cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Glycerol from Biodiesel Production as a Feed Ingredient for Channel Catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Glycerol is the main by-product of biodiesel production from vegetable oils and animal fats. It has been evaluated as an energy source for several farm animals. A study was conducted to examine the effects of various levels of glycerol in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, diets. Fish with mean initial weight of 6.8 ± 0.1 g were stocked in 110-L flow-through aquaria and fed practical diets containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% glycerol for 9 wk. There were no significant differences in feed consumption, weight gain, feed efficiency ratio, and liver lipid level among fish fed diets containing 0, 5, and 10% glycerol. However, fish fed diets containing 15 and 20% glycerol had reduced weight gain, feed efficiency, and liver lipid content. Survival was not affected by dietary glycerol levels. Blood glucose level was significantly higher in fish fed 5% glycerol than fish fed other diets. Fillet protein and fat generally decreased and fillet moisture increased as dietary glycerol level increased. It appears that channel catfish can utilize about 10% glycerol in the diet without adverse effects on feed consumption, weight gain, feed efficiency ratio, hemoglobin, hepatosomatic index, and liver lipid.
Surface Current Mapping in the Lower Chesapeake

Three CODAR 25 MHz RADAR antennas have been installed in the lower Chesapeake Bay to observe surface currents. Over the past year, data have been produced that will be valuable for researchers, commercial and recreational interests. In this paper we give a description of the antenna sites, examples of data products, a comparison of CODAR data with Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler data and present examples of potential data products for the future.
Pre-whaling genetic diversity and population ecology in eastern Pacific gray whales: insights from ancient DNA and stable isotopes.

Commercial whaling decimated many whale populations, including the eastern Pacific gray whale, but little is known about how population dynamics or ecology differed prior to these removals. Of particular interest is the possibility of a large population decline prior to whaling, as such a decline could explain the ∼5-fold difference between genetic estimates of prior abundance and estimates based on historical records. We analyzed genetic (mitochondrial control region) and isotopic information from modern and prehistoric gray whales using serial coalescent simulations and Bayesian skyline analyses to test for a pre-whaling decline and to examine prehistoric genetic diversity, population dynamics and ecology. Simulations demonstrate that significant genetic differences observed between ancient and modern samples could be caused by a large, recent population bottleneck, roughly concurrent with commercial whaling. Stable isotopes show minimal differences between modern and ancient gray whale foraging ecology. Using rejection-based Approximate Bayesian Computation, we estimate the size of the population bottleneck at its minimum abundance and the pre-bottleneck abundance. Our results agree with previous genetic studies suggesting the historical size of the eastern gray whale population was roughly three to five times its current size.
A solid-state 15N NMR spectroscopic investigation of the origin of nitrogen structures in coal

Abstract Solid-state 15N nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a technique that has been available for the study of nitrigen compounds for many years but only recently has been applied to the study of nitrogen in coal due to the extremely low sensitivity of the 15N-isotope. Reported here is the application of 15N NMR to a maturation series of undegraded plant material, plant composts, sediments, and coal samples for the purpose of investigating the alterations of nitrogen functional groups during peat and coal formation. Spectroscopic parameters such as relaxation times and cross polarization dynamics were determined for 15N-enriched plant composts to establish the optimal NMR conditions to be used for natural abundance 15N measurements on samples not enriched in 15N. The results show that up to the peat stage most of the nitrogen occurs as amide nitrogen, which derives from biogenic precursors (presumably proteins). Upon increasing coalification, pyrrolic-N becomes the dominant form in the macromolecular coal network. Pyrrolic-N in coals may be derived from selective preservation of biogenic pyrroles or by rearrangement of amide chains during maturation. Pyridinic-N does not appear to be a major constituent of coal nitrogen of the coals studied here. Our successful application of solid-state 15N NMR to coal samples has provided new insights and understanding of coal-nitrogen chemistry.
Reliable half wave operation of a GaAs pockels cell

Abstract The design and operation of a GaAs Pockels cell suitable for reliable selection of a single nanosecond pulse from the output of a mode-locked atmospheric pressure CO 2 laser is described. Careful construction of the Pockels cell and use of a short (∼ 13 nsec) high-voltage switching pulse pertmits reliable operation of the crystal at its half wave voltage (∼ 15 kV).
Beyond the logic of pessimism: A personal portrait of Bertha Capen Reynolds

Bertha Reynolds, one of the early contributiors to the clinical and political heritage of social work, is presented here from a personal perspective. Noted for her courage, vision, perceptiveness, and-above all-deep caring for humanity, Bertha was also a person who “never felt she was anybody”. In this article a view of the personal and professional Bertha Reynolds is presented. Questions are then raised about the relevance of Reynolds' thinking to modern times.
The concept of animal: One infant's view

This study of infant's concepts and categories used a non-traditional methodlogy. A case study approach was employed with one 8-month-old child to capitalize on this infant's unique emotional response to members of the class of animal. Results suggest that this infant had a limited version of the superordinate category of animal, organized around a prototypic animal.
The Perils of Public Intellectualism

Against the background of prophetic and rabbinic thought and action, where ideas of God and the good allowed morality and spirituality to inform one another, Goodman considers the role of public intellectuals today. He cites the expanding electronic media for lengthening the reach and broadening the franchise but narrowing the gaze and the audience of those intellectuals who seek a public role and warns against oversimplification, shrillness, and the hazards of the echo chamber, where pigeonholing and niche marketing shrink one’s audience to the already convinced.
New Directions in Contrastive Rhetoric

Contrastive rhetoric examines differences and similarities in writing across cultures. Although mainly concerned with student essay writing in its e rst 30 years, the area of study today contributes to knowledge about preferred patterns of writing in many English for specie c purposes situations. This article discusses some of the new directions contrastive rhetoric has taken. Following a brief review of the goals, methods, and accomplishments of research in contrastive rhetoric during the past 30 years, the article examines how contrastive rhetoric has been pursued with varying aims and methods in a variety of EFL situations involving academic and professional writing. Recent criticisms of contrastive rhetoric and their effects on changing directions are then surveyed.
Care utilization and patient characteristics of veterans who misuse alcohol.

Substance abuse treatment utilization and patient characteristics of veterans (N = 167) drinking alcohol at risky levels at a Department of Veterans Affairs hospital were examined. Rates of brief intervention and specialty care were higher than those found in national samples in 2010, but fall short of recommended guidelines. Veterans receiving more care were older, lower-income, and less likely to be in a relationship. Care-receiving veterans had higher rates of mental health comorbidities and mental health treatment in the prior year for an issue other than substance use. Understanding patients’ recent care history may help primary care providers to deliver care effectively.
Resolution enhancement by image fusion for microgrid polarization imagers

Microgrid polarization imaging systems inherently suffer from spatial aliasing in addition to the image degrading effects of camera blur and noise. In this paper, microgrid aliasing is reduced by a factor of two and noise is suppressed via a fast image fusion technique borrowed from the study of super resolution. Additionally, a new regularization cost function for microgrid super resolution estimators is proposed. Polarimetric image fusion results are demonstrated with laboratory data.1 2
Applications of optical emission spectroscopy in plasma manufacturing systems

Optical ernissn)n spectroscopy (OES) is an established laboratory diagnostic technique for plasma processes. By detecting light from the electronic transitions of atoms and molecules it is possible to identify and monitor the chemical species in a plasma. This technique has been extended to semiconductor manufacturing to determine the endpoint of plasma processes. The production of semiconductor devices relies heavily on plasma etching and deposition processes. Because OES is a fairly simple technique its use as a continuous tool and process hionitor has been investigated. Ultimately this technique could provide immediate feedback for automatic adjustment of individual process parameters. This embodiment has been referred to as adaptive process control.
Structure of the HIV-1 frameshift site RNA bound to a small molecule inhibitor of viral replication.

Programmed -1 translational frameshifting is an essential event in the replication cycle of HIV. Frameshifting is required for expression of the viral Pol proteins, and drug-like molecules that target this process may inhibit HIV replication. A small molecule stimulator of HIV-1 frameshifting and inhibitor of viral replication, DB213 (RG501), was previously discovered from a high-throughput screen. However, the mechanistic basis for this compound’s effects was unknown, and to date no structural information exists for small molecule effectors of frameshifting. Here, we investigate the binding of DB213 to the frameshift site RNA and have determined the structure of this complex by NMR. Binding of DB213 stabilizes the RNA and increases its melting temperature by 10 °C. The ligand binds to a primary site on the RNA stem-loop, although nonspecific interactions are also detected. The compound binds in the major groove and spans a distance of 9 base pairs. DB213 hydrogen bonds to phosphate groups on opposite sid...
Frequency-following and connectivity of different visual areas in response to contrast-reversal stimulation.

The sensitivity of visual areas to different temporal frequencies, as well as the functional connections between these areas, was examined using magnetoencephalography (MEG). Alternating circular sinusoids (0, 3.1, 8.7 and 14 Hz) were presented to foveal and peripheral locations in the visual field to target ventral and dorsal stream structures, respectively. It was hypothesized that higher temporal frequencies would preferentially activate dorsal stream structures. To determine the effect of frequency on the cortical response we analyzed the late time interval (220–770 ms) using a multi-dipole spatio-temporal analysis approach to provide source locations and timecourses for each condition. As an exploratory aspect, we performed cross-correlation analysis on the source timecourses to determine which sources responded similarly within conditions. Contrary to predictions, dorsal stream areas were not activated more frequently during high temporal frequency stimulation. However, across cortical sources the frequency-following response showed a difference, with significantly higher power at the second harmonic for the 3.1 and 8.7 Hz stimulation and at the first and second harmonics for the 14 Hz stimulation with this pattern seen robustly in area V1. Cross-correlations of the source timecourses showed that both low- and high-order visual areas, including dorsal and ventral stream areas, were significantly correlated in the late time interval. The results imply that frequency information is transferred to higher-order visual areas without translation. Despite the less complex waveforms seen in the late interval of time, the cross-correlation results show that visual, temporal and parietal cortical areas are intricately involved in late-interval visual processing.
Frequency distribution modeling for high-speed microprocessors using on-chip ring oscillators

It is critical for success in the microprocessor business to understand the relationship between yield and speed- performance. This paper outlines a method for modeling device speed distribution and yield using on-chip ring-oscillator measurements. The modeling method is used in production on the UltraSPARCTM-II family of microprocessors. Lot-level speed distributions are predicted within 10% by speed-bin and quarterly distributions within 5% by speed-bin. Graphs are generated to show the relationship between business and process concerns.© (1999) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Limb preservation for reimplantation. A review

Although reimplantation of severed limbs and other parts of the body has become prevalent in recent years, the questions of how best to preserve limbs for reimplantation and how to determine if a transected part is viable have not been fully answered. The problem of preservation involves combating direct anoxic damage to tissue as well as combating the changes in the vascular system that lead to the "no reflow phenomenon." Current information concerning kidney preservation as well as experimental and clinical reports on limb preservation are reviewed in this article, and suggestions are made for further investigations.
Modeling the Impact of Summer Temperatures on National Electricity Consumption

Abstract National population-weighted weekly degree day totals, which have been used to model and assess temperature-related natural gas consumption, are compared with summertime electricity consumption. A very close relationship between national cooling degree days and electricity consumption is found. A multiple regression equation depicting the relationship is developed. This model can be used to assess the impact of current weather anomalies and projected weather or climate changes on electricity use, as well as the impact of various national conservation measures, directives, or laws on temperature-related electricity use.
Cysteine cathepsins: multifunctional enzymes in cancer

Cysteine cathepsins are highly upregulated in a wide variety of cancers by mechanisms ranging from gene amplification to post-transcriptional modification. Their localization within intracellular lysosomes often changes during neoplastic progression, resulting in secretion of both inactive and active forms and association with binding partners on the tumour cell surface. Secreted, cell-surface and intracellular cysteine cathepsins function in proteolytic pathways that increase neoplastic progression. Direct proof for causal roles in tumour growth, migration, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis has been shown by downregulating or ablating the expression of individual cysteine cathepsins in tumour cells and in transgenic mouse models of human cancer.
A New Miocene Band-winged Grasshopper (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from Nevada

A new species of fossil grasshopper, Mioedipoda reisereri Stidham & Stidham, is the first insect to be described from the Miocene (15.5 million year old) Buffalo Canyon Formation of west-central Nevada. This fossil is identified as an oedipodine and is the oldest supportable band-winged grasshopper from North America. This species appears to be a primitive oedipodine and is perhaps the sister taxon to extant band-winged grasshoppers.
Weight loss during the intensive intervention phase of the weight-loss maintenance trial.

Background To improve methods for long-term weight management, the Weight Loss Maintenance (WLM) trial, a four-center randomized trial, was conducted to compare alternative strategies for maintaining weight loss over a 30-month period. This paper describes methods and results for the initial 6-month weight-loss program (Phase I). Methods Eligible adults were aged ≥25, overweight or obese (BMI=25–45 kg/m2), and on medications for hypertension and/or dyslipidemia. Anthropomorphic, demographic, and psychosocial measures were collected at baseline and 6 months. Participants (n=1685) attended 20 weekly group sessions to encourage calorie restriction, moderate-intensity physical activity, and the DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) dietary pattern. Weight-loss predictors with missing data were replaced by multiple imputation. Results Participants were 44% African American and 67% women; 79% were obese (BMI≥30), 87% were taking anti-hypertensive medications, and 38% were taking antidyslipidemia medications. Participants attended an average of 72% of 20 group sessions. They self-reported 117 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, kept 3.7 daily food records per week, and consumed 2.9 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. The Phase-I follow-up rate was 92%. Mean (SD) weight change was −5.8 kg (4.4), and 69% lost at least 4 kg. All race–gender subgroups lost substantial weight: African-American men (−5.4 kg ± 7.7); African-American women (−4.1 kg ± 2.9); non–African-American men (−8.5 kg ± 12.9); and non–African-American women (−5.8 kg ± 6.1). Behavioral measures (e.g., diet records and physical activity) accounted for most of the weight-loss variation, although the association between behavioral measures and weight loss differed by race and gender groups. Conclusions The WLM behavioral intervention successfully achieved clinically significant short-term weight loss in a diverse population of high-risk patients.
Heteroepitaxially grown InP solar cells

The properties of InP solar cells, processed by OMCVD on silicon substrates with an intermediate GaAs layer (InP/GaAs/Si) and on GaAs substrates (InP/GaAs), were determined before and after irradiation with 10-MeV protons. The preirradiation transport properties were found to be influenced largely by dislocations occurring at the InP-GaAs interface. A carrier removal rate of 1.8*10/sup 3/ cm/sup -1/ was observed after irradiation to a proton fluence of 1.1*10/sup 13/ cm/sup -2/. Despite the high degree of defect generation, the radiation resistance, of the heteroepitaxial cells was considerably greater than that observed for monolithic n/sup +/p InP cells. The observed low cell efficiencies and high radiation resistance are attributed to the dominant effect of dislocations in the cell's p-base region. >
Replicating data objects in large distributed database systems: an axiomatic game theoretic mechanism design approach

Data object replication onto distributed servers can potentially alleviate bottlenecks, reduce network traffic, increase scalability, add robustness, and decrease user perceived access time. The decision of selecting data object and server pairs requires solving a constraint optimization problem that in general is NP-complete. In this paper, we abstract the distributed database system as an agent-based model, wherein agents continuously compete for allocation and reallocation of data objects. Each agent aims to replicate objects onto its server such that the communication cost is minimized. However, these agents do not have a global view of the system. Thereby, the optimization process becomes highly localized. Such localized optimization may severely affect the overall system performance. To cope with such localized optimization, we propose a "semi-distributed" axiomatic game theoretical mechanism. The mechanism's control is unique in its decision making process, wherein all the heavy processing is done on the servers of the distributed system and the central body is only required to take a binary decision: (0) not to replicate or (1) to replicate. The cost model used by the agents in the mechanism for the purpose of identifying beneficial data objects is tailored made so that even though the agents take decisions based on their local knowledge domain, the effect is translated into a system-wide performance enhancement. The proposed mechanism is extensively compared against seven well-known conventional and three game theoretical replica allocation methods, namely, branch and bound, greedy, genetic, data-aware replication, tree inspired bottom-up procedure, tree inspired min-max procedure, Benders' decomposition based procedure, game theoretical English auction, game theoretical Dutch auction, and game theoretical selfish replication procedure. The experimental setup incorporates GT-ITM, Inet network topology generators, Soccer World Cup 1998 access logs, and NASA Kennedy Space Center access logs to closely mimic the Web in its infrastructure and user access patterns. The experimental results reveal that the proposed technique despite its non-cooperative nature improves the solution quality and reduces the execution time compared to other techniques.
Re-Judaizing the Polish (Studies) Landscape: The Doikeyt Model

Taking as its starting point the radical transformation of the Polish cultural and historical landscape that has resulted from Poland’s post-1989 Jewish revival, this article presents a proposal for a substantial reconfiguration of nationally and philologically based university departments and programs in Central and East European Studies—one that reimagines Polish Studies, Russian Studies, and other Slavic Studies programs as inherently multilingual, culturally pluralistic spaces of encounter, and that effects changes to degree requirements and language requirements that reflect this post-national shift in perspective. Making reference to the concept of doikeyt or “hereness,” a cultural and political attitude promoted within the pre–World War II Jewish world, particularly within Bundist and Yiddishist discourse, that saw Jewish culture and languages as native to Eastern Europe—as belonging in Poland and in Russia—the author asks specifically whether Jewish languages (Yiddish and Hebrew) and courses in Yi...
Functional MR imaging evidence of altered functional activation in metabolic syndrome

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: MetS is a cluster of risk factors associated with significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and diminished cognitive function. Given that little is known about the early signs of brain vulnerability related to persistent metabolic dysfunction, we set out to determine whether cognitively healthy middle-aged individuals with MetS exhibit an altered cerebrovascular response to a cognitive challenge relative to those without MetS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty neurologically healthy adults aged 40–60 years (19 with MetS and 21 healthy controls) performed a 2-back verbal working memory task during fMRI. We compared BOLD responses between the 2 groups in 8 a priori regions of interest previously shown to be associated with the 2-back in patients with cardiovascular disease. RESULTS: Age, education level, sex distribution, cognitive and emotional functioning, and task performance (accuracy and reaction time) were not different between the groups. Compared with healthy controls, individuals with MetS demonstrated a lower 2-back–related BOLD response in the right superior frontal gyrus, right superior parietal lobule, and left inferior parietal lobule. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides preliminary evidence that cognitively intact middle-aged individuals with MetS exhibit significant alterations in cerebrovascular response to a cognitive challenge. Our results also demonstrate that fMRI may identify early brain changes associated with MetS.
SaRAD: a Simple and Robust Abbreviation Dictionary

Motivation: Due to recent interest in the use of textual material to augment traditional experiments it has become necessary to automatically cluster, classify and filter natural language information. Results: The Simple and Robust Abbreviation Dictionary (SaRAD) provides an easy to implement, high performance tool for the construction of a biomedical symbol dictionary. The algorithms, applied to the MEDLINE document set, result in a high quality dictionary and toolset to disambiguate abbreviation symbols automatically. Availability: The SaRAD tool, supplementary information and pseudo-code are available at http://www.hpl.hp.com/shl/projects/abbrev.html
PALYNOLOGY AND BIOSTRATIGRAPHY OF THE LOWER CRETACEOUS SEDIMENTS IN THE SOUTH BARROW TEST WELL NO. 1, POINT BARROW, ALASKA

Twenty-two species of dinoflagellates and acritarchs, and thirty species of spores and pollen are reported from twenty Lower Cretaceous core samples of shale and siltstone from the South Barrow Test Well No.1 in Point Barrow, Alaska. The stratigraphic distribution of the fifty-two species is summarized, and four stratigraphic intervals are established. Based on diagnostic dinoflagellate cysts, the geologic age for the Torok Formation is suggested to be Aptian–Albian, and the age of the “Pebble Shale” unit is suggested to be Barremian–Aptian. The depositional environment is considered to be marine.
High-throughput sequencing reveals suppressors of Vibrio cholerae rpoE mutations: one fewer porin is enough

Analyses of suppressor mutations have been extremely valuable in understanding gene function. However, techniques for mapping suppressor mutations are not available for most bacterial species. Here, we used high-throughput sequencing technology to identify spontaneously arising suppressor mutations that enabled disruption of rpoE (which encodes p E )i nVibrio cholerae, the agent of cholera. The alternative sigma factor p E , which is activated by envelope stress, promotes expression of factors that help preserve and/or restore cell envelope integrity. In Escherichia coli, rpoE is an essential gene that can only be disrupted in the presence of additional suppressor mutations. Among a panel of independent V. cholerae rpoE mutants, more than 75% contain suppressor mutations that reduce production of OmpU, V. cholerae’s principal outer membrane porin. OmpU appears to be a key determinant of V. cholerae’s requirement for and production of p E . Such dependence upon a single factor contrasts markedly with regulation of p E in E. coli, in which numerous factors contribute to its activation and none is dominant. We also identified a suppressor mutation that differs from all previously described suppressors in that it elevates, rather than reduces, p E ’s activity. Finally, analyses
Globular Protein Folding In Vitro and In Vivo

In vitro, computational, and theoretical studies of protein folding have converged to paint a rich and complex energy landscape. This landscape is sensitively modulated by environmental conditions and subject to evolutionary pressure on protein function. Of these environments, none is more complex than the cell itself, where proteins function in the cytosol, in membranes, and in different compartments. A wide variety of kinetic and thermodynamics experiments, ranging from single-molecule studies to jump kinetics and from nuclear magnetic resonance to imaging on the microscope, have elucidated how protein energy landscapes facilitate folding and how they are subject to evolutionary constraints and environmental perturbation. Here we review some recent developments in the field and refer the reader to some original work and additional reviews that cover this broad topic in protein science.
Perilous Uncertainty: Situating Women’s Breast-Health Seeking in Northern Peru

Breast cancer rates in Peru, as in other low- and middle-income countries, continue to rise, and survival rates are poor, in part because many women are diagnosed with late-stage disease. As part of a pilot project to improve breast cancer screening and diagnostic services in remote regions of Peru, the Program for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH) partnered with Peruvian organizations to train community health workers in breast health promotion and providers in clinical breast exam (CBE). To inform these strategies, we undertook a qualitative study to determine factors that influence Peruvian women's decisions to seek CBE. Anthropological approaches incorporating the PRECEDE/PROCEED public health model guided our conversations with providers and women living in the region of the pilot intervention. Grounded theory analysis helped us uncover a central theme of uncertainty, a state of doubt and insecurity that created a sense of impotent worry and impeded clinical health-seeking behaviors.
Replaying distributed programs without message logging

Debugging long program runs can be difficult because of the delays required to repeatedly re-run the execution. Even a moderately long run of five minutes can incur aggravating delays. To address this problem, techniques exist that allow re-executing a distributed program from intermediate points by using combinations of checkpointing and message logging. In this paper we explore another idea: how to support replay without logging the contents of any message. When no messages are logged, the set of global states from which replay is possible is constrained, and it has been unknown how to compute this set without exhaustively searching the space of all global states, whose size is exponential in the number of processes. We present a simple and efficient hybrid on-the-fly/post-mortem algorithm for detecting the necessary and sufficient conditions under which parts of the execution can be replayed without message logs. A small amount of trace (two vectors) is recorded at each checkpoint and a fast post-mortem algorithm computes global states from which replay can begin. This algorithm is independent of the checkpointing technique used.
Modulation schemes and pulse shaping in ultra-wideband

Ultra-wide band (UWB) technology has been documented to be reliable transmission scheme for wireless communication with high data rate in short data range. It consists of more than 20% of its central frequency. UWB can be characterized with Ultra-short duration pulses, which has excellent immunity in interference from other radio signals. Pulse shaping and baseband modulation schemes are two of the main determinant factors for its performance evaluation. The objective of this paper is to examine different types of pulse shaping and modulation schemes for UWBs performance evaluation. By considering the natural aspects of UWB, three different types of pulses and three different types of modulation schemes are considered for this study. Our results show that the shape of the waveform affects the bit error rate (BER) performances of pulse position modulation (PPM) scheme in both channels while it has a small effect on the performance of on off keying (OOK) and binary phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation schemes. The BER performance of BPSK modulation scheme using RZ-Manchester pulse turned out to be the best in both additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and Rayleigh fading channels.
Manipulating the optical properties of symmetrically branched Au/Pd nanocrystals through interior design.

Au/Pd octopods with hollow, cubic interiors and Oh symmetry were synthesized for the first time by etching core@shell Pd@Au/Pd octopods to selectively remove their Pd interiors. Integration of multiple architectural features – in this case branching symmetry, composition, and interior design – into one nanostructure provides design strategies to new plasmonic colloids.
Roles of RNAi in chromatin regulation and epigenetic inheritance

Rapid progress in our understanding of chromatin regulation has fueled considerable interest in epigenetic mechanisms governing the stable inheritance of chromatin states. Findings from several systems reveal small RNAs of the RNAi pathway as critical determinants of epigenetic gene silencing. Notably, recent investigations into the mechanisms of RNAi-mediated heterochromatin assembly in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe have yielded new insights regarding the roles of RNAi in chromatin regulation and epigenetic inheritance.
A fixed or variable interval pocket programmer

Abstract A portable pocket-sized interval programmer is described that is powered by a 9 V transistor battery, and that is useful in experimental and therapeutic settings.
Sensory processing disorders and social participation.

Participation in social aspects of daily life is crucial to children’s development. Although disability status is recognized to affect children’s ability to participate in social activities, little is understood about the impact of sensory processing disorders (SPD) on children’s social participation. We examined the social participation patterns of 2 groups of children (ages 6–9): (1) children with SPD and (2) their typically developing peers. All children participated in a structured interview to report their social participation patterns, including activity patterns and social networks. We used parent and teacher questionnaires to triangulate the data gathered from the children. Results revealed that the 2 groups of children demonstrated generally similar patterns of activity preferences and use of free time but had significant differences in areas related to intensity and enjoyment of involvement and in their social networks. Implications for future research and interventions are discussed.
Win Friends and Influence People Relationships as Conduits of Organizational Culture in Temporary Placement Agencies

Organizational culture research has primarily focused on organizations characterized by permanent, full-time employment relationships. The workplace is increasingly characterized by multiple employ...
Global Competition, Institutions, and the Diffusion of Organizational Practices: The International Spread of ISO 9000 Quality Certificates:

We use panel data on ISO 9000 quality certification in 85 countries between 1993 and 1998 to better understand the cross-national diffusion of an organizational practice. Following neoinstitutional theory, we focus on the coercive, normative, and mimetic effects that result from the exposure of firms in a given country to a powerful source of critical resources, a common pool of relevant technical knowledge, and the experiences of firms located in other countries. We use social network theory to develop a systematic conceptual understanding of how firms located in different countries influence each other's rates of adoption as a result of cohesive and equivalent network relationships. Regression results provide support for our predictions that states and foreign multinationals are the key actors responsible for coercive isomorphism, cohesive trade relationships between countries generate coercive and normative effects, and role-equivalent trade relationships result in learning-based and competitive imitation.
Acceleration of cloud computing

In the past decade cloud computing has emerged as one of the key sectors of information technology (IT) industry, attracting attention from academia and industry alike. More recently, it has been identified as one of the key area of focus for business and technological research and innovation. We now hear terms such as "born in cloud" or "cloud native" services which is indicative of the fact that cloud computing has requirements that are fundamentally different than non-cloud technology. Major cloud computing service providers and academic researcher are coping with finding software and hardware solutions to address the limitations inherent in hardware components i.e. storage, network and compute. Advancements in virtualization technologies, software define networking and the emergence of new accelerator hardware will provide a significant boost to the evolution of cloud computing. The success of cloud computing as a technology and business model depends upon the adoption of these emerging technologies. Technologies such as FPGAs and GPUs can be used to provide computation offloading of cloud services for better performance while software define environment will provide efficient management, segmentation and performance of cloud service.
Influence of repellency on the efficacy of blatticides. II. Laboratory experiments with German cockroaches.

The efficacy of insecticides under simulated field conditions in which German cockroaches, Blattella germanica (L.), had the opportunity to avoid the insecticide deposits (choice boxes or mock-up wall voids) was approximately inversely proportional to their contact activity when the insects were continuously confined with the deposits (petri-dish tests). The addition of attractants to insecticides or to areas in which they were applied did not appreciably counteract their repellency, which was the principal factor affecting their efficacy. An 8-fold increase in the quantity of insecticide dust of a given concentration of toxicant, when applied to the dark compartment of a choice box, generally did not significantly increase the kill of German cockroaches, but doubling the concentration of toxicant greatly increased it. Simulated field treatment against German cockroaches was adversely affected by physiological resistance or reduced concentration of toxicant, but only because the insects could take advantage of the slower insecticidal activity to begin evasive action before their initial exploratory Contacts with the toxicant became fatal. When deposits of boric acid formulations in open petri dishes were exposed to air of moderate humidity for 3 months, their insecticidal efficacy did not decrease, but when they remained in water-saturated air for 3 months and were then dried, the powders were not so fluffy and were not picked up as readily by the cockroaches. The addition of certain adjuvants had the effect of preventing agglomeration of boric acid particles and decreasing the adverse effects of prolonged high humidity. Storage of boric acid formulations in moisture-proof containers is recommended. In treated choice boxes and mock-up closets the rate of cockroach mortality increased with increased light intensity, since the area of acceptable insecticide-free harborage was decreased by the light. Increased environmental complexity decreased the effect of light on mortality. In an untreated choice box or closet, the closer the food and water were placed to the preferred harborage sites, the lower the rate of mortality. Cockroaches having approximately a 1-second contact with dust deposits carried away with them a lethal dose of insecticide, whereas a 5-minute contact with deposits from dilute solutions of insecticides that kill by cholinesterase inhibition did not result in the death of the insects in 48 hours. Organochlorine insecticides had a more potent latent effect than organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides. In wall-void tests, the efficacy of 5 insecticide dusts 30 days after treatment was in the order boric acid>2% diazinon>Drione = sodium fluoride>2% Baygon. Deposits from an aqueous solution of boric acid + detergent gave a 50% kill of cockroaches continuously confined to them in approximately 6 days on asphalt, red-clay tile, or glass, and 12.3 days on concrete. They gave a 63.5% net kill in 2 weeks in a mock-up kitchen. the floor of which was mopped once with the solution.
A National Survey of State Medicaid Psychotropic-Monitoring Programs Targeting Youths.

Objective:This study aimed to describe state Medicaid psychotropic-monitoring programs targeting youths.Methods:Key informants from each state Medicaid administration and the District of Columbia were invited to participate in a telephone-administered survey designed to assess the implementation strategies of the state psychotropic-monitoring program. Data were collected from August 2011 through December 2012. A total of 38 states participated, four declined, and nine did not respond to the invitation. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize monitoring programs.Results:Key informants from 28 of the 38 states (74%) reported a program in place, mostly prior authorization (68%). One-third of the programs (32%) had a two-tier review involving pharmacists and child psychiatrists.Conclusions:Although variability in psychotropic-monitoring programs may limit comparison of program impact across states, the variability provides an opportunity to investigate the impact of different models on best practices...
Analysis on the monitoring results of personal dose among radiation workers in Fengtai District of Beijing in 2012

[Objective]To understand the basic status of personal external radiation doses among radiation workers in Fengtai District of Beijing in 2012,provide scientific evidence for strengthening and ameliorating the occupational radiation protection. [Methods]Thermoluminescence dosimetry was used to detect the personal dose of workers exposed to radiation in medical institutions and factories in Fengtai District.[Results]①The individual external radiation doses were lower than the dose limit,and mostly maintained at a lower level. The annual person average dose was 0. 23 mSv / a,and the protection conditions were generally effective. ②The radiation workers in a few institutions were exposed to doses of 1-3 mSv. ③Very few workers were exposed to the severe radiation in the single practice,which the dose was higher than 1 /3 dose limit of the Basic standards for protection against ionizing radiation and for the safety of radiation sources( GB 18871-2002). [Conclusion]The personal dose of occupational external radiation among radiation workers in Fengtai District is generally at a low level,and the radiation protection shows a good effect.
China's One-Child Policy.

Dr Hesketh and colleagues1 provided a summary and critique of China’s one-child policy, expressing skepticism that eliminating this policy will cause fertility rates in China to rebound. The authors delineated several positive aspects of the one-child policy. However, those apparent positives are mitigated by the corresponding costs associated with them.
Spermagglutinin Titers and their Relationship to Fertility in Isoimmunized Female Rabbits

The sera from 48 female rabbits immunized by a series of multiple intradermal injections of washed epididymal, washed ejaculated, and β -amylase-treated rabbit spermatozoa in complete adjuvant were examined for spermagglutinins by the Kibrick gel agglutination test and a slight modification of the Shulman capillary agglutination test. Control animals receiving the adjuvant or saline usually had no positive titers. All three antigenic preparations produced similar titers, positive at dilutions as high as 8192-fold with the Kibrick test and 256-fold with the Shulman test. Maximal titer development was reached 4 to 6weeks after starting the immunization, and positive sera were obtained from some does for 25weeks. The correlation coefficients between positive titers obtained by the two tests were r=0.91 during the first 10weeks and 0.41 at 15 to 25weeks after immunization. Immunization essentially rendered the does sterile 6weeks after antigen injection started, with fertility gradually returning to near control levels within 25weeks. At 6weeks the correlations between the percentage of eggs fertilized and the spermagglutinin titers by the Kibrick and Shulman assays were 0.93 and 0.88, respectively. During declining immunity, titers obtained by the Shulman test were more highly correlated with fertility than were results from the Kibrick test. For this reason and because of the simplicity of the Shulman procedure, the latter appears to have an advantage in monitoring spermagglutinins in sera of immunized animals.
Adequacy Assessment of Power Distribution Network With Large Fleets of PHEVs Considering Condition-Dependent Transformer Faults

As a new form of distributed energy resources, massive plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) could affect the power distribution system adequacy considering their intermittent charging loads and the load recovery ability during system outages. This paper proposes a comprehensive framework for adequacy evaluation of power distribution networks with PHEVs penetration. A condition-dependent outage model is used in this paper to obtain the time sequential failure rate of the transformer. Also, a business model for the PHEVs is developed to encourage the PHEV owners to charge their vehicles in such a way that the distribution system adequacy is enhanced. Based on this model, a smart charging algorithm is proposed for the PHEVs to minimize their charging cost and enhance the adequacy of the distribution network at the same time. Various simulation studies are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed smart charging approach. The simulation results show that the proposed approach is effective in enhancing both the adequacy of the distribution network and economic profits of PHEVs.
Impact of a Pay-for-Performance Program on Care for Black Patients with Hypertension: Important Answers in the Era of the Affordable Care Act

Objective Evaluate the effect of a pay-for-performance intervention on the quality of hypertension care provided to black patients and determine whether it produced risk selection. Data Source/Study Setting Primary data collected between 2007 and 2009 from Veterans Affairs physicians and their primary care panels. Study Design Nested study within a cluster randomized controlled trial of three types of financial incentives and no incentives (control). We compared the proportion of physicians’ black patients meeting hypertension performance measures for baseline and final performance periods. We measured risk selection by comparing the proportion of patients who switched providers, patient visit frequency, and panel turnover. Due to limited power, we prespecified in the analysis plan combining the three incentive groups and oversampling black patients. Data Collection/Extraction Method Data collected electronically and by chart review. Principal Findings The proportion of black patients who achieved blood pressure control or received an appropriate response to uncontrolled blood pressure in the final period was 6.3 percent (95 percent confidence interval, 0.8–11.7 percent) greater for physicians who received an incentive than for controls. There was no difference between intervention and controls in the proportion of patients who switched providers, visit frequency, or panel turnover. Conclusions and Relevance A pay-for-performance intervention improved blood pressure control or appropriate response to uncontrolled blood pressure in black patients and did not produce risk selection.
Freemasonry: toward civil society

Coffeehouses and masonic lodges were similar in important respects. Both flourished first in Great Britain and later spread to the continent. Both were at times associated with sedition, although freemasons repeatedly insisted on the nonpolitical aims of their lodges. And as places where individuals from diverse social and occupational backgrounds intermingled, both tended to dissolve distinctions of rank and foster the more egalitarian style of sociability characteristic of the Enlightenment public sphere. In the process, each contributed to the formation of new social identities distinct from traditional corporate and hierarchical norms of Old Regime society. Membership in a lodge was voluntary, not ascribed, and was defined by criteria that were independent of the individual's formal legal status. Lodges cut across boundaries of occupation, confession, and class. They created or expanded networks of communication and sociability, and encouraged contacts between individuals from varying social backgrounds and regions. For these and other reasons, scholars like Margaret Jacob have emphasized the ways in which freemasonry anticipated the forms of associational life characteristic of modern civil society. Freemasonry was the first secular, voluntary association ever to have existed on a pan-European scale. It was also the largest, at least in the eighteenth century. In France, for example, freemasons may have comprised as much as 5 percent of the urban, adult male population on the eve of the Revolution.