cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Self-reported sleep duration is associated with the metabolic syndrome in midlife adults.

BOTH CROSS-SECTIONAL AND PROSPECTIVE epidemi-ologic studies have linked sleep durations of 6 hours or less per night with prevalent and incident hypertension. For example, in an 8- to 10-year follow-up of the National Health and Nutri-tion Examination Survey-I cohort, Gangwisch and colleagues reported that short sleepers (≤ 5 hours per night) were at in-creased risk for hypertension, after adjusting for confounding variables including age, sex, education, health behaviors, de-pression, overweight/obesity, and diabetes.
The identification of framed messages in the New York State Smokers’ Quitline materials

Research suggests that smoking cessation messages are most persuasive when framed in terms of the benefits achieved from quitting (i.e. gain
Stereopsis and Stereoblindness

Psychophysical tests reveal three classes of wide-field disparity detectors in man, responding respectively to crossed (near), uncrossed (far), and zero disparities. The probability of lacking one of these classes of detectors is about 30% which means that 2.7% of the population possess no wide-field stereopsis in one hemisphere. This small percentage corresponds to the probability of squint among adults, suggesting that fusional mechanisms might be disrupted when stereopsis is absent in one hemisphere.
The potential rate of bed-load transport.

Abstract Averages of measurements made in three rivers characterized by a high availability of sediment in relation to runoff, and comparable data that represent the high end of the range of transport rates observed during three sets of laboratory experiments, confirm there is an upper, particle-size-dependent limit to bed-load transport efficiency. Incorporating the regression relation derived from these six diverse and unrelated data sets into R. A. Bagnold's classic formulation yields i b = ω [0.0115·D 50 −0.51]/0.63. This straightforward scale correlation can be used to estimate the potential rate of bed-load transport (for average conditions) in gravel-bed rivers when sediment transport is constrained neither by the supply of sediment to nor by the amount of sediment available in the channel. The independent application of this empirical limit formula to two rivers with applicable bed-load transport regimes reveals a good (±10%) correspondence between average observed and predicted transport rates. bed-load transport efficiency gravel-bed rivers sediment transport
Structural Characterization of Zinc Bicarbonate Compounds Relevant to the Mechanism of Action of Carbonic Anhydrase

The tris(3-t-butyl-5-methylpyrazolyl)hydroborato and tris(2-pyridylthio)methyl derivatives, [TpBut,Me]ZnOCO2H and [κ4-Tptm]ZnOCO2H, are the first pair of terminal zinc bicarbonate complexes to be structurally characterized by using X-ray diffraction. In both cases, the bicarbonate ligand coordinates in a unidentate manner, comparable to that in human carbonic anhydrase I. While the bicarbonate complex [κ4-Tptm]ZnOCO2H is obtained by treatment of {[κ3-Tptm]Zn(μ–OH)}2 with CO2 in the presence of water, the bridging carbonate complex [Tptm]Zn(μ-CO3)Zn[Tptm] is obtained in the absence of water. The reactivity of {[κ3-Tptm]Zn(μ–OH)}2 towards CO2 is sufficiently high that the carbonate complex is obtained upon exposure to air.
Time sequence of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and cisplatin treatment is responsible for a complex pattern of synergistic cytotoxicity

The combination of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) and cisplatin resulted in a greater cytotoxicity than could be accounted for by the addition of the cytotoxic effects of the agents alone. In this study, we hypothesized that the synergistic interaction between the two modalities can be changed when both the sequence and the time interval between the two treatments are varied. To test the hypothesis, human head-and-neck squamous-cell carcinoma (HNSCC)-6 cells were either pretreated with 0.01–0.5 µg/ml TRAIL for various times (0–24 h) followed by treatment with 5 µg/ml cisplatin or pretreated with 5 µg/ml cisplatin for various times (0–24 h) followed by treatment with 0.5 µg/ml TRAIL. In latter case, the synergistic effect was gradually increased when the time interval between the two treatments was increased. In former case, a maximal synergy occurred within 0–4 h of pretreatment with TRAIL. However, the synergistic effect was gradually decreased when the time interval between the two treatments was increased. Data from immunoblotting analysis reveal that a similar pattern emerged for the PARP cleavage and caspase activation. The synergistic effect is not associated with DR4, DR5, FADD, and FLIPL. Interestingly, a complex pattern of synergistic interaction between TRAIL and cisplatin is related to the cleavage of FLIPS. Although overexpression of FLIPS protected cells from FLIPS cleavage and apoptotic death, blockage of FLIPS cleavage by replacing Asp39 and Asp42 residues with alanine did not further enhance FLIPS-mediated protection. Taken together, FLIPS cleavage reflects apoptotic damage, but it does not cause apoptosis. J. Cell. Biochem. 98: 1284–1295, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A decision tree incorporating biomarkers and patient characteristics estimates mortality risk for adults with septic shock

Implications for practice and research: Wong and colleagues' study improves on current risk stratification models for sepsis. The study's findings may lead to more homogeneous patient populations enrolled into clinical trials, increasing the chance of successful development of novel therapies for sepsis. There are no immediate practice implications, due to clinically unavailable biomarker tests and a cumbersome algorithm.
Distribution Volumes of T-1824 and Chromium51 Labelled Red Cells Immediately Following Intravenous Injection

The difference in distribution volumes of T-1824 and Cr51 labelled red cells is fully realized within 30 sec. after their simultaneous intravenous injection in the dog. This indicates the existence of a rapidly circulating extravascular protein pool.
Use of a Chain Binomial in the Epidemiology of Caries

A chain binomial model of the caries process was defined and tested with data that consisted of the total number of carious deciduous molars in 10- and 11-year-old children. The model was shown to be a satisfactory approximation of the caries process.
Convection enhanced delivery to the Brain: preparing for gene therapy and protein delivery to the Brain for functional and restorative Neurosurgery by understanding low-flow neurocatheter infusions using the Alaris(®) system infusion pump.

Background: Convection enhanced delivery (CED) is an emerging form of direct brain infusion therapy employed in human functional and restorative neurosurgery clinical trials delivering protein, viral vectors for gene therapy, and siRNA. Purpose: Pressure monitoring has become a vital tool in ensuring infusion safety and success. We report details of this benchmark first trial of the use of a leading syringe infusion pump system capable of low-flow infusions. Methods: Low-flow infusion performance of the FDA approved Alaris® System syringe pump, commonly used at our institution, was assessed during in vitro and ex vivo CED infusions. In vitro infusion cloud morphology and line pressure were analyzed utilizing a neuroinfusion catheter and delivering volumes and flow rates proposed for a human gene therapy protocol for Parkinson's disease. Results: Pressure monitoring results correlated with previously published in-line pressure monitoring results however the time to peak with catheter occlusion was extended due to the method of pressure monitoring with this device. Conclusion: MRI compatible infusion pumps used for brain delivery injectables, pressure monitoring is set to be a guiding instrument for the health care professional employing this emerging form of infusion-to-brain delivery. Further development of infusion pump technology is warranted to allow for infuse/withdraw mode, infusion pressure graphical and numerical display, and pressure monitoring without the need for an inflatable reservoir pressure device. MRI safe infusion systems will need to be available and nursing staff educated to prepare infusions within the high-field environment. doi : 10.5214/ans.0972.7531.200205 Competing interests: None; Source of funding: None; Received Date: 29 March, 2013; Revised Date: 10 April, 2013; Accepted Date: 26 April, 2013
From Awareness to Action: College Students’ Skill Development in Intergroup Dialogue

A central goal of intergroup dialogue (IGD) is to strengthen individual and collective capacities to foster social justice commitments by supporting new ways of thinking about oneself, others, and the social structures in which we live. Relatedly, IGD assists individuals with building multicultural competencies and skill sets that support peoples’ capacities to take action and work towards social change. The following qualitative study contributes to current research by describing the types of skills undergraduate students report learning as a result of their IGD experience and the challenges they encounter as they develop communication, cognitive, and affective skills.
Aortoenteric Fistula in Advanced Germ Cell Tumor: A Rare Lethal Complication

A 28-year-old man presented with low back pain and cough. Computerized tomography demonstrated diffuse pulmonary and hepatic metastases as well as bulky retroperitoneal nodal disease encasing vasculature and bowel. Sonography showed right testicular atrophy, and right orchiectomy revealed anaplastic seminoma. Relevant laboratory studies included an elevated -human chorionic gonadotropin of 12,444 IU/ml. (normal less than 5), an elevated lactate dehydrogenase of 384 units per l. (normal 100 to 190) and absent -fetoprotein. The patient was treated with 2 cycles of a standard chemotherapy regimen using bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin. Approximately 4 weeks following course 2 of bleomycin, etoposide and cisplatin the patient had a syncopal episode, and hematemesis and hematochezia developed. He presented to the emergency department in hypovolemic shock and required extensive fluid resuscitation. Upper endoscopy revealed a massive amount of bright red blood gushing up from the duodenum. The bleeding was too brisk to identify the source. Emergent aorto-visceral angiography demonstrated an aortoduodenal fistula (part A of figure). An endovascular stent graft was subsequently placed across the fistula, with immediate control of the hemorrhage (part B of figure). Definitive surgical repair awaited patient recovery from multiple organ insult. Unfortunately, massive bleeding recurred 10 days after the first hemorrhage, and angiography showed development of a new larger fistula. Attempts at resuscitation and placement of 2 additional endovascular stent grafts were unsuccessful, and the patient died. Autopsy confirmed the presence of aortic necrosis and an aortoenteric fistula secondary to extensive metastatic choriocarcinoma.
Objective System for Interviewer Performance Evaluation for Use in Epidemiologic Studies

In this paper, the authors present an objective system to evaluate interviewer performance for use in epidemiologic studies. With this quality control system, all study interviews are audio-taped, and a random sample of interviews are coded according to interviewer behaviors, such as whether the interviewer asked the questions exactly as written and used the probes appropriately. With the use of data obtained from a large case-control study of colon cancer, the authors observed that 94.2% of all questions were asked in the same manner by all interviewers and that 89.5% of all probing behaviors were appropriate. They show that questions that required additional interviewer behaviors were more likely to result in variation in response that can be attributed to the interviewer. These findings have implications for study design and interpretation of study results. From simulations, the authors have estimated the impact of uncorrected interviewer variability on study power and ability to detect disease associations. Uncorrected interviewer variability could decrease study power from 84% to 56%. From simulations, the authors observed that odds ratios could be biased downward from 1.8 to 1.3. These findings illustrate the importance of using a continuous quality control program in epidemiologic research.
New RTD-boostrapped current and voltage references. I. Self-bootstrapped references

New current and voltage references are proposed which utilize depletion-mode field effect transistors and resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) in a self-bootstrapped configuration to take advantage of the ultra-low local transconductance of RTDs and the high output-impedance of cascoded amplifier stages. These references promise improved supply rejection compared with that of the best existing GaAs MESFET voltage references. >
Screening for Metastasis From Choroidal Melanoma: The Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study Group Report 23

Purpose To describe the predictive value of liver function tests (LFTs), chest x-ray, and diagnostic imaging for detecting melanoma metastasis during routine follow-up after treatment for choroidal melanoma. Materials and Methods Prospective longitudinal follow-up of patients enrolled onto two randomized trials was conducted by the Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) Group. Baseline and annual or semiannual systemic and laboratory evaluations were performed according to a standard protocol for 2,320 patients enrolled on the COMS. Results COMS patients were screened annually for metastasis and new cancers using LFTs (alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT, or bilirubin). Elevated findings (1.5 to 2 times upper limit of normal) on LFT prompted a diagnostic or imaging test to confirm or rule out cancer recurrence. Of 714 patients with clinical reports of metastasis, 675 patients died. Of these 675 patients, all but four had either histopathologically confirmed or clinically suspected metastatic melanoma prese...
HIGH-SPEED BANDPASS ADCs

A bandpass ADC digitizes a bandpass signal directly, without prior conversion to baseband. Bandpass ADCs are well-suited to wired and wireless receivers, and can reduce system complexity, increase integration and improve performance. This paper describes architectures for bandpass and quadrature bandpass ADCs and examines several circuit considerations associated with operation at sampling rates in the 100-MHz range.
ENCYSTMENT OF THE DINOFLAGELLATE GYRODINIUM UNCATENUM: TEMPERATURE AND NUTRIENT EFFECTS1

Sexual reproduction and encystment of the marine dinoflagellate Gyrodinium uncatenum Hulburt were induced in nitrogen and phosphorus-limited batch cultures. Sexuality did not occur under nutrient-replete conditions even when growth rate was reduced by non-optimal temperatures. Growth was optimal over a broader temperature range than encystment and virtually no cysts were produced at some low and high temperatures where growth occurred. Most cells initiated sexuality as intracellular pools of each limiting nutrient reached minimum or subsistence levels as much as four days after extracellular nutrients were exhausted. High nitrogen cell quotas during the phosphorus experiment indicate that sexuality was induced by a shortage of phosphorus and not by an indirect effect on nitrogen uptake. Total cyst yield corresponded to successful encystment of 9–13% of the motile populations, yet 60–85% of the plateau-phase motile cells were planozygotes (swimming zygotes formed from fusing gametes). Batch culture studies monitoring total cyst yield may thus seriously underestimate the extent of sexuality. More importantly, the number of cysts produced in a dinoflagellate population may be significantly reduced by environmental factors acting on the cells after sexual induction and fusion.
Plant growth-promoting rhizobacterial mediated protection in tomato against Tomato mottle virus

Tomato plants treated with plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), applied as an industrially formulated seed treatment, a spore preparation mixed with potting medium (referred to as powder), or a combined seed-powder treatment, were evaluated under field conditions for induced resistance to Tomato mottle virus (ToMoV). The PGPR strains used, based on their ability to induce resistance in previous experiments, included Bacillus amyloliquefaciens 937a, B. subtilis 937b, and B. pumilus SE34. Experiments were conducted in the fall of 1997 and the spring and fall of 1998 at the University of Florida's Gulf Coast Research & Education Center, Bradenton. All plants were rated for symptoms and analyzed for the presence of ToMoV DNA at 40 days after transplant (dat). Whitefly densities were determined on individual plants in each trial, and marketable fruit yields were determined at least two times during each trial. The highest level of protection occurred in the fall 1997 trial when, at 40 dat, ToMoV disease severity ratings were significantly less in all PGPR powder-based treatments than in either of the seed or control treatments. Detection of viral DNA using Southern dot blot analyses correlated with symptom severity ratings, as did fruit yields. A reduction in ToMoV symptom severity ratings and incidence of viral DNA were also observed for some PGPR treatments in the spring 1998 trial, although corresponding yield responses were not apparent. Little or no resistance was observed in the fall 1998 trial. No differences in disease severity, detection of ToMoV DNA, or yield occurred among treatments in any of the trials at 80 dat. These data show that up to 40 dat under natural conditions of high levels of vector-virus pressure, some PGPR treatments resulted in reduced ToMoV incidence and disease severity and, in some cases, a corresponding increase in fruit yield. The use of PGPR could become a component of an integrated program for management of this virus in tomato.
1 H-13 C independently tuned radiofrequency surface coil applied for in vivo hyperpolarized MRI.

PURPOSE To develop a lump-element double-tuned common-mode-differential-mode (CMDM) radiofrequency (RF) surface coil with independent frequency tuning capacity for MRS and MRI applications. METHODS The presented design has two modes that can operate with different current paths, allowing independent frequency adjustment. The coil prototype was tested on the bench and then examined in phantom and in vivo experiments. RESULTS Standard deviations of frequency and impedance fluctuations measured in one resonator, while changing the tuning capacitor of another resonator, were less than 13 kHz and 0.55 Ω. The unloaded S21 was -36 dB and -41 dB, while the unloaded Q factor was 260 and 287, for 13 C and 1 H, respectively. In vivo hyperpolarized 13 C MR spectroscopy data demonstrated the feasibility of using the CMDM coil to measure the dynamics of lactate, alanine, pyruvate and bicarbonate signal in a normal rat head along with acquiring 1 H anatomical reference images. CONCLUSION Independent frequency tuning capacity was demonstrated in the presented lump-element double-tuned CMDM coil. This CMDM coil maintained intrinsically decoupled magnetic fields, which provided sufficient isolation between the two resonators. The results from in vivo experiments demonstrated high sensitivity of both the 1 H and 13 C resonators. Magn Reson Med 76:1612-1620, 2016. © 2015 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.
Electrical Resistivity for Estimating Permeability

The purpose of this note is to demonstrate that relations between aquifer resistivities determined from electric resistivity soundings and aquifer permeability can be developed. This approach should be useful for applications to shallow aquifers.
An objective re-evaluation of adaptive sample size re-estimation: commentary on 'Twenty-five years of confirmatory adaptive designs'.

Over the past 25 years, adaptive designs have gradually gained acceptance and are being used with increasing frequency in confirmatory clinical trials. Recent surveys of submissions to the regulatory agencies reveal that the most popular type of adaptation is unblinded sample size re-estimation. Concerns have nevertheless been raised that this type of adaptation is inefficient.We intend to show in our discussion that such concerns are greatly exaggerated in any practical setting and that the advantages of adaptive sample size re-estimation usually outweigh any minor loss of efficiency.
Activation of Reverse Na/Ca Exchanger by Skeletal Na Channel Isoform Increases Excitation-Contraction Coupling Efficiency in Rabbit Cardiomyocytes

Our prior work has shown that TTX-sensitive sodium current (INa) affects sarcoplasmic reticular (SR) Ca release. This current activates early reverse NCX. The resulting Ca entry primes the dyadic cleft, which appears to increase Ca channel coupling fidelity (we refer to this as the priming mechanism). The skeletal isoform Nav1.4 is the main TTX-sensitive Na channel expressed in adult rabbit ventricular cardiomyocytes. Here we tested the hypothesis that this is the principal isoform involved in the priming mechanism. We evoked action potentials (AP) in isolated rabbit ventricular cells loaded with fluo-4, and simultaneously recorded Ca transients before and after the application of either relatively low doses of TTX (100 nM) or the specific Nav1.4 inhibitor μ-Conotoxin GIIIB (1 μM). 100 nM of TTX will effectively block all skeletal and the neuronal Navs (Nav1.1 is also present with a low level of expression). However this concentration will have a negligible (5%) effect on the cardiac isoform. There was a more prominent AP upstroke velocity reduction in TTX (73±1%, n=4) than in GIIB (81±1%, n=6, P<0.05). This can be expected given the relative contribution of each Nav isoform to the phase 0 of the AP. However, the effects of either drug on SR Ca release (measured as the transient maximum upstroke velocity) were identical (69±0.03% in TTX (n=5) vs. 69±3% in GIIIB (n=6), P<0.05). Furthermore, this reduction in SR Ca release is comparable to the value that we obtained previously when total INa was inactivated with a ramp. This result suggests that the Nav skeletal isoform is the main Nav isoform involved in regulating the efficiency of excitation-contraction coupling in rabbit cardiomyocytes.
Multi-platform earthquake analysis of geotechnical-structural systems

Inelastic dynamic analysis of interacting soil and structure system up to failure poses very considerable challenges to a number of engineering sub-disciplines as well as information technology. Software platforms that offer reliable geotechnical material models do not have suitable structural models and vice versa. Provisions for uncertainty modeling in system characteristics and input motion, to quantify uncertainty in earthquake safety assessment, requires hundreds or even thousands of large, complex and computationally demanding analyses. The lack of a universally-capable framework for geotechnical and structural interacting systems is also a feature of experimental testing. No single laboratory has the range of equipment to test soil and structure and certainly no space to test even a medium length bridge or a medium height building. This paper presents a framework for the computational and hybrid computational-experimental investigation of complex structures, their foundations and underlying soil, when subject to earthquake strong ground motion. Emphasis is placed on the computational structure developed for multi-platform inelastic earthquake analysis of complex multi-physics systems. The framework comprises a central integrator and satellite components. The simplicity and transparency of the approach used lend themselves to fast implementation by research groups, and facilitate adding any number of analytical platforms. Reference application of the approach to seismic assessment of interaction problems is given.
Vector Spatial Data Cloud Storage and Processing Based on MongoDB

With the rapidly growing volume and complexity of spatial data, efficient storage and processing of massive geo-spatial data have become urgent research problems in GIScience and related fields. Vector spatial data storage and processing is particularly challenging due to its complexity in data representation, access and analysis. In this paper, we present an approach and a system for cloud-based vector data storage and analysis,with the ability to support multi-user access and parallel processing. Our system, named VectorDB, extends MongoDB(a document-oriented NoSQL database system) and integrates the Hadoop framework for parallel spatial data processing and analysis. With a three-layered browser-server architecture, the system consists of a suite of modules for data storage, conversion, query, and analysis. The OGR Simple Features Library is integrated to perform data conversions between MongoDB and various formats of vector spatial data. We use the MongoDB Connector for Hadoop(mongo-hadoop) to transfer data between MongoDB and Hadoop. An experiment is carried out using five physical servers to compare the performance of VectorDB and PostGIS for vector data reading,writing, and query. Preliminary results indicate that, although VectorDB is slightly slower in data writing, it gains significant power for data access and spatial query over PostGIS. We also compared VectorDB and MongoDB for massive vector data processing. Results show that VectorDB has a better performance than MongoDB in massive vector data processing. VectorDB is different from the traditional relational spatial database, and it can support dynamic schema and thus is much more flexible and effective for storing, accessing, and analyzing various vector spatial data models and data formats. Our approach and implemented system will be useful for a variety of applications that need to store and access vector spatial data in a cloud environment.
Application of Improved Genetic Algorithms for the Design of the Infrared Antireflection Coatings

In the optimization design of infrared antireflection optical thin films for 3～5 μm by genetic algorithms(GA),the competitive ability of individuals and the algorithms ability of selecting elite individuals will get weak,and the evolution will stop when the colony grows mature.Therefore,the result is worthless repeated computation and long time waiting.In order to inspect the changing trend and improvement of the chromosomes in the evolution process and to enhance the search ability of the algorithms,we present an improved GA which adopts a method named off-line comparison and assistant selecting factor.Calculation experiments indicate that the off-line comparison method can efficiently control the computation progress and exactly look into the colony mature status and the evolution stop.Furthermore,the off-line method provides us a basis on which we decide when to improve the algorithms.Adapting the assistant selecting factor can keep the previous computing results and select those excellent individuals in the current colony.That the excellent individuals cross with the fresh individuals led into the colony makes the evolution go ahead continuously and consequently enhances greatly the probability that the improved GA succeeds in finding the qualified resolution.
Preparation and Quality Control of Huoxueruangan Pill

Objective To prepare the Huoxueruangan Pill and make the quality control protocol.Methods Bupleurum,Turmeric,Dan,Blood and other herbs were crushed into powder and made into water pills.Determine the content of saikosaponin-a by microscopic identification,TLC and HPLC.Results The pills were uniform,good collapse,specificity for microscopic identification,TLC without interference,a linear range of saikosaponin 0.1-1.6μg,the average recovery was 98.5%,RSD 0.49%,n=6.Conclusion The preparation method was simple,fast and accurate quality control and can better control the product quality.
Osmolyte-, Binding-, and Temperature-Induced Transitions of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

Structural studies of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) entail unique experimental challenges due in part to the lack of well-defined three-dimensional structures exhibited by this class of proteins. Although IDPs can be studied in their native disordered conformations using a variety of ensemble and single-molecule biophysical techniques, one particularly informative experimental strategy is to probe protein disordered states as part of folding-unfolding transitions. In this chapter, we describe solution methods for probing conformational properties of IDPs (and unfolded proteins, in general), including the use of naturally occurring osmolytes to force protein folding, the quantification of coupled folding and ligand binding of IDPs, and the structural interrogation of solvent- and/or binding-induced folded conformations by thermal perturbations.
The tiny baby: past, present, and future.

The management of the fetus and infant of very low birth weight demonstrates the need for a common and collaborative perinatal approach by obstetricians and neonatologists.
Structural Scaling Parameters for Rectangular Flexible Blanket Solar Arrays

Performance parameters have been used for nearly a century to provide structural designers with simple, rational tools to evaluate competing architectures. Flexible blanket photovoltaic solar arrays of rectangular form are the focus here. Two parameters are created to relate mass of the compression column, photovoltaic blanket, and spreader bar to the loading and geometric quantities. The scaling parameter and scaling index are developed by minimizing array mass and cost through a constraint function and numerical analysis. The scaling parameter provides perspective into the effect of column architecture selection on array performance. The scaling index serves a slightly different purpose because it informs mission planners how the array requirements (acceleration loading, fundamental frequency, and array power) affect the array mass. The greatest opportunity for mass savings comes from reducing length, growing width, and reducing the quantity of beam-column supports. Reducing beam packaged volume has gre...
Teacher Behavioral Practices: Relations to Student Risk Behaviors, Learning Barriers, and School Climate.

Student behavioral problems pose a myriad of challenges for schools. In this study, we examine the relations among teacher and school-level constructs (i.e., teacher collaboration, supervision/discipline, instructional management), and student-related outcomes (i.e., high-risk behaviors, barriers to learning, student social–behavioral climate). Teachers across 29 high schools, in a large urban school district serving primarily low-income students, completed self-report surveys. Multilevel regression was used to test both individual- and school-level predictors of student outcomes. Findings suggest that teacher practices at the individual and school levels are linked to student high-risk behaviors, barriers to student learning, and school climate. More specifically, findings indicate that better supervision/discipline and instructional management are associated with fewer high-risk behaviors and barriers to learning. More instructional management is also linked to positive social–behavioral climate. Results from this study highlight the association between teacher practices and a range of student-related problem behaviors, and suggest that system-level interventions in the school may have positive effects.
Thermal-mechanical Co-design of Cold Plate, Second Level Thermal Interface Material (TIM2) and Heat Spreaders for Optimal Thermal Performance for High-end Processor Cooling

Cooling high-end system processors has become increasingly more challenging due to the increase in both total power and peak power density in processor cores. Junction peak temperature at worst case corner conditions often establish the limits on the maximum supportable circuit speed as well as processor chip yield. While significant progress has been made in cooling technology (e.g., cold plate design and thermal interface materials at first and the second level package), a systematic approach is needed to optimize the entire thermal and mechanical stack to achieve the overall (optimal) thermal performance objectives. The necessity and importance of this is due to the thermal and mechanical design interdependencies contained with the overall stack. This paper reports an in-depth study of the thermal-mechanical interactions associated with the cold plate, second level thermal interface material (TIM2) and heat spreaders. Thermal test results are reported for different cold plate designs and TIM2 pad sizes. Thermal and mechanical modeling results are provided to quantify the TIM2 thermal performance as a function of the TIM2 mechanical stress, the TIM2 dimensions and cold plate design. As described via both modeling and testing results, an optimal TIM2 pad size results as a trade-off between heat transfer area for conduction and TIM2 compressive pressure. In addition, pressure sensitive film study results are also provided revealing that heat spreader design affects the module level and TIM2 thermal performance. Results from this set of work clearly demonstrate the close interactions between cooling hardware in the stack hence the importance of thermal-mechanical co-design to achieve optimal thermal performance for the high-end processors.
Beamforming for network-coded MIMO two-way relaying

We propose a practical MIMO precoding strategy for the multiple-access phase of the two-way relay channel with network coding and M-QAM modulation. The proposed scheme is a hybrid between three classes of constrained precoders, namely subspace alignment, subspace separation and maximum ratio transmission. The optimal solution within each class can be computed efficiently, and switching between the classes is based on the minimum distance. Numerical simulations show that the proposed scheme approaches ideal performance, thus providing a low-complexity and near-optimal solution to the beamforming problem.
Vision-based quantitative assessment of microcracks on reactor internal components of nuclear power plants

AbstractAgeing power facilities are increasingly susceptible to the onset of damage related to long exposure to stress, radiation, elevated temperatures and environmental conditions. One failure mechanism of particular concern is the onset of stress corrosion cracking. Currently, a technician manually measures the crack thicknesses at few points along a microcrack in a microscopic image, and the results are quantified by the Root Mean Square (RMS) of these measurements. This approach is time-consuming and subjective. In addition, the crack thickness is an important but difficult characteristic to accurately describe in a single numerical value, since it can vary considerably along the length of a crack. In this paper, a vision-based methodology is proposed for accurate quantification of microcracks that provides the thickness measurements for each pixel along the crack centreline. The proposed approach provides the minimum, maximum, mean, standard deviation, RMS and the histogram of crack thicknesses, whi...
Prevention of Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease by CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells Is Dependent on the CD30/CD153 Pathway.

CD4 + CD25 + regulatory T (Treg) cells suppress acute graft versus host disease (aGVHD), prevent autoimmunity and delay allograft rejection. CD30 and other TNF-R family members have been demonstrated to be expressed by Treg and to function as alternative costimulatory pathways for T cell activation. In this study we assessed the significance of the CD30/CD153 pathway in Tregs suppression of aGVHD in a murine major MHC mismatch BMT model. Using bioluminescence imaging proliferation of donor derived luciferase-labeled CD4 + and CD8 + T cells was quantified at serial time points after transplantation. Treg suppressed the early expansion of alloreactive T-cells. Immunofluorescence microscopy revealed a predominant infiltration of donor derived Treg in CD153 positive regions of secondary lymphoid organs, namely parafollicular T cell zones of lymph nodes and the subepithelial dome regions of Peyers Patches. In vivo blockade of the CD30/CD153 pathway with anti CD153 Ab did not alter Treg migration to secondary lymphoid organs but reduced their suppressive effect. Proliferation of donor T cells as measured in photons/second/mouse was significantly higher in animals receiving Treg and CD153 blocking antibodies as compared to recipients of Treg only (p=0.0038). Gene expression profiling of Treg with DNA microarrays indicated a Treg signature that was consistently found in different mouse strains. This Treg signature was altered after CD153 blockade in vitro. Importantly, aGVHD lethality was significantly increased (p=0.021) when CD30-CD153 interaction was blocked during Treg transfer. This study provides direct evidence that the TNF-R family member CD30 is critical for Treg cell function in the regulation of pathological T cell responses that lead to aGVHD.
Girls Gone Web: Self-Depictions of Female Athletes on Personal Websites

The Internet was heralded as a medium that might expand coverage of women’s sports, yet some question whether the Internet has provided even more opportunities to perpetuate gender stereotypes. Thi...
On the Canonical Line Bundle of a Locally Hermitian Symmetric Space

We study three problems related to towers of coverings of Hermitian symmetric spaces of non-compact type. The first one is on the possibility that the index of the canonical line bundle gets arbitrarily large on such a tower of coverings. The second one is on some vanishing and non-vanishing results on bundle-valued forms on a Kahler hyperbolic manifolds. The third one is to explain that on any tower of coverings of locally Hermitian symmetric spaces of Lie algebra type DIII, some fractional power of the canonical line bundle aK with rational \(0<a<1\) are very ample as one goes high enough in the tower.
Hemoglobin inhibits albumin uptake by proximal tubule cells: implications for sickle cell disease

Proximal tubule (PT) dysfunction, including tubular proteinuria, is a significant complication in young sickle cell disease (SCD) that can eventually lead to chronic kidney disease. Hemoglobin (Hb) dimers released from red blood cells upon hemolysis are filtered into the kidney and internalized by megalin/cubilin receptors into PT cells. The PT is especially sensitive to heme toxicity, and tubular dysfunction in SCD is thought to result from prolonged exposure to filtered Hb. Here we show that concentrations of Hb predicted to enter the tubule lumen during hemolytic crisis competitively inhibit the uptake of another megalin/cubilin ligand (albumin) by PT cells. These effects were independent of heme reduction state. The Glu7Val mutant of Hb that causes SCD was equally effective at inhibiting albumin uptake compared with wild-type Hb. Addition of the Hb scavenger haptoglobin (Hpt) restored albumin uptake in the presence of Hb, suggesting that Hpt binding to the Hb αβ dimer-dimer interface interferes with Hb binding to megalin/cubilin. BLAST searches and structural modeling analyses revealed regions of similarity between Hb and albumin that map to this region and may represent sites of Hb interaction with megalin/cubilin. Our studies suggest that impaired endocytosis of megalin/cubilin ligands, rather than heme toxicity, may be the cause of tubular proteinuria in SCD patients. Additionally, loss of these filtered proteins into the urine may contribute to the extra-renal pathogenesis of SCD.
Congenital heart disease in a dish: progress toward understanding patient-specific mutations.

Tremendous progress has been made identifying the transcription factor networks that drive the specification of cardiac progenitors and direct formation and growth of a developing embryonic heart.
Digestive Enzyme Adjunct to Oral Headache Medication to Improve Absorption and Reduce Vomiting

Objective:To report a case in which a digestive enzyme complex (Nature's Plus Digestive Enzymes: pancreatin, pepsin, ox bile extract, malt diatase, and papain) apparently improved the absorption an...
Policies Guiding Cohesive Interactions Among Internet of Things with Communication Clouds and Social Networks

Cohesive interaction among Internet of thing nodes will benefit from formation of ad hoc communication network clouds for rapid exchange of information that is pertinent for their successful interaction. Long enduring interactions among such nodes will benefit from ad hoc socially linked networks for collaboration on shared objectives. We present guidelines for forming and using these constructs and domain-neutral policies that constrain them to specific applications.
The Funding Debate: Optimizing Pension Risk within a Corporate Risk Budget

Defined Benefit (DB) pension risk management has traditionally focused on achieving a balance between the risks associated with the liabilities and the expected returns on investments. This approach does not capture the fact that a DB pension plan is part of running an overall business and must compete for capital against alternative investments the corporation can make. Pension funding strategies should be assessed against other corporate cash uses and strategies, such as investment in productive capacity, research and development initiatives, share or debt buybacks, or potential acquisitions. Considering pension funding relative to potential corporate actions within the same net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR) or similar analytical framework, a company can optimise the use of available cash resources and balance alternative strategies against each other.
Mixed-initiative workflow composition

Complex applications in many areas, including scientific computations and business-related systems, are represented as computational workflows composed out of multiple components. There are several approaches that help a user compose these workflows. Some composition systems implement a user-system interactive approach (Kim, Spraragen, and Gil 2004). These systems are useful for expressing user preferences during composition; however, they can be tedious to use if a large number of tasks are needed in the workflow, as composition is done one step at a time, manually. Another approach to workflow composition is full automation, which aims to eliminate unnecessary user interaction during composition (Blythe et al. 2003), (Myers et al. 2003). This approach is efficient, but is not ideal if user preferences need to be expressed during composition. Our approach combines the strengths of manual and automatic approaches into mixed-initiative workflow composition. This combined approach uses automated planning techniques, while also incorporating user preferences during composition. Our approach is implemented in a new system, AutoCAT, by combining an interactive workflow editor (Composition Analysis Tool or CAT) (Kim, Spraragen, and Gil 2004) and a planner, Prodigy (Veloso et al. 1995). CAT enables users to manually compose workflows by adding and removing tasks, and by linking the tasks together in order to supply data (i.e., linking task outputs) to the workflow’s user-defined end results. Using AI planning principles, CAT checks the workflow for possible composition errors introduced by a user. For instance, the workflow’s links are checked for correctness (e.g., “flight number” task output linked to “driver license number” task input is incorrect), and checks for unnecessary workflow tasks (for example, if the workflow’s only end result is “flight reservation”, then a “real estate service” task is unnecessary). CAT’s approach also involves searching a knowledge base of task types in order to suggest to the user the next composition steps that should be taken (for _______________________
qHNMR Analysis of Purity of Common Organic Solvents—An Undergraduate Quantitative Analysis Laboratory Experiment

NMR spectroscopy is currently a premier technique for structural elucidation of organic molecules. Quantitative NMR (qNMR) methodology has developed more slowly but is now widely accepted, especially in the areas of natural product and medicinal chemistry. However, many undergraduate students are not routinely exposed to this important concept. This article describes a simple and practical lab experiment that has been successfully performed by students in a Quantitative Analysis class for several years and is based on a comparison of relative integration areas of species present in spectra of compound mixtures. In this experiment, 1H NMR spectroscopy is used to determine the purity of common organic solvents using dimethyl sulfoxide as an internal standard in D2O. Groups of students analyze unknown samples containing one of the following solvents: methanol, ethanol, 2-propanol, tetrahydrofuran, or acetone, to which water has been added as an impurity. Over a period of five years, 54 students analyzed samp...
Building spiritual sensitivity through an online spirituality course

ABSTRACTThe National Association of Social Workers and Council on Social Work Education define cultural competence and acknowledge the role of spirituality within cultural experiences. Both describe cultural competence as a linear experience that begins with awareness and sensitivity, leading to competence. Understanding the role of spiritual sensitivity in building spiritual competence is essential in social work practice where spirituality informs both assessment and intervention. This qualitative study examines the experiences of 37 undergraduate students in an online spirituality course. Results reveal the emergence of spiritual sensitivity indicated by an awareness of spiritual diversity and need for spiritual competence.
A Rule-based Approach to Determining Pregnancy Timeframe from Contextual Social Media Postings

Recent advances in social media mining have opened the door to observational studies that are limited only by the capacity of systems deployed to collect and analyze the data. The significance of this power becomes important when studying specific cohorts not typically found in clinical trials or other health-related research, such as pregnant women, who are generally excluded from participating in particular studies for safety concerns. A major challenge of pregnancy studies in social media is determining the pregnancy timeframe, given that the significance of some events (e.g., medication exposure) may depend on the trimester when it occurred. Existing systems that mine pregnancy data from social media have limited coverage and generalizability and have not addressed the problem of automatically determining the estimated beginning and end of pregnancy, and general-purpose temporal taggers deployed on this dataset generate ambiguous results. We present here a rule-based system to automatically identify pregnancy timeframe based on linguistic clues about the progress of pregnancy in users» tweets. In addition, we demonstrate that we could also use this system to find and filter bots and other that repost or quote such expressions.
Selective Synthesis of a Series of Isostructural MIICuI Heterobimetallic Complexes Spontaneously Assembled by an Unsymmetrical Naphthyridine-Based Ligand

Metal-metal cooperation is integral to the function of many enzymes and materials, and model complexes hold enormous potential for providing insights into the capabilities of analogous multimetallic cores. However, the selective synthesis of heterobimetallic complexes still presents a significant challenge, especially for systems that hold the metals in close proximity and feature open or reactive coordination sites for both metals. To address this issue, a rigid, naphthyridine-based dinucleating ligand featuring distinct binding environments was synthesized. This ligand enables the selective synthesis of a series of MII CuI bimetallic complexes (M=Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn), in which each metal center exclusively occupies its preferred binding pocket, from simple chloride salts. The precision of this selectivity is evident from cyclic voltammetry, ESI-MS and anomalous X-ray diffraction measurements.