cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical Research of Engine Valve Train basing on CAD/CAE Integration

Through establishing numerical research flow of engine valve train,to integrate traditional experience design theory and advanced professional software,to syncretize valve train design 、kinematic analysis、dynamical analysis 、optimization for gas exchange process 、finite element analysis for camshaft、valve gear to effect in noise and vibration,for discussing a novel numerical research method basing on CAD/CAE integration
Clinical implications of 5-FU modulation.

In recent years, due to the advent of sensitive instrumentation and methodologies, it has been possible to identify parameters that predict the quality of response of individual patients to treatments for specific selected diseases, e.g., colon carcinoma and breast carcinoma. Ongoing studies are attempting to identify sensitive patients in order to select treatment regimens suitable for the individual patient. The critical question that remains is whether the basis for drug resistance is due in part to insufficient delivery of drugs to target tumor cells or to the resistance of target tumor cells by various mechanisms, including, in the case of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), drug transport, metabolism, expression of the target enzyme thymidylate synthase (dTMPS), depletion of folate cofactors, and/or level of competing substrate deoxyuridine monophosphate. Also in recent years, attempts have been made to delineate mechanisms of resistance to the fluoropyrimidines. On the basis of such studies, it may be possible to develop approaches aimed at the selective modulation of the therapeutic efficacy of these agents in tumor tissues with varying degrees of sensitivity of fluoropyrimidines, e.g., patients with advanced colorectal cancer. One such approach is the use of calcium folinate to modulate the therapeutic efficacy of 5-FU.
Episodic secretory patterns of immunoreactive luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (IR-LH-RH) in the systemic circulation of normal women throughout the menstrual cycle *

Using established radioimmunoassays for measuring plasma luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) and serum gonadotropins, we studied the secretory dynamics of these hormones in eight normal ovulatory women during different phases of their menstrual cycle. All of the women demonstrated evidence of pulsatile immunoreactive LH-RH (IR-LH-RH) release throughout the cycle, with IR-LH-RH concentrations fluctuating between 0.5 and 35pg/ml in the systemic circulation. Analysis of IR-LH-RH episodic secretions revealed a significant increase of both mean IR-LH-RH concentrations ( P P P
Clinical dentistry in the 21st century.

What will oral health care be like in the 21st century? During the 20th century, American dental education evolved from freestanding and often proprietary schools to become an integral part of research-intensive university professional education. This evolution provided a formidable scientific basis for diagnosis, therapeutics, disease prevention, and health promotion. The development of clinical skills coupled with advanced dental materials and therapeutics has truly been remarkable. And now we approach the 21st century as a nation of changing demographics. By 2010, nearly 40 million Americans will be 65 years old or older. Expectations for "quality of life" now punctuate American values. In 1900, the human life span was 45 years, but today it approaches 80 years. Although in 1900, the primary causes of mortality and morbidity were acute infectious diseases, today our challenges include complex viral-infectious as well as neoplastic and chronic disabling diseases (e.g., chronic facial pain, musculoskeletal degeneration, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, and cerebrovascular and coronary diseases and disorders). In fact, one American dies every hour from oral cancer. Changes in the practice of clinical dentistry in the 21st century will: (1) integrate dental practice into comprehensive health care; (2) become increasingly proactive for health promotion; (3) represent an increased knowledge-base and computer-assisted technology approach for diagnostics and therapeutics; and (4) use novel strategies for oral health care ranging from gene-mediated therapeutics to community-based health promotion.
Subgrade resilient modulus prediction using light-weight deflectometer data

Resilient modulus has been used for decades as an important parameter in pavement structure design. Resilient modulus, like other elasticity moduli, increases with increasing confining stress and decreases with increasing deviatoric stress. Several constitutive models have been proposed in the literature to calculate resilient modulus as a function of stress state. The most recent model, recommended by the Mechanistic–empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) and used in this paper, calculates resilient modulus as a function of bulk stress, octahedral shear stress, and three fitting coefficients: k1, k2, and k3. Work in this paper presents a novel approach for predicting resilient modulus of subgrade soils at various stress levels based on light-weight deflectometer (LWD) data. The proposed model predicts the MEPDG resilient modulus model coefficients (k1, k2, and k3) directly from the ratio of applied stress to surface deflection measured during LWD testing. The proposed model eliminates uncertainties asso...
Concluding Remarks and Future Perspectives: Looking Back and Moving Forward

This concluding chapter offers a perspective on photosynthesis research that is both historical and forward-looking. It imagines a future where a significant fraction of our energy demands are supplied by technologies inspired by photosynthesis. However, many scientific, engineering and policy challenges must be addressed for this realization.
1.5 Alumina

Although the origin of the development of alumina as a biomaterial can be traced back to 1930, its successful use as a biomaterial is based on the studies carried out in the early 1970s in France, Germany, and Japan. Alumina has 40 years of clinical record in the field of orthopedics, where it is used in the manufacture of balls and cups for hip replacements and has proven its effectiveness in limiting the bearing wear. The arthroplasty of the hip is one of the most successful surgeries, with very positive outcomes but its success is hampered in a number of cases by the insurgence of osteolysis, a device-induced pathology, which also arises out of the reactions induced by the wear debris. This explains the interest shown in minimizing the wear of bearings in arthroplasty and the continuous efforts taken to improve the materials selected for this task.
Sex, gender, and disasters: Experimental evidence on the decision to invest in resilience

Abstract Increasing sensitivity to terrorism, economic volatility, frequent and severe natural disasters, and infrastructure disruptions has intensified interest in resilience, the ability to withstand or recover from catastrophe. The growing research on disaster preparedness and recovery policies have been aggregate-level analyses focusing on communities, organizations, or the physical environments. Absent from this literature is an exploration of the role of individual decision-makers in determining the resilience strategies of firms, even though the hardiness of business is crucial to maintaining robust local, regional, and global economies. To address this, our research uses a randomized controlled experimental design to examine whether biological sex or gender diversity might lead to decision-making that improves investments in resilience to calamitous events. We study decisions related to a core resilience strategy, investment in inventories, across professional manager and student subject pools. We find that although females perceive a higher probability of a catastrophic event, male and female subjects do not make different investment decisions when faced with uncertainty and risk. Importantly, a gender construct capturing congruence with feminine personality attributes does correspond with increased resilience investment and is driven by differences between managers and students. Increased gender diversity in decision-making bodies may serve to improve economic resilience of firms and other organizations.
Ensemble modeling of stochastic unsteady open-channel flow in terms of its time–space evolutionary probability distribution – Part 2: numerical application

Abstract. The characteristic form of the Saint-Venant equations is solved in a stochastic setting by using a newly proposed Fokker–Planck Equation (FPE) methodology. This methodology computes the ensemble behavior and variability of the unsteady flow in open channels by directly solving for the flow variables' time–space evolutionary probability distribution. The new methodology is tested on a stochastic unsteady open-channel flow problem, with an uncertainty arising from the channel's roughness coefficient. The computed statistical descriptions of the flow variables are compared to the results obtained through Monte Carlo (MC) simulations in order to evaluate the performance of the FPE methodology. The comparisons show that the proposed methodology can adequately predict the results of the considered stochastic flow problem, including the ensemble averages, variances, and probability density functions in time and space. Unlike the large number of simulations performed by the MC approach, only one simulation is required by the FPE methodology. Moreover, the total computational time of the FPE methodology is smaller than that of the MC approach, which could prove to be a particularly crucial advantage in systems with a large number of uncertain parameters. As such, the results obtained in this study indicate that the proposed FPE methodology is a powerful and time-efficient approach for predicting the ensemble average and variance behavior, in both space and time, for an open-channel flow process under an uncertain roughness coefficient.
Abstract T P148: Level of Education is Inversely Proportional to ABCD2 Score in Patients with TIA

Background: Racial and socioeconomic disparities in stroke care have been reported including decreased recognition of stroke symptoms, delay to presentation, severity of stroke at presentation, and...
In Search of ʿIzz al-Dīn Aydamir al-Ǧildakī, Mamlūk Alchemist

This article attempts to establish basic biographical information about the prolific Egyptian alchemist ʿIzz al-Dīn Aydamir al-Ǧildakī, more specifically his birth and death dates and his origin. To this end, the article makes use of and critics manuscripts and secondary sources in order to untangle probable facts from unsubstantiated assumptions. The result moves closer to identifying the time and place, and thus the historical context, for an influential alchemist in the medieval Islamic world.Cet article tente d’etablir les informations biographiques de base sur le prolifique alchimiste egyptien ʿIzz al-Dīn Aydamir al-Ǧildakī, en particulier ses dates de naissance et de mort et son origine. A cette fin, l’article utilise et critique des manuscrits et des sources secondaires afin de degager les donnees historiques les plus probables des presupposes infondes. Le resultat precise l’identification du temps et du lieu, et donc du contexte historique, de cet alchimiste fondamental dans le monde islamique medieval.This article is in English.
Novel 3D-printed “Chinese fan” bow-tie antennas for origami/shape-changing configurations

This paper presents a novel approach to realize 3D-printed flexible reconfigurable antennas, along with a proof-of-concept tunable bow-tie antenna inspired from Chinese origami fan. Stereolithography (SLA) printing, a low-cost high-performance additive manufacturing technique, is utilize to enable the easy fabrication of origami structure prototypes and the structure is metallized using a liquid metal alloy (LMA) to facilitate folding without breakages. The proposed bow-tie antenna features a frequency tuning range from 896 MHz to 992 MHz and bandwidth reconfigurability. This reconfigurable antenna can be applied to various dynamically changing scenarios such as wireless communications, collapsible/portable radars, wearable applications.
Similar weight loss and maintenance in African American and White women in the Improving Weight Loss (ImWeL) trial.

Objective: African Americans (AA) are often underrepresented and tend to lose less weight than White participants during the intensive phase of behavioral obesity treatment. Some evidence suggests ...
Effect of alterations of the ATG translation start codon of the APRT gene.

The aprt gene locus has distinct advantages as a model for analysis of mutations in eucaryotic cells in culture. It is, for a eucaryotic gene, quite small. The minimal upstream through downstream region needed for normal function of the CHO gene when transfected into a host has been determined by deletion mapping to be from about 90 nt upstream of the transcription initiation site (about 155 nt upstream of the translation initiation site) through the gene to somewhere between 246 and 430 nt downstream of the translation stop codon. The 3′ untranslated sequence must include the first polyadenylation signal and a signal at least 10 nt and less than 200 nt 3′ of the polyadenylation signal. Thus the functional gene, including introns and 5′ and 3′ signals is somewhere between 2560 and 2380 nt long 1.
ISO 25062 Usability Test Planning for a Large Enterprise Applications Suite

In setting out to perform summative usability testing on a new suite of more than 100 enterprise software applications for 400 different user roles, we faced a number of challenges in terms of staffing, scheduling, and resources. ISO 25062 provided a valuable organizing framework to plan, scope, and implement our testing effort. In this paper, we discuss the considerations and steps that we took in test planning and management, including our prioritization strategy and creation of an automated data collection system to minimize impact on staffing resources and the usability engineering workload.
Lethal murine graft-versus-host disease induced by donor gamma/delta expressing T cells with specificity for host nonclassical major histocompatibility complex class Ib antigens

Although T-cell receptor (TCR) alpha/beta expressing cells have a well-known role in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) generation, the role of TCR gamma/delta expressing cells in this process has remained unclear. To elucidate the potential function of TCR gamma/delta cells in GVHD, we have used transgenic (Tg) H-2d mice (termed G8) that express gamma/delta heterodimers on a high proportion of peripheral T cells. In vitro, G8 Tg gamma/delta T cells proliferate to and kill C57BL/6 (B6) (H-2b) which express gene products (T10b and T22b) from the nonclassical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class Ib H-2T region. The infusion of G8 Tg (H-2Td) TCR gamma/delta cells into lethally irradiated [900 cGy total body irradiation (TBI)] B6 (H-2b) mice resulted in the generation of lethal GVHD characterized histologically by destruction of the spleen, liver, lung, and colon. Lethal GVHD was prevented by the injection of anti-TCR gamma/delta monoclonal antibodies. Immunohistochemical analysis of B6 recipients post-bone marrow transplantation (BMT) confirmed that G8 Tg TCR gamma/delta cells infiltrated GVHD target tissues (skin, liver, colon, and lung) and were absent in recipients treated with anti-TCR gamma/delta monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) but not anti-CD4 plus anti-CD8 MoAbs. In contrast, injection of TCR gamma/delta+ cells into irradiated (900 cGy TBI) B6.A-TIaa BoyEg mice that do not express either T10b or T22b did not induce lethal GVHD. Similarly, in a different GVHD system in which sublethal irradiation without bone marrow (BM) rescue was used, B6 but not B6.A-TIaa/BoyEg mice were found to be susceptible to TCR gamma delta+ cell mediated GVHD-induced lethality characterized by an aplasia syndrome. These results demonstrate that TCR gamma/delta cells have the capacity to cause acute lethal GVHD in mice and suggest that nonclassical MHC class Ib gene products expressed on GVHD target organs are responsible for G8 Tg TCR gamma/delta+ cell mediated lethality.
Legal Emblems and the Art of Law: Obiter Depicta as the Vision of Governance

1. Introduction 2. Obiter depicta as an element of law 3. Devising law: a short history of legal emblems 4. The sovereign likes to hide: visualizing hierarchy 5. The foolosophy of justice and the enigma of law 6. The hand of the law and its amputation 7. Visibilities: persons, things, actions 8. Conclusion: virtual laws.
Stochastic Frontier Analysis: The Shadow Price Approach to the Estimation and Decomposition of Economic Efficiency

INTRODUCTION In Chapter 3 technical inefficiency was modeled as an error component within a stochastic frontier framework. In Chapter 4 and parts of Chapter 5 cost inefficiency and profit inefficiency were also modeled as error components within a stochastic frontier framework. Thus the basic strategy in previous chapters has been to construct a composed error stochastic frontier model, and to extract estimates of inefficiency from the parameters describing the structure of the two error components. This procedure is straightforward in single-equation models, in whih the sole objective is to estimate technical or economic inefficiency. However this procedure is much less straightforward in simultaneous-equation models, in which the dual objectives are to estimate and decompose economic inefficiency. In this chapter we change our strategy. We do not estimate stochastic frontiers. Instead, we model all types of inefficiency parametrically, through the introduction of additional parameters to be estimated, rather than through an error component. The error structure of the estimating equation (or system of equations) is conventional, the same as that employed in the estimation of cost, revenue, or profit functions in the nonfrontier literature. Thus the error term is distributed normally in a single-equation model, and the error terms are distributed as multivariate normal in a system of equations model. Technical inefficiency is introduced in two alternative ways. Output-oriented technical inefficiency is introduced by allowing the production function intercept to vary across producers; this generates a cost function in which producers' output vectors are scaled differentially, and a profit function in which producers' output price vectors are scaled differentially.
Structural effects of amino acid substitutions on the matrix protein of vesicular stomatitis virus

The structural effects of amino acid substitutions for Gly at position 21 in the amino-terminal segment (Lys 15-Pro 26) of the matrix (M) protein of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) have been investigated using conformational energy analysis. Monoclonal antibody-binding experiments and protein digestion studies of the M protein indicate that this segment is important to its ribonucleoprotein recognition and its transcription-inhibitory activity. Temperaturesensitive mutants of VSV that do not bind monoclonal antibody and that are devoid of transcription-inhibitory activity are known to have the substitution of Glu for Gly at position 21. The current findings demonstrate a significant conformational change at position 21 induced by the substitution of Glu for Gly, which could explain this alteration in antibody binding and transcription-inhibitory activity. Furthermore, the results indicate that the substitution of any noncyclic L-amino acid for Gly at position 21 may be expected to produce similar changes in M protein function.
Gender Identity Nondiscrimination Laws in Public Accommodations: a Review of Evidence Regarding Safety and Privacy in Public Restrooms, Locker Rooms, and Changing Rooms

Legislation, regulations, litigation, and ballot propositions affecting public restroom access for transgender people increased drastically in the last three years. Opponents of gender identity inclusive public accommodations nondiscrimination laws often cite fear of safety and privacy violations in public restrooms if such laws are passed, while proponents argue that such laws are needed to protect transgender people and concerns regarding safety and privacy violations are unfounded. No empirical evidence has been gathered to test such laws’ effects. This study presents findings from matched pairs analyses of localities in Massachusetts with and without gender identity inclusive public accommodation nondiscrimination ordinances. Data come from public record requests of criminal incident reports related to assault, sex crimes, and voyeurism in public restrooms, locker rooms, and dressing rooms to measure safety and privacy violations in these spaces. This study finds that the passage of such laws is not related to the number or frequency of criminal incidents in these spaces. Additionally, the study finds that reports of privacy and safety violations in public restrooms, locker rooms, and changing rooms are exceedingly rare. This study provides evidence that fears of increased safety and privacy violations as a result of nondiscrimination laws are not empirically grounded.
Applications of Supervised Machine Learning in Autism Spectrum Disorder Research: a Review

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research has yet to leverage “big data” on the same scale as other fields; however, advancements in easy, affordable data collection and analysis may soon make this a reality. Indeed, there has been a notable increase in research literature evaluating the effectiveness of machine learning for diagnosing ASD, exploring its genetic underpinnings, and designing effective interventions. This paper provides a comprehensive review of 45 papers utilizing supervised machine learning in ASD, including algorithms for classification and text analysis. The goal of the paper is to identify and describe supervised machine learning trends in ASD literature as well as inform and guide researchers interested in expanding the body of clinically, computationally, and statistically sound approaches for mining ASD data.
Waiting it out: consultation delays prolong in-patient length of stay.

Background Decreasing delays for hospitalised patients results in improved hospital efficiency, increased quality of care and decreased healthcare expenditures. Delays in subspecialty consultations and procedures can cause increased length of stay due to reasons outside of necessary medical care. Objective To quantify, describe and record reasons for delays in consultations and procedures for patients on the general medicine wards. Methodology We conducted weekly audits of all admitted patients on five Internal Medicine teams over 8 weeks. A survey was reviewed with attending physicians and residents on five internal medicine teams to identify patients with a delay due to consultation or procedure, quantify length of delay and record reason for delay. Results During the study period, 316 patients were reviewed and 48 were identified as experiencing a total of 53 delays due to consultations or procedures. The average delay was 1.8 days for a combined total of 83 days. Top reasons for delays included scheduling, late response to page and a busy service. The frequency in length of consult delays vary among different specialties. The highest frequency of delays was clustered in procedure-heavy specialties. Conclusion This report highlights the importance of reviewing system barriers that lead to delayed service in hospitals. Addressing these delays could lead to reductions in length of stay for inpatients.
Modulation of the lung inflammatory response to ozone by the estrous cycle.

Emerging evidence suggests that sex differences exist in the control of lung innate immunity; however, the specific roles of sex hormones in the inflammatory response, and the mechanisms involved are unclear. Here, we investigated whether fluctuations in circulating hormone levels occurring in the mouse estrous cycle could affect the inflammatory response to air pollution exposure. For this, we exposed female mice (C57BL/6J, 8 weeks old) at different phases of the estrous cycle to 2 ppm of ozone or filtered air (FA) for 3 h. Following exposure, we collected lung tissue and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL), and performed lung function measurements to evaluate inflammatory responses and respiratory mechanics. We found a differential inflammatory response to ozone in females exposed in the luteal phase (metestrus, diestrus) versus the follicular phase (proestrus, estrus). Females exposed to ozone in the follicular phase had significantly higher expression of inflammatory genes, including Ccl2, Cxcl2, Ccl20, and Il6, compared to females exposed in the luteal phase (P < 0.05), and displayed differential activation of regulatory pathways. Exposure to ozone in the follicular phase also resulted in higher BAL neutrophilia, lipocalin levels, and airway resistance than exposure in the luteal phase (P < 0.05). Together, these results show that the effects of ozone exposure in the female lung are affected by the estrous cycle phase, and potentially hormonal status. Future studies investigating air pollution effects and inflammation in women should consider the menstrual cycle phase and/or circulating hormone levels.
Getting Academically Underprepared Students Ready through College Developmental Education: Does the Course Delivery Format Matter?

Addressing high demand for developmental math instruction and low rates of successful completing of the developmental coursework, with cost and space constraints, has been an ongoing challenge for ...
Unplanned 30-Day Readmission after Coronary Artery Bypass in Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction

Abstract Background/purpose The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services penalizes hospitals with higher than expected readmissions for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Little information exists regarding outcomes in patients who sustain an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and undergo CABG as the primary revascularization strategy. Our goal was to determine the unplanned 30-day readmission rate in this high-risk population and predictors of readmission. Materials/methods An institutional database was queried to identify patients from 2011 to 2017 who were admitted with an acute MI and underwent CABG within 30 days. Chart review was performed to collect demographics, medical comorbidities and clinical information related to hospital course and readmission status. Results A total of 150 patients were included. The 30-day unplanned readmission rate was 23%, and the majority (80%) were non-cardiac related. Predictors of unplanned readmission included female sex (OR 2.61, 95% CI 1.042–6.549, p = 0.041), CABG performed Conclusions Patients who undergo CABG following MI are a high-risk population with nearly one-quarter readmitted within 30 days. Female sex,
Does Preparedness Matter? The Influence of Household Preparedness on Disaster Outcomes During Superstorm Sandy

Objectives This study empirically examines preparedness with a kit, medication, and a disaster plan on disaster outcomes including perceived recovery, property damage, and use of medical or mental health services. Methods Using a cross-sectional, retrospective study design, 1114 households in New York City were interviewed 21-34 months following Super Storm Sandy. Bivariate associations were examined and logistic regression models fit to predict the odds of disaster outcomes given the level of preparedness. Results Respondents with an evacuation plan were more likely to report not being recovered (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-3.8), property damage (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.1-1.9), and use of medical services (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.5). Respondents reporting a supply of prescription medication were more likely to report using mental health (OR = 3.5; 95% CI: 1.2-9.8) and medical services (OR = 2.3; 95% CI: 1.1-4.8). Conclusions Having a kit, plan, and medication did not reduce risk of adverse outcomes in Superstorm Sandy in this sample. Disaster managers should consider the lack of evidence for preparedness when making public education and resource allocation decisions. Additional research is needed to identify preparedness measures that lead to better outcomes for more efficient and effective response and recovery.
Abstract 032: A Pilot Study of Antihypertensive Medication Adherence Trends by Sex and Drug Class

Background: Antihypertensive medication nonadherence is believed to be a prevalent issue but is very difficult to accurately assess. As a result, using a variety methods, nonadherence rates ranging...
Low-Value Back Imaging in the Care of Medicare Beneficiaries: A Comparison of Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants.

Little is known about practice pattern differences between nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs). We compared the rates of low-value back images ordered by NPs and PAs. For this ...
Target region sequencing and applications in plants

Fine mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) and understanding the molecular mechanism and underlying functions of genes are vital to the advancement of plant research and plant breeding. Target region sequencing (TRS) provides an efficient way to assist in accomplishing these goals. Once a genomic region is found to be responsible for a phenotype, TRS can be deployed to characterize that region. Understanding the available methodologies to perform TRS will be advantageous when determining how to proceed with specific projects. In this article, we reviewed and summarized four main methods that are being used for TRS in plants, including hybrid capture, PCR-based enrichment, DNA fragment circularization, and RNA capture. We also discussed the potential uses of these technologies in plant research, especially the marker discovery for breeding selection. The TRS techniques outlined in this review have the potential to become commonplace in plant research, thereby having a large impact.
Bringing alleys to light: An urban freight infrastructure viewpoint

Abstract There is growing pressure in cities to unlock the potential of every public infrastructure element as density and demand for urban resources increase. Despite their historical role as providing access to land uses for freight and servicing, alleys have not been studied as a resource in modern freight access planning. The authors developed a replicable data collection method to build and maintain an alley inventory and operations study focused on commercial vehicles. A Seattle Case study showed that 40% of the urban center city blocks have an alley. 90% of those alleys are wide enough to accommodate only a single lane for commercial vehicles. 437 parking operations were recorded in seven alleys during business hours and found that all alleys were vacant 50% of the time. This confirms that, in its alleys, Seattle has a valuable resource as both space for freight load/unload; and direct access to parking facilities and business entrances for commercial, private, and emergency response vehicles. However, alley design features and the prevalence of parking facilities accessed through the alley may restrict the freight load/unload space in the alley. Future efforts should investigate how to better manage these infrastructures.
Artemisinin-based combination therapy for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Mali: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT) was deployed in 2005 as an alternative to chloroquine and is considered the most efficacious treatment currently available for uncomplicated falciparum malaria. While widespread artemisinin resistance has not been reported to date in Africa, recent studies have reported partial resistance in Rwanda. The purpose of this study is to provide a current systematic review and meta-analysis on ACT at Mali study sites, where falciparum malaria is highly endemic. METHODS A systematic review of the literature maintained in the bibliographic databases accessible through the PubMed, ScienceDirect and Web of Science search engines was performed to identify research studies on ACT occurring at Mali study sites. Selected studies included trials occurring at Mali study sites with reported polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-corrected adequate clinical and parasite response rates (ACPRcs) at 28 days. Data were stratified by treatment arm (artemether-lumefantrine (AL), the first-line treatment for falciparum malaria in Mali and non-AL arms) and analysed using random-effects, meta-analysis approaches. RESULTS A total of 11 studies met the inclusion criteria, and a risk of bias assessment carried out by two independent reviewers determined low risk of bias among all assessed criteria. The ACPRc for the first-line AL at Mali sites was 99.0% (95% CI (98.3%, 99.8%)), while the ACPRc among non-AL treatment arms was 98.9% (95% CI (98.3%, 99.5%)). The difference in ACPRcs between non-AL treatment arms and AL treatment arms was not statistically significant (p = .752), suggesting that there are potential treatment alternatives beyond the first-line of AL in Mali. CONCLUSIONS ACT remains highly efficacious in treating uncomplicated falciparum malaria in Mali. Country-specific meta-analyses on ACT are needed on an ongoing basis for monitoring and evaluating drug efficacy patterns to guide local malaria treatment policies, particularly in the wake of observed artemisinin resistance in Southeast Asia and partial resistance in Rwanda.
Evaluating the Performance of MPI-2 Dynamic Communicators and One-Sided Communication

This paper evaluates the performance of several MPI implementations regarding two chapters of the MPI-2 specification. First, we analyze, whether the performance using dynamically created communicators is comparable to the approach presented in MPI-1 using a static communicator for different MPI libraries. We than evaluate, whether the communication performance of one-sided communication on current machines, represents a benefit or a drawback to the end-user compared to the more conventional two-sided communication.
Stridor in the neonate and infant. Implications for the paediatric anaesthetist. Prospective description of 155 patients with congenital and acquired stridor in early infancy

One hundred-and-fifty-five neonates and infants up to the sixth month of postnatal age were investigated to reveal the cause of clinically relevant stridor. In 100 patients congenital stridor was found, in 55 children the stridor was considered to be acquired. A curled, soft epiglottis, almost synonymously used with the diagnosis of congenital stridor, was found in 7% only, indicating different methods of investigation and different selection of patients compared to previous years. In acquired stridor the majority of infants showed laryngeal and tracheal trauma, mostly due to the use of too large tracheal tubes.
Assessing the Effect of Increasing Housing Costs on Food Insecurity

In this paper, we examine whether changes in housing costs lead to changes in rates of food insecurity for economically vulnerable families. We use data on a national, longitudinal sample of young families with children merged with data on housing (rental) costs at the state, MSA, and county levels (2001-2003). Focusing on families near or at the poverty level and using household fixed effects, we demonstrate that increased housing costs over this time period have indeed increased rates of food insecurity. Our preferred results suggest that a $500 increase in yearly rental costs is associated with nearly a 3 percentage point increase in food insecurity rates (10% relative increase). We show that our measure of rental costs seems to only affect the food insecurity of renters and not poor low-income home-owners, suggesting the validity of our methods and robustness of the findings. We also look at selected subgroups (e.g., food stamp recipients, individuals receiving housing subsidies) and find few differences in the effects of housing cost increases on food insecurity.
Functional organization of the murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase: characterization of a bacterially expressed AKR DNA polymerase deficient in RNase H activity.

Abstract The functional organization of the murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase was investigated by expressing a molecular clone containing AKR MuLV reverse transcriptase-coding sequences in Escherichia coli. A purified preparation of the expressed enzyme (pRT250 reverse transcriptase) consisted primarily of a 69-kilodalton protein that has normal levels of murine leukemia virus polymerase activity but 10-fold-reduced levels of RNase H compared with the viral enzyme. The deficit in RNase H activity was correlated with the absence of 60 to 65 amino acids normally present at the carboxyl end of murine leukemia virus reverse transcriptase. The results provide additional experimental evidence for the localization of polymerase and RNase H domains to the N- and C-terminal regions of reverse transcriptase, respectively.
Solar flares in the extreme ultraviolet. I - The observations.

Solar-flare observations in the extreme ultraviolet (300–1350 A) are reported. Some 269 flares observed by the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) experiment on OSO 4 and 211 flares observed by the HCO experiment on OSO 6 have been analyzed. The flares were observed in spectral lines and continua emitted by many ionic species over a temperature range from 104 to 3.5 × 106 K. The EUV data have been correlated with X-ray, Hα, and radio observations, and a significant number of EUV bursts not associated with reported Hα, X-ray, or radio bursts have been iden tified and investigated. The results indicate that these latter EUV events are less energetic by about a factor of 2 than EUV bursts associated with — F subflares.
Pedagogy of the Preturbed

At all educational levels, social work students resist taking research courses and struggle with their contents. This paper describes some pedagogical principles that are believed to be associated with effective research teaching. Survival techniques for research faculty are discussed as well. The importance of humor in student learning and faculty surival is stressed.
Design and power optimization of high-speed pipeline ADC for wideband CDMA applications

This paper presents a 7-bit 64 MS/s pipeline A/D converter suitable for wideband CDMA applications. Targeting at achieving low power dissipation at high speed, techniques such as digital correction and optimal scaling of capacitor value have been employed. Switched-Opamp technique is used to further reduce power consumption. This ADC is implemented in 0.5 μm standard CMOS process. It operates from a single 3 V supply, and dissipates only 31 mW at 64 MS/s.
Methods for Storing Oxidase Test Reagents

Oxidase test reagents are notoriously unstable, but they can be held ready for use if frozen or if reagent-impregnated filter paper is kept dry.
Coronal Magnetic Activity in Low Mass Pre-Main Sequence Stars

Today’s Sun is a mere shadow of its former self. Four and one-half billion years ago the Sun was a fully convective, rapidly-rotating K star, with about 3 times its present radius. By all indications, it was magnetically active, with profound implications for the evolution of planetary atmospheres and the establishment of a an environment suitable for life on Earth. The Sun today retains no information on this stage of its evolution: we must explore it vicariously by observing low mass pre-main sequence (PMS) stars 4.5 billion years younger than our Sun. These studies afford the opportunity to explore what is possibly a distinctly non-solar-like dynamo.
Camera models and optical systems used in computer graphics: part I, object-based techniques

Images rendered with traditional computer graphics techniques, such as scanline rendering and ray tracing, appear focused at all depths. However, there are advantages to having blur, such as adding realism to a scene or drawing attention to a particular place in a scene. In this paper we describe the optics underlying camera models that have been used in computer graphics, and present object space techniques for rendering with those models. In our companion paper [3], we survey image space techniques to simulate these models. These techniques vary in both speed and accuracy.
Effects of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide on bacterial growth

The effects of low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on actively dividing cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Micrococcus roseus, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus cereus were studied. Fresh cultures of each organism were incubated for 24 h at 25 degrees C on both nutrient agar and mineral salts glucose agar plates under atmospheres containing various low concentrations of NO in air (0 to 1.9 ppm [0 to 2.0 micrograms/g of air]), NO2 in air (0 to 5.5 ppm [0 to 8.8 micrograms/g of air]), or NO and NO2 in air. Bacteria grown under air only were used as controls. After incubation, the colonies that developed on the plates were counted. None of the bacteria tested was affected by NO or NO2 at the indicated concentrations while growing on nutrient agar. Serratia marcescens, B. circulans, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, and B. cereus grown on mineral salts glucose agar were not significantly affected by NO or NO2. Low concentrations (0 to 1.9 ppm) of NO were bacteriostatic to log-phase cultures of M. roseus, M. luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus grown on mineral salts glucose agar. Bacteriostatic activity over a 24-h interval was maximal at an initial NO concentration of 1 ppm. Appreciable amounts of NO2 were produced in 24 h at initial NO concentrations greater than 1 ppm. These results suggest that NO2 may reduce the bacteriostatic activity of NO. Low concentrations (0 to 5.5 ppm) of NO2 in air did not affect any of the bacteria tested. At these low concentrations, NO affected bacterial growth, although NO2, NO2-, and NO3- did not. In addition, it was determined that the bacteriostatic activity observed in this study was not due to an increase in the acidity of the medium.
Multi-view calibration from planar motion for video surveillance

We present a technique for the registration of multiple surveillance cameras through the automatic alignment of image trajectories. The algorithm address the problem of recovering the relative pose of several stationary cameras that observe one or more objects in motion. Each camera tracks several objects to produce a set of trajectories in the image. Using a simple calibration procedure, we recover the relative orientation of each camera to the local ground plane in order to projectively unwarp image trajectories onto a nominal plane of correct orientation. Unwarped trajectory curves are then matched by solving for the 3D to 3D rotation, translation, and scale that bring them into alignment. The relative transform between a pair of cameras is derived from the independent camera-to-ground-plane rotations and the plane-to-plane transform computed from matched trajectories. Registration aligns n-cameras with respect to each other in a single camera frame (that of the reference camera). The approach recovers both the epipolar geometry between all cameras and the camera-to-ground rotation for each camera. After calibration, points that are known to lay on a world ground plane can be directly backprojected into each of the camera frames. The algorithm is demonstrated for two-camera and three-camera scenarios by tracking pedestrians as they move through a surveillance area and matching the resulting trajectories.
Laser damage of optics in high power manufacturing applications. The road from single-shot to billion-shot performance

This paper reviews damage induced by pulsed excimer lasers. Most previous damage studies have addressed the "time-zero" performance limits of optical materials, i.e., virgin samples exposed to one or a small number of laser pulses. In this "single-shot" damage regime, coatings are almost always the weakest link in the optical system. Considerable progress has been made in identifying optimum coating materials and material combinations for particular wavelengths, and in exploring effects of undercoats and overcoats, non-quarter-wave designs, laser pre-conditioning, and alternate polishing and deposition methods on the measured damage threshold. However, adequate single-shot damage resistance is a necessary but not sufficient condition for many practical applications. >
Ocean Engineering Mechanics: Review of Hydromechanics

The term hydromechanics normally refers to that part of fluid mechanics devoted to both the hydrostatics and hydrodynamics of incompressible flows. The term includes the effects of free surface at the air-sea interface . Although the focus of the discussion of hydrodynamic topics is on incompressible flows in this chapter, a discussion of hydrostatics includes the effects of the compressibility of seawater at great water depths. Because this is a review chapter, all aspects of hydrodynamics are not addressed. The reader is referred to the book by Robert A. Granger (1985) for an expanded coverage of the topics. We begin our review of hydromechanics with a discussion of hydrostatics . Although this subject is basic to a course in fluid mechanics, hydrostatics is often neglected in favor of topics that are of more interest to the instructor. However, for the designer of deep-submergence vehicles, a thorough knowledge of the fundamentals of hydrostatics is required. Hydrostatics A discussion of hydrostatics must begin by paraphrasing Archimedes' Principle: A body placed in a liquid loses an amount of weight equal to the weight of the liquid that it displaces . From this simple observation, the hydrostatic equation can be derived. Consider the can buoy sketched in Figure 2.1, which displaces a volume (∨) of water. In that sketch, W is the buoy weight, A is the cross-sectional area, and d is the buoy draft.
Towards a hybrid method for detecting critical protein residues

Some regions in proteins play a critical role in determining their structure and function. Examples include flexible regions such as hinges which allow domain motions, and highly conserved functional interfaces which allow interactions with other proteins. Detecting these regions facilitates the analysis and simulation of protein rigidity and conformational changes and aids in characterizing protein-protein binding. We present an analysis of critical residues in proteins using a combination of two complementary methods. One method performs rigidity analysis to find rigid clusters of amino acids in a protein and the other method uses evolutionary conservation to find functional interfaces in proteins. We applied both methods to a dataset of proteins, including proteins with experimentally known critical residues. The results show that the combination of the two methods can detect the vast majority of critical residues in tested proteins.
Colonel Roosevelt: Theodore Roosevelt Goes to War, 1897-1898

Partial table of contents: BY JINGO Theodore Is Too Pugnacious Too Little Instead of Too Much Beauty and Majesty THE NOBLE ELK The Wolfhound The Limelight NO PLACE FOR MERCY A Gem of an Island Writers and Artists A Waste of Time A NAME TO REMEMBER Red Glare, Black Water Bent on Peace Bitter Wrath COWBOY CAVALRY Roosevelt's Room Rank and File On the Move THREE O'CLOCK COURAGE A Squalid Little Village Full of Beans A View from a Hill Biff Bang The Crowded Hour CRACKERJACKS Triumph Tasted Clear Skirts A Great Time Epilogue: Children of the Dragon's Blood Sources Bibliography Index.
Effect and model of gate Oxide breakdown on CMOS inverters

The effect of oxide breakdown (BD) on the performance of CMOS inverters has been investigated and modeled. The results show that the inverter performance can be affected by the breakdown in a different way depending on the stress polarity applied to the inverter input. In all the cases, the oxide breakdown conduction has been modeled as gate-to-diffusion leakage with a power law formula of the type I = KVp which was previously found to describe the breakdown in capacitor structures. This seems to indicate that the breakdown physics at oxide level is the same as at circuit level.