cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Looking Forward to World Peak: Climate Change-Induced Market Prospects

Overall, the data presented over all three GDP pillars of the agriculture, service and industry sectors suggests that climate change will affect their feasibility and performance. As the temperature will be rising, we may therefore see a shift from industry production with lowest optimum temperature to service sector activities with medium peak cardinal temperature and then agriculture sector productivity with the highest optimum temperature as recalculated by a meta-analysis of literature sources. Overall, the literature meta-analysis results outline that the peak condition for happiness at 14°C has passed when considering the world mean temperature of 18.6°C (65°F). In addition, the peak condition for workplace temperature has passed when measured by the world mean temperature of 18.6°C (65°F). Heat waste production is prospected to become a luxury good in the future; as well all winter-sports-related activities. When it comes to safety, Legionella bacteria in the water will soon become a problem and medical and hygiene markets that combat this risk and disease will likely prosper soon. The results have implications for global warming mitigation and adaption strategies as well as hold invaluable novel insights for the implementation of a transition into renewable energy.
Empirically Derived Dietary Patterns Using Robust Profile Clustering in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Background Latent class models (LCMs) have been used in exploring dietary behaviors over a wide set of foods and beverages in a given population, but are prone to overgeneralize these habits in the presence of variation by subpopulations. Objectives This study aimed to highlight unique dietary consumption differences by both study site and ethnic background of Hispanic/Latino populations in the United States, that otherwise might be missed in a traditional LCM of the overall population. This was achieved using a new model-based clustering method, referred to as robust profile clustering (RPC). Methods A total of 11,320 individuals aged 18-74 y from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (2008-2011) with complete diet data were classified into 9 subpopulations, defined by study site (Bronx, Chicago, Miami, San Diego) and ethnic background. At baseline, dietary intake was ascertained using a food propensity questionnaire. Dietary patterns were derived from 132 food groups using the RPC method to identify patterns of the general Hispanic/Latino population and those specific to an identified subpopulation. Dietary patterns derived from the RPC were compared to those identified from an LCM. Results The LCM identified 48 shared consumption behaviors of foods and beverages across the entire cohort, whereas significant consumption differences in subpopulations were identified in the RPC model for these same foods. Several foods were common within study site (e.g., chicken, orange juice, milk), ethnic background (e.g., papayas, plantain, coffee), or both (e.g., rice, tomatoes, seafood). Post hoc testing revealed an improved model fit in the RPC model [Deviance Information Criterion DICRPC = 2.3 × 104, DICLCM = 9.5 × 106]. Conclusions Dietary pattern behaviors of Hispanics/Latinos in the United States tend to align by ethnic background for some foods and by location for other foods. Consideration of both factors is imperative to better understand their contributions to population health and developing targeted nutrition intervention studies.
Temperature dynamics and its effects on gas influx handling during managed pressure drilling operations

Abstract With Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD) becoming increasingly important to oil and gas well construction, there has been a growing demand for comprehensive models that can accurately describe the well hydraulic dynamics, especially for complex well geometries, High-Pressure High-Temperature (HPHT) conditions, during well control events, etc. To meet this demand, new multi-phase hydraulic models have been developed. However, despite their improvement over the traditional lumped parameter models, these models typically do not consider detailed temperature effects, which markedly influence well hydraulics and need to be explicitly considered for accurate MPD control. The development of a new integrated multi-phase thermal and hydraulic modeling framework is presented in this paper. This integrated model can estimate the mud temperature in the drillstring and the annulus, as well as the temperature variations of the formation during complex well control situations. The model uses a semi-implicit finite volume approach and solves the mixture energy equation for the wellbore fluids, assuming that all the phases are in thermal equilibrium. Heat transfer between the drillstring and wellbore fluids, and between the wellbore fluids and the formation is calculated using thermal resistance networks. The steady-state and transient temperature behaviors during mud circulation are compared to the steady-state analytical model by Hasan and Kabir and commercial software. These comparisons show good agreement for both steady-state and transient cases. To demonstrate the importance of accurate temperature estimation of the drillstring and annulus fluids in HPHT conditions, offshore kick scenarios for non-aqueous drilling fluids and dynamic kick control methods are simulated. Simulation results indicate that the model enables real-time estimation of crucial parameters during well control, such as the wellbore pressure and temperature profiles, increased outflow and pit gain during kicks, gas thermodynamic behavior including solubility and unloading behavior at low pressure conditions, gas rising velocity, and temperature-dependent formation strength.
Inherited Variants in SCARB1 Cause Severe Early-Onset Coronary Artery Disease.

Rationale: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a pervasive and critical healthcare problem. Elevated high density lipoprotein-associated cholesterol (HDL-C) is associated with improved atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) outcomes on a population level, but clinical trials aimed at HDL-C elevation have not succeeded in improving ASCVD event risk. Nevertheless, human variants in the HDL receptor, encoded by SCARB1, are associated with dyslipidemia, suggesting that HDL metabolism, not HDL-C, is a suitable target for therapy. However, variants in SCARB1 have never been directly attributed to CAD by Mendelian inheritance. Objective: To determine if compound heterozygous variants in SCARB1 cause disease in two brothers with severe, early-onset CAD. Methods and Results: Using whole exome sequencing, we have identified rare, compound heterozygous variants in SCARB1 that segregate with severe, premature CAD, following patterns of Mendelian inheritance. Using induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocyte-like cells (iPSC-HLCs) from the proband, we discovered the maternal variant (c.754_755delinsC) to be the first identified SCARB1 null allele, characterized by the absence of RNA and protein expression. Further, we demonstrate that the variant on the paternal allele (c.956G>T (p.G319V)) results in decreased cholesterol uptake, decreased SR-BI:HDL binding, and increased affinity for SR-BI dimerization. Finally, we generated a p.G319V knock-in mouse model that displays nearly 100% homozygous lethality and elevated plasma cholesterol in heterozygous animals, confirming pathogenicity of this variant. Conclusions: In summary, our data provide the first molecular mechanism to show the Mendelian inheritance of CAD as a result of human SCARB1 variants. The rarity of these variants supports pathogenicity in this family. Furthermore, SR-BI p.G319V, which has previously been reported benign in the context of heterozygosity, was uniquely presented alongside a null allele, demonstrating the disease-contributing capability of loss-of-function SCARB1 variants within the population.
Identities of English: Native or National or Global?

Identity is a post-structuralist invention as well as search. Learning, knowing, and using English as a second language or an international language, or a global language entails acquisition of new identities. Non-recognition of the same or presence of the clash between old and new identities results in failure to acquire English as a language with or without culture package. The present paper explores if contemporary English language learners and teachers are aware of the different identities they inevitably acquire and how far they affect their roles as facilitators and learners. It was discovered that both teachers and learners were not in fact bothered about either the new identities or the correlation between identities and their performance. In other words, teachers were least bothered about “what English” or “whose English” they were teaching, and learners were least worried about the identities they acquire. It was hypothesized in the study that awareness of linguistic identities by both teachers and learners would boost their confidence and competence.
For Thine Is the Stretch, the Power, and the Glory: Bibliometrics as a Branch of Relaxation Kinetics

A stretched exponential function taking the form, f(x) = exp(-x^β), x ∈ [0, ∞), β ∈ (0, 1], characterizes decay, diffusion, and relaxation phenomena known as Kohlrausch-Williams-Watts (KWW) processes. Recent work, particularly on relaxation kinetics in metallic glasses, has described the conditions under the shape parameter β deviates from its usual value. Where β > 1, the corresponding exponential function is compressed rather than stretched. The β-generalized exponential function provides good parametric fits for two measures of influence in legal academia: law review impact factors and Social Science Research Network (SSRN) downloads per author. A stretched exponential function models impact factors from 2007 through 2019. A compressed exponential function describes SSRN downloads per author by law school, except the single outlier atop the rankings. A power law distribution fits the SSRN data, but only for the top 100 schools. The fact that the value of the exponent β straddles the value of 1, which characterizes an ordinary exponential function, is not a trivial artifact of fitting a model to observed bibliometric data. Treating the reciprocal of β as a rough measure of heterogeneity, h = 1/β, suggests that impact factors and SSRN downloads measure different aspects of academic influence in law. Law reviews, especially as the stigma of online publishing recedes, have become more heterogeneous. By contrast, the compressed rather than stretched exponential kinetics of SSRN data implies the presence of avalanche-like processes in the posting and sharing of preprints among legal scholars.
Rates and asymmetries in B→ Kπ decays

Abstract We discuss a potential discrepancy in an approximate relation among B → Kπ rates which, with increased statistical significance, would imply new physics in Δ I =1 transitions. An approximate relation between CP-violating rate differences in B 0 / B 0 →K ± π ∓ and B ± → K ± π 0 is used to combine these rate differences to reduce upper limits on the two CP asymmetries. These rates and asymmetries are used to update bounds on the CKM phase γ .
Line strengths of H2O and N2O in the 1900-kayser region

Laboratory measurements of the line strengths of H2O and N2O in the 1900-kayser spectral region are reported which were made with moderate resolution using a modification of a Michelson interferometer. The N2O analysis includes measurements of the line strengths of the P and R branches and the integrated strength of the Q branch of the nu-1 + nu-2(1) band as well as the integrated strengths of the Q branches of the nu-1 + nu-2(2) - nu-2 and nu-1 + nu-2(0) - nu-2(1) bands. The H2O data cover the region from 1830 to 1980 kaysers; they include line-strength measurements of 61 lines of the nu-2 band, 10 lines of the nu-2 band of H2(O-18), two lines of the nu-2 band of H2(O-17), and three lines of the 'hot' band transition 2 nu-2 - nu-2. The estimated uncertainties in the measured line strengths range from 7% to 20% for H2O, 10% to 25% for H2(O-18) and H2(O-17), and 4% to 8% for N2O.
Peer to peer advertising through social networking webistes

Peer-To-Peer advertising is the newest trend in the age of online advertising. The Facebook gift phenomenon or invention of Application directories in Orkut or rapidly increasing usage of Avatars in Second-Life, all lead to new market dynamics using the latest advertising mode. In this paper we develop a strategic interaction model and explain how the structure of peer-to-peer link formations in social networking websites affect the advertising dynamics in electronic space. The paper examines how the stability and efficiency of advertising networks differ depending upon the network structure. In our simple graph theoretic model the cost components of a network not only include link maintenance cost but also include users' privacy costs which may increase as the length of the diameter of the network increases. In the model the utility of the advertiser does not only depend on the intrinsic value of her peers in the network (as assumed in standard Economics literature) but also on the quality of 'user service' the advertiser provides. The results show how the network structures affect the optimal pricing,advertising and link formation strategies of the players (platforms, advertisers and general users). Additionally, the model also explains why the users of social networking website often experience inter-platform migration.
Techniques for induction of general anesthesia in the pediatric dental patient.

youngchildren undergoingbriefoutpatientprocedures. Anesthesiology 1989;70:598-600.18. Rita L, Seleny FL, MazurekA, Rabins S: Intramuscularmidazolam for pediatric preanesthetic sedation: a double-blindcontrolled study with morphine. Anesthesiology 1985;63:528-531.19. HendersonJM,BrodskyDA,FisherDM,BrettCM,Hert-zka RE: Pre-induction of anesthesia in pediatric patients withnasally administered sufentanil. Anesthesiology 1988;68:671-675.20. Wilton NCT, Leigh J, Rosen DR, Pandit UA: Preanes-theticsedationofpreschoolchildrenusingintranasalmidazolam.Anesthesiology 1988;69:972-975.
A New Auto-associative Memory Based on Lattice Algebra

This paper presents a novel, three-stage, auto-associative memory based on lattice algebra. The first two stages of this memory consist of correlation matrix memories within the lattice domain. The third and final stage is a two-layer feed-forward network based on dendritic computing. The output nodes of this feed-forward network yield the desired pattern vector association. The computations performed by each stage are all lattice based and, thus, provide for fast computation and avoidance of convergence problems. Additionally, the proposed model is extremely robust in the presence of noise. Bounds of allowable noise that guarantees perfect output are also discussed.
Unstructured mesh algorithms for aerodynamic calculations

The use of unstructured mesh techniques for solving complex aerodynamic flows is discussed. The principle advantages of unstructured mesh strategies, as they relate to complex geometries, adaptive meshing capabilities, and parallel processing are emphasized. The various aspects required for the efficient and accurate solution of aerodynamic flows are addressed. These include mesh generation, mesh adaptivity, solution algorithms, convergence acceleration, and turbulence modeling. Computations of viscous turbulent two-dimensional flows and inviscid three-dimensional flows about complex configurations are demonstrated. Remaining obstacles and directions for future research are also outlined.
Localization of cardiac (alpha)-myosin heavy chain mRNA is regulated by its 3′ untranslated region via mechanical activity and translational block

We have altered the spontaneous contractile activity of neonatal cardiac myocytes in culture to investigate the re-lationship between mechanical forces, myofibril assembly, and the localization and translation of (alpha)-myosin heavy chain mRNA. Immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization techniques revealed that contracting myocytes display well aligned myofibrils and a diffuse distribution of (alpha)-myosin heavy chain mRNA. Inhibition of contractile activity with the calcium channel blocker verapamil (10 microM) resulted in myofibril disassembly and a perinuclear mRNA distribution within six hours. There was a significant decrease (P
Laser generation of convergent acoustic waves for materials inspection

Abstract A laser technique for generating convergent acoustic waves is described. The optically probed Rayleigh wave in the centre of convergence shows an amplification factor of the order of 20 with respect to a collimated surface wave. Applications to the ultrasonic characterization of layered materials and to crack detection are described.
Selective flux of organic liquids and solids using nanoporous membranes of polydicyclopentadiene

Membranes were fabricated from the ring opening metathesis polymerization of dicyclopentadiene with the Grubbs first generation catalyst, and the permeability of twenty-one molecules through them was studied. Both polar and apolar molecules with molecular weights from 101 to 583 g mol−1 permeated these membranes with values for flux of 10−5 to 10−6 mol cm−2 h−1 but selected molecules did not permeate them and had flux 104 to 105 times slower. The difference in flux was large between molecules that permeated and those that did not permeate, but no trend was observed that correlated flux with molecular weight or hydrophobicity. Rather, molecules that did not permeate the membranes had large cross-sectional areas that led to low rates of diffusion within the highly cross-linked polydicyclopentadiene membranes. The degree of cross-linking within the polydicyclopentadiene membranes was measured using infrared spectroscopy and approximately 84% of the dicyclopentadiene monomer had reacted to form cross-links. These are the first organic solvent nanofiltration membranes that separate molecules with molecular weights from 100 to 600 g mol−1 based on cross-sectional areas.
Coronary-Subclavian Steal: A Cause of Recurrent Myocardial Ischemia

Coronary-subclavian steal through an internal mammary artery (IMA) graft is a rare cause of myocardial ischemia in patients who have previously undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Two patients presented with upper extremity ischemic symptoms and recurrent angina pectoris 3 to 4 years following coronary artery bypass with in situ IMA grafts. Diagnosis of coronary-subclavian steal was confirmed by brachiocephalic arteriography, which showed tight stenosis or occlusion of the proximal subclavian artery. Coronary arteriography showed retrograde filling of the IMA with steal from the coronary circulation. Both patients were successfully treated by carotid-subclavian bypass.
Immunology: Mobilizing the army.

When our bodies are injured or infected, inflammatory cells migrate to the damaged area to carry out rescue and repair work. Interactions between three types of protein may form the basis of a highway to guide these cells.
The catecholamine pontine cellular groups locus coeruleus, A4, subcoeruleus in the primate Cebus apella.

The distribution of CA neurons of areas A6 and A4 was delineated inCebus apella monkey using the fluorescent histochemical technique of Falck and Hillarp. Cytospectroscopy was utilized for CA differentiation. The noradrenergic cellular regions A6, A4, and subcoeruleus have extensively increased in size in theCebus as compared to the rat and appear to be separate nuclear regions. Area A4 is made up of two cellular subgroups: a more abundant lateral magnocellular area with cells as large as 45 μm and a smaller medial parvocellular group where the neurons are spindle-shaped and lie within 10–100 μm of the ependyma. The neuronal processes of A4 tend to be directed towards the flocculus and paraflocculus of the cerebellum. Some processes seem to enter the ependyma and others end subependymally. The functional significance of the pontine CA neurons is discussed.
Mean wave solution: bounded medium—discrete scatterers

Multiple scattering technique has been employed in order to derive an eqaution for the mean wave which is propagating in a one dimensional half space random medium containing randomly distributed discrete scatterers with nonuniform background. The equation of the mean field is in the form of Dyson equation. Small and large scale variables have been defined, and the two variable expansion technique has been used in order to obtain the zero order solution to the mean field. In this solution it is assumed that the interparticulate spacing over the size of the particle is small compared to unity (sparse distribution of scatterers). In contrast to the one dimensional continuous random medium, only one effective propagation constant has been found. The zero order solution to the mean field can be used in order to derive the radiative transfer equation from the correlation equation, thus eliminating the gap between the multiple scattering and radiative transfer theory.
BMP Pathway Regulation of and by Macrophages

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease of progressively increasing pulmonary vascular resistance, associated with mutations of the type 2 receptor for the BMP pathway, BMPR2. The canonical signaling pathway for BMPR2 is through the SMAD family of transcription factors. BMPR2 is expressed in every cell type, but the impact of BMPR2 mutations affecting SMAD signaling, such as Bmpr2delx4+, had only previously been investigated in smooth muscle and endothelium. In the present study, we created a mouse with universal doxycycline-inducible expression of Bmpr2delx4+ in order to determine if broader expression had an impact relevant to the development of PAH. We found that the most obvious phenotype was a dramatic, but patchy, increase in pulmonary inflammation. We crossed these double transgenic mice onto an NF-κB reporter strain, and by luciferase assays on live mice, individual organs and isolated macrophages, we narrowed down the origin of the inflammatory phenotype to constitutive activation of tissue macrophages. Study of bone marrow-derived macrophages from mutant and wild-type mice suggested a baseline difference in differentiation state in Bmpr2 mutants. When activated with LPS, both mutant and wild-type macrophages secrete BMP pathway inhibitors sufficient to suppress BMP pathway activity in smooth muscle cells (SMC) treated with conditioned media. Functionally, co-culture with macrophages results in a BMP signaling-dependent increase in scratch closure in cultured SMC. We conclude that SMAD signaling through BMP is responsible, in part, for preventing macrophage activation in both live animals and in cells in culture, and that activated macrophages secrete BMP inhibitors in sufficient quantity to cause paracrine effect on vascular smooth muscle.
A defense framework against malware and vulnerability exploits

Current anti-malware tools have proved to be insufficient in combating ever-evolving malware attacks and vulnerability exploits due to inevitable vulnerabilities present in the complex software used today. In addition, the performance penalty incurred by anti-malware tools is magnified when security approaches designed for desktops are migrated to modern mobile devices, such as tablets and laptops, due to their relatively limited processing capabilities and battery capacities. In this paper, we propose a fine-grained anomaly detection defense framework that offers a cost-efficient way to detect malicious behavior and prevent vulnerability exploits in resource-constrained computing platforms. In this framework, a trusted third party (e.g., the publisher) first tests a new application by running it in a heavily monitored testing environment that emulates the target system and extracts a behavioral model from its execution paths. Extensive security policies are enforced during this process. In case of a violation, the program is denied release to the user. If the application passes the tests, the user can download the behavioral model along with the tested application binary. At run-time, the application is monitored against the behavioral model. In the unlikely event that a new execution path is encountered, conservative but lightweight security policies are applied. To reduce overhead at the user end, the behavioral model may be further reduced by the publisher through static analysis. We have implemented the defense framework using a netbook with the Intel Atom processor and evaluated it with a suite of 51 real-world Linux viruses and malware. Experiments demonstrate that our tool achieves a very high coverage (98 %) of considered malware and security threats. The four antivirus tools we compare our tool against were found to have poor virus coverage, especially of obfuscated viruses. By removing safe standard library blocks from the behavioral model, we reduce the model size by 8.4 $$\times $$ × and the user's run-time overhead by 23 %.
Cost-effectiveness of school-based asthma screening in an urban setting.

Background Much has been done to promote population-based childhood asthma screening; however, concerns remain regarding its cost-effectiveness. Objectives To conduct a cost-effectiveness analysis of school-based asthma screening strategies. Methods A 5 health state Markov approach (symptom-free, symptom, exacerbation recovery, emergency department, and hospitalization day) was used to evaluate school-based screening in a simulated population of urban elementary-age school children. Two questionnaire and 2 multistage strategies incorporating spirometry or spirometry with exercise testing were evaluated from the societal perspective by using 365 daily cycles. The outcome was 2006 dollars per quality-adjusted life year (QALY). Results The most efficient strategy identified children with previously diagnosed but poorly controlled asthma at a cost of $150,000 per QALY (95% CI, $65,800-$318,000). Uncertainty surrounding the cost-effectiveness estimate was primarily a result of the symptom day preference weight estimate (44%), the probability of confirmation after screening (17%), the adequacy of asthma control in the population (9%), and the estimated treatment effect on symptoms (6%). Screening generated an additional 21 symptom-free day equivalents per child identified with previously diagnosed but not well controlled asthma and led to $85.55, $12.36, and $2.58 in additional screening, daily treatment, and indirect costs and $5.01 less in emergency department and hospitalization costs. Conclusion Population-based asthma screening is not cost-effective at $50,000 per QALY and has only a 20% chance of being cost-effective at $100,000 per QALY. The most efficient approach is to screen for previously diagnosed but poorly controlled asthma. Linking screening with better treatment, and long-term adherence strategies might yield future cost-effective approaches.
Clone clustering by hybridization

DNA sequencing by hybridization (SBH) Format 1 technique is based on experiments in which thousands of short oligomers are consecutively hybridized with dense arrays of clones. In this paper we present the description of a method for obtaining hybridization signatures for individual clones that guarantees reproducibility despite a wide range of variations in experimental circumstances, a sensitive method for signature comparison at prespecified significance levels, and a clustering algorithm that correctly identifies clusters of significantly similar signatures. The methods and the algorithm have been verified experimentally on a control set of 422 signatures that originate from 9 distinct clones of known sequence. Experiments indicate that only 30 to 50 oligomer probes suffice for correct clustering. This information about the identity of clones can be used to guide both genomic and cDNA sequencing by SBH or by standard gel-based methods.
Exploring and Mapping the World of Astrocytes

Modern-day explorers use a variety of unique tools and equipment to climb unknown peaks and reveal new vistas to others. First ascent routes are named by the climbers and are described in the mountaineering and rock climbing journals, documenting the way for others to follow. Wilderness travel and neuroscience research attract pioneers like Leif Hertz, who enjoys the remote forests and mountains, as well as the unexplored areas of astrocytes, their physiology, biochemistry, signaling, energetics, neurotransmitter-related roles, and biological functions. Leif began his scientific career in the early 1960s with Professor Mogens Schou in Aarhus, Denmark, studying the influence of monovalent cations on respiration in brain slices. He quickly followed up this initial work with assays of the effects of K and Na on respiration in astrocytes acutely-dissected from adult brain under the auspices of Erik Zeuthen at the Carlsberg Laboratory, Copenhagen. Professor Holger Hyden, Goteborg, Sweden, was Leif’s spiritual mentor who provided inspiration and perspective in his early years. Most of Leif’s subsequent studies utilized primary cultures of astrocytes as a model system to evaluate properties of astrocytes. Astrocyte cultures were developed by Monique Sensenbrenner in Paul Mandel’s laboratory in Strasbourg, and collaborations between Leif and his wife Elna, who prepared almost all of the cultures for many years, led to many co-authored publications. An important underlying theme of Leif’s work throughout more than 50 years of research has been interactions between K uptake and energy metabolism in astrocytes, i.e., interfacing with neuronal activity. From this center, Leif’s interests have led in many directions, including the roles of astrocytes in glutamate, glutamine, and GABA metabolism (with Arne Schousboe) and the interactions of energy metabolism with neurotransmitter turnover and receptor activity in astrocytes. Leif’s work involved students, fellows, and many collaborating scientists, and his laboratory was supported for more than 20 years by the Medical Special Issue: In Honor of Dr. Leif Hertz.
A peer-to-peer approach to providing QoS monitoring for web service activities

Steady increases in the adoption of web services for automating critical business processes or activities demand that certain Quality of Service (QoS) metrics are met. Common approaches to QoS monitoring are primarily based on a centralized model that we found to be inadequate in large-scale and high-volume computing environments, such as Intel's Assembly and Test manufacturing facilities. The main reasons are: scalability, issues related to practical deployment, and reconfigurability.In this paper, we will present a peer-to-peer approach that works by transparently turning a web service into a potential QoS monitor for all activities that flow through it. A lightweight middleware component, residing within the web service implementation, provides this transparency. The middleware component collects QoS metrics from a web service during activity processing and embeds the metrics within the business data payload. This allows the peers of that service to receive QoS metrics, apply specific monitoring rules, or take specific actions as the activity flows from one web service to the next. This decentralized pattern allows activities of different complexity and length to be monitored seamlessly. We will discuss our experience in implementing and using this technique at Intel's high-volume Assembly and Test manufacturing environment that span across multiple continents and geographic regions.
Ex vivo expansion of umbilical cord blood

The efficacy of cord blood (CB) transplantation is limited by the low cell dose available. Low cell doses at transplant are correlated with delayed engraftment, prolonged neutropenia and thrombocytopenia and elevated risk of graft failure. To potentially improve the efficacy of CB transplantation, approaches have been taken to increase the cell dose available. One approach is the transplantation of multiple cord units, another the use of ex vivo expansion. Evidence for a functional and phenotypic heterogeneity exists within the HSC population and one concern associated with ex vivo expansion is that the expansion of lower 'quality' hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) occurs at the expense of higher 'quality' HPC, thereby impacting the reserve of the graft. There is evidence that this is a valid concern while other evidence suggests that higher quality HPC are preserved and not exhausted. Currently, ex vivo expansion processes include: (1) liquid expansion: CD34+ or CD133+ cells are selected and cultured in medium containing factors targeting the proliferation and self-renewal of primitive hematopoietic progenitors; (2) co-culture expansion: unmanipulated CB cells are cultured with stromal components of the hematopoietic microenvironment, specifically mesenchymal stem cells (MSC), in medium containing growth factors; and (3) continuous perfusion: CB HPC are cultured with growth factors in 'bioreactors' rather than in static cultures. These approaches are discussed. Ultimately, the goal of ex vivo expansion is to increase the available dose of the CB cells responsible for successful engraftment, thereby reducing the time to engraftment and reducing the risk of graft failure.
Isolation and partial characterization of secretory granule membranes from the rat parotid gland

Abstract Secretory granule fractions prepared by the Urografin gradient method of Kirshner et al . ( Analyt. Biochem . 52 , 589–594) demonstrate an impressive degree of purity as judged by electron-microscopic appearance and chemical and enzymic analyses. Granule membrane preparations, obtained by hypotonic lysis of the secretory granules followed by simple sedimentation of the particulate material, were seen to be significantly contaminated by mitochondria, unlysed granules and other debris. In an effort to improve the purity of the membranes, lysed granules were subjected to discontinuous sucrose-density centrifugation, resulting in the recovery of 3 fractions, one of which contained membrane fragments, free of contamination by other organelles and debris. This membrane fraction, as well as the other two fractions, were characterized with respect to ultrastructural appearance, amino-acid composition and presence of loosely associated proline-rich proteins. The results indicate that previously reported characteristics of rat parotid secretory granule membranes are inaccurate due to the organelle contamination demonstrated in this study.
Activation of rat liver glucocorticoid receptor bound to the antiglucocorticoid Ru38486

The kinetics of steroid binding to rat liver glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and receptor denaturation were dependent upon the nature of the molecule occupying GR. Both the agonist [triamcinolone acetonide (TA)] and the antagonist (Ru38486) however competed for the same saturable binding site. Despite opposing physiological action, both steroid analogues permitted receptor activation as evident by binding to DNA-cellulose and 9S to 4S shift on sucrose gradient sedimentation. It therefore seems necessary to reevaluate a current notion that antagonist action of RU38486 in rat liver is a result of impaired receptor activation.
Facies Analysis of Pinnacle Reefs of Guelph Formation (Middle Silurian), Northern Michigan: ABSTRACT

Five facies were defined on the basis of a Q-mode cluster analysis of petrographic data derived from well core samples of five Guelph Formation pinnacle reefs. The five statistically significant facies are crinozoan facies, bryozoan facies, mixed skeletal facies, stromatoporoid-coral facies, and brachiopod facies. Additionally, empirical data were used to define an algal facies. Pinnacle reefs initially formed as carbonate mud mounds when bryozoan and crinozoan "mud dwellers" baffled and trapped sediment. This mechanism allowed the mounds to grow upward into a zone near wave base. As mud-mound buildup reached wave base, an ecological regime suitable for the development of a stromatoporoid-coral reef was established. Guelph Formation pinnacle reef growth ended after the deposition of an algal boundstone lithofacies. Crests of pinnacle reefs were at or close to sea level prior to a major sea regression marking the end of the Niagaran Series. End_of_Article - Last_Page 573------------
Path recognition system based on CCD sensor

A path recognition system based on CCD sensor. The imaging data of the path right ahead come from the CCD sensor. The system take the advantage of imagepsilas forward looking to reduce hysteresis of the guidance system while the real-time characteristics is improved. The system compresses the imaging data to reduce the data size, thereby lightening load. As the same time, process denoising by the principle of path sequentiality, so it can reduce noise timely and effectively. Experiments prove that this path recognition system based on CCD sensor can make the smart ear run fast and smoothly along the path.
Effect of meal volume on gastric emptying

While the volume of a liquid meal has been identified as the principal accelerator of gastric emptying of liquids, the relationship between meal volume and gastric emptying of solids has been controversial. With solid foods, the need to reduce solid foods into small particles (trituration) before passage might obscure the effect of meal volume on solid propulsion. To distinguish trituration from driving force as the rate-limiting factor for emptying, 75 (1.6 mm) nylon spheres were fed along with different amounts of steak meals (150, 300 and 600 g), or alternatively, 50, 100 or 200 (1.6 mm) nylon spheres were fed to six dogs with 300 g steak meals. To examine the effect of meal volume on gastric emptying, we studied the effect of different meal volumes on the speed of gastric emptying of liquids (150, 300, 600 and 1200 ml of phosphate buffer) and solids (150, 300 and 600 g of cooked beef steak) in five dogs with duodenal fistulas. Intestinal inhibition was eliminated by diverting all chyme through the fistulas. In the absence of intestinal feedback, we found that gastric emptying of steak and spheres were different in that steak emptying was independent of meal volume (g min-1 was constant across 150–600 g) while sphere emptying was affected by the number of spheres in the stomach and that liquid emptying was dependent on the meal volume (ml min-1 increased across 150–1200 ml). Thus, meal volume accelerated gastric emptying provided the process is not rate-limited by trituration.
Effect of vaccine-induced immune activation on the performance of early-weaned pigs.

Two groups of 96 pigs were studied to determine the influence of weaning age, nursery site and a challenge to their immune system on their performance. The weaning ages were 11 to 16 days and 16 to 21 days. One nursery was on-site and the second nursery was off-site. Immune activation was stimulated by the administration of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBR) vaccine to half of the pigs at each site. Serum virus neutralisation titres to IBR and total immunoglobulins were monitored in some of the pigs in each group. Performance was measured in terms of feed intake, average daily gain in weight, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The mean serum immunoglobulin concentrations of all the groups of pigs tended to decrease in the first two weeks after weaning and then increase. Twelve of 20 pigs vaccinated with IBR had neutralisation titres to the virus. The site of the nursery did not significantly affect average daily gain in weight, feed intake or FCR. Pigs weaned at 16 to 21 days of age had a significantly better daily gain in weight than the pigs weaned at 11 to 16 days of age. Immune stimulation of the older weaned pigs did not influence their performance, but it had a significantly (P<0.016) negative effect on the performance of the younger weaned pigs.
Silicon facilitation of copper utilization in the rat.

Abstract An eight-week, 2 × 4 factorial rat experiment using two levels of dietary copper and four levels of dietary silicon was conducted to further delineate a previously observed silicon-copper interaction in which silicon appears to mimic copper in its effect on the composition of the aorta. Dietary copper concentrations were 1.4 (deficient) and 5.4 (adequate) mg/kg diet, and silicon concentrations were 5, 135, 270, and 540 mg/kg diet. Compared with the lowest level of silicon and copper, weight gains were 15.5% higher for rats fed 540 mg silicon/kg diet and 14.3% higher for those fed 5.4 mg copper/kg diet. The growth-promoting effects of silicon and copper were additive. Evidence that silicon elevated the copper status of copper-deficient rats includes an increase in packed-cell volume by 540 mg silicon/kg diet in the otherwise packed-cell volume-depressed, copper-deficient rats, accompanied by a trend toward higher hemoglobin values and lower relative heart weights. In the copper-adequate rats, evidence that 540 mg silicon/kg diet elevated their copper status includes a two-fold increase in the blood-plasma copper concentration, a three-fold increase in ceruloplasmin activity, and an increase in cardiac, renal, and hepatic copper concentrations. In addition, 540 mg silicon/kg diet resulted in higher aortic dry mass and aortic elastin content in both copper-deficient and copper-adequate rats. While dietary silicon concentrations of 135, 270, and 540 mg/kg diet were all effective in increasing aortic elastin in the copper-adequate rats, only 540 mg silicon/kg diet increased aortic elastin in the copper-deficient rats. These data indicate that some of the metabolic effects attributed to silicon may be manifested through a silicon-facilitated increase in copper utilization.
Teacher Opinions on Performance Pay: Evidence from India

The practical viability of performance-based pay programs for teachers depends critically on the extent of support the idea will receive from teachers. We present evidence on teacher opinions with regard to performance-based pay from teacher interviews conducted in the context of an experimental evaluation of a program that provided performance-based bonuses to teachers in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. We report four main findings in this paper: (1) over 80% of teachers had a favorable opinion about the idea of linking a component of pay to measures of performance, (2) exposure to an actual incentive program increased teacher support for the idea, (3) teacher support declines with age, experience, training, and base pay, and (4) the extent of teachers' stated ex-ante support for performance-linked pay (over a series of mean- preserving spreads of pay) is positively correlated with their ex-post performance as measured by estimates of teacher value addition. This suggests that teachers are aware of their own effectiveness and that implementing a performance-linked pay program could not only have broad-based support among teachers but also attract more effective teachers into the teaching profession.
The 1992 Landers earthquake sequence: Earthquake occurrence and structural heterogeneities

The June 28, 1992, Mw 7.3 Landers earthquake occurred in the southeastern Mojave Desert, California. Over 10,000 aftershocks of the earthquake were recorded by the Caltech-USGS Southern California Seismic Network (SCSN) in 1992. To investigate the relationship between complexities in the crustal structure and variations in seismicity, we have used a tomographic method to invert 145,098 P wave arrival times from 3740 Landers earthquake aftershocks and 1148 other events recorded by 60 permanent and temporary SCSN stations. We determined a detailed P wave tomographic image with a spatial resolution of about 5 km and relocated the hypocenters with the obtained 3-D velocity model. The results show a correlation between seismicity patterns and velocity patterns and a tendency for regions rich in seismicity to be associated with higher velocities. The higher velocity areas are considered to be strong and brittle parts of the fault zone, which are apt to generate earthquakes. In contrast, low velocity areas are probably more ductile and weaker, allowing aseismic slippage.
Marketing Management in Nonprofit Organizations: A Customer Analysis of Church Volunteers

ABSTRACT Volunteers who work in nonprofit organizations serve an important role in our society, as evidenced by their economic impact. Nonprofit organizations which rely on volunteers are finding it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of volunteers to fulfill their missions. Faced with this situation, managers need to become more marketing oriented in their approach of dealing with their volunteers. A manager's first step in becoming more marketing oriented is obtaining a better understanding of the organization's volunteers. This article presents an example of a customer analysis of a specific group of volunteers–church volunteers, to test the efficacy of this approach in better understanding a target group of volunteers. Collecting data from survey respondents, comparisons are made between church volunteers and non-volunteers, between church volunteers and secular volunteers, and between church members who volunteer in their churches and church members who volunteer in secula...
In-situ speech visualization in real-time interactive installation and performance

Although we can sense someone's vocalizations with our ears, nose, and haptic sense, speech is invisible to us without the help of technical aids. In this paper, we present three interactive artworks which explore the question: "if we could see our speech, what might it look like?" The artworks we present are concerned with the aesthetic implications of making the human voice visible, and were created with a particular emphasis on interaction designs that support the perception of tight spatio-temporal relationships between sound, image, and the body. We coin the term in-situ speech visualization to describe a variety of augmented-reality techniques by which graphic representations of speech can be made to appear coincident with their apparent point of origination.
Climate of West Antarctica and Influence of Marine Air Intrusions

Abstract High-resolution numerical weather forecasts from the Antarctic Mesoscale Prediction System (AMPS) archive are used to investigate the climate of West Antarctica (WA) during 2006–07. A comparison with observations from West Antarctic automatic weather stations confirms the skill of the model at simulating near-surface variables. AMPS cloud cover is also compared with estimates of monthly cloud fractions over Antarctica derived from spaceborne lidar measurements, revealing close agreement between both datasets. Comparison with 20-yr averages from the Interim ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-Interim) dataset demonstrates that the 2006–07 time period as a whole is reflective of the West Antarctic climate from the last two decades. On the 2006–07 annual means computed from AMPS forecasts, the most salient feature is a tongue-shaped pattern of higher cloudiness, accumulation, and 2-m potential temperature stretching over central WA. This feature is caused by repeated intrusions of marine air inland linked to the...