cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reply to [“Comment on “There is no magnestosphere…nor is there a plasmasphere!’”]

Despite the thorough introduction to four-letter words being given to our children at an early age by the television and recording industries, it is difficult to avoid the impression that accuracy in the use of words is declining in our society. Indeed, Orwellian doublespeak has become the norm at the leadership level: we all know what tax reform really means, for example. With this background, it is a pleasure to see Behannon and Anderson consulting their dictionaries and taking me to task for my literal interpretation of the “sphere” in magnetosphere and plasmasphere. However, I had earlier rejected the “sphere of influence,” or “place or range of action or existence” connotation, and I continue to do so, for the following reasons.
Broad waveguide QED system on a chip

We demonstrate a slot waveguide provides a broad-band, loss-free platform suitable for applications in quantum optics. The strong coupling between light quanta and quantum emitter can be achieved with Purcell factor larger than 200.
Active power control of photovoltaic power systems

Historically, electric power system operators have seen photovoltaic (PV) power systems as potential sources of problems due to intermittency and lack of controllability. However, the flexibility of power electronic inverters allows PV to provide grid-friendly features including volt-VAR control, ramp-rate control, high-frequency power curtailment, and event ride-through. These technologies offer power quality improvements and enable wider penetrations of PV systems. Commercially available smart PV inverters can further provide frequency down-regulation by curtailing power, but they are unable to provide true frequency regulation through active power control (APC) because they are unable to increase power on command. The development of inverters capable of APC for primary and secondary frequency regulation without the need for energy storage has the potential to transform the way grid operators view high PV penetration levels. This paper provides a brief tutorial on APC of PV inverters, summarizes state of the art research in the area, and suggests future research directions.
The study of oxide formation on (001), (011), (111) and (113) surfaces of Cr thin films using stem-microdiffraction methods

Abstract The process of oxidation on the surfaces of thin Cr films with (001), (011), (111) and (113) orientations, prepared by evaporation, has been studied by use of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) instrument. Micro-diffraction patterns observed by use of an optical image analyzer attachment permit the identification of oxide phases and reveal their epitaxial relationship to the Cr substrate. A spinel-like oxide grows as a thin layer on the Cr surface in the early stages of oxidation but disappears on further oxidation when the rhombohedral Cr 2 O 3 phase predominates. The epitaxial orientation relationships of these oxides and the Cr are explainable in part in terms of the relationships of the crystal structures. The mechanism for the formation of the oxides may be deduced.
Analysis of protocadherin alpha gene deletion variant in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

ObjectivesThe cell adhesion proteins protocadherins and cadherins, through their effects on guiding neurons during development, neuronal differentiation, and synaptogenesis, are feasible targets to consider in schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) pathogenesis. Thus, allelic variation occurri
A Synthetic Peptide Corresponding to the GLUT4 C-terminal Cytoplasmic Domain Causes Insulin-like Glucose Transport Stimulation and GLUT4 Recruitment in Rat Adipocytes

Abstract In rat epididymal adipocytes, practically all of the major glucose transporter isoform GLUT4 is constitutively sequestered in intracellular membranes and moves to the plasma membrane in response to insulin, whereas about half of GLUT1, the minor isoform, is constitutively functional at the plasma membrane and thus less affected by insulin. Transfection studies using cells whose glucose transport is normally not regulated by insulin have suggested that the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of GLUT4 is responsible for its constitutive intracellular sequestration. To test if this was also the case in a classical insulin target cell, we introduced synthetic peptides corresponding to the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of GLUT4 and GLUT1 (GLUT4C and GLUT1C, respectively) into rat adipocytes and studied their effects on the glucose transport activity and the steady state GLUT4 and GLUT1 distribution between the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes in host cells. GLUT4C introduced into basal adipocytes caused a large (up to 4.5-fold) and dose-dependent increase in the plasma membrane GLUT4, with a proportional reduction in microsomal GLUT4, without affecting GLUT1 distribution. GLUT4C incorporation also caused a large (up to 3-fold) dose-dependent stimulation of 3-O-methyld-glucose (3OMG) flux in host cells. GLUT4C caused little if any GLUT4 or GLUT1 redistribution and changes in 3OMG flux in insulin-stimulated adipocytes. GLUT1C, on the other hand, did not affect GLUT1 or GLUT4 targeting and 3OMG flux in host cells. These findings not only underscore the importance of the C-terminal cytoplasmic domain of GLUT4 in its constitutive intracellular sequestration in a classical insulin target cell but also suggest the existence of a regulatory protein in adipocytes that interacts with GLUT4 at its cytoplasmic domain, thus participating in the constitutive intracellular sequestration of GLUT4.
Using Software Structure to Predict Vulnerability Exploitation Potential

Most of the attacks on computer systems are due to the presence of vulnerabilities in software. Recent trends show that number of newly discovered vulnerabilities still continue to be significant. Studies have also shown that the time gap between the vulnerability public disclosure and the release of an automated exploit is getting smaller. Therefore, assessing vulnerabilities exploitability risk is critical as it aids decision-makers prioritize among vulnerabilities, allocate resources, and choose between alternatives. Several methods have recently been proposed in the literature to deal with this challenge. However, these methods are either subjective, requires human involvement in assessing exploitability, or do not scale. In this research, our aim is to first identify vulnerability exploitation risk problem. Then, we introduce a novel vulnerability exploitability metric based on software structure properties viz.: attack entry points, vulnerability location, presence of dangerous system calls, and reachability. Based on our preliminary results, reachability and the presence of dangerous system calls appear to be a good indicator of exploitability. Next, we propose using the suggested metric as feature to construct a model using machine learning techniques for automatically predicting the risk of vulnerability exploitation. To build a vulnerability exploitation model, we propose using Support Vector Machines (SVMs). Once the predictor is built, given unseen vulnerable function and their exploitability features the model can predict whether the given function is exploitable or not.
Review on planning and automation technologies for distributed generation systems

As renewable energy penetrates the utility market, the electricity industry is undergoing a paradigm shift that will change the industry to generate electricity using distributed generation systems. Consequently, there are new opportunities for enhancing the utility company's power quality and network reliability, as well as increasing their level of automation. This paper surveys the most recent advances in planning, optimization, and automation for distributed generation systems. Our emphasis is on explaining how renewable sources of energy, such as wind power and solar photovoltaic, are integrated into the distributed generation systems. Our review covers both deterministic and probabilistic methods of planning. Automation in power quality monitoring, network control, and fault detection are discussed. There is an increased interest on using smart grids for distributed energy production, distribution, and consumption. Therefore, our paper identifies critical directions for future research in this area.
Suppression of in vitro antibody response by ribosome-associated factor(s) from interferon-treated cells

Abstract Initiation factor preparation (eIF-IF) from mouse L cells treated with virus-type interferon suppressed the in vitro plaque-forming cell (PFC) response to sheep red blood cells. The eIF-IF preparation had previously been shown to block formation of the ternary complex Met-tRNAf-eIF-GTP. The formation of this complex is a necessary step in initiation of protein synthesis. Initiation factor preparation (eIF) from untreated L cells affected neither the PFC response nor the participation of eIF in the formation of ternary complex. The induced factor was shown not to be Interferon by antibody neutralization experiments with anti-interferon. The factor must be present in the PFC cultures during the early stages of antigen induction in order to suppress the immune response. Speculatively, eIF-IF may act at the level of the macrophage, perhaps entering the cell by pinocytosis. This may account for its inability to inhibit virus replication in L cells. The production of the inhibitory factor is blocked or partially blocked by actinomycin D. It is possible that this factor is a mediator of the immunosuppressive effects of virus-type interferon. This is the first report of biological activity on cells, which is associated with a ribosome-associated factor induced by interferon.
The completion of a B-convex normed Riesz space is reflexive

If is a B-convex normed Riesz space, then the topological completion of is a closed subspace of ∗∗, the second Banach dual of . If N=∗∗ or N=∗∗x, then N is a B-convex σ-Dedekind complete normed Riesz space which is the Banach dual of a normed Riesz space. In such a N, if u1 ⩾ u2 ⩾ … ⩾ 0 and infn{un} = 0, then limn∥un∥ = 0. This is the key step in verifying that Ogasawara's criteria that a normed Riesz space be reflexive are satisfied by ∗∗. Thus the topological completion of as a closed subspace of ∗∗ is also reflexive.
Estrogens and adrenocortical function in man.

ABSTRACT The administration of the synthetic estrogen, ethinyl estradiol, in an oral dosage of 0.5 mg. daily to normal male and female subjects produced a prompt elevation in the levels of plasma phenylhydrazine-reacting (Porter-Silber) chromogens and corticosterone. More than 80 per cent of the plasma phcnylhydrazine-reacting chromogens could be accounted for as cortisol. The urinary corticoids were decreased to 30 to 50 per cent of the control levels after two to three weeks of estrogen administration. The urinary 17-ketosteroids and aldosterone showed little or no change. Cortisol and corticosterone when infused in 100 to 200-mg. quantities disappeared from the plasma at a decreased rate after administration of estrogen. Cortisone and the dihydro and tetrahydro metabolites of cortisol disappeared at a normal rate. Estrogen therapy was associated with a decrease in the rate of synthesis of cortisol and corticosterone. These markedly elevated levels of plasma cortisol after treatment with estrogen were n...
Speech recognition for program control and data entry in a production environment

The Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications, an R&D division of the National Library of Medicine, has developed a PC-based system for semi-automated entry of journal citation data into MEDLINE®. The system, called MARS for Medical Article Records System, includes many automated features but requires a few manual tasks such as scanning and the entry of certain data that are not located on the scanned page. Now that considerable computing power and speed are routinely available on desktop PCs, we think it may be possible to include speech recognition as an optional user interface to reduce operator burden and to improve speed and quality for document scanning and data entry. We undertook a study to determine if speech recognition was sufficiently accurate, reliable and immune to noise to warrant integration with MARS workstations. The study focussed on the suitability of both continuous and discrete speech recognition for computer program control and for data entry in a production environment. Following a carefully structured format, 20 participants tested continuous speech recognition and 20 participants tested discrete speech recognition in both a quiet and a noisy environment. Performance measures were accuracy and speed. Both continuous and discrete recognition were very accurate, fast and immune to noise when used for program control. For data entry, though discrete speech recognition was about 90% accurate, it was very slow. Continuous speech recognition was faster for data entry, but was only about 76% accurate. As a result of the study, speech recognition has been integrated into the MARS scan workstation for program control.
Infectious Diseases: A Clinical Approach, 2nd Edition

The recent award of the Nobel Prize to Barry Marshall and J. Robin Warren for their discovery of Helicobacter pylori and its role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease has again put infectious diseases on to the front page of newspapers around the world. Notably, their initial work was performed in Perth, Australia. The clinical practice of infectious diseases, and associated research into microorganisms, has long been established in Australia. This book capitalizes on the expertise of infectious disease physicians and microbiologists in Australia and surrounding regions. Infectious Diseases: A Clinical Approach is written from an Australian perspective but has potential for a global audience.
Governance as a strategy in state-of-nature games

Public choice scholars routinely claim that coercion can be used to solve the social dilemma. However, while social contract theorists have frequently described state-of-nature societies using game theory, they have not used game theory to show how coercive action within such societies can improve outcomes. Here I operationalize the concepts of coercion and governance within a Prisoners’ Dilemma (PD) framework; governance is operationalized as coercion to compliance, and to adopt a coercive strategy is to impose a strategy choice upon another player. I show that, under certain conditions, adding governance strategies to a noncoercive one-shot PD game can improve outcomes.
Thermophysical property measurements on low alloy high strength carbon steels

Abstract The solidus/liquidus temperatures, heat of fusion, specific heat capacity, and thermal expansion for AISI 43 10 and 4320 steels were measured in this study. Both steels have similar heat of fusion values and solidification temperature ranges but differ in the absolute solidus/liquidus temperatures. The specific heat capacity vs. temperature curves for both steels show similar trends with difference in the peak value at austenite phase transformation temperatures. Both steels demonstrate similar thermal expansion trends and absolute values. The thermal expansion vs. temperature curve shows considerable difference between the heating part and the subsequent cooling part which reflects the different solid state phase changes experienced during the heating and cooling of these two heat-treatable steels. This phenomenon should be taken into account during the modeling of welding, casting and other processing of these steels. The relative density as a function of temperature for these steels can be estimated based on the thermal expansion values.
Ventriculoatrial Intervals: Diagnostic Use in Paroxysmal Supraventricular Tachycardia

Abstract Reciprocating tachycardias due to reentry either within the atrioventricular (AV) node or using an accessory AV pathway are a common cause of paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia in hum...
Nanohole and Nanopillar Arrays on GaAs and GaSb Using Nanosphere Lithography and Bromine Ion Beam Assisted Etching

Nanosphere lithography (NSL) has been successfully used to nanopattern silicon and glass substrate surfaces using a spin process in conjunction with the chemical functionalized polystyrene nanospheres. Here, we report for the first time the formation of periodic arrays of nanohole and nanopillar on GaAs and GaSb substrates using a combination of NSL, electron beam (E-Beam) evaporation and Bromine Ion Beam Assisted Etching (Br-IBAE). When 250 nm diameter nanospheres were used as a template or mask, periodic arrays of approximate 55 nm hexagonal nanoholes and 39 nm hexagonal nanopillars were obtained from double-layer nanosphere templates, while arrays of approximate 65nm triangular nanohole and 53nm triangular nanopillar were obtained from single-layer nanosphere templates. The high uniformity of these nanohole and nanopillar arrays demonstrates the techniquei¦s potential for applications in the fabrication of novel high performance opto- and electronic devices in the important GaAs and GaSb III-V direct bandgap semiconductors.
Figures-of-merit for package electrical roadmaps

Transient currents created by on-chip switching in cores and by off-chip drivers cause noise to be generated on package parasitics. Simple mathematical models for the noise are used to derive figures-of-merit for the two cases of on-chip and off-chip switching. SIA Roadmap packaging trends are used with the figures-of-merit to produce package noise trends.
Effect of health insurance coverage on labor allocation: evidence from US farm households

In the past three decades, farm families have relied on government payments and off-farm income to reduce income risk and increase total household income. Many studies have analyzed the role of government payments; however, little is known about the impact of health insurance coverage on labor allocation. This study builds on previous literature by using copulas to test for dependence in the labor allocation, addressing the importance of fringe benefits to the farm household, and determining how these considerations affect our knowledge of the impact of fringe benefits on off-farm labor. The results indicate that the off-farm hours worked by the operator and spouse are jointly determined; health insurance coverage is an endogenous variable. Using the predicted probability of insurance coverage and joint estimation techniques, we find a positive and highly significant relationship with the hours worked off-farm. Further, we find that both coupled and decoupled payments are negatively correlated with the hours worked off-farm.
Teaching the Scientific Method Using Current News Articles

We describe a short (<50 minutes) activity using news articles from sources such as Science Daily to teach students the steps of the scientific method and the difference between primary and secondary literature sources. The flexibility in choosing news articles to examine allowed us to tailor the activity to the specific interests of our student group. This exercise is particularly useful in situations where there is no laboratory component to a course, the time devoted to teaching the scientific method is constrained, or the topic is not presented adequately in the textbook utilized for the course.
The Cadaveric Skin Biopsy Project: description and student evaluation of an innovative approach to dermatology instruction in the preclerkship medical school curriculum.

Background Dermatology can develop creative ways of participating in the preclerkship medical school curriculum. Objective We sought to describe and report student survey results of a novel collaborative learning activity for medical students, directed by dermatology, histology, and gross anatomy faculty, which used cadavers to replicate the process of skin lesion biopsy and provided a realistic setting in which to learn normal-appearing and abnormal skin histology. Methods First-year medical students were surveyed regarding the impact of this activity on their understanding of skin histology and their appreciation of dermatology and dermatologic procedures. Results Students were appreciative of the opportunity to perform biopsies and discover the link between the clinical presentation of a lesion and its underlying histopathology. They were less impressed with the ability of the activity to improve their understanding of the characteristics of benign versus malignant lesions. Limitations This is an early feasibility trial at 1 institution. Conclusions This project represents one approach to introducing students to dermatology and dermatologic procedures and achieves institutional, Liaison Committee on Medical Education, and Association of American Medical Colleges educational goals. Overall, students highly valued the opportunities to practice clinical procedures and found it aided their understanding and appreciation of dermatology.
On the Reference Frame of the Planetary Ephemerides

The planetary and lunar ephemerides have their own inherent reference frame which is one of the key frames to he considered in the unification of the many present day frames, both celestial and terrestrial. The use of this frame requires an understanding of its own accuracies, both internal (i.e., relative) and external (e.g., w.r.t. the FK4 system or w.r.t. the dynamical equinox). Such accuracies are discussed in this paper. Also noted are the expected improvements in the future which will be obtained from newer data types.
Rapamycin Inhibition of the Akt/mTOR Pathway Blocks Select Stages of VEGF-A164–Driven Angiogenesis, in Part by Blocking S6Kinase

Objective— We evaluated the stages of VEGF-A164 driven angiogenesis that are inhibited by therapeutic doses of rapamycin and the potential role of S6K1 in that response. Methods and Results— We ass...
Atypical acute liver failure in acute myeloid leukemia.

Gastroent Question: A 65-yearold white womanwith therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia was admitted to the intensive care unit with altered mental status 33 days after completing induction chemotherapy with azacitadine, high-dose cytarabine, and mitoxantrone. She had a history of breast cancer treated 12 years prior with 4 cycles of cyclophosphamide and doxorubicin, local radiation therapy, and tamoxifen, as well as mantle cell lymphoma treated 6 years prior with bendamustine, rituximab, and radiation therapy to a lytic lesion of the L1 vertebrae. On physical examination, she was afebrile, normotensive (133/89 mmHg), but obtunded. She had scleral icterus as well as mild abdominal distension with minimal ascites. There were no recent additions to her medication list; the only potentially hepatotoxic agent present was prophylactic posaconazole, which had been discontinued several days prior. Her laboratory studies revealed neutropenia (absolute neutrophil count, 90 K/mL) and evidence of acute hepatic dysfunction (aspartate aminotransferase [AST], 4,891 U/L; alanine aminotransferase [ALT], 2,070 U/L; International Normalized Ratio [INR], 3.3). The total bilirubin (TB) was 5.4 mg/dL, alkaline phosphatase (AP) 90 U/L, and serum ammonia 61 mg/dL. There was no serologic evidence of acute varicella zoster or hepatitis A, B, C, D, or E infections. Furthermore, polymerase chain reaction assays for herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus, human herpesvirus 6, and adenovirus were all negative. Thick and thin blood smears ruled out a transfusion-related trypanosomiasis infection; a urine toxicology screen was unremarkable, and a serum acetaminophen level was <3.0 mg/mL. Abdominal ultrasound revealed hepatomegaly (18.7 cm), ascites, a large right pleural effusion and patent hepatic vasculature. A liver biopsy had been deferred given her coagulopathy and persistent thrombocytopenia (<10 K/mL). Thus, the etiology of her acute hepatic dysfunction remained unknown. Thirteen days later, despite improvements in coagulopathy (INR 1.5), aminotransferases (AST, 68 U/L; ALT, 36 U/L) and mental status, she continued to have worsening cholestasis (TB,16.6 mg/dL; conjugated, 12.6 mg/dL; AP, 175 U/L, which peaked at 492 U/L days later). Thus, a liver biopsy was finally obtained (Figure A, B). What was the elusive etiology of this patient’s acute liver failure? See the Gastroenterology web site (www.gastrojournal.org) for more information on submitting your favorite image to Clinical Challenges and Images in GI.
Maximizing resilience through diverse levels of inquiry : Prevailing paradigms, possibilities, and priorities for the future

The study of resilience has two core characteristics: it is fundamentally applied in nature, seeking to use scientific knowledge to maximize well-being among those at risk, and it draws on expertise from diverse scientific disciplines. Recent advances in biological processes have confirmed the profound deleterious effects of harsh caregiving environments, thereby underscoring the importance of early interventions. What remains to be established at this time is the degree to which insights on particular biological processes (e.g., involving specific brain regions, genes, or hormones) will be applied in the near future to achieve substantial reductions in mental health disparities. Aside from biology, resilience developmental researchers would do well to draw upon relevant evidence from other behavioral sciences as well, notably anthropology as well as family, counseling, and social psychology. Scientists working with adults and with children must remain vigilant to the advances and missteps in each others' work, always ensuring caution in conveying messages about the “innateness” of resilience or its prevalence across different subgroups. Our future research agenda must prioritize reducing abuse and neglect in close relationships; deriving the “critical ingredients” in effective interventions and going to scale with these; working collaboratively to refine theory on the construct; and responsibly, proactively disseminating what we have learned about the nature, limits, and antecedents of resilient adaptation across diverse at-risk groups.
Diffusion marking mechanisms for active queue management

Active queue management (AQM) schemes proposed to date use control mechanisms having fundamental weaknesses often leading to overparameterization and instabilities. This paper draws from the rich theory of dithering and quantization, extensively used in signal processing, to develop new marking and control mechanisms that overcome such limitations. In particular, a packet marking mechanism is developed through error diffusion filtering where congestion is measured and controlled through the instantaneous queue, the derivative of the queue length, and an estimate of the number of active flows. The proposed mechanism, referred to as DM (diffusion marking), is able to maintain a desired average queue length even under rapid changes in the traffic dynamics with surprisingly short lived queue size transients. DM provides a consistent low link delay without sacrificing throughput and is shown to outperform RED, REM, and AVQ type AQM mechanisms in varying network conditions with a significant improvement in stability.
Geographic and Phylogenetic Variation in Bacterial Biovolume as Revealed by Protein and Nucleic Acid Staining

Biovolume is an important characteristic of cells that shapes the contribution of microbes to total biomass and biogeochemical cycling. Most studies of bacterial cell volumes use DAPI (4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole), which stains nucleic acids and therefore only a portion of the cell. We used SYPRO Ruby protein stain combined with fluorescence in situ hybridization to examine biovolumes of bacteria in the total community, as well in phylogenetic subgroups. Protein-based volumes varied more and were consistently larger than DNA-based volumes by 3.3-fold on average. Bacterial cells were ca. 30% larger in the Arctic Ocean and Antarctic coastal waters than in temperate regimes. We hypothesized that geographic differences in the abundance of specific bacterial groups drove the observed patterns in biovolume. In support of this hypothesis, we found that Gammaproteobacteria and members of the Sphingobacteria-Flavobacteria group were larger in higher-latitude waters and that the mean volumes of both groups were larger than the mean bacterial volume in all environments tested. The mean cell size of SAR11 bacteria was larger than the mean cell size of the total bacterial community on average, although this varied. Protein staining increases the accuracy of biovolume measurements and gives insights into how the biomass of marine microbial communities varies over time and space.
Radiation dose reduction in intra-arterial chemotherapy infusion for intraocular retinoblastoma

Background and purpose Retinoblastoma (RB) is a rare malignancy affecting the pediatric population. Intravenous chemotherapy is the longstanding delivery method, although intra-arterial (IA) chemotherapy is gaining popularity given the reduced side effects compared with systemic chemotherapy administration. Given the sensitivity of the target organ, patient age, and secondary tumor susceptibility, a premium has been placed on minimizing procedural related radiation exposure. Materials and methods To reduce patient x-ray dose during the IA infusion procedure, customized surgical methods and fluoroscopic techniques were employed. The routine fluoroscopic settings were changed from the standard 7.5 pulses/s and dose level to the detector of 36 nGy/pulse, to a pulse rate of 4 pulses/s and detector dose to 23 nGy/pulse. The angiographic dose indicators (reference point air kerma (K a ) and fluoroscopy time) for a cohort of 10 consecutive patients (12 eyes, 30 infusions) were analyzed. An additional four cases (five eyes, five infusions) were analyzed using dosimeters placed at anatomic locations to reflect scalp, eye, and thyroid dose. Results The mean K a per treated eye was 20.1±11.9 mGy with a mean fluoroscopic time of 8.5±4.6 min. Dosimetric measurements demonstrated minimal dose to the lens (0.18±0.10 mGy). Measured entrance skin doses varied from 0.7 to 7.0 mGy and were 73.4±19.7% less than the indicated Ka value. Conclusions Ophthalmic arterial melphalan infusion is a safe and effective means to treat RB. Modification to contemporary fluoroscopic systems combined with parsimonious fluoroscopy can minimize radiation exposure.
A Rate-Energy-Distortion Analysis for Compressed-Sensing-Enabled Wireless Video Streaming on Multimedia Sensors

Real-time encoding and error-resilient wireless transmission of multimedia content require high processing and transmission power. This paper investigates the rate-distortion performance of video transmission over lossy wireless links for low-complexity multimedia sensing devices with a limited budget of available energy per video frame. An analytical/empirical model is developed to determine the received video quality when the overall energy allowed for both encoding and transmitting each frame of a video is fixed and the received data is affected by channel errors. The model is used to compare the received video quality, computation time, and energy consumption per frame of different wireless streaming systems. Furthermore, it is used to determine the optimal allocation of encoded video rate and channel encoding rate for a given available energy budget. The proposed model is then applied to compare the energy-constrained wireless streaming performance of three encoders suitable for a wireless multimedia sensor network environment; H.264, motion JPEG (MJPEG) and our recently developed compressed sensing video encoder (CSV). Extensive results show that CSV, thanks to its low complexity, and to a video representation that is inherently resilient to channel errors, is able to deliver video at good quality (an SSIM value of 0.8) through lossy wireless networks with lower energy consumption per frame than competing encoders.
Alcohol management strategies of college students with diabetes

Abstract Objective Alcohol management strategies of college undergraduates with diabetes were studied in order to identify which strategies were associated with decreased alcohol consumption and consequences. Methods Data came from 450 undergraduates with diabetes who were among 90,000 students from 123 postsecondary institutions who completed the Spring, 2006 National College Health Assessment. Results A majority of respondents (68.0%) reported alcohol use in the previous month, with 41.8% consuming five or more drinks in one sitting during the previous 2 weeks. High alcohol management strategy use in the past year was associated with fewer heavy drinking episodes and fewer alcohol-related consequences. Two strategies, avoiding drinking games and pacing one's drinking , were especially strong predictors of reduced consumption and consequences, and were more common among older students. Conclusion Developing effective strategies to manage alcohol intake is especially important for students with diabetes due to short- and long-term hazards of excessive drinking. Practical implications Alcohol use is a common aspect of college culture and may hold perceived social benefits for students. Healthcare clinicians should help students with diabetes to identify alcohol management strategies that are perceived as effective and feasible. Avoiding drinking games and pacing drinks appear to be strategies especially worthy of promotion.
Equivalence Verification of FPGA and Structured ASIC Implementations

Structured ASICs have emerged as a mid-way between cell-based ASICs with high NRE costs and FPGAs with high unit costs. Though the structured ASIC fabric attacks mask and other fixed cost it does not solve verification, particularly physical verification issues with ASICs or logic errors missed by simulation which would require re-spins. These can be avoided by testing in-system with an FPGA and migrating the FPGA design to a closely coupled structured ASIC fabric. Here we describe a practical methodology for a fast, pushbutton, and thorough verification approach tying an FPGA prototype to a matching structured-ASIC implementation for cost-reduction. Our focus is the equivalence verification between the respective revisions of a design, including netlist, compiler settings, macro-block parameters, timing constraints, pin layout and resource count.
Determinants of breast-feeding and post-partum sexual abstinence: analysis of a sample of Yoruba women western Nigeria.

This study employs multiple classification and regression techniques to determine the influence of marital sociodemographic and selected intermediate variables on duration of breastfeeding and post-partum sexual abstinence among a sample of 300 Yoruba women of western Nigeria. Only education and place of residence are significant correlates of breastfeeding. Lactation is inversely related to wifes education. Residents of the richer areas of Ibadan do not breastfeed their infants for more than 10 months on the average. Residents of the poorer areas of the city as well as town dwellers tend to breastfeed their infants for about 4 months more than the sample average. Village women fall in between these groups. There is a negative effect of education on abstinence. The effect is also additive. With more education duration of abstinence is expected to be further reduced. The coefficients of education residence in richer areas and contraception indicate that as a woman acquires there modern characteristics the tendency is to repudiate the traditional practice of post-partum sexual abstinence. Residence in neighboring areas other than Ibadan desire for a large family size and lactation both of which may be regarded as indicators of tradition reinforce the practice of abstinence. Family planning programs should be integrated with health and nutrition activities so that a balance can be achieved between traditional and modern methods of child spacing. In some developing countries traditional methods of birth spacing are more effective than clinical contraceptives. Rather than view contraception as a substitute planners could regard it as an addition to the range of possibilities available to the target population.
Community Autoethnography: Compiling the Personal and Resituating Whiteness:

Examining whiteness (in) education is a journey of identity and materiality. In this article, the authors adopt an approach to research that highlights the role of performance in constituting identity. They believe that theorizing identity in this way is facilitated through autoethnographic storytelling, which allows one to theorize material performances of identity, along with the culture in which those performances are situated. In the following, the authors dialogically theorize whiteness education through their stories. They draw upon themselves as individuals and one another as partners in humanity in order to make sense of education within a context of whiteness. They develop community autoethnography as a method with which to engage in such dialogical theorization.
Copper Induces the Assembly of a Multiprotein Aggregate Implicated in the Release of Fibroblast Growth Factor 1 in Response to Stress

Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 1 is known to be released in response to stress conditions as a component of a multiprotein aggregate containing the p40 extravescicular domain of p65 synaptotagmin (Syt) 1 and S100A13. Since FGF1 is a Cu2+-binding protein and Cu2+ is known to induce its dimerization, we evaluated the capacity of recombinant FGF1, p40 Syt1, and S100A13 to interact in a cell-free system and the role of Cu2+ in this interaction. We report that FGF1, p40 Syt1, and S100A13 are able to bind Cu2+ with similar affinity and to interact in the presence of Cu2+ to form a multiprotein aggregate which is resistant to low concentrations of SDS and sensitive to reducing conditions and ultracentrifugation. The formation of this aggregate in the presence of Cu2+ is dependent on the presence of S100A13 and is mediated by cysteine-independent interactions between S100A13 and either FGF1 or p40 Syt1. Interestingly, S100A13 is also able to interact in the presence of Cu2+ with Cys-free FGF1 and this observation may account for the ability of S100A13 to export Cys-free FGF1 in response to stress. Lastly, tetrathiomolybdate, a Cu2+ chelator, significantly represses in a dose-dependent manner the heat shock-induced release of FGF1 and S100A13. These data suggest that S100A13 may be involved in the assembly of the multiprotein aggregate required for the release of FGF1 and that Cu2+ oxidation may be an essential post-translational intracellular modifier of this process.
The Plant Hormones: Their Nature, Occurrence, and Functions

Plant hormones are a group of naturally occurring, organic substances which influence physiological processes at low concentrations. The processes influenced consist mainly of growth, differentiation and development, though other processes, such as stomatal movement, may also be affected. Plant hormones1 have also been referred to as ‘phytohormones’ though this term is infrequently used.
A 90 nm-CMOS, 500 Mbps, 3–5 GHz Fully-Integrated IR-UWB Transceiver With Multipath Equalization Using Pulse Injection-Locking for Receiver Phase Synchronization

A fully-integrated, 3-5 GHz Impulse-Radio UWB transceiver with on-chip flash ADC is designed in 90 nm-CMOS. A new scheme for receiver phase acquisition is proposed that uses pulse injection-locking to synchronize the receive clock with the transmitted data, eliminating the need for clock/data recovery (CDR), requiring only static receiver phase alignment with the transmitted pulses at startup. Transmitter pre-emphasis equalization is utilized to mitigate the effect of multipath on bit-error rate (BER). Occupying 2 mm2 die area, the transceiver achieves a data rate of 500 Mbps, energy efficiency of 0.18 nj/b at 500 Mbps, and a RX raw BER of <; 10-3 across a distance of 10 cm at 125 Mbps. In a real multipath environment, BER improves by 2.35× after equalization of the first multipath reflection.
Hysteresis during Cycling of Nickel Hydroxide Active Material

The nickel hydroxide electrode is known to exhibit a stable hysteresis loop, with the potential on charge being higher than that on discharge at every state-of-charge (SOC). What we show here is that this loop created during a complete charge and discharge (i.e., boundary curves) is not sufficient to define the state of the system. Rather, internal paths within the boundary curves (i.e., scanning curves) can be generated that access potentials between the boundary curves. The potential obtained at any SOC, as well as how the material charges and discharges from that point, depends on the cycling history of the material. The implication of this phenomenon is that the potential of nickel-based batteries cannot be used as an indication of the SOC of the cell. Analysis of the boundary and scanning curves suggest that the electrode consists of a number of individual units or domains, each of which exhibits two or more metastable states. The cycling behavior of the nickel hydroxide electrode is discussed within the context of previously developed theoretical arguments regarding domain theory. Although the specific cause for the metastability in each domain is not understood, considerable insights are provided into the history-dependent behavior of the nickel hydroxide electrode. Finally, an empirical procedure is developed to predict the scanning curves based on the boundary curves.
Characteristics of Adolescents Who Have Attempted to Avoid HIV and Who Have Communicated with Parents About Sex

This study examined characteristics of a cross-section of adolescents by comparing those wh1o had attempted to avoid exposure to HIV versus those who had not. In addition, characteristics of adolescents who had communicated with parents about sexuality issues were examined Data were collected from 1,033 students in 13 California schools. Most students did not think they were likely to become infected with HIV; however, a majority of sexually active students reported that they had tried to avoid e-xposure. Half of the adolescents who reported that they had attempted to avoid exposure had done so by using condoms. Other findings suggest that communication with parents may play a positive role in the healthy sexual socialization of youth. Attention to characteristics of adolescents who have attempted to avoidHIVexposure and who have discussed sexuality with parents may help target interventions toward youth at higher risk for contracting the virus.
Enterococcus faecalis Senses Target Cells and in Response Expresses Cytolysin

Many virulent strains of Enterococcus faecalis produce a two-subunit toxin, termed cytolysin. Cytolysin expression is regulated by one of the subunits (CylL(S)'') through a quorum-sensing autoinduction mechanism. We found that when target cells are absent, the other subunit (CylL(L)'') forms a complex with CylL(S)'', blocking it from autoinducing the operon. When target cells are present, however, CylL(L)'' binds preferentially to the target, allowing free CylL(S)'' to accumulate above the induction threshold. Thus, enterococci use CylL(L)'' to actively probe the environment for target cells, and when target cells are detected, allows the organism to express high levels of cytolysin in response.
Late Blight and Early Blight Resistance from Solanum hougasii Introgressed Into Solanum tuberosum

Late blight and early blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans and Alternaria solani, respectively, are the two most widely occurring foliar diseases of potato in the U.S.A. Resistance to both diseases is necessary if growers are to reduce fungicide applications. Field resistance to late blight has previously been reported in an accession of Solanum hougasii (2n = 72). The putative aneuploid clone E53.61, derived from (S. hougasii x S. tuberosum) x S. tuberosum was obtained from C.R. Brown and crossed with three S. tuberosum clones. Thirty-five hybrid clones were evaluated for foliar late blight resistance at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center near State College, PA along with the susceptible check ‘Atlantic’ and for foliar early blight resistance in Presque Isle, ME along with the susceptible check ‘Harley Blackwell’ for 3 years (2012 to 2014). The experimental design was a randomized complete block design with two to three replications each year. The US-23 genotype of P. infestans occurred naturally and/or was used in inoculations in PA and plants were infected naturally with A. solani in ME. Relative area under the disease progress curve (RAUDPC) values were calculated based on visual assessment of foliar disease four to five times late in the season each year and subjected to statistical and stability analyses. There were significant differences among clones and the clone x environment interaction was significant for both diseases. Of the 35 hybrid clones evaluated for late blight, 16 were more resistant, 7 were more susceptible, and 12 were as susceptible as ‘Atlantic’. Of those same hybrid clones evaluated for early blight, 23 were more resistant than ‘Harley Blackwell’; the rest were as susceptible. Late blight resistance or susceptibility was independent of the stability of resistance, however, early blight resistance was associated with greater stability. Fourteen clones were more resistant than the check varieties for both late blight and early blight, suggesting that resistance genes for both late blight and early blight have been combined in this genetic material; three of these clones also had high specific gravity and acceptable chip color out of 10 °C storage.
“Siglec”ting the allergic response for therapeutic targeting

As a physician-scientist, I have pursued research related to translational immunology with the goal of improving our ability to diagnose and treat allergic, immunologic and other diseases involving eosinophils, basophils and mast cells. We have tried to delineate novel mechanisms of human disease, working whenever possible with primary human cells and tissues, attempting to identify targets that might be amenable to the development of new therapies. As a general strategy, we have compared eosinophils, basophils, mast cells and neutrophils to look for pathways in inflammation that were unique to distinct subsets of these cells. In doing so, the concepts of glycobiology did not enter my mind until we began noticing some intriguing functional differences involving selectins and their ligands among these cell types. One simple observation, that neutrophils were coated with a glycan that allowed them to interact with an endothelial adhesion molecule while eosinophils lacked this structure, pried open the glyco-door for me. Fruitful collaborations with card-carrying glycobiologists soon followed that have forever positively influenced our science, and have enhanced our hypotheses, experimental design, research opportunities and discoveries. Within a few years, we helped to discover Siglec-8, an I-type lectin expressed only on human eosinophils, basophils, mast cells. This receptor, together with its closest mouse counterpart Siglec-F, has been the primary focus of our work now for over a decade. If not for those in the fields of glycobiology and glycoimmunology, my lab would not have made much progress toward the goal of leveraging Siglec-8 for therapeutic purposes.