cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Judging the Future: Whose Fault Will It Be?

This paper looks at the future from the perspective of the way in which present thinking can influence what the future might be. It assumes that history shapes the future and that the present generation is in a position to shape it. It looks at the future of medicine as a science and a professional discipline, of health care as policy and politics, of culture and ideology as forces shaping medicine and health care, and of biomedical ethics as an influential source of wisdom and perspective. The paper argues that a strong future for bioethics requires a broad rather than a reductionistic vision of its proper work.
Efficient Asynchronous Protocol Converters for Two-Phase Delay-Insensitive Global Communication

As system-level interconnect incurs increasing penalties in latency, round-trip cycle time and power, and as timing-variability becomes an increasing design challenge, there is renewed interest in using two-phase delay-insensitive protocols for global system-level communication. However, in practice, when designing asynchronous systems, it is extremely inefficient to build local computation nodes with two-phase logic, hence four-phase computation blocks are typically used. This paper proposes a new architecture, and circuit-level implementations, for a family of asynchronous protocol converters, which efficiently convert between two- and four-phase protocols, thus facilitating system design with robust global two-phase protocols and local four-phase protocols. The main focus is on a level-encoded dual-rail (LEDR) two-phase protocol for global communication, and a four-phase return-to-zero (RZ) protocol for asynchronous computation blocks. However, with small modifications, the converters are extended to handle other common four-phase protocols, such as 1- of-4 and single-rail bundled data. The converters are highly robust, with almost entirely quasi delay- insensitive implementations, yet exhibit high performance and modest area overhead. Initial post-layout simulations in a 0.18 micron TSMC process are provided, both assuming a small computation block (8times8 combinational multiplier) as well as an empty computation block (FIFO stage).
Human DNA Helicase B Functions in Cellular Homologous Recombination and Stimulates Rad51-Mediated 5'-3' Heteroduplex Extension In Vitro

Homologous recombination is involved in the repair of DNA damage and collapsed replication fork, and is critical for the maintenance of genomic stability. Its process involves a network of proteins with different enzymatic activities. Human DNA helicase B (HDHB) is a robust 5′-3′ DNA helicase which accumulates on chromatin in cells exposed to DNA damage. HDHB facilitates cellular recovery from replication stress, but its role in DNA damage response remains unclear. Here we report that HDHB silencing results in reduced sister chromatid exchange, impaired homologous recombination repair, and delayed RPA late-stage foci formation induced by ionizing radiation. Ectopically expressed HDHB colocalizes with Rad51, Rad52, RPA, and ssDNA. In vitro, HDHB stimulates Rad51-mediated heteroduplex extension in 5′-3′ direction. A helicase-defective mutant HDHB failed to promote this reaction. Our studies implicate HDHB promotes homologous recombination in vivo and stimulates 5′-3′ heteroduplex extension during Rad51-mediated strand exchange in vitro.
The Effect of Cadmium Pretreatment On the Disposition and Excretion of Methylmercury and Trace Elements (Zinc, Copper) in Rats

Cadmium chloride (Cd) was injected s.c. into male rats at a dose rate of 3mgCd/kg 3 times a week for 4 weeks. The animals were maintained for administration of methylmercury (203 Hg) chloride at a ...
The action of vasopressors on isolated uterine arteries

Abstract Isolated uterine arteries from nonpregnant human uteri and pregnant sheep uteri responded in a similar manner to 7 vasopressor drugs. Epinephrine and norepinephrine were equal in vasoconstrictor activity and about 10 times more active than phenylephrine and metaraminol which were also equally active. Ephedrine, mephentermine, and dopamine produced contractions of uterine arteries but only at high concentrations. Neither halothane (0.45 to 0.50 per cent), nitrous oxide (70 per cent), nor lidocaine (3 μg per milliliter) altered contractions to epinephrine or norepinephrine.
Constraint programming languages

Combinatorial search problems are ubiquitous in computer science and appears in many application areas, including operations research, hardware design, computational geometry, and finance. I take the position that constraint programming languages will play an increasingly important role in the development of these applications. The basic motivation behind these languages is to support well established paradigms and constraint solving techniques inside programming languages to: reduce the development time of these applications significantly; and preserve most of the efficiency of specialized algorithms.
Design optimization of electromagnetic devices using shape design sensitivity analysis

This paper presents a novel shape optimal design method for the design of electromagnetic devices. The method combines the shape design sensitivity, boundary element method and the steepest descent algorithm. The shape design sensitivity formula, the total derivative of the objective function with respect to the design variable, is derived by using the implicit differentiation method and the direct 2-D/3-D boundary element method. The shape design sensitivity is used as the gradient of the objective function in the steepest descent algorithm. The proposed method is applied to the optimum shape design of tie electrostatic/magnetostatic devices in 2-D and 3-D. It is shown, through the numerical examples, that the optimum shapes are easily found with a reasonable number of iterations by the proposed method. >
Design and evaluation of a region-based ad hoc routing protocol

Most wireless ad hoc routing protocols incline to blindly flood route request packets to discover the optimal routes between source-destination pairs. This network-wide flooding not only wears out precious resources of wireless devices, but also interferes with normal data traffic. Several efficient broadcasting algorithms have been proposed to suppress redundant packet relays. However, they often suppress the detection of optimal routes too. To reduce route discovery overhead and at the same time ensure route optimally, we propose a region-based routing (REGR) protocol, which dynamically creates a pre-routing region between each source-destination pair and limits the propagation of route request packets only within this region. In new route creation cases, REGR utilizes the efficient broadcast schemes to locate proper pre-routing regions that directly connect sources and destinations. In route update cases, pre-routing regions are simply built around old problematic routes. Both performance analyses and simulation results demonstrate the desired efficiency of REGR.
Indirect genetic effects: an evolutionary mechanism linking feedbacks, genotypic diversity and coadaptation in a climate change context

Summary 1. Predicting the response of communities and ecosystems to range shifts as a consequence of global climate change is a critical challenge confronting modern evolutionary ecologists. 2. Indirect genetic effects (IGEs) occur when the expression of genes in a conspecific neighbouring species affects the phenotype of a focal species, and the same concept applies for interspecific indirect genetic effects (IIGEs) except that the neighbouring species is then required to be heterospecific. 3. Theory and empirical data indicate that indirect genetic effects and interspecific indirect genetic effects have fundamental roles in understanding the consequences of genotypic diversity, evolutionary feedbacks, the co-evolutionary process and coadaptation and are a primary mechanism for the broad ecological and evolutionary dynamics that are likely to be a consequence of climate change. 4. When indirect genetic effects and interspecific indirect genetic effects occur along environmental gradients, both positive and negative feedbacks can evolve, resulting in regions of strong local adaptation and competition as well as regions of complementarity and facilitation. Such evolutionary dynamics have direct consequences for how individuals interact and evolve in mixture and drive the services ecosystems provide. 5. Integrating indirect genetic effects and interspecific indirect genetic effects, feedbacks and diversity effects along environmental gradients represents a major conceptual, theoretical and empirical frontier that must be considered to understand the whole-system consequences of climate change on biodiversity and the services ecosystems provide.
Components of Depression in Parkinson Disease

Depression is a clinically heterogeneous disorder common in Parkinson disease (PD). The goal of this study was to characterize PD depression in terms of components, including negative affect, apathy, and anhedonia. Ninety-five, nondemented individuals with idiopathic PD underwent a diagnostic interview and psychological battery. Twenty-seven patients (28%) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition [DSM-IV]) criteria for a current depressive episode. The best-fitting confirmatory factor analysis model had 3 factors (negative affect, apathy, and anhedonia). Apathy loaded most strongly onto a second-order factor representing global psychological disturbance. All factors are uniquely associated with depression status. Negative affect exhibited the strongest relationship. Psychological disturbance in PD is heterogeneous and can produce symptoms of apathy, anhedonia, and negative affect. Apathy appears to be the core neuropsychiatric feature of PD, whereas negative affect (eg, dysphoria) seems to be most pathognomonic of depression. Future studies should examine the specific neural correlates and treatment response patterns unique to these 3 components.
Crystal structure of type IIE restriction endonuclease EcoRII reveals an autoinhibition mechanism by a novel effector-binding fold.

Abstract EcoRII is a type IIE restriction endonuclease that interacts with two copies of the DNA recognition sequence 5′CCWGG, one being the actual target of cleavage, the other serving as the allosteric effector. The mode of enzyme activation by effector binding is unknown. To investigate the molecular basis of activation and cleavage mechanisms by EcoRII, the crystal structure of EcoRII mutant R88A has been solved at 2.1 A resolution. The EcoRII monomer has two domains linked through a hinge loop. The N-terminal effector-binding domain has a novel DNA recognition fold with a prominent cleft. The C-terminal catalytic domain has a restriction endonuclease-like fold. Structure-based sequence alignment identified the putative catalytic site of EcoRII that is spatially blocked by the N-terminal domain. The structure together with the earlier characterized EcoRII enzyme activity enhancement in the absence of its N-terminal domain reveal an autoinhibition/activation mechanism of enzyme activity mediated by a novel effector-binding fold. This is the first case of autoinhibition, a mechanism described for many transcription factors and signal transducing proteins, of a restriction endonuclease.
The Use of Phased-Array Doppler Sonars near Shore

Phased-array Doppler sonars (PADS) have been used to probe an area several hundred meters on a side with 8-m spatial resolution, sampling every second or less with under 2 cm s 21 rms velocity error per sample. Estimates from two systems were combined to produce horizontal velocity vectors. Here, concerns specific to use of PADS in shallow water are addressed. In particular, the shallower the water is, the larger the fraction of bottom backscatter, so the stronger the bias is toward zero Doppler shift in the estimates. First, direct comparisons are made with other current measurements made during the multi-investigator field experiment ‘‘SandyDuck,’’ sponsored by the Office of Naval Research, which took place in the autumn of 1997 off the coast of Duck, North Carolina. The coherences between PADS and in situ current measurements are high, but the amplitude of the sonar response is generally low. To explore this further, a simplified model of wave shoaling is developed, permitting estimates of wave-frequency velocity variances from point measurements to be extrapolated over the whole field of view of PADS for comparison. The resulting time‐space movies of sonar response are consistent with quasi-steady acoustic backscatter intensity from the bottom competing with a variable backscatter level from the water volume. The latter may arise, for example, from intermittent injection of bubbles by breaking waves, producing patches of high or low acoustic response that advect with the mean flow. Once this competition is calibrated via the surface wave variance comparison, instantaneous measured total backscatter intensities can be compared with an estimated bottom backscatter level (which is updated on a longer timescale, appropriate to evolution of the water depth or bottom roughness) to provide corrected sonar estimates over the region.
Drosophila Cyclodiene Resistance Gene Shows Conserved Genomic Organization with Vertebrate γ-Aminobutyric AcidA Receptors

Genomic clones from the Rdl locus of Drosophila, whose mutant phenotype is resistant to cyclodiene insecticides and picrotoxin, were characterized by restriction mapping and partial sequencing to determine intron/exon structure. The coding region of the gene comprises nine identified exons and spans greater than 25 kb of genomic DNA. The structure of the Drosophila Rdl receptor subunit was compared with those of vertebrate gamma-aminobutyric acid subtype A (GABAA) receptors and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). The first six introns in Rdl show positions similar to those in vertebrate GABAA receptors, whereas the last two differ. It is interesting that the last intron appears to be in a position similar to that in nAChRs. These results are examined in relation to the proposal, based on amino acid identities, that Rdl codes for a novel class of GABAA receptor subunit more closely related to glycine receptors, and the possible place of Rdl in the lineage of the receptor superfamily is discussed.
Effects of hemodilution and phenylephrine on cerebral blood flow and metabolism during cardiopulmonary bypass.

Abstract Objective: Hypotension resulting from hemodilution on cardiopulmonary bypass is often treated by pressor (eg, phenylephrine) infusion. The effect of phenylephrine on cerebral blood flow (CBF) in this setting is not clear. It was hypothesized that phenylephrine might decrease CBF. Measurements and Main Results: Six different radioactively labeled microspheres (15 μm) were used to measure CBF at 6 time points (T) in 9 pigs (mean body weight 11.3 ± 1.2kg): T1 baseline before bypass (mean arterial pressure [MAP] 76 ± 5 mmHg), T2 on mildly hypothermic CPB (34°C, pump flow 100 mL/kg/min, hematocrit 30%, MAP 79 ± 7 mmHg), T3 after moderate hemodilution with crystalloid (hematocrit 20%, resulting MAP 62 ± 6 mmHg), T4 after phenylephrine administration to increase MAP to baseline values (hematocrit 20%), T5 after severe hemodilution (hematocrit 10%, resulting MAP 41 ± 4 mmHg), and T6 after phenylephrine administration to normalize MAP (hematocrit 10%). In addition, blood flow to liver, small bowel and skeletal muscle, and pH of jugular venous blood were measured at each time point. After institution of CPB, the CBF (mL/min/100 g tissue) increased significantly to 53 ± 9 (baseline levels 44 ± 8, T1 v T2, p = 0.03). Hemodilution resulted in significant increases in CBF on CPB to 65 ± 9 and 90 ± 9 at hematocrit 20% and hematocrit 10%, respectively (T2 v T3, p = 0.03; T3 v T5, p = 0.01) and a progressive fall in jugular venous pH. At each level of hemodilution, phenylephrine resulted in an additional increase in CBF (T4, 74 ± 8; T6, 108 ± 12; T3 v T4, p = 0.04; T5 v T6, p = 0.01) but did not improve jugular venous pH. Changes in liver blood flow after hemodilution and vasopressor injection showed a similar pattern to CBF. However, the blood flow to small bowel and skeletal muscle increased with hemodilution but decreased significantly with phenylephrine administration. Conclusions: Phenylephrine redirects blood flow from the bowel and muscle to the brain and liver. Hemodilution increases CBF and pressor administration further increases CBF by elevating perfusion pressure. Maintenance of a higher hematocrit on CPB increases MAP and should decrease the need for vasopressor administration.
Ovarian physiology and age-grading in the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Physiological and morphological changes in the ovarian system in rice weevils, Sitophilus oryzae (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), reared on wheat seeds were studied as a function of adult age, mating status, and nutrient availability. X-ray analysis was used to determine time of adult eclosion and the duration of development of pre-emergent weevils within the seeds, a process that lasted almost 4 days at 251C and 60% r.h. There was no follicular differentiation in pre-emergent weevils. Oocyte maturation began after adults emerged from the seeds and started to feed. There was a significant increase in mean germarium length and the size of proximal follicles within the first 5 days when newly emerged weevils were mated and fed ad lib. Maximum number of follicles and mature eggs per ovariole in mated females occurred at 5–30 days of age. The number of mature eggs decreased in 60-days-old weevils, at the same time that adult mortality increased. Development of the ovarian system was much slower in unmated females than in mated females. Although there was follicle development in unmated females, ovulation never occurred and no eggs were laid. Starvation of mated females resulted in a rapid reduction in numbers of follicles and mature eggs, probablyas a result of oosorption. Females were categorized into two nulliparous and three parous stages according to ovarian development and the degree of accumulation of follicular relics. Paritywas directly correlated with both weevil age and the number of progenyproduced and was the physiological basis used to construct an age-grading model for this species. The method will be useful for determining the age structure and reproductive potential of rice weevil populations in the field. Published byElsevier Science Ltd.
Harbor surveillance radar detection performance

System requirements for harbor surveillance radars are reviewed. Experimental sea clutter data are presented and shown to be closely matched by a log-normal clutter model. Characteristics and parameters of the log-normal clutter model are described. Detection performance against a steady target in a log-normal clutter background, using logarithmic receivers, is provided. A log-normal target model is described. Detection curves for log-normal fluctuating targets in log-normal clutter are developed. A Constant False Alarm Rate (CFAR) processor that adaptively functions in log-normal clutter is described. CFAR detection performance is derived and presented in the form of CFAR loss curves.
Formation of 3-hydroxy-2,3-dihydrovitamin K1 in vivo: relationship to vitamin K epoxide reductase and Warfarin resistance

Hydroxy vitamin K [3(2)-hydroxy-2,3- dihydrovitamin K1] has been identified as a quantitatively important metabolite of injected vitamin K epoxide in vivo. The metabolite has been isolated and identified by comparison of its UV, mass spectra and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) retention times with those of synthetic standards, and by its characteristic conversion to vitamin K quinone on treatment with the base triethylamine. This metabolite is formed from the vitamin K epoxide, not from the vitamin K quinone and can represent up to 3.5% of dose and 13% of hexane-extractable metabolites present in liver 1 hour after injection of 330 micrograms vitamin K1 epoxide per kilogram body weight. It is formed in both normal and warfarin-resistant rat strains, but to a significantly greater extent in the latter. Unlike the hydroxy vitamin K formed by warfarin-resistant rat liver microsomes in vitro, the metabolite formed from racemic vitamin K epoxide in vivo was not optically active, nor was its formation inhibited by coumarin anticoagulants under conditions that completely blocked vitamin K epoxide reduction in vivo. On this basis, hydroxy vitamin K formation in vivo differs from its formation in vitro; it is not a product of vitamin K epoxide reductase in vivo, but of some other possibly non-enzymatic reaction.
Effects of Downdrafts and Mesoscale Convective Organization on the Heat and Moisture Budgets of Tropical Cloud Clusters. Part III: Effects of Mesoscale Convective Organization

Abstract The effects of mesoscale convective organization on the large-scale heat and moisture budgets of tropical cloud clusters are studied using the GATE Phase III data. Two basic questions concerning the mesoscale effects are addressed: 1) the interpretation of the mesoscale processes contributing to observed heat and moisture budget residuals, and 2) the coupling between dynamic and thermodynamic fields of the environment of organized cumulus convection. The contributions from mesoscale circulations to the observed heat and moisture budget residuals are identified by eliminating the effects of the subsidence compensating the cumulus mass flux from these quantities. Then, the mesoscale contributions are objectively isolated from the observed budget residuals with the aid of a diagnostic cumulus ensemble model developed in Part I of this paper. The isolated mesoscale contributions clearly show warming and drying in the upper troposphere and cooling and moistening in the lower troposphere, indicating th...
Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program Dramatically Increases Knowledge Retention And Student Skills

In academia, faculty have the challenge of developing programs that will instill in the students the core competencies and skills defined by the accounting profession as the benchmark for successful entry into the accounting profession by college graduates. By integrating participation in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program with the teaching of concepts in the classroom at Utah Valley State College, faculty have been able to increase the retention of knowledge and the development of practical skills that benefit students, potential employers, and the community.
Local Television News in Salinas, California: Defining and Informing a Latino Community With Excessive Crime News Coverage

This mixed-methods study examines how local television news informs a primarily Latino community by analyzing broadcasts recorded during a 2-month span in 2012 in Salinas, California, using cultivation theory. Its findings indicate a substantial focus on crime news stories and a disproportionate identification of Latinos as perpetrators of crime compared to the identification of Latinos as victims of crime. These patterns suggest a connection between local television news representations of Latino identity with perceptions of violence, even in predominantly Latino communities.
Predicting Which Patients will Likely Benefit from Subglottic Secretion Drainage Endotracheal Tubes: A Retrospective Study

Abstract Background Subglottic secretion drainage endotracheal tubes (SSD ETTs) have been shown to decrease ventilator-associated pneumonia and are recommended for patients intubated > 48 h or 72 h. However, it is difficult to determine which patients will be intubated > 48 h or 72 h at the time of intubation. Objective We attempted to determine which patient characteristics were associated with intubations ≥ 48 h or 72 h in order to guide proper placement of SSD ETTs. Methods The medical records of 2,159 ventilated patients at a single institution were retrospectively reviewed for intubation duration, age, sex, race, body mass index, weight, intubation reason, whether the intubation was emergent, operative status, intensive care unit (ICU) diagnosis, intubation location, ICU location, comorbidities (e.g., congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, coronary artery disease, dementia, and liver disease), acute kidney injury (AKI), and chronic renal injury. A multivariate regression analysis was then performed with all reliable data. Results The following were associated with intubation ≥ 48 h: neuroscience critical care unit (NCCU) admission (risk ratio [RR] = 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.34–2.56), emergent intubation (RR = 1.97; 95% 1.28–3.03), comorbid dementia (RR = 2.31; 95% 1.28–4.18), nonoperative intubation (RR = 1.77; 95% 1.28–4.18), and AKI (RR = 3.32; 95% 2.56–4.3). The following were independently associated with intubation ≥ 72 h: NCCU admission (RR = 2.2; 95 CI 1.57–3.08), nonoperative intubation (RR = 3.38; 95% CI 2.63–4.35), comorbid dementia (RR = 3.03; 95% CI 1.67–5.48), and AKI (RR = 3.11; 95% CI 2.38–4.07). Conclusion Nonoperative intubation, emergent intubation, history of dementia, admission to NCCU and AKI all appear to be independently associated with increased RRs for either ≥ 48 h or 72 h of ventilation.
Functional Zein–Siloxane Bio-Hybrids

Bio-hybrid films have been prepared by a sol–gel method starting from thermoplasticized zein (TPZ) and 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GOTMS). A two-step procedure was adopted including the silane functionalization of zein macromolecules by reactive melting and the subsequent hydrolysis and condensation step of anchored GOTMS units with in situ formation of silsesquioxane (SSQO) nanostructures. These nanostructures bond the zein macromolecules with each other through the reaction of the GOTMS epoxy moieties with zein amine groups. Small angle X-ray scattering, transmission electron microscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the formation of the hybrid network consisting of 2 nm-sized SSQO nanostructures dispersed in the zein matrix along with the modification of the hierarchical structure of zein. The organic–inorganic network induces an enhancement of mechanical and functional performances. In fact, owing to the presence of 3 wt % of siloxane as SiO3/2, the maximum stress increases from 1.87 to 11.16...
"Sleep is not tangible" or what the Hebrew tradition has to say about sleep.

Much of what is known about sleep disorders has been uncovered in the last forty years. As scientists, we consider these discoveries to be landmarks. Yet there is a tremendous amount of information written about sleep in the Bible and its commentaries. Sleep, and even sleep disorders, are referred to in many instances and can be directly interpreted by what we know today. Our forefathers and foremothers generally viewed sleep as both pleasant and necessary and were aware that sleep was not one continuous stage. They referred to the function of sleep as being restorative. They deplored sleep deprivation, believing that it impaired life. They felt that excessive sleepiness was harmful. They understood that insomnia could be caused by stress and anxiety and by excessive alcohol, and that physical activity (exercise) and drinking milk could improve sleep. They suggested cures for insomnia, including some of the ideas included in today's sleep hygiene rules. They understood that there was a rhythm or timing to sleep. They even understood that it is easier to delay the circadian rhythm that to advance it. Although naps are not recommended, they sometimes took naps in the afternoon, but suggested just how long that nap should last-about one-half hour. And they knew that with age, although sleep is advanced, healthy elderly do not have difficulty sleeping. Although we think we have discovered many new features about sleep disorders, much of what we know today was suggested thousands of years ago and documented in the Bible and the Talmud.
Maternal Dietary Iodide Influences Turkey Embryonic Thyroid Function

Abstract An experiment was designed to examine a mechanism to improve embryonic survival following maternal thyroid hormone manipulation. Commercial turkey breeder hens were fed diets containing supplemental iodide to mimic changes in the maternal thyroid output during an egg production cycle (32 to 48 wk of age). Dietary iodide treatment depressed maternal blood thyroxine (T4) concentrations in a time-dependent manner. Dietary iodide depressed maternal blood 3, 5, 3’-triiodothyronine (T3) levels across all times examined. The maternal dietary treatment increased embryonic blood concentrations of T4 at 25 to 28 d of incubation but depressed blood concentrations of T3 only at 27 d of incubation. In a second trial, the same response was noted in maternal blood when the hens were fed additional iodide with no corresponding effects on T3 concentrations. The iodide treatment decreased embryonic T4 concentrations in the second trial as well but in a time-dependent manner. Iodide accelerated the increase in T4 concentrations coincidental with earlier pipping in eggs from iodide-fed dams compared with controls. The data indicate that the embryonic thyroid function during hatching is dependent upon the maternal thyroid in turkey dams, even though the embryo develops outside the maternal body.
Analysis of Long-term Overload Work among Medical Staffs in the Tertiary Hospitals

Objective: To investigate the current status of workload among medical staffs in the tertiary hospitals and reveal long-term work overload among medical staffs.Methods: Self-designed questionnaire was distributed to 250 medical staffs from the tertiary hospitals for the survey.Results: Long working hour,heavy stress and tough physician-patient communication are main sources of work overload.Conclusion:Work overload is common among medical staffs and requires social attention.Medical staffs should take different stress relief approaches according to the source.
Epidemic Characteristics of Hepatitis B in Leshan City,2001-2010

Objective To understand epidemic characteristics of hepatitis B in Leshan City and thus explore strategies and measures for prevention and control.Methods Descriptive epidemiology method was applied for analysis with SPSS11.5.Results A total of 15806 hepatitis cases and 11 dead cases were reported during 2001 to 2010.The average annual incidence was 47.15/100 000 and average annual mortality was 0.05/100 000.The incidence from 2006 to 2010 decreased 2.17% compared with that from 2001 to 2005.The proportion of incidence for 0-9 age group showed descending trend while that of 45-85 age group showed ascending trend.The proportion of peasant,retiree,household and unemployed showed ascending trend while that of workers,civil servant and children showed descendent trend.Conclusion Reporting management of hepatitis B calls for further normalization and vaccine immunization needs to be reinforced;targeted health education should be carried out to decrease the incidence.
Synthesis of keto Schiff bases and their fluorescence property

Objective: To study fluorescence of the Keto Schiff ligand and its complexes.Methods: A novel keto bis-Schiff base ligand and its transition metal Cu(Ⅱ),Zn(Ⅱ) complexes were prepared and characterized by element analysis,IR,UV-Vis and molar conductivity and 1H NMR.The fluorescence spectrums of the Schiff ligand and its complexes were determined.Results:At the room temperature,the fluorescence spectrums of complex L·Zn(OAc)2 of solid state and in many different solutions were determined,kelly would be observed when they were irradiated by ultraviolet radiation.Ex: 468nm,Em: 538 nm,RFI: 776.6.The fluorescence of complex L·Cu(OAc)2 could not be found.Conclusions:It can be inferred that the Schiff base complex L·Zn(OAc)2 has good fluorescence capability,and its fluorescence of solid state is much stronger than that in the solutions.
A Thermodynamic Study of the Effects of cholesterol on the Activity of Antimicrobial Peptide Protegrin-1

Antibiotic resistance is a growing global concern. Whether by the unrestricted availability and overuse of antibiotics in the developing world or the tendency in the developed world to stop following antibiotic treatments before their prescribed end date, infectious bacterial strains have over time become resistant to these same antibiotics. A promising class of innate immune system molecules known as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) may be a model for the next generation of antibiotic therapeutics. The most important characteristic of AMPs is their propensity to selectively attack and lyse bacterial membranes, while leaving mammalian (i.e., host) cell membranes intact. One of the critical differences between bacterial and mammalian cell membranes is the absence of cholesterol in the former and the sizable presence of cholesterol in the latter. Given that cholesterol stiffens a mammalian cell membrane above the gel-to-liquid phase transition temperature of its constituent phospholipids, we hypothesize that AMP selectivity is in part the result of the differing fluidities of mammalian and bacterial cell membranes. In our thermodynamic investigation of the relationship between membrane fluidity and the extent of AMP-induced membrane disruption, we have carried out isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) measurements. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) composed of varying ratios of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (DMPC) to cholesterol served as model membranes of varying fluidity, while the 18-residue long, cationic peptide protegrin-1 (PG-1) served as the AMP. In concert with previously-obtained atomic force microscopy (AFM) data, our ITC results confirm that cholesterol indeed protects phospholipid membranes from AMP-induced disruption.
Global Virtual Team Performance: The Effect of Coordination Effectiveness, Trust, and Team Cohesion

Research problem: Subgroup formation in global virtual teams could negatively impact team performance due to difficulties in coordination, trust, and team cohesion. Research questions: What role do trust and team cohesion play in the relationship between coordination effectiveness and team performance of global virtual teams with two distinct subgroups? Literature review: Prior research suggests that coordination effectiveness on team performance is most strongly impacted by coordination of knowledge. This effectiveness is mediated by trust and team cohesion. However, we have a poor understanding of trust and team cohesion dynamics on intergroup relationships in global virtual teams. Methodology: A survey was conducted with 14 teams with a total of 112 participants in the US and India. The teams were tasked with evaluating customer-relationship-management best practices for a global environment. Results and discussion: We evaluated how the process of effective coordination for teams composed of two colocated subgroups is mediated by individual perceptions of out-group trust and overall team cohesion. Our findings show that individual trust and team cohesion share a reciprocal impact on each other, suggesting that effective coordination in virtual teams can create a positive feedback loop with trust and cohesion, improving overall project performance. Implications for theory and practice include the virtuous cycle that trust and cohesion create in global virtual team coordination and the necessity of establishing appropriate project coordination systems and processes to promote both aspects and, thus, achieve excellent project performance for colocated subgroups.
Big Data Analytics on Flash Storage with Accelerators

Complex analytics of the vast amount of data collected via social media, cell phones, ubiquitous smart sensors, and satellites is likely to be the biggest economic driver for the IT industry over the next decade. For many "Big Data" applications, the limiting factor in performance is often the transportation of large amount of data from hard disks to where it can be processed, i.e. DRAM. We will present BlueDBM, an architecture for a scalable distributed flash store which overcomes this limitation by providing a high-performance, high-capacity, scalable random-access flash storage, and by allowing computation near the data via a FPGA-based programmable flash controller. We will present the preliminary results for two applications, (1) key-value store (KVS) and (2) sparse-matrix accelerator for graph processing, on BlueDBM consisting of 20 nodes and 20TB of flash.
3.7μW 0.8V VCO-integrator-based high-efficiency capacitor-free low-dropout voltage regulator

This paper presents a VCO-integrator-based high-efficiency low-dropout voltage regulator (LDO). Due to the integrator based architecture the LDO has higher efficiency, lower input voltage and better load regulation than traditional operational-amplifier based implementations. The proposed LDO was fabricated in 180nm CMOS technology along with a traditional operational-amplifier based design for comparison. The proposed LDO consumes a power of 3.7μW at 0.8V input and can achieve a drop-out voltage of 100mV and a load regulation of 8.8μV/mA. The proposed LDO is capacitor-free.
High Dose ACTH for Infantile Spasms

The efficacy and plasma levels of ACTH and Cortisol were studied in 15 children with infantile spasms and hypsarrhythmia using a high dose (150 IU/M2/D ACTH) and are reported from the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, and the Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, the Alabama Children's Hospital, Birmingham, AL.
Comprehensive Care for Joint Replacement (CJR), a mandatory program with winners and losers

Abstract The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) have continued to explore ways to decrease cost and increase quality in the provision of medical services. There is increasing concern that the current "fee-for-service" payment structure of American medicine may do neither. CMS has developed several programs aimed at incentivizing better quality at a lower spend, termed Alternative Payment Models (APMs). CJR is the largest, being implemented in 67 metropolitan regions. This is a mandated bundle payment where providers initially are not at risk, but hospitals control the bundle and are at risk. Clearly, in any program designed to curtail spending there will be losers and winners, "musical chairs" if you will. This article reviews the scope of services within the bundle, and predicts how specific stakeholders will do.
80V HVDMOS reliability characterization for 0.6μm and 0.35μm technologies

Integrated logic combined with high voltage (HV) capability for products such as low Ron MEMs switches, charge pumping applications and automotive products such as battery sensors and oil level sensors has led to the development of an 80 V HVDMOS process option at ADLK. The devices which dominate this development from a HV point of view are the 80V HVDMOS devices and the 80 V met2/thin film HV capacitor. This work summarizes the device level characterization using hot carrier (HC) testing to successfully qualify these HVNDMOS devices. In particular, the difficulties experienced in generating 'real' hot carrier degradation data resulting from a thermal effect leading to abnormal hot carrier degradation during the initial characterization of HVNDMOS devices, is highlighted.
Iran-UAE Relations

Ulrichsen argues that probably more than any bilateral relationships in the Persian Gulf, the ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran have been multidimensional and even cross-purpose. Since its formation in December 1971, Emirati leaders have struggled at times to draw together the individual policies of seven different emirates into a coherent political and economic standpoint. Thus, the longstanding commercial and trading relationships that existed between Dubai and Sharjah with their counterparts on the Persian shore of the Gulf have been counterbalanced by Iran’s seizure and subsequent occupation of three islands claimed by Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah. Moreover, over the past decade Abu Dhabi has emerged as a strategic hawk on the Iranian nuclear issue even as Dubai functioned as a loophole in the international sanctions on Iran. Ulrichsen underscores the difficulty of formulating a unitary analysis of the UAE-Iran relations. Instead, he opted to examining the dominant factors that shape (and re-shape) ties between the two states.
Student Engagement and Student Learning: Examining the Convergent and Discriminant Validity of the Revised National Survey of Student Engagement

The present study examined the relationships between student engagement, represented by two versions of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) and self-reported gains in learning. The study drew on institutional-level data from participating institutions in 2011 and 2013. The objective of the research was to compare evidence of convergence and discrimination for the two versions of NSSE using canonical correlation analysis. Results indicated that both versions of NSSE provided clear evidence of convergence in that student engagement measures were significantly and positively related to perceived gains in learning. However, only the most recent version of NSSE provided strong evidence of discrimination (i.e., differential relationships between engagement measures and self-reported learning outcomes). Thus, the revised NSSE appears to offer substantial advantages for institutions interested in more nuanced understandings of the relationships between student engagement and perceived learning outcomes. Implications for educators, with goals of enhancing student learning, and for researchers, who often compare complex sets of data, are included.
The role of pioneer species in revegation of disturbed desert areas

The northern Mojave Desert, as are many deserts, is characterized in part by small fertile islands in which exist individual shrub clumps each containing two or more plants. These fertile sites promote characteristic organization of both plant and animal activity in the desert. Destruction of these fertile sites make revegetation extremely difficult because most seedlings germinate in these sites. Some pioneer species do, however, germinate and survive in the bare areas between the fertile sites. Four such species in the northern Mojave Desert are Acamptopappus shockleyi Gray, Lepidium fremontii Wats., Sphaeralcea ambigua Gray, and Atriplex confertifolia (Torr. and Frem.) Wats. These four-species may have a role in starting new fertile islands.
Educational Freedom and Protestant Schools in Europe

In contrast with the United States, all the countries of Western Europe provide public funding for the tuition costs of private (mostly faith-based) schools chosen by parents. While this represents a significant plus for rights of conscience and parental empowerment, it involves also a larger government role in supervising private schools than is the case in the United States. This chapter discusses Germany, the Netherlands, England, Northern Ireland, and Sweden, in each of which there is a well-established tradition of Protestant schooling; public funding is provided so that families can choose to send their children to schools with a religious character, but the arrangements and the assumptions that underlie them differ considerably. Although government supervision extends only to the quality and general content of the instruction, not to the worldview which shapes the life of the school, there is evidence that many Protestant schools have largely lost their distinctiveness as a result of the general secularization of European societies and a failure to work at promoting an alternative vision of education.
Lattice-ordered Fields

In this chapter we will concentrate on lattice-ordered fields. Since more is known about totally ordered fields than about l-fields in general most of this chapter will be concerned with totally ordered fields. Examples of l-fields come from power series l-rings and from constructing lattice orders on the reals and other similar totally ordered fields. We will develop the algebraic properties of totally ordered fields, including the existence and uniqueness of its real closure, which culminates in a description of those fields whose algebraic closure is a finite extension. In order to show that some commutative l-domains can be embedded in power series l-fields with real coefficients and with exponents in the associated value po-group—the Hahn Embedding Theorem—we will need to develop enough valuation theory to first carry out the embedding for totally ordered fields. We will also see that a totally ordered division ring can be enlarged to one whose center contains the reals.
Global Positioning Strategies: A Comparison of Positioning Strategies Used in German and American Airline Magazine Advertisements: An Abstract

Due to increasing globalization and leveled down trade barriers between countries, companies can internationalize faster than ever before. Consequently, the creation of a global brand is becoming more and more important to businesses as they try to reach out to a global consumer culture. As the competition gets tougher in international domain, companies need to create positive connections in the target consumers’ mind and have a clear positioning strategy. Carefully planned positioning strategies help establish brand equity and maintain consumers in the long term. In this study, global brand positioning is studied through advertisements in in-flight magazines for airlines from Germany and the United States. A consumer-based typology is used to identify and compare the positioning strategies used by the companies that advertise their products in these global magazines. The findings indicate that in-flight magazines from both of these domains utilize customer-derived positioning strategies in order to create consumer-based brand equity and strong consumer loyalty.
Optimizing HARQ feedback and incremental redundancy in wireless communications

Wireless networks have been adjusting their transmit power, modulation order, and coding rate based on the channel conditions for a long time. Such adaptive protocols aim to maximize the overall throughput by striking a trade-off between transmitting as much information as possible and minimizing the probability of loosing such information. However, there is little literature on adaptive retransmissions when failures occur. This paper studies the trade-offs that hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocols face when choosing the type and amount of incremental redundancy (IR) that should be sent when the decoding of a data block fails at the receiver. It proposes a method to optimize such choice for a system with non-ideal error correcting codes (ECC) and limited feedback capabilities. Additionally, it is shown through simulations that the overall data rate can be significantly increased by bundling the acknowledgements.
Understanding Managerial Decision Risks in IT Project Management: An Integrated Behavioral Decision Analysis Perspective

Given the importance of IT investments in today’s organization, firms tend to spend increasing amounts of time and resources to better manage IT projects. However these projects continue to have high failure rates thus highlighting the need for improved risk management. A stream of IS research has focused on identifying several causes of managerial risks. The theory base that has been used in the context of IT risk management is limited compared to other fields such as economics and finance and also has been used in limited aspects of project management. This paper examines risk management at different phases of the project life cycle using theories from a behavioral decision analysis perspective. Under researched, yet important theories in the context of IT project management are identified along with illustrative propositions.