbitrarily chosen objective function can often lead to misleading results. In fact, the proper clustering definition may vary not only with the application and data set but also with the perceptions of the end user. This makes it difficult to separate the definition of the clustering problem from the perception of an end-user. We propose a system, which performs high-dimensional clustering by cooperation between the human and the computer. The complex task of cluster creation is accomplished through a combination of human intuition and the computational support provided by the computer. The result is a system, which leverages the best abilities of both the human and the computer for solving the clustering problem.
Noise Spectrum of Crystal Rectifiers

Studies of the noise spectrum of crystal rectifiers were made over a frequency range of 50 cycles to 1 megacycle. The circuits used in the analysis are described. It was found throughout the range that, regardless of the type of power applied to the crystal, the noise temperature varies inversely with the frequency. The noise in the audio range is always large; a noise temperature ratio of 106is not uncommon. A mechanism responsible for the observed noise has not yet been suggested.
Modulation of neurogenic inflammation by neutral endopeptidase.

The enzyme neutral endopeptidase (NEP) is bound to the membranes of selected cells in the airways that have receptors for tachykinins. The location of the enzyme, along with its selectivity of substrates (tachykinins are a preferred substrate), allows the enzyme to cleave tachykinins that come close to the cell-surface receptors. By cleaving and thus inactivating tachykinins released during stimulation of the sensory nerves, NEP limits the degree of neurogenic inflammation. Neutral endopeptidase exists in the basal cells of the airway epithelium, nerves, smooth muscle, glands, blood vessels, and perhaps other cells. Thus, the enzyme modulates smooth muscle contraction, gland secretion, cough, vascular permeability, and neutrophil adhesion. Decreased NEP activity occurs with epithelial removal, during respiratory viral infections, and during exposure to irritants (e.g., cigarette smoke and toluene diisocyanate). Delivery of recombinant NEP (rNEP) by aerosol suppressed cough responses during neurogenic infl...
Muscular Strength Assessments for Older Adults in the Community

Falls among the elderly are a major health problem associated with a significant risk of long term disability or mortality. This study investigated whether older adults who subsequently fall demonstrate weaker leg strength or impaired ankle flexion when compared with non-fallers. This study is the fist attempt to obtain values on leg strength for independently functioning older adults who subsequently suffered a fall and to compare a simple clinical procedure, the 10-stands, with a computerized dynamometric assessment. The results on both the clinical and computerized measurements did not indicate a significant difference in strength of selected muscle groups between the fallers and non-fallers. There was also no difference in' ankle dorsiflexion and ankle plantar flexion for people who subsequently fell. Thus, falls in this study do not seem to be the result of impaired leg strength in active older adults but may be due to environmental factors. The clinical measurement of 10-stands appears to be a usefu...
An impact parameter trigger for the DO experiment

We describe a trigger preprocessor to be used by the DO experiment for selecting events with tracks from the decay of long-lived particles. This Level 2 impact parameter trigger utilizes information from the Silicon Microstrip Fiber Tracker to reconstruct tracks with improved spatial and momentum resolutions compared to those obtained by the Level 1 tracking trigger. It is constructed of VME boards with much of the logic existing in programmable processors. A common motherboard provides the I/O infrastructure and three different daughter boards perform the tasks of identifying the roads from the tracking trigger data, finding the clusters in the roads in the silicon detector, and fitting tracks to the clusters. This approach provides flexibility for the design, testing and maintenance phases of the project. The track parameters are provided to the trigger framework in twenty-five microseconds. The impact parameter is measured with a thirty-five micrometer resolution.
A real-time, information-based approach to decision making through decision informatics

The focus of this paper is on decision making; more specifically, on what decision making requirements are needed in the future. We augur for a decision informatics paradigm; it is a real-time, information-based approach to decision making. The paradigm is supported by two sets of technologies (i.e., information and decision technologies) and underpinned by three disciplines (i.e., data fusion/analysis, decision modeling and systems engineering). We begin by considering the context - and needs - for decision making as the economies of the world change and evolve, especially in regard to emerging services; then our proposed decision informatics paradigm is detailed and illustrated, together with an in-depth review of a critical, underpinning research area (dealing with real-time fusion and analysis of multiple non-homogeneous data sources), followed by several concluding remarks.
D-C Dynamic Braking of Squirrel-Cage Induction Motors [includes discussion]

A rational method is given for estimating the torque speed curves of squirrel-cage motors during dynamic braking. An expression for average torque and one for peak torque are also developed. Results of the use of these are compared to results by previously published methods, with generally favorable conclusions. It is shown that squirrel-cage copper losses resulting from air-gap flux harmonics are much reduced at speeds below one-tenth of synchronous speed, with a consequent reduction of apparent rotor resistance. It is also inferred that inductor-generator action accounts for 20 to 30 per cent of the torque in the region of maximum torque. This paper is presented because no such rational method has yet been published and also because it is felt that the subject is timely in view of the increasing requirement of accuracy in the engineering of industrial controls.
Does poorer familiarity with Medicare translate into worse access to health care

OBJECTIVES: To examine the relationship between a global measure of Medicare program familiarity and a broad set of measures of actual and perceived healthcare access. DESIGN: Mailed survey in fall of 2004 (2,997 completed surveys; 53% response rate). SETTING: Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas across the United States. PARTICIPANTS: White, black, and Hispanic Medicare beneficiaries. MEASUREMENTS: Familiarity with Medicare and self-reported measures of health status, healthcare use, and perceived access to care. RESULTS: Reported poorer familiarity with Medicare is associated with a greater likelihood of delayed care due to cost, multiple emergency department visits, lack of prescription medication use, poorer perceived access to care, poorer overall health, and a greater reported decline in health from the prior year. Black and Hispanic respondents were more likely to be unfamiliar than whites, although the relationship between familiarity and healthcare access persisted after adjusting for race or ethnicity, Medicare health plan enrollment status, supplemental insurance status, age, sex, income level, education, geographic area, and general healthcare use. CONCLUSION: Poorer familiarity with Medicare may affect beneficiaries' ability to access needed care effectively, may lead them to delay or avoid seeking care, and ultimately may have negatively affect the quality of the health care that they receive and their outcomes.
A 500 MHz OTA-C 4/sup th/ order lowpass filter with class AB CMFB in 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS technology

A 500 MHz linear phase low-pass continuous-time filter is designed. A common-mode feedback (CMFB), based on a class AB amplifier with improved stability at high frequencies, is introduced. The filter is based on G/sub m/-C biquads and achieves IM3<-40 dB for a two-tone input signal of -10 dBm each. The power consumption of the 4/sup th/ order filter is 140 mW from supply voltages of +/- 1.65 V. The chip was fabricated in a standard 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS technology.
Biodegradable thermoreversible gelling PLGA-g-PEG copolymers

The thermogelling aqueous solution of poly(DL-lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) grafted with poly(ethylene glycol)s is developed, and the elegant instrumental methods to determine sol–gel transition temperature and the method to control gel duration are reported.
Apparatus for the Maintenance of Bacterial Cultures in the Steady State : II. Improved turbidity control and culture cell.

(1) A more convenient method for maintaining constant turbidity in the culture cell is described. (2) An improved culture cell and cell wipers which do not cause foaming are described.
Antidepressant exposure in utero is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular malformation

Commentary on: Grigoriadis S, VonderPorten EH, Mamisashvili L, et al. Antidepressant exposure during pregnancy and congenital malformations: is there an association? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the best evidence. J Clin Psychiatry 2013;74:e293–308.[OpenUrl][1][CrossRef][2][PubMed][3][Web of Science][4] Since fluoxetine's release in the late 1980s, the use of antidepressants has increased steadily. Women of childbearing age make-up a significant proportion of users, so exposure during pregnancy is common. This is particularly true for early pregnancy exposure which often occurs before the woman knows she is pregnant. Estimates are that up to 13% of pregnancies will be exposed.1 The impact of these drugs on pregnancy outcomes has been a growing area of concern and debate.2 A major concern is whether the drugs are associated with congenital malformations. In their systematic review and … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DJ%2BClin%2BPsychiatry%26rft.volume%253D74%26rft.spage%253De293%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.4088%252FJCP.12r07966%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F23656855%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=10.4088/JCP.12r07966&link_type=DOI [3]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=23656855&link_type=MED&atom=%2Febmed%2F19%2F2%2F72.atom [4]: /lookup/external-ref?access_num=000331096100003&link_type=ISI
Extremely reliable bonding of large silicon dice using gold-tin alloy

Large silicon dice have been bonded on alumina substrates with Au-Sn eutectic using a novel bonding technique. The bonding quality was examined by a scanning acoustic microscope (SAM) having a resolution of 20 mu m. Nearly perfect bondings have been achieved. Au-Sn alloy was chosen rather than the commonly used Au-Si alloy because the lower eutectic point of the Au-Sn system would result not only in lower processing temperature but also lower stress on the dice. The die-bonded specimens endured 40 cycles of thermal shock between -196 degrees C and +160 degrees C without cracking or bond degradation despite the significant mismatch of thermal expansion coefficients between silicon and alumina. Storage tests at -196 degrees C and +250 degrees C also do not induce cracking or bond degradation. Pull-test results indicate that the bondings are stronger than the silicon dice themselves. >
Comorbid depression/anxiety and teeth removed: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2010.

Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the association between participants (i) who reported having had clinical diagnoses of depression and anxiety with 6+ teeth removed and (ii) who reported having had clinical diagnoses of depression and anxiety with edentulism. Methods The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Survey 2010 was used for the study. Analyses involved using SAS 9.3® to determine variable frequencies, Rao–Scott chi-square bivariate analyses, and Proc Surveylogistic for the logistic regressions on complex survey designs. Participants eligibility included being 18 years or older and having complete data on depression, anxiety, and number of teeth removed. Results There were 76 292 eligible participants; 13.4% reported an anxiety diagnosis, 16.7% reported a depression diagnosis, and 8.6% reported comorbid depression and anxiety. The adjusted logistic regression models were significant for anxiety and depression alone and in combination for 6+ teeth removed (AOR: anxiety 1.23; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.38; P = 0.0773; AOR: depression 1.23; 95% CI: 1.10, 1.37; P = 0.0275; P < 0.0001; and AOR: comorbid depression and anxiety 1.30; 95% CI: 1.14, 1.49; P = 0.0001). However, the adjusted models with edentulism as the outcome failed to reach significance. Conclusions Comorbid depression and anxiety are associated independently with 6+ teeth removed compared with 0–5 teeth removed in a national study conducted in United States. Comorbid depression and anxiety were not shown to be associated with edentulism as compared with any teeth present.
VHDL intermediate form standardization: process, issues and status

The activity involved in developing a standard intermediate form for the IEEE VHSIC hardware description language (VHDL) is presented. The purpose of this intermediate form is to provide a common computer-aided design (CAD) tool interface for systems described by the VHDL. The IEEE group responsible for developing the standard is introduced, followed by a description of the four-step process used by the group in developing the standard. The current status of the effort is discussed as well as the future plans for converging on the goal of developing a standard intermediate form for VHDL. >
Active contribution of two domains to cooperative DNA binding of the enhancer-binding protein nitrogen regulator I (NtrC) of Escherichia coli: stimulation by phosphorylation and the binding of ATP.

Activation by the prokaryotic activator nitrogen regulator I (NRI, or NtrC) of Escherichia coli requires an interaction between two NRI dimers. ATP-dependent phosphorylation stimulates this tetramerization, which can be detected as cooperative binding to DNA. A polypeptide containing only the DNA-binding carboxyl-terminal domain has been previously shown to bind noncooperatively to DNA. Our primary purpose was to determine whether the highly conserved N-terminal domain or the ATP-binding central domain is required for cooperative DNA binding. Because ATP was present in the experiments that showed that phosphorylation enhances cooperative bindings, it is possible that ATP and not phosphorylation stimulated cooperative binding. Our secondary purpose was to separately assess the effects of ATP and phosphorylation on cooperative binding. We showed that a variant with a deletion of the central domain, NRI-(delta 143-398), binds cooperatively as well as unphosphorylated wild-type NRI, implying that the N-terminal domain mediates phosphorylation-independent cooperative binding. Phosphorylation of NRI-(delta 143-398) did not further stimulate this binding, suggesting that the ATP-binding central domain may be required for the phosphorylation-dependent enhancement. Cooperative binding was enhanced by either acetyl-phosphate-dependent (i.e., ATP-independent) phosphorylation of NRI or the specific binding of ATP to the central domain. Their effects were not additive, a finding which is consistent with the interpretation that each promotes a similar dimer-dimer interaction. We discuss these results within the context of the hypothesis that the highly conserved N-terminal domain mediates phosphorylation-independent cooperativity and the central domain is required for cooperativity stimulated by ATP binding or phosphorylation.
Effect of cilostazol prescribed in a pragmatic treatment program for intermittent claudication.

Background:Controlled trials of cilostazol for claudication demonstrate improvements in walking distance and quality of life. Without the structure of a study environment, it is not certain that cilostazol has similar efficacy.Method:Retrospective review of patients prescribed cilostazol for claudication was undertaken. Patients were advised to stop smoking and increase exercise but no formal programs were instituted. The primary outcome measure was patient-reported improvement in claudication symptoms. Secondary outcomes were smoking cessation and participation in regular exercise.Results:Over a 2-year period, 77 patients were prescribed cilostazol as initial treatment for claudication. Follow-up for 3 months was available for 69 (90%) patients. Noncompliance was reported in 20% of patients. Of the overall group, 58% (73% of compliant patients) of patients reported improvement in claudication symptoms, 4% of patients reported smoking cessation, and 7% reported regular exercise.Conclusion:Despite minimal ...
What is really causing the obesity epidemic? A review of reviews in children and adults

ABSTRACTObesity prevention is a public health priority and intervention strategies have focused primarily on healthy eating and physical activity in children and adults. To date, no review has systematically compiled and synthesised the scientific evidence from published review articles to determine whether there is clear consensus on the causes of obesity. A systematic review of the literature was conducted searching PubMed/Medline for narrative and systematic review articles published between January 1990 and October 2014 that examined the causes of obesity. In total, 12 of 65 articles met the inclusion criteria; 7 reviews focused on adults (1 systematic, 6 narrative) and 5 reviews on children (2 systematic, 3 narrative). The most popular cause of obesity identified in reviews of adult studies was “combined physical activity and diet” (3 of 7 studies), whereas the most popular cause specified in reviews of child studies was deemed “inconclusive” (2 of 5 studies). While a number of reviews have examined ...
Advanced channel detection and iterative decoding for perpendicular recording

While a great deal of research on perpendicular recording physics (media and head materials and designs) has been carried out, the focus has been on building the best possible physical channel. The approach taken here is to consider the best channel that fundamental physics can deliver and ask two important questions. First what is the capacity of this channel and how can it be approached with a realizable system. The tools to accomplish this goal are signal processing and coding algorithms for read channels. This paper addresses soft-decision decoding techniques and advanced joint-track channel detection for perpendicular recording channels.
Enabling New Modes of Reactivity via Constrictive Binding in a Supramolecular-Assembly-Catalyzed Aza-Prins Cyclization

Supramolecular assembly 1 catalyzes a bimolecular aza-Prins cyclization featuring an unexpected transannular 1,5-hydride transfer. This reaction pathway, which is promoted by constrictive binding within the supramolecular cavity of 1, is kinetically disfavored in the absence of 1, as evidenced by the orthogonal reactivity observed in bulk solution. Mechanistic investigation through kinetic analysis and isotopic labeling studies indicates that the rate-limiting step of the transformation is the encapsulation of a transient iminium ion and supports the proposed 1,5-hydride transfer mechanism. This represents a rare example of such an extreme divergence of product selectivity observed within a catalytic metal–ligand supramolecular enzyme mimic.
Rate Constants and Products of the OH Reaction with Isoprene-Derived Epoxides

Recent laboratory and field work has shown that isoprene-derived epoxides (IEPOX) are crucial intermediates that can explain the existence of a variety of compounds found in ambient secondary organic aerosol (SOA). However, IEPOX species are also able to undergo gas phase oxidation, which competes with the aerosol phase processing of IEPOX. In order to better quantify the atmospheric fate of IEPOX, the gas phase OH reaction rate constants and product formation mechanisms have been determined using a flow tube chemical ionization mass spectrometry technique. The new OH rate constants are generally larger than previous estimations and some features of the product mechanism are well predicted by the Master Chemical Mechanism Version 3.2 (MCM v3.2), while other features are at odds with MCM v3.2. Using a previously proposed kinetic model for the quantitative prediction of the atmospheric fate of IEPOX, it is found that gas phase OH reaction is an even more dominant fate for chemical processing of IEPOX than previously suggested. The present results suggest that aerosol phase processing of IEPOX will be competitive with gas phase OH oxidation only under SOA conditions of high liquid water content and low pH.
Individual operator compliance with a decision-support system

A study was conducted to investigate the relationship between five individual factors and compliance with advice from a decision-support system. Rates of compliance were also compared for two different types of computer advice: specific and nonspecific. Results suggest that there is no significant difference in compliance rates between the two types of advice. However four of the individual factors (gender, trust in the advice, previous task performance, and self-confidence in the task) were significantly related to compliance with the nonspecific advice, while one factor (trust in the advice) was significantly related to compliance with the specific advice.
Escalating Challenges in Developing Complex Solutions for Next Generation Package and Interconnect Technologies

There are several application and device trends driving IC package development today. Among the most prevalent are: - Form factor reduction for handheld devices - Increased functionality requiring higher bandwidth - Higher power dissipation - Higher operating frequencies resulting in reduced electrical noise margins - Increased use of sensors - Full conversion to green material sets - Silicon node progression. These trends occur concurrently in many applications, which often results in conflicting requirements. In addition, the market continues to apply relentless pricing pressure on the supply chain. Hence, simple, cost-effective solutions are mandatory. This presentation will highlight packaging technology developments that address the device and application trends listed above. Several innovative packaging platforms will be discussed: - Copper pillar CSP and BGA - Through Mold Via Package on Package (TMV ® PoP) - Flip Chip Molded BGA (FCMBGA) - Wafer Level CSP - Through Silicon Via CSP and BGA. In each...
3D Elastic Finite-Difference Modeling of Seismic Motion Using Staggered Grids with Nonuniform Spacing

Abstract This article provides a technique to model seismic motions in 3D elastic media using fourth-order staggered-grid finite-difference (FD) operators implemented on a mesh with nonuniform grid spacing. The accuracy of the proposed technique has been tested through comparisons with analytical solutions, conventional 3D stag- gered-grid FD with uniform grid spacing, and reflectivity methods for a variety of velocity models. Numerical tests with nonuniform grids suggest that the method allows sufficiently accurate modeling when the grid sampling rate is at least 6 grid points per shortest shear wavelength. The applicability for a finite fault with non- uniform distribution of point sources is also confirmed. The use of nonuniform spac- ing improves the efficiency of the FD methods when applied to large-scale structures by partially avoiding the spatial oversampling introduced by the uniform spacing in zones with high velocity. The significant reduction in computer memory that can be obtained by the new technique improves the efficiency of the 3D-FD method at handling shorter wavelengths, larger areas, or more realistic 3D velocity structures. Introduction Studies of wave propagation and strong-ground-motion simulation based on three-dimensional finite-difference (3D- FD) methods have contributed to a better understanding of the source process, wave-path effects, and basin structure response (e.g., Miyatake, 1980; Frankel and Vidale, 1992; Frankel, 1993; Graves, 1993; Yomogida and Etgen, 1993; Olsen
Influence of different fiber channel delay on differential protection

The paper discusses synchronization methods in T-line differential protection,and focuses on how to calculate the delay difference of optical fibre channel.After the delay difference is calculated,i t analyzes the influence of single-channel different delay and two-channel different delay.The conclusion is that T-line differential protection can detect the differnet delay and improve the reliability of protection because of redundant channels.
Effect of sulforaphane on the expression of phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription-1 and 3 in head and neck cancer cell line PCI-13

Objective: To study the effect of sulforaphane( SFN) on the expression of phosphorylating-signal transducer and activator of transcription1 and 3( STAT1,STAT3) in head and neck cancer cell line PCI-13 and explore the role of STAT / JAK pathway in the antitumor activity of SFN. Methods: PCI-13 cells were treated with 10,20 and 40μmol/L of SFN for 3,6,12 and 24 h respectively after 48 h sera starving in vitro. For IL-6 induced activation of STAT3,after treated with 20 and 40μmol/L SFN for 24 h,PCI-13 cells were treated with 50 ng / ml of IL-6 for 15 min. Negative and positive controls were set. Then phosphorylated-STAT1 and 3 expression in the cells were detected by flow cytometry. Results: There was no influence of SFN on the expression of p-STAT1. SFN could significantly inhibit the expression of p-STAT3 in a concentration-and time-dependence manner,and could counteract the effect of IL-6 in promotion of STAT3 expression. Conclusion: SFN may inhibit the phosphorylation level of STAT3,and decrease the IL-6-induced activation of STAT3,suggesting that apoptosis of PCI-13 cells induced by SFN might be mediated by STAT / JAK pathway.
Numerical Techniques in Electromagnetics, Second Edition

Numerical Techniques in Electromagnetics is designed to show the reader how to pose, numerically analyze, and solve electromagnetic (EM) problems. It gives them the ability to expand their problem-solving skills using a variety of available numerical methods. Topics covered include fundamental concepts in EM; numerical methods; finite difference methods; variational methods, including moment methods and finite element methods; transmission-line matrix or modeling (TLM); and Monte Carlo methods. The simplicity of presentation of topics throughout the book makes this an ideal text for teaching or self-study by senior undergraduates, graduate students, and practicing engineers.
The good spy: the life and death of Robert Ames

The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames by Kai Bird, Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, is more than a riveting portrait of Robert Ames, one of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)’s most ...
A survey on human machine dialogue systems

Dialogue systems are computer systems that communicate with a human in spoken or written form. Their popularity has increased in recent years and they attract a large research and development interest. In this paper, a survey on dialogue systems is presented. A classification scheme is proposed and then the reviewed methodologies are evaluated based on a number of features, in order to obtain a maturity score for each methodology.
Methods and design of a 10-week multi-component family meals intervention: a two group quasi-experimental effectiveness trial

Given the ongoing childhood obesity public health crisis and potential protective effect of family meals, there is need for additional family meals research, specifically experimental studies with expanded health outcomes that focus on the at-risk populations in highest need of intervention. Future research, specifically intervention work, would also benefit from an expansion of the target age range to include younger children, who are laying the foundation of their eating patterns and capable of participating in family meal preparations. The purpose of this paper is to address this research gap by presenting the objectives and research methods of a 10-week multi-component family meals intervention study aimed at eliciting positive changes in child diet and weight status. This will be a group quasi-experimental trial with staggered cohort design. Data will be collected via direct measure and questionnaires at baseline, intervention completion (or waiting period for controls), and 10-weeks post-intervention. Setting will be faith-based community center. Participants will be 60 underserved families with at least 1, 4–10 year old child will be recruited and enrolled in the intervention (n = 30) or waitlist control group (n = 30). The intervention (Simple Suppers) is a 10-week family meals program designed for underserved families from racial/ethnic diverse backgrounds. The 10, 90-min program lessons will be delivered weekly over the dinner hour. Session components include: a) interactive group discussion of strategies to overcome family meal barriers, plus weekly goal setting for caregivers; b) engagement in age-appropriate food preparation activities for children; and c) group family meal for caregivers and children. Main outcome measures are change in: child diet quality; child standardized body mass index; and frequency of family meals. Regression models will be used to compare response variables results of intervention to control group, controlling for confounders. Analyses will account for clustering by family and cohort. Significance will be set at p < 0.05. This is the first experimentally designed family meals intervention that targets underserved families with elementary school age children and includes an examination of health outcomes beyond weight status. Results will provide researchers and practitioners with insight on evidence-based programming to aid in childhood obesity prevention. NCT02923050 . Registered 03 October 2016. Retrospectively registered.
Evidence of the Generalization and Construct Representation Inferences for the GRE® revised General Test Sentence Equivalence Item Type

The report is the first systematic evaluation of the sentence equivalence item type introduced by the GRE® revised General Test. We adopt a validity framework to guide our investigation based on Kane's approach to validation whereby a hierarchy of inferences that should be documented to support score meaning and interpretation is evaluated. We present evidence relevant to the generalization inference as well as evidence of construct representation. We analyzed the pool of sentence equivalence items in three studies. The first and second studies focused on the generalization inference and sought to document the construction principles behind the sentence equivalence items, specifically the nature of the vocabulary tested. The third study focused on construct representation and evaluated the contribution of the stem, the keys, and the distractors to item difficulty. We concluded that the vocabulary tested by the sentence equivalence items is appropriate given the purpose of the GRE, namely, to assist in the selection of graduate students. The difficulty of the items was shown to be, in part, a function of the familiarity of the vocabulary as well as the context in which the vocabulary is tested, which we argue is positive validity evidence.
How do land-use legacies affect ecosystem services in United States cultural landscapes?

Landscape-scale studies of ecosystem services (ES) have increased, but few consider land-use history. Historical land use may be especially important in cultural landscapes, producing legacies that influence ecosystem structure, function, and biota that in turn affect ES supply. Our goal was to generate a conceptual framework for understanding when land-use legacies matter for ES supply in well-studied agricultural, urban, and exurban US landscapes. We synthesized illustrative examples from published literature in which landscape legacies were demonstrated or are likely to influence ES. We suggest three related conditions in which land-use legacies are important for understanding current ES supply. (1) Intrinsically slow ecological processes govern ES supply, illustrated for soil-based and hydrologic services impaired by slowly processed pollutants. (2) Time lags between land-use change and ecosystem responses delay effects on ES supply, illustrated for biodiversity-based services that may experience an ES debt. (3) Threshold relationships exist, such that changes in ES are difficult to reverse, and legacy lock-in disconnects contemporary landscapes from ES supply, illustrated by hydrologic services. Mismatches between contemporary landscape patterns and mechanisms underpinning ES supply yield unexpected patterns of ES. Today’s land-use decisions will generate tomorrow’s legacies, and ES will be affected if processes underpinning ES are affected by land-use legacies. Research priorities include understanding effects of urban abandonment, new contaminants, and interactions of land-use legacies and climate change. Improved understanding of historical effects will improve management of contemporary ES, and aid in decision-making as new challenges to sustaining cultural landscapes arise.
The Interpersonal Circumplex: A Complementary Approach for Understanding Animal Personality

This chapter reviews the benefits of adopting the interpersonal circumplex as a supplement to current approaches for understanding animal personality. The interpersonal circumplex is a representation of social behavior that is organized in a circular fashion as it is defined by a two-coordinate system consisting of agency (as the vertical axis) and communion (as the horizontal axis). The interpersonal circumplex was developed to describe and understand the social behavior of humans. We believe that the interpersonal circumplex may be helpful in gaining a better understanding of animal personality as well, because it may have implications for (1) conceptualizing the structure of animal personality and (2) accounting for the role of social behavior in animal personality. We review the limited research that has been conducted using the interpersonal circumplex in animals and suggest directions for future research.
Rhenium-catalyzed deoxydehydration of renewable biomass using sacrificial alcohol as reductant

Abstract Catalytic deoxydehydration (DODH) of vicinal diols is studied. We find that NH4ReO4 (ammonium perrhenate, APR) catalyzes the DODH of glycols to alkenes by sacrificial alcohol (2,4-dimethyl-3-pentanol) at 140–165 °C. The product yields range from good to excellent and no isomers detected. The catalytic DODH reaction of glycols to alkene is of potential value for the production of chemicals and fuels from the renewable biomass-derived polyols. Download : Download high-res image (24KB) Download : Download full-size image
How Much GOTV Mail is Too Much? Results from a Large-Scale Field Experiment

This study evaluates the turnout effects of direct mail sent in advance of the 2014 New Hampshire Senate election. Registered Republican women were sent up to 10 mailings from a conservative advocacy group that encouraged participation in the upcoming election. We find that mail raises turnout, but no gains are achieved beyond five mailers. This finding is shown to be consistent with other experiments that have sent large quantities of mail. We interpret these results in light of marketing research on repetitive messaging.
Quiescence Exit of Tert+ Stem Cells by Wnt/β-Catenin Is Indispensable for Intestinal Regeneration.

Fine control of stem cell maintenance and activation is crucial for tissue homeostasis and regeneration. However, the mechanism of quiescence exit of Tert+ intestinal stem cells (ISCs) remains unknown. Employing a Tert knockin (TertTCE/+) mouse model, we found that Tert+ cells are long-term label-retaining self-renewing cells, which are partially distinguished from the previously identified +4 ISCs. Tert+ cells become mitotic upon irradiation (IR) injury. Conditional ablation of Tert+ cells impairs IR-induced intestinal regeneration but not intestinal homeostasis. Upon IR injury, Wnt signaling is specifically activated in Tert+ cells via the ROS-HIFs-transactivated Wnt2b signaling axis. Importantly, conditional knockout of β-catenin/Ctnnb1 in Tert+ cells undermines IR-induced quiescence exit of Tert+ cells, which subsequently impedes intestinal regeneration. Our results that Wnt-signaling-induced activation of Tert+ ISCs is indispensable for intestinal regeneration unveil the underlying mechanism for how Tert+ stem cells undergo quiescence exit upon tissue injury.
When Does Internet and Smartphone Use Become a Problem

Internet and smartphone use has become problematic for teenagers who experience negative emotional, cognitive, and physical states during and after their use. A variety of definitions and classifications exist to explain this phenomenon including dependency, problematic use, and addiction. This chapter covers the extant research on Internet and smartphone “addictions” and offers possible clinical interventions to mitigate its effects.