cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The ABCs of No Child Left Behind: Accountability, Benefits and Controversies

Aiming to address major inequalities and shortcomings within the American education establishment, the Elementary and Secondary Act of 2002 (No Child Left Behind Act, NCLB) propelled the Federal Government to an unprecedented commitment into public education. Since its inception, criticism has mounted from educators to policymakers, claiming that NCLB is an â€œunfunded mandateâ€ that actually inhibits public education. Proponents respond that the accountability measures and goals of NCLB are long overdue. This policy paper analyzes the core controversies of NCLB and offers additional proposals to improve public education in America. To borrow from a recent president, the paperâ€™s recommended approach to NCLB is â€œmend it, donâ€™t end it.â€
Neoplasms of the Small Intestine, Vermiform Appendix, and Peritoneum and Carcinoma of the Colon and Rectum

Overview Cancers of the small bowel, large bowel, and appendix compromise a multitude of distinct pathologic entities and clinical presentations. While tumors of the small bowel are uncommon with <3% of all alimentary tract tumors and 0.4% of all malignancies arise in the small bowel, colon cancer is the third most common malignant tumor and the fourth most common cause of cancer death worldwide. Although adenocarcinoma remains the common pathology, many advances have been made regarding our diagnoses and management of carcinoid tumors and even to a larger degree in gastrointestinal stromal tumors. Additional advances include our understanding of genetics, new imaging modalities, and minimally invasive surgeries. This chapter will provide a comprehensive review of the management and treatment of cancers of the small bowel, large bowel, and appendix. Keywords: adenocarcinoma; carcinoid; GIST ; laparoscopic colectomy; appendiceal cancer; chemotherapy for colon cancer
Application of mathematical programming to metal cutting

In this paper, a general problem involving the single-pass, single-point turning operation is introduced. Different mathematical models and solution approaches for solving various single objective problems are described. The mathematical properties of the minimization of cost and maximization of production rate solutions are discussed in detail. The solution approaches used are differential calculus, linear programming, and geometric programming. Finally, a multiple criteria machining problem is formulated and solved using goal programming techniques.
Abstract 19972: Use of Whole Exome Sequencing for the Identification of Ito Based Arrhythmia Mechanism and Therapy

Background: Identified genetic variants are insufficient to explain all cases of inherited arrhythmia. We tested whether the integration of whole exome sequencing with well-established clinical, translational, and basic science platforms could provide rapid and novel insight into human arrhythmia pathophysiology and disease treatment. Methods and Results: We report a proband with recurrent ventricular fibrillation, resistant to standard therapeutic interventions. Using whole-exome sequencing, we identified a variant in a previously unidentified exon of the dipeptidyl aminopeptidase-like protein-6 (DPP6) gene. This variant is the first identified coding mutation in DPP6 and augments cardiac repolarizing current (Ito) causing pathological changes in Ito and action potential morphology. We designed a therapeutic regimen incorporating dalfampridine to target Ito. Dalfampridine, approved for multiple sclerosis, normalized the ECG and reduced arrhythmia burden in the proband by >90-fold. This was combined with ...
Crystal Growth — Ostwald Ripening

The silver halide crystals of photographic emulsions are precipitated from solutions of halides and silver salts. For example, if we mix solutions of silver nitrate (AgNO3) and potassium bromide (KBr), the following reaction takes place:
Carbon Sources for the In-Vivo Nitrate Reductase Activity in Azospirillum Brasilense Cells

Carbon sources representative of various entry pathways of carbon metabolism viz. fructose, gluconate, glucose and TCA cycle intermediates were used as energy sources to study the invivo nitrate reductase activity in whole cells of A brasilense ATCC 29145. Enzyme activity was linear when using cells grown and immediately assayed using nutrient broth. Organic acids such as malate, succinate, pyruvate, and gluconate were all effective as sources of energy for the reduction of nitrate to nitrite under aerobic conditions. Among the carbohydrates, glucose and sucrose could not support nitrate reduction, while fructose was able to supply energy after a lag of 10–20 minutes. This lag was also observed when using organic acids.
Photochemistry of Nanostructured Materials for Energy Applications

A number of major disciplines have separately developed as distinctfields of energy research utilizing nanostructure materials: i.Heterogeneous photocatalysis; ii. Photoelectrochemistry—includingelectrochemical photovoltaic cells; iii. Photochemistry in zeolites andintercalated materials; iv. Photochemistry of thin films andmembranes—including self assembled structures; and v. Supramolecularphotochemistry. Photophysical properties of small particles, in the angstromto nanosized regime—depending on specific material, resulting in bandgap broadening as compared to bulk properties, and corresponding phenomenawith organic dyes as a function of aggregate size having relevance to energyrelated applications are discussed, as are dielectric confinement effectscontrolling the geometric distribution of light absorption within aparticle, aggregate or adsorbed molecular deposit. Synergism among fieldshas emerged, as for example with transition metal oxide photocatalysts andphotoelectrodes, combined with supramolecular spectral sensitizingtransition metal ligand complexes used to harvest light and vectoriallytransfer photo-generated electrons and holes along selected energeticpathways. Two systems have already demonstrated potential for significantlyreducing reliance on fossil fuels and concomitant environmental stress.These are: i. Pollution remediation with wide band gap semiconductingparticulate and nanoporous photocatalysts; and ii. Electrochemicalphotovoltaic cells utilizing nanoporous semiconducting electrodes fabricatedby lightly sintering nanosized TiOA2E particulates, followed byspectral sensitization with tri-nuclear ruthenium ligand dyes.Heterojunction contacts between inorganic photoconducting particulates,termed photocatalytic diodes, and three phase systems, termed photocatalytictransistors, have been demonstrated to increase photocatalytic conversionefficiency in catalytic processes and to increase light sensitivity ofanalogous silver halide photographic systems. Research being carried out inlaboratories throughout the world, aimed at improving the efficiency andunderstanding of the multi-disciplinary processes involved are described.Suggested areas of investigation for achievement of short (∼5 years) andlong term (5–20 years) goals are reviewed.
Abstract 2075: Whole genome sequence analysis informs precision medicine of pediatric cancers

Several recent studies (including BASIC3, iCAT, INFORM, PEDS-MIONCOSEQ) have used whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA-seq in order to identify targetable chromosomal alterations in a large variety of pediatric cancers. Few studies have attempted to evaluate whether a more comprehensive approach including WGS and RNA-seq could be used to identify novel events relevant to the pathogenesis of advanced pediatric cancer. We analyzed a total of 59 patients (37 solid tumors, 11 brain tumors, and 10 leukemia/lymphomas) to determine the feasibility of using whole-genome sequencing (WGS) technology in conjunction with RNA-seq in order to identify actionable/druggable alterations in the pediatric cancer genomes. WGS analysis has been performed on 75 samples, that were collected from 45 patients, either at diagnosis or at relapse. For WGS analysis of germline-tumor pairs, after performing the sequence alignment with BWA-MEM to gender-specific hg38 genomes, we have used and verified a set of computational methods: 1) MuTect2 for SNV calling, 2) cn.mops for CNV calling, 3) DELLY and LUMPY for SV calling. Here we present our findings on the sets of SNV, CNV, SV, and gene fusions that we have identified by WGSA and RNA-seq, respectively, with a particular emphasis on the druggable alterations, and on the tumor response in the murine PDX models of the pediatric cancers. Consistent with previous observations, the mutational burden across pediatric cancers was low. While common mutations were identified, there was a long-tail of mutations that occurred at a low frequency. As anticipated, samples obtained post-chemotherapy had a higher mutational burden than treatment naive samples. TP53 was the most commonly mutated gene, but we also identified SNVs in other genes commonly mutated in cancer, such as ASXL1, NOTCH2, and RB1. Other novel recurring variants were discovered, further analysis of which is ongoing. Our results indicate that integrated WGS and RNA-seq analysis is feasible in the clinical setting and can reliably identify variants reported on commercially available gene panel testing. However, this approach also resulted in additional clinically relevant findings and allows for novel discovery that will further advance our understanding of these rare and highly aggressive pediatric malignancies. Citation Format: Bogdan Tanasa, Alex Lee, Marcus Breese, Avanthi Shah, Stan Leung, Heng-Yi Liu, Aviv Spillinger, Kimberly Hazard, Arun Rangaswami, Sheri Spunt, Norm Lacayo, Tabitha Cooney, Eric Alejandro Sweet-Cordero. Whole genome sequence analysis informs precision medicine of pediatric cancers [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2075.
203 Newly designed liposome nanoparticles for drug delivery into boar spermatozoa

Liposomes are spherical vesicles with a membrane composed of at least one phospholipid bilayer. They have been successfully applied for intracellular drug or genetic material delivery in many biomedical areas. In agriculture, however, their use to produce transgenic farm animals through exogenous DNA transfection of spermatozoa remains unsatisfactory. Here, we tested a newly designed liposome preparation for effective and harmless interactions with boar spermatozoa. Extended fresh boar semen samples were gently centrifuged (N = 3 independent replicates), and sperm pellets were resuspended in PBS. Sperm concentrations were then adjusted to 2 × 108 mL−1 and aliquoted in 0.5 mL for labelling with various doses of fluorescent liposomes (0, 15, 30, or 60 µg), for plasma membrane labelling (Experiment 1) or with nonfluorescent liposomes loaded with doxorubicin (0 or 60 µg) having natural fluorescence property, for nucleus labelling (Experiment 2). After co-incubation for 45 to 60 min at 37°C, sperm aliquots of each treatment were immediately evaluated for motility and morphology characteristics using a computer-assisted sperm analyzer. Remaining sperm-liposome mixtures were centrifuged to remove the excess of liposomes, and pelleted spermatozoa were imaged with the In vivo Imaging System (IVIS: PerkinElmer, Waltham, MA, USA) and fluorescence confocal laser microscope (LSCM; Zeiss, Oberkochen, Germany). Data were statistically analysed using one-way ANOVA or Student’s t-test, with P 0.05). The microscope imaging revealed sperm-liposome interactions with displayed sperm membrane and nucleus fluorescence in Experiments 1 and 2, respectively. The proportion of stained cells in each experiment is in evaluation by flow cytometry. In conclusion, the newly designed liposomes were effective for simple interactions with the plasma membrane and molecule delivery to boar spermatozoa, while improving sperm motility. Further studies are ongoing with the replacement of doxorubicin with a DNA fragment. This work was supported by USDA-ARS Biophotonics Initiative #58-6402-3-018.
Hydroelectric Infrastructure and Potential Groundwater Contamination in the Brazilian Amazon: Altamira and the Belo Monte Dam

Heavy investments in hydroelectric development are occurring throughout the Amazon Basin, which holds 42.2 percent of Brazil’s hydroelectric potential. The Belo Monte dam is the most recent and lar...
US National Trends in the Management and Outcomes of Constrictive Pericarditis: 2005-2014.

Abstract Background Patient characteristics, trends in the management strategy, and outcomes of patients with constrictive pericarditis have not been characterized at the national scale. Methods Annual trends of patients admitted to hospitals in the United States with constrictive pericarditis were evaluated using the National Inpatient Sample dataset between 2005 and 2014. Poisson regression models adjusting for the US census population estimate were fitted to evaluate trends in the incidence of constrictive pericarditis, isolated pericardiectomy, and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) use. Descriptive analyses were performed to compare patient characteristics and in-hospital mortality rates between surgically and medically managed cohorts. Results During 2005-2014, 29,487 patients were admitted with constrictive pericarditis. Sixteen percent underwent isolated pericardiectomy. The prevalence of constrictive pericarditis remained stable between 2005 and 2014 at 9-10 cases per million, but proportion of patients undergoing isolated pericardiectomy decreased from 18% in 2005 to 15% in 2014 (P = 0.001 for trend). CPB use increased from 15% to 29% (P Conclusions The prevalence of constrictive pericarditis remained stable between 2005 and 2014 at 9-10 cases per million. Surgical management was infrequent, with younger and less comorbid patients being more likely to be managed operatively. Increasing use of CPB without a change in operative mortality highlights the persisting challenge of this complex disease.
Chain length variation to probe the mechanism of accelerator additives in copper electrodeposition

We evaluate the effect of chain length for a series of alkyl sulfonic acid additives on Cu electrodeposition by using a combination of electrochemical and Raman spectroscopic methods. Rotating disk linear sweep voltammetry revealed the influence of these additives on the bulk concentration of Cu+ and on the exchange current densities of the reduction of Cu2+/Cu+ and Cu+/Cu. We then used in situ shell-isolated, nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy to correlate the additives’ effects on deposition kinetics with their chemical structures at the electrode surface. The combination of these methods suggests that effective Cu electrodeposition acceleration processes require: (1) direct tethering of mercaptoalkylsulfonate species to the electrode, (2) partial desolvation of Cu2+ by the sulfonate group to minimize its solvent reorganization energy, and (3) stabilization of Cu+ adjacent to the electrode surface by addition of halide. The model provides support for recently proposed theories for the electrodeposition of metals where charge is carried across the electrode interface by the cation, rather than the electron.
Simple Rules for Predicting Congestion Risk in Queueing Systems: Application to ICUs

We study the problem of predicting congestion risk in service systems, a factor associated with poor service experience, higher costs, and even medical risk (e.g., in ICUs). By predicting future congestion, decision- makers can initiate preventive measures such as rescheduling activities or increasing short-term capacities in order to mitigate the effects of congestion. To this end, we define “high-risk states” in queuing models as system states that are likely to lead to a congested state in the near future, and strive to formulate simple rules for determining whether a given system state is high-risk. We show that for simple queueing systems, such as the M / M / ∞ queue with multiple user classes, such rules could be approximated by linear and quadratic functions on the state space. For more general queueing systems, we employ methods from queueing theory, simulation, and machine learning (ML) to devise simple prediction rules, and demonstrate their effectiveness through extensive computational study, which includes a large scale ICU model validated using data. Our study suggests combining custom model-based interpretable features with linear models (which are widely considered to be interpretable) can accurately predict congestion in ICUs.
The Impact of Maternal Attitudes, Experiences, and Support on Breastfeeding Discontinuation in the First Four Months

Purpose: The AAP recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant's life. However, in the U.S., only a minority of women accomplish this goal. According to the CDC, 4 of every 5 U.S. infants initiate breastfeeding, but only 1 of every 5 are exclusively breastfed through 6 months of age. Maternal age, education level, marital status, race/ethnicity, income, and previous breastfeeding experience have all been well-associated with breastfeeding duration. Our goal was to identify maternal attitudes, experiences, and support associated with breastfeeding duration in the first 4 …
Significant Stakeholders: Toward an Agile Knowledge Management System in the Time of Coronavirus Crisis

Effective crisis response requires sophisticated knowledge management in organizations. Agile systems development capabilities for such crisis response systems are important, particularly for purposes of tailoring a crisis-oriented knowledge management system to a rapidly shifting threat landscape. We propose an architecture for achieving both of these ends in the form of an Agile Crisis Management System involving three specific stakeholders, and we discuss the steps, outcomes, and implications of such a system.
Acculturation, Pluralism, and Digital Social Advocacy in Nonprofit Strategic Communications

This qualitative study investigates the use of acculturation-themed images in nonprofit strategic communications and digital advocacy efforts of 13 organizations serving Hispanic and Latinx immigrant communities in two U.S. states. The study analyzes data from 14 in-depth interviews with the public relations and marketing communication professionals responsible for the website content and digital strategy for the organizations. Based on study findings, the authors argue that these nonprofits are using their websites in soft advocacy efforts to promote positive prototypes of the populations they serve to majority audiences and leverage the flexibility of social media for most of their digital advocacy efforts. This analysis applies acculturation theory to a study of digital social advocacy and extends the literature on nonprofit public relations and public interest communications.
Interfacial tension in polyelectrolyte systems exhibiting associative liquid–liquid phase separation

Abstract A continued interest in polyelectrolyte phase diagrams guides the study of interfacial phenomena driven by polyelectrolyte complexation. The liquid–liquid interfaces formed by associative phase separation of oppositely charged synthetic and natural polyelectrolytes provide measurement challenges addressed by force-sensitive methods and deformed droplet retraction. The ultralow interfacial tension, typical of these systems, is sensitive to salt concentration and temperature and displays universal features described by mean-field theory. Several areas of fundamental development and novel applications of charge complexation for interfacial study and examples from membraneless organelles and biomolecular condensates are described.
An Update on Implants for Facial Reconstruction and Augmentation: A Review of the Current Literature

Summary Various materials are available for facial reconstruction and augmentation. Autografts continue to be the gold standard of implant materials because they are nonimmunogenic, easily shaped, and readily available. Donor site morbidity and a limited supply of tissue limit the use of autografts. Homografts offer an attractive alternative if autografts are unavailable. Homografts are attractive because they are readily available, have a low rate of infection, and are easily shaped. Homografts must be used with caution because they have been associated with disease transmission, graft resorption, and graft warping. Alloplastic implants are enjoying increasing popularity, and many facial plastic surgeons routinely use them with success. In general, alloplastic implants should be used in immobile, non-load-bearing locations in the face. Cell culture technology in the future may offer a limitless supply of autogenous tissue. This continues to be an active area of research.
Rural Adolescent Immunization: Delivery Practices and Barriers to Uptake

BACKGROUND Rural adolescent vaccination rates lag behind urban. We sought to assess rural-urban differences in barriers to adolescent vaccination, perceived parental vaccine attitudes, and immunization delivery practices among public health nursing (PHN), pediatric (Peds), and family medicine (FM) clinicians. METHODS Internet and mail survey of Colorado PHN, Peds, and FM clinicians from June-August 2019. Study population was recruited from local health plans and the American Medical Association Physician Masterfile. Rural and urban responses were compared using Cochran Armitage trend, Fisher's exact, and chi-square tests. RESULTS Response rate was 38% (163/433; 91 rural, 72 urban). Rural respondents were less likely than urban to agree most patients have insurance that covers vaccination (86% vs 97%; P = .02). Rural respondents were less likely than urban to indicate most parents in their practice would agree with statements about vaccine benefits (P = .02) and trust in medical providers (P = .05). Rural respondents were more likely than urban to report adolescents were somewhat/very likely to receive vaccines at public health departments (65% vs 28%; P < .0001) and less likely to report adolescents were somewhat/very likely to receive vaccines at pharmacies (26% vs 45%; P = .02). Fewer providers strongly recommended HPV vaccine (81% for females, 80% for males 11 to 12 years) than other adolescent immunizations (Tdap: 97%, MenACWY at 11 to 12 years: 87%; influenza at 11 to 17 years: 87%; each P < .005, rural-urban responses did not differ). CONCLUSIONS Rural barriers to adolescent vaccination include logistic issues and parental vaccine attitudes. Efforts to improve rural adolescent vaccination should include public health departments and address vaccine confidence and access barriers.
Decreasing nervous habits during public speaking: A component analysis of awareness training

Awareness training can produce decreases in nervous habits during public speaking. A systematic replication of Montes et al. (2020) was conducted to evaluate the independent and additive effects of awareness training components (i.e., response description, response detection) on speech disfluencies during public speaking. We extended prior research by evaluating response description alone, delivering the intervention virtually, using novel videos and speech topics during training, and measuring collateral effects on untargeted responses and speech rate. Response description was sufficient at reducing speech disfluencies for 4 of 9 participants. Response detection (video training) was necessary for 2 participants, and the subsequent addition of response detection (in-vivo training) was necessary for 3 participants. Reductions were maintained during follow-up and generalization probes for most participants. Collateral effects of awareness training components were idiosyncratic. A post-hoc analysis revealed that response description, when effective as a stand-alone intervention, may be more efficient than the full awareness training package.
Recognizing Pearls in the Medical Record of Meritorious Social Security Disability Cases

The medical record is often filled with important facts that attorneys and administrative law judges (ALJ) often overlook or misinterpret. This article outlines strategies to improve accuracy of disability assessment in meritorious cases including (1) overcoming an ALJ’s "zombie biases," in- correct medical assumptions, and failure to recognize nonexertional limitations in the RFC determinations and (2) ensuring accuracy of the medical record and requiring a properly phrased, accurate hypothetical question to the vocational expert in the RFC determinations.
Prostaglandin EP2 receptor antagonist ameliorates neuroinflammation in a two-hit mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Background Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes substantial medical and societal burden with no therapies ameliorating cognitive deficits. Centralized pathologies involving amyloids, neurofibrillary tangles, and neuroinflammatory pathways are being investigated to identify disease-modifying targets for AD. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is one of the potential neuroinflammatory agents involved in AD progression. However, chronic use of COX-2 inhibitors in patients produced adverse cardiovascular effects. We asked whether inhibition of EP2 receptors, downstream of the COX-2 signaling pathway, can ameliorate neuroinflammation in AD brains in presence or absence of a secondary inflammatory stimuli. Methods We treated 5xFAD mice and their non-transgenic (nTg) littermates in presence or absence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with an EP2 antagonist (TG11-77.HCl). In cohort 1, nTg (no-hit) or 5xFAD (single-hit-genetic) mice were treated with vehicle or TG11-77.HCl for 12 weeks. In cohort 2, nTg (single-hit-environmental) and 5xFAD mice (two-hit) were administered LPS (0.5 mg/kg/week) and treated with vehicle or TG11-77.HCl for 8 weeks. Results Complete blood count analysis showed that LPS induced anemia of inflammation in both groups in cohort 2. There was no adverse effect of LPS or EP2 antagonist on body weight throughout the treatment. In the neocortex isolated from the two-hit cohort of females, but not males, the elevated mRNA levels of proinflammatory mediators (IL-1β, TNF, IL-6, CCL2, EP2), glial markers (IBA1, GFAP, CD11b, S110B), and glial proteins were significantly reduced by EP2 antagonist treatment. Intriguingly, the EP2 antagonist had no effect on either of the single-hit cohorts. There was a modest increase in amyloid-plaque deposition upon EP2 antagonist treatment in the two-hit female brains, but not in the single-hit genetic female cohort. Conclusion These results reveal a potential neuroinflammatory role for EP2 in the two-hit 5xFAD mouse model. A selective EP2 antagonist reduces inflammation only in female AD mice subjected to a second inflammatory insult.
Fast Sparse Selected Inversion

We propose a fast structured selected inversion method for extracting the diagonal blocks of the inverse of a sparse symmetric matrix $A$, using the multifrontal method and rank structures. When $A$ arises from the discretization of some PDEs and has a low-rank property (the intermediate dense matrices in the factorization have small off-diagonal numerical ranks), structured approximations of the diagonal blocks and certain off-diagonal blocks of $A^{-1}$ (that are needed to find the diagonal blocks of $A^{-1}$) can be quickly computed. A structured multifrontal LDL factorization is first computed for $A$ with a forward traversal of an assembly tree, which yields a sequence of local data-sparse factors. The factors are used in a backward traversal of the tree for the structured inversion. The intermediate operations in the inversion are performed in hierarchically semiseparable or low-rank forms. With the assumptions of data sparsity and appropriate rank conditions, the theoretical structured inversion co...
Whose Crime is it Anyway?: Liability for the Lethal Acts of Nonparticipants in the Felony

This Article explores the methodology that courts should employ when determining the liability of a defendant under the felony-murder doctrine, where the perpetration of a felony results in the death of - a nonparticipant in the crime by another nonparticipant. Part I of the Article addresses the history of the doctrine, the policies that have sustained it throughout history, and the modern statutory promulgations of the rule. Part II explores not only how courts have handled the doctrine's causation requirement, but also how legislatures have responded to this requirement. Further, Part II discusses the court created theories of agency and proximate cause. Part III addresses the need for a consistent analytical framework and demonstrates the current confusion that has resulted from courts construing a statute to require different causation approaches. Part III submits that the courts' reliance on the agency theory, which requires an initial determination that a felon shot the fatal bullet, is inconsistent with both society's view towards crime and principles of statutory analysis. By applying the agency theory, the courts are using causation to restrict the application of the felony-murder doctrine, a responsibility that should be left to the legislature. Part IV proposes a methodology that is consistent with both principles of statutory interpretation and society's view toward crime. This approach uses the ordinary rules of causation and modifies them to apply to felony-murder. As an example, the proposed methodology is applied to various factual scenarios where the person who does the killing is unknown, or is someone other than the defendant, and the victim is a nonparticipant in the felony. Under this analysis, courts can not only interpret the causation requirement of the felony-murder doctrine consistently, but can also ensure the uniform administration of justice.
Application of shaping to discrete multitone modulation

The application of shaping to discrete multitone (DMT) modulation is investigated as a means for obtaining additional gain in applications requiring high-performance transceivers. DMT modulation differs from single-carrier modulation in that a number of parallel tones are used for transmission and the constellation sizes and transmit power vary across these tones. Shaping gains ranging from 0.5-1.0 dB are derived through simple extensions of existing single-carrier shaping techniques. Examples for the asymmetric digital subscriber line service illustrate the gains achieved by the DMT shaping techniques.
Intracerebral streptozotocin model of type 3 diabetes: Relevance to sporadic Alzheimer's disease

The cascade of Alzheimer's disease (AD) neurodegeneration is associated with persistent oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired energy metabolism, and activation of pro-death signaling pathways. More recently, studies with human postmortem brain tissue linked many of the characteristic molecular and pathological features of AD to reduced expression of the insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) genes and their corresponding receptors. We now demonstrate using an in vivo model of intracerebral Streptozotocin (ic-STZ), that chemical depletion of insulin and IGF signaling mechanisms combined with oxidative injury is sufficient to cause AD-type neurodegeneration. The ic-STZ-injected rats did not have elevated blood glucose levels, and pancreatic architecture and insulin immunoreactivity were similar to control, yet their brains were reduced in size and exhibited neurodegeneration associated with cell loss, gliosis, and increased immunoreactivity for p53, active glycogen synthase kinase 3beta, phospho-tau, ubiquitin, and amyloid-beta. Real time quantitative RT-PCR studies demonstrated that the ic-STZ-treated brains had significantly reduced expression of genes corresponding to neurons, oligodendroglia, and choline acetyltransferase, and increased expression of genes encoding glial fibrillary acidic protein, microglia-specific proteins, acetylcholinesterase, tau, and amyloid precursor protein. These abnormalities were associated reduced expression of genes encoding insulin, IGF-II, insulin receptor, IGF-I receptor, and insulin receptor substrate-1, and reduced ligand binding to the insulin and IGF-II receptors. These results demonstrate that many of the characteristic features of AD-type neurodegeneration can be produced experimentally by selectively impairing insulin/IGF functions together with increasing oxidative stress, and support our hypothesis that AD represents a neuro-endocrine disorder associated with brain-specific perturbations in insulin and IGF signaling mechanisms, i.e. Type 3 diabetes.
Accelerated heavy particles and the lens. VII: The cataractogenic potential of 450 MeV/amu iron ions

PURPOSE. To determine the cataractogenic potential dose of high velocity iron ions as a fixation of dose administered singly or fractionated. The dose is critical to risk assessment and to theories of radiation action and cataractogenesis. METHODS. Twenty-eight-day-old rats were examined by slit-lamp biomicroscopy on a weekly-bi-weekly basis for more than 2 yr after radiation exposure. For the acute exposure study doses of 1, 2, 5, 25, and 50 cGy were evaluated. The fractionated regimens involved total doses of 2, 25, and 50 cGy. The reference radiation consisted of 50, 100, 200, or 700 cGy of 250 kilovolt (peak) x-rays. RESULTS. In accordance with previous findings in the rat using 570 MeV/amu 40Ar ions, the relative biologic effectiveness increased rapidly with decreasing dose, reaching values as high as 100. Unlike 40Ar ions, fractionation of the 56Fe doses did not produce a consistent enhancement at any of the doses examined. CONCLUSIONS. The data support the previous findings of a high cataractogenic potential for high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. The effectiveness for the production of cataracts increases with decreasing dose relative to x-rays and is independent of dose protraction. Although the present study did not reveal a consistent enhancement of effect when the ions were applied in fractions, the results are consistent with at least one theory of the inverse dose-rate effect observed for high-LET radiation.
Utilization and SLO-Based control for dynamic sizing of resource partitions

This paper deals with a shared server environment where the server is divided into a number of resource partitions and used to host multiple applications at the same time. In a case study where the HP-UX Process Resource Manager is taken as the server partitioning technology, we investigate the technical challenges in performing automated sizing of a resource partition using a feedback control approach, where the CPU entitlement for the partition is dynamically tuned to regulate output metrics such as the CPU utilization or SLO-based application performance metric. We identify the nonlinear and bimodal properties of the models across different operating regions, and discuss their implications for the design of the control loops. To deal with these challenges, we then propose two adaptive controllers for tracking the target utilization and target response time respectively. We evaluate the performance of the closed-loop systems while varying certain operating conditions. We demonstrate that better performance and robustness can be achieved with these controllers compared with other controllers or our prior solution.
Currencies, Identities, Free Banking, and Growth in Early Twentieth Century Manchuria

From 1906 until 1931, Manchuria – Northeast China - was a complex patchwork of Chinese, Japanese, and Russian spheres of control. Since political authority was fragmented, none of the governments was capable of establishing a central bank with a monopoly over the money supply. Multiple currencies were in use, ranging from strings – tiao- of traditional Chinese copper cash, to silver dollars (yuan) from Mexico, China, and Japan, to Russian rubles (which crashed in value after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution), and miscellaneous paper currencies of varying stability. The modern banks established under national and private auspices to serve the commercial needs of the burgeoning economy found themselves without central regulation, resulting in an unusual situation of competitive “free banking.” This case is interesting as an example of rapid economic growth despite the costs of a chaotic monetary regime. Historical sources, including the Chinese Maritime Customs reports, contemporary yearbooks, and the South Manchuria Railway (Mantetsu) research reports, indicate that the combination of modern and pre-modern currencies and financial institutions managed to serve the needs of the different elements of society, from the tiny household purchases made in copper coins, to large commercial transactions made in silver ingots, or silver dollars, or in silver-backed yuan notes. Furthermore, there were well-established informal credit practices, based to a great extent on personal relations – guanxi – that circumvented much of the need for modern financial instruments.
Toward integrating IP multicasting in internet network management protocols

Supporting multi-point group communications in network management platforms is essential for improving scalability and responsiveness of management applications. With the deployment of IP multicasting as the standard infrastructure for multi-point group communications in the Internet, the integration of IP multicasting in SNMP becomes significantly important to achieve these goals. This paper presents a highly flexible, efficient and easy-to-integrate framework for integrating IP Multicast in standard SNMP agents. The proposed framework enables managers to re-configure the agents' group membership and the communication model (e.g. one-to-many, many-to-one and many-to-many) dynamically based on the application requirements. This framework exploits the advantages of IP multicasting without requiring any significant changes or performance overhead in the protocol or the agent architecture. The resulting framework can be easily adopted by exiting SNMP agents of various network management platforms. Although the other approaches provide group communications through broker agents in the management platform, integrating IP multicasting in SNMP agents is more efficient and a simpler approach. Our ultimate goal is to promote the integration of IP multicasting as a standard service in SNMP agents.
Aristotle's Rhetoric, Hitler's Program, and the Ideological Problem of Praxis, Power, and Professional Discourse

Technical-professional communication as praxis, or social action, is extended beyond skill or amoral art into the realm of phronesis, concerned with reasoning about ends rather than means. However, praxis and phronesis are sociologically constructed and, like social-epistemic rhetoric, ideologically defined in the political context by the ethic of expediency enabling deliberative rhetoric. Hitler's use of propaganda to construct praxis and define phronesis in Nazi Germany is examined in terms of the rational but open-ended nature of Aristotle's political-ethical thought, and the implications for our understanding of Aristotelian praxis is discussed. Finally, the failure of professional discourse surrounding the siting of a low-level nuclear waste facility to create a persuasive reality and yet ideologically construct praxis is examined, raising questions concerning the possibility of a deliberative technical rhetoric in U.S. democracy.
Photovoltaic cells from a soluble pentacene derivative

Abstract Multilayer heterojunction photovoltaic cells were fabricated using a solution processable pentacene derivative as the donor layer. Upon annealing of these devices, the open circuit voltage was found to gradually increase with temperature up to 265 °C. Further improvement in the photovoltaic performance was achieved with the incorporation of mobile ions into the donor material for concentrations of lithium triflate up to 1.4 mg/ml. Finally, after introducing an exciton blocking layer, an optimized white-light (100 mW/cm2) power conversion efficiency of 0.52% was achieved.
Strabismus after endoscopic third ventriculostomy

Until recently, the treatment of choice for noncommunicating hydrocephalus included the use of valve-regulated shunts such as the ventriculoperitoneal shunt. High failure rates and multiple complications have led neurosurgeons to use other techniques. Endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) is becoming popular as treatment for noncommunicating hydrocephalus when standard shunts have failed. 1 We present 2 adolescents who developed exotropia, hypertropia, and diplopia after endoscopic third ventricle surgery.
Application versus network layer multicasting in ad hoc networks: the ALMA routing protocol

Application layer multicasting has emerged as an appealing alternative to network layer multicasting in wireline networks. Here, we examine the suitability of application layer multicast in ad hoc networks. To this effect, we propose a flexible receiver-driven overlay multicast protocol which we call Application Layer Multicast Algorithm (ALMA). ALMA constructs an overlay multicast tree in a dynamic, decentralized and incremental way. First, ALMA is receiver-driven: the member nodes find their connections according to their needs. Second, it is flexible, and thus, it can satisfy the performance goals and the needs of a wide range of applications. Third, it is highly adaptive: it reconfigures the tree in response to mobility or congestion. In addition, our protocol has the advantages of an application layer protocol: (a) simplicity of deployment, (b) independence from lower layer protocols, and (c) capability of exploiting features such as reliability and security that may be provided by the lower layers. Through extensive simulations, we show that ALMA performs favorably against the currently best application layer and network layer protocols. In more detail, we find that ALMA performs significantly better than ODMRP, a network layer, for small group sizes. We conclude that the application layer approach and ALMA seem very promising for ad hoc multicasting.
A rapid micromethod for direct H-2 typing of mouse cultured lymphoid cells

Abstract A simple, rapid, highly reproducible cytotoxic micromethod for direct H-2 typing of mouse cultured lymphoid cells has been described. Since the test is carried out on a microscale, it requires only few target cells, thus ensuring great sensitivity and in addition it offers economical use of H-2 alloantisera usually in short supply. The method is also suitable to quantitate soluble H-2 alloantigens utilizing cultured cells as target cells.
Optically mediated nonlinear quantum optomechanics

We consider theoretically the optomechanical interaction of several mechanical modes with a single quantized cavity-field mode for linear and quadratic coupling. We focus specifically on situations where the optical dissipation is the dominant source of damping, in which case the optical field can be adiabatically eliminated, resulting in effective multimode interactions between the mechanical modes. In the case of linear coupling, the coherent contribution to the interaction can be exploited (e.g., in quantum state swapping protocols), while the incoherent part leads to significant modifications of cold damping or amplification from the single-mode situation. Quadratic coupling can result in a wealth of possible effective interactions including the analogs of second-harmonic generation and four-wave mixing in nonlinear optics, with specific forms depending sensitively on the sign of the coupling. The cavity-mediated mechanical interaction of two modes is investigated in two limiting cases: the resolved sideband and the Doppler regime. As an illustrative application of the formal analysis we discuss in some detail a two-mode system where a Bose-Einstein condensate is optomechanically linearly coupled to the moving end mirror of a Fabry-P\'erot cavity.
Infective endocarditis: diagnosis and management

Despite advances in antimicrobial therapy, diagnostic imaging and cardiac surgery, infective endocarditis (IE) remains challenging clinically and is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis relies on several factors: initial clinical suspicion, microbiological data and echocardiographic findings. The use of an integrated diagnostic schema, such as the modified Duke criteria, is useful. Transthoracic or transesophageal echocardiography should be performed promptly for all suspected IE cases. Although the choice of investigation might be influenced by availability, the approach to imaging should be tailored to the individual's clinical situation. Promptly administered intravenous antimicrobial therapy is essential, while the use of antiplatelet or antithrombin therapy to prevent embolic complications is not supported by clinical data. Deciding whether to undertake cardiac surgery for the treatment of IE can be extremely difficult. The principal indications are the development of heart failure from acute, severe aortic or mitral regurgitation, or perivalvular extension of infection. The timing of surgery following central nervous system embolization is problematic because of the risk of hemorrhagic transformation. Prophylactic surgery to prevent embolization is currently advocated only for the management of large, mobile vegetations, when undertaken at centers performing high volumes of heart valve surgery. In this review, we describe diagnostic approaches for IE, particularly echocardiography, and provide recommendations for treatment, paying particular attention to surgery in the acute setting.
Reviewing the Reviewers

I just returned from the Association for Computational Linguistics’ 43rd Annual Meeting (ACL-2005). The acceptance rate was 18%. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? When the acceptance rate is low, precision tends to be high. The audience can judge precision for itself. If the presentations are good, everyone knows it. And if they aren’t, they know that as well. ACL-2005 had great precision. Recall is more subtle. When there is an issue with recall, it isn’t immediately obvious to everyone. If you listen closely, you’ll hear some grumbling in the halls. And then the rejects start to appear elsewhere. ACL’s low recall has been great for other conferences. The best of the rejects are very good, better than most of the accepted papers, and often strong contenders for the best paper award at EMNLP. I used to be surprised by the quality of these rejects, but after seeing so many great rejects over so many years, I am no longer surprised by anything. The practice of setting EMNLP’s submission date immediately after ACL’s notification date is a not-so-subtle hint: Please do something about the low recall. When you read some of the ACL reviews for these top EMNLP papers, you realize what is happening. ACL reviewing is paying too much attention to abstentions (and objections from people outside the area). If a reviewer isn’t qualified to say anything on a particular topic, that’s okay. An abstention shouldn’t kill a paper. Controversial papers are great; boring unobjectionable incremental papers are not. The only bad paper is a paper without an advocate. A paper with a single advocate should trump a paper with lots of seconds, but no advocates. Don’t average votes. The key votes are the advocates. Negative votes matter only if they convince the advocates to change their votes. Recall is a problem for many conferences, not just ACL; SIGIR, for example, rejected the classic paper on page rank, a hugely successful paper in terms of citations, perhaps more successful than anything SIGIR ever published.