cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Constituents of salivary supernatant responsible for stimulation of oxygen uptake by the bacteria in human salivary sediment

Abstract The 10,000 g supernatant of wax-stimulated whole saliva was fractionated by gel filtration and its components were tested along with amino acids, small peptides and urea for their ability to stimulate this oxygen uptake, and for their effects on pH. Fractions containing the larger components, the proteins and large peptides, stimulated much less oxygen uptake than unfractionated supernatant, and caused a small decrease in pH. Analysis with anthrone indicated that both these effects were due mainly to the carbohydrate associated with these constituents. In contrast, fractions containing the remaining lower molecular-weight components stimulated substantial oxygen uptake and a rise in pH; both effects were like those seen with whole saliva supernatant. The oxygen effects were attributed mainly to certain amino acids and small peptides in the small molecular-weight fractions. Ornithine, arginine, proline and glutamic acid consistently stimulated oxygen uptake by the oral microflora in a test of 23 amino acids with the sediments of 13 subjects. Ornithine and arginine at the same time stimulated a significant rise in pH, whereas the other two amino acids showed no such effect. Variable and sometimes significant oxygen uptake was seen with alanine, aspartic acid, asparagine, glutamine and cysteine in 4–7 of the subjects; infrequent or no effects were seen with the remainder of the amino acids tested. There was some evidence to suggest that amino acid stimulation of oxygen uptake may be inducible. Urea had no effect on uptake but did contribute significantly to the pH rise. Small peptides containing those amino acids that could stimulate oxygen uptake also stimulated such uptake; peptides without such acids did not. It was concluded that certain amino acids, mainly present as residues of hydrolysable peptides and proteins, are the source of most of the oxidizable substrate in saliva. The remainder appears to be due to the carbohydrate associated with certain salivary proteins and large peptides.
Effective one-loop scalar Lagrangian in no-scale supergravity models

The total one-loop effective scalar Lagrangian is given in an explicitly field-redefinition-invariant form for a general model with derivative self-couplings of the scalars and scalar couplings to graviton, gauge, and fermion fields. This result is then specialized to no-scale models, with a form of the K\"ahler potential that is suggested by the zero-slope limit of superstring theories.
Long-term outcomes of balloon dilation for acquired subglottic stenosis in children.

Objectives. Balloon dilation laryngoplasty has been suggested as an alternative treatment to open surgical treatment of acquired subglottic stenosis in children. We describe long-term outcomes of balloon dilation for acquired subglottic stenosis in children. Methods. The medical charts of children who had balloon dilation for subglottic stenosis secondary to intubation were reviewed. Data included demographics, relevant history and physical examination, diagnostic workup, and management. Outcomes of balloon dilation were assessed based on improvement in preoperative symptoms, grading of stenosis, complications, and need for additional procedures. Results. Three children (2 male, 1 female, age range: 14 weeks–1 year) underwent balloon dilation for acquired subglottic stenosis. Patients presented with stridor and increased work of breathing. Duration of intubation ranged from 2 days to 3 weeks. Patients became symptomatic 5 days to 6 weeks after extubation. Grade of subglottic stenosis was II in 2 patients and III in one. Subglottic stenosis patients had 2-3 dilations within 2–10 weeks. All patients were asymptomatic during 14–21-month follow-up. Conclusions. Serial balloon dilation was safe and successful method to manage acquired subglottic stenosis in this group of children. No recurrence was noted in a follow-up more than a year after resolution of symptoms.
Poisson equation with periodic boundary conditions: Multipole-expansion solution.

A multipole-expansion approach is given for solving the Poisson equation with periodic boundary conditions by using the (point-group) symmetry of the unit cell and the evaluation of lattice sums (i.e., the lattice Fourier transform). The accuracy of this approach is checked for a highly anisotropic soluble case as well as for the classical example of Cu. Numerical results for Cu show a drastic decrease of the computational time in comparison with the approach used in the full-potential linearized-augmented-plane-wave method.
Bone marrow-derived cells and stem cells in lung repair.

Although it has been many years since publication of the first peer-reviewed studies showing that bone marrow (BM)–derived cells can become mature-appearing epithelial cells, we still know very little regarding the mechanisms, kinetics, cells, and potential clinical utility or pathology associated with this phenomenon. The initial discovery of BM-derived epithelial cells (BMDE) in the liver was published by Petersen and colleagues (Petersen BE, Bowen WC, Patrene KD, Mars WM, Sullivan AK, Murase N, Boggs SS, Greenberger JS, Goff JP. Bone marrow as a potential source of hepatic oval cells. Science 1999;284:1168–1170). Since that time, BMDE were identified in the skin, eye, GI tract, kidney, and the lung. Surprisingly, once several laboratories started to examine the effects of BM cells after tissue injury, BM-derived cells of different types were found to decrease tissue injury and enhance tissue repair, often without engraftment of marrow-derived epithelial cells. Thus, the potentially beneficial effects o...
Mutation in Archain 1, a Subunit of COPI Coatomer Complex, Causes Diluted Coat Color and Purkinje Cell Degeneration

Intracellular trafficking is critical for delivering molecules and organelles to their proper destinations to carry out normal cellular functions. Disruption of intracellular trafficking has been implicated in the pathogenesis of various neurodegenerative disorders. In addition, a number of genes involved in vesicle/organelle trafficking are also essential for pigmentation, and loss of those genes is often associated with mouse coat-color dilution and human hypopigmentary disorders. Hence, we postulated that screening for mouse mutants with both neurological defects and coat-color dilution will help identify additional factors associated with intracellular trafficking in neuronal cells. In this study, we characterized a mouse mutant with a unique N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea (ENU)–induced mutation, named nur17. nur17 mutant mice exhibit both coat-color dilution and ataxia due to Purkinje cell degeneration in the cerebellum. By positional cloning, we identified that the nur17 mouse carries a T-to-C missense mutation in archain 1 (Arcn1) gene which encodes the δ subunit of the coat protein I (COPI) complex required for intracellular trafficking. Consistent with this function, we found that intracellular trafficking is disrupted in nur17 melanocytes. Moreover, the nur17 mutation leads to common characteristics of neurodegenerative disorders such as abnormal protein accumulation, ER stress, and neurofibrillary tangles. Our study documents for the first time the physiological consequences of the impairment of the ARCN1 function in the whole animal and demonstrates a direct association between ARCN1 and neurodegeneration.
The Role of Creative Thinking in Resilience After Hurricane Katrina

This study hypothesized that creative thinking can help predict the process of resilience, manifested as subjective well-being despite exposure to adversity, either directly or with moderation of personality and demographic variables. Eighty survivors of hurricane Katrina who have lost their homes were asked to respond to measures of creative thinking, perception of adversity, well-being, a short personality inventory, and a demographic questionnaire. Supplementary qualitative exploration of 17 participants’ experiences augmented understanding within contextual framework. Findings suggest that originality and flexibility are significant predictors of well-being when personality traits and demographic variables are taken into account. Specifically, originality was found to be a significant predictor for extroversion, which was a significant predictor of life satisfaction measure. In addition, flexibility and originality were significant predictors of clinical stress and life satisfaction for the African American participants but not for the European American participants; originality and flexibility were also significant predictors of resilience for participants reporting greater income disparity. Triangulation of interviews with these findings further support the notion that manifestations of creative thinking as resilience are likely moderated by SES, culture and social structure, and might be masked under condition of social privilege and prevalence of resources.
Separating background and foregroundin video based on a nonparametric Bayesian model

Separating background and foreground in video is a fundamental problem in computer vision. We present a Bayesian hierarchical model to address this challenge, and apply it to video with dynamic scenes. The model uses a nonparametric prior, a beta-bernoulli process, for both the background and foreground representation. Additionally, the model uses neighborhood information of each pixel to encourage group clustering of the foreground. A collapsed Gibbs sampler is used for efficient posterior inference. Experimental results show competitive performance of the proposed model.
History of Latin American Archaeology

Two recent contributions (Oyuela-Caycedo 1994 and Politis 1995) to analyses of the intellectual development of archaeology in Latin America provide us with new perspectives. A theme shared by both is the perception by the authors of a need to distance the development of archaeology in Latin American countries from the overweening influence of Europe and especially U. S. archaeologists. Politis argues that U.S. influence has been tantamount to 'cultural imperialism' (1995:226). He sees U.S. archaeologists as having a history of appropriating and manipulating the knowledge of the past which ignores the local peoples own traditional perceptions of their patrimony, and argues that the U.S. perspective is designed to satisfy the needs of western scholarship but fails to enter a dialog with the legitimate concerns of the subject countries. Oyuela·Caycedo's introductory essay in his book "Nationalism and Archaeology" carries a very similar message. He faults U.S. archaeologists for failing to locate their studies in the areas social and local context, which he sees as leading the U.S. scholars to employ a model derived from "dependency theory" (1994:5), resulting in an overly simplistic perception of the context for the development of archaeological disciplines in respective Latin American countries.
Intrauterine Acoustics Embedded Active Noise Controller

This paper presents a pioneering healthcare application of active noise control (ANC)-the intrauterine acoustics embedded ANC system for reducing noise levels inside infant incubators in neonatal intensive care units. Incorporating intrauterine audio with incubators has proven medical benefits. However it is necessary to develop an ANC system to optimize the benefits of the integration. A computer model utilizing measured transfer functions from an experimental setup is developed for simulations using real medical equipment noise. An average cancellation of 16 dB was observed. The simulation of the audio integrated ANC system produced optimal results and the system was validated to be robust and efficient.
Limitations of the Fictive Temperature Concept

The fictive temperature formalism, in which the structural state of the glass is characterized by the fictive temperature T, is very useful in the qualitative description of the effects of thermal treatment in the transformation range. Experimental data are presented which show, however, that such a one-parameter description has only a limited quantitative significance. When samples of a borosilicate crown, glass, annealed at various constant cooling rates, are compared with samples annealed at constant temperature, it is found that a single parameter does not specify all physical properties simultaneously and that the two types of samples differ markedly in transformation-range kinetic phenomena. Properties studied include density, refractive index, low-temperature thermal expansion, approach to equilibrium at constant temperature, and thermal expansion during heating in the transformation range.
Language acquisition recapitulates language evolution

Christiansen & Chater (C&C) focus solely on general-purpose cognitive processes in their elegant conceptualization of language evolution. However, numerous developmental facts attested in L1 acquisition confound C&C's subsequent claim that the logical problem of language acquisition now plausibly recapitulates that of language evolution. I argue that language acquisition should be viewed instead as a multi-layered construction involving the interplay of general and domain-specific learning mechanisms.
Extensive sampling changes T-staging of infiltrating lobular carcinoma of breast: a comparative study of gross versus microscopic tumor sizes.

Infiltrating lobular carcinoma represents 7-10% of all invasive breast cancers. The greatest diameter of the tumors in the surgical specimens is required for an accurate T-staging. Tumors with dimension of zero cm, >0 to 2 to 5 cm are staged as T0, T1, T2, and T3, respectively. A retrospective study on the specimens was performed on the specimens of 74 cases with infiltrating lobular carcinoma at the UCLA Medical Center from 2003 to 2005. The patients' ages ranged from 38 to 95 years. Specimens were from lumpectomy and mastectomy procedures on 36 and 38 patients, respectively. The specimens were divided in four groups according to the gross T-stages. Microscopic measurement of the tumors was carried out within each of the four groups for restaging purposes. Resizing of tumors was performed by marking the microscopic tumor extensions and compiling the measurements. In group 1, all 26 gross T0 tumors changed to T1 (69%), T2 (19%), and T3 (12%) after microscopic restaging. In group 2, 50% of the 26 gross T1 tumors became T2 (35%) and T3 (15%). In group 3, 9 (50%) of the T2 tumors changed to T3 microscopically. All 7 specimens (100%) in group 4 remained as T3. The results show that the gross measurements alone may underestimate 40-50% of the tumor T-stages. Therefore, the T-stages of the tumors with a gross size of 5 cm or less may change by microscopic resizing after an extensive sampling of the specimen.
Epigenetic mechanical factors in the evolution of long bone epiphyses

Abstract In developing vertebrate long bones in which endochondral ossification occurs, it is preceded or accompanied by perichondral ossification. The speed and extent of perichondral apposition relative to endochondral ossification varies in different taxa. Perichondral ossification dominates early long bone development in extinct basal tetrapods and dinosaurs, extant bony fish, amphibians, and birds. In mammals and lizards, perichondral and endochondral ossification proceed more synchronously. One of the most important epigenetic factors in skeletogenesis is mechanical loading caused by muscle contractions which begin in utero or in ovo . It has been previously shown that the stress distributions created perinatally in the chondroepiphysis during human skeletal development can influence the appearance of secondary ossification centres. Using finite element computer models representing bones near birth or hatching, we demonstrate that in vertebrates in which perichondral ossification significantly precedes endochondral ossification, the distribution of mechanical stresses in the ossifying cartilage anlagen tends to inhibit the appearance of secondary ossification centres in the ends of long bones. In models representing vertebrates in which endochondral ossification keeps pace with perichondral apposition, the appearance of secondary centres is promoted. The appearance of secondary centres leads to the formation of bony epiphyses and growth plates, which are most common in mammals and extant lizards. We postulate that genotypic factors influencing the relative speed and extent of perichondral and endochondral ossification interact with mechanical epigenetic factors early in development to account for many of the morphological differences observed in vertebrate skeletons.
Human Rights in Ethiopia

It is the hypothesis of this article if the Provisional Military Administrative Committee, which took power in Ethiopia on 12 September 1974, is really intent on uprooting the feudal social system that has flourished for so long, then a revolution by violent means is necessary. As Frantz Fanon says, ‘if the last shall be first, this will only come to pass after a murderous and decisive struggle between the two protagonists’.
A Practical Computer Method for Pricing Pork Carcasses and Hogs

Inefficiencies in the production‐marketing system for hogs are due in part to inaccurate derivation of live hog values from expected wholesale cut values. The evaluation method presented in this paper is accurate, objective, and practical when compared to a method used by a progressive firm in the industry. Time series price data and cross sectional carcass data are utilized in a two‐step least squares procedure to estimate carcass value, associated with a given set of wholesale prices, on an individual carcass basis. This method, if used extensively, should lead to improvement in the hog marketing system.
Septins Set the Stage for Orai1 to Bind STIM1 at ER-PM Junctions

The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) Ca2+ sensor STIM1 recruits and activates the plasma membrane (PM) Ca2+ channel Orai1 at ER-PM junctions for store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE). Reporting in Nature, Sharma et al. (2013) showed that septins are necessary for Orai1 recruitment and SOCE, implicating these scaffolding proteins in signaling at ER-PM junctions.
Studies for muon collider parameters at center-of-mass energies of 10 TeV and 100 TeV

Parameter lists are presented for speculative muon colliders at center-of-mass energies of 10 TeV and 100 TeV. The technological advances required to achieve the given parameters are itemized and discussed, and a discussion is given of the design goals and constraints. An important constraint for multi-TeV muon colliders is the need to minimize neutrino radiation from the collider ring.
Two-dimensional simulations of SAR imagery of ocean waves

The authors have carried out two-dimensional simulations of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery of ocean waves and compared these simulations with actual images obtained during the SAXON-FPN experiment. They have simulated the imagery using measured imaging parameters and three variations of SAR imaging theory which make progressively more simplifying assumptions: time-dependent, velocity-bunching, and quasi-linear. They find that under most standard SAR imaging conditions, time-dependent and velocity-bunching models are indistinguishable. However, for long integration times the velocity bunching simulations show a smearing of the spectral peak. This effect is intensified for large R/V ratios (where R is the average range distance and V is the platform velocity). The quasi-linear formulation assumes linear imaging and fails for large R/V ratios to reproduce the low frequency behavior observed in actual imagery, due to the non-linear effects. The advantage of the more simple formulations is, of course, shorter computing time. They find that time-dependent modelling takes about 100 times longer than velocity-bunching and closer to 300 times longer than quasi-linear modelling to produce results. >
Abstract PR10: Modulation of chromatin structure and transcription by the SWI/SNF complex in acute lymphoblastic leukemia

SWI/SNF chromatin remodelers act as tumor suppressors in a wide variety of tissue types and cancers. Recent reports describe that as many as 20% of human cancers harbor mutations in one or more subunits of this multi-protein complex. Intriguingly, mutations in the SWI/SNF complex are rarely found in leukemias. However, it has long been understood that SWI/SNF is a key component of glucocorticoid-mediated transcription. Diminished expression of SWI/SNF subunits has also been linked to altered sensitivity to glucocorticoid-induced cell death in acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL). Glucocorticoid-induced cell death is a critical component of successful ALL therapy. We therefore use the glucocorticoid-mediated transcriptional program in a human ALL cell line to interrogate the genome-wide chromatin changes and contributions to transcription mediated by an intact SWI/SNF complex. We begin by elucidating the dynamic relationships between glucocorticoid receptor binding to chromatin and recruitment of SWI/SNF using ChIP-Seq. We further relate these glucocorticoid-inducible binding events to changes in position of modified histones, changes in chromatin accessibility by DNase-seq, and changes in gene expression. By better understanding the mechanisms by which SWI/SNF modifies the chromatin landscape within a specific transcriptional program, we will facilitate additional studies of how disruption of the SWI/SNF complex affects ALL responses to steroid therapy. Furthermore, we will contribute to future studies of how mutations in the SWI/SNF complex functionally affect chromatin structure and contribute to oncogenesis. This abstract is also presented as Poster B07. Citation Format: Jennifer Wu, Luca Pinello, Elinor Yissachar, Guo-Cheng Yuan, Charles Roberts. Modulation of chromatin structure and transcription by the SWI/SNF complex in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Chromatin and Epigenetics in Cancer; Jun 19-22, 2013; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(13 Suppl):Abstract nr PR10.
New experimental test of the decay rate prediction, 2Ξ--= Λ-+ √3σ+0

Author(s): Stevenson, M.L.; Berge, J.P.; Hubbard, J.R.; Kalbfleisch, G.R.; Shafer, J.B.; Solmltz, F.T.; Wojcicki, S.G.; Wohlmut, P.G.
Successful imaging of malignant melanoma with technetium-99m-labeled monoclonal antibodies.

F(ab')2 and Fab fragments of murine monoclonal antibody 9.2.27, that recognizes the 250 kD melanoma-associated antigen, were labeled with 99mTc using the bifunctional chelate method of Fritzberg et al. Twenty-seven (27) patients received, intravenously, 10 mg of either F(ab')2 (8), or the Fab (27), labeled with up to 30 mCi of 99mTc. These doses were preceded by an infusion of cold irrelevant antibody. The average serum T1/2 of the F(ab')2 and the Fab were 11 hr and 2 hr, respectively. Twenty-two percent (22%) of the total injected F(ab')2 dose was excreted in the urine in 20 hr, compared to 55% for the Fab group. Imaging was optimal 6-9 hr postinjection for the Fab patients. No nonspecific uptake in liver, spleen, bone marrow, or lung was observed for either antibody form. Overall, (43/53) 81% of known metastases were seen with visualization of tumors as small as 250 mg and tumor localization as high as 0.03% injected dose/g. Immunoperoxidase staining of freshly-frozen tumor nodules removed 24 hr postinjection confirmed antibody deposition in the tumor. Thirty-six previously unknown ("occult") metastatic sites were detected. To date, 12/36 of these sites have been confirmed. We conclude that 99mTc-labeled antibody to melanoma produces high resolution images with a high sensitivity of detecting metastatic melanoma. The detection of previously unknown sites of disease has proven helpful in directing additional diagnostic studies (i.e., CT) as well as planning of therapeutic options.
ELECTRONIC AND VIBRATIONAL RAMAN SPECTRA OF PRCL3 AND LACL3

A search for electronic Raman transitions in the Pr 3+ ion in PrCl 3 has yielded ten lines, which have been assigned as transitions from the ground Stark level of the 3 H 4 state of the free Pr 3 + ion to: (i) three other Stark levels of the 3 H 4 state ; (ii) five Stark levels of the 3 H 5 state ; and (iii) two Stark levels of the 3 F 2 state. The frequencies and the polarizations of these lines are in agreement with the known energy levels of the Pr 3+ ion. During the course of this work the frequencies of five of the six Raman active vibrational modes of crystals of both PrCl 3 and LaCl 3 were also determined. Only one A g mode escaped detection.
A time for every season: soil aggregate turnover stimulates decomposition and reduces carbon loss in grasslands managed for bioenergy

A primary goal of many next-generation bioenergy systems is to increase ecosystem services such as soil carbon (C) storage and nutrient retention. Evaluating whether bioenergy management systems are achieving these goals is challenging in part because these processes occur over long periods of time at varying spatial scales. Investigation of microbially mediated soil processes at the microbe scale may provide early insights into the mechanisms driving these long-term ecosystem services. Furthermore, seasonal fluctuations in microbial activity are rarely considered when estimating whole ecosystem functioning, but are central to decomposition, soil structure, and realized C storage. Some studies have characterized extracellular enzyme activity within soil structures (aggregates); however, seasonal variation in decomposition at the microscale remains virtually unknown, particularly in managed ecosystems. As such, we hypothesize that temporal variation in aggregate turnover is a strong regulator of microbial activity, with important implications for decomposition and C and nitrogen (N) storage in bioenergy systems. We address variation in soil microbial extracellular enzyme activity spatially across soil aggregates and temporally across two growing seasons in three ecosystems managed for bioenergy feedstock production: Zea mays L. (corn) agroecosystem, fertilized and unfertilized reconstructed tallgrass prairie. We measured potential N-acetyl-glucosaminidase (NAG), β-glucosidase (BG), β-xylosidase (BX), and cellobiohydrolase (CB) enzyme activity. Aggregate turnover in prairie systems was driven by precipitation events and seasonal spikes in enzyme activity corresponded with aggregate turnover events. In corn monocultures, soil aggregates turned over early in the growing season, followed by increasing, albeit low, enzyme activity throughout the growing season. Independent of management system or sampling date, NAG activity was greatest in large macroaggregates (>2000 μm) and CB activity was greatest in microaggregates (<250 μm). High microbial activity coupled with greater aggregation in prairie bioenergy systems may reduce loss of soil organic matter through decomposition and increase soil C storage.
In Search of the Elusive Vulnerable Plaque: Reducing the Gap Between Coronary Imaging and Necropsy Findings⁎

Over the past decades, considerable time, effort, and money have been expended to identify patients at increased risk of future coronary ischemic events and detect the offending high-risk, vulnerable lesions. Biochemical and genetic markers are useful for demonstrating a high-risk group but are less
Inotropic effects of ejection are myocardial properties

Recent studies in isolated and in vivo canine hearts have suggested that the left ventricular end-systolic pressure (LVPes) of ejecting beats is the net result of a balance between positive and negative effects of ejection. At present, it is unknown whether these ejection effects are merely a ventricular chamber property or represent a fundamental myocardial property. Accordingly, we examined the effects of ejection in eight isolated rat cardiac trabeculae at the sarcomere level. We approximated in situ sarcomere shortening patterns using an iterative computer loading system. Six isovolumic contractions were compared with four ejecting contractions. The superfusing solution contained either 0.7 mM Ca2+ or 0.65 mM Sr2+ plus 0.15 mM Ca2+. With Ca2+, simulated LVPes ("LVP"es) of ejecting contractions was significantly lower than isovolumic "LVP"es (-5.3 +/- 5.6%), whereas with Sr2+, ejecting "LVP"es was significantly higher than isovolumic "LVP"es (+4.5 +/- 7.5%). Contraction duration and time to end systole were markedly prolonged in ejecting vs. isovolumic contractions with either Ca2+ or Sr2+. As a consequence, comparison of simulated LVP between ejecting and isovolumic beats throughout the contraction, i.e., at the same simulated LVV and time, revealed only a positive effect of ejection with either Ca2+ (+18.8 +/- 5.5%) or Sr2+ (+23.4 +/-9.3%). We conclude that both positive and negative effects of ejection are basic myocardial properties.
Pursuit of Quality Testing in the Physician Office Laboratory

The number of physicians' office laboratories (POLs) in the United States is growing as is the complement of tests they perform. This article is concerned with the current state of POLs and what should be considered when evaluating the quality of testing done by these laboratories. It is the responsibility of those involved in the traditional laboratory setting to assist the POL in achieving quality test results to ensure quality patient care.
The Effect of Cu Distribution on Post-Patterning Grain Growth and Reliability of Al-1%Cu Interconnects

The reliability of Al-Cu interconnects is a strong function of both grain structure and the Cu content and distribution. Because pre-patteming and post-patterning grain growth are affected by the presence of Al2Cu precipitates, the effects of grain structure and Cu distribution are interrelated. We have studied the effect of Al2Cu precipitate spacing on interconnect reliability independent of grain size effects. This was accomplished by varying the thermal history of the continuous films to produce samples with identical grain structures, but different precipitate spacings. The precipitate spacing in continuous films was varied by an order of magnitude, from 2.6 μm to 25. pm. Lines were then patterned from each sample and tested. Lifetime testing results show that the reliability of lines with smaller precipitate spacings can be roughly an order of magnitude higher than that of lines with a larger precipitate spacing. We have also qualitatively studied the effects of Cu distribution on post-patterning grain growth. We found that precipitates retard post-patterning grain evolution, leading toreduced reliability. These results suggest strategies for developing thermal histories which will lead to optimal reliability.
Simple simulation

This paper describes an example of a network flow modelling approach for "quick and dirty" analysis of traffic dynamics in material handling systems. The example is based on a real installation. It serves to demonstrate potential for quickly comparing the design feasibility of alternate conveyor system layouts under dynamic loading before using specially programmed simulations.
Major Hazard Source Identification for Metallurgical Furnace and Consequence Simulation of Explosion Accident

With temperature of liquid iron and ladle,metallurgical furnace explosion accidents often happen at home and abroad,but at present we have no ways to judge if it is a great hazard source according to "Identification of Major Hazard Installations"(GB18218-2000) and "On the Guideline for the Development of Major Hazard Installations Supervision and Management".In this paper the explosion mechanics and thermodynamics are used to raise the theory and ways to judge the major hazard installations,to give the critical effective volume to judge if the blast furnace is the major hazard source and the critical nominal tonnage to judge if the converter and mixed furnace is the major hazard source.At last the simulation analysis on the explosion accident consequence is conducted by VB program,which provides some references for metallurgical enterprises.
Late results of heart valve replacement with the ball-valve prosthesis

Summary The cases of 78 patients are described. The immediate and late mortality, as well as morbidity, and late physiologic studies are presented.
Prejudice Masquerading as Praise: The Negative Echo of Positive Stereotypes.

Five studies demonstrate the powerful connection between being the target of a positive stereotype and expecting that one is also being ascribed negative stereotypes. In Study 1, women who heard a man state a positive stereotype were more likely to believe that he held negative stereotypes of them than women who heard no stereotype. Beliefs about being negatively stereotyped mediated the relationship between hearing a positive stereotype and believing that the stereotyper was prejudiced. Studies 2 to 4 extended these results to Asian Americans and accounted for alternative explanations (e.g., categorization threat). In Study 5, the same positive stereotype (e.g., good at math) was directed to Asian American men’s racial or gender identity. Their perceptions about whether negative racial or gender stereotypes were being applied to them depended on the identity referenced by the positive stereotype. Positive stereotypes signal a latent negativity about one’s group, thereby explaining why they can feel like ...
Domestic adaptation at Puerto Real, Haiti

Archaeological investigation of domestic adaptation at the 16th-century Spanish colony of Puerto Real is discussed. The results are compared to data from similar sites in St. Augustine, Florida. It is suggested that economic and environmental factors were prime movers in influencing the adaptive strategies revealed at the respective sites.
Tourniquet use during total knee arthroplasty does not modulate the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, pain, or activity

The purpose of our study was to identify the influence of tourniquet use during total knee arthroplasty (TKA) on the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) shortly after surgery and patient-reported outcomes (pain and physical activity) from outpatient physical therapy. This retrospective study consisted of 104 subjects who underwent primary unilateral TKA (51 subjects with and 53 subjects without tourniquet assistance) between 2010 and 2012. The NLR was calculated from the absolute neutrophil and lymphocyte counts obtained immediately before and after (1 and 2 days) knee arthroplasty. The Knee Outcome Survey (KOS) of Activities of Daily Living and numeric pain scores collected at the first [33.0 (34.2) days after surgery] and last [85.5 (40.7) days after surgery] outpatient physical therapy visits were extracted from an electronic database. The NLR, pain, and KOS score were not significantly (all p > 0.05) different with tourniquet use. Based on these findings, we conclude that tourniquet use during TKA neither increases systemic inflammation shortly after surgery nor impairs patient-reported outcomes obtained during outpatient physical therapy. IV.
Response by Parikh and Kamel to Letter Regarding Article, "Stroke Risk and Mortality in Patients With Ventricular Assist Devices".

We thank Dr Jennings for his interest1 in our recent publication,2 in which we reported that the incidence of stroke after implantation of a ventricular assist device was 8.7% per year in a large, population-based cohort. We also reported that the rate of ischemic stroke was nearly double that of hemorrhagic stroke. In this study, we used patient data from US administrative claims and, therefore, were unable to examine granular …
Health Spillovers among Hospital Patients: Evidence from Roommate Assignments

AbstractThis study examines health spillovers among hospital patients using a natural experiment of conditionally random hospital roommate assignments and electronic medical records data for a sample of 3,793 patients and their roommates. The study finds that positive health spillover effects may play an important role in reducing the amount of care the patient requires during hospitalization, shortening length of hospital stay, and lowering hospitalization cost, with little evidence of negative health effects for most patients. Mechanisms of roommate effects and implications for health-care delivery and policy are also considered.
COMPARISON OF ACCELERATED METHODS FOR EVALUATING LEACHING FROM PRESERVATIVE TREATED WOOD

Current standardized methods are not well-suited for estimating in-service preservative leaching from treated wood products. This study compared several alternative leaching methods to a commonly used standard method, and to leaching under natural exposure conditions. Small blocks or lumber specimens were pressure treated with a wood preservative containing borax and copper hydroxide. The specimens were leached using scenarios involving short periods of immersion, simulated rainfall, or to a longer period of outdoor exposure to natural precipitation. When compared with lumber specimens exposed to natural precipitation, leaching from immersed small blocks overestimated losses of both copper and of boron, whereas immersion of lumber specimens underestimated losses of copper. Stirring during immersion, which is required by some standard methods, did not affect leaching. Simulated rainfall most closely simulated leaching during outdoor exposure, but is relatively complex and may be difficult to standardize. Leaching appeared to be directly related to the time that specimens had sufficient moisture to allow diffusion to occur. Further research is needed to better characterize moisture contents of wood products outdoors and develop methods that simulate those moisture conditions.
Mesmerismus und Wahnsinn in E. T. A. Hoffmanns Erzählung „Das Gelübde“

Der romantische Medizindiskurs beschaftigte E. T. A. Hoffmann besonders intensiv in den Jahren 1808-1813, die er in der suddeutschen Stadt Bamberg verbrachte. Nach der Ruckkehr nach Berlin verarbeitete er dann im literarischen Werk die zahlreichen medizinisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Impulse und Anregungen aus dieser Zeit. Das betrifft vor allem zwei eng miteinander zusammenhangende Themenkomplexe: Wahnsinn und animalischer Magnetismus. Sie spielen im Erzahlzyklus Kreisleriana (1814-1815) und in der Erzahlung „Der Magnetiseur“ (1814) eine wichtige Rolle und sie treten bekanntlich auch in Hoffmanns zweiter Novellensammlung Nachtstucke (1817) auf. In der vorletzten Erzahlung der Nachtstucke, „Das Gelubde,“ verschranken sich Magnetismus, seelische Storungen und Kurversuche sowohl thematisch als auch auf dem erzahlerischen Niveau auf exemplarische Weise. Die Erzahlung fand bei Hoffmanns Zeitgenossen ein geringes Echo (Steinecke, Zu Textgestalt 1022) und Interpreten haben sie bis zum heutigen Tag eher vernachlassigt. Eine Ausnahme stellt ein 2010 erschienener Beitrag von Stefanie Catani dar, der sich mit der Dialektik Vernunft/Wahnsinn befasst und der auf interessante Weise die meta-narrativischen Elemente in der Erzahlung ins Blickfeld ruckt, die auf die poetologischen Konzepte der Novellensammlung Die Serapions-Bruder (1819 bis 1821) hindeuten. Hoffmann scheint seiner Erzahlung hingegen eine gewisse Wertschatzung entgegengebracht zu haben, da er sie dem Verleger Kunz in einem Brief vom 08.03.1818 zusammen mit „Das Majorat“ zur Lekture empfahl (Hoffmann, „Briefe 1814-1822“ 137).
Binarity in Brown Dwarfs: T Dwarf Binaries Discovered with the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2

We present the discovery of two T dwarf binaries, 2MASS 1225-2739AB and 2MASS 1534-2952AB, identified in a sample of 10 T dwarfs imaged with the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2. Companionship is established by the uniquely red F814W-F1042M colors of the binary components, caused by heavily pressure-broadened K I absorption centered at 7665 and 7699 A. The separations of the two binary systems are 0."282 ± 0."005 and 0."065 ± 0."007, implying projected separations of 3.17 ± 0.14 and 1.0 ± 0.3 AU, respectively. These close separations are similar to those found in previous brown dwarf binary searches and permit orbital mapping over the coming decade. 2MASS 1225-2739AB has a substantially fainter secondary, with ΔM_(F814W) = 1.59 ± 0.04 and ΔM_(F1042M) = 1.05 ± 0.03; this system is likely composed of a T6 primary and T8 secondary with mass ratio 0.7-0.8. The observed binary fraction of our HST sample, 20^(+17%)_(-1), is consistent with results obtained for late-type M and L field dwarfs and implies a bias-corrected binary fraction of 9^(+15%)_(-4) for α ≳ 1 AU and q ≳ 0.4, significantly lower than the binary fractions of F-G and early-type M dwarf stars. Neither of the T binaries have separations α ≳ 10 AU, consistent with results from other brown dwarf binary searches. Using the statistical models of Weinberg, Shapiro, & Wasserman, we conclude that tidal disruption by passing stars or giant molecular clouds, which limits the extent of wide stellar binaries, plays no role in eliminating wide brown dwarf binaries, implying either disruption very early in the formation process (ages ≾ 1-10 Myr) or a formation mechanism that precludes such systems. We find that the maximum binary separation in the brown dwarf regime appears to scale as M^2_(total), a possible clue to the physical mechanism that restricts wide substellar systems.
Chat Speed OP PogChamp: Practices of Coherence in Massive Twitch Chat

Twitch.tv, a streaming platform known for video game content, has grown tremendously since its inception in 2011. We examine communication practices in Twitch chats for the popular game Hearthstone, comparing massive chats with at least 10,000 concurrent viewers and small chats with fewer than 2,000 concurrent viewers. Due to the large scale and fast pace of massive chats, communication patterns no longer follow models developed in previous studies of computer-mediated communication. Rather than what other studies have described as communication breakdowns and information overload, participants in massive chats communicate in what we call 'crowdspeak.'
Colorado Springs hotel market compression detection tool

In this paper we describe the development of a model to assist in hotel room pricing by predicting upcoming market compression with multiple linear regression. Our client is a local 4-Star hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado with 500 guestrooms. Currently, the hotel receives data on the rates of their competitive set (CompSet) of hotels in the Colorado Springs market on a weekly basis from a contracted market researcher. Additionally, the hotel gathers information about upcoming local events that potentially bring in large groups of guests. Using a heuristic set of rules, the revenue manager utilizes the data to determine the nightly rate of the rooms to maximize revenue. The process is iterated until the stay night; the revenue manager revisits the nightly rates as more data becomes available. We focus on providing a simple to use tool that systematically automates the process of analyzing the weekly market data received. Our decision support tool receives pricing data on the CompSet, analyzes the data using a series of linear models, and projects a market compression percentile for dates up to 90 days in the future, accounting for up to 82% of the variation in compression. This decision support tool allows the revenue manager to base their heuristic guest type allocation and room pricing decisions on precise predictions of market conditions.
Maximum Mean Discrepancy Based Multiple Kernel Learning for Incomplete Multimodality Neuroimaging Data.

It is challenging to use incomplete multimodality data for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) diagnosis. The current methods to address this challenge, such as low-rank matrix completion (i.e., imputing the missing values and unknown labels simultaneously) and multi-task learning (i.e., defining one regression task for each combination of modalities and then learning them jointly), are unable to model the complex data-to-label relationship in AD diagnosis and also ignore the heterogeneity among the modalities. In light of this, we propose a new Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD) based Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) method for AD diagnosis using incomplete multimodality data. Specifically, we map all the samples from different modalities into a Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Space (RKHS), by devising a new MMD algorithm. The proposed MMD method incorporates data distribution matching, pair-wise sample matching and feature selection in an unified formulation, thus alleviating the modality heterogeneity issue and making all the samples comparable to share a common classifier in the RKHS. The resulting classifier obviously captures the nonlinear data-to-label relationship. We have tested our method using MRI and PET data from Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset for AD diagnosis. The experimental results show that our method outperforms other methods.
Light transmission through a sand layer: modeling changes due to illumination direction

Direct observations of transmission through a thin layer of quartz sand indicate that the transmitted radiation – from the visible through the shortwave infrared – is essentially diffuse after little more than one attenuation length. Except for an anomalously high transmission in a dry, 3-mm deep quartz sample when the detector was directly aligned with the light source, no complex forward scattering features were apparent. A simple model designed to describe the observations is explored for insight into the angular dependence and the spectral distribution of the transmitted radiation. The model suggests that the observed variation of the transmittance with illumination angle can be attributed to surface effects (including absorption), that much of the transmitted light has passed through the sand particles, and that a wavelengthdependence of the attenuation in the visible is consistent with scattering within the sand particles.
What Would You Do?: Design Fiction and Ethics

Design fiction can be highly effective at envisioning possible futures. That envisioning enables, among other things, considering ethical implications of possible technologies. This paper highlights that capacity through a curated collection of five short design fiction pieces, each accompanied by its own author statement. Spanning multiple genres, each piece highlights ethical issues in its own way. After considering the unique strategies that each piece uses to highlight ethical issues, the paper concludes with considerations of how design fiction can advance broader discussions of ethics in computing.
Extra-adrenal Pheochromocytoma Associated With Segmental Renal Artery Compression and Pseudostenosis

Classically, pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas result in hypertension secondary to an excess release of catecholamines. However, when the tumor arises near the renal hilum, hypertension may also be secondary to renal artery stenosis, which can occur via several purported mechanisms. We describe an unusual case of a hereditary, extra-adrenal pheochromocytoma causing right lower pole renal artery pseudostenosis, pertinent radiologic signs, relevant surgical findings, and subsequent resolution after extirpative surgery.
Recombinant oncolytic poliovirus combined with checkpoint blockade for breast cancer therapy.

e12641Background: Breast cancers thrive in an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Checkpoint blockade has had poor results in metastatic breast cancers. Recombinant oncolytic polio:rhinovirus (PVSR...
DBA Organization and Staff

The dba group is the organizational subunit charged with carrying out the tasks and responsibilities of data base administration. Typically the dba group reports within the data processing department and draws its staff primarily from that department. Reflecting both its organizational position and internal policies on naming, the dba may be called Manager of Data Base Administration, Director of Data Base Services, Manager of Information Resources, or any of a number of similar titles. Where no dba group exists, the administrative and technical tasks of data base administration are assigned to existing groups within edp. Technical tasks are performed by groups within the computer operations or system services department, sometimes called dbms Support, Data Base Design, On-line Systems. Administrative tasks are assumed largely by data processing management.(1)