cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Sparse Polyhedral Framework: Composing Compiler-Generated Inspector-Executor Code

Irregular applications such as big graph analysis, material simulations, molecular dynamics simulations, and finite element analysis have performance problems due to their use of sparse data structures. Inspector–executor strategies improve sparse computation performance through parallelization and data locality optimizations. An inspector reschedules and reorders data at runtime, and an executor is a transformed version of the original computation that uses the newly reorganized schedules and data structures. Inspector–executor transformations are commonly written in a domain-specific or even application-specific fashion. Significant progress has been made in incorporating such inspector–executor transformations into existing compiler transformation frameworks, thus enabling their use with compile-time transformations. However, composing inspector–executor transformations in a general way has only been done in the context of the Sparse Polyhedral Framework (SPF). Though SPF enables the general composition of such transformations, the resulting inspector and executor performance suffers due to missed specialization opportunities. This paper reviews the history and current state of the art for inspector–executor strategies and reviews how the SPF enables the composition of inspector–executor transformations. Further, it describes a research vision to combine this generality in SPF with specialization to achieve composable and high performance inspectors and executors, producing a powerful compiler framework for sparse matrix computations.
Catheter-directed therapy for acute pulmonary embolism in children.

Background Acute pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition and rarely occurs in children. In adults, catheter-directed therapy emerges as a potentially safer and effective therapeutic option. However, there is a paucity of data on the safety and efficacy of catheter-directed therapy for pulmonary embolism in children. We report a single-centred experience of catheter-directed therapy for acute pulmonary embolism in children. Methods This is a retrospective study of children who had no CHD and underwent catheter-directed therapy at Detroit Medical Center during a 12-year period from 2005 to 2017. Demographic and clinical data associated with pulmonary embolism were collected along with the outcome. Results A total of nine patients of median age 16 years with the range from 12 to 20 received catheter-directed therapy for sub-massive (n = 6) and massive pulmonary embolism (n = 3). Among nine patients, one patient received Angiojet thrombectomy and balloon angioplasty, whereas eight patients received catheter-directed thrombolysis using tissue plasminogen activator through infusion catheters (n = 3) or EkoSonic ultrasound-accelerated thrombolysis system (n = 5). In four out of five patients treated with EkoSonic, significant clinical improvement was noticed within 24 hours. Among seven patients who survived, two patients had minor gastrointestinal bleeding with median hospital stay of 8 days with the range from 5 to 24 days, and two patients with massive pulmonary embolism died possibly due to delayed institution of catheter-directed therapy. Conclusion Catheter-directed therapy with/without EkoSonic is an emerging alternative therapy for sub-massive and massive pulmonary embolism in children. A timely institution of catheter-directed therapy appeared important to improve the outcome.
Mentoring in Business and Professional Communication: Case Study of a Multiyear Dynamic:

Mentoring of graduate students is essential to the professional development of business and professional communication (BPC) scholars; it also helps advance the field of BPC and its disciplinary id...
Flood Frequency Analysis

INTRODUCTION Hydrologic Frequency Analysis General Aspects and Approaches Other Models Return Period, Probability, and Plotting Positions Flood Frequency Models Hydrologic Risk Regionalization Tests on Hydrologic Data SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF PARENT DISTRIBUTION: CONVENTIONAL MOMENTS Moments of Distributions and Their Sample Estimates Moment Ratio Diagrams (MRDs) Probability Plots Selection of Distributions Regional Homogeneity and Regionalization SELECTION AND EVALUATION OF PARENT DISTRIBUTIONS: PROBABILITY WEIGHTED MOMENTS AND L-MOMENTS Moments of Distributions and Their Sample Estimates L-Moment Ratio Diagrams Goodness of Fit Tests A Case Study PARAMETER AND QUANTILE ESTIMATION Introduction Parameter Estimation Quantile Estimation Confidence Intervals NORMAL AND RELATED DISTRIBUTIONS Normal Distribution Two-Parameter Lognormal (LN(2)) Distribution Three-Parameter Lognormal (LM(3)) Distribution GAMMA FAMILY Exponential Distribution Two-Parameter Gamma (G(2)) Distribution Pearson (2) Distribution Log-Pearson (3) Distribution U.S. Water Resources Council Method (WRCM) EXTREME VALUE DISTRIBUTIONS Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) Distribution The Extreme Value Type (EV(1) Distribution Weibul Distribution WAKEBY FAMILY The 5-Parameter Wakeby Distribution (WAK(5)) The 4-Parameter Wakeby Distribution (WAK(4)) The Generalized Pareto Distribution LOGISTIC DISTRIBUTIONS Logistic Distribution Generalized Logistic Distribution COMPUTER PROGRAM Introduction Description of Program REFERENCES
The costs of connection: how data is colonizing human life and appropriating it for capitalism

It is not uncommon for the Internet to be described in overwhelmingly bleak terms. It seems we’re hardly able to go a week without another headline about how Facebook is subverting user privacy or ...
Simulation of spatial memory for human navigation based on visual attention in floorplan review

Human navigation simulation is critical to many civil engineering tasks and is of central interest to the simulation community. Most human navigation simulation approaches focus on the classic psychology evidence, or assumptions that still need further proofs. The overly simplified and generalized assumption of navigation behaviors does not highlight the need of capturing individual differences in spatial cognition and navigation decision-making, or the impacts of diverse ways of spatial information display. This study proposes the visual attention patterns in floorplan review to be a stronger predictor of human navigation behaviors. To set the theoretical foundation, a Virtual Reality (VR) experiment was performed to test if visual attention patterns during spatial information review can predict the quality of spatial memory, and how the relationship is affected by the diverse ways of information display, including 2D, 3D and VR. The results set a basis for future prediction model developments.
A Program to Prepare Clinical Pharmacy Faculty Members to Use Entrustable Professional Activities in Experiential Education

Objective. To describe the design and evaluation of a program implemented to ready clinical faculty members to use entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for teaching and assessment in experiential education. Methods. The school adopted a set of EPAs for faculty members to implement in advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), and then delivered a two-session faculty development program to ensure faculty members' readiness to implement the EPAs. To determine the success of the faculty development program, qualitative analysis of the moderated discussion held during the program was conducted, post-program and follow-up surveys were administered, and the results of the pilot implementation of EPAs were analyzed. Results. Eleven faculty members participated in the development program, and 10 of them completed the pilot implementation of EPAs and the follow-up survey after completing three APPE blocks. All faculty members responded that the program prepared them to apply what they learned about EPAs to their practice setting in both the post-program and follow-up surveys. In the follow-up survey, 80% of faculty members reported that they were confident in correctly applying what they learned from the program to the EPA pilot, and 100% answered a hypothetical application question correctly. Forty students participated in the pilot implementation of EPAs. Of these, 95% were directly observed by faculty members before making an entrustment decision, and 100% received feedback on their performance. Conclusion. The faculty development program was effective in preparing faculty members to implement the EPA framework in experiential teaching and use the entrustment rubric.
Global perspective of COVID-19 epidemiology for a full-cycle pandemic

As of October 2020, there are >1 million documented deaths with COVID-19. Excess deaths can be caused by both COVID-19 and the measures taken. COVID-19 shows extremely strong risk stratification across age, socioeconomic factors, and clinical factors. Calculation of years-of-life-lost from COVID-19 is methodologically challenging and can yield misleading over-estimates. Many early deaths may have been due to suboptimal management, malfunctional health systems, hydroxychloroquine, sending COVID-19 patients to nursing homes, and nosocomial infections; such deaths are partially avoidable moving forward. About 10% of the global population may be infected by October 2020. Global infection fatality rate is 0.15-0.20% (0.03-0.04% in those <70 years), with large variability across locations with different age-structure, institutionalization rates, socioeconomic inequalities, population-level clinical risk profile, public health measures, and health care. There is debate on whether at least 60% of the global population must be infected for herd immunity, or, conversely, mixing heterogeneity and pre-existing cross-immunity may allow substantially lower thresholds. Simulations are presented with a total of 1.58-8.76 million COVID-19 deaths over 5-years (1/2020-12/2024) globally (0.5-2.9% of total global deaths). The most favorable figures in that range would be feasible if high risk groups can be preferentially protected with lower infection rates than the remaining population. Death toll may also be further affected by potential availability of effective vaccines and treatments, optimal management and measures taken, COVID-19 interplay with influenza and other health problems, reinfection potential, and any chronic COVID-19 consequences. Targeted, precise management of the pandemic and avoiding past mistakes would help minimize mortality.
Knitted Sensors: Designs and Novel Approaches for Real-Time, Real-World Sensing

Recent work has shown the feasibility of producing knitted capacitive touch sensors through digital fabrication with little human intervention in the textile production process. Such sensors can be designed and manufactured at scale and require only two connection points, regardless of the touch sensor form factor and size of the fabric, opening many possibilities for new designs and applications in textile sensors. To bring this technology closer to real-world use, we go beyond previous work on coarse touch discrimination to enable fine, accurate touch localization on a knitted sensor, using a recognition model able to capture the temporal behavior of the sensor. Moreover, signal acquisition and processing are performed in real-time, using swept frequency Bode analysis to quantify distortion from induced capacitance. After training our network model, we conducted a study with new users, and achieved a subject-independent accuracy of 66% in identifying the touch location on the 36-button sensor, while chance accuracy is approximately 3%. Additionally, we conducted a study demonstrating the viability of taking this solution closer to real-world scenarios by testing the sensor's resistance to potential deformation from everyday conditions. We also introduce several other knitted designs and related application prototypes to explore potential uses of the technology.
Non-Transgenic CRISPR-Mediated Knockout of Entire Ergot Alkaloid Gene Clusters in Slow-Growing Asexual Polyploid Fungi.

The Epichloe species of fungi include seed-borne symbionts (endophytes) of cool-season grasses that enhance plant fitness, although some also produce alkaloids that are toxic to livestock. Selected or mutated toxin-free endophytes can be introduced into forage cultivars for improved livestock performance. Long-read genome sequencing revealed clusters of ergot alkaloid biosynthesis (EAS) genes in Epichloe coenophiala strain e19 from tall fescue (Lolium arundinaceum) and Epichloe hybrida Lp1 from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne). The two homeologous clusters in E. coenophiala-a triploid hybrid species-were 196 kb (EAS1) and 75 kb (EAS2), and the E. hybrida EAS cluster was 83 kb. As a CRISPR-based approach to target these clusters, the fungi were transformed with ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes of modified Cas9 nuclease (Cas9-2NLS) and pairs of single guide RNAs (sgRNAs), plus a transiently selected plasmid. In E. coenophiala, the procedure generated deletions of EAS1 and EAS2 separately, as well as both clusters simultaneously. The technique also gave deletions of the EAS cluster in E. hybrida and of individual alkaloid biosynthesis genes (dmaW and lolC) that had previously proved difficult to delete in E. coenophiala. Thus, this facile CRISPR RNP approach readily generates non-transgenic endophytes without toxin genes for use in research and forage cultivar improvement.
Revitalizing Medicare’s Pricing System with Auctions

This paper examines some of the flaws in Medicare’s pricing system and considers some potential fixes. As currently structured, Medicare’s reimbursement system stifles incentives to seek lower prices. Prices are recommended by provider groups and centrally administered. With what amounts to an elaborate cost-plus-pricing model, systemic reductions in costs will spark systemic reductions in prices and profits, thereby discouraging moves to lower costs. This is especially important as Medicare costs are among the largest financial challenges facing the United States government over the long haul.
Genome Size Covaries More Positively with Propagule Size than Adult Size: New Insights into an Old Problem.

The body size and (or) complexity of organisms is not uniformly related to the amount of genetic material (DNA) contained in each of their cell nuclei (‘genome size’). This surprising mismatch between the physical structure of organisms and their underlying genetic information appears to relate to variable accumulation of repetitive DNA sequences, but why this variation has evolved is little understood. Here, I show that genome size correlates more positively with egg size than adult size in crustaceans. I explain this and comparable patterns observed in other kinds of animals and plants as resulting from genome size relating strongly to cell size in most organisms, which should also apply to single-celled eggs and other reproductive propagules with relatively few cells that are pivotal first steps in their lives. However, since body size results from growth in cell size or number or both, it relates to genome size in diverse ways. Relationships between genome size and body size should be especially weak in large organisms whose size relates more to cell multiplication than to cell enlargement, as is generally observed. The ubiquitous single-cell ‘bottleneck’ of life cycles may affect both genome size and composition, and via both informational (genotypic) and non-informational (nucleotypic) effects, many other properties of multicellular organisms (e.g., rates of growth and metabolism) that have both theoretical and practical significance.
Work-in-Progress–—Game Design Informed by Learning Progressions for Science Practices

Learning progressions allow researchers to describe key milestones along a pathway of thinking about a topic or practice that ranges from beginner to advanced. For learning related to science practices, some progressions can be abstracted from specific content; others are connected to specific science understandings. This research centers on the design of a middle school science game to support learning of science practices through simulated immersive experiences in which students engage in science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation. This work-in-progress paper describes the application of current research on learning progressions to the design of the game interface and interactions for Aqualab, a game to teach middle school science practices related to aquatic ecosystems.
Cyclical fluctuations in Brazil's real exchange rate: the role of domestic and external factors (1988-95)

This paper examines the behavoir of capital inflows and the real exchange rate in Brazil during the period 1988-95. The first part describes the analytical framework. The second part estimates (using monthly data) a near-VAR linking capital flows, changes in domestic and foreign nominal interest rates, changes in the expected depreciation rate, the government spending-output ratio, and changes in the real exchange rate. Generalized variance decompositions indicate that world interest rate shocks explain only a fraction of medium-term fluctuations in capital flows, whereas fluctuations in the real exchange rate are driven mostly by its own innovations. Generalized impulse response functions show that a reduction in the world interest rate leads on impact to a fall in domestic interest rates, a reduction in the rate of nominal exchange rate appreciation, a capital inflow, and a depreciation of the real exchange rate.
The Changing Role and Responsibilities of a Chairman—Letters

To the Editor.— I greatly enjoyed the special article entitled: "The Changing Role and Responsibilities of Chairmen in Clinical Academic Departments: The Transition from Autocracy" (Pediatrics. 1992;90:50-57). It was realistic but refreshing and very useful to young academic people contemplating chairmanship positions.
Unsupervised Speech Enhancement with speech recognition embedding and disentanglement losses

Speech enhancement has recently achieved great success with various deep learning methods. However, most conventional speech enhancement systems are trained with supervised methods that impose two significant challenges. First, a majority of training datasets for speech enhancement systems are synthetic. When mixing clean speech and noisy corpora to create the synthetic datasets, domain mismatches occur between synthetic and real-world recordings of noisy speech or audio. Second, there is a trade-off between increasing speech enhancement performance and degrading speech recognition (ASR) performance. Thus, we propose an unsupervised loss function to tackle those two problems. Our function is developed by extending the MixIT loss function with speech recognition embedding and disentanglement loss. Our results show that the proposed function effectively improves the speech enhancement performance compared to a baseline trained in a supervised way on the noisy VoxCeleb dataset. While fully unsupervised training is unable to exceed the corresponding baseline, with joint super- and unsupervised training, the system is able to achieve similar speech quality and better ASR performance than the best supervised baseline.
Carcinoma of the uterus

Abstract Our own standpoint at the present moment may be summarized as follows: 1. 1. In any cases of abnormality in uterine function within the child-bearing period, meticulous care to determine the cause of the abnormality. 2. 2. In the case of any abnormal discharge after the menopause, immediate vaginal hysterectomy followed by the application of radium. 3. 3. Radium and x-ray therapy in the treatment of all cases of carcinoma of the cervix, final judgment as to the abandonment of surgery in these cases being reserved. 4. 4. Individualization of each patient; that is, certain cases of carcinoma of the fundus which are apparently inoperable may become operable after a period of rest and the application of selected therapeutic measures. 5. 5. Extensive correlation of the experience of individual observers is essential to the establishment of a correct basis of judgment as to the relative merits of surgery, radium and of the x-ray in the treatment of carcinoma of the uterus—whether of the fundus or of the cervix.
Location and life: how Stenberg v. Carhart undercut Roe v. Wade.

Location and Life: How Stenberg v. Carhart Undercut Roe v. Wade Richard Stith On 22 January 1973, in its decision entitled Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court of the United States declared that a fetus enjoys no constitutional protection at any time prior to birth. Abortion must be available on an elective basis before viability, in that the law may not require any maternal health reason for the procedure. Even after viability, the fetus counts only as a "potentiality of human life" and can, therefore, be destroyed for broadly defined maternal health reasons, amounting virtually to elective abortion, right up to birth. Location—in or out of the womb—thus determined whether actual human life existed and was constitutionally protected under the Roe v. Wade ruling. Many years later, some physicians began using the "partial-birth" method of abortion, destroying the fetus at a point when induced delivery was almost complete. The following description of this method, by a nurse eyewitness, was presented later to the Supreme Court. The doctor had pulled the body of the fetus, up to the head, out of the mother's uterus. In the words of the nurse:
Damage Evolution and Residual Stresses in Plasma‐Sprayed Zirconia Thermal Barrier Coatings

Air-plasma-sprayed zirconia thermal barrier coatings were subjected to thermal cycling and residual stress evolution in thermally grown oxide scale was studied by micro- and macro-ruby fluorescence spectroscopy. The macro approach reveals that compressive stress in the oxide scale increases with increasing number of thermal cycles (and thus increasing scale thickness), reaching a value of 1.8 GPa at a scale thickness of 3-4 {micro}m (80 cycles). Micro-ruby fluorescence spectroscopy indicates that protrusions of the zirconia top coat into the bond coat act as localized areas of high stress concentration, leading to damage initiation during thermal cycling.
The immunological relay race: B cells take antigen by synapse.

T cells, move over. B cells are now reported, in a recent paper in Nature, to have their own immunological synapses with APCs. Only this time the antigen is whole and B cells don't keep it to themselves.
Renal Tubular Defects in Phosphate and Amino Acid Transport

Although not commonly encountered in clinical practice, disorders of phosphate and amino acid transport are of major pathophysiological importance. Studies of these disorders have provided important insights into normal transport physiology and have served as a model of the way basic science principles can be used to explain clinical disease, and how clinical disease can provide new physiological principles. In addition, these disorders have provided much information on the genetics of transport, which forms the basis for sound genetic counseling.
Maternal Immune Responses to Trophoblast: The Contribution of the Horse to Pregnancy Immunology

The horse has proven to be a distinctively informative species in the study of pregnancy immunology for several reasons. First, unique aspects of the anatomy and physiology of the equine conceptus facilitate approaches that are not possible in other model organisms, such as non-surgical recovery of early stage embryos and conceptuses and isolation of pure trophoblast cell populations. Second, pregnant mares make strong cytotoxic antibody responses to paternal major histocompatibility complex class I antigens expressed by the chorionic girdle cells, permitting detailed evaluation of the antigenicity of these invasive trophoblasts and how they affect the maternal immune system. Third, there is abundant evidence for local maternal cellular immune responses to the invading trophoblasts in the pregnant mare. The survival of the equine fetus in the face of strong maternal immune responses highlights the complex immunoregulatory mechanisms that result in materno-fetal tolerance. Finally, the parallels between human and horse trophoblast cell types, their gene expression, and function make the study of equine pregnancy highly relevant to human health. Here, we review the most pertinent aspects of equine reproductive immunology and how studies of the pregnant mare have contributed to our understanding of maternal acceptance of the allogeneic fetus.
Disorders of coagulation

This chapter discusses the qualitative disorders of coagulation. Endothelial cells secrete substances that repel platelets, initiate coagulation, promote platelet adhesion, platelet aggregation, and fibrin dissolution, catalyze the inhibition of thrombin, and inhibit the initiation of fibrin dissolution. The fibrinolytic system provides a mechanism for removal of physiologically deposited fibrin and the clotlysis is brought about by the action of plasmin on fibrin. In addition to the physiologic role of fibrinolysis, other inhibitors also play critical roles in the control of hemostasis. The participation of platelets is a fundamental component of the physiologic process of coagulation in hemostasis. Platelet interactions in coagulation are initiated by adhesion to areas of vascular injury. The plasma coagulation factors are produced in the liver and factor VIII is produced by endothelial cells. The evaluation of a patient for a hemostatic defect can be done by: detailed history, complete physical examination, and laboratory evaluation. Coagulation factor screen tests: prothrombin partial thromboplastin time assays. The acquired coagulation factor disorders are vitamin K deficiency, hepatic dysfunction, and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Isolated coagulation factor disorders are hemophilia A and B. The genetics, prevalence, coagulation studies, and symptoms of inherited coagulation factor disorders are described.
“The Pull of Love”: Mutual Love as Democratic Virtue in Niebuhrian Political Theology

Although Reinhold Niebuhr's account of democracy aims to protect marginalized communities by restraining sin through the diffusion of power, the conceptions of sin and love that inform his political theology have anti-democratic consequences for members of these communities. I address this inconsistency by revisiting his under-developed idea of mutual love and clarifying his account of sin. Mutual love occupies crucial terrain between agape and justice for Niebuhr, and therefore enables moral agents to achieve democratic goals. Given the nature and importance of mutual love, I clarify Niebuhr's account of sin by making his position on “self-love” more moderate than it often appears.
Dynamic characteristics of high-voltage insulation with metal oxide elements

The dynamic behavior of an insulation assembly and a metal oxide element is modeled. The multiple arc model, including the characteristics of zinc oxide varistors, was used to evaluate the critical flashover voltage of a dynamic insulator unit. The leakage current through the varistor has the effect of drying the insulator surface, thus increasing the withstand voltage. Nonuniform contamination distribution results in reduction of the critical arc length but has no significant effect on the critical flashover voltage. >
Anytime Heuristic Search: Frameworks and Algorithms

Anytime search is a pragmatic approach for trading solution cost and solving time. It can also be used for solving problems within a time bound. Three frameworks for constructing anytime algorithms from bounded suboptimal search have been proposed: continuing search, repairing search, and restarting search, but what combination of suboptimal search and anytime framework performs best? An extensive empirical evaluation results in several novel algorithms and reveals that the relative performance of frameworks is essentially fixed, with the repairing framework having the strongest overall performance. As part of our study, we present two enhancements to Anytime Window A* that allow it to solve a wider range of problems and hastens its convergance on optimal solutions.
A comparative study of the conveying performance of screws in a twin-screw co-rotating extrusion-cooker

Abstract A study of extruder performance has been made using both self-wiping and closely intermeshing screws for the extrusion-cooking of wheat starch in a twin-screw co-rotating extruder. The axial pressure profile, die pressure, screw torque and residence time distribution were measured over a range of screw speeds (75–300 rev min −1 ) for each screw geometry. The residence time distributions for the closely intermeshing and self-wiping screws were similar. The mean residence time decreased from about 80 s at 75 rev min −1 to 40–50 s at 300 rev min −1 . The axial pressure profile and dead-stopped runs showed that there were different distributions of fill within the extruder barrel for the two screw geometries. Whereas the mean time in the solids-conveying section was shorter for the self-wiping screws the time in the fully filled section was correspondingly longer. The results demonstrated that the closely intermeshing screws had a greater melt pumping action than the self-wiping screws.
Opening of the Peter G. Winchell Symposium on the Tempering of Steel.

Abstract : The structural changes which occur during the aging and tempering of initially virgin iron-carbon martensites are briefly summarized, in terms of important contributions by the late Peter G. Winchell. (Author)
Terahertz dielectric properties of MgO nanocrystals

Terahertz properties of chemically synthesized MgO nanocrystals are studied by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in the frequency range extending up to 3.7 THz. The experimentally determined optical and dielectric properties of the nanocrystalline MgO are compared with those of a bulk MgO single crystal. Three prominent resonance modes, which are essentially responsible for the dielectric properties of the nanostructured MgO in the terahertz regime, are characterized at ω1/(2π) = 4.26 THz, ω2/(2π) = 7.68 THz, and ω3/(2π) = 12.18 THz and are well-described by a multiple-oscillator model through theoretical fitting. The MgO nanocrystals may find intriguing applications in developing terahertz quasi-optic components and terahertz spectroscopy.
Electromechanical Limits of Polymersomes

Self-assembled membranes of amphiphilic diblock copolymers enable comparisons of cohesiveness with lipid membranes over the range of hydrophobic thicknesses d = 3-15 nm. At zero mechanical tension the breakdown potential V(c) for polymersomes with d = 15 nm is 9 V, compared to 1 V for liposomes with d = 3 nm. Nonetheless, electromechanical stresses at breakdown universally exhibit a V(c)(2) dependence, and membrane capacitance shows the expected strong d dependence, conforming to simple thermodynamic models. The viscous nature of the diblock membranes is apparent in the protracted postporation dynamics.
Going for the Gold: Identifying Academic-Quality Internet Resources

Journal of Electronic Resources Librarianship, 20: 262–274, 2008 Copyright © 2008 The Haworth Press ISSN 1941-126X print / 1941-1278 online DOI: 10.1080/19411260802554710
Entry of water, metabolic substrates and extracellular space markers into various structures of mouse brain in vivo

Une methode nouvelle est presentee pour etudier des correlations qui existent entre le cerveau et le comportement des animaux.
Row-column designs for comparing treatments with a control

This paper considers the problem of the design and analysis of experiments for comparing several treatments with a control when heterogeneity is to be eliminated in two directions. A class of row-column designs which are balanced for treatment vs. control comparisons (referred to as the balanced treatment vs. control row-column or BTCRC designs) is proposed. These designs are analogs of the so-called BTIB designs proposed by Bechhofer and Tamhane (Technometrics 23 (1981) 45-57) for eliminating heterogeneity in one direction. Some methods of analysis and construction of these designs are given. A measure of efficiency of BTCRC designs in terms of the A-optimality criterion is derived and illustrated by several examples.
On Infeasibility of Systems of Convex Analytic Inequalities

Abstract In this paper we address the problem of the infeasibility of systems defined by convex analytic inequality constraints. In particular, we investigate properties of irreducible infeasible sets and provide an algorithm that identifies a set of all constraints ( K ) that may affect the feasibility status of the system after some perturbation of the right-hand sides. We analyze properties of the irreducible sets, as well as infeasibility sets in connection with the set K , showing in particular that every infeasible system contains an inconsistent subsystem of cardinality not greater than the number of variables plus one. The results presented in this paper are generalizations of a theory developed for the systems of quadratic and linear inequality constraints.
Monoclonal antibodies directed against the flagella of Campylobacter jejuni : cross-reacting and serotypic specificity and potential use in diagnosis

Nine monoclonal antibodies directed against the flagella of Campylobacter jejuni strain 81116 have been investigated for serotypic and cross-reacting activity using a panel of 17 Penner serotype strains of C. jejuni. Four monoclonal antibodies were exclusively specific for serotype-6 strains, which was the serotype of C. jejuni strain 81116. Two monoclonal antibodies cross-reacted with all the flagellated strains of C. jejuni tested. One of these cross-reacting monoclonal antibodies, CF5, was found to react with all other Campylobacter species except C. sputorum bulbulus but it did not react with other bacterial enteropathogens. An antigen-capture ELISA technique was established, using this monoclonal antibody, which could detect flagellar antigen in human faecal material. These anti-flagella monoclonal antibodies therefore may be valuable in the diagnosis and serotyping of C. jejuni in clinical material.
Effects of space on the copulatory behavior of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)

The copulatory behavior of deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, was tested in two enclosures that differed in area by a factor of approximately 20. The latency for animals to come into close proximity was significantly longer in the larger enclosure. Once such proximity was achieved, copulation was very similar in the two enclosures. Only the mean interintromission interval in the first ejaculatory series varied significantly with cage size. Thus, the practice of testing these mice in small cages appears to have little effect on the parameters measured, as compared with behavior in larger enclosures.
The degree to which spiritual needs of patients near the end of life are met.

Purpose/objectives To determine to what degree the spiritual needs of patients near the end of life are met. Design Descriptive. Setting One inpatient and five outpatient hospices. Sample 62 female and 38 male hospice patients with a mean age of 67 years; 74% were dying from cancer. Methods Each subject completed the Spiritual Needs Inventory and rated life satisfaction via the Cantril ladder. Main research variables Spiritual needs and life satisfaction. Findings Women, patients residing in a nursing home or an inpatient hospice unit, and patients with lower levels of education reported a higher number of unmet spiritual needs. Needs that could be met independently by patients and were not related to functional status were met at a higher rate than those that were dependent on others and on functional status. Conclusions Spiritual activities are important to patients who are near the end of life, but these patients may have a variety of unmet spiritual needs that depend on many factors, including the care setting. Implications for nursing Nurses must recognize the importance of spirituality to patients near the end of life. Assessment for specific spiritual needs can lead to the development of interventions to meet those needs. Meeting patients' spiritual needs can enhance their quality of life.
A Spatial Interpolation Method for Radio Frequency Maps Based on the Discrete Cosine Transform

Estimating radio frequency (RF) power in a geographic area is almost as old as wireless technology itself. It is crucial to anyone who is working or doing business with wireless technologies: wireless operators, the military, regulators, etc. Under a cognitive radio paradigm, spectrum usage is no longer static and is migrating towards dynamic and shared access paradigms. Enabling this evolution requires the estimation of the Radio Frequency map (RF map) of a given area. A variety of methods have already been proposed and tested to accomplish this estimation by leveraging decades of work on spatial interpolation methods. In this work, we justify, through analysis and simulation, using the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) as a more dynamic and accurate interpolation technique through comparison to other deterministic methods such as the Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method.
The promise (and challenge) of an innovative narrative psychology

In this article, I outline what are, in my view, the major conceptual and institutional weaknesses of narrative psychology. However, because my objective is to legitimatize narrative as an alternative vision of psychology, I frame these criticisms as challenges for narrative psychologists to overcome. I argue that narrative psychology has not clearly defined the meaning, scope and basic principles of a narrative approach. I ask: What does narrative mean? Is narrative ethnocentric? Is narrative a science? Can narrative reconcile with the mainstream without losing its critical spirit? Can narrative survive in the academy? Although the challenges are significant, I argue that narrative psychology offers the promise of a systematic form of inquiry that explores meaning and intention in human lives. Narrative research promises to bring us closer to the real subject matter of psychological investigation, that of human intention and meaning, in its appropriate interpretive context.
Conversion of diopterin and teropterin into folic and folinic acid activity by the rat liver.

SummaryIsolated rat livers were perfused with blood containing equimolar concentrations of PGA, Diopterin, and Teropterin. Both conjugates gave rise to folic and folinic acid activity. Teropterin, a gamma-conjugate, was a more effective precursor for folinic acid than Diopterin, an alpha-conjugate.
Supply of phosphorus to the water column of a productive hardwater lake: controlling mechanisms and management considerations

Onondaga Lake is a hypereutrophic, industrially polluted lake located in Syracuse, NY. High hypolimnetic concentrations of H2S that develop after anoxia restrict the accumulation of total Fe2+ due to the formation of FeS, and may limit Fe-PO4 interactions. High water column concentrations of Ca2+ and high rates of CaCO3 deposition occur due to inputs of Ca2+ from an adjacent soda ash manufacturing facility. Patterns of P concentration and other water chemistry parameters in the lower waters, and results from chemical equilibrium calculations, suggest that Ca-PO4 minerals may regulate the supply of P from sediments to the water column in Onondaga Lake. These findings have important management implications for Onondaga Lake. First, declines in water column Ca2+ concentrations due to reductions in industrial CaCl2 input may result in conditions of undersaturation with respect to Ca-PO4 mineral solubility and increases in the release of P from sediments to the water column. Second, introduction of O2 from hypolimnetic oxygenation, as a lake remediation initiative, may enhance P supply from sediments, because of increased solubility of Ca-PO4 minerals at lower pH.
Using out-of-focus light to improve image acquisition time in confocal microscopy

Light that would typically be discarded at a confocal microscope's detector pinhole will be collected and processed to allow a reduced spatial sampling rate and thus an improved image acquisition time. It is shown that collecting and appropriately processing the out-of-focus light will allow an axial sampling rate below that specified by the Nyquist criterion. To achieve this, a central detector pinhole and a number of out-of-focus regions are collected concurrently. This corresponds to imaging through several different channels, with differing point spread functions, in parallel. Since the spatial sampling rate is below the Nyquist frequency, aliasing occurs in the data from each of the channels. However, since the point spread functions are different, the aliasing effects are different in each channel. This allows the ensemble of aliased images to be processed into a single dealiased and deconvolved image. This potential utility of out-of-focus light is demonstrated through simulated examples for differing collection schemes and scanning rates. Results are shown for under-sampling by up to a factor of four. Collecting the out-of-focus light also improves instrument collection efficiency.
Characteristics of Laser-Fabricated Metal Structures

Abstract Laser-aided direct fabrication technology is developed to produce three-dimensional metal alloy structures directly from the constituent elements. The shapes of the structures are designed using Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools and are fabricated as real parts by fusing powders with a laser beam. In this study, alloy structures of simple plate like geometry were produced by mixing stainless steel (SS 316) powder with either copper or aluminum powder. The thickness of the component is related to the process parameters through an energy balance equation, which is verified against experimental data. Material properties such as hardness, strength and conductivity are analyzed and optical micrographs are presented to exhibit the microstructure of the alloy. The results show improved hardness at certain locations in the alloy, higher thermal conductivity of stainless steel. However, the structures broke due to brittle failure under tensile loads.
Autotaxin Is an Exoenzyme Possessing 5′-Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase/ATP Pyrophosphatase and ATPase Activities

Autotaxin (ATX) is an extracellular enzyme and an autocrine motility factor that stimulates pertussis toxin-sensitive chemotaxis in human melanoma cells at picomolar to nanomolar concentrations. This 125-kDa glycoprotein contains a peptide sequence identified as the catalytic site in type I alkaline phosphodiesterases (PDEs), and it possesses 5'-nucleotide PDE (EC 3.1.4.1) activity (Stracke, M. L., Krutzsch, H. C., Unsworth, E. J., Arestad, A., Cioce, V., Schiffmann, E., and Liotta, L. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 2524-2529; Murata, J., Lee, H. Y., Clair, T., Krutsch, H. C., Arestad, A. A., Sobel, M. E., Liotta, L. A., and Stracke, M. L. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 30479-30484). ATX binds ATP and is phosphorylated only on threonine. Thr210 at the PDE active site of ATX is required for phosphorylation, 5'-nucleotide PDE, and motility-stimulating activities (Lee, H. Y., Clair, T., Mulvaney, P. T., Woodhouse, E. C., Aznavoorian, S., Liotta, L. A., and Stracke, M. L. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 24408-24412). In this article we report that the phosphorylation of ATX is a transient event, being stable at 0 degrees C but unstable at 37 degrees C, and that ATX has adenosine-5'-triphosphatase (ATPase; EC 3.6.1.3) and ATP pyrophosphatase (EC 3.6.1.8) activities. Thus ATX catalyzes the hydrolysis of the phosphodiester bond on either side of the beta-phosphate of ATP. ATX also catalyzes the hydrolysis of GTP to GDP and GMP, of either AMP or PPi to Pi, and the hydrolysis of NAD to AMP, and each of these substrates can serve as a phosphate donor in the phosphorylation of ATX. ATX possesses no detectable protein kinase activity toward histone, myelin basic protein, or casein. These results lead to the proposal that ATX is capable of at least two alternative reaction mechanisms, threonine (T-type) ATPase and 5'-nucleotide PDE/ATP pyrophosphatase, with a common site (Thr210) for the formation of covalently bound reaction intermediates threonine phosphate and threonine adenylate, respectively.
High levels of circulating endothelial microparticles in patients with acute coronary syndromes.

Background Endothelial injury plays a critical role in coronary artery disease (CAD), but the assessment of this injury has been problematical. Recently, it has been shown in vitro that endothelial cells (ECs) release endothelial microparticles (EMPs) on activation or apoptosis and that an assay of EMPs can provide useful information on EC status in patients with thrombotic disorders. This study is aimed at assessing possible correlations between EMPs, which are markers of endothelial injury, and clinical subgroups of patients with CAD. Methods A prospective, case-controlled study was conducted on 84 patients with CAD and 42 control subjects to investigate EMP profiles. Included were 64 patients with acute coronary syndromes ([ACS], 38 with myocardial infarction [MI] and 26 with unstable angina [UA]) and 20 patients with stable angina (SA). EMPs in platelet-poor plasma were measured flow cytometrically with combinations of fluorescent antibodies (anti-CD31, -51, -42), allowing distinction of EMPs from platelet microparticles (PMPs). Clinical subgroups of patients were correlated with EMP and PMP levels in blood. Results Two species of EMPs (CD31+ and CD51+) were evaluated. Both were significantly higher in patients with CAD than in control subjects. CD31+ EMP was higher in ACS than SA. Among patients with first MI, CD31+ EMP was higher in patients with MI than in patients with UA and was significantly higher than in patients with recurring MI. CD51+ EMP did not discriminate ACS from SA. A simultaneous assay of PMP showed correlation between EMPs and PMPs. However, PMPs did not discriminate patients with SA from control subjects. Conclusions EMP assay appears promising for assessing EC injury in CAD.
Effects of the hyperfine interactions on the decay of the collective nuclear excited states in α-hematite

In this paper the time dependence of the coherent decay of nuclear excited state in an α-57Fe2O3 single crystal is presented. The experiment was carried out in diffraction geometry. A highly monochromatized and collimated beam of synchrotron radiation was used for the excitation of nuclear levels. Quantum beat spectra taken below and above the (7, 7, 7) pure nucleation reflection of hemative show a characteristic pattern corresponding to the magnetic an quadrupole hyperfine interactions.
Attenuation of bacterial virulence by quorum sensing-regulated lysis

Genetically attenuated pathogenic bacteria have been extensively considered as vaccine candidates. However, insufficient attenuation has been a frequent limitation of this approach. Many pathogens use quorum sensing to escape host defense mechanism. Here, we hypothesized that quorum sensing can be manipulated to diminish pathogenesis. To test this hypothesis, we modified the quorum sensing circuitry of a live cholera vaccine strain to add a second layer of attenuation. Attenuation resulted from the expression of phage PhiX174 lysis gene E on a balanced lethal plasmid from the quorum sensing-regulated luxC promoter. For conditional expression of quorum sensing and positive selection in vivo, the host strain was deleted of its cqsA and thyA genes encoding cholera autoinducer 1 (CAI-1) synthase and thymidylate synthase, respectively. A recombinant cqsA gene expressed from the cholera toxin (CT) promoter and an active thyA gene was provided in trans. The resulting strain expressed CAI-1 in AKI cultures (CT permissive condition) but not in LB medium. Additionally, it expressed elevated biofilm in LB medium compared to AKI conditions where CAI-1 is synthesized to repress biofilm formation. Induction of lysis gene E by quorum sensing restricted growth to a lower cell density in AKI medium, the suckling mouse intestine or LB supplemented with exogenous CAI-1. Microscopic examination revealed the presence of Vibrio cholerae ghost cells at high cell density. Lysis was accompanied by the release of intracellular β-galactosidase to the culture medium. We conclude that it is possible to manipulate quorum sensing to attenuate a live vaccine vector and restrict its shedding to the environment and diminish its subsequent dissemination.