cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of neutral and convective planetary boundary-layer parameterizations relative to large eddy simulations

This paper compares a number of one-dimensional closure models for the planetary boundary layer (PBL) that are currently in use in large-scale atmospheric models. Using the results of a large-eddy simulation (LES) model as the standard of comparison, the PBL models are evaluated over a range of stratifications from free convective to neutral and a range of surface shear stresses. Capping inversion strengths for the convective cases range from weakly to strongly capped. Six prototypical PBL models are evaluated in this study, which focuses on the accuracy of the boundary-layer fluxes of momentum, heat, and two passive scalars. One scalar mimics humidity and the other is a top-down scalar entrained into the boundary layer from above. A set of measures based on the layer-averaged differences of these fluxes from the LES solutions is developed. In addition to the methodological framework and suite of LES solutions, the main result of the evaluation is the recognition that all of the examined PBL parameterizations have difficulty reproducing the entrainment at the top of the PBL, as given by the LES, in most parameter regimes. Some of the PBL models are relatively accurate in their entrainment flux in a subset of parameter regimes. The sensitivity of the PBL models to vertical resolution is explored, and substantive differences are observed in the performance of the PBL models, relative to LES, at low resolution typical of large scale atmospheric models.
`Diagonal' layout methodology

In 1988 MCNC International Workshop on Placement and Routing, I am glad to see the workshop includes a section in title "Combined Placement and Global Routing". Although placement and routing are interdependent, due to computational complexity, they have been historically approached separately. From our experience based on the Berkeley Building-Block Layout System (BBL) [Che83], even with very sophisticated placement and routing techniques, the system will not guarantee an appropriate layout if the placement and global routing solutions are mismatched [Dai87d]. In general, without global routing, predicting routability is difficult if not impossible. One alternative is to deliberately overestimate the routing area and try to reclaim the empty space after the routing [Ish85]. Another alternative is to ignore the violations of design rules during the routing and rely on a sophisticated chip spacer to resolve the design rule violations, at the same time, to minimize the chip area [Che88]. Not to mention the complexity and inefficiency of the final chip spacing, the errors due to the mismatch between placement and routing propagate channel by channel (if channel routers are used) or net by net (if area routers used). Another approach is to iterate global routing with placement [Ada82], but it is hard to converge since a new placement may result in a new global routing, and they may represent a new mismatch. In other systems, the only way to modify the placement during routing is adjusting two blocks relatively when routing the channel in between [Lau85] [Cai85]. This implies that the topology of placement must keep the same with the only exception as shown in Fig. 1.
Action Theory as a Resource for Decision Theory

Many problems in decision theory intersect problems in action theory. But although this is widely realized, the connections between the two fields have rarely been systematically discussed in the literature. This essay will attempt to articulate some of those connections and a number of important problems they raise. The general topic is large, and I shall have to work with simple decision-theoretic models and to restrict my attention chiefly to normative decision theory as applied to individual decision. Some implications for group decision theory, and for empirical issues concerning decision, should be apparent; but my main focus will be on individual cases, particularly in relation to standards of rationality.
Incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma among US patients with cirrhosis of viral or nonviral etiologies.

Background & Aims We aimed to identify risk factors for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with cirrhosis in the United States. We performed a prospective study to identify associations between etiologies of cirrhosis and ethnicity with HCC incidence. Methods We used convenience sampling to select a cohort of 379 patients with cirrhosis who visited the liver clinic at the Stanford University Medical Center from 2001 to 2009 (65% male, 75% white or Hispanic, and 20% Asian). Study end points were HCC diagnosis by histology or noninvasive criteria, liver transplantation, or last screening without HCC. Patients were followed up, with ultrasound or computed tomographic imaging analyses and measurements of serum levels of α-fetoprotein, approximately every 6 months, for a median time of 34 months (range, 6–99 mo). Results The etiologies of cirrhosis in the cohort were 68% hepatitis C, 7% hepatitis B, and 25% nonviral. Forty-four patients (12%) were diagnosed with HCC during the follow-up period. Patients with cirrhosis related to viral hepatitis had a statistically significantly higher incidence of HCC than those with nonviral diseases in Kaplan–Meier analysis ( P = .04). There was no statistically significant difference in HCC incidence between Asian and non-Asian patients. In a multivariate Cox proportional hazards model that included age, sex, ethnicity, etiology, and Child–Pugh–Turcotte score, viral cirrhosis was associated significantly with HCC, compared with nonviral cirrhosis (hazard ratio, 3.6; 95% confidence interval, 1.3–10.1; P = .02) but Asian ethnicity was not. Conclusions In a diverse cohort of patients in the United States with cirrhosis, a viral etiology of cirrhosis was associated with increased incidence of HCC, but Asian ethnicity was not. These findings indicate the importance of cirrhosis etiology in determining risk for HCC.
Design of a Low-Power Coprocessor for Mid-Size Vocabulary Speech Recognition Systems

Speech recognition systems have gained popularity in consumer electronics. This paper presents a custom-designed coprocessor for output probability calculation (OPC), which is the most computation-intensive processing step in continuous hidden Markov model (CHMM)-based speech recognition algorithms. To save hardware resource and reduce power consumption, a polynomial addition-based method is used to compute add-log instead of the traditional look-up table-based method. In addition, the optimal tradeoff between speech processing delay, energy consumption, and hardware resources is explored for the coprocessor. The proposed coprocessor has been implemented and tested in Xilinx Spartan-3A DSP XC3SD3400A, and also validated using the standard-cell-based approach in IBM 0.13 μm technology. To implement an entire speech recognition system, SAMSUNG S3C44b0X (containing an ARM7) is used as the micro-controller to execute the rest of speech processing. Tested with a 358-state 3-mixture 27-feature 800-word HMM, S3C44b0X operates at 40 MHz and coprocessor at 10 MHz to meet the real-time requirement, and the recognition accuracy is 95.2%. Power consumption of the micro-controller is 10 mW, and that of the coprocessor 15.2 mW. The overall speech recognition system achieves the lowest energy consumption per word recognition among many reported designs. Experiment and analysis show that the speech recognition system based on the proposed coprocessor is especially suitable for mid-size vocabulary (100-1000 words) recognition tasks.
Simulation of normal protein accretion in rats

A dynamic model of growth in rats has been developed based on the application to whole-body protein of terms previously identified in relationship to hyperplasia and hypertrophy of individual mammalian tissues and organs. Differential equations determined to be the simplest adequate to simulate postweaning growth patterns describe DNA accretion, protein synthesis and protein degradation. Maximum cell number (DNAMX) and cell size (protein/DNA) are implicit in the equations as genetically specified regulators of growth. Effects of differences in mature size on patterns of growth are accommodated by adjusting rate constants such that at equal maturity, rates are proportional to mature size to the 0.73 power. The sensitivity of the model was tested for independently derived parameter values and all deduced parameters. Model behavior is sensitive to the definition of DNAMX but is relatively insensitive to other parameter values. In particular, protein synthesis and degradation rates are highly correlated so that an independent estimate of one or the other is required to define the model. Rate constants optimized with respect to data on DNA and protein accretion in male Sherman rats (DNAMX = 429 mg) were used to simulate growth of male Sprague-Dawley rats (DNAMX = 150 mg). Good agreement was obtained between observed and predicted values with no systematic error of prediction.
Supercapacitors: Review of Materials and Fabrication Methods

AbstractSupercapacitors are considered to be promising candidates for power devices in future generations. These devices are expected to find many future applications in hybrid electric vehicles an...
Predictive value of serial measurements of quality of life on all-cause mortality in prostate cancer patients: data from CaPSURE (cancer of the prostate strategic urologic research endeavor) database.

Introduction Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a legitimate construct for evaluating treatment and its side effects. Recently, predictive value of HRQOL on survival also has been of interest. In light of the longer survival in patients with prostate cancer and importance of quality of life, we seek to evaluate the association between HRQOL and survival using traditional and novel techniques.
Interconnect scaling-the real limiter to high performance ULSI

Reducing interconnect pitch improves layout density, but degrades interconnect RC delay. Increasing metal aspect ratio (thickness/width) improves RC delay, but maximum benefits are achieved at an aspect ratio of /spl sim/2. Adding more interconnect layers improves density and performance, but practical limits are reached in just a few generations. New conductor and dielectric materials and improved circuit design techniques will be needed to meet future ULSI interconnect requirements.
Dietary Treatment and Long‐Term Weight Loss and Maintenance in Type 2 Diabetes

Increasing body weight, particularly abdominal weight, is associated with increasing risk for type 2 diabetes, and 80% of people with type 2 diabetes are overweight or obese. Weight loss and maintenance are challenging in the obese population without diabetes, and data suggest that this may be more difficult in obese people with diabetes. Various weight-loss strategies with follow-up for at least 1 year have been evaluated in people with diabetes with mixed results. Diet is most effective in promoting initial weight loss. Energy restriction will improve glycemic control within days of initiation, independent of weight loss. There is deterioration of the effects of dietary therapy on glycemic control over time, even with partial weight maintenance, because of the relaxation of energy restriction. Diet composition has little effect on glycemic control independent of total calories. Very-low-calorie diets lead to better initial weight loss and glycemic control but yield no better long-term results than more moderate treatment. The initial results from studies using prepared meals and liquid meal replacements show that weight loss and glycemic control are comparable with conventional dietary treatment. Comprehensive lifestyle therapies, involving diet, exercise, and behavioral modification, can lead to weight losses of approximately 2 to 10 kg over 10 to 20 weeks, with regain over 1 year of one-third to one-half of weight initially lost. The net improvement on glycemic control is usually small 1 year after weight loss. Creative strategies using these and other modalities are needed to improve long-term weight loss, weight maintenance, and glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Greater efforts in primary prevention are also needed because of the increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Comparative Effects of Nifedipine, Verapamil, and Diltiazem On Experimental Pulmonary Hypertension

The role of calcium-channel blocking agents in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension is not well defined. Consequently, the effects of diltiazem, nifedipine, and verapamil were compared in 3 groups of anesthetized dogs (n = 6 for each group). In each group, normoxic hemodynamic variables were recorded before and after increasing doses of diltiazem, nifedipine, and verapamil (5 × 10 −8 M /kg, low; 10 −7 M /kg, medium; and 10 −6 M /kg, high dose; given intravenously over 2 minutes). In addition, the effect of these doses on the pulmonary pressor responses to hypoxia (fractional inspired oxygen concentration [FIO 2 ] 12%) and prostaglandin F 2α (PGF 2α ) (5 μg/kg/min, intravenously for 4 minutes) was measured. During normoxia, high-dose nifedipine and verapamil decreased mean aortic pressure and systemic vascular resistance while increasing cardiac output in all dogs in both groups (p The responses to diltiazem, nifedipine, and verapamil during acute pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by PGF 2α were similar to those induced by hypoxia. After verapamil, pulmonary vascular resistance tended to increase (7.3 ± 1.3 to 8.1 ± 1.4 mm Hg/liter/min, NS). Nifedipine, however, completely blocked pulmonary vasoconstriction by decreasing pulmonary vascular resistance to pre-PGF 2α levels (p
The Effect of Recombinant Human Growth Hormone in Children With X-Linked Hypophosphatemia

Background X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) is characterized clinically by rickets and growth retardation. Conventional treatment of XLH with oral phosphate and vitamin D fails to normalize linear growth. Objective. To determine the benefit and the potential side effects of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) therapy in patients with XLH. Design and methods A randomized, double-blind, crossover study was performed throughout a 24-month period in five children with XLH, each patient serving as his own control. The effect of 12 months of rhGH therapy on height, mineral metabolism, glucose and lipid metabolism, hemoglobin, thyroid and parathyroid function, serum 1,25-(OH)2 vitamin D, osteocalcin, growth hormone, urinary calcium, phosphate, nephrocalcinosis, renal function, and bone density was compared with the effects of 12 months of placebo administration on the same parameters. Results The average age (mean +/- SEM) of the patients at the start of the study was 5.6 +/- 1.4 years. Growth hormone therapy improved the height standard deviation score (z-score) from a baseline of -2.66 +/- 0.21 to -2.02 +/- 0.25 and to -1.46 +/- 0.28, after 3 and 12 months, respectively. At the start of the control period the height z-score was -2.27 +/- 0.30 compared with -2.22 +/- 0.16 after 12 months of placebo administration. The growth velocity standard deviation score was -1. 90 +/- 0.40 during the 12 months of placebo administration and +4.04 +/- 1.50 during the 12 months of rhGH therapy. An increase in serum phosphate from 0.88 +/- 0.07 mmol/L to 1.17 +/- 0.14 mmol/L and tubular maximum for phosphate reabsorption (TmP/GFR) from 2.12 +/- 0. 15 to 3.41 +/- 0.25 mg/dL, was observed after 3 months of rhGH therapy. However, both serum phosphate and TmP/GFR were unchanged from baseline after 6, 9, and 12 months of rhGH therapy. Neither serum phosphate nor TmP/GFR changed from baseline during the placebo administration. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) increased from 114 +/- 25 to 354 +/- 51 ng/mL after 12 months of rhGH therapy. Despite the increase in IGF-1 after rhGH therapy, the value did not exceed normal serum concentration. IGF-1 did not change from baseline after 12 months of placebo administration. Neither therapy with rhGH nor with placebo had an effect on glucose and lipid metabolism, hemoglobin, thyroid and parathyroid function, serum 1, 25-(OH)2 vitamin D, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin, urinary calcium excretion, the grade of nephrocalcinosis, glomerular filtration rate, or urinary albumin excretion. Twelve months of rhGH therapy increased bone mass and width but not density. Twelve months of placebo administration had no effect on bone mass, width, or density. Conclusion Patients with XLH have an improvement in linear growth and a transient increase in serum phosphate attributable to a transient decrease in urinary phosphate excretion when treated with rhGH.
Can we all get along? The interpersonal challenge at work

Researchers suggest that acting rudely or showing disregard for others contributes to an increasing incivility in the workplace. The analysis of workplace incivility indicates there is more to interpersonal interaction in the American workplace than the positive image of water-cooler conversations, lunchroom camaraderie, or after-work happy hours. Rather, we are also likely to find a range of discordant behaviors exhibited by employees toward their coworkers and by managers toward their subordinates. These behaviors may be overtly aggressive and violent, or subtle and unthreatening. Several reasons for this trend toward incivility are explored.
Feasibility of a hybrid-FES system for gait restoration in paraplegics

This paper proposes a new configuration for a hybrid-FES gait restoration system, and presents a combination of simulation and experiment that support the feasibility of the proposed approach. Gait simulation results are presented that indicate the majority of load bearing and the majority of power for gait is provided by the legs (i.e., quadriceps muscle stimulation). Based on these simulations, experiments on healthy subjects indicate that the gait restoration approach should be capable of providing long periods of locomotion unimpeded by quadriceps muscle fatigue.
Making a "Popular Slave Society" in Colonial British America

Evidence from probate inventories in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, suggests that the transition from servants to slaves in colonial British America was not the sole mechanism by which the Chesapeake transformed into a fully developed slave society. Rather, this transition was only the first step in a century-long process by which slavery gradually took root, until, by the eve of the Revolution, the Chesapeake finally bore the imprint of slavery in every avenue of its activity.
Localization of acetylcholinesterase in the main and accessory olfactory bulbs of the mouse by light and electron microscopic histochemistry

Experiments were conducted to examine by light and electron microscopy the localization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the main (MOB) and accessory (AOB) olfactory bulbs of the normal mouse. Evidence from the literature for cholinergic innervation of the mammalian olfactory bulb was then assessed in light of possible correlation between reported sites of termination of centrifugal fibers to the olfactory bulb and the localization of AChE. AChE-positive nerve fibers were concentrated in the periglomerular region and internal plexiform layer of the MOB. Stained fibers were also present in the granule cell, mitral cell, and external plexiform layers as well as within glomeruli. A few neurons in all layers of the MOB contained AChE reaction product. Unlike the MOB, AChE-positive fibers were not present in the glomerular layer of the AOB. AChE-positive fibers were concentrated in the inner plexiform layer, whereas fewer stained fibers were observed in the external plexiform and mitral cell layer and granule cell layer. Lightly stained neurons were found in the deeper portions of the external plexiform and mitral cell layer and granule cell layer. Ultrastructurally, AChE reaction product in the MOB and AOB was predominantly associated with small unmyelinated axons. Reaction product was also observed adjacent to axon terminals and dendrites. Occasionally within the MOB, AChE activity was found within periglomerular, tufted, short-axon, mitral, and granule cells. In the AOB, however, intracellular AChE activity was observed within some mitral/tufted cells and only a few granule cells. In conclusion, the AChE reaction product was mainly associated with axons in regions of the MOB where centrifugal fibers have been reported. Accessory olfactory bulb AChE localization was different from that of the MOB, suggesting a different pattern of cholinergic input to the AOB. The small amounts and sites of intraneuronal AChE reaction product in cells of the olfactory bulb indicate cholinoceptive rather than cholinergic function.
Device Array Scribe Characterization Vehicle Test Chip for Ultra Fast Product Wafer Variability Monitoring

Lower supply voltages and aggressive OPC on 65 nm and below technologies are causing larger variability of critical device parameters like Vt and Id. With ever increasing clock frequencies, more and more performance related yield loss can be observed even for purely digital circuits. To design more robust circuits it is required to characterize device variability within die, within wafer, wafer to wafer as well as lot to lot. Large samples of device measurements are necessary for accurate variability characterization. A novel Characterization Vehicle (CV) has been developed, which achieves an extremely efficient placement of several hundred devices by arranging them underneath the probing pads. Placed next to product chips, those Scribe CV test chips are providing Vtlin, Idlin, Vtsat, Idsat, Gmlin, and Gmsat for more than 25000 devices per 300 mm wafer requiring less than 20 minutes for testing.
Long-Term Effects of Homeownership on the Self-Perceptions and Social Interaction of Low-Income Persons

A variety of public, private and non-profit organizations have developed programs to assist low-income families purchase homes. These programs are often justified on the grounds that homeownership ...
Oxidative Stress and Antioxidant Status in Mouse Liver: Effects of Dietary Lipid, Vitamin E and Iron

The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of dietary fat, vitamin E and iron on oxidative damage and antioxidant status. Male Swiss-Webster mice (1 mo old) were fed a basal vitamin E-deficient diet that contained either 8% fish oil + 2% corn oil or 10% lard with or without 1 g dl-alpha-tocopheryl acetate. The diets without vitamin E contained either 0.21 or 0.95 g ferric citrate/kg. Diets were fed for 4 wk/kg diet. Compared with the vitamin E-supplemented groups, mice fed diets without vitamin E (with or without supplemental iron) had significantly (P < 0.05) higher hepatic levels of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS), conjugated dienes and protein carbonyls when they were fed fish oil, but not lard. The levels of TBARS were further increased by iron supplementation in the mice fed fish oil. Significantly lower concentrations of alpha-tocopherol and higher glutathione (GSH) were found in the liver of mice fed fish oil and vitamin E than in those fed lard and vitamin E (P < 0.05). The activities of superoxide dismutase and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase were lower in the fish oil-fed mice than in those fed lard (P < 0.05). The activities of Se-GSH peroxidase, non-Se-GSH peroxidase, catalase, and glutathione reductase were not altered by dietary fat or vitamin E/iron. The results obtained provide experimental evidence of the prooxidative effects of high dietary fish oil and iron, and suggest that vitamin E protects not only lipid-soluble compounds, but also water-soluble constituents, against oxidative damage. Further, dietary lipid plays a key role in determining cellular susceptibility to oxidative stress.
Thirty Years of Hybridization between Toads along the Agua Fria River in Arizona: I. Evidence from Morphology and mtDNA

Abstract The Arizona Toad (Bufo [ = Anaxyrus] microscaphus) occupied the entire Agua Fria River drainage in central Arizona until relatively recently. By the 1980s, a close relative, Woodhouse's Toad (Bufo woodhousii), colonized the lower reaches of the Agua Fria and replaced B. microscaphus at some sites. We tested the hypothesis that habitat disturbance drives replacement of B. microscaphus by B. woodhousii, via hybridization, by examining shifts in the distribution of these toads following the expansion of the Waddell Dam on the lower Agua Fria River in the early 1990s. As of 2010, the high elevation headwaters of the Agua Fria River were still occupied by B. microscaphus, the lower reaches near the confluence with the Gila River were occupied by B. woodhousii, and along the middle reaches, hybridization between these two anurans occurred at the same three sites as documented in the early 1990s. Contrary to expectations, evidence of hybridization along middle reaches of the river is largely unchanged: ...
Modeling Threading Dislocation Loop Nucleation and Evolution in MeV Boron Implanted Silicon

A single statistical point defect based model for the nucleation and evolution of dislocation loops during annealing in Si is developed. The model assumes that the radius and the density of dislocation loops follow a log normal distribution. The loop nucleation part of the model also assumes that all the loops come from {311} unfaulting. The model is verified with the experimental results obtained by studying the formation of dislocation loops and threading dislocation loops as a function of implant condition in boron implanted silicon by varying the dose from 1×1013 to 5×1014 cm-2 at an energy of 1.5 MeV. Due to the statistical nature of the model, the threading dislocation loop density is easily obtained from simulation results. The dramatic change in the threading dislocation loop density withthe increasing implant dose is also predicted by the simulations.
Optimal architectures and algorithms for mesh-connected parallel computers with separable row/column buses

A two-dimensional mesh of processing elements (PE's) with separable row and column buses (i.e., broadcast mechanisms for rows and columns that can be logically divided into a number of local buses through the use of PE-controlled switches) has been shown to be quite effective for semigroup computation, prefix computation, and a wide class of other computations that do not require excessive communication or data routing. For meshes with separable row/column buses, the authors show how semigroup and prefix computations can be performed with the same asymptotic time complexity without the provision of buses for every row and every column and discuss the VLSI implications of this new architecture. >
The Occurrence of Leukemia

Since leukemia is always fatal, the mortality rates are a reasonably accurate reflection of the occurrence of the disease at various ages. Certain features about the occurrence of leukemia were analyzed from the Vital Statistics of the United States over a twenty year period with special reference to age. A comparison of the occurrence (mortality) during this time has shown a considerable and progressive increase in incidence in persons over 50 years of age from 1930 to 1949. In ages under 50 years the increase was apparently slight but not remarkable. In addition a comparison of the clinical occurrence of patients with the chronic forms of leukemia has shown that, in recent years, the proportion of patients over 50 years of age is twice as great as in similar groups of patients observed some twenty years previously. The evidence strongly suggests that the occurrence of leukemia in persons over 50 years of age is actually increasing.
Pregnancy and the adolescent.

An analysis of 634 young mothers 16 years of age or under who were delivered in the 3-year span including 1945 1946 and 1947 at the Gallinger Municipal Hospital of Washington D.C. was conducted. Almost 99% of the young mothers were black. Only 15% were married. Prenatal care was considered generally good or adequate. Only 34 of them or 5.3% had no antepartum care. The most important phase of their management was found to be in the antepartum course. The incidence of maternal complications before the baby is born is high. Of the 211 complications the toxemias comprised 60%. The younger the mother the higher the incidence of the toxemias. Of the 125 instances of this complication almost 3/4 were classified as mild pre-eclampsia about 1/5 of them as severe pre-eclampsia and 5.6% were eclampsia. 85.2% of this group of young mothers were delivered at term about 12% prematurely and about 3% had previable infants. The importance of good prenatal care for the young primigravida cannot be overemphasized. The duration of labor was found shorter the incidence of cesarean section lower the complications of the puerperium no greater and the infantile and maternal mortality decreased.
Fair Trade and Child Labor

Child labor is a global problem that has attracted much discussion. Various solutions proposed include attempts at improving international compliance with human rights standards, levying of trade sanctions or boycotts, and increasing legislation and prosecution of crimes. None of these solutions have achieved more than marginal success, largely because they are rarely enforced and ignore the root causes of child labor and global market forces.The use of fair trade labeling to combat child labor is an approach that has received virtually no attention in the legal community. Yet, primary qualitative research and case studies presented here illustrate that fair trade should be considered as a proven alternative to current strategies to eliminate child labor. First, it relies on market incentives and private monitoring with effective punishments of noncomplying fair trade companies. Second, it is voluntary and private, avoiding the political problems with international monitoring which rarely end in enforcement or penalties. Third, unlike prosecutions that focus on a small number of the resulting problems of child labor and trafficking, fair trade focuses on improving incomes, working conditions, health, and education of a large number of workers.
Restructuring the Central and Eastern European Automobile Industry: Legacies, Trends, and Effects of Foreign Direct Investment

A U.S.-based geographer investigates the course and outcome of major transformations occurring in passenger car and truck manufacturing in the Central and Eastern European countries, based on nationallevel statistical data. To illustrate the diverse “starting points” for each country's automobile industry in a new market environment, he outlines the development of these countries' automobile industries under state socialism, and its repercussions for change in the 1990s. The paper then examines the uneven nature of automobile-industry restructuring, both in sectoral and spatial terms, and the role of foreign direct investment in the process during the 1990s. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: F21, L20, L62. 11 figures, 9 tables, 132 references.
A combination method of SVD and neuro-controller for identifying uncertain systems

A combination method of Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) and Neuro-Controller is presented in this paper. For a system with unknown structure and uncertain parameters, a SVD and backward linear prediction (BLP) method (SVD-BLP method) is used to determine the order of the system in a noisy environment. Then a neuro-controller is applied to dynamically identify is the uncertain parameters of the system in the face of disturbances. Simulation results are presented.
A chemo-mechanical free-energy-based approach to model durotaxis and extracellular stiffness-dependent contraction and polarization of cells

We propose a chemo-mechanical model based on stress-dependent recruitment of myosin motors to describe how the contractility, polarization and strain in cells vary with the stiffness of their surroundings and their shape. A contractility tensor, which depends on the distribution of myosin motors, is introduced to describe the chemical free energy of the cell due to myosin recruitment. We explicitly include the contributions to the free energy that arise from mechanosensitive signalling pathways (such as the SFX, Rho-Rock and MLCK pathways) through chemo-mechanical coupling parameters. Taking the variations of the total free energy, which consists of the chemical and mechanical components, in accordance with the second law of thermodynamics provides equations for the temporal evolution of the active stress and the contractility tensor. Following this approach, we are able to recover the well-known Hill relation for active stresses, based on the fundamental principles of irreversible thermodynamics rather than phenomenology. We have numerically implemented our free energy-based approach to model spatial distribution of strain and contractility in (i) cells supported by flexible microposts, (ii) cells on two-dimensional substrates, and (iii) cells in three-dimensional matrices. We demonstrate how the polarization of the cells and the orientation of stress fibres can be deduced from the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the contractility tensor. Our calculations suggest that the chemical free energy of the cell decreases with the stiffness of the extracellular environment as the cytoskeleton polarizes in response to stress-dependent recruitment of molecular motors. The mechanical energy, which includes the strain energy and motor potential energy, however, increases with stiffness, but the overall energy is lower for cells in stiffer environments. This provides a thermodynamic basis for durotaxis, whereby cells preferentially migrate towards stiffer regions of the extracellular environment. Our models also explain, from an energetic perspective, why the shape of the cells can change in response to stiffness of the surroundings. The effect of the stiffness of the nucleus on its shape and the orientation of the stress fibres is also studied for all the above geometries. Along with making testable predictions, we have estimated the magnitudes of the chemo-mechanical coupling parameters for myofibroblasts based on data reported in the literature.
A theoretical model of training and its transference: the pivotal role of top management team composition and characteristics

Training is considered an important tool for organizations as they attempt to gain competitive advantages. However, transferring and maintaining the acquired skills and knowledge to the workforce remain problematic. Managerial support is a factor influencing training and its transference. However, the role of top management teams (TMTs) in this process has largely been ignored. This paper posits that the degree to which an organization invests in training initiatives, as well as the percentage of training transference and maintenance, is a function of TMT composition, TMT characteristics, and the degree to which the TMT holds subordinate managers accountable. A model and propositions are advanced in this study.
Biosorption of Pb(II) onto Citrus Pectin: Effect of Process Parameters on Metal Binding Equilibrium and Kinetics

Heavy metals such as lead are persistent in the environment and can accumulate in the food chain, exhibiting toxic effects. Biosorption is considered a reliable, efficient, and low-cost technique for metal removal from waste water. Citrus peels show particular promise as biosorbents because they are available cheaply as waste products from the fruit juice industry and have been shown to be effective sorbents of aqueous metals. The main biopolymer thought to be responsible for metal binding by citrus peels is pectin. Our current work is focused on developing a better understanding of the interactions between citrus pectin and heavy metals. We utilize macroscopic sorption studies to provide a picture of interactions between Pb(II) and two types of citrus pectins having different methoxy content. The effects of pH and ionic strength on surface charge and metal uptake are studied. Effects of pectin and Pb(II) concentrations, and presence of competing ions on total Pb(II) uptake were also studied. The results obtained suggest highly efficient metal binding with high rate and capacity.
Immortalized embryonic mouse fibroblasts lacking the RelA subunit of transcription factor NF-κB have a malignantly transformed phenotype

The RelA transcription factor is part of dimeric complexes, most commonly either p50-RelA (NF-κB) heterodimers or RelA homodimers, that control a variety of cellular processes. Immortalized embryonic fibroblasts established from rela knockout mice have previously been shown to be more sensitive to apoptosis induced by tumor necrosis factor (TNF) than are control fibroblasts. In this report, we show that one line of rela−/− fibroblasts has additional phenotypes that distinguish them from control mouse fibroblasts. As compared to normal 3T3 cells, RelA-deficient fibroblasts have a spindled morphology, are less adherent to culture dishes, grow to a higher saturation density, and can form colonies in soft agar. These properties are consistent with a weakly transformed phenotype for rela−/− cells. Furthermore, RelA-deficient fibroblasts can form tumors in immunodeficient mice, but these tumors regress, probably because of the sensitivity of these cells to TNF. The ability of rela−/− fibroblasts to form colonies in soft agar can be reverted by re-expression of wild-type mouse RelA, but not by expression of RelA mutants that cannot form homodimers. There is no clear correlation between the absence of RelA and the levels of expression of other Rel/NF-κB family members or adhesion proteins (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1) whose genes have upstream κB sites. Taken together, these results suggest that RelA has tumor suppressing activity under some circumstances and that RelA complexes are involved in the control of a variety of cellular properties associated with oncogenesis.
Variation of Seismic b‐Value in the New Madrid Seismic Zone: Evidence that the Northern Reelfoot Fault is Creeping

ABSTRACT The spatial variation of seismic b ‐value is mapped for the New Madrid seismic zone using local earthquakes occurring between 1995 and 2013. A region of high b ‐value at about 1.8 is found in the northern part of the Reelfoot fault. By performing probability tests and following different procedures to obtain the result, we show the anomalously high b ‐value is not a processing artifact and is statistically significant. We attribute the b ‐value anomaly to creep behavior on the northern segment of the Reelfoot fault. Creep behavior is suggested by the recently discovered possible tremor and by the presence of quartz‐rich rock as indicated by low V P / V S ratios detected in a local earthquake tomography study. Because quartz is a weak mineral, ductile, creeping behavior could be facilitated at depth resulting in generation of earthquakes in the shallower, brittle crust. To the south of the Reelfoot fault, the b ‐value is about 1.2. The character of seismic activity along the Reelfoot fault clearly changes from north to south indicating a change in the physical state of the fault zone.
The Theoretic Analysis of Sending Supervising Representatives of Bank into the Corporations

With the development of the corporations,the distribution of power within the corporation becomes a hot topic that has been extensively discussed recently.Especially when the credit crisis occurs in Chinese stock market,the listed corporations become the owners' tool of collecting money from the shareholders.As a result,the creditors,mainly the bankers,and the small shareholders suffered huge financial loss.This has led to the depression of stock market.To further optimize the corporate management structure,the banks need to be involved in supervising the business operations.And the supervision function of the banks should be strengthened immediately.This is important not only for the profitability of the corporations,but also for the interest of the banks.
Modern treatment of common intestinal parasitic diseases.

Approximately 40 million Americans harbor parasites at the present time. Involvement may be so slight that no symptoms are clinically evident, or the parasite may produce symptoms typical of severe intestinal disease.The author discusses therapeutic agents and regimens he has found to be effective in treating amebiasis, giardiasis, intestinal trichomoniasis, ancylostomiasis, ascariasis, enterobiasis, strongyloidiasis, trichuriasis and tapeworm infection.
Syndromes of Brain Dysfunction Presenting with Cognitive Impairment or Behavioral Disturbance: Delirium, Dementia, and Mental Disorders Due to Another Medical Condition

Delirium, dementia and psychiatric syndromes due to medical illness exemplify how brain function influences cognition, emotion, and behavior. For each diagnostic category, this chapter addresses disease prevalence and provides specific terminology to describe brain–behavior relationships. Included are current understandings of pathophysiology, clinical tools for recognition and assessment, and treatment modalities.
The Classical Constitution

G ordon wood has called the american constitution of 1787 an “intrinsically … aristocratic document, designed to check the democratic tendencies of the period” and the “end to classical politics.” In the final pages of this book, I might legitimately question whether the Constitution is, indeed, a classical work. Even more relevantly, it should be considered whether the Constitution marks a defining transition between classical modes of governance and the modern, democratic, and representational styles of government that were predicted by Jefferson and Madison. When viewed in this way, it matters less to see the Framing generation through a prism of class and economic distinctions, than it is to view the Framers' intellectual ethos through the lens of the ideas they held in common. Among these attitudes were certainly their collective experience in resisting, and then defeating, British imperial designs. Also of importance was their tolerant, but devout, religiosity, as well as their commitment to the rule of law (and particularly the ideal of the common law and English civil liberties). Lastly, and as I have emphasized here, was the Framing generation's inculcation in, and devotion to, the classical ideals of civic responsibility, public honor, and republican government. As I have acknowledged at the outset, it would be easy to dismiss the influence of the classical tradition on the Framing generation as some peculiar and pretentious residuum of the elite culture of the times.
Performance-based Reward: How You Get Paid Shapes How You Value Money

Can how you get paid decide how much you value money? Our study examines the effect of reward systems on subjective valuation of the reward. Specifically, we suggest that even when people receive a...
Harmonicity-Aware Task Partitioning for Fixed Priority Scheduling of Probabilistic Real-Time Tasks on Multi-Core Platforms

The uncertainty due to performance variations of IC chips and resource sharing on multi-core platforms have significantly degraded the predictability of real-time systems. Traditional deterministic approaches based on the worst-case assumptions become extremely pessimistic and thus unpractical. In this article, we address the problem of scheduling a set of fixed-priority periodic real-time tasks on multi-core platforms in a probabilistic manner. Specifically, we consider task execution time as a probabilistic distribution and study how to schedule these tasks on multi-core platforms with guaranteed Quality of Service (QoS) requirements in terms of deadline-missing probabilities. Moreover, it is a well-known fact that the relationship among task periods, if exploited appropriately, can significantly improve the processor utilization. To this end, we present a novel approach to partition real-time tasks that can take both task execution time distributions and their period relationships into consideration. From our extensive experiment results, our proposed methods can greatly improve the schedulability of real-time tasks when compared with existing approaches.
Lenalidomide and irinotecan in adults with recurrent malignant gliomas: Phase I results of the phase I/II trial.

2036 Background: Patients with recurrent malignant gliomas have limited treatment options. We previously reported promising results using 6 month progression free survival [PFS6] endpoint combining...
A Call for a New Ism in Pharmacy.

Recently at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), the sculptured art displayed on our grounds had the word “ISM” on display. This art form got us reflecting on what it meant, especially in the world of pharmacy. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “ism” as a distinctive doctrine
The Patient Centered Medical Home and medical school education: An innovative interprofessional education model

Abstract The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) emphasizes Interprofessional Practice (IPP) and is quickly becoming the standard model of care within primary care medicine. As the landscape of primary care medicine changes toward this comprehensive and patient-focused model, medical education will need to follow suit and incorporate the theoretical, clinical, and practical aspects of IPP. One way to accomplish this is by utilizing interprofessional education within the medical education curriculum. This article highlights an innovative family medicine clerkship experience at Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) that utilizes interprofessional education to teach the importance of collaboration with other professions and its impact on quality of care. Based in a simulated PCMH, third year medical students must demonstrate the knowledge and skills of working in a primary care setting from a biopsychosocial theoretical model. Students are expected to demonstrate their ability to assess, diagnose, and communicate effectively and empathetically with a standardized patient and are assessed by both medical faculty and behavioral clinicians. Details of the clerkship experience are provided as well as student reflections of their interprofessional experience and a discussion of future directions.
Emergency Medicine Resident Perceptions About the Need for Increased Training in Communicating Diagnostic Uncertainty.

Introduction Diagnostic uncertainty is common in healthcare encounters. Effective communication is important to help patients and providers navigate diagnostic uncertainty, especially at transitions of care. This study sought to assess the experience and training of emergency medicine (EM) residents with communication of diagnostic uncertainty. Methods This was a survey study of a national sample of EM residents. The survey questions elicited quantitative and qualitative responses about experiences with and educational preparation for communication with patients in the setting of diagnostic uncertainty. Results A sample of 263 emergency medicine residents who had trained at over 87 medical schools and 37 residency programs responded to the survey. Nearly half of participants noted they frequently encountered challenges with these conversations; 63% reported having been "somewhat" or less trained to have these conversations during residency, and 51% expressed a strong desire for more training in how to approach these discussions. Survey respondents reported that prior educational experiences in the communication of diagnostic uncertainty were largely informal and that many residents experience frustration in clinical encounters due to inability to meet patients' expectations of reaching a diagnosis at the time of discharge. Conclusion This study found that emergency medicine residents frequently struggle in communicating with patients when there is diagnostic uncertainty upon emergency department discharge and perceived the need for training in how to communicate in these situations. The development of targeted educational strategies for improving communication in the setting of diagnostic uncertainty is consistent with emergency medicine core competencies and may improve patient and provider satisfaction with these clinical encounters.
Trends in Neonatal Prophylaxis and Predictors of Combination Antiretroviral Prophylaxis in US Infants from 1990 to 2015

Abstract Postnatal antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis for infants born to women with HIV is a critical component of perinatal HIV transmission prevention. However, variability in prophylaxis regimens...