cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equations of motion in the null formalism

An outline is presented for an approach to a two-body problem. The method uses null coordinates attached to one body and an expansion away from flat space. Unfortunately, the method fails to exhibit the Newtonian interaction between two particles. Therefore, no detailed calculations are given.
Subpicosecond fiber-based soliton-tuned mid-infrared source in the 9.7–14.9 μm wavelength region

We present a fiber-based mid-IR source of ultrafast laser pulses tunable in the 9.7–14.9 μm spectral region based on difference-frequency mixing between an Er:fiber laser and a first-order frequency-shifted soliton pulse. We have measured subpicosecond pulses at a repetition rate of 37 MHz, with a maximum power of 1.5 μW.
Comparison of human and animal growth

Abstract New ad libitum feeding and growth equations found suitable to describe the growth of animals from the rat to the pig are used to conjecture a human growth equation. The equation is an exponential function involving eight parameters. The function was found to fit very well Baldwin's transverse data for human growth from birth to young adulthood. The values of the parameters are used to compare the growth of U.S. And Asian males and U.S. Males and females.
Genetic Regulation of Glucose 6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Activity in Drosophila melanogaster

Studies on two variants of X-linked enzyme, G6PD, in several inbred and outbred strains of Drosophila melanogaster suggest that (1) there is dosage compensation at this locus; (2) males have 20–33% more activity than females, due to enzyme-deficient eggs in the latter; (3) outcrossing Drosophila strains results in a significant rise in G6PD specific activity in such a way as to suggest the presence of two or more nonlinked loci specific in their effect on G6PD activity (the effect is twice as great in males as it is in females); (4) there is less “A” enzyme than “B” enzyme activity/mg protein in males, but they are equal in females; (5) the presence or absence of X-linked regulators for G6PD could not be ascertained.
Latest performance of GaN-based nonpolar/semipolar emitting devices

High Efficient GaN-based blue &green nonpolar/semipolar LEDs and laser diodes were developed with an advantage of much smaller piezoelectric field, and non-isotropic strain to change the energy band structures. (20-2-1) semipolar LEDs were fabricated. The spectrum width of those LEDs is much narrower than that of conventional c-pain and other semipolar/nonpolar LEDs. The blue-shift of the peak emission wavelength of (20-2-1) LEDs is almost negligible in comparison with that of the conventional c-plain and other semipolar/nonpolar LEDs. (20-2-1), (20-21) and nonpolar blue&green laser diodes were fabricated.
Computers and the 16th-century Chanson a pilot project at the University of Chicago

One cardinal principle guided our evaluation of the data provided for us by the computer: never to be deluded into believing that the computer was in any way capable of analyzing a piece of music. Rather, we used the information made available by the computer as a means of substantiating or explaining the insights into a given composition that we gained by means of a direct confrontation with the music. In this way, the data supplied by the computer proved to be very useful in explaining why a particular portion of a chanson generates a sense of tension, while another section of the same piece creates a feeling of rest. Similarly, the electronically derived information was particularly helpful in setting up stylistic profiles of the various composers whose chansons were included in our sampling. In fact, the computer output was instrumental in helping to settle more than one problem of conflicting attributions, largely on the basis of these stylistic profiles.
Shelf Life Determination Based On Equivalence Assessment

In a regular analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) approach to stability analysis, the decision for pooling data from different batches plays a key role in the determination of the shelf life of the drug product. Conventionally, the decision to pool data for the estimate of slope and intercept of common or individual regression lines is made by "no evidence to reject the null hypothesis of no difference." With typically limited observations, a significance level of much higher than 0.05 was recommended for the pooling tests in order to avoid inflation of type-I error rate of the shelf life testing. This logic of the pooling test decision making discouraged the use of replicates to improve power of testing and precision of estimation. The concept of pooling by equivalence test was originally proposed by Ruberg and Hsu in their 1990 article "Multiple comparison procedures for pooling batches in stability studies" Such a concept has evolved to pooling batches based on the shelf life equivalence test by Yoshioka et al. in their 1996 article "Power of analysis of variance for assessing batch-variation of stability data of pharmaceuticals." In this article, an approximation test of shelf life equivalence and a test of chemical value equivalence for the data pooling decision are proposed as an alternative to the conventional ANCOVA approach.
Rapid evaluation and quality control of next generation sequencing data with FaQCs

Next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies that parallelize the sequencing process and produce thousands to millions, or even hundreds of millions of sequences in a single sequencing run, have revolutionized genomic and genetic research. Because of the vagaries of any platform’s sequencing chemistry, the experimental processing, machine failure, and so on, the quality of sequencing reads is never perfect, and often declines as the read is extended. These errors invariably affect downstream analysis/application and should therefore be identified early on to mitigate any unforeseen effects. Here we present a novel FastQ Quality Control Software (FaQCs) that can rapidly process large volumes of data, and which improves upon previous solutions to monitor the quality and remove poor quality data from sequencing runs. Both the speed of processing and the memory footprint of storing all required information have been optimized via algorithmic and parallel processing solutions. The trimmed output compared side-by-side with the original data is part of the automated PDF output. We show how this tool can help data analysis by providing a few examples, including an increased percentage of reads recruited to references, improved single nucleotide polymorphism identification as well as de novo sequence assembly metrics. FaQCs combines several features of currently available applications into a single, user-friendly process, and includes additional unique capabilities such as filtering the PhiX control sequences, conversion of FASTQ formats, and multi-threading. The original data and trimmed summaries are reported within a variety of graphics and reports, providing a simple way to do data quality control and assurance.
Atomic Force Microscope Pull-off Force Measurements for Insulin in Contact with Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene and Polypropylene Surfaces at Various Humidities

The interaction of insulin with polymeric coatings, commonly used in devices for insulin storage and administration, is affected by relative humidity (RH). Understanding the effect of RH on adhesion of insulin particles to polymeric surfaces is of particular interest for selecting coating materials and environmental conditions for packaging and storage. A custom humidity control system was constructed for use with the fluid cell cantilever holder for a Nanoscope model II atomic force microscope (AFM). This system was used for controlling the RH with a precision of ±1% over a range of ∼0–100% and for making pull-off force measurements as a function of RH. Pull-off forces were measured between insulin particles attached to the end of an AFM cantilever and acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene and polypropylene polymers. Two critical transitions indicated by sudden increases in the pull-off force were identified at two RH values. The first transition to higher pull-off force values occurred near 15–25% RH and the ...
Topological analysis of the top quark signal and background at hadron colliders

We investigate the event topology of the $l\ensuremath{\nu}b\overline{b}q\mathrm{q\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}}$ decay mode of top-quark-pair production in proton-antiproton collisions at 1.8 TeV. Neural networks and Fisher discriminates are used in conjunction with modified Fox-Wolfram ``shape'' variables to help distinguish the top-quark-pair signal from the $W+\mathrm{jets}$ and $b\overline{b}+\mathrm{jets}$ background. Instead of requiring at least four jets in the event, we employ a cut on the number of calorimeter cells with a transverse energy greater than some minimum. By combining these cell cuts with the event shape information, we are able to obtain a signal-to-background ratio of around 9 (for an ideal detector), without tagging $b$ quarks. $B$-quark tagging would, of course, further enhance the signal-to-background ratio.
Oxygen consumption, oxygen cost, heart rate, and perceived effort during split-belt treadmill walking in young healthy adults.

During split-belt treadmill walking the speed of the treadmill under one limb is faster than the belt under the contralateral limb. This unique intervention has shown evidence of acutely improving gait impairments in individuals with neurologic impairment such as stroke and Parkinson’s disease. However, oxygen use, heart rate and perceived effort associated with split-belt treadmill walking are unknown and may limit the utility of this locomotor intervention. To better understand the intensity of this new intervention, this study was undertaken to examine the oxygen consumption, oxygen cost, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion associated with split-belt treadmill walking in young healthy adults. Fifteen participants completed three sessions of treadmill walking: slow speed with belts tied, fast speed with belts tied, and split-belt walking with one leg walking at the fast speed and one leg walking at the slow speed. Oxygen consumption, heart rate, and rating of perceived exertion were collected during each walking condition and oxygen cost was calculated. Results revealed that oxygen consumption, heart rate, and perceived effort associated with split-belt walking were higher than slow treadmill walking, but only oxygen consumption was significantly lower during both split-belt walking than fast treadmill walking. Oxygen cost associated with slow treadmill walking was significantly higher than fast treadmill walking. These findings have implications for using split-belt treadmill walking as a rehabilitation tool as the cost associated with split-belt treadmill walking may not be higher or potentially more detrimental than that associated with previously used treadmill training rehabilitation strategies.
MURRA AT MIT

(1962). I assign these articles as required reading to undergraduate students in two of the courses I teach at MIT: The Ancient Andean World, and Materials in Human Experience.The students in my classes are primarily engi-neers; others study physics or biology, architecture or economics. Some are from Mexico, and occasion-ally there are a few from the Andes. For the most part, they do not read Spanish.Many years ago I asked Murra if he would translate the
Movements of bonnetheads, Sphyrna tiburo, as a response to salinity change in a Florida estuary

The movement of bonnetheads, Sphyrna tiburo, within an estuarine system on the Gulf of Mexico coast of Florida was examined to define response to salinity change. Shark presence and movements were evaluated by acoustic monitoring and gillnet sampling. Acoustic monitoring data were used to investigate active selection of different zones within the estuary based on differences in salinity among zones. Sharks were monitored for 187 days in 2003 and 217 days in 2004 in salinities ranging from 11.0 to 31.0 ppt in 2003 and 15.8 to 34.6 ppt in 2004. Monitoring data supported the hypothesis that salinity played a role in the distribution and movement of S. tiburo. Catch per unit effort (CPUE) data obtained from gillnet sampling from 1995 to 2004 were examined to determine affinity or avoidance of specific salinities within the study site as calculated using an electivity index. Electivity analysis showed almost no affinity or avoidance for specific salinity values. The difference in results between the CPUE and acoustic monitoring in relation to the potential effects of salinity likely relate to the nature of the data, with acoustic monitoring providing continuous data and CPUE providing snapshot location data. The results of this study suggest that although S. tiburo are collected within a wide range of salinity levels, salinity may affect movement and distribution. Salinity effects may be more pronounced during periods of prolonged and/or large changes in salinity as detected by long-term monitoring.
The Google-China Dispute: The Chinese National Narrative and Rhetorical Legitimation of the Chinese Communist Party

In 2010, during the Google-China dispute, the Chinese Communist Party deployed a rhetoric imbued with the strong pathos of the “century of humiliation” (guochi) that China suffered at the hands of imperialists and used the Google incident to reaffirm its guardianship of the Chinese nation = state. As a case study, this discursive analysis of the Google dispute illustrates the rhetorical techniques and processes the Chinese Communist Party utilized to cement its legitimacy. Relying on the resistance-to-imperialism narrative template, the Chinese Government has circulated discourse that resonates with a public who continue to fear foreign infringement of sovereignty.
Clock Genes and Cancer

Period genes ( Per2, Per1) are essential circadian clock genes. They also function as negative growth regulators. Per2 mutant mice show de novo and radiation-induced epithelial hyperplasia, tumors, and an abnormal DNA damage response. Human tumors show Period gene mutations or decreased expression. Other murine clock gene mutations are not associated with a tumor prone phenotype. Shift work and nocturnal light exposure are associated with circadian clock disruption and with increased cancer risk. The mechanisms responsible for the connection between the circadian clock and cancer are not well defined. We propose that circadian disruption per se is not uniformly tumor promoting and the mechanisms for tumor promotion by specific circadian clock disturbances will differ dependent upon the genes and pathways involved. We propose that Period clock gene mutations promote tumorigenesis by unique molecular pathways. Per2 and Per1 modulate beta-catenin and cell proliferation in colon and non-colon cancer cells. Per2 mutation increases intestinal beta-catenin levels and colon polyp formation. Per2 mutation also increases Apc(Min/+)-mediated intestinal and colonic polyp formation. Intestinal tumorigenesis per se may also alter clock function as a result of increased beta-catenin destabilizing PER2 protein. Levels and circadian rhythm of PER2 in Apc(Min/+) mouse intestine are markedly decreased, and selective abnormalities in intestinal clock gene and clock-controlled gene expression are seen. We propose that tumor promotion by loss of PERIOD clock proteins is unique to these clock genes as a result of altered beta-catenin signaling and DNA damage response. PERIOD proteins may offer new targets for cancer prevention and control.
Marcus Rhoades and Transposition

Barbara McClintock deservedly received the lion’s share of recognition for the discovery of transposition, including the 1983 award of an unshared Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ([Fedoroff 1994][1]). But discoveries are punctuation marks in the discourse of science, and many voices impinge
Behavioural interventions for children and adults with behaviour disorders after TBI: A systematic review of the evidence

Objective: To systematically review the evidence for the effectiveness of behavioural interventions for children and adults with behaviour disorders after TBI.Design: Using a variety of search proc...
Role of Raltegravir in HIV-1 Management

Objective:To review the literature concerning the role of raltegravir in the treatment of HIV-1 in antiretroviral (ARV)-experienced and ARV-naive patients.Data Sources:A PubMed search was conducted for published data through March 2012 using the search terms raltegravir, MK-0518, and integrase strand transfer inhibitor. An additional search of International Pharmaceutical Abstracts for unpublished data, including data from the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, the International AIDS Society, and the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, was conducted using similar search terms.Study Selection and Data Extraction:In vitro and in vivo Phase 2, Phase 3, and postmarketing studies available in English, evaluating antiretroviral regimens that contain raltegravir for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in both ARV-naive and ARV-experienced patients, were evaluated. Studies assessing raltegravir pharmacokinetics and pharma...
Civil Discourse in the Age of Social Media.

Love it or hate it, social media is here to stay. Reynol Junco and Arthur Chickering provide recommendations to help students use technology in ways that maximize their development and success.
Weed science in sustainable agriculture

Five thoughts about the role and future of weed science in agriculture are analyzed. Much about the tools, techniques, and achievements of weed science should be lauded. Its achievements in basic science and its worldwide contributions to agricultural production and productivity are incontestable. The discipline has been based primarily on chemical technology, and the weed science community has been shaped by the available technology and by the purposes of its members. New, sustainable weed management systems will rely on knowledge derived from answers to new questions about weed-crop relationships and management techniques. As weed scientists develop better management systems, they will need to find better words to describe what they do and why it is important.
Compathy: the contagion of physical distress

A qualitative study examining the nurse-patient relationship has identified the contagion of physical distress or 'compathy' as a significant but otherwise neglected phenomenon. Compathy occurs when one person observes another person suffering a disease or injury and experiences in one's physical body a similar or related distress. Thus, compathy is the physical equivalent to empathy. Although the contagion of physiological (compathetic) responses has been previously documented (for example, as couvade or psychogenic epidemics of the workplace), it has not been theoretically explicated. Triggers for the compathetic response are identified and include observing the suffering, hearing, or reading--or even thinking about--descriptions of the symptoms. The relevance of the compathetic response in the caregiving relationship and the necessity of suppressing the response when inflicting pain as a part of providing therapy are described. The concept of compathy is analysed and defended.
Inferences of Predictability Associated with Warm Season Precipitation Episodes

Herein preliminary findings are reported from a radar-based climatology of warm season precipitation ‘‘episodes.’’ Episodes are defined as time‐space clusters of heavy precipitation that often result from sequences of organized convection such as squall lines, mesoscale convective systems, and mesoscale convective complexes. Episodes exhibit coherent rainfall patterns, characteristic of propagating events, under a broad range of atmospheric conditions. Such rainfall patterns are most frequent under ‘‘weakly forced’’ conditions in midsummer. The longevity of episodes, up to 60 h, suggests an intrinsic predictability of warm season rainfall that significantly exceeds the lifetime of individual convective systems. Episodes are initiated primarily in response to diurnal and semidiurnal forcings. Diurnal forcing is dominant near the Rocky and Appalachian Mountains, whereas semidiurnal forcing is dominant between these cordilleras. A most common longitude of origin is at or near the east slope of the Continental Divide (1058W). These observations are consistent with a condition of continual thermal forcing, widespread hydrodynamic instability, and the existence of other processes that routinely excite, maintain, and regenerate organized convection. The propagation speed of major episodes is often in excess of rates that are easily attributable either to the phase speeds of large-scale forcing or to advection from low- to midlevel ‘‘steering’’ winds. It is speculated that wavelike mechanisms, in the free troposphere and/or the planetary boundary layer, may contribute to the rates of motion observed. Once understood, the representation of such mechanisms in forecast models offers the opportunity for improved predictions of warm season rainfall.
Myeloperoxidase isoform activities released by human neutrophils in response to dental and periodontal bacteria

Myeloperoxidase is an enzyme released by polymorphonuclear leukocytes which has been used, experimentally, as an indicator of periodontal disease activity when measured in gingival crevicular fluid. There are three myeloperoxidase isoforms: MPO I, MPO II and MPO III. We examined the activities of myeloperoxidase isoforms released by neutrophils in response to serum-opsonized Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Haemophilus aphrophilus, Eikenella corrodens, Capnocytophaga sputigena and Streptococcus sanguis. Isoform activities were determined using intermediate-pressure liquid chromatography and microenzyme assay. A. actinomycetemcomitans stimulated higher levels of myeloperoxidase release than any other oral bacteria unless pre-opsonized with serum (or protein-A-purified immunoglobulin) from an individual with localized juvenile periodontitis. Most oral bacteria stimulated the release of all myeloperoxidase isoforms with a profile enriched in MPO I and diminished in MPO III. Exceptionally, serum-opsonized A. actinomycetemcomitans stimulated myeloperoxidase isoform release in proportion to the neutrophil granule constituency with or without localized juvenile periodontitis serum pre-opsonization. Because myeloperoxidase isoform profiles reflect how neutrophils were stimulated, isoform analysis may refine future diagnostic tests based upon myeloperoxidase.
Multiple-fault circuit simulation in unified dynamic electric power system simulation software

Fault simulation is one of the main components of dynamic electric power system simulation programs. In this work, a fault-branch based admittance matrix was used to simulate a variety of multiple symmetrical or asymmetrical faults in unified dynamic power system simulation software. Admittance matrix contraction was employed to process multiple faults and random faults. An important feature of this method is its ability to process any faults in a branch without the addition of new branches or nodes, which improves the calculation efficiency and the usability of the software.
Feelings and emotions: roles for electrophysiological markers

Asymmetrical electroencephalogram (EEG) alpha activity over anterior regions of the scalp predicts a variety of outcome measures of interest to emotion researchers. This vast and diverse literature is examined from three different viewpoints. First, the organization of this vast literature is contrasted from theoretical and statistical perspectives, and the advantages and disadvantages of each perspective are considered. Second, the correlates of EEG asymmetry are sometimes treated as criterion (dependent) measures and at other times treated as predictor (independent) measures. Differences in the interpretation of each are surveyed, and the need for attention to whether EEG asymmetry is a simple correlate, mediator, or moderator of the associated affective measures is noted. Finally, the studies of EEG asymmetry and emotion that adopt a psychological perspective are contrasted with those that adopt a neurophysiological perspective, and the import of each for theory, experimental design, and analytic strategy is discussed.
The Transportation – Production Tradeoff in the Regional Environmental Impact of Industrial Systems: A Case Study in the Paper Sector:

The author presents a methodology which is used first to model a product-manufacturing-and-distribution system, and then to predict the resulting changes in environmental impact from changes either in taxation or in costs of inputs. A case study of the paper sector in the eastern and central United States is developed, derived from the 1993 US Commodity Flow Survey. From an analysis of five scenarios, two central findings arise: (1) the model is found to be unresponsive to even large changes in transport taxation, so an environmental policy which considers both transportation and production aspects at the same time is favored, and (2) fluctuations in raw-material costs can have an influence on environmental impact as great as or greater than that of changes in taxation levels.
Resurgent current of voltage-gated Na(+) channels.

Resurgent Na+ current results from a distinctive form of Na+ channel gating, originally identified in cerebellar Purkinje neurons. In these neurons, the tetrodotoxin-sensitive voltage-gated Na+ channels responsible for action potential firing have specialized mechanisms that reduce the likelihood that they accumulate in fast inactivated states, thereby shortening refractory periods and permitting rapid, repetitive, and/or burst firing. Under voltage clamp, step depolarizations evoke transient Na+ currents that rapidly activate and quickly decay, and step repolarizations elicit slower channel reopening, or a ‘resurgent’ current. The generation of resurgent current depends on a factor in the Na+ channel complex, probably a subunit such as NaVβ4 (Scn4b), which blocks open Na+ channels at positive voltages, competing with the fast inactivation gate, and unblocks at negative voltages, permitting recovery from an open channel block along with a flow of current. Following its initial discovery, resurgent Na+ current has been found in nearly 20 types of neurons. Emerging research suggests that resurgent current is preferentially increased in a variety of clinical conditions associated with altered cellular excitability. Here we review the biophysical, molecular and structural mechanisms of resurgent current and their relation to the normal functions of excitable cells as well as pathophysiology.
Design of a framework for dynamic content adaptation to Web-enabled terminals and enterprise applications

The paper describes the design of a framework for enterprise Web applications that adapts their contents to various types of Web-enabled terminals, such as wearable devices, PDAs, and automobile PCs. Such terminals have different capabilities as regards their processing units, user interaction, and communication. Thus, applications must dynamically adapt their contents to each type of device when they provide service sessions. On the other hand, applications that serve various dynamic contents from databases and transactions need to be connected to back-end systems, namely, business objects designed independently of the Web applications. For reuse and easy development of such adaptive and enterprise systems, the framework should separate three concerns: (1) design of business objects, (2) design of logical Web contents, and (3) design of the content adaptation. The paper reports the author's experience in designing, implementing, and applying a framework to a banking system using small display devices, and discusses the design.
Lunar Reproductive Cycles of Benthic-Brooding Reef Fishes: Reflections of Larval Biology or Adult Biology?

Lunar reproductive cycles are common among marine animals. Most hy- potheses concerning the adaptive nature of such cycles consider the effects of the tidal regime or moonlight on the dispersal of planktonic eggs or hatchlings away from adult habitats. We determined the reproductive periodicity of 17 paternal-brooding reef fishes at three neotropical sites with different tidal regimes. We used these and published data to assess the explanatory potential of hatchling-dispersal hypotheses, and of other larval- biology and adult-biology hypotheses. Among the 17 species (15 damselfishes and two blennies), two of which we studied at two sites, we found 14 with lunar and semilunar spawning cycles, one sporadically syn- chronized spawner, two acyclically variable spawners, and one continuous spawner. In 16 species individual nests experienced frequent alternation of short brood-care and rest pe- riods (brood cycling). Simple hatcThling-biology hypotheses are unable to account readily for the range of variation in the types, precision, and lunar timing of spawning cycles among species within and between depth zones at the same site, or for intra- and interspecific variation in spawning patterns in relation to seasonal and geographic differences in tidal regimes. The hypothesis that lunar spawning cycles have evolved to maximize the availability of relatively uniform-age larvae that settle during preferred lunar settlement times is sup- ported by some but not all data. Adult-biology hypotheses can account for the higher frequency of lunar spawning cycles among brooders than nonbrooders, and can accommodate various patterns of reproductive cyclicism and synchronization in brooders. Synchronized activity may be favored in some brooders because colonial spawning provides enhanced defense against egg predators. Fur- ther, the cost of brood care may result in reduced egg survivorship, and both brood cycling and the temporal concentration of spawning may reduce egg losses by allowing males to recuperate and increasing benefits to brood-care for them. Adult-biology constraints may produce variability in spawning patterns. Differences in social systems may determine the ability to form nesting colonies, and to strongly syn- chronize spawning independently of lunar cues. Changes in short-term food availability may influence the regularity of spawning. Adult-biology hypotheses represent generally underemphasized alternatives that have at least as much explanatory potential as larval-biology hypotheses. If hatchling biology is of general importance to paternal brooders, there must be considerably more interspecific variability in hatchling ecology than is generally assumed.
DELAYED HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTION AFTER INFUSION OF NONIONIC INTRAVENOUS CONTRAST MATERIAL FOR AN EXCRETORY UROGRAM: A CASE REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Delayed adverse reactions to ionic and nonionic intravenous contrast media have been reported previously. We report a case in which delayed hypersensitivity to iohexol, a nonionic intravenous contrast agent commonly used in excretory urography, resulted in a bi-phasic allergic response. This reaction consisted of a mild post-infusion episode of urticaria, which preceded and was clinically distinct from a moderately severe dermatological eruption. The episode of urticaria was self-limited. The dermatological reaction was treated successfully with antihistamine therapy.
Engaging First Grade Students in a Geoscience Campus Field Trip

We present a geology field trip for first grade students, which includes four hands-on, age-appropriate activities on rocks, minerals, soil and fossils. The content of this program called Geokids adheres to the California educational standards and fits the physical sciences unit on sand, silt and clay for first grade. Over 600 students from eleven schools participate yearly in Geokids which is taught by university graduate and undergraduate student volunteers. The feedback from both university instructors and first grade teachers has been very positive and we are in the process of expanding our audience to include schools in lower income areas.
A varactor tuned 16-element MESFET grid oscillator

Much of the recent research in millimeter-wave quasi-optical systems has been directed at developing reliable solid-state power combiners. The grid oscillator developed by Popovic et al. (1991), is based on integrating active devices directly into a planar grid and has been used to generate powers as high as 10 Watts at 10 GHz. Essentially, the grid structure is a frequency selective surface whose period is only a fraction of a wavelength. Because the grid structure is a frequency selective surface, the impedance presented to devices is a strong function of frequency. This means the frequency tuning bandwidths of these arrays can be quite narrow, a distinct disadvantage for systems that require a broad tuning bandwidth. We present a new grid oscillator configuration in which varactor diodes are integrated directly into a planar array of FETs. The varactors are used to electronically tune the embedding impedance presented to the devices and, thus, the oscillation frequency. We investigate the frequency tuning of an X-band common gate grid oscillator using packaged varactor diodes. Simulations with the grid equivalent circuit model show good agreement with measurement and indicate that the tuning bandwidth can be increased considerably by reducing the minimum capacitance of the varactors. Such a reduction in capacitance can be realized through the use of chip devices and by using a single varactor tuner for each FET. In addition, the varactors could potentially be used to control the relative phase distribution across the grid, resulting in a beam-steerable quasi-optical source.
Uncertainty minimization in multi-sensor localization systems using model selection theory

Belief propagation methods are the state-of-the-art with multisensor state localization problems. However, when localization applications have to deal with multimodality sensors whose functionality depends on the environment of operation, we understand the need for an inference framework to identify confident and reliable sensors. Such a framework helps eliminate failed/non-functional sensors from the fusion process minimizing uncertainty while propagating belief. We derive a framework inspired from model selection theory and demonstrate results on real world multisensor robot state localization and multicamera target tracking applications.
An Experiment to Summarize the Principles of Microeconomics

I present a classroom experiment designed to help students learn (1) decision-making using marginal analysis; (2) the prediction of the price; (3) the decentralized determination of a price by the market; (4) specialization; (5) the gains from trade; and (6) the ability of a competitive market to create a Paretoefficient outcome. The innovation of the experiment is its comprehensiveness.
Biased α-adrenergic receptor and βarrestin signaling in a cell culture model of benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a common disease in older men that involves the enlargement of the prostate gland. This occurs in response to signal transduction initiated by α-adrenergic receptors (α-ARs). When bound to ligands, α-ARs stimulate the mitogenic extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1 and 2 (ERK) pathway, ultimately promoting stromal and epithelial cell hyperplasia in the prostate. Current knowledge of how α-ARs promote prostate cell growth remains incomplete, and despite decades of research, there is no cure for BPH. In this study, we aimed to exploit an in vitro model system of BPH in order to better understand the mechanisms of α-AR signaling in prostatic hyperplasia.
The Performance of Collective Bargaining

MY ASSIGNMENT is to discuss the performance of collective bargaining in the nonagricultural sectors of the economy, leaving to the other speakers and to the audience the inferences if any to be drawn for -farmers. A brief appraisal of collective bargaining must necessarily be inadequate, since bargaining relationships are so varied and so complex. I shall have to cut through the complexities and gloss over the variations to present what seem to be the central tendencies. The sale of labor services by a worker to an employer differs from most transactions in commodity markets because it usually takes place over long periods of time-even in a few instances over the whole working life of the employee. The employer-buyer or his representative is therefore engaged in a continuing personal relationship with the workerseller, and the bargain struck when the employee is hired must be continuously reappraised in the light of his performance or effort, which can vary from time to time. The presence of collective bargaining can alter any or all of the three main aspects of the work situation: the wage bargain, the effort bargain, and the personal relationship. Perhaps some analogy to these relationships can be found in certain commodity markets where the same buyer and seller deal with one another over long periods, but even here the personal contacts are relatively brief. In discussing collective bargaining, I shall touch on its effect on all three aspects of the work situation, starting with wages and ending with noneconomic factors. This order is such that I begin with the most negative elements of my appraisal, and end with the most positive. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that in 1961 approximately 150,000 separate collective bargaining agreements were in force in the United States. Of these, 1,733 major agreements, each accounting for 1,000 or more employees, covered 8.3 million workers, or about half of total union membership. The 138 contracts covering 10,000 or more employees accounted for a total of 4.4 million employees. About onethird of the major agreements were multi-employer agreements, which are typical of situations where many competing employers, including small ones, deal with the same union. Most employers covered by bargaining agreements fall within the scope of the National Labor Relations Act, and therefore are required by law to bargain with organizations representing the majority of the employees in a bargaining unit. As is well-known, the coverage of collective bargaining is much higher
Effects of Adolescent Violent Victimization on Adult Depression: Testing Heterogeneity for Men and Women

Many studies have associated adolescent violence exposure with later mental health outcomes, but because violence cannot be randomly assigned, few have established causality. Additionally, few have directly tested whether violence affects boys’ and girls’ psychological health differently. The author hypothesizes that (1) violence has a negative causal effect on depression and (2) the effects of violence on depression are worse for women than for men. Using National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health data, the author builds multilevel propensity score models with wave 1 predictors in a cross-lagged two-level hierarchical linear model estimating the effects of wave 2 violence on wave 3 outcomes. The results (1) confirm that women have higher depression scores than men net of other factors, (2) show that violence exposure raises average depression scores for both sexes, and (3) uncover no significant sex differences in effect size of violence on depression.
Epidemiology of Chronic Low Back Pain in US Adults: Data From the 2009–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Objective To describe epidemiologic characteristics and associations with increased healthcare utilization in US adults with chronic low back pain (cLBP).
Analysis and improvement of route switch in IEEE 802.11s

Analyzed the route switch of hybrid wireless mesh protocol(HWMP) in IEEE 802.11s and made an improve-ment to reduce the packet lost rate when routes switching was analyzed.Based on the received signal strength indica-tor(RSSI) a scheme with judgment threshold in mesh peer link management protocol was proposed,which controlled the status of peer link to change the timing of route switch.In this way,the packet lost was avoided.The experimental results show that the improvement reduces the packet lost rate by 2%~5% compared with traditional IEEE 802.11s in uncon-trolled wireless environment when nodes moving in low speed.
The Management of Testicular Seminomas, 1979.

The reported results from throughout the world of modern treatment of testicular seminoma are reviewed for the various clinical stages of disease. The three-year survival rate for 1,346 patients with Stage 1 and 2 disease is 91%. Since the review reveals considerable differences in staging methods, a clinically useful staging system is proposed. Treatment methods are described and discussed. Recommendations are made assuming that patients so treated are clinically evaluated for extent of disease before treatment with currently available techniques, including lymphangiography, CT scanning, perhaps ultrasonography, and serum marker determinations. Although the role of cytoreductive surgery in patients with seminoma, even bulky seminoma, now is limited, occasionally when laparotomy is done, debulking may also be helpful. Effective combination chemotherapy regimens have not been identified. The 28% three-year survival rate of patients with Stage 3 disease establishes the real need to identify such therapy. Finally, anaplastic seminoma is considered; a recent review by Percarpio indicates that this subtype perhaps is not unlike classical seminoma as far as stage distribution and prognosis is concerned.
Effects of Firocoxib, Flunixin Meglumine, and Phenylbutazone on Platelet Function and Thromboxane Synthesis in Healthy Horses

Objective Determine the effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) on platelet function and thromboxane synthesis immediately after drug administration and following 5 days of NSAID administration in healthy horses. Study Design Randomized cross-over study. Animals Healthy adult horses (n=9; 6 geldings and 3 mares). Methods Horses received either flunixin meglumine (1.1 mg/kg IV every 12 hours), phenylbutazone (2.2 mg/kg IV every 12 hours), or firocoxib (loading dose of 0.27 mg/kg IV on day 1, then 0.09 mg/kg IV every 24 hours for 4 days) for a total of 5 days. Blood samples were collected prior to drug administration (day 0), 1 hour after initial NSAID administration (day 1), and then 1 hour post-NSAID administration on day 5. Platelet function was assessed using turbidimetric aggregometry and a platelet function analyzer. Serum thromboxane B2 concentrations were determined by commercial ELISA kit. A minimum 14 day washout period occurred between trials. Results At 1 hour and 5 days postadministration of firocoxib, flunixin meglumine, or phenylbutazone, there was no significant effect on platelet aggregation or function using turbidimetric aggregometry or a platelet function analyzer. There was, however, a significant decrease in thromboxane synthesis at 1 hour and 5 days postadministration of flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone that was not seen with firocoxib. Conclusion Preoperative administration of flunixin meglumine, phenylbutazone, or firocoxib should not inhibit platelet function based on our model. The clinical implications of decreased thromboxane B2 synthesis following flunixin meglumine and phenylbutazone administration are undetermined.
A survey of cloud bandwidth control mechanisms

With cloud tenants making greater use of cloud networking infrastructure in a shared manner, there is an increased desire for more efficient bandwidth reservation guarantees. In this paper, we catalog the varied attempts at solving this problem, and propose a novel proposal Bandwidth as a Service.
Impact of spectator motivation on long-term sustainability for women’s basketball league

As the league prepares for its 20th season, the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) has experienced some highs and some lows. The purpose of this study was to understand spectator motivation and to assess new strategies that the league could use to better improve the overall product of the game itself. How can the WNBA expand its fan base to help generate enough revenue that can ensure the league can support itself financially? In order to better understand people's attitudes towards the WNBA, we conducted an online survey that we then submitted on social media for people to express their thoughts on what they liked about the league and what they would like to see implemented in the future. The results from our surveys (N=93) showed that the majority of our participants were satisfied with the overall product the WNBA has to offer (affordability and family-oriented atmosphere), yet, it still lacked a certain "excitement" factor that would make the participant want to personally watch or attend a game. We concluded that in order for the league to truly flourish and gain the recognition and financial success it deserves, league executives should consider incorporating new, innovative ideas that can breathe new life into the league for the next 20 years.
TGF-β2 decreases surface expression of MHC I and MHC II on equine bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells.

Allogeneic bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are a promising cell source for treatment of inflammatory diseases, but elicit immune responses in vivo due to recipient recognition of mismatched Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) molecules. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effectiveness of TGF-β2 in decreasing and stabilizing MHC expression on equine bone marrow-derived MSCs before and after IFN-γ stimulation. FACS analysis showed that MSCs treated with 1, 5, or 10 ng/ml of TGF-β2 had significantly reduced MHC I expression. MHC I expression levels on TGF-β2-treated MSCs were also quantified and determined to be similar to fetal fibroblasts. MHC II expression in two positive animals was greatly reduced compared to untreated MSCs. MSCs pre-treated and continuously treated with 1 ng/ml TGF-β2 had significantly lower MHC I expression following stimulation with IFN-γ for 72 hours compared with untreated. Continuously treated MSCs that were baseline positive for MHC II had significantly lower MHC II expression following IFN-γ stimulation, but there was no significant difference in MHC II expression between TGF-β2-treated and untreated MHC II-negative MSCs after IFN-γ stimulation. These results indicate TGF-β2 treatment has significant promise for reducing recipient immune recognition of MHC-mismatched molecules on allogeneic MSCs, but further work is needed to maintain MHC expression stability.
Abstract 81: Lipid Profiles in Minority and Non-Minority Veterans following Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background: Lipid lowering therapy is an established core measure of secondary prevention in coronary artery disease (CAD) management. The National Cholesterol Education Program - Adult treatment panel III (NCEP ATPIII) guidelines recommend a goal low density lipoprotein (LDL) level less than 100 mg/dL for CAD management. Statins remain the preferred agent for LDL reduction. It is unclear whether race plays a role in lipid control. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, observational study on all patients undergoing PCI at an urban Veterans Hospital from September 2004 to January 2011. Statin use and lipid profiles at 6 months post-PCI were compared to pre-PCI values between minorities and non-minorities. Results: A total of 937 patients (59% minorities) were analyzed. The mean total cholesterol and mean LDL decreased at six-month follow-up in both groups. The mean total cholesterol decreased 18 mg/dL in both minority and non-minority groups. The mean LDL decreased by 11 mg/dL in the minority group and by 13 mg/dL in the non-minority group (p Conclusion: There were improvements in both total cholesterol and LDL values at six months post-PCI in both the minority and non-minority groups. There were also improvements in the percentage of patients who met the ATP III recommended goal of LDL cholesterol less than 100mg/dL at six months in both groups. At six months, there was also an increase in usage of statin therapy in both groups. Race did not appear to play a significant role in lipid management.