cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Rotational state-to-state differential cross sections for the HCl–Ar collision system using velocity-mapped ion imaging

Rotational state-resolved differential cross sections (DCSs) for the j-changing collisions of HCl by Ar are presented. A new crossed molecular beam velocity-mapped imaging apparatus is used to measure the full (θ=0–180°) DCS for j=0→j′=1, 2, ..., 6 rotational energy transfer at a center of mass energy of ∽538 cm−1. The j=0 state accounts for over 97% of the initial HCl rotational state population, and the scattering products are state-selectively ionized via (2+1) resonance enhanced multi-photon ionization through the E state, allowing for the direct extraction of state-to-state DCSs in the center of mass frame. The angular distributions for the experimental DCSs become increasingly backscattered as Δj increases, but do so non-monotonically, as j′=3 is more forward scattered than j′=2. Images for the even Δj 0→2 and 0→4 are similar, and those for the odd Δj 0→1 and 0→3 also have similarities. The calculated cross sections, based upon the HCl–Ar H6(4,3,0) potential of Hutson [J. Phys. Chem., 1992, 96, 4237], agree qualitatively with the experimental cross sections. However, there are significant differences between the theoretical and experimental results, where many of the principal features in the calculated DCSs lie 10–30° more backscattered than the same features in the experimental DCSs. These results may suggest that an adjustment to the repulsive region of the H6(4,3,0) potential is required.
An open concept metric for assessing dialog system complexity

Techniques for assessing dialog system performance commonly focus on characteristics of the interaction, using metrics such as completion, satisfaction or time on task. However, such metrics are not always capable of differentiating systems that operate on fundamentally different principles, particularly when tested on tasks that focus on common-denominator capabilities. We introduce a new metric, the open concept count, and show how it can be used to capture useful system properties of a dialog system.
Applications of Genomic Methods to Studies of Wild Primate Populations

Primatologists are becoming increasingly aware of the advances made in genomics and wish to take advantage of what these technologies have to offer. While draft genomes have been assembled for several nonhuman primates, considerable genomic resources are still lacking for many taxa that have been the subject of ecological and evolutionary research. This chapter provides a brief overview of next generation technologies and focuses on methods of potential use for studies of wild primate populations. Specific examples of genomic applications are discussed, highlighting the advantages of generating large-scale sequencing data for many long-standing questions in primate molecular ecology.
Maintaining accuracy in stereotactic radiosurgery.

Purpose : To provide the manufacture's specification for the base phantom of a commercially available stereotactic radiosurgery system so that its accuracy can be confirmed, and to describe a calibration device that allows the accuracy of the base phantom to be verified quickly and on a routine basis. Modifications to the target pointer system that make matching the pointer tips easier and less likely to damage the pointer tips are also described. Methods and Materials : In stereotactic radiosurgery, spatial accuracy is the key factor for successful dose delivery. With some commercially available systems, this accuracy depends on the accuracy of the base phantom coordinate system, how closely the tip of the target pointer can be matched to the tip of the base phantom pointer, and how accurately the coordinates set on the isocentric subsystem match those set on the base phantom. Two major problems, usually overlooked when evaluating system accuracy are, first, the base phantom, which establishes the stereotactic coordinate system, is assumed to be completely accurate. This is a dangerous assumption because the base phantom is used frequently for routine patient treatments and for standard quality assurance tests. To exacerbate the problem, no independent device is provided with stereotactic systems to check the accuracy of the base phantom. Second, the accuracy of the isocenter coordinates set on the head support stand depends upon how closely the target pointer and the base phantom pointer can be aligned. The hardware provided with the system is difficult to use and easily leads to damage of the pointer tips. Results : In this work, we provide the manufacturer's specifications for a popular stereotactic system, describe a device that can be used to check quickly and easily the accuracy of the base phantom, and describe a modification to the transfer pointer system that allows the pointer tips to be more easily aligned with reduced possibility of damage to the pointer tips. Conclusion : The methods and apparatus described in this paper should be useful to anyone using a base phantom for testing radiosurgery accuracy.
Analysis of routing table update activity after resource failure in a distributed computer network

In a distributed computer network each node participates in the routing process, making routing decisions based on information about network topology which is stored in tables in the node. To maintain the accuracy of these tables without interrupting the functionality of the network, they must be dynamically updated whenever there is a topology change in the network. The purpose of this paper is to analyze update activity required by a topology information maintenance scheme which has been implemented on the three-node MERIT Computer Network in Michigan. The main theorem gives upper and lower bounds on the number of update messages required after failure of a single network resource, either a node or a link.
A 19F Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of Natural Clays

A series of natural clays, including 1:1 layer silicates (serpentines, kaolin minerals), smectites, vermiculite, micas, talc, pyrophyllite, sepiolite, and palygorskite, were studied by “F magic-angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The “F chemical shift in these layer silicates is characteristic of the structure, in particular, to the local octahedral cation occupancy. Fluoride ions bonded to three Mg octahedral cations have a chemical shift of about −177 ppm and those bonded to two Al cations and a vacancy have a chemical shift of about −134 parts per million (ppm). The shift at −182.8 ppm in hectorite is apparently associated with fluoride bonded to two Al cations and a Li cation. Surprisingly, the difference in chemical shift of the interlayer and inner fluoride in 1:1 layer silicates is insufficient to distinguish these sites. Based on trends in chemical shift, it appears that fluoride substitution for inner hydroxyls in clays with octahedral substitution is not random. Fluoride is apparently preferentially associated with Mg rather than Al in the octahedral sheet as no resonance due to a fluoride bonded to two Al cations and a vacancy is observed in clays such as SAz-1.
Character Description in Phylogenetic Analysis: Insights from Agnes Arber's Concept of the Plant

Throughout her work Agnes Arber argues for an inclusive, synthetic concept of the vascular plant as `consisting of a unification of every phase of its existence'. Her view of the leaf as a partial-shoot reflects this unification by relating the part (leaf) to the whole (shoot). According to Arber's view of the plant, the part can be fully understood only in the context of the whole. Morphological character description as it is currently practiced in systematics isin sharp contrast with this holistic view of plant structure. Systematic characters are removed from their context when they are described. This problem is greatest when characters are expressed verbally. Verbal descriptions convey little of the content of the character. A shift from verbal to visual charactersallows systematists to capture more information, including some of the context in which the character occurs. By using a photograph, the fringe on a labellum of Alpinia spp. (Zingiberaceae) can be viewed in the context of the labellum in a way that the word `fringe' cannot convey. The use of pictorial charactersalso allows reliable data storage and retrieval from databases, much as DNA sequences are currently being stored and retrieved. Key words: Agnes Arber, character concept, character state, cladistics, database, holism, partial-shoot theory, phylogeny, phylogenetic systematics, plant morphology, process morphology, typology.
Apurinic/Apyrimidinic (AP) Endonuclease From Dictyostelium Discoideum: Cloning, Nucleotide Sequence and Induction by Sublethal Levels of DNA Damaging Agents

We have cloned an AP endonuclease gene (APEA) from Dictyostelium discoideum, along with 1.8 kb of the 5' flanking region. There are no introns. The sequence predicts a protein of 361 amino acids, showing high homology to the major human/Escherichia coli exonuclease III family of AP endonucleases. There is 47% identity and 64% similarity to the Ape endonuclease of human cells using the C-terminal 257 amino acids of the Dictyostelium protein. The 104 amino acids on the N-terminus show only low homology with other AP endonucleases. Instead, this region shows high homology with the acid-rich regions of proteins associated with chromatin, such as nucleolins and HMG proteins. The gene is transcriptionally activated up to 7-fold after treatment of cells with sublethal levels of DNA damaging agents, including ultraviolet light, MNNG and bleomycin. Induction does not occur following blocking of replication fork polymerases with aphidicolin. It is not eliminated by treatment with kinase or phosphatase inhibitors. Four DNA damage-sensitive mutants all retained the DNA damage-induced up-regulation.
Primary radiotherapy for nonsurgically managed Stage I endometrial cancer: Utilization and impact of brachytherapy

Abstract Purpose The National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) was analyzed to evaluate practice patterns and the impact of radiotherapy modalities for endometrial cancer treated with primary radiotherapy. Methods and Materials The NCDB was queried for Stage I endometrioid adenocarcinoma patients treated with primary radiotherapy without surgery from 1998 to 2006. Brachytherapy (BT) utilization factors were established using multivariable logistic regression. Log-rank and Cox proportional hazards modeling were used to assess variables impacting survival. Results A total of 853 patients were analyzed: 23.7%, 31.3%, and 45.0% received BT alone, external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and BT, or EBRT alone. The BT utilization ranged from 40.5% to 51.9% over time ( p = 0.70). Lower utilization was associated with advanced age (≥80 years: odds ratio [OR] 0.43, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.28–0.65, p p p p p p = 0.02) compared with EBRT + BT. No difference was seen using BT alone (HR 1.29, 95% CI 0.92–1.79, p = 0.14). Conclusion BT utilization for nonsurgically managed endometrial cancer remains low with most patients receiving EBRT alone. Despite concerns of overtreatment in a population with competing causes of death, BT appears to improve survival.
Compromised encoding of proprioceptively determined joint angles in older adults: the role of working memory and attentional load.

Perceiving the positions and movements of one’s body segments (i.e., proprioception) is critical for movement control. However, this ability declines with older age as has been demonstrated by joint angle matching paradigms in the absence of vision. The aim of the present study was to explore the extent to which reduced working memory and attentional load influence older adult proprioceptive matching performance. Older adults with relatively HIGH versus LOW working memory ability as determined by backward digit span and healthy younger adults, performed memory-based elbow position matching with and without attentional load (i.e., counting by 3 s) during target position encoding. Even without attentional load, older adults with LOW digit spans (i.e., 4 digits or less) had larger matching errors than younger adults. Further, LOW older adults made significantly greater errors when attentional loads were present during proprioceptive target encoding as compared to both younger and older adults with HIGH digit span scores (i.e., 5 digits or greater). These results extend previous position matching results that suggested greater errors in older adults were due to degraded input signals from peripheral mechanoreceptors. Specifically, the present work highlights the role cognitive factors play in the assessment of older adult proprioceptive acuity using memory-based matching paradigms. Older adults with LOW working memory appear prone to compromised proprioceptive encoding, especially when secondary cognitive tasks must be concurrently executed. This may ultimately result in poorer performance on various activities of daily living.
Skeletonization: A Technique for Trimming the Fat from a Network via Relevance Assessment

This paper proposes a means of using the knowledge in a network to determine the functionality or relevance of individual units, both for the purpose of understanding the network's behavior and improving its performance. The basic idea is to iteratively train the network to a certain performance criterion, compute a measure of relevance that identifies which input or hidden units are most critical to performance, and automatically trim the least relevant units. This skeletonization technique can be used to simplify networks by eliminating units that convey redundant information; to improve learning performance by first learning with spare hidden units and then trimming the unnecessary ones away, thereby constraining generalization; and to understand the behavior of networks in terms of minimal "rules."
Modeling multiscale effects of light limitations and edge-induced mortality on carbon stores in forest landscapes

Analyses of carbon C dynamics at broad scales usually do not consider spatial interactions. The assumption is that C dynamics can be modeled within homogenous i.e., even-aged patches and then summed to predict broad-scale dynamics an additive approach. The goal of this paper is to elucidate the scales over which this additive approach is sufficient to explain observed C dynamics at broad scales. We define emergent “behaviors” vs. emergent “properties” as those behaviors that cannot be predicted solely from the additive properties of units at a finer scale. We used a forest process model to check for possible emergent behaviors due to patternprocess interactions at multiple levels, from the patch to the landscape. Specifically, using artificial forest landscapes with various spatial structures, we estimated the relative effects of edge-induced, tree mortality mainly due to wind and light limitations on C dynamics. Emergent behaviors were observed at all levels examined, indicating that emergent behaviors did not cease as one proceeded from the patch to the landscape level, as we had expected. However, the magnitude of the emergent behaviors depended on the level of spatial interaction considered as well as the type and intensity of the processes included. In all simulations, interactions of light and wind processes resulted in significant emergent behaviors only when parameters controlling wind mortality were set to the highest levels observed in the literature. In one simulation, the magnitude of emergent behaviors differed among the landscapes, indicating that interactions among patches may not be accounted for by an additive correction for edge effects unless spatial interactions are addressed. The implication is that some C dynamics in fragmented landscapes may not be captured at broad-scales using an additive approach, whereas in other cases spatial interactions are small enough to be ignored.
Efficacy of vancomycin plus levofloxacin combination therapy for refractory pericarditis due to multiresistant Streptococcus pneumoniae

that was refractory to standard antimicrobial therapy. A 29-year-old HIV-seronegative man from Florida was admitted to a hospital in South Carolina because of severe anterior chest pain and acute respiratory distress. He had suffered from febrile cough and generalized malaise for nearly a week prior to admission. Faint heart sounds, left lower-lobe consolidation and echocardio- graphic evidence of pericardial effusion and cardiac tamponade (diastolic equalization of intraventricular pressure) were present. The white cell count was 10 400/mm3, serum aminotransferase levels were elevated (alanine aminotransferase 546 U/L, aspartate aminotransferase 491 U/L), and the erythrocyte sedi- mentation rate was 110 mm/h. Prominent intragranulo- cytic Gram-positive diplococci were present in turbid, brown pericardial fluid (360 mL). The antimicrobial susceptibility of
Propagation Measurements in the Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) Band

An experimental measurement program has been conducted to determine propagation parameters in the 40-50 and 70-80 Hz ranges. These measurements have utilized a transmitter in Wisconsin radiating a sinusoidal signal at radiated power levels of 0.5 W at 45 Hz and 1 W at 75 Hz. Sites have been located at Nova Scotia, California, Utah, Hawaii, Norway, Greenland, Greece, and Saipan. Using sites on the same great circle path as the transmitter, it has been possible to estimate average attenuation rates and excitation factors with high accuracy subject to the constraints discussed in the paper. Both daytime and nighttime attenuation rates and excitation factors are discussed.
Consent, Sexuality, and Self-Respect: Commentary on Skerrett's “Beyond ‘Consent’”

In this discussion, I take up Kathleen Roberts Skerrett's (this issue) position that the concept of self-respect offers itself as the better road to addressing issues of power and its abuses when it comes to sexual harassment than does consent, a concept that she shows to be imbricated in the dynamics of gendered inequalities. Drawing on her analysis of David Mamet's Oleanna (1992), I challenge self-respect as the ideologically vacant category Skerrett implies it to be. I argue instead that in its regulatory, prescriptive undertones, self-respect is as porous to gendered value judgments though it may present as natural and self-evident. In disagreement with Skerrett's dismissal of consent as a useful compass to navigate questions of harassment, I propose that consent and its operations need to be further theorized in relation to the unconscious, desire, and temporality before the concept can adequately perform the labor we are asking of it.
Clinical assessment of self-injurious behavior

The Timed Self-injurious Behavior Scale is an observational scale rating the frequency of 16 types of self-injurious behaviors during each 10-sec. interval of a 10-min. observation period. Advantages of the scale are utilization of direct observation and independence from the variable recollection of symptoms by subjects and care givers. 19 videotaped sessions of a subject who exhibited eight types of self-injurious behaviors were rated with the scale independently by three raters. Eighty percent and better agreement was found for the four specific forms of those behaviors exhibited by the subject sufficiently frequently, self biting, head punching, head slapping, and hair removal.
Enhancement of salivary IgA response to a DNA vaccine against Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A in mice by plasmid-based adjuvants

A specific salivary IgA (sIgA) response was obtained in mice by intranasal immunization with a naked DNA vaccine consisting of the Streptococcus mutans wall-associated protein A gene (wapA) inserted into the mammalian expression vector pcDNA3.1/V5/His-TOPO. In the present study, the vaccine, referred to as pcDNA-wapA, was administered with or without the cationic lipid DMRIE-C. No mucosal response was observed in mice immunized with the vaccine alone, whereas a weak and temporal sIgA response was obtained when the vaccine was mixed with DMRIE-C. To investigate the use of pcDNA containing the interleukin 5 (IL-5) gene (pcDNA-il-5) or the cholera toxin B gene (pcDNA-ctb) as genetic adjuvants, these constructs were used in co-immunization studies. The enhancement effect was transient with pcDNA-il-5, but longer lasting with pcDNA-ctb, thus supporting the use of the latter as a genetic adjuvant to DNA vaccine.
Socio-economic interaction and ceramic aesthetic: understanding West African ceramic production and use in context

This paper explores the multi-faceted nature of ceramic production and use in the context of contact and interaction through a detailed examination of pottery manufacture immediately before, during and after the decline of the Atlantic trade at the trading site of Juffure on the Gambia River. It is argued that potters’ decisions during the production process affected the aesthetic qualities of pots, including paste colour, temper, form and decoration and that some of these qualities are the by-products of acts of social displays related to diet. Analysis of ceramics during each phase of the Atlantic trade demonstrates that the potters’ choices were not exclusively expressions of communal ethnic identity of the producers or users. Additionally, the heightened production and eventual abandonment of this industry at Juffure fails to display a relationship between ceramics and personal identity. Rather, it is the broader socio-economic processes such as population fluctuations, consumer demand and socio-econo...
Transplanting Korean Legal Materials into American Law Libraries

The diffusion of law between the U.S. and Korea has been one directional from the advanced common law system to a civil legal system trying to accept the advantages of the common law system. A recent development of close economic interdependence between the two states, however, changed the direction and stimulated the interest in Korean law and its system. In addition to the existing economic interdependence through the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) from 1989, as of 2011, Korea is currently the U.S.'s 7th largest goods trading partner with $100 billion in total goods trade. The recent entry into force of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement on March 15, 2012 also stimulated interest in the South Korean economy and its commercial laws in the United States. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative sees the agreement as providing U.S. exporters with more opportunities to sell their products and services in the Korean territory using their logistics. I believe that an interest in Korean law in the United States will be vitalized and materialized further by the efforts of American law libraries to collect Korean law materials and to make them accessible to U.S. scholars and lawyers. Despite increasing interest in Korean law, however, the growth of U.S. law library collection in this area has been put at risk. Due to the economic downturn starting in late 2008 and the resulting decrease of law school applicants, U.S. academic law libraries have been confronted with issues of shrinking budgets, changing research interests, and proliferating electronic sources with steeply rising costs. As such, developing foreign law collections, especially Korean law collections in the U.S. academic law libraries has been challenged by many aggravating factors and must be justified with stronger reasons than ever before.While I have prepared a Korean law bibliography and dealt with issues and trends collecting Korean legal materials, this article is more like a culmination of the thoughts and researches relating to Korean law resources I have done for last five years. First, I will deal with issues relating to collecting Korean legal materials and what obstacles have been out there in diffusing both Korean and American law. Second, various resources available in print and online are introduced and updated. Lastly, I added a bibliography with subject headings in English in the appendix. I hope this article will help American legal scholars, law students, legal practitioners, and law librarians to conduct research on the law of the Republic of Korea ("South Korea") and with their efforts to transplant Korean legal materials in the U.S.
Describing function properties of a magnetic pulse-width modulator

An analysis is presented for the transfer functions of a particular pulse-width modulator and power switch subsystem that has been widely used in practical switching-mode d-c regulator systems. The switch and filter are in a "buck" configuration, and the switch is driven by a constant- frequency variable duty-ratio push-pull magnetic modulator employing square-loop cores. The two transfer functions considered are that with modulator control signal as input and that with line voltage as input. For a-c signals, the corresponding describing functions (DF) are derived. It is shown that current-source drive to the modulator extends the control DF frequency response over that with voltage drive, and that complete cancellation of the effects of line variations can be obtained at d-c but not for a-c. Experimental confirmation of the analytical results for the control DF are presented.
Attentional control moderates the relationship between social anxiety symptoms and attentional disengagement from threatening information.

Abstract Background and objectives Social anxiety is characterized by biased attentional processing of social information. However, heterogeneity of extant findings suggests that it may be informative to elucidate individual difference factors that modulate the processing of emotional information. The current study examined whether individual differences in components of attentional control (AC – shifting and focusing) moderated the link between social anxiety and attentional engagement and disengagement biases for threat-relevant cues. Methods Seventy–five undergraduate students completed well-established measures of social anxiety symptoms, AC, and attentional bias for social threat information (modified probe detection task). Results Moderation analyses revealed that at low levels of AC-shifting, increased social anxiety was associated with slower disengagement from threat-relevant compared to neutral social cues. In contrast, at high levels of AC-shifting, social anxiety was associated with faster disengagement from threat-relevant compared to neutral stimuli. Individual differences in AC-focusing did not moderate the social anxiety-attentional bias link. Limitations Causal inferences cannot be made given the cross-sectional study design. The sample comprised individuals displaying a range of self-reported social anxiety symptoms; thus, generalizability to clinical samples remains to be established. The measurement of AC relied on subjective participant report. Conclusions The current findings underscore the importance of AC processes in understanding the nature of attentional bias mechanisms in anxiety.
Global and Local Approach of Part-of-Speech Tagging for Large Corpora

We present Global-Local POS tagging, a framework to train generative stochastic Part-of-Speech models on large corpora. Global Taggers offer several advantages over their counter parts trained on small, curated corpus, including the ability to automatically extend and update their models to new text. Global Taggers also avoid a fundamental limitation of current models, whose performance heavily relies on curated text with manually assigned labels. We illustrate our approach by training several Global Taggers, implemented with generative stochastic models, on two large corpora using high performance computing architecture. We further demonstrate that global taggers can be improved by incorporating models trained on curated text, called Local Taggers, for better tagging performance derived from specific topics.
A Life Course ApproACh to inequALity: exAmining rACiAL/ethniC DifferenCes in the reLAtionship between eArLy Life soCioeConomiC ConDitions AnD ADuLt heALth Among men

Objective: Previous research has docu­mented a relationship between childhood socioeconomic conditions and adult health, but less is known about racial/ethnic dif­ferences in this relationship, particularly among men. This study utilizes a life course approach to investigate racial/ethnic differ­ences in the relationships among early and later life socioeconomic circumstances and health in adulthood among men. Design: Panel data from the Health and Retirement Study and growth curve models are used to examine group differences in the relationships among childhood and adult socioeconomic factors and age-tra­jectories of self-rated health among White, Black and Mexican American men aged 51-77 years ( N =4147). Results: Multiple measures of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) predict health in adulthood for White men, while significant­ly fewer measures of childhood SES predict health for Black and Mexican American men. Moreover, the health consequences of childhood SES diminish with age for Black and Mexican American men. The child­hood SES-adult health relationship is largely explained by measures of adult SES for White men. Conclusion: The life course pathways link­ing childhood SES and adult health differ by race/ethnicity among men. Similar to argu­ments that the universality of the adult SES-health relationship should not be assumed, results from our study suggest that scholars should not assume that the significance and nature of the association between child­hood SES and health in adulthood is similar across race/ethnicity among men. Ethn Dis. 2015;25(3):313-320.
Efficient distributed workstealing via matchmaking

Many classes of high-performance applications and combinatorial problems exhibit large degree of runtime load variability. One approach to achieving balanced resource use is to over decompose the problem on fine-grained tasks that are then dynamically balanced using approaches such as workstealing. Existing work stealing techniques for such irregular applications, running on large clusters, exhibit high overheads due to potential untimely interruption of busy nodes, excessive communication messages and delays experienced by idle nodes in finding work due to repeated failed steals. We contend that the fundamental problem of distributed work-stealing is of rapidly bringing together work producers and consumers. In response, we develop an algorithm that performs timely, lightweight and highly efficient matchmaking between work producers and consumers which results in accurate load balance. Experimental evaluations show that our scheduler is able to outperform other distributed work stealing schedulers, and to achieve scale beyond what is possible with current approaches.
Effects of catecholamines on ovarian contractility in the rabbit.

This study 1) investigated ovarian contractility in the rabbit using in vivo and in vitro procedures; 2) compared these contractile patterns; 3) determined the effect of certain andrenergic drugs on these patterns; and 4) correlated ovarian contractility with time of ovulation in rabbits treated with human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG). To induce ovulation 50 IU of HCG were administered to sexually mature New Zealand white rabbits and contractions recorded at intervals from 5 to 17 hours after. In vitro contractions of ovaries were observed in a removed ovary suspended in oxygenated Krebs-Ringer solution in a muscle chamber. In vivo observations were made with an ovary attached at the base of an isolation chamber to a universal traducer leading to a dymograph recorder. The number of mature and hemorrhagic follicles on the ovarian surface were observed in association with the contractility. Spontaneous contractions and response to the adrenergic drugs norepinephrine isoproterenol phenoxybenzamine and propranolol were noted. The drugs were given at half the human dose via the abdominal aorta in the in vivo experiments and added to the muscle bath in the in vitro tests. Amplitude and frequency of ovarian contractions increased as the time of anticipated ovulation approached. Norepinephrine was effective in starting contractions in those ovaries that did not contract spontaneously and increased the rate regularity tone and amplitude in others. Phenoxybenzamine decreased frequency amplitude or tone of contractions or stopped them completely. Propranolol increased contractions. Isoproterenol decreased frequency and amplitude or stopped contractions. These results suggest a correlation between ovarian contractility and ovulation. Local ovarian mechanisms such as smooth muscle contractility may be in part responsible for follicular rupture as smooth muscle and autonomic nerve fibers have been demonstrated throughout the stoma of human and animal ovaries.
Strategically Siting Urban Agriculture: A Socioeconomic Analysis of Roanoke, Virginia

Food insecurity is a major concern in the United States, particularly in high-poverty areas and among households with children. Urban agriculture helps address food insecurity and promote recreation, aesthetics, biodiversity, and other benefits. This article reports a socioeconomic evaluation of ten different variables, including in situ analysis of healthy, nutritious food options, of a small, intensely urbanized city to identify neighborhoods that would benefit from urban agriculture. We produced a hierarchy of locations (using census block groups), from least to greatest socioeconomic need, for new urban agriculture sites. Our results found that one block group qualified in all ten variables and two-thirds demonstrated a need in at least half of the variables. The majority of these block groups were distributed within the middle of the city.
Schematic design visualization for five-axis NC machines

The five-axis NC(Numerical Control)machine,the function and cost of which are intensively dependent on schematic design,secures a strategic position among machining equipments.In this study,the schematic design is implemented using the visualized design method.Based on a brief introduction to the concepts of schematic design and visualized design,the ADAMSTM-based workflow of schematic design visualization is detailedly described,including the initial determination of machine kinematical scheme and structural layout,the kinematical simulation on each scheme,and the in-depth parametric simulation on selected schemes.To this end,by using a five-axis machining center as an example,the schematic design visualization is investigated following the proposed workflow.Meanwhile,three types of kinematical schemes and layouts are postulated for such as gantry-and vertical-type machines.By comparing and analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of kinematical simulation,the gantry-type machine is selected as the finalized scheme.
Cultivating borderland food memories, from field to screen

ABSTRACTA documentary film producer situates key scenes for her work-in-progress film on youth, culture, and farming near the United States–Mexico border, Remembering How to Eat, in terms of theories of memory, place, and ecology; border studies; cinematic spectatorship; and sensory ethnography. The paper argues that documentaries about food and farming can help render a sense of place-based memory and identity, particularly on the border, which is typically characterized by mobility and transience. Such films can help cultivate a sense of food sovereignty in communities by rendering a multisensory engagement with the culinary and agricultural past. Such engagement includes not solely plants and farming processes but stories, recipes, and folktales. The paper lays the groundwork for a documentary cinematic aesthetic that gleans from these cultural materials a borderland sensorium that treats food and plants as active agents that compel us to act in certain ways. This approach can not only help transmit th...
Nonlinear analysis on rubbingfaults via excitation frequency

By applying the Lagrange equation,a mechanical model for rotor-stator-bearing system rubbing faults is first established under the unsteady oil-film loading.Then,the time-domain waveform,amplitudefrequency curve,phase track and Poincare section against the excitation frequency are investigated using numerical analysis to reveal the system bifurcation and chaos.Finally,it is indicated that,when the excitation frequency is treated as the only control parameter,the complex nonlinear dynamical behavior exists.Therefore,this approach sets a theoretical reference to further fault diagnosis on large-dimensional rotary machinery.
Continuous Hydroformylation with Phosphine-Functionalized Polydimethylsiloxane Rhodium Complexes as Nanofilterable Homogeneous Catalysts

Commercially available polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was functionalized with phosphine and used to form a Rh complex catalyst. The PDMS-based Rh catalyst complex shows promise as an inexpensive, readily synthesized and nanofilterable homogeneous catalyst for performing continuous hydroformylation. Batch hydroformylation of several substrates including 1-octene, 1-decene, 1-dodecene and styrene showed good activity and selectivity. For 1-octene hydroformylation, the observed catalyst activity with the PDMS-based Rh complex is 2-fold greater compared to that with a conventional Rh-triphenylphosphine complex under similar conditions. Continuous 1-octene hydroformylation for up to 120 h was demonstrated in a membrane nanofiltration system, showing stable conversion (∼60%) and high chemoselectivity (>95%). The total turnover number (TON) after 120 h was approximately 12 000 and the permeate Rh concentration was <2 ppm.
Supportive Housing Initiatives in Arkansas

Abstract Arkansas has a significant need for improving the availability of affordable housing with access to supportive services for its large population of elderly and persons with disabilities. Factors that contribute to this need are the high level of poverty, general poor health, low employment rate for persons with disabilities, and the geographic and social isolation problems typical of a rural State.
Abnormal Epithelial Proliferation: A New Institution-Specific Terminology for Worrisome Intraductal Proliferations Warranting Diagnostic Excisional Biopsy

The current NCCN guideline for management of atypical ductal hyperplasia (ADH) diagnosed on a breast core needle biopsy (CNB) includes surgical excision, frequent follow-up with mammograms, and chemoprevention with selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). Studies have shown that histological differentiation between ADH and usual ductal hyperplasia (UDH) on a CNB can sometimes be challenging. In our institution, “abnormal epithelial proliferation” (AEP) …
A Combinatorial Proof of Vandermonde's Determinant

(2007). A Combinatorial Proof of Vandermonde's Determinant. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 114, No. 4, pp. 338-341.
Framing Financial Incentives to Increase Physical Activity Among Overweight and Obese Adults

Although financial incentives are common in workplace wellness programs aimed at increasing physical activity, the optimal design of such incentives is not known. This trial evaluated whether provi...
Problem Set 8.1 – Energy Balance

Publisher Summary This chapter presents various problems related to energy balance, which include the reasons of biopsies of fat people showing lower water content than the biopsies of fat from leaner persons; and the calculation of the total energy per 100 g of dry rice, in both kJ and kcal by using the Atwater Factors.
Understanding Gender Differences in Media Perceptions of Hedonic Systems: A Comparison of 2D versus 3D Media

As technology improves in hedonic and affective dimensions, women's interests in technology may increase. In this research, the authors are interested in understanding gender differences in media perceptions of hedonic systems. They draw upon Hunter-Gatherer Theory of Spatial Gender Differences and Jung's Theory of Psychological Types on Gender Differences to hypothesize differences in men's and women's perceptions of skill, challenge, telepresence, and satisfaction with online experiences in 2D versus 3D hedonic environments. The results of their experiment indicate that even though women perceive lower skill levels and greater challenge in using 2D and 3D hedonic systems than men, women's' perceived sense of telepresence is higher than men in both 2D and 3D hedonic environments. In addition, women are more satisfied with 2D and 3D hedonic experiences than men. The authors' findings suggest that consistent with Jung's Theory of Psychological Types on Gender Differences, women's perceptions of hedonic systems are more positive than men and, hence, making technology intuitive, enjoyable, and fun to use can potentially increase women's participation in the information and communication technology workforce. Additionally, given that women perceive more challenge and skill issues in using technology but are more favorable toward hedonic systems than men, the authors suggest that the use of hedonic systems to support K-12 education systems, such as computer or serious gaming for education, can generate females' interests in technology at an early age.
Delayed Nrf2-Regulated Antioxidant Gene Induction in Response to Exposure of Iron-Doped Silica Nanoparticles

Studies have demonstrated that airborne nanoparticulate matter causes oxidative stress, inflammation, and induces an Nrf2-regulated adaptive response. However, the contribution of particulate components to these biologic effects and how Nrf2 signaling is activated need to be further clarified. In this study, we focused on silica and iron, two common components of airborne nanoparticles, and investigate how silica and iron-doped silica nanoparticles activated Nrf2-regulated antioxidant genes (GCLC, GCLM, HO-1 and NQO1) in human macrophages (differentiated from THP-1 monocytes). We found that expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines was significantly increased by only iron-doped silica at 6 h, while the expression of Nrf2-regulated antioxidant genes was unchanged except for GCLC, which was reduced at this time point. At 18 h however, the mRNA level of all antioxidant genes was significantly increased, indicating a delayed induction. Silica particles alone showed little effect on cytokine or antioxidant gene induction. The nuclear translocation of Nrf2 occurred later than that of NF-κB p65 protein and cytokine induction, further indicating a delayed response of Nrf2 signaling. Pretreatment of cells with NF-κB inhibitor SN50, which inhibited cytokine induction, abolished antioxidant gene induction by iron-doped silica at 18 h, suggesting that NF-κB plays a key role in the regulation of Nrf2-mediated gene expression. Consistently, SN50 also inhibited the nuclear translocation of Nrf2 caused by iron-doped silica. In conclusion, these data indicated that iron played a significant role in the biologic response to airborne nanoparticles in macrophages and that iron-doped silica induced a delayed response of Nrf2-regulated antioxidant genes, possibly through a NF-κB-cytokine-NOX-oxidants-Nrf2 pathway. Supported by ES023864 from the National Institutes of Health.
Maximum Likelihood Method

A classical problem in the statistical decision theory is to estimate the probability distribution of a random vector X given its independent observations \(x_{1},\ldots,x_{n}\). Often it is assumed that the probability distribution comes from some family of functions parametrized by a set of parameters \(\theta _{1},\ldots,\theta _{m}\), so that in this case, the problem is reduced to estimating \(\theta _{1},\ldots,\theta _{m}\) and is called parametric estimation. However, if no specific family of distributions is assumed, i.e., the probability distribution can not be completely defined by a finite number of parameters, the problem is called nonparametric estimation.
Enhanced sensitivity to insulin-like growth factors in SLUG-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition

B49 Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an important phenomenon in embryogenesis and cancer progression. Snail group of proteins, including SLUG, is known to initiate this process by repressing the expression of E-cadherin and other membranous proteins (Cell 2004). In our preliminary study, we found a drastic activation of the Akt signaling in the SLUG-induced EMT. Therefore, the AIM of this study was to unravel the underlying molecular mechanism of the SLUG-mediated activation of Akt signaling. Methods: Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells were transfected with SLUG cDNA or empty vector, and stable transformants (SLUG-MDCK cells) were selected using the antibiotic G418. After analyzing the phenotypic changes and protein profiling to confirm the EMT, the cells were used in this study. Results: The SLUG-induced activation of Akt pathway was re-confirmed in this study. In this regard, we focused on the insulin-like growth factor type-I receptor (IGF-IR)-insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-Akt axis, and found that a significant tyrosine-phosphorylation of IGF-IR, coupled with a clear phosphorylation of Akt, in the SLUG-MDCK cells, suggesting a higher sensitivity to IGF stimulation in EMT. Indeed, the phosphorylation of both IGF-IR and Akt was inhibited by IGF binding protein-3. Of interest, the activation of IGF-IR in SLUG-MDCK cells was, at least in part, due to an increased production of IGFs from these transformed cells, suggesting an autocrine loop involving IGF-IR activation. It was previously suggested that IGF-IR was constitutively phosphorylated in cells over expressing Src (Mol Cell Biol 1997). Thus, we examined the correlative activation of IGF-IR and Src in SLUG-MDCK cells. We identified an increased phosphorylation of Src in SLUG-MDCK cells; however, this phosphorylation was not always coupled with the constitutive activation of IGF-IR, since the specific Src inhibitor PP2 failed to decrease IGF-IR phosphorylation. Although PP2 did not inhibit the IGF-IR activation, it clearly abolished the phosphorylation of Akt, leading to apoptosis in SLUG-MDCK cells, but not in MDCK cells. Conclusion: The enhanced IGF signaling in an autocine manner was first identified in the SLUG-induced mesenchymally-transformed cells. This hypersensitivity to IGF/insulin signaling these transformed cells may imply a significant cancer progression in diabetic patients with high serum insulin levels. In addition, the results from this study may provide a deep insight into a future strategy targeting IGF as well as Src signaling in overt cancers through EMT program.
Cell specific qRT-PCR of renal epithelial cells reveals a novel innate immune signature in murine collecting duct

The urinary tract is usually culture negative despite its close proximity to microbial flora. The precise mechanism by which the kidneys and urinary tract defends against infection is not well unde...