cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of motion and heterogeneity in Earth's liquid outer core

[1] The lateral variations in the fluid outer core are believed to be very small from fluid dynamics calculations. Seismological studies on the issue have been limited and controversial. A great challenge is to sort out influences from heterogeneity in the mantle or the inner core. Using high-quality earthquake waveform doublets, we found that waves passing through the fluid core over a few years are significantly more variable than those passing through the mantle only. We interpret the temporal variability as the result of the fluid motion of the heterogeneous materials in the outer core. The level of heterogeneity in the fluid outer core is constrained to be ±0.022 s (95% confidence) in seismic travel times through the core, negligible for most seismological studies. However, the estimated velocity perturbation, about 10−3 for small-scale heterogeneity (10 km) or 10−4 for large-scale heterogeneity (1000 km), borders or exceeds the high-end estimates of the lateral variations that can be supported by dynamic forces within the fluid core. The source of the heterogeneity is not clear at present.
Fiber Optics in Holography

The use of optical fibers in connection with cw lasers has already found many holographic applications. Investigations of obscured or remote objects or studies in difficult environments using holography and hologram interferometry are now possible with fibers. The development of pulsed fiber holography has opened new interesting applications for investigations of dynamic events as well as medical, endoscopic holographic technique.
Failure to confirm major objective antitumor activity for streptozocin and doxorubicin in the treatment of patients with advanced islet cell carcinoma.

Background The combination regimen of streptozocin plus doxorubicin is the current standard chemotherapeutic treatment of symptomatic or progressing metastatic islet cell carcinoma. This regimen previously has been reported to have a major objective response rate of 69% in a randomized cooperative group trial. However, the authors believed that this favorable response rate was not consistent with their institutional experience at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). Methods The authors retrospectively reviewed the records of all islet cell carcinoma patients under care at MSKCC who were treated with streptozocin plus doxorubicin since the publication of the study mentioned earlier. Sixteen such patients treated between February 1992 and February 1998 were identified. Their clinical characteristics, sites of measurable disease, response to treatment, time to treatment failure, and survival status were reviewed. Results All patients were treated with the starting doses as outlined by the published cooperative group report. All had bidimensionally measurable disease on computed tomography (CT) scans. Only 1 of 16 patients (6%; 95% confidence interval, 0-30%) achieved a major objective response by standard CT response criteria, with response ongoing during treatment at 18 months. Nine patients (56%) had stable disease while receiving treatment (range of treatment, 2-17+ months). Six patients (38%) had progression of disease as their best response while receiving treatment. The median overall survival of this patient group had not yet been reached at last follow-up, with > 60% of patients alive with follow-up ranging from 10-67+ months. Conclusions A retrospective analysis of the authors' 6-year experience with the combination of streptozocin plus doxorubicin in patients with islet cell carcinoma failed to confirm the high objective response rate previously reported for this regimen. There remains an urgent need for improved chemotherapeutic alternatives for patients with this disease.
EXPECTANCY FOR LOCUS OF CONTROL OF REINFORCEMENT AND PERCEPTION OF ORDERLINESS

Summary.-In order to determine the generality of the conception of causality measured by Rotter's I-E scale, it was administered individually to 48 Ss with four experimental tasks designed to measure their tendency to perceive orderliness between nonpersonal events. The I-E scale did not correlate with any of the experimental measures but these measures correlated consistently and significantly with each other. This was interpreted to mean that conceptions of causality vary independently from one domain of events to another and that at least two such domains may be said to exist. The theoretical and research implications of these findings were discussed. The sizeable body of research dealing with the concept of generalized expectancies for internal vs external control of reinforcement which has developed in the decade since its formulation attests to its potential importance in personality theory. This research has been reviewed by Lefcourt ( 1966) and by Rotter (1966), who also presented the rationale for the concept in some detail together with the history of the development of methods for its measurement. Considered as a variable, the construct represents the extent to which a person perceives a causal relationship between his behavior and its consequences. At one end is the person who tends to attribute the reinforcing events following his behavior to chance, luck, fate, or some agency over which he has essentially no control. He is said to have an expectancy for external control. At the other extreme is the person who tends to perceive the same events as consequences of his own behavior and, hence, under his control. This person is said to have an expectancy for internal control, and the dimension bounded by these extremes is commonly refered to as the I-E or locus of control dimension. Operationally, the I-E dimension has been defined either by instructions to Ss that the tasks they are performing are dependent upon either chance or skill or by rationally constructed questionnaires (I-E scales). While the similarity of performance of Ss working under chance and skill instructions and those who score either high (Externals) or low (Internals) on I-E scales has been far from perfect, it has been sufficient co suggest that a common construcc is involved in both instances, experimentally manipulated in the one and measured in the other by a paper-and-pencil test. However, this convergence is not sufficient to explicate fully the nanire of
Gendered stories of parental caregiving among siblings

Abstract Using data from in-depth interviews with eight pairs of male and female siblings, we investigate the influence of gender on the division of responsibility among adult children who are providing care to their elderly parent and how parental caregiving provides an opportunity for the explicit (re)negotiation of gender dynamics across household boundaries. We explore the ways that “helper brothers” and “co-provider brothers” divide care with their sisters, and the impact of this division of care on the sisters' roles as coordinators of care and their future plans for their parents' care. “Specialized knowledge” also emerges as an important factor in the gendered division of care among the respondents. Finally, we examine the consequences of our findings with regards to gender relations and discuss the limitations of this exploratory study.
Robust linear coupling correction with N-turn maps

The linear one-turn map of a storage ring contains coupling information on which a correction algorithm can be based. In principal, the one-turn matrix can be fitted from turn-by-turn data of beam position monitors. However, the signal-to-noise ratio of the coupling information can be greatly enhanced by fitting maps for larger turn numbers $N$. Furthermore, by using a number of beam position monitors in a region with only small coupling sources, the determination of the $N$-turn map can be made robust against failures of individual beam position monitors, and the signal-to-noise ratio of the coupling information is further enhanced. With the so obtained $N$-turn maps an automated global coupling correction is possible without the need for a tune change. This is demonstrated for the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider where the implementation of the algorithm allows a global coupling correction within a few seconds at injection.
Extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolation among older adults: Epidemiology and outcomes

Clinical outcomes of older and younger adults with extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli isolation were compared. Two hundred thirty-two older adults (aged ≥65 years), and 145 younger adults with infection were identified between February 2010 and July 2011. After controlling for the propensity score and receipt of effective therapy, older adults were not at increased risk for adverse outcomes.
Stimulation to N. raphe dorsalis, central gray and hypothalamus: inhibitory and aversive effects.

Abstract Electrical stimulation to food-deprived cats was delivered to n. raphe dorsalis , posterior hypothalamus and periaqueductal central gray. Stimulation to all three sites produced inhibition of eating behavior. Stimulation to hypothalamus and central gray also yielded an aversive effect. Stimulation to raphe produced only inhibition with no sign of aversion. It was concluded that studies of behavioral inhibition should include tests for aversion and that behavioral inhibition produced by raphe stimulation is due to activation of a central inhibitory process.
FPGA-based high-performance arithmetic pipeline synthesis for DSP applications

Today FPGAs are used in many digital signal processing applications. In order to design high-performance area efficient DSP pipelines various arithmetic functions and algorithms must be used. In this work, FPGA-based functional units for Cosine, Arctangent, and the Square Root functions are designed using bipartite tables and iterative algorithms. The bipartite tabular approach was four to 12 times faster than the iterative approach but requires 8-40 times more FPGA hardware resources to implement these functions. Next, these functions along with the FPGA hardware multipliers and a reciprocal bipartite table unit are used for hardware rectangular-to-polar and polar-to-rectangular conversion macro-functions. These macro-functions allow for a 7-10 times performance improvement for the high-performance pipelines or an area reduction of 9-17 times for the low cost implementations. In addition, software tool to design FPGA based DSP pipelines using the Cosine, Sine, Arctangent, Square Root, and Reciprocal units with the hardware multipliers is presented.
Lack of cross-reactivity between the Bacillus thuringiensis derived protein Cry1F in maize grain and dust mite Der p7 protein with human sera positive for Der p7-IgE.

Cry1F protein, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, is effective at controlling lepidopteran pests and a synthetic Cry1F transgene was transferred into maize. For the safety assessment of genetically modified food crops, the allergenic potential of the introduced novel trait(s) is evaluated. Because no single parameter is currently predictive of allergic potential, a ‘weight of evidence’ approach has been proposed. As part of this assessment, the amino acid (aa) sequence of the Cry1F protein was compared to a database of known allergens using recommended criteria. The Cry1F protein did not show significant similarity or a match of eight contiguous identical aa with any allergen. However, a single six contiguous aa match was identified between Cry1F and the Der p7 protein of the dust mite, Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus. To investigate whether Cry1F was cross-reactive with Der p7, sera from 10 dust mite allergic patients containing Der p 7-specific IgE antibody were used to compare IgE-specific binding. No evidence of cross-reactivity was observed between Cry1F and Der p7. This study provides in vitro IgE sera screening data, that when considered in the context of other bioinformatic data [Hileman R.E., Silvanovich, A., Goodman R.E., Rice E.A., Holleschak G., Astwood J.D., Hefle S.L., 2002. Bioinformatic methods for allergenicity assessment using a comprehensive allergen database. Int. Arch. Allergy Immunol. 128, 280–291; Stadler, M.B., Stadler, B.M., 2003. Allergenicity prediction by protein sequence. FASEB J. 17, 1141–1143.], adds further evidence arguing against the use of a six contiguous identical amino acid search to identify potential cross-reactive allergens. Cry1F is heat labile, rapidly hydrolyzed in an in vitro pepsin resistance assay, not glycosylated and not from an allergenic source. Taken together, these data indicate a lack of allergenic concern for Cry1F.
Physical characteristics of criteria governing the computation of air gap breakdown voltages for slightly divergent fields

The physical characteristics of criteria used to compute the breakdown voltage of air gap electrodes are investigated in this paper. Among the physical characteristics compared for these criteria are the breakdown voltage, the critical avalanche length and the electrode surface electric field. Three common electrode geometries are considered so that the computed breakdown voltages can be compared with experimentally measured values. The breakdown voltage for each electrode configuration is determined directly from the static electric field distribution. The field distributions are computed using a Laplace/Poisson finite-difference solver and boundary-fitted coordinates (EAGLE grid generation code). The physical characteristics which limit the accuracy of these breakdown criteria to slightly divergent fields are identified. Techniques for extending the accuracy of these criteria to highly divergent fields are expounded.
A Self-Tuning Type Neural Net Controller For Robotic Manipulators

ABSTRACTThis article presents a self-tuning type neural net controller for robotic manipulators. A parallel recursive adaptation algorithm is described for on-line implementation of the neural net controller. The proposed control scheme does not require any information about the system dynamics. The control system was implemented for a cylindrical robot by computer simulation. The simulation result shows the effectiveness of the neural net controller and its adaptation and learning capability for nonlinear time-varying robot systems.
HÆMOPHILUS INFLUENZÆ AND HÆMOPHILUS PARAINFLUENZÆ IN CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE

The importance of nonencapsulated strains of Haemophilus influenzae and H. parainfluenzae in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (C.O.P.D.) has been investigated in 150 patients observed at two-month intervals from 1968 to 1975. H. influenzae was distinguished from H. parainfluenzae by demonstrating requirements for both X and V factors. H. influenzae was isolated more often from sputum cultures from patients with severe C.O.P.D. (13.8%) than from patients with mild disease (4.4%, P less than 0.01). In contrast, H. parainfluenzae was isolated with equal frequency from sputums of patients with mild (40%) or severe (43%) disease. H. influenzae was present in the sputum more often during exacerbations of acute respiratory illness (15.4%) than during sympton-free periods (9.6%, P less than 0.01), while isolation rates of H. parainfluenzae did not increase during periods of illness (35% versus 39%). Antigens specific for the H. influenzae species and for the H. parainfluenzae species were used in a complement-fixation test to detect antibody rises in sera collected from the patient population. Fourfold or greater rises in titre of antibodies to H. influenzae were detected on 76 occasions in 53 patients, and 46 of these rises were associated with acute respiratory illnesses. In contrast, no antibody rises were detected with the H. parainfluenzae antigen. These observations indicate that nonencapsulated strains of H. influenzae may have pathogenic potential in patients with C.O.P.D., whilst H. parainfluenzae should be considered as normal flora.
Continuous-Flow Method for the Determination of Aromatic-Aldehydes

Abstract The reaction of o-dianisidine and aromatic aldehydes was adapted to an air-segmented continuous-flow analysis system. Stannic chloride was used as the catalyst. Figures of merit of the automated method (e.g., sensitivity, limits of detection, and accuracy) are reported for 13 aromatic aldehydes. The results of selectivity and interference studies are also reported.
Physical function improvements after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery

Abstract Background Obesity is a risk factor for impaired physical function and disability, with the degree of impairment most compromised in extreme obesity. Mild-to-moderate weight loss has been shown to improve function in older adults. The impact of laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery on weight loss and physical function in morbidly obese individuals was assessed. Methods This longitudinal, observational study followed up 28 morbidly obese men and women (body mass index ≥40.0 kg/m 2 ) for 12 months after laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Physical function (self-report using the Fitness Arthritis and Seniors Trial disability questionnaire; performance tasks using the Short Physical Performance Battery and a lateral mobility task); strength (maximal isometric knee torque); and body composition measured using bioelectrical impedance were determined before surgery (baseline) and at 3 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. Results The 12-month weight loss was 34.2% (excess weight loss 59.8%), with a mean fat mass loss of 46 kg and a loss of fat free mass of 6.6 kg. The performance tasks and self-reported questionnaire scores had improved by 3 months after surgery compared with baseline, with selected measures showing less impairment and disability in as few as 3 weeks after surgery. Muscle quality, as measured using the maximal torque per kilogram body weight, was greater at 6 months than at baseline. Conclusion The results of our study have shown that in morbidly obese individuals with a high risk of mobility impairments, surgical procedures to reduce body weight increase mobility and improve performance of daily activities in as few as 3 weeks after gastric bypass surgery.
Individualized Prediction of Colon Cancer Recurrence Using a Nomogram

Purpose Estimates of recurrence after curative colon cancer surgery are integral to patient care, forming the basis of cancer staging and treatment planning. The categoric staging system of the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) is commonly used to convey risk by grouping patients based on anatomic elements. Although easy to implement, there remains significant heterogeneity within each stage grouping. In the era of multimodality treatment, a more refined tool is needed to predict recurrence. Methods An institutional database of 1,320 patients with nonmetastatic colon cancer was used to develop a nomogram to estimate recurrence after curative surgery. Prognostic factors were assessed with multivariable analysis using Cox regression, whereas nonlinear continuous variables were modeled with cubic splines. The model was internally validated with bootstrapping, and performance was assessed by concordance index and a calibration curve. Results The colon cancer recurrence nomogram predicted relapse with ...
Substrate quality alters the microbial mineralization of added substrate and soil organic carbon

Abstract. The rate and extent of decomposition of soil organic carbon (SOC) is dependent, among other factors, on substrate chemistry and microbial dynamics. Our objectives were to understand the influence of substrate chemistry on microbial decomposition of carbon (C), and to use model fitting to quantify differences in pool sizes and mineralization rates. We conducted an incubation experiment for 270 days using four uniformly labeled 14C substrates (glucose, starch, cinnamic acid and stearic acid) on four different soils (a temperate Mollisol, a tropical Ultisol, a sub-arctic Andisol, and an arctic Gelisol). The 14C labeling enabled us to separate CO2 respired from added substrates and from native SOC. Microbial gene copy numbers were quantified at days 4, 30 and 270 using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Substrate C respiration was always higher for glucose than other substrates. Soils with cinnamic and stearic acid lost more native SOC than glucose- and starch-amended soils. Cinnamic and stearic acid amendments also exhibited higher fungal gene copy numbers at the end of incubation compared to unamended soils. We found that 270 days were sufficient to model the decomposition of simple substrates (glucose and starch) with three pools, but were insufficient for more complex substrates (cinnamic and stearic acid) and native SOC. This study reveals that substrate quality exerts considerable control on the microbial decomposition of newly added and native SOC, and demonstrates the need for multi-year incubation experiments to constrain decomposition parameters for the most recalcitrant fractions of SOC and complex substrates.
Phylogenomic study indicates widespread lateral gene transfer in Entamoeba and suggests a past intimate relationship with parabasalids.

Lateral gene transfer (LGT) has impacted the evolutionary history of eukaryotes, though to a lesser extent than in bacteria and archaea. Detecting LGT and distinguishing it from single gene tree artifacts is difficult, particularly when considering very ancient events (i.e., over hundreds of millions of years). Here, we use two independent lines of evidence—a taxon-rich phylogenetic approach and an assessment of the patterns of gene presence/absence—to evaluate the extent of LGT in the parasitic amoebozoan genus Entamoeba. Previous work has suggested that a number of genes in the genome of Entamoeba spp. were acquired by LGT. Our approach, using an automated phylogenomic pipeline to build taxon-rich gene trees, suggests that LGT is more extensive than previously thought. Our analyses reveal that genes have frequently entered the Entamoeba genome via nonvertical events, including at least 116 genes acquired directly from bacteria or archaea, plus an additional 22 genes in which Entamoeba plus one other eukaryote are nested among bacteria and/or archaea. These genes may make good candidates for novel therapeutics, as drugs targeting these genes are less likely to impact the human host. Although we recognize the challenges of inferring intradomain transfers given systematic errors in gene trees, we find 109 genes supporting LGT from a eukaryote to Entamoeba spp., and 178 genes unique to Entamoeba spp. and one other eukaryotic taxon (i.e., presence/absence data). Inspection of these intradomain LGTs provide evidence of a common sister relationship between genes of Entamoeba (Amoebozoa) and parabasalids (Excavata). We speculate that this indicates a past close relationship (e.g., symbiosis) between ancestors of these extant lineages.
Critical Dimensions of Strategic Information Systems Planning

Strategic information systems planning (SISP) is the process whereby an organization establishes a long-range plan of computer-based applications in order to achieve its goals. A number of problems can potentially impede information systems planners as they carry out the process. A survey of 80 firms who completed the SISP process revealed that the problems constitute five factors: the organization, implementation, database, hardware, and cost. A discriminant analysis showed that three factors—the organization, implementation, and database—best distinguished satisfied from dissatisfied information systems planners. A research application of the five factors suggested that organizations with more sophisticated business planning endure significantly less severe hardware and implementation problems.
Inhibition of Oocyte Maturation by Porcine Follicular Fluid: Partial Characterization of the Inhibitor

ABSTRACTThe present study was undertaken inorder tocharacterize further the inhibitory activity ofporcine follicular fluid (FF1) upon thespontaneous maturation ofisolated oocytes. The inhibitoryaction of FF1 upon oocyte maturation was not destroyed byheating to60#{176}Corby repeatedfreezing and thawing and could not beremoved byextraction with charcoal. The inhibitory actionwas, however, abolished by trypsin digestion. The activity was concentrated by Amicon UM-2membrane filtration. Further purification was achieved by the use ofSephadex G-25 columnchromatography. The data areconsistent with the suggestion that theinhibitor isapeptide with amolecular weight ofabout 2,000. The inhibitory activity ofFF1could beovercome bytheadditionofovine LH (5tg/ml) tothe culture medium but notbybovine prolactin (10Mg/mI) ordibutyrylcyclic AMP (0.04-0.4 mM).INTRODUCTIONAn inhibitory effect of follicular fluid (FF1)upon the spontaneous maturation of isolatedrabbit oocytes was first described by Chang(1955). We have demonstrated asimilar inhibi-tory action ofporcine FF1 upon the maturationof isolated porcine oocytes (Tsafriri and
Change blindness blindness: The metacognitive error of overestimating change-detection ability.

Recent research has demonstrated that subjects fail to detect large between-view changes to natural and artificial scenes. Yet, most people (including psychologists) believe that they would detect the changes. We report two experiments documenting this metacognitive error. In Experiment 1, students in a large General Psychology class were asked if they thought they would notice the change in four different situations previously tested by Levin and Simons (1997) and Simons and Levin (1998). Most claimed that they would have noticed even relatively small changes that real observers rarely detected. In Experiment 2, subjects were tested individually and half were asked to predict whether someone else would detect the changes. Subjects again overestimated the degree to which changes would be detected, both by themselves and by others. We discuss possible reasons for these metacognitive errors including distorted beliefs about visual experience, change, and stability.
Gallium (III) triflate-catalyzed synthesis of heterocycles: quinoxalines, 1,5-benzodiazepines and their fluorinated derivatives

Background: The quinoxaline nucleus is a part of several antibiotics, such as echinomycin, levomycin and actinomycin, which are known to inhibit the growth of Gram-positive bacteria and are active against various transplantable tumors. Benzodiazepines are important classes of heterocycles that draw significant interest from the pharmaceutical industry because of their prominent therapeutic value, such as antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antiprotozoaval properties and also as kinase inhibitors. They have also been evaluated as anticancer, anthelmintic, antifungal and insecticidal agents. Results & conclusion: Quinoxalines, benzodiazepines and their fluorinated derivatives have been prepared in excellent yields from the corresponding diamines and diketones using gallium (III) triflate as an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst, due to its stability, recyclability and minimal toxicity.
A class of energy stable, high-order finite-difference interface schemes suitable for adaptive mesh refinement of hyperbolic problems

We present a class of energy stable, high-order finite-difference interface closures for grids with step resolution changes. These grids are commonly used in adaptive mesh refinement of hyperbolic problems. The interface closures are such that the global accuracy of the numerical method is that of the interior stencil. The summation-by-parts property is built into the stencil construction and implies asymptotic stability by the energy method while being non-dissipative. We present one-dimensional closures for fourth-order explicit and compact Pade type, finite differences. Tests on the scalar one- and two-dimensional wave equations, the one-dimensional Navier-Stokes solution of a shock and two-dimensional inviscid compressible vortex verify the accuracy and stability of this class of methods.
Acute chiasmal abscess resulting from perineural extension of invasive sino-orbital aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient.

Objective Intracranially invasive sino-orbital aspergillosis is a rare entity seen predominantly in immunocompromised individuals. We report a unique case of an acute chiasmal abscess resulting from perineural extension of an indolent invasive sino-orbital aspergillosis in an immunocompetent patient. Case Description A 61-year-old healthy Ukrainian man presented with severe left retro-orbital pain and a gradual ipsilateral monocular vision loss with rapid progression to a contralateral temporal visual field cut. He was found to have an intracranially invasive sino-orbital Aspergillus fumigatus infection with perineural extension along the optic nerve complicated by an acute chiasmal abscess. Results The patient was managed with surgical debridement and adjuvant antifungal chemotherapy. The patient’s life and vision were preserved. Conclusions The case demonstrates that it is possible to successfully control advanced intracranial aspergillosis with tissue-sparing surgery and adjuvant antifungal chemotherapy in immunocompetent individuals.
Association of GABRG3 With Alcohol Dependence

Abstract: Background: Evidence from human, animal, and in vitro cell models suggests that γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human central nervous system, is involved in many of the neurochemical pathways that affect alcohol use, abuse, and dependence. Both linkage and association to the region on chromosome 15q that contains a cluster of GABAA receptor genes have previously been reported, but the role of these genes in alcoholism remains inconclusive. Methods: We conducted family-based association analyses by using a large sample of multiplex alcoholic families collected as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, to test for an association between alcohol dependence and the GABAA receptor genes clustered on chromosome 15q. Multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms were tested in each of the three chromosome 15q GABAA receptor genes:GABRA5, GABRB3, and GABRG3. Results: Using both classic trio-based analyses and extended-family analyses, we found consistent evidence of association between alcohol dependence and GABRG3. Nearly all single-nucleotide polymorphisms across the gene yielded evidence of association, and haplotype analyses were highly significant. No consistent evidence of association was observed with either GABRA5 or GABRB3, nor was there evidence for parent-of-origin effects with any of the genes. Conclusions: These analyses suggest that GABRG3 may be involved in the risk for alcohol dependence. These findings support the theory that the predisposition to alcoholism may be inherited as a general state of central nervous system disinhibition/hyperexcitability that results from an altered responsiveness to GABA.
Context-based signal descriptors of heart-rate variability for anxiety assessment

In this paper, we investigate the role of multiple context-based heart-rate variability descriptors for evaluating a person's psychological health, specifically anxiety disorders. The descriptors are extracted from visually sensed heart-rate signals obtained during the course of a semi-structured interview with a virtual human and can potentially integrate question context as well. The proposed descriptors are motivated by prior related work and are constructed based on histogram-based approaches, time and frequency domain analysis of heart-rate variability. In order to contextualize our descriptors, we use information about the polarity and intimacy levels of the questions asked. Our experiments reveal that the descriptors, both with and without context, perform far better than chance in predicting anxiety. Further on, we perform at-a-par with the state-of-the-art in predicting anxiety and other psychological disorders when we integrate the question context information into the descriptors.
Postoperative Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a complex, multifaceted, disabling and disproportionate spectrum of pain, vasomotor, sudomotor and trophic changes resulting from surgical or traumatic injury. There is some evidence that CRPS may play a primary role in thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) patients, but because surgery is so often provided as a treatment for TOS there is an increased overall risk of development of CRPS in this patient group to start with. The pathophysiology of CRPS involves peripheral neurogenic inflammation and an intricate interaction of peripheral and central mechanisms involving the somatosensory, somatomotor and autonomic nervous systems. Due to lack of a specific diagnostic test, diagnosis remains clinical and laboratory tests supportive. Clinical diagnosis is made by the presence of sensory, vasomotor, sudomotor, and motor/trophic symptoms and signs as defined by the “Budapest criteria”. Treatment is challenging and a comprehensive approach including education, prevention, rehabilitation, psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and interventional modality seems logical. Early diagnosis, treatment and preemptive measures in high-risk patients are critical.
Mean-variance portfolio analysis data for optimizing community-based photovoltaic investment.

The amount of electricity generated by Photovoltaic (PV) systems is affected by factors such as shading, building orientation and roof slope. To increase electricity generation and reduce volatility in generation of PV systems, a portfolio of PV systems can be made which takes advantages of the potential synergy among neighboring buildings. This paper contains data supporting the research article entitled: PACPIM: new decision-support model of optimized portfolio analysis for community-based photovoltaic investment [1]. We present a set of data relating to physical properties of 24 houses in Oregon, USA, along with simulated hourly electricity data for the installed PV systems. The developed Matlab code to construct optimized portfolios is also provided in Supplementary materials. The application of these files can be generalized to variety of communities interested in investing on PV systems.
Democratic Information Communities

In order that American communities may thrive in a 21st century democratic context, both individuals and organizations across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors must intentionally dedicate themselves to promoting an inclusive flow of information designed to support collective problem-solving, the coordination of community activity, public accountability, and connectedness within the community. Our national commitment to democracy – to ideals of political liberty and equality – means not only that local communities need information adequate for these purposes, but that our practices of information creation, organization, analysis, and transmission be democratic in character. This creates a special community need for good journalism, for a for-profit media environment attentive to issues of access, diversity, relevance, and media power, and for nonprofit institutions that develop and organize information in the public interest that assist communities by actively facilitating democratic conversation for community agenda-setting, problem-solving and conflict resolution. Communities that pursue these aims should be considered “democratic information communities.”
Broadband THz Attenuation by Optically Excited Charge Carriers in Silicon

The THz transmittance of a silicon sample could be optically controlled, allowing broadband THz attenuation to less than 1% measured in a standard THz time domain spectroscopy setup.
Estimating GHG Reduction from Combinations of Current Best-Available and Future Powertrain and Vehicle Technologies for a Midsized Car Using EPA's ALPHA Model

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) Advanced LightDuty Powertrain and Hybrid Analysis (ALPHA) tool was created to estimate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from light-duty vehicles[1]. ALPHA is a physics-based, forward-looking, full vehicle computer simulation capable of analyzing various vehicle types with different powertrain technologies, showing realistic vehicle behavior, and auditing of all internal energy flows in the model. The software tool is a MATLAB/Simulink based desktop application. In preparation for the midterm evaluation of the light-duty GHG emission standards for model years 2022-2025, EPA is refining and revalidating ALPHA using newly acquired data from model year 2013-2015 engines and vehicles. From its database of engine and vehicle benchmarking data EPA identified the most efficient, engines, transmissions and vehicle technologies, and then used ALPHA to model a midsized car incorporating combinations of these existing technologies which minimize GHG emissions. In a similar analysis, ALPHA was used to estimate the GHG emissions from future low-GHG technology packages potentially available in model year 2025. This paper presents the ALPHA model inputs, results and the lessons learned during this modeling and assessment activity.
Shaking the “Magic 8 Ball”: Reflections of a First-Time Teacher

ABSTRACT Social work doctoral candidates and others without much or any formal teaching experience or training are frequently invited to teach a variety of graduate-level social work courses. This beginning teaching experience can be quite challenging both personally and professionally. Yet, it is seldom discussed in the literature, especially from a personal perspective. This paper seeks to address that gap by providing a narrative account of the author's first-time experience teaching an Advanced Clinical Practice course to fifteen second year social work masters students. Included is an examination of influences on the experience of teaching, with particular attention to the importance of attending to student needs, teaching techniques, and to who the “self” is that one brings to teaching. Implications of the author's experience, including an appended “list” of what might have been done differently is presented as a general guide for other new social work educators as well as for those who mentor them.
Continuous Rearing of Aphids of the Aphis fabae Complex on Sterile Synthetic Diet

A synthetic diet on which green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), was reared for 30 successive generations has supported, to date, 25 generations of bean aphid, Aphis fabae Scopoli. As with the green peach aphid, continued growth of the bean aphid depended crucially upon the provision in the diet of a mixture of the trace metals iron, zinc, manganese, and copper.
Water Balance in Drosophila pseudoobscura, and its Ecological Implications

Drosophila pseudoobscura Frolova was found to lose weight at all water vapor activities ( av ) below saturation, suggesting that it is incapable of active sorption of water. Metabolic activity was the same at both 0.98 av and 0.50 av in dim light. Tritiated water was used to determine the rate of water exchange between the water pool of the fly and its environment. The rate constant for transpiration decreased as the water vapor activity of the environment decreased, indicating that D. pseudoobscura maintains a water balance by regulating water loss rather than water uptake. Sorption rate was propportional to the water vapor activity of the fly's environment. It is postulated that transpiration rate is regulated by the spiracular openings. Metabolic water constitutes a significant portion of the water transpired from the fly's water pool.
Effect of configurational order on the magnetic characteristics of Co-Ni-Ga ferromagnetic shape memory alloys

In most of the ternary (and higher-order) ferromagnetic shape memory alloys (FSMAs) with compositions close to the ${A}_{2}$$BC$ stoichiometry, the austenite phase exhibits L2${}_{1}$-type ordering. Recent investigations of the Co-Ni-Ga FSMA system, however, suggest that the austenite phase has B2-type ordering, although definite confirmation remains elusive. In this work, we present a theoretical investigation of the effect of configurational order on the magnetic properties of the ordered (L2${}_{1}$) and disordered (B2) FSMA Co${}_{2}$NiGa. Through the use of calculations based on density functional theory, we predict the structural and magnetic properties (including magnetic exchange constants) of ordered and disordered Co${}_{2}$NiGa alloys. We validate our calculation of the magnetic exchange constants by extracting the Curie temperatures of the austenite and martensite structures and comparing them to experimental results. By constructing a $q$-state Potts magnetic Hamiltonian and through the use of lattice Monte Carlo simulation, we predict the finite-temperature behavior of the magnetization and magnetic susceptibility as well as the magnetic specific heat and entropy. The role of configurational order in the magnetic properties of the phases involved in the martensitic phase transformation is discussed, and predictions of the magnitude of the magnetic contributions to the transformation entropy are presented. The calculations are compared to experimental information available in the literature as well as experiments performed by the authors. It is concluded that in FSMAs magnetism plays a fundamental role in determining the relative stability of the austenite and martensite phases, which in turn determines the martensitic transformation temperature ${M}_{s}$, irrespective of whether magnetic fields are used to drive the transformation.
Templating Quantum Dot to Phase-Transformed Electrospun TiO2 Nanofibers for Enhanced Photo-Excited Electron Injection

We report on the microstructural crystal phase transformation of electrospun TiO2 nanofibers generated via sol–gel electrospinning technique, and the incorporation of as-synthesized CdSe quantum dots (QDs) to different phases of TiO2 nanofibers (NFs) via bifunctional surface modification. The effect of different phases of TiO2 on photo-excited electron injection from CdSe QDs to TiO2 NFs, as measured by photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) is also discussed. Nanofiber diameter and crystal structures are dramatically affected by different calcination temperatures due to removal of polymer carrier, conversion of ceramic precursor into ceramic nanofibers, and formation of different TiO2 phases in the fibers. At a low calcination temperature of 400 oC only anatase TiO2 nanofiber are obtained; with increasing calcination temperature (up to 500 oC) these anatase crystals became larger. Crystal transformation from the anatase to the rutile phase is observed above 500oC, with most of the crystals transforming into...
The association of the RANTES gene promoter-403G/A polymorphism with respiratory syncytial virus bronchiolitis

Objective:To explore the genetic association between the regulated on activation,normal T cell expressed and secreted(RANTES)gene promoter-403G/A polymorphism and respiratory syncytial virus(RSV)bronchiolitis in Chinese Han nationality population.Methods:Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP)was used to identify the polymorphism at position-403 of the RANTES promoter in 238 patients with RSV bronchiolitis and 288 health controls.The total IgE concentrations in serum samples were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).Results:Compared to normal groups,no significant difference was demonstrated for genotype and allele frequency of the RANTES-403G/A polymorphism in RSV bronchiolitis.However,both the percentage of the personal atopy history and the familial atopy history showed significant difference among the three genetypes of-403G/A in RSV bronchiolitis group(P 0.05).Interestingly,compared with those carring the GG genotype,subjects with-403A allele demonstrated a 2.57-fold increased risk of personal atopy history.The IgE level indicated significant difference among the three genetypes in RSV bronchiolitis group.Conclusion:The RANTES promoter-403G/A polymorphism may not be associated with the susceptibility of RSV bronchiolitis in Chinese Han nationality population.However,the-403A allele may be a predisposing factor of the personal atopy history.
The Design Schemes of Cockpit Module

This article expounds the composition of cockpit module system,module feasibility,fixed form and position strategy and puts out the general thought of cockpit module scheme.
Optimized Near-IR Fluorescent Agents for in Vivo Imaging of Btk Expression.

Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) is intricately involved in anti-apoptotic signaling pathways in cancer and in regulating innate immune response. A number of Btk inhibitors are in development for use in treating B-cell malignancies and certain immunologic diseases. To develop robust companion imaging diagnostics for in vivo use, we set out to explore the effects of red wavelength fluorochrome modifications of two highly potent irreversible Btk inhibitors, Ibrutinib and AVL-292. Surprisingly, we found that subtle chemical differences in the fluorochrome had considerable effects on target localization. Based on iterative designs, we developed a single optimized version with superb in vivo imaging characteristics enabling single cell Btk imaging in vivo. This agent (Ibrutinib-SiR-COOH) is expected to be a valuable chemical tool in deciphering Btk biology in cancer and host cells in vivo.
Health insurance reform and part-time work: Evidence from Massachusetts

Abstract A concern with requiring employers to provide health insurance to full-time employees is that employers may increase their use of part-time workers to circumvent the mandate. In this paper, we study the effect of the employer mandate in the Massachusetts health insurance reform on part-time work using a difference-in-differences strategy that compares changes in part-time work in Massachusetts after the reform to changes in various control groups. We find strong evidence that the Massachusetts employer mandate increased part-time employment among low-educated workers and some evidence that it increased part-time employment among younger workers. Our estimate of a 1.7 percentage point increase in part-time employment among workers without a college degree suggests that lower-skilled workers may be vulnerable to having their hours cut so that employers do not have to offer them health insurance.
The Male Reproductive System

This chapter discusses the anatomical features of an adult male and the male reproductive system. The male reproductive tract consists of a pair of testes, which produce the male sex cells called spermatozoa or sperm. The male primary sexual characteristics include the testes, the male sex accessory ducts, the sex accessory glands, and the external genitalia. The male secondary sexual characteristics include all those external features that distinguish an adult man from an adult woman. These include larger muscles, greater average height, facial hair, and lowered voice. The anterior pituitary gland secretes two gonadotropic hormones, both of which are necessary for the testicular function. Each testes is subdivided into testicular lobules and each lobule contains seminiferous tubules, which are the site of sperm production. The penis consists of a glans penis, a shaft, and a prepuce. The shaft contains spongy tissue that fills with blood during an erection. The scrotum is a pouch of skin and muscle that contains both the testes. This sac plays a role in controlling the testicular temperature and may play a role in sexual behavior.
Error Correction Coding

This chapter throws light on the topics of correction coding and decoding. It is a complex domain that has its own mathematics set. This introduction bypasses the math and first explains simple block codes, using examples. The concept of coding distance is explained. Next a popular convolutional code, named after its famous inventor Andrew Viterbi, is explained in detail, with examples. Concepts such as coding gain and Shannon theorem are also introduced.