cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linear stability of TCP/RED and a scalable control

We demonstrate that the dynamic behavior of queue and average window is determined predominantly by the stability of TCP/RED, not by AIMD probing nor noise traffic. We develop a general multi-link multi-source model for TCP/RED and derive a local stability condition in the case of a single link with heterogeneous sources. We validate our model with simulations and illustrate the stability region of TCP/RED. These results suggest that TCP/RED becomes unstable when delay increases, or more strikingly, when link capacity increases. The analysis illustrates the difficulty of setting RED parameters to stabilize TCP: they can be tuned to improve stability, but only at the cost of large queues even when they are dynamically adjusted. Finally, we present a simple distributed congestion control algorithm that maintains stability for arbitrary network delay, capacity, load and topology.
Explanation for market response to seasoned equity offerings

In this paper, we use a multivariate framework to extend the recent univariate seasoned equity offering (SEO) research that investigated the valuation impact of inside ownership. Our multivariate findings re-enforce and add to the univariate findings as we show that the inside ownership level is a consistent factor in accounting for short-run and long-run returns around SEOs, while the decrease in inside ownership has no impact on short-run returns but influences long-run returns in a manner inconsistent with signaling theory. Compared to prior research, our regression tests do a much better job of accounting for returns associated with SEO announcements. For short-run regression tests, the four major factors associated with superior stock returns are: lower underpricing; greater profitability prior to SEO; lower inside ownership level; and, less stock price variability prior to SEO. For long-run regression tests, the four major conditions linked to superior returns are: greater profitability prior to SEO; smaller inside ownership level; relative size of the offering; and, greater decrease in inside ownership level.
Light-activated resistance switching in GaAs/AlGaAs naturally-occurring nanostructures

Abstract Light-activated discrete resistance switching is studied in GaAs/AlGaAs naturally-occurring nanostructures. These nanostructures consist of small-area current paths through a 0.5 μm thick Al 0.5 Ga 0.5 As barrier which is sandwiched between two n + GaAs contact layers. The small-area current paths are produced by dislocations which thread through the barrier. Data is presented from one device in which a persistent, > 10 7 increase in current is observed after exposure to light. The current undergoes this transition in ∼ 10 3 discrete steps. Each discrete increase in current corresponds to the photo-population of individual traps present in the barrier material.
House Subcommittee examines Space Science Budget

On April 29, Wesley Huntress, NASA associate administrator for the Office of Space Science, and Harry Holloway, associate administrator for the new Office of Life and Microgravity Sciences and Applications, testified before the House Space Subcommittee on NASA's fiscal year 1994 budget request for space science. At the outset, subcommittee chairman Ralph Hall (D-Tex.) expressed concern that in an attempt to add more missions, NASA would sacrifice some of the knowledge to be gained from current missions. He commented that “NASA appears to be putting a higher priority on starting new missions than on analyzing data from [current] ones.”
On Eigen Values Greater Than Unity and the True Structure of Tests

A 32 item inventory was computer-generated to have a clearly de fined factor structure. N observations were sampled from this struc ture, factor-analyzed and examined for eigen values exceeding unity. Only in the robust N condition (N = 320) was the prescribed structure correctly identified. It was concluded that the use of this procedure for uncovering the internal structure of tests is a special case of sample quantity not quality.
UV extended supercontinuum source for time resolved and steady state spectroscopy for biological and chemical molecules

The spectrum of the supercontinuum generated by a femtosecond Ti:Sapphire laser beam in photonic crystal fiber (PCF) is increased into the UV using small core diameter PCF with zero dispersion wavelength (ZDW) shorter 600 nm. A flat spectrum is generated that spans from 350 to 1000 nm. The SC was used as an excitation source for fluorescence spectroscopy. Fluorescence spectra can be detected from dye molecules, and native molecules in tissues samples with excitation from wavelengths extracted from ultrafast SC light in the spectral range between 350 to 500 nm using narrow bandpass filters. A Streak Camera was used for time-resolved fluorescence measurements.
Adaptation of Industry Standards to PACS

Imagery and textual communications among healthcare information systems, medical imaging equipment, and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have always been difficult as each of these components varies with platforms, modalities, and manufacturers. With the emerging of industry standards, it become feasible to integrate all these heterogeneous, disparate medical images and textual data. This paper describes two such major industry standards: Health Level 7 (HL7) and ACR/NEMA. In conforming to the HL7 standard, we are able to share medical information between the hospital information systems, radiology information systems, and PACS. By adapting the ACR/NEMA 2.0 standard, we also can convert medical images generated from a variety of modalities and manufacturers to its standardized data format. The conversion is based on the data dictionary defined in the ACR/NEMA 2.0 document.
Evaluation of ovum fixation and storage in three‐spined stickleback

Ripe eggs removed from three-spined sticklebacks stored in 50% isopropyl alcohol showed significantly Sower mean masses than those stored in 10% formalin. These results are considered in relationship to preservation techniques for stickleback.
Experimental investigation of countercurrent liquid-vapor interactions and their effect on the friction Factor

Abstract An experimental test facility was constructed to determine the vapor flow influence on the friction factor of countercurrent liquid flowing in small channels. The fluids used were water and air. The friction factor for liquid flowing in three different grooves with channel angles of 20°, 40°, and 60° was evaluated to determine the influence of the vapor flow for a velocity range of 0–10 m/s. The vapor flow was shown to significantly influence the friction factor of the liquid, due to the frictional interaction at the vapor-liquid interface. As expected, increasing the velocity of the vapor flow resulted in an increase in the friction factor of the liquid. The amount of this increase was shown to depend on the ratio of the average vapor velocity to the average liquid flow velocity. For grooves with larger channel angles, the vapor flow velocity was shown to have a more significant influence on the friction factor of the liquid. The wave height at the liquid surface was also found to affect the friction factor, with larger waves resulting in an increased friction factor.
NF-kappaB p65-dependent transactivation of miRNA genes following Cryptosporidium parvum infection stimulates epithelial cell immune responses.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a protozoan parasite that infects the gastrointestinal epithelium and causes diarrheal disease worldwide. Innate epithelial immune responses are key mediators of the host's defense to C. parvum. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level and are involved in regulation of both innate and adaptive immune responses. Using an in vitro model of human cryptosporidiosis, we analyzed C. parvum-induced miRNA expression in biliary epithelial cells (i.e., cholangiocytes). Our results demonstrated differential alterations in the mature miRNA expression profile in cholangiocytes following C. parvum infection or lipopolysaccharide stimulation. Database analysis of C. parvum-upregulated miRNAs revealed potential NF-κB binding sites in the promoter elements of a subset of miRNA genes. We demonstrated that mir-125b-1, mir-21, mir-30b, and mir-23b-27b-24-1 cluster genes were transactivated through promoter binding of the NF-κB p65 subunit following C. parvum infection. In contrast, C. parvum transactivated mir-30c and mir-16 genes in cholangiocytes in a p65-independent manner. Importantly, functional inhibition of selected p65-dependent miRNAs in cholangiocytes increased C. parvum burden. Thus, we have identified a panel of miRNAs regulated through promoter binding of the NF-κB p65 subunit in human cholangiocytes in response to C. parvum infection, a process that may be relevant to the regulation of epithelial anti-microbial defense in general.
Interaction between CO2 enrichment and salinity stress in the C4 non‐halophyte Andropogon glomeratus (Walter) BSP

Abstract Increasing atmospheric CO2 may result in alleviation of salinity stress in salt-sensitive plants. In order to assess the effect of enriched CO2 on salinity stress in Andropogon glomeratus, a C4 non-halophyte found in the higher regions of salt marshes, plants were grown at 350, 500, and 650 cm3 m−3 CO2 with 0 or 100 mol m−3 NaCl watering treatments. Increases in leaf area and biomass with increasing CO2 were measured in salt-stressed plants, while decreases in these same parameters were measured in non-salt-stressed plants. Tillering increased substantially with increasing CO2 in salt-stressed plants, resulting in the increased biomass. Six weeks following initiation of treatments, there was no difference in photosynthesis on a leaf area basis with increasing CO2 in salt-stressed plants, although short-term increases probably occurred. Stomatal conductance decreased with increasing CO2 in salt-stressed plants, resulting in higher water-use efficiency, and may have improved the diurnal water status of the plants. Concentrations of Na+ and Cl− were higher in salt stressed-plants while the converse was found for K +. There were no differences in leaf ion content between CO2 treatments in the salt-stressed plants. Decreases in photosynthesis in salt-stressed plants occurred primarily as a result of decreased internal (non-stomatal) conductance.
Using 2D Log-Gabor spatial filters for iris recognition

The iris is the colored ring of tissue behind the cornea and in front of the lens. The pattern within the iris is very unique to each person, and even the left eye is unique from the right eye. Compared with other biometric features (such face, voice, and etc), the iris is more stable and reliable. This paper proposes a new approach to iris recognition using 2D Log-Gabor spatial filters. Gabor filter has the disadvantage of DC component whenever the bandwidth is larger than one octave. The Log Gabor function removes the DC component. While the 1D Log-Gabor filter captures only the horizontal patterns, the 2D approach can capture the two dimensional characteristics of the iris patterns. Preliminary experimental results show that the proposed method has an encouraging performance.
Long-term results of percutaneous management of malperfusion in acute type B aortic dissection: Implications for thoracic aortic endovascular repair

Objective Open repair for acute type B dissection with malperfusion is associated with significant morbidity. Thoracic aortic endovascular repair has been proposed as a less-invasive therapy for acute type B dissection with malperfusion. Benefits of thoracic aortic endovascular repair include the potential for false lumen thrombosis. Its risks include both early morbidity and mortality, and uncertain late results with potentially unstable landing zones. We present the first long-term analysis of an alternative endovascular approach consisting of percutaneous flap fenestration with true lumen and branch vessel stenting to restore end-organ perfusion. Methods Outcomes were analyzed for 69 patients presenting with acute type B dissection with malperfusion from 1997 to 2008. All patients were evaluated with angiography and treated with a combination of flap fenestration, true lumen, or branch vessel stenting where appropriate. Results Mean age was 57.3 years. Identified malperfused vascular beds included spinal cord (5), mesenteric (40), renal (51), and lower extremity (47). Major morbidity included dialysis need (11), stroke (3), paralysis (2), and 30-day mortality (n = 12, 17.4%). Mean Kaplan–Meier survival was 84.3 months. Although late mortality was associated with age (P .4). Freedom from aortic rupture or open repair at 1, 5, and 8 years was 80.2%, 67.7%, and 54.2%, respectively. Conclusion Presentation with acute type B dissection with malperfusion carries a significant risk for both early and late mortality. Percutaneous approaches allow for rapid restoration of end-organ perfusion with acceptable results. These long-term results can serve as comparative data by which to evaluate newer therapies for acute type B dissection with malperfusion, such as thoracic aortic endovascular repair.
Constrained creep cavitation of grain boundary facets

Abstract Constraints on diffusive creep cavity growth along grain boundary facets are studied for the limiting case when all facets oriented approximately normal to an applied tensile load are uniformly cavitated. This situation represents the opposite limiting case to when cavitated facets are well-separated and do not interact with each other. The analysis is done for a 3-D periodic polycrystalline model of grains in the shape of the Wigner-Seitz cells of a f.c.c. lattice. The grains have freely-sliding boundaries and deform in a nonlinear viscous manner in response to applied stress. Expressions for the cavity growth rate and the strain and time to rupture are compared with results of prior work in which cavitated facets are well-separated, and this gives a good understanding of the ranges of stress and temperature over which cavity growth is constrained and rupture lifetime is increased. The time to rupture, which is taken here to mean cavity coalescence on the damaged facets, is seen to depend strongly on the proximity of cavitated facets, at least when cavity growth is constrained. However, the strain to rupture is observed to lack this strong dependence although for constrained conditions, the cavitation process contributes substantially to the total strain when cavitated facets are closely-spaced. When cavitated facets are well-separated, the polycrystal is seen to achieve a relatively constant strain rate. By comparison, the strain rate is seen to vary substantially with time when cavitated facets are closely-spaced. The time and strain to rupture as well as strain rate versus time curves are calculated as functions of applied load and temperature for nickel as a representative f.c.c. metal.
Carbon dioxide tops 400 ppm at Mauna Loa, Hawaii

The daily mean concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere at Mauna Loa, Hawaii, hit 400.03 parts per million (ppm) on 9 May, marking the first time the concentration there has topped 400 ppm since measurements began at Mauna Loa in 1958, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced on 10 May. NOAA scientists with the agency's Global Monitoring Division have made measurements of CO2 at the NOAA Mauna Loa Observatory since 1974.
Deep and superficial skin scrapings from a feline immunodeficiency virus–positive cat

An 8-year-old, neutered male, domestic shorthair cat housed at the North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory Animal Research facility as part of a research colony was examined because of mulifocal skin lesions. The lesions consisted of patchy alopecia with mild crusting of the periauricular region, neck, and dorsum; periauricular excoriations; marked dorsal seborrhea and scaling; and generalized erythematous papules. A moderate amount of ceruminous exudate was present in both ear canals. Results of testing for feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) were positive. An ear swab specimen and superficial and deep skin scrapings were obtained, mounted with oil on glass slides, and coverslipped for microscopic examination. Two populations of mites were observed: a large population of slender, long (approximately 200 microm), adult mites with long, tapering abdomens that comprised two-thirds of the total body length; and a smaller population of more translucent and shorter mites (approximately 100 microm) with wide, blunt abdomens that had prominent transverse ridges. The interpretation was demodicosis, with Demodex cati and D gatoi co-infection. Histologic sections of biopsies from skin lesions on the neck, dorsum, and periauricular area contained a mild perivascular and perifollicular inflammatory infiltrate composed predominantly of histiocytes, lymphocytes, and plasma cells. Diffusely within the follicular lumina and occasionally within the superficial keratin, a myriad of Demodex organisms were observed. Intrafollicular mites were compatible in appearance with D cati whereas those in the corneal layer were suggestive of D gatoi. Demodicosis is an uncommon disease of cats, and rare cases of dual infection have been documented, occasionally in FIV-infected cats. The dual infection emphasizes the importance of doing both superficial and deep skin scrapings and of recognizing the unique microscopic features of different Demodex mites.
Salicylic acid as a signal molecule in plant-pathogen interactions

Abstract Significant insight has been gained in the past year into the roles of salicylic acid (SA) in plant-pathogen interactions. The ability to accumlate SA has been shown to be essential for systemic acquired resistance in tobacco plants. Further experiments have shown that SA is apparently not a systemic, vascular-mobile signal, but rather is required for signal transduction at the local level. Its mode of action may include inhibition of catalase activity, leading to increased levels of hydrogen peroxide.
Semiautomatic x-ray inspection system

Inspection of industrial images can be a laborious task. Automating the inspection using image processing techniques works effectively only with an appropriate human interface. This paper describes a semi-automatic aircraft engine component motion registration system. Manual inspection of aircraft engine x-ray data was replaced by the use of several interactive programs running on a personal computer. This system allowed the inspector to digitize, process, tabulate, and document test image sequences without requiring image processing experience. The new environment also provided a digital replacement for the analog densitometer previously used, as well as enabling the extraction of digital templates of arbitrary size. Once two masks were selected, measurements could be performed by correlating the pair with a sequence of images, in a batch process. Calibrated measurement results were sent automatically to file, printer, or screen; hardcopy output of found templates, superimposed on individual test images was used for visual verification. Several image processing techniques for performing correlation were surveyed and three of them were implemented. Complexity, speed, and accuracy of each are presented. The methods implemented were direct normalized cross-correlation, hierarchical normalized spatial cross-correlation, and Fourier transform based cross-correlation (using an array processor). Extensions for scale and rotational invariance are also discussed. Attempts were made to fully automate the process, replacing the human expert with equivalent image understanding routines. The methods used by the expert to select templates were criteria such as edge detail, contrast, and local histograms. These strategies were applied to automatically selected templates containing desired measurement points. Results and limitations are discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Thoracoscopic lobectomy: a safe and effective strategy for patients with stage I lung cancer.

Abstract Background . Thoracoscopic lobectomy is emerging as a potential alternative to thoracotomy for early stage lung cancer. The issues of safety and oncologic efficacy should be analyzed before recommending this procedure for widespread use. Methods . Thoracoscopic lobectomy was attempted in 110 consecutive patients (age, 35 to 81years) with tumors that were judged to be amenable to lobectomy over a 26-month period. Exclusion criteria included tumors greater than 5 cm in diameter, T3 tumors, endobronchial tumors visible at bronchoscopy, the use of induction therapy, extensive N1 disease on computed tomographic scan, and N2 disease at mediastinoscopy. The procedures were performed without rib spreading using two ports and included anatomic hilar dissection and individual vessel stapling. Results . Thoracoscopic lobectomy and mediastinal lymph dissection was successfully performed in 108 patients (98.2%); 2 patients required conversion to thoracotomy to control bleeding in the setting of dense hilar adenopathy. There were no intraoperative deaths and 4 perioperative deaths (3.6%) caused by pneumonia and associated adult respiratory distress syndrome (3 patients) and stroke (1 patient). Major complications included pneumonia (5 patients), stroke (1 patient), and return to the operating room to revise the bronchial closure (1 patient). Minor complications included prolonged air leak (6 patients), atrial fibrillation (4 patients), blood transfusion (2 patients) and ileus (1 patient). Median time to chest tube removal was 3 days, and median length of stay was 3 days. Conclusions . Thoracoscopic lobectomy is a safe and effective strategy for patients with early stage lung cancer. Long-term follow-up is required to determine if recurrence rate and 5-year survival are comparable with thoracotomy for lobectomy.
Surgical Site Infection Risk Factors Identified for Patients Undergoing Colon Procedures, New York State 2009–2010

Background Since 2007, New York State (NYS) hospitals have been required to report surgical site infections (SSIs) following colon procedures to the NYS Department of Health, using the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). The purpose of this study was to identify risk factors for the development of SSIs in patients undergoing colon procedures. Methods NYS has been conducting validation studies at hospitals to assess the accuracy of the surveillance data reported by the participating hospitals. A sample of patients undergoing colon procedures in NYS hospitals were included in hospital-acquired infection program validation studies in 2009 and 2010. Medical chart reviews and on-site visits were performed to verify patient information reported and to evaluate additional risk factors for SSI. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regressions were performed. Results A total of 2,656 colon procedures were included in this analysis, including 698 SSI cases. Multivariable analysis indicated that SSI following colon procedure was associated with body mass index greater than 30 (odds ratio [OR], 1.48 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.21–1.80]), male sex (OR, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.10–1.64]), American Society of Anesthesiologists physical classification score greater than 3 (OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.08–1.64]), procedure duration, transfusion (OR, 1.32 [95% CI, 1.05–1.66]), left-side colon surgical procedures, other gastroenterologic procedures, irrigation, hospital bed size greater than 500, and medical school affiliation. Conclusions Male sex, obesity, transfusion, type of procedure, and prolonged duration were significant factors associated with overall infection risk after adjusting other factors. Additional factors not collected in the NHSN slightly improved prediction of SSIs.
Time-to-completion in software package startups

All businesses operate within an environment of time-based competition. For product development this means completion. An exploratory study of time-to-completion accelerators was conducted in twelve software package startups. Awareness of time-to-completion was contradictory: deadlines were soft, articulation was poor, and process time recall was uneven. But developers increased effort significantly during crunch periods. Although causality is difficult to verify, the most important accelerator seemed to be the core development team, an inner team with cross-functional talents. Core team size ranged from three to six members. Because of its small size and high intra-group communication, the product design and its development methodology were not formalized. >
Glacial Reconnaissance in Turkey

A reconnaissance glacial geological study was made in Turkey in 1963. Localities visited were on Uludađ, in northwestern Turkey; the crest of the Taurus Range, along the south coast; Mount Ercyas in the central interior; Mount Ararat, at the eastern border; and the crest of the Pontic Range, along the north coast. Abundant evidence was found, in all localities visited, for glaciation resembling the Wisconsin of North America, and most localities show some evidence of post-Wisconsin activity. The best expression of possibly pre-Wisconsin glaciation was found in the Taurus Range. The correlation with respect to the Wisconsin is extremely tentative. It is based on geomorphic criteria, such as extent of weathering and erosion, and on geographic criteria, such as latitude of glaciated areas, lowest altitudes reached by the glaciers, and climatic setting of Turkey. Lack of abundant pre-Wisconsin glaciation is tentatively attributed to recency of uplift, especially in the Pontic region and in eastern Turkey. The occurrence of post-Wisconsin glaciers is supported by indications in Mesopotamia, Egypt, and other Middle East lowlands, of cooler and wetter climate within, but not necessarily throughout, the interval 5000 B.C. to 2000 B.C.
Enhancing Students’ Engagement Report of a 3-Year Intervention With Middle School Teachers

All teachers (N = 32) at one middle school participated in a university-led intervention to improve student engagement. Teachers discussed four principles of motivation and related instructional strategies. Teachers enacted instructional strategies in their classrooms. We observed six randomly selected teachers and their students over 3 years. Analyses of the dynamic patterns of teacher-student interaction (using an application of state space grids) revealed two distinct patterns. The upward group (n = 3) showed an increase of teacher motivational support and student engagement. The stable group (n = 3) demonstrated low levels of both teacher motivational support and student engagement. Qualitative analyses of instructional differences between the two groups help explain student engagement. Implications include conceptualizing student engagement as interpersonal classroom activity and measuring change as developmental and dynamic phenomena.
Challenges in large scale distributed computing: bioinformatics

The amount of genomic data available for study is increasing at a rate similar to that of Moore's law. This deluge of data is challenging bioinformaticians to develop newer, faster and better algorithms for analysis and examination of this data. The growing availability of large scale computing grids coupled with high-performance networking is challenging computer scientists to develop better, faster methods of exploiting parallelism in these biological computations and deploying them across computing grids. In this paper, we describe two computations that are required to be run frequently and which require large amounts of computing resource to complete in a reasonable time. The data for these computations are very large and the sequential computational time can exceed thousands of hours. We show the importance and relevance of these computations, the nature of the data and parallelism and we show how we are meeting the challenge of efficiently distributing and managing these computations in the SEED project.
LATE CRETACEOUS GASTROPOD DRILLING INTENSITIES: DATA FROM THE MAASTRICHTIAN FOX HILLS FORMATION, WESTERN INTERIOR SEAWAY, USA

Drillholes interpreted as the products of gastropod predation have become the most widely applied proxy for predator-prey interactions in the fossil record. In a broader sense, they have also become accepted as reflecting the evolution of many aspects of predator-prey interactions; e.g., intensity, behavior, and efficiency. Because of the relative paucity of published studies, the generality of long-term trends revealed by recent compilations of drilling intensity data has not been widely tested. The present study examines predatory gastropod drilling intensity in bivalves from the late early to early late Maastrichtian Fox Hills Formation within the Western Interior Seaway (WIS). These data allow a new comparison to be made to drilling intensity values reported previously from coeval United States Coastal Plain collections. 6,910 valves and 4,343 articulated specimens representing 53 bivalve species were examined for evidence of drilling predation. Although the approach employed was designed to maximize the number of drillholes recorded, only 236 unequivocal drillholes, 20 possible drillholes, 11 partial drillholes, and a single specimen with multiple drillholes were found, resulting in a maximum drilling intensity of 3.3%. These drillholes are thought to have been largely produced by naticids, which are abundant in these deposits. When compared to other published studies of Maastrichtian gastropod drilling, these data document that drilling intensities in the latest Cretaceous varied considerably both spatially and temporally, and that the WIS record provides a lower baseline for Cretaceous drilling than that derived from coeval Coastal Plain localities.
Locating multiprocessor TLBs at memory

Compares the performance, in shared-memory multiprocessors, of locating translation-lookaside buffers (TLBs) at processors with that of locating TLBs at memory. The comparison is based on trace-driven simulations of multiprocessors with log N-stage networks interconnecting N processors and N memory modules. For the systems and workloads studied, memory-based TLBs perform noticeably better than processor-based TLBs. Provided that memory is organized as multiple paging arenas, i.e., multiple clusters of memory modules where the mapping of a page to a cluster is fixed. The cost of a processor-based TLB reload is at least log N because of network transit. In contrast, the cost of a memory-based TLB reload can be smaller, since network transits are not required. Furthermore, with multiple paging arenas, the number of reloads is smaller with memory-based TLBs. >
Sorptive fractionation of organic matter and formation of organo-hydroxy-aluminum complexes during litter biodegradation in the presence of gibbsite

Solid and aqueous phase Al species are recognized to affect organic matter (OM) stabilization in forest soils. However, little is known about the dynamics of formation, composition and dissolution of organo-Al hydroxide complexes in microbiallyactive soil systems, where plant litter is subject to microbial decomposition in close proximity to mineral weathering reactions. We incubated gibbsite–quartz mineral mixtures in the presence of forest floor material inoculated with a native microbial consortium for periods of 5, 60 and 154 days. At each time step, samples were density separated into light ( 2.0 g cm 3 ) fractions. The light fraction was mainly comprised of particulate organic matter, while the intermediate and heavy density fractions contained moderate and large amounts of Al-minerals, respectively. Multi-method interrogation of the fractions indicated the intermediate and heavy fractions differed both in mineral structure and organic compound composition. X-ray diffraction analysis and SEM/EDS of the mineral component of the intermediate fractions indicated some alteration of the original gibbsite structure into less crystalline Al hydroxide and possibly proto-imogolite species, whereas alteration of the gibbsite structure was not evident in the heavy fraction. DRIFT, Py–GC/MS and STXM/NEXAFS results all showed that intermediate fractions were composed mostly of lignin-derived compounds, phenolics, and polysaccharides. Heavy fraction organics were dominated by polysaccharides, and were enriched in proteins, N-bearing compounds, and lipids. The source of organics appeared to differ between the intermediate and heavy fractions. Heavy fractions were enriched in 13 C with lower C/N ratios relative to intermediate fractions, suggesting a microbial origin. The observed differential fractionation of organics among hydroxy-Al mineral types suggests that microbial activity superimposed with abiotic mineral-surface-mediated fractionation leads to strong density differentiation of organo-mineral complex composition even over the short time scales probed in these incubation experiments. The data highlight the strong interdependency of mineral transformation, microbial community activity, and organic matter stabilization during biodegradation. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Fixed utilization perturbation analysis

A simple example of a discrete event dynamic system is used to show that given that an interevent time has a distribution function that is a function of t/ tau , where tau is the mean interarrival time and t is the interdeparture time, one cannot conclude that a perturbation of delta tau , which is the parameter perturbation, would cause every interevent time to stretch by the factor delta tau / tau . This example is used to illustrate the fact that, to ensure that the constructed perturbed path is physically possible, when performing general perturbation analysis one must keep track of events in both the nominal and perturbed paths; but when performing infinitesimal perturbation analysis (IPA) one must employ interevent distribution functions given the event sequence observed in the nominal path. One implication of the latter observation is that IPA estimates are independent of the representation. >
An Expert System Assisting Decision-Making of Reactive Power/Voltage Control

An expert system is developed to assist in the decision-making of the reactive power/voltage control problem. The knowledge required to perform the task is identified. To alleviate a voltage problem, empirical rules are used to generate appropriate control actions when slight voltage violations occur. Controls such as shunt capacitors, transformer tap changers and generator voltages are utilized. Theoretical justification of the empirical rules is presented. When it is judged that the voltage problem is so severe that empirical judgements may not be reliable, the developed expert system can help in formulating the problem so that an available application software package can be effectively utilized. In this paper, production rules are proposed to perform the above functions. Numerical examples are also presented.
Utility-driven workload management using nested control design

Virtualization and consolidation of IT resources have created a need for more effective workload management tools, one that dynamically controls resource allocation to a hosted application to achieve quality of service (QoS) goals. These goals can in turn be driven by the utility of the service, typically based on the application's service level agreement (SLA) as well as the cost of resources allocated. In this paper, we build on our earlier work on dynamic CPU allocation to applications on shared servers, and present a feedback control system consisting of two nested integral control loops for managing the QoS metric of the application along with the utilization of the allocated CPU resource. The control system was implemented on a lab testbed running an Apache Web server and using the 90th percentile of the response times as the QoS metric. Experiments using a synthetic workload based on an industry benchmark validated two important features of the nested control design. First, compared to a single loop for controlling response time only, the nested design is less sensitive to the bimodal behavior of the system resulting in more robust performance. Second, compared to a single loop for controlling CPU utilization only, the new design provides a framework for dealing with the tradeoff between better QoS and lower cost of resources, therefore resulting in better overall utility of the service.
Electrodeposited Metal Structures in High Aspect Ratio Cavities using Vapor Deposited Polymer Molds and Laser Micromachining

This paper reports a laser-assisted fabrication scheme for three-dimensional (3-D) electrodeposited metal structures into high aspect ratio trenches. A polymer (parylene C) is conformally deposited onto a highly nonplanar surface, selectively laser ablated, and used as an electroplating mold to fabricate metallic structures. Laser ablation of high-resolution (< 10 mum) features is performed using a 248 nm KrF Excimer laser. The ablation parameters for the parylene layer have been characterized for various film thicknesses. Metal lines of 2 mum thickness, and 2.5 mum width have been electroplated into 300 mum deep silicon trenches. The minimum resolution achieved is less than 5 mum. This process can potentially be applied toward the fabrication of embedded inductors, high density electrodes, buried interconnects or high voltage circuitry in CMOS and MEMS devices.
Using indigenous knowledge to improve agriculture and natural resource management

Scientific knowledge systems have received increasing criticism within the social science literature while indigenous knowledge systems are often over-optimistically presented as viable alternative ways of knowing. This paper argues that we need to search for more effective and creative interactions between indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge systems. I discuss the strengths and the weaknesses of both scientific and indigenous knowledge systems, then use three examples to illustrate the strengths and limitations of indigenous knowledge systems. I then draw on these examples to indicate in what situations we should look for guidance and ideas from indigenous knowledge systems. The paper closes with a discussion of how scientists, social scientists and people with local knowledge can better work together to improve agricultural and natural resource management systems.
Tissue engineering scaffolds for controlled protein and plasmid delivery

Tissue engineering approaches employ polymer scaffolds to supports, promote, and direct tissue formation by progenitor cells, which are either present in the surrounding tissue or transplanted with the polymer. We hypothesize that scaffolds capable of delivering tissue-inductive factors, or genes encoding for these factors, at the correct time and location, and in the appropriate concentration could enhance the effectiveness of current regenerative approaches. Scaffolds have been developed that provide a controlled, sustained delivery of protein and non-viral DNA. Polymeric scaffolds capable of sustained drug release can be fabricated by the assembly of drug-loaded microspheres and subsequent fusion of the microspheres using a gas foaming process. This process has been developed to regulate the amount released and the release rates for protein, naked DNA, and DNA complexed with cationic lipid and polymers. Alternatively, we have developed a controlled DNA delivery system based on the tethering of DNA complexes to a biomaterial surfaces. Complexes can be immobilized at high densities and cells cultured on the substrates can internalize and express the DNA. These systems for the controlled delivery of proteins, or DNA-encoding for these proteins, are versatile and can be readily applied to the regeneration of various tissues.
A first look at a cross-layer facilitating architecture for wireless sensor networks

A plethora of cross-layer schemes exists today, and these protocols often provide ingenious ways to serve dedicated applications for wireless sensor networks. However, sensor network protocols often trade compatibility with other schemes for specialization. In this paper, we describe the beginning of an ambitious project to design a new architecture that facilitates cross-layering while proving enough flexibility to support different applications and networks. In this first look at this architecture, we suggest utilizing different services and data structures to exchange a pool of information among all layers to improve the network performance. By keeping a structure equivalent to the OSI model, we provide an accommodating common framework for protocols in the stack to access useful information about their own state and that of their neighbors.
Paracrine signaling from the breast cancer cells stimulates the cell proliferation and Stat3 phosphorylation in non-cancerous mammary epithelial cells and is blocked by dietary agent, curcumin.

A126 Breast cancer cells coexist with normal mammary cells. It is unclear whether breast cancer cells promote pre-neoplastic phenotypes of surrounding normal mammary cells and whether there is any preventive approach to inhibit this process of carcinogenesis. We studied the possible stimulation effects of paracrine signaling from breast cancer cells to non-cancerous mammary epithelial cells. Media was conditioned in the presence of metastatic human breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 with high levels of activated Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription 3 (Stat3). The persistent tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat3 is frequently found within breast carcinoma. The conditioned media from MDA-MB-231 cancer cells was then used to treat MCF-10A, a non-cancerous breast epithelial cell line. Western blot analysis demonstrated that soluble factor(s) secreted by MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells were sufficient to amplify p-Stat3 (Y705) levels within MCF-10A cells and increased cell proliferation, and global DNA methylation changes in MCF-10A cells treated with conditioned media from MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. These results also prompted us to question which specific cytokines were responsible for this boost in Stat3 phosphorylation. ELISA analysis confirmed low levels of IL-6 secretion by MCF-10A and high levels of IL-6 secretion by MDA-MB-231. Human recombinant IL-6 was added to MCF-10A cells and the stimulation of Stat3 phosphorylation and cell proliferation were observed. >Treatment of MCF-10A cells with 10 μM JSI-124, a Jak/Stat3 inhibitor, blocked increasing Stat3 phosphorylation and cell proliferation after treatment with conditioned media. Further, we demonstrated for the first time that the addition of dietary and chemoprevention agent, curcumin blocks the increase in Stat3 phosphorylation and cell proliferation in MCF-10A cells treated with conditioned media from MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Curcumin not only blocks the paracrine signaling stimulatory effects from MDA-MB-231 cells on MCF-10A cells but also inhibits the cell viability of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. We will further examine whether curcumin can inhibit global DNA methylation changes in MCF-10A cells treated with conditioned media from MDA-MB-231 cancer cells.
Reducing the Energy Footprint of a Distributed Consensus Algorithm

The Raft consensus algorithm is a new distributed consensus algorithm that is both easier to understand and more straightforward to implement than the older Paxos algorithm. Its major limitation is its high energy footprint. As it relies on majority consensus voting for deciding when to commit an update, Raft requires five participants to protect against two simultaneous failures. We propose two methods for reducing this huge energy footprint. Our first proposal consists of adjusting Raft quorums in a way that would allow updates to proceed with as few as two servers while requiring a larger quorum for electing a new leader. Our second proposal consists of replacing one or two of the five Raft servers with witnesses, that is, lightweight servers that maintain the same metadata as other servers but hold no data and can therefore run on very low-power hosts. We show that these substitutions have little impact on the cluster availability but very different impacts on the risks of incurring a data loss.
Copper-catalyzed oxaziridine-mediated oxidation of C-H bonds.

The highly regio- and chemoselective oxidation of activated C–H bonds has been observed via copper-catalyzed reactions of oxaziridines. The oxidation proceeded with a variety of substrates, primarily comprising allylic and benzylic examples, as well as one example of an otherwise unactivated tertiary C–H bond. The mechanism of the reaction is proposed to involve single-electron transfer to the oxaziridines to generate a copper-bound radical anion, followed by hydrogen atom abstraction and collapse to products, with regeneration of the catalyst by a final single-electron transfer event. The involvement of allylic radical intermediates was supported by a radical-trapping experiment with TEMPO.
Excessive Individualism Today Threatens Liberty Tomorrow: Sustainable Use of the Planet

In no period of human history has the exercise of perceived individual rights been so extreme, especially in developed countries such as the United States. These perceived rights might have been tolerable in a frontier society (although it is questionable whether the exercise of perceived individual rights to overhunt was tolerated) with vast per capita resources and space, but not on a planet where resources are being fully (or over) utilized, billions are malnourished, and the range from the poorest to the most affluent in material and energy terms is the greatest in human history. Sustainable use of the planet requires some curtailment of individual rights as they are now perceived, not only for the well-being of future generations but for more equitability and fairness at present. In short, sustainability requires a new ethos (a set of guiding beliefs) substantively different from the current practices: (1) an intergenerational equity and fairness in the use of the planet's ecological life support system, (2) an intolerance of the possible high risk associated with human practices that may result from seriously altering the ecological life support system when the consequences of doing so are highly uncertain, and (3) a compassion and esteem for other species and other humans who are now living or yet to live—this should result from tempering often aggressive insistence on individual rights.
Large Nested Variant of Urothelial Carcinoma - A Case Report: Do Not Judge This Book by Its Cover - This Tumor Is a Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Large nested variant of urothelial carcinoma (LNVUC) is a rare and relatively recently described subtype of urothelial carcinoma by Cox et al (2011), with …