cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Loneliness and Social Media Use among Religious Latter-Day Saint College Students: an Exploratory Study

As a potent psychosocial stressor, loneliness is associated with numerous mental and physical health complaints. The recent rise in social media use has presented opportunity for more frequent social interactions to occur with larger social networks than ever before. Somewhat paradoxically, many studies have found that increased use of social media is associated with and, may lead to, increases in loneliness and associated deleterious outcomes. However, much less is known about this relationship among homogenous populations, such as those from specific religious contexts where similar values and beliefs are shared and, in turn, may influence the interaction between the experience of loneliness and social media use. The current study addresses this research gap by exploring perceptions of loneliness (using the three-item LON measure) and daily time spent on social media (ranging from 10 min to 3 h) among 579 college students who were self-identified in the Latter-day Saint (LDS) faith at a private religious university in the Intermountain West. Those who spent more time on social media reported being lonelier, while both loneliness and time spent on social media were related to important health variables (e.g., depressive symptoms, diet, sleep, subjective health). Moreover, there appears to be two groups most at risk for experiencing greater loneliness and spending more time on social media: women, and college students not in a romantic relationship. Results are discussed in light of implications for prevention and remediation of loneliness within the college context.
Characterization of the Strongylocentrotus purpuratus egg cell surface receptor for sperm.

In earlier studies from our laboratory, the intact sperm receptor was partially purified from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus crude egg membranes, but due to its insolubility, it was not possible to purify it to homogeneity. Nonetheless, this receptor preparation bound with species specificity to acrosome-reacted sperm, thereby inhibiting fertilization (17). Antibodies against the partially pure receptor inhibited fertilization in S. purpuratus (but not Arbacia punctulata) by coating the egg surface, indicating the presence of binding sites that can be species-specifically recognized by both sperm and antibody molecules.
Predictors of thyroid tumor aggressiveness.

Thyroid cancers are classified as papillary, follicular (including Hurthle cell), medullary, and anaplastic. Papillary cancers account for about 82% of all thyroid cancers, follicular about 8%, medullary about 6%, Hurthle cell 3%, and anaplastic 1%. The prognosis of patients with papillary thyroid cancer is usually favorable, whereas most patients with anaplastic cancer die within 6 months. The behavior of papillary thyroid cancer can be predicted by patient age, sex, tumor size, local invasion, angioinvasion, lymph node metastases, distant metastases, as well as tumor differentiation and ability to take up radioactive iodine. Thus, older male patients with larger or invasive tumors, with angioinvasion, lymph node or distant metastases, and with tumors that do not take up radioactive iodine or cannot be completely surgically resected have a worse prognosis. Anaploid tumors, tumors with a low adenylate cyclase response to thyroid-stimulating hormone tumors, tumors that are ras-and gsp-positive, and tumors that are p21-positive and p53-positive also appear to behave in a more aggressive manner. In contrast, lymphocytic thyroiditis associated with papillary thyroid cancer predicts fewer recurrences and an improved survival. The treatment of patients with papillary thyroid cancer is controversial primarily because most patients do well with relatively minimal therapy, and there are no prospective studies concerning the merits of various treatments. Much of the controversy relates to the safety of thyroidectomy versus other procedures and, to a lesser extent, when to do a central or modified radical neck dissection. The rate of recurrence is lower, and the death rate may also be lower when patients are treated initially by total thyroidectomy. The rationale for total thyroidectomy is that it enables one to use radioactive iodine to detect and treat local and distant metastases, and it makes serum thyroglobulin determination more sensitive for detecting persistent disease. Total thyroidectomy should be associated with a permanent complication rate of less than 2%. Thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression therapy is recommended by most experts for patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and supported by most clinical and laboratory studies. Central and lateral node selection is recommended for patients with palpable lymphadenopathy.
Planning for a Sustainable Urban Renaissance

The Leipzig Charter on Sustainable European Cities has been signed by the ministers responsible for urban development in the 27 countries of the European Union meeting in Leipzig in May 2007. It has been developed and adopted on initiative of the German Presidency of the European Union. Throughout this charter, member countries emphasize the qualities of European cities and the importance of their role in the development of each state.
Fatty acids: Metabolism

Fatty acids (FA) serve two primary metabolic functions. They are an important fuel source, and are the fundamental structural units of complex lipids like triacylglycerol and phospholipids. FAs are derived either directly from dietary ‘fat’ (triacylglycerol) or from endogenous synthesis. Mitochondrial β -oxidation is the primary pathway for recovery of energy stored in FAs. Peroxisomal α - and β -oxidation pathways degrade certain toxic FAs but are also important in the synthesis of bile acids and the ω 3 FA, docosahexaenoic acid. Saturated and monounsaturated FAs can be synthesized from excess dietary carbohydrate, but polyunsaturated FA synthesis relies on ingestion of dietary essential FAs.
B. F. Skinner’s Walden II

An oft-cited credo in the halls of academe is that a specialist who seeks to extend the application of his discipline to broad questions of social concern treads on dangerous ground. B. F. Skinner, author of the work we are about to examine, is one of those willing to accept such risks. An emeritus professor of psychology at Harvard University, Skinner has been one of the foremost developers and proponents of that school of thought in contemporary psychology known as behaviorism.1 In Walden II, he applied behaviorist theory to the formidable task of designing a Utopian community.2
Modified lead hematoxylin-tartrazine yellow stain highlights changes in aortic wall after balloon angioplasty

Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) has been traditionally used to highlight the morphology of elastic arteries. An alternative staining procedure, lead hematoxylin-tartrazine yellow (LHTY), will be compared with H&E to evaluate its depiction of various layers in rat aortic wall. Sliced aortic rings, from 1-year-old male Sprague–Dawley rats that had undergone balloon angioplasty, were harvested at 1 day, 7 days, and 14 days after this procedure. Stained sections of specimen rings were evaluated to determine the effects on cellular components and extracellular matrix of various sublayers in the three aortic tunics. In contrast to H&E, the LHTY staining was found to clearly differentiate sublayers of the tunica intima from the tunica media. In addition, the elastic lamellar bands in the tunica media were especially demarcated to provide greater visibility for obtaining measurable indices (such as thickness). Moreover, LHTY-stained rings clearly depicted connective tissue elements within the intervening subl...
Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Relationship Between School Climate and Disorder

Previous research has suggested that school climate is an important predictor of school safety and disorder. This study builds on this line of research by examining racial and ethnic differences in...
Durable High Polymer Content m/p-Polybenzimidazole Membranes for Extended Lifetime Electrochemical Devices

A series of high polymer content phosphoric acid-doped m/p-polybenzimidazole (PBI) copolymer membranes were prepared via the poly(phosphoric acid) (PPA) process. These copolymer membranes showed mu...
A mesh-free pseudospectral approach to estimating the fractional Laplacian via radial basis functions

Abstract This paper investigates the use of radial basis function (RBF) interpolants to estimate a function's fractional Laplacian of a given order through a mesh-free pseudospectral method. The mesh-free approach yields an algorithm that can be implemented in high dimensional settings without adjustment. Moreover, the fractional Laplacian is defined in terms of the Fourier transform, and the symmetry of RBFs can be exploited to simplify the estimation problem. Convergence rates are established for RBFs when the function whose fractional Laplacian to be estimated is compactly supported. Further results demonstrate convergence when a function is in the native space for a Wendland RBF (i.e. a Sobolev space) and satisfies a certain L 1 condition. Numerical experiments demonstrate the developed method by estimating the fractional Laplacian of several functions and by solving a fractional Poisson equation with extended Dirichlet condition in one and two dimensions.
Process Systems Engineering and Catalysis: A Collaborative Approach for the Development of Chemical Processes

Abstract The rapid growth in shale gas production has encouraged exploring opportunities related to downstream processes, which utilize shale gas as a primary feedstock to produce added-value chemicals. The chemical route of the majority of these added-value chemicals require at least one or more catalytic step. Hence, catalysts are critical for the synthesis and selection of processes pathway. However, there is no structured form or approach where process systems engineering and catalysis communities can join efforts to incorporate inputs from both sides in order to expedite the development of catalytic processes. Therefore, this paper introduces a collaborative approach to better understand the needs and the impacts of catalysis on process synthesis and design. A methanol from shale gas process is taken as a case study. The industrial methanol synthesis catalyst (Cu/ZnO/Al2O3) has a low per-pass conversion ( 750 psia). Therefore, there has been a focused interest in overcoming both catalyst limitations; the low single pass conversion and the requirement of operating under elevated pressure. The results showed that despite having a complete per-pass conversion, the impact of this development is insignificant when reflected on the process economics. However, pressure reduction of the methanol synthesis reaction could lead to substantial improvements in the overall profitability of the process.
Iteratively-Coupled Co-simulation Framework for Unbalanced Transmission-Distribution System

The need for integrated transmission and distribution system analysis (T & D) has been recently identified by research and industry alike. This paper presents an integrated unbalanced T & D analysis framework using an iteratively coupled co-simulation approach. The unbalanced T & D systems are solved separately using dedicated solvers. An iterative approach is developed for T & D interface coupling and to ensure convergence of the boundary variables. To do so, analytical expressions governing the T & D interface are obtained and first-order convergent methods using Fixed-point iteration (FPI) is proposed to solve the system of nonlinear T & D interface equations. The proposed framework is tested using an integrated T & D system model comprised of 9-bus IEEE transmission test system integrated with a real-world 6000-bus distribution test system. It is demonstrated that the proposed framework can model the impacts of system unbalance and increased demand variability on integrated T & D systems and converges during stressed system conditions.
Evaluation of a Multicomponent Care Transitions Program for High-Risk Hospitalized Older Adults

OBJECTIVES To test the effectiveness of a multicomponent care transition intervention targeted at hospitalized patients, aged 75 years and older, at high risk for hospital readmissions, return emergency department (ED) visits, and related complications. DESIGN Implementation as a quality improvement program with propensity-matched preintervention and concurrent comparison groups over a 12-month period. SETTING A 400-bed community teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Patients, aged 75 years and older, admitted to non-intensive care unit beds who met specific high-risk criteria. The intervention group included 202 patients, and the concurrent and preintervention comparison groups included 4142 and 4592 patients, respectively. MEASUREMENTS Primary outcomes were 30-day hospital readmissions and returns to the ED; 7-day readmissions and ED visits were secondary measures. RESULTS Among the 202 patients enrolled in the "Safe Transitions for At-Risk Patients" ("STAR") program, 37 (18.3%) were readmitted within 30 days, in contrast to 14.3% and 14.6% in the concurrent and preintervention comparison groups, respectively. Rates for 30-day return ED visits that did not result in hospitalization were 10.9% in the intervention group, and 7.2% and 7.9% in the comparison groups. STAR patients had greater 30-day ED use than patients in the preintervention comparison group (5.0 percentage points; 95% confidence interval = 0.8-9.3 percentage points; P = .020). Implementation challenges included suboptimal involvement of the participating hospital and post-acute care organizations and a relatively high proportion of patients who did not receive the intervention as planned, despite agreeing to participate before leaving the hospital. CONCLUSION A multicomponent care transitions intervention targeting high-risk patients, aged 75 years and older, admitted to a community teaching hospital was not effective in reducing 30- or 7-day readmissions or return ED visits. Our implementation experience offers many lessons for future programs for similar high-risk geriatric populations. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:2634-2642, 2019.
Comparing Six-Month Outcomes for Patients in the New Heart Allocation Status 1-3 Categories versus the Prior 1A Classification

Purpose The recent change in the UNOS heart allocation policy was intended to prioritize heart transplant (HT) for the sickest patients, and thus sought to prioritize illness severity by dividing the heterogeneous population encompassed in the prior Status 1A category to the more discrete Status 1-3 categories. We explored the 6-month post-HT outcomes and patient characteristics before and after the implementation of this policy change in the sickest, hospitalized patients awaiting HT. Methods 1,667 patients were identified in UNOS that were either Status 1A in the prior classification system or Status 1 - 3 in the new policy during a 6-month period immediately before and after the policy change. Comparisons between patient characteristics in the pre-policy change Status 1A (N=988) and post policy-change Status 1-3 (N=679) cohorts are reported using standard statistical methods; Kaplan-Meier survival analysis and multivariate analysis using Cox proportional hazards modeling was performed. Results Mean age was greater in the new Status 1-3 group (53.4 ± 12.9 vs. 39.7 ± 25.1, p Conclusion The UNOS heart allocation policy change for new Status 1-3 patients was associated with increased post-HT mortality compared with the prior Status 1A patients at 6 months. This was despite shorter organ wait times and higher IABP use. Further studies are warranted to understand the long-term implications of this policy change.
Practical Reason as Human Nature: G. E. M. Anscombe’s Moral Philosophy

There can be no doubt that in the second half of the twentieth century Elizabeth Margaret Anscombe (1919–2001) was one of the towering figures in philosophy – not only in ethics. Two of her numerous works were, and are still, particularly influential: the book on Intention (2), and an essay called “Modern Moral Philosophy” (1958: CP III, 26–42 henceforth MMP). However, many important aspects of her contribution to moral philosophy will be found in other papers, some of which were not published until after her death (cf. GG I; GG II). Only if one takes these into account as well, is one able to form an adequate picture of her overall conception of morality. This is not surprising in view of two circumstances. In the work on intention Anscombe deliberately abstains from treating ethical questions. And MMP is largely destructive – and consciously so. What I try to achieve in the following pages is an account of her moral philosophy that pays attention to its scattered components while being focussed on issues relating to its naturalistic orientation.
What’s Wrong with Mass-Produced Original Paintings?

The shortcomings of mass-produced original paintings, according to critics, are discussed. Covered in this chapter are their inferiority to museum examples, the anonymity of artists, and the unsophistication of viewers. Offsetting these objections are the deficiencies of museum paintings: the waxing and waning of artists’ reputations, the rushed and overwhelming nature of museum visits, the power and biases of experts and donors, the difficulties in appraising art, the selectivity of museum attendees, and the obscurity of modern art.
Tabular Model: Transformations and Constraints

This chapter carefully discusses the three tidy data assumptions and describes common scenarios where they are violated. We then discuss how to use transformations and operations to massage tabular data into a form with a specified functional dependency and satisfying the tidy data assumptions. This includes a detailed treatment of transpose, melt, and pivot operations, from both a conceptual point of view and a practical point of view in “pandas.”
Trends in Industry Payments to Medical Oncologists in the United States Since the Inception of the Open Payments Program, 2014 to 2019.

Importance Given the potential for undue influence of industry-physician payments on oncology care, it is important to understand how a national transparency program may be associated with financial interactions between industry and medical oncologists. Objective To identify trends in industry payments to medical oncologists from 2014 to 2019 and determine if the implementation of the Open Payments program is associated with changes in the frequency or value of payments or any shift in the nature of industry-oncologist financial interactions. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective, population-based, observational cohort study analyzed Open Payments reports of industry payments made in 2014 to 2019 to a cohort of licensed medical oncologists practicing in the US in 2014, using data from the National Plan and Provider Enumeration System. Exposures Receipt of an industry payment from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures General industry payments to medical oncologists, including the proportion receiving payments, total annual value and number of payments, and average annual trends over time, by aggregate value and by nature-of-payment category. Trends over time were analyzed using linear regression and generalized estimating equations. Results In 2014 to 2019, there were 15 585 medical oncologists who received a total of 2.2 million industry payments with a total value of $509 million. The absolute number of oncologists receiving payments decreased from 10 498 in 2014 to 8918 in 2019 (-15.1%). The annual per-physician payment value decreased among those receiving less than $10 000 in aggregate by -3.2% yearly (95% CI, -4.1% to -2.3%; P < .001), but increased for those receiving more than $10 000. Payments increased for consulting (13.7%; 95% CI, 12.4%-15.0%; P < .001) and for entertainment, meals, travel or lodging, and gifts (0.8%; 95% CI, 0.1%-1.5%; P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance The number of medical oncologists accepting industry payments has decreased; however, high-value industry payments have been consolidated in a relatively small number of medical oncologists accepting higher payment values over time. The nature of payments has shifted toward consulting. These findings highlight the limitations of transparency without accountability.
Incorporating Sialendoscopy into the Otolaryngology Clinic

Simple sialendoscopy procedures may be performed in the outpatient clinic with few complications. This process spares patients the risks, increased cost, and time burdens of sialendoscopy under general anesthesia. Sialendoscopy procedures may be incorporated into the outpatient practice after gaining experience with these procedures in the operating room. Diagnostic sialendoscopy, dilation of stenosis, and endoscopic sialolithotomies of small, freely mobile stones are appropriate for in-office sialendoscopy in many instances.
Gender Bias in Online Language Translators: Visualization, Human Perception, and Bias/Accuracy Tradeoffs

Artificial intelligence(AI) systems that interact with humans, such as chatbots and language translators, have many useful applications. However, care must be put in addressing some concerns, such as the presence of bias, possible abusive language, and information leakage, that could hamper public trust in them. In this article, we focus on gender bias in online translators, as recognized and rated by a third-party assessment who does not have access to the training data, and we propose a visualization approach for such rating. We then conduct a survey of how users perceive bias in translators, whether they appreciate the proposed bias rating visualization, and how they may use it to reason about bias-accuracy trade-offs.
Legal Issues in the Context of School Shootings

The impact of school shootings has resulted in various legal implications and increased attention on gun legislation; relevant cases will be presented, along with important legislative changes. Additionally, the authors will explore recent calls for action related to defunding of the police in the school system and the potential implications; a necessary discussion given the current times. Interviews with relevant professionals and individuals will be included, including those who have been involved in efforts to create meaningful systemic changes.
Temporomandibular Joint Disc

The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is a ginglymo-diarthrodial synovial joint. Its principal components are the fossa-eminence of temporal bone, the mandibular condyle, and a fibrocartilagenous articular disc known as the TMJ disc. TMJ movements are more complex than most synovial joints. The TMJ disc plays a key role in these movements by distributing load, absorbing shock, and lubricating surfaces. The extracellular matrix (ECM) of the TMJ disc is primarily composed of collagen type I, which forms a ring-like structure around the periphery of the disc and in the anteroposterior direction in the intermediate zone. Glycosaminoglycans, proteoglycans, and elastin fibers also form the ECM. The cell types of the disc include a nonhomogeneous distribution of fibroblasts and chondrocyte-like cells; these cells serve to maintain the ECM of the TMJ disc. The mechanical properties of the disc are mostly unknown because of large variations between animal models and test methodologies; however, it is believed that the TMJ disc is primarily a tensile tissue. Several disorders, including internal derangements, degenerative diseases, and reparative/osteogenic diseases, are associated with an injured or displaced disc. These disorders affect about 2–4% of the population and greatly reduce the quality of a patient's life, afflicting everyday activities such as eating, talking, and laughing. Treatments for severe temporomandibular dysfunction are available, but alleviation of joint problems without future repercussions is difficult. Biomedical engineering continues to work toward better solutions for temporomandibular dysfunction by developing innovative treatments and fully characterizing the components and diseases of the TMJ. Keywords: temporomandibular joint; temporomandibular joint disc; internal derangement
Does Saul Alinsky Belong in Jesuit Education

How do we help our students acquire academic knowledge as well as develop public skills to address and solve problems in the world? Additionally, how do we give students hope that their skills and talents can be used to make the world and their communities safer, more sustainable and productive? These are central questions of Jesuit education. The American community organizer Saul Alinsky and the community organizing tradition that he founded have some things to offer us in our attempts to provide academic and public skills as well as hope to our students. Through a brief examination of Alinsky’s career and an explanation of the world view of community organizing as articulated in his most famous book, Rules for Radicals , this paper demonstrates that Alinsky and his ideas can enhance our project as Jesuit educators.
Studies on Sonar Clutter and Reverberation

Abstract : The long-term goals of this effort are to * Assess capability of directional arrays for inversion and reverberation studies * Characterize acoustic clutter in a manner that will lead to its mitigation * Improve geo-acoustic parameter extraction from reverberation data * Construct suitable high fidelity reverberation and scattering models for model/data comparison and inversion.
Chapter 7 Using Liquefaction‐Induced and Other Soft‐Sediment Features for Paleoseismic Analysis

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the methodology for determining whether observed sediment deformation had a seismic shaking or a nonseismic origin. The chapter emphasizes features developed from the process of liquefaction, which is the transformation of a granular material from a solid state into a liquefied state as a consequence of increased pore-water pressure. Geophysical methods including electrical resistivity and electromagnetic induction and ground-penetrating radar are refined sufficiently to be used with some success to locate buried liquefaction features. Paleoliquefaction investigations are useful to engineers and planners because of the high shaking threshold required to develop liquefaction features. The threshold is a horizontal acceleration on the order of 0.1 g for strong earthquakes, even in highly susceptible sediment. Features having a liquefaction origin can be developed at earthquake magnitudes as low as about 5 but a magnitude of about 5.5–6 is the lower limit at which liquefaction effects become relatively common. Seismic liquefaction effects described in the chapter are caused mainly by cyclic shaking of level or nearly level ground. Primary seismological factors contributing to liquefaction are the amplitude of the cyclic shear stresses and the number of applications of the shear stresses.
Acetazolamide or dexamethasone use versus placebo to prevent acute mountain sickness on Mount Rainier.

Eighteen climbers actively ascended Mount Rainier (elevation 4,392 m) twice during a randomized, double-blind, concurrent, placebo-controlled, crossover trial comparing the use of acetazolamide, 250 mg, dexamethasone, 4 mg, and placebo every 8 hours as prophylaxis for acute mountain sickness. Each subject was randomly assigned to receive placebo during one ascent and one of the active medications during the other ascent. Assessment of acute mountain sickness was performed using the Environmental Symptoms Questionnaire and a clinical interview. At the summit or high point attained above base camp, the use of dexamethasone significantly reduced the incidence of acute mountain sickness and the severity of symptoms. Cerebral and respiratory symptom severity scores for subjects receiving dexamethasone (0.26 +/- 0.16 and 0.20 +/- 0.19, respectively) were significantly lower than similar scores for both acetazolamide (0.80 +/- 0.80 and 1.20 +/- 1.05; P = 0.25) and placebo (1.11 +/- 1.02 and 1.45 +/- 1.27; P = .025). Neither the use of dexamethasone nor that of acetazolamide measurably affected other physical or mental aspects. Compared with placebo, dexamethasone appears to be effective for prophylaxis of symptoms associated with acute mountain sickness accompanying rapid ascent. The precise role of dexamethasone for the prophylaxis of acute mountain sickness is not known, but it can be considered for persons without contraindications who are intolerant of acetazolamide, for whom acetazolamide is ineffective, or who must make forced, rapid ascent to high altitude for a short period of time with a guaranteed retreat route.
Evolving Immunotherapy Strategies in Urothelial Cancer

The treatment of nonmuscle-invasive urothelial carcinoma with bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) represents the importance of immunotherapy in the treatment of cancer. Despite its clinical efficacy, up to 30% of patients will ultimately experience progression to muscle-invasive disease. This, along with an improved understanding of the biologic pathways involved, has led to efforts to improve, enhance, or alter the immune response in the treatment of urothelial carcinoma. A number of novel therapeutic approaches currently are being pursued, including recombinant BCG to induce T helper type 1 (Th1) immune responses, nonlive Mycobacterium agents, targeted agents toward cancer-associated antigens, immune-modulating vaccines, and adoptive T-cell therapies. Here, we review the current and future immunotherapy treatment options for patients with urothelial cancer.
Openadn: Middleware Architecture For Cloud Based Services

Any global enterprise, such as, Qatar National Bank, with branches in many countries is an example of an Application Service Provider (ASP) that uses multiple cloud data centers to serve their customers. Depending upon the time of the day, the number of users at different location changes and the ASPs need to rescale their operation at each data center to meet the demand at that location. ASPs are facing a great challenge to leverage the benefits provided by such multi-cloud distributed environments without service-centric Internet service Provider (ISP) infrastructure. In addition, each ASP's requirements are different and since these ASPs are large customers of ISPs, they want the network traffic handling to be tailored to their requirements. While the ASP wants to control the forwarding of its traffic on the ISP's network; the ISP does not want to relinquish control of its resources to the ASPs. In this work we present an innovative architecture, which facilitates ASPs to automate the deployment and operation of their applications over multiple clouds. We have developed Middleware Architecture for Cloud based applications using Software Defined Networking (SDN) concepts. Especially we discuss how the implementation of interface between ASP and ISP control planes as well as implementation of generic packet header abstraction is achieved. Using our system, ASPs may specify the policies in the control plane and the control plane is responsible for enforcing these policies in the data plane. In OpenADN architecture, each application consists of multiple workflows, which are dynamically created and the required virtual servers and middleboxes are automatically created at the appropriate clouds. OpenADN allows both new applications that are designed specifically for it as well as legacy applications. It implements "Proxy-Switch Port" (pPort) to provide an interface between OpenADN-aware and OpenADN-unaware services. Depending on the available resources in the host, the controller launches a pPort with a pre-configured number of workflows that it can support. The pPort automatically starts a proxy server. The proxy service acts as the interface between OpenADN-aware services and OpenADN-unaware applications. We support both packet level middleboxes (such as intrusion detection systems) and message level middleboxes (such as firewalls). A cross-layer design is proposed in the current architecture that allows application-layer flow of information to be placed in the form of labels at layer 3.5 (packet level) and at layer 4.5 (message level). Layer 3.5 is called as "Application Label Switching" (APLS) layer. APLS is used by the path policy (routing/switching) component while layer 4.5 information is used to initiate and terminate application sessions. In addition to traditional applications, OpenADN can also be used for other multi-cloud applications such as Internet of Things, Virtual Worlds, Online Games, and Smart Wide Area Network services.
Relationship of Cardiorenal Function to Renin-Aldosterone System in Patients with Valvular Heart Disease

Metabolic data obtained during sodium (Na) loading, restriction, and depletion with thiazide were compared in 23 patients with valvular heart disease who had cardiac indices (CI) > and 2.5 excreted –3.4% Na load than those with the lowest normal values, whereas those with CI 2.5 responded to Na loss with elevation of plasma renin activity (PRA). In contrast, of the ill patients with CI < 2.5, none of the six on the 10 mEq diet, and only two of five on thiazide, responded with an increase in PRA; the urinary aldosterone values paralleled the PRA responses. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system responded to changes in Na balance. The magnitude and direction of the responses were influenced by cardiohemodynamic abnormalities. Aldosterone plays an important role in the Na retention in patients with valvular heart disease by stimulating ...
Hormonal and Regional Influences of the Oviduct on the Development of Rabbit Embryos

The enfluence of hormones and oviductal regions on the development of rabbit embryos was studied. Unicellular rabbit zygotes were taken from the oviducts of untreated females and placed in unligated oviducts or oviducts ligated at either the utero-tubal or ampullar-isthmic junctions of females pretreated with estradiol and/or progesterone. 50 hours after transfer the embryos were examined and normal embryos were then transferred to pseudopregnant animals for continuation to term. Ligation of the oviducts of 1-day pseudopregnant rabbits did not affect the normal development of the embryo. The percentages of normal zygote cleavage and continuation to implantation were 42% in the whole unligated oviduct 32% in oviducts ligated at the utero-tubal junction and 28% in oviducts ligated at the ampullar-isthmic junction. The isthmus of 10-day pseudopregnant rabbits seemed to afford normal zygote cleavage though the rate of successful implantation was only 6% in uterine recipients. In estrogen-treated ovariectomized females embryo development was markedly impaired which suggests the presence of an estrogen-stimulated factor in the ampullar fluid that is detrimental to embryonic development.
Determining Pore-Water Salinities from SP Response: A Thermodynamic Reevaluation: ABSTRACT

Quantitative knowledge of the salinity of deep formation waters is critical in assessing the degree of hydrocarbon saturation in sands, in predicting methane solubility, and in deducing pathways of fluid migration. Calculation of salinity from the spontaneous potential (SP) response of borehole logs using conventional algorithms can yield inaccurate values, particularly for geopressured waters. Thus, a theoretical reevaluation has been made of the relation between pore-water salinity in NaCl-dominated waters and SP response, taking into account pressure as a variable and recently-developed, improved, thermodynamic models for brines. The following expression satisfactorily relates pore-water salinity, as molality of total dissolved NaCl, to the static spontaneous potential (SSP) over P-T-salinity conditions of sedimentary interest: log m NaCl (pore water) = (SSP × F)/(2.303 RT × b × t) + log m NaCl (mud filtrate) where m = molality, F = faraday constant, R = gas constant, and T = absolute temperature. The complex, non-ideal behavior of NaCl solutions can be described by a single, pressure-temperature dependent, concentration independent variable, b. The term t accounts for the differential mobility of Na+ and Cl- ions through sands and shales. Use of the equation provides several important advantages over conventional techniques: (1) pore water salinity is given explicitly as a dependent variable, facilitating analysis of error; (2) the expression is simple and avoids use of electrical resistivities, which have no direct theoretical role in the relation between SP and salinity; (3) the improved thermodynamic base provides a more rigorous means of assessing the effects of grain size, mineralogy, and streaming potential on SP response. End_of_Article - Last_Page 483------------
Mechano-Regulation of Stem Cell Differentiation During Bending Stimulation of a Healing Bone Defect

Mechanical stimulation of a bone fracture can alter the course of tissue differentiation [1]. Quantitative characterization of this mechano-regulatory effect has great therapeutic potential. For example, mechano-regulation theories are already being applied to tailor scaffold designs in tissue engineering applications [2]. Approaches such as these may lead to improved treatment of bone and joint degeneration as well as treatment of orthopedic injuries.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Artificial intelligence based simulation in the design of a GDSS idea generation tool

Abstract Little research has been conducted on the software engineering design problems of group decision support systems (GDSS). We believe this has been due in part to the lack of powerful system design methodologies, such as Artificial Intelligence Based System Simulation (AISS) techniques and also, in part, due to a lack of research direction. The AISS design methodology described here is split into three stages: the specification of system boundaries using a System Entity Structure (SES), SES pruning and model synthesis using an expert system (ES), and the evaluation of candidate design models using discrete event simulation (DEVS). This paper presents an example of applying AISS to the design of a GDSS Idea Generation tool. Simulation results show that the selected model meets the design criterion of equitable distribution of comments among group participants.
Global existence inL1 for the generalized Enskog equation

Various existence theorems are given for the generalized Enskog equation inR3 and in a bounded spatial domain with periodic boundary conditions. A very general form of the geometric factorY is allowed, including an explicit space, velocity, and time dependence. The method is based on the existence of a Liapunov functional, an analog of theH-function in the Boltzmann equation, and utilizes a weak compactness argument inL1.
Private Facebook Chat

The number of instant messages sent per year now exceeds that of email. Recently users have been moving away from traditional instant messaging applications and instead using social networks as their primary communications platform. To discover attitudes related to instant messaging and its security, we have conducted a user survey. This paper also presents the design of PFC (Private Facebook Chat), a system providing convenient, secure instant messaging within Facebook Chat. PFC offers end-to-end encryption in order to thwart any eavesdropper, including Facebook itself. Finally, we have conducted a usability study of a PFC prototype.
The Relation of the Hypophysis to the Growth of Malignant Tumors: IV. A Study of the Influence of Nutritional Factors on Walker Tumor 256 in Relation to the Effect of Hypophysectomy

Since pituitary ablation has been shown to influence the rate of growth of transplanted (1–4) and autogenous (5) rat tumors, several investigators (6, 7, 8) have made an effort to define the factors by which this effect is produced. The numerous physiologic and anatomic changes which follow hypophysectomy contribute to make the problem complex. The present study is concerned with an appraisal of nutritional factors. McEuen and Thomson have previously observed the influence of degrees of starvation on the rate of growth of Walker tumor 256 and compared their results with the same tumor in hypophysectomized animals. They concluded that starvation may retard tumor growth as much as hypophysectomy. From the data presented, however, there was some question as to the validity of this conclusion (7, 5). We have attempted to restudy the question, using a technic of feeding which we believe increases the accuracy of the experiment. Methods Male rats about four months of age (150–180 grams) were inoculated with Walker tumor 256. The donor tumors were second, third, and fourth generation transplants in our hands from a tumor-bearing female of generation 154–B obtained through the courtesy of Dr. F. C. Wood of the Institute of Cancer Research of Columbia University. Solid tissue grafts were implanted by the trocar method into the left axillary region, through a skin incision in the groin. Ten days to two weeks later the animals were paired prior to removal of the pituitary in one mate. The operations were performed through a neck incision, pains being taken to avoid the nasopharynx. Completeness of removal was judged by the development of genital atrophy, and at death by direct inspection of the pituitary fossa from above.
Generation of Gn multisided patch surfaces

This paper proposes a method of generating multisided patches from a curve network that has arbitrary topology. The method generates N sweep surfaces from the curves surrounding ans N-sided domain. A sweep surface is defined for each boundary of the domain by using a local parameter space that is composed of variables defined on generalized barycentric coordinates; N-sided patches are generated by blending the sweep surfaces with interpolants that preserve geometric continuity on each boundary. The geometric continuity of the curves crossing the boundaries. Moreover, curves can be represented by arbitrary degrees and nodes.
An Introduction to Electrochemistry for Undergraduates: Detection of Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) by Inexpensive Electrode Sensors

This paper describes an undergraduate laboratory for general chemistry that can be used to supplement the teaching of oxidation–reduction reactions. The laboratory experiment also introduces students to basic electrochemical techniques and instrumentation. Using inexpensive materials to make carbon-paste electrodes, ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is oxidized with the cyclic voltammetry technique. The students learn to operate the potentiostat, prepare electrodes from inexpensive materials, and oxidize the vitamin C in over the counter tablets.
Reactions Of Photogenerated Neutral Free Radicals At Semiconductor Surfaces

The reactions of fluorocarbon free radicals on silicon and silicon oxide surfaces have been studied by producing the reactive species using laser photodissociation, and examining the resulting surface compositions using in situ electron spectroscopy. The reactivities of these and other fluorinating species can be explained by means of a simple thermochemical model which takes account only of chemical bonds made and broken at the surface of the material. The photochemical processes which take place in surface films directly exposed to laser irradiation remain to be established.
Three Strategic Improvements in Petroleum Investment Analysis

High rates of inflation, interest, and discounting have increased the degree and importance of error in evaluating investments and in making investment decisions. This is particularly strategic to investment-intensive industries such as petroleum and to high-growth industries such as high technology. The petroleum industry can offset this error by modifying its use of payout, by using inflationadjusted profitability measures, and by incorporating new options and several refinements that are especially vital to long-term investments.
Monosynaptic inputs to ErbB4-expressing inhibitory neurons in mouse primary somatosensory cortex.

Previous reports have described inputs to the somatosensory cortex (S1) in mouse or rat using retrograde or anterograde tracers. Such studies do not, however, reveal which particular cell types within the S1 cortex receive direct monosynaptic connections from these input sources. Here we describe the monosynaptic inputs to a subpopulation of mouse S1 inhibitory neurons that express ErbB4. We used a previously described “bridge protein,” composed of the ErbB4 ligand, neuregulin (NRG1), fused to the avian viral receptor TVB (TVB-NRG1), along with EnvB pseudotyped lentivirus (LV) and rabies virus (RV), to selectively coinfect ErbB4-expressing neurons (Choi et al. [2010] Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 107:16703–16708). The RV had its glycoprotein gene deleted and replaced with mCherry, so that infected cells express mCherry and the virus cannot spread without provision of rabies glycoprotein (RG) by transcomplementation. The LV encoded and expressed RG to allow transcomplementation in coinfected neurons, so that the RV could spread transsynaptically and label their direct monosynaptic inputs. The RV could not spread beyond the direct inputs, due to the lack of RG in presynaptic cells. This method revealed long-range connections from thalamus, nucleus basalis, raphe, and distant cortical areas, including ipsilateral motor, secondary somatosensory, retrosplenial, and perirhinal cortex and contralateral S1. In addition, local connections from ipsilateral pyramidal neurons within S1 were labeled. These input sources account for all of the known inputs to S1 described with standard tracers, suggesting that the subpopulation of ErbB4-positive inhibitory neurons infected using the TVB-NRG1 bridge protein receives inputs indiscriminately from S1 input sources. J. Comp. Neurol. 519:3402–3414, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
IMMUNOGLOBULIN G SUBCLASS DEFICIENCY: FACT OR FANCY?

Over the past four decades, many patients have been reported to have deficiencies of one or more subclasses of immunoglobulin G (IgG), despite normal total IgG serum concentrations. However, except for those with extremely low or absent IgG2 concentrations and an inability to produce antibodies to polysaccharide antigens, it is difficult to know the true biologic significance of the many reported IgG subclass deficiencies. Completely asymptomatic individuals who totally lack IgG1, IgG2, IgG4, or IgA1 because of heavy-chain gene deletions have been described as producing antibodies normally. In addition, numerous healthy children who have low levels of IgG2 but normal responses to polysaccharide antigens when immunized have been similarly described. From these observations, it can be concluded that IgG subclass measurement is not very helpful in the general assessment of immune function. Such assays provide no information about the patient’s capacity to produce specific antibodies to protein, polysaccharide, or viral antigens.