cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect on cell growth by Wnt1 RNAi in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line.

We tested the hypothesis that Wnt signaling pathways are critical to neuroblastoma development. Our objective was to explore the novel role that Wnt/β-catenin plays in human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y, including detection of expression of wnt1 and β-catenin in SH-SY5Y, and the morphological and proliferative changes after Wnt1 RNAi in SH-SY5Y. PCR, Western blot and immunofluorescence technology were used to detect the expression of Wnt1 in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. RNAi technology was used to knock down the expression of Wnt1in SH-SY5Y. SiRNA targeting Wnt1 was transfected into SH-SY5Y cells by Lipofectamine™2000. The protein expression of Wnt1 and β-catenin were detected by Western blotting 48 h after transfection. The quantity and the morphologic changes of the cells were recorded under light microscope. The growth curve of SH-SY5Y cells after RNAi transfection was drawn through MTT assay. Wnt1 was expressed in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. The SH-SY5Y cell was successfully transfected with siRNA targeting Wnt1 mediated by Lipofectamine in vitro. The proteins expression of Wnt1 and β-catenin decreased after transfection with siRNA; the numbers of the cells were decreased, accompanying abundant floating and dead cells under the light microscope. SH-SY5Y cells transfected with siRNA targeting Wnt1 showed less viability. Wnt1 and β-catenin expressed in SH-SY5Y cells. Knockdown of endogenous wnt1 expression could result in cell death and inhibit cell growth. From our study, we suggest that the activated embryonal development-related wnt1/β-catenin pathway might take part in the oncogenesis and growth of neural crest-derived neuroblastoma.
Requirements for benchmarking personal image retrieval systems

It is now common to have accumulated tens of thousands of personal ictures. Efficient access to that many pictures can only be done with a robust image retrieval system. This application is of high interest to Intel processor architects. It is highly compute intensive, and could motivate end users to upgrade their personal computers to the next generations of processors. A key question is how to assess the robustness of a personal image retrieval system. Personal image databases are very different from digital libraries that have been used by many Content Based Image Retrieval Systems. 1 For example a personal image database has a lot of pictures of people, but a small set of different people typically family, relatives, and friends. Pictures are taken in a limited set of places like home, work, school, and vacation destination. The most frequent queries are searched for people, and for places. These attributes, and many others affect how a personal image retrieval system should be benchmarked, and benchmarks need to be different from existing ones based on art images, or medical images for examples. The attributes of the data set do not change the list of components needed for the benchmarking of such systems as specified in 2 : - data sets - query tasks - ground truth - evaluation measures - benchmarking events. This paper proposed a way to build these components to be representative of personal image databases, and of the corresponding usage models.
A case for application-oblivious energy-efficient MPI runtime

Power has become a major impediment in designing large scale high-end systems. Message Passing Interface (MPI) is the de facto communication interface used as the back-end for designing applications, programming models and runtime for these systems. Slack --- the time spent by an MPI process in a single MPI call---provides a potential for energy and power savings, if an appropriate power reduction technique such as core-idling/Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS) can be applied without affecting the application's performance. Existing techniques that exploit slack for power savings assume that application behavior repeats across iterations/executions. However, an increasing use of adaptive and data-dependent workloads combined with system factors (OS noise, congestion) negates this assumption. This paper proposes and implements Energy Aware MPI (EAM) --- an application-oblivious energy-efficient MPI runtime. EAM uses a combination of communication models for common MPI primitives (point-to-point, collective, progress, blocking/non-blocking) and an online observation of slack to maximize energy efficiency and to honor performance degradation limits. Each power lever incurs time overhead, which must be amortized over slack to minimize degradation. When predicted communication time exceeds a lever overhead, the lever is used as soon as possible --- to maximize energy efficiency. When a misprediction occurs, the lever(s) are used automatically at specific intervals for amortization. We implement EAM using MVAPICH2 and evaluate it on ten applications using up to 4,096 processes. Our performance evaluation on an InfiniBand cluster indicates that EAM can reduce energy consumption by 5-41% in comparison to the default approach, which prioritizes performance alone, with negligible (less than 4% in all cases) performance loss.
A new two-stage design of feedback controllers for a hydrogen gas reformer

Abstract In this paper we have first reviewed operations of a hydrogen gas reformer and provided its linearized mathematical model. Then, we have simplified an existing algorithm for a two-stage design of feedback controllers for linear continuous-time time-invariant systems. The proposed design significantly reduces the computational requirements and provides flexibility of designing different type of controllers for different dynamic parts of the system. Since the hydrogen gas reformer (also known as a fuel processing system) possesses slow and fast modes (state variables), the newly proposed design is further simplified and specialized for this class of systems. The obtained algorithm is efficiently applied with very high accuracy to the hydrogen gas reformer. As a matter of fact, the eigenvalue placement problem is solved for the reformer dynamics for both slow and fast modes. The design is so flexible that combined hybrid controllers (optimal, robust, set-point, eigenvalue assignment controllers or any other linear controller) can be designed independently for particular subsystems of the hydrogen gas reformer. The hybrid linear feedback controller design for the hydrogen gas reformer that optimizes its slow subsystem and assigns the desired eigenvalues to its fast subsystem is also presented in the paper.
New Magnesium Precursors for Doping Semiconductor Films

Magnesium-doped semiconductors have existing and anticipated applications in the fabrication of blue and green light-emitting diodes, blue and green laser diodes, and in microelectronics devices. At present, the area is limited by the precursor characteristics of bis(cyclopentadienyl)magnesium and substituted derivatives. We will describe our efforts to identify new magnesium source compounds that are potentially superior to magnesocenes and can be used in chemical vapor deposition processes. Monomeric three- and four-coordinate amides have been synthesized and totally characterized. These complexes are low-melting solids and are significantly more volatile than magnesocene derivatives. We will also describe the synthesis and characterization of several other classes of volatile magnesium compounds that might be useful in chemical vapor deposition processes.
Rationale for particle size effect on rates of enzymatic saccharification of microcrystalline cellulose.

Commercially available microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) preparations are widely used as substrates for the characterization of cellulolytic enzymes. The intent of this paper is to demonstrate the importance of considering particle size when using these substrates and to provide a rationale for particle-size related phenomena. Rates of saccharification of MCC substrates having average particle sizes of 20, 50 and 100 μm were compared under typical Trichoderma reesei cellulase-based saccharification conditions. The results demonstrate that MCC substrates of different particle size are not equivalent with respect to their kinetics of enzymatic saccharification. The three MCC substrates were shown to be essentially equivalent with respect to physical and chemical parameters commonly correlated with rates of saccharification. Hence, the influence of particle size on rates of MCC saccharification is likely due to the relative importance of mass transfer limitations within the agglomerate particles that make up these substrates.
Probing for Dirac vacuum structure in nuclei

Abstract Recent Dirac-equation analyses of nucleon-nucleus interactions indicate weak dependence of the effective potentials on nucleon energy, and suggest that associated with any large nucleus is an “island” of ≈ 10 3 discrete negative-energy nucleon bound states. Experimental searches for this structure would be a critical test of the Dirac-equation picture. Possible experiments as well as open theoretical issues are discussed.
Clopidogrel Responsiveness Regardless of the Discontinuation Date Predicts Increased Blood Loss and Transfusion Requirement After Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery

Objectives The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of the percentage of platelet inhibitory response to clopidogrel as assessed by modified thromboelastography with bleeding and transfusion requirement after off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (OPCABG) surgery. Background Interindividual variability of clopidogrel responsiveness may influence bleeding and transfusion requirement. Methods One hundred patients who received clopidogrel within 5 days of OPCABG were prospectively enrolled. The primary end point was to compare post-operative bleeding and transfusion requirement in relation to the tertile distribution of the percentage of platelet inhibitory response to clopidogrel. Results Blood loss in the patients in the third tertile was 914 ± 264 ml compared with 623 ± 249 ml in those in the first and 683 ± 254 ml in those in the second tertiles (p = 0.001). Significantly more patients in the third tertile were transfused, and the number of units transfused was also larger. On multivariate analysis, the third tertile was associated with an 11-fold increased risk of transfusion (95% confidence interval: 2.77 to 47.30, p = 0.001). The optimal cutoff value for the transfusion requirement measured by receiver-operator characteristic curve analysis was 70% platelet inhibitory response to clopidogrel (area under the curve: 0.771; 95% confidence interval: 0.674 to 0.868; p Conclusions A high percentage of platelet inhibitory response to clopidogrel, regardless of the proximity of clopidogrel exposure, predicts increased blood loss and transfusion requirement after OPCABG with a cutoff value of 70% for increased risk of transfusion. These findings might implicate a potential role of modified thromboelastography in deciding the timing of OPCABG in patients who need continued clopidogrel therapy.
The Nature of Metropolitan Governance in Urban America: A Study of Cooperation and Conflict in the Kansas City Region

The evidence in this study demonstrates that the dominant pattern of metropolitan governance in the Kansas City metro area across 46 cities and 28 public services is one of intergovernmental cooperation, punctuated by conflict. Contrary to what would be predicted by theories of cooperation, the scope of cooperation is negatively related to the number and percent of joint intergovernmental service arrangements and that the scope of cooperation increases when a municipality transfers a service to another public entity or a municipality specializes in a regional service.
Colour Detection on Bivariate Choropleth Maps: The Visual Search Process

Searching is a fundamental but complex task in the map-reading process. Several psychologists have explored the role of visual search in cognition, and have proposed a number of models that may offer cartographers a basis for understanding how people search for specific map information. The purpose of this research was to examine the visual search process used by map readers when interacting with bivariate choropleth maps, and to assess the potential of one of psychology's models, Attentional Engagement Theory, for explaining that process. The study employed a standard search task that determined the efficiency of the search process by having subjects search for target colours among non-target colours across a map. An analysis of reaction times showed that the following variables affected search efficiency: target colour, the total number of objects on the map, and similarity of the target colour to all other non-target colours on the map.
Hub-based Simulation and Graphics Hardware Accelerated Visualization for Nanotechnology Applications

The Network for computational nanotechnology (NCN) has developed a science gateway at nanoHUB.org for nanotechnology education and research. Remote users can browse through online seminars and courses, and launch sophisticated nanotechnology simulation tools, all within their Web browser. Simulations are supported by a middleware that can route complex jobs to grid supercomputing resources. But what is truly unique about the middleware is the way that it uses hardware accelerated graphics to support both problem setup and result visualization. This paper describes the design and integration of a remote visualization framework into the nanoHUB for interactive visual analytics of nanotechnology simulations. Our services flexibly handle a variety of nanoscience simulations, render them utilizing graphics hardware acceleration in a scalable manner, and deliver them seamlessly through the middleware to the user. Rendering is done only on-demand, as needed, so each graphics hardware unit can simultaneously support many user sessions. Additionally, a novel node distribution scheme further improves our system's scalability. Our approach is not only efficient but also cost-effective. Only half-dozen render nodes are anticipated to support hundreds of active tool sessions on the nanoHUB. Moreover, this architecture and visual analytics environment provides capabilities that can serve many areas of scientific simulation and analysis beyond nanotechnology with its ability to interactively analyze and visualize multivariate scalar and vector fields
Clients' Perceptions of Treatment for Depression: I. Helpful Aspects

Clients' perspectives on the helpful aspects of treatment were examined using post-treatment data from the NIMH Treatment of Depression Collaborative Research Program. Averaged across treatments, perceptions that were coded as indicative of common aspects of the treatments, such as the helpfulness of the therapist, were reported most frequently. There were no group differences; thus, in the placebo plus clinical management group, responses were coded into common-factor categories no less often than in the other groups. However, cognitive-behavior therapy clients and imipramine plus clinical management clients gave responses coded as reflecting aspects that were specific to the treatment they received significantly more often than did clients in the other conditions.
Selection, hybridization and genome manipulation in Siluroidei

Resume Selection, hybridization, and gcnome manipulation in the Siluroidei is reviewed. Selection topics include strain evaluation, qualitative traits, quantitative traits, mass selection, farnily selection, inbreeding, and crossbreeding. Hybridization is discussed with reference to culture traits. Genome manipulation technologies - sex reversal, gynogenesis, androgenesis, polyploidization, and gene transfer - are considered with application to genctic improvernent of Siluroidei. Strains of ictalurid catfish Vary significantly for traits such as growth, disease resistance, harvestahility, reproduction, body conformation and carcass yield. Growth of domestic strains can be 250% greater than that of wild strains. Strain differences have also been identified for clariid, bagrid, and silurid catfishes. Mass selection has increascd growth rate by up to 30%. Heritability estimates predict a rcsponse to selection for the traits of diseasc resistance and tolcrance to low oxygen Icvels. Crossbreeding strains of Ictalurus punctatus have improved growth, diseasc resistance and reproductive performance. Two generations of inbreeding depresscd body weight of I. punctatus as much as 30%. and can reducc viability and reproductive performance. Hybridization of I. punctatus X I. furcatus has resulted in a 20% increase in growth. Traits for tolerance to oxygen deficit, feed conversion, disease resistance, harvestability, and carcass yicld were also irnproved. Interspecific, intergeneric, and intcrfamilial hyhrids have bccn made with clariid fishes; heterotic growth was indicated. Hybridization has also been used to combine desirable traits of parental species. Sex reversal of I. punctatus using estrogen treatment followcd by progeny testing can result in monosex, all-male populations. Gynogenesis and androgenesis are approaches to production of inbred lines of catfish, but thus far have limited application in aquaculture. Polyploidization has been applied in several ictalurid, silurid, and clariid fishes, but predicted improvements in performance have not been realized. Gene transfer has been accomplished in I. punctatus and Clarias gariepinus using microinjection and electroporation; the foreign genes have been expressed and inherited. Transgenic I. punctatus containing salmonid growth hormone genes grew 20-40% faster than controls.
p53 Serves as a Host Antiviral Factor That Enhances Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses to Influenza A Virus

Several direct target genes of the p53 tumor suppressor have been identified within pathways involved in viral sensing, cytokine production, and inflammation, suggesting a potential role of p53 in antiviral immunity. The increasing need to identify immune factors to devise host-targeted therapies against pandemic influenza A virus (IAV) led us to investigate the role of endogenous wild-type p53 on the immune response to IAV. We observed that the absence of p53 resulted in delayed cytokine and antiviral gene responses in lung and bone marrow, decreased dendritic cell activation, and reduced IAV-specific CD8(+) T cell immunity. Consequently, p53(-/-) mice showed a more severe IAV-induced disease compared with their wild-type counterparts. These findings establish that p53 influences the antiviral response to IAV, affecting both innate and adaptive immunity. Thus, in addition to its established functions as a tumor suppressor gene, p53 serves as an IAV host antiviral factor that might be modulated to improve anti-IAV therapy and vaccines.
Negative Threat Appeals and Earthquake Preparedness: A Person-Relative-to-Event (PrE) Model of Coping With Threat

Individual preparation, or the lack thereof, for the occurrences of external events that threaten the well-being of individuals is an issue of worldwide concern. The present studies were designed to investigate the impact of a particular type of persuasive communication (i.e., fear-arousing or negative threat appeals) on preparedness behavior regarding the possible occurrence of a damaging earthquake. A general model of coping, the person-relative-to-event (PrE) model, emphasizing the relationship between level of appraised threat and person resources, was applied to this issue. It was predicted that negative threat appeals using combinations of levels of factors that cause a person to appraise their resources as sufficient in quantity and quality to obviate or minimize the negative consequences of a threatening earthquake would increase levels of earthquake preparedness to a greater extent than would communications that do not. Results of Study I were partially supportive of these predictions. In Study 2, patterns of changes in preparedness behavior fit predictions generated by the PrE model to a greater extent when felt responsibility for preparing for the occurrence of an earthquake was high than when it was low. Implications of the research and theory underlying this investigation are discussed.
Abridgment of effect of transient voltages on power transformer design

When an ordinary transformer is subject to transient voltage excitation, local concentration of voltage takes place in which the capacitance charging current of the coils to ground is supplied through the winding. This is because the ratio of inductance and capacitance of the various parts throughout the winding is not constant. Calculations and tests of voltage distribution in the winding, caused by the impact of (a) damped high-frequency oscillations, and (b) unidirectional traveling waves, are given. In order to make the analysis clearer, the transformer winding is considered as a network of inductances and capacitances, and this term “network” is used throughout the paper. Certain simplified and typical networks are considered. Transformers having one terminal grounded, such as are used in three-phase star connection, particularly in high-voltage systems, are frequently built with the insulation graded to other windings and ground, in the order of the normal frequency voltage stress. The danger of such a practise is shown in power transformers which are subject to transient overvoltage, since voltage oscillation in the winding may raise the voltage to ground at intermediate points above the terminal voltage, unless the design of the winding eliminates oscillation. The theoretical and experimental data given show that the distribution and magnitude of voltage stresses existing during recognized standard insulation tests are essentially different from stresses created by transient voltages. This permits the construction of transformers that would satisfactorily pass standard insulation tests but at the same time would not be suitable for average service. A new type of a transformer called “non-resonating,” for use on grounded neutral systems, is described. In transformers of this type, voltages of all frequencies distribute uniformly along the windings, as the possibility of internal voltage resonance is eliminated by a proper balance of distributed capacitance and inductance of the winding. This is accomplished principally by means of conducting surfaces (shields) placed outside of the winding and connected to its line terminal. The action of the shields is similar to that of the shielding ring on an insulator string. It neutralizes the effect of the capacitance current from the inside surface of the winding to ground, by supplying to every point of the winding a “charging” current equal to the “discharging” current of that point to ground. In some cases, the application of the shield reduces the local stresses to one-eightieth. Up to the present time, the total capacity of this new type of transformer exceeds half a million kva.
Little is New Under the Sun But

Abstract Thomas W. Davenport. Thinking for a Living: How to Get Better Performance and Results from Knowledge Workers. Harvard Business School Press, 2005, 227 pp. Erran Carmel and Paul Tjia. Offshoring Information Technology: Out-sourcing to a Global Workforce. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2005, 282 pp. Wayne W. Eckerson. Performance Dashboards: Measuring, Monitoring, and Managing Your Business. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2006, 301 pp. Murray E. Jennex (ed.). Case Studies in Knowledge Management. Hershey, PA: Idea Group Publishing, 2005, 372 pp.
Obesogenic environment: a concept analysis and pediatric perspective.

Purpose A concept analysis was undertaken to examine the attributes, characteristics, and uses of the concept of obesogenic environment within a pediatric context. Conclusions Utilizing a modified version of Walker and Avant's method, the attributes and characteristics of obesogenic environment were identified as it pertains to children. Based on the review of the literature and previous definitions applied to adults, a definition of the concept of obesogenic environment within a pediatric context was developed; examples of sample cases illustrate the concept further. Practice Implications Defining the concept of obesogenic environment has utility for nursing theory development, practice, research, and education.
Toxoplasma gondii Comprises Three Clonal Lineages: Correlation of Parasite Genotype with Human Disease

The population genetic structure of Toxoplasma gondii was determined by multilocus restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis at 6 loci in 106 independent isolates from humans and animals. Phylogenetic and statistical analyses indicated a highly unusual population structure consisting of 3 widespread clonal lineages. Extensively mixed genotypes were only apparent in 4 strains, which indicated that, while not separate species, sexual recombination between the 3 lineages is exceedingly rare in natural populations. T. gondii is a major cause of subclinical human infection and an important opportunistic pathogen that causes severe disease in immunocompromised patients. While strains from all 3 lineages were isolated from humans, the majority of human toxoplasmosis cases were associated with strains of a type II genotype. The correlation of specific clonal lineages with human toxoplasmosis has important implications for development of vaccines, drug treatments, and diagnostic protocols.
First charge collection and position-precision data on the medium-resistivity silicon strip detectors before and after neutron irradiation up to 2x10(14) n/cm(2)

Test strip detectors of 125 mu m, 500 mu m, and 1 mm pitches with about 1 cm(2) areas have been made on medium-resistivity silicon wafers (1.3 and 2.7 k Ohm cm). Detectors of 500 mu m pitch have been tested for charge collection and position precision before and after neutron irradiation (up to 2 x 10(14) n/cm(2)) using 820 and 1030 nm laser lights with different beam-spot sizes. It has been found that for a bias of 250 V a strip detector made of 1.3 k Ohm cm (300 mu m thick) can be fully depleted before and after an irradiation of 2 x 10(14) n/cm(2). For a 500 mu m pitch strip detector made of 2.7 k Ohm cm tested with an 1030 nm laser light with 200 mu m spot size, the position reconstruction error is about 14 mu m before irradiation, and 17 mu m after about 1.7 x 10(13) n/cm(2) irradiation. We demonstrated in this work that medium resistivity silicon strip detectors can work just as well as the traditional high-resistivity ones, but with higher radiation tolerance. We also tested charge sharing and position reconstruction using a 1030 nm wavelength (300 mu m absorption length in Si at RT) laser, which provides a simulation of MIP particles in high-physics experiments in terms of charge collection and position reconstruction, (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Modelling of Radiation Effects in Semiconductor Devices and Circuits

Nuclear radiation effects on semiconductor devices and circuits are modelled using flowgraph techniques. The usefulness and applicability of a model adequate for both transient and permanent radiation effects in devices and circuits is based on several recent developments in modelling techniques: ? the lumped-parameter semiconductor diffusion-controlled model. ? the systematic formulation of equivalent circuits with independent and controlled sources. ? the development of the closed system approach to assess variation in terms of sensitivity for systems with large number of variables. ? the utilization of a computer routine which provides circuit response to given excitations or due to given parameter changes. The lumped semiconductor device model proposed by Linvill is modified to include effects of both neutron and pulse radiation sources. The network-like nature of the lumped device model provides insight into the physical processes involved as well as into circuit changes produced by irradiation. Examples of circuit applications illustrate the use of the lumped model with radiation induced generators of carriers. To account for variations for circuit response due to parameter changes, a technique of evaluating sensitivities for models of any complexity are developed. Criteria for optimization of circuits under parameter changes are established. Emphasis is not on experimental data but on methods and criteria for establishing and evaluating models of circuits in a radiation environment.
Cigarette Smoking and HIV/AIDS: Health Implications, Smoker Characteristics and Cessation Strategies

Although mortality attributable to AIDS-related diseases has decreased dramatically in the current era of combination antiretroviral therapy, the proportion of deaths attributable to other diseases (e.g., cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer) in this population has markedly increased. Thus, efforts to reduce morbidity and mortality attributable to these non-AIDS-defining diseases represent an important public health priority. One approach to improve health outcomes for the HIV-positive population is to target health risk behaviors, such as cigarette smoking. Existing evidence indicates that smoking prevalence is significantly elevated among persons living with HIV/AIDS. In addition, smoking is associated with numerous HIV-related adverse outcomes. To date, surprisingly few efforts have been made to develop smoking cessation interventions for the HIV-positive population. However, results from the studies that have been published indicate that smoking cessation interventions, both novel and more traditional, are potentially efficacious. Moreover, existing findings support the feasibility of smoking cessation treatment within busy HIV clinics.
Is Marketing Still Part of Supply Chain Management, and Should Marketing Academics and Practitioners Care?

Over the last twenty years, there has been a shift in emphasis in many colleges of business to incorporate Supply Chain Management (SCM). The questions of how to include this material and who are the responsible parties to deliver it impact the focus, depth and topics included in the SCM material. Since true SCM is boundary spanning in both academic and practitioner arenas, it is an important question to examine the role of Marketing in the overall process.
Vision Based Force Sensing for Nanorobotic Manipulation

Over the last decade, considerable interest has been generated in building and manipulating nanoscale structures. Applications of nanomanipulation include study of nanoparticles, molecules, DNA and viruses, and bottom-up nanoassembly. We propose a Nanomanipulation System using the Zyvex S100 nanomanipulator,which operates within a scanning electron microscope (SEM), as its primary component. The primary advantage of the S100 setup over standard scanning probe microscopy based nanomanipulators is the ability to see the object during manipulation. Relying on visual feedback alone to control the nanomanipulator is not preferable due to perceptual limitations of depth and contact within the SEM. To improve operator performance over visual feedback alone, an impedance-controlled bilateral teleoperation setup is envisioned. Lack of on-board force sensors on the S100 system is the primary hindrance in the realization of the proposed architecture. In this paper, we present a computer vision based force sensing scheme. The advantages of this sensing strategy include its low cost and lack of requirementof hardware modification(s). Force sensing is implemented using an atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe attached to the S100 end-effector. Deformation of the cantilever probe is monitored using a Hough transform based algorithm. These deformations are mapped to corresponding end-effector forces following the Euler-Bernoulli beam mechanics model. The forces thus sensed can be used to provide force-feedback to the operator through a master manipulator.
Micro-credit programmes, social capital and micro-enterprise performance

Micro-credit programmes (generally considered to be initiated by the 2006 Nobel Prize winner Mohammed Yunus of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh) are a form of social (global) entrepreneurship that work with low-income micro-enterprise owners and construct alternate means of approving, disbursing and monitoring loans for micro-enterprises. In this paper, we develop a conceptual model that identifies several characteristics of group-based micro-credit programmes that are necessary to incubate the development of borrowers' social capital and increase the performance of their micro-enterprises.
Core memories in library finance

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the author ' s own personal involvement with library finance. Design/methodology/approach – This is a viewpoint piece. Findings – This piece explores the idea of core memories in relation to library finance. Originality/value – This is an autobiographical piece inspired by Pixar ' s 2015 film Inside Out.
Home Circadian Phase Assessments with Measures of Compliance Yield Accurate Dim Light Melatonin Onsets.

Study objectives There is a need for the accurate assessment of circadian phase outside of the clinic/laboratory, particularly with the gold standard dim light melatonin onset (DLMO). We tested a novel kit designed to assist in saliva sampling at home for later determination of the DLMO. The home kit includes objective measures of compliance to the requirements for dim light and half-hourly saliva sampling. Design Participants were randomized to one of two 10-day protocols. Each protocol consisted of two back-to-back home and laboratory phase assessments in counterbalanced order, separated by a 5-day break. Setting Laboratory or participants' homes. Participants Thirty-five healthy adults, age 21-62 y. Interventions N/A. Measurements and results Most participants received at least one 30-sec epoch of light > 50 lux during the home phase assessments (average light intensity 4.5 lux), but on average for 50 lux or sampling errors. There was no significant difference between the home and laboratory DLMOs (P > 0.05); on average the home DLMOs occurred 9.6 min before the laboratory DLMOs. The home DLMOs were highly correlated with the laboratory DLMOs (r = 0.91, P Conclusions Participants were reasonably compliant to the home phase assessment procedures. The good agreement between the home and laboratory dim light melatonin onsets (DLMOs) demonstrates that including objective measures of light exposure and sample timing during home saliva sampling can lead to accurate home DLMOs. Clinical trial registration Circadian Phase Assessments at Home, http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01487252, NCT01487252.
Sharing the Costs of Humid Region Flood Control Investment

T HE title of this paper suggests the question: what, if any, characteristics of the humid regions have a unique impact on sharing costs of flood control investments? Would these characteristics impose any restrictions on or require extensions of conventional economic criteria for cost sharing? Certainly the contrast of the physical environment of the East with that of the arid West requires different techniques of water management. With a larger, more concentrated population, older and more extensively developed private investments, and the complex institutional commitments that have evolved with them, the means for achieving efficiency and equity in cost sharing also may not be the same as those that would apply in the arid West. In the East, the closer and more in-plains, storage areas, and water use demand that investments in stream management be scheduled and integrated with scrupulous observation of their impact both in the present and over time if acceptable levels of efficiency and standards of equity are to guide flood control investments.
Defect Microstructure of Thin Wurtzite GaN Films Grown by MBE

Thin films of wurtzite GaN have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 6H SiC (basal plane), Si {111} and sapphire (c-plane) substrates with and without various buffer layers. The defect microstructure of the films and the substrate/buffer/GaN interfacial quality have been characterized by cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. The morphology was dominated by threading defects that originated at the substrate/buffer and/or buffer/film interfaces. Typical defect densities dropped rapidly with distance from the substrate but remained ∼108–109/cm2, depending on the particular substrate, for film thicknesses approaching one micron or more. The best quality films were grown at 770°C on sapphire with A1N buffer layers, and had X-ray rocking curve full-width at half-maximum values of ∼ 55arc-sec.
Korah in the Midrash: The Hairless Heretic as Hero

Perhaps the least likely hero in the Bible is Korah, the Levite who challenges Moses’s leadership in Numbers 16 and whom later tradition regarded as an archvillain. This article examines how the rabbinic, Christian, and Islamic traditions appropriated this figure and turned him, if not into a full-fledged hero, then at least into a kind of trickster whose challenge to Moses reinforces the authority of Orthodox tradition. An example of this transmutation is the way rabbinic Midrash turns Korah into a kind of hyperlegalistic rabbi. He poses typical rabbinic questions to Moses that are intended to undermine the law, but by drawing limits around his questions the Midrash constructs the boundaries of rabbinic dissension. Another set of themes puts women at the center of the Korah story and also plays with Korah as bald: in these stories, sexuality and power are linked to hair. In patristic writings, Korah becomes the exemplar of a heretical bishop and is also made fabulously wealthy (a theme common also to Jewish and Muslim traditions). Korah’s wealth symbolizes the Israel of the flesh: this biblical villain now comes to stand for the Jewish people as a whole. In Muslim sources, he is also transmuted into “the enlightened one.”
Will You Get It Right Next Week: Predict Delayed Performance in Enhanced ITS Mastery Cycle.

Researchers of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) and Educational Data Mining (EDM) have focused increasing attention on predicting students’ long-term retention performance as well as attempting to find effective methods to help improve student knowledge retention. Wang and Beck proposed a system which allows ITS to strive for student long-term mastery learning. This paper describes our implemented work of such a system for improving student retention along with a model to predict student performance for delayed retention tests; this incorporates features of student behavior and performance levels in the system. Using this model, we analyzed the data of 27,451 mathematical problems that 662 students in the 2012 fall semester attempted to solve or were successful in solving. We found that after students successfully master the skill, the number of those who attempted solving problems during the process of achieving mastery is predictive of delayed retention test performance. Specifically, on the 7-day retention test, 82% of students who try to master a skill in 3 or 4 attempts did so correctly, while students who required 5 to 8 attempts to master a skill achieved a rate of 70%. Furthermore, we propose that using the prediction model to guide the improvement of our tutorial decision-making on when we should test students also help them to better retain skills.
Mass spectrometry of neutral, mono- and disialoglycosphingolipids

Microgram quantities of complex glycosphingolipids were fully trimethylsilylated and analyzed by mass spectrometry. Reproducible ratios of the intensities of certain sugar fragment ions to the total intensity of ions characteristic of the sphingolipid bases were used to determine the number of monosaccharides in the glycosyl moiety and how many of them were unsubstituted at C-3. N-Acetylated hexosamine residues were readily detected and further characteristic fragment ions appeared if they were the terminal residues of the oligosac-charide chain. It was also possible to distinguish between the N-glycolyl and N-acetyl forms of neuraminic acid and to determine the number of sialic acid residues present in the lipid. Considerable information about the fatty acid and long-chain base composition was obtained from the same mass spectral analysis. It has been concluded that reliable structural information can be obtained from small amounts (less than 50 micro g) of a purified glycosphingolipid.
Speaking With People in Our Profession: An interview with G. Robert (Bob) Welling

Speaking With People in Our Profession: An interview with G. Robert (Bob) Welling DOI:10.2458/azu_rangelands_v31i3_srm
Understanding GPU Power: A Survey of Profiling, Modeling, and Simulation Methods

Modern graphics processing units (GPUs) have complex architectures that admit exceptional performance and energy efficiency for high-throughput applications. Although GPUs consume large amounts of power, their use for high-throughput applications facilitate state-of-the-art energy efficiency and performance. Consequently, continued development relies on understanding their power consumption. This work is a survey of GPU power modeling and profiling methods with increased detail on noteworthy efforts. As direct measurement of GPU power is necessary for model evaluation and parameter initiation, internal and external power sensors are discussed. Hardware counters, which are low-level tallies of hardware events, share strong correlation to power use and performance. Statistical correlation between power and performance counters has yielded worthwhile GPU power models, yet the complexity inherent to GPU architectures presents new hurdles for power modeling. Developments and challenges of counter-based GPU power modeling are discussed. Often building on the counter-based models, research efforts for GPU power simulation, which make power predictions from input code and hardware knowledge, provide opportunities for optimization in programming or architectural design. Noteworthy strides in power simulations for GPUs are included along with their performance or functional simulator counterparts when appropriate. Last, possible directions for future research are discussed.
Evaluating soil properties and potential nitrate removal in wetlands created using an Engineering With Nature based dredged material placement technique

Abstract Many waterways around the globe, including those in southern Louisiana, require periodic dredging to maintain navigability in channels, rivers, and at ports. Traditionally, dredged materials are deposited in confined disposal facilities, relegated to deep open water disposal, or used as fill material to build wetlands. Over the past 15+ years, dredge material from the Atchafalaya River was strategically placed up-river of a small, natural shoal, located mid-channel, resulting in the creation of a wetland exhibiting many structural characteristics of the naturally occurring riverine wetlands within the basin. This construction practice adheres to Engineering With Nature (EWN) concepts which utilize natural processes to produce maximum benefit for navigation, while lowering economic costs and improving habitat features. The current study determined soil physical, nutrient, and biogeochemical properties at the EWN wetland and compares these characteristics to values observed at a traditional dredge shoreline material placement wetland (TDMP), essentially examining the effect of construction technique on soil biogeochemical properties. Soil total carbon and nitrogen at EWN continued to accumulate with time; however, TDMP exhibited a significantly higher degree of soil formation as indicated by lower bulk density, and higher soil organic matter, carbon, and nitrogen. Despite the observed differences, rates of potential nitrate removal and microbial biomass nitrogen did not differ between wetlands, suggesting that the nature based construction technique resulted in nutrient cycling and nitrate removal capacities equivalent to traditionally constructed dredged material wetlands in the region.
Disorders of the Sebaceous and Sweat Gland

Disorders of the sebaceous and sweat glands are frequently observed in childhood. By far the most common disorder is acne vulgaris, which may affect all age groups, but has a peak incidence in adolescence. Understanding the varied clinical presentations of acne vulgaris, as well as its pathogenesis, has led to improvements in therapeutic options, which include the use of topical agents (e.g. retinoids and antibiotics), oral antibiotics, hormonal medications, and isotretinoin. This chapter will also highlight the treatment of other disorders of the sebaceous and sweat glands that affect the pediatric population, including periorificial dermatitis, childhood rosacea, keratosis pilaris, pseudoacne of the nasal crease, demodex infections, and idiopathic facial aseptic granuloma.
Theoretical framework for predicting inorganic fouling in membrane distillation and experimental validation with calcium sulfate

Abstract A methodology for predicting scaling in membrane distillation (MD), which considers thermodynamics, kinetics, and fluid mechanics, is developed and experimentally validated with calcium sulfate. The theory predicts the incidence of scaling as a function of temperature, concentration, and flow conditions by comparing the nucleation induction time to the residence time and applying an experimental correction factor. The relevant residence time is identified by considering a volume of solution near the membrane surface that contains enough ions to form a nucleus of critical size. The theory is validated with fouling experiments using calcium sulfate as a model scalant over a range of temperatures (40–70 °C), saturation indices, and flow rates. Although the model is validated with a bench-scale MD system, it is hoped to be compatible with large-scale systems that may have significant changes in concentration, temperature, and flow rate along the flow direction. At lower temperatures, the saturation index can be as high as 0.4–0.5 without scaling, but the safe concentration limit decreases with increasing temperature. Increasing the feed flow rate reduces concentration polarization and fluid residence time, both of which decrease the likelihood of fouling. The model is translated into easily readable maps outlining safe operating regimes for MD. The theory and maps can be used to choose safe operating conditions in MD over a wide range of conditions and system geometries.
Tongue-lip adhesion and tongue repositioning for obstructive sleep apnoea in Pierre Robin sequence: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: To search for studies on tongue–lip adhesion and tongue repositioning used as isolated treatments for obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Pierre Robin sequence. Methods: A systematic literature search of PubMed/Medline and three additional databases, from inception through to 8 July 2016, was performed by two authors. Results: Seven studies with 90 patients (59 tongue–lip adhesion and 31 tongue repositioning patients) met the inclusion criteria. Tongue–lip adhesion reduced the mean (± standard deviation) apnoea/hypopnoea index from 30.8 ± 22.3 to 15.4 ± 18.9 events per hour (50 per cent reduction). The apnoea/hypopnoea index mean difference for tongue–lip adhesion was −15.28 events per hour (95 per cent confidence interval = −30.70 to 0.15; p = 0.05). Tongue–lip adhesion improved the lowest oxygen saturation from 75.8 ± 6.8 to 84.4 ± 7.3 per cent. Tongue repositioning reduced the apnoea/hypopnoea index from 46.5 to 17.4 events per hour (62.6 per cent reduction). Tongue repositioning improved the mean oxygen saturation from 90.8 ± 1.2 to 95.0 ± 0.5 per cent. Conclusion: Tongue–lip adhesion and tongue repositioning can improve apnoea/hypopnoea index and oxygenation parameters in children with Pierre Robin sequence and obstructive sleep apnoea.