cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal conductivity of amorphous thin-film Al-P-O on silicon

Abstract The thermal conductivity, measured by the 3ω method, of amorphous films of Al 2 P 1.2 O 6 (AlPO) deposited on Si substrates by an all-aqueous spin-coating technique is 0.93(3) W m − 1 K − 1 . The thermal conductivity of a degenerately doped n -Si substrate is 85(5) W m − 1 K − 1 and of a more lightly doped p -Si substrate is 139(7) W m − 1 K − 1 . The AlPO thermal conductivity is independent of film thickness in the range 45–200 nm. The total thermal resistance is dominated by the film contribution for film thicknesses above 50 nm, and for smaller thicknesses, interface contributions become significant.
The eosinophil and bronchial asthma: Current understanding

Article synthese au sujet des effets physiologiques et pathologiques des eosinophiles dans les asthmes bronchiques. des proteines majeures basiques (MBP) dont la concentration est elevee dans les lavages bronchoalveolaires des patients, ont ete etudiees
The utility of foresight in single server scheduling

We consider a single server job queueing system with a Poisson arrival process, hyper-exponentially distributed job service times, no job precedence constraints, nonpreemptive service and a look-ahead table of jobs. A look-ahead heuristic is described which schedules jobs to minimize average job waiting time. This job placement algorithm is then compared to the standard FIFO, LIFO and SJF scheduling policies, which operate without look-ahead knowledge. We isolate situations where the benefits outweigh the expenses incurred by the look-ahead algorithm, and observe some theoretical considerations necessary for modelling this system.
Strategic Global Advantage: The Career Academy/Technical College State Initiative

Georgia's legislators have approved a plan whereby public school districts in the state could convert to charter schools to tailor programs for local educational communities. The state has authorized funds for five secondary-level charter career academies that are to be positioned regionally and partnered with a postsecondary community or technical college on-site. This is a model of seamlessness that is predicated upon physical placement near one of the strategic industry clusters in the state. Yet, assignment of these academies is matched not only to geographical targets as designated in the governor's global industry and innovation initiative. Career academies also serve the function of early colleges in that they become a transitioning model between two very distinct educational institutions. This includes close articulation with technical college instructors, curriculums, and workforce and economic development programs—an arrangement that is much more likely to amplify and improve the pool of trained...
A COMPARISON OF STRUCTURES RELATED TO FORAGING IN TWO CLOSELY RELATED GULLS: LARUS LEUCOPHTHALMUS AND L. HEMPRICHII

Summary Storer, R. W. & Goodman, S. M. 1988. A comparison of structures related to foraging in two closely related gulls: Larus leucophthalmus and L. hemprichii. Ostrich 59: 145–149. The closely related White-eyed and Sooty Gulls (Larus leucophthalmus and L. hemprichii) are widely sympatric in the Egyptian Red Sea. Morphological differences in skeletal proportions which appear related to differences in foraging methods are the relatively longer neck, bill, wing tips, and Crista fibularis of the tibiotarsus in the White-eyed Gull and the relatively wider gape, longer tarsometatarsus, and shorter middle toe in the Sooty Gull. Males of both species have relatively longer bills and wider gapes than the respective females. There are no significant differences between the sexes of either species in wing or leg proportions, or in the total lengths of these elements as a percentage of the cube root of the products of three cranial measurements. We suggest that these interspecific morphological differences are rel...
Reovirus enzymes that modify messenger RNA are inhibited by perturbation of the lambda proteins

Abstract When pyridoxal phosphate (PLP) binds reversibly to a select population of reovirus λ protein molecules, the transcriptase activity in virus cores is inhibited [Morgan, E. M., and Kingsbury, D. W. (1980), Biochemistry 19, 484–489]. We now report that each of the enzymes involved in post-transcriptional modifications of virus mRNA molecules (nucleotide phosphohydrolase, guanylyltransferase, and both methyltransferases) is also inhibited reversibly by PLP. This supports the view that reovirus mRNA transcription and modification are accomplished by a topographically related group of enzyme molecules and suggests that these enzymatic activities reside in one or more of the λ protein species. PLP did not interact with the RNA binding sites of the methyltransferases or guanylyltransferase, with the GTP binding site of guanylyltransferase, or with the nucleotide binding site of the phosphohydrolase, as shown by the inability of these substrates to compete with PLP in kinetic assays or to block PLP-directed reductive alkylation of the λ proteins. However, kinetic data suggested that PLP interacts with the AdoMet binding sites of the reovirus methyltransferases.
The Role of Social Networks in Physical and Relational Aggression Among Young Adolescents

Despite the veritable influence of the peer context on the elaboration of adolescent aggression, few studies of relational aggression have directly identified and measured peer groups, limiting our ability to draw formal conclusions about the level and nature of peer influence. The current study used a developmental framework to examine peer group influence on individual levels of physical and relational aggression over a year with 6th and 7th grade students (n = 346, 51 % female). A multilevel network approach was used in which peer groups were identified via social network analysis, and peer group influence was evaluated with hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). HLM analyses indicated that peer group aggression (physical and relational) at time 1 was predictive of individual aggression levels at time 2 after controlling for other peer group characteristics as well as other individual risk and protective factors. Although both forms of aggression were embedded in peer networks, findings suggest that physical aggression is relatively less endemic to peer networks, and is more likely to occur in smaller, predominantly male networks. The current study highlights the importance of understanding the influence of peer group membership on adolescent aggression and points to important implications for prevention.
Jia You! Chinese for the Global Community. Vol. 1 Jia You! Chinese for the Global Community. Vol. 2 edited by XU, JIALU, FU CHEN, RUOJIANG WANG, & RUIPING ZHU

The article reviews the book "Jia You! Chinese for the Global Community," volumes 1 and 2, edited by Fu Chen, Ruojiang Wang, and Ruiping Zhu.
Degenerate quantum codes and the quantum channel capacity problem

A striking feature of quantum error correcting codes is that they can sometimes be used to correct more errors than they can uniquely identify. Indeed, such degenerate codes are known to outperform all non-degenerate codes for very noisy quantum channels. As a result, rather than being chosen randomly according to some i.i.d. distribution, capacity achieving quantum codes must be chosen in a highly structured fashion. While there is no systematic understanding of how to design such codes, I will describe our best understanding of the problem. I will also briefly discuss a single-letter upper bound on the quantum capacity and its relation to the capacitypsilas possible additivity.
Design, synthesis, and biocompatibility of an arginine‐based polyester

Polycations are very useful in biotechnology. However, most existing polycations have high toxicity that significantly limits their clinical translation. We designed poly(ethylene argininylaspartate diglyceride) (PEAD) that is based on arginine, aspartic acid, glycerol, and ethylene glycol. A set of in vitro assays demonstrated that PEAD exhibited no cytotoxicity at 1 mg/mL, which is at least 100 times higher than the widely used polycation-polyethylenimine. Subcutaneous injection of 1 mg PEAD in rats did not cause an adverse response acutely or after 4 weeks. Zeta potential measurements revealed that PEAD has high affinity to biological polyanions such as DNA and hyaluronic acid. This polycation represents a new platform of biocompatible polycations that may lead to clinical innovations in gene therapy, controlled release, tissue engineering, biosensors, and medical devices.
Evidence of interdot carrier coupling in In/sub 0.4/Ga/sub 0.6/As self-assembled quantum dots

Summary form only given. Femtosecond differential transmission (DT) spectroscopy of In/sub 0.4/Ga/sub 0.6/ quantum dots (QD) pumped resonantly with a narrow band pulse shows an extremely rapid spreading of the energy spectrum, indicating carrier coupling among dots of different sizes. This rapid spectral spread has been observed and attributed to carrier-carrier scattering in quantum well systems. However, in In/sub 0.4/Ga/sub 0.6/As QDs, our DT measurements, taken as a function of carrier density, point to a rapid carrier energy spread based on tunneling.
Mapping intersection accidents with GIS technology in Huntsville, Alabama, U.S.A

This study investigates the influence of intersection accidents that threaten traffic safety, and applies geographic information systems (GIS) to map intersection crashes in Huntsville, Alabama. The DOFE (degree of freedom on entry) approach was used to classify traffic crash events. The event variables and their characteristics are either qualitative (a contributor influence) or quantitative (a causation influence) of intersection crashes. Twenty intersections were set for observations, out of which three were chosen as study sites for 24 months. During the period, DOFE modules (DOFE/sup 1/, DOFE/sup 2/, and DOFE/sup 3/) were used to show traffic influences at the study sites. DOFE/sup 1/ was a representative module exhibiting the various traffic characteristics (e.g. turning traffic, traffic speed, signalization, and other factors that develop with traffic). DOFE/sup 2/ represents facility design characteristics and DOFE/sup 3/ shows the influences of traffic times and seasons. The result showed that intersection traffic needs adequate control of movements at the facility. Data collected from Huntsville Police and other agencies were used for analysis. The study finds that lack of visual attention was the primary cause of Huntsville's intersection crashes; this includes distracted driving, static and dynamic acuity. Turning traffic was a secondary cause of crashes, followed by signalization. In view of these results, this study recommends an increase in funding maintenance of traffic facilities and the establishment of driver training programs to increase awareness of distracted driving. The DOFE method is not an approach to predict accident frequencies.
Emerging concepts of laser-activated nanoparticles for tissue bonding

We report recent achievements and future perspectives of minimally invasive bonding of biological tissues triggered by laser light. In particular, we review new advancements in the biomedical exploitation of near-infrared absorbing gold nanoparticles as an original solution for the photothermal closure of surgical incisions. Advanced concepts of laser tissue bonding involving the application of hybrid nanocomposites obtained by inclusion of nanochromophores into biopolymer scaffolds are also introduced. The perspectives of tissue bonding are discussed in the following aspects: (1) tissue bonding with highly-stabilized nanochromophores, (2) enhanced tissue bonding with patterned nanocomposites, (3) real-time monitoring of temperature distributions, (4) tracking of tissue regeneration based on the optical resonances of gold nanoparticles.
A Study on the Cross-Entropy Method for Rare-Event Probability Estimation

We discuss the problem of estimating probabilities of rare events in static simulation models using the recently proposed cross-entropy method, which is a type of importance-sampling technique in which the new distributions are successively calculated by minimizing the cross-entropy with respect to the ideal (but unattainable) zero-variance distribution. In our approach, by working on a functional space we are able to provide an efficient procedure without assuming any specific family of distributions. We then describe an implementable algorithm that incorporates the ideas described in the paper. Some convergence properties of the proposed method are established, and numerical experiments are presented to illustrate the efficacy of the algorithm.
Unstable coronary artery disease: need for long-term antithrombotic treatment?Aspirin alone may not be the ideal antithrombotic strategy, but that's what we have adequate trial data for

There is no doubt that a solid rationale exists for long-term antithrombotic treatment after an episode of coronary instability. This is related to: Although aspirin, in doses as low as 75 mg daily, has produced a dramatic reduction in the risk of cardiac death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI) after an episode of coronary instability (reviewed in [4]), 5–7% of patients with unstable angina will still experience a major cardiovascular event during the first 3 months despite aspirin prophylaxis [1, 2]. What about adding heparin to aspirin in this setting? Three relatively small studies have addressed this question by randomizing unstable angina patients, within 24–72 h after admission, to either aspirin alone or to the combination of aspirin and heparin [2, 5, 6]. Table 1 summarizes the results in terms of the combined end-point of cardiac death or nonfatal MI, after 5–6 days of follow-up. Combined treatment was associated with numerically, though not significantly, lower event …
Persistent Problems in End-of-Life Planning Among Young- and Middle-Aged American Couples

Results. Older age wwith a greater likelihood of having executed a living will and/or appointed a durable power of attorney for health care. Both older age and poorer health were independently associated with a greater likelihood of having discussed end-of-life health care treatment preferences. Completion of one’s own end-of-life planning was unrelated to one’s ability to accurately report one’s partner’s treatment preferences. Discussion. Readiness to plan for end of life appears to dif fer across planning behaviors. Age and health are related to aspects of one’s own advance care planning, but none of these factors are related to accuracy as a partner’s surrogate.
HIGH LARVAL PERFORMANCE OF LEOPARD FROG HYBRIDS: EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENT-DEPENDENT SELECTION

Predicting the ecological and evolutionary significance of hybridization de- pends on accurate and comprehensive measurements of the relative fitness of hybrid and parental genotypes under realistic environmental scenarios. Although matings between ge- netically distinct individuals may produce hybrid progeny of lower fitness than matings between genetically similar individuals, this is not always the case. Two species of North American leopard frogs (Rana blairi and R. sphenocephala) hybridize in central Missouri. To examine the relationship between genotypic fitness and the environment, I measured larval fitness components of the two leopard frog species and their interspecific hybrids using transplant experiments in field enclosures. This study was undertaken to compare larval fitness components of R. blairi, R. sphenocephala, and F. hybrids in three natural aquatic habitats representative of a natural environmental gradient (prairie, woodland, and river floodplain). Larvae were reared either in single-genotype stands or in mixtures of all three genotypes. There was no evidence of reduced F. hybrid larval performance in any environment. In fact, F. hybrids metamorphosed larger than R. sphenocephala, but not R. blairi, in the river floodplain habitat. All genotypes produced the highest proportion of individuals surviving and metamorphosing in the floodplain habitat. Thus, hybrid genotypes performed equivalently to or better than their parental species in three aquatic habitat types. Transplant experiments such as these are critical for directly measuring genotype-by-en- vironment interactions and for assessing the role of ecological factors in determining the adaptive potential of natural hybridization.
Clinical aspects of peripheral nerve surgery

With the advent of adjuvant therapy and aggressive resuscitative measures in trauma, surgical amputation for extremity malignancies/injuries is no longer the time honored treatment. It is this change in the purview of cancer/trauma treatment that has increased the need for peripheral nerve reconstruction and subsequently the restoration of the quality of life, form and function. Failure to restore sacrificed or injured nerves can lead to the loss of muscle function, impaired sensation and/or painful neuropathies. Current surgical strategies for repair of critical nerves involves the transfer of normal donor nerve from an uninjured body location. Frequently however these "gold standard" methods for tissue restoration are limited by tissue availability, risk of disease spread, secondary deformities and potential differences in tissue structure and size. When a nerve injury is small ( 10 mm), alternative methods are required. These larger functional nerve defects have traditionally been reconstructed by autografting, the surgical transfer and sacrifice of healthy nerve from an uninjured location to the injured site. Allografts and immunosuppression have been substituted for autogenous nerve grafts. However, functional capability following nerve restoration with allografting has not approached that following autografting. Furthermore, considerations of oncologic and traumatic morbidity frequently preclude the use of allografting because of the necessity for immunosuppression. Despite the current "gold standard" of nerve autografting, complete functional recovery is seldom achieved. One possible alternative to autogenous tissue replacement is the development of engineered constructs to replace those elements necessary for axonal proliferation and include: a scaffold, support cells, induction factors and extracellular matrices.
Solvent suitability for lipase-mediated acyl-transfer and esterification reactions in microaqueous milieu is related to substrate and product polarities

Abstract Lipase-mediated esterification and acyl-transfer reactions were evaluated in a series of solvents, ranging in log P (partitioning coefficient of solvent between 1-octanol and water) values from −0.33 to 8.8, and for combinations of substrates of differing polarities. Contrary to the prevailing view, some of the model reaction systems evaluated were most active in solvents having log P values well below the range of 2 to 4 generally believed to be most supportive of biocatalysis in microaqueous organic media. As the polarity of the most polar substrate in the reactive mixtures was progressively increased, there was an attendant decrease in the magnitude and range of solvent log P values yielding maximum activity. When glycerol (log P of −3.0) was used as an acyl-transfer acceptor, log P values of solvents most supportive of activity were −0.33 to 0.80. For acyl-exchange reactions between triacetin (log P of −0.075) and olive oil, solvents having log P of 0.60 to 1.9 were most supportive of activity. For esterification reactions involving benzyl alcohol (log P of 1.1) or dodecanoic acid (log P of 4.8) as the most polar substrate, solvents of log P values > 2.5 and 3.5, respectively, were most supportive of raction. Although there are likely some specific solvent effects, we conclude that the choice of solvent to serve as bulk phase for biocatalytic processes should be made in cognizance of the relative polarity of substrates (and products) of the designed reaction. A secondary feature that should also be considered is the macroscopic phase behavior of reactive mixtures, although this parameter appears to be dependent on the particular source of enzyme.
Childhood abuse victimization, stress-related eating, and weight status in young women

Purpose Abuse in childhood predicts stress-related overeating and excess weight gain in young women. We investigated whether two stress-related overeating behaviors—binge eating and coping-motivated eating—explain childhood abuse associations with weight status in young women.
Demonstration of an all-diode pumped soft x-ray laser and other advances in table-top soft x-ray lasers

We report the first demonstration of an all-diode-pumped soft xray laser system. Lasing was achieved in the λ?= 18.9 nm line of Ni-like Mo ions pumping with a diode-pumped cryo-cooled Yb:YAG chirped-pulse-amplification laser system that generates 1 J pulses of 8.5 ps duration. Driver lasers pump by diodes opens the possibility to develop a new generation more compact soft x-ray lasers operating at significantly increased repetition rates for applications.
Triple Bottom Line by Design: Leading as if Life Matters

Most of us are familiar with the concept of the triple bottom line. But this concept has stopped short of its most meaningful destination—a new economic paradigm, one that works toward a truly benign world economy. In many ways, this is actually a design problem.
Black retirement migration in the United States.

The specific aim of this study was to extend the analysis of [U.S.] retirement migration patterns to older Blacks. The 1980 Census public use sample A provided the data for this analysis. Because of their strong initial southern settlement and their labor force out-migration patterns in this century many older Black migrants are provincial return migrants to the South a migrant type that may decline among Blacks in the future. There is also a regional counterstream migration pattern among older Black migrants. Out-migrants in this stream from the South have elevated indicators of dependency. Suggestions are made for other related studies of Black retirement migration. (EXCERPT)
Identification of the DNA sequence that interacts with the gut-enriched Krüppel-like factor

The gut-enriched Kruppel-like factor (GKLF) is a recently identified eukaryotic transcription factor that contains three C2H2zinc fingers. The amino acid sequence of the zinc finger portion of GKLF is closely related to several Kruppel proteins, including the lung Kruppel-like factor (LKLF), the erythroid Kruppel-like factor (EKLF) and the basic transcription element binding protein 2 (BTEB2). The DNA sequence to which GKLF binds has not been definitively established. In the present study we determined the DNA binding sequence of GKLF using highly purified recombinant GKLF in a target detection assay of an oligonucleotide library consisting of random sequences. Upon repeated rounds of selection and subsequent characterization of the selected sequences by base-specific mutagenesis a DNA with the sequence 5'-G/AG/AGGC/TGC/T-3' was found to contain the minimal essential binding site for GKLF. This sequence is present in the promoters of two previously characterized genes: the CACCC element of the beta-globin gene, which interacts with EKLF, and the basic transcription element (BTE) of the CYP1A1 gene, which interacts with Sp1 and several Sp1-like transcription factors. Moreover, the selected GKLF binding sequence was capable of mediating transactivation of a linked reporter gene by GKLF in co-transfection experiments. Our results establish GKLF as a sequence-specific transcription factor likely involved in regulation of expression of endogenous genes.
Phase-sensitive atom laser: phase noise quenching

Summary form only given. We present, a fully quantum-mechanical model for a quasi-CW phase-sensitive atom laser produced from a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) atomic source (reservoir). As a particular realization of our model, we consider the f=1 ground-state multiplet of /sup 23/Na atoms in a harmonic optical trap. The reservoir BEC state, taken to be the spin-0 state, contains a very large number of atoms N, while the other trapped hyperfine states m/sub f/=1 as well as m/sub f/=-1 (the lasing states) are assumed to be initially empty. Pumping from the source BEC state to the lasing BEC states is implemented via two-photon Raman transitions which are driven by an external classical driving field and the quantized field of a single-mode polarization-selective optical cavity.
Cutting edge: mouse pellino-2 modulates IL-1 and lipopolysaccharide signaling.

Pellino is a Drosophila protein originally isolated in a two-hybrid screen for proteins interacting with the serine/threonine kinase, pelle. Although mammalian homologs have been identified in mouse and man, the function of pellino is as yet unknown. In this study, the cloning, expression pattern, and a preliminary characterization of mouse pellino-2 is described. These studies reveal that mouse pellino-2 is expressed during embryogenesis and in a tissue-restricted manner in the adult. IL-1 induces the association of mouse pellino-2 with the mouse pelle-like kinase/IL-1R-associated kinase protein, a mammalian homolog of pelle. Ectopic pellino-2 expression did not result in NF-κB activation. However, ectopic expression of a mouse pellino-2 antisense construct inhibited IL-1 or LPS-induced activation of NF-κB-dependent IL-8 promoter activity. Our data reveal that mouse pellino-2 is a tissue-restricted component of a signaling pathway that couples the mouse pelle-like kinase/IL-1R-associated kinase protein to IL-1- or LPS-dependent signaling.
POLICY ISSUES IN AMERICAN SECURITY POLICY AND POLICY‐MAKING USING AND CONTROLLING NEW WEAPONS

NATO may be confronting a crisis over the cruise missiles. Some allies may seek longer-range, nuclear-armed missile which could enable them to strike at Soviet MR/IRBMs and at other targets inside the USSR; others (along with many Americans) aim at restricting both the range and the missions of cruise missiles. The first option could jeopardize detente, inhibit further progress in SALT and conceivably weaken American control over the uses of nuclear weapons in time of war. The second could cause strains between the United States and its European allies. The best policy would seem to be to (1) delay any decision on cruise missile development and deployment in Europe; (2) seek a two-year freeze on all deployment of new nuclear delivery vehicles in Central Europe and of additional Soviet SS-20 IRBMs; (3) use this “breathing space” to seek agreement on the limitation of cruise missiles, MR/IRBMs and other “gray area” weapons in the region “from the Atlantic to the Urals.”
Binary pseudo-random grating as a standard test surface for measurement of modulation transfer function of interferometric microscopes

The task of designing high performance X-ray optical systems requires the development of sophisticated X-ray scattering calculations based on rigorous information about the optics. One of the most insightful approaches to these calculations is based on the power spectral density (PSD) distribution of the surface height. The major problem of measurement of a PSD distribution with an interferometric and/or atomic force microscope arises due to the unknown Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) of the instruments. The MTF characterizes the perturbation of the PSD distribution at higher spatial frequencies. Here, we describe a new method and dedicated test surfaces for calibration of the MTF of a microscope. The method is based on use of a specially designed Binary Pseudo-random (BPR) grating. Comparison of a theoretically calculated PSD spectrum of a BPR grating with a spectrum measured with the grating provides the desired calibration of the instrumental MTF. The theoretical background of the method, as well as results of experimental investigations are presented.
Characteristics of Cytoplasmic and Nuclear Receptor Forms

Although this monograph is primarily concerned with the relationship between hormone-induced responses and nuclear binding, it is necessary to relate nuclear receptors to their cytoplasmic counterparts.
Thirty years of search and capture: The complex simplicity of mitotic spindle assembly

Cell division is enacted by a microtubule-based, self-assembling macromolecular machine known as the mitotic spindle. In 1986, Kirschner and Mitchison proposed that by undergoing dynamic cycles of growth and disassembly, microtubules search for chromosomes. Capture of microtubules by the kinetochores progressively connects chromosomes to the bipolar spindle. 30 years later, "search and capture" remains the cornerstone of spindle assembly. However, a variety of facilitating mechanisms such as regulation of microtubule dynamics by diffusible gradients, spatially selective motor activities, and adaptive changes in chromosome architecture have been discovered. We discuss how these mechanisms ensure that the spindle assembles rapidly and with a minimal number of errors.
Surface reconstructions and transport of epitaxial PtLuSb (001) thin films grown by MBE

Abstract This work presents the surface reconstructions and transport properties of the topological insulator PtLuSb grown on Al 0.1 In 0.9 Sb/GaAs (001). Two stable surface reconstructions, (1×3) and c(2×2), were observed on PtLuSb (001) surfaces. Antimony-dimerization was determined to be the nature of the (1×3) surface reconstruction as evidenced by chemical binding energy shifts in the antimony 4d core-level for surface bonding components. The two surface reconstructions were studied as a function of Sb 4 overpressure and substrate temperature to create a reconstruction phase diagram. From this reconstruction phase diagram, a growth window from 320 °C to 380 °C using an antimony overpressure was identified. Within this window, the highest quality films were grown at a growth temperature of 380 °C. These films exhibited lower p-type carrier concentrations as well as relatively high hole mobilities.
Factors Determining Outcome After Trigeminal Nerve Surgery for Neuropathic Pain

Purpose Most patients who seek relief from trigeminal neuropathic pain by trigeminal microneurosurgery techniques do not show permanent pain relief after surgery. However, a small number of patients have permanent relief after surgery. The objective of this study was to determine factors that might be associated with the resolution, decrease, or recurrence of neuropathic pain after trigeminal nerve surgery in those patients who present with neuropathic pain before surgery. Patients and Methods An ambispective study design was used to assess patients who underwent trigeminal nerve repair of the inferior alveolar and lingual nerve who had documented neuropathic pain before surgery from 2006 through 2014. The primary endpoint was the difference in pain intensity at 3, 6, and 12 months after surgery compared with presurgical intensity levels. Explanatory variables, including age at surgery, gender, site of nerve injury, etiology of nerve injury, classification of nerve injury, duration from injury to repair, health comorbidities, and type of repair performed, were evaluated as potential factors in the outcomes. Wilcoxon signed rank analysis was used to compare demographic and injury characteristics of patients who had pain relief, partial pain relief, and no pain relief after surgery. Two-way analysis of variance and logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the association between neuropathic pain and the explanatory variables. Results Twenty-eight patients met the inclusion criteria. Three cohorts of patients were identified and analyzed. The no-recurrence cohort included 7 patients who had neuropathic pain before surgery that was resolved with surgery. The complete-recurrence (CR) cohort included 10 patients who had neuropathic pain before surgery and complete recurrence of pain intensity after surgery. The incomplete-recurrence (ICR) cohort included 11 patients who had neuropathic pain before surgery and partial recurrence of pain intensity after surgery. There was no statistical difference in preoperative pain intensity levels among the 3 cohorts ( P = .16), but there were statistical differences at 3 months ( P = .007), 6 months ( P P P = .502), 6 months ( P = .1), and 12 months ( P = .2). There was no effect by age, gender, injury type, Sunderland classification, injury etiology, duration from injury to repair, health comorbidity, or repair type on the outcome. Conclusions The recurrence of neuropathic pain after trigeminal nerve repair for neuropathic pain is likely multifactorial and might not depend on factors that normally affect sensory recovery in patients who have no neuropathic pain (ie, age, duration of injury, type of injury, or repair type) and undergo trigeminal nerve surgery. These differences indicate that the understanding of trigeminal neuropathic pain is incomplete. Predictive outcomes of treatment will probably improve when the etiology is better defined to allow target- and site-specific treatment. In the meantime, trigeminal nerve surgery is a treatment option that offers a chance of decreasing or resolving pain intensity.
Depth-Averaged Velocity in Channels with Submerged and Unsubmerged Rigid Vegetation

A willow post system is a type of bioengineering system used to reduce streambank erosion. In essence, a willow post system is a collection of rigid cylinders placed along a streambank. Herein, an analytical model that was developed to evaluate the hydrodynamics of newly constructed willow post systems is reviewed. The model is founded on wake theory and was originally developed for predicting depth-averaged velocities in straight trapezoidal channels with unsubmerged rigid cylinders. The model was recently modified and now includes a parameter for evaluating submerged vegetation and is referred to as the submergence ratio. Observed depth-averaged velocities from a physical model study are compared to predicted depth-averaged velocities from the original and the modified version of the analytical model. A comparison of coefficient of determination (r 2 ) values shows that the submergence ratio significantly improves the accuracy of predicted velocities in channels with submerged and unsubmerged vegetation.
A DIRECT METHOD FOR SOLVING STOCHASTIC CONTROL PROBLEMS

In this paper a method motivated by completion of squares is used to describe explicit optimal controls for some stochastic control problems that include the linear-quadratic control problem for systems with a general noise process, the linear exponential quadratic Gaussian control problem for systems with Brownian motion, and the control of Brownian motion in the two sphere and the real hyperbolic plane with both finite and infinite time horizons. 1. Introduction. While the study of stochastic control problems can be traced from the evolution of the calculus of variations and deterministic control and from various stochastic control problems in statistics, the first major problem solution for the formally defined area of optimal stochastic control was the linear-quadratic Gaus- sian (LQG) problem (e.g. (2), (3)) that is also called the stochastic regulator problem (e.g. (13)). The area of stochastic control has developed significantly in breadth and depth from the solution of the LQG problem approximately fifty years ago. Two general methods have developed for solving stochastic control problems. They are the Hamilton-Jacobi-Belllman (HJB) equation and the stochastic maximum (or min- imum) principle. The HJB equation can be considered as a natural generalization of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation of classical mechanics and the stochastic maximum principle can be considered as a natural generalization of the maximum principle of deterministic control (e.g. (18)). For a stochastic control problem the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation is (typ- ically) a nonlinear second order partial differential equation. The control system is assumed to generate a continuous time Markov process for any control from the family of admissible controls. Clearly the questions of existence and uniqueness of solutions for HJB equations are difficult in general. Therefore the notion of solutions is of- ten relaxed to viscosity solutions (14). However an optimal control that arises from the solution of an HJB equation may not be in the family of admissible controls. Thus significant difficulties often arise with this method though it provides sufficient conditions for optimality. The stochastic maximum principle method is another important approach which yields necessary conditions for optimality. With some suitable convexity conditions � Dedicated to Professor Hanfu Chen on the occasion of his 75th birthday. Research supported by NSF grants DMS 0808138 and DMS 1108884, AFOSR grants FA9550-09-12-1-0384 and FA9550-12-
Factors Affecting Adoption of Insect Control and Other Practices Abroad

A recent experience in Colombia of participating, as Minister of Agriculture of President Carlos Lleras Restrepo, in the diagnosis of the barriers to agricultural development, the formulation of policies, and the carrying out of action programs to accelerate development gave me some direct insights into the problems involved in the utilization of chemicals to increase agricultural production, particularly in relation to pest control and fertilization.
A Data Layout Transformation (DLT) accelerator: Architectural support for data movement optimization in accelerated-centric heterogeneous systems

Technology scaling and growing use of accelerators make optimization of data movement of increasing importance in all computing systems. Further, growing diversity in memory structures makes embedding such optimization in software non-portable. We propose a novel architectural solution called Data Layout Transformation (DLT) associated with a simple set of instructions that enable software to describe the required data movement compactly, and free the implementation to optimize the movement based on the knowledge of the memory hierarchy and system structure. The DLT architecture ideas can be applicable to both general-purpose and accelerator-based heterogeneous systems. Experiment results first show that the proposed DLT architecture can make use of the full bandwidth (>97%) of a wide range of memory systems (DDR3 and HMC) while its implementation cost is relatively low, occupying only 0.24 mm2 and consuming 75mW at 1GHz in 32nm CMOS technology. Our evaluation of using the DLT accelerator in accelerated-based heterogeneous system across DDR3 and HMC memory shows that the DLT can enhance system performance in range of 4.6x–99x (DDR3), 4.4x–115x (HMC) which turns out 2.8x–48x (DDR3), 1.4x–39x (HMC) improvement for energy efficiency.
Analysis of Fetal Echocardiography

Fetal Echocardiography is a non-invasive method in detection of fetal heart. The structure, function and blood flow of fetal heartshould be detected using systematic approach .
Basic Producer Theory

This chapter covers basic producer theory, including demand and supply, cost curves, and the firm’s profit maximizing decision rule for production. The two types of market structures to be covered are perfectly competitive markets and oligopolies. The music industry is an oligopoly market with a handful of large firms that control the market. There are several barriers to entry that enable these firms to maintain persistent economic profits, namely high startup costs, ownership of intellectual property, and economies of scale. There are also game theoretic implications for firms in an oligopoly, and basic games of strategy (Prisoner’s Dilemma and the Cournot Model) will be discussed. A thorough grounding in producer theory is necessary to understand the production of music.
Moral Judgements and Moral Theory

If we speak of the study of ethics, it is not clear what sort of study that might be. And it is puzzling at first to know what to make of the various theories of ethics that have been put forward. In what sense are they theories at all? They do not seem for the most part to be theories designed to answer moral problems; but that may be by the way.
Young Hispanic Men's HIV and STI Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs, and Behaviors.

Introduction:The rate for new infections of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) has increased for Hispanic males.Method:This descriptive correlational study describes knowledge, at...
The Role of Current and Historical Alcohol Use in Hepatic Fibrosis Among HIV-Infected Individuals

We examined risk factors for advanced hepatic fibrosis [fibrosis-4 (FIB)-4 >3.25] including both current alcohol use and a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder among HIV-infected patients. Of the 12,849 patients in our study, 2133 (17%) reported current hazardous drinking by AUDIT-C, 2321 (18%) had a diagnosis of alcohol use disorder, 2376 (18%) were co-infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV); 596 (5%) had high FIB-4 scores >3.25 as did 364 (15%) of HIV/HCV coinfected patients. In multivariable analysis, HCV (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 6.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 5.2–7.5), chronic hepatitis B (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.5–2.8), diabetes (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.8–2.9), current CD4 500 copies/mL (aOR 1.3, 95% CI 1.0–1.6) were significantly associated with advanced fibrosis. A diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.6–2.3) rather than report of current hazardous alcohol use was associated with high FIB-4. However, among HIV/HCV coinfected patients, both current hazardous drinkers (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.4) and current non-drinkers (aOR 1.6, 95% CI 1.2–2.0) were more likely than non-hazardous drinkers to have high FIB-4, with the latter potentially reflecting the impact of sick abstainers. These findings highlight the importance of using a longitudinal measure of alcohol exposure when evaluating the impact of alcohol on liver disease and associated outcomes.
Globalizing Chinese Brands: Perspectives and Strategy Implications

The purpose of the paper is to discuss the reasons why China, which has become the world's manufacturing powerhouse, has not had a corresponding success in marketing its own brands internationally. The paper discusses the phenomenon of branding in China, brand consciousness and brand preferences among Chinese customers, success of local and foreign brands in the Chinese market, and efforts by Chinese companies and government to promote the brand-building activity within China and overseas. Managerial, competitive, and other reasons for the lack of success in building brand equity by Chinese firms are discussed and roadblocks to success in foreign, especially First World, market are examined. The paper concludes with several suggestions that could be helpful to Chinese firms to promote their branded products in world markets.
Pseudogenization of the Secreted Effector Gene sseI Confers Rapid Systemic Dissemination of S. Typhimurium ST313 within Migratory Dendritic Cells

Genome degradation correlates with host adaptation and systemic disease in Salmonella. Most lineages of the S. enterica subspecies Typhimurium cause gastroenteritis in humans; however, the recently emerged ST313 lineage II pathovar commonly causes systemic bacteremia in sub-Saharan Africa. ST313 lineage II displays genome degradation compared to gastroenteritis-associated lineages; yet, the mechanisms and causal genetic differences mediating these infection phenotypes are largely unknown. We find that the ST313 isolate D23580 hyperdisseminates from the gut to systemic sites, such as the mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), via CD11b+ migratory dendritic cells (DCs). This hyperdissemination was facilitated by the loss of sseI, which encodes an effector that inhibits DC migration in gastroenteritis-associated isolates. Expressing functional SseI in D23580 reduced the number of infected migratory DCs and bacteria in the MLN. Our study reveals a mechanism linking pseudogenization of effectors with the evolution of niche adaptation in a bacterial pathogen.
Abstract 13647: Comparison of the HEART and TIMI Risk Scores for Suspected Acute Coronary Syndrome in the Emergency Department

Introduction: The emergency department (ED) evaluation for suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is common, costly, and challenging. Risk scores may facilitate clinical care and screening for res...
Integration options for signal processing systems

As system solutions move to volume production it is often necessary to integrate part or all of the solution. Integration may be done to lower cost, power or noise. Or it may be done to increase performance or even security of the system. This may be accomplished by migrating some hard wired logic to programmable devices and other logic to ASICs. However, integration becomes more difficult if the system includes a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), as the operating speeds increase while power limitations are lowered. Integrating memory with the processor is a possibility. However, this requires a line of DSP devices with varying amounts of memory. The paper examines different techniques for system integration. It includes discussions of advantages of the different techniques. The paper also discusses the required design environments and tools for integrating DSPs with other required circuits.
State-of-the-art considerations in small cell lung cancer brain metastases.

// Rimas V. Lukas 1 , Vinai Gondi 2 , David O. Kamson 3 , Priya Kumthekar 1 and Ravi Salgia 4 1 Department of Neurology, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA 2 Department of Radiation Oncology, Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center Warrenville, Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center, Northwestern University, Warrenville, IL, USA 3 Department of Neurology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA 4 Department of Medical Oncology and Therapeutics, City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA Correspondence to: Rimas V. Lukas, email: rimas.lukas@nm.org Keywords: brain metastases, chemotherapy, pathophysiology, radiation therapy, small cell lung cancer Received: May 18, 2017 Accepted: July 03, 2017 Published: July 18, 2017 ABSTRACT Background: Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) frequently leads to development of brain metastases. These unfortunately continue to be associated with short survival. Substantial advances have been made in our understanding of the underlying biology of disease. This understanding on the background of previously evaluated and currently utilized therapeutic treatments can help guide the next steps in investigations into this disease with the potential to influence future treatments. Design: A comprehensive review of the literature covering epidemiology, pathophysiology, imaging characteristics, prognosis, and therapeutic management of SCLC brain metastases was performed. Results: SCLC brain metastases continue to have a poor prognosis. Both unique aspects of SCLC brain metastases as well as features seen more universally across other solid tumor brain metastases are discussed. Systemic therapeutic studies and radiotherapeutic approaches are reviewed. Conclusions: A clearer understanding of SCLC brain metastases will help lay the framework for studies which will hopefully translate into meaningful therapeutic options for these patients.