cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reading-enhanced word problem solving: a theoretical model

There is a reciprocal relationship between mathematics and reading cognition. Metacognitive training within reading-enhanced problem solving should facilitate students developing an awareness of what good readers do when reading for meaning in solving mathematical problems enabling them to apply these strategies. The constructs for each cognitive component articulated in the manuscript are supported by research demonstrating benefits in reading and mathematics achievement and how they operate together to help students’ conceptualize mathematical problems. Teachers need to think less about students deriving an answer and more in terms of facilitating students’ application of the cognitive components of reading and mathematics. Thus, teachers can implement reading-enhanced problem solving in mathematics when students struggle, rather than having to manipulate their local curriculum.
Dynamic digital variable switching frequency control scheme for power converters

This paper presents an approach for variable switching frequency digital control scheme under dynamic transients in order to improve the dynamic performance of the DC-DC switching power converter. The controller varies the switching frequency of the converter, higher or lower than the steady-state frequency, during the transient as a function of error signal depending on the amount and type of the transient. Experimental results of a proof of concept prototype are presented in the paper to validate the controller.
Is Patient Selection Important for Hip Resurfacing

The optimal implant option for hip arthroplasty in the young, active patient remains controversial. There has been renewed interest for metal-on-metal hip resurfacing due to improved design and manufacturing of implants, better materials, enhanced implant fixation, theoretical advantages over conventional total hip arthroplasty, and recent Food and Drug Administration approval of two devices. Recent studies indicate satisfactory short- and midterm clinical results (1- to 10-year followup) with low complication rates, but there is a learning curve associated with this procedure, a more extensive surgical approach is necessary, and long-term results have yet to be determined. Proper patient selection may help avoid complications and improve patient outcomes. Patient selection criteria in the literature appear based predominantly on theoretical considerations without any consensus on stratifying patient risk. The most commonly reported complications encountered with hip resurfacing include femoral neck fracture, acetabular component loosening, metal hypersensitivity, dislocation, and nerve injury. At the time of clinical evaluation, patient age; gender; diagnosis; bone density, quality, and morphology; activity level; leg lengths; renal function; and metal hypersensitivity are important factors when considering a patient for hip resurfacing. Based on our review, we believe the best candidates for hip resurfacing are men under age 65 with osteoarthritis and relatively normal bony morphology. Level of Evidence: Level V, prognostic study. See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Evaluating Risk Factors and Possible Mediation Effects in Posttraumatic Depression and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Comorbidity

OBJECTIVES: On September 11, 2001 (9/11), attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) killed 341 Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) firefighters and injured hundreds more. Previous WTC-related studies reported high rates of comorbid depression and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), identifying disability retirement, alcohol use, and early arrival at the WTC site as correlates. However, those studies did not evaluate risk factors that could have mediated the observed comorbidity. We identified unique risk factors for each condition in an effort to better understand comorbidity. METHODS: We screened retired WTC-exposed firefighters using self-administered questionnaires including the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist, and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. We performed regression analyses to compare independent predictors of elevated depression and PTSD risk, and also tested a mediation hypothesis. RESULTS: From December 2005 to July 2007, 23% and 22% of 1,915 retirees screened positive for elevated depression and PTSD risk, respectively, with comorbidity > 70%. Controlling for comorbidity, we identified unique risk factors for (1) depression: problem alcohol use and (2) PTSD: early arrival at the WTC site. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the premise that PTSD and depression are different responses to trauma with unique risk factors. The data also suggest a hypothesis that PTSD mediates the relationship between early WTC arrival and depression, while depression mediates the relationship between alcohol use and PTSD, a more complex relationship than shown in previous studies. Clinicians should consider these factors when evaluating patients for depression and PTSD. Language: en
Microtiter plate assay for assessment of Listeria monocytogenes biofilm formation.

Listeria monocytogenes has the ability to form biofilms on food-processing surfaces, potentially leading to food product contamination. The objective of this research was to standardize a polyvinyl chloride (PVC) microtiter plate assay to compare the ability of L. monocytogenes strains to form biofilms. A total of 31 coded L. monocytogenes strains were grown in defined medium (modified Welshimer's broth) at 32°C for 20 and 40 h in PVC microtiter plate wells. Biofilm formation was indirectly assessed by staining with 1% crystal violet and measuring crystal violet absorbance, using destaining solution. Cellular growth rates and final cell densities did not correlate with biofilm formation, indicating that differences in biofilm formation under the same environmental conditions were not due to growth rate differences. The mean biofilm production of lineage I strains was significantly greater than that observed for lineage II and lineage III strains. The results from the standardized microtiter plate biofilm assay were also compared to biofilm formation on PVC and stainless steel as assayed by quantitative epifluorescence microscopy. Results showed similar trends for the microscopic and microtiter plate assays, indicating that the PVC microtiter plate assay can be used as a rapid, simple method to screen for differences in biofilm production between strains or growth conditions prior to performing labor-intensive microscopic analyses.
Coronin 1B Antagonizes Cortactin and Remodels Arp2/3-Containing Actin Branches in Lamellipodia

The dendritic actin network generated by the Arp2/3 complex in lamellipodia underlies formation of protrusions, directional sensing, and migration. While the generation of this network is well studied, the mechanisms regulating network disassembly are poorly understood. We report that Coronin 1B disassembles Arp2/3-containing actin filament branches by inducing Arp2/3 dissociation. This activity is antagonized by Cortactin, a filament branch stabilizer. Consistent with this biochemical competition, depletion of both proteins partially rescues defects in lamellipodial dynamics observed upon depletion of either protein alone. Coronin 1B targets actin branches in a manner that is mutually exclusive with the Arp2/3 complex and alters the branch angle. We conclude that Coronin 1B replaces the Arp2/3 complex at actin filament branches as the dendritic network matures and drives the turnover of branched actin networks.
Alteration in cytochrome P450 3A4 activity as measured by a urine cortisol assay in HIV-1-infected pregnant women and relationship to antiretroviral pharmacokinetics

Author(s): Aweeka, FT; Hu, C; Huang, L; Best, BM; Stek, A; Lizak, P; Burchett, SK; Read, JS; Watts, H; Mirochnick, M; Capparelli, EV; International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group (IMPAACT) P1026s Protocol Team | Abstract: ObjectivesPregnancy results in physiological changes altering the pharmacokinetics of drugs metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4). The urinary ratio of 6-β hydroxycortisol to cortisol (6βHF : F) is a marker of CYP3A4 induction. We sought to evaluate its change in antiretroviral (ARV)-treated HIV-1-infected women and to relate this change to ARV pharmacokinetics.MethodsWomen receiving various ARVs had pharmacokinetic evaluations during the third trimester of pregnancy (g30 weeks) and postpartum with determination of 6βHF : F carried out on the same days. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to compare the ratio antepartum to postpartum. The relationship between the change in ratio and the change in pharmacokinetics was analysed using Kendall's tau.Results6βHF : F ratios were available for 107 women antepartum, with 54 having postpartum values. The ratio was higher antepartum (P=0.033) (median comparison 1.35; 95% confidence interval 1.01, 1.81). For 71 women taking a protease inhibitor (PI), the antepartum vs. postpartum 6βHF : F comparison was marginally significant (P=0.058). When the change in the 6βHF : F ratio was related to the change in the dose-adjusted ARV area under the plasma concentration vs. time curve (AUC) between antepartum and postpartum, the 35 subjects in the lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) arms demonstrated an inverse relationship (P=0.125), albeit this correlation did not reach statistical significance.ConclusionsA 35% increase in the urinary 6βHF : F ratio was measured during late pregnancy compared with postpartum, indicating that CYP3A induction occurs during pregnancy. The trend towards an inverse relationship between the change in the 6βHF : F ratio and the change in the LPV AUC antepartum vs. postpartum suggests that CYP3A induction may be one mechanism behind altered LPV exposure during pregnancy.
Design, synthesis, and evaluation of novel heteroaromatic analogs of curcumin as anti-cancer agents

Abstract To improve the potential of curcumin to treat advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer, three series (A–C) of heteroaromatic analogs (thirty two compounds) with different monoketone linkers have been synthesized and evaluated for cytotoxicity against two human androgen-independent prostate cancer cell lines (PC-3 and DU-145). Among them, thirty analogs are more potent than curcumin against PC-3 cells, and twenty one analogs are more cytotoxic towards DU-145 cells relative to curcumin. The most potent compounds (44, 45, 51, and 52) also showed impressive cytotoxicity against three other metastatic cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231, HeLa, and A549), with IC50 values ranging from 50 nM to 390 nM. All four most potent analogs exhibited no apparent cytotoxicity towards the MCF-10A normal mammary epithelial cells. Taken together, selective enhancement of cell death in prostate cancer cell lines and other aggressive cancer cell lines suggests that nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic rings are promising bioisosteres of the substituted phenyl ring in curcumin.
G triplets located throughout a class of small vertebrate introns enforce intron borders and regulate splice site selection.

Splicing of small introns in lower eucaryotes can be distinguished from vertebrate splicing by the inability of such introns to be expanded and by the inability of splice site mutations to cause exon skipping-properties suggesting that the intron rather than the exon is the unit of recognition. Vertebrates do contain small introns. To see if they possess properties similar to small introns in lower eucaryotes, we studied the small second intron from the human alpha-globin gene. Mutation of the 5' splice site of this intron resulted in in vivo intron inclusion, not exon skipping, suggesting the presence of intron bridging interactions. The intron had an unusual base composition reflective of a sequence bias present in a collection of small human introns in which multiple G triplets stud the interior of the introns. Each G triplet represented a minimal sequence element additively contributing to maximal splicing efficiency and spliceosome assembly. More importantly, G triplets proximal to a duplicated splice site caused preferential utilization of the 5' splice site upstream of the triplets or the 3' splice site downstream of the triplets; i.e., sequences containing G triplets were preferentially used as introns when a choice was possible. Thus, G triplets internal to a small intron have the ability to affect splice site decisions at both ends of the intron. Each G triplet additively contributed to splice site selectivity. We suggest that G triplets are a common component of human 5' splice sites and aid in the definition of exon-intron borders as well as overall splicing efficiency. In addition, our data suggest that such intronic elements may be characteristic of small introns and represent an intronic equivalent to the exon enhancers that facilitate recognition of both ends of an exon during exon definition.
Determination of 17‐Monochloroacetylajmaline and Its Metabolite in Plasma by TLC Fluorescence Detection

Abstract A sensitive and specific method is described for the determination of 17‐monochloroacetylajmaline (I) and its metabolite, ajmaline (II), in plasma. Method specificity is accomplished by combining an ion‐pair extraction with chromatography followed by development and utilization of reaction product fluorescence of the isolated species on silica gel. Recovery of I and II added to plasma or water averaged 70%. The major loss in the assay resulted during a solvent evaporation step and was reproducible over the concentration interval studied. The limit of detectability for I is 0.06 μg/2 ml of plasma. The method was used to determine plasma levels of I and II in the dog following a dose of 10 mg/kg iv of I.
Two-phase flow in microchannels with surface modifications

Two-phase flows in microchannels with surface modifications are experimentally investigated. First, we investigate the shape of static and moving bubbles in microchannels with square cross-sections for different contact angles. Water and air are mixed on-chip in a cross-shaped mixing chamber. This mixing geometry allows for the production of monodisperse bubbles, the size of which can be controlled with the flow rates. We study the flow morphologies of mixtures made of pure water and air, and made of water with surfactant and air (aqueous foam), in both hydrophilic and hydrophobic microchannels. Second, we investigate the transient rheological behavior of polymer solutions when the length of the polymers is comparable to the height of the channel. The measured viscosity of the solution is several times larger than the expected value, and does not show the typical shear-thinning behavior. These experiments highlight the importance of wall properties for two-phase flows in microfluidic devices.
Virtual musculoskeletal scenario-testing case-studies

Doctors, dentists, nurses, athletic trainers, occupational therapists and allied health-care professionals are expected to learn the linkage between anatomy, physiology and ultimately functional-performance of muscles i.e. how muscles affect movement or which sets of muscles carry various loads. However the extent of understanding of functional-performance that can be imparted in a didactic-lecture or cadaver-lab setting of a ldquoGross Anatomyrdquo class is limited. Hence we seek to create the architecture and algorithms for scaffolded interaction with human musculoskeletal simulation models (virtual prototypes) that can make varied ldquowhat-ifrdquo type analyses and hypothesis-testing possible. This is very pertinent in the context of the target audience of healthcare professionals who may lack prior exposure to such virtual computational scenario testing tools. Providing such access is vital to training of the next generation of health care professionals to leverage ubiquitous computing and the quantitative-paradigm.
G codes for the specification of Pythagorean-hodograph tool paths and associated feedrate functions on open-architecture CNC machines

Abstract A new class of machine codes for the specification of Pythagorean-hodograph (PH) curve tool paths, and associated feedrate functions, is proposed. The PH curves are a special family of free-form curves, compatible with the Bezier/B-spline representations of CAD systems, that are amenable to real-time interpolation at constant or variable feedrate directly from their exact analytic descriptions. The proposed codes are compatible with `ordinary' (linear/circular) G codes, and may be regarded as extensions thereof. Compared to the customary approach of using piecewise-linear/circular approximations, they offer significant improvements in the accuracy, efficiency, data volume, and flexibility of part programs for free-form shapes. Experimental results from an implementation of these real-time PH curve interpolators on an `open-architecture' CNC milling machine are also described.
Understanding prognostic benefits of exercise and antidepressant therapy for persons with depression and heart disease: the UPBEAT study--rationale, design, and methodological issues.

Background Depression is relatively common in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and is associated with worse prognosis. Recently there has been interest in evaluating the impact of treatin...
Interventions for Posttraumatic Stress With Children Exposed to Violence: Factors Associated With Treatment Success.

BACKGROUND: In the past 15 years, there have been a substantial number of rigorous studies examining the effectiveness of various treatments for child trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although a number of review articles exist, many have focused on randomized controlled trials or specific treatment methodologies, both of which limit the ability to draw conclusions across studies and the statistical power to test the effect of particular treatment characteristics on treatment outcomes. The current study is a review and meta-analysis of 74 studies examining treatments for children exposed to violence. METHODS: After reviewing the literature, we examined the relationship of a variety of treatment characteristics (e.g., group or individual treatments) and sample characteristics (e.g., average age) on treatment effect sizes. RESULTS: Results indicated that individual therapies and those with exposure paradigms within a cognitive-behavioral therapy or skills-building framework show the most promise, but treatment is somewhat less effective for those with more severe symptomology and for younger children. CONCLUSIONS: Future treatments should consider the developmental and social contexts that may impede treatment progress for young children and consider how best to develop the effectiveness of group interventions that can be readily delivered in settings of mass trauma. Language: en
Avian diets in a saline ecosystem: Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Saline lakes provide a prey-rich, predator-free environment for birds to utilize during migration and stopover periods. The Great Salt Lake (GSL), Utah is the largest salt lake in North America and is utilized by millions of migratory birds. It also is host to multiple commercial endeavors. Proposed expansion of commercial use of the GSL would result in increased impounded area and water extraction for mineral production, which may increase the GSL's salinity and negatively impact invertebrate abundance. I review previous literature and synthesize diets of avian species utilizing the GSL to determine the importance of each invertebrate species, including brine shrimp (Artemia franciscana) and brine flies (Ephydra spp.), and clarify the anthropogenic impacts on food sources and avian populations. Species considered are eared grebes (Podiceps nigricollis), northern shovelers (Anas clypeata), green- winged teals (Anas crecca), common goldeneyes (Bucephala clangula), American avocets (Recurvirostra americana), black-necked stilts (Himantopus mexicanus), Wilson's phalaropes (Phalaropus tricolor), red-necked phalaropes (Phalaropus lobatus), and California gulls (Larus californicus). Brine shrimp and brine fly adults are consumed by all species considered. Alterations in prey abundance due to increased salinity may alter the ability of the GSL to support large avian populations.
Stochastic Hydrologic Model for Drought Management

A method of producing long-range water-supply forecasts is developed and applied. The method is capable of producing conditional cumulative distribution functions (CDF) for monthly streamflow volumes and producing a set of equiprobable future streamflow traces. Using the latter output, it is possible to evaluate the conditional CDF of reservoir storage for any particular future month, or probabilities of storage falling below some level during the forecast period. The model used in an ARMA (1,1) cyclic model. It differs from an ARMA (1,1) stationary model in that the correlation structure varies with time of year. The model is fit in this analysis to the 81-year long stream-flow record of the Potomac River at Point of Rocks, Maryland.
Il Dollaro: Leri, Oggi e Domani (The Dollar: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) (in Italian)

The article is part of the special issue of the journal on Charles P. Kindleberger (CPK). It is here reported one of CPK’s best known articles published in the old series of Moneta e Credito (vol. 38 n. 152, december 1985, pp. 355-69). The article reconstructs the recent history of the dollar and draws some implications on the dollar’s prospective trends. Read today, the article testifies of Kindleberger’s refined analytical skills and of his ability to use history for making sensible predictions.
An automatic dip coating process for dielectric thin and thick films

Abstract A computer-controlled dip coating apparatus has been designed and constructed for fabricating dielectric films from precursor solutions. This automated mechanism provided a totally hands-off process by which films of good quality and uniformity were easily and conveniently formed. Fluid mechanics involved in the dip coating process successfully predicted the single-layer film thickness of one dipping and firing cycle, and this thickness was found to be additive to give the final film thickness consisting of multiple such layers. Properties of films of the lanthanum-modified lead zirconate titanate (PLZT) family derived from an acetate precursor system by this process were discussed.
A New Method for Individually Rearing the German Cockroach (Orthoptera: Blattellidae)

A method for individually rearing the German cockroach is described. The system is based on the use of vials designed to pick up water continuously from an automatically filled reservoir. It is estimated that a four-tray unit (with four valve assemblies) can be constructed for $150.00 and four days labor.
Math Model of Electro-hydraulic Servo and Actuator System for Power Grid Stability Analysis

The electro-hydraulic servo and actuator system is one of the most important components in prime mover governing system.Precision and adaptability of the math model of the system significantly affect validity of power grid stability analysis.It is found that the existing models of the electro-hydraulic servo and actuator system can simulate the power grid performance properly when valves have small actions.However these models can not exactly reflect practice in case of large valve actions,so that they can not be used to analyze power grid stability while valve acts in large range.A new math model of the electro-hydraulic servo and actuator system is proposed based on operating principle of each component.This model is capable of evaluating the power grid performance at both small and large valve actions with one set of model parameters.Method of determining these parameters is provided,and the new model is verified by corresponding experimental data from the site.
An Essential Role for NF-κB in Human CD34+ Bone Marrow Cell Survival

The transcription factor, NF-κB, is important for T-cell activation, B-cell maturation, and human immunodeficiency virus transcription and plays a role in alternatively mediating and protecting against apoptosis in a variety of cell types. However, a role for NF-κB in human CD34+ bone marrow cells has not been described. We provide evidence here that virtually all human CD34+ bone marrow cells express NF-κB that can be activated by exposure to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and a variety of cytokines, eg, tumor necrosis factor , interleukin-3, and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. In addition, we demonstrate that NF-κB may be required for human CD34+bone marrow cell clonogenic function and survival. These results offer insight into a new role for NF-κB in maintaining survival and function in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and suggest that proposed strategies involving inhibition of NF-κB activation as an adjunct to cancer chemotherapy should be approached with caution.
Comparison between an Ascenda and a silicone catheter in intrathecal baclofen therapy in pediatric patients: analysis of complications

OBJECTIVE In this single-center study the authors investigated the complications occurring before and after the introduction of the new Ascenda intrathecal catheter (Medtronic Inc.) in pediatric patients treated with intrathecal baclofen therapy (ITB) for spasticity and/or dystonia. METHODS This was a retrospective review of 508 children who had received ITB, 416 with silicone catheters in the 13 years between September 1998 and September 2011 and 92 with Ascenda catheters in the 3 years between September 2011 and August 2014. The authors evaluated major complications such as infections, CSF leaks treated, and problems related to the catheter or pump, and they compared the 2 groups of patients who had received either a silicone catheter or an Ascenda catheter implant. RESULTS One hundred twenty patients in the silicone group (29%) and 1 patient in the Ascenda group (1.1%; p < 0.001) had a major complication. In the silicone group 23 patients (5.5%) were affected by CSF leakage and 75 patients (18%) experienced 82 catheter-related events, such as occlusion, dislodgment, disconnection, or breakage, which required catheter replacement. In the Ascenda group, only 1 patient (1.1%) was affected by CSF leakage. CONCLUSIONS To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first in the literature to compare the performance of the new Ascenda catheter, introduced in 2011, with the traditional silicone catheter for intrathecal drug infusion. In their analysis, the authors found that the Ascenda catheter can reduce major complications related to the catheter after ITB pump implantation. Further investigation is necessary to expand on and confirm their results.
The Films of Woody Allen: Conclusion to the Second Edition – Allen's Fall: Mind, Morals, and Meaning in Deconstructing Harry

As a talented writer for The New York Times , Maureen Dowd in the mid-1980s was one of a select group from the New York press and other media with access to Woody Allen. Like other writers and critics in this group, she indicated a decidedly favorable leaning toward Allen, in part because of what she discerned as a new direction in his work concerning women. As mentioned earlier, in a lengthy piece for the Sunday New York Times about Allen's developing attitude toward women as suggested in his new film at the time, Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), Dowd asks, “Has Woody Allen turned some sort of emotional corner now, writing endings rosy with redemption and happily ever after?” Much has happened to Dowd and Allen since that article. While Allen's work, career, and life have taken a turn in a direction different from the one Dowd anticipated, her influence has grown as a widely read columnist whose mordant opinion pieces appear regularly on the “op-ed” page of the Times . In her columns, Dowd usually excoriates leading political figures at the helm of the Washington political establishment or punctures the inflated egos of other elites. Given her prominence, Dowd's change in attitude toward Allen seems notable and worth considering as part of an examination of Allen's work and career.
Mentoring New and Junior Faculty

This chapter describes the ways in which mentoring supports new faculty in higher education. The chapter discusses the importance of mentors in the transition of new faculty to positions in higher education. An overview of the role of the mentor and protege is shared, along with research-based tips for building positive mentor-protege relationships. This chapter covers mentoring programs and provides examples of mentoring new and junior faculty and also shares topics that new and junior faculty members would expect to learn as they seek advice and guidance from their mentors. These topics are ones that mentors can use to provide support and resources for their proteges. The chapter concludes with an overview of mentoring new faculty who are women and those from minoritized racial and ethnic groups.
Concepts of solutions of uncertain equations with intervals, probabilities and fuzzy sets for applied tasks

The focus of this paper is to clarify the concepts of solutions of linear equations in interval, probabilistic, and fuzzy sets setting for real-world tasks. There is a fundamental difference between formal definitions of the solutions and physically meaningful concepts of solution in applied tasks, when equations have uncertain components. For instance, a formal definition of the solution in terms of Moore interval analysis can be completely irrelevant for solving a real-world task. We show that formal definitions must follow a meaningful concept of the solution in the real world. The contribution of this paper is the seven formalized definitions of the concept of solution for the linear equations with uncertain components in the interval settings that are interpretable in the real-world tasks. It is shown that these definitions have analogies in probability and fuzzy set terms too. These new formalized concepts of solutions are generalized for difference and differential equations under uncertainty.
A donor by no name is just another number? The management of anonymity in US cryobanks

In this paper, I argue for a re-examination of the concept and application of donor anonymity. If computer sciences and genetic technologies have established that anonymity is impossible to ensure in current times, why does the fiction of anonymity continue to survive in cryobanks? I argue that the performance and management of ‘anonymity’ meet different needs of donors, recipients, and cryobanks. While absolute anonymity is neither possible nor preferable to cryobanks (as donor records may be needed for future medical and legal references), contractual anonymity gives the parties involved reassurance that the flow of information is under reliable control – in this case – the control of cryobanks. While complete protection of the donor’s private information is limited in actuality, it provides a certain freedom from an unforeseen and undetermined future by temporarily easing donor and recipient apprehensions about feared ‘what-if’ scenarios. In order to be useful, anonymity’s mechanics must incorporate enough flexibility to be undone if needed.
Nitridation of the 4H-SiC/Oxide interface via NO anneal and plasma injection

Silicon Carbide (4-H SiC) is a promising candidate for high power and high temperature MOS devices. However, the performance and wide-scale application of such devices is hindered by the poor quality of SiO 2 /SiC interface. Much work has been done in the past decade to improve the interface quality. Among them, post-oxidation nitridation passivation shows great enhancement and promising results.
165. Liver-Directed Gene Therapy for Murine Glycogen Storage Disease Type IB

Glycogen storage disease type Ib (GSD-Ib) deficient in the glucose-6-phosphate transporter (G6PT or SLC37A4) is characterized impaired glucose homeostasis, myeloid dysfunction, and long-term complication of hepatocellular adenoma (HCA). We have shown that gene therapy mediated by a recombinant (r) AAV8 vector expressing G6PT directed by the chicken β-actin promoter/CMV enhancer enabled the G6pt-/- mice lived to over 51 weeks but all 5 transduced G6pt-/- mice expressed only low levels of hepatic G6PT activity and two developed multiple HCAs with one undergoing malignant transformation. We now examined the safety and efficacy of rAAV8-GPE-G6PT, a rAAV8 vector expressing G6PT directed by the gluconeogenic tissue-specific human G6PC promoter/enhancer (GPE). Of the fifteen rAAV8-GPE-G6PT-treated G6pt-/- mice that lived over age 60 weeks expressed 2-62% of wild-type hepatic G6PT activity with only one developed HCA. The treated mice, including the HCA-bearing mouse exhibit a leaner phenotype along with normal blood metabolite, display normal glucose tolerance profiles, maintain normoglycemia over a 24-hour fast, and retain insulin sensitivity. We further show that activation of hepatic ChREBP signaling that improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity is one mechanism that protects the rAAV-GPE-G6PT-treated G6pt-/- mice against age-related obesity and insulin resistance.
Do Family Firms Purchase More Nonaudit Services than Non‐Family Firms?

This study investigates the association between family ownership and the relative level of nonaudit service (NAS) fees paid to the incumbent auditors by public companies. Using data from S&P 1500 firms during the post-SOX period 2002–2010, the study shows that the NAS fee ratio (the NAS fees relative to the total of audit and NAS fees) is higher for family firms than non-family firms. The results suggest that family owners' close monitoring of their firms reduces the information asymmetry and agency problems between shareholders and managers, and as a result family firms tend to purchase more NAS from their auditors to appreciate the potential benefits of the auditors' knowledge spillovers. Additional analysis demonstrates that the positive association between family ownership and the NAS fee ratio is particularly pronounced for family firms without dual-class shares and for those with non-family-member CEOs.
Assessment for health education in plague affected area in Dingbian country, Shaanxi province in 2008

Objective To improve the knowledge about controlling plague in cadres, masses, and the medical staff in plague affected area in Dinghian county of Shaanxi province and to assess the efforts of health education activities. Methods In 2008, the education activities carded out by the government-related departments were investigated. The awareness of plague control and assessment was obtained through a written survey, questionnaire and interviews on clinic. Results Some education activities were carried out in plague area of Dingbian county, such as training, issuing educational materials, broadcasting plague scientific educational films and arranging knowledge grand prix. The rates of knowing plague clinic, epidemiology, prevention and the "three prohibitions and three alerts to report" were as follows: the cadres were 50.50%(101/200),63.69%(414/650),78.67%(118/150), the masses were 64.71% (66/102),87.91% (269/306),76.47% (78/102) and the medical staff were 64.18% (543/846) ,68.51%(322/470),67.02%(63/94). The passing rates of the cadres, the masses and the medical staff were 70.00% (35/50),92.16% (47/51),74.47% (35/47). Conclusions Health education can strengthen health consciousness of cadres and masses and improve the ability of the medical stalf on controlling sudden epidemic situation. Reinforcing plague control knowledge and training of medical staff are still important for health education in the future. Key words: Plague; Health education; Data collection; Outcome assessment
The shy mayor: private badges in geosocial networks

Location based social or geosocial networks (GSNs) have recently emerged as a natural combination of location based services with online social networks: users register their location and activities, share it with friends and achieve special status (e.g., "mayorship" badges) based on aggregate location predicates. Boasting millions of users and tens of millions of daily check-ins, such services pose significant privacy threats: user location information may be tracked and leaked to third parties. Conversely, a solution enabling location privacy may provide cheating capabilities to users wanting to claim special location status. In this paper we introduce new mechanisms that allow users to (inter)act privately in today's geosocial networks while simultaneously ensuring honest behavior. An Android implementation is provided. The Google Nexus One smartphone is shown to be able to perform tens of badge proofs per minute. Providers can support hundreds of million of check-ins and status verifications per day.
Some Explanations for Budget Volatility

Program funding volatility in the Army’s budget is surprisingly insensitive to a program’s functional capability, relative size, manufacturer, number of jobs generated by the program, or the U.S. state in which the program is primarily produced. No single factor can decisively account for unstable budget outcomes; instead, each program’s funding history is a combination of its technical, industrial, and political characteristics.
“Ecstasy” to addiction: Mechanisms and reinforcing effects of three synthetic cathinone analogs of MDMA

This study aimed to address the mechanisms and reinforcing effects of three synthetic cathinone analogs of MDMA commonly reported in "Ecstasy" formulations: methylone, butylone, and pentylone. Whole-cell patch clamp techniques were used to assess the mechanism of each compound at the dopamine and serotonin transporters. Separate groups of rats were trained to discriminate methamphetamine, DOM, or MDMA from vehicle. Substitution studies were performed in each group and antagonism studies with SCH23390 were performed against each compound that produced substitution. Self-administration of each compound was evaluated under a progressive ratio schedule of reinforcement. Each compound produced an inward current at the serotonin transporter, but little or no current at the dopamine transporter. Each of the test compounds substituted fully for the discriminative stimulus effects of methamphetamine, methylone and butylone substituted partially for DOM and fully for MDMA, whereas pentylone failed to substitute for DOM and substituted only partially for MDMA. SCH23390 fully and dose-dependently attenuated methamphetamine-appropriate responding produced by each test compound, but was least potent against pentylone. MDMA-appropriate responding was minimally affected by SCH23390. Each test compound was robustly self-administered with pentylone producing the greatest self-administration at the doses tested. Given the prevalence of synthetic cathinones in "Ecstasy" formulations, these data indicate that adulterated "Ecstasy" formulations may drive more compulsive drug use than those containing only MDMA.
Base-of-the-Pyramid Impact Enterprises: Building for Scale

Thousands of ventures aimed at serving the base of the pyramid (BoP) have been launched, but comparatively few have achieved significant scale. This collective failure to thrive underscores a key p...
Recent Advances in Gigapixel Cameras

Continuing advances in computational architecture, optical design and software have reduced gigapixel camera system volume by more than two orders of magnitude and have also greatly advanced system utility.
How Hunter Perceptions of Wildlife Regulations, Agency Trust, and Satisfaction Affect Attitudes about Duck Bag Limits

This study explored how factors, including the function of bag limits, agency trust, satisfaction, hunting participation, and demographics, related to opinions about duck bag limits. The results ar...
Impacts of recreation management practices in a subalpine wetland system dominated by the willow plant, Salix planifolia

Wetland habitat in the subalpine Rocky Mountains is an area of high biodiversity and includes many species of willow. These willow-dominated communities are often used for both summer and winter recreation. The maintenance of winter recreation trails has the potential to disturb wetland vegetation and compromise the long-term persistence of the wetland. In Breckenridge, Colorado, willow plants are clipped in October to a uniform height to prevent stems from protruding through the snow onto the ski trails, and large grooming tractors compact the snow on the trails. Our objective was to investigate the impact of winter recreation trail maintenance on growth and reproductive output of Salix planifolia (common names: planeleaf or diamondleaf willow) and to determine impacts on community diversity in a willow-dominated wetland system. Catkin production, plant height, and branch elongation were evaluated in meter-squared quadrats within paired belt transects both inside and outside a ski trail during the growing seasons of 2008 and 2009. In addition, percent cover of total vegetation was estimated for each species to calculate species richness and diversity. We found that maintenance of winter trails reduced catkin production and limited willow growth. Additionally, winter trail maintenance may have promoted the introduction of invasive species within the willow community. The activities associated with winter trail maintenance could interfere with the long-term persistence of the willow community adjacent to ski trails and should be considered when planning new trails in or along a wetland ecosystem.
The Technical Composition of Conceptualism

The period since 2008 has been characterized by persistence and restoration, the incomplete ending of the US era and the reassertion of the power of finance without global direction. If there was an art that matched this vacancy, it was perhaps neoconceptual poetry—itself a persistence and restoration of conceptual art that coalesced in the 1960s. Both conceptualism and neoconceptualism arise in the shadows of capitalist crises, specifically the two crises Giovanni Arrighi names as the “signal” and “terminal” crises of the US era, peaking in 1973 and 2008. The shift from an interest in plastic art to literature as the objects of critique of dematerialization in the two phases of conceptualism, things to words, further bespeaks the ongoing shift away from commodity- and toward service-centered economics in the period between the two crises. It is on this level that this chapter traces the connection between poetry and material contemporaneity.
Negotiating the Pitch: For a Diplomatic History of A, at the Crossroads of Politics, Music, Science and Industry

Although commonly adopted as the point of reference for musicians in the Western world, A tuned to 440 hertz only became the standard pitch during an international conference held in London in 1939. The adoption of this norm was the result of decades of international negotiations involving a surprising mix of actors: musicians (performers and composers), instrument builders, physicists, representatives of different state ministries and broadcasting technicians. In 1885, a first international agreement on standard pitch was ratified in Vienna by several European countries, which adopted the “French pitch,” fixed at 435 hertz by France’s government in 1859. In 1939, representatives of the main European nations signed a new treaty in London, agreeing on a higher standard frequency for the note “A” that has since remained the norm for Western musical practices: 440 hertz. Although this decision involved a barely audible increase of the diapason, it revealed the spectacular empowerment of a new set of actors ruling the musical world. By demonstrating the political, technological, scientific and aesthetic contingencies underlying the construction of one of the most “natural” objects of contemporary musical performance, this chapter charts the changing maps of forces in charge of literally tuning the world.
Colouring Agents in Cosmetics: Regulatory Aspects and Analytical Methods

Abstract This chapter reviews regulatory policies on the use of colouring agents in cosmetic products and also both the rationale and the specific methods for analyzing such agents. Regulations of various countries are presented, with an emphasis on the requirements for colour additives permitted in the United States. Analysis of colouring agents is discussed with respect to techniques implemented since the early 1990s for determining inorganic and organic components of the agents as well as methods for determining the colouring agents themselves within cosmetic products. Approaches used in preparing reference materials are also described in detail.
Consumer Awareness: Actual Versus Perceived Insurance Purchase Decisions

Critics of credit insurance marketing tactics allege that penetration rates are inflated by consumers who don’t realize they have purchased the product A typical loan closing involves multiple documents to be signed. The implication is that some creditors slip the insurance agreement past unwary consumers in the process of gathering the necessary loan signatures. Consequently, many consumers purchase a product that they would not have chosen had they been aware of the transaction.
Avoiding the Appearance of Faculty Favoritism

Faculty gifts to individual residents or students can be perceived as favoritism and should be avoided, unless the same gift is made available to all. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
Quantifying lithium concentration gradients in the graphite electrode of Li-ion cells using operando energy dispersive X-ray diffraction

Safe, fast, and energy efficient cycling of lithium ion batteries is desired in many practical applications. However, modeling studies predict steep Li+ ion gradients in the electrodes during cycling at the higher currents. Such gradients introduce heterogeneities in the electrodes, which make it difficult to predict cell lifetimes as different portions of the cell age at different rates. There is a dearth of experimental methods to probe these concentration gradients across the depth of the electrode. Here we use spatially resolved energy dispersive X-ray diffraction to obtain a “movie” of lithiation and delithiation in different sections of the cell and quantify lithium gradients that develop in a porous graphite electrode during cycling at a 1C rate. Inhomogeneity in the total Li content, and in the individual ordered LixC6 phases formed during lithium insertion into (and extraction from) the graphite, has been observed in an operando fashion. The complex dynamics of lithium-staging in graphite with the distinct front propagation of phase changes have been characterized and new features of these dynamics are highlighted here. As large Li+ ion gradients contribute to cell polarization, our results suggest that Li plating conditions can be met near the graphite electrode surface, even when the cell is charged at a moderate (1C) rate.
Intra-abdominal follicular lymphoma masquerading as severe cardiopulmonary disease in a Vietnam War veteran exposed to agent orange

A 68-year-old Hispanic male US Army veteran with a medical history of chronic obstructive lung disease, undefined lung scarring, heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, obstructive sleep apnoea, obesity hypoventilation syndrome [on oxygen by nasal cannula 2–4 L, bilevel positive airway
A Water-Miscible Quinone Flow Battery with High Volumetric Capacity and Energy Density

A water-miscible anthraquinone with polyethylene glycol (PEG)-based solubilizing groups is introduced as the redox-active molecule in a negative electrolyte (negolyte) for aqueous redox flow batter...
DESTRUCTION OF COHERENCE IN NONDEMOLITION MONITORING: QUANTUM "WATCHDOG EFFECT" IN GRAVITY WAVE DETECTORS

We show that nondemolition monitoring of a Weber bar may prevent changes of the number of phonons, and thus influence the sensitivity of quantum-counting gravity wave detectors. This effect is similar to the Watchdog Effect which is predicted to delay decays of the monitored, unstable quantum system. Relations between watchdog effect and Environment-Induced Superselection Rules as well as its connections to the fundamental questions of the quantum theory of measurement are briefly considered.