cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity Analysis of a Microslip Friction Model

Real physical systems subjected to dynamic environments all display nonlinear behavior, yet they are most frequently modeled in a linear framework. The main reasons are, first, that it is convenient and efficient to solve linear equations, and second, that the system behavior can often be accurately approximated using linear governing equations. Experience shows that much of the nonlinearity of system behavior arises from the dynamic action of mechanical joints in systems. When the linear framework is used, the stiffness of joints is modeled as linear, and the damping is modeled as linear and viscous. To model mechanical joints otherwise requires a nonlinear framework and mathematical finite element model that accommodates transient time domain analysis. This study investigates a particular mechanical joint energy dissipation model: the Iwan model for energy dissipation caused by microslip friction. The sensitivity of energy dissipation in a system due to variation of model parameters is studied. The resu...
Reactive distillation column design with vapor/liquid/liquid equilibria

This paper explores the design of reactive distillation columns with vapor/liquid/liquid equilibria. The number of phases and the phase equilibria on each tray are determined by minimizing the Gibbs free energy, allowing for a variable number of phases on each tray. The minimization problems are embedded within a larger problem that minimizes the annualized cost of the column, creating a bilevel optimization problem. A novel sequential approximation approach that can identify global solutions of the inner optimization problems is also introduced. The sequential approximation approach is employed to design reactive distillation and reactive flash processes.
Sex difference in the phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in neonatal rat brain.

Abstract On the day of birth, a surge in testicular testosterone release in male rats is critical for sexual differentiation of the brain. Steroid hormones function by binding to intracellular steroid receptors and altering gene expression; however, little is known about the signal transduction pathways altered as a consequence of steroid hormone action in developing brain. We investigated whether the increase in testosterone at birth alters the phosphorylation of CREB, a major signal transduction protein. Adjacent brain sections from male and female pups were immunocytochemically stained for serine133 phosphorylated CREB (pCREB) or total CREB on the day of birth. Males had more pCREB-immunoreactive positive cells than females in the medial preoptic area, ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, the arcuate nucleus, and the CA1 region of the hippocampus, but not in two thalamic nuclei. There was no sex difference in total CREB immunoreactive cell number. To determine if the sex difference in pCREB persisted 24 h after birth and whether the difference was due to testosterone, newborn female pups were injected with 100 μg of testosterone propionate, and male and control female pups were injected with vehicle. Twenty-four hours later, adjacent brain sections were immunocytochemically stained for either pCREB or CREB. We found that males and testosterone-treated females had more pCREB in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus contrasted to control females. There were no group differences in pCREB or CREB in any other area examined. These results indicate that some of the effects of testosterone in developing brain occur via pathways associated with the phosphorylation of CREB.
Project stream: A 13‐year follow‐up of a pre‐college program for middle‐ and high‐school underrepresented gifted

This current, longitudinal study addresses two critical issues related to underrepresented gifted: identification and programming. As a follow‐up of minority and low‐income students identified as gifted in middle school, the study provides insight into the potential predictive value of specific gifted attributes on later academic performance: high‐school graduation, matriculation in an institution of higher learning, and completion of a college degree. Findings support the value of multiple forms of identification, specifically in problem‐solving, teacher identification of leadership ability, and grade point average. The study also evaluates the impact on academic outcomes of a long‐term, university/school pre‐college partnership program for middle‐ and senior‐high‐school underrepresented gifted. Results show a significant relationship between the level of student involvement in program activities and successful achievement of academic outcomes.
GOC-TX: A Reliable Ticket Synchronization Application for the Open Science Grid

One of the major operational issues faced by large multi-institutional collaborations is permitting its users and support staff to use their native ticket tracking environment while also exchanging these tickets with collaborators. After several failed attempts at email-parser based ticket exchanges, the OSG Operations Group has designed a comprehensive ticket synchronizing application. The GOC-TX application uses web-service interfaces offered by various commercial, open source and other homegrown ticketing systems, to synchronize tickets between two or more of these systems. GOC-TX operates independently from any ticketing system. It can be triggered by one ticketing system via email, active messaging, or a web-services call to check for current sync-status, pull applicable recent updates since prior synchronizations to the source ticket, and apply the updates to a destination ticket. The currently deployed production version of GOC-TX is able to synchronize tickets between the Numara Footprints ticketing system used by the OSG and the following systems: European Grid Initiative's system Global Grid User Support (GGUS) and the Request Tracker (RT) system used by Brookhaven. Additional interfaces to the BMC Remedy system used by Fermilab, and to other instances of RT used by other OSG partners, are expected to be completed in summer 2010. A fully configurable open source version is expected to be made available by early autumn 2010. This paper will cover the structure of the GOC-TX application, its evolution, and the problems encountered by OSG Operations group with ticket exchange within the OSG Collaboration.
TLR5 Stops Commensals in Their Tracks

IgA antibodies help maintain intestinal immune homeostasis with resident commensal species; however, the precise mechanisms regulating IgA induction and the epitopes recognized by these antibodies remain incompletely understood. In this issue of Cell Host & Microbe, Cullender et al. (2013) demonstrate that TLR5-dependent induction of anti-flagellin antibodies prevents commensal association with the intestinal mucosa by limiting bacterial motility.
Differences among Three Adult Age Groups in Their Attitudes toward Self and Others.

Abstract A study was conducted among 90 men and women to investigate the attitudes of young adults (19–25 years), middle-aged (35–55 years), and elderly (65 years and over) persons toward themselves and toward others in each age group. The attitude measure used was a modified version of the Tuckman and Lorge Survey which includes 10 aspects of life to be rated. Ratings on the survey were analyzed by a one-way analysis of variance. Results showed that the younger groups rated elderly persons less favorably than they rated themselves, while rating them more favorably than did the 65-and-over group.
Some effects of response independent reinforcers in multiple schedules

In Exp. I, rats' lever presses were conditioned on multiple variable-interval variable-interval schedules. Changing one of the multiple schedule components to variable time reduced responding in that component. Further reductions in responding occurred in both components when the schedule was changed to multiple variable-time variable-time. After reinstating the multiple variable-interval variable-time schedule, lower response rates were maintained in the variable-time component during a series of stimulus reversals. In Exp. II, replacement of extinction components of multiple variable-interval extinction or multiple extinction extinction with variable-time schedules for single sessions (probe) resulted in response rate increments in those components. In the former schedule these increases were concomitant with response decreases during the variable-interval components. Response increases in the variable-time probes were related to conditioning history and, as a result, to response probability at the time of the probe.
The Distribution of Fluid Shear Stresses in Capillary Sprouts

Fluid shear stress has been implicated as a regulator of sprouting angiogenesis. However, whether endothelial cells within capillary sprouts in vivo experience physiologically relevant shear stresses remains unclear. The objective of our study is to estimate the shear stress distribution along the length of a capillary sprout through computational modeling of blood flow in a blind-ended channel branching off a host vessel. In this model, we use sprout geometries typical for the rat mesenteric microvasculature and consider three types of boundary conditions: (1) a non-permeable vessel wall, (2) a uniformly permeable vessel wall, and (3) a non-permeable vessel wall with open slots (representative of endothelial clefts). Our numerical simulation predicts that for each boundary condition a local maximum shear stress (13.9, 8.9, and 13.3 dyne cm−2, respectively) occurs at the entrance of a 50 μm long, 6 μm diameter sprout branching at 90° off of a 11 μm diameter host vessel. The shear stress dropped below 0.2 dyne cm−2, a threshold for endothelial cell activation, within 4.1 μm of the entrance for the non-permeable wall case and 4.2 μm for the uniformly permeable wall case. Shear stress magnitudes within the sprout were above 0.2 dyne cm−2 for longer sprout scenarios and peaked at 5.9 dyne cm−2 at endothelial cell clefts. These results provide a first estimate of relative fluid shear stress magnitudes along a capillary sprout and highlight the importance of investigating endothelial cell responses to flow conditions during angiogenesis in tumors and other altered microenvironments.
Microfluidic chip-based fabrication of PLGA microfiber scaffolds for tissue engineering.

In this paper, we have developed a method to produce poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microfibers within a microfluidic chip for the generation of 3D tissue engineering scaffolds. The synthesis of PLGA fibers was achieved by using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based microfluidic spinning device in which linear streams of PLGA dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) were precipitated in a glycerol-containing water solution. By changing the flow rate of PLGA solution from 1 to 50 µL/min with a sheath flow rate of 250 or 1000 µL/min, fibers were formed with diameters that ranged from 20 to 230 µm. The PLGA fibers were comprised of a dense outer surface and a highly porous interior. To evaluate the applicability of PLGA microfibers generated in this process as a cell culture scaffold, L929 fibroblasts were seeded on the PLGA fibers either as-fabricated or coated with fibronectin. L929 fibroblasts showed no significant difference in proliferation on both PLGA microfibers after 5 days of culture. As a test f...
Model predictive control for HVAC systems — A review

The world faces an energy problem. Oil supply is gradually running out. Its use is polluting the planet with greenhouse gas. Most alternative energy sources also pose some environmental problems. Hence the efficient use of energy must be an integral part of any solution to them. Whenever possible, one must use advanced control engines and technologies to achieve the highest energy efficiency. In Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) industry, much research has identified a number of energy-saving control methods. Derived from optimal control theory, Model Predictive Control (MPC) is one of them. This paper presents a comprehensive review of its applications to HVAC systems.
Puberty moderates genetic influences on disordered eating.

Background. Previous research suggests that genetic influences on disordered eating may be greater in pubertal than pre-pubertal girls. Although these findings are consistent with pubertal activation of genetic influences on disordered eating, earlier studies were unable to directly test this hypothesis. The purpose of the present study therefore was to directly examine this possibility by investigating whether pubertal development moderates genetic influences on disordered eating. Method. Participants were 510 female adolescent twins from the Minnesota Twin Family Study. Disordered eating was measured with the Total Score of the Minnesota Eating Behavior Survey, while pubertal status was assessed with the Pubertal Development Scale. Results. Consistent with our hypothesis, model-fitting indicated significant increases in genetic influence on disordered eating with advancing pubertal development. Conclusions. These findings suggest that puberty influences the expression of genes for disordered eating.
Resource Allocation with Load Balancing for Cognitive Radio Networks

This paper considers channel and power allocation for cognitive radio (CR) networks. We assume that the total available spectrum is divided into several bands, each consisting of a group of channels. A centralized base station, enabled by spectrum sensing, is assumed to have the knowledge of all vacant channels, which will be assigned to various CRs according to their requests. The objective of resource allocation is to maximize the sum data rate of all CRs. Since the activities of primary users may cause heavy traffic in some bands while leaving other bands idle, load balancing is first performed to equalize the traffic. A multi-level subset sum algorithm as well as a simpler greedy algorithm is proposed to achieve excellent load balancing performance. After that, an algorithm incorporated with constant-power water filling is proposed to maximize the sum data rate. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms.
A Membrane Marker Leaves Synaptic Vesicles in Milliseconds after Exocytosis in Retinal Bipolar Cells

Perhaps synaptic vesicles can recycle so rapidly because they avoid complete exocytosis, and release transmitter through a fusion pore that opens transiently. This view emerges from imaging whole terminals where the fluorescent lipid FM1-43 seems unable to leave vesicles during transmitter release. Here we imaged single, FM1-43-stained synaptic vesicles by evanescent field fluorescence microscopy, and tracked the escape of dye from single vesicles by watching the increase in fluorescence after exocytosis. Dye left rapidly and completely during most or all exocytic events. We conclude that vesicles at this terminal allow lipid exchange soon after exocytosis, and lose their dye even if they connected with the plasma membrane only briefly. At the level of single vesicles, therefore, observations with FM1-43 provide no evidence that exocytosis of synaptic vesicles is incomplete.
Basolateral K+ channels in airway epithelia. I. Regulation by Ca2+ and block by charybdotoxin.

In airway epithelia, adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) stimulates Cl- secretion by activating apical membrane Cl- channels and basolateral membrane K+ channels. Cl- channels are regulated...
Implementing high resolution structured light by exploiting projector blur

This paper presents a novel variant of structured lighting which exploits the inherent blur in the projector system to overcome the discrepancy in resolution between typical Digital SLR cameras and typical projector systems. More specifically, the scheme estimates the coordinates of the projection of each illuminated scene point in the projector frame with subpixel precision and this additional level of accuracy helps to improve the quality of the resulting 3D reconstructions.
Projection and Reaction for Decision Support in Refineries: Combining Multiple Theories

Modern decision support systems are forced to deal with perpetual change in their environment: change that includes a high degree of uncertainty over the current state of the plant, effects of actions, accuracy of sensor readings, and consistency of execution of approved procedures by plant operators. In this paper we report on AEGIS (Abnormal Event Guidance and Information System), a large-scale automated system to provide decision support for refinery operations personnel (Krebsbach & Musliner 1997; Musliner & Krebsbach 1998). In particular, we will concentrate on the components concerned with setting goals, planning actions, executing those actions (or suggesting actions to be manually executed), observing action effects, and recovering from unintended plant states. We will describe what worked well, what did not, and why future such attempts must go outside single theories of planning and acting to provide sufficiently flexible decision support in complex environments.
Psychological Construction: The Darwinian Approach to the Science of Emotion:

Psychological construction constitutes a different paradigm for the scientific study of emotion when compared to the current paradigm that is inspired by faculty psychology. This new paradigm is more consistent with the post-Darwinian conceptual framework in biology that includes a focus on (a) population thinking (vs. typologies), (b) domain-general core systems (vs. physical essences), and (c) constructive analysis (vs. reductionism). Three psychological construction approaches (the OCC model, the iterative reprocessing model, and the conceptual act theory) are discussed with respect to these ideas.
Preservation of Lymphocyte Immunophenotype and Proliferative Responses in Cryopreserved Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells from Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1-Infected Donors: Implications for Multicenter Clinical Trials

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection results in impaired immune function that can be measured by changes in immunophenotypically defined lymphocyte subsets and other in vitro functional assays. These in vitro assays may also serve as early indicators of efficacy when new therapeutic strategies for HIV-1 infection are being evaluated. However, the use of in vitro assays of immune function in multicenter clinical trials has been hindered by their need to be performed on fresh specimens. We assessed the feasibility of using cryopreserved peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) for lymphocyte immunophenotyping and for lymphocyte proliferation at nine laboratories. In HIV-1-infected patients with moderate CD4(+) lymphocyte loss, the procedures of density gradient isolation, cryopreservation, and thawing of PBMC resulted in significant loss of CD19(+) B cells but no measurable loss of total T cells or CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells. No significant changes were seen in CD28(-) CD95(+) lymphocytes after cell isolation and cryopreservation. However, small decreases in HLA-DR(+) CD38(+) lymphocytes and of CD45RA(+) CD62L(+) were observed within both the CD4(+) and CD8(+) subsets. Fewer than 10% of those specimens that showed positive PBMC proliferative responses to mitogens or microbial antigens lost their responsiveness after cryopreservation. These results support the feasibility of cryopreserving PBMC for immunophenotyping and functional testing in multicenter AIDS clinical trials. However, small changes in selected lymphocyte subsets that may occur after PBMC isolation and cryopreservation will need to be assessed and considered in the design of each clinical trial.
Eukaryotic Microbial Communities Associated with the Rhizosphere of the Temperate Fern Thelypteris noveboracensis (L.) Nieuwl

Abstract Microbial communities, associated with terrestrial mosses (Bryopsida) and the rhizosphere of agricultural and natural occurring seed plants, have been rather extensively examined; but less is known about associations with seedless vascular plants, including ferns. The New York fern (Thelypteris noveboracensis), typically found within deciduous forests, occurs in locally extensive stands in North America extending from northeastern Canada to southeastern U.S.A. Soil samples were obtained in autumn (2007) and early summer (2008) within a plot of T. noveboracensis in the understory of deciduous trees in the forest reserve at Torrey Cliff, NY to document the rhizosphere (root-associated) density of commonly occurring heterotrophic eukaryotic microbes (protozoa), including microflagellates, naked amoebae and testate amoebae. The ranges in densities (number/g soil dry weight) are as follows: microflagellates (6.5 × 106–1.3 × 108), naked amoebae (1.8 × 103–4.0 × 106) and testate amoebae (ca. 400). Very ...
An episodic chlorophyll plume on the West Florida Shelf

The episodic formation of an extensive pigment plume on the West Florida Shelf was detected using historical Coastal Zone Color Scanner (CZCS) data collected between 1979 and 1986. The phenomenon is confirmed by in situ observations made in March 1992. The plume occurs mainly during spring, when high pigment concentrations persist 1–6 weeks in a pattern which extends >250 km southward along the shelf. In general, the shelf and continental slope had low pigment concentrations during summer and high pigment concentrations during spring. The information currently available is insufficient to determine the cause of the plume with certainty. Plume formation may be associated with one or a combination of the following processes: (1) discharge from small, local rivers along the NW Florida coast; (2) seasonal changes in steric height differences between the shelf and deep Gulf of Mexico waters; (3) circulation of water associated with the Loop Current and upwelling in the DeSoto Canyon; and (4) discharge from the Mississippi and Mobile Rivers.
Applying uncertainty reasoning to planning sensing strategies in a robot workcell with multi-sensor capabilities

An approach to planning sensing strategies dynamically on the basis of the system's current best information about the world is described. The approach is for the system to propose a sensing operation automatically and then to determine the maximum ambiguity which might remain in the world description if that sensing operation were applied. When this maximum ambiguity is sufficiently small, the corresponding sensing operation is applied. To do this, the system formulates object hypotheses and assesses its relative belief in those hypotheses to predict what features might be observed by a proposed sensing operation. Furthermore, since the number of sensing operations available to the system can be arbitrarily large, equivalent sensing operations are grouped together using a data structure that is based on the aspect graph. In order to measure the ambiguity in a set of hypotheses, the concept of entropy from information theory is applied. This allows the determination of ambiguity in a hypothesis set in terms of the number of hypotheses and the system's distribution of belief among those hypotheses. >
Kinesin and myosin ATPases: variations on a theme.

The enzymes kinesin and myosin are examples of molecular motors which couple ATP hydrolysis to directed movement of biological structures. Myosin has been extensively studied and its structure and mechanism of coupling are known in detail. Much less is known about kinesin, but many of its major properties are similar to those of myosin. Both enzymes have two catalytic head groups at the end of a long α-helical rod. The head groups contain the sites for ATP hydrolysis and interaction with their respective partners for movement (microtubules or F-actin). In each case the binding and hydrolysis of ATP is rapid and the steady state ATPase rate is limited by a slow step in the region of product release. This slow release of product is accelerated by interaction with actin or microtubules coupled to changes in binding affinity. As there is no evidence for a close evolutionary link between kinesin and myosin, these and other similarities may represent convergence to set of common functional properties which are constrained by the requirements of protein structure and the use of ATP hydrolysis as a source of energy. It will be of particular interest to determine if these common properties are also shared by the large number of divergent proteins which have recently been discovered to possess a domain which is homologous to the head group of kinesin.
Protein electron transfer rates set by the bridging secondary and tertiary structure

The rate of long-distance electron transfer in proteins rapidly decreases with distance, which is indicative of an electron tunneling process. Calculations predict that the distance dependence of electron transfer in native proteins is controlled by the protein's structural motif. The helix and sheet content of a protein and the tertiary arrangement of these secondary structural units define the distance dependence of electronic coupling in that protein. The calculations use a tunneling pathway model applied previously with success to ruthenated proteins. The analysis ranks the average distance decay constant for electronic coupling in electron transfer proteins and identifies the amino acids that are coupled to the charge localization site more strongly or weakly than average for their distance.
The Evolution of Human Origins

Because humans are the product of our evolutionary past, learning how we evolved is fundamental to all anthropological investigations. We now realize that reconstructing why unique human attributes evolved requires an understanding of our starting point, but this is a relatively recent perspective. One hundred years ago, the question of human origins was identical to that of hominin origins. Accepting Australopithecus into human ancestry, coupled with the modern synthesis of evolution, led anthropologists to consider humans as products of natural selection. They realized that increased intelligence did not initially distinguish our lineage, and that early hominins were apelike in many ways. Australopithecus brought bipedalityr and brain expansion came with Homo. Because the human mind and behavior are products of evolution, we must reconstruct the selective pressures that shaped our lineage in order to understand ourselves today. Paleoanthropology, as with all anthropology, is becoming ever more question oriented, drawing on many areas of inquiry. [Keywords: human origins, human evolution, history, data, theory]
Hard, harder, hardest: principal stratification, statistical identifiability, and the inherent difficulty of finding surrogate endpoints

In many areas of clinical investigation there is great interest in identifying and validating surrogate endpoints, biomarkers that can be measured a relatively short time after a treatment has been administered and that can reliably predict the effect of treatment on the clinical outcome of interest. However, despite dramatic advances in the ability to measure biomarkers, the recent history of clinical research is littered with failed surrogates. In this paper, we present a statistical perspective on why identifying surrogate endpoints is so difficult. We view the problem from the framework of causal inference, with a particular focus on the technique of principal stratification (PS), an approach which is appealing because the resulting estimands are not biased by unmeasured confounding. In many settings, PS estimands are not statistically identifiable and their degree of non-identifiability can be thought of as representing the statistical difficulty of assessing the surrogate value of a biomarker. In this work, we examine the identifiability issue and present key simplifying assumptions and enhanced study designs that enable the partial or full identification of PS estimands. We also present example situations where these assumptions and designs may or may not be feasible, providing insight into the problem characteristics which make the statistical evaluation of surrogate endpoints so challenging.
Neurotheology and Evolutionary Theology: Reflections on the Mystical Mind

Eugene d’Aquili and Andrew B. Newberg in their book The Mystical Mind suggest that their neurotheology is both a metatheology and a megatheology. In this commentary I question whether neurotheology is comprehensive enough and suggest that it needs to and possibly can take into account the moral and social dimensions of religion. I then propose an alternative metatheology and megatheology: evolutionary theology grounded in the science of biocultural evolution and focusing on ultimate reality as creatively immanent in natural and human history. Neurotheology and evolutionary theology may complement one another. Evolutionary theology accounts for both the neurology of the brain and culturally evolved ideas and practices of particular religions and their theologies. Hence it seems more comprehensive than neurotheology. However, because ultimate reality in evolutionary theology is immanent in the world of space and time, of baseline experience, it cannot account for the mystic experience of absolute unitary being. In accounting for this transcendent experience and its reality, neurotheology is more comprehensive. However, neither theology can account for how transcendent ultimate reality, experienced by the mystic as absolute unitary being, gives rise to the changing world experienced as baseline reality.
Post-operative atrial fibrillation and oxidative stress: a novel causal mechanism or another biochemical epiphenomenon?

Over the last decade there has been substantial progress in understanding the pathogenesis of atrial fibrillation (AF), primarily due to the recognition of the role of the pulmonary veins and their antral regions in the initiation and perpetuation of AF ([1,2][1]). Much work has focused on the
The Twilight of the Neoadministrative State? Crises, American Political Development, and the 'New' Interventionism

Amid the financial crisis dogging nations worldwide, shifting demographic trends disparately affecting economics worldwide, failed or failing states inviting the projection of Western military power abroad, and the aggressive positive state interventionist philosophy of the Obama administration, observers have noted a swing back to activist or “neoliberal” government in the United States and abroad. This paper reviews the administrative reform responses that have tended to accompany crises - real, imagined, or contrived - historically in the United States. From this analysis, four arguments are offered. First, there is nothing “new” about the “hollow,” “third party,” or networked “neoadministrative” state; cross-sectoral responses to crises have prevailed historically in times of crisis. Second, they are likely to do so in the aftermath of today’s crises because of the shift from competitive capitalism to administrative capitalism in the early 1900s, the power of path dependency, and the dynamics of historical institutionalism. Third, neo-interventionism by governments only advantages the state over markets if the implementation structures used to implement laws are ignored. Finally, secular demographic, debt, and implementation design features make it unlikely that the neoadministrative state will not persevere.
Current state of the art and science: a survey of purchasing and supply management courses and teaching approaches

Purchasing and supply management (P/SM), both as a business function and academic discipline, has garnered greater status and interest in practice and academe. Universities serve a critical role in addressing the educational needs of business practice through scholarship and teaching. The purpose of this paper is to provide insight into the teaching approaches and evaluation criteria of P/SM in undergraduate and MBA courses in the USA. A sample of 44 P/SM undergraduate and MBA courses representing 28 universities was obtained. A content analysis was performed on each syllabus to identify the actual course content coverage, requirements, textbooks, cases, andragogy and emphasis. The findings are designed to provide university supply chain management faculty teaching P/SM courses current information with regard to topics, teaching techniques, and evaluation processes utilised in undergraduate and graduate programs. These findings can provide faculty guidance for course content and development in their supply chain management programmes.
Pitfalls of ophthalmic radiographic imaging

Purpose of review Ophthalmologists are dependent on computed tomography (CT) and MRI to aid in the diagnosis and management of patients with orbital and visual conditions. Pitfalls in the imaging process can lead to inefficient care or patient harm. This review summarizes these problems and provides methods to reduce imaging errors. Recent findings There has been exponential growth in the number of radiographic scans performed, resulting in increased awareness of the risks from medical radiation. Strategies to minimize radiation exposure include reducing the need for sequential scans, using appropriate technology, and substituting MRI for CT. Contrast administration can be associated with systemic reactions, renal disease, and thyroid dysfunction. Scan interpretation errors are reduced by the ophthalmologist reviewing the study and communication with the radiologist. Summary Medical radiation exposure can be reduced by initially ordering the appropriate scan and substituting MRI for CT when possible. MRI is contraindicated in patients with certain implants and metallic foreign bodies. Noncontrast studies are adequate to evaluate many conditions and some patients should not receive contrast. Imaging errors can be reduced by the ophthalmologist personally reviewing the orbital scans and correlating the results with the clinical findings.
Prevalence of Smoking and Obesity Among U.S. Cancer Survivors: Estimates From the National Health Interview Survey, 2008–2012

Purpose/objectives To describe smoking and obesity prevalence among male and female cancer survivors in the United States. . Design Cross-sectional survey. . Setting Household interviews. . Sample 9,753 survey respondents who reported ever having a malignancy, excluding nonmelanoma skin cancers. . Methods Data from the National Health Interview Survey (2008-2012) were used to calculate weighted smoking status prevalence estimates. Cross-tabulations of smoking and weight status were produced, along with Wald chi-square tests and linear contrasts. . Main research variables Cancer history, smoking status, obesity status, gender, age, and age at diagnosis. . Findings Seventeen percent of cancer survivors reported current smoking. Female survivors had higher rates of current smoking than males, particularly in the youngest age category. Male survivors who currently smoked had lower obesity prevalence rates than males who previously smoked or never smoked. Among female survivors, 31% were obese and no significant differences were seen in obesity prevalence by smoking status for all ages combined. . Conclusions The findings highlight the variation in smoking status and weight by age and gender. Smoking interventions may need to be targeted to address barriers specific to subgroups of cancer survivors. . Implications for nursing Nurses can be instrumental in ensuring that survivors receive comprehensive approaches to address both weight and tobacco use to avoid trading one risk for another.
Remembered childhood artifacts. Windows to the past.

This paper explores how working with memories of childhood songs, pictures, poems, and stories can facilitate and deepen the analytic process. These artifacts are special metaphors for networks of ...
The Revised Roman Liturgy and the Gospel Restored: The Problems and Promises of a Crucial Reform

A major work of reform of the Roman liturgy was the restoration of more extensive biblical selections at the worship of the church. This article studies the reform insofar as it applies to the use of the New Testament at the liturgy of the hours, at mass, and in the other rites of the church. It judges the restoration to be admirable from a theoretical viewpoint. However, before this reform can take root, serious problems in the practical order must be addressed. The reform places pressures on the liturgical homilist, the celebrant of the liturgy of the hours, the faithful who hear the Word, and those who plan liturgies.
A Case Study of How Mobile Robot Competitions Promote Future Research

The purpose of mobile robot competitions is to push the field of research and inspire future work. Our involvement in the Urban Search and Rescue event of the 2000 AAAI Mobile Robot Competition allowed us the opportunity to test our Urban Search and Rescue robot team in a standardized testbed. The result was ideas for future enhancements and research work. This article presents our experience as a case study on how mobile robot competitions promote research.
Anti-ECP Effects in the Rejang Language of Sumatra

Cet article examine des faits qui paraissent remettre en cause le Principe des categories vides. Un examen plus attentif de ces faits montre qu'en definitive ceux-ci sont conformes au Principe des categories vides en autant que ce principe soit assorti d'une computation speciale universelle ayant trait au systeme du complementeur, la regle de la Contraction du complementeur (Pesetsky 1982). La Contraction du complementeur fait l'objet d'une parametrisation : certaines langues appliquent cette regle de facon visible (francais, norvegien) alors que dans d'autres langues elle s'applique de facon non visible (anglais, tagalog). Afin de presenter cette argumentation, des aspects detailles de la structure des phrases relatives, des comparatives, des subordonnees et des questions-wh de la langue rejang, une langue austronesienne de l'ouest parlee a Sumatra, sont examines
Enhancement of dual-frequency classification module for GPM DPR

Dual-frequency precipitation radar (DPR) on board the GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) core satellite has reflectivity measurements at two different frequency bands namely, Ku- and Ka- band. Dual-frequency ratio from these measurements has been used to perform rain type classification and melting region detection in the dual-frequency classification module in the current DPR level 2 algorithm. Beyond the applications that have been implemented, in this research, we focus on the enhancement of dual frequency classification module. We introduce and evaluate the algorithms to perform snow/rain separation and multiple scattering detection. These algorithms are candidates for future version of DPR algorithm.
Vacuum Packaging Versus Modified Atmosphere Packaging of Lamb Loins.

Lamb loins were allocated (30 loins/treatment) to three packaging treatments: (a) vacuum-packaged, (b) vacuum-packaged followed immediately by injection of a 20% CO2:80% N2 atmosphere, and (c) vacuum-packaged followed immediately by injection of a 40% CO2:60% N2 atmosphere. Loins in each packaging treatment were then assigned (6 loins/period) to one of five storage periods--0, 7, 14, 21 or 28 d. During storage, the CO2 concentration increased in vacuum packages (initial vs. 21 d) and decreased in modified atmosphere packages (initial vs. 7 or 28 d); O2 concentration was higher in vacuum packages than in modified atmosphere packages at every storage period. Vacuum packaging was superior to modified atmosphere packaging for maintaining desirable appearance of wholesale loins, particularly if the atmosphere contained a high CO2 concentration. Appearance of retail chops was not substantively affected by the method used to package (vacuum vs. modified atmosphere) the wholesale loin from which they originated. Palatability of cooked chops was not affected by packaging method in 28 or 30 comparisons among product from loins that had been stored for 0 to 28 d before organoleptic testing.
Production of Carotenoids byRhodotorula rubrafrom Sauerkraut Brine

Abstract Sauerkraut brine could serve as a substrate for the fermentative production of yeast carotenoids. Of the three yeast strains examined, Rhodotorula rubra NRRL Y-15596 was found to produce the highest amount of carotenoids. The maximal yield of total carotenoids expressed as β-carotene was 1041 μg/L or 131 μg/L yeast dry weight after 48 h of growth at 30 °C in Sauerkraut brine with an initial pH of 5·0. The yeast removed the acidity completely and reduced the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) by over 70%.
A study of 3D cover glass design that improves handheld device drop reliability

Cover glass in commercial handheld devices is now evolving from flat (2D) to curved (3D) shapes. For example, some commercial devices have utilized sled-shape cover glass,[1] which partially covers long edges of the device. According to the patents published by key handheld manufacturers,[2, 3] we can expect more variety of 3D shaped cover glass for handheld devices in the market. In this study, we have focused on the reliability of 3D cover glass when it is dropped to a rigid surface. The key parameters under study are the corner/edge bend radius and angle of the cover glass, which determines the 3D shape of the cover glass. To achieve this goal, we developed a finite element model to simulate the drop[4-13] of a handheld device with 3D-shaped glass. The model uses explicit algorithm to simulate the high speed impact on the device during the drop test. The glass performance was evaluated based on contact force between the glass and the ground and maximum principal stress in the glass. We showed that to avoid severe damage because of first impact between the glass and the ground, the bend angle of 3D glass has to be in the range between 0 and 45°. For drop angles of 45° and higher, with the proposed glass bend angle, the impact can be taken over by the edge of the back cover of the device. In addition, we showed that optimum glass bend radius is in the range of 3.8 mm and larger. This is required to reduce stress in glass because of impact. The approach and conclusions from the current study can serve as a general guideline to improve the 3D cover glass reliability of a handheld device.
Disruption of Bis Leads to Deterioration of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Predominantly Affecting Vascular Compartment of Hematopoietic Stem Cell Niche.

Abstract 3627 Poster Board III-563 The stem cell niche plays an important role in the microenvironmental regulation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), but the integration of niche activity remains poorly understood. In this study explored the hematopoietic defect of mice disrupted with Bis/BAG-3/CAIR-1, a protein related to apoptosis and response to cellular stress and show that functional loss of bis leads to series of hematopoietic derangements due to perturbation of vascular stem cell niche. First, mice with targeted disruption of bis (bis−/−) exhibited severe hypocellularity in the bone marrows and spleen starting from 16 days after birth. Affected mice exhibited loss of primitive neonatal HSCs (CD34+Lin-Sca-1+c-kit+) and defect in early stage B-lymphopoiesis including common lymphoid progenitors (IL-17R+LSK), pre-B and pro-B cell populations, but not for mature recycling B-lymphocytes (IgD+B220+). However, this hematological defect of bis −/− mice was not reproduced when bis −/− bone marrow cells were transplanted into wild-type (WT) recipients, pointing to the microenvironmental origin of the phenotypes. Subsequent analysis of bis −/− mice bone marrow revealed a characteristic defect in the mesenchymal stromal component that included a quantitative loss of stromal cells (CD45-CD31-TER119-CD105+) in the bone marrows and rapid sensescence of stromal cells comprising colony forming unit-fibroblast (CFU-F) when re-plated in the ex-vivo culture. Moreover, mesenchymal stromal cells expressing CXCL-12 or IL-7 was lost in the affected bone marrows with lowered density of vascular development, together indicating a perturbation of peri-vascular stem cell niche in the bone marrow. In contrast, no abnormalities were observed in the growth and hematopoietic supporting activities of osteoblasts obtained from bis −/− mice. Collectively, these results indicate that Bis functions to mediate cellular regulation of the stem cell niche activities selectively on the vascular compartment without affecting osteoblastic niche, and suggest that Bis may serve as a molecule that can bridge the microenvironment niche and cellular stress/apoptotic signals during the in-vivo orchestration of hematopoiesis. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Nanoscale optofluidic sensor arrays for Dengue virus detection

Here we present our work towards the development of Nanoscale Optofluidic Sensor Arrays (NOSA), which is an optofluidic architecture for performing label free, highly parallel, detections of biomolecular interactions. The approach is based on the use of optically resonant devices whose resonant wavelength is shifted due to a local change in refractive index caused by a positive binding event between a surface bound molecule and it solution phase target. A special two stage micro-/nanofluidics architecture is used to first functionalize the devices and then to deliver the targets. Two variants of the NOSA will be presented here. The first approach utilizes a 1D resonant cavity in a 1D silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide with a unique differential size functionalization approach. This approach allows binding events at one or at a combination of the many sensing sites which causes a unique shift in the output resonator spectrum. The latter approach consists of a SOI waveguide evanescently coupled to multiple 1-D photonic crystal resonators of different sizes along the length, each of which is functionalized with a different oligonucleotide probe. These devices have an extremely low limit of detection and are compatible with aqueous environments. The primary advantage of these devices over existing technology is that it combines the sensitivity (limit of detection) of nanosensor technology with the parallelism of the microarray type format. Our initial application is in the detection of viral RNA of Dengue virus.
Symposium review: Targeting antimicrobial defenses of the udder through an intrinsic cellular pathway

ABSTRACT The bovine innate immune system has a strong repertoire of antimicrobial defenses to rapidly attack infectious pathogens that evade physical barriers of the udder. Exploration of the intracrine vitamin D pathway of bovine macrophages has improved understanding of the signals that initiate antimicrobial defenses that protect the udder. In the intracrine vitamin D pathway, pathogen recognition receptors upregulate CYP27B1 mRNA that encodes for the enzyme that converts 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D 3 ] to the active vitamin D hormone, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 [1,25(OH) 2 D 3 ]. The 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , in turn, is generally known to increase antimicrobial activity and decrease inflammatory responses of immune cells. In cattle specifically, 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 increases nitric oxide and β-defensin antimicrobial responses of bovine monocytes. Immune activation of the intracrine vitamin D pathway, including induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase and β-defensin gene expression by 1,25(OH) 2 D 3 , has been documented in the mammary glands of lactating dairy cows. Furthermore, intramammary 25(OH)D 3 treatment decreased bacteria counts and indicators of mastitis severity in cows experimentally infected with Streptococcus uberis . We propose that vitamin D signaling in the udder contributes to containment of bacterial pathogens and inflammatory responses of the udder. Verification of vitamin D-mediated defenses of the mammary gland potentially provides a path for development of alternative solutions (i.e., nutritional, genetic, therapeutic) to increase mastitis resistance of dairy cows. Continued exploration of the intrinsic cellular pathways that specifically promote antimicrobial defenses of the udder, such as the vitamin D pathway, is needed to support mastitis control efforts for dairy cows.