cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Shedding and Reversion of Oral Polio Vaccine Type 3 in Mexican Vaccinees: Comparison of Mutant Analysis by PCR and Enzyme Cleavage to a Real-Time PCR Assay

A uracil-to-cytosine mutation at nucleotide position 472 of oral poliovirus vaccine type 3 (OPV3) contributes to the development of vaccine-associated paralytic poliomyelitis (VAPP). To analyze OPV3 shedding patterns, we previously used the multistep method of mutant analysis by PCR and enzyme cleavage (MAPREC). This involves conventional reverse transcription-PCR to detect OPV3, followed by a restriction digest to quantify position 472 reversion. Real-time PCR detects and quantifies nucleic acid as PCR occurs and avoids postreaction processing. The goal of this study was to compare a real-time PCR method to MAPREC. Seventy-three stool samples from Mexican OPV recipients underwent the reverse transcription-PCR step of MAPREC and real-time PCR. Real-time PCR identified 23% more OPV3-positive samples than conventional reverse transcription-PCR. When reversion was compared, the revertant proportion (RP), defined as the percentage of revertants in a sample, differed by ≤10% in 21/25 (84%) samples. The four samples differing by >10% were obtained within 5 days of OPV administration. The real-time PCR assay identified samples with an RP of ≥85% with 94% sensitivity and 86% specificity compared to MAPREC. The mean difference in RP between the two methods was 3.6% (95% confidence interval, −0.3 to 7.5%). Real-time PCR methods reliably detect OPV3, and reversion estimates correlate more consistently with MAPREC when OPV3 reversion rates are high. Detecting VAPP-related mutations by real-time PCR is rapid and efficient and can be useful in monitoring ongoing global polio eradication efforts.
True time-delay phased-array antenna feed system based on optical heterodyne techniques

We demonstrate a true-time delay phased-array antenna feed system based on multi-channel optical heterodyne detection techniques. The system is relatively insensitive to laser linewidth and IF frequency instabilities. We demonstrate accurate true-time delay from 0.8 to 1.5 GHz. The dynamic range for one channel is 52 dB for 1 MHz bandwidth. For a very narrow channel spacing of 13 GHz (/spl sim/1 /spl Aring/ at a transmission wavelength of 1.55 /spl mu/m), the interchannel interference is negligible. Such an architecture has potential for large scale system implementations.
The wall-jet in a moving stream

The wall-jet is the flow of fluid emanating from a narrow slot and blowing over a rigid wall. The configuration of the turbulent wall-jet is that of a very narrow, plane, turbulent half-jet investigated by Liepmann & Laufer (1947). The width of the slot is of the order of the boundary layer on the infinite wall and the jet, in this case, mixes with a stream moving with constant velocity. This flow has drawn considerable basic and applied interest in the past few years for it has the characteristics of both a boundary-layer and a free-mixing flow.
Sizing a Serial Chain to Fit a Task Trajectory Using Clifford Algebra Exponentials

In this paper we formulate the “generalized inverse kinematics problem” for a spatial serial chain, where the goal is to determine values for structural parameters as well as for the joint parameters. The kinematics equations of the chain are formulated first using matrix exponentials and then cast into a form based on exponentials in a Clifford algebra. These equations contain the coordinates of the joint axes explicitly and have a systematic structure that can be exploited in their solution. As an example we fit a seven degree-of-freedom CCS chain to a 12 position task trajectory. In this problem, we can also specify desired values for the first two joint angles, and compute the structural parameters and the remaining joint angles.
Refined 3D finite element modeling of partially-restrained connections including slip

Abstract This study presents an approach for refined parametric three-dimensional (3D) analysis of partially-restrained (PR) bolted steel beam-column connections. The models include the effects of slip by utilizing a general contact scheme. Non-linear 3D continuum elements are used for all parts of the connection and the contact conditions between all the components are explicitly recognized. A method for applying pretension in the bolts is introduced and verified. The effect of several geometrical and material parameters on the overall moment–rotation response of two connection configurations subject to static loading is studied. Models with parameters drawn from a previous experimental study of top and bottom seat angle connections are generated in order to compare the analyses with test results, with good prediction shown by the 3D refined models. The proposed 3D modeling approach is general and can be applied for accurate modeling of a wide range of other types of PR connections. A pronounced effect of slip and friction, between the connection components is shown with connections having thicker (stiffer) seat angles. This study demonstrates the effects of clamping through the bolts and contact between the components on the overall non-linear moment–rotation response. Equivalent moment–rotation responses of pull-test simulations are compared to FE model responses of full connections without web angles. The moment–rotation from the pull test is shown to be equivalent to that of the full FE model for small rotations. As the rotation increases a softer response is shown by the pull tests.
Dynamic Contrast-enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging as a Predictor of Clinical Outcome in Canine Spontaneous Soft Tissue Sarcomas Treated with Thermoradiotherapy

Purpose: This study tests whether dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI) parameters obtained from canine patients with soft tissue sarcomas, treated with hyperthermia and radiotherapy, are predictive of therapeutic outcome. Experimental Design: Thirty-seven dogs with soft tissue sarcomas had DCE-MRI done before and following the first hyperthermia. Signal enhancement for tumor and reference muscle were fitted empirically, yielding a washin/washout rate for the contrast agent and tumor area under the signal enhancement curve (AUC) calculated from 0 to 60 seconds, 90 seconds, and the time of maximal enhancement in the reference muscle. These parameters were then compared with local tumor control, metastasis-free survival, and overall survival. Results: Pretherapy rate of contrast agent washout was positively predictive of improved overall and metastasis-free survival with hazard ratio of 0.67 ( P = 0.015) and 0.68 ( P = 0.012), respectively. After the first hyperthermia washin rate, AUC60, AUC90, and AUCt-max were predictive of improved overall and metastasis-free survival with hazard ratio ranging from 0.46 to 0.53 ( P P 31 P MR spectroscopy results (previously published) in the same patients showing a correlation. This suggested that an increase in perfusion after therapy was effective in eliminating excess acid from the tumor. Conclusions: This study shows that DCE-MRI has utility predicting overall and metastasis-free survival in canine patients with soft tissue sarcomas. To our knowledge, this is the first time that DCE-MRI parameters are predictive of clinical outcome for soft tissue sarcomas.
The Making of a Special Relationship: The United States and Israel, 1957–68

On 20 February 1957, a grim-faced Dwight D. Eisenhower told a national television audience that America would support United Nations sanctions unless Israel pulled out of Gaza and all other Egyptian territory seized during the 1956 Suez Crisis. Stunned by this diplomatic thunderbolt, the Israelis quickly agreed to withdraw their forces. Yet ten years later, when a preemptive war against the Arabs brought Israel not only Gaza but also Jordan's West Bank and Syria's Golan Heights, the United States acquiesced. For two decades, this reversal of U.S. policy has usually been regarded as the handiwork of one man—Lyndon B. Johnson. Observers as diverse as Edward Tivnan, Cheryl Rubenberg, and I. L. Kenen, for example, have contended that Washington's tilt toward Tel Aviv during the mid-1960s stemmed in large measure from deepening ties between the Johnson White House and what many have come to call “the Israel lobby.” Scholars such as Ethan Nadelmann and William Quandt, on the other hand, have downplayed Johnson's preoccupation with interest-group politics and emphasized instead his admiration for Israel's muscular doctrine of self-defense. Rare is the author who, like Donald Neff, has been able to capture the blend of domestic and diplomatic considerations that prompted Johnson to cement the special relationship with Israel. Rarer still is someone like Steven Spiegel, who has linked Johnson's pro-Israel policies to initiatives launched by his two predecessors in the Oval Office.
MISR: Takes a licking, keeps on ticking!

Outlines lessons learned by the Instrument Operations Team (IOT) of NASA/JPL Terra's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) mission. It narrates a story of “MISR: Takes a Licking, Keeps on Ticking!” and describes, in detail, how the MISR instrument survived operator errors.
Positive and negative consequences of alcohol consumption in college students

While the negative consequences of alcohol use in college students are well known, less is known about the relationships of these consequences to alcohol consumption patterns. Further, almost no research has been conducted examining students' positive alcohol-related consequences. The current study examines the nature and frequency of positive and negative alcohol-related consequences, the relationship of these consequences to alcohol consumption patterns, and the impact of these consequences on subsequent drinking intentions. Findings indicate that college student drinking does indeed involve many negative consequences, some of which are quite serious, but that students also experience many positive consequences. In fact, they report their encounters with positive consequences as being more extreme and more frequent than their encounters with negative consequences. Further, consuming more alcohol is related to experiencing more positive and more negative consequences, as well as more extremely positive positive encounters, but not more extremely negative negative ones. Finally, participants reported that their positive and negative consequences would influence their future drinking decisions in a number of different ways. Future research directions and implications for interventions are discussed.
Processing of branched DNA intermediates by a complex of human FEN-1 and PCNA.

In eukaryotic cells, a 5' flap DNA endonuclease activity and a ds DNA 5'-exonuclease activity exist within a single enzyme called FEN-1 [flap endo-nuclease and 5(five)'-exo-nuclease]. This 42 kDa endo-/exonuclease, FEN-1, is highly homologous to human XP-G, Saccharomyces cerevisiae RAD2 and S.cerevisiae RTH1. These structure-specific nucleases recognize and cleave a branched DNA structure called a DNA flap, and its derivative called a pseudo Y-structure. FEN-1 is essential for lagging strand DNA synthesis in Okazaki fragment joining. FEN-1 also appears to be important in mismatch repair. Here we find that human PCNA, the processivity factor for eukaryotic polymerases, physically associates with human FEN-1 and stimulates its endonucleolytic activity at branched DNA structures and its exonucleolytic activity at nick and gap structures. Structural requirements for FEN-1 and PCNA loading provide an interesting picture of this stimulation. PCNA loads on to substrates at double-stranded DNA ends. In contrast, FEN-1 requires a free single-stranded 5' terminus and appears to load by tracking along the single-stranded DNA branch. These physical constraints define the range of DNA replication, recombination and repair processes in which this family of structure-specific nucleases participate. A model explaining the exonucleolytic activity of FEN-1 in terms of its endonucleolytic activity is proposed based on these observations.
Children's Understanding of Second‐Order False Belief: Comparisons of Content and Method of Assessment

This research examined children's performance on second-order false belief tasks as a function of the content area for the belief and the method of assessing understanding. A total of 70 kindergarten and first-grade children responded to four second-order stories. On two stories, the task was to judge a belief about a belief, and on two, the task was to judge a belief about an emotion. On one trial within each group, the task was to predict the target's belief, and on one trial, the task was to explain the belief. Older children outperformed younger children on the prediction measure. Differences as a function of content area and method of assessment were limited; when they did occur, performance was generally better with belief than with emotion as the target, and better with prediction than with explanation as the response criterion. Finally, there was no relation between number of siblings and performance.
the Akamba domestic cycle as Markovian process

This paper presents a Markov chain process as a model of the change in the domestic position over time of a group of Kenyan Akamba women. A simple explanation of the Markovian process is presented. The suggestion is made that such processes may aid an ethnographer in describing and understanding social change. A brief description of changes in household composition is included.
Taxonomy and Information

In the context of communication theory the concept of a quantity of information is defined as a function over the elements of a set S of messages. In coding these messages in some alphabet for transmission over a noise-free channel, the greatest average transmission rate is achieved if the length L i of the ith message is set equal (within the error of representation by integers) to the expected value of a random variable which has the value log k (1/p i ).k is the number of letters in the alphabet and p i is the statistical probability of the ith message, i.e. the relative frequency of its transmission.1 For simplicity in theoretical discussion one usually chooses k=2, thinking of a binary alphabet.
Effect of solvent balance on the surface properties of poly(vinyl chloride)

Films of poly(vinyl chloride) have been cast from solutions of varying thermodynamic quality and the film properties studied by inverse phase gas chromatography. The solvents included tetrahydrofuran, cyclohexanone, and mixtures of toluene with both tetrahydrofuran and cyclohexanone. The solvent composition was followed during evaporation and film formation for the mixed solvents, and it was shown that the slower evaporating solvent component has the greatest effect on the surface properties of the films. The porosity of the polymer film surfaces is interpreted in terms of the mobility of the polymer chains during film formation. At high concentrations, polymer chain–polymer chain interactions become stronger when thermodynamically less powerful solvents are used or are last to leave during film formation; therefore, the solvent balance has a critical influence on the film surface properties. Annealing the poly(vinyl chloride) above the glass transition temperature reduces the surface porosity of the cast polymer.
Probing the yield surface of lightweight solid foams via biaxial and triaxial experiments

Current work describes and discusses the results from a unique experimental setup called Multi-Axial Testing Apparatus (MATA) that has been developed to probe the yield surface of cellular solids under both biaxial and triaxial stress paths. As a case study, yield surface of Divinycell H100 foam has been probed in its plane of anisotropy by using the MATA. Extensive experimental results that define the yield surface have been reported and also compared to the predictions from an energy-based yield criterion that we have recently proposed for transversely anisotropic solid foams. An excellent match between experimental data points and model predictions is observed and it is concluded that total strain energy density is the driving force of yielding in solid foams.
Catatonic Schizophrenia and the Use of Memantine

Objective:To report a case of catatonic schizophrenia treated with memantine that resulted in a rapid reduction of catatonic symptoms.Case Summary:A 68-year-old male with catatonic schizophrenia presented with bizarre and catatonic behavior manifested by mutism, waxy flexibility, immobility, staring, nonresponsiveness to verbal commands, grimacing, rigidity, and posturing. During the course of his hospitalization, he was treated with memantine up to 10 mg/day. The catatonia responded rapidly and significantly to memantine.Discussion:Few treatment options are available for the management of catatonia. Lorazepam is generally the agent that has been used most often and has had varying degrees of success. Our report adds to a recently published case that also suggested that memantine might be useful for the management of catatonic behaviors in a patient with schizophrenia. While its mechanism of action is unknown, it has been thought that glutamate antagonists, such as memantine, may be beneficial in catatoni...
Early Social Experience and the Ontogenesis of Emotion Regulatory Behavior in Children

Emotions are complex processes that organisms use to evaluate their environments, rapidly assess the significance of environmental changes, and adjust their behaviors. Over the course of (normative) development, these processes interact seamlessly and rapidly, affording successful adaptation to a variety of demands. Yet, problems in emotional functioning can lead to pervasive problems in mental and physical health. A central assumption in the study of human emotion is that we are born with certain basic, normative emotions (at least those referred to in Western cultures by words such as anger, sadness, fear, disgust, and happiness) and that some rudimentary neural circuitry for emotion is preconfigured in the human brain. But increasingly, the role of social experience in configuring human brain function has shed new light on the emergence of emotional behavior. The issue of how adverse social experiences alter and shape children’s social and emotional development has become center-stage for the exploration of the relative contributions of nature and nurture in child development. Our research has examined the ways in which children’s developing biology is shaped in a manner that may be adaptive to their immediate environment, but confers risk for a host of negative developmental outcomes.
Quantitative Hydrogeological Framework Interpretations Using Heliborne Electromagnetic Surveys for the North Platte Valley, Western Nebraska Groundwater Model

The U.S. Geological Survey and its partners have collaborated to use airborne geophysical surveys for areas of the North Platte River valley in western Nebraska. The objective of the surveys was to map the aquifers and bedrock topography of the area to help improve the understanding of groundwater?surface-water relations to be used in water management decisions. Frequency-domain heliborne electromagnetic (HEM) surveys were completed, using a unique survey flight line design, to collect resistivity data that can be related to lithologic information for refinement of groundwater model inputs. To make the geophysical data useful to multidimensional groundwater models, numerical inversion is necessary to convert the measured data into a depth-dependent subsurface resistivity model. This inverted model, in conjunction with sensitivity analysis, geological ground truthing (boreholes), and geological interpretation, is used to characterize hydrogeologic features. The two- and three- dimensional interpretation provides the groundwater modeler with a high-resolution hydrogeologic framework and a quantitative estimate of framework uncertainty. This method of creating hydrogeologic frameworks improved the understanding of the actual flow path orientation by redefining the location of the paleochannels and associated bedrock highs. The improved models represent the actual hydrogeology at a level of accuracy not achievable using previous data sets.
A case of periampullary adenocarcinoma in neurofibromatosis type 1

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) is an autosomal dominant genetic disorder with a known predisposition to gastrointestinal neoplasms such as stromal tumors and carcinoids. Adenocarcinomas (ACs) of the gastrointestinal tract are relatively rare in patients with NF-1, especially those found in the periampullary region. We present a case report of periampullary adenocarcinoma in a 56-year-old woman with NF-1 who presented with abdominal pain and obstructive jaundice.
Factors Affecting Health Care Utilization in OEF/OIF Veterans: The Impact of PTSD and Pain.

ABSRACT Objectives: Returning Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom veterans are at a high risk for physical and mental health symptoms including pain (90%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (58%). These often present concurrently and result in many health problems, functional impairments, and overall poor rehabilitation. To address postdeployment health, effective and efficient allocation of health care resources is needed. Methods: Retrospective study of 144 veterans who completed a second-level screening in the Polytrauma clinic. Veterans completed the PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version. Their pain rating and health care utilization (sum of visits during 12 months, categorized as medical or mental health) was extracted through chart review. Results: The majority of veterans reported significant PTSD (72%) and pain (87%) symptoms; 45% received adequate mental health treatment, defined as ≥8 sessions in 12 months. PTSD and the interaction with pain predicted medical utilization; at ...
Inflammation, Depression, and Slow Gait: A High Mortality Phenotype in Later Life

BACKGROUND Inflammation, slow gait, and depression individually are associated with mortality, yet little is known about the trajectories of these measures, their interrelationships, or their collective impact on mortality. METHODS Longitudinal latent class analysis was used to evaluate trajectories of depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression ≥ 10), slow gait ( 3.2 pg/mL) using data from the Health Aging and Body Composition Study. Logistic regression was used to identify their associations with mortality. RESULTS For each outcome, low-probability (n inflammation = 1,656, n slow gait = 1,471, n depression = 1,458), increasing-probability (n inflammation = 847, n slow gait = 880, n depression = 1,062), and consistently high-probability (n inflammation = 572, n slow gait = 724, n depression = 555) trajectories were identified, with 22% of all participants classified as having increasing or consistently high-probability trajectories on inflammation, slow gait, and depression (meaning probability of impairment on each outcome increased from low to moderate/high or remained high over 10 years). Trajectories of slow gait were associated with inflammation (r = .40, p < .001) and depression (r = .49, p < .001). Although worsening trajectories of inflammation were independently associated with mortality (p < .001), the association between worsening trajectories of slow gait and mortality was only present in participants with worsening depression trajectories (p < .01). Participants with increasing/consistently high trajectories of depression and consistently high trajectories of inflammation and slow gait (n = 247) have an adjusted-morality rate of 85.2%, greater than all other classification permutations. CONCLUSIONS Comprehensive assessment of older adults is warranted for the development of treatment strategies targeting a high-mortality risk phenotype consisting of inflammation, depression, and slow gait speed.
Atomic masses of {sup 6}Li,{sup 23}Na,{sup 39,41}K,{sup 85,87}Rb, and {sup 133}Cs

The atomic masses of the alkali-metal isotopes $^{6}\mathrm{Li},^{23}\mathrm{Na},^{39,41}\mathrm{K},^{85,87}\mathrm{Rb}$, and $^{133}\mathrm{Cs}$ have been obtained from measurements of cyclotron frequency ratios of pairs of ions simultaneously trapped in a Penning trap. The results, with one standard deviation uncertainty, are: $M(^{6}\mathrm{Li})=6.015 122 887 4(16)\mathrm{u},M(^{23}\mathrm{Na})=22.989769 282 8(26)\mathrm{u},M(^{39}\mathrm{K})=38.963 706 485 6(52)\mathrm{u},M(^{41}\mathrm{K})=40.961 825 257 4(48)\mathrm{u},M(^{85}\mathrm{Rb})=84.911 789739(9)\mathrm{u},M(^{87}\mathrm{Rb})=86.909 180 535(10)\mathrm{u}$, and $M(^{133}\mathrm{Cs})=132.905 451 963(13)\mathrm{u}$. Our mass of $^{6}\mathrm{Li}$ yields an improved neutron separation energy for $^{7}\mathrm{Li}$ of 7251.1014(45) keV.
The Jazz Solo as Virtuous Act

This article presents a new aesthetic of the improvised jazz solo, an aesthetic grounded in the premise that a solo is an act indivisible from the actor (the soloist) and the context. The solo's context includes the local and large-scale conventions of jazz performance as well as the soloist's other work. The theme on which a solo is based serves not as a “work,” but as part of the solo's stylistic context. Knowledge of this context inheres directly into proper apprehension of the musical surface; it does not constitute a separate plane of appreciation. I begin by examining the improvisational error. This examination supports the position that the solo is an act, not a work. From this position, I detail a new aesthetic of the improvised solo, grounded in the soloist's virtues. In a successful solo, the soloist's actions display a balance of two aesthetic “virtues”: compositional skill and a commitment to the spirit of improvisation. Compositional skill manifests in a solo as coherence. The improvisational spirit manifests as courage, spontaneity, and related qualities. These virtues often come into conflict; each soloist negotiates this conflict differently.
Force-length relation of isometric sarcomeres in fixed-end tetani.

The higher force observed in fixed-end tetani relative to sarcomere-isometric tetani is commonly attributed to sarcomere length inhomogeneity; sarcomeres in the end regions of the fiber shorten ext...
Secondary Flows in Viscoelastic Fluids

A review is presented of some of the flow effects which occur in non-Newtonian fluids which are qualitatively different from those which are exhibited by Newtonian fluids in similar experimental situations.
Sorting the Alphabet Soup of Renal Pathology: A Review

Diseases of the kidney often have their names shortened, creating an arcane set of acronyms which can be confusing to both radiologists and clinicians. This review of renal pathology aims to explain some of the most commonly used acronyms within the field. For each entity, a summary of the clinical features, pathophysiology, and radiological findings is included to aid in the understanding and differentiation of these entities. Discussed topics include acute cortical necrosis, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, angiomyolipoma, autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease, acute tubular necrosis, localized cystic renal disease, multicystic dysplastic kidney, multilocular cystic nephroma, multilocular cystic renal cell carcinoma, medullary sponge kidney, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, renal papillary necrosis, transitional cell carcinoma, and xanthogranulomatous pyelonephritis.
Investigation of the optical properties of PLD-grown Bi 2 Te 3 and Sb 2 Te 3

The optical properties of Bismuth Telluride (Bi2 Te3) and Antimony Telluride (Sb2Te3) thin films grown using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) were investigated. In one set of samples, the two materials were grown, on n-Si substrates, with growth temperatures ranging from 25 to 450°C. In the second set, the films were deposited on microscopic glass slides at 150 °C. The optical properties were studied using Ultra Violet-Visible (UV-Vis) and Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques. Absorbance spectra were obtained using UV-Vis spectroscopy, while transmittance spectra were obtained using FTIR spectroscopy. From the FTIR spectra and employing the Tauc plots, the optical band gaps for both materials were obtained. The values of the optical band gaps for Bi2 Te3 are between 0.22-0.26 eV and for Sb2Te3 are between 0.19-0.28 eV.
Facilitating communication for deaf individuals with mobile technologies

Communication between deaf individuals and hearing individuals can be very difficult. For people who are born deaf, English is often a second language with the first language being American Sign Language (ASL). Very few hearing people in the United States sign or are aware of Deafness, Deaf culture, or how to appropriately communicate with people with hearing loss. In this thesis, I concentrate on the role that mobile technologies can play in ameliorating some of these issues. In formative work with Deaf teenagers in the metro-Atlanta area, I investigate the role that communication technologies play in the lives of many Deaf individuals and examine how these devices have effected their communication patterns and social circles. Specifically, the teens identified problems communicating with hearing individuals such as close friends and family in face-to-face situations. Having identified sign language use at home as one of the earliest interventions for Deaf children, I investigated the use of mobile phones for learning survival-level ASL. I created a prototype software application which presented short ASL lessons via either a mobile phone or desktop web-browser. The software presented the lessons via one of two different scheduling methods designed to take advantage of the spacing effect during learning. I designed and conducted a study of forty individuals with no prior ASL knowledge which compared the effects of both scheduling algorithm and platform. My results show that individuals who used a mobile phone platform and received a group of lessons at one time performed better on post-test receptive and generative ASL metrics than did participants in the three other conditions.
A fully integrated double-loop approach to the design of statistically and energy efficient accelerated life tests

ABSTRACTAccelerated Life Testing (ALT) has been widely used in reliability estimation for highly reliable products. To improve the efficiency of ALT, many optimum ALT design methods have been developed. However, most of the existing methods solely focus on the reliability estimation precision without considering the significant amounts of energy consumed by the equipment that creates the harsher-than-normal operating conditions in such experiments. In order to warrant the reliability estimation precision while reducing the total energy consumption, this article presents a fully integrated double-loop approach to the design of statistically and energy-efficient ALT experiments. As an important option, the new experimental design method is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem with three objectives: (i) minimizing the experiment's total energy consumption; (ii) maximizing the reliability estimation precision; and (iii) minimizing the tracking error between the desired and actual stress loadin...
Mobilizing Women, Anticipating Abolition: The Struggle against Indian Removal in the 1830s

Andrew Jackson's request to Congress in December 1829 for federal monies to remove Southeast Indians beyond the Mississippi River generated the most intense public opposition that the United States had witnessed. In six short months, removal opponents launched massive petition drives that called on Congress to defeat removal and to uphold Indian rights to property. To block removal, Catharine Beecher and Lydia Sigourney organized the first national women's petition campaign and flooded Congress with antiremoval petitions, making a bold claim for women's place in national political discourse. The experience of opposing removal prompted some reformers to rethink their position on abolition and to reject African colonization in favor of immediatism. The strength of antiremoval forces stunned Martin Van Buren who, writing of the events over twenty years later, portrayed the government's side as besieged from all quarters and stated flatly that "a more persevering opposition to a public measure had scarcely ever been made." Though Jackson's former vice president consistently defended removal, he believed that the issue of Indian removal "unlike histories of many great questions which agitate the public mind in their day will in all probability endure ... as long as the government itself, and will in time occupy the minds and feelings of our people." It was an issue, Van Buren concluded, in which the nation was responsible "to the opinion of the great family of nations, as it involves the course we have pursued and shall pursue towards a people comparatively weak. "1
Orientation of Calcium Molybdate (CaMoO4) and Other Single Crystals Having the Scheelite Structure.

Values of interplanar angles useful in distinguishing the [100] from the [110] direction in CaMoO4 are given to facilitate orientation by analysis of back-reflection Laue patterns. The distinction between the [001] and [001¯] directions in the scheelite structure is discussed and examples of physical properties dependent upon this distinction are given. The [001] direction is denned in terms of the crystal structure and a procedure for identifying [001] using Laue patterns is described. The same distinction applies to certain nonpolar directions of all crystals belonging to the following nonenantio morphous point groups: 1¯ , m, 2/m, mmm, 3¯ , 3m, 3¯ m, 4¯ , 4/m, 4/mmm, 6¯ , 6/m, 6/mmm, m3 and m3m.
Abstract P5-03-05: Histone deacetylase (HDAC)-inhibitor mediated reprogramming drives cancer cells to the pentose phosphate metabolic pathway

Recent studies have shown that energy metabolism in human pluripotent cells contrasts sharply with energy metabolism in differentiated cell types. Specifically, it has been shown that nuclear reprogramming from somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells is associated with a switch from oxidative to glycolytic metabolism. Whether a metabolic switch also occurs in reprogrammed/dedifferentiated breast cancer cells is unknown. Moreover, the function of the metabolic state in stemness is poorly understood and no data are available on whether breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) are metabolically different from committed cancer cells. Herein we demonstrated that HDAC inhibitors reprogram committed single aldefluor negative breast cancer cells into aldefluor positive cells (10.3 ± 2.8 vs 21.3 ±3.7% untreated vs treated P Citation Information: Cancer Res 2012;72(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-03-05.
Stall Flutter Oscillation Measurements from a Two Degree-of-Freedom Airfoil with Nonlinear Stiffness

Results are presented from an experimental study of stall flutter oscillations from a twodegree-of-freedom, pitch/plunge airfoil system with nonlinear structural stiffness in the plunge direction. With linear (only) structural stiffness, the airfoil system could exhibit a large-pitch-amplitude limit cycle response which is attributed to stall. With the addition of the nonlinear stiffness, the airfoil system could exhibit two classes of limit cycle response: one with low-pitch-amplitude attributed to the structural nonlinearity and one with highpitch-amplitude attributed to stall. The amplitudes of the limit cycles for cases in which the structural and aerodynamic nonlinearities co-exist are modulated and remain steady over a range of airspeeds and for initial excitations above a critical value.
Any-time path-planning: Time-varying wind field + moving obstacles

We consider the problem of real-time path-planning in a spatiotemporally varying wind-field with moving obstacles. We are provided with changing wind and obstacle predictions along a (D + 1)-dimensional space-time lattice. We present an Any-Time algorithm that quickly finds an αβ-suboptimal solution (a path that is not longer than αβ times the optimal time-length), and then improves α and β while planning time remains or until new wind/obstacle predictions trigger a restart. The factor α comes from an α-overestimate of the A*-like cost heuristic. β is proportional to motion modeling error. Any-Time performance is achieved by: (1) improving the connectivity model of the environment from a discrete graph to a continuous cost-field (decreasing β); (2) using the established method of incrementally deflating α. Our method was deployed as the global planner on a fixed-wing unmanned aircraft system that uses Doppler radar and atmospheric models for online real-time wind sensing and prediction. We compare its performance vs. other state-of-the-art methods in simulated environments.
Single Molecule Force Spectroscopy of Hair-Cell Tip-Link Proteins

Mechanical stimuli from sound and head movements are converted into electrical signals by hair cells of the inner ear. Key to this process are tip links, fine protein filaments that convey mechanical force to hair-cell transduction channels. Tip links are made of two atypical cadherins: protocadherin-15 and cadherin-23, positioned at the lower and upper ends respectively. The tip link is held together by a non-covalent interaction between the N-termini of these two proteins. The crystal structure of the interacting domain has been solved, and molecular dynamics simulations have provided an estimate of the force it can withstand. However the lack of adequate technology has prevented direct measurement of the unbinding force.We have developed molecular tools to facilitate single-molecule force spectroscopy of tip-link proteins, based on self-assembled DNA nanoswitches (Halvorsen et al., 2011). The tips of protocadherin-15 and cadherin-23 are enzymatically conjugated to DNA oligos, which bind in selected locations to a single-stranded M13 DNA scaffold. The remaining single-stranded M13 is hybridized to complementary DNA oligomers. Once assembled, the nanoswitches are used in an optical tweezer system to measure the rupture forces of the tip link.Measured in this way, the unbinding force is about 35 piconewtons, a value consistent with extrapolations of the molecular dynamics simulations to slower loading rates, but disconcertingly low compared to what tip links must withstand physiologically. Tip links, however, have two strands, and thus two interaction domains in close proximity. Calculations suggest that this arrangement greatly increases the average lifetime of a tip link.
A Physics-Based Analytical Model for Perovskite Solar Cells [Sep 15 1389-1394]

Presents corrections to the paper, "A physics based analytical model for perovskite solar cells," (Sun, X.,et al)IEEE J. Photovolt., vol. 5, no. 5, pp. 1389-1394, Sep. 2015.
Draw Your Physics Homework

In spite of government initiatives to attract a more diverse population of learners into science and technology, results of a number of studies in the United States (Hazari et al., 2010; Blickenstaff, 2005, e.g.) and Europe (Sjoberg & Schreiner, 2007, e.g.) suggest that the standard introductory physics curriculum – the gateway course for all science and technology majors – may be a deterrent for many students, particularly females. Thus, my initial motivation for incorporating arts-based teaching strategies in an introductory physics course was an attempt to redress the persistent gender bias in physics by attracting a broader population of learners in general, which would naturally include females.
Aggressive Tax Planning Schemes: Detection Strategies and Emerging Research Areas and Roles (Presentation Slides)

In considering all the points highlighted in this presentation, as outlined by the OECD (see OECD (2011), Corporate Loss Utilization through Aggressive Tax Planning, OECD Publishing), one salient point to be accentuated relates to the disadvantage of audits as a means for detecting schemes involving tax losses. According to the OECD, they relate to past years and given reduced staff resource, as well as the gap between tax audits (which is getting longer). Concerns relating to the intelligence to be gained from audits, it is further re-iterated, does not facilitate tax administrators and policy makers’ plans in implementing timely response strategies. Herein lies a role – not just for timeliness, but also for forensic accountants – particularly computer forensics.
Reconstruction Considerations Based on Size of Defect

The principles of management of lip cancer require resection with negative margins and reconstruction of the defect to restore form and function. The ability to restore esthetics and oral competency, whether the defect is acquired by ablation or trauma, is based upon the size, location, and integrity of the local anatomy. Historically, surgical options for reconstruction of the lip have been categorized according to the size of the defect.
Legal and Privacy Issues with Cloud Computing in Small and Medium Size Enterprises

Because of insufficient resources to manage a costly and complex internal information technology infrastructure (local storage computing), cloud computing emerged providing potential benefits to small and medium size enterprises such as rapid access to flexible and low- cost IT resources, enabling payment as per consumption and facilitating productivity for accounting services, for communication customer services and support. It provides simple ways to access servers, database and a broad set of applications over the internet. Cloud computing is a technology paradigm operating on the principle of virtualization, distributed computing, grid computing, and data bases to provide computing services. It provides a simple way of storing, accessing servers, data, program and a broad set of application services over the internet [1]. The product of small and medium size enterprises is now reaching a wider audience using this new Technology (cloud computing). This system of outsourcing however presents many challenges in its different types (public and private cloud). Organizations such as small and medium size enterprises have increased risks by storing sensitive data in the cloud thereby making security, privacy and protection a rising concern to them. In this paper, we will analyze the privacy challenges faced by small and medium sized enterprises with the adoption of cloud. The paper seeks to examine the legal protection provided to secure SMEs who are involved in cloud computing. This paper will address the security challenges cloud computing presents to the local storage computing and provide possible recommendations.
The flip side of traditional nursing education: A literature review

The flipped classroom (FC) andragogy purports an improvement of critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students. This literature review explores fourteen research studies and discusses outcome measures reported on the effectiveness of using this teaching modality. Students described the learning activities during the classroom meeting times as valuable and indicated the interaction and engagement were beneficial to their learning. Many students opined an increased comprehension of the subject matter. Overall, the FC required more work on the part of the students and the faculty, and the majority of students preferred the traditional classroom (TC) passive method of learning over the FC active learning andragogy as a result of the substantial time commitment required for preparation necessitated by the FC. Five of the fourteen studies evaluated student learning outcome measures; four studies showed an improvement in the FC environment compared to the TC and one reported the FC was at least as effective as the TC. Further studies with quantifiable outcome measures are required to determine the effectiveness of a FC on critical thinking and problem-solving skills of nursing students.
Simulated Sensitivity of Urban Green Infrastructure Practices to Climate Change

AbstractClimate change is likely to alter the quantity and quality of urban stormwater, presenting a risk to water quality and public health. How might stormwater management practices need to chang...
Race and Racism in the Twenty-First Century

Race and racism in the contemporary globalized world is a product of historical forces that still resonate today. With a focus on the United States and its relation to race–racism research both in the United States and abroad. By reexamining the Atlantic slave trade, social scientists and historians tie its establishment to the development of the modern world economy. This article then examines the specific ways that these linkages are still operative in the United States and globally. The author also suggests new research strategies for understanding the specific ways to expose the depth of these structural racial inequalities, and how to begin to eradicate them.
Perturbative diagrams in string field theory

A general algorithm is presented which gives a closed-form expression for an arbitrary perturbative diagram of cubic string field theory at any loop order. For any diagram, the resulting expression is given by an integral of a function of several infinite matrices, each built from a finite number of blocks containing the Neumann coefficients of Witten's 3-string vertex. The closed-form expression for any diagram can be approximated by level truncation on oscillator level, giving a computation involving finite size matrices. Some simple tree and loop diagrams are worked out as examples of this approach.
De novo NAD+ biosynthetic impairment in acute kidney injury in humans.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) extends longevity in experimental organisms, raising interest in its impact on human health. De novo NAD+ biosynthesis from tryptophan is evolutionarily conserved yet considered supplanted among higher species by biosynthesis from nicotinamide (NAM). Here we show that a bottleneck enzyme in de novo biosynthesis, quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRT), defends renal NAD+ and mediates resistance to acute kidney injury (AKI). Following murine AKI, renal NAD+ fell, quinolinate rose, and QPRT declined. QPRT+/− mice exhibited higher quinolinate, lower NAD+, and higher AKI susceptibility. Metabolomics suggested an elevated urinary quinolinate/tryptophan ratio (uQ/T) as an indicator of reduced QPRT. Elevated uQ/T predicted AKI and other adverse outcomes in critically ill patients. A phase 1 placebo-controlled study of oral NAM demonstrated a dose-related increase in circulating NAD+ metabolites. NAM was well tolerated and was associated with less AKI. Therefore, impaired NAD+ biosynthesis may be a feature of high-risk hospitalizations for which NAD+ augmentation could be beneficial. Impaired NAD+ biosynthesis may be a common feature of high-risk hospitalizations for which NAD+ augmentation could improve therapeutic outcome.
Hermaphroditic spawning by the gonochoric pillar coral Dendrogyra cylindrus

Scleractinian corals typically reproduce sexually as either gonochoric (separate male and female) or hermaphroditic (producing both eggs and sperm) colonies. The Caribbean pillar coral Dendrogyra cylindrus has been classified as gonochoric, but multi-year spawning observations at a Florida Keys site revealed incidences of hermaphroditism. Separate clonal colonies (ramets) of a single genet released either male or female gametes. Furthermore, 22% of observed ramets produced both eggs and sperm within different regions of a single colony. Over multiple years, one ramet switched from female to hermaphrodite, one from male to hermaphrodite, and one from hermaphrodite to male. Proposed evolutionary mechanisms include size- or age-based energy allocation, environmental energy allocation, or chemically induced change in a single-sex region. Because of the low population density of D. cylindrus in the Florida Keys, sexual partners are scarce, and hermaphroditism may be a strategy to yield higher rates of successful sexual reproduction. The findings also have implications for future restoration efforts aiming to strategically outplant individuals to maximize in situ fertilization.