cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Parental Participation in Religious Services and Parent and Child Well-Being: Findings from the National Survey of America’s Families

Using data from the 1999 and 2002 National Survey of America’s Families, a large-scale nationally representative sample, this study finds that parental religious attendance is positively associated with parent self-rated health, parent mental well-being, positive parenting attitudes, child health, and child school engagement. Although the strength of these associations varies to some extent according to socio-demographic factors, the interactive patterns are not consistently predictable. Moreover, parental health and well-being and positive attitudes toward parenting appear to be important pathways linking parental religious attendance to child well-being. These findings suggest that opportunities for participation in local religious services offered by faith-based organizations may be fruitful avenues through which the government and society can help American families enhance parent and child well-being.
Municipal Institutions and Voter Turnout in Local Elections

Although low voter turnout in national elections has garnered considerable attention and concern, much lower turnout in municipal elections has often been largely ignored. Using a survey of cities in California, this article examines a series of institutional remedies to low turnout in mayoral and city council elections. Moving local elections to coincide with the dates of national elections would have by far the largest impact on voter turnout, but other institutional changes that tend to raise the stakes of local elections also increase turnout. Specifically, less outsourcing of city services, the use of direct democracy, and more control in the hands of elected rather than appointed officials all tend to increase turnout.
Dimensional Change Measurement and Stain Segmentation in Printed Fabrics

Dimensional changes and soil release are important functional attributes of fabrics that impact their pricing in the marketplace. This paper presents the underlying principles of a machine vision system that creates a framework for making both measurements in a simultaneous and automatic fashion from digitized fabric images. In addition, the proposed approach is equipped to operate on solid color, as well as printed/patterned fabrics. This system, using image analysis, can (i) measure dimensional changes, which include shrinkage and skew, and (ii) localize stains on the fabric image, which can then be evaluated for soil release. Robust extraction of the above measurements on printed fabric images are made possible using a sequence of customized image registration and background-subtraction techniques. The system was validated using a set of 623 fabric images that involved the detection of 1868 shrinkage dots which were used to make 934 shrinkage measurements, 467 skew measurements, and detect 240 potentia...
Mechanistic Analysis of the Mitotic Kinesin Eg5

Abstract Eg5 is a slow, plus-end-directed microtubule-based motor of the BimC kinesin family that is essential for bipolar spindle formation during eukaryotic cell division. We have analyzed two human Eg5/KSP motors, Eg5-367 and Eg5-437, and both are monomeric based on results from sedimentation velocity and sedimentation equilibrium centrifugation as well as analytical gel filtration. The steady-state parameters were: for Eg5-367: kcat = 5.5 s-1, K1/2,Mt = 0.7 μm, and Km,ATP = 25 μm; and for Eg5-437: kcat = 2.9 s-1, K1/2,Mt = 4.5 μm, and Km,ATP = 19 μm. 2′(3′)-O-(N-Methylanthraniloyl)-ATP (mantATP) binding was rapid at 2-3 μm-1s-1, followed immediately by ATP hydrolysis at 15 s-1. ATP-dependent Mt·Eg5 dissociation was relatively slow and rate-limiting at 8 s-1 with mantADP release at 40 s-1. Surprisingly, Eg5-367 binds microtubules more effectively (11 μm-1s-1) than Eg5-437 (0.7 μm-1s-1), consistent with the steady-state K1/2,Mt and the mantADP release K1/2,Mt. These results indicate that the ATPase pathway for monomeric Eg5 is more similar to conventional kinesin than the spindle motors Ncd and Kar3, where ADP product release is rate-limiting for steady-state turnover.
Dynamics of Beef Cow Herd Size: An Inventory Approach

Cow herd inventories are the primary determinant of beef supply. The principal decisions determining inventories are studied in a dynamic framework. Short-run and long-run impacts of one-time shocks in economic factors influencing culling and replacement decisions are estimated via simulations. Changes in economic factors have the greatest impact on younger members of the herd. These changes have long-term impacts on inventories through their influence on age dynamics. Impacts on age dynamics could influence the cattle cycle.
Imported fire ant field reaction and immunotherapy safety characteristics: The IFACS study

Background Imported fire ants (IFAs) are endemic in the southeastern United States, including Texas; can sting multiple times; and are a well-known cause of anaphylaxis. There are few data available on how many stings typically lead to systemic reactions (SRs). Likewise, there are no reports currently in the literature that characterize the safety of IFA subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT). Objective We sought to analyze a case-cohort sample of patients for IFA SCIT risk factors and to characterize the index field reactions of these patients. Methods A case-cohort study based on a 3-year retrospective chart review (2005-2008) at a single institution was performed for patients receiving IFA SCIT. Field reactions leading to initiation of IFA SCIT were also reviewed. Results Seventy-seven patients (40 female patients; mean age, 34 years) received 1,887 injections, and 7 patients experienced 8 SRs, for a rate of 0.4% per injection and 9.1% per patient. SRs were mild. Having an SR to skin testing was associated with increased odds of having an SR to IFA SCIT (odds ratio, 4.75; 95% CI, 1.13-20.0), as were large local reactions (odds ratio, 34.5; 95% CI, 6.52-182). No other risk factors were identified. Of the index field reactions leading to IFA SCIT, 59% were the result of 1 sting, and 87% of subjects experienced only 1 SR before initiation of IFA SCIT. Two of 4 patients who experienced loss of consciousness during the index field reaction required an increased maintenance dose for optimal response. Conclusions IFA SCIT is safe; however, having an SR to skin testing or the presence of large local reactions increases the odds of having an SR to IFA SCIT. The majority of SRs to IFA field stings resulted from 1 sting.
The 25 kDa synaptosomal-associated protein SNAP-25 is the major methionine-rich polypeptide in rapid axonal transport and a major substrate for palmitoylation in adult CNS

A conspicuous correlate of the developmental transformation of axonal growth cones to synaptic terminals is a marked increase in synthesis and axonal transport of a methionine-rich, acidic polypeptide of approximately 25 kDa. This polypeptide, designated "super protein" (SuP), is the most prominent species among methionine-labeled proteins conveyed by rapid axonal transport in mature CNS and PNS neurons of warm- and cold-blooded vertebrates. We show here that SuP is identical to SNAP-25, a highly conserved synaptic protein of known primary structure, by immunoprecipitation with anti-SNAP-25 antiserum of SuP labeled with 35S-methionine and transported by retinal ganglion cells of rat and cat. In addition, we show that SNAP-25/SuP is the most prominent species among retinal polypeptides that incorporate 3H-palmitate in vivo, that it is fatty acylated through a hydroxylamine-labile, thioester bond, and that palmitoylated SNAP-25/SuP is axonally transported. Thus, SNAP-25/SuP is a rapidly transported constituent of the presynaptic apparatus and a major neuronal substrate for long-chain fatty acylation.
G4 DNA replication: III. Synthesis of replicative form

Abstract Five distinct DNA replicating intermediates have been separated from lysates of bacteriophage G4-infected cells pulse-labelled during the period of replicative form synthesis using propidium diiodide/caesium chloride gradients. These are a partially single-stranded theta structure that is labelled in both the viral and complementary DNA strands; partially single-stranded circles, some with an unfinished viral DNA strand (25%) and some with an unfinished complementary DNA strand (75%); replicative form II(RFII) and replicative form I(RFI) DNA labelled only in the complementary DNA strand. To explain the pulse-label data a model is proposed in which G4 replicative form replication takes place by a displacement mechanism in which synthesis of the new viral DNA strand displaces the old viral DNA strand as a single-stranded DNA loop (D-loop) and when the displacement reaches half way round the molecule (the origin of synthesis of the G4 viral and complementary DNA strands are on opposite sides of the genome, Martin & Godson 1977) synthesis of the complementary DNA strand starts, but in the opposite direction. Strand separation of the parent helix runs ahead of DNA synthesis, releasing two partially single-stranded circles from the replicating structure which then complete their replication as free single-stranded DNA circles. No evidence was found to support a rolling circle displacement mechanism of G4 replicative form synthesis.
Transient viscoelastic flow of polymer solutions

Stress growth and stress decay data for two highly viscoelastic polymer solutions indicate that the first and second normal stress differences grow and decay at the same relative rates. These shear stress and first normal stress difference data are not represented well by the Spriggs, Bogue-Chen, or Carreau constitutive equations. The second normal stress difference, stress growth, and decay data are the first to be reported. The data were derived from radial pressure distributions and total normal and tortional forces obtained in cone and plate shearing. Sensitive miniature pressure transducers with pressure sensing diaphragms mounted flush with the plate surface provided the radial pressure distribution data.
Postnatal ethanol exposure disrupts signal detection in adult rats

Abstract Human prenatal ethanol exposure that occurs during a period of increased synaptogenesis known as the “brain growth spurt” has been associated with significant impairments in attention, learning, and memory. The present experiment assessed whether administration of ethanol during the brain growth spurt in the rat, which occurs shortly after birth, disrupts attentional performance. Rats were administered 5.25 g/kg/day ethanol via intragastric intubation from postnatal days (PD) 4–9, sham-intubation, or no intubation (naive). Beginning at PD 90, animals were trained to asymptotic performance in a two-lever attention task that required discrimination of brief visual signals from trials with no signal presentation. Finally, manipulations of background noise and inter-trial interval duration were conducted. Early postnatal ethanol administration did not differentially affect acquisition of the attention task. However, after rats were trained to asymptotic performance levels, those previously exposed to ethanol demonstrated a deficit in detection of signals but not of non-signals compared to sham-intubated and naive rats. The signal detection deficit persisted whenever these animals were re-trained in the standard task, but further task manipulations failed to interact with ethanol pretreatment. The present data support the hypothesis that early postnatal ethanol administration disrupts aspects of attentional processing in the rat.
Using Intentions and Plans of Mobile Activities to Guide Geospatial Web Service Composition

Mobile applications are increasingly taking advantages of the diverse geospatial web services to meet the information needs of their users. However, matching available web services to user’s information needs is not a trivial task, as there are many contextual factors that may influence the fitness of use. In addition, mobile activities can be highly dynamic and interleaving, which demand certain level of context-adaption for web service matching policies. Previous work on context-based service matching and composition tends to focus on environmental and functional contexts that can be either sensed directly or defined a prior, and they assume relatively stable user activities. In this paper, we describe a method for representing and reasoning the intentional structures of mobile activities and use it to contextualize mobile map services. Our context model treats a user's mobile activity as an evolving collaborative plan situated in a set of physical and mental factors. The model explicitly reasons on the intentional structure of the mobile activity to determine the appropriate service matching policy on the fly. The feasibility and benefit of using this model is demonstrated through the implementation of a prototype system, MyTour - a mobile city tour guide application.
Proendocrine genes coordinate the pancreatic islet differentiation program in vitro

In the developing pancreas, the basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) protein Neurogenin3 (Ngn3) specifies which precursor cells ultimately will become endocrine cells and initiates the islet differentiation program. NeuroD1, a closely related bHLH protein and a downstream target of Ngn3, maintains the differentiation program initiated by Ngn3. We have developed an in vitro model of Ngn3-dependent differentiation by infecting pancreatic duct cell lines with an Ngn3-expressing adenovirus. We found that both Ngn3 and its downstream target NeuroD1 activated the islet differentiation program in these cells by inducing the expression of genes with early roles in the differentiation cascade, as well as genes characteristic of fully differentiated islet cells. Induction of these genes, as exemplified by the insulin1 gene, involved alteration of the local chromatin structure. Interestingly, the subsets of genes activated by Ngn3 and NeuroD1 were not completely overlapping, indicating that these two bHLH proteins serve specific functions in the development of the endocrine pancreas. In addition, microarray gene expression analysis identified a previously uncharacterized group of Ngn3-induced genes with potentially important roles in islet development and function. These studies demonstrate how Ngn3 initiates islet differentiation and provide us with a model for testing methods for producing islet cells for people with diabetes.
Occupational Therapists' Beliefs and Practices With Regard to Spirituality and Therapy

OBJECTIVE What is the role of occupational therapists with regard to clients' spirituality? What activities address spirituality in occupational therapy? Whom do practitioners think should be responsible for helping clients with their spiritual needs? The objectives of this study were to address these and other related questions by validating a previously used questionnaire and establishing a baseline of occupational therapists' opinions and practices about spirituality and therapy on which future research can be built. METHOD A previously piloted questionnaire was revised to investigate the opinions of 500 U.S. registered occupational therapists about spirituality and therapy. The 54% return rate yielded a sample of 270 respondents. RESULTS Nearly 79% of the respondents agreed that the questionnaire accurately measured their opinions about therapy and spirituality. Spirituality is an important part of life for 89% of the respondents, helps 79% with daily job responsibilities, and is viewed as a very important dimension of health and rehabilitation by 84%. However, 63% were either undecided or disagreed that addressing spirituality was within the scope of occupational therapy practice. CONCLUSION In general, the respondents reported that spirituality is important and helpful in their personal lives and a very important dimension of the health and rehabilitation of their clients. However, less than 40% of the respondents indicated that addressing clients' spiritual needs was within the scope of their professional practice, and the majority (82%) reported that their academic training did not prepare them to address the spiritual needs of clients. The questionnaire, now validated with a national sample, may be used for follow-up studies to further investigate the role of spirituality in health and rehabilitation.
On the role of electrostatic interactions in the design of protein-protein interfaces.

Here, the methods of continuum electrostatics are used to investigate the contribution of electrostatic interactions to the binding of four protein-protein complexes; barnase-barstar, human growth hormone and its receptor, subtype N9 influenza virus neuraminidase and the NC41 antibody, the Ras binding domain (RBD) of kinase cRaf and a Ras homologue Rap1A. In two of the four complexes electrostatics are found to strongly oppose binding (hormone-receptor and neuraminidase-antibody complexes), in one case the net effect is close to zero (barnase-barstar) and in one case electrostatics provides a significant driving force favoring binding (RBD-Rap1A). In order to help understand the wide range of electrostatic contributions that were calculated, the electrostatic free energy was partitioned into contributions of individual charged and polar residues, salt bridges and networks involving salt bridges and hydrogen bonds. Although there is no one structural feature that accounts for the differences between the four interfaces, the extent to which the desolvation of buried charges is compensated by the formation of hydrogen bonds and ion pairs appears to be an important factor. Structural features that are correlated with contribution of an individual residue to stability are also discussed. These include partial burial of a charged group in the free monomer, the formation of networks involving charged and polar amino acids, and the formation of partially exposed ion-pairs. The total electrostatic contribution to binding is found to be inversely correlated with buried total and non-polar surface area. This suggests that different interfaces can be designed to exploit electrostatic and hydrophobic forces in very different ways.
Optimal adaptive multireceiver ARQ protocols

The authors study data link error control protocols suitable for point-to-multipoint communication where data are delivered to the destinations in the order they are sent. They study a series of adaptive protocols differing in the way that the sender uses the outcomes of the previous transmissions. The protocols are based on the go-back-N schemes discussed by I.S. Gopal and J.M. Jaffe (1984), whose protocols are generalized to the case where multiple copies of a message are sent (instead of just a single copy). The optimum number of copies is determined and is found to depend on how many receivers have not yet received the message. These adaptive protocols can be applied to all three basic ARQ (automatic repeat request) schemes, namely, stop-and-wait, go-back-N, and selective-repeat. A dynamic programming technique is used to solve this optimization problem. A throughput comparison shows that, by sending the optimum number of copies of a data frame instead of just a single copy, the performance will be significantly improved. >
Tissue Concentrations of Enrofloxacin and Its Metabolite Ciprofloxacin after a Single Topical Dose in the Coqui Frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui)

Abstract Tissue concentrations of the fluoroquinolone antimicrobial enrofloxacin and its active metabolite ciprofloxacin were determined over a 24 h period after a single topical application in the coqui frog (Eleutherodactylus coqui). Twelve frogs, scheduled for euthanasia unrelated to the study (due to exposure to a potentially lethal ranavirus), were randomly divided into four groups of three animals. Three groups received one dose of enrofloxacin topically (10 mg/kg), and the remaining group served as an untreated control. One group was euthanized and tissues (liver, kidneys) were collected at each of the following time points: 0 (control), 6, 12, and 24 h posttreatment. Tissues were pooled within each group, and concentrations of enrofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were measured using high-pressure liquid chromatography. Enrofloxacin tissue concentrations ranged from 0.2 to 0.44 μg/g, whereas ciprofloxacin concentrations ranged from 0.42 to 0.81 μg/g. Wildlife Conservation Society amphibian microbiology r...
Detection and Classification of Defects in Knitted Fabric Structures

A new method for knitted fabric defect detection and classification using image analysis and neural networks is presented. Images of six different induced defects were obtained and used in the analysis. Statistical procedures and Fourier Transforms were utilized as two different approaches in the feature extraction effort and neural networks were used to detect and classify the defects. The results showed success in detection and classification of most defects especially when the Fourier transforms technique was utilized.
Fine-scale genetic mapping of a hybrid sterility factor between Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana: the varied and elusive functions of "speciation genes"

Hybrid male sterility (HMS) is a usual outcome of hybridization between closely related animal species. It arises because interactions between alleles that are functional within one species may be disrupted in hybrids. The identification of genes leading to hybrid sterility is of great interest for understanding the evolutionary process of speciation. In the current work we used marked P-element insertions as dominant markers to efficiently locate one genetic factor causing a severe reduction in fertility in hybrid males of Drosophila simulans and D. mauritiana. Our mapping effort identified a region of 9 kb on chromosome 3, containing three complete and one partial coding sequences. Within this region, two annotated genes are suggested as candidates for the HMS factor, based on the comparative molecular characterization and public-source information. Gene Taf1 is partially contained in the region, but yet shows high polymorphism with four fixed non-synonymous substitutions between the two species. Its molecular functions involve sequence-specific DNA binding and transcription factor activity. Gene agt is a small, intronless gene, whose molecular function is annotated as methylated-DNA-protein-cysteine S-methyltransferase activity. High polymorphism and one fixed non-synonymous substitution suggest this is a fast evolving gene. The gene trees of both genes perfectly separate D. simulans and D. mauritiana into monophyletic groups. Analysis of gene expression using microarray revealed trends that were similar to those previously found in comparisons between whole-genome hybrids and parental species. The identification following confirmation of the HMS candidate gene will add another case study leading to understanding the evolutionary process of hybrid incompatibility.
CTDMPLUS: A Dispersion Model for Sources near Complex Topography. Part I: Technical Formulations

Abstract The Complex Terrain Dispersion Model (CTDMPLUS), a point-source, steady-state model for complex-terrain applications, is described. The model simulates the flow and plume distortion near user-selected, three-dimensional terrain features, yet retains simplicity by applying flow-distortion corrections to flat-terrain, Gaussian, and bi-Gaussian pollutant distributions. The algorithms for stable and near-neutral conditions are based on the demonstrated concept of a dividing streamline. These algorithms were developed using data from three major plume-impaction field studies and a number of fluid-modeling studies. The algorithms for plumes released into convective layers are based on recent understanding of the convective boundary layer through fluid modeling, numerical modeling, and field studies. The non-Gaussian nature of vertical dispersion is accounted for; lateral dispersion is modeled with the aid of convective scaling concepts. A terrain preprocessor and a meteorological preprocessor, which pr...
Sertraline-Induced Hypoglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

ABSTRACT Objective: To report the clinical outcomes of 2 type 2 diabetes patients admitted for severe and precipitous hypoglycemia after initiation of sertraline and subsequent resolution after discontinuation of the medication. Methods: Case reports with literature review. Results: Case 1: A 58-year-old African American man with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes was admitted for unresponsiveness due to severe hypoglycemia. Twelve days prior to admission, he was started on sertraline and observed declining fasting blood sugar levels, with 2 episodes of symptomatic hypoglycemia. Despite discontinuation of insulin for 48 hours during admission, resolution of hypoglycemia only occurred after discontinuation of the sertraline. Despite titration of insulin to pre-admission dosage following discharge, he was re-admitted shortly for hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state. Case 2: An 85-year-old Caucasian man with well-controlled type 2 diabetes was admitted for 3 episodes of hypoglycemia in 1 day. At home, he was on m...
Technologies for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Fossil Fuel Fired Installations

All mitigation scenarios proposed to date either tend so slow down the rate of atmospheric CO2 emissions or level out the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere. A unique system has been devised which offers a method of actually reducing the CO2 concentration in the atmophere while still generating energy from fossil fuel. The only economically and technically reasonable method for removal of CO2 from the atmosphere is by the process of solar photosynthesis which extracts carbon from atmospheric CO2 by formation of biomass, e.g., lignocellulose. The biomass is then thermochemically converted by the HYDROCARB technology with fossil fuel, gas oil or coal to produce carbon black and methanol. The carbon is returned to the earth, for longterm storage, while the methanol is used as fuel. In this manner, methane gas and oil coprocessed with biomass results in a net removal of CO2 from the atmosphere of about 78 lb CO2 per million Btu of methanol generated energy. There is also large energy enhancement in utilizing gas and oil for producing methanol compared to conventional methanol processes using these fuels. Coprocessing with bituminous coal results in no net CO2 emitted or removed per unit of methanol energy generated. The process chemistry system is described and quantified in this paper.
Business and Human Rights: A Call for Labor Liberalization

In the business and human rights agenda developed under the auspices of the United Nations, nowhere are human persons recognized as beings endowed with agency – the power to act on their own behalf. Instead, they are acted upon by state or corporate entities. This Chapter calls for the addition of labor liberalization to the United Nations’ business and human rights agenda. Labor liberalization is both an avenue for facilitating the agency of human persons, and a potential bridge between trade liberalization and human rights. After a long drawn out and often contested process, under the auspices of the UN, the project of business and human rights has won the support of the major players – states, transnational corporate entities, and stakeholder NGOs. However, the work of Special Representative John Ruggie, resting on the pillars of state duty to protect, business’ responsibility to respect, and the provision of access to remedy by victims, maintains a view of labor, in its individual and collective capacity, as a passive object to be acted upon. Pursuant to this paradigm, labor rights implementation and protection spring from nationality and domicile, not simply from the existence and recognition of the human person. A necessary precondition to the meaningful recognition, implementation, and enforcement of the reinvigorated business and human rights agenda is the synchronization of economic calculus with implementation of human rights obligations. This entails liberalization of labor from the nation state constraints to which it is subject. Labor is hindered in its ability to operate in the global sphere, with a consequent negative impact on its ability to engage fully in the transposition and enforcement of the labor rights espoused in the core internationally recognized human rights. Global competition and collaboration between and among labor and capital are more likely sources of the implementation of a business and human (labor) rights agenda than is reliance on current global labor standards, and the protect, respect, and remedy framework. The liberalization of labor will allow human labor providers to compete and collaborate with capital on the global stage.
Risk Factor Models and Personalized Health: Opportunities and Challenges for Asymptomatic Individuals.

Risk prediction for disease in asymptomatic individuals and its appropriate utilization translated through lifestyle modifications, therapeutically-oriented prevention, and screening and early detection has resulted in widespread improvements in population health, particularly for cardiovascular disease outcomes. The challenge in the last decade or two has been to extend this approach to cancer, both at the population and individual levels. How should we move forward in developing risk models that can provide high-level guidance for improvements in population health and to the individual? In what can only be described as a tour de force, Usher-Smith and colleagues have provided a systematic review of risk prediction models for colorectal cancer in asymptomatic individuals and in doing so, set a new bar for cancer prevention and control approaches to the broad problem of defining the best way to assess a risk for colorectal cancer in asymptomatic individuals, and perhaps providing a strong basis for a similar assessment in other common cancers as well.
Turbine blade unsteady loading change due to stator indexing

Stator indexing to minimize the unsteady aerodynamic loading of closely spaced airfoil rows is a new technique for the passive control of flow-induced vibrations. This technique is studied by means of experiments performed in a two-stage, low-speed, research turbine. With the second vane row fixed, the inlet vane row is indexed to six positions over one vane-pitch cycle for a range of stage loadings. The aerodynamic forcing function to the first-stage rotor is measured in the rotating reference frame, with the resulting rotor blade unsteady aerodynamic response quantified by rotor blades instrumented with dynamic pressure transducers. Reductions in the unsteady lift magnitude were achieved at all turbine operating conditions, with attenuation ranging from 37% to 74% of the maximum unsteady lift. NOMENCLATURE C chord Cp time-mean pressure coefficient Acp unsteady pressure difference coefficient, Ap/pQ, pressure surface suction surface CL unsteady lift coefficient (sectional) k reduced frequency, caC/Q fvpc fractional vane-pitch cycle p unsteady static pressure Q tune-mean velocity magnitude, relative frame r radius M,V,W unsteady streamwise, transverse, radial velocity component U, V, W time-mean axial, tangential, radial velocity unsteady potential (P flow coefficient, L//FW p density co circular frequency of unsteadiness u unsteady velocity f blade loading coefficient, (Vi-V\)IVv subscripts 1,2 upstream, downstream of rotor blade m, v, p measured, vortical, potential perturbation x axial w wheel speed
Framework for Defining Asset Features to Monitor and Assess Earth-Retaining Structures

Permanent earth-retaining structures (ERSs), including retaining walls, have been systematically managed, inventoried, and assessed by several government organizations, including the City of Cincinnati, Ohio; the Oregon and Pennsylvania Departments of Transportation; and the Central Federal Lands Highway Division of FHWA (for the National Park Service). For a comprehensive ERS asset management program, a careful evaluation of the structural health, criticality, and risk of ERSs is essential for proper management (preservation, rehabilitation, or replacement) of these aging assets. However, many transportation agencies struggle with the evaluation and incorporation of risk in their ERS management programs. This study addressed the development of a framework that would evaluate risk and would define its relationship to ERS condition (likelihood of failure) and ERS criticality (consequence of failure). A methodology for relating risk to routine inspection cycles for ERSs and remedial actions for those in dis...
On training university students in scientific outlook

In the field of building talented nation and promoting scientific country,Chinese higher education has been faced with both opportunities and challenges in training talented persons.A documentary study will put forward methods and ideas in developing university talented persons,which shows the necessity of training higher quality and inventive talented persons in universities.In the process of training talents human arts and scientific qualities should be combined so as to set up a university talent training system under the guidance of scientific outlook.
Flies species investigation and its control efficacy in Lanzhou city

Objective To explore the regularity of population distribution and seasonal fluctuation of flies in Lanzhou city. Methods Using cage trapping flies and field experiment. Results The flies of Lanzhou city belonged to 7 species,5 genera,3 families.Musca domestica was of superiority over others with the occupation of 74.16%.The average density of flies for each year were 3.21 pieces per cage.The activity of peaking was in May to July.The 48h-trap killing rate of Huanweile emulsifiable concentrate and Mieyingling poison bait reached above 90%.Conclusion The population of flies is related not only to the kinds and quantity of breeding object,but also to the temperature.Integrated management should be taken to control flies.Huanweile emulsifiable concentrate and Mieyinling poison bait have good effect against flies.
Factoring by the Principal-Axis Method

This chapter discusses factoring by the principal-axis method. Of all factoring methods, the principal-axis method is the most popular and most frequently available on the computer. The principal-axis method is used with two different models: (1) principal-component analysis and (2) principal-factor analysis. Each variable is assumed to have uniqueness, that is, specific and error factors, and the proper entries in the diagonals are the unknown communality coefficients. Although the extraction methods are identical in any case, the factor model is chosen over the component model. More exact statistical tests are scarcely a fair exchange if the results are psychologically meaningless. The variables that are deal with in psychology do contain error and probably specifics as well. Extraction methods are divided into two types: (1) extraction of one factor at a time or (2) simultaneous extraction of all factors at one time. For hand calculation or when only a few factors are to be extracted, the one-at-a-time methods are better, but when the computer is available and many factors are to be extracted, the direct, complete approach is better.
Mobile Learning und Quantified Self

Ob Impulse, die in einer Coaching-Sitzung gewonnen wurden, fur Coachees nachhaltig eine Veranderung bewirken, entscheidet sich vor allem in der Transferphase zwischen den Coaching-Sitzungen. Hier gilt es, neue Denkund Verhaltensweisen zu erproben, einzuuben und zu verstetigen. Gleichzeitig mussen Coachees verschiedene Herausforderungen bewaltigen: Sie mussen trotz Ablenkungen den Fokus halten, hartnackige Gewohnheiten andern, negative Gemutszustande bewaltigen und sich selbst motivieren sowie komplexe neue Verhaltensweisen einuben.
An information theoretic approach for optimizing the analysis of multi-electrode multi-unit neuronal recordings

This paper introduces an information theoretic approach for reducing the dimension of the observation space of multiunit neuronal responses recorded by high-density microelectrode arrays in the nervous system. The technique relies on selectively processing electrode channels that record neuronal responses to common information content without actually sorting the spikes. It exploits the statistical dependency of the data by maximizing the likelihood of observing covariance structures given a set of distance measures of the mutual information between the selected data channels. The strength of the proposed technique relies on the ability to measure mutual information of mixtures of neuronal responses to allow the selectivity to take place. Our preliminary results demonstrate that appropriate selection of data channels sharing common information prior to sorting the individual neuronal spike trains is feasible. Accordingly, substantial savings in computational costs and minimized user intervention are obtained compared to raw data transmission for off-line analysis.
Synthesis of nanocrystalline TaC powders via single-step high temperature spray pyrolysis from solution precursors

Abstract Nanocrystalline powders for high temperature ceramics (HTC) and ultrahigh temperature ceramics (UHTC) are important materials for aerospace and other important industrial applications. In this study, a low cost, single-step synthesis method for nanocrystalline HTC and UHTC powders is reported, which is based on high temperature spray pyrolysis (HTSP) process. The synthesis starts with solution of oxide and carbon precursors dissolved in common organic solvents, which are broken into fine droplets (e.g., via nebulizer). The droplets then go through processes of solvent removal, thermolysis, and rapid in situ carbothermal reduction (CTR), all in one single pass in a tube furnace operated at high temperature. The synthesis method was demonstrated successfully using the example of tantalum carbide (TaC) from precursors of tantalum chloride (TaCl 5 ) and phenolic resin in a single-step HTSP process with maximum temperature of 1650 °C in one pass that finished within minutes, yielding agglomerated nanocrystalline TaC UHTC powders.
Phase II study of irinotecan in combination with bevacizumab in recurrent ovarian cancer

Abstract Objectives To evaluate the efficacy and safety of irinotecan and bevacizumab in recurrent ovarian cancer. The primary objective was to estimate the progression free survival (PFS) rate at 6months. Secondary objectives included estimation of overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), duration of response, and an evaluation of toxicity. Methods Recurrent ovarian cancer patients with no limit on prior treatments were eligible. Irinotecan 250mg/m2 (amended to 175mg/m2 after toxicity assessment in first 6 patients) and bevacizumab 15mg/kg were administered every 3weeks until progression or toxicity. Response was assessed by RECIST or CA-125 criteria every 2cycles. Results Twenty nine patients enrolled (10 were platinum-sensitive and 19 were platinum-resistant). The median number of prior regimens was 5 (range 1–12); 13 patients had prior bevacizumab and 11 prior topotecan. The PFS rate at 6months was 55.2% (95% CI: 40%–77%). The median number of study cycles given was 7 (range 1–34). Median PFS was 6.8months (95% CI: 5.1–12.1months); median OS was 15.4months (95% CI: 11.9–20.4months). In this study, no complete response (CR) was observed. The objective response rate (ORR; PR or CR) for all patients entered was 27.6% (95% CI: 12.7%–47.2%) and the clinical benefit rate (CR+PR+SD) was 72.4% (95% CI: 52.8%–87.3%); twelve patients experienced duration of response longer than 6months. In the 24 patients with measurable disease, a partial response (PR) was documented in 8 (30%) patients; 13 patients maintained stable disease (SD) at first assessment. The most common grade 3/4 toxicity was diarrhea. No treatment-related deaths were observed. Conclusions Irinotecan and bevacizumab has activity in heavily pre-treated patients with recurrent ovarian cancer, including those with prior bevacizumab and topoisomerase inhibitor use.
Robust treatment planning with conditional value at risk chance constraints in intensity-modulated proton therapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) is highly sensitive to range uncertainties and uncertainties caused by setup variation. The conventional inverse treatment planning of IMPT based on the planning target volume (PTV) is not often sufficient to ensure robustness of treatment plans. We applied a probabilistic framework (chance-constrained optimization) in IMPT planning to hedge against the influence of uncertainties. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively selected one patient with lung cancer, one patient with head and neck (HN (2) the margin-based method with PTV as the target, which was solved by commercial software, CPLEX, using linear programming. For the first method, we reformulated the model into a tractable mixed-integer programming problem and sped up the calculation using Benders decomposition. The dose-volume histograms (DVHs) from the nominal and perturbed dose distributions were used to assess and compare plan quality. DVHs for all uncertain scenarios along with the nominal DVH were plotted. The width of the "bands" of DVHs was used to quantify the plan sensitivity to uncertainty. The newly developed Benders decomposition method was compared with a commercial solution to demonstrate its computational efficiency. The trade-off between nominal plan quality and plan robustness was investigated. RESULTS Our chance-constrained model outperformed the PTV method in terms of tumor coverage, tumor dose homogeneity, and plan robustness. Our model was shown to produce IMPT plans to meet the dose-volume constraints of organs at risk (OARs) and had better sparing of OARs than the PTV method in the three clinical cases included in this study. The chance-constrained model provided a flexible tool for users to balance between plan robustness and plan quality. In addition, our in-house developed method was found to be much faster than the commercial solution. CONCLUSION With explicit control of plan robustness, the chance-constrained robust optimization model generated superior IMPT plans compared to the PTV-based method.
Universal Source Coding of Deep Neural Networks

Deep neural networks have shown incredible performance for inference tasks in a variety of domains. Unfortunately, most current deep networks are enormous cloud-based structures that require significant storage space, which limits scaling of deep learning as a service (DLaaS). This paper is concerned with finding universal lossless compressed representations of deep feedforward networkswith synaptic weights drawn from discrete sets. The basic insight that allows much less rate than naive approaches is the recognition that the bipartite graph layers of feedforward networks have a kind of permutation invariance to the labeling of nodes, in terms of inferential operation. We provide efficient algorithms to dissipate this irrelevant uncertainty and then use arithmetic coding to nearly achieve the entropy bound in a universal manner.
Physical Performance, Skinfold Measurements, Activity Expenditures, and Food Consumption of College Women

Abstract Members of an incoming college class enrolled in a physical education and physical therapy program were used to determine physical fitness and caloric intake and output. These data, related to results found at the end of an increasingly active year, showed that better physical performance was exhibited and that caloric intakes paralleled the increase in exercise, while weight was maintained. Of the subcutaneous fat measures made at several sites, weight loss was most reflected in loss of scapular and abdomen skinfold thickness; the opposite did not hold true for weight gain.
Evidence of brain functional deficits following sport-related mild traumatic brain injury

Sport related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), generally known as a concussion, is a worldwide critical public health concern nowadays. Despite growing concern emphasized by scientific research and recent media presentation regarding mTBI and its effect in athletics life, the management, and prevention of mTBI are still not properly done. The evaluation mainly hampered due to the lack of proper knowledge, subjective nature of assessment tools including the fact that the brain functional deficits after mTBI can be mild or hidden. As a result, development of an effective tool for proper management of these mild incidents is a subject of active research. In this paper, to examine the neural substrates following mTBI, an analysis based on electroencephalogram (EEG) from twenty control and twenty concussed athletes is presented. Preliminary results suggest that the concussed athletes have a significant increase in delta, theta and alpha power but a decrease in beta power. We also calculated the power for individual frequencies from 1 Hz to 40 Hz in order to find out the specific frequencies with the highest deficits. The significant deficiencies were found at 1–2 Hz of delta band, 6–7 Hz of theta band, 8–10 Hz of the alpha band, and 16–18 Hz and 24–29 Hz of the beta band. Though there was no significant difference as observed in gamma band, we found the deficit was significant at 34–36 Hz range within the gamma band. The observed deficits at various frequencies demonstrate that even if there is no significant difference in the traditional frequency bands, there may be hidden deficits at some specific frequencies within a frequency band. These preliminary results suggest that the EEG analysis at each unity frequency may be more promising means of identifying the neuronal damage than the traditional frequency band based analysis. Eventually, the proposed analysis can provide an improved approximation to monitor the pathophysiological recovery after a concussion.
Global Stability of Zika Virus Dynamics

The few mathematical models available in the literature to describe the dynamics of Zika virus are still in their initial stage of stability and bifurcation analysis, and they were in part developed as a response to the most recent outbreaks, including the one in Brazil in 2015, which has also given more hints to its association with Guillain–Barre Syndrome (GBS) and microcephaly. The interaction between and the effects of vector and human transmission are a central part of these models. This work aims at extending and generalizing current research on mathematical models of Zika virus dynamics by providing rigorous global stability analyses of the models. In particular, for disease-free equilibria, appropriate Lyapunov functions are constructed using a compartmental approach and a matrix-theoretic method, whereas for endemic equilibria, a relatively recent graph-theoretic method is used. Numerical evidence of the existence of a transcritical bifurcation is also discussed.
Linear Lumbar Localized Lysis of Elastic Fibers: A Distinctive Clinical Presentation of Mid-dermal Elastolysis.

Elastolysis refers to the loss of elastic fibers in the dermis. The clinical presentation of skin lesions in patients with elastolysis correlates with the location in the dermis where there is a paucity or absence of elastic fibers. The authors describe a young woman with a unique clinical presentation of mid-dermal elastolysis characterized by multiple asymptomatic, firm, raised, flesh-colored horizontal bands on her lower back: linear lumbar localized elastolysis.