cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Interworking techniques and architectures for WLAN/3G integration toward 4G mobile data networks

The intense wireless LAN standardization and R&D activities worldwide, combines with the recent successful deployment of WLANs, provide prime evidence that WLAN technology will play a key role in the fourth generation of mobile data networks. In this context, there is a strong need to integrate WLANs with 3G mobile data networks and develop hybrid mobile data networks capable of ubiquitous data services and very high data rates in strategic locations. This article addresses this need by proposing and discussing some novel architectures able to provide internetworking between WLAN and 3G networks, and meet the requirements of the most common internetworking scenarios. These architectures can enable 3G subscribers to benefit from high-throughput IP connectivity in hotspots and also to attain service roaming across several radio access technologies, such as IEEE 802.11, HiperLan/2, ULTRAN, and GERAN.
Online controlled experiments at large scale

Web-facing companies, including Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Facebook, Google, Groupon, Intuit, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netflix, Shop Direct, StumbleUpon, Yahoo, and Zynga use online controlled experiments to guide product development and accelerate innovation. At Microsoft's Bing, the use of controlled experiments has grown exponentially over time, with over 200 concurrent experiments now running on any given day. Running experiments at large scale requires addressing multiple challenges in three areas: cultural/organizational, engineering, and trustworthiness. On the cultural and organizational front, the larger organization needs to learn the reasons for running controlled experiments and the tradeoffs between controlled experiments and other methods of evaluating ideas. We discuss why negative experiments, which degrade the user experience short term, should be run, given the learning value and long-term benefits. On the engineering side, we architected a highly scalable system, able to handle data at massive scale: hundreds of concurrent experiments, each containing millions of users. Classical testing and debugging techniques no longer apply when there are billions of live variants of the site, so alerts are used to identify issues rather than relying on heavy up-front testing. On the trustworthiness front, we have a high occurrence of false positives that we address, and we alert experimenters to statistical interactions between experiments. The Bing Experimentation System is credited with having accelerated innovation and increased annual revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars, by allowing us to find and focus on key ideas evaluated through thousands of controlled experiments. A 1% improvement to revenue equals more than $10M annually in the US, yet many ideas impact key metrics by 1% and are not well estimated a-priori. The system has also identified many negative features that we avoided deploying, despite key stakeholders' early excitement, saving us similar large amounts.
PHOTOCHEMICAL PROCESSES IN THE INORGANIC NITROGEN CYCLE OF THE SEA 1

There appears to be some confusion in the literature as to the role photochcmical processes play in the nitrogen cycle. An attempt has been made to reevaluate the problem with regard to the sea. Test solutions of scawaters and distilled water enriched with nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia were exposed to sunlight while in open dishes and while immersed in the sea. In addition, experiments wcrc carriecl out using a fixed-wavelength ultraviolet source. It is concluded that the photooxiclation of ammonia is of no significance while the photoreduction of nitrate is of possible but cloubtful significance. In general, it may bc concludcd that photochcmical proccsscs cxcrt an cxtremcly limited effect upon the nitrogen cycle of the sea.
Field study of hydraulic conductivity in a heterogeneous aquifer: Comparison of single-borehole measurements using different instruments

[1] This field study compares three techniques for estimating the vertical distribution of horizontal hydraulic conductivity Kr in a heterogeneous aquifer and evaluates possible support volume effects. The dipole flow test (DFT), multilevel slug test (MLST), and borehole flowmeter test (BFT) are based on different kinematic flow structures and the shape and the size of the support volumes. The experiment design employed an identical characteristic linear scale for all tests. Vertical profiles of Kr ranging up to 260 m/day from tested wells in an alluvial aquifer exhibit a strong correlation in spite of the differences between test hydraulics. Results suggest that tested screen length is an important indicator of the averaging mechanism for hydraulic tests. Correlation between the DFT and MLST is especially strong. Correlation between data from the BFT and other tests is not as strong due to the absence of a distinct physical vertical scale, among other factors. The differences between the tests are discussed using the concept of a weighting function associated with the magnitude of instantaneous local velocity.
Specifying and proving properties of timed I/O automata in the TIOA toolkit

Timed I/O Automata (TIOA) is a mathematical framework for modeling and verification of distributed systems that involve discrete and continuous dynamics. TIOA can be used for example, to model a real-time software component controlling a physical process. The TIOA model is sufficiently general to subsume other models in use for timed systems. The TIOA toolkit, currently under development, is aimed at supporting system development based on TIOA specifications. The TIOA toolkit is an extension of the IOA toolkit, which provides a specification simulator, a code generator, and both model checking and theorem proving support for analyzing specifications. This paper focuses on modeling of timed systems with TIOA and the TAME-based theorem proving support provided in the toolkit, for proving system properties, including timing properties. Several examples are provided by way of illustration.
Bidding clubs: institutionalized collusion in auctions

We introduce a class of mechanisms, called bidding clubs, for agents to coordinate their bidding in auctions. In a bidding club agents Þrst conduct a “pre-auction” within the club; depending on the outcome of the pre-auction some subset of the members of the club bid in the primary auction in a prescribed way; and, in some cases, certain monetary transfers take place after the auction. Bidding clubs have self-enforcing collusion properties in the context of secondprice auctions. We show that this is still true when multiple auctions take place for substitutable goods, as well as for complementary goods. We also present a bidding club protocol for Þrst-price auctions. Finally, we show cases where bidding clubs have self-enforcing cooperation protocols in arbitrary mechanisms.
A Balancing Act: The Interplay of Status Effects on Dominance in Virtual Teams

Findings from a previous study indicate that dominance was a key inhibitor of creativity in virtual teams. This study extends understanding of dominance through an in-depth, qualitative analysis of eight virtual teams. Two research questions are addressed: (1) how is dominance manifested in virtual teams? and (2) why does dominance occur in some teams, and not others? Findings indicate that dominance occurred in three different patterns. Although both males and females dominated, a commonality across patterns was that the dominant individual belonged to the majority sex in each team. Furthermore, dominance was driven by a combination of a few team member status traits. When one or more status markers belonged to a single person - the dominant member - and were absent in other team members, dominance was pronounced. In teams that did not experience dominance, these status indicators were spread across multiple members. Additionally, even though all teams communicated strictly via asynchronous computer-mediated communication (CMC), equalization was not evidenced in the majority of teams. Status characteristics theory and proportional representation theory provide a basis to explain the prevalence, as well as the absence, of dominance in these virtual teams.
An RNA-binding Domain in the Thyroid Hormone Receptor Enhances Transcriptional Activation*

Thyroid hormone plays important roles in development, differentiation, and metabolic homeostasis by binding to nuclear thyroid hormone receptors, which regulate target gene expression by interacting with DNA response elements and coregulatory proteins. We show that thyroid hormone receptors also are single-stranded RNA binding proteins and that this binding is functionally significant. By using a series of deletion mutants, a novel RNA-binding domain was localized to a 41-amino acid segment of thyroid hormone receptor alpha1 between the second zinc finger and the ligand-binding domain. This RNA-binding domain was necessary and sufficient for thyroid hormone receptor binding to the steroid receptor RNA activator (SRA). Although SRA does not bind directly to steroid receptors, it has been identified as a steroid receptor coactivator, and was thought not to be a coactivator for thyroid hormone receptors. However, transfection studies revealed that SRA enhances thyroid hormone induction of appropriate reporter genes and that the thyroid hormone receptor RNA-binding domain is important for this enhancement. We conclude that thyroid hormone receptors bind RNA through a novel domain and that the interaction of this domain with SRA, and perhaps other RNAs, enhances thyroid hormone receptor function.
Three-Dimensional Microstructure Reconstruction Using FIB-OIM

A new method for reconstructing a three-dimensional microstructure using the focused ion beam-orientation imaging microscopy (FIB-OIM) is introduced. The technique is important for the study of three-dimensional microstructures of materials because it can automatically align (register) a series of parallel sections with both topological information and orientation information at the sub-micrometer scale. Using voxel-based tessellation, a three-dimensional microstructure is reconstructed by registering each section. The application of the method to a cubic material is described and, based on the reconstruction, the grain shape and grain size distribution are characterized.
Characterization of aluminum films on a polycarbonate substrate

Abstract The surface structures of 75, 100 and 150 nm aluminum films vapor deposited onto a polycarbonate substrate were characterized using low voltage scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The average grain size of the films was less than 70 nm. Beam energies of 2 kV or greater were observed to damage the aluminum/polycarbonate composite.
Lunar bulk sample trace element contents and kreep

The geochemical coherence of KREEP-related labile (Cl) and refractory (F, K, P, and REE) elements in lunar soils is shown to provide some insights into the evolution of the lunar samples studied. Thus, this coherence may help define the physical conditions under which the samples evolved. These conditions range from high temperatures and relatively open systems for mare basalts to moderate temperatures and closed systems for KREEP-related material. The water leachable Cl may be the residuum of the Cl-containing phase with which mare and KREEP source material equilibrated.
Precise interprocedural chopping

The notion of a program slice, originally introduced by Mark Weiser, is a fundamental operation for addressing many software-engineering problems, including program understanding, debugging, maintenance, testing, and merging. A slice determines either all program elements that might affect a given element (“backward slicing”) or all elements that could be affected by a given element (“forward slicing”). Jackson and Rollins introduced a related operation, called program chopping, which is a kind of “filtered” slice: Chopping answers questions of the form “What are all the program elements v that serve to transmit effects from a given source element s to a given target element t?” However, Jackson and Rollins defineonly a limited form of chopping: Among other restrictions, they impose the restriction that s and t be in the same procedure. This paper solves the unrestricted interprocedural chopping problem, as well as a variety of other useful variants of interprocedural chopping.
Use of subcutaneous silastic implants for the study of 11β, 17α, 21-trihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione(cortisol) metabolism

Abstract Capsules prepared from polydimethylsiloxane (PDS) tubing and containing tritium labeled 11β, 17α, 21-trihydroxy-4-pregnene-3, 20-dione (cortisol) were implanted subcutaneously in six mongrel dogs. In vivo diffusion rates were found to decline at a single exponential rate after a period of rapid, initial change. Diffusion of the steroid from the capsule provided an exogenous marker which can be used for the continuous monitoring of metabolic clearance rates and production rates in the normal state and during metabolic insults. Comparison of the temporal aspects of plasma radioactive concentration and excretion of radioactivity suggests the existence of a tightly bound plasma component serving as a reservoir of cortisol.
Explaining the Paradox of Puerto Rican Segregation

Previous research has shown that Puerto Ricans are highly segregated from nonHispanic whites and moderately segregated from blacks, with socioeconomic factors having no effect on these patterns. These findings are opposite those observed for other Hispanic groups and contradict the fundamental tenets of ecological theory. This paper explains these anomalous patterns and brings results for Puerto Ricans into conformity with prior theory and research on residential segregation. The Puerto Rican anomaly stems from their very low SES and their black ancestry. Low social status leads directly to high segregation, while a high percent of blacks among Puerto Ricans draws them strongly towards residence near nonHispanic blacks. Since Anglos avoid living near blacks, Puerto Ricans become bystander victims of Anglos' racial prejudice, leading to their residential segregation in society. Several observers have noted the paradoxical nature of Puerto Rican residential segregation in New York City. Kantrowitz (a) pointed out that, unlike other ethnic groups, Puerto Ricans have a relatively low degree of spatial separation from blacks, but are highly segregated from native whites. His findings were echoed by those of Rosenberg and Lake, who found that Puerto Rican segregation did not fit either the assimilation model, derived from the presumed experience of European ethnics, or the ecological model of invasion and succession, which described the black experience. Specifically, Puerto Rican segregation did not decline as social distance from Anglos1 lessened, but on the other hand it was not based on an underlying process of rapid residential turnover either. In subsequent research, Massey (b,c,d) confirmed the existence of a distinctly Puerto Rican segregation pattern, one characterized by an unusually high degree
Rhythmical Variations Accompanying Gustatory Stimulation Observed by Means of Localization Phenomena

When two taste stimuli are presented, one to each side of the tongue, with a time delay of up to 1 msec., the taste sensation seems to move across the tongue. This phenomenon which is similar to directional hearing, can be used to show periodic fluctuations in sensation magnitude as well as other aspects of sensation. When the apparatus was refined to present taste stimuli, it was possible to observe rhythmic changes in the perception of taste. An analogy is demonstrated between hearing and taste sensation, even to some quantitative values.
RELATIVELY HIGH PREVALENCE OF POX-LIKE LESIONS IN HENSLOW'S SPARROW (AMMODRAMMUS HENSLOWII) AMONG NINE SPECIES OF MIGRATORY GRASSLAND PASSERINES IN WISCONSIN, USA

Abstract Globally, Avipoxvirus species affect over 230 species of wild birds and can significantly impair survival. During banding of nine grassland songbird species (n = 346 individuals) in southwestern Wisconsin, USA, we noted species with a 2–6% prevalence of pox-like lesions (possible evidence of current infection) and 4–10% missing digits (potential evidence of past infection). These prevalences approach those recorded among island endemic birds (4–9% and 9–20% for the Galapagos and Hawaii, respectively) for which Avipoxvirus species have been implicated as contributing to dramatic population declines. Henslow's Sparrow Ammodramus henslowii (n = 165 individuals) had the highest prevalence of lesions (6.1%) and missing digits (9.7%). Among a subset of 26 Henslow's Sparrows from which blood samples were obtained, none had detectable antibody reactive to fowlpox virus antigen. However, four samples (18%) had antibody to canarypox virus antigen with test sample and negative control ratios (P/N values) ra...
EVALUATING POPULATION ESTIMATES OF MOUNTAIN GOATS BASED ON CITIZEN SCIENCE

Citizen science programs that use trained volunteers may be a cost-effective method for monitoring wildlife at large scales. However, few studies have compared data collected by volunteers versus biologists. In Glacier National Park (GNP), Montana, USA, we assessed whether citizen science is a useful method to monitor mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) populations. We compared estimates of mountain goat abundance by volunteers at 32 sites throughout GNP with estimates by biologists and aerial surveys at a subset of 25 and 11 sites, respectively. We used multiple-observer surveys to calibrate the indices of abundance at each site for observer variation between volunteers and biologists. We used N-mixture models to obtain estimates of abundance across all sites. Population estimates by citizen scientists overlapped estimates by biologists. Density estimates from aerial surveys were lower than ground estimates. Mean detection probability from multiple-observer surveys for biologists was significantly higher and less variable than that of volunteers. More frequent site visits balanced out lower detection probability by volunteers and resulted in abundance estimates that were less variable than those of biologists. When large spatial and temporal coverage can be achieved, citizen science can provide mountain goat population estimates that are statistically similar to those of biologists. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
RIGHT HEART ENLARGEMENT IN HEARTWORM‐INFECTED DOGS

Radiographically, the size of the right ventricle of 54 heartworm-infected dogs was graded subjectively as normal, 1 +, 2 +, and 3 + and served to classify the dogs into groups A, B, C, and D. With M-mode echocardiograms, right ventricular enlargement ratios (RVE ratios) were determined for each dog by dividing the measured right ventricular internal diastolic dimension (RVIDd) by the expected RVIDd of a normal dog of the same body weight. The normal RVIDd relation to body weight was derived from 25 healthy heartworm-free control dogs. These two variables were linearly related with a correlation coefficient r2= 0.59. Means and standard deviations of the RVE ratio were calculated for each group. Despite wide ranges and considerable overlap, the ratio was significantly different (t-test, p < 0.005) between groups with the exception of groups A and B, and C and D. The incidence of electrocardiographic signs of right ventricular hypertrophy was also determined for each group; it was 38% in group C and 62% in group D. From this data, it was concluded that M-mode echocardiography is a very sensitive technique for the documentation of right ventricular dilatation in heartworm-infected dogs, correlating with radiographic impressions of right ventricular enlargement.
A brief essay on the nature of (and in) environmental policy

Environmental policy-making is a human values-based process that relies on the production of scientific data and information and effective facilitation and advocacy. It is always essentially a political process and always involves tradeoffs among objectives and impacts. It is at its heart a design process—a design for human behavior, through governance institutions, for living with a biophysical environment whose ultimate configuration will be determined largely by human values and behavior. This thesis is explored within the general perspective of the “total ecology”—biophysical, human, and institutional—of environmental issues.
Calculating daily mean air temperatures by different methods: implications from a non-linear algorithm ☆

Abstract Daily mean air temperature is used as an independent variable in algorithms describing many biological applications. These algorithms are usually of a non-linear nature. The questions addressed in this study were: is there a difference in the daily mean air temperature calculated by different methods and what is the impact of the various calculation methods on a non-linear algorithm? The empirical coefficient in the non-linear algorithm used in this study was determined from a daily mean air temperature based on the mean of 24 hourly mean temperature values. Daily mean air temperature was calculated by five methods: mean hourly (Hourly); three equally spaced hourly mean observations weighted with the last observation (Weighted); 3 h mean temperatures (Mean 3 hour); the algorithm used in the CERES family of crop simulation models (CERES), and the mean of the maximum and minimum daily temperatures (Max/Min). It was assumed that the Hourly method best represented the daily mean air temperature and the other methods were compared to it. Two forms of air temperature were used in a non-linear algorithm; a sequential approach where the algorithm was run as many times as the number of individual temperature values used in each method, the results then averaged; and a single daily mean air temperature value. This non-linear algorithm was evaluated over a wide range of locations, ranging in elevation from 2.4 to 1252 m and annual precipitation from 108 to 1820 mm. There was little difference in daily mean air temperatures between the different methods. However, there were large differences in responses from the non-linear algorithm when using any sequential approach when compared to the single daily mean temperature values. The Mean 3 hour method worked well in all locations. The CERES method worked well except for two locations characterized by high mean annual maximum and minimum temperatures. These results do not mean that the sequential approaches are inappropriate, just that the temperature method used to determine empirical coefficients in the non-linear algorithm must be consistently used in all applications. These results are a guide to different methods used to calculate daily mean air temperature and the range of possible results when used in a non-linear algorithm. Although a specific example was used in this study, the results are relevant to any non-linear algorithm containing empirically determined coefficients.
The Use of Spatially Random Base Stations in Cloud Radio Access Networks

In this letter, the performance of distributed antenna arrays is characterized in cloud radio access networks with spatially random base stations (BSs). Beamforming is compared to BS selection first, and then the minimal number of BSs to meet a predefined quality of service is analyzed, where stochastic geometry is used to capture the dynamic nature of BS locations.
Exogenous Conjugated Linoleic Acid Isomers Reduce Bovine Milk Fat Concentration and Yield by Inhibiting De Novo Fatty Acid Synthesis

Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is a potent anticarcinogen secreted in milk of ruminants, but it inhibits de novo fatty acid synthesis and desaturation in mammary cell cultures. The potential for increasing CLA content of milk fat and the effects of elevated CLA availability on milk fat secretion were investigated. Four Holstein cows were used in a single crossover design with repeated measures to determine milk fatty acid concentration in response to a 24-h infusion of 200 g linoleic acid (LA) or a mixture of 100 g LA plus 100 g CLA (LCLA). Milk and blood samples were obtained 12 h before infusion and at 12-h intervals from 0 to 72 h. Compared with LA infusion, total CLA concentration in blood plasma at 24 h in response to LCLA was elevated fivefold, whereas CLA content of plasma triglycerides was increased 10-fold. Milk fat yield from 24 to 72 h was approximately 34% lower in response to LCLA compared with LA, due primarily to reduced yield of fatty acids with six to 16 carbons. Amount of CLA in milk increased from 0.5 g/100 g total fatty acids at 0 h to 3.3 g/100 g at 36 h in response to LCLA. Concentration of stearic acid in milk fat at 36 h in response to LCLA was nearly double the stearic acid concentration in response to LA. Oleic and arachidonic acid concentrations in milk declined as stearic acid increased in response to LCLA. Results indicated CLA content of milk fat reflects the amount available for absorption from the small intestine, and CLA appeared to be a potent inhibitor of de novo fatty acid synthesis and desaturation in the mammary gland.
GRISTO: an integrated learning experience in Gross Anatomy and Histology for Dental Students, learning outcomes and student perspectives on curriculum change (532.4)

In a major curriculum revision we unified two separate disciplines (Gross Anatomy and Histology) into a combined course with integrated methods of instruction and assessment (GRISTO). Through creat...
Place as a positive reflection of self

This thesis is about the relevance of interior design to our complex and fundamental relationship to place, by defining placeness and its significance to self. Environmental psychology asserts that it is inaccurate to talk about a person outside of his or her context. Designers are essentially striving for a meaningful “personenvironment fit” and creating a womb with a view, therefore nurturing and reflecting who we are and our priorities, positively (Gallagher, 2006). The study of home and place is entwined with several areas including: sociology, anthropology, psychology, human geography, history, architecture, and philosophy (Mallett, 2004). This study is about creating a sense of place through interior design that reflects self through innate needs related to Maslow’s hierarchy and preferences, related to portrayed self. Through this creation of placeness, we create the tools for an individual’s higher self and their environmental communication of that self with themselves and others. Environmental cues are meant to elicit appropriate emotions, interpretations, and behaviors, therefore communicating through the setting the most appropriate choices to be made for the situations and contexts (Rapoport, 1982).
Absence of the Filarial Endosymbiont Wolbachia in Seal Heartworm (Acanthocheilonema spirocauda) but Evidence of Ancient Lateral Gene Transfer

Abstract The symbiotic relationship of Wolbachia spp. was first observed in insects and subsequently in many parasitic filarial nematodes. This bacterium is believed to provide metabolic and developmental assistance to filarial parasitic nematodes, although the exact nature of this relationship remains to be fully elucidated. While Wolbachia is present in most filarial nematodes in the family Onchocercidae, it is absent in several disparate species such as the human parasite Loa loa. All tested members of the genus Acanthocheilonema, such as Acanthocheilonema viteae, have been shown to lack Wolbachia. Consistent with this, we show that Wolbachia is absent from the seal heartworm (Acanthocheilonema spirocauda), but lateral gene transfer (LGT) of DNA sequences between Wolbachia and A. spirocauda has occurred, indicating a past evolutionary association. Seal heartworm is an important pathogen of phocid seals and understanding its basic biology is essential for conservation of the host. The findings presented...
Responder Technology Alert Monthly (January 2015)

As part of technology foraging for the Responder Technology Alliance, established by the Department of Homeland Science and Technologies First Responders Group, this report summarizes technologies that are relevant in the area of “wearables,” with the potential for use by first responders. The content was collected over the previous month(s) and reproduced from a general Internet search using the term wearables. Additional information is available at the websites provided. This report is not meant to be an exhaustive list nor an endorsement of any technology described herein. Rather, it is meant to provide useful information about current developments in the areas wearable technology.
Spontaneous axial subluxation in a child as the first sign of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

In a case of spontaneous atlanto-axial subluxation occurring at the onset of juvenxile rheumatoid arthritis, the cause was not diagnosed until after fusions had been performed, other joints were affected, and synovial biopsy was done. A review of the literature revealed only one similar case in a child although there frequently is involvement of the cervical spine during the course of chronic rheumatoid arthritis. In the present case, a posterior cervical fusion was performed because of signs of cervical-cord compression. This procedure gave relief.
Comparison of two quantitative fit-test methods using N95 filtering facepiece respirators

Current regulations require annual fit testing before an employee can wear a respirator during work activities. The goal of this research is to determine whether respirator fit measured with two TSI Portacount instruments simultaneously sampling ambient particle concentrations inside and outside of the respirator facepiece is similar to fit measured during an ambient aerosol condensation nuclei counter quantitative fit test. Sixteen subjects (ten female; six male) were recruited for a range of facial sizes. Each subject donned an N95 filtering facepiece respirator, completed two fit tests in random order (ambient aerosol condensation nuclei counter quantitative fit test and two-instrument real-time fit test) without removing or adjusting the respirator between tests. Fit tests were compared using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients. The real-time two-instrument method fit factors were similar to those measured with the single-instrument quantitative fit test. The first four exercises were highly correlated (r > 0.7) between the two protocols. Respirator fit was altered during the talking or grimace exercise, both of which involve facial movements that could dislodge the facepiece. Our analyses suggest that the new real-time two-instrument methodology can be used in future studies to evaluate fit before and during work activities.
Attributes of patient-centered primary care associated with the public perception of good healthcare quality in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and El Salvador

This study evaluated primary care attributes of patient-centered care associated with the public perception of good quality in Brazil, Colombia, Mexico and El Salvador. We conducted a secondary data analysis of a Latin American survey on public perceptions and experiences with healthcare systems. The primary care attributes examined were access, coordination, provider-patient communication, provision of health-related information and emotional support. A double-weighted multiple Poisson regression with robust variance model was performed. The study included between 1500 and 1503 adults in each country. The results identified four significant gaps in the provision of primary care: not all respondents had a regular place of care or a regular primary care doctor (Brazil 35.7%, Colombia 28.4%, Mexico 22% and El Salvador 45.4%). The communication with the primary care clinic was difficult (Brazil 44.2%, Colombia 41.3%, Mexico 45.1% and El Salvador 56.7%). There was a lack of coordination of care (Brazil 78.4%, Colombia 52.3%, Mexico 48% and El Salvador 55.9%). Also, there was a lack of information about healthy diet (Brazil 21.7%, Colombia 32.9%, Mexico 16.9% and El Salvador 20.8%). The public's perception of good quality was variable (Brazil 67%, Colombia 71.1%, Mexico 79.6% and El Salvador 79.5%). The primary care attributes associated with the perception of good quality were a primary care provider 'who knows relevant information about a patient's medical history', 'solves most of the health problems', 'spends enough time with the patient', 'coordinates healthcare' and a 'primary care clinic that is easy to communicate with'. In conclusion, the public has a positive perception of the quality of primary care, although it has unfulfilled expectations; further efforts are necessary to improve the provision of patient-centered primary care services in these four Latin American countries.
Effect of Optical Brighteners on the Efficacy of Gypsy Moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus in Forest Plots with High or Low Levels of Natural Virus

Doses of a standard formulation of Gypchek (gypsy moth NPV) containing the sunscreen Orzan and a sticker were evaluated against gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.), along with experimental aqueous formulations of Gypchek in which Orzan was replaced by stilbene disulfonic acid optical brighteners, Phorwite AR (1991) or Blankophor BBH (1992), that had acted as potentiating agents for the virus in laboratory tests. The treatments were applied to gypsy-moth-infested small (0.02 hal forest plots where preliminary studies had demonstrated high (1991) or low (1992) levels of natural gypsy moth NPV. In 1991, treatments included two lower concentrations of Gypchek with the formulation containing Orzan as well as the formulation containing Phorwite AR. In 1992, treatments were the lower dose of Gypchek with two levels of Blankophor BBH, one dose of cell-culture-produced gypsy moth NPV with one level of Blankophor BBH, Blankophor BBH alone, and untreated control plots. The 1991 treatments containing Phorwite AR had significantly higher levels of gypsy moth larval mortality and significantly reduced LT50S compared with equivalent treatments containing Orzan. The Phorwite AR increased the mortality of gypsy moths (caused by the natural virus) to that of the high dose of applied virus without Phorwite AR. In 1992, all treatments containing Blankophor BBH with the low dose of virus had levels of gypsy moth larval mortality equal to or higher than the standard formulation with the higher dose of virus, significantly higher levels of gypsy moth larval mortality than the standard fomlulation with the lower dose of virus, and significantly reduced LT50S compared with either of the treatments containing Orzan. Natural gypsy moth NPV levels remained low in the control plots, and Blankophor BBH applied alone significantly increased the mortality of gypsy moths.
The pathogenesis of membranous nephropathy: evolution and revolution.

Purpose of review The morphological features of membranous nephropathy have been recognized for over five decades, but the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying this lesion in humans have only recently been elucidated. This review analyzes the recent developments in understanding the pathogenesis of the primary and secondary forms of membranous nephropathy. Recent findings Seminal studies have identified several autologous antigens that are targets of an autoantibody response in primary membranous nephropathy. The leading candidate autoantigen is M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) protein. Autoantibodies to PLA2R, usually of IgG4 subclass, are found in 70-80% of patients with primary membranous nephropathy, bind to conformational epitopes on PLA2R expressed in the glomerular podocyte, form immune complexes in situ and induce proteinuria, mostly likely via local activation of complement. The autoimmune response is governed by genes at the HLA-DQA1 locus. The level of autoantibody to PLA2R correlates with the severity of the clinical disease and predicts recurrences in renal allografts (at least in some patients). Most forms of secondary membranous nephropathy appear to be due to distinctly different pathogenetic mechanisms. Summary The identification of target antigens provides new tools for diagnosis, prognosis and monitoring of therapy in human membranous nephropathy.
Outcome of surgery for recurrent pyogenic cholangitis: a single center experience.

Background Although, recurrent pyogenic cholangitis (RPC) is prevalent in several parts of India, there is paucity of published literature from India. The aim of this study was to report on the short and long-term outcomes of surgery for RPC.
Price and Quality Value: Impacts on Store and Service Satisfaction

Previous research has not fully considered how value and satisfaction may in combination contribute to satisfaction and loyalty (Kumar et al. 2013). The present research considers multiple dimensions of value and satisfaction. Value is measured based on price value and quality value (Sweeney and Soutar 2001). Customer satisfaction is also measured in two dimensions, store satisfaction which contains elements related to the store including the merchandise that is sold, and service satisfaction which relates to the customer’s interaction with store personnel and the customer service that they experience (Dabholkar et al. 1996; Mittal et al. 1999). The inclusion of value with satisfaction as determinants of loyalty addresses calls in the literature for this type of research that explains loyalty beyond the satisfaction antecedent alone (Kumar et al. 2013).
Mentoring the Next Generation of Higher Education Professionals

ABSTRACTThe loss of significant faculty members comes at a time when public and community expectations for institutions of higher learning have expanded. Public skepticism and the demands for accountability have resulted in greater attention being given to learning outcomes, subject matter, knowledge, proficiency, and capability. This article adds to our understanding of how graduate school operates as a socialization process for individuals who seek an academic career in higher education. Moreover, this article will focus specifically on the challenge of preparing and socializing doctoral students of color to the academy. New expectations require that substantive changes take place in the socialization process of graduate doctoral students in kinesiology if new faculty are to experience an academic environment that is rewarding.
An exact and efficient algorithm for segmentation of ARX models

We consider the problem of segmentation of autoregressive models with exogenous inputs (ARX models). This problem, where the goal is to determine the parameters of a sequence of ARX models that can explain a given input/output data within some noise bound, has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Most of the recently proposed approaches are based on convex relaxations. Although efficient, these approaches do not necessarily lead to optimal solutions. In the present paper, by exploiting some early results in dynamic programming, we show that an optimal solution can indeed be obtained in polynomial-time. One salient feature of the proposed approach is that exploration of the model complexity/quality of the fit trade-off space comes with negligible additional computational cost. We discuss several other properties of the proposed approach and compare it with existing approaches on numerical examples, which show that the proposed approach is consistently faster.
Absence of T-Cell Receptor Gene Rearrangements Predicts Induction Failure in Pediatric T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Abstract 910 [][1] Despite modern intensive therapy, 25% of children with T-ALL will develop treatment-resistant disease, which carries a dismal prognosis. However, no clinical or biologic features have been found to predict prognosis robustly enough to be incorporated into current clinical protocols. The inability to accurately identify patients at high risk of treatment failure at the time of diagnosis is a major impediment to further improvements in outcome in T-ALL, as patients at high risk of treatment failure, who would probably benefit from the introduction of novel therapeutic agents, cannot be differentiated from those who might be cured with reduced-intensity regimens. In an effort to identify genomic alterations present at the time of diagnosis that would predict response to therapy, we performed array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) on DNA extracted from diagnostic specimens from 47 children with T-ALL treated on either Children's Oncology Group Protocol 9404 or DFCI ALL Consortium Protocol 00-001, which are very similar regimens. The samples analyzed included all of the specimens available from cases in which therapy failed, comprising 9 induction failure and 13 relapse cases, and a control group of 25 long-term event-free survivors. The absence of deletions of genomic DNA at the TCRg, TCRb, and TCRa/TCRd loci at the time of diagnosis, indicating that V(D)J recombination had not occurred, was associated with induction failure, as was deletion of the CDKN2A tumor suppressor locus. The absence of TCRg and TCRb deletions were also associated with inferior event-free and overall survival. The lack of T cell receptor rearrangements in these cases indicates that PCR-based minimal residual disease testing may not be useful in these high-risk cases. The most robust marker of treatment failure identified, lack of homozygous TCRg rearrangement, strongly predicted induction failure (75% vs. 8%, P = 0.0002), inferior event-free survival ( P = 0.0009) and inferior overall survival ( P < 0.0001) in these patients. Our findings were validated using quantitative DNA PCR, an assay that is readily suited to clinical applications. Analysis of gene expression data demonstrated that the group of cases identified by lack of TCR rearrangement showed significant biologic overlap with the high-risk “early T-cell precursor” subtype of T-ALL recently identified using gene expression profiling. Taken together, these data indicate that a subset of T-ALL patients with a very poor response to contemporary therapy can be accurately identified at the time of diagnosis, raising the possibility that alternative therapies can be administered early in treatment to this high group of patients in order to improve their outcome. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare. [1]: #fn-2
Tribological and rheological characterisation of asphalt binders at different temperatures

Asphalt binder works as a binding by creating a thin film around the aggregate in asphalt pavement. Binder lubricity reduces the friction between aggregate particles and provides a better wear prot...
IDEA at Age Forty: Weathering Common Core Standards and Data Driven Decision Making.

Special education, a discipline that aims to provide specialized instruction to meet the unique needs of each child with a disability, has turned 40 years old in the United States. Ever since the passage of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142) in 1975, every state has been directed to provide a free and appropriate education for all students with disabilities (Gallagher, 2000; Rothstein, 1995). The focus of this paper is to revisit the foundations of the special education movement in the United States to show how special education has progressed since 1975. The current Race to the Top movement impacts school districts across the nation, creating great concern about what this means for students with disabilities and how it affects their struggle to succeed within the public school domain. In fact, after 40 years, (P.L. 94-142) known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA, is the current high stakes standards and assessment climate taking the “special” out of special education?
Toward real-time tumor margin identification in image-guided robotic brain tumor resection

For patients with malignant brain tumors (glioblastomas), a safe maximal resection of tumor is critical for an increased survival rate. However, complete resection of the cancer is hard to achieve due to the invasive nature of these tumors, where the margins of the tumors become blurred from frank tumor to more normal brain tissue, but in which single cells or clusters of malignant cells may have invaded. Recent developments in fluorescence imaging techniques have shown great potential for improved surgical outcomes by providing surgeons intraoperative contrast-enhanced visual information of tumor in neurosurgery. The current near-infrared (NIR) fluorophores, such as indocyanine green (ICG), cyanine5.5 (Cy5.5), 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA)-induced protoporphyrin IX (PpIX), are showing clinical potential to be useful in targeting and guiding resections of such tumors. Real-time tumor margin identification in NIR imaging could be helpful to both surgeons and patients by reducing the operation time and space required by other imaging modalities such as intraoperative MRI, and has the potential to integrate with robotically assisted surgery. In this paper, a segmentation method based on the Chan-Vese model was developed for identifying the tumor boundaries in an ex-vivo mouse brain from relatively noisy fluorescence images acquired by a multimodal scanning fiber endoscope (mmSFE). Tumor contours were achieved iteratively by minimizing an energy function formed by a level set function and the segmentation model. Quantitative segmentation metrics based on tumor-to-background (T/B) ratio were evaluated. Results demonstrated feasibility in detecting the brain tumor margins at quasi-real-time and has the potential to yield improved precision brain tumor resection techniques or even robotic interventions in the future.
Measuring Firm Performance at the Network Level: A Nomology of the Business Impact of Digital Supply Networks

For decades, information technology has been posited to have a major impact on firm performance. Investigations into this line of inquiry have almost always used constructs related to individual firm performance as their dependent measures, an approach that made sense under historical economic conditions. In recent years, however, value chains are giving way to digital supply networks with electronic interactions between tiers in the flow of goods and services. Such an environment makes it imperative to develop sophisticated measures of the performance of entire networks of firms, as opposed to individual firm performance. Using game-theoretic concepts, this paper explores several dimensions of networked organizational performance as a construct, as a set of measures, and as a construct within a nomology. It describes a program of research in which some empirical validation has already been completed and other work is now underway. We first validate measures for a dyadic view of network performance, followed by an n-firm perspective.
Preferred methods for innovative concept generation in engineering

A variety of different techniques for creative problem solving are commonly taught to engineers and designers. When one method is viewed in isolation, it is difficult to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each relative to the others. Some creative problem solving approaches work better for certain types of engineers, and others work better for others. In this study, all of the major innovative design methods were taught to engineers, and they were challenged to apply each method to a different design problem. Then, the results of each method were evaluated to determine which techniques were the most useful, most productive, and well received by the engineers, and why.
Behavioral Fault Localization by Sampling Suspicious Dynamic Control Flow Subgraphs

We present a new algorithm, Score Weighted Random Walks (SWRW), for behavioral fault localization. Behavioral fault localization localizes faults (bugs) in programs to a group of interacting program elements such as basic blocks or functions. SWRW samples suspicious (or discriminative) subgraphs from basic-block level dynamic control flow graphs collected during the execution of passing and failing tests. The suspiciousness of a subgraph may be measured by any one of a family of new metrics adapted from probabilistic formulations of existing coverage-based statistical fault localization metrics. We conducted an empirical evaluation of SWRW with nine subgraph-suspiciousness measures on five real-world subject programs. The results indicate that SWRW outperforms previous fault localization techniques based on discriminative subgraph mining.