cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dispersion of Contaminated Sediment Bed Load

Dispersion of instantaneously released contaminated bed sediments is analyzed within the framework of a Lagrangian probabilistic model. The time and space concentration distributions, with the parameters computed on the basis of the same rate of mass movement and a constant rate of spread, approach Gaussian form asymptotically. A procedure is suggested for deriving approximations to the envelopes of the distribution curves parameterized by either the time or distance. The method is also applicable when the shape factor of the particle step length distribution takes on nonintegral values greater than one. Where the normality approximation is satisfactory, the critical duration for a given degree of pollution varies in direct proportion to the square root of the distance from the source. Graphical results for the critical time limits for the absorption of radiation from contaminated particles for different positions of the subject are also presented.
Inverse Relationship between Biting and Head Retraction in an Ontogenetic Series of Sonoran Mud Turtles (Kinosternon sonoriense)

Abstract The propensity for defensive biting in turtles should vary ontogenetically. In species with plastral kinesis, the effectiveness of retraction into the shell as a defensive mechanism increases with body size. Therefore, adults should be less likely to bite and more likely to retract than are juveniles. We tested this hypothesis by measuring biting propensity and retraction propensity from an ontogenetic series of Kinosternon sonoriense (Sonora Mud Turtle), a species with plastral kinesis. As predicted, biting in K. sonoriense was restricted to younger, smaller turtles, whereas capacity for retraction was restricted to older, larger turtles.
On the potentially dramatic history of the super-Earth ρ 55 Cancri e

We demonstrate that tidal evolution of the inner planet (`e') of the system orbiting the star rho 55 Cancri could have led to passage through two secular resonances with other planets in the system. The consequence of this evolution is excitation of both the planetary eccentricity and inclination relative to the original orbital plane. The large mass ratio between the innermost planet and the others means that these excitations can be of substantial amplitude and can have dramatic consequences for the system organisation. Such evolution can potentially explain the large observed mutual inclination between the innermost and outermost planets in the system, and implies that tidal heating could have substantially modified the structure of planet e, and possibly reduced its mass by Roche lobe overflow. Similar inner secular resonances may be found in many multiple planet systems and suggest that many of the innermost planets in these systems could have suffered similar evolutions.
Automatic natural language style classification and transformation

Style is an integral part of natural language in written, spoken or machine generated forms. Humans have been dealing with style in language since the beginnings of language itself, but computers and machine processes have only recently begun to process natural language styles. Automatic processing of styles poses two interrelated challenges: classification and transformation. There have been recent advances in corpus classification, automatic clustering and authorship attribution along many dimensions but little work directly related to writing styles directly and even less in transformation. In this paper we examine relevant literature to define and operationalize a notion of "style" which we employ to designate style markers usable in classification machines. A measurable reading of these markers also helps guide style transformation algorithms. We demonstrate the concept by showing a detectable stylistic shift in a sample piece of text relative to a target corpus. We present ongoing work in building a comprehensive style recognition and transformation system and discuss our results.
Dispatchable Indoor Location for Mobile Phones Calling for Emergency Services

This paper describes a proof of concept, working system that provides the indoor location of a caller who calls a Next Generation 9-1-1 Public Safety Answering Point using a smartphone. The paper includes descriptions of the system requirements and scope; The phone application that was developed; The location module that was developed; and the path taken by the call as it is delivered to the Public Safety Answering Point where the indoor location is displayed. The paper describes several architectures into which the modules of the service can be fit as well as plans for future development.
A PC-Based Laboratory Handbook

The presentation of a suitable bandbook of laboratory tests for the laboratory users and the collection of related information for the laboratory staff are both technical and clerical tasks. We developed a program to allow clerical entry of handbook information, but place the proofing, editing, and minor corrections into the hands of medical technologists. The numerous fields describing each test include its name with alternatives, how to order it, when it is available, the types of specimens on which it can be performed, and where to deliver the specimens, as well as reference and toxic ranges and clinical significance. Multiple documents, containing any combination of the various fields, can be produced from the same database.
“Plutarch's Lives” of Trade: The First Series of American Business Biographies

Freeman Hunt, the founder of the first general business magazine published in the United States — known today as the Commercial and Financial Chronicle — was also responsible for the publication of the first series of biographies of American business men. Biographies of mercantile capitalists and a few industrial capitalists were a regular feature of his Merchant's Magazine and Commercial Review from its beginning in 1839, and in 1855 and 1857 appeared the Lives of American Merchants edited and published by Hunt.
New Microporous Metal−Organic Framework Demonstrating Unique Selectivity for Detection of High Explosives and Aromatic Compounds

A highly luminescent three-dimensional microporous metal−organic framework, [Zn2(oba)2(bpy)]·DMA, demonstrates unique selectivity for the detection of high explosives and other aromatics via a fluorescence quenching and enhancement mechanism.
Spatial gestures point the way: A broader understanding of the gestural referent

Author(s): Atit, Kinnari; Resnick, Ilyse; Shipley, Thomas; Ormand, Carol; Manduca, Cathryn; Goksun, Tilbe; Tikoff, Basil
Evidence-Based Practice and Policy: ACGME Resident Duty Hours-More Harm Than Help.

The 2011 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) resident physician duty-hour regulations appear to have had a negative impact on patient safety and continuity of care for hosp...
Recto-ejaculatory duct fistula: an unusual complication of Crohn's disease.

AbstractA case is reported of fluid leakage per rectum after ejaculation. The patient was infertile and did not have antegrade or retrograde ejaculation. The cause of this problem is presented.
A Tale of Two Capstones

Unbeknownst to the authors, faculty at two separate colleges were simultaneously struggling to design a capstone course. Interestingly, the resulting course structures could not be more different. The nature of the project, the teams, the faculty, the course length, and other aspects were markedly different, yet both courses were a success. This paper describes each course and analyzes their efficacy by comparing to student outcomes, methodology and project complexity.
The Impact of High School Financial Education: Evidence from a Large-Scale Evaluation in Brazil

We study the impact of a comprehensive high school financial education program spanning 6 states, 892 schools, and approximately 25,000 students in Brazil through a randomized control trial. The program increased student financial proficiency by a quarter of a standard deviation and raised grade-level passing rates. Short-term financial behaviors, however, show mixed results with significant improvements in students' savings and budgeting as well as positive spillovers to parents, but also an increase in students' use of expensive credit to make consumer purchases.
Is Burnout Among Anesthesiologists a Humbug or a Real Entity

Nicholas is a member of your anesthesiology faculty. Over the last 2 months, he called out sick a few times. His passion for mountain skiing and spending time outdoors is well known to the department, but he has almost stopped talking about these activities over the past 6 months. He has stopped teaching residents, and there has been no further development with his research project. It was noted by several members of the operating room (OR) team that Nicholas has become overly argumentative with surgeons and nurses. He even expressed that he is dissatisfied with his career choice and that he is “considering quitting this once and for all and looking for a place in healthcare administration,” complaining that sometimes he feels that his patients treat him like an impersonal object and only remember their surgeons.
Adaptive Coherence-enhancing Diffusion Flow for Color Images

Color image restoration is one of the fundamental problems in image processing pipelines. Variational regularization and diffusion partial differential equations (PDEs) are widely used in solving these low-level image smoothing and noise removal problems. In this paper, we consider a new adaptive coherence enhancing diffusion (CED) filter which combines anisotropic diffusion and structure tensor derived diffusion functions. By exploiting isotropic smoothing in homogeneous regions and anisotropic diffusion tensor filtering in edges and corners we obtain a PDE flow which can removing noise while preserving important image details. Compared to the original CED approach our proposed adaptive CED (ACED) obtains stable smoothing results. Experimental results on synthetic and real color images show that the proposed filter has good noise removal properties and quantitative measurements indicate it obtains better structure preservation as well.
Chapter 4 – Metabolism

Much has been learned about the metabolism and pharmacokinetics of ethanol through study of the enzymes participating in its metabolism, the effects of genetic variants in these enzymes on risk of alcoholism and ethanol pharmacokinetics, and pharmacokinetic modeling. Despite the short, well-characterized metabolic pathway and straightforward absorption and distribution of ethanol, there remains substantial variability in individual blood alcohol levels after standard doses of ethanol. These differences probably underlie different responses to ethanol, confound research on ethanol effects on the nervous system, and may contribute to individual risk of ethanol use disorders. This chapter reviews metabolism of ethanol, and emphasizes the value of pharmacokinetic modeling as a way to understand how the body handles ethanol and as a tool in studying ethanol effects.
X-ray scattering reveals molecular tilt is an order parameter for the main phase transition in a model biomembrane.

Synchrotron diffuse x-ray scattering data reveal a dramatic softening of the molecular tilt modulus ${K}_{\ensuremath{\theta}}$ of the model biomembrane composed of DMPC lipids as the temperature is lowered towards the main phase transition temperature at ${T}_{M}={24}^{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$. Spontaneous tilt occurs below ${T}_{M}$, suggesting that tilt is a symmetry breaking order parameter. Consistent with this hypothesis, it is also found that a different lipid POPS has no spontaneous tilt below its ${T}_{M}$ at ${14}^{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$ and correspondingly its tilt modulus did not soften as ${T}_{M}$ was approached from above. As previously known, the bending modulus ${K}_{C}$ of DMPC also softens close to ${T}_{M}$, but unlike the tilt modulus, ${K}_{C}$ has a maximum ${3}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ above ${T}_{M}$, which also marks the limit of the well-known anomalous swelling regime. Tilt adds a different perspective to our previous understanding of the main phase transition in lipid bilayers.
Infrared fingerprint profiles of compatible and incompatible interactions of the rice blast pathogen using FTIR spectroscopy (Conference Presentation)

Rice blast (Magnaporthe oryzae) is one of the most devastating rice diseases affecting yield and grain quality. Applications of Fourier-Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to detect plant stress responses to pathogens have been widely investigated; however, assessing the difference in basal resistance (PAMP-triggered immunity; compatible reaction) vs. effector-triggered immunity (incompatible reaction) has remained largely elusive. Here, we inoculated 2-week old rice seedlings (varieties Dee Gee Woo Gen and Lemont) with rice blast isolates IC17 (compatible isolate) and IB54 (incompatible isolate). Leaf tissues were collected at 6, 24, 48, 72 hours, and 7 days after inoculation, and then the constituents were extracted with dimethyl sulfoxide for FTIR analysis. Overall, distinctive profiles of compatible and incompatible reactions compared to the controls were observed. The preliminary result suggests a potential application of FTIR spectroscopy as a means for discriminating the basal resistance and effector-triggered immunity.
DEMOCRACY AND GROWTH: A DYNAMIC PANEL DATA STUDY

In this paper, we investigate the idea whether democracy has a direct effect on economic growth. We use a system GMM framework that allows us to model the dynamic aspects of the growth process and ...
Clinical application of conditioning and other behavioral techniques: Conceptual and professional considerations

It is only recently that conditioning and allied techniques have been applied on any large scale outside the laboratory. With the emergence of these procedures into the clinical world, in particular, a new class of problems present themselves. It is no longer sufficient to focus upon narrowly technical or theoretical problems; philosophies, social and practical issues must be taken into consideration and the new techniques evaluated conceptually and practically in direct comparison with their psychodynamic alternatives. Selected issues are presented and discussed.
Paying to Play (Somewhere Else): An Examination of the Enforceability of Athletic Conferences' Liquidated Damages Provisions

Although often an afterthought, exit fees are an important aspect of college athletics today given the era of “conference realignment” when dozens of colleges and universities are choosing to leave their athletic conferences for greener pastures elsewhere. This Article focuses on the conferences that include liquidated damages clauses in their bylaws and determines whether they are legally enforceable. The answer is complicated, especially since different conferences utilize different contract language. Two approaches have developed. The best is to craft these clauses so the athletic conference withholds a portion of the profits due a breaching member after it announces it plans to leave. Clauses like these are consistent with precedent from non-sports contracts. Public policy is an alternative reason to argue for enforceability. Ultimately, a court will have to answer this question. In the meantime, schools will continue to pay millions to leave their conferences.
Aspirin inhibits platelets from reprogramming breast tumor cells and promoting metastasis

It is now recognized that compounds released from tumor cells can activate platelets, causing the release of platelet-derived factors into the tumor microenvironment. Several of these factors have been shown to directly promote neovascularization and metastasis, yet how the feedback between platelet releasate and the tumor cell affects metastatic phenotype remains largely unstudied. Here, we identify that breast tumor cells secrete high levels of interleukin 8 (IL-8, CXCL8) in response to platelet releasate, which promotes their invasive capacity. Furthermore, we found that platelets activate the Akt pathway in breast tumor cells, and inhibition of this pathway eliminated IL-8 production. We therefore hypothesized inhibiting platelets with aspirin could reverse the prometastatic effects of platelets on tumor cell signaling. Platelets treated with aspirin did not activate the Akt pathway, resulting in reduced IL-8 secretion and impaired tumor cell invasion. Of note, patients with breast cancer receiving aspirin had lower circulating IL-8, and their platelets did not increase tumor cell invasion compared with patients not receiving aspirin. Our data suggest platelets support breast tumor metastasis by inducing tumor cells to secrete IL-8. Our data further support that aspirin acts as an anticancer agent by disrupting the communication between platelets and breast tumor cells.
Thrombotic risk factors in patients with antiphospholipid syndrome: a single center experience.

Patients with primary or secondary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) have an increased risk of recurrent venous, arterial thrombosis and pregnancy complications. Therefore, determining thrombotic risk is important when individualizing antithrombotic therapy in patients with APS. To identify thrombotic risk factors in a cohort of APS patients. We conducted a retrospective review of APS patients who received care at a Hematology clinic of a university medical center from 2004 to 2017. Demographics, clinical features, antithrombotic therapy and thrombotic outcomes were collected. Time to event analysis identified clinical risk factors for thrombosis. The time varying effects of antithrombotic treatments on thrombosis outcome were analyzed. We identified 84 subjects with APS with a median age at diagnosis of 40.7 years [interquartile range [IQR] 33.5–57.6]. The majority were female (n = 63, 75%) and White (n = 45, 54%). Twenty-eight (33%) patients had concomitant autoimmune disease (AID) and of these, 15 (54%) had systemic lupus erythematosus. A thrombotic event occurred in 15 (18%) patients during a median follow-up of 48 months. A significantly higher rate of thrombotic events was observed in APS patients with AID compared to those without AID (hazard ratio (HR) 4.93, 95% CI 1.7–14.3, p = 0.04), and in black patients compared to whites (HR 5.94, 95% CI 1.1–32.1, p = 0.039). Patients on therapeutic anticoagulation regardless of type (warfarin, low molecular weight heparin or direct oral anticoagulants) were significantly less likely to have a recurrent thrombotic event compared to those on prophylactic anticoagulation (HR 0.11, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.031–0.395, p = 0.001). However the numbers are too small to draw conclusions. Our study suggests that APS patients with concomitant AID and of Black race are at increased risk of recurrent thrombotic events.
Oseltamivir use in pregnancy: Risk of birth defects, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age infants

Background Influenza infection during pregnancy increases risks for adverse outcomes for both mother and fetus. For this reason, treatment for infection or postexposure prophylaxis with a neuraminidase inhibitor, such as oseltamivir, may be needed. Methods Between 2009 and 2017, the Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) MotherToBaby Pregnancy Studies enrolled pregnant women in the United States and Canada who were or were not treated with oseltamivir in a prospective cohort study. Data were collected on major birth defects, spontaneous abortion, preterm delivery, and small for gestational age birth size. Crude relative risks (RRs) or hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated together with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for these outcomes. Results There were 716 subjects available for analysis; 112 were exposed to oseltamivir sometime in pregnancy and 604 were unexposed. 2/30 (6.7%) first-trimester-exposed pregnancies resulted in a fetus or infant with one or more major birth defects compared to 48/604 (7.9%) in the unexposed cohort (RR 0.84, 95% CI 0.19, 2.80). There were no spontaneous abortions reported. Risk of preterm delivery was not elevated in exposed versus comparison women (HR 0.65, 95% CI 0.26, 1.63). RRs for small for gestational age infants on weight, length, and head circumference following oseltamivir exposure anytime in pregnancy ranged from 0.70 to 1.30 with all 95% CIs including 1. Conclusion We found no evidence of increased risks with oseltamivir for any of the outcomes evaluated. While numbers are small, these data are reassuring for pregnant women who need to be treated for infection or for postexposure prophylaxis.
Pressure broadening and shift of the cesium D 2 transition by the noble gases and N 2 , H 2 , HD, D 2 , CH 4 , C 2 H 6 , CF 4 , and He 3 with comparison to the D 1 transition

The pressure broadening and shift rates for the cesium ( ) transition with the noble gases and , , HD, , CH, H, CF, and were obtained for pressures less than 300 Torr at a temperature of C by means of laser absorption spectroscopy. The collisional broadening rate for He, Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, , , HD, , CH, H, CF, and are 20.59, 9.81, 16.47, 15.54, 18.41, 19.18, 27.13, 28.24, 22.84, 25.84, 26.14, 17.81, and 22.35 MHz/Torr, respectively. The uncertainty in the broadening rates is typically less than . The corresponding pressure-induced shift rates are , , , , , , , , , , , , and MHz/Torr with an uncertainty of less than 0.04 MHz/Torr. With the exception of diatomic collision partners, the broadening rates for Cs are -- less than the rates for Cs . For light collision partners with a blue shift, the is shifted more than the line. The broadening cross sections for Cs and Rb are similar. However, the cross sections for K are about larger and for Na, about less.
The Globalized Library: American Academic Libraries and International Students, Collections, and Practices: by Yelma Luckert and Lindsay Inge Carpenter, Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 2019.

As the world shrinks – the possibilities for global awareness expands, offering colleges and universities opportunities for celebrating diversity – through their environments, their curriculums, th...
A 46-Year-Old Woman With a Mediastinal Mass.

Case Presentation A 46-year-old otherwise healthy woman visited the ED twice over a period of 4 days for chest discomfort, midback pain, and dyspnea. The pain was localized, constant, nonpleuritic in nature, moderate in severity, and was not relieved by over-the-counter medications.
How Do Small Businesses Utilize Public R&D Funding to Grow? Evidence from the SBIR/STTR Program

Public R&D provides a critical resource for ventures to innovate. However, scholars have not sufficiently investigated how these firms strategically manage R&D between hiring internally or partneri...
User-Centered Clinical Display Design Issues for Inpatient Providers

Background Suboptimal information display in electronic health records (EHRs) is a notorious pain point for users. Designing an effective display is difficult, due in part to the complex and varied nature of clinical practice. Objective This article aims to understand the goals, constraints, frustrations, and mental models of inpatient medical providers when accessing EHR data, to better inform the display of clinical information. Methods A multidisciplinary ethnographic study of inpatient medical providers. Results Our participants' primary goal was usually to assemble a clinical picture around a given question, under the constraints of time pressure and incomplete information. To do so, they tend to use a mental model of multiple layers of abstraction when thinking of patients and disease; they prefer immediate pattern recognition strategies for answering clinical questions, with breadth-first or depth-first search strategies used subsequently if needed; and they are sensitive to data relevance, completeness, and reliability when reading a record. Conclusion These results conflict with the ubiquitous display design practice of separating data by type (test results, medications, notes, etc.), a mismatch that is known to encumber efficient mental processing by increasing both navigation burden and memory demands on users. A popular and obvious solution is to select or filter the data to display exactly what is presumed to be relevant to the clinical question, but this solution is both brittle and mistrusted by users. A less brittle approach that is more aligned with our users' mental model could use abstraction to summarize details instead of filtering to hide data. An abstraction-based approach could allow clinicians to more easily assemble a clinical picture, to use immediate pattern recognition strategies, and to adjust the level of displayed detail to their particular needs. It could also help the user notice unanticipated patterns and to fluidly shift attention as understanding evolves.
The UCSC Genome Browser database: 2021 update

For more than two decades, the UCSC Genome Browser database (https://genome.ucsc.edu) has provided high-quality genomics data visualization and genome annotations to the research community. As the field of genomics grows and more data become available, new modes of display are required to accommodate new technologies. New features released this past year include a Hi-C heatmap display, a phased family trio display for VCF files, and various track visualization improvements. Striving to keep data up-to-date, new updates to gene annotations include GENCODE Genes, NCBI RefSeq Genes, and Ensembl Genes. New data tracks added for human and mouse genomes include the ENCODE registry of candidate cis-regulatory elements, promoters from the Eukaryotic Promoter Database, and NCBI RefSeq Select and Matched Annotation from NCBI and EMBL-EBI (MANE). Within weeks of learning about the outbreak of coronavirus, UCSC released a genome browser, with detailed annotation tracks, for the SARS-CoV-2 RNA reference assembly.
Considerations for systematic screening PK-12: universal screening for internalizing and externalizing behaviors in the COVID-19 era

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, PK-12 school buildings across the United States closed and educators quickly pivoted to remote and continuous learning opportunities to protect students and so...
Branching of Titanium Nanorods

One dimensional titanium nanorod structures formed by glancing angle physical vapor deposition have branches while other hexagonal closed packed metals do not. Based on physical vapor deposition and characterizations using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction, this paper reports that Ti nanorod branching occurs at a low homologous temperature of 0.28. The side surface of the nanorods consists of {101¯1} facets arranged in a zigzag shape. Further, branches form on the {101¯1} side facets that are parallel to the deposition flux. The length of the branches increases as they are farther away from the nanorod top and tend to reach a constant. The top surface facet of Ti nanorods is {0001} and that of the branches is {101¯1}. The insight into conditions for branching, together with the determination of the morphology and crystal orientation of the branches, lay the foundation for further studies of branching mechanisms and driving force.
Scalable, End-to-End, Deep-Learning-Based Data Reconstruction Chain for Particle Imaging Detectors.

Recent inroads in Computer Vision (CV) and Machine Learning (ML) have motivated a new approach to the analysis of particle imaging detector data. Unlike previous efforts which tackled isolated CV tasks, this paper introduces an end-to-end, ML-based data reconstruction chain for Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPCs), the state-of-the-art in precision imaging at the intensity frontier of neutrino physics. The chain is a multi-task network cascade which combines voxel-level feature extraction using Sparse Convolutional Neural Networks and particle superstructure formation using Graph Neural Networks. Each algorithm incorporates physics-informed inductive biases, while their collective hierarchy is used to enforce a causal structure. The output is a comprehensive description of an event that may be used for high-level physics inference. The chain is end-to-end optimizable, eliminating the need for time-intensive manual software adjustments. It is also the first implementation to handle the unprecedented pile-up of dozens of high energy neutrino interactions, expected in the 3D-imaging LArTPC of the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment. The chain is trained as a whole and its performance is assessed at each step using an open simulated data set.
Glutamate excitotoxicity in a model of multiple sclerosis

Glutamate excitotoxicity mediated by the AMPA/kainate type of glutamate receptors damages not only neurons but also the myelin-producing cell of the central nervous system, the oligodendrocyte. In multiple sclerosis, myelin, oligodendrocytes and some axons are lost as a result of an inflammatory attack on the central nervous system. Because glutamate is released in large quantities by activated immune cells, we expected that during inflammation in MS, glutamate excitotoxicity might contribute to the lesion. We addressed this by using the AMPA/kainate antagonist NBQX to treat mice sensitized for experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a demyelinating model that mimics many of the clinical and pathologic features of multiple sclerosis. Treatment resulted in substantial amelioration of disease, increased oligodendrocyte survival and reduced dephosphorylation of neurofilament H, an indicator of axonal damage. Despite the clinical differences, treatment with NBQX had no effect on lesion size and did not reduce the degree of central nervous system inflammation. In addition, NBQX did not alter the proliferative activity of antigen-primed T cells in vitro, further indicating a lack of effect on the immune system. Thus, glutamate excitotoxicity seems to be an important mechanism in autoimmune demyelination, and its prevention with AMPA/kainate antagonists may prove to be an effective therapy for multiple sclerosis.
Exo-leasing: escrow synchronization for mobile clients of commodity storage servers

Escrow reservations is a well-known synchronization technique, useful for inventory control, that avoids conflicts by taking into account the semantics of fragmentable object types. Unfortunately, current escrow techniques cannot be used on generic "commodity" servers because they require the servers to run the type-specific synchronization code. This is a severe limitation for systems that require application-specific synchronization but need to rely on generic components.Our exo-leasing method provides a new way to implement escrow synchronization without running any type-specific code in the servers. Instead, escrow synchronization code runs in the client providing the ability to use commodity servers. Running synchronization code in the client provides an additional benefit. Unlike any other system, our system allows a disconnected client to obtain escrow reservation from another disconnected client, reducing the need to coordinate with the servers. Measurements of a prototype indicate that our approach provides escrow-based conflict avoidance at moderate performance overhead.
Secretion of the Human T Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Transactivator Protein Tax

The HTLV-1 Tax protein is well known as a transcriptional transactivator and inducer of cellular transformation. However, it is also known that extracellular Tax induces the production and release of cytokines, such as TNF-a and IL-6, which have adverse effects on cells of the central nervous system. The cellular process by which Tax exits the cell into the extracellular environmment is currently unknown. This study characterizes the process of Tax secretion from the cell. Specifically, cytoplasmic Tax was demonstrated to localize to organelles associated with the cellular secretory process including the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi complex. Additionally, it was demonstrated that full-length Tax was secreted from both baby hamster kidney cells and a human kidney tumor cell line. Tax secretion was partially inhibited by brefeldin A, suggesting that Tax migrated from ER to Golgi complex. The combined treatment of Tax-transfected cells with PMA and ionomycin resulted in a small increase in the amount of Tax secreted suggesting that a fraction of cytoplasmic Tax was present in the regulated secretory pathway. These studies provide a link between Tax accumulation in the cytoplasm, the detection of Tax in the extracellular environment. from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005
Cell-Based Therapy for Retinal Degenerative Disease

The availability of non-invasive high-resolution imaging technology, the immune suppressive nature of the subretinal space, and the existence of surgical techniques that permit transplantation surgery to be a safe procedure all render the eye an ideal organ in which to begin cell-based therapy in the central nervous system. A number of early stage clinical trials are underway to assess the safety and feasibility of cell-based therapy for retinal blindness. Cell-based therapy using embryonic stem cell derived differentiated cells (e.g., retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)), neural progenitor cells, photoreceptor precursors, and bone marrow-derived hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells all have demonstrated successful rescue and/or replacement in preclinical models of human retinal degenerative disease. Additional research is needed to identify the mechanisms that control synapse formation/disjunction (to improve photoreceptor transplant efficacy), to identify factors that limit RPE survival in areas of geographic atrophy (to improve RPE transplant efficacy in eyes with age-related macular degeneration), and to identify factors that regulate immune surveillance of the subretinal space (to improve long-term photoreceptor and RPE transplant survival).
Why Are So Many WTO Disputes Abandoned

Previous research on the success of the WTO dispute-settlement system may miscalculate the true benefits of the dispute process due to the nature of the datasets used. Approximately 33 percent of all disputes filed at the WTO are classified as pending or inactive and thus omitted from most studies. Further investigation reveals that many of these inactive cases were actually settled by the countries involved or considered in a similar WTO dispute, and, as a result, no further WTO action was taken. This suggests that the WTO dispute settlement process may be more effective in resolving disputes than otherwise thought. For those disputes not successfully resolved, I empirically estimate why countries may choose to initiate WTO dispute settlement action but fail to follow through, thus allowing the offending party to continue with the alleged WTO illegal activities. The results suggest that developing countries are less likely to resolve their complaints in the WTO dispute settlement system, a troubling implication for the equity of the system. Keyword: WTO dispute settlement
Paraboloidal Thin Film Inflatable Concentrators and Their Use for Power Applications

Abstract : This paper deals with a proposal to use thin film inflatable concentrators, currently used for propulsion, in other applications, such as power. Technology for precision paraboloidal thin film concentrators is becoming available for use as a byproduct of propulsion technology. The idea is to introduce the possibility of using this formerly strictly propulsion hardware to power photovoltaic (PV) cells. Several intensity profiles will be generated from an optical model and shown for thin film inflatable concentrators.
Interactive Multi-volume Visualization

This paper is concerned with simultaneous visualization of two or more volumes, which may be from different imaging modalities or numerical simulations for the same subject of study. The main visualization challenge is to establish visual correspondences while maintaining distinctions among multiple volumes. One solution is to use different rendering styles for different volumes. Interactive rendering is required so the user can choose with ease an appropriate rendering style and its associated parameters for each volume. Rendering efficiency is maximized by utilizing commodity graphics cards. We demonstrate our preliminary results with two case studies.
Current attitudes of parents and patients toward hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for sickle cell anemia.

Background Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the only available cure for sickle cell anemia (SCA). HSCT-associated risks are one of many barriers to its widespread use for SCA. The study objective was to assess parent and patient perceptions of HSCT in the era of more widespread knowledge about HSCT for SCA. Procedure We surveyed parents of children with SCA and adolescents with SCA using the standard reference gamble paradigm. Survey responses between Africans (A) and African Americans (AA) and between parents and adolescents were compared. Results Seventy-two percent (64/89) of the respondents were willing to accept ≥5% risk of mortality, while 57% said they would accept a risk of ≥10% of graft versus host disease (GVHD). Twenty-two percent were unwilling to accept any risk of mortality or GVHD. Risk averseness did not differ between A or AA respondents. Fifty-six percent of respondents were willing to accept infertility post-HSCT. Conclusions These data suggest that the majority of parents and adolescents are willing to accept the current risks associated with matched sibling HSCT for SCA. However, there continue to be significant numbers of parents and adolescents who are unwilling to accept any risk of HSCT-associated mortality or GVHD. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2015;62:1277–1284. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Mycophenolate Mofetil is an effective alternative to Azathioprine in patients with severe autoimmune hepatitis

Mycophenolate Mofetil is an effective alternative to Azathioprine in patients with severe autoimmune hepatitis
Cyclic Changes in Serum Phosphorus of Laying Hens

Abstract Three trials were conducted to measure changes in the serum phosphorus level of laying hens over a 24-hour period. Sixty-three-week-old hens were selected for blood sampling according to the criteria that: 1. they laid an egg the day prior to and the day of blood collection and 2. the oviposition time on both days was 10 a.m. ± 2 hours. Blood samples were obtained via heart puncture. Serum was collected by centrifugation, deproteinized and analyzed colorimetrically for phosphorus content. Sampling times were as follows: Trial 1—6 p.m., 12 midnight, 6 a.m. and 12 noon; Trial 2—6 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 12 noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Trial 3—12 midnight, 4 a.m. and 7 a.m. Hens used in this study received natural and/or artificial light from 4:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. each day. Results indicated that serum phosphorus reached a peak of 6.08 mg.% at 7 a.m. At 8 a.m., the phosphorus level dropped to 4.88 mg.% and remained within 0.08 mg.% of this value until 12 noon. From 2 p.m. to 6 a.m. it gradually increased from 5.29 mg.% to 5.80 mg.%. Observed changes in serum phosphorus over time are related to changes in shell calcification, bone resorption and remineralization, and renal clearance.
Catalysis opportunities of atomically precise gold nanoclusters

Nanogold has been found to be an effective catalyst for many chemical reactions. However, mechanistic studies have thus far only met with limited success, largely due to the unavailability of well-defined catalysts. We are motivated to create atomically precise gold (Au) nanoclusters in the hope of unraveling some fundamental aspects of nanogold catalysis. In this feature article, we summarize recent works on the catalytic promise of a new class of materials: ultrasmall (<2 nm), semiconducting Au nanoclusters protected by thiolates, referred to as Aun(SR)m, where n and m represent the number of gold atoms and thiolate ligands, respectively. The recent research is focused on the synthesis and structural determination of atomically precise Aun(SR)m nanoclusters as well as exploring their catalytic properties. The correlation of the X-ray crystal structures of the Aun(SR)m nanoclusters with their catalytic properties will ultimately permit a deep understanding of the origin of nanogold catalysis and will also benefit the future design of new catalysts with high selectivity and activity.
Company Men: White-Collar Life and Corporate Cultures in Los Angeles, 1892-1941

Contents: Preface Acknowledgments Introduction The Rise of Corporate Los Angeles Defining Corporate Employment Company Men Creating an Esprit De Corps Profit and Security White-Collar Manhood The Corporation as Community The White-Collar Depression Conclusion Notes Essay on Sources Index
Analyzing Inflow Trend of Indiana Reservoirs Using SOM

AbstractInflows to reservoir systems are affected by climatic changes. In the past, regional inflow trend analyses were conducted using statistical approaches. This research made use of an artificial intelligence technique called the self-organizing map (SOM) to perform trend and cluster analysis for the inflows into the flood-control reservoirs of Indiana. Along with SOM, this research also used the Mann-Kendall test and a revised Mann-Kendall test for regional analysis. Results indicate an increasing trend in the clusters that represent days with high inflows to the northern reservoirs of Indiana when inflows to the central and southern reservoirs were low or medium. A 7% increase was noticed in the annual daily counts belonging to this cluster during the past 20 years. Similar trends were observed concerning high-inflow days to the central reservoirs of Indiana. However, they are not statistically significant at a 95% confidence level. This study concludes that SOM is a useful tool for studying the tre...
Performance of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders on the Dimension-Change Card Sort Task

Restricted and repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders have been conceptualized to reflect impaired executive functions. In the present study, we investigated the performance of 6–17-year-old children with and without an autism spectrum disorder on a dimension-change card sort task that explicitly indicated sorting rules on every trial. Diagnostic groups did not differ in speed of responses after the first rule switch or in speed or accuracy on blocks with mixed versus single sort rules. However, performance of the ASD group was significantly slower and less accurate overall than the typically-developing group. Furthermore, within the ASD group, poorer DCCS task performance did not predict more severe autism symptoms. Implications for the executive dysfunction theory of autism are discussed.
Pulsed Ligh inactivation of Listeria innocua on food packaging materials of different surface roughness and reflectivity

Abstract Inactivation of Listeria innocua on food packaging materials by Pulsed Light (PL) treatment was investigated. Coupons of low density polyethylene (LDPE), high density polyethylene (HDPE), polyethylene-laminated ultra-metalized polyethylene terephthalate (MET), polyethylene-coated paperboard (TR), and polyethylene-coated aluminum foil paperboard laminate (EP) were inoculated with L. innocua cells in stationary growth phase. Inoculated coupons (∼8 CFU/coupon) were treated with Pulsed Light fluence of up to 8.0 J/cm 2 , and survivors were determined. Reductions up to 7.2 ± 0.29, 7.1 ± 0.06, 4.4 ± 0.85, 4.5 ± 1.32, and 3.5 ± 0.82 log CFU/coupon were obtained on LDPE, HDPE, MET, TR, and EP, respectively. Inactivation data were used to determine Weibull kinetic parameters and predict inactivation in a wide range of fluence. Increasing surface reflectivity and surface roughness appeared to induce lower inactivation. Minimal surface heating was observed for all materials except MET, on which significant heating occurred. These results demonstrate the potential of Pulsed Light as an effective method for decontaminating food packaging materials.
Evaluation of the Ciliated Protozoa, Fabrea salina as a First Food for Larval Red Snapper, Lutjanus campechanus in a Large Scale Rearing Experiment

ABSTRACT One of the major challenges of culturing of red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus, is providing an appropriate food source at onset of feeding. Ciliates are abundant in marine waters but their significance as a first food for fish larvae is poorly understood as many have no lorica to facilitate their identification in the gut of a larval fish. Fabrea salina is a naked heterotrich ciliate that can be mass cultured at densities up to 84 ± 10 ciliates/mL in 7 days. Its appropriateness as a first food for red snapper larvae was evaluated in a green-water setting using 1-m3 tanks. Larvae were stocked at 10/L, 36 h post-hatch, before first-feeding commenced. Larvae were fed either (1) copepod nauplii, 20–75 μm, only from days 1 to 10; (2) copepod nauplii from days 1 to 10 plus F. salina from days 1 to 5; or, (3) F. salina only from days 1 to 3 plus copepod nauplii from days 4 to 10. Copepod nauplii were added at 2/mL and ciliates were added at 5/mL. Survival after 28 days was 0.28 ± 0.15% for larvae given ...
Anion radicals of non-cyclic enones: an example of non-planarity in a π radical

With suitable modifications both Huckel and McLachlan calculations are capable of predicting, quite closely, spin densities in the α- and β-ionone systems. The non-planarity of the β-ionone molecule was satisfactorily described by allowing the resonance integral for the bond about which the rotation has occurred to vary according to β=β 0 cos θ. An additional contribution to the hyperfine couplings had to be considered because of the non-zero overlap of one 2pz orbital of the π system with a C-H σ bond. With both modifications the hyperfine couplings were calculated in agreement with those measured when the π system of β-ionone was twisted some 40° out of planarity.
Profile based methods for genomic sequence retrieval

The number of biological sequences in the genomic databases, such as the GenBank, have exponentially increased during the past decade. Sequence retrieval systems are required to quickly and efficiently find sequences, that are related to a query sequence. Several comparison algorithms that generally rely upon the existence of local string similarities between the query and the database sequences have been widely utilized and accepted as the basis for bio-sequence retrieval from DNA sequences databases. In this paper we describe a new method for sequence comparison based on k-mer word frequency profiles. In this algorithm, the distribution of the k-mer words found on the two sequences, defined as sequences' profiles, are treated as the signatures of sequences. This representation enables us to perform a comparison of sequence similarity using Shannon's entropy based divergence measures. The profile based search of the primate section of GenBank (GB-PRI, comprising of approximately 114,000 DNA sequences) was performed using this approach. The results obtained have established the significance and validity of a profile based genomic sequence retrieval algorithm.
AMMONIUM SULFATE DECREASES THE INHIBITORY EFFECT OF ATP ON LUNG PHOSPHOFRUCTOKINASE (PFK) ACTIVITY

Significant aerobic lactate production and glutamine oxidation occur in developing rat lung and intestine. In intestine, the inhibitory effect of ATP on PFK has been reported to be eliminated by the presence of NH4+, an end product of glutamine oxidation. The association between aerobic lactate production and glutamine oxidation may be mediated by activation of PFK by NH4+ despite the presence of high ATP associated with aerobic conditions. In order to determine if lung PFK is controlled in a similar manner we compared the effect of NH4+ on developing rat lung and intestine PFK activity in the presence of 2 mM ATP. PFK activity was determined on particle free tissue homogenatea by measuring the disappearance of NADH in the presence of 2 mM fructose-6-phosphate, 2 mM ATP, and excess aldolase, alpha-glycerol phosphate dehydrogenasa, and triose phosphate isomerase at 27° and pH8.0. PFK activity is expressed as μmoles fructose-6-phosphate utilized/min/gram wet tissue. Data are mean±sd, n≥4.