cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure and Function of Cadherin Extracellular Regions

Cell-surface glycoproteins of the cadherin superfamily are defined by the presence of extracellular cadherin (EC) β-sandwich domains in their extracellular regions. EC domains adopt a fold similar to immunoglobulin domains, but most EC domains ligate calcium through stereotyped sites positioned between successive domains; Ca2+-binding at these sites rigidifies cadherin extracellular regions. Although the superfamily is highly diverse and may serve numerous functions, the best-characterized members are the vertebrate “classical” cadherins, which mediate cell–cell adhesion via homodimerization between their membrane-distal EC1 domains. Nonclassical and invertebrate cadherins have evolved distinct mechanisms for cell recognition and adhesion, and are only now beginning to be understood.
Intelligent Instantiation and Supersafe Rules

In the input languages of most answer set solvers, a rule with variables has, conceptually, infinitely many instances. The primary role of the process of intelligent instillation is to identify a finite set of ground instances of rules of the given program that are "essential" for generating its stable models. This process can be launched only when all rules of the program are safe. If a program contains arithmetic operations or comparisons then its rules are expected to satisfy conditions that are even stronger than safety. This paper is an attempt to make the idea of an essential instance and the need for "supersafety" in the process of intelligent instantiation mathematically precise.
Can I Ask for Help? The Relationship Among Incarcerated Males’ Sexual Orientation, Sexual Abuse History, and Perceptions of Rape in Prison:

In 2003, Congress passed the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Although subsequent research to PREA has shed light on the prevalence and incidence of sexual violence in American prisons, few stud...
Effects of Physician-targeted Pay for Performance on Use of Spontaneous Breathing Trials in Mechanically Ventilated Patients.

Rationale: Pay for performance is an increasingly common quality improvement strategy despite the absence of robust supporting evidence.Objectives: To determine the impact of a financial incentive program rewarding physicians for the completion of daily spontaneous breathing trials (SBTs) in three academic hospitals.Methods: We compared data from mechanically ventilated patients from 6 months before to 2 years after introduction of a financial incentive program that provided annual payments to critical care physicians contingent on unit-level SBT completion rates. We used Poisson regression to compare the frequency of days on which SBTs were completed among eligible patients and days on which patients were excluded from SBT eligibility among all mechanically ventilated patients. We used multivariate regression to compare risk-adjusted duration of mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality.Measurements and Main Results: The cohort included 7,291 mechanically ventilated patients with 75,621 ventilator...
Vertical transport in isotype InAlN/GaN dipole induced diodes grown by molecular beam epitaxy

InAlN dipole diodes were developed and fabricated on both (0001) Ga-Face and 000 1 ¯ N-face oriented GaN on sapphire templates by molecular beam epitaxy. The orientation and direction of the InAlN polarization dipole are functions of the substrate orientation and composition, respectively. Special consideration was taken to minimize growth differences and impurity uptake during growth on these orientations of opposite polarity. Comparison of devices on similarly grown structures with In compositions in excess of 50% reveals that dipole diodes shows poorer forward bias performance and exhibited an increase in reverse bias leakage, regardless of orientation. Similarly, (0001) Ga-face oriented InAlN at a lowered 40% In composition had poor device characteristics, namely, the absence of expected exponential turn on in forward bias. By contrast, at In compositions close to 40%, 000 1 ¯ N-face oriented InAlN devices had excellent performance, with over five orders of magnitude of rectification and extracted bar...
Strategy, Decision Making, and Cognition: An Integrative Perspective

Reflecting the dis-equilibrium provoking, ongoing process nature of competition, the role of management in firms has evolved from determining quantity and implementing production function to recognizing, understanding, creating, selecting, implementing, and modifying strategies. The quest for competitive advantages compels firms to continuously engage in strategy and related activities. Given that decision making and cognition are two, somewhat implicit and highly intertwined, concepts that are central to strategy, this research responds to the call for integrating developments in cognition to make strategic decision making more impactful. Therefore, given that cognition 1 is seen as a missing link for strategic management and 2 can impact strategic decision making, this research integrates the perspectives from strategy, decision making, and cognition to develop a framework that can shed light on how firms can succeed in their quest for competitive advantages. The paper concludes with a discussion of the contributions and the corresponding implications for research and practice.
USA vs. Mexico: history, geopolitics and economics of one of the world’s oldest rivalries in soccer

This essay tracks one of the oldest and most intense rivalries in soccer. First, it focuses on the early historical aspect of the soccer rivalry between the United States and Mexico. Second, the essay focuses on the geopolitics and evolution of CONCACAF. It concludes with an economic analysis of the derby and its impact on the development of professional soccer in the United States.
Polishing Behavior of the Various Interconnect Thin Films in Cu Damascene Process with Different Slurries

Chemical Mechanical Polishing is a key technology for Cu damascene wiring process in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing. It is important to understand the effects of mechanical and tribological properties of the coatings that form a part of Cu damascene structure on the CMP process in order to successfully evaluate and implement these materials. In this paper, we present tribological properties of different interlayer coatings (SiLKTM, Ta and Cu) during their CMP process using different Cu and barrier selective slurries. A micro CMP tester was used to study the fundamental aspects of the CMP process. The coefficient of friction (COF) and acoustic emission (AE) signals were acquired in situ to monitor the process and to see the difference in polishing behavior of these coatings. The issues of end point detection and slurry selectivity are discussed in detail.
ARTIFACT GRAMMARS AND ARCHITECTURAL INVENTION

Architects and other designers invent physical artifacts to serve human needs. Although serendipity and inexplicable flashes of insight can certainly play a role in the production of such inventions, the basic process of deriving them is describable and formalizable, and can be automated. This paper outlines an approach to accomplishing this formalization and automation. 1
An Example of Singularity in Nonlinear Systems

Certain practical constrained global optimization problems have to date defied practical solution with interval branch and bound methods. The exact mechanism causing the difficulty has been difficult to pinpoint. Here, an example is given where the equality constraint set has higher-order singularities and degenerate manifolds of singularities on the feasible set. The reason that this causes problems is discussed, and ways of fixing it are suggested.
Aligned microchannel polymer-nanotube composites for peripheral nerve regeneration: Small molecule drug delivery.

Abstract Peripheral nerve injury accounts for roughly 2.8% of all trauma patients with an annual cost of 7 billion USD in the U.S. alone. Current treatment options rely on surgical intervention with the use of an autograft, despite associated shortcomings. Engineered nerve guidance conduits, stem cell therapies, and transient electrical stimulation have reported to increase speeds of functional recovery. As an alternative to the conduction effects of electrical stimulation, we have designed and optimized a nerve guidance conduit with aligned microchannels for the sustained release of a small molecule drug that promotes nerve impulse conduction. A biodegradable chitosan structure reinforced with drug-loaded halloysite nanotubes (HNT) was formed into a foam-like conduit with interconnected, longitudinally-aligned pores with an average pore size of 59.3 ± 14.2 μm. The aligned composite with HNTs produced anisotropic mechanical behavior with a Young's modulus of 0.33 ± 0.1 MPa, very similar to that of native peripheral nerve. This manuscript reports on the sustained delivery of 4-Aminopyridine (4AP, molecular weight 94.1146 g/mol), a potassium-channel blocker as a growth factor alternative to enhance the rate of nerve regeneration. The conduit formulation released a total of 30 ± 2% of the encapsulated 4AP in the first 7 days. Human Schwann cells showed elevated expression of key proteins such as nerve growth factor, myelin protein zero, and brain derived neurotrophic factor in a 4AP dose dependent manner. Preliminary in vivo studies in a critical-sized sciatic nerve defect in Wistar rats confirmed conduit suturability and strength to withstand ambulatory forces over 4 weeks of their implantation. Histological evaluations suggest conduit biocompatibility and Schwann cell infiltration and organization within the conduit and lumen. These nerve guidance conduits and 4AP sustained delivery may serve as an attractive strategy for nerve repair and regeneration.
The effects of loyalty program introduction and design on short- and long-term sales and gross profits

Loyalty programs (LPs) are marketing investments designed to foster behavioral loyalty among a firm’s best customers and, ultimately, increase firm performance. Surprisingly, the effectiveness of introducing LPs on firm performance in the short and long term has not been thoroughly evaluated. This research examines the extent to which introducing an LP can increase both firm sales and gross profits. Leveraging data from 322 publicly-traded firms that introduced an LP between 2000 and 2015, the authors demonstrate that introducing an LP can increase sales and gross profits in the short term (within the first year), and these positive effects are sustained long term (for at least three years). However, the effects on gross profits do not become significant until the second quarter after LP introduction, and their overall impact on performance lags substantially behind sales. Complementing these primary findings, the results reveal that offering an LP with tiers or earning mechanisms can provide firms with significant increases in sales and gross profits. Taken together, this research demonstrates that introducing strategically designed LPs can dramatically increase firm performance in both the short and long term.
Lahars and Their Deposits

Abstract Lahars occur during volcanic eruptions—or, less predictably, through other processes on steep volcanic terrain—when large masses of water mixed with sediment sweep down and off volcano slopes and commonly incorporate additional sediment and water. Because lahars are water-saturated, both liquid and solid interactions influence their behavior and distinguish them from other related phenomena common to volcanoes, such as debris avalanches and floods. The rock fragments carried by lahars make them especially destructive; the abundant liquid contained in them allows them to flow over gentle gradients and inundate areas far away from their sources. People in such distal areas commonly neither expect the danger nor anticipate the destructive power of lahars.
Comparing Special Education Experiences Among Spanish- and English-Speaking Parents of Children with Disabilities

Due to systemic barriers, Spanish-speaking (versus English-speaking) parents of children with disabilities are less likely to participate in educational decision-making. However, little research has directly compared special education experiences between both populations. The purpose of this study was to explore the differences and similarities between Spanish-speaking (n = 12) and English-speaking (n = 44) parents of children with disabilities. Specifically, six focus groups were conducted in either English or Spanish in two states. There were three main findings: exacerbated negative experiences (e.g., disempowerment and lack of teacher knowledge) for Spanish-speaking (versus English-speaking) parents, unique communication barriers among Spanish-speaking families and shared barriers among English- and Spanish-speaking parents. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Fractals and Randomness in Mechanics of Materials

These notes provide an introduction to two aspects of mechanics of materials: (i) effects of randomness on scaling to effective constitutive responses and (ii) fractal geometries. The first aspect is relevant when the separation of scales does not hold [i.e. when dominant (macroscopic) length scales are large relative to microscale ones]. Then, various concepts of continuum solid mechanics need to be re-examined and new methods developed. Thus, we focus on scaling from a Statistical Volume Element (SVE) to a Representative Volume Element (RVE). Using micromechanics, the RVE is approached in terms of two hierarchies of bounds stemming, respectively, from Dirichlet and Neumann boundary value problems set up on the SVE. While the linear conductive and elastic microstructures were treated in (Ostoja-Starzewski, 2001), here we review this scaling in (non)linear (thermo)elasticity, elasto-plasticity, and viscoelasticity. We also signal the new concept of a scaling function as well as touch on scale effects in stochastic damage mechanics.
Increased Adiposity Associated With Increased Length of Stay for Infants With Bronchiolitis

OBJECTIVES: Excess adiposity upregulates proinflammatory adipokines in infancy that have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of bronchiolitis. The association between excess adiposity and severity of disease in bronchiolitis is unclear. We sought to examine the association between adiposity and length of hospitalization and risk of PICU transfer in children with bronchiolitis. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study examining infants 24 months and younger hospitalized at an academic children’s hospital with bronchiolitis, grouped by weight status (BMI z score and ponderal index). Data were extracted from the medical record, including the following relevant covariates: age, sex, race and/or ethnicity, and International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision codes. Outcomes included length of stay (LOS) and PICU transfer. We used multiple regression to examine the association between each anthropometric measure and LOS and likelihood of PICU transfer. RESULTS: There were 765 children in the final sample, 599 without a significant comorbidity (eg, prematurity, congenital heart disease). The median LOS was 2.8 days (interquartile range 1.7–4.9 days). LOS increased with increasing ponderal index quartile (P = .001). After accounting for age and significant comorbidities, we used multivariable regression to identify a significant association between increasing ponderal index and LOS (P = .04) and no association between BMI and LOS. Logistic regression did not reveal an association between either anthropometric measure and PICU transfer. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we identified an association between a measure of excess adiposity in infants and length of hospitalization for bronchiolitis. Further work is needed to confirm this association, examine potential mechanisms, and account for other potential confounders.
Micro and Nano Patterning for Cell and Tissue Engineering

One of the goals of bioengineers today is to answer the basic question of how individual cells, which together comprise an entire living being, communicate and interact with one another and the physical and chemical environment in which they reside. In this chapter, we will focus on the micro and nano technologies that have been used to investigate the regulation of cell functions by micro and nano features in matrix distribution, surface topography and three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment, and explore the technologies that can be applied to the fabrication of functional tissue constructs.
They Might NOT Be Giants Crafting Black-Box Adversarial Examples Using Particle Swarm Optimization

As machine learning is deployed in more settings, including in security-sensitive applications such as malware detection, the risks posed by adversarial examples that fool machine-learning classifiers have become magnified. Black-box attacks are especially dangerous, as they only require the attacker to have the ability to query the target model and observe the labels it returns, without knowing anything else about the model. Current black-box attacks either have low success rates, require a high number of queries, produce adversarial images that are easily distinguishable from their sources, or are not flexible in controlling the outcome of the attack. In this paper, we present AdversarialPSO, (Code available: https://github.com/rhm6501/AdversarialPSOImages) a black-box attack that uses few queries to create adversarial examples with high success rates. AdversarialPSO is based on Particle Swarm Optimization, a gradient-free evolutionary search algorithm, with special adaptations to make it effective for the black-box setting. It is flexible in balancing the number of queries submitted to the target against the quality of the adversarial examples. We evaluated AdversarialPSO on CIFAR-10, MNIST, and Imagenet, achieving success rates of 94.9%, 98.5%, and 96.9%, respectively, while submitting numbers of queries comparable to prior work. Our results show that black-box attacks can be adapted to favor fewer queries or higher quality adversarial images, while still maintaining high success rates.
Serum lipoprotein–derived fatty acids regulate hypoxia-inducible factor

Oxygen regulates hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) transcription factors to control cell metabolism, erythrogenesis, and angiogenesis. Whereas much has been elucidated about how oxygen regulates HIF, whether lipids affect HIF activity is un-known. Here, using cultured cells and two animal models, we demonstrate that lipoprotein-derived fatty acids are an independent regulator of HIF. Decreasing extracellular lipid supply inhibited HIF prolyl hydroxylation, leading to accumulation of the HIFα subunit of these heterodimeric transcription factors comparable with hypoxia with activation of downstream target genes. The addition of fatty acids to culture medium suppressed this signal, which required an intact mitochondrial respiratory chain. Mechanistically, fatty acids and oxygen are distinct signals integrated to control HIF activity. Finally, we observed lipid signaling to HIF and changes in target gene expression in developing zebrafish and adult mice, and this pathway operates in cancer cells from a range of tissues. This study identifies fatty acids as a physiological modulator of HIF, defining a mechanism for lipoprotein regulation that functions in parallel to oxygen.
Orbital invasion by Esthesioneuroblastoma: a comparative case series and review of literature.

Purpose: To review the current literature on esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) as it pertains to clinical features, grading systems, treatment options, and survival. Methods: A literature search in PubMe...
3D promoter architecture re-organization during iPSC-derived neuronal cell differentiation implicates target genes for neurodevelopmental disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders are thought to arise from interrupted development of the brain at an early age. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified hundreds of loci associated with susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders; however, which noncoding variants regulate which genes at these loci is often unclear. To implicate neuronal GWAS effector genes, we performed an integrated analysis of transcriptomics, epigenomics and chromatin conformation changes during the development from Induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neuronal progenitor cells (NPCs) into neurons using a combination of high-resolution promoter-focused Capture-C, ATAC-seq and RNA-seq. We observed that gene expression changes during the NPC-to-neuron transition were highly dependent on both promoter accessibility changes and long-range interactions which connect distal cis-regulatory elements (enhancer or silencers) to developmental-stage-specific genes. These genome-scale promoter-cis-regulatory-element atlases implicated 454 neurodevelopmental disorder-associated, putative causal variants mapping to 600 distal targets. These putative effector genes were significantly enriched for pathways involved in the regulation of neuronal development and chromatin organization, with 27 % expressed in a stage-specific manner. The intersection of open chromatin and chromatin conformation revealed development-stage-specific gene regulatory architectures during neuronal differentiation, providing a rich resource to aid characterization of the genetic and developmental basis of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Russian Colonization of Alaska: Preconditions, Discovery, and Initial Development, 1741-1799: By ANDREI VAL’TEROVICH GRINËV. Translated by Richard Bland. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press, 2018. Xiv + 328 pp., illustrations, notes, bibliography, and index. (HC). ISBN 978-1-4962-0762-3.

The voyage of Semen Dezhnev from the Arctic Ocean around the Chukchi Peninsula through what would come to be called the Bering Strait to the Kamchatka Peninsula in 1648 marks the beginning of an im...
Training of computational algorithms to predict NAFLD activity score and fibrosis stage from liver histopathology slides

Abstract Background The incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and its progressive form, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), has been increasing for decades. Since the mainstay is lifestyle modification in this mainly asymptomatic condition, there is a need for accurate diagnostic methods. Objectives This study proposes a method with a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system to predict NAFLD Activity score (NAS scores-steatosis, lobular inflammation, and ballooning) and fibrosis stage from histopathology slides. Methods A total of 87 pathology slides pairs (H&E and Trichrome-stained) were used for the study. Ground-truth NAS scores and fibrosis stages were previously identified by a pathologist. Each slide was split into 224 × 224 patches and fed into a feature extraction network to generate local features. These local features were processed and aggregated to obtain a global feature to predict the slide's scores. The effects of different training strategies, as well as training data with different staining and magnifications were explored. Four-fold cross validation was performed due to the small data size. Area Under the Receiver Operating Curve (AUROC) was utilized to evaluate the prediction performance of the machine-learning algorithm. Results Predictive accuracy for all subscores was high in comparison with pathologist assessment. There was no difference among the 3 magnifications (5x, 10x, 20x) for NAS-steatosis and fibrosis stage tasks. A larger magnification (20x) achieved better performance for NAS-lobular scores. Middle-level magnification was best for NAS-ballooning task. Trichrome slides are better for fibrosis stage prediction and NAS-ballooning score prediction task. NAS-steatosis prediction had the best performance (AUC 90.48%) in the model. A good performance was observed with fibrosis stage prediction (AUC 83.85%) as well as NAS-ballooning prediction (AUC 81.06%). Conclusions These results were robust. The method proposed proved to be effective in predicting NAFLD Activity score and fibrosis stage from histopathology slides. The algorithms are an aid in having an accurate and systematic diagnosis in a condition that affects hundreds of millions of patients globally.
Immunomagnetic separation of tumor necrosis factor α: I. Batch procedure for human temporomandibular fluid

Abstract A batch separation procedure has been developed for retrieval of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) α from the microliter volumes of fluid isolated from the human temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Paramagnetic beads coated with monoclonal antibodies for TNF were used. The beads, and bound TNF, were recovered from solution with the aid of a magnetic field. The amount of bead-bound TNF was quantified using an immuno-based assay developed in this laboratory called the cluster assay. The cluster assay was specific for TNF and linear up to 10 ng. Using these methods we found that TMJ fluid contained 0.2–4.2 ng per 100 μl of fluid with a mean value of 1.9 ng and a standard deviation of 1.1 ng. This study demonstrates the utility of batch immunomagnetic separation for the concentration and purification of proteins, and the cluster assay for quantification of proteins from microliter volumes of body fluids.
Head-disk interface instability due to intermolecular forces

In this paper, we investigate the effects of intermolecular forces on the dynamic stability of the HDI.
THE METABOLISM OF LACTALDEHYDE. VII. THE OXIDATION OF D-LACTALDEHYDE IN RAT LIVER.

Abstract The preferential oxidation of the d -isomer of lactaldehyde by a partially purified enzyme obtained from rat liver and also found to occur in rat skeletal muscle, brain, lung, kidney, spleen and heart is reported. The oxidation is nicotinamide-adenine-dinucleotide dependent and fails with nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate. Methylglyoxal and not lactate was demonstrated as the reaction product. The reaction was readily reversible. From the obtained evidence, the participation of free -SH groups and an ordered addition of substrates are suggested as requirements for catalytic function.
High-Speed Imaging to Quantify Transient Ice Accretion Process over an Airfoil

Ice accretion on aircraft wings poses a performance and safety threat as aircraft encounter supercooled droplets suspended in the cloud layer. The details of the ice accretion depend on the atmospheric conditions and the flight parameters. The icing process on the wing consists of a complex interaction of water deposition, surface water transport, and freezing. The aerodynamics affect the water deposition, the heat and mass transport, and ice accumulation; meanwhile, the accumulating ice affects the aerodynamics. Until now, most experimental measurements of aircraft icing have focused on the final ice shapes formed after exposure for a set duration to icing conditions. This approach fails to capture the transient processes that form the final ice formations. Here, we present experiments conducted in the Iowa State Icing Research Tunnel on a NACA 0012 airfoil to study the transient ice accretion process under varying icing conditions. High-speed video of the icing process was acquired under controlled envi...
Verification of biometric palmprint patterns using optimal trade-off filter classifiers

We present results on classification of palmprint patterns from a large number of classes for biometric verification. We train optimal trade-off correlation filter classifiers with patterns of subregions of the palm as the actual biometric for the person's identity. Our results show that with less than 5 cm2 (less than 1 in2) of the actual palm captured at a low resolution, correlation filter algorithms can verify the authenticity of the palmprint pattern with error rates below 0.5% from as many as 400 different patterns. There is no previous work on biometric palmprint recognition that studies pattern verification of such small palmprint regions with such large number of classes.
The role of cytophilic IgG3 antibody in T cell-mediated resistance to infection with the extracellular bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Previous studies have demonstrated that T lymphocytes from mice immunized with a high m.w. polysaccharide Ag from Fisher-Devlin immunotype I Pseudomonas aeruginosa can adoptively transfer protection against challenge with the homologous bacterial strain to susceptible mice. This T cell-mediated resistance has been found to be B cell dependent, although serum from immunized mice is incapable of passively transferring protection to nonimmune mice. The current studies demonstrate that T cells from immunized mice possess receptors that permit them to be adsorbed to IgG3-secreting hybridomas, but not to IgM-secreting hybridomas. Cross-linking of antibody on the surface of immune T cells results in release of a soluble factor that inhibits bacterial growth. Treatment of T cells to remove cytophilic antibody eliminates their ability to adoptively transfer protection to nonimmune mice, and the protective ability can be restored by co-incubating the T cells with monoclonal P. aeruginosa-specific IgG3 antibody before adoptive transfer to nonimmune mice. These observations are consistent with a model in which T lymphocytes from immunized mice are activated by cross-linking of FcR for IgG3 to secrete an antibacterial lymphokine. The ability of IgG3 at low antibody concentrations to act synergistically with T lymphocytes to inhibit bacterial growth could explain the evolutionary selection of this antibody isotype as the predominant subclass of IgG secreted in response to bacterial capsular polysaccharide Ag.
Teaching Chinese Students: Understanding Their Public Sector Paradigm

Teaching Chinese students in an American university can be both challenging and rewarding. Cultural and language differences can lead to some superficial confusion and interpretational problems. However, the vast differences in the ways Chinese students view the role of the public sector, as compared to the US, can mean that the instructors and students are looking at the same concepts from vastly different perspectives. Expectations regarding the role of government and the structure of authoritative organizations are so dissimilar as to prevent a commonality on which to base communication. The Chinese view and practice of public administration vary greatly from that of the United States. In China, centralized management and policy-making are the rule, where in the US, the separation of power and administration exist endemically. Because of these differences, one could posit that Chinese students, participating in a Masters of Public Administration program in the US, should come away with unique views of public management in the United States as well as how similar practices compare in China. A survey recently completed by the Department of Public Management at the University of New Haven found that often Chinese students come away from the MPA experience with confusion about, concerns for the need or efficiency of a decentralized government and still believe a highly centralized government is the best model. Reconciling these beliefs with the fundamentals of the discipline of Public Administration, as practiced in the United States, presents some serious challenges to instructors. The University of New Haven, Master of Public Administration program, has hosted a number of Chinese students over the past few years. At the completion of their time at UNH, students completed an essay discussing what they had learned from their courses and practical experiences in the program. This paper is a review of those responses and their implications for how Chinese students view US public administration. The authors also discuss possible explanations for the very different views on the role of the public sector and the possible ramifications for future public servants in China.
On the Optimality of Linear Precoding for Secrecy in the MIMO Broadcast Channel

We study the optimality of linear precoding for the two-receiver multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) Gaussian broadcast channel (BC) with confidential messages. Secret dirty-paper coding (S-DPC) is optimal under an input covariance constraint, but there is no computable secrecy capacity expression for the general MIMO case under an average power constraint. In principle, for this case, the secrecy capacity region could be found through an exhaustive search over the set of all possible matrix power constraints. Clearly, this search, coupled with the complexity of dirty-paper encoding and decoding, motivates the consideration of low complexity linear precoding as an alternative. We prove that for a two-user MIMO Gaussian BC under an input covariance constraint, linear precoding is optimal and achieves the same secrecy rate region as S-DPC if the input covariance constraint satisfies a specific condition, and we characterize the corresponding optimal linear precoders. We then use this result to derive a closed-form sub-optimal algorithm based on linear precoding for an average power constraint. Numerical results indicate that the secrecy rate region achieved by this algorithm is close to that obtained by the optimal S-DPC approach with a search over all suitable input covariance matrices.
Evaluation of three types of structured floating plastic media in moving bed biofilters for total ammonia nitrogen removal in a low salinity hatchery recirculating aquaculture system

Abstract Three different commercially available structural plastic media were evaluated in triplicate in moving bed biofilters under low salinity (11–12 ppt) warm water culture conditions and two different feed loading rates. The culture system consisted of nine separate modules that include a double drain fish culture tank paired to a moving bed biofilter. The biofilters were filled with 0.11 m 3 of one of three different types of floating plastic structured media. The three types of media evaluated were K1 kaldnes media, MB3 media, and AMB media. Volumetric total ammonia nitrogen (TAN) removal rates (g TAN removed/m 3 media-day), TAN removal efficiency, and biofilm kinetic constants, K i (h −1 ) were determined for the three media types at two different daily feed load rates of 3.5 and 8.2 kg feed/m 3 media. The feed provided was a 4.8 mm slow sinking marine grower diet pellet (45% protein, 17% fat). Average (±standard deviation, SD) volumetric TAN removal rates (VTR) at the lower feed load for the three media types were 92.2 ± 26.3, 86.1 ± 27.5, and 82.5 ± 25.9 for the MB3, AMB, and K1 kaldnes media, respectively. At the higher feed load the average VTR for the three media types was 186.4 ± 53.7, 172.9 ± 47.8, and 139.9 ± 38.9 for the MB3, AMB, and K1 kaldnes media, respectively. Influent TAN concentrations varied by the feed load rate and ranged from 0.55 to 0.93 mg/L and 0.83 to 1.87 mg/L for the low and higher feed loads, respectively. The percent TAN removal rates for the MB3 media was the highest of the three media types at both the low and high feed load rates averaging 12.3% and 14.4%, respectively. The MB3 media was selected for use in the moving bed biofilters because of the greater VTR and removal efficiency results for use in the 0.11 m 3 moving bed biofilters of the hatchery recirculating aquaculture system.
Aero-Elastic-Control-Floater-Mooring Coupled Dynamic Analysis of Floating Offshore Wind Turbine in Maximum Operation and Survival Conditions

Increasing numbers of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) are planned in the coming years due to their high potential in the massive generation of clean energy from ocean wind. In the present study, a numerical prediction tool has been developed for the fully coupled dynamic analysis of an FOWT system in the time domain including aero-loading, tower/blade elasticity, blade-rotor dynamics and control, mooring dynamics, and platform motions so that the influence of aero-elastic-control dynamics on the hull-mooring performance and vice versa can be assessed. The Hywind spar design with a 5 MW National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) turbine is selected as an example and two different collinear wind-wave-current environmental conditions, maximum operational and survival conditions, are applied for this study. The maximum operational condition means the maximum environmental condition with normal blade-turbine operation and the survival condition represents the extreme situation without any blade-turbine operation. Through this study, it is seen that the ultimate-loading environments for different structural components of the FOWT can be different. The developed technology and numerical tool are readily applicable to the design of any type of future FOWTs in any combinations of irregular waves, dynamic winds, and steady currents.
In vivo transdermal delivery using a shock tube

A shock tube was utilized for transdermal delivery in fuzzy rats. Rhodamine-B dextran, 10 kDa molecular weight, was used as the probe molecule. Shock waves were generated by a two-stage shock tube. A single shock wave was applied onto the skin to permeabilize the stratum corneum. Subsequently, the dextran solution diffused through the stratum corneum into the epidermis. Fluorescence microscopy of biopsies showed that the dextran was delivered to a depth of \(\)m into the skin. Thus, the shock tube could become an inexpensive device for transdermal drug delivery.
Stability of tunnel diode based negative impedance circuit

Recently there are increasing interests in incorporating negative impedance converter (NIC) circuits into electrically small antennas to surpass the Chu limit and into metamaterial unit structures to eliminate the strong dispersion. Most of the works are transistor based (e.g. Linvill's NIC circuit) or operational amplifier based (at low frequency). Our previous work has demonstrated some challenging issues remain in these designs, such as the limitation on operation frequency, parasitics, noise and stability. An alternative method to realize NIC circuit is by combining negative resistances and passive lumped elements. The configuration is firstly proposed 80 years ago (L. C. Verman, Proc. IRE, 19, 676–681, 1931), however, without a stability analysis. The negative resistance can be implemented by tunnel diodes, which has the advantages of high operational frequency and low-noise level.
Temperature dependence of the isotropic and anisotropic knight shift in polycrystalline cadmium and β-tin

Abstract The temperature dependence of the isotropic and anisotropic Knight shifts in Cd, Sn, Pb, and Al has been investigated in the temperature range 4.2–450°K. The largest temperature dependence was found in Cd in which K iso decreases by about 27% between 444°K and 4.2°K. A smaller but still sizeable temperature dependence was found in Sn and to a lesser degree in Pb. The measurements have been related to the temperature dependence of the spin susceptibility which could be due to a very large volume dependence of the density of states at the Fermi level, N ( E F ). The behavior of 3 K ax vs. T is shown to be due to the anisotropy of the spin susceptibility. This contribution appears to be opposite in sign to the one arising from the electron-nucleus dipole-dipole interaction. A striking feature of the measurements is the vanishing of K ax in Cd at 4.2°K. This may be related to magnetic breakdown of the spin-orbit energy gap which has been observed in some recent Fermi surface studies of this metal.
The value of clinical judgment in the diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia

Background Nosocomial pneumonia presents a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge in the care of critically ill patients. The present study was designed to determine as closely as possible the occurrence of nosocomial pneumonia in surgical intensive care unit (ICU) patients using clinical, radiographic, and bacteriological parameters in a prospective concurrent fashion. Methods This clinical study enrolled all surgical, trauma, and neurosurgical patients admitted to a surgical ICU over a 13-month period. Routine surveillance was used to identify those patients suspected of developing nosocomial pneumonia. Numerous clinical parameters concerning ventilatory support, acute lung injury, organ dysfunction, nutrition, and length of stays were used to identify factors disposing to development of pneumonia. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used for this purpose. Patients thought to have pneumonia were then followed concurrently to determine, as closely as possible, whether pneumonia was present by serial examination of clinical, bacteriologic, and radiographic data. Those “validated” by this process were then compared to those “nonvalidated” to see if any distinction could be made. Results Of the 352 patients enrolled, 46 (13%) were initially labeled as having developed nosocomial pneumonia when compared to the 306 patients without pneumonia. Univariate analysis demonstrated a greater need for intubation and mechanical ventilation, longer mechanical ventilation, more acute lung injury, longer ICU and hospital stays, poorer nutrition, and higher mortality (17% versus 5%, P Conclusion Nosocomial pneumonia was initially suspected in 13% of this ICU population. Numerous clinical parameters clearly distinguished these pneumonia patients from others and they suffered a substantially higher mortality. However, within this pneumonia group, only half of the patients could be validated as truly having pneumonia using available clinical parameters. Nevertheless, those validated were indistinguishable in their clinical behavior from those who were not. This calls into question the need for elaborate and sometimes expensive investigations for diagnosis of nosocomial pneumonia.
Protein Kinase C Participates in Up‐Regulation of Dihydropyridine‐Sensitive Calcium Channels by Ethanol

Abstract: Exposure to ethanol for several days increases the expression of dihydropyridine-sensitive, voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in brain and in the neural cell line PC12. Since protein phosphorylation is a major mechanism by which ion channels are regulated, we used protein kinase inhibitors to investigate whether ethanol-induced up-regulation of Ca2+ channels involves activation of a protein kinase. Sphingosine and polymixin B, which inhibit protein kinase C and calmodulin-dependent kinases, prevented the enhancement of 45Ca2+ uptake induced by exposure of PC12 cells to ethanol for 4 days. In addition, sphingosine blocked the ability of ethanol to increase the number of [3H]dihydropyridine binding sites in PC12 cell membranes. Sphingosine's effect was prevented by simultaneous exposure to phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, a potent activator of protein kinase C. Therefore, protein kinase C appears to be involved in the up-regulation of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels during prolonged exposure to ethanol.
Renal carcinoma with supradiaphragmatic tumor thrombus: avoiding sternotomy and cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background Renal cell carcinoma with tumor thrombus extension into the inferior vena cava (IVC) is rare. Surgical resection provides the only reasonable chance for cure, but the approach poses a challenge to the surgical team. We describe our technique to safely resect these tumors through a transabdominal incision that exposes the intrapericardial IVC and right atrium (RA) transdiaphragmatically, without the use of sternotomy, cardiopulmonary bypass (CBP), or deep hypothermic circulatory arrest (DHCA). Clinical outcomes of these patients and techniques are reported. Methods Between May 1997 and January 2009, 102 patients (mean age, 63 years) underwent resection of renal tumor extending into the IVC by techniques developed to avoid sternotomy and CBP. The tumor thrombus in 12 patients (13%) extended into the supradiaphragmatic IVC and RA. Results Complete resection was successful through the transabdominal approach without CBP in all patients. Mean operative time was 8 hours 15 minutes. Estimated blood loss was 2960 mL, and a mean of 9 U of blood was transfused. Two patients died postoperatively, 1 on day 4 of arrhythmia and 1 on day 22 of multisystem organ failure. All discharged patients were alive at the last follow-up. Three patients had tumor recurrence and have been referred for adjuvant therapy. Conclusions In select cases, renal cell carcinoma extending into the IVC to the intrapericardial level and RA can be resected without sternotomy, CBP, or DHCA.
Implementation of a patient perception survey in a pharmacist-managed primary care clinic and analysis with a unique HFMEA method.

Abstract Objective To develop and implement a patient-based pilot survey that measures patient perceptions regarding the quality of education given to them by clinical pharmacists in primary care clinics and to incorporate a unique method for analyzing the survey data. Methods The survey addressed 12 components of education within three categories: medication-related education, disease-related education, and delivery of education provided. The 12 components were repeated in two sections of the survey. Section 1 assessed patients' perceptions of pharmacist performance in each component, while section 2 measured patients' perceptions regarding the importance of each component of education. Results were analyzed with standard statistical techniques and an adaptation of the health care failure mode and effect analysis (HFMEA) process to identify areas of improvement that patients value most. Results The survey was successfully developed and implemented, and results were analyzed with the HFMEA tool. A total of 60 patients completed surveys, with 75% (45 of 60) scoring an overall rating of excellent. Initial results from the HFMEA identified no areas of improvement. A secondary analysis was used to identify five areas for improvement, including (1) discussing adverse effects of medications, (2) discussing resources available, (3) providing benefits of treating medical problems, (4) answering questions completely, and (5) discussing goals of treatment. Conclusion A survey focused on pharmacist-driven education with primary care patients was successfully developed and implemented. The unique HFMEA tool implemented provided a means of prioritizing results for future quality improvements.
Gastric separation following gastrostomy button insertion

The authors report a case of gastric separation following gastrostomy button insertion. The original gastrostomy placement was by percutaneous endoscopic technique. This 17-year-old patient recovered uneventfully with nonoperative management.
Mood and Lexical Access of Positive, Negative, and Neutral Words

Abstract Two experiments based upon the Reicher task were conducted to investigate the influence of happy, sad, and neutral moods on the processing of positive, negative, and neutral words. In Experiment 1 participants showed least advantage in determining which of two one-letter-different words, in comparison with nonword controls, had been presented for words that were valenced in congruence with the induced mood. In Experiment 2 mood acted as a prime that produced a detrimental effect of presenting nontarget mood-congruent preview words on participants' performance on the valenced targets. The authors contend that these effects are related to mood's altering of the baseline activation levels of congruently valenced word nodes in the mental lexicon as well as to mood's narrowing of the spatial focus of attention.