cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Fourier Transform Emission Spectroscopy of theA′1Π–X1Σ+andA1Π–X1Σ+Systems of IrN

Abstract The emission spectrum of IrN has been investigated in the 10 000–20 000 cm −1 region at 0.02 cm −1 resolution using a Fourier transform spectrometer. The bands were excited in an Ir hollow cathode lamp operated with a mixture of 2 Torr of Ne and a trace of N 2 . Numerous bands have been classified into two transitions labeled as A 1 Π– X 1 Σ + and A ′ 1 Π– X 1 Σ + by analogy with the isoelectronic PtC molecule. Ten bands involving vibrational levels up to Kv = 4 in the ground and excited states have been identified in the A 1 Π– X 1 Σ + transition. This electronic transition has been previously observed by [A. J. Marr, M. E. Flores, and T. C. Steimle, J. Chem. Phys. 104, 8183–8196 (1996)]. To lower wavenumbers, five additional bands with R heads near 12 021, 12 816, 13 135, 14 136, and 15 125 cm −1 have been assigned as the 0–1, 3–3, 0–0, 1–0, and 2–0 bands, respectively, of the new A ′ 1 Π– X 1 Σ + transition. A rotational analysis of these bands has been carried out and equilibrium constants for the ground and excited states have been extracted. The Kv = 2 and 3 vibrational levels of the A ′ 1 Π state interact with the Kv = 0 and 1 levels of the A 1 Π state and cause global perturbations in the bands. The ground state equilibrium constants for 193 IrN are: ω e = 1126.176360(61) cm −1 , ω e x e = 6.289697(32) cm −1 , B e = 0.5001033(20) cm −1 , α e = 0.0032006(20) cm −1 , and r e = 1.6068276(32) A.
Linearly Separable Classes

Much of the analysis of trainable classifiers is simplified if it is known that every pair of class regions encountered by the classifier can be separated by a linear hypersurface. In augmented feature space such a surface is determined by an equation of the form $$\text{v}^T \text{y}\;\text{=}\;\text{0}\text{.}$$ (2.1)
Asymmetric Vessel Impact and Planing Hydrodynamics

The paper proposes a two-dimensional theory for asymmetric impact problems of vessels with arbitrary geometry. The interaction of two body sides is incorporated into the hydrodynamic impact model. Following Vorus's (1996) flat-cylinder theory, two types of flow models are established for cases of small and large asymmetry. The distinguishing difference between the two types is whether the flow is attached or separates at the keel on the first instances of impact. General solutions for such nonlinear boundary value problems are determined by solving the singular integral equations, while free-vortex shedding (jet-spraying) is carried out through a time-marching procedure. Initial conditions are derived from basic solutions of flat-sided contours with constant impact velocity. The method of discrete vortices is then applied to the prediction of slamming loads (including both lifting force and restoring moment) on typical two-dimensional sections of vessels with flat or nearly flat bottoms. Calculated results of both flow types, i.e., small and large asymmetry, are presented for various hull contours with constant or variable impact velocity. This approach also provides the foundation for future work involving traverse dynamic stability analysis of high speed planing hulls.
Distributed computation of the Perron-Frobenius eigenvector

The Perron-Frobenius theorem has numerous applications, including to Markov chains, economics, and ranking of webpages. In this paper, we develop a class of continuous-time distributed algorithms and a gossip algorithm, which enable each node i in an undirected and connected graph to compute the ith entry of the Perron-Frobenius eigenvector of a symmetric, Metzler, and irreducible matrix associated with the graph, as well as the corresponding eigenvalue, when node i knows only row i of the matrix. We show that each continuous-time distributed algorithm in the class is a nonlinear networked dynamical system with a skew-symmetric structure, whose state is guaranteed to stay on a sphere, remain nonnegative, and converge asymptotically to the said eigenvector. We also show that under a mild assumption on the gossiping pattern, the gossip algorithm is able to do the same.
Survey of pest management practices on washington dairy farms

Washington state dairy producers were surveyed to determine pest and parasite prevalence and range of current pest management strategies. Nearly all respondents reported treating their cattle or premises for flies, while 62% reported treating their animals for external parasites. Use of pyrethroid and pyrethrins insecticides was common throughout the state. Results indicated that use of non-chemical options to control flies are commonly used by Washington dairy producers and may have become more widespread since the late 1990s. Extension professionals could improve outreach education to dairies by partnering with farm supply stores, veterinarians, and feed distributors.
Applications of Dynamic Systems Theory to Cognition and Development: New Frontiers

A central goal in developmental science is to explain the emergence of new behavioral forms. Researchers consider potential sources of behavioral change depending partly on their theoretical perspective. This chapter reviews one perspective, dynamic systems theory, which emphasizes the interactions among multiple components to drive behavior and developmental change. To illustrate the central concepts of dynamic systems theory, we describe empirical and computational studies from a range of domains, including motor development, the Piagetian A-not-B task, infant visual recognition, visual working memory capacity, and language learning. We conclude by advocating for a broader application of dynamic systems approaches to understanding cognitive and behavioral development, laying out the remaining barriers we see and suggested ways to overcome them.
A FIR source based on the demodulation of picosecond electron pulses

Advances made recently in the development of electron beam sources to drive free-electron lasers (FELs), have opened the door to novel generators of radiation for the far infrared. The quality of all such electron beam-based sources ultimately depends upon the characteristics of the electron beam. A key element of this project is the RF electron gun, originally designed to serve as the injector on the highly successful Mark III FEL. This electron gun (See Figure 1) has properties well suited to the development of a variety of unique short pulse, mode-locked devices which can operate from the microwave to the far-infrared. The gun produces macropulses of 1 MeV electrons, which is an ideal energy for the spectral region of interest to us. These macropulses have a duration of five microseconds and are further subdivided into a train of micropulses 1-2 picoseconds in length.
Is the target of imitation directly acoustic or a pattern within a speaker’s phonetic system?

Speakers may converge phonetically with another talker to whose speech they are exposed, resulting in reduced acoustic distance between interlocutors. However, it is unclear whether the target of imitation is raw acoustics or a linguistic pattern. Zellou et al. (2016) present a case that distinguishes these possibilities: after listening to a model talker whose speech was manipulated to reduce coarticulatory vowel nasality (measured acoustically in A1-P0), participants’ nasality also decreased in post-test productions, relative to their baseline. However, the model speaker had naturally low A1-P0 (correlated with high nasality), and even after the manipulation to raise A1-P0, it was lower than all participants’. If the target of imitation is acoustic, participants diverged from the model (raised A1-P0). But if the target of imitation is a linguistic pattern (decreased coarticulatory nasality), participants converged. The current study uses an AXB perceptual task to determine whether it is acoustically mor...
Predicting Non-sentinel Lymph Node Metastases in Patients with a Positive Sentinel Lymph Node After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy

The standard of care for breast cancer patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) who have a positive sentinel lymph node (+SLN) after NAC is completion axillary lymph node dissection (ALND). This study aimed to develop a nomogram to predict additional nodal disease in patients with +SLN after NAC. The study reviewed patients 18 years of age or older who had invasive breast cancer treated with NAC followed by SLN surgery with +SLN and ALND between 2006 and 2017 at the authors’ institution. Factors predictive of positive non-SLNs were analyzed using uni- and multivariable logistic regression. The study identified 120 patients with +SLN after NAC and ALND. Of these patients, 30.8% were clinically node-negative (cN−), and 69.2% were clinically node-positive (cN+) before NAC. Tumor biology was human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) for 20%, hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2− for 66.7%, and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) for 13.3% of the patients. Additional nodal disease was found on ALND for 63.3% of the patients. In the univariate analysis, the factors predictive of positive non-SLNs were biologic subtype (TNBC and HR+/HER2− vs HER2+; p < 0.001), higher grade (p = 0.047), higher pT category (p = 0.02), SLN extranodal extension (p = 0.03), larger SLN metastasis size (p < 0.001), and higher number of +SLNs (p = 0.02). The factors significant in the multivariable analysis included number of +SLNs, grade 3 vs grade 1 or 2, HER2+ versus HER2−, cN+ versus cN−, and larger SLN metastasis size. The resulting model showed excellent discrimination (area under the curve, 0.82; 95% confidence interval, 0.74–0.90) and good calibration (p = 0.54, Hosmer–Lemeshow). A clinical prediction model incorporating biologic subtype, grade, clinical node status, size of the largest SLN metastasis, and number of +SLNs can help physicians and patients estimate the likelihood of additional nodal disease and may be useful for guiding decision making regarding axillary management.
Sintering properties of submicron TiC powders from carbon coated titania precursor

The sintering behavior of submicron titanium carbide (TiC) synthesized from carbon coated titania (TiO2) precursor was investigated in TiC-Ni system. The densification was examined as functions of initial carbon content (30.95–34 wt.%) and Ni content (3–20 wt.%). The sintered density of TiC-Ni was markedly decreased with increased carbon content in the precursor. The amount of Ni had a relatively small influence on the densification of submicron TiC-Ni cermet compared with TiC (commercially available HCS)-Ni cermets. The results show that submicron TiC with only 3 wt.% Ni can be sintered to densities above 95% TD in flowing Ar+10H2 at 1500°C and below. The improvements in densification result from the capillary force increase since it is inversely dependent on the particle size. With decreased Ni content, the Vickers hardness increased and the fracture toughness decreased, as expected. However, the sufficient densification cannot be achieved for commercial HCS TiC powder sintered with Ni (<10 wt.%) under the same conditions. Therefore, both the Vickers hardness and fracture toughness decreased as the Ni content decreased. This was due to the increase of porosity in the sintered samples containing commercial TiC powder.
The Human Ecology of Agriculture in the United States

The application of human ecological perspectives to agriculture in the United States is both old and new. The classic delineations of major geographic, economic, social, and cultural areas of the United States, such as those by Smith and Fry (1936), Sorokin et al. (1930), Duncan and Reiss (1956), and Bogue and Beale (1961), made extensive use of different forms of agricultural activities in their classification schemes and were implicitly, if not explicitly, ecological. In other respects, however, analyses of agriculture have largely ignored the ecological approach. As noted by Dunlap and Martin (1983) and Albrecht and Murdock (1984, 1985a, 1985b, 1990), there has been no complete exposition of the historical and future dimensions of agriculture in the United States from any theoretical perspective. Only recently have scholars attempted such a delineation from the standpoint of human ecology (Albrecht and Murdock 1990).
Eras of Material, Energy and Information Production

This study identifies and discusses three types of production: production of aterial goods, energy, and information. The production timeframes with the reference to each production era are about 10 3 , 10 2 and 10 1 years. The necessity of education and the associat ed level of stress in different production eras were analyzed by comparing a typical length of a human life, which is about 10 1 years, with the timeframes of the production eras and tech nological progress. It was shown that the era of information production has a very specific feature because unlike the eras of material and energy production, its information production era timefram e is comparable with a typical human lifespan. Finally, a question was posed about the next coming production era and the future of mankind.
The Generation of Knowledge - Based Inferences During Narrative Comprehension

Abstract Knowledge - based inferences are what some researchers call pragmatic inferences (as opposed to propositional, logic - based, or necessary inferences). We have conducted research which attempts to explain (a) what knowledge - based inferences are constructed during text comprehension, (b) what generic knowledge structures these inferences come from, (c) what symbolic procedures participate in these inference mechanisms, and (d) the structure and content of both generic knowledge structures and the passage representations. We have developed and used a question answering methodology which traces the dynamic construction of knowledge - based inferences during comprehension. We have developed a workable theory of knowledge representation which can be applied both to passages and to generic knowledge structures (e. g. schemas, frames, scripts, stereotypes, etc.).
Anisotropic Gauss-Hermite Beam Model Applied to through-Transmission Inspections of Delaminations in Composite Plates

Manufactured parts containing composite materials can present challenging ultrasonic inspection problems. The inherent anisotropy of such materials acts to distort propagating ultrasonic beams, leading in turn to an associated distortion of defect images. Such distortions complicate the task of estimating the physical dimensions of a defect from its ultrasonic image. In the present work we demonstrate how these difficulties can be overcome by appropriately modelling the ultrasonic inspection process, and using the model to analyze defect images. To illustrate the approach, we consider a normal incidence through-transmission inspection of a flat uniaxial composite plate with an internal delamination. We begin by reviewing our model of the inspection process which incorporates the Gauss-Hermite model for beam propagation in anisotropic materials. The inspection model requires as inputs certain parameters which characterize the transducers, and others which characterize the composite material. We demonstrate how these parameters can be obtained from simple beam-mapping experiments. We then present experimental C-scan images of a seeded circular delamination in a composite plate, and compare these to images predicted by the model. Finally, we demonstrate how the model can be used to accurately size a delamination from its ultrasonic image.
Permeability of the Nuclear Membrane as Determined with Electrical Methods

Our knowledge of the permeability and electrochemical properties of cell membranes has been greatly advanced in the past 15 years by the development of direct intracellular electric measuring techniques. It is possible, for example, to drive a minute, but accurately measured ion current across a membrane, and to measure the membrane conductance or “permeability” to this current. Such methods used until quite recently only in studies of surface membranes, have now been applied to nuclear membranes. This article summarizes some of the results.
The Effect of Minocycline and Lysostaphin on the Intracellular Killing of Staphylococcus aureus by Polymorphonuclear Leukocytes

Several investigators have examined the effects of tetracyclines on the phagocytosis and intracellular killing of bacteria by polymorphonuclear leukocytes [1-4]. Munoz and Geister [1] reported that chlortetracycline produced dose-related inhibition of phagocytosis of Staphylococcus epidermidis by neutrophils. Subsequent studies have indicated that tetracyclines do not affect neutrophil phagocytosis or intracellular killing of S. aureus [2-4]. More recently, Forsgren et al. [5] demonstrated a significant reduction in the phagocytosis of preopsonized yeasts and Escherichia coli by neutrophils exposed in vitro to tetracycline or doxycycline. None of these studies has explored the influence of minocycline on the interactions between staphylococci and human neutrophils. The present investigation utilized a method reported to distinguish phagocytosis from intracellular killing [6]. We attempted to determine if the phagocytosis and intracellular killing of staphylococci would be affected by minocycline.
Lessons of the Northern War on African corruption

In the 1990s states, international non-governmental organisations, and capitalist enterprises launched a novel campaign against transnational corruption. This essay addresses how and when this camp...
Indoor particulate matter and lung function in children

Abstract People generally spend more time indoors than outdoors resulting in a higher proportion of exposure to particulate matter (PM) occurring indoors. Consequently, indoor PM levels, in contrast to outdoor PM levels, may have a stronger relationship with lung function. To test this hypothesis, indoor and outdoor PM2.5 and fungal spore data were simultaneously collected from the homes of forty-four asthmatic children aged 10–16 years. An optical absorption technique was utilized on the collected PM2.5 mass to obtain concentrations of black carbon (BC) and ultraviolet light absorbing particulate matter, (UVPM; a marker of light absorbing PM2.5 emitted from smoldering organics). Enrolled children completed spirometry after environmental measurements were made. Given the high correlation between PM2.5, BC, and UVPM, principal component analysis was used to obtain uncorrelated summaries of the measured PM. Separate linear mixed-effect models were developed to estimate the association between principal components of the PM variables and spirometry values, as well as the uncorrelated original PM variables and spirometry values. A one-unit increase in the first principal component variable representing indoor PM (predominantly composed of UVPM and PM2.5) was associated with 4.1% decrease (99% CI = −6.9, −1.4) in FEV1/FVC ratio. 11.3 μg/m3 increase in indoor UVPM was associated with 6.4% and 14.7% decrease (99% CI = −10.4, −2.4 and 99% CI = −26.3, −2.9, respectively) in percent predicted FEV1/FVC ratio and FEF25–75 respectively. Additionally, 17.7 μg/m3 increase in indoor PM2.5 was associated with 6.1% and 12.9% decrease (99% CI = −10.2, −1.9 and 99% CI = −24.9, −1.0, respectively) in percent predicted FEV1/FVC ratio and FEF25–75, respectively. Outdoor PM, indoor BC, and indoor fungal spores were not significantly associated with lung function. The results indicate that indoor PM is more strongly associated with lung function in children with asthma as compared with outdoor PM.
Influenza Hemagglutinin Modulates Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate Membrane Clustering

Abstract The lipid phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) forms nanoscopic clusters in cell plasma membranes; however, the processes determining PIP2 mobility and thus its spatial patterns are not fully understood. Using super-resolution imaging of living cells, we find that PIP2 is tightly colocalized with and modulated by overexpression of the influenza viral protein hemagglutinin (HA). Within and near clusters, HA and PIP2 follow a similar spatial dependence, which can be described by an HA-dependent potential gradient; PIP2 molecules move as if they are attracted to the center of clusters by a radial force of 0.079 ± 0.002 pN in HAb2 cells. The measured clustering and dynamics of PIP2 are inconsistent with the unmodified forms of the raft, tether, and fence models. Rather, we found that the spatial PIP2 distributions and how they change in time are explained via a novel, to our knowledge, dynamic mechanism: a radial gradient of PIP2 binding sites that are themselves mobile. This model may be useful for understanding other biological membrane domains whose distributions display gradients in density while maintaining their mobility.
Internationalization at Home: A Study of a Comprehensive Regional University

Responding to the needs of intercultural understanding and competencies in a global economy, universities have devised strategies and programs to internationalize the campus to prepare students to ...
‘Ending our support for the dictators’: Ed Koch, Uruguay, and human rights

Primed by Amnesty International’s reporting, inspired by interactions with a centrist exiled politician, and galvanised by a growing congressional human rights movement, in 1976 Representative Ed K...
Novel Nanoplasmonic-Structure-Based Integrated Microfluidic Biosensors for Label-Free In Situ Immune Functional Analysis: A review of recent progress

The study of immune functional responses is essential to understanding the central role of the immune system in providing immunological host defense and its intercommunication with other systems. The recent development of integrated microfluidic cytokine biosensors has established a new paradigm to identify, isolate, and study immune cell subtypes, cell functions, and intercellular communications that constitute those responses.
Pilot of a screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment process for symptoms of trauma among primary care patients

Background For populations with high rates of trauma exposure yet low behavioural health service use, identifying and addressing trauma in the primary care setting could improve health outcomes, reduce disability and increase the efficiency of health system resources. Objective To assess the acceptability and feasibility of a screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment (SBIRT) process for trauma and symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among American Indian and Alaska Native people. We also examine the short-term effects on service utilization and the screening accuracy of the Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen. Methods Cross-sectional pilot in two tribal primary care settings. Surveys and interviews measured acceptability among patients and providers. Health service utilization was used to examine impact. Structured clinical interview and a functional disability measure were used to assess screening accuracy. Results Over 90% of patient participants (N = 99) reported the screening time was acceptable, the questions were easily understood, the right staff were involved and the process satisfactory. Ninety-nine percent would recommend the process. Participants screening positive had higher behavioural health utilization in the 3 months after the process than those screening negative. The Primary Care Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Screen was 100% sensitive to detect current PTSD with 51% specificity. Providers and administrators reported satisfaction with the process. Conclusions The SBIRT process shows promise for identifying and addressing trauma in primary care settings. Future research should explore site specific factors, cost analyses and utility compared to other behavioural health screenings.
“School is the child’s second home”: family engagement from a Latino sociocultural perspective

“Parent involvement”, valued by the field of early childhood education, is shown to contribute to the growth and development of children. However, what has in fact, been “valued” are engagement pra...
Performance of the quick COVID-19 severity index and the Brescia-COVID respiratory severity scale in hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in a community hospital setting.

Abstract Objective To evaluate the performance of the Quick COVID-19 Severity Index (qCSI) and the Brescia-COVID Respiratory Severity Scale (BCRSS) in predicting intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and in-hospital mortality in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study of 313 consecutive hospitalized adult patients (18 years or older) with confirmed COVID-19. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the discriminatory power of the qCSI score and BCRSS prediction rule compared to the CURB-65 score for predicting mortality and intensive care unit admission. Results The overall in-hospital fatality rate was 32.3%, and the ICU admission rate was 31.3%. The CURB-65 score had the highest numerical AUC to predict in-hospital mortality (AUC 0.781) compared to the qCSI score (AUC 0.711) and the BCRSS prediction rule (AUC 0.663). For ICU admission, the qCSI score had the highest numerical AUC (AUC 0.761) compared to the BCRSS prediction rule (AUC 0.735) and the CURB-65 score (AUC 0.629). Conclusions The CURB-65 and qCSI scoring systems showed a good performance for predicting in-hospital mortality. The qCSI score and the BCRSS prediction rule showed a good performance for predicting ICU admission.
Hot Electron Production Using the Texas Petawatt Laser Irradiating Thick Gold Targets

Abstract We present data for relativistic hot electron production by the Texas Petawatt Laser irradiating solid Au targets with thickness between 1 and 4 mm. The experiment was performed at the short focus target chamber TC1 in July 2011, with intensities on the order of several ×1019 W/cm2 and laser energies around 50 J. We discuss the design of an electron-positron magnetic spectrometer to record the lepton energy spectra ejected from the Au targets and present a deconvolution algorithm to extract the lepton energy spectra. We measured hot electron spectra out to ∼50 MeV, which show a narrow peak around 10–20 MeV, plus high energy exponential tail. The hot electron spectral shapes appear significantly different from those reported for other PW lasers.
Microarray quality control.

Abstract Physically separated groups of specific sequences (probes) provide useful high through put (HTP) measurements for the amount of selected DNA/RNA sequences in a biological target sample. Unfortunately, these measurements are impacted by various technical sources, such as platform production factors, target preparation processes, hybridization method/conditions, and signal‐extraction devices and methods. Given the typically huge population of signals, statistical methods are especially effective at estimation and removal of such technical distortions (Churchill, 2002; Kerr et al., 2000; Yue et al., 2001), as well as providing metrics for computer‐based quality control (QC), for example, autoQC (Minor et al., 2002a). This chapter reviews statistical procedures that have been validated by successful applications in both large‐scale commercial ventures (Ganter et al., 2005) and individual research studies (Parisi et al., 2003, 2004) involving HTP projects. This chapter focuses on methods for spatially distributed probes on a flat medium surface such as glass, collectively known as a microarray.
Applying Social Science to Bring Resident Stakeholders into Pollution Governance: A Rural Environmental Justice Public Health Case Study

The purpose of this engaged public sociology study was to use social science to bring resident stakeholders into the process of governing pollution production in a rural community. The community ha...
An Empirical and Numerical Approach To Develop A Single and Multi-Phase CFD Methodology For Submarines And Ship

Submarine technology is an undisputed cornerstone for coastal defenses around the globe. Not only does it enable a naval force to operate with covertness, but also bestows a nuclear power with second-strike capabilities. One of the main areas of research in submarine and ship design is the identification of optimum ship performance design parameters. For that particular purpose, the analysis of hydrodynamic aspects plays a vital role in resistance and efficiency of the propulsion system, which holds prime significance. Given the fact that designing of marine vehicle is incomplete without the optimum resistance, the present research work focuses on different methods to calculate the resistance. In this research, the resistance of submarine (DARPA SUBOFF) is computed in submerged condition. To do so, a RANSE based CFD model is utilized, in which realizable function is used along with cut cell technique calculating the resistance. The estimated CFD results are validated with the experimental results provided by DARPA. The accuracy observed for the applied technique is up to 97%. Same validation technique is applied on the arbitrary submarine to calculate the submerged resistance. The study is further extended for calculating the surface resistance of the ship model for estimating the surface resistance by utilizing CFD technique. The SST model along with Volume of fluid (VOF) approach is used for multi-phase analysis of the ship. The results obtained for ship surface were then compared with empirical results for validation. Along with CFD, empirical technique is also studied for calculation of submarine resistance. Holtrop empirical method is also employed to verify the multi-phase CFD technique. In short, this research will be helpful for the resistance prediction of other marine vehicles particularly for powering prediction of submarine.
Head and Neck Cancer in a Rural U.S. Population: Quality of Life, Coping, Health Care Literacy, and Access to Services

Purpose The aim of this study was to explore the beliefs, access, and motivations of individuals with head and neck cancer (HNC) living in a rural community in the United States, regarding their speech and swallowing deficits. Method A convenience sample of nine patient participants with HNC and nine caregiver participants completed in-depth, semistructured interviews regarding their experiences with HNC diagnosis and treatment. The researchers utilized a thematic networks approach to analyze the qualitative data obtained. Results Primary results of the study were a set of common themes emerging from 735 units for analysis, arranged into 34 basic themes, nine organizing themes, and four global themes. The resulting networks centered around quality of life impact, coping, health literacy, and access. Direct quotes from the participants are utilized to illustrate response categories. Conclusions Individuals with HNC and their caregivers living in rural communities in the United States appear to represent a unique subset of the HNC population. While they present similarly in most areas, they display unique tendencies in the areas of psychological coping, health literacy, and access. Provision of practical, pertinent information that can be accessed by patients and caregivers alike outside the hospital is suggested to better serve this community.
Shell bead crafting at Greater Cahokia

Shell beads were important to Mississippians, and thousands of beads were found mostly associated with burials. Here I synthesize data on shell bead workshops from Greater Cahokia, along with craft...
Distances and Group Actions

We start, in this chapter, a description of how metric comparison between deformable objects can be performed, and how it interacts with the registration methods that we have studied in the previous chapters. We start with a general discussion on the interaction between distances on a set and transformation groups acting on it.
Neurohumoral, hormonal, and drug receptors for the lower esophageal sphincter

The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is a specialized structure present at the junction of the esophagus with the stomach.‘” The LES keeps closed at rest and is responsible for a pressure barrier which separates the negative intrathoracic pressure in the esophagus from the above atmospheric pressure in the stomach, and it opens in response to swallowing to allow the passage of an ingested bolus into the stomach. l, * Impairment of closure of the sphincter at rest is thought to be an important factor in causing reflux esophagitis, and abnormalities in the degree, duration, and timing of sphincter relaxation is an important cause of dysphagia in patients with achalasia.ss In recent years there has been considerable interest in the physiology and pharmacology of the LES in order to understand the pathophysiology of sphincter incompetence and achalasia, and to search for appropriate therapeutic agents for their treatment.4,5*10-14 Because all neurotransmitters, hormones, or exogenous drugs produce their effects by binding with specific receptors,15-17 consideration of these receptors has been very useful in the study of both the pharmacology and physiology of the LES. Effects of an ever-increasing, potentially infinite, number of drugs are more easily understood when their actions are perceived in terms of a finite number of receptors. Information on the existence and precise location of these receptors is helpful in defining the mode of action of new drugs. Furthermore, characterization of the receptors using selective agonists or antagonists has enhanced our understanding of the nature of the neurons and neurotransmitters involved in the regulation of LES function. General Receptor Concepts
Spectral processing in the inferior colliculus.

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the anatomy of a mammalian. The frequency response areas of inferior colliculus (ICC) units are described, followed by the roles of the various excitatory and inhibitory inputs to the ICC in shaping these response areas. The functional roles of the ICC in the processing of spectral information are discussed. The central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) occupies a pivotal position in the central auditory system; it receives converging projections from most, if not all, of the auditory nuclei in the brainstem and, in turn, provides nearly all of the input to the auditory forebrain. Some of the ascending projections to the ICC are excitatory (e.g., cochlear nucleus, superior olive), whereas others are inhibitory. Moreover, the inhibitory projections are both GABAergic and glycinergic. The manner in which these inputs combine creates functionally distinct synaptic domains within the ICC and presumably basic differences in ICC frequency response areas.
Luminosity function of flux-limited samples.

The history of the development of techniques for determination of the luminosity function (or, in general, the distribution of some intrinsic property) of astronomical objects has been briefly reviewed. It has been stressed that this distribution is intimately related to the spatial distribution of sources so that one is usually dealing with, at least, a bivariate distribution describing the spatial variations of the luminosity function. For extragalactic sources, the spatial variation is replaced with cosmic evolution of the distribution which is entangled with the geometry of space-time or the global evolution of the universe. The well-known, but often ignored, fact that one cannot disentangle the two evolutions has been reiterated and demonstrated using the method of moments.
Regulation of SREBP-Mediated Gene Expression

The sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) play an important role in regulating lipid homeostasis. Translated as inactive precursors that are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane, SREBPs are activated through a proteolytic process in response to intracellular demands for lipids. The cleaved amino-terminal fragments of SREBPs then translocate into the nucleus as homodimers and stimulate the transcription of target genes by binding to the sterol response elements (SREs) in their promoters. Numerous studies using cell culture or genetically modified mouse models have demonstrated that the major target genes of SREBPs include rate-limiting enzymes in the pathways of fatty acid and cholesterol biosynthesis as well as the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor. The proteolytic maturation of SREBPs has been well studied in the past. However, recent studies have also improved our understanding on the regulation of nuclear SREBPs. In the nucleus, SREBPs interact with specific transcriptional cofactors, such as CBP/p300 and the Mediator complex, resulting in stimulation or inhibition of their transcriptional activities. In addition, nuclear SREBP protein stability is dynamically regulated by phosphorylation and acetylation. Such protein-protein interactions and post-translational modifications elegantly link the extracellular signals, such as insulin, or intracellular signals, such as oxidative stress, to lipid biosynthesis by modulating the transcriptional activity of SREBPs. Under normal physiological states, lipid homeostasis is strictly maintained. However, the SREBP pathways are often dysregulated in pathophysiological conditions, such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver diseases. Thus, the novel regulatory mechanisms of SREBPs may provide new opportunities for fighting these metabolic diseases.
In Vitro Permeability Across Caco-2 Cells (Colonic) Can Predict In Vivo (Small Intestinal) Absorption in Man—Fact or Myth

Purpose. To evaluate and optimize the use of Caco-2 cell monolayers to predict thein vivo absorption of a broad range of compounds in man.
Reformulating constraint models using input data

Consider the problem of mapping postal addresses to buildings in satellite imagery using publicly available information, defined as the Building Identification (BID) problem in [1]. This problem takes as input a bounding box that defines the area of a satellite image, buildings identified in the image, vector information that specifies streets in the image, and a set of phone-book entries for the area.
Using Cell Phone Keyboards Is ($\mathcal{NP}$) Hard

Sending text messages on cell phones which only contain the keys 0 through 9 and # and * can be a painful experience. We consider the problem of designing an optimal mapping of numbers to sets of letters to act as an alternative to the standard {2→{abc}, 3→{def}...}. Our overall goal is to minimize the expected number of buttons that must be pressed to enter a message in English. Some variations of the problem are efficiently solvable, either by being small instances or by being in P, but the most realistic version of the problem is \(\mathcal{NP}\) hard. To prove \(\mathcal{NP}\)-completeness, we describe a new graph coloring problem UniquePathColoring. We also provide numerical results for the English language on a standard corpus which describe several mappings that improve upon the standard one. With luck, one of these new mappings will achieve success similar to that of the Dvorak layout for computer keyboards.
Cystine aminopeptidase and leucine aminopeptidase of choriocarcinoma cells grown in culture

Abstract Cystine aminopeptidase (CAP) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) in choriocarcinoma cells grown in culture were assayed and characterized electrophoretically. The specific activity of CAP in choriocarcinoma was about 1.5-fold greater than the specific activity of term placenta. The extract of choriocarcinoma contained an enzyme which is similar to one of the pregnancy-specific serum aminopeptidases in electrophoretic mobility and in resistance to inhibition by 0.1M methionine. The CAP activity was not increased in either the cells or the medium by growing the cells in the presence of oxytocin, estrogen, progesterone, or prostaglandin F 2α . It was tentatively concluded that choriocarcinoma cells produce CAP and that it is not regulated by any of these hormones.
Proteins, Particles, and Pseudo-Max-Marginals: A Submodular Approach

Variants of max-product (MP) belief propagation effectively find modes of many complex graphical models, but are limited to discrete distributions. Diverse particle max-product (D-PMP) robustly approximates max-product updates in continuous MRFs using stochastically sampled particles, but previous work was specialized to tree-structured models. Motivated by the challenging problem of protein side chain prediction, we extend D-PMP in several key ways to create a generic MAP inference algorithm for loopy models. We define a modified diverse particle selection objective that is provably submodular, leading to an efficient greedy algorithm with rigorous optimality guarantees, and corresponding maxmarginal error bounds. We further incorporate tree-reweighted variants of the MP algorithm to allow provable verification of global MAP recovery in many models. Our general-purpose MATLAB library is applicable to a wide range of pairwise graphical models, and we validate our approach using optical flow benchmarks. We further demonstrate superior side chain prediction accuracy compared to baseline algorithms from the state-of-the-art Rosetta package.
A review of biomass densification systems to develop uniform feedstock commodities for bioenergy application.

Developing uniformly formatted, densified feedstock from lignocellulosic biomass is of interest to achieve consistent physical properties such as size and shape, bulk and unit density, and durability, which significantly influence storage, transportation and handling characteristics, and, by extension, feedstock cost and quality. A variety of densification systems are considered for producing a uniform format feedstock commodity for bioenergy applications, including (i) pellet mill, (ii) cuber, (iii) screw extruder, (iv) briquette press, (v) roller press, (vi) tablet press, and (vii) agglomerator. Each of these systems has varying impacts on feedstock chemical and physical properties, and energy consumption. This review discusses the suitability of these densification systems for biomass feedstocks and the impact these systems have on specific energy consumption and end-product quality. For example, a briquette press is more flexible in terms of feedstock variables where higher moisture content and larger particles are acceptable for making good quality briquettes; or among different densification systems, a screw press consumes the most energy because it not only compresses but also shears and mixes the material. Pre-treatment options like pre-heating, grinding, steam explosion, torrefaction, and ammonia fiber explosion (AFEX) can also help to reduce specific energy consumption during densification and improve binding characteristics. Binding behavior can also be improved by adding natural binders, such as proteins, or commercial binders, such as lignosulfonates. The quality of the densified biomass for both domestic and international markets is evaluated using PFI (United States standard) or CEN (European standard). Published in 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd Re-use of this article is permitted in accordance with the Terms and Conditions set out at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/onlineopen#OnlineOpen_Terms
Science Signaling Podcast: 6 September 2011

This Podcast features a conversation with the senior author of a Research Article published in the 6 September 2011 issue of Science Signaling . During the inflammatory response, leukocytes migrate out of circulation and into injured or infected tissues. Although some inflammation is important for healing and fighting infection, chronic inflammation may cause tissue damage and disease. The integrin CD11b/CD18 is required for leukocytes to migrate to sites of injury, but efforts to reduce recruitment by inhibiting signaling through this integrin have not been successful in clinical trials. Vineet Gupta discusses his group’s finding that activating signaling through CD11b/CD18 reduced leukocyte recruitment to sites of injury in mice and may be an effective strategy for developing human therapeutics.
Spectator-electron behavior during cascade decay in krypton

We report new measurements of ${\mathrm{Kr}}^{q+}$ photo-ions, coincident with $K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ or $K\ensuremath{\beta}$ fluorescence as incident-photon energy is swept through the Kr $K$-shell threshold. From the branching ratios just above threshold, we obtain measurements of the ion charge-state probabilities for decay from the Kr $[2p]$ and Kr $[3p]$ states. In the threshold region, we observe both resonant enhancement and depletion of the branching ratios. By analyzing this behavior in light of theory, we extract sticking probabilities, which we feel are a useful set of parameters for investigating the general relationship between cascade decay from resonant and nonresonant hole states. A simplified theoretical model is employed to calculate these probabilities for the ${\mathrm{Kr}}^{2+}$ and ${\mathrm{Kr}}^{3+}$ cases.
Automation of laboratory testing for infectious diseases using the polymerase chain reaction — our past, our present, our future

While it is an extremely powerful and versatile assay method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be a labor-intensive process. Since the advent of commercial test kits from Roche and the semi-automated microwell Amplicor system, PCR has become an increasingly useful and widespread clinical tool. However, more widespread acceptance of molecular testing will depend upon automation that allows molecular assays to enter the routine clinical laboratory. The forces driving the need for automated PCR are the requirements for diagnosis and treatment of chronic viral diseases, economic pressures to develop more automated and less expensive test procedures similar to those in the clinical chemistry laboratories, and a shortage in many areas of qualified laboratory personnel trained in the types of manual procedures used in past decades. The automated Roche COBAS AMPLICOR system has automated the amplification and detection process. Specimen preparation remains the most labor-intensive part of the PCR testing process, accounting for the majority of the hands-on-time in most of the assays. A new automated specimen preparation system, the COBAS AmpliPrep, was evaluated. The system automatically releases the target nucleic acid, captures the target with specific oligonucleotide probes, which become attached to magnetic beads via a biotin-streptavidin binding reaction. Once attached to the beads, the target is purified and concentrated automatically. Results of 298 qualitative and 57 quantitative samples representing a wide range of virus concentrations analyzed after the COBAS AmpliPrep and manual specimen preparation methods, showed that there was no significant difference in qualitative or quantitative hepatitis C virus (HCV) assay performance, respectively. The AmpliPrep instrument decreased the time required to prepare serum or plasma samples for HCV PCR to under 1 min per sample. This was a decrease of 76% compared to the manual specimen preparation method. Systems that can analyze more samples with higher throughput and that can answer more questions about the nature of the microbes that we can presently only detect and quantitate will be needed in the future.
A qualitative test for aromatic mononitro compounds

Summary Aromatic nitro compounds gave excellent color tests with a 50% sodium hydride dispersion in mineral oil to which acetone was added. The acetone was an essential component of the reaction, enhancing the colors in some cases and developing colors in other cases where none appeared without it. Less than 1 µg. of nitrobenzene could be detected in this test. The test is recommended for distinguishing aromatic nitro compounds from other neutral nitrogen compounds in qualitative organic analysis. It may be useful for detection of small quantities of nitro compounds present in aromatic amines.