cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of rolling orientation on the brittle-ductile transition in polycarbonate fracture

The effect of orientation on the brittle-ductile transition in rolled polycarbonate was examined. It has been believed that the brittle-ductile transition is governed by the residual stress at low reduction and the orientation at high reduction. But, our experimental results revealed that the brittle-ductile transition is caused by neither the residual stress nor orientation. It is proposed that the brittle-ductile transition may be ascribed to the morphological change which is produced during plastic deformation on rolling.
Precursors of macrophages in embryonic rat lungs fail to exhibit granulocyte-forming potential.

Background: Mesenchyme-like macrophage (M) precursors called angular cells are present in rat lungs on the thirteenth day of gestation and by then can differentiate into outright macrophages. Based on studies of bone marrow–derived cells, it is widely believed that the macrophage line necessarily proceeds from a colony-forming unit with dual granulocyte-macrophages potential (CFU-GM). In embryos this seems doubtful since macrophages are already scattered throughout the body before the first granulocytes appear. We examined the question in organ cultured 14 day prenatal rat lungs after having shown earlier that the macrophage population developed in explants is increased by exposure to M- and GM-colony-stimulating factors (CSFs) but is unaffected by multi (IL-3)- or granulocyte (G)-CSF. Reportedly retinoic acid (RA) shifts CFU-GM strongly to wards granulocytic differentiation and inhibits mitosis of unipotential macrophage precursors but not differentiated cells. Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF) inhibits multipotential blood progenitors but allows proliferation of committed precursors, and TGF together with GM-CSF induces granulocytopoiesis from CFU-GM. Methods: Lung pairs were grown on a serum-containing medium or one supplemented either by RA, TGF, or TGF/GM-CSF to form a control and three experimental groups. A fourth experiment compared responses to M-CSF exposure and M-CSF/TGF. Macrophage population growth was estimated by measuring the areas of coronas formed by macrophages emerged from the explants. F-actin was stained with florescein-labeled phalloidin. Results: In all experiments macrophages were produced unmixed with granulocytes. By +8 days they had largely emerged to form coronas about the lungs. In cultures exposed to RA, macrophages were less intensely stained for actin and slower to emerge than controls. At +8 days, however, coronal areas were not significantly different from controls, as was also true for the TGF group. In contrast, coronal areas of cultures grown with TGF/GM-CSF were much larger. At +17 days, mean coronal area of TGF cultures was about half that of controls (P < 0.05), whereas mean coronal area of the TGF/GM-CSF group was 5.4 times greater (P < 0.001). Macrophages from control and TGF-exposed cultures responded to M-CSF by an increase in coronal area which was greater among cultures given M-CSF alone than those given TGF + M-CSF (both P < 0.005). Conclusions: Macrophage precursors in embryonic lungs are distinct from CFU-GM. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
A method to evaluate mirrors for Cherenkov counters

Abstract A method is evaluated for measuring mirrors to be used in a Ring Imaging Cherenkov Counter. It was first used to evaluate astronomical quality mirrors, but has been found to be applicable for the lower surface quality of Cherenkov mirrors.
Successful recovery from carotid terminus occlusion after mechanical embolectomy in a fully anticoagulated patient.

Case Description We describe a case of the patient with multiple contraindications for thrombolysis who underwent successful mechanical embolectomy for occlusion of the right carotid terminus. Her pre-procedural NIHSS was 16.
New approaches to physiological informatics in neurocritical care.

Introduction: A fundamental purpose of neurocritical care is the management of secondary brain injury. This is often accomplished by monitoring and managing individual patient parameters including physiological vital signs. Yet, the ability to record physiological data exceeds our ability to fully integrate it into patient care. We propose that advances in monitoring must be accompanied by advances in methods of high-frequency, multivariate data analysis that integrate the multiple processes occurring in critically ill patients.
Alterations in slow transport kinetics induced by estramustine phosphate, an agent binding to microtubule-associated proteins.

Estramustine phosphate (EP) disassembles microtubules by binding to microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) rather than tubulin. In this study, EP-induced alterations of MAP integrity caused a unique form of axonal atrophy in rats. Initially, EP-induced axonal atrophy occurred in both proximal and distal axons of the sciatic nerve, characterized by an increase in neurofilament packing density, associated with a decrease in axonal area. In chronic exposure, distal axonal atrophy was associated with decreased numbers of microtubules, while the neurofilament number remained unaltered for the myelin spiral length. Continued exposure caused enlargement of proximal axons associated with an increase in neurofilament content. Correlative slow transport studies done at two different times, 7 and 14 days after [35S] methionine injection showed that EP retards the transport of cytoskeletal proteins migrating with both components of slow transport (SCa and SCb). However, there was a differential effect on SCb which showed progressive slowing along the nerve while the rate of SCa stayed relatively constant. In this model, the early occurring distal axonal atrophy can best be explained by reduced cytoskeletal components, particularly those traveling in SCb. Later in the course of intoxication, a relatively constant rate of SCa permitted continuous transport of neurofilament triplets, accounting for unaltered numbers of neurofilaments in distal axons with increased packing density. This model of axonal atrophy is unique because spacing of neurofilaments, not numbers determined axon size. Furthermore, EP-induced dissociation of the SCa and SCb kinetics suggests that MAPs play a role in the orderly, cohesive migration of slow transport components, essential for the normal organization of cytoskeleton. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Impact of temperature and precipitation variability on crop model predictions

Future climate changes, as well as differences in climates from one location to another, may involve changes in climatic variability as well as changes in means. In this study, a synthetic weather generator is used to systematically change the within-year variability of temperature and precipitation (and therefore also the interannual variability), without altering long-term mean values. For precipitation, both the magnitude and the qualitative nature of the variability are manipulated. The synthetic daily weather series serve as input to four crop simulation models. Crop growth is simulated for two locations and three soil types. Results indicate that average predicted yield decreases with increasing temperature variability where growing-season temperatures are below the optimum specified in the crop model for photosynethsis or biomass accumulation. However, increasing within-year variability of temperature has little impact on year-to-year variability of yield. The influence of changed precipitation variability on yield was mediated by the nature of the soil. The response on a droughtier soil was greatest when precipitation amounts were altered while keeping occurrence patterns unchanged. When increasing variability of precipitation was achieved through fewer but larger rain events, average yield on a soil with a large plant-available water capacity was more affected. This second difference is attributed to the manner in which plant water uptake is simulated. Failure to account for within-season changes in temperature and precipitation variability may cause serious errors in predicting crop-yield responses to future climate change when air temperatures deviate from crop optima and when soil water is likely to be depleted at depth.
Porcine Models of Muscular Dystrophy

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a progressive, fatal, X-linked disease caused by a failure to accumulate the cytoskeletal protein dystrophin. This disease has been studied using a variety of animal models including fish, mice, rats, and dogs. While these models have contributed substantially to our mechanistic understanding of the disease and disease progression, limitations inherent to each model have slowed the clinical advancement of therapies, which necessitates the development of novel large-animal models. Several porcine dystrophin-deficient models have been identified, although disease severity may be so severe as to limit their potential contributions to the field. We have recently identified and completed the initial characterization of a natural porcine model of dystrophin insufficiency. Muscles from these animals display characteristic focal necrosis concomitant with decreased abundance and localization of dystrophin-glycoprotein complex components. These pigs recapitulate many of the cardinal features of muscular dystrophy, have elevated serum creatine kinase activity, and preliminarily appear to display altered locomotion. They also suffer from sudden death preceded by EKG abnormalities. Pig dystrophinopathy models could allow refinement of dosing strategies in human-sized animals in preparation for clinical trials. From an animal handling perspective, these pigs can generally be treated normally, with the understanding that acute stress can lead to sudden death. In summary, the ability to create genetically modified pig models and the serendipitous discovery of genetic disease in the swine industry has resulted in the emergence of new animal tools to facilitate the critical objective of improving the quality and length of life for boys afflicted with such a devastating disease.
A belief management architecture for diagnostic problem solving

An architecture for diagnosis that uses qualitative endorsements as its principal method of uncertainty abstraction and propagation is presented. The framework performs local belief computations in a hierarchical hypothesis space, in contrast with methods that propagate evidence throughout the whole frame of discernment. In this system, global control of the decision making process is maintained by local evaluations of belief status. These local evaluations determine an active focus in which refinement of belief status is undertaken by gathering additional information. The main goal of the research project is the development of a framework for reasoning with endorsements, and the diagnostic application explicated in the paper is built as a proof-of-principle.
Introduction to the Issue on Signal Processing Methods in Finance and Electronic Trading

The ten papers in this special issue focus on the topic of signal processing applications and methodologies used in the finance and electronic trading industries. This issue compiles such research contributions in financial applications coming from the fields of mathematics, finance, and engineering in order to foster future scientific cross-fertilization.
Tunable bandwidth optical filter based on MEMS Gires-Tournois interferometer

This paper demonstrates an optical filter, in which the center wavelength and 3-dB bandwidth can be tuned using MEMS technology. The proposed device has a periodic characteristic in the spectral domain with a free spectral range (FSR) matching the channel spacing of DWDM system. This spectral periodicity makes this type of device suitable for colorless narrow bandpass filters. When combined with wavelength multiplexers/demultiplexers with the channel spacing equal to the FSR of the device, for example, this optical filter can be used in any ports to tune the center wavelength and the bandwidth of individual WDM channel. Continuous tuning of the center wavelength and the FSR for these devices have been demonstrated in earlier studies. In this paper, the focus is mainly on variable optical bandwidth. Compared to filters implemented in planar lightwave circuit, the reported device offer improved insertion loss, FSR, and speed of tuning.
Power aware microarchitecture resource scaling

In this paper we present a strategy for run-time profiling to optimize the configuration of a microprocessor dynamically so as to save power with minimum performance penalty. The configuration of the processor changes according to the parallelism in the running program. Experiments on some benchmark programs show good savings in total energy consumption; we have observed a decrease of up to 23% in energy/cycle and up to 8% in energy per instruction. Our proposed approach can be used for energy-aware computing in either portable applications or in desktop environments where power density is becoming a concern. This approach can also be incorporated in larger power management strategies like ACPI.
Human Transcriptome and Chromatin Modifications: An ENCODE Perspective

A decade-long project, led by several international research groups, called the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE), recently released an unprecedented amount of data. The ambitious project covers transcriptome, cistrome, epigenome, and interactome data from more than 1,600 sets of experiments in human. To make use of this valuable resource, it is important to understand the information it represents and the techniques that were used to generate these data. In this review, we introduce the data that ENCODE generated, summarize the observations from the data analysis, and revisit a computational approach that ENCODE used to predict gene expression, with a focus on the human transcriptome and its association with chromatin modifications.
The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investments: Sensitivity Analyses of Cross‐Country Regressions

A vast empirical literature has used ad hoc linear cross-country regressions to search for the determinants of FDI. The literature is extensive and controversial. Can policy-makers use this body of research to learn anything that can help them stimulate FDI? The author uses Extreme Bound Analysis (EBA) to examine if any of the conclusions from the existing studies is robust to small changes in the conditioning information set. The EBA upholds the robustness of the correlation between FDI and market-size, as measured by per-capita GDP, but indicates that the relation between FDI and many of the controversial variables (namely, tax, wage, openness, exchange rate, tariff, growth, and trade balance)bare highly sensitive to small alterations in the conditioning information set. The author also studies the distribution of the estimated coefficients of the controversial explanatory variables to rank them in order of their likelihood of their being correlated with FDI.
Ethnography/Memoir/Imagination/Story

Anthropologists have long followed sinuous paths that have crisscrossed many geographical and analytical spaces. In this article, the author, who has been wandering anthropological byways for more than 30 years, considers the myriad ways one can represent anthropological experience. In so doing, he concludes that no matter the direction of one's anthropological path, anthropologists, in the end, are charged with telling stories that speak to the most human of things: fear, pain, love, fate, and humor. That, he argues, is our scholarly obligation. That, he suggests, is our legacy.
Litter Biomass and Nutrient Determinants of Ant Density, Nest Size, and Growth in a Costa Rican Tropical Wet Forest

The nutritional demands of animals vary by taxon. Across landscapes, communities of animals experience variability in the stoichiometry of carbon and nutrients within their resource base. Thus, we expect stoichiometry to contribute to the spatial variance in the demographic parameters of animal communities. Here, we measure how the composition of a litter-nesting tropical rainforest ant community is influenced by spatial variation in environmental stoichiometry relative to litter biomass, a known predictor of ant density. We found the density of ants and their nests were strongly related to litter biomass and carbon: phosphorus stoichiometry. The spatial variation in soil nutrients, which determines leaf litter stoichiometry, was an excellent predictor of nest size in the two most common genera of ants. We found a negative relationship between species’ growth rate and local soil stocks of phosphorus. Overall, the density of litter-dwelling ants varied greatly across this tropical forest landscape and environmental stoichiometry can account for limits on ant density independent of the biomass of the leaf litter resource base.
Elevated CO2 effects on semi-arid grassland plants in relation to water availability and competition.

Summary 1. It has been suggested that much of the elevated CO2 effect on plant productivity and N cycling in semi-arid grasslands is related to a CO2-induced increase in soil moisture, but the relative importance of moisture-mediated and direct effects of CO2 remain unclear. 2. We grew five grassland species common to the semi-arid grasslands of northern Colorado, USA, as monocultures and as mixtures of all five species in pots. We examined the effects of atmospheric CO2 concentration (ambient vs. 780 p.p.m.) and soil moisture (15 vs. 20% m ⁄ m) on plant biomass and plant N uptake. Our objective was to separate CO2 effects not related to water from water-mediated CO2 effects by frequently watering the pots, thereby eliminating most of the elevated CO2 effects on soil moisture, and including a water treatment similar in magnitude to the water-savings effect of CO2. 3. Biomass of the C3 grasses Hesperostipa comata and Pascopyrum smithii increased under elevated CO2, biomass of the C4 grass Bouteloua gracilis increased with increased soil moisture, while biomass of the forbs Artemisia frigida and Linaria dalmatica had no or mixed responses. Increased plant N uptake contributed to the increase in plant biomass with increased soil moisture while the increase in plant biomass with CO2 enrichment was mostly a result of increased N use efficiency (NUE). Species-specific responses to elevated CO2 and increased soil moisture differed between monocultures and mixtures. Both under elevated CO2 and with increased soil moisture, certain species gained N in mixtures at the expense of species that lost N, but elevated CO2 led to a different set of winners and losers than did increased water. 4. Elevated CO2 can directly increase plant productivity of semi-arid grasslands through increased NUE, while a CO2-induced increase in soil moisture stimulating net N mineralization could further enhance plant productivity through increased N uptake. Our results further indicate that the largest positive and negative effects of elevated CO2 and increased soil moisture on plant productivity occur with interspecific competition. Responses of this grassland community to elevated CO2 and water may be both contingent upon and accentuated by competition.
Gene Expression Data from the Moon Jelly, Aurelia, Provide Insights into the Evolution of the Combinatorial Code Controlling Animal Sense Organ Development

In Bilateria, Pax6, Six, Eya and Dach families of transcription factors underlie the development and evolution of morphologically and phyletically distinct eyes, including the compound eyes in Drosophila and the camera-type eyes in vertebrates, indicating that bilaterian eyes evolved under the strong influence of ancestral developmental gene regulation. However the conservation in eye developmental genetics deeper in the Eumetazoa, and the origin of the conserved gene regulatory apparatus controlling eye development remain unclear due to limited comparative developmental data from Cnidaria. Here we show in the eye-bearing scyphozoan cnidarian Aurelia that the ectodermal photosensory domain of the developing medusa sensory structure known as the rhopalium expresses sine oculis (so)/six1/2 and eyes absent/eya, but not optix/six3/6 or pax (A&B). In addition, the so and eya co-expression domain encompasses the region of active cell proliferation, neurogenesis, and mechanoreceptor development in rhopalia. Consistent with the role of so and eya in rhopalial development, developmental transcriptome data across Aurelia life cycle stages show upregulation of so and eya, but not optix or pax (A&B), during medusa formation. Moreover, pax6 and dach are absent in the Aurelia genome, and thus are not required for eye development in Aurelia. Our data are consistent with so and eya, but not optix, pax or dach, having conserved functions in sensory structure specification across Eumetazoa. The lability of developmental components including Pax genes relative to so-eya is consistent with a model of sense organ development and evolution that involved the lineage specific modification of a combinatorial code that specifies animal sense organs.
A P2P Integration Architecture for Protein Resources

The availability of a direct pathway from a primary sequence (denovo or DNA derived) to macromolecular structure to biological function using computer-based tools is the ultimate goal for a protein scientist. Todays state of the art protein resources and on-going research and experiments provide the raw data that can enable protein scientists to achieve at least some steps of this goal. Thus, protein scientists are looking towards taking their benchtop research from the specific to a much broader base of using the large resources of available electronic information. However, currently the burden falls on the scientist to manually interface with each data resource, integrate the required information, and then finally interpret the results. Their discoveries are impeded by the lack of tools that can not only bring integrated information from several known data resources, but also weave in information as it is discovered and brought online by other research groups. We propose a novel peer-to-peer based architecture that allows protein scientists to share resources in the form of data and tools within their community, facilitating ad hoc, decentralized sharing of data. In this paper, we present an overview of this integration architecture and briefly describe the tools that are essential to this framework.
Simulation of non-hydrostatic gravity wave propagation in the upper atmosphere

Abstract. The high-frequency and small horizontal scale gravity waves may be reflected and ducted in non-hydrostatic simulations, but usually propagate vertically in hydrostatic models. To examine gravity wave propagation, a preliminary study has been conducted with a global ionosphere–thermosphere model (GITM), which is a non-hydrostatic general circulation model for the upper atmosphere. GITM has been run regionally with a horizontal resolution of 0.2° long × 0.2° lat to resolve the gravity wave with wavelength of 250 km. A cosine wave oscillation with amplitude of 30 m s−1 has been applied to the zonal wind at the low boundary, and both high-frequency and low-frequency waves have been tested. In the high-frequency case, the gravity wave stays below 200 km, which indicates that the wave is reflected or ducted in propagation. The results are consistent with the theoretical analysis from the dispersion relationship when the wavelength is larger than the cutoff wavelength for the non-hydrostatic situation. However, the low-frequency wave propagates to the high altitudes during the whole simulation period, and the amplitude increases with height. This study shows that the non-hydrostatic model successfully reproduces the high-frequency gravity wave dissipation.
Quantification of annular dilatation and papillary muscle separation in functional mitral regurgitation: role of anterior mitral leaflet length as reference.

BACKGROUND We hypothesized that anterior mitral leaflet length (ALL) does not differ significantly between normal subjects and patients with functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) and hence may be used as a reference measurement to quantify annular dilatation and papillary muscle separation. METHODS AND RESULTS We prospectively studied 50 controls, 15 patients with systolic left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) with significant FMR, and 15 patients with LVD without significant FMR. Significant MR was defined as an effective regurgitant orifice area > or = 0.2 cm2 as measured by the flow convergence method. Annular diameter, interpapillary distance, and ALL were measured, and the following ratios were derived: annular diameter indexed to ALL (ADI) and interpapillary distance indexed to ALL (IPDI). There was no significant difference in ALL among the three groups. The mean ADI was 1.26 times controls in patients with LVD without significant FMR compared to 1.33 times controls in patients with LVD with significant FMR (P = 0.06, no significant difference between groups). The mean IPDI was 1.42 times controls in patients with LVD without significant FMR compared to 2.1 times controls in patients with LVD with significant FMR (P < 0.0001, significant difference between groups). CONCLUSION There was no significant difference in ALL between controls and patients with LVD. ALL can be used as a reference measurement to quantify annular dilatation and papillary muscle separation in patients with FMR. Interpapillary distance but not annular diameter indexed to ALL correlates with severity of FMR.
Reproductive Success and Sexual Selection in Wild Eastern Tiger Salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum)

Variation in reproductive success is most pronounced in species with strongly biased operational sex ratios, prominent sexual dimorphisms, and where mate competition and choice are likely. We studied sexual selection in eastern tiger salamanders (Ambystoma t. tigrinum) and examined the role of body size on reproductive success. We genotyped 155 adults and 1,341 larvae from 90 egg masses at six microsatellite loci. Parentage analyses revealed both sexes engaged in multiple matings, but was more common among females (64%) than males (27%). However, the standardized variance in mating and reproductive success was higher in males. Bateman gradients were significant and nearly identical in both sexes, suggesting that sexual selection was roughly equal between sexes. Body size was not correlated with mating or reproductive success in either sex. The apparent lack of sexual selection on body size may be a result of sperm storage, sperm competition, alternative mating tactics, and/or random induction of spermatophores.
The effects of phonological transparency on reading derived words

The purpose of this study was to determine whether poor readers have more pronounced problems than average-reading peers reading derived words the base forms of which undergo a phonological shift when a suffix is added (i.e., shift relations as in “natural”), as compared to derived words whose forms are phonologically and orthographically transparent (i.e., stable relations, as in “cultural”). Two computer-based word recognition tasks (Naming and Lexical Decision) were administered to children with reading disability (RD), peers with average reading ability, and adults. Across tasks, there was an effect for transparency (i.e., better performance on stable than shift words) for both child groups and the adults. For the children, a significant interaction was found between group and word type. Specifically, on the naming task, there was an advantage for the stable words, and this was most noteworthy for the children with RD. On the lexical decision task, trade-offs of speed and accuracy were evident for the child reader groups. Performances on the nonwords showed the poor readers to be comparable to the average readers in distinguishing legal and illegal nonwords; further analyses suggested that poor readers carried out deeper processing of derived words than their average reading peers. Additional study is needed to explore the relation of orthographic and phonological processing on poor readers’ memory for and processing of derived words.
Prognostic impact of terminal T wave inversions on presentation in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction undergoing urgent percutaneous coronary intervention.

Abstract Introduction Terminal T wave inversions (TTWI) indicate advanced stages of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The present study investigated whether TTWI predict unfavorable in-hospital outcomes in STEMI patients treated with urgent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods A retrospective cohort study was performed with consecutive 188 STEMI cases undergoing urgent PCI. The primary endpoint was in-hospital major adverse cardiac event (MACE), and the secondary endpoints were ST resolution (STR) after PCI and length of stay (LOS). Results TTWI on presentation were independently associated with higher incidence of in-hospital MACE (adjusted OR 2.8; 95% CI 1.1–7.0; p = 0.03), inadequate STR (adjusted OR 5.5; 95% CI 2.1–14.3; p = 0.01), and longer LOS (adjusted mean increase 4.1 days; 95% CI 0.3–7.9; p = 0.03). TTWI predicted these outcomes better than patient-reported ischemic time or pathologic Q waves. Conclusions TTWI on presentation are an independent risk factor for poor inpatient prognosis among patients presenting with STEMI undergoing urgent PCI.
Machine Learning for Detecting and Locating Damage in a Rotating Gear

This paper describes a multi-disciplinary damage detection methodology that can aid in detecting and diagnosing a damage in a given structural system, not limited to the example of a rotating gear presented here. Damage detection is performed on the gear stress data corresponding to the steady state conditions. The normal and damage data are generated by a finitedifference solution of elastodynamic equations of velocity and stress in generalized coordinates 1 . The elastodynamic solution provides a knowledge of the stress distribution over the gear such as locations of stress extrema, which in turn can lead to an optimal placement of appropriate sensors over the gear to detect a potential damage. The damage detection is performed by a multi-function optimization that incorporates Tikhonov kernel regularization reinforced by an added Laplacian regularization term as used in semi-supervised machine learning. Damage is mimicked by reducing the rigidity of one of the gear teeth. Damage detection models are trained on a subset of the normal data and are then tested on the damage solution. The precision with which the damaged tooth and the extent of the damage are identified is very encouraging. The present methodology promises to lead to a significant damage detection, diagnosis and prognosis technology for structural health monitoring.
A Generalized Strategy for 1+N Protection

1+N protection was proposed by the author in [1], where a single circuit is used to protect a number of connections. For this purpose, network coding was used to carry a linear combination of the signals, and p-Cycles were used to provide this combination to the destination nodes in order to allow them to extract a second copy of the transmitted signal. In this paper, we introduce a generalized form of 1+N protection. Network coding is used to combine a number of signals on one protection circuit. However, p-Cycles and not used, and the signals are combined on a protection circuit, which is optimally selected to minimize the amount of protection resources. Moreover, and unlike the strategy in [1], the generalized strategy does not require symmetry in resource reservation in the two directions of communication, but the protection resources are provisioned based on need. The strategy introduced in this paper provides 100% protection against single link failure on any of the working paths. A performance comparison between the cost of implementing the proposed scheme and 1+1 protection is provided, and is based on integer linear programming formulations.
Ras pathways in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Abstract The let-60 ras gene of Caenorhabditis elegans is required for multiple aspects of development. The vulval differentiation pathway is the most intensively studied of these, but the ras pathway has now been shown to also be essential for male spicule development. Using vulval differentiation, molecular genetic techniques are now being used to study structure/function relationships of particular signaling components and to identify new positively and negatively acting proteins of Ras-mediated signaling pathways. Mutations affecting LET-23, a receptor tyrosine kinase homolog, which cause tissue-specific defects have been localized to the carboxyl terminus. SH2 domain specificity has been analyzed through Src/SEM-5 chimeric proteins in transgenic nematodes. A mitogen-activated protein kinase that acts downstream of LET-60 Ras in vulval differentiation has been identified. Negative regulatory genes have been cloned and found to encode novel proteins and a clathrin adaptor protein.
'We desperately need some help here' - The experience of legal experts with sexual assault and evidence collection in rural communities

INTRODUCTION: Approximately 30% of people in rural communities report a sexual assault within their lifetime. The medico-legal response to a report of sexual assault may leave a significant impact on the victim. The purpose of this article is to examine the experiences of legal providers from rural communities, who assist victims of sexual assault. METHODS: A sample of expert participants were interviewed and included seven commonwealth attorneys (the state prosecuting attorneys in Virginia), six sheriffs or police investigators, and five victim-witness advocates, all from rural areas of Virginia. Qualitative data were collected by in-person interviews with a hermeneutic-phenomenological format. RESULTS: The experts interviewed described prosecution difficulties related to evidence collection and unrealistic jury expectations. These legal experts also shared frustrations with limitations in local services and limitations in the experiences of local sexual assault nurse examiners. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides a context for understanding the rural medico-legal response to sexual assault and for the importance of the role of the sexual assault nurse examiner to rural populations. Interdisciplinary collaboration is key to improving prosecution outcomes as well as victim support after reporting. Language: en
Interference aware link discovery for device to device communication

Interference management in two-tier networks is a critical component in realizing the spectrum sharing gains from such networks. We consider a centralized cellular network to be the primary tier of the network and an ad-hoc device to device network to be the secondary tier. Traditional link discovery techniques that manage interference within a single tier network are not designed for dealing with the inter-network interference in such overlaid networks. We propose an autonomous power efficient link discovery protocol, D2DR, that reduces the interference on the primary network from the secondary tier. Our main results will show an improvement in route discovery probability compared to existing route discovery protocols as well as a reduction in the number of transmissions necessary to discover a route.
The Social Roles of Prophets in Early Achaemenid Judah

Determining the social role of prophets in the Neo-Babylonian and Achaemenid periods is obscured by the use of conventional prophetic formulas (e.g. 'thus says Yahweh') applied to discourse quite different from previously accepted prophetic forms of speech. Since literacy was restricted to a very small minority, there is also the problem of audience or readership. Something can nevertheless be learned from an examination of how designations or labels other than nābi' are used in this period, including mal'āk, sŌpeh (mesappeh) and sŌmēr. One development that can be traced is the transition from prophet to preacher, from nabi' to mattip, leading to the emergence of what can be called 'ecclesiastical literature'. The possibility that such homiletic language (e.g. in Isa. 40-66) may be grounded in a kind of protosynagogal context is noted. Finally, the political status of the Jewish ethnos after the loss of national independence created a situation favourable to the emergence of sectarianism, and something of this is also detectable in prophetic texts from the early Achaemenid period.
Revenue Management In Manufacturing: A Research Landscape

Revenue management is the science of using past history and current levels of order activity to forecast demand as accurately as possible in order to set and update pricing and product availability decisions across various sales channels to maximize profitability. In much the same way that revenue management has transformed the airline industry in selling tickets for the same flight at markedly different rates based upon product restrictions, time to departure, and the number of unsold seats, many manufacturing companies have started exploring innovative revenue management strategies in an effort to improve their operations and profitability. These strategies employ sophisticated demand forecasting and optimization models that are based on research from many areas, including management science and economics, and that can take advantage of the vast amount of data available through customer relationship management systems in order to calibrate the models. In this paper, we present an overview of revenue management systems and provide an extensive survey of published research along a landscape delineated by three fundamental dimensions of capacity management, pricing, and market segmentation.
Iron Status Is Associated with Performance on Executive Functioning Tasks in Nonanemic Young Women

BACKGROUND Iron deficiency (ID) is prevalent, particularly among women of reproductive age (WRA). How mild ID without anemia relates to cognition is poorly understood. Executive functioning (EF) has emerged as potentially being affected by mild ID in WRA. OBJECTIVE We sought to examine how iron markers relate to performance on EF tasks in nonanemic WRA. METHODS Participants included 127 females aged 18-35 y. Hematological indicators included hemoglobin, RBC distribution width, transferrin saturation (TSAT), ferritin, transferrin receptor (TfR), and total body iron (TBI). EF was assessed using 5 tasks. Associations between EF outcomes and iron status were examined using continuous iron predictors and group comparisons. RESULTS Better iron status was associated with better attention [faster reaction time (RT) with lower TfR (P = 0.028) and higher TSAT (P = 0.013)], inhibitory control [lower RT variability with higher TSAT (P = 0.042) and planning ability (faster planning time and a smaller planning time increase with increasing difficulty with higher ferritin; P = 0.010)]. No associations with iron status were found for several EF outcomes, possibly due to performance ceilings. Paradoxically, worse performance on a working memory task was related to better iron status, which may reflect hippocampal-frontal interference [lower capacity with lower TfR (P = 0.034) and higher TBI (P = 0.043) and a larger accuracy change with increasing difficulty with higher TBI (P = 0.016)]. Longer RTs on a working memory task were observed among those with positive TBI (iron surplus; P = 0.021) and <2 abnormal iron markers (P = 0.013) compared with those with negative TBI (iron deficit) and ≥2 abnormal markers, respectively. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest cognitive ramifications of mild ID in otherwise healthy WRA and have implications for daily well-being. Future investigators should explore how brain system interactions change according to iron availability.
Integration of Advanced Simulation and Visualization for Manufacturing Process Optimization

The integration of simulation and visualization can provide a cost-effective tool for process optimization, design, scale-up and troubleshooting. The Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation (CIVS) at Purdue University Northwest has developed methodologies for such integration with applications in various manufacturing processes. The methodologies have proven to be useful for virtual design and virtual training to provide solutions addressing issues on energy, environment, productivity, safety, and quality in steel and other industries. In collaboration with its industrial partnerships, CIVS has provided solutions to companies, saving over US$38 million. CIVS is currently working with the steel industry to establish an industry-led Steel Manufacturing Simulation and Visualization Consortium through the support of National Institute of Standards and Technology AMTech Planning Grant. The consortium focuses on supporting development and implementation of simulation and visualization technologies to advance steel manufacturing across the value chain.
Robot Localization Using Fuzzy Logic

Robot Localization is an issue of vital importance for the functioning of autonomous mobile robots. Location information, allows a robot to navigate complex environments and perform local tasks successfully. In mobile sensor networks, this information facilitates important functions like topology control, collision avoidance and development and security of routing protocols. This issue can be divided into the problems of global position estimation, and once that is achieved, of local position tracking. To tackle these, two distinct methods have been used in the past. One is the use of specialized hardware and another is the use of probabilistic Bayesian estimation methods. This paper proposes the use of Fuzzy Logic to tackle this problem. Fuzzy Logic allows us to do away with strict probabilistic rules and to set up heuristic fuzzy rules. It also reduces computation time. A grid-based map is used to describe the environment of the robot and the robot’s confidence in it’s position at each grid-point is determined using sensor measurements. In case the robot is receiving information from multiple sensors, this paper demonstrates the robustness of the scheme to inaccurate sensor information or robot confidence within practical limits. This paper also applies the fuzzy rules to track the robot’s position as it moves. In order to reduce computational cost, this paper proposes limiting the computation of confidences to significant grid-points only.© 2005 ASME
A Central Line Care Maintenance Bundle for the Prevention of Central Line–Associated Bloodstream Infection in Non–Intensive Care Unit Settings

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a central line care maintenance bundle to reduce central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI) in non-intensive care unit settings. DESIGN Before-after trial with 12-month follow-up period. SETTING A 1,250-bed teaching hospital. PARTICIPANTS Patients with central lines on 8 general medicine wards. Four wards received the intervention and 4 served as controls. INTERVENTION A multifaceted catheter care maintenance bundle consisting of educational programs for nurses, update of hospital policies, visual aids, a competency assessment, process monitoring, regular progress reports, and consolidation of supplies necessary for catheter maintenance. RESULTS Data were collected for 25,542 catheter-days including 43 CLABSI (rate, 1.68 per 1,000 catheter-days) and 4,012 catheter dressing observations. Following the intervention, a 2.5% monthly decrease in the CLABSI incidence density was observed on intervention floors but this was not statistically significant (95% CI, -5.3% to 0.4%). On control floors, there was a smaller but marginally significant decrease in CLABSI incidence during the study (change in monthly rate, -1.1%; 95% CI, -2.1% to -0.1%). Implementation of the bundle was associated with improvement in catheter dressing compliance on intervention wards (78.8% compliance before intervention vs 87.9% during intervention/follow-up; P<.001) but improvement was also observed on control wards (84.9% compliance before intervention vs 90.9% during intervention/follow-up; P=.001). CONCLUSIONS A multifaceted program to improve catheter care was associated with improvement in catheter dressing care but no change in CLABSI rates. Additional study is needed to determine strategies to prevent CLABSI in non-intensive care unit patients. Infect Control Hosp Epidemiol 2016;37:692-698.
The Rules of the Game: Experiencing Global Capitalism on a Monopoly Board

ABSTRACTSociologists have long recognized the utility of modified forms of Monopoly as tools for teaching about social stratification within the United States. We present an adaptation of Monopoly to help instructors teach students how capitalism plays out in a liberalizing world economy. By taking on roles as CEOs of global companies based in different countries, students come to understand firsthand how and why the winners and losers of market globalization are determined by the rules of the game that are set by international institutions. Students themselves vote on whether and how these rules will change, experiencing crucial intersections of politics and economics. By the end of the game, students are ready to critically examine the governing structures of a globalizing economy, and the political outcomes these structures produce. Quantitative and experimental results suggest that playing the game increases student interest in and understanding of several key concepts of neoliberal globalization.
Exclusive charmonium decays: The J/ψ (ψ ’ )→ρπ, K / e m p h > K ¯ puzzle

We propose a coherent explanation of the puzzle associated with J/\ensuremath{\psi} (\ensuremath{\psi}') decays into vector plus pseudoscalar exclusive final states by assuming the general validity of the perturbative QCD hadron-helicity theorem, but supplemented by violation of this theorem when J/\ensuremath{\psi} decay to hadrons is mediated by an intermediate gluonium state scrO. The mass of the scrO must be within 100 MeV of the mass of the J/\ensuremath{\psi}, and its total width must be less than 160 MeV. Comments are made about vector-scalar decays of J/\ensuremath{\psi} to \ensuremath{\varphi}${S}^{\mathrm{*}}$ and \ensuremath{\rho}\ensuremath{\delta}. .AE
Lei, tecnologia e o efeito borboleta

Exploring the insight of the butterfly effect from chaos theory, this article shows how technological transformation influences legal change. The argument is developed from a sociological and a historical perspective, comparing and contrasting social customs since the seventeenth century until today and showing the transformation of criminal offenses. In societies with a strict moral code, adultery, fornication, and sodomy were sexual crimes, even if victimless. After the sexual revolution, these conducts are no longer criminal. Explaining this phenomenon, the article identifies the change of attitude towards human nudity as an important factor and considers this change of legal culture to be a consequence of technological innovations related to personal hygiene, public health, and cleanliness. The taboo against nudity persisted because bathing was not considered healthy and there were no separate bathrooms in residences until the end of the nineteenth century. Examining nudism, the possibility of divorce and human rights protection, the article emphasizes the role of technology for the cultural revolution, and of culture for legal change. Another interesting example of the relationship between law and technology comes from the development of the automobile industry and the emergence of a series of laws to regulate exhaustively individual transportation. Moreover, the invention of antibiotics altered the expectation of the sick individuals who expect to be cured and, as a consequence, affected also the practice of torts and civil liability. The flap of wings of various butterflies led to the current setting.