cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measurement system analysis

Semiconductor manufacturers are constantly challenged by increased demand in quality and product customization at lower cost and faster turn around time. Manufacturing engineers need a systematic, fast and reliable methodology to make decisions to ensure that the Measurement System (MS) is in excellent condition. The Measurement System Analysis (MSA) consists of established statistical tools deployed to ensure that the measurement setups are within an acceptable condition to meet manufacturing capabilities and customer requirements. These tools (Linearity, Stability, Gauge Repeatability and Reproducibility (GRR) and Delta Correlation (deltaCor)) were successfully implemented into the MS in Texas Instruments Malaysia (TIM). It also increases TIM's confidence with the MS and customers satisfaction with the quality of parts received. These tools are in compliance with ISO9001 and TS16949 Automotive Standards. Implementation of these tools have dramatically improved first pass yields, detect and fix ATE abnormalities, and speed up setup time [Tilden, 2003].
On the Structure of Contemporary Japanese Aesthetics

The jargon of Japanese art criticism has always had an abundance of unique terms, categories, and concepts. This is not only true when discussing traditional Japan, since there are just as many new terms today as there were in the past. Some of the new terms have developed or evolved from old ones, while others have appeared with no seeming connection to any traditional tendency. Yet, only a few of these terms can be considered for the meta-level discussion of Aesthetics, whether or not they can be linked with a certain historical linage, as they have a simple descriptive function. This article will first try to discern between aesthetic and non-aesthetic terms that are at the core of Japanese discourse today. Second, and accordingly, following the footsteps of the renowned modernist aesthetician Kuki Shūzō, this article will also try to convey a single linguistic map of the distinctive cultural Aesthetic that is in motion in Japan today.
Suppressor Cell Function Is Preserved in Pemphigus and Pemphigoid

Human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) are activated to become suppressor T cells (S-T-C) by incubation with Concanavalin-A (Con-A). This has become the standard method for evaluation of suppressor function in patients. S-T-C function has been found to be impaired in several autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Using this assay, we have investigated suppressor-cell function in 2 autoimmune disorders, bullous pemphigoid (BP) and pemphigus vulgaris (PV), studying 6 patients from each group. Three patients with active SLE (positive controls), and 11 normal donors (negative controls) were also included. None of these patients had received systemic therapy with the exception of 2 patients with PV who were treated with gold in the past. PBL from these patients were incubated with and without 40 μ g/ml Con-A for 72hr to generate suppressor cells. Both groups of PBL were then irradiated with 1500r cobalt. Co-cultures were set up in sextuplicate using normal PBL as responders. Responder PBL were stimulated with 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 μ g/ml of phytohemagglutin (PHA) and 5.0, 10.0, and 20.0 μ g/ml of Con-A. Cultures were pulsed on day 3 with 3 H-thymidine and harvested on day 4. Data were analyzed using Student's t -test. S-T-C function was found to be significantly impaired in SLE vs normal ( p =0.0316). No statistically significant difference was seen in BP ( p =0.5883) and PV ( p =0.00921) as compared with normals. A defect in suppressor cell function may still be present in patients with PV and BP for the defect may be antigen-specific and therefore remain undetected by the Con-A suppressor assay.
Nonlinear evolution of the stress-driven morphological instability in a two-dimensional semi-infinite solid

Abstract We consider the nonlinear evolution of the stress-driven morphological instability on the surface of a two dimensional semi-infinite solid. We track the branch of steady state solutions numerically and find that the solution branch terminates. The surface shape at the point of termination has a cusp singularity that points into the solid. We also consider the time-dependent evolution of the instability from small disturbances as a function of disturbance wavenumber. We find that the formation of singular grooves in the solid is a general feature of the nonlinear evolution of the instability. Various physical factors which may affect formation of the singularity are discussed.
Low-Work-Function Surface Formed by Solution-Processed and Thermally Deposited Nanoscale Layers of Cesium Carbonate

Nanostructured layers of Cs2CO3 are shown to function very effectively as cathodes in organic electronic devices because of their good electron-injection capabilities. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the origin of the low work function of nanostructured layers of Cs2CO3 prepared by solution deposition and thermal evaporation. The nanoscale Cs2CO3 layers are probed by various characterization methods including current–voltage (I–V) measurements, photovoltaic studies, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), and impedance spectroscopy. It is found that thermally evaporated Cs2CO3 decomposes into CsO2 and cesium suboxides. The cesium suboxides dope CsO2, yielding a heavily doped n-type semiconductor with an intrinsically low work function. As a result, devices fabricated using thermally evaporated Cs2CO3 are relatively insensitive to the choice of the cathode metal. The reaction of thermally evaporated Cs2CO3 with Al can further reduce the work function to 2.1 eV by forming an Al–O–Cs complex. Solution-processed Cs2CO3 also reduces the work function of Au substrates from 5.1 to 3.5 eV. However, devices prepared using solution-processed Cs2CO3 exhibit high efficiency only if a reactive metal such as Al or Ca is used as the cathode metal. A strong chemical reaction occurs between spin-coated Cs2CO3 and thermally evaporated Al. An Al–O—Cs complex is formed as a result of this chemical reaction at the interface, and this layer significantly reduces the work function of the cathode. Finally, impedance spectroscopy results prove that this layer is highly conductive.
Biliary-colonic Fistula Caused by Cholecystectomy Bile Duct Injury

Biliary-colonic fistula is a rare complication after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We present a case of post-cholecystectomy iatrogenic biliary injury that resulted in a fistula between the common hepatic duct and large bowel. Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography provided good visualization of injury even with concurrent normal level of alkaline phosphatase. Radiologic findings and surgical management of this condition are discussed in detail.
An Asynchronous Multithreaded Algorithm for the Maximum Network Flow Problem with Nonblocking Global Relabeling Heuristic

In this paper, we present a novel asynchronous multithreaded algorithm for the maximum network flow problem. The algorithm is based on the classical push-relabel algorithm, which is essentially sequential and requires intensive and costly lock usages to parallelize it. The novelty of the algorithm is in the removal of lock and barrier usages, thereby enabling a much more efficient multithreaded implementation. The newly designed push and relabel operations are executed completely asynchronously and each individual process/thread independently decides when to terminate itself. We further propose an asynchronous global relabeling heuristic to speed up the algorithm. We prove that our algorithm finds a maximum flow with O(|V|2||-E|) operations, where |V| is the number of vertices and |E| is the number of edges in the graph. We also prove the correctness of the relabeling heuristic. Extensive experiments show that our algorithm exhibits better scalability and faster execution speed than the lock-based parallel push-relabel algorithm.
Effect of growth factors in combination with injectable silicone resin particles on the biological activity of dermal fibroblasts: A preliminary in vitro study

Injections of silicone fluid have been clinically evaluated to treat and prevent foot ulcers due to diminished plantar fat-pad in neuropathic diabetics. The objective of this study was to determine preliminary in vitro effects of an injectable form of silicone resin particles in combination with growth factors to determine the suitability of this potential therapy for prevention of diabetic foot ulcers. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), epidermal growth factor (EGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB) were added to monolayer culture along with silicone resin particles (12 microm average diameter). Growth factors were also combined as follows: bFGF+PDGF-BB, EGF+PDGF-BB, and bFGF+EGF. Growth factors alone and in combination increased fibroblast proliferation, but the presence of particles did not significantly affect cellular proliferation. The addition of particles significantly increased fibronectin production 117% in the control group and 151% in the PDGF only group. Collagen production was increased with exposure to EGF and growth factor combinations, but the presence of particles did not lead to any significant differences, except an 81% increase in the bFGF group. These preliminary results suggest that a combination of PDGF and bFGF may be effective in stimulating proliferation and matrix production around injectable silicone resin particles to generate a fibrous tissue pad to alleviate the abnormal distribution of high pressures that contribute to diabetic foot ulcer formation.
A sequence-specific DNA binding small molecule triggers the release of immunogenic signals and phagocytosis in a model of B-cell lymphoma.

Means to cause an immunogenic cell death could lead to significant insight into how cancer escapes immune control. In this study, we screened a library of five pyrrole–imidazole polyamides coding for different DNA sequences in a model of B-cell lymphoma for the upregulation of surface calreticulin, a pro-phagocytosis signal implicated in immunogenic cell death. We found that hairpin polyamide 1 triggers the release of the damage-associated molecular patterns calreticulin, ATP and HMGB1 in a slow necrotic-type cell death. Consistent with this signaling, we observed an increase in the rate of phagocytosis by macrophages after the cancer cells were exposed to polyamide 1. The DNA sequence preference of polyamide 1 is 5′-WGGGTW-3′ (where W = A/T), indicated by the pairing rules and confirmed by the Bind-n-Seq method. The close correspondence of this sequence with the telomere-repeat sequence suggests a potential mechanism of action through ligand binding at the telomere. This study reveals a chemical means to trigger an inflammatory necrotic cell death in cancer cells.
The preparation and properties of vapor- deposited epitaxial InAs sub 1-x P sub x using arsine and phosphine.

Vapor phase epitaxial production of indium arsenic phosphide crystalline layers, discussing electron mobilities, electrical resistivities and doping
Kinetics and mechanism of thermal oxidation of silicon with special emphasis on impurity effects

Abstract Thermal oxidation of silicon was investigated under a variety of conditions. The oxidation follows a combination of linear and parabolic rate lows; the rate constants obey the Arrhenius relationship. Under very clean conditions (dry O 2 , r.f. heating) the rate constants differ substantially from the values obtained by oxidation in resistance heated furnaces. In comparison with oxidation in dry O 2 , oxidation in water vapor is characterized by larger pre-exponential terms and activation energies in the linear regime, but both are smaller in the parabolic regime. Sodium, that was deliberately introduced during oxidation, increased the parabolic and linear pre-exponential factors and activation energies. It is proposed that oxide growth takes place via an interstitialcy diffusion mechanism in which both ionic and molecular oxygen participate. The surface reaction in the linear growth regime and the diffusion mechanism, as well as the concentration of the diffusing species in the parabolic regime, are greatly affected by sodium (or similar impurities) and water vapor in the oxidizing ambient. MOS capacitance measurements of Na-doped oxides showed that most of the sodium is inactive from the viewpoint of both surface state density and ion migration under high field at elevated temperature.
STUDIES ON AN UNCOMPLICATED CORYZA OF THE DOMESTIC FOWL : IV. SUSCEPTIBILITY AFTER EXTRANASAL INJECTION OF THE FOWL CORYZA BACILLUS.

A strain of fowl coryza of slow onset was carried through 20 successive passages in susceptible birds over a period of approximately 19 months. During this period it retained its initial characteristics as did also a coryza of rapid onset which was similarly maintained. 88 per cent of 72 birds infected with the coryza of slow onset showed a nasal discharge after an incubation period of 12 days or more; the actual limits being 9 to 31 days. 98 per cent of 54 birds infected with the coryza of rapid onset showed a nasal discharge on the 1st or 2nd day after injection. The duration of both coryzas was prolonged. Bacteriological examination indicated that Hemophilus gallinarum which is invariably present in the nasal exudate of birds infected with the coryza of rapid onset is not associated with the coryza of slow onset.
An information integration theory of consciousness

Background: Consciousness poses two main problems. The first is understanding the conditions that determine to what extent a system has conscious experience. For instance, why is our consciousness generated by certain parts of our brain, such as the thalamocortical system, and not by other parts, such as the cerebellum? And why are we conscious during wakefulness and much less so during dreamless sleep? The second problem is understanding the conditions that determine what kind of consciousness a system has. For example, why do specific parts of the brain contribute specific qualities to our conscious experience, such as vision and audition? Presentation of the hypothesis: This paper presents a theory about what consciousness is and how it can be measured. According to the theory, consciousness corresponds to the capacity of a system to integrate information. This claim is motivated by two key phenomenological properties of consciousness: differentiation – the availability of a very large number of conscious experiences; and integration – the unity of each such experience. The theory states that the quantity of consciousness available to a system can be measured as the Φ value of a complex of elements. Φ is the amount of causally effective information that can be integrated across the informational weakest link of a subset of elements. A complex is a subset of elements with Φ>0 that is not part of a subset of higher Φ. The theory also claims that the quality of consciousness is determined by the informational relationships among the elements of a complex, which are specified by the values of effective information among them. Finally, each particular conscious experience is specified by the value, at any given time, of the variables mediating informational interactions among the elements of a complex. Testing the hypothesis: The information integration theory accounts, in a principled manner, for several neurobiological observations concerning consciousness. As shown here, these include the association of consciousness with certain neural systems rather than with others; the fact that neural processes underlying consciousness can influence or be influenced by neural processes that remain unconscious; the reduction of consciousness during dreamless sleep and generalized seizures; and the time requirements on neural interactions that support consciousness. Implications of the hypothesis: The theory entails that consciousness is a fundamental quantity, that it is graded, that it is present in infants and animals, and that it should be possible to build conscious artifacts.
Complementary and alternative therapies for Down syndrome

In their role as committed advocates, parents of children with Down syndrome have always sought alternative therapies, mainly to enhance cognitive function but also to improve their appearance. Nutritional supplements have been the most frequent type of complementary and alternative therapy used. Cell therapy, plastic surgery, hormonal therapy, and a host of other therapies such as massage therapy have been used. There is a lack of well-designed scientific studies on the use of alternative therapies in individuals with Down syndrome. Antioxidants hold theoretical promise for treatment of the cognitive, immune, malignancy, and premature aging problems associated with Down syndrome. Medications for treatment of Alzheimer's disease may also result in benefit for the population of individuals with Down syndrome.
Synchronous firing behaviour in human motor units

The purpose of this investigation was to determine under what conditions synchronous firing behavior would occur. A technique for the decomposition of the composite myoelectric signal was used to obtain individual motor unit action potential trains. The presence of synchronization was then determined from the statistical analysis of cross-interval firing histograms. Synchronous behavior was observed in all muscles examined, and tended to be greater in distal muscle groups. A mechanism termed the 'driving motor unit theory' is proposed to explain the synchronous firing behavior. >
Weight gain and work comp: A growing problem in the workers' compensation rehabilitation system.

Objective: Obesity has become a major public health concern in the United States, and has ultimately affected occupational health, including Workers' Compensation. Obesity has been determined to contribute to work-related injury. This analysis examined weight change post-injury during the Workers' compensation rehabilitation process, and specifically how it relates to perceived mental health need, perceived dietary habits, food stamp usage, and the amount of time since the work injury. Methods: Archival data analysis was conducted examining Workers' Compensation claimants over a four year period. Participants: Data was collected from 1,864 valid Workers' Compensation claims and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a backwards elimination multiple regression analysis to examine predictive relationships between the variables of interest. Results: Approximately 2/3 of the sample reported weight gain post-injury, with the additional 1/3 reporting weight loss or no change. Both perceived benefit from mental health services and perceived healthy dietary habits were significantly predictive of weight gain. Conclusions: Clinical psychological distress, such as depression and anxiety, may be contributory factors to weight gain, and poor perceptions in food quality and caloric estimations may also relate to this problem. Suggestions for future research, including intervention studies, are also included. Language: en
A data-collection strategy for usability tests

Because usability data can be expensive to collect and analyze, it is important that you collect the data you need to answer the usability test-questions. The article describes a two-part strategy to help with this aspect of a usability study. The first part of the strategy is to investigate the questions the product team has about its product and turn these questions into well-defined usability questions. The second part is to take those usability questions and develop a data crosswalk, a framework that gives you a systematic way to decide what specific evidence you need to answer the test questions, and what data you need to collect to get that evidence. >
Predictors of Sexual Functioning in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Purpose To characterize sexual functioning of ovarian cancer patients and identify factors predicting sexual activity, functioning or satisfaction, discomfort, and habit or frequency. Patients and Methods Data were collected on 232 women with epithelial ovarian cancer, 47% of whom were receiving treatment. Results Fifty percent of the patients had engaged in sexual activity in the past month. Of those who were sexually active, 47% reported no or little desire, 80% reported problems with vaginal dryness, and 62% reported pain or discomfort during penetration. Of those who were sexually inactive, reasons included no partner (44.1%), lack of interest (38.7%), physical problems making sex difficult (23.4%), and fatigue (10.8%). Partner factors also were identified, including physical problems (16.2%), lack of interest (15.3%), and fatigue (5.4%). A multivariate model was used to predict sexual activity and included demographic, medical, and psychosocial factors as predictors. Women who were married (P < .001)...
The Moral Dimension: Toward a New Economics

The article reviews the book “The Moral Dimension: Toward a New Economics,” by Amitai Etzioni.
Transmission of African horse-sickness in mice.

Adult Swiss albino mice were infected readily with most of the mouse-adapted neurotropic strains of African horse-sickness (AHS) virus inoculated intranasally. Since other possible routes of contact infection,i.e., oral, conjunctival, and rectal routes gave negative results, the intranasal route appears to be the most probable route of transmission of the disease by direct contact.
RF and microwave frequency properties of a reverse-biased thick switching p-i-n diode

The frequency response of the dc reverse-bias voltage keeping high-impedance p-i-n diode in low-distortion state is studied using different mathematical and theoretical models. This paper discusses the comparison between the theoretical and experimental results.
Presence and Quality of Kindergarten Children's Friendships: Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations with Child Adjustment in the Early School Years.

The presence and quality of friendships are posited to have developmental significance, yet little is known about the extent to which children without friends versus low-quality friendships compare on socioemotional adjustment. The current study utilized data from a subsample of 567 children (289 boys) participating in the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Based on maternal reports at kindergarten, four friendship groups were formed: no friends, low quality, average quality, and high quality, and these groups were used to predict teacher-reported behaviour problems and social skills concurrently (in kindergarten) and longitudinally (in first and third grade). Concurrently, low-quality friendships were associated with greater externalizing behaviour, whereas high-quality friendships were associated with greater social skills. Longitudinally, having no friends in kindergarten was associated with higher levels of externalizing behaviour for boys, but lower levels for girls. Children without friends also showed more internalizing problems at first grade. Lastly, having a high-quality friendship in kindergarten was associated with greater social skills in first and third grades, but only for boys. Results underscore high-quality friendship as a context for the development of social skills and indicate different trajectories of problem behaviour for kindergarten children with no friends versus low-quality friendships. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The One Page Model Checker

We show how standard IPC mechanisms can be used with the fork() system call to perform explicit state model checking on all interleavings of a multithreaded application. We specifically show how to check for deadlock and race conditions in programs with two threads. Our techniques are easy to apply to other languages, and require only the most rudimentary parsing of the target language. Our fundamental system fits in one page of C code.
SMACK: a SMart ACKnowledgment scheme for broadcast messages in wireless networks

Network protocol designers, both at the physical and network level, have long considered interference and simultaneous transmission in wireless protocols as a problem to be avoided. This, coupled with a tendency to emulate wired network protocols in the wireless domain, has led to artificial limitations in wireless networks.In this paper, we argue that wireless protocols can exploit simultaneous transmission to reduce the cost of reliable multicast by orders of magnitude. With an appropriate application interface, simultaneous transmission can also greatly speed up common group communication primitives, such as anycast, broadcast, leader election and others.The proposed method precisely fits into the domain of directly reachable nodes where many group communication mechanisms are commonly used in routing protocols and other physical-layer mechanisms. We demonstrate how simultaneous transmission can be used to implement a reliable broadcast for an infrastructure and peer-to-peer network using a prototype reconfigurable hardware. We also validate the notion of using simple spectrum sensing techniques to distinguish multiple transmissions. We then describe how the mechanism can be extended to solve group communication problems and the challenges inherent to build innovative protocols which are faster and reliable at the same time.
Nonprofit Advocacy Organizations: Their Characteristics and Activities*

Objectives. In this article we examine political advocacy by nonprofit organizations. Relatively little is known about the types of organizations that participate in advocacy, their characteristics, the issues for which they advocate, and the resources they devote to it. This is especially the case for nonprofits that operate at the state or local level. Methods. Using data from a large survey of Indiana nonprofit organizations, we use logistic and multinomial regression to determine which organizational characteristics relate to participation in varying levels of advocacy. Results. We find that the size of the organization, its access to information and communication technology, its charitable status, and, in some cases, the field of activity in which it operates all help predict nonprofit advocacy. The age of the organization, its reliance on government funding (except when substantial), and its proximity to the state's major economic and political center do not generally help differentiate nonprofits that advocate from those that do not. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that most nonprofits are ambivalent about advocacy. Some do no advocacy at all; many participate in some form of it although it does not constitute their primary purpose or mission; and only a small minority devotes considerable resources to it. However, these patterns differ systematically by type of nonprofit.
PROTEIN LEVELS IN SERUM OF PREMATURE INFANTS FED DIETS VARYING IN PROTEIN CONCENTRATIONS

The concentration of the protein of the diet of artificially fed infants influences the concentration of the total protein and the albumin fraction of the serum. The composition of the protein of the diet, i.e., the lactalbumin: casein ratio, may also influence the plasma protein levels. The globulin fraction decreases significantly in the artificially fed groups but not in the group receiving human milk. The gamma-globulin decreases significantly in all groups studied, but globulins alpha1, alpha2, and beta do not change significantly from day 1 to day 21.
Bench-to-bedside review: Functional relationships between coagulation and the innate immune response and their respective roles in the pathogenesis of sepsis

The innate immune response system is designed to alert the host rapidly to the presence of an invasive microbial pathogen that has breached the integument of multicellular eukaryotic organisms. Microbial invasion poses an immediate threat to survival, and a vigorous defense response ensues in an effort to clear the pathogen from the internal milieu of the host. The innate immune system is able to eradicate many microbial pathogens directly, or innate immunity may indirectly facilitate the removal of pathogens by activation of specific elements of the adaptive immune response (cell-mediated and humoral immunity by T cells and B cells). The coagulation system has traditionally been viewed as an entirely separate system that has arisen to prevent or limit loss of blood volume and blood components following mechanical injury to the circulatory system. It is becoming increasingly clear that coagulation and innate immunity have coevolved from a common ancestral substrate early in eukaryotic development, and that these systems continue to function as a highly integrated unit for survival defense following tissue injury. The mechanisms by which these highly complex and coregulated defense strategies are linked together are the focus of the present review.
Wideband ΔΣ ADCs using direct-charge-transfer adder

A direct-charge-transfer adder is described for wideband low-power delta-sigma ADCs. Its operation and design are discussed in detail. Its application to noise-coupled delta-sigma ADCs is also described. To verify the proposed design methodology, a 2nd order noise-coupled delta-sigma ADC using direct-charge-transfer adder has been designed and simulated.
Measurement of regional myocardial perfusion and mass by subselective hydrogen infusion and washout techniques: a validation study.

A technique was developed for measuring regional myocardial perfusion by intracoronary infusions of hydrogen (H2)-saturated saline. H2 concentration was detected during washout in the pulmonary artery by means of the voltage response of a platinum-tipped electrode. Regional myocardial perfusion was calculated from the H2 exponential desaturation curve according to the Kety-Schmidt principle. In 16 anesthetized open-chest dogs, validation of this technique was performed at baseline, reduced (stenosis), and hyperemic (dipyridamole) flow states by means of the radionuclide-labeled microsphere reference withdrawal technique. There was an excellent quadratic correlation between microsphere and H2 washout techniques (range 0.11 to 3.15 ml/min/g) (n = 33, r = .92, y = -0.12x2 + 0.89x + 0.20, SEE = 0.20 ml/min/g; p less than .0001). Hyperemic regional myocardial perfusion was underestimated by H2 washout and severely ischemic regional myocardial perfusion was overestimated. When regional myocardial perfusion values greater than twice normal were excluded, a strong linear correlation was present between H2 and microsphere measurements (n = 27, r = .89, y = 0.76x + 0.22, SEE = 0.18 ml/min/g; p less than .0001). The H2 washout method was further tested in 18 additional open chest dogs for calculations of the mass of an arterial perfusion bed according to the principle that the mass of the bed (g) equals coronary blood flow (ml/min) divided by regional myocardial perfusion (ml/min/g).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Advances in managing hepatocellular carcinoma

Multiple modalities for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma are available, depending on tumor size and number. Surgical resection remains the gold standard, so long as the residual liver function reserve is sufficient. In patients with advanced cirrhosis, liver transplantation is the preferred option, as these patients may not have adequate hepatic reserve after resection. Salvage liver transplantation has also become an option for a select few patients who recur after surgical resection. Ablative techniques have been used for palliation as well as to either completely destroy the tumor, act as an adjunct to resection, or downstage the tumor to meet Milan criteria such that a patient may be a candidate for liver transplantation. Radiofrequency ablation, microwave ablation, chemoembolization, radioembolization, and irreversible electroporation have all been used in this capacity. Currently, sorafenib is the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved chemotherapeutic for hepatocellular carcinoma. The efficacy of sorafenib, in combination with other agents, transarterial chemoembolization, and surgical resection is currently being investigated. Sunitinib and brivanib, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, have failed as potential first- or second-line options for chemotherapy. Bevacizumab in combination with erlotinib is also currently being studied. Final analysis for ramucirumab and axitinib are pending. Tivantinib, a selective mesenchymal-epithelial transition factor (MET) inhibitor, is also undergoing clinical trials for efficacy in MET-high tumors. This review serves to emphasize the current and new technologies emerging in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Assessing the Impact of Eliminating Affirmative Action in Higher Education

This research examines the determinants of the match between high school seniors and postsecondary institutions in the United States. I model college application decisions as a nonsequential search problem and specify a unified structural model of college application, admission, and matriculation decisions that are all functions of unobservable individual heterogeneity. The results indicate that black and Hispanic representation at all 4‐year colleges is predicted to decline modestly—by 2%—if race‐neutral college admissions policies are mandated nationwide. However, race‐neutral admissions are predicted to decrease minority representation at the most selective 4‐year institutions by 10%.
Nonprofit Competitive Advantage in Grant Markets: Implications of Network Embeddedness

This paper empirically addresses the effects that the network embeddedness of nonprofit organizations has on their ability to access philanthropic resources within competitive markets. Implicit in many criticisms of institutional philanthropy is the normative belief that nonprofits that are not ‘in’ the existing networks of foundation boards and staffs will be otherwise excluded from the grants process. We relate this proposition to theory on status signaling and test it in a network of nonprofits linked by grants from common foundations in metropolitan Atlanta during 2000 and 2005. Through this analysis we find that observable characteristics of nonprofits including age, size and their financial operating ratios explain success in grant markets. However, the reputation effects from greater network centrality in previous time periods provide additional advantages in securing resources. Our findings raise questions about the implications of socially constructed entrance barriers that may prevent otherwise competitive organizations from accessing financial resources.
Mass action models versus the Hill model: An analysis of tetrameric human thymidine kinase 1 positive cooperativity

Background The Hill coefficient characterizes the extent to which an enzyme exhibits positive or negative cooperativity, but it provides no information regarding the mechanism of cooperativity. In contrast, models based on the equilibrium concept of mass action can suggest mechanisms of cooperativity, but there are often many such models and often many with too many parameters.
Marek's Disease Virus-Induced Skin Leukosis in Scaleless Chickens: Tumor Development in the Absence of Feather Follicles

Marek's disease virus (MDV) is an oncogenic cell-associated herpesvirus that causes T-cell lymphoma in chickens. Lymphoproliferative neoplasms in Marek's disease (MD) occur in various organs and tissues, including the viscera, peripheral nerves, skin, gonads, and musculatures. MDV is restrictively produced in the feather follicle epithelial (FFE) cells, and it gains access to the external environment via infected cells or as infectious enveloped cell-free virus particles. The goals of the present study were to 1) determine whether the MDV-induced skin lesions are neoplastic in nature or inflammatory reactions to viral infection, 2) determine whether physical presence of feather follicles (FF) is necessary for skin tumor development, and 3) study the role of skin epithelial cells not associated with feathers or FF in the replication and dissemination of infectious virus particles. Scaleless chickens that produce only a few scattered feathers and no sculate scales along the anterior metatarsi were used as a unique model to study the pathogenesis of dermal lesions. Histologic and immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the cutaneous lesions were tumorous as was manifested by massive accumulation of lymphoblasts and extensive activation of meq oncoprotein, the hallmark of MDV oncogenesis, within the skin lesions. Neoplastic cutaneous lesions in the scaleless chickens indicate that feather follicles are not necessary for skin tumor development. Finally, our preliminary data indicate that inoculation with supernatant fluid from homogenized and sonicated skin samples of MDV-infected scaleless chickens induces MD in susceptible birds, suggesting that skin epithelial cells not associated with FF also harbor infectious viral particles.
Culturally Responsive Making with American Indian Girls: Bridging the Identity Gap in Crafting and Computing with Electronic Textiles

The Maker Movement has been successful in refocusing attention on the value of hand work, but heritage craft practices remain noticeably absent. We argue that combining heritage craft practices, like those found in many American Indian communities throughout the United States, with maker practices presents an opportunity to examine a rich, if contentious space, where different cultural systems come together. Further, we argue that the combination of heritage crafts, maker practices, and computing provides an opportunity to address the "identity gap" experienced by many girls and individuals from non-dominant communities, who struggle with taking on the identity of a "scientist." In this paper, we focus on the experiences of twenty-six American Indian girls (12--14 years-old) who participated in a three week, culturally responsive e-textiles unit as part of their Native Studies class at a tribally-controlled charter school located just outside of Phoenix, Arizona. In order to understand if the combination of a tangible design element with computing and cultural knowledge would be a promising activity for attracting American Indian girls to computing, our analysis focused on students' initial engagement with e-textiles materials and activities, their agency in designing and making e-textiles artifacts, and the ways in which e-textile artifacts fostered connections across home and school spaces.
Experimentally-based relaxation modulus of polyurea and its composites

Polyurea is a block copolymer that has been widely used in the coating industry as an abrasion-resistant and energy-dissipative material. Its mechanical properties can be tuned by choosing different variations of diamines and diisocyanates as well as by adding various nano- and micro-inclusions to create polyurea-based composites. Our aim here is to provide the necessary experimentally-based viscoelastic constitutive relations for polyurea and its composites in a format convenient to support computational studies. The polyurea used in this research is synthesized by the reaction of Versalink P-1000 (Air Products) and Isonate 143L (Dow Chemicals). Samples of pure polyurea and polyurea composites are fabricated and then characterized using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Based on the DMA data, master curves of storage and loss moduli are developed using time–temperature superposition. The quality of the master curves is carefully assessed by comparing with the ultrasonic wave measurements and by Kramers–Kronig relations. Based on the master curves, continuous relaxation spectra are calculated, then the time-domain relaxation moduli are approximated from the relaxation spectra. Prony series of desired number of terms for the frequency ranges of interest are extracted from the relaxation modulus. This method for developing cost efficient Prony series has been proven to be effective and efficient for numerous DMA test results of many polyurea/polyurea-based material systems, including pure polyurea with various stoichiometric ratios, polyurea with milled glass inclusions, polyurea with hybrid nano-particles and polyurea with phenolic microbubbles. The resulting viscoelastic models are customized for the frequency ranges of interest, reference temperature and desired number of Prony terms, achieving both computational accuracy and low cost. The method is not limited to polyurea-based systems. It can be applied to other similar polymers systems.
Evidence for the Stage Inducing Phenotypic Plasticity in Pupae of the Polyphagous Whiteflies Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and the raison d'être

The effect of leaf surface topography on the production of homologous dorsal pupal structures in 2 major pest species, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring, and the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), was determined. When cohorts of the 2 whitefly species developed separately at either high or low nymphal densities on a hirsute poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima (Willdenow), most (>95%) pupal exuviae had wax extrusions ( T. vaporariorum ) or setae ( B. argentifolii ). When either species was reared at a low density on a glabrous lettuce, Lactuca sativa L., or on a normally pubescent salvia, Salvia splendens F. Sellow ex Roemer & Schultes, only 30% or fewer of the pupae had dorsal structures. When high nymphal densities of T. vaporariorum developed on both lettuce or salvia, however, a significant increase occurred in the percentage of pupae with dorsal wax extrusions; and a significant, although slight, increase occurred in the dorsal setae of B. argentifolii. Differences in leaf trichome density among 3 isolines of soybean, Glycine max L., regardless of the whitefly density on the leaf, influenced the number of dorsal pupal structures occurring on the 2 whitefly species. More than 90% of the pupal exuviae of both species exhibited dorsal structures when reared on the hirsute isoline. In contrast, cohorts of the 2 species developing on the normal and on the glabrous isolines produced <39% of T. vaporariorum pupae and <10% of B. argentifolii pupae with dorsal structures, an indication that host plant nutrition probably does not quantitatively affect dorsal structures. When cohorts of the 2 species developed on large, fully expanded and on small, partially expanded leaves on the same zinnia plant, Zinnia elegans Jacquin, significantly more pupae with dorsal structures of both species occurred when reared on the partially expanded leaf than when reared on the expanded leaf. Because the number of trichomes on a zinnia leaf does not change during leaf expansion, fewer trichomes/unit area of leaf occur on expanded leaves. This within-host test demonstrated that crawlers emergent on a fully expanded leaf would have had a lower probability of tactile experiences before settling and feeding than crawlers emergent on an unexpanded leaf. Out discussion includes an interpretation of why sensory setae and well-developed antennae may occur only in the crawler, the impact of crawler behavior on polyphenism, the importance of polyphenism to polyphagous whiteflies, the role of adult wax particles, and a recommendation for host plant resistance.
Affect of chromium-using factory on chromium enrichment to neighboring crops and poultry

[Objective]To investigate the influence of electroplating factory which using chromium as raw material to the crops and poultry around them.[Methods]From 2011-2012,one electroplating factory located in Huairou District was selected for study,crops and chickens which within the range of 1. 5 kilometers of this factory were sampled. The chromium contents of these samples were measured by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.[Results]The chromium contents of most peanut samples were less than the reporting limit of 0. 025 mg / kg. Chromium content of corn samples was between 0. 03-0. 43 mg / kg. The results of cabbage and radish were significantly higher than the control group in 2011-2012( P 0. 01),and also had much higher chromium content than the peanuts and corns samples. Chicken samples were detected very low chromium content,the maximum was up to0. 09 mg / kg.[Conclusion]No significant chromium effect of the electroplating factory to peanuts planted around it. But it can enrich chromium in surrounding leafy cabbage and radish tubers which should attract enough attentions.
Analysis of factors associated with posterior fractured teeth

Objective To analyze the characteristics,distribution,and associated factors of longitudinal fractured teeth.Methods 238 posterior teeth from 212 patients with longitudinal fracture were analyzed.The patient′s signs,symptoms,age,and sex were noted as well as the tooth number,with/without restoration,crack direction,pulp vitality,whether the patient had undergone endodontic treatment,bite test results,percussion test results,wear facet,and periodontal pocket depth.Results 163(68.5%) teeth were diagnosed with a cracked tooth,28(11.8%)were diagnosed with vertical root fracture(VRF),20(8.4%)had a split tooth,and 27(11.3%) had a fractured cusp;190(79.8%)showed a sensitive reaction on the bite test.Longitudinal tooth fractures were observed most frequently in patient in their 40s.The upper first molar(37.8%)was most frequently cracked,followed by the lower first molar(21.0%),the lower second molar(17.2%),and the upper second molar(12.2%).Most longitudinal tooth fractures(73.5%) occurred mainly in restored teeth,whereas only 26.5% were found in intact teeth.Out of 28 of vertical root fracture,22(78.6) were treated endodontically and 6(21.4%) were not.Conclusion The bite test is most reliable for reproducing symptoms.The incidence and prevalence of longitudinal fractured teeth were commonly associated with intracoronal restorations.There was significant correlation between the prevalence of vertical root fracture and endodontic treatment.The clinical characteristics of fractured teeth is very helpful in early prevention and treatment.
Molecular dynamics simulations for the ranking, evaluation, and refinement of computationally designed proteins.

Computational methods have been developed to redesign proteins so that they can perform novel functions such as the catalysis of nonnatural reactions. Active sites are constructed from the inside out by stochastically exploring mutations that favor the binding of transition states, small molecule binders, and protein surfaces—depending on the task at hand. The approach allows the use of many proteins for engineering scaffolds upon which to erect the necessary functionality. Beyond being of practical value for producing proteins with new applications, the approach tests our understanding of protein chemistry. The current success rate, however, is rather modest, and so the designers have become good only at making catalysts with low catalytic efficiencies. Directed evolution can be used to enhance function and stability, while more advanced computational techniques and physics-based simulations are useful at elucidating structural flaws and at guiding the design process. Here, we summarize work that focuses on the dynamic properties of computationally designed enzymes and their directed evolution variants. We utilized in silico methods to address three questions: (1) What are the shortcomings of these designs? (2) Can they be improved? (3) Can we screen out designs that are likely to be inactive?
The Treatment of Bacterial Infections in the Newborn Infant

There has been little apparent change in the overall incidence of systemic bacterial infection in newborns, though rates of disease differ among institutions and countries and patterns of causative organisms have shifted. Selected aspects of the clinical pharmacology of antimicrobials in newborns, present usage of agents for suspected systemic infection, the potential value of new therapies including a new generation of cephalosporins, and adjunctive therapies such as granulocyte transfusion, exchange transfusion, and immune globulins, are discussed.
Book and Media Recommendations: Brief Candle in the Dark; Seven Brief Lessons on Physics; and The Wright Brothers

Three books are reviewed: Brief Candle in the Dark, by Richard Dawkins; Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, by Carlo Rovelli; and The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough.