cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distribution of cochlear damage caused by the removal of the round window membrane

Abstract The distribution of damage that occurs in the cochlea after removal of the round window membrane was examined in the apical, middle and basal regions with light and electron microscopy. The damage resembles that seen after acoustic trauma in many respects. The outer hair cells are often disrupted in damaged zones, and the radial afferent fibers to the inner hair cells swell enormously to form large vacuoles. 16 h after opening the round window, there is conspicuous swelling of myelinated axons in the osseous spiral lamina of the apical region. This swelling is associated with large vacuoles underneath the inner hair cells. 10 h after opening the round window, much smaller vacuoles are seen in the apical region. The distribution of the damage is not uniform throughout the cochlea. Damage is usually less severe and is not uniform in the middle region but is pronounced in the base. The nature of the damage is also variable in different animals. For example, sharply delimited, discontinuous damage to the inner hair cells was occasionally observed in the apical region. The most likely cause for the damage to the cochlea is a pressure differential across the organ of Corti that appears after removing the round window membrane. The damage apparently causes low frequency random movements of the basilar membrane that are observed in the experimental cochleas using a reflected laser beam. cochlea, damage, vacuole, cochlear hair cell, electron microscopy
Relationships among Type A behavior, employment experiences, and gender: The Minnesota heart survey

Previous studies indicate that Type A behavior is more prevalent among men than women. This sex difference may reflect variations in men's and women's job experiences, some of which may act as catalysts for Type A behavior. This study examines the relationship of Type A behavior (measured by the Jenkins Activity Survey) to men's and women's work hours, occupational mobility, and job-related interactions, using data from a population-based survey of 2512 employed men and women conducted in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota, between 1980 and 1982. Among both sexes, Type A behavior is related to long work hours, high occupational mobility, and nonsupportive interactions with co-workers, all job experiences more common for men than for women. No sex differences are found in the relationships between Type A behavior and these job experiences. Also, no sex difference is observed in the unadjusted Type A scores or in these scores when either age, education, or marital status is taken into account. The expected direction of the sex difference in Type A behavior is reversed when work hours are controlled: women have a higher Type A score than men when work hours are considered.
A patient with fatal cold haemagglutinins

We describe a patient with an acute fatal autoimmune haemolytic anaemia (AIHA) due to idiopathic cold haemagglutinins. According to the literature the dramatic course of this cold haemagglutinin disease is uncommon.
Developing Revenue Managers for the Lodging Industry

This research concerns the development of lodging revenue managers, based on the important role they play in the success of the lodging enterprise. Factor analysis and gap analysis were used to measure perceptual differences between importance and training level in identified revenue-management activities. The findings suggest that developing effective revenue management strategies and analyzing trends are the two most important themes requiring development. The results indicate development of business acumen through simulations and role play activities.
Early postirradiation changes leading to the loss of nuclear structure in rat thymocytes

Abstract The loss of thymocyte nuclear structure begins 45 to 60 min after irradiation. During this cytological latent period there are two distinct phases of response to radiation which combine sequentially to destroy the normal nuclear structure. The damage which develops during the first phase can become fully and irreversibly established in the absence of extracellular phosphate, but further development of damage in the second phase initially requires the presence of an adequate supply of extracellular phosphate. Between 30 and 45 min after irradiation the continued progress of events becomes independent of the extracellular phosphate supply and 10 min thereafter it can no longer be blocked by dinitrophenol. The most probable mechanisms underlying these phases are discussed.
Reporting and Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews in the Orthopaedic Literature

Background:Properly designed and conducted systematic reviews can reliably produce valid pooled treatment-effect estimates and are an important resource for clinical decision-making. The purpose of this report was to assess the reporting and methodological quality of systematic reviews in orthopaedi
Against representation: A brief introduction to cultural affordances

Cognitive science and its philosophy have been far too long consumed with representation. This concern is indicative of a creeping Cartesianism that many scientists and philosophers wish to evade. However, their naturalism is often insufficiently evolutionary to fully appreciate the lessons of pragmatism. If cognitive neuroscience and pragmatism are to be mutually beneficial, the representational-friendly scientists and the anti-representational pragmatists need an alternative to representation that still accounts for what many find so attractive about representation, namely intentionality. I propose that instead of representations we philosophers and scientists begin thinking in terms of cultural affordances. Like Gibsonian affordances, cultural affordances are opportunities for action. However, unlike Gibsonian affordances, which are merely biological and available for immediate action in the immediately present environment, cultural affordances also present opportunities for thinking about the past and acting into the future—tasks typically attributed to representations.
Identification of bearing faults using time domain zero-crossings

Abstract In this paper, zero-crossing characteristic features are employed for early detection and identification of single point bearing defects in rotating machinery. As a result of bearing defects, characteristic defect frequencies appear in the machine vibration signal, normally requiring spectral analysis or envelope analysis to identify the defect type. Zero-crossing features are extracted directly from the time domain vibration signal using only the duration between successive zero-crossing intervals and do not require estimation of the rotational frequency. The features are a time domain representation of the composite vibration signature in the spectral domain. Features are normalized by the length of the observation window and classification is performed using a multilayer feedforward neural network. The model was evaluated on vibration data recorded using an accelerometer mounted on an induction motor housing subjected to a number of single point defects with different severity levels.
Effect of centrifugation and partial removal of seminal plasma on equine spermatozoal motility after cooling and storage.

The objective of this study was to determine if centrifugation and partial removal of seminal plasma would improve spermatozoal motility in semen from stallions whose whole ejaculates have poor tolerance to cooling and storage. Stallions were divided into two groups (n = 5/group) based on the ability of their extended semen to maintain spermatozoal motility after cooling and storage. Group 1 stallions ("good coolers") produced semen in which progressive spermatozoal motility after 24 h of cooling and storage was reduced by or = 40% of progressive motility prior to storage. The sperm-rich portion of each ejaculate was divided into 4 aliquots. Two aliquots underwent standard processing for cooled transported semen and were examined after 24 and 48 h of cooling and storage in an Equitainer. The remaining two aliquots were diluted 1:1 with semen extender, then centrifuged at 400 x g for 12 min at room temperature. After centrifugation, approximately 90% of the seminal plasma was removed, and the sperm pellet was resuspended in extender to a final concentration of 25 to 50 x 10(6) sperm/mL. These aliquots were then packaged as for the non-centrifuged aliquots and examined after 24 and 48 h of storage. The spermatozoal motion characteristics in fresh semen and after 24 and 48 h of cooling and storage was determined via computer-assisted semen analysis. Centrifugation and partial removal of seminal plasma increased the percentage of progressively motile spermatozoa and limited the reduction in progressive spermatozoal motility of "poor cooling" stallions after 48 h of cooling and storage. Results of this study indicate that centrifugation and partial removal of seminal plasma is beneficial for stallions whose ejaculates have poor tolerance to cooling and storage with routine semen dilution and packaging techniques, especially if the semen is stored for > 24 h.
Total-ionizing-dose radiation response of 32 nm partially and 45 nm fully-depleted SOI devices

TID-induced changes in 32 nm PD SOI devices depend on the device variant: low V T devices show minor increased in leakage, high V T devices show negligible change. Simulated sensitivity of TID to the gate work function of the high-k metal gate and associated doping changes confirm that the body doping remains high and generally mitigates TID sensitivity. Preliminary ring oscillator measurements show no measurable change in supply current or frequency with TID. Specially designed experimental 45 nm SOI FDSOI devices exhibit a pronounced TID-induced V T shift due to the coupling with the BOX layer.
Effect of 2-(3,4-Dichlorophenoxy)-Triethylamine on Betacyanin Efflux from Beet Root Tissue

Summary 2-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy)-triethylamine (DCPTA) increased betacyanin efflux from beet root discs possibly by destabilizing the cell membrane. Alcohol and DCPTA act additively in influencing solute efflux. Polyamines, which stabilize the membrane, not only arrested the efflux of betacyanin when used alone, but also counteracted the effect of DCPTA. Kinetic analysis of the data suggests that DCPT A and spermine bind at different sites on the plasmalemma.
Tunnels in semiconductor epitaxy

On (100) surfaces of III-V or II-VI compounds, tunnels or grooves can be grown over oxide or Mo stripes, the axes of which are in one of the two orthogonal (110) directions on the surface. One (110) direction produces grooves and the other, tunnels. By switching from n- to p-type layers at frequent intervals during growth, the mechanism can be elucidated.
Novel Hemostatic Agents: A Focus on Recombinant Factor VIIa and Factor XIII

SUMMARY Excessive bleeding accounts for a significant incidence of morbidity and mortality resulting from a variety of conditions including congenital and acquired bleeding disorders, trauma, and surgery. A complex network of cellular and plasma components are involved in the process of controlling excessive bleeding, a process known as hemostasis. When excessive bleeding does occur, there are a wide variety of agents with diverse mechanisms of action that can promote hemostasis. These agents include blood products, biologicals such as recombinant proteins, synthetic medications, and topical agents. Historically, non-specific agents such as fresh frozen plasma, cryoprecipitate and antifibrinolytic agents have been the standard therapies for the management of excessive bleeding. These, however, all have significant limitations. Recently, recombinant factor VIIa (rFVIIa) was licensed for use in patients with hemophilia and inhibitors to factors VIII or IX. Since its licensure, it has been used in a wide variety of conditions with excessive bleeding leading to often dramatic results. Another novel agent is factor XIII (FXIII) which is currently in clinical trials. Although data regarding its use in conditions other than FXIII deficiency is lacking, it is expected that FXIII will become another effective agent in the management of excessive bleeding.
The globalization of smaller agri-food firms: a decision-making framework tested through case research

Abstract Anecdotal evidence suggests that smaller firms are responding in various ways to market trends towards globalization. A fundamental question arises as to why some smaller firms are including global markets in their strategies and business operations while other firms with similar size and product mix are not. This paper hypothesizes necessary and sufficient conditions for a smaller agri-food firm to become actively global in perspective and practice. An hypothesized decision framework is articulated and results are reported from eight cases used to test this framework. The paper concludes that perceptions about competitive advantages and effective demand, and operative decision rules employed by the firm will determine if and when a firm can globalize its scope of operations.
Seizure Disorders and the Effects of Antiepileptic Medications on Cognitive-Communicative Function

Purpose Review effects of epilepsy and its treatment on cognitive-communicative function. Method We searched PubMed and extracted relevant information. Results Epilepsy is a disorder characterized ...
Treating osteoporosis by targeting parathyroid hormone to bone.

Osteoporosis is a major public health problem despite widespread use of bisphosphonate therapy. PTH(1–34) is a more effective treatment; but its use has been limited by side effects (hypercalcemia, tumor risk) and inconvenient dosing (daily injection). Long-acting forms of PTH are also effective but cause severe hypercalcemia, presumably from effects in kidney. We hypothesized that targeted delivery of PTH to bone using a collagen binding domain (PTH-CBD) could reduce hypercalcemia. PTH-CBD is cleared from serum within 12 hours after subcutaneous administration. In ovariectomized rats, monthly administration of PTH-CBD increased spinal BMD by 14.2% with no associated hypercalcemia. Such bone-targeted anabolic agents may ultimately allow the superior efficacy of anabolic therapy to be obtained with the dosing convenience of bisphosphonates.
An Investigation into the Antecedents of Organizational Participation in Business-to-Business Electronic Markets:

Abstract Business-to-business electronic markets have a profound influence on the manner in which organizational buyers and sellers interact. As a result, it is important to develop an understanding of the behaviors of firms that participate in these markets. The authors develop a typology for the nature of organizational participation to explain the behaviors of user firms in business-to-business electronic markets. The proposed model hypothesizes that the nature of participation depends on organizational motivation and ability. The authors conceptualize motivational factors in terms of efficiency and legitimacy motivations and theorize that ability results from the influence of organizational learning and information technology capabilities. They test the model using organizational-level survey data from jewelry traders that conduct business in an electronic market. The results indicate that both motivation and ability are important in determining the nature of participation; however, the level of influ...
Bipolar Molecular Outflows in Massive Star Formation Regions

Bipolar molecular outflows are a basic component of the star formation process. This is true for stars of all masses, although it has not yet been well established how outflows associated with massive stars differ from those associated with low-mass stars. We present results from a project to identify bipolar outflows from massive young stellar objects (YSOs) and determine how they compare with low-mass YSO systems. Ten massive star formation regions with high-velocity 12CO(J = 1 − 0) line wings were mapped with the Kitt Peak 12 m telescope using the On-the-Fly (OTF) mapping technique. Five of the regions have bipolar outflows. We determine accurate mass estimates of the molecular gas in the red-and blueshifted lobes by taking into account variations in the optical depth as a function of velocity in the flow. We find that the molecular outflows have masses between ~16 and 72 M☉ and kinetic energies between ~1045 and 1046 ergs. The outflows have significantly more mass and kinetic energy than those from low-mass YSOs. Of the remaining five regions, two have a clumpy distribution in 12CO with multiple velocity components within the cloud complex, and three sources did not have sufficient signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) to map the high-velocity line wings. We combine our data with 18 additional outflow sources with stellar luminosities that range from 0.6 L☉ to 2.1 × 105 L☉ to predict the luminosity of the star responsible for the outflow. We find that the stellar luminosities of the sources in our sample range from ~102 to 104 L☉, which correspond to mid- to early-B type stars; the precursors of Herbig Be stars. One source, G173.58, has an IRAS source on the flow axis with the appropriate luminosity to drive the observed outflow. For the remaining four sources, there is no detectable ultracompact (UC) H ii region or isolated IRAS source with the appropriate luminosity to produce the observed molecular outflow. The outflows mapped in this work begin to fill in a region of outflow parameter space in which relatively few sources have been studied, and they help to bridge the gap between low-luminosity outflow sources and the few isolated outflows from massive O stars. Our data are consistent with the ideas that (1) in a molecular outflow increases continuously with Lbol of the driving source over a range from ~1 L☉ to ~106 L☉ (2) one can predict the central source luminosity from the measured mass flux in the flow, (3) there is a clear Mflow versus age (td) relationship for stars of all luminosities, and (4) the larger for higher luminosity sources implies that these objects produce massive outflows on short timescales relative to low-mass stars.
Airway rupture from double-lumen tubes

A DOUBLE-CUFFED double-lumen endobronchial tube (DLT) was used for the first time during thoracic surgery almost 50 years ago to isolate and selectively ventilate the lungs. The benefits of DLTs in terms of improved surgical exposure mad their ability to isolate and protect the lungs during thoracic operations are now widely recognized. Although DLTs are safe and easy to use, complications occur. Table 1 lists the complications associated with DLTs. The most common problems involve tube placement. Rarely, the trachea or bronchus is injured, and even then, trauma to the airway is usually minor, resulting in laryngitis or tracheal irritation. More serious airway damage was a recognized complication of the original red rubber (RR) DLTs. When the softer plastic polyvinylchloride (PVC) DLTs were introduced in the early 1980s, it was initially befieved that these tubes were safer than RR tubes. 1,2 However, reports of airway injury from PVC DLTs soon appeared. The medical literature on airway disruption with DLTs was reviewed to try to identify factors associated with this potentially devastating complication.
Cardiomyopathy Ctnt Mutation in Patient Derived Cardiomyocytes from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells Affects Sarcomere Structure and Function

Cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hIPS-CM) are useful to understand basic structural and functional characteristics of normal and diseased human heart cells. We investigated mechanical properties of hIPS-CM derived from unaffected and affected members of a family harboring a dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) mutation in cardiac troponin T (cTnT), the tropomyosin binding unit of troponin. Patients with a cTnT point mutation (R173W) develop DCM, which commonly leads to diastolic and systolic dysfunction and progressive heart failure. To study the shortening and shortening velocity of normal and cTnT mutant hIPS-CM cells, cells were plated on substrates with a relatively soft stiffness (160 kPa) molded from polydimethylsiloxane and measured using a line scan method. Data were collected using a Zeiss 710 confocal microscope. Visual observation of cells after 5 days maturity on the PDMS substrates indicate a smaller percent of mutant (8%) compared to normal (87%) hIPS-CM were spontaneously beating. Immunohistochemistry showed that myofibril structure was better developed in normal compared to cTnT mutation cells. Day 5 line scans revealed normal hIPS-CM cells shorten more (0.47 μm) than mutant cTnT cells (0.32 μm); shortening velocity was faster in normal (1.42 μm/s) compared to mutant cTnT cells (0.67 μm/s). Acute treatment (1 dose with a 10 min activation dwell time) with omecamtiv mecarbil (200nM), a cardiac myosin activator, increased the shortening and shortening velocity of normal (0.78 μm at 1.85 μm/s) but not cTnT mutant (0.32 μm at 0.70 μm/s) hIPS-CM cells. Although more studies are necessary, these results suggest that cTnT may affect development of sarcomeres and the regulation of contractility. Furthermore, the myosin activator omecamtiv mecarbil may not be sufficient to rescue dysfunction in the cTnT mutation R173W. [Funding: NIH T32HL07692, PO1HL62426]
Assessment of policies to reduce core forest fragmentation from Marcellus shale development in Pennsylvania

Abstract Marcellus Shale development is occurring rapidly and relatively unconstrained across Pennsylvania (PA). Through 2013, over 7400 unconventional wells had been drilled in the Commonwealth. Well pads, access roads, and gathering lines fragment forestland resulting in irreversible alterations to the forest ecosystem. Changes in forest quantity, composition, and structural pattern can result in increased predation, brood parasitism, altered light, wind, and noise intensity, and spread of invasive species. These fragmentation effects pose a risk to PA's rich biodiversity. This study projects the structure of future alternative pathways for Marcellus shale development and quantifies the potential ecological impact of future drilling using a core forest region of Bradford County, PA. Modeling presented here suggests that future development could cause the level of fragmentation in the study area to more than double throughout the lifetime of gas development. Specifically, gathering lines are responsible for approximately 94% of the incremental fragmentation in the core forest study region. However, by requiring gathering lines to follow pre-existing road routes in forested regions, shale resources can be exploited to their full potential, while essentially preventing any further fragmentation from occurring across the core forested landscape of Bradford County. In the study region, assuming an estimated ultimate recovery (EUR) of 1–3 billion cubic feet (Bcf) per well, this policy could be implemented for a minimal incremental economic investment of approximately $0.005–$0.02 per Mcf of natural gas produced over the modeled traditional gathering line development.
Text Mining Emergent Human Behaviors for Interactive Systems

People engage with thousands of situations, activities, and objects on a daily basis. Hand-coding this knowledge into interactive systems is prohibitively labor-intensive, but fiction captures a vast number of human lives in moment to moment detail. In this paper, we bootstrap a knowledge graph of human activities by text mining a large dataset of modern fiction on the web. Our knowledge graph, Augur, describes human actions over time as conditioned by nearby locations, people, and objects. Applications can use this graph to react to human behavior in a data-driven way. We demonstrate an Augur-enhanced video game world in which non-player characters follow realistic patterns of behavior, interact with their environment and each other, and respond to the user's behavior.
Delamination Effects on Composite Shells

An analytical investigation was performed to study the effect of delamination on the response of cylindrical composite shells subjected to external loadings. It was of particular interest to determine the buckling load and the post-buckling behavior of externally pressurized cylindrical composite shells containing delaminations. An analytical model was developed that consists of a structural analysis for calculating the global deformations of the structures and a fracture analysis for determining the delamination growth in the structures. A nonlinear finite element code based on the updated Lagrangian formulation was developed for the model. Based on the results of calculations, it was found that delamination can significantly affect the buckling load and response of cylindrical composite shells subjected to externally pressurized loadings, depending upon the initial length and location of the delamination, ply orientation and laminate curvature. The calculated strain energy release rate at the crack tips indicates that delamination growth occurs in the wake of buckling due to Mode II shear fracture.
Sex Knowledge, Birth Control, and Marital Attitudes of a Rural Population

Most human research in rural areas has been problem-oriented, focused on poverty, health, lack of education, and inadequate housing. This study deals with a random sample of rural Montanans who fit a pattern of relative affluence and education. Sex knowledge of rural Montanans, their attitudes toward birth control, their marriage role expectations, and marital communication were investigated. Respondents were 134 males and 198 females aged 18 or older who lived in 12 randomly selected counties, repres enting all six geographic regions of the state. The survey instrument included data related to personal background, birth control attitudes, sex knowledge, marriage role expecta tions, and marital communication. As age decreased, attitudes toward birth control were more favorable and sex knowledge was more extensive. Favorable attitudes toward birth control were also associated with more years of education, smaller family size, and better marital communication. Mean scores for the sample revealed generally favorable attitudes toward birth control, rather strong equalitarian views of marriage roles, and a relatively high level of marital communi cation. A majority responded correctly to more than half of the items on thesex knowledge inventory, indicating a fair, but by no means extensive, grasp of information relating to human reproduction.
Optimal partial-match retrieval when fields are independently specified

This paper considers the design of a system to answer partial-match queries from a file containing a collection of records, each record consisting of a sequence of fields. A partial-match query is a specification of values for zero or more fields of a record, and the answer to a query is a listing of all records in the file whose fields match the specified values. A design is considered in which the file is stored in a set of bins. A formula is derived for the optimal number of bits in a bin address to assign to each field, assuming the probability that a given field is specified in a query is independent of what other fields are specified. Implications of the optimality criterion on the size of bins are also discussed.
The Effects of Residential Energy Efficiency on Electric Demand Response Programs

Design and efficiency of houses can affect the amount of peak load reduction available from a residential demand response program. Twenty-four houses were simulated with varying thermal integrity and air conditioner size during the summer cooling season with and without a demand response program. Improved house thermal integrity reduced the effectiveness of the demand response program in limiting peak demand. Air conditioner size had a less significant effect but still changed the demand reduction available. Both provided significant long-term reductions in demand and energy consumption. These results should be considered in the design of demand response programs, and the simulations should be expanded to include other days, locations, and home designs.
POST-DIVORCE CONTACT, RELATIONSHIP WITH FATHER, AND HETEROSEXUAL TRUST IN FEMALE COLLEGE STUDENTS

Attitudes of 104 female college students from divorced and intact families were compared. Parental divorce was found to have long-term effects on young women's expectations about their futures in relation to men, work, and marriage. However, these effects were not found to be closely related to the nature of the relationships they had with their fathers following the divorce.
Nanoparticles and their applications in cell and molecular biology

Nanoparticles can be engineered with distinctive composition, size, shape, and surface chemistry to enable novel techniques in a wide range of biological applications. The unique properties of nanoparticles and their behavior in biological milieu also enable exciting and integrative approaches to studying fundamental biological questions. This review will provide an overview of various types of nanoparticles and concepts of targeting nanoparticles. We will also discuss the advantages and recent applications of using nanoparticles as tools for drug delivery, imaging, sensing, and for the understanding of basic biological processes.
Fjords help to melt calving fronts on tidal glaciers

[1] The Greenland ice sheet is connected to the ocean through outlet glaciers that are in direct contact with the ocean. As global temperatures increase, many of these glaciers—particularly on Greenland's west coast—are melting at rates higher than those at which ice accumulates. This melting is typically attributed to rising temperatures of the West Greenland Current, which bathes the continental shelf. However, this assertion is based mostly on inference; remote conditions in Greenland, coupled with a lack of direct records of glacial behavior or seawater properties where the glacier meets the ocean, hinder studies that could pinpoint exactly how the glaciers are losing ice.
Soil structure and management: a review

Abstract Soil structure exerts important influences on the edaphic conditions and the environment. It is often expressed as the degree of stability of aggregates. Aggregation results from the rearrangement, flocculation and cementation of particles. It is mediated by soil organic carbon (SOC), biota, ionic bridging, clay and carbonates. The complex interactions of these aggregants can be synergistic or disruptive to aggregation. Clay-sized particles are commonly associated with aggregation by rearrangement and flocculation, although swelling clay can disrupt aggregates. Organo-metallic compounds and cations form bridges between particles. The SOC originates from plants, animals and microorganisms, and their exudates. It enhances aggregation through the bonding of primary soil particles. The effectiveness of SOC in forming stable aggregates is related to its decomposition rate, which in turn is influenced by its physical and chemical protection from microbial action. Soil inorganic carbon (SIC) increases aggregation in arid and semi-arid environments, and the formation of secondary carbonates is influenced by the presence of SOC and Ca2+ and Mg2+. Soil biota release CO2 and form SOC which increase dissolution of primary carbonates while cations increase precipitation of secondary carbonates. The precipitation of (hydr)oxides, phosphates and carbonates enhances aggregation. Cations such as Si4+, Fe3+, Al3+ and Ca2+ stimulate the precipitation of compounds that act as bonding agents for primary particles. Roots and hyphae can enmesh particles together while realigning them and releasing organic compounds that hold particles together, a process with a positive impact on soil C sequestration. Soil structure can be significantly modified through management practices and environmental changes. Practices that increase productivity and decrease soil disruption enhance aggregation and structural development.
Fundamental limitations of optical resonator based high-speed EO modulators

Expressions for the modulation bandwidth and drive voltage for optical resonator-based modulators are presented. A comparison with lumped element Mach-Zehnder (MZ) modulators and with traveling wave MZ modulators is presented.
A dependable high performance wafer scale architecture for embedded signal processing

A high performance, programmable, floating point multiprocessor architecture has been specifically designed to exploit advanced two- and three-dimensional hybrid wafer scale packaging to achieve low size, weight, and power, and improve reliability for embedded systems applications. Processing elements comprised of a 0.8 micron CMOS dual processor chip and commercial synchronous SRAMs achieve more than 100 MFLOPS/Watt. This power efficiency allows up to 32 processing elements to be incorporated into a single 3D multichip module, eliminating multiple discrete packages and thousands of wirebonds. The dual processor chip can dynamically switch between independent processing, watchdog checking, and coprocessing modes. A flat, SRAM memory provides predictable instruction set timing and independent and accurate performance prediction.
Integrating Science and Engineering to Implement Evidence-Based Practices in Health Care Settings

Integrating two distinct and complementary paradigms, science and engineering, may produce more effective outcomes for the implementation of evidence-based practices in health care settings. Science formalizes and tests innovations, whereas engineering customizes and optimizes how the innovation is applied tailoring to accommodate local conditions. Together they may accelerate the creation of an evidence-based healthcare system that works effectively in specific health care settings. We give examples of applying engineering methods for better quality, more efficient, and safer implementation of clinical practices, medical devices, and health services systems. A specific example was applying systems engineering design that orchestrated people, process, data, decision-making, and communication through a technology application to implement evidence-based depression care among low-income patients with diabetes. We recommend that leading journals recognize the fundamental role of engineering in implementation research, to improve understanding of design elements that create a better fit between program elements and local context.
A review of quality surveillance projects on cosmetics in Taiwan

The Food and Drug Administration in Taiwan is responsible for the quality regulation and control of cosmetics. In order to have a clear understanding of the trends in the product quality monitoring outcomes and the regulatory control measures over the past years, this study has put together the reports of nine cosmetic surveillance projects conducted between 1982 and 2012. The findings can be used as a reference in developing a more solid quality monitoring plan and management system for cosmetic products. Results show that permanent wave products, hair dye products, and phthalate esters in cosmetic products have the highest average noncompliance rates at 39.2%, 14.2%, and 11.2%, respectively. These are followed by the average noncompliance rates of mercury in products, sunscreen products, and microorganisms in products, at 8.5%, 7.1%, and 5.5%, respectively, and the remaining three projects averaging below 4.1%. Since 1997, when new standards were announced and assistance to manufacturers was reinforced, the noncompliance rates of permanent wave products decreased annually, until 2007, when it was fully qualified for the standards. Overall, the study showed that the noncompliance rates of permanent wave products and for levels of phthalate esters, mercury, and hydroquinone in cosmetic products have all decreased in the previous years. The results of surveillance projects conducted after 2005 revealed only one noncompliance sample with lead, arsenic, and cadmium, whereas the surveillance projects on permanent wave products and chloroform- and 1,4-dioxane-containing products revealed full compliance with regulation standards. However, the noncompliance rates for microorganisms in cosmetics and the ingredients in hair dye products and sunscreen products were still high. These high-risk products must be monitored. These surveillance projects are conducted to ensure the safety of cosmetics in the market.
Id1 attenuates Notch signaling and impairs T-cell commitment by elevating Deltex1 expression.

Complete inhibition of E protein transcription factors by Id1 blocks the developmental transition of CD4/CD8 double-negative 1 (DN1; CD44+ CD25−) thymocytes to the DN2 (CD44+ CD25+) stage. To understand the underlying mechanisms, we observed that mRNA levels of Deltex1, as well as Deltex4, were dramatically elevated in Id1-expressing thymocytes, which could result in developmental arrest by attenuating Notch function. In support of this hypothesis, we found that Deltex1 ablation enabled Id1-expressing progenitors to differentiate to the DN3 (CD44− CD25+) stage, which was accompanied by enhanced Notch1 expression in T-cell progenitors. Consistently, constitutive activation of Notch1 drove the differentiation of Id1-expressing progenitors to the DN3 stage. Furthermore, we showed that Gfi1b levels decreased, whereas GATA3 levels increased in Id1 transgenic thymocytes. When overexpressed, GATA3 was able to upregulate Deltex1 transcription. Thus, T-cell commitment may be controlled by the interplay among E proteins, Gfi1b, and GATA3 transcription regulators, which influence Notch function through the expression of Deltex1.
Invariant curve theorem for quasiperiodic twist mappings and stability of motion in the Fermi-Ulam problem

In this paper the monotonic twist theorem is extended to the quasiperiodic case and applied to establish regularity of motion in a system of a particle bouncing elastically between two quasiperiodically moving walls. It is shown that the velocity of the particle is uniformly bounded in time if the frequencies satisfy a Diophantine inequality. This answers a question recently asked in Levi and Zehnder (1995 SIAM J. Math. Anal. 26 1233-56).
Communication Optimizations for Distributed-Memory X10 Programs

X10 is a new object-oriented PGAS (Partitioned Global Address Space) programming language with support for distributed asynchronous dynamic parallelism that goes beyond past SPMD message-passing models such as MPI and SPMD PGAS models such as UPC and Co-Array Fortran. The concurrency constructs in X10 make it possible to express complex computation and communication structures with higher productivity than other distributed-memory programming models. However, this productivity often comes at the cost of high performance overhead when the language is used in its full generality. This paper introduces high-level compiler optimizations and transformations to reduce communication and synchronization overheads in distributed-memory implementations of X10 programs. Specifically, we focus on locality optimizations such as scalar replacement and task localization, combined with supporting transformations such as loop distribution, scalar expansion, loop tiling, and loop splitting. We have completed a prototype implementation of these high-level optimizations, and performed a performance evaluation that shows significant improvements in performance, scalability, communication volume and number of tasks. We evaluated the communication optimizations on three platforms: a 128-node Blue Gene/P cluster, a 32-node Nehalem cluster, and a 16-node Power7 cluster. On the Blue Gene/P cluster, we observed a maximum performance improvement of 31.46x relative to the unoptimized case (for the MolDyn benchmark). On the Nehalem cluster, we observed a maximum performance improvement of 3.01x (for the NQueens benchmark) and on the Power7 cluster, we observed a maximum performance improvement of 2.73x (for the MolDyn benchmark). In addition, there was no case in which the optimized code was slower than the unoptimized case. We also believe that the optimizations presented in this paper will be necessary for any high-productivity PGAS language based on modern object-oriented principles, that is designed for execution on future Extreme Scale systems that place a high premium on locality improvement for performance and energy efficiency.
Some reflections on task-based language performance assessment

The complexities of task-based language performance assessment (TBLPA) are leading language testers to reconsider many of the fundamental issues about what we want to assess, how we go about it and what sorts of evidence we need to provide in order to justify the ways in which we use our assessments. One claim of TBLPA is that such assessments can be used to make predictions about performance on future language use tasks outside the test itself. I argue that there are several problems with supporting such predictions. These problems are related to task selection, generalizability and extrapolation. Because of the complexity and diversity of tasks in most ‘real-life’ domains, the evidence of content relevance and representativeness that is required to support the use of test scores for prediction is extremely difficult to provide.A more general problem is the way in which difficulty is conceptualized, both in the way tasks are described and in current measurement models. The conceptualization of ‘difficult...
Interaction of APOBEC3A with DNA Assessed by Atomic Force Microscopy

The APOBEC3 family of DNA cytosine deaminases functions to block the spread of endogenous retroelements and retroviruses including HIV-1. Potency varies among family members depending on the type of parasitic substrate. APOBEC3A (A3A) is unique among the human enzymes in that it is expressed predominantly in myeloid lineage cell types, it is strongly induced by innate immune agonists such as type 1 interferon, and it has the capacity to accommodate both normal and 5-methyl cytosine nucleobases. Here we apply atomic force microscopy (AFM) to characterize the interaction between A3A and single- and double-stranded DNA using a hybrid DNA approach in which a single-stranded region is flanked by defined length duplexes. AFM image analyses reveal A3A binding to single-stranded DNA, and that this interaction becomes most evident (∼80% complex yield) at high protein-to-DNA ratios (at least 100∶1). A3A is predominantly monomeric when bound to single-stranded DNA, and it is also monomeric in solution at concentrations as high as 50 nM. These properties agree well with recent, biochemical, biophysical, and structural studies. However, these characteristics contrast with those of the related enzyme APOBEC3G, which in similar assays can exist as a monomer but tends to form oligomers in a concentration-dependent manner. These AFM data indicate that A3A has intrinsic biophysical differences that distinguish it from APOBEC3G. The potential relationships between these properties and biological functions in innate immunity are discussed.
Calcium-Independent Activation of Salicylic Acid-Induced Protein Kinase and a 40-Kilodalton Protein Kinase by Hyperosmotic Stress

Reversible protein phosphorylation/dephosphorylation plays important roles in signaling the plant adaptive responses to salinity/drought stresses. Two protein kinases with molecular masses of 48 and 40 kD are activated in tobacco cells exposed to NaCl. The 48-kD protein kinase was identified as SIPK (salicylic acid-induced protein kinase), a member of the tobacco MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase) family that is activated by various other stress stimuli. The activation of the 40-kD protein kinase is rapid and dose-dependent. Other osmolytes such as Pro and sorbitol activate these two kinases with similar kinetics. The activation of 40-kD protein kinase is specific for hyperosmotic stress, as hypotonic stress does not activate it. Therefore, this 40-kD kinase was named HOSAK (high osmotic stress-activated kinase). HOSAK is a Ca 2+ -independent kinase and uses myelin basic protein (MBP) and histone equally well as substrates. The kinase inhibitor K252a rapidly activates HOSAK in tobacco cells, implicating a dephosphorylation mechanism for HOSAK activation. Activation of both SIPK and HOSAK by high osmotic stress is Ca 2+ and abscisic acid (ABA) independent. Furthermore, mutation in SOS3 locus does not affect the activation of either kinase in Arabidopsis seedlings. These results suggest that SIPK and 40-kD HOSAK are two new components in a Ca 2+ - and ABA-independent pathway that may lead to plant adaptation to hyperosmotic stress.
Resource-Constrained Scheduling of Tests in New Product Development

The problem of resource-constrained scheduling of testing tasks for new product development is addressed. The problem is important because, in some industries like pharmaceutical and agrochemicals, a new product is required to pass all the tests by federal laws. If a product fails any of the tests, then all the remaining work on that product is halted and the investment in the previous tests is wasted. Continuous time mixed-integer linear-programming models based on two different respresentations of resource constraints are presented to solve this scheduling problem. These models take into account complex trade-offs and have the capability of deriving a schedule that satisfies the resource constraints and utilizes the option of outsourcing. It is demonstrated with the second model, which is based on graph representation and makes use of logic, that the proper combination of modeling and search strategy can make the difference in successfully tackling this problem. Finally, it is also shown that it is crit...
A high performance Balanced Power Amplifier and Its Integration into a Front-end Module at PCS Band

A novel load insensitive power amplifier (LIPA) with balanced structure is developed for 3G (HSDPA and HSUPA) handset application at PCS band from 1850-1910 MHz. No external regulated voltage and analog voltage supplies are required at high power level and it is compatible with DC-to-DC converters. Digital or analog control may be applied to further improve its PAE at low and middle power levels. This newly featured PA is integrated into a 4x7 mm2 front-end module (FEM) with good performance, especially under load mismatch condition.
Repositioning of Muscle-specific Genes Relative to the Periphery of SC-35 Domains during Skeletal Myogenesis

Previous studies have shown that in a given cell type, certain active genes associate with SC-35 domains, nuclear regions rich in RNA metabolic factors and excluded from heterochromatin. This organization is not seen for all active genes; therefore, it is important to determine whether and when this locus-specific organization arises during development and differentiation of specific cell types. Here, we investigate whether gene organization relative to SC-35 domains is cell type specific by following several muscle and nonmuscle genes in human fibroblasts, committed but proliferative myoblasts, and terminally differentiated muscle. Although no change was seen for other loci, two muscle genes (Human β-cardiac myosin heavy chain and myogenin) became localized to the periphery of an SC-35 domain in terminally differentiated muscle nuclei, but not in proliferative myoblasts or in fibroblasts. There was no apparent change in gene localization relative to either the chromosome territory or the heterochromatic compartment; thus, the gene repositioning seemed to occur specifically with respect to SC-35 domains. This gene relocation adjacent to a prominent SC-35 domain was recapitulated in mouse 3T3 cells induced into myogenesis by introduction of MyoD. Results demonstrate a cell type-specific reorganization of specific developmentally regulated loci relative to large domains of RNA metabolic factors, which may facilitate developmental regulation of genome expression.