cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sticky-Sphere Mixture Model for Light Scattering from Concentrated Eye Lens Protein Mixtures

We use a sticky-sphere mixture liquid structure model to analyze static light scattering efficiency data obtained from aqueous mixtures of gamma and alpha crystallin eye lens proteins. The model incorporates (i) hard-sphere interactions between alpha crystallins, leading to short-range ordering and transparency at high concentration, (ii) short-range attractive interactions between gamma crystallins, which can produce intense light scattering and liquid-liquid phase separation, and (iii) both excluded-volume interactions and short-range attractions between alpha and gamma crystallins, which also sensitively affect transparency [Dorsaz:2009,Dorsaz:2011]. We derive general expressions for the scattered light intensity within the model, and compare the model with data from aqueous gamma/alpha mixtures. We show that the sticky-sphere mixture model can provide accurate representations of the observed static light scattering cross sections, including their concave-down dependence on alpha/gammaB composition at intermediate concentrations, combined with the concave up and more complicated, temperature-sensitive dependence on relative protein composition at high, more physiological protein concentrations [Thurston:2006]. We use the model to help study possible implications for molecular mechanisms of cataract, by changing gamma-gamma, gamma-alpha, and alpha-alpha interactions. The sticky-sphere mixture model exhibits non-monotonic dependence of light scattering intensity and thermodynamic stability on gamma-alpha attraction strength, consistent with simulation and perturbation theory [Dorsaz:2011]. The model predicts that gamma-alpha mixture light scattering is quite sensitive to gamma-alpha interactions, consistent with previous analysis of a congenital cataract [Banerjee:2011]. The sticky-sphere mixture model is useful for quantitatively analyzing light scattering of concentrated aqueous crystallin mixtures, relevant for understanding lens cytoplasm.
Non-terminal animal model of post-traumatic osteoarthritis induced by acute joint injury.

Summary Objective Develop a non-terminal animal model of acute joint injury that demonstrates clinical and morphological evidence of early post-traumatic osteoarthritis (PTOA). Methods An osteochondral (OC) fragment was created arthroscopically in one metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint of 11 horses and the contralateral joint was sham operated. Eleven additional horses served as unoperated controls. Every 2 weeks, force plate analysis, flexion response, joint circumference, and synovial effusion scores were recorded. At weeks 0 and 16, radiographs (all horses) and arthroscopic videos (OC injured and sham joints) were graded. At week 16, synovium and cartilage biopsies were taken arthroscopically from OC injured and sham joints for histologic evaluation and the OC fragment was removed. Results OC fragments were successfully created and horses were free of clinical lameness after fragment removal. Forelimb gait asymmetry was observed at week 2 ( P = 0.0012), while joint circumference ( P P Conclusion Acute OC injury to the MCP joint resulted in clinical, imaging, and histologic changes in cartilage and synovium characteristic of early PTOA. This model will be useful for defining biomarkers of early osteoarthritis and for monitoring response to therapy and surgery.
The Multi-Faceted Debate on Human Migration

Since the beginning of human history people have moved. They have left ancestral homelands, entered new spaces, explored new frontiers and returned to former abodes. Ours is a history of emigrating and immigrating, of crossing borders (territorial, social and political), of trying to establish ourselves in new domains, or of arguing for our right to be where we are. The contemporary concern about immigration is thus a manifestation ofanage-oldandchronicproblemthatisnotuniquetothe21 st centuryorto the United States. 1 Yet the present debate over human movement appears to have intensified as a result of the relentless advance of globalization and the rise in “illegal” or “undocumented” workers. 2 Questions concerning States’ responsibilities toward migrant workers—especially marginalized and undocumented workers who typically experience labor and human rights abuses—have become especially prominent. This article explores the question of human movement from multiple perspectives—theory, foreign policy and international doctrine—in order to contextualize the current immigration debate in the United States. It explains how migration challenges human-State relations, influences political discourse and foreign policy directives, and presents many migrants— particularlytheundocumented—withveryrealhumansecuritydilemmas. It ends by demonstrating the discord between political practice and international human rights rhetoric with regard to freedom of movement, and alludes to the fact that the debate on human movement is far from over.
Dendritic and Star Polymers: Classification, Nomenclature, Structure Representation, and Registration in the DuPont SCION Database

Classification, nomenclature, and structure representation are presented for dendritic and star polymers in SCION, a DuPont proprietary scientific and technical online database. The problems of registering dendritic and hyperbranched structural repeating units (SRUs) with odd numbers of crossing bonds are described, and solutions to circumvent registration system limitations are discussed. A systematic approach to the classification, nomenclature, and structure representation in SCION of 20 categories of star polymers is described.
The uniform reporting of treatment-related morbidity*

The changes in normal tissues caused by radiotherapy must be monitored and recorded with the same care as is given to that of tumor control. The EORTC/RTOG system, the Chassagne glossary, and the new system recording the individual elements of morbidity have been used for this purpose and are valuable in clinical research and in randomized controlled clinical trials. The effect of morbidity on the quality and length of life is most important and may be used alone to assess the overall safety of routine care. The precise measurement of the changes visible in normal tissues, together with measurement of altered function, such as that of the salivary glands and sweat glands, is important in determining any modification of effects of altered fractionation and of the addition of cytotoxic agents and biological dose modifiers to clinical radiotherapy.
Comparison of virus interactions with human signal transduction pathways

Viruses depend on their hosts at every stage of their life cycles and must therefore communicate with them via protein-protein interactions (PPI). To investigate the mechanisms of communication by different viruses, we overlay reported pairwise human, virus PPI on human signaling pathways. Of 671 pathways obtained from NCI and Reactome databases, 355 are potentially targeted by at least one virus. The majority (268) of pathways is linked to more than one virus and a large number of the proteins frequently targeted by viruses are already known drug targets. We find qualitative evidence for the hypothesis that the proteins that viruses are interacting with in each pathway are not necessarily the same. For example, the pathway involved most frequently in an interaction with any virus, the TGF-β pathway, is linked by 18 viruses involving 50 different proteins, and none of these proteins is known to bind to proteins derived from all 18 viruses. Thus, our analysis provides biological hypotheses that can be tested quantitatively by statistical means and validated experimentally.
Pyrroline-5-carboxylate in human plasma

Abstract Pyrroline-5-carboxylate is the intermediate in the interconversions of proline, ornithine, and glutamate. Recent studies have suggested that pyrroline-5-carboxylate has regulatory properties in a wide range of tissues. Physiologic studies in humans have been limited by the unavailability of a sufficiently sensitive assay for this compound. Until now pyrroline-5-carboxylate has not been detectable in plasma of normal humans or even in plasma of patients with type II hyperprolinemia. We now report a method for measuring pyrroline-5-carboxylate made possible by a preparation of purified Escherichia coli pyrroline-5-carboxylate reductase. This method is more sensitive than currently available methods by two or three logs and is applicable for all biologic fluids. We have quantitated pyrroline-5-carboxylate in normal plasma, urine, and saliva. In addition, we have found pyrroline-5-carboxylate levels 10× to 20× normal in two patients with type II hyperprolinemia. The ability to measure physiologic concentrations of pyrroline-5-carboxylate now enables further characterization of its role as a regulatory molecule.
Magnetorheology in an aging, yield stress matrix fluid

Field-induced static and dynamic yield stresses are explored for magnetorheological (MR) suspensions in an aging, yield stress matrix fluid composed of an aqueous dispersion of Laponite® clay. Using a custom-built magnetorheometry fixture, the MR response is studied for magnetic field strengths up to 1 T and magnetic particle concentrations up to 30 v%. The yield stress of the matrix fluid, which serves to inhibit sedimentation of dispersed carbonyl iron magnetic microparticles, is found to have a negligible effect on the field-induced static yield stress for sufficient applied fields, and good agreement is observed between field-induced static and dynamic yield stresses for all but the lowest field strengths and particle concentrations. These results, which generally imply a dominance of inter-particle dipolar interactions over the matrix fluid yield stress, are analyzed by considering a dimensionless magnetic yield parameter that quantifies the balance of stresses on particles. By characterizing the applied magnetic field in terms of the average particle magnetization, a rheological master curve is generated for the field-induced static yield stress that indicates a concentration–magnetization superposition. The results presented herein will provide guidance to formulators of MR fluids and designers of MR devices who require a field-induced static yield stress and a dispersion that is essentially indefinitely stable to sedimentation.
The use of static column ram as a memory hierarchy

The Static Column RAM devices recently introduced offer the potential for implementing a direct-mapped cache on-chip with only a small increase in complexity over that needed for a conventional dynamic RAM memory system. Trace-driven simulation shows that such a cache can only be marginally effective if used in the obvious way. However it can be effective in satisfying the requests from a processor containing an on-chip cache. The SCRAM cache is more effective if the processor cache handles both instructions and data.
Graphic computer-assisted design of optical filters

An interactive graphic system is described in which a designer using a light pen creates an optical filter design at an IBM 2250 Graphic Console controlled by an IBM 1130 computer. The designer can observe the reflectivity (or some other property) of the filter as a function of wave number plotted on the CRT. The application was developed using an experimental graphic version of the 1130 Continuous System Modeling Program (CSMP), a general purpose, block-oriented simulation language in which the functional blocks represent the elements and organization of an analog computer. The designer has available a full set of operators for further analyzing the behavior or modifying the design of the filter. In addition to providing a highly flexible analytic tool, the system is intended to explore means for makingt he interactive computer terminal an important element in the inventive process.
Anterior temporobasal sulcal morphology: development of a reliable rating protocol and normative data

The three anterior temporobasal (aTB) sulci, which are the collateral, rhinal, and occipitotemporal sulci, contribute to the morphology of memory-related structures and are important landmarks for neuroimaging. Prevalence of inter-connections among these sulci may distinguish healthy adults and individuals with memory-related disorders (Kim et al. Neurology 70:2159–2165, 2008; Zhan et al. Hum Brain Mapp 30:874–882, 2009). However, methods for quantifying the existence and nature of such connections are vague and varied, and normative frequencies are inconsistent across studies. Therefore, the goals of the current study are twofold: (1) to develop a reliable method of identifying aTB sulci and their interconnections based on surface renderings generated from serial magnetic resonance images (MRIs). This protocol includes training materials and a rating log (see supplementary materials) that can be disseminated and applied by other researchers. (2) To determine the prevalence of interconnections among the three aTB sulci in a large sample of healthy adults (200 undergraduate students), which can be used as normative data for future comparison with clinical samples. Notably, the resulting protocol, called the Sulcal Classification Rating Protocol for anterior Temporobasal sulci, distinguishes “clear” from “ambiguous” connections. When only clear connections are included, our prevalence rates are consistent with post-mortem findings of Ono et al. (Atlas of the Cerebral Sulci. Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc., New York, 1990); when both clear and ambiguous connections are counted as a connection, our results largely replicate MRI-based findings (e.g., Kim et al. Neurology 70:2159–2165, 2008). We propose that systematic variations in rater classification of ambiguous connections could explain discrepancies in the literature.
Entry timing in a secondary market: When to trade?

Abstract In volatile, long-lead time and short selling-season markets, a secondary market enables buyers to update their inventory during the selling season. The decision of when to update involves complicated trade-offs between forecast accuracy, expected lost sales, and average purchasing cost. We use a two-stage inventory replenishment model to identify the optimal trading time across different scenarios. Across most scenarios the optimal trading time is around the midpoint of the season and is sensitive to the expected profit margin and demand forecast errors. We discuss the impacts of the timing decision on upstream suppliers’ sales and channel performance in terms of sales revenue and supply-demand mismatch costs. Specifically, secondary market trading always reduces upstream suppliers’ sales no matter when trading occurs, but trading at an optimal time can maximize a secondary market's profit gain over the no-trade scenario through reducing supply-demand mismatch.
In vitro cytotoxicity of pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide: specificity for hypoxic cells and effects of microsomal coincubation

The antitumor drug pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide exhibits cytotoxicity to A204 tumor cells in vitro under acid conditions. The IC50 with a 1 hr drug exposure at pH of 7.4 was 61 μg/ml and at pH of 6.0 it was 31 μg/ml. It is suggested that the increased cytotoxicity is due to the acid catalyzed formation of a reactive pyrizinyldiazonium ion from pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide. Pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide is also more cytotoxic to A204 cells under hypoxic conditions in the presence of glucose with an IC50 at pH 7.4 of 22 μg/ml. The increased cytotoxicity of pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide under acid and hypoxic conditions may favor selective toxicity to solid tumors in vivo. Coincubation with rat hepatic microsomes increased the cytotoxicity of pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide to A204 cells. The effect did not require NADPH and was not due to formation of metabolites. There was an increased rate of degradation of pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide in the presence of microsomes, presumably with formation of the pyrizinyldiazonium ion. The final degradation product 2-hydroxypyrazine was not cytotoxic to A204 cells. The effect of microsomes on pyrazine-2-diazohydroxide cytotoxicity is probably of little in vivo significance.
Manager Beliefs regarding Worksite Health Promotion: Findings from the Working Healthy Project 2:

Abstract Purpose To explore differences in manager beliefs about worksite health promotion programs (HPPs). Design Cross-sectional written survey. Setting Twenty-four manufacturing worksites, with 11,811 employees and 1719 eligible managers. Subjects Sixty-six percent (1133/1719) of managers completed the survey; 1047 managers were categorized by level (169 senior, 567 middle, and 311 line supervisors). Analysis Results are reported on overall manager beliefs (and by manager level) about importance, efficacy, barriers, and benefits of HPPs. Multilevel analysis modeled the influence of manager level, age, and experience with HPPs on beliefs about HPPs, while accounting for worksite-level effects. Results Seventy-five percent of managers believed that offering HPPs is highly important. Eighty percent believed that HPPs improved employee health, 68% believed that they reduced health care costs, and 67% believed that they improved employee morale. Few significant differences by manager level were observed on ...
An Embedded Model of Cultural Adaptation in Global Teams

This research examines the process through which globally distributed work teams attempt to adapt to cross-cultural differences while being constrained by the local contexts in which they are embedded. We conducted an in-depth field study of nine software development teams that included 132 ethnographic initial interviews, periods of team observation, 19 follow-up interviews, and team meetings. Inductive analysis of the data led us to develop an embedded model of cultural adaptation in global teams to describe the process we observed as teams attempted to cope with important differences in interpersonal communication styles, preferred approaches to organizational control and authority relations, and work-related knowledge and problem-solving approaches. We show how local embeddedness and interdependence across sites together drive cultural adaptation dialectics as actors attempt to resolve rippling tensions within and across nested social structures. The model of cultural adaptation that we developed as a...
Influence of Soil Water Repellency on Seedling Emergence and Plant Survival in a Burned Semi-Arid Woodland

High intensity wildfires in semiarid shrub and woodland plant communities can leave ecosystems incapable of self-repair and susceptible to weed invasion. Subsequently, land managers need effective restoration tools to reseed native vegetation back into these degraded systems. In order to develop successful post-fire restoration approaches in these communities, it is critical that we understand the mechanisms that impair reseeding success. Our objective was to quantify the influence of soil water repellency on seedling emergence and plant growth in a greenhouse study using soil cores obtained from beneath burned Juniperus osteosperma trees. Soil cores were seeded with either Elymus wawawaiensis or Agropyron cristatum, and watered with either a high (watered daily) or a low water regime (watered every 5 days). During the first watering event, water repellency was ameliorated in half the cores by adding a wetting-agent comprised of alkylpolyglycoside-ethylene oxide/propylene oxide block copolymers. Results s...
A nucleolar targeting sequence in the Werner syndrome protein resides within residues 949-1092

Werner syndrome is a premature aging disorder caused by the lack of an active Werner syndrome protein (WRN). The patients suffer from many of the ailments seen at a much later stage in the life of normal individuals. WRN is a nuclear protein and contains a nuclear localization signal (NLS) in its C-terminal region. Inside the nucleus, WRN is mainly located in the nucleoli and in nuclear foci. To begin to understand the role of WRN in the nucleolus, we determined the specific regions of the protein that are responsible for this localization. We have cloned different WRN gene domains fused to enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), and analyzed their intracellular distribution in living cells using confocal microscopy. The region encompassing amino acids 949-1092 of the human WRN, together with the NLS containing amino acids 1358-1432, provides the targeting to the nucleoli. This targeting is observed in three human and one mouse cell line. The NLS-containing region alone is unable to direct EGFP to the nucleoli. The results demonstrate that the human WRN contains a conserved nucleolar targeting sequence residing in a 144 amino acid region (aa 949-1092) and this provides new tools and insight into the biological function of WRN.
Mitochondria in motor nerve terminals: function in health and in mutant superoxide dismutase 1 mouse models of familial ALS.

Mitochondria contribute to neuronal function not only via their ability to generate ATP, but also via their ability to buffer large Ca2+ loads. This review summarizes evidence that mitochondrial Ca2+ sequestration is especially important for sustaining the function of vertebrate motor nerve terminals during repetitive stimulation. Motor terminal mitochondria can sequester large amounts of Ca2+ because they have mechanisms for limiting both the mitochondrial depolarization and the increase in matrix free [Ca2+] associated with Ca2+ influx. In mice expressing mutations of human superoxide dismutase −1 (SOD1) that cause some cases of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), motor terminals degenerate well before the death of motor neuron cell bodies. This review presents evidence for early and progressive mitochondrial dysfunction in motor terminals of mutant SOD1 mice (G93A, G85R). This dysfunction would impair mitochondrial ability to sequester stimulation-associated Ca2+ loads, and thus likely contributes to the early degeneration of motor terminals.
Pneumonia Quality Measures not Associated with Antibiotics for Congestive Heart Failure Patients

Abstract Background Pneumonia antibiotic timing performance measures can result in unnecessary antibiotic administration to patients in whom a diagnosis of pneumonia remains possible but has not been confirmed. Objective Our objective was to determine if unnecessary antibiotic administration to admissions with Emergency Department (ED) congestive heart failure (CHF) diagnoses increased as institutional attention to pneumonia antibiotic timing intensified. Methods We performed a cross-sectional study in an academic ED with 39,000 annual visits. Our subjects included adult admissions with ED CHF diagnoses between October and March of 2004−2005, 2005−2006, and 2006−2007. We excluded patients with any concomitant infectious diagnosis from primary analysis. We obtained patient age, sex, triage acuity, vital signs, ED diagnoses, and admitting service from electronic databases. Trained abstractors confirmed infectious diagnosis presence and noted if antibiotics were administered. Inter-observer agreement was assessed. Multivariate logistic regression determined association of time period with antibiotic administration. We assessed trends in concomitant infectious diagnoses. Results Of 778 CHF admissions, 125 had infectious diagnoses, leaving 653 for primary analysis. Inter-observer agreement was good to excellent (κ = 0.71−0.83). Demographic and presenting characteristics did not vary by period. Antibiotics were administered to 18.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 12.7−23.3), 15.0% (95% CI 9.6−18.5), and 15.1% (95% CI 10.2−19.8), per period, respectively. Time period was not associated with antibiotics, odds ratios were 0.8 (95% CI 0.5−1.4) and 0.9 (95% CI 0.5−1.6) for periods 2 and 3, respectively. Concomitant infectious diagnoses did not increase significantly (from 15.5% to 19.4%). Pneumonia antibiotic timing compliance remained low (50−70%). Conclusions Unnecessary antibiotic administration to ED CHF admissions did not increase as institutional scrutiny of pneumonia antibiotic timing intensified, although neither did compliance with pneumonia antibiotic timing.
Factors associated with development of prolonged QRS duration over 20 years in healthy young adults: the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study ☆

Abstract Background Data describing factors associated with the development of a prolonged QRS duration (QRSd) from young adulthood to middle age are sparse. Methods We analyzed 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECGs) from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study over 20 years. We performed logistic regression to examine the associations of baseline (year 0) or average (years 0-20) risk factors with incident prolonged QRSd (QRS >100 milliseconds). Results We included 2537 participants (57.2% women, 44.7% black; mean age, 25 years); 292 (11.5%) developed incident QRSd greater than 100 milliseconds by year 20. In univariate analyses, baseline covariates associated with incident QRSd prolongation included white race, male sex, ECG–left ventricular mass index, and baseline QRSd. Similar results were observed after multivariable adjustment. Conclusion We found no long-term associations of modifiable risk factors with incident QRSd >100 milliseconds. Men, whites, and those with higher ECG–left ventricular mass index and QRSd in young adulthood are at an increased risk for incident prolonged QRSd by middle age.
FDA Report: Eculizumab (Soliris®) for the Treatment of Patients with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

On March 16, 2007, eculizumab (Soliris; Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Cheshire, CT), a humanized monoclonal antibody that binds to the human C5 complement protein, received accelerated approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) to reduce hemolysis. Eculizumab was studied in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in 87 RBC transfusion-dependent adult PNH patients and in a supportive single-arm study in 96 patients. The eculizumab dose was 600 mg as a 35-minute i.v. infusion administered weekly for the first 4 weeks followed by 900 mg (week 5) then 900 mg every 14 days thereafter. Hemoglobin stabilized in 21 of 43 (48.8%) eculizumab-treated patients, compared with none of 44 placebo-treated patients. Eculizumab-treated patients required significantly fewer RBC transfusions than placebo-treated patients (median, 0 versus 10 units). There was also a significant reduction in the serum lactate dehydrogenase area under the curve with eculizumab compared with placebo treatment. Results of the phase II supportive study were similar to those of the phase III study. The safety database included 196 adult patients with PNH. Significant findings included the development of human anti-human antibody responses in three patients and serious meningococcal infections in three patients. Patients should undergo meningococcal vaccination at least 2 weeks prior to receiving the first eculizumab treatment and have revaccination according to current medical guidelines. Patients must be monitored and evaluated immediately for early signs of meningococcal infections and treated with antibiotics as indicated.
ESL Pedagogy and Certification: Teacher Perceptions and Efficacy.

Increasing numbers of English Language Learners (ELLs) in U.S. classrooms have prioritized to building quality teacher education programs so that all teachers have the tools necessary to support their students. National, state, and local mandates have also enacted certain requirements to ensure that ELLs are receiving quality instruction with new language proficiency and content standards. Pressure has pervaded into teacher education programs working to immerse teacher candidates with good pedagogical practices for working with ELLs. This mixed method study on 144 PK-12 teachers with five or less years of experience highlighted the importance of teachers’ perceptions and efficacy beliefs in working with ELLs. Findings revealed a statistical significance in efficacy beliefs for teachers with an ESL certification as opposed to teachers without the credentials. Five in-depth cases augmented the finding to support how individual classroom practices exemplified specific ESL pedagogy learned from pre-service contexts to promote more efficacious behaviors.
Compression of ultra-wideband microwave arbitrary waveforms via optical pulse shaping

We report matched filtering of ultra-wideband microwave waveforms via programmable optical phase filters implemented in a hyperfine resolution pulse shaper. As an example we demonstrate compression of an 800-ps electrical chirp waveform to 42 ps.
Critical area analysis

The critical area is the region on an integrated circuit where the occurrence of a catastrophic spot defect will cause a functional circuit fault. The author describes how to efficiently compute detailed critical areas with the VLASIC Monte Carlo yield simulator. Methods for reducing the computational cost are described, along with some application examples. An SRAM cell failure caused by an extra second metal defect is analyzed as an example. >
Minimum-variance evolutionary spectral estimation of nonstationary signals

A novel unbiased estimator for the time-dependent spectrum of a nonstationary signal is presented. The signal is modeled at a given frequency, as having a time-varying amplitude accurately represented by an orthonormal basis expansion. After a minimum-variance estimate of this time-varying amplitude is computed, and depending on assumptions made on the signal model, different time-varying estimators analogous to the ones used in the stationary case are developed. Presented is the time-varying periodogram estimator. By repeating the process over all frequencies, a power distribution is obtained as a function of time and frequency that is consistent with the evolutionary spectrum. The approach is guaranteed to produce nonnegative spectra without the cross-term behavior of the Wigner distribution, and it does not require windowing of data in the time domain, as the short time Fourier transform does. Examples illustrating the estimator are given. >
The role of oxygen in the formation of titanium-based icosahedral phases and crystal approximants

Abstract The first report of an oxygen-stabilized quasicrystal is presented. Oxygen is shown to be essential for the formation of the icosahedral and 1/1 approximant phases in Ti-Mn-Si and Ti-Cr-Si alloys. Recent X-ray and neutron diffraction structural studies by us of the 1/1 approximant phase reveal specific sites for the oxygen in the Mackay icosahedral clusters. On the basis of these data, possible explanations for the role of oxygen in quasicrystal formation are considered. These include firstly the creation of a nucleation barrier for competing crystalline phases, secondly the stabilization of the fundamental Mackay icosahedral cluster and thirdly an adjustment of the electron-to-atom ratio to shift the Fermi surface into a minimum in the density of states.
An evolutionary perspective on the origin and ontogeny of menopause.

The “grandmother hypothesis” proposes that menopause evolved because ancestral middle-aged women gained greater reproductive success from investing in extant genetic relatives than from continuing to reproduce [Williams GC. Pleiotropy, natural selection, and the evolution of senescence. Evolution 1957;11:398–411]. Because middle-aged women faced greater risks of maternal death during pregnancy and their offspring’s infancy than did younger women, offspring of middle-aged women may not have received the needed level of prolonged maternal investment to survive to reproductive age. I put forward the “absent father hypothesis” proposing that reduced paternal investment linked with increasing maternal age was an additional impetus for the evolution of menopause. Reduced paternal investment was linked with increasing maternal age because men died at a younger age than their mates and because some men were increasingly likely to defect from their mateships as their mates aged. The absent father hypothesis is not an alternative to the grandmother hypothesis but rather a complement. It outlines an additional cost—reduced paternal investment—associated with continued reproduction by ancestral middle-aged women that could have been an additional impetus for the evolution of menopause. After reviewing additional explanations for the origin of menopause (“patriarch hypothesis,” “lifespan-artifact” hypotheses), I close by proposing a novel hypothesis for the ontogeny of menopause. According to the “adaptive onset hypothesis,” the developmental timing of menopause is a conditional reproductive strategy in which a woman’s age at onset is influenced by the likelihood that any children she could produce would survive to reproductive age. Twelve variables predicted to be associated with age at onset and evidence that bears upon the predictions is discussed. © 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Link Homophily in the Application Layer and its Usage in Traffic Classification

We address the following questions. Is there link homophily in the application layer traffic? If so, can it be used to accurately classify traffic in network trace data without relying on payloads or properties at the flow level? Our research shows that the answers to both of these questions are affirmative in real network trace data. Specifically, we define link homophily to be the tendency for flows with common IP hosts to have the same application (P2P, Web, etc.) compared to randomly selected flows. The presence of link homophily in trace data provides us with statistical dependencies between flows that share common IP hosts. We utilize these dependencies to classify application layer traffic without relying on payloads or properties at the flow level. In particular, we introduce a new statistical relational learning algorithm, called Neighboring Link Classifier with Relaxation Labeling (NLC+RL). Our algorithm has no training phase and does not require features to be constructed. All that it needs to start the classification process is traffic information on a small portion of the initial flows, which we refer to as seeds. In all our traces, NLC+RL achieves above 90% accuracy with less than 5% seed size; it is robust to errors in the seeds and various seed-selection biases; and it is able to accurately classify challenging traffic such as P2P with over 90% Precision and Recall.
Qualitative research on geriatric mental health: progress, challenges, and opportunities.

The use of qualitative approaches in geriatric mental health research has become more common in recent years. A review of abstracts in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry revealed one article abstract referencing qualitative methods from 1998 to 2005, whereas nine article abstracts did so from 2006 to the present (excluding the current issue). The National Institutes of Mental Health and other National Institute of Health institutes have a history of supporting qualitative research on agingrelated topics. There is a wealth of resources available for investigators wishing to familiarize themselves with qualitative methods, including articles in medical journals (e.g., Lambert and McKevitt and others in a series of wonderfully concise reviews of qualitative methods published in the British Medical Journal), “how-to” books and online materials, and guidelines for review of qualitative grants. However, qualitative methods remain underutilized, precluding them from contributing more to the field as we try to reduce barriers and improve access and quality of mental health services for older adults and their families. This is the first issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry featuring a special section devoted to qualitative research. It includes four articles on late-life mental health issues that are thematically linked by their use of qualitative methods and their relevance of mental health services and intervention research. Based, in part, on a symposium on qualitative methods at the 2008 Meeting of the American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry in Orlando, FL, these articles address a range of topics related to geriatric mental health (i.e., successful aging, late-life depression, and dementia) and they focus on different stakeholders’ perspectives (i.e., older adults or primary care clinicians). All the studies are the product of interdisciplinary research teams with collaboration of social scientists (e.g., medical anthropologists and medical sociologists) and clinician researchers. In this editorial, I briefly review the different types of qualitative approaches, highlight challenges in conducting qualitative research in conjunction with a larger quantitative project, and introduce the articles in this special issue.
Litigating for Treatment: The Use of State Laws and Constitutions in Obtaining Treatment Rights for People with Mental Illness

This article addresses the potential utility of state law causes of action for obtaining community treatment rights for people with mental illness. Drawing on a 50-state survey of state treatment-rights case law, as well as in-depth analyses of the constitutions, statutes and regulations for the two most litigious state law-right-to-treatment states, the article analyzes the types of laws that are likely to be available for state law treatment-rights litigation as well as the benefits and drawbacks of such laws. The article concludes that the efficacy of using state law claims is likely to vary considerably from state to state, but that many states have laws that could provide a powerful adjunct or alternative to federal treatment-rights litigation.
Important Experience and Revelation For the Affordable Housing Financing of Typical Countries and Regions

New urbanization development is inseparable from the construction of affordable housing, and the key of affordable housing construction is in financing. Learning the financing experience of developed countries and regions has important guiding significance to China's urbanization. This paper analyzes and compares the construction and finance of affordable housing of six countries and regions concluding UK, USA, Germany, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. Then, this paper summarizes their characteristics and presents proposals for the affordable housing financing of China in new ear.
VShare: A Wireless Social Network Aided Vehicle Sharing System Using Hierarchical Cloud Architecture

Carpool commuting enables multiple individual travelers with similar schedules and itineraries to share a common vehicle during a trip, and travelers can split travel costs in gas, parking and tolls with each other. It emerges as an effective way to solve traffic congestion, parking space tension and air pollution resulting from vehicle emissions. One of the challenges that restrict widespread adoption of carpool commuting lies in matching carpoolers. Existing carpooler matching methods include building carpool lanes in main airports and bus stops, using centralized servers to identify carpoolers based on historical travel data or real time travel requests. However, these methods cannot be applied to large scale adoption or incur long matching latency. To overcome drawbacks of existing methods, we propose VShare, a dynamic carpool system that leverages the wireless social network characteristic and hierarchical cloud server architecture. VShare incorporates two design components: matching through the wireless social network and a hierarchical cloud server structure. Upon receiving a user travel request, VShare first identifies possible carpoolers from neighbors in nearby locations, which reduces latency of sending travel requests to remote servers. If no carpool is found within nearby locations, a hierarchical cloud server architecture is used to match the travel requests. We have implemented the design of VShare and conducted trace-driven experiments. Experimental results show the effectiveness of VShare in substantially reducing matching latency while providing high success rate in matching carpollers.
Individual schooling and women's community-level media exposure: a multilevel analysis of normative influences associated with women's justification of wife beating in Bangladesh.

Background Our objective was to examine the multilevel correlates of women9s justification of wife beating in Bangladesh, a form of intimate partner violence (IPV). We focus on individual-level schooling, community-level media exposure among women and their interaction. Methods A cross-sectional study using data from the 2011 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. Our sample included 17 749 ever-married women 15–49 years in 600 communities. We fit 6 multilevel logistic regression models to examine factors associated with justifying IPV; focusing on a woman9s completed grades of schooling; frequent (at least once weekly) community-level media exposure among women via newspaper/magazine, television and radio; and their cross-level interaction. Results At the individual level, completing more grades of schooling than the community average was negatively associated with justifying IPV (0.95, 95% CI 0.94 to 0.97). The main effects of women9s community-level media exposure were not significant, but suggested that frequent exposure to newspaper/magazine or television was negatively associated with justifying IPV, while exposure to radio was positively associated. In cross-level interactions, a woman9s completed grades of schooling above the community average was protective against justifying IPV, even in communities where women9s exposure to radio would otherwise increase the odds of justifying IPV. Conclusions Different forms of media likely send different messages about gender and IPV. Girls9 schooling should remain a priority, given its protective effect against justifying wife beating. Targeting girls and women who do not receive any schooling for intervention may yield the most benefit in terms of normative change regarding IPV against women.
Development of a Modern Pressurized Water Reactor Simulator: Instrumentation, Design and Data Acquisition

A method is proposed for redesigning an existing pressurized water reactor simulator with modern control and data acquisition electronics along with a custom designed GUI. This system will be used in providing instruction to undergraduate and graduate Nuclear Engineers on the operation of a Pressurized Water Reactor and for simulation of nuclear criticality events. This system will allow users from across the world to access the simulator in order to run modeling and optimization experiments for assisting in the future development of reactor technology and the development of this simulator project.
Evaluating a QoS aware path selection service using the GENI network

Smart homes, cars, offices and schools can significantly improve the quality of our life. The traditional networks are not sufficient to provide the service needed for these future smart management systems due to their lack of flexibility. This paper proposes an application-aware service that can select and set an alternative forwarding path based on the measurement of the Quality of Service of paths in the software defined networks. The proposed service is evaluated by developing experiments using the GENI network. The results demonstrate that our service can make routing decisions based on the application requirement and measurement about the current state of the network, and greatly improve the routing performance over the default method used in existing networks.
Fall and spring grazing influence fire ignitability and initial spread in shrub steppe communities

The interaction between grazing and fire influences ecosystems around the world. However, little is known about the influence of grazing on fire, in particular ignition and initial spread and how it varies by grazing management differences. We investigated effects of fall (autumn) grazing, spring grazing and not grazing on fuel characteristics, fire ignition and initial spread during the wildfire season (July and August) at five shrub steppe sites in Oregon, USA. Both grazing treatments decreased fine fuel biomass, cover and height, and increased fuel moisture, and thereby decreased ignition and initial spread compared with the ungrazed treatment. However, effects differed between fall and spring grazing. The probability of initial spread was 6-fold greater in the fall-grazed compared with the spring-grazed treatment in August. This suggests that spring grazing may have a greater effect on fires than fall grazing, likely because fall grazing does not influence the current year’s plant growth. Results of this study also highlight that the grazing–fire interaction will vary by grazing management. Grazing either the fall or spring before the wildfire season reduces the probability of fire propagation and, thus, grazing is a potential fuel management tool.
Introduction: Hegel and History

This chapter gives an overview of Hegel’s dialectic as it operates in his overall scheme of global history. It argues that this dialectic expresses the movement of capitalist society, whose economics are intrinsically expansive, ever needing to move outward. Most theorists acknowledge that this movement is an underlying component of globalization. It is precisely this movement that is embodied in the appropriative structure of Hegel’s dialectic. The chapter concludes by outlining Hegel’s scheme of global history, which moves from the Oriental world through the Greek and Roman worlds and the Middle Ages to the modern (Germanic) world.
Exploring theatrical costume design as a pedagogical tool for empathic design

Empathic design, a relatively new user-centered design approach, has been utilised in the industrial design field to understand potential users’ feelings, experiences, and needs in their circumstan...
Thermal-aware optimizations of reRAM-based neuromorphic computing systems

ReRAM-based systems are attractive implementation alternatives for neuromorphic computing because of their high speed and low design cost. In this work, we investigate the impact of temperature on the ReRAM-based neuromorphic architectures and show how varying temperatures have a negative impact on the computation accuracy. We first classify ReRAM crossbar cells based on their temperature and identify effective neural network weights that have large impacts on network outputs. Then, we propose a novel temperature-aware training and mapping scheme to prevent the effective weights from being mapped to hot cells to restore the system accuracy. Evaluation results for a two-layer neural network show that our scheme can improve the system accuracy by up to 39.2%.
Body composition and nutrient intakes of college men and women basketball players.

Computer analysis of diet records was used to compare adequacy of nutrient intake for 16 male and 10 female intercollegiate basketball players. Significant differences (p less than .05) between men and women were observed for the provision of nutrients from food alone; mean percent RDAs of all nutrients except vitamins A and D was greater for men. This was due primarily to caloric intakes by the men, which averaged twice those of the women. Nutrient supplements had a significant effect on the women's total intake. With the exceptions of energy, protein, and vitamin C, differences between men and women in percent RDAs were eliminated when the contribution of nutrient supplements was included. The data made apparent the need for dietitians familiar with sports nutrition to counsel female athletes on means of obtaining nutrients via an adequate diet.