cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reaction Behaviors of CaO- TiO_2- SiO_2- NaAlO_2 System

Reaction behaviors of Ca O-Ti O2-Si O2-Na Al O2system( anatase mainly) was investigated. The equilibrium phase and relatively stable level were determined by means of thermodynamic calculation. The reaction order,activation energy and reaction control mechanism were determined through kinetics analysis. The reaction behaviors were analyzed by calcification experiments. The results showed that the reaction behaviors of Ca O-Ti O2-Si O2-Na Al O2 system are as follows: under given conditions( the mass ratios of m( Ti O2) /m( Ca O) and m( Ti O2) / m( Si O2) are 1. 42 and 0. 49,respectively,the time is 1 h,the stirring speed is 300 r/min,the mass concentration of Na2O( mk) is 220 g /L and the molar ratio of Na2 O and Al2O( αk) is 3. 1),Ti O2 reacts with alkali liquor to produce Na2 Ti O3,then reacts with Na Al( OH)4and Na2 Si O3to produce Al4Ti2 Si O12. With the increase of temperature,Al4Ti2 Si O12decomposes and sodium aluminosilicate hydrate and hydrogarnet form,the peak intensity of Ca Ti O3 increases and Ca Ti O3 becomes the main part of calcified slags. Finally,anatase converts to stable Ca Ti O3. The initial transition temperature is 260 ℃.
Quantitation of Acute Necrosis After Experimental Myocardial Infarction

Myocardial infarction (MI) is death and necrosis of myocardial tissue secondary to ischemia. MI is associated with adverse cardiac remodeling, progressive heart chamber dilation, ventricular wall thinning, and loss of cardiac function. Myocardial necrosis can be experimentally induced in rodents to simulate human MI by surgical occlusion of coronary arteries. When induced in knockout or transgenic mice, this model is useful for the identification of molecular modulators of cell death, cardiac remodeling, and preclinical therapeutic potential. Herein we outline in tandem, methods for microsurgical ligation of the left anterior descending artery followed by quantitation of myocardial necrosis. Necrosis is quantified after staining the heart with triphenyltetrazolium chloride.
Throughput of two-hop wireless channels with queueing constraints and finite blocklength codes

In this paper, throughput of two-hop wireless relay channels is studied in the finite blocklength regime. Half-duplex relay operation, in which the source node initially sends information to the intermediate relay node and the relay node subsequently forwards the messages to the destination, is considered. It is assumed that all messages are stored in buffers before being sent through the channel, and both the source node and the relay operate under statistical queueing constraints. After characterizing the transmission rates in the finite blocklength regime, the system throughput is formulated via queueing analysis. Subsequently, several properties of the throughput function in terms of system parameters are identified, and an efficient algorithm is proposed to maximize the throughput. Interplay between throughput, queueing constraints, relay location, time allocation, and code blocklength is investigated through numerical results.
Combined Cooling and Antisolvent Crystallization in Continuous Mixed Suspension, Mixed Product Removal Cascade Crystallizers: Steady-State and Startup Optimization

A continuous multistage mixed suspension, mixed product removal (MSMPR) cascade crystallization system has been modeled and optimized for both the steady-state and the startup behaviors when both cooling and antisolvent addition are applied as the crystallization driving forces. The optimal steady-state operating profiles of MSMPR cascade crystallizers have been obtained and found to be similar to the optimal batch trajectory. In addition, the minimum startup duration time is used as the objective function to optimize the startup behavior. Methods, including changing the initial solution compositions, applying dynamic antisolvent profiles, applying dynamic temperature profiles, and applying dynamic combined antisolvent and temperature profiles, are discussed and used to formulate the optimization problems. The optimal results indicate that for a cascade of two MSMPR crystallizers, it is possible to achieve a reduction of approximately 50% of the startup duration time and amount of waste. A model-free or d...
An analytical model for predicting the residual life of an IC and design of residual-life meter

Integrated Circuits age differently based on their operating conditions. A device that operates under high voltage or temperature stress ages faster. In many safety critical applications, such as in automotive systems, avionics and cyber-physical infrastructure, users would like to know the residual life of its components to ensure timely replacements. This motivates design of a residual-life meter (RLM). A residual-life meter may also prevent re-entry of recycled ICs from discarded systems into the supply chain as new parts - a problem that is deemed as a threat to critical infrastructure. Design of lifespan meter requires analytical models for predicting residual life of an IC based on its history of operating conditions. A major contribution of this paper is development of an analytical model for determining the residual life of an IC. There are a number of aging mechanisms that impact the lifetime of an IC such as oxide breakdown, hot electron effect, negative bias temperature instability, electromigration and others. While the proposed approach is general, for the purpose of illustration, in this study, we focus on residual life modeling based on Electromigration. The model relies on current temperature as input which is obtained from on-chip temperature sensor. This obviates any need for workload characterization. Next, this paper presents three alternative circuit implementations of the proposed residual-life meter. Results show that an RLM can be implemented at an area of ∼ 350µm2, and frequency of 3.3 GHz in CMOS 45nm technology. The RLM relies on non-volatile storage for data retention and is immune to power shut-offs. Prior aging sensors rely on sample size of single path, which is statistically insignificant. This work provides an alternative approach of analytical modeling, which is statistically comprehensive while retaining the simplicity of a single meter design.
Occupational Variation in End-of-Life Care Intensity

Background:End-of-life (EOL) care intensity is known to vary by secular and geographic patterns. US physicians receive less aggressive EOL care than the general population, presumably the result of...
Reduced narcotic and sedative utilization in a NICU after implementation of pain management guidelines.

Reduced narcotic and sedative utilization in a NICU after implementation of pain management guidelines
Impact of Children's Health Insurance Benefit on Labor Supply: Evidence from Newly Arrived Immigrants in the United States

This paper exploits the State Children's Health Insurance Program of the United States to investigate impact of a publicly funded health insurance benefit for children on work behavior of adult men and women. Drawing data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplement of the Current Population Survey and employing a triple- difference identification strategy, I find that public health insurance benefit for children decreases labor supply of women but increases that of men. Estimates suggest that, on average, labor force participation rate of women decreased by 7.4 percentage points while that of men increased by 5.5 percentage points as their families became eligible for State Children's Health Insurance Program. The findings are supported by a number of robustness checks and a falsification exercise.
At The VA, Healing The Doctor-Patient Relationship

In opening a dialogue with a veteran, a Syrian American physician is able to overcome prejudices and create a path toward healing.
Access to Employee Wellness Programs and Use of Preventive Care Services Among U.S. Adults.

Introduction There is little research at the national level on access to employee wellness programs and the use of preventive care services. This study examined the use of seven preventive care services among U.S working adults with access to employee wellness programs. Methods The study population comprised 17,699 working adults aged ≥18 years, obtained from the 2015 National Health Interview Survey. Multivariate logistic regression models examined the relationship between access to employee wellness programs and use of seven preventive care services: influenza vaccination, blood pressure check, diabetes check, cholesterol check, Pap smear test, mammogram, and colon cancer screening. Data analysis began in Fall 2016. Results Overall, 46.6% of working adults reported having access to employee wellness programs in 2015. Working adults with access to employee wellness programs had higher odds of receiving influenza vaccination (OR=1.57, 95% CI=1.43, 1.72, p Conclusions Using a nationally representative sample of individuals, this study found a positive association between access to employee wellness programs and the use of preventive care services. The results support favorable policies to encourage implementing wellness programs in all worksites, especially those with
Möbius syndrome with cardiac rhabdomyomas.

Background: Mobius syndrome is a rare congenital condition which presents not merely with 6th and 7th nerve palsies, but involves gaze paresis associated with craniofacial, limb, and other abnormal...
Photorealistic Avatar and Teen Physical Activity: Feasibility and Preliminary Efficacy

Abstract Objective: Exergames played with a photorealistic avatar may enhance motivation to play, in addition to frequency, duration, and intensity of game-play. This article reports the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an exergame played with a photorealistic avatar on physical activity (PA) intensity in a laboratory-based study. Materials and Methods: Teens (12–14 years old) were recruited from a large, metropolitan area of the southwestern United States. Parents provided written informed consent. Teens completed online data collection, played an exergame with a photorealistic avatar in an observed laboratory setting, and then participated in postassessment data collection that included online questionnaires and a telephone interview. Results: The program was feasible: 42 out of 48 teens recruited (87.5%) completed all data collection activities; game enjoyment was 21.9 ± 8.4 out of possible score of 32; immersion, 49.7 ± 15.6 out of a possible score of 88; avatar identification, 43.9 ± 16.5 out ...
High-Frequency ETF Pairs Trading

In this paper we examine the effectiveness of modeling a paris-traded ETF portfolio as an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. Using ETF pairs that have similar references indexes, we apply maximum likelihood estimation to historical data in order to optimize trading signals for two strategies. Using this information, we test the optimal trading rules using intraday price observations over a variety of trading periods ranging from 5 days to 42 days. Our results have shown that the sample of ETF pairs-traded portfolios selected exhibit mean-reversion properties that are well modeled as an Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process. We have found that while higher total trading returns were correlated with shorter optimization and trading periods, they also carried considerable risk and as such more stable results were found using longer optimization and trading windows.
Sex-based differences in anti-predator response of crickets to chemical cues of a mammalian predator

Anti-predator behaviors like vigilance or hiding come at the expense of other fitness increasing behaviors such as foraging. To compensate for this trade-off, prey assess predation risk and modify the frequency of anti-predator behaviors according to the likelihood of the threat. In this study, we tested the ability of house crickets (Acheta domesticus) to indirectly assess predation risk via odors from a mammalian predator, Elliot's short-tailed shrew (Blarina hylophaga). As natural differences in encounter rates and predation risk differs between sexes, we tested if male and female crickets perceive similar rates of predation risk from the presence of shrew odor measured via anti-predator behavioral response. Crickets were placed in enclosed, cardboard-lined chambers either treated with shrew odor or control, along with a food source. Time until foraging was measured for each individual and compared across treatment and sex. We found that in the presence of shrew odor, female crickets delayed foraging while males showed no response. These results suggest adult crickets can use chemical cues to detect mammalian predators. Furthermore, we demonstrate that female crickets associate greater predation risk from shrew predators than do male crickets, which are more stationary yet acoustically conspicuous. As predation risk potentially differs drastically for each sex, changes to the operational sex ratios of wild cricket populations could be influenced by the identity of the predator community.
Interteaching: A strategy for enhancing the user-friendliness of behavioral arrangements in the college classroom.

"Interteaching" is an arrangement for college classroom instruction that departs from the standard lecture format and offers an answer to criticisms commonly directed at behavioral teaching techniques. This approach evolved from exploratory use of small-group arrangements and Ferster and Perrott's (1968) "interview technique," leading ultimately to a format that is organized around focused dyadic discussion. Specific suggestions are offered that might enable both seasoned and novice instructors to incorporate this or similar arrangements into their classrooms. This approach retains some key characteristics of Keller's personalized system of instruction and precision teaching, but offers greater flexibility for strategies that are based on behavioral principles.
Antibacterial Activity of the Lactoperoxidase System Against Listeria monocytogenes and Staphylococcus aureus in Milk.

The lactoperoxidase system (LPS) was activated by addition of thiocyanate (SCN) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and utilizing the inherent milk lactoperoxidase (LP). For Listeria monocytogenes studies, intitial concentrations of 2.4 mM SCN and 0.6 mM H2O2 were added. The corresponding concentrations were 1.2 mM SCN and 0.3 mM H2O2 for Staphylococcus aureus studies. The LPS increased the predicted time to reach half the maximum attainable CFU/ml by 326 h for L. monocytogenes at 10 degrees C and by 6.3 h at 35 degrees C. For S. aureus, the corresponding increases were 36 h at 10 degrees C and 2.4 h at 37 degrees C. During the initial period after activation of the LPS, bactericidal effects against L. monocytogenes at 35 degrees C and S. aureus at 37 degrees C were observed. After recovery from the effects of the LPS, growth rate of each pathogen was of similar magnitude as in the H2O2-treated and untreated milk, with the exception of L. monocytogenes at 10 degrees C.
The Nature and Role of Interstitial Infiltrates in Bacterial Pyelonephritis

Bacterial Interstitial nephritis (pyelonephritis) has led a very schizophrenic existence for several decades. Certainly, no one doubts that bacterial invasion of the kidney can produce an acute, suppurative lesion but would many would challenge the concept, at least in man, that a chronic progressive disease can evolve from renal parenchymal bacterial infection developing in the absence of complicating factors such as obstruction, vesico-ureter1c reflux analgesic abuse or nephrolithiasis.(1–3) To further complicate the picture morphologic studies in man are chiefly limited to specimens obtained at autopsy or nephrectomy.(4,5) These studies have shed little light on the natural history of renal parenchymal bacterial Infection.
Tunable Coaxial Cavity Resonator-Based Filters Using Actuated Liquid Metal Posts

This letter presents a new tuning method for coaxial cavity resonator-based bandpass filters (BPFs). The proposed tuning mechanism lays its foundations on pneumatically-actuated Galinstan that functionalizes the inner conductor of a capacitively-loaded coaxial cavity resonator. By altering the volume of Galinstan (i.e., height of inner conductor), ultrawide (>octave) and low loss RF tuning can be obtained without the need for small capacitive gaps that typically limit the RF performance of coaxial BPFs. To validate the concept, a coaxial cavity resonator with frequency tuning between 2.9 and 9.9 GHz (3.4:1 tuning range), and unloaded quality factor between 120 and 625 was manufactured and measured. Furthermore, the RF performance of a two-pole BPF with: 1) tunable frequency between 3.4 and 7.5 GHz (2.2:1); 2) an intrinsically switched-off state; 3) insertion loss <1 dB; and 4) return loss <10.5 dB was experimentally validated.
How Should Start-Up Biotechnology Companies Manage Learning and Generate the Necessary Knowledge to Achieve an Alliance-Based Stage of Growth

Ethical drugs can take hundreds of millions of dollars and over 10 years to bring to market. Start-up biotechnology companies are recognized for their unique exploration and then exploitation in the development of future drugs. However, these potential new drugs are highly unpredictable and require a broad scope of inquiry. Significant and complex knowledge along with openness to learning is required because of the unusually high risk and uncertainty of biotechnology. After initial start-up, biotechnology companies often form a strategic partnership with an established pharmaceutical company to get additional funding and incorporate needed later stage development knowledge. To conclude an alliance, a company needs to develop learning processes that transition the organization to the next stage of growth. These processes advance the technology sufficiently to conclude a strategic deal. Effective learning enhances exploitation of knowledge needed to generate unique insights and understandings related to the development of a new drug. This paper examines seven biotechnology companies and identifies key processes that should optimize “effective learning” to enhance the probability of creating the necessary new knowledge needed for a start-up to achieve an alliance stage of growth. Despite a majority of the companies successfully reaching the scaling-up stage of growth, some ultimately fail due to a lack of one or more the explored factors.
Thomas F. Hilton and Carl G. Leukefeld

This book is a practical guide for pursuing US federal funding for research. The book is intended for new investigators in the early stages of their career, who are new to grants, or unfamiliar with the structures, priorities, and processes that govern the funding landscape. Rather than merely providing an overview of these processes, the authors aim to help investigators “understand how to work the process to [their] advantage” (p. xi). The book succeeds by offering a detailed overview of the federal funding process while simultaneously explaining how new investigators can use this knowledge to position themselves for success. Hilton and Leukefeld are experienced researchers who have worked as grant and contract administrators for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a result, much of the content reflects NIH policy and practice. Investigators pursuing NIH funding will find this guide particularly useful, and investigators who are pursing funding from other federal sponsors (e.g., the National Science Foundation) will find that many of the book’s recommendations are transferable.
Kinetics of maternal pertussis-specific antibodies in infants of mothers vaccinated with tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (Tdap) during pregnancy

Abstract Background Kinetics of Tdap-induced maternally-derived antibodies in infants are poorly understood. Pre-Tdap era data suggest that maternal pertussis antibodies in infants have a half-life of approximately 5–6 weeks. Methods 34 mother-infant pairs had blood collected before maternal Tdap vaccination, 4 weeks later, at delivery (maternal and cord), and at infant ages 3 and 6 weeks from June 2014-March 2015. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) to pertussis toxin (PT), filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA), fimbrial proteins (FIM) and pertactin (PRN) was quantified by multiplex luminex assay (IU/ml). Geometric mean concentrations (GMCs) with 95% confidence intervals (C.I.) and half-life of pertussis antibodies were calculated. Results Tdap was administered to 34 women (mean age 31.1 years) at mean gestation 30.7 weeks (28–32.7). Mean neonatal gestation was 39.1 weeks (36–41.1) and mean birthweight was 3379 g (2580–4584). Four weeks post-Tdap vaccination, maternal pertussis-specific IgG GMCs increased ≥4-fold in 59%, 41%, 29% and 44% of women for PT, FHA, FIM and PRN, respectively, and then waned. The transplacental transport ratio of pertussis antibodies was 1.35 for PT, 1.41 for FHA, 1.31 for FIM and 1.36 for PRN. Between birth and age 6 weeks, infant serum GMC for PT-specific IgG decreased from 55.1 IU/mL (38.6–78.6) to 21.1 IU/ml (14.7–30.2), and the proportion of infants with PT levels ≥10 IU/ml fell from 97% to 67%. Half-life of pertussis-specific IgG in infants in days was 29.4 (95% CI 27.3–31.7) for PT, 29.8 (95% CI 27.7–32.2) for FHA, 31.2 (95% CI 28.9–33.7) for PRN, and 35.8 (95% CI 30.1–44.3) for FIM. Conclusion The half-life of pertussis-specific antibodies in infants induced by maternal Tdap vaccination (29–36 days) is shorter than previously reported. Understanding how the durability of passively-acquired antibodies impacts infant susceptibility to pertussis and response to primary vaccination is critical to refine prevention strategies.
Lipoprotein-based drug delivery

Lipoproteins (LPs) are circulating heterogeneous nanoparticles produced by the liver and intestines. LPs play a major role in the transport of dietary and endogenous lipids to target cells through cell membrane receptors or cell surface-bound lipoprotein lipase. The stability, biocompatibility, and selective transport of LPs make them promising delivery vehicles for various therapeutic and imaging agents. This review discusses isolation, manufacturing, and drug loading techniques used for LP-based drug delivery, as well as recent applications for diagnosis and treatment of cancer, atherosclerosis, and other life-threatening diseases.
Impact of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) on finding types leading to true-positive and false-positive examinations.

Abstract Purpose To investigate the frequencies of finding types with combined digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) and digital mammography (DM) leading to true-positive (TP) and false-positive (FP) examinations. Materials and methods Consecutive screening mammograms at an academic medical center from March 2008 to February 2011 (DM group) and from January 2013 to December 2017 (DBT/DM group) were retrospectively reviewed. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to compare the proportions of mammographic finding types leading to TP and FP examinations between the two groups. Results The DM group had 554 TP and 7278 FP examinations, and the DBT/DM group had 1271 TP and 14,544 FP examinations. The finding type of calcifications led to a lower proportion of TP examinations in the DBT/DM than DM group (34.3% versus 47.7%, p Conclusions Mammographic findings leading to TP and FP examinations have shifted with the addition of DBT to DM.
Archaeological Approaches to Agricultural Economies

While agricultural origins have been recently revised in light of new genetic and archaeological evidence, parallel synthesis of subsequent developments in agricultural economies has lagged. This review summarizes recent advances in archaeological theory and method that contribute to an enhanced understanding of agricultural economies. Such advances address topics of persistent interest, including agricultural innovation, the introduction of new domesticates, risk and resilience, agricultural scaling, and the economic and environmental consequences of agricultural practices. Although points of complementarity and tension exist among varied contemporary discourses on agriculture, frameworks of resilience and entanglement offer particularly promising avenues for regional synthesis and worldwide comparison of agricultural economies.
Integrated program for reducing bovine respiratory disease complex in beef and dairy cattle coordinated agricultural project (BRD CAP)

There is growing interest in selective breeding of livestock for enhanced disease resistance. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD), or pneumonia, is the largest single natural cause of death in US beef and dairy cattle, and BRD resistance represents an obvious target for selective breeding programs. The heritability of disease resistance is typically low, in part as a result of suboptimal diagnosis (i.e. not all sick animals are identified, healthy animals may be incorrectly diagnosed as ill, and some susceptible animals will appear resistant when in fact they have not been exposed). Additionally, the genetic basis of BRD susceptibility is likely complex and governed by the effects of multiple genes. This suggests a large number of case:control animals will be needed in datasets for disease susceptibility marker discovery. In 2011, the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) funded a five-year Coordinated Agricultural Project entitled "Integrated Program for BRD in Beef and Dairy Cattle". The overarching research objective of this multi-institutional "BRD CAP" project is to use newly-available genomic tools to identify host genome regions associated with susceptibility to BRD. During 2011, 2,000 dairy calves on a single large California facility were enrolled in a BRD case:control design study using an objective scoring system, and genotyped using a high-density bovine single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip. It is envisaged that analyses of these data and future studies will lead to development of DNA tests to enable the selection of animals that are less susceptible to BRD, which is much-needed given growing concern regarding both animal welfare and use of antimicrobial therapeutics.
Arbitration and UNCITRAL's Sales Conventions

When concluding cross-border contracts, parties should consider, among other things, which substantive law will govern the contract. If parties choose arbitration as their dispute resolution mechanism, the substantive governing law can also be agreed at the initiation of (or, more rarely, during,) the arbitral proceeding. In contracts or disputes concerning international sales of goods, the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) has produced two legal texts which present themselves as particularly apt options for parties considering this question: the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the Convention on the Limitation Period in the International Sale of Goods (Limitation Convention). In the field of arbitration, UNCITRAL is well known for the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules, the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (Model Law) and other texts, but the potential and actual role of the CISG and Limitation Convention in arbitration proceedings is somewhat less prominent. That said, much has been written about the use in arbitration of UNCITRAL’s sales conventions, in particular the CISG. The goal of this article is not to recreate that work or to present a theoretical analysis of choice of law in arbitration. Rather, it will provide (a) a brief introduction to the content and status of the CISG and Limitation Convention, (b) an overview of the frequency with which these texts are used in arbitration, (c) a presentation of the advantages that they may present as the governing substantive law of a dispute involving parties from different States, (d) information on the manner by which these texts are selected as the governing law in an arbitration, and, finally, (e) a preview of developments in international organizations that may further increase the use of these texts in arbitration.
Gravity inversion for geothermal exploration with uncertainty quantification

Abstract Gravity field data constitute an important underlying dataset used in exploration models for new geothermal development, providing constraints on both basin geometry and fault locations. However, the impact of data and model uncertainty on gravity interpretation is often overlooked in conventional gravity modeling approaches, leading to geothermal exploration models that may be biased or undercount risk. In this study, a stochastic approach to gravity modeling is used to investigate these impacts on gravity data from Dixie Valley geothermal field in central Nevada. To address data uncertainty due to interpolation of irregularly spaced gravity measurements, realizations of the gravity field in Dixie Valley are generated by geostatistical simulation and independently inverted to show how inversion results are affected by sparse data sampling. Inversion is performed using a pseudo 3D approach in which subparallel profiles are inverted using a novel stochastic methodology that was developed to account for structural and density uncertainty. Whereas areas with high data density show relatively consistent inversion results across data realizations, areas with low data density show the opposite, indicating that data uncertainty has a marked impact on both depth-to-basement estimates as well as modeled fault locations. Inverted fault locations show high correlation with the total horizontal gravity field gradient, enabling co-simulation of fault-related properties to estimate fault location and density variation beyond profile transects. By employing stochastic modeling approaches, fault properties needed for geothermal exploration such as distance-to-fault maps are estimated with uncertainty bounds at specified depths.
Brain Anatomy and Auditory Physiology

Knowledge of human and mammalian brain anatomy and auditory physiology is important to understanding the various behavioral and neurophysiological investigations aimed at gaining better insights into the distinctive features of the microwave auditory effect. The materials presented are essential elements of the auditory system and their functions, including the external, middle, and inner ears; cochlear mechanical to electrical transduction; action potentials of the auditory nerve; central auditory nuclei and pathways; perception of sound and pressure; loudness and pitch or frequency, sound localization, and masking.
Kinematics of Expansive Planar Periodic Mechanisms

A flexible bar-and-joint framework is said to be moving expansively if the distance between any two of its joints either increases or stays the same. Expansive motions of finite 2D frameworks have been fully characterized. Here, we investigate their periodic counterparts. The key to their understanding is a family of one-degree-of-freedom mechanisms called periodic pointed pseudo-triangulations. Expansive infinitesimal motions for mechanisms with several degrees of freedom form a polyhedral cone whose extremal rays are obtained from different completions of the framework to pseudo-triangulations. We illustrate its structure on a framework associated to a stellated tiling of the plane.
Estate, Gift and Inheritance Taxes

Estate, inheritance and gift taxes are minor forms of raising revenue.1 They are related, since they all deal with the taking of accumulated wealth. Estate taxes are levied on the estate of a deceased person.2 Inheritance taxes are levied by most states on those who receive the property of a deceased person. And gift taxes are levied either on the donor or donee for property that is transferred before death. All three are based on the ability to pay principle, which is morally bankrupt. It would be difficult to argue that these taxes are justified on a cost-benefit basis, since dead people derive no benefit from government.
View learning for statistical relational learning: with an application to mammography

Statistical relational learning (SRL) constructs probabilistic models from relational databases. A key capability of SRL is the learning of arcs (in the Bayes net sense) connecting entries in different rows of a relational table, or in different tables. Nevertheless, SRL approaches currently are constrained to use the existing database schema. For many database applications, users find it profitable to define alternative "views" of the database, in effect defining new fields or tables. Such new fields or tables can also be highly useful in learning. We provide SRL with the capability of learning new views.
Distributed and collaborative biomedical data exploration

Imaging techniques such as MRI, fMRI, CT and PET have provided physicians and researchers with a means to acquire high-quality biomedical images as the foundation for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Unfortunately, access to domain experts at the same physical location is not always possible and new tools and techniques are required to facilitate simultaneous and collaborative exploration of data between spatially separated experts. This paper presents a framework for collaborative visualization of biomedical data-sets, supporting heterogeneous computational platforms and network configurations. The system provides the user with data visualization, annotation and the middleware to exchange the resulting visuals between all participants, in real-time. A resulting 2D visual provides a user specifiable high-resolution image slice, while a resulting 3D visual provides insight into the entire data set. To address the costly rendering of large-scale volumetric data, the visualization engine can distribute tasks over multiple render nodes.
Young Students' Readiness for Advanced Math: Precocious Abstract Reasoning.

Academically talented students have precocious reasoning abilities and are ready for advanced math earlier than when it is typically offered. This study examined above-grade-level abstract reasonin...
Compositional diversity of Mauna Kea shield lavas recovered by the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project: Inferences on source lithology, magma supply, and the role of multiple volcanoes

[1] The final Stage (Phase-2) of the Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project (HSDP) recovered 408 m of basaltic core (3098–3506 mbsl) attributed to Mauna Kea volcano. We determined the major and trace element composition of 40 samples from this core. Our results show that the incompatible element ratios, such as Zr/Nb, which are correlated with Pb isotopic ratios, are more variable in the lower 408 m of Mauna Kea shield lavas than in the overlying 2855 m (∼450 ka). We argue that this geochemical diversity was present in the mantle source of Mauna Kea shield lavas and does not require the inter-fingering of lavas from adjacent volcanoes. Because of uncertainties in Ni partitioning between olivine and melt and the wide range of Ni contents in peridotites, we show that all Mauna Kea lavas may have been derived from a peridotite source. We also obtained major and trace element compositions for 24 whole-rock clasts and hyaloclastites and 7 glasses from HSDP Phase-1 core between 1767 and 1808 mbs. These enigmatic lavas, previously recognized by the distinctive high CaO and K2O contents of their glasses, are also relatively enriched in highly incompatible trace elements. We show that this group of lavas have affinities with post-shield lavas and argue that they are a consequence of lower degrees of melting (∼a factor of two) than other Mauna Kea shield lavas, thereby providing evidence that magma supply varied significantly during the growth of the Mauna Kea shield.
Pathological Response of the Chicken Embryo to an Agent Which Causes Acute Leukosis (Marek's Disease)

Abstract A laboratory test system specific for Marek's disease was developed by using the pathological response of the chicken embryo. Chicken epidermal scales (dander) and feather calami from infected chickens contain an agent(s) which after a 3- to 4-day incubation period caused gross or microscopic pathological changes (or both) in the embryo. A cell-free inoculum was obtained from infectious dander by 5-min sonic treatment, differential centrifugation, and membrane filtering (0.45 μm). Evidence for the cell-free existence of this agent(s) was obtained when membrane filtrates of dander preparations were shown to cause Marek's disease in 10-day-old chickens and in chickens inoculated at 1 day of age.
Ethnobotany Education, Opportunities, and Needs in the U.S.

There is more interest in ethnobotany today, than at any time in the discipline’s history. Ethnobotany, however, suffers from many deficiencies, especially the lack of research support, educational opportunities, and a theoretical basis. Ethnobotanists should expand the definition of ethnobotany to include all plant-people interactions, not just those of traditional societies. They also must integrate more effectively with colleagues in related disciplines and promote ethnobotany’s relevance to Introductory Botany and other courses. Ethnobotany and ethnobiology are natural links to conservation biology, resource management, and environmental education. An undergraduate ethnobotany track could provide ideal training for medicine. To be competitive, prospective students need to prepare better for graduate school. They should have a firm foundation in the botanical and anthropological sciences, as a minimum. If ethnobotany is to become a mature discipline, it must develop a theoretical framework while not abandoning its descriptive history. Expanding ethnobotany’s scope to include all plant and human interactions greatly increases the funding, research, and job opportunities for the discipline. More importantly, there is no compelling intellectual argument for restricting ethnobotany’s reach to traditional cultures.
Persistent Enhancement of Sustained Calcium‐Dependent Glutamate Release by Phorbol Esters: Requirement for Localized Calcium Entry

Sustained activation of protein kinase C significantly enhanced a secondary (slow) phase in the depolarization-induced release of glutamate from isolated hippocampal nerve endings. The phorbol ester, 4β-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate, was used to sustain the activation of presynaptic protein kinase C for a prolonged (10-min) period, and then this relatively water-soluble phorbol ester was removed by superfusion before a 2-min stimulus of continuous membrane depolarization. These conditions were used to investigate the persistent effects of sustained protein kinase C activation on the magnitude of the slow phase of evoked glutamate release, in which the efficiency of synaptic vesicle mobilization and recycling may be primary determinants of response magnitude. It is reported here that sustained protein kinase C activation selectively increased the Ca 2+ -dependent component of glutamate release during a prolonged phase of K + -induced depolarization. The magnitude of this persistent effect on Ca 2+ -dependent glutamate release was directly related to the dose of 4β-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate and the duration of exposure that was used to prime the release apparatus, was obserbed using two alternative synaptosomal preparations, and was evident regardless of the depolarizing stimulus used (elevated [KCl] or 4-aminopyridine). However, 4β-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate did not alter the release induced by the Ca 2+ ionophore ionomycin. Thus, the persistent effects of protein kinase C activation on a prolonged phase of glutamate release were dependent on the route of Ca 2+ influx. The finding that voltage-regulated Ca 2+ channel blockers were able to neutralize completely the 4β-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate-dependent facilitation of K + -evoked glutamate release provided further support for this conclusion. Thus, 4β-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate significantly potentiated the sustained release of glutamate without altering the strict requirement that is normally displayed by synaptosomes for localized and voltage-regulated Ca 2+ entry
Solid-support Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) Studies of Aβ40 Monomers Reveal a Structured State with Three Ordered Segments

Alzheimer disease is associated with the pathological accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) in the brain. Soluble Aβ oligomers formed during early aggregation process are believed to be neurotoxins and causative agents in Alzheimer disease. Aβ monomer is the building block for amyloid assemblies. A comprehensive understanding of the structural features of Aβ monomer is crucial for delineating the mechanism of Aβ oligomerization. Here we investigated the structures of Aβ40 monomer using a solid-support approach, in which Aβ40 monomers are tethered on the solid support via an N-terminal His tag to prevent further aggregation. EPR spectra of tethered Aβ40 with spin labels at 18 different positions show that Aβ40 monomers adopt a completely disordered structure under denaturing conditions. Under native conditions, however, EPR spectra suggest that Aβ40 monomers adopt both a disordered state and a structured state. The structured state of Aβ40 monomer has three more ordered segments at 14–18, 29–30, and 38–40. Interactions between these segments may stabilize the structured state, which likely plays an important role in Aβ aggregation.
Use of Sclera and Liquid Collagen in the Camouflage of Superior Sulcus Deformities

Abstract The cosmetic deformities following enucleation are often unavoidable. Loss of orbital volume and atrophy of orbital fat create significant enophthalmos. The literature is filled with numerous procedures that add to the orbital volume of the anophthalmic socket. An outline of three procedures to the upper eyelid to camouflage an enophthalmic appearance are presented. These can be used alone or in conjunction with an “orbital volume increasing” procedure. Two procedures can be used in an office setting to alleviate small deformities; 19 patients have been treated in this manner with a follow-up period of up to 26 months.
Treatment of hypertension in infancy with diazoxide: Report of a case with arrhythmia as a complication of therapy

f a n t constitute an acute emergency requiring rapid and effective therapeutic intervention. Diazoxide, a nondiuretid benzothiadazine, is a fast-acting, potent, antihypertensive agent which, after rapid intravenous administration, produces a p rompt hypotensive response associated with increased cardiac output and decreased total peripheral resistance? -2 The predictability of response and the lack of undesirable side effects have suggested to some authors that diazoxide may be the ideal therapy in acute hypertension of any cause.a: 5 Very little has been written on the use of this agent in the pediatric age group. ~'6 We report herein our experiences with diazoxide in a hypertensive 6-month-old infant with the hemolytic-uremic syndrome. The purpose of this paper is to report a serious arrhythmia which developed upon the intracardiae administration of this agent.
Novel methods for electro-patterning conjugated polymer films

Device structuring represents a real challenge in the fabrication of polymer light emitting devices (P-OLEDS).
A technique for preparing high water content clayey sediments for thin and ultrathin section study

The study of sediment microfabric is fundamental to the understanding of various sediment properties including shear strength, compressibility, and permeability, evaluating depositional environments and investigating clay diagenesis. A technique is presented which preserves the particle integrity of fine-grained sediments while permitting examination of the same sample using light and electron microscopy techniques. The technique involves drying the sediment sample using a critical point drying apparatus and then impregnating it using low viscosity SPURR epoxy. Standard thin sectioning techniques are used for light microscopy, whereas ultrathin sections are made using a microtome for transmission electron microscopy work. Scanning electron microscopy investigations are performed on samples prior to impregnating.
mTOR is the Rapamycin-Sensitive Kinase that Confers Mechanically-Induced Phosphorylation of the Hydrophobic Motif Site Thr(389) in p70S6k

Mechanical stretch induces phosphorylation of the hydrophobic motif site Thr(389) in p70S6k through a rapamycin-sensitive (RS) pathway that involves a unique PI3K-independent mechanism. Rapamycin is considered to be a highly specific inhibitor of the protein kinase mTOR; however, mTOR is also considered to be a PI3K-dependent signaling molecule. Thus, questions remain as to whether mTOR is the RS element that confers mechanically-induced signaling to p70S6k(389). In this study, rapamycin-resistant mutants of mTOR along with mechanical stretch were used to address this question. The results indicate that mTOR is the RS element and reveal that mTOR signaling can be activated through a PI3K-independent mechanism.
A structured experiment of test-driven development

Abstract Test Driven Development (TDD) is a software development practice in which unit test cases are incrementally written prior to code implementation. We ran a set of structured experiments with 24 professional pair programmers. One group developed a small Java program using TDD while the other (control group), used a waterfall-like approach. Experimental results, subject to external validity concerns, tend to indicate that TDD programmers produce higher quality code because they passed 18% more functional black-box test cases. However, the TDD programmers took 16% more time. Statistical analysis of the results showed that a moderate statistical correlation existed between time spent and the resulting quality. Lastly, the programmers in the control group often did not write the required automated test cases after completing their code. Hence it could be perceived that waterfall-like approaches do not encourage adequate testing. This intuitive observation supports the perception that TDD has the potential for increasing the level of unit testing in the software industry.
Compilation of photon cross-sections: some historical remarks and current status†

In x-ray diffraction spectrometry as well as in the many other scientific, engineering and medical disciplines involving photon radiation, x-ray attenuation coefficients are required as input data. Within a very few years after the discovery of x-rays by Rontgen in 1895, the transmission of a narrow (parallel) beam of x-rays through layers of different materials was measured and quantified with respect to photon (x-ray) energy and atomic number of the material by Barkla and Sadler in 1907. This quantification is in terms of the mass attenuation (or absorption) coefficient μ/ρ (cm 2 g -1 ) which for monoenergetic photons can be defined as μ/ρ=x -1 In(I 0 /I), or I/I 0 =exp[-(μ/ρ)x] in which x is the mass thickness of the layer in units of g cm -2 , I 0 is the intensity (e.g. photons cm -2 s -1 ) of the incident beam, I is the intensity of the transmitted beam (measured with the layer interposed), ρ is the density of the layer in g cm -3 and μ is the linear attenuation (or absorption, μ * ) coefficient in cm Current compilations of μ/ρ are derived from theoretical or semi-empirical values of the most-probable individual processes according to μ/ρ = (σ pe + σ incoh + σ coh + σ pair + σ trip )/uA in which σ pe is the atomic photoeffect cross-section, σ incoh and σ coh are the incoherent (Compton) and coherent (Rayleigh) scattering cross-sections, respectively, σ pair and σ trip are the cross-sections for electron-positron pair production (creation) in the field of the nucleus and in the field of the atomic electrons (triplet' production), respectively, and the factor 1/uA, where u is the atomic mass unit and A is the relative atomic mass of the target element, converts the σ i units from cm 2 per atom to cm 2 g -1 . Since σ pair and σ trip have thresholds above 1 MeV, these do not affect the XRS photon energy region, nor does the photonuclear cross-section σ ph.n which has threshold of 5 MeV or higher and is not included in current μ/ρ compilations. In this brief and arbitrarily selective review, a historical account is given of the evolving compilations of μ/ρ from Barkla and Sadler's work at the beginning of this century, up to the NIST and Livermore compilations as this century comes to its close. For the latter compilations of μ/ρ, some rough estimates of the 'envelope of uncertainty' in different ranges of photon energy are given.